GregsBride

Quote: Originally Posted by classadiva Thank you...I guess a weave may be out for me then...I need to be able to get in the water every day. I wouldn't rule out weaves because like I said I've worn weaves before and gone swimming with them w/ no problems. But I just wanted to warn you that if you didn't get a high quality hair you might experience problems (i.e.) a lot of the cheaper hair that can be purchased in most beauty supply stores. I plan to have a weave for my wedding and like you I plan to be in the water!! Just wanted to warn you that you get what you pay for, so buying a 16 inch pack of hair for $15 just might not be the best idea if you know what I mean... The lace front I would definitely rule out.

I've worn weaves and gone swimming in them before, but I will warn you that unless you get a high quality hair you will definitely have problems with tangling and shedding. I've never worn a lace front before but since they are held on with glue I wouldn't think that it would be a good idea to swim in one. Also, my stylist told me that they can do a lot of damage to your hairline.

I think I ended up spending about $650 on my entire package that included my bouquet, 5 BM bouquets, groom's bout, 5 GM bouts, 2 mother's corsages, and hair flower. Honestly it was much more than what I wanted to spend on flowers, but I guess the fact that they split the payments for me helped. Not only that it gave me piece of mind to know what my flowers would look like beforehand, and most importantly all the quotes I received from the local fresh florists were at least double if not triple what I paid. Even worse, they didn't have the flowers I requested and would have to substitute them for other flowers. Btw, thanks for sharing your to do list... It helps me remember all the things I forgot to add to mine.

Hi Ladies!! I hope everything is well with you all So much for me to catch up on... Speaking of real touch flowers, I finally received my flowers and I think they turned out great!!! Tonya, Take a look at this site, they seem to have tons of real touch stems. Real Touch Flowers My Bouquet BM Bouquet Hair Flower Groom's Bout Mother's/MIL Corsage

Thanks Meghan!!! Off to make changes

Hi Ladies!!! I hope everyone is doing well and that planning isn't getting the best of you I have a lot of catching up to do, but in the meantime can you give your opinions on this email I plan to send to my guest... I'm hoping it may encourage them to book!!! Dear Family and Friends, We hope you all are doing well and enjoying the holiday season. In case you are thinking about joining us in Jamaica next April, we are sending out a friendly reminder with the most up-to-date travel information and rates. If you do plan to join us, we want to suggest that you secure a room reservation as soon as possible, a small deposit holds the reservation with the final payment being due in March. Our agent has informed us that the room availability is declining for the dates leading up to the wedding and the longer you wait, there is a possibility of there being no available rooms at the resort. We have attached the travel agent's information as well as the current guest information packet and reservation form should you decide to contact him via e-mail. If you plan to contact him within the next couple weeks note that he will be traveling from December 9-22, however he will have e-mail access the entire time, with voicemail access only through the 14th. One final note: Passports are required for travel to Jamaica, so now would be a great time to make sure your passport is up to date or to obtain your passport if you don't already have one. Passport applications can be obtained and submitted through your local Post Office, and processing time is generally 4 to 6 weeks. Detailed information on passports can be found on the US Department of State website: Passport Home. One Love, Christina and Gregory TIA!!!

I used their postcards and magnets and there was no logo on them, and I didn't have to pay extra. But this was a few months ago and I recently ordered business cards and there was a charge to not have the logo printed on them. So I guess either they changed their policies or there are certain items that don't get printed w/ the logo.

Congrats Monica!!! Welcome back and I can't wait to see your review

Quote: Originally Posted by ebredhawk christina, i love every one of your details!! i am in LOVE with the peacock theme.. such rich and beautiful colors! and your BM dress.. holy moly i want one for myself!! and having those colors be accents instead of using them so obviously will be the perfect touch. with a beach wedding, it's gorgeous as it is and any splash of color is just an added bonus!! Thanks Erin!!! You are too sweet I actually ordered the BM dress for myself in black to wear to my class reunion!! I see I forgot to mention how gorgeous you look in your dress It's so perfect!!

I have to agree with KittenHeart... My guests not booking has been by biggest source of stress. Telling me that you will be there doesn't mean squat to me until you have a reservation and flight booked!!! Not knowing exactly how many people will actually be there hasn't allowed me to plan ahead and begin purchasing things in advance or OOT bags, etc...

Quote: Originally Posted by shortnsweet7675 Everything looks wonderful! I love the colors and the feather detail of your invites. It's nice that you will have a friend help you with them. And I am sure you can find somewhere to wear your initial shoe choice while you are in Jamaica. They are so cute. Thanks, I'm not to sure about wearing them in Jamaica bcuz they are a bit too formal for most of the activities outside of the wedding. Quote: Originally Posted by doblauvelt Christina- I LOVE it all!! Between you BM dress, your invites, the peacock feather, and your shoes... wow, was this all an image you had in your head or was this style you've always wanted? Erin- Your dress looks perfect on you! And you were nervous, we told you you had nothing to worry about OK, so I still have to find a picture for my shoes to show you guys, bear with me. But my brother finished processing the pre-engagement pictures: Pre-Engagement Pictures Tell me what you guys think! Thanks Tonya!!! I started off initially knowing that I wanted to do a peacock theme, but I wasn't exactly sure where to take it... At first I was going to incorporate to blues and greens into almost everything, but when I changed my dress it sorta dictate a change in my vision... Now the them won't be so obvious colorwise as far as the bridal party's attire is concerned since they will all be wearing neutral colors. I will use the colors for the decor and invites along with the feathers. I did get tons of inspiration from the internet and blogs too

Ok, so I finally have pics to share for everyone... Here is a pic of my BM dress... Hopefully they will be here sometime this week so that I can see them on my girls. This is a pic of the first mock up of my invites, there are still a few changes to be made and and some extra details to be added but this is how they will look for the most part. My friend went to school for graphic design, so asked if he would do these for me and he graciously accepted. This is my first attempt at how the outside will look. I ordered the envelope from paper and more and bought the ribbons and feather from Michaels. These were my initial shoes but since I picked out a new dress I won't be able to wear them... I still love them and will have to find somewhere to wear them too And these are my wedding shoes... Our ceremony will be on the beach so most likely they will only be worn for pics and the reception.

Thanks for the heads up!!! I will also be flying out of BWI and it's nice to know that I have another non-stop option.

Tonya - The shoes I have now are actually champagne, but the inital pair were blue and green to match my wedding colors. I love colored shoes with wedding dresses and was totally bummed that my new dress just didn't quite work with the other shoes. I say go for it and get the brown shoes, I think they will be much more fab than just plain white ones!!

Quote: Originally Posted by echo2_62 I am totally stressing about what to do for my accessories, namely the bra and LACK OF PRESENCE! The back of my dress is really open so I won't be able to wear anything that wraps around my body, so I may be left resorting to the stick-on kind! While many would just suggesting I go 'au naturel' I'm just not sure if that's for me! (and Tracy, pardon my very poor french reference there LOL!). That and I still haven't picked out any jewelery which I find hard to do with such a vague idea of what my dress looks like on me and what it would match best with! I really hate my pictures of when I first tried on my dress so they really don't help me much! Aaaaaaannd, I haven't even decided if I want to wear a veil (although FI has already requested I not wear any of the styles that cover my face or are the birdcage style!!!). I guess I'm just thankful that I still have a good three months to figure it out since my dress isn't expected in until February!! Eeeek! Meghan, Have you thought about having your seamstress add cups to your dress?? Although my dress isn't really low in the back, it only has one strap and the sweetheart dips pretty low in the front. It's ok as it, but my seamstress said that if I was worried about support and/or wanted a little more up top she can add cups for me. I already have all my accessories!! It's funny because I knew exactly what kind of bracelet and earrings I wanted to wear, so I ordered the bracelet from Etsy and hunted around for the earrings and I was lucky enough to find the exact style on sale in Macys. I went a little overboard on shoes though, because I initally thought I was wearing another dress but when I finally picked out my current dress my first pair wouldn't work So one day I went insane on Zappos and ordered 3 pair, but ended up settling on a pair that matched perfectly with my dress. I love Zappos for times like these because they have free shipping and returns for and entire year!!! As for my veil, I knew I didn't want to spend tons on it so I found the perfect one on ebay for $15!!!

Love, love, love the pics Tonya!!! It's so cool that your brother is doing your pics for you Btw, how are you uploading pics?? I can't see anyone else's because photobucket is blocked at work

Quote: Originally Posted by KimmyG Hi everyone! So much to catch up on I don't have a clue what I'd wear to a BD shoot... FI doesn't have any preferred sports teams (no jersey), I never wear heels and I have no CLEAVAGE! That rules out most of the sexy shots Tonya- those designs are really pretty! Tracy- can't wait to see your e-pics! Quote: Originally Posted by caribbeanLover We fall in the same boat, I don't even own a pair of heels, But I figured I buy a cheap pair at payless, always good to have around. I have 0 boobs, so I wont be able to hold up any sexy lingerie But the FI loves Montreal Canadian's ,point for me! I was watching t.v yesterday tho, and a VS commercial came on, about their push up bras )they add 2 cup sizes). I am considering buying one to wear, even with a piece of lingerie, can be something you may want to consider as well I say just go to the mall and check things out one day on your free time, brain storm some ideas. Hi ladies!! I wouldn't worry too much about having cleavage and sexy heels, it's the subtle things that usually are the sexiest in BD pics... And I'm sure your FI will love it no matter what you have on. It's crazy that FI will tell me how sexy I look even though I may feel like I look a total mess On another note, I have a couple checks to cross off my list... This weekend I place the order for my BM dresses which should be here in about a week. My FI and his groomsmen all went and got their measurements done so that we can place the order for their outfits from Studio Suits. I also began working w/ a friend on my formal invites and ordered samples to create a mock-up of the finished product. I would love to show you ladies a pic of the dress and the first draft of the invite but my job blocks photobucket so I can't upload the pics. I will try to remember to do it when I get home tonight.

Quote: Originally Posted by LadyTrunck Classadiva- I got the swatches for the $99 and for the Pure Irish Linen for $175. The fabric feels a little softer, and the colors differ too. I was looking forward to only paying 99, but we ended up liking the swatches for the other ones better. I think someone posted that the $99 suit is a linen blend, and the $175 us pure linen... and although it's a little softer it wrinkles much easier too. You may want to keep that in mind when you order.

Quote: Originally Posted by staceysbride I went back into a sew in because I'm on the road away from home and without all my normal hair tools. I'm dreading the day the extensions come out again. I'm wondering if there's a way to take them down that will be better for my hair. My hair is so long and so curly that if tried to do it in sections (like a few rows a day) people would definitely notice. Plus, this stylist used a very intricate braiding pattern so I'm not sure the conventional row by row approach would work. I'm so scared that I'll lose more hair when I take them out but I didn't have much choice to go back in them- I'm not in an area where black hair care options are abundant. I wish I knew someone who wore extensions frequently and could ask them for advice. The little african lady (literally, she was from nigeria) that put in the new sew in said that the tangling and matting is to be expected because my hair is so long that the shedded hair gets tangled up in my regular hair. She said because my hair is so thick that the amount of hair I lost may have seemed like a lot- but she assured me that it was probably a normal amount for 3 months worth of daily shedding. I even had clumps of hair coming out in the shower. I mean, imagine the way people talk about your hair falling out with chemo- that's how my hair was coming out. I was sooo scared. The lady suggested I use Nexxus and creme of nature next time. I'm not a big fan of either, but she swore the tangles would 'slide right out'. I'm not convinced.... Nikki Hi Nikki, I'm sorry to hear this happened to you... I wear weaves quite regularly and this never happened to me. I do know that I was worried like you about the amount of hair that came out when I took it down, but just like having any type of braided style, your hair doesn't have the chance to shed which so it stays within the braided style. That at least explains the clumps... Now as for the tangling is am not even sure how to explain that. Whenever I take my weave out, normally my stylist does it and she's never had a problem with the tangling. Maybe you can have the person who did your weave install take it down for you since she seems to have experience with the tangling. I would hate for you to have to chop you hair off or go through hours of agony trying to untangle your hair. I can try to check w/ my stylist to see is she can recommend any products that may help.

Quote: Originally Posted by ebredhawk tracy, my package does come with a bouquet, but i can always use that as decoration for the judge's table or something like that. the flowers from there are pretty expensive if i wanted any additional ones, and this way i don't have to worry about my flowers being in season or getting just what i want. it's one of "those things" for me.. i can let other stuff go, but my flowers were my whole inspiration so i want them to look right! I totally agree with this... Although my package comes w/ a bouquet, I didn't really like the selection they offered and when I contacted the local florists they told me most of the flowers I wanted were unavailable and they would have to use a substitute... NOT FOR MY BOUQUET!!! So I chose to go w/ real touch flowers for the entire bridal party and I will just use the one that's included in the package as my toss bouquet... Btw, I love your bouquet Erin... It's gorgeous You have me totally psyched and I can't wait to see my preview pics in a few weeks!!

Thank you so much for this!!

Quote: Originally Posted by doblauvelt Does anyone feel like they're in a system overload? Lately, I've been trying to gather ideas for my bouquets, then I stumble upon ideas for my centerpieces, then I move onto the judge's table decorations, then shoes, then invitations, then music, then the first dance - to choreograph or not to choreograph, then cake ideas, then flight arrangements, then TTD dress and location, then groom's attire (SO late with this one)... AHHH!!!!! My goodness! Sorry, I'm just venting. I feel like I am getting nowhere with this...Planning has taken a toll on me lol. I totally feel your pain!! This weekend I was realized that time is really flying and I need to get jumping... But just breathe and re-group, we will all make it through and before you know it, HAPPILY MARRIED!!! What I plan to do this weekend is pull out my lovely wedding planner notebook, that has never been touched and to see if it brings me some serenity and inspires me to get really organized. I need to sit down and prioritize my to-do list so that I give attention to what is highest priority. I think you are a lot better off then you may think, but I can definitely sympathize w/ the overwhelmed feelings. Just smile and remember that at the end of the day you will have a beautiful wedding day and will spend forever with the love of your life

Hi Ladies!! Can anyone give me a referral for a great seamstress/tailor that specializes in bridal gowns?? I bought my dress from a boutique out of town, but I need to have a bustle added. I'm hoping to find someone who is very reasonable, but does very good work!

Erin - I love that you're so organized... I used to be that way, w/ lists for everything. Lately I have allowed myself to get outta control, and I just hate it!! Time to get back to my slightly OCD self again Thanks for the tip on processional music... I think I will follow your lead and just use the one song, that way I don't have to worry about cueing the music and making songs flow together.

Shan - I'm so happy that you engagement session went so well this weekend. We weren't going to do one initally, but now I am rethinking that decision. Btw, this is a huge check if you ask me Do you mean the "I Do" rhinestones for the bottom of your shoes?? I had no clue they were ready made, I just assumed brides glued them on individually. Now I will keep a look out for them in craft stores. Another question - I saw there was a discussion about processional music... Is there normally more than one song played or does everyone walk down to one song? I have a song picked out that I would love to walk to, but I didn't know if I should pick a few songs or how they would even flow together.