David's Bridal: Styling for a Rehearsal Dinner

I can’t believe it has been FOUR months since Patrick and I got engaged! It has been a complete whirlwind over here since the proposal with back-to-back travel and all of my best friends getting engaged within a couple months of each other! What is in the water this year?! Time has been moving so fast and I just keep pinching myself to make sure to take in every single second of this magical time.

I am so excited to share the 1st of many wedding planning updates. I know so many of you guys have been requesting this post! My quick answer for why I have not posted until now is that Patrick and I have honestly just been enjoying our engagement without the stress of jumping straight into planning. Patrick and I decided pretty early on that we were going to have our wedding in 2020. This is because of 2 specific reasons:

5 of my best friends are getting married next year. F I V E. Along with 5 weddings comes the engagement parties, dress shopping, bridal showers, bachelorette parties… you get the picture. We’ll basically be out of town more often than we are home. So we decided it would be best to just push our date into 2020.
Patrick and I started dating in… wait for it… 2010. So waiting another year and getting married in 2020 means that we will have been together for a DECADE. How that is even possible blows my mind.

David’s Bridal recently reached out to me with an exciting opportunity to partner with them as a new bride-to-be. I was really excited because they are such an established name in the wedding industry, but also because it made me really sit down and think about how much fun I am going to have planning our wedding! My first reaction was that we would be showcasing one of their gorgeous wedding gowns, but I was so surprised when they instead wanted to see how I would style one of their little white dresses for one of my upcoming wedding events. I honestly thought they only had wedding and bridesmaid gowns, but they actually carry everything a bride needs for the events surrounding the wedding as well – from the engagement party to the bridal shower to the bachelorette party to the rehearsal to the honeymoon!

I instantly fell in love with this white, cold-shoulder maxi on DavidsBridal.com. It is very feminine and has a subtle bohemian vibe. The dress has two front slits in the skirt, a ruffled bodice, an open-back and the most delicate and understated floral pattern throughout. This is for sure a dress I can see myself wearing at our rehearsal dinner.

David’s Bridal Chiffon Eyelet Sheath Dress with Ruffles

A wedding photographer once gave me advice for the rehearsal dinner that I will never forget. She suggested that the bride-to-be takes portraits right before the rehearsal dinner. There are so many reasons why I agree with this. One reason being that you will feel your best leading up to wedding weekend!! It is likely that you have been working out hard, eating well and taking amazing care of your skin, so why not take advantage of that pre-wedding glow?! You will have to be hair + makeup ready anyways for the rehearsal, so it is easy to sneak out with the photographer for an hour before the rehearsal dinner to capture some beautiful golden hour portraits at your venue right before the big day. This will be a much more relaxed environment for photos with one-on-one attention. What a beautiful way to capture the excitement and last day as a Ms.!

I took these styled Rehearsal Bridal Portraits at Kilham Farm, a charming wedding venue just outside of San Francisco. Le Bouquet made the whimsical flower crown and summer bouquet for the occasion and I am wearing head-to-toe David’s Bridal.

David’s Bridal Almond Cubic Zirconia Necklace

I picked out this delicate cubic Zirconia necklace to compliment the dress. I cannot believe how affordable it is!! I have been wearing it every day since – so it is totally not just for bridal looks!! Keep scrolling to see my handsome new friend, Pontour!

David’s Bridal Patent High Heel Sandals with Ankle Strap

These nude heels were perfect for this look! A love nude heels because they are extremely flattering and don’t draw too much attention away from the dress. They are also extremely comfortable, which is a top priority for me.

Half way through the portrait session I put my hair into a quick updo to show off the beautiful neckline this dress has and to show of the pretty earrings. This is also a quick and easy way to create variety in the images and create a slightly different look in the bridal session.