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Quote: Originally Posted by jdrewett Yes, I definitely want to order some papel picado for the wedding and AHR! So cute! I'm hoping to get away with not doing a tent. My FIL has a family friend at our favorite Mexican food restaurant. One of my best friend's had a backyard wedding and said the set up and breakdown was the worst. Her family spent so much time putting everything up, then having it ready for the rental pickup. Thanks! Yes, it is time consuming but the good thing if it is at a family member's house is you don't have to do it all in 1 day!!! Good luck and let me know if you have any questions:)

Quote: Originally Posted by jdrewett Kate, great job on the AHR! We are planning to do something similar in my mom's backyard with a mexican theme? What would you do the same and different? If you don't mind me asking...How many ppl and what was your budget? I love it! Thanks! It was super fun... and I think a mexican theme would be really neat! I had googled papel picado and there are several templates and patterns online... just an idea. The most expensive part was the tent/table/linen rentals... It was $1800... I believe we had around 300 people... maybe a few more. I used linens on the tables and plastic on the serving tables- that worked out good and saved me $$. The treats were made by my mom's friends that wanted to do something and dislayed on a desert/coffee table... they managed that well! The only thing I wouldn't do again is make all of the food... granted the food was AMAZING because of it's freshness... but making kabobs at 6am is crazy, even if it is not your actual wedding day. Maybe you could have some mexican food catered and add your own touches We also hired a server to just remove garbage and stock drinks, directing the park cars etc. This was nice for our parents... they could enjoy during the celebration! Let me know if you have any more questions:)

Everything looks AWESOME Heather! I knew it would. You guys are going to have a fabulous wedding and vacation!!! Viva los Cabo!

Welcome! I was married at Playa Fiesta in January- you are going to love it! make sure you join us past and future brides on the Playa Fiesta thread... Lots of helpful info on there!

Well I do think he should be respectful of you- especially with the stress of the wedding, it is common to be more sensitive. BUT, you do have to trust him, and accusing him is not going to help...at all. If he works with her, he needs to be friendly with her to keep the peace in the office. As long as he doesn't cross the line, you have to trust that he is keeping it in line. I don't think a ticket stub, that she collects, is out of line. And facebok is harmless unless proven otherwise. So just have a talk with him and let him know that your sorry, but you are a little extra sensitive leading up to the wedding. Let him know why. And ask if he could be a little extra sensitive/reassuring during this time. Be sure not to accuse him of anything. Keep focus on how you are feeling. Good luck!

Congrats on your little boy Margie! Woowhoo!

Good advice Rachel! I just wanted to say hang in there! And you are doing the right thing by being the bigger person. Remember, your relationship with your FMIL will remain long after your wedding!!! So try to let your FI handle it. Be gracious and listen. But don't budge! And this is a safe place to vent... so continue to come here to do so! Good luck!

Bummer! Mistakes happen, so I guess it is a good thing it happened after 3 weeks instead of 3 months. Did she make arrangements to return your deposit yet? I am confident you will find a photographer that fits your needs in plenty of time. Hang in there!

Yay! So glad Frankie is safe... I have been worried about him from afar

Quote: Originally Posted by jdrewett Thanks! I have been stalking that thread too. Just worried about the costs...I may talk to them more about it when I plan a site in the next couple of months. I hope we can make it work for our budget. haha... let us know if you have any questions! You'll love Adam and Lindsay... they may even let you stay free for your site visit- ask for sure!

Quote: Originally Posted by mnewbauer I leave in 11 days for PF. I absolutely cannot wait!!! We were short two rooms and had to help 3 couples pay to stay at PF. An additional expense we were not expecting. If we would have been able to get all of our rooms booked we would have been around our budget but thats ok. I can come to terms with it. We have nothing left to do. Next sat we are actually having a "are you ready for Mexico Fiesta" so the guests can get to know each other and we can pass out the taxi directions and packing list. It has come up so quick. We visited PF lat Oct around this time to see what the weather was like so I can't wait to go back. I just hope it doesn't rain. Wish me luck...11 days and counting. Good Luck!!! I am so jealous after the MN weather lately... ugh. We had to pay for some rooms too, and it was ALL WORTH IT. I think it is cool that you are coming to terms before you get there... but I guess you have seen the place in person already. My anxieties left the moment I looked over that balcony. That was a magical moment. Enjoy!

Quote: Originally Posted by jenniebey yay! i almost forgot about the anniversary trip. something else to look forward to... also, just wanted to say we finally had our last room booked today. all 20 rooms are booked. such a relief! now i just have to finish all my diy projects before i leave in exactly 24 days. woot! Nice!!! I can't believe so soon you leave, you are going to have such a blast. What are you working on for DIY?

Quote: Originally Posted by jdrewett I love Playa Fiesta! Your pics are great! Playa Fiesta is closed for weddings in August because of the rainy season though and the prices are higher than what we were looking for. However, I cant stop thinking about it! We may try to change our date and still make it work. I just wanted to let you know that there have been several updates since these pictures were taken... and it is even better! Search Playa Fiesta and check out the thread on here... lots of pics! And my review/pics are in my siggy as well.

Welcome and happy planning new PF girls! Bill and I are planning our trip back to Playa Fiesta, yay! Wish we could make the trip over Christmas with you Mel, but I we'll have to wait until Jan/Feb to fit it in! Has anyone heard what remodeling projects they completed this summer? Bill just asked me and I haven't talked to Lindsay since she's been back.

Very cool! How fun.

Quote: Originally Posted by ChristinaP Thanks for your help ladies. Kate- Everything looked beautiful from start to finish! Congrats. As for your jewelry- Did you give her an idea of your girls dresses and all that, and she just went with that? Or did you have a more specific idea? It turned out fantastic, and I loved how it was all different, and a llittle something extra for your MOH. Yes, I sent her pics and she went to the bridal shop that carried JLM and looked at the fabric. I wanted them all to be unique but same materials. So one BM never wears necklaces so I had a bracelet and chandalear earrings for her. Then a necklace and smaller earings for the other... and in the ad for my MOHs dress the model was wearing a long necklace and I thought it was fabulous! I know Jaqueline used Agape Gems too and LOVED the outcome but she took her pics down recently do to work/privacy. If you PM her Im sure she'd share.

Here is my planning thread, there are pics of the jewlery Coutney made for me here: http://bestdestinationwedding.com/fo...-thread-35299/

I worked with Agape Gems from this forum and had a great experience with her!!! She actually went to a bridal store to find my BM dresses so she could see the fabric in person, then she emailed me a pic of the materials for approval, then pics of the final product before mailing... I did have a couple of minor adjustments and she was happy to make the changes. I will look for her info on BDW and send you the link. Here is her Etsy site: AGAPE GEMS by agapegems on Etsy

Ohmygosh Amy! I just saw on your ticker that you are preggers and came on here to say congrats. What a story!!! Almost like your dreams were preparing you for those dr. visits. Hope all of the drama is behind you and the path to mommyhood is clear from here!

I needed the refresher too! I was on the earth day committee in HS and recycled... but then came college, and apartment living... so beyond the obvious I forgot!

Congrats! I am so glad you two found eachother:) Beautiful story.

Quote: Originally Posted by LeNell I didnt know it was going to be this hard You'll be fine:) I am just telling you this so you don't get worked up about it. Chose your battles... and try not to worry. I promise it will be PERFECT in the end. And the people that are supposed to be there, will... even if it is a different group than expected. I can tell you this from personal experience and from reading other girls' stories around the forum, you are def. not alone. And that is why the forum is so important! So you can vent. Do you have your dress picked out? How is the rest of your planning going? I'd focus on that! Hang in there... you guys make a cute couple by the way.

Quote: Originally Posted by LeNell I hope not we asked everyone to book by Jan.1 And they won't all be booked by then... be prepared for that:) Hopefully you'll have a good IDEA who's coming, but there will be stragglers. Again, part of a DW. (We asked people to book by Nov. 1 and people were still booking mid december... our wedding was Jan 23)

The majority of our guests booked around 3 months out. Many waited until the month before... people are procrastinators... unfortuneatly it is a part of a DW. As long as you and your FI make it... that is what is important.

Ok, so I recycle the basics, bottles, cans, newspaper but that is it. I decided that I needed a little refresher and this article came up. (Real Simple) - what you can and can't recycle -- and why. Plastic Most plastics are recyclable," says Keith Christman, senior director of packaging at the American Chemistry Council Plastics Division, in Arlington, Virginia. The problem is, not all plastics are recyclable everywhere. Almost all recycling programs accept plastics numbered 1 and 2. (Look for the number on the underside of a product, inside the ubiquitous triangle of chasing arrows.) But the numbers are not regulated federally; 39 states have various rules, so what you see can be inconsistent. "The plastics industry has put the recycle symbol on everything," says Marti Matsch of Eco-Cycle, in Boulder, Colorado. "People think the symbol means the item is recyclable, but that's not always true." More than a tool for recycling, "the symbol identifies what a certain plastic is made of," Christman says. Here, a cheat sheet. No. 1: Polyethylene terephthalate (PET, PETE), the most widely recycled plastic, is used for soft-drink bottles and is also commonly found in textiles, which explains why a bottle can be turned into fleece. No. 2: High-density polyethylene (HDPE) is used for detergent bottles and grocery bags. No. 3: Polyvinyl chloride (PVC or vinyl) is what salad-bar containers are made from. No. 4: Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) is used for dry-cleaning and fresh-produce bags. No. 5: Polypropylene (PP) is what makes bottle caps, yogurt cups, and drinking straws. No. 6: Polystyrene (PS) is also known as Styrofoam. No. 7: These "other" plastics, such as polycarbonate baby bottles, are generally not recyclable at most centers. Paper Putting the wrong type in the wrong bin can make a difference. Recycling facilities work to keep similar papers together so they can get the most money for their products. (For example, office paper, which has long fibers, is worth a lot more than the "mixed paper" of cereal boxes, which has shorter fibers.) Metal Recycling metal saves an enormous amount of energy and money. All steel products, for example, contain at least 25 percent steel scrap, which requires 75 percent less energy to produce than "virgin" steel and explains why scrap metal has become a valuable commodity. As for aluminum cans, recycling just one saves enough energy to run your TV for 2½ hours. Metal is separated into two piles -- ferrous (containing iron) and nonferrous. The device that figures this out? An industrial-size magnet that attracts ferrous metals, like steel, but not aluminum, which is nonferrous. Glass Recyclable glass almost always refers to "container" glass -- that is, bottles and jars. Other types, like windshields and Pyrex, have different melting points and are not accepted by most recyclers. Another factor is food contamination. Plastic, glass, and metal containers are cleaned to remove food, but paper is not. Food particles can contaminate an entire batch, as the food (along with the paper) begins to biodegrade if it is left to sit. When paper is recycled, it is pureed into a pulp "smoothie" and passes through screens that take out anything that's not paper: chunks of wood, plastic, or glass; paper clips; staples. It's then treated with chemicals to remove inks, which means recycled office paper can still be white. Related Articles: How to Recycle Anything 50 All-Time Favorite New Uses for Old Things 10 Smart Uses for Old Plastic Bags