364.. count it!

Or..

You guys. Today officially marks the 1 year mark until we get married. This is HUGE. Like, Godzilla huge.

It just clicked that this is where 'bridezilla' comes from. Shut it.

Ok, maybe not that huge, but it's definitely super duper exciting!!! My very first post on this here little blog stated that we had 732 days until our wedding.. and now we are down to a precious 364. 

Hella good!

Now my big worry-of-the-moment is how the weather will be. This will mark the forth straight year of likely shitty weather on June 16th.

BIG. SAD.

I know it'll be awesome regardless, blablabla. I just wanted to whine and fret for a hot minute. ;)

But.. but.. the buttons!

I will tell you this about my dress: it's relatively simple. It has just a bit of bling, but the cut and fabric make up for the lack of "stuff" going on. That being said, one of it's selling points to me was the fact that it had buttons. Buttons that went from top of the back of the dress alllll the way down to the end of the train. Simply gorgeous, and as I said, pretty much the deciding factor in declaring this dress the one.

So.

I went into my initial try-on at RK Bridal incredibly excited.. I mean, who wouldn't be?! There it was, hanging in the dressing room, my beauty in all it's glory. I slipped that baby on (and actually remembered to bring a strapless bra this time, woohoo!) and was thrilled that the top and bodice fit me to a T. Porkfect. I could tell that even with the one pair of 4" heels I'd be wearing during the wedding that I would still need to get the dress hemmed a bit - no biggie. I also need to get cups or something sewn into the top, but I already figured that would be the case regardless of the dress I bought.

Foxy Mama and I taking pictures of each other taking pictures of my dress ;)

So far, so good.

While I was admiring myself from the front, side, and back (narcissistic much?).. I noticed that those buttons I mentioned? Stopped midway down my butt, where the zipper stopped (yes they are faux-buttons, whatevs). Um.. where were my buttons???

I looked at my mom and mentioned it, and said that there were definitely buttons all the way down, to which we both agreed. Just to be sure, she had our assistant, let's call her Lisa, pull the sample - sure enough, it had buttons all the way down. I was getting every so slightly antsy (but totally kept the bridezilla at bay, I promise!) until Lisa told us not to worry; they would either get a new dress with the buttons all the way down, or would order the buttons and sew them on for me. The plan was to have my mom go back in the store when  it's corrected to do a once-over of the dress and make sure everything is kosher before having it shipped to Maryland (cost of shipping < NY taxes).

And THEN.

We go up to the front to possibly buy and take home my hairpiece (which we didn't because of the silly NY taxes, again), and the sales associate behind the counter, Mariah, was on the phone with Allure asking about the rogue buttons. From what my mom and I could gather, the person she was talking to at Allure was a big ol' bitch and not being very helpful. She didn't know if the dress should have buttons all the way down, kept putting Mariah on hold, insisted RK had the wrong sample or that they sewed the buttons on themselves.. who the heck knows. All I knew was that I tried on a dress with buttons, and I wanted my buttons. All my mom knew was that she would NOT pay extra for something that is supposed to come on my dress already. We weren't being bitchy - RK was totally on our side and trying the best they could to figure out the best way to get me those damn buttons.

Eventually, Mariah handed the phone over to Candy, the store manager. While I believe she was still on the phone with Allure when we left the store, she assured my mom and I that regardless of how it happens, I will get my buttons. When the dress finally reflects the sample I tried on, she will call my mom and have her come in to pay and do a once-over before shipping it and the hairpiece to me.

I know this is not the end of the world. I know it can be fixed. I know that I have more than enough time to get the buttons sewn on/order a new dress, have it shipped, and have it be altered. But it's just annoying, you know? Le sigh.

Anyone else have any trials and/or tribulations in regards to your wedding dress?

This is starting to get real.

You'll never guess what I'm going to do tomorrow.

For one,  it involves those massive amounts of shoes I've been buying off of Zappos.

For two (?), it rhymes with shmess shmitting.

Ehhh?

Ok yes.. it's my first official dress fitting!!

By the time you all read this, I will be well on my way to New York to meet up with my mom and stop back at RK Bridal to see and try on my beauty for the first time since November! It's going to be a very basic fitting - just to  make sure that they ordered the right size and such - and then it will make its journey from NYC to DC. Apparently, we will save oodles of money if we have it shipped from the store to my apartment, rather than buy it at the store and do alterations there, pick it up, etc (silly NY taxes).

The plan is that I'll get the dress (and headpiece?!) in the mail shortly after Tuesday's fitting and get the alterations done down here in Maryland/DC. So if anyone knows a good local seamstress, please let me know!

I must admit.. I'm very eager to see what the dress will look like with the (three pairs of) shoes I have as options. Oooh, the possibilities. Wish me luck!

Checkity check

It is unbelievable to me that we are almost at the one year mark until our wedding! I keep telling myself that's when "I'll really start planning." When things get real. When I actually have to start thinking about things concretely and not just abstractly. I have a bajillion inspiration photos and boards that I'll have to narrow down. Etcetera and so forth.

However, we all know I've been planning since the moment Scot and I got engaged. I always got mad at those fun little checklists in the wedding magazines because they only tell you what to do starting a year out from the wedding.. what about us cool folks who are engaged for over 2 years?? What are WE supposed to do?!

My solution was to plan as if I was getting married next month. It's amusing to me how much I got done in just the first two months of being engaged. Let's take a peek at what I have done already, a bit more than a year out from the wedding, shall we?

((For everyone's sake, I'll just go up to what should be done up to 6 months out.))

12 months
>Decide on a budget, and agree on who's going to pay for what. Done. Budget is higher than anticipated, but we are paying for everything. Minus the wedding dress (thanks mom!).
>Think about the big picture - the wedding's style, size, date, and site. Once we found the site, I had the style. And we had the date the night we got engaged. I might be slightly OCD.
>Mail save-the-date cards if you need them. Are you really supposed to do this a year out?? I actually need to get on this one.
>Reserve the ceremony and reception venues. DONE. Two years in advance, yo.
>Start looking at dresses in magazines and on websites. Well duh. I started and finished 18 months out.

10 months
>Start scouting for a caterer, florist, photographer, and DJ or band. Consider them scouted.
>Select your officiant. One thing I haven't done yet. I have ideas, but am nervous to ask!
>Choose your attendants. Again, did this the night I got engaged.. 26 months out. I didn't know you were supposed to 'formally' ask with cookies and cards and cute poems and all that. Oh well. They got a phone call and heard my lovely voice.
>Begin compiling the guest list. Pretty much done with this. We really just keep adding new friends we make.
>Hire a wedding planner, if needed. Psh. I'm my own wedding planner.

8 months
>Book the caterer, florist, photographer, and DJ or band; adjust your budget after getting estimates. Consider budget adjusted. Catering comes with the venue, got our photog 20 months out, DJ 24 months out. Just need those pesky flowers.
>Create a wedding website. Did this pretty much right away. Created about 5 through various sites then decided I'd make my own.
>Order your dress. Did this 18 months out. Wham bam thank you ma'am.

6 months
>Meet with vendors to plan details. Half and half.
>Register for gifts. Haven't yet but OMG I can't wait!
>Order the invitations, or start DIYing them. So our friend is making made them. I just need to get them printed and assembled.
>Shop for the bridesmaids' outfits. I've been looking online obsessively.. does that count?
>Order the wedding rings. Admittedly haven't done this yet but will probably in the next few months.
>Research and book the honeymoon. If we GO on a honeymoon. Don't get me started.
>Reserve and transportation you need. Staying at the venue. We like making life easy.

Checkity check!

So all in all.. we're kind of solid up to the 6 month mark, and have been since about the 18 month mark. Super awesome.

Who else is a super planner? And.. again.. am I really supposed to send my STD's (hah) out a year in advance?!

We are fam-i-ly (chachacha)

Aside from being super excited to be married to Scot in the near future, I am also extremely excited to become an aunt!! See, I am an only child and obviously my only hopes of being an aunt lie in the family of who I marry, and fortunately, my man has a brother and a sister! His sister (and my future sister-in-law ((FSIL)).. how cool is that?!) has two kids, a 10 year old girl Syd and 14 year old boy Ty. I'm going to have a niece AND a nephew!!

I met Ty several times over the past three years and we got along pretty well, but Syd was a different story. This girl is smart and sassy and I think she wasn't quite sure about me at first, always a sweetheart but I never knew how to 'relate' to her. I like to think I'm good with kids, but honestly? I get awkward sometimes. And I really want both Syd and Ty to like me. I like to think I'm hip with the times, and yes I fully admit that I own a Nintendo DS and still watch Disney Channel and Nickelodeon from time to time. But how do I talk to them about that stuff without sounding like a complete idiot?? "Oh yes, I love Hannah Montana, especially the episode where she pretended to be Selena Gomez."

Ughh. I kind of can't believe I just admitted that, but oh well. Don't think I'm a freak, k?

Anyway, Syd and Ty have always referred to me as "Miss Steph", which I think is adorable. Then Scot and I got engaged, and FSIL fully warned me that the switch to "Aunt Steph" may not ever take place, since the Miss was so imbedded into the kids' heads. Which I was ok with, but still secretly hoped it would switch over eventually!

And THEN. We went to upstate NY to visit Scot's parents, and his sister, bro-in-law, and the kids were there simultaneously for about 12 hours. And in those 12 hours, I made the miraculous transformation from Miss Steph to Aunt Steph.. success! Not only that, but we all hung out and watched The Princess Bride together and Syd made me a super cute birthday card:

My heart melts.

Has anyone else been so freaking excited to gain new family members?? Mine, in total, will probably triple itself! Amazing.