echo2_62

okay while I don't suffer from the red face from crying most of the time, I usually find that having a cold cloth, cold water or a compress nearby is a quick save! Maybe you could get a cute little cooler bad (or an insulated lunch bag) which sounds goofy but they totally have cute ones now that you could stash under a chair/table skirt somewhere just in case. Okay maybe it's not ideal for the middle of your ceremony or anything but no one would blame you for it I'm sure!

Tracy - is there still money from your engagement pictures (from the deposit) that you were going to be using up for your boudoir photos? Because if not, then it might be less of a hassle to just find another photographer to do the boudoir session. Plus, then you're just dealing with trying to get the photos she's already taken, and not adding in complications of additional shoots and work for her. It sucks that it's been so long to get your photos done and I know you were really excited about them! I would just try phoning her instead of emailing to see if you can track her down that way. Mel's right - she might just be away or unable to answer emails? Either that or if you live close enough perhaps try stopping by if she has a studio or something that you could go to.

Yay! Good to know that the disco is good there. I wasn't sure what to expect at all so that makes me happy And looking at the list there, it looks like emilylubbers, bridej9 and myself will likely all be at DPA together for a few days! Anyone up for some drinks!??!?!

Karen - what a crappy experience to start your vacation!! I was dropping my parents off at Pearson for one of those early, early flights to DR a few years ago and I totally remember sitting and waiting to see them through customs safely until that 4am time with all the staff slowly rolling in. And we sat on the floor too! Of the few layovers that I've had to do before, the ones with westjet have always been seamless so that's the direction that I'd lean if you can find a travel agent that will be able to help you work with them. SheriB - From the sound of it, finding a good travel around here takes some work but in the end is totally worth it. I'd tried a couple and was never happy so we didn't bother using a travel agent in the end, which seems to be working out fairly well for us! If you don't like the TA you have, maybe look around at a few others.

SheriB - have you checked with WestJet Vacations by any chance? I'm not sure if you're working with a travel agent already or not but I'm a big westjet fan and I know they usually have pretty good flight availability... just a thought!

Part of the (easy) decision for us was that both our families live in separate provinces from where we live so they would all have to travel for our wedding if we'd had a local one. There was no way we'd travel to do separate weddings in each hometown for the families - that's just too much "official" type planning for us! So we figured that if it was already going to cost each family member around $500-600 dollars to get here, then doubling that cost for a full week vacation wasn't so much to ask. We were lucky that both sides of our family and all our friends knew we wanted a destination wedding, even before we got engaged, so it was just a matter of when and where. I have to second the comments above though that all this will also depend on how important it is for your family (or other specific guests) to be at your wedding in the first place.

While we didn't get nearly the amount of reaction as you've had, we did have some people ask why we were getting married so quickly - just eight months after getting engaged. Our answer was short and sweet - because that's when we want to! Neither of us wanted a long engagement at all and figured that it was still enough time for planning and for everyone to be able to afford it without too much trouble. Along with some other hiccups, it was also suggested that perhaps we should change our wedding date so that it would be more accommodating for some of the guests (family) that were going to be invited. We didn't change it. To me, it honestly sounds like your mom has other issues with the engagement and your wedding that extend beyond the dates that you've chosen. I think you've been understanding enough to have postponed it by an entire year already (something I know that I couldn't have done!) so for her to ask for an additional three years just seems beyond a reasonable request. I would try to sit down with her and see if she can honestly give you some answers as to why she feels you need to wait so long and to why she seemed to be okay with 2012 at first but then changed her mind yet again. You may need to be blunt about the fact that in the end it is your wedding and you are paying for it therefore you get to make the decisions, but at the same time let her know that you want her to be a part of it along the way (if you do want her involved) and that you really hope over the two years she'll find a way to be comfortable with the wedding date as it is. I hope you're able to work through it all! What a difficult way to start off your engagement.

Well considering he'd been such a GRUMP about going to look for rings, trying them on to figure out what he liked/disliked and to get him sized... YES! it was so cool to see him wearing it and actually be happy about it! He's been weirded out by the whole ring-thing because of his aversion to jewelry so I think maybe he's realizing that it won't be *so* bad after all. Guys... gotta love 'em!

LOVE LOVE LOVE the ring that we ordered for FI and just got last night!!! We chose the Imperial band in the 8mm width and it looks SO good! The size we ordered should be good but I would recommend for anyone getting the 'comfort fit' bands to be very aware of how they are sized. FI was an 8.5 in a standard shaped ring and it was usually a little snug but not too tight. With his band in the comfort fit, it actually borders on too big but we think the size 8 would be a little bit too small. So since most guys like having their rings more fitted (or so it seems to me) then I'd probably agree with the recommendation from the company (Tungsten World) to order a half size down for the comfort fit rings. Also, we got his ring engraved but because of the darker metal it's actually a bit difficult to see. FI has crappy eyesight and he couldn't see it at all LOL, so he's just trusting me telling him that it's there. Despite FI not ever wearing jewelry at all (no watches, no rings, no bracelets etc) I had really wanted him to order the 8mm width and he actually likes it and doesn't think it feels too bulky. It was a bit of a concern considering one of our friends who just got married admitted that as soon as he gets to the office he takes his wedding band off because he just cant' get used to the feeling of it - and this guy isn't as fussy as FI is normally! But honestly, I LOVE his ring (if you hadn't picked up on that yet) and seeing him wear it around the house for a little bit to make sure it would be good was SO SATISFYING!! If you're thinking of getting a ring from here then I'd say go for it! Thanks to Mel for recommending this place from the beginning! I think there will be a number of very happy customers thanks to her!

Karen - I had to giggle just a little bit reading your last line of what you'd do differently about your DH! While I don't believe that his mother should have said that to you, I can just picture my FI in the same scenario, stumbling into the room wondering why I'm panicking the way I am! Actually, there will probably be at least a few guys in the same state after our wedding knowing my friends Hopefully your pictures still turned out well despite some of the swollen parts!!

ahahahaha! Erin we watch How I Met Your Mother ALL THE TIME!!! We have tv wars on monday nights because both of us have shows that we want to watch and that's one of them, along with Big Bang Theory. And we always get the season box sets pretty much the day they're release. You two sound so much like us with the music and the tv etc... so funny!

YAAYY for being a MRS. Aug0208!!! I'm so very envious! You mentioned going to the disco bar later on... was it good? Did you have music that you asked the dj to play for your group at all? We weren't planning on having any dancing for our actual reception and just wanted to go to the disco so I'd love to hear any input you have!! Are the pictures coming soon too?!?!

Well I'm in the same boat as you Tracy I think - I rarely to never wear make-up so I have to be really careful that I don't end up looking over-done because even what some women would consider a "light" makeup day is too much for me. Most would probably consider my make-up collection to be quite pitiful really. I haven't entirely decided what i want to do with my hair but I'm the luckiest girl ever because both my sister (moh) and another BM are hair stylists so I'll have plenty of opportunities beforehand to practice with styles, and not worry about consistency because they're the ones doing my hair in mexico too! Yay me! And you're totally right - I honestly don't think I had made any connection about playing music during dinner! LOL! See, this is why I have you girls - to remind me of the things I was stupid enough to forget hahaha! I did have one idea about the song I might walk down the aisle to and it's totally strange so I'm not sure how people will react. It's called Anyone Else and is from the movie Juno (the Michael Cera/Ellen page version). If you don't know it, part of the main chorus is "I don't see what anyone can see in anyone else, but you" and it's just one of those songs that seems to fit FI and I well. Either that or it might be a first (only) dance song but I'm just not sure. Clearly I hadn't given any of it much thought We aren't really the "oh its our song" kind of people, but I suppose if we had to make a list, this would be on it!

LOL, and wouldn't you know it but FI is the one who doesn't want to go on the catamaran. I give up trying to plan group events!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by doblauvelt Random quetion: Is anyone considering meeting up wth your groom and/or bridal party for pictures BEFORE your ceremony? I really want to capture the first time I see my FI all dressed up and him seeing me in my dress. I'm afraid if I wait until the ceremony the camera will only be on me and not on him. I'll want to be able to hold him and kiss him and all that mushy stuff lol. Is this a bad idea? We'd been considering this when trying to book our photographer because initially I thought they only had the morning available. I was worried as well but realized that FI and I are breaking enough traditions already that one more wouldn't hurt LOL! I think that you could easily plan it so that you kind of do two "walks down the aisle" so to speak. Have your guests all arriving at the wedding location as planned but choose an alternate location that it totally away and out of site for you, FI and your wedding party. You could still have them all waiting for you just like in the ceremony and that way when you come around the corner you can still have the effect of seeing each other for the first time. Then once you've got some photos that you want there, FI and the gm's can go take their positions up at the actual wedding location and you with your bm's can carry on with your regular processional and no one will be the wiser! I think that way you'd still have that glow of having just seen him and it will all have a natural flow to it. Hehe, plus then you technically aren't seeing him before the ceremony, it's just an early step in the whole process! And if that's what you want and what will get you through it all then go for it!

Dawn I often have the same issue with my hair. It's not curly but wavy and thick so it goes POOF when I let it dry naturally without doing anything to it. When I was in Mexico in April 2008 I relied on a combination of thicker hair serum, mousse and hairspray and it seemed to be enough to do the trick. The mousse and hairspray went on when my hair was wet and the serum was good for mid-day frizzies from my head rubbing on the towel on the lounge chair!!! I'm in Calgary and use a flat iron all the time but didn't bother even bringing it to mexico last time, although this trip i will be. If you have a good hair stylist here, they should be able to recommend some products you can use or even the best way to take advantage of your curls as opposed to trying to eliminate them. LOL, I know that I braided my hair a lot which is SO not useful for a wedding trip! I will check at home tonight to see which serum i use and let you know. It's pretty widely available to you shouldn't have trouble finding it near you.

Congrats and welcome to the forum! There's lots of experience floating around here so ask away!

Quote: Originally Posted by calchik i was going to do the legal ceremony in mexico too but then decided to have a quick legal one here then a symbolic one in mexico. i had friends who live in toronto who got married in mexico in dec and i think it was august and she still didn't have her last name changed to his because they were having issues with the spanish documents. i don't know if it was getting them translated or canada wasn't accepting them for a name change or what. but that sealed the deal to do it legally in canada for me. that and we can skip the blood test which just seemed like a hassle Since you've already gone through with your legal ceremony part, do you mind if I ask which marriage commissioner you used and if you liked him/her?? There have been a couple that I looked up online that didn't seem too bad but some just seem completely from the 70's or something! I also don't get why it is that they charge the same price whether performing an entire full-length ceremony in front of 150 people or a five minute ceremony in front of six people. It just seems like such a waste. Anyways, recommendations would be nice if you have them! Quote: Originally Posted by teacherbride My FI and I are also planning to getting legally married here before we go. I have "get marriage license" on my to-do list for November and we're getting married in January. Does anyone know how long the whole process takes, including hunting down and picking up all the paperwork? You could probably contact a marriage commissioner or JP to find out the timing for all the paperwork. I'm not sure if Manitoba is different from Alberta, but from what I understand here when you go to apply for your marriage license they hand it to you on the spot (along with the paperwork to register your marriage through your officiant). And then when you do your ceremony, they can issue a marriage statement/document right away too but it's not actually a legal document. The part that takes a while I believe is getting it registered legally with the government which is when they issue your legal Certificate of Marriage. In this document you can state your preferred name change if you are assuming your husbands last name. This is not a legal name change though (the legal name change is the one that they actually change the name on your birth certificate... the assumed name is on your wedding documents and any other documents you wish to use it on and you can go back to your name on your birth certificate at any time). I have no idea how long it takes to get your official Certificate though - it's a government thing so I wouldn't expect it to be very fast!!! Quote: Originally Posted by lil_reeves I'm in the same boat here. I think once you have your marriage license (on my to-do list as well) you just have to find your marriage commissioner and book an appt. I think they give you a certificate right away and if you change your name you need to bring that with you to your destination just in case there's an issue with your passport. Still i'm not 100% on this. Did anyone else who did this get a certificate right away or did you have to wait? Also is it just a temporary certificate and then you have to get a real one from the registries office? A timeline on this would be helpful... Hopefully the explanation I gave above clarifies a few things but just to add that while bringing your marriage documents with you (or a copy at least) is smart, if you did not do a legal name change then as long as your birth certificate (and drivers license if you haven't changed it yet) matches the name that is on your passport then you shouldn't have any problems. I guess it all depends on how far in advance you are doing your legal ceremony before your destination/symbolic ceremony. The certificate you get from the marriage commissioner is NOT a legal document, but gives you something to hang on to while you wait for your official government issued certificate to be processed and arrive. You could call the Service Alberta and see if they can give you an idea of how long it takes for the marriage to be registered and for you to receive your certificate. Either that or a marriage commissioner in the province might have an idea.

We've put in our order and are just waiting on delivery. The company was really good with customer service. Because we are getting a comfort fit, the sizing is a little different than a standard fit, so they called to see if we wanted to stay with the size we ordered or go down a half size which is what they often recommend. We ended up sticking to our order, even though I have moments of wondering if we should have indeed gone smaller. I guess we'll find out though! Also, our other concern had been engraving because we didn't think that we'd be able to exchange for size once it was engraved but they told me it wasn't an issue at all! Apparently once you pay for your engraving, you won't have to pay the fee again on any replacements or size adjustments. I was super surprised to hear that but add it in to the guarantees they've got and I am one happy customer. Our package left LA on Nov.20th so I guess it's just a matter of how long it will take to clear customs etc. before we get it. I can't wait to see how it looks and fits FI! Then away it goes into the vault (okay my drawer!) for the next five months.

Quote: Originally Posted by jenninjamaica Just curious, where can you buy these pill packages for Advil & Immodium? I'd purchased the packages from Northern Safety out of the US in a group order with a couple other girls. The duty charges were a little high in my opinion but we had a few of us to split it so I think the price still worked out okay. Northern Safety If you have someone in the US you could ship to first then it might be even better. I hadn't been able to find a vendor for these located in Canada though either. Another option depending on how many guests you have is just to buy a large sized bottle of the items you want, leave them sealed just to cover your butt in customs, and then separate them into little pre-labelled ziplocks once you get down there (kind of a last minute pain but it might be a lot cheaper!!). If we didn't need so many for our guests, this is likely the option I would have chosen.

Welcome to Mich & latoya too!! I just now realized why I hadn't really been thinking too much about music! We're not really planning to do much dancing for our reception. Not because our guests won't want to... but WE don't want to! LOL! I think when we do our ceremony we want to have a toast with everyone right afterwards, maybe have a first dance so people can snap their pictures and then later after our dinner reception we'll end up heading into the disco to dance it up there. That's what we had in mind anyways I think. I hadn't really timed things out yet so it might change down the road.

Hey Dawn, welcome to our thread! It does take some time navigating around the BDW site but you'll get the hang of it soon enough and become addicted like the rest of us. That's awesome you have so many people booked for your wedding already too! You must be really excited about that especially considering you haven't sent out the official invitations yet! I haven't even thought about music really so I have no suggestions for you!!! One of these days.....

Thanks for posting that link Monica! We'd been trying to figure out what kind of day tour to do with our group, but because we have grandparents to include, our options were seeming more and more limited. If I can convince FI to get out on the boat for the morning, then this just might work for us!!

AusCan - I like your short form of OTT!! I'm sure a lot of us can relate to that one But I think you're referring to OOT which stands for Out Of Town. I know somewhere in the many threads here there is a huge list of all the acronyms that we all use, which I'm sure you'd find with a quick search. I found it really helpful when I started out and still go back to it once in a while (it's saved on my laptop, not my work computer).

Tracy I'm definitely going to be looking at your song list later on! I wasn't online pretty much at all yesterday but I wasn't at work either... so two things to catch up on and of course work has to take priority. I was an idiot and TOTALLY forgot about a meeting that I had booked for yesterday afternoon so I've got to cover my ass this morning! Oooops! And yay for you girls getting a few people booked and more checked off your list with the videographer! Those are definitely noteworthy items! And even though I've already got a number of guests booked, I did have a few mention to me the other day that waiting until the new year to book is probably easier on a lot of people right now because the whole "looking forward" mentality is really difficult for a lot of people right now. I know we've said the same thing here before, but I think it was just a bit more reassuring hearing it from someone else and I hope you all have friends in the same boat that will just start booking up quickly after the holidays!! Kimmy - there will always be different opinions from yours but the good thing is that you can pick and choose what changes you actually want to make from them! Make your invites the way you want to... and if someone is offended then just say "I took everyone's opinion into consideration and incorporated those suggestions where they seemed to work best with mine". And if that secretly means you didn't listen to a single suggestion because none fit with your ideas then so be it! Haha! People will always have their own opinion but in the end they will be happy with whatever invitation that you've chosen just because it is official and they have details in hand. I am not having an AHR so I can't help with whether to mention it directly on the invite really. Maybe you could include an additional note card with the details on it? That way it might be treated more as its own separate event/date from the actual wedding vacation itself