karyan

awesome!

great idea!

I came across an artist that does nude sketches, they look really tasteful and natural, and it's something a little different from the boudoir album

that's great! I'm sure they'll love it.

looks great! I love the vintage idea, I'm trying the same thing myself with Hawaii.

that's a really cool idea, cost might be a factor though.

Maybe they are referring to the Quebec registration being semi authentic rather then the Cuban one? It sounds like where ever you go your marriage is valid, but the Quebec registration is only semi authentic due to the fact you didn't get married in Quebec. Your best bet is to check with a legal authority to confirm this.

looks great!

great choice!

Someone I know got married there this past May, and she absolutely loved it! I haven't seen any photos, but she said the day was perfect and was very satisfied with the whole thing. Hope this helps in some way!

thanks for sharing! Great idea!

looks great! Fantastic idea

I don't think that's unreasonable. Some people will ask right away about the resort so it might be wise to have a budget in mind for where you might stay. As long as you give people 8 months notice about what resort you've chosen that should be fine. The more notice you give about where it is, the sooner people start saving.

what a great idea!

looks fab!

I agree, put it on everything! For some reason people don't read everything and need many hints to get them to finally check it!!

We sent our STD's a year in advance, and on the STD we put: "Formal invitations will be sent to those who RSVP online" This allows people who intend to come to RSVP yes, those who won't RSVP no, and the maybe's don't RSVP at all......... I made the website as informative as possible, and attached that info on the STD. This gives a rough head count, but we'll have to send reminder emails to all our non repliers around the 6 month mark I think. This was so I didn't go to the effort of making a heap of formal invites when only 1/3 might actually attend. My intention is too only send formal invites to those who have booked flights.

This is very close to what I did. I asked my potential bridesmaids (3) if they were intending to come to the DW, and they each said "yes". After I found that out, I then I asked formally for them to be my bridesmaids. I found that this was the easiest thing to do as I didn't want to obligate anyone if they don't intend to go.

I understand what you mean, we are inviting an on again/off again couple that I wasn't sure if I invited them as a couple vs individually. We know one half first (through mutual friends) but keep in touch with the other half more socially. In your sitch, I would suggest you still invite both of them (the polite thing to do as the STD was addressed to both of them) but allow them the opportunity to decline gracefully (which is what it sounds like they may do). They can work it out themselves if they do want to come with or without guests (as long as they give you enough notice!)

It's a very hard choice to make, but in the end I'm sure you'll come to a solution. It seems like the most logical solution would be to have your legal wedding in France (purely for the paperwork) to ensure that your VISA ect gets sorted, and then save up to plan a wedding that you'll be truly happy with. I'm sure you could have a small party in France (to go with the legal wedding) but then have a wedding either in the states or somewhere in between? I myself am Canadian and my husband-to-be is Australian. I all ready have my Aussie visa sorted (that's where we plan to live) so luckily I don't have to worry about that. We decided to have our wedding in Hawaii because that makes all our guests travel the same amount of time. Saying this, neither of our grandmothers can go (which we're sad about) and not all of our family members can afford it. As a couple we determined that what mattered most was having our parents and best friends there, all of whom ARE coming to Hawaii. In the end we decided to have an engagement party in Canada and the at home reception in Australia, that way we will be able to celebrate with almost everyone we who can't come. The key thing to remember is that in the end, YOU have to be happy with what happens. Good Luck!

Just thought I'd post my STD and website to share. I loved the idea of vintage postcards, and found that in card shops they can be quite expensive. I web searched "vintage hawaiian postcards" and came across this fab online shop (based in Hawaii) that has some great hawaiian stuff on it. I found the staff there very helpful and it is very reasonably priced too....ended up paying 56 cents a postcard and my fiance printed our information with a laser printer at work (don't tell his boss!). I think the stamps cost more then the cards themselves! http://www.weddingwire.com/ryanprok I thank everyone else who has posted a website because I wouldn't have found the wedding wire one otherwise. Wedding wire is a bit limited in how you can design it BUT since it's free I decided to just find something that would work. My maid of honour did the cartoons for me.....think that will be a theme for the rest of the wedding! Hope you all like! Kathleen

Hi Renstar, My coordinator set ours for 4pm as the sun will set in Oct at 6:15 ish. She said that this was so you could get all those romantic sunset couple shots before you sit down for dinner. My guess is if you had something earlier and the sun sets at 7, then it might be a bit awkward to walk out for 20 min for the sunset shots........but might be worth while so that you can have a bit more time for everything else.

Hi Everyone, After a bit of to and fro, we have decided on the Aston Maui Hill. It has good/bad reviews on trip advisor BUT I just talked to a bride and groom who stayed there in May, and though it's not the flashiest place, they told me it was perfect place for a wedding group to stay. The bride told me that the rooms ranged from dated to renovated, but everything was clean, the rooms a good size, and all the guests were happy there. It is also a 4 min walk to the Five Palms (where we are having our wedding and reception) so all in all, this looks like the easiest option. Thanks so everyone who left advice! I will be putting the VRBO link on our wedding website to give guests the options of looking for their own accommodation should they choose not to stay at the Maui Hill.

Hi Kimberly! From my research I've discovered: Pick an island that will have what you want out of your holiday. If you want to snorkel or surf, or have good beaches, vs adventure hiking vs nightlife, then some islands are have more or less of each of these things. I've never been to Hawaii, but from what I understand all the islands are great, so it boils down to what you want to do in the end. Pick a time of year that will suit the budget. Summer and X-mas are the peak seasons, vs spring or fall which are off peak. I've decided on a wedding planner because they are reasonably priced, and will save a lot of hassle considering I know nothing about Maui and I don't want to be running around in the lead up of the big day. I've decided on Lori from Tropical Maui weddings, but talked to Deanne from precious maui weddings and found her very helpful too. Saying that if you are super organized and relaxed, I'm sure you could do it yourself. In the end, just go with your budget....there are a heap of options to suit every price/taste. Good luck!

I haven't found anything out yet We are still trying to decide as we may have families with small children coming by, and the parents are a little afraid of crossing a busy street with little ones. Once I find out, will give you a post!