Win a honeymoon from Ann Taylor

I am a huge Ann Taylor fan -- I shopped there for years (love their petites) and bought my bridesmaids dresses from their Celebrations Collection. They have just announced their NEW Celebration line plus they holding a Honeymoon Giveaway (but you don't have to be a bride to enter -- you can already be married).

Enter here for your chance to win a honeymoon to the Bahamas, Paris, Hawaii or Jamaica...it’s your choice! I just entered and am hoping for an anniversary trip to Paris!

For those of you looking for a patterned bridesmaid dress, check out their floral jacquard dress (similar to the dress I got for my bridesmaids):


To find an Ann Taylor near you that carries the Celebrations Line check out their Store Locator.

Attire close-up -- the women

What you wear on your wedding day should make you feel fantastic. More and more brides are expressing themselves with not only what they choose to wear but how they dress their groom, groomsmen, bridesmaids and flower girl.

There are a few things I learned while planning my wedding that I'd like to pass on to you. First, don't think that on your wedding day you have to look a certain way because that's what you see in a magazine or your mother said so! Be sure to pick a dress that suits your style. You should simply be a more dressed up version of yourself! If you're comfortable and confident that that will make you glow and look beautiful.



I bought my Romona Keveza gown (it's actually two pieces) from her Legends Collection at Mark Ingram's Bridal Atelier in NYC. It was a fantastic experience, from my first appointment, to the day I picked my dress up before my wedding. My sales girl Anju was fantastic -- supportive but not pushy in any way. I'd highly recommend making this one of your first stops while searching for a dress in New York.



When it came time to finding a dress for my bridesmaids I started looking very early (like 10-11 months early). I didn't want my friends to have to break the bank to participate in my wedding and bridesmaid dresses can be outrageously priced! I went to Ann Taylor to look at their celebrations collection with my BM who lives in the city and we found a dress we loved -- and score team bridesmaids -- it was on sale for $99!! This made my day. I love how our florist was inspired by the roses on their dresses for their bouquets with lavender freesia, purple delphinium, and creamy white roses.



And last but not least, our flower girl. This sweet little girl (who just turned eight a few weeks ago) is very special to me. I also didn't want to put any financial stress on her parents so I showed her mother the Ann Taylor Flower Girl Dress for inspiration because I didn't want her to have to spend $128 on a dress she'd outgrow so quickly. She ended up getting her dress on sale around Easter time -- so savvy. The one thing I did ask is that she get her the brown sash so she'd compliment the bridesmaids dresses.

Click to enlarge images

Up next...Attire close-up -- the men!

New Celebration Collection!

I got my bridesmaid dressed on sale for $99 from the Ann Taylor Celebration Collection. I think this line is so brilliant. I've always been a fan of Ann Taylor's style and value. I have items of clothing from Ann Taylor that I've had for years that have held up very well. I even bought a super cute pair of wellies from Ann Taylor (there is a matching umbrella that will be coming to Burlington just in case it rains on our wedding day)!


Photo by Daria Bishop

I digress -- so I just got an email announcing Ann Taylor's NEW Celebration Collection and wanted to share with you. Not only do they make lovely bridesmaid dresses your friends will most likely want to wear again, they make wedding dresses for those on a smaller budget with classic taste.


They also recently added flower girl dresses to the collection. We had our flower girl's mother buy her the brown sash to go with my bridesmaid dressed and she is going to look cute as pie. We are going to tie the bow in the back -- her mother was kind enough to get her dressed and send me this picture. Here she is in her dress (I kept her face private).



And here is our bridesmaid dress (sadly I don't have a picture of any of the girls in it -- that will have to wait until the wedding).



And while I'm at it...the bridesmaids shoes. They are Nina and we got them on sale on-line from Macy's.



For more on the Ann Taylor Celebration Collections click HERE.

I was very aware that my girls couldn't afford a $200+ bridesmaid dress, so that was a big part of my choice. What did you do for your bridesmaids? Did you get them custom matching dresses? Pick a color and let them pick something in their budget? Did you pay for them?