Lua's Planning Thread!!! Finally!! (Pics galore!!!)

[Lua]

 

Well ladies, I leave for the airport in only 8 days and can’t believe it’s finally time for me to post my planning thread!  These planning threads have been such great pieces of inspiration for me and I can only hope that I am able to pay-it-forward by showing what I have done.  BUT, first thing’s first – Tammy! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for creating this forum that I just happened to stumble upon one day. When my FI and I decided on a destination wedding, I had no idea about the possibilities!  And had NEVER heard of an OOT bag!  For the past 11 months, this forum has been my saving grace.  Also, thanks to this forum, I was given the opportunity to get to know a real amazing group of girls – shout out to my fellow April brides here – without you, I sincerely, from the bottom of my heart, don’t know how I would have gotten through. You girls are amazing! Anyway, enough sappy stuff, let’s get down to business!

 

The Proposal:

 

On May 9, 2010 my then boyfriend and I made our way to his parents’ place to pick up a few things and then headed out on a morning run.  We had run a 10K race the previous Saturday, our first race together and longest race. The idea of this run was to just stretch our legs and essentially get back into the swing of things. I remember it being a really cold morning as I was bundled up in a hoody (I never run in a hoody) and well looked like a bummy runner! Half way through, he pretended something was in his shoe and ended up pulling out a ring from his pocket.  I was completely caught by surprise but obviously said YES right away.  ~~~ for a more detailed version check out a post I had made on my blog: http://startingoutfit.wordpress.com/2010/05/13/a-little-well-big-announcement/

 

Venue:

 

The idea of a DW just kind of hit us one day.  A few weeks after decided on that option, my aunt came for a visit (she’s a TA) bringing with her many books and pamphlets.  She and my uncle had actually just been to the Riu Negril and raved about it. They had an incredible time.  The resort happened to have the option of a free wedding package, so we went for it!  Our ceremony will be on the beach.

  

 

 

Engagement Photos:

 

We have been very lucky when it comes to the photos. FI has a friend who is an upcoming photographer.  She wanted to start expanding her portfolio and asked if she could do an engagement shoot for us – for FREE!!! We obviously said YES!  The photo shoot was done in October 2010 in and around our small town of Bowmanville, Ontario. To see only a small selection of the 190+ photos, go here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/51507031@N06/sets/72157625300985064/with/5141736262/

 

 

 

 

The Rings:

 

My engagement ring is a princess cut Canadian diamond – exactly what I wanted. (the diamond is even engraved with a serial #. How cool is that?)

 

 

My band

 

 

 

FI’s band (tungsten)

 

 

All of our rings were purchased from Ben Moss Jewelers. http://www.benmoss.com They have been so great to deal with! And I love the fact that I can get them cleaned for free every time I’m at the mall.

 

Monogram:

 

I decided to try my hand at designing our monogram myself and I was pretty happy with the result. I made this in Illustrator.

 

Invitations:

 

When we first booked our trip, we decided to do an email Save The Date, which I made.

 

 

Even though we had written “formal invitation to followâ€, we never bothered.  Essentially everyone who was coming on the trip booked right away, and we didn’t see a need to do formal invites for nothing.  We’re saving those for our AHR.

 

****MORE TO COME!!!****

[Lua]

 My dress!

 

The dress I picked was the 4^th dress I ever tried - on my first shopping trip! (and I only ever tried on 4!!)  I bought it on the spot and brought it home the very first time I went out dress shopping.  The dress is the Brittanya design by Maggie Sottero. I managed to score the sample dress (because it was discontinued) for only $500!! (Which is a steal because it was $1600 to order.)  Aside from it being incredibly long (I’m only 5’3) and having a huge train, it fit perfectly so I consider myself very lucky!

 

Here I am in the dress the moment I decided it was the one!

 

 

And here I am in the dress in February after the alterations were finished.

 

 

 

Shoes:

 

We’re having the ceremony on the beach, so I will be wearing these for that:

 

 

And then I’m putting these babies on for the reception – LOVE that I found them in my colour! They only cost $11 on ebay! J 

 

 

Jewelery:

 

I’m going pretty simple on the jewelry front because of all the embellishment on the bodice of my dress.

 

My mom bought me these earrings in “Italy†at Epcot over at Disney World earlier this year.

 

 

I am going to be borrowing a simple pearl bracelet from my sister-in-law for my “something borrowedâ€

 

I will also be wearing this ring on my right hand as my “something old†– it belonged to my great-great-grandmother.

 

 

 

As for my hair, I’m hoping for a low side ponytail with curls (providing we can get them to stay in) paired with my DIY hair flower. 

 

 

 

FI Attire:

 

We lucked out big time last summer when we literally found FI’s entire outfit in one day – and we weren’t even shopping for it!

 

His suit, shirt and flip flops were purchased from H&M for a great price! And his tie was purchased at Le Chateau

 

  

 

****MORE TO COME!!!****

[Lua]

Flowers:

 

Although my package includes a free bouquet and boutonniere, I decided to make my own.  That was the only way to get the flowers and colours I wanted. J  I posted about it here: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/thread/67812/my-real-touch-silk-diy-bouquet/

 

 

 

I was going to make FI’s bout, but we get one free anyway, so he will have a white orchid.

 

Bubbles:

 

I purchased these Wilton bubbles from Michaels and just tied on ribbon in our colours for a little extra something.  They will be sitting on everyone’s chairs when they arrive at the ceremony location.

 

 

 

Pre-Travel Brochures + Luggage tags:

 

I made the following brochure on Vista Print

 

 

 

And then DIY’d these luggage tags for each guest

 

 

 

We sent these out to everyone at the end of February (so just over 1 month before the trip) and they went over very well! No one expected them!

 

****MORE TO COME!!!****

[Lua]

 

 OOT Bags:

 

I had never heard of an OOT bag before BDW, so I obviously needed to make some of my own.   I will be giving one to each couple and one to each single.

 

I ordered these bags from cheaptotes.com for only $.79/ea and a fantastic shipping price.  I then made my own logo which my mom and I ironed on.

 

  

 

I plan to put the following items in my OOT bags…

 

Welcome Letter:

 

Made this on Vista Print

 

 

 

Key Card Holders:

 

I purchased the lanyards and zippered badge holders off of different sellers on ebay.  I then designed the inserts (using other bride’s ideas for wording – thank you!!!!) and printed them on Avery badge card stock. 1 for each guest.

 

 

 

 

Photo-Share Cards:

 

Another Vista Print item

 

(forgot to snap a pic but you'll see them below)

 

Bookmarks:

 

I DIY’d these.  Just made the design in word and then I printed them out, laminated them, cut out each individual bookmark, punched a hole and tied on some hemp. J

 

 

Game Book:

 

I DIY’s these as well with the help of some free puzzle sites. I forgot to snap a pic of it on it's own, but you'll see the finished copy below. Here's the file for anyone interested.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do Not Disturb Card:

 

Yet another Vista Print item (LOVE that site)

 

 

First Aid Kits:

 

I purchased little kits at Dollarama and ran out of time to make any sort of label, but they look fine on their own.

 

The Final Bag all together

 

And here is 1 complete OOT bag (we're going to assemble them all at the resort and hand out at our welcome dinner)

 

gamebook.pptx

[kim0806]

Congratulations Lua!  Everything looks so wonderful, your guests are going to be thrilled!  Hoping you have a fantastic time

[Lua]

Clothing!!

 

And the fun stuff.. here are some random pieces that are coming along on the trip with me. J

 

Dresses:

 

From H&M

 

From Fairweather (last summer)

 

From Fairweather (last summer)

 

From Forever 21 (last summer)

 

From Costa Blanca

 

From Le Chateau

 

Bathing Suits:

Turquoise from Old Navy; navy from Joe Fresh; brown from Wal-Mart; not sure where the other is from

 

   

 

Cover-Ups:

 

This one I found at La Vie En Rose in turquoise http://www.lavieenrose.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=10052&productId=98201&langId=-1&errorViewName=ProductDisplayErrorView&categoryId=5004001&productName=DianaWrap&parent_category_rn=5&top_category=5&subCatName=Cover%20Ups&storeName=la%20Vie%20en%20Rose

 

This from Old Navy http://oldnavy.gapcanada.ca/browse/product.do?cid=15292&vid=1&pid=809601

 

 

Random Sandals (the green ones were only .97, so I may just leave them there)

 

 

Rehearsal Dress:

 

I wish I had a picture of this one, but it’s not quite done yet.  My mom and I have been working on making a dress out of the fabric that was removed from my gown.  It’s not quite finished, so I’ll come back and post a pic of the finished product in a few days! J

 

…And I think that’s about it!

 

I’m a pretty simple/basic kind of girl and kept everything at a minimum.  Since the whole reason we decided on a DW was to save $$$$, we’re not making and bringing our own decorations or anything. We’ll let the gorgeous scenery and location do that for us!!!  I can’t wait!!! J

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Sharon99]

Wow, everything looks great & your dress is beautiful! Congrats, you will have a beautiful wedding!

[mochamakes3]

Laura, absolutely beautiful stuff. I love all the work you put into your OOT bags. From one GTA April bride to another, congratulations. It has been wonderful giving and receiving all the support from this thread. I'm so happy to see that even with all the little issues we've had your wedding will be a memorable event for all your guests.

 

I am so looking forward to seeing your reception dress!

 

And one day, us GTA girls will celebrate together!

[morgan7]

wow i love everything!!!! we have the same colours! im so inspired now. i love love love your bouquet! its so hard to find a pretty lime green and blue one!

[Brandy]

Laura, everything looks amazing girl!!!!!!!! Your oot bags turned out soo great I love them!! I know you guys are going to have such a great time, the resort looks beautiful!!!  Have a wonderful time and a safe trip