Done!

I ordered the dress today (dress #1). Hallelujah! And, Ferndales matched the price I was quoted at Mary Me. Sweet.

Postponed

Due to my incessant cough that refuses to go away, I decided to stay home as much as possible today and rest. I'll go on Wednesday during my lunch break to order the dress.

Did I mention that Jason's mom sent me the money to put down as the deposit to order the dress. Isn't that sweet of her?

Trying to be Decisive

I'm very close to going with Dress #1. After looking over the pictures Jen posted, I'm pretty sure Dress #2 looks great on the model in the picture, but would not look so great on me. However, I know how Dress #1 looks (I think it actually looks better on me than on the model in the picture), and it is the one I keep coming back to even after looking at other dresses. It is just so beautiful!

I've decided to order it from Ferndales, though, instead of Mary Me Bridal. Is that bad? I found the dress at Mary Me Bridal, but I really liked the service and atmosphere of Ferndales better. It seemed very down-to-earth and established. Mary Me is very nice, but a little too sophisticated for me (besides the fact that "Mary" should be spelled "Marry" ... and I don't like their website). Also, Ruthie at Ferndales sent me a nice card thanking me for coming and hoping to see me again soon. What personal service! I just called her to see if I could order through them, and she even remembered me! That is not something I get often living in the Metropolis.

So, I am scheduled to go in Monday and order my dress. I really hope I am making the right decision. I'm so indecisive and I keep second-guessing myself. For instance, I wonder if I should go for a more simple look ... say something like this dress. What do you think?

Wedding Dress Dilemma

Here's the deal: I got a second opinion on this dress, and it was good. But, I really like this dress better ... at least the picture of it. The trouble is, I cannot find a place to try on dress #2, though there are abundant places I could buy from online.

I could order dress #1 tomorrow, and go with my second choice, or I could take the risk and get dress #2. But, in order to get dress #2, I would have to buy online, without trying it on, and the best return policy I've found (if they accept returns at all) is a 15% restocking, plus I would pay shipping.

Suggestions? Advice? What should I do?

Six Months to Go!

This week has been rather fruitful: we finalized the rings, settled on the colors (hopefully for good), narrowed down my dress selection, and put a deposit on the tuxes. I'm going on Wednesday to get a second opinion on the dress, and hopefully get it ordered. Jason is going on Friday to put some money down on the rings and get them settled. After that, I am going to take a week off (from planning) to recuperate before we head into invitations, flowers, cake, tuxedos, and bridesmaid dresses.

Thank you!

Thanks to everyone for all the comments. You have all done this before, I haven't! I haven't even been to any weddings in over 5 years! You've all given me some great ideas and advice.

Jen, you have in no way overstepped. Your comments have helped tremendously. I've never done this ... you have, AND you enjoy it! :o) I just wish you lived closer!

Jeri, your comments have been priceless, given at just the right time to help encourage me and bring me back to my senses and help me enjoy the process.

Everyone else (Wendy, Liz, Deb, Roland, Melissa, my cousins -- sorry to lump everyone in together, and ever sorrier if I missed anyone), thanks for the support and advise.

Please keep it coming. I need all the help I can get! :o)

One more decision made, 5 million to go

We've decided on wedding rings! Woo hoo!

Jason's ring is smililar to this:

My ring is something like this, but only one diamond on each side, yellow gold, and with no center stone. It should match up nicely and complement the engagement ring very well.

You have no idea how happy this makes me. Now, if I can just finalize and order the dress, I will feel like this wedding is actually going to happen.

Bridal Salons

Ugh, another day of visiting bridal salons, sifting through dresses, having them shoved over my head, and parading before the mirror. I really hope I find a dress soon, I can't take much more of this.

Reflections on my experience thus far:

Allusions (Bad experience ... sorry to those of you who love it): unprofessional, unfriendly, massive selection, poor customer service, no picturs allowed. From the moment I walked in, I felt claustrophobic and uncomfortable. I was greeted practically at the door, which was nice, but the lady was not very friendly, informing me that they no longer carried the Mori Lee collection, and hadn't for about a month. They had tons of dresses, but they were all hanging in bags I was told to look through and see what I liked (the bags were very staticky). The consultant tried to be friendly, but it seemed forced, and she was so focused on the price that it was annoying ("This is pretty, it looks expensive with all the beads, but the price is really good" -- three or four times with each dress). They even charge you for steam cleaning.

Why I probably will not buy from Allusions:
Me: "I like this dress, but it would be nice if I could see how it would look in my size" (the dress was a 10, I am an 18)
consultant: "Yes, that would be nice, but too bad."

Ferndale (Good experience): professional, friendly, limited selection, great customer service, no pictures allowed 'officially' (unofficially, they let you). There seemed to only be two people working in there, but signed in and looked around for something I liked until there was someone available. The dresses were arranged tastefully around the salon for ease of viewing. I found a couple to try on, and my consultant recommended another one. They didn't have my size, but she was able to fix it so I could at least get a good idea of what it would look like in my size. I tried a sale dress that would need to be altered, and they were very honest about how it could be altered and the price. Steam cleaning and ironing are included in the price of the dress.

Why I might buy from Ferndale:
Beautiful dresses. :o)

David's Bridal in Brea (Good experience): professional, friendly, huge selection, great customer service, pictures allowed. Their 'undergarments' for trying on were in good shape, and they had my size (I didn't realize this was a big deal until I went to the other two places). The dresses were hanging in their plastic bags, but there is enough room between the aisles that it doesn't feel cluttered. They have every dress in just about every size, or at least one that is very close to it. My consultant was awesome, and had fun helping me try dresses on -- she really seemed to enjoy helping me.

Why I will probably buy from David's Bridal in Brea:
Consultant: "We want you to see exactly what you will look like in the dress before you buy it."
Me: "Cool!"

Mary Me Bridal (Good experience): very professional, professionallly friendly, good selection, great customer service, no pictures allowed. This salon was a little on the pricy side. I found two dresses that I REALLY like, but they will end up being around $700 before alterations. Ouch! The atmosphere is very professional, and what I would expect of a bridal salon (you can even view pictures of the salon here.

I might buy from them because I really loved a couple of the dresses. My favorite and a close second. I don't know if the budget can handle it, though, so I might end up back on Ebay. ;o)

Bridal Gown Again

I absolutely love this gown, but I can't find it anywhere. :o(

Update:
I tried on one today that is VERY similar, but it is silk (it is GORGEOUS and half price on the sale rack ... but would need about $200 in alterations).

Presto Chango

Ok, I'm feeling a little better about the whole planning thing (thanks to Jeri for her helpful comments and Jason for just listening).

I might scrap the whole pink dress idea and change my main color from hunter green to sage. I'm not really hip on pink anyway. I would like to keep a pink flower, though, since I need a contrast and I am totally in love with this look for the flowers (the picture doesn't do it justice):



So I was looking for sage bridesmaids dresses and stumbled upon this one competely by accident. I went to the website to look for one I saw at the knot, originally looking for #915. Don't ask me why, but I thought I was looking for #361. Unfortunately, it is being discontinued Febrary 12.



I think it's beautiful, and would look good on all of my bridesmaids (of course, only trying it on will tell for sure). They just happen to be Mori Lee, which is available at Allusions (thanks for the tip, Jeri!). They do have some nice bridal gowns, too -- very different from David's Bridal overall. Now I just have to find out about price.

I think I like the sage (hopefully the color will be better matched in person):

Overwhelmed

I'm not so good at this wedding-planning stuff. At this point in the game, I am completely overwhelmed, and the only "encouragement" I get from anyone is, "6 months will pass before you know it," and, "It's going to get worse." How is that possible?!?!?!?

On the never-ending list of things to do:
get engagement photo
create and send 'save the date'
figure out floral arrangements
find a cake-maker
choose a dress ... and all that goes with it (veil, jewelry, etc)
find shoes
figure out a hairstyle
choose brides-maids dresses
find tuxes
decide on decorations
find invitations
get addresses for invitations
1000 other things I've probably forgotten already

I feel like all I've really done is book the church and reception hall. Wait, that IS all that is done at this point. Am I wrong to be TOTALLLY FREAKED OUT right now?!?!?

I think I am going to cry.

Bridesmaid Dresses

I've pretty much decided to go with pink dresses for bridesmaids, since Hunter Green is too dark for summer dresses. I still want the groom and his guys to wear hunter vests and ties, so I will give them pink rose corsages to tie in with the dresses.

These are a couple styles that I like. What do you think? (Think pink)

I Did It!

I actually made it to try on dresses today! Click here to see the photo album. Yeah, we had fun. :oD

I also picked out what I want to be my flowers: Pink Rose and Lily of the Valley


The only trouble is that these are both very expensive flowers. So, my backup is Pink Carnation and White Babies Breath (there is one where the flowers are a little larger than the teeny accents in boquets).