Traveling with the Decorations?!

I was just thinking about all the items I have to take with us. OOT bags/ items for OOT bags, votive candles, starfish, crystals (that go with votives and starfish), gifts, programs...

PLUS all the clothing I need for a week!

I already told Jay he had to give up one of his suitcases and my dad probably will too. Poor guys!

Can you ship some of it ahead of time to your WC or bring it on a site visit? that is what some girls have done. Also check with your WC she might have this stuff from previous brides or know where you can get things there.

I have heard that shipping the items is not a good thing...besides, I am very anal and have to be in charge. I NEED to know my things are there. I need to let loose a little.

We aren't doing a site visit. I am starting a PhD program in a few months and I don't think I have the time or money to do one.

Amanda says she packed it all up in plastic bins and wrote fragile all over and put it on the plane. Here's her Knottie bio where she talks more about it Bio

We had a ton of stuff that we brought down. We each had one piece of luggage with clothes, and one full of wedding crap (DH used his golf bag and filled it with our OOT bag stuff. My mom had a suitcase with our tablecloths, the ribbon for the tables, and the fabric for the arch, my dad brought 2 of our cases of wine, etc, etc.

I think we had at least 8 bags/boxes of wedding crap. That's why I would recommend to other brides to not go overboard with DIY stuff. Just bring down what is absolutely necessary.

lol, I've already told Aaron, my parents and my brother that if they can surrender a suitcase it'd be appreciated! I already know that going over there I'll be over the weight limit (even thought I'll try not to as much as possible), so I'll factor that into my budget so I'm not shocked/pissed off when the time comes - and if I don't go over the weight limit, awesome! lol.

It's true that you can ship some things over. Sometimes letting go of control will save you uber stress down the road, but I hear ya, I'm a control freak too! I might bring some stuff on my site visit that if it does go missing then I can live without. Also, keep in mind the things you might be able to get while you're there. If there is a Walmart or Costco or something near by you might be able to get some of the stuff there. And like Christine said, some of the other brides may have left some stuff behind that the wedding coordinator can supply.

You ar right about the Wal-Mart or Costco....I bet I can find the votive candles there. My WC may have some, I need to ask her....well, when we finally decide on a resort! ha!

My starfish are what I am concerned about. I think I can get them cheaper online than buying them there on the beach...

I know the dilemna, I am in the same boat. I was going to ship but I am having second thoughts about that. My limit was an entire suitcase full of decor, one bag for FI, one bag for me... I think I have slightly exceeded that.

I will have a couple of my family members take down a box of votives each since they are heavy. I wish I could've just purchased there or trusted my planner's pricing and just had her provide.

I'm also scared to ship. I flew home for my shower last month and packed a suitcase full of stuff to give to my mom and some bridesmaids to carry for me. That really helped and cut what I have to bring in half.

It looks like I will still have one big suitcase full of stuff, but that means I'll have an empty suitcase to pack with souveniers on the return trip!!

You would be amazed at how much you can fit in your suitcases! You all know I am the DIY addict, so I had literally a ton of stuff. We each got one suitcase for clothes, so our other 2 checked pieces of luggage (weighing in at 49 and 50lbs respectively!) were full of wedding stuff. Jeff's carry-on rolly bag had all our shoes and a few items of clothing we couldn't fit in our suitcases. My carry-on was my dress- but it was in 2 garment bags along with my trash the dress" Dress, Jeff's 2 suits, and in the bottom was a bag with all my sundresses and bathing suits. Carrying that beyotch through the airport was not funt. I bet it weighed 40 pounds.

Anyway, it can be done. We severely limited the clothing and toiletries we brought. But, my 2 1/2 suitcases of wedding stuff surprisingly fit everything: 6 parasols, 24 chinese lanterns, 95 luminarias, 14 placecard candles and their holders, sand ceremony vessel and 3 pouring vessels, stuff for all out OOT bags (that was one whole suitcase in itself- they were ridiculously full), programs, menus, fans, small chinese lanterns for the tables, table runners, etc....Mariana said she'd never seen so much stuff!