kellygrrrl

the taller platform on the first pair will probably make those more comfortable than the ninas. when I wore nina shoes on concrete, I barely made it through my brother's 15-minute ceremony, even with foot petals. for me, it's all about what feels best.

PS - LOVE ana, right?? she is fab. : ) also, what sort of per night rate are you getting? are you working through a travel agent? the royal's rates increased a few weeks ago, and they're likely going up again September 1. we've told people to make a reservation on booking.com (free cancellation, no reservation fees) so they can re-book if rates drop. I don't know how else to guarantee the lowest price. thanks!

at this point, I have my dress, veil and shoes (in my posession : ), as well as FI's suit(s) (we got two at a men's warehouse sale). we just finished a frantic weekend assembling invites, and FI is dropping them all the the post office today!! SO excited to see what kind of response we get (but also prepared for no response from many). RSVP date on invites is November 30, 2011 - we just picked an abritrary one, figuring that if people really were planning to take a vacation, they'd be committed six months out. marvin has been slow, but we have a good idea of what we want. overall, the number of people coming will dictate the event (not much sense in having a DJ for 10 peeps ; ). oh, and la luna is booked as our photog. we went with jonathan, but I'd be happy with any of them. at this point, I think there's little to do outside of keeing people aware of deadlines and just sitting back and waiting for responses. once we have a solid count of attendees, we can plan the additional reception elements, as well as the OOT bags, etc, but I have good ideas for everything thanks to this forum. : )

great! so glad to hear it! : )

hey, it looks like mallory is next, but pls don't send if you don't hear back from her. we could just hold it in the meantime (or you could pass it to subbi). has she posted in any forums recently? kellygrrrl's CLEAR starfish lineup User Name Travel Dates Resort Resort Location Home Location Amara3CUS July 15 - 31, 2011 Moon Palace Cancun, Mexico New Mexico Mallory57 August 11 - 21, 2011 Moon Dance Cliffs Negril, Jamaica Philadelphia, PA subbi September 13 - 21, 2011 Dreams Punta Cana Punta Cana, Dominican Republic Montreal, Canada Kathie October 14 - 28, 2011 Aruba Boston, MA JayKay January 9 - 16, 2012 Gran Bahia Principe Montego Bay, Jamaica Alberta, Canada Brenners February 8 - 15, 2012 Barcelo Maya Beach Resort Riviera Maya, Mexico Minneapolis, MN jbmarch2012 April 9 - 16, 2012 Larimar Punta Cana, Dominican Republic Philadelphia, PA kellygrrrl May 1 - 15, 2012 The Royal Playa del Carmen Playa del Carmen, Mexico Austin, TX

hey sharon - how did it go with the cold patches??

I either read it online, or they said it to us when we were registering. you may try calling your local store to see if the return policy varies.

hey, the latest tip on the 'show us your dress' forum is to wear a couple of those adhesive cold compress patches under your dress. one girl had a friend who did it, and she stayed cool all evening! one of the other girls was going to try it at a baseball game in 90 degree temps - we're all waiting to hear the outcome. ; )

ooohhhh, I love it! SO super-cute. is it a maggie?

sorry ladies - I plan to retire the clear starfish at my wedding in may 2012.

adding asiamarie1: kellygrrrl's CLEAR starfish lineup User Name Travel Dates Resort Resort Location Home Location Islandbride8 June 27 - July 5, 2011 Majestic Elegance Punta Cana, Dominican Republic Morgantown, WV Amara3CUS July 15 - 31, 2011 Moon Palace Cancun, Mexico New Mexico Mallory57 August 11 - 21, 2011 Moon Dance Cliffs Negril, Jamaica Philadelphia, PA subbi September 13 - 21, 2011 Dreams Punta Cana Punta Cana, Dominican Republic Montreal, Canada Kathie October 24 - 29, 2011 Aruba Boston, MA OPEN November 14 - November 21 asiamarie1 December 6 - 21, 2011 Majestic Colonial Punta Cana, Dominican Republic Glenn Falls, NY JayKay January 9 - 16, 2012 Gran Bahia Principe Montego Bay, Jamaica Alberta, Canada Brenners February 8 - 15, 2012 Barcelo Maya Beach Resort Riviera Maya, Mexico Minneapolis, MN OPEN March 1 - 26, 2012 jbmarch2012 April 9 - 16, 2012 Larimar Punta Cana, Dominican Republic Philadelphia, PA kellygrrrl May 1 - 15, 2012 The Royal Playa del Carmen Playa del Carmen, Mexico Austin, TX

I have now. seen. EVERYTHING. ; )

yes - love the skittles idea! pretty ring, too. : )

we're planning to do the same thing, though there still may be guests around after the ceremony. I've heard of people switching resorts but couldn't imagine leaving ours - after all, that's why we chose it!! : )

I just found these guys. they're now linked in to la luna (via rachel) - definitely a consideration now ; ) http://www.playaweddings.com/video.php

yay!!! have an AMAZING time! : )

I am so glad for this thread, and especially for the girls who wrote in with too many guests! I was previously concerned about needing to have ~20 guests, mainly because I didn't want to be awkward with fewer people (and to look like a 'sad' wedding setup day-of). but reading all the responses, especially those from brides who have returned has helped tremendously! I now no longer fear having a small group, and, like purple unicorn, I think it might even be preferable now. this thread has saved me tons of sleepless nights and tears. I'm going to re-read it throughout the coming months to ensure I maintain that perspective. thank you all so much!!

starfish, I ADORE your dress and the pronovias line, and I'd meant to tell you sooner when you posted on the 'Show Us Your Dress' forum. online it looks like the dress has a looooong train. is that an add-on, or does it come that way? I really want to go try this on (but I already bought my dress... hee ; ) here's a pic of the pronovias gown I tried on and would have purchased if we were doing a formal church ceremony. it was also in the pronovias line called la sposa denia - it's the one pictured in the Martha Stewart Wedding magazines and is absolutely beautiful in person. it was one of those where there were 10 things going on in the room and when I came out and the consultant fluffed the dress, everything stopped. and all that lace for around $1,500 - LOVE pronovias. : )

FI and I both had a great laugh at that : ) thanks for posting

hey chelsea - I really like your photos! the book is awesome. : )

I hate people. ok, that sounds bad.; ) I hate people who say whatever they want when it's convenient for them and when they're held accountable they weasel out of their commitments. AND blame you in the process - I'm so sorry that happened to you, scarletbride. here's the thing. I think these same people can't admit, "hey, I'm going to have to make some sacrifices to attend this wedding" and don't want to put in the work, so they suggest you have it locally, like they did. I don't believe in compromises in this situation. in all the back and forth of DW planning, you have to ask what do YOU want and what is most important to you. for me, I knew having my parents, my brother and my FI there and us getting married in a dream destination were absolutely critial and everything else was just icing on an already elaborate cake. ; ) and though we've faced a number of emotional ups and downs in the planning process, I am impressed by the people who have exceeded our expectations. I've also learned that, "I don't know if I'll be able to afford it," is a polite way of saying no. I'll continue to believe that our DW will be everything we're dreaming of, and you should, too, scarletbride. there is no such thing as, "well you knew that people would back out." you believed they would come after they promised you they would, and that's most important. you didn't plan a wedding to exclude people, you planned the wedding that you wanted. I know it's tough, but it all comes down to you and your FI, not anybody else. if you're happy with your decision, don't let anyone take that from you. best of luck to you! I know it will all work out. : )

hi ladies - so I was just discussing with my mom my reluctance to change my last name to that of my FI's and she kept lecturing that it was a PRIVILEDGE to take his last name and how could I possibly not want that. thing is, ours will be his second marriage. his ex (with whom he has two children) TOOK and KEPT his last name (I'm sure for reasons of the kids than harboring any desire to reconcicle, but ARGH!!). sure, I'm not crazy about his last name, but I'd definitely feel differently if I had first dibs. now, taking the name lumps me in with the lot of them - his kids, his ex wife and his father (who has been cordial but aloof). and while all of this is expected, I'm still beyond frustrated about the situation. it's just another thing in a long list (including the opportunity to have children) that has already happened before me and so simply isn't met with the same sort of optimism and wishful thinking as first-time newlyweds. we love each other so much, and I think it's normal that these things come up. I don't know if my reaction is in line or if other second wives have viewed it in a completely different light. I don't see it as a priviledge to take his name, I see it as insulting to be linked with his ex. what I'd love is neutral territory, changing BOTH of our last names to a hybrid combination of them (which actually sounds awesome and has great meaning). but we can't, #1 because of the kids and #2 because he is the only living son (his older brother passed away). jokingly, I've told friends that I'm not changing my last name because it feels like he's colonizing, but deep down, it really does make me cringe. is there anyone out there who hasn't thought about this and/or is completely un-bothered by it? please let me know - I'd love to hear your thoughts on it (totally ok to tell me I'm overreacting, too ; ) thanks!

but keep in mind it includes your honeymoon - subtract ~$5000 and then see where you are. I couldn't find a reception venue for under $7,500 (not including flowers or photography), so for me, it's still well below what it would have cost to stay here. and you get a whole vacation with the people involved, not just a night. sure, the courthouse would be cheaper, but this is much more of a days-long experience than a moment. please don't be discouraged. : )

hi andrea - I haven't been married at the royal yet, but I've stayed there twice. I think I've seen most of your answers on here before: 1. no, but you can do one on your own 2. 8, but someone who reviewed the royal recently said they were able to get three tables of 8 near each other at one of the restaurants 3. check this site under vendors, but Del Sol and Elizabeth Medina are the top two, followed by the others (including my next fav, La Luna, Del Sol's sister studio with lower rates), Ivan Luckie, Blue Lens, Claudia Rodriguez, etc etc. it all comes down to what you like, but the most prominent studios are listed under vendors. I chose a local photog because I wanted someone familiar with the resort and outdoor shooting to do the wedding.

David's Bridal for me.