WEDDING GOWN SHOPPING

...and I'm back from my bridal breakdown!

Yay!

I'm back in the swing of things and decided to take advantage of my Spring Break by trying to get a couple things done for this wedding thing that's supposed to be going down. You would think that working in a bridal shop I'd have my dress picked out by now - but I've fallen in and out of love with two dresses already, yet I've been putting off placing my order. I came to the conclusion that I hadn't seen enough being that I'd pretty much only been shopping at my job. I found a bridal boutqiue nearby that carries Casablanca Bridals, which is the dress line that I'm obsessed with. We carry this brand at my workplace, but this boutique had additional styles that we don't have in stock.

I had such a blast at this boutique! The girls were so nice and even got my mom to try on a few dresses as well. I found a few styles that I liked, here are some of my favorites

Sidebar: My boobs look ridiculous! But apparently women pay to have someone make theirs this size so I guess I should be thankful. Ha ha at the sales girls hiding behind me so that I could see what the dress looks like...

I have to say that the dress that I'm 95% sure that I'm getting is one that I randomly decided to try on for fun, not because I thought I'd like it. It's a style we have in our store, but the one that we have in stock is champagne while the one I tried on at this place was ivory - I guess the color threw me off. I'm ready to move on from this scene so I'll probably order my dress by the end of this week. In addition, I've found my party dress for the wedding! Wasn't expecting that today! I think it's actually a bridesmaid dress but I'm going to order it in ivory. Even better news on the shoe front - I found a 3.5 inch heel that I can actually walk in - as a matter fact I did a lap around the store (hey now). Loved them! But they cost over $200 which broke my heart...but now that I conquered my fear of wearing heels on my wedding day I might take a closer look at the Lela Rose collection that I told you all about - $25, that sounds more realistic for me.

If you're in South Florida bride to be, check out Unique Bridal Boutique in Deerfield Beach - loved it there. We probably spent about 2 hours in there, maybe more... & they gave me candy so I'm sold!

Well 'HIGH' There Lela Rose

Still searching for that perfect pair of shoes for your wedding day? Consider this: Lela Rose is now designing a line of fashionable bridal shoes which are available at Payless - perfect for the recessionista bride! If you were looking for a colorful pair for your big day, you can also order these in a dyeable version from unforgettablemoments.com. The best aspect of these shoes however is the price tag - $24.99!

In addition to now designing this line of wedding shoes, Lela allows designs wedding dresses, bridesmaid dresses as well as ready to wear.

Hhhhmmm...I'm starting to reconsider my no heel rule for my wedding day - can't go wrong for $25!

Beautiful Me.

Sometimes my fiance will randomly look at me and say "You're so beautiful."Me? Beautiful? Really?

I've always had a weird complex about my looks. I began suffering from acne when I was 8 years old which made me very self concious. I've literally spent my life in the chairs of various dermatologists and estheticians - they'd pick at my face, squeeze it, clean it and after the swelling went down and the tears were gone I'd almost feel pretty... but after a couple days I'd go back to normal. My cabinets were filled with face washes and astringents that would work for a couple days and then my skin would get use to it. Frustration. Frustration. Frustration. As a child I can remember being called ugly... by other children as well as adults.

After years of experimenting I finally got my acne under control which improved my self esteem...but I still wouldn't consider myself BEAUTIFUL. In my mind, that word was reserved for the likes of beauty queens - not the girl who would look like pizza face if she missed one day of her face cleaning rituals...not the girl who people called ugly.

Now in my 20's I am comfortable with the way I look. In Oct 2007 I went home to Jamaica and while I was there made a quick stop at the estheticians spa that I had pretty much grown up in. I felt so alive and refreshed after leaving there - it inspired me to get more in depth in skincare. By that December I enrolled myself in a skincare specialty course and later graduated as Florida State Liscened Esthetician.

A few months after graduation I was helping a customer at work when she told me "You have such beautiful skin!"... I was the only other person in the room with her - I was speechless. I will never forget that. If only that woman knew what those few kind words really meant to me.

I got into skin care and makeup not only to learn how to take care and beautify my skin but to also help others one day - especially children and teenagers.

I'd never been used to be even being called pretty and now the man of my dreams tells me I'm beautiful..and you know what - I'm finally believing it.

TAKE THAT SUCKAS!!!!

I'm not breaking the rules - this isn't about any wedding stuff (lol)

I'm happy to report that I got an A on my ADVERTISING II project that I told you all the story about...yes, the same project where those sneaky girls kicked me out of their group while I was absent (here's the back story if you missed it ). FYI: I made sure to stare at them during my presentation - one couldn't look at me, the other one found everywhere else to focus her eyes but on me as I stood in front of the class.

I already knew what I was capable of so I wasn't surprised that I got an A. I'm not going to hate on their (boring) presentation (hehehehhe) but I will say that I was the only person in the class who was able to actually get my classmates involved. Everyone woke up, smiles were on their faces and I made everyone laugh a couple times and got a loud round of applause at the end - and I did that BY MYSELF ::brushing the dirt off my shoulders::

Take that suckas..........

PS: I don't usually toot my own horn like this but ::toot, toot, beep, beep, honk. hookk!!!!!"

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!!!!!

"Defy the haters" - Kimora Lee Simmons

I Want To Cancel My Wedding...

...but I can't because I already put my deposit down (and I love the place).

So in an effort to maintain my sanity and at the urging of my mother I'm not allowed to think about the wedding - plan the wedding - read about weddings - dream about my wedding - contact any vendors - or do any sort of wedding related activity for the next week. I'm literally going to have to ween myself of weddings - I feel like I'm going to Bridal Rehab! I'm not allowed to blog either :(

For the next week I'll be focusing on my finals and will probably go to Ikea everyday and pretend I live there.

Until next week...

PS: Fun fact of the day, I was watching NCIS today and a scene went as follows:

Girl: I hate her because she talks trash about me on her blog.

Detective: What's a blog?

Girl: It's some stupid thing where losers go online and write about their pathetic lives!

.................my fiance then turns to me and laughs in my face for a good 2 minutes

Today I Cried...

I'm not having fun planning my wedding...AT ALL

I want to cry everytime someone asks me how the wedding planning is going

I want to key the words "CALL ME BACK MOTHER F**KER" on the hood of my original DJ's car

I have no videographer because the one I had my hopes up about took a crap on my dreams - now I must start from scratch

I now hate the fact that I decided to have a big bridal party

I'm mad at them for not paying the deposit on time but I won't tell them that (only 3 girls have paid so far...a week or two after the due date by the way)

I should have eloped

I don't want to get contacts ... just so I can wear them on my wedding day so that people won't whisper about me wearing my glasses

I'm fat...and for some reason I can't loose weight by sitting in class all day

I feel like an asshole for trying to plan a wedding when my fiance as yet to get another job since getting laid off

I don't want a wedding anymore - I'm content with the courthouse - or a beach...just with our parents

I don't want to wear heels on my wedding day - I wish everyone would leave me alone about it - "It'll make you look taller and leaner"....well I'm 4'11!!! My fiance is a foot and 2 inches taller than me, it won't make a difference

School makes me want to throw myself down the stairs everytime I go there

I can't understand why I work so hard to get straight A's just so I can file for unemployment when I graduate in June

I don't want to spend our money on the wedding - I want a win the lotto and powerball simultaneously although I never play

8 months until the wedding...

My $1 pillow from the thift store

Operation Candy Buffet...and bridesmaids

Today I got the orders for 3 bridesmaid dresses - 3 down, 7 to go! Ugh, that sounds ridiculous. One of my friends asked me how many bridesmaids I was having and I must admit that I was a little embarresed to tell her, so I made a joke about it and said "the whole world...seriously".

Good news: Operation Candy Buffet has gotten the green light! My venue offers a candy buffet add on which I would have to pay for per person. From the description of their candy bar, it sounded pretty lame and I refused to have a candy bar that was less than what is in my head. The venue doesn't allow outside food and since they had a candy buffet package I wasn't too sure if I'd be able to do my own thing. I made a quick call to the banquet manager and she said it was ok to bring in my own candy - sweet!

While my classmates will be spending Spring Break on South Beach, I'll be taking the time to sketch a couple ideas of how I want my candy buffet to look and get some other wedding stuff done. The Candy Buffet is extremly important to me for reasons that I will explain at a later time (the suspense is killing you - I know).

For inspiration on my candy buffet and (I'm sure) yours...

Dear Mr Video Man, thanks but no thanks

The video company that I was soooo excited about using is not going to work out.

I began communicating with a video company in November of 08 but I couldn't book them because I didn't have a venue at that time and therefore didn't have a concrete date. Now that I am positive of my wedding date and I went ahead and began the e-mailing process back and forth all over again. He told me that their prices had since gone up but that he would honor the original price that he gave prior to the "price raise". I was really happy about that and began working on putting my down payment together.

He then forwarded me to his business partner whom I began trying to set up a meeting time with in order to sign my contract and give him a depost. All of a sudden he sent me the current prices (which is basically the total of my photo and video package combined). I told him that I was under the impression that I was getting the older package because the originally person told me that I could get it although it's not offered anymore. The older package doesn't have as much features as the current one, but it was exactly what I needed.

He send me an email saying that he can give me 10% off... still can't afford it...

He sends me another email giving me an addtional couple hundred dollars off and said that was his final offer and that was all he could do... uuummm STILL CAN'T AFFORD IT!

This morning I sent him an email telling him that I will have to seek videography services elsewhere. I am not one of those brides who are going to spend their last dime trying to have a "perfect wedding". NONE OF MY WEDDING EXPENSES WILL BE ON A CREDIT CARD (there's nothing wrong with that, but it's just not my thing) - if I can't afford something, I just can't afford it. When the wedding is done, I'm done paying for everything...that's the way I'm running my operation.

On to the next!

Ok...Now I Hooked

Like a lot of young girls, I had a sudden urge to become a wedding planner after seeing "The Wedding Planner" starring Jennifer Lopez...admit it, I'm not the only one. Recently, my boss at the makeup studio launched an event planning company and this past weekend I had the amazing opportunity to assist her on a Day of Coordination for a wedding. I was over the moon about the chance to live out my fantasy.

In addition to day of coordinating, I also got to assist with makeup - it was a crazy day with a wonderful bride and her great family - again, another great bridal party...

The candy bar was extremly important to the bride - the candy colors were white, ivory and gold to compliment her decor. As a self admitted chocoholic, it was so difficult to not eat everything as I was helping to put this thing together.

This magnificent cake was by the renowned Ana Paz - I'm sure it tasted even better than it looked, if that's even possible. I've heard Ana Paz cakes are to die for as they are a staple among discerning brides.

There was such a rush of energy during those last few seconds as we got the bride ready to make her way down the aisle.


It was a beautiful wedding and an amazing experience. I had such a great time and I'm looking forward to more opportunites such as this one. Between working at the bridal shop, doing makeup for weddings and now this, I think it's safe to say that I'm officially hooked to the bridal industry.

Thinking of a master plan...

More to come when the time is right :)

{Photo Credit Dessert First}

Wedding Updates From Under My Covers :)

Hey everyone! Today I'm blogging to you from under my comfy blankie. I've been under the weather lately - apparantly the stress of school, my job (s) and wedding + lack of sleep = running my body into the ground. Guess I should've saw that comming - lol - today I actually just stayed in bed and slept...all day! Well I did make a quick run to the bank - but my fiance made sure that I didn't do anything else for the day but get some much needed rest. I can't say I really feel any better, but it felt good to not doing anything today but watch all the foolery on tv and secretly obsess about the wedding. (Sidebar: I was not allowed to send any emails today, talk on the phone or even open my wedding planning binder.... "boooooo" at my fiance for forcing me to rest - ugh!). He ran out for a second, so I'm able to squeeze in quick blog session, ssssshhhhhh! Don't tell on me...

DJ (update): So obviously I went ahead and hired the DJ that my aunt is going to be paying for (hello...free...I'll take it!) The original DJ still has my non-refundable deposit and I wasn't going to give that away so easily. In order to not loose my deposit I would have to get another service from him of equal or greater value. He offered uplighting at a really reasonable cost (I can't find anyone cheaper than him to save my life) so I just had to find something else to add on. ::LIGHT BULB GOES OFF:: (in the shower of course, because that's where I get all my great ideas) I always wanted to have a steel drum band during my cocktail hour! I knew he had to have one! I dialed his number while simultaneously praying to the Heavens that this was a service he offered. HE DOES! Problem solved! I'm getting a steel drum band ::doing the happy dance:: I'm about $30 short of being equal to the original amount. I'm hoping he'll cut me some slack, but in case he doesn't I'll just throw in something random like a bubble machine or something - I don't know...

PHOTO & VIDEO (update): I put down a deposit on a photo and video company to take care of both aspects. Originally I just wanted them to do the photos as I had my eye on another video company that offers a more unique approach . But we got blinded by the discount that the photo company gave me so I agreed for them to do both. The more I thought about it the more I came to the conclusion that was a mistake (aahhh, my issues). They do a good job, but nothing out of the ordinary.

Hello refund check, where are you?

(2.28.09) A Wedding I Worked On

(Note to self: Grow an extra foot taller)

This past weekend I had the opportunity to work on a wedding with the most amazing bridal party. Seriously, everyone was so nice that it was sickening - I've never felt so much warmth and just genuwine "niceness" (is that a word...probably not) from so many people. Everyone was just so excited for the bride and just appreciated the fact that they were able to spend their morning and afternoon getting pampered by hair and makeup people. No Brideszilla. No Mom-zillas (her mom was the cutest thing by the way) & all the bridesmaid were just the sweetest girls on the planet. I had such a great time! On this particular job, as the Assistant Makeup Artist my job was to prep the skin (clean, tone and moisturize) and then apply the Airbrush Foundation. I would then pass them over to Nikol who would transform them with eyeshadow, lashes, blush, etc. It was a constant rotation of girls - hair, prep, makeup! This weekend I have the pleasure of working on another wedding with my boss Nikol who has also asked me to help her with Day of Coordination (she's just launched an event planning company). I'm very excited a get my feet wet in the area of event planning and there's no better way of doing it than with someone who is willing to show you the ropes, give you words of encouragement and has a genuwine interest in you as a person.

Here are a few pictures of the day: