TRON: UPRISING May Be DEREZZED

ATTENTION PROGRAMS.

Disney is currently sabotaging one of it's best current pieces of entertainment - Tron: Uprising.

I realize that not everyone is a fan of TRON, but whether you are or not, I highly suggest giving this television show a chance, not just now, but for the chance to even continue.

Right now, the show is on Disney XD, and the current new episodes play on Sunday nights at midnight (11 p.m. c).

You think that's a terrible time slot? So do I. The time slot, the channel and the advertising are what's killing this show, not the show itself.

Tron: Uprising doesn't belong on Disney XD. It is far too mature and intelligent to play next to shows like Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja. It belongs on a more adult-geared channel...I don't see why this show couldn't play on, say, ABC. Maybe Disney chose Disney XD because it is an action-packed cartoon, but in tone, maturity and content, the show just doesn't fit comfortably next to all of their other shows.

This reflects one of the inherent issues that the Disney corporation seems to continually struggle with. They can't seem to get over the idea that cartoons are for everyone, not just for kids. Walt understood that, but as with many other aspects of the company, once he died, much of his intentions and direction for the company died as well.

Look at Cartoon Network, for example. They section off their genres of cartoons, knowing what demographics their programming is aimed at and when - and they are proof that mature cartoons can be successful.

This show has so much going for it. The plot is compelling and never talks down to the audience (perhaps too complex for a 7 year old at times, but not for someone a few years older). I would suggest watching Legacy before watching the show, but truthfully it is not completely necessary. 

The characters are engaging and actually have interesting arcs, and the vocal cast is equally impressive. Elijah Wood stars as Beck, the program that is tired of Clu's evil reign on the Grid and feels that someone needs to take a stand to stop him. Bruce Boxleitner reprises his role as Tron, who is now too wounded to take back the Grid, but trains Beck to take his place as the new Tron. Mandy Moore, our very own Rapunzel, voices Mara, who along with Zed (Nate Corddry) are close friends of Beck who work with him at Able's (Reginald VelJohnson) Garage. Emmanuelle Chriqui voices Paige, one of Tesler's (Lance Henriksen) field commanders. She is my personal favorite. She is dedicated to working for Clu, but it is sadly all based on a lie, and we as an audience see that she is not actually evil, but misled by the corruption of Clu's cronies. Paul Reubens voices Pavel, Tesler's second-in-command, is however as evil as they come, and it is very interesting to hear Mr. Reubens voice such a different character. And finally, The Grid (yes, The Grid starts off each episode) is voiced by Tricia Helfer.

The animation is awesome, so unique and so appropriate to the world. I didn't like it at first, admittedly, but I soon grew to love it. The style can be desribed as something reminiscent of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, ThunderCats, and Aeon Flux.

The musical score is worth the purchase of the soundtrack, too; it fits into the rest of the Tron universe nicely, as it is orchestrated by Joseph Trapanese, the same guy that arranged Daft Punk's score for Tron: Legacy.

Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz (the same guys that created Once Upon a Time) along with Justin Springer act as consulting producers while Charlie Bean acts as executive producer.

So the show is pretty solid. There are no gaping holes in the actual content or by the way it is created. But there are rumors spreading that the show could possibly be cancelled due to "lack of an audience."

Well, obviously. If you change the day and time slots for new episodes all of the time, don't let viewers know when the next episodes are even coming, completely stop advertising the show for when it will actually be on, and make the show completely unaccessible online (which is ridiculous, considering that the show premiered on youtube and gave us all hope that it would have a larger internet presence), you're going to kill it. Go here to see Disney's website for the show and see what I mean. 

Programs, I'm appealing to you. This is a fantastic show that doesn't deserve this kind of treatment.

This is why I'm encouraging you to check out this show ASAP and watch the new episode that is premiering at midnight this coming Sunday. It's a poor time slot, but the show needs more love or it will probably be cancelled.

It's time to begin the "uprising" in ratings and fight for this show! If you want to do more, you can go here and tell Disney how you feel, or you can tweet at them directly.

Once Upon a Time is Magical, and OMG BELLE!!! (Spoilers & Speculation)

I always have friends telling me, "Have you seen [some television show]? Oh my God, you have to watch it! You'd love it!" They are always enthusiastic, but I have people telling me this for a whole number of shows all the time.

As it is, I don't generally watch a lot of television as it airs. I'm not always home in the evenings so it can be hard to keep up with a show, but the ones that I do keep up with I remain loyal to. I also have Netflix, which is one of the best investments ever.

There was one show recently that kept coming up over and over again, though, and that was Once Upon a Time on ABC. Initially this irritated me because, well, I felt singled out for my love of Disney and fairy tales. It didn't help that, when someone would describe the show to me, they would say, "Since you love Disney so much this would definitely be a show up your alley."

Yes, obviously I love Disney, but I don't enjoy getting lumped into a category - and just because I generally love Disney doesn't mean that I love everything Disney. In all honesty, I only own 1 Mickey Mouse shirt, and that was gifted to me. I mostly collect princess merchandise. On top of everything, the way people would say that I would like it bothered me. I felt like they saw me as some sort of stereotype, almost as though they were somewhat talking down to me.They wouldn't actually tell me anything about the plot or the characters, not even who was in it - just that I would enjoy it because a bunch of Disney characters were running around.

But the last person that talked to me about the show was also a Disney fan, and asked me if I had Netflix. When I said yes, she told me that the entire first season was there to watch. This appealed to me because I knew that I could sit in front of my television and watch everything back to back if I enjoyed it. So, one day, when I had nothing to do, I decided to give the pilot of the series a chance and just watch.

The pilot got me hooked (pun somewhat intended).

I love that Snow White is a strong woman who is not afraid to use a sword. I love that Prince Charming (and P.S., in Disney lore in the OG Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs the prince is just named as "Prince," while in Cinderella the prince's name is "Prince Charming") is a charming kinda guy with a compelling story and a great personality. I love how I truly sympathize for Regina and everything that she's been through, and hope that she does redeem herself for Henry. I love how a character can turn out to be more than one fairytale character. I love how layered the show is, and how much more we still can find out about the characters and their stories. I love that it is a show that doesn't overly PC itself, and how focused it is on parent-child relationships. The concept and execution of the stories are wonderful, and while at times the CGI can get a little goofy, it doesn't take my enjoyment out of the show.

I suppose I could go on and on, but to sum up, I think the show is well-written and well-executed.

I am now completely caught up, and I just have to talk about this last episode, "The Outsider," and what I speculate is to come for the rest of the season. If you don't want any spoilers for future episodes (as I've been visiting the spoiler websites - can't help it), you might want to stop reading. I will also be including promo pictures for the next episode.

Hook was a jerk and shot Belle in the arm, and now she doesn't remember who she is since she fell over the town line. Rumple is traumatized and heartbroken. Then karma hit Hook (literally) with a car, coming from the outside world - and the poor stranger driving said vehicle crashed onto the side of the road. Hook flew to the side of the road as well, and as we know now is unconscious.

When the show opens back up on Sunday, I'm pretty sure we'll be right back in this spot where "The Outsider" ended, with Mr. Gold, still mortified looking at his shot beloved, trying to figure out what to do. Belle will be freaked out, not just because she's shot, but because she doesn't know how she got to where she is or why this strange man keeps calling her Belle.

We know that once someone passes the town line without any magical help, their Storybrooke selves become their only selves. I have a few questions though. 1) Did Belle even have another specific identity/story past being stuck in an asylum for as long as she can remember? Did she have another name that we never found out about? Did she remember any version as to why she'd been locked up for so long? And 2) Would Belle remember, at the very least, Jefferson freeing her, telling her to find Mr. Gold and her interactions with Mr. Gold as a result? I am hoping that this would be a yes, but we'll have to wait and see.

In the images, we also see that Prince Charming, Snow White and Emma happen upon the scene - I guess doing some family sheriff patrol time. Hopefully that will help calm Belle down.

In the summary for "In the Name of the Brother," it says, "Dr. Whale is tasked with mending Hook’s wounds and performing surgery on the stranger whose car crashed upon entering Storybrooke. But some of the townspeople fear that the stranger may have seen magic -- which could expose their true identities to the world -- and think that leaving him to die would be the best solution. Meanwhile, as Mr. Gold tries to reunite with a despondent Belle, Cora attempts to reunite with daughter Regina; and in the land that was,Victor desperately wants to prove to his disapproving father that he can, indeed, bring back the dead.^{" (courtesy of} http://onceuponatime.wikia.com/wiki/Gerhardt)



So Hook will be taken to the hospital. I personally hope he becomes incapacitated for a while so that he can suffer for a bit. No amount of hotness can rectify his harming of RumBelle. And I'm pretty sure that Emma will be the one that finds him due to this image right here:

"Oh crap. Not HIM again!"

Granted, she could just be calling Dr. Whale for an emergency trip to the hospital instead.

I wondered initially if Rumple would just heal Belle with magic right then and there, but in one of the previews we see Belle in a hospital bed, so I figure he decided not to - probably so that she wouldn't freak out more. She does, however, freak out when he kisses her.

Nope. No true love's kiss, folks. And why would it work? She can't love him if she doesn't remember their history, just as we saw with Snow White and Prince Charming in season 1's "Heart of Darkness." But Charming fought for his true love by proving his love to her by taking an arrow that Snow intended for Regina, so that Snow would not become truly evil. When Snow realized that he would die for her, she fell in love with him again, they kissed, and all of her memories (and personality) came back. As Regina has said, "True love's kiss can break any curse." So unless Rumple can figure out some sort of magic to change Belle back to her old self (probably something he doesn't want to risk), he'll need to get Belle to fall in love with him again, and he's going to have to do some really big things in order to make that happen. Let's hope that Hook doesn't try to woo Belle while they are both stuck in the hospital.

As for Dr. Whale, he seems to be in for one heck of an episode. Besides being tasked to help all of these injured people, the residents of Storybrooke are afraid that the outsider witnessed magic (meaning that amazing fireball that Rumple never got to shoot off at Hook), so they think that it might be better to let him die. That doesn't sound like the moral choice, folks. I'm pretty sure that they'll come around - I mean, they are fairy tale characters after all.

Anyhow, we'll see more of Dr. Whale's background, which means we're going back to black and white. From the looks of things, it sounds like Dr. Frankenstein's possible classic monster is actually his brother (though one could argue that Daniel ended up being the monster, poor guy), and it sounds like the guy has some daddy issues. Maybe we'll see that story play out, and when things don't go as well as planned, he will be humiliated/possibly terrified of his father and perhaps will flee to Oz. I am convinced that the guy is also the Wizard of Oz. We've seen that page of flying monkeys in Henry's book twice, and he was described to Regina as a "wizard." Rumpelstiltskin inquired while talking to him about a pair of slippers to help him travel between worlds. Plus, the outfit with those glasses - it just screams Oz to me.

Some people threw a fit when we discovered that Dr. Whale was Dr. Frankenstein. "It's not a fairytale, it doesn't belong!" Ah, but my dear friends, it does, and it is still separate. Dr. Whale's world is separate from the fairytale realm, just like Wonderland is. This is amazing for the show because it means that all literary worlds are real and connected to each other, which opens up a whole new realm of possibilities for the show.

And then there's the reunion of Cora and Regina, something we've all been waiting for. Perhaps you'd like to see a sneak peek of this encounter? Well, here you go:

I have to wonder where these two are. I mean, there are dressed up mannequins in the background...if Regina decides to make her own apparel line, then I am so in. I guess this must be her new makeshift home (I like the apple tree and mirrors - nice touch). But perhaps she never left home at all - Regina reaches for a doorknob at the end of this scene, without an obvious door attached to it. Perhaps she has secret hiding places in her house? Smart girl.

Anyhow, what amazing performances and dialogue here! Poor Regina - she's so heartbroken. It almost looks like she finally blames her mother more than Snow for Daniel's death. Regina knows better than to trust mommy dearest at the moment, though that will probably change eventually, as Lana has hinted. Cora doesn't appear insincere here, though she very well could be. Perhaps we'll eventually see a Darth Vader/Luke Skywalker moment eventually. "Join me, and together-" etc. etc. Storybrooke would be in hot water if these two decided to be an evil mother/daughter team.

"Emma, and Henry, and the two idiots-" HAHAHAHA!!!! Love it.

Seriously though, it doesn't seem that Regina holds much against Emma for thinking that she was guilty, which is nice. It can give us all hope that, eventually, they can co-exist in Henry's life peacefully.

So they're off to let everyone know that Regina is innocent. And considering that Archie is alive and well, word has ideally gotten around, and perhaps now the residents can figure out who it was that was actually murdered (we can hope that somebody noticed that they went missing, but I kinda doubt that we'll hear much of a follow-up on that). All of the characters meeting together should be interesting to say the least. We know that Cora meets up with Rumple and behaves in an extra friendly manner - it doesn't look like Storybrooke will be up in flames just yet, but Cora must have a grander plan in mind.

Let's look ahead even further. In a promo from a few weeks ago, Rumple appears to be finally calling in the favor that he's owed from Emma in season 1 to go on a little trip to locate Bae. I guess he'll focus on wooing Belle when she's well-enough to get out of the hospital. Anyway, Emma, Mr. Gold and Henry all end up in NYC to look for him.

Neal is coming back to the series, and from a location shoot we saw that Emma was chasing someone through NY, which has to be for the episode "Manhattan." On the same day of the shoot, Emma was seen talking to Neal in a restaurant. This has been speculated online for a long time, but I believe that the theory that Neal is Bae is true - and I think that he could also be Peter Pan.

Timelines in the show are weird, but Robert Carlyle has revealed in interviews that Rumple is 300 years old. We know that both Bae and Hook got magic beans to jump to different worlds. Hook took his crew to Neverland after his run-in with the Dark One. The blue fairy said that the bean would take Bae to where he needed to go - once Bae realized his father would not accompany him, perhaps the bean changed it's route for him to Neverland? The place is a haven for other Lost Boys, so Bae could fit in there quite nicely. How he would have then made it to our world would be another question, but we can get to Neverland "second star to the right and straight on 'till morning," so it't not impossible.

How will Bae react to seeing his father again? How will Neal  react to seeing Emma (August sent him that postcard but never showed up) and potentially discovering that he is a baby-daddy? That's a whole lot of information to digest.

Rumpel seems to have pretty decent knowledge of the past, present and future. If all of my theorizing is correct, does Rumpel know that Emma was his son's girl, and that, therefore, Henry is his grandson?! Rumpel knew who Emma was, so when Henry was put up for adoption, he knew to connect Regina to him. This actually could then make him a double-grandfather to the savior's child! Rumpelstiltskin sure loves kids.

Some people may hate on these potential coincidences, but I kind of love them.

Yay!

Neal has to be familiar with the magical realm - how else could August convince him to listen to everything that he'd have to say (and believe him) by just showing him something small in a box? We don't know what it is yet, but we are supposed to learn what exactly that thing was sometime this season.

And yes, August will be back this season. I miss him too, but I'm pretty sure why we haven't seen him. He doesn't handle responsibility and shame very well - he's probably too mortified to face his father, or the rest of the town for that matter. And once Emma does talk to Neal, she might be pretty angry with August. Could she forgive the two of them? And how will Henry feel about all of this? Emma told him that his biological father was a hero so that he wouldn't be disappointed.

Wow, that was a lot. Thank you for sticking it out if you did.

What do you think about Once Upon a Time and where the series is going? Do you like my predictions? Do you think they might be true? Talk about it here!

Top 15 Tips to Shop Bridal Like a Princess

Christmas has come and gone, and the retail world is heaving a sigh of relief. The chaos is over and things are back to normal.

That is unless, of course, your shop is a part of the bridal industry. Now, bridal salons have entered "Bridal Christmas."

What is Bridal Christmas, you might ask? Well, think of the mad holiday shopping rush at other retailers, but now picture these shoppers as newly engaged women (and men that are so inclined) who got engaged over the holidays, plus their families and friends. They are rushing into bridal salons, where it is ideal to keep a nice, calm and intimate environment going.

One of the first urges for a new bride-to-be is to go wedding dress shopping. And why shouldn't she? Lots of women have dreamed of their future wedding dress since they were little girls. Sure, their tastes may have changed since they were four, but at the end of the day, they still yearn to wear their fantasy dream dress.

If you have recently gotten engaged, congratulations! As your blogger fairy godmother, I may not be able to accompany you to your bridal appointments, but I can prepare you for the shopping journey that you are about to take. It's exciting but also a bit daunting, isn't it? You want to look your very best at your wedding as it's your special day to truly get dolled up, you want to look extra special for the person that you're marrying, and there's probably going to be a bunch of people watching this whole major event of your life unfold.

Want to run yet? I hope not. I've seen a lot of women step into a bridal salon with the look of a deer in headlights. I don't know what it is exactly, but that moment of seeing a sea of white can often paralyze someone.

It does not have to be scary, I promise! As your fairy godmother, I have compiled my own list of things that a proper princess should know before entering a bridal salon. With these tips, you should have all the confidence you need to find the perfect dress for your big day!

Let's get started over here and I'll take your measurements...

1) Do some research. There are tons of awesome websites at your disposal. I'd suggest theknot.com and brides.com as a jumping-off point to take a look at different designers, fabrics, styles and silhouettes. Try to get yourself familiar with some names if you can, and save pictures of the dresses you really like. You may find a designer that you fall in love with instantly. Make a Pinterest board of your favorites (p.s. - if you're worried about certain people seeing what you like, you can have up to 3 secret boards to pin to now). If you find a designer you love, check out their website and click on their locations link - you can find whatever salon closest to you that has their dresses! And if there is a specific dress you want to try on, make sure to call up the store to ask if they have it. If they do not, they can sometimes make arrangements to get that dress in for you to try on in a sample when you come in. Check to see if there are any bridal shows coming up in your area, as there are often fashion shows where dresses are modeled, or you can see them up close on a mannequin. If you can't really narrow things down, don't panic - just do a search for nearby bridal salons that you can visit.

Lazaro LZ3315, perfectly whimsical and fairytale-inspired.

2) Know your budget. Now that you have done some research on bridal gowns, you've also been able to see what these things generally cost and what designers and bridal shops will fall more towards your budget. Are you paying for the dress yourself? Are your parents? Is someone else offering to chip in or foot the bill? If someone else is helping you pay for this, make sure you sit down with them and get a more solid figure before walking into the salon, or things could easily get messy. Also, if someone is offering to pay but thinks that $100 is more than enough for a wedding dress, then you should be honest with them about how much these things cost. David's Bridal may start at $99, but that doesn't mean your dream dress will be that cheap. And besides budgeting for the dress, also leave room for accessories and alterations, because they add up fast.

David's Bridal 9WG3444

3) Make an appointment! Most bridal salons do not take walk-ins, and considering the fact that we are entering Bridal Christmas, the ones that do will still (perhaps even more so) have extra foot traffic. And don't put shopping for your dress off - most salons want you to start shopping for your dress 8-10 months before your wedding because some dresses will take several months to order (and that doesn't take into account the alterations you will probably need later). Stay classy and be prepared.

Sophia Tolli Enobaria

4) Pick those accompanying you to the appointment carefully! I really cannot stress this enough. The last person you want to bring with you to the appointment is someone that would potentially describe you looking like a "linebacker" in a dress (potentially the nastiest comment that I've heard from someone on Say Yes to the Dress). Keep your group small, and only those closest to you. The more people you bring, the more differing opinions you bring with you. If you are having outside financial help paying for the dress, they should be there (just remember that they're not going to pay for the dress if they don't like it). If mom is wanted and available, she should be there. Be prepared that she might be the toughest one to please. This is more than likely because she loves you very much and has been looking forward to this trip since you were born. Only the best will do for her baby girl. Dads (if they want to come to the appointment) will probably be the same way, but will be more apt to crumbling when they see you in that dress because they don't want to let you go. Once you have chosen the people to accompany you, make sure you communicate what it is you are looking for in a dress. If your group isn't on the same page as you, you may come out in a dress you love and they may shoot it down because they pictured you in something else.

Well, my family definitely didn't like this dress...

5) Bring whatever undergarments/shapewear you deem necessary. Every princess wears a little something underneath to hold certain things in place. If you don't have something, the salon may carry it for you to try on with dresses, which may also be available for purchase. Also know that you will have a complete stranger help you change, as bridal gowns can get very heavy and/or complicated - some have corset backs, buttons, zippers etc. But don't worry, they are just there to help you, and they do this all the time with women every day.

6) Watch a few bridal shows to get an idea of what shopping will be like. Say Yes to the Dress is one of my favorite shows, period (both the OG and Atlanta). They are entertaining and overall rather positive compared to a lot of reality television. If you want tips on how a princess doesn't behave, watch Bridezillas.

Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta

7) Keep your venue in mind while shopping. If you plan on getting married on the beach when it is hot, the last thing you will want to wear is a heavy satin ballgown, which would work far better in a ballroom setting. Some will tell you to purchase your dress before picking your venue...I think that it really depends on a wedding-to-wedding basis. Sit down and have a talk with your fiancée about this - if they are fine with you picking out a style and venue for your wedding based off of your dress, that's great! Just know that that might not be what they (or even you!) want. If you are having a religious ceremony, you should check with your venue to see what their dress code policy is...you might discover that you need to cover up a bit more than you anticipated. Don't fret about that, either - bridal is very accommodating to that today. Anything like that can be added on and removed at your leisure.

From etsy.com, a great site for all your bridal shopping needs.

8) A street size 6 is not a bridal size 6. Don't freak out over your weight or body type when you start trying things on and seeing numbers - the sizes in bridal are irregular. You didn't gain a ton of weight overnight, the sizing is just different. Focus more on how you actually look in the dress versus what size it is labeled. Speaking of weight, don't tell your consultant to order your dress a size smaller because you plan on losing weight. Essentially every bride says this and they almost always gain weight instead. A true princess is confident in her own skin, and your dress should make you feel beautiful no matter what size you are.

See? Marilyn doesn't care, and neither should you.

9) What you think will look good on you might not. This can sometimes be a big surprise or letdown for a bride-to-be, but do not lose hope. Not all mermaid dresses are going to fit you the same. And if you loved the look of a certain silhouette (but it did not live up to your expectations), there are often slightly modified versions of that silhouette that are just waiting for you to try them on! If mermaid isn't quite right, maybe you will want to try on a fit and flare or a trumpet style instead (yes, they are all a little different).

Lazaro trumpet.

Lazaro fit and flare.

10) Trust your consultant! You may (or may not) have an idea of what you like and do not like, but remember, these consultants dress brides for a living. You may come into the store adamant that you hate lace and do not want to try it on, but then find that you're absolutely in love with it when you find yourself in a classic A-line lace dress. It is surprising, but fairly often brides end up in styles that they originally said they were not interested in or absolutely hated. Tell your consultant what you are looking for and bring pictures to show them, but if they bring in something for you to try on that doesn't meet that initial description, give them the benefit of the doubt and just try it. You may surprise yourself!

"I used to hate lace, but now I'm a changed woman."

11) Stay true to yourself. Do your best to come in with a clear vision of what type of style or feeling you want from your dress, focusing on phrases of, "I want" instead of phrases of "I don't want." Buzzwords will help your consultant and yourself. Also, you may try on a dress that physically looks absolutely fabulous on you, and everyone that you brought with you might love it and be raving how much they love it and how you should pick this one. But you may still find yourself not truly in love with the dress. Don't force it - when the right dress comes along, you will know. Not every bride gets "the feeling" per say, but you should feel good in the dress, it should be a style that you love and you should feel confident walking out in that dress to show your friends and family. You should also think about the look on your fiancée's face if you were to walk down the aisle in that dress to them. That generally does the trick. And when you find the dress, stop looking! Many brides will find the dress but then go to several other salons and compare the dresses they try on to the dress they fell in love with. There's nothing wrong with trying on a few more dresses, but this often turns into trying on 50 plus more, which is simply unnecessary. Doing this tortures everyone involved, so try to be kind to yourself and everyone else instead of making excuses as to why you will not allow yourself happiness.

Yes, I'm finally caught up and obsessed with Once Upon a Time. Ginnifer Goodwin has said that Mary Margaret will torture herself with almost having happiness and making up every excuse she can to not be with David because of the curse (Season 1 DVD/Blu-Ray commentary).

12) The first dress is sometimes the right dress, and that's ok! Trying on dresses can be overwhelming. On the first try, you may feel so hyped up on emotions that when you see yourself in the mirror and everyone around you is gasping, you may chock it up to simply being "the first one." Like I've said before, these consultants dress brides for a living, so it's not impossible for them to strike gold on the first try. Go ahead and try on a few more dresses if you want to be sure, but if that first one keeps lingering in your mind, try it on again, and you will know.

I love Randy.

13) Know the terms and conditions. Like your other vendors, the dress will have a contract, fine print, etc. Make sure you triple-check everything, and make sure to get the designer name, style number, size, color, delivery date and alterations estimations in writing (but know that you really will have no idea how much alterations will cost you until your dress actually arrives).

Belle misses nothing, and neither should you.

14) Don't rush yourself. Don't wait too long to purchase your dress, but give yourself at least enough time to sleep on it. This is a big purchase for a momentous occasion and there are (ideally) no do-overs. Dresses are generally final-sale, so you need to be absolutely sure that it is the dress.

15) Enjoy the pampering! We all have a princess inside of us, but balls, dances and other formal events are not very commonplace for the average lady in this day and age. You will have people fawning over you as they dress you and doll you up, congratulating you on your engagement and your upcoming wedding. It is a special time that will not last for very long, so enjoy it while it's there, and let your inner princess shine through, whether you want a princess dress or not!

Happily ever after.