GracieBebe

A majority of our wedding party/group flew out of JFK and we all found it really convenient. They were extremely helpful to us because we were carrying our wedding dress/BM dress and suits, etc. We didn't think JFK was as bad as people kept making it out to be. If you want 1st class, I say go for JFK. 1st class is totally worth it! We got upgraded to 1st class when we went to Hawaii and now hubby doesn't think he could ever do a long flight again unless it's 1st class.

We paid $3000 for a full day of shooting, a special photo shoot, and a dvd of all the photos, and travel. We paid an additional $2200 for a magazine style photo album with 40 pages and 2 parent albums.

I've had quite the opposite effect, sort of. I initially went through a stage in my early twenties where I didn't want to have children, couldn't find the idea of having children even remotely appealing. But then, I hit my mid-twenties to late twenties and all I could think about was having a baby (after I got married, of course). Especially, after I met hubby, I totally envisioned us having children together and being a family, and all the works. Then, as we got engaged and closer to the wedding and then having the wedding, the more and more I think about having kids (we are now in our early thirties), I feel less and less like I want to have kids. I mean, I know I still want them, but it's no longer a burning desire anymore. Like if it doesn't happen naturally, then I wouldn't go out of my way to do in vitro or fertility programs or anything. I feel like I've gotten very comfortable with our way of life and the luxuries that we have and the freedom to do as we please and as much as I still want children, I feel like it's going to be a lot of work compared to our current life now. Is this normal??

Our pro pics just came in and I've posted the best ones on our wedding website: http://fanelliwedding.shutterfly.com...l&startIndex=0 Hope you like them!

Also, the WPJA is a good place to search as many photographers are members there and show their work there.

Our wedding coordinator recommended ours and he was rated #1 on theknot.com so we figured he was very good.

Hi Everyone, Just found out that our wedding is being featured on La Bella Bride Magazine's Blogazine!!! We were so excited to be chosen! Please check it out and feel free to post any comments on their website: Michael and Grace’s wedding in France! Hope you like the pics! They are a preview of what we will receive from our photographer soon! YAY!!!

OMG! That is the cutest weirdest thing I've seen so far for a cat.

Have to agree with most of the girls here and say that #2 looks absolutely amazing on you! It is just stunning and is so flattering with your figure. Best of luck choosing the right dress!!!

Those shoes are cute but I agree with most of the other girls and have to say change the shoes. However, if you are able to get them dyed white, they would totally match and look awesome with the dress. Is that a possibility?

We went through the same thing but reversed and I was the one who gained weight. DH did have the heart and honesty to tell me that a couple years before we got married. In the beginning, I was upset and hurt that he would say something like that to me and why wouldn't he love me regardless of the way I looked, etc, and all that comes along with that line of thinking. Then, I went to a bachelorette party of my friend who was getting married a year before me and when I saw those pictures, I was aghast! I was like what fat girl ate me?!? OMG! I had gained over 40 lbs since he had first met me. I started off as a size 4 and increased about 6 sizes!!! And it wasn't from depression or stress or anything like that. It was cuz I got too comfortable. Yes, we still had sex, but it wasn't as often and that really bothered me. He told me he loved me and still was attracted to me but just not as attracted. And as harsh as it was to hear and accept, I was glad that DH had the consideration and honesty and openness to tell me that (he was never mean or cruel about it when he told me. I asked him and he gave his honest opinion.) I started to diet shortly after. We got engaged about 2 months later (by that point, I had lost maybe 5 lbs on and off). It was then that I decided to put it into high gear because there was no way in h*ll I was going to look fat in my wedding pics! I went on Nutrisystem for 2 months and even though it's a bit expensive, it works. I lost 20 lbs using their system. After that, I quit Nutrisystem, but applied their philosophy of eating small portions multiple times a day to my regular daily life and I slowly started to lose the rest of the weight. (The holidays were tough - my goal for that time period was just to maintain.) By the time the wedding happened, I was 5-8 lbs away from my goal weight which was close enough. I am still trying to hit my goal weight but am glad I put the extra effort in so that our photos looked fabulous. I'm now back down to a size 6 and I am happy with that. If I get to my goal weight, super, but no pressure to do so. So, let you fiance know that this is a common thing and that you care about him and want him looking his best for the wedding and care about his health, etc. He may go through the same emotions I did initially but in the end, he will be happier if he loses the weight and starts to look and feel great again. Especially if your bedroom activities go back up, LOL!!!

So glad I could help! Let me know how things turn out. Also, were you able to find a dress you love yet? How's the planning going?

At our wedding, MIL walked DH down the aisle. At the end, he gave her a kiss on the cheek, helped her to her seat and got into his position. She raised him after his father passed away when he was 13 and they are very close. They wouldn't have wanted it any other way. My father is passed away so I had my mother walk me down the aisle. We thought it was symbolic that both our moms raised us alone and both were able to walk us down the aisle so that we could be joined together in the bonds of marriage. Also, since we were having the marriage ceremony and ring exchange to show our bond of unity together, we had our moms performs the unity candle ceremony to symbolize each of our families bonding and uniting together.

We gave our DJ a playlist on our ipod of all the songs we wanted. DH and I are very particular about the songs we wanted to hear and so he worked on our playlist, editting and splicing the songs so they flowed into each other nicely. He also put the songs in a certain order. We simply gave our DJ our ipod and told him that he could play the more traditional wedding music for the first couple of hours, but after that, we had our playlist that we wanted to hear in the exact order we had programmed. He was very accomodating and was perfectly understanding about it. Remember, this is your wedding and it should go exactly the way you want and planned it to go. We couldn't have asked for better music and it felt like we were in a club to hear our music on the loud speakers with all the cool lighting.

Hi goNDmay9, G'luck with the last minute wedding planning and finding the right dress! I'm sure you will look wonderful. Just wanted to help you out and let you know that our photographer lives in ATL and so if you haven't booked one yet, and he is available, you should give him a try. His website is Javon Longieliere Photography 770-715-4410 Atlanta Valdosta Destination Georgia. He did the photo in our siggy below and he is amazing!!! Was voted #1 for 2 yrs in a row on the knot.

Once we decided to do a DW in Europe, we knew we would be there an entire week so it didn't matter to us what day we actually got married. We chose 9/9/09 for obvious reasons, so when we realized it fell on the 5th day after we got there, a Wednesday, that worked out for us. It gave us enough time to get acclimated to the time change and the area and time to explore around. We also found out in Chinese culture that 999 means forever, forever, forever which was so perfect!

The garment bag that the dress shop provides should be good enough. That is what I used. And I also carried mine onto the plane. We had regular coach seats but I asked if they could store my dress in the captain's closet or the first class closet and they were able to. As you can see in my siggy, my dress was super poofy with an extra crinoline underneath and they still let me carry it onto the plane. It was like carrying around 30lbs, constantly having to keep my arm in the air so the dress didn't drag. Definitely tough! We also carried on DH's tux as well. And my MOH was also on our flight so they let her carry her dress and hung it with my dress on the plane. Once we arrived in Paris (our layover), we had to switch to a smaller puddle jumper. They didn't have a large captain's closet, but they let us lay the dress flat in the luggage bins above the seat. It took the space of 2 bins, but they were very understanding since it was a wedding dress.

Our biggest stress factor was trying to stay within the budget that DH and I agreed upon. In fact, we upped our budget 3 different times before finally deciding not to have fuss about the budget and just be cost conscious of what we choose to have and not have. Our 2nd biggest stress factor was planning the AHR since we did all the prepping and cooking ourselves. Other than that, it was pretty stress free because our WC took care of everything. Oh yeah, my MOH had a big stress when her dress arrived about 3 wks before we were supposed to leave and the dress shop had ordered the wrong dress and there was no time to order a new one. Plus they tried to blame her and tell her that she had told them to order that dress when she hadn't. It all worked out in the end because she found a dress straight off the rack at David's Bridal that looked even better. But then, DB couldn't clean it for her in time so she had to take it to the cleaners herself, but they would reimburse her the cost for the cleaning, and getting it hemmed in time. It was a mess, but it all worked out in the end! She looked amazing. DH said it was the most beautiful BM dress he had ever seen.

Anyone? I've tried doing a search on this and even though people talk about proofs, they don't quite have the answer I am looking for. Thx,

Congrats on the weight loss and the dress looks so much better with the new bustle!

Absolutely gorgeous!!!!!