She Said:
For those of you who don't know, I'm currently acquiring my hours for license for Marriage and Family Therapy. So when the discussion of Pre-Marital class came up, I was an advocate. Joe recommended we go to a local church who has a six session course. It came highly recommended from a friend couple of ours. It sounded perfect, both marital information with Christian insight. We have been in our class for three weeks now. It's been nothing but helpful. I especially love it when Joe reminds me during the week that we need to discuss our homework assignment. He's really dedicated and it just reminds me of what a great catch I have!!! Sorry girls, he's taken! Seriously, it's been both beneficial and pleasurable. The MFT and her husband who run the group are great too. Joe and I have discussed posting a picture of us with them on our blog, so stay tuned because that is sure to be in the next week or so. This couple also reminds me (and Joe from what he's said to me) of us, personality wise. She's organized and a planner, he's a fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants type guy. So when they give personal insight during class, we often find ourselves glancing at each other or a poke in the other's arm.
One funny story about pre-marital class, was on the day we discussed in-laws and boundaries. So the teachers were asking for feedback from the class and Joe says, "It's like the Cirlce of Trust." Of course I start to laugh, because I always think Joe is so clever, especially when he refers or quotes movies. And the room was silent - crickets chirping. I thought in my head, haha, no one gets it. Then from behind us, a guys voice says, "Yeah, the Fockers!" Joe and I started laughing. Now, to clue you in, we love those movies, "Meet the Parents" and "Meet the Fockers." In fact Joe and I call each other FOcker just to be funny. So when this guy in class said that, and he was like the only person who got it at such a serious topic - it was pretty funny. If you don't get it, it's okay, just a Joe and Allyson moment.
Another memorable moment (not so funny) was the discussion of fair fighting. While discussing de-escalating self and partner or letting the other know timing isn't right, they suggested a code word. WELL, proud to say that Joe and I have had our code word for years already, and use it like a charm. So when they mentioned this idea in class, we both looked at each other and whispered our word at the same time, "********." I'd tell you, but it's top secret and I'd have to kill you. It's a couple thing (wink, wink)!
We've met some nice couples (all of which are somewhere like 18 years old and I feel like an old spinster) and hope to connect more with them in the future. We definitely like the church and think this could just be our home church in the future. So I'm really excited. Marriage here I come!
He Said:
Pre Marital classes.
Well to be honest when I first heard about pre marital counseling I was pretty much against it. If it wasn’t for one of my close friends harping on me, I probably would still think this way. My buddy pretty much insisted that I go to pre marital counseling. He said it was the best thing he ever did. Allyson and I ended up going to the same church and counseling classes that they attended because they gave it such good reviews.
Julie and her husband Rich teach the class Rich is a high school teacher and Julie is the marriage and family therapist. Our fist meeting we showed up a little bit late. Allyson was running in a 5k race in Huntington Beach in pouring rain. We showed up to the 1st class about half way through. We were immediately welcomed so I was relieved that it wasn’t a totally uncomfortable situation. There are 3 or so other couples in the class and they are very nice. We have had a few limited conversations with them and every one is super friendly. One thing I noticed right a way was that Allyson and I are the oldest ones in the class and it seems like we are the oldest by a long shot. There is one couple that looks like they are right out of high school. They look younger than 18. I feel like telling these kids grow up for a few years then get married, but who am I to judge when its time its time.
The classes are broken down in to 6 weeks and after each class there is a homework assignment. Well, I missed our first one, home work that is. They said that the didn’t grade it or any thing so I figured I didn’t have to do it… well I was pretty much called out in class as being the only one who didn’t do it, so I have made sure not to have that experience again. After that I have made it a point to get the assignments done. It has been a really enjoyable and positive experience. It really gets Allyson and me to focus on us, who we are as individuals as well as who we are as a couple.
Julie and Rich really do a good job and its funny how much they remind me of Allyson and me. There have been several times that they have been sharing a story about themselves and Allyson and I just look at each other and smile as if to say, “see you are just like that”! It’s actually funny seeing it from the outside. There was one time in particular that stands out in my mind when I was like oh my god, that is totally Allyson and we might as well be standing up there sharing our story.
Julie was talking about how people prefer things that are familiar to them. This tends to be, how things were done when the person was growing up. Well your marriage partner, hopefully, didn’t come from the exact same set of parents, so they are likely to prefer things a different way. This can lead to conflict. It can be little things but enough little things over time can lead to a fight but neither party knows why… Well the little thing that Julie and Rich used as an example was, how towels are folded. This is when I looked over at Allyson and she looked at me… I am not sure why but I am very particular about how things are folded, especially towels, t-shirts, socks, pants… well I guess any thing that comes out of the washing machine. It’s really rather strange. At times Allyson has offered to help me fold clothes, she, unfortunately has a slightly different way of folding things… This has led to a bit of conflict. I am so nutty that I have been known to refold all the towels that Allyson has just folded. I just can’t help it.
Hopefully we can post a few pictures of the class and of Julie and Rich. Also I will probably add to this as the class finishes up. I am sure there will be another story or two that comes out of the next few sessions.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
HIS Ring
He Said:
Sunday the 23rd was my day to pick out a ring. I found just the one I wanted. I had an idea of what I wanted and it was confirmed as soon as I saw it. Allyson and I went to like 3 different shops and I was convinced that I was going to find the ring I liked at the mall then, go home and buy it on line. Well after a bit of back and forth between titanium and tungsten carbide I found that the titanium was best for me, hard, light and very strong. Not as hard as the tungsten carbide but much stronger than gold. Tungsten carbide is ridiculously hard. The lady at one place took out a par of scissors and proceeded to beat the hell out of this poor ring then she wiped it off and showed us... no scratches... that’s great but what abut the scissors? They were all dinged up. That is just a bit too hard in fact it’s so hard its brittle, plus if you drop it on a hard surface it could shatter... yeah its that hard. After a bit of shopping I found out that I was 3 different sizes at 3 different stores this does not help when I am buying it online. This was going to be tougher than I thought. Then we went into the last jewelry store of the evening. There it was my ring! it was comparable to the prices on line and I got to try it on! We just had to get it... it felt right. The stars aligned once again and we had another item check off the list!
She Said:
Now I feel bad for calling Joe, Mr. Picky McPickerson in the earlier post. He was so easy to ring shop with, it's was ridiculous. He knew what he wanted, picked it out, we found a great bargain for it too. Simple, simple, simple. So I do plublically apologize to Joe about calling him picky. Maybe it's just something that happens to him regarding kitchenware? It doesn't matter, the purchase of his ring has got me all giddy again and ready to face the rest of registering.
Sunday the 23rd was my day to pick out a ring. I found just the one I wanted. I had an idea of what I wanted and it was confirmed as soon as I saw it. Allyson and I went to like 3 different shops and I was convinced that I was going to find the ring I liked at the mall then, go home and buy it on line. Well after a bit of back and forth between titanium and tungsten carbide I found that the titanium was best for me, hard, light and very strong. Not as hard as the tungsten carbide but much stronger than gold. Tungsten carbide is ridiculously hard. The lady at one place took out a par of scissors and proceeded to beat the hell out of this poor ring then she wiped it off and showed us... no scratches... that’s great but what abut the scissors? They were all dinged up. That is just a bit too hard in fact it’s so hard its brittle, plus if you drop it on a hard surface it could shatter... yeah its that hard. After a bit of shopping I found out that I was 3 different sizes at 3 different stores this does not help when I am buying it online. This was going to be tougher than I thought. Then we went into the last jewelry store of the evening. There it was my ring! it was comparable to the prices on line and I got to try it on! We just had to get it... it felt right. The stars aligned once again and we had another item check off the list!
She Said:
Now I feel bad for calling Joe, Mr. Picky McPickerson in the earlier post. He was so easy to ring shop with, it's was ridiculous. He knew what he wanted, picked it out, we found a great bargain for it too. Simple, simple, simple. So I do plublically apologize to Joe about calling him picky. Maybe it's just something that happens to him regarding kitchenware? It doesn't matter, the purchase of his ring has got me all giddy again and ready to face the rest of registering.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Grandkids
He Said:
So it's official... My dad is dying to have some grandkids. he is starting to worry me. He has been mentioning it more and more often lately. I am like what the heck is going on... He even gave me a book, the joys of being a father or something like that. I think I have enough going on in my life right now. Let’s not throw kids on top of it all.
What's a guy to do?
She Said:
WOOOOH there! A little fast~ don't you think? I know I'm chomping-at-the-bit to get married as soon as possible, but let's not make this a true "shotgun wedding."
So it's official... My dad is dying to have some grandkids. he is starting to worry me. He has been mentioning it more and more often lately. I am like what the heck is going on... He even gave me a book, the joys of being a father or something like that. I think I have enough going on in my life right now. Let’s not throw kids on top of it all.
What's a guy to do?
She Said:
WOOOOH there! A little fast~ don't you think? I know I'm chomping-at-the-bit to get married as soon as possible, but let's not make this a true "shotgun wedding."
Gift Registry
She Said:
Okay, so I have to admit, I wasn’t too excited about writing this entry. I had really looked forward to registering and let’s just say it was not what I was expecting. I do have to say that it started out REALLY bad, than finally got better before we left. Let’s just start the story at Crate and Barrel. A very cute store with a lot of options. Both basic and eccentric looking household items could be found there, as I am sure you all know. I thought this would be a perfect place to start… Little did I know that this is NOT where we’ll end up though. Joe met me there. I suggested we start with plates, because I figure everything would coordinate around those. We walked to the everyday dinnerware, he takes a look at them, and got all weird on me. I’m just standing there, totally confused. He starts rambling off about, “How am I just supposed to quickly pick plates for the rest of my life?" In my mind I just kept thinking, “What is this guy talking about, for the rest of our lives? Plates break all the time. Plus I’ve seen my mom go through a few sets of dishes in my lifetime. These are the everyday plates, not the Fine China! These will probably not stand the test of time, SO CALM DOWN AND PICK ONE!” As much as I thought this in my head, I am surprised but proud to say that I actually stayed calm and collective. I walked away, returned the stupid gun tagger thing to the register and left Joe alone for about 15 minutes. Then Joe comes up to me and says, “Okay, I’ve calmed down. I think I just got really overwhelmed. Well, I’ve looked at the dishware again, and I actually think I found one I like.” Oh my goodness, is this guy kidding me? I already turned in the stupid tazer thing! I went to look at the plates he was talking about but since I didn’t have the tazer thing, we decided to just leave Crate and Barrel and start fresh in Macy’s Home instead.
Macy’s was infinitely better, yet still not a bowl of cherries. We registered at the Bridal center and were given a free gift bag made by Swiss Army. Well that alone instantly cheered up Joe. The Bridal Attendant was very nice and helpful. Plus she laughed at Joe’s joke which was another plus for Joe. The joke: The Bridal Attendant told us she’d like to give us quality customer service. Anything we need just ask; coffee, water, etc. Well, Joe then says to her, “How about fifty bucks and a red head this tall?” and raises his hand to about 4 feet off the ground. She thought that was fabulous and told us we were the best couple she met all day. It was funny. So we’re off, with yet another laser gun tagger thing in our hands. We decided to start at kitchen electrics, pretty basic right? No. So we’re picking out all these machines and what-not, then I started to realize, wow- Joe’s really picky. I wasn't expecting this from him, because he's a really easy going guy. End result: we made it out of that section with all the basics except for a toaster, because they didn’t have one that was stainless steel that he liked.
The next section, kitchen accessories (cooking utensils). First, it took me twenty minutes to get Joe to focus on the kitchen accessories because he kept going to the next section which was knives. Once I finally got him to FOCUS, he didn’t like the accessories. I was baffled. How do you not like this can-opener, I asked? “I’m very picky about my can-openers” he responded, and I swear that is verbatim!! Then he picked up that very can-opener he didn’t like and freaked out about the price ($6 or so). I was about to lose it. If we did this for every item we pick out, we’ll never make it out of here. I said, “Fine, we’ll register somewhere else, where you like them and they’re cheaper.” End result: no kitchen accessories.
Pots/Pans. Joe does a lot of cooking and since I realized he’s Mr. Picky McPickerson, I let him off on his own. Just let me know when you’ve narrowed some stuff down. I went to the baking section and tagged some essentials. Again, twenty minutes later, Joe called me over and had narrowed two sets of pots down. I do appreciate him asking me which ones I’d rather have, so that did make me feel included… End result: awesome pots and pans (thanks to Joe’s expertise ;) because I’m not good at that stuff) and some baking supplies.
Off to everyday dinnerware. Once we arrived, we actually found a couple of dish sets that we both liked. He again started saying that “these were for life!!!” What is up with this guy, maybe he’s not ready for marriage. Come on they’re dishes not jewelry!!! I ignored it and put a smile on my face. I think we both just wanted to stop there. The dreaded dishes – the place where it all started (hours ago!). We turned in the tasor and decided we BOTH needed a beer and pizza to get us back to par. And of course it worked!!! We were able to be less irritable and the pizza replenished us and made us rational human beings once again. End result: Two happy tummy’s and pre-wedded bliss.
Joe suggested this weekend that we go register for a couple of hours… I’m a little gun shy. But hopefully the next time will be a lot better. At least we know what to expect.
He Said:
Registering… It’s supposed to be fun… right?
I am pretty sure I didn't know what I was getting myself into when allyson called me Monday (presidents day) and told me that she was at Crate & Barrel and I need to come down there. Well I was working in the garage and figured I would pop down to South Coast Plaza check out a few items at Crate & Barrel and be out of there in no time flat. I was wrong again.
I found her standing in front of a large wall, head cocked to the side looking over stemware. She had the registry gun in her hand, some thing I was not ready for. I was just here to look things over and offer some moral support. I didn’t know life long decisions had to be made today.
Allyson is very much a “get it done” kind of girl. She makes her lists and then gets some immeasurable amount of satisfaction when she checks things off. This is something we don’t share in common.
Well she handed me the gun and said let me show you the plates and lets pick out the set we like. We walked over to the wall of plates, she said with a smile on her face, ok… pick one. This is when a wave of panic hit me. I have to pick out stuff, which I am going to have for a very long time, if not for ever. I mean my parents still have stuff from when they were married(sorry mom and dad but its true). There were so many patterns, colors, shapes, thicknesses styles, and this was just the plates. My mind was racing. I saw lots of plates that I liked, I didn’t love any of them I just liked them. I was looking at plate after plate waiting to have an emotional connection with some thing… any thing. I felt pressure to make a decision, and make it now!, even if it was the wrong one, just so the list could be checked off. But I just wasn’t feeling it. So what did I do… went into shut down mode became negative and pretty much ruined the next 15 minutes of our time together, not something I am happy about. I wandered away just to think. Allyson, getting frustrated at me and the situation gave me some space. I should have handled it better, and next time I will! This is going to be our future stuff, we should have great feelings about coming to decisions together about things we want in our new home. After I gathered my thoughts and decided it was going to be ok. I came back to the plates, refreshed and ready to make some decisions. By that time Allyson had given the registry gun back to the people behind the counter and was pretty much ready to leave. I felt bad… this was not going as planned.
Since we were at South Coast mall I figured we should check out a department store. Next stop, Macys. We went to the registry department. What a pleasant experience that was. They offered water and coffee and have an excellent rewards program for registering with them.
First stop kitchen appliances. Stainless steel and black, I know it works, and I like the look, and Allyson agreed. Finally some progress. Now that the easy part was done, I was on to pots and pans, Allyson was off to the baking section. As most of you probably know I really enjoy cooking. Allyson not so much. What she lacks in cooking she makes up for in baking. She is an excellent baker, an area that I don’t often venture. Since I will likely be doing most of the cooking and her most of the baking I was to pick out pots and pans, she picked out bake ware. We made sure to touch base every few minutes to get the others opinion but most of the decisions were left to the individual.
As with everything there were lots of options. Finally after a ton of back and forth I narrowed it down, I wanted pots and pans that were heavy, non stick and had glass lids. I found them! One more item off the list! After about an hour we decided that it was time to call it a day. I think we made some serious progress. It will likely take a few more trips to finish everything but now we know what to expect.
Okay, so I have to admit, I wasn’t too excited about writing this entry. I had really looked forward to registering and let’s just say it was not what I was expecting. I do have to say that it started out REALLY bad, than finally got better before we left. Let’s just start the story at Crate and Barrel. A very cute store with a lot of options. Both basic and eccentric looking household items could be found there, as I am sure you all know. I thought this would be a perfect place to start… Little did I know that this is NOT where we’ll end up though. Joe met me there. I suggested we start with plates, because I figure everything would coordinate around those. We walked to the everyday dinnerware, he takes a look at them, and got all weird on me. I’m just standing there, totally confused. He starts rambling off about, “How am I just supposed to quickly pick plates for the rest of my life?" In my mind I just kept thinking, “What is this guy talking about, for the rest of our lives? Plates break all the time. Plus I’ve seen my mom go through a few sets of dishes in my lifetime. These are the everyday plates, not the Fine China! These will probably not stand the test of time, SO CALM DOWN AND PICK ONE!” As much as I thought this in my head, I am surprised but proud to say that I actually stayed calm and collective. I walked away, returned the stupid gun tagger thing to the register and left Joe alone for about 15 minutes. Then Joe comes up to me and says, “Okay, I’ve calmed down. I think I just got really overwhelmed. Well, I’ve looked at the dishware again, and I actually think I found one I like.” Oh my goodness, is this guy kidding me? I already turned in the stupid tazer thing! I went to look at the plates he was talking about but since I didn’t have the tazer thing, we decided to just leave Crate and Barrel and start fresh in Macy’s Home instead.
Macy’s was infinitely better, yet still not a bowl of cherries. We registered at the Bridal center and were given a free gift bag made by Swiss Army. Well that alone instantly cheered up Joe. The Bridal Attendant was very nice and helpful. Plus she laughed at Joe’s joke which was another plus for Joe. The joke: The Bridal Attendant told us she’d like to give us quality customer service. Anything we need just ask; coffee, water, etc. Well, Joe then says to her, “How about fifty bucks and a red head this tall?” and raises his hand to about 4 feet off the ground. She thought that was fabulous and told us we were the best couple she met all day. It was funny. So we’re off, with yet another laser gun tagger thing in our hands. We decided to start at kitchen electrics, pretty basic right? No. So we’re picking out all these machines and what-not, then I started to realize, wow- Joe’s really picky. I wasn't expecting this from him, because he's a really easy going guy. End result: we made it out of that section with all the basics except for a toaster, because they didn’t have one that was stainless steel that he liked.
The next section, kitchen accessories (cooking utensils). First, it took me twenty minutes to get Joe to focus on the kitchen accessories because he kept going to the next section which was knives. Once I finally got him to FOCUS, he didn’t like the accessories. I was baffled. How do you not like this can-opener, I asked? “I’m very picky about my can-openers” he responded, and I swear that is verbatim!! Then he picked up that very can-opener he didn’t like and freaked out about the price ($6 or so). I was about to lose it. If we did this for every item we pick out, we’ll never make it out of here. I said, “Fine, we’ll register somewhere else, where you like them and they’re cheaper.” End result: no kitchen accessories.
Pots/Pans. Joe does a lot of cooking and since I realized he’s Mr. Picky McPickerson, I let him off on his own. Just let me know when you’ve narrowed some stuff down. I went to the baking section and tagged some essentials. Again, twenty minutes later, Joe called me over and had narrowed two sets of pots down. I do appreciate him asking me which ones I’d rather have, so that did make me feel included… End result: awesome pots and pans (thanks to Joe’s expertise ;) because I’m not good at that stuff) and some baking supplies.
Off to everyday dinnerware. Once we arrived, we actually found a couple of dish sets that we both liked. He again started saying that “these were for life!!!” What is up with this guy, maybe he’s not ready for marriage. Come on they’re dishes not jewelry!!! I ignored it and put a smile on my face. I think we both just wanted to stop there. The dreaded dishes – the place where it all started (hours ago!). We turned in the tasor and decided we BOTH needed a beer and pizza to get us back to par. And of course it worked!!! We were able to be less irritable and the pizza replenished us and made us rational human beings once again. End result: Two happy tummy’s and pre-wedded bliss.
Joe suggested this weekend that we go register for a couple of hours… I’m a little gun shy. But hopefully the next time will be a lot better. At least we know what to expect.
He Said:
Registering… It’s supposed to be fun… right?
I am pretty sure I didn't know what I was getting myself into when allyson called me Monday (presidents day) and told me that she was at Crate & Barrel and I need to come down there. Well I was working in the garage and figured I would pop down to South Coast Plaza check out a few items at Crate & Barrel and be out of there in no time flat. I was wrong again.
I found her standing in front of a large wall, head cocked to the side looking over stemware. She had the registry gun in her hand, some thing I was not ready for. I was just here to look things over and offer some moral support. I didn’t know life long decisions had to be made today.
Allyson is very much a “get it done” kind of girl. She makes her lists and then gets some immeasurable amount of satisfaction when she checks things off. This is something we don’t share in common.
Well she handed me the gun and said let me show you the plates and lets pick out the set we like. We walked over to the wall of plates, she said with a smile on her face, ok… pick one. This is when a wave of panic hit me. I have to pick out stuff, which I am going to have for a very long time, if not for ever. I mean my parents still have stuff from when they were married(sorry mom and dad but its true). There were so many patterns, colors, shapes, thicknesses styles, and this was just the plates. My mind was racing. I saw lots of plates that I liked, I didn’t love any of them I just liked them. I was looking at plate after plate waiting to have an emotional connection with some thing… any thing. I felt pressure to make a decision, and make it now!, even if it was the wrong one, just so the list could be checked off. But I just wasn’t feeling it. So what did I do… went into shut down mode became negative and pretty much ruined the next 15 minutes of our time together, not something I am happy about. I wandered away just to think. Allyson, getting frustrated at me and the situation gave me some space. I should have handled it better, and next time I will! This is going to be our future stuff, we should have great feelings about coming to decisions together about things we want in our new home. After I gathered my thoughts and decided it was going to be ok. I came back to the plates, refreshed and ready to make some decisions. By that time Allyson had given the registry gun back to the people behind the counter and was pretty much ready to leave. I felt bad… this was not going as planned.
Since we were at South Coast mall I figured we should check out a department store. Next stop, Macys. We went to the registry department. What a pleasant experience that was. They offered water and coffee and have an excellent rewards program for registering with them.
First stop kitchen appliances. Stainless steel and black, I know it works, and I like the look, and Allyson agreed. Finally some progress. Now that the easy part was done, I was on to pots and pans, Allyson was off to the baking section. As most of you probably know I really enjoy cooking. Allyson not so much. What she lacks in cooking she makes up for in baking. She is an excellent baker, an area that I don’t often venture. Since I will likely be doing most of the cooking and her most of the baking I was to pick out pots and pans, she picked out bake ware. We made sure to touch base every few minutes to get the others opinion but most of the decisions were left to the individual.
As with everything there were lots of options. Finally after a ton of back and forth I narrowed it down, I wanted pots and pans that were heavy, non stick and had glass lids. I found them! One more item off the list! After about an hour we decided that it was time to call it a day. I think we made some serious progress. It will likely take a few more trips to finish everything but now we know what to expect.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Buying - THE RING!
This is Joe with John Petty the day he bought the ring!!! Compliments of his mother, thanks Steph!!
Monday, February 4, 2008
Dress shopping
He Said:
Ally went dress shopping this weekend with her mother and my mother . So far it's sounding like Ally might have found the perfect dress. She was so excited when she was telling me about her outing with the 2 moms. I think it was killing her that she couldn't tell me yesterday. I know she will look beautiful and I can't wait to see her in it. There may be a few more outings to check out more dresses but I know allyson, she can make a decision quickly and it is usually the right one.
She Said:
My mom tells me I’ve been the easiest to go wedding dress shopping with out of my other two sisters. That’s a good thing. Maybe it’s because I’m not much of a wedding-dress-kind-of-girl. I like simple dresses, not the traditional wedding gowns. Now, don’t get me wrong, I do think wedding gowns are gorgeous, just not on me or for me. I believe all wedding dresses reflect the bride’s personality and style. I think the one’s I have chosen so far do just that. Without giving to much detail, I will say that I have found one dress in particular that I AM IN LOVE with! It just might be the one. It’s the only one I felt giddy about when I had it on, a feeling of “Oh my gosh, I’m getting married!!!!”
My mom and Stephanie Raffel (Joe’s mom) accompanied me on my first round of wedding dress shopping. I picked three shops based on their dress selection, basically they all carried my favorite dress designer. I am a very organized person, so I had researched the style numbers available at the store, booked appointments, and brought my own list of the dresses I liked that they had. Simple as pie. Of course, I was open to trying other dresses on. I told both moms, that if they found something they liked, I’d try it on. I have had two sisters, a close cousin, and best friend all wedding dress shop. If there is one thing I learned it is try on everything. Sometimes dresses that look ugly on the rack, look amazing on! This actually happened to me also. The dress attendant at the last store picked out a dress I would have NEVER picked out for myself. I tried it on, and sure enough it was beautiful. It ended up being one of my favorites of the day. It’s weird how that happens. Future brides heed the advice to try everything, you just never know!
Driving home from the shop I kept thinking about – THE DRESS. I told my mom to turn around right then, I wanted to buy it! Sometimes I can be pretty impulsive, but hey, when you know, you know. My mom SUGGESTED (a little more than suggestion, since she was the one driving and in control; wink, wink) I go to a few more shops and look around a little more. If I still want that dress after that then it that means it’s really THE DRESS for me. I can tell you this much, not much has changed in my mind since that day, I still want that dress. In fact I dreamt about it that night!!! I do plan on checking out a few more shops, so I will keep you informed on how it goes.
Ally went dress shopping this weekend with her mother and my mother . So far it's sounding like Ally might have found the perfect dress. She was so excited when she was telling me about her outing with the 2 moms. I think it was killing her that she couldn't tell me yesterday. I know she will look beautiful and I can't wait to see her in it. There may be a few more outings to check out more dresses but I know allyson, she can make a decision quickly and it is usually the right one.
She Said:
My mom tells me I’ve been the easiest to go wedding dress shopping with out of my other two sisters. That’s a good thing. Maybe it’s because I’m not much of a wedding-dress-kind-of-girl. I like simple dresses, not the traditional wedding gowns. Now, don’t get me wrong, I do think wedding gowns are gorgeous, just not on me or for me. I believe all wedding dresses reflect the bride’s personality and style. I think the one’s I have chosen so far do just that. Without giving to much detail, I will say that I have found one dress in particular that I AM IN LOVE with! It just might be the one. It’s the only one I felt giddy about when I had it on, a feeling of “Oh my gosh, I’m getting married!!!!”
My mom and Stephanie Raffel (Joe’s mom) accompanied me on my first round of wedding dress shopping. I picked three shops based on their dress selection, basically they all carried my favorite dress designer. I am a very organized person, so I had researched the style numbers available at the store, booked appointments, and brought my own list of the dresses I liked that they had. Simple as pie. Of course, I was open to trying other dresses on. I told both moms, that if they found something they liked, I’d try it on. I have had two sisters, a close cousin, and best friend all wedding dress shop. If there is one thing I learned it is try on everything. Sometimes dresses that look ugly on the rack, look amazing on! This actually happened to me also. The dress attendant at the last store picked out a dress I would have NEVER picked out for myself. I tried it on, and sure enough it was beautiful. It ended up being one of my favorites of the day. It’s weird how that happens. Future brides heed the advice to try everything, you just never know!
Driving home from the shop I kept thinking about – THE DRESS. I told my mom to turn around right then, I wanted to buy it! Sometimes I can be pretty impulsive, but hey, when you know, you know. My mom SUGGESTED (a little more than suggestion, since she was the one driving and in control; wink, wink) I go to a few more shops and look around a little more. If I still want that dress after that then it that means it’s really THE DRESS for me. I can tell you this much, not much has changed in my mind since that day, I still want that dress. In fact I dreamt about it that night!!! I do plan on checking out a few more shops, so I will keep you informed on how it goes.
The Guest List
He Said:
So this guest list thing is tougher than expected. I was hoping to invite very one I could think of to share our special day with us. Then reality hit me... It is looking like we are going to have to cut back a bit. The number of guests we are inviting is 150 which sounds like a lot but when you start putting names on paper there are more names than spots. It’s going to be hard deciding who we are inviting and who we won't. Decisions decisions. Allyson tried several times this weekend to get the guest list nailed down. I have been trying to avoid it... I know we need to get the save the date cards out, but seriously, where is the fire.
She Said:
Well, since I always pictured myself having a very small wedding that would include immediate family only; I had never, never, never thought about the guest list. Now, I get why brides stress out. I get the whole Bridezilla thing! Because this is enough to make a person go postal! So I find myself with a list of 200 people and not enough money in the budget to feed them! Yes, I have anxiety sometimes. Usually it happens around Christmas time when every family member of mine is staying in my house at once; but I found my chest hurting me again looking at this freak’in list of names! Can someone pass the Xanax please? I feel an anxiety attack coming on! Joe has calmed me down, by assuring me we will cut the list down. It’s funny because he was up for everyone coming until I reminded him just how much money per person extra we’d have to tack on our bill. Haha, sure enough he started assuring me we would cut down the list, no questions asked. We are currently working on THE LIST. I’ll keep you updated.
So this guest list thing is tougher than expected. I was hoping to invite very one I could think of to share our special day with us. Then reality hit me... It is looking like we are going to have to cut back a bit. The number of guests we are inviting is 150 which sounds like a lot but when you start putting names on paper there are more names than spots. It’s going to be hard deciding who we are inviting and who we won't. Decisions decisions. Allyson tried several times this weekend to get the guest list nailed down. I have been trying to avoid it... I know we need to get the save the date cards out, but seriously, where is the fire.
She Said:
Well, since I always pictured myself having a very small wedding that would include immediate family only; I had never, never, never thought about the guest list. Now, I get why brides stress out. I get the whole Bridezilla thing! Because this is enough to make a person go postal! So I find myself with a list of 200 people and not enough money in the budget to feed them! Yes, I have anxiety sometimes. Usually it happens around Christmas time when every family member of mine is staying in my house at once; but I found my chest hurting me again looking at this freak’in list of names! Can someone pass the Xanax please? I feel an anxiety attack coming on! Joe has calmed me down, by assuring me we will cut the list down. It’s funny because he was up for everyone coming until I reminded him just how much money per person extra we’d have to tack on our bill. Haha, sure enough he started assuring me we would cut down the list, no questions asked. We are currently working on THE LIST. I’ll keep you updated.
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