LilyPotter

Whew! Long time no see!

The past days have passed in a total blur!!! Easter and all

I've also received wedding stuff in the mail almost every day now! My FI's jewellery has arrived (a leather bracelet with the coordinates of our wedding engraved), our napkins, my garter (although I'll probably buy a new one from the same seller, because I accidentaly ordered white -.-), and of course, my GORGEOUS necklace (seriously, I almost cried when I opened it - it is so beautiful!). Look at it! Sorry about the mobile pics x) 

It makes me want to arrange a huge party, just to be able to use it again, and again... and again! x) 

Also, I got my "Wifey" cozy sweater for cold evenings on the honeymoon, and my simple cake stand. Only thing left at the moment, is the tablecloth (on it's way), my knock of dress (also on it's way, but which at the moment I'm worried will never arrive -.-), and underwear for under the dress and wedding night... Every single payment has been paid! We are officially set to go (almost... in two months... and if everything arrives as it is supposed to x))

Omg, I just found this thread and I LOVE it! Your elopement sounds so so romantic. I love how much detail you are putting into everything - it is going to be so wonderful! I esp love the sequin table cloth and ombre cake!

 

Can you tell me where this necklace is from - your original inspiration pic. I LOVE it

 

And I totally bookmarked your cake topper page!

Thank you!!!

The necklace... I REALLY wanted the first one, but I couldn't find it anywhere, so disappointed I went looking for something else, and stumbled over the second necklace on Etsy, and fell in love! So I'm sorry, but I have no link to the first necklace  

Three months to the date until our wedding! Omg, it's so close!!! Just had to get it out

Long time no see!

The last days have been a blur, and although I have not been on BWD in a while, I've done lots of planning! I even made almost all of my last payments! Only thing left is the final payment for the wedding cake (which I'll transfer as soon as I get the invoice from Taste Fiji), and the final payment for the photographers (same as with the cake). Other than that I only need to get my dress fitted, find shoes for my man, get him an appointment at our tailor to take in his vest (I'm not the only one with a weight lost in the last year!), and get myself some sexy underwear for our wedding night

Today we have done absolutely nothing other than drool over our shiny new Xbox one <3 <3 We are a pair of geeks, and since the X1 doesn't launch in Norway until late September, we had it imported from England! Now my husband to be is screaming at some stupid soldiers in the COD ghost game, while totally forgetting (or ignoring) the fact that he has to go to work in about 5,5 hrs. Oh, well! I on the other hand have the whole week off (who would say no to a paid Easter holiday, right?) Rune works Monday and Tuesday, and after that we are going to chill out until the 22 th!

Oh, and my amazing FI had an early birthday present for me today (I turn 22 next Sunday): 22 wedding magazines!!! Uuuuu! Although we have everything planned, and I don't really need anything, he knows how much I love to flip through pages and pages of beautiful inspiration... And I love the fact that even after browsing through over 1000 of pics of wedding dresses, I still LOVELOVELOVE my dress! I guess that is a good sign  

@ Very cute.

What do you ladies think of blush dresses? Yah or Nah?

@@LilyPotter did you order online or at a shop? I can't find a shop that has this brand:(

I ordered it at Madame Bridal (Madame Butterfly)!!! They are a certified Mori Lee retailer, that has both an online- and a Florida-based shop I ordered it early February, and got it late March! I think they rushed it for me, since I kept nagging about when they expected to ship it x) I was told late April/early May, but it arrived as a complete surprise in March!

I'm going to get some alterations early May, so I'll post pics with me in it then! Oh, and the dress is 100% more flattering on an actual person, than the superskinny, supertall model  

Thank you I've been googling for packing lists, and have taken bits and pieces of most of the ones I found... This one has everything I need, and even things I hadn't thought of  

Any websites for chair sashes?

Try searching for "wedding chair sashes" on ebay... That got me far at least You can also take a look at Wildflower Linens to get an idea of what you like

We ordered this one, only with white orchids on top!

 

image.jpg

 

We are only going to be the two of us, so the size of this cake is just perfect!!!

Update! 

We've ordered something similar, but without the flowers!

I've bought a cake topper which I LOVE!!! From THIS etsy seller

I will have them in my purse at all times! We are not traveling directly to Fiji (two weeks in the US first), so we'll have to travel a lot with them... I have to say that I'm a bit nervous. 

UPDATE! We are only the two of us, and I don't see the point of having a big table... At first I was told that the resort only had big dining tables, and nothing round to fit our "reception", but then the manager asked if a 30" table would be big enough, and I almost jumped and screamed YES! 30" is perfect! They apparently use these tables for breakfast and drinks in the evening, but we're going to use it to eat our first meal as husband & wife. The tablecloth I'm bringing is 108", and I love the puddle that creates at the bottom   Okei, so here is the inspiration of what I was going for:

 

In any other setting it would be waaaaay to much, but believe me, it fits sooo well with the location for the dinner! Have a look (never mind the sunbeds... Not going to be there ^^):

 

So... I was thinking the silver sequin tablecloth, with the white flower-centerpiece, cobalt blue dinner napkins (like shown on the very first photo, only different colors), square white plates, and the menu on top of the plate. Then the chairs will have the ruffles, but I'm leaning more towards having them like this:

That is the same amount of ruffles I showed you the other day, but I think maybe this style fits with the overall look? Sorry about the bad photo! Quickly resembled too   I made those, btw

Thanks for sharing! Love that they look so real!

CUTE! Love them Love the color as well ^^

My cake topper arrived yesterday! And it is beautiful! I ordered from etsy (HERE), and it came in much earlier than expected! We wanted something simple, but nice. I really don't like the bride and groom toppers, and everything else seemed to be either to much, or difficult to bring to Fiji. I was thinking about having fresh flowers, but I didn't think that would go with the overall look... Besides, my FI pointed out that the cake probably would taste a bit weird with flower-juice all over x) I swear, those were his words!

Bu the way! I called about the certificates on Monday, and luckily they are sending new papers free of charge, and without having to send in the documents all over again! Saves us a couple of weeks, and besides it was their fault in the first place!  

Has anyone had the experience of dropping a lot of weight before getting married and then needinfg to get the dress altered? I'm a little worried b/c I'm gonig to start working out with a trainer this month, but am not getting married until Jan/15. SHould I buy a dress in my current size or a smaller size?

I actually ordered my dress about 3-4 sizes to small.... For me that was a huge motivation, and now - three months before my wedding - my dress arrived and it fits! Its actually almost a little big It came in a month before expected, so I was nervous!

Topic starter: Alterations is a bit tricky... To me 900 does seem like a lot. What do you have to do? Is it a dress with intricate details? Are you getting a bustle (that can really boost the price up)?

Sunday! Planning day! 

At the moment we are chilling out in our living room, with upbeat music, and every wedding related pages I know of open. So far today I have locked down on all jewelry - both mine and for my FI. I wanted to check out the possibilities of ordering a tailor made shirt and vest for the FI here in Norway, but I guess we have plenty of time to get that done... Takes up a maximum of 3-7 days, so I arranged him to have a fitting in the beginning of June. Yay, one more thing to check out of my to-do-list! 

The other day I got a thick envelope from the government of my beloved kingdom of Norway (can you sense the slightly sarcastic tone on the beloved part?)... Don't get me wrong, I love my country, but when you finally get the "Certificate of no Impediment to Marriage" you have been waiting for for weeks, and you see that they got the country totally wrong! I wrote Fiji in the biggest and nicest letters that I could manage in the tiny box we had to fill it in, and can you guess what they managed to put in... No one? ... ICELAND!!! What?! Iceland.... Who in the world got Iceland out of Fiji??? -.-'

I'll have to call them tomorrow, and request a new certificate! Luckily we have time, as my FI repeatedly said to me as I was crying my eyes out yesterday!

But back to planning! First I wanted to talk about food! 

Menu.

Our menu for the day is really simple, actually... Breakfast and snacks while getting ready will be a huge plate of fruit and nuts (we are real suckers for fruit - love it), then we have the ceremony with champagne and canapes to follow. After the ceremony we are driving either to the beach, or to a waterfall on the island (this has to be decided when we arrive to Fiji, I think... We really want to get the feel of the places first. The venue we do not use for the wedding day TTD, will be used for the engagement shoot two days before...), to take formal pics, and to do a water filled TTD-shoot. To this we are bringing a picnic basket with assorted sandwiches, as the dinner will be after sunset, and we really need to have food during the day x) 

Our reception dinner menu. I finished these yesterday:

Now all I have to do is buy the paper and print them out! I was thinking a thick ivory paper, with a cobalt blue frame... It's hard to explain, but I'll post pics as soon as they are finished! These menu cards are being placed on square, white plates provided by the resort. Under the plates we will have our cobalt napkins hanging a bit down from the edge of the table, and the table cloth is silver sequined, as mentioned before. 

From food, to something entirely different!

Jewelry - Slightly updated.

My jewelry is as I mentioned the other day: I have the wedding bands, a silver bracelet with my name on it, silver earrings (simple, with a pearl hanging from them), a statement necklace, and a simple garter - the ivory one on the link. I wanted it simple, but had to have a garter! 

My FI is wearing his wedding band, this bracelet in black with the coordinates of our wedding ceremony, a silver tie bar with his initials, and a silver pocket watch he inherited from his grandpa. 

I think I just found my necklace! I absolutely love it, regardless of the price-tag!

https://www.etsy.com/no-en/transaction/168058213?ref=shop_review

@@csho : Thank you! I posted these pics on a Fiji-marriage forum, and they said exactly the same! I do feel really comfortable with it without the straps as well! I just need to get a good bra! I never thought that a wedding dress could be so beautiful and comfy at the same time! I feel I can run a marathon in this thing, since it really doesn't feel like I have much on! Perfect for the destination!!!

At the moment I need to shorten the hem to right under the knee, and the boob area is a bit loose. I do believe that I may have to take in the waist a little if i continue training like I do (which I plan to), and that the dress will look even better once I get a bit tan x) Winter in Norway is really harsh, and I always turn out a bit grey before spring! Haha

Oh, and I've decided to drop the reception dress (use it for the engagement-party our photographers are arranging for us in Fiji instead!). I've ordered a knock of of my dress from an aliexpress seller, which I'm going to use for the TTD-shoot. So I've decided to change back into my wedding dress after the shoot I love it so much, and I want to wear it as long as possible!!!

The belt came with the dress, actually, and it is really gorgeous! I just have to find jewelry that goes with it  

I think it looks beautiful!! I love how fun the high hem makes it It looks great now and I can't wait to see how it's going to look after alterations.

 

Have we talked shoes and hair yet? I can't wait to see how your bridal look comes together!

Thank you! I can't wait myself! First fitting is the 7th of May, and I have lots of sessions with my personal trainer before that!

Shoes.

I'm wearing the shoes on the pic! Hmmmm... I really don't have a decent photo of them They are cobalt blue, with glitter heels... Bad pic:

The colors are really dull... They are very vibrant blue in real life!

Hair.

I have a really challenging haircut when it comes to the fact that I'm getting married! Shaved sides and back, so I'm wearing my hair in a top bun, with an organza ribbon (maybe even a bow). Really cheesy photo I sent to my FI after I got my new glasses, but you kind of get the idea (never mind the no-makeup-right-after-work-look): 

The dress - pre alterations.

Okey, here goes nothing... Here are a few pics of the dress pre alteration! Taken at my bestman's house, in his kitchen (!), so sorry about the background! Mobile pic, so it's a bit dark and grainy... 

As I think I have mentioned before, I ordered my dress waaaaaay to small (about 4 sizes, actually), so you can just guess how happy I was that it fit so well, and a month before it was expected!!! I still want to work on my back-/shoulder-muscles, but I still have about three months to do so! Omg, I really need to work on my posture as well! This is, as the title point out, before any alterations. The hem is far to long - It's supposed to stop right over the knee, and so the train will be shortened a bit as well, I presume Sorry, but I have no bra in the pic, so it looks like it's hanging a bit low.... Oh well, didn't need my black bra straps showing!

Sideways: Oooooh, look at my tiny waist! Again, sorry about the background

Back without veil: No back cleavage or much fat spilling over, but I do want to tone the muscles! The buttons are unbuttoned, by the way

So... Any thoughts? If I go with no straps, I really need a necklace... There is just to much skin... I need a bra! x)

If you are still debating the straps, I think it is a fabulous idea to have a chat with the seamstress to get her advice. She can probably give you some additional information about your strap options and how that would affect your options for lowering the back of the dress or vice versa.

 

Also, when do we get to see pictures of you in the dress!?! We're expecting some in case you can't already tell!

The pics will have to wait, I'm afraid My FI is home with the flu (don't want him to see the dress!), and we don't have enough space in our room to get the dress on for pics... I'll try to post this weekend, but won't promise anything just yet!  

@@csho

I think you are right! The dress did com with some straps in the same fabric as the dress. They are very long and can be attached however I like! I think I'll try that first, and see if I even like the dress with straps It is very light and comfortable, and I don't think i need the straps even if I lower the back! 

My FI said that I should do whatever I feel most comfortable with (he has not seen the dress, but I've talked to him about the straps VS no straps dilemma), so I've decided to wait until I get it to a seamstress, and together with her decide what would look best The challenge is that I have no friends or family wh knows about this, so therefore I have posted everything on this forum in such detail... I have to get it out somehow, or else I'll explode

Thanks for the input!

Finally got the dress! Hmm... Can I say finally when I was expecting it a month from now? It was scheduled to arrive the last week of April! I'm so happy!!! It fits so well! I'm kinda second guessing my alterations plans... I love it just the way it is, but then I really have to work on my back-fat and toning of shoulders and arms... Luckily I still have three more months until we leave! First scheduled alteration is the first week of May, so I have lots of time to decide what I want to do before I turn in the dress

I do still want to lower the back a bit, but I'm unsure about the straps.... Although I love the straps on the pics i posted, I'm afraid it will be to much! I love the simplicity of the gown! I found out that i need to buy some different jewelry, though... The belt is far to blingy for the simple earrings I got last week... Luckily I can use those on an other occasion! Maybe something bigger? Definitely with some sparkle! And I wasn't thinking of wearing a bracelet or a necklace, but I will see what I do...

Dress alteration.

I've shown you my dress a few times already, and I love it sooooo much! I'm receiving it in April/May, and have been thinking of alterations for a while. Of course you have the normal alterations, but I do want to do something about the back... I have a HUGE fear of back cleavage, and I also do have somewhat broad shoulders. I have read so many places about lowering the back of the dress. I was just wondering if it's possible with this dress? Will it ruin the overall look or construction of the gown? 

Not with the flowers, though... Regarding the sheer fabric in the back: I like it, but I think that maybe it will take to much of the original dress design... But the low back is similar to the back I want... Is that to low, or can it be done?

I'll definitely be posting as soon as my dress arrives in April/May!!!  

I'm 21 and my fiance is 24 - he's 2 years, 8 months and 20 days older than me ^^ But when we get married in July, I'll be 22 and he'll still be 24!!! Wohoo! We're celebrating his 25th birthday (01.08) in Tokyo on our honeymoon trip around the world! <3