vancouverpetunia

@@Meandhim Not much to say that hasn't already been said... but sending good vibes your way

When we are in Vegas, we go to Walgreens and buy vodka & mix for the room. Soooo much cheaper!

Love Naramata. We've been there lots. I've been wine tasting in Kelowna myself many times but not for years, and I'm not sure if Jeff has been at all. We're really looking forward to the break. P.S. It's sommelier And good luck with your goals this week! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I've been on a few Transat flights with wedding groups on them. They seem to be seated somewhat together, but they also tend to congregate in the aisles where the majority of the group is seated. Can get a bit awkward trying to get by and shuffling around to let the carts through, but they are all having a good time no matter what

Thanks for the encouragement. It seems like a cop out, but I guess you're right (Feel free to call me out if you notice that Sept 17 has come and gone!) We're headed to Osoyoos and then West Kelowna. We've gone every year since 2012, but always staying in Penticton, and for a few less days, so mixing it up a bit this year. Hoping for no fires/smoke!!!

@@acw271011 It's been a busy few weeks so I'm a late in catching up. So glad you finally got to try on your dress. It's beautiful and you will feel like a million bucks in it when you walk down the aisle I have haven't tried most of these tricks, but check out Pinterest for shoe stretching tips: https://www.pinterest.com/explore/breaking-in-shoes/ I have taken shoes to a shoe repair place to have them stretched and that has worked out pretty well. Costs a few bucks though. I'm sorry to hear about the stuff with your DIL. Not cool. I wish things were easier for you. OMG the Canadian dollar is killing me. Actually, I'm in complete denial and pretty much ignoring it. We don't have to pay for most things until next April, so I'm hoping it will improve. Although it doesn't really sound like it

Not sure if this is a good start, but I will post my goals in a few weeks. Work is crazy right now and then we are away for a wine tasting trip until Sept 11. So I plan to kickstart when I get back. Here's my interim goal: Post my blurb & goal by Sept 17

@@Wafflesmom Soooo pretty! I really love it. Glad you had such a great experience in saying yes to the dress. What store did you go to in Abbotsford? Maybe they will have a sample sale this fall... I might be interested in checking it out.

@@Meandhim Love everything you've made so far! I'm impressed I really like the I Spy game. So fun! I haven't seen that before. I'm gonna need to think about that more.

@@Robersonpartyof2 Congrats! We are also at Now Sapphire in April 2016. Not sure where the "beach" location is for your package. When you get the private reception, the ceremony location and reception location are usually paired. But I like your plans for your dinner, etc. Cost effective and everyone will have a good time no matter what! [emoji4] Juan Carlos is awesome. So happy to be working with him! What day are you arriving and what day is your wedding? That might help with the welcome gift. I think I would lean towards the lobby bar (we are planning to do a meet and greet there as well on night 1 or 2). I would worry that people might lose or forget the koozies if you give them out at the ceremony/dinner. Happy planning! [emoji4] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk @@ashlynm88 Juan Carlos told me I could sub the corsages (which I don't want) for something else - like flowers for the cake or petals for the flower girls. I didn't ask about bouquets or anything else though. He did say that I could apply the value of the bouquet to a more expensive bouquet. So seems like there might be some flexibility. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Gorgeous dresses for your legal ceremony. My mom says you can never be overdressed [emoji12] so go with it! People might take note... But in a good way! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'll let you know first as I think I'm about 1.5 months before you [emoji6] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My dream would be to get married in Italy or Greece! But just not feasible from the West Coast of Canada A lot of people say that Cancun/Riviera Maya is more reasonably priced than other Caribbean destinations, but I'm afraid I have not compared. Have you looked at Cuba? It tends to be a lot cheaper from Canada, and if you have no American guests, it's not an issue "politically". But I haven't been to Cuba myself, so can't comment. I'm sure you will find something that suits you perfectly, but it can take time and perseverance! (Note that it seems like people find Jamaica to be more expensive.)

I had those wedges pinned (what a great sale price now!), but I was in a David's store and they didn't have them to try on. I ended up buying these: http://www.davidsbridal.com/Product_touch-of-nina-ankle-strap-wedge-sandals-vandi_shoes-bridal My fingers are crossed that they will work in the sand! And I'm sure they will be fine on the wooden terrace. I'm 5'3" and fiance is 6'4" so wanted height rather than go with flats or barefoot sandals. BTW - I had to order my shoes from David's - while they had them in stock in the store, all of them were marked up with red dots for some reason. It took 10 weeks to get them! No big deal for me, as I have plenty of time before my wedding, but I was shocked. Don't they keep these things in stock somewhere in a warehouse? Not like they are custom made.

When we were getting quotes, we did have to wait for WJ. They only publish them about 330 days in advance. Less than a year, anyhow. I did find that WJ did not give guests much time to put down the deposit - I think I was also told 2 weeks. Whereas we booked with Transat and guests had 80 days, with the balance due about 4 months before our departure date. I agree with @@peachykeen159 - you might want to start prepping your guests with a general details so they can start planning. Approx timing of wedding/travel, location, approx cost, deposit deadlines, etc.

YAY! Congrats. It looks like you had so much fun. I'm so happy for you and Juan (and I'm tearing up a wee bit, too).

If you love it, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks [emoji4] (as long as Doug likes it too!). I think it's pretty and tropical. Love the colours! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

We booked at the end of Feb 2015 for our April 2016 wedding. I would say that it partly depends on the group size that you think you will have. The larger the group, I think the more difficult it will be to secure enough packages at a reasonable cost. We haven't really seen any price drop since we booked. Yes, I can go online and find something cheaper - but not for 20 rooms/40 people - which is key for pricing on a group booking. I wonder if prices are up to due the US dollar? Our package costs from Vancouver to Cancun at Now Sapphire were just over $2000 CAD with taxes in. If prices have increased due to the dollar, you may not see them drop for a long time. Have you tried different dates? I would guess that later in November might be more expensive if your timing coincides with US Thanksgiving. Or even if you are trying to book over the Remembrance Day holiday, it might be more because probably more people would be interested in this timing (as they are able to use one less vacation day). Good luck!

Thanks @@acw271011. I did a search for Shelli Segal and most of the hits were from Nordstrom at $300+ each. Definitely out of our budget range But thanks

Looks like you ladies had a nice time. Wish I could have joined you... Just not feasible from Vancouver! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

@@acw271011 I tried to reply to you last night, but the Tapatalk app crapped out on me and lost my post Anyhow, I was saying not to worry about the dress web site. I'm the one who missed it in your original post. Duh! I'm not looking at any specific dresses on Azazie. It's more about colour and fabric, and going with a short style. Otherwise, my maids can pretty much pick what they want (of course, I retain veto power! LOL). I did check out Lulu and didn't find much. There were some nice things, but I felt the short dresses were more nightclub-y and less bridesmaid-y haha. Sounds like a nice trip to visit your family. Just pack your umbrella! November is WET! I grew up in Langley and now live downtown

@@calgarybride2015 - Yeah, I know there will be a lot of the smaller, more detailed things that I'll have to start on late this year/early next. But seems like the big things are mostly out of the way, which is nice (but now I am bored with nothing to do but read these boards! LOL). @@nkavanaugh - That's so awesome that you got engaged in CR! Who did you fly with to get from CR to Cancun? Did you have to fly into the US and then back to Cancun? That's what most of the flights seem to be. We've booked our return flight Vancouver/Cancun, so we have to get back to Cancun to get home. I'll PM you with some more detailed questions about your trip, if you don't mind

It’s been awhile since I’ve updated my planning thread, but not much going on in terms of wedding planning lately. Now, honeymoon planning, that’s another story! Invitations We received our invitations from Vistaprint a couple of weeks ago. Very happy with them! I had them delivered to the office and everyone I showed immediately said “I love the paper”. I felt vindicated as I splurged for the “linen” stock, which Jeff said didn’t matter. Here is a pic of the front, back and envelope: Completed Items I feel like we’ve made some good progress given that we are still 8 months out. Here’s everything that’s done: Wedding web site Save-the-date emails Wedding party selected & confirmed Ordered decor from KatyHK Invitations printed Groom’s outfit purchased Groomsmen’s outfits purchased BM & GM gifts purchased Group excursion booked Photographer booked Ceremony musician “booked” (friend/guest of ours) To-Do List I feel like I don’t have a lot on the to-do list for the immediate future. (What am I forgetting?!?) We aren’t doing welcome bags and I’m planning on bringing very minimal decor, so not a lot of DIY going on in our house. But to keep me on track, here are the things I need to sort out in the next few months: Buying summer stuff while it’s still available: bathing suits for both of us, flip flops for Jeff, I’d like another cover-up, Jeff needs t-shirts, sunscreen, etc. Wedding website: Starting writing some info on things to do in the area for anyone who is interested in leaving the resort. Cenotes, ruins, etc. We’ve been there lots of times and have explored quite a bit. Send email update to guests: Topics include: hosted excursion, golf event, passport reminders, health insurance, website updates (see above). Wedding rings: Go shopping! BM dresses: I’m really struggling with this. I live in Vancouver, my BMs in Portland, OR and Toronto, so no group shopping excursion. I originally thought it would be easy to order from David’s as we all have access to a store and can go shopping on our own, but I’m not loving the color options. I want a teal and their “teal-ish” colors are more true blue and true green, I think. Online, I've looked at Macy's, Nordstrom's, The Bay, Sears, BHLDN, J. Crew, Ann Taylor and some others. I just found Weddington Way and requested a swatch from Alfredo Angelo. Could be a good option, as they have lots of styles in the same fabric & color, and my girls could try on dresses at a local bridal store. I also found Azazie.com, which looks fantastic, but one BM would not be able to try them on and shipping to Canada could get expensive, so we’ll see. I’ve requested swatches from them as well. I'm looking for: Teal; Short; Chiffon or other light fabric, if anyone has any suggestions. My dress: This is the big one. The one that keeps me up at night. Technically I have a dress already. I bought it at David’s earlier this year, off the rack, on sale. But I have dress regret, which I know a lot of you can understand. I can’t stop thinking about this one dress I saw on Etsy. Both of them are relatively inexpensive, so I think I will likely order the Etsy one as well. I’ll try to sell whichever one I like the least (since I’m doing a short dress anyhow, I don’t see the need to have one for the ceremony and one for the reception). Honeymoon Planning Originally we were planning to head to Belize from our wedding for another week. We figured since we had already flown south, why not head somewhere else in the area and Belize is next door. However, it’s not as easy to get to as I had hoped. Either 9 hours by bus/boat or $600USD for 2 one way tickets, which seems ridiculous. There were some other challenges as well. I started poking around for other places we could go from Cancun and there really isn’t a lot. I guess most people don’t leave a tropical paradise for another tropical paradise! But there is a budget Mexican airline called Volaris that is opening a route this September from Cancun to San Jose, Costa Rica. The price is pretty reasonable (only about $200 more than the one-way Belize tickets, but it’s a return flight). And now that I’m researching Costa Rica, I’m really excited about the possibility! It’s always been on my radar, but in a general sense in that I’ve heard from other people that it’s great. The more I read about it, the more it sounds amazing! Fingers crossed that the route is finalized and actually flies in September. I can currently book tickets for April, but on the booking screen it says “Flight subject to governmental approval”, so my plan is to make sure the September flights are happening and then book it. So excited!

@@snswedding2016 Thank you for posting this! I watched the video. YAY! @@TinkerSofi Congrats! You were beautiful and grinning from ear to ear. Looked like you had fun

Haha! Yeah, I know what you mean about guys & their outfits. But we wanted casual summer clothes (not suits, etc.) so I insisted that we look this summer. A few weeks ago we went camping with the 2 GMs and their GFs in the US, so we all went outlet shopping together. We were really successful! All pants & GMs shirts at first stop, Jeff's shirt at second stop & matching flip flops at third stop. It was too easy! How much for the shot glasses? I love them!