islandbride317

Congratulations and SMART MOVE TO GO WITH YOUR HEART!!! You will feel like a total bridal goddess, and a shining star for the entire day, so I say it was worth every penny (not to mention every bit of angst you had to go through along the way when making your big decision)! Now, I'll join the rest of the girls in saying, I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE PICS!!!

Fantastic job on EVERYTHING, Patti! Every item looked as though you has put lots of time and thought into making sure each thing turned out just-so and I am sure your guests were extremely impressed -- I KNOW I AM!!! Well-done, new Mrs.!

FABULOUS, BEAUTIFULLY-DETAILED REVIEW, ALICIA!!! Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!! I feel like I am a lot more prepared for my upcoming wedding/SGOR experience in May, and although tripadvisor.com is fantastic, it's NOTHING compared to the review of one of your girls on BDW! That's for damn sure! I AM THRILLED that you, your husband, and all of your guests had a wonderful trip and have made lasting memories for years to come....once more, HUGE CONGRATULATIONS!

WHAT AN INCREDIBLE TALENT, ELIZABETH!!! Magnificent, as usual....

OH, NO.......I FEEL AWFUL FOR ASKING FOR YOUR REVIEW IN LIGHT OF EVERYTHING YOU'VE BEEN DEALING WITH!!! I AM SOOOO SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS, ALICIA! My heart truly goes out to you and your family during this difficult time -- stay strong.

CONGRATULATIONS, KARLA!!!! Have an AMAZING time, my fellow Jamaica bride! YOU LOOK INCREDIBLE in your gown and your DH-to-be will gasp when he sees you on your wedding day.... SO EXCITED FOR YOU!!

Quote: Originally Posted by KittenHeart B2B - Islandbride317 Mrs - autjo already nominated! Good luck girls! Amy, you know I love you, girl!!! (Thanks for the nom; I saw you were already nominated or you know I would have put your name in for sure!)

So, it's almost 2010 -- HOW IS EVERYONE COMING ALONG WITH THEIR PLANNING?!? CONGRATULATIONS to all the brides that have gotten married in the past few months! Since my last post, most recently we have: Mailed Save the Date postcards for AHR Booked/placed deposit for AHR Venue for 8/14/10 Booked/placed deposit for AHR Photographer Booked/placed deposit for AHR DJ Selected New Cake design; set appointments for cake tastings for Jan. 2010 Decided on guest favors for AHR Previously completed: * Booked Room for May 11- 15 @ Sandals Grande Ocho Rios (confirmed wedding date of May 14th, 2010 @ 2 pm) * Booked/put deposit down for May 15-18 @ Sandal Royal Caribbean in Montego Bay (a little mini-moon just the two of us!) * Booked and put the deposit down on our off-resort photographer for a combined portrait session (with guests) and TTD for John and I at both a beach and a falls location * Bought 3 wedding dresses (ceremony, AHR, & TTD) & accessories * Mailed Official Invitations * Bought both of our wedding bands * Booked Flowers with Plumeria's Wedding Flowers ------------------ HOPE EVERYONE IS DOING GREAT, and is FEELING STRESS-FREE!

What Up, My PENNSYL-TUCKY HOME GIRLS!!! (GREAT observation, Kelly... and by the way, we are SHARING A WEDDING DAY! Here's to both of our wedding dates, May 14, 2010! WOO-HOO!) I also hail from scenic York, PA, as well (Dallastown, in particular) -- Kelly and Tifany probably know right where I am talking about -- and we chose Sandals/the Caribbean in general because it would be a far less expensive airfare to fly a few hours south down the east coast, than all the way across the country to Mexico or Hawaii! Also, I love that everyone is familiar with the Sandals/Beaches name (no matter where you are from in the country) and I felt most comfortable with a larger company that has perfected the art of the Destination Wedding (as Sandals is considered to be one of the pioneers in popularizing DW over the past few years). Plus the 65% off promotional rates don't hurt, either!

I'm so sorry to hear about your troubles.... And THAT is why I think it is ridiculous that smaller, "private" bridal salons don't allow you to take photos of yourself in each dress you are considering spending a large quantity of money on BEFORE you buy it! (Only after I agreed to purchase my Sottero & Midgley and the invoice was being drawn up was I permitted to take pics for my scrapbook)! Thank GOD I loved it then and I still love it now -- I'm one of the lucky ones, I guess! You know, I think a lot of headaches for both the bride AND the salon could be avoided if brides were able to take pics, "sleep on it" and carefully consider how the gown looks in photographs when preparing to make one of the most important garment purchases in their lifetime! And here is where a place like David's Bridal shines: so their gowns may not be made of the most luxe materials or by the best designers, but I have to say that it's pretty awesome that they DO NOT have an anti-photo policy; as a matter of fact, their consultants will actually TAKE the pictures for you if like! I had a wonderful experience there when I tried on about 10 dresses, took pics of all of them, and found my perfect AHR dress! MY FINGERS ARE CROSSED EVERYTHING WORKS OUT FOR YOU TO GET YOUR DREAM DRESS (AND LOTS OF PICS OF YOU IN IT BEFORE YOU PUT ANY MONEY DOWN!) Maybe try a few dresses on, and post a poll here on BDW if your torn between a couple of gowns? We may be just the unbiased audience you need!

I'm gonna go against the grain on this one... I say for a fun, unexpected twist it might be really interesting to combine a short gown with a long veil?!?! It would be both modern and traditional all at the same time, and really give you that finishing "bridal" touch! Just a thought

YOUR GOWN LOOKS A-MAAAZZZIIINNNGG, LISA!!! And congratulations on your Bride-to-Be-ness, too! Only 15 days remain until you're a Mrs. -- WOW, how time has flown, right?!? Looks like it was just enough time to get your dress exactly right though, so everything has come together beautifully! Can't wait to see pics when you return a married woman!

My noms: B2B: Future_Mrs2010 (aka. Meghan) -- hope the wedding's great in January! Mrs.: Sgt.Pepperette (Melissa) GOOD LUCK TO ALL THE NOMINEES!

OMG -- you look phenomenal, and I think your make-up is TOTALLY ON THE MONEY! In my mind, the thing about a BD shoot is that it is supposed to be fantasy....and not the everyday norm, right? So, I think it's perfectly acceptable that you look a little bit more made-up than he is used to -- do you always wear that type of lingerie around the house?!? Probably not, so I think when everything is brought together as shown in your pics, it just WORKS! You look like a smokin' hot model, MAMA! You man will be drooling for certain and can enjoy pics of his beautiful wife-to-be for years to come! CONGRATS on your fabulous photos! P.S. GREAT SHOES, TOO!

Quote: Originally Posted by Erika J OMG, this is shocking! You would have to think that drugs are invovled. WOW! So many young actors die, said! I know....what a terrible shame! And speaking of drugs, I just read the following in an article on MSN.com: ---------------------- Selena Barrows, an investigator with the L.A. Cornoner's Office said, "cardiac arrest could mean any number of things, and was not an indication of the cause of death." However, Murphy's suspected excessive use of drugs had been the subject of widespread speculation, and was even the subject of a parody sketch on a recent "Saturday Night Live" Weekend Update. ----------------------- So, I hadn't heard anything about her using drugs?!? Is this news out of left field to anyone else? But, I'd have to say, cardiac arrest resulting in death for someone at the young age of 32 (without prior heart conditions) is very unlikely when NOT related to drugs, which brings me to..... ------------------- With relation to a possible heart condition, I just read on The Wrap.com: Wrap columnist Michael Adams recalled that Murphy told him in 2001 about a heart condition. "it was in an interview about 'Sidewalks Of New York' but I asked her about other projects and she mentioned 'Spun,'" he wrote in an email on Sunday. "I asked her - as a joke - if she'd taken meth for research and she laughed and said even if she wanted to she couldn't take drugs because she'd had a heart condition since she was a little girl."-------------------------- Either way, rest in Peace, Brittany. You were a great talent and will be missed.

Ok, so I posted back in April that we were going to have something else for our AHR, but that was before we booked (that's what I get for jumping the gun, huh?) Anyway, now that we officially have our venue, here is the menu we selected to go with our "casually elegant" daytime reception on August 14, 2010: Hors d'oeuvres * Fresh Fruit * Cheese & Crackers * Vegetables w/dip * Relish Tray * Meat Balls (most likely being swapped out for Jamaican Jerk Chicken) Buffet * Roast Beef * Chicken * Seafood or Pasta * Potato * Vegetables * Rolls/Butter Assorted Desserts Wedding Cake probably going with a 4 tier, so we will have 2 tiers of each: Vanilla/Chocolate Marble cake with Fresh Strawberry filling Classic Red Velvet cake with Cream Cheese Icing Beverages Beer Wine Sodas Coffee Signature Liquor beverage fountain: "Married in Paradise Punch" Hope everyone can find something they like and enjoys themselves!

Ooops! Double post

You're a sweetheart, Kathy.....THANK YOU SO MUCH! We're super excited!

Oh, wow Holly -- your daughter is like a little "mini me" of you.....TOO CUTE! And that dress is just adorable for your little princess!

Niki -- you look AMAZING!! SO sophisticated and elegant, and I agree with carolina24 about you being brave enough to order it without ever having tried it on. Looks like your gamble worked out for the best after all! CONGRATULATIONS!

Such glittering perfection, ladies! Your rings are truly fabulous.... And Erin, that is one heck of a ROCK if ever I saw one! Your left arm must be super strong from supporting the weight all of those carats everyday

WOW, Sherry! Your veil was perfect and you looked gorgeous! Nothing quite like a veil to add that special va-va-voom to complete your bridal ensemble, eh?!? FABULOUS!

CONGRATULATIONS, Mrs.! Hope your wedding day was a dream come true!

Saw it....and LOVED IT! I need something for my Friday night wedding show fix, now that I'm pretty sure "Say Yes to the Dress" is over for the season ;( Have to have something to keep me distracted when I'm on the elliptical machine!

Excellent decision!! I think you will be glad you left it as is in the end.... you look so gorgeous in it already