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alyssaw

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Everything posted by alyssaw

  1. I heard there have been some great entries so far! I can't wait to find out who the finalists are 12 days left!
  2. BDW Members: We are excited to launch a new, fun contest brought to you by AMW Studios. Read below to learn more about AMW Studios and the amazing prizes you could win!! From AMW Studios: We are so excited to be a new part of the Best Destination Wedding Community!! As a way to get to know many of you better, Matt and I are thrilled to be offering an amazing opportunity for 6 creative/fun couples to win destination wedding photography coverage with AMW Studios! We can’t wait to read your entries and look forward to working with some amazing couples here on BDW!! THE PRIZE Each of our finalists will receive: Comprehensive Wedding Day Coverage (up to 10 hours) by Ariel and Matt Complimentary Day After (TTD) Session Highlights Slideshow within two weeks of your wedding Online Proofing and Print Ordering within 30 days of your wedding A DVD of the High resolution images A $500 album credit (1) Grand Prize Winner (couple) will receive everything above at no cost to them. In addition, AMW Studios will cover all associated travel expenses incurred. (5) Finalists will receive everything above for $1,000 retainer + Expenses. A Little Bit About Us: We are Ariel and Matt the eyes behind AMW Studios. We live in New England along with our adorable son Aydon and our four legged child Hartley. We love the outdoors and spend much of our time hiking, climbing, skiing and exploring with our little one! We have spent the last 4 years making our dream job a reality with AMW Studios. We make it a priority to form a relationship with each of our couples so that we can tell your unique story! US WITH OUR SON AYDON A Little Bit About Our Work: AMW Studios is a documentary wedding photography team specializing in fun and creative coverage of your wedding day! Matt and Ariel work together throughout your wedding day to create honest dynamic and emotional imagery! Our style is modern, fun and real…. with our focus being on capturing all the little details that make your special day unique. How to Enter (this is the fun part!): Click below to fill out our entry form on Facebook: Contest Entry Form Have fun with the answers!! Get creative. Make sure you submit a fun/quirky image of the two of you out having a good time! Once all the entries are complete we will get in touch with you personally to set up a Skype meeting! Once we’ve selected our top 6 finalists we will feature their image and engagement story on our blog and voting will take place! If you are a finalist, your job is to have as many friends and family vote for you as possible The couple with the highest number of votes will be our grand prize winner. Feel free to contact us or reply to this thread with questions! Best of luck to all you wonderful couples!! We can not wait to read all your entries!! To find out more about us and see more of our work check out our: Website Blog Facebook BDW Insiders Page Contest Rules
  3. Destination Wedding Trend Report Destination Weddings are more popular than ever thanks to a growing number of couples opting to tie the knot abroad. Gone are the days of the old fashioned local wedding, and here to stay is the sophisticated destination wedding filled with many of the bells and whistles one might expect at home. With so many places to choose from and so many decisions to make involving the wedding holiday, it can become a very overwhelming experience for any prospective bride and groom. To help put things into perspective, LUXE Destination Weddings offers tips on the most popular destinations and wedding trends for saying your “I Do’s”. Tara Soloway, co-founder at LUXE Destination Weddings, says, Quote: “Our aim is to help make your destination wedding experience easier from start to finish. With our inhouse planners available to travel along with you to your wedding for “day-of” coordination (a unique service in the marketplace), we can help you step by step along the path to a perfect wedding day." Here are few destination wedding trends to consider: Location, location, location. Today, the most popular destinations wedding locations (in no particular order) are Mexico, Cuba, Jamaica and Dominican Republic. Filled with spectacular beaches, gorgeous weather and a wide choice of resorts offering reasonable travel rates, when narrowing down your selection, consider one of these four spectacular destinations. As travel costs for guests are a huge determining factor in choosing a location, why not pick a fabulous location that offers good value. Give a little something back to your guests. “OOT” (Out-of-town) bags have become a destination wedding standard. It’s considered good etiquette to provide your guests (who have traveled from far and wide to celebrate with you) a welcome basket. Whether it is a beach bag filled with sunscreen and a monogrammed towel, or a beach bucket and shovel for your younger guests, here are a few ideas to keep your guests feeling both welcome, and in the know about what is happening: An itinerary outlining all wedding-related activities; maps or tourist info for the local area; a CD and self-addressed mailer for guests to send the pictures that they took to you when they return home; personalized flip flops; local goodies like rum or tequila (depending on the destination), and lots more. Immerse yourself in the local culture. All of Sunwing’s destinations are unique – so why not embrace the local culture! Incorporate some fabulous music, like a reggae band in Jamaica, or try some of the local cuisine – a Mexican feast for your wedding dinner! “Book some excursions with your group so that you can discover what your host country has to offer,” suggests Soloway. Remember that creating a bond with your wedding destination makes an unforgettable experience just that much richer. LUXE Destination Weddings Sunwing Weddings
  4. We gave flowers to the bridesmaids, groomsmen, flower girls, ring bearers, fathers, mothers, and grandparents. I don't think it's necessary to extend it to others as the price will definitely add up! But it's your big day and I think anything you choose will be great
  5. Nora and Chris Photography – What It’s Worth Best Destination Wedding Members: We are excited to let you know about a great opportunity available to you. Nora and Chris of Nora and Chris Photography are conducting an experiment which they are calling ‘What It’s Worth’. The idea is that Nora and Chris will photograph your wedding and then you decide what the experience and photos are worth to you. They've seen couple’s faces light up when they view their wedding photos for the first time. These couples get to relive the most important day of their life all over again by viewing these images. ‘What It’s Worth’ comes from the idea that Nora and Chris want everyone to be able to see for him or herself exactly what their wedding photos are worth. Nora and Chris will be setting aside a limited number of commissions that will allow couples to do just that. Here are the details: 1. Set up a Skype Date with Nora and Chris. Meet them and get to know their style. 2. Save the date. Book your day with a $1,000.00 deposit. 3. Here’s the exciting part: Nora and Chris shoot your wedding! 4. When your images are ready, they will send them to you along with your deposit. 5. You decide ‘What It's Worth’ and pay for your photographs. Want to learn more? Visit the What It’s Worth website OR just ask Nora and Chris! They’ll be joining this conversation to answer any and all of your questions. This opportunity is exclusive to BDW members. What do you think wedding photos are worth? Let us know!
  6. We gave our groomsmen the ties they'd be wearing, argyle socks in our wedding colors, and a book about their favorite sports team (big sports fans!!)
  7. We know there are a LOT of questions that come up when planning a destination wedding: What location should I choose? What should I put in my OOT bags? What vendors do I need to book? How much is this going to cost?! We wanted to start this thread to help answer some of your Photography related questions. We have a lot of wonderful sponsors on BDW that are experts in the Photography field. Have a question about where to take photos, how many photos you will receive, policies about bringing outside photographers to certain resorts, photo editing, and more? This is a great place to post your photography questions and receive answers! Happy Wedding Planning!
  8. Congrats Juli and Dan! I can't wait to see your wedding photos!! Thank you to everyone who entered the contest, all of your stories were lovely!
  9. alyssaw

    Untitled Album

  10. alyssaw

    BDW Sponsors

    Thank you to all of our BDW Sponsors! BestDestinationWedding.com helps brides-to-be create their dream wedding package. The site provides detailed information on booking travel and finding the top resorts and vendors to plan weddings, honeymoons, and anniversaries in the world’s most desirable locations. Covering destination locales in Riviera Maya, Cancun, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Hawaii, Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta, Caribbean, Costa Rica and beyond, BestDestinationWedding.com is a powerhouse in the ever-expanding Romance industry, with over 2.5MM brides visiting the site annually. Sponsorship opportunities are available for Photographers, Videographers, Wedding Coordinators, Resorts, and more. We want to thank all of our current sponsors for their ongoing support! DJs & Entertainment Dresses & Suits Photographers Resorts Tours Travel Agents Videographers Wedding Coordinators Hair, Makeup & More Wedding Invitations & Design DJs and Entertainment Mannia Audio, Video & Illumination Dresses, Suits, and Attire {Red-I} by Chelsea Photographers Arrecife Studio Mexico Blue Lens Caribe Wedding Photography Brilliant by Tropical Imaging Caribbean Emotions Photography ClaudiaPhoto Studio Dean Sanderson Photography Del Sol Photography Diego Munoz Photography EM Weddings Photography FineArt Studio Foto Caribbean Gilda Badillo Photography Gonzalo Nunez Photography Gulnara Studio Wedding Photography Ivan Luckie Photography JPG Photography Juan Navarro Photography Kristin La Voie Photography La Luna Photography M&J Photography Mexican Wedding Photos Miriam Beach Photography Moments That Matter Photography Nora and Chris Photography Ocean Photo Studio Octavio Montes Photography Photo Shoots Vallarta Photographyarte Studio Photos in Cancun Photography Pierre Visual Studio Sarani Weddings Sascha Gluck Photographer Sweet Fire Photography Syds Designs Photography Victor Herrerra Photography Zasil Studio Artistic Photography Resorts Las Ranitas Le Reve Hotel and Spa Tours Playacrawl Travel Agents Blue Petal Destination Weddings Crystal Water Weddings LUXE Destination Weddings Wright Travel Agency Videographers Cancun Wedding Video Lovestruck Films Wedding Coordinators Caribbean Celebrations Dream Weddings Riviera Maya Eventos Euforia Fresa Weddings Helen G Events Leanne Marie Weddings Ultimate Mexico Weddings Hair, Makeup, & More MVP Hair and Makeup Artistry Sara Tamargo Professional Make Up Wedding Invitations & Design Irresistible Invitation Design We appreciate your support! Interested in being a BDW Sponsor? Contact us at [email protected]
  11. Real Wedding in Udaipur A destination wedding in India means a combination of colours, fun, emotions, rituals, ceremonies and 2-3 days of celebrations of pre and post wedding events. It all started with Mehndi Evening where guests were welcomed with garlands, entertained with folk dancers and pupeet show, served Rajasthani food, got heena applied and more at the terrace of Sheraton Raputana Palace, Udaipur from where you can overlook the Fatehsagar Lake. Next morning started with Pitthi ceremony which entails rubbing paste of rose water, turmeric, chickpea flower. This ceremony happens for bride and groom both. In the evening the guests were ready to rock the dance floor in traditional style with Dandiya Sticks and Raas Garba. Here arrives the D day, a specific request from the bride was to walk down a white aisle and get married under white mandap. The groom arrived on an Elephant, with traditions Shaadi Band, welcomed with Shenai Player and the bride and groom tied the knot in spacious lawns of Sheraton palace Udaipur under white mandap on a beautiful cloudy morning. The colours of an Indian wedding stood out in this white wedding ceremony set up. Here comes the newly wedded couple for the cake cutting and first dance during their Reception Dinner. All this ends (or it really started) with a farewell brunch which was again a cloudy and nice morning. This destination wedding in Udaipur was organized by Memorable Indian Weddings. Sunaina Sharma is a destination wedding planner for India based in New Delhi. She is the co-founder of Memorable Indian Weddings, a destination wedding planning company famous for personalizing every element of the wedding as per couple’s requirement. http://www.memorableindianweddings.com
  12. Great entries!! It has been so fun reading all of your love stories:)
  13. Getting Married in Puerto Vallarta and Banderas Bay, Mexico The perfect combination of Mexican charm, breathtaking sunsets, beautiful venues, modern amenities and amazing service providers makes Puerto Vallarta one of the most desirable places to tie the knot. Puerto Vallarta is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean and makes up part of the Banderas Bay - the world’s seventh largest bay. Vallarta is only a 3 hour flight away from Los Angeles, Dallas, and just over 4 1/2 from Seattle, Vancouver, Calgary, Chicago, New York and Toronto. Scenery The prime location of Vallarta at the foothills of the Sierra Madre allows for a picture-perfect wedding. You can find cobblestone streets, red tile roofs, beautiful gardens with fountains and palm trees, typical Mexican small town charm, luxury villas and contemporary architecture there. Would you like to plan a wedding or TTD in one of the 26 beaches? With or without rocks? There are several marinas to choose from as well as rivers with small boats and many pelicans. Climate Puerto Vallarta is on the same latitude as Hawaii and has a nearly perfect weather with more than 300 sunny days per year. The dry season lasts from November until May. In November all the mountains are bright green after the rains and the sun sets at six o'clock. The weather during this time is just perfect - crisp blue skies, warm sunny days and cool breezy nights. The rainy season (June until October) is romantic as well. The thunderstorms can be quite impressive! The rain is expected shortly before the sunset at about nine o'clock in the evening, the temperature is a little bit higher. Because of the mountains the hurricanes are very seldom. How to Pick Your Wedding Date The high season lasts from November until May. Many resorts and vendors offer discounts on week days. If you plan your wedding on any given Saturday of the high season book the resort and the vendors at least ten months before. It would be wise to check whether or not your wedding takes place during any of the national holiday weekends. All the flowers will be much more expensive, beaches and hotels will be crowded and it would take more time to get from one place to another. What To Do Besides “I DO” Love the wildlife? We suggest whale watching (November to April), dolphin adventures, crocodile observation in natural habitat, horseback riding, snorkeling and scuba diving. Active lifestyle? Take a spectacular canopy tour, rent a 4 wheeler, banana boat, jet ski, kayak, parachute, scooter, surf or choose from much, much more. There are several golf courses as well. Romantic person? Visit the Malecon during the sunset, choose one of the endless dining opportunities, and after that dance all night! Don't forget to experience mariachi music and taste tequila – you are in the very place to do it! The Official Puerto Vallarta Travel Guide Photo Shoots Vallarta Caring beyond photography. Eva Sica, Pierre Morillon and other European photographers are at your services in Puerto Vallarta, all of Mexico, and France. Website Contact Us
  14. I love this!! I will definitely be following you on your wedding planning journey! :-)
  15. LOVE STORY This contest is CLOSED. Nora and Chris will be contacting all of the finalists personally. Thank you for entering! To see who won, view the video on Page 5! There's nothing better than the perfect love story. Nora and Chris of Nora & Chris Photography have their own! Meet the photographers: BDW Members, this is where you come in!! Are you interested in having your destination wedding photographed for FREE (less travel expenses)? Enter this contest and you may be the lucky winner! What's your love story? How did you meet your Prince Charming? Here's how to enter: Respond to this thread with your love story and be sure to make it creative! Videos, poems, and pictures are welcome! Like Nora and Chris Photography on Facebook. Click here to view their Facebook page. (Optional) We look forward to reading and/or viewing your love story. This contest runs through May 4th and is now open to 2012 and 2013 brides! Be sure to enter now and good luck! Want to learn more about Nora and Chris and view some of their work? Visit their Showcase Page and Website. Contest Rules
  16. Hi atalanta! Please do not include your honeymoon expenses. Thank you!
  17. One idea I love is giving your soon to be bridesmaids cute little day planners with your Wedding date circled or marked off somehow. Or I've received personalized cards that have a picture of me and the bride on the front. The wine idea is great! Have fun!!
  18. I've been to several showers and have received favors at some but not all. The favors I received were super cute! At one shower, we were given small mirrors which were personalized with our name, photo below. At my shower, one of the hostesses gave everyone really cute patterned dish washing gloves, I believe she got them at Michaels. She put them in white take out boxes and tied the box with a bow in our wedding colors. Everyone loved it! As people said above, I wouldn't feel pressured to give a gift to everyone at the shower, especially since it sounds like there will be a lot of people there. I think giving a gift to the winners of games that are played is sufficient. However, if you do decide, I hope some of these ideas helped!! :
  19. Hi uhaft! Please include everything: Resort fees, OOT bags, dress, accessories, vendors, etc. Thanks so much for your help:)
  20. Hi Jello. Thank you for your question! Please include what you will be paying for your guests, not what they are paying to attend. Let me know if you have any other questions. Thank you for participating in the poll!
  21. Hello BDW Members, Please help us collect information for our sponsors! This will lead to more contests and promotions for all of you!! And who doesn't love a good contest, right?! When answering this question, please factor in florists, videographers, photographers, officiants, hair/makeup, DJ/Entertainment, Caterers, etc. Past brides, please feel free to answer too! We'd love for you to answer our other two polls: How many guests are attending your wedding? How much will your destination wedding cost? Thank you for your help, Your BDW Team
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