Oh my goodness, I bought a wedding dress last week!  It was so much fun and so special!  I went to Vera's House of Bridals in Madison, WI, which is where my mom bought her wedding dress back when my parents got married, which was so special!  My favorite aunt/godmother also bought her wedding dress there when she married my uncle.  I had such a fun group with too!  It was my mom, sister, aunt/godmother, and both my grandmas.  I was so glad Oma was there!  She's been in a nursing home since last fall and has been showing her dementia more.  But, she was so excited to be there and it seemed like she had a good time.  Mom said Oma giggled when Mom asked if she wanted to come along and said it sounded like fun.  Then when Bumpa was reminding her earlier that day that she was coming with us, she didn't seem too excited (but that's how she is with my grandpa) but when Bumpa was telling the nurse what Oma was doing that day, Oma started giggling again!  She is so funny sometimes!  I'm so glad she was there to see me in my wedding dress!  I'll give a recap of the whole day now:

I started out for Madison around 9 (I think) and went and picked up my other grandma (Grammy) on my way to Bumpa's, where Mom and Amanda were staying.  We got there around noon and I think we were thinking about having lunch there, but I guess we forgot!  We left from Bumpa's to Vera's and got there just as Tante Ruth and Oma were arriving.  Mom arranged for a transport vehicle for Oma so she didn't have to get out of her wheel chair and Tante Ruth rode with her.  Tante Ruth had brought wedding magazines for us to look at while we were waiting at different points.  We went inside and checked in then we were looking around at different displays they had downstairs.  We saw some adorable flowergirl dresses, cute bridesmaids dresses, but we spent most of the time looking at mother's dresses.  Mom saw a few styles she might like!  She has a while, though, before she needs to get one.  Our consultant, Jenna, greeted us there and I introduced her to my family members.  She took us back to our room on the first floor (since they didn't have an elevator and Oma can't climb steps).  It was actually an alterations fitting room, which made it a little different.  I explained to Jenna the sorts of things I like and she took notes and such.  Then she took me with her upstairs to look at a few dresses they had on display while she pulled a couple more from the back.  I saw one that I sort of liked.  It was sort of funny because there was a mom looking at that same dress and wanted to show it to her daughter before I took it with me.  The daughter liked it too!  Well, we got it first ;) and took it down to try on.  Things got ever-so-slightly awkward from there because I had to change in front of my family.  It was just a moment of... Oh! Okay then!  I didn't mind, because they're all family and they've seen me naked before... except that I was much younger then, lol!  I changed as modestly as I could, but they still got to see my undies.  Oh well, it's just family!

The one I picked out I actually really liked.  There were just a few things that were a bit eh, but otherwise, it was gorgeous!  I tried on several more that were just so-so too.  There was one that was one of the last I tried on that made Tante Ruth gasp and say "ohhh!" and I could see she was getting a little misty!  It was a beautiful dress.  It was form-fitting, and had embroidery/sparkles all over it.  It was very pretty... just not quite right!  Jenna then took me upstairs with her again and we looked through the stock in the back.  Jenna could tell exactly what I wanted and she showed me one that would have fit everything.... but it was about $400 over my price range... nope!  I pulled one out and Jenna pulled out a couple too and we headed downstairs to try them on.  The last one I tried on... it was PERFECT!  At first, I thought... oh maybe, I dunno... because it wasn't what I thought I wanted.  But as I looked at it more and more, I realized how beautiful and perfect it was!  Jenna asked me, "would you like to try on a veil with this one?"  YES!!  She brought one one and we put up my hair and put it on.  Beautiful!  We fluffed out the train, took it to the 3-way mirror and walked around with it.   We also put a crinolin (sp?) on under it and it looked even better!  It was decided!

At that point, Oma and Tante Ruth had to leave because the transport would be coming back soon.  So, I gave both a hug and they headed out. 

The next question, however, was whether to order it in ivory (like the sample) or white.  I had always wanted a white dress and I thought the ivory looked dirty.  However, Amanda and Mom both really liked the ivory.  Grammy thought I should get whatever I wanted regardless of anyone else's opinion.  I kept going back and forth, though.  Jenna even brought down a similar dress in white to compare.  We then thought about yellow bridesmaids dresses and would that look better next to the white or the ivory.  Jenna brought down a bridesmaid's dress in yellow that I had been  eyeing up.  It ended up being not quite the right shade, but either way, it definitely looked better next to the white.  It was decided and it was now picture time!  When you find "the dress" at Vera's, they pose you on their beautiful staircase and take your picture.  Then they print one out for you to take home!  They also let Amanda take some with my camera while I was there.

I love the picture they printed for me, though.  It's so handy and I've been showing everyone, especially my co-workers!  I was being really silly during the pictures, though... had to do some "vogue" shots!

Then, it was time to take my dress off! :(  Jenna took my measurements and we decided on a size and I signed off on it.  While that was happening, another consultant came in and took the dress away and I said, "Bye, dress!"  Then it was time to put down the money.  The deposit was half of the total cost.  I asked what the average alterations cost was and she said around $250.  I get a free bustle, though, and it'll probably be less for me since it would only need to be taken in a little and maybe hemmed depending on my shoes.  Then, it was time to head back to Bumpa's!  The plan was to have some yellow-themed snacks (cupcakes, cheese, etc) but we were SO hungry, we just went out to eat.  We waited for Tante Ruth and Madeline to show up, then I had a special surprise for Madelne!  I asked if she would be my flowergirl!  She gasped and said "YES!"  I gave her a book about being a flowergirl and I read it to her.

She was so excited and was my buddy for the rest of the night!  Unfortunately, at dinner, I started to feel sick because I hadn't eaten enough that day and then I got a migraine :(  I picked at my food, but when Madeline declared she only wanted a taste of the sundae that came with her kid's meal, I ate the rest of it.  It was the only thing that actually tasted good.  We went home and I snuggled with Mom for a bit trying to feel better.  She gave me some Alieve she had in her purse too.  Wow, that stuff helped!  Within an hour, I was talkative and cheerful again!  I guess that's a good reminder that I should make sure to eat lunch on my wedding day!  I felt so bad, though while I wasn't feeling well!  Tante Ruth had made little wedding dresses out of marshmallow fondant to put on the cupcakes.  She showed them to me and they were so cute!  She asked if I wanted to try one and I said no thanks because my tummy was still hurting.  Mom told her though that I wasn't feeling well and she understood.  She and Madeline had to head out and we did hugs and stuff (I barely remember it though because of my migraine) Shortly after I started feeling better, Mom and Amanda had to head home that night and I went and stayed with Grammy.

The next day, I decided I didn't really have to be anywhere, although I had told Andy I'd probably leave around noon, which led to some confusion.  Grammy and I had breakfast then sat around talking until lunch!  I learned so many things about my family history, and some things I'd always been curious about but didn't want to ask.  We went to Subway and split a bacon turkey avocado sub and ate it at a nearby park on the lake.  It was such a nice day out and perfect for sitting around and talking!  I finally headed out around supper time.  It was such a wonderful weekend (despite the migraine!) and I'm so glad to have the special memories from those days!

Since last weekend, however, I have had wedding on my brain!  I've been thinking about all I have to do and all I want to do and what I can do next!  I've decided that florist is next and I'm going to start working on some DIY projects as I can get supplies on sale!

I'm sure this was an obnoxiously long post already, but I just wanted to share a couple of things I bought today during a really good sale at Michael's!  I was checking out their flyer and they had one of those "get 50% off one reg price item" coupons.  I knew that could make a great deal for an item, plus they had a ton of other supplies I had been thinking about on sale, so I headed over while Andy was at the gym.  I didn't pay full price for a single item because they were all on sale!  Here's what I got there:

Acrylic paints and paintbrushes for when I make my monogrammed aisle runner!  The paints were 2/$1 and I used my 1/2 off coupon on the paintbrushes.

Two kinds of ribbon, both were on sale.  The green was 3/$1 and the white was 2/$5.  The white I'm going to practice making ribbon roses and I'll use those for various things.  The green I'm not sure how I'll use yet - probably tie to bubbles or something.  But, it's just the right color of green!

I also got a storage organizer to put the paints, paintbrushes, and ribbons in.

And, last at Michaels, I got these 8x10 picture frames for the DIY picture card box I want to make.  I'll need some more supplies and I may ask my dad to help me put it together since it may involve power tools :)  These guys were marked down to $5.99 each, then I had a coupon for 25% off all picture frames, etc.  So, I basically got one for free!

I also thought about getting bubbles while I was there because all wedding stuff was 25% off.  They had 2 kinds: one was a pack of 36 for $9.99 (reg price) and the other was a pack of 100 for $19.99 (reg price).  Obviously, the pack of 100 would be a better deal, but I liked the way the pack of 36 looked better.  I'll probably still go with the 100 pack because of the difference in price.  I'll need 3 packs of the 100s for over 200 guests.  I decided, however, to wait until they weren't on sale and I could use the 50% off coupon to get them (one at a time lol) because then I could get 3 for $30 instead of $45 - every little bit helps!

I also went to Target for some other things, but while I was there, I picked up a few white frames that I want to use for table numbers.  The size on these is 5x7.  I'll need about 28-30, depending on how many people end up coming.  I picked up 5 for now and I'll continue to pick some up whenever I'm there until I have all I need.  They're about $3 a piece.  Not the best quality, but whatever.  I figure after the wedding, I can use them as gifts to parents, grandparents, etc with a wedding picture in them.

Well, this was long, but worth it!  Bye for now!

To dos for this summer:
-Book florist
-Register (3-4 places?)
-finalize guest list
-schedule engagement pictures for fall
-start some DIY decor!

Well, it's May now and I have to start thinking about wedding stuff again!  I haven't done much lately, but I'm starting to think about getting into gear!  We're just 2 months and 2 days shy of the 1 year mark.  Wow!  Time has already flown by since we first set our wedding day. 

I guess my biggest accomplishment right now is that I have joined the church we are going to have our ceremony at!  And I've gotten the wedding handbook and agreement for the church.  I'm waiting for the church secretary to e-mail me back though.  They require a wedding workshop (as well as other per-marital counseling) but on the agreement and in the handbook, they have a date of February 18, 2012.  Obviously, that won't work!  And, I'm wondering if we have to set the time of our ceremony right now.  So, I'm waiting on those 2 pieces of information.  When I first requested the handbook, she was so quick to get back to me!  She responded the next day and the day after that, the handbook came in the mail.  Now, I sent that e-mail last Thursday and haven't heard from her yet.  I may send another e-mail to follow up in the next couple days.

Our guest list has grown just a bit (262!) and now I'm debating if I want to invite my co-workers!  I think it'd be fun to have them there, but it is so many people!  I'd have about 17 to invite, plus a spouse/guest for each one.  Another 34 people would bring us to 296!!  I don't know if I can handle that, plus there's the matter of affording it!  We'll have to see...  Next up is gathering more addresses... FMIL has to get on that on  e especially!

I'm starting to think about wedding dress shopping!   I'm so excited for this part!  I called my Grammy last night and asked her if she would want to come along and oh she was so excited!  She is so adorable!  I'm planning on going on June 2nd at Vera's in Madison, WI.  That's where my mom got her wedding dress!  My Tante (Aunt) Ruth suggested we go there.  She'll be coming along too, of course!  I still have to talk to her about the date, but I'm sure she'll make it if she can!  Other than that, Amanda (sister/MOH), FMIL and FSIL will be coming.  Hopefully my other grandma, Oma, will be able to make it too, but that could be a little overwhelming for her, health-wise.  I'm so excited!  I keep going back and forth about what sort of wedding dress I want.  They're all so pretty!  I have one dress from about 4 years ago that I LOVE, but I don't know if there are many places that carry it now.  I'll have to start gathering pictures of things I like.

Not much else at the moment.  I see so many cute ideas on Pinterest/Etsy that I want to use/get!  We'll see how many of those things will happen :)  Now for some lists... so strange to be thinking that far ahead!

May/June to-dos:
-Set appointment(s?) for wedding dress shopping
-Send in agreement for church
-Work on gathering addresses for guest list
-Start registries

July/August to-dos:
-Order wedding dress
-Start working on stationary (plan out STDs)
-Schedule engagement pictures for the fall
-Research florists and bakers

September/October to-dos:
-Have engagement pictures taken
-Finalize guest list
-Send out STDs
-Begin designing and making invitations
-Book florist

Well, today I officially booked our reception venue!  It's so beautiful and I can't wait now!  The lady in charge of the banquet facilities is awesome too!  It seems so surreal to have officially booked something and have put money on our wedding.  But, I'm so excited!  Our official date is July 5th, 2013!!

I also have asked all my bridesmaids to be in my wedding!  Here's the run-down:

Maid of Honor: My younger sister, Amanda! (it's her birthday today too!)  I didn't have to ask her.  She already knows, and knew way before we started planning or even before we got engaged!  I know she'll be such a big help and she always talks about how excited she is!  She is my best friend ever and I love her!!

Bridesmaid #1: My best friend, Marissa!  I was a bridesmaid for her when she got married in 2007.  We met in 7th grade science class.  I thought she was cool because she was tall and smart!  We also played clarinet together in band all the way through high school.  I'm so glad we've stayed such close friends, because she is seriously like the older sister I never had!  The only thing is she lives so far away!  About 3 hours from where I live.  I asked her to be my bridesmaid when I went to visit her in January to catch up and so I could meet her adorable, 2-month-old (at the time) son, Isaac.  We were at dinner just the two of us (and Isaac!) at Baker's Square.  Naturally, the conversation didn't stop and we were giggling and basically being girls/best friends :)  The talk turned to wedding and I said, "I can't wait any longer!  Will you be my bridesmaid??"  Naturally, she said yes, and I'm so excited!  She was telling everyone we saw for the rest of the weekend that she was my bridesmaid!  She's so adorable!  (this reminds me that I have to call her one of these days to catch up!)

Bridesmaid #2: Andy's sister, Megan!  We've just started getting close in the last few years, but she's a sweet girl and I'm so excited to be getting another younger sister!  She's been so helpful already with going to the reception consults with me (both our moms and Amanda went too) and saying that she's excited to help!  On Sunday, I was making dinner for Andy and me (French toast with cream cheese and raspberries with a side of bacon!!) and Megan was sitting at the table.  She said that she was going to help me a lot with my wedding to distract her over the next year because her boyfriend is overseas and won't be back for a year.  I had been looking for the right moment and figured, this may as well be it!  So, I said, "Well, I've been meaning to ask you, so I should now!  Will you be my bridesmaid?"  I was so surprised by her reaction!  She smiled real big and came over and hugged me, saying yes!  Paula (Andy's mom) came into the room, asking what was going on and Megan told her I had just asked her to be a bridesmaid.  Paula was so excited too, awwing and hugging me as well!  I had hinted, I thought, that I was going to ask Megan, but they were all so surprised when I finally did!  Andy yelled from the other room, "How many friends do you think I have?!"  I told him, that I was done asking, and that I only need 3 bridesmaids. :)

So, now my bridal party is set!  Andy's going to wait to ask his (groomsmen don't need to be asked as early as bridesmaids anyway, I think), but his cousin Jason will be best man (he knows already).  I'm going to wait for ushers (cousins, I think) and flowergirl (will be my 6-year-old cousin). But, it's so cool!

Now, I'm waiting to hear back from my photographer so I can book her and I need to join the church we want to have our ceremony at (and talk to the pastor!)  Yay, so many good things happening!

Today, for the first time, I tried on wedding dresses!  It was an interesting and very fun experience.  I got to try on a lot of pretty dresses, as well as some duds, but there were definitely a few that stood out!  We went to David's Bridal in Oakdale.  It was just my sister and I, although my mom realized where we were going just before we left and would have liked to come along.  Amanda and I wanted to make it just a "Sister Day".

The appointment started well.  As expected, when I said Andy's last name, the consultant gawked for a moment and asked me to spell it for her!  Yes, Andy is Greek and I will get a name that people will always ask me to spell!  Our consultant was Alex.  She was very nice, but a little quiet.  I put on dresses on my own, but they gave me a long-line strapless bra to use while I tried on the dresses.  I was very happy about that.  It gave me a nice shape, although it was very difficult to put on!  I started to, and got what I thought was pretty close to done before I called Amanda in to help me.  She had to completely redo almost all the hooks because they were a little off!  I told Alex that I like a lot of dresses with gathering and rouching over the stomach and bust and gave her pictures of ones I saw on their website I liked.  The first dress I tried on was a mermaid-style with rouching all over the dress and pick-ups on the back of the skirt.  Very interesting, but I didn't care for the train because it was rather like a down comforter!  That was a very quick, "nice, but no" and on to the next one!

The next was a very trendy dress, no rouching, but with applique-ish flowers all over.  I like the silhouette and the neckline, but I'm not trendy or showy like that!  After that, we stopped taking picture of every one and only took pictures of the ones we liked.  There were a few duds in there, but then we found one of our favorites!

The next one, one of our favorites (like in the top 2!) was gorgeous!  It was the first time I absolutely loved my figure in it and it was so elegant!  I loved the sparkle, and even loved the pick-ups, even though that's something I wasn't fond of before!  I tried this one on again at the very end, just before we left, because I loved it so much!  It was the first time I wanted to put on a veil with one of my dresses!  (Although, I couldn't believe how expensive the veils are!  The one I have on in this picture is $180!!  Ridiculous!!)

I think I'll stick to the ones that were in our top 4 from now on.  The next one we really liked took a little warming up to!  I wasn't sure I liked the tiers on the bottom of the skirt for this one, but I really liked the top, even though it wasn't the neckline I really liked.  But, after I looked at it in the mirror for a while, I started to really like it!  Amanda really liked the train and the detail that continued around it.  We both liked the back and how it flows back from where the butt is/zipper ends.

The first hour and a half FLEW by!  Our appointment started at 3:30 (though we might have been a little late!) and suddenly, it was 5:00 and Alex had to go home!  After that, we had a different consultant (I can't remember her name!).  She pulled a lot more dresses from the ones I chose from the pictures online.  Many were very nice.  I always felt bad when the consultant was very excited about a dress I was trying on, but I wasn't.  There were a couple like that.  Then... there was this one!!

I was excited to see this one hanging in the dressing room for me to try on next!  I remembered that I really liked the pictures!  As soon as I got in front of the mirror, I was jumping up and down because I was excited!  The rouching detail and structure in the back were really neat and the flower on the side added a little bling and interest.  The only thing I didn't care about was that the train wasn't very long.  It was very pretty and very "me", according to Amanda.  I was definitely stuck on this one and my first favorite.

At this point, I couldn't figure out how I would ever choose just one dress to where on my wedding day.  The last one I tried on was also a favorite, though probably only number 3.  Amanda didn't care for the spastic embroidered and beaded flowers on the skirt.  I loved the side sashy-thinger and embroidery/rouching on the bodice

By the time we got to this dress, both Amanda and I were getting pretty hungry!  It was probably about 5:30 and I couldn't believe they let us stay this long!  I tried on my first favorite one more time (the one with the pick-ups), oogled a bit, compared it to the one it tied with (flower on the side) then decided it was time to go!  We headed over to Olive Garden to finish out our "Sister Day" and came home with some lovely leftovers!

It'll be a long time before I make a decision, and I still have hesitations about buying from David's Bridal (it's really dumb, but I think they seem kind of cheap...)  Also, there's still a dress from a different designer that I found in a magazine I want to try on.  But, in the mean time, I have these gorgeous dresses to look back on and I think I'd be okay with either of my favorites from here as well!

Well, for the first time, I'm going to do something officially wedding related!  On Thursday, Amanda (my sister and maid of honor, of course!) and I will go to David's Bridal and I'm going to try on wedding dresses!  I'm a little nervous, but it'll be fun!  This will be the first thing I've ever done in relation to planning a wedding, except for the bits of research.  I'm wondering what this will be like and how I'll feel.  I haven't had any "BRIDE!!" moments yet, except for the couple of times I've bought bridal magazines.  Those, again, were mostly for fun.  I'm really looking forward to this, even though I know I won't buy anything yet.  I don't have the funds to buy a wedding dress at this moment and I'm fairly certain that even then, I won't be buying my dress from David's Bridal.  I have a dress in my head that I've been eyeing for a few years now.  I want to try on that one first.  But yes.  I'll probably actually buy a dress in about 9 months to a year.

I'll be back after Thursday to show pictures of how everything went!!

Well, Andy and I have been engaged for just over a month.  It's been very fun and I'm so happy that we're officially going to be getting married!  I love my ring, I love my fiance, and I love the town I'm going to be moving to to be closer to him!  The only thing I'm not so much in love with right now is what I'm doing with my life at the moment.  I've been in a bit of a stalemate since I finished student teaching because of what I've had to do to finish my licensure.  I finally took the last test for my teaching license on Saturday, and now I have to wait 4 weeks to find out my results.  This is putting off my licensure and my substitute teaching possibilities even further!  At this point, I think I won't be able to sub anymore this school year and will just have to wait until this fall to begin teaching again.  It's just to that point where I want to say... "Well, what are you going to do about it now?"  Not much I can do, except for wait for more of the pieces to fall together so I can get on with my life!  Living at home with my parents is not my favorite thing ever right now either.  Oh well.

I suppose this is supposed to be my wedding blog, so I should actually blog about my wedding, shouldn't I?  Not much is happening on this front so far.  We just have a rough idea of when we want to get married, but that's about it.  We're thinking sometime in 2012, maybe later, depending.  A lot of this will depend on when I am able to get a job near where Andy lives.  I'm planning on the begining of next summer at the latest!  It would be fantastic if I could move down there sooner (as in the end of this summer... crossing my fingers, but not counting on it!)  The fun thing right now for the wedding is that I can look around and get a pretty good idea of what I want (and how much it's going to cost) before we set down a budget and a date and all that.  We've got about a year or more to save as well, which is good!

So, since there's not much going on with a wedding so far, I guess I'll just finish for now.  Next time you'll hear from me, will probably be when I have a date... hopefully by the end of this summer!