Running of the Brides: Part 3

So in my last post I told you about our trip to Atlanta last year in search of my cousin's dream dress. Since we were so successful with her venture I decided on the spot that we would be back for my dress next year.

Well it's one week from the run you guys and I am so freaking excited! I can barely stop myself from squealing out every time I think about it. I sent out an email to my pose this morning with the TWO, yes TWO, slide shows about the Run and also a verbal breakdown of it. I told you last time that I was crazy, I mean organized. I wish there was a way to post them on here but you can look for them on the side of my blog. They're really funny and serious at the same time. You have to know my tone to know when I'm joking, either way I go over the top with my slide shows. Below are the word formats that I sent to my girls today. I started this document months ago so that we could get a good look at what was going to happen. The paper Instruction Manuel goes like this:

People Going to Atlanta: For sure Not sure Not going (color coded for my OCD self)
I even have the times they are coming broken down. The colors obviously mark which of the 3 above categories they fit in. Beside their name is their t-shirt size (for their ROTB shirts) and whether they have paid for their shirt and if it was received. Some people ordered shirts even though they and I knew they weren't going to be able to go with us. That's how sweet and wonderful my family and friends are. My FMIL and 2 FSILs are going out of town that week but they still wanted the awesome shirt. And one of my bridesmaids, BM BonBon, got a new job *YAY* a few weeks ago and couldn't take time off till she reached 90 days so that was completely understandable. Below is also a picture of our shirts.

Don't they look great! The guy who I worked with was amazing! Lucky for me he had lived in Atlanta and knew all about ROTB. I was so glad he knew what I was talking about and didn't look at me like an alien when I told him why we needed these shirts. Also the graphic design team worked so well with me adjusting the bride to what I wanted. Can you say PERFECTION!

Now in the second section I listed the Hotel information for the ladies staying in the hotel. I plan on going all out this year, as in sleeping on the street the night before, but I didn't want my two grandmothers, two aunts, two cousins, Mom and little sister on the street too. And it's not because they aren't welcome or snore but because sleeping on the concrete in sleeping bags and chairs. They deserve better since they are all taking time off of work or school or dance to be with me. I even broke down who stayed in what room. Now this can be changed if the bed sleepers want. I don't care about room switching at all. Originally I booked two rooms in the same hotel we stayed at last year. The rate was $129.99 a night which I thought was reasonable. That was until I got an email from Pat Boudrat about a week ago. I didn't pay close attention to it but something in the middle caught my eye. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MARRIOTT OFFERS SPECIAL RUNNING OF THE BRIDES OVERNIGHT PACKAGE – JUST $99*
You’ve said YES! Now it’s time to run for that perfect dress! We promise fabulous accommodations, just two blocks from Filene’s Basement. Don’t wait, run for chance to snag a great stay and an even better dress! Deluxe accommodations for two; complimentary self-parking for one vehicle, complimentary Swag Bag upon arrival.


Well I may be crazy but not crazy enough to pass up this deal! I immediately called my current hotel cancelled my two rooms there and promptly booked two rooms at the Atlanta Marriott Buckhead Hotel & Conference Center. Not only was it nicer and cheaper than the first hotel but it was closer! WAY CLOSER!

Up next: The THRID, yes 3rd, Section of my paper plans...don't be mad :(

Running of the Brides: Part 1

Okay for those of you who know me, this post won't shock you at all. For those of you who don't, allow me to introduce you to my type A, major control freak, plan everything, organize organize organize, don't mess with my schedule side. As you are about to see I can be a bit over the top when I comes to planning but that's because of my past. (Post to explain that later) I don't like not knowing what's coming up in my life. My planner that I carry around with me daily is packed full of stuff. Small things to huge events, you know like attending Running of the Brides in Atlanta next week. You know just the major points in life. Hehe! Being that the Run is just over a week away I want to start my ROTB series and the only proper way to do that is to start at the very beggining. Did anyone else just hear Julie Andrews in their head? Anyway, here we go...

(Source)

We left on Thursday afternoon, the day before, so we could get up there, eat a great dinner, and get some sleep before the big day. Yeah that sort of happened. We did make it to Atlanta; however we were an hour late to dinner because one of our GPSs took us on a crazy trip through richyrichville. But the food was amazing when we got there so it was a happy story in the end. Once we got back to the hotel, which was only a few blocks away from Filene’s Basement, we made signs, watched a slide show I made about the ins and outs of the day to come, laid out our clothes and hopped into bed…it was 12am! As instructed by the Bride we set our alarms for 1:30am. Yep, about an hour of sleep! No need for showers or makeup, because we didn’t want to get anything on the dresses. I bounced out of bed dancing and singing. We all put on our Auburn Orange shirts, and the bride dressed in her clever outfit (Nike shorts and a strapless bathing suit top) and we were off. Liz, Whit, Mere, Wilson and I.

We took my Gigi’s van so we could all fit and as we pulled up to the building we were in shock. There were people lined up all the way down the block. They were in sleeping bags, tents, chairs, you name it they had it out there. The first two people in line were guys. We later learned that they were the fiancés of some very lucky ladies. I might ask Philip to do this for me but who thinks he will say yes….yeah me neither! So we parked in the parking deck behind Filene’s basement and headed down to the street to get in line. Umm yeah, at 2am we were 2 blocks away from the front door and at the very end of it at that. We sat on the cold ground for what seemed like hours. Before we got there I was honestly worried about our safety but we were well guarded. There were police/security guards everywhere. Oh and side note…they do allow 3 or 4 people in to the store at a time to use the restroom. Elizabeth found 2 girls camped out in there waiting for it to start! Cheaters! The Bride told the guard outside and they were quickly escorted out!

Waiting outside before the doors opened.

So around about 6am the ladies arrived with breakfast, Gigi (my dad’s mom), my Aunt Tamara (Liz, Whit, & Mere’s mom), Ms. Kelly (Wilson’s mom) and one of Aunt Tamara’s friends. The five of us that had been sitting outside in the COLD got into the car in the parking deck while the adults held our spot in line. Around 6:30ish the Filene’s basement people told the “campers” to pack up and form a standing line. Well this is a very key moment. Remember how we were 2 blocks down from the doors. Well during the packing of camp episode we, the stragglers, moved up! Sure we stepped over people still asleep in their sleeping bags and chairs but hey, you snooze you lose! And yes there may have been a verbal argument here or there about cutting in line but who cares. Like they say on the Bachelor, “We weren’t there to make friends. We were there to find the love of our life.” Or in Elizabeth’s case, the dress of her dreams! OH OH OH…and the whole time we were waiting, there was a radio station at the doors. They were doing contest, which I will do if it means I get to go inside an hour early! They were playing music; taking pictures….it was crazy! So around 7:30am the line starting looking like a mosh pit. We were packed in like sardines! We had the idea to hold hands and form like a fence across the line…we learned that was not the best way to go.

Up next: The Countdown!

Work + J.Crew email = Happy Dance at Desk

To follow up my bridesmaid dress post...

After scouring eBay and other various sites including yours truly, I started to think of how I let down BM BonBon and offering to just write her a check for her dress troubles. That was until this morning. After I finished my morning mail I hopped over to J. Crew.com, like I do everyday just hoping to find THE dress. I have my search down to a science. J.Crew.com, sale section, women's, dresses, view up to 90, sort by price, low to high. Well today it was there! Right there in the sale section! I clicked on the Taryn like I do everyday and what to my wondering eyes did appear but a beautiful dress in dusty shale! AND IN ALL THE SIZES I NEEDED!!!! My prayers had been answered! Thank you Lord for finding these dresses in warehouse corners and return shipments.

I immediately called my mom to get her to order my little sister's, MOH Jen, dress. Since she's only 12 years old my mom had to get hers. I talked my mom through the order so she got the right one and at the same time sent out an emergency email to all my girls to tell them to go to the site and order the dress so we would for sure have it. After an agonizing 30 minutes not one person responded to my texts or emails. I was freaking out! Well being the bridezilla, I mean, over cautious bride I am I went ahead and put all of the dresses in their respectable sizes in my cart. Then I saw something even more beautiful. At the top of the page, 30% off of final Sale items + free shipping for orders over $150. Well sign me up! After seeing this there was no stopping me. I called my grandmother to ask her advice on my cousins dresses, got the go ahead from her. My MOH Court called me back and said to get hers and she would pay me back next week. Then the final call. I called my FMIL and asked if I could go ahead and get FSIL's dresses, got the go ahead from her too! With a click click click...I bought 5 dresses regularly priced at $59.99 for $46.19 each! Hell yeah! I am so excited to have this taken care of and now I'm able to focus on next week. What's next week you ask, well it's none other than the famous RUNNING OF THE BRIDES!!! And we're going! Be back soon to write about that adventure!

Hello Strangers!

No I did not fall off the face of the Earth but I have been super busy. To follow up on the last post, Courtney did say yes to being my #2 Maid of Honor and she is already doing a great job at it! After asking Jensen and Courtney to be my MOHs I asked the rest of the girls. I decided to paint each girl a canvas with their name on it and "Will you be my Bridesmaid?". I am happy to report that each girl accepted! I will include pictures of the canvases in a later post. I am so blessed to have each of them stand up with me as Philip and I say our vows.

How did you ask your ladies to stand beside you?

She said....YES!!!

On Thursday I went to Pier 1 and purchased an ornament that I had seen earlier this month. I just knew it would be perfect to give my girls when asking them to be in my wedding. Being that I already asked Jensen to be my first maid of honor, I still needed to ask MOH Court. So following along with my previous post, I picked MOH Court up early Friday morning and we stopped by Chick-fil-a to get breakfast before heading down to Dothan. While we were in the line I gave her the ring ornament and then her MOH poster sign! She laughed and said "Aw! Yes!" I wanted to video it like I did with MOH Jen but it just didn't work out. Anywho she said yes and we talked wedding stuff all the way to Dothan. After we arrived and picked up MOH Jen from school we headed over to the bridal store where I found the Justin Alexander dress and I tried it on to get her opinion. She really liked it but I'm still unsure about it. Later that night we headed over to Cynsational Creations to have Jen's birthday party! It was so much fun! We painted our initials, ate pizza and cake, and learned that painting a letter isn't as easy as it looks. Lol! We ended the night by helping my mom go through boxes for her yard sale. I came home with some stuff from my first apartment in Auburn to put in Philip's new apartment that he'll be moving into in January.

The ornament I'm giving all my girls...if I can find enough of them.

Courtney and I came home early Saturday morning so that she could head to Decature with her family. As I also said in my last post, Philip and I were supposed to have our engagement pictures taken this past Saturday but we had to postpone them again but for very good reasons! Our photographer, Brittany Willis, is pregnant! She was also throwing a bridal shower for one of our high school friends on Sunday and needed to take care of some last minute things. I told her that we completely understood and looked forward to our session some time in early January. She's extremely talented so if you're looking for a photographer check her site out!