Valentine’s Day is our new anniversary– the day we officially got back together– and most years we celebrate the day before or after… this year, though, I wanted to do a stereotypical Valentine’s Day date, as I’d never had one.
So in theory, we killed THREE birds with one night: our anniversary, Valentine’s Day, and wedding reception restaurant shopping. (Afterall, what better way to vet a restaurant’s ability to handle your wedding than by judging how it handles the second busiest day of the year?)
We had a great dinner at Coquette; it was a quick walk from our house, on a beautiful crisp night. The service was wonderful, the food was delicious, and it’s definitely a strong contend-ah for our wedding. (So if you’re visiting a looking for a lovely, slightly fancy Garden District lunch– it has my vote!)
While we opted not to buy presents this year (no chocolates and flowers, despite the cliche), the Beau did surprise me a few days early with the sweetest gift of all…
When we began wedding planning, I cut from our budget the only “personal” wedding item I wanted… a pair of Manolo Blahniks. It’s made more sense to me to drop the dough a killer pair of designer shoes you’ll re-wear than a dress you can wear once! But when you’re trying to be frugal, thinking long-term and big picture, spending $1000 on a pair of shoes seemed silly.
This is when my Beau, the lady killer that he is, decided to surprise. me. With the Something Blue (Hangisi) Manolo Blahniks that I wanted. It completely dumbfounds me that he’d drop his tax return to buy me shoes, and to say I cried would be an understatement. (There may have been several instances of crying over multiple days.) It’s probably the sweetest gesture he’s ever done, and I’m feeling like one really lucky lady.
What I Wore:
Trashy Diva Frenchie Dress
Miz Mooz Symphony Pumps (sold out)
Tarina Tarantino Heart Necklace
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
First, that dress is gorgeous on you! I love the colorblocked red.
Second, OMG to those shoes! So fabulous! My husband has bought me some pretty amazing gifts over the years but I don’t think I’d ever convince him to buy me a pair of $1,000 shoes! It’s even more special when you add in the wedding background. You will be a beautiful bride and now you have beautiful shoes to wear!
Well, G & I have an agreement: he has to keep me in shoes & Trashy Diva dresses the rest of my life. I think this was his way of starting ;)
But it really was special. I even remember when he asked, “So, are you using your tax return to buy your Manolos?” to which I said basically, “No, we still have credit card debt from our vacation, and I can’t in good consciousness buy them when I’d rather not have the debt.” So. Go teamwork?
Thank you so much! It’s nice to have the chance to get a bit girly and bit wedding-fever about something things ;)
OMG CARRIE’S WEDDING SHOES!!!!
So fantastically awesome.
Haha, yes! I know some think it’s cliche, but my response tends to be SHUTTUP I’M A BRIDE I CAN BE THAT GIRL ABOUT SOMETHING.
It really was. Even now, I still look at them and get a bit weepy. And it’s been 2 weeks!
That is THE MOST AWESOME gift ever!! Major, major brownie points for that one! Your wedding day is a magical day and you have to have the shoes to wear it! My husband and I were cost conscious with ours but my splurge was the dress. It’s your day to be a princess right? :)
The dress looks super cute and comfy! Love the way the colors are patterned.
MJ´s last [type] ..Beauty Look of the Day: Brown Sparkle
Lady, I feel you on being cost conscious! I picked up my dress for $150 (love it and can rewear it!), and so these were the major splurge… but I just felt so guilty and was like, “Eh, if it’s meant to be, I can buy them next year!”
But the fact he did it….well, his chance to be Prince Charming to my princess.
And thank you! The dress is really comfy, lightweight and with great movement but not too light… it’s got just enough weight… and I didn’t realize how well it fit into the colorblocking trend, but it does! I feel so hip ;)
What a wonderful gift. Not only are the shoes beautiful, but that he bought them for your guys’ wedding, as a surprise, is just the best.
Gracey at Fashion for Giants´s last [type] ..Cozy Thunderbirds
It really was! It was pretty much the only thing I REALLY wanted (I’ve already picked up my dress, and it was $150 AND I can rewear it), but at the same time… god, weddings are expensive! And we don’t want to go into debt doing it! So it just seemed not practical when that’s airfare for an awesome honeymoon…. so it really meant the world that he did it.
*gush*
Men who buy us shoes are keepers! <3 So happy you two had fun.
Cassie´s last [type] ..the personal gets political: personal space in social media
Ain’t that the truth! It’s the way to a lady’s heart ;)
Those shoes are AAAAAAAMAZING!!! You will keep them for the rest of your life so they are a wise choice to spend the tax return jajaaj
Lunaday´s last [type] ..Boring
Yes, exactly! I can wear them forever- and always be reminded of my happy day. Sounds like a wise investment piece to me ;)
That’s so lovely of him! I’m excited for your wedding! I haven’t been out on valentine’s day in 11 years, Dave and I did it the first two years and then stopped. But it makes sense for restaurant vetting!
Franca´s last [type] ..Wartime Wardrobe Challenge – February roundup
Thank you, Franca! I’ve gotten excited for it too (it’s taken me a while to warm up to the idea of a wedding)!
Our V-Day experience was surprisingly nice… the staff was super on point and the restaurant was surprisingly not crowded. It makes me wonder if the shift to “let’s do it the day before or after” has actually curbed the crowds that go out? Needless to say, how well they handled it definitely gave them a good ranking ;)