SunBride

oh yeah, wanted to add, you were right, your bouquet was really beautiful!

You can probably get an all inclusive trip from Halifax for about 1500$ (maybe a few hundred more or less depending on the resort and time of year). You may find a small price difference (100-200$) between Cuba and DR but not that big. In terms of the wedding costs, some resorts have free wedding packages and only require you to pay a small fee for teh legalities. You can usually have a free reception at the buffet restaurant, but most resorts will charge you extra if you have a reception in one of the a-la-carte restaurants. I would think you can have a very nice wedding for 5000-6000$ with all the basics (i.e. 3000$ for trips, leaving 2000$ for photos, dress/suit, rings and the actual ceremony costs). Of course you can easily spend 3-4 times that much if you want to get a really good photographer, expensive dress, elaborate reception, etc etc. I splurged on a lot of stuff but saved money on others (i.e. I brought a photographer with me and got a good videographer for 2 hours, both of those coming to 3000$ total, but on the other hand, I didn't spend a penny on my reception. I also splurged a little on clothes and decorations). All in all I spent 12 000$

I know you said you wanted to add pictures but didn't want to open a photobucket account, so I saved them for you from your wedsite. People on BDW NEED photos to go with reviews

Yeah, I know, the 6 day thing doesn't make much sense. The thing is they didn't know they would be in a position to hire people back in 6 days. They had to get some new contracts. They didn't know if it would take a week or a few months or never. So they took the safe route and laid off people, rather than risk putting the company in a bad financial position.

I'm so happy to hear you had a wonderful time and that you were happy with your photos.

We were only 10! Immediate family only. We invited our closest friends, but they couldn't come. Yep, my supposed to be maid of honour (best friend of 25 years) and my husband's suppose to be best man couldn't make it. that was such a disappointed that we figured we'd stop there and not bother inviting anyone else (as we knew it would just emphasize the fact that those 2 people weren't there) So all we had is our parents and sisters (and one sister's boyfriend). While I do wish others could have made it, there were advantages to it being smaller: cheaper, more intimate, more relaxing and family-oriented vacation, etc

go to the wedding photos section and look at a ton of pictures and put together a list based on all your favorites!

http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t35467 Well I can't believe it, only 6 days after being laid off my husband got his job back. When they said the layoff was temporary, we didn't really believe them, and we certainly didn't think he'd be hired back so quickly (we were thinking best case scenario was 8-12 weeks, after 13 weeks, the layoff would become permanent and he would be eligible for his severance, as required by law). Don't want to go into too many details, but just wanted to thank everyone for their support. Off to Jamaica in 3 days!!!

what's your exact date so I can put it in our list?

welcome to the forum! I'll add you to our bride list. Instead of a reception with dancing, you could do a bonfire after dinner. Some of the other brides have done this. It's probably the cheapest option! See you around on our DT thread... http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t25646

I say go for another make-up trial, either at the same place with a different person, or a different place if you are scared of running in the same person. I had to do several, but finally I got somebody who did it good. She explained how she did it (I was most concerned about the eyeshadow) and I think I was able to re-create it really well. So don't give up, try again!

if you haven't bought the actual tags yet, just go to dollarama and pics these up for a 1$ for 5 tags! I simply found an image I liked (I've actually uploaded this image to this site. Search for "clipart") used photoshop to add some text, and then sized it to be right size, and copy and pasted it a bunch of times onto a 8x11 word document, then I had it printed in color at staples (as I don't have a color printer). Worked great and was able to make a lot of tags for cheap.

well I think your time sounds reasonable. I think it's safest to assume your hair will take an hour, based on my experience and that of other brides. Try to get the resort photographer to come to your room an hour before the wedding to take as many pictures as possible. You can see my full wedding timeline in my review (which allowed TONS of time for photos at my photographer's insistence. If I were to redo it I probably would have started only 1 hour later and we still would have had plenty for all the photos we got).

BCBride happy to hear it all went well. We'll all be anxiously awaiting your full review and pics!

I wouldn't let anyone try to dictate your day for you! It all depends on what you want to do in between. My ceremony was at 3pm and I had my hair done at I think 9 (maybe 10, I'd have to check my review to be sure). I wanted lots of time for everyone's hair, and to do my own makeup, to get dressed, and most importantly take pictures! I had read some other people's stories about being so so rushed before the ceremony and I didn't want that to be me. And since we were limited in time after the ceremony for pictures, we wanted to get a lot of pictures (the ones that didn't involve my husband and I seeing eachother) out of the way before hand. So I would say it depends on if you are having an outside photographer come earlier for pics, or if you are using the resort photographer who will only show up approx half an hour before.

I wouldn't go so far as to say you can barely swim at Dreams Tulum. While I was really disappointed in the beach (because other places I'd been to previously outside the mayan rivera had awesome beaches) you can definitely still swim, there are some places that are more clear than others. I don't know if the beach at the grand palladium is much better. I remember when I doing my research I looked at that resort and the beach was probably about the same. Here are links to some aerial photos that show the coral/rocks in the water. I guess the palladium does seem to have one decent sized clear area. Dreams Tulum has a clear area as well towards the left (just outside the photo). It's not totally clear but more then the rest of the beach. Palladium Colonial & Kantenah beach photo tour, aerial images Dreems Tulum Resort & Spa, Mexico: beach photo tour, aerial images Good luck with your choice!

Yeah, I definitely agree that having a case made to fit your camera is still a better option, but they are so much more expensive, and I knew we would be upgrading our point and shoot soon enough, so there was no way I was going to spend that kind of money. At least this provides a cheaper option.

I had no problems bringing anything with me (decorations, starfish, snacks, etc). I don't think you would have problems with any of those items. The chances they go through your suitcases are extremely small. When you ship items though the changes they go through everything are much much higher, lots of people end up getting stuff throw out or having to pay high duties, that is why shipping stuff ahead of time is not recommended.

it's hard for others to tell you what to do regarding the room, it's totally a manner of personal choice and budget. The upgrades are common but definitely not standard. It would be risky to completely count on it. But as the wedding couple I would say the chances of being upgraded are very good (especially if you request before hand, and be persistant if you don't get it when you arrive) For me personally, it would not have been worth it to pay the extra money. But that's only because I would rather spend money on excursions or staying longer or on other stuff than on a room. While I appreciated the nicer room, it would not have been worth the extra cost for me. But for other people the room is very important and is worth it. Ask yourself how important it is to you to be in that room, and whether your budget allowed it. While I could easily have afforded it, I am very careful with my money and I preferred to spend my money on other stuff. Good luck with your planning. You are officially our last bride on the list! 17 months is a long time to wait!

I read 3 reviews, they were really good. They do guarantee the package as well as it's contents (i.e. your camera) from manufacturer's defects. I am using it next week in Jamaica so I can let you know when I get back how it goes and post some sample pictures.

Nobody thinks this is cool? Or maybe everybody knew about these types of things and I'm late in finding it

The bride top I got while on vacation over a year ago so I don't know the name of the store. I put the lettering on myself using iron on rhinestones (also made myself a bikini, thank tops and cardigan which sold last summer). The bridesmaid dresses are from sears. I don't think the bridesmaids are interested in selling (plus there are only 2).

Bride top - 12$ *note, shipping within canada would be only 2$ (as it can fit folded in a large envelope and go as "lettermail") I never ended up wearing this as it was too small for me (I guess I was overly optimistic about my pre-wedding diet!) . Unfortunetly I had cut off the tag as it was an itchy one. I would say it fits like an XS or S. It's very very stretchy, but a tight stretchy so it's not comfortable if it's too small (I normally wear medium) I took some pictures to give a good idea what it looks like but please keep in mind it's too small for me so doesn't look so good (puckering and riding up) Beach bag - 15$ *given the size of the item, I think shipping would be expsensive and it should probably be limited to local pick up. Brand new, purchased at Aqua La Vie en Rose for 20$ + tax. Wedge flip flops - size 15$ Brand new, never worn, paid 20$ + tax CD labels (20 sheets for 7$ for 40 sheets for 12$) Make beautiful labels for your picture or video CDs. 2 sets of labels per sheet I paid a little over 20$ for the pack of 60 sheets 40 sheets available Memorex has a great software you download online which makes it super easy for you to design your labels. The software only works with these labels. [image]http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w54/stephzebra/weddingstuffforsale033.jpg[/image] I also have two tops, not wedding related, but that I thought somebody might be interested in buying to wear during their wedding week. Both have only been worn once multi color top - 8$ *note, shipping within canada would be only 2$ (as it can fit folded in a large envelope and go as "lettermail") I LOVE this top but the chest part is a little too small for me and I feel like my boobs are pouring out. I am a small C cup, would fit better on somebody with an A cup or a mid range B cup. (when I put it on for the pic my husband was like "that is hot" but when I pointed out the boobs he had to agree it was a little small). The tag says size 3/4 (which is crazy as I am definitely not a 3/4). I usually wear size medium tops and the rest fits me perfect, only the chest is too small. It's a bit flowy at the bottom, and a bit longer on the sides than in the middle Pink tube top - 5$ *note, shipping within canada would be only 2$ (as it can fit folded in a large envelope and go as "lettermail") The tag says size large but I think it's more of a one size fits all type of thing. I normally wear a medium and it fits me good. I just don't feel comfortable wearing it anymore as it's a bit short and my belly isn't flat enough. Hope you enjoyed all the funny no-head pictures

I still have some items leftover from many months ago. I have been too lazy to repost since I first posted my stuff for sale several months ago. ***all items are in Ottawa (canada) and can be shipped at buyer's expense Dress for TTD - 50$ I purchased this dress for TTD but ended up wearing my real dress for that. I only ended up wearing this for about an hour or so do to my first dance (a choreographed dance that I coudln't do in my real dress) at my AHR. I originally sold the dress to someone several months ago but they were unhappy with the condition of the dress so they returned it and I gave them their money back. The main problem was that there were several small pulls on the dress. Also at the time it had not been cleaned. The dress is from Fairweather. It's a size small but fits more like a medium (I usually wear 7 dress size, 9 for pants). I paid 100$ + tax. I got a 10% discount as a result of miniscule stain on the chest. So there are two problems with the dress, both of which are hardly noticeable, the first is the black speck on the middle of the chest on the left side (right side in the picture) and the other is that there are several very small pulls on the top portion of the dress. The pulls are only noticeable if you are inspecting the dress close up. They would not show in TTD pictures. I have included close up pictures to show the tiny stain and the pulls. Unfortunetly the pulls hardly even show in the picture. The dress has been hand washed and has no dirt or marks other than the above mentioned. It has 2 layers of fabric, the top layer is a sheer chiffon. I'm guessing the dress would be good for somebody up to approx 5'8". I am 5'4" and it was way too long for me. I didn't want to pay to get it shortened (wasn't worth it given what I was wearing it for, would have cost as much as the dress) so I had just pinned it up under the chest decoration thingy (which is what caused some of the very small pulls). There are thin cups in the chest, so wearing a bra is optional (I went without as it would have required a special bra) Two real touch bridesmaid bouquets - 30$ each or both for 50$. The flowers were purchased a certain unmentionable vendor (due to current ongoing issues) we'll call AA. The bouquets were put together by my aunt who is a florist. They have real touch peonies and real touch orchids. Sundress - 25$ Purchased at Smart Set for 40$ + tax. Only worn a few hours (my wedding day to go get may hair done and do my makeup) Size 9 (I more often wear a 7, sometimes a 9) but it ties in the back so it can be made a little tighter if it's just a little too big. I really liked having this casual white dress for the morning of the wedding. Great for all the getting ready pics.