so i'm going to be a bridesmaid in my brother's wedding, but i'm also going to be 6 months pregnant by then. the dress she chose has a built-in corset. jcrew is suggesting that i order 2 sizes up then try to have it fitted. has anyone had experience fitting a corset to a pregnant belly? i'm worried

12/6/2011 2:44:10 PM

do you have to order now? for a pregnant bridesmaid we were able to wait 2 mo before the wedding to order.

does she know yet? do you think she would allow you to wear a different dress in the same color that would be more comfortable wearing for being 6 mo pregnant?

12/6/2011 3:36:33 PM

jcrew said i shouldn't wait past mid-dec to order. she's picked a certain color, which only comes in a certain fabric, and none of the other dresses are suited to a pregnant belly either. here's all the dresses available in that color
http://www.jcrew.com/wedding/Wedding_Bridesmaid/bridesmaidpartydresses/cottontaffeta.jsp

the one she chose for the 3 of us is the gabby. her sister/MOH is wearing the ramona. the color is deep coral.

12/6/2011 3:58:55 PM

How long will it take to arrive? Can you order 2 sizes and bring one back? I think, this being your first pregnancy, it is going to be very difficult to gauge what size you will be at six months. I don't think salespeople know what to do then either. My sister was told to order a size 20 for her dress (she's normally a size 4) for being 6 months pregnant, and it was swimming on her. She got an 8, and was just fine.

If you can't order the two sizes, then you really are going to pay significantly to get that style of dress altered down to fit you. One of the other styles would probably work a lot better, particularly the one with the thick straps (which I guess is out of the question, since MOH is wearing that one).

[Edited on December 6, 2011 at 4:24 PM. Reason : ]

12/6/2011 4:23:45 PM

the salespeople were worried about it going out of season/discontinued. i can't afford to order 2 sizes, plus we're not getting christmas bonuses this year so i've got to buy presents & this dress magically somehow. i don't know how i'll afford to pay $texas to have it altered either. i've calmed down a LOT since my first freak out, but with a baby coming i just REALLY do not want to put that much money into a dress + alterations, then not be able to sell it bc it's altered. i don't want to be the stick in the mud either, but i don't know what else to do.

[Edited on December 6, 2011 at 4:35 PM. Reason : ]

12/6/2011 4:32:15 PM

I feel you, and chances are, the bride does too. My suggestion is to sit down with her and brainstorm your options (with your brother if the new s-i-l is crazy). Calculate the costs with them, so they can see what they're asking. I bet there's a solution out there that's not crazy. But don't stress about it, it'll all work out.

12/6/2011 4:36:24 PM

What's the best cruise line for a honeymoon?

12/10/2011 4:30:28 PM

^^ Yeah I would just be completely honest with the bride. If you can't afford it, you can't afford it. Any bride that can't sympathize with that is just being a bitch.

Also,

Quote :

"My sister was told to order a size 20 for her dress (she's normally a size 4) for being 6 months pregnant"

I laughed at this. Did the salesperson think she was pregnant with triplets or something?

12/10/2011 8:43:13 PM

^ it's only like a 14 in street sizes, not so huge... plus it's always easier to tailor down rather than up

Honestly, a pregnant woman in a corseted dress? Sounds like a terrible idea: just wait until you know what size you are and then get something off the rack

any bride who would seriously care about this is a bitch

[Edited on December 11, 2011 at 1:48 PM. Reason : ,.]

12/11/2011 1:47:00 PM

I thought bridesmaids dresses were done in street sizes? I honestly haven't a clue since I let my bridesmaids get whatever they wanted for their dresses. I think they got their dresses from Anthropologie, eshatki, and my sister got hers from a local designer.

12/11/2011 3:28:04 PM

I registered by myself today


One of theist depressing moments of my entire time in Bham

12/11/2011 4:44:43 PM

Aww, I ended up having to register solo too. I was in Japan and David had already moved back to Raleigh. But with it being all online he was still able to go in and veto things

12/11/2011 4:55:48 PM

Quote :

"I thought bridesmaids dresses were done in street sizes? "

I thought this too. Her dress was definitely street size anyways. She ended up getting a 6 and having it tailored slightly. The design was already very loose in the waist, so there wasn't that much of an issue. I don't know how she would have done it with a corset top dress.

[Edited on December 11, 2011 at 5:05 PM. Reason : ]

12/11/2011 5:04:38 PM

when I got my bridesmaid dress for my sister's wedding this year, it was ordered in bridal sizes

I guess it just depends on where you get them from (or from which company, etc)

[Edited on December 11, 2011 at 6:56 PM. Reason : .]

12/11/2011 6:56:33 PM

hey, anyone have any advice on bands for a reception in charlotte? my fiancee and i like dancing and swing music but are open-minded and i guess could do ryokyoku chanting or swedish death metal or whatever if somebody has a good recommendation.

anybody you've hired or heard and liked? anybody have a friend who does wedding gigs?

12/11/2011 7:39:14 PM

Quote :

"What's the best cruise line for a honeymoon?"

We went on the Norwegian Epic through the Mediterranean and it was awesome. They have a honeymoon package (I think it was $100 or so), which gave us a bottle of champagne and chocolate dipped strawberries upon embarkation, dinner at the french restaurant (usually $15 or 20 cover charge per head), beef canapes in our stateroom one night, a honeymooners cake and champagne party (which we missed), and a choice of a free photo from the bazillion pictures they take of you. Also, since we booked through smartcruiser.com, they gave us $110 onboard spending credit and a bottle of wine in our stateroom. They guarantee the lowest price or they will price match if you find anything cheaper (I never could find anything cheaper). If you want, I could give you the direct line to the smartcruiser representative we used.

12/12/2011 7:51:44 AM

That sounds awesome!

12/12/2011 9:24:04 AM

Has anybody gotten there dress preserved?
I wasn’t going to but I got a groupon that made it about the third of what it was supposed to cost. I got it back a few weeks ago and while it looks cleaned and in a box with a clear plastic window- its not sealed or anything. Also, the box they put it in is huge compared to the dress- so its all in a wrinkled mess at the bottom of the box.

12/12/2011 10:19:26 AM

I still haven't decided what to do with my wedding dress. Part of me thinks keep it and preserve it. Part of me thinks I should donate it or sell it. I'm really torn.

12/12/2011 10:38:44 AM

only ordered enough invitations for the original list

want to make list larger

oops

12/19/2011 5:08:55 PM

Nice


5 months til the big day... Guess I need to get our invitations soon

12/19/2011 5:21:43 PM

^^crossing my fingers that I make the 2nd pass

12/20/2011 12:22:46 AM

samwise, i guess we're set for about the same dates

it's been kinda interesting following your progress in relation to ours

12/20/2011 9:01:16 AM

What day is yours again?


I guess ours is a little different just because we have had the chance to plan over 2 years... The only thing that I haven't been way ahead of schedule for so far are these damn invitations, which irritates me >.< but I'm giving myself a break because I think sending them out 3 months ahead of time is still good (at least I think it is)

What do y'all have left to do? Hopefully I'm not actually behind

12/20/2011 10:18:53 AM

We actually were told to send them out 2 months to 6 weeks ahead of time, particularly if you sent save the dates. Either way, you've got plenty of time!

Although, it's crazy, because I remember when you first started planning, and Spring 2012 seemed like so far away! Now it's just around the corner!!

12/20/2011 10:35:07 AM

end of april.

we did a long engagement too, since we've been planning it from 1200 miles from the ceremony site. only like 16 months though.

i'm going to finalize the contract with the rentals, florists, and caterers today. that's the last vendors to get.

well, that and the tuxedo.

i kinda feel like we're way behind, but i mean we're putting together favors and things like that.

we put together our initial list, and wanted to keep it really small. then the families made their additions and it feels like over half the guest lists are people that the family is requiring us to invite, and not really our friends. so we want to expand to people we've met and become good friends with down here, along with some more people from the ncsu era that we both feel really bad about not putting on the initial list. but now we're kinda out of invitations. we ordered the invites, before really getting the final lists from family. kinda irritating, but i thought a like 40% overage from the list we had would have been sufficient, but guess not. also, ordering more from the printer turns out will be pretty expensive. kinda don't know what to do.

i guess i need to source the alcohol too, but that's kinda minor. we're going to supply our own. i want to do a microbrew from each state either of us has lived in, since it's been kinda a wild ride... we'll probably have a micro from nc, tx, de, pa, and va, then the assortment of bulks for the beers. i thought that was kinda a neat touch that some people would pick up on.

some of our friends here are talking about renting an rv as a group and making a road trip out to the wedding, with stops in new orleans and savannah.. sounds fun

[Edited on December 20, 2011 at 10:37 AM. Reason : maybe a thai beer since that's where we're going for the honeymoon]

12/20/2011 10:35:19 AM

Have you talked to the venue about supplyng your own beer? Are y'all supplying your own liquor? Might want to make sure you don't need a special license for that


Oh your post reminds me I need to talk to Eric about him and his groomsmen getting their tuxes - myself and the bridesmaids dont need to go anywhere so I keep forgetting about that

It did seem so far away... Now it's flying by but I can't help but think of graduation first

12/20/2011 10:40:46 AM

yes, we specifically sought out venues that allowed you to bring your own alcohol, as well as caterers that would supply a bartender, and wouldn't make you purchase the alcohol through them. the venue is kinda quirky about red wines, but i think we are going to be able to bring it anyways.

we do not plan to have liquor (widely available) at the reception, and wont be needing the license because of that. i do plan to have at least a bottle of bourbon in the guys dressing room. the venue however, does allow for one "signature cocktail" to be served, but idk if i can think of what that should be. i mean the colors are black and purple. ain't a lot of drinks that don't suck that wouldn't be kinda clashing in colors if we had some big ole globe looking serving thingie.

"what would you like to drink sir... here's the beer selection, wines, sodas, tea, water, and jager."

12/20/2011 10:45:40 AM

A Pomegranate Martini could pass for purple!

[Edited on December 20, 2011 at 10:47 AM. Reason : Or any orange/pink drink wouldn't clash, but would blend well.]

12/20/2011 10:47:10 AM

i really like the pom martini idea...

thanks

12/20/2011 10:53:11 AM

black vodka with purple ice cubes

12/20/2011 1:47:04 PM

Quote :

"Might want to make sure you don't need a special license for that"

In case anyone else is wondering, yes you need a special occasion license if you will serve anything over a certain proof (basically hard liquor). You can get it from the main ABC office in Raleigh, which is convenient if you're in Raleigh. Otherwise you have to mail shit in and it gets more complicated.

So, if you plan on doing a signature cocktail, unless that cocktail is only made from beer and/or wine, I recommend just going ahead and getting the license to cover your ass. It's $50 if I remember correctly. I've also known people to serve cocktails made from wine or sake so they wouldn't have to worry about the license.

12/20/2011 2:10:15 PM

Here's the ring I gave my fiance in November!



And here's the proposal (camera on a timer)



hopefully they'll work....

12/20/2011 8:53:22 PM

^2 Yeah, that's what we have to do (we get to provide all of our own liquor)


^ Nice! Welcome to the thread

12/21/2011 2:15:21 PM

Thanks! Just realized I should probably have put them in the engagement rings thread but whatever.

12/21/2011 6:54:51 PM

Going dress shopping today. Won't be bringing one home, though, cuz my mommy can't come

Mom can only go on weekends, and matron of honor can only go on weekdays, so I'm going to try a few on and take pictures, and then let the moh try some on.

12/28/2011 9:57:43 AM

So apparently I'm going bridesmaid dress browsing next Monday. Should be interesting since I never did it for my own wedding

12/28/2011 10:27:52 AM

I think I found my dress! Gotta bring mommy back on the 16th.

we found bottombaby's bridesmaid dress as well, but I changed my mind about colors so we didn't order it yet.

12/28/2011 3:03:21 PM

Yay!! Great news, that's so exciting!

12/28/2011 3:33:07 PM

thanks!



please help pick my colors! I suck at this.

the decor is going to be fall decor, so oranges, browns, and golds.

I have four bridesmaids and a flower girl. i don't mind four different colors, one color on moh and one on the other three, two and two, or all the same. i think the flower girls dress will be the same color as mine. There will be three pasty white girls and one dark skinned black girl.

Probably using davidsbridal.com colors

http://www.davidsbridal.com/Resource_Style-Fashion-Guide-Color-Inspiration-Color-Center?contentName=/Left_Nav/Style_and_Fashion_Guide/Color_Inspiration/color_center

[Edited on December 29, 2011 at 4:01 PM. Reason : new link]

12/29/2011 3:56:27 PM

I really love Sangria for a fall wedding. Pairs nicely with orange (tangerine) or gold.

[Edited on December 29, 2011 at 4:14 PM. Reason : ]

12/29/2011 4:14:09 PM

sangria is definitely on my list.
as is gold/champagne.


I'm leaning towards a combo of either gold or champagne and then a color, like sangria, marine, lapis, or jade

12/29/2011 4:20:06 PM

how about a deep berry purple? I like their lapis^^^ohhh and their sangria

and I also like their clover and peacock.


what's your inspiration/ what flowers do you want to use?

12/29/2011 4:21:39 PM

I actually dont think i'm using flowers. mom and i have been buying up clearance fall decor from all over the place, and we got a bunch of the branches that have little lights in them, stuff like this:




we've got pumpkins and gourds and all sorts of stuffs.


i was thinking of using brooch bouquets or crystal bouquets or even feathers of some sort.

12/29/2011 4:27:37 PM

That will be beautiful! I love the champagne/gold idea.

12/29/2011 4:52:00 PM

^ Yeah I think that's a really classy color for sure, especially for fall.

Went bridesmaid dress shopping this afternoon with the bride. She's starting to consider just choosing a color and fabric and letting her bridesmaids choose the style of dress. I reeeeeeeeeeeeeeally hope she goes this route because her bridesmaids are such a wide range of shapes and sizes there is absolutely zero way the same dress will look even remotely good on everyone.

12/29/2011 6:44:06 PM

I am looking for any suggestions for a wedding reception venue:

We are looking at October 20th (Saturday). We are interested in having the reception somewhere in Raleigh. We have looked at 'The Stockroom' and 'Cobblestone Hall.' Both venues are booked for the weekend.

I am beginning to think we are too late to book a place for this October.

12/29/2011 8:23:50 PM

hah one of my friends is getting married in the Stockroom this October

Have you looked at Bay 7 or The Cotton Room already? Those both have the same vibe as The Stockroom and Cobblestone Hall. All Saints Chapel is another nice venue in downtown Raleigh if you're wanting to stick to the downtown area.

12/29/2011 9:24:48 PM

I'm actually at the Cobblestone on the 27th. I think they had the first weekend of October free. I'll admit it was tough finding a venue that month. Would you consider doing it outside? Also, how large will your wedding be? There are a few places downtown that might work for something a little smaller. You could try Artspace, All Saints Chapel, somewhere like that. Or some of the City of Raleigh owned places downtown (Mordecai Park, etc.)

12/30/2011 8:50:07 AM

We catered a reception at The Stockroom

Really nice place. It was in October of this year.

12/30/2011 8:56:16 AM