becks

Need a bit of advice... FI and I are planning on getting married at city hall here in NYC before heading to our DW (for a number of reasons that aren't relevant here). I was just doing a bit of homework on getting that done, and one of the things that struck me as odd is the surname change. I always thought that what I'd like to do is just stick FI's surname at the end of my existing name. No hyphen, no half-his-half-mine. Just "Rebecca Smith Brown" (no, those aren't are our real last names). But NYC says that if I don't want to give up my maiden name, my only options are hyphenating or combining. So "Smith-Brown" or "Smown" (hee... "Broth"). Now I'm re-thinking things. I've got an established career, and I'm not really ready to make a wholesale name change (plus the fact that I like my last name and have had it for over 35 years). FI says he doesn't really care, but I think he really wants me to take his name, at least in addition to my maiden name. What do you guys think? Hyphenate and suck it up? Ditch my maiden name? Keep my maiden name? Stupid antiquated rules...

Killing us here! Absolutely dying to see!!!

Those are absolutely beautiful! Well done!

FI and I were talking last night, and thought that it would be fun to do a boat outing the day (or two) before the wedding - scuba diving for those who are certified, snorkeling and sun bathing for others. Booze all around... Has anyone done something like this, and can you point me to a vendor or two? Thanks!!

Oh no! What a F*ing PITA. Poke around and see if you can find another flight that gets in earlier. Alaska will refund your fare - and they shouldn't charge you any sort of penalties, etc.

The Marriott by the airport is pretty good. There's not much there that is great, but no complaints about the Marriott. The Hilton and the Red Lion are both okay too. RE: Parking, I'd suggest Doug Fox - its closer and the shuttles are more frequent. I don't know what the hotels charge, but I'm sure you'll have to pay to leave your car for 2 weeks.

Love them! Just LOVE them!

I think they look great. And if you're concerned, just use a bit of each flower everywhere.

Those are so cute - and I have to know where you found the necklace! I've been eyeing the one at Tiffany but... $$$!!!

Welcome and congratulations!!

Jenn: Everything is beautiful. How exciting - for all of us, really!! Thanks for sharing!

I guess there's good and there's bad. FI and I assume we're paying for everything. We're financially in decent shape (both in our late 30s... it happens that way), so it's not a huge stretch for us. Both sets of parents have said they'd like to contribute (my dad said he thought he should pay something to have FI "take me off his hands." LOL - I love my daddy!!), but we've sort of indicated that its not a big deal. The nicest part about being able to pay for it ourselves, is that we have no problem telling people that their input/gripes/weird requests/etc. won't likely be considered. It was wonderful to tell both sets of parents that it would be immediate family and our friends only - I don't have to worry about my second cousins, my mother's tennis partner, FI's horrid aunt, etc. Yup. Best part about not taking money from a parent, is that when you say "Thanks, but this is OUR wedding", they've got nothing to come back with.

Congratulations and welcome!

Both look great, but I like the orchids best.

Congratulations! So exciting. Post pics if you can!

Welcome to the forum, and congrats!

Yay! New job! Congratulations, good luck!

Big breath... It's going to be beautiful. Let us know!

Another option - but this can only be done in black, so if you want color go with the previous post - is to use the curved word art option. Then pick a dingbat font (webdings, the letter n) and then adjust the curve (using the yellow square) to pull it into a circle. Actually - its a little hard to explain, so I just attached one - if you want smaller dots, just edit the text to include more dots (letter n) each is separated by 2 spaces. If you want them bigger, take some of the dots out.

Those are so cute!

Hi! I've been looking for one too. No luck with fonts, no luck with clipart. So I made one. Sort of. I've attached the file - its an enhanced metafile, so you can recolor it etc. Also, one other image I found - I couldn't use it because it can't be colored, but its nice. You can sign up for a 14-day free subscription and download it. Sand Dollar Image | Beach Wedding Clipart If you come across anything else, please post!!

For speaker options, I received the iHome alarm clock for Christmas - I not sure the speakers have the capacity for a reception area, but the sound quality is fantastic. And for $100 you might consider purchasing it, and seeing how well the speakers work in an open space (and just return it if it wont' work).

I can't speak to Sam's club, but I have purchased from Costco, and those are good quality. I bought a blue topaz ring for my mom, and the jewler we took it to for sizing was amazed at how low the price I paid was.

They look great! I love the map

Congratulations and welcome!