Faith, Trust & Pixie Dust! Jenn & Kevin 10/12/14 Italy/ADH/France - The End (7/2016 New TR Link!)

[Bewitch324]

I'm LOVING the shoes!! So perfect!

Your mom looks great in her dress...I'm so happy she found something she loves!

Looking forward to the menswear decisions...

Brooke

 

[elphie101]

I am the MOB and I am doing all of the planning for my DD wedding in January 2015. Wow, I do appreciate the depth and detail of your planning journal. It is helping me to make some decisions about how to proceed before the planning sessions. Beautiful colors and very thoughtful to make certain that you operate within reasonable parameters. Kudos to your parents for raising considerate and loving children.

My DD got engaged last month. I am so excited that I got hives (which I got when I was child of 5-7 whenever I was excited). We have our dates and locations YCWG and Contemporary Resort. Still working on rehearsal dinner and farewell brunch. Large family so we have told them that some of them may have to skip the ceremony because of the 120 guest limit. C'est la vie.

Our planning date will be next month. However, I have a planning conference on Thursday.

Thank you for sharing your experience. It seems to be a wonderful one and best wishes on your impending nuptials.

Thank you for your kind words! I'm probably repeating myself but my goal is to be as thorough with documenting my planning so as to help other brides, just like the PJs of brides before me where super helpful for my planning. Your post made my day!

Depending on where your guests are coming from, I've seen most people have at least 30% RSVP no to the wedding, so hopefully it works out that everyone can come to the ceremony!

Wow! Love the shoes! They look a bit like Carrie's from SATC!
And your mom looks beautiful. Great to hear she found her shoes as well.

Only one week late with the invites? That doesn't seem bad.

And I'm looking forward to see what you (I mean Kevin ;-)) will come up for menswear.

So many people told me they looked like the shoes from SATC that I had to google them (I couldn't remember - and honestly I kind of hate Carrie Bradshaw, at least I did when I last watched the show) and you're totally right! I guess that means I'm stylish?

I know we're not technically "late" with the invites, and we're sending them out super early, but I'm mostly nervous about the price of flights. I would hate for the flight prices to be the deciding factor in someone not coming.

Those shoes are gorgeous! I am very jealous!

I'm under the new pricing structure, so I hope things aren't way off, but there's not much to do but ride it out. So happy for you!

I think the majority of how much things COST (like the price of say, the DJ) is the same. To be honest I haven't paid too much attention to the new pricing since it doesn't apply to me, but I'm hopeful that at least some of the budget is still relevant.

I'm LOVING the shoes!! So perfect!

Your mom looks great in her dress...I'm so happy she found something she loves!

Looking forward to the menswear decisions...

Brooke

You and me both! I can't wait to start putting suits on Kevin

 

[Seia]

Oh, I love your shoes! I'm someone who always wears flats or flip flops too, but you're inspiring me that I can find something pretty and sparkly that's still comfortable. LOL.

Thanks for sharing your planning session budget and your BEO. My guest count will be much smaller than yours, but it's really helpful to see item costs!

 

[elainaandsophia]

Hi there,

I am new to DISboards and just came across your PJ. Just wanted to say thanks for sharing your experience. I am planning a vow renewal and its great to hear other brides experiences. OK OK so my VR wont be until 2019 unfortunately But ill be coming all the way from Ireland for it and think ill have to start saving like now. lol. Reading all the DISbrides PJ's will just have to do until the time comes to start my own. Best of luck with the rest of your planning.

 

[elphie101]

Oh, I love your shoes! I'm someone who always wears flats or flip flops too, but you're inspiring me that I can find something pretty and sparkly that's still comfortable. LOL.

Thanks for sharing your planning session budget and your BEO. My guest count will be much smaller than yours, but it's really helpful to see item costs!

I honestly thought I would be in flats too (primarily due to our closeness in height, but also comfort) but I did adore these. I may still get a pair of flip flops for the reception just for my own piece of mind (and if I don't wear them, flip flops!)

Hi there,

I am new to DISboards and just came across your PJ. Just wanted to say thanks for sharing your experience. I am planning a vow renewal and its great to hear other brides experiences. OK OK so my VR wont be until 2019 unfortunately But ill be coming all the way from Ireland for it and think ill have to start saving like now. lol. Reading all the DISbrides PJ's will just have to do until the time comes to start my own. Best of luck with the rest of your planning.

It's never too early to start planning and seeing what other people have! I can tell you I made some decisions (like photographer and location preference) over 4 years ago, before I ever met the man I'll be marrying. Luckily he's on board with them, but you definitely won't have to worry about keeping it a secret! Hope to see you around more

 

[elphie101]

So today I had my first fitting! It went really well, as best as it could have been - I only need a bustle! It doesn't even need to be hemmed! I was super shocked. Today when I put my dress on it was actually a tiiiiiiiiiny bit too snug, but I was also wearing Spanx with my dress for the first time (which the seamstress doesn't think I need) so I attribute it to that. I have my next appointment 1 month before the wedding in September, so we'll see then if it needs to be let out a tad (here's hoping not!)

The seamstress showed me an over bustle vs a French bustle, and even though my planner recommended a French bustle (as they're stronger and harder to rip should someone step on my dress at the reception) we all agreed (my mom, the seamstress and I) that the over looked way better with the style and flow of my dress. One thing down!


The over (very hastily done)


The French......which made me feel like I had a bubble butt

Invitations are nearly designed and will be in the mail next week, so the final product will be here soon!

 

[Saradactyl]

It's awesome that you didn't have to have very much altered! I agree that the over bustle looks better with your dress.

 

[alyaki]

The over bustle really does look a whole lot better with that dress than the french. It's so awesome that that is all you need - woohoo for avoiding needing to get it hemmed! And it's cool to hear that your seamstress feels you probably don't need the spanx. Hopefully everything goes well at your next fitting in September.

And yay for invitations being almost done!

 

[elphie101]

It's awesome that you didn't have to have very much altered! I agree that the over bustle looks better with your dress.

Nothing says motivation (weight loss that is) quite like trying to save money on alterations - though maybe if it needs to be taken in I'll still have to spend the money!

The over bustle really does look a whole lot better with that dress than the french. It's so awesome that that is all you need - woohoo for avoiding needing to get it hemmed! And it's cool to hear that your seamstress feels you probably don't need the spanx. Hopefully everything goes well at your next fitting in September.

And yay for invitations being almost done!

I'll have something to share very soon!!

 

[elphie101]

Hi all I took a bit of a wedding-planning break this past week - dealing with inter-family relationships just got to be so stupidly stressful that I needed to mentally put things on pause. Needless to say, clearing the to-do list by a bit definitely helped things

Firstly, we finally decided on menswear! We first went to a kind of warehouse store, where Kevin had previously found suits, and he liked this one (pardon his green shirt...):

It was good, but not a knockout, and frankly this wasn't the kind of place I was thinking we would shop (how would all the other guys find matching suits?) so we headed over to Jos. A. Bank, where we found THE WINNER!

Yes, he is wearing flip flops The suit is not nearly as dark as it is photographing (it's definitely lighter than a charcoal). The store was running a Buy 1, Get 2 Free promotion, and the guy who helped us gave us his card so we can call him when we order, in case the promotion is over so he can still honor it. Yay!

The big thing now is the ties. We already bought the green tie for my brother (our officiant), and I know I want the groomsmen in cobalt blue to match the bridesmaids - the only problem is this blue tie is now out of stock! Boo :

After showing Kevin some options, he liked the blue & white striped tie best, so I'm thinking of putting him in that and his best man in either the same tie or this one (since the MOH dress might have a bit of green in it):

I also went to a bridal shower this weekend for Kevin's friend's fiancee, and I figured I'd share some of the photos in case anyone else finds inspiration!

The cake table and favors - little mini wine bottles in glass cups, could be wine glasses or candle holders

Champagne bottles at the mimosa station

I thought this was so cute - the bride had asked for an apron to wear to the reception, since as she put it she hasn't "learned to eat properly" without spilling on herself! I blurred it out since I don't know if she'd want it on the internet, but it is embroidered with Mrs New Last Name & her date. So cute!

Only 110 days to go - time is utterly FLYING by!

 

[alyaki]

Woohoo for deciding on a suit! Especially since it seems like you're going to get to take advantage of the Buy 1, Get 2 free sale one way or another. That's a really awesome value. It's sad that the ties you wanted were sold out, but it's good to hear you have some backup options.

Also, gotta say, that bridal shower looked like it was adorable and fun. Time is flying by!

 

[Aschenputtel]

Great to hear everything comes together, although you couldn't get the tie you initially wanted…
Your dress looks gorgeous!!! And congrats on the weight loss (although I don't think you need to lose weight).

Thanks for sharing the bridal shower pics - I always love pics of this, since we don't have something similar here in Germany!

I'm already looking forward to see your invites!

 

[elphie101]

Woohoo for deciding on a suit! Especially since it seems like you're going to get to take advantage of the Buy 1, Get 2 free sale one way or another. That's a really awesome value. It's sad that the ties you wanted were sold out, but it's good to hear you have some backup options.

Also, gotta say, that bridal shower looked like it was adorable and fun. Time is flying by!

It's time to go tie hunting! I may just have to put Kevin on that one

Great to hear everything comes together, although you couldn't get the tie you initially wanted…
Your dress looks gorgeous!!! And congrats on the weight loss (although I don't think you need to lose weight).

Thanks for sharing the bridal shower pics - I always love pics of this, since we don't have something similar here in Germany!

I'm already looking forward to see your invites!

Don't worry, I haven't lost any weight yet! I'm going to knock off 5 pounds before the wedding though, both to fit into my dress better and because my doctor said so

 

[elphie101]

Well FINALLY I have an update to report! I feel like every day is all wedding wedding wedding and yet I have nothing to add in my PJ! But how's this for a juicy update - we've sent out our invitations!

Well, most of them.

Turns out this whole kabosh was a much bigger DIY project then anyone anticipated, mostly thanks to printing them from home. My MOH came up and stayed with us from Friday through last night (including driving back to her place an hour away to go to work Monday) for a massive invite assembly line. In total it takes about 45 minutes to print, cut, hole punch, fold-up and assemble 2 invites. Not to mention we needed to print the RSVP cards & envelopes.......so as of today we've sent out a little more then half our invites. I made sure to specifically pick & choose who actually went in the mail, so we wouldn't have any family drama to deal with ("WHY did your cousin Steve get an invitation and not cousin Joe, are they not invited anymore??" etc, etc) and I tried to send out the invites that had the furthest to travel first in hopes they'll arrive before the holiday. Whooof. Hopefully they should all be in the mail by last pick-up on Thursday morning.

Shall we have some pictures? They are based off of Minted's Minibook style, but I've seen similar ones on Etsy.

Cover:

First Page:



Second Page:



Third page:



Back cover:

Inside of envelope - we cut liners out of park maps:



Back of RSVP:

Front of RSVP (it's a postcard):

I'm incredibly pleased with them

I also think I've narrowed down the bridesmaid's jewelry - half the stuff I pinned months ago is no longer available!

I'm thinking the first necklace for my MOH, and the other for the 3 bridesmaids, but I need to ask if they can be made with the same shade of pearls as MOH's necklace (these are also from Etsy):

And that's about it right now! Yesterday I sent my mother a schedule of everything Kevin & I have going on this summer, and we're booked almost every weekend. I think smell crunch time.

 

[Bewitch324]

Oh my goodness, your finished invitations are AWESOME!!!! Really cute and clever...love the pictures, love the colors, love the text...really perfect.

Loving that you lined the envelopes with park maps...VERY very clever.

That MOH necklace is AMAZING. It will be perfect if you can get the other necklaces for your bridesmaids to match...

Brooke

 

[alyaki]

Did I ever tell you how much I love that style of invitation? And those colors? They look awesome - love the vibrancy of the colors on those. And the necklaces look cool!

Have fun with your crunch time! I think I'd possibly go nuts being busy every weekend....but I know we'll eventually come to that point too.

 

[Aschenputtel]

I love your invites! What a great way to use your engagement pics! And the park map envelopes! And the wording! (May I come? Or at least get one of the invitations? ;-))

The jewelry looks also gorgeous - the fit so well together, although the MOH still stands out!

(PS.: Good thing you haven't lost any weight yet, but when the doctor says it would be good , you're allowed to.)

 

[Seia]

Your invitations look fabulous!!! I love the envelope lining and your RSVP postcards. So creative and it all goes together perfectly.

 

[elphie101]

Oh my goodness, your finished invitations are AWESOME!!!! Really cute and clever...love the pictures, love the colors, love the text...really perfect.

Loving that you lined the envelopes with park maps...VERY very clever.

That MOH necklace is AMAZING. It will be perfect if you can get the other necklaces for your bridesmaids to match...

Brooke

Thanks Brooke!! I'm really pleased with how they turned out. I heard back from the seller overnight (they're from the UK) and it looks like it'll be possible! And a little cheaper than I thought too.

Did I ever tell you how much I love that style of invitation? And those colors? They look awesome - love the vibrancy of the colors on those. And the necklaces look cool!

Have fun with your crunch time! I think I'd possibly go nuts being busy every weekend....but I know we'll eventually come to that point too.

Thank you! My MOH really did an awesome job.

I have about 2 or 3 free weekends between now and mid-September, but I know that one of those will be bridal shower weekend and another my bachelorette party, so I'm just writing off the whole summer as booked!

I love your invites! What a great way to use your engagement pics! And the park map envelopes! And the wording! (May I come? Or at least get one of the invitations? ;-))

The jewelry looks also gorgeous - the fit so well together, although the MOH still stands out!

(PS.: Good thing you haven't lost any weight yet, but when the doctor says it would be good , you're allowed to.)

Hahaha thank you! I would love to send you an invite if I had any to spare!

Your invitations look fabulous!!! I love the envelope lining and your RSVP postcards. So creative and it all goes together perfectly.

Thank you I think the postcards really are my favorite!

 

[Disneyducks12]

Well FINALLY I have an update to report! I feel like every day is all wedding wedding wedding and yet I have nothing to add in my PJ! But how's this for a juicy update - we've sent out our invitations!

Well, most of them.

Turns out this whole kabosh was a much bigger DIY project then anyone anticipated, mostly thanks to printing them from home. My MOH came up and stayed with us from Friday through last night (including driving back to her place an hour away to go to work Monday) for a massive invite assembly line. In total it takes about 45 minutes to print, cut, hole punch, fold-up and assemble 2 invites. Not to mention we needed to print the RSVP cards & envelopes.......so as of today we've sent out a little more then half our invites. I made sure to specifically pick & choose who actually went in the mail, so we wouldn't have any family drama to deal with ("WHY did your cousin Steve get an invitation and not cousin Joe, are they not invited anymore??" etc, etc) and I tried to send out the invites that had the furthest to travel first in hopes they'll arrive before the holiday. Whooof. Hopefully they should all be in the mail by last pick-up on Thursday morning.

Shall we have some pictures? They are based off of Minted's Minibook style, but I've seen similar ones on Etsy.

Cover:


First Page:


Second Page:


Third page:


Back cover:


Front of RSVP (it's a postcard)


Back of RSVP:


Inside of envelope - we cut liners out of park maps


I'm incredibly pleased with them

I also think I've narrowed down the bridesmaid's jewelry - half the stuff I pinned months ago is no longer available!

I'm thinking the first necklace for my MOH, and the other for the 3 bridesmaids, but I need to ask if they can be made with the same shade of pearls as MOH's necklace (these are also from Etsy):



And that's about it right now! Yesterday I sent my mother a schedule of everything Kevin & I have going on this summer, and we're booked almost every weekend. I think smell crunch time.

Your invitations are so amazing I love the colors and your pictures look great on them and how clever to line them with a park map! Can't wait to see more of your updates? Have you started at all with favors?