JQLong

Hello sweetmelissann! Great review! We are getting married on the 4th of July and are having our reception at El Patio. I was told the atmosphere is perfect. Out of the other restaurants, which one would you recommend for a small welcome gathering? I am paying for the reception but I do not want to pay extra for the welcome dinner. Thanks!

Awesome bags!

Will do! I can't wait either....I feel like a kid on Christmas everytime I get a new email from her! LOL!

I paid $316.94 (including taxes but not shipping). Once she has completed them she will let me know the cost for shipping. I am going to post a price comparison to what I would have spent at the resort shortly. Please check her out. She is truly an AMAZING artist...and very nice as well! Let me know if you have any other questions! JQ

Looking at them now....YOU WERE BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Very, very lovely!!!!

Hello Everyone.... I was going to wait until they were complete and until I began my planning thread...but.....I can't!!! Like many brides on this site, I too am budget conscious as my honey and I are basically paying for our wedding on our own. Our resort offers pretty flowers but they are VERY expensive. As we are getting married on July 4th in Mexico...I began to wonder how long any flowers would last in the heat all day....and I paid WHAT? So...after seeing posts on "real touch flowers" I became curious and wanted to know what they were (it is amazing the lingo you learn as a bride...OOT bags, real touch flowers, MOH, DH, etc...) Ok, ok....so...I research online and honestly was quite amazed at how expensive even they could be. I had visited several sites but many were booked well into next year and also were still expensive despite the fact they are not real flowers. After extensive research...I found Sabella Designs! http://www.sabelladesigns.com/ Kimberly Zarobsky is the owner and she is AMAZING! She is extremely passionate about her work and has been wonderful throughout the entire process. She designs all the flowers herself so the attention is very personal. Our first conversation was over an hour long and I felt as if I made a friend instantly. Alright....I will shutup and show the pics...our wedding colors are Yellow, Turquoise & Fuchsia.. This is a picture of my honey's boutonniere! Bestman's, Groomsman's, & my Dad's bouts... Here are the flowers for my MOH & Bridesmaid... Lovely... Attention to detail is amazing..... We still have about 2 months to go and she has kept me updated with pictures during the entire process. I have not seen my bouquet yet but I am afraid to get the email at work because I will cry....I am so happy with them flowers already. She is also doing hair flowers for me, my MOH & my bridesmaid, corsages for my Mom, my FSIL, and my future niece. As I continue to get pictures I will post here and keep you updated with my AMAZING flowers. Please check out her website....and feel free to ask me any questions! TO BE CONTINUED........

Hey Ariane1126... Thanks for the great re-cap of your wedding! I was not able to see the pictures... You are too funny about the rude people! Trust me...the group traveling with us will certainly put rude folks in line! Hope to see your pics soon! JQ

Just so you know.....you may have to go to several Staples before you get the amount you want. They do not come in packs by themselves. There are other "for dummies" books in the bins. I had to go to 3 staples to get 13....and I am still on a hunt! Good Luck! JQ

BAGS HAVE BEEN SOLD

That is an awesome idea! Thank you!

Thanks Beth! I spoke with my Mom. I am going to call my MOH tonight.

I purchased 8 purple canvas bucket totes from the knotwedding shop (they only sent me 7 ).....but anyway... The bags are very big and not the color I need. I paid $2.99 but I am willing to sell for $2.00 per bag + shipping.

Abbie.... Thank you so much for responding. I agree with what you have said. My intention is not to put anyone out anymore than they already are. Having the AHR BBQ will be the best thing. Thanks!

O.k..... I have a very small bridal party...I have a maid of honor and 1 bridesmaid (my 16 year old daughter). My mom called me a little upset the other day because my MOH has not responded to her calls and she has offered to help with my bridal shower. The thing is...my MOH is unemployed and dealing with some personal issues. My bridesmaid (my daughter) is a student and obviously unemployed. My parents are paying for our reception in Cancun and I do not want to be a burden on anyone. I honestly do not care if I have a shower but I do not want to come off as ungrateful. Also, we are getting down to the wire as far as time. There are only 10 weekends before the wedding and I will also be busy with my daughter & her basketball tournaments. I feel bad because my mom feels terrible that she cannot afford to pay for the entire shower as she feels I deserve one. Typically the bridal party throws the shower but I am anything but typical. We intend on having a cookout (AHR) when we return for those that could not make it so I may just advise that I do not want a shower??? Does anyone have any suggestions? JQ

This is an AMAZING blog! Thank you so much for sharing with us! I'm sure it takes a lot of time......

****Stands Up***** "My name is JQLong and I too am a Thrift Store Shopping Addict".....

Very nice! Sharons OOT Tag Name Template.ppt ohshitkitlabel (1).docx Sharons Welcome Book.docx

You looked beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!! I love your dress & your hair! I love the pcitures as they are. It looks like you had a very nice intimate ceremony- which is why I opted for a DW in the first place. Nothing against my fellow DW brides for having a large wedding....but the whole point to me of having a DW was for the intimacy....and you nailed it!!!! I love, love, love the set up! We have decided to have ours at the gazebo but after seeing your beach wedding...I now have second thoughts Again...thank you very much for sharing! And confirming that a small wedding can be just as special!

Awwww....Thanks Amanda! I truly appreciate your feedback. How many people did you have attend? We have 18 booked (including us) and about 4 or 5 more to go. I had anticpated paying the fee for a section of the restaurant to be blocked. Evangelina clarified for me that waitstaff would be dedicated to our party. I'm glad you said El Patio is a good choice. I'm just hoping that we can get it for our date. As far as the cake is concerned, I will be on the lookout for the marble! What package did you choose for your photography? Quote: Originally Posted by Amanda Kirby We just went to a restaurant as well. There is an extra fee if you want to have a part of restaurant blocked but I was like no we just want to go eat dinner like we would normally. Yamina said they dont normally do that but it was no big deal. They ended up sitting us in these big king/queen chairs and we also had them bring the cake there. By the way the cake for 10 people is tiny and we ordered marble and I didnt care for it. El Patio was my favorite and second Oceana. El Patio is a fun atmosphere and will be good for a reception. Oceana had the best steak! I dont mind answering questions at all. Im sad our trip is over. Id love to do it all over again.

Here they are.... I had already purchased bags from the know edding shop and I have since decided to do 1 bag per room instead of per person. The bags are o.k. quality. I actually wished I had waited and got these instead. They come in yellow, pink, green, red, blue and orange (i think).