Wedding Stories & Ideas Galore!

[LorriQ 0]

Great Thread!

Have a suggestion to keep the fire ants at bay - sprinkle cinnamon around the area! Ants won't cross a line of cinnamon - it messes with their senses and they lose direction - plus it smells good!

[Alex & Rachel 78]

Ha, with the many weddings I have attended, bride dishes out 5-10 grand on a wedding dress, groom pays around a hundred bucks to rent a tux. LOL, what a way to start a marriage! Grooms, get use to it. First wife was that way, spending never quit. My new bride didn't want to spend anymore on her dress than I did on my suit, she's my kind of gal. But her wedding band cost quit a bit more than mine did, but the only reason for that, I wouldn't be caught dead wearing diamonds, leave that up to Liberace. But wasn't he kind of gay?

Alex's suit (our wedding wasn't formal enough for a tux, and Alex needed a suit anyway) cost around six times as much as my dress!

I had never dreamt of having a traditional wedding. I didn't want it to be very big. I didn't want a white dress; I knew it'd be unflattering. I didn't want a wedding cake and I didn't want/need flowers.

What did I end up with? A medium sized wedding in which I wore a white dress (it was cheap and suitable and yes, unflattering, but cheap!), cut a wedding cake, and was surrounded by masses of flowers. Oh well! It actually turned out rather nicely.

A tip for flowers: Try and do them yourselves! Flowers can be bought so cheaply at wholesaler's. We spent only around $200 on flowers and for that we had 15 beautiful vases full, a bouquet for me (my mother-in-law recommended I have one as it'd give me something to hold onto and focus on to help with nerves - she was right) and decoration for the cake.

Karri - I know it is running a risk and that a lot of people here advise against it, but I'd just pick a date after you receive your NoA2. Friday nights can be inconvenient for many people (i.e. if they are having to go straight from work) and I'd expect very few vendors to be able to work with just 2 months' notice.

Rings: Alex really wanted matching rings and I thought this was a nice thing to have so I readily agreed. We have plain titanium bands engraved on the inside with our names and the date of our wedding. They are very comfortable to wear and look really lovely. Here is a not-too-good photo of them:

(Click for large)

Here were how the flowers turned out:

My landlady arranged them for us, and made the boutonnieres and bouquets too. She did a wonderful job and I cannot thank her enough!

and here is the cake, which my brother made as his present to us:

He did an excellent job, I thought, considering he is in no way a professional! The rose leaves are made from white chocolate. You can also see my bouquet there.

[Shannon ♥ Nick 0]

Great Thread!

Have a suggestion to keep the fire ants at bay - sprinkle cinnamon around the area! Ants won't cross a line of cinnamon - it messes with their senses and they lose direction - plus it smells good!

That is excellent!!! I've never heard of that before, Thank you!!

[Laura+Tom 2]

Well, my dress plains have changed again. Seen this one in Monsoon, a store here in the UK. It costs about the same to have the one I wanted made. Am going to have a look at it next weekend.

[LorriQ 0]

Well, my dress plains have changed again. Seen this one in Monsoon, a store here in the UK. It costs about the same to have the one I wanted made. Am going to have a look at it next weekend.

Beautiful!

[minnew 4]

Well ladies I thought I would take the time to introduce myself! I am Andrea (beneficiary) and we just filed the K-1. I am excited, but yet nervous to start the Visa Journey as well as the wedding planning on top of that!! My fiance and I just had our engagement portraits done this past weekend while he was visiting me and they turned out great! It is so hard to start planning everything without a date!! That question is getting really annoying too!! Well in 2 weeks my mother and my sister and I will be going to a bridal show, hoping to find something that might catch my eye! I really want a simple white dress, no lace, if beading, very minimal, no semi-cathedral or cathedral train, just floor length but a bit of poof!! Those seem hard to find on the wedding dress designer websites! The only ones I can find are more for destination weddings!

I will be having 3 bridesmaids, as 1 already dropped out of the running, he will have 4 groomsmen. The colors that I want for the wedding are red, black, white and/or silver. The bridesmaid dresses probably a combination of black/white or black/silver. I am stilll undecided whether to use fresh flowers or fake as fresh are so expensive and i will want red and white roses. I took my fiance shopping yesterday and he didn't like the look of fake bouquets, I am thinking who can tell?! Unless you are up close!! I am going to visit him at the end of the month and hoping that we get to check out the church and some possible venues, that way when he have the K-1 interview done we can just book a date and print off the invites!!! We are shooting for the end of October 2009, and really hoping for an interview in June or July.....but of course with immigration those plans can be spoiled! Anyways, hoping everyone has a speedy journey!!

[LorriQ 0]

Just got good news!

My brother will make our rings! Stealing the design from another artist - but am tickled!

[Shannon ♥ Nick 0]

Well, my dress plains have changed again. Seen this one in Monsoon, a store here in the UK. It costs about the same to have the one I wanted made. Am going to have a look at it next weekend.

This dress is beautiful!! I think the simple dresses make the most elegant GL dress hunting!!

Well ladies I thought I would take the time to introduce myself! I am Andrea (beneficiary) and we just filed the K-1.

Hi Andrea! What do you think of VJ so far? Nick and I are addicted Awesome people here!

I can completely sympathize with you re: planning without a date. Nick and I always hoped for March 17th as that was the first day we met in person... so it would be our anniversary. HOPEFULLY (fingers legs and all appendages crossed!) we'll make it. Right now we're just waiting for our interview date.

It is so hard to plan - especially when you have ppl coming from over seas... we certainly didn't want to plan a date and then have to cancel it leaving ppl to pick up the tab for changing or canceling flights etc...

Did you see the flowers that were posted on this thread a few pages back? They are gorgeous! I love the idea of being able to keep my bouquet forever - and like you said, unless up for inspection: Who'll know?? I thought about spraying mine with some scent even.

Just got good news!

My brother will make our rings! Stealing the design from another artist - but am tickled!

That is so cool! So is he a jewelry maker in general? Artist? I hope you'll post pics!!!!

[KAT&Allie 0]

Shannon,

Firstly, congrats on getting Nick's interview so quickly. Can you share with us how did you manage it please? I'm getting really desperate now. We want to get married on the 5th April but since we still haven't received our NOA2 and the estimated time is being now stretched to beginning of March, that seems unlikely with each passing day.

Unfortunately if April wedding doesn't happen, our BBQ wedding plans will have to be scrapped... apparently it would be too hot to have a mid-day wedding outdoors in Florida at the end of May (the soonest date we can do if we miss the April 5th).

Really getting fed up with not having much control over my life right now...everything just seem to hang there.... boooo.... Just wish VSC will hurry up so my baby won't have to plan the whole wedding all over again

I assume your March 17th plans are all going ahead the way you'd like? So pleased for you.

[Laura+Tom 2]

Shannon,

Firstly, congrats on getting Nick's interview so quickly. Can you share with us how did you manage it please? I'm getting really desperate now. We want to get married on the 5th April but since we still haven't received our NOA2 and the estimated time is being now stretched to beginning of March, that seems unlikely with each passing day.

Unfortunately if April wedding doesn't happen, our BBQ wedding plans will have to be scrapped... apparently it would be too hot to have a mid-day wedding outdoors in Florida at the end of May (the soonest date we can do if we miss the April 5th).

Really getting fed up with not having much control over my life right now...everything just seem to hang there.... boooo.... Just wish VSC will hurry up so my baby won't have to plan the whole wedding all over again

I assume your March 17th plans are all going ahead the way you'd like? So pleased for you.

I'm at the stage at the moment when I'm seriously fed up of people asking me when I'm going to get the visa and how the wedding is coming on. I thought it would be fun planning a wedding, and it did start off fun, but I don't even want to talk about it to people at the moment.

[KAT&Allie 0]

I'm at the stage at the moment when I'm seriously fed up of people asking me when I'm going to get the visa and how the wedding is coming on. I thought it would be fun planning a wedding, and it did start off fun, but I don't even want to talk about it to people at the moment.

I haven't told anybody at work yet so I have a bit of peace and quite from that quarter at least. My close family and friends understand, but I'm definitely coming apart at seams...frazzled…. stressed…

But on the brighter side, I'm off to the London wedding fair at the beginning of Feb... Maybe that'll cheer me up a bit

[Laura+Tom 2]

I'm at the stage at the moment when I'm seriously fed up of people asking me when I'm going to get the visa and how the wedding is coming on. I thought it would be fun planning a wedding, and it did start off fun, but I don't even want to talk about it to people at the moment.

I haven't told anybody at work yet so I have a bit of peace and quite from that quarter at least. My close family and friends understand, but I'm definitely coming apart at seams...frazzled…. stressed…

But on the brighter side, I'm off to the London wedding fair at the beginning of Feb... Maybe that'll cheer me up a bit

I saw an ad for the London fair in my WeddingIdeas magazine, was debating whether to go or not.

Btw that's a good mag.

[KAT&Allie 0]

I saw an ad for the London fair in my WeddingIdeas magazine, was debating whether to go or not.

Btw that's a good mag.

I agree. But the fair might not only give me some ideas (being colour challenged it's no fun at times like this ) but some freebies as well . I’d go as you are not that far from London so why not.

[Laura+Tom 2]

Everyone loves freebies lol and yeah I'm only 40min from London.

I got grief at the last fair I went to.

Her: OMG you haven't sorted your invitations out?? But you've less than a year to go!! OMG OMG

Me: Er yeah, dunno when I'm actually getting married yet

Her: OMG!!! (practically faints)

[Shannon ♥ Nick 0]

We are TRULY lucky. And luck is the only explanation. Everything has gone soo smoothly since NOA2.

We did email the consulate for a expedited interview as I'm going into the hospital for a c section on Jan 16th to have our son, Ryan- we knew it would be a loooong shot to get him here before then, but it never hurts to try, right?

Nick called this morning and found out his interview date was Jan 30th - then he got an email shortly after saying disregard the appointment letter with your interview date of Jan 30 - you've been granted an expedited interview for Jan 20th.

We did add the news to our timeline but just couldn't bring ourselves to post about it. Felt like we'd be gloating - even though we truly wouldn't be... we both just feel so gutted for the rest that haven't even received NOA2 yet - or are stuck in AP.

Sincere thanks for your congratulations!!!