beachbride08

They're definitely not up to par compared to your other invitations, but they are not that bad. People will know you didn't do them so I wouldn't worry about it and it makes your STDs and invites look that much better.

Quote: Originally Posted by MichelleK We pretty much know who is coming by looking at who has booked. I have a handful of "maybes" as well. Are you all sending invites to people you know aren't coming as well? I know there's some people who want one even though they're not coming. Is it tacky to send them to them? We sent an invitation to everyone we sent a save-the-date to even though we knew they weren't coming. Those were the people that responded the quickest aside from the people that already booked. It's the maybes, or we have no ideas that we are still waiting on.

Quote: Originally Posted by MichelleK SO, I haven't ordered my invites yet, mainly because I didn't know what information I needed to include because I haven't heard back from my WC until yesterday. Anyway, my wedding is Dec 13th, and the WC recommended that the RSVP date be Oct 1st. However, my invites may take between 1-3 weeks to print and deliver! SO that puts me at mailing them out the 3rd week in September. (assuming 3 weeks to print them) Let's cut to the chase- how short is too short of time to have your guests RSVP? Or should I just push back the RSVP date to October 7th or 15th? Usually 4 weeks is the standard. We mailed our invitations out in June and put the deadline August 15 to give people more time. We are still waiting for about 20 responses and the deadline has passed. I'm sure with having this much time people forget, so maybe having a shorter deadline would help. Do you already have an idea of who's coming/booked already? Did you send out save-the-dates?

Wow! Your bags were awesome. I can't believe you actually blew up the beach balls. I bought the same chap-stick from the dollar store for my OOT bags, I wish I would have found the first aid kits there. Those are really cute.

This is a good thread! 1. Don't be too nice by trying to accommodate everyone's needs when picking a resort. Pick a place that fits within your budget and that you will be happy being married at. 2. You will get rude comments said to you or about you behind your back by people who you would and would not expect to say anything negative. This would happen no matter where or when you get married though. 3. Sometimes blood is not always thicker. We have more friends than family coming our wedding. 4. You will learn doing things on your own can save you a lot of money and can actually be fun or really aggravating. 5. Destination weddings are still cheaper than having a wedding in Chicago, and the ability to get a tan in November. 6. People lie! 7. People will spend money on what they want and that won't always include your wedding no matter how many times they say they will. 8. People will not adhere to your deadlines. 9. Airline fees and gas prices really suck. 10. Make sure you get your invitations weighed and measured so you have the right amount of postage before ordering photo stamps. 11. No matter how much aggravation planning a destination wedding can be, I still think it is a lot easier and more fun than a wedding at home. 12. Do what makes you and your FI happy, and forget about everyone else.

Quote: Originally Posted by Ryan's girl Hey Michelle! I also would love to see the wedding ceremony. I think we are leaning towards the steakhouse as well but I've heard the Italian is really good too! Was there a specific reason you chose the Steakhouse? Araceli recommended the Steakhouse for our group size (right now, 55 people). Do you have confirmation on your time from the Judge already? My friend got married at the Lindo in January and said they are pretty good at keeping people away (or at least out of photos) during the beach ceremony. It is definitely a concern of mine but she said that they have "security guards" making sure people don't walk behind/too close. We picked the Steakhouse for the wedding dinner since from the pictures I have seen that seemed to be the most private. Most of our guests are big steak fans so it was a win win. However, my FI and I are not. That was one of the questions I had for the WC since we wanted to request chicken for our dinner, steak for everyone else except for FI's parents and kids. FI's parents do not eat meat on Fridays so we had to request fish for them. I also asked about a kid's menu and she said they offer chicken nuggets, hamburgers, pizza or pasta for the kids. She said we could placecards so the servers would know who got which dish. I thought it might be an issue to do the special meal requests since they require having the pre-selected menu. She also said the appetizers and desserts are buffet style. We haven't decided if we are doing a rehearsal dinner just for parents and wedding party, or a welcome dinner after the rehearsal for all guests staying at the resort or what. If do a dinner though I think we are going to pick the Italian restaurant for that. I also asked if they could do a cupcake tower for the cake. Araceli was going to check with the chef to see if they could do it, and was going to let me know. OTherwise, she said an outside baker could do that, but it would be an additional charge. I really like the cupcake tower cakes, but I don't know how I feel about paying extra money for one since we get the standrad cake in the package so I'm still debating on that. I guess it will depend on how much the cupcake tower would be. Another question I had was regarding the table decorations and centerpieces. They do not have colored linens so any napkins, table runners, etc. that you would want you would need to bring them. She was going to ask the florist if they had clear glass vases for the floral arrangements for the table centerpieces so I wouldn't have to bring more glas items down with me. Any candles or other centerpiece items you need to provide. I did buy clear glass starfish shaped tealight holders, and small tealight holders that I am bringing, but I felt like the tables needed more decoration. I don't know what I want to do though, and I really don't want to have to bring more stuff with me. Has anyone thought about centerpiece ideas yet?

Here is the ceremony, I have it in a word document if anyone wants me to email them the attachment send me your email address. The WC said the sand ceremony could be added, and you can write your own vows if you'd like. Marriage Celebration of and Cancún, Quintana Roo, México GATHERING WORDS We have come together, family and friends, in the presence of God, to uphold you and ,as you make your vows of marriage. We celebrate with you the love you have discovered in each other, and we support your decision to commit yourselves to one another for the rest of your lives. Marriage is a holy estate born in the love of God. Our ceremony today is based on the relationship that you and share, and on your faith in God, for it is a covenant. We affirm this love you have for each other as part of God’s will for your lives. Let us pray. OPENING PRAYER O Lord Almighty, we ask you to bless this marriage, and seal the commitment of these, Your children, with Your divine love. We pray that the words and spirit of our gathering may be filled with meaning, which will deepen with the passing years, through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen. CHARGE TO THE COUPLE and ,today is a very special day in your lives. Now you have decided to live your lives together as husband and wife, promising to face the future together, accepting whatever may lie ahead. Soon you will be declared man and wife, but you will have to decide each day that stretches out before you that you truly want to be married. Love makes the burdens lighter, because you divide them. It makes joys more intense because you share them. It makes you stronger so you can reach out and become involved in life in ways you dared not risk alone. SCRIPTURE LESSON As a matter of fact the word of God shares much with us about love and specifically how we are to love one another. I would like to read a passage from the 13th Chapter of the first book of Corinthians. This chapter is called the Love Chapter. Pay close attention to the part where it gives us instruction as to how we should love one another; and may this be your guide throughout your life together. “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, love does not parade itself. It is not proud. It is not rude. It is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails..... And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these ........is love. DECLARATION OF CONSENT The covenant of marriage is one that can be entered into only by persons who are both legally and spiritually free to offer themselves to one another. ,do you come of your own free will and with a conscious desire to be united in marriage with ? Answer: I do ,do you come of your own free will and with a conscious desire to be united in marriage with ? Answer: I do and do you both promise to care for each other in the joys and sorrows of life, come what may, and to share the responsibility for growth and enrichment of your life together ? Answer: We do EXCHANGE OF VOWS Minister to Couple- Will you please, facing each other, now join hands ? Minister to Groom- , please repeat after me: I, ,TAKE YOU, TO BE MY WIFE.......TO HAVE AND TO HOLD.......FROM THIS DAY FORWARD......FOR RICHER OR POORER...IN SICKNESS AND IN HEALTH......AND FORSAKING ALL OTHERS......GIVING MYSELF ONLY TO YOU.......FOR AS LONG AS WE BOTH SHALL LIVE...... Minister to Bride: ,please repeat after me: I, ,TAKE YOU, TO BE MY HUSBAND.......TO HAVE AND TO HOLD......FROM THIS DAY FORWARD.....FOR RICHER OR POORER.....IN SICKNESS AND IN HEALTH...... AND FORSAKING ALL OTHERS........GIVING MYSELF ONLY TO YOU ........FOR AS LONG AS WE BOTH SHALL LIVE...... You and have pledged your devotion to each other. I must remind you however, it is not these words that make your marriage real, but the God of love who has welded your hearts together as one. What God has joined, let no man separate. What token of your love and affection have you to offer each other ? These rings. Minister to Groom: place this ring on ´s finger. Now while holding her hand please repeat after me. I give you this ring......as a symbol of my solemn vow.....with my heart and soul.....and with all that I am.....and all that I have.....I honor you.....in gratefulness to you.....for the love that you are.....and for your presence in my life....With this ring I thee wed. Minister to Bride: place the ring on ´s finger. Now while holding his hand please repeat after me. I give you this ring.....as a symbol of my solemn vow.....with my heart and soul.....and with all that I am.....and all that I have..... I honor you ....in gratefulness to you..... for the love that you are..... and for your presence in my life.....With this ring I thee wed. A ring is a fitting symbol to represent the covenant you are making today, a circle, the emblem of eternity, reminding you that your love, devotion, and commitment to one another are to be forever. and your lives are now joined in one unbroken circle. Wherever you go may you always return to one another. May you grow in understanding and in compassion. May the home that you will have together be always full of love, laughter, family and friends. May these rings on your fingers symbolize the spirit of love that is in your hearts. We thank God again for this time of celebration and ask for His continued blessings in your lives as you now live together as one. We also give thanks for the moment that brings and together in marriage. We celebrate with them the hopes they have for their life together. We give thanks O Lord, for the relationship here celebrated. In your presence we are humbled by the recognition that today they face a new future, one which love has unfolded and is unfolding before our very eyes. Often marriage is viewed as the union of two persons. In reality, marriage is much broader. It is always a joining of two families. All love is nurtured and guided by the love of others. Each of us counts on relatives, friends and neighbors for the caring and concern that replenishes our own ability to love. and are joined together in a new way this day, in the midst of the affection and friendship of you all, and most especially, in the presence of God and those whose love has been their life´s companion, their families. A beautiful American blessing says: “Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be shelter to the other. Now you will no cold, for each of you will be warmth to the other. Now there will be no loneliness, for each of you will be companion to the other. Now you are two persons, but there is only one life before you. May beauty surround you both in the journey ahead and through all the years. May happiness be your companion, and your days together be good and long upon the earth.†PRONOUNCEMENT OF HUSBAND AND WIFE Because you and , have exchanged your promises of faithful love, and because in our presence you have also exchanged symbols, which make your covenant visible, we now recognize before God and the community that you are husband and wife. You have kissed many times, but today the feeling is new. No longer simply partners and best friends. You are now husband and wife. Today your kiss is a promise. You may kiss your bride.

OMG! I can't believe a doctor would say that. There is a big catholic hospital organization here and the pharmacies in the hospitals will not fill bc pill prescriptions and the hopsitals will not perform tubal ligations or vasectomies because of the religion, but the doctors can still prescribe them.

I don't think there has been a bride on here that this has not happened to, me included. I think you should move ahead with your plans and have your DW regardless of who comes. I didn't look at your wedding date, but you never know who may book closer to the date. If you have a wedding at home you are still going to deal with the same bs from people. They don't like the hall, the food, the date. You can't please everyone and this is your day so the only people you should be pleasing are yourself and your FI.

Is anyone following this tradition, and if so what are you using for your items? I'm looking for ideas for the old, borrowed and blue.

I bought mine from TAJill on BDW! I don't know where she initially got it, but I paid $20. I didn't want to spend too much on one since I haven't decided if I want to wear it. She just happened to be selling an ivory one which is what I needed.

I was thinking about this as well. We haven't decided what we are doing yet as far as a welcome dinner or event. However, we have had such an issue with gettting RSVPs for our wedding invitations that I really don't want have to send out another invite. I think we are going to do a rehearsal on Thursday since everyone will be there by then. I think we will probably end up doing a dinner so I was just going to include that on the itinerary in the OOT bags for the guests staying in our hotel. Maybe if I send something out prior to the trip I could just have them email me a yes/no response if they plan on attending the dinner so they don't feel obligated to come especially if they are arriving that day they might just want to relax. I guess I'm no help. Ha ha!

Quote: Originally Posted by Lillie09 Thanks everyone! The hotel is not in an all-inclusive but everyone is getting a pretty good deal by going through a travel agent. I'm just going to do what I'm doing and not worry about what anyone thinks. Everyone invited to this wedding I am very very close to so I can't imagine anyone even thinking that I should have given them a $50 gift on top of everything else! I thought it was a very nervy suggestion..but I do love her. She tries. I just want everyone to have a good time. We are really trying to plan a elegant, classy nice wedding so everyone enjoys themselves. We are on a tight budget. Don't listen to your FMIL. You do not need to give guests a restaurant gift certificate for coming to your wedding. They are choosing to come to your wedding to see you get married, not so they can get a gift. If you want to do some kind of welcome event, why not just invite people to your room? You can always get some wine and snacks. Are you doing OOT bags or favors? That could also be an inexpensive option if you wanted to give your guests something. The OOT bags are also something the guests would not expect to receive.

I would just send out an announcement to the people that weren't invited after your destination wedding. It could be a simple announcement which you cold mail out prior to your wedding, or you can put one together with a picture from your dw. If you set up a wedding website you can list the places you are registered at on the website, but I wouldn't include it on the invitation or announcement. I wouldn't give anyone an invitation that wasn't invited unless you just bring one into work to show your co-workers what it looks like.

You will probably still have some guests that have said they are coming back out so you will probably have room to squeeze them in. I'd say you should still invite them if you really want them there. Even if it is a little tight once people start drinking and get up to dance no one will notice.

Quote: Originally Posted by Jacqueline aw dang i wish i would caught that!! was it a radio station in cali? joe said he heard the lovey whitney was going to be doing her own show... but for some reason i cant see that. she seems lil more reserved. maybe not "reserved" hence shes ON a tv show but compared to the others, she'd be the last person i would think would want her very own show, right? did anyone hear that? i am so excited, this is the only tv show i watch religiously, and i dunno why. i enjoy the fashion part of it i think. lol I heard Whitney was supposed to get a spin off show following her around in NY, but I havent' seen any previews or heard anything about it lately. I think she is quiet and doesn't seem to have much drama around her. There was a clip on TMZ of Lauren doing a fashion show of her line at Bloomingdales or somewhere and there were only two models so it was taking awhile for them to do wardrobe changes and there was all this dead air while they were waiting. She had nothing to say, and then when the models came out she really didn't describe the outfit. It was like here it is. I was so embarrassed for her. I do think the show is dumb, but I still have to watch it. Heidi and Spencer make me so sick. I would definitely not watch their show. They do not need any more publicity and just need to go away.

Quote: Originally Posted by ethrondson Larimar is a blue-ish gem stone that is only found in the Dominican Republic. It is mined out of the mountains in one area of the island! It really is pretty and it is suiting since we will be in the Dominican for the wedding! I will go take a pic and upload it. BRB That sounds really pretty!

Quote: Originally Posted by SoontobeMrsE Michelle, the spa certificates sound wonderful! What a nice surprise to have in the OOT bags! Your earrings sound exactly like what I am looking for! Yay on the music - that is a huge thing to have done! We are in the same boat as far as table settings go. Regarding your cousin - you have every right to be upset. Especially since you are going to her wedding. Only one person on my dad's side is going to our wedding, and only one on my real mom's side is going. I feel bad because hardly none of my family is going and ALL of FI's family is going. I felt the same way you do, but in the end you have to look at who IS coming. It is hard not to be mad at the others. Has she mentioned who was going to her wedding? Maybe in the end you'll be the only one going to her wedding and you may have an opportunity to flip the tables on her and be her only person at her wedding from her family who goes. It is SO hard not to be upset, hurt and feel bad about it. Are you guys having an AHR? I might not get the finished jewelry until the shower which is when I am giving them their gifts, but if I can get a picture of them and you like them I'm sure my cousin can put something together for you if you'd like. She's done a lot of bridal jewelry. She offered to make mine, but I wanted something more vintage looking to go with my e-ring, and I have a lot of crystals on my dress so I thought it might be crystal overload if I had the jewelry too. We are not having an AHR. It is too expensive to have something, and most of the people that we invited to our DW would have had to travel to Chicago if we had something at home so who knows if they would come to an AHR either. We are having a shower, and all the out-of-state people have already declined. Since our wedding is in November it's not like we can have a casual BBQ either which would probably be the only thing we could afford to do if we had an AHR. Danielle-I don't know who she is even inviting to her wedding so I don't know who is coming. She hasn't even told me the date! The last time we talked they were looking at May, but hadn't picked a date yet. She hasn't sent out any save-the-dates or anything. I still need to respond to her email, but I had to cool down first otherwise I might say not so nice things. It's just frustrating since we were only going to invite immediate family and friends to the wedding, but then we decided we should extend an invitation to everyone and if they came they came and if not then no big deal. The most important people are going to be there and I just need to get over it, but for some reason this situation just really got to me. This is the first time I have gotten upset about someone not coming. Usually all the others I have been happy since it will be less money for us and one more OOT bag we won't need. How sad is that?

Quote: Originally Posted by DanielleNDerek When are you girls giving out your attendant gifts? I am giving my BMs, flower girl, and RB their gifts at our shower in a couple weeks. Mike is going to ask one of his friends that just confirmed he's coming to stand up this week, so now we will have his brother as best man and a GM. We were uneven, which I didn't care about, but he wanted someone else to stand up, but wasn't sure if any of his other friends were coming (his best friend backed out since his wife is pregnant and due a couple weeks after our wedding). He's happy he will have more people there on his side since he didn't have many family or friends coming. We haven't decided on GM gifts yet, but he'll be taking care of that anyway. I do plan on getting my BMs a gift certificate to the spa when we get to Mexico so I will give them that when we get down there. Maybe I'll put it in the OOT Bag? Quote: Originally Posted by SoontobeMrsE Is anyone else buying their BM's jewlery and if so what? I had my cousin make a necklace and earrings for my BMs and FG. SHe was over on Saturday to show me the necklaces and the mock-up earrings. She made three different styles and wanted me to pick the ones I liked best. She is also going to make a bracelet for all of them. The necklaces turned out beautiful. Our colors are pink, green and ivory so she used different shades of pink, green and clear irridescent swarovski crystals. She also added in some yellow and blue beads which when she explained it I thought might look weird, but in person they look so pretty. There are three wires interwined with the beads spread out and the beads are different shapes. I will try to get pics of them so you can see. They are definitely summery, and I think they will look really pretty with the sun bouncing off of them and they are something they can wear with a lot of different outfits since it does have multiple colors in it. Quote: Originally Posted by lucy106 I ordered our favors this weekend. A little corney but fits us. We are total pizza freaks and I found on the The Knot these favors that are pizza cutters that say "a slice of love". So not beach related but practical and everyone who knows us will totally appreciate it. I love the pizza cutter favor idea! That is totally something that would be fitting of my FI and I as well. We eat pizza at least 1-2x/week - probably a big reason why I can't lose weight! Ha ha! I finally heard back from a local DJ that will be able to create a mix for us to use. We had a hard time narrowing down our song list and some of the songs we picked were long so we wanted to shorten them. We hired a DJ through the resort, but he is also the DJ for the resort disco. I've heard from other reviews that he didn't have a lot of new music and the music was very important to my FI. We are going to bring our ipod with CDs as a backup, but at least now the songs will be mixed together and we'll be able to fit more songs in since we only have the private room for 2.5 hours. I started communicating directly with the wedding coordinators. Up until know everyting has gone through my TA. I sent them some pics of bouquets, centerpieces and cakes that I like to see if any of my ideas would be options. I think I am going to do pink roses for my bouquet and ivory rose bouquets for the BMs. I think I will probably get pink and ivory rose petals for the FG. I liked some of the more tropical bouquets, but I think there will be an extra charge for those and I'm also allergic to a lot of flowers so I was kind of nervous picking something else out. Roses are one of the few flowers that don't bother me. I'm debating on an ivory or pink rose boutenier (sp?) for Mike. He will be the only one standing up that will have a jacket so the other GM and RB won't wear them. What do you think? He will be wearing a tan suit, white shirt and green tie. I also got a copy of our ceremony so now I can finally start working on our programs now that I know the order. I am also going to need to get more stuff for our centerpieces. They don't have any colored table runners or napkins. We need to work on our seating chart. Initially I was going to do 2 long tables and a sweetheart table. I think I need to do a table runner, or maybe just some fabric squares to sit under the flower arrangements to add a little more color to the table. The WC was going to check with the florist if they can provide glass vases for the flowers so I won't have to bring any more glass items down with me, if not I might order those blumebox vases. The WC is also going to check with the chef if they can do a cupcake tower, or if we will need to order that from an outside baker. We get a basic cake included in our package up to 3 tier either round or heart shaped so I'm hoping the cupcake tower won't be too much of an additional expense. If it is we will have to stick with the one in our package. We also got my cousin's response card on Friday that her and her FI are not coming to the wedding. She initially said they were coming, but she hadn't responded to my emails over the past few weeks. She got engaged around the same time we did and they are planning a dW in jamaica and she asked me to stand up. She sent me an email on Saturday saying that they weren't able to come because her FI started a new job and can't take time off and she is saving her time off for Jamaica. I'm just upset that I was asked to stand up in her wedding and FI and I were trying to figure out how to budget the trip since we are already over budget with our wedding, and are moving to AZ early next year so money is going to be tight. We both said we would do what we had to be there, and now she is not coming to ours. She is on my mom's side of the family and as of right now I have no one from that side coming. It's really sad because my mom passed away when I was 10 and I don't see her side very often since most of them live out of state. Everyone was so excited that I was getting married since I'm the oldest girl on my mom's side and my mom's only kid so I thought for sure people would use our wedding as a reunion and no one is coming. I at least expected the immediate family to come. Am I wrong to be upset about this?

I'm getting married at the Lindo on November 7. Up until recently all my communication with the wedding coordinators has been through my travel agent. I had some additional questions so we can wrap up our plans now that we are close to a final guest count. I just got the ceremony from the WC today if anyone needs/wants to look at it. I am going to start working on my programs and needed to know the order. We are going to confirm our ceremony location once we get to Mexico, but as of right now it will be in teh gazebo. Initially, we were going to do the beach, but I was afraid about all the sunbathers in the background of our pictures. We will be having about 30 guests so I think we should be OK with the gazebo since I think it holds 40 people. Our ceremony starts ar 4:00 PM and we are just doing the symbolic. We are going to take pictures afterwards, and then have a cocktail hour from 5:30-6:30 PM and then dinner in the Steakhouse at 6:30 PM with dancing in the Vitrales room afterwards. If any of the '09 brides need any info or want me to take pictures of anything while I am down there please let me know. We are going to be staying at the Lindo for the first few days up until the wedding, and then will be switching to the Grand afterwards for our honeymoon so I will have access to all the resorts (except the Quetal and Tucan I believe).

I would love to meet up and hear all about your wedding! Unfortunately, September is not a good month for me. We have stuff going on every weekend, and October is going to be iffy. I have my HS reunion on the 25th and I know my BMs are planning a bachelorette party.

I want to see them! If they are really that bad I like the suggestion on spilling something on them and sending out new ones. Just let her know your bridal party offered to make up new ones since she already put so much effort into the first batch that got ruined so she doesn't offer to remake them Then you'll be back where you started.

Welcome back! You looked beautiful! Can't wait to see more pics.

Wow, what a beautiful wedding. Did you enter a contest or something? How did they pull off the surprise wedding?

That is the best feeling. When I paid off my last car, I waited a couple years before getting a new one and saved the money that I was used to paying towards payments. Now I am back to making car payments on my new car, and I miss the days when I didn't have a payment.