A Community for Engaging (and Engaged!) Couples

07:12 pm - Destination wedding in Colorado or Tennessee?
This is a pseudo-Progress post? Since I've done a lot of research? Although I haven't offically put anything together yet. But anyway...

After getting sticker-shock in any of the local venues' pricing, a smaller destination wedding looks more and more enticing. After all, neither of us are really a people person (I only have a few very good friends instead of lots of okay friends), and we are probably the only few here who are actually having trouble finding more people to invite.

So anyway, we (well, mostly I) have been researching some nice places to have a small destination wedding. Probably just family and a few friends. We are not interested in beachy/Caribbean/Hawaii type weddings, and Europe is a bit far and complicated. And we're not interested in Vegas either.

Here are the two choices I am considering so far. The approximate cost for each in total are pretty similar, as well as the distance from where we live.

Warning: lots of rambling/links/pics/etc behind the cut.
( Rockies at Colorado vs B&B and Smokies at Tennessee )

And so, it's such a hard choice! Now, I'm not looking for anyone to make the decision for me, but I'm just looking for input from anyone who has either married at either of those places, OR if you just live near those places and have visited or attended other people's weddings at those places, OR if you just visited either of those National Parks (or Estes Park and/or Gaitlinburg/Pigeon Forge), I would love your input/opinion!

Overall, I think Rockies have better scenery (from the pictures) and probably less crowded, but there is a lack of really great cabins to rent. The Smokies' cabins are very nice for the price. However, I've heard that Pigeon forge and gatlinburg have lots of tourist-traps and tacky souvenir/attractions that takes away from the Smokies, and that it is pretty crowded a lot of the time.

Note: We still haven't set an offical date yet but it looks like it won't be until late summer 2010, so we'll see.

So, any opinions/input? Thanks!

November 27th, 2008

bassfreak34

01:25 am - Newbie!
Introduction

1. Your Name: Brandi
2. Your SO’s Name: Jake
3. Where are you from: Seattle, WA, USA
4. Wedding Date: July 6th, 2010
5. How did you meet: High School!
6. Tell the engagement story! We are both pretty poor, and he couldn't afford a ring when he asked me. So he picked the next best thing; something that symbolizes my importance to him. He gave me the key to his first car (lol boys) on a necklace, got down on one knee, and asked me to marry him!
7. Best thing about being engaged is usually answered, "Spending the rest of my life with my SO!". What else are you excited about? Feel free to tell us the little details you're excited about.... this is the place you can talk without boring everyone. I'm very excited just to call him my husband. I'm excited to really belong with someone. I'm excited to have a beautiful wedding! I am excited to start a new chapter in my life, mostly about the two of us. Generic, I know, but true.

( Also, I need some advice and support about something... )

Thanks Everyone!
Current Mood: nervous

November 11th, 2008

wondermike

08:44 pm - Mother Son Dance
I am about 6 weeks away from the big day and I need help. I need ideas for mother on dances. My mom's one request was something from the 60s. I am only finding country songs and Boyz II Men. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Current Mood: stressed

October 16th, 2008

mtveu

02:31 pm

Hey guys, hope you don't mind if I post a casting call on here! And I admit that I'll be posting it in other communities, so sorry for the x-posting and sorry if it shows up on your friends page twice! I promise I'll only post it in each community once and then I won't bother you again!

Are you…

Engaged & Underage?

Tell us your story!

Are you engaged and planning your wedding?

If you and your fiancee are both between the ages of 18-22 and have already popped the question to your boyfriend or girlfriend, MTV wants to hear from you.

We want to shoot all of the excitement of your engagement and wedding for a new documentary series, Engaged & Underage.

Who says you're too young to get married? You think you're ready. This is going to be the biggest day in your life. Are you psyched? Are you overwhelmed? What about all of the planning? Have you met your future in-laws? Are you anxious about that? Who's coming to the wedding? What are you fighting about along the way? What's bringing you closer together? Are you going to go through with it? Maybe you'll elope!!!

You both must be between the ages of 18 and 22. Best case scenario: you're getting married in 2008. Share the excitement leading up to the greatest day.

Email us at engagedandunderage@mtvstaff.com

Tell us the details about when you are getting married and where and why this is important to you. Also be sure to include your name, address, home phone, cell phone, work phone, email address and a digital photo of yourself if possible...

July 16th, 2008

06:48 pm - Wedding gown shopping, again
Yes, yet another wedding dress shopping experience, this time at alfred angelo, and I tried on a bunch of dresses. I took pics of 6 of them, but actually tried on a few more but didn't like them so didn't take pictures of them.

( Dress 1 )

( Dress 2 )

( Dress 3 )

( Dress 4 )

( Dress 5 )

( Dress 6 )

July 8th, 2008

10:42 pm - Another wedding dress shopping day!
So I went and tired on some wedding dresses today. We actually went to three places but the first place didn't let us take pictures (and they didn't have much I liked, and the salesperson wasn't the nicest, grumble). The second one didn't have a lot of good selection and most things were too small. So these pictures were only from the last store.

Dress A:

I liked the lacey train, and the front looked nice, but the little beading and lace was really itchy, especially in the straps, which I didn't like too much. Maybe it would've been better without the straps.

( Dress A )

Dress B:

This one was okay, but a little plain, nothing really popped out at me.

( Dress B )

Dress C:

I liked this one best. Although the back was a pain to lace up, I really liked the lace-up look.

( Dress C )

Dress D:

Similar to Dress C, although I didn't like the front as much. And didn't like the weird roses stuck out right below the laceup part behind me.

( Dress D )

Dress E:

Not to much to say about this one, didn't really like the strip of ribbon looking thing right on the top edge of the bodice.

( Dress E )

10:25 am - Albums from the China Bridal Studio
Well, I posted some pics from the ~$600 China Bridal Studio shoot back on June 22, and now I finally got our albums and some printed pictures with frames that the shoot included, so here I am, showing it off again.

Well, firstly, it came with 7 printed pictures and 2 albums. Shown here in this picture, it actually only has five picture prints because the two extra-large ones (literally, I think one was poster sized WITH a frame, and the other is square and close to poster sized) were way too big to take back from China, so these are the small ones.
( picture )

And then there's also two albums, one smaller and one larger. It was pretty sturdy and made with thick cardboard or something.
( albums )

Let's look inside! Shall we?

Warning: lots of pics!!

( Album 1 )

( Album 2 )

And I believe that I only posted a few behind the scenes and final pictures from the shoot, but if anyone's interested in the other pictures and behind the scenes, feel free to go to this link:
http://s278.photobucket.com/albums/kk104/JAchina08/Taiyuan/China%20Bridal%20Photo%20Studio/
(click the links on the left)

So anyway, the two huge poster sized prints are still in China and may cost money to ship it, but hey, even if I add that up to the ~600 or so, it's STILL a lot cheaper than anything I can get in America, so I'm still content.

May 6th, 2008

11:06 pm - Wedding Dress Shopping, Part Two!
Anyway, back on April 11 (if you want to check back entries) I had my very first dress shopping experience, of which was a good experience but I didn't really find much of what I liked.

Now, on dress shopping experience, part two, I did find out a little more about what I liked and disliked.

DRESS 1: I liked the shape and the neckline, although I think it may have overwhelmed my chest, and it was a bit too detailed (aka heavy) for me.
( DRESS 1 )

DRESS 2: Liked the shape and broaching, and I liked that it was a bit simplier and not too frilly. I also have a dress with me in a veil as well.
( DRESS 2 )

DRESS 3: Don't really like the flat-across neckline, and the train thing was kinda weird.
( DRESS 3 )

DRESS 4: It's a halter top. I don't know if I like the high waist, but it was really light and airy.
( DRESS 4 )

DRESS 5: I kinda like how the dress scrunches into the middle, and it was pretty light and airy as well.
( DRESS 5 )

For any austin brides, I went to unbridaled, which was a cute little store but it had really nice saleswomen and some nice dresses, although not a huge selection.

April 16th, 2008

starry_eyedx3

08:40 pm - Hey I'm New.
1. Your Name: C.

2. Your SO’s Name: John

3. Where are you from: Massachusetts

4. Wedding Date: Not sure yet. I want it to be March 27th because that's our anniversary of the day we started dating. I'm just not sure what year. Most likely 2009. We just got engaged a few days ago and haven't talked about it fully yet.

5. How did you meet: We met in high school, thanks to a couple of our mutual friends. He was a senior and I was a freshman.

6. Tell the engagement story! We have been talking about getting married since we first met a few years ago and we've finally made it official. It wasn't anything special, but it means the world to me. I recently moved 4 hours away and we realized how much we love eachother ("absense makes the heart grow fonder") and so I went to visit for a week and he proposed.

7. Best thing about being engaged is usually answered, "Spending the rest of my life with my SO!". What else are you excited about? Feel free to tell us the little details you're excited about.... this is the place you can talk without boring everyone. I'm excited about moving in together and starting our lives together. I want kids, but not young. I just want a tiny wedding, maybe go to the town hall and get married there. But I want us to exchange vows that we've written on a beach on Cape Cod afterwards. Then I want some close friends to join us for a little celebration and champagne.

Current Mood: ecstatic
Current Music: Anyone Else But You --- The Moldy Peaches

April 13th, 2008

03:12 pm - potential venues?
Firstly, thanks for all the advice on my first wedding gown browsing experience! I now know a little more about what I am looking for and a little more on what would look good on my body shape.

Anyhow, we also checked out a few city parks as potential venues. For budget reasons, we most likely won't be doing the traditional private wedding venue/hotel/center/etc. Rather, we've been checking out the cheaper (and maybe free?) options from the city (and potential other cheaper venues, we'll see).

So, without further ado, here are the three places we checked out on Friday:

Venue A: Mayfield Park
Pros: Beautiful park, relatively cheap (750-950 depending how long), peacocks!, ponds with koi, use any caterer/etc you want
Cons: Have to rent tables/chairs, public park - can't close it to private party, peacocks can be loud, reservation policies (aka "lottery", etc)
( Mayfield Park pictures )

Venue B: Zilker Clubhouse
Pros: gorgeous view of the Austin skyline, probably cheapish as above (but I didn't get a price quote yet), more private than the parks because it's up a skinny road on top of a hill, lots of free parking, choose your own catering/etc
Cons: the highway is sort of near (although I've read from other wedding reviews that it's not too bad), the reservation policies as mentioned above, no AC in the house
( Zilker Clubhouse pictures )

Venue C: Zilker Botanical Gardens (not to be confused with Zilker Clubhouse, above)

You can only have the ceremony in the actual gardens, of which cost ~300 for 1h30.
However, you can rent a room in the garden center for 70/hr (tiny room), 130/hr (bigger room), or 170/hr (for both), plus deposit of 100. I wasn't able to check out the room because it was used for a plant sale that day.

Pros: inexpensive, nice gardens, can also do bridals there
Cons: parking may be limited, public park, limited people depending on the site
( Read more... )

Anyway, there are more places I wanted to check out, including Chapel Dulcinea, Umlauf Sculpture Gardens (although they are a little pricier), or the Fort Worth Botanic Garden (the only one not in Austin). I might even look into renting dining halls at state parks with gorgeous scenery/wildflowers, we'll see :)

So what do you think so far?

Or, any other Austin (or Ft Worth) brides had weddings in any of the above venues have suggestions?

April 11th, 2008

09:50 pm - my very first dress-browsing experience!
Today was my very first dress-browsing experience in a bridal boutique!

Anyway, I didn't find anything that I really liked, but I did find out more about what types of dress and types of decorations and designs that I preferred over others, so I guess in that way, I made some progress.

I tried on five dresses, but we only had pics of the last four of them.

All of these dresses were strapless, those are just my bra straps hanging out there, lol.

Dress One: I liked the shape of it, but it was way too busy with the beading and lace, hard to see in the picture but it was quite a bit, all the way up and down the dress.
( picture )

Dress Two: I liked the shape of the bodice, but I felt like the ruffling overwhelmed my small figure/chest.
( pictures )

Dress Three: I didn't like the material of the dress, there was two layers and the top was sorta thin and filmy. And the top had funny squiggly sparklys that was a bit weird.
( pictures )

Dress Four: Don't really like the yellowish bow, I think I probably would prefer a different color like something blue-ish or red-ish.
( pictures )

Overall, it was a pretty good experience. The guy who worked there that helped clip me and such was a guy, but he was really nice (and was probably gay anyway), so I had a good experience there. I just didn't really find anything I really liked.

So I find that my problem is that most dresses overwhelm my top figure (uh, chest area), so what do other flat chested brides do? I want to show off my "womanly figure" but there in a way, and not just be like a board, but all those dresses overwhelm and hide it behind bulks of cloth. Any suggestions for what kinds of tops I should look for and pictures of suggestions (with models with small boobs, if possible)?

We also went to some parks to look as potential venues, but I'll post that in a later post, so not to overwhelm this post. I must love that word "overwhelm" today, lol.

February 17th, 2008

wueppa

05:29 pm - The Tyra Banks Show
A nationally syndicated talk show is looking for women who are getting married and are stressing about their wedding, paying for everything, and most importantly FITTING into their DRESS!!!

Are you a bride to be that is STRESSING out about fitting into your wedding dress. Are you going to extremes to lose those extra pounds. If you are getting married and going to extremes measures to diet, then we would like to hear your story. We are looking to hear from brides that are determined to fit into their dress no matter what. So if you or someone you know is taking dieting to an extreme right before the big day, let us know. Please contact me ASAP, we are putting together a show and would like to address this important issue. Please call me anytime so we can discuss more details. If you do reply to this via email please include a contact number and a photo.

Thank you,

J.C. Cueva
Associate Producer
646.638.5618
jc.cueva@tyratv.com

February 6th, 2008

mrscronkright

09:13 pm - Wedding Maps!

Just wanted to let all you brides to be know, I have been doing wedding maps on the side for friends and family for quite some time now, and would like to extend my services to you wonderful ladies! If you are interested in something like this, feel free to contact me at: mrscronkright@gmail.com

I also have some experience doing save the date cards, invitations, rsvp cards, menus, and much much more. I would love to work with each and every one of you to create something totally yours!

February 5th, 2008

x_wensdai_x

02:35 pm
Like many women I have a white gold engagement ring. I'm completely clueless about how to look after it though. When we got it back from being resized I was so excited about having it back I forgot to ask!

So how is everyone else looking after theirs? The only info I've been able to find is to have it rhodium plated every now and again, and when I'm not wearing it to put it back in the box (although I haven't taken it off yet). Anything else I need to be doing?

x-posted

February 3rd, 2008

yiya

08:48 pm - Introduction. :)
I've been engaged for a little while now, but I'm new to the community!

1. Your Name: Kaycee

2. Your SO’s Name: Andrew

3. Where are you from: Michigan

4. Wedding Date: Either August 16, 2008 (we really want to get married in our backyard and have a huge barbeque reception) or December 27, 2008 which is our three year anniversary.

5. How did you meet: My best friend, Rachel, met his best friend, Jason, while they were in college together. They were telling each other about us and decided we had to meet. So we did, and have been inseparable ever since. :)

6. Tell the engagement story! We'd been talking about getting married more and more, and his family has a very close friend that is a private jeweler, so one day we met with her to just see how rings would look on my finger. I fell in love with a ring she had there, and Andy completely surprised me and told her that we would take it. So he sent it off to be resized and told me that I'd be surprised with it later. I figured it'd probably happen a few weeks later at the Red Wings playoff game we were going to. A few days after he bought the ring he called me after work and told me he was stopping at his grandparents to visit, which he does a lot, so I didn't think anything of it. He came home about an hour later, and we settled on the couch and started watching a Wings' game. During intermission I got up and before I got anywhere, he grabbed my hand, and said "You can't go anywhere until you marry me" (which even then I didn't think anything of it because this was part of a little joke between the two of us) and so I said my typical response... "You have to ask me first!" And that's when he pulled the ring out of his pocket and got down on his knee. :) He hadn't gone to his grandparents', he'd gone to pick up my ring, and after I said yes about 100 times, he told me he'd planned on asking at the game we were going to, but that he only had the ring 30 minutes and couldn't wait to ask me any longer, lol.

7. Best thing about being engaged is usually answered, "Spending the rest of my life with my SO!". What else are you excited about? Feel free to tell us the little details you're excited about.... this is the place you can talk without boring everyone. Honestly, our wedding is going to be pretty free-spirited. We really want to get married under the trellis in the backyard of the house we bought this summer, I want to be barefoot and in the sun, and we want a big barbeque reception with all our friends and family. Of course I'm excited for all of that, but I think I'm most excited about my mom being the one to marry us. She's a magistrate so she can legally marry people, and I think it's something unique that not many people get to say has happened in their life. :)

Optional: Post a picture of the two of you. Under the cut! ( Read more... )

(2 comments | Leave a comment)

January 29th, 2008

we_are_birds

12:41 am - Hello :)
1. Your Name: Erica
2. Your SO’s Name: Bernard
3. Where are you from: Michigan
4. Wedding Date: August 30th, 2008
5. How did you meet: It's a funny story how we met, yes. We went to school together from the very beginning of 7th grade to the very end of 10th grade, we had all the same friends, but we did not know eachother. Once 10th grade was over, I left that school and went to another one. The summer after we graduated, August 19th 2005, I went to my friend's graduation party who went to the same school that he went to, and then my friend and I held an 'after party, party' and we invited our friend, Tom. Well, Tom shows up with Bernard and every since then we've pretty much been together.
6. Tell the engagement story! We had talked about marriage, and knew we were going to get married, but Bernard wasn't sure when. On January 24th, 2008...we set the date. Officially.
7. Best thing about being engaged is usually answered, "Spending the rest of my life with my SO!". What else are you excited about? Feel free to tell us the little details you're excited about.... this is the place you can talk without boring everyone. Other than spending the rest of my life with Bernard....starting a famiky. Definately. I hope to be a stay at home mom. But aside from that, I'm really excited about planning the wedding and decorating it and such! lol I'm making it very DIY because I love stuff like this. I'm working on my degree in interior design, so yeah. :)

( Post a picture of the two of you... )

Current Mood: ecstatic
Current Music: Make Over by Christina Aguilera

(4 comments | Leave a comment)

January 28th, 2008

october09bride

11:28 pm - Introduction

1. Your Name: Michelle
2. Your SO’s Name: Mark
3. Where are you from: Toronto
4. Wedding Date: We're looking at October 3rd 2009
5. How did you meet: Through friends...
6. Tell the engagement story!
We talked about getting married and both knew it was going to happen. On Christmas morning, we exchanged stockings and when I opened mine, at the very bottom was a jeweller's box I opened it to see my ring and he then got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife. I said yes, of course!
7. Best thing about being engaged is usually answered, "Spending the rest of my life with my SO!". What else are you excited about? Feel free to tell us the little details you're excited about.... this is the place you can talk without boring everyone.
I just love the idea of building our lives together--plus having one rocking party! I've been dreaming about my wedding all my life, so this is pretty exciting!

January 27th, 2008

sosurprizing

10:37 pm
Introduction

1. Your Name: Liz
2. Your SO’s Name: Dan
3. Where are you from: we're from the adirondacks
4. Wedding Date: we haven't set one quite yet. we want a long engagement, but it'll be sometime in either in 2010 or 2011
5. How did you meet: myspace, lol. But it's not creepy at all. My friends know his best friend, so I got clearance before we met in person, haha
6. Tell the engagement story!
it was christmas, and we were laying on his bed talking, and he was in this, odd, mood, and I got him to finally tell me what was on his mind, and made him smile and he said h"I love how you can make me smile, even when i dont feel like it" then he thanked me "just for everything" and kissed me, and he giggled [[lol@man giggles]] and cuddled me in closer and kissed my fore head, then giggled again and looked away and i was like "what?" and he said nothing, and kissed me and did it again and I was like "ok, you cant just do that three times in succession and not mean anything" and he was like "i was just thinking about what it would be like to spend the rest of my life like this" and i just smiled up at him and he was like "you can expand on that..." and i was like "like how?" and he said "like...i dont know" and i said "i would absolutely love it" and then he hugged me really close and kissed my forehead and in a low voice said "good. ...will you marry me?"
to some people, it may seem boring, but to me, it was absolutely perfect, and romantic and special. I couldn't ask for anything better.
7. Best thing about being engaged is usually answered, "Spending the rest of my life with my SO!". What else are you excited about? Feel free to tell us the little details you're excited about.... this is the place you can talk without boring everyone.
im just excited to be with my best friend for the rest of my life. To have someone to take care of, and to take care of me in return. to have someone to come home to who will love me unconditionally, and of COURSE I'm excited to plan the wedding! But really, i just LOVE being engaged, it's a great feeling.

Optional:
Post a picture of the two of you

( well if you insist )

♥liz

January 24th, 2008

concretengrace

07:24 am - Intro post

Introduction

1. Your Name: Christian
2. Your SO’s Name: John
3. Where are you from: We're both from Springfield, Virginia
4. Wedding Date: Currently May 21, 2009
5. How did you meet: We worked together at Mt. Kim Martial Arts (now Elite Martial Arts Center) as camp counselors. All the summer camp staff members were all sitting around a table waiting for some guy named John to get there so we could eat the pizza. When he finally came, it was like being hit with a bolt of lightning. Even though I was dating someone else at the time, I knew somehow that John was going to be an important person in my life.
6. Tell the engagement story!
For Christmas I hid a small gift certificate in a huge box of packing peanuts and made John search for it. For my birthday he gave me a box wrapped in pink paper and inside it was another box wrapped in pink paper, and another, until I came to a Tiffany's bag. Inside the bag was a little Tiffany's box with a ribbon. When I opened it up there was a ring inside and when I looked at him, slightly confused about what exactly was happening, was when he asked me to marry him.
The best thing about engaged is usually answered, "Spending the rest of my life with my SO!". What else are you excited about? Feel free to tell us the little details you're excited about.... this is the place you can talk without boring everyone.
I'm really excited for that as well, but also that I don't have to hold back anymore. I didn't want to fully commit my heart before because there was still that chance things might not work out, but I don't have to do that anymore. And I'm excited for the wedding too, of course.

January 23rd, 2008

x_wensdai_x

06:57 pm
1. Your Name: Kirsty
2. Your SO’s Name: Jarrod
3. Where are you from: Adelaide, South Australia
4. Wedding Date: 25th April 2009
5. How did you meet: On the internet, originally. He had a band and asked me to see them play so I did and we've been pretty inseperable since then.
6. Tell the engagement story! We got engaged this past Sunday, which was my birthday. He was really anxious about getting "us time" away from my friends, and wouldn't give me my gift. We went down to a beach we like to go to and he put the ring box in my hand and said "marry me?". It was really windy and sand was flying everywhere so it wasn't really romantic, but it was perfect because its just our style.
7. Best thing about being engaged is usually answered, "Spending the rest of my life with my SO!". What else are you excited about? Feel free to tell us the little details you're excited about.... this is the place you can talk without boring everyone. I'm actually really looking forward to making our centre pieces. Me, my maid of honor, and my brides maid are all very arty and creative so I know we'll be able to make something amazing. So far my favourite part has been telling people we're engaged and showing them the beautiful ring (which is being resized :( )

( photo )