Cubicle Chic

Wedding Planning || A Fashion Blogger’s Perspectives on Bridal Gown Trying-On

Jessica Koong — Fri, 03 Mar 2017 18:06:48 +0000

Cavin Elizabeth Photography – http://www.cavinelizabeth.com

Updated 3/31/17* See bottom of the post!

As a bride-to-be, this is perhaps THE MOST exciting part of the entire wedding planning process! This is the part that I wish would NEVER end: and it’s the bridal gown hunting and selecting process! I knew I had to document this part of wedding planning on the blog and share the experience with you.

In this post, I will show you bridal gowns from 5 different designers in various price points. I let my consultant, Stacey, pick these out knowing what I like and don’t like and really enjoyed the process of trying on different gowns. At the end of the post I’ll reveal the designer of my ACTUAL GOWN but, of course, not the actual dress. I will have to reveal it after the wedding!

As far as the type of gowns I have been looking for, this is what I like and don’t like: I don’t have very clear and defined collar bones (I know, the weirdest body part to be NOT confident about…) so I try to avoid all strapless/tube tops. I also prefer tulle/organza over satin in any scenario. I wanted something airy and fluffy, but not overly princess-y. I wanted something that will elongate me and give me a very “bridal” silhouette, but also have something that will be memorable and not just “a bridal gown”.

The White Flower Bridal Boutique turned out to be the boutique that really understood my vision and had everything that I wanted in stock. They are located in downtown San Diego. If you’re a bride to be and are shopping for a gown, don’t forget to make an appointment and visit them!

P.S. This s not a sponsored post in any way, shape, or form!

Cavin Elizabeth Photography – http://www.cavinelizabeth.com

The White Flower Bridal Boutique in San Diego, CA

Cavin Elizabeth Photography – http://www.cavinelizabeth.com

The White Flower Bridal Boutique in San Diego, CA

Stacey Kerr is my wedding consultant at The White Flower. She’s been SUPER helpful, knowledgeable, responsive, and patient with me throughout the whole process. I’m SO glad I got to work with her!!

Cavin Elizabeth Photography – http://www.cavinelizabeth.com

So, here are Stacey’s picks that I tried on! I also brought my own shoes (The Jimmy Choo’s you see to the left of the picture below!)

Cavin Elizabeth Photography – http://www.cavinelizabeth.com

So, here are some of the pieces that I tried on thought I thought would be entirely and thoroughly ME, and a great fit for a fashion blogger’s bridal gown!!

1. Two Piece Outfit: Lea Ann Belter Top Arabella & Wtoo Skirt- Effie

I knew going in that I wanted to have something that’s less conventional. A two piece gown from different brands definitely checked that box! I love the top that hugs the body (super flattering!) and the bottom that is everything you can ask for a fusion ballgown/A-line skirt!

Cavin Elizabeth Photography – http://www.cavinelizabeth.com

2. The Vintage Elegance: Wtoo- Lenora Gown

I also wanted to make sure I tried on something that I just wouldn’t even think of trying if someone didn’t pick it out for me. I wanted to make sure my pre-conceived notions were not blinding me from finding the perfect gown. So this was the one that Stacey grabbed for me – I loved the vintage and elegant design. But, as you can probably see on my face, it ultimately wasn’t something that I felt like I could be myself in.

Cavin Elizabeth Photography – http://www.cavinelizabeth.com

3. The One That May Have Gotten Away: Essence Of Australia 2292 Gown

I had a little episode before I finalized the decision on THE dress. The first time I went with my entourage to the first boutique (which will remain anonymous), I actually ended up putting down the deposit toward an Essence of Australia dress. It wasn’t the one I’m wearing in these photos because it was a sample dress and they didn’t allow photos. But, I kind of got suckered into the “deal” because it was during a trunk show, and that they were offering something like (don’t remember exactly) 50% off. So, the next morning, I literally woke up and KNEW I made the wrong decision. Thank goodness it wasn’t too late and I was lucky enough to be able to reverse that decision. But I learned the lesson of listening to my heart and not my brain, and eventually found the dress that I LOVED at The White Flower boutique and hadn’t changed my mind since!!

Cavin Elizabeth Photography – http://www.cavinelizabeth.com

4. The Unexpected Contender: Martina Liana 822 Gown

The moment I put the dress on I knew my first impression about the dress was wrong. This is one of those dresses that fit SO well and accentuate all the right parts of your body. It sounds weird but I felt like a goddess in this dress! The only caveat was that I wasn’t looking to look like a goddess… if that makes sense. I still needed my dress to be a tiny bit more conservative, and not show so much curves. But I have to say I didn’t expect the dress to make me feel as amazing as it did. I would recommend any bride who wants to look dazzling and sexy!

Cavin Elizabeth Photography – http://www.cavinelizabeth.com

5. Made my heart flutter: Hayley Paige Lorelei Gown

I CANNOT gush enough about Hayley Paige gowns… She truly masters the whimsical and romantic look in EVERY dress she designs. I am a story teller and a content developer, I feel like I appreciate all things that tell stories, too. Hayley Paige gowns do exactly that. This particular dress I tried on was a slightly larger size, so it obviously didn’t fit perfectly. But imagine the sleeves perfectly tailored to my arms, and the top fitting a little more snugly… This dress was SO dangerously beautiful I was scared that I would change my mind about the dress I’d already committed to!

Cavin Elizabeth Photography – http://www.cavinelizabeth.com

Even thought I felt SO strongly tempted, I still didn’t change my mind. Thank goodness. LOL. And you may have guessed by this point, YES, I went with a Hayley Paige gown!! As a designer, Hayley Paige most closely represents my style and ultimately her dress really spoke to me as a fashion blogger. And I will be walking down the aisle in 8 days in it… I CANNOT BELIEVE!!!

3/31/2017 Update:

It’s been 20 days after the most dreamy day of my life, and here is the actual gown that I wore on my big day: the Hayley Paige Dori gown! It was perfect in every single way: the color, the fit, the way it moved, the way it made me feel.. I don’t think I could’ve possibly moved a better gown!!

Me, in Hayley Paige Dori Gown <3

Cavin Elizabeth Photography – http://www.cavinelizabeth.com

I hope the searching process of a fashion blogger’s bridal gown was interesting to read. Which gown do you like best and why??

All photography by Cavin Elizabeth Photography

The post Wedding Planning || A Fashion Blogger’s Perspectives on Bridal Gown Trying-On appeared first on Cubicle Chic.

Wedding Planning || My Engagement Shoot “What It’s Like To Be Planning A Wedding”

Jessica Koong — Sun, 19 Feb 2017 20:35:01 +0000

We are officially under 1 month away from the big day! Having just gone through a bit of a crisis (more on that later) in my career, I am so ready to finish the last mile of my wedding planning process on a high note and in 3 weeks, walk down the aisle and marry my best friend!

In the next coming weeks, I have a hair appointment, final dress fitting, video shoot to finish up, and an appointment to apply for a marriage license. But I wanted to share some REAL insight and advice on what I’ve learned in the last 11 months with you today. If you’re a bride to be, listen closely.. and if you’ve been there and done that, read on and laugh with (at) me!!

By the way, these photos are actually part of my Engagement Shoot, taken by the amazing Jen Fellows from Acqua Photos. We decided to capture something real and AUTHENTIC of what’s actually going on a few months before the wedding – looking at details of the wedding and enjoying every moment. Instead of dressing up and trying to act all lovey-dovey (we did that, too, for the record, and I didn’t love the end result), we decided to capture what’s REAL. I can’t tell you how much MORE I love this kind of photo shoot; it tells a story without me having to try at all!

So here are the things I’ve learned in the last 11 months that I wish I knew before I started:

1) Starting earlier is ALWAYS better than starting later

And I don’t just mean the wedding planning process itself, but the bits and pieces of the process. It’s never too late to get that MINTED order in (especially knowing sometimes they mess up!! I had such nightmares dealing with them), start thinking about your guest list, and finalizing your seating charts… These are things that you think you can’t do until later in the process, but start laying them out! You can change your mind later, but at least you won’t be starting from scratch when time is all of a sudden limited. Which, trust me, WILL happen to you!

2) Select the right wedding planner

This is kind of an obvious one on the surface. Depending on what you need, you may be looking for a day-of, month-of, or full-service wedding planner. Some specialize in ethnic weddings, other specialize in design. I personally interviewed 6 different wedding planners myself within a 2 month period and eventually decided to go with Nicole George Events.

The reason I picked Nicole over all the other ones I interviewed was because she seemed more 1) organized 2) calm and composed 3) stylish when it comes to personal style. Honestly, that’s about how much you can glean from a 30-60 minute meeting with anyone. If you ask me, hiring a wedding planner is such a tricky business because you can’t really “try out” their service. You have 1-2 meetings to determine whether you like them, and after you’ve signed with them there’s pretty much no turning back. I am extremely lucky that Nicole turned out to be everything she was during our initial consultation. She is always prompt and responsive in terms of communication, and understands my vision, and listens more than she talks. The most important thing has been that she provides feedback at the right moment – she understands to complement my vision, and not to overpower it. These are such important traits for people in the service industry, especially wedding related business because everything is so personal. I love that about Nicole.

So when you’re looking for a wedding planner, I’d say look for people that click with you personally, someone whose demeanor you can work with (they’re not talking too fast, taking 3 days to respond to your email, wearing a lip color that you could never imagine wearing, or proposes ideas that are surprising to you in not-so-positive ways). If you should be judgemental ONCE in your life time, this is the time to exercise judgement.

3) Have a theme, but more importantly, tell your story

With Nicole’s help, we defined the stylistic theme of our wedding very early on. It was blush and midnight blue in terms of color, and the overall style is romantic, soft, and gardenesque. This was all Nicole’s work, so it was easier on my part.

What was more challenging is how to weave the story of how Victor and I met, how we are as a couple, and what binds us together, all into this look and feel. If you’re trying to do the same, I’d recommend

A. Work on your vow first, even if you’re way early in wedding planning. Write down the things you have to say to thank and appreciate your significant other. What comes to mind and what is the glue in your relationship.. what holds you together? Go from there.

B. Think about the touch points on the wedding day – a cocktail napkin probably won’t have as much impact as a sign displayed at the front entrance. Pick and choose the aspects of the wedding day where you want the story to come through. You can’t have EVERYTHING tell your story.. that will be sensory overload for your guests!

C. Much like what I did for our engagement shoot… think about ways to capture you guys in your most natural and authentic state. Having anything that’s less posted and scripted is always better!

4) If you don’t have a vision, tap into Pinterest. But only moderately.

Every wedding planner I interviewed said that they have a love-hate relationship with Pinterest. And it’s true! It’s the best tool there is when it comes to perusing the different options out there, but it isn’t always the easiest to organize and keep track of things.

I personally liked to go to StyleMePretty.com or TheKnot.com to look for aesthetic inspiration. Or I go to a big/established wedding planner or famous photographer’s websites to get ideas. Unless these people have been paying special attention to SEO, not all of their material land on Pinterest.

5) Don’t forget to involve your significant other

Depending on the significant other’s personality, they may or may not be heavily involved in the wedding planning process. I say involve them anyway, but gauge what the “right level” is. It’s very common for the bride to take on most of the responsibilities and make most of the decisions. But it’s BOTH of your big da, so you don’t want him to be surprised about what happens during your wedding, especially financially related items, haha. Yes, be on the same page regarding your budget, and involve him in your decision making process.

All Photography by Jen Fellows at Acqua Photo

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Wedding Planning || What To Wear To A Garden Wedding

Jessica Koong — Tue, 07 Feb 2017 15:00:00 +0000

I am literally writing this during the Super Bowl game on Sunday. Did you guys enjoy the game? I loved Gaga’s performance and those drones were amazing! Oh and the first ever over time in NFL history? Pretty amazing!!

So if this post sends you on a shopping spree, I apologize… JK, it’s exactly my intention, HAHA!

Our spring wedding is fast approaching (in just a little over a month…eeeee!!) and I’m getting a lot of question about whether there is a dress code to the wedding. I didn’t want to bog down my guests with needing to shop for a particular kind of dress. Instead, I’m providing a bunch of ideas as to what you COULD wear to my wedding, or any other garden-esq weddings for that matter.

Here’s a quick overview of the venue I have here – it’s a Southwestern, colonial style boutique hotel in the heart of La Jolla, California. The ambiance of the hotel feels really cozy and intimate, and has lots, and I mean LOTS of green.

So if you are planning outfits for any future garden weddings, or better yet… if you’re planning outfits for OUR wedding, here is a post for you to book mark!!

I’ve broken the price range down into dresses that are under $80, $80-$120, and $120-$250.

Minimal budget: Dresses under $80

Bang for your buck: Dresses between $80 – $120

Shop your heart’s desire: Dresses above $120 (and under $250 still)

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