Sarah & Jay - July 7, 2007

Well the RSVP's continue to slowly come in...there's still about 100 people yet to hear from though! I've been told they'll come in a mad rush before our deadline which is June 1st. I went down to the farm this last weekend and had a really great time. On Friday night I met Jay, Laura, and Craig in Calgary and the boys went to get Craig fitted for his tux for our wedding and Laura and I scammed Fabricland and got a great deal on tulle! Then we all went for supper and then a movie. Jay and I went to see The Invisible and we both highly recommend it!

As far as the wedding...we both can't believe that it's almost 2 months away! I had my hair and make-up trial with Jacci and Robyn and it went very well. We know what we're gonna do and we'll get together one more time before the wedding to do the whole thing again. We went out on Saturday night in Strathmore for a bit and then I got to spend the whole day with all of Jay's family and got to see Serena so that was really nice! But now I'm at home all alone. Adam moved out this weekend and the next time I'll get to see Jay is May long weekend. I'm sure time will fly!

Jay and I out on Saturday night.

Until next time,
Sarah

Posted by Sarah at 8:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well I'm alone again. Well, not alone if you include Miles...and of course Adam! But Adam's only here probably for one more week before he goes back home and then goes to Germany. Jay has left for the summer for the third time in our relationship. But on the bright side - it's also the last time. This time next year we'll both be packing up all our things getting ready to move down to the farm. Another big up-side to this summer vs. the others is that we get to spend almost all of July together! Then there'll be one more month of summer left and before you know it, he'll be back here in Edmonton to finish up his last year of university. So to distract myself from Jay's absence, this afternoon I treated myself to a French manicure and pedicure! Lots of fun!

Not much new on the wedding plans front, other than the fact that last Thursday I got to try on my dress and it fit PERFECTLY!!! No alterations needed - just a bustle. When Keri comes back from Australia, I'll make a final fitting appointment so Keri can learn how to do up the back and the bustle. Mom and I went mother of the bride dress shopping yesterday with not much luck. We found a really great dress, just not in a really great color for the wedding. Mom showed me a picture of a suit that she'd like to try on, and the model in the picture is wearing a "Queen" style hat, and I told her she could wear the suit as long as she got the matching hat!! We just have to finish our little decorating projects and wait for the day!

All for now,
Sarah

Posted by Sarah at 7:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

~ Did you know that according to several recent surveys the average wedding cost in the U.S. is $27,000? Here is where most of the expenses went (prices in metropolitan areas are generally higher):

- One day of hair & makeup: $370

- Wedding invitations: $400

- Wedding dress: $800

- DJ: $500-$2000

- Wedding flowers: $1,000

- Wedding planner: $1,500 - $6,000

- Wedding photographs: $1,850

- Honeymoon: $3,500

- Food, drinks and venue rental: $7,500

- Wedding band: $1,350-$10,000

~ Did you know that 36% of all couples spend more than what they budgeted?

- 32% of brides and grooms pay for the entire wedding themselves.

~ Did you know that you can cut down the cost of letterpress by using one color ink? Each individual color requires a new plate.

~ Did you know that average number of guests invited to a wedding is 178?

~ Did you know that on average between 25% and 30% of a couple's guests decline their wedding invitation? However, be careful with over-inviting.

~ Did you know that the most popular wedding months are June, August and September with May, July, October and December following closely second?

~ Did you know that having your wedding around Valentine's Day or Mother's Day may nearly double your floral expense?

~ Did you know you will save a lot of money if you schedule your wedding on the Super Bowl, as most of the vendors will have lower prices. Just ask your football-fan guests to record the game with TiVo.

~ Did you know when someone toasts to you, stay seated and don't raise your glass or sip from it till your toaster is done. Just smile and say thank you when they are done.

~ Did you know that according to a recent poll the weddings were:

- 39% - Elegant

- 37% - Fun

- 6% - Chic

- 18% - Unique

~ Recent trends: Instead of a traditional wedding cake (which often costs $2.50 to $20 per serving), some brides are choosing to serve cupcakes. While other brides have chosen to have individual cakes for each of the reception tables. The guests have fun cutting and serving it themselves. Often, these cakes are decorated differently and have different flavors for each table.

~ Did you know that in the U.S. $1,015 is the average cost of wedding rings for the bride and groom?

~ Did you know that the most popular month for proposals is December, which accounts for 15% of all proposals?

~ Did you know that the two most popular wedding destinations in the U.S. are Las Vegas and Hawaii?

~ The average number of guests attending a destination wedding is 63, whereas traditional 165.

~ Did you know that the average honeymoon budget in the U.S. is $3,657?

I thought that was kind of fun! We won't be spending even HALF of that!!! Yowzah!!

Sarah

Posted by Sarah at 4:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I got home on Thursday afternoon from work, Jay was here, and I was flipping through my caller ID to see if I had missed any calls when all of a sudden I see that "BRIDAL DEBUT" has called! I immediately start screaming and doing my happy dance as I *98 to listen to what they have to say. Yes! My dress has come in! They want me to come try it on and have it altered as soon as possible! Woohoo! Not only was I ecstatic that my dress came in 3 months and 2 days after I ordered it (who's counting?) but it was a huge relief to not be waiting down to the wire for my dress to come in like I thought that I might have to. So Mom, Keri, and I are going to the bridal shop next Thursday to try it on and get fitted for my alterations!

The RSVP's have been rolling in...so far 21 people are joining in on the fun. And funny thing is...not one person from our bridal party has RSVP'ed. Hmmm........... I guess when you give 2 months, some people will take 2 months to decide!

Jay's done school now and is in Edmonton for only one more week. Then it's back to the farm and a lot of driving for visits for me! Last time we'll ever have to do this though, so that makes it all worth it.

All for now,
Sarah

Posted by Sarah at 11:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I can't believe we're past the 3 month mark! March especially seemed to fly by. Now all that we are really waiting for is my dress to come in and to get more RSVP's. It's really exciting checking my email everyday to see if more people are coming to our wedding. So far the email RSVP has been working good and hasn't bitten me in the butt yet!

The bridesmaids dresses came in and so far, so good with that too. Laura will need to get hers altered a bit, it's a weird fit for her body, but Keri and Robyn's dresses fit them really well and they all seem to be very pleased with how the dresses are working out! We had a very nice Easter and got to see everyone so that was really nice.

Keri modelling the bridesmaids dress!

Thanks for keeping in touch!
Sarah

Posted by Sarah at 9:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today is a big day! Firstly, I turned 24!! Secondly, we sent out our invitations today! I'm so excited! So other than the fact that it's SNOWING on my birthday, today is pretty great. As far as wedding plans go, we went and registered some more at The Bay, but we found it a little frustrating. See, we won't have a home to call our own for another couple of years, because eventually we will build. So it's hard to know what colors we want in our future bedrooms and bathrooms. So we just picked random stuff. Our 3 month countdown is quickly approaching...I can't believe it.

Well, we're heading down to Calgary on Thursday, scooting over to the farm for dinner on Saturday, then Camrose Sunday, and back to Edmonton for another Easter meal on Monday! Good eatin' comin' our way!

Happy Easter!
Sarah

Posted by Sarah at 5:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)