AllieH

oh mercy. your MOH has some serious issues. one is needing to be the center of attention. and since it's YOUR wedding...that's a bad sign. I think it's time to have a serious talk with her before it escalates further. if she can't dial down the drama...she's going to make the time leading up to your wedding full of stress. and as MOH? her job is to reduce your stress, not add to it. sorry you're dealing with this.

gorgeous dress!!! and yeah, that headband makes a statement....

really love the no FB postcards - I'm going to borrow that idea. Your trip and wedding were lovely! thanks for sharing all of the details!

GenieBelle - I think I would tuck a little insert with your wedding website on it (and maybe registry info) in with the invite. that's what we're going to do. We've decided to also take this route of VistaPrint flat 5x7 post card printed, and then layered with handmade paper (similar to what Paper Source carries). I'm going to use white card stock to print out the inserts (registry info, etc.) since we don't need RSVP or return envelopes. Hi Stella - welcome to the roll call!! YAY Nikki!!! I had to go hunt up a pic of it, and it's gorgeous. love all the texture in the skirt. that's some dress! did you get some pics of you in it?? Can't wait to see!

they are beautiful!!! you are so radiant and happy.

Celeste - those are AMAZING! I love how you went to so many different places, and the various views. She did a fantastic job.

good thinking! We heard it in the car earlier, and I casually mentioned that I really liked it. and then changed it before Christina Perri could yammer on about the reason she wrote it....close call!

I like #2 - most appropriate to be stuck on a fridge for a while. they all look great though!

Another idea that was suggested to me as a favor is spices. Again using your own custom label. You could also do coffee from Jamaica instead of rum if you have folks who don't drink alcohol in your group.

I am thinking about doing wind chimes. These are the ones I like: http://www.theweddingdept.com/seashell-chime-favors.htm Or if we scale back a little, maybe ornaments for everyone, and wind chimes for our families. I also want to do a travel mug of some sort. Thinking about getting the cheap ones from Oriental Trading Co. and creating my own insert.

have you guys heard "A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri? She wrote it for the Twilight wedding, and while I'm not a fan of the movie (or books! don't slay me), I absolutely love this song. I'm trying to figure out how to work it into the ceremony without the FI figuring out what movie it's from, and vetoing it lol

Ms Brit - welcome to the group! I don't have any insight, but hope you get the reception location figured out with a solution that makes you happy. Quick question: we've decided to host a private dinner (at Tucanes), but were thinking about passing on the cocktail and sending people to one of the bars for an "informal" cocktail hour. Natalia recommended Guacamayas or the Martini Bar. I really like the idea of the martini bar, but since our ceremony is Gazebo 55, is the martini bar too far to send folks for cocktails? Our ceremony is 4pm...dinner at 6 (I think!).

Hey Nikki! I'm having a hard time deciding on invites myself. I really, really love letterpress, but not sure I want to spend the $$$ to go that route. I've found a layered look with handmade paper that I also like. So I'm completely undecided. We have a TA who did a group booking for us. It still wasn't easy, but I can't imagine trying to get a bunch of people to book without a TA, unless it's a really small group. Plus we got a pretty nice discount on both the rooms and then our private event, and some amenities for having the group. My advice is to go with a group booking, but get a general idea of the stay ahead of time, the dates and the amount of the deposit. Then you can have people call in to reserve & place their deposits, get your semi-final #, and have your TA book the group. We had to do this within about 2 weeks, which was why we ended up with electronic save-the-dates vs. the paper ones I wanted. how is everyone else doing with planning and such?? I picked up my dress on Friday, and fell in love with it all over again. Those sneaky girls at the salon put this killer vintage fabric flower sash on me when I tried on the dress - it was AMAZING. and $500...so needless to say it didn't get ordered. I've been scouring etsy to try to find something similar. I am also considering taking a stab at DIY - I have a friend who makes lovely fabric and ribbon flowers, and she can give me plenty of tips. I also ordered 1 pair of shoes (aqua patent leather wedge flip flops from lands end of all places). And am scooping up some orange sashes & table runners from another BDW bride. Now I get to go back to trying to figure out the @*(&$#@*( invites.

thank you!! it's hard to see the details, but the layers that aren't lace are actually organza. I've only opened the bag to peek at my dress about 10 times since Friday night....

thank you!!

it's mine, all mine!!! picked it up on Friday. will need alterations to fix the bodice (too big, and want a soft sweetheart), and hem (only about 6" too long...mercy!). hoping to take some of the lace that comes off the bottom after the hem for some other accents. not my veil, but I loved this one - very lightweight netting that would blow so beautifully in the breeze. please excuse the post-work tired/shiny face.

I don't think you could go wrong with any of them! I've spent quite a bit of time looking at all of their portfolios. I have a slight preference for Sascha Gluck, but I'd be hard pressed to put into words the reason why.

I ordered these to give them a try ($60, landsend.com). I'm going to hunt down two rhinestone starfish to add where the circle is now. I think they will be my reception shoes, and the orange wedges I posted previously will be my ceremony shoes. I'll hem the dress for these shoes...since they are shorter. figuring that standing in the sand won't make much of a difference with the hem.

love these!!!

It's a beautiful dress! I think if the top fit it would offer a little more support, and will look even more gorgeous on you.

love them!!!

Ah ok - I saw the outside vendor fee for photographer/videographer is $500, and it's lumped under the heading Entertainment/Photography/Videography, so I assumed it was the same. I'm stalking following you on pinterest now - thank you for sharing!

gorgeous dress Alex!

My FI took me out for a swanky dinner on Saturday night (to beat the V-day crowds and crazy prices). I'm getting him the new UFC game for his xBox. i know - romantic, right?? but hey, it's what he wants (and he enjoy the fab dinner on Saturday too!). I've told him NOT to buy me flowers this year to save the $$. we just aren't the romantic type. lol

Jen - love your place cards & table numbers. Can't wait to see the "after" pics of your wedding!! Wishing you all the best.