MarieSam

Quote: Originally Posted by LadyCheese Thx for posting...bc of you I went to Michaels and racked up on those travel candles (yay)!! Now you mentioned Pier 1, which I love, so I'll have to check them out also for extra candles. Yay!! So glad I could help ~ yes def check out the Pier 1 candles. The scents are...."delicious" =) I'm saving those for the BM's and special family guests since they are a little more expensive, but nevertheless still a great deal for $1.88!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by LC_Rachel Bored. lmao. Ask Carly- she complained of having nothing left to buy. Or like me, you could change your mind on things and go back and re-buy everything. haha the joy of being a bride. I think the journals are super cute. How big are they? Really small in size? Geez, I can only imagine ~ although stressful, I love planning esp. when everything is going your way!! I think I'll be a little bit sad when it's all over =( I have a feeling I'll be the type to go back and forth or of course go bananas buying too much and then I'll have to listen to FI say once again "why are we giving gifts? isn't it enough of a gift that they made the short list and are invited to the wedding?" *men <blah> The journals are great!! I fell inlove with them as soon as I saw them. They are about 5.25 x 8 inches ~ a pretty good size for a dollar a piece =) And while I don't think many people journal, I figured our guest can use it if they need paper or need to jot things down as most of them will be staying in condos so the traditional "hotel pad and pen" wont be provided!

I love your STD's they are wonderful!! I just may take you up on that offer for help ~ I dont even know where to begin =(

I'm hoping the guests will love and appreciate everything!! For current and past brides to be -- Is it normal to be on the constant lookout for gifts for OOT bag I swear it's like I'm obsessed on finding the next great deal ~ but its just so much fun!! And the wedding's more than a year away What am I gonna be like as the date nears??

Hi ladies!! Some pics below on some great purchases I made not too long ago. A couple weeks back, I posted about the Michael's travel tin candles sale, which is now over but the candles are regularly priced for $1 - still a great deal =) My scents were Lemon Verbena, Fresh Lilac, Black Cherry, Coastline and Vanilla Cupcake ~ I know there are others as well. Also, found some journals with a great floral design on the cover in many different colors, and I know they also had pad and pen sets with the same designs all for $1 ~ another great find!! Lastly, I bought more travel tin candles at Pier 1 for $1.88 on clearance, which have amazing scents that I will put in special bags made for family and my bridesmaids. There were tons of these at 2 Pier 1's that I went to, so I'm sure there's plenty at all stores. The scents I got were First Rain, White Pomegranate, Citrus Cilantro, Buttercream Vanilla, Mango Papaya, Aspen Flower, Island Orchid, and Ginger Peach. They all smell so good, but I think the tropical scents go with a beach themed wedding!!! So here are the pics ~ happy shopping!!!!

Heartfelt condolences for your loss.....I know it is never easy losing someone you love. But hopefully you can find a sense of solace and comfort knowing that when loved ones pass, they are leaving to a better place where they can continue to guide and watch over us from above* My prayers and thoughts are with you and your family ~ many hugs ~

Ok, I looked at her photo blog now I know for sure you've got to be the luckiest bride!!! She's a great photog ~ CONGRATS again!!!! What a great prize, I'd be bouncin off the walls if I was you =) Cant wait to see all the pics....so excited for you!!!!

hahha, i love it. i'm gonna have remember that one =)

~wow~ you are one lucky bride!! I'm sure that's a big help to the wedding budget, photography can be so expensive. Congrats!!! And yes, please share who the great photographer is who offered such an awesome contest =)

I absolutely love everything ~ you're so creative. I will def. have to use your brochure as a frame of reference once my wedding nears. The sig drinks are awesome, I might have to copy that idea. hehehe. Your guests will love it =)

Your pictures are so beautiful ~ Loved the dress!!

Ok ladies, well the plan is to get married in Akumal in June 2009, so now I'm looking for potential hair/makeup artists for the big day. I am so particular when it comes to getting my hair and makeup done ~ esp. the makeup! I've had it professionally done probably 7 or 8 times and have only been happy once. Most of the time, they can't seem to match my skintone and I look like a clown! According to my mom "you can't be the only one who looks good" so, it would be for me and my bridal party of 8 ~ I'm not too picky on the hair, simple styles are fine with me. I just wanna make sure I don't look like someone did my makeup in a dark closet, with a blindfold on, and on a heavy dosage of drugs .... So, help!!! Any suggestions or referrals?

I would have to say MyPublisher as well. Last year my family and I went on a tour through Europe and of course ended up with more than 1,600 pics over our 15 day trip. We used MyPublisher - make sure to download the version off the Costco website (if you're a member) because they always have exceptional discounts a lot of times up to 45% off the cost of your book. The program is really easy to navigate through because its so user friendly. I ended up making 4 of the largest sized books about 350 to 400 pics in each book. It was a labor of love, took about 2 months to complete because I was determined to make it perfect. When we got the books back, we couldn't have been happier. The quality of the pages is unmatched, really thick paper better than I've even seen in published photography books they sell at the stores. And the photos we're huge (even their smallest size), and popped off the page with lots of color. The cover was really nice as well - we opted for the linen covers in four diff colors (sage, creme, black and taupe). They also guarantee their product so if you're unhappy about something they'll gladly redo the entire book for you for free. Can't beat that! They get my vote and I will certainly go to them in the future. Hope that helps! =)

So good to hear so many of you were able to pick up some candles!! I couldn't keep a great deal like this one a secret =)

Quote: Originally Posted by Yari So I went to get the candles, left with $70 worth of things for my bedroom and not one freaking candle. LOL! hahaha, Michael's is definitely one of those stores ~ there's just so much creative and cute stuff in there. It's hard to leave without buying something =)

Quote: Originally Posted by amyrak Ok, so I originally bought the tealight 2 pk in round glass holders I think for $1in the citrus cilantro scent (thought that was very mexico) But I'm wondering if those will be fine for my OOT bags. Should they be in the tin for travel?? These are sealed in a plastic holder but I'm just wondering if people really use these?? I was thinking how heavy mine would be the other day..ha I think I will get some of these anyway though because I only have like 10 of the other and we have 24 coming so far. For $0.75 a piece, I say go for it and get the tin candles! You can always return them if you decide you wanna stick with the glass votives. Glass is certainly heavier than the tin, which is extremely light. And the good thing about the tin candle, is that its always contained whereas and safely mobile, whereas the glass votives, once they're taken out of the packaging, that's it and you've got to keep wrapped up to prevent them from breaking. But in the end, I think it all really depends on what you think your guests will enjoy more =)

Glad to help ladies and good to hear some of you were able to take advantage of the great deal!!! I am in full wedding purchase mode even though my dates more than a year away ~ but if I ever run across any steals all of you will be the first to know =)

Quote: Originally Posted by Wanderlust4Mexico The ceremony will be by the cannons and then the reception will be at Lol-Ha. This seems to be the standard for weddings in Akumal. Who are you using as a wedding coordinator? --Lisa Well, while I'm still open to other options in Akumal "just in case" , I've been in constant communication with Jen of Turtle Bay Restaurant who I think we're gonna stick with because everything seems to fit what we're looking for! She's not only the wedding coordinator, she also is in charge of the food and wedding cake! Through her, we've planned on having the beach ceremony, I believe in the same area of the cannons, and then renting the CEA Center, which is nearby and overlooking the beach for our reception, dance area, etc! We're planning on having Turtle Bay Cafe cater a buffet dinner and provide the cake as well - I've got about 110 people coming so we're trying to make it as affordable but wonderful as possible for our big crowd! Plus, they're letting us bring our own alchohol in and then hiring bartenders to serve drinks which will make it much more cost effective for an "open bar", which can be so expensive otherwise!!! We also checked out Lol-Ha and their food sounds excellent - I've also read good things about them too! Def keep in touch and let me know how things are going =) I'll pray for good weather for us both!!!!

Hi everyone! FYI - Michael's is having a great sale this week on scented travel candles, normally $1.00 a piece but this week 25% making them only $0.75, ya can't beat that!!! They are a good size, come in great scents and are in tin cans so they're great for travel. Some of the scents I liked were fresh lilac, lemon verbena, vanilla cupcake, coastline (a fresh scent), and my favorite Black Cherry!! Also, Michael's has these super cute journals that have tropical flowers on the cover in all different colors for $1.00 each, I think they would make great gifts also for the OOT bags. I'll try to post some photos when I get home from work later today! Happy shopping ~ the sale only last until Saturday =)

You looking amazing in all of them - but I would have to agree with most of the gals dress #1 is absolutely exquisite. It's elegant, very flattering on your figure, but whatever you decide I'm sure it will be the perfect choice. Just make sure you pick what's comfortable!!!

Amazing!! So happy for you ~ it's great when things fall into place just like you'd hope =) Show us the magic DRESS!!!!!

Crazy isn't it? I work as a news reporter and get this, a bride getting set to fly to her destination wedding in Hawaii -- wedding dress in one arm -- arrives at LAX this morning only to find out ATA basically no longer exists. How awful!! She was devastated ~ I felt so horrible for her, I can't even imagine what I would have done. So now hundreds of people who thought they were going somewhere today on ATA airlines are left scrambling for other travel options and of course are forced to dish out more money if they are intent on traveling today! Now for any of you who have ATA reservations or flights the following may apply to you as far as getting your money back ( I had to report on this story this morning so hopefully this helps some of you out and again it totally sucks ~ I'm sorry!!!): ATA customers who purchased tickets by credit card were advised to contact their credit card company or travel agency directly for information on how to obtain a refund for unused tickets. Those who purchased ATA tickets with cash or check may be able to obtain a full or partial refund for unused tickets by submitting a claim in ATA's Chapter 11 proceedings. Customers who purchased tickets from Southwest Airlines for flights operated by ATA under the codeshare agreement were asked to contact Southwest Airlines directly at (800) 308-5037.

Wow, how cool - I agree we have to compare notes! Where in Akumal exactly, if you don't mind me asking?

wow, thank you so much for taking the time to respond! I am working on it as we speak ~ thanks again, I really appreciate it!!!

This looks absolutely incredible!! Thank you soooo much ~