Duchess

Go to ArtsCow.com | Digital Photo Prints, Photo Books & Custom Gifts. they personalize just about anything with your pic or logo, and the stuff ends up being free with the online coupons, you just pay for shipping (which is a little pricey, but overall better than the pricing you would get at kodak.com or elsewhere). Also, they send tons of coupons to your email that are like personalized decks of cards for 3.99 including shipping and stuff like that. You will be able to get a lot of photo books for after too, but I think their photo book creator is confusing and hard to use. good luck!

Quote: Originally Posted by pettytiffany We also met on line in 2005 from Lavalife.com. We always joke that I picked him! At first I didn't want to tell people we met on line, but the more people I talked to the more I realized a lot of people meet this way. I am so glad I did pick him! I met my husband on yahoo personals. It was love at first sight, but his pics almost made me not pick him! He looked cute but in one he looked really doofy and was wearing a stocking hat and took the pic of himself, which I always find odd. Anyway, my good friend is marrying a man she met on lavalife, and they are also a perfect match!

I actually just went thru the stuff we have and realized I forgot a few things. First of all, we did one bag per party so if a couple was there, they got one bag with stuff for both. If it was a single guy or girl, they got one bag with just stuff for them. So the things that we gave: pashminas flip flops for everyone and ball caps or visors custom beer cozy's votives (beach theme) sunscreen dramamine (boat to our wedding) advil water bottles (with our logo) deck of cards spanish book brochure (vistaprint) Probably a few more odds and ends that I am forgetting. People loved them though.

I dont know that you can really do this and not be tacky. I mean, you can do it, but it is tacky. It's not right to tell people what they can get you. I think there might be registries out there for savings accounts or something like that, and then you can more tactfully say we are only registering with xyz etc, but people will probably still talk about it. Some people give from the heart and not the money value, and then making money the only option can make them feel uncomfortable. Even the honeymoon registries which I think is a good idea, I have heard people say wow thats tacky.

If you have done STD's then technically, you have invited them. That being said, I bought decent but cheap invites from Rexcraft that were seal and send (no extra cards and envelopes) and sent them to the entire list, because I do think it was the right thing to do. I just went with cheaper invites since I was sending out 100 invites and knew only 30 people were coming.

Also, since a legal wedding in Mexico is done by a judge, it may very well be in Spanish. If you want something really beach and spiritual with fun sand ceremonies etc, it has to be a "vow renewal". Plus, I think you have to be in Mexico for a few days to take care of paperwork before the wedding. It just is really difficult. Oh, and on top of everything, I have heard of people failing the blood test right before!!! And it was FALSE POSITIVES!!! So I wouldnt have risked it. We got married in Vegas months before. It was our little secret, and while I thought it would be cheezy, it was still very meaningful. I cried. I wore a white sundress, he a navy suit, and we had a nice dinner after. No one even really knew we were there. Then we drove to long beach, got on a 4 day cruise, enjoyed being the honeymooners for a few, and then came home to our little secret. It took NOTHING away from the mexico wedding, because they felt really different from each other. The private one was for us, and the Mexico wedding was great because we shared with our loved ones. The funny thing is we purposely picked a cheesy Vegas place to do it, and they did such a nice job, it didnt even feel that cheesy! We did stay in the Stratosphere on our wedding night. Ew. haha. Oh, and to answer the question that was asked before I rambled on and on, we did their standard ceremony. We waited till Mexico to do our own vows.

Oh yeah, I forgot, we ordered cheap bball caps for men and sun visors for women. People were totally using them. Not the younger guys so much (you know how young guys are with ball caps) but the "dads" were all wearing them. Regarding the person who is considering the personal gifts, you can do that, but my guests were actually all really touched by the gifts, even though they were the same. I think people werent expecting it, so when we gave them at our rehearsal dinner, everyone was like "for me" it was so cute. The only customized thing we did at all was tailor it to whether it was a man woman couple, or father and son, etc.

I am sure this has been discussed but I ordered canvas bags and printed my monogram in reverse on transfer paper and then just ironed on. That way, people had a bag to use while there but it wouldnt matter if they tossed them when they got home. A lot of people spend a lot on the bag but I personally wouldnt use a bag with someone elses wedding logo outside of their wedding events, so this was a good way to accomplish both a beach bag for the trip without spending a lot. Pashminas were a huge hit. Old Navy online had flip flops for like 2 bucks, HUGE HIT. Everyone wore them to the wedding, and I got white ones. I ordered a bunch of womens size 7-8, 8-9, and then mens 11-12, 12-13 and that covered everyone, since Flip flops dont have to fit perfectly. Other hits: Playing Cards, Brochures of what was to expect (Vistaprint) Advil Dramamine (we had to take a boat to the wedding local) monogramed water bottles Things I would have done differently: The $2 spanish phrase book from amazon was cute, but it was really old, so the expressions were like "have you seen my tophat?" all the cutesy favors like candles and starfish, it was fine but it added up the cost and I don't know if people used them Other than that, we did little frames but used them as place cards for the wedding, and I dont know if people took those with them or what. I am sure i will think of more things that were in our bags as time goes on... Oh, and we had to pack 2 extra full size luggages to get it all there. I dont trust mailing to mexico, especially not bulk items because they will seize anything that looks like it is for commerce, ie to be sold. I was told that things can simply not make it there, with no recourse. Proceed with caution. So we each had 2 checked luggages and our carry ons. No biggie, it didnt cost us extra. HTH!

For some reason my daily update hasn't come from this thread so I was reading backward. I confess that I am glad to hear that doing the deed in the first year isn't that easy for everyone! DH is in school and has 2 nights of school per week and tons of homework. It doesnt leave much time and its the last thing we want to think about (well he wants to think about) at 11pm after working 10 hours and 4 hours of school. They say the first year is the hardest. I think thats true. Still happy, but didnt expect to miss him so much all the time!

Quote: Originally Posted by Royal_lady10 Stefnicole.. idk, but they do it for finacial reasons. they say if its not under 10 then its def. a split meal for the two of them plus the baby.. so essentially they feed 3 people from one meal. maybe its just me.. I was totally embarassed at the Japanese steak house when they pulled this. I think that is embarrassing to. Maybe because I waited tables and it means that for an hour or more a 3-4 top is taken up with people who aren't going to spend enough for the server to make a living. Plus, how can 3 people eat one meal? That would mean people are probably still hungry, which begs the question, why go out for dinner? Even if I could be happy sharing a meal, my husband would still be hungry, and thats splitting 2 ways.

I hate DIY but found the monograms to be really easy just using transfer paper. It was cheap too. I used maybe 4 sheets and printed at home, and ironed on! That was it! Oh just remember to reverse the image.

Quote: Originally Posted by Nikki07 I can see how that can be frustrating, but if I said I could relate I would be lying. My situation is pretty much the opposite of yours. Trying to get FI to spend money is like pulling teeth!!!! I would never consider myself an irresponsible spender, honestly, but he is just too much! I actually beg him to spend money on himself because I don't want him to wake one day and think "oh shit... I've missed out on so many things". I am actually dreading that day. I wonder if there's a happy medium between our men? I think I would rather a hubby who spends money!!! I used to have a FI who was so cheap with everything. We never did fun things, never went anywhere, never did anything for vacation besides discount cruises (which I realize sounds like something good but it was the same trip over and over because they were super cheap after 9/11), etc. Everything was such a big deal. Furnishing our home, all of it was a hassle. I guess I would rather someone who wants to live a little. My solution is that DH and I dont keep all of our money together. We have a joint account for bills and things that we split, the rest is our own. I personally think its a very modern way to eliminate the biggest fight in most marriages. Plus, its not the time anymore where women dont have their own money. I make plenty, and dont want him to have anything to say about it when I buy shoes. Except that I am out of closet space, that he can say! And if he wants to lend money to deadbeats or buy video games, whatev!!!

He does a great job, but you know what, I didnt tip him at all. He left right after the ceremony and the photographers were all over me and DH and our wedding party, and by the time all that was done, I think he was gone. I didnt think about it again until this thread brought it up! I feel kind of bad. We tipped Nicole, my hair and makeup guys, and my photographers, but never did do anything for Brad. We probably should have given him something. I am sure he gets paid by Vallarta Adventures, but something would have been nice of us!

Quote: Originally Posted by drtracy I confess that I'm about to start my period and I have a giant zit under my nose. It is driving me to distraction. I'm 34, when do zits stop? Quote: Originally Posted by yoAzul Datetwin - we are on the same cycle...of course! I swear the older i get the WORSE my skin gets I KNOW! My skin wasnt this bad in my 20's, but in my 30s, all the hormonal acne!!! Nothing like trying to find products to stop wrinkles and zits! God that sucks!

Quote: Originally Posted by AnnR It could be that you didn't get a reply because the question has been answered a zillion times before! People get a little tired of answering the same question over and over. I know I've responded quite a few times over the last year plus. But sorry you felt like we abandoned you! I don't mean to get defensive but my god, when you search for things, so many threads that are unrelated come up. I recall being in a panic and searching for quite a while. "tip" brought up every wedding tip (ie hints and tips) on here. I read through all of the how to threads on searching, and still found it really difficult. I don't mean to hijack, but sometimes the answers are really, really, really hard to find.

Quote: Originally Posted by Andi On tipping...I THINK that some of the tips are included in the contract. $10 per person and that is just for the wait staff? someone correct me if i am wrong! but then I think brides in the past have also tipped an extra amount to the coordinators, DJ, band? hmmm now that I think about it, I really don't know the answer to tipping...someone help! This was torture for me. I posted and got no replies, and then tried to search this thread and didn't get anything. I went in totally blind on this. $10 is included for the staff and that is already paid in your overall amount. But I had no idea how to tip Nicole, since she was awesome and doesnt make a percent of total wedding costs like a traditional independent WC. DH tipped her early in the day and then I was stressed because I was worried it wasnt enough. So big mouth hubby went up to her and asked if what he gave was appropriate. She said it ranges, some people give a little, some give really good. She was very classy about it and when he asked she said she hadnt looked at the amount. Personally, I think if we had given too little she is WAY TOO CLASSY to have said anything. I would be curious to find out if there is an appropriate amount. I truly had no idea what is right, and just took a guess.

NOPE, if the people couldnt make it to Mexico, oh well. I guess in my situtaion, alot of people didn't come but really could have. Some are family members who didnt even send a gift or a card. So why would I spend more to accomodate them? I did realize who my real friends were, though. And most of them were in Mexico.

One of the threads above was mine, and everyone said it was fine to use your regular dress. My dress got filthy just from the wedding. FILTHY. I havent gotten it dry cleaned yet, but man, it is sandy and brown at the bottom from just walking and going in the water to the ankles for pics. I personally didnt care because I am not having an AHR and the dirt is all part of the night, like a little memory embedded right in the dress.

Wow, Emily. Sounds like some bride had the delusions of grandeur! Like she could say she had a black tie wedding but it was really awful. So ridiculous!

Andi we did that too! Ours was pre planned and we had the whole day planned from landing in vegas, going to the little wedding DMV (that is what it seemed like) going to a buffet, getting married, going back to our shitty room at the strat, consumating, and then going to a nice dinner. There was something so special about doing it privately and no one in the world knowing we were doing it, it made it really special, and it did not take anything away from our real day. We stll will celbrate our anniv on 7/13 even though our PV wedding was 12/28. Congrats Andi!

If the people coming are traveling a long way and paying a high expense to be there, I think no alcohol is a Dont. Thats just me. I dont think people need to be throwing up and drunken, but its their vacation and their time off, and many people enjoy a cocktail when out. I am not familiar with your views or those of your grandmother, but it seems that no drinking is a personal decision, so those who do not have the same beliefs should have the right to imbibe. If you have concerns about booze, I would have the bar closed after a certain point, but I do think people will find it odd (unless everyone coming is of the same religious persusasion).

Would find out

Erin you are so right about people who spend ridic amounts on some things and then skimp where its really obvious. You can get a really gorgeous dress for under $1000, and some might say even under $500 but that is up to personal opinion. Anyway paperplates and streamers in a crappy lunch room is not the place to skimp! When I was with my ex, I went to white trash weddings with him all the time. They actually scared me out of the normal reception and into the DW. I think I realized that it is so obvious if you skimp that if you dont have $40K it will look it! I guess I could have done a VFW hall. Haha.

Quote: Originally Posted by AnnR eeewww, this is exactly why I chose my location, it was a private beach - no unwanted boobies! lol i swore i wouldn't stress over the details - and i didn't! Yep, Ann, LC was great. Noone there all day or night except my guests!~ Okay, my worst was at a metal barn garage type thing. The food was pasta that they dumped into a crock pot before the ceremony started with sauce so that it was ready when it was time to eat. Paper plates, etc. It was so odd, but they did have beer so it ended up being fun, but my bf at the time and I commandeered the microphone and sang! Gues that was cause of the beer. I also don't like the VFW hall weddings. Sorry if thats bitchy, but the decor is always from walmart like streamers etc.

I say hell yeah! Wear it. Your DW wont have as many people and you only get to wear it once but this gives you another chance to wear the most expensive dress you own!!! If I had an AHR, I would totally. My dress is totally trashed tho. But yea, even if your AHR is in a coal mine, wear it!