Once Upon A Dream: A March 2011 Disney Wedding/Honeymoon Pre-Trip Report!

FINALLY! We’re getting married... that’s right, I said married. After seven years of dating and 21 trips to Disney World together, the time has finally come. Oh dear, where do I even start? I’m constantly splattering our faces (and vacation stories) all over the internet so I never quite know how much detail to put at the beginning of a report, because it always feels so repetitive. I guess a little background on us is a must though, seeing as how this is a pre-marriage report and all. :D

We (Holly and Brett) met in 2004 working at one of the dive bars in our little college town. We probably worked together (flirting shamelessly) six months or so before we started dating. We weren’t together two months before Brett had my first trip to Disney planned and executed. For real. I vividly remember us hanging out at a friend’s house one afternoon when the subject of Disney came up. The conversation eventually moved to other territory, except for in our little corner of the room... Brett was downright shocked that I’d never been to Disney. He was like “Let’s go.” And I’m thinking, sure, what’s the harm in playing along with this little game, it’s not like we’re going to pick up and go tomorrow. A few days later he tells me he’s worked out all the details, and if I’m still up for it, we leave next week! Talk about sweeping a girl off her feet. :)

It was a short trip, and I mean short... only two nights. We took off after work one Friday night and were at Downtown Disney by lunchtime the next day. We stayed at Caribbean Beach and somehow managed to hit up all four parks and Blizzard Beach over the course of two and a half days. It was a whirlwind. Here are some pictures from that very first trip. Yes, I had to scan them in because they’re from the dark ages – April 2004 to be precise. High quality!

Apr04.jpg


Apr04007.jpg


Apr04004.jpg


Overall the trip was a screaming success. Of course it was, otherwise I don’t think we’d be where we are today. :lol:


There are a handful of moments from that first trip that are as clear as could be for me... one was running through the Magic Kingdom at night during a major downpour, laughing like crazy and holding Brett’s hand as he drug me from one awning to the next, not caring in the slightest that I was completely drenched from head to toe.

Another was dinner at Ohana. I fell in love. In love with the Polynesian. In love with the restaurant. In love with the food. In love with the fireworks outside the window. In love with Disney. In love with the guy across the table from me. What?!? :eek: Uh-oh. Wait. How’d that happen?! And how am I gonna keep him from noticing? After all we’d only been dating two months.

Another was ice cream on Main Street on our last afternoon, just before we had to leave and head back home. I was hit so hard by how much I didn’t want any of it to end. I still get the exact same feeling every single time we leave property to head home. I think I mention it quite a bit in my trip reports, but my love for Disney is completely and totally tangled up and intertwined with my love for Brett. Falling in love with them both at the same time can have that affect on a girl. :animwink:

For us, Disney is a place where our relationship shines. Simply put... it is us at our best. And as cheesy as it may sound I come away from every trip even more in love with this man than before. THIS is why we are getting married at Disney World... it’s always been a part of our narrative as a couple and it will always continue to be.

 

angieandtrevor

Active Member
Congratulations

Oh my goodness Holly. Just the other day I was wondering if you had set a date, my little man keeps me pretty busy these days so I don't tend to have as much time on the computer. I am SO very happy for both of you, I can only imagine how magical the whole experience was.

I can't wait to hear all about it, especially what you thought about the cruise in comparision to other cruise lines (although I am pretty sure it was amazing). In January we took Oliver on 2 cruises B2B (14 wonderful days at sea) and he was the best little cruiser but we really want to do Disney with him when he gets a little bit bigger.

Congratulations again and I hope you have many, many years of happiness and Disney fun together :)
 

TiggerTime

New Member
Well...it's finally happened. I now can be considered a stalker! :eek:

Sorry Holly & Brett...I really don't mean to stalk you....but I have been checking this site every half hour or so just to see if you posted a wedding picture.

I'll try to be more patient...and until then...I'll just be doing this....:brick:

Very happy for you two. :)
 

cathyy

New Member
Well...it's finally happened. I now can be considered a stalker! :eek:

Sorry Holly & Brett...I really don't mean to stalk you....but I have been checking this site every half hour or so just to see if you posted a wedding picture.

I'll try to be more patient...and until then...I'll just be doing this....:brick:

Very happy for you two. :)

haha me too!! I have been doing the same thing.

Congrats Brett and Holly!! I can't wait to see your pictures. Glad to hear you had a wonderful time. A small wedding sounds perfect! Wish I would have done that.
 

cfry06

Well-Known Member
Holly - also new here...to posting! But have lurked for quite awhile on the site. I absolutely love all of your TRs, but especially this one. I wanted to pass along my congratulations to you and Brett. I wish you love, laughter and a happily ever after!
 

HollyBelle

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
So excited you guys are back and had such a wonderful time! Congratulations again! Now it's time for our most exciting portion of your celebration...the trip report! Can't wait to hear all the dress drama and see pictures!

All jokes aside...can't be happier for you and your new hubby (who looks fantastic in a monocle, I might add!) So glad you had gorgeous weather and just the happiest of ever afters! Congrats!!

I'm not gonna lie, I'm super excited about the trip report portion myself, without it I'd be drowning myself in sorrow now that the Disneymoon is over! :ROFLOL:

Your trip is coming up so soon... and I'm hoping to guilt you into writing your own trip report!

Congratulations! I cannot wait to read all (mostly all) about it! How does it feel to be able to breathe again?

The fresh air filling my lungs feels good. I almost forgot the sensation! :lol:Thanks, Rachel!

Welcome back and congratulations!! I can't wait to see the pictures and hear about the cruise!!

Thanks, Tammy. I'm dying to see the pictures myself. And it will probably come as no surprise to you that DCL is at the top of the relatively long list of cruise lines we've sailed with! Thanks for answering my questions along the way.

:lol: Way to rock that monocle, Brett!

I cannot wait to read all the details and see your fantastic pictures! Hooray for newlyweds!

Hooooray, indeed! Thanks, Erin.

You look quite fetching in a monocle, just as I expected! :lol:

Can't WAIT for the report...70 gigs of photos, oh my!

Yeah 70 gigs is a bit misleading because I shoot in RAW, but still! And it doesn't include my moms pictures or the pro photographers.

Welome back and congratulations!!!!

Thanks, Steve! One of the best decisions I made turned out to be Beaute Speciale.

Congratulations and welcome back! I am so happy for you and Brett! I cannot tell you how many times & thought about you guys last week and especially on Saturday!

Can't wait to read the trip report!

Aww, thanks, tink65! We had the most amazing wedding and honeymoon.

Have I been checking this to see if you're back yet?

Yes.

Sometimes this website makes me feel creepy, but I actually have so much joy for you two.. Whatttt do you wanna bet I get a little teary with wedding pictures. Don't lie, you love me for it.

<3 glad everything was perfecttt.

Don't feel creepy, Kenzie, I adore you as well!

I'm just catching up on some TR reading...

Oh my goodness Holly, I laughed, I cried, it's the pre-trip report of the century!

So, happy for you guys! Congratulations on the most wonderful journey of your life! Will be looking forward to the actual TR...

And I must say all that printed stuff you did yourself is amazing, and the leis as well, color me impressed!!!

I always share this quote with my friends who get married (I'll be married 11 years this April, so I guess I qualify to pass on some wisdom)...

"In every marriage more than a week old, there are grounds for divorce. The trick is to find, and continue to find, grounds for marriage." --Robert Anderson

Thanks so much! I wasn't sure how a pre-trip report would go but I'm so incredibly happy that I decided to post one. I've enjoyed it immensely. And the leis turned out to be a highlight for me! I'm really loving that quote. I'd not heard it before so thank you for sharing it with me. And congrats on your 11 years! :sohappy:

Oh my goodness Holly. Just the other day I was wondering if you had set a date, my little man keeps me pretty busy these days so I don't tend to have as much time on the computer. I am SO very happy for both of you, I can only imagine how magical the whole experience was.

I can't wait to hear all about it, especially what you thought about the cruise in comparision to other cruise lines (although I am pretty sure it was amazing). In January we took Oliver on 2 cruises B2B (14 wonderful days at sea) and he was the best little cruiser but we really want to do Disney with him when he gets a little bit bigger.

Congratulations again and I hope you have many, many years of happiness and Disney fun together

First off, Angie... your little sailor is absolutely adorable! I love that he's already been on two cruises.

Thanks for all the well wishes. And you're right the cruise was amazing. I'm going to try to be as objective as possible with my comparisons, but the Disney touches gave it quite the unfair advantage. :D

Well...it's finally happened. I now can be considered a stalker!

Sorry Holly & Brett...I really don't mean to stalk you....but I have been checking this site every half hour or so just to see if you posted a wedding picture.

I'll try to be more patient...and until then...I'll just be doing this....:brick:

Very happy for you two.

My apologies! You'll hate me for it, but I'm not going to post any wedding photos until I have my pro pictures back. So there likely won't be any wedding shots until I get to that portion of the trip report. I'm evil, I know. :eek: But at least this way, you don't have to keep checking the pre-trip report every half hour.

Congrats you two!! Disney is my dream wedding and I cannot wait to see your pictures!!

Thank you so much. I hope your dream wedding comes true, just as mine did!

Congratulations to a fellow Sunset Pointe bride!!!

Looking forward to the pictures and TR!

Thanks, Alissa! Sunset Pointe = perfection.

haha me too!! I have been doing the same thing.

Congrats Brett and Holly!! I can't wait to see your pictures. Glad to hear you had a wonderful time. A small wedding sounds perfect! Wish I would have done that.

Thank you, Cathy! The intimate approach fit us perfectly. Although, I would've also loved to have a huge party with lots of dancing. It's too bad we can't have it all, isn't it?! :lol:

Holly, I'm new here but, would also like to add my Congratulations!!!

Thanks so much, silver1113! And welcome to the boards. :sohappy:

Holly - also new here...to posting! But have lurked for quite awhile on the site. I absolutely love all of your TRs, but especially this one. I wanted to pass along my congratulations to you and Brett. I wish you love, laughter and a happily ever after!

Welcome out of lurkdom, cfry! Wooohooo. I'm glad you decided to post. Thank you so much.

Like the other posters above me, I am new, but I also want to send my congratulations!

I'm so excited you decided to join in! Welcome, and thank you.

I am totally stalking this report! Just waiting for ANY little bit of wedding anything!!!

Okay, so I'm currently putting the finishing touches on my wedding dress post, so even though I'm not going to post any "day of wedding" pictures, I will be posting a dress extravaganza sometime in the next couple of days.

And I hope your planning is coming along well!
 

Lovharvey

New Member
I can't wait to read your review. I have read several of your other review and enjoyed them very much. Congrats to both of you.:wave::sohappy:
 

Disneyfalcon

Well-Known Member
Thanks, Tammy. I'm dying to see the pictures myself. And it will probably come as no surprise to you that DCL is at the top of the relatively long list of cruise lines we've sailed with! Thanks for answering my questions along the way.

I'm excited, but not surprised at all!:sohappy:
 

Dumbo2675

Active Member
Congrats

Hope you two have the best time together as man and wife as my wife and I have. We just celebrated our 20 year anniversary in Disney in October 2010 and had a great time. Again let me say Congrats enjoy your life together.
 

fmingo36

Well-Known Member
Congrats Holly and Brett!!! And Welcome Back!

I am sure the letdown must be brutal right now. I know how I feel when I come back from my Disney vacation and have to face reality. :( But I can't image coming back after a Disney wedding, vacation, and cruise that you've spent so much time eagerly awaiting and preparing for. But at least you came back as Mrs. Brett! Now you have extra time to change your name on all your official documents. :)

Really looking forward to reading your report and seeing your amazing pictures.
 

joanna71985

Well-Known Member
Congrats Holly and Brett! I haven't been on in awhile (been really busy with work), but I just wanted to stop in and say how happy I am for you both

Okay, so I've been kinda stressing out about all the little things. In fact, for the last 3-4 weeks I've really been pleading with time to SLOW DOWN. Let me just tell you, this morning I turned a corner... now our trip/wedding can't get here fast enough!

What changed things? A simple little email conversation between Brett and myself. It was like a switch was flipped. It was actually funny enough that I think I'll post it. I removed our email/contact info and then decided to reverse it so you wouldn't have to start at the bottom and read it backwards. To make it easier to keep track, Brett's text is in green and mine is in purple.

Just a quick preface/some background info:
a) we've participated in MJJP twice and it's by far my favorite day time parade
b) we're big into music, so often one of us will send a quick email just letting the other one know who it is we're listening to.
_____________________________________________


[FONT=&quot]From:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] Brett [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Sent: Wednesday, February 23, 2011 9:12 AM[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]To: Holly [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Subject: Mickey Mouse to Animal Kingdom! Mickey Mouse to Animal Kingdom![/FONT]

COME IN ANIMAL KINGDOM!!

The Jammin’ Jungle Parade just came on my iPod. I have a goal for our next trip. I want to get in the Jammin’ Jungle Parade again!


[FONT=&quot]From:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] Holly[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Sent: Wednesday, February 23, 2011 9:12 AM[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]To: Brett[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Subject: RE: Mickey Mouse to Animal Kingdom! Mickey Mouse to Animal Kingdom![/FONT]


Let’s DO IT! And ummm, can we please have a drink at the Dawa Bar? Pretty please?!


[FONT=&quot]From:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] Brett [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Sent: Wednesday, February 23, 2011 9:14 AM[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]To: Holly [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Subject: RE: Mickey Mouse to Animal Kingdom! Mickey Mouse to Animal Kingdom![/FONT]


I don’t mean to spam your inbox, but I think it just hit me. Not the wedding, that’s already hit me, but the fact that we’re going to Disney World soon! You know that feeling when it hits you and you just can’t stop thinking about it. I’m encompassed with it now! This trip is going to be freakin’ amazing! ARE YOU READY FOR THE PARTY! BARK AND GROWL AND SCREECH AND ROAR!


[FONT=&quot]From:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] Holly [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Sent: Wednesday, February 23, 2011 9:16 AM[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]To: Brett [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Subject: RE: Mickey Mouse to Animal Kingdom! Mickey Mouse to Animal Kingdom![/FONT]


OMG! It hit me at the very same time! For the last few weeks I’ve been trying to make time slow down so I can get things done. Now, I just don’t care. Let’s go get married and have fun!


[FONT=&quot]From:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] Brett [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Sent: Wednesday, February 23, 2011 9:19 AM[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]To: Holly [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Subject: RE: Mickey Mouse to Animal Kingdom! Mickey Mouse to Animal Kingdom![/FONT]

AND STOMP AND GROWL AND LEAP AND SOAR! The Jammin’ Jungle Parade did it for me. I really want to be at the Animal Kingdom right now. And yes, I’ll take you to the Dawa Bar.


[FONT=&quot]From:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] Holly [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Sent: Wednesday, February 23, 2011 9:21 AM[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]To: Brett [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Subject: RE: Mickey Mouse to Animal Kingdom! Mickey Mouse to Animal Kingdom![/FONT]

YAY!

DSC01007.jpg


[FONT=&quot]From:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] Brett [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Sent: Wednesday, February 23, 2011 9:26 AM[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]To: Holly [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Subject: RE: Mickey Mouse to Animal Kingdom! Mickey Mouse to Animal Kingdom![/FONT]

Donald Duck is looking for adventure right now! HI-YA HOW YOU DOING? OH BOY OH BOY OH BOY!!!!! IT’S A PARTY! ARE YOU READY FOR FUN!?!

Oh my god I want to be in the Jammin Jungle Parade right now.


[FONT=&quot]From:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] Holly[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Sent: Wednesday, February 23, 2011 9:27 AM[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]To: Brett[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Subject: RE: Mickey Mouse to Animal Kingdom! Mickey Mouse to Animal Kingdom![/FONT]

“Join the adventure, the party’s begun. We’re jammin’ in the jungle to the rhythm of one!” HOOOOORAY! If there weren’t students sitting right outside my office right now, I’d totally be doing all the hand motions!



Okay, so are Brett and I just crazy or does anyone else do stuff like this? As we get close to our trips we're constantly sending each other emails saying "Where in the World do you want to be right now?"

So cute!!

"Back, back, over de falls" is one of our favorite lines! And we're constantly quoting the pre-show for Dinosaur. "It alters the homing signal... and that's not good." :ROFLOL:

That's my favorite quote from Dinosaur! And that's a good one from Norway

Foodie, Food, Food!

Back to the dining.... we decided on Victoria and Albert’s, along with two signature restaurants. Artist’s Point is a clear standout because we’ll be staying at the Lodge. And then we’ve narrowed the other one down to either Narcoossee’s or the Flying Fish. Two of my favorites. Right now, I think we’re leaning towards the Flying Fish.

Funny story. So, Brett took on the task of managing our dining and he followed the necessary procedures to make reservations at Victoria & Albert’s. Well, once he received the confirmation email, he copied and pasted a sample menu into the email to send me along with the confirmation. He, of course, colored it with his own comments about some of the menu items and lots of OM NOM NOM’s written out beside certain courses in all caps. There was even a comment about how it would be a travesty if we consume duck on a Disney trip. Once he was done making comments all over it, he sent it to me. Or so he thought! He actually hit “reply” and “send” before changing the email address. :ROFLOL:

He realized his mistake as soon as his finger hit the button. We've all done this before, right?! Well, he got a reply from someone within an hour asking if she could clarify anything or answer any questions he may have about Victoria and Albert’s. I thought it was absolutely hilarious! Brett, not so much. You know we’ve probably been red-flagged in the reservation system as one of those couples that should be turned away immediately upon arrival. :lookaroun They'll never believe we're the true foodies that we are. So, Brett has decided to right this wrong by showing up as the most ultra refined and elegant man to ever grace the main dining room at Vicky’s... he believes a monocle is an absolute must!

Monocle-man_545.gif

(from tvtropes.com)


Of course, I say he should only wear the monocle if he also plans on wearing that fancy schmancy top hat I made for him.

That's too funny!

Printed Materials

Okay, so I'm really excited about this update. I really enjoy scrapbooking and coming up with my own digital embellishments so I decided to make my own printed materials for the wedding. In fact, as weird as this is going to sound, the only time I kinda/sorta wished we were having a bigger wedding was when Brett and I picked up my printed materials from the local copy shop. Sounds silly, I know. I think if I were to go back and do college all over again, I’d likely wind up in some sort of graphic design related program. Back on track now…

First up, we have the invitation (minus our last names). If the border looks vaguely familiar it’s because I manipulated one of the little tiki guys that’s found on some of the pillars at the Poly. I didn’t make any RSVP cards because it really wasn’t necessary considering the scope of our wedding:

invitation_4x8web.jpg


Once I decided to make my own printed stuff for the wedding, I knew I wanted to play off of the Disney park materials. In fact, I’ll have to share my first (and coolest) project with you when we get back because it involves the “surprise event” we’re trying to keep quiet.

I went back and forth on making a ceremony program, but in the end I decided to make a “times guide” for the whole weekend instead. I love how this turned out… and I incorporated the same border to tie it to the invite. Please disregard the wide looking white border, I had to provide the printer with a good bit of selvage edge to cut off:

wedding_timesguidecopy.jpg


I made a personalized menu for Ohana. I’m still not even sure whether or not they’ll put them out on the table for us before we’re seated, but I was having so much fun making things that I went with it anyway:

menucopy.jpg


Last but not least, I decided to personalize the notebook I’m going to use for this trip. It’s another thing I tied to the invitation, and I love how it came out!

Digital image:

notebook_covercopy.jpg


And here’s the actual notebook (5x7):

IMG_0684-1.jpg


It's a little bigger than I usually use, but I don't actually carry it around with me throughout the day and instead just update it in the evenings, so it should be perfectly fine.

I hope to have at least one or two more updates before we leave… depending on how much time I have!!! I’m sooooooooooooo excited!

Those are awesome!! I wish I was that talented
 

Soaringirl

Member
Oh my goodness, I'm so excited that you're back and okay I've been stalking too. Congratulations you two and I'm so happy that everything was just perfect! Can't wait to find out what the special surprise was and all the rest of the disneymoon... :sohappy::wave:
 

HollyBelle

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I can't wait to read your review. I have read several of your other review and enjoyed them very much. Congrats to both of you.:wave::sohappy:

Thanks, Lovharvey! I'm glad you stopped in to post.

I'm excited, but not surprised at all!:sohappy:

Yeah... there were many reasons. But Chip and Dale did their part to win us over immediately upon boarding the ship!

Hope you two have the best time together as man and wife as my wife and I have. We just celebrated our 20 year anniversary in Disney in October 2010 and had a great time. Again let me say Congrats enjoy your life together.

Thank you so much. And congrats on your 20 years! I'm thinking there's no better way to spend an anniversary.

Yay Holly!

Cant wait for the wedding dress pictures and the trip report! Congrats to you both again! :sohappy:

Thanks, Melanie. The wedding dress hunt is coming up shortly.

Congrats Holly and Brett!!! And Welcome Back!

I am sure the letdown must be brutal right now. I know how I feel when I come back from my Disney vacation and have to face reality. :( But I can't image coming back after a Disney wedding, vacation, and cruise that you've spent so much time eagerly awaiting and preparing for. But at least you came back as Mrs. Brett! Now you have extra time to change your name on all your official documents. :)

Really looking forward to reading your report and seeing your amazing pictures.

Oh my goodness, you couldn't be more right... it has been so brutal. Coming down off the high of this trip has taken a major toll on me. In fact, I'm really hoping that writing the trip report with help with that. And it's funny you mention the name change thing, because I'm also having trouble with that. But all is well because I married the love of my life. :sohappy: Thank you for the congrats and other kind words.

Congrats Holly and Brett! I haven't been on in awhile (been really busy with work), but I just wanted to stop in and say how happy I am for you both

So cute!!

That's my favorite quote from Dinosaur! And that's a good one from Norway

That's too funny!

Those are awesome!! I wish I was that talented

Thanks, Joanna! That's totally my favorite quote from the Dinosaur pre-show, as well, and that's saying alot because there are some good ones!

I've got one more printed park item to share when we get into the trip report.

Looking forward to your report.

Thanks! I just started working on the text the other day.

Oh my goodness, I'm so excited that you're back and okay I've been stalking too. Congratulations you two and I'm so happy that everything was just perfect! Can't wait to find out what the special surprise was and all the rest of the disneymoon... :sohappy::wave:

It really was incredibly perfect and we couldn't have asked for more. Our little surprise went over well and I can't wait to share it. Thanks, Gloria!
 

HollyBelle

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
The Case of One Bride, Over One Hundred Dresses, and One Very Patient Mom!

Geez that title makes me sound like a major bridezilla now, doesn’t it?! :eek: I knew I wanted to do a wedding dress post in my pre-trip report, but wasn’t sure how much to include. However, because I’m writing this for myself as much as for anyone else, I ran with it and ended up including A LOT. To the extent where I feel some of you might think I’m a crazy woman. In fact, I completed this post almost a week ago and since then I’ve been debating whether or not to even put it out there. But I did promise a wedding dress post, so I'm here to deliver.

My dress drama, or as we referred to it around here “the dress stress,” doesn’t paint me in the prettiest of light, but such is the case. I really did try on well over 100 dresses, that title is no joke. In fact, as much as I’m ashamed to admit it, I probably came close to doubling that number. Don’t judge! I can be a very indecisive person and dress shopping brought this out in me. I was a complete and total stressed out mess and I placed an inordinate amount of importance on the dress. I watched girls all around me “say yes to the dress” in shop after shop, and I just couldn’t do it. I wanted desperately to declare “this is my dress” and know without a shadow of a doubt that I had found the dress of my dreams. But it just didn’t go down that way for me. When I FINALLY did pick a dress, I turned pale as a ghost and looked like I was going to hyperventilate and pass out. I may or may not have needed a paper bag to breathe into (and/or a glass of wine to calm my nerves)! And this is after I’d tried the dress on, mulled it over for a week, and went back with the sole intent to purchase. Seriously, I know you’re all sitting there thinking “this girl needs professional help,” and you know what? You’re probably right. :lookaroun :lol:

So let’s start at the beginning; and if you don’t want to read all about my neurosis, feel free to skip ahead for some dress pictures!

We got engaged in mid-August and I waited about a month before my first attempt at dress shopping. I’m not sure why, but I was kind of nervous about the whole thing. I was afraid of the snooty bridal salons... I just didn’t want to feel intimidated and for some reason I really felt that I would be, especially in those places that might expect me to pay thousands upon thousands of dollars for a dress that I’m only going to wear once. My practicality was astounded by this. Seriously, as my mom and I researched bridal shops we were constantly looking for them to mention a given price range on their websites. After a while, as we started to learn the price range most designers were in, it became easier to figure out the range of prices a shop may have based on the designers they carried.

Here’s another little tidbit about dress shopping that made absolutely no sense to me... like, none of the shops are open on Sundays. And they all close at 5 or 6 pm during the week. So tell me, other than on Saturdays when the places are packed, when in the world are you supposed to go dress shopping if you have an 8-5 job? I’m just saying, if I ever decide to open up a bridal salon, my doors will totally be open on Sundays. So we would make it to two (maybe three) stores on a Saturday and then we had to wait another week before we could go to any others. This became more of an issue as I ran out of time. Seriously, in some of the shops the consultants looked at me like I’d committed the most cardinal of bridal sins for planning to get married within seven months of my engagement. How dare I?! :rolleyes: Some of their heads looked like they’d pop off as they quickly explained to me that my dress should’ve been bought, like, months ago, and that I was going to have to “rush” order it if I had any hope of wearing a wedding dress on my big day.

Okay, so I’m already getting ahead of myself. Initially, I wanted a dress that was white and not ivory, had absolutely no bling or beading on it at all and no lace, and preferably something simple that didn’t have too much of a train (hah... how all of this would soon change!). I wanted to stay in the $500-600 range so we decided to head to David’s Bridal first, mostly because I felt like I wouldn’t be made to feel out of place there. I tried on quite a few dresses, and felt mostly underwhelmed. The first dress I tried on didn’t even cause one of those “OMG I’m wearing a wedding dress” reactions. It was rather blah. Granted it was plain, which is kinda what I was asking for. But still, I think there’s a way to do classy and sophisticated without looking plain, and this dress wasn’t it.

Moving on... seeing as how all the dresses that met my criteria were seriously underwhelming, I figured I needed different criteria. So, I stepped outside the box and started trying on everything under the sun, in the hopes that something would wow me.

The first dress that wowed me was a Maggie Sottero... it was everything I didn’t want. And yet, I loved it. It screamed Disney’s Wedding Pavilion to me, but I just couldn’t picture it out on Sunset Pointe. Not only did it not fit my venue, but I still hadn’t fully come around to the idea of so much bling, tulle, and lace.

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I was becoming more and more confused, and somewhat unsure of what I wanted. However, after looking at a bazillion dresses online I came to adore the soft cascading ruffles found on some of the dresses in the Dreams collection by Pronovias: http://www.pronovias.us/wedding-gowns/new-collection/ However, I did NOT want to pay that much for a dress, so I was on the hunt to find a similar style from a designer that was more in my price range.
 

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