DIY State Art

It's been awhile since I've shared a DIY project with you all so I thought this would be a fun little post this week!

We recently finished our new entryway (I hope to get a post up soon) and I've slowly begun the decorating process.  I've had a vision for this DIY project going into our entryway for a long time.  It's really easy and only takes an afternoon to complete.

What you need >>

Canvas

Old map of your state (of course you can buy a new one, but they are expensive.)

Chipboard letters (you can buy a whole package at Hobby Lobby)

Red construction paper

White spray paint

Mod Podge and sponge brush

What to do >>

Step 1| Glue your chipboard letters to to your canvas.

Step 2| Spray paint your canvas with white spray paint. You many need to spray a few light coats to give it the best possible coverage.

Step 3| While the spray paint is drying cut out your state and your little "marker." I used a heart.

Step 4| Once the spray paint is try, Mod Podge the spot on your canvas where you wan the state and immediately lay put your state on the canvas.  

Step 5| Using your sponge brush, apply a layer of Mod Podge over the state and lay your "marker" down on top of your town. Let the Mod Podge dry.

Step 6| Add another layer of Mod Podge and let it dry.

Step 7| Hang this awesome piece of DIY state art on your wall!

Pretty simple, but looks great! :)  

If you decide to do this DIY project, I would love to see it!  Send it to me on Twitter or post it on the Design Your Dwelling Facebook page!

Seating Area Design Board + Source List

I'm spending more and more time creating design boards lately!  I often come across a piece of furniture, pillow, accessory, or in the case a rug, that inspires me and I come up with a design board.  This is a look at a causal seating area I pulled together after I found myself inspired by an inexpensive rug from Urban Outfitters. 

Zig Zag Rug | Urban Outfitters

Armless Upholstered Chair | Target

Gold A-Line Floor Lamp | Shades of Light

Yellow Pouf | Lulu and Georgia

Traders Chest | Anthropologie

Starburst Mirror | Target

Twilight Art Print | Target

Rocking Bird | West Elm

Ikat Lumbar Pillow Cover | Etsy

Side Table | West Elm

Vases | West Elm

If you are interested in having a room design pulled together specifically for you and your personal taste, I do that too!  Check out my design services page! Also, if you would like this image as a .jpg for your reference, send an email to designyourdwellingblog (at) gmail.com

My Daily Makeup Routine

I would be liar if I said it didn't take me forever to get ready in the morning (or anytime really)... just ask my fiance! :)   To be more timely and productive per my new years theme, I decided I needed to make a few changes to my daily routine - starting with a simplified makeup routine.  I've eliminated bronzer, highlighter and minimized my eye shadow pallet to only one neutral color.  I've decided to save the extras for the special or important events.

Here is a look my favorite daily makeup products.

1// Mary Kay Luminous wear foundation

2// Covergirl Cheekers blush in Pretty Peach 150 (drug stores)

3// Covergirl Eye Enhancers eye shadow in Champagne 710 (drug stores)

4// CO Bigelow Mentha Lip Shine (You can find it at Bath & Body too)

5// Mary Kay Ultimate Mascara in black

6// Gel Eyeliner (You can use any eyeliner, I prefer Mary Kay, but they may not sell it anymore)

I prefer the gel eyeliner for my every day look because it looks more polished than pencil liner but pencil liner might quicker yet.  The Mentha Lip Shine is also an awesome fill-in as a chapstick!

I apply my makeup in that general order with the exception of putting on eyeliner before mascara.

I hope you enjoyed this quick little post.  Let me know what your everyday makeup products are, I might want to check them out! :)

I'm linking up today for YOLO Mondays!

Sunday Social

I am linking up for another Sunday Social!  Click on the link above to see answers from other bloggers and maybe find a new blog or two to follow!
What is your idea way to relax? Sitting on my couch with a cup of coffee and a magazine on a Saturday morning! :)
Where is your favorite place to be? I love the mountains.  They are beautiful, majestic, and there is always so much to do!  Plus I love the lifestyle theme of "work to play" rather than "work to live"
Who do you consider your greatest role model? This is a tough one because I have so many great people in my life.  I would have to say my dad.  He is smart, patient, and totally a family man.
What does your life look like in three years? I will be married (yay!) and hopefully starting a family!  I would also like to say that I will have my own interior design business up and going.  I would also consider still working for my current employer on a contract basis.  I will also have a new kitchen! :)
If you could go back and change one decision, what would it be? I dated a guy for awhile, we broke up and I gave him another chance.  I wish I stayed tough and didn't give him that chance. However, I am a true believe that everything happens for a reason and I wouldn't be in one of the most happy times of my life and have the friends that I do if I had made a different decision. (Kinda deep huh?!)
What is your biggest accomplishment in life so far? Walking across a stage in a swimming suit.  I had always wanted to run for Miss Minnesota and I did it!

High Five For Friday

What a week - TGIF! 

1// Christmas at our house has finally come to a close.  The boots I ordered Adam finally came in!

2// I worked from home a couple of days this week (which is always awesome) so Bam kept me company.

3// I am totally into the look of leggings with legwarmers.  We had some cold days in Iowa this week so I felt they were appropriate! :)

4// Remember when you would get a Tootsie Pop as a kid and you would always look for an Indian and a Star?!  I still do that!  However, I've never figured out what you win when you find one!

5// When we remodeled our bathroom, we had a custom vanity made and inserted a jewelry storage drawer. Adam finally put the hooks in it - I love it!  

I hope you all have had a fantastic week full of wonderful things happening to you!  Make sure you stop over at From My Grey Desk blog to see other High Fives! :)  

I'm also linking up for the Friday Blog Hop!  Click on the link below to find some great blogs to follow!

My Favorite Design Books

I love books - especially interior design related books!  Here are my favorite reads and why I like them!

Young House Love| John and Sherry do a fantastic job with their blog and their fun, energetic, and creative style is all over in this book!  They offer up easy step-by-step projects, let you know how long it takes to complete and an idea of what it might cost.  There is a ton of inspiration here!

The Nest Home Design Handbook| This book is laid out room by room and is a great book to get down the basics of home design.  Even if you don't have an eye for home design, this handbook will help you get organized and inspired!  I've read and re-read this one!

Southern Living Style| This magazine spin-off is full of pictures of modern rooms which results in a ton of inspiration.  My favorite part is their step-by-step guide for pulling together each room in your house so you can get exactly the look you want!

The other bonus these books offer is that they are pretty and make great table top books! :) Here is a post I previously did with ideas to decorate with books!

If you click on the book title, it will bring you to amazon to purchase!  Happy Reading!

Wedding Wednesday - Flowers Part 2 (who gets them)

Last week I started a two-part Wedding Wednesday series on flowers and tackled 3 things to consider for picking them out.  This week I'm continuing the series with who should get flowers and giving you a preview of what I picked out for our wedding flowers!

After picking out flowers, I can see how they can get to be a huge wedding expense!  The 3 areas to consider are personal flowers, ceremony flowers, and reception decor.  

{Personal Flowers}

Bride's bouquet

Bridesmaids bouquet

Groom's boutonniere

Groomsmen/usher boutonniere

Corsages for moms/grandmothers

Flower girl flowers

Ring bearer boutonniere

Other boutonniere's & corsages

Tossing bouquet

{Ceremony Flowers}

Aisle runner

Pew decorations

Alter arrangements

Tossing petals

Candles

{Reception Flowers}

Entranceway arrangement

Bride & Groom chair decorations

Reception centerpieces

Cake decor

Whew!  That's a lot of flowers to consider!  If you're working on a budget, like we are, you may have to pick and choose who gets flowers.  I gave this some serious thought during a phone conversation with my mom and here is what we came up with for who will be getting flowers at our wedding....

The Bride (aka Me)

The Bridesmaids

Grandpa's & Grandmas

Cake

Toss bouquet

As you noticed, we left a lot of things & people off the list.  Here is our rationale...

The groom and groomsman aren't wearing suits so we don't really care to pin flowers to their shirts.  Plus the groom didn't really want to wear a flower.  If you've looked around, you've probably noticed that it is becoming less common for the guys to wear flowers.

Everyone should know who the parents are! :) The mom's will be wearing fancy dresses anyhow and if the groom and groomsman aren't getting flowers, it probably doesn't make sense for the dad's to wear flowers.

We aren't going to put flowers on the alter either.  This is the most expensive arrangement and people may or may not see it.  Plus, someone has to be responsible for  moving it from the church to reception.  These flowers are traditionally in memory of the deceased.  I have another idea for that...

We are still doing flowers for grandpas and grandmas.  There is tradition that grandparents look forward to and they deserve to stand out during this special day.  Especially since celebrations like this are what keep them kicking!

I come for a family of crafty, stylish ladies so we can handle the reception centerpieces.

Finally, here is a sneak-peek at my wedding flowers!

{For the Bride}

Washed pink roses

{For the Bridesmaids}

Mini green hydrangea bouquets

Happy Planning!

Linking up with Southern Lovely for Show and Share #77!

Mexi-Corn Party Dip

Every once-in-awhile we like to treat ourselves to the deliciousness of this mexi-corn party dip - even if we aren't having a party!! :)  My dear friend, Sue, introduced me to this recipe and it soon became our favorite pre-dinner snack!  This is a totally healthy dip, no need to consume in moderation.  Kidding, it's really not that healthy but it is good for the spirit!

Step 1| Gather your ingredients: Mayo, mild cheddar, mexi-corn, sour cream, cayenne pepper, cumin

Step 2| Mix together the following:

1/2 c. mayo

1 c. sour cream

1 can mexi-corn

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp cumin

Step 3| Mix in 1 to 1 1/2 cups of mild cheddar shredded cheese.

Step 4| Serve it up with Fritos scoops!  You're gonna want the family-sized bag or you will run out of scoops before you run out of dip!

Enjoy! 

Sunday Social

Good Morning!  I love Sunday mornings, they mean breakfast, relaxing, and being thankful for all that is good in life.  I found this Sunday Social link up through Liz, the writer of Beyond Blonde and thought I would give it a whorl... while I'm sipping coffee and working on blog posts for the week! :)


Top 3 Favorite Kinds of Food: Ribeye Steak, Tacos, Apple w/cheese First 3 Things You Do in the Morning:  Say "I love you" to my finance, check my phone to see if I have an early morning appts, hop in the shower Last 3 Things You Do at Night: Brush my teeth, take out my contacts, say "I love you" to my finance 3 TV Shows You Never Miss: NCIS, Nashville, Vegas 3 Places  You Want to Visit: Rome, Australia, Fiji 3 People You can Always Count on: My finance, Adam, my best friend, Katie and my dad Make sure to stop over at the link up and check out other blogs!  It's fun to learn about each other and see so many commonalities! Enjoy your day of rest and relaxation!

High Five For Friday!

Happy Friday!!  It's been a long week of work meetings but there were still some highs! :)

1// Last Saturday we went out for dinner with friends of ours at Sullivan's Steakhouse in Omaha, NE. The food was Ahhh-Mazing! I ate the best ribeye steak that I have ever had. The one pictured above was what the guys ordered.  Bam, our dog, loved the bones!

2// I made a double-layer chocolate cake this week.  It's nothing too fancy, but I've always wanted to make one.  

3// I was pretty proud of my clothing selections this week - especially this outfit.  Comfort + Sparkle!

4// I gave in and finally downloaded the rest of Eric Church's cd, Cheif.  I've been rocking out to it in my car on my way to and from work.  Love it!

5// I'm a "newbie" to Twitter but I love it! I've been able to connect with so many more people with my same interests - so fun!  (@beth_dydblog if you want to follow along)

Make sure to stop over at Lauren's blog - From My Grey Desk - to read other High 5's for the week!

Have a great Friday and great weekend.  I'm kicking off my weekend with a trip to the dentist... 

A Liebster Blog Award

How cool is this?!  I was nominated by two sweet bloggers, Liz from Beyond Blonde and Chelsee from Southern Beauty Guide, for a Liebster Blog award!  Thank you so much ladies!

This award is given to new or up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers.  The award is then passed along to other bloggers in the same category to help spread the word and support one another!  Pretty darn cool!

Here is how it works!

1. List 11 random facts about yourself.

2. Answer the 11 questions given to you.

3. Create 11 new questions for the bloggers you nominate for the award.

4. Choose 11 bloggers with 200 or less followers to nominate.

5. Go to each blogger's page and let them know about the award.

6. Thank the person who nominated you with a link back to their blog.

Random Facts About Me:

1. I take too long to get ready in the morning

2. My dream job is to be an interior designer

3. I was the University of Minnesota Homecoming Queen (Go Gophers!)

4. I am a training & development manager at DuPont Pioneer (a larger agricultural seed company)

5. I met my finance at a DuPont Pioneer work conference. (We work for the same company)

6. I ran for Miss Minnesota USA

7. I grew up on a hog farm in Minnesota and now live on a small cattle farm in Iowa.

8. I wore wrangler jeans (with the leather patch) in high school.

9. Notebooks are my guilty pleasure.

10. I used to own a horse and still love to ride with my sister.

11. Someday, I want to be a published author.

My Answers to Liz's Questions:

1. What is the one TV show that you cannot miss? Vegas, Tuesday nights on CBS

2. What is the best vacation that you have ever been on? A road trip out west to Yellowstone and Jacksonhole, WY.  That is where my finance asked me to marry him! :)

3. What is your dream job? I want to be an interior designer and own my own store front home decor business.

4. What is your favorite movie? The Notebook, who doesn't want to fall in love like that?!

5. Do you celebrate Valentine's Day and if so, what are your plans? Not really.  We exchange small gifts and make supper together.

6. What is the best thing that happened to you in 2012? I got engaged to the love of my life!

7. Where is your favorite place to shop? For clothes - I love boutique shops.  For home decor and random stuff - Target and TJ Max

8. What is the best book that you've read recently? What customer's really want by Scott McKain.

9. What is the best piece of advice that you can offer to other bloggers? Give you readers something to look forward to each week - I participate in High 5 for Friday posts and do a regular Wedding Wednesday post.  

10. What is one thing that you hope to accomplish in 2013?  I want to host a beautiful wedding... and stay calm throughout the process! :)

11. What is the reason you decided to start a blog? To challenge myself, improve my writing, meet other people and inspire people to live a beautiful life!

My Nominees!

Moonfield Lane
Home with Baxter
Heart Shaped Sweat
Pastels and Mascara

Nominees, here are my questions for you:

1. What is your dream job?

2. What is your color crush right now?

3. Who do you love to follow on Twitter?

4. What is your worst habit?

5. When you aren't blogging....

6. Where would you like to travel?

7. What organizations were you involved in in high school?

8. What kind of pet do you have and what is your pets name?

9. Who is your celebrity crush?

10. What is your number 1 blog goal?

11. What is one thing you couldn't live without?

Thank you!  Congratulations and good luck in all you do! :)

Wedding Wednesday - Flowers Part 1 (picking them out)

Our wedding is 7 months (and 1 day) away and I've already decided on my wedding flowers.  Is it just me or is that crazy to have them picked out so early?!  Either way, it's done and I'm happy with my selections! :)  I am not a flower person so I learned a lot in the process of picking out my wedding flowers.  My florist (Designs by Bernie in Carroll, Iowa) said that flowers are like a necessary accessory.  They are meant to compliment the wedding and be the finishing touch.

There is more thought that needs to go into selecting wedding flowers than what you think.  Thus the reason for this two-part series!  This week I am going to share a few tips for picking out your flowers and next week I'll post about who gets flowers.

3 Things You Need to Know When You Pick Them Out...

1// Are flowers in season?!  I wanted a peony bouquet SO badly, I am totally crushing on them.  (If you check out my Wedding Planning Pinterest board, I've pinned them like crazy!) Unfortunately they are out of season in August which makes them expensive. :(  I know I could have whatever I want, but I do want to keep my budget in mind.

Here is a reference guide I found on The Wedding Gurus blog.  Put this reference guide in your wedding planning binder!

2// Find out if they are "Water-Lovers"
Apparently some flowers use a little more water than others, like the mini-green hydrangeas I picked out for my bridesmaids.  Flowers that love water are a little more difficult to keep alive and fresh-looking throughout the day so some additional planning may be required, like vases in the church so the flowers can have a drink between pictures and the ceremony. :)

3// Know Your Budget
Flowers may come to the top of the list when it comes to wedding expense!  I'm glad other brides prepared me for this sticker-shock! Wowza! To help save some money here, think through who should get flowers, the type of flowers you select and if they are in season.  Be up front with your florist, it will be easier for them to help you get what you want.  My florist suggested using artificial flowers mixed in with real ones.  I would have gone that route had I selected peonies.

Next week, in part 2 of this wedding flowers series, I'll run through who gets flowers and give you a look at the flowers I selected! :)

Good Luck and Happy Planning!

Client Update - Living Room Design

I am really having a lot of fun working with people to decorate their spaces.  I recently helped my friend, Kelli Jo, to decorate and accessorize her living room.  It wasn't long ago that they re-painted the interior of their house and installed new carpet and baseboard but after all of the updates they didn't hang anything back on the walls.  I say how wouldn't be excited about adding a few new things so here is a look at the design board I pulled together for their living room.

Since their space was well updated, it didn't take much to accessorize by adding a few warm colors to contrast their cool walls, create the illusion of a bigger space by adding a mirror and finding a few baskets to store toys for their adorable son!  Kelli Jo is also a photographer to we found a floating shelf to hang above the tv to display some of her photography.  By hanging a floating shelf, it is easy to change the accessories regularly!

If you, or someone you know, is interested in help designing their space send me an email (designyourdwellingblog (at) gmail.com) and check out my Design Services page.

Enjoy your Tuesday... I am in an all-day meeting tomorrow but I'm sure I'll be active on Twitter (@beth_dydblog) and Facebook!  (Shhhhh.... don't tell!)

High Five For Friday!

1// Our entryway is complete... finally! (minus filling the nail holes on the trim.)

2// My Christmas present - tv for my office - is up and running. I will now be enjoying HGTV, CMT and the Pioneer Woman on the Food Network while I work!

3// I stopped into Francesca's yesterday to find a dress and came out with some great steals on jewelry!

4// Love the messages that Dove chocolate sends to us in their wrappers.  

5// Not only is my fiance a great guy - he is an awesome cook too.  Especially his chili!!

I hope you all had a great week - TGIF!  I'm linking up with Lauren at From My Grey Desk blog.  Make sure to stop over and read some of the other High Fives!!

Design Board + Source List

Last week I got the Pottery Barn and West Elm catalogs in the mail and stopped at Target.  I found myself inspired by so many decor items that I'm loving right now.  Before I forgot all about them, I decided to pull together a design board with some of my favorites.  Plus, I kind of have a vision of a living room makeover in late 2013 or early 2014 (after our wedding.)   

This is a design board I put together for my own interest so I am more than happy to share the item sources with you.  Hopefully you will find something you like and will fit perfect in your space!

Here ya go!  All items are hyper-linked to their source! Enjoy!

I found the yellow pillow and orange pillow during my shopping trip to Target.  They are so fresh and bright, plus I love the designs.  The chevron pillow is one I've been admiring on etsy and lately I am getting into deer silhouettes so this pillow was a must for this design.

The scribble curtains caught my eye in the West Elm catalog.  Plus they are so affordable!

I've used this charcoal Wyatt sectional from World Market in a few designs.  It's smaller than your average sectional and such a great neutral.

I love neutral furniture because it's so easy to change accessories but I don't love neutral furniture when each piece matches perfectly so I went with this club chair from Target.

For the coffee table, the Cala hammered coffee table fits perfect.  It's definitely a surprise in the space, breaks up the "square" furniture and it doesn't have sharp corners in case you have kiddos.

To ground this space I chose this chunky wool & natural jute rug from Pottery Barn.  

One of my favorite pieces lately is the metal rose sculpture.  I stumbled upon this beauty at Target one day and look at it every time I am in the store! It's huge and it's sleek and just plain awesome!

My few accent pieces are pretty simple.  The lamp and drum shade look light weight and can easily be transformed with paint when you get bored with them as they are.  

Ever since I went to a few wineries in California I have admired these olive buckets.  I figured out that Pottery Barn sells them!  Woohoo! (unfortunately I'm probably going to have to start saving my birthday money to afford one...)

The birds of a feather print, wood ampersand, and 'You and Me' barn wood sign are all etsy finds.

Finally, tall vases of flowers are always fun and there are great options at Target for your to create your own!

If you would like the PDF or JPG version of this design board, email me and I will send it your way.  designyourdwellingblog (at) gmail.com.  I seriously love helping to create beautiful spaces so if I can help you with yours please email me and check out my design services page.

Happy Tuesday!

New Gallery Wall + Tips and Tricks to Hang Your Own

I hope you all had a good weekend after a short work week.  I think every week should only be three days, I am so much more productive! :)

My big project over Christmas vacation was to hang a gallery wall in our master bedroom.  Good timing too since my fiance took notice that our guest bedroom was more decorated than our bedroom.  That statement sounded like permission to pound all sorts of holes in our walls so I went for it!

Here is what the space looked like before I hung the wall.

Yep, definitely some un-used wall space but I wanted to put some thought into what I wanted to do with it before pounding holes. As much as I like to change things and move them around, I am learning that I need to leave things alone for a little awhile.

I had some great pictures from our summer vacation that I turned black and white and recently bought a few printables for $5.00 each as a fundraiser and here is what I came up with!

Oh yeah... I did a little water color painting too and re-purposed the large "LOVE" print from our dining room. (Yes, that means I hung up something new there too. I'll save that for another post...)  I love the outcome, it is so fresh, clean and personal! :)  I bought most of the frames from Target and a few Canopy brand frames from Walmart.

Believe it or not, I didn't pound any extra holes in the wall!  I really took time to think out my game-plan before I started swinging the hammer.  Here are the tools you need and a few tips and tricks to make it easy on yourself.

Levels - small and large

Pencil

Hammer

Tape measure

Nails

Magic eraser

(tape, tweezer, staplegun for frame repairs)

Here are a few tips that will help to make hanging a gallery wall a little easier for you.

1. Create your layout on the floor first and then snap a picture of it with your phone so you remember what you want it to look like.

2. Hang your largest picture at eye level first since it is more than likely your focal point.  You can more easily hang the rest of your pictures from there. 

3. It's easier to hang your gallery wall pictures randomly (not in a straight or level line) It will leave a lot less room for errors (and extra holes in your walls), I promise.

4. Magic erasers work great for cleaning up extra marks and scuffs. :)

High Five For Friday

Welcome to my favorite post of the week - getting to share the fun stuff! :)  I would love for you to stick around for awhile and follow along on my wee-little blog!

1| My sister and brother-in-law gave me this camera remote for Christmas.  This little gadget is awesome!
2| I ordered this gel eyeliner from my awesome Mary Kay consultant, Kenzie.  It is officially my new favorite product! It may be discontinued but click here to look or get in touch with Kenzie.
3| During Christmas vacation Adam and I had invited friends over for supper and ended up playing a couple rounds of a game that we call, Wahoo!
4| I finally got my gallery wall hung up in our master bedroom.  I'll have a blog post for you with tips for hanging a gallery wall next week!
5| My paint-a-pig is (finally) painted for the Iowa State University NAMA fundraiser.  I went for a Kate Spade(ish) look. I like it... hopefully someone will buy it.

I hope all have had a great week!  I'm linking up with Lauren at From My Grey Desk!  Stop over there to read more highs from the week.

Happy Weekend!

Wedding Wednesday: Dress Shopping Tips

Photo Courtesy of Style Me Pretty

It's been awhile since I've written a 'Wedding Wednesday' post but I honestly haven't been doing much wedding planning since all of the big things are booked and it's a little too early to start working all of the little details. (That statement will probably come back to bite me in the butt!) 

Just before Christmas I went dress shopping at a cute little dress shop near my hometown in New Ulm, Minnesota called Sister's Bridal.  I was just going to try on dresses for the fun of it and find out which style I liked and what fit me the best and as luck would have it, I said "yes to the dress!"  Yep, that's right, I bought my wedding dress at the first place I went to.  Check that off my list! :)  (And no, its not even similar to the one in the picture, in case you were wondering!)  As I reflect on my 1.5 hours of wedding dress shopping, I've come up with some dress shopping tips for you to consider.  I took all of them into consideration before I did my shopping!  You might find a few a little quirky and yet (hopefully) helpful!

1} Decide how you want to feel on the day of your Wedding.  Do you want to feel beautiful? Elegant? Hot? Like a supermodel?  How you decide you want to feel will help you narrow down your field of dresses and if you get that "feeling" when you try the dress on you, you're on the right track!

2} Go to the gym.  You know that you're going to get a gym membership anyhow and you plan to commit to working out prior to your wedding, so why not start early?! The last thing you want to do is look at yourself in the mirror wearing a dress you love and say, "wow, I really need to get to the gym!" Take time work your arms, shoulders and butt!

3} Do your hair and makeup... extra special!  The day you go try on dresses take time to do your hair and makeup and maybe even spend a little extra time on it.  You want to feel beautiful when you leave  your house!  (And maybe even wear one of your favorite outfits) This will give you a little extra boost of confidence!

4} Wear a strapless bra. You wont regret this!  It helps "the girls" look a little perky-er and fills out the dress much better.

5} Be open-minded.  What you think you like might change.  I had the style of dress I wanted all picked out and picked out something very different.  Try on everything! Also considering dress shopping without expectations.

6} Don't confuse yourself. This is easy to do because everyone is giving you their opinions, you are trying on so many dresses and you have multiple appointments set up.  If you find a dress you love, it looks fantastic on you and fits in your price range, BUY IT!  No sense in confusing yourself by going to try on more dresses "in-case." You can always cancel your other appointments.

Hopefully these tips help - they helped me find my perfect dress!  Leave a comment below if you have any dress shopping tips to add!