Small Vindication

I'm not going to lie when I say I was a little bit excited when I came across this news today:

"A bridal store in New Jersey has decided to close and abandon some brides-to-be who were awaiting their gowns. Bridal's by Roma in Clifton closed and hasn't told them anything except to come to the store and pick up their dresses. There are some brides getting married as early as Sunday who are not sure they're getting their gowns. Fox 5 News has reached out to Bridal's by Roma and has yet to hear back from the store."

Of course I was not excited for the brides that are currently dealing with this dreadful situation, I can certainly relate, but I am excited that no one else will be put through their misery in the future. It is no surprise at all that this horrible store finally went out of business and no bigger surprise to the atrocious way that they have continued to treat their customers. After the experience that I had there, I would not wish that upon anyone but it seems they have managed to outdo even the horrible experience that I went through. 

Throughout the day today I looked at reviews people were posting on yelp, facebook, and other local wedding boards of the stories of countless devastated brides. It is unbelievable to see what they are putting all these Brides through. They are closing down without even notifying their customers and just hanging them out to dry with no refunds and worse yet no dresses, and no way of even telling you that you have no dress if you haven't found out about it yourself. I read this comment on yelp:

"HORRIBLE!! This place is a terrible excuse for a business!!! I placed my bridesmaides dresses through Bridal by Roma to find out today that they are going out of business. they were completely shady about the entire situation and continued to measure my girls knowing they were going out of business. I showed up today to get one of my girls measured and was welcomed with a sign on the door of the bridesmaid section!!! A went back multiple times requesting to be refunded as they would not state why but yet just said they cannot deliver the dresses they promised!! The cops were called and after hours of waiting and waiting the owner showed up (only from orders of clifton police) asTONS  and TONS of angry and upset brides. This is dusgusting the way this business is run , no wonder they are closing their doors!!!!"

I can't even imagine how a person/business could continue to do that to another unsuspecting person like that. These people seriously deserve to go to jail or be fined or something for how they are getting away with this. Some of the people were posting that several news stations, and the cops have been there to deal with the mass hysteria of this awful situation. I can't believe all the comments and stories of all these people that I am reading: 

"Get your dresses and get out!!! They are going out of business and trying to steal people's money. The cops were there tonight and it was insane. I took my dress and ran and I suggest you do the same. If they tell you they are closing for renovations they are lying. The owner told the cops they were closing. Hurry and get your dress or your money back before they run with your dress!!!"

"I drove by today and just a paper sign with sharpie marker "store closed. Alterations only!" Not a great way to inform customers"

"Let me tell you what a nightmare it was.... I went to pay my final deposit on the dress and they told me to come in on Saturday. They did not mention a word to me that they were closing!!! So, I get there to find that the store was closed so I walked around to the back. There were over twenty birdes hysterically crying because they were closing and half of these brides had their wedding the next day. There were cops everywhere and rumor was that the manager left. After a three hour wait in the hot sun an older gentleman called one by one in. As soon as you walk in there was chaos! There were dresses all over the place and so much screaming going on between the seamstresses saying how they were going to kill the manager. I'm assuming that not only the brides didn't know, but all the people working there were shocked as well. You have to pay cash no checks! I ran back out to the bank and ran back to the store. I got my dress and the older gentleman escorted each one of us out. If you have a dress there go get it now!!!!!"

What a crazy mess. I feel so bad for all these brides that are currently living through this nightmare. I hope that it all works out for them. I know in the end of my disastrous experience I ended up with an even better and more incredible dress that was meant to be my wedding dress, but it was not fun dealing with it. The only good thing to come of this is that this horrible company finally went out of business. I can only hope that someone sues them or they get what is coming to them for what they have put all these people through!

My Last Single Girl Post

As a single girl.... I can't believe this day has arrived. It's hard to believe that it is here, it really hasn't even sunk in until today. We have been so busy lately with last minute preparations, meetings and dropping things off that was hard to step back from all the logistics and realize just how close this day was. The last 18 months have just flown by. In many ways it feels like just yesterday that Mike proposed to me. I will never forget that night. It was the happiest day of my life. I was overcome with joy and happiness when Mike asked me to be his wife and tomorrow it will come true. I can't believe that tomorrow at this time we will have been married in front of God and all our friends and family. I am so excited to marry my best friend and I could not have asked for or imagined a better husband or best friend.

Planning a wedding has been quite a process and a lot of hard work, time, and money. Tomorrow we'll see every little detail come together in the vision we had in mind for our wedding. From every vendor, to the flowers, to the location and dresses, and everything in between, and  I can't wait to see how it all comes out. I will say this has probably been one of the most stressful processes of my life, it's had it's up and downs. I certainly have enjoyed my time as a bride-to-be, to have such an exciting life event to look forward to. Mostly I am excited about starting my life together with Mike as Husband and Wife and knowing that we will be joined together in the end that is what it is all about anyway. Not what song was played or what flowers we picked out just as long as Mike and I are happy. And I know that no matter what happens tomorrow we will have the most beautiful day together and I can't wait to walk down that aisle and see him waiting for me at the other end.

Disappointing Update

Well I got the news tonight I've been dreading to hear for the past month. I lost my dispute claim with American Express and we are officially out the money for the first dress. It's been a frustrating and upsetting process to say the least. The most upsetting part is that the store screwed up my dress and did not properly fix it and they get away with giving me defective merchandise and there is nothing I can do about it. Apparently I was told that when you sign a receipt that says no refunds or returns you are limited to this and there is nothing American Express can do to get you your money back. I have a hard time with this as a consumer that you are not protected against negligent action on the part of the merchant and you have no recourse.

I know in the big scheme of life there are WAY worse things that can happen. And yes over the course of our marriage my 2nd wedding dress will be pennies in the bucket. I was really hoping and thought in my head that we'd be getting the money back for the dress. I certainly don't regret buying the new dress that's for sure, because this dress is far more spectacular and it was meant to be my dress and I know have the opportunity to wear an even more amazing dress than my original one, it's just unfortunate that we're left with the price tag of the first dress and for it to never be worn because of poor customer service and workmanship on the part of a rude vendor and I did nothing wrong as the consumer and I have to pay the price for it.

No More Drama

I realize there have been a lot of posts recently about all the dress drama, so I will hopefully try to make this the last one. I'm quite happy to say that I will never have to return to Bridals by Roma for anything else again. Last Tuesday, Mike's Mom made the trip over to the store with me with the sole intention to retrieve the dress and take possession of it. Our only goal was to get the dress and leave with it. I think we were both pretty anxious about going over there to get it, we weren't sure what we were in store for with our favorite store manager. Thankfully the lovely manager Joanne by some miracle was not at the store on this particular day. We were able to get the dress and leave with little to no altercation. We did tell the seamstress how extremely unhappy we were  and how going to that store had become such a stressful and upsetting process. Although they did tell us they ordered more fabric for the dress there was no way we ere sticking around and waiting it out to see the results.

We immediately took the dress over to the new bridal salon where they agreed to write the letter to American Express on the condition of the dress. As soon as we arrived and they saw the dress I felt better in hearing four people immediately agreeing with the color.  They agreed with the color differences and showed us the alterations on how they changed the dress. We were (somewhat) shocked when the new salon showed us even more changes that we didn't know about and the original store blatantly lied to us about and falsely represented the changes they made to the dress.

In any case I'm so glad it's done and over with now, the dress is now hanging in the closet upstairs while I wait for American Express to explore the claim. I'm feeling more optimistic that they will rule in my favor now that I know the other salon agreed. In the end I know this happened for a reason and I am so happy with my new dress. I am planning to donate my first dress to Brides Against Breast Cancer so I know that some good will come out of this as well. I couldn't think of a better cause for the dress to go to!

I Bought Two Wedding Dresses

Yes it's true after my first dress diabolical I have officially purchased a second wedding dress. Not many brides can say that they purchased two wedding dresses and one just 2 months before the wedding but I can. This whole experience has now left me feeling that everything happens for a reason and no matter what the outcome of my credit card dispute claim I know I will not regret this decision. THIS is my wedding dress and it was meant to be. Never in a million years would I have imagined this, but I can honestly say now that I know I have closure and a plan B I am happy that I went through this because now I truly have a wedding dress to write home about.

While my original wedding dress was beautiful and it did seem to fit my personality it was extremely simple. It probably would have gotten the job well especially if I was happy in it, a happy bride is a beautiful bride, but happy was clearly no longer an option in this dress, so I moved onto the next one. I also had my doubts about this dress from time to time about its simplicity (and obviously the lack of strapless top). I honestly don't know that I would have picked this dress out the first time around but I know it was meant to be this time. It was the first dress I put on last night and it will be the last wedding dress I try on.

To put it simply this dress is far more elegant, sophisticated, traditional, beautiful and it has the 'wow factor.' The other dress was pretty but it was definitely missing the wow element. When you see this dress, you know right away THIS is a wedding dress, a dress to remember, a dress that will shine all night long. The intricate bead work on the dress just shimmers especially when it catches the light. The sweetheart neckline gives me just the right definition on top in fact it even gives the impression that I might even have a chest. The train is elegant, the way it looks from behind, I can picture it walking down the aisle, I can picture it from up on the alter with the train draping down the stairs. It is a perfect dress for my wedding day.

I was overwhelmed when I saw it last night for the first time, there was so much going through my mind I didn't know what to think. I knew right away though that everyone in the store, including my Mother-In-Law absolutely loved the dress. I went home to think about it and sleep on it just because there was so much going through my mind, and I also wished my Mother could be part of the decision, I do value her opinion so much. I decided to go back and see the dress tonight and my second opinion would actually be the grooms! I know it's not traditional but after everything I went through with the first dress and my emotional state it only seemed logical to bring Mike along and make sure he was comfortable with this purchase as well (since there's the chance we may be paying for two dresses).

When I tried on the dress again I felt even more beautiful in it and it immediately secured my decision and I bought it on the spot. I sent the pictures to my Mom and Matrons of Honor as soon as I got home and all they could also say was wow. I know there is absolutely no comparison to the original dress and somehow this was meant to be my dress. I absolutely know that I will not regret this decision and I will be so happy wearing it and with the way that it comes out in my pictures and memories! I cannot wait to go back and see the dress again and show my Mom in person, but I know she loves it as much as I do already. And I can't stop looking at the pictures of the dress. In the end I guess I can thank Bridals By Roma for screwing up my original dress and giving me this opportunity to get an even better dress.

Emotional Roller Coaster

What a difference a day can make. Tuesday night at 6pm I was feeling depressed, upset, unsettled and anxious about my wedding dress. Tonight at 7pm I was feeling confident, happy and excited about new possibilities. After all how many brides actually get a shot at a second dress, and this one practically fell in my lap. With all my wedding dress drama I never thought I would get another shot to completely rectify the situation, I  was really feeling helpless and depressed about the situation to say the least. Mike was referring to me as Mope. Tonight I truly feel like a new woman and a new bride.

The past 24 hours have been an emotional roller coaster from the bottom back up to the top. Yesterday after work my wonderful Future Mother-in-Law was kind enough to come up to meet me to take me back to the horrendous bridal salon to see my two-toned dress in person for herself and also to express her concerns with the bridal shop and the service we'd been receiving. We did see the dress and of course the store manager Joanne came right out and basically tell us how there was nothing wrong with the dress and continue to not acknowledge or sympathize with our concerns about the dress and the color differentiation. I am so glad I had my Mother in Law there with me and her full support she was wonderful about speaking up about the problem in a calm and rationale way. In the end though we did not really get any further on the dress or a real solution to fixing the problem we simply got a "we'll try" and they'll call me when it's ready. The did continue to fit me for the dress and we left still upset about the condition on the dress.

After that since it was still early on a whim we decided to look for another bridal store in the area so we could go look at new dresses. We happened to stumble on Bijou Bridals as a local bridal salon that I remembered passing. We got so lucky when we went in there, the salon was empty and they took us right away. Everyone in the entire store was extremely friendly, helpful and sympathetic to my situation. I was shocked to learn that there was even the possibility of me getting a brand new dress to wear (and not a sample dress). We combed through one rack of dresses and pulled out a few and it was off to the dressing room I went. (More to come on the dress later). We left the bridal salon in with much more positive outlook than when I got there just an hour before. I now knew that I had options.

Disputing the Charges

When we got home from the Bridal Store I knew what I had to do. It was clear that there was no way I was going to wear the original wedding dress I had purchased. The experience had been ruined and there was too much emotional baggage with this dress. I knew I didn't want to spend my entire wedding day worrying about the dress and how the color would come out in the pictures. I had officially given up on my dress after Bridals By Roma clearly gave up on me.

I spent the next 30 minutes on the phone with American Express to initiate the process of disputing the charge from the bridal store stating that they provided me with defective merchandise. I was instructed to send in a letter of explanation about the description of the product and what was done to rectify the solution. In all my letter came out to be 3 pages long explicitly detailing the situation with names and dates. To prove my claim I then need a second opinion merchant to evaluate the merchandise and provide an evaluation of the dress. In order to do this I need to retrieve the dress from Bridals by Roma, this is the part I am not looking forward to. I have no desire to ever go back to that store but it must be done. Thankfully my Mother-in-Law has agreed to go with me to retrieve the dress. I don't think I could face that awful woman alone taking my dress out of there and whatever rude comments she will make about my dissatisfaction with the dress, not that I think she really cares, but I'm sure she'll give her two cents.

I do have some concerns about doing this. I know it is not a guarantee that I will be able to get my money back from American Express through the dispute. I also need the other Bridal Salon that I bring the original dress to evaluate it in the condition that I believe it to be. I have stated that the color difference is not glaringly obvious and is more subtle, most wedding guests might not have noticed it but as the bride it was clear to me. I hope that another salon agrees with my dissatisfaction with the quality of the dress. Otherwise I will not have any case to go on.

My other concern is that the dress is currently at the original salon, and while I don't have much faith that they would ever have fixed the dress properly there is still a chance that they might make some last ditch attempt. On the other hand if the woman has yet to properly acknowledge my claim or sympathize with my dissatisfaction I am inclined to believe that she will not be jumping through any hoops to make any changes to the dress, so really doesn't have any real pressure on her to do so, because basically in her mind she can only tell me to take the dress or leave it and obviously she doesn't care about her customer ratings since we've read plenty of negative reviews already.

Now I just need to get back and get the dress as soon as possible before anything crazy changes with it and I have no case to get my money back. At least thanks to American Express I have some hope at resource, so thank you to Amex and your consumer protection!

Upset About The Dress

I am so upset about my dress. I feel like I am in a state of limbo right now with it. I don't know what is going on. I don't even know if I want to wear MY dress after everything this store has put me through. I actually dread going back there tonight to go see the dress and see what they say. The woman in the store is so nasty and after the countless negative reviews I read on Sunday night and made myself even more sick about I am not expecting any type of resolution.

I called American Express last night to find out about disputing the charges on my credit card for what I paid for the dress. They said I could do that but if I do I would not be able to take the dress with me. So if I decide I want to fight for my money back on the dress I give up all hope of ever wearing that dress for the wedding so I have to be certain I'm not even going to try and salvage it.

I called 3 other bridal salons yesterday. My first call was to Hollywood Bridal where I got the bridesmaids dresses from, they said I could bring the dress to them but if they don't have the fabric they won't be able to do anything with it. The woman on the phone was appalled that Bridals by Roma, 1) promised me a strapless gown from a halter top and 2) that she didn't order the fabric at the same time, you never order fabric from a different dye lot she told me. I also inquired about sample dresses there but she said they're all a size 10 or 12 and it would be difficult to cut the dress down to a size 2 for me. I also made an appointment to go back to Kleinfelds next Tuesday if I decide that I don't want to wear my original dress and to go look at sample gowns.

Mike and I also went to a bridal salon in Westchester on the way home from work last night to look at sample gowns there just to get an idea of my options. He was so supportive. He came in the room with me and explained the whole story to the sales consultant, he just kept saying how he wanted me to be happy. I tried on a few sample dresses. There was one beautiful dress I saw that I definitely liked. It's VERY similar to my original dress, same structure, ivory satin, a-line with the minimal beading. The beading is slightly different and the bottom of the dress and the train has beading. I actually broke tradition and showed Mike the dress. He of course said I looked beautiful and loved the dress.

I'm just not sure what I want to do yet if I've given up all hope on MY dress and I truly don't want to wear it as is. It's just so upsetting, I couldn't sleep last night thinking about it. I know it's just a dress but it's my wedding dress. I've been dreaming of this dress for years, I just want it to be perfect, and right now it's definitely not. We'll see what happens when I go back tonight.....

So Disgusted....

...By the Bridal Salon that I bought my wedding dress at. I love my dress (in theory) but I am so sorry that I bought my dress here. This has seriously been the most frustrating and upsetting process of my entire wedding planning. It's not like I am purchasing a pair of pants or a sweater that it doesn't matter what it looks like or if it isn't perfect, this is my wedding dress. The dress that I will wear on the happiest day of my life and look at these pictures for the rest of my life. If there was one decision about the wedding that I could take back this would be it. I would never recommend this place to anyone.

It really all comes down to the customer service, or lack there of. The store manager, Joanne, is the rudest, pushiest, most aggressive sales person I have ever met in my life. It's not like you are buying a car and expect to be pushed around, you are buying a wedding gown, it should be a pleasant experience. Most places one would argue would treat you like a princess, here I have been treated like a piece of GARBAGE. I'm sorry but you do not tell a person they are crazy and imaging things.

Let's recap my latest experience at Bridals By Roma. After the last time of having no top ready on the dress (having had the dress in possession for 3 months already) they had done absolutely nothing to the dress and it was in the same condition as it arrived from the manufacturer. So I called on Thursday and inquired about the progress. They informed me that the top was done and I could come in this Saturday to see it, great. My mother and I arrived at the store were taken to the back and take out my dress and I momentarily get excited that my dress is no longer a halter top and has the correct top on it. I feel relieved and so happy to finally have MY dress.

That is until upon further inspection I can see that my dress is two different colors. I started to look at the gown closer. You can clearly see the top is a different shade from the rest of the gown and that the new panel that was inserted is a different shade. Now is it the worst shading difference in the world, no, but it is noticeable  to me! Here's where things get ugly.

So of course the rude saleswoman Joanne (who you'll remember from last time with her inappropriate comments) takes it to a whole new level this time. She insists that that gown is the same color, she tells my Mother that we are CRAZY, that we are imagining this, that there is nothing wrong with the gown, that she has been in this business for 29 years and she knows what she is talking about and clearly we don't. She talked down to us, she was rude to us, she got nasty with us. All she kept doing was reiterating her comments over and over and over again. She made NO ATTEMPT WHAT SO EVER to even make me happy with the dress nor did she EVEN CARE TO. She paraded all around the store with us with the same comments over again. Telling us how the material was quote "ordered from the same bolt" and "it doesn't matter that it wasn't ordered at the same time" - well how come it WASN'T ordered at the same time?

It makes a difference to ME. I am the bride and I am not happy with the dress. At one point I almost broke down crying in the dress. It was so upsetting, I didn't even want to be wearing it. I asked to be taken out of the dress. At one point I broke down and said to her "I don't care what you say, it's about what I want, I am the paying customer, this is my dress that I have to wear, and I am not happy with the dress." She had no other comment other than to tell me that I was crazy and there is absolutely nothing wrong with the color and that I'm imagining the whole thing, "it's in my head because I know she changed the panel."

This is the way I was treated for my wedding dress. It's so awful and upsetting, I hate going there and I hate seeing my dress. I wish I could just get my money back and buy a whole new dress because this is utterly ridiculous. We left with no solution after being treated quite poorly. I'm going back with my Mother-in-Law on Tuesday night to show her the dress and see what thinks and what can be done because this is not cool.

We've Got Tuxes!

One more item to officially cross the list. We went to go run some errands on Sunday afternoon and one them included going to Dante Zeller, another tuxedo chain store since our original trip to Men's Wearhouse did not work out as well as we had planned. From the second we walked in the sales woman was ten fold more helpful. We saw right away a beautiful tux jacket and also our truffle color vest. There was a brief second when we contemplated the truffle color for fear that it might clash with the black jacket but we got past that pretty quickly. I think it will still look good next to the girls dresses. It looks like it will match their dresses perfectly. We also loved the brown strip tie, and we got the ivory solid vest for Mike along with an ivory striped tie for Mike. The tux we picked out was def more on the expensive side and Mike was really worried about it. The jacket we happened to fall in love with was a Calvin Klein one but hopefully the guys won't mind too much, I know Mike really appreciates all of his guys doing this for him. And boy are they going to look so sharp on the wedding day!

Hair Trial Attempt 1

In another extremely busy day we crammed in a whole bunch more wedding activities. My poor Mother began her day (as usual) fighting the ridiculous traffic from Long Island to New Jersey (that traffic is always ridiculous). Once she finally made it past the hour it took her to go 3 miles on the Cross Bronx Expressway we were immediately off to the hair salon, leaving Mike home to unpack my Mom's car (which was full of the rest of the gifts from the shower). Overall I'd have to say my Mom and I both loved the salon and we loved all of the people there. Everyone was so friendly, helpful and attentive and the salon itself was very comfortable and well done.

We began with my hair trial. I had brought in some pictures of hair half up and down, I knew I wanted a lot of height on my hair, I did not want it to be flat when you look at it from the front. Overall I was very happy with the end result. I don't however think it was my absolutely perfect wedding hair. It definitely was not as high as I would have liked on top (I know that is easy to fix). I think though the back was lacking a little bit. it seemed like it was very narrow in the back and lacking some fullness. From some views of the front it almost looked like all of my hair was up. I did however love the left side profile of it, the right side needed a little something else with the styling. She did also suggest putting some diamond pins in the back of my hair to give it a little something else as well.

After my hair trial I also got a make up trial done as well. I have absolutely no complaints about that. I thought the girl did a fantastic job and def looked like enough for my wedding day but was also natural enough that I didn't feel like I had gobs of make up on. My mom also got her hair and make up done. I thought that the girl did a fantastic job blowing out her hair and it looked beautiful. The makeup while I thought it was very pretty my mom thinks that she would prefer to do it herself the day of. That's fine with me as long as she gets her hair done on the wedding day.

Overall did I like the hair? Yes. Did it look pretty? Yes. But is it the right hair for the wedding? I'm not sure....

Dressing the Boys

Last weekend we made a trip over to Men's Wearhouse thinking we'd be able to pick out all the guys tuxedo's for the wedding. Unfortunately our trip was not as successful as we would have hoped. After waiting 20 minutes for someone to even acknowledge us they showed us a small sample of colors none of which would match with the girls dresses. I was surprised that there was nothing for the groom to even try on. They put him in one jacket completely not his size and couldn't even show us full size vests, they had some small color swatch panels to look  at. Needless to say we walked out there quite disappointed, now where would we go? We had no back up plans in mind or other stores that we knew of. We had to find another store and with colors we would like fast. I started my usual Google detective work and came up with Dante Zeller, another chain store, but this time with more color options that definitely appear to be much more in line with what we both had in mind. We saw a truffle color solid vest along with a brown striped tie and that is definitely what Mike had been picturing his guys in from the beginning. And as a bonus because it is a chain that are locations all over that area that will work out pretty conveniently for almost all the guys. I can't wait to go see the colors in person this afternoon. We've both got our fingers crossed that this will work out.

Bridesmaids Dresses

Ahead of schedule the girls dresses came in. Since almost all of our girls live out of state we went to go pick up the dresses so I could deliver the dresses to them. I was so excited to see them in person. I already knew the chocolate brown color we'd be getting but it was great to be able to see the sash color with it as well and it was def the perfect fall shade I was going for. The sash isn't too long in the back either it's a great length and won't get in the girls way. When I had originally ordered the dresses I had some concern, did I pick the right one, or should we have gone for the more expensive dress with more going-on-on-top, but after seeing the final product all my doubts are gone and I think these will be perfect for them. They're very simple but will def get the job done, and I think the girls are pretty happy with them as well. Now I can't wait to see them all together wearing the dresses which will be on our wedding day in less than 3 months!!!

Summer 2010 Update

I feel like it's been a while since I've had a chance to sit down and work on my blog. For the past 8 weeks my life has been consumed by work and summer school, leaving little time for other fun activities (including wedding stuff and the gym). But I'm happy to say that I survived another class and the 8 weeks flew by. I spent the past month and half taking statistics class twice a week at night. But it wasn't too painful and now I'm done and don't have to go back to school until January. I am definitely looking forward to enjoying some time off.

We've only done a few small things for the wedding lately. One of them being meeting with our Priest, Father Andrzej, we had a really nice time visiting with him. While we went over some details for the ceremony, and chatted with him for a bit he also showed us all of the technology he had, including his iPhone and iPad, it was pretty funny how into it he was. Now we have to pick out all the prayers and readings we want done during the ceremony.

I can't believe we have less than 3 months to go till the wedding. Crazy to think that it's only 90 days away and will be here before we know it now. Everyone keeps asking what we have left to do, while Mike keeps saying "oh nothing" I know we still have some things to sort out (besides now forking over all the cash to our vendors). Most of the items are small things that we can't do until this point or later anyway, but here's what I think we have left to do:

1. Sign up and take Dance lessons 
2. Figure out remaining stationary items (escort cards, ceremony programs, table numbers, favor labels etc)
3. Make out of town guest bags for guests staying at the hotel 
4. Purchase wedding favors (I think we're doing jars of apple butter) 
5. Purchase remaining gifts for bridal party 
6. Pick out the guys tuxes 
7. Make/purchase guest book for reception 

And then the standard meetings with the vendors to finalize everything. send out invitations and create seating chart and other things like that. Unless I'm forgetting something I really can't think of anything else we need to do and I'm sure we'll get everything done so I'm not too worried about it. 

Hair Styles

Now that the hair appointments are booked I have to think about how I want to wear my hair. I'm like 95% sure that I want to wear my hair down for the wedding (although I absolutely loved how my hair came out pulled back for Bridget's wedding) I'm pretty sure I want to wear it down for the wedding, unless I absolutely hate how it comes out during the hair trial (which I don't really foresee happening). Thankfully it's October so the temperature and humidity shouldn't be an issue to deal with (if there's rain in the forecast for that week don't be surprised if I do another hair up trial the week of then). I'm leaning towards something half up half down with DEF some height on the top, it cannot be flat, I'd also like a little bit of a side part in the front. I think the curls will be the most natural and go the best with my wavy hair so it should take pretty well. I just hope it'll hold for the whole night. I'm really excited for the trial and then I even get to see it WITH my dress on after (and with my dress with the right top). I am so excited for August 7th for all my wedding fun!

Visions of Veils

When we last left off Mom and I went veil shopping and we were absolutely overwhelmed by how many choices there were. We decided we needed reinforcements, our first line of defense was to bring Bridget with us. Bridget had recommended the store to us, they had a great a great selection and tons of custom veils to pick from. Thankfully when we went back this time they were much less crowded, last time they were so busy, it made the process even more overwhelming. When the woman put the first veil on me I knew I loved it. Although it's VERY simple, in keeping with my simple taste, it does the job perfectly. It was the perfect length and the perfect shape on my face and the simple beading seemed to match my dress perfectly. I tried on a few more veils but I kept going back to that first one. Mom wanted to keep looking at more just to be sure, but I was already sure, the first one would def do the trick and it was simple enough that I think I'll plan to wear it for the whole evening as well, it makes me feel very bride. I'm so happy Bridget was there to look at veils with us it made the process even easier and was much less stressful this time. My veil is now purchased and I'll have it for my next wedding dress fitting. And I also have my headpiece too. I had been looking at headpieces last time and Bridget mentioned that I could borrow hers, when I tried it on again it was exactly what I was looking for, and very similar to the one I had previously seen, it was an all-around win, and now I have my something borrowed.

Flower Girl

One of things I'm most excited about for our wedding is actual seeing our adorable flower girl Alexis all dressed up. As I've already mentioned on several occasions she is just absolutely adorable and we are so excited to have her be part of our special day. I always love seeing her and seeing how big she's gotten. I had seen some flower girl dresses online and thought I had found one that would work at Davids' Bridal. When I went to go see it in person the color did not go, both the ivory and the chocolate sash were the wrong shades.

I happened to spot a flower girl dress at the dress shop when we were looking for bridesmaid dresses. Their prices were very reasonable compared to some of the other bridal salons. I dragged Mike back there with me to check it out when we were passing through that direction. I quickly looked and spotted the dress again and decided that was it. It's a dress by Jordan that the ivory color and chocolate sash should match much better. It's now officially ordered, Mike's Aunt called me this weekend to confirm, we're so happy they're just as excited as us to have her be a part of our special day. We'll have to see when it comes in since it will need to be hemmed anyway how short we want it, I do think the shorter hems are really cute on flower girls. I also love the big bow on the back. It should look adorable on Alexis and I can't wait to see her in it!

Finally Purchased

After months of shopping and too many places visited and dresses tried on, my Mother has officially purchased her dress, there's no going back now, this is one item she can't return. Maybe blame it on the peer pressure or the excitement of the day, we just came from seeing my dress, when my Mom finally made the BIG commitment. Of course after trying on I'd say no less than 50 dresses, it was back to one of the very first dresses she tried on and the first dress that I fell in love with on her. The dress is nothing short of spectacular and truly one of a kind. The detail on the dress is amazing, it's so elegant and makes her stand out and will be perfect for the Mother of the Bride. It was a very big purchase but I don't think she will regret it, after all it will be seen in my wedding pictures for years to come. But she only gets to be the Mother of the Bride once and I'm sure she will look absolutely beautiful (and much better than in a potato sack).

Love at Second Sight

Maybe I should say love at second glance. I officially had a bride panic moment when I saw my dress today for the first time. I so excited to get to the store and see my dress. I was accompanied by my Mom and my Future Mother-in-Law for the big moment. After we arrived they took us to the back to one of the alteration fitting rooms and she got my dress.

While the Mom's waited outside chatting away, they missed the panic in my voice as bag was unzipped and saw my dress halter top and all. My mouth dropped, the only thing I could get out was "that's not my dress." While it was the dress I ordered I had very clearly in my mind envisioned it arriving in the store with a strapless top. After I successfully scared the woman working there by saying it wasn't my dress they confirmed that the alterations were to be done in house and that they would take apart the dress and take out the middle panel and make it into the strapless dress of my dreams.

After my brief freak out moment I could then enjoy wearing my beautiful dress. It still made me just as happy as the first time I saw it. The fabric is beautiful, it was finally in my size so that I could see the beautiful details and buttons on the back. I was taken over to one of the larger rooms so I could see the dress in the 3 way mirrors and see my favorite part the train. I also ordered extra beading which we held up under the bust line - loved that so much, I'm so happy we ordered extra beading!

After some pictures and tons of smiles, I was told that for my next appointment they'd have the strapless part of the dress ready and then we can begin the rest of the alterations. I can't wait to see the dress with my top the way that I want it. It is still hard to envision it completely as it was with the halter top and holding that part down and there was also a deep v-neck from the halter, so I'm very curious to see how they put this strapless together, but I trust they can do it. I am def looking forward to seeing it at my next appointment on August 7th.

A Potato Sack

.... Is exactly what my Mother may be wearing to the wedding. You may recall an earlier post where I wrote about how my Mother had found a stunning dress that she found and took me to see at Macy's that we all were in love with. Well my Mother, who can't commit to any purchases, and returns everything, has yet to make a final decision on a dress to wear to the wedding. I kid you not when I say that my Mother has been to every wedding salon in Nassau County, frequenting most several times. There have also been several occassions where she's 'made up her mind' of course going back to the first dress but has yet to go back and purchase it. Every time I talk to her she tells me about another new dress, but there's always something wrong with it. There are too many places to list out all the stores that she's been to, frankly, I'm not sure how she keeps track of them all and what she saw where (although I'm not quite sure she remembers anymore either). Although it will be somewhat comical/ironic when she decides and goes back to the original beautiful dress that she saw. But I want her to be sure about her decision and feel great about her choice and feel beautiful in the dress. I know that she will look beautiful in almost anything she wears (the potato sack I'm not so sure about, but I may buy her one to wear if it'll help her make a decision). She is a beautiful woman with a great figure (since she goes to the gym practically 4x a week). I just hope one day I do not drive my daughter (or myself) this crazy with picking out a dress, because I know whatever she wears she will look beautiful in!!!