Dress fittings and why you should always have emergency money in the budget.

  I knew that when I got alterations to my dress it was not going to be cheap... I thought I only had to get my dress taken in 1 size then I ended up losing some weight and we ended up having to take the dress in almost 4 inches on both sides... THAT IS 8 INCHES...
    There are some very important tips that you should always remember when going to a dress fitting.

• Wear ALL the undergarments that you are planning on wearing on your wedding day. (I didn't put on my longline bra for my first fitting meaning I had to get the dress adjusted again on the second fitting)
• Wear the shoes you are planning on wearing for the wedding. They will be heming your dress so you want to make sure that your hem is the right length with your shoes. (Your slip/crinoline will also affect your hem so wear your slip/crinoline at all fittings)
• If you are worried about your dress being pinned too tight or too loose do not be afraid to speak up. You are paying for this service don't say ok until you are happy with the way you are pinned.
• Drink lots of water. If your wedding dress is anything like mine you are going to be HOT so make sure that you drink LOTS of water my seamstress told me stories of brides fainting at their fitting when I was asking my bridesmaid for water.
• Make sure you have someone with you at your last fitting. If your dress is a lace up you will need someone who knows how to lace it up. Or how to do the buttons or how to just make sure it is on right. 

   My good friend told me that alterations were not cheap. I thought she was overreacting until I started calling around to get price quotes. 

   When I first went I was a bit in shock at the price I was given to take the dress in (I need to learn how to sew wedding dresses) Then after 3 fittings I got the bill and wanted to cry.... It was almost DOUBLE the price they quoted me.
   Always make sure to have extra money in the budget for unexpected expenses. If not you could be scrambling at the last minute to cut some costs or get more money because there will be at least one thing that goes over budget.

Tutus for the Flower girls!

      So I am jumping on the band wagon of Flower girls in tutus!  I love how adorable little girls look in tutus and I know how to make them so I figured why not? Now here is where the trouble came in.... I was talking to my flower girls (AKA my daughters) and told them they get to wear tutus for the wedding they were very excited but were not too happy with my choice of white. I was thinking of tutus like this pretty white and long. But my stubborn little girls think that tutus mean PINK!

     I admit every tutu I have made the girls up to this point has had pink in them (I still haven't gotten around to making their Oregon Ducks tutus yet even though I have the tulle...) So it is partly my fault... But I want the girls in white so I made a deal with the girls. They will wear the long white tutus for the wedding BUT they get short hot pink ones for the reception. It took a little while to convince the Mr. That this was a good idea BUT I told him the girls will be able to move around and have more fun in the short ones. Plus what girl does not love a wardrobe change? 

     So I have already made the hot pink ones! (Slacking a little bit on making the white ones) But I thought I would share pictures of my little girls reception tutus! They are shorter than the white ones are going to be and SUPER FLUFFY! Each tutu has 100 yards of tulle that is one super tutu! These things could pretty much stand on their own they have so much tulle. When I had the little ones try them on  they were beyond excited and kept on commenting on how they were just like ballerinas! 

     If you haven't noticed the adorable hangers I have the tutus on here is a closer look! Yep they say flower girl on them how adorable is that! I was not sure how the tutus would look on the hangers so I almost didn't even order them for my daughters but I am so glad that I did! I can not take credit for the hangers though I got those from WishUponStarfish! I seriously can not say enough times how AMAZING her products are! If you are in the market for personalized hangers her shop is seriously a no brainier! 

     What do you think of a flower girl outfit change? And if you are planning your wedding (or already married) what will/did your flower girls wear? 

What to toss?

      I have been going back and forth on what to toss when the Mr and I are announced Husband and Wife. I was not sure if I wanted to do bubbles, confetti, or something different all together. I wanted to skip this all together because I don't really like the idea of paying for something for people to throw at us (and I don't think the guests would miss it or even realize we didn't have it) but the Mr said that we needed it so these are the options we have come up with.

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    Bubbles can be really pretty! It can make for some great photographs and less face it the bubbles are not so badly priced. But if it is windy then they will all blow away, leaving no bubbles for pretty pictures. If they spill they can leave stains on the guest pretty dress clothes, and make a big mess with the little ones. I think bubbles are pretty expected also every wedding I have gone to in the past few years has had bubbles. I understand why it is the "Safe" option I just don't know if it is the right choice for us!

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     Then there is Confetti! This was off the bat a no with our venue. They told us they would charge us an arm and a leg for the clean up of all the confetti. UNTIL I did my research! I found out that there is bio-degradable confetti that all you have to do is  take a hose to it and there you go all cleaned up!! Our venue liked the idea of this and told us that if we picked bio-degradable confetti they would allow it. I made sure to get that in writing on our contract. If your venue is not originally open to the idea you have in mind make sure to talk with them you might be surprised! 

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   But the good and bad points of confetti.... It is pretty and just like bubbles can make for some great pictures! It comes in all different colors so your confetti can match your wedding colors if you care about that. It is bio-degradable so clean up is easy and it is not bad for the environment. BUT if it is windy it can make it so that the confetti just floats away... The confetti is not all that badly priced BUT you also need to to find a way to package the confetti adding another expense to the wedding. I can see how it may be hard to get out of your hair and anywhere else it might find its way too... I am still not 100% sold on confetti so lets take a look at the next option!

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      Sprinkles? Ya sounds cute right little sugar candies being thrown at you... Not as cute anymore right? My cousin and one of my bridesmaids linked me to this picture in form of a Pinterest pin, and told me it would go amazing with my bright summery wedding and yes it would probably be pretty I can see this turning into a big melty, colorful, sugary mess. I am getting married in August the chances someone is going to have sweaty hands that will make those sprinkles wet and then throw those sprinkles at me in a big white dress... I dont want my dress stained or that big sugary mess... (plus this seems like a waste of sprinkles to me and there is no way my venue would ever agree to this) So before sprinkles could even have a chance they are cut out of the running... 

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     Sparklers are a very photogenic option! And super fun for in the evening when it is dark and would be a even funner option for a 4th of July wedding! Once again they make for some great pictures! I think children and adults could have fun with them. They are a bit more expensive than the other options (for my wedding could not do this for under 200 dollars) Sometimes sparklers can be VERY hard to light making it so that some of your guests might not even be able to get theirs lighted and that would be a bummer. Plus a lot of venues have restrictions about sparklers for exits so you want to make sure that it is ok with your venue before you make this investment for your wedding. I would love to have sparklers at my wedding but I don't know if it fits in our already tight budget or if our venue would even allow it!

     I have a lot to think about with the Mr as we pick out what we will use for our send off... What will you be using for your send off?

Holly Mason Jars Batman!

     I told my mom last time I was visiting that I needed some Mason Jars for the wedding. I knew she had some in her garage from her canning kick and figured she should have the 30 or so I needed for the wedding centerpieces and to put along the aisle.

     Last night my dad dropped off the mason jars and HOLLY MASON JARS BATMAN... My dad dropped off 10 boxes! I haven't even attempted to count them yet but I will count them when I have to wash all of them...

     Right about now I wish I had a backyard and a hose instead of planning on doing them one box by one box (that I have to carry up then back down two flights of stairs) in my bathtub or kitchen sink... I am thinking I am going to have to recruit the Mr. to do the lifting!

      Next drop off from the family will be the wine bottles and I know there is at least 50 of those coming my way (even though I need more than 50 of those)! Wondering why I would need 50 Wine bottles? well that is another post for another day! In a few months I will have a very colorful DIY project to share!

     Has your family been helpful with wedding planning? and did you ever put a request out for something and get more than you bargained for? Also share any ideas you have for mason jars I have lots to play with :)

Wish Upon Starfish Hanger review and GIVEAWAY!!!

     I love Wish Upon Starfish's Etsy page! There are a pretty good number of her items that I am buying for my wedding! She sells all sorts of products from crystaled out shoes, to bridal hangers, and is now selling headbands sashes and braclets too! She is adding new products to her shop ALL THE TIME! So make sure to check back often to see what new things she has added!
     So the biggest seller is her Personalized Hangers she sells for just $4.50! Weddings are expensive so she trys to keep the costs downs for all brides so that everyone can afford the wedding of their dreams!
     I got my hanger in the mail today and I have to admit I was VERY excited! I got mine to say Mrs Enriquez (my future last name) AHHH I cant wait to get married 269 days to go!
    Now to the review! I got the Hanger in the mail and after a struggle with the postman... (this is a long story lol) I was able to open my mail box and saw my package containing this beauty! The hanger is GREAT quality and I love the color of the dark wood! It is even more rich in color in person! The wire is slightly flexible and I have to say that is a plus because you can fix it if there is any bending from shipping! I love the bow on the top of the hanger it is white just like my dress (no white dress jokes please)!

    I do know that I will be getting one of these for each of my bridesmaids with their name on the wire as part of their bridesmaid gift! I also know that they will LOVE them! I think I am going to have their "getting ready robes" on these in the bridal room waiting for them! (I wonder if I can even set that up)
    I think that these hangers are worth every penny (even if she charged double) and you better believe I will be ordering a whole lot more from her website!
    AND now for the fun part one lucky reader to my blog will be getting their own hanger from  Wish Upon Starfish! Notice the Rafflecopter below well enter in to win a hanger for you or someone you know! One of these hangers would make a great gift for a bride to be! Enter to win one today


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Dress #3

     So I bought another dress... For those of you who are new to the blog (or didn't read the title) Yes I am on dress number 3.... BUT I am still under my dress budget so that isn't too bad... and I got one (that completely didn't work for me) was won in a giveaway so I didn't lose any money on it! and my other dress (That you can see in this post Here) I will still be wearing but as a reception dress!

     I love my dress from Ouma still and I am glad that it still works as a reception dress and I still get to wear it!

     For those of you  think I am crazy to have gotten yet another dress! Don't worry I know that it is a bit crazy too!

     See there is something different I am doing with this dress that I didn't do with the other dresses I am not going to be sharing  pictures of the dress!

     So you are probably wondering why I am writing this post if I am not even going to share pictures of the dress... Well it is pretty simple I wanted to put a reminder to DON'T BUY YOUR DRESS TOO EARLY!

    Wait until you atleast have your venue and a very good idea of the kind of wedding you are planning! I was planning a very casual wedding completely outside with BBQ and that just is not the case anymore. (even though I am so sad that this is not going to be happening anymore)

     My Ouma dress does not fit in to the "new" wedding we are planning as the main dress. 

     BUT I can't write this post without giving you a few details of the dress! It is a Maggie Sottero! and it is a drop waist A-line dress... It has sparkle and ruching and it is everything I want in a dress!  PLUS I was able to find it on OnceWed in their classifieds for an amazing price! (somewhere around 850ish dollars off retail price) and it is already hemmed to my height and has a bustle put in and those will save me a very good amount of money in alterations! 

    Did you buy your dress to far ahead of time? or did you suffer from any dress regret? or MAJOR change in wedding planning? If yes please share your story in the comments I am looking forward to reading them!

Etsy has gift cards!!! (and a giveaway link)

    So for those of you who don't know Etsy is now doing gift cards!!!! I would not mind getting one of those as a gift! Etsy has just about everything on their site! Everything ranging from weddings, to babies, to almost anything you can  think of! If you want something most likely you can find it on Etsy! 
   Now for the giveaway to celebrate now having gift cards they are giving away 10 (yes 10) $100 gift cards!!! This is one giveaway I think is worth entering! You can enter Here You must have a facebook to enter and for every one of your friends that enter you get another entry! Enter today before this giveaway is over!!!

Bad bride and bad blogger....

     So I have not been updating my blog... Like at all... and I have kinda stopped wedding planning (other than I did just buy some adorable headbands for the flower girls)
     I feel like I am kinda in a rut... There is not too much I can do at this point in planning. If I buy decor and all of this crap I have to store it for the next 10 months (yep we are finally 10 months away!!!) But if I find a amazing deal I admit it I can't stop myself from getting it!
     I still have not sent out the save the dates (thinking I will get around to that in the next 2ish months) or I'll just put them in with Christmas cards.
     I am not as in to wedding planning as I was a few months ago... If I were to plan a wedding that was not mine, I would be all over but I feel kinda burnt out on my wedding.
     Anyone have advice on how to get over the wedding burn out?

The Venue is OFFICIALLY BOOKED!

This is what you see driving up to the venue!

    So any of you who read my blog know that finding a venue has NOT been easy for me... I flip flopped over venues more than anyone ever should!
    BUT Deposit is paid and the venue is ours! MrPanda and I will be getting married at Creekside Golf Club on August 17th 2013!
  I loved this place so much I booked it on our first visit before MrPanda had even gotten a chance to see it! I went with one of my bridesmaids Cassi! We got a little tour of the place and I asked about a million questions! They handed me the catering menu I looked through it and wrote the check for the deposit on the spot!

This is where we will be having the reception!

   The reception space is amazing I did not think I wanted an indoor wedding at all, but with the amazing windows it almost feels like you are outside! And it lets in the most amazing natural light.
    There are many other factors that drew me to this place! It fits my crazy huge guest list even if no one RSVPs no we will still have enough room to fit everyone!
     But guests that does not mean it is ok for you to bring an extra guest (this girl is still on a budget and the guest list has gotten a little out of control)!

Across the pond!

     I got an AMAZING discount on their prices so they work into our budget! I have to admit I was a little bit worried because before the discount they were not going to be able to work in our budget. But we got very lucky!

     They will also be handling the catering so that is one less thing on my long list of things to do! Now my catering choice is just going to be show up to a tasting and and choose what meal MrPanda and I like the best!
    They are also throwing a bunch of extras like vases for the flowers, Table Cloths, Cloth Napkins, Set up and tear down the day of including any and all decorations that I drop off as long as they are dropped off a day or two in advance!

The view from the reception space!

     The girls and I will be able to get ready at the venue because they threw in the bridal room at no extra cost! This helped hook me for sure! I did not want to have to travel to the site with the bridesmaids and I and wrinkle our dresses at all! Plus the hassle of renting a hotel room and working out transportation is just something I did not want to deal with!
     We are still working on what time we want to wedding to be but we have time to decide because they only book 1 wedding a day so we will not have to worry about scheduling with another wedding party!
    I will be updating the blog with more information as I get it and I am still on the hunt for addresses! Because before I know it I will be sending out the Save the Date magnets!!! (ok I am not really sending them until December or January but I do need the addresses!)

    What do you think of the venue?

He asked She said yes!!!

     HeAskedSheSaidYes is a Etsy store that one of my friends and a fellow bride just opened up! She will be selling digital invites that you can print at home! She also sells Save The Dates, Inserts and I think might even do Thank You Cards!!!

     Her prices are great and she is open to designing something special JUST FOR YOU! you can check Out her Etsy page Here!

   Check out her her Etsy store Then come back and comment with what your favorite design is!