Lindsay Cortez

by Lindsay Cortez

I’m going to share with you four tips to make finding your dress easier and share with you a little of my dress shopping experience.

Timeline:
When I got engaged I made a list of priorities. First on my list was to book a venue. Second was my dress. Unless you buy a dress on the rack that is magically in stock in your size then you will need to order your dress.

It can take up to six months to get your dress once you place the order. My wedding date was August 13th. So I gave myself a dress deadline of Dec 15th to find a dress.

My dress arrived in June and this time gave me through July to have alterations made and make sure all my accessories matched perfectly.

Budget:
Set a budget before you start shopping. When you visit bridal stores, make sure that your bridal consultant knows your budget.

You do not want to get in a terrible situation where you fall in love with a dress you simply can’t afford. Also when setting your budget remember that alterations can sometimes cost a few hundred dollars. I also included my shoes in my “dress budget”.

Research:
Do your research before going into a bridal store. You can get overwhelmed by all the options available. There are lots of wedding magazines and blogs out there to inspire you. My favorites were: style me pretty and Maratha Stewarts wedding magazine.

Once I set my timeline, budget and did my research I was ready to shop. I set a few appointments for bridal stores in Seattle (where I lived). You must make appointments at most places, some will even ask you your budget then.

I knew I wanted an antique looking dress with a skirt that had lots of detail to it and a little bling. I showed my consultant the ideas I had and she knew right away which dresses to pull for me.

I tried on about 5-6 different versions of that dress. I found that the dropped A symmetrical waist was best for my body type and the I loved the sweetheart neckline best after trying on a few different styles.

I bought a Pattis dress- “The Harper“. It was prefect, it had every element I wanted, antique vintage looking, bling, and the full skirt with lots of detail.

The only thing I didn’t consider was how hot the full skirt with lots of layers of tulle and fluff would be during an outdoor wedding in August.

I loved my dress. But I wish I would have thought about the heat a little more and maybe found a way to be cooler towards the end of the night with a short reception dress or something.

Also, when I went for my final fitting with my shoes I would be wearing that day, to make sure the length was OK I walked around a bit and thought “oh the length is fine” but I was stepping on it all night of the wedding. So when you go for that final fitting make sure to really walk around, dance and fully test that baby out!

Those are my bridal dress shopping tip and I hope I helped make your search for the prefect dress just a tad bit easier.

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A bride’s wedding dress tips:
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Part 1: The right fit

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Part 2: Hot poof options

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Part 3: Top three dress options

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Special thanks to Lindsay Cortez and also for the wedding dresses from Lin-Paul’s Bridal & Tuxedos in downtown Yakima, Wash.

Bruce and Pat Eyer will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on February 9th. Bruce Eyer and Patricia Ann Husa were married February 9th, 1962 at the Methodist Church in Lewiston, Idaho. They celebrated their anniversary last summer with a family trip to Maui.

Mr. Eyer retired from the Yakima School District. The couple lived in Yakima for over thirty years. They now reside in Longview, WA.

They have two children, Allison Matthews of Yakima and Angela Eyer-Harder of Hayes, Virginia. They also have two grandchildren, Rachel and Steven.

Karen and Tim Bernhardt of Yakima announce the engagement of their son Nick, to Leslie Rossman. She is the daughter of Allen and Debbie Rossman of Woodinville, WA. Nick and Leslie met in 2007 while working together at Red Robin and finishing their degrees.

The bride-to-be graduated from Woodinville High School and is a graduate of Western Washington University. She is currently employed as a Registered Nurse at Overlake Hospital in Bellevue, WA.

The bridegroom-to-be graduated from Eisenhower High School and obtained a double major in Finance and Accounting from Western Washington University. He is currently employed as a CPA with Moss Adams LLC in Seattle, WA.

A September wedding is planned at Lord Hill Farms in Snohomish, WA.

After 55 years of marriage, Darleen was widowed in 2006. She and her husband raised seven children. She worked for the Adams County planning department as Assistant Planner, Planner, and Manager of two water districts, retiring after 30 years.

They were married at Parkcenter Assembly of God in Boise. The wedding was a family event with everyone stepping in to participate. Jack’s son, Eugene Holmes was his best man, and Darleen’s daughter, Heidi Revard, was Matron of Honor. Two of Jack’s children provided the music and Darleen’s daughter-in-law, a judge, solemnized the marriage, with other family members helping to coordinate the event. There was even a case of mistaken identity where a confused interloper objected for a moment to the wedding but quickly apologized and exited the church. What began as a small wedding ballooned to include all of Darleen’s seven children, and many family members and friends who came together to celebrate this wonderful occasion with Jack and Darleen.

A reception followed the wedding, after which the wedding party and guests took a dinner train ride on the Thunder Mountain Line from Horseshoe Bend, Idaho. The wedding party enjoyed meeting the Western figures of General Custer and his entourage before boarding their private car to enjoy dinner and the Idaho countryside.

Jack and Darleen went on a three week honeymoon to Nevada and northern California, driving back to Washington along the California and Oregon coast. They are now residing at their home in Yakima.

Bill and Tillie Mondor of Yakima will celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary February 4th with a party hosted by their daughters.

Bill Mondor and Tillie Will were married February 7th, 1947, at the home of the bridegroom’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. William Mondor, in Yakima. They are lifelong area residents.

Mr. Mondor retired from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Mrs. Mondor retired from the Red Lion Motel.

The couple has four children, Kathy Valenzuela and Pam Holmberg, both of Yakima, Kristie Mann of Union Gap and Paulie Kennedy of Selah. They also have eight grandchildren, 12 great grandchildren, and one great great grandchild.

The bride graduated from Eisenhower High School and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration Management and Information Systems from Seattle Pacific University. The groom received a Bachelor’s degree in Biblical Studies and Theology from the University of Wales, United Kingdom and is pursuing a Master’s degree in Biblical Interpretation through London School of Theology.

Following a wedding trip to Orlando, Florida, they are at home in Yakima.

Alan and Nancy Hauff of Grafton, Illinois announce the engagement of their daughter, Gaibrielle Dionne Hauff to Zane Y. Bowen.  He is the son of Paul and Linda Bowen of Granger, WA. And  Sil and Dottie Cervantes of Grandview, WA.

The bride-to-be graduated from Eisenhower High School. She also graduated from YVCC with an AA degree and attended CWU.  She is employed at the Yakima Herald-Republic. The bridegroom-to-be graduated from Grandview High School. He is employed at Milne Fruit in Prosser.

A June wedding is planned at the Sawyer House.

The bride-to-be is an Avon representative. The bridegroom-to-be is a technician at Rigby Automotive.

A July 28th wedding is planned at the Selah Christian Church.

The bride is the daughter of Daniel and Karen Schaefer of Freeburg Illinois. The bridegroom is the son of Michael and Donna Dalan of Chelan, Washington.

The couple is at home in Yakima, Washington.

Troy and Cory Slobig of Yakima and Alex and Cheri Podruzny of Highland announce the engagement of their children; Audra J. Slobig and Scott D Podruzny.  The bride-to-be graduated from Selah High School, the bridegroom-to-be graduated from Highland High School.  Both will be graduating from W.S.U.’s Bachelor of Nursing program in 2012.  A July 1st wedding is planned in Yakima.