Mrstgun's Planning Updates (Pic Heavy - FINAL Planning Post - Page 65, Post 642)

[Nerds In Love]

Every time you post a thread I eat it all up like this is an episode of The Golden Girls, I'm Dorothy Zbornak and I'm devouring a slice of cheesecake! Your pics are stunning, you looked FAB...simply wonderful! 

[futuremrstgun]

good evening, ladies...

 

without further adieu, this post will serve as my FINAL planning thread post.

 

KUDOS

first off...THANKS for following my planning efforts and for the encouragement you all have provided along the way.  honestly, if it wasn't for your kind words and support, i simply don't know how i would've made it through countless hours of painting, paper cutting, printing, hole punching, glueing, and designing.  there were plenty of days when i wanted to throw in the towel but my inner Martha would scream...YOU CAN'T LET THE BDW COMMUNITY DOWN..so get back to it!!!

 

as i mentioned many times before, i chose to DIY most of my wedding..DIYing isn't for the impatient or faint at heart...it takes time, energy, creativity and LOTS OF PATIENCE.  there were plenty of times when i thought how in the heck, or why in the world did i decide to do this all myself but now that its all over, i'm SUPER excited that i did.

 

THE SKINNY

ok, so here's the nitty gritty...my top 3 reasons why brides (especially DW brides) should DIY.

 

1. when planning a DW..you can get really creative from the onset, with STDs, photo cards, boarding passes, passport invites and the like.  basically the sky is the limit and the resources are aplenty here and elsewhere (like ayleebits.com).

 

2.  save the bank...DIYing is the most cost efficient means of wedding planning...michaels (has an iPhone app available), hobby lobby, ross, joann's fabrics, dollar tree and the like, are a DIY bride's best friends...you can find super cheap deals on paper, fabric and ribbons..all of which come in handy when DIYing programs, invites and even wedding decor.

 

3.  the satisfaction of it all...i truly tapped into my inner Martha; oftentimes, she took over..like when i decided to change my programs at the last minute from a passport program to a multipage one...and when i decided i simply had to have drink flags and straws with ribbons...R~ thought WHAT WAS I THINKING...whereas my inner Martha said...YOU MUST DO THEM BECAUSE EVERYTHING MUST COOOOORRRRRDDDDDIIIIINNNNNNAAAATTTTTEEE...so i had drink flags and grey and white straws.

 

PUTTING IDEAS INTO ACTION

most of the ideas i chose for my wedding were things i'd come across on here and/or other websites, then i decided to craft them according to my own likes and dislikes.  i became fast friends with my computer...i downloaded fonts, researched invitations, programs, and decor for many, many, many hours (just ask the hubby)..then i put the game plan in action...

 

first stop..michaels (which is my go-to joint for all things DIY)...i fell in love with paper, punches and the like plus the staff is so super attentive and knowledgeable.

 

ok...so here's the skinny on my finds at michaels.

 

1...i'm ALL about paper and punches...fell in love with the martha stewart collection of punches..she has everything from heart confetti, starfish and sand dollars as well as genius eyelet punches.  paper..i'm all ABOUT the bazille paper at michaels.  the version i like, diamond has texture and a bit of sheen which worked really well for all of my needs.  i used the paper to create my boarding passes, programs, bachelor and bachelorette breakfast invites, postcards, etc.  basically EVERYTHING in my stationery suite was printed on the bazille diamond card stock available in single sheets at michaels.

 

here's a peak at the stationery suite.

 

 

 

the program

 

the wedding ceremony program

 

 

2.  use the coupons..michaels is notorious for coupons..they post a new one almost weekly and with the iPhone app, you can go paperless...simply bring your phone, open the app and have the cashier wand your phone...SUPER DUPER SIMPLE.

 

3.  take a peak in the discount corner and $1 deal baskets..they hold a plethora of finds..everything from luggage tags, to ribbon and even tea light holders...they're often found at the front of the store or in the back..take a peak..trust me, you'll be super happy you did.

 

 

JAMAICA...YEAH, mon!

my honey informed me at the very beginning (as in the beginning of our courtship)..that if we ever got married...we'd have a destination wedding in jamaica.  so i knew full well, that our wedding would be in jamaica and discovered iberostar rosehall following a vacay there in the fall of 2010.  i simply fell in love with the resort, the people and the beautiful beach.  i didn't skip a beat...as soon as he put an (engagement) ring on it...the date was booked...OCTOBER 8, 2011...

 

from then on..i decided i'd put every effort into incorporating my honey's likes into our wedding.  his favorite colors, his favorite music (reggae & hip hop), etc. it worked out well.  i chose purple, platinum (or silver), black and white for our colors...designed a monogram and the rest was planning history.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OUR WEDDING WEEKEND

our wedding weekend actually started on a thursday when most of our guests arrived in jamaica.  i chose our wedding date based on the columbus day weekend with the hope that folks could take advantage of the federal holiday when planning their time away from work.  it all worked out really well.  we had a group of 20 in paradise with us.

 

 

 

our weekend weekend schedule was as follows.

 

thursday:  welcome dinner

friday:  bachelorette breakfast, joint bachelor & bachelorette parties

saturday: wedding

sunday:  last supper & night on the town (most of our guests departed on monday)

monday: breakfast with the guests (my honey decided not to join me for breakfast he'd had too much fun the night before in the disco)

 

most things went as planned...some guests missed flights and the resort had some scheduling issues but all in all it ALL worked out fairly well.

 

SHELLS, STARFISH, LUMIS AND LANTERNS, oh my!!

all of my decor items including real and ceramic starfish, shells, paper for luminaries and lanterns were packed and checked...and i'm happy to report that everything made it in one piece to jamaica....thanks to the makers of tissue paper and bubble wrap!!  i made sure to pack everything gently and it worked!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DOCUMENTING HISTORY

i'd initially chosen an up and coming photographer but decided to go with a more experienced one, very last minute.  i'm happy with my choice...the proof is in the pudding (not sure what that means except MY PICS are great!!!)...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LOVE ON FILM

so, my honey and i got a lot of great pictures on our wedding day but i was afraid, i didn't get all of the pics i wanted.  mainly because we had to move the wedding inside which was initially, very disappointing but i'm very happy with how everything turned so, no worries here.  i convinced my (picture-hating) hubby to do a photo shoot a few days later and i'm sooooo happy we did.  we got a lot of great shots and had so much fun connecting with each other while Marcia E. Roberts and her associate Christopher Rose, captured our love on film.  if you can afford to do it, i highly recommend doing a day after shoot...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IS IT ALL WORTH IT???  aka what i would and wouldn't do..

YES, ITS ALL WORTH IT...and i would do it ALL again...except, i wouldn't stress out over the small things.  in the end, it ALL works out, not according to our plan..but according to God's plan...and so, with that..i feel blessed!  in so many ways.

 

TEMPLATES, TRICKS AND THE LIKE

many of you have inquired about my templates..i will share some of them...some i won't as i am seriously considering wedding planning on the side and would like to keep some of those things for that venture, however, i will share some items so just ask (via PM) and i'll let you know...

 

most of my 'tricks' were mentioned in previous posts but if you have questions or if i can be of any help..just PM me and i'll do my very best to be of some help.

 

UNTIL NEXT TIME...REMAIN BLESSED...THE END...(of the planning thread)

here's to the end of my planning thread...its been GREAT fun connecting with all of you on BDW..i hope my planning thread has been of some help, inspiration and provided ideas...i consider BDW to be the best source of planning ideas and info for the destination bride...thank you all for allowing me to be a part of such an extraordinary community.

 

until next time...remain blessed!!

 

THE END

 

R~

 

 

 

[MJKH]

Ummmm...I feel like a want/need to have a little cry right now.  Just sad to see it come to an end, but I know that your words and ideas will continue to serve as a great inspiration to the DW community.  

 

All the very best to you and hubby : )

[Skygirl]

awww R, thank you for sharing with us.

[vbbbtk]

Simply Amazing!!

[coconoir1908]

R~

 

Wow, as another mentioned I feel like I want to cry!  So as I fight back tears, let me simply say Thank you and Well Done!  Your DIY projects has brought life & lite to many of us who dreaded heading down that path. But because of your post, your willingness to share, we ventured on!

 

Your SPIRIT, is refreshing!  Your Path into wedding planning, made very clears.  So I will say this, Congratulations on your upcoming business!

 

Peace and Blessings to you  and yours.

 

 

[canadiangirl]

from the bottom of all our hearts CONGRATS HUN!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

i loved everything you have done! i cant wait to see what you do on your own, keep me posted! are we still on for the penny thing? lol lol

 

AGAIN CONGRATS HUN

[DRPrincesa]

Can't thank you enough for sharing! Wat an inspiration for myself and so many other brides. Inspiration is so necessary at a time like this when we are all pretty much entering his journey fairly blind. Thanks again & may God continue to bless your union!

[Starfish0512]

Simply Outstanding!!!  It is so amazing to see your journey along the way to have a beautiful finish! You look stunning, the pictures are priceless and all the hard work you put into your event has absolutely paid off!  Congratulations!!!

[Essential0929]

Kudos! You looked absolutely STUNNING! Congratulations on your marriage and having an amazing wedding! I'll reach out on FB soon.