The big bridal stores vs. the private stores

As a bride I observed the big bridal stores vs. the much smaller, private ones and it was really interesting.

I had heard from many brides to avoid David's Bridal for my wedding gown - mainly to their dresses not accommodating tall girls well and being very expensive to alter to add length.

Therefore, I went to a much smaller bridal store south of where I live. It only had two dressing rooms, one being so small I actually didn't even know it was there until it was pointed out to me later. There weren't a huge selection - but they had enough where I got a good idea of what looked good on me, and what didn't.

Most of all, the customer service was exceptional - although it helped that I was the only bride in the store and you had to have an appointment. The lady that owned the store was the only one there at the time (she also had an assistant), and it was fabulous. My bridesmaid and I were definitely treated like royalty.

At that cute, little dress boutique I found my dream dress.

However, I could not imagine all my bridesmaids fitting into the little dress shop and there definitely weren't enough dresses for everyone to try on.

Therefore, for the bridesmaids dresses we ventured to two places: David's Bridal and a popular local boutique. The local boutique was more expensive and most sizes were 6-8 (which would fit some, but not all the girls).

So, we ventured to David's Bridal and had the most fabulous experience. I have heard many not-so-great things about David's but I must say we went there twice, once on Friday and another time on Saturday, and had awesome service! It's not that they weren't busy - they definitely were - but they still cared about us. They had a ton of different sizes (between 2 - 24) and lots of colors.

We said yes to those dresses.

Serene dresses and Midnight vests

So another "problem" with the gorgeous serene dresses is that although they came from David's Bridal, they did not have exact coordinating tuxes at their "brother" company, Men's Warehouse.

Therefore we opted for the Midnight at Men's Warehouse. My fiance and I personally went and looked at all the vests, and this was by far the best match (aside from just silver, gold, champagne, or black).

I would definitely recommend these vests.

Serene Dresses and Flowers

I haven't updated this in forever, but I definitely will start (hopefully) at a little bit more of a regular pace.

First off, I had a hard time finding tuxes and flowers online that matched my girls color - Serene from David's Bridal. Therefore, if any future bride finds me through google, here are good options.

Flowers for Serene: Orchids, purple or pink roses, white/ivory roses

Here was another suggestion: "a combination of roses and lilies. Both are beautiful and summery flowers and their contrasting shapes are very striking in a bouquet. chose white, blues, with hints of yellow and coral/peach. I thought bringing in yellow was a nice was to compliment and brighten up those blues."

Please Vote for my Dream Assignment!

I invite you to invite everyone else

So I have seen many invitations over the years - my father is a pastor and we have had our fair share of weddings since I could remember. I would get excited when I allowed to open the envelopes and check out each piece in a extensive creative check.

Now I know that those brides can have the tiniest piece of mind that those cards they spent hundreds of dollars on were well appreciated.

I had no idea how much wedding invitations were - it's pretty crazy. As a guest, I appreciate the cards and try to hold on to them until at least the end of the wedding (until it inevitably gets lost at the hotel, after it's use of the map of directions and reception address is up). Therefore, I can only imagine that most other guests do the same. Which equals a lot of money on something that is only really going towards a maid's trashcan in the end.

So we decided to make our own. We actually got very lucky and went to a store going out of business (it was one of the stores always way too overpriced, however I do feel for the employees becoming unemployed soon), and got a great deal. So now we have the paper and create our own hopefully creative and discounted invites.

On the other hand, here are some amazing invitation websites if you don't want to worry about throwing your fiance's printer out the window when it decides to mess up when you try to print them out on your own (disclosure: I did not use any of these companies for my invites):

Icing on the Cake Designs - These are amazing, creative invites. A little pricey for our budget, but probably a good deal if we would've saved for more than a few months.

VP On Sale - Great deal and it looks like they really take care of you.

David's Bridal - Yep, they have dresses, tuxes, and even invitations! They are nicely coordinated and quite cute. I also like that they have reviews from real brides.

Vista Print - I used them for my save-the-dates and loved them.

For the theater-themed weddings - Invitation Consultants - so cute and some are more expensive than others, but if you don't want to worry about designing them on your own, these are awesome!

Another great website for the theater folks: Invitation Box

For the photo folks these sites are awesome:

Photo Card Chef

Photo Wedlock Invitations

Some other reviews I found online:

"go to printsmadeeasy.com they are really cheap and professional. You'll have to use the postcards section but it can be easily transformed into invites. I used it for my sisters wedding last year. 300 cards for 29.99 plus shipping."

"I am a graphic designer and I use VistaPrint for a lot of things. I did not use them for my wedding invitations, as I created my own unique ones. However, I did use VistaPrint for response cards. I got 100 postcards for about $8.00. I waited until they had a special (which is pretty much once every other day), and uploaded my own design that was printed in glossy color. On the reverse side, I had them print me and my fiance's address in black and white. I would definitely recommend using them for response cards.

The materials I purchased for my invitations came in packs of 50. I need about 60 invitations, so I am considering getting 10 or so from VistaPrint to send to a few people that I know probably aren't coming anyway. They will be nice, just not as nice as the ones I custom made. I would definitely say that they are better than any you'd buy at Wal-Mart and print at home. Their print quality is fabulous!"

"not sure your budget but willowtreelane.com has complete invitation packages for cheap i got 100 invites with everything you need to go with them for $93"

"I used Vista Print for invitations to my casual outdoor wedding. The service was prompt and very cost effective. I got very simple, tasteful invites, response cards, thank you cards, and envelopes all for less than I would have paid for invitations alone from another source.
Highly recommended. There is a lot of freedom in design options and you do not have to use cookie cutter formats or text."

"I used VistaPrint for our company business cards and they came out great. I have a wedding website which I sell wedding invitations at low to high prices. Just click on the link with the flashing invitations at http://weddingsuppliesunlimited.com."

"Mine were $500.00 for 175 and I made them but I used high quality paper. You can make them as cheap as $2 per set
http://www.budgetweddinginvitations.com/...

So look here and you can see what you can get at what price so the cheapest you could do is about $150.00-200.00"

"Like everyone has said, it does depend on where you get them and the like. I bought mine at Office Max and made them myself! Everyone loved them and had no idea we did them at home.

It was a white overlay with text over a picture of the two of us in black and white. I loved them.

Orientaltrading.com has the exact ones I bought in Office Max. Here's the link. http://www.orientaltrading.com/applicati..."

Style Network wedding contest

Are you an engaged couple who truly wants a one-of-a-kind wedding of a lifetime, but you're finding it next to impossible in the face of an economic crisis? Then this is your opportunity to have the wedding of your dreams!

The Style Network is celebrating the 100th episode of "Whose Wedding is it Anyway?" We are searching for ONE LUCKY COUPLE who is ready to scrap their plans and go on a wild ride with one of our featured "Whose Wedding" planners, as we GIVE them the most unforgettable wedding adventure!

Please send your contact info, love story and photos to: WhoseWedding100@trueentertainment.net

All participants must be 21 years of age or older and have a valid US passport. You must also be available for shooting and travel in early March 2009.

The deadline to apply is February 16, 2009.

- So after some thought (okay it only took a few minutes to decide) I am not scrapping all our plans for a very cool (and free) wedding. Yes, it would be awesome, I'm sure...but this is more than us. It's about getting married in the church we attended since we started dating, it's about our families coming together, it's about all that crazy and fun stuff that I want to experience with my fiance and our new combined families and friends...but yes it's definitely tempting to also take the wedding money and just take everyone on a cruise instead, lol.

The Save-the-Dates

I made them with Photo Shop and VistaPrint and a bit of help from my advertising and design-guru, Anya. I incorporated a few of my fav ideas: baby pictures, cute 'engagement' pic (although it was taken in the summer), calendar idea, and then on the back has all the info and a magnet we put on.

As the fairy tale becomes a 'crazy' reality

I was chatting with a good friend of mine, Alyssa, at a party last weekend. She is getting married in December, and became engaged to her lovely fiance, David this past Thanksgiving. At the party a friend of ours asked how all our planning was going...and I was relived to hear someone else say (out loud) that it was much more stressful than they thought it would be.

She's worked for a long time making cupcakes and cakes for weddings, she knows how it goes and all the planning. I spend about 15-20 weekends a year attending or taking pictures for weddings, I know how it goes. Well, we thought anyways.

She figured out earlier than I did how expensive invitations and centerpieces are, so she decided to make her own. I realized that a few weeks ago, and now am following the same path. It makes things a bit more stressful - but luckily Taylor and his family are a huge help.

The biggest thing that makes it a bit of a "painful" process is not having my mom and the majority of my best friends and maids of honor here with me. I luckily have Taylor and his amazing family, and my good friend, Michelle who was a maid of honor twice and is so awesome.

However, it is so hard doing this without my mom sometimes. Not that I can't technically do it alone, it's not so bad, but just not having her here for the moments I always thought we would do together.

Luckily my friends are coming in March, and my mom is coming soon after my wedding dress comes in (early summer), so I am lucky to have those moments to look forward to.

Though it really makes me think twice about moving away and having kids - I can get through this okay, but it would be much tougher to go through all the craziness of first-time pregnancy without my family or friends from home closer.

How low can shoes go?

So my fiance is only 2 inches taller than me...in his sweet shoes that he's gonna hate by the end of the reception he maybe gets an extra inch with a heel. My dress perfectly fits all 5 feet and 10 inches of me...without heels on. Therefore, due to his height and the dress I can only get about 1 inches in heel height. Which is, by the way, totally fine with me because I'm not a heel person. I am jealous of the heel people though - all the Jaclyns and Michelles out there that can strut their stuff without falling, totally jealous - but I lack the high heel gene. Instead I got the clumsy and tall gene.

Ideally, I would love just to find an awesome slipper that I could wear in and outdoors...but most slippers aren't built that way. Here are some contenders though:

Totes® Isotoner Classic Satin Ballet Slippers

Isotoner Classic Satin Slippers


Isotoner Rose Quilted Ballerina Women's Slippers with Rhinestones


Bridal Shoes Boutique: Bridal Ballet Shoes


Ellie .5" Heel Silver Wedding Shoe


Low Heel Open Toe Bridal Sandal Andie-5763


Janie Low Heel Slide with Bow


Seriously, if I can find this in white, it's so in:

JACQUES LEVINE Kraze Marabou Satin Low Heel Slippers

Top of the cake to ya!

So, I'm a pretty creative person so when it comes to the cake I want to be super creative. My best friend Laura first offered to create a cake for me - and I was very excited because she is very good (if you need a cake email lacameragrl20@aol.com). However, with our alcohol package for the reception we get a "free" cake - and if we bring in our own magnificent cake they don't subtract the cost of their cake...price is the same. Therefore, Laura suggested just creating a cool cake for my shower instead, which is still very awesome of her.

So now my cake will still be delicious and cute...but I want it to have that super cute something.

Insert me looking up cute cake toppers online for an hour today.

Some are crazy expensive ($500 for a topper for cake!) and some are crazy reasonable ($30 or less for the cool and super popular monogram ones), so here are my favs. Oh and I'm leaving the one I picked off here (for now) because it's my "gift" to Taylor (I know the bride is supposed to get him a watch, but he doesn't like watches...and I know what other present you're thinking about...but Grandma, I already got him a helmet that holds two beers with straws for Christmas). So I'm gonna buy the uber cute cake topper that Taylor will love, and that will be his pretty sweet gift (and maybe some guitar strings & picks).


This was definitely the original idea, just getting something traditional and making them have our hair color...it's still a classic:
http://www.thatsmytopper.com/product/view.php?product_id=

016940&affiliate_id=1508

These ones were more what I was originally thinking, and I like the mix and match hobbies - for us it would totally be me on the phone, and Taylor with the golf clubs:
http://www.thatsmytopper.com/product/view.php?product_id=019553&affiliate_id=1508

This was also pretty darn sweet, and once again if I could afford I'd be all over these 'Picture to Figure' toppers - http://www.microdwarf.com/

I really like the idea of the Mix and Match Bride and Groom Cake Toppers, I could do the red hair for Taylor and brunette for me and it isn't crazy expensive - http://www.weddingaccessories.net/-strse-941/mix-match-cake-toppers/Detail.bok

This Magic Mud awesomness one was by far the coolest, but a bit expensive for my wallet. But, if I could afford it than it would be this or the 'Picture to Figure' ones - www.magicmud.com


I think I have only seen these at maybe one wedding I have been to, but with the whole Bobble Head phase, I'm surprised I didn't see more: http://www.headbobble.com/couples.html

Taylor would probably die if our cake topper was all pretty and Glitzy, but they are quite cool and very popular: http://www.topperswithglitz.com/

These are pretty incredible...you really are Captured in Clay, unfortunatly $500 of your wedding budget is also captured in these super cute toppers: http://www.capturedinclay.com/caketops

The ever popular monograms, this website was recommended the most (aside from just going to Michaels or a craft store): http://www.whitecrushwedding.com/

These are also expensive ($350) but very unique, and something you could put on the mantle for years to come: http://www.handmadecaketoppers.com/

I didn't completly love these, only because they didn't have what I was looking for, but they had a bunch of unique toppers: http://www.affectionately-yours.com/cart/home.php

I went to a lot of websites where brides were desperatly searching for a occupation or hobby intwined topper for her fireman husband, fishing soulmate, or to show off the fact that she was an awesome nurse, here are the toppers for you guys:

- http://jwcaketops.com/wedfigurines/Occupationsuniforms/occupationsuniforms/occupationscover.htm

- http://jwcaketops.com/wedfigurines/hobbiesinterests/hobbiescover.htm

Some cute quotes

Just found these when I was looking around for some good quotes (keep in mind I absolutely love "The Notebook")

You are the answer to every prayer I’ve offered. You are a song, a dream, a whisper … and I don’t know how I could have lived without you for as long as I have. ~ The Notebook

I know there could never have been another. I knew it then and I know it now. ~ The Notebook

"You are My I Love You" (author: Maryann K Cusimano)
I am your dandelion, you are my first wish
I am your water wings, you are my deep
I am your open arms, you are my running leap
I am your way home, you are my new path
I am your dry towel, you are my wet bath
I am your dinner, you are my chocolate cake
I am your bedtime, you are my wide awake
I am your finish line, you are my race
I am your praying hands, you are my saving grace
I am your favorite book, you are my new lines
I am your nightlight, you are my sunshine
I am your lullaby, you are my lyrics
I am your kiss goodnight, you are my I love you

PSALM 128:1-4:

Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that walketh in his ways. For thou shalt eat the labor of thine hands; happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee. Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house, thy children like olive plants round about thy table. Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord.

COLOSSIANS 3:12-14:

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience, forbearing one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

From "The Velveteen Rabbit" by Margery Williams

"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."

"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"

"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

From "The Irrational Season" by Madeleine L'Engle
But ultimately there comes a moment when a decision must be made. Ultimately two people who love each other must ask themselves how much they hope for as their love grows and deepens, and how much risk they are willing to take…It is indeed a fearful gamble…Because it is the nature of love to create, a marriage itself is something which has to be created, so that, together we become a new creature.

To marry is the biggest risk in human relations that a person can take…If we commit ourselves to one person for life this is not, as many people think, a rejection of freedom; rather it demands the courage to move into all the risks of freedom, and the risk of love which is permanent; into that love which is not possession, but participation…It takes a lifetime to learn another person…When love is not possession, but participation, then it is part of that co-creation which is our human calling, and which implies such risk that it is often rejected.

An excerpt from " The Two Towers : Being the Second Part of The Lord of the Rings" by J.R.R. Tolkien
ENT.: When Winter comes, the winter wild that hill and wood shall slay;
When trees shall fall and starless night devour the sunless day;
When wind is in the deadly East, then in the bitter rain
I*ll look for thee, and call to thee; I*ll come to thee again!
ENTWIFE : When Winter comes, and singing ends; when darkness falls at last;
When broken is the barren bough, and light and labour past;
I*ll look for thee, and wait for thee, until we meet again:
Together we will tkae the road beneath the bitter rain!
BOTH : Together we will take the road that leads into the West,
And far away will find a land where both our hearts may rest.

Ruth 1:16-17
But Ruth said, "Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.
"Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the LORD do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me."

Ruth 1:16
Entreat me not to leave you, or to return from following after you, For where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. And where you die, I will die and there I will be buried. May the Lord do with me and more if anything but death parts you from me.

I John 4:7-19
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.
In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.

“To Be One With Each Other” by George Eliot
What greater thing is there for two human souls
than to feel that they are joined together to strengthen
each other in all labor, to minister to each other in all sorrow,
to share with each other in all gladness,
to be one with each other in the
silent unspoken memories?

More sweepstakes: I love bridal magazines!

Ever since I was young, I would always pause in front of two types of magazines: Celebrity and Bridal. Both two worlds that I dreamed of being a part of, but was held back due to lack of moving to LA, and the other due to lack of a ring.

So, I was quite excited when I purchased my first "legal" bridal magazine: Brides, I was very excited.

Best of all, it came with loads on contests and sweepstakes inside, here are a good few:

Win a diamond necklace
http://www.brides.com/sweeps/mbdiamondnecklace/enter/long/

Win the Lenox 2009 Opal Innocence Sweepstakes
http://www.feedback.lenox.com/se.ashx?s=411944FA0BBA18D7

Win $4,000
hallmark.com/brides

Win a wedding full of favors
kateaspen.com/brides

Win a honeymoon package and more
destination-romance.com/trip

Wedding giveaway
http://alfredangelostores.com/Company/RegistrationForm.aspx

Honeymoon package
beaches.com/ido

another great site:

theimagegallery.com

Wedding Sweepstakes

Here are some awesome wedding sweepstakes I found online (I am in no way a sponsor or representing these companies, but as far as I can tell they are not scams):

http://www.bestweddingsites.com/Contest/

http://www.bridalguide.com/sweeps/

http://weddingfestivals.com/sweepstakes.html

Win a destination wedding:
http://www.gimmesweeps.com/2008/12/23/win-a-destination-wedding-sweepstakes-11509/

Free wedding photo package:
http://wedding.weddingchannel.com/promo/robertevans_splash.asp

Free wedding photography:
http://www.bellapictures.com/sweeps.php?m=101365&cj=1

$3,000 wedding upgrade:
http://global.weddingchannel.com/sweepstakes/Tampax/

Honeymoon sweepstakes:
http://bride.com/sweepstakes.html

Wedding dress:
http://www.preownedweddingdresses.com/blog/category/news/

$100 and wedding book:
http://www.mylifetime.com/fun-games/sweeps/win-100-signed-copy-book-wedding-chic

Free Wedding Stuff!

Join this wonderful thing called Freecycle to meet some of your wedding needs for free!

Earlier this week I sent out an email on the freecycle networking mailing list that I was getting married in September and was looking for anything wedding-related.

I was so happy to receive a bunch of emails from past brides that just had their wedding stuff (that they would never use again) around, and were happy to give it away for free! Most of the stuff was only used that one time and still looked great.

The Reception: Book Early!

I had imagined my wedding since I was about 5. Therefore, I figured that when Taylor did propose I would already have it mostly figured out leaving us plenty of time to figure out the very little things, because the big things were thought of about 21 years ago.

Oh was I wrong.

My co-worker, Denise, got engaged in January 2007 and by the time she went to book her reception (not long after the engagement) all the reception places were gone. Luckily, she was able to still book the local country club (and it was a gorgeous reception)...but I kept that in mind this past week.

My mom came up to Illinois on the Monday after Christmas (which was planned even before the proposal) and we started looking at reception places right away. Little did I know how booked they would be! We were looking for a fall wedding (Taylor melts in the summer, I hate the cold) and almost every Saturday was already booked!

Luckily, they still had Sunday, September 6th open (the Sunday during Labor Day weekend), which worked out really well for us since there will be many out-of-town guests.

So brides - word to the wise, start looking early. I never dreamed I would have to book the reception less than a week after the ring was on...but I'm sure glad I did.

A Very Christmas Proposal

While wishing on a star. While looking up at a ceiling that spelled out "will you marry me" in glow-in-the-dark stars. After opening a secretly already carved pumpkin. On top of a roller coaster. After a bath. During a walk surrounded by the most perfect scenery.

These are all amazing proposals that some of my friends (or friends of friends) have experienced throughout the past few years - and they were all incredibly sweet and personal to each couple.

I imagined my proposal since pretty much I know what the word engagement meant. I once imagined a moonlit stroll on the beach. Then there was the exaggerated dream of going out on a boat with candles everywhere. Oh - and of course about a million more that would pop into my head after watching "A Wedding Story" on TLC.

However, I never could have imagined something so sweet as what my new fiance, Taylor thought up.

He made a DVD of photographs we had taken throughout the past two years, and set it all to one of our favorite songs. At the end of the very sweet video, it said "turn around"...and when I did there was Taylor on one knee in front of my Christmas tree, telling me the sweetest things I'll always remember. I was in the moment - until he said those four words: Will you marry me. I had heard those words about a million times between all my chick flick favorites and reality tv shows...but when they were said to me it was just surreal.

It wasn't until he told me he asked my father for his blessing, and my dad instantly said yes, that I started to get a bit emotional. It was just so wonderful and sweet.

So this is the day that started it all...everytime we schedule a trip to check out reception places, or different websites for tuxes and dresses, we remind Taylor, "it's all your fault," and he just smiles and says, "I know."