Dress shopping, Tasting, and Family.. Oh MY!

This past weekend was super busy and full of wedding activities and lots of emotions!! I took Friday off from work so Matt and I could get up there early and go out do Dinosaur with my parents, his mom, and his sister Katie. I can’t even express just how thrilled I am that our families live close by and get along. It’s really awesome. Matt’s mom and my mom get along really well and laugh and joke together like old friends which makes me so so happy. Being with someone who is from the same hometown has many perks but the main one is that we have a common ground for seeing family and friends and don’t have to choose whose family to visit for holidays or breaks which makes me happy. I would never want to keep Matt from his mom (he’s a bit of a mama’s boy which I fully encourage and love) and he knows how much I love being around my parents so it works out great. Friday night after dinner we had a quiet night at home and went to be early so we could be up Saturday morning to meet Matt’s dad and his wife, Lisa, for breakfast. We had a nice time seeing them and catching up. Lisa is really friendly and nice and they both liked hearing about the wedding plans. The main event for Saturday though was definitely dress shopping. It was very special for me because my Aunt Ellen and my Nana came from out of town to go with us which meant a lot to me. I went dressing hunting with quite the entourage including my Nana, Aunt Ellen, Aunt Judi, my mom, Katie, and Jenn. I had a bit of anxiety going into it that it would be too many people and be a bit overwhelming but everyone was really supportive and made me feel like a million bucks with all the compliments I was getting!

For any bride in the Syracuse area I highly recommend a visit to Rebecca’s Bridal Boutique especially if you’re anything like me and like a more personal experience in a smaller more intimate environment. The ladies there were very friendly and helpful and while they had a smaller selection than most stores the dresses that I did try on were all really beautiful and I easily could wear any of them on my wedding day. I tried two dresses there in particular that I felt great in but there were parts of them that I wasn’t sure about. If they were somehow merged into the same dress then I would have probably bought it right then and there but I know I should keep looking. The right dress is out there that will have all of the elements I’m looking for. I just have to find it!

I was feeling so good after being in Rebecca’s that I decided we continue on and go to New York Bride which is right down the street. Not the best idea. While they have TONS of dresses in there that were beautiful it was just very overwhelming for me especially after having such a personalized experience in Rebecca’s and finding (nearly) perfect dresses for the right price. None of the dresses I tried on at New York Bride were quite what I’m looking for and my enthusiasm faded fast. I can’t thank Jenn (my lovely maid of honor) enough for being there to help me squeeze and shimmy in and out of all those gowns. I knew that wedding dresses are heavy but you never really know just how heavy until you are getting in and out of multiple dresses one after another. I was a sweaty mess by the time we were done and desperately was craving a cocktail (Jenn too!). Good thing we had a BBQ  and campfire planned at my parents house for that evening!! Overall it was a successful shopping trip and helped me figure out what I’m looking for.

Sunday was a big day as well! We had our tasting at Dibble’s Inn where the wedding is. Matt and I drove out there a little early so that I could show him the place. I picked out Dibbles in April with my parent’s without Matt seeing it which was a bit scary but he trusted my judgment and I was so excited to bring him there to show him the place. When we got there the first thing I noticed was that the ceremony space has come a long way in just the past few weeks. Our ceremony space is in the back of the property by the creek and since we were there last all the foliage has grown in and they planted flowers and build a cement pathway leading to it. There is now also a white fence with a gate build around the space to make it private and cozy inside which I love since that was a concern of mine. Now all my worries and concerns about the venue are gone and I was so happy that Matt loves the venue as much as I do. My parents and Matt’s parents were there for the tasting also and it was really fun to try all the food and pick which dishes we want to serve. The thing I was the most excited about however was the vegan options that the chef brought out for us to sample. It’s really important to me that everyone who comes to our wedding has a good meal to eat so I was so happy that the chef took the time to prepare three vegan entrees for us to choose from. We also will have a gluten free choice at the wedding which I’m happy about. Now we just have to pray that the chef doesn’t leave between now and the wedding!!  It was a great experience and it was fun to see the venue again and show everyone where our wedding will be. Everything about this past weekend made it all so much more real. I don’t think I could be any happier about where we are getting married and I’m so excited for all the planning and fun things coming up in the next year.

I will be going back up to Syracuse to do some more dress hunting in a couple weeks! Until then I will continue browsing dresses online and subjecting Matt to multiple episodes of “Say Yes to The Dress” and “Four Weddings” (he actually likes these shows so don’t believe him if he tells you otherwise!).