Let's see, where do I begin? How about with the little tidbit of info that oh, Brittany has majorly slacked off of wedding planning and now has a mountain instead of a mole hill?
Yes, I know. I am a slacker. I readily admit that. Even here, I am a slacker, for sure. And now, I have to get on the ball, since it's 2010, I AM GETTING MARRIED THIS YEAR. Yes, THIS YEAR. In less than NINE (9) MONTHS! Where, oh where, did the time go? I thought I had more...
Anyway, let us see. What's been done? Well, the girls chose their dresses. They haven't been ordered yet, but they have all chosen something that is long, satin, and that they are most comfortable in. I told my girls I didn't care if it was separates, gown, strapless, sleeved...I just wanted them comfortable. Thank God I went that route, because everyone chose a different dress. All the dresses are from Alfred Angelo; Meghan and Kelly will be in Cobalt Blue (the same color as my train), and Val will be in Black. If there are any accent ribbons or sashes, they will be in White on all dresses.
Meg, my Maid of Honor, chose a two piece (yes, MEGHAN chose the two piece...MEGHAN, who swore from the get go she would only get a slinky one piece because the separates were for oldies. HA!). Here is a picture of what Meg is wearing (with a slightly different skirt). I apologize for the white on white coloring, I couldn't find it in a different color set. Note the tux points at the top:
Kelly chose a gown that has thick shoulder straps and a deep V neck in the front. In the back, attached at the small of the back, is a separate flowing sash that reaches down to about her knees; since it's only attached at the small of her back, it moves freely. The gown is very becoming on Kelly, and you could tell she looked and felt very comfortable in it. We may have some extra fabric sewn into the V, if it's too low for her to be comfortable in:
Val chose a gown as well. It's strapless, with a ribbon accent underneath the bust. on the left hand side, the dress splits from the ribbon accent, and the same color is shown off between the split:
All of the girls look wonderful in their dresses, and it only took about 45 minutes to look, try, decide, and put it down on paper. We went early, and we know; Meg is away for Study Abroad for 6 weeks, and seeing as how the shop's suggested timing for ordering is while she is away, we went early and now have the paperwork ready to order. It's best that we didn't pay and order yet anyway; one of my good Knottie friends, Jackie, told me that not only does my salon (Brides and Grooms in Newark, DE) give 15% off bridesmaid dresses since I ordered my dress there, they also will price match, including online competitors. Well, you can bet your pinky toe I jotted down those numbers and am searching online for the best price. My take on it all is I asked them to be in my wedding, they didn't volunteer themselves for the time and financial burden, so any way that I can possibly save them some money, I will. I am asking them to wear silver shoes (possibly black for Val), but I am not making them buy matching dyed expensive ones; use the ones that are in your closet, don't buy a special pair for one day!One of the vendors that I had been dreading booking is the DJ. I know, it's silly, but for me, I hated it like some girls hate dress shopping. Several months ago, I had finally contacted one that was in our price range and was recommended by knotties. Unfortunately, the paperwork got lost during the move, and I couldn't find it anywhere. Then my health went downhill (as it always does right before winter), and that set me back. Add in family stuff and the holidays, and well, you get the idea. So I called him today, and voila, they are still available for my date! They said it happens, and are sending me new paperwork (in the mail already). Once I get that, I can pay my deposit and have them secured. We went with Tom Barrett DJ, if anyone was wondering.
I also booked the salon today, thank God. It may seem like a silly one to book now, but since it's the salon that my mom and I use for our regular 'dos, we wanted to make sure that our stylist was available the day of. Well, it's been a hassle, that's for sure. I have spent months trying to get in touch with these people; 4 phone calls total, and only once did I get a return call (today). It wasn't until I threatened to go to another highly recommended salon that they finally sat up and took notice. I mean, it's not that hard to pass a message on and call a person back; especially one that is bringing 6+ people to your salon. Anyway, they were open for my day, and our stylist was available as well! I have seen their bridal work (my cousin got married in Sept and had her hair done there), so I know it's decent. Their prices aren't bad either, around $65-70 for updos, less for blowouts or simple dos. Considering I had seen many other salons with much higher prices, I am fine with that! Plus, since we have 5 or more people, including the bride, I get my makeup done for FREE!!! Who doesn't love FREE stuff??? I plan on also doing a hair trial, and while not included with the price, it is discounted once I put a deposit down on the place. Right now, it's myself, Mother of the Bride, Mother of the Groom, Meghan, Kelly, and Val. I have a feeling, though, that number is going to go up; that's another reason we booked now, so we can add as needed and they don't have to feel rushed about it.
We found some minor things, too, which I am actually really happy about. When my mom and I were at AC Moore the other day, we went through their "outlet" aisle (the get-rid-of-it-rack). They had the little cones that fold up to put candy inside on the rack, and they were really pretty; they were covered in pretty fabric-like material and had metallic gold accents on them. There were 12 in a pack, marked down from $13 to $1! I showed them to mom, and mentioned that we needed some sort of favor for the Bridal Shower; every other one we have been to had them, even if they were just little (albeit useful) items. I said I don't care about them matching; hand them out as everyone leaves, and no one will notice. So we got 48 cones (half in red half in brown) for $4. Yay!! They also had a "Bridal Shower" kit there; it had enough pages that each guest could do one as an activity at the party (we aren't fans of shower games). It came with stickers and accents and such, and we provide the markers and photos. It was originally $17, and we got it for $2! Such steals! Finally, they had a whole bunch of invitation stuff for 50% off, including a whole stash of Thank You cards in a variety of colors and accents; they were really pretty cards. I showed them to mom, who said I should get the Thank You cards to match my invites. I said that costs a lot, no one is going to notice, and I also need them for shower gifts. There were 20 cards in a pack, and they ended up being $3 a pack; we got 100 cards for $15. Not as great as the other steals, but good enough!
While at AC Moore, we were talking about ideas for favors and activities for the kids. Yes, we are having kids; if you or your sibling is in the Bridal Party, you are invited. That leaves us with 8 kids: Logan, Macey, Aubrey, Torey, Sadey, Sheenie, Devin, and Nate. Well, we had planned on doing several things to keep them occupied, as most of them will be in the younger ranges (13 down to 5). We are doing their table in butcher paper, and supplying crayons to color with during dinner. We will also probably do a table near the back covered in paper with coloring sheets on them. We would also like to do Legos, either as their 'centerpiece' or on a table in the back or out in the cocktail area during the cocktail hour. We figure they will dance once the music starts, but easy ideas to keep them entertained during the non-dancing parts is a good idea. While at AC Moore, in their Dollar Deals, we found packs of 12 crayons, each with a character theme; we picked up each kid their own set of crayons that they can take home with them! Devin gets Disney's Cars, Sheenie and Sadey get Disney Princess, Torey gets Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Aubrey and Macey get Tinkerbell, and Nate gets Spiderman (we plan on getting Logan something a bit more age appropriate). Now, we don't have to get the kids favors, and we got them the crayons to color with as well :)
Brian's dad has agreed to do the videographer and rehearsal dinner; since he teaches in the Business and Hospitality College at UD, we are pretty sure that he can get us Vita Nova for our dinner (that's a restaurant run by the Hotel Restaurant Management major down there, and juniors in the program are required to work there). And since he has contacts through the college for film and video students (they hire the best film students every year to shoot their commercials and ads for prospective students), we are hoping to get someone who won't charge us an arm and leg for decent work.
There is some other minor stuff we have done, but I am really trying to get the ball rolling by doing something little every day. A couple girlfriends are helping me out with what seems to be the overwhelming mountain load (thanks Nicole, Janel, and Kim!!!), and they are lifesavers because of it! Tomorrow I plan on pricing out hotels for our guests, and hopefully ordering Save The Dates from VistaPrint (or at least designing them!).
I will do a post later on about general life, but for now, that gives you the idea of where we are :) I will introduce you to the new love of my life (teehee) in the next post!
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