Wedding Plans and Updates

It is a wedding blog, after all...

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!

The Dress (capital T, capital D)

Of course, just like almost every other bride out there, as soon as I had the ring on my finger (which just got cleaned, by the way- so sparkly and shiny now :D), I wanted to go dress shopping. I didn't care where it was, as long as it had white dresses, I was game for it. About a month later, at the end of January, my mother gave in, and her and I hit the local bridal salons.

I had known for a while what I wanted my dress to look like. A family friend had gotten married back in 2005, and her dress had a navy blue train. As soon as I saw her pictures, I knew right away that I wanted my dress to have a colored train. Not sure what color, but a colored train. So when I had the reason to start looking at dress pictures online, I quickly came across a picture of an Alfred Angelo dress, with a colored train. I did a little more research, and found that AA is known for their bridal gowns with color accents, available in 55 colors, and bridesmaid dresses all have the ability to coordinate. Best part was, they were affordable- after all, we had only budgeted $1,000 (in the initial budget) for my dress. So when we went trooping off, I had in my mind that I wanted white with color accents, preferably strapless, A line or ball gown, no lace. I wasn't picky, and told myself I would try on whatever was pulled for me.

We started at Brides and Grooms in Newark, DE. My mom had heard about this little, tiny, hole-in-the-wall bridal salon from a co-worker, so we decided to start there. First thing- never go gown shopping on a Saturday. Ever. It's always so packed, no matter where you go. And don't let looks deceive you. This shop is so stuffed full of gowns and dresses, and only has 3 (tiny) dressing rooms. But they are awesome. Totally worth the wait on a Saturday. After we finally managed to get a dressing room and an attendant, Faith, we went to work. I told her what I wanted, and she pulled dress after dress. I tried on so many, each one prettier than the last. They didn't have the one AA dress I had in mind in stock, but I was told that I could order any style number through them. We didn't buy anything there that morning, but left with ideas and the high probability of returning.

We ate lunch, then headed to Jennifer's in Hockessin. First off, big clue there. Hockessin=money. Lots of money. We walked into the store, and immediately noticed several differences. One, they only had one customer in the store, compared to the 10-15 customers that had proceeded us at B&G. Second, there were only 2 employees, versus the 4 or 5 at B&G. The other thing that struck us as odd? At B&G, the employees were dressed professionally, but comfortable. Dress slacks, comfortable black sneakers. At Jennifer's, the employees were wearing high heels and skirts/dresses. Why does this matter? Because when someone is helping me in and out of a heavy bridal gown, and is doing that hundreds of times a day, I would prefer that they be in practical clothing. Immediately, I was on alert. Well, I found out why soon enough. They didn't have a dress in there under $4,000- we looked at every price tag. And they didn't have any that fit my style- no long trains, extremely simple styles. We pretty much immediately crossed it off the list for dress shopping. To be fair, they had GORGEOUS veils. They were a little pricey, but they were breathtaking. We are still keeping it in mind for a veil, but in terms of dresses, it was way too hoity toity for my liking.

We left there, and headed to the typical bridal store that everyone thinks of when they think bride- David's Bridal. I was against it from the beginning, but my mom convinced me that we needed to go to get an idea of what we wanted and didn't want. When we walked in, it was packed. Tons of brides, everywhere. Tons of dresses, everywhere. When you enter the store, they have a desk where they "register" you. AKA, they get your info so they can blitz your mail box (both real and electronic) with tons of crap. Luckily, they were busy with another bride, so we wandered over to the Plus Size section, and started looking. I was appalled at what I saw- ugly dresses, few to choose from, in horrible condition. Some even had stains on them! A consultant came over and tried to "help" us, but God bless my mother, who knows how to scare them away. I was disgusted with what I saw, in terms of both dresses and consultations. It was like an assembly line, and I felt like a cookie cutter bride. What little service we did try to get when looking for help with the flower girl dresses was abominable. The only thing we found to our liking was a cute flower girl dress, but for the same price, I can get the one that I really want from AA!

We went home that day, empty handed but for a few bridal CDs we had found at David's Bridal. My mom and I decided to find out when my sister was free, and two weeks later, we took a drive up to Lancaster, PA. Alfred Angelo has a flagship store there, and has many more of their styles in stock then B&G did. We showed up, and it wasn't horribly busy for a Saturday. We started on bridesmaid dresses first, which Meghan modeled for us. I had originally wanted the same dress for all the girls, in a tea length. After seeing some on Meghan, I decided to go with a floor length skirt- it's more classy for a formal church wedding, floor length is appropriate for an October wedding, and this way, they can all wear a silver shoe, but it doesn't have to match. I had decided to do separates, which would allow for some leeway with the bridesmaids' choice, but now, I have decided that it doesn't have to be a separate- as long as it is in my color, floor length, satin, and Alfred Angelo, I will be happy.

We then moved onto my dress. The lady who was helping us had pulled a whole bunch of dresses, based on my criteria. She showed me what she had pulled, and I told her to put the second one back- it was everything I didn't want, and I had seen the picture online and thought it was hideous. She insisted on placing it in the dressing room anyway "just in case". Begrudgingly, I agreed, and my mom and I got me into the first dress, my first choice- which looked horrible on me. It did nothing for me at all. We went to change dresses, and my mother said to put the not-an-option dress on, just so we could get it out of the dressing room, because it was taking up so much room. I agreed, got into it, walked out- and fell in love. It was perfect. It brought the attention to the right places, it worked with my body, it was amazing. And it had everything I didn't want, too! Sleeves, which made my arms look smaller, and accentuated my bust line. Re-embroidered lace, which looked wonderful and sparkled with the crystals and beading. It had a colored sash, that made my waist look smaller, and a sweetheart neckline that made my bust look gorgeous. Okay, it was an A-line, and it had a semi-cathedral train, two things I wanted. I put that dress on, and proceeded to sit in it for the next hour while Meg tried on more dresses. I was in love.

Brian and I had decided earlier that if I was going to get a color in my gown, it would be a royal/brilliant blue. We discussed it together, because we wanted to be on the same page for the rest of the planning, in terms of colors. So we decided on Cobalt Blue for the dress, with the bridesmaids in Cobalt Blue with White accents. Our colors for the entire wedding are also Cobalt Blue and White, with accents of silver. We may do a lighter blue in there as well, but we haven't fully decided yet.

We told the saleswoman what color we wanted, and sized me. She then told us that the dress was on sale during the promotion they were running. It was originally $800 (in my budget!), but was on sale for $650 (even better in my budget!). At this point, my mom went outside and made a phone call to B&G, to find out pricing through them (remember, they are in DE, and AA was in PA- that means tax!). When they said $520, she said sold, and we ordered my dress through them the next week. It took 6 months to come in, and it is so breathtakingly pretty. I can't wait to get my surgery, lose weight, and look beautiful for Brian the day we are wed!

(I am not posting pics here...sorry, but Brian has access to this site, and others, so the pics are staying in my hot little hands! He doesn't want to see the dress, or be tempted to see it, before the big day!)