KCB2011

Awesome Awesome Awesome. I think this may be one of the best planning threads I have read! And I have a read as many as possible!!! Everything looks amazing and you clearly put a lot of time and thought in to everything! Congrats and Have Fun!!

First of all, I am SO SORRY that you are having to go through this right now! All I can say is that you should go with your gut. I know that's not very helpful and is probably what most people say but I try and follow my gut so I always tell other people to do the same....we have intuition for a reason! On the practical side of things - are you doing the legal stuff in Mexico? Maybe to save your money and others money - you could cancel the legal part of the ceremony and just do a symbolic ceremony (you may have to pay the fees for the judge etc anyway but this will be much less than the $30000 it would cost to cancel everything)? This way, you can discuss this in more depth with your fiance after you return from the symbolic wedding without having to go through all the legalities if you do decide to go your separate ways. Also, no one has to cancel their trip and you will be able to make your decision based on what you actually want to do - not based on anything to do with the trip or money. As I read what I am typing, I know it sounds a little bad, like you are going through the motions of a "fake" wedding for everyone, but it is a way to keep yourself out of crisis mode for the logistical side of things and make the decision when you are not in panic mode which might help. If you decide it is just cold feet, then you can go do the legal thing at city hall and no one has to be the wiser! Hope this helps and no matter what happens, good luck and trust that you will make the best decision for you!

I booked today as well and Arnaud emailed me back to say that I made it in time! Dana - don't worry, from my emails with Arnaud he said that Dreams just asked for a list of people who had already booked so they can make sure that the new policy does NOT apply to people who have already booked. Since you booked long before today, I'm sure you are already on that list, so like nemo831 said, you don't need to worry! Also, I don't think they were trying to negotiate with Dreams about this, I understand that it is a definite that previous bookings do not apply to the new policy.

No problem - Lisa can have the remainder...I am still deciding whether to order them or not!

I might be interested in 20-30 boxes but I'm wondering if they flatten as I am in Canada so it would make the shipping from Maryland a LOT cheaper!

Woohoo! I got my pashminas the other day and they were REALLY fast to be shipped all the way from New York to Alberta! They are really nice and I'm so happy with them because even with the cost of shipping, it was still cheaper than going and buying them here (even at Ardene on sale!)

Sounds like the travel agency is just trying to get you to do everything through them to get a little more commission - you definitely DO NOT have to book the wedding through them to get the free package. You will have to provide a list to Tiara of your guests names and which of them (probably all of them...) are staying at the resort. This way Tiara will be able to see that you have booked enough rooms to get the free package and it shouldn't be an issue. Worst case scenario, you have your guests confirm with the hotel at check in that they are with your wedding party. No need to panic, but understandable since it is $900!!!

I haven't been there yet, but I emailed the resort to ask about this a while ago and they suggested that you request a newly renovated room at check in because the message doesn't always get there if you ask your travel agent to request it for you. From what I understand the building blocks with higher numbers are more likely to have the renovated rooms (building 4, 5 etc), apparently Building 3 has more of the older rooms but I could be wrong! Hope this helps!

I am doing OOT bags - I chose tote bags instead of paper bags because I thought people might be able to use them for beach bags while they are there. I am putting the usual stuff in them: first aid kit, personalized cup, wipes for cleaning sunglasses, towel, welcome letter, itinerary, hand sanitizer, mini sunscreen. I was also thinking of adding a room spray from bath and body works (they are small) and "solemates" for the ladies (covers for high heels so they don't sink in the grass...since our ceremony is at the gazebo!) I wanted stuff that could be used while we are down there so not everything from the bag has to be packed back home in their suitcases.

I'd go with it too. We are having 3 BM and 3 GM and we are not distinguishing so we technically have 3 bridesmaids/maids of honour and 3 groomsmen/best men. I think on our programs we are listing them all as bridesmaids and groomsmen so that is also an option. I don't think anyone will think it is weird to have them all listed as best men either!

I think they look tight in the second pic but I think it might be because his hands are in the pockets? In the first pic they don't look too tight to me!

I have read that tons of brides on here have ordered from minimus.biz so I don't think you have to have a wholesale license - I think you can buy wholesale for a bit better pricing through them, and for that you would need a license, but buying individually I think is still possible. Might have to check it out! There are a few other sites that others have ordered from but the most common is definitely minimus. I did a search for travel items on this section of the forum and got a few different web addresses that way too!

Aphrodite - that totally makes sense, and is much easier since your guests are all booking together (we don't have that since we have people in multiple countries so the coordination was a nightmare...) I think your timeline is great and that way you have a little extra time just incase!

I did the same thing but was wondering if it was possible to have them printed at Staples! Do they have good paper selection and which Staples did you go to? For 20 bucks, I would LOVE to have them printed instead of having to do that myself!

Yvette - congrats and good luck, but you won't need it as I'm sure that everything will be great even if Tiara can't make it!! Can't wait to hear how great everything goes! Lisa - congratulations to you too! Sounds like everything went great which is awesome. Looking forward to your review....I LOVE reviews and we haven't had a DLR one in a while! Chanelo - your BM dresses are gorgeous, I also got pashminas for my female guests and I just received them - they are really nice and I hope everyone likes them! You have lots of great inspiration for your colours!

Congrats! I am sending mine out 3-3.5 months before (sent out STDs earlier too) because I don't want to give people too much time to forget about it if I send it too far in advance! haha, not sure what others are planning/have done though!

We are giving the bags out at our welcome breakfast the day after everyone arrives. We are going to hang out in the lobby as people arrive and give them an itinerary (so they know to come to the breakfast since we aren't doing pre-travel brochures) for the week and a quick welcome and then let them get settled. In my experience, the champagne and wet towel are passed out while you wait in line to check in (servers with trays and you take one if you want) so you stopping in quickly to welcome them shouldn't interrupt that really. Just a suggestion! Most hotels charge a fee to put them in each room - ours is $3 per room I think!

Thanks everyone for the HDC photo info - I emailed him and they are available on my date so I'm thinking I'm just going to book before it becomes unavailable!! Haven't heard from any of the WCs yet (will have to remember to check about photog day pass) but since I'm still 4 months away, they are probably working on getting back to the more urgent people first Dana - glad to hear you have a great attitude about the sister drama!! Chanelo - you have to put pictures in through the "Insert Image" icon at the top of the Reply window (line with the B I U , the happy face etc) and it is the icon that looks like a tiny picture next to the one that looks like a film strip. When you click that, it will let you browse the images on your computer and insert it that way. Hope this was helpful and not just more confusing! (This is the only way I know to do it......)

www.minimus.biz has the motrin for .39 per package but the shipping is cheaper through this wholesale place...might end up not making a difference? I'm now torn. what do you think?

I'm ordering from a wholesale company where my friend is a member. Not sure of the name, I can check with her if you want. I am in the Calgary area.

I am getting ready to place an order for some individually packed (2 per pack) Motrin IB ibuprofen and No name acetaminophen 100 tablet bottles but I have to order them in certain numbers so I will have extras: Motrin IB - $0.50 per package - I will have 500 extra packages Acetaminophen - $1.75 per bottle of 100 - I will have 8 extra (I am giving one per couple) Just thought I would check and see if anyone needs any of these things before I order! I am in Canada so if you are in the US it may cost a little more to mail, but Canadian brides should have pretty cheap shipping!

Not sure how many you will need but I will have a few extra from my order and I'm in Calgary as well so it would save on the shipping. I think I will have about 10 extra and according to UPS they will be arriving tomorrow. PM me if you want!

Oh...I have a photographer question! I am trying to decide whether to hire an outside photographer - we are getting the Ultimate Package but I have been in touch with the DLR photographer and it is $15 per picture for every extra photo you want! AHHH. So I'm assuming that getting the CD/DVD of all the photos will cost an arm and a leg. Has anyone purchased the CD of photos and if so, how much did it cost? For those of you who are going with outside photographers...how much is it costing and do you have to pay for their travel to DLR from Punta Cana or has someone found photogs in the area? I have read a lot about HDC and was thinking of them, but I don't want to get ahead of myself budgetwise! Any info/suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!

I didn't know Old Navy was carrying linen shirts and pants! I was planning on ordering from islandimporters too but wasn't sure if they would be good enough quality to be worth the money! Since a shirt and pants is just over $100! Now I'm torn if I should check out Old Navy before I order!

I'm not sure what type of stuff you are wanting to bring but you could get a nice picture/painting of the Canadian Rockies or something...like a smaller print maybe? I would say to bring a pair of those olympic mittens but she won't get much use out of those! Quote: Originally Posted by mochamakes3 I want to bring our WC some Canadian souvenirs. Does anyone have suggestions other than maple syrup or ice wine?