Welcome tleef and Mickey79sf!Shan- I have not tried Spanx but I understand they are super spandex.  I was referred to Soma Intimates (a division of Chico's) for garments with some sucking power but with less super spandex injury potential.  I eventually chose the Merry Modes slip and never even tried Soma.My wedding is coming up VERY fast!  This Friday is my last day in my current job and I will be starting the new job 3/10, working for two weeks, then taking three weeks off (one before the wedding and two after for the honeymoon).  Insanity!!!  Right now, I am trying to create placecards and avoid maiming a particularly annoying coworker before the end of the week...Wish me luck!  Tomorrow night is my first fitting with the seamstress.  That dress better fit!
I gave my mom free reign to put together goodie bags for the travelling guests. She's having a blast, but I think the gift bag budget has been tripled by now. Gotta love her!

Hi Lafayette: Your wedding IS coming up really fast! You'll have to let us know how the dress fits. My first fitting is coming up at the end of March so I feel your pain. I've started exercising like a maniac in hopes of not just dropping more poundage but a couple of inches as well. The dress fits already, but I'd like the corset at the back to cinch in a little tighter than it currently does!

Your thoughts on maiming your coworker made me giggle...so thanks for that. It was interesting to me to hear that you're starting a new job right before the wedding. I also applied for a new job and will find out by the end of this week. That would give me two months at a new job before I am off for the wedding. What is it with us crazy brides? You'd think that we'd be swamped enough with wedding planning, households, full time jobs...but NO we have to run out and get new careers while we're at it. I think proposals destroy brain cells! LOL

I'm working a full-time and part-time job, am president of a non-profit group in town, have a house to run, a teenaged daughter, Fiance...of course as well as our 2yr old dog, 5yr old rabbit and three parrots. Sometimes I think I must be crazy...but then again most of the time it all seems like it's so worth it.

Anyhow so you must be really ready for the wedding. I just had my floral consult and will have to put my deposit down and get those ordered right away. Other than that we have a bit of time still...although I'm sure it will just fly by, especially if I get that new job and can't spend hours a day surfing the internet! LOL

Have a great day!
Tamara

OK, you win! :lol:

What's up with all the non-profit chicks in this thread? I'm also looking into applying for a job with a 4/15 application deadline. Don't know how serious I am about it just yet, but anything could happen this spring!

We had a "teleconference" with the DJ this afternoon, so our last big vendor is tied up.

Do any of you have suggestions for readings? We want to keep things secular and a little light. So far we have my FFIL reading this:


I'd love to include something from childrens literature too, maybe Dr. Seuss or Sheil Silverstein. Any thoughts?

"Bad, love, Bad!" is the best line ;) Nonprofit chicks rule!

I'm just finalizing the programs. All that's left after that is the seating arrangement and placecards.

The dress fits but the seamstress is giving me a little extra room up top. It turns out I'm a DD, not a D. We'll be making some alterations ;) That, and I swear they figure the hem for 6'-tall women... you can't fix that with diet either!

Tleef- sleep when you're dead ;) Apply and improve your prospects! My first day was awesome and I'm actually looking forward to the next two weeks of work instead of dreading the fact that I will have to stay focused (or at least appear that way) in a position I hate while I'd rather be doing wedding stuff.

To answer your question, Shan... http://weddings.about.com/od/yourwed...elReadings.htm

I like the Madeleine L'Engel reading: From "The Irrational Season" by Madeleine L'Engle

But ultimately there comes a moment when a decision must be made. Ultimately two people who love each other must ask themselves how much they hope for as their love grows and deepens, and how much risk they are willing to take…It is indeed a fearful gamble…Because it is the nature of love to create, a marriage itself is something which has to be created, so that, together we become a new creature.

To marry is the biggest risk in human relations that a person can take…If we commit ourselves to one person for life this is not, as many people think, a rejection of freedom; rather it demands the courage to move into all the risks of freedom, and the risk of love which is permanent; into that love which is not possession, but participation…It takes a lifetime to learn another person…When love is not possession, but participation, then it is part of that co-creation which is our human calling, and which implies such risk that it is often rejected.

Ahhh Yae!! I thought this forum was closed!!!!!!!

I have been in this relationship for almost 4 yrs. Yeshua & I got engaged March 21st of last year. I want to get married on our 5th yr together. May 2nd, 2009! But I would like to drop all this extra weight I gained after having my 2nd child.

Hi Elisarae!

I am bad diet example. I lost weight after a major abdominal surgery this past August and then ordered my dress in the next size up, just in case wedding cake samples got the better of me. Not exactly motivational... but I did get down to a size 8 from a 14.

Good luck! I'm getting married March 29 (yes, in less than three weeks) so I may be AWOL for a while, but I'm pulling for you! And best wishes on the engagement!

Well hun you couldn't help but loose the weight. I wish I was an 8!! I'm sorry you had to have surgery. I hope you are better now. And many congrats on the wedding, 3 weeks will be here in no time!! YAE!! Thank you for the lovely comments!

Elisarae- have you started your wedding planning yet? We talked out the tone and feel we wanted our wedding to have and the rest seemed to fall into place (with quite a bit of work, but you know what I mean). We stopped debating every decision and just went with what best met our overall plan and budget. I have to say, going the traditional route- Church ceremony, dinner/dancing reception at the county club, following the almighty Emily Post rules- made our wedding really easy to pull together.

Thank God, or I'd be totally insane right now!

I have started planning but Lord, I've already racked up 2 grand and haven't spent a dime yet. I know when time comes the total cost will be out the roof.
I dunno, maybe just a small wedding....Ahhh, it's so stressful.

Welcome elisarae! And congrats.

Lafayette, your wedding will be here so soon!

Called the dress shop, my dress should get delivered the week of 3/24. :)

I think we've basically decided on what entree options we want.


Option 1: Caribbean Polenta (from the caterer's standard menu)

Gourmet red pepper polenta topped with fresh mango salsa, baked red rice with black beans & toasted corn


Option 2: Custom menu we came up with

Grilled eggplant roulade (filled with a sauteed mix of mushrooms, greens like spinach or kale, and leeks or shallots) with roasted red pepper coulis, Pilaf stuffed pepper (I'd like the pilaf to be something unusual to make it a little more interesting if possible, I'm thinking quinoa - red lentil - toasted pine nuts would be a good combo), Grilled asparagus


I feel like I need a green vegetable with the polenta dish though. Meeting with the caterers on 3/30, we’ll talk about it then.

Cake thing is working itself out. Caterer might be able to accommodate us yet (they’re worried about dairy-free frosting? Don’t get it, again, going to discuss in meeting) but I have a back up bakery in Milwaukee if that falls through.

Found another job I’m interested in today. Who decides to start a job search 2 months before their wedding? :dizzy:

Are we having fun yet?

Ha! I started a new job this past Monday! Well worth the minor psychosis, let me tell you! I love the new place and they are thrilled to have me, even if my productivity is about to become a little questionable.

Elisarae- the best advice we received was to make the wedding reflect who we are as a couple. We sat and discussed how we wanted the day to go and what we wanted to have in general terms before we really started signing anything. It was exhausting, but it made everything much easier in the end.

Eat your heart out, brides to be! We created a seating chart for 200 people in under 30 minutes! And it's a really good one, too.

The programs are spitting out of the printer as I sit here and I'm holding off on the placecards until the week of the wedding (next week). Otherwise, I just have one final dress fitting and I'm ready to go! Yippee!

Now, ask me if I've packed for the honeymoon... I need to get on that!

Lafayette- have you packed for your honeymoon? ;) Congrats on the new job! The day is approaching! How much time are you taking off for the wedding?

Sorry I have been MIA, but my new job kicked into high gear, school is crazy and we are level 1 planning mode :lol:
After being in DF's home state over the weekend and dealing with question after question, I can say, with just over 5 months left I have accomplished:
-the registry
-the dress
-almost done with BM dress details
-flower girl dress (no ring bearer)
-bachelor party is in the works
-DJ is hired
-dessert is settled (no wedding cake- homemade strawberry and lemon fruit tarts instead)
-reservations at the hotel are being made by guests
-menus are good to go
-photographer hired
-florist hired
-engagement pic session scheduled

Big ones remaining:
-hiring ceremony musicians (coming from the Aspen Music Fest and School so I have to wait until the start of the season in May)
-Groom and GM attire
-the officient (we NEED to get on this pronto)

When I'm awake, I'm excited and can't wait. However, I'm having nightmares again (my dress is a dark green prom dress, I show up at the wrong place and the most terrifying to date, my dad is a no-show!)

Hope planning is going well, ladies!

Oh, and I have a question: Are you double registering? For example, I'm registered at BB&B and Target. I registered for several items at both places (casual dinnerware, coffee makers, bedding, etc...) Is this incredibly stupid? They both have lax return policies so we can take things back, but I wonder if it was wise. Thoughts?

I am so glad this thread exists! I am so close to my goal, and I am determined to wait until I start trying on dresses. Good luck to everyone


Bride to be rock

Velsmore- welcome!

Junebug- I registered at two places and, in some cases, for the same thing at each. I think it's smart!

I have eight days to "I do." OMG! Today was my last day at work until April 14th. I took off the week before the wedding (tomorrow was a bonus cuz it's Good Friday) and two weeks after for the honeymoon. We're doing two weeks between Paris and London. Yes, on top of the historic spike in precious metals pricing, we are vacationing in Europe while the dollar is hitting historic lows. Oh, well! We're only doing this ONCE!

Wow how this thread has changed I havent been here in a long time.

Lafayette I remember when you were just deciding on your location. That was a while ago.

I have been MIA due to not being motivated to losing weight and also to just being stressed out with wedding planning and not having enough time to post everyday. Well with less that 4 months to go, I am in panic mode to lose some weight and to get down to a good size to be able to fit in my dress. Yesterday I tried my dress on and it was a little tight. I did not feel comfortable due to the inside corset being about to explode. So FH and I went to the store last night and bought stuff for the South Beach diet. We decided that is what worked best for us. I remember I lost a lot of weight with this diet and I felt really good.

Our new wedding date we finally finalized after many date changes is July 12th 2008. We have everything done, except for choosing the flowers, we have already reserved the date with the florist I just need to go inside to choose everything. We just bought our flutes, serving set and cake topper last week. They are beautiful!! I will see if I can post a picture of them. I also chose my cake. It is white cake with raspberry filling and whip cream frosting 3 layers. Very Yumm-O!!!!

Colors of the wedding are black, white, silver and a magenta fuschia accent. It is going to be beautiful. We are having our reception at this yummy Italian restaurant here locally and also we are getting a great deal which is even better.

My cake topper
http://a248.e.akamai.net/f/248/12659...9&op_sharpen=1
My Flutes
http://a248.e.akamai.net/f/248/12659...9&op_sharpen=1
My Server Set
http://a248.e.akamai.net/f/248/12659...9&op_sharpen=1

Lafayette~ Congrats on your upcoming wedding on Saturday, sending non-stressful vibes your way this week!!

Thanks! So far, it has been just the stress of weird requests... which I have all dismissed as asinine... am I a charmer, or what?

My dress fits(!) and the seating chart is almost done. Only 6 days to go!

:cloud9::yay::cheers:


I just wanted to send some good vibes out to lafayette as I'm sure things are crazy right now! I hope you are having fun and enjoying every moment! Good luck on Saturday!
:goodvibes::goodvibes::goodvibes::goodvibes:

Yes!! I agree. I am sending stress free vibes your way.

Good Luck tomorrow and have lots of fun and make sure to eat!!

Thanks guys! Today is the big day and I'm excited, but not freaked out... yet! Then again, I haven't actually finished a cup of coffee so I may not be fully aware of my surroundings ;)

I still can't believe how perfect our wedding was. The band was a real hit- a cello, clarinet and accordian- they played dance music when people wanted to dance and faded into the background with great conversation music when people wanted to talk. The Church and reception venue were both stunningly beautiful. We achieved our goal of blurring the lines between friends, co-workers and family. Everyone had a great time and we returned home from our honeymoon to a pile of cards complimenting us on how lovely everything was.

I'm halfway through the thank you notes so I'd better get back tio work. How is everyone doing with their plans?

Just wanted to say CONGRATULATIONS Lafayette!!!! Now a MRS!!!!


I posted LONG ago in the other thread... we decided on a date, Oct 14th this year. That means I have 6 months...

but we are just going to the courthouse - it's not my first time nor is it my DF's... but we still want to look nice and we'll have the kids with us, plus a couple of witnesses :)

Thanks, Velveteen! Have you picked a dress?

nope, I've picked absolutely nothing except the actual location where we want to get married! EEK!!

I just want to be a bit smaller before I buy a dress, fingers crossed mid towards end of the summer I'll be going shopping :)

I hear ya on that! I bought my dress from Ann Taylor because they could get it to me in 5-7 business days with regular shipping and they do free exchanges, just in case. Target has some really cute options, too. Happy shopping!

Now, I have to focus on losing the 5 pounds I gained on the honeymoon and getting myself into the next size down...

Well, I don't live in the US, but I know that I should be able to get something fairly easy here in NL or in Germany. In fact in Germany there's even a better selection of plus sizes... maybe I won't be a plus then, but if I am, it's a good option (I only live about 40 min from one of the largest shopping malls in Germany!).

My sister sent me some German bridal magazines and the dresses were beautiful. It was nice not to have to pay the VAT, though!

Hola, chicas! I posted back in the day when Jeff and I got engaged last year. We're still engaged with no wedding plans in sight :dizzy:

Congrats on a perfect wedding, Lafayette!!!

We were engaged for a year as of March 12th. We were waiting to plan our actual wedding until my parents sold thei house in CT and moved to their new house in Virginia Beach. Well, they moved into their new house on April 1, so here we are!

We have no clue what we want to do, when we want to do it, where we want to do it...we know we don't want a typical traditional wedding. Jeff doesn't want to wear a tux, and I don't want anything to do with a church. I think we're leaning toward a destination wedding, but we don't know where. At over 300 pounds, I'm really not much of a beach person. We want to stay in the US and near the east coast so it doesn't get too expensive for our family (Jeff's cousin practically raised him, and she's married and has 3 kids, and we want them at our wedding, but we don't want them spending thousands for their family of 5 to attend!). I'm thinking either an amusement park or a resort in the mountains somewhere, to be followed by an informal reception in CT (where most of my extended family lives) for anyone who can't make it to our, umm, destination :cool:

The only thing holding me back from settling on an amusement park is that I'm currently too large for most rides, so I would want to lose quite a bit of weight first. I think we'll see how I do in the next 6 months or so. We're in no hurry to get married since it seems like sort of a technicality at this point--we've been together for over 4 years, living together for almost 3 years, engaged for over a year, own a home together, and have 2 fur kids (puppies). The only difference will be my last name and our tax filing status :p

Hi, Jilly! I abandoned all hope of a beach theme, too. They don't make enough sunscreen to get me on a beach...

A friend of mine did a great park wedding with a small group of musicians and very simple but elegant touches. Are there any parks in your area with great pavillions? That would allow you to take advantage of the park's flowers (save $ on a florist and time decorating). Plus, a nice suit and a pretty dress would be perfect for a park wedding. She did cake, punch and coffee, but you could have a cook-out if you wanted to provide a meal. With any luck, you could find one close to a play area and make the kids (fur and other) happy, too ;)

Hey Ladies - I just joined 3FC today and I'm so thrilled to have found a Brides-to-be group!

2 Months til our wedding and everything is pretty much done. I decided to have my dress made b/c its impossible to go to a bridal shop and buy a dress that looks and fits the way i wanted. To have the dress made was only $400 and now I can tell everyone my dress was "couture!" LOL

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.