ashhtayy

@@deecol Again, great score with those votives and LEDs. They're so simple and small (great for packing!) but they add so much to the decor. I think you'll be so happy you got them. Hope you found some time to relax this weekend and you weren't totally consumed with bridal shower prep. You must be getting excited for it! I hope your girls step up and take good care of you - you deserve it!

Lets see our group photo from Friday!

It sure does mean a lot! Reading all the planning threads helps tremendously and it has been super beneficial that two recent ones have been brides at AF. Thanks again ladies @@snswedding2016 & @@TinkerSofi!

@@yycbride2016 thanks for the powder tip! I'm always looking for a deal so I like the sounds of that. I'll keep both in mind Baby powder. Yes, I've heard that too. That's a must to add to the packing list lol This may be too much information but I'm not in the slightest bit worried about being too gross when we get back to our room haha My main concern is getting through the ceremony and maybe half of the reception without being a sweaty beast. After that there's only so much you can do lol We will be partying pretty hard that night that even I if we wake up with 6 friends sleeping on our floor and couches I won't even be mad. We have the rest of our lives for that alone time lol @@vancouverpetunia I'm getting pretty excited for our legal! So simple but it will mean the world to Mike's mom and nonna. Can't wait to see their faces

@@vancouverpetunia Good job with the accessory purchases this weekend! I like my bracelets to fit pretty snug so it would likely bother me that it was a little big and that the rhinestones keep flipping. If you love the bracelet why don't you look into seeing if someone can size it for you? It goes so well with your earrings that I think resizing rather than relooking may be a great alternative. I really like the hair photos you posted. My girlfriend has long hair but did just that for her wedding and it looked great. She had a brooch from her grandmother that she had made into a hair pin for the back. Something old! Anything sentimental you may want to try and use? Hers was a bit heavy but we just fixed it a few times throughout the night and it looked great. Rhinestone bobby pins are also a great idea @@yycbride2016! They would look great especially if used with the first style.

@@yycbride2016 Enjoy your shower and your football party lol Hope you get spoiled! Looks like your pretty good at doing your own makeup! If I could do my own and knew it would look good I'd definitely save the money...but that's not the case for me. There's also something about being able to relax and have it all taken care of that I like. If you're looking to save, I'd do it yourself because it looks great. If money isn't a big factor then pamper yourself. I think you'll appreciate one less thing to worry about I really like the design of the second nails. I have zero experience win stick on nails though so no advice for you there. Typically I'm a shellac girl so that's 100% what I'll be doing. I also really like the design in @vancouverpeutunia photo. You girls have me thinking sparkle is a must. I would have just gone with a blush or something. Very brave of you to do a boudoir shoot - I would never have the courage. Kyle will love that gift!

@@TinkerSofi Looks like wedding number two was perfect! Also glad to read everything clicked with Juan and your family and friends in Argentina. As much as you probably knew they'd love him I can imagine how that would be in the back of your mind lol

@@Berg999 I haven't been so my opinion is rather useless but I'll share what we're doing anyways lol I left that choice up to my fiancé and he immediately picked Oreo. I can let you know how it was after our wedding in June.

@@KBrown looks like set up fee is about $3-$7pp and they do decide once you get there and they see what you have. For me it still made the most economical sense. You can pick components of the memorable moments packages and just add what you want. Everything they offer can be rented for a cost (most time an enormous cost). I know one bride paid for their table settings (linens, Chargers, napkins) but brought he own centrepieces. Anything is possible there you just have to ask!

@@KBrown No, we are not going with one of the memorable moments packages. Are you? Way too expensive for us because we are sitting around 60 guests right now. Keep in mind you can do a la carte there too! We are on the sky deck for both ceremony and reception. We've decided to bring a lot of our decor with us to save some money. Right now the only thing I am/may rent from Lomas is a chandelier, beaded back drop, white sheets (all this for the gazebo), sound system, maybe a cake and maybe (big maybe) a few florals. I already spent a fortune on silk florals that I will be bringing with us as so not sure if we need more. Possibly lighting too. My WC says we won't need more but I've heard otherwise. The ladies on here have been really happy with their hair and makeup. It would nice for you to get pampered on your day but I can imagine that because you are a hair stylist it might be hard to be completely satisfied with someone else's work. All reviews I've read say they're great so of its in the budget, I'd say go for it!

Great to meet all of you!

I'll be at union around 5:45. See you all soon!

@@maria1488 I have my dining room table set up as a guest table right now lol All but one of my runners are still in the bag though so thanks for the advice. I just went and double checked and only one sequin fell off and is on my floor. The sequins are so tiny that I would expect some to come loose but, even at double the price, that would likely happen. I'm meeting with a past bride tonight and will be buying four of her pieces from chair cover factory as well. I'll ask her what she did to get the creases out and get back to you.

@KBrown Miami WD - Mine is Maribel and it sounds like she is very similar to Jennifer. They take awhile but I do know they are taking care of a zillion weddings at once. Tell Jennifer you want a call, don't want for your scheduled ones! I have sent so many questions that on two occasions Maribel has said, whoa, lots of questions - when can I call you? I then relax on the emails and stock pile all my questions until I can speak with her on the phone. Although I get frustrated with the delays in her replies it is a breath of fresh air speaking with her because she is wonderful over the phone. TA - I am working with an Ottawa based GI certified TA as well but I live in the Toronto area. She is with Centre Holidays and I have been less than impressed...most days. She has gotten better this week though so fingers crossed this continues. I asked who yours was so I could see if we shared similar struggles. Has your TA offered you one of their GI perks? Spa credit, photo credit or cocktail hour credit? We were initially going to use the cocktail hour credit but have since switched to the spa credit. I'm glad you've joined this site! After Steph and Sofi's weddings went by I was beginning to think I was the only AF bride around!

@@snswedding2016 – Again, thank you so much for posting this (and all your other fabulous reviews!) This post couldn’t come at a better time for me. Last night (Mike’s travelling for work) I went through our budget spreadsheet and converted everything to US $. I almost had a heart attack. I knew we were spending a lot but man, it looks MUCH better before you take into account the value of our Canadian dollar. I have a zillion questions, so brace yourself lol Here goes… First, everything you have listed is in US $, correct? Pre-Ceremony Semi-Private Dinner (included in the A&F package. Up to 40 people, set menu at Flavours. Kids not counted in numbers if they are ordering from the children's menu) FREE -Menu- smoked salmon, nut crusted chicken breast, apple crisp Rehearsal Ceremony (time and date TBD onsite - we did this the day before the wedding at 1pm) FREE *Did you use your semi-private dinner for your rehearsal dinner? Good to know kids ordering from the kids menu are not considered one of the 40 people (lol sounds bad, but helps with planning!) Because our group is larger than 40, I was thinking of inviting our wedding party, their significant others and our family. I feel bad about excluding non-wedding party guests but I think that’s what we will have to do. Food was delicious? We blended a few of the menu options with our favs. Hope its delicious! Cocktail Hour FREE Location - Zky Terrace/Bar (came with hor d'oeuvres, sparkling wine post ceremony and a signature drink. We had "Tequila Party". Cocktail tables with ribbon in our wedding colour) **We got lucky on this one...not sure how but we qualified for a free cocktail hour. If we didn't we would have just done an informal cocktail hour in the Zky Bar** *HOW? Did you plan to pay for it but they said it was complimentary when you had to pay your bill before your wedding? I want this! Our Miami WD said to do our cocktail hour on the Xky Terrace (as opposed to Sky Deck where C & R are) because it was cheaper but definitely not FREE. Also, ‘Tequila Party’ is not in my Private Events Banquet Kit? The only options are Asia Pacific ($38USD), Viva La Roma ($23USD), Mexican Fiesta Cocktail Party ($18USD), The Deluxe ($41USD), Mexican Donkey Bar (pay per item), and White Glove Cocktail Party (pay per item). Reception Location - Garden - FREE Decor - we brought our own and then asked for all of the flowers from the HC08 arrangements to be divided among the tables to add to the centrepieces Set Up Fee - $250 (this included candles, books, vases, signs, favours and string lights) Menu - Set Menu 2 (Beef Carpaccio, Pork Rib Eye, Creme Brulee - No wedding cake) Originally $20/pp ...somehow we qualified for a discount and paid $14.40/pp (x50) Kids FREE (if ordering from children's menu) *Set-Up Fee: I know we won’t know the décor set-up fee until we arrive but how was your experience with this? Was it a negotiation or did they just say $5 x 50 adult guests = $250? *Menu: WOW again with the discount. Was this something your Miami WD told you when you made your selection? According to our listing that would be $20USD pp. Sound Equipment - Amplifier and microphone $250 (for 4 hours. We brought our own playlist and plugged it in - no DJ) *I remember you saying you were meeting with a friend to teach them how to use the Wedding DJ App. Did you set them near the amplifier or were they able to sit them at their regular table and control it from the iPad/iPhone from there? I had a friend that has said if we decide to use the app he’d be happy to control it I just don’t want to have to segregate him for too long! Misc Outside Vendor Fee - $800 (photographers) 2 for 1 massages (A&F package) - transferred to our honeymoon at El Dorado Casitas Royale (they gave us 2 for FREE) Honeymoon Breakfast in Bed (A&F package) FREE Candlelight Dinner on the beach - transferred to El Dorado as well FREE *Massages: Okay, wow again. Are you and Sean the best negotiators ever or was there some serious luck on your side? Was this a resort mistake or a kind gesture? Again, did you coordinate ahead of time with Miami WD or was this done on site? *Honeymoon Breakfast in Bed: We made our selection for this as well. YAY! We chose the morning after all our guests’ leave (we are staying for a total of 2 weeks – the last 5 days will be just us at AF). When did you do yours? *Candlelight Dinner on the Beach: We picked this one too! Couldn’t justify paying for the pier or the Sky Deck option. THANKS IN ADVANCE!

@@snswedding2016 and @@TinkerSofi did! (January 2016 and August 2015). Search them and you'll find AWESOME reviews of their weddings.

@@KBrown Who is your wedding planner? At first mine took no time to reply...now it takes ages and after a week or two I send a follow up email and she answers half of the questions. Ask her for a planning call if you have a lot of questions. She will spend at least an hour on the phone with you - super helpful! Also, are you using an Ottawa based TA? If so, may I ask who? Oh and you can use the chat for some questions. Like when I wanted the dimensions of the cake I went to the online chat and she was able to get me the answer within minutes. There are some things they can't answer and they will tell you to contact your WD but for basic things like cake dimensions and "can I have confetti on the sky deck?" they're helpful!

@@snswedding2016 Firstly, thank you so much for writing such detailed reviews. I can’t begin to explain how helpful and reassuring these posts are. Waking up together, getting dressed in those comfy robes, drinking mimosas and ordering room service sounds like the start to a PERFECT day! PS. You two are adorable. Sounds like your wedding day spa experience was fabulous. Love that they let you give mani’s to two of your girls. I think I’ll extend that to our mom’s if we get so lucky J Did you coordinate that with your Miami WD beforehand? I am so glad that you decided to move forward as planned regardless of weather. I can only imagine how stressful that must have been for that 45 minutes. You’ve mentally prepared me for that conversation! I cannot believe Sean’s dad wife. I’m glad you’re able to laugh about it now and that your BM’s stepped up to take care of that drama. I definitely wouldn’t have been as kind! Good for you, girl! BM’s dresses, robes, YOUR DRESS, GM’s outfits, SEAN! Wow! Love how it all came together. The raw images look amazing – you must be so pleased! I have to know – which gentleman is Mr. Hugo Boss? My first guess is bald gentleman with the beard; my second is Mr. Flow. OMG! That photograph of Sean looking at you (I imagine right after he turned around) is breathtaking! I teared up the first three times I looked at it. HE LOVES YOU SO MUCH! You can see it Can’t wait to keep reading and to hear about it in person tomorrow. I have 1000 questions lol and I am going to start by posting some of them in the new thread you created.

@@Wafflesmom Can't wait to read all about it! Enjoy the rest of your mini-moon

She was the first etsy vendor I have ever purchased from that never convo or emailed me. I like getting that thank you message or a little note in the packaging. Maybe I've just purchased from extra sentimental vendors in the past lol I am happy with our topper. There isn't much too it but that is all we needed. It's exactly as described on her shop too so no surprises at all. I hope you find something you love! YAY! It's like Christmas every time a parcel arrives. Today's delivery was our table runners. As mentioned before I'm purchasing @ cake table cloth and three runners. I ordered seven additional runners from the same shop. We will have 6 guest tables, a rectangular everything table, a cake table and a head table. I decided to save a bit of money by doing runners on all tables (except cake). These were purchased from www.chaircoverfactory.com for $10.39 USD each. I am so happy we went with champagne instead of gold because these look gold. I'm not sure I would have liked the 'gold' colour.

@ Super cute idea to have the surprise at their house! I can already imagine what my dad will say - "Okay, so are we still going to Mexico? I don't understand this whole thing". I'd gladly receive any feedback you have to offer. Our wedding is June 7th, 2016 on the Sky Deck. We are in Canada and booked using a travel agent back in March. Our guests were required to pay their deposits by June 7th, 2015 in order to obtain the group rate we secured. It seems as though we don't get any perks because of the deals we get on combined flight + hotel. The only bonus we did receive because we used a GI certified TA is a credit that can be used towards the spa, photography or a cocktail party. We have opted for the spa credit for my wedding hair and makeup. If you don't mind sharing, what specifically were you unhappy with in regards to your wedding at AF? On-site coordinator? Flowers? DJ? Photography? Food? Oh! @ - I ordered all my other runners (I couldn't wait) and just checked the tracking number - they're set to arrive tomorrow! I thought I would have to wait until Friday to see them but they've shipped quite quickly.

Number two has taken a strong lead. Thanks @@maybeoneday & @! Cake topper arrived! I'm too scared to remove it from the packaging so this is the only pic I can share until it shows up on our wedding cake Etsy Vendor: BashandCoParty We also booked an officiant for our at home legal ceremony. We're still working out the logistics but we will be legally married in our new home March 26th (2 months today!) around 5PM. It will be a surprise for my parents and brother as well as Mike's mom and nonna - hopefully they don't find this forum first lol After the surprise wedding we will head to a local restaurant we love for some delicious food and drinks!

@ I tan well and quickly and don't normally burn in natural sunlight but the beds are a different story. I burn very quickly and it takes some time to see the glow (after the burn subsides). Not sure if that makes sense but that's always been the story with my skin. I'll be careful not to go TOO much before before though because I don't want it to look too fake lol I also strategically placed our wedding at the beginning or the trip so that we could enjoy the sun as much as possible and not worry about tan lines. Fingers crossed this pans out.

Will it be weird if I show up with a list of questions?...not just regarding the app lol

I'm in! @ @@snswedding2016 I assume you'll be bringing your photos on your iPads? (YAY!) Do you also have the wedding DJ app on there? I'm hoping if you don't mind you can do a little showcase for me. That's something big we have yet to cross off the list and I'd love to hear all your feedback on it.