csho

Eekkk that's a good question! I wouldn't worry too much about it though. I am sure that everything will workout in the end as it should. Hopefully they will have a cancellation or be able to host your wedding on the Monday anyhow. I know it seems stressful now, but you have a date on the Wednesday and although its probably not ideal, I am sure it will still be amazing if you do have to stick with the Wednesday. I guess just don't stress and wait to hear from the wedding coordinator.

There is a whole thread dedicated to ceremony scripts where people have shared theirs. I would suggest searching the site for "Ceremony Scripts" and you should find it. It helped me put together my script.

I went alone the first few times to get an idea of what I liked and then invited my mom and MIL along. I really had only planned to bring my mom but my MIL seemed pretty excited at the idea of being able to come so I invited her. Luckily my mom isn't too opinionated nor is my MIL. They both just saw how excited I was when I "found" the dress. I don't think it was either of their favourites, but it was by far hands down my favourite and they could see that. Don't get me wrong they love my dress but I think they just each had other ones they preferred. But I knew this was the one when I put it on. My biggest piece of advice is don't let someone else's opinion sway you and don't settle for a dress. I knew the minute I put my dress on that it was going to be the one, I didn't even have it done up, I just loved the shape and fun-ness of it and how well it fit. I was so excited in it and I didn't feel that way in any other dress and I did not want to take it off at all. That's how I knew... all the others were fine and pretty but they didn't excite me. It also took me a lot longer then I thought to find my dress... probably about 5 or 6 different stores and probably 30 dresses or so over a few weekends. I did think it over and I had tried on dresses afterwards to just make sure. But I woke up dreaming about myself walking down the aisle in that dress and so I just knew!

Definitely not too early to start planning! I started early, just over a year out (but had a lot of research already done by the time I was allowed to officially start planning) lol! I am so glad I started planning early as I did a lot of DIY stuff and it takes time and patience to do this. Had I waited last minute I know I wouldn't have nearly as much done! Now the last two months coming up to the wedding I am pretty stress free... enjoying the time and tying up loose ends, not worrying or stressing over things. Not to mention things to book up quickly so I'd recommend picking a resort and date, and if photography is important also booking them early would be a good thing to do. Also an overall theme/colour scheme for the wedding. I found it took a while for everything in that department to come together, but it makes it easier if you have a good idea cause then you can tie everything together Good luck and congratulations!

Sounds lovely! I am sorry to hear that they are being horrible to deal with! Hopefully they will smarten up! Have fun looking for dresses! I was so tired of it at the time but now wish I were still able to go and try on more dresses!

Hi Dia, I think you can get married on weekends, there is just usually an additional fee to cover the costs of the justice of the peace (or whatever they are called over there). If you have a symbolic ceremony (get legally married in Canada) there may not be. I'd just check with the resort themselves to make sure though! I looked into this resort and it looked so beautiful! But ended up in Varadero because we felt Santa Maria was just too far away from Havana.

I let my MIL purchase her own dress. She has a few and I don't think has even decided between them. She has one I really love and am hoping she will be able to wear, however, she said its a bit small and I don't have high hopes for it.

I was debating between this as well. A friend of mine gave me a veil she didn't end up wearing for her wedding, so my plan is to take it and wear it; however, if it ends up being too windy, I just won't wear it. I have a large flower I am going to wear in my hair with (or without the veil). I am hoping it won't be too windy though as I do love the look of a veil, but I don't want to be distracted by it throughout the ceremony.

At first I had absolutely no plans of inviting my MIL as I was trying to keep opinions to a minimum. I tend to know what I like and what looks good on me. I went a few times alone, but had invited my mom up to go looking. My MIL had expressed interest in coming so I ended up inviting her along. She was so happy to come and it was nice to have her there. She's not very opinionated, so it worked well. She definitely would express which dresses she liked, like any would, but not be like some of the people on Say Yes to the Dress lol! Overall I am happy she was able to come and we could share that time together. But I would say it depends on how close, comfortable you are with them, and also whether they are going to impede you choosing a dress because of their strong opinions. I was so lucky everyone was happy with the dress I choose and mostly because they could see how happy and excited I was about the dress.

I think the photos you posted were beautiful! I really do think the wedding is more about you and your husband and the bridal party may not want to get dressed up again. Plus they aren't going to look the same as your wedding was on the beach. I also don't think that in 6 months you are going to care to be honest. And honestly I think the ones you have are really great!

I also agree with everyone who has posted above. I have to be honest, I can't believe that she even asked you to change your trip that she knew you had already planned for? Whether or not its a big expensive vacation it was something you had already planned and paid for. I would most definitely go on this trip. I understand you want to be there for your friend, but think about what if it were the other way, would she give up her dream trip for your wedding if they interfered, especially after you had already known that she had planned the trip? I think you should tell her, that you do not plan to change your plans and then she can go ahead and decide whats more important to her, you being there or the date and venue. With that said I completely agree with @@NJBride2014 if she does change her date and venue to accommodate you, you need to make sure that you will 100% be there. its really a crummy situation but yes weddings are important, but at the end of the day weather you're a bride or not, you need to look out for yourself and do whats best for you. I've just seen so many times brides on here talk about how often they gave up and sacrificed things for their friends weddings and then when it came down to their wedding, their friends weren't willing to do the same, and I'd just be worried that this could end up being the case. It may not be the case now or even a few years from now, but at some point I think you'd really regret giving up your dream vacation for your friends wedding (maybe not, but I think I would). Anyway good luck with your decision!

Wow this does seem a bit frustrating! I hope everything turns out exactly as you hoped and that afterwards you'll feel like it was all worth it! Everything looks very beautiful that you are planning so I am sure it will! I guess the best you can do is just go with the flow!

You're getting close!!

@@jolene028 Oh I don't plan on taking Marks' last name. He's aware of this and fine with it, so I don't really care what his family says... ok well I care, but not enough to change my last name over it. We are writing our own vows... I don't typically cry at weddings, but who knows with this one... hopefully I won't tear up too much! Also ladies I have posted my planning thread if you want to check it out! Heres the link: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/topic/76346-carinas-csho-iberostar-laguna-azul-planning-journal-050514/

CSho’s Iberostar Laguna Azul Planning Thread May 5th, 2014 I can’t believe it’s my time to be writing this thread. I remember finding this website and thinking what a godsend the site was. I discovered reviews of the resorts I was looking at and then I found the planning journals which were my favourite part and I remember thinking my turn would never come up! But lo and behold here I am, ready to head off for my wedding in a short few months! I want to thank everyone at BDW and all of its members, especially Tammy who started the website and my ladies on the Iberostar Laguna Azul Brides 2013/2014 thread!! BDW, along with pinterest, has helped me become in tune with my crafty side. I would never have thought I could have a DIY wedding! I don’t know where or what my wedding would be like without all the wonderful ideas and friends I found on here! So thank you everyone! The Engagement: My FI and I had talked about getting married and he joked with me about the proposal all the time. So when he proposed I couldn’t believe he was actually doing it! He’s not always the most romantic but he really exceeded my expectations with his proposal. If you’d like to read the whole story click here: http://www.mywedding.com/markandcarina/stories.html Engagement Photos: My FI and I had already planned on a trip to Europe to visit my sister prior to our engagement. We were spending a week in Berlin visiting my sister and her family and then a week to ourselves in Dubrovnik Croatia. I didn’t want to do your typical engagement photos and thought since we’re having a destination wedding, why not do destination engagement photos. Once I was able to convince my FI that this was the best idea ever, I began my search for a photographer in Dubrovnik. Luckily it was much easier then I had anticipated. I found Svadbas Photography. I loved their work and they specialized in wedding/engagement photography. I quickly booked with Nora Novak of Svadbas Photography and I couldn’t be happier with my decision. Here’s the link to our photos: http://www.mywedding.com/markandcarina/photo_764302_23142850.html The Ring: I knew I wanted something plain and simple, but beautiful of course! My FI did a fantastic job picking out my ring… I couldn’t have chosen a better one myself! It’s a 0.70 ct round diamond solitaire! This photo also shows my wedding band. I love them together! My fiancé purchased a plain yellow gold comfort fit band. Choosing the Destination/Resort/TA: My FI and I were friends for years before we actually started dating so he was well aware that I always dreamed of marrying on a tropical island. I have been to a number of Caribbean islands but we quickly decided on Cuba for a few reasons: it’s reasonably priced and we love the culture and friendly people. This part was an easy decision for us! Choosing the resort wasn’t as easy, but after a ton of research using trip advisor, BDW, and the resort wedding Facebook groups we finally decided on the Iberostar Laguna Azul in Varadero, Cuba. Ultimately we chose this resort because of its 5 star rating, proximity to Havana, the great all-inclusive rates, and the ceremony venue. Price was a huge factor for us as we wanted as many of our friends and family as possible to be able to attend, so making the trip affordable was really important to us. The second reason we choose this resort was the ceremony venue. We will be using their 5th floor Spa Terrace as a wedding ceremony venue , it overlooks the resort and ocean. It just looks so amazing! I cannot wait to be married here! I honestly couldn’t picture myself being married anywhere else! Ceremony Space View from the terrace Our wedding colours are coral and theme is starfish. So you’ll these themes and colours throughout my projects. I have purchased coral organza chair sashes for our chairs and will be tying starfish around them. Invitations: We chose not to make STD’s and go right ahead with our invitations. This was my first DIY project and I was beyond happy with how they turned out! A lot of love and hard work went into the invitations (about 12 hours of cutting – Thank you to my amazing FI for this part!), but we have received so many compliments on them that it was totally worth it! Everyone says they are the best invitations they have ever received! I used Aylee Bites design template. They ended up being a lot easier than I thought it would be. With that said, it took many tries to get exactly what I was looking for. Here’s the link to the template: http://www.ayleebits.com/2006/06/10/diy-boarding-pass-save-the-date/ Thank you so much Aylee for allowing us to use your template! Invitations Once our guests booked we sent them a postcard (made on Vistaprint) that thanked them for booking. MOH and Bridesmaids: In tune with my inner crafter I made my own cards to ask my Sister and FSIL to be in my bridal party. I had the inside printed at Staples…. The quality wasn’t the greatest, I wish I had of had them re-do the printing and the colours didn’t turn out quite as I had anticipated, but overall they served their purpose. I “borrowed” the poem on the inside from another BDW member – I am sooo sorry I can’t remember who I took it from, but thank you so much! I also made them a pair of barefoot sandals. When I made them I thought we might have our ceremony on the beach, but now with our ceremony on the terrace I don’t know if they will have any use. Either way, they both loved the sandals and the card and of course both said Yes! The Dress: It’s an Impression Bridals dress that I found in a small bridal shop called Alyssa’s Formals in Sackville, NS. Their service was amazing and I love my dress sooo much, I can’t wait to wear it down the aisle! I purchased a second shorter reception dress that I plan on wearing for the dance part of our reception. I will wear the wedding gown through dinner and such, but we have choreographed a salsa dance for our first dance, so I needed something else to wear for the dance portion, not to mention it’s probably going to be hot! I purchased this dress online at Modcloth. Jewelry/Veil: I purchased my jewelry online from different etsy vendors. I purchased a starfish bracelet (dreamsbythesea) that I am absolutely in love with and a pair of gorgeous earring that match it (Snobishdesigns). I also will be wearing a hair flower I got on sale at Michaels for 4.99$ by David Tutera. I had originally purchased one on Etsy which I loved but it was too heavy looking for my dress. The new one I got was much cheaper and it matched perfectly with my dress and is much lighter and breezier looking! I will also wear a short two tiered veil that a friend gave to me. Sorry no pics of those items. Grooms Attire: My FI bought his suit from Le Chateau. We were pretty set on the idea of linen, but he tried on the linen suit and I just didn’t love it. Then he tried on this suit, and it looked sooo good! I had a smile from ear to ear so we knew it was the one for him. His groomsmen will be wearing the same pants with a white dress shirt. Bridesmaid Dresses: I wanted flowy, beachy dresses, and somehow I found the dresses I wanted on Kijiji! The exact colour and style I liked- and they were only 75$ each! They are Alfred Angelo. Bridesmaids Gifts: I purchased the girls dresses, but I also made the girls BM and MOH tank tops (and myself a Bride one!). I will be placing those along with lipsyl, coral Havaiana flipflops, and a personalized tumbler into a beach bag! Flowers: I am planning on using the resorts bouquet that is included in our package. I know Cuba has a limited supply on flowers, so I am going to ask for white calla lilies and regular lilies and then bring my own ribbon to wrap the handle. I purchased the guys bouts from an Etsy shop. Details by Jlynn. They are amazing I love them so much! I have purchased faux coral flowers from Homesense and Michaels which I am going to use to make my centerpieces. Favours: We will be purchasing bottles of rum as favours for our guests. I have these tags that I will attach to them that say Thank you for joining us! I am replacing the white thread with raffia for a more beachy feel! I purchased these on etsy from a Canadian vendor Kiwitinicreations. She was great to work with! Dinner and Reception: Another reason we chose this resort is the dinner venue. They have four palapas that you can use for your dinner. I didn’t want to have my dinner in a regular restaurant or ballroom. So I am super excited to be able to use the palapas for our dinner. We have purchased a bunch of coral paper lanterns that I plan on hanging from the roof and I have made my own centerpieces for the tables. We will also be using the same chairs from the ceremony with the coral sashes and starfish. Here is how we are planning on setting up the tables (keep in mind these are rough set ups – they aren’t exactly how it will look but you get the idea!) Head Table Guest Tables After the dinner we will be moving into the disco to do our first dance and party the rest of the night away! Cake: Here are two photo of our cake inspiration. We’re hoping they’ll be able to use these two photos and make them into one! We plan on having a two tiered cake, plain white with coral ribbon around the cake layers, and then have the two starfish on it like the second photo. Photographer: I was originally toying with the idea of bringing a photographer from home with us, but then decided it just wasn’t in our budget. There are limited selections in Cuba; however, we were able to find Alex Delgado of Cuban Wedding Photographer. He is a very popular photographer in Cuba and has done a ton of weddings. I keep checking his new images and they just keep getting better and better. I am so excited to be using him and have heard wonderful reviews from other brides. Here’s a link to his Facebook page if you’re interested in checking out his work: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cuban-Wedding-photographer-and-videographer/205619149526632 DIY Projects: Hangers: I made myself, my BM and, my MOH hangers for our dresses! Can’t wait to have them all hanging together! I used a tutorial on the website – I can’t remember who wrote it, but if you search it on BDW you should be able to find it! Twine wrapped votive holder: I wrapped about 30 of my clear votive holders with twine. I love how it looks, but it was so tedious. I am happy to see this project finished! We’ll be using these with the centerpieces. Burlap Guestbook Sign: I made this sign using burlap and coral and white paint. I printed off the letters and placed the paper behind the burlap and traced them with the coral paint. I was able to see the letter outline through the burlap. I sprayed it with hairspray to make it more durable and then sprayed with a gold shimmer spray paint to add some dimension. I also weaved twine through the top so we’ll be able to hang it. Sorry its not a great photo. This inspired my next projects. “Please Sign” sign: This will sit on top of the table with the guest book sign along with our guestbook, which we created on Shutterfly. We made a photobook guestbook with some of our engagement photos. Please find your Seat sign with sand box and escort cards: Please ignore the junk behind the photo! Lastly, I made our Menu’s for our dinner. Every guest will have one of these at their place setting. I think that’s all! I plan on adding more photos once we have returned from the wedding so you can see how everything came together!

@@ajlloyd15 good point! I might send them out a bit earlier. My mom has printed them off for me, and will be coming up March 8. So perhaps I'll send them as soon as she gets here! That should give them enough time. I also mentioned it on our wedding website and hopefully they have taken some responsibility to check it out!

Wow your photos are gorgeous! I loved your dress! It was gorgeous! As was the rest of your ceremony and reception! I have a similar type of dress... I am so happy to see it looked so beautiful at a destination wedding! Sometimes I wonder if I chose the right one, but seeing your photos and the similarities makes me know I picked the right one and that it will look beautiful!

@@DWBride2015 you probably don't have enough posts to be able to open it. You need to have 150 posts.

@@alley08 Oh good! I have done a set up of how I'd like the palapas to be set up with 18 under each... I am hoping that Giselle will say we can do it and that there will be enough space for all of us! I am not really worried about anything... I feel like I am pretty ready (as ready as I can be). I read rewviews on Trip advisor and sometimes the reviews are so awful and I keep thinking omg where are we going (keep in mind I've been to CUba 6 or 7 times and I've only ever stayed at like 3-4 stars and have always been happy with them). But now that I am bringing other people I am really hoping its good! We know what to expect of Cuba and the only thing I can think is that these people just are picky people because then there are such amazing reviews of the place so that's probably the biggest thing I worry about (not for myself) but for my guests that they'll be happy there! I also worry about making sure we have enough time to get our hair done and stuff without being too rushed! I worry about the weirdest things lol! Did you have the cake as your dessert or did you have the dessert? We were thinking we'd like to do our cake right after the ceremony with the champagne toast but then a lot of people said the dessert isn't that great. Oh I noticed you mentioned the DJ was good? I hadn't planned on bringing cds or anything with me with music (other then our first dance song) but then thought maybe I should, but its something I really have no interest in and am wondering if the dj will be good enough or if I should prepare something in case?

@@alley08 Thanks alley for the great update and review! I am soooo happy to hear everything went well! I am pretty much doing exactly what you did for our wedding. Ours is on the terrace at 3pm though and then palapas for dinner and disco for party! How many people did you have at your wedding? We have 36 and I am trying to see if we can just use two palapas because I feel like I only have a few people in the last one and I don't want them to be lonely! I have already recruited some family friends to go and make sure the dinner is set up how I envisioned it! So hopefully they'll be able to make sure its all set before I get there! The photos look AMAZING! Wow what a great photographer!

@@aworch2014 what if he went with a matching linen vest to stand out from the groomsmen? That's what we are doing and it looks soo good!

South Africa is definitely at the top of my list as well of places to visit!

I think you can take the templates and change the colours on them if they are in word or power point.

@@krisdaversa OMG!!! Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!! That's sooooooo amazing! I am soooo excited for you! This is pretty huge to win your wedding! Too bad about the destination wedding being cancelled... but still soo fun that you guys are all going together! That's awesome! What a great way to start out married life! And to not have to go into debt over the wedding is amazing! I was reading through all your posts about it! I hope you'll still stay apart of this site and keep us updated!!!

@@jolene028 My fiancé and I also live together and own a house together, so I don't really think its going to change too much either! haha Mark has called me his wife on occasion because he doesn't like the word fiancé haha. He told me he was at the grtocery store and the guy asked if he had an airmiles card and he said no wife has that haha and he came home and told me... lol it was pretty funny. Did you change your name once you got married? I don't plan on it, but am contemplating adding his name onto mine... but I don't know if I want to be bothered with it... is that bad lol!