MikkiStreak

I you both just need to go to the courthouse and apply for a license and find someone (minister, lawyer, judge) who can marry you. Then you take the license back to the courthouse to be filed. This is my assumption tho---- if you do a google search for "getting married in (enter city, state)", you should come across the courthouse website with details on what your state requires....

Quote: Originally Posted by nellieboo First a little background (I'll TRY and make it short!) My Mom died 3 years ago, and my Dad gave me her wedding rings. She had 2, her original ring and band, and the one he gave her for their 25th anniversary (he had taken a couple diamonds from the original for the new one). So I've had the rings in a box, not sure what to do with them. Until this year.... my Dad died in March. My sister told me she wanted my Mom's original rings, and wanted to put rubies in the spaces where my Dad had taken the diamonds out. I decided to take the other ring and have it coated with white gold since it was yellow and I don't wear yellow gold. My fiance jokingly said, hey we could use that for your engagement ring... At first I said no. But then I thought about it and decided I loved the idea. So I had the ring for a couple months, but I told him I wasn't going to wear it until he officially asked me and it better be creative! I bugged him alot...and he was getting annoyed. Finally Memorial weekend, he got up one morning and asked if I could watch his daughter while he went and did some "stuff". He was being weird, but I brushed it off and said we'd be at the pool. He came up a couple hours later with a beautiful red rose and the Sunday paper which he knows I love for the ads. He sat down and started talking...I was still sort of reading a book. Finally he said are you sure you want to spend the rest of your life with me (so I started to pay attention )? I said yeah....he said again, Are you really sure and took out a box. He had bought me diamond earrings since he didn't have to buy the ring. I wasn't expecting it, but he knew we were going to see my family later in the day for a picnic and thought it'd be a perfect day to tell them all. So it wasn't the creative, romantic proposal I had in my head...but it was simple and sweet and ended up being perfect! And we are getting married on what would've been my parents 50th anniversary so it should be a great day! Sorry so long!!!!! I love that! My mother is leaving me her rings too and it's such a neat thing to integrate them into your own marriage! I just sit there thinking, what better symbol is there for your own marriage than to bring the something from the successful marriage of your parents into it That is just fabulous!!

I checked it out and it's funny because some of the dresses on there for sale are from 1990-1993.... It's like you see all these beautiful dresses and then all of a sudden comes the eyesore and when you click on the picture, it's someone selling their 15 year old dress for about $200 less than what they paid for it.... Are they high? Do they really think that the post-Madonna era satin dresses are really going to be bought for that much today? hehehehe

Quote: Originally Posted by nellieboo Hi ladies... I'm wondering if anyone knows anyone that I can pay to make a design for me for my STD magnets, or know of any websites that do this. I want to use visitaprint, but want a different design than they offer and when it comes to computers I'm helpless. I want it to be simple, have a palm tree and say "Going to the Chapel" with the word chapel crossed out and "Beach" written on top, our names, date and place. I think I saw a similar design a bride had somewhere, but can't remember who that was or where I saw it. Anyone have any ideas? Thanks!! Danelle Ask PaulaV on here---- she was an art major in college and her designs are very original and look great!!! I was an art major in college also and could do it for you---- but I think Paula's stuff is great and if she's able to do it for you, go with her. Otherwise, let me know and I'll do up some designs for you and see what you think....

Congratulations! I love the way you did your legal, with your friend as the minister and celebrating with BBQ afterward--- I get such a kick out of the legal ceremonies because theyr are so intimate and private!

I agree with Jamey--- I think men are so conditioned to believing this is "our" day and not theirs, that they think they should step back and not be involved as much. Frank will even say things like that and I'm always the one to correct him that it's *my* day, it's *our* day and that I want him involved. Granted, we haven't really started planning anything, but I've told him I'd like him to be in charge of all the music and for him to look for ceremony wording that he likes so we can write our own ceremony and vows, etc... he's receptive, but he's also a procrastinator, so I expect he'll wait until the final hour and then pull it together. I also think that a lot of men wait until the last moment to do most everything because they don't realize how much effort it could take. You may want to sit down and go over a timeline so he understand how long it could take to find his attire and get it fitted as needed. Hate to say it, but for a lot of men, you have to do the same things you do with toddlers and small children--- point them in the direction to start and then pick things out and give them choices on those items you already picked.

I'd like to do a welcome dinner and a hosted activity. But we'll see how the money looks when we really start planning.... In the meantime, here's some ideas if you're looking to get everyone together and not pay an arm and a leg to do so: **Have after-dinner drinks instead of a full welcome dinner. If your resort has a bar, you can ask everyone to meet in the bar at 8-9pm and then plan some games to get people mingling (like trivial pursuit, etc...) **Plan a shopping trip into town with transportation provided. Ok, my creativity for ideas is tapped right now.... that's all for now...

I agree---- a friend of mine at work wound up falling in the DR at Thanksgiving and when they took her to the hospital, they wanted to do surgery to fix her injury. And, hate to say it, but when you add some alcohol to a wedding celebration, you're also increasing the chances of some type of injury! If I remember correctly from our TA, the same travel insurance used to pay for your expenses if you cancel at the last minute also carry the hospitalization and careflight charges also. I'm sure each policy is different, so people will definitely want to get it spelled out and to also check with their own personal insurance....

Quote: Originally Posted by michelle08 For those of you who used your IPOD's...approximately how many songs did you need? I have a nano and it holds I think 500 songs (I honestly don't know because I have never used it) So I am thinking depending on how many I need, and the fact that I have yet to put a single song on it...that might cost me alot of money and in my case may not be cheaper to do the ipod since it's .99 a song! I'm probably in the minority on this one because I know people are leery since the Napster thing, but.... There are also file sharing software available on the internet that allows you to download music without paying a charge. Granted, you have to know what configuration settings to change in the software and on your PC so security isn't a risk, but it's not that difficult to do. I use Limewire and have probably 3,000 songs I've downloaded from them. You just have to make sure that the person who uploaded their music for sharing actually is right on the artist/song title... every once in awhile, I get someone who thinks Kansas "Dust in the Wind" was actually a Limp Biskit song...

Quote: Originally Posted by SASSYGIRL Anyone know how to make the songs on the IPOD play with out pausing between each one? I went to the apple store today but it was crazy there because of the new IPhone and I couldn't get help! Also is there a way to cut stuff out of the beginning or end of a song...like when the singer is talking at the beginning (I really don't want to listen to them - get on with it already!) I have a software program that allows me to edit the music so I can remove pauses, fade the volume at the beginning and end of a song, etc... It was a cheap software program I bought years ago at Best Buy, but I can't remember the name of it... I'm sure there's got to be other ways of doing this, because the software method I have used is a total PITA because of how many songs I would need to have it done to. Good question and now I'll have to subscribe to this thread for when I need the info next year!!

Quote: Originally Posted by mlb36 I think that often when people say they can't afford something they really mean its not a priority for their money. I will often say I can't afford to do something because I would rather spend my money in some other way. This may not be the case with your family, but its something to consider. I agree, and this is one of the reasons why I decided it just didn't matter too much to me if my brothers didn't attend. Within 5 minutes after one of my brothers found out we were doing a DW, he emailed and said if I chose to have a DW, they wouldn't be able to afford to attend. 1 month later, he took his kids 4 states away for a Halloween party at his brother-in-law's. 2 months later, I read on his website that he flew all 5 members of his family to NY for a niece-in-law's wedding. And that's in the midst of buying new guitars because he wants to, shopping sprees to Versace for his kids, buying all new furniture for his house, re-decorating their kitchen, dining room and living room, etc... It's lame---- most people can cut back on areas of their spending to attend a special occasion, but most people just simply don't want to and it's easier to say they can't afford it than to do something as simple as downgrading their satellite TV package to get the $50/mo they need for traveling to a wedding.

Only 1 of the 6 memebers of my family are going to make it. In FI's family, 1 of his siblings won't even consider attending, and there's another one that I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't make it too. When this first came up, I was extremely hurt. I helped raise one of my brothers kids and attended every important event for his family from dance recitals to being in his own wedding. My other brother, I had hosted his wedding reception and handled everything myself from making the food to decorating, etc... for his wedding. My parents I can understand because of age and health. But it didn't lessen the fact that I was offended by everyone's disinterest and ambivilance. I know this sounds callous, but eventually I realized that it just didn't matter to me whether they were there or not. I could jump an airplane tomorrow and elope and be just as happy as I would if everyone on our guest list did attend.

Quote: Originally Posted by dragonfly I just sent out my std e-vite, and then my formal invite Liam and I made. It was really, really cute. Liam has an art computer program and he drew a picture of the sand, water, sun, palm tree and himself, all curly haired and stick figured. His body was a heart with this stick figure legs and arms. We then smudged his picture to make it look like a watercolour, it was really pretty when we were done. Across it we put "My mommy and daddy are getting married!" and then all of the info was on the back of the picture. We worded the invite with the children's names asking everyone to join them in celebrating their parents marriage. I printed them on shiny cardstock paper. The total project was about $5.00. I love them and so did everyone else. We printed in the bottom corner art by Liam, age 4, so everyone would know that it was Liam's creation. Liam was so proud and I now have a beautiful keepsake that our son made. These invites were very appropriate for Everton and I considering this wedding is a family affair. I think you can spend lot's of money on invites but there are ton's of idea's out there that really don't have to cost much at all. Kelly~ Kelly- what a fabulous way to do your invites!!! Almost makes me wish I had a small child!!! You need to post them, I'm dying to see the results of Liam's hard work!!!

Paula--- I love the ones you made! Great layout, color and font!!! You should think about making some money doing this---- you have the art background and a great eye for making them unique!!

What about finding out when spring break for the kids are? I know Cancun is a huge party zone for spring break, but what about playa, tulum, RM? If they aren't as crazy, maybe that could be an option? Or, some schools I think have a fall break now that they lengthened the school year from August - June...

Quote: Originally Posted by mlb36 Thanks for the advice. I was wondering if the font was a little boring. I'll search around for a more original font. Do you think I should put the dots on the dark blue one, or is it getting too busy? I think the dots grab your eyes first because they stand out so much. If you want the shell to stand out and grab viewers first, then maybe do the dots in a lighter/paler shade of blue. Or, you could make the line for the circle thicker, then do a smaller one outside/inside of that also to punch it up. Here's some other ideas tooo---- We have used these on STD's, letters to the guests, and the one in my siggy will be used on our OOT bags... Damn---- I thought I could upload pics again since I saw others doing it---- but guess not... If you want to see the ones I made, check out our website: Frank and Maria - Our Wedding Journey Click on "DIY Brides" and enter the password: ourwedding Feel free to take what you need---- the monogram instructions I have on there have some templates you can use to just change the name/info and use as your own....

I love the design---- I don't know about the font for your names tho---- It's just me, but it's such a common font that people use in day-to-day communication. Have you tried other fonts or downloaded new ones to kind of spice it up and make it different? The starfish in the background looks great! I think I like the darker blue better for the outline/letters...

Quote: Originally Posted by Deighton You impress me Maria Because I take my anal-ness about organization to the extreme?

Quote: Originally Posted by mlb36 I think I'll have around 30 guest. I just want to use the restaurants & bars already provided by the hotel, even if it means we will have less privacy. Can you do that? If you don't make a reservation or ask to be seated together is that OK? I'm worried they will make you pay extra because you are a wedding party. I've read some people saying they did their whole DW for $2,500. If you leave out reception, cocktail hour & dinner cost I think thats totally realistic. I'm just concerned the hotel won't let you just eat dinner like anyone else staying there would. Will someone please let me know how it works. It depends on the resort. Most of the AI's that I saw allow you to have a reception dinner in their restuarant, but only for a certain number of guests before they force you to pay for a private reception. The Iberostar's have the number set at 8 guests included in the package price and then they charge you per person for each additional dinner. Other resorts will allow you to have 20-25 people in a restaurant before they charge per person for additional meals...

FI's aunt was like this---- she had a cat and when she moved into an apartment where she couldn't have the cat, she put it to sleep because she "couldn't stand" to think of him somewhere being mis-treated.... (ironically, this came from the aunt who let her cat and dog shit and piss all over the carpet and never cleaned it up, never took them to the vet, and never paid attention to the animals...)

Those look great Anny! So how long are you guys going to be on your honeymoon? You know I'll be counting down the days til you get back and post some photos! Yours is one wedding that I can't wait to see the picutres of because of how much DIY stuff you've done and how great it all turns out!! You have a real knack for wedding planning and DIY!!!

Jamey, check out Cooper Canyon. Never been there, but that is an area that FI are looking into for a honeymoon. The Unolodge is really remote--- 6000ft in the Sierra Madres and nothing is around for 6 miles. Unolodge is an eco-friendly place, and very simple/plain. We like the idea of being that secluded from everyone. But when we were looking at the Cooper Canyon area, there were some really beautiful haciendas in that area that would probably be a little more populated, but not densely populated with tourists.... (I think, based on what I saw)

When I saw the first small photo, I thought "wow, she went Shirley Temple with the hair".... then I saw it pulled back and it looked absolutely stunning! You are so beautiful in your gown!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by LadyP What if you ar egoing bare foot do they sign the bunion Ewww.... nasty!! (but funny---- I cracked up when I read that!)

I know the best man is planning a stripper---- last I heard, he's planning to take Frank and Vegas and do the bachelor party there. So I know it will be pretty wild. But I know Frank and nothing bothers me about it. In fact, I keep threatening the best man that I'm going to combine the parties because I'm so "cool" about strippers.... hehehe I myself, have some friends who used to be strippers. When they were dancing, I'd head down to the club and see them. I'll tell ya tho--- there's nothing that advocates the evolution theory more than seeing a man's reaction when a stripper lap dances another girl---- in a moment's time, you see him switch from human to cromagnum (sp?) man. hehehe... My friend Jen would lap dance me on occasion and we'd laugh our asses off at the guys practically wiping the drool off their faces.... I swear they were probably dragging their knuckles on the ground again when they left the place... hehehe