AnnaBanana

I love the pattern on this dress. It is perfect for a DW! Beautiful!

I love that style! Very elegant.

Thanks, jamisoncollette. I'm so sorry you had a bad experience with the Gallery Inn. It's hard enough as it is to figure this stuff out from afar without the hassle of complicated communication with vendors. It's a lovely place, but your experience with them is enough to turn me off. I appreciate the offer, though, thank you.

I confess that I am actually offended by the small amount of money my dad offered to give me towards the wedding, which seems very spoiled of me.

One thing I am learning quickly is: Choose a day other than Saturday. My gosh, the place I'm looking at charges almost $2k more for room rental on a Saturday than on a Thursday. If you're going to be away for a week anyway, why not do it on a Thursday? As far as saving money goes - I am terrible at this. In order to help do this, we have set up a savings account specifically for the wedding and automatically set our paychecks to directly deposit a certain amount each time we are paid. Cut out unnecessary purchases. Make budgeted shopping lists and stick to them. Don't get carried away with wedding stuff! Buy one or two magazines to satisfy that urge, but remember that most of the magazines have websites. Fight the need to run out and buy a bunch of things just because they are on sale. If it is not something you needed before it was on sale, you still don't need it even now that it is. (I'm bad with this - it's an awesome excuse to spend money) Good luck!

Both dresses are beautiful! I love the details on the straps of the DB dress. However, the WTOO is so elegant. Good luck with the hunt!

Oh man, there's always someone, right? She probably can't handle the idea of the attention going all to someone else!! Imagine that, asking someone to move their location. Who DOES that?

Oh, such great advice here! I, too, was feeling a little overwhelmed - mostly about budget. In fact, I took a look at a thread here about budgets and nearly fell over in my chair at the unrealistic expectations I had. Jen, your advice was fantastic. I took it very much to heart. Thank you!

Has anyone looked at The Gallery Inn? It looks so interesting to me. If anyone has information about it, I would be very grateful!

I know this post is really quite old, but I thought I would add my two cents. I love the east coast and particularly long island! It is such a lovely place. I have relatives who live in Southold, but unfortunately I don't know the names of a lot of the locations. I did, however, find this link An Insider's Guide to Weddings on Long Island's North Fork Hope it helps!

I recently moved to San Antonio, but am originally from Pennsylvania. Sooo, everywhere would be a DW for me, I think! However, we have chosen Puerto Rico (subject to change - it was Playa del Carmen first). I have never been to Galveston, but I have heard very nice things about it. Congratulations and best of luck!

Thanks for the information, ladies. I've recently had to move my location to Puerto Rico and know next to nothing about the area. I have sent out for information from about 5 or 6 places mentioned in Destination Wedding and Honeymoons Magazine, so if/when I receive that, I will upload!

When I first started planning, I was overwhelmed also - especially concerning the extra costs not included in the packages. Does your sister have any resorts in mind? Has she looked at any resorts online? Has she been to any of the locations to get an idea of what is available? A lot of the resorts will send you packets with information about their wedding packages and what is and isn't included if you check their websites. You could always compare side by side that way! I have been looking at the RIU resorts and really liked them. Dreams also has a "complimentary" wedding package. Anyway, good luck with the search. liujessicam, you actually gave me some great information as I have looked at these places also as possible sites!

Grats, Jamie! BDW is great for information, so you've come to the right place! Welcome.

I know this thread is old, but I just thought I would post some pictures in case anyone is still interested in this area. We stayed at a rental house in the Puerto Aventuras area a couple of years ago and were lucky enough to use the Omni beach facilities. This is the area in Puerto Aventuras where you can swim with the dolphins. There are restaurants and shops all around the area:

Fluctuations in hormones can cause depression. So if you've changed birth control recently or are pregnant, it is a possibility that depression may accompany it. However, it sounds more stress-related to me. A lot of times people don't realize just how much stress can affect us, but it puts a huuuuuge strain on our bodies physically and mentally. Someone in a previous post listed the symptoms of depression. Generally, if someone is experiencing 5 or more of these for longer than a period of a month, it is likely depression. If it is stress-related, your doctor may suggest that you start on a small dosage of anti-depression medication (it can take up to 3 months to notice a difference) in combination with stress management techniques. So, my advice would be if you are experiencing symptoms of depression and have been for more than a month, speaking to a doctor about it would be a good idea. I really hope things work out for you! Best of luck.

Thanks for all the advice, ladies. It's nice to hear support for a change. I was able to calm down enough after writing that post to respond to people as politely as possible. I took everyone's advice here and pretty much let their "advice" roll off my back with a statement, like, "I realize that people think that PA would be much easier, but we have our hearts set on a destination wedding." I don't think it needs much more explanation, but if that is not good enough for some guests, they are welcome to stay at home and be grumpy about it. So again, thanks! It is much appreciated.

Quote: Originally Posted by Jacilynda I'm a bit confused about the last part w/ the non-denominational wedding? Are you talking about your legal day or if you had your wedding at home? I definitely hear you on this one! Seriously I know its hard, but let it slide when people make comments. If we were to get married in my hometown in Pennsylvania (which is where everyone keeps pushing for), we would be unable to have a non-Christian wedding anywhere but the JP office. At least, this is what my MOH said as she went through this last year and ended up having a Christian ceremony - but I feel that would be really disrespectful to Chantra's family when there are other options for us, you know? Not that it matters at all anyway, because I don't want to get married in Pennsylvania - period. Quote: So here is background and hopefully I can make this clear. Joe's (FI) mom was married to Lex a thai man who is buddhist (I'm not sure what kind of buddhism Chandra's family is). Lex and Joe's mom had 3 children, Joe's older siblings. they divorced and Joe's mom remarried to Joe's father, who raised the other 3 children, tj was only 1 1/2 when they got married. Joe's mom is lutheran, his father is agnostic, and the 3 older children are buddhist. we know all about mixing religions! For Malee, Sean & tj buddhism isn't just a belief, their family is very high up in thai buddism so its their blood. Only one of them has been married, to a lutheran who didn't practice until all of a sudden just recently. Malee, the oldest of the 3, is engaged to a Christian man, and although they aren't concerned about how their ceremony will go their family is really stepping in on how it should go. Well we really aren't on this side cause there is no room to talk. they have decided to incorporate both religions with aspects of each and say FU to what their family thinks. they've come to realize no matter what as long as the religion of one is incorporated the other family will be upset. So I say do what you want respect each other and include both or don't incorporate either religion At ALL!! Chantra's family is Cambodian, and while he is not a practicing Buddhist, his parents are. I am unsure of what branch, and to be honest I am not that familiar with the religion at all. However, I completely agree that if both religions aren't included, they shouldn't be incorporated at all. I'm glad to see that I'm not crazy to think this! I really appreciate the advice. I sometimes forget that it's my wedding with all the people offering opinions!

Okay, let me take a deep breath and then warn you that this could get long and ugly! I have a year and a half to plan this wedding, so the fact that people are giving me crap this soon is sending huge red flags up EVERYWHERE. To start with, my dad and his second wife are in the middle of a divorce which is not ending well. She and I have never been close, and I feel that she is using my wedding as a means to get on my dad's good side because she has been emailing me and calling me constantly since she heard about my engagement. But that's another story for another day. My fiance and I are from very different backgrounds and our hometowns couldn't be any different if we were actually from Venus and Mars. He was born and raised in Long Beach while I was raised primarily in a very small town in the countryside of Pennsylvania. We are currently living in Texas now where neither of us share family. So, naturally, when we were discussing wedding locations, it was difficult to choose which place to begin at. We decided that neither of our families would feel comfortable attending a wedding in the other's hometown. The last thing either of us want is for our newly joining families to feel uncomfortable or put out in this awesome event. We want everyone to feel welcome and have a good time. After consideration, we decided on a destination wedding because it seemed much easier and fun for everyone involved - including me and my wallet. Apparently not! It started with my mother who gave me a million reasons why I should have it in PA. I responded with counterarguments. She eventually got over it when I told her the wedding would be in Mexico. So, I told my dad about the argument with my mom. He has always been on board with the Mexico idea and has only had concerns over the fact that not everyone will make it. He is somehow really worried that I am going to be hurt if people can't make it to Mexico. I'm a big girl, though, and I realize that it is an expensive investment that not everyone can make. This is why we have AHRs. So, after these discussions with my parents, I finally thought I had it under control until I got an email from my step-mother today. I was so offended by it, that I am actually going to post a quote from it: "Your dad always thought Pennsylvania was the best place. Although we haven't talked about in a lot of detail, he thought it would be most convenient for any guests you invite, with the exception of Chantra's family - but all your friends and family." Am I the only one that sees the blatant disregard for my future husband here? Does this mean that Chantra (my fiance) and his family are not important enough to be considered? I mean, he's only the fricking GROOM. Why aren't people getting this? Why did my step mother even BOTHER to write this in the first place? She and my dad don't live in Pennsylvania and neither does any of their immediate family. The only people who would benefit from this location are my mother and the three siblings of hers who still live in the area plus the few friends in my hometown that I have invited who are ALREADY ONBOARD with the Mexico idea. If that's not enough convincing, well how about THIS: The only way to have a non-denominational wedding ceremony in my hometown is to have it at the justice of the peace who does NOT do weddings outside of his office, which means that the only other option is to have a religious ceremony. Fine for my family who is Christian, but Chantra's is Buddhist!! How offensive is that?! What I really wish is when people say "It's your day, do what you want," they don't actually mean, "It's your day, let me tell you what you want." Get off my back, and get off the subject, or I swear I'm uninviting the next jerk that brings it up.

Thanks for the ideas. They are much appreciated!

Oh, thanks so much! I'll be sure to check them out. I also found out that Alfred Angelo offers dresses in the UK and US, but the styles are very limited for the UK collection. Just in case anyone else might need the info.

Welcome, Monique! You're going to find more information here than you can shake a stick at, so prepare to spend LOTS of time here! The first place I hit was the FAQ to figure out what all these abbreviations for, followed by the DIY threads. Lots of creative ideas there. Congrats on the engagement and good luck on your planning.

A few years ago, one of my best friends moved to the UK. I was originally not going to include her in the wedding party because I was unsure if she would make it to the wedding. However, she has assured me over and over that she will be there and I had no reservations about asking her to be a bridesmaid. However, we are now unsure where to start looking for dress venues that cater to both the US and UK. Does anyone know where a good place to begin looking would be? We're aiming for dresses in the $180 and lower category if that's at all helpful. (sorry if something similar has been posted - I did try to search, but came up empty handed!)

Oooh, I'm liking this thread. Do you have access to Target in Canada? I know they sometimes have some good stuff. I buy all of my swim suits from Target and have never had an issue. However, their sizing seems to be a little on the small size, so I usually go up one. I, too, am a 22/24 and I freaking hate to shop. All three of my BMs put together weigh about the same as one of my thighs. David's Bridal offers plus size wedding dresses and bridesmaid dresses and they are pretty cheap. I think they offer a catalog for those outside of the US.

Very cool, thanks.