Where has the time gone!?

Nick and I only have a month left! A lot has happened in the last week (see my last post for something truly exciting!) so we'll start with my first fitting on Thursday.

First let me just say that this seamstress is awesome and very inexpensive! I didn't need a lot done with my dress, just tightening the straps, tucking the lining of the dress in at the top, and the bustle. So I am only being charged $40 for my alterations!! Yay!!!

In this picture, you can see the top of the lining along the top of the dress. The seamstress is going to tuck and tack it so it won't show.


Here is kind of what my bustle will look like, right now it is just pinned in place.


Shannon was goofing off with my veil since she had her fitting before I got there.


Silly girl :-) (If only she had known then, and if you don't, see my last post)


I also got my shoes that day. I love how they are two-tone like my dress!


This last week we also decided to change the reception centerpieces from fruit to flowers. This is just going to be less stressful all around because we won't have to make them two days before the wedding (yes, that was the plan, but no longer). So I have been calling around and haven't been able to find a place that can get me 24 potted white lilies. If worse comes to worse, we will use fake calla lilies as the centerpieces, but I'd rather have live ones so that I can plant them after the wedding.

Yesterday we met with our photographer to get her paid and the details finalized. She said I was super organized (must be my OCD) and the appointment took all of 20 minutes.

I was going to post this on the one month mark, but that was two days ago and I couldn't very well write this post while Nick was here because of my dress pictures. Here is my to do list for the next month and what I have finished from the last list (again, updates are in bold):

-Finish buying decorations (almost done with this one, still need the taper candles and vases for the ceremony, a couple more candy dishes, and about 100 more little umbrellas)
-Finishing etching our toasting glasses & sand vase
-Contact our reception venue to see about setting up the day before the wedding
-Plan our rehearsal dinner
-Get our engagement announcement into the local newspaper
-Check on insurances
-Buy a card box
-Get marriage license
-Get our music selections to the person that will be doing the sound for the ceremony
-Finish buying our dessert plates and napkins (I was able to get everything else at Costco)
-Order our food
-Finishing gathering supplies for our photo guestbook
-Buy yellow roses for Grandpa's memorial table
-Finish buying our favors (still need the Multiple Sclerosis bracelets and M&Ms)
-Get our music list to the DJ
-Pay for our videographer
-Pick out our engagements pictures we want printed to put on the tables
-Finalize and print our programs
-Finalize the day of schedule and send to everyone involved in the wedding
-Call non-RSVPers
-Confirm that everyone in the wedding has what they need
-Gifts to the girls
-Honeymoon itinerary to our parents
-Pack for our honeymoon

So, a lot to do in the next month, but it will get done.

26 days! So exciting!

I just got the call part II...she fits!!

She fits! She fits! She fits!! I can't tell you how relieved I was when my dress zipped up all the way. Not that I had put on any weight or anything, but it's been four months since I ordered her and even longer since I had tried her on. Another thing I was so happy about was that she isn't yellow. I ordered ivory because white made me look like a ghost, but since I hadn't seen my dress in months (I think I tried her on in March) I couldn't remember what the ivory looked like. It's very subtle, but still looks amazing.

So without further ado...


I brought an ivory veil with me that I bought on eBay for $15, but it was too yellow and too long we decided. So I tried on a few different lengths and styles and we decided on a waltz length (54") with red trim to match the red in my dress (isn't she gorgeous!!).


Here is a shot of the beautiful detail on the bodice and the cute sleeves.


Showing off my beautiful shoes that I am not going to wear. They were a tad high and made me look like a floating bell. So I ordered a pair of shoes that were surprisingly comfortable and could be dyed to match my dress. The fun part about the shoes is that they will be two-toned like my dress with the ankle strap being white (since no one will notice that it isn't ivory).


Ah, the reason I fell in love with her in the first place. Look how gorgeous that train is. I spent most of my appointment trying to turn around to look at it. :D I love the detail and the shape of the red going down to the train.

There you have it, my lovely, lovely dress that I can't wait to wear.

On Tuesday it will be five months to go!!

I just got the call...

My dress is in!!! Yay!!!!!!!!!

What does my dress look like?

Well I'll show you!!!

Here's me in the dress:


And here's the detail:


And this isn't me, but I don't have a good picture of the back:

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I am getting the color that I am wearing, ivory and cherry and then the bridesmaid dresses are cherry.

Yay for checking it off the list!!

Ordering my dress that is! I am so excited that I got to order my dress this weekend and on the 13th too, which means nine months until the wedding!!!

Side note (but not a small one): My dress was about $200 less than I thought it was going to be and that is just awesome! And my two girls that ordered their dresses were also less expensive than we were figuring. I am so glad I stayed local and bought at the boutique in town and she honored my coupon which came from the dealer and not her shop. Now I just have to wait the six months to get my dress in. *sigh*

I was naughty and only took one picture with my phone (sorry if it's blurry or grainy) because I was not going to take a picture while we were being measured.

Here are my MOH and one of my bridesmaids paying for their dresses, Shannon & Kristen (is behind Shannon and kinda hard to see).


My third bridesmaid, Megan, was there for a while, but wasn't buying a dress because her crafty mother is making it!! Wish I was that talented, but oh well. :)

10 months to go!!

I've made an appointment to order my dress and a couple bridesmaid dresses. The date is exactly 9 months from the wedding so what better day for it!!

Note: I have 5 followers? That's awesome. When I first started, I figured this would be just to get my thoughts on "paper" and out of my head. This is fun now!!

I'm a bad blogger

Okay, I just have to start with something funny, when I first typed the title, is said, "I'm a bag blooger". Oops, my bad :)

Anyway, I haven't posted in a while because nothing is really happening right now. I have got a few smaller things checked off the list:
1. I signed the contract and paid the deposit for the photographer (I'm so excited, I LOVE her work).
2. One of my junior bridesmaids has been asked, one to go (which is Nick's job when he talks to his brother about being a groomsman and kids being in the wedding).

And that's all I've done in the last few weeks, besides having a tooth removed, but that's not really relevant.

I have made a few decisions that I wasn't sure about (did I mention I love lists?):
1. I am going to dye my crinoline to match the red on my dress, so there is an extra pop of color for pictures
2. The junior bridesmaids are going to be just that, not candle lighters like originally planned. The candles will be lit before the ceremony and the two girls will carry bouquets down the aisle after the bridesmaids and stay up there for the ceremony.
3. We are going to do a lei ceremony during the wedding. Nick is part Hawaiian on his mother's side and I wanted to do something traditional to a Hawaiian wedding.
4. I am going to wear two veils for pictures before the ceremony, a fingertip and a cathedral. I am having problems with one decision though, which veil to wear during the ceremony? I love the look of the longer veil, but if I wore that one, I would have to switch veils before the reception. What do you think?

I'm really beginning to hate the phrase "only a year"

I found the dress! (No Nick again)

Mom, Shannon, and I went up to my aunt's house near Seattle this last weekend for the soul purpose of trying on THE dress (see the end of last blog). We were referred to the Alfred Angelo store in Tukwila by the bridal shop in town since that is the designer of the dress, they'd be sure to have one for me to try on.

I'll skip most of the weekend since it was mostly shopping and none of it wedding related.

My appointment at Alfred Angelo was on Sunday and one of my cousins (also a bridesmaid) met us at the shop. We didn't waste any time finding the dress and grabbed a dressing room. As soon as I put the dress on I knew it was the one, even before I saw myself in the mirror (it helped that it fit like a glove and didn't have to be clipped at all). I was so excited to finally get to try on THE dress that I squealed (quite a lot) and couldn't stop smiling.

So here are some pictures we took (don't worry, we were allowed)


I was VERY happy with the way the dress looked and fit on me. Can't you tell? :)



Kinda hard to see the back, but you get the idea.



I am going to get the optional capped-sleeves because I think it looks better on me and will give me a bit of peace of mind. I also really liked this veil. It's finger-tip in length and has beading around the edge that matched the beading on the dress really well.



We put my young cousin (who is going to be flower girl) in a dress too and she loved it! She kept sitting down in front of me on the riser and Mom took the opportunity to snap this picture.

No Nick allowed!!!!!

Side note: Just lost whole blog! AGH!!! So hopefully, I'll remember what I said so I can write it all out again.

Last Saturday, Shannon (my maid of honor) and I went wedding dress shopping (or I guess looking, because I wasn't planning on buying then). We went to Michelle Renee's with my grandparents and then headed to Vancouver by ourselves to the Bridal Arts Building. I was looking for a specific dress and those shops were two listed on the designer's website.

First stop was Michelle Renee's and when we got there, a sign on the door said by appointment only, so we went in to make an appointment hopefully for that day. Yay there was a cancellation! Unfortunately, they did not have the dress I was looking for, but had similar styles by the same designer so I could get an idea of what it would look like.

First things first, I tried on an all red gown just for fun. It had a HUGE train and ruffles all the way around on the bottom. I loved the corseted top also. It fit like a glove and was half off! But I want to wear white on my wedding day and that dress had none whatsoever. It was fun to try on, but a little bold for my taste.






The next dress I tried on was beautiful and had a lovely train and intricate beading. Not as much color as I would have liked, but it was added to the small list of dresses I would consider if I could not get the original one I wanted. This one was Alfred Angelo 1612 (you can look these dresses up on http://www.alfredangelo.com/ and see better pictures). Note: The brown would be red if I were to get this dress.






The next two dresses I tried on were pretty also, but not me so it was back to the second dress. We didn't take many pictures of the 3rd dress, but here's the last one. It's Alfred Angelo 2015.




I loved how I looked and it had lacing up the back that I LOVE the look of. Since Mom couldn't come that day, I made an appointment for the following Wednesday to come back and try it on again so we could get ideas.

After Michelle Renee's it was on to the Bridal Arts Building. They didn't have the dress I wanted either, bummer. So I tried on some more that were close (and one that wasn't close at all) to get ideas (but mostly for fun since we were already there).

First dress was nothing like any of the other ones I tried on that day. It just caught my eye while browsing the dresses and I liked the pop of color.




The other dresses I tried were all Alfred Angelos (guess I just love his style). I don't have a picture of 1139 because it wasn't enough color for me. But I tried on 1708 and loved the amount of color on the dress. Wasn't a fan of where the waist hit me, but I was getting closer to what I wanted. Notes: Sorry the pictures are blurry, I was a bad girl and took pictures when I wasn't supposed to, but the dresses can be found on the website. Also, all of the green on the dress would be red if this were the one I was getting.






The next dress was gorgeous too and was already red so I didn't have to try to imagine it! I loved the amount of color and the beading and the length of the train. Very close to what I wanted, but not exact. At least with trying on these dresses, I know mostly what the one I want will look like. This dress is 1516 and has the option of straps (which I would need, and most of the dresses had that option, I just didn't mention it).






So those are all the dresses I tried on Saturday, but not the one I want. Mom, Granny, and I went back on Wednesday to Michelle Renee to try on that second dress again. And I did find out that the dress I want could be ordered, even if they don't have the sample. I am about 90% sure I want that dress, the other 10% is trying it on, which I have to find someone who carries it to do that. I also found out on Wednesday that if my dress and the bridesmaids' dresses are ordered from the same designer at the same time, they will be the same dye lot (I did know that, I just forgot about it). So even if all the dresses aren't the same (I'm letting the girls choose their dresses), they will be the same color. I like that idea so there is some uniformity, but the girls will feel comfortable in a dress they picked for the price they could afford.

I think that about wraps it up, now that I talked your ear off. OH! Here is the dress that I want.




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Gorgeous isn't it? Fell in the love the first time I saw it and I still love it. Can't wait to be able to try it on and see what it looks like. I felt like a princess last Wednesday and Saturday and I can't imagine how I will feel when I put this one on.