Monday, December 21, 2015

Stop 4: Venues

*huffs*

Now this is frustrating.

I won't even go into how many venue's I've contacted. In short - a lot. After the first few came back with having no events allowed at the space after October, I went a little crazy, figuring my options were limited.

Guess I was right. I've gotten a whopping six replies in over two weeks, three of which aren't open for events in December. One of which I don't know yet, as they have both a hotel and a ranch, and I don't know if the ranch (which is what we'd want... so not going for the whole "enclosed space" bit, even if it is winter) is available in December.

The good news is, the two that have responded that most definitely are open to events in December, are gorgeous spaces. One of them is supposedly a golf club, and I tell you what... being from California, born and raised, it's like no golf club I've ever seen!  Even out in Wilton back in the 90's...

Anyway, thanks to being without my glasses, I mistook some of the photos as being in the winter, but ah well. They know we're wanting a December wedding, and still seem very amenable. Makes me nearly drool over thinking what it would all like in the snow!

The other... now those are definitely snow photos!

I think... maybe, I'd be okay if these were the only two to get back to me. It irritates me to no end that I haven't heard back from more, but I guess it is what it is, and what will be will be.

On both, we're waiting to hear back about food/beverage minimums and the like. Curious to find out if we can modify our reception plans the way we'd like.

On a side note, depending on whether or not we move ahead with a planner and what kind of magic they can work for us in terms of our budget, I may be doing centerpieces and what not on my own. So not a big deal - I've been doing simple, natural arrangements (wreaths and centerpieces) for the holidays since I was a little girl. It soothes me, and our guest list being so small will mean I won't be going crazy trying to do it.

I wish I had more to say, but... yeah. Contact has apparently been a premium these days, even though we're definitely not in bridal season. Would be nice to have a little bit more information or idea of where we're going to go after three weeks of sending out email after email to potential venues and vendors, though.

~*~Valerie~*~

Saturday, December 19, 2015

Stop 3: Moar Dresses!

I found it.

I found the Dahlia by Maggie Sottero/Desiree Hartstock.

We had gone to this shop earlier in the year - unfortunately, I think right around Homecoming season. It was utterly packed, and while I found some nice dresses, there wasn't a lot of attention, it was crowded, and I felt a little neglected by the sales lady.

I called yesterday to see if they had it. The first woman I spoke with couldn't find it, but apparently thought I was trying to buy it. Another lady - an older woman - got on the phone and said it wouldn't be until March and was asking about sizing and stuff, and how they had a 12 in stock at the warehouse. I emphasized again that no, I don't want to buy it yet, I don't even know how it looks on me.

"Oh, well we have that dress here if you want to come in tomorrow and try it on."

So, the original appointment was at 2:30. We were originally going to drop our daughter off at my ex-husband's at 11:30 so she could spend the day with him, have a phone appointment with a coordinator at 1, and then have the appointment immediately after. Thanks to weather and other random things, our day got tipped topsy turvy and didn't quite work out that way!

After dropping our daughter off 2 hours earlier than originally planned, we had brunch with my Maid of Honor and decided to try and get some Christmas shopping done before the appointment. Noon rolls around, I've done as much as I can in the shopping center the bridal shop is in. They said they can get me in now since it's just the one dress and they know exactly what they're looking for and they are sooooo not busy.

I admit, I was hesitant from what I had seen of the dress online. It has little 3D detail flowers on the bodice, with crystal beading. I wasn't sure how I would feel about that Seeing it hanging in front of me, I had even more trepidation. But then I pulled the dress off the hanger, pulled it on (holy crap I fit into a size 8 bridal!), the sales lady zipped it up - and I was stunned.

The detail on the front was perfect. Not only that, but the same detail was on the cuff of the sleeves, and on the back next to the zipper - which is an invisible zip.

The pictures don't do it justice at all, but...

 

What you don't see in the photos is the sparkle. It's subtle, but it's there!

Jerry had decided to do more Christmas shopping while I was trying it on, and walked in while I Was still in the dress.  He was speaking pure gibberish for about 10 minutes.

Every angle has something to look at. Plus, it was even a little big. In a bridal 8!

I must have stood there for a good half an hour staring at myself in the mirror. (Have I ever mentioned how much I hate mirrors?)

Now, here's the kicker. Most bridal salons require a 50% deposit to order the dress, with the remainder due before you pick it up. This salon was no different, plus had absolutely no consideration at all for the fact Jerry is a veteran.

So, I call up the one we visited Monday.

While Jerry was taking photos of me on Monday, a guy - we think he's the owner of the shop - made a joke about his Ranger hat. "Did he earn that hat or did he steal it off of a real man?"

Jerry just smiled while I glared at the guy over my shoulder. "Oh, he earned that shit all right."

By the end of the appointment, he'd offered us a discount due to Jerry being a veteran, as well as easy to make payments. Essentially, not this "designers discontinue dresses all the time"sales pitch you hear everywhere, but more of a "What can we do so you can order the dress you want in a timely manner?"

Basically, to get this dress, we would have to pay $350 down and pay monthly until the dress would be ready for pick up. Just over $100 a month. And with the discount, we'd be paying as much after tax as we would be paying before tax at the other shop.

I'd been looking for this dress for over three months. Despite my misgivings with the online photos, nothing could have prepared me for the perfection of having it actually on my body.

Am I going to say yes?

I already know the answer. I knew the answer from the second I saw the photos of it online. The very first decision regarding our wedding has officially been made!

~*~Valerie~*~

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Stop 2: Photographer Interviews

So... I'm running into a little problem. I hope it's just because of the upcoming holiday, but still... there's ways around this.

I've emailed over a dozen different photographers. Some of them over a week ago. Guess how many have gotten back to me?

Less than half. On top of that, I had a scheduled phone appointment with one for 6:30 today (after I at least had the presence of mind to email and tell him that our first appointment needed to be postponed on the account I had no voice... but at least I contacted him before the call was supposed to take place).

I never got a call. Nor an email, or anything else for that matter.

Bridezilla? Nah. This would bug me whether it was for the wedding or for a family photo. If you've got an appointment with someone and you're going to miss it - some contact would be nice. I'm withholding judgement for the moment on the account of "shit happens" but considering how little feedback I've gotten so far, it's a little discouraging.

Add to that the fact I've gotten two - TWO - responses from wedding coordinators, out of the half dozen I've contacted?

*sighs* I've only talked to two of the photographers so far. The first, I feel... okay about. The package is a good value, and we get everything we want - from photographers who style we enjoy - for just under our budgeted amount. The gentleman we spoke with even had the presence of mind to send a follow up email today to summarize our conversation.

The second one... I don't know if she was just rushed, or more comfortable behind a camera than "in front of it" so to speak, but... she didn't really try to get to know about us at all. Granted, I was the only one on the phone, but any time I tried to ask how she would portray something particularly unique about what we're planning (ever seen a groom in BDU's as opposed to Class A's? Not me.) she launched back into a spiel about her services.

I don't need to know about your services - I need to know about your skills. I felt like I was being given a sales pitch and nothing else.

So, yeah. Frustrated.

  • 7+ photographers have yet to respond to my inquiry.
  • Two responded but are significantly out of our budget - though I need to review one as on the account of Jerry being a veteran she offered to add additional hours for no extra charge.
  • One just comes across as too... young to be able to handle our wedding appropriately.
  • One I have to call back on Monday due to afore mentioned loss of voice.
  • One missed our phone appointment tonight for an as of yet unknown reason.
  • One has called me twice, though today I asked if I could email him times when I could talk only to discover later - I don't have his email address.
So out of all that, so far, I only have one potential photographer.

In terms of potential planners - out of the two I had phone appointments scheduled, I have one tomorrow, and another the planner had to reschedule - and I haven't heard back from in terms of when.

Ironically, this is the exact reason why we wanted to hire a wedding planner.

I wonder if for now I should just focus on the dresses, and save the rest - somehow - until we actually make the move.

Anyway... I'm going to go enjoy some Korbel and cuddle with my man and watch some of the original CSI a la Grissom.

~*~Valerie~*~

Monday, December 14, 2015

Stop 1: Wedding Dress Shopping

I'm going to go shopping with the women I'm hoping will agree to be my bridesmaids. But I know me. If I don't do some serious thinking and narrowing down beforehand, we'll literally spent an entire week solid shopping.

I don't want them to hate me. I want them to be in my wedding, after all. At the very least, be there for it!

So, Jerry and I decided to take this week to wander around to various bridal salons in the county and, well, see what there is to see.

Now, keep in mind this - when I first met Jerry, I was pushing 170lbs. Now, I'm nearly down to 140. I could tell the weight had dropped because of the way my clothes were fitting, but nothing could have prepared me for what happened at the salon today.

For the life of me, I can't find a picture of the first dress I tried on. What I can do, though, is say that when I actually got a good look in the mirror once it was zipped, my own jaw dropped. Especially once the consultant told me what size the dress was!

The one downsize was it didn't have a lace-up back. Kinda had my heart set on that, for a strapless dress. So, she ended up pulling this one:

Sahara by Maggie Sottero
This one ended up becoming our second favorite of the outing. I may have gotten lucky with the weight loss, but I still earned that waist - and I've definitely earned the right to show it off!

The very last one I tried on was one I had grabbed off the rack completely on a whim. I'd always figured I needed something with some bling, some shimmer, some something to make it sparkle, and a long veil. Except this dress... wasn't sparkly. Wasn't blingy. It was lace.

Just lace. 3/4 sleeve, shallow neckline, a-line skirt, with the waistline right at my waistline, with a back that dips into a V about halfway down the back. You can't even see this collection online. You have to actually email the designer to view it. The bridal consultant told me it was a relatively new acquisition. The hem was still white, after all!

We stared. A long time. Jerry took a lot of pictures. Then we put on a sparkly head band, and a short veil in the back.

Then we went back and tried on the other two favorites with that head band and the veil in the back.

Damn, this is going to be hard.

The really amazing thing, was the whole time, I was the only one trying on bridal gowns. I had the attention of the shop owner (who took note of Jerry's "Ranger" hat and gave him a tiny bit of shit over it) and a woman who I think was his wife. By the time we left, the consultant had told us that they take payments, and the shop owner offered Jerry a discount for being a veteran. Something that Jerry groans and moans about frequently that shops never do.

Now, if we could have walked out of there with a dress ordered today, I think we might have. To be honest, though, I'm glad we couldn't. I'm glad we can't make a final decision this week.

For one, I still want input from my girls.

For two, I don't know if I can make a final decision without trying on a dress I keep coming back to over and over and over again.

Dahlia by Desiree Hartsock with Maggie Sottero


It's a Maggie Sottero, and the shop I was at today had actually carried it, but sold it off the rack last week.

They don't expect to have it's replacement until March. We're hoping to be fully relocated to Montana by then. So, I continue my search this week in hopes of finding this dress locally to try on. If not, I might just have to take the chance and jump on another fantastic dress I find this week without trying this one on.

Jerry said today "no bridezilla here."

That may be true, but that doesn't mean I won't agonize over having to make a decision without seeing all of the options I wanted.

Hey... if you're going to do it with the right person, do it right.

Right?

~*~Valerie~*~