Pucca

I think if you somehow convey the idea that you'd prefer a monetary gift as opposed to an actual gift, particularly to some key people, they will pass the idea on to your guests without you having to feel awkward about addressing it (as I well understand). We didn't have a registry at all for our wedding. I had a blog post that laid down essentially what we wanted for wedding gifts which was: 1) We wanted nothing but a card with well wishes since they were traveling to our DW and that was gift enough; 2) if they really were compelled to give us a gift, we appreciated gift cards to our favorite stores (and I listed them) or cash towards some fun events for our weddingmoon. And I left it at that. I also explained that the reason for this sort of registry is because we are practical people and being older, we already have all the things we want; we are also picky about what we buy so we'd rather do the buying ourselves instead of being restricted to a "registry", and then we can purchase things during a time that is stress-free. My friends and family understood that so most people ended up giving us either gift cards or checks (some gave us cash in a card).

You've got me reminiscing about my trip to Aruba. Your photos are lovely!! Congratulations!!

That's another reason I can't cut my hair short anymore - I feel too exposed to the elements in the winter. I don't like it when hair stylists pouf the hair up too much so I know what you mean. But your haircut looks great! I think it just takes some getting used to and finding your way to style it. As for my wedding dress, I'm certainly planning to dry-clean it, and maybe preserve it. For what I have no idea, but I feel like it's what should be done. It's still sitting in the garment bag that I brought it home in though.... I do want it to find another owner at some point but I'm not sure how I'm going to do that. I'm actually contemplating donating it because I'd like it to bring joy to someone else as much as (or more than) it did to me. Doing some research on it at the moment. Congratulations!! And good luck on all the preps for Baby Bonidie! Look forward to your pictures when you get them!

Love looking at all your photos!! They are beautiful!

Thank you! I thought about going tropical or going with what was common down in Mexico but I just couldn't resist since I love sunflowers so much.

Thank you so much!! We were and are very very happy after a long year of planning and various stressing issues. We were and are blessed! Sorry I didn't respond sooner! I have been under the weather. My flip flops are a brand called Jelly Pop. I got them at Marshall's Shoe Store. And YES, they were VERY comfortable!! I wore them practically every day after the wedding because they were more comfy than the other flip flops I had brought!! The bottom is suede-like so it adds to the comfort; plus I got it soaked accidentally and it dried fairly quickly so that was an added bonus for me. Thank you so much!! I really appreciate your comments!! Thank you!! Thank you!!

This was my bouquet (and you can see most of my husband's boutonniere in the first pic).

Beautiful photos! Your niece is too cute!!

Thanks Courtney! We absolutely loved our TTD photos, not that we didn't love our wedding pictures! I forgot about the Happiest Wedding photo thread; will have to check that out again. Congratulations on being completely done with all your wedding events!! That Sienna Miller haircut is very chic! I like it! Did you end up cutting it like that? I've actually had long hair for a while - rather than growing it out just for wedding purposes - and my husband would freak out if I chopped it all off. Ha ha ha. He says he likes it long. I used to have short hair for a really really long time like the length in that Sienna Miller picture and he's seen pictures of it; he's told me that he doesn't really like it so I'll probably never cut it that short again. So I guess no lopping of locks for me.

Thank you for those kind words!! Hope your AHR went well and now you're getting a chance to relax!!

Hope y'all are having a good Friday entering into a lovely weekend! I finally posted my planning thread and I got some of our photos back! Here's the link to my thread for those of you who have extra time on your hands. http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/t/76794/puccas-post-wedding-planning-thread-with-pics#post_1697838 And here are just a few pictures from our wedding and our TTD:

The Ceremony So our colors ended up being primarily turquoise and some yellow, with a dash of silver and a splash of vibrant color, like Mexican fiesta. Our ceremony set-up captured by our photographer: We found some beautiful lanterns at Marshall’s so these were set up hanging from shepherd hooks right by the huppah – one on each side. They are actually more blue but it all depends on what lighting is like. And then we moved them to the sweetheart table and put some candles inside (they have little tealight holders) for the reception. Here’s a picture of the lanterns in the set-up: My bouquet (I love sunflowers): Groom’s boutonniere: Fathers, ushers, and ring-bearer had similar boutonnieres (minus the blue ribbon) and mothers had wrist corsages made from similar yellow flowers. Ring holders (my something borrowed) that was passed on to me by my good friends who got married last November and in August: Flowergirl baskets – a very easy and budget-friendly DIY project. I just had to add the veil and the bow: I found these bubbles and absolutely adored them! I was torn between eco-friendly confetti and bubbles but when I saw these I knew I had to get them; there will be one on every seat: Programs: We didn’t make official programs because I didn't want to create more opportunities to leave trash on the beach. I did plan to print out a small booklet but having moved and with my printer ink running out, I just didn’t have any energy to print them out before leaving for Mexico. The Party Napkins for cocktail hour: We bought some water and some soda (the half cans) along with some chips and salsa. The caterer ended up displaying everything nicely on a table at the reception site. Place cards using these fabulous wooden chipboards I found at Michael’s - table markers were made corresponding to each group (you can see one in the table set-up photo): A “Welcome Guests†sign that I made to put on the escort card/guestbook table (please ignore the blue handle as I had put it on my lapdesk to take a picture and forgot to omit the lapdesk handle): Table set-up with candle centerpieces: We also brought down some more small votive candles that we bought on clearance at Marshall’s (love that store!) as I was quite concerned about having enough lighting for the dinner portion of the festivities. . But we found out that the little votives did not last long in the wind, which really ended up fine after all because the centerpieces and other lighting were sufficient. I also bought some additional light strings just in case. In Mexico the wedding coordinator asked me to buy some more lights so we must have had a total of 5 sets of string lights to use. I also brought a package of shells with me, left over from DIY stuff. The wedding coordinator scattered them about the tables. I also brought this along to put on our sweetheart table as our kitty couldn’t be there with us: Cake cutter & server set: Music was courtesy of iPad and WeddingDJ app. I asked guests for some songs they’d like to hear and/or dance to, and added those to the library in addition to a plethora of songs I had, fiancé had, and that we searched for. We had a sound system and plugged the iPad in for the entire wedding ceremony and part of the reception (there was a conflict in schedule with the restaurant where they had scheduled a live performer during the latter half of our reception; so we had to move the dance party indoors to an enclosed sports bar – it actually turned out well because we had our own personal dance space and the bartenders were happy to play DJ). Cake inspiration: Originally I wanted this funky cake because it’s different and it’s fun. It says Mexican fiesta to me. J But all vendors said no as it is a “work of artâ€. Boo hoo. This ended up being our cake inspiration. We asked for it in light blue though and were asked to bring the shells: The florist gave us flowers for our cake and we brought down some beige and white colored shells. And this is what we ended up with: We loved the cake (tres leches) both visually and taste-wise! While some of my family didn’t like the “sogginess†of the cake, a lot of my guests had seconds (and there was enough since we had a lot of cake). Favors: We bought these in Mexico as I wanted something that could double as a souvenir for guests so they didn’t have to feel like they needed to go souvenir shopping if they didn’t want to. They are little containers with lids and they were a hit with the guests. On the bottom it has a sticker with our names and our wedding date; my husband did it at Office Max in Los Cabos and surprised me with them the day before the wedding when he brought these over to the wedding venue. Guest book – we decided not to have a guest book but rather had everyone sign a photo matte. I also brought some blank postcards I had and asked guests to sign it with some advice, well wishes, or funny commentary and put it in our card-box. Gifts Gifts for my nontraditional flower girls J (instead of having bridesmaids, I just had 5 flowergirls): I bought a gift for my niece (one of the flowergirls) but I didn’t take a picture of it. It was a Tokidoki compact mirror if that means anything. I also bought a game for my ringbearer (my 12 year-old nephew); it was called the “Anti-boredom Boxâ€. Gift for my mother - she only wears rings, not much else: Gift for my mother-in-law: Not sure what to get the fathers so we may just stick with photo albums later. In true Korean tradition, my family bought my father-in-law a suit and my mother-in-law a dress. So I guess we’re just leaving it at that for now. I think that’s about it! I can’t believe the wedding has come and gone! Thanks for reading this! Here's a final picture of how everything came together :

Sorry....my pages froze. Part 2 will be posted in a few minutes.

Sorry that this is post-wedding. I had every intention of posting this the week before I left but I had no energy left (as well as no internet) after having moved the week right before leaving for Mexico. I did keep a MS Word file going so most of it was done, and since a lot of this was written before I got married, you might find some future verb tenses rather than past. Please excuse those. I also tried to size down the pictures but to no avail! Unbelievable but it’s time for my planning journal! I’ve learned a lot from this forum! So here’s my chance to share with everyone. Thanks everyone for your sharing and for posting all of your ideas too! I have thoroughly enjoyed being a part of BDW! The Engagement: So it all started in Hawaii, on a trip with my then boyfriend to attend a close friend’s wedding. My proposal story can be found here: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/thread/66896/engaged-in-paradise This was the backdrop of my engagement. My honey is amazingly romantic. And he did an awesome job picking out a conflict-free engagement ring that I love: The Location: I had always wanted a destination wedding, and so talking to my fiancé on the flight back to the mainland, he agreed with a beach destination wedding. Fortuitously I had bought a wedding magazine at the airport to flip through on the flight and I came across an article recommending November for Los Cabos. I had been there years before with a good friend of mine and I absolutely fell in love with the place. My fiancé has never been there but he was thrilled with the idea. So for various reasons and budget constraints we decided to see how we could plan a wonderful DW in Mexico. Fortunately things just came together and I’m having my wedding on the beach in front of the WorldMark Coral Baja with the reception dinner being catered by Mama Mia - a restaurant on the property. The food was good! J The Dress: So the first thing I did, besides contact the property was to go dress-shopping. I thought it was going to be tough to find a reasonable dress that I loved and would be comfortable in for the whole affair. After a day of trying on dresses I felt kinda bummed because it was so overwhelming and the dresses I thought I really liked in photographs did not look good on me. I also didn’t have my close friends with me to try on dresses and wondered if maybe that was the problem. But, a week later, on a whim, I dropped by Macy’s Bridal Salon on my own and ended up finding my dress there! Who’d have thought?!? It’s from Demetrios Illusions. Here’s the picture on the model (I’m glad I saw this AFTER I bought my dress because I would have never thought it would be one to try on from the picture): Here's the actual dress during my first fitting: And the back which I loved: It fit me so much better after the alterations and a bit of weight loss. My mom added flowers on the straps (front and back). My jewelry: Earrings (thanks to a BDW member who posted a friends and family discount): Necklace was a gift from fiancé a while ago before we were engaged. I don’t have a close-up photo of it but you can see it in my other pics. It’s a dragonfly. J Bracelets: I wanted some color so I bought this: Wore it together with this, a gift from my friend in lieu of bridal shower (she’s so awesome!): Both of us were going to go barefoot but then fiance decided he wanted to wear flip flops. No problem. I went out and found these flip flops: I had originally bought these for pre-ceremony photos but decided to wear them to the legal ceremony instead: Hair and Make-up: I got a hair stylist to come to the hotel and he did a great job. My hair inspiration: Make-up: I ended up doing my own make-up with some help from friends (who put on the lashes for me). I did some trials with make-up artists at bridal shows here in NY but wasn’t really happy with them. So I decided to stick with myself and some help from friends. J Here’s my make-up and another hair inspiration combined: The Groom’s attire: Suit was a gift from my mom. He wore a teal shirt; still was undecided whether or not he would wear a tie so I gave him the option of surprising me at the wedding. He decided to wear it. This is what he looked like: His shoes for the wedding, except his are black: Wedding Rings: I wanted something just to wear on its own since I think my e-ring is just perfect on its own. So my fiancé got me this which I thought was just perfect: This is his wedding band that I got for him; he picked it out and loves it because it’s lightweight and comfy (he hates wearing jewelry): Save the Dates: I made these myself; thought the festive colors would set the tone for a fun celebration and it’s reminiscent of a Mexican fiesta: Wedding Invitations: DIY wedding invitations I made with a little help from Vista Print. The center cards, response cards, and address labels were all the same design. I had so much fun doing this and on the back it says “Handmade with loveâ€: Thank you cards: Made from matching cards used for the STDs; will probably enclose a picture or two from the wedding:

Your cake is lovely Aruba Bride!! Ours was tres leches flavor and absolutely delicious! There's a slice cut out of it as this one was taken after we did the cake cutting, and we weren't planning on bringing home the top tier:

Thanks! And congrats to you as well!!

Congratulations and welcome to the forum! There is so much information on this site so you might want to take a day and go through the reviews. I would also take a look at people's wedding pictures from either location. I know there are a lot of Dreams brides on this forum so you'd be able to get a good idea of what a wedding there would look like. You can also do a search for Hilton Los Cabos and see what you can find. There are reviews and also photos as well, so you can take a look at that as well. On a side note, I just returned from Los Cabos yesterday and I personally feel you can't go wrong at either location as far as the setting goes. I haven't actually been inside either of the resorts which I know might not be helpful but I'm just talking about the general beauty of Los Cabos, which I'm sure you understand since you just did a site visit for each place. So you might want to decide what your priority is. Do you think if you have your wedding at Dreams you will wonder if you should have paid a little more for what you saw at the Hilton? Or will you be just as happy at Dreams (as far as location goes)? I think that when it gets closer to the wedding, the pace of response from the wedding coordinators may pick up; but if that makes you anxious, it's probably good to consider the faster more responsive people. Trust me, you want to minimize as much stress as you can. You want to be able to be as relaxed as you can on your wedding day and every little bit helps. Also is access to a swimable beach important? Dreams is not that far from Chileno Bay which is a public swimable beach and if you organize a beach excursion day, that might be something fun to do, and you get to leave the hotel. Good luck with your planning and no matter which place you end up choosing, I'm sure your wedding will be absolutely beautiful!

I am back, quite reluctantly, from our wedding. Heh heh. We had a blast and were tempted to stay an extra day when the airline asked us if we wanted to give up our seats for the following day. Courtney and Alysa, your pictures are beautiful!! It's so exciting to see all the planning and craziness culminate into a beautiful occasion! I can't wait to see ours. The photographer is sending the digital versions soon but he handed us an album with about 50 prints that we could carry home. We were thrilled with them and can't wait to see the rest! We did a TTD session two days after our wedding because my husband wanted to do it so we had a lot of fun with that. Taryn, that picture of you in the dufflebag is hilarious! Hope you are enjoying yourself!! Now I have to post my planning thread which I failed to do prior to leaving.

Congratulations Joanne!! Love your dress! We leave tomorrow & I'm trying to repack! I've been reading everyone's posts but haven't had time or patience to comment since I'm using my phone as we have no Internet yet. It's driving me craZy to try to post replies using my phone. Unfortunately that also means no planning thread post either. :-( I will have to do it when I get back. Joanne I know you leave tomorrow too so have a good trip!! The rest of you ladies that travel between now & the 15th, safe travels! I'll be looking forward to checking in when I get back to see all the lovely pictures!!

Thanks Janine & meBoniedie2be! We are finally moved in and I am exhausted beyond belief. I'm just dying to sleep but now I've got to organize. Oof. Congratulations Janine on your legal marriage! And yes, I know the feeling of it being surreal. We've been married for just about 3 weeks and I still don't feel like we are really "married". Guess that's good though cuz it'll make the DW really hit home and feel like THE day. :-) I can't believe some of us November ladies are now in Mexico! Time is just flying! We leave on Sunday! Up till last night I wasn't excited at all because I was soooo exhausted but now I'm feeling a bit more excited. I'll probably try to repack although I wish I could stay in bed.....

Stress seems to be our good friend these days. It's understandable when melt-downs happen. I've been beyond stressed living among boxes (we are finally moving tomorrow), trying to finish wedding things, and trying to get more work done on my dissertation or finish it if at all possibke before i leave next Sunday (highly improbable). My honey tries to help but he's been working a lot to make up for the time off for our DW. So I ended up getting sick and am trying to recover. The cold weather sure doesn't help with that. I can't believe we leave next Sunday....I'm not terribly excited either.....

That's a very detailed planning thread! So awesome that you thought to include everything!! I really love how the dog is incorporated in the details!! Thanks for sharing!! And I'm hoping that things will be fine when you head down there (and that there's minimal damage from the weather, if any)!

Great planning thread! Thanks for sharing! And I must agree - the dress is gorgeous on you!!!

I've never heard of this either, but why not? Celebrate life, marriage, and love whenever you can is what I say! We celebrate our dating anniversary every month (not necessarily with a night out all the time but we try to do something most of the time - movie at home or at the cinema, dinner, a mini-excursion, a date for dessert), and we plan to continue this for our wedding anniversary since our wedding date falls on the same day as the day of month we started dating.

Taryn, congratulations on your legal ceremony!! Sounds like everything (minus the BM drama) went really well! Enjoy your second (and maybe final) fitting!! Sorry to hear about your BM drama. I personally feel that if you feel like you've given someone enough chances to be courteous and civil (in the least) let alone be a part of an important day in your life, and she's messed it up without even apologizing/explaining to you, you're justified in walking away from that "friendship". You don't need to waste your energy on fake friends; spend it on your true friends who are with you through all the ups and downs. Joanne, sorry to hear about your friend telling you she's not coming. I can imagine how much that hurt. But think of the positives - like you'll be in warmer weather for weeks, you'll be with the people that you love and who love you, all your planning will come to fruition, you'll have a beautifully fantastic time, and not to mention you'll be marrying the love of your life!! There's no room for negative thoughts. Whatever needs to transpire between you and your friend can wait till you get back from Mexico. Maybe by that time both of you will have a better perspective (without emotions being so raw). On the whole boy do I understand being stressed!! We leave in 12 days and I still have so many things on my plate - most of them are actually not related to the wedding but just to other aspects of life here in general (like packing to move - our move-in date is the end of the month....). Whew.....