DC NearlyWeds

This blog has moved

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. NearlyWed) — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 15:52:00 +0000

This blog is now located at http://www.blog.dcnearlyweds.com/.
You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds, or you may click here.

For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to
http://www.blog.dcnearlyweds.com/feeds/posts/default.

Wish Upon a Wedding and Get Married Join Up!

noreply@blogger.com (Mrs. NearlyWed) — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 14:31:00 +0000

WISH UPON A WEDDING IS THE CHARITY OF CHOICE FOR GET MARRIED!

This is my opportunity to give a little shout out to a cause I personally believe in. I am overjoyed to hear this news and hope our readers will as well. If you are or know of someone who could benefit from Wish Upon a Wedding, please contact me. Mrs. Nearlywed.

In an unparalleled union to support the mission of Wish Upon a Wedding, starting today Wish Upon a Wedding will be the charity of choice & the National Media Partner for Get Married Media, Inc.

Get Married Media will increase the organization’s exposure both nationally and within local chapters on behalf of Wish Upon a Wedding by supporting the organization & the wish recipients! Look for ads in the Get Married Magazine and on their weekly TV show on WE!

Wish Upon a Wedding and will also be featured on the Get Married Blog. And if that isn’t enough…they have agreed to consider features on the wedding wishes & videos shot by our wish granters including showcasing the wish recipients weddings on their TV show.

The entire Get Married Media family have worked so hard on our behalf, and this just goes to show that they truly believe in our cause and mission. As America’s first non profit wedding wish granting organization, it’s important to us to have such great endorsements from the best of the best and Get Married does that for Wish Upon A Wedding.

Six months ‘til the wedding and LAID OFF?

MissCathedralHeights@gmail.com (Miss Cathedral Heights) — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 18:37:00 +0000

Upon my arrival at work last Monday morning my boss informed me that I was being laid off. Not the best news to hear when you’re planning a wedding. Maybe I should have seen it coming—working as an editor for a small company that recently lost a client. I was the last to join, I was the first to go. Logically it all made sense (for them anyway), but it was indeed a blow to my wellbeing.

Amid my stress and frustration, Mr. Cathedral Heights reacted with understanding and empathy, assuring me that we’ll make our bills and have the wedding we’ve been planning in September. Our parents are helping us with the wedding costs quite a bit, which saves us from having to drastically cut costs.

As I’m sure you’d imagine, the past week has been difficult for me—full of mixed emotions at this situation. I have had consistent, full-time work for more than nine years, since graduating college, so this state is rather unfamiliar to me. I've been attempting to stay positive by working out, searching job listings, networking, and continuing with the wedding planning, but I’ve also had days where I just want to hide in bed and read an escape book (The Golden Compass, by Philip Pullman, has been excellent for that).

I realize that I’m not the only one dealing with a layoff right now, and I need to appreciate the positive parts of my life—that I’m marrying a caring, kind, intelligent man and I am able to lean on him, friends, and family for emotional support. But, there’s always that other side of me that just wants to drown in sorrow and self pity, as hard as it is to admit that here.

My friends who have dealt with a layoff seem to give common advice: Take your time and figure out what you want to do. In the meantime, I have plenty of wedding tasks to keep me busy!

Here I Come, Big Apple!

liz@theklutzykitchen.com (Miss JeffMemorial) — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 03:25:00 +0000

Not this upcoming weekend, but the next, I am heading up to Connecticut to Mrs. Gallery Place's home (she's my amazing Matron of Honor) for my bridal shower with a bunch of my friends. Immediately following the shower, we are hopping on a train to...

New York City!

Apparently my bachelorette party is going to be a night out in the Big Apple! I have no idea what’s going on for either the shower or the night out in New York City, and the suspense is KILLING ME! The rumblings I have heard have been such a tease. The one thing I do know was that there is a dress code, and even though it’s based pretty much one what I wear regularly, I wanted an outfit that was special. I didn’t want to roll up to my party in an outfit that could double for going to work.

The dress code is jeans, fun black top, fun shoes. After some searching, I came out with a pretty awesome outfit.

This ruffle tank. It’s black, even though it looks gray on screen.

Under this ruffle cardigan. (Did you know that I love ruffles?)

Fun zebra shoes.

…and this little fun bag from J Crew.

Not only am I looking forward to it from a “OH MY GOD! WEDDING!” perspective, but it’ll be nice to have a little mini weekend trip away from the DC area, too.

What are you guys doing for your showers/bachelorettes? Are you/did you have fun picking out your outfits?

Do You Already Have the April 2010 Issue of BRIDES?!

noreply@blogger.com (Miss NotYetWed) — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 03:23:00 +0000

If not... Here's what you are missing!!!!

Plus!!!

It wouldn’t be a wedding without… The editors of BRIDES talked to wedding consultants and recently married couples all over the U.S. to find out about their personal wedding-day traditions (p 262)

Our experts share tricks and tips on how to camouflage skin woes on your big day, from pimples to distracting tattoos (p 104)

License to Frill – These frilly frocks are ultrafeminine and becoming. Check out 14 pages of beautiful gowns (p 232)

How can you save $1,000 on your reception music? iPod your wedding! From track suggestions to troubleshooting – BRIDES makes it easy (p 118)

For brides thinking about a beach wedding – we have some tips and great ideas to make sure it’s a success (p 130)

Wedding gifts are exciting – but not if there’s nowhere to put them! BRIDES has a few suggestions for merging and purging while keeping everyone happy (p 150)

America Ferrera stars in the new film Our Family Wedding – which tackles issues many couples face when bringing their families together – check out the BRIDES interview with America (p 158)

PLUS, 25 new ideas for table names (p 312)

For these stories and more, pick up the latest issue of BRIDES, at your local newsstands.
Available Now!

The Wedding Dance Specialists

noreply@blogger.com (Miss NotYetWed) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:54:00 +0000

Get a head start...

On your private lessons by starting with this popular wedding dance workshops on:

March 21 in Columbia, MD and March 27 in Falls Church Workshop attendees who are our Facebook fans qualify for a discount on private lessons.

Click here to qualify for savings! $25 per person 75 minute class For details about the workshops, Visit: The Wedding Dance Specialist

Let's cut to the chase.

This workshop is designed to make you sweat, blush, feel intoxicated and high on life as you gaze steamily into your lover's eyes.

It's time to get down and dirty, hot and flirty as you prepare for your honeymoon or relive it! P.S. We cannot be held liable for any babies conceived as a result of this class... ;)

Workshop dates: March 21 in Columbia, MD and March 27 in Falls Church VA. For more details check out our website $20 per person :55 minute class Register NOW as space is limited!

Saying Goodbye

Sara2014@gmail.com (SaraElizabeth) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 19:47:00 +0000

Fellow nearlyweds and readers...

I'm sorry I've been absent. There's been a lot going on and there's a lot I have to share. It's not all good news, unfortunately, but not all bad either. First of all, my hunny and I have decided to postpone our wedding. There's a few other nearlywed misses that can relate to this decision. We just needed more time to plan and execute our ideas.

Source

Also, any of you that have read or followed my previous posts (here, here, and here) know that my family didn't want us rushing down the aisle. While a one year engagement might be ideal for some, a year and a half engagement is what's best for us. My dad and stepmom, in particular had a lot to do with this decision. They wanted us to take our time and that's exactly what we've decided to do.

I'll be honest that at first, my fiance and I resisted changing our wedding date, which was scheduled for Ocobter 24, 2010, but I cannot tell you how relieved we are to have six more months of planning time. After a few long talks with our folks, some reviewing of the budget and our to do lists, we've decided to wait to get married this time next year in the spring of 2011. Again, this shouldn't come as a big surprise since I blogged about all of it. I blogged about my confusion about if I should have a fall or spring wedding, as well as getting my parents approval.

Rest assured, things are going well and we're really happy with the direction we're headed in. The additional time has we've given us all a chance to take a deep breath. It's taken a lot of pressure off of my parents and I feel confident that we're making the right decision.

Source

The bad news is that I don't intend to blog for DCNearlyweds for an entire year. While I'm really excited to have an additional six months of planning time ahead, I don't think it's fair to other wannabe bloggers and to readers for me to blog for such an extended period of time. Plus, I don't want to commit to it since I'm moving at a much slower pace than I was. We're not in any hurry to book our vendors or start the DIY projects. We're really taking a step back from the wedding planning to enjoy the engagement and focus on other things.

Did any of you push your wedding date back?

Were you glad that you did?

Like I've mentioned, the decision to have our wedding next spring is one I'm really happy with and it finally feels like things are moving smoothly and in the right direction. I can't tell you the difference its made to have our families onboard and to be able to slow down with the wedding planning! We're even going to have an engagement party in May, to quench our thirst for a celebration.

I really hope you readers and fellow nearlyweds understand my decision to quit the blog. I love all of you and have a deep appreciation for the online wedding community, because you guys are just so awesome! I was so excited that I was able to blog for DCNearlyweds, that I never thought I'd give it up; however, I have given this a lot of thought and it's only fair to open up my spot to another bride blogger who fits the criteria of getting married in the fall 2010.

In a few months I may be ready to start blogging for a mainstream site again. In the meantime, I'll still be blogging on my own sit (here) a little and I'll definitely be by to check for updates on all of you and wedding inspriation too!

Take care and happy marriages to you all!

Beau-coup's Spring Sale is HERE!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Miss NotYetWed) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 09:53:00 +0000

This week, Beau-coup is having its annual Spring sale! Save up to $50 off your purchase and get ready for the sun!

Hurry though because the sale only lasts until this Thursday 3/18 at midnight! You can check out the sale page here: http://www.beau-coup.com/promo/ and please share the news with your readers, twitter or facebook followers! Thanks!

It's Not Too Late to... "Flaunt Your Rock"

noreply@blogger.com (Miss NotYetWed) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 02:12:00 +0000

The mother-daughter wedding photography team, Ever After Visuals located in the VA, DC, MD is currently hosting a “Flaunt YourRock Contest” asking engaged women to submit photo’s of their engagement rings.

The winner will receive a free engagement session and a 20 page Gold Signature Guest Album.

For more information about how to "Flaunt Your Rock"

Click: Flaunt Your Rock

One last thing……time is of the essence since the deadline for submission is 03/17/2010.

Flaunt Your Rock Contest!

Wedding Lessons

MissCathedralHeights@gmail.com (Miss Cathedral Heights) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 05:43:00 +0000

In the beginning of my first Spanish class this evening, I felt frustrated. I couldn’t understand the teacher, I had trouble following her, and I didn’t know what she wanted me to say when she pointed at me. Over time, I felt more comfortable asking questions and stumbling over words and sentences in front of the class. My entire body went from stiff and anxious with worry to loose and calm. By the end of the class, I was giggling at myself with the group as I stumbled over verb conjugation.

Taking Spanish for the first time could be compared to many of my wedding planning experiences so far. Whether photography, decoration, clothing, music, chairs, transportation, or gift bags, almost every part of the wedding planning process requires learning a new skill—or learning a lot about a skill, which is tough in the beginning. I spend time researching, talking to experts, reading, gathering thoughts and ideas from friends and family, listening to more and more thoughts from friends and family, until I eventually feel more comfortable making a decision. I mean, how was I supposed to know about cotton versus linen napkins, or the timing of the speeches and dances, or the equipment that every wedding photographer should have on hand, or how long the first song should last? I never paid attention to things like that before.

I’m currently learning Spanish so that I can better communicate with Mr. Cathedral Heights’s family. Originally from Peru, his immediate family speaks English fluently, but they often mix in Spanish. And, since I know that they speak English when I’m around to make me feel more comfortable, I would love for them to feel comfortable speaking Spanish around me as well, and I want to be able to respond in Spanish. So, I figured it would help for me to understand and speak it myself (or try anyway)! My goal is to learn a little Spanish before the wedding in September, so that I am able to speak some Spanish with his relatives traveling from Peru.

We also decided to incorporate a bit of Mr. CH’s native language into our ceremony by asking our mothers to read poems in English and Spanish. I looked into this online and found out that bilingual weddings are a growing trend. Salma Hayek married her husband in French; actress Malin Ackerman and her Italian husband asked their fathers to read love poems in English and Italian at their wedding; and Eva Longoria said her vows to Tony Parker in his native French, while he recited his vows in her native English. Celebrities aside, I’m thrilled that the wedding will incorporate a touch of Mr. CH’s cultural background. I would love to find other ways to incorporate our family history, traditions, and culture into the wedding. For this week, though, I’ll focus on my verb conjugation.

Hasta luego!

Wish Upon A Wedding- National Awareness Week

noreply@blogger.com (Miss NotYetWed) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 22:55:00 +0000

March 1, 2010 marked the first day of the National Awareness Week for Wish Upon A Wedding.

Wish Upon A Wedding was founded in January of 2010 in San Francisco by a group of wedding and business entreprenuers.

The purpose of Wish Upon a Wedding is to produce weddings and civil union ceremonies at destinations across the USA for terminally ill individuals, regardless of sexual orientation. With twenty chapters across the nation, we are ready to begin making dreams come true.

To qualify for Wishes, applicants must be unmarried legal citizens of the United States, over the age of 18, who have been diagnosed with less than three years to live.

Simply apply online to request one of three wedding types: URGENT (Up to 10 guests, in hospital or at bedside); BOUTIQUE (up to 25 guests, in home town of applicant); ROMANTIC (Up to 50 guests, at any WUW destination)

Wish Granters needed in all locations. Please apply online today to start helping us make Wedding Wishes come true.

Operation 26 Days and Counting: Misson 2, Get Permission from the State

noreply@blogger.com (Miss Glen Echo) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 01:22:00 +0000

I think Miss Fairfax and I are living dual lives. Mr. Glen Echo and I have completed Mission 2 of Operation Countdown: Get Permission from the State!

(YAY! Half way there!)

As I learned in Family Law last summer, marriage is a contract between three parties: 2 people who love one another and the state. The state in some circumstances is the most important party of the contract in that it determines how, when, where and what benefits are given to those who chose to enter into this agreement (because as much as we want to always think of weddings, there are civil benefits and responsibilities that must always be considered when one gets married).

Being proponents of equal rights, Mr. Glen Echo and I are beyond ecstatic that we will share in this grant of state approval with all couples, regardless of how or who they love. We are waiting for the day that Maryland allows marriage as a complete civil right, but will take the fact that the Attorney General has declared recognition of gay marriages performed in other jurisdictions in this state. This is a huge step forward.

YAY for us! Now all we need is a ceremony and cake!

a button wedding

missfairfax.dcnearlys@gmail.com (Miss Fairfax) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 01:55:00 +0000

so I may have mentioned before that I'm incorporating antique buttons into our wedding. it started with a crazyyyy idea to just have button bouquets (inspired by something like this) and no fresh flowers at all. and then I woke up and realized I LOVE flowers, how could I even consider not having flowers at the wedding?? So I thought I would compromise and do fresh flower bouquets and then button bouquet centerpieces.
...and then I got frickin tired of making button flowers. I mean I didn't even make that many, it was more the idea of making that many of the darn things that exhausted me just thinking about it. so we're doing fresh flower bouquets AND fresh flower centerpieces.
...but I already had a gajillion old buttons (and ideas for the cake and favors already involved button-shaped candy), so I wanted to do something with them. My solution I just recently came up with: button flower pens, for the guest book. For the guest book we're not actually doing a real book, we're using this awesome recipe box my sister got for me, and asking people to write notes to us on index cards and then file them in the box by last name. So I thought we could put an index card at each place setting, and put a few of these button flower pens at each table, maybe with some crayons too so people can draw us pictures as well as write notes! I know the few kids there would have fun with that, and more than a handful of my friends and family will enjoy doodling a bit too. The pictures aren't great because I'm no pro photog but you should get the idea..
I'm really excited about how they're turning out, these little individual pens are a whole lot easier than making full bouquets.. Do you have a theme for your wedding that you thought of early on and then felt a bit, well, married to? Did you stick to it or scrap it? I'm glad I'm sticking to this one but I'm really glad I scaled it back a bit.

Mr & Miss Fairfax: Licensed to Wed

missfairfax.dcnearlys@gmail.com (Miss Fairfax) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 20:33:00 +0000

On the way back from the courthouse this afternoon, Mr. Fairfax said, "We are licensed to wed," in a sort of James Bond voice, and I knew I had a great blog post title! haha.

SO yeah we've got our marriage license!! I'M SO FRICKIN EXCITED. Sorry for the all-caps but we are 22 days away and it's all getting very real and awesome!!

If anyone's curious about marriage license deets for Virginia, here's a few points:

license is $30, best paid in cash because they charge a 4% service charge for a credit card payment;
both parties must be present, with photo ID;
you can go to any courthouse in any VA county for a marriage license that is valid for a wedding anywhere in Virginia;
license is valid for 60 days;
if you go to the courthouse in Arlington (I'm guessing most courthouses in VA and elsewhere, not sure though), do not try to bring your cell phone or cameras or any other kind of recording device! We walked there from our apartment (a couple miles, in the incredibly blustery winds - yay car free lifestyle! *note extreme sarcasm*), so of course we had all this stuff on us (I was kinda hoping to document the whole process for the blog, so blame them for my one pic taken at home!), so we had to go across to the Detention Facility where they have little storage lockers you can use for 25 cents (or 50 cents, or 75 cents, depending on how much space you need). Not that big a deal but if you drive there, leave that stuff in the car!

The security guard was really nice, it was awesome when he said, "You two going to the 6th floor?" and pointed us in the direction of the elevators. I guess when you see young couples coming in with grins on their faces, you kinda know where they're headed. :)

The Ensemble -- Alternately Titled, "Go away, Mr. JeffMemorial!"

liz@theklutzykitchen.com (Miss JeffMemorial) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 15:13:00 +0000

We're under the 70 day mark, which is just terrifying and exciting all at the same time. I now regularly get that "Oh my god! I'm getting married!" feeling. I mean, it's really happening!

Thankfully I have had most everything done for quite some time now considering this wedding has been almost two years in the making. While I am now tying up loose ends and firming up dinner reservations and winery tours for the honeymoon, for the most part I'm not feeling like I have left something undone. (Hooray!)

This does, of course, lead me to dwell on details. (A bride dwelling on details?! Next thing you know, I'll be telling you the sky is blue and water is wet!) Recently I've been pondering my whole wedding ensemble. It's taken a few months, but the whole look as finally come together... I think.

Well, I have the dress...

It's the dress picture above in this color (navy blue, for the click-through phobic), and no that's not me.

I also have the shoes.

I have Swarovski Bella Golden Earrings.

And I have a cute handmade clutch from Etsy seller "UpStyle"!

But I'm not really sold on wearing a necklace. I've asked a few people, and they're sort of split down the middle between "Absolutely no necklace! It'll take away from the dramatic neckline," and "Of course! That dress screams for a necklace!"

God, I feel silly writing this--pondering extensively over whether to necklace or not to necklace. I guess it's one of those things where, since I very rarely get dressed up, I want to do it right. And it's not just the necklace. It's an overall ensemble anxiety, which sounds pretty ridiculous. I love all of these pieces separately; let's hope they play well together, as well.

I am, however, inclined to say no to the necklace, favoring the "dramatic neckline" which is sad because there are so many beautiful bridal necklaces out there.

Part of me wonders if maybe I should have left a few actually important projects to the end of this planning process, heh. Then I wouldn't spend actual time thinking about frivolous stuff like this. Or maybe I should spend more time on my homework.

What little things did you surprisingly get hung up on?

Operation 31 Days and Counting: Mission 1, Out of Town Bags

noreply@blogger.com (Miss Glen Echo) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:13:00 +0000

So it is officially ON! Today marks 31 days before our wedding and I am pumped! (Ok, not really...this is just what I need to tell myself in order to attack the ridiculous amount of projects I need to get done...wah, wah, waaahhh). So, today, I am officially naming the rest of my engaged time "Operation 31 Days and Counting." Call me General Miss Glen Echo!

Mission 1: Out of Town Bags

(such a lovely NY out of town...NY is so easy...found here)

As Miss Fairfax pointed out, it should be easy to figure out DMV themed out of town favors, however, at least for me, my pool of creativity has been drained over the last 18 months. There are a few items that I knew from the beginning I wanted to include, but other than those few items I had no idea what else I should include. I decided to just google "Maryland out of town bags" for some ideas and I think I have come up with a decent bag of goodies for our out of town guests.

1) Rock Creek Soda

(source)

According to Wiki Answers, the Rock Creek Soda Company is located in Landover MD. For those from the DC area, you know that an order of wings and mambo sauce is not complete unless you have a pineapple Rock Creek Soda to go with it! This is a truly DC favor and one of the few items I came with all on my own.

2) Crab Flavored Utz Chips

(source)

Another item that I came up with all on my own. I am not into the idea of giving Old Bay Seasoning or a crab mallet. I want something in the bags that our guests could immediately enjoy. What is more Maryland than crabs and snacks, hence, crab potato chips. Perfect!

3) Goetze Caramel Creams

(source)

Manufactured in Baltimore since 1895, these have been one of my favorite candies since I can remember. Not specifically a "DMV" favor, Baltimore has a place in my heart because I go to school there and honestly, who would not want to have a few of these after a long ride. Check out their website for more info.

4) DMV Visitor Info

This will include a metro map, a welcome brochure from us with places to eat and visit while in the area and maybe a Washington Post (although I think the guests might get those for free in the hotel room...).

My plan is to keep the design simple, probably a brown craft bag with our monogramed stamp and some tissue paper. It will look a lot like the image below.

(source)

So what do you guys think? Aside from going into a fatty-sugar coma from the soda, chips and candy, would you be excited to see get a welcome package like this? What are you putting in your out of town bags?

Dance Factory: A Review

missfairfax.dcnearlys@gmail.com (Miss Fairfax) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 01:27:00 +0000

I got a request to do a post after we did our next private lesson - but since I've been a bit flaky about posting lately, I'll tell you about our other Dance Factory experience first! If we do go back for another lesson, I'll update. :)

[image from dancefactory.com]

Mr. Fairfax and I enjoy going out "dancing." And that just means grooving any which way on a dance floor, nothing actually organized or coordinated. I've always wanted to learn to dance for real, so I was excited at the prospect of taking official lessons - in particular I was hoping someone would teach me how to not try to lead all the time!

Well I'm happy to report that it's not that hard to not try to lead - as long as your partner pays attention to what he's doing, which I think Mr. Fairfax did a very good job of doing. Our instructor was Nadia, which is not helpful to you since she announced at our last lesson that she would not be teaching there anymore.. But she was great!

A couple things to know about these dance lessons:

each section of the beginner level of classes covers the basics of 3 different dances - we did tango/foxtrot/waltz, another section covers foxtrot/triple-swing/rumba, and the third section covers waltz/single-swing/rumba. Now don't ask me what single- vs. triple-swing even means! We didn't take that section.. They do recommend that you take all three sections of Ballroom I, and I have to say I agree because I sure would have loved to learn all those other dances. You can enroll in one class at a time (so, one night a week for 4 weeks), or all three classes at once - see the prices and schedule online.

you don't need to go with a date, but if you do, be prepared to dance with many other people! It can be awkward but I have to admit, it does help you work on being able to dance with anyone, not just your partner. and you do generally get the chance to go back to your date several times in a lesson.

We also did one private lesson - they offered one free 30-min private lesson for new students, I think they offer it all the time, but it may have been a special going on last month, not sure! If you go and they offer a free lesson, go for it! It was great getting some one-on-one (well, one-on-two) attention and instruction. The only thing I would do differently would be to know the dance you want to do at your wedding before going to a private lesson. We went early on in the month just to get some basic dancing help but I wish we had gone in with our song in hand so they could tell us which dance to do! As it is, we'll probably need to go back for another private session.

All in all, I definitely recommend Dance Factory! Let me know if you go, or have gone. Mr. Fairfax hated waltz, which I thought was funny, because it came most naturally to me of all the dances. He prefers foxtrot, which comes the Least naturally to me! But in the end I do think we'll go with foxtrot, it's the most versatile. I was talking to a friend of mine who went with her then-fiance, and turns out He hated waltz too! Maybe it's a guy thing, I don't know!

I Can Change My Mind, Right?

Sara2014@gmail.com (SaraElizabeth) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 19:35:00 +0000

Why Can't I Decide?

One thing that I've learned during the last four months of wedding planning is that I am pretty darn indecisive. It's really difficult for me to discern whether I'm making a decision because it's something that I really want or whether I'm making the decision because it's something I think someone else really wants.

I've talked to my future husband (FH) about this and he's been trying really hard to help me figure out what I want for our wedding. However, even after long conversations with him (where we discuss the pros and cons of all the choices floating around my head) and I think I figure out what I want, it's not long before I change my mind again.

For example, we've chosen to have our wedding at Oxon Hill Manor in Maryland. Problem is that I've always imagined my wedding ceremony taking place in a church (one in particular), not outdoors. I know what you're thing... Why did we book Oxon Hill Manor if we wanted to get married in a church?

Well, I cried when I saw the bridal suite at Oxon Hill Manor. When my FH and me went there for a bridal show, we fell in love with it, and we thought it was the perfect location (more about our first visit here).

I'm not saying I don't like the place anymore, because I love it. It's just that I've been thinking a lot about how I originally wanted to get married in a church.

Another reason I've been thinking about a church wedding is because it would be less expensive. Oxon Hill Manor is not by any means an inexpensive venue and it's a big place, meant for big weddings. We've been talking about cutting costs, shortening the guest list, and I wonder if we shouldn't revert back to our original plan, which was to get married at Cherrydale Baptist Church and have the reception at the Hendry House (more about this venue here).

My FH is going to have a bit of a hissy, because we already "decided," this, but what if I've changed my mind? I'm finding this to be one of the hardest things about planning a wedding. Decisions are final. My FH's mom suggested we don't second guess any decisions we've made, but can't I just change this one thing? It'd be cheaper and ... well, I wonder if I'll be sad we didn't go with Oxon Hill.

Again I Ask, Why Can't I Decide?

Have you changed your mind about important wedding-related decisions (and then changed your mind again)? Do you have a difficult time deciding on something like the dress, the venue, or the guest list?

Pic One Source
Pic Two and Three By Me

Name Change Debate Solved!

liz@theklutzykitchen.com (Miss JeffMemorial) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:48:00 +0000

After hemming and hawing for over a year and changing my mind countless times, I finally decided on my married name. I made this pronouncement sometime last week, and this internal debate has been going on for so long that my guy said, “Okay, see you when you change your mind next week!” Well, it’s next week, and guess what? I didn’t change my mind!

See, originally I thought that this would be an easy thing. For years I was determined! I was convinced that my maiden name was so horrendous that, as soon as I got married, I would plow down old ladies with walkers to get to the Social Security office to have my name officially changed.

(You might be thinking to yourself, her name can’t be THAT bad. Much like Obama, yes it can. My last name is a blatant sexual innuendo that made high school an absolute hoot!)

Well, when my guy proposed, I was excited. (Duh.) What I was surprisingly not excited about was changing my name. It was tough, though. Because my first name and his last name alone make pretty little music. Even the signature is gorgeous.

Not only that, it’s significantly shorter than my current name, which clocks in at eighteen letters, first and last. My name is so long that I have to shorten my signature by using only my first initial and my last name. Even then, I kind of phone it in with the last name, which usually ends up being a giant squiggle. When I took standardized tests in school, my first name was always cut off by one letter.

Well, I can chuck all of my dreams of happy name-writing goodbye, because in the end, I couldn’t part with my last name. It used to be some sort of perverse scarlet letter (like when parents name their kids Rain Mossball or Foothill), but now it’s like a badge of courage. I earned that name. It’s mine. To give up the name feels like giving up a bit of my past.

But I wanted his name too, because I’m a greedy only child. Cue up the hand cramps. Now my name will clock in at TWENTY-FOUR LETTERS.

E******* M********-M*****

I’ve started practicing it. It was a bit of a mouthful at first, and my hand is still getting used to the workout, but I like it. I do have concerns, though. Will it fit on my bank card? Will it even fit on a license? Do I need to start doing hand pushups to prepare for the physical endurance tests I will be putting my right hand through?

hair: follow up

missfairfax.dcnearlys@gmail.com (Miss Fairfax) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 21:11:00 +0000

ok ladies, a bit delayed but I'm finally following up on my post about my hair trial.

The woman's name is Diane, she has her own shop called Hair by Diane, right in Old Town Alexandria. She is really sweet and great to work with.

My appointment was at 11am on the day of my bridal shower, I had forgotten to print out any of my inspiration ideas, or a photo of my dress, or anything! I also was in need of a haircut, told her I'd get one before the next trial, and she offered to cut it for me right then! She also let me use her computer to look up my dress online, so she could see what kind of style I was going for. So she's really flexible and helpful and awesome - and speedy! She had me shampooed and cut, put me in rollers, and then did Three (3!) hairstyles for me, in 2 hours. Actually just under 2 hours. So here are some of my pics:

#1 - way too big in the back for my big head! but it had nice volume in front

#2 - you can't see the back but it's a nice bunch of curls, smaller than the photo above, and positioned lower on my head. I like the front on this one ok but I will ask her to play around with more styles next time (like the Natalie Portman look from my last hair post.

And, #3 - you can't really tell in this photo but the bun or whatever is off-center so it's closer to my right ear than my left - I really liked that. I think I would just want more going on in front, and this could be a great style for me. I ended up wearing this hairdo to my bridal shower that day, and my bachelorette party that night, and the 'do held up great!

This trial was mostly for her to get a feel for my hair and style. We learned a bit from each hairstyle and next appointment, I'll take my veil and combs and whatnot, and we'll work out the final hairstyle.

Did I mention Diane is coming to my hotel room the day of the wedding to do my hair, and my bridesmaids, and my mom? It's $190 for me, $65 for each of my bridesmaids and $50 for my mom. I definitely have not found a more reasonably priced stylist!

noreply@blogger.com (Miss NotYetWed) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 19:32:00 +0000

WeddingChannel.com just launched brand-new personal wedding websites, including exclusive website designs from Monique Lhuillier, Vera Wang, Oscar de la Renta, and Lela Rose. We all know brides love personalizing their wedding, so this is another way a Vera- or Monique-clad bride can actually have a wedding website that ties in with her wedding gown designer.

“Brides love tying in a signature detail throughout the entire wedding to create a chic, cohesive look,” said Sharon Stimpfle, deputy site director of WeddingChannel.com. “We’re thrilled that Oscar de la Renta, Lela Rose, Monique Lhuillier, and Vera Wang are working with WeddingChannel.com so brides can incorporate their favorite wedding designers in their personal wedding websites too.”

WeddingChannel.com Free Wedding Website Features:

Hundreds of Personalization Options

Upload Multiple Photos

Wedding Maps Feature

Interact With Guests

Gift Registry

Find Coordinating Wedding Items

Matching Save-the-Date Emails

Showered with Love!

noreply@blogger.com (Miss Glen Echo) — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 13:43:00 +0000

Everthing is so real now! We have 34 days until the big show and yesterday I had my first experience feeling all bride-y. I attended my shower which took place in Mechanicsville, Va and it was fantastic! Here are a few highlights:

My cousins and bride's attendants from home did an awesome job setting everything up. It was so classy and elegant. They used some of our wedding colors and really took my personality into consideration.

We played some really fun games that made all of the guests get up and mingle. The first game really set the tone. The guests were asked to walk around and find someone that they do not know that has attributes listed on their checklist. It allowed the guest to meet one another in a cool way. We also played the "make a wedding dress out of toliet paper" game, my absolute bridal shower favorite:-D

As you can see, Mr. President made a special appearance. He loves our family and pops up at all of our functions (Thanksgiving, showers, etc...)...hmm...wonder if he will make a special appearance at the wedding...

At the end, I got to open all of my presents (Aw Yeah!)

Give me cupcakes and gifts and I am one happy girl!

We got mini-us' as gifts from my other set of bride's attendants. They are absolutly awesome and the cutest things ever! Great time, great friends and mini-me's...what a lucky girl I am!

28 Days!

missfairfax.dcnearlys@gmail.com (Miss Fairfax) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 22:40:00 +0000

Ladies, we are coming down to the wire. I'm getting really excited! Mr. Fairfax and I are planning to go get our marriage license sometime next week (I'm playing hooky from work, shhh), and then we're meeting with our officiant, Georgiana, the following weekend, March 6. Big bananas!

We've got the big stuff basically out of the way so now it's just all these little details lying around we need to get in order. Here's my (somewhat abridged) list:

Out-of-towner Welcome Bags. Not thinking of anything huge, just a little bag with a Welcome note, some touristy things to do in the area, and then some little token local item. Right now I'm really liking the idea of a sample-size soap from Union Street Soapworks. The guy's at the Clarendon and Columbia Pike farmers markets (among others), I've bought his soap before, it's awesome. The sample size soaps are like $1. Easy!

Parent & Reader Gifts. We really want to do something nice to give back to our parents. My mom is doing the flowers and a bunch of other stuff, and then Mr. Fairfax's parents are really going all out. In addition to contributing financially to the event (plus our honeymoon!) and helping us out in a lot of other ways, they let us have their anniversary date! I'm so far at a loss as to what to do for them. They will probably feel uncomfortable if we try getting them something expensive.. And then of course we have two very special ladies doing readings for us during the ceremony and it would be nice to give them some kind of thank-you gift.. Any ideas??

First Dance?! We still have not decided what we're doing for our first dance. If anyone is familiar with these things, can you tell me, can you do the foxtrot to the song "I've Just Seen a Face," by the Beatles? I keep going back to that song, I'd really love to go with that one, but we have limited time to learn new dances.. We may sign up for one private lesson at the Dance Factory to try to do some light choreography..

Week-of and Day-of Schedules. When are various key people getting to town? What needs to be done which day? When can I get a mani-pedi?? Who's getting the flowers from the studio to the venue? Who's delivering the beer/wine to the venue? ETC. I'm meeting with my day-of coordinator this coming Monday, a lot of these questions should be answered then.

I think I could go on but you guys get the picture. We're in the final month and it's getting awesome and intense, but I'm still calm. Give me a couple more weeks, we'll see how it gets... ;)

The Sad Bride

MissCathedralHeights@gmail.com (Miss Cathedral Heights) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 21:45:00 +0000

Something borrowed, something blue, something old, yadda yadda yadda. The rebellious spirit inside me yearns to fight against the many traditions associated with weddings, especially the ones that don’t make sense to me. For example, if it’s easier for Mr. Cathedral Heights and I to have our pictures taken in our wedding garb an hour or so before the ceremony, what’s the big deal if he sees me in my dress? Yet, he’s absolutely against the idea. Why even take the chance of having bad luck, he points out. I understand his reasoning, but it still seems so silly to me.

Many of our wedding traditions stem from past cultural norms that no longer apply to present-day society. The lifting of the veil once symbolized the groom taking possession of his bride. The white wedding dress symbolized purity. The throwing of the rice symbolized fertility. I don’t need a veil, white doesn’t look good on me, and, really, isn’t throwing rice a waste of food?

Queen Victoria (at her 1840 wedding) is credited
with starting the white wedding tradition,
including the white gown.

The fourth time I went wedding dress shopping, I felt grouchy and tired of looking at beautiful gowns that seemed an amalgamation of overpriced white lace, silk, and frills. I honestly couldn’t even tell which dresses complemented me—during the last three tries I had more than one moment where I thought I was feeling the sparks of the one. Wedding dresses are almost their own entity—they could probably walk down the aisle by themselves and do fine. They don’t even need my seemingly-large-compared-to-wedding-dress-sample-sizes body.

“You’re such a sad bride,” said my bridesmaid, K, with a slight smirk on her face.

She knew I couldn’t stand being stuck in the tiny bridal store filled with mothers and aunts and friends gushing over super-skinny brides and clerks ignoring me even though I was exactly on time for my appointment (for once in my life). However, when I took K’s advice and tried on a dress that she pulled off the rack that I never would have picked for myself, my smile broke through the clouds. It wasn’t an “I found the meaning of life” moment, but it was a special moment, I have to admit, especially when the store broke into applause at my announcement that this indeed would be my wedding dress.

When the salesperson brought over a veil for me to try on, I told her I would not be wearing a veil. Moments later I stood staring at myself in the mirror, veil and all. I admitted that I didn’t hate the veil, in fact I kind of liked the veil, even though I didn’t want to like it.

Another salesperson passing by, who had given me a slightly annoyed look when I arrived with my grouchy attitude, turned to me and spoke. “We don’t have many traditions left in our culture. I think it’s okay to enjoy the few that we do continue to follow.”

And with that sentiment in mind, I said yes to the dress even though it was well over my budget and I graciously accepted K’s generous offer to loan me the veil she wore at her wedding. Now I can check off something borrowed and something new.

Crystal City Marriott Wedding Showcase

noreply@blogger.com (Miss NotYetWed) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 19:17:00 +0000

The Crystal City Marriott has created a one-day wedding showcase where brides and grooms, planners and vendors can view our decorated ballroom, tour our hotel, meet our experienced event planners and staff, enjoy and assortment of hors d’oeuvres and unique cocktails, win magnificent prizes and share creative ideas to help create a memorable wedding day for brides and grooms.

When: Sunday, February 28, 2010 11 am - 3 pm

Where: Crystal City Marriott 1999 Jefferson Davis Hwy, Arlington, VA 22202

RSVP: Respond to this link: http://WeddingsByMarriott.com/WeddingShowcaseChoose option - Greater Washington, DC on the left-hand side,and then Crystal City Marriott

If you have any immediate questions about the showcase please contact Richelle Manansala at 703-413-6548 or richelle.manansala@marriott.com