EVKnowsitall

Your pictures are unreal! So ethereal. I agree, the TTD was my favorite part of our trip- even more so than the wedding because it was an intimate moment after we were already married with the stress of the wedding behind us and we got to be ourselves and have fun and we surprised our family- no one knew we were doing it! I told my mother I was going to but she told me I was not allowed to trash my dress because it was custom made, not quite cheap, she paid for it, and I had to wear it to my AHR. I knew if she knew I was serious about trashing it, she would convince me not to, so I did it behind her back lol. In the end she was ecstatic about the pics! You look like a mermaid. I wish we could have taken underwater pics. Quote: Originally Posted by kllyjansen I used my real wedding dress for our TTD shoot... we went to cenote caves which was crystal clear fresh water. The dress was cleaner after the TTD shoot than it was at the end of our wedding night! For any on the fence about doing this, I encourage you to ABSOLUTELY DO IT! In an amazing week full of fun, it still managed to be the highlight. What a great dress for a TTD I love the picture of the entire train just floating in the water. Quote: Originally Posted by agale86 I got my TTD dress at Davids Bridal on SUPER SALE! It was 100% polyester, which turned out to be perfect because it didn't absorb water! You can trash your actual dress or buy an alternate. Trash the Dress originally was supposed to be your actual dress. It was an alternative to people preserving their gowns and getting really artistic, unique wedding pictures. Some brides however, have AHR's and need their dress again and they started getting afraid of the condition of the dress and opted to buy a knockoff or sale dress to prevent the destruction of their actual gown. I initially planned on getting a second dress because my mother was deadset against my trashing my dress. Even my husband told me not to. But I could not find a gown I loved as much as mine for the right price to justify spending the extra money. I ended up trashing my actual dress AND wearing it to my AHR two weeks later- in perfectly fine condition. What other brides say is true- it actually cleans the dress. My dress was filthy from walking around the hotel grounds and people spilling drinks or touching me or stepping on my train. The TTD cleaned all of it. Then I took it into the hotel shower and used the showerhead to rinse it off. Hung it up from the highest point in my hotel room and spread it out over 4 high bar stools in our room to fan it out so it could dry. Once it dries, the sand shakes right off. It all depends on the fabric of the dress. Quote: Originally Posted by Xarocas Such a great idea! I always thought that the trash the dress was your actually wedding dress but this sounds like a much better option!

I freaking LOVE Altos de Chavon. I originally wanted to get married there but it was such a headache. I love the rustic charm and like how you used it for your TTD instead of the beach. Great, unique idea and that was awesome of you to donate your dress. My mother would die if I had. I needed it for my AHR so I couldn't but its a great gesture. It's sitting in my closet taking up space and I'm like "with am I supposed to do with this? hahahaha" Quote: Originally Posted by Vancouver Bride Trash the Dress in La Romana Dominican Republic at Alto de Chavon It was SO much fun! I donated my dress to a women's charity at Dreams Resort. They dryclean it for free and give it to a local bride! Love this! It's going to look amazing with sand in all the little ruffles. What a bargain!!!!! I trashed my dress safely but wouldn't have if I could have found a second dress for a great price. Can't wait to see how awesome the pics come out! Quote: Originally Posted by trivera5521 Heres my TTD dress =) A whopping....$150! Woohoooo

Quote: Originally Posted by martap7 Went in for my first dress fitting this weekend, I just am in love with this dress...has to be taken in and have to find the right bra for it due to the back being so low, but I cannot wait to see it when its all said and done What a sexy dress! I absolutely love the train and the beadwork, so stunning! I had a strange dress and the cut was similar to yours, it was low in the back, had thin see through beaded straps and was slightly low in the front- it seemed there was no such bra for me. I ended up having the bridal salon sew in cups, but my mother insisted I needed a lift. I bought the strapless, backless, silicon stick on cutlets. I also bought a medical adhesive to keep the bra on but the adhesive was so sticky IU didn't need it. The day of my wedding, we couldn't zip my dress and I started to cry. I thought it wouldn't fit- we discovered it was because the cups sewn in conflicted with the silicon bra. I ended up going braless so my little flat boobs had to suffice. Honestly- It didn't matter. It was really comfortable, and I am who I am. You can get the silicone bra- it seems to be the best for your dress silhouette.

Quote: Originally Posted by NJBride2014 This is my second dress/party dress. Got a good deal on it at a Loehmann's bridal event. I didn't buy my actual dress yet but I just thought this was so fun and perfect for Mexico I didn't want to pass it up. It's a surprise for my fiance. I love it- so practical and cute. I wanted a second dress but I ended up loving my dress so much I didn't want to take it off. I couldn't find anything comparably pretty for the right price- but you seem to have found it! It's so flirty and cute.

Guess it wouldn't let me post because the picture was taken from the website and I don't have the right...lol It was there before I hit reply. But anyway- the seller is Klidonas photo jewelry on Etsy- if you look her up here you'll see what I mean lol http://www.etsy.com/listing/112640371/photo-bracelet-photo-jewelry-picture?utm_source=Pinterest&utm_medium=PageTools&utm_campaign=Share

We couldn't do candles because our reception was on the beach. Initially I wanted a plaque I saw on etsy that said "we know that you would be here today if heaven wasn't so far away". I planned on placing it on a pew in the church for my grandmother- who had a stroke and witnessed our proposal and shared that moment, but passed before we could get married. My grandfather passed when I was in HS but I always wanted him to walk me down the aisle. I didn't want to draw too much attention because the loss of my grandmother was still very raw and recent for my mom when we got married. Instead, I chose to have my grandparents wedding photo as my something old and has a custom peacock charm made for my brooch bouquet. I bot it on Etsy and the seller had a mock up in less than 30 minutes. The charm came to my house within a week. She was excellent. There are really great options for commemorating loved ones. My grandparents wedding picture: My mom actually got engaged to my stepfather a month after I became engaged. She waited for my wedding because its her second marriage and I am now planning her wedding. Since my grandmother is her "favorite girl" as she likes to say, I wanted to make sure I incorporated her in my moms day as well. I plan on buying her a bracelet like the one pictured here for her to wear: These bracelets are actually quite expensive and I have seen these photo square beads in Michaels and I think for a fraction of the cost, I can actually make this myself. It's just a matter of shrinking my grandparents photo professionally and getting it into the frame. This might be my next DIY project.

I can't wait until BDW has a winter brides thread. I'm planning my moms wedding (she became engaged a month after me but wanted to wait until I got married first because it's her second marriage) and now that I'm a planning "expert" I've been tasked with planning her wedding. I've been pinning like crazy and can't wait to bounce ideas off the other brides in these forums. Although I did try convincing her to have a DW in our original location of Mexico. HAHA She booked her date on my husbands 30th bday which is not making him all that thrilled- so if I can convince her to go rogue and do a DW he gets his 30th away like we originally planned, mom gets married, and everyone wins! LOL

Quote: Originally Posted by megssweet1 Oops meant to use this photo: OMG THIS RING IS GORGEOUS. I LOOOOOOOOOOOOVE! It's pretty unique as far as rings go. The setting is fabulous.

Quote: Originally Posted by SkyHighT100 So I completely lucked into my dress. A coworker of my Aunt was about to give her dress to Goodwill. Knowing I was engaged my aunt sent it to me. It was amazing and so much more than I could have afforded at a bridal shop. We are getting married at Ponce Inlet Beach next month so I knew the train just wasn't going to work. I took the dress to a local seamstress and they worked some serious magic!!! Not wanting to let the beautiful beading of the train go to waste they made a new modesty panel for behind the corset and a shawl incase it gets chilly. I am SO excited to wear it in just 26 days!! I'll be sure to post better photos after the wedding, these were from my moms cellphone. Model photo: Original back: After alterations: Looks great on you. I like your new update to the dress. I love how you found a purpose for the train as well. That's so flippin' awesome and creative. It's like you were on that show "something old something new" hahaha

Quote: Originally Posted by Wedding2014 I was responding to the thread but noticed you PMed me...I'll send you the info.

Quote: Originally Posted by lisamarco413 @Jahanee Conner, thank you! I really with I had a WC assigned already! It's frustrating to not be able to ask them questions, but you have been very helpful in her absense! Do you know if this is the same for a beach reception rather than a restaurant reception? @Kristina Simms, thanks! My ceremony is a beach ceremony at 6 and I am thinking we may want it earlier. Were they pretty accommodating when you requested to change the time? We are having a civil ceremony. Or possibly getting married by a judge earlier in the day (doing the paperwork), then going to have a symbolic ceremony that evening. I haven't been able to get any information on the judge other than he can do it at some point in the day, haha! Definitely let me know about substitutions on the menu. It seems silly to not be able to pick cheaper options. I'd still pay the same price, just want different things. Thank you, Ladies! I'm a bride from another forum but a lot of the questions you are asking are questions I dealt with. The lighted dance floor of course isn't necessary. I think people do it for ambiance or to make it feel more like a reception. We had one and we loved it. It looks great in pictures and makes guests feel like its a party. If you want to save the costs, see if the WC can rope off a "dance floor". Take ribbons in your colors and seashells or any other symbol of your wedding and create a space for dancing that is separate from the other areas- preferably in the center. You can even use rose petals to outline a "box" that could be the "dance floor". As far as a sit down vs. buffet on the beach- Our resort gave us no choice. They said they could not keep the food warm for a sit down and successfully get it to the tables and it still be warm. Against my wishes we had a buffet (I thought buffets were too informal) but you're already doing a beach wedding lol its already informal! Our guests enjoyed the buffet and the food was nice and warm and people could have seconds if they wanted. It's not a bad alternative- so if they say they can't accommodate your group because you are over the # of people- don't sweat it. The buffet is great. Getting married by a judge in DR? We got married legally in the NYC court house and only did a religious ceremony in DR (which was a bit of a pain in the ass- but only because of the hiccups it caused- like losing time for pictures lol) I would say legally getting married in NY was one of the best choices we made. Instead of doing an engagement shoot, we just had our photographer shoot our "civil wedding"- we only told our moms and best man and MOH and they were our only witnesses. The photographer took our "engagement/ wedding" photos. It made going to DR a little easier knowing we wouldn't have the headache of doing all the legal paperwork there. If you get married in the church you have to mail over all the appropriate documents prior to anyway so we really just focused on planning the event once we were there. I'm only in this forum because I am nosey lol. I considered getting married at NOW before I settled on my resort so thats the real reason I am here haha. Good luck ladies!

YES! I love anything pumpkin too. My favorite things about fall: Fingerless gloves Cinnamon anything I get to bust out my "wine" colored clothes (I have burgundy boots, a jacket, sweaters, scarves etc) Fall foliage Apple Picking with the family

It builds up. When I first joined I figured I would never get to 150 posts before my wedding. I started to comment on other people's posts and before I knew it- I was there. It happens without you realizing because at first, you're just posting to get to 150 but then you genuinely get wrapped up in conversations with other brides. I'm just wedding curious period, so I went into other threads for resort properties I knew I wasn't getting married at just to see how other people planned their weddings. Shoot- I still check and I'm already married lol. I don't post as frequently now, but whenever I am bored I hop on the site and chat. Happy planning newbies!

Absolutely gorgeous and definitely unique. I looooove these and I'm sure they were fun to receive!

I did both- a decorative hair band and a cathedral veil. I had a first look without the veil. I put the veil put in the middle of the back of my head with the decorative hair band across the top. I wore the veil for the ceremony and pictures after, then took it off for my reception. I wore it for a longer period of time during my AHR. I regret not taking it to my trash the dress. Definitely see what looks best with your dress. I love birdcage but it did not match my dress, and I love flowers. I ended up wearing a flower clip for my civil wedding 30 days before my DW, wearing a birdcage at my bridal shower (it was a tea party theme) and wearing the cathedral for our Catholic Church ceremony at the DW. Best way to satisfy all your desires! Wear em all lol why not? You're only a bride once.

Thanks so much. That means a lot because I still think I could have done more in terms of details. I forgot boutonnières, I forgot table numbers lol, and my moth didn't buy the peacock pins like she promised for the girls. The BX reception looks so nice bc of the decor. The room itself is pretty raw. The white entertainment center looking backdrop was made by my friends decor company. He literally built it at the venue. He gave us great rates bc he's a friend so I don't know his true going rate but he totally transformed the room- he did 10 centerpieces-2 different kinds, table runners, the whole backdrop, draping, up lighting, the guest book table, escort card table, and candy buffet. The place is Tosca Marquee on East Tremont Avenue. Their prices are reasonable, the food is great, they are mostly accommodating and flexible, & they have a tented rooftop where we had cocktail hour. All in all- it's not a bad deal. We got engaged at their restaurant Toscas next door so it automatically scored for our AHR.

Quote: Originally Posted by lcamzpas Hi there, Can you share your meal plan. I have about 60 lbs to lose before the big day in 6 months and we are also working out so a meal plan would be a lot of help. Thanks. That's awesome! Equally awesome is your wedding date which is my birthday LOL. It's different for everyone- but yea- the diet plan definitely is not marathon runner friendly. You will definitely see a difference with the exercise for both. I don't even know how you have the energy to train. I could never do both. Quote: Originally Posted by ironman We started Insanity five weeks ago and are starting the second 30 day set of the program today. Although we haven't noticed as drastic results as you I definitely feel fitter! We started following the nutrition plan, but I'm also simultaneously training for the NYC marathon on Nov 3, and I was way too starving with the running combined. So now we're hoping Insanity will help us lose a few inches. It's a tough workout program! At first I followed the diet guide that came with Insanity- It was lean protein heavy (grilled salmon, grilled chicken, fish) and mostly veggies. I ate 5 times a day. For breakfast, I used another Beachbody Product called Shakeology that I still use to this day. You lose 10 pounds just from the Shake itself but it can be pricey- about $115 for a 30 day supply (however, if you are like most people who eat their breakfast on the go and buy coffee and bagels or a sandwich, it evens itself out). Roughly two hours later I would eat a small snack (think raw baby carrots and hummus, raw roasted almonds, rice cakes, apples and peanut butter etc), two hours later I would eat lunch- a lean cuisine or a smart one if I was in a pinch, or whatever leftovers I had from the previous nights dinner, then it was a second snack, then dinner. Usually for dinner- on days I had cardio work outs I would eat a protein, a carb, and veggies. I ate things like brown rice (seasoned with corn and sazon or chicken broth to make it more interesting, with grilled chicken and veggies. When I became tired of eating the same "diet foods" I started experimenting and looking at my favorite things to eat but swapping them out with healthier ingredients. Baked ziti became whole wheat penne, with turkey meat, homemade tomato sauce, and 2 % cheese. Chinese food became shrimp and veggie stir fry with liquid bragg aminos instead of soy sauce and over brown rice, We even made homemade pizza with whole wheat crust, 2% cheese and whatever veggies we wanted. It just became a way of life. My husband recommends myfitnesspal- they have an app and a website- you can track everything you eat using barcodes on products. It also navigates you through menus at hundreds of restaurants. We always found the healthiest thing to eat on the menu. Salads- fat free dressing or oil and vinegar or dressing on the side- and water. Lots of it. I hate water. I'm into the Sparkling Ice flavored sparkling waters. Or I used MIO to flavor water- STAY AWAY FROM CRYSTAL LIGHT- it has Aspartame. Mio does not. Neither does the Sparkling Ice. Aspartame I suppose is ok in small amounts but it has terrible side effects and actually makes you crave more which can lead to binging. It also makes you bloated, retain water, dizzy, and gives you headaches. Try to avoid it. That and anything with high fructose corn syrup. You have to check whole wheat products. They have a lot of High fructose in them. We basically don't eat anything white- no white pasta, no white bread, no white potatoes. That was hard for me. I'm a potato freak- but we make baked sweet potato fries in the oven and season them with sea salt, chili powder and a cajun seasoning for fries with a kick. We also eliminated red meat and now it makes my stomach turn. We eat ground turkey instead of ground beef, and only on rare occasions do we eat steak- if we do its fresh from the butcher and seasoned with olive oil, pepper, and sea salt- that's it. It helps to have a measuring cup and a food scale- so you know what you're eating. Never more than a cup of carbs, and proteins should be 2-4 oz depending on your weight goals. I have picture diaries on my FB with all my "recipes" with ingredients listed. Eating healthy is not a death sentence I promise!!!! https://www.facebook.com/evelyn.vazquez.52643/media_set?set=a.844155029472.2342259.8105829&type=3