A10CalGal

Quote: Originally Posted by Nini_Bride I promised myself that if the wedding started to stress me out at all then I'd stop planning - stop what I'm doing - and take a breather. This is suppose to be fun!!! Unfortunately, I've gotten stressed out a few times - gotten upset already, cried a few times b/c things didn't work out my way. I am still having fun though - and for me that's the key! I will (hopefully) never plan a wedding again - this is a once in a lifetime thing, so I need to enjoy this phase of my life! We've all been there! I took the same approach - step away from the planning when it gets to be too much. And, I won't lie, after it was all over I literally said "I am never getting married again!" Sounds funny, but seriously, I will never put myself thru such an arduous planning process again. Hopefully next time I plan something I'll be able to apply the lessons I learned.

Well, I don't know if it's "wisdom" or just personal experience. But, yeah, I definitely remember begining to lose perspective at some points. And then I'd reel myself back in & remember why we were doing a DW. When I started to feel overwhelmed, I'd try to pin point exactly what was creating that feeling...most often it was some DIY project that I had planned to do & felt like I was running out of time/energy/resources. Once I figured it out, I finally just said "forget it!" Probably some of the best decisions I made were NOT to do something.

Lisa - FYI, I ordered ours from Kustom Koozies. I paid $90 total for 40 koozies. The majority of the cost is the screen set-up charge ($40). I was 100% happy with our order. They arrived lightening fast. I believe I posted a pic of ours earlier in this thread.

Quote: Originally Posted by Nini_Bride Ok first of all - has it really been 3 weeks already?! Wow time flies! It's nice to hear that life on the other side exists!! I think we all have our anxieties - mine is Aaron's parents, who haven't spoken a single word to eachother when his mom left his dad one day w/no warning. They both "hate" eachother now. They haven't even lived in the same city since! I can't wait to see how that works out! But I'm a lot like you, Christa - in that I have to be in control of everything, otherwise I freak out. I have to have everything planned and organized - and I know this part won't be. I know that they're both civil adults and I'm sure they'll be fine. It's true though - if they do end up scratching eachother's eyes out, at least Aaron and I still have our love!!! (and a good story to tell the kids!) Christa, that better not be like you're forum finale! You're still going to be a regular to the forum, right...?! Courtney - haha, no it's not my forum finale! Swear! I may not be able to keep up as much as I did while I was planning, but I feel very invested in you girls! I can't wait to see how all of your weddings turn out. One thought on your weird parental situation...and I may have said this in my review, but these people are adults! They do not need you to hold their hand, or anticipate their difficulties and plan around them...they can manage themselves. Although that sounds completely obvious, I think in a way I felt like I had to make sure everybody was "ok" - like they were all my responsibility. Rafael's brother in law said under his breath at our welcome dinner "you're working to hard" - that's when I realized all of this....

So, it's been 3 weeks since we got married in Cabo, and the whole experience has kind of come together in my head (beyond the initial elation) that I kinda thought I should share. Hands down, the most wonderful validation I felt about having a DW was seeing my mom and friends getting along with Rafael's family...I mean, having a supremely kick ass time to the point where everybody wants to get together again next year! Our families had not met previously, so I think this is where a majority of my anxiety came in. I am so glad we did it this way so that our people could spend time together & develop a bond. I love my new family! This experience showed me that my friends really are my family. My mom is my only blood family that came to our wedding. My best friend (and MOH) Courtney was amazing - I really don't know if I could have done it without her. She gave a beautiful speech at our reception full of wisdom that can only be gained through years of marriage (she's been married almost 10 years!). One of my child hood friends, Jessica, sang a Chinese marriage song at our reception...unbelievable! I can't wait to see the video. Basically what I'm trying to say with these little memory tidbits is that having a small wedding was so totally perfect for us. There were all of these amazing moments in time with our loved ones that will never be forgotten, and probably never would have been experienced if we'd had a huge wedding at home. I don't know if there is anything I would do different that was under my direct control. I think that my biggest problem is that I am a type-A personality, so everything was great as long as I was in charge. Unfortunately once the planning was done & events started happening, I wasn't in control anymore! That is probably why I had a huge anxiety attack the day before the wedding. Perhaps if I would have seen that coming I could have done something - hypnosis? I don't know... In a way, maybe that experience was meant to happen to show me a few things: 1)the man I was getting ready to marry is my rock! 2) my MOH is truly my best friend & is so there for me; 3) my mother, as strong as she portrays herself to be, was feeling a sense of loss at her only child's wedding. Beyond the wedding, being able to spend time with people in the days afterward was wonderful for us. It may sound weird that we didn't immediately isolate ourselves to start the honeymoon, but we had plenty of time, so we didn't feel that urge. Most importantly, we were able to have a small family vacation with the two boys - that was so great for all of us. I think it gave us an opportunity to cement as a family unit...we all feel closer as a result. Finally, I have to say that when you marry your best friend, you really have it all! I waited a long time to get married. In fact, I was pretty much resigned to the fact that I would never find that person that I would want to marry. Finding Rafael obviously changed all of that for me...but it took work, and will continue to take work - I am proud to do that work. It is so wonderful to have that feeling of peace and comfort in my heart, sould & mind. I know that I can be myself no matter what, and he will always love & accept me. And I know that we each have strengths that, together, will help us build an amazing future. Ok, sappy I know...but real. I just want all of you girls that are still in the planning phase to know that there is life after planning!! Remember that this is all for the party of your lives - to celebrate unity with the man you love.

Well, if it represents your ability to compromise within your relationship, then you have my full support Everybody will remember where they got them anyways!

You go girl!! But, your names aren't on there?? Wassup?? Our koozies were a huge hit...we passed them out at our welcome dinner. And having extras was good, cuz some people totally got sad if they lost theirs.

I took 13 working days off. We were in Cabo for 16 days total. I can't emphasize this enough - TAKE ALL THE TIME YOU CAN! At first I thought we were being frivolous to have a 2 week honeymoon on top of the time prior to the wedding...ummm, it was completely necessary! I totally didn't realize how UNRELAXED I would be in the days leading up to the wedding while we were in Cabo. It probably took me another 3 or 4 days after the wedding to come into full vacation mode. Meanwhile, hubby is busy taking naps on the beach...sigh...

OK, I thought your mom was your sister!! She looks so young! Great pics - looks like the perfect bach weekend...

Hey Ava, We had our welcome dinner at Baja Cantina Beach (there is also a Dockside location). We loved it! It's a brand new restaurant, so everything is very nice. It has beautiful dark plank wood floors that really stand out in my mind for some reason. You can eat on the beach if you want, but we actually ended up not doing that because it was a bit windy. The whole restaurant is open air and it's right on the beach, so no matter what you will feel close to the ocean. The night we were there, a Thursday, there was a really good jazzy trio playing; there were several people hanging out around the bar & tables near the music. I felt like it was more of an adult crowd (amongst the spring break madness!), and the whole place had a great vibe. Our pricing for 19 people was $43 plus tax & service per person. We had 2 hours of open bar and a taco bar that included fish, beef & chicken options plus salad, chips & salsa, and an unexpected desert.

I've visited Jamaica 4 times, so here's my insider advice: "soon come mon" - this is a frequent saying, it means you'll get your drink/meal eventually. Just relax & enjoy the view Bring bug spray! Mosquitos & "noseeums" will eat the vulnerable alive. Medicate yourself for the ride from the airport to the resort (beer, liquor, prescriptions, whatever) - it freaks most people out! Jamaica is awesome, but for some people it's just frusterating to have "relaxed" service. That's the biggest thing to make people aware of in my opinion. Just order 2 drinks every time & you should be fine

I voted NO - they are not necessary. I originally thought I would do programs, but like Tammy, I was just totally over DIY projects. We had a small group, and plenty of pre-wedding activities for every body to get aquainted. They are a nice touch if you have the energy, but nobody will miss them - promise!

Quote: Originally Posted by AQHARIDER I called Frontier Airlines to see if they would let me carry the dress on. They told me no. He said I either have to check it, or have it in a carryon bag. So, I guess it's the rolly bag for me! Sarah - Alaska Air said the same thing to me when I called. Like someone else mentioned, the person on the phone is basically worthless. The gate attendant & flight attendants on the day of your flight are the people that will decide. I stressed out way too much about this in advance. Here's what I did: I had my seamstress bag my dress for me in the bridal shop bag, put on my "BRIDE" tank top & my best smile and I had no problems what so ever. My dress was HUGE! They were not able to hang it, so they just laid it in an overhead bin all by itself. All of the flight attendants were awesome - they congratulated us multiple times coming & going. Just treat your dress as your carry on item & be super nice & smiley and everything will be fine!

The bust area of my dress was too big for me as well. My seamstress didn't remove any fabric at all though - she just sewed in some heavy duty elastic that pulled the dress closer to my body - I doubt just having that done would not cost very much...

Congratulations Mrs!!! Very nice pics - I love all the smiles!!

Quote: Originally Posted by NHPT did she deliver or did you have to go get them? what is a bunch? how far is it if you had to go get them? They delivered.

Ladies - this may not EXACTLY answer your question, but I purchased 9 total bunches of flowers from Floreria Pamela in San Jose for $225. So that would be an average price per bunch of $25. I purchased 3 bunches of light pink roses, 3 bunches of light pink gerberas and 3 bunches of fuschia gerberas.

I've been to Cabo in March, July & December. July was extremely humid the year I was there - like rediculous! My hair was a mess...HOWEVER, I talked to locals about this while we were there for the wedding & they say that is unusaul. I think you should expect moderate humidity. Honestly, I would recommend going w/an updo so you don't have to worry about your hair.

I saw it!!! Beautiful Tasha

Gorgeous Christine! Leigh, you are so talented - the color & light in the pics is fantastic. And, each of these sessions you've shared, I notice that all of the girls eyes stand out awesomely! Is that makeup magic, photo magic or just all those girls have amazing eyes?? I'm jealous!

Tammy - I left the bustling situation up to my MOH, because frankly, I didn't really give a crap! Isn't that aweful? Anyway, I had her put it down right before I walked down to the beach to go down the aisle. Once the ceremony was over, and we started the cocktail hour, people kept stepping on my train & it was getting all icky, so I had her bustle it up. Hence, most of our beach pics are with the train bustled. After we thought we were done w/beach pics my MOH made us go back down & get pics w/the train down (she's so funny that way)...I did it for her Ultimately it will come down to practicality - just do whatever you need to do.

Sorry girls...I guess I moved some pics around in my photobucket account & screwed this up, sorry. I just popped some pics back in...also, you can see all of my pro pics at http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=i9q691l.awyugled&x=1&y=ipxjcs

Quote: Originally Posted by JANET1111 gorgeous!!!!!!!! How does it feel to be back? Thanks Janet! Sucks to be back I am having major difficulty adjusting from slow motion to normal life pace! Quote: Originally Posted by TAMMYM Christa everything looks great, you look amazing in your dress. Congrats and welcome to the Monday blues.. lol Thank you Tammy...getting caught up on the 10 million things that have happened at work since I've been gone. Brain melting...

Quote: Originally Posted by NHPT christa- yes yes yes i am interested in the flower! PM me with the info. i feel like a proud mama now that you are married because seriously we have been planning these darn weddings together since like september of last year!!!! HAHA! I am so happy for you- are you back at work yet? I will PM you shortly. I know - I can't believe it's over, but then again I can! Tomorrow is my first day back at work - boo! Quote: Originally Posted by AQHARIDER Yay Christa! Thanks for sharing- everything looked so FUN! I love your chair bows, and your bouquet turned out really cute. The flower in your hair looked perfect and you look smokin in your dress! I love the emotion that Bradley captured during your ceremony. I know we've had this discussion before, but what Mariachi group or trio did you hire? Thanks Sarah! I love Bradley's pics too - we basically gave him free reign and trusted his direction instead of giving him a list of "must have photos." I think the pics that are not posed and involve movement are the best. I hired the Mariachi Trio through Maye - I have no idea who they are.

Wow, we are certainly having a massive rush of weddings here! Congrats Louise - I'm sure your day was perfect...