Newly engaged

Ladybug1 · Jul 30, 2011

and thrilled to be here

I am just beginning to think about a wedding, we do not have a date set yet because my sister is terminally ill and it all depends on her condition. It is looking like she may have a bit of a break with her treatments and i want her to be at my wedding with all my heart but my concern is preparing for a wedding is a lot and I do not want to take away precious time i can have with her. What I am thinking and what feels right is to start looking at stuff, include her in all the fun sisterly stuff she can do like help me think about venues and look at places online, joke about fiances family and how they live all over the world and how on earth are we ever going to pull everyone together at the same time, I can try on dresses and show her the photos and get her input (since she is too tired to leave the house often) stuff like that for now. I want to keep it balanced, I am engaged and this is an amazing time for me AND my sister is very ill and sometimes I can hardly stand it, both true and both are big important life changing things and I want to honor share it as best and appropriately as I can with my sister. Phew, sorry for the long intro. Main question was for those of you currently planning a wedding or just got married how time consuming has it become?
Ok, on to fun stuff, my Mom and I looked at a few dresses to get this party started and I really loved how this dress looked in person but in the photos I worry it doesn't look very flattering and I worry that if i think it makes me look weird with these photos will it do the same with professional photos? I am pretty petite, 5'2 and 108 pds so I need to be careful to not let a dress take over

any thoughts?

Ladybug1 · Jul 30, 2011

oh and can someone tell me how to upload more than one photo? Thanks!

Ladybug1 · Jul 30, 2011

last one.....In person it did not seem too overwhelming, I want a full dress but just need to be careful

Gypsy · Jul 30, 2011

Congrats, and I love that you are going to share this with your sister.
How much of an impact wedding planning has depends on how much a control freak you are, how much money you have (can you higher a planner), how much DIY you want to do, and how much you care about the 'stupid stuff'....

As for the dress. Yeah, it overwhelms you.

What's your dress budget. There is a dress i know would be perfect for you but it's a bit pricey. Okay... so it's a lot pricey. We can give you ideas and help you if you give us dislikes, likes and budget.

centralsquare · Jul 30, 2011

So sorry to hear about your sister. There's really nothing that can make that any easier. Wedding planning can be all encompassing, even for the low maintenance. There are just a lot of details and logistics. If you can have someone handle that, then great, but you'd still have to make a ton of decisions, some of which are quite stressful (who gets invited, seating). I haven't heard about a drama-free wedding from my friends. So, consider what you're able to tolerate in terms of stress and awkwardness with in-laws, etc. But, you can make it very small, low-key....perhaps choose a venue that will do the food, music, bar, etc....limit the decisions you'll have to make. Have bridesmaids choose their own dress...have your maid of honor choose the cake. You can make it reasonable, but it will be something that you'll consciously have to do (I think).

Ladybug1 · Jul 30, 2011

Gypsy, thank you for the input! My dress budget is at tops 3,000 and I am really open to anything as long as it isn't too much or too overwhelming.....I do want something that reads 100% wedding dress though.....
Central square, thank you as well for your comments. My Father passed away about 5 months ago and with my sister my stress level is pretty high so I do need to take that into consideration plus Fiancé's family can be a bit challenging at best so I may want to keep doing what I am doing, little bit at a time and find a venue that does a lot in house.... And set the date for at least a year from now I think.

Gypsy · Jul 31, 2011

My favorite all time EVER gown. Is a Romona Keveza-- especially for a petite blond.

One of our PS brides Facet Fire wore it and she's petite like you. And the dress was just exquisite: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-two-piece-romona-keveza-ruffle-gown-arrived-today.82510/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-two-piece-romona-keveza-ruffle-gown-arrived-today.82510/[/URL]

They have it on the Ramona Keveza site, but the woman wearing it looks like a hooker in it. I have no idea why they chose her and those pics to represent what is by far one of the most elegant dresses I've ever seen.

Here are Facet Fire's wedding photos: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/yay-my-wedding-photos-are-here.90400/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/yay-my-wedding-photos-are-here.90400/[/URL] page one and three have the pics

Ladybug1 · Jul 31, 2011

Omg! You are right Gypsy, that is gorgeous! I love it! I love how the dress fits her and accentuates how petite she is rather than dwarf her (like my photos, lol). I looked up the designer and could not find that exact dress though! Do you know the name of the dress or a model number by any chance? Thanks for the great suggestions Gypsy!

4ever · Jul 31, 2011

The dress you tried on, I like the bodess part, I think that is very flattering but in not sure about big poofy skirt on you. It looks heavy on your little frame. Even if you looked for something a little less full around the hips in a lighter looking fabric I think it would be more flattering. I do like Gypsys suggestion and think this style would look fab on but don't necessarily think you NEED anything so fitted if you did want something a bit more princessy like the photos above.

As for wedding planning, I don't think it's as time consuming as people assume it is, at least not to start off with. If you set a date a year or more away that is YONKS of time to get everything sorted. I think what takes the most time is all the little details and any DIY stuff. The basics (venue, cake, flowers, food) IMO can be easy decisions if you want them to be. If you have the money and time is a concern, hire a planner.

And also, congratulations on your engagement and welcome to BIW

Ladybug1 · Jul 31, 2011

Thank you 4ever, great input

Gypsy · Aug 1, 2011

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://media.onsugar.com/files/2011/03/12/3/1330/13309736/0c3372ca1adcc5e5_romona_keveza_wedding_dresses.JPG&imgrefurl=http://whiteweddingdresses.onsugar.com/tag/romona-keveza-wedding-dress&h=269&w=441&sz=18&tbnid=MKmDvnLc6HgosM:&tbnh=77&tbnw=126&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dromona%2Bkeveza%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=romona+keveza&docid=cdRszOHJo7leaM&sa=X&ei=D1k2Tu3NCvDUiAKOjp26CA&ved=0CDoQ9QEwAg&dur=1620 Believe it or not... I think this is the same gown (FF got the small upper ruffle option on hers though not the large). The model looks like a trollop in it though.

If you called a Romona K dealer and then got their email and then emailed them Facet Fire's Pics they should be able to tell you if you can get it still. Tell them it is from their 2008 line. That's why you can't find it, her site only shows 2011 and 2010.

It's my favorite wedding dress ever. I mean that. Best of luck hunting it down... but it will be worth the effort.

Hospatogi · Aug 1, 2011

Hi Ladybug congrats on your engagement ! I think you are an amazingly strong and selfless person to be putting the needs and wants of your family and your fiance's family above your own. I bet you are a great sister too

. I know I cant possibly know what you are going through but I lost my grandfather just a few weeks ago before my engagement and it is so hard to think of wedding planning when your family is going through so much. But I think giving yourself a year to plan it is enough time to keep the planning from becoming too overwelming.
I think that the Ramona Keveza dress would look stunning on you. Its a great silhoutte for a petite frame. Id probably want to add a little touch of sparkle to it but dont mind me im just a bling kind of girl. I dont know if you are in the nyc area but Kleinfelds in manhattan might be able to get it or at the very least might be able to give you the style number of the dress. And if not they may even have something in a similar silhoutte to try on

I personally looove Amsale dresses now only if I could afford her prices !!!

Ladybug1 · Aug 1, 2011

Oh thanks Gypsy!!!! That will help a lot!

Hospatogi..... Thank you, I do not feel so strong most of the time but I am doing the best I can each day and I am getting through it all without losing my hair

). I like a bit of bling too so I am looking at a bunch of new dresses, it's fun! I am sorry for the loss of your grandfather, it's never easy. X

hoofbeats95 · Aug 2, 2011

Wow you are one strong cookie!!! The wedding planning takes as much time as you allow it too. However I found the closer it got the more time it took. But I am a very busy person and I made sure it didn't consume my life. My advice: do not nitpick every detail. Don't take long to decide on every item. Then before you know it you will be half way there!

As for the dress, here's my honest opinion. The waist is too high on you. Therefore it shrinks your torso and make you look like you have bigger hips than you really do. Specifically from the front view. I think you need more of a drop waist. You can get a full skirt but it'll just start lower on your body. I do like the sweetheart neckline though!

Ladybug1 · Aug 2, 2011

Thank you hoofbeats95! That's exactly what it is! You are dead on.......that's what I kept noticing in the pics, it just looked "off". In person it's better cuz it moves and I think the lady had clipped it too tight so the hips look odd but the short torso thing will not change and that is a problem! Ok, now I know to avoid high waisted poofy dresses! I despise high waisted jeans for the same reason. I am excited to start looking at more dresses this weekend

. Thanks Ladies!!!!

Ladybug1 · Aug 2, 2011

Oh, just looked at the photos again and the clip was up high so it shouldn't have affected the hips. Bad high waisted dress! bad!

Gypsy · Aug 2, 2011

Ladybug1 · Aug 2, 2011

Gypsy... You rock!!!! Haven't even looked yet but wanted to tell you well... You rock

. Thanks!

Ladybug1 · Aug 2, 2011

Wow, I am now signed up for the knot

. Thank you Gypsy! I liked so many of them, actually I liked all of them and loved the last one! So pretty!!! Reminds me of the other dress you like so much. I need to go and try that one on!!!

Gypsy · Aug 3, 2011

You are welcome sweetie. Hope they let you snap pics again. Dress shopping, even vicariously on a forum, is a lot of fun.

I liked a lot of them too. All kinds of personalities and trims. Because I am lace girl, my personal favorite of the ones I listed is this Jim Hjelm http://www.theknot.com/wedding-dress/jim-hjelm/jh8709?ctx=23:15:-1:-1&src=res and because it has (strange as it sounds) both an empire and a dropped waist silhouette which I think would be incredibly flattering.

And that last Alvina reminds me of the Romona K too! Although it doesn't have a defined drop waist seam, I thought it might work for you (several of the ones above have that fit and flare empire silhouette).

I think something with a dropped waist or an empire with a fit and flare would be lovely on you.

You kinda just need to try it all on, and then figure out what looks right, and what doesn't so you can narrow things down. Or... like some you just may try the right one on and ... magic. Facet fire tried on 100s of dresses (you can click on her topics and see her old dress hunting threads) until she hit that Ramona. I tried on thousands of dresses and then finally customized one. One of my best friends is wearing her mom's dress. And another bought the third one she tried on! You never know. But it's fun no matter what, IMO.

Crossing fingers for more pics, whenever you get the time to go look at other dresses.

((HUGS))

jstarfireb · Aug 3, 2011

I also feel like the dress overwhelms you, and I really like a lot of Gypsy's suggestions. I think you could rock a mermaid style (my favorite wedding dress shape...I wish I could have, but I'm too pear-shaped and had to wear an A-line). I also like the idea of a two-piece, because you could theoretically rewear the top part as a fancy bustier/corset thingy (you could even dye it a different color to be more versatile).

Gypsy · Aug 3, 2011

http://www.theknot.com/wedding-dress/pallas-athena/pa9953?ctx=8:15:-1:-1&src=res Fell in love with this one, btw. And it would work for you too. Don't know if you would like this style... but I thought I'd throw it out there.

Ladybug1 · Aug 7, 2011

Sweet Gypsy, thank you! I love the last Jim Hjelm dress you posted, it's amazing!!!!!! I also like the last one, I love the flowers on the bodice!!!! I am getting excited to try on more dresses, I have a long list now of the ones I cannot wait to try on

getting excited · Aug 9, 2011

I know I am an the odd one out her, but I think the dress is gorgeous and looks great on you.

That being said, I think it is a great idea to try on all shapes to find out what you like best.

Ladybug1 · Aug 9, 2011

Thanks Getting excited

. I LOVED the dress in person but once I saw the pictures I did not like how it looked so who's to say..... It really is a lovely dress, just maybe not for me. More will be revealed as I try on a ton more

)).

Newly engaged

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