In exactly one week today we will be leaving for (well actually by now in) JAMAICA!! I can NOT wait!! Then the real wedding planning can start! :):)
I posted it as my Facebook status that I was starting to pack and one of my bridesmaids said that she was jealous and I told her in one year she will be going with me! She was really excited too and was talking about how she needed to get her passport and such. That made me really excited because I was afraid she wouldn't be able to make it. She is a single mom with a 1 year old little boy. She has talked to me before about having money problems and such, but I'm really really excited that she is planning on going!! :)
What frustrates me is my MOH said that she was jealous too, but since she already told me 6 months ago that she wouldn't be able to make it, I wasn't really sure how to respond to that. After all my friend that is a single mom is making ends meet to go, but she can't afford it. That leads me to believe again that it is because of her boyfriend.
I thought of doing something really like for the girls that are going because it means so much to me that they are spending the money to go with me. Then I thought that wasn't fair because my MOH is planning my bridal shower and bachlorette party. I even thought of paying for their dresses if they are going, but I don't think I really can afford that. Maybe I can pay for their hair and make up when we get there. I am putting together a gift bag for all of them that will have their jewelery, shoes, and name hangers. I am also trying to put together a cute bridesmaid survivor kit for them (I've found some really cute poems online). But I still feel like I want to do something that will know how much I really appreciate that they came all this way for me. Hopefully I'll come up with something. For my MOH though, I thought of going to the Coach Outlet and buying her a Coach purse or a gift card to say thank you for being my MOH. I guess we'll see how everything pans out.
375 Days :)
Friday, March 9, 2012
Sunday, February 26, 2012
The Wedding Shoes Are Ordered!!
My FMIL wanted to buy me a special gift from me to her so she bought me my wedding shoes!
They are absolutely perfect (minus the fact I'm not sure how I'm going to walk in them)! If I at least get pictures with them I will be happy, the rest of the time I can wear my flip flops.
Andy was super mad about these heels though. He said that I should look classy on my wedding day, not like a stripper. I just chose to ignore him, because everyone else LOVED them and they go perfectly with our Brewer theme! :)
My mom came up with a cute idea that I could have all my bridesmaids wear them, but #1 I can't afford to buy them for everyone, #2 I don't want them to have to pay for them, and #3 I don't want them to suffer the entire night. They would look super cute with a tea length dress though :)
387 Days :)
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Bridal Showers
So my MOH bought invites for my bridal shower! To me that is really exciting because it shows that she is excited for the wedding :) The only thing is though, she wants to have my bridal shower and my bachlorette party all on the same day--at the end of summer. That is fine for the bridal shower but we are not getting married until March. The bachlorette party is supposed to be like your last horrah before you get married. I understand that she wants decent weather for it--but even though I hardly go out, I don't want my last horrah to be at the end of summer and have to wait 6-7 months before I get married.
I suggested that we do the bridal shower at the end of August and then combine my golden birthday and my bachlorette party at the end of February in Milwaukee. At first she did not seem thrilled about this. I think she wants to have it in Fond du Lac, which is where the majority of my bridesmaids are from, but most of my friends are in Milwaukee and I would not expect them to drive to Fond du Lac for my bachlorette party when Milwaukee is so much more exciting. She also brought up the fact that if there is bad weather in February she wouldn't be able to make it down--well how the hell would I make it up there then?! It works both ways!
I'm glad that we still have plenty of time to figure all this out. Right now I am taking everything lightly and trying not to let anything irritate me.
OH! As of yesterday we have been engaged for ONE YEAR!! :):):) One year, one month and one day until our wedding!
394 Days :)
I suggested that we do the bridal shower at the end of August and then combine my golden birthday and my bachlorette party at the end of February in Milwaukee. At first she did not seem thrilled about this. I think she wants to have it in Fond du Lac, which is where the majority of my bridesmaids are from, but most of my friends are in Milwaukee and I would not expect them to drive to Fond du Lac for my bachlorette party when Milwaukee is so much more exciting. She also brought up the fact that if there is bad weather in February she wouldn't be able to make it down--well how the hell would I make it up there then?! It works both ways!
I'm glad that we still have plenty of time to figure all this out. Right now I am taking everything lightly and trying not to let anything irritate me.
OH! As of yesterday we have been engaged for ONE YEAR!! :):):) One year, one month and one day until our wedding!
394 Days :)
Friday, January 20, 2012
Lots and Lots of Updates!
To conclude my last post I ended up asking for my money back and she refused. We emailed back and forth a few times but it became a losing battle. We will chalk this up as a loss. I edited the pictures myself and gave them to our families for Christmas. They loved them!
Over Thanksgiving Andy's sister got engaged and are getting married in August! She asked me to be her bridesmaid! The day after Christmas we went to see her dress she picked and it was gorgeous! We also got to try on our bridesmaid dresses. Picture a short Belle dress from Beauty & the Beast in Plum and that is what we'll be wearing. Pretty awesome, huh? Her maid of honor is great. I am actually really jealous of how great she is. Right now she is going through a divorce and yet she still manages to be extremely happy for Jean and supportive. Sometimes when I talk to Amanda I feel like I can't be as excited as I want to be. I am also jealous of how helpful and supportive her mom is as well. Don't get me wrong, they are very helpful and supportive of our wedding as well, but it's different when it's your own daughter. My mom never even asks about the wedding unless I bring it up, and even still we talk about it for five minutes and then the subject gets changed. I know a lot of this has to do with our wedding being over a year away still, but we have so much planned already and I just want the support that every bride wants from her mother and maid of honor.
On a positive note though, Amanda did text me saying that she found invites for my bridal shower! That really meant a lot to me because it showed that she is excited about the wedding. I know I just need to calm down because people will get more excited as the wedding gets closer. It may just not seem realistic now because it is still over a year away.
Over Christmas Andy, Mary (his mom, my FMIL!), and I made my bridesmaid name hangers! This was one DIY project I was really excited about. This is what they look like:
Instead of bridesmaid though they have their names (Amanda, Jessica, Lexi, Jean). Mary also tied a blue ribbon around the hanger and one within each girl's name to cover up some bloopers. I think Andy enjoyed this project the most because he got to figure out how to bend each girls name and he loves strategic things like that.
A few days ago mlb.com was having an awesome sale, so I ordered the bridesmaid's earrings. Now I will have all their jewelry ordered! I just need to find a cute tote bag and cute flip flops for them to wear. I also have been looking on Pinterest (my new obsession) and found a cute bridesmaid survival kit poem:
Lastly (I promise), I made our wedding invitations! They look like boarding passes. Each person will get 4 tickets. One will be a Save the Date, next will be the acutal wedding invite followed by how to book and the resort, and lastly will be the RSVP. I can't finish them until we have the wedding booked, but I am pretty excited about them! We will get them professionally printed and hopefully have them sent out by April!!
424 Days :)
Over Thanksgiving Andy's sister got engaged and are getting married in August! She asked me to be her bridesmaid! The day after Christmas we went to see her dress she picked and it was gorgeous! We also got to try on our bridesmaid dresses. Picture a short Belle dress from Beauty & the Beast in Plum and that is what we'll be wearing. Pretty awesome, huh? Her maid of honor is great. I am actually really jealous of how great she is. Right now she is going through a divorce and yet she still manages to be extremely happy for Jean and supportive. Sometimes when I talk to Amanda I feel like I can't be as excited as I want to be. I am also jealous of how helpful and supportive her mom is as well. Don't get me wrong, they are very helpful and supportive of our wedding as well, but it's different when it's your own daughter. My mom never even asks about the wedding unless I bring it up, and even still we talk about it for five minutes and then the subject gets changed. I know a lot of this has to do with our wedding being over a year away still, but we have so much planned already and I just want the support that every bride wants from her mother and maid of honor.
On a positive note though, Amanda did text me saying that she found invites for my bridal shower! That really meant a lot to me because it showed that she is excited about the wedding. I know I just need to calm down because people will get more excited as the wedding gets closer. It may just not seem realistic now because it is still over a year away.
Over Christmas Andy, Mary (his mom, my FMIL!), and I made my bridesmaid name hangers! This was one DIY project I was really excited about. This is what they look like:
A few days ago mlb.com was having an awesome sale, so I ordered the bridesmaid's earrings. Now I will have all their jewelry ordered! I just need to find a cute tote bag and cute flip flops for them to wear. I also have been looking on Pinterest (my new obsession) and found a cute bridesmaid survival kit poem:
This Survival Kit was made just to say,I'm thrilled you're beside me on my wedding day!There's chocolate to give you that sugar high,And a packet of tissues in case you should cry.Lip gloss to help you care for your smile,If a nail should break, I've included a file.There is Shout if you should spill on your dress,And mouthwash to keep your breath minty fresh.There's Tylenol and Tums if it's ill that you feel,And Band-aids to help you tackle high heels.I've put everything in this handy pack,So you'll know that this bride has got your back!This kit was created so that you can see,How much you mean to the bride-to-be.
A few weeks ago Andy and I booked our DJ! We are going with Sound by Design. They do 90% of the weddings at Lakefront and are very reasonably priced! Since our reception is on a Sunday in the off season we got an even more incredible deal! Now all we need to find is a photographer and a baker.
I know this is getting to be SUPER long, but there is still a few more things...
I was looking online at wedding dresses at a bridal shop back home. They have the dress listed that I have been eyeing up for a while and come to find out they are having a sale!! I was so excited so I called them first thing on Monday morning. Come to find out the company doesn't send out samples which means I would not be able to try it on before I buy it. That made my heart completly sink. I don't even buy a shirt before I try it on, much less a dress that could possibly be my wedding dress! I took this as a sign that I should just wait to try on dresses because I still have pleanty of time. We go to Jamaica in 2 months so after we come back I will start dress shopping!
Lastly (I promise), I made our wedding invitations! They look like boarding passes. Each person will get 4 tickets. One will be a Save the Date, next will be the acutal wedding invite followed by how to book and the resort, and lastly will be the RSVP. I can't finish them until we have the wedding booked, but I am pretty excited about them! We will get them professionally printed and hopefully have them sent out by April!!
424 Days :)
Monday, December 5, 2011
Engagement Picture DISASTER!
We finally got our engagement pictures back for the SECOND time. Just to refresh your memory, we got our pictures taken at the end of July by a UW-Madison student that a co-worker recommended to me. I looked through some of her pictures and they were great (apparently she gave up when it came to us).
The first time we got our pictures back she did a great job but edited all the WRONG ones! Then she got snotty and told me that I told her the wrong pictures and explained to me how to select the pictures we wanted. Well obviously our screens were clearly different and didn't have the same information. She figured out the pictures that we wanted and said that she was going to edit them for us.
We got the pictures back and NONE of them were edited. We were able to choose 10 and only 8 were considered "edited". I emailed her after seeing them on Friday night and told her I knew she didn't edit them because first of all her logo wasn't on them and secondly they looked the exact same as the website where we chose our pictures to be edited. Because I was in such an uproar I didn't see that she in fact did add her logo to the pictures (Andy caught that one) so I feel kind of stupid for that. I told her that I would just edit them myself. I still have yet to get a reply.
My dilemma is do I ask for a refund or at least half my money back? I mean we took our pictures in July and it is now December. It should not take that long to edit... or in her case "edit" 10 pictures. The only problem is I don't want to cause tension between me and my coworker. I have worked with her for 3 years now and we are fairly close. She feels so bad about everything because she recommended the girl to us even though none of this is her fault. I don't want to cause tension between her and the girl either because they are some how related and do see each other. What to do ... What to do...
470 Days :)
The first time we got our pictures back she did a great job but edited all the WRONG ones! Then she got snotty and told me that I told her the wrong pictures and explained to me how to select the pictures we wanted. Well obviously our screens were clearly different and didn't have the same information. She figured out the pictures that we wanted and said that she was going to edit them for us.
We got the pictures back and NONE of them were edited. We were able to choose 10 and only 8 were considered "edited". I emailed her after seeing them on Friday night and told her I knew she didn't edit them because first of all her logo wasn't on them and secondly they looked the exact same as the website where we chose our pictures to be edited. Because I was in such an uproar I didn't see that she in fact did add her logo to the pictures (Andy caught that one) so I feel kind of stupid for that. I told her that I would just edit them myself. I still have yet to get a reply.
My dilemma is do I ask for a refund or at least half my money back? I mean we took our pictures in July and it is now December. It should not take that long to edit... or in her case "edit" 10 pictures. The only problem is I don't want to cause tension between me and my coworker. I have worked with her for 3 years now and we are fairly close. She feels so bad about everything because she recommended the girl to us even though none of this is her fault. I don't want to cause tension between her and the girl either because they are some how related and do see each other. What to do ... What to do...
470 Days :)
Friday, December 2, 2011
Online Dress Hunting
So I have been online wedding dress hunting and I finally found the style of my dress. It called a "high-low" dress meaning it short in the front and long in the back. I think this is PERFECT for a destination wedding because it's a short dress for the beach but you still get the feeling of being a bride and having a train. I am so excited, I found 2 dresses I like in that style! The only problem is they are not at the same store. My other concern is, I was reading a post on theknot.com and most women said that they didn't like the dress they saw online and went a total opposite direction. That makes me quite nervous. I plan to go dress shopping sometime this summer so my fingers are crossed.
473 Days :)
473 Days :)
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Bridesmaids
So I sent out all my bridesmaid's cards! Immediately, everyone said yes except my MOH. She wanted to go out to dinner and I figured I would get my answer then. In her text she kept putting :) so I figured it was a good sign, right? We get to dinner and we're chatting as normal. Then our meal comes and she starts picking at it. That's when I knew something was up (we NEVER pick at our food, we always dive right in). Then she looked at me and she had tears in her eyes and told me she doesn't think she would be able to make it to Jamaica and she really didn't want it to ruin our friendship. OMG! I would never let something like that ruin our friendship!! We've been best friends for almost 7 years now! I told her it was okay, I wasn't expecting everyone to be able to make it anyways. She then told me she would love to be my MOH at home and throw my wedding shower, bachlorette party, and whatever else there is to do.
Dinner continues and we are talking more about vacations and she brings up something that makes me second guess WHY she wouldn't be able to make it. She mentioned that because her boyfriend has MS they really can't take trips to warm places like Florida or JAMAICA. I WISH I would have something right then and there because it is eating me alive now. I'm really curious if she is not going because her boyfriend wouldn't be able to go?! If so--that IS a deal breaker and potentially a friendship ender (and I would NOT consider that being over dramatic!)
So we go out to dinner another night and I decide that I'm just going to work up the nerve and ask if that's the case. We get on the subject which is a perfect segway in. Then a convo starts about who is all going. I mentioned that Lexi, Jessica, and Jean all said yes (the only other bridesmaids). She then gets really quiet. There goes my segway because how am I supposed to ask her when it looks like she is already hurt that she is not going to be able to make it. So after that I just convinced myself that it truly is because she cannot afford it and not because her boyfriend wouldn't be able to go. Let's hope I'm not lying to myself...
489 days :)
Dinner continues and we are talking more about vacations and she brings up something that makes me second guess WHY she wouldn't be able to make it. She mentioned that because her boyfriend has MS they really can't take trips to warm places like Florida or JAMAICA. I WISH I would have something right then and there because it is eating me alive now. I'm really curious if she is not going because her boyfriend wouldn't be able to go?! If so--that IS a deal breaker and potentially a friendship ender (and I would NOT consider that being over dramatic!)
So we go out to dinner another night and I decide that I'm just going to work up the nerve and ask if that's the case. We get on the subject which is a perfect segway in. Then a convo starts about who is all going. I mentioned that Lexi, Jessica, and Jean all said yes (the only other bridesmaids). She then gets really quiet. There goes my segway because how am I supposed to ask her when it looks like she is already hurt that she is not going to be able to make it. So after that I just convinced myself that it truly is because she cannot afford it and not because her boyfriend wouldn't be able to go. Let's hope I'm not lying to myself...
489 days :)
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
My Latest and Greatest Ideas
Now please how amazingly awesome my newest idea is...at the reception the bridal party walks in to Roll Out The Barrel and when everyone is in it will say "FOR THE GANGS ALL HERE!" Is that fantastic or what?! I thought of that at the last Brewer game I went to.I told Andy about it and I'm pretty sure he fell more in love with me right then and there!
Another idea I had is to incorporate baseball a little more into our reception so people don't get confused to why we are walking in to Roll Out The Barrel. The bridesmaids will have Brewers necklaces and earrings but those are such minor details. My new project is to figure out how to incorporate a beach wedding and a baseball theme all into one reception. It might be a lot of work!
Speaking of bridesmaids, the cards are finished and I'm just waiting on one more address and they will be sent off!! I'm really excited yet really nervous at the same time. All the girls pretty much know but I'm still nervous! I still only have 4 bridesmaids as of now, as I mentioned earlier I am still debating on one.
I have been online browsing wedding dresses as well. I found one that I am in love with and found out that it isn't going to cost as much as I thought. I am totally excited about that! Now maybe I will be able to go wedding dress shopping sooner (that's what I think is going to make everything seem absolutely real). AHH!!
532 More Days :)
Another idea I had is to incorporate baseball a little more into our reception so people don't get confused to why we are walking in to Roll Out The Barrel. The bridesmaids will have Brewers necklaces and earrings but those are such minor details. My new project is to figure out how to incorporate a beach wedding and a baseball theme all into one reception. It might be a lot of work!
Speaking of bridesmaids, the cards are finished and I'm just waiting on one more address and they will be sent off!! I'm really excited yet really nervous at the same time. All the girls pretty much know but I'm still nervous! I still only have 4 bridesmaids as of now, as I mentioned earlier I am still debating on one.
I have been online browsing wedding dresses as well. I found one that I am in love with and found out that it isn't going to cost as much as I thought. I am totally excited about that! Now maybe I will be able to go wedding dress shopping sooner (that's what I think is going to make everything seem absolutely real). AHH!!
532 More Days :)
Friday, September 16, 2011
Short and Sweet
My necklaces finally came in from mlb.com! And guess what! They sent me another 15% off coupon (now is that marketing or what!) so earrings here I come! Andy's mom also bought him a Brewers tie that he will wear for the reception. I'm excited to see that!
We also just got our tickets in the mail for Jamaica in March!! I cannot wait!!
Thats about all I have for an update.
550 days :)
We also just got our tickets in the mail for Jamaica in March!! I cannot wait!!
Thats about all I have for an update.
550 days :)
Friday, September 2, 2011
A Couple Updates
Even though Andy and I practically have lived together since we started dating, we now just live as the two of us. No more roommates, no more stress. Our house is finally a home complete with furniture and a dining room table.It's cute and the perfect size for us. We did have a little disagreement when a couple pairs of my shoes ended up on his side of the closet...whoops.. sometimes a girl just needs that little bit of extra space that he wasn't putting to use anyways.
Now that we're all moved I can focus more on wedding stuff. Our trip to Jamaica is booked for this coming March! Now just setting aside money to pay his parents back for the trip is the tricky part, especially with school and books..and well end of the season sales.
Our reception is booked! I read on theknot.com that Lakefront Brewery is booked solid until Nov. 2012 and since were getting married March 2013 we had to get things moving! We have Lakefront booked for Sunday April 13th. I didn't want it to be that long after our wedding but Andy said that if anything goes wrong at least we have time to fix it. Valid point.
Yesterday I spent a good hour at Michael's picking out stuff to make "Will You Be My Bridesmaid" invitations. It was exciting! I think I came up with a million new ideas as I wondered up and down every isle. Then I came to the Martha Stewart Collection and it was like stating with a clean slate. The only thing I couldn't find were little yellow silk flowers. They had every other color you could imagine, and of course no yellow. I asked an employee if there was anywhere I could find yellow and she acted as though I was bothering her so for now I settled for white. Hopefully Walmart or Target will have what I'm looking for.
Today MLB.com had a sale on all their proshop stuff. So I bought my bridesmaid's necklaces that I want them to wear. It was great because it was practically buy 3 get one free! I was debating if I want to wear the same necklace or not. One part of me says I should have something more elegant, and the other part of me really really likes it. So for now I bought 4.
Speaking of only buying 4, I think decided to only have 4 bridesmaids instead of 5. I was going to have my room mate from last year be one of them, but since we moved we really haven't talked much. I figure I have enough time where I change my mind I can always ask her later on, but for now I think I'm leaving it at 4.
564 Days :)
Now that we're all moved I can focus more on wedding stuff. Our trip to Jamaica is booked for this coming March! Now just setting aside money to pay his parents back for the trip is the tricky part, especially with school and books..and well end of the season sales.
Our reception is booked! I read on theknot.com that Lakefront Brewery is booked solid until Nov. 2012 and since were getting married March 2013 we had to get things moving! We have Lakefront booked for Sunday April 13th. I didn't want it to be that long after our wedding but Andy said that if anything goes wrong at least we have time to fix it. Valid point.
Yesterday I spent a good hour at Michael's picking out stuff to make "Will You Be My Bridesmaid" invitations. It was exciting! I think I came up with a million new ideas as I wondered up and down every isle. Then I came to the Martha Stewart Collection and it was like stating with a clean slate. The only thing I couldn't find were little yellow silk flowers. They had every other color you could imagine, and of course no yellow. I asked an employee if there was anywhere I could find yellow and she acted as though I was bothering her so for now I settled for white. Hopefully Walmart or Target will have what I'm looking for.
Today MLB.com had a sale on all their proshop stuff. So I bought my bridesmaid's necklaces that I want them to wear. It was great because it was practically buy 3 get one free! I was debating if I want to wear the same necklace or not. One part of me says I should have something more elegant, and the other part of me really really likes it. So for now I bought 4. Speaking of only buying 4, I think decided to only have 4 bridesmaids instead of 5. I was going to have my room mate from last year be one of them, but since we moved we really haven't talked much. I figure I have enough time where I change my mind I can always ask her later on, but for now I think I'm leaving it at 4.
564 Days :)
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
There's always a Debbie Downer
So we have decided on a destination! Runaway Bay, Jamaica! And even thought it's going to be rough, we are going to go there this March just to check things out (terrible huh?) It is a very reasonable price for flight + hotel and all inclusive. If we book before Aug 8th, we get even more of a discount. How perfect is that?!
So of course because everyone is excited, there always has to be one person that has to be the Debbie Downer. Surprisingly it was not Grandma this time. This time it was my mom. What I don't get is she was the one that was talking me into doing a destination wedding when I wanted to get married in a church in Fond du Lac and have the reception in Milwaukee. When I told her that we picked a destination and we wanted her to come with us to check it out this March, she made up a plethora of excuses why she couldn' go. Since she is single, I told her to invite either one of my aunts, my brother, or even Grandma for all I cared! Every person she had an excuse for. Talk about frustrating!
Finally getting overwhelmed and close to tears by her lack of help, I called my aunt (who she is closest with) and asked her what was going on, why my mom didn't want anything to do with helping me plan my wedding. She helped me come to my senses that my mom just moved and bought brand new everything (not even joking!) and she was probably trying to get caught back up on money. Why couldn't she just tell me that?! I would have understood. But by her not returning my calls or text messages I just assumed (yes it really does make an ass out of you and me) that she was either #1 jealous that I was planning more with Andy's mom or #2 having a pity party because she thought no one would be able to go with her in March. Andy's mom even thought she was mad at her. How ridiculous is all this sounding! All because she could not call or text anyone back.
I wish she would just be more helpful in planning my wedding. It's not like I'm asking her for money, I am just asking her to give her opinion every now and again or help with the DYI things. Even just to ask how the wedding plans are going would be nice. I am only getting married once and I want her to be apart of the planning process.
608 Days :)
So of course because everyone is excited, there always has to be one person that has to be the Debbie Downer. Surprisingly it was not Grandma this time. This time it was my mom. What I don't get is she was the one that was talking me into doing a destination wedding when I wanted to get married in a church in Fond du Lac and have the reception in Milwaukee. When I told her that we picked a destination and we wanted her to come with us to check it out this March, she made up a plethora of excuses why she couldn' go. Since she is single, I told her to invite either one of my aunts, my brother, or even Grandma for all I cared! Every person she had an excuse for. Talk about frustrating!
Finally getting overwhelmed and close to tears by her lack of help, I called my aunt (who she is closest with) and asked her what was going on, why my mom didn't want anything to do with helping me plan my wedding. She helped me come to my senses that my mom just moved and bought brand new everything (not even joking!) and she was probably trying to get caught back up on money. Why couldn't she just tell me that?! I would have understood. But by her not returning my calls or text messages I just assumed (yes it really does make an ass out of you and me) that she was either #1 jealous that I was planning more with Andy's mom or #2 having a pity party because she thought no one would be able to go with her in March. Andy's mom even thought she was mad at her. How ridiculous is all this sounding! All because she could not call or text anyone back.
I wish she would just be more helpful in planning my wedding. It's not like I'm asking her for money, I am just asking her to give her opinion every now and again or help with the DYI things. Even just to ask how the wedding plans are going would be nice. I am only getting married once and I want her to be apart of the planning process.
608 Days :)
Monday, June 27, 2011
New Destination? I think so!
I have been looking for a new destination for weeks now and have not been having any luck. Either it's way too expensive for hotel+flight or the wedding options are all ala cart which defeats the purpose of a destination wedding. Leave it up to Andy to find a place in his first search!
This place looks great! For all-inclusive and flight+hotel it ranges from $3200 to $3500 per couple! You can't go wrong! We also have a choice of Bahamas, Jamaica, or Curacao. I'm kind of leaning towards Curacao though.
The only draw back is I would want my mom to go with us in March to check things out but she is being so stubborn. She is single so she wouldn't have a significant other to bring with her and when I suggested bringing one of my aunts or my brother it seemed like she made up an excuse why every person wouldn't be able to go...without even asking them! I want her opinion too because she is my mom. I'm trying to include her in decisions, but she always just says.. "It's your decision, it's your day, you have to do what you want." Don't get me wrong, its great advice, but sometimes I need more than that. I guess we will see what happens come March.
631 Days :)
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Change In Plans?
So there might be a change in wedding plans. My future in-laws suggested the idea of getting married on a cruise. Personally, I am not sold on the idea. Initially, the cruise would be cheaper, but in the long run after paying for alcohol and excursions it starts to add up. If we do the all inclusive nobody has to worry about getting a $5,000 bill at the end of their vacation because they weren't paying attention to what they were all buying (and why should they... its vacation :)) Also, we are going to be going for a week. On a cruise, you are stuck there for an entire week, but if we go to Cancun then people can come for the wedding and fly back when they have to.
I talked to my mom about the whole thing and she told me that I need to do what makes me happy. Originally, I was not even sold on the idea of a destination wedding because it would cost a lot more for everyone to be there. I am most worried about my bridesmaids not being able to afford it.. and especially worried about the girl that I would want to be my MOH.
My future in-laws brought up that there is so much more to do on a cruise, but I feel that is something to do more for vacation than for a wedding. And how do we know no one is going to get sea sick? That could be a problem.
When Andy and I first talked about it alone we agreed that we were still going to go to Cancun but now I think he is changing his mind. I some how have to tell everyone that I don't want to get married on a cruise ship without looking like a bridezilla. Wish me luck, I will need it!
635 more days :)
I talked to my mom about the whole thing and she told me that I need to do what makes me happy. Originally, I was not even sold on the idea of a destination wedding because it would cost a lot more for everyone to be there. I am most worried about my bridesmaids not being able to afford it.. and especially worried about the girl that I would want to be my MOH.
My future in-laws brought up that there is so much more to do on a cruise, but I feel that is something to do more for vacation than for a wedding. And how do we know no one is going to get sea sick? That could be a problem.
When Andy and I first talked about it alone we agreed that we were still going to go to Cancun but now I think he is changing his mind. I some how have to tell everyone that I don't want to get married on a cruise ship without looking like a bridezilla. Wish me luck, I will need it!
635 more days :)
Thursday, June 9, 2011
A Groom With a Silver Toung
Well I don't know what Andy said but we were able to go and sign the lease and even better--we are able to move in Aug 1st! I tell ya... that boy can make anyone like him!
We both set a goal this month in preparation for moving. Mine is to buy a couch and ottoman and his is to buy a TV (I've been hinting at the great deals from Target--like their 50" TV!!) We recently just bought most of our bathroom stuff along with buying bedroom decorations here and there. The only room we have been having troubles with is the kitchen. I told him to pick the color since he has been complaining that I have been controlling everything else (hello! I'm the girl.. duh!) And here we sit... waiting for him to pick a kitchen color.
Since we have most of our house stuff figured out I'm trying to focus more on the wedding again. A friend of mine is getting married in January, so we've been talking about ideas and it's getting me excited again! Which reminds me! I applied for my passport on Tuesday! Cancun 2012 here we come (just to check things out ... rough responsibility right? )
649 Days :)
We both set a goal this month in preparation for moving. Mine is to buy a couch and ottoman and his is to buy a TV (I've been hinting at the great deals from Target--like their 50" TV!!) We recently just bought most of our bathroom stuff along with buying bedroom decorations here and there. The only room we have been having troubles with is the kitchen. I told him to pick the color since he has been complaining that I have been controlling everything else (hello! I'm the girl.. duh!) And here we sit... waiting for him to pick a kitchen color.
Since we have most of our house stuff figured out I'm trying to focus more on the wedding again. A friend of mine is getting married in January, so we've been talking about ideas and it's getting me excited again! Which reminds me! I applied for my passport on Tuesday! Cancun 2012 here we come (just to check things out ... rough responsibility right? )
649 Days :)
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
With Good News Always Comes The Bad
The great news is we got the apartment we wanted. We were so excited because it is perfect for our first apartment together. When the lady called me, I was too excited to ask when we were able to move in. Then came the bad news. I went to drop off the check for them to hold the apartment. My excitement subsided and I remembered to ask when we could move in. We were not able to move in until Aug. 12th. I told her that was not going to work for us because our lease was up Aug 1st. The head boss woman over heard and decided to tell me that we would have to ask for an extension on our lease. When I told her that was not possible she then suggested we move in with friends or family. My family lives in Ripon and Andy's family lives in Racine. We both work in Milwaukee therefore that isn't going to work either.
After hearing that, I felt so left down. We were so excited and the apartment was so perfect. I called Andy right away to tell him the bad news. He ended up calling the lady to ask why we were not able to move in until mid Aug. She informed him that she did not want to give us a sub par apartment (understandable) and they have maintenance go through and fix everything, they repaint, and fix the carpet. Andy then asked that if the apartment didn't need to be repainted or if the carpet wasn't terrible if we could just skip that step in order to accommodate both of us. He told her we would be able to wait until the 5th but anything after that wouldn't work. She laughed at him. He politely told her that he was serious. She said she was going to give maintenance a call and she would call him back. Yeah, we are still waiting for a phone call.
Obviously this lady hasn't had much experience in customer service. She is not trying to work with us in order to keep her customer satisfied. We would be willing to wait a week (which should be sufficient) but we don't want to over stay our welcome at our parent's and moreover where are we going to store our stuff for TWO WEEKS?! After talking to a few people about this situation, they made me realize that if this is happening already and we haven't moved in yet, imagine what they are going to be like when we live there.
664 Days :)
After hearing that, I felt so left down. We were so excited and the apartment was so perfect. I called Andy right away to tell him the bad news. He ended up calling the lady to ask why we were not able to move in until mid Aug. She informed him that she did not want to give us a sub par apartment (understandable) and they have maintenance go through and fix everything, they repaint, and fix the carpet. Andy then asked that if the apartment didn't need to be repainted or if the carpet wasn't terrible if we could just skip that step in order to accommodate both of us. He told her we would be able to wait until the 5th but anything after that wouldn't work. She laughed at him. He politely told her that he was serious. She said she was going to give maintenance a call and she would call him back. Yeah, we are still waiting for a phone call.
Obviously this lady hasn't had much experience in customer service. She is not trying to work with us in order to keep her customer satisfied. We would be willing to wait a week (which should be sufficient) but we don't want to over stay our welcome at our parent's and moreover where are we going to store our stuff for TWO WEEKS?! After talking to a few people about this situation, they made me realize that if this is happening already and we haven't moved in yet, imagine what they are going to be like when we live there.
664 Days :)
Friday, May 6, 2011
Who Thought Buying a Shower Curtain Could Be So Exciting!
We found an apartment that we fell in love with! The bad news-- there were no openings in July (when we were hoping to move out) with the floor plan that we liked so were aiming for August. I'm soo excited! The funny thing though is the concept is the same of a community center. In the spring they give away flats of flowers to decorate your patio with and in the fall they do a pumpkin give away. During the summer they have a cook out for all the residences. So they are very community orientated, which is actually neat. It shows that they care about taking care of their residence. The apartment is tucked away in Glendale. I can't even explain how excited we are!
The only draw back is many of the reviews I read were negative. Working in the service industry though, I came to realize that the only time people fill things out or take surveys are when things are negative. Many people forget to give praise when things are positive. So keeping that in mind, we are going to give it a shot because it looks like a great place to live.
After we looked at the apartment we went window shopping for house stuff (we don't want to buy too much until we know exactly where we are living). I never though I would get excited about buying a shower curtain.. but, well, I was. Then the saddest part came... I got excited about looking for a garbage can. It's the little things, I tell ya! All of this is just for an apartment.. wait until we buy a house. Andy is going to go insane!! Oh well :)
683 days :)
The only draw back is many of the reviews I read were negative. Working in the service industry though, I came to realize that the only time people fill things out or take surveys are when things are negative. Many people forget to give praise when things are positive. So keeping that in mind, we are going to give it a shot because it looks like a great place to live.
After we looked at the apartment we went window shopping for house stuff (we don't want to buy too much until we know exactly where we are living). I never though I would get excited about buying a shower curtain.. but, well, I was. Then the saddest part came... I got excited about looking for a garbage can. It's the little things, I tell ya! All of this is just for an apartment.. wait until we buy a house. Andy is going to go insane!! Oh well :)
683 days :)
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
What A Bride to Be Has to Deal With...
As of May 23rd Andy will be a mechanical engineer!! He handed in his acceptance letter yesterday morning and they were happy to keep him! I'm so proud of him! I tell him he's my little engineer (he pretends he doesn't like it but his grin tells me otherwise). :)
I got to show my entire family my ring this weekend and they absolutely loved it! Everyone was very excited about our wedding. My aunt wanted to start looking up travel and hotel rates. I think that everyone forgets that its still two years away! My cousin's wife told us how they were recently in Cancun and went to a hotel called Temptations (the name should be an insight to what it was all about). It was a topless resort (surprise!). My family then suggested getting married there. NO THANK YOU! Can you imagine what my wedding dress would be like?! HELLLLOOOOO FAMILY! It does give me a good chuckle thinking about it though.
Our latest dilemma is that Andy wants to wear shorts for the wedding. I understand that it is a beach wedding, but I want to keep some formality to it. He said that if he has to wear pants then I have to wear heels. FINE! If that's what it takes! He should be happy to wear pants though... originally I wanted him to wear suit pants. Eventually the khaki pants grew on me and I'm starting to like them. I HATE the idea of shorts. I even agreed to let the groomsmen wear flip flops (obviously the bridesmaids will be and fair is fair).
On top of that my mom is already worried about what she is going to wear! She was the one that told me not to look at wedding dresses yet because my taste will change by then. Then she asked what my future mother in law is going to wear. My future mother in law got a chuckle out of that. She realizes that it's still two years away and I'm sure it hasn't even crossed her mind yet. See what a bride to be has to deal with! I love every minute of it though. :)
692 days:)
I got to show my entire family my ring this weekend and they absolutely loved it! Everyone was very excited about our wedding. My aunt wanted to start looking up travel and hotel rates. I think that everyone forgets that its still two years away! My cousin's wife told us how they were recently in Cancun and went to a hotel called Temptations (the name should be an insight to what it was all about). It was a topless resort (surprise!). My family then suggested getting married there. NO THANK YOU! Can you imagine what my wedding dress would be like?! HELLLLOOOOO FAMILY! It does give me a good chuckle thinking about it though.
Our latest dilemma is that Andy wants to wear shorts for the wedding. I understand that it is a beach wedding, but I want to keep some formality to it. He said that if he has to wear pants then I have to wear heels. FINE! If that's what it takes! He should be happy to wear pants though... originally I wanted him to wear suit pants. Eventually the khaki pants grew on me and I'm starting to like them. I HATE the idea of shorts. I even agreed to let the groomsmen wear flip flops (obviously the bridesmaids will be and fair is fair).
On top of that my mom is already worried about what she is going to wear! She was the one that told me not to look at wedding dresses yet because my taste will change by then. Then she asked what my future mother in law is going to wear. My future mother in law got a chuckle out of that. She realizes that it's still two years away and I'm sure it hasn't even crossed her mind yet. See what a bride to be has to deal with! I love every minute of it though. :)
692 days:)
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Gotta Love Saving Money!
Great news!! Andy graduates in May and will have a job as an engineer!!! He got an offer on Wednesday where he is interning! They created a position just for him to stay with their company. I am so proud of him! I tell him he is my little engineer. :) He is excited as well and keeps saying that now he is a provider. He gets some pretty sweet benefits too like 13 paid holidays a year ... must be nice! It is great inspiration to keep working hard in school and finally graduate!
We bought a comforter on Saturday. It's making everything a little more real that we are moving in together soon! The best part is the comforter was originally $300.. with discounts we got it for $96. I love Kohl's! Now we have the store charge card so I'm sure we will be shopping there more (more than I already do!) when the discounts start pouring in! I wanted to open a Target card too but Andy said that I was going a little overboard. Hey I love saving money, what can I say?! I did get a Target gift card for Easter, so that will be well spent buying stuff for our new apartment.
695 days :)
We bought a comforter on Saturday. It's making everything a little more real that we are moving in together soon! The best part is the comforter was originally $300.. with discounts we got it for $96. I love Kohl's! Now we have the store charge card so I'm sure we will be shopping there more (more than I already do!) when the discounts start pouring in! I wanted to open a Target card too but Andy said that I was going a little overboard. Hey I love saving money, what can I say?! I did get a Target gift card for Easter, so that will be well spent buying stuff for our new apartment.
695 days :)
Friday, April 8, 2011
If Looking For an Apartment is Anything Like Creating a Gift Registry...
Over the past week Andy and I have been looking for an apartment to move into. We are trying to find something for July and found out we are way ahead of the ball game. Most realitors almost seem annoyed that we are looking so early but I like being ahead of schedule.
We looked at two apartments, one across the street from the other. The one I liked was very spacious with lots of closet space. The drawback, a tiny kitchen. The apartment he liked again was spacious with a slightly bigger kitchen. The closet space was limited and every closet seemed to have a door on both ends.. unpractical. The wood work looked chipped and the bathtub was scratched. The whole apartment looked like it hadn't been updated since the 70's and to me looked run down. To him on the other hand, since it had a slightly bigger kitchen, it was perfect.
To resolve this problem we threw both applications in the garbage and decided that if we couldn't decide then we weren't going to move into either and keep looking. On Sunday we have another one to look at, hopefully it goes much better.
I do have faith for our gift registry though. We have been able to pick things out together and actually agree on them. The only thing we haven't agreed on was a comforter for the bed. I think I talked him into the one I liked though. :)
711 days :)
We looked at two apartments, one across the street from the other. The one I liked was very spacious with lots of closet space. The drawback, a tiny kitchen. The apartment he liked again was spacious with a slightly bigger kitchen. The closet space was limited and every closet seemed to have a door on both ends.. unpractical. The wood work looked chipped and the bathtub was scratched. The whole apartment looked like it hadn't been updated since the 70's and to me looked run down. To him on the other hand, since it had a slightly bigger kitchen, it was perfect.
To resolve this problem we threw both applications in the garbage and decided that if we couldn't decide then we weren't going to move into either and keep looking. On Sunday we have another one to look at, hopefully it goes much better.
I do have faith for our gift registry though. We have been able to pick things out together and actually agree on them. The only thing we haven't agreed on was a comforter for the bed. I think I talked him into the one I liked though. :)
711 days :)
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Grandma Needs Attention Too
Sunday Andy and I hit another milestone in our relationship. We looked at our first apartment together. We have been practically living together since we started dating, but it has always been with room mates. This will be a change we both are extremely excited to take on. We've been having little tiffs about what we need and what we don't need. For instance he wants to get rid of my dishes! I told him the money we spend on new dishes we could use to buy other things that we don't have-like a couch. Dishes is something we can put on our gift registry. I still don't think he realizes it but the plates are staying. Needless to say Ikea.com and I have become quite good friends.
Late last night I get a phone call from my grandma. She is the type that loves to talk just so someone will listen. So I answered. We chatted for a while and then she brings up the wedding. I got excited because (maybe it runs in the family) but I love talking about my wedding to anyone that will listen! Then it took a turn for the worse. She first tried to get me to change my date! She thought we just picked some random date in March! Then she proceeded to tell me she wishes we would have our wedding in Milwaukee, Fond du Lac, Green Bay (and she listed about every other city in Wisconsin).
After listening to her plead for ab out 5 minutes I told her that we were not changing our date because that was a special date to us and having a destination wedding was cheaper for us to have because all we have to do is pay a small fee (which probably even pay for our wedding cake here) and they do everything for us. OH! that opened another can of worms. She basically said we were being selfish because even thought it is cheaper for us what about everyone else?! I told her as well as I'm sure my mom and my aunt that Andy's parents can get great one week all inclusive deals and two of my cousins (who I hardly talk to) are already looking up deals online. She calmed down for a moment. She then got vicious again and started bringing up people that she knew I would want there for instance my brother who is recently married and recently bought a house. She asked how he would be able to afford it . I simply said I don't know Grandma, he will figure it out. He told me he was already excited to go. When that wasn't enough she started bringing up my grandma and aunt from my other side of the family (who i know she has not talked to) saying that they are not going to be able to make it either. With all this arguing my head is spinning and I'm not sure how to even tackle this situation nicely anymore. It's a complete mess!
With all my frustration (and still trying to be pleasant) I told her that we are having a reception in Milwaukee for anyone that could not make it to the wedding because we know that not everyone will be able to afford to share our day with us. She then went into how that will be expensive. So this was my opportunity to tell her that with the money we are saving on the wedding we will be able to have a more enjoyable reception. She then kept going on and on about other things such having a wedding during spring break and parking at the airport. I told her that it was getting late and I had to get going. I'm sure this will be a hot topic at upcoming events and even though the discussion was over last night- I will still get to hear about it for the next two years at every family function.
On a brighter note...
721 days :)
Late last night I get a phone call from my grandma. She is the type that loves to talk just so someone will listen. So I answered. We chatted for a while and then she brings up the wedding. I got excited because (maybe it runs in the family) but I love talking about my wedding to anyone that will listen! Then it took a turn for the worse. She first tried to get me to change my date! She thought we just picked some random date in March! Then she proceeded to tell me she wishes we would have our wedding in Milwaukee, Fond du Lac, Green Bay (and she listed about every other city in Wisconsin).
After listening to her plead for ab out 5 minutes I told her that we were not changing our date because that was a special date to us and having a destination wedding was cheaper for us to have because all we have to do is pay a small fee (which probably even pay for our wedding cake here) and they do everything for us. OH! that opened another can of worms. She basically said we were being selfish because even thought it is cheaper for us what about everyone else?! I told her as well as I'm sure my mom and my aunt that Andy's parents can get great one week all inclusive deals and two of my cousins (who I hardly talk to) are already looking up deals online. She calmed down for a moment. She then got vicious again and started bringing up people that she knew I would want there for instance my brother who is recently married and recently bought a house. She asked how he would be able to afford it . I simply said I don't know Grandma, he will figure it out. He told me he was already excited to go. When that wasn't enough she started bringing up my grandma and aunt from my other side of the family (who i know she has not talked to) saying that they are not going to be able to make it either. With all this arguing my head is spinning and I'm not sure how to even tackle this situation nicely anymore. It's a complete mess!
With all my frustration (and still trying to be pleasant) I told her that we are having a reception in Milwaukee for anyone that could not make it to the wedding because we know that not everyone will be able to afford to share our day with us. She then went into how that will be expensive. So this was my opportunity to tell her that with the money we are saving on the wedding we will be able to have a more enjoyable reception. She then kept going on and on about other things such having a wedding during spring break and parking at the airport. I told her that it was getting late and I had to get going. I'm sure this will be a hot topic at upcoming events and even though the discussion was over last night- I will still get to hear about it for the next two years at every family function.
On a brighter note...
721 days :)
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