Train13

Thanks girls, you are all so sweet- and I too, LOVE the top of the last dress! If only I could afford a few dresses, I'd totally take the bottom three, and even that hot mini dress on the mannequin!! WOWZA!

So...I went dress shopping for the first time over the weekend, and omg, was that fun! First stop was to a small bridal boutique and had such a great experience there. Owners were super friendly, attentive, and patient with my guests and I. I found three fun dresses there- all so different, yet totally my personality. Second and last stop was to a "reknowned" bridal store and my experience was the exact opposite. I found one great dress that I would have considered; however, they were so pushy and annoying there, I left without a second thought! MY DRESS is at the small boutique, and I plan on going back this week to make my final decision. Here are some pictures from my weekend... First up, this is the Maggie I tried on at my second stop of the day. Super cute dress, but I knew it wasn't the one. And the pushiness of the sale just made me not want the dress even more, unfortunately. <picture removed for privacy purposes> This next one is a super fun dress from the little boutique. It's so different and spunky and was a lot of fun to wear. I never would have picked a dress with such a tight bodice, but the owner pulled it, and what do you know...I liked it! The belt totally makes the dress. <picture removed for privacy purposes> This dress is the beach dress that my mom envisions me in. It's so light and drapey, and feels great on too. The buttons all the way down the back are my favorite part. <picture removed for privacy purposes> The final dress is the one that caught my eye in a magazine a long time ago. I love everything about this dress, and if I were to have a traditional wedding back home, this would be the one. I'm just a bit apprehensive having this gown for a dw. This is the dress I would actually feel bad rolling around in the sand and water in. Lol. <picture removed for privacy purposes> Just wanted to share what I found on my shopping excursion I'm debating HARD between the last two dresses!

Meagan, Where did you get your BP envelopes and sleeves made? I like the ones you have

Yes, grey or silver would look really pretty, gold, teal, orange, yellow....you have so many choices

Quote: Originally Posted by Karen&Rene I was a bridesmaid in a DW, and she asked me well before the invitations went out. However, I did tell her right after she made the decision to have a DW that I would be coming. I don't think it would hurt to casually ask your potential bridesmaids if they would be able to attend. Some may know for sure that they're going to find a way to make it, and others may know immediately that they're not going to be able to afford it. But I also agree that you should probably just ask the people closest to you... even if they can't make it to the wedding itself, maybe they would still want to take on the role of bridesmaid in helping to plan all of the events that take place at home (e.g. bridal shower, bachelorette party, etc.) and at least they would know that you thought of them! Thanks for all of your advice and putting my mind at ease. I definitely want to share the experience of dress shopping, planning, and decision making with my BM's- and like you mentioned Karen&Rene, those who know they cannot afford to come can still actively participate in all things leading up to the DW. I'm excited!!

So....I'm not exactly sure how this works. Originally, I was thinking, wait till I see who can come to the wedding and then we can pick our wedding party out of those people as the wedding gets closer. I didn't want to ask people before and then make them feel pressured into spending $1000+ to fly halfway across the world and watch me get married. However, I was just talking to one of my close friends and now she has me thinking otherwise. She brought up the fact that if we ask ppl to stand up in our wedding after invitations go out and people start responding that they might feel like they were a 2nd choice and someone else pulled out. So, do you ask the wedding party ahead of time and hope they can come, or do you wait till they respond and then if they say yes you can ask them?

Thanks for all the welcomes, girls! I am learning so much, and this site is TOO addicting! Maybe someone can help me out...I'm curious to know about total costs from previous weddings- where would be a good place to start looking?

Melia Caribe is on my list of resorts, but I keep reading so many reviews on the damn mosquitos! How bad were the bugs

Hi girls, this might have already been talked about, so I apologize if this is a repost. My FI and I are debating between DPC and DLR for our wedding site. The FI loves the huge pool from DPC, but I'm not sold on the actual beach. I love crystal clear turquoise water, and I'm seeing in a lot of pics of DPC that the water looks pretty dark and rocky in spots. DLR beach pictures look better in some pics, but not others. I need your help! If you have any opinions on the beaches between the two locations, please share! Thanks so much, Shannon

Hi everyone, my name is Shannon and I'm a newb from Chicago. Just got engaged a little over a month ago and am planning on getting hitched in June 2011 in Punta Cana. I just found this website this morning as I was searching DW reviews and am so pumped! I love this site already!!!