JennandMike08

I'm partial to 2034 because thats what I got, but I really like the 2117 on you. Â

I got my bouquet and bouts from wedideas. It is en route as we speak. Here is a pic of my bouquet. Its not the finished product, as they hadn't put the ribbon or jewels on it. I got mine and six bouts for less than $200 (girls are carrying parasols to save some $$):

March is quite a while away. I know they are trying to get it together right now with all the transitioning that has been going on. Try emailing [email protected]. I have been keeping in touch with Antonette there and she has been really good about communicating back. But seeing as how I'm only 30 days away, that could also be a reason why she is in so much contact. Â

Antoinette has been really good about communicating. She seems to carry a Blackberry with her. try emailing [email protected] Â

I'm also a 2034. Its getting hemmed as we speak. I love that its a corset back, so there were no other alterations needed. Â http://www.alfredangelo.com/collections/ProductDisplay.aspx?productID=bd0455d0-b381-4af5-99f8-9088a9d8a71f&categoryID=32e5a88c-cbf1-498f-afcf-dbfca138c5d3&pg=1&colorId1=

 Wow! Thats crazy! I guess even as good a job as she did on past brides wedding, there is justification for her termination. That really really sucks!

I'm an Assistant Director of Housing & Dining programs at a university in DC.

Beautiful pictures!

Great review. Glad to hear everything went as smoothly as possible for the wedding. Your dress was gorgeous on you!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Oh boy, you have ne so nervous with all of this!!!!! I'm so sorry things didn't go as planned. On a side note though, you looked absolutely GORGEOUS (that dress was made for you) and your decor was also beautiful. Did you have tai flora do your flowers and decorations for both ceremony and reception?

Thanks for the great review! Your pics are beautiful! If you can find a pic of the table set ups that would be great. Did you plan on that all along? Did they do the linens for the separate tables or did you bring your own?

Quote: Originally Posted by prettypigpig Totally agree, you need to try diff style to see which one fits u the best. A knock off is risky, as you dunno the quality and how it will fit on you. Some dresses are hard to duplicate, so it is hard to be satisfied with the end result. I tried on so many (more than 100 in 3 months), and finally I decided to get a custom made one with my own design (an empire waist mermaid with an A-line tulle) instead of a generic one from a bridal shop. I saw yours, its gorgeous! I learned at the last minute that an empire waist isn't very flattering on my body type. Thats the type i got with my knock off. I mean for some people it works, just not for me.

I had a bad experience with the knock off. I originally wanted a Romona Keveza dress but after seeing the tag of 3k I thought going the knock off route would be good. The dress cost less than $300 but when I got it I didn't like it that much. After leaving it with my mom for two months I got it back and tried it on again and realized how much I hated it. I ended up shopping at the last minute for a dress and ended up with an Alfred Angelo that I loved much better...and the complete opposite of what I thought I wanted. For my body type I really needed to try on the dress to make sure it complimented me. Here's mine:

Sorry you're going through all of this at once. I hope things work out for the best. All in all you probably did what was best for you and you probably didn't needed the added stress of that job on top of the health issues.

Your pics are beautiful! You guys look so cute and happy!

Welcome! Happy Planning!

Thanks for the reassurance. I have her booked for our wedding! She has been extremely flexible in working with out very limited budget, she's very sweet!

FABULOUS review!!!

I am still here every now and then. Its hard to stick around here while folks are making plans. @BlkRevPower, (and all others wondering) yes, he did ask me to marry him. While it wasn't an all out fabulous proposal, he did ask. The ring just never came due to family and personal issues, and ultimately loss of job. I would have never sent out invitations/planning without him asking. I never wanted a wedding in the first place, I was content with going to the court. But he didn't want to exclude his family b/c they are big on celebrating huge events together so we compromised on the DW, which he was extremely excited about. We have been doing MUCH better. He will actually be starting a temp job next week and has gone back to school to keep his mind occupied. He is also really good at golf, so he has picked it back up as well. We have both been better although postponing is still not off the table. While planning has come to a halt, we have gotten a lot financial offers to help pull this off in the financial aspect. We are actually going to make a final decision this week whether to wait or not. We decided not to rush to make a decision about the actual DW, but to think about whats best for us individually and as a family. I have been going on his lead and he has been the one saying don't postpone....but I'm waiting just to be sure. Him keeping busy has definitely been huge. All in all things are looking up in a lot of ways and we have learned to lean on each other by communicating a lot more and the realization that we are really all we have. In the recent weeks we have spent a lot more time alone, sometimes up talking til 4am. One thing I probably haven't mentioned before is that we do have a son together. Solidifying our union is crucial to us as a family. So either way we are looking at getting married in the near future, even if its just through the court. The actual DW is a separate issue. According to him, he really needed some assurance that I am supporting him emotionally and not going to leave him through this. He's also needed some positive reinforcement regarding the things he DOES and me not focusing on what he DOESN'T do. That was a huge revelation for me. Although I would never wish this on anyone, this is truly something I think has caused us to focus more on each other. Thanks for the support and asking how I am!

I remember sending out my STDs back in February. I just got back one of them with "Return to Sender: Unidentified address" on it.....mind you its the end of June....AND the address was correct....AND the person only lives two miles away. So um, why did it take four months to get back to me

Quote: Originally Posted by ThefutureMrsBrown Thanks Jennybelli1 for mentioning the previous threads posted by Jennandmike08 and I had to go back and read them “So Distraught Have to Cancel†and “No Engagement Ring Syndromeâ€. I’m glad that the therapist has been helpful. It seems, based on your posts, there have been issues in the relationship for quite some time now. Your FI is in NO position to marry you or anyone else for that matter. You stated he was suicidal and feeling less than a man. Men want to be the provider and protectors and if he feels he can’t do these things of course he’s going to feel inadequate. Based on your previous post, your FI has never proposed to you or bought you an engagement ring and you’ve had to cancel your wedding once before. Those are clear signs that HE DOESN’T want to get married. With all that being said, I’m wondering if you’re just in love with the fantasy or idea of getting married that you can’t see this man clearly doesn’t need to be pressured into marrying you. Let him get his self together as a whole complete man. I know you don’t mind paying all the bills, but no father wants his daughter to get married to a man who can’t provide for her and it seems like your FI feels the same way. I know you’ve done a lot of planning and you state your family won’t understand, but it’s really not about them it’s about your happiness. You may want to seek some one on one therapy for yourself as I’m sensing you may have some underlying self-esteem issues. I’m glad you’ve decided to have a spiritual base as God is real and prayer works. I’m sure all will work out as God intended, best of luck to you and your FI. Thanks for attempting to see through previous posts, but I'm not sure you've read through this one totally. He stated in an email that he thought he was feeling suicidal, but it turns out he isn't. He has reassured everyone thats not the case at all. I am not in love with the fantasy of getting married at all. I have let him call the shots on this one. I have asked him and followed his lead, hence my asking him if this is what he wanted to do, AND stating it was ok to cancel (even before the invitations were sent). As I stated before, had you read through, we are taking it day by day. I never said we aren't going to postpone it at all. It would suck, but its not out of the question. As for me, I don't see why you'd say I have underlying self-esteem issues. I don't think thats the case. Issues with dealing with this, yes. Self-esteem, no.

Quote: Originally Posted by AishaB Jenna I know that I am getting in late on this conversation but I want to say that I know exactly how your FI is feeling. I believe it maybe more glaring for men because they are historically the hunters and the gatherers, but all of the feelings that he describes, I have gone through. It is difficult to come to the place where everything you do isn't good enough. Even though it is through no fault of your own, after a while that is how it feels. I am unemployed and have been for almost a year and it is rough goings at times. I feel it is so unfair to my FI that I have to lean on him sometimes financially. Also, not knowing when I will find a job has pushed me to thinking about what is going to happen after the marriage and us living together and him footing all the bills if I don't get a job soon. It is a lot and sometimes it does become overwhelming and you just don't want to hear all of the flowery words from everyone that "everything is going to be okay" or "don't worry I will be there for you". But one thing that I have learned and I guess that your FI knows as well is that he, just as I am, are blessed. Blessed to have people in their lives that love them and care enough to make sure that we are doing okay and to help us out along the way. I am glad that you guys are slowly working through things and I know that it will turn around. Just keep praying and communicating. I know that prayer moves mountains and that communication doesn't let the other person feel left out of what you are going through/feeling. Be blessed and God speed! Aisha, thanks for the personal perspective. Its interesting to know that its not just the men feeling this way. I have never known what it is like to not have a job so I can't sympathize, though I can empathize. Plus I have always had to work hard because I have been on my own since I was 17, so I have always known what its like to have a back up plan. FI has always been given everything so this is a mental shock for him. I think its been a truly humbling experience for him as well, because he never thanked God for the blessings he always had...he even said he has taken everything for granted and just expected that things would always happen for him.

Quote: Originally Posted by hockeymom97 Jenna - it sounds like your therapy session was a step in the right direction and I think taking it day by day right now is probably helpful as well. I think if you try to force anything right now it might just make it worse, but if you give it time, both of you can work thru this Are you going to schedule another session with your therapist? My thoughts are definitely with you in this tough time. Yes we normally go to her regularly, but she was out on vacation for a few weeks. We have our next session next week.

Thanks ladies. I think he has gotten an extra boost of energy in the last few days. We have continued to talk about the importance of a spiritual base and he has asked me for help in rewriting his resume, and looking into some schools. We're taking it day by day.