Will you be my bridesmaid??

So yes, the thought that "I'll be damed if anyone looks better than me at my wedding!" has gone through my head...i'll admit it! But at the end of the day my girls are a reflection of me...and those dresses a reflection of my taste...and those pictures are forever!

So with that said, I will not be a bridezilla in that regard...I havent picked a color but I have ideas...I also dont know if everyone will wear the same dress or just the same color different style..or 2 styles or....well I just dont know! So anywho...these are my ideas, compliments of Davids Bridal:



So I think you can atleast tell that I'm leaning towards a shorter style with a little more coverage up top. I think these are all really elegant and not too stuffy. LOVING the black one and the last champage one! So what do you think? Will you??

Living above my bridal means

So I'm having this issue..maybe you can relate? I am not being strict about my saving! I mean I regularly deposit money in the ING wedding fund...but other than that...any bonuses I get from work...not making it to the bank.

Ex. On Monday maybe I got a $200 bonus...I used that to go grocery shopping, spent about $70 there, went out to dinner, movies, Kennedy Space Center and this weekend we're hitting up St. Augustine.

Even better example....I was about to get a pedicure yesterday...I was driving there and talked myself into buying polish and just doing it myself. I ended up with arms full of polish and spent $35 buck on nail polish...I've NEVER bought that much polish but I just got carried away! And I couldnt possibly leave any of them, they all had a purpose. I have a neutral baby pink on my hands for work, and yellow {that's right I'm rockin the yellow!} on my toes just to make me smile...and they look amazing!

So I feel guilty! That's the whole point of this post btw...to release my guilt into the world and let this post set me free!! This wedding planning is really stressful! Mr. D, as much as I hate to admit it, is no help, it's not his thing and he's not into the little details of it, so every chance I get I treat myself.

My friend Busy Vee, she tells a tale of a time long ago when she was planning and she would forgo a good eyebrow thread and leg wax for the good of the wedding. I havent forgone anything...I just think it's the only way I'll keep my sanity! Does that male me a bad budgeting bride??

P.S. I can admit to all of this because he only reads my blog when I make him :) So I'd appreciate your discretion in the matter

Something old, something new, something yellow or green!

I'm trying so hard to not be your sterotypical bride, go against the grain and all of that, so where ever I can I'm rebelling lol...to start my shoes. I want them funky!! I'm still torn between yellow and green but what ever I chose will be like BAM!!

I'm also thinking of coordinating the nails if I chose yellow. {it could be pretty! Dont shake your head just yet!}

Broke Bride Decision: Religious or Civil Ceremony

I think the biggest and best part of the wedding if walking down that aisle...the alter before you, your man to your right, friends to your left, and family all around. And I can have that, all or a "dontation" of $1500 not including the deposit. And $1500 wont make or break me but it could do so much for my reception...my moms trying to convince m that she can pay for it but she's offering to pay for ALOT, and at the end of the day this is my wedding, my financial cross to bear so I just dont feel comfortable letting her do that. And his family, so far we've got a "we'll see what we can do"...so I'm not relying on anyone but me. And that sucks...but ah well it is what it is...So what do you think? Get married at the terrace at my reception venue? Or fork over the money for my church and forgo A LOT decoration-wise?? That's a tough one...

I dunno...maybe I could do a beach ceremony??

Spreading the good fortune...

In need of a blog make over?? Win it! Check it out. Fresh Design Studio is hosting a give away to redesign your blog. If you don't have a blog then head to her website and post a comment about how much you think MY blog needs some artistic help lol... I wont be offended :)

OMG...Someone is getting snipped!

So according to this website, this is what our son wil look like...OMG, he's hideous! Mr. D couldnt stop laughing, I am still here with my jaw dropped. How ordinary! Jason has an awesome jaw line, beauiful eyes...hello my smile! God the only thing thy got right is my forehead! So offended lol

So in one weekend I booked a photographer and unbooked them

So honestly, when you see this logo do you cringe?? I met with a rep. on Saturday. Very, very nice, very laid back very comfortable...They explained that they take the work out of the process for me. I book them, they send me photos to rate and use them to find my style and hook me up with a photographer across the country. So if my guys in Cali, they'll fly him him. Along with that I get a flush mount album, 2 parent albums, a bonus choice (ie mini albums, more pages in my album, print credits etc.) 6 hours of coverage, all my negatives...all for $2800...that was more than I wanted to spend but I fell in LOVE with the albums....then I got home and searched the reviews on them...

Has anyone check out weddingwire.com?? OMG..wow do they rip Bella Pictures a new one! I mean for the most part they're good, but the bad ones are BAD! And seriously people, after the wedding is done all you have left is the man, ring and pictures, if they mess up your pictures there's no going back...those are your shitty ass pictures your stuck with! Also, may complained that their photographer was placed with them to late, or was replaced last minute, or had just never done weddings. So I freaked out and called my rep...

I talked to her about my concerns, she offered me 20% off...ok so now we're down to $2300...great! So I'm like ok...kinda...I mean I still dont know who this person will be until 3 months to the date (policy) but I'm trusting her...so I print and sign the contract and mail it in. I forward a copy to my planner who is seriously against it.

align="justify">Turns out she worked with them before (ladies, if you have a planner, USE THEM!! Dont be like me, too shy to ask for advice). The bride's photographer was a photographer for a newspaper and really wasnt experienced, the pictures were so bad my planner didnt even use them on her blog...so here we go again...my money is slim! Like ><>

So here we are again...looking for a photographer....grrrrrr {That's my angry sound}

so now I ask you, my gracious readers...can you recommend anyone...or just totally keep me away from anyone??

Currently looking at:

studiobycarmen.com {i know i know, she's great}

studio1791.com {site is awesome!}

mosaicweddings.com

kalia lily photography

memoriesbydiva.com

alinamphotography.com

So tell me your thoughts...P.S. I need someone that'll do it in Miami.

Our Venue: The Shane Center

So My Venue: It's off of Miami Beach, within walking distance to the beach and the venue itself is off of the intracostal with a view of the really nice estate homes...the reason I chose it was based on what I saw it could become It's a really good shell and the pssibilities are endless... so here's what I saw!


Light Up Bar



For the Sweethearts Table

Cala Lily Handmade Chandelier

Cake under construction, every other tier was clear

So that's it! I mean there's more..a terrace, a view, an outside area but this is what sealed the deal...I love it...even almost got me to change my colors! Almost but not quite lol

Wedding planning is serious business!

So I've been away for a while but with great reason...I found and booked a venue for my reception!! After 3 months of viewing over 20 places we picked one. The picture to the left is how I've stayed sane lol.

We literally got up at 6:30 after getting home at 3am (a girls gotta have a little fun) and didnt make it home until 7pm. Only real friends can stand eachother for so many hours straight. So after seeing 10 venues in 1 day, fighting in the grass and catching a cold in the process I finally found the place we're celebrating our marriage...YAY!

Now mind you this is just a review of what we liked, what we didnt
like is way too long to link so I'll just list those

So, to review we saw:

ChomberHall: cheapest package is $90 per person with a minimum of 75 people, and they DO NOT deal with wedding planners. We loved, loved, loved the venue but the owner, not so much. We decided against it solely based on the fact that she was just too strict for the price. They're also all inclusive and the prices range from $90-$148 per person.

Coco Plum:I fell in love with this place at first sight. It's awesome! Again, all inclusive...$100 per person 100 people minimum. They allow outside vendors (except for catering) and that only brings it down to $93 per person. And the Manager, Rosievenue. About $86 per person., is awesome! Such a beautiful space but Mr. D didnt love it as much as I did, so on to the next.

Deauville Beach Resort: It's across the street from a Walgreens...otherwise beautiful! They just did $11 million dollars worth of renovations and it shows. Only problem is that it's huge and my wedding would look so empty in their venue.

And the yuck pile:

Doubletree Hotel Biscayne Bay (area is ugly and their ball room in on the 2nd floor w/ no windows)

Marriott Biscayne Bay (reminds me of the subways in NYC...nope, tacky as hell!)

Miami Rowing Club (the area looks like a junkyard, the venue itself like a beachhouse not worth the drive)

Rusty Pelican (very "old" looking...too much wood and stones for my taste, and they have multiple events at once)

Kovens Center (on the FIU Miami Beach campus, large...that's about it...oh and they only allow their caterer and event designer)

The Loft & The Club of Knights both owned by Fetes & Events (I'm a sucker for details...the owner was thrown across a couch, never introduced herself and her venues look better in pictures. Club of Knights is heinous on the outside, alright on the inside..reminds me of a family owned restaurant, and The Loft....again details... all their draping is unfinished and it's just really not impressive.)

So mind you these are MY OPINIONS...you are still encouraged to find out for yourself... I just know driving to a million places that arent worth my time isnt fun, so I hope if you're going through the same thing this'll save you some time and gas :)

So what did I finally pick?? I picked Shane Center thank you for asking. So totally different from what I've been looking at. Reason I picked it is the potential. I can afford the top 2, meaning Coco and Chomber, problem is the buget would be tight and leave no room for transportation, tuxes, shoes, grooming, hotels, bridal party gifts, etc. Shane allows room for a lot more, is of the intercoastal and is TAX DEDUCTIBLE! lol so hey, i'm down for that!