Where's the kaboom? There was supposed to be an earth-shattering kaboom!

Posted on | Tuesday, April 26, 2011 | No Comments

Earlier this spring I was given some very disheartening news. My step-Dad was informed that the vacation time he had wanted for my wedding had been cancelled. In fact, all vacation time for the summer months has been cancelled for all employees. The construction company he works for had bid on several very expensive contracts, the result being a great deal of work for the crew. They needed everyone on board. Which means no one gets time off.

I told him about my idea and he liked it.

It's like taking home a baby

Posted on | Friday, April 22, 2011 | No Comments

Let me start off this post my saying that I love Katy. I really do. She is my go-to girl for just about everything and I am so thankful we shared that silly communications class in college or else I may have never met her.

Katy is like me in a lot of ways. She gets excited about life, even the smaller parts of it. It's why I love spending time with her (or at least one of the reasons). She will get just as jubliant about the half off Hobby Lobby yarn as I will and finds the idea of thrift store shopping to be a dream come true. We can gush about how great cooking is, and how wonderful good food can be. If either of us has a problem or needs help we know the other is only a phone call away.

One hundred and thirty five

Posted on | Wednesday, April 6, 2011 | 1 Comment

Days, that is.

Since my last super-long wedding post a bunch of stuff has changed. I should not be left in charge of such important choices, I'm so fickle I can never make up my mind. I seriously have no idea how some people can plan weddings so effortlessly. As some may remember from this post we had our colors set to be blues and purples since the blue was going to match Alex's tie.

Well. There was a problem with that. The light blue didn't match. It looked AWFUL. And the purple didn't match the blue. It was a total disaster.

So we brought his tie with us to Men's Warehouse and picked a vest color that matched. So now he's going with a dark navy vest that blends with the tie's colors fairly well. Afterwards we went to David's Bridal to find colors that would work with it and I found that Apple Red was really vibrant and bright while still not over-powering the dark blue. And! It matched with Alex's tie. After fiddling around I really liked gold as an accent color (especially since my dress is a champagne/ivory and that is basically a soft gold color) since that would tie my dress to the other two main colors.

Adjustments

Posted on | Thursday, March 10, 2011 | No Comments

I received an email earlier this week that had me bouncing to the moon:

Dear Alisha,

Thank you for choosing David's Bridal! We are delighted to inform you that your special order item(s) listed below have arrived and are available to pick up. We kindly ask that you stop by the David's Bridal where your order was placed to pick up your item(s).

Since I am leaving tomorrow for Alabama I figured that it would be wisest to come in today and be fitted, especially since the latter part of the email tactfully stated that after 14 days they would no longer be able to hold my dress. It would be a tragedy to have them re-ship my dress, especially since I'm working on a deadline!

<--more!-->It made me super happy that the dress still fit; I've been eating horribly (remember those cupcakes for dinner?) and not taking very good care of myself as of late. I would hate to have to let out my dress only to take it in again a month later! Luckily the dress I have hugs my ribs perfectly, so even if it doesn't quite fit the other bits and pieces just so I know that the sizing is right.

The hem needed to be taken in a bit, the bust altered, and a bustle made. I felt a bit like a pin cushion by the end of it. A very jubliant pin cushion. Thankfully the seamstress was very good at what she did and none of those pins stuck into anything other than the fabric.

Getting the dress off was a bit of a challenge. Katy was there to help me, which was a relief. Although I think I may have been sctrached in a few places my errant pins. The dress should be ready in about a month, then I can do my second alteration if needed. It's starting to get really exciting, all the big things that go with a wedding are starting to happen -- the dress, the catering, the venues. Eeee!!

It helps that I really like the color yellow. It's so bright and happy. It makes me feel like smiling just by looking at it. So why not incorporate said color into the wedding? Plus, Alex loves yellow, too. Everyone wins!

180 days to go...

Posted on | Monday, February 21, 2011 | 1 Comment

Don't fear the ruching

Posted on | Sunday, January 30, 2011 | 2 Comments

Yesterday I ventured into the land of taffeta and tulle along with Katy and my Mom in an attempt to find my wedding dress. We went to two bridal boutiques - one that is locally owned called Moliere that sells couture dress and the other was David's Bridal.

Can I say right now that the two experiences were polar opposites?

Moliere had three brides in the small shop, and while it made the space was slightly crowded the consultants were right beside their customers one hundred percent of the time. I felt like a bride and really enjoyed trying on the mountains of fabric and hopping onto a tiny box to be critiqued. If nothing else the service I received there makes me want to purchase my dress from them.

At David's Bridal the only word that comes to mind is "pandemonium". I had made an appointment over a month in advance and as I was waiting to be see three walk-ins came in also wanting to try wedding dresses who were taken back before my consultant was able to greet me. It took forty-five minutes (during which I was told to "look at shoes") to get to a consultant and smooshed into a mirror-lined corner as I tried on dresses. Perhaps it was because the weekend in busy, but I felt pressured to pick a dress just to get out of the cramped space.

Talk about being frazzled! I found dresses I really loved at both stores. And I think I might have found "The Dress", although as I think about it this morning over a cup of warm coffee I keep looking back at the other two dresses I fell in love and having second thoughts. I think I might go back on a weekday and try on the three again and make a better decision that isn't based off of a feeling of claustrophobia.

It definitely was an experience, I'll say that much.

"Neither rain, nor sleet..."

Posted on | Tuesday, January 25, 2011 | No Comments

"... Nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these courageous couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds." While the saying was originally created sometime around 500 B.C by the Greeks it's still a rather relevant adage for the events that happened earlier this week. You see, a small parcel was left on my door step.

This is around the time that I could say something catty like, "I wonder what it could be?" However that would imply my audience lacks the most basic reading comprehension skills. I guffaw at the very thought! Of course you all remember the voting that occurred earlier this month, which can only mean one thing --

Let's put it to a vote!

Posted on | Monday, January 10, 2011 | 3 Comments

I'm in a bit if a conundrum. You see, I need to pick out mine and Alex's save the date cards sometime this week. Originally I thought this would be an easy task; pick out a card I like, get everyone's addresses, and mail them out before the end of January.

Well.

I have the addresses, but choosing a card has proven to be more difficult than I expected. I've whittled it down to eight cards but I am stumped as to which would be the best fit. Alex, being the wonderful gentleman he is, is trusting my judgement on the matter which places the decision firmly on my shoulders. Yikes.

So, my darling readership I am asking for your opinion on the matter. Perhaps between the seven of us (with perhaps some additional help from a certain fiance) I can pick one before the week is over. Let us put it to a vote!

Adios, 2010!

Posted on | Friday, December 31, 2010 | No Comments

It's the last day of the year; and although I know a great deal has happened this year, I don't feel that sense of awing retrospect that usually comes with reviewing a year in its entirety. I know I should. This year has been awash with ups and downs, thankfully there have been far more ups. So strange to look back at January and know it really has not been that long. It feels like another world.

Soup and Suitcases

Posted on | Tuesday, December 21, 2010 | 1 Comment

Tomorrow we're leaving for Las Vegas! (I'm politely ignoring the fact our plane departs at an hour that would make the sun wince) Which means today is dedicated to packing and preparing the house. The only thing worse than realizing you forgot your camera/toothbrush/pants is to come home to a filthy house whilst battling jetlag. I speak from personal experience on both matters. To combat this I make two lists, each delegating my preparations for travel. I write out what needs to be done before I leave and what I need to bring with me. It might mean a bit of extra work but it is definitely worth it for a Type A personality like myself. Without my lists I get mean. Quickly.

I check the weather for the next ten days at my destination and then pack accordingly. I toss in a jacket and a tank top regardless of the weather just in case Mother Nature decides to make fun of meteorologists. A great example -- It's 75 degrees here in Oklahoma in late December, tourists who packed for a cold winter are sweating like pigs. Pack for weather you won't expect, the extra tank top won't kill you.

I try to pack light if I am only going to be away for a week. My normal suitcase list looks like this: two pair of pants, 4-5 shirts, a nice dress, under-things, toiletries/makeup (everything has to fit in a ziploc baggie), an extra pair of shoes, various electronics, medication, a sweater or jacket, and a pair of pajamas. Simple enough.

If the list is for Kael I add pull-ups, stroller, carseat, and 2-3 extra pairs of clothes. And his blankie. If we go anywhere without beloved blankie it will mean sudden death. I also will pack in my purse a few things that will keep him occupied.

When I pack originally my suitcase looks something like this:

Step away from Bridal Guide, Ma'am

Posted on | Wednesday, December 8, 2010 | 3 Comments

I've only got two hundred and fifty-five days left to plan this wedding. But who's counting? Or making elaborate lists? Or scouring the internet for wedding sites and magazines while thinking she is crazy for planning a wedding and moving at the same time?

Oh god.

I’ve spent the past month off-and-on brainstorming, alongside a very patient Alex, Sharon and Katy. Questions kept popping up in my head as I tried to come up inspiration as to how this whole wedding shindig might look. Should it be formal? Informal? What colors? How many bridesmaids? Flowers? Favors? After flailing like a lunatic for an undisclosed period of time I started to focus. I needed ideas. Ideas are good. Ideas keep me from grabbing the nearest paper bag and hyperventilating. Ideas mean direction, which means that this gal has a lot less to panic think about. Right?

Have you noticed that whenever you sit down and try to force ideas nothing happens?

Don't get me wrong, I saw plenty of things online and in magazines that I liked, but I still had no idea what direction to go in (aside from the basic "I now pronounce you man and wife" bit at the end). That is until I saw the reception hall.

I don't know what sparked it. Maybe it was Alex sending me elated text messages that this place was perfect, maybe it was the black and white checkered floors, or maybe it was because of my recent I Love Lucy marathon but my mind was suddenly filled with images of a 1950s wedding. Immediate and awestruck love washed over me.