snswedding2016

We're arriving the same day as all of our guests and staying for a week but then we're transferring to another resort for 5 days for a mini-moon. We'll also be going early for a site visit in Sept - hopefully we'll be able to get a lot of things organized and settled so we're not too frantic when we arrive.

@@TinkerSofi haha your inside face! It's soooooo close for you!! I can't wait to see all the photos from your wedding! I know what you mean I just realized I've now been engaged just as long as the remaining time until my wedding - woah! crazy! I totally would have lost it too if I had the same conversation you did about your photo booth. I didn't really have anything majorly pressing when I called so I think that made it easier. I was waiting to hear back about the availability of the terrace. Ivis said that my group would fit on the terrace to have our ceremony there but she was checking with the hotel about our date and time. When I called and spoke to Maribel she said our group size was a bit big and normally they only have groups of 30 on the terrace. I told her that was what I thought but she could look through my email correspondence and check that I asked Ivis twice to make sure that our numbers would be ok and she confirmed yes. Maribel said she would look into it further and that we could probably fit but it might be a bit tight. We got chatting and she asked me what we were really looking for for our ceremony. She admitted she didn't like the new beachfront structure as well - haha!! I loved when she said that. I told her that the beach was what we initially wanted and that the privacy wasn't a huge deal at first but the more we heard from other people that we started to get a bit worried. She said that with our wedding date being at a slower time of the year (just after the holidays) and our ceremony time being late in the day that most people at the hotel will be getting ready for dinner. She said there may be the odd person that will try and get that last ray of sun but that the hotel is really good at keeping people away from the ceremony area (moving the beach chairs etc). Maribel also mentioned that her favourite gazebo is the one on the beach and that she really likes the entrance the bride and bridal party makes at that location. She started to make me rethink the whole thing. I told her the sky deck would be beautiful but that it just doesn't fit in our budget. She totally understood and never pushed the premium locations which I was really surprised about. So now I'm going to wait and see about the terrace to see if it is available and if it is then we'll have to decide which way we want to go. I think we've agreed to wait until the BDR to make the final call. I know the beach is a really unpopular ceremony choice at Azul Fives but if the beach is clear of people I'm okay with others hanging out in the pool watching (that doesn't bother me so much). We did initially really want that beach ceremony feel so we may end up sticking to our original plan. I'm really glad we're going in Sept now to see it all in person. I 100% agree with you about our new WC, my first one (Lynda) was amazing and I miss her! She should be returning in July so I'm going to try and request to be transferred back.

@@yycbride2016 it's true that's what Sean and I keep say. As long as the two of us are on that beach, we'll be just fine! That would be such a nice tradition to go back every year to the treehouse and it works out because he proposed on the week of my birthday so we can time it to celebrate both every year! ha! @ how goes the selling of your dress? I think you mentioned on your thread that you had some potential buyers. I hoped it worked out. Your dress is so beautiful I'm sure you'll be able to find someone to buy it and then you can focus on finding the dress of your dreams! Mini Update Like I've mentioned I feel like I've really been slacking off in my wedding planning so I don't have too many updates. Sarongs - I bought sarongs for my bridesmaids to add to their gift and they arrived today!! I found them super cheap online from aliexpress. They had good reviews and opening the packages up today, I'm very happy with them. They are exactly as described and pretty good quality. Since they were being shipped from China I wasn't expecting them for a while. They say to expect 35-45 days for shipping, so for those who are interested in ordering from them, just make sure you have enough time to receive your order before your wedding. They actually arrived in 2 1/2 weeks so I was really impressed with the delivery time. Bridesmaid dresses - My cousin has been sending me options for her bridesmaid dress. I've left it up to my girls to pick their own dress to match our colour palette. I love that she's including me as she's in Edmonton and we don't get to see each other very often, this is nice way to have her in on the planning! Here are the options she's considering: This one isn't her first choice but it is the best price These are the other two options. So far we like the one on the right a lot more. It's the Vera Wang bridesmaid dress at David's Bridal. She's using her bridesmaid dress at another DW she has in the fall (in Palm Springs) so at least she gets another use out of it so I told her if she likes the Vera Wang the most she shouldn't feel bad about splurging a little. I also told her that I like all of the options and I'm happy with whatever one she chooses. She is going to take pics at her appointment as it's hard to tell the true colour of the dresses from the online images. For example the two dresses in the second photo are supposed to be the same colour but it could be the fabric making them look different or the online image. Resort - I had a great conversation with one of the WCs (not my assigned one unfortunately) at AF. She was so nice and really helpful. It really seemed like she was genuinely interested in the vision of our wedding and was offering her opinions on what direction I could go in. She didn't try to 'up-sell' me on any extras and it was really refreshing to talk to someone from the resort with that attitude.

@@yycbride2016 Thanks so much!!! That actually makes me feel a lot better, I feel like I've been really slacking off in the wedding planning department this week! Work is getting super busy and I can see the time slipping away from me. Sean and I are thinking of trying to get back to our treehouse getaway sometime this summer! I would love to go back to our proposal spot - hope it happens!

@@Janjin I'm going to the BDR as well but in Sept and to Azul Fives - I'm pretty excited about it! I would definitely try and organize a meeting with your photographer onsite. You can get to know each other and scope out potential photo locations so that you don't have to worry about that during your weeding week.

@@TinkerSofi You've crossed so many things off your list!!! Nice work! I would love to read your vows if you want to translate them and post them. I love the sappy stuff! Your hair and make up inspiration pics are beautiful, can't wait to see the final product! It's getting so close!!!

@@LaurenR I'm not getting married at Sensatori but at Fives instead…but it does work the same way through Karisma. You can definitely book your hair and make up appointments through your WC ahead of time. I've booked my hair/make up, the trials the day before the wedding and the actual appointments for the day of. They do need to confirm it with the spa so it may take a little longer to get a confirmation. Since you're so close to your date I would maybe call them to see if you can speed up the process. I had a great conversation with Maribel over the phone - she was really helpful!

@@TinkerSofi that's crazy!!! I can't believe they won't let you bring in your own photo booth! It's annoying because I really feel that the on site coordinators would probably say yes. Do you think you can get one of their emails to start communicating with them directly from one of the past brides? Definitely try and fight this one!!

@@Meandhim just got caught up on your thread this morning! I think you're doing a great job and in a really good place for planning. I know how you feel though, time really seems to be going faster ...I guess the winter always feels like it drags out and therefore I felt like I had a lot more time to get all sorts of planning done. I feel like the planning process is like cleaning your house....it always looks/feels a lot worse before it gets better. Or at least that's what I tell myself that there is method to my madness and this chaos I seem to be creating has some sort of purpose. I agree that lists really help me, being able to cross things off the list feels very satisfying (no matter how small the task is)!

@@TinkerSofi Try using the online chat feature. I did that a little while back when I hadn't heard from Ivis. I gave them my wedding ID and so they knew I was assigned to Ivis and said that they would pass on the message and get her to email me back. It worked - I heard from her 2 days after that. Maybe that might be another way of getting through to them. I can't even imagine how frustrated you must be. I'm waiting to hear back from Ivis about solidifying my ceremony location and it is driving me crazy waiting and my wedding isn't until Jan!! Don't worry-I'm sure it will all work out and you are in a really great spot with planning. I can see everything coming together beautifully!!

Either work for me! @@beckys98 road trip to Toronto?

@@veryvalentine I second @ ...even better, you can share your words of wisdom!

@@TinkerSofi LOVE the suspenders…I've always been partial to them though. I think they'll add to your vintage feel too!!

@@krystalball I agree, somewhere central along the subway line is probably best.

@@TinkerSofi I can't wait to see your hangers too! It looks like you're all set to go and have everything lined up! I know what you mean about worrying about final payments. It's like that initial stress of everyone putting down deposits comes back to haunt us. lol - ok maybe I'm being a bit dramatic! A friend of mine keeps saying to me "you know a lot of people are going to cancel right? Half of the list from my friend's daughter's wedding cancelled when it came time to the final payment..." every time I just look at him and I'm like "Really?!? Why would you say that to me??" so I end up just telling him that if it ends up being just me and Sean on the beach I'll be happy...everything else is a bonus! I mean of course I want everyone to be there but saying that usually shuts him up pretty quickly! ha!

I think this is a great idea! @@Meandhim were chatting about getting together as well. Maybe a patio somewhere on a nice day?

@@Ruzanna don't worry you're not alone! I agree with @@calgarybride2015 that this is definitely the hardest part and the most stressful. It is also hard when you are trying to pick a resort that the majority of your group will like, then your factor in the time of year you want to travel, how our economy is doing and all the different gates your guests are leaving from it will sometimes make you just want to run away and elope! BUT it does get better - I promise!! You'll find the right resort for you and some of your guests might really surprise you with their reactions and who ends up booking right away. Our first bookings were co-workers, ironically family and close friends came later. I have a feeling that the prices should be lower for GS once they get the official quotes back. Karen originally gave me a quote from GS as well . Ultimately it wasn't the right fit for our group but we were initially interested in that property as well. Our quote for Jan 2016 (quote was back in Nov 2014) was $1472 for a double occupancy….so I would imagine it should be considerably less for September travel dates. Like calgarybride2015 said year to year prices always go up but hopefully it is still close to your price point.

@@Ruzanna I didn't sign anything with Karen until I booked. We didn't sign a contract with Karen specifically but it was our contract with Transat for our group booking. Will the other TA give you quotes without signing a contract?

@@ashhtayy @@TinkerSofi thanks for the great ideas for my vintage book hunting!! I'm going to have to check those options out this week! I really love the clutches too! I'm really happy with how they turned out. I kinda wish I got one for myself. I could take my cousin's who is not able to be at the wedding anymore…but it has her name inside lol. I might just give her the clutch anyway because I already made it with her name in it.

Another Kate Spade sale!!! Up to 75% off…sale ends tonight! Happy shopping!

@@ChocolateBride are you entitled to use the credits for another vacation like maybe your honeymoon? I totally know what you mean…the connection with your TA is so important. @@krystalball @@Ruzanna I agree - definitely do your research and get quotes. While my search happened very quickly, I did get a couple of quotes and ultimately for the our top resort picks Karen was able to get me the best quotes overall. Our price quote still beats out anything that other guests have found (we booked in Nov) - so I'm really happy about that! This maybe had to do with where we booked as I know Karen works a lot with the Karisma brand and is a GIWC. I think the relationship you have with your Travel Agent is so important as you'll be doing the most communicating with them and your resort throughout your planning so you want to be confident and trust what they can do. Do your research, get quotes and see how you get along …hopefully all things line up and you find the right TA for you! Happy planning!!

@@vancouverpetunia let me know if you have any questions about clutches if you decide to order them too! I feel pretty lucky that this is all the bridesmaid drama I've had considering some of the things my friends have gone through. At least they are things out of their control and both are still very interested in helping with the planning. @@ashhtayy thanks that means a lot!! Still hunting for more vintage books. I'm starting to see it all come together …slowly.

Updates... Bridesmaids So I found out some really exciting news that my cousin (who is a bridesmaid and like a sister to me) is pregnant!!!! The unfortunate news is that she is due just over a month before our wedding so she won't be able to come. I was pretty disappointed to hear that she wouldn't be able to make it but totally understand and I'm so so excited for her! I'm probably going to have her be a witness at our legal ceremony. I'm now down to 4 bridesmaids from 6. I don't think I mentioned about my other bridesmaid dropping out. Basically right after we got engaged she told me that she was planning on trying for her second child starting in the summer which would make her about 4-5 months pregnant by the time our wedding rolls around. She said she wouldn't be able to book until really late in case her doctor doesn't think it's a good idea for her to fly with this pregnancy. Essentially it was all up in the air and I told her not to worry about it that she has to do what her and her husband have been planning for. It just got a bit uncomfortable for a while because she said yes to being a bridesmaid but then said should couldn't book until the last minute (if that). I finally had a conversation with her last month saying that maybe it is easier for both of us if she comes as a guest instead of having the pressure of a bridesmaid. I told her that I would love to have her there standing up beside me but understand she doesn't know where she's going to be at that point and I don't want to put that stress on her. At the same time I need to start ordering things for my bridal party etc. She understood but at the end of the conversation left it to me to make the decision...my maid of honour is a little annoyed at her for putting that on me but it's fine, I'm just glad that we've talked about it and I can moved forward with my plans. As for our groomsmen, one of Sean's brothers isn't booked and I have a feeling he won't be coming. I really like him but he can be a bit all over the place so I've done enough reminding as I can and now it's up to him to get his sh*t together and book if he wants to be there. That would leave 5 groomsmen for Sean including his best man (his other brother) who will be officiating, so it actually works out with 4 on each side and one as the officiant. Gifts Our gifts for our bridesmaids came in today!! I'm really happy with them. I ordered them from an Etsy seller and I picked out the colour and designs from options she gave me and had them personalized inside with their names. The girls will be carrying these down the aisle instead of flowers. If anyone is interested the seller is CoCoMi. Centrepieces I worked on the centrepieces this weekend. Here are the votive LED candles that we have. I found some lace at Walmart and wrapped them all in the lace and attached them with clear double sided tape. I was able to get 22 out of the 24 votives wrapped from one role of lace ...so close! oh well, I'll have to go back to Walmart and pick up another role. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out and glad that I don't need to bring any votive holders for them! Here is a demo of our centrepieces. I'm still playing around with placements of the flowers and candles though. Sean isn't convinced about the shade of blue (even though I asked him if he liked it before I went to go buy it and he said yes -gah! apparently he says it looks different in person.). Ignore the red scrabble tile holder, I'm looking for an older version of scrabble that has the wooden ones. The larger candle will be wrapped in vellum with love quotes printed on it as well.

@@deecol I can totally relate to your situation with parent stress at your wedding, although our situations are very different I know how hard it can be dealing with this stuff. Even before getting engaged I have always feared the day I would decide to get married and trying to deal with the situation between my parents. I didn't grow up with my dad, we didn't live together or even have contact until I was 21 so until that point I didn't think I would even invite him to my wedding if I got married - he never took an interest in my life. After reconnecting I realized well there's no escaping it now, I'll have to deal with this at some point. I should be clear that I didn't reconnect with him because I wanted a relationship with him. I reconnected with him because I realized I was carrying a lot of anger and resentment towards him and that it was manifesting in my relationships with other men and I needed to deal with it. Telling my mom that I decided I needed to do this was the hardest thing I've ever had to tell her. I had to reassure her that I wasn't choosing him, that she raised me and he could never take that away from her. Fast forward to being engaged. My dad has taken a very male chauvinistic approach. He actually took my fiancé out one night (after we booked our wedding) without me to try and convince him out of doing a destination wedding. Seriously!?! I was so furious. I still invited him and his entire family - I didn't want to cause a scene and as my mom would say "make a big fuss" about it. Over time I accepted the idea of his family being there with my mom's family. I wasn't worried about my mom (she would be civil) but I wasn't sure how my other family members would react. Slowly all of my dad's family declined the invite to the wedding…like every single person except for him. I really started to stress out. The idea of him being there with no one to talk to or keep him occupied was making me panic. Finally I decided to have a conversation with him, I realized that maybe he might be feeling just as comfortable as I was but didn't know how to bring it up. I set up a lunch with him and was very nervous that he was going to fight me on it because that is generally my luck when it comes to issues with him (no ownership, acts like the child etc) but to my surprise he didn't feel uncomfortable but thought it might be weird that he was the only out of his side at the wedding. He decided not to come (he wanted to make sure I was ok with that though…needless to say I was relieved) and instead said he would throw a small reception for his side of the family after we get back from Mexico. I'm sure he'll parade me around to his friends like the proud father he never was but whatever I can deal with it. All of this venting (wow this forum really does make you open up) is to say that I think having a conversation with your mom would be a good idea. You don't want that added stress while you're on your wedding week so even though it may be hard now to have the conversation you'll feel better once you get it all out and in the open. Sending you lots of good vibes! I know this part of the planning is never easy.

Don't worry I would have done the same. I think you made the right choice - your bridesmaid dress looks beautiful and they will look great on the girls! I agree that you never know when something will come up and waiting until now to buy/order them would have been too stressful!!