'Tis better to Give than to receive!

I seem to be planning an entirely different wedding now!!! Before we were doing a whole wedding weekend with 150-200 people that included such things as renting out Dave & Buster's, personalized chopsticks, a gourmet coffee barista stand, a full karaoke setup, and bamboo steamers with gourmet chocolate fortune cookies for everyone!

We are pretty much having none of that now. But that doesn't mean it will be any less great!!! We're just taking a much different approach now - that of which is making me SO Much happier because it's so much more of who husband2be and I are! I love how life works out like that. :)

We are having just 50 or so people now and most of them are immediate family and our best friends (in the whole world) who were already in the wedding to begin with. We have already cut out a ton of "frills" but I'd like to, if I could, leave in some of what we were going to do - like guest favors!

Vicky (the lovely mastermind "Mrs." behind this Nearlywed phenomenon!) sent a great forward out to us Nearlyweds that "pays it forward" by giving to charity in honor of the guests that come and share the wedding day.

Being the daughter of a mother who is a Social Worker, I've been raised to do everything I can to affect the world in a positive way. CHANGINGthePRESENT.org is an amazing organization that connects people who want to just this but aren't sure just where to start. You can give charitable gifts of money that help do things like sponsor chimpanzees (*swoon!* This one is my favorite!!!), provide hygiene kits, or help a disadvantaged woman "dress for success" by helping to buy her a business suit. Each of these causes are in the $15-$90 range which isn't that ideal for wedding favors for guests but they do have ones that still make a difference and cost significantly less like helping provide materials to international artisans who make their living off their craft, help build foundations for playgrounds, and help demine sports fields for people to play on in third world countries. Each of these are $5 donations if you prefer to do individual gifts rather than one large one.

I'm a sucker for helping anyway you slice it. The site is incredibly comprehensive and cool to look around to find what pulls on your heart strings the most and I'm just about sold on this for our guests!

Oh my gosh!!! I could help SAVE ELEPHANTS!!! *sigh* I'm an even BIGGER sucker to things having to do with elephants!

Luxe City Guides

Recently I've read in a couple of magazines about Luxe City Guides. These accordion style guides are small enough to fit in your hand and they give an inside look to everything that is hot in the city you are visiting.

What I like about the guides - 1) they are created by style editors who actually live in the city 2) they are updated online a few times a year so if you buy one you are sure to get the most current information no matter when you go 3) they have guides for typical honeymoon cites like Rome and Paris but they also have them for cool cities like Dubai and Chiang Mai. 4) The guides are only $9 each and they look beautiful. It would be such a nice and thoughtful gift. 5) You can buy customizable sets. So if you or a friend is going to China you can get guides to Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Beijing all together.

For maps of your city and a lowdown on history you should stick to good ol' standbys like Lonely Planet, but if you want to know which restaurant is hot in Bangkok, where the chic ladies shop in Paris, or what tailor to go to in Hong Kong then pic up a Luxe City Guide.

Lush Lavatories

OK I get a number of brides who go overboard with the restrooms, baskets of toiletries which in actuality would accommodate someone getting dressed from scratch rather than meet the very basic needs of going to the bathroom.... I can't wait to give them this idea. COLORED TOILET PAPER, to match your color scheme. I can see their faces light up now when they order these rolls of toilet paper made by Renova and we run down to their venue to count how many stalls there are and create a formula to determine how many times guest will use the bathroom to figure out how many rolls to order ( of course accounting for those of us, who just use way TOO MUCH PAPER!)

I love it.

You Guys are the BOMB!

Wedding Blog Awards

Congratulations Nearlyweds,

Your trials and tribulations and earnest hard work striving for the wedding of your dreams has not gone in vain. not only are your weddings going to be absolutely fabulous, but you have been awarded the designation of Most Comprehensive Wedding Blog by Abby over at Wedding Blog Awards.

It's what i have know all along, you guys are the bomb!!!

Congratulations to each of you, you make me proud!!

Thank You Abby!

Platinum for '08

Ok everyone, time to do a little horn tooting. I am a horrible publicist for my firm. It's no secret that I am a full time planner, but I actually own a firm that is making a name for itself.
I don't know if I mentioned this little tidbit here or not but my firm, holy matrimony has been named to the Grace Ormonde Wedding Style Platinum list.

Yes, the wedding Bible has had their eye on our work and gave us their stamp of approval.


-WHOOO- HOOOOO!!

The advance copies of the magazine arrived the other day and yep, it's for real, we are there. And the mag looks fantastic. Get your copy as soon as it hits the stands and then TELL YOUR FRIENDS!!!

Ringing in the New Year

First off, it's been a while. With the Iowa caucuses and the primaries on the horizon, I've been putting in major hours at work, not to mention all the social events and shopping that make the holiday season my favorite time of the year. Fiance and I have just returned from a beauiful week-long vacation in Ixtapa, Mexico and it's time to get back in to the swing of things.

In wedding news, we've chosen a wedding band pour homme. My fiance is not like most men when it comes to jewelry. He owns beautiful rings from Tiffany and Gucci and constantly begs me to let him rock an onyx pinky ring. He cannot wait for the day when he'll be able to show off his wedding band. I knew very early on I wouldn't get away with presenting him a simple platinum band. My man (just like us girls) is expecting diamonds...tastefully of course.

Being the bling fan he is, he did some extra recon while looking into the purchase of my engagement ring. Though he didn't buy my ring at Bailey Banks & Biddle, a Scott Kay men's band did catch his eye. Here's the one I ended up purchasing for him.

This band was pricier than my initial thought on what I would like to spend, however, I knew he had gone the extra mile to find the perfect ring for me. Scott Kay rings are well-designed and have the ability to match a personality to perfection. The diamonds are all high quality, these being in te E to F category. This particular band is availble in 6mm (first 2 photos) and 8mm (last photo) sizes.

Jessica Claire Giveaway!

weddingbee has already sounded the alert, but Jessica Claire is having her wedding photography giveaway for a lucky couple in 2008!! A renowned wedding and lifestyle photographer, Jessica shoots many of her peers' weddings as well--can't get a better endorsement than that! Check out the details of her contest on her blog: www.jessicaclaire.net

K.Amato Discount - 20% Off

K.Amato designs a wonderful line of reasonably priced jewelry that would make great gifts for your bridesmaids or for you to wear. Now they are an even better deal with 20% off. Just use discount code "PEOPLE" at checkout. She has a wedding line as well, but alas, it's special order and not avaliable for sale online.


^The Armitage. Originally $48, now only $38

^The Maple. Originally $60 now only $48

^The Barry. Originally $38 now only $30

^The Surf. Originally $70 now only $56

The price of beauty

I'm 43 days from my wedding today.

:-o

Time sure flies when you change your wedding date and move it UP almost three months!!!

Let's not even get into the fact that invitations are... let's say... "in the works" still. *sigh* Cut me some slack! Argh.

Anyway, in addition to the dozen things that I still need to finish up (or even start to begin with!), my hair has been on my mind lately. I simply must do SOMEthing with my hair! I mean, definitely I need to do something for the wedding but I really need to do something BEFORE the wedding also. It's been since last April that I've had my hair trimmed - I KNOW. But I've turned into one of those types who just throws her hair in a ponytail or piles it on top of her head so things like split ends and limp locks aren't as easily noticed or fussed over.

If I could get away with it, I would TOTALLY whack all of my hair off in the way of a lovely little face-framing bob. I'm well aware of how trendy that kind of thing is these days but, but for the record, I was sporting that bob specifically starting in college and have done it every other year since so there! This year would have been my year to do it but the wedding is keeping me from going through with it just yet so that I can do one of the two following styles:

[both pictures taken from TheKnot.com]

I like the first style best but the bottom might go much better with my overall "look" as it's much more "princessy" than the more first more contemporary one.

I've been looking into stylists in the area and I'm likely to go with Up Dos for I Dos as recommended by my photographers. The prices are competitive and reasonable and the work I've seen of them has always been beautiful. The fact that they travel TO YOU on your wedding day at no extra cost is also something of a bonus. The only thing I wince at is the price - probably will end up being almost $300 with the tip with trials and final work!!! Dang! I thought wedding photography was lucrative!!! I'm in the wrong business!

The other option that I've looked into is going somewhere like Robert Andrew Spa and Salon in Gambrills. I've never seen any wedding hair of theirs and know them mostly from their work "servicing" the Washington Redskins Cheerleaders. Their services DO come at quite a price though and with a trial and final work would likely be over $300 and maybe even more like $4-500 (with tip).

Uhmmm... yeah. :-p

I'm all about looking gorgeous on my wedding day and this desire has been greatly inflated by the fact that I'm pregnant now and (as my older brother so "merrily" pointed out in his holiday wishes to me) quickly becoming "large and in-charge." Anything that I can do to make myself feel BEAUTIFUL I'm open to. But, call me a novice I guess, I'm just not used to paying so much for beauty treatments! Yes - in the past I've paid in the $50-$100 for a GOOD HAIRCUT but that's different somehow in my book. I've never experienced anything in the way of "spas" like massages or facials and I've also never had my hair professionally covered. I'm very inexperienced in that whole way.

*shrug* Such is the price of beauty, I guess. I'll figure it out.

Happy Holidays!

Hello! I hope that everyone had a Merry Christmas! I am currently in Naples Florida, after getting up at 3:30am this morning for the plane ride from Rochester NY, I am pretty exhausted right now, but I am at my parents place and have access to the Internet for the first time in a couple of days, so I wanted to wish my fellow nearly weds a happy holidays :)

FI and I had our engagement party this past Saturday, it was amazing. We had the best time and I have plenty to tell, but right now I have to go unpack and fall into bed, FI is getting in early in the morning, but I will post more about the Engagement party as soon as I can!




In the meantime here is a Funny Wedding Commercial To keep you amused, hopefully this won't be any of us :)

Andrew Reilly Photography

I thought I'd mention who we've hired to do our wedding photography. A friend had seen Andrew's photos for a wedding she was in and was blown away. I checked out his website and blog and scheduled a meeting at his office in Baltimore. We had already met with another photographer and scheduled meetings with others, but we cancelled them after talking with Andrew and seeing more of his work. His rates fit comfortably into our budget (especially since we are not ordering albums) and we were able to piece together a custom package from his a la carte list. I liked that his style is multi-faceted but very natural. Here are some of his recent images:
























Check out more of his work at http://www.andrewreilly.com/

A rose by any other name

When we were going to have our wedding in April, I was going to carry a bouquet of Lily of the Valley and Cream colored roses. Now with our wedding in February, I'm thinking that perhaps I should consider some other kinds of flowers since LOTV will not be in season just quite yet.

I've always been a huge fan of bright and bold colors. Since the only attendants we are having will be our flower girls and ring bearers, I don't actually have to worry about adhering to any kind of color palette anymore. Kind of exciting, I think! Now I have been dreaming of a bouquet that is all Bright Pink and Orange:

I like the first bouquet but the second one seems so much more dramatic to me (and I love that) in the way of color. The problem with either one is that whole thing of them being entirely comprised of roses.

Did I mention that my wedding is about five days from Valentine's day??? Couple that with the fact that I'm going to be getting a BRIDAL bouquet, why don't I already start selling my organs off with the price I can expect to be paying.

I know. Spare the drama. But it's not something that can be ignored or denied. And though I Am only buying one bouquet for myself and maybe a half-dozen or so boutienneres and/or corsages, I'm still trying to keep the cost reasonable.

Perhaps I should consider tulips??? Tulips are pretty too.

Christmas Favors as Wedding Favor

For Christmas fiance and I basically asked for Crate and Barrel giftcards because we have a lot of things to buy for the new condo. My sister included a Crate and Barrel catalog with my gift card and yesterday I was browsing through and spied the below adorable gift boxes.

I've been torn about whether or not to do favors. Part of me feels it's a waste and most people just leave them behind. But I always kind of like getting something small at weddings even if it is cheesy. If I was going to do favors I had some rules 1) couldn't be expensive 2) had to be somewhat useful 3) couldn't look cheap. I told myself if I ran across something like that then I'd buy but, otherwise I wouldn't bother.

Well, I think the gift boxes fit the ticket. 1) They are technically for Christmas but they don't look exclusively Christmassy so they could be used for any occasion. 2)I think they'll look adorable at each place setting. 3)They are a metal box with metal ribbon and lined in black velvet on the inside so they definitely don't look cheap 4) They are somewhat useful as technically they are ornaments so they could be reused at Christmas. They could also be used to hold something small like rings, or they could be regifted to someone else. 5) They are only $5.98 for a box of 4 which averages out to only 1.50 each (down from $11.95 per set). That's pretty cheap as wedding favors go.

I think we'll put a small candy or maybe the traditional wedding almonds on the inside. As a side note, you won't find these on the general Crate and Barrel website. You have to search in the catalog section and enter the catalog number (K2069). They come in silver and gold and naturally quantities are limited.

Perhaps the worst decision ever

First of all:

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

And now back to regularly scheduled programming...

So, there was a time when I had decided on The Shoes that I would wear on The Big Day.

Well, that was then and this is now.

*sigh*

I think I might be wearing Crocs on my wedding day. I know how terrible of an idea this is in terms of aestethics!!!! I KNOW. But here's the thing, now that I'm "with young" I'm no longer all too concerned with the whole idea of trying to be the typical "princess" bride. Well, not that I was concerned with that to begin with but I was at least trying to play it up for as much as it was worth.

The thing of it is for as much as the love/hate relationship does exist in the general public - that of which I was a participant of the "hate" side - They are UNBELIEVABLY comfortable!!! You just have no idea. I got myself a burgundy Mary Jane pair and I have basically worn them done to nothing. And even though the puppy chewed off one of the straps, I STILL wear them to run about the house.

It's been my intention to replace them since I've worn down the treads because I practically have lived in them alone since starting my teaching job but that brings up the whole question of what color. Do I get another burgundy pair that go with everything? Or, now that the wedding is a MONTH and a HALF away (Oh my land I cannot believe it!) and I'm now that much more open to wearing Crocs with my wedding dress (with the incredible searching I've done to find comfortable shoes that I won't topple over in now that my center of gravity has changed), I'm thinking maybe I should get a pair that I could wear with my wedding dress?

Behold the silver Mary Jane Crocs that I found:

Even I don't have the impaired judgment though I am such a fan now after faithfully wearing them to note that these are... less than pretty.

*sigh*

(No offense to you if you own these or if you like these. Seriously.)

What to do what to do.

I just don't know.

Takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'

Hello. I'm back in action! My doctors put me in the hospital on Thursday and I got out yesterday. For the next week, I'm on bedrest (doctor's orders) but at least my blood pressure is acting as it should. *sigh* This is just craziness.

Anyway, I'm going to try and get as much wedding planning stuff done as I possibly can. There are invitations that need to be ordered and SHOULD HAVE BEEN ordered at least two weeks ago - but, of course, it's hard to make this kind of stuff happen with everything else going on. But now that I'm bed bound and being waited on just about hand and foot by husband2be, the only options that I have to maintain my sanity and make me feel like I'm semi-normal are reading "trashCelebGossip" magazines (US Weekly and the like) and a little bit of wedding planning!!! I'm still working out the details of the wording for the invitations but that's because I have yet to really sit down and take care of it. And since I'll be spending so much time sitting down (well, laying down), things should definitely get taken care of.

On a more productive note, yesterday I think we booked a new reception site! My parents were up through our way to either 1) visit me in the hospital or 2) meet us for lunch and to give us our Christmas presents because we won't be trekking it up to PA for the holidays afterall with everything going on. Rather than meeting us at home, we decided to meet at the new little restaurant that we found to have the reception the other week!

It turned out to be a great meeting. We sampled some more food, put together our prospective menu, hashed out the details with the owner/manager, and got some great answers of how we will be going about this. Here's what we have so far:

• Guests from 50-60 people and restaurant will be entirely closed down for us!
• Decorations and whatnot however we like as long as we put everything back where we found it
• DJ and karaoke setup not a problem!
• 3-5 entrees buffet style and Pho service
• Appetizers passed about
• Serving staff
• Some food items that aren't even on the menu!
• Cake cutting and service
• $20-$35/person

The owner was really nice and I think my dad actually "bonded" with him a little because they found that they are actually from the same part of Vietnam. Kind of cool! The only has been here in the states for only two years though and his English is good enough but he spoke predominantly in Vietnamese. He also noted to my dad that as long as we bring him the business/money he would normally make on a Saturday, he has not qualms about accomodating us in every way he can. :)

Contracts have not been signed and deposits have not been paid yet but this is pretty much a done deal from the looks of it. Things couldn't have been better had we not planned for them! But wait - we didn't!!! :-p

Treasure Rings from Takohl Design

I think these rings from Takohl Design Ltd. would make a great anniversary gift or a gift for the mothers in the wedding party. They are called Treasure Rings and you can inscribe the inside with anything that you want...wedding date, names, important phrases, inside jokes, even characters such as the heart sig (though I'm not sure why you'd want to do that). You can order a plain sterling silver ring with no stone for $495 or completely bling it out and get it made in a precious metal with a large diamond in the $5,000 + range.

Design You Own by Steve Madden

I'm not a huge fan of Steve Madden Shoes. Yeah the designs are cute but I swear every pair I've owned has been insanely uncomfortable. I might change my mind, though, thanks to their new Design Your Own line. They have about 45 different styles of shoes (boots, heels, sandals, you name it) that are completely color customizable. So if you really want to wear a pair of shoes with your gown that match your wedding colors or if your maids can't find a pair of shoes that complements their dresses they now have a place to turn.

The shoes are a little pricey for Steve Madden - around $100 each. But at least you'd know that no one else would have your shoes! You can have completely different colors for the heels, the uppers, and any detailing.

I test drove the new line below with my own wedding colors


^ A cute platform heel that I designed in summery blue gingham

^The same heel in my wedding colors

^A kitten heel flat I designed in salmon with white accents

^The same shoe in my wedding colors


Hmmm o.k. so maybe my wedding colors don't make great shoes. But I bet somebodies wedding colors would look fab. You could kill a lot of time on the site just playing with all the different combos.

Dinner & a wedding

You know what makes wedding planning harder than just being pregnant? How about being pregnant with complications that make you high risk. That of which I am because my blood pressure and heartrate/pulse seem to be anything but reasonable and controllable. I've got a good team of doctors taking care of me (if you ever need a referral - I have a great TEAM that I see!) though so it's working out. I'm just blogging now in the event that I have to admit myself to the hospital later to take care of some pressing issues as of today. *sigh*

Anyway, about the wedding. Asian wedding receptions traditionally are held in restaurants. I have no idea why it's like this but it is. It does make sense to do it like this aside from the tradition though as it means not having to rent a myriad of things that you do need for a wedding - dinnerware and silverware and glassware, tables and linens and chairs, a wait staff, etc.

We were originally going to have our reception in a local community "club house." With the turn of events of late and the mass reduction of our guest list, we can now be open to having it in a restaurant! Our original thoughts of going this route were to go to our favorite Vietnamese restaurant in Eden Center (like "Little Vietnam" of Falls Church, VA). It's called Huong Que or "Four Sisters" and it's just about the nicest and most well known restaurant at Eden. The problem with doing it there are many though:

• Our wedding date is right around Chinese New Year. It's difficult getting reservations at times like Chinese New Year.
• The restaurant is VERY popular and always busy. They are unwilling (and rightfully so) to close down to accomodate us.
• The private room that they have can only be book two weeks in advance and also can't hold more than 25 people. We have twice that many that we would need to host.

So we looked at another option. That being a place called Pho #1 on the Baltimore Beltway. When I lived in Baltimore it was the one and only place I went to whenever I needed "home-cooking" - I grew up eating big bowls of Pho and other Vietnamese goodies like that. The problem with Pho #1 though is that it's all the way in Baltimore and we will be getting married in Bowie! It's not entirely undoable but it's something to consider ruling it out.

Last weekend husband2Be and I found a lovely little Vietnamese restaurant in our local area as I was craving some Pho. It turned out to be the best Pho that we've both had in MONTHS - even comparing it to the multiple places that we frequent at Eden Center! The owner barely speaks English and I only know enough Vietnamese to order food if necessary so my father will likely speak to him to work out details. So far though, the owner and his wife have expressed real excitement about the possibility of us using their restaurant AND it would hold 50-65 people!!!

Not sure where we will end up but the decision will probably be made BEFORE Christmas to help alleviate the stresses of this seeing as how we are just about a month and a half from the wedding!!! Oy!!!!

Now if you'll pardon me, I better go follow the doctor's orders and lie down until he calls. :-p

flowers

so the next big thing on my to-do list is to secure a florist. although my mind sometimes reels at the thought of spending so much money on something that'll wilt and die in a matter of hours, flowers (or greenery!) make a huge impact on the look and feel of an event. my color scheme will be black and ivory, with all red flowers. this certainly makes it easier to communicate the "look" I'm going for to potential florists. i first got the idea from martha's color scheme wedding issue last year (recently highlighted on weddingbee as well):



it's hard to see in that picture, but each container has one type of red flower with a covered base of silk dupioni. i'll probably opt to mix in different types of flowers to add some texture (and save some money). here are some other clipped pictures that caught my eye:




















photo by Justine Ungaro for Janie Medley Floral










































I'll start meeting with area florists in January; I'll give another update then!

Christmas in Washington...

As I'm sure most of you are aware, The White House has a great tradition of creating a different Christmas ornament every year. This is something that FI and I decided we wanted to collect and start adding to our own tree.

My Future Mother in Law was thoughtful and bought this years ornament for FI and I as a Christmas gift to get us started on our collection. It just so happens that its the PERFECT ornament for us, and for any newly married or soon to be married couples out there too, especially us DC brides who are "neighbors" to the white house! The reason for this is that this years ornament is a depiction of Grover Cleveland's wedding at the White House, he was the only president to get married at the white house.










Each ornament comes with a booklet that gives the history behind the story that you see, its really interesting, it also shows what the wedding dresses looked like back in 1886!

It's Coming!

The January 08 issue of the Washingtonian hits stands next week. It's the best issue of the year in my opinion. So why should you care? Two reasons

1) The list of the areas best restaurants is released every January. Last year, for the first time, they started numerically ranking the restaurants instead of just providing a general list. I like the list because you often find hidden gems you've never heard of. Many of the places are pretty expensive, but there are some bargains and if you're going to splurge on a meal (and you really should treat yourself at least once a year) then you know which restaurant is the best investment for your money. Don't focus too much on #1 vs. #2...on any given night they all could be #1.

2) January is always the Wedding Guide issue! They usually publish a mini guide in June as well, but January is "mother list" time. Lists of the areas best vendors (as nominated by area residents)- from flowers to cake to planners to music, you name it, it's there. Once again many of these vendors are more on the expensive side, but there are also many deals and many up-incomers who aren't that expensive...yet. If anything I love looking through the vendors listed just to get ideas and inspiration. To get an idea you can check out last year's guide. My guess is the Washingtonian Wedding Guide for 2008 won't have changed all that much from last year.

I have a subscription but if you don't want to fork out the cash, that's o.k. because the Washingtonian publishes both these lists online.

Save Euros with iJourneys

If you are headed to Europe for your honeymoon then you are probably looking for a way to save some money since the exchange rate is already working against you.

You should check out iJourneys for downloadable walking tours of some of the top cities in Europe. For about $15 you can download your own tour guide to your IPOD and be on your way. No waiting around for your tour group to catch up and you don't have to shell out the big bucks for a personal tour guide.

I travel a lot, and in general stay away from group tours at all costs. I'm a "go it alone" type of person and have managed just fine with a good guide book, but walking around with your head buried in a book screams "I'm a tourist please steal my purse." It's a lot easier to blend in if you're just strolling around listening to your IPOD. No one needs to know you're touring the city at the same time.

No Need to Steal

I know you've all already heard about Bag Borrow or Steal, the online rental shop where for a small monthly fee you can pay to rent designer handbags for a week or a month at a time instead of spending your hard earned cash on fancy new handbags that will be out with the new season. I've never felt the need to have a new designer handbag on my arm all the time so the site really didn't hold much appeal for me personally though I can see it's draw for others.

That is until I realized that they have now started renting jewelry. What was once only available to Hollywood starlets is now available to us mere mortals. You don't need to be a member to rent but if you are a member you pay a lower rental fee. They rent everything from chic crystal chandelier drop earrings for only $8 a week to serious bling such as a 14 carat diamond bracelet from Rosiblu for $265 a week.

I might be a little nervous with all that expensive sparkle on me, because I wouldn't want to damage or lose it, but you'll probably never have a more appropriate occasion to wear it then your wedding. And seriously when else will someone let you borrow their Gucci necklace?



^A little something blue as you tie the knot. Vera Wang Aqua Bow Earrings with 98 pave diamonds. $94 a week to rent.

^Vera Wang Pink Tourmaline Earrings with 132 diamonds. $203 a week.


^Chanel Pearl Necklace. $64 a week.

^A big something blue. Vera Wang twist wire sapphire ring. Sapphire with 90 macro pave diamonds. $203.00 a week

Holiday Travel..

Im sure all you brides out there can relate to me, there are check lists upon check lists...so many to do lists that I'm not quite sure what to do with all of them. I obviously have my weddign notebook/binder/file (yes all three) To organize my wedding plans...but around this time of year it gets even more hectic. As Miss.Bethesda said in an earlier post it can get pretty crazy. With FI family and Mine living 9/7 hours away from DC respectivly and living 7 hours away from each other we knew the idea of sharing holidays would not happen. However, this year we found ourself facing a more difficult problem. We are leaving DC on Dec 21st in the evening traveling with each other and our dog to BWI (using Super Shuttle) to go home to Rochester NY (where my family is from). We are attending our Engagment party together, then FI is leaving on the 24th ( he stayed a little extra since it is my birthday :) ) He is going home to Cincinnatti for Christmas, and then we are both traveling to Florida from December 27-January 3rd to spend New Years with my parents at there condo on the beach!

Now the reason I am giving all this background information is because as you can see we are traveling between all sorts of different weather ( there is currently 10 inches of snow at my parents house in rochester compared to the 70 degree weather in florida), we also will be traveling with our dog, and we dont want to have too much luggage, so we came across a big issue of traveling with christmas gifts. Because of that we did most of our christmas shopping online, having the items shipped to there respective locations. By using the websites retailmenot and ecoupons we managed to get free shipping from most places, and we found this to be the easiest way to go. (Big shout out to Miss Capitol Hill! I had always been an ecoupons girl, but I like retailmenot a LOT more, that was a great find and thanks for sharing)

Personally, all I am asking for for christmas and my birthday are gift certificates to Riziks -- As I said in my previous post, the cost of the dress has been weighing on me, and I found a way to help offset the cost was to ask for gift certificates. I really don't need anything for christmas/ My birthday so this is what I'm asking for. By doing this It will help to make the cost of the dress more reasonable. I find that my brothers and sister-in-laws combine christmas gift..ex they ask for a gift certificate to home depot so they can do home repairs, do your FI and you combine christmas gifts? are you asking for anything special for the holidays or doing something similar to me and asking for wedding related gifts?

Be a your very own Star!

If you are still in the market for a wedding dress and are on a non-negotiable budget, I was just at David's Bridal taking care of the issues with my dress and had the lovely opportunity to see their new Spring collection that's not even online yet!

They have entirely new silhouettes and have moved almost completely from the pick-u0/gathered "princess ballgown" styles in favor of more modern shapes like mermaid and empire/Grecian goddess styles. They're also doing detailing that is a lot more expensive than they've had before and their overall styling is looking less "BridesRUs" than they have in the past. They still are carrying the higher end Oleg Cassina and Galina lines but their store brand is really nice this season. All dresses are $799 or less as well.

And if you're into "designer-knockoffs" (so to speak), one of their latest additions looks EXACTLY like the Reem Acra that the infamous Starr Jones sported at her hard-too-miss nuptials:

I don't know if they have the dress in the stores yet because the manager I was working with said not all of them have made it to stores but they are showing the dress in their new "look book" at least that is available at any DB location now. The price in the book that I picked up is $499. Not too shabby! And it's also shown with a shorter "bubble veil" that doesn't go too far past the shoulders so you end up getting a little more "high fashion" look than Starr went for in the picture above.

Aisle style the baby bump way

Yesterday I found my The Dress for my Big Day the second time around!!! Definitely it was weird having to even do this again and in the state that I am in - that being becoming even more pregnant every single day. But David's Bridal really completely outdid themselves but making this process as memorable and painless as possible.

Yvonne is the store manager of the Waldorf store and she was absolutely answered prayers! I considered going to the Bowie store but after a rather unsavory conversation with a sales consultant about my situation with my dress, I was dreading going there. My parents live down in Southern Maryland though so my mother suggested that we meet halfway in Waldorf and use that location instead. I called them to schedule an appointment and happened to be speaking to Yvonnne and she agreed to meet with me personally and COMPLETELY took care of all of the nagging details that have come with my predicament - from the rules about the exchange policy to the challenge of downplaying my ever burgeoning baby bump!!!

I will be wearing THIS DRESS. (Look at the alternate view specifically because the train is beautiful!) I started out trying Empire waist style but found that they actually made me look bigger than I am and accentuate my belly more. They actually made me look "very pregnant" even now while I'm only 14 weeks along! I don't have a link to the dress that did this because it's a new Spring style that they don't have online but it completely threw me for a loop as I was pretty certain that I could only wear something Empire waisted. The dress I ended up getting is something that not only helps create the waist that I'm fast losing but the style of it helps me too look like I have a lovely hour-glass shape despite the fact that I'm losing it to the baby!!!

I got all new accessories including a pearl comb and new veil that is fingertip length instead of cathedral like I had previously. My new dress and look is something I never would have picked for myself but Yvonne absolutely knew what she was doing when she helped me to put it together. She even had a strap-on baby bump for me to try to see how the whole get-up would look when I'm further along!!! Of course, it ended up making me look like I was 8-9 months instead of the 5 months that I will be but my mom and I had a great time laughing and giggling about the whole situation.

I feel good about the wedding and I love this dress as much as the last one - surprising since I expected to only be able to wear a dress that made me look SUPER pregnant! This dress does anything but that and doesn't place any emphasis on my belly at all though it still allows it to not be completely hidden. The cut of the dress (A-line) and the way that the overall design of it is with the side ruching and split-front create a serious optical illusion for my figure. The beading on the top also helps to draw the eye up and away from the lower portion of my body. I feel like a real bride in what I ended up with! I love it!!!

In case you are in the same situation as I am, here are some of the things that were done to help make it possible to not have to wear a maternity gown:

• My dress is a size 12 to accomodate my belly that will be altered to my shape. My original size is a 4/6. I tried on a size 10 in the store and it's already on the way to being "snug." For this reason we went up a size to plan for the pound per week that I'm expected to gain.
• I will not be wearing a full merrywidow and rather a strapless bra that I have purchased in one cup size higher (Wow! I can't believe that) to accomodate my changing shape.
• I will be wearing a petticoat slip as planned that comes up to my bra but it will be in a size 12 as well (I think) to leave room for my belly.
• I am getting fitted three weeks from my wedding date instead of the usual four. Yvonne helped to make this accomodation the dress as it is today is definitely too big but come time for me to wear it, my body will change enough and in ways that I won't be able to wear the dress as-is. For this reason they are going to try and shape the dress to my body as much as they can.
• DO NOT limit yourself to thinking that you can only wear a certain style. The dress I got is far from being designed for maternity wear but is designed to help accentuate and camouflage "problem areas" that everyday girls feel self conscious about. A dress that does this as far more workable than one that is outright maternity!

I love that I don't have to wear a maternity wedding dress! I hope this helps you (if you're in a similar situation as I am) to find a wedding dress too!!!

Shoe Bling

The other day I was reading on Bridalwave about Pretty Pink Toes, a British store that sells shoe clips. I knew I had seen something similar in the U.S. before and that's when I remembered Absolutely Audrey. A lot of times it's easy to find a plain pair of white or ivory satin shoes on sale but sometimes they lack pizazz. Shoe clips are a great way to turn a plain pair of shoes into something special. The shoe clips at Absolutely Audrey retail for around $20-$35 which isn't a horrible price, but if you are looking for something a little bit more budget friendly you should check out EBay. I found a ton of vintage shoe clips there and many of them were selling for only $3 or $4 dollars. Remember that any pair of clip-on earrings can do the trick as well.




1st Row L-R: Absolutely Audrey, Ebay Seller lilac.fairy (these are two shoe clips that can fit together to form a pin), Absolutely Audrey
2nd Row L-R: Ebay Seller kdoug7 (these are french shoe buckles), Ebay Seller freetimeinoregon (this is just one vintage shoe clip but it would make such a fab broach for a purse or ribbon), Ebay Seller vintagestuff62 (also french made)
3rd Row L-R: Absolutely Audrey, Ebay Seller autumnravensage, Ebay Seller dianec156 (this is a set of two)

Riziks

Riziks is the last dress store that we went to on Saturday afternoon.I had heard marvelous things about Riziks, and I'm not just talking about from the bridal community! We stopped at Starbucks earlier that morning and the cashier overheard us talking about Riziks and proceeded to tell us that was her favorite place, EVER and that we would be buying my wedding dress there. My co workers all raved about it, let me just tell you I had pretty high expectation's :) Thankfully they lived up to it.

We walked in and we knew right away what people were talking about. We worked with a lovely lady named Beth, who took us into a back dressing room, but easily big enough for the four of us, with its own full length 3 sided mirror. She talked to us but listened to what we were saying in describing what we liked in a dress. She then proceeded to bring out dress after dress, really looking at how they fit on me.

As you know from a previous post I Love Peter Langner, and it was actually a Peter Langner dress that we ended up putting a down payment on.



^ This is the closes picture I could find of the dress, however my dress is white, not this color.

As of right now, this is my dress, we put a down payment down and everything. However, I am starting to have second doubts, not about the dress as much as the price. I feel with weddings its easy to get caught up in the moment, the cost, of thousands of dollars being spent for one day. I know its a very important day, but the marriage is the most important part, and its hard for me to fathom sometimes spending this much on a dress I will wear once, when this money could easily pay for 4-5 months rent! Do any of you other brides out there ever have any problem with the amount of money you are spending on your dress? This dress was actual in a sample sale, but since the sample sizes are 10, I need at least a 12, and there wasn't material to let the dress out, that's a problem I have with sample dresses! I am going to look at this dress again this afternoon with my MOH, I will let you know what happens.

On another note, I don't know if this is going to effect other wedding dress designers, but we were told when we talked to riziks that if we cancelled our order it could go up to 2,000 more (!!) if we decided to re-order, because of the euro going up in price, and Peter Langner being a European designer. So that is something to think of also!

How to speaking wedding invitations

I was supposed to order wedding invitations a week ago. A number of reasonable and unreasonable things have kept me from doing so though. But it's getting down to the line and I can't allow any form of procrastination from allowing me to do anything but take care of this.

We are really only ordering 20 wedding invitations. With the downsizing of the wedding we just can't do the original 100 invitation list for the 150-something people. For as much as it was exciting to do the "big wedding"-thing. I am relishin in the "small and sweet"-wedding thing! It's certainly relieved a lot of the stress of doing a lot of stuff but some other things are still left for me to get all in a fuss over - one being wedding invitation wording. One would think that this would be a no-brainer kind of thing but one would be wrong.

For whatever reason I'm kind of stressed about this. Do I just indicate the my mother and father request the honor? Do I include husband2be's parents too? Do I go with something much more informal all together? Do I include a reply card since everyone who is invited has already confirmed their attendance and probably doesn't even really need a formal invitation anyway? My mother is insisting that we still do the invitations. *shrug*

What are you doing about your invitations?

McWeddings by Disney

So Disney's latest venture into the wedding market is a collaboration with celebrity event planner David Tutera. Here's how it works- you pay Disney $45,000 and you get to choose from 4 pre-designed "couture" wedding receptions designed by David Tutera. You can see pictures of the 4 different styles here or watch videos of the styles here (you can also see a peek of the styles below).

What does $45,000 get you? A reception for 50 people (more people = more money) at Disney Contemporary Resort which includes ballroom, draping, table linens, chivari chairs, props (chandeliers, mirrors), floral centerpieces, lighting, D.J., dance floor, invitations, save the dates, wedding website, and a David Tutera trained planner.

What doesn't $45,000 get you? Food (that's $250 per person), a Ceremony (those start at $3,000), Photography (that starts at $2,665), Videography (starting at $2,000), Cosmetology, Transportation (Cinderella's Coach available for only $2,700), Live music if wanted, Wedding clothes, Cake, Stemware or China.

And there is just one main caveat...the receptions are not customizable. Nothing can be changed. They can't do your colors, or use the flowers you love, or put your monogram on anything. You can't change the design of your invitations. You can't change the location. You can't even mix and match from their 4 different styles.

So what do you think? Would you have a McWedding? Part of me likes the idea of not having to think about anything...no worry, no stress, just sign on the dotted line and show up to some place that looks fantastic. But on the other hand...there are no personal touches...nothing that makes your wedding "yours." It would seem a little..umm...souless? I think if I were to consider a McWedding the price would have to be a little bit more "value meal" then $45,000+

Double the Fun

Now that FI and I are engaged, we (mostly I) have double the number of people to shop for this holiday season. Not to mention double the birthdays, parties, events, etc etc. Don't get me wrong, I love his family and I'm excitedly planning out our shopping list...but it does get quite hectic. We'll have to juggle Christmas activities with both of our families and if Thanksgiving was any indication, we'll have to plan carefully so we aren't cranky Scrooges. I had to cook Thanksgiving dinner for my family, attend lunch at FI's house and then come back to my house for a second round! It's hard to enjoy yourself when you're being pulled in all directions.


How are you and your FI balancing family obligations this holiday season?

Gina Foster Milliner

Leave it to the Brits to create amazing hats perfect for a wedding. Gina Foster creates hats and other hair accessories that are pieces of art. She will custom design a hat or head piece for you in different fabrics and colors. Production takes 4 to 6 weeks. Accessories and head pieces starts at $40 and can go up to $1,000. Hats range from $300 to $1,400.

Trying it again for the first time

Yay! My first morning of not feeling nauseous!!! You have no idea how big of a deal this is. I've not thrown up at all but I've had terrible bouts of morning/noon/evening nauseous up until today. Perhaps I'm finally hitting the golden second trimester for real? This will make wedding planning SO Much better!

This Saturday I'm back to David's Bridal to try and exchange my lovely "princess" ball gown for something Empire waisted. I really love the ball gown but it's just not going to be possible for me to wear it. As it's working out with being pregnant, I'm becoming kind of out of proportion in that I'm gaining weight but it's all in my belly. I'm kind of becoming a walking belly of baby phatness.

I talked to a sales consultant over the phone the other night and right off she said I could exchange my dress no problem as long as I have the paper work. Then the tune of the conversation changed as she rattled off all kinds of stupid corporate stipulations:

• I have to consider a bigger size in my dress before the manager can overrule it and I can pick something different (Are they crazy??? I'm PREGNANT. This jelly ain't fittin' into ANY kind of princess dress!)
• If I can't make a bigger size work, I have to pick a dress that is equal or GREATER in value. And the manager has to approve of this also. (It just so happened that mine was on the higher end of prices so I don't know how we will work this out!)
• My dress was discontinued some time ago so *maybe* we might not even be able to exchange it afterall. It's really at the manager's discretion.

The key word here seems to be MANAGER. *shrug* I have no idea how this will go down. But honestly I probably won't even have to cry my way out of it (liken to crying out of traffic tickets that of which has NEVER worked for me) as 1) the pregnancy hormones will take care of that and 2) there's no way they can dispute that I need an entirely new style with an Empire waist.

The two picks that I've made so far are the following (both pictures courtesy of DavidsBridal.com):



The top one is an exclusive online style and the bottom one is by Galina and I know a person who wore it at her wedding and she was STUNNING. The Galina one is by far and away my favorite and I know it's better suited for a beach wedding but if the fabric is forgiving enough I feel like I could pull it off (I will be five months pregant and now at a little over three months, I already have a bit of a babyBump). I also love how I could probably get it altered after the fact and turn it into a beautiful warm weather formal dress. Look at the back of it!


I will likely go with a much less dramatic veil but add a jeweled comb for my hair that will definitely be up.

The top style? I like it. It IS pretty. But to me there's nothing to exciting about it. It's like the safety school you pick when you are applying to colleges as it's pretty good and will due if need be.

I've scoured the 'net and these are my only favorite picks. Maternity clothes have come along way and definitely they're better than what they used to be (Liz Lange at Target is AWESOME when you have a need to buy!) but in the way of wedding gowns? I'm putting my money on non-Maternity that *hopefully* I can still squeeze into.

Cut Arts Discount - 25%

Silhouettes have been a recent mini wedding trend. In the last issue of Martha Stewart Weddings she featured a wedding where Karl Johnson, the artist behind Cut Arts, prepared silhouettes for wedding guests. Karl works from photos and can create a silhouette from any scene. If silhouettes are your thing (i have a not so small nose so a profile of myself is the last thing I'd want) then get 25% off you and your beau's sides with discount code DCDEAL. Thanks to DailyCandy.

Votive Light

Candle light is a really easy way to add atmosphere to your reception. These votive holders from Yummi Candles are beautiful and you might even want to keep a few after the party is over.


^These votive size lumiaria lanterns are a steal at $6 for a 4 pack.

^Aria Goblet perfect for candles or a large red bloom. $9 each down from $10


^Damask Votive Holders. Small $7 each , Large $12.80 each

Carine's Bridal Atelier

Sorry for the delay in posting, as I'm sure is the same with everyone it's that time of year that work is crazy, personal life is insane and you don't have a free second to even check your personal email :) I got a promotion at work two weeks ago and since then my work load has almost doubled, but I must admit the increase in salary is definitely appreciated while planning a wedding!

Anyways, on that note I want to share with you my second bridal shop experience at Carine's Bridal Atelier in Georgetown.



Upon entering the store it was very nice, more of a boutique feel. We got to look at dresses we liked, and if we liked the dress we put the hanger facing out. It was amazing being surrounded by such beautiful dresses. I tried on a few different dresses and even found one that I really liked. However, it wasn't a feeling of LOVE.

The owner of the store Carine, actually was who worked with me, and I thought that she was really nice, she is actually engaged herself! However, she didn't really help me in picking out the dresses. It was more of I pick the dresses I like and she lets me decide, I know some people love this, but I am not use to shopping for wedding dresses, I do appreciate to have a little guidance.

Overall it was a good experience, not my favorite but not negative by any means. If you are looking for a smaller boutique that still carries couture gowns this is definitely a spot you should check out!

Just A Few More

And here are a few detail shots I snapped from the same wedding. Not as cool as the pro pics, but you get the idea.


^This is the metal gazebo they were married under with hanging votive lanterns.

^One of the flower displays. The wedding wasn't matchy-matchy with colors. The bridesmaids wore brown but they all carried flowers with light green and dark deep purple flowers.

^Cool lanterns were spaced throughout the site. This was one of the cocktail tables.

^Instead of a cake they had this cool dessert tray.

Modern Inspiration

Last month I wrote about my friend's wedding that I went to in Atlanta and posted some shots from her photographer's blog. I also feautured some of the unique brides they had photographed in the past. Well yesterday they posted a few shots of her wedding so I thought I'd share some of the detail pics so you could get a feel for what a cool wedding it was.

All pictures credited to Our Labor of Love

Candy Bar: a make or break situation

I never even wanted a candy bar. Really, I didn't. If I was even going to consider it, I wanted big, mis-matched apothecary jars to display the goodies.





Considering the cheapest ones I could find were $20 or upward each, I figured why even bother. I got very close to purchasing a few pieces from Save-on-crafts.com. This web site is a gem for the DIY bride. The deals are insane. If you haven't already, check out the specials link. The products are always changing and you'll eventually find a great deal on things you can use. For example, they recently featured 24" Eiffel tower vases for $8 each!

Then, I was on the hunt for some Christmas ornaments a few weeks back and ended up at Marshall's. When I realized how many cool knickknacks they had, I hit the glass aisle. There were so many beautiful apothecary jars, all under $10. No, they weren't the highest quality glass, but they had so many variations of shapes and sizes. I ended up with these three, which I filled with ornaments for a holiday centerpiece. Marshall's also has tons of really great candle holders, vases and glass pieces that would look great as part of a mix-and-match motif. Now I'm on the hunt for purple satin ribbon and the perfect candy.

Friends in high places

I don't know anyone famous. Three summers ago I met Donald Rumsfield at the Lincoln Memorial at Rolling Thunder and he took a picture with me with his arm draped over me like we "were boys" and all but that's about as far as I go with brushes with fame. Mostly I'm oblivious when it comes to stuff like that and I've actually missed MANY opportunities to meet celebrities because of that.

So how does this figure in with weddings? I know. I'm so unfocused. Blame BabyBowie as that's what happens when you become pregnant.

Anyhoo, what I'm getting at is the fact that you can actually invite a plethora of famous people to your wedding!!! They are likely not to show up but what they will do is send you a lovely reply for your wedding keepsakes if you're into that kind of amusing kind of stuff (like I am). Mrs. Lemon and Mrs. Snow Pea of WeddingBee both did it and I found this article with addresses for both the Prezzy Bushy and the Queen of England.

I was planning on doing this for myself as I'm just a goofball sometimes but now with plans changing I don't know since we really don't have a need for wedding invitations (I've picked option 1 from my previous discussions and I'll update with planning items of that). When it comes down to it though, all you'd really be possibly "wasting" would be buying another invitation and paying for postage! But it looks like people from the above links have received some pretty cool replies. Personally, I would get a real kick out of getting a wedding card from Mickey and Minnie Mouse but that's just me.

Flours

My brain has been on cake lately...probably because we're having our cake tasting in early January. We're actually going to have a very minimalist design, but I still love looking at beautiful cake creations. Flours, a San Francisco based cakery has some beautiful cakes for inspiration...I love how clean cut the lines are but how they use color and texture to really make the cakes pop.

A peek behind the scenes

We are still undecided about how to go about this wedding business now that the baby business has shown itself. The two options that we are kicking around so far are as follows:

1. Small and intimate wedding (ala Carolyn Bessette and JFK Jr. like I have dreamed about from the beginning anyway!!! Woooooo!!!) with just our immediate family and grandparents at our church and then a dinner party like celebration at a local favorite restaurant. This will happen much earlier than our original end of April date. We are thinking the weekend before Valentine's as that's actually the anniversary of when we first exclusively dated.
2. See #1 above + a renewal of the vows ceremony, christening for the baby, and wedding-like reception at our church. This would be the "wedding" event that has been talked up and anticipated by all and will likely happen sometime in August after the baby is born and *hopefully* I would still be able to wear my lovely wedding dress by this time.

There are pluses and minuses to both options. One of the biggest things is money. We have budgeted for this wedding but now with the baby on it's way, that's a whole other thing that we can't just easily forget that needs to be included as well. We could do option 2 since my parents are all for it and would be footing the most of the bill for that but they've also opened up the option of us doing #1 and giving the rest of the budgeted money to us as a "wedding" present for us to use as a down-payment for our first house (that of which we need much more than a big ol' wedding)!

On a more definitive note, we've got ourselves a real-live baby!!!



These pictures are from our three month ultrasound that was done yesterday. Other than the fact that I somehow have developed a serious case of hypertension (blood pressure of around 160/110 that of which I ended up in the EMERGENCY ROOM for on Wednesday - NOT GOOD!), the baby is healthy and active and seemingly happy. (I'm on medication for the blood pressure by the way. Perhaps it's from wedding planning too???) We weren't able to determine if we've got a boy or girl yet but we did get to see the baby experience a somewhat amusing case of the hiccups - so cute!!! The top picture is my favorite and shows the baby with both hands/arms up to the face/head and the bottom shows a better picture overall of where the baby is developmentally.

And I guess that's it! Our next ultrasound will be in 8 weeks when I'm five months along and our next discussion of what to do about the wedding??? Probably within the next hour. And then tomorrow. And then the next day after that because WE. WILL. make a decision BEFORE Christmas. ;)

Hostess Gifts...

So my sister-in-law and a close family friend are throwing an engagement party for FI and I Dec 22nd. We know the date is a lil crazy, but the engagement party is for close family and friends, so we are still expecting a pretty good turn out. They went all out with this engagement party, even doing custom invitations and having it at a very nice country club in upstate New York, I am very appreciative of there gesture, and I want to give them both a nice hostess gift. But here is where I run into a problem.

I Found this on the William-Sonoma Website and I thought they were so cute



They come in packs of four, so I thought I could also get some (nice) hot coco/coffee and package that with it.

However, my concern is that this is to "holidayish". Having a Christmas Eve birthday, I know from personal experience that I hate when people combine my birthday gifts with a Christmas theme...so I'm not trying to do that just because the engagement party happens to be a couple days before Christmas. Do you think it would be better to get non-holiday mugs? I think the snowman are cute and can be "winter mugs' what do you think? Does anybody have any great ideas for hostess gifts?

Come Hell or High Water...

...we're getting married! We have the church and now I have the dress so no matter what happens, we will be getting hitched next fall. I'm so excited, especially since it's my dream dress. And by dream dress, I mean the one I've been drooling over ever since I started dress-shopping. I hope my FI never finds this site because without further ado...





















It's a Judd Waddell dress from his fall collection, in ivory organza with alencon lace bands around the bodice and hem. It's so light and "bridal" and best of yet, I scored an awesome discount ;) As the former designer for Carolina Herrera bridal, Judd Waddell is very talented and by no means affordable (at least in my book). But because he isn't as popular as Monique Lhuillier, Melissa Sweet, etc., I couldn't find a used dress anywhere--at least not in this style. (www.preownedweddingdresses.com is a great resource!) So while browsing through the knottie dress board, I discovered Bridal and Formal.

Bridal and Formal is a behemoth of a bridal salon in Cincinnati, Ohio. They boast over 4,000 wedding dresses, 1,500 bridesmaid dresses and are basically a one-stop shop for wedding party attire. It is quite popular in the midwest, with brides-to-be driving in from all over the country. And because they do not offer alterations through the store (probably due to volume), they offer a somewhat standard 20% off each gown!! And while they have a significant inventory of samples, this discount applies to brand-new, designer gown orders as well!! I was bowled over (and excited) when I found this out; knotties even encouraged me to bargain down the price like they did.

Since I'm out-of-state, the entire transaction took place over the phone. My consultant (Diane) was very sweet and helpful, faxing me copies of the contract and pictures of the dress to make sure everything was in order. You are charged a $65 shipping fee, but that was chump change in comparison to the $1k or so I saved in the end :o) If you don't mind conducting your dress purchase over the phone, you might want to consider this option. I had already tried the dress on in a salon, so I knew exactly what size and color I wanted (luckily the sample size was the perfect fit). But make sure to do your homework on alterations, used dresses, sizes, colors, etc. first to make sure this is the best option for you. I also asked around on the Cincinatti board about the store and other knotties' experiences. But the 20+% off a brand-new designer dress is pretty hard to beat! Feel free to comment if you have any questions about the process.

www.bridalandformalinc.com

Back in action!

So... I've been... not here lately. But for good reason! I PROMISE!!!

The reason why is because of this:


Surprised? Yeah! Me too! We had this confirmed last Saturday and we are actually really excited about it. Of course, it DOES change some things.

Now, before anyone starts concluding things that are entirely untrue, I will confirm some things:

• This is unplanned but NOT unwanted
• We were engaged before this happened and have had every intention to marry first and we actually have been abstaining for the past three months
  
• Our families and church are incredibly supportive AND excited about this development
• We are almost 29 (me) and 31 (him) and we are financially, emotionally, and physically capable and ready of taking care of this baby

I am approximately three months pregnant and possibly a tad further along than that. We are finally going to who will be our OBGYN today to get an assessment to better confirm my gestation time and due date. I'll (OF COURSE!) let you know about how it goes.

As things stand, we are still planning wedding celebrations but with a slightly different (but wonderful!) twist that of which I will post as soon as a few more decisions are made with our families. So, be assured that my postings won't all of a sudden be exclusively about being "with young" and more about my experience of how this latest news affects (if at all) and of the wedding planning.

Right off, I can already tell you that I currently can't fit into my wedding dress *boo* and yesterday I finally had to go and get maternity pants (I wear a 4 though - how flattering is that???). I AM still planning to wear it though and I will explain how that will work in coming posts.

So that's it! Hope everyone is well. I'll certainly let you know how it goes with the doctor's since we are finding out if it's a boy or girl and the baby will definitely be a part of any wedding plans we made from here on out. :)

That's all for now!

Peggy Porschen

If you are still looking for cake inspiration take a look at the website of Peggy Porschen. Sadly, she works across the pond, but her cakes are still spectacular. If you want more pictures check out her books Pretty Party Cakes and Romantic Cakes.

Just click to enlarge if you'd like to see more detail

Naughty and Nice?

Christmas is the time for giving gifts...of lingerie...to yourself...for your honeymoon. Agent Provocateur to the rescue! I think the first set below is hot but in a elegant, refined, non-trashy sort of way. And the second set is in my wedding color...so naturally I'm in love. Both sets together say "Merry Christmas"...hint hint Mr. Fiance (hey it's a gift for you too!). Check out the rest of their site for a lot more naughty and a little bit of nice.

Hannelore's

As I stated before, this past weekend was Wedding Weekend Mania! My mom and aunt came to D.C and we spent 80% of the time going to different bridal salons, visiting with our caterer, looking at hotels, and checking out the space of our venue...I will be sharing these posts the rest of the week, but I wanted to start out today how I started out the weekend, talking about Hannelore's.

I know a couple of the fellow brides on here have commented on it ( sorry if I comment on stores other brides have gone to, but since I'm not getting married till September I'm a little behind, but still want to share my experience :) ). Anyways, I have heard mainly negative reviews on Hannalores, not only from on here, but from the bridal community at large.



Personally I had a great experience there. I went in not expecting the best, I even warned my aunt and mom. We were greeted by Danielle, a lovely lady who proceeded to take us upstairs to start the dress searching process. She was very helpful, she stayed within our budget ( not trying to push us to get a more expensive dress), she never tried to force a sale on us, she was very delightful. I found a dress there that I really liked





It is by Marisa, Style 676 . Like I said I liked the dress, but it wasn't a LOVE feeling, so even though this was a great dress I still wasn't sure.

I will share with you my other finds ( ending with a purchase of a dress!) in later posts, but I have to say, even though you hear negative feedback don't immediately disqualify a place. If Hannelores hadn't been so close to me ( its in Alexandria), I probably wouldn't have bothered going, and would have missed out on a truly pleasurable experience!

Botanical Art

I ran across these beautiful image from Dallas based florist Mami of Botanical Art. Originally from Japan, her training is in the art of Ikebana, which is evident from her delicate and graceful designs. Be sure to check out her wedding and design gallery for inspiration for your own wedding. Her designs really are works of art.

A Great Laugh!

A Great Laugh

Win a Wedding in Old Town

Hilton Alexandria Old Town invites guests to share their romantic Old Town stories this Holiday season One lucky couple with a romantic story set in Old Town Alexandria will be rewarded with a first class wedding at the Hilton Alexandria Old Town.

American history is full of romance and intrigue, and so are the sidewalks of Old Town Alexandria. With cobblestone streets, candlelight tours, picturesque harbor, and unparalleled history, Alexandria has been a favorite for lovers for well over two hundred years. From the devotion shared by George and Martha Washington in Alexandria's early history, to the tender moments shared by today's lovers, Alexandria has charmed the hearts of even the shyest of suitors. A wedding in Alexandria can be a dream come true.

The team at the award-winning and newly-renovated Hilton Alexandria Old Town want to make memories that will last for a lifetime of happiness. Between now and January 24th, newly or soon-to-be engaged couples are invited to share why Old Town Alexandria is a special part of their personal history. The winning couple will win not only a wedding in romantic Old Town, but an unforgettable honeymoon vacation, all valued at over $18,000. The date for this exclusive wedding offer is based on availability and includes:

• A complimentary wedding reception at the award-winning Hilton Alexandria Old Town, up to a $10,000 retail value, date based on availability
• Complimentary use of our outdoor courtyard for your ceremony, up to a $1,500 retail value
• DJ or any other form of entertainment from Bialek's Music Ltd., up to a $750 retail value
• Free bride's bouquet from Foxglove Flowers, up to $250.00 retail value
• Free bridesmaids' bouquets from Foxglove Flowers, up to $80.00 each for up to five Bridesmaids, $400 retail value total
• Bridal hair, makeup, and a couples massage from Circe Day Spa, up to a $500 retail value. Trial Run is not included. Credit card is required at time of reservation. Cancellation policy two weeks prior to day or a 50% charge will occur.
• Complimentary wedding invitations and place cards from Herron Printing, up to a $1,000 retail value
• A complimentary honeymoon from the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa , including a five-day / four-night stay and 50-minute couples massage, valued at $1750
• One complimentary engagement photo from Robert Cummings Photography, up to a $1,000 retail value

To enter please go to http://www.alexandriahilton.com/weddings_info/wedding_giveaway.cfm and share your romantic Old Town Story. The top 10 brides will be invited to the Hilton on January 31st and asked to share their story in person. A panel of experts will include generous sponsors as well as a distinguished panel of past Hilton Old Town Brides and Bride's mothers!

*Previously contracted events are not eligible to participate in this promotion. Offer is based on availability and certain restrictions with the various vendors will apply.

For more information please contact Stephanie Egan, Director of Sales and Marketing at 703-647-2010.

WeddingBay

If Ebay was smart they would set up an entirely separate site just for selling things that would be great in a wedding. You all know I've been on the search for some awesome wedding shoes and that includes searching Ebay every now and then to see what's up for sale. A couple weeks ago I saw the below gorgeous Vera Wang shoes...new and in my size. I've never bought shoes off of Ebay before so I was a little nervous...I'm usually a size 7 or 7.5 so I was worried about getting a shoe I'd never tried on before BUT they were such a great deal I decided to risk it. I figured if they didn't fit I could just resale them. Originally they retailed for $360 and I got them for $125 which isn't too shabby for Vera Wang. Well, they arrived a couple days ago and they are FABULOUS. They look even more fierce on my foot then they do in the pictures. They fit perfectly and are oddly comfortable. I'm not totally sure I'll wear them with my wedding dress (it isn't in yet and I'll have to see how they look when it comes in) but if not I'm going to create a place to wear them to.