What did YOU do this weekend?

Oh you know, a little of this, a little of that. We just sent the invitations, ordered the rings and I went to an alterations appointment!

It was a very productive weekend. Also fun, but not very cheap :) The best part is that I can't say what was the most exciting part! At just over two months to go, everything is going to be exciting at this point.

No really, check it out:

Now that is a lot of envelopes! 51 to be exact... that's not so much, but it felt like a lot when I was putting them all together. I am beyond excited to start getting RSVPs back!!

Then this happened!

That's right, it wouldn't be much of a wedding if I didn't send them. Thanks to Kyle of course for coming along for emotional support (read: to take a picture ;))

I'm kidding of course, he's been a wonderful emotional and literal help. This is especially felt by me because he works so flipping hard. He travels almost half the month, and works 10 hours a day when he's not traveling. AND because he's the VP of his company and the boss of the American office, he's got his hands in everything, and gets a lot of crap heaped onto his plate. When he gets home, it's often hard for him to let work go, but he still listens to all the boring wedding talk I've built up over the course of my boring day (science has a lot of incubation times), plus he doesn't just listen... he even offers suggestions and advice! Whoa!

Wanna' know where that diatribe came from? I'm watching Bridezillas:

Not only does it make me feel so good about myself for not being a huge mega biotch, but it makes me feel even better that Kyle and I have more business getting married than these couples. Don't get me wrong, a little bossy never really hurt anybody; weddings are stressful and women who are serious about having the day they want sometimes need to break bad... but seriously Bridezillas?! These chicks are super crazy, SUPER disrespectful, and super emasculating. How do these men go through with this?!?! This post is taking me forever because I can't look away.

But to business. We ordered our wedding bands!! We took our business to Barsky Diamonds, which is full of awesome people. The associate who served us is the same man Kyle bought the engagement ring from, and not only did he remember him, but he gave us a great deal on our wedding bands (I'm sure everyone says that, but just let me have my moment, any dollar value lower than the one of the sticker makes me feel awesome). I didn't think to take pictures though... but I'm not sure if I would have been allowed to anyway. I wish I could convey how fantastic it was. We both really liked the rings the other picked out, the sales associate made the process enjoyable, and it was surprisingly quick, which meant no frustration or waiting. We got what we wanted, and I think we got it for a good price (and Barsky isn't paying me to say that).

I will be sure to post pictures when they come in, which should be in about two to three weeks! We then had a very nice relaxing dinner at Styer's Garden Cafe:

 

(Yes, they do weddings, don't get me started) On a scale of 1 to 10 on the ambiance scale, this place gets a 12 at least. It was a BYOB as well, which we love, and the service was great. We each got the 5 course tasting menu and we got two individual menus, instead of the same meals, which was fun and different.  However, the food was not as good as I would have hoped. They're local and organic (everything green was great, as well as the local cheese and honey and butter and jams) but the fish and rabbit was unfortunately on the dry side and some of the dishes were a little underseasoned. Nothing was bad though and I would still recommend this place, without a doubt, for the experience and for good (but not blow-your-mind) food. In conclusion, ambiance: 12, service: 9, food: 7. Worth it.

So... the big weekend task... the one I've been putting off till the end of the post, just to pester you. But first, Kyle:

MIND YOU EYE HOLES!!

and leave now please!!

I picked a dress! I said after getting the Priscilla of Boston dress that I would wait till it came in to make this decision, but I've been thinking ever since I got it that the DB dress was always edging ahead, and I couldn't wait any longer to make my alterations appointment. Where is my PB dress?! I couldn't wait! But let me qualify this by saying that I went into my alterations appointment today saying that if they were not going to alter it the way I wanted, I was going to politely ask her to take the pins out and then I was going to leave.

I was not disappointed. I picked the DB dress and came home one dress and a few hundred dollars shorter.

First, some pros and cons, because I love lists. First, DB pros and cons:

It's ruched all over the bodice: love, it's got the Vera skirt, a dropped, asymmetric waist, and leaves my legs free for dancin': love, love, love! It's also free of bling, and the shape really flatters my body shape.

On the bad side, I don't like the straight across neckline, the curve in the asymmetric skirt isn't asymmetric enough, and the skirt is a bit poofy. I wish the color was a little more off-white too, but I think I have to be happy the way it is, because the PB dress is even whiter. Lastly, the ruching is a little bulky, making me look bigger.

As I mentioned before, wrapping the dress in a sheet controlled the poofy a little, so that problem was solved. Everything else should be easily fixable except bringing up only one side of the skirt. This is a sticking point for me, I don't like that gentle curve, I just don't like it.

On the other hand, we have the PB dress:

On the positive side, this dress is sooo unique, and I looove that there's really soft, pretty detail in the skirt and over the chest without being overwhelming. Also, the fit and flare is more subtle; as opposed to tight bodice, and then crazy-flared skirt. Finally, if I take care to keep my tummy in check, this dress is va-va-voom sexy and elongating.

Unfortunately, the negatives in this case aren't fixable: I wish there was ruching, my legs are more restricted, and even if I maintain my waist, my hips aren't sufficient enough to give me that Jessica Rabbit hourglass unless I set my weight-loss goal unreasonably high. I had a little trouble sitting in it, and it crinkles easily (you can even see it on the model).

I still love the dress, but realistically, it has too many cons that aren't realistically fixable, and most importantly, I think it's more modern and not as romantic. In another life, I wanted a modern wedding, with a different color palette, and this dress would have complimented it perfectly, but I have to keep that other life in that other realm of reality. And I'm ok with that because I love my rustic romantic vision!

So, I know I already gave away the surprise, but I went to DB today and the sweetest little Asian lady named Maggie came to greet me. She started pinning me up immediately. This chick was professional! The dress immediately started looking like it fit me. All my worries about the dress hiding my butt and making me look like I have a beer gut were gone. After she took in the sides, it was the moment of truth. I asked her if she could raise the higher side of the waist to make the asymmetric waist more pronounced. This sweetie didn't even flinch, she pinned the layers up higher on one side easily. It looked perfect. She then quick-as-you-please hemmed the skirt and developed a really cool bustle. She also didn't flinch at all when I asked her to put a little dip in the neckline to convert it into a sweetheart. I was then able to walk easily back into the fitting room without tripping on the front of the dress, and I signed her forms, gave her the dress, and paid the woman.

I don't want to make this about money either, BUUUT, I am not going to pretend that I couldn't use the money from the PB dress to pay off some accrued debt. This was only in the back of my mind though; if I wasn't happy with DB alterations today, I was going to take care of business, PB style. Another point, PB alterations (a fixed price) were going to be $200 more than DB alterations. When the moment of truth came and Maggie looked up at me after all her pinning was done, it was just right. Also, she only poked me once, and in the bum, so it didn't hurt that much, we both got a laugh out of it.

It's not sunken in yet, but this is my dress. I have a feeling that fit has played a big part in dress shopping. I realized today that I haven't liked any dress that didn't fit me, and all the dresses that the sample was just my size, I loved. Sensing a pattern? I think I am. I have a feeling I am finally going to get my wow moment, in three to four weeks, when my alterations are done.

So to anyone who's gone through the two dress dilemma or alterations expectations, how did you choose your dress? Were you happy with the results of your alterations??