Our Wishes Wedding~11/7/2013~WP/WHR~Updated 9/19: Tuxes & BM dresses

[MrsDuck]

I hope your hunt for a DJ gets resolved soon!

Sounds like you're making progress! You're smart to be starting so early!

 

[DisneyShamrock]

I hope your hunt for a DJ gets resolved soon!

Sounds like you're making progress! You're smart to be starting so early!

DF has discovered I may have wedding OCD. I'm constantly planning and going over things in my head. I'm also horribly picky and particular.

 

[DisneyShamrock]

I just wanted to stop by and say that I got a call from the bridal shop, and my dress is in! I get to try her on (in my size) on Saturday. It will be nice to see what she looks like zipped all the way. And, I'll get an idea on alterations and weight.

I will start putting together the dress shopping posts as soon as I can so I post photos.

 

[mebbradley]

I just wanted to stop by and say that I got a call from the bridal shop, and my dress is in! I get to try her on (in my size) on Saturday. It will be nice to see what she looks like zipped all the way. And, I'll get an idea on alterations and weight.

I will start putting together the dress shopping posts as soon as I can so I post photos.

YAYYYYY

 

[MrsDuck]

Ahh!! So exciting! Can't wait to see pictures!

 

[elleinad16]

Woohoo! One step closer!

 

[KristiLyn]

I'm all caught up! Yay!! Can't wait to see the dress!!!!

 

[DisneyShamrock]

This must just be my week. I just got an email that our Door County engagement photos are done! I have scan through them, and they are fantastic! I am sooooo excited!

http://jmannphoto.zenfolio.com/rt

Enjoy!

 

[CourtenayB]

I was antsy any time we would go somewhere or he would act different for almost a year. Then, I gave in and realized I was going to be waiting a lot longer. I was beginning to think he would never ask, and he caught me completely off guard.

I am late to this PJ .... But I know exaclty what you mean by thinking it would never happen...and then it does!!

 

[CourtenayB]

Also, love the e-pics! So cute.

 

[MrsDuck]

Your e-pics came out gorgeous! You two are such a cute couple and you look very happy in your pictures! Love the picnic and fall theme! My favorites are the ones where you're throwing the leaves and the Nerf (?) guns- so much fun!

 

[DisneyShamrock]

Ok, now that priority registration is over (I work at a college), I can get back to the dress.

I got to try on MY dress. The actual one I'm going to wear on my wedding day. I can't even put into words how awesome that felt. I thought I would be nervous about it (will it fit, is it even the right dress, etc.), but I was completely calm the whole time.

She fit pretty good. A little big (like I could gain 15 lbs and it would still fit big), and it was a little long (the lady said they would just fluff up my crinoline a bit). I was trying it on with the store crinoline, so mine will be poofier anyway. I didn't get to try mine on because it was still decompressing (I guess they come space-saver sealed).

I will post pictures later as I want to take you through the whole trying-on process, which took a few years (yes, years), and post photos of a few of the other ones I managed to save pictures of (some of them didn't even make it to getting zipped).

Last time I tried her on (before I ordered), my matron of honor was with me, so I'm going to post a few of the dresses she liked. This time, my maid of honor got to go, and she picked a few (she narrowed it to 9 out of 30+ she tried on, and we didn't even see them all), so I want to post hers too.

The girls got told that they could pick their gowns, I just wanted them to be the same or so-close-only-we-know colors. It's going to be a blast to get them together for this.

I should have time Saturday to post some gown photos. I will start with the first runs, and narrow it down, step by step, to THE dress. It was a long road, sometimes frustrating, sometimes depressing, but it was so worth it!

 

[ladyemz]

Your e pics are FAB! You guys are so perfetc together and look so happy, love all of the colours, you picked a great season to do them!

Can't wait to see the photos of your dresses

 

[DisneyShamrock]

I just had a thought (in the bathroom of all places), and I'd like some opinions.

I don't wear much makeup. Just mascara and eyeliner, normally; I'll add light eyeshadow for special occasions (see engagement photos). I was considering booking makeup in addition to hair for my wedding, but I want to look like myself.

I considered doing eyes only (I'm planning on Beaute Speciale), but I worry if it's hot that my cheeks will be red in all the photos. Any input? Anyone have experience with 'natural-looking' makeup requests?

Thanks ladies!

 

[DisneyShamrock]

Ok, so I haven't posted much recently, but I don't think I've quite hit bad DISbride status because my wedding is still 22 months away . . .

I've also been super busy. Not just with the holidays, but work goes pretty crazy mid-November thru early December (class enrollment time) and right before Christmas (grade reporting time). I've also been taking a few days off here and there since I now have this thing call 'vacation time.'

My focus (obviously) shifted from the wedding a bit, even though it's always in my head somewhere. I've been trying to figure out what kind of tuxes to have, and how the bridal party should walk down the aisle. The budget has been revised a bit (I'll post that, too), and we've got it down to 2 possible at-home reception locations and three possible DJs. The guest list also went up a few, but that just means a bigger cake.

But, as I posted previously, I did get to try on MY wedding dress. I will start on the dress hunt probably tomorrow because there's a bit of a story that goes with it. And, now that I've satisfied myself with the inability to Google me and DF and find this PJ, I feel better writing more and posting more pictures.

Happy Holidays!!

 

[DisneyShamrock]

I am going to start on the dress excursions. Yes, I am going to recount the road to the DRESS.

But, I'm going to start with the bridesmaid dresses.

I just realized that I only have a photo of one of the three bridesmaid dresses my MtOH picked out. Likely, because it was the one she spent the majority of the appointment in.

The fun thing is, both of them love (and look fabulous in) strapless. Who knew?

I will hopefully have the posts up soon, but for now, I leave you with the photo of 8 of my MdOH's top 9 (#9 was on her when my mom took this):

 

[DisneyShamrock]

I wasn’t sure whether or not my cousin would make it when I tried on my dress last month. Our family (grandma and the granddaughters, mostly) has a tradition of volunteering at a holiday luncheon our church does every year. I haven’t done it since high school, since it’s always finals week, so I didn’t know my appointment was scheduled for the same day.

When I first mentioned the bridal shop to her, she was kind of ‘meh’ about it. But, as my mom found out and told her otherwise, it was because she thought there were only bridal gowns. When we told her they had bridesmaid dresses, and hoe many my shop carries, she was in. Mostly due to weather, the luncheon got done early, and she was able to come with us.

I wish my mom had gotten pictures of my MdOH with the arm-loads of dresses she took into the fitting room, or the consultant as she put the ‘no-go’s back.

This girl tried on at least 30 dresses. We saw about twenty, some of which she refused to let mom get photos of.

There were only a few dresses she looked pretty good in. The rest . . . she looked downright fantastic. I still think she should model.

I will begin with the ones that got photographed that didn’t make the cut:

I tried to crop and re-size, but Photobucket kind of sucks, so bear with me.

 

[Jilian]

Ohhh, I like the top 8 dresses, especially the pinks and purple. I can't wait to see the top contenders!

As for the makeup, I'd go with a full face of makeup and tell her you want natural. It helps even out skin and make your face photograph well. I asked for natural makeup with focus on my eyes for my trial a few months back. I think she did a good job and the makeup didn't look caked on at all. I used Beaute Speciale too and I had Jackie.

 

[DisneyShamrock]

I decided right out of the gate that I was letting the girls choose their own style of dress. They have (so I thought) very different styles, so I figured it was the nicest thing to do since I was making them wear pink (inside joke). Originally, I was going to have them choose from the same company so the colors would match, but after seeing the dresses my cousin tried on, I’m opting for ‘as long as they mesh’ with the shades.

My MdOH has a blast trying on dresses. It was kind of funny, we only planned on being there for 45 minutes to an hour. Giving a teenager free rein to try on anything = not leaving when planned. But, she was having fun playing dress-up, and I was really enjoying the time in my dress. And, there was basically no one else there but the consultants (I had a 2:00pm appointment, and the next one was at 4:00pm).

We got there around 1:20pm, and I turned my cousin loose in the dresses, after showing her the color I was looking at. She immediately went to town, and we had a room by 1:45pm since no one was there (unusually quiet for a Saturday). I think we left the shop around 4:30/4:45pm. Yup. Three hours.

Here are the ones she liked but wasn’t sure (there was an ‘issue’ with each one, but they still made her final selections):

These were the ones she liked better than the previous (each modeled through the shop twice):

And, here are one I think she’ll lose sleep over trying to choose from (considering she had each of them on no less than three times):

This one was my MtOH’s favorite:

They won’t be making their final choices for about a year (maybe 14 months), so I’ll post those later.

 

[DisneyShamrock]

I've been updating our Budget about once a month, and with more things bought, I thought it was time to update here as well. We've made a few changes (i.e. new at-home location, larger at-home guest list, flight/hotel/car price changes, longer honeymoon), and those also need to be accounted for. And, I've factored in updated Disney pricing (to the best of my digging). So, here is the budget one year after the initial one:

Planning Session (my parents are coming with)
APs for mom and dad....$1,105.47
Car/Flights/Hotel..........$1,845.00
Food..........................$320.00

Cost: $3,270.47

Disney Fairy Tale Wedding (approx. 24 ppl. including us)
Bar Tender.....................$106.50
BOC Bar.........................$1,155.92
Cake.............................$773.19
Chair Covers/Sashes........$235.37
Characters Appearance.....$1,739.68
Character Support...........$451.03 (I have seen this on other BEOs)
H'ours dourvres...............$64.43 (1 hour)
iPod Set-up....................$386.60
MK Photo Shoot..............$1,500.00
Pavilion Site Rental..........$3,195.00
Photography Package.......$3,650.00
Reception Meal...............$2,164.93 (guessing $70 pp.)
Table Covers..................$159.75
Toss Petals....................$89.46
Vendor Meals..................$63.14 (two photographers)

Cost: $15,735.00

Attire, Accessories, and Extras
Bridal Lingerie..........$29.06
Bridal Slip...............$66.41
Wedding Dress.........$1,230.00 (includes alterations and fitting fees)
Shoes.....................$21.99
Cake Knife & Server...$13.05 (thank you internet)
Cake Topper............$69.96 (bought on eBay)
Candle holders..........$18.26 (for sweetheart table)
Car Rental...............$866.53
Victoria & Albert's.....$378.30 (day after TLC)
Couple's Massage.....$350.00 (day after TLC)
Flights....................$640.00
Fl Marriage License....$93.50
Flowers...................$750.00 (making with mom and grandma)
Food.......................$480.00
Hotel......................$1,652.92 (GF for two nights, off-property the rest)
Jewelry...................$15.00
Makeup and Hair........$150.00 (possibly Beauty Speciale)
Officient Fees...........$300.00 (possibly Rev. Jack Day)
Photo Albums............$20.64 (bought at Gordman's)
Rings.......................$365.00
Sand Ceremony.........$15.00 (bought in an antique shop)
Stationary................$86.12 (printing ourselves)
Postage...................$22.88
Toasting Flutes.........$4.50 (bought in an antique shop)
Tux Rental...............$150.00 (Carolyn Allen or Men's Warehouse)
Veil.........................$18.00 (bought in an antique shop)

Cost: $7805.12

At-Home Reception (approx. 200 ppl.)
Cake.....................$1,093.63
Candy Bar/Favors....$250.00
Centerpieces..........$52.75 (rentals)
DJ........................$764.27
Food.....................$5,580.81 (for food and beer/wine/soda bar)
Invitations.............$73.17 (printing our own)
Postage................$70.40
Favor Boxes...........$60.00
Place cards............$50.00 (making our own)
Headband..............$13.94 (to keep my veil clean)
Table decor...........$50.00

Cost: $7,988.57

Total Wedding Budget: $34,799.16

Yup. It went up by almost $4,000. But, with that $4,000, we added 50 more people to our at-home, flights/hotel/car went up, among a few other additives. I think, at last glance, we actually added over $6,000 tot he budget. But, with some of my awesome money-saving purchases, we managed to still save almost $2,000.

Believe you me, I will be hacking away at the DFTW stuff when I get actually pricing later this year. My aim is mostly with chair covers and linens, as well as an actual estimate of food costs. I'll also be dropping some of the estimates as we buy more things (i.e. candy buffet bowls/jars), as I can calculate what actual costs were for the flowers, and (fingers crossed) flights/hotel/car will come down when we can book.

My brother has graciously accepted my plea for help in booking our wedding trip as well as our family vacation to Disney this year. We haven't set an exact date/time yet, but we're thinking early December.