Welcome, Dina, and congratulations!

Lafayette, I'm so glad that everything was perfect! Send some of that good ju-ju around, will ya

Things are moving along.... my dress came in a couple of weeks ago, but I have yet to go inspect it. Things have just been so busy and I would like to have someone come with me as well.

We took our engagement pics on Sunday. It was a GORGEOUS day and we did it all over downtown. We lucked out because the previous weekend there was a hockey playoff game, a baseball game, and a convention. This weekend there was NO ONE around. It was nice and quiet so we could get some shots in the middle of the street. Actually, we noticed several other couples doing their pics as well and it made us feel slightly cliche... I hold that we were having the most fun, though We should get the proofs today and I will post some up!

Dina- great deal on the couture dress!

Jen- I only send good ju-ju

We still haven't done our engagement pics so I have time to lose some weight. (We skipped them because I was recovering from surgery.) I'm struggling with being back on the diet this week. I have pears, apples, cashews, oatmeal, whole grain bread... I just have to stay away from the pizza parlor next door to my office!

I don't think we'll do any engagement pics or announcements or anything like that. Can't wait to see your proofs, junebug--sounds like you had a lot of fun!

I think I'm happy with the idea of an amusement park wedding. Most parks have private picnic/event areas you can rent out, and then it would still be fun for everyone. Even if people (like my mother) don't like to go on rides, so many parks have lots of shops and other cool stuff. Busch Gardens is especially good for this, so that's an option (Williamsburg, VA). We also briefly discussed Sea World, but we're not sure we want to do Florida, so we'll see. I'll have to do some research on cool parks east of the Mississippi I bet we could get a cool wedding shot on a carousel--that would be cute. We'll have to pick a fun photographer.

There are several nice amusement parks in Ohio, too. I think it sounds like a fun wedding!

Jilly- Make sure you get a room for just the two of you! Even if you don't plan on a wild honeymoon night, you will really appreciate the time together without all the noise and chaos

We made it a point to intersperse our wedding day plans with scheduled breaks for just the two of us. I think that's the reason why I was so calm and happy!

Smart woman!!! We stayed on a locked club floor at our hotel, just in case my brothers got any practical joke ideas.

If I can derail the wedding discussion for a moment, how is South Beach working for you?

Hi everyone! I'm new here but thought this group would be somewhat appropriate. I've got some time to go - June 27th, 2009 - but like the idea of being able to share in the crazy bride-to-be syndrome with some fellow ladies.

well actually I'd like to avoid the crazy bride-to-be syndrome alltogether, but we'll see how that goes when it gets closer to the date.

My goal: lose 15-20 lbs by end of June because somehow looking good in a skirt this summer is more important to me right now then looking good in a white dress next year.

The key to avoid being crazy the day of the wedding is to simply decide you're not going to get mad/be crazy. So many stupid, crazy, and flat-out ludicrous things happened surrounding our wedding... I just decided to deal with it later or not deal with it at all. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't easy to ignore some of the stuff! Still, it was my wedding day and I just didn't want to allow someone else to interfere with my happiness.

Also, I turned off my cell phone on the day before our wedding (before the rehearsal) and kept it off until we got back from our honeymoon. Everyone magically found the answers they needed elsewhere

How's everyone doing? My diet is derailed almost daily by the pizza shop next door to my office!

Jill- that sounds like a great idea to do the wedding at a theme/amusement park! Everyone would have a blast!

Lafayette- I don't know what I would do if I lived or worked next to a pizza parlor. Heaven forbid.

Well, I got the call of the year yesterday... apparently my wedding coordinator through the hotel was fired and I was given a new coordinator. The old coordinator had done NOTHING as far as making the necessary arrangements- she hadn't entered our menu, charged our deposit, made the necessary room blocks, or anything else that she should have had done 3.5 months before the wedding! I'm livid!!!

The upside: The new coordinator is based in Denver, about a mile from my house. They also waved the ceremony fee ($500) and the rehearsal dinner room fee ($500). I'm going to see what else I can rack up...

I am trying to post my engagement pics, but they are not shareable They turned out ok- I'm still working off my 10 lb re-gain and Ross looks half stoned in most of them. He's like Chandler Bing in that Friends episode where him and Monica are taking engagement pictures and when he has to smile he looks ridiculous...

So, I'm new to the whole thread-posting thing. BUT I am engaged & we sort of have a date set for August 1, 2009.

I'm Melissa, my fiance is Charles. I have 2 daughters from a previous relationship that less than worked out.

We're just waiting to see when the girls biological father will sign over paternity (hopefully he will, long horrible story), then we'll have a date set for sure & everyones (except his) will change! It's rather exciting, I can't wait until our wedding/adoption day!

Charles & I both consider ourselves artists. I am a pregnancy/ newborn/ GLBT photographer. Attempting to carve my own niche in the midwest. We're going to be difficult & actually end up taking our own engagement photographs!

I have a weight loss goal of 80 pounds to lose. I've lost about 11 so far in the past month & I'm gonna just keep on truckin!

I look forward to meeting everyone!