Dreams, what do they mean ???

Well, I had my first wedding dream last night and it scared me.  I don't really remember all that happened, but these few tidbits still stand out:
1. my bridesmaids were wearing pale orange and were going to carry flowers that looked like large, orange daisies - kind of like this:

2. my wedding dress (that i didn't pick out), had a short inner lining, but then was covered with floor-length lace that had hearts embroidered all over it ... are you picturing this?!?!?  it was scarrrrrrry.  I looked at it and started bawling my eyes out. 

There were a couple other odd things that happened, but I can't remember right now (guess I should have done this earlier ...).  Not really sure what this means, but I better start making some decisions, before I end up in a hideous dress.

colors and flowers

The one positive of E having to keep his foot elevated as much as possible is that we spend a lot of time at home not really doing much.  He's also addicted to various forums for hot peppers and motorcycles, so that gives me time to do wedding planning.

On tap this weekend for no particular reason was wedding colors and bouquets.  I think I need to pick my colors first and then I can go from there, but I am loving these brooch bouquets.  So pretty and sentimental at the same time!!  Now the only question - can I make it myself? Or should I pay the extra to have someone make it for me??  And what do I do for everyone else - groom, groomsmen, bridesmaids, etc???

Style #1:




Style #2:




Style #3 (I like that it's all silver, but like the larger flowers on first 2):


Or I can get away from flowers completely and do something like this:

I know I've been slacking lately, but life has gotten in the way.  The one positive of E's broken ankle is that I'm turning into quite the chef.  Now only if I could convince him to be the money maker and I could stop working ... ;-)

Anyway, I know I promised a post about my dress shopping experience with my mom so here it goes:
When E & I were home for Thanksgiving, my mom and I decided to go dress shopping.  This being my first time trying on wedding dresses, I didn't know that you had to make an appointment at the smaller boutiques, so we ended up at David's Bridal.  My plan was actually to go to another dress shop in a nearby town, but mom wanted to go the other direction for something else, so we ended up at DB.  We were there about an hour and I tried on approximately 20 dresses.  Gotta love moms, especially the ones that always think they are right ... she had me try on 3 dresses in particular - if two of them were black instead of white, they definitely would have been staples in my college closet for all the cocktail parties I attended and the third looked like I was going to the courthouse for my 4th wedding.  We quickly put those away. 

It was a bit more exhausting than I thought it would be and while I did find 2 fabulous, but very different dresses, I plan to keep looking.  Anyone want to plan a trip to SD and go dress shopping???

So, the different dresses:
1. sleeveless v-neck lace with a train
(the funny face is due to mom trying to take the pic 5 times until she finally got it!)

2. strapless, empire waist A-line:



And odd - i just tried to copy pic #1 from DB's site and they only have the Plus Size one available ... hope that doesnt mean it's discontinued!

I'm sure once I figure out what E is going to wear and what our wedding party will wear will help me decide on my dress.  I think it's usually the other way around, but I want us all to match levels of fanciness. 

decisions, decisions, decisions ...

Since I have never attended a "destination wedding", I honestly thought that they would not be as much to plan as one at home (a perk to the girl who can't decide what to make for dinner or who is late to work because she changes her outfit 5 times). Boy was I wrong.  "DWs" (destination weddings to me are weddings that are not in the continental US) can be just as extravagant as a wedding at home.  While there are more packages to choose from, one can still add-on just about anything he or she chooses.  In my research, most seem to at least have an outside photographer come in.  But some completely vamp them up.  I saw one "package" for $50,000 ... yes, you read that correctly, $50k!  I was shocked!!!  Another person posted that she brought 17 pieces of luggage with her.  Seriously!?!?!?  Alas, there are others who do the package and don't add anything on or just an extra photog as I mentioned earlier.  If this is the way we go, that will definitely be us.  No way am I bringing 17 pieces of luggage or spending upwards of $50k.

On another note, I did make one decision and asked one of my BFFs if her lovely daughter would be my flower girl.  One decision down, 50 to go ....

And for those that haven't seen it, I encourage you to check out my FB page for a picture of E's PINK cast.  As much as I was leaning towards a blue themed wedding, I now think it might need to be pink with hints of blue due to his apparent love of the color.  

Pictures Last a Lifetime

There are SO many different types of wedding themed pictures out there ... engagement, boudoir, ceremony/reception, TTD (Trash the Dress), etc.  At first I was planning on getting boudoir pics done for E as a wedding present, but the more I look into it, the more I think I want to do a TTD.  Especially if we do a destination wedding.  Some of the shots are amazing and we can share them with everyone, instead of just a select few (not sure I want my grandmas checking out me in my skivves).

Check out these pics: 

Parents ...

I'm a bit dumbfounded right now .... My mom just sent me an email with the phrase/question/comment "ummm aren’t we paying?".  And this is why communication is very important in all relationships and not just with your sig-o.  I had planned on getting a final number once I could pick a spot and narrow down a date, but she beat me to it.  Thank you Mama N!  Hmmm, maybe we will look into that Fiji adventure afterall ... ;-)  just kidding! 

I also talked to E's dad & stepmom and they will be there no matter what.  I still do have to talk to his mom, though, who is coming down Friday.

Surgery is tomorrow - wish us luck!

Happy New Year!

Happy 2012!  It is finally the new year, the time I told myself I'd buckle down and really start planning this wedding.  Of course, there is one huge hiccup - E falls and breaks his fibula down by his ankle while on his way fishing last Monday.  His foot has been elevated since and he's "walking" around on crutches.  Which means I get to do everything and I mean everything around the house - cooking, cleaning, bringing him food & drinks, making sure he's comfy, making sure his ice packs are cold ... wait, isn't that my job anyway?!?!?  ;-)  Just kidding.  The one plus is that I'm constantly up & down, so I'm considering that my "exercise", which I need to get back into anyway.

Surgery will either be tomorrow or Wednesday, we'll find out if the swelling has gone down enough at the follow up appointment tomorrow morning.  Here's how his foot is when he isn't sleeping.  Looks like fun, huh?! And the noisiest crutches in the world are in the background.

I did put together a draft for our wedding website.  It's just a draft and I had to pick a date, hence the March 2013.  It's not set in stone yet as I still have to talk to all the parents about a "destination" wedding. Please let me know your thoughts.  Also, did you use this as a tool to inform people or just as an FYI - here's all you ever wanted to know about us????
http://ReppSherrod.ourwedding.com