I've said it before...I over analyze EVERYTHING. Especially when it comes to something for me. "Do I really need it? Couldn't I use that money for something else or for someone else?" I was no different when it came to my wedding dress. I had the damn thing picked out and paid for. It was set and that decision was made and it was time to move on to other things for the wedding. Then I started watching those stupid bridal shows on tv. The dress I originally chose was very simple and was almost a "slip dress". It didn't have a petticoat or anything underneath other than a thin slip. With every "full skirt" dress I saw on tv the more I questioned my decision of my dress. Each time I was able to remind myself why I chose the original dress and talk myself out of the "full skirt". It didn't work on Monday. While babysitting my nephew for a few hours I started watching the WE channel which we all know is pretty much wedding central. Long story short, I call my mom and tell her to meet me at David's Bridal after work. My sister in law came home, packed her bag, loaded Aiden in the car and we took off for the store. (Erin wasn't having a good day. It would have been completely selfish if I had asked her to come to the store too. She needed to be with Brandon.) I put on the original dress, then pulled out the other two that were contenders last time. Both full skirts, simple, no beading, one a halter and one strapless. I put the strapless on first then I put the halter on. I'll go ahead and tell you, the halter has a flower on it. If you know me at all you will know that I HATE things like that. I love flowers, but I do NOT like them as personal accessories. On other people they are cute. I just don't want to have to deal with them! I picked the halter with the flower. It was comfortable and the most flattering on me. I felt like a bride and honestly, a bit of a princess. It only cost me $50 more and I can pick it up in two weeks!!! While this was teh favorite of several people, I didn't pick it for that reason. I am a HUGE people pleaser, but this time I did it for me. I love the way it feels and the way I look. I know I probably said that about the other one, but I haven't once questioned this decision. If I'm not questioning it then I know I've made the right decision.
We found the bridesmaid dresses in the most unusual place. Knowing that we had to be budget conscious limited our choices, but I wasn't about to break from the budget. I could NOT ask the girls to pay for something that was WELL out of their price range. They tried on several dresses at David's Bridal and in the end we left empty handed. What was in our price range didn't look good on everyone and I wasn't going to make someone where something that looked horrible on them. We went to Alfred Angelo, formerly Bride's Mart, and walked out of there laughing to ourselves. They are WAY to proud of their stuff. Then my mom suggests Dress Barn. All 5 of us girls looked at her like she was crazy, but to appease her we went in. There is was...in all it's glory. Short (knee length) black with ivory rooshing(sp?) at the empire waist and adorable. It was perfect! Lisa's little belly was absolutely darling in it, Raquel's boobs were nicely "contained", and Taren looked beautiful! They all did! Then we found a special dress for Erin. Black with lace on the upper bodice. She looked gorgeous and she was comfy. Her bump will fit perfectly in it! Now, my colors were red and ivory, but this dress changed it a bit. The only black you will see is the girl's dresses and the guys pants. The dresses were $60! No altering needed and take home ready! Moms are so smart! I made sure my sister in law brought her's with us when we changed my dress on Monday. The dress still looks great with my dress!
We should be done with the invitations this weekend. They HAVE to be mailed on Monday. I printed them last night at my mom's and should be working on the knots, but haven't gotten that far. I found the shirts for the guys and they were only $15! Now to get the center pieces started. I have a couple of jewelry shows coming up so that will hopefully help with that expense. I think at this point the hard stuff is done!
Friday, July 31, 2009
Saturday, July 11, 2009
The Day of the Dress
At the age of 3 I had my wedding planned out. I was going to wear pink and my bridesmaids were going to wear white. My mother tried to explain to me that it was the other way around, but I wasn't having it. I wasn't confused. I knew how it was supposed to go, but pink was my favorite color and I wanted to wear it. I remember playing in my mom's veil and telling myself that I was going to wear it in my wedding. Clearly I had no concept of changing styles or how easily things fell apart the older they got. I also remember NEVER liking the traditional "Here Come the Bride" song. Sing with me..."here comes the bride. big fat and wide!" Who didn't sing this song growing up? I don't even know the real words! One Halloween I was a bride, as I'm sure most little girls are at least one year of their life. I made my mom put makeup on me, I had white gloves, and frilly little white socks with my white dress shoes. I remember feeling so beautiful and perfect. I got to have that feeling again today.
When you walk into a bridal shop as a little girl it can be a bit overwhelming, but so neat at the same time. "Look at all the pretty dresses Mommy!" When you walk into one as a grown up girl it's still overwhelming, but for some of us it's slightly less exciting. Don't get me wrong. There was an excitement there, but at the same time I kept seeing the Stay Puff Marshmellow man with a veil on and flowers in it's fat fingers! Reality hits you and you see hundreds of dresses standing before you and you have NO idea what you are getting yourself into. I can no longer make fun of Erin and the number of dresses she made me climb under, zip, clip, or hang up when we went to find her wedding dress. I was nearly as bad. The first few were ok. I seem to be at a size that isn't around very much. They either have smaller or larger and let's not even get into my height problem! We laughed and giggled our way through the whole charade. Erin was slightly abusive, but nothing out of the ordinary. At one point she tried taking the whole underneath of my hair out with a dress. I was almost out of the damn thing when she tugged to get it over my head. My hair had somehow attached itself to the dress and I went flying backwards into her. She hit the door. I stepped on her toe. I remember laughing and saying, "ouch! my hair! Erin you have my hair!" I remember her saying, "be still. why are you wiggling? get out of the dress." I think it was about this time that my mom came to the dressing room door and told us to be quiet. When I was finally out of the dress Erin decided she was done helping me...at least until her toe felt better.
We had it narrowed down to two when my sister came to me with another dress. I'll be honest and admit that I didn't like it when I saw it on the hanger. I just knew it was going to make me look huge! It took a little help from both Erin and Raquel (cause it was slightly too small), but once it was one that was it. I over analyze everything and I started to do that with this dress. Then someone put a veil on my head and I was in tears a few minutes later. I love my dress. It's exactly what I wanted with just the right amount of "frilliness". I can't wait to share it with you guys. Next week we go for bridesmaid dresses. This will likely be a million times more interesting, but this time I get to sit in a chair and let someone else do all the work!
When you walk into a bridal shop as a little girl it can be a bit overwhelming, but so neat at the same time. "Look at all the pretty dresses Mommy!" When you walk into one as a grown up girl it's still overwhelming, but for some of us it's slightly less exciting. Don't get me wrong. There was an excitement there, but at the same time I kept seeing the Stay Puff Marshmellow man with a veil on and flowers in it's fat fingers! Reality hits you and you see hundreds of dresses standing before you and you have NO idea what you are getting yourself into. I can no longer make fun of Erin and the number of dresses she made me climb under, zip, clip, or hang up when we went to find her wedding dress. I was nearly as bad. The first few were ok. I seem to be at a size that isn't around very much. They either have smaller or larger and let's not even get into my height problem! We laughed and giggled our way through the whole charade. Erin was slightly abusive, but nothing out of the ordinary. At one point she tried taking the whole underneath of my hair out with a dress. I was almost out of the damn thing when she tugged to get it over my head. My hair had somehow attached itself to the dress and I went flying backwards into her. She hit the door. I stepped on her toe. I remember laughing and saying, "ouch! my hair! Erin you have my hair!" I remember her saying, "be still. why are you wiggling? get out of the dress." I think it was about this time that my mom came to the dressing room door and told us to be quiet. When I was finally out of the dress Erin decided she was done helping me...at least until her toe felt better.
We had it narrowed down to two when my sister came to me with another dress. I'll be honest and admit that I didn't like it when I saw it on the hanger. I just knew it was going to make me look huge! It took a little help from both Erin and Raquel (cause it was slightly too small), but once it was one that was it. I over analyze everything and I started to do that with this dress. Then someone put a veil on my head and I was in tears a few minutes later. I love my dress. It's exactly what I wanted with just the right amount of "frilliness". I can't wait to share it with you guys. Next week we go for bridesmaid dresses. This will likely be a million times more interesting, but this time I get to sit in a chair and let someone else do all the work!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
My life's blessings
My incredibly busy life never ceases to amaze me. I woke up this morning with the plan of laying out and getting some small stuff done around the house. When my sister sent me a text at 7:15 my plans suddenly changed. Two hours later I had a gift on my doorstep...2 little girls and their big brother. It was gearing up to be an interesting day to say the least! Ava, she's 3, had somehow found an old milk cup (don't ask) and finished it off. This of course resulting in puking all over herself in the car on the way to my house. She was promptly stripped and put in her bathing suit while her clothes went in the wash. Alexa, she's 2, was in rare form. She started talking to me the minute she walked in the door. This is the child who said "octopuss" on her first birthday. You can imagine how profound her vocabulary is now! We talked about her Dora book, her shoes, Ava puking in the car, the cats, and swimming...all within the first 5 minutes!
Their big brother Ryen has got to be the BEST big brother I know. He's so patient with them and doesn't mind helping with them at all. He will watch Dora, play with Barbies, kiss their boo-boo's, and he even takes them to the bathroom! I would watch him out of the corner of my eye and he would be giving one a kiss or talking to them and telling them he loves them. While he can be a typical boy and a complete pain in the butt, his true nature is loving and gentle. I love this about him and it makes my heart melt every time. Ryen wasn't the only boy at the house today. We added Aiden to the mix and that was one more blessing. The girls absolutely love him and Ryen will talk to him and play with him. He was only with us for a bit, but we all enjoyed it!
Tonight Brian's oldest neice, Emma, came to spend the night. I haven't seen her in a month because she's been on vacation and I really missed her. She is 14 and so much like Brian. Emma is such a sweet kid and she and Brian have such a connection. One night, before I had moved in and we had another bed upstairs, she stayed the night with Brian. For whatever reason she decided she didn't want to sleep on the couch so Brian told her she could sleep with him. She chose to make a pallet on the floor...next to his bed. He couldn't understand why she did this. I had to explain to him that while she wanted to be close to him for security, sleeping in the same bed as him was probably "gross" to her. This was so hard for him. "She slept with me all the time when she was little." I really think his heart broke a little that night. He realized she wasn't a little girl anymore. That has been a hard reality for him to grasp. I can't imagine how he's going to feel when she starts dating!
The house is quiet now. The little ones have gone home and Brian and Emma are fast asleep. My body and mind are exhausted, but my heart is the fullest it's ever been. I have a wonderful fiance who I love more than anything, beautiful neices and nephews who love us, a beautiful home, an amazing mother and in-laws, and so many exciting things to look forward to. When I go to bed tonight I have to remember to thank God for my life's blessings.
Their big brother Ryen has got to be the BEST big brother I know. He's so patient with them and doesn't mind helping with them at all. He will watch Dora, play with Barbies, kiss their boo-boo's, and he even takes them to the bathroom! I would watch him out of the corner of my eye and he would be giving one a kiss or talking to them and telling them he loves them. While he can be a typical boy and a complete pain in the butt, his true nature is loving and gentle. I love this about him and it makes my heart melt every time. Ryen wasn't the only boy at the house today. We added Aiden to the mix and that was one more blessing. The girls absolutely love him and Ryen will talk to him and play with him. He was only with us for a bit, but we all enjoyed it!
Tonight Brian's oldest neice, Emma, came to spend the night. I haven't seen her in a month because she's been on vacation and I really missed her. She is 14 and so much like Brian. Emma is such a sweet kid and she and Brian have such a connection. One night, before I had moved in and we had another bed upstairs, she stayed the night with Brian. For whatever reason she decided she didn't want to sleep on the couch so Brian told her she could sleep with him. She chose to make a pallet on the floor...next to his bed. He couldn't understand why she did this. I had to explain to him that while she wanted to be close to him for security, sleeping in the same bed as him was probably "gross" to her. This was so hard for him. "She slept with me all the time when she was little." I really think his heart broke a little that night. He realized she wasn't a little girl anymore. That has been a hard reality for him to grasp. I can't imagine how he's going to feel when she starts dating!
The house is quiet now. The little ones have gone home and Brian and Emma are fast asleep. My body and mind are exhausted, but my heart is the fullest it's ever been. I have a wonderful fiance who I love more than anything, beautiful neices and nephews who love us, a beautiful home, an amazing mother and in-laws, and so many exciting things to look forward to. When I go to bed tonight I have to remember to thank God for my life's blessings.
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