Dress Success

I didn't think it would happen, but I found a dress that I love.  I was very worried that I would never find a dress that I would have an emotional response to.  Every special occasion of my life I've never found a dress that was "exactly what I was looking for".  Seriously, I had my mom make my prom dress and most of my high school formal dresses because that was the only way to get exactly what I wanted.

Going into wedding dress shopping was so scary for me.  I had such a clear idea of what I DIDN'T want.  I was sure there would be no strapless.  I didn't want anything too princess-y.  And there would be NO ruffles of any sort!  I wanted to look classic.  Vintage, simple, and classic have always been the way I want people to think of my style.  I just wanted a dress that would still be beautiful 50 years from now when my grandchildren see my wedding album.

This is definitely NOT what it looks like.

And I think I found her.  Yes, I refer to my dress as a her.  And she is beautiful.  I don't want to give away the surprise so I won't say much about it.  I just knew when I saw this dress on me that it was exactly what I wanted.  :)  It made my mom and the bridesmaid who came along tear up.  Bingo. 

Another thing to be excited about is that my mom will be making my veil.  We decided that she could easily make a beautiful veil exactly like I want for much less than to buy it.  It's not just about saving money though.  My mom has been my dresser for my whole life making every Halloween costume and most of my theatre costumes.  It is a special thing we have always shared and I am so excited it will be a part of my wedding!!

Now, all I have to do is wait a year to wear it.  :)

Abby's Wedding

I am so happy to post about the wedding of one of my very best friends.  Last week in Michigan, Abby and Joe got married and had a beautiful, fun, laid back wedding that totally fit their personalities.  I was so honored to be on the very short guest list!
Quick friendship history: Abby is one of my first college friends.  I don't recall when exactly we became friends, but it was early on in the fall of our freshman year.  Later on, we were roommates for two years.  In that time, I was lucky enough to see her meet and fall in love with Joe.  I truly believe she has found the one for her and that they will have a wonderful, happy life together!

How Romantic!

 The wedding was held in Michigan where Abby's family has a lake house.  The ceremony was at the cutest little church down the road from their house.  It was such a beautifully intimate ceremony, and I doubt there was a dry eye in the church.   I know that I could not stop crying from the moment I saw the bride walk in.  The look of love and happiness in Joe's eyes was so amazing.  After the ceremony, we headed back to the lake house for the party!  It was a laid back reception with some great food!   The wedding perfectly suited the couple.  I am so happy for Abby and Joe and So honored that I got to be there with them!

The BEAUTIFUL view of Lake Michigan.

Playing in the lake cuz they're married now!

She was so beautiful, I couldn't stop crying!

June 18, 2011

The wedding was a great opportunity for a relaxing weekend getaway too! 

Congratulations Abby and Joe!

Update

So now that the date is set and the church is booked, I am going into planning mode.  I really want all of the big things to be decided on this summer so that when school starts, I can focus on work and not my wedding. 
The first thing I did was look at some dresses with my mom.  I made the appointment and went into it thinking it would be nothing.  I usually do not react to clothing, and I didn't expect anything to excite me on the first trip.  Well, that wasn't exactly the case.  The second dress I tried on just may end up being the one.  I want to look around a little bit more to be 100% sure, but i think that's it.  eek!
Now I am trying to decide on the reception.  I think we have a good idea of how many people we'll have and how much we can spend.  Now I just need to start talking to places.  This is the scariest part for me: hiring people.  Vendors, caterers, florists, photographers...  How do you find a good one?  How do you get a good price?  No one teaches you how to do these things!

Anyways, things are going well.  This weekend Jim and I were in Michigan for my friend Abby's wedding.  It was absolutely perfect.  I'll share a post about that later this week! 

It's a DATE!

Ladies and Gentlemen, the wait is over.  Jim and I have set our wedding date!!!  Yesterday, we met with the deacon at my church and decided that we will get married on July 7, 2012!  This is where it all begins.  It all seems real now, and the scary planning can begin!

Tuesday afternoon I have my first appointment to try on dresses....  EEK!

And I have started the wedding website!  Take a look! 

Adventures as a Bridesmaid

So the last two weekends were the bridal showers for two of my best friends.  They are both former roommates and I am so happy to be a part of their big days.  Luckily, they are both smart, wonderful people and I didn't have to endure any embarrassingly awful shower games.  I usually dread showers (both bridal and baby) because of the ridiculous games that people think are fun when they are really just embarrassing and awkward for everyone involved.  THANK YOU ladies for not subjecting your guests to that! 
One thing I really enjoyed was fulfilling bridesmaid duties.  I really enjoyed being there to help out and de-stress my brides to be.  For the first shower, I helped out with the big list of the gifts, and for the second, I was put in charge of the ribbon bouquet.  I don't mean to brag, but that was one sweet bouquet.  Both of these brides-to-be are a part of my wedding party, so it meant a lot to me to be a part of the shower. 
The thing about their showers is that their weddings seem so real and close now.  And that makes my own wedding seem real and close(hopefully will have a date set with the church in about a week!).  We're growing up.  It's scary and crazy and hard, but it's going to be great.  I am so happy for my two ladies and truly feel that they have both found their perfect match.  Being a part of their weddings is a huge part of my engagement and wedding experience. 
Ok, I'm being very sentimental and getting a little misty, but I'm allowed.

School is almost out for the summer and then the planning will be underway.  So excited for all of the wedding awesomeness this summer has in store for me!

Spring is here, the sky is blue...

Things are finally turning around!  I took a huge break from this blog because everything was at a stand-still and thinking the wedding just made me sad.  BUT I am so happy to announce that since I have a full time job offer for the next school year, our plans are going to start!  Things are really looking up and I am so excited for this summer, and the future!

Also I have to give my thank yous to Catherine Duchess of Cambridge and her younger sister Pippa for their beautiful dress choices.  Maybe now I'll find a few options with some sleeves or straps!!!

Great things are on the horizon!


Stay tuned for posts about my adventures as a bridesmaid this summer, book reviews, and all of the planning!

Stress :(

I had a major meltdown last night.  It was over the fact that the entire future of my wedding, marriage, and everything is up in the air because of my lack of a career.  I hate that the state budget of Illinois (or lack thereof) is dictating my future personally as well as professionally.  I love my job, but it won't be around next year.  And who knows if I'll be hired as a teacher anywhere next year.  it sucks.  But, thankfully Jim understands and listens when I freak out.  Someone has to be the practical one.

So if I ignore this blog from time to time, please don't think anything of it.  it's just that until things are clear, thinking about it kind of makes me sad.  It's going to happen.  Hopefully soon.  I'll keep you posted.

Dress Anxiety

Today I went to David's Bridal to try on a bridesmaid dress.  While we were there, my mom and I decided to look at the dresses.  It was my first time looking at dresses in person instead of photos online.  It was fine, there were a couple dresses I would consider trying on, but nothing that made me want to get married tomorrow.  I don't know, I think shopping for the wedding dress has been hyped so much that there is no way it can live up to it.  I am not a super girly girl.  I don't get excited about clothes the way some people do.  And that makes me worry that there will never be ONE "THE" DRESS.  I know I'll find a dress, I just don't think I will ever have the reaction brides are supposed to have when they try on the dress.

My other concern is the complete lack of styles I like.  Or the abundance of styles I do not.  Strapless Dresses.  I HATE them.  I have a few reasons for this and the number on reason is the pull up.  I want to look effortless and elegant and classy on my wedding day.  There is no way I can look that way if i have to pull up a strapless dress that is sliding down too low.  I could go on and on about why I hate them, but it wouldn't make a difference.  Brides everywhere love them.  And so that is 99% of the wedding dresses in the world.

I do have hope.  Ivanka Trump(Donald's daughter) had a beautiful dress with sleeves.  And that is starting some whispers of the winds of change in the bridal gown industry.  My other hope: the Royal Wedding.  I'm hoping that since that wedding is a huge part of the Church of England, Kate Middleton will choose a more modest style.  Whatever she wears will be a HUGE influence on the wedding industry, and I am hoping it goes the way of sleeves!!

Thoughts?  What do you think of sleeves on wedding gowns?

Crystal's Wedding

I'm very excited to have my second guest post from a veteran bride.  This week is Crystal, one of Jenny's bridesmaids with me.  I LOVE the trend of brightly colored shoes with wedding dresses, and I think Crystal was one of the first to embrace this idea with her gorgeous orange shoes! 

1. Your name? Your husband’s name?
My name is Crystal and my husband's name is Gary.

2. When/Where was your wedding?
We eloped in Savannah, GA during October of 2007.


3. What were your colors and flowers like?
My favorite color is orange, so I knew it had to be featured prominently when I got married. The flowers were orange roses with fall foliage mixed in. Gary wore an orange orchid.

4. Tell us about the dress. How/where did you find it?
I wasn't really sure what kind of dress I wanted, so I went to David's Bridal and tried on every style possible. Big poofy princess dresses, slim slinky form-fitted dresses: I tried them all. I ended up choosing a tea-length dress that had a beautiful lace beading. I loved how light and airy the shorter dress felt compared to the weight of the all the other dresses. Plus, having a short dress allowed me to show off my orange heels!

5. What did you decide on first? (the dress, the location, the colors?)
I knew from the start that orange would be the major color, regardless of what everything else turned out to be. I knew I didn't want to wear a veil; instead, I wore an orange rose in my hair. I knew I wanted the ceremony to be outside, and we ended up exchanging our vows in front of an old fountain under moss-covered trees.

6. How long did you plan the wedding?
We started out planning a big, traditional wedding, and went with that plan for awhile. In the end, that path turned out to be too much. We decided to elope in Savannah, because the city has great significance within Gary's family. It is also a very unique, beautiful spot, with a perfect blend of city and natural elements.

7. Did you DIY anything for the wedding? If so, what?
Because we eloped, we chose a wedding package in our destination city. A very sweet wedding planner helped us customize the details. Everything we needed was included in the package, so there wasn't much for me to do! I did make our announcements we sent out after we were married.

8. What was one thing you thought was worth splurging on?
Because we got married in a city different from where we lived, we wanted to live it up! We stayed in a super fancy bed and breakfast with the most amazing bed I've ever slept in. I still have dreams about that bed!

9. What was your favorite detail?
A lot of the experience felt very new and surprising, since I didn't spend a lot of time hashing out every last detail. My sister (who walked me down the "aisle") and I took a horse-drawn carriage to the wedding site, which was a few blocks from where we were staying, and that was really fun. I also loved how handsome my husband looked. We started dating when I was sixteen, so it felt amazing to be husband and wife after dating all those years!

10. What was the part of the planning that scared you the most?
It was definitely different getting married in a city I had only visited once before. There was a freedom though in trusting the wedding planner-- I didn't have to sweat any of the details, and even if things turned out a little crazy, it was okay to me-- the most important thing for me was the act of getting married.

11. Which was the most difficult decision to make?
Once we decided to elope, everything was easy from there. The hardest thing was breaking out of the wedding "box" - feeling like we "had to" do all these things. It was difficult to get married without all our loved ones present, but in doing so, Gary and I were able to focus on each other and make the day about us.

12. What was the most memorable part of the wedding?
Gary and I wrote our own vows, so exchanging those words was very moving.


13. What advice do you have for soon to be brides?
Your wedding day is not a reflection on how your marriage will turn out. My wedding was very different from what I originally envisioned, but I could not be happier with the man I married.

 Thanks Crystal!

Want to be a Guest Bride?  Leave a comment!

Theme Weddings?

So I've been thinking a lot about wedding themes lately.  I've often thought of themes as overkill and kinda silly really.  I mean when someone says to you "theme wedding" you picture costumes and role playing right?  But then there are the wedding planners telling all the brides-to-be that we need a theme to tie all of the details of the day together.  It's kind of both ends of the crazy wedding spectrum.  I never really thought of having a theme wedding.
Until I realized that a theme can sneak up on you without your realizing it.  Now there will be no costumes at my wedding, but an underlying theme is starting to appear in some of my planning ideas...

The very first thing Jim and I decided on for our wedding was that we want our cake topper to be Mickey and Minnie Mouse.  We are both HUGE Disney nerds, and Mickey and Minnie have always been a thing for us.  We also have planned from day one that we will honeymoon in Walt Disney World.  Starting to see my theme?  So a few other elements of Disney have made it into the "Ideas" binder.  I know that I want our cocktail/dinner music to be Disney songs.  I have a huge collection of Disney music, and I think it would be so cute to have the great Disney love songs playing in the background of our party.  My most recent idea is to name our tables instead of numbering them.  I want to name each table after a Disney movie and include a picture of the couple from that movie on the sign.

Jim and I are both SUPER excited about these ideas.  I don't know if the "theme" will go any farther than this.  I don't want it to go too far and look like a kid's party.  I just think it would be great to include elements of the thing that Jim and I have a common love for.

What do you think of theme weddings?  Do you think my ideas are alright?  Or am I setting myself up for tacky and childish?

Wedding TV!

Instead of a wedding web post this week, I am going to tell you all about what may turn out to be my new guilty pleasure.  This week on the CW a new show called "Shedding for the Wedding" premiered.  I love a good wedding tv show, but I'm usually annoyed because they are about spoiled, rich brides-to-be with no concept about what is actually important.  I don't think that will be the case with this show. 

The premise is "The Biggest Loser" meets wedding planning.  Nine couples are competing for their dream wedding.  The challenges are about wedding planning and weight-loss.  In the first episode, the challenge had to do with dancing, and the couple who won got their dream dress and tux combo.  What I think is awesome is the themes these couples have chosen for their weddings.  They go from the tastefully fun "big band" theme all the way to the crazy Final Fantasy theme.  That's right.  Video game wedding.  I kinda want that couple to win just so I can watch that craziness unfold! 

So far I think it's going to be a really entertaining show.  Like all reality shows, this is nothing life changing.  It's a diversion for your Wednesday night. 

Check Out The Show Here!

What do you think of the premise? 

Jenny's Wedding

I am SO excited to bring to you the first of (I hope!) many guest posts from veteran brides.  I always love hearing about people's weddings and getting advice from the people who have been through the process before me.  My first guest post is from my sister, Jenny, who had a beautifully simple wedding that I was so happy to be a part of!

1. Your name? Your husband’s name?
Jenny (#1 most popular girl's name in our birth year) and Matt (#3 most popular boy's name).

2. When/Where was your wedding?
Our wedding was June 6, 2009 at Rose Angelis Restaurant in Chicago.

3. What were your colors, flowers, and cake like?
Our colors were royal blue and yellow, inspired by my gorgeous blue sapphire engagement ring. Our bouquets/corsages/boutonnieres were all wildflowery in yellow, blue and white. Our table centerpieces were small potted plants in white and yellow. My cake was a delicious chocolate layer cake with white buttercream frosting that my sister (author of this blog) baked. We opted for a small, homemade cake since there was plenty of dessert included with our meal.

4. Tell us about the dress. How/where did you find it?
My dress was a discontinued J.Crew wedding gown that I got on Ebay for next to nothing. It was a simple, ivory silk sheath, and I loved it so much.

5. What did you decide on first? (the dress, the location, the colors?)
I think it was the dress. I bought it on a whim about 2 months after we got engaged. We didn't even decide what state to have the wedding in for another 6 months. I generally don't recommend this route, but it was such a bargain I couldn't pass it up.

6. How long did you plan the wedding?
We were engaged for about 18 months, but we really only got serious about planning about 9 months before the wedding.

7. Did you DIY anything for the wedding? If so, what?
My wedding was more of a DIT (do it together) than DIY. It really takes a village! I designed and constructed all the invitations and paper goods. The centerpieces were made by my mom. The cake was made by my sister. Matt and I also wrote our own ceremony, which was really special. And Matt's sister, Stacey, was our officiant.

8. What was one thing you thought was worth splurging on?
The honeymoon. We're travel junkies and we knew this was a chance to take a good amount of time off from work and take a fantastic trip.

9. What was your favorite detail?
My veil. I wasn't sure I wanted one, but I'm so glad I got it. I had a custom veil made by an artist on Esty, then my mom crocheted flowers to go on the comb. It's such a frivolous accessory, but it really made me feel like a "bride".

10. What was the part of the planning that scared you the most?
The budget. We could have afforded a much more lavish wedding, but we just weren't comfortable spending so much money on one day.

11. Which was the most difficult decision to make?
I guess the most difficult decision was where to have the wedding. We started off looking at having the wedding in LA, but in the end found that it was simpler to have the low-key wedding we wanted back in Chicago.

12. Where did you go on the honeymoon?
Costa Rica. It was such an adventure! We spent our days whitewater rafting, rappelling down waterfalls, horseback riding, hiking, exploring and meeting new people. It was an amazing experience and we created so many memories together on that trip!

13. If you could do it again, would you change anything?
Nope!

14. What was the most memorable part of the wedding?
The feeling of love and warmth that comes from having the most important people in our lives all in the same room.

15. What advice do you have for soon to be brides?
Your wedding is not a contest or a performance.

Would you like to be a guest bride?  I would LOVE to hear from you!  comment on this post if you are interested?

So, have you set a date yet?

There you are, newly engaged with the sparkly ring just barely on your finger and you hear the words, "So, have you set a date yet?"  I don't know if this is something that every engaged couple goes through, but it is something that stuck out to me.  Jim and I got engaged on December 22.  Three days later I told my family at Christmas and people were already asking me if we'd set a date.  Well...  no I didn't know I'd be engaged until three days ago.  I've also noticed the dismissive way people respond to the fact that we have not yet set "the date".  It's almost as if the engagement isn't real unless it has an expiration date.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not the type who wants to be engaged for years and years before even thinking about the wedding.  I want to set the date so I can plan to start my life with my husband.  However, life is often more complicated than choosing a random weekend on the calendar.  There are a lot of factors to consider when choosing a wedding date.  As of this moment, no, I have not chosen the date.  And that's ok for now.  We have some fun times ahead of us looking at a budget for our lives and wedding before we settle on the day. 

Until then, I will just smile and nod at the strangers who seem to care so much about when my wedding will be.

Valentines Day

A very happy Valentine's day to everyone.  Whether you are engaged, married, or single you can still enjoy a day to celebrate the love in your life. 
I do not get to spend this Valentine's Day with my fiancee because it falls on a Monday, but he got me an adorable card this weekend, and we are going on a fancy date on Friday. 

In the meantime, enjoy this video clip from Walt Disney's Bambi.

Simple Joys

Enjoying the little things is so important.  It's also one of the things my fiancee is really good at.  In the crazy wedding planning phase of life, these simple joys become even more important.  So I dedicate today to some Simple Joys.

Wedding Movies.  I can't help myself.  A good chick-flick about weddings gets me all girly a teary.  Even the bad ones are fun.

 Right now I'm enjoying My Best Friend's Wedding.  Other favorites are The Philadelphia Story(or High Society if I'm in the musical mood), Father of the Bride, and 27 Dresses.  Do you have any wedding movies you love?

A Sunday morning with no plans.  Wake up late(even if late is still before 8am) and enjoy the day.

Ridiculous Wedding magazines.  I have a love/hate relationship with Wedding Magazines, but that's for another day, another post.   Today, I'll just enjoy laughing at the ugly dresses and the super serious faces bridal models always have. 

The perfect cup of coffee.   I know it's not a big deal to anyone but me, but I got to have a cup of French Press coffee this morning and it just put me in the perfect state of mind.

Stay tuned for more!!

Weekly Wedding Web

As a part of this blog, I want to talk about the wedding sites I read.  There are a LOT of websites and blogs out there about weddings and finding the good ones can be a challenge.  Here's where I tell you what I think!

So far in my searches, my favorite wedding blog has been The Budget Savvy Bride.  This blog's headline reads "Helping Brides create beautiful weddings without breaking the bank since 2008" and it delivers just that.  My favorite feature of this blog is the Budget Savvy Weddings of the Week.  Each week they feature a wedding and include pictures and ask the bride some questions.  The best part is they break down the budget of the wedding (how much for the dress, the reception, photography etc).  This is really helpful information for people like me who do not know how much things cost.  I started looking at wedding planning and had no idea what was an average price of what was expensive for anything.  I love that they also ask the bride what her favorite detail and biggest splurge are. They also ask what the most memorable part of the day was.  I love that none of the answers I have read have had anything to do with the dress, the food, the table clothes, or the limo.  It's always a memory of the bride and groom and their friends and families sharing a special moment.  It's the little things that don't cost a penny that we will remember the most 50 years from now.  Another great feature of the blog is that when you select Budget Savvy Weddings from the menu at the top of the page, you are given the option to look at weddings by location or by budget.  Looking at weddings by budget has been really helpful for me to start picturing what I want.   It was good to look at what you can get for a specific budget so I know what kind of budget I will be looking at for the type of wedding I want to have.  I also like searching for weddings by location and even found a reception venue that I may look into when I cross that bridge. 

Other features include DIY projects, contests, advice on anything from flowers and catering to honeymoon planning, 

I really enjoy reading the blog and looking at the pictures of the weddings.  It helps to see so many beautiful weddings done on a budget.  Really, a wedding is a party for your closest friends and family to celebrate the biggest day of your lives as a couple.  That is what's important.  Great Job to the ladies at The Budget Savvy Bride!!

Rating (out of five): Five Cakes :)

The beginning

I'm starting this blog for a few reasons.  The first is that being newly engaged, you read a lot of "wedding blogs".  Some of them are really great, and others are really awful.  I want a place of my own to throw around wedding planning ideas and to voice my thoughts on weddings.  I'm not a girly girl, and I do not need/want/like extravagant or expensive things.  That can sometimes make thinking about weddings pretty scary.  The second reason for the blog is that time after the wedding.  I have been a journal-er off and on my whole life, and there is nothing that brings you down memory lane like reading old journals.  I love looking back at journal entries, and I want to be able to do that when I'm beyond the engagement/wedding/newlywed phase.

So Lets Start!  I found this questionnaire on Google and thought it would be a good way to introduce the blog.  I'm going to change some questions here and there but it'll be mostly the same.  So here goes!

Bride: Cyndi, 24

Groom: Jim, 27

Where and when did you met? We met at Eastern Illinois University in October of 2005.

When did you became a couple? We were a couple by the end of the night we met.  "That's why we call you lightening" 

Where and when did you get proposed to? Jim proposed to me at his parents' house on December 22, 2010

Did you see the question coming? Not at all.  I knew it was going to happen some day, but I had no idea he was planning to propose when he did.

What kind of ring was it? The ring is actually my grandmother's engagement ring.  it's about 75 years old and it is the most beautiful ring I've ever seen and fits my style perfectly.  I've gotten the comment "That is so You" so many times.

When is the big day? We are still deciding on a date.

Are you ready? Yes.  

Have you been a Bridezilla? I don't see how I can be yet, but I am actually kinda interested to see if I have any 'zilla moments, but I think i'd rather call it Bride Hulk.  :)

Does your Fiance help with much of the planning? We haven't started any real planning yet so it's been mostly me looking at magazines and the internet, but I'm sure he will be really helpful. 

Who is paying for everything? we are

Where is the Ceremony? I'm hoping to have the ceremony at my parish church 

Is this a Big Wedding? I don't think so.

Who is the Maid of Honor? My sister, Jenny

Who are the Bridesmaids? there are five.  

Who is the Best Man? Scott who was Jim's roommate when we started dating

Who are the Groomsmen? there are three groomsmen and two groomsladies

What are your colors? So far my idea is green and yellow

Where are you honeymooning? Walt Disney World Resort Florida