Sapphire723

Instead of having a game, why not have have a guestbook that requires more effort than just signing your name? Welcome to the Guestbook Store! Wedding Guestbooks! This requires that people take a picture and answer a few questions. If you have someone go around to the people who aren't chatting, drinking, or dancing, they can take the picture and get them involved in filling it out.

I am NOT watching AI this season, because Kara is there and Paula is gone. FI and I are boycotting because we find Kara to be annoying and a little trashy.

Quote: Originally Posted by BachataBride Ugh...I'm going to start off this contest on vacation...I'm guessing I won't do so well the first week! Better than ending it on vacation! So, I just dug out my scale to see what my damage is and discovered the batteries were dead. Glad I did it now instead of Wednesday! I replaced the batteries and the news is worse than I thought. Blech. I really need to be motivated and awesome in this challenge, because I am not comfortable with the number that popped up!

Quote: Originally Posted by svetayasofiya I didn't understand that post at all... *sorry So essentially, you wedding came and went, and now a bunch of people who said no for your wedding are now wanting to go because they saw your pictures and said it looked fun? This is my understanding (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong): A lot of people said they couldn't make it to the wedding because of various lame excuses. The wedding happened and was awesome and all the people who went bragged about how amazing her wedding was and how great the resort was and how cheap it was for what you got. Now at a later time, the family is doing a group vacation back to the same resort. Some of the people who didn't bother making the wedding a priority now want to go because they feel like the missed out on the good times. The mom wants to tell all of these people where they can go (and I don't think it's to the resort!) because all of their lame excuses really boil down to "I didn't want to go out of my way to attend the wedding, but now that I realize that the resort is awesome for the price I want to go on the trip." To the OP: I say let them figure out how to get there on their own. Don't tell them not to come, but don't go out of your way to accommodate them either. They sound like they don't care that much about you or your time, so why bother?

Quote: Originally Posted by Tifany I just finished up my first real week of good exercise in a long time. Wow, that felt good. Yesterday I decided to try Bikram yoga. Holy crap is that tough!!!! My eating leaves a little to be desired, but I'm making a sweet potato chili tonight to bring to work for my lunches! I should see if there's a Bikram place around here. I haven't been in years. At first glance, I thought you said "My eating leaves" as in you were eating more than one leaf.... I was like "Wow! That's a really strict diet for ya!"

I know Oriental Trading has them: Personalized Silver Print Blue Wedding Craft Gift Bags

Haha, I've actually used the phrase "Oh? So you're going to foot the bill for me to have it in CT? Thank you SO MUCH!" I would just say politely, "We understand that not everyone will be able to make the Destination Wedding, so we will not be offended if you are unable to attend." Or if you wanted to be sassy about it you could add "I know that this means only a select few who make it a priority to celebrate with us will be there, but we would rather not change our dream wedding to accommodate those who don't find our wedding a priority in their lives." You don't need to fight with them over it. If they're negative and don't wanna come, just tell them that you're sorry they can't make it, but this is how it's being planned, and then change the subject.

I was thinking about kinda the opposite... what if the guys' shirts matched your bridesmaids and the groom wore the beige pants and white shirt?

There are some varying opinions, but if you do a search for tipping you can see some of the previous discussions (like the one below). http://bestdestinationwedding.com/fo...dinator-52354/

Quote: Originally Posted by crcossel I think you need to understand that photography takes alot of work, equipment, and time. And you get what you pay for, especially with boudoir. I think that's cheap. I'm on the other side of the country in cheap town but I start at $200 for just the session. Everything else is an add on. Marathon packages start at $500. And last time I did one....I broke even, didn't make any profit. Shouldn't have done it but I did. I learned my lesson. If your normal price is $200 per person for the session, how did you lose money charging $500 per person for several brides' back to back sessions? I do understand that photography takes work, equipment, and time. Photography is not a field that is alone in that, and I am not trying to discount someone's time. I also understand that you get what you pay for, but unfortunately, if I can't get a boudoir photographer that I like at a price that I can afford, I will have to choose a different gift. My goal is to work with whichever photog that I select to come up with a package that is win-win. There are things in some packages that take time and energy from the photographer but do not add value to me. If I'm willing to cut out some things that I don't need and the photographer is willing to edit the price accordingly, then I consider that a win-win situation.

AWWW!!! That's so sweet. You've got a good FMIL like mine.

Quote: Originally Posted by vdaybride Damn! sorry that slipped out, for how many people?? Make up was done by her make up artist (who was great to work with as well) for $100 I had my hair done when I went to her-$0 Session-$375 i think, for some reason I think she quoted me $425 and charged me the balance that would total $375 when I got there. My memory sucks sometimes though, could be wrong. I should also say that I had a 2.5 hr session that would have called for 3-5 outfit changes, but I was SUPER late and only had about an hr and 10 mins and she was able to shoot over 115 images and I still had 3 outfit changes. you don't need a super long session time to get great quality shots. So that could be a negotiation tool when getting a good rate. If you went the group route you could benefit from the discount if price is really an issue. I looked at it as an investment. It will be just as important in 10 years when you look over it and say damn I was hot..lol. And your hubby will definitely appreciate it. Good luck She did quote us $425, plus $150 for hair and $100 for makeup. If it was only $375, that's a little better, but that's still kinda expensive.

Quote: Originally Posted by vdaybride That's RIDICULOUS!!! period!! I used Jennifer at Beautiful and Affordable Photography I LOVED every minute of my session!! She is affordable and does a great job! I just finished my photobook on mypublisher. If you want to take a look at her work, go to her website, a few of my pics are there, but she has several for you to take a look at. Good luck! Tell her Timberly sent you, she will fix you right up!! Timberly, how much did you pay? The cheapest package with hair and makeup that she quoted us was $725.

Quote: Originally Posted by Jennyco116 I am sooooo in on this BL8 season. However, I already need to make a confession. My birthday is Jan 16th and I am going to Mitchells Fish Market for some of the best oysters on earth but I promise to make it up, cardio wise. LOL Haha, so my mom had been begging my dad to take her there for about a year. FI and I came into town for her birthday and we all went to the one in Livonia. FI was not excited to go, because he thought "How fresh can the seafood really be? It's in Michigan." I laughed and said "Well, you know... there are these things around us called the Great Lakes? Ever heard of them? Plus I think that they probably fly the seafood in fresh" Which they do... daily. Are raw oysters bad for you? I thought that they were on the healthy-ish side.... although that might explain why I want to lose weight!

Awesome thread, ladies! Here's mine: You know that song "Freefalling" by Tom Petty? EVERY TIME it comes on the radio, FI sings along.... except he sings "I'm freeeeee, free ballin." The first time I heard him do it, I laughed. Now if I hear even a half second of the song, I change the station quickly before he can recognize the song! I figure if that's one of my biggest pet peeves, then I've got a pretty great catch!

I'm with everyone who said that they thought they were going to say uncut, but ended up really liking it cut!

Okay, ladies, I've been checking around. PM all of your e-mail addresses so that I can forward on any info that I get? Also, what sorts of packages exactly are you looking for? We may be able to get better deals if we strip away some of the stuff we don't need (like extra outfits or extra time) and a lot of photogs are flexible. How many of you think that you're likely to book if we can get a price better than $600? Do all of you want hair and makeup included? (I do) What about a hotel room vs studio vs someone's house? (hotel sounds like more fun to me, but I'm flexible) How many outfits? (3-5 for me) How long do you want the session? (1 1/2 hours-ish?) How many shots included? (100 or so) How many proofs? (Maybe 20?) Do you want a book? (yes) Photo retouching/airbrush? (YES!!) Does it have to be in Manhattan? (For me, no.) If not, how far would you be ok with? (I'm traveling from CT anyway, so I can go pretty much anywhere in the tri-state area) When do you want to do the shoot? (I was thinking maybe in spring or summer at the earliest, but I won't need my book until April 2011, so I can go much later) -LeAnne

Slap - did you end up finding anyone else? I'm trying to research some cheaper options.

I know, right? It was just SUCH a shocker, because every other bridal salon I've been to has kissed my butt like it was made of hot guy. And I don't really need someone to shower me with fake praise, but at least allow me to form my own opinion. I actually already bought a dress ($190 Jessica McClintock on clearance!) and a TTD ($99 David's Bridal sale), but after going to do a site visit in April, I realized that I needed something a little lighter. Plus, my MOH hinted that she thought my Jessica McClintock wasn't Bride-y enough. But at least she didn't see it and say "No!" Also, if you've seen Gaudi by Pronovias, it's pretty similar. They're having a trunk show this Sunday, and I'm wondering if they'll have that dress on sale. I think I wouldn't mind substituting Edimburgo for Gaudi if the price is right!

Quote: Originally Posted by finleys7 RK was a little much for me, my consultant was a mess and didn't listen to a word I said. I am sooo glad that you had a good experience. Good luck, it's a pretty dress. I totally know what you mean! The whole place was really overwhelming. It's like Home Depot for dresses... awesome prices if you know exactly what you want and where to find it on the rack, but really chaotic if you don't. I went there with two of my bridesmaids and I had trouble finding a dress I liked right away. They have a limit of 7 dresses (which I totally understand when they're busy and other brides are waiting, but there weren't any). The "consultant" didn't help us find anything. I put on a dress, and before I could even say anything about it, she looked at me and said "No." I was OUTRAGED! It wasn't as if the dress made me look like a circus freak. What if I was in love with that dress? Who the heck is she to tell me what I should or shouldn't get for my wedding dress? Anyway, after trying on 7 dresses that I didn't like, she told me that I was going to have to come back another day if I wanted to try on more. There wasn't anyone else waiting. I politely informed her that what she was really telling me is that I wasn't getting my dress there, because there was no way I was purchasing one of the dresses I didn't want but had already tried on. I wasn't going to drive back there from CT just to see if they might have something I want. She finally agreed to let me try on a few more. I ended up finding one that I really like (Edimburgo by San Patrick which is a Pronovias line), and I will probably return to buy it... but from a different consultant! Overall-- good selection and good prices if you can get past the Warehouse shopping aspect of it.

So, I missed Biggest Loser this week, but I just found out that someone I went to highschool with is on it. That's kind of significant because I went to a very small private school from 1st grade to 12th grade (graduating class was of 23). Andrea was a grade younger than me, and her brother was in my class. How weird is that?

The Taco Bell commercials are supposed to be ridiculous.... they're not actually serious. They're making fun of all of the hype while promoting the fresco menu they've had for ages. Basically their point is that if you still want to eat Taco Bell, you don't have to get their deep fried taco salad that has 900 calories and 54 grams of fat. Instead, you could get two or even three steak tacos for under 500 calories and 13 grams of fat. I think they're really funny, and it made me really laugh when I saw the commercial. Of course Taco Bell isn't diet food... that's what's so funny! :-)

Wow! That looks great! How much did it cost you to put it together?

I used trip advisor to help me choose my resort, and I usually check it before I book things. But, you do have to take the reviews with a grain of salt. Even the most fabulous resorts I've been to have some people go on and say that they hate it. If overall the resort gets good reviews, then a couple bad ones are normal. Plus, look at the review itself and the way that it's written and the type of person writing it. If someone gave it a bad review because of something stupid (like the tiles weren't the right shade of blue or they didn't make Mac & Cheese like Mom does), then you know that you can pretty much throw that review out the window entirely. Also, if the review sounds like it's coming from someone who is a PITA, and they say something like "Service was slow" or "Other people got better service than I did" it's probably only because the staff was hiding from such an annoying person! Or if the person gives it a bad review because the Kid's Club wasn't fun enough, but you don't have any kids coming, then who cares? PS I just checked out the reviews for your resort, and I wouldn't about it. Their real complaints (like having no phone or TV and having to walk to their room) aren't that bad. It seems overall like a few of the buildings could use an update, and that you should tip well if you want good service.

Natasha, do we send you the start weight at any time or do we weigh on the 13th and send it to you then?