KittenHeart

For décor we decided on natural colored paper lanterns and white string lights. I bought 30 paper lanterns in 3 different sizes from Paper Lanterns, Chopsticks, Japanese Kimono, Chinese Dresses, Asian Wedding Favors I searched to figure out how to light up the lanterns without having to buy big expensive cumbersome lights and plug them in. I stumbled across this site and we bought all the components and FI put them together. He came up with the brilliant plan to set them all up and clamp them together but put a tab of clear plastic in between the battery and the LED light so that when ready to use you just pull the tab and light them up. There are small hooks in each lantern and he used monofilament wire to make a loop and hang the “throwie” in the lantern! Those aren’t the string lights we’re using; I ordered frosted white string lights on a white wire from Save on Crafts, Wedding Supplies, Flowers, Tulle, Lights, Decorations & Discount Craft Supplies Save-on-crafts For placecard holders I wanted to do something along the line of my theme so I ended up actually finding birds’ nests which I bought from: Daisy Days - Wedding Invitations, Accessories, Favors & Gifts I then wanted to somehow incorporate the Italian tradition (I’m half Italian) of the 5 Jordan per guest that represent wishes for Health, Wealth, Happiness, Longevity, and Fertility I bought mint chocolate Jordan Almonds since they look like birds eggs and are my colors and little organza bags for them: At the last second I opted out of DIYing the escort/placecards due to time. I found Hornbill Hill Design Studio by hornbillhill on Etsy and Jennifer was wonderful and professional to work with. The pictures don’t even do it justice; these are so pro looking and better than I could have asked for: I am having a Manzanita branch “tree” since I love them. I collect vintage bird themed playing cards, punched a hole in them and hung them from the branch. I am not bringing the branch in the photo with me, customs doesn’t allow it so I had to rent one. More to come...

Reception details: I found this on Etsy and had to have it. It’s a guest book tree where guests “leaf” their fingerprint in green ink and sign their name next to it. Then you frame it after the wedding. Jessie was great to work with and very fast! lovliday on Etsy My photographer also put together a guest book with our engagement pictures in it with space for guests to write in it with a metallic pen. Cake topper! I was very close to not getting one at all until I stumbled upon Cynthias birds and absolutely fell in love. I had her paint our wedding date on the bottom of them both as well. Custom Wedding Cake Toppers and Art Dolls by RedLightStudio I then ran across Ambers magnificent mustaches Celebrate with a distinguishing twist by whiskerworks on Etsy She is fabulous to work with and I absolutely love my staches! These will be on my guest book table with a Polaroid camera for people to just enjoy! We are having a cigar roller as well and made a sign for the table and bought cigar to go baggies: More to come...

Flowers: After getting quoted $400 per table on my centerpieces and $300 per bridesmaid bouquet Bridesmaid bouquet – green orchids, fuchsia tulips Grooms green cymb orchid bouts & yellow orchid pin on corsages for the women in my family My small orchid stems for my centerpieces Inspiration pic for centerpieces: More to come...

I got all black pashminas for my girls at Wholesale clothing, wholesale jewelry, gift, Sarong, organic jewelry, watches, tribal masks, djembe drums, wind chimes, Bali handicrafts, indonesian arts, fashion accessory I went a little overboard and put together these bags for my girls to give to them right before we go. They include a super comfy neck pillow for the flight, the custom passport holder you saw earlier, ear buds, mini manicure kit, spa scrub kit, a sleepmask & mini ipod speakers which I just decided to throw in their OOT bag instead. This is just to wish them a comfy and safe flight out! More to come...

Wedding party attire & gifts: I made custom Converse for FI’s BM & my Matron of Honor. When I told FI my idea, he loved it so much he wanted some for himself… then I got jealous and made myself some too  Mine & my MOH’S FI’s & his BM’s My next purchase was a vintage gold locket from Affordable Fine Antique & Vintage Costume Jewelry by boylerpf This is for my Maid of Honor; I had her mom dig up some old vintage pictures of herself and her mother to put in here. The pictures are both when they were 17. My MOH looks up to them so much I thought I’d get her something that reflected her biggest inspiration in life. The second I found the TieLab I knew I had to have them make my groomsmen ties. I fell in love with the unique woodgrain silkscreen. Cyberoptix TieLab Silkscreened neckties scarves by toybreaker Black for the groomsmen and sage green for FI I ordered separately green argyle socks for them all. I had to settle for these, I found perfect ones and ordered them but got refunded immediately as they no longer carried them but still allowed you to purchase them on their website I also decided to make my own hair flowers for my girls. I bought the flowers from Michaels and the vintage inspired black button for the center of the flower in Downtown LA as well as the feathers. I custom made them each a shirt that is specific to them with an inside joke and their nickname on the back. I ordered these from BlueCotton.com Front Back I don’t have a picture of the black Jcrew flip flops I got for my bridesmaids, but they will be in their bags. Purchased custom Passport Holders for my bridesmaids on Etsy. Lisa was a dream to work with and my passport holders are SO amazing! She used vintage maps of Mexico and real used Mexican stamps for them and even put the city and my wedding date on the inside of them: Handmade Wallets Paper and Vinyl Accessories by MyPaperGarden More to come...

My shoes were purchased for me by Matthew Christopher my dress designer, random I know but true. They were pretty plain so I had Feather’s & Frill design some shoe clips for me - Handmade Vintage Inspired Confections by FeathersandFrills on Etsy Not the greatest self pic… I bought some bride underwear from Victoria’s Secret, the white ones in the middle that say “Bride” I purchased a clutch from Sara @ Custom Bridal and Evening Clutches by cadybriar on Etsy I am having black silk lining and an inscription inside that says: “The best is yet to come” May 8th 2010 below it. I make reference to Frank Sinatra lyrics in my invites, BD book and now this. FI’s outfit was pieced together. He is wearing Banana Republic charcoal grey slacks, white JCrew button down shirt, JCrew black vest. More to come...

I then spent several months researching where to buy a cheap trash the dress dress. I finally decided on Duosheng and very happy I did, the dress is good quality and fits well – These photos were taken Superbowl Sunday after a few too many margaritas  Next my garter, I originally ordered it from GarterLady on Etsy 8 months and changed my mind more recently after seeing Florrie Mitton’s Shop I ordered a garter and a toss garter to match - Couture garters for the stylish Bride & Boudoir by florriemitton I ordered a custom tulle cage veil from Twigs & Honey twigs & honey by Myra Callan by myrakim on Etsy Myra is great to work with! I also purchased a feather fascinator with a vintage brooch that was custom made for me based on a picture I sent Mikiye Elegant Bridal Hair Accessories and Unique Jewelry by Mikiye For my jewelry, my mother gave me a real pearl necklace that was passed down to here and is 80+ years old. My Aunt also sent me a long pearl necklace with matching earrings from Shanghai so I’ll wear my mom’s for the wedding and Aunts for the rehearsal. (no pic, sorry!) More to come...

Dress & Accessories: After trying on more than 60 dresses I finally found my dress! It’s Lalique by Matthew Christopher. I happened to go there during a trunk show and he was there so I got to meet him. He pulled few suggestion dresses for me and gave me his opinions on each one I tried; it was truly a dream day: The dress was way too big on me so it looks wrinkled: Me with Matthew – the sales lady made him hold the shoe like he was my prince charming, haha! Me, sales lady and Matthew My first of WAY too many Etsy purchases started with a custom hanger from Welcome to LilaFrances by lilafrances on Etsy More to come...

I then decided to alleviate some stress and save some time by having Ana De Roux do our passport invites. I worked with her for 7 month months perfecting them and I’m so happy with how they turned out: http://bestdestinationwedding.com/fo...de-roux-55318/ (See the thread above for all the details) Lastly I used Vista Print to make our pre-wedding brochures and ordered the envelopes from Envelopperinc.com: and used metallic pens to write on the black envelopes: More to come...

Save the dates/Wedding website/Monogram/Postcards/Invites/Pre-wedding brochure: The first thing I did was DIY Save the Date boarding passes - http://bestdestinationwedding.com/fo...overdue-46948/ Then I created a wedding website at Wedding Planning Guide and Free Wedding Websites - mywedding.com which I had everyone reference to for questions, that really made my life a lot easier! Then I enlisted the help of FI’s BM to create our monogram for us. I pretty much sat next to him and told him what to put where etc. It’s a stamp  Next I used Vista Print to make reminder postcards asking to RSVP, thank them for RSVPing as asking them to book and finally, when booked, thanking them for booking. Bought the envelope design PDF on Etsy as a print out and cut and folded them myself, then sealed them with our custom monogram. More to come...

Planning Thread: Wow, is it really my turn I have been literally LIVING off everyone’s planning threads on this site; they are absolutely my favorite part and so incredibly helpful. I’m so happy I finally have my chance mine in return First of all, thanks to Tammy for creating this site and bringing a lot of lovely brides to one area that give advice, give a shoulder to lean on and let us all vent when we’re stressed. I can’t imagine planning my wedding without the amazing support (especially all the Azul Sensatori & May 2010 bride threads) and help from all of you here! This planning thread is HUGE! This is what happens when you’ve been planning your wedding for over 2 years  We got engaged February 16th 2008 in San Diego, CA. FI proposed after a day at the San Diego zoo. We were staying on Coronado Island and FI insisted we walk to along this pathway paralleling the beach to the restaurant which was a 10 minute walk @ 8pm. I was in 5 inch heels and it was 50 degrees out that night so I agued my point but he flat out insisted that we walk instead of drive. It was a gorgeous evening and FI suggested we take a picture of ourselves with the San Diego night skyline in the background, I was shaking with cold by this point and my camera cord was stuck on something in my purse as FI started telling me how I was family and he loved me and whatnot, I didn’t even look up as I tried to unwedge the camera and he nervously starts tell me,” listen to me I’m trying to tell you something!” he got down on one knee, asked and I excitedly said yes! He popped back up and we took this photo: Here’s the picture from the website of my e-ring but my center stone is 1.28 carats instead of what is shown. Driving home from San Diego after our engagement weekend! Here’s my wedding band – Tacori pave band - Tacori Ladies Band With Pave Set Round Diamonds | Robbins Brothers FI’s Tungsten wedding band: We’re getting married at the Azul Sensatori in Puerto Morelos Mexico on Saturday, May 8th 2010 on their Sky Deck. Our colors are black, off white and sage green (including natural greens) with a vintage birds and trees theme. More to come...

Quote: Originally Posted by sammysgirl Amy- I can understand why you feel that way! I would feel the exact same way if I had lost my dad! I am torn on what I want to do as well. I am extremely attached to my last name because EVERYONE calls me by it! Same here Linds!! Everyone calls me by my last name and I love it!

Quote: Originally Posted by amandamarieb Oh boo. 19 of my guests had booked their flights, non-stop from Baltimore to Cancun for a great price. Then today they get an email that the airline has changed their itinerary and they now leave like 4 hours earlier and on the way back they have a 5.5 hour lay-over in Atlanta. So not what they signed up for. Uggh, I can't believe that happened. Needless to say everyone is in a tizzy. My mom is stressed and it's become my problem the folks at AirTran don't have their stuff together. My mom has me researching the next best flights to book with a different airline and this is for 19 ppl many of which are leaving and coming on different days. Uggh so not fair. Like I don't have enough to do. Uggh. Sorry for the rant. I feel a little better now. The same thing happened to me and a lot of my guests, got an email last week that all of our flights changed. I can't believe the HUGE delay and layover though! My flights changed by 15 minutes one way and an hour the other.

I'm still so undecided on changing my last name! I think I figured out today a big reason why I want to keep mine... if feels like it's the last piece of my dad that I have, he's passed away and I feel like I will lose that. I hope you girls don't think I'm totally heartless for not wanting to change it

Thanks girls!!

Welcome Stacy!

Quote: Originally Posted by JT3 LOL... Kitten heart you are funny... I am wondering now what I'm Missing I dont think i have 5 bags lol You aren't missing anything! I could start a wedding event's company with the items packed in those 5 bags! Maybe I'll just stay in Mexico and travel around to different locations and set up my stuff for BDW brides

Quote: Originally Posted by Girasole My FI would die if I had 5 bags of just luggage of wedding supplies, ha! Luckily we got to see all our family that is going except for 1 person so we asked them if they would be ok getting their bags early so we can use more luggage space for clothing, etc. I can't believe...1 week and we leave! I'm surprised my FI is doing pretty well with everything! This is why planning your wedding for 2 years is an extremely bad idea

Quote: Originally Posted by Mrs. Sands I just booked here for February 22, 2011!!! If you have any suggestions, helpful hints that would be great. I am wondering where to have my reception, dinner and dance there? Thanks! and congrats!! I wish there were an easier way but the MOST helpful is to read through the thread and search for planning and review threads of Azul Sensatori, those proved most helpful to me!

I'm doing Selvatica tour Zip Lining that is a zip line into cenote plus round trip transportation and pickup from your hotel for $90pp. I searched the internet and Trip Advisor rated this as the number one thing to do in the area. Also, I've heard a lot of rave reviews about this place from others. We're doing this just the 2 of us though.

Thanks Diane! Yeah ridiculous I know, I'm bringing alll our bouquets and centerpiece flowers and all the candles, 30 paper lanterns 21 big canvas OOT bags etc. All the stuff that goes in them is small, most fit in a small piece of luggage, it's the damn candles in glass votives that are making it so expensive. Diana! Less than 2 weeks! We're giving luggage to other people, they offered! My planning thread is outta control, I'm pretty sure it's going to be overwhelming to people instead of helpful, LOL!

Quote: Originally Posted by amybermuda I agree, I did not want to give the music task to someone. I am concerned about the DJ not speaking English, so I am going to get my brother to be the MC - just announce the speeches, cake, first dances, and our entrance! I was told my DJ does speak English and will do all the MCing, I have one of my groomsmen to do it as the backup

JT3 - I'm sorry you're upset, I know I would be too. I would wait until you see it in person and then decide from there if you want to move, I know regardless, everything will work out perfect! Diana - I too found out my WC had quit via the forum... amazing how no one tells us anything!

Yay for Shannon & Jenny! Gives me chills and heart palpitations and butterflies all at once!!! I spent 13 hours yesterday doing 8 loads of laundry, packing, creating spreadsheets, attempting to finish my planning thread etc. For any of you ladies bringing lots of decor and OOT bags (like myself) I spent a lot of time thinking of the best way to do this. All OOT in certain bags, all day of wedding stuff in others (so I can give to friends to bring) and I took note of everything in which bag, the weight, the price of the bag etc. I have this master document on my computer which I'll print out with me and bring so I don't have to go searching to find stuff. I have 5 pieces of luggage packed with JUST decor and OOT stuff! I have to squeeze all my clothes and shoes in one bag... sigh. This is sure to be a busy week, one week from today we'll be on a plane to Mexico!!

Quote: Originally Posted by Lecreatifbride To jam or not to jam.... who used the iPod docking rental vs the DJ rental at Azul? Pros... Cons....? I'm using a DJ for dinner reception, iPod for cocktail hour. I was trying to figure out who I could give the all important task of maning the iPod or changing a song when needed etc. I didn't feel it was fair and I know once drinks start flowing, someone will forget, or be in the bathroom and I didn't want to have to worry about it. Besides I wanted announcing done, comes with a microphone and the DJ said he could play whatever we wanted, even if he didn't have it he said to just hand him the iPod the song is on and no problem