Dresses

The wonderful world of wedding dresses can be overwhelming.  (It's overwhelming to me and I haven't even started the search.)  Just like many other brides I immediately wanted to start searching for my dress as soon as I go engaged.  I soon realized there are a few important aspects of the wedding that needed to be considered before I started dress shopping.  I needed to know when I was getting married (or at least the time of year); where we envisioned the wedding taking place, how I envisioned myself looking and feeling; and the feel of my wedding day.  Do I want the traditional church ceremony followed by a reception in an ballroom? or Do I want to have a fun wedding that lacks tradition and is all about us?  Or do I simply want to elope?

I could immediately rule out elopement (our parents would kill us).  I could also rule out the fairy tale.  It isn't in the budget and I'm not a princess.  It's important to my fiancée that we get married in the church (it doesn't make a big difference to me but I want him involved and it's our day not just mine) and it's important to me that we have pictures and some kind of a reception afterward.  So here I am looking for dresses I like, that I think will look good on me, that I can afford to buy and that will fit my wedding.  Because we all know you can't wear a ballgown to the beach and a short gown in the winter.

I'm 95% sure that I want a fit and flare gown that is slightly A-line.  I'm not interested in the full ballgown skirt because I think it will get in the way. The pictures above are my two favorite dresses {which can be found at David's Bridal}(I know it looks like 3-4 but the two on the left are one dress and the two on the right are different views of the same dress).  I want something that will be elegant for the ceremony that is still fun for the reception.  I've seen both dresses in person and they are amazing.  The dress on the left reminds me of the Amsale Tyler gown featured in When in Rome (See picture at right) .  I would probably add a sash to the dress to make it look similar and to hide the spot in the back where the skirts overlap.  The dress on the right is the perfect mix of elegant and casual.  I love the 3-D floral detail on the skirt and the simplicity of the gown.  There are a few other dresses that I've seen that I like.  A few or actually bridesmaids dresses that come in Ivory (which means low cost and less wait time for the dress).    What it comes down to is how I feel and look in the dress.  I want to feel BEAUTIFUL and like I'm the only women in the world.  I want to put on the dress and KNOW that it is MY dress and it perfect for my wedding.  This dress will be in pictures for the rest of my life so it has to look good and make me feel good so that I look good in it.

So I'm taking a poll: Which dress do you like better and why? The two in one dress (left side of the photo) or the fit and flare with 3-D floral.  (both dresses are from Davids Bridal btw.) 

post a comment and let me know what you think.  

The plan so far... (its all subject to change)

So here is the plan thus far.    We are considering having a later afternoon ceremony with a cocktail reception.  The Wedding Colors are Midnight Blue and Purple. The Wedding Party will be made up of 3-4 bridesmaids and 3-4 Groomsman.  We are having a church ceremony performed by his dad. The reception will either be traditional (country club) or unique (bowling alley).   The flowers will be different depending on the person. As the bride I want a pop of color against my dress.  The bridesmaids may have the same flowers just in their own arraignments.   I like the idea of orange roses as a pop against my ivory/white dress, the Bridesmaid's purple gowns, and the Groomsman's navy suits. I may also decided to use blue and purple hydrangeas.

Musical Selections include:
  - Nothing Else Matters (instrumental) by Metallica
  - Canon in D Major
  - Can't take my eyes off you by The Jersey Boys
 - Then by Brad Paisley
 -  My Little Girl by Tim McGraw
 -  Cha Cha Slide
 - Cupid Shuffle
 -  Old time Rock and Roll by Bob Segar
                                

Real Weddings

Soooo I've had a lot of time on my hands recently,  (winter break = lots of down time) and started gathering inspiration for my wedding by looking at stories of other people's weddings.  I've found some useful tips as well as some great ideas.  One bride insisted on having a stress free wedding day.  Instead of planing everything down to the minute so just relaxed, made sure the big things were taken care of and let the little details wander off.  I know my mother would kill me if my fiancée and I did the "first look" prior to the ceremony but I think it's a great way to get a lot of photos done in advance.  One couple did a combo of both, they had a first look prior to the ceremony but the groom was blind folded so he never saw her in the dress.   Personally I want to get the posed pictures over with while my hair, makeup and dress still look their best.  I also want to spend time with my guests and enjoy the reception.  That brings me to another stress free idea: no seating chart.  Instead of wasting precious time, energy and resources; let your guests choose where they sit.  Why should I fret about a seating chart when everyone (for the most part) are fully grown adults who can find their own place to sit.

There were also some cost saving tips I found like DIY bouquets made out of silk flowers and wearing a white or ivory bridesmaids dress as a wedding gown.  BM dresses are a fraction of the cost of wedding dresses and can be accessorized easily. Add a sash here and a pin there and whoala  you have a wedding dress that is totally you.  I like to play about with dresses and pick out details in each one that I like.  Sooner or later I find myself sketching dress designs.  I know it would cost way too much money to have a dress made but it certainly helps me understand more of what I like. I contemplated ordering a simple gown and then adding my own touches to it later.  We'll see what I decide when I start dress shopping.

I don't want my wedding to turn into a total DIY event but some DIY projects are ok if they add a personal touch to the event or it they are inexpensive without looking like it.  So far on the big wedding to do list is: 1) find a reception location; 2) find a photographer 3) wedding dress 4) finalize the guest-list/invitation/save the date and 5) stay under budget.

Friends, family and the Guest List

When paying for your own wedding the cost of every little thing adds up.  Most magazines and websites tell you to cut the guest list as a way of saving money but really how much of it can you cut.  So far the guest list is only between my fiancée and I.  No one else knows who is and who is not invited.  My biggest pet peeve is that parents insist that we need to serve food at the reception if we have guests coming from out of town.  We would much rather host a cocktail reception someplace fun to keep costs low, than have a full blow ballroom that costs an arm and a leg.  The last thing we want to do is start our new life in debt.

So that brings me back to the guest list.  I want to have a mix of friends and family without going too overboard. I'm creating an A list and B list.  Not because one group is more important than the other but the A list is the people that I really want to be there and the B list are people who are close and I can invite in person a few months prior to the wedding or they are people that we will invite if we can but it won't cause any heartache if they aren't there.   Personally I can do without some relatives that I haven't seen or talked to in years but I'll extend the invite because it would seem rude to invite some but not all.

One method that I've found to politely suggest that we are keeping the guest list low is my writing, "We have ___ seats reserved in your honor" on the response cards and then filling in the number for that person, couple or family. We are also asking that people respond via phone or website (so we can save of postage).

Unfortunately we will have many guests coming from out of town so invites will have to go out early to get the best rates of flights and hotels.   With this in mind we may do welcome bags as opposed to wedding favors.

Thats all for today.

Ideas, Dreams and DIY

So like many Brides-to-be out there I'm constantly looking for great ideas for my wedding.  Everything from save the dates and invitations to welcome baskets and favors.  Recently I've found a few ideas that I really liked that with a little practice I can make myself.  Fortune teller save the date add a playful and unique spin on your typical save the date.  Some brides have used them to display trivia questions about the bride and groom during the cocktail hour. Which is a great idea is most of your guest don't know each other.  I've also found a few DIY Bride books that gave me some great ideas like making little calenders for my bridesmaids with important dates like dress shopping, bridal showers, bachelorette party, wedding day, etc.  

I consider myself a crafty person so on many occasions I find things that I like and then try my best to figure out how to make them myself and if I can make them for less.  I want my wedding to feel extravagant without the price tag of being extravagant.   I would love to have fireworks shoot off the roof as my husband and I depart for our minimoon and leave in a classic car or a vintage luxury vehicle.   I have discovered than many online stationary stores allow you to pick items that you would like to receive as samples.  This is great because I can try to figure it out from seeing it in a catalog and then order a sample to see if my knockoff compares.  Ordering samples also allows you to see the quality of a product.  There are times when I look at the cost of wedding invitations and wonder why these things have to cost sooo much.  Its a sheet or a few sheets of paper, a very important, memorable sheet of paper but it is still paper so I'm not sure I see the purpose in spending $300+ on a bunch of paper products.


(http://www.glamour.com/weddings/blogs/save-the-date/2010/06/21/0622-fortune-teller_we.jpg)

LovelyBride

I got engaged a few months ago and am slowly realizing how difficult it is to plan a wedding on a budget in Vegas.  Most likely my fiancée and I will be paying for the wedding.  My mom has offered to help a little bit.  She'll most likely pay for my dress and possibly his wedding band. My dad said he'll help with what he can.  I know my parents and they will try their hardest to help but I don't expect them to foot the bill for the whole thing.    I've asked my fiancée to talk to his parents and see if they'd be willing to help us pay for anything.  He hasn't broached the subject because money is tight and he doesn't want to seem like he is asking for too much.   His dad has offered to perform the ceremony (he did this as soon as he found out we were engaged).   Our families are going to be an interesting aspect of our wedding.  We've been together for 4 years now and our families have never met.  They are also broken families.  My parents divorced when I was ten.  thankfully they get along.  His family is blended.  His mom died when he was little and his dad remarried when he was in middle school.

Now about our wedding:  We are still looking for ideas.  We know that we want a church ceremony and a reception afterwards but we're stuck trying to narrow down the reception.  I don't want to go to a Casino because I have asthma and would like to breathe easy on my wedding day; but most of the casinos are cheaper than the country clubs and reception halls.  So that's where I'm torn.  I'd like to have a fairly small wedding with family and close friends(no more than 100 people).  Make it a day celebrating our love for each other.  A little romantic, a little classic, and a lot of fun.  Needless to say if I picked everything I liked for my wedding without any regard to cost I'd blow my budget in a heartbeat.

 I live in the town of the drive-thru and 24 hour wedding chapels... so why can't I find the perfect place to be a Lovely Bride on my wedding day?  The search is on and I'll keep you posted on the process.  Hopefully I find everything I need ( and most of what I want) for my Fall 2012 wedding.