CAKnight

That would be gorgeous! In my option, you can still have them...I would create those centerpieces whenever there is a family dinner. But, that's just more of an excuse to have them because they are so beautiful! lol

Here are some random questions off the top of my head: For photographers: What is included in the base rate? If I want pics of myself and my FH while we are getting ready, how do you, as a photographer, manage that? Do you have an assistant? How will my pictures be delivered to be? Mail? Email? CD? Logging into the photographer's website? Through a photo sharing site? What is your cancellation policy? How many events do you personally contract a day? (You wouldn't want the photographer to come late and/or skip out early! ) How much do you charge for special effects on the photos? For florists: In the event that you are unable to deliver the proposed flower arrangements, how do you rectify the situation? What is your cancellation policy? How long are the flowers in your possession before they are delivered to the wedding? (You don't want died flowers! ) What time period do I have to alter my order before the wedding without any fees? What are the fees after that date? This is all I can think of for now! Hope this helps!

Thanks Ma! Hope you join me in this thread! I have A LOT more stuff that I haven't even posted yet! That's why they keep saying "To be continued" and I will keep coming up with lists and ideas open until the end probably! I encourage you to share your tips, as well!

My original post above did something weird when I posted it. So here is the actual version I meant to post!

Well, if you want something a bit "knick-knack" then you could do customized coffee mugs. But, you wouldn't really give that out at the wedding...I think another important thing to remember is that your guests will have to fly back home so you don't want to give them to many unnecessary items. You know all the women will have their bags stuffed to the brim as it is. lol Here are my thoughts so far: Give my guests OOT bags in order to make their vacation more enjoyable. Put a card in their telling them that it is a thank you welcome bag (have to figure out better wording. ) In lieu of having wedding cake, since dessert comes with dinner, my FH and I have discussed buying mini Tortuga rum cakes in Grand Cayman (our wedding location), putting them in clear bag gift bags (think of the non-shrink wrapper clear plastic around gift basket..that's what I want to use) then tie it with a ribbon and a note. ​ The note will say something like "Take this Tortuga Rum Cake home in order to remember our special day. When you eat it, we hope that you will be filled with love and happiness you experienced during this vacation." Something like that...idk I still have enough time for that. Maybe you could do something like the rum cakes if your group is small enough? Or you could give out something else from DR that was symbolic to your guests or native to the island? If your group like to alcohol, then maybe you could do mini bottles. Thanks for the link. I will have to go check those out!

Hi Sheresa! I know exactly that you mean! It's like theoretically we have plenty of time (if it was a "normal" year), but the growing list of items seems overwhelming and then another part of you wants time to speed up so that you can enjoy the big day and all of your hard work. My wedding planning is still in its beginning stages. I expect it to really pick up between mid-May to mid-June. To offer some help, there are threads about everything on here. I'm sure you can find one about the Hard Rock in PC, getting married in July 2014, etc. Here are a few helpful threads: Join other 2014 brides here: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/t/80997/any-other-2014-brides-here-getting-an-early-start/530#post_1900053 Learn about some budgeting tips from past and current brides and brides-to-be: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/t/33804/10-budgeting-tips-for-the-frugal-minded/440#post_1897512 Here is a thread started by yours truly about creating a wedding binder: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/t/86044/creating-a-customized-wedding-binder#post_1899829 Obviously, there are loads of other threads on here. But, I thought I would help a fellow newbie out! Enjoy the experience with the assistance of BDW! Hopefully you will love this website as much as I do! If you ever need any help or advice, feel free to PM me!

Some people do pack those types of things, but in the excitement of travelling we all forget things sometimes. My wedding will be a little different because my FH, guests and I will be doing a wedding week cruise. So the items that would normally be available if you were at a resort are not necessarily available. But, if they do need something they will have to pay an arm and a leg because they may have no other option being at sea and all (gotta love the rules of supply and demand! ) Basically I started this post because my FH and I love the idea of the OOT bag. We think it is a great gesture to our sailing guests. But, we don't want to overburden our guests with a lot of items they might not even use. Therefore, we thought about giving them an OOT bag...and having a note about the fact that we have a "just in case"/community/master bag (idk what to call it) should they need another else. For example, Mom and Dad, Here is a welcome bag to show our appreciation for you accompanying us on our wedding cruise. This bag includes . However, should you need any additional items, please feel free to let us know as we have a "in sickness and in health" bag (think this is what I will call it ) that includes [ list items]. Just give us a call, our stateroom phone number is [insert phone number] and we will find a way to deliver it to you. Obviously a first draft, so I would appreciate a little feedback. But, I hope that better examples the gist of why I started the thread.

Yeah, I've contemplated getting married here first. But, honestly there isn't that much of a price difference between getting married here and having a symbolic ceremony vs just getting married there. So, for now, it looks like our wedding will be in Grand Cayman. Where are you getting married?

In lieu of doing traditional favors, I am doing OOT bags. I figure my guests will appreciate something useful instead of a random knick-knack. So it's basically about just trying to figure out what would be appropriate to add to each bag...yet not break the bank.

Oh, the other question I thought of is...when are you sending out your invitations in relation to your wedding day? I am not doing STDs, only invitations (since I believe so few people will be attending). Thanks in advance!

Hello DW cruise brides! I am going to be getting married aboard the Carnival Legend. The cruise takes place from April 6-April 13, 2014. My FH and I will be getting married on April 11, 2014. I need some help with trying to figure out when an appropriate RSVP date would be. If you could give me a timeline of what your RSVP date is in relation to your cruise date, I would greatly appreciate it!

Walking down the aisle...and the lovely vacation to follow! So, excited I can't wait!

Yeah...it's all about learning to balance things properly. Recently, I've had to bribe myself. I can work on wedding stuff after I do x, y and z. So far, I've been more productive lately. lol Haha it's funny how you ended with a drink and the TV. Talk about a real life example! lol Congrats on your home renovation!

As of now, I currently the following lists: Guest OOT bags Just in case bag (help me come up with a better name. Here is the thread I created on it: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/t/86034/simple-oot-bags-with-a-master-just-in-case-bag ) Contains of my welcome passport Bridal bag supply list List of sayings to put on OOT items Photos I want taken on wedding day Group activity ideas Master shopping list Master DIY list Questions for my TA Budget What additional lists do you have/ can you think of? To be continued.... Ideas for the ceremony order based on this thread: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/t/4785/unique-ceremonies Master packing list

When I saw your post, it made me smile. There are so many animated characters. lol. Your comment is like a party haha I actually started a thread about the creating a customized wedding binder. You should check it out! Here is the link: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/t/86044/creating-a-customized-wedding-binder#post_1899786

My personality is driving me to seek it too! I figure that I have enough time to do a decent amount of DIY projects. Well, let me reword that. I will TRY to prioritize my DIY list by making the items that would save me the most money. The trick with the drinks is not to drink too much. Could you just imagine having a drink or two so you would be less stressed while working on your DIY project...then end up watching TV or something? lol. Yeah...after a certain point, you have to turn the dial down a little. But, to me, it's a mix between I have enough time and I want to do everything now because I'm so excited. lol. Is that normal?

My wedding colors are yellow, orange and pink. So, here is the pink folder that coordinates with the theme It is a 1.5" 375 page binder. (I originally picked up the 1" binder. But, my FH was like you know that's not big enough. So he suggested this 1.5"...he knows me well. lol). I bought it at Walmart for under $6. On the inside pocket, I have my envelopes that contain my receipts. As of now, I have a general wedding envelope (as a place to hold my receipts until I delegate them to more specific envelopes) and an envelope for my OOT bags. I think I will be creating another one for my invitations. Trust me, this is one of the best organization tips I have thus far. Whenever I need to return an item or compare prices, it is extremely convenient. To be continued...

Hello to my fellow DW brides! I was on another thread and a bride asked if I anyone had any advice to prepare for their upcoming wedding. So, I decided to share a little about the wedding binder that I had created those far. As you all know there are a million and one things to do in order to prepare for your wedding. But, I think the thing that makes it all better is having EVERYTHING (every teeny tiny minute detail) all in one place. I think it will help create a less stressful bride...and possibly happier FH. lol I will more likely than not be writing long detailed descriptions. So, if you are the type that likes things to the point. Then, I apologize ahead of time. But, if you are like ME and appreciate details.... I invite you to share everything, as well! After all, there is only so much wedding talk that the standard person can tolerate between now and your wedding...so we have have to use each other for advice, support, etc. Right? So, here we go!

As a side note, I know that the Caribbean is well known for its rum cake. I know that the Tortuga Rum Cakes company has a website. But, I just wanted to know if anyone has cruised lately and bought some. If so, where did you buy them? How much were they? What size were they? Thanks in advance!

Thank you! I would love to hear whatever you know! Just the other day, I was looking up more info about the steakhouse. I think you can actually advance book the steakhouse if you have 11 or more in your party (if I remember correctly).

Just got back from a Zumba class. Thought I would share some tips for all of the first timers who decide to try it out! Try to eat about 2 hours before you go! If you eat any closer to the start of your class, the energy from the food may not be absorbed by your body. Plus, your stomach might hurt. (There is a lot of jumping around. ) If you eat too many hours before a class, you may not have enough energy for class. Remember, Zumba is an hour long high-energy dancing class. Then try to have a snack when you are done. If you decide to do Zumba Sentao (Zumba that uses a chair and your body to help you tone), I would suggest not doing any other toning workout for a few days before. I say this because then you will know how to tone properly outside of Zumba Sentao. Plus, you will know how it affects you. The Zumba class involves a good amount of turning around/ spinning (whatever you want to call it). You may want to take it easy, as in not doing all of them. For me, I get a little light-headed. If they have speakers that hang from the ceiling, don't stand under them. This may be obvious. But, I wasn't thinking about it when I was standing under them the other day. Well, I ended up getting dizzy because the music was so loud. (The balancing mechanism is in your ear.) They like to blare the music. So, if you go frequently you might want to invest in ear plugs. (Just imagine you being at a concert for an hour...then returning to the "real" world. Communicating with people can be awkward when you can't hear them very well. This happened to me the other day. ) Water. Make sure you have a water bottle (or two) while working out and a water bottle for after the workout. This is my favord tip. Make sure you have some sort of reward. My advice would be to try to have a non-food related treat. For me, I bought workout clothes. For every 5 classes that I do (since I bought 20 Zumba classes off of Groupon), I get to wear a new item, whether it is a sports bra, athletic shirt, etc. It actually has motivated me once or twice. Sorry that this was so long winded. Just thought I was share my advice for a successful workout!

You're welcome moody! Think I might start a thread about that so we can all get organized together!

Oh, that's awesome! Don't you just love it when you get on the scale, try on clothes that haven't fit for awhile, look in the mirror, etc. and you notice the difference? What did you do to lose that? It's funny how this mentally affects you too! Yesterday, I went out shopping, so I ate before I left the house. But, I forgot to grab a snack! So while I was out shopping (for wedding supplies. haha) I keep seeing all of these fast food places. I managed to avoid them all because I keep telling myself that it would negate some of the hard work that I have been doing. Well, that and it's an expensive habit! lol. I'm glad that I somehow had enough willpower to avoid it all! Plus, I know that once I go back to getting like that, it is hard to revert back to get healthy. It's an addiction I tell you...why does junk have to be so yummy? lol

These are great to test out on a non-bridal note!

Oh yes, I definitely will! Hopefully I will be able to post one in the next couple of days!