The dress...

Ok. I'll admit it. I can't WAIT to go wedding dress shopping. Yes, my actual wedding is still a couple years away and no, Adam and I haven't even picked a venue or anything like that yet, but it's hard to resist the siren call of finding THE DRESS. I don't think this is atypical of newly engaged women; in fact, I think most girls (engaged or single) would be lying if they said they hadn't given much thought to what they want to look like on their big day. And I think if you asked most women what they want to look like in their gown, I think most of them would say something along the lines of: I want to look "like a princess". Of course this means different things to different women, but one of the best things about getting married nowadays is that anything goes, and I think most retailers have finally started to realize that. Anyone who's ever seen TLC's show "Say Yes to the Dress" (come on, you know you have), knows that you can find traditional gowns, sexy gowns, gowns in different colors (pink, red, black, you name it), etc. that can fit any personality. So one of the first things most women ask themselves when planning a wedding is, what kind of bride do I want to be? For me, feeling "like a princess" on my big day means feeling beautiful and comfortable in my gown so I can focus on my commitment to Adam and having fun with my family and friends. After spending the past couple of months looking at dresses online, I've found a few that I like that will serve as a good starting point for when I finally do go to some stores and start trying on (probably sometime this fall/winter after we settle on a location)...

This first dress is the first one that made me think, I really love that dress:


Photo courtesy of David's Bridal

This is a traditional a-line shape with a slight sweetheart neckline and "pick-ups" (aka, folds and pleating around the bottom). I like the shape and the way the pick-ups give it interesting detailing without too much flash. I also like that it doesn't have a train, which would be more practical for an outdoor wedding. I agree with my best friend that a simple champagne colored sash would be less "distracting" than the bright color (which would match the maids). My biggest concern with this dress is that even though an a-line cut is supposedly universally figure flattering, I'm worried the pick-ups add too much pouf for a girl like myself with hips and a butt.

This second dress might be a better solution to my concern:

Photo courtesy of Ella Bridal

Same a-line cut, same pick-ups around the bottom, same corset back (which you couldn't see on the first dress, but I definitely love a corset rather than a plain zip-up), same belted waist. This dress, however, has this beautiful (figure-flattering) ruching around the bodice, and a slightly slimmer silhouette.

Or, I could go with something like this:

Photo courtesy of David's Bridal

This dress has a "mermaid" (aka, "fit and flare") cut that is defined by a slim silhouette through the waist and hips and then it flares at the bottom for a more curve-hugging/curve-defining fit. I'll admit I am a little wary of this cut... the experts say that it's perfect for curvier girls such as myself to enhance curves and also for thinner girls that want to create curves, but I'm not sure I'm confident enough in how I look to pull this off. That being said, I really love this dress. It's very similar to the Ella dress, and I like the belt that gives it some sparkle.

The last dress that has pick-ups is similar to all of the one's above except in one major way: this one is organza.

Photo courtesy of David's Bridal

Unlike the other three, which are made from heavier satins/taffetas, I love how this organza dress looks so soft, feminine, and floaty. I can't help but wonder if it'd be more comfortable and appropriate for an outdoor spring wedding.

Going back to ruching in the bodice, I do have a couple dresses I like that have slightly slimmer bottoms than those with the pick-ups. I love the simple elegance of these dresses, but my main concern with these is that they're maybe a little too plain, especially when viewed from the back. Something else to consider with these is that both are champagne, not pure white... would that work better for someone who's fair-skinned like myself? It's hard to say.

Dress 1:

Photo courtesy of Alfred Angelo

Dress 2:

Photo courtesy of Essence of Australia

What do we think?

Lastly, going back to the softness of the organza dress, I've found a couple dresses that are looser, flowy, and a little more relaxed than all the one's above. There's definitely something appealing about these, which look so soft and so comfortable.

Dress 1:

Photo courtesy of David's Bridal

Dress 2:

Photo courtesy of David's Bridal

So I'd say I have my work cut out for me. They say that, just like your fiance, once you find "the one", you'll just know. Since I tend to be indecisive and I really love all of these dresses for different reasons, I'm hoping that's the case. Though it may be a while from now, once I finally find my dress, I'll be sure to let you know what I pick!

Monday morning baking escapades...

Happy Monday everyone! Hopefully you all had a wonderful, relaxing weekend and are hanging in there on your first day back to work. I actually happen to be off work today and I've been keeping busy with errands, laundry, and some baking. Over the weekend I decided to make a Paula Deen recipe for chocolate chip zucchini bread. Here is the original recipe, courtesy of the Food Network website:

Ingredients

* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 3 eggs
* 2 cups white sugar
* 1 cup vegetable oil
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 2 cups grated zucchini
* 1 cup chopped pecans
* 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
* 1 tablespoon orange zest
* Whipped cream, for serving
* Zucchini ribbons, for serving

Directions

Preheat oven at 350 degrees F. Grease (2) 9 by 5-inch loaf pans.

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, spices and baking soda.

In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and fluffy. Add sugar, and continue beating until well blended. Stir in oil, vanilla, zucchini, pecans, chocolate chips, and orange zest. Stir in sifted ingredients. Pour into prepared loaf pans.

Bake for 50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove loaves from pans and cool. Chill before slicing. Serve with whipped cream and ribbons of zucchini.

This recipe makes two loaves, but I only have one loaf pan, so I halved the recipe and scaled back the cooking time to 45 minutes. I also left out the nuts (Adam and I don't like them in breads/brownies/cookies/etc.) and substituted a little bit of lemon juice (about 1/2 tbsp) for the orange zest since I didn't have an orange. This loaf turned out well enough, but it was a bit dry, so I decided to make another loaf today and play with the recipe a little. In addition to the substitutions I made for the first loaf, I used half the amount of oil and added 1/4 c. of no sugar added applesauce. I also put in the full 2 cups of zucchini rather than halving the recipe, since the first loaf tasted more like chocolate than zucchini, which isn't necessarily a BAD thing, but this is supposed to be zucchini bread. I figured since I originally left out the cup of chopped pecans, an extra cup of zucchini wouldn't change the overall density of the bread. I also cut the bake time back to 40 minutes this time, which is the shortest time it took for me to insert a knife and have it come out clean. This is the end result:



I haven't tasted it yet since it's still cooling, but I'm fully anticipating this being a 4 or 5 star recipe. I served the first loaf at night with some fat free cool whip and again in the morning with some fat free cream cheese. I think this would also taste great warm with a little pat of butter. Mmm mmm!

Originally it was supposed to rain today and we didn't want to plan on grilling out, so we're having an easy taco dinner tonight with turkey and low-carb tortillas. If the sun stays out, I'm hoping to talk Adam into resuming our post-dinner walks, and maybe if I'm good, I'll treat myself to a slice of zucchini bread. :)