Whoot! At the very last minute we were able to find some dance classes to partake in. Last night we attended our very fist "Social Ballroom Level 1" dance class. Much to my fiancé's chagrin the classes run for 10 weeks…two of which will be happening while we're in Ontario…and one in which he will miss (it's next weeks in fact). Much to his chagrin, it is also double the money - eep!
Over the next 10 weeks (well, 8 for us) we'll be learning the waltz, tango, foxtrot, jive, cha cha and rhumba. Last night we began with the foxtrot, so I'm wondering which dances we'll be missing out on by missing the last two lessons...
It was weird, my foot was cramping up for some random reason (I HATE it when this happens)…I was trying to work it out, but it just looked like I was totally uncoordinated and didn't know what the heck I was doing - lol.
Although I kept messing up the "tension" between us, I thought that we were both pretty good at the steps (other than my foot cramp thing). However, whenever the instructor or instructor's assistant would come by we (OK, I) got all nervous and giggly and totally messed up the dance…again making us look like we had no clue what we were doing - gah! It was pretty embarrassing.
I'm not 100% sure what we hope to gain out of the lessons…other than having some quality time together ;) I am *hoping* that we'll become good enough at one of the dances (I think the Jive would be fun) to use it as our wedding dance…rather than just glide around the floor together wondering when our first dance will end…lol
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Dance Class Bummer…
Last night was to be our very first dance class…but it has been cancelled! Not just tonights class, but all of the sessions! Apparently we were the only ones that had signed up :(
So we are searching for other classes available…the problem is, is that they have either already begun, or they start in a few weeks and will carry on well into our weddng day… We have driven by a ouple of dance studios, but we haven't been able to find their contact information…so we are going to drive by them tonight and stop in ;)
The other option that I am pretty excited about is the Ballroom Level 1 course that is offered…it isn't specficaaly for formal or wedding preparation, but it covers various dances and best of all, it begins this Friday, so we haven't missed any yet. The only downside is that it is 10 sessions long (instead of 5) and thus is double the money…plus we will miss the last two lessions…and Friday night classes are kind of a bummer…but who am I trying to kid…I'm usually a homebody on Friday nights anyay…so all is not lost!
So we are searching for other classes available…the problem is, is that they have either already begun, or they start in a few weeks and will carry on well into our weddng day… We have driven by a ouple of dance studios, but we haven't been able to find their contact information…so we are going to drive by them tonight and stop in ;)
The other option that I am pretty excited about is the Ballroom Level 1 course that is offered…it isn't specficaaly for formal or wedding preparation, but it covers various dances and best of all, it begins this Friday, so we haven't missed any yet. The only downside is that it is 10 sessions long (instead of 5) and thus is double the money…plus we will miss the last two lessions…and Friday night classes are kind of a bummer…but who am I trying to kid…I'm usually a homebody on Friday nights anyay…so all is not lost!
Thursday, April 17, 2008
And Then There Were 3...
I haven't posted about this before, and quite honestly I didn't know if I would, but because it has been part of my whole "wedding planning experience" I thought I'd share it here.
Soon after my fiancé and I had become engaged we talked about who we would like to have stand up with us on our wedding day - re: Wedding Party.
My fiancé and I both had clear ideas of who these special people would be. He choose his brother as his Best Man and three childhood friends (two of which had grown up on the same street as him). I knew that I wanted to have my sister as my Matron of Honour and Pat's oldest sister as my Maid of Honour (yes, I believe you can have two people share this important role ;). I also knew that I wanted Patrick's younger sister as well as one of my childhood friends to be my bridesmaids.
Once we had decided whom we would like to ask I crafted these little cards for my gals. Each one agreed to be part of our wedding day - yippee! This was in the summer of 2006.
At that time, other than my sister, all of my 'maids lived across the country. To have everyone stay in touch and abreast of the wedding planning I painstakingly mailed out Bridesmaid Newsletters every few months. To my knowledge everything was going swimmingly and everyone was happy.
However, just before I was set to fly back to Ontario for my Future Sister-In-Law's wedding I received an email from my childhood friend (who had also remained my friend throughout high school and university…although we didn't gab on the phone as much as we did when we were kids). She told me that she would no longer like to be in our wedding and that she thought she was a "filler" bridesmaid to even out the wedding party (i.e. each of us having four attendants). She felt that I did not put enough effort into our friendship by calling her more often. In my defence I emailed her constantly, but she is more of a phone person that an email person I guess… This happened in the fall of 2007 - over a year after I had asked her to be my bridesmaid.
As you can imagine I was quite upset over this. I didn't realize that I had done anything wrong and had upset her. I asked her if she'd still like to attend and she said she would - so at least I haven't totally lost her as a friend.
Sometimes I think if I could do it all over again I would have waited to ask my attendants and perhaps only have one attendant to act as a witness and sign the marriage certificate.
At any rate, what is done is done, but it will remain a very sad memory for me and a sad time during the whole "fun and wonderful" wedding planning experience.
Soon after my fiancé and I had become engaged we talked about who we would like to have stand up with us on our wedding day - re: Wedding Party.
My fiancé and I both had clear ideas of who these special people would be. He choose his brother as his Best Man and three childhood friends (two of which had grown up on the same street as him). I knew that I wanted to have my sister as my Matron of Honour and Pat's oldest sister as my Maid of Honour (yes, I believe you can have two people share this important role ;). I also knew that I wanted Patrick's younger sister as well as one of my childhood friends to be my bridesmaids.
Once we had decided whom we would like to ask I crafted these little cards for my gals. Each one agreed to be part of our wedding day - yippee! This was in the summer of 2006.
At that time, other than my sister, all of my 'maids lived across the country. To have everyone stay in touch and abreast of the wedding planning I painstakingly mailed out Bridesmaid Newsletters every few months. To my knowledge everything was going swimmingly and everyone was happy.
However, just before I was set to fly back to Ontario for my Future Sister-In-Law's wedding I received an email from my childhood friend (who had also remained my friend throughout high school and university…although we didn't gab on the phone as much as we did when we were kids). She told me that she would no longer like to be in our wedding and that she thought she was a "filler" bridesmaid to even out the wedding party (i.e. each of us having four attendants). She felt that I did not put enough effort into our friendship by calling her more often. In my defence I emailed her constantly, but she is more of a phone person that an email person I guess… This happened in the fall of 2007 - over a year after I had asked her to be my bridesmaid.
As you can imagine I was quite upset over this. I didn't realize that I had done anything wrong and had upset her. I asked her if she'd still like to attend and she said she would - so at least I haven't totally lost her as a friend.
Sometimes I think if I could do it all over again I would have waited to ask my attendants and perhaps only have one attendant to act as a witness and sign the marriage certificate.
At any rate, what is done is done, but it will remain a very sad memory for me and a sad time during the whole "fun and wonderful" wedding planning experience.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Fabulous Time In Vegas - But Wedding Shopping Kind Of A Bust
We loved Las Vegas - it was tons of fun - tons of stuff to see and do…I've now said this a million times, but 4 days is just not enough time.
Besides all of the hotels, casinos, restaurants and shows to see, there is tons of shopping - a lot of high end shopping as well. We did do a little window shopping at the fancy stores…but our budget couldn't handle the $800 Louis Vuitton clutch/wallet thingy. Instead we spent some time at the Outlet Mall. This place also has some higher end stores (Lacoste, Coach, etc) - but it also has tons of mid-range stuff…Brooks Brothers, Kenneth Cole, Gap, J Crew, etc). My fiancé was too focused on snagging deals on causal clothing to focus on finding a 3-button black suit…I guess he figured he could find one of those for a good deal easily enough back home. He did find some new black shoes…but they'll likely be worn out before the wedding as he'll be wearing them to work on a daily basis.
We searched high and low for the specific navy and green ties we are wanting for the Groomsmen - but no luck. I fear that we'll end up purchasing some simple solid navy ties - and at this point, it is A-OK with me. We'll make one more attempt at the local Moore's store…
And believe it or not I only ended up purchasing one item…which will likely be the dress I wear for our Ceremony Rehearsal…it is uber cute…here's a pic:
Besides all of the hotels, casinos, restaurants and shows to see, there is tons of shopping - a lot of high end shopping as well. We did do a little window shopping at the fancy stores…but our budget couldn't handle the $800 Louis Vuitton clutch/wallet thingy. Instead we spent some time at the Outlet Mall. This place also has some higher end stores (Lacoste, Coach, etc) - but it also has tons of mid-range stuff…Brooks Brothers, Kenneth Cole, Gap, J Crew, etc). My fiancé was too focused on snagging deals on causal clothing to focus on finding a 3-button black suit…I guess he figured he could find one of those for a good deal easily enough back home. He did find some new black shoes…but they'll likely be worn out before the wedding as he'll be wearing them to work on a daily basis.
We searched high and low for the specific navy and green ties we are wanting for the Groomsmen - but no luck. I fear that we'll end up purchasing some simple solid navy ties - and at this point, it is A-OK with me. We'll make one more attempt at the local Moore's store…
And believe it or not I only ended up purchasing one item…which will likely be the dress I wear for our Ceremony Rehearsal…it is uber cute…here's a pic:
Now I'm just trying to find a pink shirt for my fiance to wear...any suggestions?
Friday, April 11, 2008
Our First Wedding Gift!
I thought I'd posted this already….but I just looked back at my posts and it looks like I haven't yet! My fiancé's Aunt and Uncle came for a visit on Easter weekend…not only did they bring us some yummy chocolate treats, but they also brought us our first wedding gift - the only thing is, is that we don't know who it is from…lol. OK, we have an idea that it is likely from my fiancé's Aunts and Uncles, but we don't know exactly who. We were also told that we can't open it yet…and you know what…we still haven't!
I've been reading some things about etiquette though and apparently when you receive a wedding gift (or gift in general?) you are supposed to open it right away and promptly send a thank you card to the gift giver - seeing we have yet to receive a card, we figure there is no harm in waiting a little longer to both open it and send out a thank you card. The main thing is that my fiancé's Aunt and Uncle can let the gift giver know that we have safely received the package :)
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Hair Accessories
Other than my veil I wasn't too sure what I wanted to do in terms of hair accessories…if anything. I knew I wasn't a tiara kind of gal, and I wasn't too keen on the idea of having little flowered hair pins throughout my 'do. Other options I considered were using fresh flowers, or perhaps having nothing at all. However, I knew that I wasn't going to wear my veil during the reception…I still haven't deciding at what point I will take it off (After pictures? After dinner?). But I knew that once the veil was off I wanted to have a little something in my hair. I came to the decision to use a hair comb because it was larger then hair pins, but smaller then a tiara. Plus it was something that I could keep as a little memento…and perhaps even wear for special occasions again?
So began my hunt for the *perfect hair comb. My criteria was as follows:
-Under 4 inches in length
-Included pearls and crystals (I'll be wearing pearls and my dress has a crystal detail - so this type of comb would link the two)
-A metal malleable comb rather than a hard plastic comb (from past experience I've found that plastic combs are more likely to pop out of my hair compared to bendable metal combs)
-Under $30 or $40 (I wasn't keen on spending $50 plus dollars on this little accessory…because I'm having mini regrets about spend nearly $100 on our cake topper ;o)
With all of this "criteria" I set out on my hunt for a perfect hair comb. I looked on ebay…but I it frustrated with using that site…either I can't find exactly what I'm looking for, or it looks very cheap…plus shipping costs to Canada can be a nightmare. I tried using referrals from weddingbells.ca, but it led me to mainly tiaras or sparkly accessories without any pearls. I also looked at my local bridal shops, and although their hair combs were beautiful many of them were upwards of $100 - too expensive!
After I exhausted the above resources, I considered making my own. I went to Michaels Craft Store to price out the items that I would need. Cha-ching! I would need to purchase all of the jewellery making tool (mini pliers etc) plus packages of crystals and pearls - more than I would need)…so that idea went out the window - I had nearly given up finding the *perfect, simple hair comb…that was until l received a facebook invite from one of my old high school friends to check out her etsy.com store: http://www.silverglade.etsy.com/ - of course (duh!) I had totally forgotten about Etsy! My friends store mainly carries earrings and necklaces (I purchased a lovely pair of earrings - you should check her store out ;) - so I did a search for "bridal comb" and several results came up…many were priced higher than I wanted to pay, until I came across a lovely store called "Sara Libbey's Jewellery" at http://www.saralibbey.etsy.com/ At only $8.00 and $3.00 for shipping - it was a bargain - I love it!
Here is a picture of how I imagine placing it in my hair - likely tucked in on the side…I plan on wearing my veil over top of my hair - over the ponytail in this picture...only 72 days to go!
So began my hunt for the *perfect hair comb. My criteria was as follows:
-Under 4 inches in length
-Included pearls and crystals (I'll be wearing pearls and my dress has a crystal detail - so this type of comb would link the two)
-A metal malleable comb rather than a hard plastic comb (from past experience I've found that plastic combs are more likely to pop out of my hair compared to bendable metal combs)
-Under $30 or $40 (I wasn't keen on spending $50 plus dollars on this little accessory…because I'm having mini regrets about spend nearly $100 on our cake topper ;o)
With all of this "criteria" I set out on my hunt for a perfect hair comb. I looked on ebay…but I it frustrated with using that site…either I can't find exactly what I'm looking for, or it looks very cheap…plus shipping costs to Canada can be a nightmare. I tried using referrals from weddingbells.ca, but it led me to mainly tiaras or sparkly accessories without any pearls. I also looked at my local bridal shops, and although their hair combs were beautiful many of them were upwards of $100 - too expensive!
After I exhausted the above resources, I considered making my own. I went to Michaels Craft Store to price out the items that I would need. Cha-ching! I would need to purchase all of the jewellery making tool (mini pliers etc) plus packages of crystals and pearls - more than I would need)…so that idea went out the window - I had nearly given up finding the *perfect, simple hair comb…that was until l received a facebook invite from one of my old high school friends to check out her etsy.com store: http://www.silverglade.etsy.com/ - of course (duh!) I had totally forgotten about Etsy! My friends store mainly carries earrings and necklaces (I purchased a lovely pair of earrings - you should check her store out ;) - so I did a search for "bridal comb" and several results came up…many were priced higher than I wanted to pay, until I came across a lovely store called "Sara Libbey's Jewellery" at http://www.saralibbey.etsy.com/ At only $8.00 and $3.00 for shipping - it was a bargain - I love it!
Here is a picture of how I imagine placing it in my hair - likely tucked in on the side…I plan on wearing my veil over top of my hair - over the ponytail in this picture...only 72 days to go!
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Off To Vegas Until Tuesday!
This afternoon my fiancé and I are headed off for a long-ish weekend getaway to Las Vegas with my sister and brother-in-law. I have never been to Vegas, and my sister has gone once with her husband - it was a Christmas gift from her father (yes, we have different Dads ;). Other than travelling to the Dominican Republic for her destination wedding, the four of us have yet to travel anywhere as a couple. My brother-in-law Paul, and my fiancé get along very well, so I know they'll have a blast. And although my sister and I don't have tons of stuff in common, one thing that we both love is - shopping! Was it hard to guess that one? LOL
I've posted on my other blog - The HamiHarri Update - about all of the things we plan to do and see, but one thing that I hope to fit in is shopping at some of the great outlet malls in Las Vegas. There are a few things on my *need list that are wedding related.
I *need a couple of dresses, or skirt/top combos for my two (wahoo!) Bridal Showers, as well as for the Ceremony Rehearsal/Rehearsal Dinner. I also *need a couple of new bathing suits for the Jamaican honeymoon (double wahoo!!). I guess I technically do have enough suits to last me for a week…but I'd like to add one or two more fun ones to the mix.
I'm also hoping that we have time to stop for a "makeover" at Sephoria… My skin is not the greatest and I would love to see what a professional application looks like…we'll see how that one pans out though ;) If it doesn't jive with the shopping I'll just make an appointment with a MAC consultant here in Victoria.
We also *need to find 4 groomsmen ties (possibly 5 matching ties if we opt to give one to our MC to wear) as well as a tie for the Father of the Groom and one for the Groom himself. Ideally my fiancé will also find a smashing deal on a fabulous black suit…and we'll have to see how that one pans out.
You're probably wondering why I don't just purchase these items here, or even online. Well, honestly, we've been searching for these items for the last year or so. We either can't find enough matching ties (and they can't order more in) or they are $60 per each tie - eep! AND, as much as I adore online shopping, when one is looking at navy and green ties online, it is hard to tell which colour each strip is on the computer monitor. PLUS, the US (and particularly the outlet malls in Vegas) have MUCH more fabulous stuff to choose from :)
Friday, April 4, 2008
Wedding Day Purse…a very sweet gift from my lovely Aunt Mary
Gee whiz - I sure am one lucky Bride To Be. I just received this beautiful little purse, handmade by my Aunt from Edmonton.
I'm not sure if it crocheted or knitted…I'll have to ask. But it is made out of the softest cotton (I think it is cotton…I'll have to ask about that one as well ;) It is the same bright white as my wedding gown and it has cultured peal details along the bottom which will coordinate well with the pearl jewellery I plan to wear.
I've been busy knitted up a storm for my future niece/nephew, so I can really appreciate all of the hard work and time that goes into creating something such as this.
It also has a really special detail along either side that I am having a heck of a time capturing on my camera. One side has my initial knitted into it "A" and the other side has my fiancé's initial knitted into it "P." It is very subtle - but I think this is a really wonderful detail.
My Aunt also had the foresight to include two little sachets to hold the actual items…this will avoid having my lip-gloss poke through ;)
Since I purchased my dress I have been thinking about whether or not I wanted to have a wedding day purse. I did see some really cute ones at The Bay here in Victoria for about $28. It came in silver and was pretty affordable considering the other ~$60-$100-ish purses I've been eyeing. However, I decided that if I'm going to go for a purse, I was going to opt for a white one (even though I'll likely never use it again)…
With the purse, my Aunt included a lovely card letting me know that I shouldn't feel obligated to carry this purse on my wedding day - crazy talk I say! I guess it was my Aunt's concern that I wouldn't want to carry it around all day ;) She did have a point, but then I got thinking - that's what I have bridesmaids for…lol
I've also started thinking about what I would like to carry in my purse…here's what I've come up with so far:
-My driver's license
-My VISA card
-$20 cash ;)
-My lip-gloss/lipstick
-A bobby pin or two
-Kleenex or hankie (haven't decided on the hankie yet ;)
-A compact or blotting papers (haven't decided if this is worthwhile for me…I tend to have dry-ish skin…also, I found I didn't require touch-ups at my FSIL wedding last fall)
-If I decide to forgo the compact, I will for sure carry a mirror
-My room key
-Our thank you speech
-Itinerary
Any other *must have items? I think if I carry anything else, I will become bogged down. Especially considering I don't plan on putting down my bouquet for very long ;)
I'm not sure if it crocheted or knitted…I'll have to ask. But it is made out of the softest cotton (I think it is cotton…I'll have to ask about that one as well ;) It is the same bright white as my wedding gown and it has cultured peal details along the bottom which will coordinate well with the pearl jewellery I plan to wear.
I've been busy knitted up a storm for my future niece/nephew, so I can really appreciate all of the hard work and time that goes into creating something such as this.
It also has a really special detail along either side that I am having a heck of a time capturing on my camera. One side has my initial knitted into it "A" and the other side has my fiancé's initial knitted into it "P." It is very subtle - but I think this is a really wonderful detail.
My Aunt also had the foresight to include two little sachets to hold the actual items…this will avoid having my lip-gloss poke through ;)
Since I purchased my dress I have been thinking about whether or not I wanted to have a wedding day purse. I did see some really cute ones at The Bay here in Victoria for about $28. It came in silver and was pretty affordable considering the other ~$60-$100-ish purses I've been eyeing. However, I decided that if I'm going to go for a purse, I was going to opt for a white one (even though I'll likely never use it again)…
With the purse, my Aunt included a lovely card letting me know that I shouldn't feel obligated to carry this purse on my wedding day - crazy talk I say! I guess it was my Aunt's concern that I wouldn't want to carry it around all day ;) She did have a point, but then I got thinking - that's what I have bridesmaids for…lol
I've also started thinking about what I would like to carry in my purse…here's what I've come up with so far:
-My driver's license
-My VISA card
-$20 cash ;)
-My lip-gloss/lipstick
-A bobby pin or two
-Kleenex or hankie (haven't decided on the hankie yet ;)
-A compact or blotting papers (haven't decided if this is worthwhile for me…I tend to have dry-ish skin…also, I found I didn't require touch-ups at my FSIL wedding last fall)
-If I decide to forgo the compact, I will for sure carry a mirror
-My room key
-Our thank you speech
-Itinerary
Any other *must have items? I think if I carry anything else, I will become bogged down. Especially considering I don't plan on putting down my bouquet for very long ;)
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