richarsd

We can pay by credit card or cash for everything other than flowers, which need to be paid in cash (I assume because an outside vendor actually does the flowers).

Nemmerz - Let me start by saying, you can do this! At the very least, I bet your energy level, sleep, etc. has improved with all this exercise...activity level and eating healthfully has mental benefits, too. Second, and I hesitate to say this because I don't wanna step on your BIL's toes, but that formula is quite misleading. That formula is generally used for a sedentary person who has little to no activity level and wants to maintain their weight...if you're working out as much as you say (and it does sound like a LOT) and are only taking in 1200 calories, you probably are inadvertantly starving yourself and your body is just gonna retain everything it has as a response to that. The link posted above is good (thanks to the person who posted it!!). The third thing I think is important to mention, is your stress level - you said that you tend to get stressed rather easily? Well, under stress, again your body is going to hold on to what it has...stress also makes the body produce the cortisol hormone, which has been directly linked to fat retention (usually around the midsection). This is basically an adaptive technique from our early ancestors - the body was under stress (usually some sort of real threat...think sabor toothed tigers, lol) so it would retain every calorie in order to ensure it's survival if it needed those reserves down the line for energy (fight or flight response). So although you're working super hard and taking lots of time to exercise, be absolutely sure you take the time to relax and rejuvenate, as well

I think you'll have enough time...the ceremony is no more than 15 minutes. Vene if you hang around for a bit for champagne you don't need to linger too long if you don't want to. I'd say you'd need an hour to hour and a half for photos, depending on how many you want...so you're looking at about 7 pm for dinner, which will probably take an hour...again can be longer if you're doing speeches here or whatnot. So by 8 or 8:30 you're ready to party and you're left with about 3 hours to do that. Anyone who wants to continue dancing the night away can head to the disco, which opens at 11 pm.

@ Kitty - Are you doing a private dinner or not? If it's private, they use either La Uva or Arrecife and from what I've heard/seen they both offer the same atmosphere. @ Natalie - Yes, I am bringing CDs and I would highly recommend this! The quality/selection of music at most resorts in the DR is pretty subpar. Now if the DJ has done lots of weddings and has CDs left over from past brides, it may not be problem...but you're still not guaranteed to like that music then. I will be bringing several CDs with me for our reception (3 hours worth). I hate paying for a DJ at all frankly but the sound system is just as expensive and I don't want any guests/myself being responsible for chaging out CDs, etc. You could also use an iPod if you prefer because the DJ jas a docking station, too...I'm bring both just incase , lol. As for the prices of add-ons, I do have the price list at home (I'm currently at work...sshh! lol) so I can post that later unless someone else does before I get to it! @ Jerzshortstuff - don't worry, I don't think she'll forget about any of us. Bring copies of any emails you sent to her though!! They can definitely put 10 people in one table...I was told that we can basically pick any configuration (number of people per table) that we want, head table/no head table, etc. basically everything, including upgrades, can get planned once you're down there. However, if you're more particular about somethings (like time of dinner perhaps), you may wanna send her off an email confirming the time. I was also told that Carolina will print out place settings for the guests. For timing of the dinner and party, for my group, it was a bit easier because we privatized the restaurant and when you do this, you get the restaurant for the whole evening up until 11 pm so dinner just slides right into the reception. If you end up having a gap in between, maybe go to Hemmingways bar for some cocktails, first?

The first pic looks like the buffet and the second looks like La Uva but the background isn't clear. It is your choice whether or not you want a head table and it's not dependent on the restaurant from what I was told.

Eggs!!! I eat them almost every morning, cooked in different ways but usually hard boiled or poached! I know some people worry about the cholesterol but that theory has been recently disproven so the jury's still out on it...and my cholesterol is fine so I'm not too concerned. If you are concerned, just eat the whites...but eggs are high in omega fats, which actually increase the healthy cholesterol and lower the bad. And I also have a protein shake with half a cup of berries. Yum

There are lots of people who would disagree with the claim that it doesn't work for weight loss. In fact, there are lots of believers who have lost a ton of weight doing this diet...granted, we shouldn't be surprised that consuming only 500 calories a day () is going to make you lose weight...I mean, I'm sorry but that's starving yourself, I don't care what the hormones do. However, as long as people have success on it, it will continue to grow.

My trainer said AVOID frozen dinners and I think he's right. They used to be a frequent lunch for me (lean cuisines). But really, for like 300 calroies, you don't get a whole helluva lotta food and I was ALWAYS starving 2 hours after eating them. Plus, they're loaded with sugar, salt and preservatives and never enough protein so all they do is fill you up for a brief period and then give you an insulin crash soon after - no good. If time is an issue, cook a box (yes, an entire box/package) of boneless skinless chicken breasts on the weekend and keep them for your lunches throughout the week...make sure it's about 3-4 oz each. Then either throw it into a salad or pair it with some veggies (raw or cooked). This makes an easy lunch and way better for you. If you think you'll be hungry later, that's ok. Bring a healthy snack...such as a handful of almonds, lol. Don NOT worry about the fat/calories in roasted almonds...it is all healthy fat that the body knows what to do with!

What a great idea about the shakes!! Just make sure that the protein powder you use is "whey isolate". Otherwise, you may mistakenly buy one of the ones that are actually serious weight gainers and pack a 1000 per scoop! They are only for serious body builders but a lot of the protein powder containers all looks the same - if it says whey isolate, it's high protein, low carbs, low cals, so you're good to go! I use Dymatize or IsoSensations (which has a really wicked chocolate peanut butter flavour!). You cna buy either at GNC or Nutrition House in Canada...not sure if there are the same stores in the States though.

If you crave sweets and particularly the night time snacks (me too!), it often means your body is sensitive to dips in insulin levels. One easy way to manage this (and trust me it TOTALLY works) is to make sure you eat every three hours...now obviously your meals will need to be smaller because of this. And cut the carbs at dinner time (I know, like, isn't that normally when we eat the most carbs?) but the reality is our bodies cannot tell the difference between pure sugar and carbs so after eating them you get a spike and then a crash, even with whole grains, so keep them to earlier in the day!

Sorry meant "gold coloured", not "cold", lol.

I don't recall seeing anyone's wedding dinner pictures with anything other than white linens. Are you sure what you've looked at simply aren't pictures of the buffet?? The buffet does indeed have a cold coloured bases with a white overlay but the receptions are not held in the buffet (well, unless that's your choice). The only pics I've seen of the dinners/receptions use white or for an upgraded charge I think there are some other colours available too...or maybe brides bring those themselves, dunno.

Ditto what the previous posted said - it's not automatic...needs to be updated by the system administrator but it's usually quite quick!

Holy crap, no idea how that last one posted 5 times...I only hit "submit" once. Sorry about that! lol

Hmmmm that's good to know - I wasn't expecting the resorts to be so flexible on just cutting them off and asking for replacements for the wedding party. I'll look into that a bit more at my own resort but will probably ask my MOH and BM to bring a chunky bracelet just incase. Thanks!

Hmmmm that's good to know - I wasn't expecting the resorts to be so flexible on just cutting them off and asking for replacements for the wedding party. I'll look into that a bit more at my own resort but will probably ask my MOH and BM to bring a chunky bracelet just incase. Thanks!

Hmmmm that's good to know - I wasn't expecting the resorts to be so flexible on just cutting them off and asking for replacements for the wedding party. I'll look into that a bit more at my own resort but will probably ask my MOH and BM to bring a chunky bracelet just incase. Thanks!

Hmmmm that's good to know - I wasn't expecting the resorts to be so flexible on just cutting them off and asking for replacements for the wedding party. I'll look into that a bit more at my own resort but will probably ask my MOH and BM to bring a chunky bracelet just incase. Thanks!

Hmmmm that's good to know - I wasn't expecting the resorts to be so flexible on just cutting them off and asking for replacements for the wedding party. I'll look into that a bit more at my own resort but will probably ask my MOH and BM to bring a chunky bracelet just incase. Thanks!

Hi ladies, Just wondering what you plan to do or have done on your wedding day with the bracelets that the resorts make everyone wear on their wrists as ID. At our resort, they let the bride and groom take theirs off on the wedding day, but wedding couple only - not the groomsmen or bridesmaids. Call this my one wedding quirk, but I cannot stand the thought of seeing those wrist bands in my wedding photos! I have seen some pics where the girls each had their own costume jewelry bracelets that they just put over to cover. Anyone do this?? Did it work well? But then what about the guys?? I'm wondering what the resort would do if my entire wedding party just accidentally "lost" or "ripped" their wrist bands...I wonder if there's a replacement fee? Any ideas appreciated! Thanks

I'm doing bags for the ladies. I'm not giving out OOT bags to my guests. We're making a donation to a local school in the DR on everyone's behalf instead. But for my two maids and the Mom's I wanted to acknowledge them more so I've giving them super OOT bags, kinda like you described above - monogrammed beach bag in my wedding colours, a sarong, flip flops, sandal shaped luggage tags, first-aid/oh sh*t kit, some BBW lotion, nail polish and file, a magazine, stainless steel mug, and a tank tops with either MOH,bridesmaid,MOG, MOB, etc. Each bag works out to about $125 each so I figure that's definitely enough....PLUS, I paid for their dresses (they're on their onw for shoes and accessories)! And if I bought them each one big gift instead, I think I'd have a hard time finding one thing that all of them would like and use again. But remember...they're your friends so they'll be pleased either way

If you're expecting 60-80 people, it would be cheaper for you to privatize the restaurant for your reception! I don't understand what the $45 per person is for...the meal, I assume? Well, that would work out to almost $3000 whereas you can privatize the restaurant for a flat rate of $1000. This is just for the meal service though. If you want a reception afterwards with open bar, it is $12 extra per person...still that would be way cheaper than the $45 per person they're quoting you. Weird they didn't tell you that!

My bridesmaid dresses are deep aqua/turquoise. We plan on just using the white lines the resort provides and I am bringing some aquamarine and baby blue-ish votice candles to be dispersed on all the guest tables. I agree with the poster above that either white or turquoise would be your best option...maybe do the table clothes in one and the canopy in the other so it's not too much. Canopies in my experience tend to look best in white as they reflect the light at night.

Tracy - I know I already told you that you are of course welcome to come see mine. And we really should try and get together for a drink and meet in person while there...I know for sure that the Sunday night (April 10) my entire group basically plans to take over Hemmingways (it`ll be our first night there as a whole group AND our MOH/BMs/GMs plan to do a little bachelor/bachelorette thing for us so sure to be rowdy one!) so if you're looking for something to do that night, there's where you'll likely find me

And Chicago thanks for posting the link to Jorge's photos. You are a beautiful bride!! And I love the photo of you and your hubby playfully embracing on the beach - it's just so candid and intimate but in a playful way - love it.