Sapphire723

Quote: Originally Posted by Prettyhazardous Congrats Leanne I'm very surprised that I did so well... it was def bc I was sick lol. OMG ladies my plan backfired. I went and tried on gowns yesterday and they gave me a strapless bra with corset thing. OMG I looked great in everything (not to toot my own horn or anything lol). I told my FI now all I have to do is budget in a good corset for the wedidng and I can forget ab losing weight haha. JK I did have some back fat that I wasn't too happy with. I think I found my dress too surprisingly enough.... Oh also I haven't tried bally's yet. I meet with the trainer tomm so that'll be my first workout then me and my FI will go on Sat morning so he can show me some free weight stuff (I have not desire to do this but he's a Marine so I'll just indulge him as he loves helping me with stuff). I'm getting ready to go try the Shred before I leave out for work. Haha! I had a similar problem when picking out dresses. I thought that it'd be easy to pick the one, because most of them wouldn't even look good on me. Turns out, I look better in most wedding dresses than I did in street clothes. Now I just need an excuse to buy extra wedding dresses and wear them places!

Thanks Kristy! I'm thinking that most of that was water weight drop due to no longer being super bloated, so I'm not going to count on this type of drop every week. I'm still excited to have started off well, though. I just got my Bob Greene book, so I'm gonna read through that and try that diet. Congrats to all of you ladies for your hard work.

Oooh, Thanks for your response. Did you have to pay per plate too or just the flat rental fee?

They set up the dancing in the restaurant? How did that go? And how much was it for your private reception? Did they give you a refund on the make up since you made them stop? I'm glad you had an awesome time. Congrats, MRS!

Quote: Originally Posted by Prettyhazardous I joined Bally's last night and I am soo not excited ab this. I go ty on gowns for the first time tommorow then I work out with the trainer on Fri morning. This was strategicaly planned so after I look like a cow in gowns tomm i'll be totally motivated to workout... Heh, you know how some people use the phrase "Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?" to tell you not to move in with someone? After we got engaged, my FI and I joked that he had put "a down payment on the cow." Unfortunately, I'm with you right now when it comes to feeling more like a cow for weight purposes, but with a wedding in the making, I'm really motivated to get into gear. Especially if it means I can pull off one of those cute little string bikinis that say bride on them!

Haha, I had the opposite problem. I wanted to show my FI my dress to get his opinion, but he doesn't want to see it before the wedding. I don't personally think it's bad luck, plus you can take some before wedding pictures if he's already seen you. It's really up to you guys. If he feels strongly about it, ask him why. If you feel strongly, tell him why. Talk it out and see if you can find a solution.

Quote: Originally Posted by Prettyhazardous Hey Ladies Sapphire I told my FL what you said, then we looked Ballys up on Eopinions omg... There were soo many complaints about contracts and issues with $$. My FI is spending the day looking at different gyms for us (I'm at work). He's looking a planet fitness for himself annd for me too if they offer personal training but their website doesnt really say. And then he's going to go over to Ballys to sit down and look at the contract. There's this exclusive gym here that I want to go to but we really can't afford it so we'll see what happens. At any rate I'll be starting at some gym Tuesday.... I like planet fitness. I believe you can get a personal trainer with them, but I'm not 100% sure. The only thing I didn't like is that they don't have classes. But they're really cheap and some of them have a 30 minute circuit training.

I went to the gym with my friend yesterday and man am I sore today! She found a running program that takes you from couch to 5k in 9 weeks. I really don't like running, but I figured I'd try to work this into my routine since it's such good exercise.

At my company we're allowed to give "Thanks! Awards" to other employees with no cost to ourselves (up to 12 a year) for someone going above and beyond for us. Well, one of my colleagues just gave me one, and I saw that one of the options I could pick was solar paper lanterns. I had no idea that these existed, and I know that many of the brides on here have looked for battery operated ones. I did a little digging and found that you can buy them online from various sites. The ones that I can get from my company are white and have our company name on the plastic top part that you hang it from. I thought that I should share that these actually exist in case people haven't heard of them. Soji Solar Lanterns (Set of 3)

Quote: Originally Posted by Prettyhazardous Hey Guys I did pretty well today. My FI (oh by the way I have a FI now... we got engaged New Years Day Yay... Now I'm not just some gf planning a wedding lol) and I are joining Ballys. He talked to someone on the phone last night so he will be joining Saturday and I'll join Monday (bc I have to work this weekend). So hopefully by the weigh in after next I'll see some results. I was really upset that I weighed in 3.5lbs over what I've been for the past couple weeks. Oh well I'll get there. Ann my FI was just saying that you are an awesome person for organizing and handling all of this and I agree. So Thanks. TTFN I would be careful with Bally's. I'm a member and they're really going down hill since they filed bankruptcy. They're cutting on classes and cleaning and instead focusing on pushing extras that cost more (like merchandise, diet food, and personal trainers). My last dance class that I went to was so overcrowded that I accidentally kicked someone. As a side note, if you join the Discovery Health challenge, you can get a month of free membership. I think registration is still going on. The only downside is that last year you got two free months at Bally's. I guess it's a sign of the times. National Body Challenge : Discovery Health

So, today at the office we had donuts, munchkins, and four layer chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. And of course, it's that time of the month so I've been craving chocolate anyway! I said no to the donuts and munchkins, but I let myself have a couple nibbles of the cake. This is going to be very hard.....

If you still have a problem with no lotion on, then I'd stick to UV-Free tanning. But, if you don't have a problem without the lotion, I would shop around for good stuff that doesn't cause you problems, because dry tanning will dry out your skin and age it prematurely.

My MOH had swing dancing lessons for her bachlorette. We followed that up by borrowing a friend's hot tub and sipping margaritas by it, all of which was pretty inexpensive. For another of my bridesmaids, we went to the casino (Mohegan Sun, which is one of the largest) and had dinner and went bar hopping and shopping all night long.

My wedding isn't until March of 2010, but I'm wondering if we should plan it for a different time. We just planned it that week because my MOH is a teacher and doesn't get much extra time off, so I figured we'd go during her (and her hubby's) spring break. But, if the cost gets up there, then they wouldn't even be able to afford for her husband to come. I think you're right. And I just found out that trips with layovers were over $100 cheaper, so I'm a little less freaking out. I think I was just being hormonal (that time of month) along with sleep deprived and it caused me to freak a little too much. Did any of you find that the prices and flights were drastically lower at a different time in the year?

Also, be careful of any moisturizer or body wash with mineral oil in the ingredients. That will strip a natural tan and streak a fake tan. I really like Designer Skin's Spellbound. It has bronzer in it, but only a little, so it won't be obvious if you miss a spot. Plus, it makes my skin feel like cashmere afterwards. Don't forget to use an after-tan lotion after you shower too. Preferably a tan lotion and after tan lotion with different vitamins and components for anti-aging so that your skin is tan and healthy too.

Hey... do you have to put a picture on a website in order to be able to attach it to a PM?

Wow! How much did those cost you?

I believe Princess's drinks are more reasonably priced as well, if I'm not mistaken.

I love Princess. I wouldn't recommend it if you're looking for all of the people on it to be young. There are some younger passengers but it mostly older couples (who are usually nice and have fun stories, anyway). I have been on two Princess cruises and their goal is for the service they provide to be perfect. Not just exceptional, but perfect! Their food is great, too. Plus, Princess offers rewards to repeat cruisers. On my second cruise, I was invited to a Captain's party for circle club members only where they had free drinks. They gave bottles of champagne to the people on the ship who had gone on the most Princess cruises and then raffled off a few bottles of champagne to those of us less experienced. I have not been on RC, but my MOH has been on both Princess and RC and said that she definitely prefers Princess. I have, however, been on Carnival, and in my opinion, Princess is MUCH better.

What lotion were you using? You could try a lotion with a lighter bronzer or none at all. My salon recommends that you bring in one of their spray bottles and spray your palm and wipe down your hands after applying the lotion. They also will wipe your hands and feet if you do a spray tan so it comes out perfectly.

I just did a search on handfasting and found the following sites: More info on it (says handfast lasts until you fall out of love not until death): Handfasting An example of a ceremony: Hand Fasting Ceremony A site where you can purchase the cords and find out how to tie them: Gaia's Handfasting Cords ~ Custom Cords and Kits

I believe the biggest package Dreams offers includes 20 people and is an extra $20 per person for the dinner. I'm sure one of the Dreams brides could tell you better, though.

Quote: Originally Posted by *Casey* I don't think it really matters if it's a friend or not as long as they are good and you are pleased with your previous work. But I DO think it matters that your FI doesn't get along with her. The thing is, is that she's going to be around both of yall the entire time, and you want your FI to have a wonderful and memorable wedding day too. As much as it's our day, it's a little bit theirs too. Lol I agree with that. Even if she's awesome and/or cheap, you don't want to make your FI uncomfortable on the day when you both should be feeling like royalty.

Quote: Originally Posted by JessicaLovesBrian The whole Serena/Dan/Half-Brother thing is weird. Even though Serena and Dan aren't related having a half-brother in common does make things seem a little incestual. That's going to suck. I like Serena and Dan together. If there really is a half sibling, doesn't that sort of permanently end any future possiblity of them getting together? That almost kills the series for me. I bet you we'll find out that Ruphus isn't the Baby Daddy just so they can keep the Ross/Rachel willl they/won't they romance alive. Although they kinda already have that going with Chuck and B.

Quote: Originally Posted by BeautifulBridetoBe We've decided to have the word spread and be thankful for any envelopes or toasters that come our way. I also think it helps if people know what your plans are for the money: planning to buy a new house, new bedroom set, new couches. They might feel better knowing that they are not paying for a month of pizza and pedicures! Hey, newlyweds need pizza and pedicures too! I think one of the problems people have with cash is that it's very transparent what the gift cost. Especially for people who are unable to gift something expensive, a non-cash gift is a better way to hide the price tag. However, it's not as if people don't know how much things they registered for cost anyway! I think what we'll do is register for a couple things at Target and hopefully when the items are gone, people will gift cash or gift cards to Target. Since we do a monthly shopping trip there for our pantry supplies (boo that we don't have a Super Target with groceries!), Target gift cards are as good as cash in my eyes. You could do the same with any store that you shop at frequently. Instead of paying $200 towards groceries/gas/clothes/whatever, use your gift card and then put that $200 towards wedding bills instead.