CAKnight

Another idea would be to drape leis over the chairs. I'm contemplating doing this with chair ties. In lieu of using chair covers, compare the price of the standard chairs with that of bamboo chairs. If you do this, you could add your chair ties, leis or whatever decoration you like. By "upgrading" your chairs, you may not have to spend as much money on other decorations. Personally, I am using bamboo chairs because it adds to the natural ambiance of the beach. Hope this helps some brides-to-be! Btw, does anyone have any ideas for the petals to throw besides the petal cones?!

Hi UCFJennifer! Yes, I took a little break from here! In fact, I spent so much time away that I forgot that my original plans were on another ship! lol But, yes, I am now a Victory bride, as well!

Quote: Originally Posted by nl2134 We are planning on doing wedding in port on Carnival Dream in June 2014. I was debating doing STD's, but decided there is enough info the need early to book cruise, so I decided to just go right out with invites. I plan to send them out next month (9-10 months before cruise). They will have basic trip info, booking contact info and link to our website, which has a lot more detail. With invite I'm including preliminary RSVP for early count estimate, due September. That leaves me time to contact people before they miss early pricing. Then at about 4 months before trip I plan to send out more info on cruise & excursions, along with a final RSVP probably due at final payment deadline. At this point I will ask for booking info for anyone that hasn't already provided it. So I should have final count on sailing & non-sailing guests along with needed info before I need to provide it to cruise line. I with probably also send out a final mailing about a month before trip with more details about boarding, pre-wedding & wedding day schedule, hotel accommodations, and any other details needed. Hi! Just wanted to share my experience with trying to plan a wedding cruise! My FI and I are planning on getting married in April 2014. The cruise that we are taking is the Carnival Victory, which stops in Key West (our wedding destination) and Cozumel. We decided that by getting married in KW, it would be easier for more members of his family (who live in Louisiana and Texas) to attend. I sent out my invitations in August with a final RSVP date of February 1 (the final payment date is February 9, I believe). Thus far, I do not plan on sending any additional paper notices out. Just as an FYI, if you have a contact person for each of the groups you are attending (ie. your future MIL for his family, your mom for your side and a trusted college friend for your college invites, etc.), then you more likely to get responses for people. For the most part, people do not realize that if they are not coming they need to RSVP. All in all, I would say that by sending out multiple mailings, you going to create more work for yourself. Plus, most people are not going to take the time to appreciate your efforts. (Just being honest based on my experiences.) If you find that most of your invites are virtually connected and you already have RSVP, you could consider ask for peoples' email addresses in order to send them notices that you have updated your website. (As an added bonus, you will have their emails for most wedding correspondences.) I think that would be more effective because all of the information you are talking about sending them is traditionally information you would find on a wedding website. Hope you and other brides find my experiences helpful!

How did your elopement go with Weddings To Go?

I've been MIA for a while. Wedding drama with the future ILs! I haven't weighed myself in weeks so who knows how much I have gained! Too many M&Ms and Seagrams Escapes (Try them! They are awesome!!! ) lately! I wish I wasn't an emotional eater! *ugh* Hopefully, I can get back into eating healthy and working out this week! On a positive note, I think I might have found my dress! Now, I just have to figure out what size I want to buy it in!

You don't feel as though that is a long RSVP time frame? I feel like people might forget, then I will have to chase after them. (I'm just reflecting on recent events involved my FMIL.)

Such a small world! It is awesome to have a fellow DW UCF April Carnival cruise bride! LOL I'm thinking the second dinner service might work well. I think it would be the best balance since the guests are going to be from CA and FL. I can't imagine my family eating a heavy dinner at 2 PM because of the time difference! lol

I agree with you on the reasons for choosing a cruise wedding! For my FI and I, it is the perfect mix of relaxation and adventure (at an affordable rate!!! I think that is the BEST part!!)The reason that I loved the cruise wedding idea is because I also liked the idea of a large family vacation. My family lives in CA so I wanted to spend more than just the one day with them. I feel like I'm going to be getting comments from my future ILs. I'm glad that I'm not the only one who is going to go with the idea of a "reception" in the dining room instead of one of the specialty restaurant. We will have to consider during a cocktails and hors d'ouvres idea since we would like to get married around 11AM.

Yes, I agree with you, Gresley!

Mhmm...a midnight dinner buffet! That sounds like an interesting and unique idea! My FH and I will have to consider this option!

Congrats JJ!!!! Please share details about your wedding from the venue, your WC, etc! Thanks you for this "insider's tip"! It is much appreciated! Where is the Black Beard liquor store in relation to where the cruise ships dock?

Hopefully the rule will be the more weight loss buddies we have, the more weight we will all lose...now, wouldn't that be nice?! Heather, you are having a cinco de mayo party! Sounds like fun...I love Mexican food being from CA. Everyone is welcome on this thread! Our unofficial rule is that everyone has to introduce themselves so that we are more than just out usernames. So...I'm NIki. Hezmshaw is Heather. Jenny2014 is....mhmm, I don't remember. Just kidding. It's Jenny! (Hi Jenny! lol)

These ideas would be definitely create a wow factor!

You could also use cellophane bags! They are similar to the zip lock brand! I know you can find them at the Dollar Tree, Michaels and Walmart...or just Google cellophane bags!

What the reason for shaving your legs twice?