Saturday Fitness Check In - Week 3

The third week is usually the make or break week. I'm delighted to report that I made it despite my many issues.

100 Push-ups Challenge
100 Sit-ups Challenge
Check the links above if none of what I'm saying below makes any sense.

Monday - Gym-ed it up with my face still numb from my recently completed dentist appointment. Forgot to do the challenge exercises.

Tuesday - Remembered that I had to do a challenge test to see which column to complete for week 3.

Wednesday - Umm... actually did the challenge test.

Thursday - Completed day 1 of week 3. Still on column one.

Friday - Completed day 2 of week 3. Walked the pup.

Saturday - Completed day 3 of week 3. Yipeee!!

The aforementioned pup.

That's why it's a Saturday update and not a Friday update.

Still trucking!

Asking the Maids - Part I

Not a terrible shocker but I will be asking my siblings to be in the bridal party. I see it's all the rage to do up a cute card or nifty newsletter to ask that they enter into several months of servitude. Lest I be left out of this very intriguing display of pomp and circumstance I felt it only right that I invite them proper. Hmmmm... now what?

DIY? Try DIFM.

I’m less DIY and more DIFM. That’s Do It For Me.  As in, “Sister, you’re creative why don’t you do it for me.” Art wasn’t my best subject in school. Neither was wood shop or metal shop. Eh. You learn to accept these things and move on. I just came across these cuties and I’m going to try my hand at them this weekend. I mean my sister's hand. Ha!

How cute are these?

Fall Mini-Moon

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I haven't given a lot of thought to the honeymoon. After all, isn't it just a fancy name for a vacation? Whatevs! It occurred to me that maybe we could do a getaway weekend during Thanksgiving break. Here are some options:

Sample Sale & Giveaway

Remember when I said that Gabriella was the place you wanted to buy a dress? Well look who's having a sample sale!

Sunday, November 7th, 2010

12–5
No appointments

Up to 70% off wedding gowns and accessories 

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The Thirty-Something Bride is having a giveaway. Enter to win a Ceremony or Wedding sign. These signs are super gorgeous.

Whip My Hair

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I'm loathe to admit this but that Willow Smith song is kind of catchy. Sigh. So as not to suffer alone I linked to it here. But wait there's more. . .

Vote for Lil Sis . . Pleeeeease

Me and My BFF Brickfish

Thanks!!!!!

Fitness Friday: Check In - Week 2

I'm proud of myself...well just a little bit. Here's the rundown:

Monday - Gym-ed it up! I also did the challenge exercises.
Tuesday - Nada. Booo!
Wednesday - Challenge exercises
Thursday - Nada. Booo!
Friday - Challenge exercises

Well, you might be saying to yourself, "Gee what's she proud of?" It's all about the baby steps. I'm happy I went to the gym and completed week 2 of the challenge thingy.  

Sooooooo.... GO ME!!

Lessons Learned

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After a week of dress shopping a girl could learn a few things about herself. Here are a few of those things:

The Importance of Being Earnest

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This is the story of a girl who learned that online reviews can be all too accurate.

Now That's Service

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 This is the story of a girl who discovered the meaning of great customer service.

~Gabriella of New York~

This is where you WANT to buy a dress. Gabriella, the owner, is so gracious and sweet. The salon space is open and bathed in natural light. The dresses are displayed along the walls and she allows you to peruse the selection and make your own picks. Mumsie, Sister and Little Sister each picked a dress and then I picked a few. Gabriella also made some picks. The dresses are stunning. I tried on dresses by Matthew Christopher and Ulla-Maija. There was no pressure and she even advised us to wait for the trunk shows so we could save 10% on two of the dresses we liked. I highly recommend this salon. She sent me a handwritten note afterward. Like I said, you WANT to buy a dress here. Highly Recommended.

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Judges?

Mumsie: 4.5 stars

Sister: 4 stars

Little Sister: 4 stars

~Mark Ingram Bridal Atelier~

Love your tweets dah-ling but the salon experience left me less than enthused at best. There was a trunk show when we went and maybe it was just me but I felt like the consultant was pushing dresses by that designer. At least four of her picks were from that particular designer. This appointment was later in the week so I was better at articulating what I wanted and even better at articulating what I didn’t like. She pulled more from the “I don’t like” column than the “I like” column. She also pulled things at the very top of my stated budget. Eh.

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Guess who said they didn't like bows??

Judges?

Mumsie: abstained

Sister: missed this one

Little Sister: 3 stars



Next up: Reviews of Designer Loft and Priscilla of Boston

RK OK

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This is the story of a girl who found out some dresses look better in pictures than in person. I tried on the above dress and although I liked how it looked I couldn't get past the feel. Those ruffles were disturbingly stiff.

Wouldn't It Be Loverly

This is the story of a girl who found out that pretty ballgowns like this one are craaazy heavy. I tried this one on at Amsale and it was way too much dress. It's called "Stunning". And it is stunning in person but just too much dress. On to the reviews. . .

Good Idea. Bad Idea.

Squeet!!

Now you know I had to have an itinerary for the week, right? I emailed it round to my posse a week in advance just in case we needed to adjust scheduling. And you know I had to have maps, right? Google street view anyone? And...you know I was totally late to the first appointment. Best laid plans. Not to worry, it gets better before it gets worse.  You'll see.

Fitness Friday: Check In - Week 1

This is all about accountability. In college (Woot! Woot! Barnard!) I had a fitness buddy. She lived on campus and I commuted. We met up around 9ish in the AM to get our workout on. Guess who is NOT a morning person? Yours truly. Nevertheless, I woke up and dragged my lazy self uptown to meet my buddy. Why?

My Very First Sample Sale

I actually went shopping before I got the ring. ::GASP:: Scandalous, I know. My inbox sprouted up this lovely invitation to a Priscilla of Boston sample sale last year September so I gathered up the troops and off we went. Here’s the story of our adventure. . .

Tips & Tools for Dress Shopping

 {Source}

Yes? No? Maybe?

It's dress time ya'll!! The next series of posts are all about dress shopping! This may sound a tad crazy but what else is new. I visited 9 bridal salons in Manhattan during the second to last week of August. Yep, 9 salons in 1 week. All for you dear reader. All. For. You. Okay, it was mostly for me. Stay tuned for reviews of the following salons: Amsale, Bridal Garden, Cymbeline, Designer Loft, Gabriella New York, Mark Ingram Bridal Atelier, Priscilla of Boston, Reem Acra and RK Bridal. Whew! Note that I didn't go to Kleinfeld's. Just not that interested after watching Say Yes to the Dress. Go fig! Prior to the reviews I thought I'd share some tips and tools of my experience.

Hello Lovely!

We interrupt this week's drama to bring you something a wee bit more fun. If you’ve been keeping track you’ll know that I booked my venue in August 2009 for a wedding in November 2011. I now present the ring which I received in February 2010. Don't ask questions just enjoy the pictures.

Apologies & Departures

And it continues. . .

Sister to the Rescue

At this point I was more than peeved so I called on the services of Sister, who also happens to be my wedding planner. She got in touch with the Museum's events manager and expressed her displeasure thusly:

He Said...She Said

The drama continues. . .

I was a little taken aback by the response email. Maybe I was a bit overly sensitive but I kinda felt like there was a bit of attitude in his responses. I know it's email and sometimes without the in person context things get muddled but this just didn't feel right.




Here are more email gems from Mr. Fong;

What's Fong Here?

I mentioned before that we have a new catering director. I thought it would be a good idea to introduce myself to him. What follows are excerpts from our email conversations. I made some edits as to not give away some major surprises for the big day.

My First Bit of Wedding Drama

Spoiled? Me? Well maybe just a touch when it comes to this wedding planning business. It’s been smooth sailing thus far. As per my meticulously planned schedule it was time to start talking to the caterer. Food and beverage are the biggest chunk of change out of any wedding, big or small. This shindig I’m planning is no exception. But things don’t always work out the way you plan. . .

My venue comes with an exclusive caterer.  Good news? Eh. I didn’t have to pony up the dough to book the caterer when I booked the venue. The fella who I met when we first looked at the Museum was actually part of the reason we went with them. He understood my crazy vision and was super responsive to all my questions. Well guess who doesn’t work there anymore?  Needless to say I was a wee bit disappointed. Sigh.

Next up… There’s a new catering director in town.

Cake-y Cake-y Cake-y

A little known fact: Pie was the original wedding cake. It’s true. I read it in a book. You can look it up. And no, I’m not still pining for wedding pie. Well maybe just a little.

Since I've come to terms with having a wedding cake. My vendor of choice is. . .

Alice in Wonderland (AIW)

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When I first fell in love with the AIW theme I started googling around for inspiration. At first, there wasn’t a lot to go on but then it happened. . . Tim Burton’s AIW. Squeet! 
How loverly, there’s inspiration popping up all over the place.

Like this. . .

Terms & Conditions - The Contract

After you get past the pretty pictures and stop swooning over the awe inspiring videos it's time to get down to business.

THE CONTRACT

Here are some things included in my contracts that you may want to consider including as well:

Oh the People We'll Meet - Hello Videographers

I briefly mentioned video but I neglected to let you in on what happened with that. Like everything else, this was a must have. The funny thing about weddings? You start off reasonable, telling yourself you can do without this or that but then… In any event, I met with only one videographer. Sure enough, I put all those chickens in one tiny little basket. It was a very nice basket though.  

Oh the People We’ll Meet – Hello Potential Wedding Photographer

While I happen to be completely indecisive, once I’ve got a system in place I make decisions pretty quickly. List of questions to ask? Check. Meetings scheduled? Check.  This, this month of June, was decision making time.  Now, I do have a bit of a problem though. I like everyone. (There will be a contradiction to this statement, no doubt in the very near future.) After each meeting I found my trusty wedding notebook and wrote down a pro & con list. The cons aren’t necessarily negatives, they’re just things I happened to be concerned about. I met with four photographers and here are my “reviews”.