AnnaBanana

No one seems to be as excited about this as I am, but I knew you all would understand. We booked our ceremony and reception venues!! Haiku Gardens Weddings I'm so excited now! I wish I was going next week instead of next year!

Okay, I'm with you here. I am sort of the "anti-bride" bride. This stuff does NOT come naturally to me. If I had it my way, I would send an email to everyone with the details as that is how I usually accomplish things. HOWEVER, something tells me that's not very couth, so I set out to find exactly what you should include in your invitations. I have not found a definitive answer, but from what I have seen of other DW invitations, this is the conclusion I have come to: 1. Invitation - clearly the most obvious. 2. RSVP Card - with checkboxes for attendance, food selection, and perhaps your AHR should you choose to have one. 3. Inserts - You can put whatever you want on these, but most of the ones I've seen include information about the destination, accommodations, Directions/map, wedding timelines, and really any other information you feel pertains to your DW wedding. I don't see these as being requirements, but they will be helpful for your guests. You can also include a wedding website (discreetly) that can offer more information in a more casual way. 4. Response Envelopes - if you want responses, you need these, and don't forget to factor in the cost of postage for the invites AND the response cards. I have roughly 50 invitations going out and I custom ordered stamps. My postage fees were $125 (extra postage for heavier envelopes). I hope that helps some! Good luck!

I went to Clarion University in PA and then to University of Texas at San Antonio a million years later, but my heart will ALWAYS belong to... Joe Paterno and the Nittany Lions! WE ARE... PENN STATE! Okay, I got a little excited there for no real reason.

Glad to see I'm not the only clumsy one! Love the shoes!

I think white would work best. I can't wait to see pictures!! That dress is fantastic!

That has to be one of the cutest things I've ever seen!! You're going to get TONS of compliments on that.

These are both gorgeous dresses and either way you couldn't go wrong. However, I don't want to make a final judgment without seeing you in the dress!

Those are all great ideas! And what a generous aunt you are, too.

Hmm, here is a list of songs that are based on Pachelbel's Canon D that might mesh nicely. Songs based on Pachelbel's Canon | Listology

If your fiance doesn't budge on his request, you can always let him know that you have guidelines for the way he should act. If the only reason why you're asking him along is for a second photographer, it should be a professional contract and he should act accordingly! Perhaps you should see the guy in action. I mean, if he's a talented photographer with a large client list, he may be able to put on his "photographer hat" and shift into a more professional demeanor.

I read somewhere that this type of fear has a habit of peaking while we're in our twenties. I found that to be a weird tidbit of information. However, I am a pretty bad flyer which makes my choice of Hawaii somewhat silly. So, with that said, I appreciate the advice. What I do on a plane when I start getting myself worked up and nervous is to force myself to look around at other passengers and particularly the flight attendants. Sometimes it's calming just to see that your panic is not being shared by others.

Awww, everyone's pets are soooo cute! I love that everyone here is an animal lover like we are. I am a huge sucker for abandoned kitties and I think our neighbors are beginning to catch on to that. We started with one and now have 6! Neko on the left and Maia on the right Saya Mint Mauli Loki

Holy cow, those are gorgeous!

The details on #1 are awesome, but they are both great dresses. I voted #1, because it really makes a statement on you!

Because I had a really difficult time choosing a location on Oahu for our wedding, I thought I might pass along some information I got from the various venues I contacted for anyone else who may be looking for information regarding ceremony and reception venues. We started out wanting a beach wedding. It was something I never thought I'd be able to budge on until I found out that not many places outside of resorts offer chairs or decorations for wedding ceremonies. For some people, this may be totally doable, but for us it was not okay as both of our mothers have medical issues that would make standing in the sand uncomfortable for that amount of time. There are a variety of internet package sites that do offer the option of a beach wedding with chairs and arbors, but they charge quite a bit of money and none of them are close to Waikiki. The best way to do something like this would be to rent a home on the beach and rent out the chairs and arbor yourself. We felt that would be too stressful without a coordinator, so that option was out. However, here is at least one online wedding package site that offers chairs and an arbor in case anyone would be interested in that: A Fairytale Wedding Next, we contacted this cute little place called The Bayer Estate. Let me just say that I have seen many pictures of this place from different photographers and it seems so very, very cool. The woman I spoke to on the phone was fantastic - friendly, very helpful, and so very nice! I would honestly grab this place up in a heartbeat if I had the money. However, I do not. It is quite expensive. The site fee is around $2500 for 2.5 hours for the evening time slot and $1500 for morning time slots. Should you decide to have both ceremony and reception there, you must either choose the evening time slot or book the two morning slots together. If you go over the 2.5 hours (which you undoubtedly will), it is $500 for every hour you go over. Any time required by catering takes away from this time frame, so it's really quite expensive. What is included for this price? Well, you get the whole place to yourself which includes a wonderful garden overlooking the beach. Fresh flowers in the rooms, water and fans for guests, a coordinator, and other small touches are included. However, chairs and linens are not - so they will cost extra. You are allowed to bring in any outside vendors and your own alcohol, though, so that is a huge plus. If you have the money to book this either for reception or ceremony, I highly recommend looking at this venue. It is just very funky and cool! The Outrigger Waikiki now offers wedding packages for $2900 (this has gone up since I last looked - before it was $1350) Here are the amenities: 2,900 USD - Wedding Package * Licensed, non-demoninational officiator * 1 hour professional photographer * CD of unedited digital photographs * Contemporary Hawaiian guitar soloist * Floral bouquet for the bride * Flower lei for the groom * Wedding trellis set on the Voyager Lanai overlooking Waikiki Beach * Guest seating for 30 * All applications and filing fees Pricing with options: 3,650 USD Ceremony on deck with Voyager Conference Room reception 6,300 USD Ceremony on deck with Voyager Conference Room and outdoor tent reception If you or your family are military, the Hale Koa has some awesome looking options. We do not qualify for this, but it does look quite awesome! The folks at Tiki's Grill have been fantastic, and even though we decided not to do our reception here, we are still considering this restaurant for our welcome dinner because the food looks DELISH! In case anyone is looking for a fun, casual reception site, there are many options at this place - each with a different feel. If you choose the private Coconut Club for a Friday night, you get a free fireworks show viewed from the roof (which is where the Coconut Club is located). Now, I have saved the best for last because it is the place I chose!! And I am so excited right now! After finally reaching outside of my beach wedding realm, I came across the site for Haiku Gardens. It is stunning! And the best part is that it is affordable! Packages start at $2800 (which includes high quality photography, decorations, CHAIRS!!!, site fee and wedding coordinator among other things), and if you choose to have a reception at the restaurant that overlooks the gardens, as long as you have an evening reception the site fee is waved. I highly recommend checking this place out if you get the chance. So, there are my pre-wedding venue-searching reviews! I hope this helps anyone who may be looking at Oahu for their destination.

I think it really depends on your guests. You would know best what price range would fit the guests you are inviting. A lot of times, it's easy to get caught up in the "Well, it's my wedding!" vibe, but when asking people to travel, it seems really appropriate to keep that in mind. While you and your fiance may see this as a time to splurge, others probably will treat it as a regular vacation. So, I would save any elaborate expenses for a honeymoon period after your wedding, and try your best to accommodate your friends and family's needs. I think I read somewhere to never guesstimate under $1,000 per person. Not sure if that helps at all.

Congrats and welcome!

Welcome! Good luck in planning!

Awesome, thanks! I'm going to check those out this afternoon.

Again, I agree! The point is to announce you as a married couple, so using "Mr. and Mrs." would seem most appropriate.

Quote: Originally Posted by Missjacks I've been using DW.com and also feel the TA is a bit slow with getting quotes from the locations requested. She's very prompt at responding emails but not with getting quote amounts. It took almost 2 weeks for the one quote which was way over the cost guests could afford. I also thought that they were wedding coordinators that could possibly help with advice on different locations that is less costly but they're not. I've been planning for the last two months and haven't gotten anywhere yet. I'm actually going to go through a TA here locally that a family member used and thought was great and pretty much handle finding the locations myself. I've been noticing that my TA (Edward) only responds in a timely manner when I request information regarding resorts that he is pushing for. I have a feeling that I may be switching at some point or not using them at all considering I seem to be doing a great deal of the leg work and all he does is give me quotes on hotels I've already researched myself.

Congrats and welcome! I wish I could help you out with info, but alas I cannot! Good luck in planning.

Congrats and welcome! You'll be cruising the site with ease in no time. Good luck with planning! Dreams is a lovely resort.

I didn't realize you were having an AHR in my neck of the woods! That's kind of neat. Gotta love H-E-B. When my mom comes to visit, she's always so excited to go there. Haha! Everything looks so beautiful! Lovely job and congrats on pulling everything off so wonderfully!

Quote: Originally Posted by LadyTrunck I know Dr. said that it's a common problem, especially with my commute and definitely in my line of work. They both said that I'm doing everything right, and it's just something I have to deal and work with. So disheartening! They also prescribed physical therapy, so I hope that helps. My insurance is going to get a workout with PT, massage, and meds!! Haha- poor FI is going to get carpal tunnel massaging me so much. Also- I am blessed to lead a very stress free life- so that can't be the issue. Thanks for listening! Oh, i bet the PT will help bunches! You'll have to let us know how that goes.