Hi Girls! I am happy to report that the swatches for the Bridesmaids' dresses came in on Friday and the colors were dead on. So I've decided on Aria (http://www.ariadress.com/) for our BM dresses. The fabric is silk shantung and the colors are as shown below,

#43 Midnight # 42 Leaf

Here's the Deal
I want each of you to feel comfortable in your dress and also to have a dress that flatters YOU. There are over 20 designs you can choose from. You can choose any of the knee-length designs except, 105, 115, 144, and 183. Also I would prefer that only 2 bridesmaids have the same design, unless you all want the same dress. If you all decide on one style of dress that's fine, otherwise please work it out amongst yourselves what style you want. The body of the dress should be Midnight, but you can accessorize with Leaf any way you wish. A Leaf sash, double hem, both, only one or neither.

Ordering
All of your orders must be placed together. Once you decide which dress you want you can either request a sample be sent to you to try on (more info about this on the Aria web page) or you can just submit your measurements. You each will have to fill out an order form, sign it and mail it (with a check) to me. I will review each order form and submit them, with payment, all at one time.

When Do We Order?
Aria's web site says that most orders are completed within 12 weeks, but they urge you to submit your order 4 months in advance to allow for delays, alterations etc. Considering that June is the most popular wedding month I would like to send in our orders no later than Friday, January 11, 2008. That gives us 12 weeks for delivery and 2 months for you to have alterations made if necessary.

Questions?
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns about the dresses. If you would like to communicate with your other bridesmaids please feel free to use the comments section after the post or email each other. Let me know if you need each other's email addresses and I will be glad to send out a list. I hope you all are happy with the selection, I really tried to find something that would work for each of you and I believe this company can do that. Hope you're each having a great week!

Introductions

Hi Ladies! As Megan so nicely pointed out to me, there may be some of you who don't know who your fellow bridesmaids are, so here are the introductions.

Stephanie Toney - Maid of Honor and my sister. All of you have met Steph at one time or another but just to refresh, Stephanie lives in Durham, NC and works for Duke Hospital. Here is a pic from this year's beach trip of Stephanie and her new BF Cameron, so cute!!

Jenn Birch - Jenn and I have been friends since about the second grade and have remained close since. Jenn lives in Birmingham, AL with her husband Michael, though they will be returning to Raleigh at the end of this year when Michael completes law school. Here is a picture of Jenn with her husband Michael.


Lauren Newton - Lauren and I were fellow interns and roomies in Raleigh in the Spring of 2003. Lauren has just began her second year at UNC Law and is glad that the wedding is now one week later as it gives her that much more time to recover from exams! Here is Lauren doing what she does best, striking a pose!


Gray Peretti - Gray and I have been friends for the last 6 years. She knows me so well sometimes I think she may have access to my thoughts, ha ha! Gray lives in Bluefield, WV with her husband of almost 5 years, Anthony. As you can see Gray and Anthony also REALLY miss the 80's!


Megan Pinnell - Megan and I were sorority sisters at Elon. She lives and works in NoVa and not so secretly wishes to move to the Carolinas to be closer to me and the beach! Here is a photo of me, Meg and Stu, the night after we were engaged!


And last but not least,

Sarah Stephenson - Sarah and I have been friends since middle school and she is also Stu's sister! Sarah graduated from UNC-G and after a summer in Greece came back home to Bluefield. Here is a pic of Sarah and her BF Josh!

The Dress...

I know you all are anxious to know what the bridesmaids' dresses are going to look like, where to get them etc. I am definitely making some progress in this area and want you all to know that I'll be posting something very soon. I am waiting on some fabric samples before I make any announcements. I should have them by the first of next week and will be sure to let you know as soon as I do.

Does anyone have any questions or concerns about the dress? Have you seen something you think I/we might like? Please leave a comment or shoot me an email, I'd love to hear your suggestions and see what you all might have found on your own. Oh, and by the way, the colors for the wedding are Navy and Green.

Thanks girls!

Welcome!

Welcome to Sarah and Stu's wedding blog! My intent in creating this blog was to give my bridesmaids a place where they can communicate and get to know one another. It's also a great place for me to share news and updates about the wedding with all of our friends and family. I hope you all find this as useful as I do. I can't wait to get started!