Is it bad when the woman planning your destination wedding is kind of a flake? Probably.
She isn't very responsive and she's pretty flighty. We've been waiting on a contract now from her for almost 3 weeks and I finally talked to her on Monday and she said everything was in order and she'd be sending me something Monday or Tuesday.
Considering it is now 5pm on Tuesday, I'm not holding my breath.
She has until Thursday of this week to get me a contract to review or else I'm exploring other options. (Actually I'm already doing this... why wait?!?) I really don't want to leave something as important as my wedding day in the hands of someone who seems barely capable of even organizing a contract.
This is really disappointing to me because I had done lots of research and picked this place as my top choice. If it wasn't for that fact, I'd have dropped her a week ago! Ugh! Why can't people just do their jobs and do them well?!?
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
Wedding dress shopping
I thought I would share some of the weekend's wedding dress shopping experiences... no pictures, of course! Matt won't even let me tell him about dresses I'm NOT picking, so I don't want to ruin any surprises for him!
Some store in Arlington Hts by the train station
If anyone has been to a dress shop before, you know they have those raised circle platforms to stand on in front of mirrors to give you a better idea of how the dress looks and the train, etc. You also may know that most are carpeted in the same stuff the floor is carpeted with, which makes them sort of blend in. This proved to be quite a hazard to our group for the weekend! We were walking around the store, looking at dresses and all of a sudden we hear a crash... my aunt Lucy hit the ground... HARD! Fell right over the big platform and was sprawled out on the floor of the store. Luckily, she was ok! The dresses at this store were like $5k, so we decided to move on to the next place.
Marilee Bridal
We didn't have an appt here, but just dropped in and this is the first place I actually tried on some dresses. We didn't have a lot of time to spend here, so I felt like our group was like a tornado going through that place. Dresses in and out of the room, on and off of me, quick votes on whether people liked/disliked the dress. I may be going back there to spend a little more time and look at the dresses some more, because they seemed to have a decent selection. Plus, Erin had some promising choices for her MOH dress there.
Bahama Breeze
This is where we ate lunch... we found it very fitting since Matt and I are getting married in the Bahamas! The food was really good!
David's Bridal (aka The Zoo)
Yes, I went to David's Bridal. On the weekends, this place is packed! I wanted to go there to try on a variety of dresses and get a better idea of what fit me right and what did not. If I go back there, it would have to be during the week or to the new location on Elston, so I don't feel so rushed.
Bridesmart
This is where I think the second incident with those dang platforms happened... my sister had about 8 dresses in her hands and was scooting backwards and wiped out over the platform in the dressing room. It was kind of in slow motion and she fell with all the dresses laying on top of her... I wish I had my camera out at that moment! So funny! : )
Brides by Demetrios
I'm apologizing now if anyone found their dress at this place and loved it. I was not a fan. We went there because they were having a trunk show. I got a free cookie and we got free champagne with a very under ripe strawberry. I met my saleslady and told her I was getting married on a beach and I didn't want anything with too many beads (I had noticed a lot of the dresses there were VERY fancy)... she says she knows exactly what I want and that it is her FAVORITE dress in the store. We walk over and she pulls out this dress that is covered from top to bottom in beads, it must weigh 50 pounds and says "you must try this on". I looked at her like she was from Mars and said "um... maybe a bit less beads". Had she even listened to me?!? Then, she brings me this dress to try on that is well over $2k and I told her I thought it was out of my range and I wasn't going to try it on. Who wants to fall in love with a $2,000+ dress and then try to rationalize the reasons why it is ok to buy the dress and totally break the budget? Not me!
Onto the Sunday appt... House of Brides
We had warned Matt's mom, Ruth, about the dangers of dress shopping (ie, those raised platforms), but wouldn't you know it, the platform strikes again! But, luckily, this time there wasn't quite the wipeout of the last two incidents. She managed to recover before hitting the ground. : ) We worked with Jackie at HOB and she's very nice. She was willing to work with us on dress prices and stay late past closing so we could commiserate on the dress options. I definitely found some favorites there!
Nothing has been bought yet... I'm still searching! Narrowing down the options... slowly! It's much harder than I thought to find the perfect dress. I want something that will work for the beach wedding and not look totally wrong at the NYE reception in Chicago's chilly weather. If I could get 2 dresses, I'd be set, but that's really not in the budget, now is it!
Some store in Arlington Hts by the train station
If anyone has been to a dress shop before, you know they have those raised circle platforms to stand on in front of mirrors to give you a better idea of how the dress looks and the train, etc. You also may know that most are carpeted in the same stuff the floor is carpeted with, which makes them sort of blend in. This proved to be quite a hazard to our group for the weekend! We were walking around the store, looking at dresses and all of a sudden we hear a crash... my aunt Lucy hit the ground... HARD! Fell right over the big platform and was sprawled out on the floor of the store. Luckily, she was ok! The dresses at this store were like $5k, so we decided to move on to the next place.
Marilee Bridal
We didn't have an appt here, but just dropped in and this is the first place I actually tried on some dresses. We didn't have a lot of time to spend here, so I felt like our group was like a tornado going through that place. Dresses in and out of the room, on and off of me, quick votes on whether people liked/disliked the dress. I may be going back there to spend a little more time and look at the dresses some more, because they seemed to have a decent selection. Plus, Erin had some promising choices for her MOH dress there.
Bahama Breeze
This is where we ate lunch... we found it very fitting since Matt and I are getting married in the Bahamas! The food was really good!
David's Bridal (aka The Zoo)
Yes, I went to David's Bridal. On the weekends, this place is packed! I wanted to go there to try on a variety of dresses and get a better idea of what fit me right and what did not. If I go back there, it would have to be during the week or to the new location on Elston, so I don't feel so rushed.
Bridesmart
This is where I think the second incident with those dang platforms happened... my sister had about 8 dresses in her hands and was scooting backwards and wiped out over the platform in the dressing room. It was kind of in slow motion and she fell with all the dresses laying on top of her... I wish I had my camera out at that moment! So funny! : )
Brides by Demetrios
I'm apologizing now if anyone found their dress at this place and loved it. I was not a fan. We went there because they were having a trunk show. I got a free cookie and we got free champagne with a very under ripe strawberry. I met my saleslady and told her I was getting married on a beach and I didn't want anything with too many beads (I had noticed a lot of the dresses there were VERY fancy)... she says she knows exactly what I want and that it is her FAVORITE dress in the store. We walk over and she pulls out this dress that is covered from top to bottom in beads, it must weigh 50 pounds and says "you must try this on". I looked at her like she was from Mars and said "um... maybe a bit less beads". Had she even listened to me?!? Then, she brings me this dress to try on that is well over $2k and I told her I thought it was out of my range and I wasn't going to try it on. Who wants to fall in love with a $2,000+ dress and then try to rationalize the reasons why it is ok to buy the dress and totally break the budget? Not me!
Onto the Sunday appt... House of Brides
We had warned Matt's mom, Ruth, about the dangers of dress shopping (ie, those raised platforms), but wouldn't you know it, the platform strikes again! But, luckily, this time there wasn't quite the wipeout of the last two incidents. She managed to recover before hitting the ground. : ) We worked with Jackie at HOB and she's very nice. She was willing to work with us on dress prices and stay late past closing so we could commiserate on the dress options. I definitely found some favorites there!
Nothing has been bought yet... I'm still searching! Narrowing down the options... slowly! It's much harder than I thought to find the perfect dress. I want something that will work for the beach wedding and not look totally wrong at the NYE reception in Chicago's chilly weather. If I could get 2 dresses, I'd be set, but that's really not in the budget, now is it!
BIG weekend
This past weekend we had lots planned and had a very busy weekend! I am worn out! : o
On Friday, Matt's mom flew into Chicago and we hung out at Matt's house with Erin and John (some co-workers that live across the street). We had pizza and played Wii. Actually, the girls watched John and Matt have a big Yahtzee tournament on the Wii. I fell asleep... a little too much wine, perhaps?
On Saturday, Matt took his mom to lunch at Joe's Stonecrab and then to see Jersey Boys. They loved the show!
While they were on their "date", I went out to my aunt and uncle's house in Arlington Hts to meet up with my parents who were also visiting for the weekend. My dad, uncle and brother all go to the Auto Show every year, so they headed downtown for that. The girls all went wedding dress shopping. Lots of dresses were tried on! We went to about 4 places and ended up with a few favorites and a lot of not-so-favorites. It's tiring trying on dresses all day!
Then, we all headed to the hotel where our Chicago reception is going to be and took a little tour of the ballroom and a hotel room and of course, had a drink in the bar (which by the way has a 4am license!) Other than a minor mishap where my Dad almost wiped out walking down the stairs (seriously, folks... we can't take him anywhere!), the tour went off very smoothly! I wanted the moms to see what we had to work with for the tables, decorations, etc. for the reception here. It was set up for the annual Blind Convention dance, so the place was pretty sterile looking, not a lot of decorations. Kind of a bad first look for the moms, but oh well.
Afterwards, we headed for our big Valentine's Day dinner at the Ram in Rosemont. I think once dinner was over, I could have fallen asleep just about anywhere!
Sunday, Matt made brunch for all of us at his place. We had eggs, potatoes, turkey sausage, toast, fruit... so good! Oh, and kick-a55 Bloody Marys!!! I had a few sips of his! I made myself a mimosa... ok, a few mimosas! The girls played some cards while the guys caught up on couch sitting and sports watching. Then the girls headed to House Of Brides for some more wedding dress shopping. I found a few yes's and a few no's there, but still haven't figured out exactly what I want.
Sunday night, we had our weekly bowling league... my team is not doing nearly as well this year. We are not defending our title well! : ( By the end of the night, the ball felt about 50 pounds and I was ready for some zzzzzzzz's.
Later today, Matt's mom flies back to Florida.
I think Matt is ready for the wedding talk to go back down to normal levels, as the moms and I spent most of the weekend talking about dresses and decorations and all sorts of wedding stuff! : )
On Friday, Matt's mom flew into Chicago and we hung out at Matt's house with Erin and John (some co-workers that live across the street). We had pizza and played Wii. Actually, the girls watched John and Matt have a big Yahtzee tournament on the Wii. I fell asleep... a little too much wine, perhaps?
On Saturday, Matt took his mom to lunch at Joe's Stonecrab and then to see Jersey Boys. They loved the show!
While they were on their "date", I went out to my aunt and uncle's house in Arlington Hts to meet up with my parents who were also visiting for the weekend. My dad, uncle and brother all go to the Auto Show every year, so they headed downtown for that. The girls all went wedding dress shopping. Lots of dresses were tried on! We went to about 4 places and ended up with a few favorites and a lot of not-so-favorites. It's tiring trying on dresses all day!
Then, we all headed to the hotel where our Chicago reception is going to be and took a little tour of the ballroom and a hotel room and of course, had a drink in the bar (which by the way has a 4am license!) Other than a minor mishap where my Dad almost wiped out walking down the stairs (seriously, folks... we can't take him anywhere!), the tour went off very smoothly! I wanted the moms to see what we had to work with for the tables, decorations, etc. for the reception here. It was set up for the annual Blind Convention dance, so the place was pretty sterile looking, not a lot of decorations. Kind of a bad first look for the moms, but oh well.
Afterwards, we headed for our big Valentine's Day dinner at the Ram in Rosemont. I think once dinner was over, I could have fallen asleep just about anywhere!
Sunday, Matt made brunch for all of us at his place. We had eggs, potatoes, turkey sausage, toast, fruit... so good! Oh, and kick-a55 Bloody Marys!!! I had a few sips of his! I made myself a mimosa... ok, a few mimosas! The girls played some cards while the guys caught up on couch sitting and sports watching. Then the girls headed to House Of Brides for some more wedding dress shopping. I found a few yes's and a few no's there, but still haven't figured out exactly what I want.
Sunday night, we had our weekly bowling league... my team is not doing nearly as well this year. We are not defending our title well! : ( By the end of the night, the ball felt about 50 pounds and I was ready for some zzzzzzzz's.
Later today, Matt's mom flies back to Florida.
I think Matt is ready for the wedding talk to go back down to normal levels, as the moms and I spent most of the weekend talking about dresses and decorations and all sorts of wedding stuff! : )
Thursday, February 12, 2009
6-0
Last night, we had a double-header in our volleyball league. We had the early 6pm game, which is always tough to make it to right after work. It actually took me 20 minutes to get from the parking garage to the highway by Matt's building... that's less than a quarter of a mile! Ridiculous! Anyway, DeezNuts took all six games last night! We were on fire! : )
Afterwards, we went to the PO to celebrate and have dinner. The food took FOREVER!!! We ordered around 8:15 and didn't get our food until 9:30. Seriously, the place was not that packed. There were 4 of us and about 4 other people that all ordered food at the same time, so the kitchen was a little swamped, I guess. We did get a free round of beers, because we were waiting so long, though.
Needless to say, I did not make it home in time to watch The Biggest Loser last night. I'm trying to stay away from any websites that may show who got booted, so I don't ruin the ending!
Afterwards, we went to the PO to celebrate and have dinner. The food took FOREVER!!! We ordered around 8:15 and didn't get our food until 9:30. Seriously, the place was not that packed. There were 4 of us and about 4 other people that all ordered food at the same time, so the kitchen was a little swamped, I guess. We did get a free round of beers, because we were waiting so long, though.
Needless to say, I did not make it home in time to watch The Biggest Loser last night. I'm trying to stay away from any websites that may show who got booted, so I don't ruin the ending!
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
MIA on the blog
I don't know why, but I have not been immediately posting every little aspect (no matter how boring) of my life to the blog these days. I haven't taken many pictures lately either... which is crazy because I'm usually the type of person that will take a picture of Matt walking in the door at night... big occasion, I know! : )
Anyway, I'm making an effort to do just that now... I know Matt will be uber-excited to hear that the camera is coming back out!
So, anyway, there isn't too much going on besides the wedding planning. Just when things seem to be going ok, there is always a hiccup.
The Chicago wedding reception is moving along nicely. I'm hoping that we sign with a DJ this week and get that taken care of. Next is photography.
The Bahamas wedding... well, that's another story. The woman we've been working with has kind of gone MIA on me. Not a good sign, considering I haven't even given her any money yet (I thought they waited 'til you paid them, then became hard to reach... isn't that how it's supposed to go?) I talked to her 2 weeks ago and we went through all of the details of the wedding, reception, etc. and she said she would put together a contract for Matt and I to look over. She even wanted to meet with us to go through it in person (she actually lives in Chicago). Well, that's the last I've heard from her. I have emailed her twice with no response. Seriously??? I am very surprised that she didn't even at least shoot me a quick email saying she was still working on the contract or give me some kind of update. Super strange.
Other than wedding planning...
I went to see "New In Town" with Renee Zellweger and Harry Connick, Jr. I'm not a big fan of Renee Zellweger, so I wasn't a big fan of the movie. I love Harry Connick, Jr. though. It kind of reminded me of a Lifetime movie. Pretty cheesy. We were hoping to see "He's just not that into you", but it was sold out.
I watched the Bachelor on Monday night... hometown dates = bring out the crazies! Naomi's family is off the charts. On one hand, you have her dad who is practically preaching to Jason and going all religious on him. And then there's her mom, who brings out a dead dove that she hit with her car for Jason to bury and euologize. I can't even imagine how her mom and dad ever were married in the first place. They seem so different! I wasn't shocked by Jason's decision at the end. I don't really know who my favorite is... probably Jillian. I think Jason is beginning to sound like a broken record. He says the same things every week.
I didn't watch the Biggest Loser yet, because I was getting my hair done last night. Matt said it was a good one, so I'm hoping to watch it tonight after v-ball.
That's the update for now. This weekend my parents and Matt's mom will be in town... we are going wedding dress shopping! : )
Anyway, I'm making an effort to do just that now... I know Matt will be uber-excited to hear that the camera is coming back out!
So, anyway, there isn't too much going on besides the wedding planning. Just when things seem to be going ok, there is always a hiccup.
The Chicago wedding reception is moving along nicely. I'm hoping that we sign with a DJ this week and get that taken care of. Next is photography.
The Bahamas wedding... well, that's another story. The woman we've been working with has kind of gone MIA on me. Not a good sign, considering I haven't even given her any money yet (I thought they waited 'til you paid them, then became hard to reach... isn't that how it's supposed to go?) I talked to her 2 weeks ago and we went through all of the details of the wedding, reception, etc. and she said she would put together a contract for Matt and I to look over. She even wanted to meet with us to go through it in person (she actually lives in Chicago). Well, that's the last I've heard from her. I have emailed her twice with no response. Seriously??? I am very surprised that she didn't even at least shoot me a quick email saying she was still working on the contract or give me some kind of update. Super strange.
Other than wedding planning...
I went to see "New In Town" with Renee Zellweger and Harry Connick, Jr. I'm not a big fan of Renee Zellweger, so I wasn't a big fan of the movie. I love Harry Connick, Jr. though. It kind of reminded me of a Lifetime movie. Pretty cheesy. We were hoping to see "He's just not that into you", but it was sold out.
I watched the Bachelor on Monday night... hometown dates = bring out the crazies! Naomi's family is off the charts. On one hand, you have her dad who is practically preaching to Jason and going all religious on him. And then there's her mom, who brings out a dead dove that she hit with her car for Jason to bury and euologize. I can't even imagine how her mom and dad ever were married in the first place. They seem so different! I wasn't shocked by Jason's decision at the end. I don't really know who my favorite is... probably Jillian. I think Jason is beginning to sound like a broken record. He says the same things every week.
I didn't watch the Biggest Loser yet, because I was getting my hair done last night. Matt said it was a good one, so I'm hoping to watch it tonight after v-ball.
That's the update for now. This weekend my parents and Matt's mom will be in town... we are going wedding dress shopping! : )
Top chef?
Well, at least on Sunday morning in the West Loop he was! : )
Matt got back from Vegas Saturday night and was wiped out. But, he made a huge breakfast for us on Sunday... eggs, toast, turkey sausage, potatoes... I was soooooo full!
Then, the CA Closets lady came over to help us out with the closet situation. We have a lot of stuff... and hardly any of my stuff is actually moved in yet! She looked at the closet and said "you guys are a going to need a lot of shelves". Yep, I agree.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)