And the winner is!!!

We did a good ol' fashioned name drawing and the winner is

Jamie!

Jamie said...

"We would love to have the save the dates. Our wedding is 10/10/10. Most of our guests are coming from far away, though, so we need to send the save the dates soon after the first of the year. We're having an magical garden/ breakfast for dinner event filled with music and board games. We're also avid Vista Print users, so this would be perfect. Thanks so much."

Congrats! Email me and I'll get you set up with your prize!

For those who did not win. Vistaprint is giving you a nice consolation prize in the form of deep discounts on a variety of their products! Follow this link www.vistaprint.com/theplussizebride to check them out.

Just a few more hours left to enter the drawing!

We are home now, and I'm exhausted. I just started unpacking and washing clothes but I wanted to send out one last reminder about the drawing!
Good Luck and I'll post the winner in the morning!
Carla

I'm a happy happy girl!!!!

'Cause I am going to see Radney Foster at Gruene Hall (THE oldest dance hall in Tejas). We will sing at the top of our lungs, get to really sweat like crazy with my fellow Radpack buddies, and then usually afterwards we'll stand around sipping a little tequila with the band in the parking lot.

I will try not to embarrass myself by sharing endless stories of road trips from one end of Texas to the other to see the man play, or tattle on myself about the duct tape I put on the floor of Gruene Hall, or brag about the Sharpie abused walls of said historical building. But you can bet I'll have some fun!

Oooh and I just found out that my second favorite songwriter Walt Wilkins will be playing at The Texas Theater in Waxahachie tonight! I asked the darling husband if we could go and he said. "Just think of it ....seeing your two HEARTTHROBS in a 48 hr period......doesn't get any better does it????"

So you all behave and send me some wedding/engagement/diy porn to post when I get back and recover from the heatstroke (and hangover)

What are you doing for your Save The Date?

This was my first draft for our save the dates. I thought it was funny but only my family would have gotten the joke. (I was married very briefly when I was 20 and spent the next 20 years being single. Nobody thought I was going to get married again including me.) I did send it to a few of them just for giggles but everyone else received a slightly tweaked version that looked a little more like a real concert ticket. She even put a picture of a little trailer that looked like our teardrop on there! It must have worked because people were calling Dave to find out what show the tickets were for.

I had them printed at Kinko's. I cut them down and put a business size magnet on the back of each of them and mailed them out. I hadn't planned on doing STD's but we had so many guests that are musicians that we needed to let them know what date to keep open. If I had known you could send your own artwork to Vista Print that would have saved me a lot of time and stress. Oh well, you all can learn from my fumblings.

4 DAYS LEFT.....

On the contest! Be sure to sign up for it here!

Engagement pictures!

Ok, I know this is a little out of order but we have ENGAGEMENT PICTURES to share!

Vikki, who's wedding I shared with you a while back, was kind enough to share a bunch of her engagement pictures with me.

Her photographer, Aurora Photography from New Milford CT, did such an amazing job!

A Fat Bride's Survival Guide

I just love Natalie's story! Thanks to Kathryn and Lesbian Bride for sharing this link with me. I have copied just a snippet of her sage advice...enjoy and then go over to axis of fat for the rest of this story and more.

"I wanted to share a few things that helped me survive as a fat bride, because if you’re not used to speaking up it really can be intimidating and upsetting. I had a crystalline vision of how I wanted to look on my wedding day and I wasn’t ashamed of my body, nor did I have plans to change it consciously before the date. Being somewhat blunt and quite confident, I had few real issues with the barrage of concerned but unhelpful people who just wanted me to look fabulous when I got married. I understood that they were coming from a mindset held by most brides, a world where a slimmer bride must be the more beautiful bride, but I was not convinced of that-"

Extending the contest

Hey gang!

I will be leaving town earlier than I thought and won't have access to the internet for a few days. I will continue the contest until MIDNIGHT on Sunday August 30th and announce the winner Monday.

Carla

Our very first GIVEAWAY!

Aren't these adorable?!?!??

I am very excited to announce that Plus Size Bride"s very first giveaway!

We are giving away your choice of …

A) 150 save the dates
b) 150 invitations
c) 150 thank you cards

OR….drum roll please!

d) a combination of the 3 items totaling 150!

Our giveaway is Courtesy of Vista Print.

They are a really cool printing company that offers a variety of basic invitation designs at an affordable price and several are in coordinating sets! I spent HOURS looking around on this website trying out different designs and features. I wish I had known about them when I was working on my STD’s. It would have made my life soooo much easier.

Oh! And if you are short on time you can have your order in the mail within 3 business days. How is that for service?!?!?!

To enter: Leave a comment below with your first name, wedding date, a short description of which prize you would like to win and what style your wedding will be by midnight on Thursday August 27 (Central Daylight Time). I will announce the winner Friday morning.

Good Luck!!!!

Carla

Just in case you missed it....I am Extending the contest

Hey gang! I will be leaving town earlier than I thought and won't have access to the internet for a few days. I will continue the contest until MIDNIGHT on Sunday August 30th and announce the winner Monday.

Carla

New Questions....

Hello Ladies and Gents!

Sorry I've been AWOL. I've been a LOT under the weather and then out of town at our wedding officiant and dear friend Jim's 60th birthday bash.

He will be performing his second wedding Labor Day weekend. I think we have added a new layer to his life....hopefully a good one!

So....here are a bunch of things that I want to start adding to the blog and the questionnaire. And of course these are in no particular order. I'm hoping this will be a great way to include all of you, not just the recent wedding graduates.

For the bride's questionnaire answer as many of these as possible. I know there are a lot of different types of weddings out there and not all of the questions will apply to every wedding.

Engagement pictures!!!! Lets start showing off those cool pictures. I'll share mine if you share yours!

Bridesmaids - how did you choose yours and what did they wear? Was everything matchy-matchy or did you buck tradition?

Grooms and the rest of the gent in the wedding including Dads and step Dads too, special people. etc.

Save The Dates - I'll be posting about them later this week so send me your by Tuesday!

Invitations - did you go traditional? Did you send e-vites?

Special wedding projects (let's hear it for all those DIY projects!!!)

Accessories - did you braid flowers to wear in your hair or borrow your great grandmother's veil?

Did you attend any bridal shows? What did you learn or gain from that visit?

What were your wedding colors or theme?

What was your wedding date? Was there a special reason for choosing it?

What is the one thing you would go back and change about the final wedding preparations and wedding? I'll tell you about mine later. It involves scissors and a trip to the ER.

How did your groom handle the day? Was he out playing golf with his friends? Nurse a hangover? Did he do something sweet for you?

Tell us about your reception? I know you have at least one or two great stories you can share!

Did you do a grand exit? Why?

Did you take a honeymoon? Are you taking one later? Are you going to skip it and do something else with those funds?

The most beautiful woman in the world....

I don't know her, I've never met her and I probably never will. But she has touched my hear in a way I never thought was possible.

Her necklace sums it up nicely....ALL IS WELL...no exclamation point just a simple statement that says so much.

Congratulations Nie on making it to the top. You've come a long way baby!http://nieniedialogues.blogspot.com

Big love to you and yours on reaching such a big milestone.

This post (and I'll warn you now...it's a gut wrencher) haunts me. http://nieniedialogues.blogspot.com/2009/06/love.html

What was your first date?

I was making cinnamon rolls last night (for the very first time ever) and as I was kneading the dough I was thinking back to my first date with Dave. It wasn't really a date but more of a group outing. Dave had been a widower for a few months and he invited me to join "the group" to see Malcolm Holcombe play at a little club in Dallas http://www.malcolmholcombe.com/. If you ever get the chance to see him DO....he is quite the musician...and a character to boot.

I sat with the group for a while but it was a dark room so I moved to a closer seat so I could take some pictures. It was a group thing, he was a recent widower so as usual I wasn't too concerned with anything but doing my own thing. After a little while Dave came over and joined me. We talked and laughed and enjoyed the music and each others company. And despite the raised eyebrows we were getting from the rest of the group I could feel the shift from just friends to something more.

Things that make you go hmmm.....

This dress completely stopped me in my tracks. And even more noteworthy than that, is that my husband thought it was pretty cool too.

It's by a company called Sydney's Closet. http://www.sydneyscloset.com/index.html I don't know anything about this company, but by the looks of their website I think it would be a place worthy of a closer look. I love their tag line....We Size Up Glamour

If anyone in the St. Louis area has been to their store please chime in and let us know what you think of them.

Lets talk....

I absolutely LOVE all the wedding dress pictures but I want to expand the blog a bit more.
This is where you guys are going to get to help me.

I would like to add engagement pictures, more backstory on you and your beloved, plus size bridesmaids dresses, etc. But I'm having trouble coming up with a good mix. (having a screaming headache for the last couple of weeks didn't help much either) What are some things that you want to see more of?

Also, lets come up with some additional questions for the brides.

One of our readers, Nihal, wrote me the other day with this to say.....


How about incorporating a questionnaire for the brides who liked to be featured. That way readers can have more insight. My suggestions:
-- What was the date of your wedding?
(often skinny brides are featured on shiny mags and it feels like they deserve to have great weddings/diy projects so next couple of questions are to show it is not that way always)-- What was the theme/colors of the wedding?-- What made you challenge most towards theme/colors?
-- Where did you buy your attire?--What was the most challenging thing while buying your dress?
-- What would you change if you could turn back?-- What's your advice to plus-size brides?
;And also maybe try to feature engagement photos too?
thanks for the great blog!
Nihal

I swear she must have been reading my mind! So, lets put our heads together and make this blog even more fun and exciting to read. I want this blog to be about YOU not ME.

Carla

A Saturday morning treat....

Good Morning everyone! I wanted to share the last half of Darla and Garrett's Sexy Vegas Wedding with you. I debated doing 2 posts yesterday so you could see all of them at once but I thought you might enjoy a little Saturday morning surprise with your coffee, tea, or mimosa!

I asked Darla if they flew off to Vegas alone or if they had a group with them and she said....

We had 14 friends & family members join us... we invited over 100 but with a Destination Wedding in late 2008 (I forgot to include my wedding date in my email- October 9, 2008!) we knew that people wouldn't be able to make it with the economy looking like it did.

A sexy Las Vegas wedding

I love the fun and sexy pictures from Darla and Garrett's wedding. It makes me want to jump on a plane with my husband and redo our wedding vows in Vegas!

Hi Plus Size Bride!!!

Getting married at Flamingo Las Vegas meant I wanted something a little on the sexy side even if I was size 16! I found my dress at David’s Bridal in Michigan. While it’s the “Walmart” of Bridal Shops, it worked for me. Canadians don’t have too many options for a discount/cheaper vendor when it comes to wedding dresses so I was pleased to be able to walk into DB and try on real sizes on the spot and walk out with one!!! My dress style 9H9572 http://tinyurl.com/mm7vr4 wasn’t the clear winner at first glance, when I tried it on the 2nd time I noticed there was a removable modesty panel which I promptly took out to make it my Vegas Sexy that I was looking for. It matched my shoes that I already had bought at a local store. I wish good luck to those plus size brides looking for their special dresses, no matter what their style! Photography by Todd Wilson of Bently & Wilson. Las Vegas. http://wilsonphoto.20m.com/index.html

Thank You!!!

Darla W. & Garrett H.

Picture Order: in the sequence of the day….

I love these shoes!

And tomorrow I'll share the rest of Darla and Garrett's Vegas wedding with you....

Rockin' the ballgown!

Hey gang!

Don't you just love her photographs?!?!?!?! Here is a great story about finding "the one" (dress, that is). I LOVE Vikki's story and I know you will too.

Thank you again Vikki for sharing your story and pictures.

Carla

Pictures were taken by Aurora Photography from New Milford CT.

Dress Shopping was a struggle for me. I am a size 20/22 (street size) so in dresses that equals to a 26 possible 28 depending on the designer. I looked around and I didn't know where to start, I wanted to find something that was different not the usual A-Line plain dress that you see a larger woman wearing. It was my day and I wanted to be a princess, I wanted a big ballgown.

So many times and so many places they say don't wear a ball gown it will make you look bigger. But I didn't care, I wanted it (and being an only child I usually get what I want) I had to have it.

I went from shop to shop trying on dresses, usually if I was lucky I might find a 14 or a 16 to try on...which was still way to small, but I tried and found things I liked and things I didn't like. Still not finding the one I decided to try David's Bridal, I knew it had a bad rep and it was notorious for bad service, but I tried it anyway. I think I went there a total of 8 times to 2 different stores. I tried on everything they had, but I never really got the feeling of this is the dress. One trip that was made with my parents I found a dress that was "nice" but not the one, it just wasn't me...it wasn't a ballgown, but my parents liked it and talked me into buying it.....which I really didn't want to do, but did to appease them. It finally arrived to me I opened the box tried it on and hated it...this isn't what I want, this isn't "MY DRESS" I cried and they weren't happy tears.

I called DB and asked them if they had a return policy or exchange policy, the store manager was very accommodating, she let me exchange the dress, the only thing she said was it had to be of equal or greater value. So back to trying on dresses and I found it a ballgown with a big train an pretty pick ups, I loved it. I remember seeing it in the book but never saw it in any store. I tried on a size 12, and somehow I got it on, so it didn't fit but it was "THE DRESS" I knew it, I had to have it. I'm so happy after such a long journey to have found the perfect dress, a dress I loved, I dress I still want to wear everyday but can't. So now, all I can say to future Plus-Sized brides is, be patient, listen to your heart you will find the perfect dress, and you will look beautiful.

A little tease.....

Tomorrow you will get to meet our next bride Vikki! Oooooh you are going to LOVE her dress and story!