Wedding Bales: Becoming a Bride

There is something magical about putting on your wedding dress the day of your wedding. All the bits and pieces that you have so purposefully picked out, coming together to make up your bridal look - it's special. I wanted it to be special (because I am a sap like that), so I only let Mama Barn and stepdaughter K help me into my dress. I don't know what it is, but having photos of your mother helping you into your wedding dress get me every time and are always some of my favorite. These are no different.

Photos - Kyle Zempel Photography

Mama Barn is smiling at me and trying very hard NOT to cry. She succeeded for a little bit.

Stepdaughter K practiced quite a few times putting me into my dress and was really excited to get to be a part of this special tradition. I asked her a while back what her favorite moments from the wedding were and this one was on the top of her list. Every time she would visit Mama Farmer with me (where my dress was located for a time being), she would ask if I could put my dress on so that she could practice doing the laces. Mama Barn quickly consulted Fluff and they were ready to start lacing me in for the day.

I made sure to put my hands on my hips! Thanks for the tips fellow Bees.

At this point I was getting really excited and Mama Barn was getting overly excited tightening those ribbons.

As you can see, I needed to brace myself they were tugging on them so hard! Clearly we also didn't notice that it was a tad crooked, oh well. I can assure you that I didn't wear it like that the whole day. K is concentrating very hard to make sure that she got it done perfectly.

The earrings I am wearing were picked out by stepdaughter K on a last minute trip to Claire's (I know, I know). I wasn't going to spend an arm and a leg on something that I wouldn't wear a lot of, so I went cheap. The fact that K picked them makes them special to me nonetheless. My jewelry was something that I didn't give much thought about. It was one of those last minute, "oh I better do something about that" moments.

I didn't talk much about my veil because there wasn't too much to say about it. Back when I spent the weekend in WI crafting, Mama Barn and I grabbed the supplies required to make your own veil. Both her and I are incredibly skilled in the sewing department so I knew that I could make something that would work just as well. So while I spent the evening pinning flowers into a Styrofoam ball, she stitched my veil. Total cost? $12 which included an additional hair comb (because I could only get them in a two pack). You can't see it but the tulle actually has little crystals in it which matched my dress perfectly. We snagged the material for 50% off with a Jo-Ann's coupon.

Mama Barn was so nervous, she put my veil in extra hard and stabbed me in the back of the head. I immediately shouted, "holy canoli, watch it mom!" Everyone needed a moment to collect themselves afterwards. Don't ask it was the first thing that popped in my head.

I totally forgot to get a picture of my accessories so I apologize in advance. The necklace that I am wearing was my something borrowed from my grandmother. She presented it to me at my shower and was so over the moon excited that she found this in her jewelry box - I just had to wear it. Seeing how excited she was about it, I knew it was the right choice and it matched beautifully.

The final part of my attire were my garters. The ones on my left leg came as a set that I ordered last minute from a fabulous etsy shop, GarterBoutique and the one on my right leg was a very special one that I had made for Mr. Farmer, who absolutely loves his Minnesota Vikings. As much as it pained me to order it and actually WEAR it, I managed. The things you do for love people, I tell ya!

I wasn't the only bride getting ready either. I cannot forget about my miniature bride/flowergirl K. For the shyest little girl I have ever met, she took her bridal role very seriously.

K had her mommy help her into her dress, just like I did because, well - "that's what brides do mom." And, with that, all the brides of the Barn crew were ready to see the groom and get this show on the road.

Up next our first look!

Did you have anyone special help you into your dress? Was it a special moment for you? What kind of emotions did you experience?

**I promise I did fix my dress before seeing Mr. Farmer.

Missed a recap? Catch up here:

Wedding Bales: Let’s Get The Party Started
Wedding Bales: Special Cargo
Wedding Bales: Rehearsing it All
Wedding Bales: Food and Friends
Wedding Bales: Friends in Low Places
Wedding Bales: Getting Pretty 
Wedding Bales: Boys Will Be Boys
Wedding Bales: Special Gifts