Allison & Scott | June 18, 2010 | Maui, Hawaii

How he proposed
Scott and I had a very long courtship.  After several years together, we were living in NYC  (now living in Portland, OR) and he surprised me with a beautiful ring one snowy evening in at home.  I was in my pajamas and was a total wreck, but he loved me anyway.

The ceremony
We were married in Hana, HI at the Hotel Hana Maui.  The ceremony took place on the afternoon of June 18, 2010 with about 35 of our closest family and friends in attendance.  The ceremony site was on the bluff area overlooking the Pacific ocean and was along side a beautiful horse pasture.  We had a fairly traditional wedding ceremony with small pieces of Hawaiian culture mixed in.

The moment Allison will never forget
One of my favorite moments at our reception was when my father gave a very moving speech.  He is not much of a public speaker, so it really meant a lot to me that he got up there and spoke from his heart.  He had everyone in tears!!

I also very much enjoyed our first dance.  It was unexpected because it was not the song or the time we had planned for it, but it turned out beautifully and was truly memorable.

Splurges and Savings
The biggest splurge was definitely my dress and our reception.  We saved by cutting down on the amount of flowers at the ceremony and also a few DIY items like our welcome bags, guest gifts, and family history boards.  We also didn’t have a DJ which saved us quite a bit.  We just hooked up an ipod to a stereo system.

Why she decided to sell her wedding dress?
I decided to sell the wedding dress because I know it can be difficult to keep a dress preserved and I am often moving around the country.  I also know how expensive weddings are and no matter how much you save and cut back, you always end up spending more in areas than you expected.  If I could go back in time, I would seriously consider buying a pre-owned wedding gown.  You save so much money and can often get the same exact dress you would find in the bridal salon for much much less.  You have to alter a new dress to fit you anyway, so why not buy used and save that money for your honeymoon or a downpayment on a home?!

Her advice for other brides
My biggest tip is to enjoy your day and if you’re a destination bride (like I was), enjoy the extended time with your family and friends.  And try not to sweat the small stuff.  I know it’s hard…trust me.

Allison’s Wedding Dress: Lela Rose The Barn
Photography: Punam Bean

The traditional Monogram (above) invitation has classic appeal. The rich golds and browns would be lovely printed on cream cardstock and perfect for an autumn wedding. The 5×7 flat invitations print two per page.

Bold and colorful, whimsical florals decorate the Morning Glory (above) wedding invitation. Order this design individually or order as a set ($65). Set includes invitation, save-the-date, response card, wedding program, menu card, place cards, table numbers, seating list and fold over thank you notes.

Here’s a deal that seems too good to be true…but it is! e.m. papers is currently offering a free vintage, black and white printable wedding invitation and correspondence set. The simple yet elegant Bike design would be charming for a day or evening affair. What a deal!

Each invitation and set comes with a template and text which you simply overwrite with your personal information. Also included is a detailed how to guide which provides clear step by step instructions for creating each item in the set. DIY made easy – how sweet!

Laura & Jason | April 3rd & April 17th 2010 | Turks and Caicos and New York City

How he proposed
He proposed during an excursion (to a secluded island for a picnic)while in Turks and Caicos. He wrote “will you marry me” in the sand and was down on one knee with the ring sparkling in the sun.

The ceremony
We had the ceremony on the beach (1 1/2 years later) at the Grace Bay Club in Turks and Caicos with just our immediate family (16 people including us)
we returned to NYC to have the reception with 100 of our closest friends and family.

The moment Laura will never forget
The most memorable moment for me was when my husband (by his point for an entire hour) sliced his toe open on conch shell on the sand and had to be rushed to the hospital. I was thankful that he ended up getting a bunch of stitches and was okay but also that it happened right after we were finished with the pictures. So we have all of those beautiful shots. There are even some great pictures with that shell in them.

The reception
It was at raw loft space called the Xchange in Manhattan.
We brought in everything, divided the space up so that we can have a cocktail hour in one area and then open up the seating and dance/lounge area afterwards. We had a buffet style dinner with an open bar all night. During the cocktail we had a slideshow (to music) played for all of our guests to view the actual wedding in Turks and Caicos.

I believe having the wedding and ceremony the way we did was the best way. We were able to share a very intimate moment with our family members in a more secluded quiet ceremony which allowed us to really appreciate the moment. Returning to have the post wedding reception made for such excitement to share with all of our friends….and just have a huge party with no worries, ( or least less worries, ha)

How she knew her wedding dress(es)! were “The Ones”
The wedding dress for the ceremony was easy. It was the fist one I tried on. It was by Morgane Le Fay. I passed by her store in downtown Manhattan and knew she would have the perfect island getaway , beachy wedding dress and she did.

For the reception I tried on two different dress. I knew that The Vera Wang was the one. I actually saw it online and made an appointment specifically because of the Deirdre dress. I think I had a moment of hesitation because it felt so magnificent on and while walking around in it, and the color (natural) was just absolutely amazing. But it only took me about an hour to know that it was the one. It just felt too right. I wanted a dress that was more extravagant because the beach dress was light and airy with sheer layers….the Vera Wang wedding dress was completely the opposite.

Her advice for other brides
I think for all those brides you have to go with your what your gut instinct tells you. Don’t doubt it. I think woman are so dead on with their instincts but we sometimes doubt them..just go with it and everything will fall into place.

Laura’s reception dress: Vera Wang Diedre
Photography: Cindy Johnson Photography

If you haven’t seen Amelia Lock’s line yet, you don’t should definitely take a look.  Imagine each of your bridesmaids bejeweled in a pair of these great earrings from her new Cabo Collection.

Amelia Rose Jewelry is fresh, colorful, and fun.  Her earrings will look stunning on your bridesmaids at your wedding – and every time they wear them after.

And did I mention that Amelia Rose Jewelry comes in 14 different colors and that the collection also includes necklaces, rings and bracelets.  It is enough to make every jewelry lover jump for joy.  Take a look at these great pieces from the Classics Collection.

One lucky PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com Facebook Fan will win 5 pairs of Amelia Rose Jewelry earrings from the new Cabo Collection. (Note: Amelia’s jewelry is red hot, so the specifics will be dependent on availability).

The winner will be selected on Wednesday, September 1st at 9:00 pm EST and notified by email. It could be you!

"The Knot Ultimate Wedding Planner "

As if the feeling of overwhelming dread that I was already feeling wasn’t enough, I decided to turn to, “The Knot Ultimate Wedding Planner,” to see how far behind their checklist tells me I am.

If you’re in the process of planning a wedding you know all about checklists. Every book that I get has at least one checklist with a monthly countdown of things that need to be done. This particular book that I’m referencing has 19 chapters of, “worksheets, checklists, etiquette, calendars, and answers to frequently asked questions.” I kid you not, there are 199 pages. So, for those of you just beginning the wedding process who have not yet started a checklist, I thought I would take you through one with me.

This particular checklist is entitled: 12+ Months Before Your Wedding. Here we go…(For the record, I’m paraphrasing.)

√ Tell people about your engagement. – We have been doing this for the last four months. I think we’ve gotten to nearly everyone.

√ Envision Your Wedding (We are going to do this together right now using the worksheet provided by theKnot.)

Describe your event: Formal, Elegant, Festive

Locale: Where we live

Size: Average (100 – 250)  - We had hoped for a small wedding but we both come from very large families. We anticipate about 225 guests.

Season: Fall/Winter Date: September 24, 2011

Hour: Evening

Palette: Black, White, & Green

The mention of a Bridal Shower made me want to include this picture. If my bridesmaids are reading this *hint hint* this is what I want my shower to be like!

Festivities: Engagement Party, Bachelorette Party, Bridal Shower, Bachelor Party, Rehearsal Dinner, (maybe) Post-Reception

PartyPriorities (Rank 1 – 10) – This one was hard.

9-Time of Year

1-Officiant/Ceremony Location

4-Guest List

6-Food & Drink

3-Music

7-Reception Location

8-Attire (Bride’s Dress)

5-Ambiance (Flowers/Décor)

2- Mementos (Photo & Video)

10-Other

Opinions that Count: Bride & Groom, Bride’s Parents, Friends & Attendants, Groom’s Parents *Not necessarily in that order

Planning Committee: Bride & Groom, Bride’s Parents, Groom’s Parents, Siblings, Friends & Attendants

_ Wedding Budget – Another worksheet. This is tricky because my parents are paying for the majority of the wedding and they haven’t given us a definite number…I’m sure they’ll be more to come about this.

√ Date

√ Initial Guest List – They also have a checklist for this task.

√ Ceremony & Reception Site Research

_  Book specific vendors (ie. Photographer, DJ, etc.)

_  Wedding Party – We wanted to make sure that we were able to ask people in special ways – work in progress.

√ Book Ceremony & Reception Sites

_ Choose and book officiant – I’m hoping to have my childhood pastor perform the ceremony but there are some issues with the church so we’re working on this one as well.

_ Announce Engagement – Paper/Wedding Website – Again, I’m working on this one. We don’t want to post in the paper until we choose a photographer and get some engagement photos.

√ Engagement Party

Aforementioned Checklist

Well, I feel like I just did homework, but I also feel relieved, I’m not that far behind! (At least according to this list.) Soon I’ll be looking at the 8 – 10 months before checklist. Scary! This wedding will happen on September 24, 2011 whether we get everything on these checklists done or not (mostly because we already paid deposits.)

This is a really useful section from a Martha Stewart planning tool. They have flowers listed by color, time of year they're available, cost, etc. Just an example of how the magazines can be very useful.

The best advice that I can give with my limited experience thus far is to choose one magazine source (the Knot, Martha Stewart, Real Simple Weddings, etc.) that you feel best reflects the ambiance that you want at your wedding, and use the checklists available through that source. I’ve done the legwork and they’re all so similar that you won’t miss out on anything by using just one, but you will avoid frustration.

In ending this week I’d like to start a new weekly thought that I’m going to entitle, “Irrational Fear of the Week.” This week’s irrational fear is:

If you’ve been following along you know that a family friend of Colin’s was engaged on the same day as us and then chose the same initial wedding date as we did. I found out this week that we have been wedding dress shopping at the same places, so my new fear is that we’re going to end up wearing the same wedding dress…maybe after all of these coincidences this isn’t so irrational…

More adventures to come next week.

Yours,

The Bride

Mona & Tom | June 26, 2010 | Darrow School New Lebanon, New York

How SHE proposed
I proposed to him in front of the whole school community where we live and work, during Friday lunch announcements. Tom and I had already decided to get married and found the perfect rings, but I wanted to let the small community know in a way that surprised Tom and let everyone know (instead of having them find out through rumors). I shared the story of having met Tom (after surrendering the matchmaking to God), and then had the students help me ask the question by rushing in, in a row, holding the painted letters on paper. I held the ME, just to keep it clear, and gave him his diamond eternity ring.
The ceremony
The ceremony was very unique and meaningful, as we had already been legally married (in Maui on Thanksgiving eve)

and could focus on the spiritual, familial, and social aspects of our union. I researched and created a family tree project showing our lineages coming together,

and we made a chuppah (Jewish structure representing the home) out of branches and ivory chiffon.

We hired a female officiant who weaved our ceremony together beautifully. It included a Shinto sake ceremony, where we drank out of three cups of ascending size,

readings of beautiful excepts read by my two sisters and Tom’s two brothers, prayers for our deceased relatives and for equality in marriage rights, our own vows, and a Celtic hand-fasting ritual. At the end, our family and friends were asked to make two concentric circles around us and offer their blessings and hopes for us as a couple, Quaker-style.

The reception
The reception included dinner in a hexagon tent nearby, decorated in our theme colors of chocolate brown, grass green, and ivory, and a trip to a small
family-run bowling alley for cosmic bowling (Tom is a competitive bowler). We had organic, local food served family-style (mixed greens and strawberries salad with a maple balsamic vinagrette, cedar-grilled salmon with a blueberry-mango salsa, filet mignon with garlic herbed butter, grilled vegetables and mashed potatoes. For dessert, we had a chocolate fountain with various dipping choices and flourless chocolate cake. I showed a PowerPoint of the two of us growing up in pictures, and invited everyone to join us for bowling, with the option of riding a school bus (driven by our colleague and friend) to the bowling alley. Everyone had a blast bowling to a CD mixed by a friend of mine, disco lights, and old-school scoring sheets (pencil and paper).

Splurges and Savings
We saved a lot on most things, using the campus where we live and work and met as the venue (my family stayed in the dorm where we have an apartment), making the invitations and centerpieces and chuppah myself, leaving the tent before dark (saving on lighting, dance floor, DJ, etc), using the school bus as transportation, using the school caterer for the food and borrowing their tables and other items, and having a chocolate fountain rather than a wedding cake.

I splurged on my wedding dress (gift from my mom, otherwise I would have spent $300 max), my appointments for the day (manicure, pedicure, hair and makeup), the tent and decor, and mineral baths for our family the day before at Saratoga Springs.

How she knew her wedding dress was “THE ONE”
I poured through tons of wedding magazines and websites, visited several wedding dress stores, including a rental service in Los Angeles, and probably tried on more than thirty dresses before finding the perfect one. Since I wanted the wedding to be “green/sustainable”, I went to a store in Saratoga Springs that sold eco-friendly dresses. I came away with pictures of five dresses that I liked, and emailed them to my family for review (since they live half the world away.) Their selections confirmed my choice, and I went with the one that spoke to me as a person and flattered my figure (even though it wasn’t made of fair-trade cotton).

Her advice for other brides
My advice for other brides is to choose only the elements and traditions that speak to you, and make decisions based on what feels right to you. It is a wonderful opportunity to express who you are as a person and a couple, and what marriage/love means to you, and you can toss out outdated, sexist, or expensive traditions while designing a ceremony and event that comes from your heart and soul.

The moments Mona will never forget
There are so many moments that were memorable from our day, from the drizzle that threatened to move the ceremony inside but stopped just in time, to drinking sake from the biggest cup which represents having children and seeing Tom grin wide, to my father and mother speaking up at the family circle at the end of the ceremony, to enjoying a wonderful dinner and seeing all our closest friends and family in the same place under the tent around us, to the amazing sunset we saw before heading off to bowl, to finding out that there was a full moon and lunar eclipse on the day we had scheduled months before for practical reasons, to Tom and me bowling side-by-side and getting the same score on the first round of bowling (91, good for me and uncharacteristically low for him), to dancing with him while bowling in my dress and him in his suit.

Mona’s Wedding Dress: Rosa Clara 109
Photography: Jane Feldman

photo credit: betsywhite.com

Don’t you just love the way the bright red paper labels “pop” against the brown background? This favor bag idea (courtesy of the wedding stationary experts at BetsyWhite.com) would fit in perfectly at a simple backyard bbq or beach wedding. Click here for easy instructions and template.

photo credit: weddingchicks.com

Here’s another fabulous idea from the creative minds of The Wedding Chicks.  These sweet little DIY gift bags strike just the right note – proving that when it comes to weddings – you don’t have to pay a fortune to be stylish and chic. Simply download the template, print onto scalloped paper and attach to brown paper bags using a hole punch and pretty ribbon. Click here for complete instructions.

photo credit: younghouselove.com

I always save the best for last. And, although I love all today’s DIY tips, I think this one’s my favorite. It’s stylish, with a sense of humor. These mini brown bags are filled with single gladiolis bulbs. The front photostrip picture (of the bride and groom – he’s covered in lipstick kisses!) invites guests to “Plant One on Us!”   Instructions for planting the bulb can be found on the back.  You can find all the details for this project on  Younghouselove. This awesome blog features one Richmond, Virginia, couple and their trials and tribulations as newlyweds and new homeowners. They planned an amazing DIY wedding in the backyard of their adorable new home, which is still the inspiration for their DIY blog. If your planning a backyard wedding and/or diving into some DIY projects at home, you’ve got to check them out – they’re so great.

So get your creative juices flowing and your wedding favors will be “in the bag!”

Hilary & John | May 15, 2010 | Cambridge, Massachusetts

How he proposed
John and I were the same class in college, but we never met! We met the year after our graduation when we both studied in Cambridge, England at the University of Cambridge. This was the fall of 2002… We were friends for a long time, and then we weren’t. We started dating in January 2008 and we were engaged March 2, 2009 in Napa Valley. We had both just gotten job offers together back in Boston, and we went away for the weekend to celebrate. The last night, when we got in the car for dinner, he said he left his wallet upstairs. After waiting in the car for some time, he finally called me to say he needed help looking. I was suspicious, but went… As I approached our room I saw rose petals outside the door. He has transformed our room in that time– covered in candles and two dozen roses and lots of rose petals.  He proposed with his grandmother’s ring, which he had flown to Louisville, KY to get a few weeks before (unbeknownst to me!).
The ceremony & reception
We threw a party that truly reflected our personalities and style.  John and I are bookworms—but we also can have a lot of fun.  We both graduated from Harvard, and we both work there now, so we married in The Memorial Church in Harvard Yard, where a college classmate officiated.  Many special people in our lives contributed to our ceremony.  We had three reading, each reflected our pasts and our future.  John’s aunt and uncle read the Sheva Brachot in Hebrew and English respectively to signify our Jewish backgrounds.  One of my high school history teachers did a reading from Corinthians, as I was raised Catholic.  Finally, my dissertation advisor read selections from economist Gary Becker’s seminal articles on an economic theory and model of marriage; John is an economist, and I’m a sociologist, so this symbolized the two disciplines coming together in our household. I’m not sure anyone has ever had a reading like that at their wedding before, but it definitely reflected us.

We also were honored to have one of my high school friends, and her fiancé, sing at our wedding—both are professional opera singers.

When guests arrived at The Charles Hotel they were greeted with another “very us” item. Instead of a traditional escort card table, we used a library card catalog.  Each guest had a card that mimicked the old Dewey Decimal system cards; on the back of each guest’s card we wrote personal notes.

[For our Save the Dates I had a graphic designer use childhood photos to create an image that looked like the old Little Golden Book covers.  On the inside of the Save the Dates it looked like a library book (on the left side is a bookplate with our names and on the right side is a library card pocket).  Inside the card pocket in an old-style check-out slip with our wedding date stamped on, along with other significant dates in our relationship.] Continuing the library theme, our favors were bookmarks, using the same image as our Save the Date book cover.

Inside the ballroom I had the hotel use conference tables, and place them on a diagonal, to give the sense of a library, but create a more intimate setting.

Our table numbers were also books, and each numbered “Volume” had two pictures—one of me and one of John on each side at the same age as the volume number.  Inside the ballroom, we used a palate of periwinkle, lavender, and plum for our flowers, linens, and lighting.  Each guest had a personalized menu card at his or her place, which had been hand calligraphied.

At the end of the cocktail hour I changed into a shorter dress, because I LOVE to dance.  We started the night off with our first dance, which was choreagraphed to “It Had to Be You.”

We had an amazing night filled with amazing food and dancing (like the Hora, but also heavy on the Lady GaGa and Madonna), and we felt completely surrounded by friendship and love!  I did not have a wedding planner or coordinator and discovered a creative side that I hope to make use of in the future!

The moments Hilary will never forget
Dancing with the girls to Like a Prayer (classic!) and Closer to Fine (Indigo Girls), which was a total moment with my girlfriends.

Favorite moment though was our last song, which was These Are Days by 10,000 Maniacs. Everyone who was still there (it was about 12:30 am), made a big circle on the dance floor and by the end, John and I were in the middle of the circle completely surrounded by love!

Splurges & Savings
Saved by not having a videographer! We also used a DJ, who was AMAZING. I splurged on my dress and on our photographer, who we flew in (but who was more than worth it!).

Why she decided to sell her wedding dress
When my husband and I committed to buying it, he made me promise I would so it wouldn’t be “wasted money sitting in a closet.” I was initially reluctant, but after two months, I realized I would never wear it again and I have many, many pictures in it, so I should help make someone else happy!

Her advice for other brides
Just think of the wedding as a big party!

Get fun shoes.

Figure out what you really care about and don’t worry about the rest.

Make it personal.

My philosophy with vendors and everything was to see up to three and then make a decision (and I often did after one). In the end, it’s just one day, so don’t stress too much!

Invest in an amazing photographer.

Surround yourself with the people who really love you. I’ve decided weddings bring out the true nature of relationships, so remember who is there for you, for always!

Hilary’s Wedding Dress: Priscilla of Boston 4509

Photography: Michael O’Bryon

]]> http://www.preownedweddingdresses.com/blog/real-wedding-hilary-john/feed 0 http://www.preownedweddingdresses.com/blog/a-wedding-dress-made-from-magic http://www.preownedweddingdresses.com/blog/a-wedding-dress-made-from-magic#comments Mon, 23 Aug 2010 13:10:28 +0000 Josie http://www.preownedweddingdresses.com/blog/?p=12368 They say that when you try on “THE” wedding dress you “just know.”  Brides say they feel their Most beautiful. Most special.  Most amazing.  Hilary didn’t have that feeling when she bought her wedding dress.  But then her “THE” wedding dress came along…. We are featuring Hilary & John’s beautiful wedding on our blog tomorrow.  We [...]]]> They say that when you try on “THE” wedding dress you “just know.”  Brides say they feel their Most beautiful. Most special.  Most amazing.  Hilary didn’t have that feeling when she bought her wedding dress.  But then her “THE” wedding dress came along….

We are featuring Hilary & John’s beautiful wedding on our blog tomorrow.  We just loved this email she wrote to her best friends the day after she bought THE DRESS.  We thought it was such a perfect description of how a women feels when she finds her dress, we couldn’t wait to share it….

“So you know the show Say Yes to the Dress? Well, even if you don’t, you’ll know how people say,  “When I put on my wedding dress I just knew it was for me… I cried…” So, I never had that. In fact, I thought those people were a little titched. The only reaction I worried about having was Carrie’s in Sex and the City when she is supposed to marry Aiden, has a panic attack in the dress, and Miranda has to rip her out of it.

I bought a dress, for super cheap, back in September mainly to: a) get the shopping experience over with because my body doesn’t really work in wedding dresses and b) to halt a sort of sad and depressing shopping experience. It was not fun and I never loved the dress, but I figured I would only wear it for a few hours, so whatever. Lately, I’ve been feeling bad about that dress for a few reasons, namely that it will live on forever in the form of pictures and, since I am walking by myself down the long aisle at Memorial Church, I wouldn’t feel like I could stand out enough on my own.  Whenever I read a bridal magazine, I would check out the dress pics, only oh-so-casually; but nothing struck my fancy, so I let it go.

Until, it did.

And then I fell hard. Very hard. It was a new dress from Priscilla of Boston. So new it isn’t even on their website yet. I saw it advertised in one magazine, then two, then three. By the third time I saw it, I cried. No joke, I cried (granted I’m a little emotional lately, but still!). John knew I didn’t feel great in my dress and he saw me get so worked up, so we talked about it on Sunday and he convinced me I should at least try it on, otherwise, I would always wonder, and he said, “You deserve to feel beautiful on our wedding day, so if you really want it, we will find a way to make it happen.” You see, I knew my (suddenly) dream dress would not be cheap. But the man of my dreams is totally priceless, clearly.

I found the dress on the Internet. I stared at it. I refreshed. It was like a boy I had a crush on, I kept looking at the picture. And every time I did, my hardened little bridal heart skipped a beat.

So I called the store in Boston. They said they had it in. They promised me they wouldn’t tempt me with the forbidden fruit (which I have now named, YES I NAMED MY DRESS, “Hilary Grace”) unless they could guarantee it would be in for May 15th. I made an appointment for the next morning at 11 am. I fretted and giddily refreshed some more and hoped it would transform me into a beautiful bride.

I woke up with knots in my stomach. As I approached the store, I saw it in the window. My eyes teared. I’m not kidding! I got up there and a sweet bridal consultant who I had met before was there. She got me in the dress. I cried. A lot. She had to bring me tissues. Embarrassing! They brought people out– no one had seen the dress on before! I told them I felt like a bride for the first time and they said it was about time (then again, they wanted to make the sale, ha ha).

In short, I bought my dress, which I say is made from magic. It is made from magic because it makes me feel beautiful, and pretty, and reminds me that I am marrying the best guy in the world for me. I told John I never wanted to take the dress off, that I would even clean the house it in. He told me I couldn’t clean the house in it, because we are selling it after the wedding, especially since demand will be high for this new-ish design. He’s still John and I love him for that. “

How did you feel when you found your THE DRESS?

Suggestion from one of my readers

1. Elope

The first suggestion that Emily gives me is to skip the planning and the big ceremony and just run away with Colin and get hitched. Emily says that weddings are, “not for the faint of heart (or the faint of will!)”

Well Emily…you’re not the first one to suggest this to me, but I don’t know if eloping is right for us. Don’t get me wrong, the thought has crossed my mind. First there are the practical reasons: If we elope we will be saving a LOT of money. This is money we could spend on a down payment on that house we’ve been eyeing up or paying off college loans. We could also get a tax break and switch to one health insurance plan. Plus the emotional reasons, mainly the lack of stress involved in eloping. But alas, I think our families would be disappointed if we snuck off in the night and tied the knot, so, eloping is not for us.

A very small sampling of my bridal magazines

2. Beware of Bridal Magazines

Emily tells me to, “take bridal magazines with a grain of salt.”

Emily, you know me too well. My first instinct upon getting engaged was to run to the store and buy up all of the wedding magazines that they had. As much as I hate to admit it, this impulse has not left me. Every time that I go to the grocery store I find myself standing in the magazine aisle looking to see if any new magazines have made their way there since my last perusal. But Emily is right, I can’t afford what I see in these magazines. Even the “budget” dresses from the magazines are thousands of dollars (a great reason to buy a pre-owned wedding dress…I wonder where you can find those *winkwink* ). So I will take this piece of advice Emily, I will use the magazine as a starting point for inspiration but won’t call off the wedding if I can’t get the $5,000 (a piece) centerpieces with the Swarovski crystals.

3. Do Your Homework

Emily wants me to make sure that I “research before [I] commit.”

Oh Emily, of course! I’m not one of those people who falls in love with something and buys it on the spot, one of my favorite parts of shopping is knowing that I got a great deal. So don’t worry honey, I’m going to make sure that I price dresses and candy tables, and chocolate fountains, that’s just my style. Side note, this will be made even easier with my wonderful new DROID app that allows me to scan barcodes on items and finds me the lowest price! How cool is that!

This is not me, I don't remember the last time I was able to touch my toes!

4. Be Flexible

Emily reminds me that, “flexibility is key.”

Well, I guess I should start stretching. Figuratively, as I’m sure Emily meant it, if you’ve been following my blog you know that I’ve already had to be flexible with my date. I assume this figurative flexibility will come up again and again and I have mentally prepared for it. On a more literal note, I need to start stretching and exercising because this extra weight I’m carrying around is not going anywhere and we all know that every bride has to have that, “I need to lose weight before the wedding mentality.” It’s part of the process. So, Emily, just for you, I will have a flexible attitude and I will also work on some yoga or something.

An example of Colin and I following Emily's advice and having fun on our recent trip to Boston. GO SOX!

5. Have Fun

This is my favorite rule and I’ve been trying to decide how to accomplish it. I’ve decided that I’m moving some things to the top of my priority list that are stress free. They are as follows: Registering for gifts, dress shopping, wedding band shopping, and practicing signing my new name!

So, all in all I think that Emily’s advice is going to help me get through this wedding planning process with minimal dread. I’m sure as I continue with my planning I will have some advice for all of you as well, and like I did with Emily’s you can use it as it applies to you.

As far as wedding planning goes this week I spent some time wedding dress shopping. We’ve found four contenders so far but I haven’t found that “IT” dress. I also spent some time with both my mother and mother in law to-be looking for some mother’s dresses. They both found some options that make them look absolutely beautiful. I wonder what fun wedding things we will do in the upcoming week!

Yours,
The Bride