This is staceyb's Orange Wedding!

We ordered the bridesmaid dresses back in May. They should be arriving in July in the proper color. (Orange, naturally.)

They are so flattering on the girls and my gift to each of them was to cover a portion of the cost. :)

I can't wait to see them in the actual color. I think it's going to be amazing!

We've made a lot of progress in the last while, especially considering there's only 6 weeks left!

Still, one of the biggies is that my first dress fitting for alterations was last week and I got to see a little preview of what the dress will eventually look like. It made me want to squee! Ha.

I'm having straps added on, the bodice is being altered into a sweetheart, there will be a crinoline under the skirt to give it a little more Oomph and the back is being converted into a corset back. (Currently a zipper.)

All for the sweet low price of $250 at Lisa's Bridals in New Westminster. Love it!

I'm having an etiquette issue that FH and I have been stressing over since we got engaged.

My parents have been separated for a year and are in the process of getting a divorce. This is definitely a good thing as they haven't been getting along for...well...ever. The problem is that my mom is adjusting very well but my dad, who has always loved drama, is using it as an excuse to be a bit of a sad sack lately.

Every time I speak with him all he wants to discuss is how depressed he is, how much he hates marriage and my mom, how he doesn't know if he'll ever be able to do anything normally ever again, etc.

It's really making me question whether or not I want him to walk me down the aisle, or even be included at all. I would never rescind his invitation, but I'm seriously reconsidering things like the aisle walking, doing the father/daughter dance, and as of now, I definitely don't want him to give any speeches or toasts because I have this awful scene in my brain of him using it as an opportunity to dig at my mom and her boyfriend (whom she started seeing long after they separated and who is an extremely nice man that I would love to have in attendance at MY wedding. His kids (all 4 of them) are also invited and are very excited to come.).

I hate drama and try to avoid it at all costs but he's making it very difficult for me to imagine my wedding day going seamlessly and I can just picture something horrific happening where I end up in tears. For example, on my birthday he called to say that family "holidays" are too hard for him and I shouldn't expect any phone calls for quite some time. He did the same thing to my sister on HER birthday.

Now, of course, my grandmother has become ill and has been put into homecare where someone can be with her 24 hours a day to ensure that she is as comfortable as possible. She's well into her 90's and it comes as no surprise that she's come to this stage in her life but once again, my dad has taken the situation, which should be about my grandmother, and turned it into another pity party and my patience is running out.

I'm just not sure what to do. I don't want to hurt his feelings by asking him not to be involved in key wedding events, and if I do I know that he'll simply choose not to attend at all, because he likes to cause scenes. But I also don't want to be upset on my wedding day. We're still a little under 7 months away so I was planning on waiting out his moods and seeing if he'll be more receptive to some kind of sit down discussion about the entire thing, but I was just wondering what you ladies would do in a similar situation? I suppose I just need some advice.

Thanks in advance. :)

It's been a while since the last post but we haven't really accomplished anything big since then. We'll be ordering our invitations soon and have a consultation with a company called Wedding Things (where we will most likely pick up things like my garter, bridesmaid/groomsman gifts, a cake topper, and we're starting to think about favours.

The biggest news, of course, is that I put the deposit down on my dress, which will be arriving in May!!! Eep!!!

My mom REALLY wanted to pay for it but was having trouble committing to a day, then spending money on other things and saying that she couldn't help me out anymore, then taking it back and saying that I should just wait for her to get paid again, etc, etc. After being extremely frustrated and saving up enough money for the dress myself she finally said, "I can go on January 2nd." So I took her up on her offer, made an appointment at Lisa's Bridals in New Westminster, and we went and bought "the dress". I'm so excited and I know that Cale is going to love it.

He wanted me to have something that made me look and feel like a princess, ha. I showed him hundreds of pictures and the ones he liked the best were always the biggest, shiniest dresses featured. I didn't go all out, and the dress came out to about $1000, which was perfectly in budget. I'm going to add straps and have them alter the neckline into a sweetheart, and I'll be wearing a crinoline beneath the dress to puff it up a little for the ceremony.

So excited!!!!!

How long did you date before you got engaged?
1 day less than 1 year. :)

Did you get the ring you wanted?
My ring is perfect. He knew that I'm not that into big, gaudy diamonds but that I hoped to have at least one in my wedding ring to set it apart and it's just beautiful. I couldn't have picked a better one myself. I think it represents our relationship perfectly. Simple, clean, and a little bit sparkly.

Was the proposal a complete surprise?
Yes. I'd been joking for some time that he would propose on our anniversary so when he DID I thought it WAS a joke. Ha. It took me about 20 minutes to ask if he'd "actually asked me". Poor guy.

Do you wish you had a bigger/smaller diamond? If so How big or small?
Not at all! It's absolutely perfect as far as I'm concerned.

Did you cry when he proposed?
I felt like crying several times but in the moment I mostly thought I was going to faint. Now, of course, I get teary eyed anytime I read a bridal magazine, listen to other people's vows, hear a song I think we should play, look at my ring for too long, or if he does something extra nice for me. Sometimes I wonder if I'm getting married, or if I'm just pregnant. (I'm not...just for the record.)

When do you want to go for your honeymoon?
Our wedding is in August so we're most likely heading on the honeymoon in September. We're starting on the beach in Italy and who knows where we'll go from there. :)

Are you buying his wedding band for him?
Yes. I already have one picked out and ready to go.

Have you gone over your original wedding budget?
Not yet! We have all of the big things booked as well so I don't think that we WILL go over, which is very exciting. I'll be really happy if we don't go over budget.

What day of the year will your wedding be?
Sunday, August 8th. Having it on a Sunday worked out really well for us. We got a lot of amazing discounts.

What kind of weather?
It's probably going to be boiling hot. The middle of summer in the interior of BC! Yikes! It's still going to be awesome though, I think. I don't mind a little bit of heat.

Outside or Inside?
Outside and inside. Our ceremony is in a park under a gazebo and our reception is in the hotel ballroom next door.

Church/justice of the peace/other?
We're being married by an Officiant. Someone authorized by the province of BC to perform marriages. It's fantastic because she's giving us license to write our entire ceremony ourselves, so it'll be extremely personal.

How many people will be there?
Probably around 260. I actually wanted to have a smaller guest list but after all of our family if we'd cut back we wouldn't have been able to invite our closest friends.

Time of day?
The ceremony is starting at 2pm and the reception starts at 5pm. So we'll have time in between to take a breather and our photos.

How many bridesmaids? Who would they be?
3. My sister is my maid of honour, my best friend is a bridesmaid and FH's niece is bridesmaid number 3. (She also lives with us.)

What kind of cake/what will it look like?
Cupcakes. I'm hoping to have all different kinds but FH's mom is making them so I think they'll all just be chocolate with chocolate icing. I'm thinking of asking FH's best man's girlfriend if she'll make half because I know she's a phenomenal baker and there will be some variety. I have to be careful about toe stepping though.

What kind of dress will you have/color/material?
A satin ballgown with beaded bodice and straps and sparkly pickups. I was originally going to go with a sheath but I put this one on for kicks and completely fell in love. It was so fun to wear and looked spectacular so I had to go for it. PLUS it was $500 cheaper than the sheath!!!!

What kind of flowers in your bouquet?
Sunflowers, orange gerbera daisies, and white orchids. Our florist is probably going to add some others in just for kicks.

Kind of wedding bands?
I'll probably get an eternity band that matches my engagement ring. He's getting a polished titanium dome. Both of our wedding rings will have O8.08.08 engraved on the inside.

How will you wear your hair?
I'm not sure yet, but I'm going for hair trials in January. :) So far I'm thinking it'll be a half up-do. Something mostly down that still keeps the hair off of my face.

Who will be important to be there?
Our immediate families and our closest friends. We also invited our extended families, which adds up to a lot of people.

Will the reception be big or small?
Probably quite gigantic!!! Our families like to "have a good time". Ha.

What will the groom wear?
He wants to wear a tux and who am I to stop him?! Ha. He'll have an orange tie, pocket square, and boutonniere. He's probably going to wear some sort of mismatched shoes which I think will be awesome.

How old will you and the groom be?
I'll be 25 and he'll be 26.

How long will you be engaged before you get married?
1 year and 1 day.

Live together before or wait till married?
Well he is currently all the way in England and will be until March. But iHa. We'll have been living together for a year in January.

Take a long time to plan the wedding or will it be simple?
It will be simple but we're still taking the whole year. The date is what matters most to us, not necessarily planning out the details.

Will you do it yourself or with family or hire someone to plan the wedding?
We're planning it ourselves.

Will you write your own vows or use something pre-made?
We're writing our own along with most of the ceremony itself. I'm worried I'm going to completely loose it and cry the entire time, and FH is counting on it. Ha ha. We'll remember it forever though.

I finally made an inspiration board for myself. Ha. I'd been putting it off for a while because of general laziness, but here it is in all it's glory! I'll have to email it to my bridesmaids and the moms. :)

There's not too much on it so far, but this is generally what we're looking at.

Our colors are orange, yellow and white. I'll have a white orchid, sunflower and orange gerbera daisy bouquet. The bridesmaids will be wearing orange dresses and the groomsmen will be wearing yellow ties and bouts.

I'll have a big yellow orchid in my hair and I haven't decided whether or not I want to have it all down, or half up. I'm having my first hair trial in January so hopefully we can come up with some awesome ideas. :) I'll also be wearing yellow shoes and Cale will be wearing an orange tie and orange bout. (We switched favorite colors to symbolize our coming together.)

My flower girl will be wearing the dress I wore to my own parents wedding. It doesn't look like the one in the photo but it IS white.

And finally, our centerpieces are going to be cut up oranges and lemons in clear vases. We might include some white flower accents. :)

I'm super excited! Hopefully this will give everyone involved a better idea of what is involved in our wedding.

Cale came home from work the day before our one year anniversary as a couple and I could tell RIGHT AWAY that something was off! The day before I'd been chatting with my best friend who asked what we'd be getting up to that weekend, and completely joking, I mentioned that he would probably propose.

Imagine MY surprise when, after asking him how his day at work was, he got down on one knee and said, very matter of factly, "Marry me?"

I was so shocked that I said yes right away, and then, thinking it was a joke (WITH THE RING ON MY FINGER), I made him open his anniversary present. Ha.

A few minutes later I asked, "Did you just seriously ask me?!"

Ha ha. Classic!!!!