Hello Everyone!!!
I know it's been awhile, sorry to have taken so long!!! This cold has really gotten the better of me and with everything going on, I haven't found the time!
Anyways, lots of exciting things have been going on since my last post. I've gotten my centerpieces all decided, and boughten most of the items required for them - minus the flowers of course!
I found my DRESS!!!!!!!! Now that's exciting news! Why talk about centerpieces when I can talk about the most fabulous part of a wedding - the most important dress of a girl's life. So I organized an outting with all my bridesmaids, my Auntie Wendy and Carmen. We made it to "Bridal-Row" in New Westminster where I had two appointments lined up. First stop, The Bridal Gallery. - funny side note on this one - Steph kept texting me where the first appointment was - and I would respond, the bridal gallery - she started getting frustrated with me, I could tell, because she thought I wasn't giving her the name of the place! She eventually figured it out lol --- Anyways, I thought this place would be promising, I mean it is supposed to be the biggest bridal gallery around the area.
We started off well enough - late of course - but they were behind anyways so we still had to wait a bit. Once in, I got Ali and Rhianna to start help me pick out dresses to try on. Then the routine began - quickly getting into dress, coming out in dress, regecting dress, getting out of dress and putting on next dress. It seemed like I got into close to 20 dresses and not one of them really wowed me, or even made me slightly like. The consultation still remained positive. I was sure there was a dress, we're just not quite finding it yet. The consultant was a very nice sweet lady, and I felt bad that it seemed so hard to please me - but there was just nothing we were liking. I even started thinking - well maybe the dress I envision just isn't in my budget - maybe I have to increase my budget. Now to give you more information on my dress budget - I had a fake budget in mind, and a more realistic budget in mind. My fake budget was $1500, and this was the number I was hoping to stay under with alterations included. Now my real budget was more like $2200. I thought if there was anything I'd go over budget on - it'd be the dress - not only over budget, the dress was somthing I could see completely blowing my budget. In my mind, I was crossing my fingers hoping to keep it under $1500, but had a feeling I'd more than likely end up picking a dress closer to $1800 then would need to add tax and alterations. Now just writing this out seems crazy to me. I'm quite a reasonable person for the most part, especially when it comes to dealing with my finances. Spending so much money on a dress I'll wear for a single day seems ludacris, but I guess that's what the wedding haze can do to you!
Anyways, I decided to share my little secret with the consultant, and let her know I'd be willing to bump up my budget, because maybe the dress I want isn't available at the price I want. --Still no luck. We weren't finding anything. It was crazy how unproductive this appointment was. It was getting to the point where I'd be desperately try to find anything I liked about the dress just to make the consultant feel better. If I learnt anything from this appoinment, it made me feel like I needed to go back and see dress #1 from the first trip, and I knew I was looking for a particular style, that is flowy and light, as well as bedazzled and perhaps a bit of lace.
We went to the second appointment at Sposa Bridal, and I was ready to take on another set of dresses. Ali, Rhianna and I went in first and waited while some of the other ladies tended to their starbuck's drinks. All of a sudden, a consultant walks by with a dress flung over her shoulder... I wanted it... I wanted to try on THAT dress - I would not leave this place until I had a chance to try it!
When our consultant came to create us and ask if I knew what I wanted - I gave her the requirements - ____ style (I don't want to give EVERYTHING away, for those of you truley curious, you can email me and I can tell you more about it - maybe even send a picture!!), BEDAZZLED, BEDAZZLED, light, lace, ohhhh and BEDAZZLED. The sparkle was a category severly lacking from the first place. It seemed every dress I put on, everyone was looking for a little more sparkle on the dress. I mean come on -- I sparkle right!!! HAH! I also let her know that we saw the other consultant with a dress that I really wanted to try.
So again, off we all went to pick out dresses. We could narrow them down quite nicely now and returned with only about 4 or 5 dresses. Our consultant also went and snagged the other dress for me so, it was waiting in the changeroom once I was ready.
I stood in the changeroom and I looked at the dress. It looked just as pretty close up. Then it dawned on me. I have no idea what the price is of this dress. This could easily be a dress waaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyy above my budget, especially considering all the beading and bedazzling. I cringed as I reached for the tag, to see if I should even bother putting it on. I closed my eyes, grabbed the tag, and slowly peaked out of one eye - now I can't exactly remeber the price to order a new one - I think it was along the lines of $1690, BUUUTTTT I do remember the cost of buying the sample - $1100... $1100!!!! Are you kidding me!!! I almost laughed out loud in the changeroom! How could this be? This dress looks perfect and it was not only within my budget - but it's in my FAKE budget and well below it at that!!!!!!
I quickly grabbed it off the hangover and began to pull it up. Immediately I had images of seeing the dress hanging at my sister's place, waiting for me to grab and put it on the day of the wedding. I looked at myself in the mirror before the consultant came in to do me up, and I had a feeling. I didn't get tears which is surprising for me. But I got this overwhelmingly happy feeling that this dress was me. That I could wear this dress on my wedding day and feel completely comfortable and know that this dress is what I feel - this dress speaks about my personality.
I came out to ohhhs and awwwws and wowwws. And everyone was confident that this dress was amazing and waaaaaaaaaaaaaay better than anything we had seen thus far. That dress from Bello Bridal - I no longer had the need to try it on again - I couldn't care less about seeing it again.
Then since we were there, might as well try on the other ones that we'd pulled. The next one was completely different from the first one. But it was also VERY beautiful. It was very sophisticated, classy and elegant. It had beautiful lace and a beautiful bodice... and it was also well in my FAKE budget. Now not only did I have one dress that was gorgeous, but I had two!!!! I came out to the same kind of ohhhs and aaahhhhs. I could tell some really liked this dress, hell - I really liked this dress two; but I did have a bit of a feeling that the first one was a little more me. The second dress was gorgeous, and could be paired with a beautiful veil - and I felt like I couldn't say no to it. However, I got back into the first one, and knew that it made me so happy, that it felt like a more bubbly fun me - versus a romantic, classy one. It was a tough choice, as the second dress would suit my venue and theme to a T - however I couldn't imagine giving up #1 - I still just didn't want to say no to #2. But in the end, I knew - I knew that no matter how many shops I went into, known would compare to #1 - so why bother keep looking. I bought the sample - and given that I did that - I got to take the dress home right then and there!!!! So I officially have my dress and my veil, both of which are hanging at Steph's house until I can transfer it to my aunts. I'm soooooooooooo excited!!!! Soooooooooooo happy about it!!!!! I can't wait to go over to Steph's now to put it on again!!! This will be hard not to do as they did in "Friends" - put my wedding dress on and then just crash in front of the tv with a drink! haha.
So that's of course the most exciting thing going on at the moment. I don't think much else will be as exciting as that in the course of the planning! But there are a couple other things brewing as well. Thanks to my dad (yayyyy!) - he got me the videographer I desperately wanted for the wedding, but wasn't sure if I could stretch the budget to have him. He is soooo amazing and I feel soooooo lucky he's able to do our wedding for us. He's even given us a HUGE break on the cost - HHHHUGGGEE - because he really wanted to help us and knew how badly I wanted him to do it. Check out Kevin Sarasom - especially his video of Sasha + Mimi - one of my faves! As well, I've picked out my photographer, just got to do a little more sorting through - since she is from Montana - CRAZY I know!!! But she has a love for Vancouver and is considering moving out here soon, so wanted to get some work done in the area - and would do so at an AMAZING price as well. Just as fun, I think I've gotten my guestbook project organized - which I want to leave as a surprise so I won't delve into it much - but I'm very excited about it, and think it will be fabulous!!! I also think I may have chosen our caterer, just have to go try out the food! And lastely... I think I've decided on what I want to do for the invitation. I had an apiphany in the middle of the night last night and had to take a minute to sketch it out so I wouldn't forget in the morning. Than today I went to it and tackled coming up with a first edition, and I think it's perfect just the way it is!!! SOOOOOOOOOOO, now I just have to round up some bridesmaids/friends for a wine and cheese invitation making night!!! hAHAHA
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