Kim & Mark's 6/15/09 Escape PJ & TR - UPDATED 9/9/09 - Reception!

[Luvmyfam3]

Well, it had to happen....putting together a wedding in 2 1/2 months means there had to be some snags, right? Well, yesterday I called David's Bridal to find out if my dress had arrived. When I bought the dress, I was assured that May 15th would be the absolute LATEST day it would arrive. I knew it was a gamble, but I wasn't quite sure what my other options were.... Well, it's not there. I asked when it would arrive and they transferred me to the manager. He told me that it's showing that my dress won't arrive until June 3rd. Uh, my wedding is June 15th and we're leaving for Florida on June 11th! Honestly, May 15th made me a little uncomfortable, but June 3rd sent me over the roof. I really tried my best not to become Bridezilla and I have to admit that the manager did an excellent job...he never got defensive or condescending. He was very apologetic. He explained that he'll have more information in 48 hours (which I have no idea why he will know anything more...) When I bought the dress, the salesman explained several times that there were no refunds. I asked the manager, since the dress is coming in MUCH later than I was told, if I could be released from this contract if I choose. He told me I could. Soooooo........ crazily enough, I'm going dress shopping this weekend! Unfortunately, I think it's going to be best if I stick to David's Bridal because they are the only ones I know of that carry petites. Since I'm only 5'1", I think it'll be best to find a petite already in the store so that there are as few alterations as possible.

Strangely enough, I'm not super-stressed about this. I probably should be. I suspect the reason why I'm not so distraught is because I had a few reservations about my dress to begin with. The mermaid skirt wasn't the most flattering...I didn't feel. But, everyone else with me thought it looked great on me. But, I am concerned about finding something in stock...

Let the fun begin!

 

[Luvmyfam3]

Oh my gosh! I just checked out my ticker...it's down to DAYS and it's in the 20's!!! How awesome is that!?!?!?

Anyway, about my dress... my daughter and I went to various David's Bridals around Houston. We found 2 that we strongly considered....

Here's my original dress:

Here's dress #1

Here's dress #2

So, after much debate, we called in reinforcements....my mom. I have to say I am SO blessed. My mom literally dropped everything while in Walmart and drove 45 minutes to come help me decide. Also, my daughter, Caitie, needed to get to work so Mark was a true prince and said "Of course!" when I called to ask him to come get Caitie and take her to work.

My mom liked my original dress over #1. There are certain things I like about it, but I had a few reservations as well.... But, when I tried on dress #2, my mom liked it even better than my original dress. I was truly torn. I think part of it was because it had been a few days since I had seen myself in my original dress. So, we decided it would be best if I tried on both dresses. So, the next day, I commandeered my best friend to go with me to try on both dresses...the original and #2. I was hoping that the store that was holding a little larger size of my original would also have #2 dress. Well, they had it in a larger size, but we thought we'd give it a try.

I tried on my original dress (my best friend hadn't seen either one before...and I really trust her judgement) and she really, really liked it. She thought it was beautiful and we discussed it for a while. But, when I came out in dress #2, she said, "Wow.....That other dress was a beautiful dress, Kim. But you truly look like a bride in this one. It's so you."

And it's true. I truly felt that it fit "me". I feel so funny saying this about something as mundane as a dress, but I feel so much more at peace about this dress than my original. Long before this deadline issue came up, I would ponder my dress and whether I made the right choice. Now, I don't do that. I truly know that this was the right choice. My biggest concern with this dress is that it is SOOOOOO heavy!! It is by far the heaviest dress I tried on! So, I'm sure I'll be sweating like a pig at SBP in June, but I love the dress so that's okay. You know, for some reason, long before I looked at dresses I had an image in my mind of an all lace dress with a fuller skirt. I just really didn't know if it was appropriate. I really tried to keep with dresses that were simpler and understated. This one is that to me, but in a different way than what I had originally planned. I like the fact that it's all the same throughout. I think that's better for my short stature. And it's such a classic look...to me. Anyway, I'm so excited about it and I have no reservations about my choice!

I know there's been a lot of mixed reviews about David's Bridal on this forum, but I have to say in my instance they were superb. When I showed up at "my" David's I was greeted by a lady at the front desk I hadn't met yet. I started telling her my story and 5 seconds into it she stopped me and said, "Are you Kim? Oh yes, I know all about you...." And when I was in the dressing room taking off #2 dress, I asked her if I could just get the dress from the other David's Bridal that had "my" dress in the correct size she said, "Normally I would encourage you to order, but I know you don't want to do that. Ma'am, we will do anything it takes to make you happy." I realize this situation wasn't their fault, so it made things much easier. And they've been very accommodating in my instance...

Anyway, I'm so excited about my dress! And I can't wait to see it when it actually fits!

 

[PrincessShea]

Oh Kim you have much more patience that I in dealing with the dress situation. Glad to hear it's working out though! You would've looked great no matter what you picked

 

[Luvmyfam3]

I thought I would add a few more updates...I'm way behind!

I realized that I never put pictures of my actual invitation on here! The travesty! I had these made by a lady on Etsy. I swear, I'm addicted to that website! I also included an itinerary and map of the Disney property...

Okay, on to the updates! I have to say that my wedding coordinator, Karen, and Rosie are awesome! We've been able to work some things out that I'm really excited about...

I found this bouquet on Theknot.com and fell in love. I talked with Rosie about making it with only orange Gerbera daisies and blue hydrangea. She really liked the idea and said it may not even cost extra!!

I was going to have the girls carry rose wands, but Rosie suggested that the wands have daisies instead. I didn't even know we could do that! I think that's going to look great! Rosie also suggested that the girls have a little sachet of rose petals to carry down the aisle to throw up if they'd like. Well, that fits my girls perfectly! Three of our girls want to be called "Flower Girl". I told them I didn't care what they wanted to call themselves! The other one, (the red-head...go figure) wants to be "The Maid of Honor". Whatever! LOL

After Rosie sent a few views of the decorated archway, we decided that the view and architecture could stand on it's own. Instead, I'm going to have more rose petals (orange) scattered down the aisle. Plus, our sand ceremony table is going to have so much color that I think it'll be fine. I need to take pictures of the containers I have! My mom and I found them at an antique festival (I LOVE antiques!). They're science beakers that have the little lines and numbers on the side. And I found an old jar and lid for the container. It fits me and my decor perfectly, so I know I'll be able to use those beakers later around the house.

Reception:

We're going with the Modern Deco cake. And we were just informed by Karen yesterday that the bakery will be able to make it as we requested: blue background with orange design on top. It'll be bright and fun!

Here was my inspiration for centerpieces: But with oranges and aqua ribbons..

Rosie emailed me that she's going to have these jars for the oranges:

I think that going to work great!! I couldn't believe the price though.... $70 per centerpiece!! For borrowed jars, oranges the kitchen could use later and ribbon!?! Oh well! I told Rosie I'll just make sure everyone takes an orange as a souvenir! She also suggested I take the ribbon afterward and use it for gifts and the girls hair. Great idea, Rosie!

Now, for the best news!! Karen emailed me this morning saying that after a "lengthy discussion" with the photography manager, he's agreed to let a Disney photographer come to our wedding as well!! The Disney photographer will only do journalistic and candid shots. He won't take any direction from me. Fine by me! I was wanting tons of journalistic and candid shots! This will ensure that whatever Derek doesn't get, hopefully the Disney photographer will get! Also, that means I get the photos and album that comes with the Escape package! We are so psyched and appreciative of Karen's help on that!!

Well, I think that's about it! It's getting so close I can hardly stand it! I still have a few things that aren't done... I still don't have shoes and neither do any of the girls. They want ballet shoes. I was planning to order them online in the hopes they'd be cheaper, but at this point I think I'll just take them to a dance store and buy them. For me, I am strongly considering wedges...

But, I really love these shoes...
Pretty shoes that I can't get a picture of...
But, I'm afraid that between the weight of the dress and the planks on the boardwalk, it's a disaster waiting to happen. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Okay, well, I'm sorry this is so long! I really need to be better about keeping this up....

 

[Pirate's Princess]

Kim all those dresses look lovely! And I love the centerpiece idea. I heart etsy too!

PS you are such a lucky duck! Under 20 days!!

 

[Luvmyfam3]

PS you are such a lucky duck! Under 20 days!!

I know! In some ways, I feel like I'm not ready! But mostly I can't wait for it to be here!!

 

[Bride-to-be]

I am so glad you have your dress figured out - what a drama. I really like number 2 too. Its also great to hear good things about DB, I really like some of their BM dresses but was scared to go look at them. Maybe I will take a gander.

I really like the oranges because they are so original and florida is known for its oranges so it all ties together very nicely.

 

[PrincessShea]

Woohoo Kim! Your plans sound great. Rosie is beyond fantastic isn't she? I loved working with her...definitely someone who was born to work for Disney.

 

[Luvmyfam3]

I am so glad you have your dress figured out - what a drama. I really like number 2 too. Its also great to hear good things about DB, I really like some of their BM dresses but was scared to go look at them. Maybe I will take a gander.

I really like the oranges because they are so original and florida is known for its oranges so it all ties together very nicely.

Thanks! I'm really excited to go for my 2nd dress fitting on Sunday! The best thing about DB is that they have such a large inventory right at the store. Since my wedding was such short-notice, they really were my only option...

I'm excited about the oranges! I honestly thought they would be cheaper...you know, the whole Florida thing. When I squawked a little at the price, Rose jokingly said, "Well, you know, the price of oranges are so high here!"

Woohoo Kim! Your plans sound great. Rosie is beyond fantastic isn't she? I loved working with her...definitely someone who was born to work for Disney.

I completely agree!! Her customer service skills are incredible! And she really comes across like she enjoys what she does!

 

[Boardwalk_bride]

I just found your pj.....you get to go soooo soon!! YAY

I thought your ring story was so funny. I actually really love yellow diamonds! I told DF I wanted one, but he thought I would regret it in the long run

Can't wait to hear your full report!

 

[Luvmyfam3]

I just found your pj.....you get to go soooo soon!! YAY

I thought your ring story was so funny. I actually really love yellow diamonds! I told DF I wanted one, but he thought I would regret it in the long run

Can't wait to hear your full report!

Thanks! I'm glad you could join the party!

Yeah, I thought my "yellow diamond" looked kind of cool....for a while. I knew eventually I would want my sparkly white diamond back though!

Well, I know you guys have been dying to know which shoes I went with.... what can I say? Vanity won over and I bought shoes #3. The non-wedge ones. I had two DSW Rewards certificates, so they turned out to be much cheaper than the others. They're actually more comfortable than I thought they would be. I would love to hear from others saying that wearing heels along the boardwalk in a super-heavy dress is NO BIG DEAL!!

For some reason, I've been feeling more stressed the past couple of days about everything than I have before. I have to say, I'm really disappointed in myself. I saw myself as this cool "older" lady who has their crap together and didn't let little things "get" to her. Unfortunately, I'm not living up to my self image...haha. There's so many little details flying around in my head, they're like little mosquitos constantly flying around buzzing and irritating me... At this point, I'm hoping that once I leave for this trip, I will release a lot of this tension and be back to my super-cool, laid-back self! Yeah, right!!

 

[tiggersam00]

oh yay! Glad you found your dress, it looks amazing on you Kim! So sparkley and bride-y! I agree you have much more patience then I could ver hope for Kim!

 

[MiaBella05]

joining in

 

[Luvmyfam3]

joining in

Welcome, MiaBella05! Engaged at the Grand Floridian! Too cool!!

Well, I've been busy packing and such so there's not much to update you on...But, just in case you haven't seen enough pictures of me in my dress, here's a picture a friend took at the final fitting. So, it actually fits! (I've decided that I'm going to stand sideways in every picture so that my hips won't show....lol )

I received an email from Shutterfly where they went in with David's Bridal to offer me a free 8x8 book! Cool beans! So, I put together a book of Mark's and my dating journey. I was going to make it a surprise for Mark, but decided to let him see it before I ordered it since it's "his" book too! He almost started crying, he loved it so much. It really made me feel good that he appreciated it. I wish there was some way to put the book in here. I guess if I was really good I'd take pictures of it....maybe some day Anyway, I included our answers from our eHarmony profiles to show what we first saw about each other. I also included pictures of flowers he had sent to me and quoted what the cards stated (the cards were just as cool as the flowers...he has such a gift!). Anyway, I just received the book yesterday. It looks awesome! I'm going to have them put the book on the table with the guestbook pages to give our guests something to do while waiting for us to get our pictures taken.

The girls and I leave Thursday morning!!!

Mark told me yesterday that he can't wait until Monday when he'll be a part of our family, and that he is really looking forward to calling my girls his daughters... Is he awesome or what?!?!?

 

[Mrsdisneyb2b]

Just found this thread hun!!
I couldnt believe the diamond story but I LOVe the first hair pic!!

Cant wait to see more pictures! Its getting close!

 

[tiggerrifficheidi]

I can't believe how close you are! I can't wait to see pictures and hear the stories! YAY!

 

[Luvmyfam3]

Just found this thread hun!!
I couldnt believe the diamond story but I LOVe the first hair pic!!

Cant wait to see more pictures! Its getting close!

I love that first hair picture too! I'm just a little worried about reality... I have pretty thick hair, but it's really fine. I'm just going in there armed with pictures and a hope and a prayer that LeJeune can work their magic!

I can't believe how close you are! I can't wait to see pictures and hear the stories! YAY!

I can't believe how close it is either! We leave the day after tomorrow!! At this point, I'm just ready to get this party started!!

 

[Luvmyfam3]

It's finally here!!!! We are leaving super-early tomorrow morning for Florida!!!!

Whether you gave me advice or you posted your own planning journal or trip report, you've helped me along my journey of making this wedding very special for us! And for that, I say a huge "Thanks!!"

I am planning to bring my computer, but I'm not sure I'll post anything while we're in Disney or on our cruise. But, I'm definitely planning to post a trip report when I return....(although, I'm not even ready to think about it being over yet....)

Thanks, thanks, thanks!!!

Kim

 

[auntpunkin]

Happy Wedding Day!!

 

[tiggerrifficheidi]

Happy Wedding Day! I'm so excited to see pictures and hear all about it!!!