Last Day at Disney Till Next Time :(

Well today was our last full day at Disney and it wasn't very eventful. The boys snuck off again in the morning for some golf and left us girls to go to the pool. I made sure to sleep in today before a hectic week returning back to work. After waking I got my swim suit on and met Jean at the pool.

The bar opened shortly after we found our spots and after I had dumped a half a bottle of tanning lotion on myself. I decided to go with just a virgin strawberry smoothie since we were with his parents. I really enjoyed my day out in the sun since this was the ONLY day of sun we saw the entire trip! I am glad he could peak through the clouds on our last day at least.

From what I remember the boys got back to the hotel pretty early and we met them at the hotel room to go eat some lunch. Not sure where we ate since I am writing this two months after our vacation but we probably ate at the hotel again. I know so interesting.

Today Chris and I were planning on going to Epcot but we both agreed to skip it this time due to so many of the rides being under construction. We knew Test Track was closed for refurbishment and Soarin was closed as well. Two of the best rides!

I am sort of blanking out but I don't think we want into a park. If we did it was probably MK. But from what I remember we went back to Downtown to shop a little and then went to dinner early. We decided to use our last meal credit to try Kona for dinner since we liked their breakfast so much :) and boy was it delicious!

We both actually got the same thing which doesn't happen very often. We went for the Pineapple Teriyaki glazed New York Strip and that is literally the best steak I have had on property. Everyone should try it! It came with Rice and Stir Fry Broccoli that was to die for as well. I am starting to think that the Poly is a place to eat at Disney that cannot be beat!

I remember shopping a little before and after dinner here as well. We picked up our Grape Soda pins for the boys in the wedding from the movie up. I think this idea is so cute!

Then after dinner we took the monorail back to the hotel to finally visit the Top of the World Lounge before leaving since this is the main reason people stay at Bay Lake. This was a big deal too because only vacation club members can visit the Top of the World and it felt like a secret mission. You had to go to the front desk to be escorted up! HA!

The fireworks were great and they even had the music from the park playing over the speakers. It was a great view of the castle and a great last night.

Disney has the best drinks!

Seriously he makes me the happiest girl in the world!

Of course the rest of the night was spent packing and doing boring things. But I was excited leaving knowing the next time we would be back would be for our wedding and honeymoon! I seriously cannot wait to be married to my best friend :) I am counting down the days!

Planning Trip Day Six

Today was such a long and eventful day. I was reluctant to wake up at 6 but had to in order to get ready for our engagement pictures this morning. We were meeting Emily our Photographer over at Boardwalk at 8 am to follow this by heading over to the Poly for some more pictures with an outfit change and then ending with Breakfast at Kona.

So I got up and got ready and we drove over to the Yacht and Beach Club to meet her in the lobby. She made us feel comfortable from the start and we got some really great shots thank god. It wasn't easy due to the muggy humidity. But we pushed through and my hair got bigger and frizzier as each minute passed. I know a little dramatic.

I can't put any of our pics up because we are using them in our wedding stationary but they came out so good that I am just so excited for our wedding pictures.

So anyway after the session we headed to Kona right on schedule and this breakfast was the best I had all week. It was a little heavy but it was GOOD! It was actually so good that we had to make a reservation for tomorrow to try their dinner since we cancelled our reservations at Sci-Fi earlier in the week. We were not going to waste a sit down meal from the meal plan. Even if we had already gained 10 pounds this week.

Chris and Chuck tried the Tonga Toast and both loved it. I am glad some of us got to try this since it is their signature Dish for breakfast. For any Disney Foodies this is french toast stuffed with banana then rolled in cinnamon sugar and topped with a strawberry compote. Yum! Too bad they could not do this gluten free.

 We were so tired at this point :)

After breakfast we headed back to the room to change and get ready for AK not sure if we napped or not but knowing us we probably did. I was feeling worse and worse as the week went on due to stuffing myself with tons of food after a gluten flare up. Hey I wasn't going to skip any of that deliciousness. :) But I continued to keep myself off of the adult rides. We rode the Safari together where we were stopped due to some sexual content on the safari path :) But this was by far the best safari we had been on yet. People who want to see a lot of animals should wait until later on in the night. It is so much better. 

Then we went on Dinosaur...one of my favorite rides at WDW! Chris and I love reciting the lines to this one as well. I cannot help but feel like a scary TREX is chasing me every time I ride this. It isn't a rollercoaster but I feel crazy for always getting off feeling winded from all the intensity. 

Chris and I separated so he could ride Everest. I walked around taking so engagement ring shots with Instagram since this was our first time in the parks being engaged I thought I should soak it up for all that it is worth. 

Cool Indian style Dancing 

The park closed at 7 and it was about 6 so we decided to grab some dinner only to realize that every place to eat in AK closed at 5. Chris was starting to not feel good because of his number going low and needing to eat quick! It's kinda funny because a couple of trips back his insulin pump broke at AK. Maybe there is a hoax against diabetics here or something. Just Kidding. Well anyway my adrenaline started to kick in so we grabbed him a cookie to eat on the way out of the park since it was the only thing edible within our reach which ended up making him feel worse.

We decided to get on any bus that was already here no matter what hotel it was going to. Well we were headed to Saratoga Springs for dinner.

We got on the bus which was about a 40 minute trip and half way through Chris was feeling very sick. We were near Saratoga Springs but there are so many stops that we needed to wait until the stop for the quick service at the resort. I had our backpack open ready for Chris to get sick in praying that we get off before he gets sick in front of all of those people.

So we finally get off the bus and Chris paces around trying not to get sick while I let him sit a while and then coax him into eating. He had to even though he felt ill. I knew this was why he was sick. So I ordered our meal and brought it to him outside and it was like magic. As soon as he ate he was back to normal again. We actually got to eat with his parents as well since they had happened to be walking around Saratoga as well. Weird. But after all of us sitting around for a while Chris decided he was feeling completely better and we were off to Downtown Disney. We decided to walk despite the rain that still had me freezing. I think I actually froze to death this entire trip.

This was the best moment of our trip. We walked hand in hand up and down the sidewalks to Downtown talking about our wedding and our future family coming to Disney together. We decided to go on a hunt for Disney kitchen stuff since we decided to have a Disney Kitchen in our new place together. This is honestly what we did our entire trip. Hunted down Disney home goods. We became experts at it. After downtown we headed straight back to the hotel for some sleep. We were exhausted!

Planning Trip Day Five

Today we went off property for a tour we had scheduled at the golf channel which we were all beyond excited for! Not many people get this opportunity so of course us being the golfing family we are were thrilled about the experience.

We ate breakfast at the hotel again today just because of the convenience. But really the food is pretty good too and there is normally a short line for breakfast at this quick service location. Disney quick service breakfast items are about the same at all the resorts with the exception of a few items here and there so when we are ready for food in the morning we choose where to eat based on either the convenience of the location or the atmosphere.

But anyway after breakfast we drove over to the Golf Channel Studio which took us about 10 minutes to get to. It must be nice for those Employees to be so close to all those pretty golf courses.When we got there we got all checked in and we felt so official with our picture badges on. I am going to just let the pictures do the talking from here....

The boys waiting in the lobby for our tour 

one of the many control rooms 

on the Morning Drive set!

The tour was just so cool! After this we decided to hit the outlets and I had my debit card ready to swipe! :) I bought my first ever Coach Purse and Chris got a couple of pairs of shoes from Nike that he still hasn't stopped talking about. He loves those shoes. I also hit up JCrew of course. But after a couple hours of shopping we were all beat and ready for a nap.

I don't have any pictures from MGM but we AGAIN pushed on through the rain for another night in the park. I promised to enjoy this night instead of snapping pictures every five minutes so I did not take any. But Chris got to ride Tower of Terror and Rock and Roll Rollercoaster again. I was still being lame and not wanting to ride anything like that.

But we also had dinner reservations at 8:20 at 50's PrimeTime. This meal was just ok but the gluten free fried chicken was pretty good. And it was fried so I wasn't going to complain too much since I don't ever really get fried food at home.

After dinner we ducked into a few stores and then headed straight to Toy Story Mania to end our night.
Here's the trick for Disney Fans. If you want to go to Toy Story Mania but don't get to the Fastpass machines in time and don't want to stand in a ridiculously long line just wait until the park is about to close and go ride it a few times before you leave. The wait always says about 60 minutes for this ride but we found out that this is not accurate when we decided to wait it out and it only ended up being about 10 minutes :)

Planning Trip Day Three

Our third day of vaca was a little jam packed so when I woke up at 10 I let myself relax for a while by myself. The boys were of course headed off early to play golf again and Jean was already at the pool. So I wanted to take in the view of the pool from the balcony. I sat outside for about 30 minutes just soaking in the sun and good thing I did because this was about the only amount of sun I saw all week!

Today is the day the weather started going downhill and I was in a hoodie for the rest of the week freezing. Yes...I said Freezing in Florida....in June!

But anyway at 11 I met Crystal who is a preferred makeup artist I got off the list Disney gave me and she stopped by our hotel for my makeup and hair trial. It turned out to be a fun experience but it was not what I was looking for at all so I am not posting pictures.

Around 12 Jean and I headed off to lunch at the Contempo Cafe at the hotel for some gluten free chicken tenders and fries! Yum! We decided to check out some of the shops at the hotel where we gathered tons of ideas for our guests welcome bags for the wedding. I loved all the little Disney themed snacks! They are expensive so we decided to get chips or pretzels from costco and then maybe add cookies or something from one of the bakeries to keep with the Disney theming to save some money.

Then of course the guys did not eat at the golf course so we went back to the cafe for lunch round 2! Yay!

After this Chris and I headed back to the hotel room to relax since it started raining and to possibly fit in a nap which by the way we both fit in quite perfectly. It seems like it is so easy to nap when it rains even when at Disney.

But as soon as we woke up we were headed to MGM for our dinner reservation and to hopefully ride something.

Pretty View of Pool

In my Rain Jacket!

Freezing!

Picture I took while waiting on Chris!

We got some great photopass pictures of us huddled together in our rain jackets trying to stay warm! YAY!

Can't remember what we rode in order but I remember the park was not that crowded! I know we watched Muppets 3D while reciting every word and laughing through the whole thing.

I still wasn't feeling great so I didn't want to ride anything fun :) and we decided to cancel our reservations at Sci-Fi and settled on Pizza Planet instead which was yummy. I'm not a big Sci-Fi fan anyway. I love the atmosphere of this place but there gluten free options aren't great and either is the regular menu. I would assume that most people agree with me here.

But anyway after eating we checked out One Man's Dream which was a first for me. Then we watched The Little Mermaid for me :) And we wrangled in to the Animation Building to learn how to draw Woody as well. This would not be our last night at MGM so we decided to just head back to the hotel. Again....we are old!

Planning Trip Day Two

Well we woke up bright an early for a morning of family golf at Highlands Reserve near Disney. Since I have not played in such a long time it was more of a fun thing for me instead of really concentrating on how my game was going. We all had a lot of giggles at Chris’s mom Jean who is just picking up the game. But she had some great shots during the day and we were all proud at how far she has come.

We did have reservations at Captain’s Grille at the Yacht Club to check out our possible reception venue. So we headed back to the hotel after golf so Chris could nap and Jean and I could check out the pool before dinner. 

I was not really thrilled with the Bay Lake Tower pool. I liked the bar area off to the right side. I also liked the slide and the view of the pool from our room was great. But the actual pool itself was very small and felt a little too kid friendly. It was very shallow and not suited well for adults. But the games they had going on near the pool kept us laughing and we had a fun dip before dinner.

We all got ready a little early so we decided to park near the Boardwalk and walk over to the Yacht and Beach Club so we could walk near our future wedding site and take some pictures that I can look over in the future when thinking about floral options for the wedding. 

After we got our pictures…we headed to dinner Starved! 

We had a really fun night at the Grille. We had our cake tester sent over from BabyCakes and boy was it good! We also got to try some of the food we may have at our mini reception after the wedding. The boys LOVED the bacon and cheddar mashed potatoes and we literally heard about these all week long. They said they would take them over dessert easily. This has to be one of those foods people crave while at Disney.

We met with the Food & Beverage Manager of the Yacht & Beach Club, Ashley. She was so nice and really accommodating. The dinner and service we received from her and our server let us know that that was the best location for the reception for sure! 

My Golfer

Not my most flattering shot after being in that hot Florida Sun all day

Our cake sent over from BabyCakes

We look like tourists lol

Chris in the Comedy Show

After dinner on the way to the car we checked out the shops at the boardwalk, which I think are some of the best on property. If you are vacationing at Disney do yourself a favor and visit the Boardwalk area at night. The dining is great and the entertainment on the Boardwalk is even better. Chris and I even got pulled into participating in a skit which was pretty cool! 

Planning Trip Day One Part Two

Oh how pretty...getting ready to leave for MK

We got to check out the new Barnstormer

and of course the new Dumbo Ride

Oh look how short I am

We found Captain Jack 

Really cool pic I took! So Proud :)

I even got Chris on It's a Small World because we both agreed we had not been on this ride since we were like 10!

Well our plan kinda worked…See Chris and I realized something after a measly two hours into our night at the park…we are getting OLD! At first I thought oh it’s ok we are just both tired from the car ride but honestly we felt like this all week after a couple hours into our day! ha! 

But we still had a good time and got in all the rides we wanted to. I missed riding thunder mountain and space mountain but my weak stomach keeps me from ruining my day by riding these bad boys now. 

From what I remember I wasn’t feeling too great anyway so Chris decided to eat at Pecos Bills. Which took FOREVER by the way but that was ok with me. He tried the pulled pork which is to my understanding new to this location and of course he loved it. You can always win him over with BBQ even when he has to stand in a 30 minute line for it while listening to the crappy Spectromagic parade music. Just Kidding...well actually it is kinda crappy.

We enjoyed just sitting and talking and listening to all the parents yell at their kids around 10 at night when they should instead be taken back to the hotel to sleep. :) But of course while sitting there watching chris eat I started feeling hungry myself. I know I know…why would you stand in a 30 minute line for food to just go somewhere else and stand in another line for 30 minutes to get even more food. Why can’t you eat at the same place you ask? Well I had a hankering for Cosmic Ray’s. So we headed over to Cosmic Ray’s and this is where I came across a great idea I continued to use our entire trip to save me money. I wasn’t that hungry and did not feel up to eating much so I ordered a kids meal.

I ordered a gluten free turkey sandwich off the kids menu. Apparently the kids meals at Disney come with two sides. This time I got a side of fries and a gluten free brownie. But I discovered that if you use both of your side options for fries it is the same portion as an adult meal! Actually it might be a bit bigger. So all of you Disney Foodies who like saving money keep that in mind for your trips. It comes in handy when a regular adult meal totals between $9-14 and a kids meal at dinner averages at $6!!!! Score!

We stopped at the Main Street Bakery for Chris to have his second dessert of the night after a mediocre chocolate cake at Pecos, and then we walked back to Bay Lake hand in hand. Great end to the night! 

Except….it was only 12…We still had two more hours of EMH…that’s what I meant by the plan kinda working

Disney Wedding Planning Trip Report June 2012

I know this took a while but here is our trip report from our engagement trip in June to plan our Disney Wedding! Enjoy!

Day One Part One...

Well we of course decided to leave at midnight on Saturday and got to Disney around 9. And of course I almost slept the entire way which drives Chris crazy. We did stop at Cracker Barrel on the way like every other Cartwright family vacation but this time I refused to eat anything besides Bacon to save room for that Mickey Waffle I had been craving for the past year. As soon as we entered through the infamous WELCOME signage we all agreed to check out the newly built Art of Animation Hotel. This meant that I could try out the cafeteria and get my Waffle which was fine with me. 

The New Art of Animation Hotel was Awesome!

Featuring my favorite character of course!

Really cool light included in all of the great details 

I was instantly amazed at the immense detail that Disney put into this new addition. The sparkling pool was beautiful, the store is huge and full of great merchandise, the cafeteria is amazing, and you even notice little details here and there that are so different from anything else on property. 

After this we decided to head to Bay Lake Tower to try and check in…which of course took a while and in the end we were told to go play and that they would text us as soon as our hotel was ready. 

So we headed to the outlets so that Chris and I could get a head start on shopping for home goods. You know we became surprisingly obsessed with shopping on this trip. Between shopping for our future place together, and shopping for some things for the wedding it got a little insane. Every time we turned around whether in the parks or traveling to different hotels,you could find us in some sort of gift shop :) I’m not complaining though I'm glad Chris and I finally see eye to eye with my hobby of shopping.

Well after we went to a couple of the stores we got the infamous text….”rooms ready” which translated to NAP TIME! 

So we headed back to Bay Lake to check out our home for a week and to nap and get prepared for our visit to Magic Kingdom that night for 2am Extra Magic Hours. See we had this brilliant plan that we would not head over to the park until around 8 or 9 so that the big crowds with their screaming kids would leave and we would hit all the rides we wanted to in a matter of a couple of hours. Feel free to read on to see if this plan worked….

Wedding Registry 101

So wedding shows, and movies make registering for gifts look glamorous but Chris and I found it quite the opposite. At first entering the store you feel so excited looking at things that will possibly end up in your new establishment together but it is a very draining process. I have included some tips for couples on how to get through this without wanting to scan each other to death with that dreaded scanner gun. :)

1. My first tip is that you should both be going into this with a positive attitude. Don't decide to swing by the store of your choosing after a long day at work try to do this on a day off and make a date out of it by going out to eat after.

2. Women, please realize that your men are not going to be really into this process of scanning things for future use. They don't really understand the importance of this like we do. And those three different colors of towels that you can't decide between will drive him a little nuts. So do yourself a favor, have a talk with him beforehand about how important this is to you and to your future life together. Also talk things over together while looking around and make sure to add things he has picked as well even though you might return it later if it shows up in a big wrapped box at the wedding :). Also know that after a while of being in the store they will start to think of this as a game an example of this is seen above which is actually kinda cute.

3. Go into this knowing it will take you a while, and even maybe a couple of trips. Our first trip to register took us about 4 hours and by the time we were done I was ready to call it a day and go to sleep. The second trip we packed two stores into one and I am still adding things onto our registry using the stores website little by little.

4. Don't be so concerned with what item you are scanning but how much these items cost. A great employee who helped us at one of the stores we chose pointed out that you can always return things for credit or gift cards and can use these to purchase new items. I was not too thrilled with this idea at first but after 3 or 4 hours in a store this concept starts to make more sense.

5. Follow your own guidelines, do not add things just because people tell you that you might need them.  If you are moving into a town home or apartment together you may not need all the essentials people who are moving into a house would need. There would be no where to store all of that stuff and plus when you do move into a house that's what housewarming parties are for. The opposite also applies, you can add things to the registry that people may not tell you to add because you like it. Which brings me to my next point...

6. Even if you think people will not buy you an item that you want to add...add it anyway. There is no harm in this and stores offer incentives for registering with them which include coupons to finish buying products you added to your registry after the big day. So adding that lamp you can't live without  is a must!

7. Use the packet the store gives you as a guide. If you are anything like Chris and I we had no idea where to start and were a little overwhelmed. Take the store one section at a time without jumping over to a different idea to avoid confusion and use the guide you were given. Make sure you are checking items off the list and this will help with organization and help you follow the store layout.

Now...based on my experience I would recommend Target for it's convenience to your guests especially if you have a lot of out of town folks, Bed Bath and Beyond because of their brands that include Vera Wang, Kate Spade, Waterford, and Lenox. I would also recommend using PotteryBarn's registry if you tend to gravitate towards personalized items that include monogramming. A lot of their bedding and glassware can be monogrammed and not to mention the style and quality of their products cannot be beat.

I know a lot of people use Kohl's registry but they were awful for us. It took us an hour just to start scanning items due to a printer malfunction that not even the manager could fix. Also we have noticed a little secret i'm sure Kohl's would love to keep private but i'll let you in on it. NOTHING IN THE STORE IS ONSALE! They put those lovely red signs everywhere claiming to mark items down 40%, 50% etc which makes customers feel like they are getting a great deal but honestly compared to other stores they are normal priced after the sale which means they mark them up just to be able to set sale signs out which seems shady to us. Kohl's lovers will argue with me on this but it is the truth hands down. Also the brands they have like food network Top Chef products are not as good quality as other products for cheaper at other stores like Target. I would rather take my money to a store who is upfront with me.

Hope this helps you all! Happy Hunting!

How you know...

So Chris and I were reminiscing last night thinking about when we met at Reinhardt and how everything fell into place for us and the story is just kinda interesting so of course I must share.

Chris played golf at Clayton State his freshman year and only played in a handful of tournaments which made him start to look into other schools so he could get some playing time. From what I understand he was almost set to go to SCAD but then the coach from Reinhardt Ken contacted Chris which made him change his mind. This in retrospect is something that helps me to believe everything happens for a reason. Also Chris's best friend Tyler would be starting his freshman year at Reinhardt so I think Chris felt like he would be happier there.

That same year I was also starting my freshman year at Reinhardt with a group of friends I loved and a boyfriend at home who I had been dating for about two years. I had also befriended Tyler who one day introduced me to Chris at Gordy which was our cafeteria after class. He was also in my orientation class but I did not realize this until we met through Tyler.

I don't really remember what was said but I do remember us going to the movies that night one as a group of four including the two of us, tyler, and my room mate Danielle.

There was not a whole lot of chemistry between us since I tend to be shy around people and since I had a boyfriend. But we remained friends and hung out with out group of friends which just kept growing.
This was probably the best year of college for me hands down. We went out together all the time and became closer and closer. Deep down I knew Chris liked me but I just wanted to experience college and stay committed to Adam. But when things started going sour with Adam back home I started to question everything. Chris and I had so much fun together and he seemed like such a great guy but there were things I didn't like about him. So I played this indecisive game for a while. Our group of friends went to a cabin for a weekend together where I still remained wrapped up in Adam even though  Chris tried very hard to win my affection by driving me two hours to take me to Nashville to go out to eat and site see.

I know this is such a long story....But my feelings for Adam started to change during my Spring Break Trip I took to Orlando with my Roomie. I swore that I would check in with Adam every morning and every night and to me this felt excessive. I started to feel like he had no confidence in our relationship or our trust so I started to feel the same. This trip is really when Adam and I started to grow apart and when my friendly feelings for Chris changed as well. Chris and Tyler were vacationing in Orlando as well and no this was not planned...another reason why I believe everything happens for a reason.

Before this vacation Chris and after the cabin trip Chris and I had not talked to each other in a while since I think it was really hard for him to remain my friend and not something more. Also he hated Adam and the way he treated me.

But despite all of this we still decided to meet up for dinner the first night we got there. And where did we go? Downtown Disney of course. That same night they decided to spend the night at our hotel since they were waiting on their hotel at Disney to be ready and were staying in a hole in the wall. That night Chris and I stayed up talking until the morning and it was the best time I had ever had up to that point with a guy. We had so much fun on this trip but knowing me I still was not heavily convinced he was the right thing for me.

But around the time that Adam and I finally decided to call it quits Chris asked me out on our first official date. He took me to Turner Field for my first Braves game. I really enjoyed his company and I think it hit me that he was "the one" I know how would I know on the first date? Well I mean look at our history lol.

I believe you know when you know and that feeling that I got on this date I knew I had never had with anyone else. And it is the feeling I get everyday I am with him...even now...even just writing this. I know my feelings for him while I was with Adam were wrong but I am so glad I decided to follow my heart to someone who is so much better for me.

I really knew I would marry him after our experiences sophomore year. After I got mono and managed to give Chris mono I became very very sick. Everything I ate made me sick, I could not even get out of bed, and I felt like I had the stomach flu all of the time. He stepped up and took care of me that entire year. He would stay up late every night with me while I continued to feel awful until I could get to sleep. He earned my trust and my respect through that time together and we grew very close during that time. My new gluten free and dairy free diet has helped but I am still sick sometimes and he still takes care of me the way he did in the beginning. He will truly be the best husband and father.

So last night while talking about our past I once again realized how blessed I am. I am so grateful to be with a person like him...a person I respect...and a person who brings out the best in me. I seriously cannot wait to marry my best friend and our wedding in 10 months seems so far away. But on that day I will be the happiest girl in the world and they will have to stop me from running not walking down the aisle to my future.

Saying yes to the dress is it really that easy?

So I don't know how others felt when shopping for their wedding dress but my experience was not at all what I thought it would be. Watching Say Yes to the Dress makes shopping for the dress simple and fun but it is actually quite the opposite.

The firs thing you have to think about is who to bring shopping with you. I decided to bring three people because I did not want a whole lot of opinions being thrown at me. I brought my mom, my aunt( my maid of honor's mom, and my Maid of Honor.

I told them I should have made them paddles to hold up but I just never got around to it...that was a joke by the way. But anyway the first store we went to I just wanted to try dresses on to see what type of style I liked the best and to determine what my budget should be. Almost all of the gowns I liked were by Martina Liana who I decided was way too over budget. My comfortable price range was under $1200. And no surprise here I liked the more fitted mermaid style dresses because it really suited my body type.

So my first experience ever trying on dresses lasted about three hours with us leaving to check out other places the next day. On the way home I made an appointment for JCREW because I liked a lot of the dresses they had online and they were decently priced. But we never made it to that appointment since I found my dress at Formal Affair before hitting up JCREW which was a surprise.

I did not actually think I was going to find my dress while Stephanie was in town so it was great that I did. Oh and I never mentioned my horrible experience at David's Bridal when I burst into tears because everything they had in my opinion was cheap looking which I guess is what you get for the price but just not my style at all. That's what is in the picture. Wow that made me sound kinda bratty but i'm sure others know what i'm talking about. And no this is not my dress this was a dress from DB. I am not putting a picture of my dress up because I don't want anyone to see it before the wedding.

But anyway back to A Formal Affair....I loved this store and they were so helpful. We had a little drama but I was so happy to find my dress and it was under my budget at $1075! Not only that but it is Martina Liana as well and I bought it as a sample so her $2,075 dress cost me only half of that price :) I was thrilled and my mom liked my purchase as well. It is so me, which is important. It is a little on the plain side but when I add a beaded sash it will dress it up for sure. And the material is very lightweight which will fit in with our wedding in FL nicely.

OK so here are 5 things I learned while dress shopping for all of you ladies out there:

1. Not everybody knows when it is "the one" meaning the dress for you-I did not get a special feeling when I put on the dress I bought for the wedding, and it is ok if you don't that doesn't mean it's not your dress. The price was great and it looked great on so I bought it!

2. Sometimes it's not about what you want but what you should have-Going into the first store I really wanted a lace dress but by the time I bought my dress I had something completely different because who the heck would wear lace in the summer in florida except for a crazy person? And plus surprisingly lace dresses are heavier then others. Oh this applies to pricing too.

3. Brides are not always the most difficult members of a bridal party-The emotions and stress of weddings get to everyone including your parents, bridesmaids, groom etc and this stress can backfire at the worst times like dress shopping. Also sometimes it is easier for the bride to pick a dress then it is for the Maid of Honor or a bridesmaid. Which leads me to #4.

4. If you want things to go smoothly while picking your bridesmaids gowns do not let them choose-I thought I was being nice by letting my Maid of Honor pick her dress and my coordinating bridesmaids dresses but it seemed like that put a lot of stress of her to pick something she knew I would like which is where the fighting began. Yes you should pick something they can wear again but that does not mean you can't pick it for them.

5. Bridezilla's are just misunderstood-Ya I said it and I meant it. I was called a bridezilla and I think that's completely false. And I know what your thinking...but I am a laid back bride. It just gets very overwhelming hearing a lot of different opinions about things you like that people put you down for liking. So it is very easy for people close to you to say hurtful things like this without thinking about what they are saying or how you may be feeling about their comments or just about the stress of a wedding in general.