Dominican Ally

I love all of your sandals! I'm going to try the single/double thing on my next few pairs I have five down.........and 23 more to go if I do what I'm planning.....making them for every female attending the wedding. I figure I'll make my bridal pair last, once I get really good at it! lol. I love the bags that you got though! I got turquoise organza bags for mine, but also want to get a little tag with some sort of poem Here is what I have so far.....I'm trying to do them all in a mix of turquoise/blues/white which are our colours....Any tips?

Thanks! I couldn't believe how cheap they were compared to similar bags I've come across online........not to mention they seem to have them in tons of colours. I went ahead and ordered them last night. The site also has 15% off right now, and the price decreases with most of their items once you order over 10.....so I think I ended up paying about $1.00 per bag for 50 bags! I was hesitant to buy them, as I always feel like I should keep shopping for something "better"......but honestly I need a reality check - because I don't think I'm going to beat that deal! lol. I was also freaking out about my table runners.....they seem fairly sheer (since they are organza....) so I didn't know what to do to make sure the tables had some sort of "pop" in colour. I saw a picture of a girl doing this: (using a satin napkin in center of table with the organza runner).....What do you think? I would have something different for a centerpiece, if I ever find something affordable/easy to pack.......I think with the pricing on efavormart - I end up paying about 2.25 per table to have a runner/napkin for center.... Has anyone found any good centerpiece ideas that will pack/travel easily?

I know, eh?! I didn't realize they left it out on the beach all the time, and that people layed under it when there weren't weddings going on. My Aunt and Uncle said the people under it wouldn't move so they could get me a picture.....oh well! lol. I would like to take a planning break - but I'm currently going OOT bag crazy....lol. I went to the dollar stores, but didn't see anything I really liked......I was like you though - until I had solid numbers - I really felt like I couldn't do anything anyways. What do you ladies think of these to use as my OOT bags - I think it's an awesome price on efavormart...by the way it is my new fav. site and think I will order most things wedding from here if possible.... http://www.efavormart.com/reusableshoppingbag-turquoise.aspx I've ordered the key card holders/lanyards off of ebay, as well as batteries/led lights to make your own DIY lights for paper lanterns that are wireless.......a much cheaper option than the LED lights they sell on the paper lantern sites. I'll let you know how it works when I get them - but I think it will work out great! I received my chair sashes/table runners/drapping and paper lanterns from efavormart last week - and I'm so excited! Now, I just need to sort out if I actually need enough chair sashes for the ceremony AND reception - since someone on the fb group was saying they wouldn't move the chairs from the ceremony...while some people have said they will. It seems different people get different answers depending on the day....lol. I've also been making barefoot sandals....which is time consuming, but I'm going to see how many I can get made by the wedding (9.5 months)....ideally I'd like to give one pair to each lady coming to Punta Cana to wear on the beach With 28 women coming though, that could take me a while! Hope planning is going well for all of you!

However.......I have these pictures of the gazebo.....which makes it look "wider" than it is "deep"..........so to me, looking at it - seems that 330 is the width across the front...230 is the depth from front to back....and 270 is the height. Check out the pics and let me know what you think. My aunt and Uncle took them for me when they were down in Punta Cana in February.....

Ok....so "altura" is height.....so I'm assuming that the 270 is the height given her description........maybe 330 is the depth.....and 230 is the width....... I'm so confused! lol

Has anyone checked out the Canadian dollar stores (Dollarama, etc.) lately? I think I'm going to go on a tour of all of the ones in my area to scope out some summer OOT items. I finally have a head count, so I can start shopping for OOT stuff! yay!

Decisions, decisions, eh?! I think for the gazebo I def. like the white - but will likely see what some turquoise/aqua bows look like to tie back the fabric. I think we should honestly protest and demand the white draping be included! lol I agree that what I have should be enough for the front two sections If not - guess I'll suck it up and pay the 150...gulp! lol

Glad it made you smile! I took a break for a few months as well (while we were waiting for the 90 day deposit deadline). I've now suddenly had a freakout that there are 10 months left, and I have too many DIY projects to get done....lol. Since I now know how many ppl. we are having (at least approx.) I've sort of went on a spree of ordering things. Tonight - I think it will be the lanyard/card holders for my OOT bags! The bubba kegs arrived at my gf's house already, and my fabric/runners/chair sashes/lanterns should be here on Friday! Yahoo! Agreed that the resort decor upgrades are far too pricey. I truly feel that the basic white draping on the gazebo should be included!

I haven't actually asked for measurements - it looks like a ton of brides on the facebook group have been discussing this as well, so I've sort of been waiting to see if anyone comes up with an answer...lol. I will ask though, in my next email to the resort I think I am just going to drape the front, unless, of course I end up with leftover fabric. I think for pictures, etc. - just doing the front would give the desired "effect"....and I don't want to spend any more/pack any more than I have to. I really just can't justify spending 150 for draping.....and I don't need the whole 380 dollar decor package since I already have the sand ext. package (which comes with the ceremony table flowers, and chair covers). I have taken a huge break from planning - but now that I have approx numbers (49) I've started ordering all that I am able to order right now.....already feeling stressed! lol

I totally don't have the dimensions for the gazebo - I am just picturing having the front two corners of it draped in white.....and I am hoping that my 54 inch by 10 yards of fabric would do both sides......I may pick up some more just in case - we will see. You would think though, that 4.5 feet on each side would span most of the gazebo....then 5 yards for each side would get me to the bottom since that is about 10 feet?....It was only 20 bucks, so I'm not too concerned if it's wrong. I was also going to take two of my chair sashes and tie them around the gazebo posts. Similar to this picture (for the draping). It looks like they just staple the top of the fabric to the wood of the gazebo, and then drape it to the sides and wrap it around the poles? It would be awesome if someone could get the actual measurements....but I think that I can make it ok with what I've ordered (fingers crossed!)

Sorry to hear you are having troubles with Communication! I contacted this resort in the beginning of my planning process, as well as a few others - but never received a reply.....so I went with another resort since they responded, had great pricing, etc. Good luck with the rest of your planning! Hope the new wedding coordinator works out for you!

Thanks so much for the input! I think your ideas are fabulous About 30 of our 49 will be flying out of the same city as us - so I could absolutely do the same thing you did - pass out the OOT bags at the airport to those guests, and pack the others to give out when we arrive at the resort. I love the idea of shopping at some thrift shops, etc. for some extra suitcases - I would not have thought of that! I'm absolutely not shipping them to the resort. I would just be so worried and stressed about them getting there, and then not getting lost/stolen/damaged once they arrived.

Where did you get them from? I'm searching now for a place to purchase them

A tip if you are going to order from Efavourmart to save some money on what the hotel wants to charge for linens/etc.........is that if you use UPS standard for shipping (which I did...ugh)....there could also be some brokerage fees/etc. which could end up being significant. I will let you know what they ended up being when I get my package (soon I hope!). I chose UPS standard because it was the cheapest shipping option, but now it turns out that some of the other more expensive options would have included the brokerage/duty. I may have been better off to go with those, and I'll soon find out. I can't believe how much the rental fees would be for you! Or that they want you to pay TWICE for the sashes. I think I have seen other brides on here posting about just insisting they move the chairs from the ceremony to the reception and they only paid the fee once. I'm sure it is just a scam to get more money, and no doubt some people are willing to pay it. Ugh! I have no idea what I'm going to do to get the bubba kegs down there. They arrived at my friends place in New York (to avoid shipping cost to Canada - I'll pick them up this summer when I'm down). The parcel is HUGE! lol! I suppose I knew it would be with 51 bubbas, but it's even larger than I expected. It weighs 33lbs (15kilos) which is not so bad I guess.....and Transat does give us an extra 20kilos of baggage allowance since we're the bride and groom. I think I am either going to take them all down in an extra suitcase (or two) with the other items I'm taking down, OR I will give out the bubba's ahead of time to as many people as I can deliver to in person, and just ask them to pack them themselves. I am too afraid to ship them to the resort, because if they were ever lost or stolen - I think I would have a meltdown. I'm so amazed at how quickly the hotel is filling up! When I had to get my Calgary people changed to Edmonton due to the flight dates changing - we almost didn't get 5 spaces on the Edmonton flight because they originally said there was only 3 spaces left. Somehow they came up with the extra 2. I think we have everyone booked who needs to be booked right now, so I'm ok - but it does suck if the hotel is booked up because I know we'll have a few people wanting to book closer to the date. We do have a couple of single rooms booked right now though, so I'm sure we could get creative. We decided against the Honeymoon suite - although it looks amazing! I honestly think our families planned on getting the upgrade for us as a wedding gift - but if they are pretty booked up for our weeks there (April 6-20), then I can live without it You are going to LOVE it though! It's so gorgeous! Ideally, I would just like it for 2 nights.....the night before the wedding so I can get ready the next day in there for pictures, and the wedding night. If it works out, it works out, and if not I'll just go with the flow...lol.

I'll let you know if the Organza I ordered is going to work out when I receive it. I think I may have only ordered enough to drape the front two sections of the gazebo.....which I think is maybe all they drape at the hotel in the upgrade anyways. We'll see how it works out.... Either way I will still be down there when you arrive so you can have it and see if it works for you before you go ahead and pay the hotel the crazy 150 bucks for draping...lol. Then maybe you can leave it down for the next bride, and so on I'm open to selling my paper lanterns, and sashes, etc. for sure at a deeply discounted price I think the mugs you got are awesome! I should also check out the Bath and Body works sale! I'm so happy to finally be ordering OOT items!

Hey Ladies! I think the Transat thing is sorted out - to some extent. I'm still not happy that everyone isn't arriving on the same day....but we at least have it so that nobody is going to miss the wedding now - which was most important! I am super duper excited tonight - because I just ordered my bubba kegs from www.shopbubba.com - 51 of them in total! Yikes! They worked out to about 6.80 each with the discount for bulk orders.....a bit more than I was going to spend on mugs for the OOT bags - but they will be our one and only "big" item - so I think they will be awesome! I also just ordered 65 chair sashes (wanted extras just in case) and 10 table runners in turquoise, and 12 white/12 turquoise paper lanterns, and one 58inch/10 yard bolt of organza in white (to drape the gazebo) from efavormart. The whole order from them, including shipping was only $138.00....which I thought was pretty good! I was wondering if any of the ladies coming up in the days/weeks after me could use the white organza draping or the turquoise items afterwards? If so - we could work something out and I could leave them down there. We are there until the 20th, and I'm sure even for anyone having a wedding after that - I could leave the stuff with a note with Ada or Yinette. I just can't fathom spending the money they want to rent the sashes/runners in my colour........or ESPECIALLY the $150.00 they want for the "draping" on the beach gazebo.....so crazy! I would just leave the draping down there for anyone who wants it....and the sashes/runners I would sell for a discounted rate. Just throwing it out there - as I've seen other brides on other hotel threads doing this, and thought it was a good idea! Ntlsnow - I'm sooo sorry to hear about your losses. It's definatley hard not to gain a few pounds when you have such stressful things going on. Hang in there! I am currently working on losing a bunch of weight before I order my dress. I only have a few more months, and then I'll have to suck it up and order one - then take it in if I lose more Hope everyone's planning is going well! I'm soooooo excited to start ordering things! (I know, I've already said this...lol) Alicia

Just letting you ladies know that Bubba products (looks like all travel mugs and kegs) are on sale 50% off at Canadian tire starting tomorrow

Just to let you ladies all know - I got an email alert, and the Bubba Kegs, and Bubba Mugs (looks like all sizes) will be on for half price at Canadian tire starting in tomorrow's sale! I did the math, and I actually think that given the quanity (50) that I need to order, and the 15% bulk order discount, I will be better off ordering them from shopbubba.com and having them delivered to my US friend for 4.99 shipping......but it does work out to be only a LITTLE cheaper, so my fellow Canadian brides that don't have a cheap US shipping option - would be best off to get them from Canadian tire at 50% off

Lozzawatts (Lorraine) Wedding: August 9th, 2012 Travel: Aug 7-12 erinme (Erin) Wedding October 11, 2012 Travel: Oct 9-16 nikkiandrich (Nikki) Wedding: November 10, 2012 Travel: Nov 7-14 SylvieG (Sylvie) Wedding: November 26, 2012 Travel: Nov 22-29 gina24 (Marcia) Wedding: Jan 23, 2013 Travel: Jan 19-26 ntlsnow (Natalie) Wedding: January 25, 2013 Travel: Jan 23- Feb 3 Danimontague (Danielle) Wedding: Feb 20, 2013 Travel: Feb 16-Mar 2 MCathWilde (Mary) Wedding Feb 25,2013 Travel Feb 23-March 3 JPro (Jamie) Wedding: March 27th - Travel March 23-30 TraceyJo (Tracey) Wedding: April 5, 2013. Travel Apr.3-10 DominicanAlly (Alicia) Wedding: April 11, 2013 Travel: April 6-20 Ocean123 (Nicole) Wedding: April 15, 2013 - Travel April 12-19 jlb392 (Jessica) Wedding: April 17, 2013 Travel: April 14-24 KristinaM (Kristina) Wedding: April 18, 2013 Travel April 13-27 missjade (Jade) Wedding: July 11, 2013 Travel: July 6-13

I'm really not sure how we got them so early - but if you check sites like expedia, etc. the flights are posted for April 2013 right now - so I'm assuming that's why my TA was able to obtain them as well. I noticed them available on those sites, so had my TA look in to see if the flight times were out for Transat, and apparently they were. I can totally live with the flights changing within a 24 hour period, or even from one day to the next.......but for our Calgary flights to change by 3 entire days is nuts to me......there is no way anyone could possibly plan a wedding that way. This change means that they miss the wedding entirely, and I don't have a lot of flexibility on the wedding date since MY gateway is Ottawa and hasn't changed....we have to be in Dominican 3 bus. days prior to the wedding - so our date is actually the first date we could legally do it.........I honestly have no idea how we are going to make it work....so frustrating. I dunno what to do. Fingers crossed theren't aren't any more major changes (as I said...flight times I can handle.....even a one day difference.....but a 3 days is nuts to me) and everything can work out

How far out did this happen to you? Did they end up making changes only once? I'm now paranoid that I'll get this straightened out, only to have them change it again....ugh!

Just updating this! Added in Jpro, and I updated your new date TraceyJo - please fix it if I didn't get it correct Ladies - if you're not on there, please feel free to add yourself! (just copy and paste the timeline into a reply on the thread and put your info in chronological order) Lozzawatts (Lorraine) Wedding: August 9th, 2012 Travel: Aug 7-12 erinme (Erin) Wedding October 11, 2012 Travel: Oct 9-16 nikkiandrich (Nikki) Wedding: November 10, 2012 Travel: Nov 7-14 SylvieG (Sylvie) Wedding: November 26, 2012 Travel: Nov 22-29 gina24 (Marcia) Wedding: Jan 23, 2013 Travel: Jan 19-26 ntlsnow (Natalie) Wedding: January 25, 2013 Travel: Jan 23- Feb 3 Danimontague (Danielle) Wedding: Feb 20, 2013 Travel: Feb 16-Mar 2 MCathWilde (Mary) Wedding Feb 25,2013 Travel Feb 23-March 3 JPro (Jamie) Wedding: March 27th - Travel March 23-30 TraceyJo (Tracey) Wedding: April 5, 2013. Travel Apr.3-10 DominicanAlly (Alicia) Wedding: April 11, 2013 Travel: April 6-20 jlb392 (Jessica) Wedding: April 17, 2013 Travel: April 14-24 KristinaM (Kristina) Wedding: April 18, 2013 Travel April 13-27 missjade (Jade) Wedding: July 11, 2013 Travel: July 6-13

Hello Fellow Canadian Brides! I just wanted to give everyone a head's up about something that has just given me a mini-meltdown. It appears Transat has now posted AND changed their 2013 flight schedules for some gateways. I would suggest if you have a 2013 wedding and are booked through Transat that you contact your TA to check to see if this impacts your schedules at all. For me - we had booked with the impression that everyone was leaving Saturday April 6, to Saturday April 13. This included people going from Ottawa (36ppl), Calgary (7ppl) and Edmonton (4ppl). Well...the "new" schedule came out, and they moved Edmonton's flights to the 5-12, and Calgary's to the 3-10. The wedding is on the 11th, so this means the Calgary schedule misses it alltogether, and the Edmonton one means people have to travel the day after the wedding............so I'm waiting to talk to my TA today to figure out this mess and see what we can do. Changing the wedding date doesn't seem to be much of an option, since the hotel is pretty booked up and I've already ordered things with the date. Don't want to alarm anyone, but want to make sure you find this out ASAP if it also impacts your wedding - since my TA and I only found out because we specifically asked for the flight schedules as I had come across some posted on expedia.

I'm so sorry to hear that you're dealing with all of this too, and that you had to change your wedding date. It's so frustrating, but I'm glad that it sounds like you've got it somewhat figured out now. Our ceremony is also legal - which adds a whole other element to trying to change the date..... At this point - I'm thinking you're right - it doesn't make sense to change my wedding date.....and the most logical thing is to have the Calgary people drive up to Edmonton and fly out on the 5th. We will offer to cover a hotel room/park and fly for the night for them (the 4 of them can share 1 room) and my brother has friends in Edmonton so he's ok. Since the Edmonton flight on the 5th leaves at 6am, and our Ottawa flight on the 6th doesn't arrive in PC until 1030 pm.....people will basically lose two days together which is still super frustrating. One more issue is that we had one person from Calgary and one from Ottawa sharing a room - but now that they are not leaving on the same dates they can't share.........which means we are potentially short one room now.....and I will LOSE it if they tell me the hotel is sold out or that we have to pay for an upgrade for the sake of the one overlapping day.....I thought I was being so good and on top of things by booking things ahead of time, and we even put down 20 extra deposits to save 50 total spots. The extras were JUST released last week at our deadline for our 90 days.......so I sure hope they can do something for us........had they told us this before our deadline was up - we would have had the extra spaces. I suppose it's true that it's better for this to happen now....but I swear I will have a total meltdown if they change things again later on.

Hi TraceyJo! I think that I just got screwed by the same changes as you! Where are you flying out of? Most of my guests (including myself) are flying out of Ottawa (about 36 of us). Everyone was supposed to be going April 6-13 (Sat-Sat)........but I just got news from my TA that the Calgary flight has been changed to April 3-10 (meaning they wouldn't even be there for the wedding), and Edmonton's has been changed to April 5-12 (which I can live with, but still really don't like.) This is a family reunion of sorts for my whole family, so I want everyone there the same days. Did you get any more info as to why this can happen or what you are going to do about it? I'm totally freaking out....waiting until tomorrow to hear more from the TA. Her suggestion is to move our wedding up (to the 9th) which is your date correct? What time is your wedding? Did you check with the hotel yet to see if you can change it? I don't want to change my date at all....as I already have things ordered, and it does me no good to have people there on different schedules anyways. Scariest thing to me right now, is that she said they can actually change schedules right up until 30 days prior to the wedding.........ugh. So how the heck are you supposed to plan a group of 47 from 3 different gateways for a wedding? I want to cry