beckys98

If it makes you feel any better my fiance and I have BOTH gained weight since we got engaged - and our problem is definitely not UNDER eating and neither of us have ever smoked We both exercise rigorously 3-4 times per week, but we loooooove food. We gotta get it together!! Haha.

I have the same conflict - having lost my mom recently I'd love to have a wedding photo of her on display, but my dad is remarried. I like my stepmom and all, but I'd like to think she would understand. Maybe I'll see if a family member has a photo of her from their wedding that my dad isn't in - I think that would be less offensive to her. Also, sorry you lost your mom Planning a wedding knowing she won't be there is hard...

I agree, @@kmk2016. Not to be a complete jerk, but it bothers me when people post one word or "Thanks for sharing" on 150 threads to get there. Not that I blame them, but when I go to look at "New Content" since my last visit in the forums, there will be like 10 pages of "new" posts and they are all one word from the same person. It makes it hard to find the real good stuff that I want to read.

Our resort is around $200pp/pn based on double occupancy. That includes all taxes and transportation to/from the resort. It is a tiny bit more than my fiance and I have spent when we've gone to an all-inclusive on our own, but that seems to be because Jamaica is a little more expensive than Mexico where we normally go. We also looked at our guest list and people are going to use it as their vacation - and they wouldn't pick the very cheapest resort for themselves! But rates at the same resort are lower at other times of year.

www.paperlesspost.com or www.celebrations.com are good sites to check out - You can send it so it has a little animation when the person opens their email that looks like they are opening and envelope. We ended up using celebrations.com. It is great because I can see who opened the email. There are a few people who didn't and I was able to figure out that we had their email address wrong! We didn't want anyone to miss it.

I'd never heard it before coming to this site! I guessed based on context, but thanks for asking/clarifying. Haha.

Aside from my resort specific Facebook group, which is mostly pictures and feedback on the resort - I haven't bothered with any others. It seems people doing a DW tend to be open minded less traditional (to varying degrees), so I love that no one on here thinks I'm nuts (or at least doesn't say it) on things like not having a shower or a bridal party. All my real-life friends think I am weird! It is nice to know I'm not the only one.

I'm looking for ideas too. We aren't having a bridal party, but we still kind of want to acknowledge people. I was thinking maybe a slide show that was more focused on our relationships with our guests than on the two of us and showing it the night before the wedding. On another thread someone suggesting leaving an empty chair with a candle or flower on it in memory of lost loved ones. I lost my mom this year and my fiance lost his grandma (who raised him) so I like this idea - maybe one on each side for each of them.

I agree with @@kcole123 and @@puravida2015. We are getting married in Jamaica but when we were looking in June 2014 at April 2015 dates, we couldn't get any dates we would want because they were booked. So now we are June 2015! If you do get your date, you'll probably also want to look into your vendors (like photographer) soon as well. Happy planning!

@@SwissWedding - Yep, you won't be able to open any attachments or download pictures/files until you reach 150 posts - or pay $30. I get sad when people post their dresses and I can't see them!

Hi @@SwissWedding - We did e-STDs but we don't really have anyone on our guest list who isn't online except my grandma. It was important to be able to link to our website where all the travel and resort information is. We used appycouple.com for the wedding site because there is a smartphone app as well as the website. People are actually using the app and pretty much everyone viewed the site, so I'd say it worked well! No negative feedback.

Of course by "motivating" I mean "terrifying." Haha!

I've been thinking about getting a Fit Bit or something similar - I wish someone would just give it to me as a gift so I don't have to spend the money! Haha. Hey - Christmas is coming up I guess! But my fiancé and I signed up for a 10k race at the end of October so that is my near term motivator. Exercising is less my problem than my diet is. I love food way too much, but the thought of being in a bathing suit for a week with cameras all around (and being the center of attention) is actually more motivating to me than fitting into a dress

@@TinkerSofi and @@Csonnel - how many walkie talkies did you/they have? Did everyone have one (one per room anyway)? I'm intrigued by the idea, but I would think that would be a lot of walkie talkies to bring.

@@Mangosong I found this site after I picked my agent, but @@kmk2016's suggestion of Wright Travel is a good one! I think most agents list on their website the main brands they work with.

@@Mangosong - no cost!! They get a commission from the resort, but no cost to us! I did do most of the research by myself because I'm a little obsessive on big decisions, but my agent helped get information from the resorts especially on date availability and wedding costs for both my guests and for us.

We are not doing a bridal party for many reason. Mostly to keep it simple for us and avoid putting extra costs on our friends and family - but also, when we starting picking who WOULD be in the bridal party it just got way too big and complicated. I'm still going to have my girls hang out with me on the wedding day - brunch and while I get ready and everything. I'd be lonely without them! And my fiance will probably go golfing with his guys that day as well. But I totally agree that if you WANT a bridal party - you should have one. Those close to you will not feel burdened by it and should be honored to be party of your day.

I say send 'em! Our travel agent can set up payment plans for our guests, which is nice to have that option to save/pay for the trip over time. We sent ours in early August 2014 for our June 2015 wedding, but we would have sent them sooner had we picked the resort sooner. We were just slow to pick

@@jeffandrobyn I think that is what we'll end up doing! We are getting married in Jamaica, but my fiance is from Jamaica so he wants to do something completely different for our honeymoon. Someone was just telling us about their honeymoon in The Maldives and I think that got his wheels turning. Haha. I'm kind of leaving that up to him since I've made most of the wedding decisions

Just this week I had guests start booking with my travel agent - she has saved them about $150 per person on their travel. My guest have raved about how easy she is to work with and answers all their questions. Which mean - I don't have to answer all their question. Now THAT is the biggest benefit But I like the peace of mind that guests don't have to be searching for 8 months for the best rate - she'll get it for them even if prices drop between now and the wedding. Plus, we get some perks based on the number of people in our group. I talked to a couple travel agents before deciding, and a couple definitely tried to pressure me into one brand over another - clearly because they have a better relationship with that brand even though it was not the best fit for our group or was WAY out of budget. Just be sure to find someone who is really listening to what you need and want and doesn't have another agenda.

Hi @@brye858. Congratulations! I am getting married 6/11/15 at Iberostar Rose Hall Suites and did extensive research before deciding - it is the hardest decision! Are you looking for adults only, or family-friendly? We REALLY wanted to be in Negril because of the gorgeous beaches and sunsets, but the options for family-friendly all inclusives were few and we wanted to allow for our guests to bring their children. We looked at the RIU Palace Tropical Bay in Negril, but it seemed like there were A LOT of extra costs for the wedding. The big deal breaker was that they do not have an on-site disco and with wedding receptions ending by 10:30 that just wasn't going to do for our group! No way we were going to corral people to go off-resort at that point and also no way we were going to be ready for bed. I was also not wild about the locations to have the actual wedding ceremony, and they do up to 4 weddings per day. The benefit of IRHS (Montego Bay) for our guests is that it is close to the airport. It is also centrally located to both Negril and Ocho Rios for day trips, in addition to Dunn's River Falls and the Martha Brae river. Also, Iberostar does only one wedding per day - I don't have to compete with another wedding for a ceremony time or reception location. The reviews of Iberostar are all so positive and the resort itself is beautiful, that it put my mind at ease the most I hope that helps a little bit! If you're okay with adults only you'll have many more options in Jamaica!

We are definitely doing this - in fact, we are going to walk down the aisle together I definitely want that private, quiet moment together before the ceremony, and I also want to get some of our pictures out of the way so we don't miss our entire cocktail hour. But we are also very non-traditional and we've been together forever so that is just what feels right for us! (I ADORE my dad, but I just struggle with the idea of being "given away.")

I wish I was September 2014! June 2015 seems like forever away. Congrats!! Have the best time!

Oh no! Well, hey, at least you have a good attitude about it! I'm one of the last of my friends to get married and they've ALL had drama to deal with. I guess it just goes with the territory. I'm somewhat culpable in the drama in my family - because I selectively invited aunts, uncles, and cousins - and by selective I mean I only invited about 1/3 of them and I definitely invited some cousins and NOT their parents. So, of course, that creates plenty of gossip. I have good reasons for not inviting them based on bad behavior around a funeral (which also can bring out the worst in people), so I'm completely comfortable in my decisions. Plus none of them live by me so I don't really have to see/hear it! Fortunately, my immediate family creates no drama (minor annoyances, yes, but not usually drama) but there is still plenty of time for future mother-in-law drama for me. We haven't actually heard from her at all in several months despite numerous phone calls, so not really sure what is going on there! Hang in there! You're in the home stretch!

Um, @@MorganRene that is just about the cutest thing I've ever heard in my entire life. Love it! Please come back and share a picture of your flower girl!