Arnie's Gourmet Sucks!!!

I've finally come to the conclusion that Arnie's Gourmet (out of Friendswood, Texas) sucks! They catered for my wedding on December 6, 2008. My biggest complaint is that I specifically ordered cloth napkins so that our costumes would not get stained. Not only did they neglect to bring them, but they charged me $100 and they keep bullshitting me about giving me a refund. That night the head chef had asked me if there was anything wrong, and I let him know - he even came back to me and said I would get a check in the mail. I've called and e-mailed them like a million times and I've given up, since it's almost May and I still haven't recieved a serious apology and a refund.

Both Keith and Arnie are both totally unprofessional morons, and next time I host a ball or a party - it's going to be kept simple, with food trays from Kroger! I feel that I wasted so much money on something has has caused more trouble than it was worth.

My other complaints were:

1. My wedding cake had WHITE leaves - what, did they run out of green food coloring?

2. They never bothered to call to confirm how many people would definitely be coming, so when I finally went to call him he said it was too late and I got stuck paying for 100 people when only 50 showed up.

3. There was like twice as much green beans as there was stuffing. If 100 had come, we would've been SOL.

4. He said to plan on hors d'ouevres for only 50 people. Well, 50 people came....and there was nothing left by the time I came but hungry people. Poor planning on his part. I was told by many people that there wasn't a whole lot to begin with, and they argued with me on that one.

5. I was never served any stuffing. As the bride, you'd think they would make sure of this. I was too upset to go back, as the reception had started late.

6. Some of the servers were totally unprofessional.

Next time: heavy hors d'ouevres trays from Kroger! Cheaper, faster, and probably no need to complain for a refund!

My Wedding on YouTube

I tried editing my wedding but the saved result ended up in a file unknown to YouTube. Here it is unedited:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHFnc_47rfo&feature=channel_page

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrQwO5bI1gc&feature=channel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oL2P-gE6Edg&feature=channel

Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett - Halloween?

Last year (BEFORE the hurricane) I was thinking of my husband and I going as Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett. We wanted to go to Boo on the Boardwalk in Kemah, as it caters to everybody (not just children!) and Halloween is more a season than just a day. Those plans obviously got ruined, so I think I'm going to plan early and make sure it works out this year!

Christian already has a gothic red double-breasted Victorian vest from the wedding. All he needs are striped trousers (Goodwill, anyone?) and the wig and razor blades. (I'm still trying to talk him out of bringing real ones....grrrr....)

I've been searching for some ideas for Mrs. Lovett. It's actually very hard to find any costume at all, as all commercial manufacturers make the non-gothic Mrs. Lovett costumes from the play, which is actually pathetic, since they are so light-colored and happy-looking. They really don't set the correct tone of the play at all. Plus, they're late 18th century, in contrast to mid-19th for the movie, which is way more cool.

So far I've found some black paisley on eBay though a quilting store, and some kind-of expensive black swiss (I really want to keep the swiss!) I've found out the hard way that swiss is hard to find these days, as it is considered "vintage" and isn't popularly used anymore. Bummer. I'm not going to buy anything just yet, as I have to create a mock-up and figure out how much I need, as this project will be based very loosely on a few patterns.

As for the wig, I'm totally at a loss. I can't find one at all. I really don't want to mess up my hair, as it is waist-length, and it would be difficult to get it back from being all tangled up. Looks like there's not one in sight, and it's been a few years since the movie.

However, I should be able to easily find red and black stockings. (Horozontal, not vertical like in the movie. Another bummer.)

I decided not to go with a real waist cincher, since I'm a petite 34G and it would just make the girls look bad. Instead, in order to keep the look, I'll have a faux cloth one with very little boning to wear over the dress; it just won't highlight the waist like a real one would.

I'm also thinking I need a body-suit for the top since it's transparent, or I need to line everything in flesh-colored fabric. More work for me.

Also needed: cheap little meat pies (50 cents at Walmart), some fake roaches, and a basket!