Surprise!

There are a few things that have surprised me along the wedding-planning way. Here's my list so far -- I'm sure there are MANY more to come.

1. The average flower girl dress that cost more than what we're spending on the bridesmaids dresses. We will NOT be buying one of these.
   
2. The most enjoyable Wedding Fair I went to is theone we took the guys along for. :)
   
3. The flowers are really less expensive than I had anticipated, and I think the work-from-home florist is the least expensive option.
   
4. That I am really, truly, not a good multi-tasker.
   
5. Some wedding boutiques out there are just really snotty. I'm so glad to have found one that's not.
6. How weird I feel without my engagement ring right now, while it's back with the jeweler.
7. If you find the right vendors, they really are your best resource in saving money.
8. How attached I get to people involved. Two of the people involved in services for the wedding have had to leave for various reasons, and even though we have wonderful replacements, I really miss them.
9. That my dad would like to take dancing lessons. I think this is because he thinks it is as easy as it looks on Dancing With the Stars.
10. How much everybody is willing to pitch in and help.

I Have a Dress!

I got the call yesterday letting me know that my dress had arrived. That's right -- it came on the day my parents left town. I deliberated on what to do about picking it up. I had originally wanted to go try it on for the first time with my mom there, and all the bridesmaids when they were trying their dresses as well.

I changed my mind.

Sometime between getting that call and having a long work day, I decided that trying on my dress for the first time, by myself, was the right thing to do. I worried a little about it not fitting, and didn't want everyone there if that was true. I wanted a moment of calmness with it. I wanted some time to really look at myself wearing it, in the mirror. The one on the wall, not the one that I would get from seeing half a dozen opinionated faces. I knew that going by myself was exactly what I should do.

And I was right.

The dress is absolutely perfect. It doesn't need many alterations even. It's a tiny bit more snug than I would like it to be, but it fits and does up. It doesn't need much of a hem. After trying on so many wedding gowns, the funny thing to wrap my head around is that this is my dress. Nobody else has ever tried it on. Nobody else will have it on before me. It was ordered just for me, and it is exactly what I will get married in. I love it.

Chocolate Cake

We all agreed very early on that we wanted a chocolate cake. Choosing a design, however, has not been as easy. I love all these beautiful chocolate cakes. They all have a different statement, and I've chosen my design, but I still love to look at these beautiful deserts. What do you think of this one? The chocolate and pearl motif was definitely a runner up for me.

Cleaning the Veil

Okay... I'm mainly trying this post as a way to try working with pictures. I happen to have pictures of the cleaning-the-veil process. As you may remember from previous posts, I've decided to wear my mom's veil for my ceremony, which I'm pretty excited about it. But at 30 years old, it needed a good cleaning. Here is a closeup of the headpiece pre-cleaning:

I don't know if you can tell, but it has some age-spot stains here that I wanted to remove. I was really nervous about cleaning it up, but all it took was some liquid tide, a bit of Oxy-Clean, a bathtub full of warm water, and patience. I let it soak in the sudsy tub for about 30 minutes, going in now and then to swish it around. Then I rinsed it well, and hung it in the shower, like so (my apologies for the photo-quality here. The lighting in the shower was terrible):

The veil came out really, really white. My dress is not white. There is some irony to the fact that I cleaned it so well and now have to see if I can "antique" it a bit using tea. But the yellowing is gone, at least. I do need to do a bit of repair. You can see here that some of the lace un-glued in the cleaning process:

And finally, the picture you probably all want to see -- the veil on yours truly. I like this picture because it shows the fullness and the length. No, we do not still have a Christmas wreath hanging. I did this picture before the cleaning! I'm cheating the order just a little.

By the way, when I took this veil in to compare next to my dress, the owner of the store says she really sees these cap-style headpieces taking the place of the combs and tiaras and becoming the style again. What do you think? Is this vintage look ready for a comeback?