EVKnowsitall

If the wedding is a year away or less- the deposit is $500. If its more than a year away, the deposit is $1000 I believe. Either way- it goes towards your wedding so no worries. I had Lauren at first and then I was transferred to Bianca. I liked Lauren and was not happy about the transfer. I liked Bianca until my whole DJ fiasco. I had to go over her head and talk to a manager and I got Massiel and she did not handle the situation professionally. She was rude in some of her responses so I was rude right back.

Although its a bit more pricey- Insanity is the business! I lost 60 pounds. The program takes 60 days to complete and you can lose upwards of 20 pounds in those 60 days. I started it a few months before I got engaged because at the time I also had braces and I wanted to transform myself completely. The braces came off and so did the weight! My fiancé and I did it together and he actually turned into a huge healthnut after. It's 6 days a week- 45 minutes a day for 30 days then an hour for the next 30. It's high impact- I def cried the first day and I hated it but I stuck it out. I went from a size 14 to a size 2. I purchased my dress when I was sort of in between a 4 and a 2 and I think it's a bit snug because unlike most people who lose weight due to stress, I am a stress eater. And I have been stress eating but I'm 4 months until our wedding and if I lost 20 pounds in 60 days I can less in 120. And if I'm being honest about weight loss- I gave up alcohol while I did insanity and I loooove wine so that was a toughie. I also cut out white- white pasta, rice, bread, & replaced it with brown pasta, lean proteins and veggies. I also eat 5 meals but controlled portions. And yes- I occasionally cheat

Jealous lol not Wally's- autocorrect strikes again!

That's unique. I'll look into it. It seems the most popular mens metals is Titanium- which my fiancé initially scoffed at, but then every band he likes is...you guess it...titanium lol. It's durable, costs less, and looks more masculine. I think he's jut Wally's because my band cost a whole lot more lol

I love the peacock photo! We are having peacock feathers and elements at our wedding. Also- these are some great men's bands. I am having trouble finding a band for my fiance. He is super picky. He doesn't want too thick of a band and he wants some diamonds but it can't look feminine...lol he doesn't wear any jewelry except a watch so this should be interested. I checked the regular stores- Zales, Helzberg, Kay- he doesn't like any of the bands. I am thinking we will have to go custom. It is so much easier for the men to find rings for the ladies- there are so many designs. There is far less in stores for the grooms.

Forget the dress...you are stunning. I think whatever you wear will look great, you look like you popped out of a magazine- I love the V back though!

No regrets for you! Your dress is one of my favs!

LOL So true! I was watching TLC's new show Something Borrowed, Something New and everyone cried when they saw the bride- her sister, her mother, she was crying...yea that never happened. My fiance looked at me and said "Awwww baby did you cry when you found the one" and I said "Um...no" He didn't believe me because I am usually a crier. I cry at stupid commercials lol but I think I waited for that moment when you just KNOW its the one and I think its because of all these shows. Keep in mind- most of these people usually have overcome hardships- like battling cancer, the loss of a parent. I feel like they have a lot more riding on that moment. Granted- my dad will not be going to my wedding and I lost 60 pounds before I tried on my dress so I had some emotions involved too- but I didn't have that moment. And I had to try the dress on three times haha. It was the second dress I tried on and I loved it but I wanted to try more dresses. I tried on a few but kept comparing it to that dress so the consultant put it back on. It wasn't until she put a veil and bouquet in my hands that I started blushing and couldn't stop staring at myself. When I went to inspect the dress after it was made, I cried. It looked nothing like I remembered. I think I had a panic attack and I hated it. My mom calmed me down and said "you have to try it on" but the salon wouldn't allow me too because they were closing. I had to make another appointment- a month away to try it on. So for a month, I worried and thought about how much I hated my dress. But at my inspection fitting- I loved it. It's like with anything else in life- take the flights for instance. My friend paid $850 for her flight...this week? $495...but the week before they were $1,050. It's a gamble. Our 2012 Nissan Altima- brand new when we bought it in 2011- Now? Completely redesigned and I want the new one lol. There will always be something bigger, blingier, more unique...etc. But you chose your dress for a reason- and like other brides said- when its on with all the accessories and the hair done and the makeup and its your day- you wil feel beautiful.

Super sexy dress. The back really is awesome and you have a great figure for it.

Ok Whew- I was worried about expressing it because I didn't want to rain on your parade. I didn't know how to say it in a way that wasn't offensive. I think the dress is a beauty and you can definitely achieve your pop of color with coral shoes, jewelry, or your flowers! My colors are 3 shades of blue so I plan on adding my pops of color in my flowers, my shoes, and my jewelry. Maybe not all of them, but those are the places I'm thinking about.

I love your announcements- looks like a poster for a love movie. And your ring is so gorgeous. Such a stunner.

Aww I wish I could see the front a little better but the back is beautiful. I love a nice train. Any reason they have to take it in so much? Did you lose a lot of weight?

I love it. I have a similar silhouette for my dress so Im partial to dresses like this one. It fits your shape nicely. The coral belt is definitely a pop but in my humble opinion, it might be too much of a pop. I think it detracts from the beauty of the dress, especially if you are going for a vintage beach theme. I think you could forego the belt altogether or have a vintage looking one. The dress fits the theme so perfectly though so congrats!

I adore the detailing of this dress. The back is gorgeous as the other ladies have mentioned, but I also love the straps. Very pretty.

Glad to be of assistance! That's how we are spinning it and you know what? It's so much more fun that way. It's stress free planning because it doesn't have the pressure of an actual wedding. We were even of thinking of playful invitations like "in case you missed it...Elvin and Evelyn got married" or "help the new Mr. And Mrs. Toast their new married life". It's just a big fat party for us. I get the whole financial strain- my mom is quick to remind me regularly that although we saved ourselves money our wedding is hurting everyone's pocket. My philosophy is- then don't come and join us at the AHR. I would not be upset of we had just a few guests, but yes- if you give people an option they'll choose the cheaper one. Everyone we invited to our wedding is invited to the AHR. I'm sure we will have a huge turnout and we plan on wearing our wedding attire again ; )

We thought about this and came to the conclusion that if you present the AHR as an option, people will figure, why spend the money to travel? We sent out our wedding invites without telling anyone about the AHR option, also because quite frankly we weren't even sure we were having one when we sent out the invites haha and then we are sending separate inexpensive invites for the AHR. The invites for the AHR are from Wedding Paper Divas- and we actually shopped their engagement/ shower invites instead of actual wedding invites because they can be as cheap as $0.69 per invite depending on the design for engagement/ shower invites! Can't beat that! I just think people will misinterpret the AHR as a separate reception and figure it is interchangeable with the wedding. Your real wedding is in Mexico, so you want people to go to that if they can. If they regrettably cannot, then they can go to the AHR but if you present the option its either confusing or just an easy way out for people to not attend your actual wedding.

This forum is really the only time I get to enjoy my wedding planning so here are my Etsy finds- BTW I LOVE Etsy! Groomsmen gifts- $76 for a set of four personalized with the groomsmens signatures. I found this for my hub to be and he initially didn't want flasks because he called them "unoriginal" but really...what do you get a guy 1? and 2? WHO couldn't use a flask? haha Seller is engravingwiz. We have a palette of blues for our wedding and peacock accents- but not peacock overboard. I love these compact mirrors for my girls- of course since its such a small token, I plan to add it to their OOT bags and buy them an additional gift. These are $10.50. Seller is Dynamicimprintables These are $28 each. The color happens to be my birth stone, but also our wedding colors so It's perfect! Seller is crinidesign73. The charm can also be changed. My grandparents both passed. I always dreamt of my grandfather walking me down the aisle but he passed when I was in high school and recently, I lost my grandmother. I want to purchase this locket and attach it to my bouquet with their wedding picture in it. This is a little on the pricey side, so I am looking for a cheaper locket, but I love the sentiment. $38.50 seller is Ambersky. So most resorts do not have the most intricately designed cakes- not exactly the forte of the resorts. I asked our resort if we could set up the reception area and if we could "fix" or decorate a plain cake. My sister is a professional baker- so she can make these. They are made out of edible potato paper and you can jazz up a plain cake. If she ends up not being able to make them because of her crazy work schedule, I will just buy them, but I'm hoping we can save. Anyhow- I thought to share them for other brides who want to spruce up their cake. you can get a solid colored cake and just add these to it! 25 feathers for $22.95. The seller is SugarRobot and they make butterflies, flowers, etc. And Lastly- I have to plug my caketopper once again because I absolutely loved the maker and she put our topper on her Etsy site! The seller is Clayphory, the topper is completely customizable and varies in price depending on what elements you add. Ours came out to $190 with shipping included. A bit pricey- but in my opinion- worth it since its such a unique piece AND a keepsake: http://www.etsy.com/listing/120554672/teacher-customized-wedding-cake-topper?

That's not exorbitant or anything...sheesh! BTW welcome to the thread!

Wow! You did an amazing job. I wish I could make these for myself. I love them!

Jack and Jill iis a bridal shower for both the bride and groom- or its used for any activity in which both are present. I tried to get my fiance to agree to a jack and jill bachelor/bachelorette party and that didn't go too swell haha. It's because his best buds- were my best buds first! I met them in college and introduced him and he became friends with them but I'd love to celebrate with them too! I suggested we pick a mutual location and eat our dinners together and spend the day on the beach or doing excursions but not sleep in the same room and party at different venues. I thought it was a clever idea! But he hated it haha Lydia- I agree with your fiance on this one unless you take Peach's advice. I think it would just be an unnecessary expense for you. Kudos on having that many guests go to Cuba! That's amazing! Some of my guests guilted me for choosing DR and I did not appreciate that. If you wanted to do an AHR solely for the people who can't make it- have a picnic, barbecue, or potluck dinner. It doesn't sound like there are many! We are having an AHR because only 40 people could make it to our wedding and we have many friends and family members who cannot attend at all so the AHR is for them.

You look so stunning you are glowing. Your wedding is so close! Can't wait to see your pics.

I love the bottom- its so unique. You look like a beauty queen!

Thanks ladies! Luckily Mannia is agreeing to refund the money in the event that Paradisus refuses to waive the fee so worse case scenario is we are reinstated our deposit and will use the resort DJ. Best case scenario is they honor the contract and I get to keep them considering they were initially a vendor. Mannia informed me that the contract ended in January and they were told they would be charged an external fee but they did not know it was $1,000. Even they think its ridiculous lol

Thanks for the info- Bianca wrote back saying she would speak with management to see if the fee can be waived. The answer better be yes. LOL I also emailed Mannia letting them know I want my money back in the event the resort is unwilling to waive the fee. I hope they do- Although I don't like acting like a bridezilla- bridezillas seem to get their way. Sometimes you have to flex a little muscle. I cannot afford to just lose money and throw it around. I took a second job to help curtail expenses so all my dollars are precious...every last one!

EXCUSE MY FRENCH- but this is some BULLSHIT! I just emailed and heard back from Bianca at the Romance department and she is saying that Mannia knew full well they were not the official DJ and should have informed me so I will be responsible for the outside vendor fee and I said- I absolutely will not pay it because it is not my fault you have terminated a relationship with a vendor. I shot her an angry email and made sure to tell them their outside vendor fee is astronomical and they should not pigeonhole couples into using their preferred vendors. I am beyond livid right now. I sent the email in September 2012 asking about Mannia and was told they were vendors. Not my fault that has changed since then. I'd like to know when they were not official vendors because I did pay the deposit in January, but only after I was told they were indeed vendors. With all the frustrations I am experiencing, I am regretting booking PPR. They are behaving shady and in several other posts from brides, I defended the resort because all my interactions had been relatively positive. Now I wish I had booked my wedding elsewhere because this is not how you conduct business. It's terrible. I know its a five star resort with excellent food and accommodations, but the way the romance department is handled is terrible, terrible, just plain awful. One of two things needs to happen- They need to waive the $1,000 fee or DJ Mannia needs to return my $495 deposit. I am not going to lose any more money because they cannot maintain professional relationships. This is ridiculous.