Last night I went dress shopping with my mum, future mother in law, bridesmaid, and my sister (who is also a bridesmaid). I was super nervous when I got there for some reason- and I felt so flustered. I was so hot and my face was so pink/red. It was crazy. I still can't believe I tried on wedding dresses! I'm not sure I've found "the one" yet, but I did learn that I do still probably want lace and that the mermaid silhouette looks fab on me. Just thought I'd share a few pictures!! Please don't mind my face or hair in them- I had just got off work (and I work at a preschool, so I play tag all day), I was hot, and I had NO idea when people were taking pictures.  This was the first dress I tried on. I love that it had sleeves and a keyhole back, but I don't like how the lace stopped and I HATE the sash. She put on a blingy sash instead and removed the bow and it was much better.  This was one of the dresses I had on my list of ones to try on. I LOVE how it fit, but it was too much of a "party dress" for our wedding. Still loved it though!!  I call this "The One That Got Away." When I went back and looked at the pictures today, I realized that I really love this dress. I failed to recognize that in the store last night, though, so I don't know that I'll be able to find it again. I love love love the ruching and side draping, the corset back is divine, and the chest detail is amazing. I wish I'd noticed it last night!!  The back of the dress above. I seriously think I need to try this one on again...
0 Comments
Yesterday we made the trip to NYC to take our engagement pictures. We weren't sure if the rain was going to hold up, and even changed our plans to take pictures in local spots for a brief time. I'm SO happy we ended up going with our original plans though and cannot wait to see the final images! We took pictures on the Staten Island Ferry, outside at Battery Park, in the subway (both in the train and at the train station at 42nd street), in Central Park, and one picture in FAO Schwartz (we made a prince/princess hand puppet kiss while we did the same). I only saw a few pictures while we took them, and they were so cute. Nikki basically let me take any picture I wanted, so we got the ones of us kissing while a train zoomed by behind us, dipping in the subway, dancing outside, our feet while we kissed (mine on tip toes), a pinkie promise, etc. I hope she gets them to me soon because I'm itching to see them! Some of my inspiration pictures:    In one year from now, I'll be married to my best friend!!!!!
I mean, that's pretty exciting. Just sayin'... After writing that last post, I changed the "Last updated" info on my homepage and just realized that I have one year and two days to go. Big gulp! I can't believe how fast time has already gone- and now we're SO close to one year out!
::happy dance:: Last Monday, Chris signed both of us up for the gym. I was super excited because I've been trying to get him to join the gym with me for years now. It keeps both of us motivated to go, and it's nice because we can still spend time together after work.
We've only gone three times since then because both of us had sinus infections, but now that we're (hopefully) over that, we can go more regularly. It's great, too, because his best man, Kyle, and Kyle's fiancee, Veronica, are both members there, too. So if I want to do a class, I can do it with Veronica. Kyle & Veronica are getting marred two weeks before Chris & I (the 8th), so she's just as motivated as I am to look amazing for next September. Tonight I did a boot camp class and I can already feel it. I have that wiggly feeling (I really don't know how to describe it- shaky, maybe?) that you get the night before you wake up and all your muscles hurt. I love waking up to that feeling. I'm also eating much better (and on more of a schedule since I'm full-time at the preschool now). I feel like I have so much more energy over-all and can NOT wait to see my hard work starting to pay off. I hope to lose at least 30- if not 40- pounds before the wedding. Here's hoping! The one-year (and one day- stinkin' Leap Year!) mark quickly approacheth and I'm beginning to get nervous.
Not because I have so much to do. Not because I still have so much weight to lose. And not because we still have SO much money to come up with. But because I didn't remember how cold September is up north. You see, I've spent the past four and a half years in Georgia. Warm, sunny Georgia, where it isn't unusual to have an 80 degree day right smack in the middle of December. Imagine my surprise when I leave work yesterday to be met by a 60 degree day with a brisk wind and a dark sky. I'm not going to lie: I definitely panicked a little bit. Or... I guess you could say alotta bit. I kind of lost it. I changed my date from August to September in the first place because everyone was giving me a hassle about how hot it would be for the guests to be on the beach on an August afternoon. They failed to remind me, however, that September is not a warm month in New Jersey. It's been warm for the past 4 Septembers of my life! It's easy to forget that autumn is cool when it hasn't been for years. I seriously considered calling the only two vendors I have booked so far to ask them if I could change my date and what dates would work for them, how much it would cost me, etc. Then I put myself back in check. This WILL be okay. I got online and yesterday was actually atypical of this time of the year. It was much cooler than usual. Besides, temperatures usually drop in the middle of September, but the last two weekends and the beginning of October are generally pretty warm again. I'm desperately hoping that my wedding day will be warm enough for me to be able to wear my dress sans jacket, that my guests will be comfortable, and that my outdoor cocktail hour won't pose a problem. Take a breath, Jacq... it's going to be an amazing day... So I am going to be DIYing our invitations, save the dates, programs, etc. Basically everything paper for the wedding. I had done most of these things, but recently I was just so uninspired by the stuff I had put together. Our save the dates (below) were just so blah and not us. Our invitation suite was boring and again- not us. Our program fans were cute, but didn't really match the feel of the wedding (neither did the save the dates, come to think of it...) So this weekend I put in some serious time re-designing everything. I am so much happier with everything now. I stole the layout/design for our save the dates from Wedding Paper Divas. I took the idea for the invites from Minted, and then used the same motif to make enclosure cards, thank you notes, and programs. I would have done the same for our save the dates, but I don't like when save the dates are too matchy-matchy with everything else. I just had to report because I'm just so much happier with everything now. I also figured out how many invitations I need to send out (64) and decided to make 80 invites- that way we'll have extras in case some get lost in the mail or in case we need to add any last minute extras. Also, we'll have one for our pictures on the wedding day, as well as one to frame for our home. I then figured out what I'll need to order from C&P to start assembling them, and will probably order paper/envelopes in early December so I can start slowly putting things together & addressing my envelopes.  Our old STD's  The back of our old STD's  The front of our new STD's- with random e-pics I found on Google until we can put our own e-pics in.  The back of our new STD's. Simple and classic. Love. Last but not least, I have gathered almost all of the addresses I need to complete our guest list. I still need to get them from Chris' mom, but nearly my whole family and almost all of our friends are finished. Yay!
We have a photographer!! We went to meet Inna and her husband, Manny, last night. They were amazing. Inna has so much energy and passion, as well as a really big heart! I loved them instantly- and their miniature poodle, Izzy! Actually, we knocked on the door and the dog started barking and I mentioned it was a good sign that they had a dog (we're MAJOR dog people). So yes- very very excited. We got a great deal. We got the package we wanted for $300 less than the going rate AND they added a second shooter. We get them from 8 or 9am (whichever we decide) until midnight. She touches up every single image and we get them all- she creates an online gallery and hosts it for a year and a half, and we get a CD of low-res images as well as a DVD of high-res images. And the rights. This photographer is basically a dream come true. Not to mention her photos are stunning and she comes with excellent reviews. We basically hit the jackpot. This is technically our first official check, since the venue STILL hasn't sent us a contract to sign (but they have been in touch- it's still being written up with our specific needs). I am beyond excited and thrilled with our choice. Also glad we rushed in and swept her up- I've been in contact with her for a few weeks now and she has shot a wedding every. single. weekend that I have been talking to her. She took out her calendar for next year to write us in, and ours was one of two weekends left for September 2012. Thank God we acted fast! Anyway, I'm super excited and just needed to share. I'm finally starting to feel like a bride! Next stops: DJ, catering, and dress shopping!  Oh Inna... I'm so very happy we found you! This post is short & sweet, but I'm excited so I had to write it! We booked our e-pics! We'll be heading to New York City on September 24th to take our pics! I'm so super excited and so happy that Nicole is shooting them. Also, it's September today! That means this month we'll hit the one year mark! Lots of exciting-ness to be excited about! Woot!  One of my newest must takes for our e-session | Planning Blog
This is my wedding planning blog to chronicle the madness of the 16 months leading up to our wedding. ArchivesSeptember 2012 Easy Access To...
All |
RSS Feed