Getting Ready Robes, Bridesmaids Dresses, Beauty Prep and other Wedding Purchases

As many of you know, I’ve been waiting for our full gallery of wedding photos to really dive into wedding content… but I got them last week and now I want to share ALL OF THEM 😂 How does one narrow down pictures from the best day ever?! It’s so hard!!

That being said, I’m pretty sure I’ve settled on sharing posts about our floral/decor, our ceremony, our reception – along with how to choose a photographer/videographer and the benefits of hiring a day-of planner. But before we get to those (or updates to my wedding bundle – coming soon!), let’s talk a little bit about prep and purchases leading up to the big day!

So obviously we all know that you need to book a venue and caterer… but what about the smaller purchases and details that you need to get closer to the wedding? Those things really creeped up on me, especially because we ordered some for the original wedding – and then I had no interest in getting them again for the new date/venue. Covid bride problems! Luckily, there are other small purchases to make that are really fun and exciting, so let’s talk about them!

Wedding Purchases

Vow Books

About 10 days before the wedding, I realized that we didn’t know what we were going to read our vows off of! Luckily our planner recommended these cute little vow books that arrived in 2 days – shoutout to Prime shipping!!

Lipstick

During my trial, my makeup artist recommended that I get Chanel Le Rouge Duo Ultra Tenue to keep on hand for touchups throughout the wedding day. It has a liquid lipstick on one end and a high end shine gloss on the other – and she swears by it for all of her brides. She combined a few colors for the initial application, but I purchased 40 Light Rose to use throughout the day. Now I want it in another color!

Ring Box

This ring box was another purchase that I totally forgot about until a few weeks before… probably because I waited until the very last minute to get my wedding band. Wooops! I’m so glad I didn’t forget about it though, because I love having something with slots for both my engagement and wedding ring. Plus, it’s so pretty!

Wedding Band

In case you missed it, I literally picked up my wedding band 4 days before our wedding 😂 Here’s the story – we were going to pick out our bands the week that the world shut down in 2020. Once we realized the wedding wasn’t going to happen, we held off… and then just kept holding off. I was eyeing this knife edge pave ring for a while, so I figured I would just order that and call it a day. But when it arrived in July, I didn’t like it. Again, WOOPS. Luckily, I popped into Stanley Brown Jewelist and they were amazing. I tried on a version of my ring with diamonds all the way around and I loved the way it looked with my engagement ring from the top, but I really didn’t want to spend that much. She suggested creating a ring with diamonds only halfway around, and it turned out even more beautiful than I imagined.

Other Jewelry

I am not the biggest help in this category because I didn’t want to wear a lot of jewelry. I really didn’t want to distract from the detail of the bodice of my dress with big earrings or a necklace, and I was worried that a bracelet might snag the delicate fabric on the skirt. So I opted for my Mom’s diamond studs. This pair is pretty similar!

Ceremony Programs

I need to credit my Mom on this one, because she found this amazing Etsy seller to make our programs – and I loved how they turned out! I especially loved that we could use them for these detail shots since we sent different invitations out instead of reprinting and sending our original invitation suite to everyone all over again with different dates and details. This was much easier – and less expensive!

Place Cards

Luckily that same Etsy seller makes matching place cards, too! She also had a very fast turnaround time, which is great if you have last minute changes like we did!

Getting Ready Robes

I bought these Yumi Kim robes back in 2019 – and I wondered if it was a mistake after hearing that so many are over robes. But here’s the thing… LOOK HOW BEAUTIFUL MY GIRLS LOOK! Yes, it’s possible that they’ll never wear them again, but everyone needs to get ready in something – it might as well be a pretty robe, right? WHY NOT?! (You can also get 25% off with code FAMILY right now, too!)

I had originally purchased 6 robes, but my bridal party shifted a bit due to all of our postponements. My friend Danielle found out she couldn’t come because her brother postponed his wedding for the same day we did (what are the chances?!) and I felt compelled to add two of our other best friends in since we got so close throughout our very long engagement. So all of a sudden I had 7 bridesmaids but only 6 robes in a discontinued print. Luckily, I found this dusty pink robe that matched perfectly for my sister and MOH. I looooove the way they looked together!

As for me, I went back and forth between a robe or pajamas – but I’m really glad I got this robe. I was a little worried because of the negative review, but I thought it was beautiful in person! I especially love the pretty details on the neckline and the sleeves.

Wedding Shoes

Ahhh look at these beauties! I am SO glad that I treated myself to these Loeffler Randall heels. Right from the beginning of our engagement, I knew I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on white bridal shoes that I’ll never wear again. That just felt like such a waste to me, especially since most people don’t ever even see your shoes on your wedding day! That being said, I had been eyeing these in gold for years, so I loved the idea of getting them in a more bridal color for our wedding. And now I have them to wear to other weddings and events for years to come!

Also, a friend of mine asked if I considered the version with the ankle strap, which also comes in white and platinum, and are GORGEOUS. I personally didn’t feel like I needed the extra support – plus I didn’t want to have to fuss with the strap or worry about it rubbing my ankle/giving me a blister. But I know plenty of women who would disagree with me, so to each her own!

Hanger for Wedding Dress

My sister was so sweet and got me this Mrs. hanger so I’m not sure exactly where it’s from, but there are a TON on Etsy!

Wedding Dress

You can read all about my wedding dress and the shopping process in this post!

Veil

I was not totally sold on getting a wedding veil when I tried on my dress, but we put one on during my first fitting at Ette Tailor and I ended up buying on from them.

Hair Piece

While I wasn’t convinced I wanted a veil, I was convinced that I wanted a hair piece as soon as they put it on me at Alice in Ivory. I assumed I could find something similar that I loved, but I never did and I ended up calling them to order the exact one I tried on with my dress in store. No regrets at ALL. It was perfect.

Bridesmaids Gifts

I have a whole roundup of bridesmaids gifts ideas, but I’m not sure I ever filled you guys in on exactly what I got my girls! I obviously got them their robes (scroll up if you missed that!). In addition, I gave them each a nice card, my favorite hoop earrings (made by a local designer!), a beauty product (each one got something different, but they were mostly Tula goodies I also love), and I paid for their makeup service the morning of the wedding. 

Jenny Yoo Bridesmaids Dresses

Can we just take a moment for this twirling picture that Kerri captured?! Anyway, all of these dresses are made by Jenny Yoo! I am such a big fan of florals and I loved the idea of getting printed bridesmaids dresses… so as soon as I saw her Vintage Floral Ivory Sage print, I fell in love. Since it’s very light, we thought it would be pretty to pick up on those sage tones and pair it with a few seaglass colored dresses, too. We may have started with 3 vintage floral ivory sage and 3 seaglass dresses, but I actually love the way it looked with 5 in the print and 2 in the solid. The seaglass color is really grounding, especially paired with our beautiful flowers!

Also, I’m just going to be sappy for a quick minute and gush about how much I love these women. I’m so wildly lucky to have every single one of them in my life and I loved that the wedding was an opportunity to celebrate that together. There are few things better in this world than forever friends, and these gals are IT. Now go text your best friends and tell them that you love them, okay?!

Pre-Wedding Beauty Prep

Hair Cut and Color

I went to get my hair cut and colored a little less than 2 weeks before the wedding. I went to Jenna who I’ve been going to for years (and who did my wedding hair!) so there were no surprises.

Manicure and Pedicure

After not getting a manicure or pedicure for pretty much the entire pandemic, I am THRILLED that I found Legendary Lash and Nail before my wedding. Seriously, the gel overlay manicure they gave me was the best manicure I’ve ever gotten, it lasted for a month, and they did the most beautiful light pink to white ombre nail art that felt bridal but still modern and fun. HIGHLY recommend.

Spray Tan

I had never gone tanning before, but after getting a bad tan line at the beginning of the summer, I realized that a spray tan was going to be a necessity. I had heard so many rave reviews about Go Glow so I tried it out back in July and was blown away at how natural it looked. It basically made me feel like me after a loooong beach vacation. YES PLEASE! For the wedding, I went 3 days before and they did a beautiful job. They’re just really really good at what they do!

Lash Extensions

If you’ve been following me the past few months, you know that I’ve fallen in love with my lashes. If you want to learn more, definitely check out this post about pros and cons of lash extensions. But the short version is that I go to Penny and she is amazing. Just be sure to try them out at least one cycle before your actual wedding. That way, you can make sure you like the way they look and your eyes respond well to them. 

Exercise

This is a tough topic because there is so much pressure to look your absolute best on your wedding day. I felt more beautiful than I ever have that day, but I still find myself saying mean things about my body in my head as I look at some pictures. Body image is a TOUGH thing so if any of this is triggering to you, please just keep scrolling.

This was my philosophy on diet and exercise leading up to the wedding. I didn’t do anything different or drastic long term, partly because I was afraid to get excited about my wedding actually happening until a few months before. (Again, covid bride problems!) That being said, once I felt confident it was happening, I started getting into a more regular workout routine by going to Orangetheory about 5 days a week. To be honest, I had missed in person group fitness so much that I really really enjoyed spending my time that way. Until Delta started to surge and masks came back… but it was fun before that! My key point is: find a workout routine that is fun for you! 

Diet

As for diet, I didn’t change anything until about 6 weeks before when my skin started acting up. I went off the pill this spring and I started getting really painful hormonal pimples on my chin. I realized that sweating in a mask along with eating dairy and sugar usually caused these pimples. So I slowly started backing away from those things. By the time we got 3 weeks out from the wedding, I decided to work out at home instead of go to classes, and I completely stopped eating sugar (not fruit, I’m talking added sugar!), dairy, processed snacks, and alcohol.

I completely understand why this might not be for everyone, but I swear, my skin was PERFECT on my wedding day. We’re talking zero blemishes. My makeup artist couldn’t believe I was struggling with acne just a few weeks prior. I also had more energy and felt leaner too, which was a really nice bonus!

Our Vendors

I’ll elaborate on these in future posts but I thought it would be good to have a master list somewhere!

Photography: @kerricarlquist (and @yayitskatyy!)
Videography: @sauerproductions
Planner: @shannongailweddings (Kendall was a DREAM!)
Florals/Decor: @revel_decor
Venue: @biltmorecc
Band: @rodtuffcurlsandthebenchpress 
Hair: @beautybybullaro
Makeup: @alyssadianamakeup via @pinmeupchicago
Dress: @florabridal from @aliceinivorybridal
Cake: @ambrosia_patisserie

PS. You might also like 12 Wedding Dress Shopping Tips, White Rehearsal Dinner Dresses, Bridesmaids Gift Ideas, and My Wedding Planning Bundle!