Quote :

"yall- got my gown the other weekend at the Brides against Breast Cancer gown show. It's awesome and it's coming to Raleigh. http://pepmembers.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=1434 If I can give anything back to the priceless help I've gathered from you ladies in this thread- it's this link. The gowns are donated from designers and some are second hand. I got mine about 70% off the original price and it's a handmade custom silk italian gown. It was handmade by the designer. I showed up at 9:30 in san antonio last saturday and was out of there by 11:00. They usually rent out a conference room at a hotel and have about 1000 gowns to look through. One side was like normal gowns and one side was couture. I was fascinated by the process. I had given up hope after my exhausting day shopping for dresses in Raleigh/Smithfield last month. (I judge david's bridal because how poor quality those gowns are for the prices they are asking) (Carolina Bridal world had fantastic service, but the gowns were really worn out and everything had to be shipped in from china- ugh.) Anyway, if you are in the market for a dress, check out the brides against breast cancer event August 19-20. All proceeds go to breast cancer research and you will have an absolutely fantastic time. If you have any more questions, let me know- I'm so thrilled I was told about it."

i donated my debutante dress (which is just a wedding dress with the train cut off) and crinoline to brides against breast cancer

which was very easy to do in case any of you brides wanted to do the same with your dress. i'm holding on to mine in hopes that child numero 2 will be a girl (not that she'll wear it...but maybe use the lace for something if that's something she might be interested in), but if not i will donate it for sure.

[Edited on July 27, 2011 at 12:43 PM. Reason : quoting DJ Lauren b/c that post deserves to btt]

7/27/2011 12:42:22 PM

^YOU'RE HAVING A BABY!?!?!?!?!?! OMG!!! Congratulations!!!!!

(Wait..did you already have the baby? I have to tww-post stalk you now!!)

7/27/2011 4:48:58 PM

I got married last Saturday. It was awesome.

Just figured I'd post this here.

...as you were.

7/27/2011 5:59:30 PM

^ congrats!

7/27/2011 6:34:47 PM

^^

7/27/2011 7:34:45 PM

Congrats!

7/27/2011 9:22:24 PM

Quote :

"Nice!! Where is that?"

Ausrufen

looks like fort fisher

and CONGRATS!!

7/27/2011 9:38:34 PM

^It is the very tip of Kure Beach - right near the Southport ferry. Some of our pics were shot in Fort Fisher but this one is actually PAST the aquarium.

7/27/2011 10:36:20 PM

I knew it was near Fort Fisher, but had no idea it was technically part of Kure Beach. It's a really pretty area, and your photo is fantastic!

7/28/2011 7:29:12 AM

when i said earlier my budget was getting out of control, last night was the realization point where i had us sit down, write down every last detail from a budget guide, and it set in for both of us the direction we were heading down. it sunk in for her when i said "yeah for this we could just buy a bmw 5 series, or pay off like 20% of the house instead".

SO, on that note, we're now looking at different photographers and caterers in the raleigh area. or other areas to trim down a few bucks, but these were the highest projected expenditures.

i've come to realization that i'm not going to have the quality of food i want for the reception, which was pretty much the only thing i wanted. i prefer good food, and frankly the food at most weddings is cafeteria level at best. however, i'm not going to be able to afford a $90/person seated dinner. it seems like even the middle of the road/borderline shitty ones are going to be 5k+ (130 people).

Also, some photography suggestions would be nice. I don't want sally joe blow who just finished up her community college photography degree, but I also don't want to pay what the going rate seems to be for some of the ones that have been suggested to us. or i have no idea what to expect budget wise for a solid professional photographer.

sthuper frusthrating.

7/28/2011 11:35:09 AM

^
for a photography recommendation, we're going with Richard Williams. He's based out of Charlotte so there's usually a $100 travel fee, but he was offering $100 off any package at the time I booked so I'm getting the $799 package that includes 5 hours of coverage with two photographers, all images on a cd/dvd, print rights to all images, online viewing, (2) wallets sets, (100) 4x6, (5) 5x7 and (2) 8x10 prints.

http://richardwilliamsphoto.com/

so yeah...it may not be the amazing photographers they have at bridal shows (although some weren't so great to begin with), but i like the idea of two photographers to make sure we get everything. it was also A LOT less expensive than others i consulted with.

7/28/2011 12:15:20 PM

No body in chit chat cares, but here's a link to our wedding announcement if any cares to see:
http://WWW.taylorsvilletimes.com/v2/content.aspx?IsHome=1&MemberID=1709&ID=9816

It's this week's issue at the bottom on page 6

7/28/2011 12:22:41 PM

awwww i love that pic.

ya'll are cute!

7/28/2011 12:45:08 PM

Thank you!

7/28/2011 1:25:40 PM

Leaving in about 15 minutes to our pool party we are throwing for all the family in town, then leaving from there to the gender blender (bachelor/bachelorette party). Almost wedding time!

7/28/2011 3:13:53 PM

^So cute!
^ & ^^congrats to both of you!

pilgrimshoes -
You do not have to pay a lot to have phenomenal wedding. One thing we learned was not to SETTLE for package prices, especially with photography.

Unlike everyone else on here, we did not care for 2+3 Photography. We thought their pics were really good and we liked them as people. They do some cool stuff with photoshop...however, when we expressed NOT wanting pics of our rehearsal dinner, they were completely unwilling to work with us. First off, dinner with two vendors in a private rehearsal was not in our comfort zone or our budget. Secondly, our rehearsal had to happen on a Thursday and the wedding was not until Sunday. There was no way for us to pay for hotels for them for an extra 3 days. We tried to compromise (engagement shots, bridal portraits in lieu of the rehearsal pics) but they said no. So we said no.

We ended up paying just over $1000 for our photographers for an engagement pics session and 8 hours on our wedding day with 2 photogs and they traveled to us from Chicago. Since we booked them, their prices have went up almost 50% but we booked them early and boy, were we glad.

We booked JT3bucky for our DJ and he was superb! My family loved him. We played a fun game he invented...he played every song we requested and went with the flow when we wanted to ad lib some things. And he was AFFORDABLE.

For catering we went with Sticky Fingers to pay homage to our hometown of Lexington. The food was great. The lady from the office was a little hard to work with because our venue required a lot of paperwork and she sort of dropped the ball on that but otherwise, they were great.

We planned for over a year for our wedding and we had time to buy things on sale, from other brides, or to get wedding items for christmas presents, etc.

We spent around $7000 and our wedding was just what we wanted..and it's paid off already!

7/29/2011 3:51:14 PM

Quote :

"and it's paid off already!"

Isn't that the greatest thing ever? I love that we have zero bills or credit card debt to deal with after the wedding.

7/29/2011 3:54:08 PM

Wedding was yesterday, went great, we got super lucky with the weather that it wasn't too hot and the rain didnt come till well into the reception. At home for a few hours finishing packing then we leave for Iceland tomorrow

7/31/2011 1:20:01 PM

congrats


post some pics when you get back!!

7/31/2011 1:49:35 PM

Friend got married today. Hot as hell, but it could have been hotter.

7/31/2011 6:45:37 PM

lol @ the Michelob Ultra

7/31/2011 7:02:37 PM

Spending $20-$50k on one day is mind-boggling.

At least a car lasts you several years, longer than the average marriage, in fact.

7/31/2011 7:07:33 PM

2^we had a choice between the ultra or bud light.

7/31/2011 7:20:30 PM

pshoes: try looking at Story Photographers, Evoke, or the Indie Image.. They all work together and all do amazing work (at different prices and such)

8/1/2011 9:36:23 AM

elise, was that wedding out in Mebane?

8/1/2011 11:37:13 AM

Lindsey! Love the pic in your announcement!

I'm glad you posted the link cause I saw you mention it in CC, but I couldn't find it.

8/1/2011 11:43:05 AM

2^yes it was

8/1/2011 1:47:41 PM

^^

8/1/2011 10:40:30 PM

Ah, it looks like Pine Lake Pavilion. I haven't been there yet to check it out - what'd you think?

8/2/2011 11:44:04 AM

I liked it ok, it was really not the right time of year for an outdoor wedding in my opinion, but the tent was really nice, the wedding director was way too perky, but pretty fun. she had beer waiting for the wedding party when they came back down the aisle. one thing i really didn't like is where they had the bride get dressed. it was the director's office and it was cramped and all the "getting ready" pictures will have the director's crap in them. that and the bathrooms are those bathroom trailers. they were cleaner than I expected, but still not what i would want to deal with on my wedding day.

8/2/2011 1:30:33 PM

aha bathroom trailers would get an insta-no in my book for event venues

8/2/2011 1:32:08 PM

^^ That's what I was worried about - the venue looks gooorgeous with the lake and all, but.. bathrooms and getting ready room. Mm, I'll have to think about it.

8/2/2011 3:25:11 PM

uhhhhhh yeah I agree, wolfpack... that would be an immediate N to the izzo for me

8/2/2011 3:32:43 PM

lol 8/15 wedding worked out just right... no football that weekend.

8/2/2011 3:37:12 PM

Im starting to get nervous! 2.5 months away, and all my family/friends are asking what they can do to help but I really don't know. The only things we need now is to arrange flowers for reception (sams club) and bouquets, get a cake (don't care if it's cheapie), and get a guest book. I don't want to give a family member the responsibility of decorating for the reception, but I think it may be best. Do you think it's ok to ask them?

I am putting them in charge of wedding favors, since they've got so many ideas...jams and a candy bar. I'm also having a family member address all the invites. What else is left? We have a church, reception venue and food/ drinks, a dj, our attire, the rehearsal dinner location, the invites, the photographer, honeymoon, registries, and website.

[Edited on August 5, 2011 at 7:30 PM. Reason : Long]

8/5/2011 7:28:42 PM

^make sure they get my address right! j/k

I'm so excited for you, what's your website url?

8/5/2011 8:51:08 PM

^PM SENT!!

Yes good call on the addresses! pretty sure i may have mixed up some of them, but it's ok they all have the same last name

8/5/2011 9:57:28 PM

to go along with the colonial themed wedding:


http://www.regretsy.com/2011/08/02/its-called-poverty-youve-probably-never-heard-of-it/

8/5/2011 10:48:45 PM

Ahahahahahahaha wtf is wrong with people

8/6/2011 9:23:56 AM

so my mom told me my grandma plans to wear an ivory suit to my wedding. she's definitely not the type to try and "out-do" the bride. in fact, quite the opposite...very quiet, nice southern woman, which also surprises me she doesn't know you're not really supposed to wear white/ivory to a wedding unless this is no longer the etiquette (or maybe doesn't apply as much to old folks)? i can't see myself confronting her about it. what would you guys do? i mean, to be honest, it doesn't really bother me (now if it was my mom, maybe, but she knows better). i think i'm more concerned about what others will think of my grandma. is it stupid to feel this way?

8/8/2011 7:32:16 AM

Who cares if she wears an ivory suit? Nobody is going to confuse a grandmother in a suit for the bride.

8/8/2011 8:31:04 AM

An ivory suit on a grandma sounds fine. Now, a white cocktail dress on your sister... Major faux pas.

8/8/2011 8:36:00 AM

^^

and

^

true. thanks!

8/8/2011 8:45:35 AM

how many bridesmaids are too many?

I mainly ask because after wasting an hour on awkward family photos (when I should be working ), one bridesmaid picture had 8 of them.. and a lot of comments went along the lines of, "8 bridesmaids? Really?"


(FTR, I'm having 7... and I love all of them and they truly are my besties - hell, I wish I could include more without looking like a psycho )

8/11/2011 12:14:10 AM

I'm so sad right now. Even though they were invited over a month ago, one of our ushers has decided to throw a stock the bar party the same day/night as our wedding shower. My fiance says I shouldn't be upset (it's not a bridal shower, it's a WEDDING shower), but I can't help it. Even the best man has 'accepted' the stock the bar party, but not our wedding shower RSVP.

We've been engaged for over a year and this is the first of 3 things to invite them to (the other two are Rehearsal dinner and Wedding)....maybe I just shouldn't invite them to the last two.

They care enough about my fiance to go to vegas with him, but they don't give two shits about us together....Should I be upset, because i am.

8/11/2011 6:59:14 AM

What are the times on the two parties? Maybe he can push his back. You can always try talking to him. He may not know that it means that much to you. Guys don't always get this kind of stuff. In his mind there may be no difference between wedding shower and bridal shower. Also, if your fiance doesn't care it may not be worth the effort.

8/11/2011 7:27:22 AM

^^ Do not be upset.

He's a man. I can tell you no man really wants to attend ANY shower of any kind.

Brush it off. DO NOT become "One of those Brides". Do not become overly sensitive. He is attending and participating in your wedding. That is the most important "event". That in itself shows enough support. He does not have to attend every other function you invite him to in regards to the wedding.

Side-note

I think too many brides are having to many "engagement shower/wedding shower/bridal shower/bachelorette party etc" for the same event.

Personally I think a wedding is enough chance to receive gifts. If you don't invite a person to the wedding, then you shouldn't try to bank on gifts from them at a alternate celebration for your wedding/

This stems from a friend who had an engagment party, 2 bridal showers, 3 bachelorette/bachelor parties and of course the rehearsal and wedding.

It was far too much.



[Edited on August 11, 2011 at 8:10 AM. Reason : .]

8/11/2011 8:05:52 AM

We are having 2 wedding showers (only expect the wedding party at 1), a rehearsal dinner, wedding, reception, and brunch for the most important people/wedding party. Is that too much?

Elise, you're probably exactly right. But I'm not going to be the wet blanket that makes him rearrange his housewarming party (and I know he wouldn't do that, anyways, and i don't want to be in the position to ask him to do that). But he should've known. He got the invitation just like everyone else.

Overall, I was more excited about them meeting my family and my Raleigh family, but it's obvious they just don't care. I did not expect (and was never hoping) for any 'gifts' from them. Just a fun time, but oh well. My feelings are so hurt, and I know it wasn't intentional but it just sucks. Who knows if they'd be there for us a year from now (doubt it), so they shouldn't be in our wedding.

His housewarming party is from 5 pm to 2 am (9 hrs) and they are starting at the house and then going downtown. Our wedding shower is from 4pm to 8pm. I think 4-8 is a little long, but i had no control over that.



[Edited on August 11, 2011 at 8:30 AM. Reason : ]

8/11/2011 8:15:03 AM

just got an email from our photog with the proof of our album. IT'S FUCKING TERRIBLE.

I could cry. In three weeks, we will be having our one year anniversary. It took her forever to make this thing anyway, and it looks nothing like the samples she showed me when she was hired, not to mention it's nothing like we discussed. I've seen better high school yearbooks.

8/11/2011 8:33:17 AM

I'm sorry, aea. Maybe you could take them to another photographer and have them touch them up! At the very least you should let your photographer know that they are not superb, maybe you can get some of your money back.

8/11/2011 8:38:55 AM