Mrs. Martin

Hello fellow September brides! This is what I have so far: Location My dress and shoes Photographer Videographer STD's have been sent Starting on invitations this weekend Some centerpieces Hundreds of starfish (besides using them for invitations, no clue what else I'm doing with them!) OOT bags plus some fillers (shell bottle openers, personalized margarita mixes, personalized mints, travel-sized sunblocks) flower clip for hair Confirmed appt for hair, nails, and makeup at spa Raffia fans for ceremony plus tags that I'm adding to them Still Need: Get fitted for a customized bra (I haven't been able to find one that will work w/ my size and dress style) Order personalized stamps Look for padded envelopes for invitations Look for DJ (I'm not even sure if I can bring an outside DJ) and finalize song choices Find bridesmaid's dresses/groomsmen outfits and gifts Look for FI's suit Buy more OOT bag fillers (not sure what else to get) Gifts for parents Finalize flower choices/centerpieces Decide on hair/makeup Decide on cake style Dress alterations Create slideshow for reception Finalize itinerary/excursions OK, I'm sure I'm missing a lot more but I began to stress myself out so I'm going to stop typing now!

I just bought a pair of $230.00 Stuart Weitzman shoes for my wedding and paid only $80.00. That pair was selling at Nordstroms Rack because there was a scratch on the bottom part of the shoe. There is no way anyone can see the scratch unless I point it out. They are the most comfortable pair of shoes I have ever worn and I'm excited I paid a fraction of the price for them! Plus, I was looking for a low heel and most shoes that I found with a low heel were not the best looking- they are exactly what I was looking for! Here's a pic of them.

Your video is beautiful, thanks for sharing. I also hired Paul for our wedding video, so now I'm even more excited to work with him after seeing yours!!

Quote: Originally Posted by MsShelley that is really cute, where did you have that done? We had it done in Cancun's hotel zone where the Rain Forest Cafe is. Have you been there before? It is the same plaza where Carlos 'n Charlies and Hard Rock are. I forgot the name of the place, but I do remember it's on the 2nd floor and the name includes the word "tequila". They have sample statues on their display case, so you can't miss it. We went on a Tuesday to take the picture and they gave us the statue Wednesday night. They have different body types and themes you can choose from.

Quote: Originally Posted by jean-marcus im actually extemely offended by that statue... those bottles are NOT to scale... if you are gonna use miniatures make sure they are to scale. but as for the statue of you two im not offended at all heheh. GO FOR IT.. if they get offended tell them that jesus at some point drank wine in the sun wearing sandals and that im sure he is okay with that as well. You are sooo funny and so right!! I'm going to use the picture of the statue because this is a replica of what we will be doing in Cancun with our family and friends-drinking on the beach wearing bathing suits (well, minus the dolphin next to me)!

Quote: Originally Posted by JamaicaBride062108 I think it's really cute! And it's a stamp--by the time it is reduced in size to fit on the envelope, they are going to have to break out the magnifying glass to actually see the bottle! That's what I was thinking too! No one is really going to notice the details of the stamp because it will all be reduced. I think they are cute and I'm going for it!!

Quote: Originally Posted by happygilmore I'd have a hard time believing anyone would be offended by that. I think it is really cute..but your FI should have a good idea of what his family finds acceptable or not and maybe go by what is gut feeling is. He does, but he doesn't really care what they think. He's had to learn how to brush them off because of some of their old school ways of thinking. We've been in situations where they come over his house to use the pool and they all where shirts over their bathing suits. So, I wasn't too sure how they would react to the stamp.

My FI and I thought it would be cute and funny to have a picture of a clay statue we had made of us at Cancun from last year's trip as our postage stamp for our invitations. It also goes great with our beach-themed wedding. My mom said said since the statue has us wearing bathing suits and we are holding alcoholic drinks, some people may get offended (his family is what she is referring to). It's not even our bodies!! We were wearing shirts and not drinking when they took the picture of us to make the statue. I think it would be cute and a fun way to add our personal touch to the invites. What do you all think? Is it offensive?

Quote: Originally Posted by amyh Yeah, I get it. We have some of those types in my fam and FI fam. I told them that I think its tacky to have godparents for every detail to pay for our wedding. If we want a wedding we will pay for it ourselves. We ended up inviting everyone, knowing that not everyone would make it. LOL, this was one of the reasons we chose a DW! You know what, in the end, those you want (and who want) will be there and those who talked shit will stay home regretting they missed your day! I totally agree with you! We for sure won't be missing them as we down margaritas by the pool side; they'll be missing out!! Yeah, we didn't want the godparents either. I actually thought his parents would be really proud at the fact that we didn't ask anyone to help us pay for the wedding. Just goes to show you will never please anyone no matter what you do!!

Quote: Originally Posted by amyh Haha! They'll come around, you'll see. How long have you been planning. We've been planning for more than a year and at first we had neg reaction, but now everyone is so excited. We've only been planning for 3 months. But the first month when we announced the DW they said they weren't going because of the whole destination thing and the Catholic church issue. So, in reality they've been involved in our planning for 2 months. I'm sure they will get excited as we get closer to the date. They are just very odd to me. My family is very involved in the planning and are very excited about every detail. His family has something negative to say because it is not at a hall, with 400 of our family members with tres leches cake that includes the fountain and the 50 godparents to pay for everything. You get where I'm going with this right?!

Quote: Originally Posted by amyh No worries, I know how crazy my fam is, lol. If we are related, then at least you have one realative on your FI's side who agrees w/ you! I grew up in Santa Monica but live in Culver City. OK, I'm off the hook!! He grew up in Lynwood and Downey. Too bad, I officially have no one in his family to side with me

Quote: Originally Posted by amyh I feel for you! My god mother keeps asking me if I am going to cover my shoulders during mass. How dare I get married wearing a strapless dress, in puerto vallarta, in July at 4 in the afternoon, with no air conditioning, WITHOUT wearing a shawl! p.s. I wonder if I am related to your FI, my last name is Martin and I have a huge traditional mexican family living in L.A. Sorry, just being nosey, lol. I'm sure I'm going to get hell from the MI for not wearing a veil, so good luck with the shaw issue!! Oh, if you are related I would feel really bad for saying all these mean things about his family Where in LA are you from?

I completely agree with both of you. And it's sad that the church does not "update" their beliefs because extremely tradional catholics only follow what the priest's preach. My FI parents will not have it any other way if it's not what the Catholic church allows! My FI have not lived together (which his parents are thrilled about) but we recently put an offer on a house and it was accepted. Now that we are going through escrow, they truely believe we won't be living together until the wedding date. Excuse me, but if I'm paying a mortgage now, I'm for sure living their no matter what they say. The only reason I had not moved in with him before was because I live only a few blocks away from work compared to where he lives which would have taken me over an hour.

Quote: Originally Posted by Ana My FI and I decided to completely ignore anyone who says or does anything stupid. They can say and ask all they want, but they're not getting their way. Its our wedding and we're doing this our way. Furthermore, there are some family members on his side that are having some issues...so we're making them sign a contract that if they make us angry, sad or frustrated they're no longer going to be invited to the wedding. That's too funny! I wish we would have thought of that! But, if that was the case his parents wouldn't be allowed to go to the wedding!! They said horrible things to us when they found out about us not getting married in Catholic church. They went as far as comparing us to animals because apparently they live in sin. WTF? Yeah, they compared us to ANIMALS!! They're crazy! After they saw we put our foot down and did what we wanted, they haven't bothered us since. I'm just hoping this invitation issue doesn't start another war...

Ha ha Thanks everyone!! It's good to know that I'm not the only one going through this! I'm the first one of my friends to get married, so they can't relate or understand the stupid drama that comes with wedding planning or having in-laws!!!

So, I really have to vent because my soon to be sis is upsetting me!! First off, my FI and I went through so much drama with his family when we told them we were getting married in Cancun. Just to add to all this, my FI's sis calls me today to tell me that some family members that live out of state will be visiting this weekend and it would be a good opportunity to give them the invites that day. First off, I told his family from the beginning we will be sending out STD's to everyone, but only sending invites to the people that were going or were still maybe's. Now, she has the nerve to ask me why I'm not inviting her family anymore. Uhh, who said that I didn't invite them?! They are not going, therefore I'm not sending them invites!! I'm sure by now she told her mom and her mom is going to turn around and judge the situation (and not to my favor). My mom and I are making my invites and do not feel like making 200 invites for his family that 1) haven't talked to my FI in years and 2) are for sure not going to the wedding! Both our families are traditional Mexicans and a destination wedding is unheard of. But, my parents understand and support everything we are doing because they know it makes us happy. His family just judges us because we aren't doing everything their way when they got married or what the rest of the family does. Wait until they see the invites and see I didn't include RSVP cards (I'm having the guests RSVP through our website). They are really going to complain then!! Thanks for listening to me vent!!

I personally chose Del Sol for my photography and I can't wait to work with them!! Pictures were on top of my priority list over anything else (well, besides me dress!). I want pics that will give me chills and make me emotional everytime I see them; everyone at Del Sol is able to capture that in their work. It is quality over quantity for me in this department!!

I bought my personalized margarita mix packets through weddingchannel.com when they went on sale. I think I paid $1.35 and the minumum purchase is 30packs.

Hi, welcome!! I'm getting married at Riu Palace Las Americas in Cancun and I also visited this hotel last year. I loved the hotel and the entire staff was great! By the look of Riu's website, all their hotels look amazing! Good luck with the wedding planning!

Trust me, I need to save every penny I can too! I'm going to email Riu and find out about the table sizes/shapes. Also, I have 30 guests so far. I won't have a confirmed number until about the end of June so in the mean time I don't know how many runners I will need exactly. I'll keep an eye for runners and guesstimate (that's a word, right?!) how many I will need to get an idea for prices. Keep me posted if you find anything on your end!

I'm getting married in September and I am also needing to purchase some table runners. I would need a chocolate color, though. So, I'm not sure if that would blend in with any of your wedding colors. I'm also getting married at a Riu and I would need to find out from them what size/shape tables they offer in order to get an idea of how many and the length the runners would have to be. So, let me know if you would still be interested!

I'm getting married at Riu Palace Las Americas in September. The resort is beautiful!! I went on vacation there last year and I was very pleased with the staff and the hotel. Let me know what kind of questions you have and I will try to help you get some info! Here are some pics of the beach and pool area.

Quote: Originally Posted by Helen_S81 Your ring looks very much like my 25th anniversary ring, except my band is thinner. I wear it with my original wedding band. They don't sit together perfectly but maybe you can get a plain band made that is a fit to your engagement ring? Sometimes I just wear the plain band and I wanted that option. You're ring is gorgeous! It does look a lot like mine!! I wasn't sold on my band at first; I really like the one you have on yours. The jeweler that my FI had my ring made by suggested to him that this size band can be altered with side diamonds inserted on to it later if I wanted. Actually, now that I think about it, I would probably spend the $$ on that than buying a wedding band!

I paid $1,400 for my dress. However, it would have been $1,700, but I got a discount because I bought the sample (it was brand new, I couldn't pass that up). Also, my alterations will be an additional $200. It was more than I thought I would spend, but I loved it and I couldn't imagine myself in another dress!

Here's my dress!! It is a Pronovias Spring '08 dress in off-white. This sample had just came in (that's why it is super wrinkly) and it fit me. So, I was able to purchase this dress for a about $300 less than if I would have ordered it. Plus, they are going to steam it and dry clean it for free! I'm sooo in love with it; I want to wear it all the time!