Lia33

As badly as I wanted to fly somewhere different for the honeymoon, we will just go ahead and book at another resort for a few days. Too many expenses! We will take a trip later on. The important thing is us just getting some alone relaxed time with just the two of us :-)

Also make sure you know how long the wait period is after you apply for your marriage license! In NY, we have to apply for the marriage license and wait 24 hours before we can a civil ceremony. Then I know we aren't legally married until we do the civil ceremony (quick I do's). You will also need witnesses but I think if you just want to keep it as private as possible, they can provide witnesses for you, or bring who you'd like. States have a minimum number of witnesses required so check with your state! In NY, it's two. Even though it'll be an 'I do' ceremony, I don't think it will take away from you're DW ceremony - it won't be as elaborate, it won't have everyone there. I was nervous about this also as I'm doing my civil ceremony before my DW also, I'll even be wearing a little white dress since I know my grandmother won't be going to the DW. We just will not exchange rings there. Our DW will be a bigger celebration of our union, so I'm not longer worried about it :-)

@ So glad you posted about this! I'm going through the same decision making process and I know we have the same resort so I was wondering how you were going about this lol It's a great idea to have them choose with the rsvp. At first they told me to choose one entrée but that seemed ridiculous lol Not sure how I will differentiate them either but I have a little time for that.

I think we will just do MOH and BM short speeches. I despise public speaking and am giving myself permission to not torture myself by doing it on my wedding day lol I don't want to take much time with speeches anyway. I want brief words and let everyone enjoy their night. Never thought to ask if my parents wanted to say something...maybe I should. I'll revisit this with the FI later on

Both lovely!!! I'm sure which ever you chose turned out beautifully ;-)

Alterations are such a scam everywhere! Lol It's not just DB but many places they just tend to charge a lot. My dress isn't from DB but I was quoted for $400 for alterations - even though it isn't even clear yet how much needs to be altered as I haven't received the dress yet. Even though the price is steep, I'm too nervous about taking my chances elsewhere. This is a one time expense for my big day.....well that's what I have to keep reminding myself whenever I look at these prices My bridesmaids dresses are from DB, I'm sure I will be charged a lot for alterations but am just going to stick with them either way

Ours was based on group total also. Our TA didn't book flights, just resort stay and assisted finding good flights for guests who requested her assistance. But I don't know if any of our perks will come into play since perks were based on rooms booked - many people are rooming with each other and many people are booking on their own. I don't regret having a TA but with so many people booking on their own I could have easily gone without one :/ Oh well! I know that those that are already booked are glad to be able to pay this slowly while being booked, so it definitely has it's benefits.

@@calgarybride2015 - That's a great idea - to do all the dances in one shot! However, my FI has two "moms". He has his biological mother but was mainly raised by step mother. So if there is going to be a dance it will be with both lol - so he may have to switch partners mid song lol I don't like being the center of attention either - so being the bride is enough attention for me! lol Slideshow would be really cute idea!

@@calgarybride2015 - That's a great idea. With my bouquet, bridesmaids bouquet, and flower arrangement from the ceremony table table, that's actually 6 right there that can be used centerpieces. So hopefully I should be fine. I think ordering one more just in case is a good idea - you don't want a flowerless table

Is everyone breaking up their reception in traditional ways? Meaning - intro of wedding party, father/bride dance, mother/groom, MOH speech, best man speech, garter, bouquet toss, etc? Nothing wrong with these traditions, but I've never had a desire to do all of these things. I've gone to weddings where it just seems like they are checking off from a list of things to do for the reception. I would skip them all but it is good to have something to break up the reception a little, at least a little bit in the beginning. I know I won't be doing the garter thing and probably not the intro of wedding party. Does anyone have anything non-traditional that they are doing during the reception? Or any other ideas?

How early do you have to decide on centerpieces? I was planning on using my bridesmaids and my bouquet for centerpieces but I'm not sure yet exactly how many guests are attending therefore am not sure how many tables/centerpieces I will be needing! But maybe the ceremony flowers can also be used as a centerpiece. I'm hoping we won't need more than 6 tables - which would keep me from having to purchase any centerpieces lol Costs quickly add up...

It's nice to see that many people are having this issue with people not booking with the TA handling the wedding. I'm also dealing with this issue - most people on my side have used the TA (making my life a little easier) where as almost everyone on my FI's side is going to book on their own at a late time. I understand their reason for doing this but yes it is a little more of a hassle since other people will book at their own time. People booked for my wedding with just the save the date (as intended). Then in the beginning of the year I will send out actual invites with rsvps so see who of those who are not booking with my TA will be attending. It just puts a bit of a delay on things since there are things I won't be able to decide on until we get closer to the wedding and I know how many are actually attending.

Thanks! I got it from a bridal shop in Yonkers - Amelia's Bridal. It's a Sottero & Midgley dress

@@TinkerSofi Thank you! :-)

#6 is my fave on you! Go with which ever makes you feel the most beautiful ;-)

@@pekchw Not sure what I'm doing for favors and OOT bags yet, I'm brainstorming ideas but will wait until I have a better idea of how many people I will be expecting - the more people the less I can spend on those things!

@@Sabes44 @@calgarybride2015 Thanks guys! Couldn't be happier Now that my wedding dress anxiety is gone, I can get back to other details of my wedding planning lol

I haven't been on here in a while! I was unhappy with my original dress that I bought, and am SO happy that I kept looking...I just bought a new dress that I can truly say I am in love with!!

@ Ditto!! After you have your wedding you can't forget about us on here...especially me lol I need you to sign on and report back! lol Definitely helps to have someone from my resort!

@ Ahh makes sense! I haven't received that yet but she did tell me she would send me the timeline. Thanks for clearing that up!

Did you invite many of the fiancé's relatives? My fiancé has a big family, I surely don't want everyone there lol One thing I dislike about these traditions is the obligation to include people! I would much rather keep it with those closest to me