And so the choice was made

We have chosen Maui as our honeymoon location. We've both been to the island and had wonderful experiences there. Furthermore, there wasn't much adventure we wanted to accomplish on this island. With the others I either HAD to see Pearl Harbor or I HAD to go to the volcano. With Maui, I've seen the 7 pools and the road to hana. You do that once in your life (more times if you're so inclined...it IS beautiful...):

The point is, we've both done it...so no pressure to make sure it's on the list this time.

We're even staying at the hotel I stayed at on Hawaii with my family back in the 90's (I can't remember the year). The Grand Wailea. Everything I remember of this resort is action packed fun. That's when I was a kid. What do my parents remember? Laying on the beach, swimming with turtles, sitting on the patio doing nothing but relaxing and enjoying the down time. Ahhh, paradise!

We haven't booked the trip yet...We're waiting until mid March or early April to finally book the trip. I'm checking the website I'm going to use almost daily to make sure my prices still stand good.

But just look at this place...I'm itching to move the wedding to Tahoe tomorrow so I can be here by Wednesday:

This hotel has SCUBA diving adventures pre-planned, so all we need to do is sign up. This hotel has expansive beach access for us to eat up at our leisure. This hotel has an absolutely AMAZING luau that we will partake in. MMMMMMM.

Now, another reason I take a gander at the website so frequently is to allow myself the room to make alternative choices in hotels...but so far this one has reigned supreme.

So, how are we paying for this 7 day excursion into paradise? Well, with hard earned cash. But I've got a little help on this front.

I've been an American Express card holder for over 7 years now. American Express is awesome because your points never expire and you can just rack them up or spend them as you see fit. I always thought I would save these for some crazy adventure (I mean, 1 million points can put you into orbit!!!). I'm nowhere near 1 million points. I'd probably have to use this card for another 30 years to get there, and besides...30 minutes outside of earth? Cool...but a week in Hawaii? Much more impact on my sanity.

What I'm going to do is apply every single point I've saved over the past 7 years toward this honeymoon. Ooooh, what's that going to save you? $250? Not so much...It's actually going to pay for a large portion of this trip, and we just need to come up with the difference. YAY! Something I get to save money on!!

American Express also has amazing trip planners via their website, or as separate stand-alone entities. In fact, the trip on which we became engaged, was planned for us by an American Express travel agent. She thought of everything and gave me advice for hours on end. Our trip went off without a hitch and I was prepared for everything there (well, except the typhoon...). Needless to say, the company works amazing deals with amazing locations and passes those savings on to its card members. I love that! There are trips for every budget and you can choose to pay with some or all of your points. Perfection.

So that's how we're doing it, and that's where we're going.

I'll talk about resort wear when it's a little warmer out and everyone can comprehend my desire for a pair of shorts a little more ;)

Until then, in our next episode we talk photography (aka the most important part of the wedding planning process).

Honeymoonin'

Times are changing. More and more those that are getting engaged are paying for all of, if not most of their own wedding. I for one think this is great. Not only does this mean I get more say over what our day ends up being about, but I also get to take complete ownership of the responsibility.

Who wants the responsibility? I do! I thrive on the challenge of managing projects...whatever type of project it may be. I just love managing. Pulling together this wedding, balancing a budget, making tough decisions (we'll talk about those more soon), and planning a honeymoon...all while not having another source of regular income. If you don't think you can save...attempt all of that and not go into debt. You come up with creative ways to manage yourself, your finances, and your choices. HOW FUN! (At least for me).

Anyway, this is about honeymoonin'.

There are SO many options in Hawaii! I don't think any of them are bad...which totally sucks in trying to narrow your choice down. So I had to think about what we wanted. He wanted to relax and SCUBA dive once or twice. I wanted to make sure I attended a delicious luau and got to relax (this has been a long road for me to suddenly DESIRE relaxation).

We also decided that we didn't really want to explore anything too new to us. So there went Molokai and Lanai (they were our top choices prior to this decision). We'll return another day to ensure we visit these beautiful islands.

Our remaining options were:

Maui - Grand Wailea


Oahu - Kahala


Hawaii (main island) - Waikoloa

All three islands are able to offer us what we want. Let's face it...all the islands can offer us what we want. We chose to go with one of these islands because of the tourism. That sounds so odd for a couple of people that want to relax, but hear me out. The tourism makes it (even if only slightly) more competitive in the pricing department. See, on the more exclusive Molokai and Lanai, prices can be higher because of the exclusivity. On the other islands, there's a bit more competition for things like food and souvenirs, etc.

That being said, what resort/island combination do you think we chose?

Next time I will share what we chose, and my creative way of paying for it.

By the way, this coming Monday we have our engagement shoot, so as soon as we finish discussing honeymoonin'...it'll be time for my favorite and most important choice of the wedding...THE PHOTOGRAPHERS!

Let's talk Honeymoonin' for a second

I always pictured myself an Italian honeymoon type of person. Swept away to the countryside for a bit of new life adventure through the old world. How romantic! Think of all the things you could see just DAYS after tying the knot and planning this huge party.

Then the dude said it..."Doesn't that just require MORE planning and MORE stress?". Well of course, but I'm not a lay on the beach type of person! I want to GO GO GO!

Hmmm, this is turning into being a LITTLE bit more about me, and a LOT less about we. OK...fine. You want to relax on a beach? We will SCUBA dive...and swim with sharks...and zip line...and and and and...EVERYTHING! We will accomplish anything and everything that can be accomplished on a beach...in a week. We'll do it all in a super exclusive spot too...

How about, French Polynesia...


Or Fiji...


Or maybe Bali!

Perhaps my imagination missed the message that my pockets are not multi-millionaires.

To be honest all this adventure dreaming is making me quite exhausted. Where can I go to relax that doesn't require currency conversion, or layovers? Ah yes, Hawaii.

But I've been there before! Isn't marriage supposed to be a whole new adventure?

Maybe that's what the rest of your life is for. I'm beginning to view this whole honeymoon thing as a time to relax...and NOT go overboard with the adventure. Reset your clock after planning a party. Most of all, for me, not go completely broke while planning this party and honeymoon.

So we're settled...Hawaii. Easy, fun, tropical, relaxing....Delicious...

Here's the question, which island? We've already decided, but let me tell you...it was a tough decision. I've been to 3 of the islands, the dude's been to a couple...but we've both only been to Hawaii once, he was in high school...I was in 5th grade. Do we relive what we've already experienced...or do I add just a bit of adventure and mystery and try something completely new?

A day of shopping done

I was done. Trying on dresses the day after Christmas is stressful.

We got a lot accomplished, and I realized I had so many more decisions to make. But that's fine. My girls were taken care of. By the way, I never showed you their shoes...

Chinese Laundry 'Lyndia' pump

Let me tell you, these girls could wear any pair of shoes. They're both well versed in the ways of the heel. They both fell in love and bam. They were done. Why can't it be that easy for me? Why can't it be as cost effective at least?

Moving on. After all the stressful shopping was essentially done. At least, what actual shopping I was willing to do was done. We headed over to the Cheesecake Factory for lunch:

Then we headed across the street for a bit of wandering at Santana Row (I may or may not have gone in every shoe store I saw in search of a Choo clone)

I didn't buy these glasses...but I'm wishing I had. These would be fantastic to wear while lying on the beach reading....or not reading in Hawaii whilst drinking 2 or 20 diet cokes.

Have I mentioned Honeymoon plans yet? Tune in next time for how we arrived at the idea to go to Hawaii!

How to sort your way through too many choo choices...

Maybe the title should be, 'One decision I haven't made yet...and it's killing me'

Either way, there are too many choices.

At this point I'd all but ruled out flats. I get it. I see why the ladies like them. I felt special in them. Who would have thought a shoe...or any sort of accessory could do that? Well, except for belts. I love belts...THEY make me feel special. ;)

Anyway, so we were on to heels. A heel is a heel is a heel right? I'm sure of it. I'm sure whatever I throw on will be fine. Let's just get this show on the road. Either way my feet are going to be killing me at the end of the night. I just have to look good for a couple hours.

Am I being cynical or real with you? I can't tell how you're going to read this. I think I'm being both. I mean, I've never worn a comfortable heel, nor have I ever taken more than two seconds to pick out the rare heel I've actually worn. That being said, shouldn't I have the outlook that I can not only look amazing, but be comfortable at the same time? Of course I should...I just have nothing to compare that to.

Moving on. Here's some of what I tried on:

First I tried on strappy shoes. A little too dainty for me. I didn't even find out who made these.

Then I tried on some very "bridal" looking Badgley Mischka's called the 'Dylan'. Again, a little too dainty.

And then...I tried on some Jimmy Choo's
First the 'Isabel' pump

For the love that all that is good...what is this? A comfortable heel? You've GOT to be kidding me. After I put these on, I wore them with every....single....dress I tried on that day going forward. I didn't even notice I had them on. I'm glad I didn't ask who made them or the price when they put them on me because otherwise I never would have understood the value of a well made designer shoe. I get Carrie Bradshaw...I GET IT.

These weren't for me though. No, I wanted something a little bit more...plus they didn't REALLY shine with the dress I ended up with. Then Eileen, oh my savior Eileen, said "Well, I didn't want to show you these because you hadn't mentioned a shoe budget but...well, I have the perfect shoe". GET THEM! GET THEM NOW! I want to see them!!!

Jimmy Choo 'Clue'

Again, another shoe I put on without looking at the price tag. I figured in my head I'd hear the number $300 come out of her mouth. OK...I'll take some time to digest that. Nothing prepared me for what she said (after I fell in love). I won't even say it. If you want to know, click on the link. Otherwise, I'm going to keep talking.

They were simply....magical. I can't believe that I, of all people, am saying that...about a shoe. But they are.

The potential dress and Choo ensemble

They are substantial...they are the perfect shades of colors to match perfectly with my dress...they are COMFORTABLE!!!

It's a real Choo dilemma

Even Alex wanted in on the Choo experience...

So what do you do? You find the perfect shoe. You don't buy said perfect shoe because the thought of spending that on a shoe puts you in a cold sweat. What do you do when you look at 20 different shoe stores and can't find something with the same colors...let alone the same comfort?

I haven't bought these yet, I'll say it again. Right now I'm hoarding Nordstrom gift cards. Right now I have $250 in the Choo fund. Everyone I've talked to says "Do it". Eric's mom even said "Don't you want my son to think you look hot at your wedding? Don't you think he deserves that?" "Well, yeah". "Then get the Choo's"

No pressure.

What say you?

How to sort your way through too many choo choices...

Shoes. Shoes shoes shoes.

Not really a place I am know to make a fashion statement.

My favorite kicks?

To be perfectly honest, my favorite pair are black high tops with hot pink laces and a glitter hanson logo (yeah, the band) on the side...I've had them since high school and I still wear them.

Needless to say, going into this wedding thing I've gone through my fair share of decisions in regard to shoes. Do I get a pair of white high top chucks and call it good? I mean, before I became a two-dress bride, I didn't think anyone would ever see my shoes, so why not be comfortable?

My next thought was, well, ballet flats are flat and comfortable...and girly. I guess I could get a little girly on my big day! These were my ultimate dream wedding ballet flat for over a year:

After finding these little beauties (Seychelle's : Little White Lie), they came and went. I never bought them, for fear of the jinx (I never bought anything for my wedding BEFORE my engagement...). I did try them on once (I was thinking about getting a regular color for daily wear)...but they didn't fit right, so it wouldn't have worked out anyway.

But that was it. I was set. I would be a ballet flat bride...no matter what. I mean, how fun would these be under a long dress and then with a cute little short dress?

In the famous words of Carrie Bradshaw, 'Hello Lover!' (Pictured above, the Louboutin 'Love' flats).

This flat thing could be so fun I was beginning to see! Hurrah!

So, when I called to schedule my appointment with Nordstrom I made sure to stress that not only did I NEED a gray dress (which I didn't end up with) but I also REQUIRED flats. The flats that I require must be unique and they MUST be either green or gray. HA! Take that!

Do you see those? No...not my tree trunk calves...those gray fuzz balls at my feet? Yeah...those were the flats that were pulled for me. Not only were they super ugly, they were from the kids section. They made my legs look like tree stumps that happened to have a severe moss growth at the bottom.

So, just the wrong shoe right?

"Hey Amelia, why don't you stand on your toes, just so we can see what the possibility of a high heel would do for you"

"ugh...fine"

Besides the fact that I look like I have a peg leg...this actually looks better. Crap! Am I getting my mind switched again? This is too much to handle.

In our next episode...we deal with a real choo dilemma.

If I let them choose, the obvious choice would be my choice....

What my decision about bridesmaids dresses boiled down to was...I just wanted them to be comfortable. Yes, you can get really comfortable ugly dresses, but then the person doesn't LOOK comfortable. I wanted them to exude confidence. What better way than looking and feeling like yourself?!

Great, my mind was set. Both girls would be in fabulous non-matching green dresses! WIN!

Oh, green isn't in season? Good thing I love your gray dresses way more than any green dress I've been able to picture. I can go with this! As long as they each end up in what they're comfortable in. Non-matching perfection! Oh the pictures were being taken in my head already...

Wait a minute...what's this? Oh! you two like the same style? Well, surely you won't want the same dress....

Initial bridesmaid dress pull at Nordstrom...look at those gorgeous grays! My vision is building!

Alex (waiting for me to come out in another dress) in a contender...


And now, the dresses they chose...

Yep. You just heard that. My vision bursting like a balloon. They both fell in love with the exact same dress. But you know what? They both glow in it...and really, maybe that was the point of my vision. I guess my new purpose will be having pictures taken that OTHERS use as inspiration for their big day. That alone will make my heart swell with pride for the love I am putting into this event.

Weird facts:
-Nordstrom only had one of these dresses on hand. They switched back and forth trying on this dress probably 4 times.
-They both wear exactly the same size...from dresses to shoes.
-Oh yeah, they even chose the same shoes!

Obvious facts:
-They look amazing!

Come back next time for the biggest dilemma of the wedding planning process thus far. Dun Dun DUN!!!!!

I'm pretty sure I'm dead on with this vision....RIGHT??

I didn't have any cool way of asking my bridesmaids to be my bridesmaids. I knew way in advance that I wanted a small bridal party. By small, I mean 5 people total, more than half of those being siblings. I knew the only two girls on my side would be my sister, and his sister.

When we got back from Japan, we made sure to tell the parents first, but as soon as I accomplished that, I called my sister. "Hey" "Hey" "Soooooo, do you want to be a maid of honor?" "YES!" and that was how my sister found out. Not sure how the dudes sister found out, but when she did I promptly got a facebook comment, which was followed up by a text message saying something along the lines of "so, uh, no pressure, but, uh, do you want to be my bridesmaid?" I got a quick yes response back, and that...was that. I always thought I'd have some cute way of asking my 'maids to be my 'maids, but the excitement grabbed hold. Maybe it's because the dude and I have been together so long, and I had so many ideas in my head...who knows.

So, if I couldn't get the question out there as I'd hoped, I would at LEAST get my vision of bridesmaids dresses for them...

In my mind, these two girls are so different! So I figured why not make this as painless as possible and tell them, just pick a dress in green that is short. Boom. Easy enough right? My thought was mismatched cohesive splendor. The like of the following:

How amazing is the rainbow of greens here? Each girl can pick a style and color she'll wear again! YAY!

Question one: How dreamy is the dress with the bow? Question two: Amazing shade of green in your most flattering style? Who could say no?

Oooh! How fun! A print! These girls don't look too happy though...

Amazing affect, not sure how good it would look on just two bridesmaids...

I mean, how fun is the mismatched look? I've loved it from the first time I saw this picture:

I can totally get this look accomplished!

If you haven't deduced by now, my wedding colors are green, gray, and sand...or have I told you that? Either way...I figured mismatched short green dresses on my girls with pewter gray heels. All re-wearable, all flattering colors. Easy.

So how did we do? Tune in next time when you see how quickly my girls pick their dresses (they may have me beat).

So last I left you, I was trying to decide what direction to take my partying in after we say "I do". If you know me at all, you know I dress like a big kid. I still wear t-shirts with Hello Kitty on them...I even have a shirt with a giant animated sumo wrestler. Needless to say my first inclination was to go for the most fun dress of the bunch, which in my opinion was dress number 2:

To me, this dress had a sense of whimsy about it. It doesn't hurt that it was the first dress I tried on at Nordstrom. Before any of you that chose dress number 2 get too excited, this was not the dress I chose. While I felt comfortable in it, there was no "feeling" and I didn't feel bad about not choosing it. I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything.

Now for dress number 1. I liked this one because I thought it would work so well with our venue (more on the venue in a later post). But alas, I did not pick dress number one either.

By process of elimination, I assume you can deduce that I have chosen to go with dress number 3. Let me tell you a little story about this dress. It's everything I didn't think I wanted. To me, it has a conventional neckline (some may argue with that). Almost daily I wear a v-neck of some sort and this dress definitely has a v-neck. The cool contrast to the conventional neckline? An absolutely amazing back!

Another funny thing about this dress? My mom pulled it while Eileen was also out picking little white dresses for me to try on. When my mom showed up with it, I was underwhelmed by it. Not only did it have that conventional neckline, but it had sparkles....shudder. I...am NOT a sparkly person!

After the first couple dress fails my mom asked me to try it on. Begrudgingly I had Eileen help me slip it on. I looked in the mirror... huh...this isn't so bad. I part the curtains and all I hear are two gasps, hands fly to their mouths...the mothers are in love with it. Uh-oh...I'm in trouble here. I step up on to my podium...crap...I think I love it. Here are some more shots of the dress:

I was noting that I needed to work out my legs, I think my sister commented about spanks

Eileen said that I wore this dress...the dress didn't wear me. I kinda like that.


Did I mention my maids got their dresses too? More on that later!



The ensemble. Just wait until we talk about shoes! Le sigh!

So how did I do?

Requirement #1 : Short
It's short. Not as short as I pictured in my head...but I think it's actual the perfect length for the place I'm getting married, the time of year I'm getting married...and most importantly, my age. I'm not 23 people.

Requirement #2 : Unique neckline
While a v-neck may be common for me, It's not so common in this style for bridal, I feel good about that. Plus...it flatters my shape! Can't go wrong there. Also, I think the low back really adds the dramatic look I wanted.

Requirement #3 : Budget
Remember my $300 budget? Remember when I said I fell in love with a dress before I knew the price? Go me. I had blown my budget by nearly double. Every bead on this dress was hand sewn. It sparkles and is sophisticated. I was gut wrenched when I heard the price. After we finished trying everything on I had to take a break and go to lunch to let everything sink in. On one hand, I didn't have to pay for my ceremony dress, so why not allow myself a little extra room for the reception dress? On the other hand...what good is a budget if you don't draw the line somewhere?

...then I remembered. My aunt had asked me what I wanted for Christmas...I said a Nordstrom gift card to go toward my wedding shoes. Originally, I didn't think my budget for the dress would be an issue. So we go to the car (my mom had brought me all my Christmas presents to bring back home...including the gift from my aunt). I open her gift...and there it is, a Nordstrom gift card! We get back to Nordstrom, wait for Eileen...and I buy my dress. I ended up only $34 over budget!! I think I can justify that!

In our next adventure...what did I want and what did I get in regard to bridesmaids dresses?

Let's get this party started!

So reception dresses. I never thought I'd be a two dress bride, but I love the dress my mom wore for her wedding so much, I can actually afford to be a two dress bride. Now I can go from fairytale to...dance party in the same night. BONUS!

Let's talk requirements here for a second. I wanted short. Not "TMZ caught me getting out of the car and OOPS!" short...but short for me. See, I rarely...RARELY wear dresses, but I've been working hard on getting in shape and staying healthy for the past couple years and I feel like now is the time to take the plunge...or hike if you will into shorter dress land.

So, requirement number 1...SHORT!

Requirement number 2...Unique neckline. I have an affinity for the common with a twist. I like a brown leather belt...with a huge belt buckle. I like a pair of blue jeans with a cool design on the pocket. I like to wear jeans and t-shirts with an Amelia twist. How do I Amelia-fi a dress? I figured a unique neckline was the way to go.

So, requirement number 2...Unique Neckline.

Requirement number 3 wasn't so much a requirement as it was something I had to put out there in my head in order for me to keep myself reigned in - budget. I decided I would not exceed $300 for this dress. I figured my dress was going to just be a party dress, easy peasy.

So, requirement number 3....Budget.

Eileen had pulled a room full of beautiful gray dresses, see?

She totally listened! The second I changed my mind those dresses were gone and in quickly came the white beauties. I tried on probably 10 dresses (or at least it FELT like 10 dresses). My mom and FMIL even pulled dresses for me. I had no idea who pulled what or if it was even meant for me.

With my gray requirement quickly dismissed, we continue...on with the show!

Dress #1


Dress #2


Dress #3

I didn't write down a single designer or price while doing this - bad bride! I did the worst thing a bride can do too - I fell in love before stating my budget and making sure I was only trying on outfits within my monetary limit!

I did go with one of these dresses...can you guess which one?

In our next adventure, find out which dress I will be wearing to party the night away and find out which requirements I held on to, and what I let slip away.

Did you go into dress shopping trying to define yourself or did you let the dress find you?