torilynnsmith

That's so exciting!!! Please be sure to share some pictures after your wedding! Your date is fast approaching!!!!!

If you have any old vista print emails in your inbox they still work!!!! So check it out, if you have an old "50% off t-shirts" or something it will work now even if it says the "sale" is over!

This looks gorgeous!!!!! I love it!!!! Who is the designer?

This just terrified me, it is SO soon!!!!!! We have no idea when we will get "legally" married here ... I agree with you, it does sort of suck but I dont think we will ever celebrate our "legal" day. What were you thinking?! Would love more info on the zip lining! I have always wanted to do that!

Pastor Rick York will be officiating our wedding in Punta Cana - PM me if you want his contact info!

The dollar tree bags that I have on hand are -light blue -green (as pictured) -hot pink -red -yellow as pictured online when they were available (this link should work but they are out of stock) If you do have the time I HIGHLY recommend waiting. They are actually the most perfect OOT bag ever! I am sure everyone will not believe they were only $1 (so I wont be sharing!) AND you can have them shipped to a dollar tree in buffalo and pick them up to save on shipping!!! Who doesnt love a cross boarder shopping trip! http://www.dollartree.com/new-arrivals-seasonal/seasonal/big-polyester-beach-totes/215c277c277p310914/index.pro I have also heard that brides received (but I didnt see those) -light pink -purple I believe the "wedding week survival kit" bag toppers were done in "scriptina" "papyrus" and "sloop (something or other)" You can get them all FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE on dafont.com When you download them be sure that word is closed (shut down completely) then when you open it up again it should be in there. If you have trouble PM me, this is the "simplified" version! LOL As for a Toronto get together I am in the city every once and awhile, it would be neat to meet my virtual friends!!! They are back at michaels here in Canada (so I am sure in the US too) they are in the $1 bins near the cash and come in new colours!!!!

Welcome Jessica! One of our guests shared a link to I believe it was the star that did a 3 part special on your company after we had sent our invites unfortunately! BDW is the right place for you to be!

I love #1 but #2 is really pretty as well! This is so gorgeous!!!!!!!! LOVE it!!! So jealous of your vegas trip, we were almost going to do a DW there! We stayed at the venitian in the venezia tower and it was lovely. I say just see as much as you can, we went all out when it came to food and it was so worth it. Not big buffett people (can be done super cheap) so food was a BIG expense for us but we did not have ONE bad meal everything was amazing which was great because nothing is worse than an expense meal that you dont enjoy! We went to the outdoor outlets (cant remember the name sorry!) and there are lots of designer stuff there BCBG, armani etc. I got BCBG shoes for $20 and dress pants for $15 (regular $200+ here) so it was so worth it, we also made a stop in Tiffanys in Ceasars... also worth it!!!!!! ENJOY!!!! I am overcome with jealousy and envy right now!

Since they do not let outside photographers and you are not impressed with the on sight photographers work AND you have a generous photography budget I would definitely start looking into bringing a photographer with you. Have you checked out photogs in your hometown? This is the best option as you are able to meet with them personally and discuss what you are looking for. When we were doing this we found many photogs will get you to pay for your trip AND their regular fees but some will get your to pay for their trip and a "discounted fee" for their services. There are pros and cons to both options so it is important to get all the details. For example some of the photographers we spoke to would photograph ALL WEEK LONG. This was awesome as you would have tons of pictures of your guests (family and friends) and yourselves not JUST from the wedding day. This would also allow for an excursion photo opportunity, TTD etc. This can only be said for SOME as some said even though you were paying for their trip and photo fees they would only cover X amount of hours during the trip. Since you have a good photography budget to work with I would outline the expectations you have ie. TTD session, full day wedding coverage, excursion photos, do you want prints? Albums? or are you ok with a disc? Videographer... etc. Once you have these things figured out start looking at photographers work both in your city/province or outside if you like. Once you have selected some work you like contact those photographers and determine who best suits your needs, budget and expectations! Best of luck!!!! There are two versions of tissue pomanders. I made a bunch of these for my best friends wedding, we used them as "aisle markers" in the church. I have a green one I made at home sitting on a vase. This is the version I prefer the look of. This is just one tutorial but depending how you cut or shape the "petals" the pomander can have a completely different look http://diytissuepomanders.weebly.com/ -- you could do these ones flat as well and just fluff the flowers when you get down there, it is very time consuming though, but it you use a heavy enough wire gauge you do now need a glue gun!!!!! Also for my lovely canadian ladies who may want to do these, Dollarama has LARGE styrofoam balls now and depending on size they are $1 each or 2 for $1. Unfortunately they didnt have these when we did them for my friends wedding and we paid $4+ a ball at walmart!!! They get "squished" a little but are easy enough to "fluff" up when you get to where you are going! I tried an entirely tule one and it looked too much like a body pouf you use in the shower (said fi) so we skipped those! Another version is the "flat" ones http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/article/pom-poms-and-luminarias

Thanks ladies, appreciate it! Jen, Ebay is the best deal I have found for organza chair sashes. I have yet to order mine but I posted awhile back about them. You can just do a search.... I saw 100 for around $55-$59 so that should give you an idea of price and shipping to canada was FREE!!!! PM me is you cant find a listing!!!!

amjohnson - I wish I could be more help, I think we are going to go to the wholesaler if we opt the real touch route as both my mom and I have our business licenses.... If we plan a trip over the next little while I will definitely let you know as I would be happy to pick up some flowers and mail them to you! We are still undecided and I dont get to Toronto that often anymore but we do need to act soon since we get married one month after you!!! Another option is a lady in hamilton that we contacted (she ships) "enchanting memories" I emailed her and she called me and we were on the phone for an hour and half chatting. She was so knowledgeable about destination weddings etc it was awesome, she is also so so kind! We just wanted 3 callas in four bouquets and the price just wasnt in our budget right then but she does great work! I would email and see what she can do! Who in Punta Cana is doing your flowers? I would be interested to here what they are charging for their bouquets since we are trying to decide between real and real touch right now as well. Where are you getting married? that would help us to give you suggestions.... do you want a canadian photographer? someone at your location? will you be paying for their trip etc. what is your budget? I am sorry to say that most of the people we talked to about flying down with us we would have had to pay for their trip (approx $1500-$2000) and then their fees on top. The only "bonus" would be that they photograph all week long which is really nice. Photography is not cheap...... is it ever not cheap but I think you can find something to suit your budget based on your expectations!

You should be fine Erin, Walmart has them every year in the summer and since you have another summer before the wedding I wouldn't worry too much about it!

We have booked Katya Nova http://www.katyanova.com http://www.katyanovablog.com She is from Canada but will be moving to Punta Cana the end of this month and is an absolutely AMAZING photographer (I may be biased) with a photo journalistic/documentary style. We wanted a lot of candid and unique shots and not so many of the traditional "wedding" posing shots and Katya is exactly our style! Check out her website and blog, she is also an AMAZING person to work with and works alongside her fiance (they will be getting married in the DR in April) so you get TWO photographers photographing TWICE the moments, TWICE the images etc. There are TONS of DR photographer options depending on your style -Julia Eskin -Phil Steingard -Michael Steingard -HDC -Carribean Emotions -Tropical Pictures Hopefully this helps a little!!!!

I LOVE your ring, it is absolutely stunning and I think looks amazing without a wedding band as the two bands of the e-ring speak for themselves!!!!!! also... you dont have sausage hands! I have "large" hands as well and am always so self conscious but I think there is a ring for everyone and yours looks stunning on your perfect hand!!!

I love your cake! Were the seashells real? I am thinking of putting some on our cake but wasn't sure if real were OK..... did you just remove them to cut and serve?

I also used the full sheet labels (8.5 x 11) - Avery has a brand of these and I ended up using staples private brand which was just as good. We used the full sheet labels for everything and that way we werent buying a number of different label styles (saved us some $$ too!!)

AngMarie - when are you getting married at the colonial!? So glad to hear your toured both resorts and chose the colonial!!!!!!!

Congrats and welcome to the forum!!! Wish I could help you with info but just keep searching this forum and I am sure everyone who can will help you out!

Can I just tell you, this is why I LOVE you ladies and why I come to my fellow Canadian brides for EVERYTHING! There just seems to be so much going on lately that I dont even CARE about wedding stuff anymore but when these showed up as a surprise I STRESSED obviously for no reason. I know I can always count on you guys to guide me back to reason! My mom suggested the basket Idea as well and I wasn't sure it would work because people may not know what they are but the SIGN (DUH?! how did I not think of this) makes total sense! Now to determine some fun wording!!! Originally Posted by Camy47 I agree, I don't think most of the men would use them. I like the idea of a nice basket with a sign....I'm thinking of doing something similar with our parasols. We only got 6 for my bridesmaids for pictures, but I think I'll set them out at the ceremony in case some ppl want to use them for sun cover. Originally Posted by tamandrob LOVE the fans!!!!! I agree with the other ladies I don't think the men will use them. I really like the basket idea and that way whoever wants one will take one! Or you could do the oot bag and put one in the couples and one in the singles. I wouldn't stress to much over this I love the rafia fans Jen, did you see oriental trading has them $10 for 12 - She gave me everything she had so it's not an option to order more but I think I am just going to go with the 45 and count on the fact that at least 10 of our men wont take a fan! Quote: Originally Posted by luvmoo Ohh LOVE these!!!! We will be having raffia fans, and putting them on the chairs.. i don't know that the men will use them as much as the women will, however it is hard to regulate who would and would not get one.. We are also short by about 10 fans, but i will be buying more and making sure there is enough for every single person.. that way they can have the choice as to whether or not they want one... the basket idea is awesome, however then they may not feel like it is theirs to keep... and they would not take one... or else feel obligated to put them back afterwards... You could also maybe ask the lady that gave them to you, if you could order more and just ask how much they would cost etc.. and see if she could get you a discount on the remainder you need to buy Thanks everyone I just love you guys!!!!

Forgot to mention.... I don't see the men using these but they may get hot and be thankful to have one (I think they are more likely to then the ladies!) Is anyone else doing fans? Do you think the men will use these or more likely to use the more "neutral' palm hand fans?

Alright ladies... as I always I turn to you for help/advice. I really wanted fans for our guests during our ceremony. It will be 3PM and I am sure HOT so I didn't want people to die. I really liked the sandalwood or palm fans but a few months back when I was helping out a friend of my moms she had one of these "collapsable purse fans" I mentioned what a great idea it was as they collapse to palm size and can be tucked in your purse or bag. She is a supplier of them and mentioned she may have some and that was the end of that. Well today, to my surprise I received a fedEX box with 45 of these hand fans in them in black & white paisley and a green and white flourish (our colour). I think they are really neat but 45 is not enough for all our guests and when I looked online they are $6 a piece so I don't know if I can afford to buy more.... So here are my questions for you: Do you think EVERYONE at the ceremony should get one (we were going to put them on the chairs), I think it would be hard to control who does and doesn't get them but I was thinking we could stick them in the OOTs instead and get people to bring them to the ceremony.... Do you think we should just suck it up and try and buy some extras to top up our numbers? Should I try selling these and buying the palm or sandalwood fans so at least everything is the same? Here is a picture of the two styles and then the size of them folded up. I am so appreciative that she did this for me and cant get over how generous of her it was but at the time we had like 40 people booked and now we have over 60!

Wow what a beautiful wedding, she is so tiny... I need her diet/body!!!!!

Thanks so much Lisa, wasn't sure if you were still going to be checking on here! I know EXACTLY what your bridemaids are talking about... I think I wore the same (or similar) J Crew dress for my friends wedding this past July and it had the strangest bodice ever.... It cost $300 (we're in Canada) and I just couldn't justify that since I know I will never wear the one I purchased for her wedding again. That being said, do they EVER look AMAZING in pictures!!! I found the same thing with my best friends pictures even though we spent most of the day hiking them up or trying to make our boobs look normal lol Your wedding looks like a fairytale, You should post more pictures!!!!!!!!

To be perfectly honest, at first glance I did not like the look of the iron on but in the same breath I would NOT shell out the cash for screen printing liek you said.... I wish the iron ons didnt do this because we were going to do the same thing... now that being said.... another bride posted (quoted below) that it looks like it is supposed to be that way which I agree with on second glance! SO.... my suggestions to make it the best of both worlds. Create a "Box" that outlines your design... I hope this makes sense but then it will make the rectangle of the iron on look like it was "meant to be" If you don't get what I'm saying I will try and explain better but I think it will allow you to save your T-shirts AND save the $$!!!! It's been a long day so I may not even be speaking english properly lol Quote: Originally Posted by anudrm This is my first t-shirt a complete disaster: . and here's my second: Honest opinion ladies, should I stick with the iron ons or should I dish out the extra money to pay for screen prints for shirts people may never wear again? Well that is all for tonight, I am going to go play with my new toy. Maybe I will have something new to post tomorrow!!! I love your flourish!!!! Where did you get that?!

LOVE your entire wedding!!! Your pictures are amazing, you looked absolutely stunning and your wedding is our colours (we are doing green and navy no pink though)!!! Thank you for sharing! I asked this is the dress v. model thread but where are your bridesmaid dresses from? They look like j crew but I am not sure!!