So I finally broke down and decided that I couldn't wear the David's Bridal mermaid dress on my wedding day. I really can't stand it anymore. The more and more I looked at it, the more I disliked it. It just felt too...cheap. So I sold it on ebay, and bought a Maggie Sottero! 

I unintentionally fell in love with Decadence - a brand new gown from Maggie's Fall 2011 lineup. Why was it unintentional? Because I knew that I wouldn't be able to order it (too close to the wedding), nor would I be able to find it used (it's brand new). I fully intended to try on Sabelle, and then buy it used. But lo and behold, the salon I went to had sold their Sabelle sample, and suggested I try on Decadence. 

The moment I saw it on the hanger, I knew it was The One. The sample was in satin, which was very heavy, and terribly hot. Not gonna work in near-summer Texas heat. 

So I went to another salon to try on Sabelle, and try on Decadence in taffeta. I slipped into Sabelle and was underwhelmed. I disliked how the lace inlay was hidden by the masses of taffeta. Then I tried on Decadence and shed a few tears. Oh yeah, this is it. 

But wait, Miss Margarita! What the hell are you thinking? You only have 5 months until your wedding; you can't order this gown. And it's $1,500! How could your budget brain commence to such an expense?

Well. I bought the sample, that's how! The salon was having a no sales tax deal on their Maggie's. On top of that, I got an extra 10% off for buying the sample (which is in perfect condition, since they just got it in 2 months ago). This brought the total down to $1350.

But wait, Miss Margarita! The sample gown is in ivory! And it's 4 sizes too big! Certainly you can't justify the expense of alterations, as well as having to buy a new veil??

Well. This particular bridal salon does not have their own alterations department, allowing me to use whoever I please to preform the alterations. Several local seamstresses have quoted me $150-200 to take in the sides, take up the hem, and add a bustle. The money I saved by buying the sample will go towards alterations. And as for the veil...we'll have to wait and see what to do about that. Maybe I'll buy a new one, maybe I'll dye the one I have. Stay tuned for updates to that.

So, it's CHRISTMAS TIME! Mister Margarita has never celebrated Christmas. Therefore, he has never given me a present. To make up for 4 years of zero presents (this is including birthdays, mind you), he got me a new ring!!!!!

It's from Helzberg Diamonds, one from their Masterpiece collection. I took an out of focus picture on purpose, to capture some of the sparkle. The diamonds in this ring (and the matching wedding band) have extra facets to reflect more light, and therefore give more sparkle. We compared this set (engagement & wedding band) to those with diamonds with less facets (and less expensive), and kept returning to this one. The center diamond is 1/3 carat, and the total carat weight of both bands is around 1 carat. We decided this was perfect for my tiny fingers. A huge rock just looks wrong on such slender fingers.

I currently have a ring guard on it, because we wanted to be able to show it off for Christmas. If we were to get the bands sized right away, we wouldn't have them back until New Year's. We'll get both bands sized at the beginning of the year, when they slow down a little.

Oh yeah, and the reason why I've justified all these new (expensive) expenses is because I've got a new job! I'm so excited about it. I'm now working for AT&T, and making 3X more than I was at Subway, with half the job responsibilities! Lol! It's a very fun job, and I'm so happy to have money in the bank again!

Til next time, Happy Holidays!

So, it's been a while since I've posted. 

In the past two months, I've chosen a new photographer and a new dress!

The photographer I chose had some family problems, and now she's moving back to DC. Luckily, I didn't have to put down a deposit, so nothing was lost... Except my SANITY! I had to extend my photography budget, because I have such high standards and so little time. Luckily I was able to find someone who wasn't booked for my date. But now I'm spending $400 more than I was expecting to. Even though it's "daddy's money", I still can't shake my frugal instincts. I hate losing out on a good deal, even if I'm not the one buying. Oh well. $1100 isn't that bad. Most brides spend twice that. So I guess I still got a deal.

And I'm choosing a new gown. The more I look at the gown I chose, the more I dislike it. I've got a laundry list of things I dislike about my current gown...and I know the only reason I chose it was because I thought I couldn't afford anything better. Now I have a new job, with a higher paycheck, and I can easily afford my real dream dress - a Maggie Sottero. Of course, my coupon-clipping brain will not justify $2,000 on something I'll wear for a few hours. So I'm either going to buy a used Sabelle or a replica Decadence. Probably the replica, but we'll see what happens.

My dad offered to pay for the whole wedding. Woo!!!!! I'm so stoked. With car troubles and FI's medical bills, we've had to tap into our wedding fund, which was making me very concerned. While I was hanging out with my mom yesterday, my dad mentioned that he didn't really like having fake flowers, even if they do look real. I politely explained that FI and I couldn't afford real flowers, especially in our current conditions. 

So, for the very first time in a year, my BMs and I actually had fun together. On Saturday, we all got together at David's Bridal to try on dresses for them. And we had lots of fun.

My sister found hers first. As a matter of fact, it was the second one she tried on. She tried on the first one just to entertain me, but she knew she loved this one as soon as she pulled it off the rack.

This woman got more excited when she put her dress on than I did with mine! She was jumping up and down, dancing, skipping...I'm glad she likes it, and it'll look really good on the big day.

Now, my MOH had a trickier time finding a dress. For one, we had no idea what size she was. They tell you to pick the size bigger than your pants size, but her pants don't fit her anyway! So, she tried on 5 styles, and found one that she sort of liked. However, it was much too casual, and would look awkward when she stood next to my sister's more formal gown. It also made her body look terrible.

We were getting ready to leave, and we happened to glance at the chart showcasing all of the BM dresses. And she saw a style that she loved, and picked it out. 

Unfortunately, they didn't have any samples in the Watermelon color, but it is available in that color. We all fell in love with it. It matches the formality of my sister's gown, and it looks great on her. What makes this dress so much better than the other, is that it accentuates her best assets (boobs), while hiding her not-so-great areas (tummy and thighs).

Then we all went to my mom's house, where she had peppermint tea and mini sandwiches waiting for us. And we all had a lot of fun...

Perhaps these next 8 months won't be so bad after all.

...you really start to hate planning. And I've still got over 8 months to go....I'm really dreading the next 8 months. I'm done with all the planning aspects of the wedding. Now I've got to organize the bridal party. That's pretty hard to do when you don't know if you're keeping the BP you've got. I mean, my sister's selfishness and my SILs carelessness have made my engagement period an unhappy time. At times, I feel like they do the things they do on purpose. Like, they agreed to the role but never actually intended to help me.

And I've been watching Four Weddings a lot. And I'm really starting to miss planning. I wish I had started later. Planning things out was so much fun in the beginning! All the ideas I had, seeing them come together, finding what I needed at rock-bottom pricetags. Now, all the vendors are booked, all the projects are made, all the songs picked...I've even created timelines for the big day, outlining what should be done and when. The most exciting things to happen in the next 8 months are mailing invitations and getting my dress altered. 

I've agreed to help my mom plan the bridal shower and the rehearsal dinner. I guess I could regain that "Oooh! Aaaah!" planning experience with those two parties, but so far...nothing. 

Since everything is done, and everything is planned, I should be getting back to normal life. But I can't put the bridal magazines down, I can't change the channel during Say Yes to the Dress...I feel like I should be doing something, but it's all done!

Bridal burnout blows. It doesn't help that I don't have any chicks to turn to. I try to get support from FI, but guys don't understand. That's what a bridal party is for; to help me when I'm feeling down. But they can't stop focusing on themselves for long enough to make me feel better. I'm not a very selfish person, but I would like a little bit of attention during this important time! I would like to look back and say, "Yes, I had a great time and I felt really special!" but I don't. I feel like roadkill.

As stated before, bridal burnout blows.

So. Wedding planning has been getting on my nerves lately. Mainly due to asshole bridesmaids. Hey, MOH, can you come help me address invitations? I really would like your help...Yeah, sure! I'll come over this Saturday and we'll do whatever you want to do!...Then when Saturday rolls around, I don't hear anything from her...she doesn't call, she doesn't show....This has happened 5 times. I've learned to not get my hopes up. 

Same with my BM. I haven't heard from her in a few months. She's got family problems...which are now interfering with my wedding problems. I've been having second thoughts about my dress selection. I made plans with my mom, to try on my dress, stress-free for the first time. Both times I've had it on, someone else altered my good mood and I've never been able to enjoy having *my* dress on. Therefore, I've been having second thoughts about it truly being *my* dress.

So I spend 3 hours on my hair and makeup, trying my best to replicate what I imagine looking like on my wedding day. I'm in a fantastic mood. I call my parents house, letting them know I'll be on my way soon....and start crying as my dad informs me that my mom had to cater to my sister. Again. My sister couldn't possibly go pick her kids up from school, because she was in the middle of an AA meeting. Yeah, the meeting is more important than her children. And of course, she puts my mom on a guilt trip, so my mom can't refuse driving across town to pick up her grandchildren...when my selfish sister is only 5 minutes away.

She ruined my dress shopping the first time, by storming out of the salon because nobody's paying attention to her. And she ruined it again, by being a little attention whore. Sure, my mom would be home in a few hours, but by then, my curls will have dropped, my makeup smudged, and my good mood demolished. She's getting on my last nerve. Both of them are. I'm very close to eliminating my bridal party. I'm not sure if it's worth the stress anymore...The job of the bridesmaids is to keep me stress-free; these selfish, forgetful, self-centered jerks are only adding to my stress. I don't even know if I can trust them to do what I need them to do on May 26th. They'll be too preoccupied with themselves, to take care of me....I feel like I'd be better off just doing everything myself. I already have!

Anyway. I tried on the dress. But  was still pretty depressed by my sister's actions, so it affected how I felt in the dress. My mom tried her best to make me feel good, by saying loving things like "This dress is so stunning; Mr. Margarita will be captivated; It looks perfect on you; You truly look like a bride; It's just the right amount of sexy and traditional; I can see you walking down the aisle in this..." And it worked a little. But the sadness and disappointment was still there. I still am not 100% happy with the dress, mostly because I'm not 100% happy in general. Maybe when I go to get it altered, then I'll have that "Ah-ha!" moment and maybe I'll come to tears and maybe I'll be able to envision walking down the aisle in this dress, like a bride is supposed to. 

Well, here it is. This is exactly what I'll look like on my wedding day (except the hair will look better). Here, I'm wearing my dress, my veil, my tiara, my necklace, my earrings...

Seeing the pictures, after FI has made me feel better, and after I've edited them all pretty, makes me feel good. So, I'm sticking with this one. It does look lovely on me...

Now then...I've got to make a tough decision...whether or not to keep my BP. One's already dropped out, two remain. To keep, or not to keep. That is the question...

Oh man, this blog has been gathering dust, hasn't it? Sheesh, so much has been going on and I haven't documented it! Let's start with the most recent - our first practice dance!
Well, we waltzed (is that a word?) for the very first time, for exactly two minutes, in our kitchen, at 12:30 in the morning!

We decided on our first dance song about a month ago (Can't Take My Eyes Off of You - Frankie Valli) and I was debating about doing a waltz, the foxtrot, or choreography. Mr. Margarita refuses to do any "boy band type of crap", and it's not in our budget anyway. So scratch choreography. The debate inside my head continued between the foxtrot and the waltz, until Mr. 'Rita voluntarily (!) viewed some youtube videos of both types of dancing, and made my decision for me! 

The waltz it is! When he actually pauses his video game to look up something, and instantaneously says which he likes better, I go with it because he NEVER gives me a real opinion unless he really wants/likes something.

So that was about a week ago. I showed him a PDF of the basic box step (we'll eventually graduate to a turning box step), and tonight we actually practiced! Yeah, it was brief, but it's a start! 

I thought I would be better than him but......I'm not. I looked at our feet, while he did it the right way by looking forward. And I stepped on his toes (luckily we were barefoot). And I keep confusing which foot should go forward. For those who don't know, it's back with your right foot, together, step to the right, together. Then you step forward with your left foot, together, step to the left, together. And switching feet is where I get mixed up. I keep trying to step forward with my right foot. And meanwhile, Mister Self-Proclaimed Two-Left-Feet is doing it right! WTF? I'm proud of him though. And we've got 9 months to practice!

Yay for progress!
In other news...I also moved our groomswoman over to bridesmaid, since Mr. 'Rita has chosen two more groomsmen. So now we have 3 girls on my side and 3 guys on his. Cool.


In more other news....
And I got extremely burned out on paper flowers for the centerpieces. So my dear Mom suggested we do real carnations instead. We made a mock-up (with pom-poms instead of carnations, because nobody has them in stock right now) and took it over to Texas Old Town to see how it looks. I think it's great! And seeing the tablescape really floored me. All my hard work, all my research, all my comparative shopping, MY VISION has finally all come together! See?

Of course, the tablecloth won't be wrinkled on the Big Day. We plan to buy some shorter vases, and trim the curly willow by about 5 inches. A few more pictures under DIY ---> Decor. Goodnight, my Knotties!

I'm never posting on this board again. I've seen from other threads and, now, experienced first-hand, these girls are assholes. Seriously, do these women realize that they're speaking to another human being? Do they have hearts? It's one thing to give someone your opinion, and another completely to ridicule them for their ideas.

All I wanted to know was whether or not I should spend $200 on butterflies. It's kind of a lot of money for something that would be over in less than a minute. I researched all possible ways to do this, and decided to go with a local wildflower center, which was the most humane method. I already covered all the moral and humane issues surrounding butterfly releases. They wouldn't be shipped, refrigerated, unfed, boxed individually, etc etc. The only "bad" part was that they would be cooped up in an oversized tulle-wrapped box for less than an hour. 

And so these women decided that I was the most evil and horrible person on Earth for having such an idea, for ensuring the butterflies would be safe and comfortable but would be in a box for one hour. And they were not ashamed to voice their opinions in the rudest manner possible. I wouldn't be so offended if they hadn't been so demeaning. As one poster stated, "It's as though you care more about the butterflies feelings than the OP's!" 

So maybe it was a bad idea. I tried my best to keep it as humane as possible, but live animals shouldn't be used as props. They're right about that. But geez, it's only an idea, and I'm still a human being. The least you could do is treat me with a little respect and dignity. I understand that you have your opinions, but can't you tell them to me without calling me "a horrible person"? Yeah, seriously! Several women called me a horrible person for AN IDEA that I had.

And I'm not the first they've done this to! Once or twice a week, someone has an idea and asks what others think about it on the Budget board. And these other women attack the OP as though she's personally threatened them! I swear, TheKnot should take control of that board... Women post on that board to get advice, not to be ridiculed. And, aren't those in the rules, anyway? To be respectful with your remarks? Go be a bitch over in Snarky Brides; that's what they made that board for.

Anyway, I'm just venting. Luckily, a few other women saw how ridiculously rude the posts were becoming and came to my defense. That felt pretty good, knowing that there are decent people on that board.