ErinB

Welcome to the world of planning a DW! It's sad but true. All of us have been there at some point, myself included. You need to do what is best for you and your FI. Now that I am married I wouldn't change a thing. Our wedding was perfect for us. BIL got married 3 weeks before us (long story) and you couldn't pay me to go through all of the crap they went through for the big traditional wedding. I had enough stress with my AHR, I can't imagine having to get married on top of that! You just need to take a step back and relax and do what you want to do. Those who can/want to be there will find a way. and those are the people you want with you. Those that don't make it, well that's their loss.

Don't sell it! I think it;s beautiful and if you love it, why start searching all over again. The mermaid style fits with the beach! The best part of a DW is that there are no rules. I had a big traditional dress because it was what I wanted. If you're only going to do this once, why compromise, KWIM?

Those are great! Your guests are going to love them!

How sad! I was shocked when I read this this morning.

I've had mine done. I thought it was more painful, but not bad. Waxing doesn't bother me at all. I actually had tears from the threading, but I thought they looked really good. I was on vacation and haven't found anyone who can do it locally, but I haven't really looked! LOL I say go for it. If you don't like it, you don't have to go back.

I LOVE those! I need to have another wedding so I can use all of these great new ideas!

Congrats Maura and Jose! You have put so much work into the details, I'm sure the wedding will be spectacular! I hope it exceeds all of your expectations. I know you will be a beautiful bride! I wish you a lifetime of happiness!

Congratulations Rebecca and Chris! I hope your day is even better than you imagined! I can't wait to see pictures. I know it will be beautiful!

Be careful with the amount of shellfish you eat. It is really high in cholestorol and sodium. (it is soaked in salt water...) For example, one king crab leg has 25% of your daily intake of cholestorol and 60% of your recommend allowance of sodium.

I think if you can afford to do this it is fine. I don't know about paying for parents... US tradition/etiquette states that the bride/groom should pay for or arrange lodging for any out of town bridal party member. I think this is an old custom, because how many of us have paid a fortune to be in someone's wedding? I had all kinds of financial arrangements going on with my wedding. Some I paid for, some were loans, some I paid a part of, etc. If you choose to do this , I would just ask your international guests to please not mention the financial arrangements to anyone. It's no one's business, but someone could be offended, especially if they don't know the whole story. If you can't afford to do this, I don't think you need to. When people agree to come to a wedding or be in a wedding, they shouldn't expect everything to be free. I know that if I am in a wedding, I need to budget $1000 to cover travel, gifts, showers, bachelorette, dress, shoes, hair, etc.

Welcome to the forum! There is lots of info to be found on Jamaica! Try searching and browsing the Jamaica sub-forum and wedding reviews. We were married at Couples Swept Away and had no problems with bringing in our own photogtapher. It was wonderful! There are several TAs here who I'm sure can help you out!

I do watch the show often, but it does sometimes amaze me how much they stress the "8 kids". What is bigger is that they are all the same age! I come from a area with lots of good catholics. Most of my parents friends came from homes with 5+ kids. One of my friends is one of 12! These are kids who were raised in small homes with one bathroom! I'm not saying that she doesn't work hard or that I would trade places, just that lots of people have lots of kiddos.

I would not take 8 kids into a store! LOL

I'm jealous! I want a vacation! Have a great time and take pictures!

Is the paper compatible with your printer? Some are designed to only work with laser printers, not ink-jet.

I want to watch SYTYCD Canada! I wonder if there is any way to get it here? And I saw last night that Blake is one of the judges! EWWW! I remember hating him on season 1. There is no reason to be that cocky and a jackass all the time! I just want to walk up and slap him, talented or not. I would NEVER hire anyone with that much attitude!

I'm not a huge chicken fan, so it does get pretty old pretty fast. I find (when I actually stick to a diet) it helps to plan meals so you don't get stuck eating chicken everyday. Example: *Monday - Chicken Fajitas *Tuesday - Pork Tenderloin *Wednesday - Grilled Salmon *Thursday - Chicken Stir Fry *Friday - Turkey Meatloaf *Saturday - Spaghetti Squash *Sunday - Ham & Cheese Omelets If you really want a burger, get bison meat. It is naturally super lean 97-99% and it cooks just like beef. There are other white meats like turkey breast that now comes raw in smaller packages, and pork. This way they don't have all the sodium from processing. You can really eat about anything, it's all in the way it is cooked and portion size. You can eat red meat, but use it in pasta sauce or for breakfast.

Those are great Alyssa! The talent on BDW never ceases to amaze me!

Great review! I got married at CSA about 2 weeks beofre you guys did! I couldn't have agreed more! We are also planning to go back next summer, we had such a wonderful time!

Happy Wedding Day! I hope it is even better than you imagined! All of your hard work will pay off and you can relax and enjoy being a newlywed! And don't come back without pictures! LOL

We were the same way! My philosophy was, this is a celebratory time in our lives. Why not be surrounded by support and happiness? We had 4 people come who were friends of friends that I had never met before. We all had a wonderful time together and both couples attended our AHR. I feel like we gained new friends! If anything they really helped us out because we booked a group package and had seats to fill after others backed out. I also didn't have a strict itenerary for the group. Other than the wedding day, nothing was planned. I simply made group reservations for things like the catamaran cruise and the beach party so our guests wouldn't have to. I gave everyone a copy of our schedule and told them to join us if they wanted. I think by each guest/family having additional friends/family there, kind of eased my mind so that I wasn't trying to make sure everyone was having fun, etc. I can see where some people are concerned about the costs associated with additional guests, OOT bags, private dinners, etc. We went with the free wedding package and the semi-private (free) reception. As far as OOT bags, they didn't get some of the pricier items I had for family if I was short on them, but I did put a few extra, cheaper trinkets in. They were both really impressed with the thought, moreso than the contents.

Thanks Jamy! I'll have to go on a mission to find them! I find that a lot of things don't taste as good as I remembered. I don't know how much is me or change in quality/formula/product. The Orange Julius in the mall is not nearly as fabulous as they used to be. Or maybe it is because I wasn't allowed to have "bad" stuff growing up, so everything was a treat! LOL Seriously, my friend's mom across the street would make Velveeta or Rice-a-Roni and I thought it was the greatest thing! My Nana lived with us so she made everything! Even crackers! Does anyone remeber Fruzen Glagge Ice Cream? It really was the best stuff ever! They got sued by Haggen Daas, though they were both American companies, and it put them under. It was super creamy, fatty, yummy goodness! Oh, and I was also infatuated with Crystal Pepsi. And Cherry 7-up. Remeber the comercials that were all black and white except the pink soda...

I went to 5 differnt stores, on probably 6-7 occasions, some more than once. I think you are fine to casually look. Make it a fun day with your mom or MOH or someone. WHen you put pressure on yourself, it make the decision harder. I never got "the dress" feeling. I loved my dress and it looked really good on my body, but I don't know that it was "the one". Too late now! LOL I think there were a lot of factors that went into that. I didn't want to spend over $500 on my dress. Mine ended up being double. I'm not happy with my chubbiness, so I don't really like anything I wear. My DH and I have totally different taste so I wanted something to appease both of us. I didn't order my dress until the end of January, so I was pressured because I HAD to pick one that day to get it in. You have plenty of time! Your tastes could change in a year! You don't know when inspiration will strike. Just give yourself 6 months to be sure it arrives on time! One thing I really liked about my dress was that I had chosen the BM dresses and my dress had the same bodice as theirs and it really tied everything together.

I miss pudding pops. Unless they just don't sell them here anymore. How great was the mixed box of frozen pudding on a stick?

Wow! Thanks for posting the blog! It does a least tell a different side of the story. I hate family politics! You do have to take everything with a grain of salt.