Clothes Shopping After Work = Big Mistake

Especially when you're lugging around a laptop bag and the entire population of the Toronto seems to have chosen to shop at the same store as you and preceisly the same time. I know I live in the most populated city in Canada...but GEEZ. Where did all these people come from?!

You might recall my excitement about getting an H&M card as a bridal shower gift from OG's office. Well, in usual Office Bride fashion, I wanted to use it right away and somehow convinced my better half that going to the mall afer work was a good idea.

Nope.

The extra luggage and the crowd didn't help. But the worse thing was I didn't find any of the pieces I found online. BOOOOOOOOO! Apparently not all of the Fall/Winter clothes have come in yet. What a disappointment. I refused to leave empty handed though, so I did pick up a cardigan and a leopard print top (it's all about animal print this season!).

I hate bad shopping experiences, lol. Hopefully next week will prove to be a better one.

Stain Glass Goodness

One more gift purchased this week! For Office Groom's mum!

Knowing how much she loves stain glass windows, Office Groom and I had a look through Etsy (that's right ladies, my man is an Etsy shopper!) looking for unique stain glass gift ideas. Overwhelmed by the 567 pages to go through, we realized that we needed to narrow down the choices.

At first we thought a small art piece that she could hang on the wall was the way to go, but that seemed like the obvious choice. Plus she already has quite a few pieces hanging up at their house. We wanted something that was different and unexpected but still fell under the same theme.

So we started perusing different jewellry pieces that had stain glass pieces and we struck gold! This appeared on the first page of our search and we knew it was the one!


The artist, Anne-Marie, owns an Etsy shop named Color Shoppe Studio. According to her page, she's a member of the Stained Glass Art Association, and Self Representing Artist, so you are guaranteed that all her pieces are handcrafted by her in her studio.

There were so many other pieces we loved like the stained glass leaf and "Solitude" (OG actually wants that one for himself!), but we decided on this one because of the colour combination and the way the glass seems to reflect different shades in the light.

We're very excited to receive the necklace in the mail and even more excited to give it to his mum at the rehearsal dinner!

Now on to my mum's gift. Ugh! Pressure!!!

BM Gift #2 - Swarovski Crystal Jewellry

My bridesmaid jewellry came in the mail yesterday!!! I had ordered them almost a month ago but due to an mailing error (not the sellers fault) it was delayed by another two weeks. On the plus side, because of the delay, the seller reimbursed me $15 which was really nice of her to do.

So - here they are!

Already packaged in a box, ready to give!


Swarovski crystal necklace and matching earrings


I was really intent on getting the girls Swarovski crystals because I think they are both beautiful and classic. My dress also has Swarovski crystals beaded along the bodice, so it ties in nicely.

When I first started my search, both on-line and in real stores, I was surprised to see that "Swarovski crystals" were available everywhere! I was always under the impression that they could only be purchased from the actual Swarovski store, but as it turns out, this was not the case - as long as you were actually buying the real thing.

Thinking about getting Swarovski, but can't tell real from fake? First you need to avoid the confusion between the name itself. Swarovski, the brand, uses crystals known as Austrian Crystal Beads. So technically it's the type of crystal you need to look out for, not the actual name Swarovski. However, there's more to it than just that. According to Your Swarovski, "there are some who try to sell the far lesser quality glass beads as Swarovski." So if you're a stickler for details, you should look out for things like weight and color. Associated Content has a good article that you may find useful. Regardless, for Budget Conscious Brides this is a great alternative to the actual Swaroski product line without paying for the name.

I have to admit that I didn't do as much research as I could have, since I was addicted to Etsy at the time of my search. I ended up going with Whitney Lynn (formerly Wynn Studios), who not only has a beautiful collection of jewellry but has great feedback from past buyers. So I guess I took a chance buying it, but I'm so happy I did!

I can't wait to see my girls open their little boxes and try them on!!

Say Yes to the (Little White) Dress

(While waiting for my meeting to begin...Gotta love a good old Google search)

Whether you're wearing it all day, or just for the reception, how can one resist these fun alternatives to the long gown?

For the Modern Audrey (Caroline Hererra)


For the Off-Beat Rocker (BCBG Jewel-Embelisshed Cocktail Dress)


For the Sleek Greek Goddess (Gucci Long Sleeve Gathered Dress)


For the Sassy Party Girl (Etsy's YourFairyTaleWedding)

Oh Bebe! There's a sale!

BEBE is currently having a sale in-store and on-line. From Thursday December 10 until Sunday December 13, you can get 30% off your purchase. If you would like to receive the in-store discount, you need to contact me directly. For the on-line discount, use the code: UNWRAP30.

The accessories and purses are gorgeous.



And for the off-beat bride, check out the veiled headpieces - to die for!






Happy shopping!

PashmiNOW

Thanks to MSN.com, I've discovered a new site that sells an amazing selection of Pashminas, and they are currently on sale for $9.99. Whether for yourself, a christmas gift, or for your bridesmaids, this is a great deal! Check out the selection at Peach Couture.

The Knot upcoming sale!

Shoe shopping on-line

Once the dress was bought, there was no doubt in my mind that the shoes would be next.

I love shoes. Ok, I know that every woman says this, but I reallllly love shoes. I love them to the point where I'll walk over to Winner's during my lunch break just to try on a pair or two if I'm bored (and if it's not pay week). I also have so many pairs of shoes that I often forget that I own some of them or where I put them.

Example - A couple of weeks ago I was getting ready in the morning, and was set on wearing my tall black suede boots, which I usually leave outside the apartment. To my dismay, they were no where to be found and I convinced myself that someone had stolen them. This entire time of course my fiance is just standing back and shaking his head at me. Anyway, when I got into work, I opened up my bottom desk drawer, only to find my beloved boots.... along with three other pairs that I had forgotten I owned. That's when I remembered that I had stored them there because there wasn't any more room in our small apartment (and I don't think my FI is aware that I bought them...*cough*)

ANYWAY...needless to say that I was looking forward to shopping for my big-day shoes. I had considered waiting until the spring when lighter colors come out, but pffft...who am I kidding? I couldn't wait that long. But since I also hate shopping in the winter (all south of the border brides - I envy you), I decided on the next best thing: shopping on-line.

I had never bought a pair of shoes on-line, mostly because it takes away the fun of trying them on. Worrying about fit doesn't really concern me because I own at least one pair of every popular shoe brand, so I know my size.

Also - buying shoes on-line in Canada sucks. There, I said it.

Sites like Zappos, Endless, and 6pm are all American based, and unfortunately do NOT ship internationally. Le boo. (And before you point out that there is a Zappos Canada, I want to stop you. Have you SEEN the selection?! It's like we got all the reject shoes! And the prices are insane! Blech!)

But - I didn't give up. While at my desk, I perused through Endless (which I found had the best selection and prices) and found the perfect shoe in the perfect color. Nine West Lucero, ivory/pink, in a size 8 1/2! MY SIZE! And only one pair left for $37 US! (And with the current exchange rate, I got them for $39 CAD!)

So I did what any normal, shoe-obsessed Canadian woman would do - I called up a friend in the states who I had planned on visiting in the new year and asked her if I could have them shipped to her house!

WOOT WOOT!

The purchase was easy-peasy and very organized. The delivery time was excellent, the shoes are in her possession, and I look forward to meeting them in 2010 :)

PS - While the shoes are pretty on their own, I plan on pizzazzing them with a gorgeous pair of shoe clips! More on that in another entry!