JBean

We are looking for cobalt blue dresses as well, and are having a heck of a time finding them! I found this one for $110 at Tristan and America, we're going to try it on tonight (the belt is optional). Fingers crossed!

Fi and I met online too. I don't think it's "taboo" at all anymore. They say 1 in 5 couples meets online these days and I believe it. We do so much online these days, it just makes sense that dating headed in that direction too.

I was partly kidding - I think that's wonderful if you have that! I think some people have "the one" feeling, and others don't. Personally, I had that feeling with two men before my Fi and I turned out to be VERY wrong, so I just don't trust myself to make that call anymore. What I do know, if Fi is perfect for me and makes me incredibly happy. Clgriffi7 - I think that's a normal worry. We have less control over destination weddings, planning so far away, so it's tough to envision how it's all going to look/feel in the end. All destination weddings have the advantage of a beautiful backdrop, and the rest is icing on the cake!

I agree. I don't think "the one" exists in men or dresses. lol. I think you wait until you find one that makes you feel amazing and beautiful, that you love, and will make you happy... for men and dresses. ;-)

Ah hahaha! Your own personal "Rapture". lol. That guy's a nut - I'm sure your wedding will be the most interesting thing that happens that day.

Do you have a picture? Or a pic of something like it?

Ugh, that sucks too! What are you going to do??

Thanks for all the suggestions! We had considered this as well, but I think I'll have to wait for an anniversary to get the 2nd band. Fi won't shell out for 2 right now, even if it is cheaper. Lol. The jeweller also said he could shape the normal band around my ring, which avoids having a custom band made, and may look nicer. Although, that involves leaving my ring with them which still makes me nervous. :s Apparently if you get the ring appraised and insured, you should be covered.

Wow, great job!

Thanks JayKay! So far all the quotes we've got for a custom ring have been 2-4x what a normal band would cost. I see you're in Alberta, any chance you could recommend your friend's jeweller??

Really? I heard it cost about $600 all together. I'll have to look into that. Thanks for the heads up.

Yep! That's mine too! It looked gorgeous on you... can't wait to wear mine!!

We're only booking for 3 hours too. I found that for our engagement photos, 3 hours was PLENTY and we also did shots with family that day, and were travelling to way more locations than we will be at the wedding. If we decide we need more time, we can decide on the day, but this way we're not over paying for time we won't use (which can ease your mind about the budget). We also have a back-up photog for the reception that comes with our wedding package. I'm hoping they can capture the more "fun" pics of the evening.

So Fi was super sweet in going out and finding me the perfect engagement ring. He knew I wasn't crazy about the rings that were raised like this: So he had the box enclosed with this design... Which I LOVE, but the ring sits flush with my finger, so we're having a hell of a time finding a band that goes with it. Our options are: 1) Have a band custom made to go around the ring. I'm not crazy about this idea for a few reasons: I have to leave my ring with the jeweller (call me crazy but I'm just uneasy about that idea), and it's much more expensive. 2) Try to find a curved band that fits as closely as possible. We found this one over the weekend, but I'm not crazy about it. Do the gaps look horrible?? 3) Have part of the side box removed, so a regular band can fit under. Again, not crazy about this idea because it means leaving my ring with them AND defacing my beautiful engagement ring. Also, many jewellers won't do this if it's not their ring because their insurance doesn't cover it, so we'd have to go back to the place we got it from, which Fi wasn't too impressed with. Has anyone else had this issue?? In hindsight, if I could have a do-over I would've just gone with the raised design! What should we do??

Those "Secretive" stores make me NOT want to buy a dress from there just on principal. Makes you feel like you're being screwed (price-wise) and they know it. The place I bought my dress had great service, and let me take pics with my mom to remember the day. That's how it should be, IMO.

What??!!! $2000? Is that what your resort is charging??

I got to travel Europe a few years ago as well - I have been dying to go back since. Fi and I are trying to save to go to Italy for our 1 year anniversary (Fi's a big Roman history nerd) and hopefully we'll get to a few other places while we're there.

Carrie - Haha, it's ok. I'm sure Juan will be great too.

Sasha was my 1st choice too, but he was already booked for our date. He does great work. We're not doing TTD - are you?

Carrie - that is smart to switch to another resort. I was leaning that way too, but Fi didn't want to move. We have some family staying 2 weeks as well, but they promised to give us space for week 2. lol. I booked Juan Navarro for our photographer... that was a tough decision as pics are one of the only thing I really care about, but our budget was limited. Did you book one yet? Joanne - wow! 18 days? Now that's a REAL vacation! lol.

We're staying at the Valentin Imperial Maya in the Mayan Riviera, Mexico. We're staying for 2 weeks so we get a pseudo-honeymoon after the wedding craziness is over. How long are you guys going for?

I think you can do whatever you want for flowers as long as the colours tie them together. I don't think they have to match the bridesmaids. I'm in Calgary! Funny, there are a lot of Alberta brides on this site!

Jen K - wow, our dresses ARE super similar! Great taste! Yours has the buttons down the back that I wanted though. Mine is the ties. Carrie - I haven't decided on flowers yet. I saw the catalogue of flowers my resort offers, and there's more than enough to choose from when I get down there. What about you?

Oops, just saw this. Gorgeous dress! Here's mine: I have planned mostly everything at this point: colours, favours, OOT bags, etc... I like to get things out of the way early! lol. We are going with orange/pink/natural colours. What about you?

Oooh yes! I bought my dress waaaaay early (last July). I still love it though. Have you got yours???