shortnsweet7675

This is the wording I used. I will also be sending out reminder postcards next week to those who have not yet RSVP'd. Dear Friends & Family, As some of you may know, we (Natasha and Kenneth) are getting married!! We have decided to have a Cruise Wedding Celebration, which will double as a celebration of our wedding and a relaxing vacation! Our Wedding Ceremony and Reception will be held on the Carnival Glory cruise ship before it sets sail for the Eastern Caribbean on Sunday, April 25th, 2010 out of Miami, FL. Following the ceremony/reception, the ship will begin its 7-day voyage through the Eastern Caribbean and will return to Miami, FL on Sunday, May 2nd, 2010 (cruise information attached). You may be wondering if you are required to travel on the 7-day cruise in order to attend our wedding ceremony/reception. No, you are not, but we would love for you to join us on the 7-day cruise vacation if you are able to do so. The great thing about having the wedding ceremony/reception on the ship before it sets sail is that we are allowed to invite guests to the wedding ceremony/reception who are not able to cruise with us (referred to as non-sailing guests). We are sending this notice to give you sufficient time to budget and make travel arrangements should you decide to attend our wedding celebration. We completely understand if you are not able to join us considering the travel required and associated costs. Enclosed you will find a “Save-the-Date†magnet to remind you of our upcoming wedding date. We have also enclosed an RSVP postcard for you to fill out and mail back to us at your earliest convenience, but no later than November 6, 2009 (postage already included). This is a preliminary RSVP in order to give us an estimated headcount of guests that plan to attend the wedding ceremony/reception and guests that plan to cruise with us. Once we have an estimated headcount, we can start searching for group rates on hotel rooms in the Miami area and making plans for a “Welcome Dinner†the evening before the wedding ceremony (4/24/2010) in Miami. Please note that Carnival has a limit on the number of non-sailing guests that may attend the wedding ceremony/reception. Due to this limitation, we are not able to invite all of our friends and family. So, if you are certain that you will not be able to attend the wedding ceremony/reception, please let us know as soon as possible so that we can extend the invitation to more of our friends and family. Lastly, our travel agent has set aside a small group of staterooms/cabins on the ship for those who wish to cruise with us. These rooms are only being held until November 26, 2009 and are available on a first come, first served basis. Cruise pricing information along with our travel agent’s contact information is attached. We will be sending out formal invitations and final RSVP requests at a later date. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at: We also have a website dedicated to this occasion and will keep it updated with the latest information about our wedding celebration: Please use our website as an information resource and a way to communicate with us! We hope that you will join us for this special celebration and look forward to spending an unforgettable vacation with you and all of our closest family and friends! With love, Kenneth and Natasha

So, I have not dressed up for halloween as an adult and I don't know where any photos of me in costumes as a kid are. So, this is the only "scary" type photo I have (it was scary for me anyway). This photo was taken at the Everglades in Florida a couple of years ago. My sister convinced me to hold the baby alligator. I was so afraid the thing was gonna bite me (don't let the smile fool ya).

I just had to share… I got 4 more RSVP postcards in the mail today, so that makes 13. Yay! Just waiting for 39 more! My RSVP deadline (preliminary RSVP) is November 6th. So, for now I have 11 sailing and 9 non-sailing guests for my cruise wedding.

Quote: Originally Posted by SuzyQ76 Oh and big announcement!!!! THIS IS MY #151 POST!!!! FINALLY!!!!!!!!! hahahhaha ) Congrats on making over 150 posts! Quote: Originally Posted by shan13 Here is my dilemma: should I have photog do any getting ready shots since it will be just me or just keep him for our shots on the strip? (we had to get an outside photog since venue doesn't allow them) B & I were gonna sleep in separate rooms the night before..should we still because I don't want him to see me until the wedding time. will we look stupid going by ourselves? I saw a thread yesterday with photos of a wedding where there was only the bride, groom, their child, and the bride’s parents (I think). This is the link to the thread http://bestdestinationwedding.com/fo...g-photo-50655/. She had a link to her wedding photos in her post. Some of the photos showed her husband-to-be helping her get ready. I’m not sure if that is something you would consider. I know I want to do the tradition of not sleeping together the night before the wedding, but I don’t know if we can avoid seeing each other the day of the wedding before the ceremony. Since we will be doing a cruise wedding, it will be difficult to avoid seeing each other in the port. But, I definitely don’t want my FI to see me in my full wedding attire until I am walking down the aisle. If I were you, I would move your ceremony up earlier in the day if it is just the two of you. That gives you more time to spend together after the ceremony. Just think of all the anticipation you will be feeling while waiting for 5:30 to roll around.

Congrats and welcome to the forum!

Shannon, your jewelry is gorgeous. I don’t know what I will be wearing yet. Quote: Originally Posted by SuzyQ76 Welcome back Natasha, aka Shortnsweet, we missed ya! Hope you had a good trip! Thanks. It was a good trip, although we did about 22 hours total driving (Georgia to Illinois and back). We met up with my parents at my grandmother’s house to pick up my four-legged babies. My parents kept my dogs for three months for me while I was traveling for work. My parents treat them like grandchildren since they don't have any human grandkids yet. Quote: Originally Posted by doblauvelt Does anyone feel like they're in a system overload? Lately, I've been trying to gather ideas for my bouquets, then I stumble upon ideas for my centerpieces, then I move onto the judge's table decorations, then shoes, then invitations, then music, then the first dance - to choreograph or not to choreograph, then cake ideas, then flight arrangements, then TTD dress and location, then groom's attire (SO late with this one)... AHHH!!!!! My goodness! Sorry, I'm just venting. I feel like I am getting nowhere with this...Planning has taken a toll on me lol. I so KNOW what you mean. My mind is going non-stop thinking of everything I need to do. It’s even hard to get to sleep at night. But, my FI keeps reminding me of all of the things I have done so far in such a short time. And, he is right. But, that still does not keep me from thinking about everything that needs to be done! Quote: Originally Posted by caribbeanLover Natasha, Thanks for the support. I am now waiting to see if my e-mail did anything, but I have to wait to so long now (Jan 15) You are quite welcome. I don’t really expect to have a final headcount myself until February. I know I will have to harass people to get confirmation of whether they will be coming to the wedding or not. I should have expected the lack of RSVPs though. I planned my family reunion last year and I ended up calling people on the phone, texting, and emailing repeatedly to confirm whether they were attending or not. They don’t realize how difficult it is to plan an event when you are not sure how many people are coming. And that the planner sets deadlines because they have deadlines to meet with the vendors. Oh well. It will all work out in the end I hope. Quote: Originally Posted by ebredhawk i've been looking for my "something old" lately and my mom was cleaning out a closet the other day and found her garter from her wedding. i'm not doing a garter toss or anything, but i think it will be cool to have that of hers! also, my amazing flower lady sent me pictures of her first stab at my bouquet... what do you think? (personally.. i'm in love!) the stems are going to be wrapped in strips of the fabric taken off my dress when it's shortened. I had a great idea, or so I thought, to use fabric/lace from my Mom’s wedding dress to make a garter (my mom would make it not me). Her dress has been hanging in the back of a closet in my grandmother’s spare bedroom for 25 years (not preserved). We finally pulled the dress out of the closet this weekend and now she cannot bring herself to cut it. It’s been sitting in a closet for 25 years! It will not be worn again. It's a size 6 dress, which I am far from and I'm pretty sure my only sister can't fit it either (even though she is smaller than me). So, I may have to come up with another idea for my “something oldâ€. Unless my mom changes her mind. I will give her a few weeks before I ask her again. By the way, I really liked your bouquet. The finished product will be beautiful.

A great source of information is the Cruise Critic website Cruise Critic Message Boards. It's similar to this forum but is all about cruises. There are threads on all of the cruise lines, cabin selection, cruise ports, etc. You should check it out. I am having a cruise wedding myself and use both the Cruise Critic and BDW forums a lot. Hope that helps.

Looks like everything turned out great! Nice pictures. Even though you didn't get to have your desitnation wedding, you were still able to get some great beach pictures. Congrats to you and your new hubby.

Added my info to the list... April 9 - (kimmyg) Kimmy from Cincinnati - RPRM April 9 - (Chicken764) Martine from Casselman - Grand Palladium-Punta Cana April 10 - (jerseykitten) Michele from Jersey (Central Jersey by Six Flags) - Jamaica April 10 - (Shan13) Shannon from little rock, arkansas (originally from St.Louis) - Las Vegas April 13 - (caribbeanlover) Tracy from Montreal - Punta Cana April 16 - (echo2_62) Meghan from Calgary - Dreams Puerto Aventuras, Mexico April 16 - (doblauvelt) Tonya from Northern NJ - Moon Palace, Mexico April 22 - (Jcooper79) Jaime from MN - Gran Porto Real, Riveria Maya April 24 - (jerzygirl85) Joanna from Jersey City - Dreams Tulum, Mexico April 24 - (GregsBride) Christina from Washington, DC - Jamaica April 25 - (shortnsweet7675) Natasha from Atlanta, GA - Miami, FL (Carnival Glory Eastern Caribbean cruise) April 28 - (ebredhawk) Erin from Cincinnati - Dreams Punta Cana April 28 - (Melidell) Mel from NWT - Melia Las Dunas, Cuba April 29 - (SuzyQ76) Suzanne from Calgary, Grand Riviera Princess, Mexico

I’ve been out of town for several days, so I had about 12 pages of this thread to catch up on. You all have really been busy posting! Welcome to the thread vgirl, jerzygirl, jajb2010, jenconrad, Amy, and anyone else I may have missed. I noticed that some of you who are new to the thread have lots of guests booked so far. Good job! I only have 6 booked so far. SuzyQ, glad you are feeling better. I also saw your post about the snow. I am so glad I am living in Georgia now. I lived in Michigan for six years right off of the lake. Lots of lake effect snow there. I have had my fill of snow. Don't miss it at all. Shannon, glad you had fun on your e-pic shoot. You will have to share your pics with us when you get them. I don’t think the FI and I are getting e-pics done. We took a bunch of "couple photos" on our trip to Vegas earlier this year, so those are the pics we’ve been using on our website and STDs. Quote: Originally Posted by vgirl17 Hello everyone! I'm not sure if I've posted on here before but my wedding is April 24, 2010 and it's getting here faster than I can keep up! I've gotten out my STDs w/magnets, and just finished creating a 'reminder' postcard to have people start to book and at least LOOK at the wedding website!!! Crazy how I sent out the STDs in August (late I know) and there are A LOT of people talking about going etc, but haven't even looked at the website! Crazy... I'm going to try and not stress out about it and just keep the attitude of, "Whoever is there is there. As long as me and my man are there that is all that matters " I thought I was the only one. After spending soooo much time on our wedding website, we have not had many views of it even though our STD magnet and letter clearly have the website address listed. The only people that have RSVP’d on the website are my parents and 2 of my FI’s co-workers (4 people total). It’s been over a month since we sent out the STD’s (approx 50). We’ve only gotten back 9 of the RSVP postcards (which I put postage on) so far. And get this, we have even had a few people (who received the STD) ask us what our wedding date is. I’m like, “Where is your STD magnet? That was the whole purpose of the magnet.†Or they will ask us when the cruise deposits are due, “It’s in the letter I sent you and on the website.†Come on people! I’m going to send out a reminder postcard next week to remind everyone of my RSVP deadline, which is November 6th. They have until November 26th to book their cruise with my TA and make their initial deposits, if they miss this deadline they are on their own as far as finding a deal on the cruise pricing. Their last chance to RSVP for the wedding ceremony will be after we mail out formal invites in January. We are having our wedding ceremony on the cruise ship before it leaves the port of Miami. We're allowed to have 50 non-sailing guests attend the wedding ceremony. We have to provide the cruise line with our guest list 30 days beforehand, so if they are not on the list they will not be able to get on the ship which will be their own fault. We gave them plenty of time to respond. So frustrating. Quote: Originally Posted by caribbeanLover ok so I sent the e-mail out today!!! I need to know your guys opinion. Did I come off to strong? I really hope not.. I don't want to look like bridezilla! I don’t think you came on too strong. It was straight and to the point. They should respect your deadlines.

Congrats and welcome to the forum!

Thanks for sharing... your MOH is awesome for arranging that for you!

Quote: Originally Posted by caribbeanLover You guys should post pics of your kids(dogs)!! I would love to see them I jump at any chance to show off my babies! This pic was taken on "bandana day" at doggie day care. Kayla is a 4-year old female lab/doberman mix and Sunny is a 1-year old male beagle mix. I've had both of them since they were 10-12 weeks old. I agree with everyone else, two dogs are so much easier than one. More expensive, but easier. My older dog also seems happier to have a little brother to pick on :-) They are so cute together. Well, I better get going... My FI and are are supposed to be getting on the road soon. You ladies have a nice weekend!

I'm in... gotta figure out my strategy. I'm gonna be out of town for a few days, but will check back in next week when I have my strategy together. Hopefully, this thread will keep me motivated. You would think looking good in my wedding dress would be motivation enough right?!

Quote: Originally Posted by blackrose_222 I'm going to cry. Her website isn't working right now (at least for me), and I found a page online that states that "This vendor has indicated that they are no longer in business". Oh my god. Seriously, WTF! So sorry to see this is happening to you. I hope things work out and you get some positive news soon.

Quote: Originally Posted by jerseykitten my dosage is pretty low right now -- I take Cytomel -- but I have noticed my nails are a little more brittle. I'm having my blood rechecked on Friday as it's still new for me - I'm also on a very low calorie diet (with the doctor's help) so I am losing the weight about a pound a week. I can post the diet on the get fit site if anyone is interested. If your dose of Cytomel is too high, that could cause the brittle nails. I'd be interested in seeing the low calorie diet. Please post it if you don't mind. Quote: Originally Posted by SuzyQ76 I'm on Synthroid, and I don't know if my dosage is low or not - .088 mg?? all I know is that it isn't working and I have a requisition for more blood work and pee tests but it's been sitting on my counter for months and I haven't been able to find the time or fast the 12 hours, lol, to go and get it done!!! I hope you get yours all figured out quickly!! I know I hate being this tired all the time, especially with a baby! ( I’m on a combo of Cytomel (5mcg twice a day) and Synthroid (100 mcg once a day). I have been dealing with thyroid issues for about 12 years now. I had been strictly on various doses of Synthroid for about 10 years when I found a doctor that was willing to try different doses and combinations of thyroid medications until I was “feeling†better and not strictly determining the dose based on a blood test or what some chart said I should be taking. It’s hard to find doctors like that. When she added the Cytomel dose, it helped tremendously with fatigue. She lowered the dose of Cytomel (from 25mcg to 5mcg) after I noticed the brittle nails and hair breakage. But, I have to say that the Cytomel really helps combat fatigue. SuzyQ, maybe you can find a doc that will be willing to experiment with Cytomel. Also, 0.088 mg may be too low of a dose for you depending on your weight, especially if you have an inactive thyroid. I know it would be way too low for me. Sorry everyone, didn’t mean to turn this into a thyroid forum!

Quote: Originally Posted by doblauvelt I got my dog through an ad on Kijiji... he's the newest love of my life! doblauvelt, your dog is so cute! I have two dogs (both rescues) and I treat them like my children. They are so spoiled. Quote: Originally Posted by shan13 Hey Ladies...I'm Shannon..I was a June Bride..been bumped up to April!!! Here is my post from the other April thread...like you ladies I am in a weight loss time crunch...I have been working out 2x's a day, following Atkins program and trying to make it work before my BD shoot...I am trying to lose at least 30-50lbs PRAY.FOR .ME..LOL!!!! Here is my update... Welcome to the thread Shannon! Quote: Originally Posted by SuzyQ76 Mostly if I get a free moment I choose a nap instead!! lol SuzyQ, napping is my favorite thing to do... By the way, your baby is such a cutie. Quote: Originally Posted by bholthof HOORAY!!!! Wedding is booked! So excited... Congrats on booking your wedding, bholthof. Now, the real fun begins! Quote: Originally Posted by echo2_62 Okay it should be ready to go!! Check your Unread Posts for the new APRIL 2010 BRIDES - GET FIT thread that I just posted. I started off with a few broad-based ideas to get the ball rolling but let's add what we can! I'm gonna say I'm in for the Get Fit thread, but I am really lacking in motivation. Maybe this will give me the kick I need. I've lost three pounds so far just by eating differently. My MOH has convinced me to do this Walktober thing where I track my daily steps (the goal is 10,000 steps per day). Haven't hit 10,000 steps yet though. I also have the Hip Hop Abs videos that I need to get back into.

Quote: Originally Posted by jerseykitten My FI loses weight so quickly it's annoying! I just started taking medication to help my thyroid - it's helping my weightloss go much faster now - but I HAVE to get to the gym for the arms shoulders and back for the same reason! I tried a different combo of thyroid medication several months ago, and although it helped the weight come off, my nails became very brittle and my hair started breaking off. So, the doc scaled back my dose and my hair and nails are better, but the weight is back! So frustrating.

Beautiful dress! Looks great on you.

I think it's a great idea! And if there is a song they don't like, they can just skip that one when they play it. I think it's thoughtful to include their song choices on the CD.

Quote: Originally Posted by amqueens Beautiful, where did you get the magnets? We ordered them from "A Giftful Heart". They do a great job.

Quote: Originally Posted by caribbeanLover LOL I like the motion sickness kit! that would be perfect, if I was your guest i'm sure I'd use it. it's just not fair how men loose weight so quickly, but us woman have to work 3 times as hard. Tell him to stop working out, you need to catch up! (not that I think you need to loose weight, please don't get me wrong!) It is amazing how quickly men can lose weight. I especially have a harder time losing weight because of my thyroid problem, but I'd be happy losing ten pounds before the wedding. I mainly want to tone up my arms and back, since I will be wearing a strapless dress.

Quote: Originally Posted by Melidell Wow- awesome completed list shortnsweet- well done! I saw that you're not sure about the OT bags- I'm going back and forth on this one too. I might just do a welcome gift and a favour at the reception- I just don't want to carry a bunch of stuff with me. Is anyone else thinking about forgoing the whole bag concept? Thanks. I will probably only do OOT bags for our sailing guests. Right now we only have 6 confirmed and there probably won't be much more than that. For the non-sailing guests, since they won't be cruising with us, I will probably just do wedding favors that we will hand out at the Welcome Reception dinner the night before the ceremony. Quote: Originally Posted by caribbeanLover I decided to do the bags because allot of my guest, it'll be their first time to the caribbean's. I remember my first time. Allot of things I packed I didn't need, allot of things I really needed I didn't pack. I thought I'd put the things you forget to pack in the OOT bags. I am not having allot of guest either, so it's another reason why I said it would be good. My big thing I want people to have is the travel mugs. As the resorts usualy give you small plastic cups. Maybe you could just give that as a welcome give (it will def be used all week) If I do decide to do OOT bags for our sailing guests, I will definitely be including some sort of motion sickness pills like Dramamine (since most of my guests have never cruised before) and those waterproof pouches (that hang around your neck) for the beach. Quote: Originally Posted by ebredhawk natasha, it looks like you are well on your way! that is awesome!! we have a few BM and GM who are trying to lose weight too so they are taking longer ordering their dresses/outfits. as for the OOT bags, i'm doing mine for the same reason that tracy is, but i know there are a lot of girls who just do a favor instead. if there is something that you're worried your guests may forget to pack, maybe give them a recommended packing list to make sure that's covered? it's definitely not uncommon and if you don't want the hassle, don't do it!! My FI is way ahead of me in the weight loss department. His clothes are hanging off of him. The funny thing is, he thinks he needs to be doing more as far as exercising. I keep telling him he is doing great. The weight loss is noticeable. He wants to make sure he looks good in our wedding photos. As we get closer to the wedding date, I'll decide on whether or not to do OOT bags (when I know how many people are coming). I plan to include a recommended packing list on our wedding website as we get closer to the date.

Quote: Originally Posted by caribbeanLover BTW I like the first one,which did you order? I decided to order the Maggie Sottero dress. It's just so flattering. I can't wait until it gets here in January.

Thanks for sharing, I may have to give them a try.