Jamaica0619

I don't blame you...that seems odd, since you and your FI paid the airfare and all-inclusive. Can you call her to see what is up?

My Sister's Keeper was an incredible book. I read it awhile ago. I want to see the movie, but I know it is going to be a tear jerker. The book was. I also just finished reading the first book of a new Nora Roberts quartet - Vision in White. It is the first of four stories focusing on four women who work together as wedding planners. It was a really great chick book.

My DH spoke to both my parents and his prior to asking me. We've been living togehter for years but he still honored tradition in this small way. So, they all saw my ring before I did...it kind of spoiled some of the "surprise" but I thought it was really nice and my dad appreciated the nod to tradition.

We did a restuarant crawl. We went to one restaurant for sangria and tapas, which we ate at the bar. Then another for the main course - Mexican with margaritas. We then went to a different one for dessert - it is an upscale dinner and had banana splits. It was fun and gave us a chance to experience different restaurants.

Congratulations...I have no regrets and a few happy and unexpected surprises

Is this the one you are looking for... http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t33401 ...you need to scroll down through the posts on the first page.

Have fun on your honeymoon! And, I'm still in for the 11th.

I am going to Bali, so I'm biased. My DH and I have been to various locations in the EU, and I wanted to do something I felt was unique and different. But, Greece is gorgeous. I do not think you can go wrong. Sorry...this probably wasn't a help. But, given my biased opinion - I would vote for Bali

Macy's Williams Sonoma Bed, Bath and Beyond They are each small registries but I went for variety

We used the steel drum band at our wedding. I liked the ambiance it gave...my guests liked them. Honestly, to be perfectly honest, I barely noticed them in all of the excitement of the ceremony and craziness of the pictures. But, even given that, I would definitely do it again.

Congratulations! Your pictures are amazing....

I checked candles and cake server without a problem. I agree...just don't put it in the carry-on and you will be fine. Worse case scenario - TSA will open the bag and check it. One of ours was searched (actually it might have been the one with the serving set), but everything in the bag was fine.

I forgot to bring "fake" rings with us. Plus my DH did not see the big deal of giving our RB (5 years old) our bands (BTW - they were custom rings and not inexpensive). I thought he had lost it. But, it worked out. He used slip knots to tie the rings to the pillow. I even flipped the pillow upside down and they did not go anywhere as long as the RB did not pull the ribbon - which we told him not to. The BM then removed the rings from the pillow once the RB reached the ceremony location.

I paid for my BMs dresses, since they were spending the money to come to the wedding. I also covered thier jewelry, shoes and my one BM had her hair done. I think in total I spent about $200 per bridesmaid on everything. I got them a really small gift - a pashmina. My MOH and I picked them and my other BM - it would not have been her first choice, but it looked good on her. My MOH is 35 and my other BM is 20. It would have been hard to pick a style that worked for both.

The cost was $45 per person plus $10 per person for the full bar. They did not charge anything additional to set-up the lights or decor. The bows on the back of the chairs I took with me. And, they did not charge to use the speaker with my iPOD. We had the Caprice package so the centerpieces were included.

Wow! I think this takes the cake when it comes to rudeness. I cannot believe that is what she said. I agree it may be "superbitchy" but they are not leaving you much choice. I think I'm just shocked that people can be like that...it is beyond rude. I'm not even sure what to say...I've never heard of anything like it before. It is a shame you cannot ask her to contribute to the cost (I know you can't) if she wants you to just assume all these people are going to show up.

Since we did not know we would be doing this. And, I never thought about seating arragnements. We just let everyone sit wherever. It really wasn't a big deal, and everyone figured it out pretty quickly and easily. Plus except for when we were physically eating...everyone was milling around. We didn't really "sit" all that much. We had our MOH and BM sit with us, since they set our table as a four person table.

Here are some pictures of the beach reception the first two are overview pictures - one closer and one futher away. It is really pretty at night as there are lights strung in the while tulle/cloth. But this will give you the idea. I took the chair sashes with me. These are pictures of the hot buffet set-up, cold buffet set-up and the bar. The picture of the bar includes the "head" waiter. He was really wonderful. He even danced with my mom and a couple of the other guests, adding to the fun...at least from our prespective. I know it is not everyone's cup of tea, but he helped liven up the party. There was only 23 of us.

I'll see if I can get a picture posted. I personally do not have any pictures, but I know friends took them. I'll send a message to my cousin to see if she can send me her pictures of the set-up. I had the Caprice package, so I had flowers "groupings" or arrangements included that were used to decorate the cuppa. They took those off of the cuppa and placed them on the tables as centerpieces. So, it depends on your package and what options you select. We technically had the location from 6:30pm to 9pm. However, I do not think all the guests (including us) left the area until 9:30 or 10pm. From 9 to 10 it was more so just talking and hanging out. They were cleaning up around us. We finally moved on when it was obvious we were now in thier way. We did not have the DJ. We used my iPod with a speaker (which was plenty loud enough and the sound was good) that the WC provided. The only downside is the mix I prepared was not really for dancing...we didn't plan on the beach. So, we ended up just selecting songs off my iPod at random. I should have prepared a dance playlist, but I didn't think to. If I had done that...the iPod/speaker set-up would have worked great. We just went with the basic buffet ($45/person). The food was really, really good. The guy who works the jerk hut cooked the chicken, beef and pork on the grill. And, it tasted wonderful. He even did beef on request for my guests who wanted their meat more rare. Also, they had items set up as a buffet. One thing I personally would do different...have the champagne/toast at the reception. We used the champaign after the ceremony, and it was a little too chaotic for the toast (if you want one). We drank the champaign...well the guests did...at the ceremony. I was so hot after the ceremony, the champaign made me half nauseous. I just wanted water. I would have enjoyed the champaign more when it was a little cooler and less humid. Our best man did do a toast at the reception and everyone just used whatever they were drinking. No problem about the questions...trust me I definitely understand.

I don't know if I'll have my review up before you leave...but I'll try. If you have any questions, please feel free to PM me. The beach reception...I can tell you...was the best decision we made and one we made very last minute.

Congratulations and Welcome to the forum. Unfotuntately I do not have any words of wisdom to offer in convincing your mom. A lot of couples go through the same types of things. The best advice I can give it to try to chip away at her concerns/issues and try to pose solutions. Otherwise, I'll keep my fingers crossed for you that you can sway her as things go along...you've got time. I do not know if there is a way that you and your FI can get her involved without compromising what you and she want.

I'm back from my wedding at RMB...using the new WCs. We also did the beach reception. Had an amazing time...with a couple of glitches (which all weddings have), but still an amazing time. I don't want to panic anyone. I'll get my review posted asap. I came back from my wedding (arrived home last night) and had to immediately travel for work (I'm sitting in my hotel room in Tampa). So, I'll try to prepare it in Word while traveling and will get it copied into a post asap. I also need to get my planning thread together...I'll do that soon as well. I know it is supposed to be posted before, but I didn't get a chance.

To let you know Roxianna is absolutely amazing and wonderful to work with. I just got married here at RMB on Friday and it went beautifully...I couldn't have been happier. We ended up deciding on the private beach reception...not something we originally planned on but decided to do it when we arrived. We are so glad we did....it made the wedding that much better. Our guests keep telling us how wonderful the wedding was, how beautiful it was, and how it is something they were so glad to be a part of. I know it is hard...trust me, been there and done that...but Roxianna and the other WC (can't remember her name) are great. Just take a deep breath and enjoy the day.... I'll write a full reveiw in the couple of weeks. I have to travel for work for a week as soon as I get back. But, if you have any questions/concerns, feel free to PM me.

Wonderful!!! Thank you for sharing!

I can definitely feel your pain. We leave this week...and we have four large checked bags. One is going to be overweight on the way down...oh well...nothing I can do. It is better to be overweight and pay $50 then to use another bag and pay $100. And, now I need to figure out how we are going to carry everything that needs to come on the plane in our carry on bags.