The Things I Wouldn't Change...

If I had to do this whole thing over again, there are some things that I would definitely keep the same.  Most importantly, my spectacular groom (of course!).  But, about the less important things:  

1.  I would definitely use a friend as the celebrant/officiant.  Jon was absolutely perfect.  Yeah, there were a few misses in the ceremony, but I wouldn't have it any other way.  It meant so much more to us to have a good friend of ours "marry" us. 

2.  I would definitely have both parents walk me down the aisle.  It meant so much to me to have both of my parents beside me as I walked down the aisle.  It was beautiful and I loved it.  

3.  I would definitely do an iPod reception.  I know a lot of people would disagree with me, but our music went flawlessly.  We got to choose all of the music for our reception and it flowed exactly as I had hoped it would.  I'm glad we spent the money on a Bose Sounddock instead of on a DJ!

4.  I would definitely do a tent reception.  Our tent was absolutely beautiful.  With it all decorated, it was just perfect.  Of course, it definitely helped that the weather was pretty good.  

5.  I would definitely still write our own ceremony.  With using a friend for our officiant, we were able to do a ceremony exactly as we wanted.  It was lovingly written exactly for us.  And, I still think it was absolutely perfect.  

6.  I would keep the same attire for everyone.  I was really happy with how everyone looked.  I especially loved my dress, but I also loved the BM dresses, the groom (and groomsmen's) attire.

7.  I would definitely go with Baby's Breath.  I was a little worried about how the Baby's Breath would look in the end, but I was really pleased.  It was beautiful, unique, and really did go with the whole feel of our wedding.

8.  I would still have our dog Jack be a part of our wedding.  I know a lot of people think I'm crazy and I know that some people have had problems with animals being involved, but I absolutely loved having him there that day.  He was a peach and didn't cause any problems.  In fact, one of my favorite memories of the ceremony is when a baby started getting fussy and Jack gave a little "huff" (like a bark under his breath) as if to tell the baby to be quiet.  It was so stinkin' cute!

9.  I would still do vanilla favors.  They were a little bit of work (and a lot of time spent waiting), but they were so beautiful.  And I loved them!  They were absolutely worth it.

There are other things that I would and wouldn't have changed, but I think these are the big ones... and the ones that people asked about the most.  

The Things I Would Have Done Differently...

With all that went wrong, I honestly wish we hadn't done a wedding.  If I did have to do it over again, I would have changed a TON.  There are lots of things that didn't go as I had hoped.  Here is a list of things that I wish I would have done differently:

1.  I would have had the wedding in Indiana.  We had the wedding in Pennsylvania so that Philip's family could come which meant that a lot of my family couldn't come.  And, then a ton of Philip's family couldn't make it anyway.  And Philip's dad and stepmom left the reception early (despite them being the whole reason we had the wedding in PA).  I wish I would have done what I wanted to do originally and just had the wedding in Indiana.  Then I could've at least had most of my family there. 

Some people think that that would be selfish because then a lot of Philip's family couldn't make it.  Well, they say a picture is worth a thousand words:

That, my friends, is every single family member that I had at our wedding.  That's my dad's sister and her husband, my parents, my sister, and her boyfriend.  So, only 4 of those people are actually my blood relatives.  I know if we would have had the wedding in Indiana, at least 4 of Philip's relatives would have been able to come.  What's unfair?  Especially when you consider that I am a lot closer to my family than Philip is to his! 

2.  I wouldn't have chosen the wedding party so soon.  I let tradition guide me in choosing the ladies next to me right after we got engaged.  If I would have waited a while, I would've seen that I didn't have to choose women to stand beside me.  My sister still would have been my maid of honor, but I probably would have chosen my "big brother" Brandon and another of my guy buds to be my bride's men.  

3.  I would've made sure to express my distaste for all things pink/girly to the photographer.  I certainly made it no secret that I hated the Pepto Bysmol reception photos.  I thought that it would've been clear from the burlap and books, the creamy colors, the whole look that I went for (!) that I wasn't a pink bride.  However, I guess that it wasn't, so I wish that I would've made sure that the photographer knew not to use pink flash lighting.  And made sure that he ate dinner with us so that he wouldn't miss getting photos of the speeches!  

4. If I had to do the wedding in Pennsylvania again, I wouldn't have done it at someone's house.  It made it just too easy for people to hide in the house instead of celebrating with us in the tent.  It also left us dependent on someone else (when to break down the tent, etc.), and I hate that.  Don't get me wrong.  I am thankful that Philip's aunt and uncle opened their home to us.  I would just do it differently if I had to do over again.   

5. I would stand up for myself.  I let too many people walk over me on my wedding day.  I wish I wouldn't have been so nice.  I wish I would have said, if you can't arrive on time, you don't get photos; if people want to leave, they are welcome to do so -- the cake will be cut when it's scheduled to be cut; etc.  

6. I would remember to unbustle my train for the ceremony!  I bustled my dress for the pre-ceremony photos and the first look so that it wouldn't be in the way.  Well, when the ceremony rolled around, I completely forgot to put it down!  It's not really a big deal, but I do wish I had some photos with it down!  It really is beautiful!  

7. I would have arrived earlier than Thursday night.  We had SO much to do in basically a day and a half.  I wish we would have had more time to get everything done!  I was really stressing in the days before the wedding!  And a lot of what I had prepared didn't get used/put out (bathroom baskets, toasting flutes, etc.).   

8. I would have pushed harder to get things done on time.  Our photos were rushed because we were running behind.  Especially the first look.  Even if we were running late, I wish we would've taken our time with those.  In the end, it didn't matter that we were on time since family was late for photos anyway.   

9. I wish we wouldn't have spent so much time, money, and energy.  Yeah, it really was beautiful, but in the end, it really was just one day.  Oh well!

Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue...

I know some brides don't bother with this old tradition, but I think it's cute!  So, I actually put some thought into these.  

Something New:

This one is easy.  Most everything I wore on our wedding day was new.  So, take your pick: my dress, my veil, my shoes, my jewelry, etc.!

Pictured: Lots of new!

Something Blue:

My shoes!  I searched long and hard for these.  In the end, I kind of gave up and settled for these.  I'm happy I did though.  They were comfortable (I wore them all day AND all night!) and the wedges prevented me from getting stuck in the grass (or breaking an ankle).  

They served their purpose... plus I have worn them several times after the wedding.  :)

Something Old and Borrowed:

These two ended up combined for me.  My aunt brought me rings that belonged to my grandmother and grandfather.  My grandmother's ring fit on my right ring finger so I wore it.  My grandfather's ring didn't fit so it was placed on the stems of my bouquet (after it was wrapped in ribbon).  It served this purpose, plus it let me have some part of my grandparents there with me since they both passed away years ago. 

Grandma's Ring

Grandpa's Ring

Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of the rings specifically.  I wish I would have.  Oh well.  What's done is done!  And, I can still see them in some of the pictures anyway.  

So, there you have it.  My something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue.  I'm not sure that I believe in the "luck" it's supposed to bring, but I still enjoyed being a part of the tradition.  :)

My First Dress Fitting!

First, let me say this:  Kim, you can blame my mom for the fact that there are no photos.  ha!  We forgot the camera! Sorry!  

I really wish we could have taken some pictures of me in it though. It's really hard to tell what the dress looks like when you're in it!  And, the one time we were in front of the full length mirror, I was mostly looking at the bottom of the dress to determine how long it needed to be.  Oh, well.  Only 102 more days until I'll be wearing it all day long!  :)  

I tried on the dress on Sunday night to see what all would need to be done to it.  Then on Monday morning, my mom, my sister and I drove just a few miles away to get the alterations started.  

She had me try on the dress and we told her what we wanted to happen.  Obviously, the length was WAY too long (even with my 3 inch heels!).  She pinned the dress up a few times to see how high high we wanted it to be.  It ended up at 1/4 inch above the ground.  It is just high enough for me to not be tripping over the dress (and to keep it off the ground a bit), but not so high that anything can be seen under the dress.  

The dress was also too loose through my waist and hips.  So, she is taking that in a bit.  I'd honestly prefer it to be a bit more snug that what we agreed on, but I have to agree that it will be nice to be able to sit and dance comfortably in my dress.  ;)  

The dress has a built in corset back that gets zipped over.  The corset back holds everything up really well, but there was a bit of gap between the dress and the corset back, so she's taking 3/8 inch out of each side of the back of the dress.  

I think that's about it.  The dress is just as beautiful as I remembered it being... except now it mostly fits!  She said that the alterations should be done in about 2 weeks.  I'm a little nervous (mostly because she has to take off a bunch of the beading on the top to be able to alter the dress, and then put the beading back on!), but I know that my baby is in good hands!  

Just as a refresher, here is what my dress looks like:

She's definitely a beauty!  I can't wait for it to be done!  :)

New Goal

I spent much of the Memorial weekend working outside in our yard: weeding, mulching, cleaning, etc.  It was actually fun.  

Except for the part where I now have a hilariously awesome tan lines.  Well, scratch that.  They're really burn lines.  And they're sore.  But, the pain will go away.  I'm hoping that I can get the lines to go away, too.

(Source)

For those of you who don't remember, my dress is strapless and has a low back.  I was wearing a sports bra outside in the sun.  And, my dress will surely show all of my glorious lines.  I'm not normally one for tanning.  However, I also don't want to look ridiculous in my dress.  

Fortunately, I still have 116 days to get rid of these lines.  I will probably be spending a bit more time in the sun and possibly investing in some sunless tanning lotion.  Any suggestions?

A visit to the Hoosier state...

(Source)

I have my flight booked.  By this time in 2 weeks, I will be in Indiana visiting my family!  There are a few things happening while I'm there.

First, we will be working on the DIY table numbers.  I can't find any 4x6 frames at the Dollar Tree here in Colorado, but my mom found a bunch in Indiana.  That actually works out better anyway (I won't have to cart those things along with me to Indiana in September -- more room in my car for other stuff!).  If I think of any other DIY stuff that they can help me with, we'll probably do that, too.

Next, a shower.  I don't know when this is happening.  I've just been told that it will be while I'm home.  I'm excited because it means that I will (hopefully) be able to see some family members that I don't get to see very often.  :)

And, lastly, I will be getting my alterations started.  My dress is currently hiding in my dad's enormous gun safe.  It is hopefully being guarded from any form of destruction!  I will actually be getting my alterations done by the mother of my best friend from Kindergarten and first grade.  :)  

Before I knew that she could do the alterations, I was in a bit of a panic.  I've seen so many alterations disasters.  I really don't know what I would do if my dress got destroyed during alterations.  I don't even want to think about it!  But, I'm actually feeling much better now that I know that she will be doing my alterations.  My dress will be in wonderful, gifted hands.  :)   

Speak of the Devil...

I just got THE call!  My dress is in!  As this is an incredibly momentous occasion, I would like to take a second to just say:

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!  

(Source)

I'm so excited!  My beautiful dress has finally arrived!  Now I just have to plan a trip to Indiana to try it on and get the alterations started.  Words cannot express how excited I am!  XD

This concludes this very important message.  ;)

Growing Impatient

May 1st is finally here.  I was assured that my dress would be here by the beginning of May.  While this year has gone by SO incredibly quickly, it seems that I've been waiting for my dress to arrive for FOREVER.

I am hoping so much that I will get that call this week.  I'm going crazy waiting on it!  

Once I get the call saying that the dress is finally in, I plan to book a flight to Indiana.  Then I will have my first fitting and get the alteration process started.  Since they said that I was a "perfect" size, there shouldn't be a whole lot of alterations for the top of the dress.  However, the dress is made to be 60 inches tall.  I'm only 63 inches tall (5'3").  So, I'm thinking the dress will have to have some taken off the bottom.  It's probably going to depend on how high of heels I decide to wear!  

All I know is that I just cannot wait for this beauty to be here:

Bonny 044

Oh!  I love it so much!  I can't wait to put on the dress that is made for just me.  It's going to be beautiful and perfect.  And, thankfully, my body doesn't fluctuate very much, so once we do the first set of alterations, my dress should be pretty much set!  :)

My Dress: Update

With all of the attire updates I've done, I felt I should give a wedding dress update!

 

We found the dress on January 24th (long before all of these other attire decisions!).  It was a lot of trial and error but we knew that we had found the perfect one.  :)  The bridal shop told us that it would take 10 days to 16 weeks (or 112 days, or 4 months).  *Sigh*  

 

I was hoping to be closer to the 10 days than the 112 days.  I knew it was unlikely.  We're currently at 55 days in. 

 

Well, Friday, my mom sent me an email.  I got excited by the subject line (The Dress) and the first line (Greta's called me.).  If you don't remember, Greta's is the name of the dress shop where we bought my dress.

 

I, of course, immediately jump to the conclusion that my dress is finally in.  Then I read the rest of the email.  They were just calling to let my mom know that they had received the payment.  *Sigh again*

 

However, they did tell my mom that the dress is scheduled to arrive in early May.  That burst my bubble.  It's definitely a lot closer to the 112 day mark than I wanted to be, but at least we have an ETA now!  

 

Ahhh!  I just can't wait for the dress to arrive.  I want to see it and try it on and just touch it!  I can't wait to get any alterations done and see it in it's final glory.  It's going to be beautiful and perfect.  I just know it!  Most of all, I really cannot wait to see the look on Philip's face when I walk down the aisle.  And, we're getting ever closer to that day.  Only 188 days to go until the wedding (and since it's almost midnight here, I'm going to go ahead and say that it's actually 187 days to go)!!

Wedding Dress Sizes

I'm a little woman.  I am 5'3" and about 110-115 lbs (depending on the day!).  I wear a size 0 and rarely a 2 (depending on the manufacturer).  

However, I was a bit shocked when I went to get measured for my wedding dress.  The lady measuring me told me that I was a perfect size (which doesn't happen very often).  Yep, a perfect size 6.  How is that possible??  

I was told beforehand that I would most likely have a bigger size in my wedding dress than what I normally wear... so, I was expecting a 2 or maybe even a 4.  When she said 6, I'm sure my jaw probably dropped.  

I don't pay that much attention to sizes or numbers.  I love my body.  I like the curves I have and I'm happy with the way I look.  I just want to know where that number comes from!  How can I be a 0 regularly and a 6 on my wedding day?  

Shouldn't wedding dress designers want brides to feel thinner instead of making them feel larger?  I mean, a bride is supposed to feel gorgeous.  The number isn't very important to me, but what about for brides who are more sensitive about their weight/size?  I would think that making a huge size jump like that could be devastating to some!  

But, no matter the size, I know that I look awesome in my wedding dress.  :)  

The Pros and Cons of Wedding Dress Shopping

I have watched Say Yes to the Dress.  I've seen other tv shows about wedding dress shopping.  They always make it look so simple.  They try on 3 or 4 dresses and one of them is absolutely perfect.  Everyone cries and it's an easy decision.  

That wasn't the case for my family and me.  My sister and I did some preliminary shopping over New Years weekend while she was in Colorado.  We tried on probably 20 dresses.  We found a few that we liked, but nothing really special.  That shopping was mostly to figure out what look we would be going for anyway, so it was fun and not really disappointing.  

Well, this past weekend, I went to Indiana to go shopping with my mom and my sister.  I tried on SO MANY dresses that it wasn't funny.  We found dresses that looked nice on me, but they weren't THE dress.  

The first shop wasn't bad.  So what if we didn't find it.  We still had plenty of time.  The second place made it a little depressing.  By the time we left the third place, I was starting to doubt that we would find that special dress.  I was beginning to think that maybe it was a myth.  

When we started again on Saturday, I was hopeful, but still doubtful.  And then we tried on gown after gown after gown and still didn't find the dress.  It didn't help that the lady wasn't showing us dresses that we had described.  She was only showing us dresses that she thought would look good on me.  She was driving us all crazy.  We knew what we wanted.  She just wouldn't listen.  When she finally did listen, we got THE dress.  

When the dress was finally on and we were all looking at me in the mirror, my mom started to cry.  My sister's eyes got a little damp and her whole face lit up.  My sister's friend, Ariel (who I'd only met one other time), actually teared up, too.  And, of course I teared up.  We just knew that this was the dress.  

I am so glad that we kept searching instead of just settling on a dress that just looked nice.  We may have had to try on a hundred dresses, but we did eventually find the perfect dress for me.  And every time I look at those pictures, I am SO glad that we kept at it.  

I can't help myself!  Here is my perfect dress again:

So, the cons are that it can take a ton of time and effort to find the dress (and possibly having to deal with people who really should not be in sales!), but the pros are that once you find that perfect dress, it will all be worth it.  The perfect dress will make you feel like a beautiful bride and it will just feel right.  So, don't give up ladies!  There is such a thing as a perfect dress!  

I love my dress!

Yesterday, my mom and I went to get measured for my dress.  We decided to order from Greta's (despite the poor customer service the first time around).  When we went in, we were happy to find that our experience was much nicer the second time.  The lady who helped us was wonderful.  I got to try on the dress again and I am still completely in love with it (as is my mom!).  

We took a few more pictures of it because I won't see it again for a few months.  The delivery time is 10 days to 16 weeks!  Even if it takes the full 16 weeks, I still don't think it's all bad.  I still have 8 months to go until the wedding, so that leaves us plenty of time to get fitted and altered if need be (it shouldn't need to much altering because I measured at a perfect size -- they said that doesn't happen often!).  

Here it is again:

I just love it!  I love the understated details/beading on the front and I love the sleek train.  It's just perfect!  I can't wait to put on a dress that actually fits me right (in the photos, I'm holding the excess fabric to make it more like it will be when it actually fits me)!  I'm so glad that we found this dress.  And I definitely can't wait for Philip to see me in it.  :)


Oh, and just in case you were wondering, this dress is Bonny 044 in Ivory (it also comes in white).  

We found THE dress!

The plan was for me to fly into South Bend, Indiana on Thursday night.  Well, my plane was delayed in Denver so we didn't leave until about an hour after we were supposed to.  That meant that I missed my flight from Chicago to South Bend.  Well, my parents drove all the way to Chicago to pick me up!  We didn't get home until about 4am.  And then we got up at 8am to go to our bridal appointments. 

We had 3 appointments on Friday.  The first one was at Toumas in Fort Wayne Indiana.  They had a ton of dresses, but we didn't find "the one."  The sales lady was also really pushy. 

Next stop: The Perfect Dress (also in Fort Wayne).  I can't tell you how many dresses they actually have because we didn't actually see them.  We described what we were looking for and she brought out maybe 4 or 5 and I tried them on.  None of them were even close to being "the one."  The sales lady wasn't pushy but she also wasn't very friendly or helpful.

Then it was on to The Bride to Be (also in Fort Wayne).  They didn't have a lot of dresses, but the sales lady was INCREDIBLY helpful.  She took a ton of time to help us and made us feel very welcome.  There was one dress that we liked but it just wasn't quite right.  I was sorry we didn't find a dress there because I wanted to buy a dress from her. 

That was all for Friday.  I was feeling a little down about not finding anything, but I was still excited for Saturday.  We had only one appointment.  It was at Greta's in South Bend.  I'm torn about our experience with Greta's.  The customer service was terrible but we found THE dress.  

When we arrived, we were "greeted" by a very pushy lady.  Then our sales lady didn't listen to what we wanted and kept bringing us dresses that I had explicitly said that I did not like.  However, when she finally showed us a dress like what we described (after a TON of other dresses exactly as I described what I did NOT want), it was the one.  We tried on a few more, but we still felt the same way.

The "one" made all of us tear up a little bit.  It was beautiful and exactly how I wanted it to be.  It was mermaid and elegant with just the right amount of detail.  I loved it... and so did my mom, my sister (MOH), and a friend of ours.  So, without further ado, here it is:

[No Philip allowed!  No peeking beyond this point!]

[I mean it PHILIP RONALD]

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[The details on the front.]

[The details on the back.]

 So, what do you think?

Dress photos!

On Monday night, my sister and I did some more dress shopping. We went just outside of Fort Collins to a little shop called Blushing Bride. It was a small shop but it had a good selection of dresses. The lady who was working that night was incredibly helpful and friendly.

As promised, here are the photos of the dresses I tried on. That means this post is off limits for Philip! I mean it! :P
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Here they are!

From Saturday.

From Saturday. My least favorite, by far.

From Saturday. I thought I would hate this one, but I ended up really liking it.

From Saturday. My sister insisted that I try this one. I ended up really liking it, but I'm not sure it fits our outdoor/nature wedding.

From Monday night. I absolutely love this one. I think it is my favorite of all of them.

This is the back of the previous dress. Isn't it gorgeous??

From Monday. I'm not really a huge fan of this one.

From Monday. This one was really pretty. I like the detail.

From Monday. My sister made me try this one. It looked better than I thought it would, but it's definitely not my kind of dress. Too froo froo for me.

From Monday. Again, too much fluff. I don't like the ruching, but it looks better than I thought it would.

From Monday. I liked this one, but I felt a little too much like a mermaid. The flare was a little too plain and it was really big.

From Monday. This one actually fit me really well without any clamps on the back. It was incredibly uncomfortable. It was hard for me to even walk around in it. And, again, I don't like the ruching. Not the dress for me.

This was the last dress I tried. It's a pretty dress but it was too plain. I do like the shape of the dress though.

And, that's all she wrote, folks. What do you think? Are your favorites the same as mine?

I'm going to be going home to Indiana in the next few weeks. We're going to do some more dress shopping and (hopefully) make the final decision. After all, my mom will actually be there to help! I can't wait!

Dress Shopping!!

My sister came into town on Friday afternoon. We took this opportunity to do a bit of dress shopping. It was my first time trying on wedding gowns. I was incredibly nervous. I don't really know why.

My original idea for my perfect wedding gown was pretty traditional. I wanted an A-line dress with a simple design. I DEFINITELY did not want any ruching. I think it looks like wadded up, used tissues. I do NOT like it. Plus, it just looks a little too "froo-froo" for me. This is what I originally had in mind for my dress:

I still love this dress. However, when we went dress shopping, the first dress I tried on was an A-line. It wasn't exactly like this, but the shape was the same. It was a beautiful dress, but it was not the dress for me. It swallowed my body up. I've got cute curves that I'd like my dress to accentuate, not swallow/cover up. Besides that, I'm only 5'3", so the dress was just too big for my height. It wasn't the dress for me.

My sister really wanted me to try a different kind of dress, so I did. It was a trumpet shaped dress (or mermaid). I never in a million years thought I would like a mermaid dress. I just don't like the way they look. Well, this mermaid dress was BEAUTIFUL on me. I loved it so much. It was all lace. It hugged my curves and it just looked fantastic.

I knew I was sold on that style of dress, but I wanted to see what my options were within that style, so I tried on a few more. The next dress I loved just as much, if not more. It was also all lace, but it also had a thin sash just under the bustline. It was all white instead of ivory. It looked great.

Then, my sister had me try a sleek, satin gown. It had silver beading just under the bust and also at the top of the train. It was incredibly elegant and beautiful. I really loved the dress, but I just wasn't sure if it would fit the outdoor/nature wedding that we have planned.

I have pictures of me in each of these 3 dresses, but I left my camera at Cheesecake Factory (where we went to eat after we shopped until we dropped). I'll upload the pictures as soon as I get my camera back today.

I can't wait to do some more shopping with my mom! Then we'll make a final decision and it will be glorious! I can't wait to have MY gown. It will make all of it real. :)

Say Yes To The Dress

I've been watching Say Yes to the Dress lately. I had never watched it before but my mom mentioned it to me and I saw that it was available to watch instantly on Netflix. So, I sat down and watched a few episodes.

It's an interesting show, I'll give them that. However, being a budget bride, I find myself blown away by how much these brides spend on their dresses! Don't get me wrong, I plan to find my dream dress. However, I don't plan on spending more than $500 on the dress. So, when I see brides not even thinking about blowing $15,000 on a dress, I get a little nauseous. That's more than my entire wedding budget. Including the honeymoon! And we're going to Italy!

It just blows my mind! Where are these brides coming up with this money?? Especially when I see that some of them are teachers or SAHMs... I work full time and so does Philip. We don't have that kind of money to blow on our wedding. I know that many brides take out loans to cover wedding costs... we don't see that as an option. We'd like to buy a house and start a family in the next few years. $15,000 wedding dresses don't fit into that plan very well.

Am I the only person who thinks that spending that much money on a dress is crazy??