echo2_62

Quote: Originally Posted by caribbeanLover It will be a pain in the butt to lug all the extra wedding stuff, but it's why we have guest!! and BM and GM! I will be making a small bag or 2 for someone to add to their luggage, with a list of what is in it so if they have problems a, they will know what is in it. Well thankfully my friends seem to be good at packing, so they were mostly only taking one bag each for their own things and since our airline allows two pieces of baggage per person I am SO giving people an extra bag to bring! And of course, complete with a packing list for each bag.

YAY!!! I know its been a battle for you but that's awesome! And don't even think about the commute. It's just a little bit of you time in the mornings to sing along with the radio

Quote: Originally Posted by KPETT10 Hi girls! I am getting married on April 10, 2010 as well! I sent out my STD's in June. I am in the process of picking out invitations right now and I'm figuring that I can't really do the OOT bags or favors or centerpieces until I get my replies back. Hey and welcome to the group!! I don't have any firm numbers for my OOT bags yet either, but for stuff that is small and cheap I don't mind getting that stuff out of the way ahead of time. We have 20 people booked right now, another ten or so rumoured to come and max 50 people. So the way I figured it out was this.... if we get EVERYONE on our guests list coming then I'm probably doing one bag per couple and one for all the singles. So anything that can cover two people ie. first aid kits I will only purchase 30 while other items like mini hand sanitizers which are more individual I will get 50 (or if they are pre-packaged whatever number comes closest). So it cuts down on a few things at least. Then, if we only get around thirty people in the end, I can give everyone their own bags and either double up on some items that I had extras of, or keep it for myself and pass it on to another bride. I just know I would rather start my collection early because I get panicky too easily!! Quote: Originally Posted by sarah310 i'm right there with you on not making centerpieces. the wedding coordinator says she has a book with lots of pictures. hopefully i'll like something in it when i get down there! Things i've realized I'm behind...1) bridesmaids dresses - anyone know how long it takes to get them in? 2)i ordered my wedding dress back in may. i was told it be in in september and i still haven't heard anything. should i be worried? have most of you seen your actual dresses? this is my 150th post! can't wait to go check out all the attachments I didn't really have much inclination towards a DIY centrepiece really. I was going to just do table favours or something as Suzy mentioned. But when I saw that last picture, I was totally sold because they really are SO SO SO simple! 1) Get bowl. 2) Get water lights (mine are in the mail!). 3) Get water jelly/florist jelly or beads/crystals etc - the water jelly is just what it sounds like. They're these little bead type things that you just add water to and they expand and you can put your flowers in them and everything - it just makes it more solid than a bowl of water! You can get this stuff at Michaels. 4) Choose flowers for on top, real or not. 5) Give items to WC at resort with instructions to add water and VOILA! DONE! As for bridesmaids dresses, I think I heard they take about two months?!?! Now don't quote me on that because its not 100% but that's my best guesstimate. And that would not be including alteration time either. Just call any of the bridal shops and they should be able to give you an idea. My girls ordered their dresses of VS so we just have to wait for shipping! And I would totally be calling to find out where my dress was! Nevermind if they forgot to call you or something but yah, what if there was a delay for some reason?! Mine doesn't come in until February so I have to patiently sit and wait. Then again, I only ordered mine at the beginning of September or so.

Tracy your dress is so pretty! I agree with Suzy that 'the girls' are looking perky and that's not always bad! Sometimes I only wish that I could have that definition of my own! LOL! But yes, YOU are the one who needs to feel good about the way you look, and basically feel like, well, YOU! I had that problem just trying on dresses - they just made me feel like I was trying to hard or something. So if that's how the extra padding makes you see yourself, then don't bother! I think you're going to look amazing no matter which way you go.

Quote: Originally Posted by doblauvelt That's funny you mentioned this. Just lastnight I was looking at ring bearer pillows and my FI goes, "geez you have to look into that too? There's so much you need to do for this wedding." I go yeah, "thanks for all the help!" as he's watching the yankees vs. angels game. MEN! lol Quote: Originally Posted by caribbeanLover Ha Ha, I did the same thing last night, trying to talk to the FI, and his to busy watching the canadians (hockey) I told him I felt like crying because there is so much things to be done, he said' don't cry' and starting watching the game. I told him 'your lucky I love you' lol *sigh* I have you both beat. Last night I probably saw more of BOTH these games than either of you had to watch because in MY house, FI was watching BOTH. Actually I should make a correction on that. He was watching EVERY SINGLE SPORTS GAME that was on our tv last night. Geoff is a sports ADDICT and can just sit and watch anything and everything for hours at a time. There are some days when I'm grateful for it (like when I want to curl up and read my book all day) and other days, actually most days, when it drives me insane! And of course to add a little insult, he has NO IDEA how to listen to the tv at a normal volume so i'm constantly bombarded by a series of sports announcers screaming at me in the kitchen, all the way from our living room. I want to get him one of those hearing aids they have commercials for on tv where you can hear your neighbor across the street, or a pin drop in the other room. Then he might appreciate why I keep asking him to turn it down!!! LOL!

Oh sorry!! There are ten lanterns total.

Hey Ladies... I ordered some smaller paper lanterns online and they managed to send me the wrong ones! I was planning to use them as part of my centre pieces but have since changed my mind anyways so I guess it wasn't the worst thing either! These haven't even been brought out of the box, nevermind having been opened or used! They are cute, just not what I had in mind! These lights have a small top and base, plus a bracket so that you can hang them or use them on a table top. The batteries are supposed to last about 15 hours and you can replace them if needed as well. I paid $7.95US ($8.50CDN) per lantern, plus of course shipping and the surprise of additional duty tax to get it through customs into Canada. I'm asking $90CDN ($85US) which basically only covers the lanterns themselves and just a small portion of the rest. Shipping costs will just depend on where I have to send them, but I can get it weighed before shipping too. They're online at: White 7.5" Round Paper Lantern - Battery Operated - I can't post a picture right now as my work computer blocks me from photobucket

I also have to say that honestly she has no right to complain about what plans you made for your wedding!! I agree with the other girls that your cousin needs to realize that she is NOT the bride so if she doesn't want to attend the wedding then it isn't going to have ANY affect on the outcome! If neither you or FI are particularly close to his cousin then you can either choose to just ignore her (even if that means screaming and cursing at home, but otherwise not letting it get to you if possible) or you can speak to her yourselves or have someone do it on your behalf. Hold your ground and don't feel bad at all about getting angry at her behaviour.

Quote: Originally Posted by SSNM Last time I checked, she was neither the bride nor the groom. I say good riddance! Hopefully she keeps her whining at home and away from your wedding. OMG I had the exact same my little pony that you have in your picture right now!! Hahaha! that's awesome! I just had to say how much I loved seeing that!

While I definitely can't make the decision any easier for you, I have one idea just to help give an example of how we figured a sort of related story. While my case is nothing as tragic as yours, FI's brother is not going to be able to come to our wedding and was supposed to be the best man. So while we've got friends that could and would step in if we asked them to, we decided not to fill his position. Basically we figured that whether he was physically there or not, he was still the only person who really fits that role in FI's mind. On our website where we have pictures and a quick description for each member of our wedding party we just wrote "Best Man in Absence" and explained why our guests wouldn't see him at the wedding. Although it still leaves us with a slightly lopsided wedding party, I don't think we would have it any other way! Plus, I've heard many brides here comment that they have more BM's or GM so if you're worried about it looking specifically like someone is missing then I think it will be okay unless you want to do something special like a memorial to honour the part she played in your lives. In the end, it really is up to you and FI and of course what you feel that you are comfortable with in the long run. If you can't imagine your niece having never been a part of your wedding then I say keep her as a part of it. But otherwise if you think a small tribute with your wedding party and family before/after the ceremony will be more private and not make your guests uncomfortable (or whatever other worries you have involving your guests!) then go ahead with that. I'm really very sorry to hear that you've had such a horrible thing to deal with and I wish you all the best!!

Quote: Originally Posted by SuzyQ76 Haha we are big trouble today!!! I'm still reeling with the Forever 21 realization! Can you believe that me and a friend were actually going to place an order and have it delivered to my Brother's place in the US, for me to pick up when I'm there!! Glad we didn't put in that order yet!! lol Do you have my email? I've been throwing it around to so many people I can't even keep track!! If you end up keeping them no prob - just now you have a backup!! Do you think we should tell our FI's about us, lol - I think if they figure out everything we've been planning we may not be able to cyberchat anymore! lol "Everything was on sale Honey, I swear!...oh I but I lost that receipt!!" jk, ;o) Or even better: "didn't you know that retail stores don't issue receipts anymore - it's bad for the environment" So funny that you should mention about telling the FI's... I got one of my group orders today and he was rather curious about it all surprisingly. He didn't quite understand why I bought the fans really so I said "they're wedding favours of course" at which point he started questioning what the mugs are for then... UH-OH! I just laughed and said "you have nooooo idea what I'm planning" and we just left it at that. Seriously, until I start packing everything to take with us, he'll be totally clueless! Nevermind that I could totally start sneaking things to my friends places if I needed to! Oh I love this!

suzy - heck ya I'm free for a shopping trip!! LOL! You'll just have to excuse my pesky work during the day! LOL! Let me know when you think you might be heading up. I'm seriously less than ten minutes away and wanted to head into airdrie anyways. woohoo!

haha you two have me giggling away here with all your banter!! As for my dress the knowing it was the one, I have to agree that it was also part of the elimination process for sure!!! I think though the reason I had a better feeling about it was because at one store, we did the whole narrowing down to the favourite dress at the time (which I still wanted to alter a bit) and then when I tried on MY dress it was like finding the dress I mostly liked with the alterations already done! Does that make any sense?!?! So without having gone through the process already, I might not even have known it was the one I'd get to be honest!

Quote: Originally Posted by SuzyQ76 I'll check Elmhirst out again, funny though I had found a couple bags on another website and thought of you!! lol Wondered to myself, "Would Meghan like those?" I swear all this wedding crap is making me KooKoo!! Oh it was the site you were thinking about getting your mugs from, but I'm assuming this is most likely the site that we'd get dinged extra from! Too bad, they have good product! I will definitely keep you in mind in the States, I'll message you if I find a good deal! As far as bags go - are you thinking a specific style or color? I know I don't want mine to look like a shopping tote...but when it comes down to $$ my mind can usually change!! lol Paper lanterns?? Hmmmmm, If you want them off your hands I may know someone willing to buy them ;o) hehehehe, you and I are trouble today!! I'll send you pics of the lanterns... although I still haven't quite decided what I'm going to do with them

Quote: Originally Posted by SuzyQ76 Try this site, really cute dresses for really really cheap, some are even really really small!! They don't ship to Canada, but you should be ok! http://www.forever21.com/f21_main.asp Good Luck!! Suzy - I am going to be big trouble for you with this next comment... there is a Forever21 at the new mall Just thought you might be interested to know that you don't have to worry about shipping anymore!!

marryinghimagain... thanks for all your comments that you've put up since you got home so recently!! I was thinking the other day that I really haven't spoken much with Jacy regarding specifics at all and was starting to get nervous about it but having read your comments I'm feeling a little better, like I have enough time still. I guess that I just get wrapped up in thinking I need to get everything taken care of right away as you would for a more traditional wedding. Will you be posting pictures one of these days for us as well?? I'd be very excited to see how everything looked!! One more question... I've read a few comments that it was a little breezy out on the gazebo. Did you find that it was like this for your reception or was it not really noticeable?? Thanks!

Stacey I can TOTALLY relate to how you feel about finding your dress, and the debate between light and simple or more formal. I had the same problem! On one hand I really liked the light ones because more often they had a dropped back as well which was really flattering BUT since I'm a little bit small chested, the more formal ones allowed for some 'improvement' in that area which has its obvious advantages I say just keep getting out to dry dresses on. I think the more you get on, the more quickly you can narrow down what you like or not. Honestly it took me at least seven trips before I found mine! And when I did, I was out with a girlfriend who was amazed that I could practically whip the dresses on and off again, knowing they weren't right. But when I tried it on, we both knew that was it! The best part, I got my more formal looking dress, but it also had a more dropped back like I wanted but is still fitted enough up front to help me out a little!! And as a bonus, its very lightweight because it is taffeta (which I never, ever thought I would get because it reminds me of high school grad dresses!! LOL!) so I'm not even worried at all. Keep at it, even just a little at a time. You'll find your dress

Awww poor sick baby!! Does it seem to the same thing you had over thanksgiving? Not that I'm blaming you for making him sick, more I'm thinking that it might be less likely to bounce back and forth if its a bug that you've already had (therefore less chances of sick baby in the immediate future) And I have a pretty quiet week it seems so I should be able to get out to Walmart. PM me your regular email addy and we can discuss bags that way.... I can't keep up with emptying my message box here sometimes!! I did a bunch of hunting today online and only found one company that was worth emailing to find out more about pricing etc so we'll see how that turns out. I sent an inquiry to another company thinking that they were in Canada only to find out that they just supplied to canada and were actually located in Australia! Oops! That isn't going to help our shipping rates any!!!

Speaking of leaking... my mom has always, always made us pack any of our bottles in ziplock bags when we travelled. I'm talking hairspray, lotions, shampoo, sunblock... EVERYTHING! So now that I'm in the ridiculous habit of always having ziplocks for my own things, I went out and bought a couple boxes of them at the dollar store to include for my guests in our pre-travel collection. I'm debating on when to hand out our OOT bags (was planning to do it ahead of time, but not sure because then it wouldn't be as much of a gift maybe?) but at a minimum I think I'll have small pre-travel packages to give everyone.

HOORAY!!! I'm so happy to hear that he's safe and sound! You really are wonderful for taking him in and getting him looked after. It's so rewarding when they get all cuddly and purring on you! (I had a good snuggle last night with our rescue kitty I mentioned a while back - she curls up on the couch with me when I'm laying down and pretty much lets you snuggle her like a teddy bear - its awesome!). Maybe you could try brushing him out a little bit to clean him up?? If he's been exposed to the bad weather lots then a little TLC with the comb might help his skin heal if there are any problems with it, even just dryness. Plus I'm sure like any other kitty he'll just love the feel of it anyways and will be even more happy to stick around with you a little longer!!

Lady Trunck! I totally didn't mean to offend with my comment on switching your wedding date! I only used it as a distinction for whether or not you could get away with using a cover-up of some sort vs. including an explanation for your guests. As was mentioned some people don't have much regard for the RSVP date, and i think those change more often as you go anyways, whereas with a change to the wedding date I think you did it right by including a quick line about it. Bad wording on my part because I totally don't think its tacky!! It just happens! Lara - stickers and magnets are surprisingly easy DIY projects. I'd never done them before either but it was pretty quick. Have you made anything in Powerpoint before? For my magnets, I just made a small image and text, then copy and pasted as many times as I needed! Then you buy the sheets at Staples to print at home (magnet sheets are just like a full sheet of paper, so you can cram anything on there without worrying about customizing to specific sizes... stickers can be like this too, but sometimes come in set sizes similar to shipping labels. Just double check when purchasing). I think you have the right idea to wait and see how the invites look and then decide what you want to do. If you need more help just let me know!! P.S. I have friends and family that live in Waterloo and I really miss it there! The fall season here is nothing like it is there

Suzy do you want me to run over and check the walmart near me in the NE?? It's the 64th ave store... what section of the store were they in with? Make-up and perfumes or more over by the hair stuff? You'd think I'd never bought chapstick before LOL!

I think what I would do is something along the same lines. First - figure out which projects you REALLY want to get done sooner than later (in case you just don't finish something at all!). Second - gather everything you have for the first project already and put it out in the open. Third - gather everything else you have for the other projects and make a small list for each of what you have and what you need. Make a copy. Keep one list with all the project stuff and keep on list out on the table. Put away all projects other than the ONE you set aside to work on first. Fourth - check your lists that you just made to see if there are items that you can double up on and save some cash. It might just take a little planning to coordinate your shopping list and that way you can look for specials and sales on the items you need. Fifth - ask around! See if you can borrow some items, such as tools, from friends or family. Ask them to keep an eye out for coupons, specials etc if they don't have any items you can use. I know this may sound cheap, but often times if someone knows you're looking for a certain item and they see it on sale, they just might pick it up for you. I know I've done that for friends and not even bothered asking them for the money at all. I just knew it would help them out. People like to be helpful to the bride!!! Sixth - Work on and complete one project at a time, but always keep your shopping list in mind. You wouldn't want to miss a sale just because you're not working on that particular project. It's all about knowing the bigger picture, but focusing on smaller bits at a time. Plus you might find that the spending is a little easier because the items aren't spread out over so many projects but rather are helping you complete the task that is sitting out in front of you. Hope that helps de-stress a little about the money situation! Hehe, that's just my method for my projects so that FI doesn't see a zillion projects on the go and wonder how much I'm spending (which thankfully hasn't been a lot!)

Victoria Secret would be my first idea, because i've been looking at a bunch there when scouting my BM's dresses. I could have easily ordered at least a half dozen without blinking!

Lara - we're getting married april 16th and I used January 31 as my RSVP date, so clearly I think its great timing! Haha! My main reason was that it was into the new year so my guests would likely have a better idea of vacation time, work demands etc. but at the same time it would still give me enough time to get some of my OOT items ordered (like the mugs that cost more) and be able to tell our wedding coordinator how many we should be expecting. As for the change on your invites, I agree with the last comment that if it's easy enough to match you could totally just cover it up and save yourself some explaining. If it was your actual wedding date that you needed to change then it would be a bit different story, but I don't think people will mind that its the RSVP date. On the other hand if matching is too tricky, you could deliberately draw attention to it. I know this sound backwards but I'm thinking you could do something like attach the new date with one of the puffy 3-D squares (Zots I think they're called) so that it adds a little definition to the date. Or make small little reminder magnets or stickers to go on the calendar and cover up your old date with the adhesive to hold that on. i think you definitely have options to change it and just have to figure out what works best based on what your invites look like. Good luck!!