Say cheese!

As you all know Shawn and I got an engagement picture done a few months ago at Country Studios. The picture came out beautiful but unfortunately their pricing was far too much for our budget. So yesterday we took to trip to picture people to see what kind of a deal we could get there. We got some really nice pictures done and they were VERY affordable. In total we got 1 8 x 10 of each of the pictures for our selves and then we also got 2 sheets of 4x6 pictures of each of the shots. So in total we ordered 24 prints. Both set of pictures also had special effects on them. The colored one below was done in "retro" and the black and white was obviously changed to black and white and the had a softening touch also added. (The backgrounds on the pictures are white...I took the pictures with a bad camera so they look blue :-/)Our total came out to be about $100 for everything! That same package would have cost us $245 at Country Studios without the special effects. I love our pictures! Not only were they affordable we only had to wait 15 minutes to get our prints! (It was not busy when we went so times may vary from person to person). They will also frame any picture that you want, make more prints etc. at a later time if you can't decide right then and there. I will definitely use picture people again!

We are also going to be meeting with father Motta again. We haven't decided which weekend yet Shawn and I are going but father would like for us to go to Saturday mass at 5pm and then meet with him afterwards to discuss more of the wedding. It will be nice to see how Father Motta gives his sermons so that we can get an idea of how he will conduct our wedding ceremony. (Father Motta is not our local pasture) Not to mention it will also give Shawn some more practice as to what the Catholic religion is all about...so his not completely lost on the wedding day lol.

I also attempted to call to arrange a consultation with the Price Chopper florist I had meet at my hair salon a few months back. However I forgot that Valenties day is going to be coming up and they are swamped right now. They asked that I call back after the holiday so that they could give me and my wedding their full attention. Which was fine with me...it will give me more to save anyway.

I've also been working on the save-the-dates. I don't think we are going to do pictures on the save-the-dates any longer because of all the headaches and money you have to go through to own the copyrights of the professional pictures we had taken. But they will still be pretty and I'm hoping that I can get them out a little sooner for everyone. So keep an eye out for them! And if anyone is interested....I'm using magnet street wedding.com they have a huge variety and reasonable prices. If you send in your address and what you would like to see/ test they will send you free samples so you can see first hand what quality invitations you will be getting. This is what I was thinking about doing for our save-the-dates. Its really cute and has the fall kind of theme were going for. It's a magnet so people can keep it on their frige and not loose it :)

I am also in the process of putting our engagement picture (the one done in retro) in the paper. One in the daily mail (our local paper) and one in the Times Union. For the daily mail its $50 ($25 for the write up and $25 for the picture). All I have to do is e-mail the reporter the write up/information and the picture and it comes out every 3rd Saturday of the month. I haven't heard back from Times Union yet...I have a feeling that they will probably be more expensive, but we'll see :)

Oh and my wedding dress is in!!! I'm going to pick it up on my next day off. I was going to pick it up this past weekend but I have to try it on again and they were too busy. So I'm going to go back during the week. I make an appointment when I pick it up to come back for my alterations. I'm soooo excited to try my dress on again!!!

p.s. I'd like to start looking into buying the cake soon, but I don't have a clue of where to go any suggestions?

Only 257 days until the wedding!

Oleg Cassini

Hello everyone! Sorry its been so long since I've written. Shawn and I finally moved into our house and are loving being home owners! As I'm sure you can imagine we have been quite busy unpacking and whatnot. I did however shoot a video of the "house tour" so feel free to take a look. We plan on doing a bit more renovation to the house (not that it needs it we just want to change things for our own personal taste) which I try to explain in the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=er1GXHgIiww

Also there has been a change in my wedding dress. I had originally put a dress on lay-a-way that I loved. But its been nagging me for the past few days that the bottom of the dress needed more. I was online the other day and an ad for David's Bridal was on the side bar and I LOVED the bottom of the girls dress. So I think that this is where that all started.

So I called David's Bridal to see what we could do to the bottom of my dress. I just felt like it needed an extra something I was looking for. They said that weren't sure what could really be done to it because of where some of the beading was, but to come in a see what options I had. Well it turns out they really couldn't do what I wanted to the bottom of my dress so they suggested maybe trying on a few dresses that they thought I might like. I tried on a few dresses but none of them gave me that "wow" feeling. Then my consultant asked me if

I had tried on any of the Cassini dresses. I hadn't, and I didn't have a clue who the heck Cassini even was and incase some of you don't have a clue either I threw in a tid bit about him 

Oleg Cassini is considered one of the most prestigious fashion designers in the world, Oleg Cassini is known for creating wedding gowns that are nothing short of extraordinary. The exclusive wedding collection features modern interpretations of classic styles, inspired by the dresses Oleg Cassini created as personal couturier to First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. Cassini's timeless dress designs have been the gown of choice for Hollywood legends from Marilyn Monroe to Renee Zellweger. Oleg Cassini wedding dresses are available exclusively at David's Bridal. The designer gowns are crafted from high-quality fabrics and lavishly embellished with opulent hand-beading, embroidered lace applique and detailed embroidery. The collection features a variety of styles, from elegant contemporary designs to vintage-inspired classics.

I tried on the dress and it was absolutely stunning! I loved the top of the dress. The bottom was ok it just didn't thrill me. My consultant said that she thinks she has a Cassini dress that is just what I'm looking for. It had the similar top which I loved, but the bottom was exactly what I had asked them to do to my original dress. (I'm hiding the details encase my nosy fiance decides to read this lol) It was AMAZING!!! I was absolutely speechless I can't even describe the feeling that came over me, and I started to cry! lol It fit like a glove. I felt like a princess. So needless to say my old dress was yesterdays news I wanted this dress, but I was afraid it was out of my price range. I looked at the price tag and was a little worried. It wasn't a ton of money but It was a good 500 more than my other dress. My consultant caught me looking at the tag and told me "Don't believe that price its on sale!!" The dress was actually 300 cheaper than the ticket price. That sealed the deal for me. On my last visit I had also bought a bra but this new dress already had one built in. So I returned the bar and took my other dress off lay-a-way and transfered the funds that I had paid for that over to my new dress. So all in all I only owe 200 more than I did on the other dress. I am so incredibly excited and have absolutely no doubt now that I have found my wedding dress! So I guess what Im really trying to say here is that feeling that they tell you you'll have is totally true. Don't try and "think you feel" its the one...you'll know! (The above picture is not my dress, but an Oleg Cassini magazine ad.

Oh and one more quick thing before I end this blog. I have to show you all what my best friend got me for Christmas this year! It's a wedding planner! It has our names, picture and wedding date on the front. On the inside is a quote she put it and it says "Some say the I do's are the best part; but it's the planning that gets you there!" The inside is filled with all kinds of things. Pages for the wedding party, Bridal gown, hair, shoes etc, honeymoon, guest list, rehersal dinner, photographer, wedding party gifts. You name it its pretty much had everything you could need to help plan every part of the wedding. Plus Its nice and durable so that I can save it and one day look back at all the fuss it took to put this whole thing together!

Thanks for reading!

Only 273 days until the wedding!