I was a very busy little bee….uh, butterfly this weekend. 

Saturday morning, I went to go exchange the black sweater for Mr. Butterfly.  One of the readers emailed me with tips on dressing for engagement shoots, and after reading, I realized that I didn’t want to coordinate too well.  So the black one has been traded in for the brown one.  Thanks reader!

Then off to Kate’s Paperie to purchase a mini hole puncher and some scrapbook pens.  My mini bells are arriving today, so I am going to test how it looks on the menu card. 

I also went to my dress fitting (again).  I can’t help but giggle every time I put on my dress.  Its so pretty.  She had to take in 3 inches from my waist, and she also told me not to lose more than 5 pounds. Otherwise, we will have to do the fitting all over again. 

On Sunday, Ms. Snail came over early to do my second trial.  I absolutely loved it!  I promise, pictures are coming!  After my trial, we headed off to my bridal shower where I had a ton of fun.  Thanks to all my girls for coming and making it a great shower!  I promise, a separate post on the shower is coming too, as soon as I upload the pictures.

My MOH is the bestest friend in the whole wide world!  Not only is she lending me her headpiece from her own wedding, she is lending me her pearl necklace as well!  So of course, I had to go out and buy (fake) pearl earrings to match.  I just cant choose which earrings to wear!

Here is the head piece.

You can’t really see it in the pictures, but the headpiece is accented with tiny pearls in each diamond shaped area. 

Here is the necklace

Here are the earrings

Option 1
 

Option 2
 

Option 3 – This one does have real pearls, and its from Tiffany’s.  My FMIL bought it for me as an engagement present earlier this year. 

Which earrings should I wear?  Please vote!

Option 1
Option 2
Option 3
None of the above

During my dance lesson last week, my instructor told me about a dance shoe store in Manhattan where I could buy bridal shoes.  Now, at first I was a bit skeptical.  I mean, they are dance shoes.  How could they be bridal looking?

Anyway, in my quest to find the perfect shoes, I went to Saks, Macys, Nine West, Enzo, and many many more.  I was just making my way up to Stewart Weitzman when I ran out of time and had to go to my dance class.  It’s a good thing too, because from what I’ve seen on their website, I think the Weitzman shoes are great.  However, I absolutely cannot bring myself to spend $300 on shoes that I will only (probably) wear once. 

So I went to the dance shoe store today and fell in love.  The sales people are so friendly and knowledgeable.  Also, they had no problem punching extra holes in my shoe straps just so that I could try them on properly!  Here is the 3 inch heel, off-white, satin dance shoe that I bought.

And can I just say, Woah, these babies are comfortable!!  Especially when you add these paddings to them to the toe area.  They are so cushion-y!!

The best part?  The shoes were only $125, less than half of what I would have paid at Stewart Weitzman.  And they are dyeable, in case I decide to dye them black for later. 

Look at some of the other shoes they had!

 
I know they look similiar but the website does not even begin to show you all of the different types of shoes they had.  I almost bought strappy ones in gold, and tried on some beautiful ones in bronze/copper.  I think they would have also looked great with my color scheme. The prices ranged from $50 to $175 dollars, approximately.

I know a lot of people buy shoes on the internet for a lot cheaper, but I am one of those people who must try on a pair of shoes for at least 10 minutes before I can buy them.  And comfort played a big role in my decision to buy these babies.  So, if you are like me (an obsessive shoe shopper) and must try on shoes, and are interested in comfortable shoes for your wedding, I highly recommend this place.

Worldtone Dance
230 7th Avenue, 2nd Floor
NY, NY 10011
1-866-WT-DANCE

They also have a store in LA!

2138 Westwood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90025
1-866-WTD-SHOES

Last night around midnight, Mr. Butterfly went to go pick up a package from our building while walking the dog.  It was our first registry present!!

Cuisinart 10-Piece Non-Stick Hard Anodized Cookware Set

This 10-piece set from Cuisinart has all the cookware components for jobs big and small. Constructed of non-stick hard anodized quantanium to yield professional-style cooking results and easy clean up, each piece made to last. Snug-fitting lids lock in flavor, texture and nutrients. Tapered rims make pouring clean, easy and drip-free. Solid cast stainless steel grips are professionally riveted and designed to stay cool on the stovetop. Side grips and helper handles add even more functionality. Oven safe to 500 degrees. Hand wash. Limited lifetime warranty.  Set includes 8″ skillet, 10″ skillet, 1.5-quart covered saucepan, 3-quart covered saucepan, 3.5-quart covered saute pan with helper handle and 8-quart covered stockpot.

Who would get us such a nice, extravagant gift?  Mr. Butterfly’s mom, of course!  The card said something like “Mr. Butterfly and Ms. Butterfly, Congratulations and best of luck in the future!  Love, Mom.”

Mr. Butterfly looked at me and said, “who’s mom is that?”

Whatta dork.   I guess it was more obvious to me because I know that my mom would never order online, she would have written the card in Korean, and she’s already paying for half the wedding, so I wouldn’t have expected a gift from her. 

I am also having a ball checking and re-checking my registry to see what items have been bought.  This is so exciting!!  Receiving registry items is definitely the most exciting part of the entire wedding process because I love opening presents!!! It’s like Christmas came early to my house this year! 

God, I’m such a child.

I’m at a loss.  I have a junior bridesmaid and a ring bearer in my wedding party.  I have no idea what to get them as a gift. 

For the groomsmen, we bought the ties (which they can wear again), and fake business cards with nice, engraved card holders.  I wont tell you what I got for my bridesmaids because they read this sometimes – but let’s say that I bought them a small token of appreciation, along with their dresses. 

But when it comes to the kids, I have no idea what to get them.  The junior bridesmaid is 10 years old.  Even from the moment she was born, I wanted her to be my flower girl.  I was 17 years old at the time, and I loved taking care of her.  Too bad for me, I am getting married too late for her to be a flower girl, so now she’s my junior bridesmaid.  Her younger brother is turning 7 this month.  He is sooooo adorable!  I just want to squeeze him and kiss him and love him to death.  When I told him he was going to be a ring bearer, he looked at me and said “No!  I want to be a ring DRAGON!!!! ROOOOOAAAAAR!!” *flapping arms and breathing fire*

So what to get them?  Its so hard to shop for them, because the girl is too old for dolls but too young for purses and makeup.  I also don’t want to buy her expensive jewelry because she might lose it.  The boy, well, he’s still a child and I don’t know what he would really appreciate.  I would like for both gifts to be a little nicer than a small trinket; something they can keep for awhile.

Any ideas?

Ok, I admit it.  I bite my nails.  I am horrible and I can’t stop.  I can go for a few days, even a week without biting them, but as soon as they get pretty and long, I have to bite them.  I don’t know what it is…its a disease, I tell ya! I tend to bite my nails when I get stressed.  Needless to say, I’ve been a bit stressed lately.  Its mostly work stress, not wedding stress, because wedding planning is oh-so-fun and not at all stressful!

According to wikipedia, nail biting is a symptom of an emotional problem.  Only 19% to 29% of young adults have this problem, and its more common in boys than girls.  Great.  I am a young adult male with an emotional problem.  

I have really tried to stop biting.  I’ve tried getting a manicure, but then I just ruin the manicure (oh, what a waste of $15 dollars!)  I’ve tried those bad tasting polishes, and they don’t really work very well.  I’ve tried forcing myself not to bite, which lasts about a weeks at most.  I just am out of ideas!  Normally, I don’t really care what my nails look like but for my wedding day, I want them to be perfectly French manicured. 

What else can I do?  Please help!!!

As much as I try to pay off my credit card debt in full each month, sometimes its hard to do so, especially when it comes to my wedding.  You see, I love reward points.  Its like free money to me, since the more points I get, the more cash I get back, which I use to pay down the debt.  See?  Free money.  Unfortunately, as of late, since I have been on a shopping frenzy, the debt has been piling on faster than I can pay it down.  Plus, the money that my parents are giving me for the wedding hasn’t come in yet.  Also, almost everything I’ve bought (favors, invitations, accessories, etc) were purchased online, meaning they only take credit cards.

So, I decided to call my credit card companies to get them to lower my interest rates. 

I tell all of my friends this:  Call your credit card companies once a year to discuss your interest rates.  I try to never pay above 10%.   How do I do this?  Its easy.

1.  Call your credit card company and say that you are very concerned about your interest rates.  Say that it seems a bit high compared to what your other credit card companies are giving you, and that you’d like to speak to someone who can help you analyze your interest rates.  *Do NOT speak to the first person who answers the phone.  They cannot help you with this.  Make sure you speak to an credit analyst or a supervisor.*

2.  Give reasons why you deserve a lower rate. 

• Mention that you are getting married in xx months, and that you’ll be making a significant number of purchases in the coming months. (it doesnt matter if this is true, even if you are making slightly more purchases tell them you’ll be spending more).
• You make more than the minimum payments every month, on time. 
• You are being offered lower rates with other credit card companies that are not introductory. 
• You have a good credit history.
• This is your primary credit card and you use it a lot.
• You might also want to casually mention that since your other credit card company is offering such a better rate, if they cant at least lower it a little bit, you plan on paying the card off then getting rid of it.  *This MUST be said very casually, as an aside, because you cannot threaten to cut off your card unless you mean it.  Don’t say this unless you really do mean it, because they may tell you to go ahead and do it.*

3.  Say that you would like to know if there is anything that’s available for a lower rate.  You may need to change the type of card.  Typically cards with reward points will charge a higher interest rate than a card that has no rewards services. I have one card with rewards and another without.

4.  See if they can offer you a 0% interest rate on all future purchases until your honeymoon.  For example, when I called my credit card company back in February, I told them that I was engaged, and will be spending a lot of money on that card towards they wedding.  They offered me a lowered interest rate, AND a 0% on all new purchases until January 2007. 

Some things to keep in mind:

1.  When they offer you a new interest rate (hopefully), ask whether it is variable or fixed.  Variable means that there is a fixed portion and the national prime portion.  The prime rate goes up and down based on the economic state of our country.  It is currently at 8.25% and it changes quite frequently.  The fixed portion is whatever above the prime that the company wants to charge you.  So they will say your rate is 9.99%, but if its variable, if the prime goes up, then so does your interest rate.  A fixed interest rate is constant, however, the credit card company may change it at any time as well.

2.  Most (I think all) credit card companies make you pay off the lower interest purchases first.  So even though you are getting 0% interest on new purchases, when you pay it off, you are paying the 0% first.  So any balance you had previously is still being charged at whatever the interest rate your card has.  This is how they make money. 

3.  If you are OK with a slightly higher interest rate, I say take full advantage of the points system.  Many companies offer deals with all inclusive resorts and you can use your points towards your honeymoon!

Finally, this system works better if you tend to have a good, long-standing history with the company you are using.  They don’t want to lose your business, and they know that you are a good customer.  They also know your spending habits, so use this tactic for your primary cards.

Good Luck!

My engagement photo shoot is coming up in a few weeks.  And of course, nothing I have is good enough to wear!  So I treated myself (and Mr. Butterfly) to a little shopping spree!  But I need your help in deciding what to wear.

Here is Mr. Butterfly’s choices of outfits (they are just different pants).

 v.

Here is what I could wear (again, just different pants).

v.

Do we look too coordinated?  Which outfits do you like better?

Option 1 – His khakis with Her blue jeans
Option 2 – His khakis with Her black jeans
Option 3 – His blue jeans with Her blue jeans
Option 4 – His blue jeans with Her black jeans

Please vote!

I love my Mr. Butterfly!

Weeks ago, I asked told him to find us a dance studio to take lessons for our wedding.  He was very worried about the dancing, because he can’t dance, but he really wants to look good on the dance floor. 

Anyway, he found us a dance instructor who was absolutely wonderful!  Mr. Butterfly likes her because she is calm, cool and collected.  I like her because she’s encouraging and organized.  Even though it was our first lesson, she already had goals set for each lesson.  This tells me that she is very experienced as a teacher and that she definitely knows what she is doing. 

Our goals for the first lesson:  To learn our entrance, the swing basic step, lady’s turn, and rotation.  We are using Frank Sinatra’s “The Way You Look Tonight” as our first dance, so we could have used either the swing or the fox trot.  Mr. Butterfly thought we should start with the easier one, which surprisingly is the swing.

I thought we did excellent on our first day!!  I can’t wait to learn more steps and moves!

If you are looking for a dance instructor, her information is below.

Wedding Day Dance
Anne-Marie Nespoli
info@weddingdaydance.com
917-796-4960

The package that we bought was the 5 lesson package.  It’s 5 one hour private sessions, and its only $299!  There are other packages available, if you are interested!

I picked up my dress!!!!!!!!!  EEEEKKKKK!!!!!!!   Its so much prettier than I remember!!!!!!!  Although I’m not posting picture of my dress, I thought I could give you guys a sneak peak. 

This is a picture of the bottom of the dress when I tried it on back in April.
See how the dress is two-toned?  I absolutely fell in love with the fact that the dress had different shades.  This is how I came up with the idea to use champagne in my color scheme.  Funny thing is, when I picked up the dress this week, the bottom of it was completely ivory.  At first, I thought they messed up my order (the horror! ).  However, it turns out that the dress in the picture was just old and the fabric had aged to that color!  Hahaha – I felt so dumb!

Of course, I love the dress with the clean ivory applique. 

Anyway, I took the dress to my tailor for my fitting.  Luckily for me, my MOH’s husband, Damon, is the one who will be doing my alterations.  And it looks like there may be more alterations than I thought.  As much as I tried to get the bridal shop to order the dress shorter than they usually would (I’m a real muchkin at 5 feet tall), they promised that it would be the correct length.  Of course, it came about 1.5 inches too long, which is a big problem, especially since I really don’t want to wear 4.5 inch heels.  So, its likely that the dress will have to be taken up. 

Also, when I first tried on the dress, I fit in perfectly into a bridal size 12.  I made them order me a size 10 anyway because I said I would lose weight.  Now, the size 10 is way too big on me too!  So the top will have to be taken in several inches, especially now that I am training for another month.

So that’s the story of my dress.  In case you are wondering, my dress is a Casablanca.