THE Dress!

My mom is in town visiting for Easter and today we went dress shopping.  As many of you know, I've had my eye on Dolly Couture's Avila Bay.  This dress is only available to try on in Los Angeles though.  We had talked about driving out there at some point but I was just going to try on dresses in Phoenix first to get a better idea of what looks best on me.  I am curvy girl so I wanted to make sure to find stores that actually had dresses I could try on.  I googled "Plus size bridal gowns Phoenix" and my first hit was Strut Bridal Salon!  For any of you size 14+ brides out there, this is the place to go!!!!  The owner Ann was who helped me out.  She was friendly and helpful.  She took the time to get to know me right at the beginning.  I said I wanted a dress that was fun, classic, and vintagey and she nailed it on the first dress.  I, of course, tried on several more but I kept coming back to the first dress.  I asked her for a birdcage veil which is what I thought I wanted and she put it on me.  She then asked if I would try a different veil on and brought out a shoulder length veil with a blusher.  I didn't think I would like it but she put it on and the look was complete...I had found my wedding outfit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  You'll all just have to stayed tuned for the next year before the reveal though! And if you are a plus size bride in the SW, GO TO STRUT BRIDAL!!!!!!!!!!!

Several windows opened!!!

This past week has been very exciting.  I found out that I was nominated for two different service awards at school!  I also found out that I won three contests!

The first is from Borrowed & Bleu.  It's a $25 gift certificate to Jada Michaels!

Image credits: Jada Michaels

The second is from Last Minute Bride (the awesome blog that I also won shoes from earlier).  I won a gorgeous personalized bridal hanger from Any Occasion Creation!

Image credits: Any Occasion Creation

The third win was from Culinary Crafts.  They sponsored a DIY contest and I entered with the Bridesmaid Ring project.  The prize is a 4-pack of macaroon favors.  My project will also be featured on their blog!

Image credits: Culinary Crafts

There are also a lot of spring giveaways going on right now including a large assemblage over at The Nester! Check out my twitter account (handle JASIVRAS) for more information on other giveaways!