That’s how I feel right now! Ever since I got my dress in and tried it on, even when I took pictures with all the accessories, I knew that something was missing. I knew it was something with the skirt, but I couldn’t quite figure out what it was. I thought maybe it just needed to be fuller or that the pleats needed to be more spaced out. I thought maybe I needed a crinoline to poof it out more at the base. But the more I thought about it, I figured out what I needed. Lightbulb! And today, I–me, Jenny–made it happen! I even sewed it, ironed it, pieced it together–all by myself! Then I put the dress back on with accessories and the additional “piece”. I cried. I finally cried in this dress because this dress was finally, finally really ME. It all came together and was all perfect. Remember, I have to keep details of the dress hush-hush because Adrian has full access to this blog, so if you want to know more, simply e-mail me at jlnowak [at] gmail [dot] com! I am SO EXCITED that not only did I figure out what was missing, but that I was able to hand-make it myself. It means that much more to me now and feels much more mine 
Jenny the Bride
Filed under: DJ, ceremony, organizing, photographer, planning, reception, the dress | Tags: amanda archer, bloomingfoods, dance machine, etsy wedding dress, harvest moon, master rental, Neal-Marshall, rose well house, silvertree photographics, tom marshalek, twisted limb, wedding
IS IN!!!!!!!!!!!
Mr. Postman dropped off a rectangular box this past Friday. I went out to meet him because I couldn’t wait.
I squealed. I ran inside. I promptly told the dogs that this was my dress and made them go stay in the kitchen so it didn’t get dog hair and paw prints on it.
I tore it open. Inside was an opaque vinyl garment bag (how nice of Amanda to send it this way!) and a thank-you card inside (how nice again!).
i quickly zipped the bag open, squealing again, and put it on.
hmm…it’s beautiful, it’s MY DRESS, without a doubt, but it needs some alterations. So I pulled it tight to get a better idea, put the accessories on and voila!
I was a BRIDE! But I was ME! And it was AWESOME! It was everything I ever wanted AND it’s reusable. The way it’s designed, after the wedding I’ll be able to hem it to the knee and it’ll make a cozy, beautiful sun dress Wow, I’m such a recycling hippie.
But seriously, I am so relieved. Every bride, from what I hear has 2nd thoughts and the more I thought about the dress (before it arrived) the more I doubted my decision. Don’t ask me why. I was doing exactly what I wanted to do. I was having my dress made out of the fabric I wanted, into the style I wanted, by a ridiculously talented dressmaker. But still, the doubts came, but disappeard completely once I put the whole ensemble together. I mean, completely. I am in LOVE with my gown. It’s so ME and it’s SO beautiful!! I can’t wait to wear it to become Adrian’s wife
In other news, checks we have done so far:
- Ceremony site (Rose Well House on IU campus)
- Reception site (Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center Grand Hall)
- DJ (Tom Marshalek from The Dance Machine)
- Flowers (Harvest Moon Flower Farm)
- Rentals (Master Rental)
- dress (Amanda Archer handmade creation)
- Caterer (Bloomingfoods Co-Op)
- Photographer (Jason Miller with Silvertree Photographics)
- Officiant
- registry
- block hotel rooms for guests
- check out Twisted Limb Paperworks for invitations
Filed under: Caterer, DJ, officiant, planning, reception, the dress | Tags: bloomingfoods, Caterer, dance machine, djs, etsy dress, officiant, tom marshalek, wedding
First off:
THE DRESS IS DONE!!!! eeeeeeeee!!!!!!
Ok now that I’ve got that out of my system I can move on.
NO wait. Seriously. MY wedding gown. My custom-made wedding gown. is finished. and it’s beautiful. and by next week, I should be able to put it on! It’ll be moments like that that I’m glad Adrian’s at work all day and I’m at home alone so I can prance around in it and edit pictures in it…
Second update:
We met with our first choice for a caterer (Bloomingfoods Co-op) and decided on a DJ (Tom Marshalek with The Dance Machine).
Adrian and I both knew going into this that we wanted a fun party for our closest friends and families. What better way than with good food and good music?! To be honest, Adrian wasn’t all gung-ho about the DJ thing like I was. He still isn’t. But in my line of work, I’ve seen a TON of DJs. I totally get why he’s a little scared. I’ve seen the cheese in person. I’ve seen the DJs that don’t know when to be quiet, or the ones that don’t realize this isn’t a show all about them, or the ones that totally didn’t listen to the bride & groom’s requests and just played whatever they want. I’ve even seen the DJs that will stop a song that’s rocking out before it’s over leaving dead silence hanging in the air while the crowd that was just having a good time groans in disappointment.
But our guy is not these guys. I’ve seen some great ones too in my line of work, don’t get me wrong. But Tom is the absolute best choice for us. He and I have worked together at two wedding receptions in the past couple of years. Only two, and at these two he impressed me exponentially. We even got to talk quite a bit at the most recent one only this past month. He’s a lot like us. Heck, we even found out recently that he’s our neighbor! He lives like one street over. How small a world is it?! Anyway, he gets it. And he truly loves what he does and I feel that really makes a difference. When vendors “do weddings” just to make money, or in their “off season”, you can tell. When they do it because they love it, it shows. Tom is excellent, end of story. Adrian still may be a little hesitant, but he won’t regret it. I appreciate so much his trust in me in this. And for the record, this is the only aspect of our wedding planning so far on which we haven’t seen eye-to-eye. I mean, iPod weddings may work for some, but for a rockin’ party, you need someone whose sole purpose is to crank out some excellent music!
As for Bloomingfoods, we both agreed on this from the beginning. After meeting with the super-friendly and totally laid-back (like us) Alan Simmerman from the near west side store, we felt even more sure about our decision. We’re still awaiting a price estimate which will help us make our final choice, but we’re pretty set on them. All organic, vegetarian, and super ridiculously delicious food. How can you go wrong?
In other planning news, we’ve also discussed the whole officiant thing. I mean, technically, the officiant is the most important (read: necessary) vendor. And when we think about it, it feels very strange to us to have anyone marry us that doesn’t already know us well. So we’re heading very seriously down the track of having a friend who gets ordained online marry us. We discussed possible friends of ours over lunch one day and came up with a couple of names. We’ve since narrowed it down to one that we think is the best for the job. Next step: Asking said friend. And no, we’re not giving away the name until he/she is asked! :) Nice try, though.
So yeah, I think that about covers it on the wedding planning front. More as things progress!
Jenny the Bride
