AcutieRN

DeeSanders:The palm trees are actually little brads that I just put on the corners. I also had sanddollars and starfish! I got them at Archivers, a scrap book store. They were the most expensive part of the project, but I couldn't pass them up! The mongram wrap I just made it a bit longer than needed so I had some overlap. I just glued the overlap to the top of the label and it was done! Very easy. What kind of rotation is your FI in? Is he a resident? JB:Thanks so much for the bags! I am so excited. I sent you out a check this morning, I sent $35, if that isn't enough just say the word and I can send out another check tomorrow. I just wasn't sure exactly how much each bag came to. Great find on the pashminas! I had no idea they were so inexpensive, I am sure your girls will love them. I am so happy you mentioned that you found that paper at Joanne's! I have covered this entire city and was about to order online. I will check it out. I am getting a head start on mine too. I want to have time to figure stuff out. I feel like I was in such a hurry to get the STD's done, more time would have been good. I will wait until after our big housewarming party to start though, that is my focus now! Vav:Welcome! Congrats to you too. Check out Now Larimar for sure. It looks like a great place and we are all really excited to be getting married there.

DeeSanders:Thanks so much! I really do love them, and I think I did as good of a job as I could. The best part is I priced them out on Etsy and it looked like they would be anywhere from $3.50-5.00 per one STD. I made mine for about $1.90 each! And that is even a bit high because I added the cute palm tree brads and the extra rhinestone. I made my own design for the pocket holder. I found the one on alyeebits to be a bit confusing. I simply divided a regular sheet of paper into even thirds. I had to play around with this for awhile to make it perfect but I found if I cut off a bit of paper it worked best. I divided each section into about 31/2 inches(I actually used a ruler and used the first tiny mark after the 3.5 inch mark, who knows what that equals ha ha). I cut off the remaining edge to make it all even. I then just cut a corner off of the outside at a diagonal. I just played around until I found what looked good. I then used this "triangle" as a template for each envelope so all of them would be uniform. I found the pocket holder to be the most challenging of everything. My advice is to use a good "boner" so you can get your creases pressed really well. Also, to "glue" the pocket piece down I had a really hard time. I found everything was too thick to allow my STD's to slide into the pocket. I tried glue dots, some wide double sided tape for scrapbooking, and hot glue. I couldn't get my STD inserted with any of those. I finally found some scrapbook double side tape squares that are pretty tiny and narrow. I would recommend the more narrow the better. The wrap with the monogram was really easy. I just had three printed across the bottom of a piece of white paper at Kinko's. I then cut them into vertical strips and just wrapped them around the envelope. So easy and I really liked how this part turned out. I would rec. the Friskars rotary cutter, made things so much easier. Also I would get a good corner punch so your fingers don't cramp up. I tried a cheap one at first, it was awful. Friskars makes a good one as well as creative memories does. Hope this helps! It was fun to do, but I am glad they are done. They are in the mail tomorrow!

Great ideas for AHR! We live on a lake, so it will be awesome to do it here. Also, his mom may help pay too-that does always help! JB-thanks for the offer on the pashminas, but since I am not having attendants I will pass on them. Thanks though! So, my STD's are FINALLY done! Wow, they turned out just like I hoped, but they really did take a lot of time. I did them myself and it may have gone faster if I would have enlisted some girls to help out. My wedding is so small, I figured I could do it quickly. I was wrong, ha ha! Lots of work but I think they will be worth it. Here they are, sorry if they are huge.

JB:Thank you so much for getting those bags! I appreciate it more than you know. You are the best! I don't know what I would do without you girls. Your check is in the mail! Thanks for the info on the clear starfish. I will check out that thread next. Hopefully I can get in on it! DeeSanders:I know those true ocean view rooms are hard to come by! We had to upgrade from tropical view to pool view to be able to receive the free upgrade. It does not cover the ocean front rooms, just the ocean view rooms. I think we are going to try to upgrade from that to the oceanfront too. I will let you know if I get any info on price. Right now all I want is a contract!!!! I have had not time to work on DIY projects this weekend, we are geting our yardwork done for our big party in two weeks. I think it will be a trial run for our AHR, which we will also do in our backyard with the lake right there! We still need to pick a date. Are you ladies doing at home receptions?

Oh, and one more thing...I bought some supplies for another DIY project tonight. Hobby lobby had their floral stuff half off, I bought a bunch of hyrdrangias to make pomander balls for the isle decor. I am going to hang them off the chairs. In the meantime I am going to hang them in our bedroom as the colors will work well! Here is my inspiration, I will post a pic when done. This weekend is finishing STD's, so I may get to them next weekend.

Christi:Welcome! Congrats! So great to have another NOW bride! I would give you my TA's info, but right now I am not the most pleased with her. I am still waiting on a contract and it has been several weeks. She keeps saying it is the resort's fault, but I am starting not to believe that based on what the other girls are saying. I would google destination wedding TA's in your area. I have heard it is much better to have someone who specializes in DW. Good luck! JB:I really love that new dress for your BM's! Go with that one for sure, it is figure flattering and I am all about the one shoulder. I am actually going to Vegas in a couple of weeks and am thinking about getting it for myself, ha ha! I own nothing that is "Vegas appropriate". Yeah, I have been wondering about my contract too. If I don't have it by next week I will get a new TA. She did send me an email today saying that I shouldn't worry about the resort, she said she has never had a NOW customer complain and she has sent many people to these resorts. That did help me. As for the OOT bags, can you try for 8 pink and 7 green. If not any mix is fine. Thanks again. Oh, the map is great, keep it the way it is. Much easier than numbers with a legend. Where are you ladies having your receptions and cocktail hours? I have asked what the options are but have not gotten a response. I don't even know what the options are! I also want to know about the options for photo person and DJ. I am not planning on using either, it would be soooo nice if I could change it up for better food!

Speaking of contracts....for those of you who have a contract already (I think Moni Woni and Sarah?) how long did it take to get the contract written and signed. I have been waiting for over three weeks now for a contract. My TA says it is the resort but I was wondering if this is normal. I wonder what the hold up is?

DeeSanders:I think you can get cheaper rates yet! I know it is hard to wait, but I would wait on a contract until it is a year from your wedding. I think you will see prices drop because you are in off season. I would wait it out! I love all three of the dresses, very cute. I too love the first one, I am obsessed with one shoulder dresses right now! The only concern with that one would be body types of your girls. I am curvy and that dress may really cling around my middle. Although I don't like the others as well, I think they are both really cute and if I were wearing them I know they would flatter my body more. I guess it all depends on the girls and what they may be comfortable in. Hope this helps!

DeeSanders:I really love those! What a great unique idea. I would do that if I were you for sure! JB: I guess since they are on the large side I would only need 15 bags total. Maybe a mix of pink and green? Unless you have already bought the others, then I will take those for sure! Thanks again, let me know and I will get you a check out for the right amount tomorrow. I am in no hurry for them either, just whenever you have time! Thanks again. By the way, I read on another bride's planning post from Dreams in Mexico that if she had to do one thing differently she wouldn't stress about the lack of communication from the WC's at the resort. She said it all works out anyway! I guess I should keep that in mind and just go with the flow! The reviews on FB are def. making me feel better, and the people there are right in saying that if you can't have fun on a beach in the sun with endless drinks, then there is something wrong with you, not the resort. Ha ha!

JB or Moni Woni:Question about your OOT bags...are you using them as one bag per person or one bag per couple? JB, when I gave you the amount I need I was planning on one bag per person because they looked a little smallish? What do you guys think?

I will check out their facebook page later today. That makes me feel better that some good reviews are around...it will only get better too.Hopefully at least. JB:I will send out your check tonight or in the morning. Thanks so much for picking those up for me! I checked prices again today for flights and I am sooooo jealous of those prices you are getting. The cheapest we can get right now is $780, and we don't have the option of direct flights. It will take at least 12 hours to get there with one stop. That's what I get for living in the West. I will keep checking, hopefully it goes down a little in the fall.

Oh no JB, I hadn't realized you sent your STD's already. I am sure all of this will work out, and if it doesn't get better we all have several months left and can make other decisions. My TA said that she will contact her AmResorts rep as well to see what is going on. MoniWoni:Thanks for the email from Erin. It did ease my mind a bit. You are right in saying that there are those negative Nancy's out there who always post the worst. The other thing I guess we should remember is that a lot of people will not post positive reviews, only negative. I sure hope this is the case. I remember staying at Couples Swept Away in Jamacia a few years ago and reading a ton of negative reviews. It was hands down the nicest AI resort we have ever stayed at! I couldn't believe anyone would say a negative thing about it. I hope that is what is happening here. DeeSanders:One of my FI's clients stayed at Paridisus last May for a wedding. He said it was awesome and the only negative was that they were hard partiers and the resort was a bit reserved. He also said he only stayed for 5 days and felt like it was a bit pricey... This will all work out, it does make me nervous though!

I know, I never had trouble getting ahold of them a few months ago either. It seems like once they have you "roped" in they forget about you! I don't know what we should do! A few weeks ago I looked back through the NOW Jade reviews on Trip Advisor from when they changed ownership and none of the reviews were ever bad. So I thought the transition would be easy! Also the fact that it is owned by AmResorts eased my mind. One strange thing is that the Secrets next door is getting good reviews, and they changed ownership to AmResorts the same week! Not sure why they would be different. I am going to email my TA and see what she says. I am hoping it is growing pains too! I don't think we will find prices like this elsewhere, but that may be for a reason! Where else would you guys consider? I don't even know where to start and I can't stand the though of not having this group! Welcome back Jamie bride-haven't seen you in awhile!

JB:I will PM you tonight...thanks again Ok ladies, have you all seen the reviews on trip advisor over the last two weeks? I am starting to really worry. All reviews have been bad, people are saying the food and service is awful and they are even commenting on bed bugs. A lot of people are getting sick from the food too. I wonder what is going on? Just growing pains? This combined with the lack of response from the WC has me seriously reconsidering my decision yet again. I felt like the reviews on the NH Real were pretty good, and the reviews on the NOW Jade in Mexico are good. What do you girls think? Gotta be sure before I start hounding my TA for a contract!

Hey ladies! Hope everyone had a good weekend. I still don't have a contract, WTF? Moni:How long did it take you to get your contract after you had decided on the details? JB:I really do love those bags. How much are they each? I think I would need 10 green and 15 pink bags. I think if you could get ahold of them I would have you get them for me and of course I would pay shipping. Let me know how much they were,but I think I would do that for sure. Just let me know and we can figure out details through email or PM. Thanks so much, this is awesome. I love this forum. DeeSanders:I printed my STDs this weekend. I went to Kinkos/FedEx and had them print them on "cardstock" for me. They ended up doing glossy and I don't like them so I will be having them redone. I should have said something right away, but thought they would grow on me. At any rate, with the paper they were $1.50 per page. you can fit 3 on a page, although I only did 2 since I had so few to do. For me it came out to $18, pretty cheap! I also had them print me some regular paper with my monograms in a line of three along the bottom of the page. I will cut them vertically and make them into labels. These were .59 per page and I only did 6 pages. The only thing I thought was expensive was that he charged me $5 to put the three monograms on one page, since my original only had one on the page. That made me mad because he told me after the fact and I could have done it myself. At any rate, it was under $30! If you are doing more than 1 DIY with cardstock(or if you are inviting a lot of guests) I would just buy a pack of it at Hob Lob or Michael's or even Walmart for pretty cheap. I should have done this, now I will be going back to get them redone since neither my FI or myself like the glossy look. Oh well.I think if you bring your own cardstock it is only .69 to print them. Also, I think 4 is a perfect time for that time of year! Sarah:Have you heard back from your clients who were at Larimar yet?

Oh my gosh, why don't I have a Christmas store close by? Moni Woni those are adorable! I really love the bags. They are perfect. Maybe I will try to look them up online. I agree with the flip flops, really want em, but how in the world would I know what size to get? JB-That is so cool about the starfish. I really want to do it, and at first thought it would be perfect because I could have you hand it off to me. The only problem is I am worried I could not get it to Kelly by May 1 because I will still be in the Carribean until at least then. Do you think it would be safe to try to send it to her from Punta Cana on April 18? I just don't think it would make it to her in time and I could never chance that. Oh well. I went to Michael's today and bought a Friskars Rotary cutter to start my STD's. I will try to get some printing done by Kinko's tomorrow. I just can't find cute paper for the ticket sleeves yet. Will have to check a couple of scrapbooking stores tomorrow.

Hi guys! I am using the new address as well with no luck. That being said, I haven't sent much over the last week or so. I am just trying to be patient and hopefully other people will get the answers to the questions I need, ha ha! Thank you guys for giving me the positive vibes, I need them. It has been a stressful couple of weeks at work and I think little things are getting to me that usually wouldn't. I have not heard anything about the resort photgrapher or DJ. I wonder if they changed them with the changing of the managment? I also have not chosen my package, prob. the middle one but not sure yet. What is everyone else doing package wise? DeeSanders: Yes, I double checked my confirmation letter and it did have my time on it. Maybe if you email her back a specific time she can update your letter? JB:I really love the one shoulder dress too. It looks so comfortable and beautiful. I also think it may be more figure flattering for your girls. That knock off idea is great! They have done a great job for you. I am not sure about my invites yet. I think I have been reading 6-8 months prior to wedding, so I was thinking of having them ready to go around July or August. As for RSVP date, we are a bit different because we are only inviting our immediate family so we know they are all coming already. I think my TA said our first cutoff will be October to still be able to back out of rooms, so prob then? What are you thinking of doing?

Ok, you are right! Thanks for talking me off the ledge, ha ha! I know I picked it for a reason, but I looked back and I have now sent 5 emails that have gone unanswered in 3.5 weeks. Not a good way to do business. I guess that a lot of the girls on other pages seem to have this problem with their WC's too. I will just be patient and remember they are on island time!

JB:It took her 20 days to give me my confirmation email...how long has it been? It takes forever, and I was hounding them daily too. They will get it to you, if they charged your card I wouldn't stress. Did you reserve your time? I am getting nervous about the time thing now too...Emy told me that I had 4:00, but if she is telling you guys that it will be confirmed at a later date, maybe I don't have it set up. Geez, I wish they would get it together over there. I am so worried I am going to get there and they are going to have no record of me at all based on the way they are communicating right now! I am having a lot of trouble getting our contract to go through because the resort isn't responding to the finalization of the contract with my TA. Are we making the right choice in going with this resort? I am starting to think they don't need or want our business.AHHHHH! I guess I will be waiting to send out our STD's now until I have a contract signed!

DeeSanders:Got it! Thanks for sending it. It looks amazing! I really love everything about them. I wouldn't change a thing,the colors are amazing. How did you get the bar code to change colors? I am using word 10 and when I try to change it under picture format it won't let me do anything other than black and black and white. Also, the swirly in the background-is that a clip art? It is so hard to tell what time to do. I guess it depends on time of year for the lighting too. I think your time of year will be a bit different than April. PhotoPhil told me that sun sets close to 6-6:15 in April, but I would guess that it is a bit later in late summer. Maybe do a search on this forum and see if anyone has discussed this.

Thanks guys! They took me a long time to do, but it was just because I had never used Word that way before. Once I got the hang of it it went pretty quickly. DeeSanders, please send your STD's to me too! [email protected]. Thanks! The only way I could get it to not post as an attachment was to highlight all of the document and copy/paste it into paint. Then it is in jpeg form and you can upload it here. I really wish we could see attachments before 150 posts, ha ha! Have you cut yours yet? I am taking mine to Kinkos this weekend and going to give it a whirl, but I am somewhat confused on what corner punch makes the cute cut out around the edges. Mine seems too big... I am doing a 3pm ceremony. I really wanted to do 4, put my photographer requested we do 3. He said he gets the best lighting for photos from 4-6 and they want us doing dinner (the resort) around 6:30 I guess. I tell you, if my photographer and Pastor York didn't know what was going on, I would have no idea. No thanks to Emy and or Claribel. The lack of response is more than annoying at this point!

I guess my rate is good then...I'm only at $117 pp, although it would be nice to lock in flights. I should try to call them. Everything I am seeing though on their website is saying prices from Denver and KC not yet available. Grrr.... MoniWoni:My monogram is clipart that I got out of word. For my STD boarding passes I have used a lot of fonts from "DaFont". It is a really cool website where you can download all kinds of font for free and it will give you instructions on how to upload it to your computer. I have palm trees, flip flops, starfish etc...all based on a certain letter of the alphabet. So when I build my pages I just change my font to that particular type and letter, and there is the cute pic! I am not familiar with mac, but I bet this would work. Its not done yet but you can see the graphics.

JB:Think I misunderstood, I now see that that rate is pp. Yes, its about the same that I was quoted. She did not include airfare in my contract but estimated it to be approx $600-700 per person, and that would end up being right at $3000 per couple or a bit more. So it seems those prices are close. It may be better though to get a package deal so you know air won't go up.

JB-NO!!! Oh my goodness! Who did you get that quote through? This is basically what we will be paying for land only. Is it through Apple? I don't think I will be able to get that low with air. Flying from Denver and Kansas City is much more expensive than the east coast. We are like double to tripple the prices on air right now...I haven't seen or signed a contract yet though so I would be very interested in that quote. Can you give me more info? Thanks so much! DeeSanders-Welcome back, glad you had a good little getaway. I am also glad to hear you got the CC situation resolved. Sarah: Great work on the apple information! I still can't get flights out of Denver to post on their website. Where are you flying from again?

Oh and MoniWoni:Thanks so much for the beach website! Its amazing! You and JB's websites look great! They are so nice to have for the family and friends to look at! Great work!