Altered State

47 days

222 invited
127 attending
34 declined

RSVPs today:
-my proxy godfather, Joel, and his wife, Stephanie
-my high school friend, Missy
-my college friend, Adri, and her boyfriend, Neal
I ordered a pretty (and sexy) satin nightie for the wedding night/honeymoon from Frederick's of Hollywood last night! Here's a picture, only I ordered it in black:

I had my alterations appointment tonight! Shannon went with me to take pictures as well as have her dress altered. Mine will be about $290, including a steaming to make the tulle look better. It's about half of what I would have paid at Alfred Angelo. Here's a great picture of the two of us:

 Someone bought our panini press off our registry today! I'm wicked excited because that was one of our favorite items!!

The Borrower

63 days

225 invited
106 attending
27 declined

RSVPs today:
-my former coworker from Gap, Katie
-Matt's parents' neighbors, Joe and Nellie, and their son and caretaker, Tom (declined)
-Matt's mom's friends, Liz and David
-Matt's cousins, Sean and Julie (declined)

I took Chase, one of our ushers, to get his tux measurements done today. After waiting for 30 plus minutes without being helped, we finally got him measured. Thankfully, the guy was young enough and knew how to measure and use the computer. Now, I just have to drag Ryan in to get his done.

When I got the mail, the rest of the fans had come in from Oriental Trading! I may have to switch the baskets for them and the bubbles, though.

I also got my something borrowed in the mail! My mom sent me one of my dad's name tags and here's a picture:

I also finally sent my mom the skirt for her dress! And then Chase pointed out that he was going back there tomorrow and could have brought it. Gee, thanks.

Last, the girls have found a potential house for the bachelorette! They're thinking this is the one which makes me so excited!!

For the Dads

67 days

225 invited
99 attending
21 declined

Currently working on: favors (141/192 done)

Matt is such a sweet heart! He picked up the skirt for my mom's dress today for me! I'm going to mail it to her tomorrow so that she can get it altered soon.

Our Vistaprint order came in today! In it were the totes that I had made for Pam and Natalie as gifts and the Father's Day cards that we made. We decided that since the day after our wedding is Father's Day, we wanted to give something to the dads attending our wedding. So we made cards on Vistaprint that we'll sign and hand out personally to each dad. We're also having a dance for them to dance with their daughters or wives.

Done Dressing!

68 days

225 invited
99 attending
21 declined

Currently working on: favors (141/192 done)

RSVPs today:
-my mom's friend, Anne, her husband, Jerry, and her daughter, Avery (decline)
-my college friend, Emily, and her boyfriend Jeremy
-Matt's aunt, Lisa
-my coworker, Paula, and her husband, Frank

The skirt for my mom's dress came in today! Matt and I are going to pick it up tomorrow after work since we had other things to do tonight. That will be the official end of dresses! Now we all just have to have alterations done!

I was in the mall today to deposit a couple checks and saw that the old nail place that I used to go to had reopened under a new name! It looks nice and will be great for all our nail appointments the day before the wedding. I'll try it out this weekend and see if I can schedule our appointments.

Matt and I submitted our reservation to McFadden's for our after party after the reception. They'll be contacting him soon about it!

Seventy

70 days

225 invited
94 attending
18 declined

Currently working on: favors (141/192 done)

RSVPs today:
-my great-grandparents, John and Florence, declined because of John's health
-my former Gap coworker, Jackie
-Matt's college friends and roommates, Kate and Kim

Matt and I went to pick up my mom's dress this morning. They still hadn't gotten the skirt in, but at least we got the top which will need more alterations anyway. We also went to Walmart and grabbed some Skittles and Hershey Kisses for the favors. I finished quite a few of them today!

I went to Michael's in search of something to replace the silver glitter rocks in some of the centerpieces since they float. I found river rocks and I'm going to try spray paiting them silver. (Hopefully the paint won't wash off in the water.) I also bought more ribbon for the favors as well as a basket for the fans. Last, I bought a scrapbook for the RSVPs which I've started to glue in.

I ordered the fans for the ceremony favors today! I got 180 total: 14 sets of 12 from Oriental Trading in orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and pink and a set 12 in red from ebay. The ones from Oriental Trading only cost me $35 with the gift card, reward certificate, and free shipping code! I also had a reward certificate for ebay, so I only paid $4 for the red fans! When they come in, I'll start stamping on the actual fan!

And I finally remembered to go to Staples and pick up the hard copies of the Purple Issue! Only took me a week.

M&My Favor-ite

71 days

225 invited
91 attending
16 declined

One RSVP today from Matt's mother's friend, Joyce, who declined.

I started putting M&Ms in the boxes last night after I finished putting them all together. They look really cute all put together! Here's a picture:

Matt and I also decided that we're going to add a couple other candies to the favors. The M&Ms we got won't be enough for all 200 favors, so we're going to have to buy more candy anyway. We're definitely doing Skittles (Original with the pink and blue from the Wildberry probably) and Hershey Kisses and maybe Wonka's Nerds.

The top to my mom's dress came in so I'm going to pick up tomorrow. Here's hoping that the bottom is in by then!

For the Groom

77 days

222 invited
78 attending
15 declined

RSVPs today from my cousin, Alex and his girlfriend, Katlyn, and my former Gap coworker Amanda and her husband Brian. Sadly, my friend from college Mike has declined coming because he has a family event that weekend. But we'll be seeing him at some point!

Went today to pick up Matt's mom's dress! It is the most gorgeous blue!! Now we're just waiting on my mom's which the store was calling about to see why it hadn't shipped yet.

I got the rest of the jewelry for our readers, greeters, and gift bearers yesterday! Again, I nailed it! AND I got Matt's gift as well! His cufflinks are absolutely amazing! I can't wait until he sees them the night before the wedding!

Matt's mom has booked the rehearsal dinner at Waterplace in downtown Providence. It's a great restaurant and sits right over the river. Absolutely gorgeous!

Pain in the Tux

94 days

212 invited
40 attending
8 declined

RSVPs today:
-Jay & Donna, Matt's uncle and aunt
-Luke, Matt's cousin
-J.M., Matt's friend from college and
-Joslyn and Tom, my friend from high school and her boyfriend

Today I went to pick up Nicole's dress at Alfred Angelo and got a VERY pleasant surprise: ALL of the girls' dresses have come in! I picked them all up, except for Shannon's because she has a balance due on hers, and brought them home! They are beautiful!!

I then took Nick to get his measurements done in Cranston. Those men have no idea how to use a computer. It took almost an hour! In the end, everything was fine, but it was a ridiculously painful experience. Ugh

And, last, I found a different pair of cufflinks for Matt! They're going to be a surprise, though! Here is the original picture:

Obviously they'll have our initials and date, but I love them!

For the Kidlings

95 days

212 invited
34 attending
8 declined

RSVPs today: my friend from dance, Meagan, and our friends, Justin and Lenny! (Justin is making our cake as our wedding gift!)

Matt talked to his mom tonight and she said that Nicole's dress came in! I'm going to pick it up tomorrow after work so we can bring it home this weekend! Now if the other dresses will just come in...

I started buying some stuff for the kids' bags. I got the coloring/activity books, crayons/colored pencils, and small toys at the dollar store tonight. I also found the bags that I'm going to put them in: reusable totes from Oriental Trading.

I also got in the dress that I ordered from Forever 21 for the honeymoon! There's a couple more that I want to buy, too, but I have most of the clothes I need.

First Come, First Serve

103 days

202 invited
5 attending
0 declined

WE GOT OUR FIRST RSVP BACK! Of course, it's from my parents and siblings, but it was SO exciting seeing the envelope in the mailbox!

I printed the letters for the out of town bags at work today. I needed 40 of them and my printer needs more black ink, so I had to do it at work. They have an industrial copier, so it was like nothing anyway. I'm going to start gluing them on tonight! Here's a picture of the letter:

I'm really getting annoyed that the rest of the bridesmaids' dresses haven't come in yet. I want to be able to pick them up before the shower so I can bring them home with me. I'm hoping for a call from them soon!

Just a Few Inches

145 days

Currently working on: pocketfolds (62/130 done)

I found a local salon that is going to do the alterations on my wedding dress! They're quite different from Alfred Angelo, as they don't start until the month before the wedding to take into account any weight loss/gain that might occur. As long as my dress is ready, I'll be happy, and they were really highly recommended online. So I scheduled my appointment for Monday, April 30 at 6 30 after I get out of work. Sadly, their alteration days are only on Mondays and Tuesdays, so I'm going to have to have my girls get their dresses altered somewhere near them, except for Shannon since Ana Bridal (where I'm going) is literally across from the end of her street. I also asked if I could come in just to get some fabric cut off so that I can send it in my our mothers' corsages and they said it would be no problem as long as I bring my shoes. I'm going next Monday (my mom will be visiting so she can go too) to get some of it cut off. Then I can order the corsages! Here's the picture from the listing; the ones I'll get will be white, obviously, with the pearls.

On another note, Matt and I found out that bed bugs are coming through the cracks between the ceiling and wall above our bed. So last night at 11 40, we rearranged the room so the bed was against the opposite wall. Matt called the apartment owners today to tell them so they can get rid of them. It sucks, but it gave us a (pressing) reason to move around the bedroom.

Just Broochy

147 days

Currently working on: pocketfolds (62/130 done)
                                  bouquet pearls (7/8 done)

I FINALLY ordered the last brooches for Jess and Shannon's bouquets! Of course, one of Shannon's won't ship until after the end of the month, but at least I ordered them and can finish those bouquets once they're in. Here are the pictures (let's pray they look this way and I don't have to order any more).

Jess

Shannon

Shannon

Also on the subject of bouquets, I finished the pearls for Juliana's bouquet! I now have only one left to finish which I'm going to do tomorrow! Then it's just the brooches left to buy and put in, then arrange the whole thing and wrap it all up!

I also cancelled my alterations appointment with Alfred Angelo this morning. I'm going to shop around and ask for some estimates before I decide where to get them done. But I'm glad I won't be paying $500 to have material cut off my dress.

Alter This

148 days

Currently working on: pocketfolds (62/130 done)
                                   bouquet pearls (6/8 done)

Tonight, Matt and I went to Alfred Angelo to pick up Cristina's dress! I love it! The piping on the top looks so great! I also scheduled my appointment for alterations. However, when I came home and looked up what pricing might be (thinking around $200) I saw that their stores ran up bills as high as $500! I am NOT paying that much money (half of what my dress costs) to have it hemmed and taken in. So I've looked around on the internets for a local shop and emailed them about coming in for an estimate with them. I'm going to call tomorrow and cancel my alteration appointment saying that I'll reschedule, but I won't. I don't want to make it awkward, though, since I have to pick up some of the other girls' dresses. Speaking of which, I also told them about the cost so they can go somewhere near them or to the same place as me.

Cristina's dress

I also stopped at Michael's and got some more stickers to decorate the guestbook, as well as going to Walmart to grab some more silver wiring. I'm DETERMINED to finish the pearls for the bouquets tomorrow. And then, it's just ordering the rest of the brooches!

Joanne

I have a picture of Matt's mom's dress. It's blue to match her daughter, but in a different shade. (Nicole is in cobalt, Joanne is in Mediterranean blue.) Here is the picture!

I also called Alfred Angelo this morning and they were able to change the color of Hannah's dress to eggplant! I'm so happy they were able to do that!

Flying Purple People Eater

160 days

Currently working on: pocketfolds (26/130 done)

I was looking through my information for the bridesmaid dresses today and realized that we ordered the wrong purple for Hannah's dress! I'm really upset with myself (this could have been prevented if I brought the info with me) but I'm going to try calling once they're open today to see if they can change it. If not, the purple isn't too different from the one I wanted, it just won't match Devon's vest as well. Let's see how this goes!

Matt and I are going home later to have dinner with my parents and siblings for my birthday so I probably won't post until after that!

Done, Done, & Done!

161 days

Currently working on: pocketfolds (26/130 done)

I went with my bridal party today to order their dresses today and it was more than a success! Shannon was able to get out of work early to come with us, so I don't have to make a different appointment! The girls love the dress and it's going to look great on them all! Olivia looked ADORABLE in the flower girl dress I picked out for her! (And she absolutely loved it!)

Matt's mom and my mom were looking through the catalog and the separates that they had for mothers and they BOTH found a dress they liked! So they both ordered their dresses today, which was totally unexpected! My mom got a dark purple chiffon top and skirt that looks great on her and Matt's mom got a dark blue satin dress and jacket that will look great, too! I love the colors they picked because it also matches their daughters in the wedding. (My mom's matches the older of my two younger sisters, Hannah, since pink isn't something she would wear.) I definitely have to get a picture of the four of them together at the wedding!

my mom's dress

This morning I had my hair appointment (I go every two months) after which I scheduled all of my bridal party's hair and makeup appointments! I also scheduled my hair trial for the same date as my next trim; March 10! I got so much done in one day!

Crayons of the Rainbow

162 days

Currently working on: pocketfolds (26/130 done)

I got my after party shoes in today! They are even more amazing in person! Love at first sight!

I also went to the mall today to grab some stuff for the bridesmaids (and our apartment - new placemats!) and flower girl. I got the bridesmaids each a pashmina for the ceremony. One of the kiosks at the mall was having a post-Christmas sale of 3 for $20. Perfect because I needed six (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple)! I also got a mini anti-bacterial for each girl for their clutch from Bath and Body Works (they were only 50 cents) in their color!

Tomorrow I'm going with my bridal party to order their dresses! (Cristina already ordered hers and Shannon and I are going a different weekend.) I'm so excited to get that done!

Planning Potpourri

165 days

This morning Matt sent out the package with my dress from ModCloth that I was going to use for the after party. I'll be getting a store credit that I can put towards the dress that I want for my shower. However, i ordered my shoes for the after party from the same site! I love, love, LOVE them and can't wait until they get here!

Matt finally got an email back from Joseph A. Bank about scheduling an appointment to look at tuxes. We are going to do it on January 14 after our consultation with the musicians from the chapel. It should be rather quick and painless since Matt basically knows what he wants (and their company has a build a tux program on their site that we used).

Matt and I ran some errands after we went to dinner tonight. We got some supplies at Michael's; more paper for the pocketfolds, Glue Dots, and the photo corners for the table menus. Then we went to Staples and they were...CLOSED. At 5 after eight, they were already closed so I have to go after work tomorrow to pick up the hard copy of my newsletter.

I also got a call earlier today from Alfred Angelo asking if I was coming to my 1 o'clock appointment this afternoon. I told the lady that I had an appointment for this Saturday; one for my bridesmaids to get measured and order their dresses and then one right after for my alterations. She said that the woman that does alterations isn't in except on Tuesdays and Thursdays. She was getting really rude about the whole ordeal even though I did absolutely nothing wrong. Long story short, I told her I'd reschedule and mine (no problem) and to knock off the attitude.

Do You Have an Appointment?

So I FINALLY remembered to call Alfred Angelo about the bridesmaids' dress appointments in two weeks! I had to add my first dress fitting to the appointment! I'm so excited to do something with my dress again! It's been sitting in my closet for six months and I've only taken it out once!

That same day, I'm getting my hair cut (my usual 2 month appointment) but I'm also scheduling my wedding party's beauty appointments! The night before the wedding, I'm taking the girls to get their nails done (except for my two sisters). Then the morning of, we're getting our hair done and some are getting their makeup done as well. That means that I'll get to schedule my hair trial as well! It's so exciting to be getting things done again!

Walking on Sunshine

Cristina and I went to Alfred Angelo today to order her bridesmaid dress! She'll be wearing this dress in black with Sunshine trim. It's so pretty and only $125! The rest of the girls and I will be going on January 7th to order theirs (Cristina will be in Miami and so we went this weekend). The dress looks so nice but, sadly, I forgot my camera and my phone doesn't take good pictures. Now I can't wait until January 7th!!

What Cris's dress will look like.