deecol

I’m finally doing it!!! I’ve been thinking about starting my thread weeks after joining this forum, but for a number of reasons I didn’t – fear of my thread not being interesting, lack of free time and what if someone didn’t like something I chose? Through communicating with the amazing ladies on this thread, I’ve learned that we are all here for the same purpose, and this is the most supportive group of women I have ever encountered. When I started planning #deecolwedding2016 (yes, that’s our hashtag ) I didn’t know what to do. All I knew was: Half of our guests will be flying from Toronto, half from the UK and possibly a few from New York, Florida, Nova Scotia, France, and Ireland We needed to find a location that wasn’t unrealistic in both distance and price for all of our guests to travel to We wanted our Canadian guests to pay between $1200-1400 I’m hoping that with this thread I will not only be able to keep myself organized and get great feedback from the community, but also to help any future brides who were confused in the beginning like me and maybe have some similarities to my story. So here we go… just over 7 ½ months to go: 225 days until we leave for Mexico and 232 days until we say I do! How We Met My girlfriend Victoria was having her 25th champagne birthday in Las Vegas in August 2011. On our first day we met a group of guys that were really cool we ended up hanging out with. On our second day, we went to the MGM Wet Republic pool party. These guys bought a cabana, booze, the works, so the day went on and the vodka was flowing... I had refused to go into the water because, well, not many people actually get out to use the washroom, and they’re drinking loads… you get it… Victoria decided she was going to have one of the guys throw me in the pool. So there I am, in this disgusting pool, wading my way out of it, and this gorgeous English accent beside me says “You look nice”. I turned to look at him and he was so handsome, I couldn’t believe it. We talked for a bit and then decided to exchange numbers and meet up later that night. I got back to my room with the girls and slighty slurry said “Guys, I just met my husband!”. Later that night, Colin showed up at Tryst nightclub (pic above) and we spent the rest of our holiday together. We had this instant connection. Saying goodbye was so hard, we both cried, it was like we have known each other for ever and were a couple. He said he’d call me when he landed back in the UK and I thought I’d never hear from him… “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas”. Well it didn’t. He called me the day he landed, and the day after, and we bbm’d all day and night inbetween calls. Then, 5 days after we met, we decided to go for it, neither of us wanted a long distance relationship but we decided we were just going to make it work, we had to. I booked a flight to London to visit for a week in October 2011, we went to Venice for a couple days in between and I met his family. He flew to Toronto one month later in December 2011 for my birthday and met my family. I applied for my UK visa and moved to London in February 2012. We lived there together for almost two years, Colin got permanent residency to Canada and we moved back in January 2014. The kicker – Colin was previously engaged. She cheated on him with his boss so obviously that ended. He had already booked his stag with a few of his friends in Vegas and with the wedding being called off, he asked his friends if they want to postpone it by a few months and go anyway. They postponed to that weekend in August 2011 that I was there. We had a magazine article written about us when we were in London and the story of how we met, the headline was “I Met My Girlfriend On My Stag-Do!” but the best part was that his ex saw it! haha The Proposal Colin and I always knew we would get married. But with moving back to Canada and trying to get permanent jobs, we also knew we had to wait. On November 28th, we had made reservations to go out for my birthday dinner (my Birthday is December 1st). That day Colin had called me to tell me he got a job offer! Obviously I was beyond thrilled and couldn’t wait for that evening, we had so much to celebrate! I did have a moment of “He got a job, is he proposing?” but decided to push it aside and enjoy the awesome night we had ahead of us. I bought some champagne on the way home and should of caught on when I suggested we have some but he said to wait until after dinner, I thought he was just being sensible. We had a delicious dinner and when we were leaving he asked if I wanted to go for a walk on the pier, we were in Port Credit in Mississauga and you can see the Toronto lights from there. Since it was almost December I said “ummm not really, it’s a bit cold” and he said “Trust me, I’ll make it worth your while”. My heart dropped into my stomach. OMG it’s happening. Once we hit the spot you can see the lights, he dropped to one knee and said “Will you be my wife?” I said a combination of “omg” “are you serious?” “holy sh**” and eventually “YES!” I called my mom and she cried like someone had been murdered. I called my dad and he already knew because Colin called him when he went to the washroom I’m really close with my Dad and he loves Col to pieces so this meant the world to me. We went to pick out my ring the next day and we had already invited a bunch of friends over for my birthday that night so it turned into a triple celebration! The Wedding – Why Destination? Along with always knowing we would be married, we also always knew we were going to have a destination wedding. All my friends and family are mostly in Canada, and all his side is mostly in England. We didn’t think it would be fair to ask just one side to travel, it just made the most sense to us. This way everyone gets a great vacation, our friends and families get to spend a week together getting to know each other and we get to spend time with the UK family we don’t get to see too often anymore. Deciding on a Resort, Travel Agents and Getting Pricing As most brides will tell you, this is one of the most stressful parts… Our first task was to figure out what resorts will cater to guests from both the UK and Canada and offer packages. Colin took the reins on this as he is in travel, and not that he gets any inside info or discounts, but he knows where to look. We decided on Riviera Maya, Mexico and narrowed our choices down to the Grand Sirenis (due to @calgarybride2015 thread and review – I still think she should get a commission from them) and the Grand Bahia Principe Coba. We gathered some quotes, from the airlines directly, travel agents and from Romantic Planet. So far the GBP was looking like less money for both the Canadians and Brits. I work part time for a marketing company making drinks and promoting brands etc, one weekend I was working at the Toronto Food & Drink Market and there was a bridal show going on in the next hall. One of the vendors from the show came to me on the Sunday and “needed a Caesar” well, I “needed to get in that show” so she handed me her exhibitors pass and off I went. I did a quick loop and a guy from Total Advantage Travel & Tours stopped me. I told him I was pretty much ready to book and he said he could beat the quote I got. So I thought ‘what do I have to lose’ and emailed him the next day. Their first quote for GBP was already $100 less than Romantic Planet and after going back and forth, doing a bit of price matching and $30 more being taken off the price … we were able to get a group rate through Total Advantage for $1259 pp with Air Canada. We made sure the London flights matched up and weren’t too expensive and secured our deal. To date we have 19 booked from Canada and 21 booked from the UK, 40 total including Col & I. We anticipate about 10 more to book, but I am beyond happy with our number, it’s more than I could have ever asked for and I can’t wait!!! We have decided on a legal ceremony, although it's a bit more hassle, we wanted to have everything done at once, and it will be worth it Engagement Photos We had these done on February 7th, 2015 in High Park, Toronto Save the Dates and Invitations The Save the Dates were sent out at the end of April once we secured our Canadian group rates and the UK flights were released and activated our wedding website. We sent our Invitations out Mid-May. We have all information available on our website including the RSVP, as we would have replies coming in from so many countries it saves us a bit of money as well. We update the pricing for the UK guests as often as possible on the travel page of the website. The final rsvp date will be January 31st, 2016. I have my dress, flowers, bridesmaid dresses and a couple other things on the go. I didn’t expect to be able to start this today so I will update the rest shortly

@@RivieraBride15 Contracts on your upcoming wedding! I am so sorry about the loss of your brother, that must be so hard. Both him and your fiancé's brother will for sure be there in spirit, hopefully having a toast up in the sky for you two! You look amazing in your dress! Congrats on the weight loss that's incredible - we have a support and accountability group here on the forum that a bunch of us are in, all trying to look and feel amazing on our big days, feel free to join us - would be great to have someone who's accomplished that goal in the mix! Can't wait to see your dress after the fitting and the rest of your planning xo

@ Thanks so much! I couldn't sleep last night because I was so excited for spin this morning lol. I'm a really excitable person and having these fitness goals makes me... well, excited MMM sparkling water! I don't normally like flavoured water or putting anything in mine but I love the Grapefruit Perrier! I started writing down fun dance songs for the reception in my planning book anytime one comes to mind, and I checked out the playlists some of the girls posted on this forum. I want to start to at least load those since we don't have any of our other songs picked except for my entrance song. I figure the couple of months leading up to the wedding will be so busy with making final plans and my best friend is getting married 28 days before me (and 3 weeks before Col & I leave for Mexico) and I'm her MOH so the more I can get out of the way the better. I am so excited to start my thread! I think about it everyday lol. I'm not as creative as you but hopefully some will still find it helpful. I sent you a DM on instagram asking about your beach bags, msg me back when you get a chance

Good Morning and Happy Friday Ladies!!! @@JoannaBanana You crack me up! @@Wafflesmom I think we can all forgive you for not being able to eat the healthiest lately with the power outage, camping and your stagette coming up! It's all about balance - and with your workout and eating goals for next week you sound like you'll do amazing. @@ashhtayy Of course there's hope!!! You're over 8 months out with lots of time. You've identified the areas where your diet and exercise are lacking and know what you need to do. I'd say switching out your coke for water is huge, and definitely giving up the McDonalds - it can be your treat meal once a week instead. Get it girl!!! @ I've never been a pop drinker so I probably don't understand the love for it, I just know that if they are taking out all the calories and sugar, they are replacing it with something else - something that is foreign to your body and your body won't know what to do with it, which will turn it to fat... Just what I've heard, and you've probably heard all the negatives about pop as well, don't shoot the messenger! And now my turn... so I've had the flu for about 5 days (I have the immunity of a newborn) and while I didn't eat very much what I did have weren't the greatest of choices because when I'm sick I want comfort food - mac n' cheese, lipton chicken noodle soup, crackers... so I lost about a lb after all was said and done. I'm feeling 110% now and ready to attack! I went to spin this morning and fueled after with the white of a hard boiled egg, 2 oz of turkey and a smoothie ( 1/2 green apple, handful spinach, 1/2 cup blueberries, 1/3 cup greek yogurt, 1 tsp chia seeds, 1/2 tsp flax seed, 1/2 cup lemon juice and a big spoon of coconut oil because my avocados weren't ripe enough yet). Fitness Goals for the upcoming week (today to Friday): Spin 4 times, weights 5 times. I bought a 60-day Hiitmax program to incorporate into my workouts - it consists of 3 days a week of 20 min hiit workouts with cardio days inbetween, the hiit days are M, W, F but because of the spin schedule I may move to Tu, Th, Sat. Colin says he's going to do it with me - but I don't fully believe him, he's the worst gym buddy ever. We're taking measurements on Sunday to see how we do at the end of the 60 days My Zia (Aunt in Italian) has invited us for lunch on Sunday, and if you know Italians... this will obviously be my treat meal and I will do a heavy glute/leg workout that evening (if I'm not too full) or the next day before/after spin. It's always good to work a larger muscle (legs or back) after a cheat meal Meal prep Sunday and Wednesday I'm seeing a girlfriend tonight, I'm not drinking mostly because I'm afraid to get sick again (I get sick 70% of the time after I drink... it's weird) and she's preparing apps. Old me would eat dinner at home and then go to hers, with a couple bottles of wine, snacks and continue eating. New, mentally focused me is eating well through the day, skipping dinner and eating a moderate amount of apps with no vino My girlfriend's dirty 30 is on Oct 3rd - I plan to be at least 5 lbs lighter by then, there will be some friends I haven't seen in a while and I want to look great, I don't typically care about weight but I want to break out of this number I'm hovering around Wedding Planning Goals: Start loading our music onto the wedding app, we are about 7 1/2 months out but the sooner I can be prepared the better Colin has 4 days off next weekend is going to look at some suits (without me!) to get ideas.... he knows not to make any decisions without me, I'm just glad he's finally looking lol Start my planning thread! I may do it tomorrow if I have a spare bit of time, if not, I will start end Sept/beginning of Oct Boom!

@ That sounds delicious! Have you thought of adding half a large avocado (or one small) for some healthy fats? It will help control hunger and gives it a bit of a creamy taste.

@ @@calgarybride2015 Thank you! Happy to report I am about 90%! Took tons of vitamin C and slept when I got home last night. Can't wait to get back on track!!!

@@Wafflesmom Thank you I'm going straight to bed when I get home. When I'm sick I'm more motivated than ever to get back into the gym.... so as soon as this gets out of my system I am all over it!

@@acw271011 ooooo can't wait to see it! Gotta go with your gut and feel fabulous in it!

@@ashhtayy Congrats on everything!!! I was wondering where you've been! Beautiful dress! Suits you so well

Everything looks great girlie!!! Glad it's all coming together! Not long now!!!

@@cruisebride2016 Welcome! So glad we have inspired you to join the group! Keep up the good work @@yycbride2016 I know you feel guilty, I did after my goldfish/crisper party last week. But this feeling is what will push you even harder. Don't give up, I see your instagram - you're doing awesome! @@Wafflesmom @@calgarybride2015 Like you ladies told me after my binge... it's a new day! We all have our moments, but you're stronger than you think! Keep it going! I've had the flu since Thursday night, so I'm completely off track... I have maybe lost a couple lbs but it's only due to not eating, I haven't weighed myself because I don't have the energy to stand long. I had to cancel my ribfest shifts this weekend (aka wedding money) and feel so awful. It's still lingering now... hoping that sitting at my desk for 8 hours will knock me out when I get home and I can finally sleep through the night.

@@ashhtayy Where have you been?!? Yes please join us if you can! Would love to meet you! @@acw271011 were you able to secure a reservation for Oct 2nd at that bar you mentioned?

Perfect! Thanks! And for basic decorations - do you know what this includes? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

@@acw271011 Sounds absolutely perfect!!!

@@Wafflesmom @@yycbride2016 @@calgarybride2015 Thank you Had a treat, won't let it discourage me. More motivated than ever right now! You're all doing so great! Thanks for being so supportive!

@@Wafflesmom Just got caught up! Love your decor choices! Elegant and beautiful! Congrats on your promotion! Gorgeous dress!!!! You look stunning and so happy! I bought the first dress I tried on too! Everything is amazing so far! Can't wait to see more

@ @@Wafflesmom Guess what just came on the radio!! Maybe it's a sign we should just do it anyway. It still gives me chills when I hear it.

@@calgarybride2015 Will do! Thanks Hopefully I get an answer soon.

@@calgarybride2015 too many I didn't eat them all which is good and I shared the goldfish with my girlfriend but still too many. I love to snack and I love chips, and even though I had my meal all ready, I just caved, because it said "baked" lol. The goldfish were whole-grain but too many is not a good thing. And at least they weren't Doritos. It's okay to treat yourself, but I over-treated lol. It's eating and driving, you don't feel yourself getting full. I drive standard, which would make you think I would be less likely to eat...lol But, you're right! I've confessed my sins and today is a new day! Going to eat clean and kill it in the gym! Thanks for the push

@@Wafflesmom Awwww absolutely - it has sentimental value now! We were going to use that song as well for our first dance but may change because of the amount of times it's played on the radio. My Zia emailed me the link about a week after we got engaged and was like "I think about you and Colin every time I hear this!" It's so beautiful though we just might go for it anyway. Great choice!

Guys... I'm going to be totally honest, I ate Goldfish and Crispers last night. I don't know what happened, I was going to get my hair done at my girlfriend's and stopped at Walmart for some Perrier, then BAM - I bought snacks... my stomach feels awful and bloated today, totally paying for it

@@Wafflesmom Thank you!!! It was a great way to spend our last official dating anniversary We're going for dinner in a couple weeks but I'm so glad we both felt like we should do something on the day as well.

@@calgarybride2015 Is that what they did for you? Gave you the peso price?

Hi everyone, Getting married on April 30th, 2016, staying at Coba, ceremony on Tulum beach and deciding on reception location soon. Could anyone please help me with the answers to these questions? As I'm sure you all have experienced, you don't always get the fastest or most helpful responses from the resort. Anyone know how to go about paying in pesos? If the exchange rate doesn't change that will most likely be the best option, however, everything is listed in USD - will they give you the price in pesos? The packages include "basic" decoration... what does this include exactly? Thank you so much

@@acw271011 Thank you! He's pretty great! I definitely teared up when the receptionist brought them to me lol Everything was perfect last night, strawberries came out great, candles, wine... he was very surprised and happy! Thanks for all your input ladies!