1elephant

nothing huge here...we were thinking about a cruise in december, but w/ fi's job and the cost of traveling, we may put that on hold. we're probably going to captiva island, florida for a dw in january. it's supposed to be gorgeous. in the meantime, we're going camping in the poconos in 2 weeks.

i already told you i liked #1, but i voted anyway. #2 and #4 both look yellow-y.

ugh, your dress is so gorgeous i can't stand it! i LOVE the layers. anyway, i like the 2nd suit (tan) w/ it. maybe your fi could wear ivory, if you wanted him to match you...but odds are w/ all of the jazz on your dress, the ivories (i just wrote ovaries twice) won't be the same. if you're paying for the gm, tell them to get measured and send you the measurements. i'd also buy one suit (fi's) before buying the rest of them b/c it'll be more $$ to return 3+ suits than just returning 1.

if they're paying for it, find a suit you like and then tell them where to find it. that way they deal w/ returning if it doesn't fit.

katrina, you looked beautiful! great pics.

what are the return policies for the places that you're looking at? if they have a lenient policy, i'd say order them...or order fi's and see if he likes it first and take it from there. dh was the only one wearing a suit, otherwise it would have been a problem here too. he told the gms to buy specific pants and shirts from banana republic. he wore the same shirt, but under a white linen suit. guys always have an easier time. i wonder if banana ships to canada?

abbie they're gorgeous! i like the one where the two of you are surrounded by the two rays of sunlight.

maura, you look fantastic! all that work paid off!

Quote: Originally Posted by Thomasjsgirl I'm perfectly happy to pay for a private area and extra waitstaff -- that's only fair. What rubs me the wrong way is the extra $ for food and booze. If you have a smaller wedding party that can be accomodated in a restaurant, you still have to pick from a set menu, so I don't really see how they can use that as a reason to doublecharge for a private reception. The same goes for a bar -- paying for set-up and a bartender (or two) is reasonable. But charging us per drink too? I still think it's double dipping. I haven't had any serious conversations with them about the reception yet, so I guess we'll see what the outcome is soon enough. i just posted about this elsewhere - has dreams changed their policy w/in the last 6 months about alcohol? did they send you something that states private receptions require you to pay by the drink? only b/c we didn't have to, and i certainly would not have. i thought the dreams cancun girls were having the wool pulled over their eyes, but if it's in punta cana too....? our dinner choices were completely different than anything they had in any of the restaurants, so ours was different food. i don't know what they're offering you for dinner tho...

instant messenger. my sister (moh) lives 2 hrs away, so not across the country, but it was hard to meet during the school year. i always made her sign on and sent link after link after link for opinions. or, give her a task, such as "find a veil to go w/ my dress". i'd have her send me links or pics.

i still dont understand why you guys are paying for alcohol during a reception. i think you're wc is trying to pull something over on you.............i'd ask to speak w/ her boss and ask for an explanation as to why you have to pay for alcohol. jill is right tho, you're better off starting w/ the package.

i'm sorry mary sucks...i don't have advice other that what was said already...and not that it would help you now, but in the school districts, we're often told that if a parent tries to confront you, you flat out tell them you're not comfortable speaking without another party, be it a principal, union rep, manager, whatever, end of conversation. it's a way to avoid that situation from now on, should she ever do it again. good luck!

your cake was SO pretty! and i love the shot of you two and everyone else in bathing suits!

Quote: Originally Posted by tvt Ok girls, aside from weight loss, how do I know that Alli is working? Haven't had any weight loss yet, however it's only been a week and I know it can take a few to see results. I have not had a single side effect. Nothing is out of the normal for me... if you catch my drift. I wish there was some way to know if it was working. lol, go to the nearest mcdonalds. you'll find out shortly after eating.

dh said the tungsten thing is a myth...his ring is tungsten and platinum and is SO heavy...in fact, so heavy that he never wears it. so i just ordered one from abbie's place - thanks abbie! we'll see if he actually wears it. i'd def. go w/ titanium or tungsten. i don't think either scratches. gold and platinum should be out - they'll get scratched too easily.

i'm so sorry marie.....

here's another, but you can't really see. dh has all of the good pics on his comp.

here's a pick from the neck down:

i like 3 and 5. you should add a poll to keep track!

dear nj bride, if you continue to hit yourself over the head w/ a frying pan, you'll continue to have a headache. don't do this either: lauren

we invited about 115 people, and had 28 and 2 kids. the number vacillated tremendously - one week we thought we'd have 80, the next 15...it turned out perfectly w/ 30. we only had a rehearsal dinner (for everyone) the night before and the actual wedding. we usually ate together, and chilled on the beach together, but we planned by the day - one day the boys woke up and decided to do the tequila tour, one group went into town, etc.

Quote: Originally Posted by Thomasjsgirl I inquired about having our reception in one of the restaurants and was told it's not possible because my group is too large (44 people). I feel like we're being forced to have a private reception, and pay extra for the food. And here's the kicker -- if you're not near one of the bars, you will have to pay extra for the liquor too! It definitely makes you feel ripped off. again, i can't speak for anywhere other than pv, and things could have changed in 6 months, but we didn't have to pay for liquor. that's pushing it a bit far. you're mostly paying for the staff. it does take quite a few people to set up the ceremony, and the reception. we had 2 bartenders and at least 2 waiters. it is different food as well. while i agree that it is a large amount of money for staff, you should keep in mind that you are 44 people, and to accomodate that many people in one restaurant would essentially be kicking other paying dreams customers out. they'll tell you that they can't accomodate large parties b/c they don't take reservations and they don't take reservations because they can't accomodate large parties. put yourself on the other end - if you were at an AI, and in the middle of dinner when a huge party came in and surrounded you, what would you think? we were a group of 20 one night, and they couldn't even seat us in the same section. we had 3 tables in different areas of the restaurant. believe me, i felt the same as you, but once i saw how they operate, i understood. (sorry if that came off bitchy, i don't mean it to - really!) Quote: Originally Posted by k_8ie oooooo can I have one? sure, pm me your email address

idk what they would have given...it didn't work out b/c of the id. for all of you dreams girls, i have a contract that i emailed to gaby about 3 weeks prior to the wedding, just w/ an outline of expectations and the costs involved. someone (maybe from here, maybe the pv message board) sent it to me. if and when you need it, pm me.

personally, if it were my room, i'd stick w/ cream and wood, w/ splashes of blue on the other side. a plant (cactus?) or candle in the color of your choice can't hurt. if you get a skinny lamp, rather than a chunky looking one, there will be plenty of space. if you get a chunky lamp, then it'll look too cramped.

ok, i don't know how modern your taste is, but i just found this website that has awesome lamps. they have some w/ orange, and other accent colors. i also didn't look at prices, but it could possibly give you some ideas. Floor Lamp - Contemporary Floor Lamps From Eco-Lights.com on that note, i'm going to shower ... but i'll be back to see what you've decided!