NATASHA

Hi KarlaV I do pilates twice a week with a trainer guy. It's fabulous. You will build muscle (pretty muscle, though) quickly. Plus, I feel so much better. I work on the computer all day and since I started pilates, my back and neck don't get tight/painful. I highly recommend it.

Karla, those are really beautiful. Our friend is a designer. He helped us come up with this concept (they came out SO COOL that I can't wait to take a picture for you all). We did passports. They look just like real passports. Inside, we even replicated the paper that they use. The cover has the eagle, but we put a champagne bottle in one talon and a glass in the other. Above the Eagle's head is a taco and below him it says, "In Tacos we Trust" The inside picture area has a picture of us and a total spoof of every detail (even the bar scan is funny - it says PARTY<CABOSANLUCAS<<NATASHA<SHAWN<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< 11<11<2006<<7H4NKY0U4C0M1N6<<L375P4R7Y!<<<<<<<<<<< 0YEAH). Here's the copy that we used so you can get a taste for what it's like: The Future Conahan Family of the United States of America hereby requests all whom it may concern to permit the wedding guest named herein to party without empty glass or hindrance and in case of need to give all lawful fete and libation. La future famille de Conahan des Etats-Unis d'Amérique demande par ceci tous ce que elle peut concerner pour permettre l'invité de mariage appelé ci-dessus à la partie sans verre vide ou obstacle et en cas de besoin pour donner toutes les fête et libation légitimes. La familia futura de Conahan de los Estados Unidos de América solicita por este medio todos a que pueda referirse para permitir a la huésped de la boda nombrada adjunto al partido sin el cristal vacío o el obstáculo y en caso de que de la necesidad de dar todo el fete y libation legales. __________________________________________________ ______________ SIGNATURE OF BEARER/SIGNATURE DU TITULAIRE/FIRMA DEL TITULAR NOT VALID UNTIL SIGNED Then, on all the blank pages, we re-created stamps (just like when the countries stamp your passport but we printed them) with information about the wedding, getting there, renting a car, etc. Oh - I have probably 50 extra covers in case anyone wants to replicate what we did. They are VERY cool - foil stamped. I have a PDF rendering of them, but I'll get photos soon.

OK - without looking at what other people posted... 51, 43, and 44 in that order. I also liked 34, but it didn't make the top 3.

I also picked colors after the bridesmaids dresses were selected (navy). It was the only thing that worked for all of them. Then, I selected fuchsia (that's the main color) to go with the bougenvilla that are all around the venue so that I don't have to do a ton of decorating. The girls are wearing navy and carrying fuchsia daisies. The guys are wearing navy pants and white silk shirts. Our wedding invitations are passports (we just finished them - OMG - they are so cool - I'll post them as soon as I can) which happen to be navy in the US. It just all worked out.

Janet - didn't you have them do your hair? How was it? I have an 11:30 appointment with Bambi (before yours) but my wedding isn't until 4 so I think that's too early so I am looking for alternatives.

Where is this spa?

We stayed at the Sheraton just a few weeks ago. I really liked it. The main restaurant is yummy and there is a mexican restaurant on property that is good too. The rooms were nice and the staff was kind and helpful. The property is very pretty (photogenic). I have nothing but great things to say about i. Plus, if you are considering it for your wedding - there are two REALLY great places to have the ceremony and reception. It was my second choice.

We had a similar situation and we were able to resolve it very easily. We started by explaining why we chose Cabo. We said that we understood that our parents would love to have a larger group of their friends and family and that we knew that it was VERY hard to invite some but not others, but that we really wanted to spend more time with a smaller group of people who are very close to us. Because of that, we decided to keep the list to 65 people. We gave our parents the option of inviting a few other people (asking that they please understand our desire for an intimate wedding) but explained that the cost per person that they would need to cover would be $500 (the cost of all of the food, beverage, activities, etc. that we are sponsoring). Suddenly, our parents re-thought their cousins (they better understood that once you invite one cousin you have to invite all 3 and $1500 wasn't so attractive). No one added anyone - we're having 65 people at the wedding. No one has complained, they have been very supportive, and when the topic comes up, they say, "well, we know that it's very important to them that they have a small intimate wedding."

Here are the bridesmaids dresses

Here's my wedding dress

Hi Lenita. Welcome!

So, so sweet! You know, that looks SO MUCH like where we had our family cabin (also in Nor CA). We didn't have a phone or tv either - I look back so fondly on that time - you've taken me back to some really great times. Where is it?

OK - cool, so I can just right click on the picture in photobucket and then paste it in? Trying... Darn it - it didn't work. I didn't see a "paste" option. Maybe I didn't set up my account correctly?

I thought I posted this (but I can't find it) so I apologize if this is in two places. My friend used to live in Cabo and she gave me some good advice about florists. a) The flowers aren't grown in Cabo - they are all imported. Therefore, they will be a bit more expensive than we are used to paying. Select a florist that is close to your wedding location. If you are getting married closer to San Jose, select a San Jose florist. Especially if you are getting married on a busy wedding day. The reason? To ensure that flowers are kept as fresh as possible, the florists wait to deliver them. If, however, they accidentally forget something, it could take them an hour round trip to pick up the missing item. As she said, "for the peace of mind, pay the extra $30." c) Help your florist with substitutions. If you ordered a mixed bouquet that includes white roses but the shipment of white roses didn't look good enough for your bridal bouquet - would you prefer an alternate white flower or pink roses? d) If you aren't hearing back from your florist, it may be because he/she doesn't speak English very well. We take for granted that everyone in Cabo speaks English remarkably well. However, the florists don't interact with Americans as often as the resort staff, so they are self conscious about their English. If you can find a friend who speaks Spanish, your effort will go a long way with your florist. Alternatively, try using Babelfish to translate your email.

Maye is sourcing it for me. The $300 includes delivery and set up. Sorry - I don't know where she is getting it. Are you sourcing flowers yourself? If so, ask the florist if they can supply a canopy for $300 including set up. Don't ask them how much it would cost for a canopy - just give them the price and then ask them to supply a picture of what it would look like.

He is a really great man and I will do everything that I can to make sure that he feel as appreciated as he truely deserves to feel. Update to the story - the chairs were a bit long in the tooth (not too bad, though). Anyway, there are fewer of them than there used to be. Either the venue is throwing them out - or - he bought two for our wedding gift. Wouldn't put it past him.

Ok - having trouble getting the image here. I've tried the vbucket and html. Tammy - what are we supposed to do? OK - I figured it out!

We're paying $300 (including delivery) for this canopy. I wanted something simple and flow-y so I opted for no flowers. Also, we won't have the table but we will have a microphone stand. http://bestdestinationwedding.com/f/...p?do=view&g=21

Yay! There are SO many of us 11/11 ers. We will all really be able to give a good breakdown on the vendors as we will have them ALL covered!

Also, you can post a few "crowd shots" from other people's websites (with their approval) so people can see what looks appropriate. I had several people who specifically asked me to clarify "beach chic" (older people) so I dragged out my computer and showed them what worked well.

FYI - I found an email that said that you can get 30 seconds of fireworks for $500.

One good thing about a 1/2 band covered in diamonds is that it can be sized. If the diamonds go all the way around, it can't be sized.

That's so funny Christa. My dressmaker was saying something about packing it in a rollie bag which sounded really strange to me. I'll call her and see if I can get more details - she does this all day everyday so she knows better than me! I agree, a heavy dress could be a problem if you're actually carrying it on a hanger.

You guys are reading my mind! Last night I was scouring websites trying to figure out what to do for a band. My engagement ring doesn't pair with a band so I just need to find something to wear when I'm traveling. I am so behind on knowing anything about these things. Is it unusual to just wear your engagement ring without a band? Does an eternity ring mean the diamonds go all the way around? Is there a difference between a wedding ring (band) and an anniversary ring! UGH! Can you tell I don't have sisters?

No, although that would be helpful. I have seen a few pictures and the fireworks are nice - they're medium size (not like a big fair, but big enough to look impressive). I'll let you know in less than two months!