*Krista*

Hey ladies - thanks for the words of encouragement! I hope everything works out for my FI and his dad. If not, we will still have fun on our special day! Raykel - I'm so sorry to hear about that!! Hopefully they can do something to either fix it, or give you another dress. Would they have your same dress in stock? I hope when you talk with the manager they can help you! **sending you good vibes! ** Have a great time at your BD shoot on Sunday girls! Last night I got my wedding shoes!! YAY!! A hot pink pair of high heels as well as a silver pair of sandals with a tiny tiny heel (for comfy reception shoes). Here are the pictures! FI didn't understand the concept of two pairs of shoes, so I just laughed at him...lol...he doesn't get it! I got these in hot pink! and I got these in silver! Yay for shoes!

Shells - how did the pics turn out? Do we get to see some??

Quote: Originally Posted by svetayasofiya Dude that sux Is he very old? It's funny but today would have been our original wedding date! *My mom made us change it, LOL I am curious- who are you all using as a photographer? I hired Samuel Luna and I am soooooooo excited!!!! Flash Portfolio | Top Mexico Photographers | Mexico Destination Wedding Photographer Samuel Luna Susie I don't know how you can work... I leave in three weeks and I just want to spend my days on here reading peoples reviews and looking at pictures. Guys, I am so excited my MOH (best friend) is going to sing at my wedding! It's such a nice last minute surprise... I think everyone will enjoy it. YAYAY Hey, no, he's not too old. He just doesn't like flying and travelling. The worst part is he didn't say to my FI that is the reason he isn't coming, he just made up a bunch of excuses really, but we all know the real reason he's not coming. His mom said she was going to buy an extra ticket for him, hoping that he would change his mind later down the road, but my FI just said no, that if she does that, then dad will feel obligated to come, and he doesn't want his dad to come out of "obligation", and besides if he felt forced to come, he would be cranky and ruin the whole thing. FI pretends to be okay with it, but secretly I know it has affected their relationship, and the sad part is, I think his dad's relationship with our children may be affected by it too.... which is too bad, because they won't have a grandpa on my side either, as I don't have a father. I really hope FI can forgive him and try to repair the relationship, but I know that is hard for my FI to do...

Brooke! WOW! Va va voom!! Those are some hot pictures!! You are gorgeous girl!! Good luck with finding a new vase for your sand, I'm sure you'll find something perfect! Ali- I love the idea of a panty shower as well! I know how you feel about the conservative thing, and yes, it definitely does hurt feelings, especially when they tell your FI the truth. Do they think that he won't tell you?! Sometimes people just don't think! Anyways, don't let it ruin your time. If they don't choose to come, it's their loss! You will have an awesome time and get some great panties! I always look at it as, if they don't want to come, I don't want them to be there, because they will just put a damper on my fun! Unfortunately, my FI's dad has chosen not to come to our wedding, because he doesn't like to leave home, and so my FI has said to me that he doesn't want his mom to force his dad to come, because then his dad will be grumpy and ruin the party. If he doesn't want to come, we wont force him, but at the same time, we are not going to let that stop us from enjoying our time! That's not to say it's not hard to deal with, I know it is! Try to stay positive and enjoy as much as you can!

Happy legal day Teshy!! and welcome msamanda - happy planning for your feb 2011 wedding!

Susie - CONGRATULATIONS!!! that's such an awesome story of how you got legally hitched! Don't you just love how animals sense when we are crying/upset and come to console us? I was crying the other night too (about silly emotional wedding stuff), and my cat came and crawled right up on my chest and starting licking my cheek. That part about looking into his eyes and realizing you are marrying the man you love - awesome! That's going to be me too....bawling my eyes out, he'll probably cry too - he's pretty emotional, so is our family, so everyone will probably be crying away! Chris! That's a beautiful dress. You look gorgeous!! Raykel - I'm so sorry to hear about your computer! I know that feeling of losing everything on your hard drive, that is why I now back everything up, and I own a Mac, no more PC viruses for me! I hope you are able to retrieve all your hard wedding work! Sean and I are taking lessons as well! We are doing Cuban salsa lessons! It's for 6 weeks, and we'll see how those go and maybe we'll try another kind after that! This is the first dance lessons either of us have taken (apart from my jazz ballet when I was a kid lol ) Ali have an awesome bachelorette party!! Teshy -to avoid tan lines I am packing lots of strapless bikinis for the beach, and lots of strapless tank tops/dresses for wearing around. I burn/tan/get tan lines quite badly, so this is how I'm going to avoid it! (Hopefully it works!) With your dress being a deep V, you could try using a very strong sunscreen, getting a swimsuit with a similar shape, and when going out and about, using a t-shirt, or something else that covers a lot of area to avoid tanlines on your shoulders, etc. Shells- That is so wonderful that you have such a great friend who is so excited for your special day! I really wish I had someone to share all my excitement, but nobody else seems to be as pumped as me. Maybe once I get closer to the date, people will get more excited. KristaH - I'm so sorry to hear about your family struggles and about your grandma. I don't like conflict either, and it's always so uncomfortable. Just try to stay positive, and let your hunny know how you are feeling and why. He's there to support you! By the way, your dress is fabulous!! Nice to see that I'm not the only one with a very big dress (thought I was crazy for that lol ) I love the silver detailing! And your arms are not fat at all! Timberly your shower looked wonderful! Congrats! Erica your dress looks beautiful! I love the pink jewel! Wow...Now that I finally caught up on the reading - it was all weekend with no forum I was so busy this weekend with school/wedding prep/socializing, and I had about 10 pages to catch up on! YIKES! I know the emotions are rollercoaster (highs and lows), but it is wonderful how we can all support each other and feel free to share what is really going on with us. It's a very personal thing and I just want to say thank you for sharing and listening! You girls rock!! On wedding note - I have started working with Danielle from the etsy site that Timberly suggested, and she is wonderful! I can't wait to see what she comes up with! I also found this lady on Etsy who does personalized satin clutches for a great price. I haven't been able to find anything in the stores, so I may order through her. Here's a sample. What do you think? 1 Pleated Wristlet/Clutch Choose your fabric by syl2830 on Etsy

Hi girls! Congrats to the non-smokers! That's awesome! My FI has been quit for 2 1/2 years, and I couldn't be happier! I would really love to have my teeth whitened, but I can't even use Crest white strips for more than 2 days without severe pain. I have extremely sensitive teeth when I eat icecream I have to make sure it doesn't touch my teeth and try to balance it on my tongue until it melts...mmm...maybe my teeth sensitivity was spawned from my tongue freezing incident lol! Tricia - you should post a pic of your cute party dress! I hope you love it when it arrives! Sofiya - hope your dress fitting goes well! Keep up the good work at the gym gals! FI and I have been going 5 days a week as well in preparation. We are starting early, so hopefully we will be in uber good shape by then. I'm hoping to lose 2 sizes, but we'll see...

Quote: Originally Posted by SusieQ I got some bad news last night... FI's cousin's daughter (Stacey) is only 18 years old and she had to have surgery to remove a brain tumor Jan. 27th/09. It was found by accident she was having headaches reading and mom thinking her eyes needed to be checked, took her to the eye doctor. Well this poor dr. took one look at her and sent her to emergency dept, she was accessed there and then airlifted to Sick Kids hospital. She had surgery two days later. Lucky she was fine the surgery went really well and there was no complications. 3 weeks later she was home. Last night we all got the email that Stacey had a dizzy spill new years day and they have had all the testing done and the tumor has began to regrow at a rapid rate. She had an MRI in August and there was a slight regrowth and the dr.s said "we'll monitor it". Now she has been hospitalized and is waiting a surgical team to be assemble (they need a team of 4 because, they can only operate 6 hours each). Last sugery was 18 hours, which the doctors said was long. Stacey's uncle and his wife are booked to go with us to the wedding. I am just so worried about Stacey and her uncle leaving the country when she just had brain surgery done. I am staying hopeful the surgery should be done before we leave and hopefully she'll be on the road to recovery before we leave. FI were in Punta cana last year when she had the surgery and it was so scary getting that email and being so far away. The really sad part is she is now 18 and she can not have her surgery done at Sick Kids because that hospital is such an amazing hospital. Yeah feeling really "blah" today... Sorry gals I had to share with someone. Oh my gosh Sue, I'm so sorry to hear that... It makes me really sad that things like this can happen to such young kids. I hope everything goes well with her surgery. She sounds like a trooper, so I'm sure she'll be fine! My FI and I will be praying and thinking of you, her, and your family. Keep us in the loop about what's going on. Don't feel bad about sharing, that's what we are here for! We love you and support you - good times and bad!!

Quote: Originally Posted by FutureMsMoulton Question: What did you stick your tongue to for the first time when it was cold and you got scared and ripped it off I'll never forget for some reason the mailbox looked like it needed to be licked... and I left blood on it when i ripped my tounge off so my dad and mom knew exactly what happened! lol LOL!!! the mailbox looked like it needed to be licked... LMAO! I stuck my tongue to the screen door - it looked pretty and frosty, and delicious Honestly I can't remember what compelled me to do it, but I sure learned my lesson and fast! To this day when I eat popsicles and they are really cold and they stick momentarily to my tongue I have traumatic flashbacks.. lol

Quote: Originally Posted by svetayasofiya I have had a few nightmares already. One about timing... it was awful. I had another one recently about the reception. Everyone got up and left during our first song or were ignoring us like they were bored. The WC was awol and the servers were just serving whatever they wanted... LMAO at CHUB RUB!!! I love that term!!! Start taking your folic acid! I just started on Friday. I have been off the pill for over a year now. We threw away the other kind of birth control last September... *bad I know. We are careful in other ways and I usually avoid him when I am ovulating, LOL although that's usually when I am in heat. HAHA BAHHAHHHAAAHHHAAA...in heat....LMAO! Love it! So true, so true.... I don't know about you ladies, but I'm so excited today! I don't know why, but I just have this stupid grin on my face and I'm getting so excited for Mexico, and I'm six months away, you girls are so lucky you get to go next month!!! he he this smilie is really funny reminds me of the time I did that when I was a kid...lol....

Quote: Originally Posted by AmyBoerema I am feeling that way too......hang in there. It'll work out - tons of brides here write really positive reviews about how everything turned out, so I don't think everyone's getting screwed over money-wise, or someone would have mentioned it, right? I also feel that way Amy! I think it's also that there are so many little things that I didn't consider, and once you start thinking about all the little details and items, things start to add up. But yes, it is a wedding, and just think how wonderful it will be! Plus you are probably saving money by doing a DW anyways! I know I am! A basic wedding here is anywhere between 10-20 grand, not including a honeymoon. A photography package alone costs more than what my DW is going to cost, plus you get a honeymoon out of it! and you get to get married in one of the most beautiful places on earth! Everytime I start to get stressed, I try to stop, breath, and imagine myself on the beach in my wedding dress and I get so pumped, nothing else matters at that point! Get pumped girl!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by Stephers09 Krista.baird, Invitations update! so i went to my MOH's house to talk to her about the invitations that i still HADN'T received yet (she didnt' know i was coming by haha) - i thought a little surprise would sort of put her on the spot and she would have to show me them - so i asked if i could see them and she started to get really flustered and sort of anxious that i was there. so i was just like "listen, i dont want to make this a big deal, if you dont have time to finish them then hand it over and i can do it myself. otherwise tell me what is going on" - so she said she did't know how to tell me that she hadn't even started them yet!!!!! UGHHH not even one! she has had them for 4 or 5 months. grrrr!! so i got all my stuff back and am going to start them myself tonight! so much hassle and waiting/trying to be patient for nothing. geeeeeze!! ah well, learned my lesson - if you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself hehe.. OMG!!!!!!!! WHAT!!! Who does that? That's terrible! I mean I can see why she would be anxious/nervous to tell you because she was probably anticipating that you would be upset, but what the heck? seriously, what is she trying to do?? Is she just a bad procrastinator? Ugh, well, it sucks that you have to do them all now, however, at least you now have peace of mind to know what is going on with them. Plus, you can make sure they are done the way you want them done. And, yes, I'm a firm believer in if you want something done right you have to do it yourself...lol.... Your FI is probably relieved now too! I'm sorry you had to deal with that. Thankfully you were able to deal with it so well. And I don't think how you handled it was mean at all. I think you are a good friend for how you handled it! I would have freaked out...lol...

Hey girls - I totally know what you mean about nightmares, I haven't started having too many yet, but it's only a matter of time. I did have one a little while back where I suddenly realized that I only had 30 minutes to get ready for the wedding - it was like I forgot it was my wedding day! AS IF! I always have nightmares around important events, and they usually have the "theme" of not having enough time, or somehow forgetting about important times/events, etc. It's so strange how that happens! I'd be thrilled if you guys came to Mexico to meet up!!! I'm getting married on July 10 at Dreams Tulum. As for ering and wedding band, I will be putting my ering on my right hand, I would keep it on the left, but my ering and wedding ring are uniquely shaped, so they only fit together one direction, so kinda have to. Erica those flowers are gorgeous! I can't wait to order my own silk flower bouquet! Prego - not right away, as Sean and I will still be grad students and have 1 year plus of graduate studies left! In the next 2-3 years for sure. There is five years between us, so he's more anxious than me - he's 32 now. I'd like to have my first before 30, but we'll have to see what happens! As for the swelling ladies, I'm sorry to hear that. My FI has the same problem. Just remember to drink lots and lots of water, hopefully that will help to keep the water retention to a minimum and flush out the excess sodium. My concern is chub rub...lol....I get really bad heat rash between my legs when they rub together, I know too much info...lol! Sue that's an awesome sand picture! Timberly Love the centerpieces - they are so romantic and elegant looking! Very vday! Sofiya - take those shoes off girl and let your feet enjoy the sand!! That's my plan!

Quote: Originally Posted by TeNeil Tricia- I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE the shoes you have been looking for. I have my heart set on wearing fuschia open toe heels, but can't find anything anywhere. I might have to consider getting a pair dyed too. Brooke-thanks for the canadian zappos link! Cute shoes....i found a pair that I love....only $457..haha bit out of my range Hey Teneil, funny you mention that, I just came across these on that website Brooke suggested. I'm posting this link, I hope it works! Buy Shoes and Handbags - Canada.Zappos.com - Bridesmaid Shoes - Hart

Happy Saturday girls!! I just got back from hanging out at a friends' place, and we had some homemade wine...feeling good! LOL... We can definitely do the meet up at my wedding!!! That is if you guys want to! I'm up for it!! I'll make sure to warn the FI beforehand so he knows what's going on....otherwise he might be like....who are these people? LOL! Although everytime he sees me on the laptop now, he says Feb brides? me: Yup! Teneil - I'm sorry that happened to you but good job for laughing through it! That wouldn't be something I could easily handle! You've got grace under pressure girl! Brooke - I love your ceremony! It's so moving and makes me cry! I especially love the hands part. I'm doing a legal ceremony so not sure if I can include that or not, but I want to for sure! When I asked my WC if I could write my own ceremony stuff, she said for the legal ceremony you can write your own vows....so I'm not sure that I can do the hand ceremony, but I may try to sneak it into my own personal vows somehow.. Susie - I'm jealous...senior member that's awesome!! Tricia I love those shoes too and would love a pair like that! I just love the style - they don't even have to be two different colors. It's hard to find beautiful shoes like that where I live. I may have to order online. Yay for having your rings back. I'm not looking forward to that, as mine will be a custom made wedding band as well, so I'll have to part with my ering for at least a few weeks. Teshy I'm glad you are getting the ring you want! Oh and I still have my christmas decos up too...lol...I gotta work on that this weekend! Svetayasofiya - good work!! Keep going strong!! Raykel - dont you just hate how work gets in the way of wedding planning LOL!!! We should petition for wedding leave (like maternity leave) LOL! One whole year to plan your wedding heck even six months with no work would be great!

Awww Brooke that's awesome!!! Great work girl! You have me blubbering like a baby....

bahia bride that's gorgeous! I love it!

Timberly! All I have to say is HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT!! OMG! That is so amazing and such a wonderful gift! I wasn't really considering BD before, but I think you've convinced me to do it! Good work girl! Brooke - so glad to hear you are feeling better! Have fun tonight! Susie - I'm staying warm - or trying my best too! Keep dreaming of Mexican beaches..mmm... Today was a crazy day at work, so I'm looking forward to the weekend. Have to go over to the inlaws tonight to discuss wedding plans, travel stuff, etc...should be fun!! Love you guys and get some rest!!! You will need it for your big day. I know I know it's hard to slow down and rest, and I'm sure you'll be telling me the same thing in a few months when it's my turn to freak out, but still I have to say it because a good friend will - TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF!!

Hi Ladies, I too received a similar response from Aurora regarding this issue of silver/gold menu vs. $20 menu. This is what I said to her: Is it possible to do the $20 option for food (restaurant menu), on top of the $750 private event fee if I am doing the free wedding package and want to have a private beach or poolside reception? Her response to me: Dear Krista: We offer set menu only for the rehearsal dinner for $20 usd+tax+service but for the wedding reception dinner is required to get the Silver or Golden Menu in order to get outside location. (you can see the menus in the Wedding Guide) This is the policy in the Wedding Guide 2010. SOooooooo....it looks like this is the case now (for 2010 that is). But I'm confused because she said for outdoor location, so does that mean if we have the reception in the ballroom, we can have $20 menu? I think she must just be meaning if you want a private reception (not a restaurant reception). So, I don't think the $20 menu option is even an option anymore for wedding reception (only available for a rehearsal dinner). So, at that price, you may as well just get the love or ultimate package because you are already paying over $1000 for food, plus you have to pay the $750 fee on top of that (if you are doing the free wedding that is), so you are already up to $1850....bogus.... This is very frustrating to say the least! Especially cause I asked her about this back in October and she didn't respond. I've been planning my budget on using the free package and adding on what I wanted and paying the $20 per person plus $750 for private reception, and now I am pretty much forced to do a higher package because it's pretty much the same price with doing $55 per person plus $750 fee....brutal...

Vdaybride - lol you crack me up girl!! the little smilies at the end of your "rape" comment were hilarious! Tricia - sounds like you had a wonderful day! good work girl! I'm surviving this cold - barely - but surviving. I avoid going outside if I don't have to! lol! Cuddle time on the couch makes it easier

Stephers - You're welcome for the help! And wow...your FI's bestman is her ex...mmm...that might be why she is acting so strange! And they dated for 2 years, that's a pretty serious relationship. Does the ex have a new girlfriend that he's bringing to the wedding or something? Ahh weddings, they are so interesting and complicated, aren't they? Everytime I start to get anxious or upset about some crap that's going on with my wedding, I just try to visualize walking down the sandy beach and the ocean, and my FI, and I get so pumped up I can barely contain it! Just makes me wanna dance! LOL!

Quote: Originally Posted by Stephers09 krista.baird, I knowww! the worst part is that i have already suggested making dates so i could help her out, i also said we could stuff them together and she told me that she didnt need any help! everytime i ask her thats her response. I asked her if she could bring a sample of just ONE of them to our soccer game a few weeks ago and she said she didnt want to in case it got ruined - its not like i was going to run around on the field with it haha. so i dont get it - she isn't being truthful about something - thats the vibe i am getting, anyway. thanks for the suggestion though Im just running out of ideas - but i guess i can always just get them from her and say i will finish the rest! i just feel so mean though Hey girl - that sounds a little fishy to me too! Mmm...well, I know it's hard, but sometimes you just gotta take things into your own hands. I know it may seem mean, but it is your special day! I don't think it's mean if you tell her that those invites need to go out like yesterday because people have to have time to decide if they can afford to come, if they are going to book, etc. It's not just about her, but it's about all your guests that are awaiting those invites! You could say something like "I really appreciate all your help and your efforts towards making this experience wonderful for me. I'm a little worried about the invites though because I really wanted them to go out by December at the latest, so my guests will have lots of time to decide what they are doing. Plus the sooner I can get the RSVP, the sooner I can start planning other things like decorations, OOTs bags, etc. Would it be okay if I just take the invites and finish them up because I really need to for my own peace of mind." I really hope that you can figure something out with this situation! I understand how hard/complicated/frustrating this wedding stuff can be! My MOH is my fiance's sister and we have been best friends for a few years now, inseperable, but since we started this wedding planning, she's been really mopey and distant from me! She's single and hasn't had a boyfriend in a long time, but she's pretty much the same age as me. Everytime we do wedding stuff, she ends up leaving or getting grumpy - it's like a pity party for her because "she's single" and "she'll never find a boyfriend and get married" (according to her that is). Plus, alot of her friends are getting married and having babies. I feel for her, I do, but it really puts a damper on my wedding stuff, when every time I get together with my MOH I feel depressed for her NOT getting married more than I feel excited about my GETTING married.... LOL...okay that's my rant... Baglover - I totally know what you are talking about! I've tried to be in contact with like 5 different TA's over the last 2 months from several different agencies and NOTHING! It's awful! I've resorted to having my guests book on their own.

Quote: Originally Posted by Cheri Please let me know if anyone else is told differently. I'm starting to freak out a little bit; more people are RSVP'ing than I had planned for and having to pay $55 or $65 pp plus $30something for cocktail hour might just kill me!! That will be over $100 pp, plus $25 for each kiddo, so a typical family of 4 will cost me around $250 with service fees and tax. Now,that hurts!! Hey Cheri I can see your dilemma. Question - have they booked their flights/hotel already, or have they just RSVP'd? What I found is that lots of people said yes they wanted to come, but now that it's time to start booking, people are backing out and saying it's too much money or they can't go after all. My original 30 is now more like 15. Just a suggestion to check that out so that you can save yourself some stress.

Hi ladies, Brooke so sorry to hear you are not feeling well!! Hopefully it was just food poisoning and you'll be better in no time! Vdaybride - I completely understand being upset - I would be too!! I don't even know how people could think it would be a good idea to do something like that at a wedding - of course after the wedding or before would be fine, but AT your wedding!? Hell no! LOL...that's my two cents... Tinketude - I'm taking a real touch bouquet, most likely. Not taking any decos though, going to use what they have at the resort. It's freaking cold here today ladies!!! -37 C - What is that!!! Ali I think I'm going to take you up on your offer! LOL!

I emailed Aurora a while back asking her about that - if I could do the $20 option plus $750 private event fee if I choose the free package, and she never responded to my question. I'm going to email her again to clarify.