Nightmare Before Wedmas

Remember when we talked a long time ago about bridesmaid dresses? I recently found out that the dress we chose had been discontinued.

Affairs 732 by Mori Lee

Want to know how I found out? Three of my bridesmaids had received their dresses, while the fourth was told that the dress could not be shipped to her. Two months after she had placed her order. Less than four weeks before the wedding. I swear I stopped breathing.

So what is a girl to do in this situation? (Besides freaking out, of course.) We knew it was too late to order a new dress, even if one was available, since it was way too close to the wedding. It seemed our only options were to look in classifieds and eBay for used dresses, or to call bridal stores to see if any of them happened to have the dress in the correct color and size already in stock. After the online option proved fruitless, we called all the bridal stores that carry the Mori Lee line in the Houston, Austin and Dallas areas, while Bridesmaids L and A tried the stores near them in California and Kansas. None of the stores had the dress.

In a last-ditch attempt, I drove across town to Bea's Bridal (where Hyena Sis bought her dress) to see if there was anything they could do. The guy who runs Bea's called the Mori Lee warehouse to see if they happened to have any of the dress in stock. No such luck, but I wasn't ready to give up hope. I asked if the warehouse had ANY other Mori Lee dresses in stock in "Wine." They happened to have a different halter dress, in the correct color and size. It is pretty similar, and looked like our best option with so little time left.

Affairs 836 by Mori Lee

After conversing with my bridesmaids, we decided to go for it. They said the dress could be delivered to Bea's Bridal in 10 days — WAY less time than it takes to ship a new dress. I placed the order, and started breathing again. Bridal store guy, you're my hero. Four days after I placed the order, Bea's called to tell me the dress had arrived. I can't say enough good things about this store.

We didn't want it to be so obvious that three of the dresses were the same and only one was different, so the girls and I decided we could make some minor tweaks to the original dresses to make them all look slightly different from each other. We're adjusting the straps on Hyena Sis' dress to include some rhinestone work on the back. Bridesmaid A said she would tuck the straps into the top of the dress so it looks strapless. We also discussed removing the bow belt on one of the dresses and replacing it with some kind of sparkly brooch. If we're going the mismatched bridesmaid route, we're going big. Going home is not an option.

Here's what it might look like:

Dresses by Mori Lee / Brooch image from Melbourne Blogger / images altered by me

What do you think? Do you have any ideas for other minor changes to make the original dresses look different than each other?

Giving In and Feeling Good

We talked about not having a DOC, and instead having family take care of the vital pre-wedding tasks. To be honest, I'd been waffling about this decision. In theory, having family take care of everything could have worked, if not for one little issue: we had no one to meet and direct the vendors when they arrive at Downtown 202 after the family leaves to get ready for the wedding.

I talked to Mom Hyena and FMIL Hyena, and turns out we all kind of felt like we needed one of these:

via IMDB / "The Wedding Planner" / Columbia Pictures

Where the heck is Jenny's other arm?!

Don't get me wrong, the family still intends to help out in every way possible, and I'm glad of that. Basically, I felt like I needed someone to be my advocate when I couldn't be there, and FMIL Hyena agreed that it would take a lot of stress off all of us even just to have someone there for the little bit of time when no one else will be able to be in the reception area. (Like, oh, before and during the ceremony.)

So I hired a friendor to be our coordinator. One of my co-workers is the most organized, efficient person I know, and she had tried to get a job with a wedding coordinator before she began working at our company. We get along well, and I felt like it would be a good fit. Thankfully, she was really excited to help out, and I am so relieved to have an extra pair of hands on deck!

Have you hired any friendors?

I Need a Shower

Luckily, I got one! At the beginning of April, Mr. Hyena's Aunt C and cousins threw me a brunch bridal shower, and it was so much fun!

(Aaaand I was a bad blogger and didn't take any pictures ... sorry guys! All the pictures in this post are courtesy of FSIL Hyena.)

"Bride to Be" beads were placed around my neck, and it was time to get the party started! Aunt C had created this wonderful brunch spread, and we nommed on delicious "cowboy biscuits," fruit, croissants and banana bread. We drank mock bellinis and talked all things wedding, and Mr. Hyena's aunts' told stories from their weddings as well!

As a new member of the family, I was gifted a photo album "cookbook" and each of the ladies had provided a few of their favorite family recipes to go inside it! (Sopapilla cheesecake! Strawberry spinach salad! So much fantastic fooood!) Mr. H will never go hungry. ;)

We opened some gifts ...

Mr. Hyena had been talking about this electric griddle for months, ever since we put it on our registry. The second I got it home after the shower, he tore it out of the box and cooked bacon. I joke that he's more excited about it than he is about marrying me. ;)

FMIL Hyena collected the ribbons and bows to make a rehearsal dinner bouquet at a later time, then it was time for some cake! The table was done up so cute, with black and pink decorations and polka dots! And the cake ... ohhhh the cake ... whipped cream frosting, half white cake and half chocolate ... you guys, it was heavenly.

Then we just mingled and hung out, and I got to spend more time with the wonderful women in Mr. H's family! It was such a fun party, and I felt so honored and loved!

Football is Manly

I has a football.

Elliott does not approve of these silly games.

What does a football have to do with wedding planning? I'm glad you asked. Prepare to have your mind blown. (Or not. I don't know your life.)

A couple of years ago, Mr. Hyena was a groomsman in a wedding. When the time for the garter toss came around, the groom removed the garter from his bride's leg, put it on a football, and tossed it into the crowd of waiting guys.

Let me tell you something about dudes that I'm sure you already know. Catching a lacy piece of fabric = not manly. Catching a football = MANLY.

Those guys FOUGHT over who got to catch the garter. I loved that. At every other wedding I've attended, single men have stood around awkwardly waiting for someone to pick the garter up so they wouldn't have to.

So we're totally ripping off the idea.

Mr. H wants to use this song:

He's a little bit obsessed with Rocky. I'm a little bit obsessed with making everyone have a good time. Perfecto.

Are you doing a garter toss? What song are you using?

Me, Me, Me

I hope you'll allow me to be just a teeny bit self-indulgent for a moment, because I just got the CD of my bridal portraits from our photographer, and I'm SO. FREAKING. EXCITED to share them with you. They turned out so gorgeous, better than anything I could have dreamed of!

Oh, I haven't told you about our photographer yet? We chose to work with Danny Boyle Photography, and I won the portrait session at a bridal fair I attended right after Mr. Hyena and I got engaged. Danny is awesome, and working with him on these shots was so much fun! I got to work my inner Top Model, and spend some quality time with Aunt Hyena and FMIL Hyena in the process.

image via IMDB / "Aladdin" / text added by me