The Gushing Bride

wedding this...wedding that, the adventures of planning a wedding

[gushingbride]

The hunt begins and its a race to the PERFECT dress!

Believe it or not, this is the part that I am least excited about. I love to get dressed up, but am not super girly. I am short and an in-between shape, not skinny, but not muscular just am. I was so worried that I was not going to be able to find a dress or if I did find a dress would I be able to fall in love with in and not be swimming in it. When I go shopping for any article of clothing it is frustrating, if it fits in the waist it does not fit my butt and thighs and so on. Now we are talking about finding the perfect wedding dress....BRING IT! 

I went to Something Blue Bridal Boutique in Bradenton, FL (http://www.somethingbluebridalboutique.com/) with an open mind. Of course, like any other girl, especially one that has a Pinterest account, I have researched dresses that I like, but really wanted to keep an open mind so I was not set on a certain style then come to find out it does not look good on me. Even if you fall in love with a picture of a dress, you will want to make sure that you also fall in love with that dress on you. All eyes are going to be on you and these pictures are going to last a lifetime!

These are all of the styles that I was thinking that I would like. Something fitted at the top but flowy on the bottom. I wanted something lace or rouched for the bodice. I wanted formal, but still simple and fun. I wanted to feel like me, but a princess version. This makes complete sense, right?

I brought my mother, mother-in-law to be and bridesmaid Rachel along to the store with me and a HUGE thank you to FaceTime for allowing my maid of honor Robyn and 2 bridesmaids Karen and Danielle to join me from afar during this time. It took me under 1 hour and trying on 5 dresses to absolutely fall in love. Dress 4 was almost the one, it was beaded and very flashy. My mother loved it, I on the other hand was on the fence

Then at the last minute, Rachel swooped a dress from another Bride's fitting room area (dress shopping is a game of war, you always want to be the Bride that wins that war). Looking at this dress I got giddy and then when I put it on I knew. And yes, it felt just as cheesy as it sounds, this was the dress! I found the dress! (I even cried in the fitting room, but did not let anyone see so shhhhhhh). This was my defining moment and everyone agreed. I still felt exactly like myself, but could picture walking down the aisle, getting married and dancing the night away in that one dress!

My advice to you is to start shopping early just in case are more unsure than I was so that you can get the process underway. Start researching styles but do not get your heart set on it. When you find the dress you cannot live without, say yes! Early planning will also help you as you start to prepare for the dress fittings. Are you good to go, do you need to those some weight/inches or just tone up? My next post will help you come up with a Healthy, Happy and Fit plan! For now lets just say YAY because we have found the one and the dress! :)

Of course you are all going to have to wait and see exactly what it is that I picked out because a dress fitting photo does not quite do it justice and I personally think I look way better in it than the catalog photo and that is because I own that dress! :)

[fuckyeahwedding]

[gushingbride]

Very cute backdrop for either the dessert table or cards/gifts table!

[gushingbride]

Finally making some progress!

Venue - check (Westin Portland Harboview Hotel)

Date - check (August 23, 2014)

Ceremony - check (First Parish Church of Portland)

Photographer/Florist/DJ - check (Crystal Weiss, Rob Riccitelli & Heather Caron)

Planning a wedding = priceless....no seriously there is no price tag you can put onto a wedding because as soon as you mention the word 'wedding' the prices increase! But, really this is exciting!

I want to give special props to the future hubby for taking on the responsibility of researching florists and comparing quotes as well as customer service. During this process we learned that price is almost as important as the service that they are providing. We truly look forward to using Heather Caron Floral for our wedding (http://www.hcfloral.com) We are looking forward to dancing the night away to DJ Rob and experiencing the entire night over and over again by looking through Liquid Crystal Photography's photos (http://www.liquidcrystalphotography.com)

[gushingbride]

Why didn't Dr. Suess write Oh the Decisions You Will Make instead of the Places you Will Go?

Seriously, am I the only person that is a bit overwhelmed by all of the choices there are with wedding planning? Date, venue, caterer, style, colors, food, wedding party, guest list, engagement photos, accommodations, transportation, music, linens, chairs, lighting, start time, make up, hair, dresses, rehearsal, save-the-dates, ceremony style, ceremony readings, cake, shoes, jewelry, grooms attire, first dance song, all other special dance songs, photographer, videographer, invitations, wedding website designs, favors, seating assignments, wedding party gifts, flowers, seating assignment, cake topper, cake cutter, decorations....I think that you get the gist, but seriously so many questions that you need to answer. 

Where to start? Dream up your wedding, who will be there? How do you envision it? What do you think the cost of that wedding would be (times it by 2, general rule)? Now what is your budget? Setting a budget of what you can afford, take into consideration what others are willing to contribute, now re-envision the reality of your wedding. Can you still throw an amazing wedding on a budget? Of course! But it will take time and research and planning ahead. So instead of buying decorations, plan to make them with your friends. Create a timeline that will include creating those, but also make sure it is fun and exciting!

Can you afford a wedding planner? Do the research! Can you afford to not have a wedding planner? I am planning a wedding from afar, living in Florida and planning for Maine. I am VERY fortunate to have an AMAZING group of friends and family that are willing to do research and photo stalking of areas, but this is where a wedding planner could and would come in handy. 

As many people that reached out to you after the engagement, do you be afraid to ask for their assistance, their expertise. Is one of them a photographers? DJ? Florist? Crafty and can create save-the-dates or invites? Same with a job, it is usually more about who you know than what you know. So if you know someone, ask! Be a go getter! In the long run this could help save you money and also create an environment that allows others to be involved in your big day!

Well....what are you waiting for?? Start your list of questions/needs and start filling in the blanks!!!

[bride2be]

love the “everybody dance now" banner… photo by Katie Pritchard

[gushingbride]

I am loving the sign, what a way to add some character and excitement to your wedding! "Do the hustle!"

[gushingbride]

And so it begins....on my way to wedded bliss!

It's not just about the ring....but let's face it...IT IS ABOUT THE RING! It's beautiful on your finger, it makes you feel special and important and it means that he popped the question!

Well now that the big moment has come and gone, how excited are you?? I am jumping, like Kriss Kross, for joy!

Well of course it is exciting, but at the same time it can be and will be very stressful. As soon as you announce "We're engaged!" you are going to be stalked! Family, friends and people are coming out of the woodwork wanting to congratulate you and get all the details on the proposal and especially what you have planned for the BIG day. Whooooooaaaaa....hold up!! Big Day? We are still celebrating this BIG day, our engagement! Slow down people, I have not even had time to process what being engaged means, get used to having a ring on my finger, let alone start to plan the wedding. I mean Pinterest is a great site, but does pinning things I like to my board really classify as planning? 

So on top of being stalked by people you do know or used to know or that know your family, you can add vendors to that list! You register to one measly wedding website and the emails and snail mail deliveries start pouring in. You change your relationship status on Facebook and thanks to Geo Targeting (more like no thanks to geo targeting), your Facebook account is now going to be showing you all things wedding related. The words 'Wedding' and 'Engaged' might as well be flashing fluorescent lights above my head at this point.

So, if any of you are like me, the excitement of getting engaged is a BIG deal, not just the idea of the wedding and you may want to relish in that moment....good luck! But, in all seriousness, try <being the key word here> to enjoy the moment and each conversation that you have with your friends and family no matter how many times you have to repeat the same story. Of course everyone is excited about the engagement and that is why they are asking all of those questions. As far as registering on wedding sites, if you do not want to be bombarded with emails in your personal or work email, set up a separate email just for those.

Even though you and everyone else is excited, plan at your own pace. Talk with your fiancee and figure out how you both picture your day. Research. Ask questions. Do not settle on something just because it may be what someone else wants, your wedding day should be about celebrating you (and the groom of course!). This is your BIG day! How many guests do you think you will have? Can the style of wedding/venue you are interested in host that amount? Do they have restrictions on real flowers, flames, bringing in wild animals (I think I want flying monkeys...no big deal right!? JK!). What is included in the ceremony/venue/caterer/photographer/florist/DJ/transportation/accomodation/rental pricing? Can you bring in an outside caterer or and outside baker? Never be afraid to negotiate (without being too pushy) and it is always best done in person! Have that Hotel throw in the Bridal Suite the night before and Wedding Suite the night of, make sure parents of both parties are upgraded for free.

It is very important to stay realistic, for example, flying monkeys are very extravagant and just near impossible, so easy enough and I have scratched that off of my list. Include those that are important to you in with the wedding planning, even if you are just giving updates to your mother because you really do not want her opinion, do it! This is a BIG day for a lot of people and just be considerate of that. But most importantly, enjoy this time because it goes by so quickly! Stress is what you make of it and right now I am choosing NO NO NO to stress!

I may not be the first person to say this to you, but congratulations and welcome to wedding, wedding, wedding mode. Everything you do from now until your wedding will probably in some way shape and form be focused on planning, but now my board on Pinterest is going to have some use! Pheeewwwww....told you so Mom!!