The first 72 hours of our engagement were filled with lots of celebrating & champagne! We spent a lot of time on the phone and hearing everyone’s reaction to our news was the cherry on the cake!! JH quickly suggested I document every phone call and I’m so glad that I did.
My cousin, Kelly freaked and immediately squealed the news out loud to Aunt Sherri and Sue (her husband’s mom). She was in Ottawa for Maggie’s (her BF) bridal shower. They were up preparing for the shower which was the next day. She texted me at least 4 times after we hung up. She reported that the happy tears had started and she didn’t know how she would sleep! *We are happy criers in our family!
My best friend, Andrea said, “Oh my gosh!!! As soon as I saw that it was you, I told Ian ‘She’s engaged!’” Ian was almost as excited and said “put in on speaker, put it on speaker.”
Jenna didn’t answer. She was probably sleeping!
I sent Mandy a text to make sure she was awake before I called because she has a newborn. There are no surprises with Mandy…. she immediately sent a reply “R u engaged!!??!” She was thrilled and then, like Kelly, sent me at least three novels after we hung up. And demanded we stop by her house the next day even though we were snowed in!
And, classic Tamie responded with a “Wait, can you repeat that!?”
After a lot of celebrating, we found an available Cathedral. A Basilica none-the-less. I’m still in shock it was available. We are ecstatic! We set a date. Found two reception venue/hotels, put them on hold and scheduled meetings with both; which we did last Friday. Also, I choose Town & Country at Plaza Frontenac for my first appointment to try on bridal gowns. Town & Country was a lovely place and ladies there were calm and made the whole experience an enjoyable one.
As of right now, I have it narrowed down to two designers. Amsale & Priscilla of Boston Vineyard Collection.
Along with reception venue, hotel, Cathedral and dress… We also have a florist, band, possible photographer and four quotes on invitation suites. Yes, we haven’t even been engaged for two weeks!!
Two things I need your help on – The Guest List & The Dress. Any advise? Tell me your story. What did you struggle with during your first 72 hours of engagement?
{ 30 comments… read them below or add one }
Congrats to you! SO smart to narrow your dress search to two designers. After spending time pouring through magazine ads and designer websites I chose Anne Barge and went to a trunk show with the dress already picked out.
Don’t go into a bridal salon with the attitude “I have no idea what I want and i’ll try on anything!” Your dress should reflect your personal style. If you usually wear A-line or straight hemmed dresses don’t try on the fit and flare or trumpet style gowns. (Personally, I think those silhouettes are a fad.) Also if you are usually comfortable in strapless go for it, but if you don’t own a single strapless dress, forget it! You want people to see you in your gown and say YES that’s the perfect Nina dress! I don’t understand why people throw out all the rules when picking out their wedding gown?!?!
I’m sure the dress you pick will be amazing! Just do your research and confirm before your appointment that the salon has the dresses you want before you go. Don’t go as a blank slate, you will get exhausted and frustrated! Best of luck.
Congratulations! That is such exciting news! My advise is not to stress about the dress, you will literally put it on, fall in love and know it is the one. Then STOP LOOKING haha, don’t look at any more pictures or in any more stores once you have picked a dress. You’ll drive yourself mad if you do. In terms of the guest list, that is more of a personal decision based on how many people you want there. I wanted people I KNEW, not people who knew of me or my husband. So our wedding was on the smaller side (around 130 people). No matter what, have fun planning!!
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Whew – you have done so much already. Now just enjoy the moment — it’s so much fun being engaged! My advise on the dress is you will know it when you put on the one! Congrats on the engagement and enjoy every second of planning!!
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I’m like you — I had it all planned within a week. What I wish I’d done? Taken a step back and enjoyed it for a few days. I’m now 6 months in to a 12 month engagement and it seems like just yesterday Matt asked me to marry him. I wish I had taken the time to just chill out and let it all sink in.
Congrats!
(I should have proof-read and I would have caught the CONGRATS and would have instead said best wishes!)
oooh this is such wonderful news!! best wishes to you both
that dress is GORGEOUS!
belle on heels´s last blog ..thoughts on the single life
Signs you’ll know a dress is “the one”: mom wil cry and you will not want to take it off.
Allison´s last blog ..Wedding Details
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!
YAY!
Hurray!
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Funny, I just did a post about my guest-list issue. Ugg!!
Sounds like you’re doing great with the planning. My man and I booked all the big things right after we got engaged. That’s helped me to not be so stressed out. Our wedding is 7.31.10 and I can’t wait =)
Happy planning!
Wow you have gotten a lot accomplished! Just make sure that you can enjoy the process to. I think that is one of my biggest regrets that I was so anxious to check everything off the list and didn’t get a chance to enjoy the journey more. It all goes by so fast.
I think deciding on the invitations and the invitation suite was the hardest for me but that is because I’m a designer and I love way to many things when it comes to design.
Laura´s last blog ..Design Is…
WOW! You are amazing with your planning! This is such an exciting time! I know you will completely enjoy it! My best friend had an Amsale dress, and it was gorgeous. It had a fleur de lis pattern on the train. She is from St. Louis, and loved she could incorporate it into her dress. It was just BEAUTIFUL!
Well not being engaged or married, this is so exciting for me and I’m so happy for you! That dress is to DIE for!
I can’t wait to see your final choice and everything else come together. I know you will have the best party ever and I can’t wait to see pictures.
Now eat a cookie in celebration and then right back on the wedding diet! ha ha
You are so on it, girl! The dress… Make sure you really love the one you get. You didn’t settle for your man, so don’t settle on your dress.
The guest list… At first, we were bummed that J’s mom more than doubled our guest list– but in the end, we were SO happy to have so many loved ones that wanted to share in our happiness. Know your limits… and don’t feel bad if you aren’t able to invite your second-cousin. They’ll get over it… if they even cared in the first place.
Abbie´s last blog ..The Same… but Better
I’m no help with the guest list, we had a destination wedding and limited it to 15 guests.
The dress…it’s just like the man…you will know it’s the one when you put it on! My dress was nothing like the magazine pictures I had torn out for inspiration, but it was absolutely perfect.
Congrats!! Can’t wait to follow your blog through this exciting journey!
Chas´s last blog ..My Own Chili
You’re quick! I didn’t even start planning my wedding until a month after I had been engaged!! Everyone is right about the wedding dress – once you put it on, you will know it’s the one. And then, stop looking!! Because you will inevitably find another one that you love and it will become such a difficult decision. So, find the perfect one and stick with it!
As far as the guest list goes.. that’s hard to say. It’s tempting to invite everyone and everyone – my original guest list was for about 400 people. You have to decide how important it is to you that you are able to interact with everyone at your reception. If it’s not important, invite everyone and let them enjoy the party! If it is important, narrow the list to include your close family and friends and enjoy the intimacy!
Congratulations! I’d love to be a fly on the wall at your wedding – I bet it’s going to be absolutely spectacular! Can’t wait to hear more about your plans! Any honeymoon ideas yet?
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Congratulations to you as well!! I can’t wait to see the plans you have in store!!
Melissa´s last blog ..It’s a Boy!!!!!!!!
I’m going to agree with so many of the comments above to really take the time to sit back, relax, and enjoy it. I feel like the entire 12 months of our engagement was spent dealing with wedding planners, florists, bakeries, caterers, hotels, our Priest, guest list woes, dress shops, shoe shops, suit shops, learning Spanish, etc. If I had it all to do over again I would have put much more of my time and energy into what really matters… the marriage you create together, not that one special day.
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Congrats!!! I am recently engaged and so far the hardest part has been the guest list by far!
Kelly´s last blog ..Wedding Wednesday: The Dress
Best Wishes to you and JH! I wish I had some great advice on the guest list…Mr. G and I handed our names over to my mother and she took it from there…that was one battle I knew I would NEVER win as an only child. The list was out of control…the only thing that saved us from a 1000 person wedding in the end was deciding to do it at our summer house and there are a limited number of hotel rooms at Kiawah!
grovegalk´s last blog ..Flew Back To Be Snowed In…..
I LOVE the Vineyard Collection. I’m thinking (once I finally get my ring) I’ll end up either with the Morgan or the Maeve. I’m a tiny girl as well (5’1″) so I’m a little afraid they will be overpowering but they are sssoo beautiful I have to try them.
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Yeah, everyone’s always like “You’ll cry!” “You’ll know!”
None of that happened for me. I tried on my dress as a joke. It ended up being my favorite. Not everyone has that magical moment. You can still find a dress without it.
I was studying for the bar, so for the first 72 hours of my engagement I was struggling with oil and natural gas law.
Dress… I was totally stressed out with law school and the Bar and made a snap decision at my first dress shopping outing and ended up convincing the bridal salon to let me switch dresses. I loved my dress… but I didn’t have any “Angels and Fireworks and Unicorns” moment. I think I could have been happy with lots of dresses but I felt beautiful on my wedding day so the one I picked did the trick!
Don’t stress too much – try to enjoy just being engaged – take breaks in the planning just to “be”!
Kate´s last blog ..Favorite Things: February
this is a story about flowers, not a dress but you’ll see why………….
i went through endless magazines looking at flower bouqets. my florist recommended i start pulling photos out and putting them in a file, so when we met i could show her what i liked. well in typical julie fashion, i pulled and shoved them into a folder and never looked at them again or any time along the way. we showed up at the florist and when i pulled the pics out—-they were all the same!!! i guess i knew what i liked.
so, long of the short…maybe this is what you should do with your dress!!!
OK. so let’s be honest. you could wear a white pototoe sack and look like a million dollars!!!! so let’s not stress!!
Ok, so I must admit. I knew it was the reason you called too, except that for one *tiny* moment I was worried something had happened to a family member and you were calling to tell me. I always hate when we’re making those calls. Thankfully when I heard the tone in your voice, I knew! I am so happy for you both. Who knew, right here in So Ill. Oh yea, me. And your mom. Love you!
In regards to the dress, I picked out my dress, because I knew it was something my husband would be super excited to see me wear. I wanted a ballgown that wasn’t strapless, but once I tried on my dress, I knew my husband would love it, and that made me love it. It was definitely a good decision, because the look he gave me when I got to the altar and what he whispered in my ear are memories I will never forget.
The guest list was the biggest drama for us, because our parents kept adding people. What I finally realized is, if it fits in the budget, go ahead and invite who they want it if makes them happy. The day really is about you and your husband, but your parents also want to show you off and show how proud they are of you to all your friends. Might as well let them!
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Congrats!!!! Enjoy the planning ride – it’s one of the best times!
I’d throw out Romona Keveza as another designer. Her style is very close to the two you’ve mentioned. Have fun!!
CK´s last blog ..Almost Famous Garden Salad & Dressing
Nina, you are such a busy bee! I bet you could plan an entire wedding in a week! Best wishes
miss mindles´s last blog ..major life FAIL
Excel was my best friend when it came to the wedding. We separated people into catagories on different tabs. We had my family, his family, and friends. On each tab we listed out the people with their last name, first name, and address all in separate fields for easy sorting plus we also put a collumn in there saying if we thought they’d come or not (which turned into an actual yes or no once RSVPs started coming in). A lot of his family were older and lived far away so we knew we’d send invites but they wouldn’t come. We listed out every possible person we would want to come to see the ultimate top number of guests and then started narrowing it down from there. Good luck with everything!
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I’m catching up on your blog cause I’m on a snow day and I love this post. I love the documented reactions! And your planning is coming a long so well already. The bride dresses on here are FAB!
My first 72 hours were so overwhelming I really did nothing but sip champange and stare are my ring in disbelief! It is such an amazing time! Enjoy it!!