cougs

Quote: Originally Posted by Christy335 Girls! I am so disappointed in everyone! Aren't we supposed to use this thread to encourage each other to eat healthy and work out? It seems to me like it's become a place to rationalize eating junk food and drinking copious amounts of alcohol. I know everyone can do better than that! So come on, lace up your running shoes, slip into your spandex work-out outfit (you know, that hot pink onesie with a thong!) and start grooving to the oldies! (Or whatever your workout of choice is.) And put down the pizza, skip the skittles, can the candy, just completely forget about the fridge... and get serious about the Biggest Loser 4! We can all do this, but we need each other for encouragement, not to help us rationalize. ("well... if SHE ate two whole mini-pizzas, three candy bars, 4 hotdogs, a whole bag of chips, and had 6 beers, then it won't be so bad if I do it...") GO BDW Girls!! GO BL4 Girls!! We can do it!!! i smell a winner here ... great attitude! and thanks for the motivation ... i just pictured myself in a hot pink thong onesie ... ugh! however, i don't think anyone was ever asking for help rationalizing (hell, i certainly don't need any help with that!) ... for some people, just having to stay accountable to someone is a great help ... so this contest thread is more like a confessional LOL! but you're right, sometimes we almost reward screwing up with a "me too!" response, rather than a "get back on track now, you can do it!" hey maybe any week in which we gain weight we should have to throw in another dollar, LOL. (i'm mostly kidding, ann doesn't need any more work!)

Quote: Originally Posted by zorlack76 For those of you who recommend the Bose system for the reception, who did you have do the "M.C.?" Who announced the wedding party upon their arrival to the reception? How did you decide when it was time to dance? Did the bride and groom have to monitor the radio all night to make sure certain songs were playing at certain times? Gaby told me that for 3 hours of reception, if you hire a DJ, it would cost $924 bucks!!! WOW!!! Thats a lot of money. I'd be willing to pay that as long as I had peace of mind that every part of the music at the reception would be perfect. On the other hand, as I mentioned, THATS A LOT OF MONEY!!! What do you all think? we have a pretty small group so i don't think it will be necessary to have an M.C., or even a mic for speeches and toasts, we can just speak up, ya know? i might put a friend in charge of the tunes (the bose has a remote as well). i plan on having my playlists really organized. if your group is larger or your reception is out on the beach your needs might differ.

i don't know about the photographer ... i'm so torn because i know i could take photos like his and make them wonderful with photoshop ... on the other hand, i guess i'd be willing to pay to not have to do that work. the bottom line is that the setting is beautiful so it's really difficult to take a "bad" picture. so far his are just "ok" to me tho. i'm not sure "ok" cuts it. edited to add that i just emailed claudia rodriguez to see whether she or someone from her team would even be available. my decision could be made for me, ya know?

how did everyone do over the weekend? i've been sick but not really sick enough to lose my appetite, LOL!

hi girls! just wanted to let you all know that i got a response from the bride who left a positive comment on juan navarro (dreams photographer)'s website, along with a link to her photos. she also gave some other interesting insight on the resort so i'm posting it here: Hi Lisa, Congratulations! It will soon come round quickly! I don't have all the photo's online but some on them are on facebook here's the link Louise Clifford's Photos - Wedding in Mexico | Facebook. You'll see our cake, the table decorations and the band which comes with the ultimate wedding package (we had the same package). I thought he was really good and wasn't intrusive at all. The video was excellent. I was really surprised at how good it came out. My one tip would be to speak with Claudia when you get there if there are certain photo's you want taking, as we didn't have any of me getting ready and looking back it would have been nice to have some. They will just show up for the ceremony otherwise. Also, you may already know this but Claudia will take weeks to get back to you. Once you get there you will understand why, we saw four weddings on one day. There was only two days out of the two weeks we was there when there wasn't a wedding on. She's very busy and doesn't get much time to email people back. If you want to make sure it's just your wedding on the day, I would check with Claudia first. I'm asked her not to book any other weddings on our day, as we had over 20 guests (which is what the hotel deems a large wedding ) she agreed to this. Oh one more tip, I would try and get most of your things selected with Claudia before you go (the menu, cake, flowers and decorations etc) Claudia can email you all the files. There was another couple from England sitting next to us on the plane who got married at dreams the day after us and she hadn't chosen a thing she's just bought a dress and that was it...anyway she had to had several meetings with Claudia whilst she was out there whilst we just had a quick 15 minute meeting to confirm our choices and that was it. We could go off and enjoy our holiday and not have to worry about anything. Everything had already been ordered for us. The flowers and cake were beautiful. The service was amazing no one had an empty glass all night. If there's anything else you want to know, just email me. Thanks, and good luck! Louise

Quote: Originally Posted by PhillyBride09 And last but not least..For the girls that Bought the Bose Portable docking station...Did you plug that in somewhere or use batteries? And can you get a Microphone to hook up to it? I would rather do that then rent their system just for the Mic. I am renting the Mic thing for the ceremony only. it depends on whether you got the regular bose or the portable. the portable can be charged to last 4-6 hours i think? otherwise i would think you'd have to plug in. i would certainly bring the plug no matter what, but i don't think you can plug in anywhere on the beach. since so many girls used their docking stations, i'm guessing there's no problem with adapting to their outlets? also it's my understanding from the guys at the bose store that no, you can't hook a mic to the bose system. sucks, i know.

Quote: Originally Posted by meghanmbm I saw a post earlier where someone bought these great koozies that read " to have and to hold and keep your drink cold" i cant find the link any help? i think it was dmarie? i loved those too when i saw them ... if i have the poster right she said she had a great source for them so maybe search posts made by her?

i've been thinking about this myself since there are people i already know are definitely not coming. mine are pocketfold things (i am making everything, including the pocket, so it's a bit of work with measuring, cutting, scoring, folding, gluing). seems like a lot to do when i know someone isn't coming. bad enough they get an RSVP card and postage, ya know? LOL i'm a cheap b*tch!

actually, i think the fog gives the pics a very cool, dreamy look! very nice ... congrats!

i think it would help to know what kind of drink you were having as your signature ... what's in it?

Quote: Originally Posted by DanielleNDerek Every pic i've taken over the last 3 yrs has been that picture. lol my weddig pics better be different. LMAO ... i hear ya!

my first thought was wait until harty gets a hold of this thread, LMAO! i really like my FILs for the most part. but since i am 9 years older than tom, one weird thing is that my FMIL is actually around my sister's age! i think that fact alone helps us get along well. i've already told her that i would feel weird calling her "mom" because of it. strangely tho, i have no problem calling his grandmother "mom-mom" like they all do, even tho she is the same age as my parents! maybe it's because i don't have any grandparents still living? anyway, i never had brothers, and tom has 3, so i'm all set now in the "little bro" department, LOL. don't get me wrong, they are a very big close-knit bunch compared to my small family, and are all sorts of in each other's business. some of them get gossipy, demanding, and even manipulative, and their home is a disaster. but i wouldn't trade them for the world. they have never made me feel like an outsider ... they are warm and welcoming and have made me feel like a member of their family since day one.

anyone know if there is going to be a reunion show this time? that's always the best show of the season, and it doesn't seem like they are doing one

this is the mcqueen dress they mentioned: Lily Donaldson on Flickr - Photo Sharing! it's from mcqueen's fall 2008 collection (which would have been shown in the spring i guess). gotta admit it's strikingly similar to what kenley did. not sure if i'd go so far as to say she copied it tho ... i mean, could she really be that dumb? these judges are IN THE BIZ. they are going to recognize stuff that just recently came down the runway! side note: christian used to work for alexander mcqueen, and his finale dress at bryant park was very similar to mcqueen's work. where is the fine line between inspiration and copy?

Quote: Originally Posted by carly Oh that's the worst. I feel your pain. I think photos are so hard to see of yourself, cuz you can just stare at it and stare at it and totally pick yourself apart from the tip of your hair to the tips of your toes. At least you have plenty of time to take control before your wedding! Too bad my wedding is past, cuz what's my motivation. I need something ot make me care enough to STOP EATING CAKE/CHOCOLATE/CHIPS/ETC. I even joined the BL this season and nada. I don't do anything different. It's like I care, but not enought o give up the food that I love. before we were engaged, i told tom that the quickest way to get me to lose weight was to put a ring on my finger, because there was no way i was going to be a fat bride ... ummm ... guess it wasn't really motivation enough because i'm heavier than before the ring. i can't imagine what i'll be like AFTER the wedding, when i have no motivation to be thin! it doesn't help that my fiance is a big guy himself (6'4", about 300 lbs). when he is sitting there happily eating cheesesteaks, totally unconcerned with his weight, it's just hard. the photos are the worst. the biggest loser girls convinced me i should take before pics, and well, they were just awful. i've been losing some weight this season (doing better than last round), but i find myself skipping the gym a lot, snacking ... i just don't know what i need to motivate me! a health scare?

Jennifer's wedding day was fast approaching. Nothing could dampen her excitement -- not even her parent's nasty divorce. Her mother had found the PERFECT dress to wear and would be the best dressed mother-of-the-bride ever! A week later, Jennifer was horrified to learn that her father's new young wife had bought the exact same dress! Jennifer asked her to exchange it, but she refused. "Absolutely not, I look like a million bucks in this dress and I'm wearing it," she replied. Jennifer told her mother who graciously said, "Never mind sweetheart. I'll get another dress. After all, it's your special day." A few days later, they went shopping and did find another gorgeous dress. When they stopped for lunch, Jennifer asked her mother, "Aren't you going to return the other dress? You really don't have another occasion where you could wear it." Her mother just smiled and replied, "Of course I do, dear ... I'm wearing it to the rehearsal dinner the night before the wedding." NOW I ASK YOU -- IS THERE A WOMAN OUT THERE, ANYWHERE, WHO WOULDN'T ENJOY THIS STORY? SEND IT TO EVERY WOMAN YOU KNOW!!!

my guy wears a 15 so i can relate to your problem! just out of curiosity, where did you find crocs that big? we're the opposite of you guys, tom actually *wants* them, but i think they're pretty hideous LOL. still, i love him enough that i'd totally buy them for him if i found them in his size (not for the wedding tho)!

Quote: Originally Posted by zorlack76 I am going to try to negotiate to get some of those prices lowered though. good luck trying to get them to lower prices! (hell, you can haggle everywhere else in mexico, why not with the wedding coordinator? LOL) keep us posted! i don't know of anyone so far who has gotten lower prices, but some people have been successful with swapping unwanted package items for other upgrades. best of luck!

Quote: Originally Posted by LCLIVINGSTON - $307 for the extra 11 guests (who are all staying at the hotel) for the cocktail hour - $585 for the extra 11 guests (who are all staying at the hotel) for International open bar for 3 hours for reception. in total it's working out at least $5594, more than double the wedding package mainly because I have 31 guests going and the package only covers 20. you may find that you won't end up with nearly that many guests. we started with about 40 so-called "definites" and as time went by our number has dropped to about 20-25. we're sad those other people aren't coming, of course, but our wallets are definitely happier!

how 'bout those WEDDING DRESSES, ladies?! i won't say any more in case some of you missed it!

alin & mako, i'm sorry to report that i think we have another BDW bride at dreams cancun on nov. 8th (according to this post: http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t24950). the upside for you is that they will do 2 weddings per day at DC, so you may still be able to have that date, and unless the other wedding has a large guest list as well, i think you can be almost certain that the ballroom will be available (seems that most people, at least on this forum anyway, prefer to have their receptions outdoors, and not many people head to DC with such a large party).

Quote: Originally Posted by alin & mako Hi ladies, I might get relocated here from Dreams Tulum because of the closing. Just wondering 2 things. Anyone getting married on Nov 8, 08? If so, where are you doing it and what time? Anyone know if you can have your reception indoors at this hotel for about 120 people? Thanks so much, I think knowing this stuff will make me feel better.... yes, you can definitely have your reception indoors in their ballroom (which also happens to be the only air-conditioned indoor option there). i'm sure it can accommodate that many people. i will try to find the thread with ballroom pics for you. edit, i found it here: http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t15854 my heart goes out to you dreams tulum brides ... i know every bride chooses their location for a reason. this is just awful, and i hope it's remedied shortly. i know i would have turned completely apesh*t bridezilla if faced with that!

Quote: Originally Posted by STACEY We are having the ceremony on the beach, and our freind is playing the guitar for me as I walk down the isle. He needs to know what kind of cord to bring to plug his guitar into the sound system. Does anyone know anything about the sound system? Help I leave in two days, and Claudia of cource is not responding. TIA wow so close! i'm excited for you! unfortunately i'm not any help, but i wanted to say that claudia is most likely not responding because she's been busy with dreams tulum brides being relocated there, on top of their regular load. sorry, i know that doesn't make it any better for you.

they are both beautiful but i have to disagree with most of the girls here and say i think #1 is WAY better. it's clearly a little tight in the picture so i think the fact that the fit isn't right is tripping people up, but it's gorgeous and really suits a wedding in cuba, IMO. i guess we'll need to see it in the proper size in order to make a more educated decision, LOL! #1 #1 #1! your smile in that photo says "OMG i've just found 'the one'!"

i agree with what the other ladies have said here ... it's YOUR wedding. only YOU (and your FH) can decide what is in YOUR hearts, and how YOU picture the "perfect" wedding. for us, the fact that WE were paying for it entirely ourselves made all the difference (tho we had to promise some sort of AHR, even if it's a BBQ, to appease our parents after *their* guests lists got cut so drastically, LOL). i had the opposite problem ... *everyone* was all gung-ho excited about the idea from the start, and now a lot aren't coming. stick to your guns, but be prepared for those you love the most to hurt you the most, and those you least expect, to surprise you with their kindness and thoughtfulness. destination weddings certainly stir up the weirdness in everyone! best of luck to you!