Sheree10

What a great idea for a thank you card!!

My husband and I recently celebrated our one year anniversary! It’s so hard to believe that it’s already been that long. I learned so much from the site and wanted to share some post wedding info. I purchased several items after the wedding- thank you cards, announcement cards and parent/bridal party photobooks after extensive research from MANY companies. Here’s a brief review on my experience with the products/ companies I chose to work with. MPIX.com: I first heard about site from our wedding photographer who ordered our prints thru the company. I was pleased with the prints and checked out the site to find many more fantastic products. Thank you cards- ( from mpix.com) “Folded Greeting cards†Excellent quality and reasonably priced. I ordered two sizes- 5x7 and 4x5.5. –You have the choice between three papers: stock, pearl, or linen. I got some stock and linen but liked the stock better because of the smoother finish. We sent them to everyone who came to wedding or post wedding reception. Annnouncement Cards: ( mpix.com)Given out to some friends/family/ coworkers who couldn’t come. Just included the pic of us and wedding date. I liked that it was very simple and I could just address an envelope and mail. Photobook: (adoramapix.com) We have a gorgeous album from our photographer but I wanted to do something for our parents and bridal party. I did a lot of research- blurb, Kodak, shutterfly etc. I was looking for a high quality flush mount( or something close to it) that wasn’t hundreds of dollars. I was extremely pleased with the quality of book. It took some time, about 1-2 weeks for me to actually organize the album (busy with work). I used the pictures from our photographer. The company has regular sales so you can make a book and see if a sale comes around. I went on youtube and did a search “adorama pix and photobooksâ€- you can get a taste of how the book looks. My parents got the 10x8 (36 pgs.) and bridal party 8x8 book (14pgs) My only issue with the photobook is the last page- you can see ridges where cover is mounted to print. But overall extremely happy with the photobook and will order from them again! Shipping with both companies was USPS which I personally prefer over other options.

Congratulations and Welcome! Planning a wedding can be overwhelming but you will find plenty of resources here. I got married in Aruba and it was amazing.

No problem! Check out my review for info on the vendors I used.

Hello from a past Renaissance bride! I got married in July and the weather was beautiful. We chose Aruba because it's out of the hurricane belt so hopefully you will be okay. For the week we were on the island we had a few rain showers which lasted only a few minutes at a time. The day we were leaving, it rained most of the morning which was not very common.

Those bags are too cute!!

Wow! your day will be here before you know it. Sounds like you have the main things taken care of.

I went with the florist that Juney recommended, I don't recall the name. Deciding on what flowers I wanted was a difficult task. In the end I just told Juney I wanted a nice tropical mix( minus callalillies) and it turned out lovely. I booked photog & hair/makeup directly and just about everything else I did thru the resort. I sent out save the dates about one year out and formal invites about 3-4 months before with an rsvp of 2 months before the day. Some people never rsvp'ed ( yay or nay) and that was a pain! For me it was all of the little things at the end that got me stressed. Try to do as much as you can now. I created an extensive to do list of things I needed to get done each month and attached a shopping list and tackled it that way. Just as long as the main things are taken care of( bride and grooms attire, officiant, food/drinks and guests), it will all fall into place. Don;t stress the small stuff- Keep it simple. Your guests will be so thrilled to be on a private island for your wedding, that's all that matters. Don't forget to enjoy this engagement period with your fiance! As soon as I got the ring on my finger it was wedding, wedding, wedding for me. I spent weeks afterwards just unwinding and I'm still doing wedding related stuff( thank you cards).

I love the whole postcard- thank you card idea!! Ginger did my invites and I love her work. I still haven't gotten my pro pics back yet. I did aks the photog to send get the pic we will use for the cards so I can get moving on them. I want to get mine out before the holidays. It's never too late to send out cards. I usually get thank yous 3-6 months after a wedding. However, I've been to about two weddings and never got a thank you card from the couple, one of them a DW!!

I have a few pictures in my profile. Still no pro pics yet We had a wonderful photographer, Victor Winklaar. How is the planning coming along? Are you definately getting married at the Ren.? when?

Whooo Hooo! I know you must be excited!!! I brought snacks for our oots bags and had no problems getting them down there. I gave my mother some to carry and put some in my luggage. I took the smaller snacks out of boxes and placed in large ziploc bags to make it easier to pack and sort.

Gorgeous pictures........I love your dress, shoes, flowers, earrings!!

Congratulations to you and hubby! How exciting!!

  Check out my wedding review. You will find info about the vendors I used. Â

Check out my Aruba Wedding review... I shared info about my vendors.

Welcome and Congrats! I got married a few weeks ago at the Aruba Renaissance resort and everything was fabulous! Â I wrote a review and you can find it in the resort review section. There are also a few threads in the Islands section with some Aruba info. Â PM me if you have any questions. Â Happy Planning!!

Welcome and Congrats! Definately check out the threads on weddings in Mexico... you will loads of info there. Â Happy Planning!

Welcome to BDW and Congrats!!

Welcome and Congrats! Good luck with the planning... you will find plenty of helpful info here.

LOL....... this is so funny! Hubby and I were just talking about taking a vacation, possibly a cruise for our one year anniversary. Â There are plenty of options depending on where you would like to go. Hubby and I have been on cruises before( only once together) and they're great. There's always plenty of food and a lot to do on the ship. I've been on Carnival and Royal Caribbean cruises. Â Take into consideration which port you will be leaving from because if it's far from your home you will also have to factor in costs of roundtrip ticket plus cruise. Also, you will be given options of excursions at the locations you stop at so $ adds up that way too. But overall they're great!

LOL!

I sent out thank your cards to those who gave us gifts or did something special for the day( hosted, cooked food, set up)

Ahhhhhhh.....I understand the feeling. I was married in Aruba one month ago and I've been going thru a little withdrawal. Now I have so much more time on my hands and I'm looking for a hobby! We have so many beautiful memories from our wedding and our time on the island.

I'm so sorry to hear about your sister's health. It will be a difficult time for you and your family and I pray that she will be okay. I know several breast cancer survivors who have been in remission for many years and you wouldn't ever know what they've been through. Be strong and feel free to share here. Â Sending E-hugs your way!

Oh no! I'm so sorry to hear that you're dealing with this. I've learned that weddings do bring out the worst in people. Â I always thought it was ettitiquite that you must invite someone's SO if they are engaged, live together or they are married( not just dating). I mean it would be completely up to you but I wouldn't and it's good that you stuck your ground. I understand paying for your own wedding and it should be VERY special, you should know everyone there. This is not a house party or backyard bbq, it's your wedding. Â If your friend was truly your friend she would understand! If it's a financial issue for her- maybe you could help her with rooming with another single? But it sounds like she wants to bring her boyfriend with her. And his response... unbelievable! I hope it works out and you don't lose a good friend over this.