cougs

GORGEOUS! i saw those somewhere online too and loved them, but like you there was no way i was spending that much money! way to go! they look *exactly* like the inspiration!

i think a photobook would be very nice, and can be somewhat inexpensive. i hear ya on the fiance thing ... mine's like, "we have to give *them* gifts?" LOL! we will probably do some sort of photo-based gift as well. one thing i know i'm doing is using this quote (i have no idea where i stole it from, but i instantly loved it) for my father's gift. i will probably pair it with a pic of a sandcastle, and a photo of us together: "Eventually the princess moved out of the castle and went into another line of work. But her father is still a king, and always will be." i wanted to add that i plan on getting my parents (and bridesmaids as well) some sort of excursion or spa thing at the resort. i think in general, experiences and memories are better than trinkets.

i have never even heard of getting gifts for whoever throws you a shower. maybe it's a regional thing? bridesmaids generally get gifts for being a part of the wedding party, but that's all. then again, every bridal shower i have ever been to/planned has been a surprise party ... hard to show up with gifts for the hosts when you've been surprised! "thank you" cards are usually sufficient.

Quote: Originally Posted by laycj18 Good Morning Ladies..... I regret to inform you that I must drop out of the competition. However, I do have a super fabulous reason: I'm pregnant! This also means that I'll probably disappear around here since a destination wedding and a baby in the same year just don't pan out financially. I'll probably check back in at the end of the season to see how you all did. Keep up the good work and good luck to you all! On the up side I can now have pizza while watching the Daytona 500 today, and now feel guilty. what awesome news! replace that weight-loss ticker with a baby ticker! and have some pizza for us girls!

snorkel sets were one of the things i was looking for but never found them cheap enough ... these are great, but just be sure they are appropriate for adults (big enough), since they are listed as a "toy." many sites i looked at said "child snorkel set" and amazingly, we no longer have any kids coming!

bumping this for another attempt at having a starfish bouquet jewel passed to me! anyone?

Quote: Originally Posted by BachataBride I was wondering if the offer was still there to help me edit some of my pics?? I think you had offered previously in my "I'm fuming" thread! I'm not super happy with my pics & I think with a bit of editing (from someone other than me who doesn't really have a clue what I'm doing!) they could be a lot better. Do you mind?? If you're busy with your wedding plans & life I totally understand, but thought I would ask!! I think I'm going to start a thread asking for help anyway, but thought I would jump the gun here!! i can probably find some time to help out. i don't know how we'd go about it tho ... i would probably need your high-resolution photos on disc mailed to me, and if you have any ideas of what you'd like done to some of the pics let me know. oh and definitely send a COPY of your disc! you don't want to get your pics lost in the mail! i will send you a PM with my mailing address.

Quote: Originally Posted by Prettyhazardous I'm like wow you combined shopping with losing weight. I've gotta try this lol so there goes the wedding budget but hey i"ll lose some weight lol. LMAO @ "there goes the wedding budget!" hey it's worth a shot ... sounds like an exercise plan i can get on board with, LOL! (as i sit here on BDW when i should be heading to the gym ... i'm off work today so there's no reason for me to not make it there!)

ooooh canadabride ... i really like michael maurus's work and his prices are VERY reasonable (seems a little cheaper than momentsthatmatter) and i like that you can choose whether or not to include prints. momentsthatmatter doesn't include prints (though they now have an option for an art book of your photos for additional cost) ... i weighed that against having one photographer vs. two. i decided having two would be important since we'll likely miss the entire cocktail hour while taking photos, and i'd love some pics of my guests enjoying it and the mariachi trio that will be performing. since there's two, they have agreed to split up for a bit to accomplish that. also, since it's a man and a woman, it's more likely my fiance will be comfortable with one of them! other photographers in the area that people have used or hired are claudia rodriguez (and people from her team like citlalli), martha roque, and cecilia dumas. kat had great pics done by jeremy gilliam (i think he's outta texas). there is a TON of photographer debate within the pages of the dreams threads. good luck!

fixing the list (again) ... please be sure to copy the MOST RECENT LIST! January 2009 Kristy & Mike - January 16, 2009 Jess & Evan - January 17, 2009 Michelle (Michelle&Steve) & Steve - January 18, 2009 February 2009 Reilly (soon to be Mrs. Glasser) & David - February 23 March 2009 Angel & Sanford - March 1, 2009 Kelly (KellySC) & Brian - March 20, 2009 April 2009 Katherine (Cancunbride2009) & James - April 16, 2009 Lyndsey (lynds) & Nick - April 17, 2009 Rachel (Rachel&Jamie) & Jamie - April 18, 2009 Tanya (TanyaNYC) & Alex - April 19, 2009 Diana (dc22173) & Anthony - April 25, 2009 Maria (maria3901) & Jon - April 26, 2009 May 2009 Jaymie & Ales - May 4, 2009 Kristen (kiki317) & Mickey May 6, 2009 Jenn (Jenn387 & Mike - May 8, 2009 Kelly & Joe - May 13, 2009 Sylvia (cancunbride) & Albert - May 14, 2009 Marie (hartyt509) & Scott - May 15, 2009 Joanna (jhubert) & John - May 20, 2009 Lisa (mummergirl) & Tom - May 28, 2009 Tamika (quackquack) & James - May 30, 2009 June 2009 Heather (celica112277) & Tom - June 4, 2009 Tina (cweigner5) - June 12, 2009 Jen (simbasim) - June 13, 2009 Abby(destination) & Tom - June 13, 2009 Gen (Gen Moriya) & Josh - June 14, 2009 Joanna (JoannaR) & Orlando - June 20, 2009 Jenn (PhillyBride09) & Joe - June 24, 2009 Tracy (skye15) - June 30, 2009 July 2009 Cassondra (Cassondra2009) & Scott - July 12, 2009 Louise & Ross (lclivingston)- July 14th 2009 August 2009 Peggy (bbpacco) & Teddy - August 1, 2009 Christine & Christopher (zorlack76) - August 14, 2009 Adrienne (rabutler816) & Reginald - August 16, 2009 September 2009 Jessica (jcoop) & Brad - September 6, 2009 October 2009 Laura (CanadaBride) & Chris - October 1, 2009 November 2009 Maria (mc5363) & John - November 5, 2009 Jennifer & Chris (Keiperwedding) - November 7, 2009 Jodey & Simon - November 12, 2009 Emily (epargin) & Darren - November 14, 2009 Valerie and Ryan - November 21, 2009 January 2010 Sunita (sunitam)- January 5, 2010 Tabitha (Dolphin) & Keith - January 22, 2010 Lea (leasauceda) & Bobby - January 23, 2010

well, i finally gave up on trying to convince my fiance we needed to hire an outside photographer, and instead just TOLD HIM i was hiring one, why it was so important to me, and that i was paying for it myself. so ... after much deliberation, i chose (and booked!) moments that matter photography Wedding Photographer Mexico , Cancun , Playa Del Carmen , Mayan Riviera i'm getting TWO photographers for five hours!! i do have to pay for two day passes, but it still ended up cheaper than claudia rodriguez (whose work i also loved). lincoln and lori are fantastic so far ... i have not yet waited more than a few HOURS for a thorough, courteous response ... in fluent english (they are canadian ... moved to the riviera maya a few years ago)!!!! after waiting SO long for responses from the wedding coordinators, and then their responses being vague or not answering my questions at all, let me tell ya, it seemed like a dream, LOL! so happy to finally feel as though i have something important accomplished!

Quote: Originally Posted by Fanny My dress is coming in sometime this month. The anticipation is killing me! Is anyone else still waiting for their dress? apparently mine isn't being shipped from the manufacturer until LATE MARCH! on one hand, i'm freaking out ... on the other, at least i have time to drop some more pounds and find the perfect shoes? like a few other people said, i hardly remember what it looks like! i just know it made my mom cry, so it must be good, no? LOL on a more positive note, i just booked my photographer and paid the deposit! i finally feel like i have something done!

Quote: Originally Posted by CanadaBride Has anyone actually done the legal ceremony at Dreams? It seems like most people are opting for the symbolic ceremony. I am so torn, because I feel like I won't be able to lie to everyone.. they will know for sure! I am just wondering how much of a hassle it was to get your blood work etc done at Dreams, and if it really is that big of a deal. Gaby tells me that it can take up to six months to get your marriage certificate back.. but I am not really that concerned about that.. I am actually more concerned about not having all my paperwork ready and everything, plus it is a lot more expensive than getting married in Canada.. there was someone on here who did the legal ceremony, but i don't remember their name ... they said the blood tests were no big deal at all. very quick and painless and done right in your room. (found it: http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t32182) personally, i just can't rationalize making everyone spend so much money to come see a staged reinactment of our wedding vows (we're already hearing a lot of crap about why we're not just doing it at home). i know no one would know (unless i blew the secret ... which i probably would, LOL), but it would bother ME that our wedding date on our marriage certificate wouldn't match (i have problems! LOL). it's so silly really because the legal ceremony costs you almost an extra $700 ... money that could be spent much more wisely. i say if $$$ is an issue, you should go with the symbolic ceremony. but if you're ridiculous like me and you know it will bother you (and anyone who found out), fork over the cash!

where's your review haha i'm an anxious one, aren't i?

i'm almost down to my last "100 days 'til the wedding" ... now if only i could figure out how to lose a pound per day, i'd be in good shape! LMAO great job ladies! congrats to ashley and the rest of you big losers! shame to see another DQ this week ...

Quote: Originally Posted by Lindsey Hi ladies! Is there anywhere on the forum where there is a complete list of 2009 Dreams brides? I am just interested in finding out if anyone else is close to mine!!! July 3rd, 2009- unfortunately at 11am. I recently switched resorts so I am anxious to learn as much as I can about Dreams....and all of the little intricacies that come with it (: not sure if it's everyone, but this thread is what you are looking for: http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t24950 copy the list from the most recent post and add your date, names, and screenname too! oh, also if you haven't yet, you'll want to read through most of this thread: http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t2782 welcome to the club, LOL!

Quote: Originally Posted by AnnR actually, ya know what i did for the previous seasons, but haven't done this one is, if you don't weigh in one week, i use the most recent weight once you do weigh in so it looks like 0% for that week. like for you, Lisa, I'd just use this weeks weight for both this week and last. Make sense? I will start doing that now. haha oh SURE ... remember to do that the one time i actually have a decent weight loss! LMAO technically i lost more than 3.3 lbs this week because i actually gained last week, but you never saw that pic because i forgot to send it. LOL i missed my chance to be up in the top for a change!

are YOU sold on the idea of a destination wedding? is your mom? if she isn't (and it doesn't sound like she is, with her comment about how it will cost as much as a NYC wedding), you need to explain to her all the reasons you are dreaming of being married away. next question: why florida? are you trying to stay within the U.S.? if part of the reason is to avoid passports, consider the U.S. virgin islands ... they are beautiful! many, if not most of us are going into this without ever seeing our locations in person (i have never even been to mexico, let alone my resort)! you don't have to take two trips to key west to plan! what you need is a ton of research and a good wedding planner. (and this site!) regarding costs, the main thing that makes a destination wedding cheaper than one at home is the smaller guest count! aside from that, the many tiny details that you would have stressed over at home, that would have had to have been the *perfect* thing, tend to not matter as much. there are far fewer "rules" involved. for instance, in paradise, will anyone notice or care if there are no centerpieces, or favors? these are all things to consider. i'm not even choosing my flowers or cake until get there. ahhhh ... stressfree! no matter what you choose to do, people will have negative things to say. family & friends will disappoint you. but if you keep true to yourself you will be happy in the end.

Quote: Originally Posted by bbpacco Hi Jill, quick question, for the '4 witnesses' who sign, are they going to be my guest/parents, or provided by Dreams?? Quote: Originally Posted by SIMBASIM it is whoever you choose. just so no one here gets confused, simbasim is correct, you choose your witnesses, and the resort will supply witnesses if you don't have any with you. HOWEVER, if you are having a legal ceremony (i'm pretty sure bbpacco is having symbolic, right?) both you AND your four witnesses must have been in mexico for 4 business days, and will need valid identification, as well as the tourist cards that are given at the airport. this criteria must be met ONLY for the legal ceremony. if the witnesses you chose do not meet that criteria, the resort will supply witnesses to you. and of course, if by chance you only have 2, they'll supply the other 2.

i lost a few lbs. this week, but really it's two weeks' worth since i forgot to send my weight last week. the weight loss seems so slow and frustrating, but it IS coming off. i keep finding old things in my closet that i can suddenly fit into again! keep at it, ladies!

i bought these tiny paint-your-own wooden maracas from oriental trading (note their size in relation to the hand in the photo ... they are VERY small): Design Your Own! Maracas and unless i decide to be lazy (and just tie ribbon and a tag to them LOL), i will be doing my own hand-painting! mishka's designs are inspiring!

i'm pretty sure they are going to be my choice as well. as a graphic designer, i have always been more interested in the high-res digital images on disc than prints. because they aren't supplying prints or albums in the packages, their prices are very reasonable, especially when you consider you are getting TWO photographers. AND their work is beautiful. AND they get back to you almost immediately AND answer every question and address any concerns you may have. AND they speak english, fluently ... LOL (sounds silly but i think it's important ... not just so things don't get lost in translation, but for the comfort level i think we'd feel with them vs. the barely-bilingual). gee, sounds like i'm sold, huh? thanks jcoop for posting about them in the dreams cancun thread!

Quote: Originally Posted by STACEY There will be plenty of towels. There are baskets all over the resort of big blue towels thanks! i figured there would have to be!

probably a dumb question, but does anyone who has been to dreams cancun know if they have beach towels available to you, or you just have to grab one of your room towels every day and hope housekeeping restocks? LOL if they don't provide beach towels, i might order some for my guests. then again, i really don't want *another* suitcase full of guest-gifts ...

thought i would post this because i've seen these in the dollar section at michael's before but at terrysvillage.com they are currently on sale ... $1.75 per DOZEN! 2009-2010 Tropical Pocket Planners. A great gift idea for groups, our two-year planners will keep you on schedule. Each 2009-2010 Tropical Pocket Planner has a vinyl cover with a lovely tropical design and a sheet of 32 stickers. Set of twelve. 6 3/4"L. 2009-2010 Tropical Pocket Planners