clgriffi7

I say the sooner the better. You never know how long it will take to find that perfect dress. But like the other ladies have said - you do not need the stress of cutting it close with your dress. And don't forget to factor in alteration time - that could be up to a month.

For Dreams Cancun, the CD is the property of the photographer and you have to purchase it from him. Apparently he asks $500 for the CD, but ladies have negotiated down to $300. Not sure if that is a Dreams standard or specific to Cancun - but I hope that helps.

We are having to do invite tiers for our wedding. We are telling those in the 2nd tier that have heard about the wedding that we have had to limit the list based on the number of family members my fiance has (which is so true!). We are also telling them that once we hear back yes or no from those family members we will send out more invites. In my case this is actually true - but you could probably use an excuse like because friends will never know how out of town family responded.

For me - I think the centerpiece is important for 2 things: 1) pictures!, 2) how they look as people approach the table for the first time - the first impression. After everyone sits and eats and there are glasses here and there, you lose the pretty table-scape regardless of how expensive the centerpieces are.

I plan on having one maraca per guest on top of the folded napkin on the plate as part of the wedding favor. I plan on tying a note to the maraca about shaking it for a kiss. I plan on buying maracas once I get to Mexico as then they will be more authentic and I won't have to pay the extra baggage fee to get them down there. I will say that I am not huge on wedding colors - I chose two fairly neutral colors (a light blue and navy blue) so it is unlikey the maracas will clash with my navy blue napkins. I like the idea of using the maracas as centerpieces - creative and thrifty. Not sure how many people you plan on having at a table (my resort likes to do , but 8 in a basket will still look full - would 16 be too many for your vision?

I think Janine has it - let him know he is still invited, but the expectation is that they can be polite to each other and celebrate your day. Since your wedding date isn't too far off, I think you are pretty safe that he won't be able to come. If I hadn't had a job for a while and then found one, I probably wouldn't run out and spend money on an expensive trip (especially if I were concerned that I wasn't really wanted - which he is obviously thinking that way since he sent you the text). Hopefully your friend G will understand.

I don't think it is tacky - I don't think there should be any consideration based on whether he was able to attend the DW. I think you should ask him but let him know you would understand if he said no so that he could enjoy the reception with his wife and kids. So I say ask him (because he might be offended if you don't), but ask him in a way that he has an easy out if he would prefer not to do it. Good luck.

B2B: JanineA

I am getting married (hopefully - contract is being signed now) Nov 5, 2011 and our AHR (more like a party) will be Nov 18, 2011. I wanted to have my AHR soon after the wedding so people will still be excited. I would be a bit worried that if you wait too long people won't be as excited and your turn-out may suffer. Â But I definitely like the idea of the AHR compared to a pre-wedding celebration. After the DW you get to show pictures and possibly even wear your dress again. Â I think I might be upset at getting invited to a bridal shower if not invited to the wedding UNLESS there is already an AHR planned and I have been invited to that. You wouldn't want any of your friends to think (incorrectly of course) that they are only being invited to the shower so they can give presents.

You can either have someone design and make your magnets for you - which means they should turn out great, but they might also be expensive. You will find some beautiful examples on this forum of professional STD magnets. I actually plan on having mine printed by Vistaprint as you are actually able to upload your own design for a fee ($4.99 + $1.99). So I will do their small magnets and then also get the additional info printed on their matte postcards and then use glue dots to attach the magnet to the card. Once you sign up for emails from Vistaprint you will start getting free offers almost daily. So if you are patient you can get the 100 postcards for cheap (100 glossy free + fee for matte finish), 25 small magnets free, and free upload. The deal with Vistaprint is you can get a lot of free products, you just have to pay shipping. Â For me, the STD and the invite list will be the same. However, if you have friends/family that are less traditional and could care less about the formal invite, then there is no need to send one to them. Also, if there is someone that has already told you they can't attend (based on the STD) then you might think it is more polite to not send them an invite. Luckily for Destination Weddings there are fewer rules than for traditional weddings. Â I plan on sending out my STDs about 11 months in advance. (I am currently at 13 months) For us the timing is based on 2 things: 1) getting the wedding date reserved with the resort which I am working on now and 2) having our engagment pictures taken so we can use one of those pictures on the STD magnet. Our engagment photo session will be early November when the leaves have the most color in North Carolina - then there will be the lag of getting the magnets printed. I think you should send out STDs as soon as practical after you have your date confirmed so that guests have the maximum amount of time to plan the year's vacation days and save money. I plan on sending out the invitations about 6 months in advance. The group room rate at the hotel should last until ~ 3months prior to the wedding, so a 6-month invite will be the additional reminder needed. Â No problem, keep the questions coming. If you would like, feel free to Private Message (PM) me with questions. (that is an option from the drop down located next to my online name in the header of my post) Â Courtney

I am just wondering if I am the only one! Â One moment my fiance is worrying about the cost of the wedding and then the next he is telling me that I should have whatever I want. We are saving money together for the wedding and we will have a decent amount when the time comes. However, I know that when it gets close to the wedding and he realizes the different things I want to make the day special he will somehow be very surprised and it could start a fight. Â For instance I will want a DJ, a dance floor, extra photography, and center pieces for the tables. So you can see I am not talking about extravagant things - just normal wedding things. However, he is a boy and just doesn't understand. Â So I have started setting aside a bit of cash each month ($100) and have plans to put part of the money from my tax return and annual bonus into a fund so I can just say "don't worry about it, I got it covered". Since my wedding is still 13 months away, I hope to have over $3K in my secret stash. Â Are any other brides out there doing the same? If so, what are you going to spend your stash on?

LanaM - I am with you...I just subscribed to this thread so I can come back when it is my turn. Â Tami - I hope you don't mind if I use some of your ideas. The quotes and the use of the song lyrics from those special dances are absolutely perfect!

Save the Dates (STDs) are normally far simpler (& cheper) and are sent out as soon as you know your date and location so that guests can put it on their calendar. For destination weddings is serves an additional purpose of letting people know in time to save up money for the trip. Save the Dates often do not have a lot of information on them - Bride & Groom's names, the date, and the resort. You can add a wedding website URL where they can go to get more information. Â I think Save the Dates are best when in a format that they can be put up on the fridge where it can be a frequent reminder. My fiance and I will have small magnets with our picture, our names, and our date. We will mount the small magnet on a non-glossy postcard that will have more info (website, resort, and our at home party date). These magnet/postcards will be put into envelopes and mailed. Using Vistaprint and all of their discounts, I am anticipating less than $100 for 100 STDs. Â Hope that helps!! If you have any more question, please write back as the ladies on this forum are VERY helpful. Â

I am truly sorry you aren't getting the support you want and need from your mother. My guess is that she has had a vision of your wedding in her head for years and years and a destination wedding just doesn't fit that vision (who of our parents' generation could have imagined the popularity of DWs?). It truly isn't fair because it is your wedding, not hers - so what she had envisioned doesn't really matter. I am hoping that she will come around, as she realizes that it is about what will make you happy, not her. Maybe you can stress the way the DW will remain traditional with the perks of a great location. Â In my case, I would tell my mother that I would still have the big dress, the photographer, the ceremony processional, the vows, the cake, the reception dinner, the special dances and such. Then I would show her how beautiful the wedding photos are when you get married in such gorgeous locations - and I would just hope that the excitement and happiness on my face would be enough to bring her over to my side. Then I would talk about the At Home Recpetion/Party (AHR) as a potentially traditional way to celebrate with those people that can't make it to the DW. Â I wish you the best of luck!

Jackie - Your pictures are amazing!!!! Would you mind telling me what cenote you went to?! Also, how did you work out doing the beach and a cenote and traveling in your dress that was wet? Â I would absolutely love to do beach and centoe shots, but I know my dress would be soaked after either....

magirl - I am with you as I will be 31 by the time my wedding rolls around and I don't feel the need to be "given away" either. However, I do think pictures of my father and I walking down the aisle will be special for my dad and my mom. So my plan is to walk down the aisle with my dad, but to not have anything in the ceremony like "who gives this woman to be married?" Â For reference to my personality: My now brother-in-law asked my father for my sister's hand in marriage before proposing. When my Dad told me, I responded with: If a man ever asks you for my hand, you had best turn him away and tell him that he needs to rethink how well he knows me.

I would love to see your pics, but it seems there is a problem. I am getting the boxes with the file name with the little red "x"s in the corner. Â I am planning a Cancun wedding with a TTD session as well, so I would LOVE to see your pics to get ideas!

If your FI picked out these outfits, then I say go with it as it will make him happy. Possibly the groom could wear a boutonniere and the BM not wear one. (I will have to check with my FI to see if he and his guys even want them - not sure they are really needed when not wearing a suit/tux. Trying to imagine the wedding pictures with bout's and I am not loving the mental image.)

I select my cruises wanting to minimize the days at sea. If I want a vacation to relax by a pool, there are regular hotels and all-inclusives that have much bigger pools with fewer people. I choose cruises because I want to visit as many different places as I can. So I definitely recommend the first option - especially if your husband isn't so sure about the whole cruising thing. Â A couple pieces of advice: 1) when in St. Thomas, take an excursion over to St. Johns. St. Thomas is quite commercial, but St Johns can only be reached by ferry and is FAR prettier. I have a picture of one of the beaches in St. Johns in my office and I am now staring at it longingly :-) 2) take some time exploring Old San Juan - you can enter a couple different old forts overlooking the Caribbean and can get some really neat pictures. Â As for the room selection - if you have plenty of money go for the balcony. I haven't gone with a balcony, because I have always wanted to spend extra money on excursions instead. But I can imagine it would be relaxing and beautiful to arrive in port and depart port with great views from your balcony instead of standing at the railing on the top deck with everyone else. However, I have tried both inside rooms and rooms with a window. Do not waste your money on a room with a window. I never looked out the window - not once. On a cruise I stay active, so the room is used for sleeping and washing up/getting changed. Â Hope that helps!

My plan is to order postcards (pre-printed with my address) and envelopes from Vistaprint where the back has a place to enter RSVP info. So I would mail the postcard in the envelope and have postage on the postcard already. (Postcards will be free from Vistaprint with $4.99 for white envelopes but will have to pay S/H, postcard postage is $0.28 and the envelope mailing will be $0.44 = so ~$0.80-$1.00 per household)

We are trying to reserve Satruday November 5, 2011 for our wedding in Mexico and we already have our party back home set for Friday November 18, 2011 (which will be the Friday before Thanksgiving). I wanted to have the party before Thanksgiving, because I didn't want holiday parties to be a reason that people couldn't celebrate my wedding! (we chose Friday because the facility rental is a lot cheaper)

I plan on sending out STD's about 1 year in advance (including website info) with no RSVPs. That far out, there is no way guests will know whether they are going to be able to make it, so I don't feel like RSVPs will be accurate. I plan on sending out the formal invite 6 months in advance - still no RSVP. We will consider a room and/or flight booking as the only RSVP that counts! At about 1 or 2 months, we will send out a postcard invite for the AHR (actually just a party) that will serve as an RSVP. (the AHR date will be listed on the STD and the wedding invite)

My fiance also wants to the donation as a favor. I plan on doing the OOT bags, fans at the ceremony, maraca at the reception (for use instead of tapping a glass and can serve as a semi-favor), and a card that says a donation is being made. Â At present, I don't think we will do favors at the AHR (which will just be a party with hors d'oeuvres). We plan on getting koozies printed with our logo for the OOT bags but the orders are cheaper in bulk so we will likely have enough left over to give those away at the AHR. Â I know that for local weddings I don't ever appreciate the favors and guests know that destination weddings don't have the same "rules".

I prefer the first dress you posted (I think you are calling it Dress #2). It looks a less flowy (so less "beachy"), but it shows off your curves and makes you look beautiful!

I took my sister and my mother - not his mother. His mother is great, but we aren't 100% comfortable around each other. This is the most important clothing purchase of my life and I needed the right level of honesty and support that only my mother and sister (who know me so well) could provide. Â My plan to include his mother was to invite her to a wedding show - but that didnt' work out as she was out of town that weekend.