futuremrstgun

girl..you are sooooo on point...LOVE IT ALL!!!! so happy to see another DIY bride doin' the DARN THANG!!!! R~

O M G...dominique! you are toooooo kind! your post made me tear up...literally...i'm A SUPER SAP..but i have to say, i'm truly blessed to know that brides like you and so many others value my efforts. i seriously doubt i would've had the strength to finish my DIY projects if i didn't share them with all of you...somehow, i feel like i HAVE to finish so i can have great pics to show all of ya'll when i return. i actually do have a blog but i haven't kept up with it..i suppose now's the time to get back at it... i'll definitely take it up again once my big day has come and gone. i'll be tackling ALL sorts of topics...from party planning (have a baby shower to plan when i return)..to weightloss (and the struggles involved), fashion and pop culture...i mean, i AM a multi-facted individual who loves shoes, food, the kardashians (don't judge me for this guilty pleasure...i can admit i'm seriously OBSESSED with their show) and party planning...stay tuned... thanks, again for your lovely words..you've set me up to have a truly BLESSED thursday, love!!! THANK YOU SOOOOOO VERY MUCH!!!! my heart is truly smiling from the love and kudos of strangers...i SINCERELY appreciate it, all!!! R~ ps...YES...FREAK OUT...in FULL EFFECT...

no kids coming..but those are SUPER cute... R~

hello, nola... can't wait to see what you come up with...be sure to post pics, love! until next time, happy planning!!! R~

awwwwwww...anudrm... glad you like em... and YES, i'm sure i'll go through withdrawals...but right now, i need to FINISH everything...i've committed to finishing things this weekend..so i can pack it all up... wish me luck and as always...HAPPY PLANNING!!! R~

hi there, anudrm!! yeah, with a beach destination wedding..folks tend to want to do sealife...shells, etc... do you and your honey have anything that ya'll like together..ie, the love of music? love of disney....anything florida related or maybe team related (ie, favorite football and/or basketball team) time pieces, etc.? candy, etc...uno, spades, etc??? you see, i love SCRABBLE..so i had to incorporate it somehow and well, we're getting married at the beach and seahorses, shells, starfish, etc are in our logo so..it just made sense to incorporate all of those elements...our color scheme is actually the same colors as my love's favorite football team (baltimore ravens, baby -- #ravensfanbymarriageonly - CLEVELAND ROCKS!!)...plus he adores all things paisley...so i threw that in too... if you love music..maybe you could add song names instead of table numbers..and/or make music notes as part of your stationery suite..i saw your beautiful boarding passes and love the flowers on them...could you add those to your tablescape??? they were stunningly beautiful..i bet you could make paper flowers like those or fabric ones...might be hours and hours of DIYing involved but i bet it'd be SUPER cute...or maybe you two like time pieces..maybe you get standing clocks and add those to your tablescape..there are so many different things you can add to the decor for relatively cheap along with candles, tea lights, luminaries, etc (lumi's can be made at home)..which will complement your overall theme. i'm all about tying things together but in a way that it makes sense..check out online blogs..stylemepretty.com is one of my faves along with marthastewartweddings.com... until next time, happy planning, love!!! R~

hi, lindsayR!!! i'd highly recommend visiting your local dollar store for beach decor like shells, etc...you can bags and bags of shells for a $1... good luck and happy planning!!! R~

good afternoon, brides!!! last night, i created another mock tablescape to take pics of what i'd like my reception table to look like...sidenote: i have to be VERY SPECIFIC w/my WC as i want to ensure that my vision is executed accordingly...ok, so now back to the regularly scheduled program. here's a peak at my tablescape including my lumi's and lanterns. oh boy!! that's it for today's post... until next time, happy planning!!! R~

hi, susan1672! i'm a really keen on the customer being right and quality customer service is key...so, i plan on letting management know mine and many other brides concerns...i'm hoping it goes well..and of course, i'll update y'all after my big day. until next time, happy planning!! R~

ok..NOW..that i've read the entire post...I'M SOOOOO IN LOVE WITH YOU AND YOUR STORY AND YOUR HONEY AND YOUR BABY GIRL!!! honey, i know ALL about moving across the country...girl...i used to commute (literally) from DC to TX every other week..to CHECK UP ON MY INVESTMENT as i put it...aka, to get some time in with my love..i did that for 18 months...ms. independent (aka me) couldn't move w/o a job..despite the fact that superman (aka my husband) had my back then and always will...more on that later...i'll have to PM you. lol!!! anyway, i love your story and i soooooo look forward to following you, your plans and your wedding... CONGRATULATIONS AND MAY YOU AND YOURS BE BLESSED BEYOND MEASURE, love!!! until next time, love..HAPPY PLANNING!!! R~

girl...the boarding passes are PERFECT!!! love..Love..LOVE em!!! great job!!! can't wait to follow you!!! oh boy!!!!! R~

good luck with that love... unfortunately, iberostar seems to be quite 'sticklers' for their fees and the fine print..ie, the wording 'pricing subject to change' on the wedding contract. i'm trying to wrangle them in now about the whole vendor + day pass crap they're pulling on me..despite the fact that the contract i signed last year said only a vendor fee of $75 would apply. not to mention the fact that so many other brides get things thrown in or paid for and others don't..the WC insists that's not the case but then you read things on here and find out otherwise... O M G!?! if you're able to get it waived..please let us know..i think its some serious crap that they nickel and dime us..especially since its an all-inclusive. now don't get me wrong..the resort is beautiful, food is good, atmosphere is truly everything..but GOOD GRIEF..can't the WCs and mgmt stop with charging for EVERY SINGLE DAMN THING...they have to make food, set up chairs, etc...EVERY DAY...ALL DAY and so i don't quite understand why they charge so much for weddings...its not like they're going to do much else than they do on a regular..i mean, goodness gracious! make the food, set up the cake..and charge that for the one time fee...don't charge additional for any one over 8 people..or if you want to rent out the space..or if you want this or that..or if you use an outside vendor, etc..or if you decide to sneeze..and need tissues and/or if you want to brush you toes off..(just kidding)..but that's what i'm feeling like now...i mean..come on, people.. i'm just venting because i swear i feel like every single day there's some new charge being sprung on me and frankly, its starting to wear on my nerves... i truly hope the mgmt team starts reading blogs and getting the hint..i've already requested a meeting with mangement when i get there..cuz i'm SOOOOOOO over ALL of the fees.... SMDH!?! R~

hi, love! i too have been lurking in this thread..but to be frank, on one front..i technically failed to lose as much weight as i wanted..but on another front, i did lose some and found two fabulous dresses that i feel amazing in...i hate bridal sizing because no matter how much weight i lose, i feel like my curves and ASSets will never fit into 'traditional' wedding dress sizes..so either way, i was going to have to buy a plus size dress or a dress larger than my normal 14/16 dress size..which was so NOT coolm, but i suppose that's what what alterations are for... so, anyway, hatfiehm...good luck with your transformation..but remember this...IF YOU NEVER LOSE ANOTHER POUND..your love will still adore you! happy planning, love!!! R~

hi, susan!! the suites and/or the beach are both beautiful properties...the suites definitely has a 'fun' vibe as does the beach....why not just move the wedding altogether? to the suites and/or the beach? personally, the beach has a better beach area for the wedding AND the prices are cheaper than the grand. just thought i'd throw another wrench into it. lol!!! my wedding will be at the beach in 3 weeks...oh my!!! good luck with your decision and as always, happy planning!! R~

hey, my fellow Mo Bay bride!!! nice job on these..hole punches can be bought for virtually nothing at walmart..i think i got a single hole punch for less than a buck. bravo on a GREAT job!!! these are SUPER cute!!! R~

hi, hatfiehm! the skinny wooden sticks are kabob skewers found at my local HEB/grocery store...i cut them down...using scissors. i used the punches to punch out the designs... the punches can be used for lots of things..like confetti too...just punch them out using cardstock..use the adhesive to glue them to the circle and voila...drink flags and custom stirrers. hope that helps! until next time, happy planning!!! R~

wow..really? she's a great photographer..with some amazing pics on FB... R~

a birdcage veil would be cute and/or a cathedral length one... the dress is stunning!!! R~

beautiful pics!!! R~

good evening, ladies! i've had a number of inquiries regarding my MUST-HAVE DIY tools..so here's the items that have been my 'go-to' tools throughout my DIY process... I. adhesives i'm all about martha...girls..i'm super seriously obsessed with the genius that is martha stewart..so i found her glue pen and gel adhesive to be my 'go-to' adhesives..they are super easy to use, virtually mess free and stick on pretty much everything AND quickly...and clear. they work on ribbon..on paper..you name it...both are great for pretty much ALL of my DIY needs. i didn't have much luck with double sided tape...frankly, it just didn't stick and well, it was bulky... II. paper so, ya'll know, me and michaels are in the midst of a full fledged love affair..i visit the store OFTEN..and so i've chosen loose cardstock for my entire stationery suite..i truly fell in love with the bazille cardstock that i understand can be bought in bulk..i've always just bought single sheets and normally ON SALE...they tend to go on sale often so be on the lookout... i bought vellum for my luminaries in a package from michaels and from hobby lobby. you can print on vellum using either an inkjet or a laser jet printer...SUPER easy and they make for INSTANT luminaries. super cost efficient decor option!! III. paper cutters, scissors, etc. lucky for me, i found a paper cutter at ross for almost nothing..as well as fiskars scissors with decorative edges... check out the stationery, scrapbooking section at your local store...they tend to have fiskars and even martha stewart punches, etc..for SUPER cost efficient pricing...i bought a round corner punch from michaels along with martha stewart's, eyelet paper punch, starfish and seahorse punches...gotta LOVE martha...the punches were used to make custom confetti, etc. IV. ribbon the bulk of my ribbon was purchased from the dollar tree..check out the flower and candle aisle..my local stores are chock full of rolls of ribbon in all sorts of colors...they come in rolls of 4, 5 and even 6 feet...from satin to sheer. V. paint i bought my glitter paint at michaels..martha stewart's glitter paint...GENIUS!! they come in an array of colors and ALL are equally beautiful..i did try the black and wasn't too thrilled with it..but i highly recommend the silver and lavender shades. i also bought spray paint at home depot..got a metallic silver and a purple...the purple didn't meet my needs so i ended up using food coloring...the purple paint..well, it looked like 'spray' paint...i did buy some watercolor paint and metallic paint from hobby lobby which worked really well for painting my shells..i ended up mixing my own shade of metallic silver/purple...which worked REALLY well and don't forget..if you're using real starfish they can be dyed using food coloring..you know the same way, we used to dye easter eggs..same concept...follow the egg dyeing instructions on the packaging and voila...starfish in your color scheme...woo hoo!! ok, lovelies, that's it from here..i hope that helps as you embark on your DIY projects... until next time, HAPPY PLANNING!!! R~

hello, fellow destination brides! today, i'm working on finishing up drink flags for my welcome cocktail hour and wedding reception. i've gone back and forth about these lovelies..but now that i've perfected them..i'm ALL about drink flags. i'm DIYed two different ones...because, well, just because...so here's a peak at what i came up with... the drink flags the drink flags up close the back of the drink flags well, i'm off to my 2nd dress fitting today...so off i go... until next time, happy planning!!! R~

these are adorable...love...love...love that they were FREE too!!! bravo on a SUPERB job!!! R~

mel72683...please post pics...i wanna see. good luck and as always, HAPPY PAINTING...uhm, i meant, planning! R~

well, ladies..since i'm nearing the end of my planning..i think a double post is in order. earlier i gave ya'll a peak at my welcome kits and its contents..well, they say a picture is worth a thousand words..so here's a pic of the contents and my favorite items in the welcome kits are the little sewing kits that i put in a custom silver packet..woo hoo! take a peak... until next time, happy planning!!! R~

well, alright..i've never heard of the mystery bag...that sounds 'fun'! i'm happy to help...i plan to post templates here after my big day... if you need help in the meantime, PM me. stay tuned. R~