TLGnhci's Long & Pic Heavy Planning Thread

[TLGnhci]

First off, thank you so much to all the ladies on here, for such wonderful advice and support.  I wouldn’t have known where to start if it wasn’t for this forum! 

 

And also, let me preface this thread by saying that I am very much the “frugal†bride!  While there were so many other things I would have loved to do, I didn’t want to go into debt for the wedding.  My thinking is that marrying the man of my dreams in Mexico with all my closest friends and family is going to be perfect, with or without all the extras.  Now, don’t get me wrong, if I had the $, we would have had it all!! )

 

The Proposal:

My fiancé and I, at the time of the proposal had been together a little over 4 years.   I was getting anxious about the whole marriage thing, and so after a conversation one night, we decided that we were ready.  But, to get the date I wanted, I had to start planning SO our wedding was basically planned before the proposal!  Lol!  Then, there was some confusion about the ring and we had to wait 2 months for it to come in, special order.  L  I have a teeny size 4 ring finger.  But, in the end, it all worked out!  He took me to NY for the weekend, and I knew it was coming, but he definitely did surprise me with how he did it.  I was assuming dinner time, but as we were standing on a busy corner in Times Square, he says “Hey, look at that,†and there was his face on a huge billboard with a message “Will you Marry me?† I was shocked and so happy to FINALLY have the official proposal. 

 

The Rings:

Oh, these rings…. Well, my fingers, as mentioned above are little and well, his are big so these rings have been a source of contention for us.

 

Our invitations:

We skipped Save the Dates because I felt that for a destination wedding, people are either going to want to go, and book it, or they aren’t.  And if they do plan to attend, they’re certainly not going to forget about it!  So, a friend of mine designed the invitation in photoshop and we packaged it up pretty.

 

 

The Venue:

We will marry at the Azul Sensatori on the beach, with our reception following at the Zavaz Plaza. (These pics are from fellow BDW bride's)

 

The Dress:

When I ordered my dress, I wasn’t completely sold on it.  My mom convinced me it was everything I wanted (fitted, little bit of bling, and lightweight were my criteria).  When I left, I was happy about my decision.  But then, when the dress came in, it fit me completely different than the sample, even though I ordered the exact same size.  I was no longer in love.  BUT, I found a fabulous seamstress who saved the day!  She fixed the fit so it was tight in the hips and butt again, made sure my little ruffle detail was more to the front and noticeable, and also made the top my favorite, a sweetheart neckline.  I now love my dress again and can’t wait to wear it!

 

This is the before.

 

And After: (Don't mind the bump on the right.  That was corrected!)

 

My jewelry:

I purchased a jewelry set from Maylui on etsy and found that when I tried it on with my dress, it just didn’t work.  She was so sweet, and made me a set based on my requests.  The set is beautiful.

 

 

My Shoes:

I wanted hot pink shoes but couldn’t find any that fit my “frugalness.† Ha ha, so I found some champagne colored shoes on sale at Kohls for $9.00 and I designed them myself.  Some people like them.  Some do not. To each his own, but I like them )

 

 

Bridesmaid Dresses:

Here are our BM dresses, ordered from China.  I totally wish I'd picked something else now, but you live and learn. 

 

 

Grooms attire: No pic but fiance is wearing a tan suit with a blue striped shirt.  Groomsmen are wearing white linen pants with short sleeve tan shirts. 

 

Flowers:

I ordered real touch flowers from etsy seller, modagefloral and they are beautiful.  Here are some pics.

These bouts were from a different seller. 

 

And on to the planning:

OOT bags

I ordered the bags from www.Papermart.com.  I just wanted a plain bag that people could reuse.  The bags were $.99 each and I went with black b/c I felt it would be more universal.

In the bags are the following:

DIY door hangers – Designed by Me using Gimp, and printed through Vistaprint

Welcome notes – Designed by Me and printed through Vistaprint

Personalized Lip Gloss –

Starfish Wine Stoppers – Purchased from Amazon

Lanyards – DIY print and design for the cards

First Aid Kits – DIY print and design for the cover – First aid kit purchased from the Dollar Store, and I added Tums and Tylenol packets

Stadium Cups – Purchased from www.myweddingreceptionideas.com

Sudoku Books – Purchased from the Dollar Store

Hand Sanitizer – DIY Share the Love stickers – Sanitizer purchased from the Dollar Store

Photoshare Cards – Designed by Me and printed through Vistaprint

 

I don't really have any great pics b/c we are putting the bags together when we get to Mexico.  But, here are a few things:

 

 

 

Ceremony Details:

We opted for the Exotic Gazebo décor and will just be having the white sheers with flowers on each side, in hot pink, orange and white.  There will also be rose petals in these colors down the aisle.  The chair sashes are turquoise.  I also made Reserved signs for our immediate families.

 

Reception Details:

Centerpieces

I purchased vases from the Dollar Store, and flowers from Hobby Lobby.  I am going to forgo my original plan of having candles because I don’t think they will stay lit.  So, we will just be putting seashells around them instead.  We will also have the turquoise table runner and other table décor such as menus, table numbers, placecards, and possibly maracas.

 

 

For the table numbers, we decided to do silly Mexican themed pics.  And we wanted to include our baby boy, our Boston Terrier!!

I made our Guestbook online at mixbook.com and I love it.  Here's a link to it:

http://www.mixbook.com/photo-books/wedding/wedding-guestbook-5175989

 

I also designed and printed our ceremony programs:

Miscellaneous Stuff:

My flip flops

I ordered some flip flops with my married name.  They are adorable. 

 

Belly Button Ring

My mom ordered me a belly button ring from an etsy seller, that has our wedding date and initials.  It's super cute!

 

We had engagement pictures done, and I also did a boudoir shoot.  Here are just a few pics from that. 

 

 

And, I guess that is all for now! 
 

 

[DanniS]

Everything looks great!! All these planning threads are getting me excited!! 20 more days until we leave for Mexico!

[IliaPSU]

Great job!!  I love your dress!

[Sharon99]

Everything looks great! You did an awesome job & I love how your FI proposed!!!

[deannamarie85]

Awesome! For being a "frugal" bride, i don't think one guest will notice! You got so many great things! It's great to hear when another bride with a budget be able to do so much! Congrats!

[baileybutton]

It looks like you are going to have a beautiful wedding! Congrats!

[JayKay]

Thanks for sharing everything!!

[TigerLily]

Everything looks great! Your jewelry is gorgeous, and you look like a VS model in your boudoir pic! Where did you get your personalized flip flops? Love em!

[farlem311]

Everything looks great.  Love the dress!!!!

[muzikgrrl]

Everything looks really nice! I love your dress, you will look beautiful.