deleted

very cool! I noticed Dreams and Casa del Mar weren't labeled yet...neither is the Palmilla!

We had a solo classical guitar and he was a big hit. I would definitely spend the $$ again if I had to. As for which one to choose, I think you probably can't go wrong. Either way it will provide some romance and ambience and I think your guests will like it. (And this is coming from a cheapskate myself )

Woo hoo!! congrats! You will love it, I promise. Let me know if I can help with anything too. PS we stayed in room 19 and it was perfect for us. It's on the quieter side of the hotel and has the closest balcony to the ocean, so it seemed really private.

Thanks, Natasha. Ahhhh it gets quite complicated, doesn't it! My hubby spent the first half of this year as an ind. contractor and I am thinking about taking a job for the rest of the year as one, so our taxes are already going to be crazy complicated, plus buying a house, and because we might buy in MD or VA factor in a state change and suddenly I just want to quit and move to Mexico and live in a grass hut!!!!!!!!!! But really, I do appreciate all the advice. Now if you could just make my dream home cost half as much...

I love the hair and actually think the makeup looks really natural! But you should feel comfortable, that is most important!

Mine was $500. I was on a budget, so I didn't even allow myself to try on anything more than $1000 for fear I would fall in love with it! See all of Kash's entires from about 6 months ago! (gkashmira)

We were lucky enough to do both, and it made the wedding so much better because people had become friends by the time the wedding reception happened. We did the zip line tour - I wrote a whole post about it (search Canopy Costa Azul) and it was an awesome group activity. We subsidized the cost, but we couldn't afford to cover the whole thing. People were still really grateful. If you can't afford a welcome dinner I would definitely do something like drinks, apps, or a bonfire or something even if it's lite fare.

If you have a wedding website do you think you really need the cards and pockets? I think just the single invite looks great and you can save oodles of time and money. just put all info online!

To get the link to work just change the "/" to a "." in between the www and the Baja Looks great! Those fireworks were amazing! Kash is so pretty

oh no, we love leigh and juan!!!!!! I think it's more just to have a better sense of all the options, especially if Leigh and Juan aren't in your budget. I know they weren't in mine

acacia - look at Christa's (A10CALGAL) photos too - she was also a cabo surf/bradley bride!

my hubby also got his wedding suit at jos. a banks! my policy is to never buy anything full price there, as they are ALWAYS having some giant sale.

Jess and Mrs. B - thanks for the advice. It really is helpful!!! We are looking at 7 houses tomorrow so it's all starting to feel quite real.

We had nothing, mostly because I was on a budget, but I didn't mind at all! We had our guests directly facing the ocean with the sun on their backs and it was perfect. (Though Tasha's arch was really pretty in her photos..... )

Co-ops are much more popular in NY than DC, so I don't know much about them. From what I've heard they are harder to buy because you have to get all kinds of approval, and basically open up all of your finances to scrutiny. We also cannot put 20% down so we will probably have a 1st mortage for 80% and a 2nd mortgage for 10% at a slightly higher rate. I think the most important thing you can do is have a high credit score because you will get the best interest rates. You can call any mortgage lender or broker to get "pre-approved" and they will ask you for all your info, run the numbers, and then you can ask them what your credit score is (for free!) and they will give you some scenarios about how much you can borrow at what rate, etc. Good luck tomorrow! Don't stress because there isn't a hurry to buy until you are READY!

Martha, I actually think the Bare Escentuals dries up my skin a little because it's a powder and not a lotion. And it has great coverage. Do you have Sephora or Ulta where you live? You can try it for free there (less pressure than in dept stores too). In the winter when my skin is dry I used tinted moisturizer and in the summer when it's sweaty and humid I used the bare minerals/bare escentuals

I know - it can be super overwhelming. I tried to start small. For instance, I read the Real Estate section in the Sunday paper. Or the personal finance column. Things like that. Baby steps Also, I don't know if they have this where you live, but we went to a free homebuyer workshop that is run by a nonprofit group called NACA NACA - maybe you can see if there is one in your area. We learned enough to make it worth 4 hours of our Saturday at least.

Congrats to the newlyweds!! Also, is it just me or do we suddenly have SO MANY wedding pics in people's sigs? I can't believe how many weddings we've had, for the longest time I felt like I was one of very few!

Welcome! Lots of people (me included) who start out looking at villas end up liking the Cabo Surf Hotel. Cabo Surf Hotel, beach resort, boutique hotel in Los Cabos with surfing, Baja diving and Cabo golf. Let me know if you have more Qs or just do a search, as there is a TON on this board about them.

Welcome! Both venues are beautiful so you can't go wrong. And we have several brides from each who can answer all your Qs

Christa and I both used Bradley Fraser - Cabo Wedding Photography, Los Cabos, Cabo San Lucas Photographers, Cabo Weddings and I think his rate is $350/hr (but check with him) and he gives you all of the digital prints in the end. This is a big moneysaver as many photogs will charge as much as $7 just for a 4x6! My photos are in the link in my sig - just look for the album of "professional pics" - Also, he is a member of this forum and extremely professional and hardworking!

Quote: Originally Posted by CABOBRIDE200 Janet ~ I'm in the mortgage business. About the points, you might want to consider paying one. A zero point loan carries a higher interest rate. The point cost allows you to buy down the interest rate, and since your buying your home as your primary residence, you should be able to write off (deduct from your taxes) the points that you pay on the mortgage at the time of purchase. You'll also be able to deduct the property taxes and the interest that you pay on the loan....the point is considered interest on your tax return for the purchase of your primary residence. You want to look closely at your good faith estimate to see how many points you are paying and also look for a line called "yeild spread premium" or "rebate" ....these represent money paid to the loan officer/broker at the close of escrow from the investor...you will see these items if you choose a no point loan, as the loan officer/broker will be paid one way or another...either by you, through points or by the investor in the form of a rebate/yeild spread premium. I would advise you to pay a point since it will be tax deductable and will lower your interest rate and thus your mortgage payment...but, I'm not a CPA. Hope that helps a little. Jessalyn, thanks. All of this is slowly starting to make sense. Emphasis on the slowly So you think if I am quoted 6 5/8% on a loan with 0% origination and no points, that I should consider trying to get like 6 3/8% with some fees instead? I guess I need to get a couple of quotes and compare them in real dollars. What about for the fees at closing that they tack on, like the processing fees and all that stuff - are those negotiable?

Quote: Originally Posted by Christine oh great thread Janet, where are you and Andrew looking? I want to stay in Alexandria, but I am afraid we will have to look outside the beltway...yikes Christine, right now we are looking in DC and in Montgomery County. Hello NOT CHEAP! We will either be in a gentrifying neighborhood in a condo or in a teeny tiny house that will need a lot of work. But hey, we are young, childless, and in love, so we can tackle anything, right?!?!?

Hi ladies, We have so many girls on the board who are so smart, I'm hoping you can help me out. Hubby and I are searching for our first home to buy and getting preapproved for a mortgage and all that junk. OMG it's so expensive and there are so many things involved, it's a little overwhelming. So I want to be educated throughout this process and not get duped into paying for stuff because they think I am stupid. For those of you who have experience buying a house or experience in the mortgage industry, what kinds of things should I negotiate in terms of mortgage fees? For instance, the $75 "courier fee" at closing - that is one that I have heard is kinda bogus and you should try to get taken off. What else? I know to try not to get a loan with any "points" because that is basically cash in their pocket at the end of the day. Basically, I just want to sound smart and savvy when I talk to the bank so they don't screw me around. Any advice? THANK YOU!!!

TammyB and Jessalyn (CABOBRIDE200 I think) just got married there this month! They both had awesome photogs so you will have some great pics to look at in a few weeks of their weddings. As long as the venue you choose can hold your maximum number of guests, which in your case 100 seems reasonable for the Sheraton and many other places, you should be okay. Girls on this board have had Cabo weddings as small as 2 and as large as 140 or so I think.