18 april 2009: bridesmaids' shopping with the girls.

saturday was so much fun! travis and i had been packing most of the week and preparing to move to mom and dad's, and i felt like little was taking place for the wedding. i was in desperate need of a girls' day, and saturday was just that.

travis and i stayed the night at my parents' on friday night, so mom, sierra, and i could ride together for bridesmaids' dress shopping in tulsa. we woke up early, got ready, and headed to tulsa. we met jen, shannon, andrea, dee & amanda, kasi, and amelia at david's bridal. we already had a list of dresses that we wanted the girls to try on, and i had printed out pictures of the dresses and their item number. it took a few minutes to get everything set up for so many girls, but finally sarah took us back to the dressing rooms and mirrors. i also had the opportunity to try on my gown for all of the girls. much to my happiness, it fit!! i had been so nervous since it didn't fit when amelia and i picked it up. i was measured and pinned for the bustle and can't wait to see it all finished.

my original plan was for the girls to have the same dress, but for their colors to alternate between champagne and bronze. the store didn't have all of the gowns in the colors that we needed, so the girls were trying on a rainbow of colors! one of the dresses that was tried on was a deep, deep purple, almost chocolate color. all of our eyes were drawn to it, and while i kept thinking of the other color scheme i had in mind, that color still worked well with the wedding and i couldn't stop thinking of it. before the end of the day, we had decided to go with the darker colored dress and forego the champagne/bronze mix. i considered keeping the champagne and alternating it with the purple, but in the end, everyone felt more comfortable in the darker hue. it's important to me that the girls all feel good in the dress they wear and that they are able to have a good time the night of the wedding. everyone was so helpful throughout the day, offering to try on different styles, and making sure that i was happy with the choices as well.

i checked on the jewelry that i had originally tried on with the dress when my mom and i went shopping, and we decided to go ahead and purchase it. the jewelry and veil had really helped tie the entire look of the dress together for me, so i was excited to have it.

after shopping, we all headed over to panera bread for lunch. jen needed to get back to help with the rink and hudson, so she wasn't able to join us. when we got to the restaurant, i was sad that there was not an area large enough for us to all sit and visit. i think it was good that some of the bridesmaids were able to spend a little time together getting to know one another better, though. amanda and dee were at a table by themselves, and i went to sit with them. amanda has several weddings coming up this year. i can remember going through the same thing when i was her age. it seemed all of my friends were suddenly marrying, and i knew it would be some time before i was to join them.

after lunch, shannon, kasi, dee, and amanda had to head home. amelia, andrea, mom, sierra and i headed to the spa for pedicures. when we got there we all decided on mani/pedis and spent a few hours chatting and laughing. the massage chairs were unlike any i had sat in before, as the seat of the chair raised up and massaged as well. it definitely made for interesting faces as each of us turned our chairs on. i couldn't stop laughing when andy said, "it's touching my lady parts!" we all also decided to forego ever getting a massage with my mom as she started to make sounds from the foot massage she was receiving.

my mom and sierra had to cut their visit at the spa a little short as sierra was competing that afternoon for the miss paegent. they took my car to her event while amelia, andy, and i finished. the three of us were going to head to target to get the cute metallic flats jen had been wearing earlier with her jeans. (it was decided these would be worn with the dresses at the wedding since we will be outside most of the time). andy realized that she still had the drive to tahlequah ahead of her and she opted not to go to target in order to finish her drive before dark. amelia and i headed to forever 21 instead. i can't decide why they never have anything when i'm desperately in need of a cute outfit quickly ... but when i'm on a strict budget, they have nothing but things that i want to buy! mims purchased a dress for eric's sister's bachelorette party and then she headed off to do a little more shopping. my mom and sierra were finished with sierra's event, and had come to the mall to pick me up. the three of us then headed to target where we picked up sierra's shoes and finished our girls' day shopping.

i had planned to post a picture of the bridesmaids gowns that we selected, but unfortunately the website isn't allowing me to save the picture. i suppose you will just have to wait for the unveiling (pun not intended) at the wedding! i'm already looking forward to the next time we can all get together. it was exactly what i needed!