kellygrrrl

hey peach - I, too, went to david's. I think it's fine if you're not expecting too much: the carpet was dirty, one of the mirrors was cracked, the hanger in the dressing room was broken, the room itself was TINY, they had horrible flourescent lights, etc etc.on the lacking aesthetics. it's the first place I went, and the woman who helped me was pretty good. she was also patient and allowed my mom and I a lot of time to try on the styles and decide - I never felt rushed. she didn't come in the room with me, and my mom and I were pretty much free to do whatever - we were almost alone in the back area of the store - EXCEPT for the sales managers, who kept walking over at every opportunity asking, "is this the dress?" it was so bad my consultant even apologized for them! all in all, the experience was fairly similar to that I received at other boutiques. I liked the woman helping me, and lo and behold, a few months later I went back to purchase the very first dress I tried on there. although it doesn't have a lot of the detailing that makes dresses really lovely, it's simple and beach-y and perfect for budget-conscious me. the veil was also a steal, as were the shoes. just be aware that all their purchases are final sales, so you might want to take some time to decide. oh, the first dress they ordered for me had makeup smeared on it (?!). I guess it's a possibility because they sell directly off the rack. but after they re-ordered it for me, the second was immaculate and they swore they had just pulled it out of its original packaging. again, it wasn't that big of a deal. if you don't have your expectations too high, I think you'll be just fine. but if you're after the champagne experience, just try to take it with a grain of salt. ; )

yes, you look WAY awesome-r. the model has no boobs. ; )

I think I'm going to pursue the "it's better to ask for forgiveness than permission" strategy. I imagine they'll want to charge some fee like GPR did, which I'm prepared for. I'd just rather not talk with anyone at my resort about it until we're sitting in front of the wedding coordinator a few days prior to the ceremony. besides, the beach is public - I don't see how they could actually stop you if your brought your own lighters.

I saw something online about waterproof labels that you can print yourself. I'm not sure about durability, but I think it's the same material used for things like bumper stickers. that's how I'd do it. otherwise, there are companies that can print directly on the mugs, but you'd have to use the tumblers because I think the handles make it tough to print around.

I believe they're casablanca lillies. tiger lillies are a smaller, pink/orange colored version of a similar flower. stargazer lillies are another (pink) colored variety.

ok, so I wasn't thinking of doing hand sanitizers, but Bath and Body Works had these cute astrological sign ones 5 for $5. (hint: you can find people's birthdays on Facebook!) : )

no, and the other thing you can't control is life. no matter what, no matter how far in advance you plan, you're not going to be able to keep life from happening, no matter HOW early you send the STDs (we were planning around this time last year for May 2012). my MOH got pregnant and has a baby boy now, our friend's son is getting married in December, and our BM prioritized taking his new family to Spain to meet his ailing parents. all are 100% legitimate reasons not to attend our wedding, and it's certainly no fault of our friends that they can't come. the only thing you have is your own assuredness in the situation, and I think the best way to keep your sanity is to not sweat the guest list. at a minimum, people should be polite and respectful of your wishes (after all, THEY all had the wedding THEY wanted, right?!), but it will be their choice whether or not to attend, and you have to be ok with that. just do what you guys think is best and everything will be ok. : )

hee, ok, I am totally LOL over here. sorry to laugh, but your story is FUNNY. : )

maybe you get them something that doesn't have anything to do with the wedding at all. start with what they're interested in - you mentioned them running the last 10 miles of your marathon with you, what about a $100 gift certificate to a sporting goods store so they can pick out some new shoes? or a day at the spa (either locally or at your destination)? and there are always Victoria's Secret gifts - swimwear, robes, lotions, etc. you can't go wrong. I also like the idea of framed pictures. as a post-wedding thank you. after you're home, you could send them a professional photo of yourselves together taken at the wedding. if you want to stick with the destination theme, there are LOTS of ideas on another thread: coach passport cover, a BM bikini, terry chair cover with pockets, jewelry, sarongs, pashmina wraps, luggage tags, etc.

honestly, we still go back and forth wondering if we've made the right decision. especially now that we're receiving RSVPs (the best man just cancelled last week). every time we experience a setback, we question if planning a destination wedding was the right thing to do. while planning, I had dreams of 25 people dancing on the beach, and here it looks like we'll have closer to 15 people total - most of whom are in my family. there are still 9 months to go and anything could happen, but it's important to understand that just because you make the decision to have a destination wedding (which we did a year ago), you may still have second thoughts. what we keep coming back to (even as we're now considering putting on an AHR, which we swore we'd never do) is that there's no place in Austin we'd rather get married. more importantly, there's no one we're so tied to having attend that we'd decide to host it locally - not even the best man. some days I'd love to have one of those weddings you see on TV with $40K budgets and 200 guests, but that's just not us. we have a small circle of friends, FI's family is really spread out, and I can't FATHOM spending that amount of money on a wedding. there are no easy decisions in destination wedding planning. I think all you can do is go with what is best for you and your FI. so long as you have your 'MUST-HAVE-IN-ATTENDANCE' list and those people are signed up, I think everything else is bonus. you need something to believe in, even during the difficult times. for us, we think the universe has something special in store for us with the wedding no matter how many people are there -- I've made too many wishes about its success for there not to be! : ) but that's what we keep going back to. whether it's 25 people or 2, it's going to be the wedding we want, no matter what. best of luck with your decision - please keep us posted.

no problem! I should have also mentioned to search for "3 ATM" waterproof-ness. you can wash your hands with something that's 1 ATM and not worry. 3 ATM is waterproof to 3 meter depths. I think if we didn't get the strongly waterproof watches, guests would forget and go swimming with them. or maybe that's just me, the non-watch wearer. ; )

hey ladies - had an idea here that I don't think anyone mentioned earlier. what about including inexpensive digital watches in the OOT bags? every time I travel out of the country, I can't use my cell phone, and since I don't wear a watch, I never know what time it is. I found some watches on eBay for $1 - $2 each. not only are they available in lots of colors, they're WATERPROOF. they also have some that glow and kid sizes. just wanted to share in case anyone is working on bags now. : ) http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sports-Silicone-ION-Watch-Silicon-waterproof-3ATM-COLOR-/220809584006?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item336946dd86

that's pretty much the concensus - either wedges or platform flip flops if you're concerned about the length when you're standing on the beach, though I don't know if it will be a huge deal. I am planning to change from 4" platform heels to barefoot on the beach for pictures and didn't think too much about it since the dress has a train and will be flowy regardless.

hey vero - I might be able to help, but I don't know that the price would be much better than ordering the mugs online, especially once you factor in shipping to canada. it will be a pretty good size box (or pair of boxes), even with just the 18 oz mugs. we have a wal-mart with an entire display of three sizes of bubba kegs, so it's do-able. they had all colors - light blue, lime green, black and red. if you want to look on here first http://www.shopbubba.com and/or research shipping costs from Austin, Texas 78723 to Canada and this is a better deal, I'm happy to help. please let me know! : )

ours are paying $2K/couple for a long weekend (3 nights, 4 days), including most airfare (around $450pp) and transfers ($100/couple) to the Royal Playa del Carmen resort in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. I think we could have found resorts that cost less, but $1,500 vs $2,000/couple wouldn't have made much of a difference. either people have planned and budgeted for a vacation or they haven't. and unless you drive somewhere and stay with family, I think most vacations cost around $2K once you factor in the rental car, meals, drinks, etc etc etc.

I think a past bride said the wooden blocks were frames that came from Michael's. I know we registered for some like that at Bed Bath and Beyond. you may try those place to see if you can find them - and please keep us posted. I was considering doing that for our wedding. : ) the shells are pearlized nautilus shells, and I think a bride on here has them in the for sale forum for $21 each. that's a better price than I've seen on the web (most are around $30, depending on size).

oh geez, sorry - totally meant to post this in the Royal PDC forum. good thing bonnie saw it. thanks! : )

does anyone know if it's possible for the resort to do one large table for a beach reception? I'm thinking we'll have closer to 15 guests, and I'd really like if everyone could be seated together, rather than at two (assumedly) silly-looking tables. : ) thoughts? I know there was a bride on here who did just that, but I think she coordinated through an outside rental company. thanks!

oh yes, I did follow the schedule almost completely, which means working out 6 out of 7 days a week. but the first five weeks went great and flew by. when it was over, I knew that I had worked, but I didn't feel that it was TOO hard. I didn't rely on the nutrition guide, but I did try to make healthier choices when eating (e.g. more whole grains, lean protein and veggies for dinner, etc). things changed in the second month when the workouts were an hour long (and even more grueling, if you can believe it). I fell off the wagon towards the end but did manage at least one full week of working out daily somewhere in there. I definitely got a lot stronger, but I feel like the most dramatic physical improvements were made right in the beginning. I definitely want to try jillian's program, especially knowing that it's 30 mins long. my original goal was to stay in shape until my wedding (may 2012), but the Texas heat wave put me off exercise for awhile. funny enough, I still haven't gained back my pre-insanity weight, despite not working out for the past 1 - 2 months. as soon as it cools off, I'm starting jillian's videos!

you could always continue the sapphire theme in your wedding band, especially if you were going to wear it alone (or on your right hand perhaps?) my dad bought one like this for my mom as an anniversary gift, and I thought it was reminiscent of your ring (which is lovely, btw!) http://www.jared.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product1%7C10451%7C10001%7C-1%7C930403009%7C19063%7C19063.20053.19678

for anyone with iffy guests, this is a FANTASTIC article on the safety of mexico - with emphasis on the yucatan penninsula: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2011%2F08%2F18%2FTR3O1KLPOQ.DTL

yep, that was similar to my idea. I was going to do a generic riviera maya design and see if other girls were interested. that way, we could break up the minimum quantity of 150 and spend about $2 per bag. I just ordered a sample from these guys (thinking white bag with light blue design): http://www.epromos.com/product/8835030.html

oh right, to answer the main question, I think the OOT bag price range is typically $10 - $20 each. I'm budgeting $2 for the bag (thinking of ordering a reusable shopping bag in white with a mexico-friendly design and seeing if other brides want to buy in to the large quantity), another $5 for t-shirts (we'll make them ourselves with iron-on transfers), $3 for Bubba Kegs (AMAZING deal at WalMart last week) and another $5 for medicines, etc. total ~$15 each.

they may not be long enough for cake slices, but if it's cut into squares, I think the takeout boxes would work really well. if you need more space, I found these cake boxes online (I think they were the best priced): http://www.myweddingbasics.com/configure/configure.aspx?design=Unprinted_Large_Cake_Favor_Boxes_White&model=PBBoxPlain.tcx&SKU=PB3100 there are others that are wedge-shaped and will make the circle of a cake if arranged together. I liked those as well (sorry, no link saved on them, however). so many brides commented that they had TONS of leftover cake, I really want to make sure each guest will have a piece when they left the reception.

same here! I'm happy to help out anyone who might need a few Wal-Mart colored bubbas of a certain size.