Wedding Dress Shopping

I'm planning to go wedding dress shopping on Thursday with my mother and sister. The following is a list of places that I'm considering going to (upon the advice of many others, David's Bridal will NOT be included):

Classy Consignments (no appointments necessary)
The Wedding Shoppe
Dena Marie Bridal

I'm bored now...will post more later.

What really matters...

I am marrying the most wonderful man that I have ever met.

Both of us had the "wow" moment when we met each other, but the timing wasn't right. In fact, we talk often about the perfect (well, kind of) circumstances in our lives that led us to each other.

I am so impressed by his drive and ambition, his focus to actually get the work done (as opposed to my willing procrastination) and Anthony, in turn, greatly values my support and honesty regarding his work. He is so encouraging of my writing, but doesn't pressure me to work "harder" on it. He gives me ideas and helps me develop these. All of our ideas ping-pong back-and-forth and it pleases me to no end the continuous discussions we are able to have regarding our respective passions. He teases me saying "And you thought that we would run out of things to talk about!"

Anthony is the kindest, most giving person. He is non-judgmental, compassionate, understanding, and a wonderful listener.

We made a promise to each other and ourselves that we will never let an annoyance or moment of hurt ruin our relationship: we bring up every possible issue or fight to attention as soon as tactfully possible, in order to avoid the lingering negativity. In short, we work on our relationship constantly. When you bring up problems when they occur - though it can slightly heated in the moment - nothing is avoided. Perhaps I will feel differently after we have been married for a while, but for now I personally feel better just saying what is bothering me - that, sometimes more than Anthony's response, is such a relief - rather than bottling the negative emotions.

I love him so much, and know we will both put all of our efforts into making this marriage work. Although, as we have told each other many times before, being in love sure makes the "work" not feel like it.

Realizing Obsession

One of the issues (disregarding the obvious) is my absolute obsession with all things "wedding" - and the time to indulge said obsession. There are so many things to think about: invitations, scheduling, budgeting, guest lists, venue, menu, music, cakes/cup cakes, vows, dresses, accessories, makeup, color schemes, decorations, guest book/painting, photo-booth, photographers, table settings, centerpieces - AND THAT IS JUST THE CEREMONY AND RECEPTION! That doesn't even include bridal shower, wedding shower (apparently they are different), rehearsal dinner, groom's/bridesmaids'/parents' gifts, premarital counseling, family engagement parties, engagement photos, bachelor/bachelorette parties, etc.

So, as silly as it sounds, I am implementing a NO WEDDING RESEARCH DAY once a week.

Sweet Bicycle Decorations

Here is a post dedicated to my love love, Anthony and his love of all things bike related.

I've been brainstorming how to decorate the altar/stage for the ceremony - maybe we could put our bikes onstage "looking" at each other. Just a thought...

Retro Hair

Shall I gush once more?: I just LOVE OBBT! They have a huge thread just for retro hairstyles. I am still debating between red and blond hair, but will probably be going for a red (always a favorite or mine). Here are some hair ideas for inspiration:

http://www.youtube.com/user/ilovegerardo

Glowing Balloons

How cool would it be to have a whole bunch of LED glowing balloons?

http://offbeatbride.ning.com/forum/topics/diy-led-lighting

Button Bouquet

Here is a DIY tutorial for button bouquets. I'm thinking that this is a possibility for the bridesmaids or I might do a combination broach and button bouquet for myself!

http://offbeatbride.ning.com/forum/topics/how-i-made-my-button-bouquet

Hotel Blocking

We don't yet know what hotel we are planning on using, but we definitely want to get a block of rooms for the wedding. As I am not entirely sure what this involves, I started looking at the OBBT (Off-Beat Bride Tribe forum) for ideas. This post was extremely helpful:

http://offbeatbride.ning.com/group/minnesotaobbs/forum/topics/hotel-blocking

Incorporating Catholics

Ever since Anthony and I got engaged I have been worried about the "Catholic-ness" of his family. They are extremely accepting, open people - neither is homophobic in the least, thank goodness - I don't think I could handle that. There is a prayer before every meal, though (which is very nice, actually), and Anthony's mother wants us to get married at the Basilica (the waiting list is WAY too long, and the "donation" too costly). I originally thought, "why not have a separate, brief religious ceremony with just our parents?" - then I remembered some of the "rules". Although I wouldn't have to convert to Catholicism, I would have to promise to raise our children as Catholics. When I verified this with Anthony, he said "so?", to which I responded, "I don't want to make a false promise". He was a little taken aback by this; he had always envisioned his children going through Catechism, like he did. He thinks that it helped to shape his sense of morality. I think that I have good morals, and was raised for the most part sans religion. I do believe in God. This hasn't always been the case, but I believe that coming to the conclusion ON MY OWN makes my belief more powerful. I know that once we have children, this issue will need to be addressed, but we have both decided to table the discussion for the moment.

That being said, I recently became an Off-Beat Bride tribe member (an application based forum for non-traditional brides) and have come across many future brides with similar issues. One great idea offered to incorporate Catholicism without having a church wedding is this: having/going to Mass the evening prior in "our honor". Hopefully this will show his family that I truly do respect their religious view; it just so happens that their view is not mine.

Wedding Dress - Polka Dot with Sweetheart Neckline

So this might be the one! I converted the pounds to dollars and it is around $240, plus I'd need to get a petticoat which is a$60. Considering every, $300 isn't so bad!

http://www.honeypieboutique.co.uk/ourshop/prod_651068-Betsey.html

Bridesmaid Dress

Maybe this one? It's actually one of the wedding colors, which are teal and coral:

http://www.daddyos.com/retro/ja19.html

This light peach with black polka-dot overlay is great too:

http://www.daddyos.com/retro/epr90.html

Amazing 50's Dresses

This is a UK shop, so I will need to figure out the cost with conversion, but I'm thinking these are pretty darn affordable - and gorgeous!

http://www.vivienofholloway.com/en/