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I live in northern Iowa, and in the past three days we have recieved over 20 inches of rain. Needless to say everything is flooded. Including my house.
Damaged by the water include all of my wedding decorations, my programs, and my dress. My wedding is in a week an a half, so there is no time to replace everything. Worst of all, all water has been shut off and will probably be off until next week some time. My caterer doesn't even know if she can serve food, since there is no water to make anything
I need some encouragement!
At the end of the day all that really does matter is that you will be married to your fiance! Keep reminding yourself that as long as the officiant shows up (wherever you guys can hold it, if the original venue can't work for some reason) and does his/her thing, then you guys are golden!
As for the rest, I can only imagine how frustrating and upsetting this must be for you. Is it at all possible to reschedule, given the circumstances? If you caterer is unable to deliver on the scheduled day, would they be willing to move it to a different day (I know this means that some out of town guests may no longer be able to make it, but sadly some things can't always work out perfectly).
A competent dry cleaner should be able to get your dress back to new (assuming it's just mud and muck and stuff, and it wasn't actually ripped -- in which case, go to a seamstress and see if it can be salvaged!) Many brides roll around in mud and water in their gowns for Trash The Dress sessions, and have their gown restored right back to new condition by having them cleaned afterwards.
Losing the programs certainly sucks, but it's likely not something your guests will miss terribly. Only a few people save them. The rest flip through them a bit, and then use them to fan themselves off (if it's hot), or roll them around in their hands as a nervous habit. =)
For your decorations, I wonder if there's another local bride you can find (maybe on here, or on Craigslist) who recently got married who you can either buy, rent or borrow her leftover wedding decorations from. If I lived near you, I'd be willing to let you use some of my stuff, given the circumstances!
Most of all, just take a deep breath, and realize that as long as nobody was hurt, the rest is just material. Nothing is stopping you from marrying the love of your life. You're only delayed in throwing the big party! If now just wont work, then I suggest you get married, and then plan a recommitment ceremony, or 1 year anniversary celebration, or a whole new reception later on when the circumstances are more favorable. Tons of brides and grooms never get to have big, fancy weddings or even parties for their wedding, yet still have great marriages. So it's not doomsday by any means!
*hugs*
((hugs))
That's a really horrible situation. First, it's okay to be completely upset and disappointed. Is your dress beyond repair, or would taking it to the dry cleaner's (assuming one is open) work? Or would it be possible to order another dress online?
You said that water might come back on next week. Your wedding is in a week and a half. So there is a really good chance that your caterer will have water to prepare the necessary food.
Programs can be reprinted fairly easily at a Kinko's or another copy place; you also have option of printing things online very cheaply.
If you have homeowner's or renter's insurance, you should be able to be reimbursed for the items (wedding stuff included!) that were damaged.
Can we do anything to help? My wedding isn't until August and most of my wedding stuff isn't finished or isn't with me - but I do have my ring bearer pillow in my apartment, was that damaged, I could mail that to you for you to borrow. Any people who work at a printer reading this - maybe donate printing services to reprint the programs? Is your dress wearable? I had a friend who wore her cousins dress when she couldn't get one - do you have any siblings, cousins, friends who were recently married who can loan you their dresses. Anyone have decor in their home they could share? What type of decor are you looking for. The food is tricky... Are you going on a honeymoon? Maybe make the best of your reception situation - but when you are on your honeymoon splurge on amazing food for you and your new hubbie - or get the elopement package and have two weddings! Or bring your dress with you and find a photographer to take wedding pics on the honeymoon when it is sunny and not raining... I'm just brainstorming. You have every right to be very disappointed. I am glad that you and your FI are safe and I wish you the best of luck!
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i can print programs - i work in an office with a pretty high quality printer, just tell me what they need to say! PM me, i want to help!
I'm in southern MN, so I definitely understand all the rain we've gotten lately! Enmoore66 is right, is there anything we can do to help? I'm not sure where in Iowa you live, but I live in Rochester, so we've got a Michael's and Hobby Lobby here, I could check around for decorations and such and they usually ahve fairly good deals.
We always think of rain on our wedding days, but never really before and what consequences it could have, and this spring has been ridiculous! We all feel for you and wish you the best with everything. Stay as optimistic as possible and as the others above, remember that at the end of the day you will still be married to the love of your life!!
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Like everyone about, my heart goes out to you. Times are tough right now but I think you'll pull through just fine. All your wedding decor may be ruined but you and your family is safe and that's really all that matters.
Plus, imagine what stories you can tell your children later on when they are getting married and whining about their wedding. I can just hear it now: "You're upset about a typo on the programs, you're just lucky to have programs" :-) I jest, but really, in light of the situation, I think your wedding could be a good excuse to bring some cheer into everyone's lives.
Hi empyle,
I PMed you to offer letterpress printing and my dress. I am a former Iowan so my heart goes out to you girl!
Hang in there! I am really sorry to hear about the flooding. i think everyone posted some good ideas about getting the dress cleaned and borrowing decorations.
If possible, make a post about your wedding colors, and what all you need. That way people can possibly help you easier!
Hug!
awwwww, I am sooooo sorry!!!!! I am in Omaha so I know the rain we have been getting. But everything will work out. If you seriously need anything, I'm not too far away. Just let me know!!
<33ashley
My heart goes out to you, i can understand where you are trying to make out of this situation a possitive one. Like other bees have said, you are getting married to THE one. Material stuff should not matter but it does, all our effort should not end like that. If there is anything we can do? Maybe we can help you with decorations? did you make your own decorations? I volounteer to redo some if you tell me what and how to do them, then mail them out to you.
I know i'd appreciate it if i was in your shoes. So please! Let us know how we can help your day be like you dreamed of!
If you go on Nordstrom.com, they have some very nice wedding dresses and you can even get overnight shipping. they vary in price
Same as all those above, I'm so, so, so sorry. I'm also an Iowa native, and just hearing from my family and people like yourself back home breaks my heart.
Seriously, let us know what we can do!
Aw! That sucks, hun, I am very sorry to hear. :(
Just to ease your mind a bit about the programs/decorations - people who are coming to your wedding are coming to see you and your fiance get married because they love and support you. If you don't have a bunch of decor or pieces of paper that announce your ceremony, they won't judge you for it.
As for the dress, like someone said, see if you can't bring it to the cleaners. If they can't fix it, Nordstrom's might be a good choice or if you want something more bridally, maybe see if the bridal salon you bought your dress from might let you borrow a gently worn sample for the day. Especially if they're local, they might give you a hand.
Best of luck with everything and let us know how it all turns out. I'm rooting for you up here in Canada.
I'm so so sorry and cannot even imagine the stress and anxiety you are going through right now. As so many others have said, what really matters is getting married to the one but I'm sure you have put so much into this once in a lifetime event that it might be hard to get that perspective right now. Target.com has some very very lovely simple dresses for not too much and I'm great with MS Publisher so PM me if you need program assistance!!
My thoughts and prayers go out to you. Everything will work out!!
I will stress again what other gals have said, the important part is that you are safe and healthy.
Try your best with a dry cleaner, i'm sure that they will be able to solve your dress problem.
You will be marrying your one and only, and that is what matters.
The rest hunny, are just details.
Hugs and positive thoughts from all of us!
I recently had my wedding in March and most of my wedding items are sitting in my closet, I'd be more than happy to ship them your way if you can use them! I'm not sure what you need, but if you'd like to email me at tyeung612@yahoo.com, I'd be happy to help where I can! Or you can just post items you would like here and maybe other readers could help too!
Never fear, you are not alone and at the end of the day, be grateful you and your loved ones are all ok! We are thinking about you!
(((HUGS)))
I'm a former Iowan (Iowan at heart) and most of my family still lives in Iowa. So I know how bad the flooding is right now. I was there last weekend for a friend's wedding. I currently live in Illinois, SO....
I offer my dress, my support, and anything short of my right arm.
I'm on board with everyone else--tell us what your colors are, what you were using for decorations, etc. i live in AZ but i will do my best to get whatever you need to you. send us all a message!
i am saying prayers for you--as long as your family is safe and healthy, life is wonderful
I'm so sorry! (Hug).
Post items that you need (and your colors) and I bet we can all help you in some way.
how AWESOME will it be, if your wedding theme suddenly becomes "COMMUNITY LOVE"....
as people all over the weddingbee community pour together to offer you all they can to help for the wedding.
I would love to help in ANY WAY- my wedding is still VERY FAR away, so I dont have a lot of wedding stuff: but I can definetely offer SOMETHING. even little things.
i think we could all pull together here and help you have a fantastic community supported day!
Maybe you could list everything that was damaged (this would help for insurance purposes as well) and we can all offer what we can.
:) keep looking up, my friend. and keep calm. Keep breathing. remember, that you have LOVE...and "all you need is love"
empyle1, you sound like such a trooper! I'm sorry that this happened, but it sounds like you have a great attitude and not even floods are going to stop you from having a beautiful wedding and a wonderful marriage! I love luckyshugar's idea. List what you need and let the hive get to work trying to find you what you need!
New wedding theme... "Flooded with Love"
Okay.. so like everyone else I'm offering what I can to help. Long story short... I'm only having a ceremony now and I listed everything for sale here quite a while ago. I still have 98% of it. Here is the link. Let me know what you need, you're welcome to it free of charge and we'll send it out.
http://classifieds.weddingbee.com/topic/wedding-cancelled-everything-must-go
You'll be fine.
With lots of love...
I think we're all in agreement that your situation sucks big...BUT, I know from experience, that when things aren't going exactly as planned, more than anything it reinforces and puts into perspective the meaning of the DAY....the day that you are going to marry the man that you love! I know you're probably frustrated and heartbroken because you have put a lot of time and money into planning, but you can still do this! Like some others have suggested, you can take your dress to the cleaners. If they can't fix it, find an inexpensive but beautiful gown off the rack somewhere (Nordstrom's, Macy's?) I know it seems like a needle in a haystack, but remember Miss Candycorn paid $35 and her dress is beautiful! Your FH is going to think you look fabulous no matter what...that's just the magic of being a bride.
As far as your invitations, what about Costco, or Target? You have people willing to help you out with letterpress/printing, so if you can get the paper, you're good!
As far as food, can everyone pitch in and help? Considering the current situation, I wouldn't balk at being asked to potluck if I was invited to your wedding.
Keep your head up. It may not be the wedding that you envisioned, but you will still be beautiful, and you will still be happy regardless.
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my wedding is in just two and a half weeks and i cannot imagine the emotions you are going through. everyone is right - in the end all that matters is your fiance and loved ones are there. i'm in st. louis, and not sure what i could do to help from the distance - but i am crafty and capable...programs, decorations, etc! i'd be happy to help, just send me a message.
in any case, i'll say some prayers for you to gain the strength to trudge through and somehow make it your wonderful memorable wedding day. best wishes - -
elgirl
I was posting before the last 5 posts hit, but that's a great idea - Flooded with Love! You have a whole hive willing to help...........I too would be more than willing to send anything I have. Compile a list as soon as you can so we can get to work on it!
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Sorry to hear about this hon! PLEASE list everything that you need and the hive can pull together to help you! We are all here for you!
I relate to the flooding part - a week before our wedding, we were hit by really bad rains and my in-laws' newly remodeled house was flooded by 3 ft of water. They lost so much damage and in the end, everything turned out okay...I had my proud mosquito bites from wading around in the floodwaters.
Let us know what you need - I still have my wedding dress (private message me your size) and I'm in the Midwest and can ship it to you!
my prayers are with you...my heart grieves with you. I am sooo very sorry. like so many others have said: remember that you and your future husband have committed to stand together thru good times and bad. the bad came before the wedding day, thats all. Smile bc all that you lost really didnt matter. you have love, you have support, you've got your health and your life.
my wedding date is November 1st. I dont have much but what i do have I offer to you: toasting flutes, 2 burnt orange and brown wreaths for the chapel door, an aisle runner, one of those quill pen sets and some other little things that escape me. i would love to ship anything out to you. i'd be honored.
PM me and let me know!
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I'm really sorry that you're going through this! My family is in MN and I've heard and seen on the news what's going on!
I don't have much to offer, but please let me know if I can help out in anyway!
I have a David's Bridal bm dress if you need that. Here's the link to it. It's a size 8, no alterations, worn once and I will have it dry cleaned. Your BM can have it!
http://www.davidsbridal.com/bridesmaids_bycolor_detail.jsp?stid=1353&sid=4573&cfid=9
My thoughts and prayers go out to you and your family!
It'll all be ok, I promise! We have lots of people here that are willing to help!
What were your colors? I live in the Chicago area (do you have any family that's here, I could pass some decor off to them). I have a bunch of stuff left over in white, yellow, pink and gold.
Just let us know what we can do for you!! And your dress may be salvageable - try a dry cleaners!
I'm here to help too! And I can't imagine what you must be going through, although I almost had to. You've all see the photos of the houses falling into what was once Lake Delton in Wisconsin? Yeah, my reception site is on Lake Delton but as of right now, everything seems to be ok with them. And thankfully, my parents' house, which is down the Wisconsin River from the Dells, didn't get hit by anything major as far as flooding, although they were told to evacuate. They're just amazed at the items they've seen floating in the river - mattresses, dressers, piers, shoes, you name it.
Let us know what we can do to help!
Hello Iowa Neighbor...I live just south of you in Marshalltown...so I also have the flooding...I was googling Noah's blue prints early! I just got engaged so I have nothing to give or offer wedding wise! However, if you need help or need something picked up around this area or Ames...just let me know. Mr. Darb is out of town right now so I have nothing to do but squigee (sp?) my basement and check gutters!
Just remember...it doesn't matter when, where or how you get married it's the fact you are marrying the love of your life!
Good Luck and keep your chin up...Just keep in mind the residents of Parkersburg and New Hartford.
let us know what you need! my wedding was last november and i still have tons of clean votives of all sizes plus unused candles to go with them! i sure hope we hear from you soon... i can't remember off the top of my head what we still have left from our wedding, but if i have something you need, it's YOURS!
I am so sorry is there anything I can send? What was your theme/colors I would be so happy to help! Post your colors never fear you are not alone and remember as many people have said at the end of the day people are coming to see you and your fiance . Paper, candles and favors really don't mean as much when you put it in the context of marrying your best friend.
Hugs and love from Texas
You are in my prayers sweetie... just remember that you have your FI and your family and at the end of the day you will be married and that is what is important.
I wish I lived closer, but it looks like so many wonderful girls have offered to help :)
I wish I could help, but I'm actually on vacation right now and don't have anything with me of course. My heart does go out to you though and I hope everything turns out fantastic.
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I'm very sorry this is happening. Keep your head up, as long as you focus on the fact that you're getting to spend the rest of your life with the one you love, none of this really matters in the long run....
Please post a list of items you need and your wedding colors, if I have anything you can use, it's yours.
I'm so sorry to hear about this, I can't even imagine what you're going through. Please let us know if there's anything we can do to help! Us bees are quite crafty and would love to help out if at all possible! Good luck with everything, I have a feeling you'll pull through and have a magnificent wedding.
OP Here..
Thank you soo much for all of the support. It literally brought tears to my eyes that all of you were so willing to pitch in and help me out. I wanted, though, to give you all an update.
I contacted a local store today and they are willing to print up new programs for me.. at no cost.
I have a cousin who got married about a year ago, and we amazingly wear the same size. Even though it's not my original dress, I think that this is going to turn out even cooler... since we are really close. It's going to be a bonding activity... comparing how the dress looked in her pictures compared to mine!
As far as decorations, we are going to be able to replace a few of them at a low cost. The rest of it? It wasn't important. The guests aren't going to miss decorations that they didn't know were even supposed to be there.
I realized today, as I drove around my home town and saw homes literally demolished, that I have a lot to be thankful for. Was a lot of my stuff ruined by this? Yes... but at night, I have a place to lay my head and a man that I love beside me. That's more than what some people have because of this.
I honestly, truly thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for your outpouring of love. All the thoughts are truly appreciated!
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