Bridget810

Welcome, and congrats! You've found such a great resource; BDW is the best place to help you find your dream destination!!

I got my invites from here:

https://www.yourinvitationplace.com/...ame=partyblock

really affordable, and they look very nice! Especially good if you are considering a starfish theme. I love my invitations! As for Save the Dates, I used Vista Print and made postcards (found a pretty picture of the beach)--completely free (only had to pay shipping). Good luck!

Yup, I often want to show him my dress too, and I have to fight the urge! And, like others have already said, it's not at ALL about the superstition; I just want him to see it for the first time on the day we are getting married, because it is going to make it just so special. I can't wait to see "the look" when he first sees me!!!

I've used Blurb and they are freakin' AMAZING!!! I've already made a coffee table book (just artsy photos I've taken in my travels), and I'm currently working on a cookbook. I told my Sister-in-Law about it, and she used it to make a wedding book, and it is absolutely gorgeous! The quality is just amazing (the pictures turn out beautiful), and the price is great. I totally recommend it! (and I totally plan on using it for my own wedding book, too).

jenny FTB; I've heard the best way to lose weight quickly is to reduce water weight and bloating: as in, avoid salt, msg, and too many carbs. I plan on doing that a few days before my wedding, as I hear it is the best way to lose 5 lbs in just a couple days (and I heard this from my sis who is getting her graduate degree in exercise science). Oh, and Chanti--that is fabulous you only gained 1.5 lbs. during the holidays; the average is about 10 pounds!!!! For me, I've gained about 7 lbs. since Thanksgiving.. The plus side, is that it falls off pretty quickly for most people after the holidays, after your body realizes that there is no more pecan pie and stuffing!

Welcome and congrats! You have found a wonderful resource!

Hello and congratulations!! I lurked for such a long time (at least in my mind), and I got so much more information once I began actively participating--I'm sure it will be the same for you!

Hmmm.. I realize that the "money" part of my response makes me sound pretty cold. What I meant is that instead of spending money on a separate vacation, they allocate that money towards a vacation with you! I, like many others, have friends who do not have the money to go to my DW, and that is completely understandable. However, I'd be pretty cranky if I found out that they (if they were close friends) couldn't go to my wedding, but then planned an expensive exotic trip elsewhere.

Wow, I think it is a-okay to get angry about this! But after a nice bout of anger, take a deep breath, and remember that as long as you and your fiance are there--that's all that matters!!! Of course, that is incredibly easy to say. The petty part of me secretly says: remember those friends who dissed you!! Because, in my (honest) opinion; your true friends will be there for you unless they have a REALLY good excuse. I've been in the same boat as you, and it makes me realize how lucky I am to have my sweet fiance and my loyal friends. I feel like a DW really brings out folks true colors. So, instead, focus on those that take the time and money to be there on your special day, and let them know how much it means to you. KARMA.

PS If you learn the secret about not giving a crap, please let me know!!!

I am not changing my name, and it is not for vanity reasons (though I would totally use that as an excuse if I could!!), as my fiance has a lovely last name. I let him know from the beginning that I had full intentions of keeping my name. While he was upset at first, I just said: "how would you feel if you lived as Mr. XX XXXX for 28 years, and established your identity, and then you married and had to change your name--and your identity? Would you do it?" He admitted that he would not like it one bit! Then I explained my feminist (no--not a bad word!) ideology--that women were just expected to do so. I'm not saying it's wrong to change your name; I'm just saying that it should be a choice. And, personally, I like my name. I have agreed, however, to consider hyphenating my last name when we have kids, to avoid confusion. Once you explain why you want to keep your name, I find that most guys are pretty agreeable. If not; well, that's a whole other issue! Good luck to you (and Girl Power!!!).

Hi! I'm from Georgia; so I understand the difficulty of pulling off a budget wedding in the area (that isn't redneck-y). I debated b/w a local wedding and a destination wedding for a long time, and it just came down to this: a destination wedding was just SOOO much cheaper! I'm doing my whole wedding plus honeymoon for about $10,000 for 35 guests; SO much less than if I was doing it in Georgia. As for quick flights (which usually mean cheaper flights), places to look at include the Dominican Republic, St. Thomas, Jamaica, Cayman Islands, and the Bahamas. I'm unfamiliar with Moon Dance Cliffs, however. Where is that located?

Sounds like the perfect proposal to me!!! So freakin' sweet!!! Congratulations

I have a question about DIY-video. Are you guys planning on using a microphone? Or do you think the voices will pick up fine without it? And, if you are planning on using a microphone, where are you getting it?

You have plenty of time; don't worry! I'm getting married one day before you, and my dress isn't even going to get into the store until mid-March. And I've been assured by both the store and other brides that it is plenty of time to get alterations done. No worries!

I've seen a couple famous people from afar (Demi Moore, Mary Lou Retton, Bruce Willis--all at the same event at the Olympics), and I was in a Disney World TV commerical when I was little with the TV Cosby Family (minus Bill); but I was pretty young and I don't really remember if they were nice or not. I did meet David Arquette when I was in high school; I saw him at a concert (he was a guest, not performing), and my friend literally pushed me into him on purpose so I could meet him. He was really nice and kissed my hand. I was like 16 so I couldn't do much more than blush and stutter, but he seemed really nice!

BTW; what a fun thread! And, wow, stotz, how did you meet so many famous people?

Loans generally get put on "hold" interest-wise while you are a full time student--at least that's how it worked for me. And $30,000 in loans is not bad at ALL for grad school. I got my Master's, and I took out about $50,000 to pay for 2 years of grad school, and that's about average it seems. So, no, in my opinion, its not a bad financial decision.

Wow, that is adorable! I wish I fit into a size 2!!! Just to clarify, do you mean a street size 2 or a "wedding dress" size 2?

Yes, I agree with the above poster. I have a friend who does video editing, so I'm going to have him do the the editing. As for the camera, I would make sure that it is digital, and HD. If you are looking to buy a camera, read reviews on amazon.com and cnet.com. Make sure to look at the reviews for how it performs in different lighting; for instance, if you are getting married outdoors, make sure it films well in bright light, if you are getting married indoors, make sure it films well in dark light. Good luck!

I think many of us feel like the "most clueless bride ever" (I know I did), as, for most of us, this is our first wedding, and for the majority of us, it is our first destination wedding! Just keep researching, using this forum, TripAdvisor, and Google, and soon you'll feel like an expert! And, I agree with Sapphire, if you're only going to have 10-15 people, a villa with a caterer might be the best way to go!

Welcome, and congrats! This forum is just such a great resource; it really has helped me with almost every aspect of my planning!

Oh, I love that area! I've been there several times. Last time we booked our cabin through Smoky Mountain Cabin Rentals near Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, TN by Century 21 Cove Mountain and stayed at the "Alone Time" cabin and we absolutely loved it! Especially the jacuzzi!! We also liked that the cabin was situated right at the entrance of the park, giving us easy access to it. We had so much fun!

Welcome! Cancun is such a fun place! You're in luck, because there is a lot of information about Cancun weddings here at BDW! The Dreams Cancun resort seems like a pretty great place to get married at. Happy planning!

I think the Half Moon in Jamaica has private villa-type rooms, and it's supposed to be pretty amazing. Welcome and congrats!

I love the back of the dress! It looks freakin' amazing on you! Wow.

Did you pay with your credit card? If so, they'll dispute the charges for you. That's why I'm charging EVERYTHING with my credit card. But, like the others have said, I would give it time before freaking out. We ordered a flat screen TV through Amazon last week, and I've been trying to track it every day, and nothing is showing up yet, even though it was supposed to ship last week. Everything is slowed down because of the holidays.