This is loganlexus's Red Wedding!

This is the only photo I have so far.... enjoy and I will be sure to post more soon!!

it turns out that all my ranting yesterday about my dress was for nothing.....

My sister in law and I went to the seamstress (AGAIN) to pick up my dress. I was so nervous because of the dilemmas that we had over the length - I was trying so hard not to cry on my way up to her loft. When I got there, the dress was hanging, ready to go. So, I tried it on one more time to determine which shoe I would need (we were going shoe shopping after we got the dress) for the wedding. When I put it on, I got the surprise of my life..... I don' t have to buy new shoes because the length is perfect!! It hovers less than a half inch off the floor and when I walk, the toe of my burgundy shoe kicks out from underneath!! She added nothing, but she did rethink the way she hemmed it and while having to change it from the way the manufacturer hemmed it, it still worked out perfectly!!

I am so relieved!!

Here they are.... my place in life.

This is Chris, my very soon to be husband. I cannot put in words what he means to me so I will not even bother trying. Suffice it to say he has helped change my outlook on life and introduced me to things that alone I would have never imagined trying. He has given me everything I have ever longed for in a partner (and then some!)

The second photo is of our children Lexus and Logan. Without them, life was hollow. They have taught me many valuable lessons in life that only children can. I hope my influence on their lives will have the same impact on them as they have on mine!! I can truly say that our twins were by far the best thing Chris has ever given me, next to perhaps his heart!

These three people are the most important things in my life! Without them, I am just another girl.

I love them all, and look forward to completing this stage of our lives.

After many phone calls to many freinds and family members, I think I am just going to leave the dress as is and get different shoes. It is the easiest and cheapest solution without compromising the look of the gown. Given the different terrain that I will be on over the course of the day (including wet rocks by the water) flat shoes will probably serve to be the wiser choice nayway. I will still bring the burgundy shoes for the photos where I hike up the gown to show them off.

I think that in the best interest of time (and my own sanity) this was the easiest solution.

Lesson learned - for both me and my seamstress!!

Thank you so much for your input ladies!!

I am 3 short days away from my wedding..... and I can tell you it's not a moment too soon!!

Last night, I went for what was to be my final fitting for my dress and was soooooo excited to know it was coming home. When I got there, the dress fit perfectly in the body which suprised me given that I have lost 5 pounds this week. I was so pleased with the work my seamstrss had done. Then I looked down..... and all of my excitement went out the window!!

I guess what had happened was when she altered the bustline of the dress to fit (I have a shorter torso than most) the length of the gown naturally lifted a bit. Unfortunately, she had already cut the gown.... so now my dress is about an inch off the floor. She felt terrible.... I cried!

Now that I have had time to cool off and think about it, it really is not that big of a deal and could certainly have been worse!! There are a few solutions to this problem.....

1) add a burgundy band of satin around the bottom of the dress including the train

2) add a white band of satin around the bottom of the dress including the train and cover the seam with a thin burgundy band of ribbon to finish the look

3) leave it as is and change the shoes I was planning on wearing (I purchased burgundy sling back shoes that matched the burgundy band at the top of my dress perfectly) to a pair of ballerina flats

4) leave it as is, wear the burgundy shoes and just live with it.....

I am having a very difficult time deciding..... there are so many factors to take into consideration with either decision. If I add the burgundy band, will it match? If I add the white band, does it look like we made a mistake? If I change the shoes, will I lose the effect that I was going for? If I just live with it, will I be satisfied?

I truly believe it was an honest error and I am not upset with the seamstress at all. I have been relatively calm throughout the entire planning process (and tend to be a fairly easy-going person anyway) and refuse to let this change that, especially knowing there are solutions. I just do not know what to decide.

Anyone who is willing to give me their opinion, I would love to hear it!!

I will give you a little bit of info to help envision the day - it will help to make the decision, I think.

We are getting married on Sunday (yes, THIS Sunday!) at the base of a 110 foot double waterfall. I will have to walk down a spiral staircase, across the grass, on pavement and then down stone stairs to the ceremony location. Photos will be taken on grass and by the water.

I need to take a bit of time to think it over, but at this point, I am thinking that the one inch that it is short really is not a big deal..... If I don't tell anyone, they will just assume that I intended it that way. Besides, if the dress is too long, my shoes will not show and I will have to hike the dress up to walk over all of the elements to get to where I am going anyway..... right??

I will repost on this subject in an hour (once I get back from lunch) and look forward to any and all input!

I am having a difficult time trying to sort out the right words to let my friend know that her date is not welcome to the reception.

A little background.....

She and I have known each other for 5 years. We have a very passive friendship in that we both understand that our professional lives make it difficult to talk as often as we would like. She has recently become involved with "a guy" that I have not yet met. When I addressed her invitation for our reception, I was careful to only invite her (no "and guest" on that one!!) Seeing as I have no idea what this guys name is, never mind what he looks like, I did not feel it right to invite him. Our reception is for family and friends only, but she has decided that she will be bringing him with her.

Am I wrong in this - by not wanting him there?? Is she wrong in assuming it would be ok?? How do I tell her that I did not extend the invite to him?? Or should I just keep it to myself and let her bring him ??

I will be having a very small wedding as you may already know. We have 8 people in attendance for the ceremony and dinner with a larger reception being hosted by my H2B and I the weekend following the wedding.

For our dinner, we will be sitting together at a very large round table (seats 12, so we will have lots of room). We will also have a smaller round table to display our mini cakes.

The photos show the decorations we have opted for. Simple.....

The chair sashes are all personalized for each individual in attendance and are white satin with merlot grosgrain ribbon and embroidery.

Rose petals are in 3 shades of red (as are the bouquets) as we have had difficulty matching the colour on my dress....

I have not really shared too many details of my wedding with you up to this point.... so here is a glimpse of what is to come.....

Bridesmaid dresses..... versatile, keeps with the theme, and cheap.... Sears catalogue $70

Flower girl dress from www.mygirldress.com ..... $44 (it was on sale, regular $56.50)

Because the weather has proven to be questionable at best this year, all of the girls will be getting a pashmina in merlot (as pictured) as their attendant's gift. I even ordered a scarf for the flower girl to wrap her up in like we will be in our pashmina!!