amandseth

jpitts78, thanks for the tip! I hadn't considered trying there and have actually found quite a bit I could use! Now to run it by the fiance finance enforcer! lol

Whaaaa?? The dress is gorgeous! Just remember, once you get your hair all done up and the accessories on, it won't seem like too much. You are a bride, you are meant to look extravegant!! I've finally started to look toward the AHR that will take place a week after we get home, and panic has fully set in. I've spent so much time worrying about the DW, that I've paid very little attention to the AHR. Looking for CHEAP favors and ways to decorate on a budget... Anyone??

I agree with classadiva. Put the ball in her court, but make your expectations clear at the same time. That you want to have people standing up for you who are going to be supportive of your marriage. If she chooses to accept the role, you can hold her to that agreement.

I think the best thing you can do is just level with your family. Explain that you and your fiance rarely fight, and when this issue came up that seemed unsolvable you weren't sure how to deal with it, as you have never encountered it before. Tell them you initially overreacted and since then you and your fiance have found a compromise that suits both of you. And as a result of the whole thing you are stronger than ever as you've learned that you are, together, capable of overcoming these obstacles. Then explain that you would be elated to have them at your wedding, but will not be pressured into postponing an event that you feel so certain about. Tell them you fear they will regret the decision not to attend their daughter's wedding, but that it is their mistake to make if that is the route they choose to take. Remind them that their actions will not go unnoticed by your husband to be and his family. And they may be doing damage that will not be easily undone. Hopefully when they see you taking a strong stance on it, they will be reassured of your resolve to be with this man and open themselves back up to him. It is not for a family to judge, but to love and support and accept. I hope your family can come to that. Good luck!

Wishing you a speedy recovery, Ericka! I took my bookmark DIY project to the future inlaws this weekend and got those completed! Happy day! I put some of mine and fiance's reccommended reads on one side and a Groucho Marx quote on the other. Our pale blue with a thicker white peice between to make a border, then lamenated them. Punched a hole, added ribbon and voila! Now have to get to the DYI Spanish phrasebooks. And get organized. And clean the house before we get a housefull of company this weekend! Fiance is having his stag, so I'm hosting a wine and cheese night at the house for the ladies!

smell: pig

n&n112109... I'm having similar problems with my MIL to be. She called last night to tell my fiance that she's found rates for $400 cheaper, and said she's going to cancel their tickets and book on this package... Then my fiance looked into it and found out if they did that, they'd be leaving for home on the day of our wedding! He managed to talk her out of it. But I was so pissed. Like, why is she still looking at flights prices anyway? And why does she feel the need to make him feel bad about the fact that rates were higher when she booked?? The rate could have just as easily gone up! THEN he asks if we can send some stuff with them, and she was not impressed at all. Drilled him on what else we need to bring and made him feel like we're being unrealistic. Suggested we send extra stuff with his sister who is taking 3 kids under the age of 5!! Seriously?? Wtf?! Then fiance is ticked at me because I'm ranting about his mother. lol. Grrrrrrr.... I'd be less panicked if my MOH had also not refused to take a bag for me, even though she gets two on her package and knows we only get one. She even had the nerve to tell me that she is only planning to take one bag! What is with people, seriously?!

I embroidered oversized beach bags with thier names and have filled them with the OOT bag contents as well as a pashmina, blotter paper (for combating sweaty faces without ruining makeup), body butter, and I'm handmaking anklets as well.

We're going to Def Leppard and Cheap Trick on Halloween. Not sure if you're supposed to dress up for a concert I found this site recently though, and here was my favorite costume: Bacon and Eggs Adult - Costumes

YAY!! Us Albertan's are full of great ideas! To be true, I'm really counting on this song and our surprise ceremony (our friend is writing/officiating it) to keep me from being a blubbering mess! lol, I need a little surprise and humor to help me keep my composure!!

Wow. That is absolutely stunning! Great post!

I totally sympathize with your situations, but honestly, there is not a lot you can do to avoid the straglers. Pushing too hard may just put people off coming all together. As brides, its so easy to get caught up in the need to know mentality, especially when looking at preparing OOT bags and making decisions on outings. But as an invited guest, they are just looking at weighing the financial implications with the obvious great time they will have. Many people can not make this decision so far in advance, and need to see where they are at financially closer to the actual date. Hopefully though, you will get that feedback and be able to at least know how many guests are thinking of coming and estimate how many you will have. If you need to adjust the number a couple weeks before the wedding day, the resorts and tour operators will have no problem accommodating you on a couple weeks notice. As for yout OOT bags, buy 5-10 extra items beyond your estimate. If you don't use them, you can always try selling them to another BDW member after your event. I hate to see you lovely ladies stressing over your RSVP's, with still so much time left before the wedding. There's not much you can do about it, so there is no sense in worrying. It will all come together in the end, and as long as you and the grrom say your vows, that's what ultimately matters, right? Your guests will have a great time regardless of if they didn't get an item in their OOT bag, or missed out on a tour. It's ok to lay out an expectation to return your RSVP's by a certain date, but I really advise against pressuring your guests too much. They have to sacrifice time and money from thier own lives to attend your event, and you may come off as unappreciative of that if you begin making demands.

We've got a friend who is taking 'Eye of the Tiger' (fiance's pump-up song) and rewriting it to be slow and wedding marchy. He's recording it, with a band and we'll be bringing the CD with us. SO excited about this!

Hang in there ladies.. it'll be a little easier to estimate number once you get a bit closer. But unfortunately, its pretty common to have ppl booking just weeks before the wedding (just added 4 to my guest list and we're less than a month from our departure date!! Had no idea they were even considering coming!).

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Where is your cell phone? desk 2. Your significant other? priceless 3. Your hair? blonde 4. Your mother? rolemodel 5. Your father? me 6. Your favorite thing? shopping 7. Your dream last night? gone 8. Your favorite drink? wine 9. Your dream/goal? happy 10. The room you're in? office 11. Your ex? sad 12. Your fear? failure 13.Where do you want to be in 6 years? traveling 14. Where were you last night? home 15. What you're not? pushover 16. Muffins? no 17. One of your wish list items? camera 18. Where you grew up? town 19. The last thing you did? BDW 20. What are you wearing? clothes 21. Your TV? Grey's 22. Your pets? different 23. Your computer? hated 24. Your life? happy 25. Your mood? bored 26. Missing someone? yes 27. Your vehicle? Accent 28. something your not wearing? hat 29. Favorite Store? all 30. Your summer? fast 31. Like someone? many 32. favorite color? green 33. When is the last time you laughed? morning 34. Last time you cried? yesterday

My vote has got to be #1, for the flattering way it shows off your wonderfully curvacious body. I also really like #5, for the style of the back!

We're taking care of the legalities here, to save the headache. The other benefit to this is that we don't have to use a professional officiant, and have asked a friend to 'marry' us. He's a screenwriter and we've given him creative liscence over the content. My fiance and I are writing our own vows though. Have just started researching this today lol, not very creative, am I??.. will let you know when I come up with something....

Ugh. That's aweful, I really feel for you. How did your own mom and sister respond? I hope they were more encouraging and supportive, at least that may have made your MIL check herself a time or two, even if it didn't stop her from flapping off. You may need to take a stand on this, with your fiance, and just say, look, this is what we've decided to do, this is OUR dream, and we would appreciate you being supportive of that. We will not be changing our minds. PERIOD. lol, so long as she thinks she can sway you, she will continue to try. I'm encountering the same thing with both our sets of parents, though not in regards to the wedding. We're planning to move overseas in the spring, for my fiance to do his PhD. Every time we see our parents we have to defend our decision to go. It's gotton better though, since we haven't wavered in our choice and have been on a united front, both taking responsibility for the decision. Good luck. Regardless of how it plays out, this isn't about her. Remember that.

Lol, I hear you on that one Kiera, my fiance just polished off his Masters thesis a couple weeks ago, so I was pretty much on my own for the last year. He's finally been able to make some time for other things now, but mostly he's just stressing over what to get his half of the bridal party for a thank you gift. lol, oh well. To be honest, it's easier to just do it myself anyway. Asked my MOH today if I could send some stuff with her, since she gets two peices of luggage (I only get one with my airline, she's on a different one). She told me she's only planning to take one bag, so if it fits in there, it'll be fine, and can I wait till she's packed and then we can talk about it. WTF?! Seriously?! I played dumb and said, well if you are planning to just take one bag, can I send another with you? And commented that it would be a huge help. I shouldn't be surprised by this. This is the same girl that backed out of planning my stagette because I couldn't accommodate either of the 2 dates she gave me as options, then told me she'd be leaving early from the party anyway. It's a shame that I realize now, too late, who my MOH should've been.

A spreadsheet is a great idea, but knowing my fiance, unless it's under his nose, he'll never even glance at it. He IS, however, a HUGE list maker... so maybe I'll make a list in thick black sharpie and post it on the fridge! Yeaaaaaahhhh... totally doing that when I get home!!!! Thanks for the brain wave!! (better add that task to my own list, otherwise I'll forget! lol)

Stunning pictures! You're photog did a great job, I'm glad you were able to convince him to do the goofy ones, too!

Hahahhaha, Billisa, that's one of the small ones of the 4 we have!! lol My fiance is an entomologist, so he likes his creepy crawly things... We actually successfully attempted to rear praying mantis' last year... unfortunately Alberta is just too dry and we lost them before they grew to full size. Yeah, I was choked when I found those great bags at the Dollarama, after I'd already got mine. Have kicked myself over a few other items as well, but I guess that's the price you pay for trying to be proactive! lol

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My eyes, because I do a lot of work with my entomologist fiance and wouldn't want the bugs crawling into my mouth! lol Would you rather drink snakes blood or eat prairie oysters?

Very cool! Congrats!!