Round Two for bride maids dresses.

Today we set out just to try on bridesmaid dresses and junior bridesmaid dresses and we had no I idea we were going to find both! We started off at "Starbucks" and made our way through a crowed busy Mall. We only went to two stores and we found just what I was looking for! We bought the dresses form Macy's and we even got them all on SALE!! The bridesmaid dresses are a long deep royal purple satin that has just a little bling and a little train. The crazy things about these dresses were that Andrea I went to "Macy's" last November as you might have read in an earlier post and she tried the same dress on but they had it in a gray/silver color. Who knew that I knew that was the dress back than! The junior bridesmaids dresses are perfect! I wanted something that wouldn't age them too much and would still be fun and youthful. The girls already are planning on where they will wear them after the wedding! They are wearing a darker purple knee length dress. The bottom part is layers of tulle and satin. Which is perfect because Angie and I are going to try and make the flower girl dresses which are made of tulle.
We also found the perfect dress for Mom at "Lord and Tyler's" but, she didn't get it since she still wants to shop around. I have a feeling she's going to end up with that dress! It was a long silver layered ruffle dress that looked so elegant on her! It really is perfect for her. We ended the seven hour shopping day at "Panera". We had a great time and I'm lucky to have such great friends and family!

The Clipper Mill

Drew and I visited the "Clipper Mill" and knew from just the drive it was going to be a "NO". I found this place from one of my old "Baltimore Magazine Weddings" and they used it in one of their photo sessions and it looked so pretty! It was that rustic urban look we love. They had fire pits (which we were told you can no longer do unless you hire a Fire Marshall and two Policemen) on these huge round stone tables. We also found out you would also have to hire a lifeguard for the pool and pay for valet since there wasn't really anywhere to park. The place also looked a lot bigger than it was from the photo's and I knew the pool would be an issue with the kids, especially the boys! It would have been nice to learn all of this from the person I talked to on the phone but, they weren't any help at ALL! They never even sent me the paperwork like they said they were going to 5 million times! It would be nice to have an anniversary party there one day but not the wedding (as long as the staff changes). The deal breaker was having to drive through one to many ghettos to get there on top of everything else. Once you got there it was really nice but, no ghettos for us! We could only imagine what people we would start thinking while they were driving out to the wedding. I mean I almost wanted to turn around!

Shoes

So, Drew and I stopped by by Nordstrom and I fell in love with these shoes! I know I don't want to wear a traditional wedding shoe... I want to spicy it up a bit! Purple will be the main color of the wedding so I really like the idea of a purple shoe. I just love all of these shoes! Which one will it be?

The Lilac Dress

My friend Leah and her three cute lovable children went shopping with me while I was on the hunt for this vintage pink prom dress Drew and I saw outside "Vintage Girls" store a few weeks ago. The weather was beautiful so it was perfect for the kids to walk around the town. After all the anticipation we felt the pink dress made me look a little wide (and that's bad because it was a TINY dress) so I purchased the lilac petticoat instead. The lady in the store said she has had a hard time selling the pink dress since it is so small. Let me just say the ladies in the 50s had much smaller waists than we do today! After our good buy we headed over to the "Bean Hollow" for some pumpkin chai tea! Weather you get the chai or the latte they are so delicious! They only come out in the fall so if you haven't had one you need to try one! The kiddies drank hot cocoa and lollipops! Thanks Leah!!!!

I bought the petticoat in hopes I could use it for a engagement photo session.

The vintage pink prom dress or the vintage lilac petticoat?

Cloister's Castle

I want a picture like this.

After work I had to run a few errands and Drew was going to go with me to re-look at the castle but he wasn't feeling well and wasn't looking so hot so I sent him home to get some much needed sleep. Drew works too hard! For the past 1 1/2 he has done nothing but lived and breathed his new businesses and it is finally starting to pay off! The other night he worked 8:30 am - 8 pm and when he got home he had two conference calls and I did get to speak to him till 12:30 am and that's when we ate dinner. How ridicules is that? With all of that said he deserved to stay home and sleep!

Last October we both visited the castle and immediately feel in love with it! I wanted to revisit it since were now planning for a May wedding and not an October one. When Drew and I went it was during the day so it was nice to see it in the evening. I was going to go by myself since I knew it was so last minute for anyone to go with me but, my loving sister said she wouldn't let me go by myself so her and lil Z went with me.

When we pulled up to the castle it looked so pretty! The way the lights were hitting it just right made it look magical! A very nice lady took us on a tour and my sister said she could see why we loved this place and that she thinks it's the venue for us. The date were wanting is May 15th which was on hold till today so when the lady "Annie" told me the date was mine, both Angie and I said it was meant to be. With that said I have been trying to get a hold of this place for about 3 weeks now and yesterday was the first time they picked up the phone and when Annie told they were having the open house tomorrow and that my date was on hold and now I have it... yeah it's meant to be!
The carter that was there was really nice and he made the yummiest things! We had a white chocolate risotto with a blueberry compote, shrimp and mango with a chili sauce, and to top it all off a pom spritzer! Angie and I were trying not to eat the risotto too fast since it was so good. It was the warm comforting food and the white chocolate was done just right that is wasn't too much. His price's don't seem that bad so Drew and I will have to visit with him again!

So we have one more place to visit and than we will make our decision.

It's always there...

I received this picture today in one of my Vera Wang emails that I get about twice a month and they have never used this photo! This again is my dream dress that I will never own and I see it ALL the time in magazines and now my email! Why do you have to be so expensive VERA? Whoa is me :(

My Michelle Roth Wedding Dress

I bought this dress on Nov. 11, 2008 with my friend Andrea down in Chevy Chase. Mom found an add on Craig's list, believe it or not and I decided to check it out. The lady I bought it from had an amazing house! My friend Andrea said she felt like she walked into a page of a home magazine. The lady was really nice and she said she bought this dress up in New York City at a Michelle Roth sample sale. She said brand new it was $10,000.00 an she paid $1,000.00. The dress is perfect for the fall! It is an ivory silk organza and has a floral leafy pattern all over it and in the leaves they were hand painted a pale yellow color and it full of Swarovski Crystal bunches all over. I wish could see the way this dress sparkles! Just a little light makes it dance! The dress is a size 2 and it's never been worn just tried on a lot! The under part of the dress is full of so much tulle and crinoline. This was a very well made dress. She did the same thing as me, she bought the dress for a autumn wedding but ended up having a spring wedding and bought a new dress.

Knowing me I couldn't just buy it and wear it as is, I wanted to make it look like my dream Vera Wang dress that cost $15,000.00. I had met a designer back in March at a wedding show and he told me than that he had made the Vera I was talking about before. I met with him once but talked on the phone many times. We were going to add a little ruffle to the top of the dress, a deep purple sash with a cluster of flowers and we were going to make the train a little longer. It was going too look very similar to the Vera just sparkly!

The dress has some wear on it in the back by the zip on the top and the bottom. The bottom of the train was wear to it as well. If you're small and short like me it can be altered and you would never know it was an issue. So I am selling it now and if anyone is interested let me know!

Brides Maid Dresses

Today two of my three bridesmaids were able to meet up at a bridal boutique to try on some dresses. I knew the place had one of the dresses I wanted them to try on, which is the blue strapless dress made by "Bill Levkoff" in the above photo and to the left. I was surprised that I was the first one there but, it was nice because I was able to talk with the ladies that worked there and to show them what I was looking for. When Leah came in she was so excited and almost started crying (awww). I know whatever dress I end up going with I want it to be in a purple shade. There were a few dresses they tried on that just didn't cut it! It's amazing how some thing looks good on the hanger but not on.

My sister Angie tried on a few dresses that we we're considering for my two older nieces (her daughters). Since they are both around our sizes it works. After we tried on the dress we went over to Starbucks and hung out and did some girl talk! In all the years I've known the Leah I don't think just the three of us have ever hung out. We had a really good time. I was also able to show them the invitations I bought the night before. They really liked the ideas I have for them and they said they will totally help me! Yay!

On Nov. 1, 2008 which I can't believe was almost a year ago! After I bought my first wedding dress and yes I said first wedding dress me and my missing bridesmaid stopped by Macy's to try on some dresses. She look good in them as you can see below. She still talks about how she really wanted the purple one. She also tried on a dress not pictured that looked great on the hanger but did nothing for her or anyone one who would try it on!

Enjoy these videos from my iPhone

I picked out our Invitations!

So I found my invitations today and oddly enough I'm going to be making them myself! I've always liked the idea of doing that but, honestly I don't have the time, now I'm going to make the time! I was standing in the aisle of "Michael's" and looked at the box of invitations I think for 10 mins before I said "yes, these are it". I walked around the store for 30 mins finding other items to include. I will have more posts as I make more progress. This is great for our budget! The box of 40 invites includes the invitation paper, response cards, envelopes, and the ribbon which cost $39.99 and I used a 40% and 50 % off coupon! I bought huge sheets of Martha Stewart paper to use as the lining in the envelopes which were on sale for $0.47 each. I bought a cute jar of, ivory shimmery flowers for $4.99 and sticky crystals in purple $3.99 and clear $1.99. Since the response cards are plain I bought a rubber stamp that has a similar swirl design as the invitations for $5.99 (that's with the 50% off coupon)! To add a special touch when we mail them out I bought a "M" embosser and silver wax at $4.99 each. I also bought a bone folder for $3.59 (used a 40% off coupon)! Once I figure out the cost per invite I will let you know. Best of all Drew loves them!


All I know is the invitations I have looked at online or in the catalogs weren't very impresive, and the ones I liked were way too expensive!

Losing the FALL

So, it's been really hard trying to plan this wedding for a few reasons. 1) Drew and I have been crazy busy with our new businesses and my other job 2) I feel like I'm by myself doing this and 3) I REALLY wanted a FALL wedding! I know the Spring will be beautiful, it's just when we made the decision to have the Spring wedding and not the Fall we thought someone would throw us a Fall Engagement party. We thought it would be silly if we throw ourselves one and since we're paying for the wedding we couldn't fit it in the budget. The autumn has just always been my favorite time of year and it's Drew's as well so it sticks losing it.

Drew and I even planted and grew our own pumpkin patch. It was our hobby and we were hoping to use what we grew for the wedding. Now, we just have a really nice autumn display at our apartment. I hope we can pick our location soon so I can hire a photographer. I figure maybe I can still have an engagement photo session sometime in October or November. If we are able to pull it off I want to do normal photos in a pumpkin patch and then go to a different location for a modern retro look. We'll see!

Wedding Planner

I talked with Drew and I think I really need a wedding planner! Where's J-lo when you need her! It's just been too much with both jobs. We've been going to bed almost every night anywhere from midnight - 3 am and it's starting to catch up to both of us. There really isn't enough time in a day! I was hoping to spend $1,000.00 - $1,500.00 for one but, when I started looking the other day only one person had her prices posted and for what I think I need for partial services was $3,100.00... ouch! So I have a lot of research to still do. Keep your fingers crossed.

I wish I could have David Tutera take over our wedding like in his show "My Fair Wedding". On his first episode he picked a Jim Hjelm bridesmaid dress that I have loved and I wish my girls could wear it but, they are too expensive! The first time I saw his work was on "Platinum Weddings" he did his friends fall wedding at "Holly Hedge Estate". Basically my dream wedding!

FYI - All the Planners I called or emailed never got back to me! I still can't believe it but, I'll make it work without one!