ebredhawk

holy moly... i am gone for a few days and this is what happens?! i am 100% freaking out... no music or dancing at the reception for me is a deal breaker. i'm fine with getting married there.. we always wanted to do it on a beach, but to only be able to eat at my reception just won't work with the people i have. i was already thinking that they didn't allow much time for dancing anyway. and did anyone notice the additional wedding cake charge? that stuff is already in the packages isn't it? they better clear this stuff up soon! has anyone checked to see if baltobabe has any info on the dreams forum?

i don't think it's cheap at all to just have your guests go to the bar during your pictures. that's definitely what we're doing! some may want to watch too and that way they have a little time to themselves before your reception starts.

krismac15, i'm not sure how far into the planning process you are, but because of the whole mess with the translations, etc. a lot of us have chosen to just do symbolic ceremonies there and do the legal part at home. i know if you do a search on the forum for "wedo" you should be able to find a lot of help and probably good contact information too. i also agree with nat about the photographers.. if you're not getting any response, you may either want to call or look at some of the other photogs in PC... there are quite a few! tam.. you may be able to see the ocean from himitsu (i'd check the resort map on the dreams site) but once it gets dark you won't be able to see the ocean anyway, so i wouldn't let that be a deal breaker! i ordered my table runners online too... it was just way less expensive to do it that way. i'm not thrilled with the quality either, but i had to revert to my wedding planning sanity check which is asking myself "is anyone going to notice or care?" and since the answer is "no", i can move on!

meghan, that song sounds adorable! i'll have to download that pronto!! tonya, i know a ton of people who have done "first looks" before. it's totally personal preference, but not weird at all!! if you'd rather enjoy that minute just the two of you, then go for it! speaking of which, you mentioned Swing Life Away.. that's actually the song i'm walking down the aisle too... J's best man is going to play it on his guitar for the processional. the BMs will walk to the verse music and then he'll change to the chorus when it's my turn. i have been determined to walk down the aisle to acoustic guitar ever since i saw lily and marshall's wedding on how i met your mother!

the ipod playlists are the bain of my existence right now. it should be easy, right? not so much!

sounds like everyone has been busy with work! and with thanksgiving (for the u.s. ladies) coming up, there's too much going on! michele, i just saw that you have a guest count on your signature now... how good does that feel?! i'm celebrating right now because we booked a videographer!!! he's friends with my photographer and is just getting into wedding video... he works as a video photographer for Fox Sports North right now in MN. i saw one video that he did and it was unbelievable... more like a film that a cheesey wedding video! he's going to shoot during our TTD too, which i can't wait for! hope everyone is still doing okay out there!

i am beginning to worry about the weight of everything we're bringing too!! i've already started to warn everyone that they're going to need to leave room. i think i finally realized how heavy everything is going to be though now that we have our centerpiece vases, the rocks going in them, as well as the sand and bottles for our sand ceremony. that's a lot of heavy stuff! thankfully all of the glass things can be wrapped in clothes and protected, but i will be a nervous wreck when i'm packing!! we may need to get another suitcase just to have enough room to take everything!

maybe waiting to know exactly who is coming is part of the reason why DWs don't feel real until you're there!! meghan, i've done the same thing buying stuff for OOT bags. i pretty much know how many people are coming, but i bought stuff before then.. it's bad because every time i buy too much i just say "ehh.. i can sell the rest on BDW." oceanwonderland, if there's any way to plan a wedding in 5-6 months, it's having a DW. you may be a little rushed depending on how much detail you want, but i think you'll be fine. getting your dress will probably be the biggest time crunch. in terms of STDs and invites, i would say do the email STD with information and then a real invitation later. it may not be enough time for your guests if you don't already have STDs to send out. i still giggle every time i type STD. mature huh?

congrats meghan!! it's those little victories that get us through! tonya, i'm so sorry that you're having trouble with some of the GM. you would think they would have some semblance of a sense of urgency considering they're in the wedding party!! i will have my fingers crossed for you that all of it gets worked out and they book soon. when in doubt, get your FI on the case! also, tonya.. did you ever go with your brother to NY to do more pictures??

i don't think you can go wrong with any of those locations. check with your WC too... even if you don't do a private reception they should still be able to group your guests together and have cake, champagne, etc.

annidas.. good luck and have fun!! i can't wait to see pictures of everything when you return!!!

nat.... 2 words, chicken cutlets!! at least that's what they look like! you can shove them in your dress under your "ladies" and it perks them up! as long as your dress is tight enoguh in the front to hold them in place (if you have sewn in cups, etc.) you will be fine! here's a link to just one of the VS versions: Victoria's Secret - Gel inserts jmcaulay, if that's what your dress looks like it is GORGEOUS!! veryyyy beachy! i agree with nat... sandals for the wedding, heels for the professional pictures. you'll have a hard time walking in the sand in heels though, and if you have a professional photograph i don't think you'll have to worry about your FI's head being cut off! also, either the gazebo or the beach are beautiful enough without decorations at all, so anything you can afford to add would just be bonus i think!

toya, i wish all the time that i can hire a professional and they could help me focus some of my ideas! i watch those darn wedding shows on tv with the super expensive professional people and get so jealous. but their weddings only last one day.. whereas our DWs will be a whole EXPERIENCE!! jmcaulay.. that is amazing that you were able to find a dress of the rack! not everyone has that kind of luck! i had no idea about the bra thing either when i went to try them on! the sizes are super funky, but man if you find one that fits it makes the dress look that much better! do you have a link to your dress online or a picture you could post??

Quote: Originally Posted by KimmyG Erin- glad to hear the fitting went well. The dress looks awesome on you and the color rocks!! Would you recommend Williams Sonoma as a registry place? I love their baking goods ABSOLUTELY!!! they were the best... the lady even made us espresso and took us around everywhere. J is a butcher (by day) and she got out all the different knives and let him try them out to figure out which ones were the best. they treat you really really well there. also, another interesting note... most of the cookware and kitchen accessories at williams sonoma are actually the same price or less expensive than bed, bath and beyond. i did a price comparison and everything to make sure what the lady told me was right.. i couldn't believe it! Quote: Originally Posted by caribbeanLover I decided not to do a registry, I figured people spending so much on their vacation package to be with us, it was a gift in it's self. Should I have one incase people still want to get us something? Quote: Originally Posted by echo2_62 I didn't really want to do a registry either because FI and I have lived together in our house for a while now so we don't really need anything, and we definitely didn't want our guests to feel like they needed us to get anything. so at the risk of anyone thinking that J and i are weird for registering, there are only 2 people (out of 20) that are coming to our wedding that are paying for themselves... my parents are covering everyone else. we also aren't really registering for the wedding so much as the AHR. my brother hardly registered at all for his wedding and some of our family got frustrated so we picked out fun things that we wouldn't buy for ourselves and other small things we don't have. we live together too and already have a lot of the stuff that people typically register for. and i too would LOVE if everyone just cut us a check! we are saving up for a european trip and buying J a new car and it would be sooo nice to have just cold hard cash! i hate that it's so frowned upon to ask for that... people always say that they want to do something "personal"... well let me tell you... if you give us a check that helps pay for our mortgage or a vacation.. i take that VERY personally!

i know you guys mentioned that you wanted organza, but i got satin sashes from this lady on ebay: eBay Store - ELEGANT PERSPECTIVES: Satin Sashes, Chair Covers you don't have to get things in the quantities she has on there.. i emailed her and just got 30 sashes cause that's all i'll need. tam, i'm doing the exact same thing for my table runners i think. and we're doing black ones too! but with pink chair sashes. i'm trying my hardest to make things look like they blend well without being "matchy matchy" and making it look cheesey... does that make any sense?

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! tonya, i'm so glad you posted the rest of your pictures because it reminded me that i spaced yesterday and forgot to tell you how beautiful i thought they were! if that's what they look like now, think of what the ones in NYC will look like! J and i went to register today and it was soo much fun! he actually got really into it and totally hogged the scanner at williams sonoma!! he's the cook so i guess it's a good thing he got so involved!

toya i think that's a great idea considering the # of guests you have coming!! i'm sure they will appreciate whatever you get for them!!

if it's selfish to hand out the bags beforehand, then i am 100% selfish! i'm definitely doing this! that way our guests have a built-in carry on too!! i definitely want to get everyone together the night before (obviously with a free meal!!) to organize and go over the schedule for the next day. since there's no formal "rehearsal" this will hopefully make me feel a ton better about how things will go the next day! ash, your pictures are gorgeous! i love the one with your hands shaped like a heart!

are you getting married at a resort? if so, you could contact the WC down there and see if she can provide you with a list of the available flowers. if you're worried about a specific flower being available you could also look into real touch bouquets and bringing them down with you so you know exactly what it will look like!

Quote: Originally Posted by nsbride2010 Super laid back, no stress that's what we're going for exactly too!! i was reading about another bride who said her planning motto is "oh well".. i loved that. very healthy and stress free attitude!

Quote: Originally Posted by echo2_62 Tonya, I think you should totally wear coloured shoes if you want to! I think that especially with DW's you can totally break away from the "standard" traditions that your mom is more likely used to. I'm wearing blue flip flops with my dress! My bridesmaids all want to wear heels with their dresses but I totally don't mind because they're all shorter than me to start with hehe! Sometimes i think that I should wear a heel too, or go more traditional, but everyone who knows me would be more surprised by that than if I did show up in some bright colour. GO FOR IT!!!! agreed!! some of the cutest wedding pictures i've seen have included the striking color of a bride's shoes! tracy, yours are beautiful too.. forgot to mention that! they look like they'll be super comfy!

shortnsweet, you look SOOO tiny in your dress!! you should definitely feel good about yourself for that.. just think of how beautiful you'll look at the wedding with your hair and makeup done and all of that! your BM dresses are beautiful too! meghan, like christina suggested i'm having my cups sewn in too. my dress is a little low cut and although i'm not "lacking" in that region, i don't want them to look droopy either!! speaking of my dress.. here are a couple of pictures from my fitting saturday!! no emergencies or issues thank goodness!! with my mom and one of FI's sisters i don't have a picture of my shoes sadly! i'll have to fix that i think!!

Quote: Originally Posted by elenajustine Hi Ebredhawk, We are staying until the 26th so we should definitely grab a drink and I can give you a quick rundown on how things went! I'm so excited but also nervous because a lot of the planning isn't done until a few days before! I guess there are pros and cons to that too. We are doing the 4pm ceremony, figured it would be good to do before it gets dark. We are doing the ultimate package - using the onsite photographer. Is anyone else using the onsite photog? Am I crazy for not bringing my own? eeekkk! absolutely!! the 25th maybe?? it's a sunday so hopefully nothing else will be going on. i'd loooove to hear all about how things went! i'm actually nervous about not having a ceremony rehearsal... i'm terrified my wedding party won't know what to do!! Quote: Originally Posted by Tam thank you Frenchie! I ended up trying it on this weekend and love it again. It does look different on me than the model (in a good way)... I was sooo worried though. I will try to post pics.. my only problem is whenever I download pics on my laptop, the screensaver always goes to a slideshow of the pics, so then my FI could see it.. maybe I'll download and then erase it.. that's exactly what i have to do too tam! the SAME thing happened to me with my dress too... i fell in love all over again! and nothing bad happened... right size and right dress.. phew! Quote: Originally Posted by nsbride2010 Neat little system eh? I thought it was pretty cool! I got worried about my ceremony, but its at 6, and the sun sets at about 7:20, so I will be more than alright!! 6 will be perfect for that sunset... your colors in your pictures will be gorgeous!

thanks tracy and tonya! that definitely makes me feel better! i will for sure be posting pictures after the fitting! i have a huge pile of my shoes and all of the accessories i want to try with it... maybe this will all finally start feeling real if i see everything together?

date twin (melidell)... the cake topper is very cool!! i have never seen one like that before!! tonya, if you are looking for a topper i've heard that etsy has TONS of really nice ones that are personalized or customized a lot of times.. you could always give that a shot! kim, J and i have people coming over sunday night, but we can def. reschedule for another weekend. my schedule is all sorts of crazy because of our custody schedule with J's daughter, but i could do every other saturday (starting in 2 weeks) from here till the end of the year, or any sunday. tell me when you're available and i'll see if it works in my schedule too! my first dress fitting is tomorrow... eeeee!!! i am TERRIFIED that i'll show up and they either won't have my dress or it'll be the wrong one!