My mom thinks it's awfully funny these days to call me Bridezilla. And I have to admit, I have gone ever so slightly insane over one very significant wedding detail, which I am about to explain. But I haven't become totally rude and obnoxious - or at least that's my hope - so I would really prefer a nickname with just a smidge more class and a smidge less giant destructive lizard monstrosity.
I've been pretty embarrassed to say this, so I'll get it over with quickly: I ordered another wedding dress off the internet a few days after I received the first one. Whew. But don't worry, it gets even more embarrassing: I bought a third dress from a store in Pittsburg last Thursday.
No one may be impressed by this, but in case you are wondering, yes, the third dress is "The Dress." I absolutely love it and feel beautiful in it and wish I could wear it over and over. The first two just didn't give me that feeling. I wanted them to, but they just didn't quite have that magical quality.
Anyone who sees me on a regular basis will testify to the fact that I don't spend all that much money on clothes. Yes, it's undeniable, I own a lot, but you will rarely see me wearing anything more high dollar than a cutesy shirt from Maurice's. As a matter of fact, I'm willing to bet that at least 75% of my garments are from JCPenney - and no doubt a quarter of those were clearance! (I like to think that somehow I still manage to be more fashionable than my adorably clueless other half, who patently refuses to buy new garments under anything less than dire circumstances.) Thus, a good portion of this drama was caused by my being utterly appalled at the cost of wedding dresses. It still blows my mind that it is so ridiculously difficult to find a nice new dress for less than five benjamins. Even if you aren't counting tax and the almost universally necessary alterations!
So, I bought the first dress at a much better price than one might have expected, the caveat being that I had never tried it on or even seen it in person. Or even in a realistic photo. Unfortunately, even though it was beautiful and quite well-made, in my humble opinion, it just didn't fit quite right. I wasn't comfortable in it. And it didn't wow me like so many of the more expensive dresses I had tried on in the store did.
So, I ordered another one from the same place, but in a different style that I thought might suit me better. I very anxiously waited for this one. After all, I was running out of time! You are supposed to order dresses at least 6 months in advance, and I definitely was past that point. What would I do if I didn't like it?
Well, it got here, and at first glance it was just what I had ordered. But, it still just wasn't quite right. In some ways it fit me better than the first had, and in some ways it fit me worse. That wouldn't be a total catastrophe since I still could have had it altered, but at the end of the day, I still just didn't love it. Woe is me. Obviously it takes a better person than myself to be content with a less-than-perfect wedding dress.
So, I went back to The Jean Scene to try on the one dress I had really and truly liked, but had talked myself out of. You see, it too had some fit problems. The thought of me flashing our pastor, or better yet, an entire church full of friends and relatives, kept me from ordering it in the first place. On top of that, I didn't think I had the greatest service there, since I went during prom season and they were terribly understaffed and not nearly as professional as most of the other stores I had gone to. But in this situation, I was willing to give it another shot.
Once I put it back on, I knew that it was the one I should wear on my wedding day. Even though it regretfully cost quite a bit more than either of the ones I had already purchased, it was absolutely perfect (except, of course, for those darn inescapable alterations). And I still got a bit of a deal on it, since I bought the sample. Even though Mom thinks I'm the silliest thing ever, she was happy to make me happy by helping with the dress.
And, because God is good, I already sold one of the other ones to another budget bride over the internet! What a beautiful thing :)
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Celebrity China & Crystal
One thing first-time-bridal-fair-goers ought to be made aware of is the fact that, although by divulging their contact info they may indeed win some fabulous prize (an Alfred Sung wedding dress and a honeymoon in Jamaica were up for grabs at the one I intended, for instance), they are absolutely guaranteed to be besieged by emails and phone calls from vendors who are much more interested in making money than in giving it away. Such is the case with Celebrity China and Crystal. This is their spiel:
Keep in mind this conversation occurred after they had left approximately 7 messages on my phone over a matter of weeks. I imagine the only way to avoid this is to either agree to show up, or else demand right away to be taken off of their list.
So, dutiful person that I am, one evening I reluctantly trudged to their showroom in Lenexa. Two important points: a) Andy didn't want to go, although he did sort of half-heartedly offer to come eventually, so I didn't make him, and b) I was about 5 minutes late. Neither of these seemed like a big deal to me until I walked into the waiting room, where there was not a soul in sight to tell me where to go, and when I did eventually realize I needed to walk right through the next door into the showroom, I was greeted by approximately eight couples. Needless to say, I stuck out like a sore thumb. Ten minutes later my mood improved slightly when another couple walked in even later than myself. But they were still a two-person unit and I was still alone, so it wasn't much of an improvement.
The biggest surprise of the night was that I was actually interested in what the lady was trying to sell. Don't let the name fool you - these people know what's up in the modern wedding market, and it ain't china and crystal. Of course she did talk about how they never discontinue a china pattern, and they've got an amazing replacement policy, and you can even get the "everyday china" that can go in the microwave and the dishwasher...but even young Johnson Countians aren't throwing lavish dinner parties and passing their heirlooms down to the grandchildren these days.
What Celebrity China and Crystal is really trying to get you to buy is VitaCraft cookware (which is actually a Shawnee, KS company. At any rate, they have a little outlet store that I drove by about 100 times without ever knowing what it was.) And VitaCraft cookware is cool. Although it can be used on a regular gas or electric store, it's actually made to be used with an induction cook top, which means it uses magnets to create heat. I haven't done any fact checking, but the salesperson said it was big in Japan, where electricity is expensive. I'm willing to take her word on it.
The pots and pans work kind of like pressure cookers, and they seemed easy to clean. You can even stack them three high and cook in all three at once - no joke! You don't have have to add oil or even water to your food to cook it properly, either. The saleslady fried us a chicken breast (perfectly cooked in 10 minutes), and some carrots and potatoes (cooked together, with no flavor transfer). They had nice knives, too. I was honestly tempted to buy.
Until, of course, they get to the kicker. And that would be the price. I'm sorry, but I just can't fancy myself with a $2000 set of cookware. (Keep in mind this is the 5 piece set.) Sure, they throw in some china place settings, a couple forks, and a few other "freebies", but somehow I was just unable to commit to a two year plan that would take all the money out of my paycheck that I am currently saving by not parking in the garage at work. And I want to park in the garage! I don't like wading through the snow-covered sidewalks and four-foot-deep mud pits that Hallmark refuses to take care of. But it isn't worth $60 a month to me, and neither is the pan I will probably burn to a crisp while attempting to cook an omelet. (Not to mention Andy doesn't even like eggs. Or cooking. He'd probably be happy if all we ever ate were Lean Cuisine frozen dinners.)
On the bright side, although they gave me slightly dirty looks when I asked for my free gift and hightailed it out of there, I ended up with two crystal glasses that we will be using at the wedding, deluxe hotel accommodations that we most likely won't use at all, and a new fascination with induction cooking. Probably not the worst way to spend an evening!
CCC - "Hi Abbie!" (Note the exclamation point. It indicates a whole lot of fake enthusiasm) "I'm just calling to let you and Andy know that we have some free gifts for you!"
Abbie - "Oh really? What exactly are these gifts?"
CCC - "We're giving you a fabulous pair of real crystal 24 lead toasting glasses, and deluxe hotel accommodations!"
Abbie - "Mmmhmm. So what do I have to do to get these things?"
CCC - "Just come on down and listen to our cookware presentation! You'll even get to try some of the food from the demonstration!"
Abbie - "Are you sure I don't have to buy anything? And how long is this presentation, really?"
CCC - "Nope, you don't have to buy a thing, just listen! The presentation is usually less than an hour!"
Abbie - "OK, I guess I can do that." (Also note that Abbie is fairly easy to persuade.)
Keep in mind this conversation occurred after they had left approximately 7 messages on my phone over a matter of weeks. I imagine the only way to avoid this is to either agree to show up, or else demand right away to be taken off of their list.
So, dutiful person that I am, one evening I reluctantly trudged to their showroom in Lenexa. Two important points: a) Andy didn't want to go, although he did sort of half-heartedly offer to come eventually, so I didn't make him, and b) I was about 5 minutes late. Neither of these seemed like a big deal to me until I walked into the waiting room, where there was not a soul in sight to tell me where to go, and when I did eventually realize I needed to walk right through the next door into the showroom, I was greeted by approximately eight couples. Needless to say, I stuck out like a sore thumb. Ten minutes later my mood improved slightly when another couple walked in even later than myself. But they were still a two-person unit and I was still alone, so it wasn't much of an improvement.
The biggest surprise of the night was that I was actually interested in what the lady was trying to sell. Don't let the name fool you - these people know what's up in the modern wedding market, and it ain't china and crystal. Of course she did talk about how they never discontinue a china pattern, and they've got an amazing replacement policy, and you can even get the "everyday china" that can go in the microwave and the dishwasher...but even young Johnson Countians aren't throwing lavish dinner parties and passing their heirlooms down to the grandchildren these days.
What Celebrity China and Crystal is really trying to get you to buy is VitaCraft cookware (which is actually a Shawnee, KS company. At any rate, they have a little outlet store that I drove by about 100 times without ever knowing what it was.) And VitaCraft cookware is cool. Although it can be used on a regular gas or electric store, it's actually made to be used with an induction cook top, which means it uses magnets to create heat. I haven't done any fact checking, but the salesperson said it was big in Japan, where electricity is expensive. I'm willing to take her word on it.
The pots and pans work kind of like pressure cookers, and they seemed easy to clean. You can even stack them three high and cook in all three at once - no joke! You don't have have to add oil or even water to your food to cook it properly, either. The saleslady fried us a chicken breast (perfectly cooked in 10 minutes), and some carrots and potatoes (cooked together, with no flavor transfer). They had nice knives, too. I was honestly tempted to buy.
Until, of course, they get to the kicker. And that would be the price. I'm sorry, but I just can't fancy myself with a $2000 set of cookware. (Keep in mind this is the 5 piece set.) Sure, they throw in some china place settings, a couple forks, and a few other "freebies", but somehow I was just unable to commit to a two year plan that would take all the money out of my paycheck that I am currently saving by not parking in the garage at work. And I want to park in the garage! I don't like wading through the snow-covered sidewalks and four-foot-deep mud pits that Hallmark refuses to take care of. But it isn't worth $60 a month to me, and neither is the pan I will probably burn to a crisp while attempting to cook an omelet. (Not to mention Andy doesn't even like eggs. Or cooking. He'd probably be happy if all we ever ate were Lean Cuisine frozen dinners.)
On the bright side, although they gave me slightly dirty looks when I asked for my free gift and hightailed it out of there, I ended up with two crystal glasses that we will be using at the wedding, deluxe hotel accommodations that we most likely won't use at all, and a new fascination with induction cooking. Probably not the worst way to spend an evening!
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