aeluzu

Hahahahah this one cracked me up

Thank you! I thought they did such a good job with the theme. I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed your parties as well. It's been gift overload already! I don't know where I'm going to fit all of these new things... Not the worst problem that I could have. Hahahah. Thank you, Jessica! Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy your party!! You will have so much fun and you deserve it... We ALL do!

I guess it's a possibility but our/all of the rooms have little fridges in them. We'll probably keep them there until we're ready to distribute them

Agreed! I'm leaving the guys gifts up to my future hubby too!

Cute idea. That's so nice that they came to support you

Thanks again SparkleSun! Ladies, check this review out for some reassurance

i wonder if there is a thread devoted to etsy love? haha. there should be! that site is fantastic.

I am doing OOTs, however I don't think that an OOT is a MUST. What is a must? Doing something to show your guests how appreciative you are for their efforts. Unless you're contributing to their travel, I think that there should be some sort of BIG thank you gesture to them. Splurge on favors, write them a nice letter, plan an extra excursion... Just my thoughts.

those journals are very beautiful!

the bags are beautiful! is wish i would have known about that etsy shop sooner.

Those turned out great! I'm going to put hershey's hugs and kisses in my OOTs but since we're in Mexico, the personalized label will read "abrazos" and "besos" teehee.

OK I really need to vent, so I guess I'm in the right place. I'm sorry if this drags on too long. Well here it is - I feel like I'm losing two of my best friends during this wedding planning process. I have known both of them since middle school - around 15 years now. We've always been a trio. Ever since my engagement things have changed. They both started hanging out more often and just not inviting me. OK... I'm OK with that. But it doesn't end there. I asked both of them to be in the wedding. One of them I pretty much knew from the start that she wouldn't be able to do the travel, but I love her to death and I didn't want her to feel slighted or excluded so I asked her anyway. She will not be able to go. I have no qualms with that, my trouble is that she has barely attended any of the wedding functions. Engagement party, bridal showers, trying on dresses... Or even just hanging out in general. I've asked her whats up and why she doesn't really make much of an effort in our friendship anymore and she has told me that she sees how happy I am and she's not in that place and she doesn't want to "get me down" What are friends for??? Don't we make the vows "for better or for worse" to our friends long before we ever make those vows to our husbands? The other friend is a whole 'nother story. She is always a bit of a Negative Nelly, but it has truly amplified during this process. EACH and EVERY step of the process. 1. Picking the wedding party. Yes I wanted her in the wedding - as a bridesmaid. She is like a sister to me but hasn't truly been what I would consider a "best friend" for the past few years. I asked someone who truly supports me and helps me through life to be my MOH. What does she do? She insists that she has to be my MOH... awkward much? She has made it so uncomfortable for my MOH that MOH said "let's just drop the titles so as not to fuel the drama flame" 2. Booking the travel. She insists that aforementioned friend who doesn't even make it to the engagement party WILL make it to the wedding. She holds on to this thought for months and delays in booking travel. After finally coming to terms that the other is not going to go to the wedding, she decides that she doesn't want to book a room by herself. She doesn't want to book a room with one of the groomsmen (who is a mutual friend to all of us, totally respectful - and they would obvi have seperate beds.) MOH offers to let her share a room with her AND HER HUSBAND. She doesn't want to do that. I tell her, "You know... there is no burden for you to go to the wedding. When we made this choice we understood that not everyone can make it. We want to you be there, but we also want you to be happy about it and not feel like we've forced you into something." She says she wouldn't miss it for the world and that she has to go, meanwhile continuing to complain and complain and complain. Finally- months later she books with the groomsman. 3. Picking out bridesmaid dresses. That one won't look good on her. She hates that one. That colors no good. That one costs too much. She loves that one - but I don't. Finally I find one that all parties agree on. But guess what- "IT COSTS TOO MUCH...WE'RE BLEEDING HER DRY" It was like $10 more than the amount that we all agreed on. 4. Planning the bridal showers and bachelorette party. She feels left out. She can't stand the MOH. She doesn't want to be involved. She doesn't want to be left out. In the long run she ends up bi#chin the whole way through and then moping around at the actual party. I really hope that something turns around before the wedding day. That's it so far. I'm just wondering... are any of you dealing with friends like this? What is the root cause here? What can I do. I try to just let all of the negativity roll off my back, but honestly - it hurts. I don't get why she just can't be happy for me.

PS - I'd love to hear about your parties! Are you girls having as much fun as I am? It feels like all of the stress and planning is starting to pay off!!!

Girls, I had my second bridal shower over the weekend. So much FUN! I feel so spoiled. My girls planned an alice in wonderland themed shower. I'll share a few pix.

Beautiful, beautiful! I can't wait to see how your wedding turns out in the long run! You've put so much work into the details, I'm sure that it will be just perfect

Not a stupid question! I struggled with that myself. I ended up going with Playa Mujeres, Mexico... I'm curious as to what the other brides answer on this one.

You look just gorgeous! Wow, you're really spoiling your girls too. I got each of my girls a nice cocktail ring, travel sized flowerbomb perfume (mmmm), cute little sewing kits (just in case) I forked out quite a bit for the rings, but i just thought they were so cute and something that could remind them of the wedding for years to come. I'm still tempted to do more for them. I feel like I want to give them the BIGGEST thank yous, but my wallet is disagreeing at this point. LOL

I would really love to know where these barefoot sandals are from! They're so cute and I'm only able to find ones that are kinda on the cheesy side.

SparkleSun!!! SWOON!!!! Your photos are beautiful. You can literally feel all of the love that was surrounding you just by looking at those photos. Not to mention, they made me super excited for my day! Coming so soon You may have already gone over this but I need to ask, did you spring for a DJ during your reception? I saw your guitarist and mariachi... I think we're going to use the caribbean trio during our cocktail hour. Also, which spot did you use for the reception? Wow, it all looked so beautiful!

Because of all of the recent OOT talk I thought that I'd share with you guys that there are a TON of suitable totes in the bargain bins at Target right now. It looks like a few of you have already scooped them up, but if you're still searching for your bags, the Target bags are definitely worth checking out. On another note, today I tried on my veil and jewelry - just to get into the spirit My Mom actually made the veil for me and that makes it EXTRA special to me. I saw one on etsy that I was gaga for, so she kinda cloned it. Here's a link to the etsy one : http://www.etsy.com/listing/68045726/double-layer-teardrop-veil-in-champagne and here's a pic of me in mine : Have you girls all got your jewelry and veils? Let's see those accessories!

champagne : diet

Thank you so much for sticking around for a while after your wedding to help all of us out! It's really nice to have advice from a recent EPM bride who has already been through it all. Kinda soothes the nerves a bit.

The dress looks beautiful. Very dramatic from behind! I checked out your OOTs too! Amazing! I'm amazed at all of the stuff you scored for free. I have some catching up to do

Have you seen the movie The Heartbreak Kid with Ben Stiller? He has a Mariachi band following him around the whole time. It's more like the style of music that you would hear in a Mexican restaurant. Caribbean should have more of a reggae, steel drum kind of thing going on. It just depends on what flavor you want to give the wedding, really. More of a Mexican style or Caribbean?

In my opinion, it seems to make the most financial sense to go for the Gold if you want any upgrades.