RoryS

We are wanting to use the freeze dried rose petals, sprinkled up the aisle of the gazebo, but don't want them to blow away before the bride gets there. Do you think it would be strange to have either the guests along the aisle toss them, or the bridesmaids or maybe just the last BM to come up the aisle? I just don't want them gone by the time the bride gets there.

My niece is wearing a white dress (dip-dyed in fuschia) and wants her husband to wear an off-white linen suit, with an white shirt and orange tie. The GM will be wearing off-white linen slacks and white shirts - no ties. Do you all think that will look ok? Her colors are fuschia & orange - hence the orange tie...

Captiva is beautiful! May should be a beautiful month, but it can get hot the end of the month.

Does anyone know the final answer on using an outside Photographer? Is it pay for a room for one night or Day Pass or both? The photog is coming from Cancun, so don't know the reason for the room. We were wondering if he could use the groom's free room (Ultimate Package) the night before the wedding.

That is such a beautiful color and will really look nice with the Caribbean as a backdrop. I think the little ring bearer in a guarabera shirt is going to be adorable!! If you have any ideas for flowers - bring them with you. You'll be there enough before the wedding to show Jacy what you want. She told my niece that the florist can do pretty much anything as long as the flowers are available. Lyales flowers were very pretty, and the arrangements on the gazebo were nice too, so I think they do a pretty good job of that. You seem very laid back and calm, so everything should be great.

Patsah - Your wedding is coming up fast! Are you all set for it? I'm very excited for you. Hope the next few weeks are nothing but smooth sailing...

Laura, did the resort do your flowers? They are beautiful! Did you tell them what you wanted or did they just make it up based on your colors? I love the orange rose boutinierre and your hubby's orange tie!

Such a beautiful bride and handsome groom! It looks like you had a wonderful time. Can't wait to read your review. Congratulations!!

Quote: Originally Posted by GinalynL I plan on using fake rose petals along the walkway (we have a flower girl). I am not sure how windy it will be though. I'm hoping that by having people in the gazebo it would help block at least some of the wind off the ground. I guess we shall see! Can you use fake petals? I thought there were some eco issues and you had to use either real or freeze dried. Fake/silk are so much cheaper and we could get much more for less... can someone find out Thanks!!

What are your thoughts on using freeze dried rose petals? We would probably just use them in the gazebo, along the walkway between the chairs, leading up to the table. Do you think they would stay there or blow away? The walls around the gazebo are pretty high, but there are some openings, so I wouldn't want them to have one big gust and blow into a big pile!

Quote: Originally Posted by kiki317 I agree with the other girls- just tell your cousin flat out that you will have to pay for all these people- he may think because it's an all inclusive resort that it's no big deal. maybe he didn't even realize. WTF? People are such morons. I'm sure everything will work out for you- try not to stress too much- it's nothing a zanax and a glass of wine won't fix ;-) I think that 's what alot of people think. They don't realize that even though it's an AI resort; you still have to pay for the wedding reception. I think they just think - I'll go to the wedding - I'm paying my own travel expenses - and the resort provides my food and drink - and then I'll just wander on down to the wedding and the reception - kinda like it's part of the resort's entertainment...

Quote: Originally Posted by SgtPepperette He passed on May 13th. So not even a year yet. And I understand that she will move on. But the way she handled the whole thing was just out of line. She was forcing him on me so soon, and than punishing me in a way because I didnt accept it. And than prancing around telling everyone in the world about how she found the man of her dreams and hes going to take care of her. It was really hurtful. They could of dated a while longer. They could of tried to be friends for awhile. Her new husband could of tried to get to know me instead of hiding behind her. He has two kids, one my age as well. His wife passed away a month after my dad. His son my age is reacting the same way I am. Her personality is hard to judge. I dont think she ever grieved. She got rid of everything and moved on so fast. I dont know if she will ever need to grieve as odd as that sounds. She comes off like she is the happiest she has ever been, she tells my sisters that all the time. It doesn't sound as if your relationship with your Mom was that close, even when your Dad was alive, so it's hard for her to expect that things will be different now. You will be making a new family now and need to focus your energy and positive thoughts on that. Your Mom has chosen the path that she wants to take and hopefully, she'll find her own happiness. I understand what you mean about her shoving it down your throat, though. She probably knew that it wouldn't go over very well, so by pushing the situation on you; she's hoping you'll just eventually accept it - when all she is really doing is pushing you further away. She probably called you at work to tell you about your Aunt because she knew you would be in a "public" place and not able to react the way that you typically would if you were in a more private setting. Just another way of controlling behavior. I hope that at some time in the future you and she can have a relationship, but it will need to be in your own time and on your own terms. Don't let her "bully" you into anything you are not comfortable with.

Quote: Originally Posted by DanielleNDerek I'm with Betsy. We didnt expect any gifts from anyone. I say give whatever you can. We got gifts ranging from $50 to $5000. Thanks so much for all the input. I think $100 will do it, as it's just me - by myself - as my husband is not able to make it. I also am surprising her with some personalized fans for the ceremony. I feel for her too, as she and her husband to be are both architects and they both just got laid off from their jobs. Not alot of building going on these days...

My niece is getting married in Mexico and several family members will be attending. My question is - what sort of monetary gift is appropriate to give? Obviously, there won't be any gifts brought along, due to transporting them back and I almost always give a cash gift. Would you still give something similar to a gift for a wedding at home? I generally give $250 and up/per couple (depending on whether it's family or not), but adding in the cost of the trip - it's getting pretty expensive.

Quote: Originally Posted by barefootbeachbride does anyone know if they decorate the gazebo for you with the tulle or do you have to bring your own? Also what does the bouquets look like? Im getting the standard package but I wonder if I can bring my own with silk flowers or upgrade just the bouquet to the nicer fuller ones? I think they can provide some decorations, but they're pretty sparse. We are bringing our own because we want to have our own colors. There is a posting of the bouquets, I believe. My niece sent Jacy a photo and she said they can copy it. The key is to pick flowers that are easy to come by in Mexico. I would assume you can bring your own silk flowers, as they provide real flowers in the bouquets. I'm sure anything you want or need is "upgradeable" for a price.

Congratulations!! You always hear about people entering contests, but never actually "know" someone who wins!! It's such a great feeling when you win something!

Quote: Originally Posted by patsah I think I'm just going to go with white...I saw tulle on ebay for cheap, I'm going to look around to see what else I can find. I just don't want the gazebo to look so naked and the chairs to look so plain...just a little something extra to pretty up the pictures. Definitely agree - it needs something. I think once you're actually in the gazebo; you probably won't even notice the decorations. It seems we focus on it more because all the pictures we see are taken from a distance. I was asking my niece if she thought she needed something on the floor - like rose petals or something - and she said - who's going to look at the floor - everyone will be looking at us!!

Quote: Originally Posted by Bianca Jacy sent me this document with pricing and menu options for group meals. Plated meals are $18 and buffets are $25 per person. That's pretty pricey, being that they charge additional for liquor. My niece's FMIL set up something for the rehearsal dinner. Not sure what sort of package she is getting, though.

Quote: Originally Posted by patsah Thank you guys for getting pics up. I think that I'm going to try to look for some chair sashes and bring some extra tulle if i can fit it in my luggage. I'm not sure what else exactly I'm going to do but I think I'm up next (4/9) and I'll make sure to post my pictures up as well. This certainly looks alot better than what I've previously seen! My niece is having the tulle shipped directly from the manufacturer, but I don't know if you'll have enough time to do that, as they suggest shipping a month ahead. What color scheme are you going to use?

Quote: Originally Posted by badrianne [quote My niece is having these really cool centerpieces made with lots of palm leaves and fuschia gerbera daisies with bird of paradise. RoryS, I noticed you mentioned a certain centerpiece. Have you seen pictures the centerpieces that the resorts offer? Thanks My niece sent photos to Jacy of what she wants and she said the flowers are available, so it shouldn't be a problem putting them together for her. They are fairly simple. I think the biggest problem is what flowers are available in Mexico.

Quote: Originally Posted by EngagedToBeMrsB Thanks for all the replies! I checked out those areas last night (for way too many hours!) and am really hooked on Sanibel. It looks amazing there and seems like it just couldnt match our personalities any better. I posted again today to see what other insights I can get on the Sanibel area. Sanibel and Captiva are really lovely. You feel like you stepped back in time to what Florida used to be...

Tulle Garland - to determine the amount of material needed for the garland; measure the item that you are going to decorate (in this case - the gazebo) Allow extra for draping. Multiply this measurement x 1.5 to determine length of tulle. Example: if the arch frame is 16', take that times 1.5 for a total of 24' or 8 yards. The side poles on the gazebo are 3 meters (per Jacy) (which is 9.5'). if you multiply each one times 1.5 - the result is 14.25' (which is 4.75 or approx 5 yds) per pole. If you multiply that by the number of poles (6 side + 2 cross poles front & back); the total is approx. 40 yds. This allows for draping.

Quote: Originally Posted by Bianca Thats the banquet room at the resort. I've seen photos of wedding with other chairs, so maybe there are options? I emailed Jacy a couple days ago asking about these photos that Mr. Guzman told me he would take and she responded in like 3 days maybe? This was a MAJOR surprise given that she never responded to my previous emails if any one remembers... I've been in touch with Mr. Guzman and he said they took the photos but because the person who took them had people's faces in them () they couldn't post them. He said there's another wedding this weekend (I wonder if that's Lyales) and he's going to take the pictures himself...

Quote: Originally Posted by cdc0427 My friend, by the way, she's in the Air Force, told me today she is permitted to go to Cancun. She said it just requires her commander's approval. My nephew is in the National Guard and is going to give his sister away. The wedding is in June at Dreams Puerto Aventuras. He gets home in April from Iraq for leave before going back in July. Does getting a commander's approval guarantee he'll be able to go? How long does it take to get approval. I don't want to mention this yet to either my niece or nephew until we can get more details.

Quote: Originally Posted by kimmaranto Rory, it's so hard to tell if that would be enough tulle. The top pole is pretty wide. Are you ordering the tulle on line? I was thinking maybe you could print the picture and take it to a JoAnn Fabrics or Michael's and they could help you fugure it out. Have you priced it yet? yeah, I would hate for it to look skimpy... tulle looks so much prettier when it's flowing and blousy... How high do you think the poles are? 10 feet? and maybe 10 feet across? I told my niece I would be in charge of making sure the decorations are set up and for her not to worry about anything on her wedding day, but if you don't have enough material to work with, not much you can do. We are ordering it on line. We got such a great deal, maybe we should just order a couple extra bolts to be sure. The wedding is June 12th, and the colors are Fuschia & Orange and we'll happily be leaving everything behind if any other F&O brides are coming along. We've ordered 40 chair bows in fuschia and 5 table overlays in a mix of fuschia & orange. Recycle... My niece is having these really cool centerpieces made with lots of palm leaves and fuschia gerbera daisies with bird of paradise.