Wedding Website

Carmen-Marcus.ourwedding.com
Started our wedding website a week or so ago - - so far we've got our proposal story, ceremony/reception location with directions and extra info, and photo album up.
So click on over and look around, sign the guestbook, and enjoy!

Always,
C Faith~

Girls in White Dresses with Blue Satin Sashes

Ok, while I won't be wearing a blue satin sash (though that could be my "something blue"), I will be wearing a white dress (err, ivory...whatever). A little late, however still very exciting...I found my wedding dress!!! Not only that, but I ordered it that very day (you know a couple Saturdays ago when I posted that I was going shopping for the very first time, yeh, that day - - found it, loved it, ordered it, paid for it, done). AND it came in this week...waaahhhhat?? I thought this was supposed to be stressful and all that...
...
Oh yeh, alterations... :::bring on the stress:::
So, the wonderful bridal "boutique" I ever so carefully selected to browse, try-on, fall-in-love-with, and ultimately choose to purchase my dress from has a not so great rep with alterations, which I didn't find out about until after my gown came in. I was a little less than thrilled, to be specific I went into panic-mode. (complete with heart palpitations, shortness of breath, tunnel vision, and spells of intense hot flashes that I can only vaguely assume are similar to what a menopausal woman might experience) See, here's what had happened. I tried on a number of dresses, all in the same size, all of which fit...mostly. My dress in particular couldn't quite zip the entire way (and by "could quite" I literally mean was unzipped by about an inch and a half, not a big deal); fit wonderfully from the waist down (which really is an accomplishment considering the uhm, asset I was blessed with), however was completely and utterly M  A  S  S  I  V  E in the chest. Like, I probably could have stuffed with an entire roll of toilet paper, on EACH side, and still had some room to spare. Now, having said all of this, the wonderful "bridal consultant" at aforementioned wonderful bridal "boutique" and all her little consultant friends INSISTED, insisted I tell you, that I needed to order my dress 2 sizes up but that my "custom" measurements would be taken into consideration when "custom" making my "custom" dress. Let me insert my thinking process while all the incessant insisting is occuring... I, like every other bride, plan on shedding a few pounds before the big day. Not only that, but I had already dropped a few prior to wedding dress shopping, and since wedding dress shopping I've lost more. And I'm not done yet... But alas, I folded. They insisted (do you see an annoying pattern here?) that no matter what (weight loss, weight gain, stay the same) the dress could be altered once it came in to fit exactly how I wanted and that taking in could be done all I wanted, but taking out couldn't so it was best to stick with what they'd suggested as a size. So I did.
And then I found these...

My beautiful * dress that I re-fell in love with cost $402 to alter!!! The dress itself was $500. Is this normal? Did I get taken? It had to be taken in on the sides all the way down and I had to have it rehemmed

Beware * Alteration Prices

However if they are able to do alterations, it would require going up the equivalent of 2+ sizes. And although I am not a professional seamstress, I know enough to say with confidence that it will not look the way it is supposed to.

*(I see no point in adding insult to injury, while I may be dissatisfied with the inevitable alteration process at *, other brides may be satisfied. :))

I am not one to believe everything I read on the internet, however these bad experiences keep multiplying! And most of the complaints are the same: forced to buy 2 sizes too big, required to pay in full before seeing dress, insanely high alteration prices (like almost 1/2 the dress price), custom measurements but not a custom dress, etc. And as disheartening as these reviews were to read, I somehow knew this would happen. (honestly the whole dress shopping process had gone way too smoothly - - granted I was exhausted when we left and a little uneasy about the size they had me order, it was quite a painless experience) So I wasn't surprised. My wonderful mother however (and Queen Fix-it) has more than happily agreed to pick up my gown, and not only that but offered ever-so graciously to give them the piece of my her mind I didn't want to over the phone she didn't think I would have the guts to do. I will say, I tried asking about alterations when I called to warn inform them my mom would be coming. But the girl just told me I'd need to try the dress on first, that I might not need alterations (yes I will), to which I responded with "but I'm not coming" and she said, "then I don't know."

Anyone know a good, reasonably-priced seamstress in the TTown area? 

Always,

C Faith~

My FAVORITE Day!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

Oh my goodness, it is truly my most favorite day of the entire year! I have always loved Valentine's Day, single or not, it's been #1. 

This morning I woke up to yummy sweet potato pancakes, courtesy of my love. 

And he got me this adorable bird and branch lariat necklace I fell in love with and have been eyeing for some time now. (he hacked my Etsy acct and went through my favorites, isn't he smart? ;))

Tonight we're going to the THUNDER GAME!!! (courtesy of ME! I know, I'm good :D) I got super-awesome seats (no 300s tonight people!) and am super pumped! The Thunder is something that is very near and dear to us. We LOVE them! I did not grow up in a sporty family at all. My dad's not into football, basketball, baseball, any conventional sport really. He's into fishing and canoeing, hiking, hunting, the outdoorsy type, but not sports. We didn't watch sports growing up, I never played a sport, my brothers rarely played. So when MJ and I started dating football season was over, but NBA basketball was going strong and I couldn't avoid it any longer. :P I went from knowing absolutely nothing, zip, NADA about the game to being able to name all the teams in both the western and eastern conferences AND most of our players names (and many numbers too - - seriously, people, this is a great accomplishment for me!). You should be impressed ;)

I hope everyone has a LOVEly Valentine's Day whether you're single, just starting a relationships, dating, seriously committed, engaged, newlyweds, or been married for years - - enjoy the 14th, do something special with loved ones (yourself included! because really, we must love ourselves first to truly love someone else) and remember, it's only one day out of the year - - it won't kill you! :)

Always, 

C Faith~

Say Yes to the Dress

Just thought I'd get a quick post in...

I'm going wedding dress shopping TODAY!!! I am so excited! Like, so excited I couldn't sleep last night. So excited that the 3 reminder phone calls and 5 reminder emails haven't even bothered me. So excited I've dreamed of our wedding 3 nights this week. So excited that I've looked online again, and again, and again, and again to make sure I have an idea of exactly what I want to try on and what options are there. Yeh, I'm THAT excited!
So, here's to dress shopping! And here's the the excitement that awaits me in just a short hour :D

Always,
C Faith~

Forever. For Real.

Sorry my loves - - it's been close to 2 weeks since my last post. (shame on me)
In all honesty there wasn't much of importance to write about these past two weeks - - well, that's not entirely true. I have recently started a home business (find out about it here...) and so I've been utterly engrossed in trying to get that off the ground. But! I'm extremely excited about that and excited to be telling you all about this past weekend's events :)
MJ and I attended a Forever.For Real workshop on Saturday and absolutely LOVED it! (thank you Cassie and Ryan for telling us about that!) It was awesome! Plus, when you attend you get a discount on your marriage license (which brings it down to a whopping $5! that's right people, just FIVE bucks and you can get hitched :P) It was an all-day event which left both of us absolutely e x h a u s t e d by the end of it but I think it was totally worth it.
Here are a few things I took away from the event...
1. There were 3 keys they continually referenced at the end of each section: Decide, don't slide; Make it safe to connect; Do your part. (how proud are you that I remembered all three of those without even looking!? I know, super proud :P)
The one that really stuck with me was "Do your part" - - the point here was if you have an issue with your partner (say, they never pick up their dirty clothes) start doing your part (maybe you leave shoes all over the house - - guilty) and chances are your partner will notice and think, "hey, she/he's really making an effort here to keep the house picked up, I can do the same" and VOILA! the dirty clothes start magically disappearing around the house and reappearing in the laundry basket.
2. Speaker-Listener Technique - - I like to think I'm some great communicator (ladies, don't we all?? :P) and when arguments arise between MJ and I it's a lot easier to blame them on his lack of communication (he is MALE after all...) than to think maybe I'm the one not getting my message across quite right. However, listening to the section on the Speaker-Listener Technique I realized that sometimes I'm not the best speaker (I'm a rambler and tend to d   r   a   g on and on) and I'm not necessarily always the greatest listener (I may not always be totally focused on what my partner's saying, AKA I'm thinking up my response).
3. Another thing that stood out and has actually been something that's come up with us time and time again is the terminology of a fight (or argument, or discussion, or talk, or screaming-match - - you know, whatever term you like to use). I tend to think our "encounters" are discussions, MJ thinks of them as fights (when they're really bad) or arguments any other time. Not only that but when I hit frustration and upset he's already at angry...so, looking at our "angermeter" really helped to see how differently each of us defines different levels of emotion.
4. Lastly (not really lastly, but the last thing I'll bother you readers with :)), the presenters discussed love styles. (similar to the love languages, which is wonderful, everyone should read or at least explore online - - not just couples, take the test and find out your love language(s), it is so incredibly helpful!) Would you believe that MJ and I are NOT the same, neither how we speak or how we need to be spoken to!? Not that this is all that surprising, most couples aren't. I'm a words girl...I need them, I can't live without them, they define who I am, my emotions, my ever, existing being... Words for him are at the bottom of the list, no joke. He needs touch, almost constantly (anything from simply brushing by each other to cuddling on the couch) and while I enjoy touch, I also very much enjoy my personal space - - especially in a "discussion" which is opposite for MJ. So it was interesting to see how each of us rank these styles differently and to also see how each of us rank what we think the other needs most/least.


Overall - - very successful weekend and I know we both are looking forward to being able to use some of the advice, techniques, and helpful tips we learned at the event.
Also, check out Ryan and Cassie's blog True Agape - - it's a wonderful look into the first year of marriage and staying true to the real meaning of love, commitment, responsibility, and personal growth within their union.


Always,
C Faith~

Check List

Well, nothing too terribly exciting has occurred as of late with wedding planning, but I didn't want to start neglecting the blog this early in the game, so here's what's gotten done (or at least started) thus far...

• Set the budget
• Set a date
• Booked the venue/reception site
• Scheduled engagement photos (thanks Dad! :))
• Designed our "save-the-dates" (they're so super cute, lemme tell ya :))
• Started our guest list, cut the guest list, added back to it again, and then p u s h e d it aside (seriously, who likes to do this?! not this  girl!)
• Asked 2 of my 3 girls - - someone needs to return a phone call... 
• Semi-nailed down wedding colors
• Decided to not have uniform bridesmaid dresses/shoes/ or hair
• Found bridesmaids' gifts (sorta)
• Planned the reception menu (now I just gotta find the darn caterer...)
• Picked ceremony music
• Picked important reception music (garter toss, bouquet toss, first dance, etc.)
• Continuously adding to reception music list
• Decided to not have a DJ/Band
• Reserved our officiant (thanks Mike! :))
• Registered for Forever4Real (attend a workshop and you receive $45 discount for Oklahoma marriage license - - suhweet!)
• Registered for my first bridal show
• Browsed wedding dresses online with MJ (just to get an idea of what he "envisions", don't worry, the final product will be TOP-SECRET)
• Looked at wedding bands for MJ
• Looked at honeymoon locations, again, and again, and again, and a..g..a..i..n... (we're still looking :P)
• Started a diet/exercise routine
• Looked into a wedding planner...
• Wondered why we're not eloping time and time again. (kidding...but seriously. no kidding...really though...haha, errr...:::sigh::: it'll be worth it in the end (i hope))

So, there you have it - - really, now that I look at it all there together I feel pretty accomplished! :D 

Way to go Me!!!

Always,

C Faith~

Fool me once, and we'll get engaged

I guess I had better share the "proposal story" with everyone. It has been over a week! :P
My mom convinced me back at the beginning of November to throw a surprise birthday party for MJ. I agreed, though I've never thrown a surprise party (or a party of any kind really), but she said it wouldn't be that hard and something along the lines of "it'll practically take care of itself." (funny Mom, clever Mom) Now, MJ and her had been in cahoots since SEPTEMBER!

--->That's right people, September.<--- 

They figured they could talk me into a party, I'd plan it all, and then right as I'm thinking how sneaky I am, he'd spring a proposal on me in front of our friends and family. (funny boyfriend, clever boyfriend)
So, I tell her (over text mind-you), "let's do it the weekend before, since his birthday is on a Tuesday" only I send this to MJ, not my mom! He responds with a "huh?" and I panick, "oh haha whoops! meant for mom. she's planning something for A-O (my brother) and we're gonna do it the weekend before during Thanksgiving." - - luckily my brother's birthday just happened to fall on a Tuesday as well (thank you calendar gods) and my penny-pinching, money-conscious, budget-bear of a mate replies with, "ah. cool, need money?"

...

Had I really just dodged that bullet? 

Well, I believed I had. Of course MJ, the entire time is cracking up laughing, probably thinking (funny girlfriend, clever girlfriend). 

The day comes and we have waaaaaay more food than I thought we would and waaaaaay more people showed up then I thought would and my mom's acting waaaaaay more bizarre than you'd think she would - - this having been her idea in the first place. (seriously, "lemme paint your nails", "your hair looks good", "go get balloons", "paint your nails real quick", "pick different music", "have you  painted your nails?", "let's make more food", "heat these up too...and those...and this", "answer the door, but KEEP PAINTING YOUR NAILS!"). sidenote: I'd requested my nails be done or at least painted with glitter nail polish when MJ :::finally::: decided to pop the question - - I should've known... 

MJ arrives and everyone's all "SURPRISE!" and i'm all "got you! I got you!" and he's all "yeah, haha" and everyone's all ":::laugh, laugh, laugh:::" and I'm all "eat everyone we have TONS of food!" and everyone's all ":::stand, stare, awkward:::" and I'm all "no really eat, there's plenty" and he's all "hold on" and the moms are all "the cake, the cake, show him his cake!!!" and then I'm all "we haven't even eaten, everyone - - EAT!" and he then is all "hold on a second, :::hug::: :::shove me backwards::: :::drop to one knee:::" and at this point I'm all "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? :::shaking, tearing up::: and he's all ":::NERVOUS::: will you marry me?" and I'm finally ":::crying::: yes!" Then I ask if everyone knew about this to which they're all...

:::LAUGH, LAUGH, LAUGH!:::

So there you have it. THE story...and pictures, cause we got those too :) You can check them out here http://www.dropbox.com/gallery/22347986/1/Marcus%20and%20Carmen?h=f37458 Enjoy!

Always,

C Faith