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!

Wedding Dress

Sooo I finally purchased my wedding dress!! It's very exciting and it makes me feel that much closer to actually being married. I got the dress at David's Bridal. My consultant was Carrie and she was wonderful! I'm also going to be using her for the bridesmaids shopping, she was so helpful. I would love to tell you all the details but I'm afraid Shawn will read this and I don't want him to know what the dress looks like at all until the day of the wedding :) But I can tell you that it is beautiful. Oh and that feeling that they tell you you'll have when you try on "the one" is completely true!

I came in with a few pictures from online that I had liked and a few bridal magazines to show my consultant what kind of styles I liked. I tried

on a good 7 or 8 dresses before I tried on the one that I ended up getting. They were all beautiful but there were things about each of them that I didn't quite like, or they just weren't quite me. I tried on a ton of different kinds. Strapless, off the shoulder, thin straps, thicker straps, v-neck, sweetheart, poofy, lased, beaded, form-fitting, flowy, corsets...you name it. So I got a pretty good idea of what I liked and didn't like. 

Then I tried on the dress that I ended up buying. I knew as soon as I tried it on I loved it. I had a combination of all the things I had liked from the previous dresses and more. I felt like a bride when I looked at myself and most importantly I felt beautiful! It was a wonderful feeling and I couldn't help but smile. Once I walked out of the dressing room I knew my mom and sister thought the same thing. As my mom put it " Oh my god...it's so you!".

After that I tried on a few vails which really put the look together. I tried on about 10 of those lol. A cathedral one that went down to the bottom of my dress, and then from there continued to try on shorter and shorter ones from then on. I tried ones with lase sown on, beads on the bottom, sides, or all over, tiara's , clips etc. However before this appointment I hadn't really thought much about the vail. I had been so consumed with what kind of dress I would like that I hadn't even considered a vail to go with it. So I did not purchase one today. I want some more time to look at various different styles before I make a definite choice. I also got a necklace and earring set while I was there. Sooo cute! Very subtle (I didn't want it to take away from the gown) but it matches my dress perfect! 

The dress itself actually fits me well. I ended up going up one more size then I normally am beca

use... my chest was a little tight in the first size, and being that I would like to breathe on wedding day I went one size up and their just going to take in the waist a bit for me. The length also fit me well. I used shoes that they had there (my heals are packed away right now for the move) I used the tallest pair they had and the hem of the dress came to right about where it should be. (For those of you who don't know Shawn is 6'6 so I'm trying to make up the height difference a bit lol). She measured the height of the shoes so that when I do go shoe shopping for the wedding I know the size I'm looking for. 

It was a wonderful experience and I'm very very happy with my decision. I can't wait to actually get my dress and put it on again, and most of all I can't wait for Shawn to see it. :)

Thanks for reading!

Only 296 days until the wedding!

Roses are red...

Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't written in a while I've been quite tied up with work and getting everything together for the house. The house plans are coming along well. We're about to have it apprised. We did our inspection and the results weren't more than a few minor things. We filled out our loan application and our approximated date for closing is December 15th. Its been a lot of work but very exciting at the same time! I'm going to shoot a video on move in day to give you all a better look :) 

Ok so back to wedding planning. Since my last blog we have hired a DJ, Lin Smith (The Tunesmith). She's great! Shawn and I took some time out to meet her and had a blast. She's a lot of fun and wants to make sure we have a celebration to remember. She has thousands of songs to choose from and by the time of our wedding she will have all genres of music available up to September 2010. Anyone can request any song...well as long as its not on our "do not play" list so if your a Hanna Montana fan sorry that won't be played lol.

I also booked a hair stylist for the wedding. I go to Anavah Salon to a girl named Nikki. Her and one or two more girls (we haven't decided yet) are going to come up to the hotel that morning to do all the girls hair including myself of course and the mothers. They are very reasonable. Its $50 per girl who travels and then however much the updo's are going to be (usually around $40 per person.) I still don't have a clue on how I want to do my hair yet. I've been watching tutorials on YouTube religiously to get ideas on hair and make up. I haven't found any certain one I love yet, but one of the girls I regularly watch had said that she would post a bridal video for me...so I'll make sure to post it here when she does. :)

Also, while I was getting my hair cut last week Nikki and I were talking about flowers and

she had asked if I had anywhere in mind. I told her that I didn't really although I have heard from quite a few people (my photographer included) that Price Chopper does a wonderful job. Which was quite the coincidence because the next women she had coming in worked for the floral department in a price chopper close to where I live. I got to talking with her and she said that they DO deliver (at least that one in particular does) and that a few of the girls she worked with including herself have a background in design. She gave me her name and the number so I could call and set up a consultation. She told me they are much more affordable than most floral shops and everything is very fresh (which was what I had been hearing all along). So needless to say I am definitely going to call and set up an appointment! I put a few pictures of the colors/kinds of flowers I am looking into doing bouquets out of throught out this blog!

And last but not least

...I called Country Studios where Shawn and I had gotten our engagement picture from below done to order more prints. (Ones for close family and a small one to send out for the save-the-dates) And I could not believe their prices!! For 2 ...only 2 5x7's it was $65 and for a sheet of 8 wallets it was $45 dollars! So needless to say we will be taking our business elsewhere! I have had nothing but problems with this company. They take excellent pictures I'll give them that however when I went to go online to look at my proofs I got the wrong couples pictures!..and they are only open on the weekend so I had to wait the week to get a call back just to find out that they weren't sure what had happend and that it should be fixed the following week!I'm thinking of going to picture people. I know a few people who have had pictures done there and they only take an hour to get and they have much better package pricing! I'm going to try and get a similar picture to the old one though. I may change up the pose but I like the colors and they go sooo well with the save the date magnets I am planning on using, so I'll keep you all posted on how that goes!

Thanks for reading!

Only 315 days until the wedding!

Busy Bee's

So I figured it was about time that I catch everyone up on what been going on. We have been super busy lately not only with the wedding plans but with our jobs and house hunting as well.

I finally got a job as an RN at a trauma center about 45 minutes from my house. I love it there! The staff are all so nice and welcoming and willing to help. Its a big change from nursing school, but I'm really enjoying all of it. Especially all the wonderful people I've been meeting :)

Shawn and I have also been doing a bit of house hunting and we have finally found the one that we want to call home! It's in a nice quiet little neighborhood in the same town where we currently live. It has three bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a nice big kitchen, dining area, attached 2 car garage, fireplace, deck, pool, and a full basement which we plan to have finished. We put in a bid for the house a few days ago and it was accepted. Now we just have to get approve from the bank and will be well on our way to moving in! Were both a little bit nervous but very excited that soon enough will have a place to call our very own. If everything goes as smooth as possible and on time our closing should be around the 30th of November!

Okay so now back to the wedding! We've been working on a DJ and we think that we have found the right one. She's energetic and keeps everyone dancing... and best of all she is very reasonably priced! were planning on meeting with her sometime this week to go over the nitty gritty of what exactly we are looking for.

I've also been looking a bit more at bridesmaids dresses. One of my bridesmaids gave me a swatch of color for a dress idea and I love it. It's called cinnamon which would be the perfect color for a fall wedding! I know the picture makes it look red but the color in person is more like a mix of brown and orange. So pretty!

Shawn and I received our engagement picture in the mail a few weeks ago. Were planning on using this picture on our save-the-dates. I'm in the process of sending paperwork back and forth between companies to get permission to copy the picture onto the magnet itself, which in the beginning sounded too complicated but it's actually quite easy. 

Thanks for reading!

Only 343 days until the wedding!

Photographer...Check!

We now have a photographer!! As of yesterday evening Paul Saunders (the gentlemen listed in the blog below) is booked for our October wedding and Shawn and I are so very excited! He has done over 2,000 weddings and has been in the business for 23 years. He is very reasonable with absolutely no hidden fee's the price that he gives you is it (tax included). He is extremely flexible with his packages. You can swap and trade just about anything so that you only get what you need. 

He was very energetic and had so many ideas for pictures to take at the wedding. He wanted to know all the details...what kind of flowers we were thinking about, what color bridesmaids dresses I wanted, the size of the families etc. He also told us that his job is to tell a story with our wedding photos. He doesn't like a lot of posed pictures he prefers to get more candids then anything to really capture the moment. One of the things I loved the most was that he said in all his years of shooting wedding he has never missed the brides mother, grooms mother, and grooms reaction as the bride come down the isle. (If you couldn't already tell he completely had me sold by this point!).

So we decided to go with his gold package. That package includes unlimited coverage from the brides home (in this case it will be the hotel), through church ceremony, family formals, and loads of reception pictures. 800+ color preview shots in a storybook style personalized library hard cover wedding proof books (that we keep!!) 24, 8x10 wedding album enlargements, and/or up to 48 5x7's and/or 96 prints matted to an upscale florentina leather wedding album. 2 florentina leather parent albums each with 24 matted 4x5 custom enlargements, 2 8x10 custom-framed enlargements, 8 8x10's and/or 2 16x20's or 4 11x14's, 18 5x7 enlargements, 60 thank you cards or 120 loose pictures, and JPEG's of all of the package selections. So as you can see his package comes with everything we could possibly need and then some!

However Shawn and I have also decided that (as another option for this package) to trade in our traditional wedding Album and upgrade to the designer flush-mounted coffee-table style album which blew us away! Its very unique and offers more room for pictures than the traditional album. This picture is a

n example of what a page in one of these albums can look like, and the cover.

Paul had also mentioned to us that if we want any specific pictures to be taken that we don't want to worry about having to remember on the day of our wedding, to just write them down and he will make sure that the pictures are taken (parents ideas too). He also had mentioned to us that he will get everyone that comes to the wedding in at least 1 picture. Which to me was huge! 50 years down the line I want to look back on my pictures and remember exactly who was there. Paul also mentioned that he is very respectful when it comes to taking his pictures (especially in the church...more brownie points :) ) He said that he stands in the back of the church and can still get beautiful close up shots.. and by looking at his albums you would have never known he was actually that far back. He said most of the night you wont even know that he is there. He doesn't use any harsh flashes that will be distracting either.

He also gave us a cd to look over for ideas that includes 700+ wedding

photos. Needless to say I'm going to be spending a great deal of my time today looking them over!

Over all Paul wants Shawn and I to just enjoy our wedding day stress free, and I couldn't ask for more. I would highly recommend him to anyone getting married and in need of a photographer!

This is my absoulte favortie picture out of his album's..and it was taken in the rain!!

P.s. Let me just also include that I highly recommend to anyone getting married (and planning their weddingthemselves) to get the Modern Bride survival guide! It is the most amazing book. Practically every question I have had this far I've been able to figure out with it. It gives so many helpful tips and tons of checklist to keep you organized! It also has good questions to ask you vender's when your looking to hire and even ideas for hairstyles on the day of wedding. It has everything!!

Thanks for reading!

Only 360 day's until the wedding!

One Year to Go!

Its official...we have exactly 1 year until the wedding as of today! I am so excited its hard to believe 4 months has already gone by since we got engaged, I can only Imagine how fast this year will go by.

So...let me catch you up on whats been going on lately. Shawn and I went to Country Studio's (Where we won our free portrate from) and got an engagement photo done. We decided to only get the one pose for now, which we will pick up next weekend to decide weather or not we want to order more afterwards. We are also considering to take a trip to picture people and see what they offer. After that we are going to choose our favorite one and use it on our save-the-dates :)

We are also meeting with Paul Saunders on the 6th which I am VERY excited about! He 

is the photographer I have been looking at for the past few months. I love his work and I am very exited to finally get to meet him and see some of his albums in person. He was actually referred to me by a nursing classmate who was married last October and had shown me some of her proofs (and even they were amazing). He is decently priced, you can rearrange your package to whatever you need, and you get to keep all of your proofs in a story book type of package.

I have also been working on a wedding website. Thanks to the idea from my girlfriend Courtney, and have gotten quite a bit done. I'm really pleased with how it came out. It still needs a few tweaks here and there but all in all it looks good. Its full of information for our guest and a few fun things too. I plan on putting that information with the save-the-dates, that way if our guest need directions or they forget an adress or just need to ask me or Shawn a question its all right there.

Shawn and I are also going to be visiting Hunter Mountain either this weekend or next to take a look at the summit for possible photo ops. I'll be sure to take lots of pictures to share :) There will be weddings also going on during the next three weekends so I am hoping I can also get some decoration ideas while we are up there. While were there we also plan on visiting Oktoberfest. Its a free festival full of authentic German culture and cuisine. Oktoberfest will also be held the weekend of our wedding.

I have also decided that the girls and I are going to be going bridesmaid dress shopping either the end of January or the beginning of February. I have a few dresses in mind. I love this dress, however for the wedding I would have them chocolate brown not a hot pink and most likely floor length. Its simple, but flattering and affordable! I also found a hair salon that I'm interested in having come up for the wedding to do all our hair on the big day! They are very reasonable and are will to travel up the the hotel :)

Shawn and I have also been taking a peak at wedding rings. Although we don't intend to by them just let we've gotten some good ideas of what we like. I found one that I loved. It's a very simple white gold band with about 6 or 7 small diamonds across the top, I think it would complement my engagement ring well. Shawn has been looking at the titanium rings. They are simple but the all look so different and unique from your average wedding band. I love them!

The countdown has also begun for some serious toning and a bit a weight loss on my part. I've been walking about a mile and a half a day and doing some ab work. Ive lost 2 pounds and 1/2 an inch around my stomach. Its not much but its a start, and thanks to my girlfriend Amanda I will also be starting Pilates workouts! I'm hoping that I can start shopping for my dress within the next few months. :)

"The best love is the kind that awakens the soul and makes us reach for more, that plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds. And that's what you've given me. That's what I hope to give you forever." ♥

Thanks for reading!

Only 365 days left until the wedding!