Donie Jordan

WHAT?!?! I would be banging on doors if I was you...how frustrating. Why are people so rude? Our RSVP date is April 10th, and to be honest we have already gotten most of ours back. The main reason for our invites was to get people's meal choices and to find out when people were arriving. We really already knew who was booked and have in a way assumed that those that didn't book have no intention of coming (We have 38 guests as of now counting ourselves). That being said there are 2-3 couples that were questionable and of course there is no RSVP from them yet. Even if people are still watching flights or whatever trying to decide, it would be nice to have a phone call or some indication of what is going on! I honestly staring packing OOT stuff last night just because I need an idea of how I'm going to get all this stuff down there....and it made me think - people probably have no idea how much planning goes into this. Here I am over two months out starting to pack, and I think people just assume that since it's a destination wedding we just show up and everything is already taken care of. Ughhhhh. Hang in there girl!

Not sure if anyone is still interested, but we switched from our original plan of Pisces to RedRum. http://redrumcabo.com/ They have more affordable boats, and have great reviews on tripadvisor. They also offer most of the "extras" with their bareboat option that other companies lump into "all inclusive" and charge an extra $50 or more per person for. I have been working with John and he has been very helpful and quickly responds to emails!

We don't have a Z Gallery here...grrrr. We had one and it went out of business, worst thing ever! Love that store though, thanks for the advice! And, I love the look on limes in hurricanes! If it fit into our color scheme I would be all about it! So Cute! I'm thinking if white roses were an issue the florist would have said something...or at least I hope so! I've seen other brides with photos of white roses and didn't notice them looking wilted. Does anyone else have thoughts on this? What did Lola offer as far as domestics? I'm a little upset with her at the moment...long story short I sent her an email to confirm a few weeks back and never got a reply, so I tracked her down on facebook and noticed she had a different email listed. When I emailed her to inquire about the hydrangeas she sent me the info for making the deposit to book my date - which I did months ago! When I emailed her letting her know this I got nothing back. Not sure what the deal is, she was very responsive initially and I'm sure it will get cleared up, but it's a bit annoying that she doesn't already know she has me booked! As far as the playlist, I haven't done my either, but when I do, I plan on using some songs from this list of the top 200 most requested songs...here's the link if you haven't seen it yet: http://www.mobilebeat.com/top-200/ Quote: Originally Posted by Beth O I would not attempt to do OOT bags for 150 People. Plus how would you get all of that down there. I am just doing 20 and its a lot of $ even getting stuff for a buck! I have to disagree here...we have some guests spending over $1000 to be there on our wedding day...I feel like putting a little something together to let them know you appreciate it can go a long way. Not saying I don't understand why some people can't do them, I just think if it is possible it is a great way to show you care!

Lisa, I love the idea of the Coronas! That would be so cute! We plan to greet all our guests when they arrive in the lobby with an ice cold Corona! Also, if you are looking for a custom koozie company the cheapest one I was able to find was barrypromo on etsy (also on ebay)... http://www.etsy.com/listing/59540753/lot-40-custom-koozies-personalized?ref=sr_list_5&ga_search_query=custom+coozie&ga_order=price_desc&ga_page=0&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_facet=handmade Only $1 per koozie with no set up fee. However, Brandy, one of the April brides, used him and had some issues with getting them (he blamed it on a health emergency, but who knows) so I would order them right away just in case! Our guests are staying at a resort with full kitchens as well and we ordered custom stadium cups so guests can take drinks down to the pool without worrying about leaving the cups behind that belong in the room. They were also about $1 per cup and I am thrilled with the way they turned out. Very quick shipping! My only concern is they will take up substantially more room in our luggage than the koozies would have! Anyway, the link for those is here if you are interested: http://cgi.ebay.com/50-16-oz-Stadium-Cups-Plastic-Personalized-Beer-/250610699636?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a598fcd74 Flowers are killing me! We finally decided to just go with white roses because everything else is so expensive! We are using Lola at Florenta. I actually sent her an email earlier this week to see if we can add some white hydrangeas without it costing a fortune, but she is out for the week. We are just getting the chuppa, 36-rose bridal bouquet, 13-rose bouquets with greenery for each of 3 bridesmaids, and 2 small flowergirl pomanders and that alone with delivery and tax is almost $1000! I hate that because it will all just be thrown away in the end...but if you want real flowers I don't think there is much of a choice! Cabo del Sol has several glass hurricanes in two different sizes so we're going to use clusters of hurricanes, some with sand and candles, some with shells and candles, and some filled with finger starfish for the centerpieces. I ordered the shells and starfish and sea urchins from usshell and received them yesterday, everything was a bit smaller than I expected, but overall the quality is good given the low price: http://www.usshell.com/ Sorry this is so long, but hope it helps!

Ahhh, used "there" wrong at the end of that...pet peeve and I just did it myself! Wishing there was still an edit button!!!

Hi Lisa! Welcome and thanks for the compliment! As far as welcome bags go, I can't imagine making them for 150 guests! That is quite the task you are taking on and I'm sure your guests will appreciate them. I've found ebay is very helpful for ordering mass quantities of items for inexpensive prices. Just type in lot of 75 totes, or lot of spf chapstick or whatever and see what you come up with. With such large quantities I would also think you could get some good deals from wholesale sites - but you probably should start ordering soon to be sure you get everything on time! I love the idea of picking up items in Mexico too - can you imagine what kind of deals you could get purchasing that many items down there!?!?! The flea market downtown would be an excellent spot for those kinds of things. I went overboard on my bags - but I think you can make great bags with the essentials, like a few packets of medication, some lip balm, snacks, and maybe a couple bottles of water for well under $10/bag total. Honestly, in my case, I know most guests aren't expecting anything, so the simple gesture of having something for them when they arrive will be thrilling regardless of what is inside! There's also a thread on here that has a wholesaler for mexico items...it has cute touristy stuff like Mexico pens and keychains, bottle openers, etc - silly stuff but very inexpensive and it would at least get a laugh out of guests. The thread is called "Great site for cheap OOT stuff for Jamaica, Mexico, Puerto Rico & Other Countries". I'm also behind on things like the welcome books and the playlists. I'm kind of dreading putting together both so I keep putting it off for now. We still have plenty of time! There are girls that plan there entire wedding in less than 3 months! Good Luck and Keep us Posted!

It's great to see some new brides here! Welcome! I received my pre-travel brochures from Vistaprint that I plan to send out with luggage tags a few weeks before we leave. I'm posting it here in case any of you are planning on doing a similar project and need some ideas!

I just wanted to update this thread in case there are any brides looking to rent a vehicle in Cabo. I just secured our rental with Dominic and he is wonderful to work with...very kind and prompt to return emails. We are renting a Ford Explorer with 3rd row seating for $70/day including all taxes, full insurance, unlimited miles, and an extra tank of gas. Dominic picks you up at the airport and you leave the car in the airport parking lot when you leave. Additionally, anyone over the age of 25 with a valid license can drive the vehicle and is fully covered. This sold me! I love the idea that if guests need anything they have a vehicle to take to the store or wherever without us having to drive them around. There are cheaper rental options out there, but for the peace of mind of full coverage and the level of service you receive I think renting with Dominic is well worth the money! His current email is: Dominic Los Cabos [[email protected]] Feel free to let me know if you have any questions!

I'm having the same debate for the beginning of June, but my ceremony is at 5PM, so I think I'm going to have to have them. I think by 6:30 you should be able to get by with not having them. I'm thinking I will just make mine using patterned cardstock and large craft sticks to make them cheap and easy. At least that way if it is hot we have them, and they can just be thrown away after.

LOVE them! What a gorgeous shade of blue! The solemates are super obvious based on the pictures! I would never wear them with a short dress, but I'm hoping they will hep out on the grass and then I can pull them off for the rest of the evening. I'll keep you posted!

Thanks! Your day is going to be here before you know it! How exciting!!! Best wishes and I can't wait to hear about it when you get back! I found the solemates on ebay for a good price, so I went ahead and ordered them...I'll let you all know what I think once I receive them in case anyone is considering them!

I'm wearing heels, although my ceremony will be in the grass. I'm thinking of ordering these soulmates ( http://thesolemates.com/our-products/ ) in hopes they will keep me from sinking! Have any of you ladies used these before? Here are my shoes, my dress is lace, so I love that the flower has tulle over it to keep it from catching on the dress (although I bought the shoes before I picked out my dress!):

What an amazing planning thread! You will be gorgeous on your wedding day! You look amazing in your dress and I LOVE the hair inspiration (have to admit I copied and saved it too!)!!! Congrats and Happy Wedding Day!

I would say our total guests are about half friends and half family, but with that being said my fiance has only two family members coming. So, I guess that means I have a fairly large family. We really expected about ten more, as I believe we have finally reached the point in our lives where most of our friends are successful enough to go on nice trips...but as you said things come up. My best friend from work and her husband were planning to come and now she is pregnant and due next month. Another good friend graduated law school and got accepted into the army JAG program all since we've been engaged. At first we really dwelled on the people that couldn't make it (especially fiance's stubborn mom - long story) but in the end what is important is that you have the wedding you both want. For us we just wanted a week with our family and friends - whoever that may be that ends up making the trip. You'll never regret having a beautiful wedding in Mexico regardless of the few people that couldn't be there. Onto other things...how is your planning coming along? I love hearing all the details from you ladies!

Luz maria originally thought we had all our guests staying at the Sheraton and offered to distribute timelines, etc to their rooms. With that being said I'm thinking either she or the hotel itself may be able to distribute the bags to each room. Our plan is to meet the guests in the lobby of Estancia when they arrive. We'll have cold beer and water and an OOT bag ready for them. Since we have guests coming in on several different flights for the first few days we'll see how well this ends up working out...but for now I have the best of intentions! We do have one group staying at another hotel so we'll likely just drive down to give them their bag when they arrive.

Outstanding! I have been popping in on the April brides thread every now and then just to see all the wonderful ideas you all have! I've noticed you have been so helpful to all the girls, Brandy...it's so sweet! I hope you have a marvelous time! I'm certain your guests will be overwhelmed with all the beautiful things you've made for them! Happy Wedding Day!!!

Glad you're back Susanna! I was beginning to think Knbell and I were the only ones left! Congrats on finishing classes and welcome back to wedding world! We also sent out our invites recently which was a huge load off my back and we've already begun getting RSVPs back everyday which makes going to the mailbox very exciting! Knbell and I have also discussed getting everything down there. Every time I look at the boxes and boxes of wedding stuff it makes me worry! My plan at this point is to send a little bit with all our close family and friends that have some extra room in their suitcases. If worst comes to worst we'll upgrade to first class on American which gives us 3 free bags. For the wedding dress and suit I'm hoping to just convince the flight attendant to let us hang it in the first class coat closet. My dress is basically a lace shell over a sheath so it's really light and small. I'm hoping it won't be a hassle. But, if you have the means to fly down beforehand that sounds like a great idea as long as your wedding coordinator will let you store things. I've heard too many horror stories about shipping.

You did an amazing job!

I ordered pashminas from pioneer group and they were $27/dozen plus shipping. They are thin, but I am very happy with the quality of them and I think they will be perfect for all the ladies on the trip. Plus, the service could not be beat, Daniel was wonderful to work with.

Knbell22, I started on my OOT bags really early...in fact I think the bags themselves may have been the first thing I bought for the wedding. I had always planned on about 50 guests and as of today we have 37 confirmed. Not sure if that number will go up or not...I think it really depends on what happens with flight prices. So, I will probably have OOT stuff left over, but I really focused on getting everything when it was on super sale, so I don't consider it a loss to have some extra stuff. I know what you mean with the guest numbers though. We sat down the other night and realized that every single guest is costing us about $200 just for the welcome dinner and wedding dinner and OOT bag, etc. While I'm ecstatic to have people there with us, that really adds up quickly! Our actual invitations just went out a week or so ago, and our RSVP date is April 10th. For the most part I think I already know who is coming, but I needed to get meal choices - so I guess that was the main purpose of the invites. I ordered sea urchin shells on usshell.com that should be getting here any day now. My plan is to paint them all white and cut slits in the top to use as place card holders - then each meal choice will have a different color background for the actual place card. So, that's my next big project. I have not had my dress altered, but it's the next thing on my to do list. I really need to set up the appointment for that. I purchased my dress at a sample sale and it fits really well, so besides the length there isn't too much to be done, but I would like to check that off of my list! I bought my shoes before I even bought the dress ironically, so I'm good on those. I also bought a beautiful hairpiece on etsy - but I still am trying to decide what to do for jewelry. I've heard wonderful things about both the one & only and Esperanza, so I'm sure you really can't go wrong there. I'm glad to hear that you are switching hotels - I think it will make for a great honeymoon experience! I don't know about you but I am so looking forward to a week of only myself and my fiance after spending a week entertaining 40 guests! We're getting so close! I can't wait!!

Hi Ladies, Just had to share...my local target finally got the $0.99 travel size aloe!!! While I was there I also picked up single use Tide detergent packets for everyone since each of our villas has a washer/dryer unit. So, this means my OOT bags are DONE!! Yea!!!! Now I just have to restrain myself from buying more goodies, we already don't have room for what we have! I also sent out confirmation e-mails to all our vendors this week. So far I have gotten confirmation from everyone but the florist...but I have faith I'll get an email from her any day now! Gives me peace of mind because I have a terrible fear of getting to Cabo and having missing vendors! Where are all our June Cabo brides??? How's everyone's planning going - we should all be at or close to the 3 month countdown!!!

Congrats!!!! I'm glad everyone loved them!

Have you checked out a sunset cruise? With such a small group you would probably have to go with a public cruise, but you can generally get a group rate of approximately $40 including food, alcolhol, and entertainment. Check out Sunrider, Tropicat, or Cabo Mar. Also, Maria Corona is a nice restaurant downtown that is quite a bit less expensive than Mi Casa if that proves to be outside of your budget.

Knbell, sounds like you have things under control! I think we are at about the same point in planning, which is a relief for me! It's good to see where other people are. Our plan for getting everything down there is the same...spreading things out to whoever has room in their bags. If worse comes to worse we'll upgrade to first class for the flight down, which on American gives you 3 free bags. Our plan is to use duffle bags for the wedding stuff. That way we can roll them up and thrown them in our suitcases for the trip home. Flights are crazy! We had several people holding out for a price drop, but then once all the madness happened in Egypt, etc people got nervous about gas prices and bit the bullet. We still have about 5 people holding out to see what happens. I think we have 37 confirmed right now with either hotel, airfare, or both. We were originally expecting about 50, so I'm not sure if we'll have some people book at the last minute or not. Either way I'm happy. We arrive in Cabo on the 5th. Our wedding is the 10th and most guests are leaving the 12th. On the 12th we're heading North to Todos Santos for a week. We'll have our honeymoon there at Rancho Pescadero. I am sooo excited for that. It was just voted as one of the most romantic hotels in the world by travel and leisure, and just last night I found a great article in Food + Wine about it. I'll need a week of nothing but relaxing after the wedding week! What are your honeymoon plans? Are you guys planning on coming into downtown Cabo during your trip? I know it's going to be a busy week for us both, but I would love to meet up for a drink!

Hi Knbell! Looks like you have things under control! I can NOT believe we are getting so close! For the longest time it seemed so far away and now it's going to be here so soon! Things are going well for us. Everyone finally got moving on booking airfare despite the price increase lately, so that has eliminated a lot of stress for me. Menus are done and invites are in the mail! I have a few more things I'm still hunting for to finish up the OOT bags - mainly travel size aloe which my Target has yet to get, grrrrr! With that being said though I have no idea how we are going to manage to get everything down there! We just have a few things left to do...fans, place cards, bar signs, etc. but other than that I feel like we have most things done. I will probably get in contact with all our vendors within the next week or so though just to be sure there not going to be any unwanted surprises at the last minute! How is everyone else doing?