MAJOR UPDATE!

Hello, hello!! This update is going to be somewhat long since a lot of things have happened since the last time I shared. READY? FIVE TOPICS:

1)

The dress came in! I have no pictures to share since the dress was an ultra,ultra draft of what the outcome is supposed to be. I have very mixed feelings so far, so I can't say I was impressed just yet. It's a Kenneth Pool for Amsale dress which retails for over 6k. Luckily (or not), I was able to find someone who claimed that they'd be able to mimic the design into something that's EXACTLY what I want for half the price tag, so I ended up going with that option. There's not a day that goes by that I don't regret the decision, mostly because I really have no idea what it will end up looking like. Taking a HUGE risk.... sigh. Well, stay tuned! My second fitting is in two weeks. It should be nearly completed by then.. Anyway, this is basically what the dress is supposed to look like:

2) Our invitations are complete! We sent out half of them this morning and we need to order some more paper so we can send the second bunch out soon. VICTORY!! Choosing the different types of papers and envelopes took about two weeks because I'm really indecisive. I used two sources: http://www.papersandmore.com/ and http://www.paperpresentation.com/. The paper presentation store is on 18th and 6th so I made about four trips there throughout the process. I sent many many prototypes to my bridesmaids for their opinions and everyone had encouraging things to say about all of my designs but in the end we all agreed that one design was just much more fitting of our personalities. The designing of the invites took about another week and a half and the assembly took about four days. I used microsoft word and downloaded a few vector designs on http://www.istockphotos.com/, merged the designs and adjusted the colors around to fit the look we were going for. It was really grueling at certain times but in the end, James and I were so proud of the masterpiece we were able to create with just a blank piece of paper, a printer and a paper cutter!! Most of the assembly was done by my sweatshop bridesmaids. :) They really pulled through for us and we seriously couldn't have done it without my girls! Even my future sister-in-law's husband came on over to help us. :*) Yes, it is official: I have the best bunch of bridesmaids ever!!

Here is a preview of just the center part of the invitations:

***If anyone wants me to do a step by step process of how I put the invitations together, I will be more than willing to do an entry that lays it all out there. That goes for any/every part of my wedding prep process, so if you have any questions of any kind, let me know!

3) We got a puppy!!!!!! His name is Bronson and he is a puggle (pug & beagle mix). At only three-months old, he's able to do his business on the wee-wee pad most of the times and thanks to James' obsession with the Dog Whisper, Bronson knows James as the "pack-leader" already. Me on the other hand, not so much. Bronson jumps on my lap constantly and I can't seem to discipline him. Oh well, it's only been a little over a week since we got him, so maybe he'll start listening to me in time.... He is named after Charles Bronson, the actor.

I took this picture of him on his first day out in the real world. He's not allowed to go outside yet because he doesnt have all his shots, but we had to visit the vet on this day. He loves his white doggy toy.

4) I started my new job! I left Bertelsmann (BMG) and now I'm at Ogilvy. It's been pretty fun and exciting so far. Not much else to say for now! I miss my old co-workers like crazzzzy. I have no problems adjusting to new things/people and actually do enjoy new experiences, but I have a tendancy to get really attached to things/people. It's been so hectic lately that I haven't had much time to be super, super sad about it, but the last few days at work were really tough! I am definitely not good at goodbyes.

5) ENGAGEMENT PHOTOSSSSS are scheduled for this Wednesday! That's in less than 48 hours, dudes!!! James and I went to tanger yesterday to try to find bargain outfits for our photos.... I didnt find any "engagement photo worthy" dresses, so I'll probably just wear the Theory dress I got last year at a sample sale. It's my favorite bc it's nice and flowy.... It's also white and I wanted to try to wear a white dress... so I guess it will work. Our casual outfits will probably just be a white shirt/dark blue jeans or khakis for james. We're still deciding on the location... Central park? Seems to be so over-done, so we thought maybe we could do South Street Seaport since that's where our first date was. :) As for hair and make-up, Sachiko Yanese will be doing the trial for me on Wednesday for the photos. Make-up, I'm completely leaving that up to her to decide. I have no idea what looks good in pictures. I dont care what she does, as long as I am ultra hottie for the day according to the photos.

Okay, this is the part where I reallly need your help!!! Engagement photo hair: Down or Half down?

a:

b:

c:

d: