KAT2015

I used some i got at the dollar store last Christmas at Halloween - 4 hours outside and all lasted. I'm sure they will last even longer. if you get them at the dollar store, grab a few extra just in case one bums out early

Yes we are definitely considering that as an option. FI has an interview tomorrow that I am hopeful for (even with a +50% pay cut from the previous job). However, given his profession there is a very real chance we may wind up heading east for a job for him. We've decided that we will still go forward with this wedding here, even if we wind up moving away... so much going on! I hope all you girls are having a bit of an easier go with the wedding plans than I am

I was doing some wedding research myself for my now at home wedding next year, and I found these. My first thought was 'OH! If I was still doing a DW this would have been perfect!' Lanterns, LED lights and then some silk flowers/bouquet in there... or you do a mini-pom out of silk flowers and a foam craft ball. Light, easy to pack, no breakage and gorgeous. Just an idea for all you out there still looking....

Thanks @@TinkerSofi... I'm the same way. We are very lucky as my FI and I have enough accessible income to support us for awhile - with my salary we only need about $2000 from him a month to stay on top of things, so we have enough to technically sustain for 2 years without any additional income. I think after the cancellation of our last wedding that this one will still go ahead, because I know his parents will be jumping in to help (and we have people already booked from the UK to come to Calgary). Its just hard to let that money go....

Since I already had a thread going here about our wedding troubles - I'd thought I'd add another little vent. Even though I am not doing a DW anymore, I'm still poking around on the site - mostly because the support is great, the ideas translate to an at home wedding and the people are amazing!!! So after EVERYTHING we have been through in booking this wedding - from the DW cancellation, to the scrambling to find another venue, to booking our major aspects.... we were finally all caught up, moving forward and enjoying the wedding process.... -until- My FI lost his job last week - out of nowhere, technically no cause - no warning. And BOOM - our household income drops by more than 50%..... Honestly - how do you get a break in this world? So now I'm debating if I can even feel comfortable putting down a final $400 in deposits (hair/makeup, officiant, dj) when financially, we just took a HUGE hit. On top of it - he is in an industry where you can't just find any job - its a long process to get a job, and most positions that he would be obtaining are still a 50% pay cut from his previous job since he had worked his way up there quite quickly.... his parents are willing to help, but I hate asking. Bah... just when you think you're in the clear....

That is SO frustrating - I hate when people don't think to tell anyone these things. Its like verbal fine print! No matter what, you have the room now, and any damage you do in the gym just makes you feel better all around - you also have a few bathing suits to wear So sweat it up and feel great about it! Ok so I finally got our sneak peek photos! I don't have the full set on usb yet, but here is a couple as promised:

I think you absolutely did the right thing - I'd much rather have my dress let out now and then taken in later as opposed to scrambling last minute and stressing about it fitting. DON'T worry so much about the gym stuff. Keep up with what you are doing - if the numbers are dropping, you're doing well. If you can, get back into the back exercises and get into some other full body ones (squats, push-ups) combined with some cardio/ intervals - burpees with a pushup, skipping between exercises.... You WILL get to where you want to be. Our bodies are hard to work with - to maximize our weight loss, we actually have to put on some mass in muscle FIRST, and then hit the cardio. I always explain it to people like this - you burn more fuel in a Hummer going up a hill than you would a Mini - the more muscle, the more fuel (calories) burned. And then as the fat melts away, you're left with a nice tone. The problem is that building muscle UNDER fat can sometimes make us size up for a bit (ahem - I'm in that phase right now). Dresses for weddings are supposed to make us look and feel beautiful and I think it stresses us out and does the exact opposite. I'm always scrutinizing over the pictures I have in my dress - I'm super thankful that I had to buy it off the rack (discontinued style) so the fit and colour is EXACTLY what I tried... and it has a corset back. The pics I've seen of you in your dress on here are beautiful - no one will notice (or needs to know) if it came out an inch, a half inch or was taken in 2 inches. As long as you feel good, you'll be beautiful - and I would beg anyone at your wedding to disagree

I totally will post some! Here are a couple my brother did for us: So those ones were done in downtown Calgary - except the dog ones - they were done in the park across the street from my house The ones we JUST got done with our photographer we actually went to the Calgary Corn Maze! It was the first date I took my FI on (and a surprise at that) so we thought it would be a good spot. Sneak peek photos should show up any day so I will post it here when I see it. I'll always be around - there are too many good ideas on here for weddings in general that I need to steal

Hey @@TinkerSofi - if you do want to look at engagement photos in the city, I have two options for you - The first - my brother is working on a photography certificate, and has a pretty good eye. If you have ideas of shots you would want (I looked at Pinterest for my ideas) he could get it done for you. He is a master at editing too - we had a couple photos on the Peace Bridge, and he was able to edit full PEOPLE out of it. If you want to see some of the photos, check out our wedding website, under photos (the Engagement Album). I don't know his cost, but I would bet about $200 would do it (I'm not sure how many photos he would do an edit for you but I can find out). kellyandjames2015.weddingwindow.com Second option - since we are doing a wedding in Calgary now (and yes, I still look at this site because I love the people and ideas!), we hired a photographer in Calgary. She does AMAZING photos and has fantastic prices (we have her for 12 hours on our wedding day, as well as her husband, get 300-400 edited photos, free engagement shoot for $1650). She JUST did our engagement photos on Sunday (I don't have them yet) but she has reasonable prices. Her blog of photos is here: http://www.fdpstudio.com/idea/modules/blog/bloglist.aspx?pageid=165

Only slightly off topic.... I have had to cancel my destination wedding and move the wedding back home to Calgary next summer. My fiance and I have booked our ceremony space, reception and our photgrapher already. However, we need an officiant now, and I'm hoping the girls in this forum maybe have some experience from other weddings they have been to recently that can help! We met with one officiant who was fine - he knows his stuff, been doing it awhile, extremely professional. He even has his own sound system (but he charges an extra $150 to use it). The thing is, I felt like something was missing. We want someone with a bit more 'oomph' - like a bigger personality. While adaptable is nice, I don't want a chameleon that feels like he couldn't offer any personal experiences, jokes etc. Yes, there will be an aspect of seriousness to our wedding, and romance, but we are light hearted and fun and want the same vibe at our wedding. We can do different readings and have jokes written into the ceremony, but I'd like someone that can, on the fly, add a little humour in his opening spiel, or ad-lib something during the ceremony.... Does any Calgary girls have any suggestions of officiants in the area? I know many are looking to do their civil portion here before travelling so I thought I'd give this site a go (even though I'm not technically a destination bride anymore!)

July 4,2015. We were a bit hesitant doing it during stampede but we really had no choice!

Now that I finally logged back on... We just booked the last date at Gunn's Dairy Barn in Heritage Park. We also booked our photographer last night. So the dream of a destination wedding has ended - now we are just hoping to do a honeymoon soon after the wedding (London/Paris we hope!!!).

Yes there are options - I think we are looking at Heritage Park for the reception and maybe the Bow Valley Canoe Club for the ceremony. Its do-able, just much more work, and more difficult. You win some, you lose some!

Well - thank you all for the feedback. At this time, we've cancelled our block of rooms with WestJet. We haven't cancelled the wedding just yet, however, any other options available to us are likely a logistical nightmare, could cost more and could have other people committed to coming backing out. We are about 85% sure that we have to let go of our dream of a destination wedding week with those people who we care about most. This wasn't about getting married on a beach - it was about the time we could spend with everyone we care about and have a wedding at the same time. So, for now, we are working on identifying and budgeting for options here in Calgary next year. Its taken me two days of stomach aches and crying to even get to this point! So fingers crossed the worse of it is over and we can move on....

Hi Tammy - we did it through a Travel Agent with WestJet vacations. So its a flight/room combo right now. WestJet looks to be fully booked up on flights the date of our travel. I can ask my TA if they will honour this but WJ's policy says you have to keep it at 10 rooms to qualify. I unfortunately can't switch tour companies without a huge price increase for my guests out of Calgary. Transat and Sunwing are not flying direct to PC next spring, and because they are vacation companies, they do not have connecting flights for us. So everyone would have to book a flight to Toronto and pay the fee from there - which works out to another 200-300 per person anyhow.