Author Archives: Liz

The Quest for Bridal Undergarments

Posted in Wedding Planning by

Warning! If you’re not comfortable reading about my skivvy’s, then you may want to visit another day. :)

Tonight is my first dress fitting. I am so excited to see my gown again and also a bit nervous. I hope I still love it!

Leading up to this fitting, I’ve been running around town trying to find the perfect undergarments to wear with my dress. Unlike many gowns, my dress does not have much structure, boning or bodice built in, so I had to find something else to “suck me in.”

When anticipating what would be the hardest wardrobe piece to find for my wedding, I never would have thought about undergarments. But you would not believe how difficult it is to find the right ones! I needed something to shape my middle area and provide a “cinch” at the waist.

First I ordered some Yummie Tummie shape wear per a recommendation from a friend. She said they were great under clothes because they didn’t leave lines.

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When it arrived, I was less than thrilled. It basically just laid on top of my stomach without make me look any smaller. Maybe I needed a smaller size?

I decided that the only way to get a good fit was to try some on in the store. I trekked down to Michigan Ave. on a Saturday and hit up Macy’s, Nordstrom AND Bloomingdales, all with no luck. I was surprised and frustrated that none of them had anything suitable for bridal undergarments!

As I was walking out of Bloomingdales feeling desperate, I spotted a small boutique called Intimacy-Bra Fit Stylists. A sign said they specialized in “helping women of all sizes find a fit that makes them look and feel sleeker, slimmer, and sexier,” which sounded promising.

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As soon as I told them I was looking for undergarments to wear with my wedding dress, all the sales ladies directed me to a wall of bustiers, girdles and what looked like chastity belts. They then pulled out what is probably the least-sexy piece of underwear I have EVER seen!

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Seriously, this thing looks like a lace cage or something! Lol. I tried it on while trying not to laughing to myself about how ugly it was. This thing requires some MAJOR pulling, tugging and adjusting before it fits.

Just as I was feeling thoroughly embarrassed to have three sales ladies yanking some granny undies onto me, I looked in the mirror and saw how TINY it made my waist look. It has boning within it that nips at the waist and smooths all over. And for all the pulling, it was pretty comfortable once in place.

So yes, I am not embarrassed to admit that I walked out of the store with this monster of an undergarment- the Rago High Waist Long Leg Shaper. It may be ugly underneath my dress, but my body is going to look bangin!

What undergarments do you guys swear by? Spanx? Hanky Panky? Victoria’s Secret?

A Love Letter

Posted in Dating, Love, Wedding Planning by

This weekend Luke and I attended our Pre-Cana retreat on the south side of Chicago. Pre-Cana is the day long preparation class all couples who get married in the Catholic church are required to attend.

I wasn’t particularly looking forward to spending my Saturday in a room from 9:00 – 4:00, but it ended up being a pretty enlightening day. The purpose of the retreat was to prepare Luke and I not just for our wedding, but also the life-long marriage that comes after it.

It’s easy to get caught up thinking about the wedding portion without spending much time preparing for the marriage. During the day we talked about everything including: how we define the word commitment, how many kids we want to have, how we’ll manage our finances and how our faith will play a role in our lives.

My favorite part of the day was when we were asked to write each other a love letter describing our feelings about our upcoming wedding. It was nice to have a moment to document my thoughts and also to read Luke’s in return.

The letter was to start with the line “the biggest emotion I have about our upcoming marriage is…” I won’t go into detail, but some of the words used in our letters include: excitement, hope and anticipation.

I’m planning to keep those letters locked away safely, so on our anniversaries Luke and I can pull them out and re-live the emotions we’re feeling leading up to our wedding.

I wonder if we’ll have the same feelings years from now or if we’ll laugh at how naive we were! Either way, it will be a sweet memory to relive.

Putting Each Other First

Posted in Dating, Love by

This morning one of my blogger friends passed me a link to a post she had written about watching her wedding video years later with her children. She talked about the lessons she’s learned through her years of marriage and what she wished someone had said to her one her own wedding day.

One line that struck a chord with me was “The most loving thing you’ll ever be able to do is to put each other first.”  

Well said, right? I think this is super important for Luke and I remember, because someday when we have kids, careers and 100 other things taking up our time we might forget to put each other as number one.

My parents have always lived this rule in their marriage, putting their relationship above all else…even us, their kids. They’d try hard not to take sides during disagreements with us, come to decisions mutually behind closed doors so we couldn’t tag the “nice parent,” and back each other up at all times.

Some people might balk at the idea of putting their spouse BEFORE their children, but I think the best thing parents can do for their kids is to love each other first. It provides a sense of security and a foundation for how to have a lasting commitment that so many kids miss out on.

As our wedding day draws nearer, I’m going to try to live this lesson. I’m going to do my best to not let the opinions of others or the stress of planning come before the reason for this day…Luke and I’s love and commitment to each other.  

Do you guys agree that your spouse should come first? How do you ensure you live that lesson in your life?

Thanks Amy @ResourcefulMom for reminding me of this important life lesson!

Colorful and Personal Bachelorette Favors

Posted in Wedding Planning by

This past weekend was my bachelorette party in Chicago and we had a GREAT time! Thirteen of my closest girlfriends were in town to help me say sayonara to my single-dom with some dancing, drinks and a little drag (don’t even ask!).

I wanted to get my ladies all something little as a token of my thanks for helping me celebrate. I wanted the favors to be personal, something they’ll actually use and not something that would bust my bank.

Last week I was pondering what to get them while getting my nails done when I came up with the idea of buying Essie nail polish’s with names that match each girl’s personality.

I love Essie because their nailpolish names are so inventive and there are a ton to choose from. Here are some of my favs:

One of a Kind – for your friend who is unique and has a style all her own.

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Eternal Optimist- for the girl who always has a smile on her face.

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Jackie Oh My – for your friend with a classic style.

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Hard to Get –for the girl who loves being single and playing the field.

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There are so many great names to choose from! I found ones that PERFECTLY matched my friend’s personalities, which I think everyone loved. Plus it was super easy to throw the polish in their purses for a night out.

Thanks again to all my wonderful friends who came out with us to celebrate!