We have bridesmaids dresses!

Before I get in to that, I’d like to introduce them even though they’ve all been on the blog several times. From left to right: Nancy (cousin), Isabel (friend, ex-roommate), Lori (sister and maid of honor), Vanessa (cousin), and Valerie (cousin). Not pictured: Andrea, Sean’s best friend, because she’s in NY. If you’ve been reading a while, these women should look familiar. If the cousins look alike, that’s because they’re sisters. They come as a package.

Finding a dress was pretty easy, not that I expected it to be a huge hassle. My main worry was that I had waited too long and we’d have to put in a rush order. Fortunately, we figured it out rather quickly. .

To start off the process, I flipped through some catalogs and looked at dresses online. Initially, I didn’t find anything I really liked. And if I did like the dress, it was too expensive. I showed my cousins and sister the catalogs and pointed out a few dresses, but nothing was set in stone.

A couple weeks ago, I emailed everyone a few questions and a link to a Flickr album with 9 dresses I liked. I asked about budget, feelings about matching or wearing mismatched dresses, and which dresses they liked/disliked.

All the dresses were knee or tea length. Part of that is because shorter dresses will probably be cooler in late summer LA, but the main reason is a bit bridezilla. Simply put, I’m already short compared to my cousins and Isa and I’m convinced that they’ll look even taller in long gowns.

After the initial email I learned that everyone was on board with my choices and had chosen a clear front-runner, they were fine with the budget I had in mind, and we really needed to try on some dresses. Lori said it best, “I’m kind of indifferent on the dresses, because I don’t know how I like a dress until it’s on me. Soooo lets start shopping!”

On Saturday morning, we met up at the Alfred Angelo store in West Covina, a midpoint between LA, Ontario, and Hacienda Heights. Tía Martha came along with the cousins. My mom opted out since she wasn’t keen on their mother of the bride selection.

We picked out four dresses to start and the saleswoman set up a few dressing rooms. Since we had five women trying on dresses, the process was rather quick. In less than an hour, we decided that we didn’t like the original front-runner and chose a new favorite with an added belt. Everyone tried on the dress and liked the fit. I texted Andrea in NY photos and details. She was on board with the others. We went forward with the order and got details on how Andrea could put in an order from across the country.

And I checked another item off the to-do list.

Wedding planning hasn’t made me go crazy yet, but it has turned my hair gray. Wait, that’s just genetics and aging. I can’t blame wedding planning.

Forthe last year, Sean and I do a little bit of planning and get a big thing like the date and venues out of the way and then take a break from wedding planning for a few weeks or more. That wasn’t a problem when we had more than a year to plan, but now we’re less than 4 months away and can’t procrastinate. Sean suggested Wedding Wednesdays, the day when we get out our to-do lists and check off some items.

Since my April Fool’s elopement post, we’ve been pretty productive.

Bridal Party

I picked up my dress! I got a call on Tuesday from Rosa’s Shop. I was surprised. I ordered it early in February, but didn’t expect to be in until next month. I stopped by yesterday and tried it on again. According to Rosa, I can’t lose/gain weight nor get taller. That should be easy, especially staying short. My dress has a lace-up back so it can be tightened/loosened and won’t need any alterations besides the bustle and maybe sewing in bra cups. I still need to figure out shoes, veil and any other accessories.

Sean chose his and the groomsmen’s suits. I’m hoping to gather up most of the bridesmaids for shopping this weekend. We have a few top choices.

We still need to figure out flower girls, but have a ring bearer. I asked my cousin Tony and his wife, Ingrid, if their elder son would be our ring bearer. They were happy and said yes. When I asked eight-year old Anthony, he said no and ran away to play. Kids are silly. I hope he comes around.

Reception

We re-visited the reception venue. The first time we visited, the staff was very helpful, but I didn’t know what to ask. This time, we got a much better sense of how the banquet hall and adjoining spaces are typically set up for weddings or parties. I had no idea we could use the hallway outside the room to place a photo booth. Last summer, we didn’t even check out the patio. I was surprised to find out it was much bigger than I’d imagined. I came away feeling better and excited about the party. Seriously, I worried our guests weren’t going to fit. In my imagination the venue had shrunk.

We hired a DJ. I know he’ll be able to handle my Mexican family’s requests since he has very similar roots (also from Jerez, Zacatecas). He won’t need to look for a copy of “La Marcha de Zacatecas”.

I searched for a florist and did some pricing in downtown LA’s flower district with my mom. I also met with a potential florist (recommended by a friend). We still have to hire a florist, but at least I have a budget in mind.

Met with and hired a bartender. She was recommended by Alexis (brother’s girlfriend). She’ll bring along two other people to handle our party. She also gave us some pretty good suggestions on stocking the bar on a budget.

Priced alcohol, plates and cutlery.

Ordered tablecloths and napkins. We found a wholesaler downtown who did custom colors and was more affordable than the rentals I’d looked into.

Ceremony/Church stuff

We had our second meeting with Fr Ricky at St. John Vianney and went over the results of the compatibility test we took at orientation last summer. We have some areas to work on/talk about, but we knew that.

We attended Engaged Encounter, a retreat for Catholic couples. Our church requires this rather than weekly classes in preparation for the sacrament of marriage. I liked the retreat because it was a focus on marriage rather than the wedding. It was nice to talk to several other couples with summer/fall weddings. Plus, it was refreshing to see what I’ve known all along: the average couple in Southern California is underrepresented on the popular wedding blogs.

Looked into a soloist to sing at the Mass. This meant asking my cousin, Fabiola, if she’ll sing. I’m crossing my fingers that she can make the trip from Guanajuato. Music is already included in the church fee, but I’d love to hear Fabiola sing a song or two.