This is mrsbrob713's Pink Wedding!

Ok so I didn't think I would have to be writting one of these post but here I am typing away. SO My bridal party consist of 3 I will refer to them as they are numbered: Matron of Honor1- Annette, Maid of Honor2- Ashley and Flower girl- Ashayla ( ashley's daughter). I thought that bcuz it was such a small party we would be fine, also I have known these ladies for over 10 years each. Annette for 14 years, and Ashley literally her whole life (she is 24 and I am 27). So Ashley has always been on board with everything where being a MOH2 is concerned. However Annette MOH1 has been very selfish. Here's the story: I didn't want to be the type of bride that picks out a dress and the girls had to wear it no matter. Well that was mistake #1. I told them as long as it was organza or chiffon from David's Bridal it didn't matter what the style was, pick out what makes you comfortable. MOH1 has a true pear shape. Her top is that of a woman who would wear a size 10-12 dress, but she is very hippy and has a big booty so she wears a size 16 bottom. MOH2- is a big girl who wears a 24. So that didn't work out, so MOH2 and I went to db to try on dresses. MOH1 lives OOT. After the 1st visit we still had no clue about what would work. At the 2nd visit we picked a few short dresses but bcuz MOH2 is bigger she didn't like the wa she looked in short dresses. So MOH1 had a problem with that bcuz she wanted a short dress so they wouldn't be hot since it is a outside wedding in the middle of July. I too wanted them to wear short dresses bcuz of this issue as well but that wouldn't have worked for MOH2. That was MOH2 only issue. MOH1 issues have been this: She didn't want to wear a dark colored dress bcuz it was going to be hot, she didn't want to wear a long dress bcuz it was going to be hot, She wanted it to be a dress she could wear again bcuz she has a wedding to go to in August after my wedding and didn't want to have to buy another dress to wear to that wedding. and then as of Yesterday I found out that she had only wanted to spend $120 on the dress bcuz she knew she would need to get alterations done to the dress bcuz of how small she is up top. MOH has always been fine with anything. No she didn't want to wear a short dress but she would have if that's what I would have picked. So for the last 3 weeks MOH1 has been distant since we had chossen a long dress and bcuz of DB color schemes and dress designs we ended up going with a brown dress. So she calls to tell me that the dress is an issue for her and that's why she has had an attitude. I already knew that but was waiting for her to just come out and say something. In the middle of the back and forth about the dress a old friend of hers who she hadn't seen in about a year asked her to go to a concert OOT with her and she agreed to go. She discussed with me how she couldn't come here to my bridal shower bcuz they could only afford to come here for the wedding. So that leaves MOH2 and my mom to plan my BS. But then you tell me the cost of your plane tickets and how much everything else is costing and that is about $900. But now you complain about a dress being $160. I now know that I value our friendship more than she does. So today I picked 2 different dresses that were bothe cheaper and she tells me through text message that she still" Didn't think they would look good on her. I told her the dress for $160 would look better but I know it is a little bit more. She then tells me that if she buys that dress then she can't get her shoes and I say I will buy your shoes as long as they don't cost more than $40. Then she calls and says she doesn't want us to fight about a dress so she will just not be in the wedding. She could have told me that from the begining. What she meant was that "If I can't have all of my demands met then i'm not going to be in it." So now I have just 1 MOh and a FG. I am pissed that she acted the way she did but atleast now I have the right friend standing by my side. I tried to cater to her to make her comfortable but she still wasn't happy.

Thanks for reading I just needed to get that out I know it was a little long. She has been contributing to my stress an I'm happy we can now go ahead and order the dress for MOH2 and FG.

Hey there Ladies,

So I do know I originally saw this idea on our very own Angel "Marta12's" Blog but this picture came from weddingbee.com.
This is a card box that is made out of 4 picture frames that are put together using utility hinges. On the bottom you glue/screw a piece of plywood to it which keeps all the cards and money envelopes inside. The top is a piece of plywood as well that has a slit in it for the cards and is covered with a piece of foam then a piece of material. This sits directly on top. On the bottom is the part of a lazy susan that allows it to spin screwed into the bottow piece of wood. This allows your guest to spin it and look at the pictures.

Now getting to how this pertains to our centerpieces. After making some budget cuts I have been struggling with what we could use. Our concept before was to have picture frames on the table that would have pics of the chefs that inspire us and a bio as to why they inspire us. My FH and I are both chefs and our theme is A Taste of Love. Also we wanted to have flowers somewhere on the table, nothing big but still something small with flowers. So after having a discussion with my cousin (whom I love) it came to me. Why not do a small version of the photo box and then put the flowers in the box? This was my Ahh Haa moment. So I will be using 5x7 frames for the centerpieces, and get vases that fit just underneath the edge of the frame so you can't see it and that is how we will have our flowers. This way it looks like the flowers are blooming from out of the box. I feel very excited about this project. I can't wait to put together a sample so my sisters here can see it. So tell me what you think?

Hello my Sister's, I hope all the planning has gone well for you. I have been MIA for a few weeks. Partially to the WBC changes but mostly due to some changes in my life. Our budget has just decreased drastically and we have made a few new decisions. My job has cut hours since I work at the oceanfront and this is our dead season, and i've tried to find a 2nd job but have not been lucky. This season has been the worst in the 5 years I have been at my job. It doesn't make it any easier to get through it when we are planning our wedding. My fils had no clue as to how much a wedding could cost and so now that they are aware we finally have them on board to help make cuts to the guest list and help out where they can. They will be giving us $2,500 to go towards the wedding but they are also purchasing the alcohol and the portable potty( the potty that is in a trailer). So below are the changes and cut backs we had to make:
1) The Guest list- Down from 88 to 64 the less people the less amount of chairs,tables, linen for that table and centerpieces needed for that table as well.
2) Time- The wedding was an evening wedding from 5-11 p.m. It will now be from 10 or 11 a.m. -2 or 3 p.m.
3) Food- Now that the time frame has changed the food we will serve has changed as well. We will now have a brunch reception w/ mimosas, and wine only. This has helped a lot with the budget.
4) Photography- This will be a family friend that takes pics of our local artist and models here in our area.
5) Videography- There will be no video, the pictures are more important.
6) Flowers- I will be purchasing our flowers from a florist here and putting them together with my aunts.
7) Centerpieces- I will be doing small photo boxes w/ vases in them for our flowers. The frames are 5x7 and will be put together with hinges. These are our table names. two of the frames will have a picture of the chef that inspires us and the other two will have a biography of that chef and why they inspire us in it. The vases and frames both will come from the Dollar Tree since you can order in bulk from them. ( Major Score here)
8) Transportation- I will not be having a limo. Instead we will be using my uncle and aunts Chrysler 300 its big enough for my dress to fit in the back.
9) Invitations- ShannyPooh Designs a.k.a Mrshtobe is doing all of our stationary. She really is a sweet heart and she works with you until you are happy with the product. It doesn't matter how big or small your issue might be and the price is reasonable. I am very pleased and will post pics when everything is finalized.
10) DJ- Our dj is FREEEEEEEEE. This is a family friend who is letting this be her gift to us. I so love family friends.

So these are our changes. I thought I would be really upset if I couldn't have the wedding i've dreamed of; but on the flip side of that coin I am marrying the man of my dreams. We are having a more intimate wedding and now that the fils are on board with scaling down I think we will be ok. I will be brutally honest though, I can't wait until it's all over. I have been stressed with high blood pressure, headaches, and weight gain from eating but I am pulling it all together now. I just need July 13th to hurry up and get here. Thanks for reading and as always your comments and suggestions are always welcome. I so love my sisters here and now that WBC is back to normal and my stress is mellowing out I will be back. I have so much catch up to do!! Peace and Blessing to my sisters.
Lots of Love,
Mrs. Brob

I am putting out this disclaimer ahead of time: I so love my fmil but this is not her wedding!!

So on Friday we went over to my FMIL home to discuss the guest list. Our first count was set to 80, we split it 40/40. As time has gone on (her) I mean his list has always been more than my side. Currently we are at 41 for my side and 56 for his side giving us a total of 97. So I called our WP and asked her about the Max we cld have and 85 is that count. So we get there and I inform them of this issue. I know there is a percentage of ppl who may not show up but I can not send out a invitation to a person who probably won't show up. I have a major fear of everyone RSVPing YES. Also they are against us sending the invites out in 2 batches. The 1st out in early May the second out in early June the wedding is in July. I am fine with that idea bcuz it will give us a chance to see who how the RSVP's are coming in. So the first suggestion came from her GF which was to let the close family that wouldn't mind sit inside the patio for the reception. My answer was no bcuz that is where the Dj's table is and that wld be too loud for them. 2nd suggestion from mil was that those same close family members sit inside the house. My answer No, bcuz I don't want anyone feeling like they aren't a part of our day. Every little moment during that day is going to be a precious memory. 3rd suggestion, ALL the children sit in the house. My FH brought up the fact that he himself as a child couldn't be away from his mother around strangers so he knows there are other kids like him that will be there. So she then says," If the parent can't hold that child then they can't have a seat". So I asked was there a age limit on this "Children's Table"? Her answer was No. So my answer to that suggestion was NO. My nephews are 13 and 16 and aren't going to want to sit at a table with 3-9 year olds. She then stated that she couldn't understand how we wld rather have a child occupy a seat that an adult cld occupy when we only know that child bcuz of their parent. Mind you she has NO TOLERANCE for bad children. Neither do I which is why we are doing childrens packets to help keep them busy at their seats. After yelling this she then walked outside for about an hour. Oh did I mention that she was drinking which did not make the emotion of this convo anything near calm. Her GF tried to calm her down and it didn't work so my FH then went outside to calm her down. This worked and she came back in and apoligized saying that it is not her wedding and that she has to understand that. My points to her were this: When we asked to have our wedding there it should have already been known that there wld be some limitations to the amount of ppl we cld have. When we stated that WE wanted it to be intimate that wld again set the tone for the amount of ppl we wld have. She always pulls the " Well they have known him since he was four" Quote and I have plenty of ppl who have known me since I was four but this is for the 40 and 40 MOST IMPORTANT ppl. So she then has another suggestion that we take this week to call everyone that we have already told about the wedding ( btw that is everyone on her I mean his list) and ask them if they are really going to come. We agreed to this, so WHY on our way home we get a called from her saying that she has called one of the couples and told them that the list is tight and that they can't come. WTF happen to calling just to find out if they were indeed planning on coming? It's like my FH said you tell a person about a wedding and they always say yeah i'll be there but 9 times out of 10 they prolly won't show up. Anyway, I am so not a confrontational person and this is the 2nd blowup we have had. I understand that this is not just her sons wedding but this is her only childs wedding and there is no other children whose wedding she cld plan but, THIS WEDDING RIGHT HERE IS TOTALLY DIFFERENT (In my Tamar's Voice) This will not be their Wedding and our Marriage!
Any comments are welcomed about what to do or about how to go about making room for the extra guest.
Thanks for reading I just needed to get that out!!!

Good Evening Ladies,
I hope everyone had a great weekend? So my one of my last post was in reference to us not having a theme for our wedding. I believe that is no longer the issue in our case.

On Friday we went to my FMIL house to discuss the guest list that in itself was an issue. (A entirely different post). While we were discussing the invitations I told them about how I posted that I didn't have a theme and my MIL partner suggested, "Taste of Love". For those of you who don't know I am a Pastry Chef and my FH is a Culinary Chef and is the Junior Sous Chef of his restaurant (that means he is the 3rd Chef in command basically). So in the early stages of planning I played around with the idea to do, the Grand Opening of The Robinson's Restaurant. It was just an idea which got lost in the shuffle bcuz of the venue change. We are now getting married at his mother's home. If it would have been at the hotel where I work I think we could have really created that feel. I thought about the invites, inviting our guest to the Chefs Table/ Grand Opening.

Anywho, now with the theme being a taste of love I am still struggling with cute ways to incoorporate that into our wedding. For our favors we are doing an organza bag with 3 recipe cards in it and also a small organza bag which will have a spice blend in it that you will need for the entree recipe. For some reason there is a large chalkboard on the outside of the garage where our ceremony will be held (I have never noticed it before my FMIL told me), her GF suggested that we use that to draw something there. Well my Sous Chef of my restaurant suggested that we have: The Special of the Day be "Us" and for the price write "Market Price" like you see for the "Fresh Catch"!!! Ding ding ding I was so excited like hey now we are getting somewhere. My only fear is that this will get cheesey. I am trying to only do a little bit here and there just to show that our passion is food and that we want it to be seen on the big day but not to over kill the idea.

This is where my sister's come in, Any help with ideas y'all have would be nice. I am just trying to add small touches. I am not a fan of the " Two peas in a pod" idea or the 'Pair of Pears " idea either. But i'm open to any ideas, so gimme whatcha got ladies!!!

Thanks in advance.

Hey Lades,

I haven't posted in awhile so I thought I would share with you the few things I have bought/ were given.

1-2) Our toasting flutes- I saw these at Harry and David while out with my mother and my aunt. When I showed them to my Aunt she asked if I wanted them and since it was a great deal it was something like $12-13 I had to say yes. Not to mention that is one less thing we have to purchase. These are so very nice in person. I love the white swirl design throughout. The next thing to do is find a cake server set that will go well with the flutes.

3) These are the coloring books and crayons for the children's packages we plan on putting together. I thought that if we have them there if we keep them busy with activities that would be one less child running around from being bored. There will be more items added to the baggies.

4) These are little boxes that we will put some of the little gifts we have for the RB and FG in. Just thought it was a cute addition.

5-6) So I was talking to my mom one day about wanting to get a nice Wedding Day Bag for everything I would need for the Big Day. We went to Plato's Closet one day and here was this huge Victoria's Secret Bag. It was $18 which is such a steal when it is usually way more. I love how deep it is as well.

7) This next item was a gift from my wedding planner at our last meeting. It is a makeup bag which I don't have so it is useful.

8) This is a red tin that I found one day at Target in the $1 section ( Gotta love Target). I bought the last 3 so we will spray paint these and use them probably to store our programs or whatever else we need them for.

9) For our card box I am going to do the Photo Card Box. I purchase everything needed to put it together I just need 2 more packages of utility hinges. This is the size of the frame to give you an idea of how big it will be. There will be 4 put together standing up to make a box.

10) I wanted to do the sand ceremony picture frame but was not trying to spend $45 for it so I changed the setup. We will used the apothecary jar and try to get our pic sealed to the side if that won't work then our names and date engraved on the side of the jar.

11) This is a mock design for our favors it will be at every place setting for our adult guest. Since we are both Chefs we are doing "Recipes from the Robinson's" for our favors. I am so excited about this project. YAY!!!

Hello by Beautiful Sisters,
I hope you are all well. I have just realized that throughout this whole time we have been planning a wedding with no theme. We have our color scheme but we have no theme.

The only thing I've been saying is I want the wedding day to look how I feel about us and our love for each other. That being said, I am not a fan of the items with hearts everywhere, so where does that leave me?

I like the vintage look but we don't have any vintage aspects to our wedding. We are having a at home wedding at my FMIL home. It is near a marina, but we aren't using nautical items. I am just lost.

How did you choose your themes and how should I go about planning when there is no theme?

Thanks ladies, y'all seem to always have helpful hints and suggestions.

Good Evening Ladies,
I am sorry my computer has been an issue for a few days I was able to upload my pic but couldn't finish the post. It wasn't WBC it was my issue.
So here is the low down, lol. My FH Birthday was 1/31, but on 1/29 he had a birthday dinner. His mother asked him last year what he wanted for his birthday, he told her he wanted to prepare his dinner like he had previously done for his 23rd but he wanted to make this one a little more special. Here's a little background: My FH and I are both Chefs. He is the Junior Sous Chef at his Job and I am the Pastry Chef/ Line cook at my job ( yes i'm crossing over into culinary from being a pastry puff lol). Anywho, now that he is more seasoned as a chef he wanted to create a full 6 Course meal with palate cleansers and wine parings for each course. Yes this was a huge undertaking. It was only for 10 but the amount of work and planning it took to make this happen is what was so stressful. Not to mention who was on the guest list: His mother and her partner, my mother and brother, his mentor and his girlfriend ( btw his mentor is also my boss and his girlfriend is a beast in the kitchen herself), the couple who is giving us our honeymoon, and a foodie couple of ours. So he drafted a menu, Sunday morning came and we went to work in the kitchen. My role was to prep everything and then help serve this daunting feast. As the afternoon approached the guest began to arrive and I changed to get in service mode. Throughout the meal his mother kept coming into the kitchen and wisphering things to him. During one of their exchanges I heard him say, " Push it back an hour". I asked if everything was ok and he said, " Yes, don't worry about it". Ok so me being who I am I began to think someone had an issue with the food and I wanted to make sure everything was running smoothly.
Fast forward to the end of the meal. The last dessert plate was placed on the table and he came down into the room where dinner was being served only to walk into a Standing Ovation. I have never been more proud of him in the 4 1/2 years of us being together. They all gathered around to give him praises on how well planned the meal was, and how wonderful everything tasted. He is very shy so he thanked them all for coming and escaped outside for a ciggy (lol). After about another 30 minutes he came back in, while everyone was saying their last goodbyes. I was standing around talking to our foodie friends and he came next to me so I placed my arm around him and continued my conversation. After a minute he said, " Excuse me". I turned to look at him and he then hugged me, stepped back and said, " I appreciate you for helping me make this dinner possible, Thank you for everything you do for me, I wouldn't be the Man I am if it wasn't for you. I want to make this official by asking you to be my wife ( while getting down on one knee). He then asked, " Will You marry me"?
I was in such shock. We went through so much struggle that night, that was the last thing on my mind. Ofcourse I broke down crying and said, " Yes"!!! After we hugged and kissed everyone clapped and asked to see the ring. I replied that I needed a tissue before I could turn around lol. After wiping my face I turned and screamed!!!! I then put my hand up and did the " Single Ladies " Wave while screaming, " Oh My God" repeatedly!! After all the excitement died down I then found out he had planned to propose that night and that is why his mother kept coming to check on the time frame. I am just so blessed to have him and I thank the Lord for bringing him my way.

Thanks for reading ladies, this is my story!!!

Hey Ladies I hope that all of you beautiful Brides to be are having a great day. So on Saturday 1- 14-12 my mother and I were given tickets to " An Evening with Preston Bailey" by my wedding planner. Just in case some of you don't know, Preston Bailey is an Event and Wedding Designer to the stars. He has done events for The Royal Family, Joan Rivers, Mariah Carey, Jeniffer Hudson, and other Royal familes abroad. This was a VIP Showcase event on Saturday and then the Bridal Show was Sunday. There were vendors there as usual but it was all about Preston Bailey. He walked around talking to the guest and taking pics. Thanks to my mother we got this pic. I was so nervous and scared but she turned me into a stalker. We followed him just before he went into his suite to change and I asked if I could tak a pic with him and he stated, " Oh we must get a picture with your mother as well"!! I am such a shy person but I am very happy that my mother followed him around.

During his presentation he showed clips of events that he has done, GORGEOUS!!! Later he went into a presentation for the vendors that were there to give them suggestions on how to present certain looks to their brides as well as helpful hints on dealing with brides. For us Brides he talked about sticking to your vision. There is no budget too small and your WP should do their very best to create your vision. For those who have a "Champagne taste with a beer budget" pick out what is the most important to you . Imagine your event like you are shopping for a new outfit: Dress, Shoes, Jewlery, and purse. What is most important? If you have to have the new dress go with the dress/ (Venue). Whatever means the most to you that is what you focus on or that is your splurge within your budget.

It was a great showcase and I am so happy I was able to experience that moment and to have it with my mother as well makes it even better.

Hey Ladies,
So the FH and I went on a meeting with DB's last week to look at the packages for their Photography and Videography. I must say the quality of the albums I think are great!!! My FH liked them as well. And not to mention the prices, they are perfect for our budget.

But ofcourse before I " Say Yes" lol I just wanted to get the opinion of the ladies here. So have you purchased the photography package through DB's? Were you pleased with the service and the quality of the pictures? And how was the Videography?

Thanks alot ladies!!