GiveAway Ends Tonight

Just a quick reminder that there is still time - until midnight tonight PST - to enter my chocolate cookbook giveaway!

There are a number of ways to enter and you can check it all out by clicking on the giveaway icon on the top right-hand side. I will announce the winner in the next few days.

Good Luck!

I Said "YES" To The Dress!

So like I said in a previous post, this is a GOOD week! I hit and surpassed 100 followers, I am hosting my first giveaway (go and enter if you haven't already), and I BOUGHT MY WEDDING DRESS! OMG!

As you may recall, last week I asked all you great ladies for some assistance in picking a dress among the three that I was hopelessly stuck between. Before I tell you my decision I'll tell you the story of how I came to it - need to maintain the suspense!

I made an appointment to go into the bridal store to check out the dresses again. If you recall, the store had a promotion where if I ordered by Saturday I wouldn't have to pay tax. Well tax is 12% in Vancouver so that adds up. I tried on the first two dresses and another dress that was similar to the third dress I had posted about. There was a clear winner I must say!

To add to this, the dress that I fell for was more or less a new addition to the sample collection. Pearl, the lady helping me out (and I think the store owner) offered me 30% off if I wanted the sample gown! Thats 30% off on top of the 12% savings with no tax! Now that was a deal I couldn't not consider seriously! While I was initially apprehensive about purchasing a sample gown, when I inspected it closely I could totally see that it was a new gown that hadn't been tried on much. The bottom and underneath were super clean, no stains, no dirt, the inner seams looked good, there were no sweat marks or grub of any sort around the underarm area. 

So I took my new dilemma (see a pattern forming?) and came home. I waited for my mom to wake up (we have a 10 hour time difference between Vancouver and Cyprus) and chatted with her about it. I was surprised that she was encouraging me to get the sample! She isn't one who likes having things that others have owned or worn before! Oh what to do...

I went back to the store! I asked to try the dress on again and nitpicked it to death. I even put on a veil to see how that looked. The dress was a size 10 and I needed a 6-8. I asked questions. Lots of questions! About alterations, changes in shape, removing bits, adding other bits, and on it went. Until I was as sure as I could possibly be! And then I said the great big YES! I'll get it! And waaaaay under budget! 

Last night I went for my first fitting! It's so interesting to see the dress take shape on your body as the seamstress pins away! I have an appointment again next week and then probably one more after that, and then the dress and veil will be mine to take back to Cyprus over Christmas. I know I am doing the alterations rather early but my weight doesn't fluctuate much at all so I think I'll be safe.

So while I am considering keeping you ladies in suspense and posting the link to it tomorrow, I figured you might get a tad pissed off if I did that! So without further ado here is where you can see the dress I picked :) 

100 Followers!!! I Think That Warrants a GiveAway!

When I first started this blog, I never imagined that I would gain so much from it! I hoped that people would read my blog, but to gain 100 followers? Never! 

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But it has happened! You can't imagine how excited, honored, and humbled I am! I know I am getting soppy, but you guys really inspire me and help me out. And when it comes down to it, we are "strangers" so to speak. But I think our virtual friendship is what lets me express what I want to and gives me the luxury of knowing that you all will give me honest feedback! Sometimes those close to you fear hurting your feelings when it comes to wedding related stuff and don't share their true opinions with you. I love that I have somewhere I can go to get true answers all the time!

So to honor all of you, I am hosting my first giveaway! And what else would it be coming from me...

Yup. You got it! A chocolate cookbook! Chocolate: A collection of over 100 essential recipes.

While I know some of you are not as enamored with chocolate as I am, I thought this was very fitting for my first giveaway! At the end of the day, if you win you can always pass it along to someone else :)

How to enter:

1. For one entry, leave a comment on this post
2. For a second entry, become a follower and leave a separate comment to let me know. If you are already a follower just let me know in a separate comment also. 
3. For a third entry, post about this giveaway on your blog with a link back to here and again, let me know in a separate comment.

I will be using random.org to select a winner. The giveaway will remain open all the way through to the end of the month - Monday 30th November, midnight PST. I will announce the winner in the first few days of December. Please make sure I have a way to contact you!

Good luck everyone! And Thanks again! This is an exciting week!

I Have The Best Blogger Pals!

I have been honored with some more awards! You guys are just awesome! Here goes!

Cassie's therapy video is a blogger tag made by the wonderfully talented Erimentha and given to me by the lovely Buhdoop.

The task: fill in 12 likes, 1 love and 8 hates like Cassie in her therapy video. Below, the bolded things are what you MUST include. Also, link it back to Erimentha, and link it on to 3 other blogs you admire!

Abracadabra, Wow!

I like hugs an kisses

I like beautiful, golden beaches

I like puppies

I like gelato

I like spending time with friends
I like chocolate! 

I love being in love

Today I am far too excited about wedding invitations

In some ways, I love everything.

Its less, its less of a thing to like, its less distinct, its less particular

I like things that I like but I love everything

There’s more choice in like

Cos even the worst things have things you love in them

I don’t know what you mean about things I hate...

I hate feeling anxious

I hate when I have trouble falling asleep

I hate that my family is so far away

I hate when people are inconsiderate

I hate constant gloomy weather

I hate unkindness

I hate negativity

So I am going to tag:

Girl With a Ring
Born to be Mrs. Beever
Sand Dollars and Sunflowers

I was also honored by one of my newest blog pals Ams at Surviving Long Distance Love - something I can totally relate to!

The rules - list 10 things that make you happy. Then, pass it on to 10 bloggers that make your day a better one!

So here is my happy list:

1. My fiance

2. My family

3. My lovely friends - including my blogger pals!

4. Animals

5. Chocolate!

6. Shopping

7. Warm weather

8. Anything wedding related!

9. Good food

10. Long drives

And I pass this award on to:

Nuflaiir

New Mexican Bride

A Cape Cod Bride

You Can't Take it With You

A Los Angeles Love

Buhdoop

Where's My Dessert

He Asked, I Said Yes

Always a Bridesmaid...Finally a Bride

Bridezilla? I think Not!!!

Enjoy ladies! Thanks again!

Fridays with Mr. Milk - To Trust Or Not To Trust

If you are wondering what the answer to that question is then you are likely not engaged to be married. To the avid readers of Chocolate Lover's blog, my chosen topic will already make sense. For everyone else, please scroll down to the blog about the dress. Oh please do, because I can't!

See, Chocolate Lover has put her trust in me by inserting a one sentence warning alerting me to keep my eyes off the wedding dress post and to NOT open any of the links. The irony is that when she told me to look at it for the first time in her presence, cautiously of course :), she found me reading the second line out loud, to which she exclaimed "Hey! What are you doing?! Did you not read the first line!!??"

Well. No! I didn't! You see I have the habit of skimming through a document, so I never really read word for word. Instead I focus on things that catch my attention, such as a fancy word I've never seen before. Like Provonia? Is that even right?

Well Ms. Chocolate Lover, if your trust in me is so profound that you would put that kind of sensitive information on your blog with the simple directions for me to keep my eyes off, then allow me to repay you by saying that even if I do accidentally (and I mean that) run into a fancy word alluding to the brand of a dress, you know better than anyone out there that in a week I'll forget it anyway!

Until next Friday this is Mr. Milk signing off.

First Wedding Nightmare

I have read on a few of your blogs about your first wedding nightmares. I had yet to experience this. That was until last night!

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No, it wasn't quite like that! But nothing was how I wanted it. The flowers were wrong, the colors were wrong, the bridesmaid dresses were different, people weren't showing up, it was a mess. And to top it all off, I stopped the ceremony a quarter of the way through and had a fit! Went nutso over all the things that weren't right. OMG! 

Lets just say I was very happy to wake up from that one!

Thank You

I just want to say a HUGE HUGE HUGE thank you to all of you! You guys are awesome! Thanks for all the input, comments, and suggestions about the dresses! Since none of my bridal party or family are here to help with this decision in person, its nice that I have a group of cool women who I can turn to. I really appreciate it! You rock!