Now THAT’S Love!

Oh wow. Are you in for a treat today or what? You can’t possibly be as excited as I am right now...you should be, you just don’t know it yet! I have a funny story to share with you. I know, it’s almost unheard of...me doing something outrageous or hilarious and making you LOL while you sit at your desk and “work.”

I mentioned a few posts back that the music was the main “oops” moment during our wedding...and that still holds true. For the most part. But there was something going on behind the scenes that only a few people know about...and it’s pretty funny! I wasn’t sure that I was going to share it with you all...not that I don’t love you...but it’s too funny to NOT share. So here goes. Oh, and I won’t even begin to apologize for there not being any pictures that captured this “oops” moment...just sit back, read and enjoy the story!

We finished with our family pictures, and what I haven’t told you yet is that all during the ceremony – well, mainly just the walking parts, I was noticing a “shift” in garments. Undergarments to be more specific. Standing still for family pictures was not that big of a deal since the rest of the family moved around us and the four of us stayed stationary for the most part. But during “scene changes” between families, I was giving a gentle tug (when I thought that no one was looking and I could be discreet) on my underwear. Now, I know what you’re thinking...the most common underwear problem known to women is crawling underwear...crawling up, that is. But that wasn’t the case here.

You see, in an effort to be slightly romantic for my hubby I had gone out and bought some new sexy VS undies for the big day. But the joke was on me, wasn’t it? Since Mother Nature “blessed” me the day before our wedding, the joke turned out to be on me...hahaha. No, I wasn’t really laughing either! Anyway, so these panties were new – washed, but unworn. They were too pretty not to wear (they were in our colors – black and cream) so I decided the day of the wedding to wear them anyway and feel pretty, even if it was that time of the month. I even managed to go to the bathroom all by myself (like a big girl!) before the ceremony started with no assistance needed from any of the Maids. They were willing, but there’s just only so much a girl can ask of her friends, right?

Anyway...so these panties were new. Tried and un-tested previous to our wedding day, which might have been my mistake. I maybe should have worn them one other time just to see how they “wore” for lack of a better way of describing things. But I didn’t. Learn from me, PLEASE! Wear your special panties at least for an hour of serious walking around before wearing them on your wedding day when they’re not easily accessible for adjustments! It’s just smart to do these things...me? Not so smart, obviously.

We finished up the family pictures and gathered all of the wedding party back together so that we could traipse off back into the meadow that we all loved so much...and as we’re walking, I admit to MOH (sort of under my breath) that I think that I’m having difficulties. I explain the problem – there are too many layers between gown, under-gown and petticoat for me to find a gauzy layer of underwear and give them a good yanking up. After we both had a giggle about it, I decided to press on and finish the pictures first and then I could make a quick “pit stop” before making our entrance in the reception hall. Good plan, right? Yeah...

Well, it seems that the panties had another plan of their own. Before we could even get around Redbud Hall to the meadow, I knew that the situation was a little more serious than I had first thought. I paused, and MOH stopped with me, along with the rest of the bridal party. One look at my face and MOH broke out in laughter, she understood that look, and immediately took charge of the situation...even if she DID laugh while doing so. She called Maid Britney over to hold all flowers, and shooed everyone else on towards the field, telling the photographer that we were having a “wardrobe malfunction” and would be along shortly. We turned and started toward our dressing room, and I had taken no more than two steps and realized that these undies were NOT going to make it to the dressing room. They honestly felt like they had already slipped over my hips and were making their way down towards my thighs...It had to be fixed, and it had to be fixed right HERE!

Being the good sport that she is...MOH didn’t even bat an eye. She backed me up against the back of the reception hall, put Maid Britney on the “look out” and dove up under my layers of dresses. Where she proceeded to get a good “grip” and make some adjustments for me. In other words, MOH has now seen my bare butt. I mean, not like she was trying to look, but how could she avoid it?!?! I was mortified...but SO very grateful to feel “secure” once again. LOL! And if you ask me, she gave an extra tug – “just to be sure” or so she said...maybe it was payback for having to pull up my britches in the first place!

After all was well in my world again, we fell apart in laughter. I mean, like give-me-side-stitches laughter. It was THAT funny! Luckily, or hopefully, no one saw anything (other than MOH, that is) and we rejoined the rest of the party quickly. B, of course, assured me that he would have been more than happy to help with the problem once I explained to him what was going on...and I’m sure that he would have...but we were in a field with our closest friends and some of their spouses...maybe not the time and place for his sort of “help.”

So the moral of the story? You’ve really got two choices: 1) Wash and wear your special undies for at least a little while before that special occasion or 2) Be sure to surround yourself with women who are willing to “go the extra mile” for you when you start to have wardrobe malfunctions! Either way works...just depends on your own personal level of embarrassment tolerance! ;)

Arriving at the Venue...to Stay!

**For those of you readers who have patiently waited for posts with pictures...get ready! There's not another post where I didn't have a photographer near to capture the events! Get ready for wedding picture overload!!!

Leaving Whataburger, we made it back to the hotel, where J went with my Mom to get her bath and I settled down for about 15 minutes in a quick bath of my own. If you remember, I had started two nights earlier and although the cramps that had plagued me the day before we thankfully MIA, I still felt the need to be as clean as possible before putting on a wedding dress. Sorry if that’s TMI...

We headed back to the venue with our suitcases in tow and met up with all the other girls to start getting ready. I was shocked (pleasantly so) to discover that the boys were on time and we spent a few minutes jockeying B around so that he didn’t see me (his choice) as I got out of the car and into my room. MOH and Maid Britney worked on getting my stuff out of the car so that J and I could stay out of sight with the curtains securely closed.

But once you’re inside the room, only having make-up left to do...and getting dressed, which you have to wait for the photographer for, what’s a girl to do to pass the time? And maybe more importantly, how do you entertain a 7-year old during that time?

Nintendo DS to the rescue!

On one hand, I feel like a “bad” mom for leaving my child to play a video game on this all-important day, but there were only so many hands available in our dressing room, and I had some stuff to do. To be fair though, as soon as the basic make-up was on my face, she got to come into the bathroom for her turn with the make-up brushes and perfume sprays.

Then MOH (I’m pretty sure) took her and tried to repair her hair. One of the girls had thoughtfully brought a curling iron and they all set about either helping me with the details on my make-up or getting J’s hair re-curled a little bit...and in between they got themselves ready too! These ladies were truly amazing...

Before I knew it, everything that could be done was done. I was dressed in my corset-bra and petticoat, wandering aimlessly around our dressing rooms. Back and forth between the main room and the bathroom area...back and forth...not nervous, just possessing an abundance of energy! I had peed like 3 or 4 times already, and really had nothing left to do. And what’s a bride to do when she’s got time on her hands? Why, peek out the window, of course! I could see a handsome groom standing outside...just a few feet away from where I was and he looked SO handsome!!!

Like any good bridesmaid, my girls got onto me for peeking out the window...and I quickly reminded them that he was the one who didn’t want to see me, not the other way around. Somehow my very logical argument didn’t hold up, and they got the task of keeping me away from the windows in addition to everything else that they were doing! J thought that it was pretty funny that I was getting "in trouble!"

Before I knew it we were all ready and dressed...well, except for me that is. We had to wait on the photographer to capture those “getting ready” moments...and she was running a few minutes behind.

Luckily for my sanity, she got there about 5 minutes later and we set about getting some snapshots and getting me into my dress. My Mom also arrived about this time to lend a hand and be involved in this part of the process...I mean, how does a girl get married without her Mom there helping her get dressed? That applies even if it’s not your first wedding! Who cares if she’s done this before? She’s still your Mom, you’re still her daughter and the tradition needs to be honored.

Before we could start getting ready, the photographer took some shots of my dress hanging... Yes, I'm THAT bride that totally had a brain-fart and forgot to bring/make a pretty hanger for the picture of my dress hanging! Other brides out there, see how ugly it is? Don't be like me! Find a pretty hanger and take it with you... I still love the "Booby Bling" the best!

Then she took some of my accesories and got some great shots of them...they totally make my attempts at taking pictures look SO amateurish! But I guess that's why she's a professional photographer and I have a normal 8-5 job...

When Christina asked if she could borrow my e-ring, bouquet and shoes for a minute, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Of course, like most of her work, I LOVED the final result...check it out for yourself...

Some close-ups of my bouquet...

I LOVE that she caught my MeMa's earrings on the bouquet...

Didn't it turn out so nice? It sits on my nightstand even now, as I type this, and every night when I turn the light off, it's the last thing that I see each night...and it puts a big smile on my face.

Here's the shoes, sexy and sassy!

To be perfectly honest, Christina "borrowed" our rings twice that day...once before the ceremony and then once during the reception. I can't swear that these shots were the ones taken before the ceremony...but at this point, I'm not that picky! I think that they turned out great!

And last, but not least, another of my favorite shots. While Christina was outside getting those photos, look who’s in the background taking after her mother... All photos courtesy of Christina Carroll Photography

Need to catch up? Here’s some links:
Girls’ Spa Day
Bachelor/Bachelorette Party
Setting Up the Venue…
Practice Makes Perfect…
Rehearsal Dinner
5 Minutes is All that I Need
A “Quick” Stop at the Hair Salon
A Sneak Peek at the Venue...

My Dress Try-On Results

See? I didn’t leave you hanging all THAT long about my dress!

Just a day. Nothing to sweat over. Ok, so here’s the deal with my dress…it FITS!

After all of the drama that went into the ordering the right size of dress written about here, I have to admit that I was really worried. And then I did a trial showing of the dress when I was in Dallas a few months ago at a different Alfred Angelo store and the helpful lady there re-measured me and reassured me that all would be well, written about here. So…there was a LOT of anticipation over the fitting of the dress!

Added on top of all of that the fact that I have fallen off of the work-out wagon and haven’t done anything in about a month…LOTS of anticipation over the dress.

So, the really good news is that the dress fits nicely. It looks great from the front, and is VERY flattering to my current figure. So, even if all I concentrated on was firming and toning my arms so that they look their best in the gown, I would be happy.

The bad news? I STILL have back cleavage. Which I’m NOT happy about. But it’s kinda what I get for falling off of the work-out wagon. And the good news is that it’s not as bad as it was in the floor model dress which was a size too small for me. When I had on the floor model dress, not only was the “fat” around my shoulder blades and back smushed inwardly together, but it was sort of hanging over the lip of the dress. Not so in the size that fits me. It’s still smushed together, but not hanging over. So I either made some progress (which I’d like to think) or the size bigger made a difference (probably more likely!).

Either way, it’s great motivation to get me back ON the work-out wagon. And I’m going to proceed and approach things a little bit like I did before, and I little bit differently too. For one thing, I’m going to be doing different workouts. I like the P90X that Mr. CC really likes, but I think that for what I’m trying to accomplish right now, I need more cardio. So while I will be doing some of the P90X workouts with Mr. CC still, I’m going to do some different workouts too.

Plus, I’m going to increase my accountability level to you guys. Remember, you are my cheerleaders and I need encouragement from you. You need to cheer with me when I make progress and kick-start me when I’m not doing so good…so instead of just sharing my progress with you all, I’m taking it up a notch. Not only will I share my actual numbers with you (weight and measurements), but I’m also going to set weekly goals for my workouts and see if being held accountable on a weekly basis for meeting those goals helps me stick to it. You hear all the time about how good it is to write down your goals with pen and paper, making them real to you. So, maybe typing them out and putting them out on cyberspace for all the “world” to see (or the 5 people that read this blog) will help make me more accountable.

So, might as well start today, right? Each Tuesday I’ll post my progress along with my goals for the week. Then, the following week, I’ll be honest and let you know how I did on my goals from the week before, along with posting new numbers and new goals for the current week.

Think that you’re up to helping me? I don’t really need to lose much weight, as MOH pointed out to me losing too much weight now would be alterations for the dress…which might cause more problems that I want to tackle! I really just want a little weight loss, but more toning and shaping. So here’s what I’ve got right now:

Long-term Goals:
Lose 10 pounds before the wedding
Tone and sculpt my back, arms and that spot between arm and chest that sometimes looks pudgy
Feel healthier, making better eating choices and exercising regularly. Not a DIET, but a change in habits.
Current stats: (there are only three places that I’m really concerned a lot about measuring)
Weight - 154
Tummy - 34/37 (true waist/"tummy")
Thighs - 24
This Week’s Goals:
Two P90X workouts with Mr. CC – choosing from chest/back, arms/shoulders and kempo (following each workout with the ab ripper x workout too)
Run 2 times this week on other days – 5 minute warm-up then running sprints lasting 30-60 second a piece for 20 minutes followed by 5 minute cool down
Cut back on Soda (one every other day, if possible)
Cut back on Sweets (possibly do a reward at the end of the day if I was “good” during the day)

So that’s it. That’s Miss CC’s plan to start out her work-out wagon. I think that I’m not shooting too high, aiming right in the middle. I’d really like to run more than twice a week, but we’ll start off easy and see how it goes since this is the first week back in more than a month. I ran yesterday and I have to admit that my legs are hating me today…and they’ll be even worse tomorrow!

I’ll check in next Tuesday and let you know how I did and what progress I made….keep your fingers crossed for me, and be sure and send me a note of encouragement!

REALLY Impatiently Waiting...

So I wrote the other day that my dress was soon to be here…in Austin…possibly in my house! And I was just on pins and needles for the rest of the week. In all honesty, I wrote that post last Friday, and had actually talked to the store several days earlier.

What I didn’t write about was that my mom was coming into town this past weekend. Little CC is playing soccer (only 2 games left!) and she and my step-dad wanted to come and see her in action, so they made the trek down to Austin to visit with us on Saturday. I didn’t tell anyone about my dress being on it’s way from the warehouse heading to the store, because I was hoping to be able to surprise my mom. I was a “bad daughter” and bought the dress without my mom being present back on President’s Day while Alfred Angelo was running the mother of all sales.

And you know, a little voice in the back of my mind told me that they would have another sale, no big deal…I could wait…but you know what? They HAVEN’T had another sale as good as that one. So, although I was in “big trouble” with both Mama CC and my Maids, it was a GOOD sale!

So, since she missed out on the picking OUT of the dress, I was hoping that the store would call me on Friday and tell me that I could pick up the dress on Saturday while Mama CC was here. That way she would be there for the picking UP of the dress…and we could try it on in the store and play with veils and things…

I waited somewhat patiently ALL DAY LONG on Friday. Every time my cell phone rang, I jumped on it to answer it. No calls from Alfred Angelo.

I was seriously bummed. I mean, this would have been SO cool if it had worked out. But I made my peace with things on Friday night, and Mr. CC helped to cheer me up by pointing out that we could still go to the store and try on the floor model so that she could at least see it…it wouldn’t be as good as the real thing, but if that’s the closest that I can get…I’ll take it.

Are you ready for the bad news? Well, maybe it’s not bad news…maybe it’s just ironic. My parents got here Saturday morning about an hour before the soccer game, and just as we left for the game, the bottom dropped out of the sky. It poured for three hours. And the soccer game was called off. Yep. They drove 4 hours to see the rain.

The good news? Well, there’s two bits of good news. First up, we more than made up for a missed soccer game with a trip to the Salt Lick. Now, for those of you not familiar with this Austin landmark restaurant, it’s phenomenal. Literally the best bar-b-que anywhere around. It’s this little hole in the wall ranch-style restaurant in the middle of nowhere about 20 miles outside of Austin. Finger-licking good. I seriously think that they have the best pickles anywhere around…and their peach cobbler? To die for. Yummy. Yes, I got the ice cream. It was REALLY good.

The other bit of good news? While I was in the shower Saturday morning before they got there, I missed a call on my cell phone. Who could it be? Yep, you guessed it. My gown arrived on Saturday morning and was ready to be picked up. YIPPEEEE!

So it all worked out. Yes, it was a long drive for them to make for lunch. But, Mama CC was SO happy to get to see me in MY dress, and we took little CC along with us, since she hadn’t seen it either. Little CC gave me tiara after tiara to try on, and she loved the veils that we tried on…she wanted to go home and put her dress on and “play princess” too!

It really meant a lot to me to have Mama CC there with me when I picked up my dress. It wasn’t the same as her being there when I picked it out, but I was tickled pink that it all worked out.

Now, I know the question that you’re all DYING to know the answer to…did the dress fit?

You’ll have to wait to find out! That’s another post…

Patiently Waiting...Not So Patiently

Mr. CC, I'm sorry, but you can't read this post. Nothing personal, but this one involves my wedding gown...and you KNOW that's off-limits!

Bye, sweetie!

So, rewind a few months back to when I put down the deposit and ordered my bridal gown. It was President’s day, which puts it mid-February and the sales lady politely informed me that when the dress arrived in 8-10 weeks that I would receive a phone call telling me that it was in the store and I could come by and pay my balance and take my dress home.

8-10 weeks was actually a little faster than I was expecting to hear that it would take…

Or so I thought at the time…

The first few weeks went by SOOOOO SLLLOOOOOW…it seemed like each and every day I was checking to see how many more days until the dress was supposed to be here. (Yes, I marked the expected week on my calendar that I carry around with me!) So every day I would check it expecting time to have magically passed while I slept, I guess. Never happened. It was taking forever to get to my magic “arrival” date. I use quotes because they couldn’t say if it would be 8 weeks or 10 weeks with any certainty. So I marked down 10 weeks out and waited…

Did I mention how slowly the time passed? If I didn’t, consider it mentioned.

And then I waited some more.

But then the funniest thing happened. I got busy. Doing wedding projects. Working on other things – I DO have a job after all! Taking a quick little vacation to NOLA. I guess that you could say that life happened. I got so wrapped up in other things, that I didn’t even think to change my marker in my date book for a few weeks. So imagine my shock and excitement when I was updating my date book with some new appointments and realized when moving my marker that the week that my dress was supposed to be in passed two weeks ago?

How FABULOUS is THAT?!?!? (I have to be honest here, and admit to doing a little happy dance right here in my cubicle at the thought of my dress being “almost” here!)

Then it hit me. Wait a minute. That was two weeks ago. I didn’t receive a phone call. Did I? Did I get a phone call and not recognize the number so I didn’t answer it (which I’m famous for doing)? Since the dress coordinator (Amy) that I had used when I ordered the dress has since quit working at that salon, did something get messed up with the order? Worse yet, did the bridal salon leave me a message about coming to pick up my dress and I didn’t listen to the message (which I’m ALSO famous for doing!) so maybe they’re almost ready to send it back as an un-received dress? Yes, ok, I can admit that the last thought was “slightly” overboard, but hey, I’m just relating the thoughts that went through my head…

I immediately flipped over to the phone number in my planner and started dialing. I explained the situation to the associate that answered the phone and she put me on hold. Then she came back on and asked if she could put me on hold again. Then a different associate came on and asked me some very worrisome questions regarding my order. (And of course, this is the ONE day that I don’t have my wedding planner binder at work with me!) Then the last lady came on the line.

By this time I was a nervous wreck!

She apologized for the time that it took to find my order, but that it had been found. “Miraculously” the dress had “just arrived” at the warehouse THAT day, and she was able to request an ASAP shipment to the store. If you’re not picking it up that well, I really have serious doubts about it arriving on the very day that I realize that it was past due…but whatever.

I assured the associate that I wasn’t in any huge hurry for the dress yet, but had just realized that the time it was supposed to be here had passed. She double reassured me that when the dress does come in that the store does repeated calls to make sure that I don’t want the dress before they would ever send it back as being returned. Whew. That solves my little phone fears. So I hung up the phone feeling VERY relieved that all was well again with my little wedding world.

And then it hit me. My dress will be here any day now…and yes, I did another little happy dance around my cubicle at this realization. Here's a reminder of my dress selection, in case you need it to do a little happy dance FOR me!

YIPPEE!!!

Did anyone else go through all of this anxiety over receiving your wedding dress in? And be honest…you did a happy dance when it finally got here too, didn’t you? I know you did!

My thoughts on my selections...

Here are my thoughts on my bridal gown selections…

*Once again, Mr. CC. If you are reading this post, you need to stop reading right now. Seriously!

Gown #1:

I like how clean and simple this gown is. There’s not a long train, but enough of one to make it there and to need a bustle put in. The neckline of this dress with the cap sleeves, or off the shoulder action, really made a beautiful framing of my neck. I have a long neck, and when I went back for the evening appointment, my hair had gotten all crazy from earlier in the day, so I had it clipped on top of my head messily. The hair-do wasn’t all that great, but it really emphasized the neckline of this dress and made for a gorgeous picture of me. It’s a VERY flattering style with the rushing along the sides that acted like a built in “de-mommifier” for my mom’s body. Very classy.

Gown #2:

To be perfectly honest, this was my least favorite gown. It looks better in the white as pictured above, than it did in the cream which is what they had for me to try on in the store. I’m ordering cream in whichever gown I get, so it was nice to see the coloring on me. I didn’t really like that this dress doesn’t have a train, but at the same time, that’s kind of nice so I don’t have to worry about a bustle or people stepping on it and all during the reception. The beading was just enough to give the dress some pop, but it just didn’t completely stand out in my mind when it was on me. If it looked as good as it does in the picture above, I think that I would have had a harder time with this one.

Gown #3:

This was the only gown that I ended up liking with the pick ups in the skirt. The really funny thing is that in almost all of my pages and pages of wedding dress pictures torn out of my magazines, the pick ups are on almost every dress. But when I got there and actually tried it all on, this was the only dress that I actually liked with the pick ups. I tried this on in cream, and there was a black and ivory-beaded sash that Amy put on my a little above the natural waistline and it just jumped out at me. I had not previously liked having color on me anywhere, but that black sash just gave this dress a little extra zing, and I LOVED it. I was a little worried about how the fitted bodice would work with me pre-working-out body, but it looked fabulous. The undergarments and the corset in the back really worked out well. Easily one of my top contenders…

Gown #4:

THIS is the dress that I’ve been drooling over since I started shopping for dresses. I love it, love it, L-O-V-E it! Do you get that I kind of liked this dress? This was also the dress that I talked about the one in my actual size having the different skirt…I didn’t like that skirt and the bodice was more beaded, which was a little much for me. But Amy managed to find this style for me in a size too small for me. I squeezed into it and liked the dress, but had some concerns. I liked it SO much, that I was worried that I just wanted this to be the one because it’s the one that I had been dreaming about for so long. So I wanted to honestly and without prejudice compare this gown to the other gowns that I also loved. This dress is made out of a much thicker (insert heavier) material than the other gowns that I was looking at, and I have some concerns about getting too hot on the dance floor in this dress. Also, this dress was the most expensive of any that I looked at. It was also the one with the biggest discount with the sale that they were running. And lastly, I just expected to “feel” it when I slipped this dress on, and I wasn’t sure that I was truly “feeling” it. I guess I was afraid that it was all in my head…

Gown #5:

This dress was a surprise to me. It was a last minute selection on the Alfred Angelo website for me, and turned out to be one of my favorite dresses. The material is light and airy, which is something that I was concerned with. The dress could be worn with a petty coat or without, depending on how much “poof” I wanted, which was nice too. And the rushing on the side and the beading detail that outlined the rushing had a very nice effect. Paired with a veil that had beading around the edges, it was a stunning picture. The main thing that I didn’t like about this dress was the back closure – it was just a plain ol’ zipper. Sure, it’s easier for me to get in and out of, but I had just fallen for the corset-style back that some of the other dresses had and thought that this zipper with the gauzy material the dress was made out of looked a little cheapish. I mean, I’m all about bargain shopping, but I don’t want to look like I bargain shopped, you know? Maybe it was just the trial dress, and it would be better brand new, but I just wasn’t thrilled with that aspect of this dress.

Having mentioned price above, I’ll address it now. I had gone in with a budget number in my head. I’ve had this number in my head for a while now, just telling myself that I will not spend more than X amount of dollars on my wedding dress. I just can’t justify it for a dress that I will likely only wear one time, you know? The practical side of me just won’t do it. Mr. CC has the exact opposite view on my wedding dress. He doesn’t want me to worry about what I spend on my dress. He wants me to have the dress of my dreams, no matter what it costs…how sweet of him. I love him for having made me that offer, but I just can’t do it.

Amy had been telling me the price of each dress as I tried them all on, and for my favorite five that I couldn’t decide on she was also telling me the amount of the discount that was being given with the sale that was running. She asked at one point if budget was a factor in my decision, and I answered her honestly. There wasn’t a single dress that I was looking at or trying on that didn’t meet my budget. Even the most expensive one was still a couple of hundred dollars below the max on my budget, at regular price. So with that in mind, I didn’t need to commit to buying the dress that day just to get the sales price. Not that the practical side of me would have minded getting that sales price…but still. I wasn’t going to be rushed into a decision if I couldn’t make it that day. There will be other sales, and even if there’s not, it’ll be ok. I just want peace of mind with my decision. If I can make the decision today and also get a discount on the price, then great. If not, so be it.

So, with the help of my friends from afar and my gut leading the way, I went ahead and eliminated Gown #2 from my selection. Amy had assured me that although she would not be there when I came in that evening, that she would have one of the girls put all five dresses into a dressing room and have it ready for me, or if the rest of the afternoon was slow, just leave them as they were in the dressing room that I had been using. Having one dress weeded out of the selection was a big help for me. That meant that I had four dresses that I would be happy to wear to get married in to try on in front of someone to give me more feedback.

So with that in mind, I headed off to Alfred Angelo one more time that day…

Five Dresses and a Decision to Make...

So there I was…a girl with five bridal gowns...a choice to make…and no one close enough to her to help!

*Side note – Mr. CC, if you are reading this post, you need to stop reading right now. One of these dresses might be THE dress, so I promise that this post isn’t about you or anything. Do NOT read any further!!! Or suffer my wrath!

Like he’s really scared…who am I kidding? LOL!

Since I had three hours to call in the Calvary, I did what any self-respecting bride faced with this dilemma would do. I sent out an email to my best girl friends and asked for their advice. Now, being the not-so-smart girl that I tend to be at times, I didn’t take any pics of myself in the actual dresses…the lady told me that I could take pics, but I had misplaced my trusty digital camera somewhere along the move into Mr. CC’s house…hmmm…perplexing…

So I sent the next best thing. I sent them the model shots of my favorite contenders. I needed help eliminating one or two of them (or maybe three!) so that I could try to make the decision when I tried them all on again that evening at my 5:30 appointment.

Here they are in no particular order:

Gown #1:

Gown #2:

Gown #3:

Gown #4:

Gown #5:

And the really crazy thing is that they are all SO different! Yes, they all had some things in common between them, but there was no true rhyme or reason to my selections other than that they were dresses that I liked for different reasons. And let me just add in the personal side note that I looked SMASHING in all of them! There didn’t seem to be one that didn’t flatter me. Having said that, I will put in a plug for the designer – it wasn’t me that looked so good, I truly think the dresses would have flattered most body types.

Lucky for me, when I rescheduled my appointment, I called my FMIL and told her about it. She works for the state, so she had President’s Day off, but she and FFIL had traveled out of town for the long weekend, and hadn’t gotten back to town yet. They tried to drive a little faster and make my 2pm appointment, but didn’t have any luck. So, being the persistent little bee that I try to be, I called her again and dangled the 5:30 appointment in front of her like the proverbial carrot on a stick. Since she’s only got sons, she jumped at the chance to do some bridal gown shopping in a flash, and agreed to meet me there at 5:30.

So I had nothing to do but wait anxiously to hear back from my peeps from afar on their personal favorites. Lucky for me, my peeps are fast and loyal. They all answered me back and gave me some advice, and there were two that were chosen by all my ladies. Which made my job even easier when I went back at 5:30. I was able to honestly say that the decision was down to four dresses….

Was anyone else able to narrow their selection down AFTER they physically left the store? Did that make it easier when you went back? Or did you end up putting the dress that you had taken out of the running back in when you saw it in person?

The First Bridal Appointment

So here I am at my first bridal appointment. Like I mentioned before, I’m a little bit nervous, and I’m feeling a little weird about the whole thing. You see, I went alone. Maybe you’re thinking that it’s not such a big deal (and that’s what I was telling myself) but typically a girl takes at least one person along with her when she goes bridal dress shopping. The salespeople always tell you that you look great, so they’re no help. I mean what’s a girl to do when she needs her best peeps at her side to tell her that this dress makes her butt look huge, or that dress displays her flabby arms nicely? This is the situation that I found myself in.

But it’s really my own fault. I know that most of my girlfriends live out of town. When I had previously talked about bridal dress shopping, I have always mentioned going to Dallas and doing the shopping. That way my friends can come along easily and maybe some of my family can join in the fun too. Now, we’ve already crossed that road with my mom and know that she’s not enthused about going along. And maybe that just put a damper on the whole thing for me, I’m not really sure. But finding out about this sale at the last minute like I did, I really had no choice. Even my friends that are located closer to Austin are still either on the North side of town when I’m on the South or they’re a good thirty to forty-five minutes away by car. So I enter the store alone.

I meet with the bridal consultant that they’ve assigned to me, Amy. She seems nice, and she has a REALLY nice funky hair cut that I like. She gets me some catalogs to look over and I hand her my dress style numbers that I had thought ahead to bring with me. She’s a little shocked that I’m so prepared, but takes it in stride. She goes ahead and measures me up and lets me know what size she would recommend that I order. I knew ahead of time that I would order a dress in a size or two larger than my normal size, so I was ready for that. I wasn’t really ready to hear that I needed a dress THREE sizes above my normal street size…oh well. Guess I should have been doing that working out thing, huh?

Anyway, luck was with me and my three top favorite dresses were in the store and available in my size, or so Amy tells me. She was able to pull about 10 of the dresses off of my list, so I felt fortunate to be able to try on so many. She whisked me off into a dressing room and I got into my undergarments (she provided me with a strapless bra since I had thought about bringing mine and promptly forgotten all about it!) and was ready to go. Since this isn’t my first rodeo, I knew better than to attempt to get into any of the dresses by myself. I called Amy back in and we tried on three dresses that didn’t require the petty coat. I loved them all. Yep, you read that right.

Then we put on the petty coat and tried on the other seven dresses. I didn’t love all of these. Which was a good thing! And included in this mix was the one dress that had brought me into the store. I got all excited when I saw it on the hanger in the dressing room…a little thrill of excitement went through me. But when I put it on, it was not what I had remembered seeing in the photos and on the website. Luckily, Amy came to the rescue and said that there was the same dress with a different skirt style and she trotted off to find it for me. Unfortunately, it didn’t come in my size, but she had found a much smaller one that I could ease into just for looks. I put it on, and held my breath in anticipation of seeing myself in the dress that I had been drooling over for the last two months…and was severely disappointed. I liked it. But it wasn’t as flattering as I had thought that it would be. I still liked the look of it and the style of it, but it was really heavy and hot and like I said it just didn’t sit exactly right on me. Now, I tried to keep in mind that it was the wrong size and all, but it’s hard to picture when something doesn’t fit, right? Right. But even with all of that, I couldn’t take that dress off of my list of possible dresses.

At the end of nearly two hours of trying on dress after dress, and putting some of them back on one more time, I was able to get my list of favorites down to two dresses that didn’t need the petty coat and three dresses that did need the petty coat. I know, I know. It’s still FIVE dresses – all of which I loved! – so it’s not a great starting point. But seeing as how I started with over ten dresses, I thought that I had made good progress. But at this point, I realize that I need help. I can’t make any further decisions without another opinion telling me honestly how I looked in each dress, since Amy was really not much help, bless her heart!

And since I was just on my “lunch hour” from work, I made the decision to schedule another appointment for that evening and find someone (even if it was the bum begging for money on the corner of the interstate) with me to the later appointment. I needed guidance. I needed an objective opinion. I just needed help! Not to make up my mind for me, but to help me along the process.

I needed to call in some reinforcements….

Did anyone else attempt to do this on their own? Am I just the only crazy bride out there that would even THINK of doing it this way?

The Qualms of Bridal Dress Shopping...

I have to admit…I was a little bit nervous about my pending appointment at Alfred Angelo. I HATE trying on clothes. More often than not, I’ll buy something just so that I can take it home to try it on; even if that means that I have to bring it back later. Part of me thinks that’s a really lazy way to approach things, but part of me really doesn’t mind doing it that way.

It’s just that there is not a dressing room mirror out there that is flattering to a woman’s figure. One time, I went into JC Penney’s to look at something, and ended up trying it on in a children’s dressing room as the women’s were all full. They are really evil over there at JCP, because they have those funny mirrors installed in the children’s dressing rooms. Here, you do the mental image - you know the mirror in the funny house at the carnival that makes you look three feet tall and four feet wide? Yeah, that one. Needless to say, I didn’t buy the dress that I tried on that day! I know, I know. It really looked nothing like that in reality, but I couldn’t get over the image in the mirror…too funny.

Anyway, back to the present. What was a talking about? Oh yeah, bad dressing room experiences and bridal stores. So anyway, I was a little nervous. I really didn’t expect to be shopping for my dress yet. Yes, it’s always the first question that people ask you when they find out that you’re getting married, “Do you have your dress yet?” But I hadn’t thought to start actually shopping yet; in fact, I was hoping that I would have a little more time. I mean, come on, who doesn’t want to look their best when they’re trying on wedding dress, right?

Especially because shopping for a wedding dress isn’t like shopping for regular clothes. Someone is IN the dressing room with you and your undies in all of your glory, so there’s a lot to consider. They’re helping you get in and out of petticoats, dresses and undergarments to help “shape” your figure, and it can just be highly embarrassing at times. You have to make sure that you’re groomed – legs, bikini area and underarms – because THAT’S just awkward if you’re not fully prepared for a stranger to see you if you’re not. And for me, and I’ll admit that I’m a little paranoid about these things, I didn’t want to go in on a day when I wasn’t in my good panties. Come on, you can all admit to it. You have underwear that you wear that you wouldn’t want someone else seeing you in. It’s ok. We all have them – granny panties. It’s part of the natural order of the world. But they’re really not supposed to be worn in the presence of others, such as when you’re trying on wedding dresses, according to Miss Cotton Candy.

So like I said, there’s some forethought required to this whole bridal dress shopping for me. And that doesn’t even count any issues or hang ups that you might have about your own body…and I have hang ups. Being a mom of a six year old, I have a different body than a bride that’s right out of college (or still in college) with all the time in the world to work out and stay in shape. There are things that I’m looking for in my wedding dress to hide or camouflage a little bit so that I look my best on my wedding day. And in theory, if weight loss in on the planner at all when you’re a bride, you almost hate to even start wedding dress shopping until some of that weight is gone. They run a tape measure across various parts of your body to take measurements and determine what size of dress that you need to order, and if you’re planning on but haven’t actually started a diet or exercise regiment that size could change. And since bridal gown sizes are so skewed and weird anyway, I just wanted to look differently before I went in for the first time.

And I thought about my weight. I have a good friend who constantly refers to me dressing in “Barbie doll” clothes. Even though I know that I’m larger than I would like to be for me to feel the best about myself, it makes me feel good to have her refer to my clothes like that. A VERY big thanks, DL! So even if my good friends think that I look fine, I know that I would feel better about myself if I lost about 15 pounds. It’s not much, but it’s toning that I’m more interested in. In fact, the actual weight doesn’t bother me as much as how my clothes fit me. I would like for them to be a little bit loser on me than they are, and I would like to be able to wear all of the clothes in my closet, not just the ones in the larger size. Being one size smaller would just open up SO many options with my wardrobe, you know? And if you’ve already lost some weight by the time that someone runs a tape measure across and around you, it’s just better for your own self image since they’re going to tell you to order your dress at least one size larger than you are used to buying them in.

All of this is going through my head that morning after I scheduled the appointment with Alfred Angelo’s for that afternoon. What underwear did I have on? Had I remembered to grab my OWN strapless bra that morning, I know that I thought about getting it, but did I actually get it? When was the last time that I “groomed?” At least one good thing was working for me that day, I had fixed my hair and was having a good hair day.

Anyway. So I have these big plans to start exercising and watching what I eat, but I just haven’t gotten the chance to start any of it yet. So I wasn’t really “ready” to start shopping, if that makes sense. But at this point, it’s a little too late to worry about any of that. The store is having a sale that ends today. I have an appointment scheduled already. So it’s pretty much now or never. Even though I have a little voice in the back of my head telling me that I don’t have to find a dress today…it IS the first place that I’ve stopped to look and what are the odds that I’ll fall for one that I try on the first day? Slim to none, right?

Did you have these same thoughts when you're in a dressing room? Or for you brides out there that are reading this post, did you have these same fears before bridal gown shopping?

Dreaming of Dresses...

So mentioning yesterday that it must be fate…imagine my surprise when I checked my hotmail account late on Sunday night and notice that the Alfred Angelo website had sent me a notice about a SALE that was going on over the weekend. And since this was just last weekend, the sale actually continued through Monday due to President’s Day. I clicked on the link and went to the website to see a BIG sign showing that by presenting the attached coupon you could get up to $300 off of your bridal gown…

Yep, looks like that guardian angel is watching out for me all over again! Even though the dress that I had been drooling over for the last few months was not in the most expensive category, which was probably where the largest discounts were given, $50 is $50, ya know? And this bride IS trying to do things on a budget….

So I spent some time surfing their site that evening and picking out some dresses that I wanted to try on. There is a feature on their website that allows you to save your favorites into your “dressing room” for easy access the next time that you log in. I put 15 dresses between bridesmaid and bridal gowns into my dressing room and trotted off to bed to have happy dreams of trying on bridal gowns the next day.

I mean, come on, let’s be honest here. What girl wouldn’t skip happily off to bed knowing that she’s going to dream about the gorgeous dresses in the store the next day? No one that I know of. And if I’m completely 100% honest about things, there was ONE dress in particular that I was going to try on. There were a lot of styles that I liked…but there was one that I was in love with over the internet and magazine ads. Love, love, love and more love.

And the really crazy thing is that about a week earlier I was reading my daily dose of weddingbee.com and started eyeing this gown that this one bride in particular was wearing. She was doing recaps of her wedding last fall, so there were plenty of pictures of her in her dress. Everyday she sent in a different part of her wedding, and every day I just fell more and more in love with her dress. Imagine my surprise when I read one day that her dress was an Alfred Angelo dress…hmmm…yep, that caught my attention. Sure enough, when I tracked her blog back to when she wrote about buying her dress I found the style number listed. Could it be? Are my eyes deceiving me? Is it the same style that I’ve secretly started to fall in love with? Am I now guilty of coveting this girl’s wedding dress? Yes. Yes, I am.

So when I happily skipped off to bed that night, it was with the knowledge that my little lovely was in my internet dressing room, just waiting for me to show up the next day and try her on…

I was a bit disgruntled to find that the store didn’t open until 11am. WHO opens at 11? Apparently the Alfred Angelo store – yes, mom I hear your sarcastic remark before you can even think it! It just seemed a little late in the day to me…oh well. I “patiently” waited all morning long and was calling their store at 11:05 am (so that I didn’t seem TOO eager, you know?) to see if I could schedule an appointment. Now, to be perfectly honest, it’s been a while since I’ve done this. About 14 years to be exact, so I didn’t know if you could call and expect to be seen the same day. Lucky for me, there was no decision to torment myself over because the girl that answered the phone promptly wished me good morning and immediately asked if I would like to make an appointment all in one breath.

Yes. Yes, I would. Thank you for asking kind sales girl…and yes, I am available today…if you’ve got an opening…great! I’ll see you at 2pm. Bye! Yea me!

The Hunt for a Dress Begins...

Girls and their wedding dresses, it’s one of the most important decisions that you make about your wedding…you envision what you want by looking through thousands of pages of wedding magazines…and I mean THOUSANDS of pages and pictures. You pull everything that you MIGHT like to try on, and then you go about trying to find the dresses in your area or in an area close to you where you can go and try it on.

And just like any other girl, I have been doing the same thing. Some of you may laugh at me, but as soon as I knew that I was getting engaged, I started my wedding folder. Into this folder I put all the pictures that I found that I liked of anything wedding-related, along with articles to read that might help me get other ideas or with the planning end of things. And this folder has become my bible of sorts. I typically don’t go anywhere without it. I LOVE this book!

I have collected SO many images of dresses that I like, that I decided a few weeks back that it’s probably time for me to stop collecting new images and focus on the images that I have collected. Look for any common themes, like color, material, designs that run through the selections so that I’ll have a better idea of what I’m looking for when I get into an actual bridal salon. For myself, I think that this is a smart idea. There are so many styles of dresses in the salons that it’s SO easy to get overwhelmed when walking in without any idea of what you are looking for. Of course, going in open-minded is nice too, because then you can be truly open to what the assistant might suggest for your coloring or body type and all.

But I don’t really like to not have at least some say in things, as most of you know! So I started glancing back through my pages and before long I noticed a few things about the dresses that had been catching my eye.

#1 – most of them were fairly simple in design.
#2 – my favorites all had a little bit of sparkle to them, but not overdone with detailing
#3 – I knew that I loved the ivory dresses
#4 – most of them were strapless
#5 – I was really drawn to the “wrap style” that seemed to help accentuate your waist

The other thing that I noticed was that I had a few favorites. And most of them were from one designer over and over that seemed to catch my eye – even in the bridesmaids dresses. Alfred Angelo just seemed to catch my eye over and over. So I did the thing that makes the most sense to me – I went to their website and started perusing the dresses online. This way I could check out pricing and sign up for special offers. Imagine my surprise when I see that none of my favorite Alfred Angelo bridal gowns were priced over $1,000 which was my HIGH limit on my dress budget. I was shocked! I mean, I love Target and Ross, but for a wedding dress, I was envisioning that I would be hard pressed to find something nice and fancy for less than $1k. Go me!

And then imagine my shock and surprise when I discovered that the new bridal store that opened within the last few months at one of our newer shopping centers in South Austin was an Alfred Angelo store! I mean, there aren’t many times in a girl’s life when her personal guardian angel speaks directly to her…but this was one of them for me! It was just looking like it was meant to be. Now, to find time when I’m in town and free from other obligations to go by and look….