Support Groups - Brides to be

OK, BfL Cat- I have good news to report on our bridesmaids' dresses: I saw a wedding today where the bridesmaids had our dresses. (I work in an office building that hosts weddings ion our courtyard during the summer.) The girls were all different shapes and sizes and they all looked GORGEOUS! Yippee!!!

Lafayette - good to know! I love that you are doing the clover color - I would definitely like that for a Spring wedding.
Cindy

Hey girls have you had any wedding dreams. I had one the other night that was really freeky. I was running up and down the aisle trying to make sure everything was okay, ( in my wedding dress, might I add!!). Everything that could go wrong went wrong. I am scared that this might happen. I dont know why I had this dream. I havent started my wedding planning quite yet.

Anyone had any dreams like that????

From a just-married...Yes!

Wedding dreams are about to become a solid part of your reality. I had at least one a week for the last 6 months of planning.

Mine have ranged from normal to mildly psychotic! I even had a dream that an ex-boyfriend tried talking me out of it.

Mostly, I just fantasize about eloping... we went to the bakery last Saturday only to discover the $119 price I had been quoted for a sheet cake (to supplement a smaller tiered cake for the cutting) was not the $209 "display" cake pricing and, therefore, will not apply for our wedding. Hmm, what do I get for the extra $90 if it doesn't even say "Happy Birthday" or something?

I ask you, as I asked the bakery, how exactly does one display a sheet cake that will be kept back in the kitchen? I may ask them to write, "(The bakery) sucks" on the it.

I haven't really had wedding dreams, I wonder why that is. Maybe it's just that I feel like all my waking moments are spent thinking about the wedding or moving, so in my dreams I want a break. :)

As for the sheet cake, my friend had sheet cake at her wedding to supplement. It was never in sight of the guests, they just had it back in the kitchen, where it was cut and put out with the other cake. That does sound like a rip-off.

I am really frustrated with my wedding site people. I have been trying to speak with someone there for a week now. I have also emailed, with no response. I need to get the rehearsal planned, but can get no response from anyone about availability of our amphitheater. A week without responding to a bride? It seems a bit mean to me. As a result of their lack of communication, I have been unable to relay the timing for our rehearsal to my in-laws, and now they have gone to Italy for a couple of weeks. That means we will probably have to book the rehearsal dinner ourselves. Sigh.... Sorry for ranting, I'm just tired.

My Fiance's sister is getting married three weeks before we are. I just saw her dress, and it looks.... very similar to mine. Hmmmmm....

Hey, Christine- vent away!

I wish you luck with your venue- you can always just show up on their doorstep!

Did your future sister-in-law know what your dress looked like before she bought hers?

I finally spoke to them. Yahoo!

Lafayette, we purchased our dresses independently, without seeing the other's. I actually bought mine after hers, but didn't see it until today. Oh well, I guess we both have good taste. :)

That's the spirit!

I'm freaking out about my mom asking the prices of everything. This is the woman who lectured me on/yelled at me for being self-centered and selfish when she read IN A BRIDAL MAGAZINE that brides print menus to set at each place setting.

I'm not printing menus, nor did I ever plan to, and I'm paying for everything anyway no matter what I chose to do. We haven't really had a detailed conversation about the wedding since but she called last night "with a few questions." Aaaah!

I’ve heard that wedding dreams are quite common, but I don’t really remember my dreams so I’m not sure I’d know if I were having them.

Lafayette – The bakery sure does seem to be trying to take advantage, jeeze! Sorry your mom is being difficult.

We have a wedding website, right now we just have the free level of service. Not sure if we’ll find the need to upgrade later or not. We don’t have much up there yet, but I think it will be a nice tool for communicating with guests as we plan.

We’re closing on our townhouse this Friday and starting moving on Sunday! Can’t wait.

Shananigans - the wedding website was GREAT. We ended up with all kinds of content on there...my favorite (and my guests favorite) was a song request form. People filled it out, I sent the songs along to my DJ, and people felt special. I also had an RSVP form for our guest shuttle service...as soon as my photographer gets the bleeping pictures back, I'll be posting a big gallery on the same site so people can look at them. This saved us a TON of money on invitations too...although technically Miss Manners doesn't like the idea...we printed one card in addition to our response card with our website address. From there, you could get directions and other logistics information for the wedding, so we didn't have to include directions or maps in the invitation itself.

I wish my guests were technically savvy enough to do the website! I loved yours, Mandalinn.

I really wanted to do an online poll to determine what the song for our first dance should be... I think we're going to go with whatever song is playing in the background when the two guys from Boondock Saints walk into the basement arsenal!

I am so excited I finally get to start planning my wedding!! My fiance will be here in a week and a half or so, so hopefully by the end of June we will have everything set. All i know that is official is the date 4/05/08 and hopefully the location Fabulous LAS VEGAS!!:p

Congrats! That's awesome!

My best friend got engaged just afew weeks after me and our weddings are one month apart. We went to a bridal show yesterday and let me just say, it's best to start with a drink, have a drink half-way through and end with a drink- I don't care which diet you're on! My God! The insanity!

Hopefully, I found a good baker who can make my cake at half the price the evil baker quoted me. Other than that and an alternative bridal shower idea/registry with Pampered Chef, I really didn't get much (other than an overdose of fake flowers and fake people) out of the experience!

On a high note, we've decided to do a joint bachellorette party- location TBD- on Feb 29 because, "If it happened on leap year, it didn't really happen... "

Anyone else with any great plans?

Oh, yeah... and I ONCE AGAIN restarted my diet today!

Lafayette – I went to the wedding expo at the Alliant energy center in Madison before we were even engaged. We were doing research for our friends that are getting married here in September (they still live in LA). Those things are ridiculous! We did find a florist that we liked and our friends say they’ve had a really good experience with them so we plan to use them as well. We also found a photographer we like, our friends ended up going with someone else, but we just put our deposit down to reserve him for our date. Funny that we kind of started doing some wedding planning before we really knew there was going to be a wedding. A joint bachelorette sounds awesome by the way!

I went to David’s Bridal last Saturday with my future MIL since she was in town and really wanted to go. It was a little overwhelming with her gushing constantly, she is really more excited about the gown than I am. Of course I want something flattering, but I am just not that into formal wear. When I mentioned that I would be happy in a simple white sundress and would just as well skip the formality of the gown if it didn’t matter to anyone else she looked at me like I was crazy and said something along the lines of “no, you really don’t mean that.” She just doesn’t seem to understand that not every woman has been dreaming of her fairy tale princess wedding gown since she was a little girl. Oh well, at least it’s nice that she’s excited and supportive and means well.

I had a work event for most of the day so I wasn’t able to make it in for an appointment but we browsed around a bit and I got to see the colors I was thinking about for my bridesmaids in person. I like them a lot. I think what I might do is have my bridesmaids in the celadon green and have my maid of honor wear the cornflower blue? Or maybe half & half? I’m not sure.

We’re mostly moved into our new house, I love it! It is going to be in chaos for some time, especially since we’ll be away this weekend and won’t get a chance to do any serious unpacking for a while.

Shan- Glad you survived the bridal fair! I hope it goes as well with the move!

I'm not into the "pretty, pretty princess" thing either. I just want a simple, elegant dress to go with what I hope will be a simple, elegant wedding. I keep reminding myself that, while this will be my only wedding, this is not the last party I am ever going to throw, not the last flowers I am ever going to order, not the last dinner I am ever going to plan, etc. It takes off some of the pressure to make everything perfect!

Well, I am working on diet bliss today to offset the cake I had to "sample" last night. Boston cream... I think Mandalinn calls it "food porn" so I will shut up now. :)

this is not the last party I am ever going to throw, not the last flowers I am ever going to order, not the last dinner I am ever going to plan, etc. It takes off some of the pressure to make everything perfect!

Thanks, Lafayette! Appreciate that perspective!

Oh man, I had a wedding dream!

In it, I was going up the aisle.Lots of things were weird, but the biggest part was that some guy I had met twice was standing up to marry me! This guy I am not attracted to in any way, but for some reason I had agreed to marry him years ago. And as we were standing up there, I kept on asking him why on earth do you want to marry me? You don't know me! And my wonderful fiance was standing as a groomsman, crying like crazy. And I kept arguing with this guy that I couldn't even remember the name of, saying things like, did you see the invitations? They had mine and MICAH"S name on them. That means HE is the one I want to marry. Then finally, I threw a big fit and finally yelled out to the world, obviously I want to marry Micah, not you! And it was a huge scene. At the end, I needed to wait until later to marry Micah, so no wedding took place. My bf told me it wasn't the worst wedding she had been to.

Random

Christine – That is one freaky dream! I have read that you can “train” yourself to remember your dreams. Maybe it would be worth the while to see if I’m having any bizarre wedding dreams.

Lafayette – I hope you’ve found a reasonable baker. I can’t wait to go cake testing!

Did another round of moving last night. Looks like we’re down to one more trip, then we’ll be cleaning up and done with it. With the small exception of getting someone to rent the place. :p We’ve got a couple more interested parties this week, keeping our fingers crossed. We’ll have this weekend free (finally!) so we’ll get some time to take care of all that and get properly settled in the new place.

We have a consultation meeting with the photographer tonight. The owner of the studio has already been booked for our date, so we’re meeting with one of his associates. Hope all goes well. Any tips for these types of meetings? Questions we should ask?

Hope everyone’s planning is going well.

Shan-

The most important thing, I would think, would be to see pictures of the individual's work. You want to make sure this person has a style you like. You may also want to know their preferences for posed versus informal pictures, and talk to them about having your pictures, whether those will be before or after.

Planning is hectic for me at the moment. I feel stressed and tired of it all. BUT, I know it will all come together somehow in the end.

We’ll be sure to check out her portfolio tonight. I remember really liking the photos on display at the Wedding Expo (that’s where we found them) but I don’t know if any of those were her work. They definitely seem to be less formal and posed, more of a photojournalistic feel to them. I like that. Good point about discussing when we’ll do our more formal pics. Our ceremony site is really gorgeous, I’ll want to make sure we’ll have time to take full advantage of that for our pictures.

I’ve been looking around online at dresses again, and I’m rethinking my strapless A-line concept. Right now I really like the idea of a V-neck halter with lace overlay, this one I’m particularly in love with at the moment. (you can click the image for slightly bigger I think)

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I’m trying really hard to imagine what this would look like on my figure though. The only site I’ve seen plus size models on is David’s Bridal.

Report from the photographer consultation: so disappointing! The head photographer’s work is really amazing, that’s why we were interested in the first place. I’m kicking myself for not booking him earlier. The photographer we met with last night was nice and her work is ok, I’ve definitely seen less impressive work, but she’s only been shooting for 2 years and the inexperience shows. It’s a little underwhelming. They charge the same for all their photographers, which I guess makes sense from their perspective, if you charge less for a less experienced photographer people will think that photographer is not as good. Even if it’s the truth (which I think it is) I could see why they wouldn’t want clients to think that.

Back to the drawing board. *sigh*

Shan- Our photographer is Katharine Reilly (check her website). I bet she would go to Madison.

My main criteria, since the photographer is really the person you spend the most time with, was that we like the photographer as a person. We got lucky that our photographer is also awesome! She does great candid shots- she actually works full time at the Aids Resource Center of WI and has spent most of her photography career shooting charitable events around the area.

She has taken the time to get to know us, continues to work with our budget and strikes me as being perfectly capable of handling all the chaos and any wacked out demands that I can't anticipate.

She is a one-man shop, so we were a little concerned about replacing her if anything goes wrong but has has several back-up photographers who are also skilled and personable.

The dress looks beautiful but I agree, you'll need to see it on. My friend had a very similar style and while she loved her dress, she wished after seeing her wedding pictures that the dress had more definition around her waist. I thought it looked fab but just a thought...

As for the dreams, I am in the phase where I keep thinking of guys that "could have been," contemplating "what if" and arriving at the conclusion that the one I'm about to marry is absolutely the man of my dreams! It concerned me at first but, hey, as long as I keep thinking he's the best possible catch, I guess I'm OK!

Shananigans:

Definitely try it on; you'd hate to have any surprises! I tried on a really cute halter dress at David's Bridal, but I quickly realised that it absolutely wouldn't work...the halter strap around the back of my neck was making me bow my head whenever I wasn't consciously thinking about my posture. I'd look like a hunchback in all the non-posed pictures!

Lafayette – Thanks for sharing your photog contact. I looked into applying at the AIDS Resource Center when I started my WI job hunt. They have an office here in Madison, unfortunately for me their development office is in Milwaukee. I checked out her portfolio, it’s very nice but I feel like I’ve seen a lot of similar ones for photographers in Madison. Part of the reason we wanted Pierre is we feel his work is very original, and he was really nice in person. Both are very important to us. What can I say, my FH is photographer, we are extra picky and spoiled. :p

We spoke with the photographer and he said we could meet with another photog with his company that we’re more interested in. If you wanna take a peek this is the website. http://www.pierresportraitart.com/index.php Click "wedding galleries" at the bottom you can see all the photographers in the sidebar. Pierre was our first choice obviously, check out his work and I think you’ll see why. Anna is the one we met with last night and decided to pass on. Now we’re going to be meeting with Michelle. I’ll be interested to see what her personality is like and see more of her work.

I will definitely be trying on any dress before I order it! I know how different something can look in my head and then on my body. I really need to find some time to go try dresses on someday.

OK, Pierre looks like he's got some skills!!! Those are awesome!

We aren't planning to have many posed pictures so the photo journalism style is well suited for the "snap shots" of friends and family I'm looking for. Katharine showed us some more "arty" photos she had done- they were pretty awesome, too, but my fiance and I agreed we want to limit the amount of time we spend with the photographer. Our ceremony will be a full Catholic mass starting at 2:30 and, if we plan to have cocktails in our hands by 5:00, we have to keep moving! Neither of us is very picky about photography... cake, though, is a whole different story!

Hey all! I'm getting married June 21, 2008 and have just started planning. We're planning to have the wedding in Clearwater, Florida on the beach at sunset so we'll have a beach theme. My colors are lilac and light blue and my main flowers will be hydrangeas. Anyway, just wanted to say hi to everyone!

Feisty- Sounds like a pretty color scheme! I'm getting married in Southeastern Wisconsin in March. My color scheme may have to include dyed-to-match thermal underwear! Welcome!

Welcome Feisty! A beach wedding sounds so lovely. I plan to use hydrangeas as well, green and purple. Look forward ot hearing more about your plans.

Announcement: My brother is now engaged!

So many weddings, so little time...

Hehe!

Congratulations to your brother!

Lol - it must be something in the water! After we had our ceremony April 21st, my cousin got married June 16, and upcoming are my friend on July 14th, my sister on July 21st...

I am flying cross country this weekend for my sister's bachelorette party. I'm stocked on embarrassing accessories (yeah - that'll be some interesting times in airport security - hope they hand search my bag to pull out the embarrassing accessories).

Congrats to your brother!

Hi, Miss Mess!

I worked out a deal with our photographer where we are paying for her time and buying our pictures on a disc, not having them developed. She sends all of her development out so it didn't really impact her bottom line (pricing for developed photos here has a profit margin similar to gasoline!). We can even take the disc to Walgreen's to get pictures developed if we want. This way, we got more pictures, more hours and a better talent for a manageable price. We plan to do the books, too, as thank you gifts to our parents but found the pricing a bit steep. There are also several self-made options through shutterfly.

Mandalinn- I would LOVE to go through airport security with you! Make sure you remove the batteries!

I don't know about the water but my sister is making noises... her boyfriend just bought her a brand new Audi and you usually marry someone to keep the car, right?!?

Hey girls I am still here, just been visiting with my FH. It has been so much fun to see him. I am glad that he is finally here. I am kinda sad because I want to start my wedding planning but I cant because my FH doesnt have a job here yet. I hope that he gets one soon so that we can start the wedding planning fun.

Hey gals - I've got just 3 months to go until Sept. 29th, so I'm starting to get caught up in all the details.

My bridesmaid dresses are in, we ordered the tuxes, I've finalized my favors and have been frantically searching online for ideas for flowers and cakes. I'm going to MI for my shower (the wedding is there), and while I'm there that weekend, I'm meeting with the DJ, the church music lady, the florist, the cake place, sampling foods and having my hair done! It will be SO busy!

I still haven't given a thought to my headpiece - it will depend on the hair, and I still need shoes and jewelry finalized - I have options but don't love them.

Attendant gifts - any good ideas? I have 2 gals and 4 guys and 2 ring bearers to buy for. My sister, maid of honor, is extremely picky, so some little trinket just won't do. Everyone else is much less of an issue.

I also am doing a photo-file only deal - I think we are paying $900 for all day and all his files. Nothing printed - that is all up to us.

Well, time to get back to work...
Cindy

We got our bridesmaids a necklace to wear on the big day. I picked a design that is pretty basic - just a sterling silver pendant hanging on a silver chain - and all of the girls loved it. Not only did they get to all match on the big day, but all three girls have worn the necklace since then. If you don't want everyone to match, you can buy a slightly different necklace for each girl (three different silver pendants, for example - all silver so they "go" together, but all unique to fit each girl). For the boys, we bought flasks. Hey, they're a drinking crowd, so it fit.

In terms of photography, we paid $2400 dollars. This included 7 hours of shooting on the day of, a 3 hour engagement photo session, a proof album of all of our photos, a CD containing all of the high-resolution digital negatives, 250 dollars of credit toward buying an album or prints, and three months of web hosting of our photos so we could show our guests. That is high compared to other areas of the country...for the SF bay area, this was an EXTREMELY good deal (most photographer basic packages here do not include digital negs and cost around 2-3 thousand).

I can't really speak to the Photographer issue bc my SIL-to-be is a photographer and doing our shots, with a photographer friend of hers doing back up prints for free. We really lucked out! I think she may charge for the prints if her pro does them, but we are saving so much that way.

About the bridal gifts, I am debating. I think I am going to go to a beading shop in town and make a necklace or bracelet for each of my girls- personal and not too pricey. For the groomsmen, my fiance and I decided to help offset the cost of their suits as their main gift. We are asking them to purchase suits rather than rent tuxes, so this works well for our crowd.

I'm getting excited... only 37 days to go!

Oh! But I'm struggling about the favors. I will be in a different state, working, for the two weeks before the wedding. I had debated bamboo, but think it may be too labor-intensive with me out of town.

There is a place down the road from our wedding that makes Hickory Syrup- similar to maple syrup, but comes from the bark of a hickory tree. Would mini jugs of that make a good favor? I like that it's local, but is syrup a weird gift?

I agree - the syrup would be cute.

Our ceremony was in Berkeley, up in Tilden Park.

Hi girls
I'm getting married next year sometime. No actual date picked yet. Although it's going to be a very small wedding I'm hoping to get to my goal weight before then, 150 before Sep 2008. Hopefully thats realistic lol.
Good Luck to all of you!!

MissMess - we were at the Brazilian Room - it was so pretty. The pouring rain took away a little bit from the view, of course, but not too much, and we got some gorgeous pictures outside with a giant black umbrella.

Lisa - welcome!

Put my favorite umbrella pic up as my profile photo...

Wow! That picture is awesome, Mandalinn! What is the significance, if any, behind the scarf tied to your right forearm?

I think I've found my wedding dress (now to lose the weight). The Charlotte dress from Ann Taylor is the one I keep going back to, even though it means I'll have to really behave between now and the wedding. No more cake sampling, I guess!

MissMess- How many guests are you having? I have seen several wonderful ideas I would love to see someone use!

I completely gave up on DIY projects once our guest list went over 200! 300 of anything is more than I can sanely attempt! Unless, of course, we're talking desserts...

The scarf was just a wrap I'd picked up (at Ross, no less) when I realized it was going to be freezing cold and raining for my wedding. I had it wrapped over my shoulders but it fell when we were taking pictures. It was cold-prevention, nothing more. We also bought wraps for the bridesmaids at the last minute because their dresses were tea length and strapless and it was raining outside.

I did some DIY stuff...the lucky bamboo was obviously the worst of it, as well as the out of towner baskets (only OCD-bride would add a personalized note to each basket, lol) and bathroom baskets. Come to think of it, I did a lot of personalized stuff. Ah well. We only had 75 people, so it was feasible. 200 of anything would be so difficult!

Our guests were scattered over 4 hotels - we just figured out where everyone was staying and gave the baskets to the front desk. They pass them out when people check in, and hotels are very well used to doing this. So cute to add sunblock and beach mats! What a great idea!

Yeah. Actually, we had a wedding website where we had a form for people to put in their contact/hotel information. Its useful to know where people are staying in general in case you need to reach someone, and if there aren't too many different hotels to choose from (for example, if you negotiated a group rate with a preferred hotel or two) you can just drop a batch off at one or more hotels and be done with it. We put some little snackies in also. For hawaii, you could do a little baggie of chocolate covered macadamia nuts, maybe some dried tropical fruit...you get the idea. Our baskets had roasted almonds, chocolate covered pretzels, jelly beans, and chocolates, plus a tea strainer and a little tin of tea and bottled water. We also printed a little information leaflet for each of them (with our cell #s, how to catch our guest shuttle, airport/hotel phone information, etc). We saved money on the food items by buying cheap cello bags at a party/craft store and ribbons in our wedding colors, then buying the food items in bulk. It was a lot cheaper than buying individual-serving-size packages of the items, and makes the baskets really cute also because they match the wedding theme. We also put in tiny candles in our wedding colors (because I LOVE going to a hotel room late at night, lighting a candle, and hopping into a bathtub) and a tiny lavender grow kit to match our theme. We finished them off with a personalized card thanking people for coming.

I think snacks are great because after partying into the night, everyone wants a little something to eat.

Our out of town baskets looked like this:

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y124/mandalinn82/IMG_0003.jpg

We only gave them to our out-of-town guests. People who live in Hawaii have their own SPF and beach mats, its the people from out of town who don't have their home-comforts and will really appreciate the baskets anyway.

I haven't picked the exact style yet but we are doing large bags instead of baskets. You can order personalized bags from a company like 4imprint for less than $1/bag. For anything personalized, I have found my business suppliers to be much less expensive than "wedding" suppliers.

This is one idea:

http://www.4imprint.com/EXEC/DETAIL/FROMSUPERGROUP/~SKU001062/~CA1062-L-F.htm

I would do clear bags with colored tissue paper.

We're doing all local stuff, too, but a bit more diverse. Locally roasted coffee, local handmade chocolates, specialty cheese and sausage (WI, baby!) and, of course, a bottle of wine- I imagine your wine might be a little better than ours... I'm also including area maps from our tourist bureau (free) and a travelogue written by area children (sales benefit an educational charity). I could keep going but the price is starting to rival the swag stars get at awards shows...

Another idea (that I will probably use for the bridesmaids, aunts, etc. because the bags were getting heavy) is items from The Enterprising Kitchen, a Chicago-area social enterprise that teaches disadvantaged women to make soap to help train them for jobs.

Mandalinn - Your gift baskets were lovely!

Haven’t given too much though to the out-of-towner favors yet, but you all have some great ideas here! We’ll definitely be putting together a fun guide of things to do and see around Madison. Almost everyone will be from out of town, so that will probably limit how extravagant and personalized we can make the goody bags.

Well, I’ve had a drop out in my bridesmaid party. My F-MIL made it sound like both her daughters (my FH’s sisters) would expect to be in the bridesmaid party. One of his sisters I am very friendly with and like her and her husband (who will be in the groomsman party) quite a lot. His other sister I’ve never been close to but never really had a reason to personal dislike her. Unfortunately the latter sister has decided that some long-brewing bad blood between her and her father makes her uncomfortable enough that she is not even committing to attending the wedding. I don’t know all the details (obviously), for all I know she’s got good reason to not even want to be in the same room with him. She’s gone to great lengths to avoid him in recent years and I don’t think they have much if any relationship any longer. I don’t suppose there’s anything I can do about it, but it would be very sad if she missed our wedding over this.

On the bright side I have asked a good long time friend from college if she’d like to be in my bridesmaid party and she has accepted. She’s already been working with me as a sort of floral “consultant” and it will be nice to have at least one member of the bridal party in town for things like gown shopping and such.

MisMess- What a fantastic dress dilemma to have! I haven't tried them on since my "Oh, My God! I look like the Michelin man!" experience.

Shan- sorry to hear about your future sister-in-law! I hope it all works out!

I have been considering centerpieces AGAIN. Which flowers, what shape vase, etc. I need a wedding planning vacation!

Missmess - I purchased my dress in a size 18W, at my wedding I was a size 10/12. They were able to take it in fine. It wasn't cheap, but including a design change (I redesigned the back of my dress to customize it) my alterations, from a specialist in gown reconstruction who was AMAZING and priced accordingly, cost $350.00. What was nice is that she specialized in redesigning heirloom dresses to fit new people or to redesign certain outdated elements, so she was really good at resizing things.

I can get you her name if you want. She is in Elk Grove.

Lafayette,

If you have any questions, tell me. I'll get my floral-designer-partner-extraordinaire on it immediately :-)

Hi guys - back from my whirlwind wedding planning weekend in MI. Church music finalized, food tasted and approved of, flowers ordered, cake ordered, decorations bought, hair style trialed and I had my first shower, so gifts all over the living room!

I'm feeling much less stressed now that a lot of that is decided. Especially the decorations - I got lots of great stuff at Hobby Lobby (had never been there before) - in fact, all of my table decor was bought there for only about $160 total. Which sort of includes the centerpieces, but not really - I'd orignially thought I'd do a cupcake stand on each table, then I decided I'd rather do a 7" cake on each table, and now it's changed to having a fruit pie in the center of each table! On a glass cake plate, made from a plate and a dof glass glued together ($1 each!). I'm so excited about this - got the idea from a friend of my Mom's who had that at a wedding she went to last weekend. So, of course, I had to sample the pie from this place, and it was incredible! This goes right along with my fruit/harvest/fall theme. DF isn't loving the idea, but he has conceeded. We are still having a 2-tier cake to cut, so there will be cake for those who prefer that. Maybe a groom's cake as well.

I've been thinking a lot about the gift bags - I have a lot of out-of-towners, but would love to do something for them. Maybe I'll start hitting the discount/dollar stores to see what I can come up with for bags - just one per hotel room, right? Means I will need in the range of 20-30 if everyone comes.

Speaking of which, invites are my next focus. I want to send them out by the end of the month. Ordered my stamps from usps.gov, so I have those already - one less thing to have to do later. Am printing my own invites (Anna Griffin cream toile from Michaels), then they have to be assembled with ribbon before mailing. eBay is wonderful for finding ribbon and other things you need - so far have gotten ribbon from there for invites, programs and favors. Maybe more, who knows!

Ok, time for bed - I need to get my workouts back on track, so I'll be hitting the gym tomorrow am. Need my beauty sleep!
Cindy

Sounds like you got a lot done Cindy! That must be a load off.

I love the idea of pie on every table. But that’s probably because I love pie. :drool:

Just got the invitation to our friends’ wedding in Sept. Very pretty, the invitation matches the bridesmaid gown color scheme of chocolate brown with robin’s egg blue. Speaking of which, Alfred Angelo said they were shipping them last Thursday and it seems like everyone else has their dress. I better call them and see what happened to mine! A cute thing they did on the directions card with the invitation was include points of interest, like "Ben’s first apartment" and various bars and other favorite haunts from our college days. Actually the map "key" includes a whole section for bars. :lol:

Aww... looks like all your plans are coming together.

My Future SIL is getting married this weekend, which is just cutting into my wedding prep time a ton. Then I move to North Carolina next weekend. Two weeks in North Carolina, starting a new job, then back home to get married!

Phew... I am exhausted. Anyway, I thought I would share what I'm doing for table decor. There are 15 round 72" tables, 8 at each table. They have white tablecloths and napkins, then I made pink striped table runners to put down the center of each table. The individual syrup bottles will be on the tables at each place. Then there will be 3 different styles of centerpieces, so five tables of each. My bridesmaid bouquets will double as centerpieces for 5. (white hydrangea with pink spray roses tucked into them) Then we have asked our parents to contribute for the other ones. My Dad and stepmother will do 5 tables and my future in-laws will do five tables.

I am super excited about this arrangement. I had so many hopes and dreams of having individual tables that were all unique, but that became a little too impractical. Now there is at least some variation, but the work is off my shoulders.

Happy planning!

I tried on dresses at David's Bridal last Friday. When the salesperson said I could pick from the 16's or look at the selections for 14 Women's, I was stunned. I realize the sizes run small but my God! Standing in front of all those mirrors removed any justifications and/or denial I was harboring. It's possible to find a dress that will look fabulous but I really don't want the dress to look that much better than I do! Salad, anyone?

Hey gals!

My latest drama is with invitations. I bought vellum-overlay invites from Michaels, and had planned on printing them at work. But, because my background paper is a gold floral toile, I wanted the printing to be in a brown-shade, which meant I have to use a color printer. We do have one at work, but late Friday I discovered that there is no manual feed tray! So now, I either have to try to figure out now to reset the printer to accept my smaller sheets from the auto tray OR I need to find someplace that will print these for me without costing a fortune? Any experience or suggestions? I have 50 invites and 25 response card sheets that need to be done.

Luckily my programs are on a full-sized sheet, so that won't be an issue!
Cindy

Well, I finally worked through my invitation issues - I figured out how to make the printer at work do the printing on the vellum overlays, and I had to have the response cards done at a local party warehouse store for $.25 each. Did my own reception cards and address labels for response envelope.

I've started assembling them, but am not sure what to do about including a map in them - I hate those tiny little maps that you can barely read, but I don't want to put a full sheet of paper in there either. One idea I read was to send them out separately or email them. Any thoughts on this?

I'm pretty excited that I'm actually on schedule with these, and will *definitely* get them mailed out by Monday!
Cindy

Cindy - Congrats on resolving your invitation issues. Do you have a wedding website? If you do you could just include written directions and direct people to the website for maps and more details.

Still have not tried on a single wedding gown...still putting it off.

My bridesmaid dress for my friends' wedding on Sept. 2. It is very pretty, but a little more snug around my middle than I'd like, especially if I'd want to sit down. I've been extra diligent and have vowed to lose 9 lbs. I'm down 2 so far, so it's been a record week. I'll just have to keep trying on the dress every week and reminding myself that I can eat and drink myself silly at the wedding, but there's work to do now! I'll need make an appointment for alterations too. It's straight across strapless and there's a bit of a gap at the top that allows too much viewing pleasure.

Ok - here's an etiquette question for you all - do you send invitations to your attendants? Since I did these myself, I've cut it a bit close on the count and am wondering if I need to send them to them. I've not seen this addressed on any of the sites.
Cindy

I mailed my wedding invitations today! Yippee! I still have 8 that I need address info for, but hope to get those out in the next day or two. It's really starting to seem real! LOL!

Yes, I did know about RD invites - but I have to find a place for it first!

Still have programs, favors, OOT bags to do. Oh, yeah, and find myself a bra that will support me!
Cindy

Hi everyone... may I join? I just became engaged a week ago (it was spectacular :D) and we are shooting for next August/September... I am still basking in the glow, but the wedding planner is starting to rear its head!

EDIT; Oh! here is the ring and the story is in my blog :)

Edit2: Ok, so I know it doesn't matter, but now I know why everyone gets a manicure when they get engaged.... my hands are hideous! And for the record I wear a small 4 a/2 :lol:

Welcome, Jen! The wedding planner in all of us rears its ugly head... hang in there! Keeping organized and asking people to tell you what they did without letting them tell you what to do are both arts NO ONE starts out with! Embrace the moment! Congrats!

Congratulations Jen!

(yes, I'm no longer a "bride to be", but I can't keep away!)

Congrats Jen! Welcome to wedding planning, don't forget to have fun!

FH and I will be working on getting the website ready for the public this evening. About time, we've only had the account for 2 months. :rolleyes:

Congrats Jen!

I think you'll find the boards at theknot.com a great resource for you - there are boards by area, by month, by season - all sorts of category. I don't participate much there, but I do a lot of lurking and have gotten tons of great ideas from them all. Most members have bio sites where they post all their planning ideas - photos of everything they are thinking of doing - I just love looking through those.

You can also host your own public website through them - again, I didn't but it's a great idea for communicating with your wedding party and guests!
Cindy

I am getting married in less than 2 weeks, and I am now 600 miles from my wedding site. I start my new job tomorrow, and my poor fiance is stuck with all the last-minute details and things I was unable to finish. Yikes..... I feel bad for every little detail I didn't get done that he now has to do.

BUT, it will all come together! I am thrilled about my photographer! If anyone is interested, she just did an engagement session for us. Still a little hard to see pics of myself as my weight has crept up a little again, but I love these pics. If anyone is in Indiana, I would recommend her!

http://leahprofancik.blogspot.com/

Christine - Thanks so much for sharing your engagement photos! The two of you are just adorable! :val2: Just 2 weeks, you must be getting so excited. Good luck, I'm sure everything will be just lovely.

We get a free engagement session with our photographer. I think we'll wait for fall so we can have the pretty leaves in our outdoor photos.

Leah- those photos are just gorgeous! I kept thinking "this one is my favorite" and then I would scroll down tot he next...

mandalinn- I don't think anyone is in any rush to see you go after looking at your pics and how fabulous everything turned out (and those place settings- oh my!)

Cindy- I did register at the knot and I had no idea just how much they lay it all out for ya. Imean, I know people get married every day and I've been to tons of weddings, but I haven't the slightest idea on how to throw one!

Thanks for the warm welcome, ladies! We are looking at dates for next year. The hotel where he proposed is also where we are getting married (childhood dream) and I'm just chomping at the bit to make that first appointment to go dress shopping, but we haven't exactly hashed out the budget with the "donors".

My knot bio is here:

http://www.sarahandamanda.com/knotbio.html

Great photos Christine! You guys are SO photogenic! I'm not much of one to have my picture taken (because of the extra weight, perhaps?), so I'm not focusing too much on photos for the wedding. We'll have them, but they are not a big deal to us.

Wow - 600 miles away - that must be tough...

I'm at the 8-week mark today, and I really need to get my checklist finalized so that I don't miss anything.

Responses have been slow - only 2 so far! There are about 30 people that I know are attending for sure, of my 113 invited, but it's the 70 or so others that I'm not sure about. So many of my final details depend on the number of guests, so I feel like I'm in limbo a bit right now. My response deadline is 8/24, so just a couple more weeks to wait.

In the meantime I'm going to finish my programs - I bought the ones that match my invitations and I will just insert a page with the printing inside. Then, they'll need to be folded in half, hole-punched, and ribbon "binding" tied through them. I'm only doing 50, so it shouldn't take too long once I'm on a roll.

I'm thinking of starting my OOT bags as well - I bought plain white bags from WalMart and I intend to decorate them with stamps of fall leaves. I think we'll go scout out Sam's Club to see what I want to fill them with. I'm thinking of getting a lot of my favorite Kashi-brand snacks for them - try to keep things a bit healthy! I wish the Kashi TLC cookies came in individual serving packs - that would be great. But, I can get the TLC bars and the small TLC cracker bags.

I still need to get my undergarments - the shop is only open on Tuesday evenings, so I've been having a hard time getting in there.

Oh, I've decided to do a wish jar as part of my guest book - instead of writing well wishes in the guest book, guests fill out a wish card and put in a nicely decorated jar. Found some nice fall-themed glass vases at Michaels that I can use. Some people do two vases - one already filled with wishes - "take a wish" and then one for the new wishes - "make a wish".

The reception place wants $7 a piece for organza table overlays - I may just pay it since it would be a lot of work to make them for myself. I'm only having 10-12 tables, so that won't break the bank!

We are trying to decide if we want personalized beverage/cake napkins or not - it's a nice touch, but another $50 or so... This is really the part where it starts "nickle-and-diming" your budget if you're not careful!

You gals have a great week - I'm off to look at napkins on eBay!
Cindy

Cindy – Sounds like you’re down the last few details, I hope I am as on o\top of things when it gets down the final weeks.

Missmess – Let us know how those napkins look. Personalized anything always adds a nice touch, especially for only $20!

I finally went dress shopping at David’s Bridal yesterday. The sales staff was pretty underwhelming, inattentive and a bit unprofessional, but at least they weren’t obnoxious. I knew what styles I wanted to try on and was able to take care of business pretty quickly. I only tried on a couple of dresses in addition to the one’s I’d listed. I forgot my camera so I’ll have to take pix when I try them on again after I shop around a little more. I rather liked these two.

http://www.davidsbridal.com/images/fashions/thumb/F05_T8615.jpg

http://www.davidsbridal.com/images/fashions/thumb/F05_T8612.jpg

Amanda – I ended up trying on both of the Galina collection dresses you and Sara wore. I liked the V-neck on the one dress but I really don’t want a train and there’s no way you could remove the train on that dress, and I really liked the skirt on the dress you wore but the straight line strapless was so much less flattering on me than the sweetheart and V necklines I tried on. If only I could splice the top of the v-neck dress to the skirt of the other!

I’m hoping I can get my shopping done and order my dress within the next month or so. Then I just need to meet with my florist and I think I’ll have all the big things out of the way. Next on the list would be cake tasting I guess. :devil:

Missmess - glad you liked Claudine! She is just such a sweetie.

Hehehehe on trying on the Sarah/Amanda dresses. Don't forget that you can take a David's dress to alterations people and make some design changes (though not whole bodice splicing, lol)...because the David's dresses are a little more affordable, you can save some budget to customize the dress, ensuring it is one of a kind and totally you. On my dress, for example, I had my seamstress completely re-do the back (from a zipper to a ribbon-tied corset...yummy). You could also always wear the dress bustled...eliminating the train completely.

Second on the Maggie Sottero - my sister wore one of her dresses at her wedding in July and it was soooo gorgeous.

Missmess - what eBay vendor are you getting the napkins from? One of my issues is with color choice - as my colors are cinnamon and gold, most of those guys don't really have a color that works for me. foryourparty.com does have more color choices and more emblem choices, but you pay for it - 100 napkins are $28. So, still trying to decide on that one...

I got the cutest silver pens from Wilton yesterday - they have a scroll design on them and you can tie a ribbon around it near the writing tip. I may use for guest book and will definitely use for wish jar - I just liked them so much that I had to have them. Regularly $10 for 6, but I had a 40%-off coupon. Found at AC Moore - JoAnn's and Michaels didn't have these!

Also found a good contrast picture of the scroll design I want on my cake so the bakery will be able to duplicate - the original photo had cream on white, and they couldn't see it well. Now I can get my cake ordered finally!

Are any of you planning on doing groom's cakes? We want to do one so there will be more cake available, but I'm struggling with what to do for decorating it. DF shoots down all my ideas like Yankees, or golf, or his classic car,.... Any thoughts? We are planning carrot cake for this, so the base icing will be white (as opposed to chocolate, which works well for a tuxedo design).
Cindy

Hi

No Groom's Cake for us... but we do have one main cake, then cupcakes to supplement. Our main cake is lime with white chocolate filling, then the cupcakes are half chocolate with strawberry frosting, the other half almond sour cream cake. Mmmmmm... I am getting so excited about that cake!

We are just doing plain white napkins, which works in our case, with our colors being pink, gold, and it turns out a lot of white.

The big bummer now is the awful heat wave. Humid, nasty, heat advisory weather + outdoor ceremony? They have already told us if it doesn't cool down by Sunday, our rain backup plan will become a heat backup plan. Oh well! The food will be fabulous and we will be happy!

Mmmm… all this talk of cake. :drool:

I just need to rant about David's Bridal for a moment. I went there on Sunday and then back last night to try on a couple dresses again and also to buy a corset that I'll need one for the bridesmaid dress I'll be wearing in a few weeks. Both times I had to wait more than 15 minutes past my scheduled appointment time, both times the staff were helping other customers at the same time, and they were generally inattentive and didn't really seem to know what they were doing.

The girl I was working with yesterday (seemed even less competent and attentive then the previous one) tried to get me to put a poofy slip on even when I said I don't want a lot of volume in the skirt, then she gave me a flimsy bra/slip undergarment, when I mentioned that they had put me in different undergarments last time I tried on dresses, she did not bother to ask what I preferred. One of the dresses didn't even zip on me (it had 2 days prior with a boned corset), and the other 2 dresses did not fit as well with the bra/slip. Unfortunately this was the trip I took pictures on, I think the dresses looked better on me with the corset. Then I had to ask her to bring me 4 different corsets to find the right size, it was pretty obvious I needed to go up a cup size from the one she originally put me in, but I wasn't sure about the band size so I ended up trying on a bunch. At no time did she offer to measure and fit me with the right size, and I had to call her away from the other customer she was helping to get hooked in each time. :mad: I think she got a commission on the $60 corset I bought. She didn't deserve it.

OK /rant. I think I have it down to two options from David's, both would need alterations though. The sweetheart neckline dress with the wide straps I would want to remove the train from, and the “Amanda” dress (hope you don’t mind me calling it that Amanda) I also like but I want to see if it could be altered to make a sweetheart neckline and I might want to add some straps. Anyway, after I get done looking at a few other places I’ll probably only have to go back to David’s one more time if I decide I want one of those 2 dresses. Their customer service is so unbelievably bad!

missmess - Glad your napkins turned out so well! Sounds like they were a really good deal.

I'm considering this dress (http://www.davidsbridal.com/bridal_gowns_detail.jsp?stid=2018&prodgroup=10) and this dress (http://www.davidsbridal.com/bridal_gowns_detail.jsp?stid=2340&prodgroup=10).

I'm hoping I can get to an 80% off sample sale this weekend. At that discount, I might be able to get some fancy designer gown. We'll see what they have.

Shananigans- I'm sorry they were so neglectful! I have heard that while the selection is great, you have to dig dig dig and *maybe* you will find something.

The Future Mrs. Hansen- When did you ever think you would be tickled over napkins? Glad they came back fabulous!

Christine- Wow! A heat advisory back-up plan? Just make sure everyone stays hydrated! Is your reception outside as well?

Well, we move fast. The hotel is holding the date pending our deposit for August 23, 2008. It's the same hotel where he proposed and the ceremony will be in the garden/courtyard.

Once the deposit goes in, I'm going to need a breather. We've been talking about getting married and how we are going to do it for a while so there aren't a whole lot of surprises, but beyond checking out some dresses and reserving the space, I can't think about much more for a while. I made the mistake of submitting a request for vendor info in the area where I'm getting married on a webiste and I've recieved several phone calls from DJ's and florists. I won't do that ever again! These people act like I'm getting married next week!

Jen

I went to one bridal show, and I have been getting so many calls ever since, with these great "Free" trips and prizes, they are very annoying.

We had planned on outside ceremony and a reception that had outdoor and indoor seating. Now it's looking like we may keep the ceremony outside- it's at 10:30AM, in a wooded, shady place. Then we will bump the reception to being all inside. Otherwise, our wedding will always be the most miserable, hot wedding of all time, and people will leave early. I'd actually like to have my guests enjoy themselves... so....

4 days to go!

Well this weekend we'll be at the 6-week mark, and I'm starting to panic a bit... there is still SO much left to do.

This past week I went on a bit of a monogram frenzy - decided I needed one for the front of my programs, then spent 2 days last weekend designing my own in PowerPoint. Now I need to order oval labels for them. My cake, which was going to be topper-less, is now having a monogram topper - maybe just the last initial, but I ordered all three, along with the display box to keep them in at the end!

I'm getting really detail crazy - I need to stop looking at Knottie bios - I keep finding more and more "cool" stuff that I must do. Like a bathroom basket and the photo CD thing. But both not a lot of effort, just a bit of $$ and time.

I've decided to do a "camp" theme on my grooms cake, and it will be a surprise for him. We call cottages on the lake in the Adirondacks a "camp", so the cake will feature the outline of the lakes, the camp and an Adirondack chair. I think it will be great. Camp is really his true passion - much more so than sports, although thanks for the great ideas missmess!

Programs are definitely to be done this weekend - I got the final review from the church gal, so just have to make one slight modification then I'll print and assemble them. Ribbon binding will take some time - all that paper-punching!

I should get to work on my OOT bags as well - decorating them at least.

Oh, and I got the cutest idea for my rehearsal dinner invites - find a vintage postcard of your town and make copies at Staples, Kinkos,... and use as the front cover of you invite. A lot of the knotties use Vistaprint.com to do printing of stuff like that - I actually used their free postcard promotion to do welcome cards for my OOT bags.

Can you tell that I am all wrapped up in all of this? Needless to say, work and fitness are falling a bit back in terms of priorities.... I'm in maintain mode food/workout wise, but I'd like to thin my face out a bit for photos. If I would just follow my normal plan that would happen, but I keep staying up too late doing things, and then I can't get up in the am in time to workout!

Christine - I'm sure you're on your honeymoon now, but congratulations, and please do let us know how things went.

Cindy

Cindy - Bathroom baskets really DO get used. Both mine and my sisters were used quite a bit by the end of the evening, and they really don't take too long. I am a big fan.

The rehearsal dinner invites sound so adorable! We ran out of time and used evite.

Cindy – You’re making my head spin! :dizzy: I’m sure the final weeks are the busiest by far.

I think bathroom baskets are a grand idea. What do you put in them for the guys bathroom? Guys seem to be relatively low maintenance.

We’ve got our bachelorette party plans all set for the Thursday before our friends wedding, 2 weeks from today. Where is the time going? Took my bridesmaid dress in for alterations, going shopping for shoes this weekend. We’re putting together a scrapbook/memories book for the bridal shower, I printed up a few pages of photos and just need to go the scrapbooking store for supplies now. Plan on working on that with the MOH this weekend too. It’s going to be a crazy wedding weekend, I don’t think I’ve ever hosted so many out-of-towners but I know them all pretty well and it should be a great time.

Christine – Hope everything was perfect, can’t wait to hear all about it.

I dropped another 2 pounds, woo hoo!

My guys baskets had:

-Hand Lotion
-Hand Sanitizer
-Tylenol
-Benadryl
-A mini first aid kit
-Wrinkle Releaser
-Stain Remover Wipes
-Q-tips
-Mints and Gum
-Antacids
-For outdoor wedding (my sister's), bug repellant wipes

Other people suggested putting Axe deodorant body spray in there, but I didn't. Also, depending on your crowd, moral values, and general sense of whats going to be going on, you may want to tuck some condoms discreetly in the back (at my sisters wedding, there were at least 3 random hookups and these definitely got used).

For the girls, I kept the same basic kit and added hairspray, bobby pins, and tampons. I also added extra bandaids, because girls use them for shoe blisters, and blotting papers.

Hi ladies! I am not engaged, but I do have a question about a wedding (seems I can turn to this site for about anything!) I had never received a formal invitation for a wedding until now and have a response (RSVP) card to send in. It has a line for my name, then a line for the number of guests, I am curious if I am supposed to count myself on the second line or just the person I am bringing...? It's a dumb question, but I kinda want to get it right. ;)

It should reflect the total number attending, so 2 if it's you and a guest.
HTH
Cindy

So I'm braving the Saturday morning crowds (like a shmuck) and am off to find a wedding dress! I need to check out a bridesmaids dress I saw on the David's Bridal website and since NONE of the bridemaids lives in Denver, I have to snatch up the opportunity since one IS in town at the moment.

Silly qustion, but is there anything in particular I need to bring? Apropriate undergarments? I'm assuming my Oscar The Grouch underwear is a no-no :)

If you are going to David's you probably will want to bring the right undergarments, like a strapless bra. Otherwise they are going to push you hard to buy theirs!

Hello lovely ladies!

The wedding was wonderful. A few things did not go as planned, but it's all good. No pictures yet, which is why I have hesitated to post, but I'm happy to let you see them when I get them!

I've been thinking that I'd like to have something for people to munch on at the reception around 10:00 - 10:30. Something I would provide myself - stuff that could just be tucked under the head table and brought out to the tables for people. Any ideas? I was thinking some sort of cheesy-breadsticks, my mom is thinking Chex mix. Anything that could be made in advance - either homemade or store bought. I do know that I definitely don't want anything sweet - there will have been enough of that already!

Cindy

Cindy - I would go with some sort of salty mix with nuts. That's what I'm in the mood to eat after a hard night of partying. Plus the fat in the nuts helps slow down the alcohol absorbtion.

Christine - Lookiong forward to those pix and a recap!

My house is about to become wedding central, the bride and groom arrive next Tuesday with most of the rest of the party arriving by Thursday. I'm so excited. We went to the party store and the "adult" store for bachelorette supplies, I hope the bride lets loose and lets us embarass her a little. Perhaps we will have to ply her with some Franzia first. ;)

Got my shoes, dark brown (to match the dress) ballet type flats with a little bow. I have big flat feet and should wear heels to make them more attractive, but my feet are going to be comfortable and that matters the most to me. :lol:

I changed my mind. I don't wanna get married! :(

Ok, the wedding is definitely still on, but it certainly isn't the "everything's falling into place and going smoothly" affair I thought it would be. All we have to do over the next few months is pick out a dress and put down the deposit to hold the date. A) We (and by "we", I mean the other half of this operation) are having a difficult time parting with the deposit money as "we" are a little tight with money (normally, this is a good thing and we balance eachother out very well in this regard, but not now!) and B) Dress shopping was a nightmare! A very close friend and bridesmaid with an excellent sense of style (and a mother who is a designer!) was NO help whatsoever.

Also, trying on dresses brought out the wonderful distorted body image feature that appears every so often. I'm at a normal, healthy weight, but all I could see in those dresses was the obese girl I was before, never comfortable and never feeling quite right in the clothes I so desired to wear. I just felt like a total fake in those dresses, with my size 6/8 top and size 12(!) bottom. And that's another thing: I also felt completely disproportioned after the "sizing"! It just kills me to be back to that place where I just want to hide myself.

Ugh. Thanks for letting me spill all over the thread for a moment. I'm going again this Saturday to some different places with some different people and *hopefully* a new attititude.

oh junebug! :hug:

Sorry things are in a rough patch right now. Dress shopping can be a nightmare, I myself am having a really hard time coming to terms with my back fat right now. Just take some deep breaths and remind yourself of all the wonderful progress you've made and know that all these wedding details will come together.

I am slacking on the dress shopping. I am just not that into it, I just want the perfect dress without having to go hunt it down, you know? Is that too much to ask? :lol:

Hey everyone! Sorry I've been absent... I went in to the hospital for emergency surgery last week. Ovarian cysts burst... HOLY HURT! I also had endometriosis and fibroid tumors so all kinds of neat stuff had to be removed. I am now recovering for the next 4-6 weeks out of work. I guess it's nice to have the time to make wedding phone calls, etc., but I sure wish I felt better! The good news: Since the surgery, I have lost 14 POUNDS!!! Now I know why I could be good and still gain weight. It's nice to know it wasn't my weakness for cake samples!

I hear ya about DB's and finding the right dress. I will have to run right up to the wire to get a good fit. I expect to lose another 20 pounds and, since swelling is certainly an issue, I think it will pay to wait and save on the alterations. Plus, the idea of trying on dresses right now is too painful to contemplate. I am hanging out in my fiance's sweats.

I think I have decided to try a regular bridal store. All of my DB's experiences have been so miserable, I just can't bear to give them my money. Unfortunately, their clover color is the exact shade of my mom's bridesmaids' dresses back in 1972 so I will probably stick with them for the bridesmaids' dresses.

I wish you all luck with dresses... there is a dress out there for everyone. I just know it!

Thank you ladies so much! :)

Today went MUCH better. I started at David's Bridal. I had an appointment and the lady I had was HORRIBLE! We've figured out that I can try on 10's and 12's and she was bringing 2's, 6's, 18's..... just utterly clueless. And very rude. We found a couple more that I liked and moved on to a smaller boutique. I finally had someone tell me that the simple, form fitting, straight lined dresses that I was trying on just weren't going to work with my long legs and short torso. All I needed was for someone to tell me what was going to work and what would look like crap! Anyway, I think I found the dress, a Maggie Sottero... Whoever said this was the fun part must've been out of their mind...

Wonderful Jen! Congratulations on finding not only a dress but also a helpful dress opinion!

I also have a short torso but I have short legs, too. At 5'4", I am on the fence between petite and regular. I learned it is impossible to shorten the torso of a dress so you have to get the right fit to start.

What style are you looking at?

http://www.maggiesottero.com/dress.aspx?keywordText=carissa&keywordType=any&page=0&pageSize=8&style=J1102

here is one... I would have never picked it out by myself and my seamstress will be adding some accents and details to make it pop a bit more, but it fit just beautifully. I couldn't find a bad angle on it for the life of me.

Edit: I know what you meana bout having it fit from the start. Also, these designers somehow assume that I have the boobs to fill this thing out!

OMG! I just saw the part about your cyst! I've had that happen and you are right- OUCH! Hope you feel better soon.

Beautiful dress! That style with the shirred waist is flattering on everyone, I swear! That's very similar to the bridesmaids' dresses my girls picked out. I tried on a dress in that style and I looked like my stomach was totally flat... it may be a miracle cut!

I'm already feeling better than I did before I went in to the hospital. Thanks for the get well soon wish!

Lafayette - What an ordeal! Glad you're feeling a bit better, wishing you a speedy recovery.

I love the coset backs on the Maggie dresses. I've been poking around on the website and found a few dresses I'd like to try on whenever I get time to go dress shopping again. I really like this one (http://www.maggiesottero.com/dress.aspx?line=s&pageSize=8&page=5&style=SSM5049).

Oh, my God! That dress is gorgeous!

I've been geeking out over style #2189 from Eden Bridals (maybe without the sash). It's a lot like the Ann Taylor Elizabeth dress I love but it has a longer train. I wanted simple and elegant (since I am short and petite- though lumpy- even a little lace looks way too Dolly Parton on my build) and this fits the bill. Plus, I live two houses away from a sweet little bridal store that sells Eden Bridals so my non-driving life just got easier!

I also really like that it has a matching bridesmaids' dress style (#7063). I just have to get up the energy to walk over there and see if the green will work. The sash makes the dress very flattering and it's also very comfortable.

Wish me luck! I can't try anything on yet because my tummy is still pretty sore. I'm hoping they can accomodate my timeline since I will have to cut the ordering period short or risk major tailoring down the road. Man, I wish I could do a few sit-ups to hedge my bets!!!

So, what do you think?

I got up the energy after being excited while writing that last post! WooHoo! I walked outside with no support! Obviously, it's the little things... Sadly, the greens were all either too dark or too yellow but I'll keep hunting. The wedding dress? GORGEOUS!!! Now, I just have to get the body to go with it!

Lafayette- when are you getting married again? I'm having the same problem with the "greens", especially since we are having a garden/courtyard wedding. I don't want the bridesmaids to be mistaken for the shrubery! I also don't want them to look like a neon sign... Glad you are feeling better! When I was healing from that, just being able to stand up completely straight was a big to-do.

Shananigans- LOVE the dress! I would give anything to look good in a sweetheart cut. Very elegant!

Here's a pic of me in the dress. I wish the details on the dress were a little more clear, but it was a camera phone. After all the misery of dress shopping, I put this one on and felt just fabulous.... finally! And I want to have the bust adjusted because I don't have nearly that much and it will make my torso look a little longer (well, at least I can dream...)
http://www.t-mobilepictures.com/photos/photo12/7a/91/96a61c9ccead.jpg?_rh=14q1oroza2t1i0lfjj23cua53

Not sure if this helps any of you green-searchers, but this is what Alfred Angelo "Clover" looks like on actual bodies...which is funny, because it looks like this on the sample squares on their website: http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y124/mandalinn82/clover.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y124/mandalinn82/155831-8444.jpg

Lesson: make sure you see actual dresses, not just color samples, before picking your greens!

Jen - that dress makes your collarbones look fantastic! You look seriously small in it - and the detailing is gorgeous!

I picked the clover from David's Bridal- I'm getting married March 29, 2008- because it is the same color as my mom's bridesmaids' dresses in 1973. It's a blue-based green and looks very flattering on my wild Irish bridesmaids. Our wedding will be formal and I wanted a way to have a cheerful spring color without losing the formality.

BUT... I keep coming back to the Ann Taylor Celebrations Tulip Jacquard Strapless Dress Style # 209892 in meadow green. My mom also had jacquard and, while this green is a little more sage, I know AT will give great service as compared to the David's Bridal horror stories I keep hearing.

Jen, thanks for letting me know I'm not the only one! Sitting up straight is much more of a challenge than standing up straight and doing anything for any length of time is pure ****. This Thursday, it will be two weeks since the surgery. I am surprised to be looking forward to two more weeks of recovery time. You look incredible in that dress! I think you've found the one!

Hi gals - checking in from the craziness! Just one month to go! I wasn't going to do chargers on the table, but then I got caught up in all the frenzy about them on the knot, and now I have gold chargers! $$ I wasn't planning on spending, but they will look so nice!. Got mine at BigLots - they have silver and gold; Hobby Lobby also has red, black and antique gold in addition to those 2.

Programs are done, this weekend is place cards and boxing up candy favors and adding bows. Oh, and cake table letters and finalizing signs for memory table, bathroom basket, wish jar and bar menus. Oh, and I really should finalize my table names/numbers - then I can get all that stuff printed at the same time at Staples.

A tip for you all - Vistaprint dot com! A number of people get invitations from them, I'm doing two different post cards for my OOT bags and my RD invites. All for "free", meaning I'm just paying the shipping. Sign up at the site, and you'll get emails with lots of free promotions. I'm recommending this site to all my friends, even for things like birthday parties, holiday parties, ...

That dress looks great on you Jen!

Mandalinn - hope your surgery goes well!

Yes, David's Bridal has a terrible reputation, but they were the only store open on the one Sunday I had for my girls to be together to look. So, that's where we went - no other choice! Luckily things worked out ok for us - dresses are in hand and there were no hidden charges or anything. Mine is from David's but I bought secondhand, so I didn't have to deal with them.

You gals have a great weekend!
Cindy

Cindy, I checked out Vistaprint... didn't see any great deals though... I'll wait and see what shows up in my inbox.

I just have to share- I'm sitting home alone watching What Not to Wear on this lovely Friday evening and I just had a wonderful moment. I feel confident that I can lose the weight before the wedding!!! After months of dieting and gaining weight from the medical madness, I know that, if I can just eat healthy and work my way back to working out, I can do this! Size 6, here I come!!!

Mandalinn, I'm not gonna lie... surgery recovery is a beast! On the upside, when you feel better, it will be the best you've felt in a long time (even before the surgery)! You can do it! Your success to date is great proof!

To ward off the recovery blues, I have been focused on healthy eating, avoiding boredom eating (easy since I can't go shopping or even go to the kitchen), and keeping motivating pictures, etc., around me. I'm even searching for a recovery work out buddy- someone who's been through a recovery and understands both the ouch and the need.

Lafayette – Glad recovery is going well, you seem to be in good spirits. Keep it up! That Eden Bridals gown is very nice, I want something relatively simple as well. Lots of beading and stuff just doesn’t look right on me.

Jen – You look so amazing in that dress, and quite slender! It will look even better once you get it fitted.

I am so exhausted. Last Wednesday on seems like a big blur to me, it’s so weird to be back here at work. I must say my friends and everyone involved did an awesome job and their wedding was really special, it was such an honor to be a part of it. I will post pictures when I get a chance.

I’m using celadon green (along with cornflower blue) from Alfred Angelo, it looks like this on the online swatch

http://www.alfredangelo.com/images/colors/09e1cec8-74a9-4e6d-a73e-da8407172d24.jpg

and like the attached picture on a person. Totally impossible to tell from that little color swatch. Well, now that I’ve got this wedding behind me I’m feeling a little more inclined to focus on my own. I hope I can live up to the same standard, it’s gonna be a hard act to follow!

Pictures!

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g106/LA_shananigans/bermagliacco%20wedding/tosh.jpg
The bride

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g106/LA_shananigans/bermagliacco%20wedding/BT.jpg
Under the chuppah

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g106/LA_shananigans/bermagliacco%20wedding/bridal.jpg
The bridal party

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g106/LA_shananigans/bermagliacco%20wedding/grooms.jpg
Groom with groomsmen (he sewed all those ties himself!)

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g106/LA_shananigans/bermagliacco%20wedding/meJ.jpg
My fiance (the best man) and me.

I'm sure your wedding will be fabulous, Shan! The Menona Terrace is a pretty class act and I'm sure people will be thrilled to celebrate your wedding with you!

Any good ideas from the other wedding? I must say the hand-sewn ties goes well beyond anything I can imagine my fiance (much less myself) doing...

Ooh, I HAVE to share this... several of my soon-to-be family members have recommended a wedding band through a company called Resonance Productions. Do yourselves a favor- check out their website and listen to their sample songs. I've always thought the whole "rolling on the floor laughing my a off" routine was overused... and then I literally was!

Lafayette- I wish I had a site like that to pick my musicians from. What's the band's name? I know a lot of couples just do not care about what music goes into the ceremony and reception, but a little goes a long way in taste when you express even a little preference! I have played tons and tons of ceremonies (it's how I supported myself my first couple years of college as a music major) so the music is a very big deal to me. I feel sorry for our DJ. Both of us are music freaks and will nit pick everything. Even the ceremony musicians are going to have special arrangements. Eh, at least we'll pay well ;)

Shananigans- love those colors! They did a really nice job of picking bold colors that aren't overstated. I don't know about those ties, though :lol: Now the real work begins for you!

BFL: My gosh, you are a busy woman! Thanks for the site referral!

Thank you for all the compliments on the dress! I feel lucky to have found something I love so much and feel fabulous in early on, even if I find something I love even more down the road.

We went to my hometown to meet with the hotel coordinator. They just got new catering management, one person from the Stanley Hotel (from "The Shining") and one from the Hotel Jerome in Aspen. To us, this translates to "Hurry up and pick your menu and put down the deposits before we charge you double". I can't believe we're deciding on this stuff so early on, but this has been the wedding location since I was a little girl, so it's not really subject to change.

Gigmasters was great for finding our ceremony musicians.

http://www.gigmasters.com/

You can enter the details of your event, and different musicians that do what you are looking for will bid to do your event.

Thats how we found our ceremony guitarist! I got a ton of responses, too. Maybe that was because I'm in the SF bay area, though.

As for the surgery, I have had it before (other knee, when I was 16). Whats killing me now is the WAIT - I'm in some serious pain here, and it isn't going to be in any way relieved until at least a week after the surgery, so I've got at least another 2 weeks of serious pain. And its irritating not to do cardio.

Mandalinn, thanks so much! Gigmasters serves my area and I jsut requested a quote for the wedding. I know waiting for surgery stinks. I wish you well! I've found not exercising isn't too bad if you keep reminding yourself how great it will be when you start back. I've had my days, though!

Jen, the sample tracks for the "recommended" band were horrifying! My personal favorite worst was Holding Out for a Hero... oh, my! I'll keep looking!!! Your venue options sound extraordinary... we'll have a panoramic view of a Wisconsin golf course in March. It's beautiful the rest of the year and most of the reception will be in the evening anyway! I'll just have to discourage people from outdoor pictures... with help from the climate, of course!

I found one other bridesmaids' dress possibility on the Aria Dress website. A full-length strapless in their silk shantung in leaf green (check out the albums for the best examples) would look stunning and very spring-appropriate. Plus, they're made to each girl's measurements, which may solve a lot of problems for me.

I also found another possible centerpiece idea... I started looking at the FTD and Teleflora arrangements on my florist's website to get a price idea. It's a 8X8" arrangement of pink and yellow roses called "pink lemonade." The roses are accented by kermit mums and oregonia but I will ask to have this replaced with lime green viburnum (my favorite spring flower). It's $34.95, which is right at the limit of my centerpiece budget. Anything less expensive starts looking, well, cheap. Plus, this incorporates both of my grandmothers' favorite flowers with the pink and yellow roses.

Anyone else have great floral arrangements/ideas for centerpieces (on a budget)?

Mandalinn – Hope your surgery goes well and your recovery is quick. In the mean time it sucks that all you can do is wait it out, you have my sympathies.

One really cool thing about this wedding is the bride and groom are both vegetarians and big time environmentalists. The rehearsal dinner, another dinner hosted by the parents, the cookout party I hosted, the cocktail hour, the reception – all vegetarian food. It was so awesome to not have to grill anyone about what’s in the food, I could just enjoy it! The mashed potato bar at the cocktail hour was really good, I might look into that option for ours. They also did a bunch of cool things to make their event as close to zero environmental impact as possible (compostable plates and cutlery at the rehearsal dinner, buying carbon offsets, using recycled paper and soy based inks, etc.) and included an explanation of these things in their welcome bags (which were awesome by the way, home baked treats!) I am so proud of them for having such a positive impact and for educating all their guests about those things most important to them.

I guess the work for my wedding really needs to get underway. We’re planning on putting up flyers at the UW music school to find musicians for the ceremony. I used to see those posted all the time when I was a student there. We have our DJ picked out (college roomie of my BIL, he did my sister's wedding), we just need to have a meeting with him to hammer out the details/expectations and get a contract worked out. I can’t believe it’s just over 9 months away now, seemed like yesterday I had all the time in the world!

For centerpieces I thought I might do something as dressed up potted tulips. That way guests can take them home and they’ll last for a while and it would be relatively inexpensive if I work with a local vendor.

Shananigans- Get in touch with the music directors/conductors of the music school for recommendations. They are busy people, but they will know! Also, do not blindly hire a musician. Ask to see them perform first. And word of mouth is best. I didn't put up a single flier after my freshman year because I was regularly playing. UW has a fantastic School of Music, so you should have a lot to choose from. Get creative! See what small ensembles they are featuring. You never know what interesting combo you may stumble across!
Sorry, I get a little wound up over the topic :) I think music schools have some of the best classical musicians in the country and aren't tapped often enough (and they are MUCH cheaper than the "professionals").

That's really cool about the green wedding. We are offering a vegetarian option with our meal as well. I know it will be the majority choice on my side of the family.

We decided to make our vegetarian option vegan to appeal to the most people. I've watched my future sister-in-law get served a salad too many times!

I just got a response back from gigmasters. I haven't listened to their samples yet but I have high hopes it will be better than the last.

Junebug and Shan, your idea of contacting a music school is brilliant! I may have to get working on that next.

I'm so excited about creating a reception atmosphere that will encourage conversation- both families have more than their share of great storytellers and I can't wait to see how well they'll all get along. The families are starting to get excited, too. We're all getting "younger" and the idea of a relaxed dinner and an early evening has appealed to everyone so far. We're going to close the bar at 11 and end the reception at 11:30. Plus, it's helping us keep the budget in line.

Another cool centerpiece idea I saw was a small herb garden. I would love to take something like that home! Choices, choices!

aww... all your wedding plans sound exciting! I still don't have pictures... shouldn't it be illegal to make a bride wait 4 weeks after her wedding to see pictures?

Anyway, I thought I would weigh in on music. I know my situation is a little different, because I have a LOT of musical friends. I had only friends playing or singing at the ceremony itself.

My reception had a jazz combo that I adored... a friend from high school is a jazz performance major at IU School of Music, and he was the leader. The result was a really professional sounding group, for much less than the cost of professionals. A bunch of seniors at a music school are so close to being pros that none of your guests will ever be able to tell the difference. I got a lot of compliments on the music! So, obviously, my recommendation is to go the music school route.

Take care, ladies! Happy planning! And, I must say, I loved my wedding. It was fun and happy even if it was super hot. But now, I am just so happy it's over! No more stressing about tiny little details for a single day. Married life is divine. Not perfect, but thoroughly enjoyable. Being married is much more fun than planning a wedding. :)

Congratulations, Christine!

I am sooo eager to have everything done. My fiance had to attend the wedding of a good friend without me this past weekend. He took notes! I cracked up... he even brought me their program so I could see the music they had selected and how they had set everything up. I swear, I did not train him to do this!

I'm starting to get excited about our colors. The David's Bridal clover and the leaf shantung from Aria are both nice, bright greens so we're moving forward with options- very cool. I think the centerpieces with pink and yellow roses will look awesome. Our reception venue is very yellow- yellow chintz drapes, gold stucco walls- and I was concerned about that color overwhelming my pale pink and green but, by pulling in the yellow, I think it will look very polished.

Is anyone else thinking of skipping the cake in favor of a spectacular dessert? Wedding cakes are ridiculously expensive in this area and the service I've received from several highly-recommended area bakeries has left me reluctant to give these obnoxious people my money. We may just go with a rich chocolate mousse with a Chambourd raspberry sauce. It tastes wonderful and can be prepared by the on-site kitchen. Very tempting!

I'd love to have friends perform at the ceremony, unfortunately none of our friends play classical instruments. I think we might start going to some of the free performances at the music school to start scouting, plus it's a fun way to spend and evening.

Lafayette - I hadn't thought about dessert instead of cake, but I don't see why you shouldn't. I've been to weddings where there's been desserts in addition to the wedding cake and the other desserts are usually better and more popular than the cake.

One of our friends offered to do a video for the reception. He did one for our friends' recent wedding and he did such a good job, it'll be a fun project to work on with him. You can see the video for our friends' on YouTube here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzaTAkTumz8).

Wend dress shopping again this weekend, it kind of makes me want to scream and throw things. I spent an hour and a half there to try on two dresses, the woman helping me was a total dingbat. She kept suggesting I try things on that I clearly had no interest in trying on. I went in there with a designer name and styles written down, it's not my fault she couldn't find any of the dresses I wanted to try on. Finally some other sales staff were able to locate 2 of the 4 dresses I was hoping to try on. I liked one of the dresses a lot, but if I end up getting it I will order elsewhere, I don't want to have to deal with them or give them any $$$.

Lafayette- I have been tossing around doing cupcakes or some other single serving desert in lieu of a wedding cake. I have very little choice as far as cake decorators go- I grew up not too far from Aspen and therefor am dealing with Aspen prices :( The local grocery store bakery does nice cakes, but the selection is limited. Those are excellent color choices! I am in the same boat as far as the room colors being a bit of a hurdle.

Shananigans- I don't understand why dress shopping has to be such a nightmare! I would just like to find that happy medium where the sales"dingbat" isn't bringing me size 2's to try on, nor is she bringing me dresses I have ZERO interest in trying on. Is this too much to ask?
I think it's a great idea to check out the free concerts. And like I said, don't forget about the ensembles!

So people keep asking me what my colors are.... I haven't the slightest idea on how to go about this. It doesn't matter for the ceremony because it's in a garden and there will be very little decoration and the reception hall has blue/teal accents and anything I pick is going to clash except a purple hue. But I really like the Canary at David's Bridal. I never would've imagined picking a yellow, but it's such a happy color.

Shan, the independent bridal store I went to suggested I call or fax them the style numbers so they could have things ready. They actually didn't have one of the styles in stock but they pulled a similar style from another manufacturer so I could get an idea of what it would look like. She also asked for my measurements, not my size, to help have the right things on hand. Your experience sounds like mine at David's Bridal... the girl was nice but clearly had no clue despite having worked there for several years. The "it could be discontinued today" sales pitch is what finally did me in, though.

Have you tried a little local store?

Jen - I love yellow too :) Unfortunately it's a hard color for most people to wear, I personally look horrible in it.

Sadly, the store I visited on Saturday was a small local shop. They have two stores, one in Madison and another in Janesville. I even asked when I set up the appointment if I could give them the styles I wanted to try on in advance and they said to just bring pictures or style numbers. It's frustrating when you just want to get something done efficiently and no one seems to want to cooperate. If it's possible, I would say this experience was worse than those I had with David's Bridal. There are two more local shops I plan to check out, hopefully things can only get better, right?

I hope your experience gets better- otherwise I can suggest good places in this area. Amelishan Bridal in Hubertus (kind of between us) has come highly recommended to me, too.

Jen, do you have pictures of the reception site? I looked around to the people I love to inspire my color palette and I really love knowing my choices pay homage to special events in their lives.

My green was inspired by the season and my mom's bridesmaids' dresses. I love pink and pale pink roses were my maternal grandmother's favorite. My paternal grandother loved yellow roses so it all came together for the centerpieces. My bouquets will be pale pink with white freesia (still in buds to pull the green color into the arrangements). The more lime green in the fressia buds and in the green viburnum that will be in the centerpieces are a nod to my future mother-in-laws bridesmaids' dresses, which were a lime-chartruese (gotta love the 70's!). I had a lot of fun "talking wedding" with all of these women to pull these ideas together.

I'm having fruit pies as the main dessert for my wedding - one on each guest table plus 3 more for extras. But, we are still doing a 2-tier wedding cake (but is only costing me $85), and a groom's cake. DF was not happy about the pie idea, so I had to have the cakes as well in order to get him to agree to it. Way too much dessert, I know, but still in all it's less costly than if I'd gone with a big fancy wedding cake. Plus I love pie, so this is so me!

2.5 weeks to go!
Cindy

Hi all! I am new to 3FC, and a bride to be so I thought I'd drop in. All I have to say is that I really suck at planning events and I am poor so it's definitely been... interesting? *sigh* :P Anyway, the wedding is coming up like a freight train -- March 22nd, 2008. I have a lot of long distance people I'm inviting so I really needed to send invitations out like, 2 months ago but you know, I like to live dangerously. :P

:welcome2: rakel!

Planning a wedding definitely has obstacles and frustrations, but you can do it! Just try to be as organized as you can. It's hard for me as I am normally a walking disaster, but I kind of look at this like work and make myself do a budget, keep files, etc. It really helps. :)

Good luck and I look forward to hearing more about your plans.

Hi, Rakel!

My wedding is March 29, 2008. I'm sending my wedding invitations right after the first of the year, roughly following the three month rule. I skipped Save The Date cards, which are typically sent six months in advance, because a) everyone I REALLY want there already knows the date and is somehow involved in the wedding and b) they cost money!

There are a number of free online e-card style Save The Dates and wedding websites available, if you decide to go that route.

What do you have planned/decided so far? What kind of wedding? How many guests?

Yes, yes, Rakel! We need details ;)

Congratulations and welcome!!!

Hi Rake - I agree - you're not that far behind. If I were you I'd do Save the Dates to give your out-of-towners a heads up, as it's too soon to send invitiation IMO. STDs require very little detail - basically just a date and city/state. That will definitely buy you some time. Good luck and let us know what we can do to help.
Cindy

I'm so excited! Despite being essentially laid up for the time being, I have managed to maintain my weight loss. I have no work clothes that fit so I guess this little break is a good thing!

I talked to my sister/MOH and I think we'll go with full-length strapless bridesmaids' dresses from Aria in leaf green silk shantung. Very cool! Plus, the invitations are coming together beautifully and the bouquets of pale pink roses and white freesia I fell in love with will look great with the dresses. Things are moving right along!

How's everyone else coming with their plans?

Wow! So many responses! :D

I thought I was so behind but the more I read about Weddings, the more I am getting a little more comfortable about my timing. I hope to have the invitations sent out by the end of this month, and then I should be right on target for a 6month advanced notice -- although most of my immediate family already knows that I'm getting married and the invitations are just a matter of solidifying the details.

I have decided to have the wedding at 3:00pm on Saturday, March 22nd, 2008 (Easter weekend) at my Church in Sanford, Florida. The reception will either be at my church, or at my apartment complex's club house (depends on how many people RSVP). My colors are black, dark grey, powder blue, and a coral red. I'm going to ask one of the members of my church if he is interested in making our wedding cake. He used to be a professional cake baker/decorator but is retired now. My pastor mentioned that he may be willing to make our cake for the cost of the ingredients. I haven't seen him in awhile but the next time I do I will ask him how much he would charge and see what he says -- I don't want to assume he'd do it for next to nothing and would rather let him offer if he wants to... but either way, he's really good and really nice, and I'm sure he will help us out!

I'm getting the invitations printed up by someone I found on Etsy. We're actually doing a trade -- I'm going to make her a website (I'm a web & graphic designer) and she's making my invitations and various other paper things I'll need (programs, etc). I *finally* decided on my invitation design... I have discovered it's next to impossible to design for oneself ... I went through about 6 or 7 designs before I decided on mine. It's so much easier to get to a certain point with a client and make them choose! I'm attaching it here so you all can see what it looks like :D I think my problem is that I was trying to make it too fancy and that's just not me.

I found a dress on Lane Bryant that I liked, but I don't think they are making any more of them. The site says to contact stores for availability so I will probably go dress shopping in about 3 months. I would have bought the dress already but to be honest I hope that I am not still wearing the same size in 3 months!

I'm working on making a wedding site for us, I just bought the domain last night!

Rakel, I know what it's like to be your own client on a design, too! As an artist, I passed the invitation and program design duties on to a graphic designer friend of mine so I wouldn't go completely insane. Your colors sound like a very pretty combination. Lane Bryant makes wedding dresses?

Ah yes, I think I pretty much went nuts. I'm really happy with the final results though!

They do! I don't think they usually have them in stores though, but you can find them on their website. The one I wanted is the 3rd one down in the 2nd column: http://lanebryant.charmingshoppes.com/pagebuilder/bridal_dresses

Hi rakel

I just wanted to encourage you that you certainly CAN get all of this done before March 22nd, 2008. I had a short engagement. I was officially asked April 17th, 2007, and I was married August 12, 2007. I had a beautiful, fun, enjoyable wedding, and now I get the fun part, being married! (PS ladies, still no pictures...)

Anyway, don't buy into any of the hype that you cannot do do a wedding in a short period of time. It can be stressful, and probably will be at times, but it is doable.

I thought I would pass along one more thought. If you care about etiquette, some will say that invitations should only be sent out 30-60 days in advance. I have even seen people say that it is rude to send them out earlier. If you have any ultra-conservative guests, that may be good to know. So, if you decided to send out your invitations closer to your wedding date, you would want to do something for your out-of-town guests. This would either be save-the-dates or just calling those key players for your wedding.

Good luck to you! Enjoy the process, do things the way you want, and have a happy marriage.

Why is it rude to send them out earlier than 2 months prior? Pretty much all of my family lives at least 5 states away so I'd want to give them plenty of time to make arrangements if they would like to come. I think I'll just send them out by the end of this month as planned. It's unbelievable how much "etiquette" there is to follow with this crap, it kinda makes me not want to do it at all. People can't just relax and be happy for the couple? Geez.

LOL, I was sooo there a few months ago. My mom had great advice- learn the rules so you know which ones you're breaking. My sister got me Emily Post's Wedding Etiquette updated by Peggy Post as an engagement gift and it has been a wonderful resource. I've read other books that place etiquette across the board- even going so far as to suggest the exacty oppostite is correct- but I figure the people who care probably know Emily Post (read: my older relatives) and she hasn't steered me wrong yet. I've broken a couple but I know I did, I know why I did and I'll have a ready answer if asked.

In the end, most people are focusing on how happy they are for the couple but proper etiquette actually conveys a lot of information, from how formal the wedding will be to whether the bride will be keeping her maiden name.

After I got over my initial, thank-god-Emily's-dead-or-I'd-be-in-jail reaction, I appreciated having direction!

It isn't rude to send invitations earlier than recommended but it may make collecting the RSVP's more difficult. You may find yourself making a lot of phone calls to nail people down, regardless of when you ask for the cards to be returned. You may also find yourself sending out duplicate invitations and needing to provide guests with itineraries when they arrive because the original invitations will be long gone.

Hang in there!

Yikes, I think I am too poor to double the postage, lol. I'm making a website for it that will have all the information. I know not everyone is savvy enough for that but these days most everyone knows somebody so I don't think it will be a huge problem.

Rakel, you could also send an Evite-style Save The Date via e-mail. I have a friend who did this for the majority of her guests and then made phone calls to the older, less tech savvy relatives. There are several free options.

I'm struggling with creating our registry. Being over 30 and having two complete households to combine, the only things we don't have are china, crystal and silver. We're also planning to sell our house within the next two years so it's hard to know what we'll want for the new place. My dad suggested registering at a bank ;)

Post card is a good idea! I was thinking of printing up business cards with the website on it... I figure, a business card? They could stick it on the fridge or in their wallet? I just dunno, I'm trying not to spend a whole lotta money because I don't have anything except what my dad is giving me ($2k)... I HATE BEING POOR.

Rakel, have you already established how are you allocating your $2K budget? I imagine that will dictate some of these decisions.

You can have a great wedding for this amount- I helped a friend plan a wedding for 300 people with a $4k budget (total, including her dress) and we even found a way to do a family style dinner for everyone- but creating a budget and sticking to it is critical.

I started my own wedding budget by compiling two sets of numbers- what things actually cost and what I was willing to spend- and worked from there to get everything to conform to my bottom line. So far, I've managed to spend either the amount I budgeted or less- any extra is honeymoon mad money! I may be the first bride to ever bring a wedding in under budget...

Wait, so do you register for a shower? Do you include stuff on your regular registry and people pick from that? My oh my....

I have picked a total of 4 items off of Macy's and Target. We need stuff, sure, but I can't figure out exactly what :lol: And the more I browse through Macy's, the more overpriced I think it is.

Casual dishes... check
iron skillet and grill... check.
serving platter....check.

I'm sure I'll think of something...

Several people have told me Macy's is a bad idea because they discontinue items and rotate their stock frequently. I've gotten great referrals to Bed, Bath & Beyond- I guess they'll let your guests use multiple coupons and even competitors' coupons but will refund you the full purchase amount when you return the items for cash or store gift cards. Plus, they will answer your questions and make suggestions as you complete your registry.

Thanks! We need to discuss the "all new stuff" philosophy... the thing is, we have not stopped buying things!

As for overpriced, I know we look to get gifts based on the amount we are going to spend- most recently, we bought wine glasses and bar glasses for our friends. The price of each item was high but the item itself would be something they'd keep and the quantity got me to the amount I wanted to spend. If you love it, register for it!!! Someone will buy it for you.

Hey gals - just one week before I head out to Michigan before the wedding! Yikes!

I am sort of floundering right now to try to figure out what still needs to be done - maybe I have it all done already????

I do need to do my table number still, but otherwise, all my DIY projects are done I believe. Still need to get some music info to the DJ. But otherwise drawing a blank.

Hey, any suggestions for finding an ivory dress to change into at the reception (my wedding dress is just so uncomfortable - I'll never dance in it!). I found a great one at Newport News, and then it was on backorder! I need a 16W so it needs to be available in women's sizes. Any guidance would be appreciated - I've looked everywhere locally.
Cindy

I'm a bride-to-be (and have been for 2 years, long story), no date set yet, september 08 or 09 I think.. but I thought I would introduce myself to the group and say HI!

I'm not doing too bad with the budget, but I'm pretty sure I'll be going over $2k. My mom is also giving me $1K but we're using that for the honeymoon! I'm thinking if I can spend $3K total on the actual wedding, we'd be doing pretty great. The thing is, I'm actually trading for the invitations. I found a screenprinter who needs a website, so I'll be making her website and she's printing my paper stuff. HOWEVER, I'm trying to keep the cost down so I can actually make some money off the deal :P I have decided that I will go ahead and go with Save the Date postcards. I have them designs and ready to go for the most part! I'm still working on the budget (the wedding is 6mo away) so I still have time...


**EDIT** here are my saves the date designs... my printer still has to go over them and make sure they are "screenprint safe" ... but I'm really happy with them :D

Rakel- very cute Save the Date cards!

ValentineBride- welcome!!!

BfL Cat- try Target's website. They have wedding dresses designed by Isaac Mizrahi and the one I checked (Opal cream strapless sheath dress for $89.99) goes to size 18. Looking at the options, the most you'll probably spend is $200. Let me know if this works- I'm tempted to buy my wedding dress there just based on the price!

Thanks guys! I got a big THUMBS UP from my printer so she's gonna print them up now :D. I've been doing lots of work on my wedding website... you guys are welcome to check it out, but I don't have any content up yet, I've just been working on the design. It's the first time I ever made a Wordpress template from 100% scratch, so it's definitely been a learning experience... and there are still some bugs with the script I used to insert font headlines on-the-fly, I believe that is what's causing it to bring up ugly 403 errors when you try clicking on some things. BUT... still working on it. :D

check it!: fairfull.us

MissMess- No kidding, we have every item on that list! In some cases, we have two! So many of the big items were gifts that I hesitate to register for new ones for fear of upsetting the givers. My mom and aunts have long held the belief that I would take an interest in cooking if I just had the right equipment. I'm pretty sure that's how I got a stand mixer for my birthday.

I did discover last night (when I almost sliced my fingers off) that we need a bagel slicer. That's one item!!!

I started to plan our registry. FINALLY. China and crystal with a few silver serving pieces plus tablecloths, sheet sets and towels. I also added a good quality down comforter.

My future sister-in-law told me in the nicest way to stop being so pragmatic! It's actually pretty fun now that I've started to think extravagant instead of practical. Can you tell I prefer to give rather than receive?!?

Is anyone else getting married in a Church then going to another location for their reception? We're trying to figure out transportation from the Church to the reception now. What are you guys doing?

One week to go - eek!

We registered at Macy's and William Sonoma. I only have 60 guests, and we only had one MI shower - none in NY due to some confusion, so I didn't get a lot off my registries. Which is ok, since I'm 43 and I have all the stuff I really need. The W-S stuff is more of a treat for my cooking, and I will buy some stuff with the gift cards I've gotten. We did get a set of Waterford candlesticks from our Macy's registry - I was quite surprised that someone got us such a nice $$ gift!

We are just having the guest drive from the church to the reception - I was going to try to shuttle them, but it's just not in the budget. I do have a couple of designated drivers though, in case the open bar is too much for some guests. All of my places are only about 5 miles apart, so it's easy for us to manage.

I'm trying to clean the house up for the pet sitter - it's a disaster, then I need to tackle some final DIY projects - table numbers, finish place cards, photo site card, and that's about it.

Then the creation of the to-do and to-pack list begins!
Cindy

PS - Rakel - love the STDs - I wish I could design stuff like that myself!

MissMess & BFL -- thanks! :D

Lafayette -- We are considering it. We're either going to have it at our church, or at our apartment complex clubhouse (can't afford anywhere else :P). I don't really know what the most appropriate thing is, but I know my sister had a pretty formal wedding and people just drove their cards to the reception spot. I don't think you need to provide any transportation for guests... or do you mean for yourself? If that's the case, people either get limos or... ?? Their own car?

So much going on here!


Cindy - Down to the wire now, eh? Good luck with everything, I'm sure it will be lovely!

rakel - How cool that you can design your own invites and save-the-dates! And that trade deal is saving you a bundle.

The couple that will be sharing our ceremony site with us (their wedding is a couple hours after ours) has agreed to split costs on the tent and chair rentals, and they seem nice and easy to work with so that looks like it's going to work out fine. We also confirmed with the ceremony site that our dog will be allowed, even though the gardens don't generally allow dogs. So Dexter gets to be "Best Dog", he's going to look sharp in a bow tie ;)

We are having a problem with stuff being discontinued on our Crate and Barrel registry. In retrospect we should have gone with BB&B.

Wedding website is starting to come together, still needs some work http://www.shannonjason.com/

I found my dress on Saturday! Good thing, it's about 1/3 of the cost of the dress I was infatuated with last week. :dizzy: It very simple and elegant, and also very comfortable! I'm so excited and happy to have that detail taken care of.

Meeting with this florist this Wednesday. Feeling a little more on top of things now.

shananigans -- lovely website! I like the color scheme a lot and the dark wood! :) I'm super happy that I found someone to trade the invitations with because I would be in big trouble otherwise! I am certainly feeling blessed about that for sure!

Shan- so glad you found a dress! Pictures?

Rakel- My fiance thought my plan to coordinate others to drive groomsmen and bridesmaids to the Church and reception (we'd get some time to ourselves in a car or limo between the two events that way) was great until he attended a friend's wedding a few weekends ago and they had a bus for the entire wedding party. He just wants to be sure we've covered all the bases. I'm torn because the idea of a few minutes alone has definite appeal!

Cindy- Good luck!

The store I'm getting my dress from has a "no pictures till you buy" policy, which is weird, no? Thankfully I brought a bridesmaid with me and she assures me that it looks hot from all angles :lol: I'm going to try and get some pictures when I go in for measuring this Thursday.

At my sister's wedding had a "party bus" to get the wedding party and bride and groom from the ceremony to reception. We stopped at a few scenic places along the way to hop off and take pictures too. It was so fun to get the party started with champagne and dancing (there was a pole on the bus, it was put to use :p) before we even got to the reception. We liked it so much we got the wedding party to pitch in on a limo bus as a gift to the bride and groom at our friends' wedding a few weeks ago. If you can get a large number of people to chip in it becomes pretty affordable, and very worth it in my opinion.

OK, if my fiance can find a bus with a pole, we're getting a bus!!! Wait 'til he hears this!

I've heard of several stores that forbid pictures and even forbid writing down designers and style numbers. Whatev... then again, I've watched women tie up dressing rooms for their fashion shoots.

I broke down and started the ball rolling on my own bridal shower since everyone was "too busy." I had almost convinced myself it wasn't that big of a deal not to have a shower and then I thought, "HEY! I bought this stuff for everyone else!" Amazingly enough, if you plan your own shower, people come out of the woodwork to "host" it. Hmm... since I also get to foot the bill, we're just throwing a party here at the house with food and drinks.

Oooh, and I have to share- we're "registering" for gift cards from Home Depot. I wandered into the kitchen for registry inspiration and found I really wanted new flooring, light fixtures, cabinetry hardware and paint. I knew I could find SOMETHING we needed for the kitchen if I looked hard enough!

Hi gals - yes, definitely down to the wire! I picked up my last set of DIY stuff from Staples today, and we're heading out to pick up the engraved cuff links shortly.

We leave for MI in the morning - car will be packed tonight and then once there, we'll be crazy busy again.

I'll send a photo or two when I get a chance!
Cindy

Oooh, and I have to share- we're "registering" for gift cards from Home Depot. I wandered into the kitchen for registry inspiration and found I really wanted new flooring, light fixtures, cabinetry hardware and paint. I knew I could find SOMETHING we needed for the kitchen if I looked hard enough!

What a novel idea!

Shananigans- Party buses are definitely the way to go if you can afford it. I've been on a few and always have a blast. However, I've known more than one bridesmaid that has gotten a little too drunk (one got off the bus and in front of the entire wedding proceeded to throw her dress up and adjust her panty hose:o )

So what is it with people coming up with "demands" when it comes to your wedding? Anyone else have a few people they would like to strangle? I've got a couple... let's see, there's DF's aunt who doesn't want the hassle of traveling to denver the week before the Democratic national COnvention (it's the week after the wedding).. I mean, after all, it is her family reunion they are using my wedding for... Not to mention the joys that come with having divorced parents; step parents, ex step-parents, half siblings, siblings related to me and not each other. And of course there those can't be trusted to sit next to others and have told me as much... I have decided to nip this in the bud and have sternly reminded people that I'm not participating and that can we all- GASP! -grow up and have a happy day? It's 11 months away. I think there's time to prepare. Once you start giving into every little demand, you might as well throw it all to the birds, no?

end//rant

So what is it with people coming up with "demands" when it comes to your wedding? Anyone else have a few people they would like to strangle? I've got a couple... let's see, there's DF's aunt who doesn't want the hassle of traveling to denver the week before the Democratic national COnvention (it's the week after the wedding).. I mean, after all, it is her family reunion they are using my wedding for... Not to mention the joys that come with having divorced parents; step parents, ex step-parents, half siblings, siblings related to me and not each other. And of course there those can't be trusted to sit next to others and have told me as much... I have decided to nip this in the bud and have sternly reminded people that I'm not participating and that can we all- GASP! -grow up and have a happy day? It's 11 months away. I think there's time to prepare. Once you start giving into every little demand, you might as well throw it all to the birds, no?

end//rant

*sigh* you're not the only one with a *colorful* family to make things interesting. I just hope I don't get depressed!

Oh, man. I'm a big fan of the iron fist rule when dealing with the petty crap.

I am usually very respectful and deferential but, when family members started telling me what they would and would not tolerate, I nipped it in the bud immediately. In my sternest kindergarten teacher voice, I informed them that I would not, without exception and in no uncertain terms, be making accomodations for anyone not in a wheelchair. I expect civility at the very least and, if this adult behavior is not something they can handle, I expect them to politely decline the invitation. ALL of them were so shocked to be getting a behind-the-woodshed speech from me that they agreed. I also made it clear that I had no qualms with sending them home if I did not feel their behavior was appropriate. I am the bride, not the babysitter!!!

I had an amazing sense of calm once I addressed this- they are responsible for their own behavior. It is not my problem and I refuse to deal with it. Yay!

Be tough!!! You'll be surprised at the result!

Oh, man. I'm a big fan of the iron fist rule when dealing with the petty crap.

I am usually very respectful and deferential but, when family members started telling me what they would and would not tolerate, I nipped it in the bud immediately. In my sternest kindergarten teacher voice, I informed them that I would not, without exception and in no uncertain terms, be making accomodations for anyone not in a wheelchair. I expect civility at the very least and, if this adult behavior is not something they can handle, I expect them to politely decline the invitation. ALL of them were so shocked to be getting a behind-the-woodshed speech from me that they agreed. I also made it clear that I had no qualms with sending them home if I did not feel their behavior was appropriate. I am the bride, not the babysitter!!!

I had an amazing sense of calm once I addressed this- they are responsible for their own behavior. It is not my problem and I refuse to deal with it. Yay!

Be tough!!! You'll be surprised at the result!


Thank you, Lafayette and Rakel, I knew I couldn't possibly be alone on this. And you're right. As I told Ross when his aunt chimed in, once we give in to every aunt, cousin, groomsman, mother, etc... we might as well elope. So when my mother attempted to lay down some conditions regarding people she was once married to, I had this moment of clarity. Next August, I am marrying the love of my life. That day will be about him and me. Not my mother and her ex-husbands;) and not if my half sister is satisfied with where her and her boyfriend are sitting and not a family reunion. I would love for them to be a part of it, but I will not them run away with this day.

The end :)

Way to go, Jen! Doesn't it feel good?!? I keep saying, "I need a groom, a priest and two witnesses." My mom laughs because she had headache upon headache to "deal with" at her wedding and was disgusted by the time it was over. How sad!

I just ran over to the dress shop to see if they can order a sample dress for me to try on before I order the real thing. They don't have what I think is my dream dress in stock so I'm crossing my fingers... my tummy is getting smaller! I plan to increase my fruits, veggies and water and just keep reaching for my goal! I've now officially sworn off fast food until our wedding.

How's everyone else doing with their weight loss for the big day?

How's everyone else doing with their weight loss for the big day?

:rofl:

Oh wait, that was a serious question, wasn't it...

Yeah, I keep fluxing up and down the same 7 pounds. Can you tell consistency is an issue for me? I've been eating decent Monday through Friday and getting my running and some yoga in every other day, but it's not nearly enough. I need to get back to some weight training and pilates, cut way back on the beer (it's hard during football season!) and the splurge meals. *sigh* Why does weight loss have to require so much discipline? It is not my forte.

You gals are doing the right thing by putting your foot down and not allowing your families to ruin what should be one of the happiest days of your life. They should be able to grow up and let you enjoy!

I met with my florist last night, she is fabulous! Very nice and knowledgeable, plus the portfolio looked great.

Getting measured for my dress order tonight, I'll post pix tomorrow if I can get the sales staff to take some for me.

I did the "good" diet thing and skipped breakfast... then I raided the vending machines for a "sensible" lunch... train wreck! As long as dinner isn't an entire cake, I should be OK. Right?!?

Lafayette - Don't sweat it, we all have those days!

Here's a couple pictures of the dress. The sample is 2 sizes too small, but you get the idea. Mine should arrive within 6 months.

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g106/LA_shananigans/web.jpg

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g106/LA_shananigans/web2.jpg

I rather like it :)

It's beautiful! And I really like the back!

AWWW, the dress is so cute! :D

I had a 2wk stump, but I'm back on track... lost another .5lb today. Yesterday John commented that my tummy is no longer out past my boobs. lol. Always a good thing.

Now, as it turns out, my wedding is going to be on easter weekend. Is it normal for people to have weddings on Holidays? I didn't really plan it, but I figured it could either go really well or really poorly. For travelers, it may work out well because they can get the time off from work/school, but alternatively, some local people may be going out of town that weekend... all the better to get those save the dates out there ASAP! They should be done printing next week -- I got an update from my printer yesterday saying they were about 1/2way done. I should start working on labels for them so they are ready to go when they get here!

AWWW, the dress is so cute! :D

I had a 2wk stump, but I'm back on track... lost another .5lb today. Yesterday John commented that my tummy is no longer out past my boobs. lol. Always a good thing.

Now, as it turns out, my wedding is going to be on easter weekend. Is it normal for people to have weddings on Holidays? I didn't really plan it, but I figured it could either go really well or really poorly. For travelers, it may work out well because they can get the time off from work/school, but alternatively, some local people may be going out of town that weekend... all the better to get those save the dates out there ASAP! They should be done printing next week -- I got an update from my printer yesterday saying they were about 1/2way done. I should start working on labels for them so they are ready to go when they get here!


We had the choice to do ours over Labor Day. I would advise against it.
For starters, Easter is a sacred holiday in many families, and while they can go to your wedding any other weekend, they can't always have Easter with their families. Also, while people may have the time off, they may not feel like traveling when everyone else is traveling. This was a big one for us: The wedding is in my hometown, which is also a resort community and the headache that we would put people through wasn't worth it. Also, prices tend to jump over holiday travel days as well.

If people are going to come to your wedding, it won't matter what weekend it's over. If you wanted to do it over a holiday for a religious reason or because it is special for you, that's one thing, but it wouldn't be any more convenient (and would actually be less convenient) to do it over a holiday, especially one of the "big ones". Just my 2 cents, always subject to change ;)

Rakel, be aware that flowers will cost more over a holiday like Easter. Also, being Catholic, I know Easter Saturday is the one day the Catholic Church won't allow weddings (although you can get married at the Easter Vigil- the longest Mass of the year held in the middle of the night). Depending on your religion and whether you chose to have a religious ceremony, you may struggle to find someone to officiate.

I'm getting married the weekend after Easter. The Church will already have flowers, spring flowers are in bloom and I still benefit from a few off-season discounts because I was able to get married before the end of March. Our date is Saturday, March 29, 2008. Obviously, I'll share!!!

Shan, whoa! That is one sexy dress! Way to go! Hopefully, your husband will get his tongue back in his mouth before the pictures!

I just have to share! Good dress karma!

I keep coming back to the Ann Taylor Elizabeth bridal gown. I called their Michigan Ave store (the closest to me) and it only takes 5-7 business days to arrive!!! I can diet right down to the wire!

I have been looking at bridal shops and I am getting dangerously close to the date when I HAVE to order my dress to allow for alterations. I've been worrying about what the alterations may add to the price of the dress if I keep losing weight and, as a result, generally throwing myself into a panic. Panic over! I can lose my 17 remaining pounds and still keep my dress up (ahem) on my wedding day!!! Yippee!!!

Thanks for all your nice compliments on the dress, I love it! :)

Lafayette - That is great news about your dress. I had to go ahead and order mine in my current size with the 6 month ordering time. I hope I'll be altering it to make it smaller, but I couldn’t take the risk or ordering it in a smaller size. It will add to the cost, but luckily I found a dress that didn't break the bank to begin with.

My wedding is during Memorial Day weekend. Since many of the guests are Jewish we couldn't do a Saturday, and almost all of the guests will be traveling from many states away, so we wanted to pick a Sunday where most people wouldn't have to work the following Monday. On the plus side, since Sundays are less popular than Saturdays for weddings we're finding things a little more available on our date even though it's a holiday weekend. Like everyone says, you've got to take the type of service (civil or religious) and the religious concerns of your particular crowd of guests into consideration for you date.

Hi gals - I'm temporarily back in town, exhausted and relieved to have survived it all. There were a few glitches, but stuff most people probably did not notice.

A few words of advice:
1) Practice signing your new last name if you are changing it - you have to sign it on the marriage license - mine looks like a first-grader wrote it!
2) Insist on your music person being at rehearsal - the glitches in my ceremony were caused by my inability to remember all of the music cues we'd discussed back in July!
3) Do take time to enjoy the day while it is happening. We had a small wedding, only 60, and luckily that made it easy to take a few moments here and there to soak it all in.
4) Plan for your wedding night hotel stay better than I did - I was so focused on the wedding and reception, that although I packed a suitcase with clothes, all my makeup, toiletries, contact stuff and hair stuff (including even a brush or comb), got swept up when the "getting ready" room was cleared and taken back to my Mom's house. I couldn't even comb out my hair or take an advil when I got up the next morning! Ironically, I could have used my own bathroom basket!

That's all I can think of for now - I've really got to start getting packed for tomorrow - we leave for Barcelona and our Med cruise! Talk to you gals after the 14th!
Cindy

Congratulations Cindy! You look so beautiful!

Thanks for the words of wisdom, some great stuff I wouldn't have thought of.

Hope you have a blast on your cruise. :)

Miss - It's soooo pretty, you look great! I love corset backs :)

Well, it's too late to change the date, I already told my family and they are buying their airplane tickets and making reservations already. BUT, I am not too concerned about it. My original idea was actually March 29th, but then I decided on March 25th (with the idea of saving money by having it during the week), and my dad suggested the 22nd because it was a Saturday, and I liked the idea of having it sooner than later, and thought it would be easier to do it on the weekend. I didn't even realize it was Easter Sunday until my sister mentioned something about it and by then I already locked in on the date. Ah well.

I will be inviting quite a few people, but I really don't expect a huge turn out, mostly just family and a few close friends. I already discussed the date with my pastor (who is going to be our officiant) and he said it was fine. We're having the ceremony and reception there as well, so that won't be a problem. We don't really have any Catholics in the family, except for John's mom's cousin, but I don't think she would mind. If she was coming and wanted to go to an Easter Vigil she should still be able to do it.

To be honest, I am a Christian but I don't really "celebrate" Easter (and neither does my church, save for maybe an increased attendance and a resurrection based sermon -- no special program though), so it wasn't really on the forefront of my mind.

How silly is this? I read Cindy's post and immediately drew in my breath at the suggestion to practice writing your new last name. I'm such a dork- I feel like that might "jinx" something! I'm sure I'll get over it but I just had to share!

Missmess- love the dress! (um, that was an unintentional rhyme!)

Rakel- For Catholics, Sunday is the main event anyway so never fear! If your location and pastor are OK with the date, you're good to go!

I'm still working on the diet thing. I had to get out of my office today at lunch so I skipped my 70-calorie soup in favor of a nice walk interrupted by a good, cheesy sandwich. I hope it evens out! Guess I'll have salad for dinner...

Cindy- CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

Missmess- I love dresses like that. What a fabulous cut- and you look absolutely gorgeous. And you are already sporting the Just married "glow" ;)

Hey, I just miss you guys...

Does anyone have anything new and exciting to report? I'm in the wedding doldrums! I have everything done that I can do at this point... I just have invitations, RSVP's, table charts and the programs left and I can't jump on any of it ahead of time. Aaah!

Not too much going on here. We went back east for the engagement party which was on Saturday. Very lovely, our families seem to like each other so that's a good thing. Finally got to meet my 5-month-old nephew, so adorable!

We were thinking we'd use the same DJ my sister had at her wedding since we thought he did a good job for them and we'll probably get a pretty good deal, but he's been pretty bad at returning calls and messages. Don't know what to make of that, I know he's not a typical wedding DJ professional, he's more into the club and house party scene around here. I kind of like that about him (most of the DJs we met at wedding expo were some of the biggest dorks I've ever met, sorry but it's true!) but I think that also might mean dealing with a somewhat lesser level of professionalism. Don't know, we might decide to go with someone else yet.

We're scheduling our complementary engagement photo session soon, it'll be pretty with the fall colors coming out now. :)

We're planning to do our engagement photos soon, too. I've been putting it off in the hope that I will get a few more pounds off first. Ah, vanity!

I wish you luck with the DJ- maybe communicating your expectations (assuming you can get a returned call) when you negotiate the contract would be helpful? I did this with our non-traditional photographer and we agreed on all of the preparation as part of the contract. If she doesn't do it, I don't pay (of course, then I'll be looking for a photographer but I'm pretty confident that won't happen). In the end, it worked out for your sister so you should be good ;)

Hi gals - we're back from our honeymoon - jet-lagged and dreading the reality of going back to work! The house is a mess - presents all over the place (yes, that's a good problem to have!), and we still have wedding stuff to unpack from nearly 2 weeks ago.

Our Med cruise was great - saw SO much in such a short time that we are exhausted. The good news is that this should make it easier for me to get back on track with my workouts - the diet is another story - cruise food is a hard habit to break! I don't even want to see what the scale has to say.

I actually did take my thank you notes with me, and actually DID write them all on the plane yesterday. I am so pleased with myself when I actually do things like that! I had pre-addressed them all, and brought the gift list, which made it pretty easy. Now that's one less thing I have to worry about doing in the coming weeks.

Heading for the grocery store today - time to get back in that kitchen and plan some healthy, nutritious meals for us.

Hope you gals are all doing well.
Cindy

Welcome back, Cindy! I can't believe I finally know someone who really is that organized! Where did you visit in the Med?

We went to Barcelona, Monte Carlo, Florence, Rome, the Amalfi Coast and Sicily. What would you like to see photos of - I took nearly 1500 in those 11 days!

Welcome back Cindy and congrats! Can't wait to see pics from the wedding and your honeymoon. Sounds fabulous, I love the mediterranean. I went to Monte Carlo once, one of the best beaches I've ever been to.

Hey girls - I thought about another tip for you all - try to have some water and/or snacks available for you and the group for during the photos after your ceremony. We had literally not eaten since breakfast, and after a 2pm ceremony my photos went until 5:30! Pete and I actually went through the Wendy's drive-thru for a soda and a small fry between locations because we were dying of thirst. Poor planning on my part, really, but I just didn't think about that part of the day!

Ok, I'll come up with some photos to share.

In Monte Carlo we only really saw the casino since we spent some time up around the palace as well. Too bad we missed the beach!

We were only in each of these places from 6-8 hours, so it was really a quick visit to each of them.
Cindy

Your honeymoon sounds like it was awesome! Thanks for the tip... we're trying to figure out how to limit the picture insanity.

I was so excited- 148 on the scale all week (I haven't been below 150 in years) and then 151 this morning!!! Ever heard of a Greek appetizer called, "Saganaki?" Basically, it's salty cheese soaked in booze and then lit on fire so it gets all good and melty. Last night, I called it dinner. Oops! I'll be drinking water today!

Quite in here these days. We had our engagement photo session on Tuesday this week, we oedered an 8 x 10 for the house and a print for each or our parents. They turned out really nice, but damn prints are expensive. I suppoese that's why they give you the free session. :rolleyes:

I finally wrote the DJ and politely informed him that if we don't here from him within a week we'll be looking in to other options. If we have to pay more for someone reliable so be it. We're looking into getting these folks (http://www.shinyhappy.org/) to play at the ceremony, DF made a contact with one of the members through work.

We picked out our invites, just have to figure out the wording.

You'll have to share your photo with us when you get it. I got my professional pix this week, and I've been spending hours going through them. As photos aren't such a big deal to us, I went the thrifty route which got me a not-so-experienced photog, the whole day of his time, a book of proofs and all the digital files. Now I get to play with them to make something fabulous out of it all. I'm a bit disappointed because I thought everything would be in color, but instead there is a fair amount in B&W, which then aren't available in color! Why wouldn't he just shoot everything in color - you can always Photoshop them into b&w! Anyways, it will be fine, I'm just venting a bit. Good thing I'm handy with the computer. I'm planning on doing one of those photo books on Shutterfly, and then will have prints made for us, family and the bridal party.

Hey, that's a good question - do you think we should give the bridal party a photo of the bridal party? I've been in 5 weddings and have never gotten a photo. Personally, I would have liked to have gotten them!

Shan - about your DJ - mine turned out to be a Merchant marine, which is why I didn't hear back from him in a month! Good luck with all of that, I know it can be frustrating when you're unsure of the status of something. It definitely seemed to me that the vendors sure didn't worry about getting back to me promptly about stuff.

Hope things are going well for you gals. I'll share more photos when I get the chance
Cindy

I'm hip-deep in wedding stuff... I think I found a band for our wedding. Prepare to chuckle... a trio of musicians who play the cello, clarinet, and- tada!- accordian. The sounds and styles actually combine to sound like New Orleans jazz. We heard them at Macy's when we were registering for gifts. I called and asked for a price quote. Since they usually do department stores and parties, they offered us a DISCOUNT as a wedding gift. $500 for the whole shebang: from 5:30 to 10:30! And they do requests- they can play just about anything!

Hi, guys! I haven't been around much lately, but I'm still reading everyone's exciting plans (and events!). Our wedding plans are on hold until my parents sell their house in CT (been on the market for over 6 months already and just made their third price reduction--so frustrating). It's just as well since Jeff and I still have no clue where or when or how we want to tie the knot--neither of us is really feeling the whole traditional ceremony and reception thing. Jeff doesn't want to wear a tux, and I'm not going to force him to do so. I'm also not up for the traditional things like lots of dancing. So we'll see what the future holds for our big day...

I'm hip-deep in wedding stuff... I think I found a band for our wedding. Prepare to chuckle... a trio of musicians who play the cello, clarinet, and- tada!- accordian. The sounds and styles actually combine to sound like New Orleans jazz. We heard them at Macy's when we were registering for gifts. I called and asked for a price quote. Since they usually do department stores and parties, they offered us a DISCOUNT as a wedding gift. $500 for the whole shebang: from 5:30 to 10:30! And they do requests- they can play just about anything!

:yay:

Finally heard back from the DJ, his excuse was medical finals. Didn't know he was in med school, guess I don't mind dealing with a busy student but I'll feel a lot better after we get a meeting in just to make sure we're on the same page and still feel comfortable with him. Said he's call me this Thursday.

Lafayette - That is an amazing deal for the band! We figure we might spend that much on musicians for the ceremony.

jillybean720 - I wouldn't sweat it, there's nothing wrong with long engagements. It's better to have the time to gather resources and think about what you really want.

Oh yay!!! I'm so glad I found you guys! I'm getting married Oct 11/08 (11 months to go) and have 52-72 more pounds to lose before I can fit my dress. (yes I did buy one that was too small :P)

I have an etiquette question for you all. How do you feel about this? I'm hosting a sit-down supper at a hotel, wine will be served with supper but otherwise is a cash bar, do you think this will go over ok?

I figured as long as they have wine and soda/punch etc if they wanna get drunk on hard liquor/beer it'd be up to them. Opinions much appreciated :D

Congrats to everyone! This is really the most exciting time for any woman EVER!

lol, I just realized how harsh that bit sounded, I meant if people want something other than wine/soda etc not (GRR I'm not paying for those jerks to drink their faces off!) which is what it kinda sounded like.

Well, I know that most ettiquette sources are down on cash bars, but open bars are EXPENSIVE. Also, I know a lot of people don't like the idea of getting people drunk at their weddings.

We haven't completely decided, but I think we're just going to have a limited open bar for a few hours (a few liquors, beer, and wine) along with a champagne toast. We can't go until too incredibly late anyway (10 pm) and might just go out afterwards with the wedding party.

Have you thought about just beer and wine? I know people usually just drink one or the other and it's nice to have a choice.

buffbride2b - Welcome! I agree with Jen on the bar issue. If you're not going to do hard liquor that's more than ok in my book, but there are lots of people that like beer but not wine and vice versa. If you offer both most people will be happy :) I also think it's ok to have the bar open for only a limited time if you like. We're lucky that we don't have a very boozy crowd (with a hadful of exceptions, most of them being in the wedding aprty :o) so I think we're just going with an open bar including a keg of our chooseing (we like our microbrew!) some cheap-ish rail liquor and a couple wine selections.

FYI ladies, I'm going to start a new thread. There's a 500 post limit and we're getting pretty close.