Saturday was my dress fitting and it went very well. The seamstress is only charging me $175 for EVERYTHING! That's amazing! She has to hem the dress (5 layers), take in through the hips, take in the bust, replace the sash and re-do the bustle. I even got to wear my shoes with it and they're going to be great. And my mom came which was really nice. The dress is still beautiful and I'm so happy with it.
The seamstress is also going to do my bach. party dress since it's a little big on me. I wanted to just exchange it but the dress is gone on the website so I'll have her do it. She's so affordable that it will be great to just have her do it.
As for my photo shoot, I'm happy I did it but I'm having mixed feelings about it. It seemed really rushed. I got there 10 minutes early and sat for more than that waiting for the make up chair to free up. The girl who did hair and make up was good, but it seemed like she was just getting through it if that makes sense. I was the last appointment of the day so it seemed like she didn't care as much about me and just threw it all together. That said, it did look good. The make up was good and the hair was this tousled curls look. She called it JBF (just been F'ed).
I showed the girls the boots & vest look and they loved the boots so we did that first. Then they suggested something they called "tribal" which was me wearing nothing but boots, a huge neck scarf and this weird necklace thing. Don't worry, I stayed covered but not by much.
Then we switched into a trench coat with this skirted lace thong and black heels and posed with that for a while. Then a pink negligee with crazy high pink glitter platform heels (bought on Saturday, being returned this week). They brought out a chair to pose with this outfit. We also did the OSU outfit with pigtails and lastly a man's shirt with a tie.
Writing it out makes it sound like a lot. I was disappointed in a few things. I felt like they didn't listen much to what I wanted. Maybe I should have been more forceful. I didn't use any of the jewelry I brought even though I mentioned that I'd brought a long strand of pearls with me. We never moved away from the one area for photos even though she had a white brick wall and this netting stuff hanging in one area. There was no lying down for shots at all, just standing or the chair. We also didn't do any just topless with panties, which I was ready to do.
I will say that the ladies were all really nice, complementing me on how great I looked, how I had nice legs and they couldn't believe I'd had a baby. I was super nervous before I got there, I mean, I agreed to take my clothes off in front of a perfect stranger, but I calmed down a lot when it was time. The make up lady was a little nuts but she did a good job and told me I had nice skin and that I was super cute.
I'm not going to stress over it until I see the pictures. If they're awesome and C loves them then it doesn't matter. It will be a couple weeks before I get them so we'll just have to wait until then!
All in all, if you're thinking of doing it, go for it! It was a good experience and I know the pictures will be a great confidence booster when I get them. I also know C is going to lose his mind when he sees them. I don't know that I'd recommend a marathon unless you're prepared to feel a little rushed. I had no idea what the studio looked like and I wish I'd asked more questions because I was totally expecting a bed set up. But I still recommend the experience no matter what your shape!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
On My Mind
The things that are currently on my mind right now are Sunday's shoot and showers & bachelorette parties. I've blogged about all of them.
After Monday, when I talk about how the shoot went, you probably won't hear about it again for a while. Though, she did say we'd have the pictures in time for Valentine's Day so it won't actually be too long to wait. I decided that there was nothing morally wrong with buying something for the shoot and returning it basically unworn. I mean, I'm seriously not wearing them outside or doing any damage to them so why not? I actually want to go buy some sexy heels now and do the same thing with them. I'm not returning underwear or anything, just shoes.
That said, I did buy some boots yesterday, but I'm not sure they're right. I think C really wants something like these. I just couldn't find anything that would work and I figured these were better than nothing. And that brown is the color I ended up with since they were out of black. They're knee high and they've got that wedge heel. I just don't know about them. I'll leave it up to the stylist/photographer to help me decide.
I'm pretty much ready though. I'd like my stomach to be flatter and my butt to magically get tighter but I suppose I'll live. I know C likes what he sees and this will actually be better looking that normal life (thank you Photo Editor!) My big concern now is getting all this stuff out to the car without C seeing and pampering myself (shaving everything, lots of lotion, nail polish, etc.) without arousing any suspicion.
The other thing I'll have to update on Monday is my first dress fitting (finally!) I probably haven't been updating about this but I had an appt. last weekend for a fitting and it was rescheduled. Then we were supposed to meet on Tuesday but she called to say that not only was it not going to work but she thought she just couldn't do my dress at all! So I had to find someone new and fortunately my mom knows someone so I have an appt. tomorrow.
Monday should be a long post day!
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Outfitting Myself
Yesterday I received 2 packages in the mail. One was my blue wedding shoes (!) which are a little small and I think will need to go back for the next 1/2 size up, and the other was a OSU jersey.
I'm finalizing my outfits for this weekend's photo shoot and one absolutely must have outfit is the OSU jersey and red boy shorts. I contemplated knee socks but didn't want to spend the money on something I'll never wear again.
My planned outfits are: the OSU stuff, 2 bra & panty sets, 2 lingerie sets, a button down shirt & tie of C's, and nothing. No full frontal planned, but C lusts over Katie Perry's Teenage Dream album cover, so we can re-create that.
Yesterday, my wonderful husband comes home and informs me that he saw a girl at work (a high schooler - we're not going there) wearing furry boots and hot pants as he likes to call them. He means really tight yoga pants that leave nothing to the imagination. He decided that I need to get some furry boots cause he thought I would look hot.
I think it's important that I mention that C is not attracted to his students. I mean, who wouldn't find 18 year old girls hot, but his job is on the line and that's pretty much against the law and I keep him pretty happy overall. He wants me in boots, not this girl.
Anyway, he meant the boots that someone in like Russia would wear. So guess what I spent my morning doing? Searching online for furry boots that could get to me by Saturday so I can have them for Sunday. All because of one little comment.
But I already have a vest thing and with some panties and the vest and the boots, that could be pretty hot...
Would it be completely dishonest of me to buy the boots, wear them for the shoot and then return them? I wouldn't wear them outside and I wouldn't do anything crazy in them. They'd just be a prop. What do you think?
I'm finalizing my outfits for this weekend's photo shoot and one absolutely must have outfit is the OSU jersey and red boy shorts. I contemplated knee socks but didn't want to spend the money on something I'll never wear again.
My planned outfits are: the OSU stuff, 2 bra & panty sets, 2 lingerie sets, a button down shirt & tie of C's, and nothing. No full frontal planned, but C lusts over Katie Perry's Teenage Dream album cover, so we can re-create that.
Yesterday, my wonderful husband comes home and informs me that he saw a girl at work (a high schooler - we're not going there) wearing furry boots and hot pants as he likes to call them. He means really tight yoga pants that leave nothing to the imagination. He decided that I need to get some furry boots cause he thought I would look hot.
I think it's important that I mention that C is not attracted to his students. I mean, who wouldn't find 18 year old girls hot, but his job is on the line and that's pretty much against the law and I keep him pretty happy overall. He wants me in boots, not this girl.
Anyway, he meant the boots that someone in like Russia would wear. So guess what I spent my morning doing? Searching online for furry boots that could get to me by Saturday so I can have them for Sunday. All because of one little comment.
But I already have a vest thing and with some panties and the vest and the boots, that could be pretty hot...
Would it be completely dishonest of me to buy the boots, wear them for the shoot and then return them? I wouldn't wear them outside and I wouldn't do anything crazy in them. They'd just be a prop. What do you think?
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Showering
You can imagine that with my cousin getting married only 3 weeks prior to our wedding that there is a lot of overlap and logistics that need figuring out. We both should have showers and bach. parties and there aren't that many weekends free to do so.
L's bridesmaids are nice girls but they haven't really stepped up with planning much. She & I talked over the weekend and picked our dates for things (4 weekends in a row of parties... Whew!) and I told her that as her cousin and a bridesmaid that I would step up and take over the shower. I think she's slightly relieved that someone is going to do it.
I sent out an e-mail to the other BMs yesterday detailing what I'd already decided in terms of menu, favors, and games and told them that while I was total Type-A (who, me?!) that I was open to suggestion and they shouldn't think I was some kind of shower Nazi.
The issues are that my shower is 3 weeks after hers so I want them to be original and not copies of eachother. That means constant checking with my girls who are planning mine to find out what food they'll have, what games they'll plan and what favors they plan to give out.
For L's Shower I've planned a light lunch spread since it starts around 2pm. Small appetizers and salads and hopefully a soup. I didn't know how much help I'd have (other than C - he's in by default) so I tried to keep it easy and hopefully things I can either make ahead of time or buy. Like a pasta salad and crackers & cheese.
The favors should be cookie mix in a jar with M&Ms and a heart-shaped cookie cutter. I totally stole the idea from another shower I went to but no one needs to know that. I figure after V-day we should be able to snatch up all kinds of heart and love stuff to use for the shower.
Now to figure out some fun games, and no TP Bride...
L's bridesmaids are nice girls but they haven't really stepped up with planning much. She & I talked over the weekend and picked our dates for things (4 weekends in a row of parties... Whew!) and I told her that as her cousin and a bridesmaid that I would step up and take over the shower. I think she's slightly relieved that someone is going to do it.
I sent out an e-mail to the other BMs yesterday detailing what I'd already decided in terms of menu, favors, and games and told them that while I was total Type-A (who, me?!) that I was open to suggestion and they shouldn't think I was some kind of shower Nazi.
The issues are that my shower is 3 weeks after hers so I want them to be original and not copies of eachother. That means constant checking with my girls who are planning mine to find out what food they'll have, what games they'll plan and what favors they plan to give out.
For L's Shower I've planned a light lunch spread since it starts around 2pm. Small appetizers and salads and hopefully a soup. I didn't know how much help I'd have (other than C - he's in by default) so I tried to keep it easy and hopefully things I can either make ahead of time or buy. Like a pasta salad and crackers & cheese.
The favors should be cookie mix in a jar with M&Ms and a heart-shaped cookie cutter. I totally stole the idea from another shower I went to but no one needs to know that. I figure after V-day we should be able to snatch up all kinds of heart and love stuff to use for the shower.
Now to figure out some fun games, and no TP Bride...
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Dancin' Shoes
Enough about pregnancy and babies. I am "giving it up to God" at this point. There's nothing I can do and we will know in 4 days or so. Until then, we move on to other topics.
Like shoes. I am a girl and I love shoes. Wedding shoes were particularly stressful for me because I wanted something fancy, but I also wanted to be able to walk after 10 hours. And it's somewhat difficult to find blue satin shoes that are cute and affordable. I think the image I'd had in my head has been a little blurry, but I was kind of picturing sling backs with a peep-toe and some embellishment.
For a long time I thought I wouldn't find anything and I considered scrapping the whole plan and just buying ivory or silver shoes. But then I started to find options.
The first pair I thought might work were these:
Like shoes. I am a girl and I love shoes. Wedding shoes were particularly stressful for me because I wanted something fancy, but I also wanted to be able to walk after 10 hours. And it's somewhat difficult to find blue satin shoes that are cute and affordable. I think the image I'd had in my head has been a little blurry, but I was kind of picturing sling backs with a peep-toe and some embellishment.
For a long time I thought I wouldn't find anything and I considered scrapping the whole plan and just buying ivory or silver shoes. But then I started to find options.
The first pair I thought might work were these:
These are actually my second choice. They're $100 though and I can't rationally spend that much. But I do like them and I'll try them if the first pair doesn't work out.
These I really like but the heel is much higher than I'm looking for. These are also a back up choice only if my first 2 don't work out.
I like these but they're not the right blue and that bow looks really big. Not really my style.
The winners! I just kept coming back to these over and over again. The heel is the right size (2 1/4") the blue is right, I love the slight detail on the toes. I don't know why I put off actually buying these, they've been the ones since the beginning.
My shoes should arrive in the mail tomorrow and I'm excited to finally see them in person. My dress fitting is tonight so I'm bummed I won't have them but I'll tell the lady what size heels I ordered and I'm sure it will be fine.
I'm excited to finally have a fitting for my dress tonight! It will be so great to finally get that process started! I'll let you know tomorrow how it went!
Monday, January 24, 2011
The Dress
I could not shut my brain off over the weekend and all I could think about was, "If I'm pregnant then..." Random thoughts included: how will I get through 2 bach. parties (mine and my cousin's) without telling anyone, will my dress still fit, what will people think/say, should we tell people we're already married, do I really care, etc.
This whole time I'd just been thinking that last time I was pregnant I didn't show until later in my pregnancy. Like, I didn't seriously show until about 5-6 months. Until then, it just looked like I'd gained some weight and should perhaps spend more time at the gym. So I thought I would be ok but then I did the math.
IF I am then I will be 20 weeks at the wedding. That's half-way. There's really no hiding. And as much as I've done a great job at gaining my figure back there's no denying that things got stretched out before so they're more easily stretched out this time.
And I thought that I might want to think about dresses that I can wear that are empire waistlines instead of my fitted gown. I don't want to give up my dress though! I searched a lot for that dress, I teared up when I had it on, it's the one! Ugh.
I feel bad. If I am then of course I will be excited. Babies are wonderful gifts and we definitely want more. But I can't help but be a little upset that the timing isn't what I wanted.
It will still be a beautiful wedding and I need to keep that in mind. The other things are trivial and I need to let them go.
This whole time I'd just been thinking that last time I was pregnant I didn't show until later in my pregnancy. Like, I didn't seriously show until about 5-6 months. Until then, it just looked like I'd gained some weight and should perhaps spend more time at the gym. So I thought I would be ok but then I did the math.
IF I am then I will be 20 weeks at the wedding. That's half-way. There's really no hiding. And as much as I've done a great job at gaining my figure back there's no denying that things got stretched out before so they're more easily stretched out this time.
And I thought that I might want to think about dresses that I can wear that are empire waistlines instead of my fitted gown. I don't want to give up my dress though! I searched a lot for that dress, I teared up when I had it on, it's the one! Ugh.
I feel bad. If I am then of course I will be excited. Babies are wonderful gifts and we definitely want more. But I can't help but be a little upset that the timing isn't what I wanted.
It will still be a beautiful wedding and I need to keep that in mind. The other things are trivial and I need to let them go.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Gifts
I'm trying to figure out my bridesmaid gifts and also C's, our parents, and anyone else that I'm supposed to buy a gift for. It's a lot of work!
For my girls, I wanted to put together gift bags that contained the following items:
Monogrammed key fobs
A pashmina to keep them warm
And flip flops to rest their toes. I don't have the flip flops yet.For our parents, I have no idea what to give them. Traditionally, couples give their parents pictures in super nice frames or a photo album after the wedding is over. I'd like to give them something at the rehearsal to let them know we appreciate everything they've done for us. The question is just, what is it and also how much is in the budget to spend on it?
C has yet to decide what he's going to give his guys. He doesn't necessarily want to do flasks or one generic gift for all of them (thanks hun). I suppose I'll leave that up to him, he knows the guys, he can figure it out.
That just leaves the question of who else we're supposed to buy presents for. My brothers are all going to sing at the ceremony, do we buy them each something? What do we give our officiant (when we figure out who he is)? Readers at the ceremony?
Just another thing to think about in this crazy wedding planning world.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Negative
Doc says no go. So we wait 10 days or so and check again. It is what it is and we'll figure it out as we go. I currently don't have a lot of feelings either way. I prefer to stay kind of distant until I know for sure so I don't get attached or anything.
So in the meantime, let's talk about fun stuff! I bought a dress for my bach. party that I'm pretty excited about. I wanted to go a little more glam & sexy than just jeans and a top. I'm thinking (hoping) I'll be rockin' this dress. Except I bought the blue version. AND, I only paid $14 for it! How nice is that? Now to figure out some shoes that I can wear all night long and we're good to go!
Other fun stuff, I found a local photographer who is doing a Boudoir marathon next weekend and she still has slots open. A marathon means that a photographer rents a hotel room for a day or 2 you get a 2 hour time slot and there's a professional hair & make up artist present. You bring a number of outfits and you and the photographer pick out some outfits and talk about poses and the goal and then you go for it!
The total cost is $200 for hair & make up, the actual session, and 30 edited prints on a DVD. I think that's actually pretty reasonable since they also include champagne to help you relax and you get an online gallery when it's done. One week is a very short time to be ready for this though. I have a couple outfits but with C's love for OSU, I wanted to get an OSU jersey and some boy shorts and do pigtails.
I also plan to borrow one of his button-down shirts & ties and do something sexy with those.
Why the rush? Well, if it turns out to be positive in a week, I want to get this done before things start changing. I also don't want to have to wait like 1.5 years until my body gets back to normal and I also don't want to risk stretch marks that I thankfully avoided the first time around. Let's document my hotness while I'm still hot!
So in the meantime, let's talk about fun stuff! I bought a dress for my bach. party that I'm pretty excited about. I wanted to go a little more glam & sexy than just jeans and a top. I'm thinking (hoping) I'll be rockin' this dress. Except I bought the blue version. AND, I only paid $14 for it! How nice is that? Now to figure out some shoes that I can wear all night long and we're good to go!
Other fun stuff, I found a local photographer who is doing a Boudoir marathon next weekend and she still has slots open. A marathon means that a photographer rents a hotel room for a day or 2 you get a 2 hour time slot and there's a professional hair & make up artist present. You bring a number of outfits and you and the photographer pick out some outfits and talk about poses and the goal and then you go for it!
The total cost is $200 for hair & make up, the actual session, and 30 edited prints on a DVD. I think that's actually pretty reasonable since they also include champagne to help you relax and you get an online gallery when it's done. One week is a very short time to be ready for this though. I have a couple outfits but with C's love for OSU, I wanted to get an OSU jersey and some boy shorts and do pigtails.
I also plan to borrow one of his button-down shirts & ties and do something sexy with those.
Why the rush? Well, if it turns out to be positive in a week, I want to get this done before things start changing. I also don't want to have to wait like 1.5 years until my body gets back to normal and I also don't want to risk stretch marks that I thankfully avoided the first time around. Let's document my hotness while I'm still hot!
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Answers
Whew! Nothing like a pregnancy scare to get my viewer numbers up!
And the answer is: I still don't know. But I loved my doctor yesterday! We took another blood sample and I'm waiting for the answer. Even if that still doesn't show, she recommends I do another pee test in a week or so. In the meantime, I'm supposed to act as if I were just to be safe. Things still feel off. Uterus feels like it's trying to commit mutiny and breasts ached yesterday again.
You're probably thinking, "Jacque, you've done this before, how could you not know?" I didn't figure things out until about 6 weeks in last time so I had no clue what was going on. I was also living in denial and I seriously don't remember how I felt those first couple weeks. If I am actually pregnant, then I caught on only 6 days after the fact. I can pinpoint when it happened.
So today I'm going to focus on other things until I get my answer. Like a groom's cake.
C is a diehard Ohio State fan and even tried to convince me that our wedding colors should be scarlet and gray. I said no, unless we were getting married in the fall and we eventually decided on shades of blue. We even had some conversations about our cake topper including Brutus the Buckeye as the groom but couldn't figure out what to do with me since I don't' affiliate much with my college mascot or anything else that would be interesting.
I finally decided that I'd like to surprise C with a groom's cake shaped like either the big block O or the "Horseshoe" which is their stadium. See:
So I've been in contact with a local bakery to see what they can do for me and how much a cake might cost. I'm just undecided at this point if we should have it at the rehearsal or at the actual reception for everyone to see. I originally thought at the reception but it would be nice to have a cake at the rehearsal.
Also, I have to decide if I can sneak in a tasting or if I should just trust that the cake will taste good. I do have a friend in Chicago so perhaps he could get there and do the tasting for me. I would trust him to tell me if it was good or not. If it's not that great then I may have to scratch the whole plan. I'm hoping for a quote today so I can see if it's even within the realm of possibility.
Unless this cake would count as a gift, I also need to figure out what I'd like to give him the day of the wedding. I originally wanted to give him cufflinks, but he wears cufflinks so infrequently that they're not really a great gift. He just got a new watch, so that's out. He doesn't really wear any other jewelry except a wedding ring so I can not give him any of that. The only other ideas I've had are a boudoir shoot album of shots which I'd planned for our first anniversary or a PS3 system.
Any ideas?
And the answer is: I still don't know. But I loved my doctor yesterday! We took another blood sample and I'm waiting for the answer. Even if that still doesn't show, she recommends I do another pee test in a week or so. In the meantime, I'm supposed to act as if I were just to be safe. Things still feel off. Uterus feels like it's trying to commit mutiny and breasts ached yesterday again.
You're probably thinking, "Jacque, you've done this before, how could you not know?" I didn't figure things out until about 6 weeks in last time so I had no clue what was going on. I was also living in denial and I seriously don't remember how I felt those first couple weeks. If I am actually pregnant, then I caught on only 6 days after the fact. I can pinpoint when it happened.
So today I'm going to focus on other things until I get my answer. Like a groom's cake.
C is a diehard Ohio State fan and even tried to convince me that our wedding colors should be scarlet and gray. I said no, unless we were getting married in the fall and we eventually decided on shades of blue. We even had some conversations about our cake topper including Brutus the Buckeye as the groom but couldn't figure out what to do with me since I don't' affiliate much with my college mascot or anything else that would be interesting.
I finally decided that I'd like to surprise C with a groom's cake shaped like either the big block O or the "Horseshoe" which is their stadium. See:
Also, I have to decide if I can sneak in a tasting or if I should just trust that the cake will taste good. I do have a friend in Chicago so perhaps he could get there and do the tasting for me. I would trust him to tell me if it was good or not. If it's not that great then I may have to scratch the whole plan. I'm hoping for a quote today so I can see if it's even within the realm of possibility.
Unless this cake would count as a gift, I also need to figure out what I'd like to give him the day of the wedding. I originally wanted to give him cufflinks, but he wears cufflinks so infrequently that they're not really a great gift. He just got a new watch, so that's out. He doesn't really wear any other jewelry except a wedding ring so I can not give him any of that. The only other ideas I've had are a boudoir shoot album of shots which I'd planned for our first anniversary or a PS3 system.
Any ideas?
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Scare Tactics (OR How I Know This is Right)
C & I met/starting dating on Feb. 22, 2008. It was a long distance relationship and quite a whirlwind. We started saying, "I love you" in June, after only having seen each other in person 5 times. However, we talked on the phone every day and often e-mailed each other as well. We had no idea where our relationship was headed, but we knew we wanted to make it work.
We found out I was pregnant on July 31, 2008 after only 5 months together. I was terrified. We didn't live together, let alone in the same state. I knew I loved him and I knew he was a wonderful man but I had no idea how he would react. He could have said it wasn't his, he could have walked away, he could have done any number of things. Instead, he chose to move to California and raise our daughter with me. Though he's never said anything, I will never forget the sacrifices he's made for me and for our family. And it makes me love him all the more.
Over the weekend I took 2 pregnancy tests, both negative. I'm still not 100% convinced that I'm not pregnant but time will tell. All day Saturday my breasts ached and ached. It was always there, always in the background. I often felt a little queasy and felt cramps in my lower abdomen. I was convinced this was it, we'd managed to do it again. And all I could think was, "I don't WANT to be pregnant right now! It's not in the plan!"
We have a timeline set out. I'm not saying we can't veer from it but it makes the most sense to do things this way. Get married in May, buy a house by August, get pregnant again at the end of August/beginning of September. I don't want to be pregnant at our wedding! I want my dress to fit and not have a bulge. I don't want people talking. I want to drink!
So I braced myself and told C. He actually smiled and said that we'd figure it out! And then he seemed disappointed when it was negative! What kind of man did I find?
Don't get me wrong, I know this is a good thing. I found an amazing man, one who is right there with me. He's in this and he's not going anywhere and he has shown me again and again.
So I'm almost crying over the fact that I might be pregnant and he's calming me down and reassuring me that it's not a bad thing. That we're married now and it's ok. That we'll figure everything out.
I have a doctor's appointment today for a physical, made well before last weekend. I'll find out what's going on with my stupid body, but I know that the answer doesn't matter. I got the answer I really needed.
We found out I was pregnant on July 31, 2008 after only 5 months together. I was terrified. We didn't live together, let alone in the same state. I knew I loved him and I knew he was a wonderful man but I had no idea how he would react. He could have said it wasn't his, he could have walked away, he could have done any number of things. Instead, he chose to move to California and raise our daughter with me. Though he's never said anything, I will never forget the sacrifices he's made for me and for our family. And it makes me love him all the more.
Over the weekend I took 2 pregnancy tests, both negative. I'm still not 100% convinced that I'm not pregnant but time will tell. All day Saturday my breasts ached and ached. It was always there, always in the background. I often felt a little queasy and felt cramps in my lower abdomen. I was convinced this was it, we'd managed to do it again. And all I could think was, "I don't WANT to be pregnant right now! It's not in the plan!"
We have a timeline set out. I'm not saying we can't veer from it but it makes the most sense to do things this way. Get married in May, buy a house by August, get pregnant again at the end of August/beginning of September. I don't want to be pregnant at our wedding! I want my dress to fit and not have a bulge. I don't want people talking. I want to drink!
So I braced myself and told C. He actually smiled and said that we'd figure it out! And then he seemed disappointed when it was negative! What kind of man did I find?
Don't get me wrong, I know this is a good thing. I found an amazing man, one who is right there with me. He's in this and he's not going anywhere and he has shown me again and again.
So I'm almost crying over the fact that I might be pregnant and he's calming me down and reassuring me that it's not a bad thing. That we're married now and it's ok. That we'll figure everything out.
I have a doctor's appointment today for a physical, made well before last weekend. I'll find out what's going on with my stupid body, but I know that the answer doesn't matter. I got the answer I really needed.
Monday, January 17, 2011
The Ring's the Thing
Over the weekend we managed to get someone to watch Addy for us. Side note: isn't it great when you find someone who actually really WANTS to watch your kid? It's a win-win because they want to spend time with her and we don't feel guilty for taking up someone else's time. And not paying them for it. But I digress. We got a babysitter and headed out to ring shop!
I tried to ring shop a week ago but C was in a bad mood and Addy wouldn't hold still and that's when I decided that we needed to leave her at home and do this on our own. Find some time where we could concentrate on the task and be able to ask eachother's opinions.
When we went before, we went to a mall store. I had zero intention of actually buying there but I needed to get an idea of costs. I had absolutely no idea what a wedding ring should cost. I knew we already had the diamond, so it couldn't be that bad, could it? Like, not more than $700?
Ha!
It turns out that if you're only buying a setting, they will charge you a fee to reset your stone in the ring. In our case, there was a $2.50 charge per point (points = carats. My ring is 0.47 carats, so it's 47 points.) AND a flat $60 in labor. I will admit though, $177.50 is a hell of a lot cheaper than buying an actual diamond.
I knew that with my budget my options were to either buy a wedding set (e-ring & band) or to just upgrade the e-ring with some side stones and have one ring and buy an anniversary band down the road.
I picked 2 rings after going through the NINE cases of settings. One was a set with pave diamonds on the sides and a cathedral setting and a mil grain finish which just made it a little more delicate. The other was a halo setting with 2 V's of diamonds coming up to the main setting like: <0> but square instead. Both were the same price and I took my time putting both of them on to decide which way to go.
(I hope these pictures show)
I decided in the end that I would rather have a ring AND band. I want us to look married. I don't want to walk around with basically a fancy engagement ring for years.
C also picked his ring. He picked a white gold, European comfort fit band with absolutely zero embellishment. I did have the inside engraved for him.
I love crossing things off our list! Later on I'll tell you the other things we got done, including outfitting me for the bach. party and deciding on transportation for the big day!
I tried to ring shop a week ago but C was in a bad mood and Addy wouldn't hold still and that's when I decided that we needed to leave her at home and do this on our own. Find some time where we could concentrate on the task and be able to ask eachother's opinions.
When we went before, we went to a mall store. I had zero intention of actually buying there but I needed to get an idea of costs. I had absolutely no idea what a wedding ring should cost. I knew we already had the diamond, so it couldn't be that bad, could it? Like, not more than $700?
Ha!
It turns out that if you're only buying a setting, they will charge you a fee to reset your stone in the ring. In our case, there was a $2.50 charge per point (points = carats. My ring is 0.47 carats, so it's 47 points.) AND a flat $60 in labor. I will admit though, $177.50 is a hell of a lot cheaper than buying an actual diamond.
I knew that with my budget my options were to either buy a wedding set (e-ring & band) or to just upgrade the e-ring with some side stones and have one ring and buy an anniversary band down the road.
I picked 2 rings after going through the NINE cases of settings. One was a set with pave diamonds on the sides and a cathedral setting and a mil grain finish which just made it a little more delicate. The other was a halo setting with 2 V's of diamonds coming up to the main setting like: <0> but square instead. Both were the same price and I took my time putting both of them on to decide which way to go.
I decided in the end that I would rather have a ring AND band. I want us to look married. I don't want to walk around with basically a fancy engagement ring for years.
C also picked his ring. He picked a white gold, European comfort fit band with absolutely zero embellishment. I did have the inside engraved for him.
I love crossing things off our list! Later on I'll tell you the other things we got done, including outfitting me for the bach. party and deciding on transportation for the big day!
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Conflict
Those of you who are actually reading, do you remember when I had to find a new photographer because I hadn't heard from mine in months? And how I was upset because I felt abandoned? And I e-mailed her a while ago and got absolutely no response?
Yeah, you can probably see where this is going.
She sent me a message on FB today talking about how excited she is to shoot my wedding and could I send her details about the wedding like a timeline, etc. What?
Um, I don't know what I'm supposed to do. Obviously I just have to tell her that since I never received a contract or heard from her for MONTHS that I signed a contract with another photographer and can't use her any longer.
I feel bad about it but I did almost everything I could to get ahold of her. I suppose the only other thing I could have done was e-mail her through FB, but seriously, if you own a business you should be checking your business e-mail! And if you say you're going to send someone a contract, you should actually do that.
I feel very badly about the whole thing. Hopefully she'll understand the situation and it won't be an issue.
Yeah, you can probably see where this is going.
She sent me a message on FB today talking about how excited she is to shoot my wedding and could I send her details about the wedding like a timeline, etc. What?
Um, I don't know what I'm supposed to do. Obviously I just have to tell her that since I never received a contract or heard from her for MONTHS that I signed a contract with another photographer and can't use her any longer.
I feel bad about it but I did almost everything I could to get ahold of her. I suppose the only other thing I could have done was e-mail her through FB, but seriously, if you own a business you should be checking your business e-mail! And if you say you're going to send someone a contract, you should actually do that.
I feel very badly about the whole thing. Hopefully she'll understand the situation and it won't be an issue.
Friday, January 14, 2011
This is Not My Wedding
If I am 100% honest, this is not the wedding I dreamed of. I haven't been dreaming of my wedding since I was a little girl or anything, 4 brother and no sisters will take away many girly things, but I did start to envision something when C & I got engaged or first started talking.
We picked Chicago location because it was the most convenient for our families and friends. We knew that people would be traveling so it made sense to just split the difference. I knew we'd have to make a planning trip at some point to start viewing potential venues and I knew that we would need to have the ceremony and reception in the same location.
So I started looking online and instantly fell in love with Fulton's on the River. It was everything I never knew I wanted. It had a wonderful reception room with tall windows and all kinds of brick and wood. It was right on the river with a bridge in the background and I could just see our pictures. It was amazing.
It was also amazingly out of budget. Not even just a little. We learned that if we truly wanted to get married in Chicago, we couldn't actually get married in Chicago. Moving outside the city took about $10K minimum off our bill.
We toured many places during our trip there but not Fulton's. We saw hotel banquet rooms and golf courses and this amazing little country house. You can tell where I fell in love.
But, he is a guy and I am an engineer and that makes us both rather logical and we knew that we couldn't handle Danada with it's separate caterers and florists and SO MANY CONTRACTS to handle. We decided that it was too much.
Pheasant Run was not my first choice, and amazingly enough, nor was it C's. But when we sat and talked about things we needed and what made the most sense, there it was. It doesn't have any exposed brick or even windows in the ballroom. It doesn't have that sweet country vibe I loved. But it does have 3 pools and 3 restaurants and everything our guests might need. And they are treating us very well and have been super accommodating.
So while this wasn't the wedding I dreamed of or imagined, it will be the wedding I love.
We picked Chicago location because it was the most convenient for our families and friends. We knew that people would be traveling so it made sense to just split the difference. I knew we'd have to make a planning trip at some point to start viewing potential venues and I knew that we would need to have the ceremony and reception in the same location.
So I started looking online and instantly fell in love with Fulton's on the River. It was everything I never knew I wanted. It had a wonderful reception room with tall windows and all kinds of brick and wood. It was right on the river with a bridge in the background and I could just see our pictures. It was amazing.
It was also amazingly out of budget. Not even just a little. We learned that if we truly wanted to get married in Chicago, we couldn't actually get married in Chicago. Moving outside the city took about $10K minimum off our bill.
We toured many places during our trip there but not Fulton's. We saw hotel banquet rooms and golf courses and this amazing little country house. You can tell where I fell in love.
But, he is a guy and I am an engineer and that makes us both rather logical and we knew that we couldn't handle Danada with it's separate caterers and florists and SO MANY CONTRACTS to handle. We decided that it was too much.
Pheasant Run was not my first choice, and amazingly enough, nor was it C's. But when we sat and talked about things we needed and what made the most sense, there it was. It doesn't have any exposed brick or even windows in the ballroom. It doesn't have that sweet country vibe I loved. But it does have 3 pools and 3 restaurants and everything our guests might need. And they are treating us very well and have been super accommodating.
So while this wasn't the wedding I dreamed of or imagined, it will be the wedding I love.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Getting Crafty
In an effort to keep our wedding costs relatively low (and low means under $20K but I hate even thinking about that number and all the things we could do instead) I've decided to take on DIY projects and get my craft on. The only issue is that I'm not really crafty, at all.
I've never really been a scrapbooker. The closest I came was when I organized my pictures and cut out little squares of construction paper and wrote on them with a sharpie. No stickers or frame thingys for this girl. Pictures, construction paper. That's how I roll. Or craft.
My DIY projects include making tags for our favors that thank everyone for coming. I envision a light blue tag with Ty printed on it and 5.21 underneath that. Kind of an element thing again. Then on the back I'd like to "define" the element. "Thankuium is an element commonly found when large groups of people gather to celebrate and gratitude is felt. Thankuium is not dependent on the number of people, but by amount of love. It is especially abundant today." And then have our names or something.
Another DIY project is to make menus and table numbers with vellum paper. The menus should be simple, print out 2 menus on each sheet, cut in half, add ribbon. But first, I have to figure out if there are different types of vellum and how to tie a pretty bow. For the table numbers, I just want to print out "Table 2" on the vellum paper and wrap it around a pillar candle. However, I'm not sure if I can use real candles in case they get hot & burn the paper. So I may also have to buy battery operated tea lights.
Printing seems like it would be a no-brainer, but our printer is far from state-of-the-art. So I may also end up printing at Kinko's.
DIY or DIKinko's?
I've never really been a scrapbooker. The closest I came was when I organized my pictures and cut out little squares of construction paper and wrote on them with a sharpie. No stickers or frame thingys for this girl. Pictures, construction paper. That's how I roll. Or craft.
My DIY projects include making tags for our favors that thank everyone for coming. I envision a light blue tag with Ty printed on it and 5.21 underneath that. Kind of an element thing again. Then on the back I'd like to "define" the element. "Thankuium is an element commonly found when large groups of people gather to celebrate and gratitude is felt. Thankuium is not dependent on the number of people, but by amount of love. It is especially abundant today." And then have our names or something.
Another DIY project is to make menus and table numbers with vellum paper. The menus should be simple, print out 2 menus on each sheet, cut in half, add ribbon. But first, I have to figure out if there are different types of vellum and how to tie a pretty bow. For the table numbers, I just want to print out "Table 2" on the vellum paper and wrap it around a pillar candle. However, I'm not sure if I can use real candles in case they get hot & burn the paper. So I may also have to buy battery operated tea lights.
Printing seems like it would be a no-brainer, but our printer is far from state-of-the-art. So I may also end up printing at Kinko's.
DIY or DIKinko's?
Almost Decided
After yesterday's post I decided that the easiest and most logical thing to do would be to get hotel rooms in downtown Chicago. So I emailed my MOHs and gave them my list of names and what I thought would make sense.
I have a very diverse group of friends. My college friends are the ones I drink with and we have done our share of drinking (and probably then some). Most of us are grown ups and moms so those days are kind of behind us but we have still been known to get our drink on, as the kids say. Bachelorette parties in the past have included strippers at a house, going to a male strip club, lots of drinking and dancing.
My Cali friends really don't drink and are slightly more reserved. They don't imbibe so much and I don't think they've seen many naked men. At least, not up close and personal if you know what I'm sayin'. They don't really care for dirty movies or crazy clubs & dancing. They're more stay in and hang out together girls. Or wine bar girls.
And then there's C's friends, one of whom is in the wedding and so I invited her and a couple other girls that will all know each other. I've only really seen them a handful of times, twice at weddings. I have a feeling these girls are more like my college friends, but we've never seen each other in a Bachelorette party kind of situation.
It's interesting to note that my 2 MOHs are one college friend and one Cali friend.
With all this in mind, I gave the MOHs 2 options. One is a drinking play called Bye, Bye Liver. It sounds like an amazing good time. Comedy sketches about going to the bar, drinking games built in, laughter and drinks. Sounds great! It was running in MN for a bit but I missed it and was disappointed. The play runs at 8 & 10pm so there would be time for dinner, then play, then dancing.
The other option is a male revue that doesn't seem too raunchy, just a good time. I think we could do dinner, and then go to the club. The club has 3 hours of open bar for $30 which sounds like a good deal but also sounds like a lot of trouble. After that, dancing. I really do want to go dancing somewhere.
I'd be fine with either option but I think the play sounds unique AND fun! Depending on what these girls decide for me, it will also help me figure out outfits. I'd still like to glam it up a little but that's not usually my style. I might even wear, gasp, a dress!
I have a very diverse group of friends. My college friends are the ones I drink with and we have done our share of drinking (and probably then some). Most of us are grown ups and moms so those days are kind of behind us but we have still been known to get our drink on, as the kids say. Bachelorette parties in the past have included strippers at a house, going to a male strip club, lots of drinking and dancing.
My Cali friends really don't drink and are slightly more reserved. They don't imbibe so much and I don't think they've seen many naked men. At least, not up close and personal if you know what I'm sayin'. They don't really care for dirty movies or crazy clubs & dancing. They're more stay in and hang out together girls. Or wine bar girls.
And then there's C's friends, one of whom is in the wedding and so I invited her and a couple other girls that will all know each other. I've only really seen them a handful of times, twice at weddings. I have a feeling these girls are more like my college friends, but we've never seen each other in a Bachelorette party kind of situation.
It's interesting to note that my 2 MOHs are one college friend and one Cali friend.
With all this in mind, I gave the MOHs 2 options. One is a drinking play called Bye, Bye Liver. It sounds like an amazing good time. Comedy sketches about going to the bar, drinking games built in, laughter and drinks. Sounds great! It was running in MN for a bit but I missed it and was disappointed. The play runs at 8 & 10pm so there would be time for dinner, then play, then dancing.
The other option is a male revue that doesn't seem too raunchy, just a good time. I think we could do dinner, and then go to the club. The club has 3 hours of open bar for $30 which sounds like a good deal but also sounds like a lot of trouble. After that, dancing. I really do want to go dancing somewhere.
I'd be fine with either option but I think the play sounds unique AND fun! Depending on what these girls decide for me, it will also help me figure out outfits. I'd still like to glam it up a little but that's not usually my style. I might even wear, gasp, a dress!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Girls Weekend
One of the things that I shouldn't have to stress about but do anyway is my Bachelorette party. Of course, it seems that I stress about everything to some degree so this is normal. But the biggies are, where do we have it, what do we do, what will I wear?
Where is almost easy. Chicago makes the most sense since my girls are spread out in MN, MI, OH, and CA. The majority can drive it where the Cali girls can hopefully fly in. Plus, the Cali girls have the option of flying directly to Chicago or to MN and spending 5 hours in the car with me. I mean, no brainer!
So the where is done but the what? that's a little harder. I have it down to 2 options. We could go outside of Chicago and rent a house (vrbo.com) and spend the weekend being girls and staying indoors. Cooking meals together, playing games and watching movies. There's something very tempting about that but I see a couple issues. Not all my girls know eachother and what if some girls don't get along? Plus, spending the weekend with people you don't know could be awkward! We'd all be stuck in the same house together with not much to do but interact.
The other option is to get a hotel downtown and party and dance the night away! It would be shopping/sight-seeing during the day and dancing & drinking in the night with a possible male review show thrown in. Issues with this are that it's more expensive and not everyone likes to drink and dance. Plus, when I think of this I want a little more glamor so I'm thinking dress & heels and that's not everyone's style. But the pros would be that people are separated by hotel rooms so it wouldn't be as "in your face" all weekend. And any activities could be separated according to who wants to do what. Another con though is trying to keep track of ~10 girls in downtown Chicago.
My 2 MOH are already working together but before they can plan, they need to know what I want and I don't have an answer! How to choose?
Where is almost easy. Chicago makes the most sense since my girls are spread out in MN, MI, OH, and CA. The majority can drive it where the Cali girls can hopefully fly in. Plus, the Cali girls have the option of flying directly to Chicago or to MN and spending 5 hours in the car with me. I mean, no brainer!
So the where is done but the what? that's a little harder. I have it down to 2 options. We could go outside of Chicago and rent a house (vrbo.com) and spend the weekend being girls and staying indoors. Cooking meals together, playing games and watching movies. There's something very tempting about that but I see a couple issues. Not all my girls know eachother and what if some girls don't get along? Plus, spending the weekend with people you don't know could be awkward! We'd all be stuck in the same house together with not much to do but interact.
The other option is to get a hotel downtown and party and dance the night away! It would be shopping/sight-seeing during the day and dancing & drinking in the night with a possible male review show thrown in. Issues with this are that it's more expensive and not everyone likes to drink and dance. Plus, when I think of this I want a little more glamor so I'm thinking dress & heels and that's not everyone's style. But the pros would be that people are separated by hotel rooms so it wouldn't be as "in your face" all weekend. And any activities could be separated according to who wants to do what. Another con though is trying to keep track of ~10 girls in downtown Chicago.
My 2 MOH are already working together but before they can plan, they need to know what I want and I don't have an answer! How to choose?
Monday, January 10, 2011
The Moms
I know I've talked about a unity ceremony before and how I didn't like the unity candle, but if we don't do something like that then how do we involve our moms? I love the symbolism that we come from different families and are joining together now and I love the thought of having our moms involved but I could not come up with a way to make it happen for the longest time.
Then I started thinking about the ceremony and things that we would involve and what we would take out. We exchanged rings at our civil ceremony back in September but they were extremely affordable and were not meant to be our "wedding bands" for our lives. We actually went ring shopping over the weekend but have yet to purchase anything.
So I decided that our moms would carry in our rings in little ring dishes and when the time comes to exchange rings, they'll come forward and give them to us. That way we'll get to hug them and involve them. I like the idea that our rings come from each family, just like we do.
So, of course, the ring dish idea necessitated another Etsy search where I stumbled upon these pretties. Then I wondered what to do with them after the wedding and I think that either the moms can have them back or we could hang them with a wedding picture between them.
Now the question is, does C's mom have my ring or his ring? Does it matter?
Save the Dates (STDs) are officially done. I gave some out at our holiday party over the weekend for addresses I didn't have or people I wasn't sure I was supposed to invite. Now we turn our concentration over to invites. I'm having issues with out invite person because we found some amazing invites on etsy and had a meeting in Chicago but since then they've been extremely unresponsive. I told C that if we didn't absolutely love the design that I'd drop them. I've looked at other invites but haven't found anything that is as good as these.
I'm actually starting to wonder if I should give up and just make them myself. I know it's an undertaking but I think it could be done if I ordered the pre-folded pocket envelopes and just printed out the invite part and somehow glued/attached it. Then in the pocket goes the map, RSVP, and accommodations card. They have websites that have the whole package put together so you can just print them and assemble them. It might be worth looking in to.
Another project I'd like to take on soon is the photo booth props. I found a tutorial to make them so I would just need some stiff felt, some glue and some dowels. That seems like something I can knock out over a weekend. Mustaches, mouths, hats (think top hat and bowler), eye patches, and masks (Batman!) here we come!
Then I started thinking about the ceremony and things that we would involve and what we would take out. We exchanged rings at our civil ceremony back in September but they were extremely affordable and were not meant to be our "wedding bands" for our lives. We actually went ring shopping over the weekend but have yet to purchase anything.
So I decided that our moms would carry in our rings in little ring dishes and when the time comes to exchange rings, they'll come forward and give them to us. That way we'll get to hug them and involve them. I like the idea that our rings come from each family, just like we do.
So, of course, the ring dish idea necessitated another Etsy search where I stumbled upon these pretties. Then I wondered what to do with them after the wedding and I think that either the moms can have them back or we could hang them with a wedding picture between them.
Now the question is, does C's mom have my ring or his ring? Does it matter?
Save the Dates (STDs) are officially done. I gave some out at our holiday party over the weekend for addresses I didn't have or people I wasn't sure I was supposed to invite. Now we turn our concentration over to invites. I'm having issues with out invite person because we found some amazing invites on etsy and had a meeting in Chicago but since then they've been extremely unresponsive. I told C that if we didn't absolutely love the design that I'd drop them. I've looked at other invites but haven't found anything that is as good as these.
I'm actually starting to wonder if I should give up and just make them myself. I know it's an undertaking but I think it could be done if I ordered the pre-folded pocket envelopes and just printed out the invite part and somehow glued/attached it. Then in the pocket goes the map, RSVP, and accommodations card. They have websites that have the whole package put together so you can just print them and assemble them. It might be worth looking in to.
Another project I'd like to take on soon is the photo booth props. I found a tutorial to make them so I would just need some stiff felt, some glue and some dowels. That seems like something I can knock out over a weekend. Mustaches, mouths, hats (think top hat and bowler), eye patches, and masks (Batman!) here we come!
Monday, January 3, 2011
Love Them!
I don't have a picture to accompany this post so you're just going to have to take my word for it, but we got our cake toppers finally and I LOVE THEM SO MUCH! The lady was so awesome to work with and they're just perfect. I can't wait for people to see them on our cake and laugh. (BTW, if you are looking for a cake topper or a clay sculpture, she offers more than just robots! Check her out!)
We finally got off our butts over the break and finished registering! Our registries are now Bed,Bath & Beyond (or Tri-B as C likes to call it) and Target. I've heard sometimes things go funky with Target's registries so we'll have to keep an eye on it but I think it's ok so far. The hard part is having 2 registries though because we were wandering around asking each other if we remembered registering for X at Tri-B.
I'd like to manage it online but I have no idea what my password is so I'll have to do something about that soon.
Also, I can almost cross chairs off my list since I'm under contract with a rental company for the ceremony. The price is reasonable as long as we're willing to set up and tear down ourselves, which, I have brothers and what else are the groomsmen doing that day?!
I also contacted someone about transportation for myself and the wedding party for the ceremony. It's only 3.5 miles from the hotel to the ceremony but I don't know anyone else to help us so I guess we'll be renting a limo bus of some kind. C's friend has an Escalade but it won't fit the entire wedding party and someone else would have to drive the bridal party since he's a groomsman. Maybe we could make it work... It'd be nice to save some money.
We were planning a trip back to Chicago but I'm not sure we need to do that just yet. Seems like we have a plan for most things. We'll see as the wedding gets closer.
We finally got off our butts over the break and finished registering! Our registries are now Bed,Bath & Beyond (or Tri-B as C likes to call it) and Target. I've heard sometimes things go funky with Target's registries so we'll have to keep an eye on it but I think it's ok so far. The hard part is having 2 registries though because we were wandering around asking each other if we remembered registering for X at Tri-B.
I'd like to manage it online but I have no idea what my password is so I'll have to do something about that soon.
Also, I can almost cross chairs off my list since I'm under contract with a rental company for the ceremony. The price is reasonable as long as we're willing to set up and tear down ourselves, which, I have brothers and what else are the groomsmen doing that day?!
I also contacted someone about transportation for myself and the wedding party for the ceremony. It's only 3.5 miles from the hotel to the ceremony but I don't know anyone else to help us so I guess we'll be renting a limo bus of some kind. C's friend has an Escalade but it won't fit the entire wedding party and someone else would have to drive the bridal party since he's a groomsman. Maybe we could make it work... It'd be nice to save some money.
We were planning a trip back to Chicago but I'm not sure we need to do that just yet. Seems like we have a plan for most things. We'll see as the wedding gets closer.
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