pzl101

thanks! so excited and scared at the same time .. I was like "holy sh**! this is really happening" and my FI is like "ehh whatever, why you scared? don't you want to marry me?" lolol

wow, amazing rate. i'm hoping the check in desk will upgrade us since its our wedding-moon

keep your head up girl, that sucks that they were all like that with just the first StD but like everyone here has said, we're here for each other and you do what you and your FI wants. you don't need to justify the where, when and why of your wedding to anyone.

I hear ya! I'm running the NYC marathon in November so even when it's super hot or super early, I keep thinking, hopefully this will help me get in shape for the wedding!

I tried convincing my FI of that but he still thinks we don't need a TA. He says that his parents and sister will still go to him first even if we have a TA. he says he doens't mind and can handle any questions his friends and family have.

congrats!!!

Yes, totally. We are only inviting immediate family and 6 close friends each. I am inviting one aunt only bc my mom doesn't speak english and this aunt is her closest sister so she'll have someone to keep her company ... technically we haven't told anyone this but hopefully all our other aunts, cousins etc will understand. On my side only, my family totals almost 60 ... yes! i totally freaked out when i received my confirmation letter .. cold feet already!! cute and smart idea so fun! it reminds me of a masquerade party!

Hi ladies! Sorry I've been MIA the past few days ... been busy because .... WE ARE FINALLY CONFIRMED WITH A DATE AND RESORT!!!!! We put our deposit down and reserved at Secrets St. James Montego Bay on May 30, 2014!!!!! now gotta get started on those StD and catching up the past 30+ pages lolol

how long does it take for them to get back to you after you sent them the reservation form and CC info for the deposit? When I was asking preliminary questions, Lisa Marie was getting back to me within the same day. But now ... I sent the res form 2 days ago and I haven't heard back about a confirmation for my date ...they did charge my cc already ... so I guess that means I have my date and time reserved? I wish they would send me the confirmation already!

hey recy, Alexis has been an invaluable resource for me! I keep referencing her planning journal and review for tons of tips.

I also say invite the aunt ... hopefully your dad's other sister and her daughters and other cousins are understanding about keeping it intimate. My family is huge and I really only see them on holidays once or twice a year - I am inviting just one aunt just because my mom doesn't speak english and will be bored and lonely being among me, my closest friends and FI's family. This is her closest sister so I figure they can hang out together and keep each other company. I haven't told anyone yet but hoping it goes over well and noone gets offended ...

wow meg, great job!! I love the way the colors fade! I personally prefer the square one but that's bc I like to keep things simple without too many words but def use both if you love both!

cute!!! love the purple and the silhouettes in black but the leis are in color!!

I don't know if that would be the best or worst photo bomb ever!!! lol

ok, no problem sandals whitehouse was our favorite if sandals was in the running. But we have too many singles coming.

Good to know about frames sale ... for another centerpiece idea, I was thinking of having those multi-pictures frames with pics of me/my FI and the friends and family we're inviting ...

$1475 for just images in 4 hours?? I don't think that is a lot of time if you want to do "getting ready" shots, ceremony and a reception. No prints or online gallery for ordering? All these photography packages are so confusing and vary from person to person Yup, we're thinking Secrets St. James in May 2014. I asked for availability for several dates in May since our first choice already had the late sunset time booked. I'm hoping to be the only wedding the day we choose. (I didn't realized they did multiple weddings a day until we finally narrowed it to Secrets) I was in Jamaica this past May and the weather was gorgeous and not that crowded - the people there said it's kind of their low season in between Spring break/Easter and summer when more people take their vacation I'm hoping to DIY all the paper stuff (StD, invites, programs, menu, OOT bags) and a simple centerpeice(s) We're only having 20-24 so I only have to do 2. I'm not a fan of chairs with white covers (which are included) but if I just want plain white folding chairs, they are + $7/person! That's my bigges peeve, WHY do I have to upgrade chairs!!?? I keep telling my sisters "y'all are standing!!!" lol We're inviting only immediate family members and 6 close friends each. Everyone of course initially said "yes, we're there" but I think once they see how much the resort is, some may back out. Not that I need to justify Secrets, but all the rooms are oceanview suites plus the food and alcohol included ... I think the people who haven't done a lot of traveling will be more on the fence ..

Oh cool, I didn't know Shutterfly does this too. I read a lot of people have used vistaprint for certain stationary items. I'm not sure if I'm up to cutting either, especially the luggage tags StDs I want to do That's good to give them the choice of using them or not. Half our guests are pretty well traveled and can do it on their own and the other half have used TAs for prior trips.

Welcome and congrats!

I LOVE the idea of koozies!! Are you getting them personalized with a message or logo? Pretty colors! I'm torn between having colored napkins to add a nice touch and a pop and thinking "well, they are just napkins! Are people really going to care what color they wipe their mouth with?" lol OMG - should be like, you can look but not touch!! aww that's cute 10.12.14 but 10.22.14 is great too!

No visit - just narrowed it down by the reviews and help here on BDW from previous Secrets brides. I was in Jamaica this past May and loved it. I stayed in Runaway Bay, not Montego Bay and the beach there was gorgeous - I was really worried about the quality of the MB beach but I read a lot of reviews on TripAdvisor that it's nice too. We're having a small wedding (20-24 people) and felt Sandals, Riu and Iberostar were too big for what I wanted and Secrets looks like it has a nice balance of luxury and intimacy - Azul looks like that too which is why I'm interested. Although you're right, it looks a lot pricier!

oh and the pics posted are by the Saab associates? they came out great!

That's a good question - I'm not sure what to do for a welcome reception - the bonfire sounds really cool but not sure if we can spring for it so I may just pick a bar and have everyone meet there. We're only 20-24 people. @Alexis: which bar do you think would be good for a small group? I don't mind if we don't have the whole area to ourselves. Out of curiosity, what time was the bonfire?

yup, she also just posted a review that was even more detailed - she has been a wonderful resource - so helpful and super friendly

seriously! it's like another world being able to open up templates and see pictures lol