Oh - and to top it off, the guy sent me the dresses from Hong Kong on a Sunday - they were with me by the Wednesday

That is a really lovely dress

I thought so - so that is what the bridesmaids are wearing... wondered if Julez could wear something like that - they do loads of different dresses and are really good - Kin the guy I was liasing with had my dresses specially made He was really good throughout the whole thing

g'morning all

Morning!! At last someone has showed up!!! Seems my fellow Brits have that Monday feeling

I'm here, just very sleepy! I guess you could say I have pre-pre-wedding blues. I know it's still a long way off but I worry sometimes. Plus the way I was misunderstood in the Off-Topic forum was preying on my mind.

Haha - yeah I tend to avoid the OT thread if I can... I am bogged down in work with a backlog dating back three weeks and they keep piling more on... ah well.. next week I am off to the US

Hurrah! I'm so jealous. Still, I'll be there for good, soon.

I'm looking forward to no more English winters (although it's actually pretty warm today).

I've been looking at those lovely dresses you linked to... thinking I will keep my eye on that stuff in case something comes up that I would rather have instead of my very plain shift wedding dress.

It's really cold here at work today - feels warmer outside with my coat on to be honest! The heating broke down over the weekend and it's only just starting to heat up in here. I know it's colder where Mark is, but at least he gets snow every year.

Hehe!! What did you say in the OT thread? I posted something once - just a kinda online joke that has been knocking about for years and got absolutely slated by people with no sense of humour... couple people jumped to my rescue but still - it was unnecessary for people to be nasty about something that was meant to be funny

Ah well - I don't waste much time in there now unless I see something interesting and even then I rarely post

Haha - yeah I can't see me getting much snow in Cali unless we're in the mountains!!

The dresses are really lovely - Ive bought three from this guy now and for what they are they are really good value for money

I tried on my dress...lost weight, need to find a seamstress to take it in for me. Just waht I need. More stress!!!!

Haha - swap?! I have distinctly not lost any weight and now I feel fat and lardy... gross

I've been tempted by Hong Kong sellers before. They have some lovely tailored clothes for very cheap - I've just not been able to justify buying anything yet! I'd also like to buy a proper corset prior to my wedding.

Jeraly - it was with regards to wedding registries. It wasn't what was said that upset me, but how I was misunderstood. Some kind people understood what I was trying to say, though! I guess like you I am pretty sensitive sometimes. I have no problems disagreeing with someone but it's maddening when I think I misinterpreted!

I have no idea if I have lost weight yet but I am certainly trying - I struggle quite a bit; although I'm fortunate in that I find it relatively hard to put a lot of weight on, it works the other way in that I find it very hard to lose any! I've been hovering around the same mark for far too long.

Hmmm - I looked at real corsets too... beautiful one but it was £200 I keep promising myself that one day I will get a proper one but right now I have more important things to spend my money on!!!

I love corsetting. I have 6 corsets ranging from 24" to 22". They are all tightlacing steel boned corsets. I have been corsetting/waist training for 4 years and can now take 6" off my natural waist with a corset. They are not uncomfortable if you ease into it gently and get proper style, size and shape for yourself. If you find it uncomfortable either corset wrong or you going too fast.

I think the lack of appitite caused by the stress is the reason for my weightloss...that and the fact my mother on a diet so either diet food or no food.

Aly, the dresses you linked to are lovely, my biggest problem (pardon the pun) is my bust! I need to try stuff on to make sure it will fit my assets With time running so short, I am really freaking out! Its all day shopping this Saturday! Eeek!

I have the opposite problem.

Yes; stress can certainly cause weight loss!

Do you have any favourite sites or shops that you buy your corsets from? I've found several lovely looking ones online but it's always good to have a personal recommendation.

julez - my bust is also a problem; but not so much my actual breasts as my chest, which is very deep (I have a pretty masculine upper body...*sigh*)

vollers or axfords. Also try these websites.

fairy gothmother

drac in a box

Thank you! Some of these look stunning.

fairy goth mother is my fave

Julez - I have the same problem (34G) but these dresses are really good - the back is elasticated at the top which helps and you can always get adjustments made

As for corsets - this is the one I was looking at - I love it - nice and simple... but I just can't justify the money on it Maybe one day...

Morning folks!

Morning!!

Finding it increasingly difficult to concentrate on dull work as it gets closer to when Mark will be arriving to visit me! I'm much to excited to be sat here doing paperwork

When is he coming over? I am excited too - next Thursday and I will be there! After many hours of travel but still!!! I can't wait to get through immigration!!

Ooohhh so soon - you must be so excited! Will you be posting any photos from the non-legal ceremony btw? (I'm obsessed with all things wedding-related at the moment).

Mark's flight is on the 12th February so, all being well, he'll reach me on the 13th I'm going to be such a bundle of nerves waiting for him to arrive.

Haha - he flies out the day after the wedding I don't know if I will be posting photos or not - I might put some on facebook but I don't want to chuck too many of them about as there are people who like to abuse you for "committing visa fraud" which it isn't - we're not signing the register - gay marriage in AZ is illegal as well and yet they still have ceremonies - they just aren't legal ones so I don't see what the difference is really - there are just people out there who like to criticise and condemn and I just don't want that...

Will maybe post a link to pics in some of the more friendly threads

*nods* I don't really understand how people struggle so understanding the differences between a legal ceremony and what is essentially a big celebration of your love for each other. Ideally you would have had both at the same time, but sometimes things don't work out that way.

Mark keeps fussing asking me when we can arrange the wedding and I tell him we can't even THINK about it until we get the NOA2 (which I'm hoping will be before the end of May this year) and even then we can't make firm plans until I have an interview date.

Well yeah - it is nice to see some people understand that you have the bit of paper which is what immigration are concerned with and the ceremony which is personally what I am more interested in Thing is it is easy to prove you are married but not so easy to prove you aren't

Not thinking about it though - just makes me nervous about going through immigration even though I know I am not doing anything wrong, I have every intention of returning home etc.

Am looking at www.lonelyplanet.com at Hawaii - I am getting soooo excited!!! I can't wait - it is somewhere I always dreamed of going on my honeymoon but never really thought I would - how awesome is it that I get to go!??!

Hawaii? Oohhhh wow One of Mark's colleagues recently went on honeymoon there and had a really lovely time from the little I've heard (Mark is not so good at passing on the kind of details women like to hear about).

Tell me about it!

Alex could go on for hours and hours about the latest video game but trying to wring any type of personal information out of him is like getting blood from a stone.

When he came to visit, my mother was asking the usual questions, and I kept correcting him! I knew more about his family than he did.

Hawaii sounds like an excellent honeymoon choice! I'd love to go there someday.

Also - I'm getting obsessed with weddings too, even though I'm really dreading mine - I don't like ceremonies at all! I do look forward to seeing your photos though, Aly - other people's weddings are always grand and I have an insatiable curiosity!

I have no ideas about mine yet. I keep bugging Alex to see if he has any, but he cares even less than I do.

Me: So, any preferences for food?
Him: Pho?!
Me: Uh, not really sure Vietnamese fast food is going to cut it. Okay, what about music?
Him: Dunno
Me: Attire?
Him: Something casual, I guess

Oh no!!! Jeremy has been pretty good -we've had a wedding planner which has made life INFINTELY easier - they basically show us a range of things, we pick what we like the best! We're having a small ceremony but it will be awesome - I am looking forward to it although I will be nervous about my vows and things - I will be much better once it is over and we can have the meal afterwards and relax a bit!!

Hawaii looks beautiful - we are staying in Waikiki on O'ahu so right now we just need to plan all the things we need to do and figure out how much that will all cost

LMAO - I just got an e-mail from Amazon saying that someone had bought a present from my baby registry!!!!! I HAVE NO BABY OR BABY REGISTRY!!!!!

Good morning / afternoon, as the case may be!

I *think* I may have found my wedding attire! I spied it yesterday on Nordstrom's website and brazenly went ahead and ordered it! It should be here by Thursday, so I will know then for sure! I really, really hope it looks nice on me! I would love to avoid the mall crawl this weekend!

OOOOhhhh - we want pics now!!

I'll send you a link in PM!

YIPPEE!!!

Can you describe it to the rest of us?

g'morning all

Good afternoon!

hello...the weedebz countdown continues....7 days! Stress levels leading to short fuse!

Hehe - not long now and you can put it behind you... at least until AOS Oh dear - you are going to be neurotic for EVER!!!

Morning Charles (did I get that right? I get so confused!)

Dress is beautiful - lovely side-cinched waist, like a very posh bridesmaid dress so it looks formal enough for a wedding but not a big white meringue - Julez will look bee-ah-yoo-tiful!!

*edit to remove double post*

Sorry, I'm just a bit shy with this for some reason! Probably cos I'm no skinny minnie! Anyway, the dress is plum in color, sleeveless crisscross in the front, with a few sparkly bits and the boddice is fitted, then a slight flare A-line skirt that is about ankle length. I just hope it looks nice on me! It will be such a relief to not have to go through all the rigamorole of shopping.

That's okay - I understand not wanting personal photos to be publicly available!

The dress really does sound lovely - plum is a great colour and a fitted bodice is very feminine! Plus - sparkly! I'm not at all fond of shopping either, and whoever thought it was a good idea to put badly-lit, cellulite-enhancing mirrors in dressing rooms? We're supposed to WANT to buy the clothes!

add me to the not fan of shopping list. I'm one of these people that has a different size top and bottom, dresses are a nightmare and my size varies greatly between stores. I'm a size 8 top in one store and a size 12 in another. I'm a size 10 bottom in one store and a size 14 in another.

Haha - yeah - who came up with the whole size idea?!?! They could at least standardise it!!! I can buy an 18-20 to fit over my boobs but then I need a 12/14/16 waist depending on the shop.

I have a shelf bum so if I get trousers to fit they tend to gape at the back unless they are stretchy but then I get that lovely "muffin top" look which really doesn't suit anyone...

Not just that but I think my boobs have grown - my 34G bras don't even fit properly anymore

Seems that's the case for a lot of people - I've had petite size 8 friends have to buy a size 14 dress before! I know I always have to try on clothes myself. Some shops are consistent with their sizing and so I usually know something will fit me but other stores are a nightmare - particularly H&M. It's not just sizes, either - I once found a style of top that I really liked, but at the time they didn't have any of the best colours in stock. I went back to try and buy more a couple of months later and what looked like the same top was something completely different - the sleeves were two inches longer, the shoulders were wider and they didn't allow for hips! Don't get me started on shoes. I'd be up for sewing my own clothes if I just had the room (I have a sewing machine now, just nowhere to use it).

I have one friend - but just the one friend - who is one of those magical people who can waltz into a shop and pick up an armful of items and they'll all fit her. We're all jealous of her!