MarieSam

So I'm amidst trying to bring a makeup artist/colleague with me to my wedding in Akumal, BUT in case it doesn't work out, I need some suggestions on makeup/hair stylist in the Riviera Maya/Tulum area. My WC highly recommended a woman named Norah Grey whose salon is in Tulum, but I haven't seen her work. Has anyone heard of her, or used her?

Oh thank you, thank you, thank you so much ladies!!! Your input and insight in my anxiety over my last name has helped greatly. I just got done reading everyone's comments and I'm so GLAD others have experienced the same feelings and I'm not actually just being a crazy biatch, lol. And for those who are excited about the name change, that's a wonderful thing too! I think ultimately I will just add his last name to what I already have so I can just feel like its an addition and I'm not completely dropping my last name. *sigh* I hope like with all the other brides, in time I will get used to it. Again thank you gals so much! This forum is such a great source for venting and advice ~ love to all!!! Quote: Originally Posted by JBinjour I didn't want to change my last name. LOL, I still haven't changed it. My husband's last name is so generic (Lee). I've told him this already. He reluctantly agrees with me. I love my last name (Binjour). Actually, I love my entire name. I love your last name too ~ it sounds exotic and sexy!!! Quote: Originally Posted by PhillyBride09 Don't think of it as Stripping away your Idenity...Thing of it as Adding to it! Your still you...You still made all those accomplishments you mentioned above...Your last name doesn't change that. It only means that you have decided to share your life with someone & Take his last name. A whole new chance for new accomplishments..together. You can always Hyphenate (sp?) which would be a really easy solution..But the men don't like that too much!! LOL I suggested it to Joe and he was like, Uh..No!! I like my last name..But I like his too! It's all part of this thing we call marriage! Good luck with whatever you decide! :-) Your "togetherness" point is totally right, thanks girl ~ I've somehow lost sight of the wonderful part of all this Quote: Originally Posted by Maura MarieSam, being in the same profession as you I can totally relate to your feeling. You could do what I did - keep your byline and masthead as your maiden name, but add the new last name onto your maiden name on your email signature. legally when i change my name after i've returned from mexico for christmas (have to wait because ticket is booked under maiden name, plus i didnt want to change name & jeopardize my papers not going through quick enough for me to re-register to vote in the election!), i will just be adding his last name onto mine (so ill be Maura W----- H-----). i will still legally keep my middle name as my middle name, and my maiden as part of my last. this was a solution that allows me to keep up my "professional brand" without getting rid of my maiden name. KWIM? Maura, I totally shoulda PMed you on this, cause you're right, we are totally in the same boat! I think I'll do exactly what you've suggested ~ it makes sense and my professional name will still be intact. Aside from the fact that my legal name will now need its own zip code -- Maria Samantha S------ W----- I think it's a great solution. *sigh* thanks girl!!!

Based on other issues/topics that came up when renting a villa for my upcoming wedding, I would also add the following: -- housekeeping: how often, daily, once a week, etc.? -- are housekeeping or gardener tips included in the price? Is there a guideline mininum tip per day/per person (ours was $3 total for gardener and housekeeper)? -- washer/dryer? -- supplied with dishes and utensils for up to #____ people? -- if there's a dining room or kitchen table, how many does it accommodate? -- what is the maximum number of guests permitted on the property at once? -- # televisions? satellite access? -- phones? is there free long distance calling (some have vonage)? -- Wi Fi/Internet access? Equipped with computers? -- is there a bbq grill? -- are there hammocks on site? -- Does the villa come equipped with bikes, kayaks, snorkel gear, pool gear, or golf carts for local transportation? That's all for now, if I come up with more, I'll make sure to add!!!

These are gorgeous, I haven't quite seen anything like em! Please do share your vendor!!

I always feel sad when marriages don't work out especially when there are children involved. hmmmm.....but on a side note, I wonder if this means she'll drop the British accent and start being "American" again, lol

awww Calia, I'm so sorry you had to go through that It must have been so painful . . . my family had to put our dog to sleep about 10 years ago and it was one of the saddest days of my life. We have yet to get another pet, it was just like losing a loved one.*lots of hugs, sending you my best*

Hey gals thanks for all the compliments. This project was super easy and I hope it will help a bunch of you brides-to-be out I'd love to see some of your final products ~ so please share!!!! Quote: Originally Posted by FutureBotter These are wonderful!! I was trying to figure out how to order stickers online and be sure that the color was what I was looking for! Now I don't have to! Thanks so much for your post! I'm switching over to work on my monogram right now! Quote: Originally Posted by MissLucky7Bride Thanks for the tips! I am not that inventive, but my hopes are to attempt as many DIY for my wedding. Thanks for sharing, it gives me some much needed motivation! Glad my post could help ~ making these on my own were a lot cheaper than ordering them online! Good luck ladies Quote: Originally Posted by mikandtet thanks for sharing the paper punch I have been cutting my stickers, it is supposed to be round ones...but it does not turn out to be round using the scissors! LOL! Oh no! I can't imagine having to cut circles, I can barely cut a straight line You gotta get a circle punch, it makes things so much easier!!! Quote: Originally Posted by edna Wonderful Job, I love your monogram!!! I just entered in OTC but it seems the 3 pcs round punch is not longer available.. now I need to find another place to get it.... Thank you for sharing this! Hey Edna ~ they musta just got them in stock again!!! Here's the link, hurry!!!! http://www.orientaltrading.com/ui/br...nches+And+Save

Quote: Originally Posted by sdnative222 Your stickers are soooo nice. Those details will look great on all of your projects. I'm curious, though. I've been going out of my colored ink in my HP printer like it's going out of style. Am I doing it wrong Printer ink is definitely gonna get used with all these DIY projects, I try to just look at it as part of the investment of having personalized decor and accessories for the wedding. I've noticed though a way to cut back on ink usage is to do things "Fast Normal" as opposed to "Normal Best" (I think that's what the option is). The color isn't as intense, but still really vivid and helps conserve the ink Hope that helps ~ and Cheers to running thru printer ink for the sake of awesome DIY projects, tee hee

Those are beautiful pics, the location is amazing and you looked freaking gorgeous!! Congrats ~ I can't wait to see more.

That is awesome ~ I'm so jealous!!! Happy travels Are you doing this for your own wedding or for prospective brides? And is this just for the resort brands you specialize in, or are you open to scoping out other areas? If so, I've got a great WC/caterer you can talk to for budget brides looking for a non-resort wedding off the beaten path!

I don't know what it is lately, but the thought of changing my last name has really started to freak me out. Has anyone else felt like this? Perhaps it's because I've been so independent my entire life, especially in the latter years. Raising my daughter on my own, paying for my own bills since I was 14, and putting myself through a $30,000/year education sans my parents help. I know part of the reasoning is also my profession because it's how people know me. I know the resolution is to hyphenate, which I mentioned to FI and he gave me a funny look, I can only imagine what he'll think if I express my true anxiety. I'm proud of who I am and what I've accomplished, and somehow changing my last name feels like I'm stripping away a part of my identity?? Am I crazy?

The Phillies are TOUGH ~ there were so many points in last nignt's game I thought they were dead in the water, but they never gave up. While I'm rooting for my local team (Dodgers baby), what can you say, the Phils are freaking relentless!!! The back and forth developments in that game were crazy ~ such a good game As for the ALCS ~ I love Tampa, that team's got major onions, tee hee. Gotta love a young team that continues to have no fear in the face of the defending champs.

Quote: Originally Posted by emmie2008 I ended up getting my bags at Dunwoody Booth $14.35 for 10... 10" x 5" x 13". You can get bigger ones 15" x 6" x 15" for $17.70. They also have paper etc. but I wanted to do the "enviro-friendly" ones. I love these, they're fantastic!!!

Hmmm guess I should just done a multi-quote response instead of 4 in a row ~ forgive me I'm at work and stressed out in knee-deep fire coverage here in So Cal Anyhow, THANKS SO MUCH LADIES!!! All your sweet compliments mean so much to me, lets me know the hours of work were all worth it ~ it feels so gratifying to finally get these done and sent, it just makes "the wedding experience" even more real

Quote: Originally Posted by syl1115 You did a super fantastic job! I love the colors. Did you use metallic paper for the envelops? Thank you!!! And yes ~ I used metallic text paper for the boarding pass envelopes and a metallic envelope for the mailing envelope ~ thought it would add a bit of sparkle , hehehe

Quote: Originally Posted by anacgarcia Those are beautiful Marie!! Thank you Ana ~ coming from someone who does such beautiful work for so many brides, your compliment is like gold

Quote: Originally Posted by BillysBride HOLY CRAP! THOSE ARE FANTASTIC! I'm blown away, seriously.... ummm..so, when are you starting your own business? tee hee Thank you so much, everyone's compliments mean the world!! ~ While stressful at times, I absolutely LOVED doing the passes! hehe, no immediate plans to do this as a business because I've got way too much on my plate planning my own wedding, but geez doing wedding stuff for a living or even on the side would be a wonderful thing!!

Geez that's a whole lotta money, seems SUPER inflated to me!!! I'd say seek other quotes, otherwise that $12.50 per slice better have a $10 bill baked into every slice. I'm getting married in the Riviera Maya area and am being charged $4/slice or $3/per cupcake ~ being the cake fein/aficiando (and yes my big ass thighs show it, tee hee) at first I was gonna complain a bit cuz I'm so used to getting great cake prices here in So Cal, but now I think I'll keep my mouth shut now and accept it as being pretty damn reasonable considering

They're lovely Tami ~ Great idea, I'm so gonna do this after our big day thanks girl!!!

Happy Wedding Day Erica ~ hope your day is blessed with plenty of sunshine, love and happiness! Can't wait to see your pics, I'd bet money that you're a gorgeous bride!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by TA Maureen I would check your airline's website for specific policies regarding this. You could also go to TSA | Transportation Security Administration | U.S. Department of Homeland Security I just made tags and tied them to the bottles with ribbon. I thought about doing labels but was unsure of what the actual size would be. I was happy with the tags because then guests could read the original label and have a true Jamaican souvenir. These favors doubled as place cards. So the guests found their bottle which had the name of their tabe on it. Each table was named after aJamaican rum drink. On the back of each tag/place card I typed the recipe for that drink. These are awesome ~ I love this idea!

YAY ~ FINALLY, they're done! After being inspired by so many awesome STD creations on here, I collected elements from my favorites (thank you so much ladies!!), and FI and I created our own STD boarding pass. The colors for our wedding are canary yellow, terracotta, latte brown and hints of red, but we wanted to spice up our STD's so we decided to use some metallic paper to give it a fun but glitzy feel. They took lots of fine tuning, and even now I would still change some things, but I decided to stop being so crazy and anal and just hit the print button. The passes -- 3 of them hooked together with a palm leaf brad -- are on MS Publisher to allow layering with the Mexico map background (I believe that was from Mel, thank you!!). The Pass Jackets are on MS Powerpoint which I believe were borrowed from Becks (thank you tons!!). So in true BDW pay it forward fashion, I've attached the templates for the passes, pass envelope, and STD letter to guests. The template along with instructions for the DIY monogram seal is here: http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t30414 A list of items used and what they cost are below the pics! So here's what we used to make roughly 100 STD's (3 passes each): Boarding pass: - Off White Card stock from Wal-Mart = $4.00 - Palm Leaf Brads from Oriental Trading Company - $4.99 for 48(x2) = $10 - Fiskars Paper Cutter from Costco = $24.99 - Corner punch rounded edges from Joanne's Fabrics = $3.99 Ticket Jacket - Gold Metallic Text Paper from Envelopemall.com = $14.95 - Palm Tree punch from Michael's = $8 Letter to Guests - Beach themed stationary from OfficeMax = $8 Pre-RSVP Postcard - VistaPrint.com for 100 free regular sized postcards = $14 for expedited shipping STD envelopes - Metallic envelopes in copper and antique gold from envelopemall.com and paperandmore.com = $30 - 30 Full sheet stickers for DIY monogram seals from Staples =$10 - Circle Punch for stickers and other DIY projects = $8+ (set of 3 shapes for $25) Special fonts used for passes can be obtained for free on dafont.com or fonts101.com. You'll need to download these first or the passes won't show up right: - Wmtrees1 - Batik regular - Murray Hill - Helinda Rook - Tropicana BV - Mariah * We spent about $140 but many tools and leftover paper items will be used for other DIY projects. This project was very affordable in our opinion and really special to us because these are custom made to our liking!! STD Boarding Pass Template.pub STD Ticket Jacket Template.ppt Letter with STDs.doc

*sigh* let me preface this by saying it was heartbreaking to see my Angels go down to the BoSox yet again. What can you say ~ ever since the Red Sox came back from an 0-3 deficit in the 2004 ALCS to the Yankees, they've been money in the post-season. As a diehard Angels and Lakers fan you can only imagine this year has been tough sportswise, but the true sports fan in me can only appreciate how well the Boston teams have performed when it counts. So here we are BoSox vs. Tampa and Dodgers vs. Phillies ~ any World Series predictions? I love the Tamps surprise success and always root for the underdog, but damn a Dodgers vs. Red Sox series has headlines and intriguing back stories written all over it!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by Bianca American Airlines offers the same discount to groups. good to know! I just may try and establish the same deal with them too since Alaska doesn't serve all areas that I would need in the U.S. Thanks!!!

Well this little gem fell in my lap through a very nice customer service rep at Alaska Airlines Group Sales Department... I was trying to establish a discounted group rate for about 20+ of us but of course that means we're all flying out of the same airport at the same time. I mentioned it was for my wedding, and she suggested that I set up a "Meeting/Convention Fare" that would establish a 10% discount for every person flying to the same destination (for me Cancun) during a certain time period using a discount code. Departure city does not matter. Technically you're supposed to have at least 10 people use the discount, but she says once they provide you with a code no one keeps track, it's just assummed you will hit that number. Also as a bonus, for every 40 passengers who use that code, you will get a tour conductor ticket (a free ticket to use domestic or international for up to a year) BUT you must provide them with all the ticket numbers so they can verify the 40. Awesome deal, and with how expensive airfare is these days, it's definitely a great way to help everyone save!!!