I've been tattooed since the day after my 18th birthday.

I got a TINY shamrock on the nape of my neck to honor my part-Irish family:  (All photos personal)
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See? Tiny.
When I was 20, I added this to each wrist:
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Can anyone venture a guess behind their meaning? Also, must point out that Bruce snuck into this photo as to be fairly represented on the 'Bee.
At the age of 22, I upped the ante:
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Talk about state pride, right?
Finally, about two years ago, I added this:
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Oh hey again, Bruce. What a camera-whore.
Needless to say, I will be a tattooed bride.  I've spent a lot of time, thought, and money on my body art - and I'm not ashamed to show it off any day, nevermind my own wedding.  I've been asked on more than one occasion if I'll be covering up my tattoos for the wedding.

"Do you really want to look back at your photos and see tattoos?"

"Uhh...yes?"

I've chosen this art, and it's not rubbing off anytime soon.  What would it mean for me to "pretend" like I don't have tattoos at my wedding?  They even sell tattoo cover-up for people who want to hide their tattoos!
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Really, Kat? You of all people? Would you ever use this stuff? / Image via Sephora
While I can understand the thoughts of my more conservative family members, I cannot pretend to be something I'm not.  These tattoos are a huge part of who I am, and one of the reasons I caught Mr. Jet's eye in the first place! ;)  (He doesn't have any, too scared of needles - but he thought I was quite the bad.  ass.)

I wouldn't, on my wedding day or any other day, want to hide my tattoo-light under a bushel!  I'll be proudly sporting my ink on my wedding day.

Hive, any other tattooed brides/grooms out there??

 
You can thank Barney Stinson for that one, hive.

I do love seeing Mr. Jet in a suit, which happens very infrequently as both he and and I have jobs where a more casual day-to-day look is accepted.  Whenever there's an occasion where I get to see Mr. Jet "suit up", I get a little giddy - our wedding day will absolutely be no exception!

Mr. Jet currently has one black suit that he wears for every wedding, funeral or fancy event.  He also has a navy blazer that makes him look like a fishing captain - totally hot.

For the wedding, he wanted to take a practical approach by buying a suit, versus renting a tuxedo.  This not only made sense from a "I can keep this forever" standpoint, but also allowed Mr. Jet much more variety in terms of style and color.  We also had our guys in mind, as we'd rather they put their money towards something they can own instead of having to return it come Monday morning!  The difference between an average tuxedo rental and the suit we eventually ordered was only $40, so it truly seemed like an economical choice for everyone.

Mr. Jet and I had always thought a grey suit would look great and fit perfectly with our theme so we visited our local Men's Wearhouse and Mr. Jet was actually fitted for this suit:
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Where is the rest of this man's face? I do not know. / Image via Men's Wearhouse
The suit both looked and felt great on Mr. Jet - but with a $249 price tag, we weren't sure we felt comfortable asking our guys to contribute that much.  (Ladies, what do you think of this?  I've been asked to pay this price and even higher for a bridesmaid's dress - why is the expectation so typically different for men?)  Anyway, we put this idea on hold, and visited a local formalwear shop called Main Street Formals

As luck would have it, they had a nearly identical, charcoal-grey three-piece suit for around $90 less than the MW equivalent.  Mr. Jet tried on the jacket and it looked fab on him!  He said he felt great in it - and with a lesser price tag, felt even better about asking the guys to invest in it as well.  Once all the guys finish their fittings (which had BETTER be soon, Mr. Jet!! ;)), the suits will be officially on order.

We did manage to accomplish something at MW without wasting our associate's time - we found ties for Mr. Jet and all the guys as well as a snappy pair of suspenders for Mr. Jet.

Check out the guys' get-up!! (All photos below personal)
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The guys will be able to rent the ivory shirt at no extra cost from Main Street Formals. We're not doing white shirts - don't want my ivory dress lookin' dingy!
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Mr. Jet will stand out from the crew with these suspenders and a different colored bout.
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Being an art student, color complementation was important to Mr. Jet. The colors in the tie will complement the girls' green dresses very nicely!
Can't wait to see Mr. Jet all gussied up for our wedding day - love my handsome guy!!

 
Oh shoes.

I've got to say, I'm more of a handbag girl myself (working for a handbag company and all), but a great shoe is never lost on me.  My issue is the heel.  (I actually typed "hell" by accident just now.  Freudian slip?)  I HATE WEARING HEELS.  I KNOW they make my legs look great, I stand up straighter and generally look more "womanly", but damn are those things uncomfortable.  And with a floor-length gown I'll need to be strapped into, do I really want to go this route and be doubly-uncomfortable?
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gorgeous, but me feet hurt just look at these! / Image via Seychelles
I could go the two-shoe route, but I can seem to justify buying shoes for a 20-minute ceremony IN THE GRASS.  Hive, I think I'm going to be a flat-wearing bride.

I've found some really cute options out there, including Miss Palm Tree's awesome Toms idea!  Miss Campfire even jumped in and sent me some great options!!!
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I told her I was playing with the idea of having my shoe be my "something blue". / Image via Zappos
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A cute neutral. / Image via 6pm
I had lots of great options in the flat-world at that point, then another friend sent me a link to these by Dessy Group:
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These caught my eye - love me some shoe bling! / Image via Dessy
As I was clicking through the Dessy Accessories page, I saw that they had these shoes in 14 different colors and that the bling was also a removable shoe clip!  "Oooooo", I said to myself, eyes widening!

I clicked around and ended up finding a great Art Deco-inspired shoe clip and a cute chiffon flower clip as well!
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Chiffon Flower Clip & Art Deco Clip. / Images via Dessy
This got me thinking, I can mix and match and have the girls' dress color as my shoe!  Or perhaps go ahead with my "something blue" idea since I found the Art Deco clip on a Navy shoe!  Or have the Art Deco clip on a basic Ivory shoe! One thing led to another, and I ended up with this:
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Cue the shoe montage!! / Image via Dessy
I really love all nine of these options - le sigh!  Help me out hive!  Which one is your favorite??
 
I've always loved art deco jewelry - clean lines, beautifully symmetrical stones and basic designs that don't overwhelm.
Although my dress is a tad romantic for the art deco genre, I plan on sneaking in some art deco jewelry as a nod to my love of the deco.  I'm thinking a multi-layer pearl necklace with an art deco clasp somewhat like this:
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Image via GeoGallery / Photo by Kenneth Larsen
I might add a smaller drop earring in a complementing pattern somewhat like these:
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Image via Amazon
Since my dress is pretty intricate and I will have a decorative sash on as well, I want to keep the jewelry as simple and elegant as possible - which is why the deco style really speaks to me.  Nothing is overly designed or too showy.  I'm still looking for the perfect jewelry at my local antique shops and estate sales.  I've seen quite a lot of art deco costume jewelry in my area, I think I can find the perfect jewelry for a great price!
 
I have seven gorgeous bridesmaids of all different shapes, sizes, colors and personalities.  Finding a dress to look good everyone and match the theme of our outdoor Fall wedding was a big priority for me.  I wanted my most favorite women on earth look and feel great on my wedding day!

Originally, I wasn't into floor length dresses, as I thought they might be too formal for our event.  My mind was changed when I entered the wide world of chiffon.  At our local bridal salon, we found beautiful, flowing chiffon numbers in great Fall colors that seemed to accent not only my dress, but our modern/rustic theme as well.  

Enter, Bari Jay.  Bari Jay has been around for over 30 years offering really great styles that will never break the bank.  What's better is that they specialize in Bridesmaid dresses so they have real attention to detail and seasonal colors that never seem outdated.

We looked a few options in the floor-length chiffon but had a clear winner pretty quickly.  

Here she is, Number 324:
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MOH K and B'maid E ROCKING the front/back combo. / Personal photo
My favorite elements of this dress are the sweetheart neckline (which mirrors my gown) and the geometric ruching on the back.  The girls ordered the dress in the color Forest, which is a really nice medium, moss green.  It's going to tie into our theme perfectly.
It seems as though all the girls are happy with the dress and although I'm pretty sure they'll never ACTUALLY wear them again, I'm secretly hoping they find at least one more use for this lovely little number!
 
As a not-thin-yet-not-plus-sized bride - I sort of dreaded trying on wedding gowns.  I love my body for the most part, I've got curves in all the right spots!  But I do have insecurities as well and have been working out (a little) and watching what I eat (a little) to try and drop a few pounds before the big day.  I'm hoping I fall into that category of women who seem to mysteriously lose weight in the weeks leading up to their weddings due to stress and anxiety!  I've got the stress and anxiety part down, so I'm 2/3 of the way there if you do the math....

I started looking at bridal magazines with my gal pals right after (okay, a little before) I got engaged.  My eye was always drawn to very romantic, lacy styles, especially this Oleg Cassini number from David's Bridal:
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Image via David's Bridal
(Sidenote: Why do bride models always look so damn miserable?  It's your fake wedding day, look alive!!)


I do know how to dress my body type and a sweetheart neckline accents my boobs without squishing them into one giant uni-boob.  The mermaid/trumpet line of the dress tucks in my small waist and lets out the J-Lo badonk I've got going on as well.  I knew pretty quickly that I wasn't a sheath or cupcake gown bride and once I found the style I wanted, I made an appointment with a local bridal salon.  

On a Saturday morning, my step-mom, MOH K, B'maid E and I visited Alexandra's Bridal in Fall River, MA.  We were met with the sassy Brazilian consultant, Rosana.  I showed her a few pictures I had with me and described the look I was going for.  As luck would have it, those Brazilian girls have all the right curves just like this Irish-Italian girl!  Rosana knew exactly what would accentuate the positives and she pulled about 10 dresses for me to try on.

I'd offer you a neatly presented collage, but the salon did not allow photos!  Womp womp...every blogger's nightmare!

I will tell you, however, I did not make it past dress 3.

Dress 3, oh dress 3...how I love you!

Are you getting the vibe yet that I make decisions very quickly?

Dress 1 was lacy, form-fitting and elegantly beaded.  It was a gorgeous dress, but there was something about the fit I wasn't crazy about and I knew it wasn't it right away.  By the look on my face, my audience knew too.

Dress 2 was satin, ruched, bedazzled around the waist and fit my body like a damn glove.  It was glamorous and very old-school hollywood starlet.  I felt super sexy and this was a serious contender.  It made me forget my lacy love but didn't quite fit our "modern rustic" theme, so I kept going.  My audience loved this one, but agreed it didn't quite scream "me!"

Dress 3 was just...it.  Rosana helped me step into it and although it was 4 sizes too small, it still looked magical.  It had the lace and beading of Dress 1 and the perfect fit of Dress 2.  It was corseted (score one for being able to eat at the wedding!), lacy, fitted and gorgeous.  My audience was stunned.  It was completely unanimous.  It was everything I wanted in a dress and made me feel like a fricken queen.  You'll all have to wait for the big reveal, but hopefully you'll think it's worth it! ;)