2, 4, 6, 8... which dresses do we love to... make?!

Don't worry, I haven't decided to make my own dress. I leave that in Miss Sewing's amazingly talented and more than capable hands!

I promise, this is my last dress post for a few weeks. You know, for something that was kind of at the end of my priority list, this has turned into alot of drama. Moving on, even though I was so exhausted from dress shopping on Monday... we went to one more store on Wednesday. It definintely wasn't my choice, I pretty much moped the whole way there cause after 45 dresses, I was feeling discouraged. Down in the dumps, "I'm never going to find a dress I love" depressed. I even cried.

The dress I was just dying to try on at the end of February was pretty, but it was too... sparkly for me. It's a beautiful dress and I still love it, but it's just not mine, it's not for me.

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So I tried on a couple of dresses at this third store. They were okay, but not anything special. And then I tried on this dress:

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... and it was all over. There may have been tears. I didn't want to take it off. I tried on a lace Maggie Sottero, but it just wasn't the same, so I put this one back on. This was my dress. It was different enough to be special, but classic enough to be gorgeous and she was mine. Mori Lee 2517, for those who are keeping score. Taffeta, full and gorgeous skirt, buttons up the entire back, a sparkly belt, shoulder detail with three. Did we buy it?

No.

I could be mean and leave you hanging, but I've drawn out this dress thing long enough! Because the dress was made out of taffeta and my mom and I both wanted a dupioni silk, we're having the dress made by a dressmaker. We got her name from our next door neighbor, whose sister is having her dress made by the same person. I have to go down to Atlanta at the beginning of March to get measured and pick out fabric, and she'll make it from scratch, make a pattern, and it'll be just for me! This is going to be my dress. And I am so, so in love with it.

Kentucky: Mint Juleps

We need to talk bourbon and Mint Juleps. They are the quintessential drink of the Kentucky Derby, they're famous all over the world, and they should always use Kentucky Bourbon. There are thousands of recipes with thousands of different proportions of sugar and bourbon and mint, and everyone will always claim that THEIRS are the best.

This is the official recipe for the one made at Churchill Downs. I did take out the "recommended" brand just because, well, I'd never even heard of the brand and as long as it's Kentucky Bourbon... eh.

Kentucky Derby Mint Julep

• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups water
• Sprigs of fresh mint
• Crushed ice
• Kentucky Bourbon
• Silver Julep Cups

Make a simple syrup by boiling sugar and water together for five minutes. Cool and place in a covered container with six or eight sprigs of fresh mint, then refrigerate overnight. Make one julep at a time by filling a julep cup with crushed ice, adding one tablespoon mint syrup and two ounces of Kentucky Bourbon. Stir rapidly with a spoon to frost the outside of the cup. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.

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Did you make yourself one? Good. Now, Kentucky Bourbon is important because most of the major market brands you buy at the liquor store are indeed Kentucky Bourbon. Makers Mark, Woodford Reserve, Buffalo Trace, Four Roses, Knob Creek (my dad's favorite). If you want a complete list, go here. And then look at the list underneath to see what bourbons aren't made in Kentucky. It's a sad list. Just for reference sake, all Bourbon is Whiskey, but not all Whiskey is Bourbon. If you really want to read about the specifications of calling a specific whiskey a bourbon, you can read about it, but the most important thing about Kentucky Bourbon is that any brand using Kentucky in its name LEGALLY must be made in Kentucky.

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Fortune Magazine actually ran an article about the Kentucky Derby in 2006 and included the $1000 Mint Julep created for the 132nd Kentucky Derby. Apparently they flew in mint from Morocco, ice from the arctic circle, sugar from Mauritius that is "hand-ground at Woodford's Kentucky distillery" and it came in a gold plated cup!

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Gorgeous, right? The silk handkerchief that is included (not pictured) was designed by a racing silk jockey! It ALSO came with a box so you can keep it safe for generations! Honestly, if I had known about this, I would have wanted one.

We're actually going to be using mint julep cups as part of our centerpieces because they're so cute and sweet and subtle. But they are very Kentucky, so much prided for their use of Kentucky Bourbon. They're great if you like bourbon (I tolerate it because it would be wrong not to).

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See how cute they are?

But KMSull, why aren't you actually having Mint Julep at your wedding? Well, gentle reader, there's a very good reason why we aren't having Mint Juleps or Bourbon (or hard liquor period) at our wedding. We simply aren't allowed to at our venue; they only have 2 rules, one of which is no outside liquor, and they only have a beer and wine license (the other rule is no fireworks). I'm mostly okay with that since we'll have Bourbon other places, but it still makes me a little bit sad that I can't have Juleps or a Bourbon tasting bar.

(Okay, now my confession before you think I drink too much since I had a whole post about alcohol: I honestly do NOT drink all that much. Maybe once or twice a month and usually its only a tequila or vodka on the rocks).

Kentucky: Kentucky Derby Fashion

Okay, so I covered the basics of the Kentucky Derby in my last post, but there's one thing I purposely left out. Kentucky Derby Fashion! It's so very southern, so very traditional, that I felt it deserved its own post. Now, I realize that my wedding is going to be in Kentucky, though not anywhere near the Derby. One of my friends suggested requesting "Kentucky Derby dress" as a dress code for my wedding. As much fun as it would be... no, just no. We're trying to avoid a theme wedding. But I'll show you what it looks like anyway!


I'm sure you've all seen the hats... oh, the hats. I could do pages and pages of hats! They range from classy:

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To a little bit crazier...

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To the downright insane:

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Most girls just wear cute sundresses. Honestly, I think the Derby Barbie is one of the cutest outfits I've seen. And my mom's old derby hat looks almost exactly like this!

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There's also a whole lot of seersucker going on. Beautiful for a summer wedding, yes, but also a little silly for anything other than the South. Some people would disagree and say "Hey, we wear it in Boston!" to which I say, "well, then stop it". Mr. KM is not the biggest fan of it, otherwise I would totally want him to wear it! I think it's so cute:

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There's some debate about whether the old guys up there are wearing it properly. Some would argue that the REAL proper way to wear seersucker is with a bowtie:

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Honestly, I'm a little torn. The picture with the bowtie is originally from Brooks Brothers, but I also like how it looks with the long ties. Really, I think it looks great either way.

What do you think? Bowtie or long tie? And would you wear one of those hats?

Kentucky: The Kentucky Derby in a Nutshell

So, in my last post, I showed you my very first inspiration board! Some of you probably loved it, some of you probably hated it (I'll be the first to admit that it's super girly). I mentioned that I didn't want it to SCREAM Kentucky, but it's important for me to represent!

This is the first post in my "Kentucky" series! Get excited. And we're talking about the Kentucky Derby.

Some facts about the Kentucky Derby:
- Takes place at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky on the first Satuday in May
- It's called "The most exciting two minutes in sports" because it's INTENSE!
- Also called The Run for the Roses
- Famous for its spectators crazy elaborate hats
- The horses that run in it are three years old
- Alot of celebrities and famous people attend
- Most famous drink is the Mint Julep
- It's almost impossible to get a ticket unless you want to hang out in the infield- a.k.a the insane party zone!
- May 2010 will be race number 136
- It's the absolute more prestigious race in the world to win!
- It is 1 1/4 miles long (or 10 furlongs)
- It's the first leg of the Triple Crown (followed by Preakness and then Belmont)
- The infield is the lawn in the middle of the track accessed by an underground tunnel. This is the young party scene, and it gets pretty raucous. No pictures to keep me safe for work!

Churchill downs is absolutely beautiful! It's also called the Twin Spires, and when I was little, my dad used to take me to the "horse zoo" to watch the races on non-Derby Days.

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It takes place, like I said, on the first Saturday in May. That's pretty straightforward. However, be aware that the First FRIDAY in May is the Kentucky Oaks. Kentucky Oaks is another race that's super popular, especially for people who actually live in Louisville. My mom used to tell me that everyone (including herself) would skip out on work and go to the track instead. One time she saw her boss there, but really, she couldn't get in trouble cause he was there too!

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Also, I was born on Kentucky Oaks. And if I had been born on Kentucky Derby, my parents were going to make my middle name the name of the horse that won. Cute, right? We're die hard Derby Fans, I guess. But I came a day too early and missed out on having Ferdinand as a middle name. Gosh darn.

Its called the Run for the Roses because the horse that wins gets a blanket made out of red roses. It has 554 roses in it!

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And of course, the winner is written down in history, and gets a pretty awesome trophy. This is the old version of the trophy- it was changed for the 125th derby. The horseshoe now points the other way (up) and it can't be turned back down or all the luck will run out:

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One more thing before I gallop off (ah ha, get it?). This is something that I've always loved about horse racing, and might have to suck it up and incorporate it somewhere in my wedding, but I love Jockey silks. Each stable has their own identifying silks that the jockey wears and they register them with The Jockey Club so no one else can use them- it's a matter of branding and representation. As a side note, the guy wearing the yellow and green stripes on the bottom right is Pat Day. He's a famous jockey and one of my family's favorites!

By the way, if you want to make your OWN silks, you can do it here. Here are some examples :

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These are the basic shapes for silk designs:


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Aaaaaaand the one I made!

But don't worry, this isn't the last of the Derby. Up next: A quick look at Derby fashion!

My first inspiration board!

So, you've seen my venue. You've seen some dress choices. You've heard about the city that I chose to have our wedding in. You've seen how hard it was to get to those two choices, or how hard it was to even narrow it down... but you still have NO idea what you want our wedding to look like- the colors, the design elements, the elements that I want to surround us on our day!

Well, bees, this is my first attempt at an inspiration board. But I have to warn you that I am completely and totally computer graphic illiterate. I have no experience in Photoshop, Illustrator, Lightroom, or... whatever other graphic editor there is. My expertise is in MS Paint, but since I have a Mac that has Paintbrush, I'm out of luck. Anyway, here we are!





Honestly, I'm totally and completely in love with it. I feel like it's fresh and fun and romantic and sweet and southern without being over-kill. I know that alot of people (y'all and my friends and family) were expecting a more rustic, down home, country vibe. Since we're having a barn reception at a winery, alot of people expected something like Mrs. Cowboy Boots wedding. Lots of wildflowers, horseshoes, ect. I was so in love with her wedding it's not even funny! I read every single one of her posts and drooled all over the pictures. But... it wasn't exactly what I wanted, because it was expected of me. Our colors are white and green, with a little bit of dusty pink or lavender thrown in for good measure and for something to work with so it's not ALL white.

I want something clean and still sweet. Kind of like the Kentucky Derby, but not IN YOUR FACE Kentucky. Not something with a screaming theme, but a whispering suggestion. I didn't want the theme to be The Kentucky Derby because that's not what the wedding is about and even though alot of our guests are from Georgia and have never been to Kentucky, I didn't want to beat them over the head with it. I didn't want a Georgia theme because while I'm from there, it's not the most important thing. I guess it boils down to fact that I didn't want a "theme" wedding at all. But just for fun, I'm going to do a quick series looking at what I could have incoporated for a Kentucky Themed wedding. Alot of these details we actually are going to use and I'll point out which ones (some of them will get their own posts later) but some, while fun, would be too hard to pull off or are just silly and others are just trying too hard.

What do you think? Was anyone else terrified of making their first inspiration board? And combined the terrified with terribly lazy?

2,4,6,8- which dresses do we love to... consider?

There I was, in love with a dress I couldn't have thanks to my own issues with spending that much on a dress. And there was no talking myself into it.

I had always loved dresses like this, with the Battenburg lace that wasn't quite the traditional lace but still elaborate and pretty. I actually had these two in my stack, but took them out at the last minute:

^ This one is a Sottero and Midgley

^ This one is an Allure

So I mosied on over to their respective web sites and found some that I really, really liked.

I loved these two:

Both Sottero and Midgely, but there was a huuuuuge problem! Both are the 2010 Spring line, which means stores don't have their samples yet. Sigh. I checked in stores in 5 different states! That covers about a billion and a half miles that I was willing to travel just to try on this dress. I could either wait to order them once I go to a sample sale in Knoxville at the end of February, order one sight unseen (yikes!) or order this one that my Mom absolutely loved and I really, really, really liked (she actually got tears on this one once I put on a veil):

It's an Allure. And it looks so much better on a real girl than it does on the model. It is absolutely gorgeous, I can add sleeves (I don't want to wear sleeveless) with extra material from the hem that we can order, and it fits really, really well.

So here I am. I now what I want and can't have, and I know what I can have but can't try on. Unfortunately, this saga isn't going to end until the end of February when I try on these two dresses at the trunk show, and promptly rush the heck out of whatever I order.

Know what's even harder? The dress is something that I didn't care about until I found one I couldn't have. And that might make it sting a little bit more.

2,4,6,8- which dresses do we love to... love?!

So after reluctantly knocking off the the idea of wearing a princess ball gown (seriously, I wanted to love them so much but I just couldn't see myself wearing one and being comfortable), we were back at square one. I tried on 20 more dresses that worked better, but eventually we narrowed it down to 3! These were the contenders:

Rivini Trina

Rivini Thirteen

Lazaro LZ3951

I realize this last one is a fluffy ball gown, but it was surprising not overwhelming and I just couldn't let go of the awesomeness. But can we revisit the gown I was totally, completely, and overwhelming in love with?

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I am in love with this dress. I am completely, head over heels "OMG I WANT IT" crazy about it. But my mom? Didn't. She hated how perfect and defined the squiggles were, it made her a little crazy that they were too perfect. And I have issues with spending $5, 000 on a dress that I never want to sell, and would only be wearing for 8 hours. I don't care at all if other people do it, but for me, well, that's just not something I'm okay with. The dress is not something that's really important to me if I can spend that money on, say, an extra 100 mini hot browns! But this dress. Oh, oh this dress. I even found it used! Look at the source address! But alas, I am NOT a size two. Not even remotely, remotely close...

Dressed? Deviled? Whatever you call them, they've FANTASTIC!

I am egg-cellant at making deviled eggs. It's just a fact. I love deviled eggs- they were the very first thing I learned how to make, thanks to my American Girl Cookbook and I've been making them ever since. A said I wasn't allowed to make them for Thanksgiving cause even though they're better than his grandma's, she'll get mad if I bring them because that's what SHE makes...she didn't make them, and there were no deviled eggs. Sometimes Thanksgiving is a total bust.
The American Girls Cookbook- A Peek at Dining in the Past With Meals You Can Cook Today (ISBN 9780937295595) (source)

Since then, I've switched from a recipe to throwing a bunch of stuff in the bowl and calling it a day. There is no recipe! Which is tragic, because everyone wants to know how to make them. But it's really a matter of knowing what's working and what isn't; all I use is hard boiled eg olks, mayo, mustard, salt, and pepper. I use pretty much equal parts mustard and mayo. It cuts the mayo taste considerably and makes it a little more tangy and a little less susceptible to food poisoning, at least in my head. Mustard apparently cures everything in my world.

Everyone seems to have their own method to hard boiling eggs, but I've found that this one has never failed me and so I'll share it with you!

1) Fill pot with warm water
2) Put eggs in water
3) Put pot on stove
4) Bring to a rolling boil
5) Let boil 5.5 minutes
6) Remove from stove
7) Run under cold water

It's not at all hard.

Anyway, I made about 4 dozen deviled eggs (2 dozen whole eggs) for my coworkers/friends! I made three kinds: Bacon, regular, and salmon/ caper.



Peeled but not halved...



Halved but not filled...



Interrupting the flow there to say that I love that picture. Just had to share. I love how creamy the yolks look. It was a weird weather day, so the light filtered in through the blinds weird.


My kitchen table after it was all said and done!


My three types of deviled eggs (in descending order): regular, salmon with caper, and bacon! Make sure you mark them- my regular have paprika, the salmon caper have a caper on top and the bacon deviled eggs are the ones that look dirty. We have alot of vegetarians friends that eat eggs, but not bacon or fish.

(here's a tip: use your blender on the "pulse" mode to chop up your bacon. It's so much easier than cutting the non-crispy parts with even a sharp knife)(also, yes, I add some of the bacon grease to the yolks set aside for the bacon ones and cut out most of the mustard)(And yes, that is a heart attack waiting to happen).

Now, the point of this post was to, yes, let you know that making delicious deviled eggs is not a recipe but a skill. But also to let you know (MOM, this post is for you!) that even though I am pretty much the best deviled egg maker on the planet, unlike the lavender ice cream (which is my love), I will be delegating out the hors d'oeuvres to the catering.

My mom, who is the master of everything DIY, is afraid that I'm biting off more than I can chew with this wedding. That I want to do it ALL myself. It's not true (well, maybe a little bit) but I think it's important for us brides to know when to let go of certain things. Keep in mind that this is the woman who tiled our fireplace and my bathroom floor, made every single Halloween costume I ever wore and baked every birthday cake I've had at my birthdays. But here are some things I cannot do.

I cannot:
... cater the event myself AND
... make my own dress AND
... set the tables by myself AND
... be the DJ while I dance our first dance AND
... bake my own wedding cake/pieces/cookies/bourbon balls AND
... plant new flowers at the venue AND
... handwrite every single invitation AND
... barrel my own wine AND
... slaughter the cow for the beef tenderloin AND
... weld my own iron candelabras AND
... shoot my own photography

Some of those examples are so extreme is makes my head hurt, but you get the idea.

I also cannot be absolutely 100% creative all the time, and sometimes it's okay to let things be "traditional" or "classic" or "something I just don't care about". Honestly, I just don't care that much about favors, music playlists (gasp, I know, but I'm delegating it to Mr. KM. And our DJ), or our departure schtick. I will pay attention to those details because they're important, but I won't stress over them if they don't work out just right.

What projects have you had to let go of, or delegate to someone else? What projects are you absolutely unwilling to let someone else take care of? And what aspects of the wedding do you just not care about?

2,4,6,8- which dresses do we love to...hate.

My mom and I actually went before Mr. KM and I were ring-engaged (we had already decided to get married but I didn't have a ring)- we actually went the weekend that he asked for my dad's blessing and the same weekend he bought the ring (my dad and Mr. KM went shopping together- cute AND scary)! I hadn't actually wanted to go dress shopping yet, actually. I wanted to wait until we were actually engaged, but since Mr. KM was getting the ring in the mail the first week of February and we'd probably get engaged that same week, plus the fact that my mom was having major surgery on the 10th and would be out of commission so she couldn't come up, well, there was no way.

Our first shop was Bridals by Lori... you may recognize that name from Miss Scissors post; it's where she bought her dress! And yes, I tried on her dress just for fun, and I have to confirm that it is even more beautiful in person! Melissa was helping me.

These are some of the the dresses I ended up bringing with me as inspiration pictures (all pictures from theknot.com):

Rosa Clara ^

Monique Lhuillier ^

Lazaro ^

Kenneth Pool ^

Christina Wu ^

There were a couple of solid lace ones thrown in for good measure, since I loved how elegant and classic they looked.

So I tried on the fluffiest, most elaborately skirted ball gowns I could find. Pleats and ruffles and HUGE fabric flowers and y'all... I hated them. I absolutely and completely despised them. They made me feel wide, that I was taking up the whole room, and they were heavy. All of that should have been expected, but it blindsided me. I wouldn't have been able to kiss Mr. KM on our wedding day because he couldn't reach me over the dress! So that... was a no go. And we returned to the drawing board.

Up next in dress: what I loved.

Lavender Ice Cream

So, if you've read my little "About me" section, you know I LOVE Lavender ice cream (enough to include it in my About Me). Seriously, my devotion to the stuff is a little awkward, especially when you're asked "what's your favorite ice cream?" by a little kid and when you tell them lavender, they look at you like you're absolutely the dumbest person on earth as they reply "But that's a FLOWER..." Well, no duh, little kid-who-can't-drink-or-drive-or-go-to-the-bathroom by yourself, but it's also an ice cream.

And a delicious one at that.

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If you've never had anything lavender flavored, try some. Shortbread cookies are awesome too. Heck, if you ask me nice enough, I'll make them for you! I had someone tell me that it sounded like eating a candle. It's not! I think cinnamon dolce frappachinos taste like eating a candle, though. No joke. "But KM", you ask, "where can I try lavender ice cream, it's not like you can buy it at the grocery store?" Well, my dear reader, you can buy it at SOME grocery stores. Namely ones like Whole Foods, Triple H Mart, and various smaller grocery chains that carry offbeat brands.

You can also go here and try it:

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This is the Triple Creek Ranch and it is by far and away one of my most fun family vacations- more than Europe or the Caribbean by far. It's in Darby Montana and they are simply amazing. And they, my friends, have lavender ice cream for lunch AND dinner and I had it for BOTH the entire time we were there.

And so I kinda blame them for this project: I really, really, really want to make lavender ice cream for our reception. Yes, ice cream. For 165 people. My mom keeps getting all tripped up about the logistics of it- namely, how we're going to make and store all of it. I don't blame her, but wouldn't that be AWESOME?!?! We've made it before at home and it was great, so I don't see why we couldn't just... make it, and serve it. At the same time we serve coffee and tea after dinner, you know? Anyone know if its actually possible to rent cold storage? I can't imagine you can't... I mean, people freeze big game they've shot, right?