dominiqueamber

They like me, They really like me! February 29, 2012 No sooner than I had complained about not getting any RSVP responses did I get a nice surprise in the mail. Nope not this. I wish (Personal Photo) It would be nice but this picture of my mom’s best friend was taken because she came over while they were being assembled. I did go home the other night to find three rsvp postcards in the mail. Yay! One from my favorite great aunt who has called my mother, grandmother and I about what the wedding arrangments will be every few days for the last few weeks. I knew she was coming! Another was from a family friend declining, but she wrote a sweet message. (Personal Image) The last had every detail filled out perfectly. It was from family friends who would like to come if the finances are in order. I loved the sweet message from them. Then a few days went by and nothing else came. After a while I recieved one more from family friends telling me they were coming and bring another couple along. (Personal Image) I called my mom because I wanted to know if that meant I had to invite them to the wedding as well. She said yes they’ll take someone else’s place so now there are two strangers on the guest list. (Do they get an OOT bag too?) Then I recieved another that was colored in so pretty! (Personal Photo) (Personal Photo) After I made a phone call to my old best friend, I recieved her’s in the mail. I’m glad they had fun with it. That was the goal. So far of the 100 that went out, 6 rsvp cards came back. Lesson learned, the interactive part was a bit much for people, half of them didn’t fill it all out and I think it’s because it was too confusing for the older crowd. If you attempt something like this, you may want to print two versions. This morning I recieved a phone call from my mom telling me 5 people had booked their cruise for the wedding last week. They didn’t think to RSVP or call me? I’m not complaining, they’re coming. And this brings us to moment number two where I feel “this just got real†I knew I had people that loved me I just wanted an overwhelming flood of rsvps in my mailbox. I started calling other family and friends and got their maybe’s and compliments on my STD’s. It feels good to be loved. Did you get fustrated waiting for RSVP’s?

Stick a Fork in it! February 27, 2012 Although I had fallen in love with the idea of mis-matched china for my reception I had fallen in love with something else before than. I have Mrs. Poodle, who inspired me to put my touch on everything in the wedding, to thank for my first tableware love. They’re natural and rustic, they’re green, they’re affordable. They’re perfect! / Image via wedding bee After much mindless internet surfing research I learned Mrs. Hot Dog had stamped them and used them. Image via wedding bee So did Mrs. Earrings Image via weddingbee And a Style Me Pretty Bride Image via Style Me Pretty It took a lot of searching to find an affordable source, that was not out of stock. I came across Webstaurant Store where they sold for $5.49 for 100. Sweet. Image via Webstaurant Store But they were out of stock. That was ok I didn’t need to buy them yet anyway. I entered my email to be notified when they came back in stock. In my head I had envisioned a beach picnic, elegant dinner and these utensils would work well with china or these lovely plates I found on the same site. Image via Webstaurant Store 100 9″ plates were $62.50. (They also come in 7″ and 11″) These were not exactly wood though, they were made from organic bamboo. They were environmentally friendly and biodegradable. The website described the plate as good to use for either casual or formal occasions. Perfect! I worried about how heavy they would be if I was packing them to go to The Bahamas but I figured if nothing else I could rent plates down there. I became obsessed with eco friendly tableware and searched for bowls we could use for serving conch salad. I don’t think I mentioned it but we plan to have Raoul’s friend who was making the conch salad from the how we met story make conch salad at the wedding. Before we were engaged he was on board! I found a lot of â€green†options when searching for bowls. Party City had an option made from sugar cane fiber / Image via Party City I found bowls made with tapioca fibers / Image via Green Party Goods I also found bowls made with tree-free biodegradable bamboo fiber / Image via EcoPro I fell in love with these pressed bamboo leaf bowls / Image via Amazon I think I’ll probably order those bowls because of the size, look and price. I think at $39.00 for 100 they’re a pretty good value. I got a nice surprise earlier this week. I received an email that said the woodware was available again. I hurried and ordered them because I feared at that price they would sell out quickly. They offer less expensive shipping if you have your package delivered to a business address so I used my mother’s address and waited patiently. She called this afternoon to tell me my package arrived and I can’t wait to go get it! The question now is do I add to my never-ending DIY list and stamp them? And if I stamp them, what should I stamp them with? It’s better in The Bahamas? A conch shell? RaLove? Have you ever eaten off biodegradable table ware? How did you like it?

I Don't Do Dishes February 25, 2012 It’s true that I don’t do dishes. If I’m visiting in your home I will but at home I try to avoid using them if I know I have to clean them. Don’t get me wrong I LOVE dishes. I love them so much I refused to have one set, I just buy two or four of each of the patterns I like so I can have as many as I want. I’m usually told I’m weird for that. A boyfriend once told me he couldn’t wait for me to register for my wedding so I could get matching dishes. No one gets I want it like that for a reason! I love the collected look. I don’t have matching furniture in my home either, I’m just not a matchy-matchy girl. When I learned there was a trend in vintage wedding to have an assortment of dishes I went gaga! Image via Style Me Pretty Image via Style Me Pretty Image via Style Me Pretty Image via Southern Living Image via Southern Living While collecting pictures I found women trying to sell their sets, $400 for 200 plates was crazy for a cheap girl like me. I turned to craiglist for a less expensive source. I was surprised to learn in this economy china still holds it’s value. They were selling sets that were not even complete for $200-$600. There’s no way that would fit into my budget. I decided to start collecting. Thrift store shopping is one of my favorite past times so I increased my visits to grow my collection. Most stores mark down their items on Monday, so I make my visits Monday and Tuesday. The Goodwill offers half off of a colored tag every week, so Monday is ideal to snatch up everything in that color. I set a rule to spend less than $1.00 for each dinner plate and dessert plate. It’s very hard to keep to that because I want to just be done already but I kepe reminding myself I have 5 months. Here’s a peek at my collection so far. 18 dessert plates (Personal Image) 23 dinner plates (Personal Image) When my mother saw the plates stacked in my car (I don’t like to get plastic bags) she asked what was I doing. I tried explaining and she responded “How are we going to get them to Bahamas?†You might be wondering that as well. I’m not that crazy, I had plans to use them for my Virginia Beach reception. For the Bahamas reception I had something different planned. Did you want something for your wedding before you knew it was a trend?

I Have No Friends February 22, 2012 I’ve read about brides frustrations of not getting the RSVPS they were expecting and now I’m joining the club. It’s been a few weeks since the save the dates were mailed out and I’m not getting the warm, excited responses I was expecting. I know I was late getting them out with all the hiccups, but come on guys! Image Source I did recieve a phone call and a text from two couples who said they’re thinking about it, but no sweet RSVP postcard. My mother received a couple phone calls from people wanting to know if I was getting married (because I guess the STD dosn’t make that clear) but no fun RSVP postcard. I keep getting tons of questions about how much it will cost and passports and cruise ships and I keep directing people to the website and the passport I spend so much time creating but no adorable RSVP postcards. I spent so much time, energy, emotion, and money into making something really special and all I want is a little appreciation. I even put stamps on them, after my mom convinced me that I shouldn’t try to save the money since no one will have a postcard stamp lying around. I realize there are more important things going on in the world but it leaves me feeling like I have no friends. Ok, the pity party will come to an end now.

.com February 20, 2012 One of the projects I knew I couldn’t wait to tackle was the wedding website. I knew I wanted one for a long time but it was one of those projects I couldn’t start early. I had experience with creating free websites using Weebly and then I created a website on Wedding Wire for my mother’s wedding. I loved that they were both free and beginner user friendly. I loved that wedding wire had great templates, a flash introduction and the capability to add music. But I was frustrated at what I was limited to do and move around with Wedding Wire. I decided to return to my old buddy, Weebly. Not long after I was ready to start, I fell in love. Oh, I still love Ra but when I stumbled across this website I knew mine had to grow up to be just like it. She had a wonderfully, sweet parents page with messages from each of them Amazing hand drawn maps… And even a page dedicated to helping guests select their wedding wardrobe It was so detailed and the best part was the way it made you excited for this event. I showed my mother and she too wanted to go to this wedding. Side note: I’ve also jacked another wedding project I found on she posted on Weddingbee, which you’ll see soon. I worked for almost two weeks building this site, bit by bit with the goal of finishing it so I could send the save the dates out. (I had printed the site on the postcards and I didn’t want family and friends seeing my half done project!) It took some time to figure out how get the header the right size and to add the background. I got a free one from the blog fairy, you just have to reference her page somewhere on your site. I was upset I couldn’t use the fonts I had already picked for my stationary, but I found a new font (UgkyQua) I really liked and downloaded it at dafont.com to use on my stationary. I also found a dingbat font on dafont called poulpi – .I know its a little octopus but I fell in love with it because it looked like my favorite sea creature – a jellyfish. Anyway, I used it to create buttons for links to my various pages. Getting the format down took quite a bit of time and I almost quit a few times. Once I had the pages and links setup I began adding the details to the pages. For the wedding in the Bahamas I offered guest the option of flying there or cruising there for their convenience. This way they could take off as much time as they wanted from work and they also did not need a passport if they were cruising. Once I got all the information I needed from the travel agent I added the travel details. Screen Shot of the “Cruise There†page Then I worked on adding “Our Storyâ€. This took quite a bit of time to type it all and add the pictures, I really wish I had started this sooner. Ra started to read it and decided it was way too long and lost interest. I thought about editing it but some female opinions I got were that they liked the details, so I left it be. I wanted to add Ra’s version but he was too busy (or lazy) to type it so that has yet to happen. I also started the “Our Parents†page and I felt bad there’s only pictures of my side because he’s too busy (or lazy) to take pictures of them. I asked my mother for the message like the other website but decided against it since it would be half done. You might be wondering if my website is blah blah blah.weebly.com like all the free sites. Actually I have a .info just like the bride I admired. I contacted her because I was curious how she could do this using a weddingwire template and she was so kind to respond and help me out. She told me to go to godaddy.com and purchase a .info domain because it was much cheaper than a .com. I think I paid a whopping $2.11 for the year. It took an afternoon of frustration and me humbling myself and calling customer service to ask for help for me to learn a little bit about masking. I say little bit because all I know is that’s what it’s called. The customer service was amazing, the gentleman was so helpful and chatted with me about my wedding and in no time we were done. It took a few hours for it to work and by that evening we had a wedding website! Screen shot of the homepage (one day I will figure out how to make the linen background go all the way to the bottom) Reason number #27 of how I impressed Ra while wedding planning was when he saw the site. I have continued to bug him to help me out by writing his version of the proposal or how we met, or even give me pictures of his parents so mine don’t look lonely but that’s asking a lot from such a busy man. Maybe one day. It does make me proud when people tell me they visited my site and I plan to continue to add more information (you know, when I have time). I watched a YouTube tutorial about adding music but I haven’t figured that out yet. I also can’t figure out how to get a visitors counter on there so today I added a guestbook so they will hopefully leave a message they stopped by. Do you think wedding websites are tacky and overdone? Does your groom help you with medial wedding tasks?

That Ugly Horrible Word February 16, 2012 I’ve talked about not being able to afford the dress I want or the venu I fell in love with but I haven’t talked about the budget yet.I was really hoping to get through this whole process without bring it up. I hate talking about budgets, especially when I don’t have the money I would like to. I think it’s an ugly, horrible word that shouldn’t be spoken but I don’t think I’ll have a choice. A wedding revolves around the budget. Raoul and I managed to avoid wedding stress and arguing until the budget came into discussion. Since I was laid off from my high paying job early on in our relationship I knew our wedding would be a “budget weddingâ€. I’m not one to be concerned with my own budget and during my research I just searched for best prices as I’m a thrifty shopper. I never thought to start saving or make a plan how to pay for all of this. When we started getting serious about wedding talk I played around with a budget in wedding wire adding the things that were most important to me, like pictures, videography and favors. I was at $9,000. Ouch. The numbers were higher than expected mainly because I had to have Super 8 video and I wanted to spend money on the guests transportation to and from the wedding site (since they were going all the way to The Bahamas). Raoul took one look and dismissed it as I was not really serious. We didn’t talk much about the budget till I had come home with the ring and I persisted. Once I got into his mind I discovered he wanted a $2,000 wedding. I understood his reasons for wanting to focus on the marriage and not the wedding. He had no idea I had spent about $1,000 on things I had been collecting, but it was important to me to be able to pay the rent when we got home. We also had to consider we would be paying a couple thousand to move him to the states and get him residency. I tried tweaking the budget to $4,000 to compromise. I was unhappy. I felt like I was losing my dreams. After three weeks of arguing discussing how much we would spend we settled on $3,000 for the wedding (I added another $1,000 to that because I knew my mother and grandmother would help out). I still wasn’t happy with this number but I was determined to make it work. I was still able to have my beloved shopping trips to the thrift stores to get goodies to use for the wedding and splurge on supplies for DIY ideas I found online. Then it came time to start making car payments for the first time in my adult life. Ouch. I was depressed for a few days because I knew this was life changing (aka killing my shopping sprees) Source Once again Raoul helped adjust my thinking. He helped me to appreciate that as a designer I was used to dealing with 8 and 10 million dollar budgets and I also had budgets that were $100,000 and for my clients I learned to make it appear it was million dollar project. He showed me the opportunity to do it again. I don’t plan for my wedding to look like it was thrown together with little money and I hope by doing that I can help other women feel they can have a beautiful dream wedding even if they don’t have the finances. I was one of those women who got frustrated seeing everything she can’t have and feels like their wedding isn’t “good enoughâ€. The “good enough†is relative. If it wasn’t for all the wedding porn I’ve filled my head with over the past year I think I would be a much happier and less stressed girl right now. Like real porn, it starts with a little viewing and then you’re addicted looking at images any chance you can get, neglecting responsibilities. And like real porn once those images get in your head, the damage is already done because you can’t get them out – and your reality is not good enough. Another bad influence in my poor little head is: my family. They want the best for me and want me to marry someone who can give me my dream wedding. I’ve learned to be careful what I share with Ra what they say because it only causes big problems in our relationship. I know they mean well but I fell in love with a guy that doesn’t have much money and that’s ok for me. I don’t think it means our marriage is doomed I think it means we will have problems like everyone else. They don’t want me to go into the situation knowing that it’s going to be hard. With him moving here and having to get a green card, then find a job I know that it’s going to be stressful. Do they expect me to sit around and wait for a sugar daddy? I’m honestly envious of people who can afford to have a $10,000 wedding right now, but I don’t think they will have better weddings or marriages than the couple with the $100 wedding. I found this wonderful website called The Budget Savvy Bride and after a Saturday afternoon of browsing (positive and realistic wedding porn) I felt much better. I saw beautiful weddings for $6,000 and less and I was ready to tackle this challenge. You can search by the budget and find great inspiration. So two events for $4,000, and I feel if I focus on our love and not glitz it’s possible. I want an event that feels like family and friends supporting and celebrating the love we have between us. So the goal is to simplify and rely on the people who love us to be friendors to help make our wedding meaningful and memorable. Did talking about the budget cause arguments between you and your fiancé or you and your family?

Did you upload it more than once, or did you select it from your library of images? That's interesting because I find that whenever I call customer service and am nice to them they refund my money right away no questions asked

I would just play it like your sad and concerned and not angry to draw her out.."I havn't heard from you. I'm worried if everything is ok, I've been busy working on projects, like the bridesmaids gifts and i just wanted to know if you were still coming so we can plan what were going to do when we arrive" It might help

Okay I ordered the organza sashes, they were about 50 cents each before the 20% off and then I got free shipping, can't beat that. Only think is I want to mix in some other kinds (burlap and lace) so I couldn't order them all there but I hope to pay no more than 50 cents a sash. I also ordered more paper straws for the wedding and the bridal shower. I had gotten some on ebay but for a seller in canada that offers 100 straws for $18 and free shipping. I hope they don't dissolve in the water like some cheap straws. I'll let you know! http://classifieds.weddingbee.com/topic/100-paper-drinking-straws-you-choose-free-shipping-26

A place to call Our Own February 10, 2012 I believe the spot where you are married becomes a part of you for the rest of your life. I’m all for making memories and I really wanted a memorable place that we could go back and visit and remember where we became husband and wife in front of our family and friends. I had continued with the online search after Beach Blub Cafe was out of the question. Many of the women I found online had been married at hotels like Atlantis, Wyndham, Sheraton, Breezes and RIU Palace (to name a few). Atlantis was out for sure because I was not a fan of their overpriced Las Vegas style resort. It was grand but to me it was not beautiful and tranquil. As far as the other hotels they had beautiful views but the beaches were crowded and I was not a fan of being surrounded by the people and the pool. Raoul and I attended an indoor wedding in the Sheraton which was pretty. That couple was from Nassau so they saw the beach all the time but I knew if I was getting married in the Bahamas it HAD to be outdoors. Right next door to the Beach Club I remembered another restaurant I had visited in April called The Poop Deck. Source I had heard about this place before on a forum where other woman talked about how they had to call it something else because they didn’t want that on their invitations. Because there were two locations they just called it by where it is, Sandyport on the Beach. I on the other hand am entertained by the word poop and since I love contrast, what better contrast than the word poop with elegant lacey invitations! I contacted the restaurant through their website and was put in touch with their wedding planner Anna Marie. She and her assistant were very sweet and helpful and promptly sent me their menus. The least expensive option was about $30 per person and cheaper than the $40 plate at Beach Club. I shared them with Raoul and he was excited about it. His friends had showed me around there and they talked about how they will often have baby showers and what not there because they liked the food. I was told the menu was more American than Bahamian but heard nothing but good things about the place. The outiside patio / Source I tried hard to find pictures of weddings there because I remembered I was not crazy about the interior décor but was told we could have everything outside. Since I only peeked outside I couldn’t picture it and there was not much insight on their website. Source Source Source Source I managed to find one wedding and while you couldn’t see much I knew I was not a fan of the umbrellas with Heineken plastered on them. Source Source Source Source I was anxious but I had no choice but to wait until I went to Nassau in December to see it again with a bride’s perspective. If you remember Raoul took me venue shopping before he put a ring on it. This was one of the first places we visited. The staff was friendly and the owner showed us some pictures of weddings on his laptop. I really hated the green plastic chairs they had outside so I knew I would have to rent chairs for sure. The beach was nice and the patio area large. When I came back outside to take pictures after talking to the owner, it had started raining and the guests had to move their tables as close as they could to the wall to keep from getting wet. I took a few pictures. I snapped this picture inside the dining room / Personal Photo Outside Patio. See the green plastic chairs? / Personal Photo This area was around the corner on the patio, I liked that there was a lot of covered space / Personal Photo At the corner of the patio and that open space is the outside bar / Personal Photo View from the patio to the open area which is commonly used for the dance floor / Personal Photo There is a large enough area for dancing or for setting up outdoor seating / Personal Photo From the patio you go over that little bridge to get to the beach/ Personal Photo When we left we were pretty sure that this was our least expensive option and where we would probably have the wedding. Deep down it really hurt me that I would have a nice view of Beach Club where I really wanted to be and Raoul made it better by suggesting we still have dinner there with our close family. I love that man. I had looked up a few more places online so we were off to do some more site visits. Did you find your venue right away or was it a journey?

Thanks so much! I appreciate that other BDW brides like them with all the amazing things we see around here. Makes me feel very good coming from you! I can't believe you had the energy to do a project every night after work! Thank-you for taking the time to read and commenting to let me know you liked it!

Wedding Dreams Crushed (and Diverted) February 9, 2012 I’m sure you’ve heard “I can’t afford my own taste†or “Champagne taste, Beer Budget†I’m that girl. I really consider myself thrifty and I don’t believe I have expensive taste. I’m the girl who won’t buy an article of clothing for more than $60 or jewelry for more than $15. But when it comes to weddings, I have expensive taste. I’ve had this conversation with Raoul many times, him trying to tell me I’m asking for a lot right now and I’m trying to say it’s my first and only wedding and I deserve it and him saying he wants me to have my dream wedding but I have to decide if I want to marry him or impress everyone. The conversation always ends with me get my feelings hurt and feeling like an awful person. I was willing to budge on almost everything. That Jim Heljm dress I’ve had on my desktop for ever so I could show everyone – I can live without. Source A big, fresh bouquets of sweet smelling peonies and lush centerpieces that make the place smell like a fairy land. I can live without. Source Fireworks at the end of the night and us making our exit in a hot air balloon inspired by a scene on Mont Cristo I saw when I was 12? Ok, I knew this was a stretch but I can live without it too. Source There are seriously a ton of things I’ve lusted after thanks to wedding porn but I will live without. That’s why I felt I was being fair in asking for one thing. My perfect venue. As a designer it’s very difficult for me to find a space I absolutely love. Even my own home gets criticized, although mainly because I can’t afford to do it the way it should be done. When R and I first started talking about marriage I knew it would be in Bahamas even though he was willing to have his family come to the states for the sake of my families’ budget. But being the beach girl that I am, I knew the yucky beach in Virginia would be nothing compared to the beautiful beach is Bahamas. After my first cruise I refuse to let water that’s not clear go higher than my calves so I couldn’t imagine having a trash the dress session there. So since I knew it would be Bahamas and I was stuck in Virginia for a long time, this impatient girl took to the internet so I could have a picture to go with my wedding day dreams. I discovered a destination wedding blog that I became addicted to and by way of a few ladies weddings started seeing venues but none that interested me. I really don’t remember how I stumbled across it but one day I found “it†The perfect venue. Beach Club Café. The outside patio in the evening / Source The view walking in / Source The view from the water / Source The indoor dining area / Source Another view of the indoor dining area / Source I mentioned it to R but secretly obsessed over it for the next few months. On my next visit to Bahamas I stayed with friends of R’s who lived in Sandyport, directly across the street from – you guessed it Beach Club. I was pretty excited to see it from the outside as we went to the beach and disappointed to find out that because I had gone during Easter and the surrounding holidays, it was closed most of the time. On Monday before leaving I convinced R to stop by even though they were closed and the gentleman let us take a look around. I was able to take some pictures and fall even more in love. This place reflects my personal style so much. It’s neutral, with rustic décor and has beach chic accents. Having a wedding here would mean no need for décor. It’s absolutely perfect. The gentleman told us it would be $6,000 to rent the place out and we could use them as a caterer or bring in our own to save money. I hung my head because I knew the possibilities but you don’t turn your back on your first love. At least you shouldn’t. Outside Patio Source Source The covered patio, you can see Raoul looking around (Personal Photo) The view of the water and pier from the patio (Personal Photo) A few weeks later my mother visited the island and R took her to have lunch at Beach Club, while impressed with the atmosphere they weren’t impressed by the overpriced food. They spent $40 for two beers and a small pizza they split. But my mother talked to the owner who remembered me and told her we could also rent the restaurant out for half a day for $3,500. R said it was a possibility and I had my dream once again. Fast forward to months later when we’re getting serious about this wedding talk. I realized with R just coming out of the off season and me just starting a job after being unemployed for most of the year that were a long way off from saving for this wedding. Especially since my car died and I’m looking at getting a car payment which I haven’t had in years and I still would like to have a reception in Virginia. So I put on my big girl panties and realized I’d rather end this long distance relationship and marry him sooner than wait until we save enough money for my dream wedding. The daydreams of seeing him when I get off work, us having dinner together and waking up next to each other were far more important than that gorgeous perfect dream wedding. We would still have a beautiful wedding because I would still put my heart into it and we would be surrounded by our family and friends celebrating what’s most important –us uniting our lives. I accepted I don’t get everything I want and the hunt for a venue began. Again. Did you have a hard time giving up something for your wedding day?

Thanks Tammy! Although it takes a LOT of time I'm really enjoying blogging

Saying "Yes, Yes, Yes, Oh Yesh!" to the Dress Feburary 4, 2012 I know everyone woman waits for that moment where she finds “thee dress†I can’t even begin to explain to you my excitment when I found m dress. I discovered these dresses while googling before I knew they were designed Jim Hjelm and my thought process went a little like this: Classy /Jim Hjelm 8763 Source Pretty / Jim Hjelm 8011 Source Yes /Jim Hjelm 8859 Source Yes/Jim Hjelm 8800 Source Oh, Oh /Jim Hjelm 8801 Source Oh, Yesh! / Jim Hjelm 8904 Source I know, I’m so inappropriate. But it really was climactic experience! It did a good job meeting the requirments on my list: 1. It was modest from the front and daring in the back 2. It had the lace I had fallen for, but did not look cheap or old lady-like 3. I would have to have it hemmed so it didn’t drag in the sand, but otherwise it wasn’t big and poufy so I could wear it all day 4. affordable…uh…well I have to do a lot of searching to find the designer and when I did there are no prices on the website. That usually means expensive. After some more googling (Isn’t google the best thing ever) I found out it’s about $3,500 for the dress. Used. Ouch. I looked some more for a less expensive alternative and didn’t find anything I could be happy with. Then I found a Dessy bridesmaids dress that had the feel of the other dress and I didn’t have to worry about the sand. Source I ended up deciding it was better suited as a reception dress because I was determined to have that dress. I showed everyone who would look that dress and they agreed it was beautiful as well. Because I’m so persistent I didn’t give up. I searched for a used dress. The ones I found had been sold, I even searched outside my size. Then I discovered the online chinese wedding dress frenzy. I could get a replica made for a lot less. It wouldn’t look exact and that’s ok, I was just concerned about the quality of the lace but I could get a sample. The dresses that I saw ladies getting for $100 – $300 excited me but did not apply. It turns out they wanted about $1,000 to make this beauty. That’s a lot for something I don’t see before buying and isn’t exactly what I want. So with other pretty things for me to focus on, I put the great dress hunt on the shelf. Have you gotten frustrated you can’t afford something and didn’t want to choose an alternative?

Passport Sticker Books for the Kids...I'm thinking of putting these in a pre-boarding/airplane survival kit http://www.orientaltrading.com/my-passport-sticker-books-a2-9_1081-12-1.fltr?Ntt=passport+stickers

For Heat and Hangover relief... If I can't find these in the store I might get them from this website: http://www.first-aid-product.com/industrial/electrolyte.htm

I really like the disney princess invites...can't wait to see more

I love that design! She's very talented! Now I want new bags so I can paint them!

The good thing is if you don't like it you can cut the string and re-use the beads, There is a 50% coupon on swarvoski beads for ACMoore right now

No they dont, make sure your file is 4 times larger so when you upload you get good resolution. I also put more than one image in the same file so I can pay for one upload and crop out what I need

Want to give me her phone number? I feel a bridezilla moment coming on, all I need is a good excuse!

I'm so glad it went well! The pictures show you did a great job with the candy buffet and decor! I can't wait for pro pics!

great idea for a thread! Please post more!

I really like that the letters are people, and I like that you made the names orange so it's not too girly

Thank you! I received very nice compliments