This past weekend, wedding planning took up almost my entire weekend. Not that I’m complaining- we got some big stuff taken care of and actually had a pretty good time doing it. This is pretty much how the weekend went:
11:00: Go to bridal shop #1 to try stuff on (with no intention of buying- I had intended to see which styles I liked best and then buy online)
(syrupy sweet but excited voice) “I’m sorry, but all of our appointments are booked right now!!! Would you like to schedule one for tomorrow?!!!!”
(Wendy whinily requests nothing before noon)
11:30: Arrive at another bridal shop.
“Who’s the briiiiiiide??? Congratulations!!!! Where are you getting married!?!?!?!”
“In the back yard.”
“Awesome!!!! I loooooooooooove backyard weddings!!!!! Where do you live?!?!?!”
(long hesitation, because I live in the ghetto and the back yards in my ‘hood are not known for their extensive green lushness) “Uhh… by the Fairpark.”
(blank stare searching for something nice to say) “How nice!!!!!”
(the lady walks away and Wendy whispers “You should have lied and said you live in the Avenues!”)
Despite my obvious low socioeconomic status, the lady actually was really nice and offered us tickets to the Bridal Expo Showcase Thingymabob going on just down the street.
12:15: Arrive at Bridal Wedding Showcase Extravaganza Expo Summit Fashionshow
“ZOMG Congratulations!!!!!! Which one of you is the briiiiiiiide??!?!?!?!”
“Sign up to win a free honeymooooooooon!!!!!!!!”
“Let me see your riiiiiiiiing!!!!”
“Has anyone ever told you you look exactly like a blonde Angelina Jolie but with a better figure???!??!?!?!”
Okay so I’m exaggerating a little bit. There was one junior-section-shopping overly tanned 43-going-on-16 lady in a booth who couldn’t hide her distaste for my nontraditional ring, but I’m okay with it since it’s pretty much my goal in life to be the opposite of her at that age.

"cool" mom
I did have an “Aha” moment though. We walked past the Cactus & Tropicals (a local plant store) booth and heard their little pitch, and for some reason it just clicked. “This is the place.” I had wanted to do it in the back yard for these reasons:
- It’s sentimental- it’s going to be our house, and we’ve spent a lot of hours fixing up the back yard
- We can choose whichever caterer we want
- Save money
- Outdoor weddings!
But Cactus & Tropicals won me over with the following:
- We shop there, so it’s sentimental (hey, it counts)
- They let us choose the caterer
- It’s like being outside, without worrying about the weather
- Minimal decorating because there are beautiful plants everywhere
- Less/no stress about making sure the yard and house look perfect for 120 guests
- I don’t have to ask my friends and family to set up tents/chairs/decorations at 6am and then take them all down afterward

Pretty, right?
The cost to rent the place is more than it would be to have it in the back yard, but I could hear the relief in my mom’s voice when I called to ask her about it. I think the extra money (and really, not that much extra considering all the tables, chairs, decorations and tents we would have to get for the yard) will be worth the stress on my family. Stan was visibly relieved, too. π Apparently no one but me was excited about the back yard idea! Haha oh well.
The wedding is now on a Friday. I called my furthest family and asked them if that would be ok for them, and they said no problemo, so we booked. I kind of like a Friday wedding, so people can just come by after work or whatever, then we can start our honeymoon asap (insert innuendo here).
Moving on to the dress. We had booked an appointment for the next day, so we showed up raring to go at noon. Against everyone’s advice everywhere, I brought along the whole posse- four approving/disapproving friends. And boy do we have a range of opinions! Thankfully, my friends are awesome at putting their own tastes aside and focusing on what’s “me”. Seriously, not everyone can do that and I’m extremely grateful to have such awesome besties. Our consultant lady was really nice and not pushy at all.
I did buy a dress, but I’m far from relieved because I’m having them change a billion things about it. Mega alterations. Mega alterations bill. Anyone have any advice on tailoring? The bridal shop guarantees their work, but I’m thinking I may be able to find a seamstress to do it for less. Should I do that or just leave it to the shop?
Sorry, but no pics because once in a while Stan reads my blog and I keep flip flopping on whether I don’t care if he sees my dress beforehand or whether I want him to be blown away by my stunning bridey awesomeness when I walk down the aisle. Today I’m leaning toward the latter. Besides, I need to transform my Michelin Man arms to Jillian arms before showing them off to the world.
Okay, I’ll show you a pic of one I didn’t get (arms and all).
And I will say that I want to follow the trend of wearing bright colorful shoes. Bright yellow shoes are surprisingly hard to find! Even the dyeables I’ve seen only come in muted mustardy hues. I need Lemonhead. Tips are appreciated! (Preferably budget!)
January 12, 2011 at 8:27 am
That’s some great progress! We got married on a Friday and it turned out great. We also got a few things cheaper since it’s not “peak” weekend time. I think you look great in the dress you didn’t get, so I’m sure you’re drop dead gorgeous in the one did you did choose!
January 12, 2011 at 9:04 am
I like this cactus place! I do not like how secretive you’re being about the dress (I’m not super patient)… will you share a description?
January 13, 2011 at 10:21 am
Hehe sorry Kasey. Hmm… I’ll have to think about giving a description. I don’t want Stan the Man formulating images in his brain.
January 12, 2011 at 9:08 am
Let me guess the family member who used the phrase “no problemo” was Roy?
and I’m glad you bought the dress from the bridal shop instead of buying it online. I was listening to some late night talk radio a few weeks ago (Dennis Prager) & he was arguing that its better to buy from the store who’s sales peoples time you use up even if its 15-20 bucks more because you’re getting more value by being able to try stuff on, see it up close & ask questions. & I agree with that. so good job Amanda! π
You still want me to play my accordion?
January 12, 2011 at 10:08 am
Eff yeah!
January 12, 2011 at 9:08 am
Congrats on getting so much done! We spent quite a lot of money renting tables, chairs, linens, the wedding arch, etc., and it was kind of a pain in the ass. Also like you said, we were setting up chairs at 7 am; I remember at one point my sister told me I needed to eat something and sat me down with a bowl of oatmeal. I loved our wedding, but a backyard wedding is not as cheap and easy as I originally thought. I liked how Caitlin’s wedding was inside but felt like a garden.
Also good work on getting a dress. I thought I was so good looking three months in advance, but then I couldn’t get my first choice dress because it would take too long to order in my size. Whoops! So way to go shopping in January. I used the shop’s seamstress, but she did the work out of her home. I honestly don’t remember how much it cost… less than $50, I think.
January 12, 2011 at 9:22 am
BTW, I just did a Zappos search for yellow shoes, and the best ones were D&G… very pricey. π¦ These ones are pretty bright, though. http://www.zappos.com/rsvp-katrina-yellow-patent
January 12, 2011 at 10:05 am
Exciting!
I’m not sure what kind of shoes you’re looking for, but I found a pair of bright yellow shoes by Steve Madden at DSW a couple months back. Love them! They were pretty affordable, too ($40 I think).
Haha, we did the same thing planning a venue – we were going to have a wedding in my parents’ (or neighbors) backyard, until we found the perfect venue – an outdoor garden with a gazebo and indoors area for the reception. It was great! And we were relieved with not having to worry about landscaping, chairs, etc, as much. π
Your venue looks gorgeous!
~Chelsea
January 12, 2011 at 11:46 am
The cactus place looks great. You sound like you’re having fun!
January 12, 2011 at 1:57 pm
Smart, good, beautiful choices. We love that place. I can not wait for your big day!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE the dress, if it is similar I can’t wait. Also I would look around and price out for a seamstress it might be cheaper plus you are not on a time crunch. Wet seal has really bright colored shoes.
January 12, 2011 at 6:04 pm
Hahahaha… this was entertaining. π I liked the “Fairpark” conversation.
Also, it’s all super exciting! I loved dress shopping. But yeah, the alteration part sucks. I didn’t even have a lot of changes made and my bill was huge.
It sounds like that Cactus & Tropicals place will be just perfect! What a cool idea. It’s good that you’re pretty laid-back about this wedding stuff. Not that I would ever picture you being a bridezilla or anything!
January 12, 2011 at 6:49 pm
Yay for being productive! I love the idea of having a Backyard wedding someday too…. and the venue you chose looks to still exude backyard-iness!! π
January 12, 2011 at 8:35 pm
I love Wedding Wednesdays! Your venue sounds beautiful! I added you to my blogroll so I could see how things were going for you. Aren’t some of those wedding industry people crazy? I know that most of them mean well…..but a lot of the time I just look at them with WTF eyes. And congrats on surviving a bridal fair. I almost went to one this last weekend. I wanted to win the $5000 honeymoon giveaway. I felt anxious just thinking about it so I opted out. Ha.
January 12, 2011 at 9:32 pm
I can tell you from experience (my own wedding, and several that I was a bridesmaid in) that alterations at the dress shop are always significantly more expensive than just a regular seamstress/tailor. The shop that I got my wedding dress from wanted over $200 to hem and take in the side seams of my dress. A seamstress charged me only $60 to do all that and TONS more (the dress was accidentally ordered as a size 22 instead of a 12 and arrived only a few weeks before the wedding).
January 13, 2011 at 6:45 am
When I bought my dress I didnt let them alter my dress! Its much to overpriced! I did find a woman who my mother in law worked with alter it! The best desicion EVER! Im a short girl and my dress was LONG! I dont regret it at all! I do however wish I would of gotten the bra corset thingy from the bridal store! π
January 13, 2011 at 10:52 am
Yellow shoes on a budget? No problem.
http://sunnyslifeinrehab.blogspot.com/2010/07/tale-of-red-shoes.html
Friday is also a lucky day for weddings…at least it was for us almost 21 years ago.
I’m looking very forward to seeing the planning progress.
January 13, 2011 at 11:24 am
You’re kicking my tail with Wedding Wednesdays! I didn’t even have an update this week. We have nothing booked. Nothing. I’m starting to panic. Once Valentine’s Day hits, there will be more people trying to book venues. I feel so much pressure! Eeek!
I’m seriously on the hunt for shoes for both of us. When I find the yellow you’re looking for, I’m going to email you. π
January 13, 2011 at 2:21 pm
Don’t feel bad Jeannine! We booked the place kind of on a fluke- I didn’t even expect to go to that Bridal show. You do make a good point about Valentine’s Day, though.
The shoe hunt is on!
January 13, 2011 at 2:21 pm
Thanks everyone for your tips about alterations and shoes and everything!
January 13, 2011 at 5:21 pm
Not sure if this is what you’re looking for, but the price isn’t too horrible: http://www.zappos.com/annie-alexa-yellow-satin
My husband and I spent less than $5,000 on a wedding for almost 200 guests in July ’08. We loved every minute of it (and the lack of debt thereafter).
January 13, 2011 at 5:26 pm
PS. I also have a nontraditional ring. My husband made my engagement ring (and we made our wedding bands) at a silver-smithing class. Spent a grand total of $65 (with a tip for the instructor) on BOTH of our wedding bands. It was one of the best decisions we ever made! I also wear a traditional wedding & engagement ring that belonged to my great grandmother on my right hand, which gets people asking a lot of questions.
January 14, 2011 at 12:21 pm
Good job being budget! We’re shooting for around that price too.
Those shoes are cute but not QUITE bright enough, haha.
January 13, 2011 at 8:50 pm
I love that place you booked. I do not feel your arms are at all Michelin-y. Coming from a woman who also thinks her arms are too big! haha
I cannot find aqua pumps to save my life. That’s all I want for my wedding, jeez!
January 14, 2011 at 12:11 pm
Okay, they’re mucho dinero, but what the hell. It’s your wedding day!
http://www.zappos.com/d-g-ds1950-e1744-80203-giallo-limone
Talk about hot momma yellow. I may be biased because I bought almost identical patent leather pumps – but in hot pink.
YAY for wedding planning. I swear I should have been a planner in another life because I’m just dying for a friend to get married so I can help! So much fun.
January 14, 2011 at 12:13 pm
On a quick note, I bet you’ll find yellow shoes popping up everywhere in the Spring.
January 14, 2011 at 12:20 pm
Those are EXACTLY the color I want, minus the price tag. I also thought about waiting till spring when there might be more options. Thanks!
January 14, 2011 at 3:05 pm
I’ve been on the search for shoes as well. (We’re getting married in April) I am taller than him so I am wearing a ballet flat. Here is the style. They have a color called sunflower looks bright.
http://www.dessy.com/accessories/Duchess-Bridesmaid-Ballet-Flat/
January 14, 2011 at 3:12 pm
Are you looking for a high heels? This site has a cheap pair of bright yellow heels.
http://www.amiclubwear.com/shoes-heels-clr-jenner-hyellowpat.html
There are a lot more shoes that I found when searching “yellow heels” on google shopping. =D
January 25, 2011 at 4:20 pm
Yellow shoes, my friend! Yellow shoes!
http://thebudgetsavvybride.com/2011/01/25/leahs-shoe-hunt/