PA Wedding: A Few Pictures

i haven't uploaded most of our pictures yet, but here's 2 of my favorites from this weekend. does anyone else see a use for the first one? like say on engagement announcements or thank you notes? cuz i totally do! ;)

i have loads more pictures, so there'll probably be lots of random picture posts in the next week or so. the wedding was absolutely gorgeous and Kim and Matt looked amazing! yes, i totally cried during the bridal march even though i'd spent the entire morning with Kim and even laced up her gown. goosebumps and tears. plus, i couldn't look at Steve or i'd have lost it even more. <3

Us at the rehearsal dinner

The Bride and groom on their pastor's motorcycle at the reception

Us at #PAwedding

Watching me try on PA wedding clothes

the last 24 hours: the amazing and the horrendous

the amazing
last night after checking times and temperatures, i reserved our wedding date. yep, it's official, we are getting married on 10-10-10 at 2pm in Las Vegas. next, we need to pick locations. well, here, this is the wedding deets copied from SLVW's site...

Las Vegas Strip, package 2 - $399

• Get married in any hotel suite, room, or condo. Ceremony and some photos will be done at one location.
• Minister – traditional or civil ceremony
  
• Professional Photographer – minimum of 30 high resolution pictures on a photo CD
• DVD of the Ceremony (High definition widescreen 1080i video quality and Slideshow of all photos added to DVD with ceremony)
• Witness, if needed
• Option to get married at the world famous Las Vegas sign, hotel suite, room, condo, or select public locations on the strip
• 1 additional public location on the Strip for 25 of your 50 photos (a minimum of 50 photos)
• A small hand tied 6-rose bouquet for the bride
  
• Groom’s boutonniere
• Courtesy Limousine transportation to and from the ceremony for the bride and groom and up to 6 guests

We are also getting 20 extra pictures for not using their flowers, and 30 extra pictures for entering a contest they have. so, a total of 100 photos minimum.

this morning, we slept late and then, as usual, he raced to work. i putzed around the house, showered, walked Lola, and prepped the steak and potatoes for dinner tonight. then at like 2:40 i headed to the Y for belly dancing class.

...and the horrendous...
we were walking out of class and my friend Carrie said something along the lines of "what are you doing here?" and i looked, and my heart sank. i knew immediately something was wrong. it was Steve. Steve who raced to get to work by 1pm. Steve who doesn't get any breaks at his crappy job, and certainly not enough time to come all the way back to Chapel Hill to sit outside my class and read the New Yorker. yeah, *sigh*

we went out to the parking lot and he told me what happened. after a few near misses with boxes flying out of his GM's hands and getting up close and personal in his face yelled at, he just handed in his keys and walked out. that's the very concise version of it. hopefully he'll have something new soon!

so now instead of the steak and mashed potatoes with lemon cupcakes just as a meal, it's a celebration of sorts. he's not going to be beat down at work anymore and can actually come with me to Pittsburgh in 3 days. yes, even 3 days away, his GM was still dragging his feet even though Steve's been constantly asking for the time off for the last few months.

and no, we can't afford our life on my salary. we can't even afford my half of our life on my salary.

i, for reals, hope that all y'all are doing better!

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Booked!

It is official.... 10-10-10 @ 2pm.

No other reason for the posting. <3

I Will Be a Fat Bride

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I recently found the blog Axis Of Fat via a link from OffBeatBride.com. I am in love. Seriously.
The initial post I read on the blog said what I've been thinking for a while now.

Here is an excerpt from her post, but you really gotta click over there to read it all and see her gorgeous pictures!
Fat Bride Survival Guide

When I got married I was a fat bride. In fact, I was fat when I got engaged - I was even *gasp* fat when Nick and I met! Despite having a well established, recognised and loved body shape before getting married I copped a huge amount of pressure to lose weight in the lead up to the wedding. For some reason, I had it in my head that my wedding day would be a celebration of love and happiness between Nick and I however it seemed that foolish me had little idea of the true wedding agenda - basically some kind of reality tv show where the ugly duckling turns gorgeous siren.

...read the rest...


And here is the comment I just made:
I will be a fat bride - getting married 10-10-10. And like most of the other posters, I've been fat my whole life. I made the mistake of buying my [wedding] gown at the lowest weight I'd been in ages, and then proceeded to gain 50lbs [in about a year]. Yeah, rather than alter the dress, or myself, drastically, I'm going to buy a new one that fits me and makes me feel gorgeous the way I look. I am so sick of friends and family telling me I need to lose weight for my wedding. My fiance adores me exactly the way I am! While I do wish I were smaller, I'm not going to hide who I am or pretend I'm someone that I'm not. I come from a fat family and will have fat babies. And I am OK with that.

You look absolutely gorgeous in your dress and the pictures posted here show a wonderful wedding day. And too true, the day is about celebrating love, not the way you look in a dress.

<3,
Becca


I will be the first to admit that I am not crazy about the way I look naked. But that's what clothes are for; they disguise our flaws and make us feel better. If they didn't, couture sure wouldn't cost an arm and a leg! I hate looking at size tags and feel horrible knowing that I cannot shop in certain stores.

But what am I doing about it? I am lazy. There, I said it. I would rather knit or, *gasp*, study than work out. I would rather knit than go for a walk. But I will romp on the floor with Lola and run in circles with her. I am also taking belly dancing class. While it's not a strenuous workout, but more like slightly faster paced yoga, I'm doing something. I have exercise DVDs that sit unwatched. Again, I am lazy.

I guess this is me finally admitting it, right? I have a screwed up body image - always have - and need to own up to it. I am getting married in *checks Facebook* 415 days. While I am going to try to lose weight, for my health, I'm not going to freak out if I can't. No one should. Stupid fashion industry and their unrealistic model body shapes.

/end fat rant

Thank you, ECU!

I feel like ECU sent me this gift basket today. Only filled with real cash. Yep, my excess loan funds were deposited and made available to me today!

Aside from all the credit cards I need to pay off and pay down, having these funds also means booking the wedding! Of course, we need to have a little chit chat and figure out a few more things before that can be done. As long as all decisions are made before the end of the month, we will still get locked into SLVW's lower rates.

Oh so happy me!

How are you today? Any fun and exciting news coming your way?


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Pittsburgh Wedding

In case you haven’t noticed, there’s not a whole lot of wedding planning going on right now. We’re gearing up for one of my best friends weddings in Pittsburgh next Saturday – holy hell it’s close enough that I can now say “next” – so that’s been the focus lately.

I have my bridesmaids dress. I am debating between 2 dresses for the rehearsal/ dinner. I’ve started working on my Maid of Honor speech. And I’ve already mapped out the trip from our house to the hotel; 470 miles on the nose. That’s going to be a seriously long drive, especially if I have to make it myself. Lola has been booked at “camp” starting Wednesday night till Monday morning to give us ample time to take care of trip stuff and leave at 4am.

Yes, you read that right. I love my Kimmie so much that I am getting on the road at 4am to drive to Pittsburgh, just in time for a pedicures & martini’s lunch session with her and the girls. Trust me... I will be a napping fool as soon as I drop Lola off at camp. Plus, I’ll get to see Virginia and West Virginia, and possibly some other states I’ve never seen. Needless to say, I’m super excited about their upcoming wedding. And I get to see 2 of my favorite girls as well!

Steve is still being screwed over at work as far as his vacation goes. He’s more than earned a week off, but apparently that doesn’t matter. Seeing as he said he needed this time off for months and, surprise surprise, he’s scheduled to work next weekend. I am going to be livid if he can’t come with, considering that his job has know for months that he’s got to go out of town. Whatever, they suck.

The picture is the inside of the Heinz Memorial Chapel on the University of Pittsburgh campus. This beautifulness is the location of their wedding! Can you just imagine the gorgeous pictures?!

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done done done!

See... I'm the knitter, not just the wedding planner :) these are my 2nd pair of socks and they only took 3 weeks to complete! (the last pair took 8 months. and the 1st pair I never even finished...)

Steve is currently working on the header for the blog and, I gotta say, it looks amazing!

I See Light!

That will be me on May 7, 2010. (...standing on a cake, surrounded by stars...)

Wow, that date is the day I am officially finished with my MBA and, hopefully, school forever. I started this grad school journey in August 2005, which really does feel like a lifetime ago. In the 4 years it’s been so far, taking 2 classes a semester and 1 this past summer, I managed to hold steady at a GPA of 3.33, all the while working various full-time jobs ranging from 40-55 hours a week.

Steve and I were talking finances at lunch, and jobs. I said we were going to Greenville in May for graduation, and then I started tearing up. I can’t believe it’s so close when, for the longest time, there’s been no end in sight. There is actually a light at the end of the tunnel!

I started digging on the ECU website for more information about graduation. Then I checked Orbitz for hotels and room rates in Greenville. Yes, I am ridiculous enough to book my hotel room 9 months in advance.

So we have the following travel plans for the next 14 months:

• August 27-30 in Pittsburgh, PA for Kim and Matt’s wedding
• October 22-24 in New Bern, NC for Abby and Chance’s wedding
• May 6-9 in Greenville, NC for graduation
• October 9-15 in Las Vegas for MY wedding

Image courtesy of mbaforbetterfuture.com

Booking the Wedding and a Lola Picture

I was just checking out SLVW as I do... frequently.. and noticed a little disclaimer on their front page. All package prices will be increasing as of September 1, 2009. However, wedding booked prior to September 1 are not affected. Guess what I'll be doing as soon as I get my student loan excess funds in 2 weeks? That's right... booking the wedding and paying the deposit!

Yes, I have the "go ahead" to do so. Not for the above reason, but for other reasons, but I'm sure mentioning the rise in prices will only help push it along. =) We're pressed for funds as is, hence Vegas in the first place, and with a total trip budget of $1500, we're not taking chances on going over said budget.

In amusing.. news.. I am taking an Illustrator class this summer.

<---- This is my latest project. I had to use the pencil tool to write my name, or in this case, Lola's name. Then outline a subject from a photo and colorize it however we wanted. I picked our poochie, cuz she's the cutest little thing.

No reason for posting this other than I wanted to show off my lack of Illustrator skills. Gotta get up to speed since I'm designing all the invites, favor labels, etc for us.

Want to Win a Pair of Sandals?

Check it out... there’s a great contest going on over at one of my favorite daily reads, the Budget Savvy Bride blog. She is trying to get the word out about this amazing company...

“Sseko Designs is a company that partners with a school in Kampala, Uganda to employ recent high school graduates to make beautiful sandals as a way to earn money to continue on to University. They employ bright young women who would otherwise not have the opportunity to continue their education. Sseko is passionate about educating and empowering women, specifically in developing countries.”

Go to her website, read the rules, and sign up for the giveaway! I personally fell in love with the serenbe design. Which do you fancy?

Wedding Dress Woes

I am giving my dress until April 1 to sell. If it doesn’t sell by then, I will start on alterations to be able to wear it in Vegas in October. I’m unhappy with this decision only because I really am regretting my decision to buy it so soon. I love the dress. LOVE IT. But... where it would have been wonderful to stick in a car and drive to Miami, and have time to hang and get the wrinkles out, it will not be wonderful to cram into a bag, fly across the country and wear the next day in Vegas.

I’m wondering just how short I can have the seamstress make it and still look good and just how much it’s going to cost. Steve really doesn’t want me to sell it. He knows how much I love the dress and that it pains me to sell it. I really wish we had made more plans before I rushed out and bought a $700 dress. Grrrr.

Oh well. I’m clearly not alone with dress regrets. I’ve seen brides all over my blogs buying 2 dresses, or even 3 because they can’t decide what they want. Well, I know the style I want for Vegas and it’s decidedly cheaper then I initially spent. And honestly, it’s not about money in this case. It’s about changed tastes and venues.

The dress is currently listed on BravoBride.com with over 1000 views. I tried CraigsList, but that was a bust. I kept renewing the ad but never even got a nibble. Ebay costs too much for the probable no bids that it’ll get. Even with a reserve price, I’m not guaranteed a purchase. A girlfriend of mine bought her dress and 2 months later listed it on Ebay when she bought another and got no bids the 3 or 4 times she kept relisting it. Annoying!

What other sites should I be listing it on? Help?

EDITed to add: Apparently PreOwnedWeddingDress.com finally got a clue and opened up their Sell a Dress form to include sizes over, like, 12. When I checked in May, I couldn't list my dress due to it being larger than their listings. It will be listed as soon as the lovely manager from the Raleigh David's Bridal store mails me a copy of my receipt. She is amazing and I love her, without ever having met her. She dug into their system from 16 months ago to find my receipt and is mailing it to me.


Image courtesy of iStockPhoto

Welcome Readers

I am kinda amazed that so many people have been to my little blog, according to my stat's software. I'd love to hear from you, especially if you're a regular reader. :)

Also, what else would you like to see, or not see, on here? Anything more you want to know, just ask! I love comments, so feel free to leave them!

Thanks!

Booking the Wedding

I just spent a good chunk of my lunch break trying to convince Steve that we should book our date with SLVW already. He doesn't see the point seeing as it is over a year away and things could still change. Plus, he wants to get Rosetta Stone so we can both become bilingual (Spanish) to improve chances of getting higher pay. The wedding/ photographer/ flowers/ limo/ minister/ everything else costs the same as the full Rosetta Stone package. Great! He can buy RS, and I'll pay for the wedding. Win-win, right? ;)

I will continue to work on the booking after work. Especially because he tipped the waiter $10.10 "in honor of our wedding date." Yeah buddy, I know that's our date, but can't we make it official? Not that I have the 35% down payment yet, but I will in a few weeks! After all, it's less than $175 to guarantee the date and time we want to be forever tied to one another.

I love my crazy fiance.

She lives: Peace love knit & Go Gators!

Going Incommunicado for a Bit

hahahaha, that made me laugh!

my dead computer, however, made me cry, pull my hair out, and sweat bullets. i also got online with Dell tech support last night for just shy of an hour and managed to get a new motherboard and AC adapter, and fixed webcam. and the tech is coming to me.

basically, outside of work hours, i won't have any computer access for the next few days. my fiance has a computer, but it's so virus laden and painfully slow, that i will do without instead of getting frustrated at his. it was sufficient to chat with Sai in India last night, but that's about it. *sigh*

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Birdcage Veil

I was perusing the net earlier looking for tutorials to make a birdcage veil and found this really great one! i think i'm going to make one with another comb - as in, not my specifically purchased "tiara" - and see how it works. for all I know, I won't even like the way it look on my face.

Check out this tutorial to make this gorgeous birdcage veil...


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Lola

I help mama knit socks