Flowers, Take III

So with a change of venue comes, a change in vendors.

Back in May we found a florist out in CT where we were initially going to get married. Then when we changed our venue there was no way we could work with her since she was in CT and our new venue was on a cruise ship in the Manhattan port. At any rate, once we canceled with her in September (no contract had been signed) we got to see the true professional that she was -check out my 'How Rude!' entry in September-. Nevertheless, we had to go back to the drawing board with the flowers for two reasons: (1) there are restrictions on what you can bring on the ship and  (2) ordering from the cruise line was WAYYYY out of this world budget wise.

So off to searching we went and came across Angel's Accents. Always the skeptic, and never 100% sure I want to deal with a company that is online only, I've thrown caution to the wind and booked! Not only did I like what I saw (there are zillions of pictures), but she comes highly recommended on all three of the wedding forums I belong to.

Finally, I can smell the roses!

No Worries, Mon!

So we all know that the 'Carnival Splendor' has not been that splendid for the last few days, and that Sha and I will be getting married on a Norwegian cruise ship in about 8 months from now. So as I sit here watching the news for the last few days I am wondering what our invited guest who are cruising with us must be thinking. Most are first time cruisers so I imagine them in front of their own televisions shaking their heads and saying to themselves "oh oh, what am I getting myself into".

Although Sha and I do not consider ourselves experts on cruising with only two short cruises under our belts, we do know that what occurred is considered very rare in the cruising industry. After all there are hundreds of cruise ships out on the ocean every day and vacationers are having the opportunity to enjoy their trips without incident. In fact, cruising is safer than flying and heck even getting in your own or someone else's car.

I do feel for those who were on the Splendor though, after all the smell of feces and rotting food can not be pleasant for even 5 minutes let alone a few days. I just hope that those passengers take it with a grain of salt as they enjoy their first hot water shower in days, a full refund, and a free cruise in the future.

As for those who now maybe second guessing whether they still want to book or not, don't be too alarmed. If our engine happens to go out we'll be thankful it wasn't our plane engine and we'll have some interesting stories to tell as we gobble up free hot liquor and all you can eat SPAM, get our money back and plan a free cruise on the house!

Mine, Mine, Mine! ~jumping up and down~

Many months ago Sha and I went wedding dress 'looking'. I don't want to call it shopping since we actually didn't purchase anything. However, in our 'looking' process we did have the opportunity to try on wedding gowns and get a feel for what we liked, what we didn't like, what worked for our bodies and what didn't work for our bodies. During this 'looking' process we both found something we could live with. There were no 'I found the gown of my dress tears' like you see in the movies or the many television shows, but we did leave the shop with some idea of what would work.

Although we continued to look, and tried on dresses at various places we both agreed that the dresses we found out David's Bridal were the best for our looks, and most certainly for our pockets. Now we are at the point in our wedding planning where we MUST purchase our dresses before the year ends so that we have plenty of time for the dresses to be shipped and for alterations.

Now this is where it starts to go down hill for me.....

When I first found the dress that I intended on purchasing there were not many pictures of it online and not many pictures of brides wearing it. Now, I am constantly seeing this gown on other real brides and it's losing it's luster for me. So now instead of just going back to the store to order the dress I already know that I am going to have to fight the urge to try on some different dresses. In the throw of wedding planning they always say once you find a dress, order it... if not you will be searching and searching and searching because now your expectations are harder to meet and sometimes become unrealistic.

I'm not at the unrealistic mark at all, in fact now I don't even want to spend as much as I would have with my original dress. Having a cruise ship wedding diminishes the number of hours you will have for your ceremony & reception and so the thought of spending so much money on something I will wear about 3 hours makes me want to regurgitate and the fact that I keep seeing pictures of brides wearing the same dress makes me want to poop!!!

Yippeee!!!

I was feeling a little nervous for a while there. I mean, how can you plan a wedding that is also a group trip and no one but the couple and their kids show up. It's a scary thought, but in these hard economic times it is also a realistic thought. This is one of the reasons why we changed our original wedding date. We knew it would give everyone more time to plan and save if they not only wanted to attend the wedding but join us for a week of cruising and sightseeing.

At any rate, over the last few months no one had booked but us. We were beginning to get a little worried that our plans of vacation fun with family and friends was going to turn out to be a week of wondering 'why didn't anyone show'.....

I'm happy to say that the excitement is back in the air now that we have booked guest.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((group hug everyone)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Cruising & The Norwegian Jewel

Every man, woman and child has an opinion. So in essence what I may like, you may dislike and everything is subjective. With that said we LOVE cruising!

Now for some the thought of being on any kind of boat my not equal fun, and knowing that you are vacationing with thousands of others in a shared space may give you the hives. With cruising, although you are on a boat it is not a little canoe that would rock you into vomit-ville but instead a HUGE ship that is more like a floating city. The best part of it for those who think they may get sea sick is that unless you are sailing in a hurricane you don't even feel the movement. Plus, the bigger the ship the less likely you will even remember that you are on the ocean.

As for vacationing with many others, this is something that actually makes cruising fun. You are surrounded by people with smiles on their faces and most are warm, friendly and ready to share the experience. This also makes the entertainment (comedy shows, game nights, theatre shows etc..) on the ship more exciting and fun. Now on the flip side, cruising is not so crazy and loud that you can not find quieter activities to do if you so choose. There is usually a quiet area for lounging, a library, quieter dining options instead of a buffet, and viewing and/or participating in group activities is optional.

One of the best sites for everything cruise is Cruise Critic (www.cruisecritic.com). This site includes information about each cruise line, every cruise ship, photos, reviews by writers as well as reviews by travelers like ourselves. There is something for everyone while cruising!
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Cruise Critic Norwegian Jewel Review (Click for a 2008 review of the ship we will be on by a writer from cruise critic. Note* this was a different itinerary*)

Travelers NCL Jewel Reviews (Click to read recent travelers' reviews of the Norwegian Jewel, with our same itinerary- Florida & Bahamas)

10/10/10 ... Original Wedding Date

Back in August 2009 Sha and I sat down looking through our cell phone calendars for the perfect wedding date. In doing so Sha stumbled upon the date of October 10th, 2010 which would mean a wedding date of 10-10-10. We thought this date would not only be 'cool' but fitting since we would be in our 10th year together.

As we set off wedding planning we realized after visiting a few wedding venues that 10-10-10 would not be in the cards for us. For you see, this was a reality check of how expen$ive weddings could be. We really had no idea how much money was needed to have the kind of wedding we both wanted. Yes, you can get married for say $200 if you just wanted a quick ceremony and no add-ons including a reception. But for us this was not the wedding that matched our personal styles and us as a couple.

So once the financial realization of it sunk in we decided to cancel our 10-10-10 wedding and move towards a wedding in 2011. Eventually we would choose two more wedding date, May 14, 2011 & July 30, 2011 and settle on the later.

Click below for a little information about today's weddings:
10-10-10

On The Flip Side....

Ho hum.... as the wedding planning continues I've reached a level of 'boredom'. The days of colors, linens, room decor, flowers....are GONE. With a shipboard wedding there is really nothing much to do in advance. Yes, we still have to pick out invitations and still have to find attire for us and the kids, but that's pretty much it. Other items such as having music, floral decor, choice of linens are optional, and choosing the menu whether it's a cocktail or sit down reception doesn't have to be done until next May.

Sometimes I miss all the hoopla of having to nit pick over choices and running around town looking at things, but then I remember that that was a nerve wrecking process as it was just to many choices. So again, it's just another sign of one just never being satisfied. One complains when it's to much to do and one complains when it's to little to do! lol

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A thumbs up award goes to.... Mark! (a DJ we were thinking of hiring)

Deposit refund, honored....

Now this is my kind of business!