I’m sure I’m not the first bridezilla to freak out and pick a second dress. Right? Right?!!?

Okay, so I went for my fitting yesterday, and when they started pinning my dress up.. it just looked horrible on me. Gorgeous dress, but just too much dress for a 4′11 girl. So after a freak out and some vietmanese noodles, I decided to look for another dress.

I freaking love it so much! And shockingly, they were able to do an exchange. The new dress was much less than the first gown, so I was also able to get my shoes, rehersal dinner dress, my birdcage veil, and my alterations on the new gown. (Which I got over with yesterday to avoid another trip up to Woodbridge.)

David’s Bridal was seriously so freaking helpful with everything, and I was shocked that they were able to do an even exchange like that. Crisis averted!

I love how simple it is. It’s so perfect.

Been a hot minute since I’ve updated this thing, hasn’t it? Well right now I’m waiting for my Grandma to meet me. We’re going to my first dress fitting!

I’ve been really busy lately with it being summer and working full time. I’m moving out in a little over two weeks. (Yay for shacking up in sin!) I’m barely packed, and not remotely organized… figures. Got my first car last weekend. New to me, at least. It’s a super cute 2004 Saturn Ion in black. I’m having this disgusting love affair with my car right now. I stop at gas stations just to clean the windows and I don’t eat in it. I wonder how long that’s going to last..

We went with Alex’s parents to Kelly’s Ford the other day for dinner. We ate in the little tavern where we’re probably going to have our rehearsal dinner. Exciting, exciting!

Anyways, I have to head out. Better/more frequent updates to follow!

xoxo

I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned this briefly before, but I am having a non-religious ceremony. Because I am not religious. (Neither is Alex.)  I have been racking my brain (and Google) for ideas, and just don’t see anything that I like. Unity candles? Civil ceremony? Neither of these things really appeal to me. There just doesn’t seem to be any good sources out there for things like this.

(I’d like to interrupt here to insert a DISCLAIMER. Please do not use my blog to push your religious ideals on me. I understand that weddings are a religious ceremony to a lot of people out there. To me, it’s about showing your commitment and love to one another so basically STFU.)

My Maid of Honor is getting married in November (I’m one of her bridesmaids), and when she was visiting last month, I asked her about what she’s doing for her ceremony. She told me it was basically somewhere along the lines of ‘I do. I do too. Let’s get drunk.’ Haha, I freaking love her.

Anyways! Just looking for suggestions and stuff. Have you seen/had a non-religious ceremony and have ideas you’d like to share? Not looking to blatantly rip off someone, just a bit of inspiration.

Before you say ‘hand written vows’, have you met Alex?

I took Alex to the Inn at Kelly’s Ford of the first time on Sunday. It was so much fun! Linda took us on a tour of the grounds, and we looked in two of the cottages. We saw the first cottage, Lee, we already have booked, and the second cottage, the Silo.

The Silo is one of the coolest things I have ever seen. I’m trying to remember what she told us… I believe it was a working silo when Linda and her husband purchased the property, and they were the ones who took on the project of turning it into a cottage. Her assistant told us that the architect calls this ‘the coolest and hardest thing he had ever done.’ The inside has a spiral staircase that goes to the upstairs bedroom area and there is a gorgeous view of the property. I wish I had taken pictures, but I was so exhausted that day!

We ended up putting down a deposit to hold the Silo for the 20th, because Alex loved it so much. I’m a little wary of the spiral staircase, but we figure if we don’t stay in it, we already have Lee reserved and someone else can stay in the Silo.

Anyways! So there are two things I think you guys can help me with! I’ve been looking all over for cute invitations, but everything seems so cheesy and/or mad expensive. i just want something red and white, cute, not too formal, and they need to already have the response cards included in the invitation package.

Also, I need to find a place to buy cute flip flops in bulk (and in a variety of sizes). I’d like to have a bunch of sandals for people like me who can only wear heels for a good hour before giving up.

Thanks!

Here’s Alex, clearly enjoying his freedom to light things on fire.

SOFT ROMANTIC BRIDAL MAKE UP THE HELL + ETIQUETTE

I freaking love this girl. Seriously.

When you’re a girl, it’s pretty obvious when you become engaged. The bling, the armful of wedding magazines, the sudden newfound adoration and tolerance for your significant other… all of these things are a dead give away.

When you’re a guy, it’s not really that obvious if you don’t say anything. Unless you are the type to run around telling people randomly. Alex definitely isn’t.

Alex is a software engineer. The other day at work, he was testing with akismet, which is a spam filter on wordpress blogs. The only wordpress blog he could think of, was mine. So he pulled it up, and that ended up being the way his coworkers found out we were getting married. My wedding blog.

I thought it was kind of cute. That would be the way he would reveal something like that.

I sent out my save the dates on the way home from work this morning! (Besides a few stranglers that I need the address for) Out of all of the wedding things I’ve done so far, I think that was the one that made it feel EXTREMELY REAL. The close runner up was when my Aunt told me what hotel she would be staying at in December.

Aren’t they just the bee’s knees? I got them at SaveTheDateMagnets.com. I want to cover my refrigerator in them!!

I met with my wedding officiate/planner, Ginny, and she assured me that I’m not as incredibly behind as I feel. Still gotta book the DJ, get the cake (My stepdad has demanded that he comes along to help pick it. He has so generous agreed to pay for everything, and the only thing he want to have anything to do with is cake.

I can’t stop buying wedding magazines. I don’t even read them! I am just addicted to buying them.

Sigh.

Alex’s birthday is today! We are spending the weekend in Williamsburg with his family and probably eating insane amounts of sushi.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ALEX! I love you so freaking much!!!!

The photo above was taken at Mt. Trashmore in VA Beach. Oh Virginia.. your tourist attractions are so odd..

Let’s talk about superstitions. And how I think they are a load of crap.

Despite the fact that my family thinks Rite Aid is the root of all evil, I routinely fill my prescriptions there because it’s right across the street from the hospital I work/live at. It’s one of those family superstitions that’s been passed down through the generations.

The day I got my dress, I showed Alex a picture of it on my blackberry. Why does it matter? If something is going to go wrong in our marriage, I highly doubt it will be because he saw an article of clothing of mine before he was ’supposed to.’ I think the whole waiting until you walk down the aisle to show your future hubby the dress is SO OUTDATED. These days, people take their fiances dress shopping with them for crying out loud!

To be honest, I think people would like to blame things on breaking that old wives tale to avoid taking responsibility for something that goes wrong.

So stop fretting about Alex seeing my dress. He has already seen it. It is not a big deal.

Back to your regularly scheduled wedding bells bliss. (and all of that crap)