I made a promise to my mom that I wouldn't buy a wedding dress without her seeing it first. I'm sad that my mom & dad are in Savannah, but also extremely excited to have my mom's help in the wedding planning! I made an appointment for my sister (my maid of honor) and I at David's Bridal one Saturday morning. David's Bridal if you have never been to one is like the Walmart of bridal dresses. I've heard both good and bad things about the service and quality of dresses at their stores. I personally had an enjoyable experience there as I bought a bridesmaid dress and it was just fine and fairly inexpensive. I figured for my first trip out David's Bridal would be just fine! I however was dreading the day. I was worried that they wouldn't have dresses that fit me and it would be horrible. Melissa was also dreading the day as she thought she would be seeing me in ugly dresses and sitting there the whole time. Neither of us told each other that we were not looking forward to the day. Surprise Surprise, it was so much fun! Our appointment was at 11 and we didn't get out of there until 1pm. I cannot even begin to tell you how much fun it was. Those dresses are heavy! Holy buckets! And itchy. I have sensitive skin and the beading on the side of the dress would touch my underarm and just itch the heck out of me. The good part ... I figure out what type of dress I like Satin halter with a v-neck in ivory.



I really liked another one in the store, but can't seem to find it on the website. After giving it sometime to sink in and really think about it, I loved the dress. It is very similar to the one pictured above. The dress has no tulle in it which I loved! The only tulle was in the undergarment I was wearing. Since I am keeping my promise to my mom, I did not purchase the dress. It was my first time out and I didn't want to get it just yet.

I think I also found bridesmaids dresses, also at David's Bridal.



I would like the dresses to be black and the one I picked out is a mix and match. Hopefully they could be worn again. If anything, the top could be worn under a suit jacket or possibly with jeans. How cute.

Since we are getting married in the fall, I would like the colors to be warm. After talking with Ryan we decided on black and purple with ivory accents. The ivory was a total after thought and then when I tried on an ivory dress and loved it, it all made sense. And to maybe be a little different, I'd like to carry hydrangeas like this but in more of a purple if possible ...



Ok ok so I thought I wasn't that girl, but apparently I am. I haven't been planning my wedding since I was young, I want to get married because I am madly and deeply in love with Ryan. He is my other half, my soul mate, my true love. Cheese. However I think I know what I like and what I don't like! And I'm finding it out very quickly!

We went back and forth on the date of the wedding. We decided on September of 2008 because we didn't want to get married in the winter or summer. I didn't want to get married in October and didn't want to wait until the Spring. So September it was. My parents were married on the 29th and I thought it would be cool if we married on that date too. Well the 29th is a Monday so I suggested the 27th. We were good on the 27th but had to check to see when the University of Iowa's homecoming was. After some digging we discovered it was on the 27th. We discussed and decided on the 20th. After thinking about it more I asked Ryan if we could go back to the 27th. My main concern was I didn't want my friends to have to choose homecoming or our wedding. I know they would pick wedding as homecoming is an excuse for us all to see each other, but I was concerned with those that we wouldn't invite to the wedding and they might return to Iowa for homecoming and be sad that we aren't there and then feel left out. After talking to Ryan he made me feel better.

So the 27th it is. We have the church and the reception site booked! Hooray. I also started doing some research on photographers. Ryan's best friend's wife Carrie is a photographer and we would love to have her take our pictures however we want her to be our guest and enjoy the celebration and not have to work! We would like her to take our engagement pictures though. Photographers are expensive! Holy buckets. Luckily Ryan & I were on the same page ... our pictures aren't that important to us. We want them and we would like some displayed around the house but artsy fartsy pictures aren't really of interest to us. Photographers are like $1500-$4000. Yeah, that's a lot! I got a referral from a coworker who was recently married and looked at the website last night! The mother & daughter duo are much more reasonably priced! So I will call them tomorrow to see if they are available!

Ok, enough enough with the wedding. I suppose this is what I can blog about since I know Ryan won't be!

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