starchild

Cute! He doesn't look unhappy, those are fun!

We're there for the party/photo session. If you narrow in on a date let me know )

Wow those are great! Love the colors and your bouquet, and the one with your girls & you looking up at the camera. Oh, and your mom is HOT! Looks like your sister...lol

Aww, you were a beautiful bride!! I love your photos and you didn't have to break the bank to get them. The little ones are soooo cute, and the tan line thing is hilarious!! Congratulations on a wonderful day )

The final countdown had to be number 1 . . . such a terrible song!! Thanks for sharing, the list was funny!!

There are so many cool places to go I know how hard it is to settle on one!! I think there are dangerous places almost everywhere, not just Jamaica. Some people think Mexico is dangerous but we got married there without a problem. We had no problem with safety in Jamaica, on or off the resort. The Jamaicans I spoke with were actually saddened that people are afraid of them. A co-worker's niece went to Belize and stayed in a very upscale resort, was kidnapped from her room at night, beaten, and raped - but it doesn't mean it happens to everyone who goes to Belize. The first time I went to Hawaii a crazy local tried to physically attack me for being on his spot on the beach. You never know, I always believe if something is meant to happen to you it will no matter where you are. If you're worried I think a cruise is the best way to be shielded from potential trouble, plus you can see way more places like the others said.

Quote: Originally Posted by akh you callin' getting half naked pics taken for your man traditional? lol i'm not a gift giver in general - i mean, i love giving gifts when the mood strikes me, like i see something i totally want to get someone, but not when i "have" to (birthdays, holidays, etc.). lol..I guess that's not traditonal, well around here it is, but not traditionally traditional Quote: Originally Posted by lizz10179 I'm thinking we may skip the gifts because (1) he's not one to even know he's supposed to get me something (2) we're paying for this wedding all by ourselves (3) we have everything we need. BUT, that being said, I really want the Coach Legacy Leather Satchel for my gift There's nothing wrong with knowing what you want....hahaha

Am I the only one who didn't exchange a gift or take pics for my FI/hubby? We decided to spend the $$ on other people and not to buy each other gifts. We gave each other the free stuff - love, lovemaking, and devotion . . . lol. We're saps for love but don't do too well with tradition.

Our were pretty simple - welcome brochure, meds, playing cards, dominoes, personalized pens, notepads, neck safes, handi-wipes, can't think what else....if you're going to be in PV a day or two before the wedding go to the flea market. You'll get some nice, inexpensive local things there.

As for the bar, there were times Nicole/staff brought me drinks, times my friends did, and times we were hanging by the bar lining up shots so everyone grabbed their own. I don't think you can arrange for a blender, but it doesn't hurt to ask. They are big on nature and blenders don't fit into that, lol. My decorations were quite simple, similar to Lindsay's. The only thing extra I paid was like $25 for petals to go on the tables. Everything else was free, or should I say came with the package. We had 35. We wanted one big table too because we like family style gatherings rather than a restaurant feel, we were seated at the head. There ended up being one table next to the big long one. It looked nice and everyone was together, which was important to us. Here are some of my pics, if you need shots of specific things let me know:

Thanks Maria! They have a lovely selection.

I know, so many people blame locations on sickness when they are drinking like fish, barely sleeping, eating things they rarely eat, and sitting in the sun for hours on end. That would make most people sick in their hometowns...lol But as you say, it's something to be aware of.

You guys are too smart for me..hahaha I've never heard of glare-resistant glass but I'll be googling it shortly. I think I'll go with matte, but I always do glossy so I'm confused. I'm ordering them online from a site recommended to me by a photographer dude I know.

LOL I just found it alarming that 100-200 people got sick in the past 3 days at one resort. If 150 people got sick when I was at Dreams it would have been nuts. They said preliminary findings suggest it is not food related so it's nothing against the resort but it's a curious situation. I don't know how big the Bahia Principe is, but that's a lot of ill people in a short time span by any standards.

Welcome and happy planning!

I saw this on the Times Online which is a British publication. Not sure how accurate/serious it is but I thought it was worth mentioning. It is dated today, 8/8/07. Analysis: why the Dominican Republic gets a bad rapGinny McGrath News of a stomach bug outbreak in the Dominican Republic has sparked a slew of stories damning the country’s hygiene, but the destination is no less safe than the Costas. Reports suggest that between 100 and 200 guests at the Bahia Principe San Juan Hotel have fallen ill since the weekend, with symptoms of diarrhoea and vomiting that last between 24 to 48 hours. It remains unclear what has caused the outbreak, although a spokesman for the Ministry of Tourism in the Dominican Republic says early findings from the team of hygiene inspectors, in collaboration with the Federation of Tour Operators, suggests the outbreak is not related to food hygiene. The hotel has also been singled out for attention because it is the subject of a lawsuit brought by UK holidaymakers who suffered gastric illnesses in June. While local tourism ministers put this down to coincidence, the four largest tour operators in the UK: First Choice, Thomson, Thomas Cook and MyTravel, will not send guests to the Bahia Principe for the next few days at least. Those holidaymakers with bookings for the hotel in the next week should contact their tour operator to arrange alternative accommodation. For anyone who is travelling to other properties in the Dominican Republic, normal booking conditions apply, which almost certainly means that your deposit or full cost of the holiday is lost if you wish to cancel. The widespread press coverage of this week’s stomach bug outbreak follows a spate of incidents in the Dominican Republic in the 1990s, which earned the destination a bad reputation for hygiene, and one it deserved. I’m one of many people whose holidays were ruined by illness – I was on a package holiday in the Dominican Republic in 1999 when I contracted a two-day vomiting bug most likely brought on by food poisoning. When I complained to the reps, I wasn’t the only one who was ill. Bad publicity in 1997 caused package holiday arrivals in the Dominican Republic to plummet and some tour operators withdrew the destination from their brochures, although low prices maintained a steady flow of business. “The Dominican Republic did have a problem seven or eight years ago,” says Sean Tipton, spokesman for the Association of British Travel Agents, “because it was a newly developed tourism destination and it couldn’t handle the numbers of tourists, but it has made massive steps in hygiene and is now comparable to first world countries.” Over-reaction by the media is also cited by the Dominican Republican’s Tourism Ministry as the reason for the country’s continuing bad rap over poor hygiene. A spokesman said: “The media goes into a frenzy when people get ill here, but they don’t do the same when it happens in Turkey or Spain.” In its advice to travellers heading to the Dominican Republic, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) makes no country-specific warnings to travellers about hygiene, and warns only of a marginal risk of contracting malaria, dengue fever or rabies in some parts of the country. Far from being health-related, the most common incident for which Britons required consular assistance last year was to replace lost passports. Only two people required hospitalisation in 2005-2006 of the 280,923 visitors, which means there were no serious outbreaks of illness requiring medical attention in the period. Further to that, the four tour operators say they carry out regular hygiene inspections of resorts. A Thomas Cook spokeswoman told Times Online that illness in the Dominican Republic was no higher than other destinations. “In a normal sized property we would get a certain level of people, say five in 500, who report illness to our reps, which can be due to the hot weather, food, drink or something else. Cases of illness in the Dominican Republic are no higher than anywhere else.” she said. For those Britons travelling to the Dominican Republic, the FCO warns against drinking tap water and eating street food to avoid gastro-intestinal viruses, as it does for many tropical destinations. Further to that, the Deaprtment for Health issues the following advice to travellers: Advice to help avoid stomach bugs abroad: Always wash your hands after going to the toilet and before handling food or eating. If you're not sure whether the water is safe, sterilise it by boiling it or using purification tablets, or use bottled water (preferably fizzy) instead. Always use clean water for washing food and cleaning your teeth as well as drinking. Avoid ice unless you're sure it's made from treated, chlorinated water. This includes ice used to keep food cool as well as ice in drinks. Make sure food has been freshly and thoroughly cooked and is still piping hot - avoid food that has been kept warm. Avoid uncooked food, unless you can peel or shell it yourself. Avoid food that is likely to have been exposed to flies. Avoid ice cream from unreliable sources, such as kiosks or street traders. Avoid - or boil - unpasteurised milk. Fish and shellfish can be suspect in some countries. Uncooked shellfish, such as oysters, are especially risky. Analysis: why the Dominican Republic gets a bad rap - Times Online

Quote: Originally Posted by Adamsgrrl Fortunatly MY parents are paying for the wedding and paying for Bridal party to go. They are very generous. I'll say! Your parents win the generousity award for sure!!

Tammy I love your sig pic!!

Welcome Crystal! You'll find tons of info on Dreams here. Happy planning )

Yeah my pro prints are matte...that would probably work better in the sunlight. Glossy prints may produce too much of a glare.

We want to use few wedding photos to incorporate into our AHR. I don't want to use the nice ones I got with my photo package so I'm ordering my own. I think they'll end up in hanging frames in the garden. I need to choose matte or glossy . . . what do you recommend?

Ooh, and JC Penney also make some cheap gowns: JCPenney: Wedding Dresses, Wedding Gowns, Cheap Wedding Dresses

They totally have cheap dresses, and cute too. And, the veils are super duper cheap. I wish I would have seen that before I spent a small fortune on my veil (

Hey guys, I was just reflecting on the whole wedding planning process and I have to say we all made the best choice ever for picking Las Caletas! It's amazing for all the reasons we've all stated, but when you hear the hassles people have with vendors/coordinators it makes me so grateful. I could have done nothing but shown up on June 2nd and it still would have been perfect. The WCs are first rate and even if it cost twice as much it would have been so worth it. I've been at hotels, drinking by the pool, and being a lookie loo for other people's weddings. I wouldn't have liked being the bride and looking up to see drunken vactioners staring at my special day. When I looked off all I saw friends, family, and the beach. The privacy made it so much more awesome. Anyway, that's all I wanted to say. I worried it would sound conceited but I figure other brides probably don't read this thread anyway so it's safe to say among LC people...lol All the weddings I've seen on BDW have been dreamy and fabulous no matter where they were, but there's something magical about LC....anyone feel me on this?

We we're all set to pay for it ourselves but my father insisted. He said he's planned on paying for my wedding since 1979 when I was born, so I let him have his way...lol. We paid for some of the wedding stuff and our flight/accomodations in Mexico. My hubby paid for the honeymoon.