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!

Jen- Glad you'll get something positive out of that situation! Good grief!

Ash- Welcome!

Well I finally made it to the shop to inspect my dress. It's perfect! Well, not perfect. It's a size 12 and I want to lose 10 lbs by the wedding and it fits pretty well now.... except the boobs. The cups in the dress are huge! I could catch a turkey in the space between the dress and my chest! So, if I don't magically grow another cup size, I'm going to be shopping for falsies...

Where are all the brides???

Hi everyone - it's been awhile. So my wedding is 5 months from today. I finished all of the planning back in February, so the past few months have been just kinda sitting around letting the days go by. I'm starting to think about the wedding again now - wedding bands, invitations, shoes, favors, etc. I like that am able to take things slow, but I'm still ready for the day to be here.

I have 5 months to work out and lose more weight before the wedding. I'm struggling with losing weight the past few months, have been holding steady from 136-138. I'm not too horribly upset about that because I lost a lot in a year. I would like to get about 5-6 more pounds off by the wedding so I'm thinking of cutting back my calories and stepping up the exercise. I've been pretty good with exercise but calories have been a bit high. Not enough to make me gain, but not low enough to lose. I would love (in my secret mind) to be 115 pounds and have no flab, but I know that might not happen for a long time or at all. I'm trying to be happy with my new body as it is, even though I'm still trying to lose weight and get in better shape. I would love to be 130 for the wedding and especially the 2 week honeymoon in Hawaii, but I'm not going to let those last few pounds drive me crazy. I know that my dress fits (it actually has to be taken in) and that I have done very well over the past year. I am not going to be a bride obsessive about her weight. And that's a promise!

Now THERE'S a visual! :laugh:

I have that problem in ALL tops, not just formal dresses. I'm so big that clothing manufacturers assume I have huge boobs. Not true. Being over 300 pounds and a B cup is practically an oxy moron, but it's me! :D

Wow, NoVa! You have lost quite a bit of weight! Congrats! I did not reach my goal by my wedding. I decided to just be happy and healthy and enjoy the day. Looking at the pictures, I kinda regret not making a last-ditch effort, but I am forever grateful for how sane and relaxed I was in the months and weeks leading up to the wedding. I think it was worth the trade off! I wish you luck and big hugs! I know the temptation to starve yourself is alive an well in the bridal world ;)


Turkeys, Jen? Huh. LOL

Hi! I'm new here, have posted before but opened a new account and I'm starting over. I'm getting married in either October or January, but leaning towards October. My fiancee and I are getting healthy together and attempting to have fun doing it. :) I'm excited to be here and get the support of other girls in the same situation!

Hi Y’all. Sorry I have been MIA! I have a lot going on with work, and of course wedding planning, and just don’t have the time to cover all the little corners of the internet I like to frequent as much.

Lafayette – I’m so glad your wedding went so well! Sounds like the perfect day. :)

I haven’t lost any more weight, and I don’t care. I know how that must sound, but I’ve come to an understanding with my body and we get along just fine. I am always striving to eat better and I have fitness goals (I’ve run 2 five mile races this spring, plan to train for a half marathon over the next year), but if the scale doesn’t want to move that’s it’s own business I guess. I feel awesome and am happy with how I look (most days anyway) so I’m not really saying weight loss is specifically on my agenda for now.

I had my final dress fitting a couple weeks ago, it is so gorgeous. I am so happy I found that dress! Almost everything is taken care of at this point, just a couple little odds and ends to take care of this weekend. FMIL and some members of the wedding party arrive this Wed, bachorette party is Thurs, Fri night we’re having a small family get together at the hotel to celebrate Shabbat, Sat is rehearsal/dinner, and Sun is the big day! It really sneaks up, I’m telling ya.

I am excited, but there will be a big sigh of relief when this is over and we can get back to life as usual. :dizzy:

Hi everyone! I'm pretty new to 3FC, and I just stumbled into this thread.

My fiance proposed last summer on June 29th, and we're planning the wedding for next fall. Hopefully early September '09. I am hoping to be at goal by then as well. I am so new to this wedding stuff and I feel totally lost. But I just read this entire thread (...yeah) and it's been such a big help. Congrats to all of you!

So far, the only thing I have picked (I think) is the place. I don't have enough posts to include a link, but it's called the Jardin Del Sol in Snohomish, WA. I want to see it in person, but we're 99% sure this is the place.

Again, congratulations to all of you and I hope I get to know you a little better! :wave:

Way to go, Shan! So glad you've decided to break away from the pre-wedding diet trauma and just enjoy yourself. Can't wait to hear how it all turns out! Congrats!

Welcome everyone!

Since my last post is gone to the forum Gods, I would like to congratulate Shannon (Irishowl) again for her upcoming wedding!

Also, I have to gush for a moment about how excited I am!

I'm not big on favors, but decided that I wanted to add a special "Colorado" touch to the garden theme. I searched high and low for a Colorado company that would sell me little jars of CO honey without charging me a fortune and I found one! They sent me a free sample and they are darling! Also, the honey comes in several flavors like whipped cinnamon, strawberry champagne, wild chokecherry jam, raspberry whipped and regular old wildflower honey:drool:. They sent me "bumbleberry" which is a whipped mix of blueberry, raspberry and blackberry and OMG! It's delicious! And the jars are really simple little glass jars that you can have customized.

I think I'm on a sugar rush or something... But I just had to brag. www.honeyvillecolorado.om

Junebug41-- that is an adorable idea-- I love the idea of something 'local' as the favor. I'm getting married in September in the Cape Ann area of Massachusetts. At first I was thinking salt water taffy, but not everyone loves that as much as I do...

The honey idea is very cute for Colorado...

I'm so happy I found this thread!! I'm getting married at the end of august and i am really starting to feel the anxiety of having to look "perfect" on that day. Its so stressful. I would really like to lose about 7 lbs to be at the weight I was when I met my fiance. It doesn't sound like a lot, but I am short and every lb shows. I usually eat great for 3-4 days and then binge and gain in all back. Its a vicious cycle. I need to stick to it.
I'm so excited about getting married but this pressure I am putting on myself is insane...do others feel this way too? i kind of wish i just eloped.

clibrarian: I know a lot of people say they aren't wild about salt water taffy, but I think that would be a really great touch and incredibly appropriate for the setting :) Not to mention relatively inexpensive! My maid of honor lives in Boston and would LOVE to get married on the cape... if only the boyfriend would pop the question!

Mazda- congrats! I'm getting married on August 23rd, which was incredibly stupid on my part. The Democratic National Convention is the following week in Denver and all of my guests are flying in to DIA. Now, if DF would have asked when I was ready 2 years ago, none of this would have been an issue ;)

I am so with you on the vicious cycle. My problem is weekends. I'm ok with one offplan day, but I tend to stretch it from Friday night to Sunday night. No good.

And yes. I should have eloped.

Well I picked up my wedding dress last Friday and have only lost 2 lbs since buying it...well oddly enough its a whole size too big i think, especially in the top. Looks like i'll be finding someone to alter it for me! WOOHOO...something else to deal with.

I'm getting nervous. We have a lot to do and have 149 days left!!EEEEEK! I am ready to just scrap it and take my wedding dress and fiancee to Vegas. Lets go! (i just re read the previous posts about eloping...nice to know i'm not alone)

I have decided on calla lilies for flowers, and i'm working on cake this week. So, so so much to do!

I'm just as bad with the good day/bad day cycles. Oh well, at this point i'm just glad there are good days!!

Just checking in, making sure all the brides-to-be are still around...

We confirmed our officient today, which was huge relief. Really, I thought we were going to have to marry ourselves! We meet with the florist on Sunday and I'm dropping off my dress at the seamstress. And the wedding announcements are done.

Next up: sending out the invitations!

Where is everyone? Even if you've never posted, lurker brides-to-be, come out and say hello :)

Here's the pic we used:

I am happy to report, I am DOWN another 3.4 lbs today. I am so thrilled!

The wedding stuff is really coming together. To date: I have my dress (though I have first fitting on 8/24, to hack away inches from it!), tuxs picked out, event place booked, food picked out, gifts for bridesmaids, invitations (to be sent out in about 2 weeks), JP lined up, bar/alcohol set up, wedding cupcakes picked out, small honeymoon in ME booked.

To do: write vows, pick music (we're having a friend DJ with an iPod) pick out favors (I am thinking some chocolates in a box, who doesn't like chocolate?), rental for speakers, order wedding bands!

Man, its really coming together-- a few months ago, I was much more stressed, but I really feel like a lot of it is going, dare I say, 'Well'???

I know that the month before the wedding, there will be so much to do-- down to the wire stuff, like seating charts, numerous fittings, escort cards and other 'details' that probably aren't even on my radar right now...

Hi Everyone...I'm new here and thought I would post. I'm also planning a wedding and we're set to tie the knot on the 21st of February 2009. I wish everyone good luck on their journey!

Ok ladies I need some insight here. I will try to get to my point quickly.

I am getting married on October 12 - 3 short months. We are going to Hawaii for 2 weeks for our honeymoon which meant I had to buy new bathing suits - my old ones were way too big. I took the plunge and bought 2 bikinis. I tried wearing a bikini about 5 years ago (and it wasn't a pretty sight) and generally stay away from bathing suits. I don't go to any water in the summer and generally try to say inside because i burn very easily. So I had to buy new bathing suits for the honeymoon because I know we will be out on the beach. I really don't think I'm ready for a bikini - I am 5 feet, 135 pounds, and still have lots of loose flab and ugly veins and stretch marks, but with some encouraging from my fiancee I bought a couple of bikinis. I will most likely be covered by a shirt anyways under a umbrella because I don't like to sit directly in the sun, but nonetheless they are bikinis. I will also be buying a more supportive tankini for any water activities.

I guess my point is, does it seem ok to wear a bikini even though I know it won't be too pretty? It is really for my fiancee because he really thinks I should wear one and he says I look great in it. (His opinion of my body is much better than my own). I put on the bikini, and I see the flab on my stomach and think "wow I wouldn't want to look at that if I was someone else" but then I also like to think part of me doesn't care what other people think. I am trying to break out of my comfort zone clothing and fashion wise now that I've lost 53 pounds, and wearing a bikini is definitely out of my comfort zone. plus i'll only be in hawaii once so why not wear the 2 piece and go for it.

Do any of you have any opinions on this? I just want to see what other brides think. TIA

Hi NoVaVTFan,

I think you should go for it. I bet you look totally fine in the 2 piece. And you know what? I bet no one will be looking at you and thinking you don't look anything less than totally cute in it.

Its funny how our loved ones often see us as more beautiful then we do. I have to work on that too. Maybe wearing the 2 piece will help you to overcome that.

GO FOR IT. I bet he'll think you look fantastic. And I bet you really do look fantastic in it!

I am down another 2.2 lbs! Only 9 weeks to go to the wedding. I am hoping I come close to my goal of 165. I am feeling great! I just have to remain calm and keep on task and not sabotage myself! At least the 'official' vacations are over with this summer (in terms of going 'off plan').

Well, I'm no longer a bride to be, but thought I'd poke my head in anyway. I could have sworn I posted pix in here before but maybe the internet ate them? :o Guess I can re-post. Here's link to a slideshow of the photos the professional photographer took, and here's a couple snapshots taken by friends (sorry about the huge size!)

http://photos-g.ak.facebook.com/phot...73254_1729.jpg

http://photos-h.ak.facebook.com/phot...73255_2078.jpg

http://photos.l3.facebook.com/photos...89805_5244.jpg

http://photos-e.ak.facebook.com/phot...73244_8420.jpg

NoVaVTFan - I also say go for the bikini! Who cares what everyone thinks, go have fun and feel hot and sexy on your honeymoon. :D

clibrarian - Sounds like you've just about got everything under control! These last few weeks will probably keep you mad busy anyway, but you are definitly in the home stretch now. Just remember to breathe from time to time.

"Hello" to all the other b2b. :wave:

ETA: I forgot to mention we finally booked our honeymoon, we're going to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic in February. It'll be a real treat to go to a beach resort in the middle of WI winter!

shananigans-- you look GREAT! on your wedding day. It looks like you had a great sunny day too! We're planning on going on a more 'official' honeymoon in '09 too-- more vacation time then. Right after we get married, we're going to Monhegan Island off the coast of Maine for a few days. I can't wait!

Thanks for the words of encouragment. My goal is to get down into the 160s by the wedding-- which is on Sept 20th. Even if its 169. something, lady, I'd be over the moon about that. I think I can do it. I think it is a reasonable goal to loose 5 lbs in 7 weeks.

Clibrarian- Good luck in getting to your goal! I'm sure you will reach it!

We are in the winter honeymoon camp, too. We are taking a few days at a spa in the desert and then spending a couple of nights in Mesa Verde national park. Then in January, it's off to the islands!

3 weeks until the wedding and things have really picked up steam! I've been working out a lot and I'm on a pretty strict diet- I want to just enjoy myself that week without having to worry about my dress being too tight ;) I'm down to 138, but would like to be under 130. It's ambitious, so I won't be disappointed if it doesn't happen. I would rather just feel beautiful than freak about some silly number. mainly, I just want my arms to look good in my strapless dress!

It has been sooooo stressful the past few weeks with lots of drama. My MOH gained a lot of weight and now her dress won't zip :( and my mother has been a constant source of drama. I think everyone has realized that this wedding is going to happen our way whether they like it or not and they have calmed down. Our church made us do pre-marital counseling and it was so helpful. I had these crazy visions of that movie "License To Wed", but we got to choose who we went to and it was under our terms, thank God.

Hey everyone,

Just wanted to add, I am another bride to be for July 2009! We are destined to be married in Las Vegas which is our vacation destination for the past 6 yrs! Its not going to be the stereotype Vegas wedding either we are going all out. Its a fun city where we want all of our friends and family to remember this occasion for a life time.

Hello,
I'm doing a destination wedding, too, Venice Italy. It's coming up awfully quick now, and I've come to realize I won't be able to hit my goal by then (disappointing but not devastating).

Funny thing happened, the other day my planner sent me an email asking my fiance and I if we'd do a MTV casting call. Apparently the show True Lives is doing an episode on destination weddings, and they liked our profile. Considering I picked the destination wedding because I don't really like the whole center of attention thing, I don't think we're going to do it.

Anyways, happy planning!

I'm down another 3.4 lbs today! Maybe next week, I can be in the 160s! Wedding is 5 weeks away! HOORAY!

Woohoo! Keep up the good work clibrarian :cp:

I'm off to my hometown for my WEDDING this weekend! Woo hoo!

I will report back with pics. I'm SO excited and it looks like we may pull this thing off ;)

Hi guys! Thought I'd pop in and see how everyone is doing! At the end of September, we'll be married six months... Oh, and, since we're counting, I've gained 10 pounds. Yikes!

Shan- awesome pictures- what a beautiful day and a beautiful bride!

Jen- Good luck!

Everyone- married life rocks!

Hi everyone!

I am now married- woo hoo! The wedding was overall fabulous. I as super stressed and exhausted up until I started getting ready and then I was calm and happy. I tried hard to realize that something would go wrong and to just let go it sure did, but it didn't matter. It was a beautiful, sunny, perfectly imperfect day. My snafus:

*I twisted my ankle the night before! I couldn't walk at all and just iced and wrapped it. I had to forgo the heels I was going to wear and instead wore white isotoner slippers. This meant that my dress was too long and I really had to focus on not falling on my face ;) It felt better the more I danced, though!

*Moments before I walked down the aisle, I noticed a pollen stain on my dress. But hey, it was orange, which was one of my colors ;) By then, someone could have splattered paint on me and I wouldn't have cared.

Here's our first pics off a friend's camera. Can't wait to post more!

Junebug!!!! you look so beautiful!!!! HOORAY!!!! Congratulations! What a great perfect day. You really lucked out weather wise--

You look so tiny and fabulous.

What gorgeous pictures junebug! You are both just radiating happiness. :D I found that by the time the day arrived anything could have happened and I would have happily carried on without a care, it really is all the planning and pre-wedding stuff that's stressful. Hope your ankle is all better, and thanks for sharing.

Junebug you look wonderful, great pics! Where did you go on your honeymoon?

Hey girls - can i join in for awhile??? My "Fiance" and I (just officially proposed last weekend) set our date - October 4th, 2008... yes 5 weeks away!!! I'd really LOVE to lose #10 by then - so that I can be in the #170's when I get married! I'm going to have to push like never before! I've been stuck between #189 and #186 for over a MONTH! But I know most of it is slacking off, and not eating well - and not exercising regularly.

As for the wedding - we're have literally max of 10 people at the ceremony:
Preist, Us, my DD, My mom, step-dad, dad, step-mom, sister, neice, BFF, His mom and sister... and that's it. Then we're going to have a bigger reception. We're doing it in Joe's mom's backyard, and we're wearing jeans. I'm not a girly girl - and more then likely the only one that'll be in a dress is going to be my daughter because she IS a COMPLETE girly girl! (who'd have thought that'd happen. :))

Ok - that's all for me for now... I'll check in and post. I'm going to go back through and see how everyone else here is doing too.

:D :love: :val2: :D

Well, the wedding is 9 days away-- and today I weighed in at:
168.8-- HOORAY-- I am in the last 'decade' and less than 4 lbs away from goal!!! I am so happy. I have worked so hard. Maybe I'll lose another pound in a week, or not-- I think 3.8 lbs away from my goal is pretty darn good!