kellygrrrl

I think guys care less about how much things cost. as the matriarch, I think ladies generally operate more conservatively.

very nice, and I think you have a dress twin on here if you look maybe a month or so back. congrats!! : )

great idea! thanks! : ) Quote: Originally Posted by NurseM Kelly, I just looked through my pm's I have her email address as well, so if we don't hear from her I will email her

she should be back on tues, 6/21, so I really hope she'll log on to review and we'll hear from her then. Islandbride8, does she have your contact info? worst case, I thought I might try susanna on facebook (luckily she used her full name on here!

that wouldn't have worked for us. every time we play scrabble and I lose I get MAD. I have to laugh at it, it's so silly but really. the onion even wrote an article on it: http://www.theonion.com/articles/jilted-hasbro-ceo-laughs-coldly-as-scrabble-destro,2760/

never thought of it, but that's a great idea! the resort bracelet is clear (at least, it was a few years back), so you could get practically anything. it would even be a good spur-of-the-moment purchase in playa - perhaps to add to the OOT bags?

wow... umm, how did this thread come back the whole way from 2008?! anyhow, budgeting is near and dear to my heart (I work as a pricing manager), and I have built excel file upon excel file with all the potential costs laid out. for those still in the planning stages, what I did was assemble a lower-end wedding budget and then a higher-end, as if money wasn't a factor and I was going to splurge on everything (within reason, I'm still a pretty frugal person and wouldn't get a dress above, say, $2K regardless ; ). we are really fortunate in that my parents are giving us $5,000. they gave my brother the same amount to use for his honeymoon (his wife's parents paid for the wedding), so that's what I'm considering spending it on. the money will pay for the following for myself and my FI: * plane tickets (Austin to Cancun ~$450 ea) * 7 - 8 nights at the Royal Playa del Carmen (all-inclusive ~$325/nt) * ~$1K in spending cash for activities (scuba diving, etc) and resort extras like massages and dinner on the beach, airport transfers, etc above that, we are planning to spend roughly $7,500 on the remainder of the wedding, but the final price tag will be dictated by the number of guests. if we have 25 - 30 people coming, I'd like to spring for the extras like fire dancers. oh, and there are some things I haven't factored in - his ring, airport parking, petsitting, etc. I figure those are more incidentals that we'll work into our daily budget - I see the wedding costs as what we'll pay to the coordinator when it's all said and done with. some things we're considering to save money are: * going with a photog studio that's trained by del sol (la luna - freakin AWESOME!). it's sort of like hiring a photog's assistant, and although it's less than half the cost of del sol, it's still the largest singular expense at $2,000 * getting legally married in the states. between the blood tests, translation, documentation, need to arrive earlier than we'd planned, hiriing someone to perform the ceremony ($500 for like 20 MINS SERIOUSLY!??!) and not getting to recite anything but their script, this move will save us $750+ and we'll have our friend read the vows we write in the end, I think it's all about what's important to you. I knew that I'd rather spend $350 on a dress than $1,350, even though it may not be as formal and intricate because I'd only have the chance to wear it for a few hours. but some people really do focus on that piece and spend there only to cut back in different areas. I was astounded when my brother's wedding cost in excess of $13,000 for one evening - at least this way, we'll get an entire VACATION with people, not just a snippet of conversation in a rushed few minutes. that was vastly more important to me, even if it meant I wouldn't get to see everyone (because the reality is that at age 31, our friends/family are so spread out that most people would have had to travel in a significant way even if we had the wedding in our hometown). if family make up the majority of the guest list, there's no reason to go nuts with the spending 'cause, hey, they love you regardless. ; ) now if we get a lot of friends, I'll be tempted to up the ante and make it more of a show. but I have to keep in mind we're in a fantastic resort, so everything else is icing. I think a destination wedding is sooooo much better than an empty hotel ballroom you have to fill and light and provide food and entertainment etc etc etc. whereas the ocean sort of stands on its own. ; ) I'm gonna wrap it up now, but hopefully this helps. good luck with planning!!

hey jac - from the sound of it, I think only one of your girls will be able to make it. at least, that's the way I'm reading the responses from my group. I'm assuming those with potential money issues are just delaying the inevitable, and that's ok. some people just don't feel comfortable saying no, so I'd rather think they're not coming and then be pleasantly surprised if they do. this happened with my MOH - she was part of our moving the wedding a year out because the got pregnant and would have been due right around the wedding time. a few months later after we sent the STDs, she called me freaked out about costs (which we had discussed at length previously and she swore weren't an issue). hormones aside (she was 7 - 8 mo pregnant at this time), I figured she was pretty set on not going - she and her husband even committed to join his family in hawaii when the baby was six months old - after knowing about my wedding previously. my point is, if she was really intent on coming, I think she'd be considering going alone (so that both of them wouldn't have the expense and the need for someone to care for the baby) and talking to one of our mutual friends about sharing a room, etc. I'm not trying to be critical of her priorities - it just became clear she couldn't do everything, and the wedding was too much of a sacrifice, which is really ok. but I'm not looking to her for a definitive 'no,' I feel like she's already said that in a number of ways (citing financial issues that weren't a problem in the past, going on the family vacation and not planning to go to the wedding alone - whatever it takes). and as for the symmetry, I think my FI and I will each just have one special person with us - we may not even have them stand during the ceremony or wear anything particular. not only is it infinitely simpler, it requires fewer choices (hopefully there will be at least one friend there, right?? ; ) maybe it's as simple as saying, 'hey, we're placing an order for clothing and need to know if we should get something for you. please send your measurements if you'll be there.' but I wouldn't do the ordering unless you were REALLY confident they were coming (I'm assuming you're paying for everything here). if they decide to come, I think the wardrobe would take care of itself in some fantastic, pre-destined sort of a way. but I think you already have your 'no's.' order for those who are yes's. : ) best of luck.

you've been added: kellygrrrl's CLEAR starfish lineup User Name Travel Dates Resort Resort Location Home Location Susanna.Hanson June 14 - 21, 2011 Cabo del Sol Houston, TX Islandbride8 June 27 - July 4, 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 OPEN November 14 - December 26 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

yes, I think it would work if you're interested in the clear starfish. please provide your dates as indicated below/confirm everything else is correct: kellygrrrl's CLEAR starfish lineup User Name Travel Dates Resort Resort Location Home Location subbi Dreams Punta Cana Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

jaykay - your end date has been updated. that may open up an opportunity for someone between you and brenners, but we'll leave it TBD for now. kellygrrrl's CLEAR starfish lineup User Name Travel Dates Resort Resort Location Home Location Susanna.Hanson June 14 - 21, 2011 Cabo del Sol Houston, TX Islandbride8 June 27 - July 4, 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 OPEN September 5 - October 10 Kathie October 24 - 29, 2011 Aruba Boston, MA OPEN November 14 - December 26 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

updates have been made. I also listed a few open slots for future brides, but outside of those, the clear starfish is pretty much booked. exciting!! now if we just hear back from susanna... kellygrrrl's CLEAR starfish lineup User Name Travel Dates Resort Resort Location Home Location Susanna.Hanson June 14 - 21, 2011 Cabo del Sol Houston, TX Islandbride8 June 27 - July 4, 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 OPEN September 5 - October 10 Kathie October 24 - 29, 2011 Aruba Boston, MA OPEN November 14 - December 26 JayKay January 9 - 23, 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

certainly, just remind me next year ; ) I'm happy to try figuring out a way to share the comments (maybe scanning the pages?)

sorry - meant fingers crossed re susanna.hanson. : ) congrats again, nurse m!

beautiful bouquet!! : ) we'll just keep our fingers crossed re nurse.m. hopefully everything will turn out just fine. thanks for participating and passing it along!

thanks for your msg. islandbride8 - has susanna.hanson contacted you to get your address?

hey nursem - did you ever hear anything from susanna? I tried getting in touch before she left, but no word back. just wanted to make sure she received the starfish.

bwahahaaa - david's just switched out the photos on their website, and now I totally have to post. the model looks like helena bonham carter from sweeny todd! (no offense to any of them - it was a great movie, and I'm sure david's did it to the model - just not the world's best wedding look). you have to see this: the model (new shot): helena bonham carter in sweeny todd (for comedic comparison to new shot): old shot from david's website (much more reasonable, even if she does look like a kindergarten teacher ; ): and finally, me in the dress (I ended up going with the chapel length veil as seen in the photo above and my last pic below):

do you think it really costs that much? or are they marking it up somehow? if the latter, I would be happy to intercept them for you and then mail them from here (Texas) for the actual cost to canada. you're welcome to PM me if interested. : )

I think you can - you just have the added responsibility of making sure the waiters know who gets what. past brides have used colored place cards or little stickers to distinguish.

thanks for all the details. you looked stunning - it truly was the perfect dress for you. I showed my FI just now, and he commented on how well your hairstyle went with it, too. congrats!! : )

hey, what are you doing for that? I just started to look into some type of flowers/neiman marcus butterfly garland for the gazebo.

what about a dye-able shoe? those on myglassslipper are still pricey, but they will dye shoes from their sister site, bridalshoes.com. the latter appear to be more reasonably priced. link to dyeing shoe info on myglassslipper: http://www.myglassslipper.com/blue-wedding-shoes/dyeable/royal-blue-43-6344 link to bridalshoes.com dyeable high heel shoes: http://www.bridalshoes.com/dyeable-bridal-shoes/high-heel

noootttttt really. I've emailed him for a quote 3x over the past, say, month, and I received a response last week that said he's send rates and pictures soon. he sounds overwhelmed, but I think your situation is pretty common, and I know from past reviews that he does need cash day-of (someone had to borrow money off someone in their wedding party before).

just keep her out of the pictures - she'll get the message ; ) hee, is that too mean? but seriously, dying your hair HOT PINK BEFORE WEARING A CORAL DRESS. come. on. jennifer, you are certainly NOT a bridezilla - all the girls on here equally freak out over the red runner and now your colors will be clashing with the hot pink on her head?! thank god for photoshop. is there any chance of her dying it back before the big day? how will she maintain hot pink in chlorine? and salt water? seems like it would be tough to do. and especially because these are your pictures for forever - you don't want one of your girls sticking out like that. I'm really sorry about this and think that you are in no way a bridezilla for it. at this point, I think you can (diplomatically) say what you need to say to her and decide your terms (i.e. if she keeps the hair, you can't have her in all the wedding party pictures, etc). it's tough, but going along with what the bride wants is kinda the name of the game. everyone dresses around it - overall appearance shouldn't be any different. at a minimum, she should have checked with you first, but I'll certainly conceded she wasn't thinking that far ahead. good luck - let us know what happens.