girlinthecity97

@@MrsCtoB - i just got married and guests raved about having pain killsers alka seltzer tablets (essentially the same as pepto). We had a couple ask for sunscreen. I think you are all set and covered complete with super cute bags!

@@kfracassi - We secretly married in the U.S. at the courthouse before heading down just to avoid issues. While my cousin (ordained minister) swore out it would still be recognized, I didn't trust it. Several other brides on here that I have become friends with did the same. I am not comfortable giving up blood etc...then the fact we married on a Sunday when legal ceremonies are not allowed took that out of the equation altogether. In the end this served us well given the last minute cancellation. I found having someone who knows us and could as personal touches made a huge difference. Initially I didn't care but am glad that we had someone who could tailor make our vows perform our ceremony on hand. I say let your friend get ordained to do it and go to the courthouse. No one but you, your fiance and Jesus will know! @@rtscent - our coordinator Marisol made a big old note that we should be charged if anyone came to deliver flowers to the lobby. Given that Generations lobby requires a golf cart ride (as opposed to the Azul Beach), we just rented a car for a couple of days (initially $80/day then knocked down because we paid cash). The came in handy to make a mad dash to Office Max for place card fixes and then again to pick up the flowers.

@@ChiTiff - again no thanks needed. Ask your WC for pics and I will look for the one that helped me visualize things up there and post it asap. Xox!

@@ChiTiff - ok so unless they are doing the dinner set up at the very far corner of the dinner/food side of the roof, they will see your set up before it's time for the dinner. My WC did mention that this same far corner I am referencing is where they set up dinner receptions so I think you will be fine. The caveat though is that you don't have full ocean views from that corner. It's still lovely but I just want to make that point clear. Given you are combining both your cocktail and reception times, I think you will be fine and it will make for a lovely transition. Bugs - it was on the pier. The "Romantic Candlelight Dinner" offered in the package is on the pier and it's you and your boo schnaps with a waiter. There is no candle light loL other than the sconces that are on the pier and they set up a two rows of LED votives w/ rose petals in the middle of the pier floor for you to walk to your table. The dinner was GREAT the bugs that joined us, not so much. After awhile, everyone learned to stay in their own swim lane but it definitely gave us cause for pause. With the reception on the pier we didn't notice bug issues maybe because we were too busy to focus on it and also all the people and noise. Since you are in late April, I don't think the roof deck will be too chilly but I WOULD check your ceremony time with your photographer especially if you want any beach pics. Our wedding was at 4pm with dinner starting on the pier at 6pm. We had just enough time to get some good daylight pics as well as some sunset pics on the beach with just the two of us. Had we done it later we wouldn't have gotten much from a beach pics perspective. I wish I had taken better pics while on my tour up there so you could see what I'm talking about. Let me go through my web favorites and see if I can find the good pic I came across that shows the dinner area from the ceremony area.

@@ChiTiff - thanks so much for your kind words and compliments! Bring on the questions, I am here to help get you ladies through just as you all have been here to deal with my pre-wedding cray! Guests - 60 on the money! This ended up being perfect! It doesn't feel very overwhelming because they were split between EDR and Generations. The folks at Generations were parents, sister (because of my 10 year old niece) elder cousins, college besties because they brought their babies and the one set were my flower girls), my NYC bestie b/c she loves oceanfront views and my hair stylist b/c i wanted her close by - SO glad I did that instead of having to get to and from EDR. Everyone else stayed at EDR and had a "weekend in paradise". This was a mostly couples but a few singletons (as I call them). They all ended up being clustered together in the same building or close by so they made fast friends. The singletons even ventured out one night to check out Playa Del Carmen night life. Since you have 60, I cannot stress enough doing as much work as you can on your OOT bags etc ahead of time. If it doesn't add bulk or work to disassemble once you are there do it now! it is a LOT for a group that size! I was a crazed sleep deprived woman for 2.5 days. Officiant - that's an interesting one. The short is no. Against judgement, I agreed to let a cousin who is a minister do this but she couldn't make at the very last minute. They were supposed to fly down on Saturday but instead I woke up to an email from her hubby saying they tried to reach us at the resort with no luck on Friday night and she'd been admitted to the hospital for emergency bowel blockage surgery. Luckily another friend who was there is ordained and was able to step right in. It was perfect. The ceremony was funny and perfect. The resort said if he hadn't been there they would have brought one of theirs. My friend isn't ordained by the church. He took one of those online courses so he could do another friend's wedding who wanted someone who knew them to provide a personal touch. Sky Deck - so we had our Romantic "Candlelight" dinner the first night we arrived. I am so glad I pushed for that because we had NO time to do it once guests arrived. While out there, we had a few bugs roll up on us which made us consider moving things to the Sky Deck instead. We ended up keeping the Reception and Dinner on the Pier as initially planned because of the wind and night chill that comes with. Since your wedding is in April, I think you will be fine having everything on the sky deck but I would consider having fans for guests. It gets really hot up there. We only had our Ceremony and Cocktail Hour there. I thought about having a basket for fans that guests could take but thought "nah, I don't need them." I kinda wish I had b/c the wedding day it was warm up there and less of a breeze than days before when I took the tour to see the space. It was in the 80s and sunny with a breeze each day then dipped to the 60s with more of a breeze at night making it chilly when we were there. The Wedding staff warned that people will be cold and I'm glad I listened. The pier was less windy and had just the right amount of breeze once we were all dancing etc. You might want to consider having your cocktail hour some place else if you are having your ceremony up there too unless you don't care about guests seeing the set up etc during your ceremony. One side closer to the beginning of the ceremony aisle is smaller than the side they use for dinner. I was lucky and they let me use the larger side for my cocktail hour b/c I didn't want guests walking through the set up to get to their seats for the ceremony. The side they do for dinners/receptions up there is just to the right of the gazebo (if you are facing it for the ceremony) and extends pretty far back. Guests will LOVE the view and love it! Rehearsal - nope, they told me they didn't have time for one and that we didn't need it. That would be true if we had a more experienced and ON IT wedding coordinator. She was WAY too laid back and her inexperience showed. I will post my thoughts on the team so you all know what to expect but you can access the deck any time as long as another wedding isn't happening so I would figure out a time to do a quick walk through with your party. Thankfully mine was small so the slip ups weren't really noticeable or a big deal. Also, my bestie's hubby (flower girls dad) was smart and took them up there the morning of the wedding to practice! @@CnBWedding - no thanks needed and do not be afraid to ask questions. Seriously ladies, ask as many as you like. I am here to help, especially since I am now the veteran out of the group!!! I LOVE your poster!!! That is a hot idea! Vanessa - yeah, DF wasn't thrilled about the pick up idea but was glad we went that route when I gave him a price comparison. She also gives you options to help make your bouquets more affordable. For instance, she quoted me a $150, $75 and $60 option for my sisters and suggested I spend no more than $50 on my nieces (Jr. Bridesmaid). I was thinking about pomanders but then decided to do little rosette purses for the flower girls. I will try to get pics of those up as I just saw their mom posted some on FB.

@@CnBWedding - Thanks! Arriving Tuesday with help and going with the memorable moments package in almost totality will save you HUGE on time and suitcase packing. Unfortunately, my friends all offered to help but none arrived early enough to do so which I'm ok with given how expensive flights were. SO JEALOUS you are heading there! Can't wait to see pics!!! Your friend gave you awesome advice. I wish someone on my side had been to help. That would have taken a lot of stress off of answering the phone and having to go to some of the meetings. Welcome Reception - was the deck area right in front of the pool bar. It is semi-private. They set it up with high tables and I asked for white bows and hurricane votives. It was perfect and made it easy for guests coming on shuttles from EDR to spot us and join the party. Most hotel guests were respectful but a few TRIED IT & went to the bar during the party. They knocked it off after a few nasty looks from me. I listened to my bestie (glad I did) and edited the flowers. Vanessa did my bouquet, sister and nieces bouquet, 4 boutonnieres and 2 wrist corsages and 8 blossom stems for the vases at the reception. For me, she was WAY cheaper (slightly more than half) than Lomas because as you saw in my pics, I had white phalenopsis orchids in a cascading bouquet. Lomas quoted $420 to her $250 for that bouquet alone. Vanessa is very responsive and awesome to work with! Tell her I said hi if you go that route. Cruise - we actually earned this through our TA. We got to take up to 40 people and had a $1200 food/beverage credit. My TA said it would be $1000 if we needed to book another catamaran when I asked what the cost is flat out. I was afraid we would have more than 40 but didn't. It left out of Maroma and was with Maroma Adventures I think. Lomas works with them and I had to provide my confirmation info to David the uber eager Lomas rep at Generations. He will hound you and your guests to be sure to turn in your transfer vouchers and anything else he needs from you. Not sure how much you are packing for OOT bags and what your bags are like but I will give you an idea of our breakdown - my bags were pretty large: 2 large suitcases for the OOT bags and all OOT bag contents. 1 smaller suitcase that was a carry-on for my laptop with all my special fonts downloaded in case of emergency (which came in handy for "place card gate"), mini place card frames, my planning binder, table number frames, and guestbook poster. SO cool you are doing one of those too! Which style are you getting? 2 large and 1 small carry on sized suitcase - for DF and I's respective clothes for the week. The carry-on was for shoes and his tux accessories.

The things I WOULD do again: Have my wedding at Generations with split block between there and EDR - anyone who is worried about this or that family or guest not being able to make fret not! I truly mean it when I say we had the PERFECT group make it down to celebrate. Everyone got along, was super excited and supportive and entertained themselves. My mom made me feel like we should have done more in terms of group events/meals etc... but my guests confirmed otherwise. We only did a welcome cocktail party on Saturday when most guests had arrived and we weren't really waiting for more to get there, followed by the rehearsal dinner, then the Wedding late afternoon/early evening and a Catamaran Cruise/Snorkeling trip as a "Thank You" (aka "The Send Off") with open bar and snacks. We met up with guests on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening at the Martini Bar at EDR. Guests loved this because they were able to enjoy the resort and restaurants and kept thanking us for not planning their entire free time. It was fun to see instagram and facebook posts of what they were getting into (everything from resort activities/contests, to jet skiing, spa going etc..) They really appreciated that we respected this was their vacation too. Sometimes I felt I was neglecting them but they assured me they liked having something to do in the evening post-dinner like meet up for drinks and laughs at the bar each evening. Rehearsal Dinner at Chef Market Family Style - They tried to tell us this was buffet only but I pushed for Family style. It was perfect because my group got pretty loud pretty fast (wine and liquor don't help) so I was thankful we had the restaurant to ourselves. I know the thought of not having a plated dinner threw some of us on here off (self included) but it was perfect. As my bestie said, that's the beauty of a beach wedding in a tropical location. You can be as casual and or elegant as you want to be. The food was delicious and there was something for everyone. You don't get to pick a menu, the resort pre-determines but trust me all will be pleased. The desserts are decent and again are a variety so there's something for everyone and if they like more of something than something else, just tell the staff. They are eager to accommodate. Reception Dinner International Family Style - again, this worried me and as you guys know, I wasn't sure if this was the right way to go or not because we were going for "Resort Chic" and I thought family style might take away from that. NOT. TRUE. Guests were raving about how delish everything was and the fact we had everything from Lobster Tails to Chicken to Shrimp!!! I would however order a bigger cake. It was delish and the desserts that came with the International Family start are "meh" (according to guests, I didn't get to eat it). Cake, Cake Cake - To cut down on costs, Marisol suggested I go with one of the signature Memorable Moments cakes instead of a custom one. Thankful for the advice. I opted for a 2 tier (feeds 20-30 people) Pure Glamour cake but requested a black ribbon instead of a pink one since our wedding was classic black & white. Our flavors were Carrot Cake on top layer and Vanilla Rum on the bottom. Because I know fondant can be a bit tough and less than yummy, I requested buttercream icing on both layers under the fondant. THE.CAKE.WAS.YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!! I am NOT a cake or sweets person but everyone from my cake snobs to non-sweet lovers raved about how moist and delish the cake was but also how soft and tasty the fondant was. They kept saying they've never had fondant that was so tasty. The buttercream made the difference. You might be asking why didn't I go with just buttercream but I am a bit of a bug freak and was concerned bugs would find their way onto the icing. With fondant, no one would be wiser if a visitor came to investigate the cake prior to it being served. Flowers - VANESSA JAIME did an amazing job making my floral vision a reality. I cannot recommend her or our photographer enough. All of my flowers were GORGEOUS and exactly as we discussed. We had a mini-adventure finding her but it wasn't difficult and I ended up being the one to go with DF on the morning of our wedding to find her studio and pick the flowers up out of fear he and his best man would get lost. Neither speak spanish and he has a terrible sense of direction. He never leaves our house w/out Google maps on. I am glad I went because we missed it on the drive down but I found it and all was well. Hurricane Votives -Decor Splurge #1 - once down there, I really could not go with the LED votives I requested. I just.didn't.like.them.at.all!!!!!! Luckily DF felt the same so we splurged to have real flame votives in glass hurricanes. I was nervous about the hurricanes being too big or bulky but they were PERFECTION they really helped set the ambiance and added to the decor. I lost the battle of having the lantern candles switched from LED to real flame instead but it was fine b/c the hurricanes off-set the hated orange glow. Cigar Roller - Decor Splurge #2 - DF asked about a cigar roller as he really wanted this. We coughed up the cash and are glad we did. Our beach photo session ran a bit over but guests were fascinated and entertained by the ability to sit and make their own cigars! We even have pics of our flower girls getting in on the action. Guests thought this was really cool and liked that they got to take them home. The roller put each one in a glass travel case that was sealed at one end. Mega DJ - for all my obsessing over music, I am so, So SOOOO glad I listened to Marisol and hired Mega DJ and then took the time to put together a playlist for him. I was bad and didn't really pay attention to his list except to get ideas of what to dance with my dad to or play for the garter grab and bouquet toss. He had great suggested songs for these. For the rest of the reception (dinner and party), I just listed every song we really liked and wanted noting "CLEAN VERSION" or "RADIO EDIT" thanks to the help of Itunes to confirm those songs existed. He created a mix based on the songs and everyone had a blast. It flowed perfectly and we all danced so much our feet hurt! Anyone worried about the Lomas DJs, don't be. I wasted $300 having a backup mix made by a DJ here and ended up doing a better job of just listing what I wanted and letting Mega DJ do the rest. The one note is he does NOT emcee so be sure to have a trustworthy friend agree to do your announcements. Ours was missing in action at first (at the bar) but was quickly found by the onsite Wedding team.

@ - i took mine to show customs that no individual item was over $300(except my OOT bags) so they didn't think I was bringing samples for retail sale and not claiming them etc... and as evidence it was for a wedding. I even took an extra invite just in case as added proof LOL

Hi All - Just returned from our wedding and the OOT were a huge hit! Guests found them totally thoughtful and useful: Tote Bags - waterproof on the inside and we did not put our name on them. Guests thanked us for not doing so because they loved the bags & would use them again since they looked more like a souvenir. Recovery Kits - found totally cute muslin "In Sickness & In Health" recovery kit bags and filled them with advil packets, alka seltzer packets, emergen c packets, band-aids, neo-on-the go (neosporin packets) and dramamine packets (since we were doing a catamaran/snorkeling cruise the day after the wedding). Several guests said they made great use between hang overs and random scrape/burn mishaps. Bug Spray - ordered large bottles of Skin So Soft and filled mini bottles with them and made a custom label to match our tote bags, table numbers, invitations etc.. that let guests know it was insect repellent. Guests loved this because some of us (self included) were bitten upon arrival at the resort.

Ok so I will try to cover things from a day by day perspective and start with things I would do differently: · Arrival – I would get there 2-3 days before guests are due to arrive. I THOUGHT we were getting there 2 days but a good number changed their arrival dates based on flight pricing etc. so I really only had 1 day before our phone started blowing up with “hey! We are here! What are dinner and party plans?!!?” This will also allow you to get the bags out for delivery if you go that route – which we did. Some guests received their bags late that evening after returning from dinner/drinks with us on Friday night while others DF personally delivered because he left me working on things so I sent him to greet folks with bags for those he met. Once there, your fiancé will most likely be in full vacay mode while you are in GO/Command Central mode. This was a major battle with us because he didn’t understand why I was instantly in go go go mode once we got to our room (more on why later). This also gives you a bit of time to just breathe & stop and have quality time with your Boo Schnap before everyone gets there and you are going in several directions. · Packing Prep (Getting it There) – so SO glad he talked me out of bringing a ton of stuff and did a price comparison to help me realize it was actually cheaper and less stress to just go with Lomas for things like linens etc. No disrespect or shade to anyone planning to bring most of their décor but you have SO MUCH stuff to keep track off when coming down there, less is truly more!!! For example, I only brought down contents for my Recovery Kits (e.g., advil packets, alka seltzer packets, Dramamine for the catamaran, bandaids), spa cosmetic bags, Totes, frames for 9 tables, mini place card frames, my wedding binder and printed paper items for the welcome notes, itinerary cards etc…and then our clothes, my dresses (ceremony & reception) and his tux. This amounted to 6 pieces of luggage total with 3 carry ons (dress, tux, my purse/tote bag of things I cannot check)!!!! It wasn’t cheap! As you saw from my earlier note, DF got confused and left 2 out of the 6 suitcases in baggage claim. THANKFULLY I caught it while we were waiting for Lomas to transport us but still!!!! You get the idea. I cannot imagine doing this either with a connecting flight. Thankfully we were flying non-stop. As I mentioned, take an inventory of everything you are bringing and checking so you don’t run into issues or confusion later. If you are anything like us, you WILL be exhausted and excited and anxious all rolled up into one and keep feeling like you are forgetting something. Having that inventory would have helped! · Guest Prep (Once you got everything there) – This is moot if you are doing a less detail-oriented OOT bag. In theory, my ideas were HOT but in execution a TON of work especially if it is just you and your fiancé and doing it for more than 25-30 people. Anyway, I unfortunately listened to DF’s advice and did NOT start assembling things that would not increase bulk ahead of our trip down. For instance, after immediately unpacking and setting up Command Central, I went to work putting the table numbers in the silver frames I purchased for them to go in, inserting the welcome notes into the welcome cards, trying to stuff the Recovery Kits with their contents and tie “Live Love Laugh” ribbons on cosmetic bag zippers so they’d match/tie into the same phrase that’s on the OOT bags etc…. The Wedding Office scheduled my appointment for the next day at 1pm so I was literally trying to stay up all night (again) to get things ready to hand off to them. I didn’t and had to jump back on it early the next morning and again in the early evening/late afternoon after meeting with the Wedding Team. As mentioned, between meeting with them more than you may anticipate, guests arriving earlier than you recall/expected or just having to answer questions from the staff constantly checking in to introduce themselves and see if this or that is ok, things can get chaotic. In hindsight, I wish I hired a planner to handle the Welcome items so I could relax more. · Video – I total regret listening to DF on this one and wish I had gotten a videographer. Saying the day flew is an understatement! I feel so robbed and want a do-over LOLOL. Also, if you are nosey and picky like me, you will want to “SEE” everything. My dad and I were a bit awkward and off beat when we started to walk the aisle due in part to us starting on opposite feet but also because I was distracted. I was trying to quickly take everything in and make sure everything was perfect and as I envisioned. If you can afford this or have a truly trustworthy friend who likes to do this type of thing, definitely get a videographer or have someone make videos. · Extended Departure – hopefully you ladies have booked a few days for either your honeymoon or to just decompress after the wedding. Again, didn’t think this through and trust my gut over DF’s feedback so we only had 2 days after the ceremony but really that became 1 because we did a catamaran cruise w/ snorkeling the day after our wedding. So after having breakfast in our room around 9am I went to find Generations guests to chit chat and the next thing I knew it was 12noon and time to get ready to meet up for the cruise transfer which arrived at 1:15pm. We then had to make sure all guests who said they were coming were present and accounted for. I felt like a kindergarten teacher – it was like herding cats, complete with taking head count so we could be sure no one was left behind once at the marina etc. I am greedy so we will be honeymooning in a couple of months but definitely regret not staying through the end of this week and coming home over the weekend!

ok I have officially had it with this site. The rest of my post is completely gone!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am going to just type it elsewhere and try pasting it in. Sorry ladies!

Ladies - I just want to scream!!! I started sharing details and it did NOT GO THROUGH! I will start again. I cannot thank you all enough for your support and encouragement! Thank you @@rtscent & @@lauralane for the kind compliments! Before my update gets deleted I will start again. I may break it up so nothing gets lost. @@rtscent - LOVE the cake topper! The most important details: Guests love, Love, LOVED the both EDR and Generations!!! So much so many are already talking about going back and joked that we should invite everyone down to do it all over again for our 1 year anniversary! They also raved about my OOT bags and the contents (which I will get into later). The less than stellar - the wedding team onsite needs a bit of work. While all of my reception decor (guestbook poster, placecard frames, table number frames) flowers etc were placed as agreed, there were some issues with the ceremony - NOTHING HORRIBLE, just awkward! If there is anything I left off please PLEASE do not hesitate to ask or bring to my attention.

@@rtscent - Thanks very much!! If any one is on instagram, pm me and I can add you. I have been adoing pics there.

Hi Ladies - We made it! We had a scare when I realized DF left 2 of our 6 suitcases in BAGGAGE claim!!! Thankfully I noticed before we left the airport and he was able to get them relatively quickly!!! One had my clothes. My 1st tip is to make two lists as you go: one of everything that needs to be packed wedding/decor wise and one of the amount of luggage being checked and in total (including carry-ons). Lolol Df was trying to be helpful and packed up all the wedding supplies. I realized mid-flight the filler and black tissue paper needed for my OOT bags didn't get packed so we are headed to Walmart later. OK back to work. I just got the side eye from him to get back to work on assembly. Lol He is in full vacation mode and annoyed I am in work mode. Miss you and will post soon. They were super nice and upgraded us to a swim-up. My TA says this is good given it is a blackout weekend.

Hi All: The clock is quickly winding down. Had a few minor melt downs over the weekend but that is largely due to lack of sleep. I am on a mission to knock out the following & spend tomorrow picking up my dress, getting my lashes done, packing and hopefully getting a decent sleep! Clothes - if you haven't already started thinking about what you are wearing during your stay DO IT NOW!!!!! LOL Somehow I forgot this "minor" detail and have been running around trying to find cute beachy wear in the Northeast winter! Dear Fiance became a rain cloud of helpfulness (instead of "reality" LOL) and suggested I look online and do overnight/next day delivery since it will cost about the same as driving all over. So I'm eagerly awaiting those packages to arrive. It is snowing so if there is a delay, I will just buy clothes in Mexico. DONE! On a side note, I am HIGHLY annoyed it took him less than 30 min to pull out a 7 day wardrobe! LOL Table Numbers - DONE and look fab in their frames! Time for bubble wrapping. Welcome Cards & Itinerary - off I go to Paper Source....they look bland and sad. Hopefully I can find something there to spruce things up! Azul Bride also was gracious enough to share her template with me so that helps get this solved, now to "play" with printing. Escort Cards - tonight's late night project Bug Spray & "Nod to our Roots" label - tonight's other late night project. Thanks for "listening" to my countdown rant.

@ - you should check Amazon. I kept trying to find sales on the individual travel tubes but ended up getting boxes of individual packets of Advil, Alka Seltzer, Dramamine (we are doing a catamaran cruise the day after the wedding) etc. on their for 60 people. Each purchase was roughly $70 or less.

@ - these are gorgeous! I will definitely be ordering some of these to decorate my home. Too late for the wedding lol. Thanks again!

Hi Ladies - At the last minute, I decided I wanted mini orchid blossoms for my flower girls' and jr. bridesmaid's hair. I found this wonderful (and affordable) Etsy vendor - ChurchMouseCreations who quickly turned around the 3 sets of flower hair clips needed. They arrived yesterday and truly are real touch and look just like the picture. I was so pleased, I thought I would share in case anyone else is looking for a real touch flower vendor for bouquets, hair accessories, etc. https://www.etsy.com/shop/ChurchMouseCreations?ref=listing-shop-header-item-count HAPPY PLANNING!

@@rtscent - hey lady! how's it going?! Ok ladies, not sure if any of you are thinking about doing any type of floral hair accessories for yourself or members of your bridal party but I just received my mini-white orchids for my flower girls and niece (jr. bridesmaid) and LOVE them. They truly are Real Touch and look exactly like the picture. Linda (the shop owner) turned around the 3 sets within a day since I decided to buy these last minute (aka this week). I ordered on Sunday and received them yesterday! https://www.etsy.com/shop/ChurchMouseCreations?ref=l2-shopheader-name

@@CnBWedding - that's great! I will be sure to call out anything you need to know. We are doing the reverse. Skydeck wedding & cocktail then the pier for reception. I hear you re finding wedding besties. My fiance was also happy when I found this site and started posting. I've basically been planning alone...I couldn't have done it without this site and my coworker!

@@acw271011 - I agree with @@pykx82...your day your rules. I'm having a classic black & white wedding (he in a black tux and me in a more traditional wedding gown w/ modest train) even though we are getting married in Mexico on a sky deck overlooking the beach. Go with what makes you feel amazing & fits your vision.

@@lauralane - SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO jealous you are able to design your own invites etc!!!! I LOVE your blog, site and wedding suite! I wish I'd known you when I was working on mine! Thanks so much for the kudos on the bags. I feel like a proud parent where you think they are nice, but that doesn't necessarily mean everyone else genuinely does LOL. am super happy how they turned out and think you will too if you purchase that option. So funny you were on a jute kick. I was as well but gave up because I couldn't find one at a price point DF would agree to. I used this bag: https://www.silkletter.com/promotional-two-tone-boat-bag.html Ii think I'm going to download your positive affirmation background because it is so spot on and beautiful! That tank is hilarious but agree not everyone will be as amused. Initially, I wanted to put "happy wife, happy life" on all OOT items but I got the side eye. Rehearsal Update - So, AB bride clarified that they did NOT schedule a rehearsal because after doing the 2 hour walk through, she didn't feel it was necessary. She said they are really accommodating and will do one if you ask and propose times. We leave next Wednesday so this time next week, I will most likely being doing the walk through! I can't believe it...the closer things get and the more items arrive for my bags etc the more surreal things feel!

@@CnBWedding - that is going to be beautiful! Which locations are you using? @@rtscent - where are you!?! Sooo I think I figured out how to get a pic up of my bag. Let me know if you all can't see it. I really like them and can't wait to assemble a mock one!