I'll use my time at the front desk wisely: I'll work on making my wedding invites and write my TweetMyWedding blog

The wedding invite debate has been raging.  Mainly just in my head, but Simon has had some say at least.  I kept waffling back and forth between these Etsy invites:

…and these Vistaprint invites:

 

Yes, those are Maple leaves, NOT pot leaves, but apparently they look far too similar to risk putting on my invites.  Way too many people made that comment, so I gave up.  They were so PRETTY though, and in my exact wedding colors!

 

The Etsy ones are beautiful, but somewhat expensive.  I’ve been making a wedding budget on WeddingWire.com and while we have plenty to spend, I’m trying to keep it under a certain amount because, after all, it IS only one day.  I’m going to cut back on my wedding ring cost (I seriously don’t need something as elaborate as my engagement ring) and invitations is another way I can save.  Simon suggested early on making them ourselves, and it’s starting to look like a good idea.  I can customize them exactly how I’d like, make exactly as many as I need (and print more if necessary), and of course, save money.

 

I’m no artist, so I’ve been looking for some pictures online to use on them.  There are many nice ones for only $25 or $30, which I think is reasonable.  This one’s free:

http://www.genctel.com/wallpaper/autumn-season_w2298.html

Some nice, paid ones I found are:

http://www.fotosearch.com/UNC245/u29662869/

http://www.fotosearch.com/UNC243/u25277140/

http://www.featurepics.com/online/Vector-Autumn-Tree-Design-Illustrations397337.aspx

http://www.clipartguide.com/_pages/1386-0809-1911-3918.html

http://www.acclaimimages.com/_gallery/_pages/0100-0608-2315-0803.html

 

So there are lots of options out there.  I’m only going to need about 60 invitations and response cards, so I can handle this myself, right?  Right???

Cooking for the future in-laws again, wish me luck

Once again, I am playing hostess. Thanksgiving went great, and I’m up for the task of Christmas dinner now. Simon’s mother had hip replacement surgery lately, so she can’t stand in the kitchen for very long. I volunteered, and I think she’s enjoying the new arrangement. ;)

I’ve definitely been surprised at how well I get along with Simon’s family, and especially his mother. She has no daughters, and my mother passed away, so she’s taken me under her wing as her own and we’ve grown very close. We’re both into the metaphysical, gems, and Reiki. We both love animals, especially cats. We both have a sister that’s a lesbian, lol. And we both love Simon, which is most important of all.

I love knowing she truly approves of me. You hear horror stories about future MILs being awful to the bride, deeming her unworthy of her son. Or the overbearing, controlling ones, who criticize how the bride cooks or keeps house. I’ve never heard a complaint from Barbara, and she even called after Thanksgiving to tell us how much she enjoyed it. She doesn’t bug us with daily phone calls; in fact, we’ve had to assure her it’s okay if she wants to call us more often!

When I was with my ex-boyfriend and we were loosely planning on getting married (thank goodness we didn’t!), I had a very different relationship with his mother. It started out okay, but she was very needy with his time (his parents are divorced) and would constantly harp on him to come over and do things for her. When my mother died, she left us alone for maybe two days before she was harping on him to push me to send out thank-you cards! Right after the funeral! He put his foot down, she started a fight, I emailed her to explain I needed him to myself for a little while after my loss, and everything just exploded. She stopped speaking to us, then sued him for the money she had loaned him to finish college. It was a nightmare. She called me a b!tch to my face in the courtroom lobby. She was a horrid, horrid woman.

So after that experience, you can imagine how nervous I was to meet Simon’s mother! But in the two years I’ve known her now, things have only gotten better. I look forward to being a part of her family. If you ask her, I’m part of their family already!

Super weird wedding dream last night

Apparently stressing about my wedding when awake isn’t enough, I have to stress about it in my dreams too. I woke up very confused and upset after this one:

I was getting ready for my wedding and my mom was there (she had not died in my dream). She was eating something and managed to get mustard all down her front, then brushed against me and got it on the white outfit I was wearing for the wedding. For some reason I was not wearing a gown for the wedding in my dream. I was really upset and decided to walk home to change. Simon (my fiancé) went with me, and in my dream I lived in the house I used to live in with my mother and sister.

I noticed he was wearing jeans and sneakers and got mad at him for wearing them for the wedding. He said I had told him it was casual and that he could wear anything he wanted. I responded that I thought he'd at least dress up a little. We got to my (old) house and I began looking for a dress in my closet. Simon tried offering opinions but I couldn't decide on anything. The hours flew by and eventually I was 5 hours late for my wedding. Nothing seemed to be going right.

Now I've had lots of dreams like this, which I suppose is normal. I'm worried about things going wrong with the wedding since I'm mainly planning it all myself, and my dreams make the worst possible scenarios come to life. I don't have any flowers, I'm late, I have no outfit, etc. This all despite the fact that I have finished most of these things already. This is the first one with my mother in it. I miss her terribly and it makes me so sad that she's not alive to see me get married. In this dream, I was super frustrated with her clumsiness, which often happened while she was alive. She was always too slow, too stupid, too clumsy for me, and I was very hard on her for it. Luckily I started treating her much better towards the end of her life, but I still of course feel a lot of guilt.

Dreams like this, no matter how unlikely, stress me out even more. I can just imagine running late that day, the limo not showing up, some item missing in action. It will happen, I’m sure. What I’m not sure about is whether I’ll be able to keep my cool when it does. I know the advice; you can’t control everything, just go with the flow, what seems like a big deal at the time will mean nothing later. I mean, when I was a bridesmaid and we were getting the bride ready, we were all 45 min. late! And the world didn’t end!

I don’t trust myself not to freak out. I need someone to be my anti-freak-out captain. Probably either of my two bridesmaids. My sister, Maid of Honor, gets stressed as easily as I do, so the bridesmaids, both moms of young children and QUEENS of “going with the flow,” are my best choices.

Deep breaths…

We looked at wedding rings tonight.

The jewelry store we got my engagement ring at, Barmakian’s, had a huge party and sale the other night. I got an email about it and it sounded like a great time, so I RSVP’d. There was free food, raffles, silent auctions, and 10% off all diamonds. And of course, it was CROWDED.

I sort of had an idea of what I wanted for a wedding ring. Something like this bottom one:

..to complement my engagement ring:

Of course, when I actually tried it on, it totally didn’t fit with my ring. The middle diamond on my ring is too big for that wedding ring to rest against it. I tried on a bunch of similar styles, and none of them worked.

Well, boo. L Simon asked about custom rings, and yes, they do them, so that’s an option. Maybe something thinner and curved in the middle to accommodate the center diamond on my ring, which can be tacked together after the wedding.

This is definitely something I haven’t looked into a lot yet, which is surprising. I’m usually pretty good at picking out jewelry. I picked out my engagement ring, which I will potentially wear for the rest of my life, in less than an hour, yet the dress I will wear for one single day has me baffled.

Simon’s ring will be a little easier. Since I bought him this tungsten engagement ring:

…he just plans on getting a simple tungsten wedding band, because the material is so great and never scratches. He’ll most likely be picking one out from Tungsten World as they have great rings, reasonable prices, and free engraving (it’s really hard to find someone that will engrave tungsten rings). As nice as Barmakian’s is, they don’t even carry tungsten.

So that’s another thing to tackle. What is it, 10 months left now? =/

Inspiration board

I did something very bridey today and created a wedding inspiration board.  I've seen lots of people post them online and I've been meaning to put one together.  I realized in afterthought that I didn't include flowers and things like that, but it still gives a general idea.  It includes my new love for lace dresses, and some 50s-inspired makeup and hair.  Thoughts?

Yep, still wedding dress shopping, even tho I own 2 gowns already

Have I mentioned I can't decide on a wedding dress? Have I blogged too much about dresses yet? =P

Before last week's blog was even posted, I decided against that gorgeous gown, if only because it's just too darn fancy for my simple afternoon wedding. It was back to the drawing board, because I'm just not happy with the David's Bridal dress.

I was browsing LilyWedding.com and came across this for only $288:

I realized I hadn't really considered a lace dress, which suddenly struck me as a grave oversight because I love lace. Duh! I wasn't totally psyched with the style, as I prefer a sweetheart neckline and the bow is a bit much. I bugged their customer service with yet another email, and they confirmed it could be made with a sweetheart neckline and no sash for no extra charge. That would make it look a little more like this dress:

But for far less money (that one is $650 on eBay). I can get it in all white with no train (which I like the idea of, much easier to move in), and add my own sash to match my bridesmaids if I'd like. It's not poofy, there's no petticoat underneath, and it just looks more comfortable in general.

More importantly, it's a classic, romantic style. I'm much less likely to look at that in 20 years and have an “Oh gods what was I THINKING???” moment. It's simple and not too fancy. The heavier weight lace is appropriate for fall. I am totally in love with the idea of that dress.

Right now.

I do realize with my fickle past that I may change my mind. I'm holding off on ordering any more dresses at the moment. In a few months, if I still want it, I'll place my order. I still have plenty of time. But right now, THAT is the dress I want. =) Wish me luck on not changing my mind again!

I'm having a wedding meltdown. Not sure if I want the colors or gowns that I picked any more!!!

You would think, with me getting married and all, that I’d be able to commit. Unfortunately, I am deathly afraid of committing…to a dress. To all of the dresses in my wedding really.

Now, I know I’ve probably blogged more about dresses than any other topic so far. That is because I am driving myself INSANE with indecision. I already own two wedding dresses, and I’m contemplating a third. I almost started looking at new bridesmaids’ dresses, but one my ladies talked me out of it. Still, nothing is set in stone, and that’s giving me free reign to change my mind a million times.

First, I bought this gown:

…for $160 on eBay. I didn’t fall in love with it when I put it on. I went back to David’s Bridal, as you all heard, and tried on many more dresses. That was when I and everyone else fell in love with this one:

It made me look about two sizes skinnier, had just the right amount of color, was different without being weird. Amazingly, I found it new on eBay for $200. It is still in a box in my dining room.

It seemed to go great with my bridesmaids’ dresses:

Still, I wasn’t happy. I continued to look, despite other brides’ warnings to just let it be. I obsessed over the fact that countless people were telling me how many brides they had seen in that dress. It was all over eBay too…it seems THOUSANDS of brides have worn this dress. It bugs me to no end, irrational as that may seem. Then, I fell in love with THIS:

It’s also available in white with silver instead of black. It…is…GORGEOUS. And different! And elegant! It’s everything I want, and a knock-off company will make it for $179 (I don’t care about the brand name).

I started questioning my color choices. I originally chose dark red and gold because they’re Simon’s and my birthstone colors (garnet and topaz). Together on a dress, the colors were too bright, so I chose brown for the bridesmaids’ dress color, with a red sash for the MoH and gold sashes for the other two BMs. Then, when I chose a wedding gown with red, I decided the gold would look out of place and changed all of the sashes to red. Now, I wonder if I even want brown and red. Yes, they’re fall-like, but they’re hardly my favorite colors. I’ve read on The Knot how your fall colors can include dark blue or purple. I contemplated a classy black gown for the BMs and played with different color sashes.

My cousin then informed me that black doesn’t work well for an afternoon wedding, which is also fairly casual in my case. She insists the brown and red is great, classy, and different, which is what I want. Black would be too fancy.

I really can’t decide. I don’t want them all in red, I think it would look awful on the blondes. I’m not sure which gown I want for myself yet, and I’m going to wait on buying any more and give myself a few months to really decide if I can live with the white and red DB gown I bought. I need to buy the BM dresses before they stop making them, but I have a feeling the unauthorized site that’s selling them so cheap won’t get rid of them any time soon.

I just…can’t…COMMIT. And I’m driving myself, and everyone around me, nuts.

All I really care about is that I’m marrying the love of my life. But I want us all to look perfect while we do that! I just want perfection; is that too much to ask?

Upside of tonight, may have found a makeup and hair lady for the wedding

I love serendipity. I was waiting for my self-defense class to start, and my sensei was asking about my upcoming wedding. A woman waiting for her daughter to finish her class overheard and offered her hair and makeup services. She'll come to my home (which is in the same town as her) or the wedding site. She doesn't work for a salon, so she costs a lot less. She gave me her business card and offered a trial whenever I'd like.

So excited! That's one thing I really hadn't researched yet, and it sort of fell in my lap. I was thinking on-site, but we only have two hours at the location before the wedding and I want to do pictures then, so maybe it would be better if she just came to my house and did it there. She also offers facials, which I need to help clear up my horrible acne before the big day. Whatever isn't perfect by then can be covered up with her cosmetic expertise.

I may have hit a standstill in the wedding planning, but there are so many little things I keep realizing still need to be done. Transportation, makeup, hair, cake...okay, that's pretty much all I haven't planned for sure yet. And I do have 11 months left. But I know it's all going to sneak up on me! There are many things left that I have picked out, but haven't ordered yet, because I don't want it all sitting around the house for almost a year; invitations, programs, centerpieces, silk flower bouquets and boutonnieres, ceremony décor, bridesmaids' dresses and shoes, jewelry for myself and the bridesmaids, etc. etc. etc.

I can only look at so many different designs and such before making up my mind and leaving it there. I refuse to keep going back over these things lest I change my mind. Or at least, I try not to, as I almost changed my bridesmaids' dress on them, before they talked me out of it. I like having everything neat and wrapped up. My gown is on the way. My shoes are in my closet. Now I just need to calm down and wait for the rest of it to happen...and I hate waiting!

New hair!

http://twitpic.com/ozlhr

Now, my new hair-cut may not seem wedding-related, but it’s the first step in a series of self-improvement beauty techniques I’m employing over the next year.

I’m determined to get my hair all grown out and back to its natural color, which is some sort of dark brown. I dyed my hair black, then got blonde tips. The tips were easy enough to cut off, but the black dye may take a while. It was “temporary” hair color, but black is never temp. Luckily my hair is dark enough that my roots don’t look god-awful, but it needs to be ALL GONE by next October.

See, I’m giving myself to a stylist. I’m finding someone good, and saying to them, “Make me look pretty.” Whatever they think will look best, shy of man-haircuts and pink dye, is what they may do. Layers, highlights, whatever.

I like having long hair, it’s fun most of the time. But long hair is not flattering on short, chubby girls. I had it cut just below my shoulders, and it’s taking some getting used to. Washing and brushing are a breeze now though! I’m growing out the bangs too in case the stylist decides against them.

I’m also taking vitamins for hair, skin, and nail health. I may get facials leading up to the wedding, and possibly a chemical peel a few months prior. I have horrible acne and I just know I’m going to have a break-out the day of the wedding.

Now for my next tweet…

@CelestialAxis: OMG OMG our best man may be gifting us a free week at a resort he's a member of. He gets points and he said we can have it for our h-moon!

Yes, that’s right. Our amazing best man is giving us some of his rewards points, which will cover about 40% of the cost of a week’s stay at Palace Resorts. We chose the one in Cancun. CANCUN!!! Basically we’ll end up paying close to what we had originally budgeted, but now at a MUCH nicer place.

We decided on Sun Palace, which is couples only. Check this place out.

Jacuzzi in every room. Swim-up bar. White sand beaches. Um, can I get married now so we can go???

So that’s all my exciting news for the week. ;)

Wedding dresses! Now limited to the only three I'm considering

http://bit.ly/2ICopg

I know, I know, I still have 11 months till my wedding. But getting the dress is the funnest part of wedding planning, and I just can't wait. I have my bridesmaids' dresses picked out, and wanted to finalize my gown before I order theirs, just to make sure the colors match. To ensure their dress doesn't get discontinued before I buy it, I want to order them by the end of the year. Thus my wedding dress frenzy.

I have changed my mind about what dress I want so many times it's not even funny. I even bought one recently on eBay for $125, thinking it was my dream dress, until I tried it on and it didn't do much for me. It was okay, like every other dress I tried on. I was sure I would never find “the dress” or have that moment of absolute certainty. Every dress I thought I wanted, I ended up changing my mind about after sleeping on it. I spent an hour and a half in David's Bridal one day last month with my cousin, then this past Sunday, another two hours with other family members.

That was when I finally found it.

I went in with a list this time; I printed out a picture and the model number for nine different dresses. I handed them to Cindy and she gathered what she could find. Not all of them were available in Plus Size in the store, but I wound up trying on about six or so dresses. Some were immediately shot down, if only because others had looked better on me. We loved one, kind of loved another, hated the one I had loved last time...and then I tried IT on. I had picked it for the hell of it; it had a lot of color, and I was curious as to how it would look on me. I didn't think anyone else would like it. When I walked out of the dressing room, my aunt's, cousin's, sister's, and a few strangers' jaws dropped in unison. I seriously heard a collective gasp. I had found it.

I wasn't even convinced at first. I, who had wanted color on my dress so badly, almost thought it had too much. The dress can be special-ordered in all white, and I tried on a similar dress, but the effect just wasn't the same. Finally, my cousin asked me, “What do you want people to say when you walk down the aisle? 'Wow, that's different!” or 'Wow, she looks nice'?” That helped me a lot. I wanted to look different. Bridal, but not 100% traditional. I decided I loved the dress, after trying it on two more times.

So now I have to re-sell the dress I already bought, oh well. I'm not willing to pay full price for the dress I want (I just can't do it! I'm too much my mother's daughter), and I lost the auction for the only version of it I could find on eBay. But I know David's has sales practically once a month, so I'll try back between Thanksgiving and Christmas when they're desperate for sales. I am NOT getting it altered there. I do love it though, and I am SO glad I went back and tried on more! It is so flattering on me, I can't believe I might have never known how perfect it is.

So I did it. I found “the dress!” And I still love it, days later!

This is why we can't have kids yet: Our idea of an awesome Sunday is taking off on the motorcycle

This past Sunday reminded me once again why I am marrying this man. Not that I ever really forget, but days like this just reinforce our love.

We woke up Sunday morning (LATE Sunday morning) to a gorgeous day after a rainy Saturday. At once we knew we needed to get out on the motorcycle, as days like this are rare now, and will only get colder. We geared up, packed up our cameras (Canon Digital Rebels), I hopped on the back of his bike, and we took off north to go get breakfast. After some yummy pumpkin pancakes, we headed west to Central Mass. where we heard there were good orchards. We ended up at Doe Orchard in Harvard, and wandered around taking pictures, holding hands, and kissing under apple trees.

It was the perfect October day, reminding us that this is what it will feel like outside when we get married in a year. This is why we love fall, and why we’re having our wedding in this season. The smell of apples, the colors of the leaves…we love everything about it.

We continued on to a beautiful cemetery to take more pictures. It may sound morbid, but the leaves were gorgeous and the area was just so picturesque. We got silly and took some pictures of each other taking pictures. Look how handsome he is in his motorcycle leathers!

We’re not your typical engaged couple in many ways. We started living together after dating for only 8 months, we got engaged before we’d even dated 2 years. We’re in no rush to have kids and plan on adopting a toddler girl someday, maybe five or more years from now, even though we’re not very young (27 and 33 right now); I really have no desire to experience pregnancy and he’s totally fine with that. We’re enjoying being selfish with each other, and we’re not ready to give that up yet. We like taking off spontaneously, sleeping in, spending a rainy day in our PJs playing video games, and having a bunch of guys over to play D&D. Then again, maybe that’s why he loves me so much. ;)

I am no longer allowed to use Twitter at work

I have no tweet to base my blog post off today. That is because I am no longer allowed to use Twitter at work.

To be fair, I was never really “allowed” to use it. “Social networking” sites are prohibited. I work for a large, 800+ person concierge company, and we work with a lot of credit card information. We are not allowed to use cell phones, iPods, etc. at our desks, or blog or IM or Twitter or Facebook or pretty much anything. Since I work in Purchasing and have to be online all day to make purchases, it’s been pretty easy for me to skirt the Internet restrictions. Business is very slow right now, and I am BORED. I do my job, quickly and well, often going above and beyond my required duties.

Then, on Tuesday, I got “the talk” from my boss about my “Internet usage,” Twitter in particular. Now, I like her, she’s nice, and I could tell it was a command from her superiors that she had to carry out. But, COME ON. The rules are there to prevent stupid people from downloading viruses and goofing off instead of working. I’m not one of those people. Rules are rules though, and I am now Twitter-less from 9 to 5.

The tweet I was going to blog about had to do with all the friends I’ve made through Twitter, brides in particular. I have a Twitter friend in North Carolina now, @msrib [www.twitter.com/msrib], that’s getting married the day after me. She and I have been having great chats with @TheNearlywed [www.twitter.com/thenearlywed]. Then there’s @bobbiealice [www.twitter.com/bobbiealice] who won @BrokeAssBride’s [www.twitter.com/brokeassbride] couture wedding gown give-away, and I couldn’t be happier for her. Twitter makes me feel connected to a whole new community, and as someone who does not have a lot of female friends “in real life,” it gives me camaraderie I rarely experience elsewhere.

Now, my days are lonely and quiet. I can’t post endless links to dresses I’m looking at and vent about my family’s involvement in my wedding. I know I can do it at home after work, but I have other things to take care of then, and only post a couple of tweets. Basically, I’m miserable, and this may be my last straw here. They have no more work for me to do, but refuse to let me entertain myself in other ways. It’s a boring, dead-end job, and I really can’t see myself here much longer. I want to do so many other things. I can’t say much else, but this bride may be hitting the road if she gets her way.

Everything went great, I didn't need an appointment, and I think I found my dress!

It finally happened…I tried on wedding gowns!

See, this is sort of epic for me. At first, I was dead-set against going to a store and trying dresses on. I hate going shopping and trying things on. I buy everything online. I had planned all along to get my gown from Lily Wedding one way or another, as they custom-make the dress to your size. But my cousin Darcy talked some reason into me, and I relented. I realized I really did need to try them on to see what looked best on my figure.

At first, I was convinced I would want to wear short-sleeves to cover my flabby arms. I then found out that doing that only draws more attention to them. I wasn’t into the idea of a halter, though my similarly-figured cousin Darcy wore one and looked great. I also didn’t want strapless, convinced I’d be tugging at it all night long.

Well, color me wrong. I changed my mind about everything once I tried some on. We went to David’s Bridal in Danvers, MA last Sunday, me still in the mindset of only trying them on and dead against buying one there. It ended up being a much more pleasant experience than I imagined it would be. I was first made nervous by all the girls walking in with appointments (it was a weekend after all) and I felt like a complete noob (gamer-speak for “newbie”). But they took my info and Cindy took me over. Darcy had her baby with her, so I didn’t expect her to be able to help much, but Cindy was an angel of taffeta, whisking me in and out of dresses, supplying everything I needed.

I tried on six dresses in an hour and a half, and ended up really liking two of them. I discovered halters look great, and strapless is a close second, staying in place much better than I expected. I discovered beads and sequins chafe my arms something horrible, so anything with them was disqualified. I also discovered that ruching in the waist area is a total tummy-hider, and an absolute must for my dress.

Super excited, I immediately posted pics for the ladies to weigh in on. I forbade Simon from looking at them, finally realizing I wanted him to see me in the dress for the first time on our wedding day (I later gave in and let him see pics of dresses without me in them, as I do want his opinion). Responses poured in, and NO ONE liked my favorite dress! It turned out the pics just didn’t do it justice, and it looked nothing like it had in person, which was super flattering. I really shouldn’t have even given them the option to weigh in on the dresses I wouldn’t ever wear, but hindsight is 20/20.

So here I am, lost and confused, and second-guessing everything. Darcy had me convinced it would be best to get my dress at David’s Bridal like she did, so they could take care of alterations and pressing and I could concentrate on other things. When I got to work on Monday, my co-workers warned me against the evil marked-up alterations there, one stating they quoted her over $100 for something she had another seamstress do for $30. (I love having recently married co-workers!) At 4’11” and with a very, um, “voluptuous” figure, anything I get off the rack is going to need to be tailored quite a bit.

I also continued looking at my “favorite” dress, which Simon had seen and approved of, and eventually found it boring. Plain white halter, the only embellishment being some ruching and gathers. I was over it already, and went back to searching Lily Wedding. This time, I had some direction. I knew I wanted color, and I knew what styles would work for me. That was when…I found THIS:

Ruching? Check. Color? Check. Flattering neckline? Check. I emailed customer service to see if they could do a few things: make the embroidery a darker red, eliminate any beads and sequins, and possibly switch it from strapless to halter. This is why I love them: they can do all three, for no extra charge. I had that answer in less than a day (and they’re based in China!). If I get it, I may keep it as strapless, I haven’t decided yet.

So I found a similar dress with red flowers on the David’s Bridal website, along with two others I’d like to try on. I’ll be going back next month with a few family members who couldn’t make it last time. After that, however, if I’m not in love with anything there, I will get something from Lily Wedding. I won’t need as many alterations when they custom-make it for me. If I have to be responsible for getting it pressed and tailored, so be it. It’s not worth a few extra HUNDRED dollars just for the convenience. I may not be a fan yet, and they did pleasantly surprise me, but I really can’t see myself getting a dress from DB. Call me a snob, but I want something made JUST for me. ;)

See my gown photo album.

Minus 1-year anniversary

Today has been a good day so far.  I found out I'm still getting a raise this year.  There was pumpkin spice coffee in the break room.  But most of all...today is one year until our wedding.

I call it our "minus 1-year anniversary."  I left a note in Simon's car this morning to commemorate it:

"One year from today...I will be your wife.  And nothing could make me happier.  Love, Squeebee."

I know, cheesey, but heartfelt!  And to continue the cheesiness, here are some of the reasons why I want to be Mrs. Simon Nelson:

• He makes me laugh at all the right times.
• He takes care of me when I'm sick, and stays up with me when I'm too sick to sleep.
• He does WAY more than his share of the housework (which I need to fix,  I know).
• He loves animals almost as much as I do.
• He gives the BEST hugs and kisses.
• He rides a motorcycle...and lets me tag along!
• He's perfectly okay with us occassionally spending an entire day playing WoW and not leaving the house.
• He's dead sexy (but don't tell him I said it, he'll get embarassed!).
• His arms are the safest place in the world.
• He is a total gentleman.
• His smile makes my day.
• I never get sick of him.
• We almost never fight.
• He goes to bed early with me even when he's not tired, just so I don't have to fall asleep alone.
• He encourages me to better myself, and never berates me when I fail.
• He always picks me up when I fall.
• He's still fascinated by how little I am, and thinks it's SO cute.
• He lifts heavy things for me.  And gets stuff off the top shelf.
• He likes my cooking.
• He fixes stuff.
• He thinks I'm beautiful just the way I am, but still notices when I dress up and wear makeup.
• He agrees with my political rants.
• I can talk about anything with him.  Even embarassing stuff.
• He does cute things like sending me flowers and other surprises.

But most of all...

He actually wants to marry ME!

There are many more reasons, some I can't think of right now, some that are a little too personal, but all I can say is that in one year, I will be marrying the love of my life.  It doesn't get much better than that!

More dress drama

Okay, not drama really, but I go back and forth so much it's ridiculous.

So Darcy and I are going to David's Bridal this Sunday, which should finally help me clear up what looks best on me.  In the meantime, I'm still looking, of course, and came back to a dress on Lily Wedding that I loved when I first started looking at the site.  This dress is shown in white and navy:

They give the option to get it in ivory, which I want, but navy obviously doesn't fit our color scheme, so I was curious as to whether they can change that as well.  In typical Lily Wedding fashion, of course they can!  I was psyched to hear that.

So here's the question...with these as our bridesmaids' dresses:

 ...which color should I get the panel and trim in if I get that wedding gown above?  Latte, claret, or gold?

I feel like if I get claret or gold, the other color will look out of place on the bridesmaids.  However, I'm not sure dark brown is very appropriate for a bridal gown accent (I don't hate the idea though).

Just curious on opinions.  I've liked that dress for so long, makes me wonder if I'll end up getting it.  It's only $278 too.  =)

Update: My bridal buddy @msrib showed me this dress on David's Bridal that's similar so I could preview the color combos:

I'd still obviously want the main part to be ivory, and the colors above are only approximate, but I think I kind of like the brown!  Very elegant and different.

Friday is one year till my wedding!

When Simon first proposed on May 7 of this year, I was ready for a long engagement. I wanted to do everything right, take my time, and make sure we still wanted to do this. We had dated for less than two years before he proposed, and while I had known for months that I wanted to marry him, I hadn’t expected him to realize the same so soon. We love fall, and this fall was “too soon.” So we set the date for October 2010.

I don’t regret it, but the waiting is killing me! Friday Oct. 9 marks one year until our wedding. I’ve booked the venue/caterer, photographer, videographer, and lighting. My bridesmaids and I have picked out their dress. Simon and I are pretty sure we know which bakery is making our cake. I’m going dress shopping this Sunday. I have all the accessories and shoes picked out for my girls and me. I have written the ceremony, and I’m asking my possible officiant soon if she’ll do us the honor. I’ve picked out my décor and flowers and planned how to put them together. I’ve ordered all our stationery except the invitations and programs, which I’ll probably get from Etsy, and we’ve mailed the engagement announcements.

I have practically nothing left!!!

I know I won’t feel the same in a few months. As it gets closer, there will be more and more things to do. But I feel like, at this one year mark, I’ve already done everything I can do ahead of time, and can do nothing that needs to be done later! We’re not ordering dresses till December (even that is early, but I want to get the styles we picked before the new year and new styles come out). The save-the-dates will be sent in April. The food will be taste-tested within a few months of the wedding. Shouldn’t order the rings yet. Simon’s trying to lose weight, so we don’t want to buy his suit for a while.

I spend hours at work browsing wedding websites and talking about weddings on Twitter. I exchange links to dresses with friends on Facebook (I’m 27, EVERYONE I know is getting married!). I gaze at the dress I want and ask people’s opinions on my choices over and over and over. But there’s nothing else I can actually do for the wedding right now. That makes me ridiculously sad. Why do I have the wedding blues…ALREADY?

Engagement announcements, check!

Finally done with engagement announcements.  We bought labels yesterday for the addresses, and I stuffed and sealed the envelopes while Simon printed labels.  We were only short two addresses, one of which I got today, so we're not officially done, but just about!  Simon brought the 52 finished ones to the post office today.

I'm especially excited since I printed our website address on them, so more people can get wedding details.  And the website links to this blog!

I also set up an engagement announcement to print in the Boston Globe on Sunday, Nov. 1.  Need to remember to buy a few copies of that.  ;)  I want to start a scrapbook now that I have these things to put in it!  If I wait till after the wedding, it'll never get done.

So, one more thing is out of the way.  I need to mail contracts to our videographer and lighting designer.  Oh, and I'm going wedding dress shopping with my cousin Darcy on Sunday!  Could not be more excited.  I have a special little favor to ask of her that day.  ;)  Details later!

Vistaprint wedding stationery

I love VistaPrint . I’ve bought address labels, pens, magnets, stamps, and more from them in the past. They are always the cheapest personalized stationery out there. When it came time to order things for my wedding, I knew I’d be getting most of my stuff from them. I drew the line at invitations and programs, which I want to be a bit nicer, but everything else was coming from them.

So I started with engagement announcements; post-cards with two of our professional engagement photos on them, announcing our engagement and our new address. Got 70 of those, as I have about 55-60 addresses on our guest list.

Then I need save-the-dates: 2010 calendar magnets with the basic wedding details and our website address, and the wedding date circled. 70 of those as well.

At the wedding, we’ll need favors! We’re making a donation to the American Cancer Society in memory of my mother and Simon’s grandmother, and they send you pretty notices to give everyone to explain this. I decided to also give pens with those, so at least people walk away with something they can use. Ordered 75 pens.

Also at the wedding, we’re doing “guest wishes” cards instead of a guest book. Guests can write a sentiment on a notecard and place it in a vase, and I will put them in a scrapbook later amongst our photos. Ordered 100 of those.

After the wedding, we need to send wedding announcements to the people we couldn’t invite, especially extended members of my huge family. 50 of those should do the trick. They look like the engagement announcement because these people won’t have gotten one of those.

And last but not least, thank you cards! Let me tell you how fun it felt to have these printed up with my married name. ;) Ordered 75 of those I think.

Total for all of this, INCLUDING nice ivory envelopes with our return address pre-printed? Less than $450. If you go to www.vistaprint.com/twitter, you automatically save 25%. Plus we got it during a free express shipping promotion and got everything in a week. I squealed when I opened the box, I was so excited!

You can also follow them at @Vistaprint and @VistaprintDeals on Twitter for announcements and sales.

Of course, I’ve now had everything for another week and still haven’t addressed and sent out the engagement announcements. I guess I should get on that, huh?

No more weddings

I was hoping for more opportunities to see other people’s weddings during my engagement. Unfortunately, my cousin Aaron’s wedding last Saturday was the only one, unless someone gets engaged NOW and married in less than a year! Possible, but not probable.

During the entire wedding, I compared theirs to what I have planned for mine. It was too different to even try though. Their ceremony was by the water, behind Scituate Lighthouse.

 

She wore a pretty, but plain, gown and had only two attendants on each side. The bridesmaids wore tea length, sleeveless, navy blue dresses. The bride’s hair was in a simple half-pony with a veil on a comb, which kept trying to fly away in the sea breeze.

Nothing like what I’m planning.

The reception was under a tent in the bride’s back yard. Children were all invited.

 

(Why yes, I do have the cutest nieces ever!)

There was an open bar with various alcohols and a signature drink, the Pratt-a-rita (cranberry juice, grapefruit juice, sour mix, and tequila, yum!). Dinner was a barbeque buffet prepared in advance by the groom, a chef and restaurant owner. There was a DJ and dancing, which Simon and I left directly after cake to avoid. We hate dancing.

Again, nothing like my wedding plans.

There was nothing similar enough to draw any ideas from, and most of the different things were stuff I would never do. All it did was make me worry about guests staying entertained, as I was so bored. Not their fault, I’m not very social and all everyone does after food is dance anyways.

See? She likes to dance!

But I realized for all its differences, it was a beautiful wedding. Everyone was happy. It was a wonderful day. And I hope, oh do I hope, that my wedding is just as beautiful in its own way.

Stressing about decor

I have it all worked out. I know exactly how I want to decorate my wedding reception.

Right?

Or do I? Will all my homemade centerpieces look, well...homemade? Will it all fall flat once put in the actual room? Will it look cheesey or tacky or just plain ugly?

Breathe. This is why I blog...I love getting other people's opinions. So here we go, my reception décor plan. Please let me know what you think! The room is very very plain, but has two walls of windows overlooking Boston.

Each table will be a 60” round covered with a Bengaline linen tablecloth in Maple Sugar:

In the center of each table will be a 9” mirror:

In the center of each mirror will be a 7.5” tall bud vase:

The vase will be filled with red, orange, and yellow glass pebbles:

Each vase will also contain a single red or yellow silk poppy:

Surrounding the base of the vase, on the mirror, will be four votive holders; 2 red and 2 yellow:

I will use LED tealights in the votive holders:

Scattered on the table will be personalized Hershey kisses and silk fall leaves:

Around the room will be small stools covered in sheer brown fabric:

On top of each stool will be either a pre-filled basket:

Or a basket I will fill with Spanish moss, leaves, Chinese lantern fruits, cinnamon, and lights:

I also will be hiring someone to make brown, red, orange, and yellow balloon arrangements that will be weighted and sitting on the floor. We're looking into hiring someone to do some decorative uplights on the walls and columns.

So...what do you think? For more details on these items, you can visit my Amazon wishlist.

Any changes, suggestions, comments? The wedding is in 13 months!