2011 Iberostar Brides

[radiochic10]

PS-the pictures are showing up as having posted on my computer, but let me know if you can't see them on this thread & I'll find a way to PM them to you!

[Hanna20]

Erin,

 

Wow!!! Those are GORGEOUS!!! I am so happy that I found out about this and even happier that you are willing to pass the tradition on to me! I will send you my address via PM. Make sure you post a photo of your bouquet with these in it after you get back! I still can't believe that total strangers (well sort of!) are so kind and generous and willing to do these things. I will definitely pass it on to Hannah for her big day and I am sure she will do the same. Hannah - if you don't already know someone getting married after you, you could always post in the June form and I am sure someone will love to take part in this.

 

Once again, thank you so much Erin!! I know your day will be beautiful and we all can't wait to see the pictures!
 

Originally Posted by radiochic10 

Hi all! 

  Ok, so a few months ago, I was reading one of the blogs on here & found this "starfish" passing tradition.  I'm not sure when it started, but I LOVED the concept.  Destination brides pass along the starfish to other destination wedding brides & they put it in their bouquet.  I posted on the thread that I was interested in it & whoever was in 'charge' basically said to go through the posts and find an 'open' starfish, message that person & wait to hear back.  Well, at the time, there were 96 PAGES of posts.  Now, I do not know what bride has the time to go through 96 pages of back & forth statements, but it ain't me.  I found another bride-don't even know how now that I think about it-maybe she saw my post? and she said she wanted to start a new starfish because-like me-she thought it maddening to sift through that thread to find a fish.  Somehow, in the midst of all the other stuff I'm trying to pull together this week, I remembered the starfish.  I ordered 4 in total-and I'm thinking I will pass along 2.  I was going to just do one & keep the other 3 in the dried bouquet, but that's not what they're there for.  I waited 37 years to find the love of my life-I think we're truly blessed-and passing that little starfish along is like extending the joy to all of you & I love that!  From what I understand, brides put a little info about their wedding in with the starfish before passing it along to the next destination bride.  I will give one out to the bride I've talked to about starting a starfish passing with and Hanna-get me your address & I'll send the other to you when we get back & then you can mail it to Hannah after you get married!  I'm attaching pictures to give you an idea of what I'm talking about xo,e

 

 

 

[radiochic10]

YAY!  So glad the pictures came through   I will take a TON of pics while I'm there like Tara did to help ya all know what to expect, etc.  I will tell you that thanks to Tara's expertise, I was able to get our menu changed from a baked potato and corn on the cob to roasted potatoes and seasoned veggies-yay!  AND I'm getting the cake done like I wanted-with blue ribbons of icing to match my bridesmaid's dresses and I bought sugar shells/starfish from Oriental Trading and they're putting those all on the layers with brown sugar sprinkled on to look like sand!  If there's one thing I'm learning, nearly anything can be done if you ASK for it...I even have a vegetarian dish being served to my sister (MOH) and our photographer! 

 

I still am not sure what I'm doing about centerpieces, but I think we'll go to Playa & get some tall vases, candles and shells and Karla said they'll fill them with sand & set them all up for us.  I'll let you know how that goes in case any of you are thinking of sticking with a beach theme instead of just flowers. There was no way on God's green earth that I was going to attempt to pack vases along with all of the other things we have!!  I'll take pics of the welcome bags & post those too.  I'm kinda proud of them

 

That's all for now.

3 DAYS til we leave!  YAHOO!!!!!

:)Erin

[Hannah5611]

I love the starfish....it is soooo cute!!!!  Hanna - you may even be able to leave it at the resort and have them put it with my "file" or whatever they have - I will be down there 4 weeks after you so it shouldnt be a problem   maybe we will find a new bride that I can pass it to also!!

 

Erin...since you are probably super busy...please keep us updated and share pics when you return!!   Good luck, and CONGRATS!!!!  Enjoy your vacation, enjoy YOUR day...and everything will be breathtaking and beautiful I am sure!!   Cant wait to hear all about it!!! Congrats again!!!

xoxo - Hannah

[nucci]

Erin- WOW I can't believe you are going to be married so soon.  Good luck with everything and it'll just fall into place.  I'm a little jealous b/c I'm so ready for all this to be over!  I can't wait to see pics of everything!!

 

Ladies- EVERYONE needs to have a shower!  This is time for people who can't attend to wedding to celebrate with you and give you presents!!  You shouldn't feel bad.  Think about how many showers and weddings you have been to and spent money on.  Now it's your time and turn to receive and have the spotlight on you!!  Enjoy it!!

 

As for everything else I am ready for this to be done haha!  I did a destination wedding b/c I didn't want the work or stress and I GOT IT!!  I had a breakdown yesterday.  So much to do still and I can't seem to focus on anything!  This weekend we are going to try to make lists so we can actually start getting things accomplished.  The money is stressing me out too.  This is def not as cheap as people think!!  So many details that have to be taken care of.  AAAHHHH!!!  You ladies are seriously helping me though!  Thanks!!!

[radiochic10]

Nucci-

 

 I feel your pain!  I was in meltdown mode not so long ago myself, and the best thing you can do is HAVE your meltdown!  Get it out of the way & then the road won't seem so foggy-I promise!  It's all SO overwhelming at certain stages-that it feels like it'll never all get done.  It's funny-because I thought the same thing about a destination wedding..less stress, lower costs...and I still fell apart. lol.  It is-for sure-less $$ but with that comes things you don't think about-like-not tasting the food everyone will eat first, not seeing the flowers you'll get-or your b-maids, centerpieces, etc., not tasting the cake, not hearing the DJ or meeting him first.  You are putting all of your trust in a wedding coordinator who does up to 7 of these a week..hoping she doesn't accidentally cross your info with another bride's.  I think breakdowns are totally normal!    And OMG did $$ stress me out too because I wanted to do extra things. (i.e. Welcome bags)  The FI was VERY anti-welcome bags...then he saw it was important to me and came around.  He's all walking around with his chest out now thinking they look fabulous & is all excited to give them to everyone.  I found ways to make them work.  Orientaltrading.com is a GREAT site, as is beau-coup.com  Lists are your best friend.  I went to Staples & got a cheap notebook and it never leaves my side.  DO THAT! Because I found that I kept writing to do lists on random pieces of paper-and Oh my.  It was rough keeping track that way.  Hope that helps a little!

 

YES YES YES on the shower.  I felt the same way=wow=all these people are spending all of this $$ to go to Mexico (or whichever Iberostar you're getting married at) I can't ask them to buy me things!?  Yeah ya can.  Because YOU aren't asking.  My mom & sister threw me a shower over Thanksgiving after much protest from me & I'd say at least 55% of the people there can't go to the wedding, but wanted to celebrate with me & congratulate me & that was the place they did.  It was SO nice!  I mean-cousins who couldn't be there pitched in & got us a Dyson Vacuum!  We got all of our every day dishes, towels, silverware-etc. from people who love us and feel bad that they can't go for whatever reason.  They were nagging my mom about whether she was having a shower!  And as my FI keeps saying-yes, it's a destination wedding-but it's also a VACATION for everyone!  So enjoy!  I even ended up having girls from work throw me another one in Boston at "Jillians" and it was a blast!  Bowling & cash bar.  Sweet!  So don't fight it-it'll make those who can't attend feel good to celebrate with you and those who can WANT to get you things. I promise!

 

I've had crazy drama while planning this wedding.  Bridesmaids who lied saying they ordered their dresses and then TOTALLY ignored my phone calls, emails, etc., my best guy friend bailing on being a groomsman, lost favors (minor in comparison!), hoping I'd get a new contract at work, since mine ended Jan 21 (I did!) and having to put down my furry baby of 13 years after she got deathly ill and there was nothing else that could be done for her.  I was a mess more times than I care to remember. Got pissy with my FI more than once, and ya know what I remember looking back on all of it now-3 days before we leave?  What an amazing man I found.  He was there.  Never left my side, listened to me cry on his shoulder over and over, picked up my pups ashes and put her in a beautiful urn without even telling me because he wanted it to be as painless as possible for me, wiped many tears, gave a zillion hugs and always made me feel like no matter what was going wrong, the wedding would all work itself out and be beautiful.  That's a man you marry.   At the end of the day-I found him.  You all did.  Rejoice.

[Lindobride14]

Erin- You said it very well. I was a wreck more times than I'd like to admit, so much so that FI was actually scared of me at times Haha but he was always there to lend the shoulder to cry on and to make my worries seem trivial. That's the man you marry. Although all us destination brides sweat things like travel costs, selecting the right resort, dress, flowers, photographer, the list goes on, the single most important thing is that you're making a LIFE commitment to the man you love. What everyone thinks of your wedding truly doesn't matter. I started repeating the mantra 'life goes on after wedding' whenever I got too David Tutera with my wedding planning. Erin, have a wonderful time!!! I know you will!! If a girl can't have an amazing time on a tropical vaca with all their friends & family that would never under any other circumstance all been on vacation together surrounding them, check for a pulse! You will look back at this trip and want to relive it over & over again, so savor every moment of it! Couple last pieces of advice: If any family member or anyone upsets you or brings you down while you're there, just breathe and let it go. I let my dad upset me over something and in hindsight let it stress me out way too much on our special day. Having that many people there with you, someone is bound to complain about something, the beds are too hard, the tour operator ripped them off, Yada, yada, don't take it personally!! And while it's fun being the center of attention all week, there will come a time when you get a lil exhausted and want some alone time with your man. Give yourself that time. Tour guests can amuse themselves for a few hours without you:) Can't wait to hear from ya & see your photos when you return! Safe travels! Tara

 

[nucci]

Erin and Tara- Thanks for all the soothing words!  You ladies are completely right...it's all about the marriage.  It's crazy b/c the only person that did make me feel better was Jeff.  Even though I know he can't control any of this just hearing him say everything is going to be alright made me feel so much better!  I think my biggest thing is all these decisions.  I keep second guesses myself about everything b/c I just don't know if its the right one.  Then I'm making more than one decision on the same things which adds more stress.  I'm going to try to start making choices and then leaving them alone.  I'm going to try haha!!  It's just SO hard not knowing...just like you said Erin!

 

With that being said...Jeff and I are picking up our wedding bands and finishing registering at Macy's.  Then we're going to Target to look for OOT bag stuff and Staples to look at cardstock and printers. 

 

People are driving me crazy with these RSVPs too.  Like a few people that said yes are know saying no and some people havent booked yet!  This is making it so hard to have a final number so I know how much of everything I need to buy.  I think I'm just going to buy a few more of everything.  I guess I can always return things. 

[radiochic10]

Last chance to post before we leave!  We're staying at a hotel in Boston tonight & catching our flight early in the am.  Tara-thanks for the GREAT advice of not letting anything anyone says rattle me.  I always internalize things like that-so it's an awesome reminder.

I'll take lots of pictures!  Thanks for all the help/advice/love along the way ladies!!

xoxoxo

Erin

[klc52379]

Good luck Erin!!  Can't wait to see pictures

 

I would also love to be part of the traveling starfish pins!  I'm June 25th at the Del Mar.

 

I couldn't agree more about the stress!  My FH is pretty upset because all of his friends are backing out now, and one of my closest childhood friends has avoided every single one of my phone calls related to his address for the save the date card since September.  Too bad, he can post on my FB page though all the time about "come home and let's go out!"  I think he got the point when I messaged back "I don't know where your home is since you can't return my phone calls."

 

I'm getting so sick of hearing "we'll just come to the reception when you get home."  Too bad, we can't afford to do the DW and the AHR    I was even told by his brother the other day that we're being "selfish."  Needless to say, that caused a breakdown

 

For years, we've been everybody and their eighth cousin's bridesmaid, groomsmen, day of coordinator...so why are we "selfish" for waiting the most important day to be spent with our closest family and friends?  I want to be in a room with the people that matter to me the most, than that random fourth cousin I see only at holidays.  I  think that some guests get so wrapped up in the "party" aspect of the wedding that they forget what it's truly about. 

 

I'm also majorly stressed about work and being away for the wedding.  I coordinate fundraising events for a non-profit and summer is our busiest time.  I actually will be missing one of my events because I'll be getting married that weekend.  My two immediate bosses are completely cool with it and even laughed when I asked for permission to get married in the summer.  It's just the nasty comments I get from other co-workers and others with my organization that make me feel so guilty.  Some of my volunteers have even been making snide comments.  I really can't tell off volunteers though

 

At the end of the day, I know I'm going to make someone mad with the wedding.  People's true colors are shining through right now, which pretty much sucks. 

 

Sorry, needed to vent to people who completely understand!!