RaychelRae

Quote: Originally Posted by Diva You should be able to book your hotel!!!My TA booked ours in December, and we have a signed wedding and room rate contract from the resort. Push your TA on this, he/she should be able to get rates... We have our rooms blocked off with rates/contract and everything also. We didn't go through a TA though, we went directly through the hotel and they gave us group rates. They set a website up for us that allows our guests to go on and book their own rooms any time now.

Quote: Originally Posted by mexbride83 Question.... are any of you girls getting your fiances wedding gifts? And if so, do you have any ideas yet as to what you are going to get them? Boudior Photos!! SOOO excited! I'm booked for August with Beth Cocuzzi (Pussycat Pinups). I've been wanting to show you guys my possible outfits because I'm so excited for it!

Quote: Originally Posted by mexbride83 Dobermans have a very undeserved bad reputation. Everyone who meets him is always surprised at what a sweetheart he is, but I've known a lot of dobermans and they're all the same! Just 90 pound lap dogs:) That's so hard when your dog is old, because they handle change even worse Definitely talk to your vet. Maybe they could recommend a female who could stay at your house while you're gone? One of my friends used to stay at my parents' house and watch their dog when they traveled because their dog isn't used to being alone. I did the same for an old boss, she paid me like $30 a day. My fiance has wanted a doberman forever! At first I was like, "NO! They're mean and I don't like their pointy ears!" He's the one the told me they are actually very sweet and protective of their family, they don't shed much and are very intelligent. After I started google-ing them, they are SO cute (only when their ears aren't chopped off, in my opinion!) I'm actually excited to get one now! Have you had yours since he was a puppy?

Quote: Originally Posted by LadyTrunck So how do you plan on doing the 'blinging'? Just curious, because I may have to do it on a pair of my shoes!!! I've been able to copy some stuff with DIY, but figuring that one out seems a little daunting. The only thing I've blinged, was a pimp cup for a bachelorette party! haha. But I used a glue gun, and that would not work for shoes. I found this website called Crystals2Love and they have everything you need to rhinestone something. They sell individual swarovski crystals in all sizes and colors plus the specific kind of glue you need and these little sticks with wax on the end of them to pick up each little crystal and place it on whatever you're crystaling. They aren't bad priced either. If I end up liking my shoes I ordered, I'm going to start crystaling them right away b/c it will pry take me a year to finish them! Well worth it though! ; )

Quote: Originally Posted by michelle2011 Yes it's the new 2010 range. I fell in love with it in a magazine and as soon as i tried it on i knew it was "the one"! It is beautiful and fits in all the right places! So comfortable! Yes it is a big dress but i wanted to feel like a princess and Ambrosia made me feel like that. I will have a hoop under it so i have room around my legs for a little breeze, hee hee!! I think you have to go with what is "you" though. A straighter dress just doesn't suit me. A friend of mine got married in Mexico last yr and had a more fitted dress and she said it stuck to her legs in the heat and was so uncomfortable. So everybody is different i suppose! Destination or not it had to be Ambrosia for me, lol. Good luck in finding your's! Oh i haven't got a photo of me in it but when i go for my first fitting i'll make sure i take some! ) Ambrosia is beautiful!! That is exactly what I was thinking when I got my dress, I realize its a big dress but its the one I want! Its not as big of a deal for me as we are going to be in a church in mexico rather than on the beach, but its still big for a dw. I never thought that a hoop underneath would actually makes things cooler! I wanted a full "petticoat" underneath but thought it would be too hot. I will def try the hoop! Thanks everyone for the compliments! I love all the different styles on here!

Quote: Originally Posted by wendyjd LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the Stuart Weitzman. I'm considering the wedge version (same bow) but having trouble finding them. Good luck picking out one (or two) pair Are these the ones you were wanting? If so you can find them at Stuart Weitzman Oboe Bridal Shoes

Quote: Originally Posted by prettypigpig Ok ladies...when it comes to lose weight, u have to motivated, determined, and driven (I know I sound like telling you girls to be investment bankers or smth). tip #1, cut the carbs. no Ban-Mi, Pho, whole wheat pasta...are border line tip #2, at least of 2 cups of green/white tea per day tip #3, if you wanna drink, stick to the red wine, no Cosmo..no Strawberry Daiquiri... tip #4, if u wanna exercise (research shown that exercise will increase weight and not decrease...YES, it is proven, people gain much more weight/ didn't lose any) MAKE SURE you don't eat/binge/no starbucks within the 2 hours after the exercise. I agree with the reasoning behind people gaining weight when they exercise, but I wouldn't blame it on the exercising itself, but more so the lack of self-control that accompanies the hungry/famished feeling people get after exercising. It's just natural to be hungry after working out, you're body is depleted! Plus, a lot of that weight gain is due to the building of muscle mass, which most people don't have a lot of until they begin working out. In the end, you do in fact lose inches with an increase in muscle mass (aka: "weight"). Also, the couple hours that follow a workout are the MOST important time to eat! You're body continues to burn calories for a short time following a workout so it's not like this meal/snack will go "right to your hips" or anything. Plus it should be something healthy anyway. It's important to eat within an hour or two following a workout in order to replenish depleted glycogen stores. BTW, I do love this dress, even though it's not the one you're going with ; )

I ordered my dress! It's "Jenna" by Maggie. The corset isn't supposed to be drawn up that tight, but it was a little big.

Quote: Originally Posted by LadyTrunck Raychelrae: love the idea of a bedazzled heel!!!!! PLEASE post pics when all is said and done! Yay Amygirl! I'm so glad you love the shoes! When I saw them, I just couldn't stop going back to look at them. Now we have 3 BDW girls with these- Shoe twins! I absolutely will post pics along the way! It may take awhile to actually have a finished heel with hundreds of little crystals glues on, but I will definitely keep everyone updated with progress photos. I just ordered the pink Stuart Weitzman's.

I think I'm putting more thought into my shoes than my actual gown! I figured any one of these shoes could also be "bedazzled" with some swarovski crystals on the heel.

Quote: Originally Posted by prettypigpig Raychel, Which one did u book? are u going to take a TTD session too? I remember u have an excel file with all the price...but I need to get to JUNIOR in order to download it! So far Elizabeth is 2X the price of Cecilia, but she offers 2X of editing plus other things. I ended up booking with Ivan Luckie and I am going to do a TTD (that's what I'm most excited for!). Elizabeth was by far one of the most expensive photogs I looked into, but she is fabulous and I think that she has been around long enough to where she can afford to charge that much. You are going about it exactly right, get a bunch of quotes and just compare and contrast the different features that each photog offers to see which one has more of the features you want. I know it's pretty time consuming, but I would get price sheets from a good handful of photogs before choosing

Quote: Originally Posted by Mischaka Well we have a close friend who happens to be a great photog. and as long as we pay for his hotel and flight then he'll take all the pics we need. which is AWESOME!!!!! *crosses fingers he'll still agree when the wedding comes* But if he doesn't I was going to look into booking Ivan Luckie. That is awesome! Hopefully that will work out for you, it would save you a bunch! Of course Ivan is great too (that's who I booked with!)

Quote: Originally Posted by prettypigpig OK I know it is still very early...but did anyone start to look for a good photographer and a good videographer? So far, I get the price of Cecilia Dumas and Elizabeth Medina. I will ask for Sascha Gluck too...but so far...they aren't cheap, but pics are so important! I feel like spurge a bit, but at the same time I wanna stay reasonable too. Elizabeth Medina said it is not to early to book for 2011, May and June are popular months!! I don't think it's too early at all! In fact, I've had mine booked for a couple months now. Mainly because photos are very important to me and photographers seem to change their prices and package quite often so I wanted to be sure to lock in to them.

Quote: Originally Posted by LadyTrunck I would suggest going to Zappos.com, and search under Paris Hilton Spelled. They are not in stock right now, but they have an area where they can email you when they come in. My shoes from there needed to be exchanged for a larger size, they didn't have them for 2 months, then I got the email. I HEART zappos.com!! Really? That's a great idea! I have looked on Zappos, but didn't look hard enough to notice that they would email you when they got more in. Thanks!

The worst part about it is I remember seeing them before, and almost buying them, but didn't for some reason. Now that I for sure want them, I can't find them. I think this is the first time ever that I'm being punished for NOT buying a pair of heels! ; )

I am looking for these heels in either turquoise or pink and can't find them anywhere. If you have a pair you'd like to sell, or know a place that still has them in stock, let me know! I wear a 9-9.5

Quote: Originally Posted by JuliaR Does anyone know if PP will allow you to bring in an outside photographer? I read on their site this is not allowed, however curious to know if it can be done for a fee or whatever? They told me yes, I just have to buy him a day pass for like $92. I would make sure, however, that it's stated in your contract when the time comes, just to cover your @$$

Quote: Originally Posted by Morgan I say don't tell him. Another thing that could happen would be that he'd say not to do it. A friend of mine told her husband she was going to take bd pics & he talked her out of it. The thing is, it's really just as much or maybe more for the woman. I did have a hard time keeping it all a secret so I gave him the option to know what I was up to or just know that I'm doing something that day. He picked the secret option. It was nice to not have to make excuses to what I was off doing. my shoot was out of town, so harder to cover. And our place was small so it wasn't easy to hide the box of outfits. I totally agree about a lot of it being for the woman as well. I know he's gonna LOVE the final product, but it's also one on my favorite things to get hair and makeup done for photos! You just feel so pretty and sassy!

I'm glad I'm not the only one thinking this! I really want to keep it a secret, but am gonna have to figure out some sort of an excuse because I want to go to OC to have Beth shoot mine. "Um, ya, honey I need to fly out of town for a day or two, and I'll tell you why in about 7 months!"

Ok, I am very confused and was wondering if anyone who has actually been to PDC could help me out. We are having our wedding at the church shown, and are staying at Playacar Palace. Up until this point I was thinking that they are pretty much catty-corner from each other, both right on 5th avenue and definitely within walking distance. Just recently I've read somewhere that this church is actually on 12th street between 15th and 20th avenues. I've looked at maps of PDC that have little icons to show where churches are and there is in fact a church right by PP and another church on 12th street/15th-20th avenue...WHICH ONE IS MY CHURCH!?!?! I'm so confused! I thought we'd be so close that we could just walk to our church, and now I'm thinking we're going to have to rent vans : ( Has anybody actually seen where this church is in relation to Playacar Palace?? Please help straighten me out!

Very cute!

Quote: Originally Posted by tracy.clements Hi 2011 Brides! I got engaged on Christmas and am a bit overwhelmed! We have finally decided on a location - Maya Riviera which was hard enough...but now I have to figure how where the wedding should be!! There are SO many hotel options!!! I definitely think I want a boutique hotel. Does anyone know anything about Ceiba Del Mar. Also, Azul Beach and Maroma look nice too... but the prices are a lot higher than the bigger resorts. Can any one give me advice on how to get the best hotel rates for guests? I know Travel Agents get great rates on big resorts- does this apply to the smaller ones as well? I am hoping to do a site visit next month, but want to narrow it down to a few hotels. Thanks so much for any advice you can give me! Congratulations on your engagement, and welcome to our thread! I would say travel agents or group rates, if you go directly through the resort yourself, would get you the best rates. Don't you agree girls?

Quote: Originally Posted by CeeCee76 Julie2011, Check with your WC or other brides on this site. I saw that Palace didn't allow outside vendors either, but I was able to find some brides who were able to get around that by buying them a day pass. mexbride83, That's one of the good things about Mexico, its a lot cheaper than other Caribbean islands. That's a good idea to provide invitees with other hotels that are less expensive and then they can just buy a day pass. FI and I was thinking about Turks and Caicos because its our favorite vacation spot, but its way too expensive even at the least expensive places. You are correct CeeCee, in order to bring in an outside vendor at PP you just have to buy them a day pass. Which is a LOT better than some places. I was originally looking into the Royal/Gran Porto and they have an outside vendor fee which used to be $100 and is now $400! I will gladly pay a $92 day pass for my photographer! I would be surprised if few, if any, hotels don't charge at least a day pass for outside vendors.

You're all welcome! roxmysockz - I ended up going with Ivan Luckie. He seemed to have everything I was looking for and his prices were great! I've heard great reviews about him and he has always been very good at responding to all my questions and emails. mexbride83 - Regarding the "us vs. them", I think I was more easily persuaded to side with "us" considering the fact that my family is very much a "vacation" kind of family. Any chance to get out and they're all about it. Plus, this is our honeymoon as well, so I think that is what made me a bit more selfish in choosing where we go (granted we will pry move to another location after the wedding). You need to stick with how you feel and what works for you two because I completely understand where you're coming from. If you are feeling that bad about making your guests pay more, it will be tough to shake that feeling off and you will end up worrying more than enjoying yourself. Tifuhhnee - I love your planning blog! I never thought of that, but its a great idea! I have GOBS of photos, lists, etc. for ideas that I like and a blog is a great way to organize them all, not to mention share them! Touche!

Wow! Thanks so much for posting those, Tanya! I'm so excited! I guess I'm not sure what I expected when I heard they were reconstructing. Obviously it meant that there was gonna be at least somewhat of a beach, but I still wasn't expecting much. It's totally better than what I thought!