May 2013 Brides

[cherany]

WOW! You make me feel super under prepared. I better start buckeling down now that we're all at the 6 month mark.

Not that I am glad to hear you are feeling behind, but the comparison makes me feel good, because I've been feeling like I am way behind myself! I try to remember that many destination weddings are planned entirely in less time than I have left to finish planning. Because our friends are aware of the date and location, they are also aware that they need to make a decision about coming or not. We know where most of our friends stand, so RSVP's will be more of a formality than anything. That is one of the biggest stress factors I am noticing with a lot of brides.

[ChocoTaco7568]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JA2012 

Just curious what the proper protocol for dealing with guest list is....

I have a max capacity of 100 at my venue. I really only want about 80 to attend. Between my family and FI family we will easily reach that number. I don't want to exclude anyone from invites so out of respect I'm sending to everyone. BUT...what happens if everyone replies, everyone brings a guest and everyone attends?? I'm screwed!! 

How did others handle this? I've heard about doing A and B lists but as I've only got 5months left and am just now sending out the invites that can't really happen. HELP! Any suggestions?? I'm way over my head. all i can do at this point is LOL!

There really isn’t proper protocol or etiquette when it comes to the guestlist, especially for a destination wedding.  You and your groom need to do whatever is best for the two of you. However, if you have already sent STDs, then I think it would be best to send invites to the same people. And I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but considering that you’re planning a DW, the chances of everyone coming and everyone bringing a guest are slim. It’s rare that all invited guests attend a DW unless your guestlist was on the smaller side

[cherany]

Weeelllll, I wanted to let you know about The Wedding Suite at Nordstom. I noticed that your FI Amy isn't a fan of any dresses or trying endless amounts of clothes on. I can't blame her! Especially the stress of finding something perfect for your wedding!!! Anways, this is where I got my dress and I wouldn't go anywhere else. I tried dresses on at all the bridal barns and boutiques and nothing came close to the service and fun I had at the Wedding Suite! First of all it's Nordstrom so you knooow their service is impeccible. Secondly, I was able to find my dress UNDER budget, in fact I got my dress for $400 with tax!!! The stylist never made me feel like I was less important because I wasn't buying a $10,000 Vera Wang. She always had good input and even helped me bling my dress up a bit. The best part is becuase it's The Wedding Suite is literally right in the middle of the store they handle appointments for all the attendants and family. You could set up an appt for Amy and talk with a stylist about what her idea is and what the budget is and they'll pull the looks for her. Sure beats having to comb through racks and racks of clothes and dresses.  I don't know if they have one close to you but it's worth a shot if she's super picky! Good luck to you and Amy!

Thanks! Nordstrom is one of Amy's favorite stores, on the rare days she is interested in trying on clothes, so that is a great suggestion! We have Nordstrom near us, but not sure about the wedding suite. I did browse their dresses online, though, and while I see they have some at low price points (which we will definitely need), they don't appear to have anything for plus size brides, which she is. She's been very active in the past year, playing soccer several times a week on various teams, but it hasn't resulted in much weight loss. She said last night she's content to shop for dresses without the added pressure to lose pounds, which is perfectly fine with me. I want her to have an easy time shopping, but she's more than a size or two away from fitting regular dresses, so I think it's best if she gets something that fits her now and alters later, if necessary. There's a shop called Bridal Exclusives near us, which I have heard great things about from plus-size brides. She's worried they're too expensive, but I at least want her to have a good experience with someone helping her figure out what silhouettes look good on her body type. Right now, she has no clue, and I am not much help, being a completely different shape and size. She wants me to come, so we're planning to start shopping very soon. Suggestions of shops from those familiar with the Portland area are welcome.

[cherany]

Quote: I don't know what your specific needs are, but I've helped both ANGELA2013 and MsBubbles (no longer active memebers) with their templates and designs: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/t/81439/missbubbles-britney-diy-passport-invitations-sample-print I'm more than happy to help if I can. And I  know Britney was interested in doing some invitation work on the side, so she may be a good resource dependent on what your needs are. Or try to find other brides on BDW who have done passport invites that you like and ask them directly for tips/help. Good Luck.

Sorry to hear MsBubbles is gone! Hope everything is ok with her.

[chrisdior]

Originally Posted by Sophia2616 

 

I flew Aeromexio in July for a bachelorette party and honestly no complaints!!! They even give you a free meal for coach and the staff was really nice.

 

 

 

Thank you Sophia!

[ChocoTaco7568]

Originally Posted by cherany 

There's a shop called Bridal Exclusives near us, which I have heard great things about from plus-size brides. She's worried they're too expensive, but I at least want her to have a good experience with someone helping her figure out what silhouettes look good on her body type. Right now, she has no clue, and I am not much help, being a completely different shape and size.

She wants me to come, so we're planning to start shopping very soon. Suggestions of shops from those familiar with the Portland area are welcome.

Bridal Exclusives is where I found my dress (which I love and am totally obsessed with). Their pricess for bridal are between 1K and 3K with most inventory between 1.5K-2K. My bridal consultant was friendly but not very bright or knowledgable, so I was hppy that I knew what I wanted and understood a few basics. For instance I tried on a dress and the boning was very obvious in an unflattering way and she told me that alterations could take it out...um, then what support would there be.  the dress would have totally lost it's structure.  But they have nice stuff so it would be worth setting an appointment.

Originally Posted by cherany 

Sorry to hear MsBubbles is gone! Hope everything is ok with her.

She's still alive and kicking!  I still correspond with her and she's good, and I beleive things are for the better.

[cherany]

Are you doing OOT bags for every individual guest or just per room? We estimate about 50 guests and it seems so expensive to do that many and deal with customs at the same time... There is a Walmart and Costco in Cancun about 15 min from my resort. I was planning on taking my chances and doing bags upon arrival!

I plan to do 1 bag per couple and 1 bag for each person traveling alone, perhaps with medicines doubled up in the couples' bags. I do not want to bring down a ton of luggage, so I will not be filling the bags with anything I do not feel will be used for the majority of the guests, but I also don't want to spend precious vacation time searching stores for the items and putting the bags together, so I plan to buy the contents at home. If you feel vacation time is worth the trade-off, I think you could easily do your bags in Mexico, but you might not have single packet meds in them, for instance. Some brides use those tiny drawstring mesh bags to put pills in, so they can buy a larger size bottle of OTC meds and divvy them up. Just be sure to include dosing instructions.

[cherany]

Bridal Exclusives is where I found my dress (which I love and am totally obsessed with). Their pricess for bridal are between 1K and 3K with most inventory between 1.5K-2K. My bridal consultant was friendly but not very bright or knowledgable, so I was hppy that I knew what I wanted and understood a few basics. For instance I tried on a dress and the boning was very obvious in an unflattering way and she told me that alterations could take it out...um, then what support would there be.  the dress would have totally lost it's structure.  But they have nice stuff so it would be worth setting an appointment.

That is good feedback! Hmm, I am now debating, because that's really out of our price range, but I have heard from some brides that ordering a more elaborate bridesmaid dress in white is sometimes doable. I would hate for her to fall in love with something that we cannot afford, but I have reservations about taking her to the types of stores where you are the one digging through the racks, because she really prefers to have someone showing her things. I'll talk to her and see what she thinks. A bridesmaid of mine has been recommending she try a shop where they sell dresses that were ordered and then not taken by the bride, for whatever reason (wrong style accidentally ordered, wrong color, wedding called off, etc.), since they are supposedly much cheaper than regular boutiques. I don't know the name of the shop, but will report back if we check it out. Online shopping, she likes, but it's impossible to know what the dresses will look like on her when she hasn't tried any on. I skipped right over trying on dresses (found something I love online and then had eyes for no other dress!), but there's no way that would work for her. I am much more aware of how dress styles fit my shape. She wears a dress once every three years, maybe! The last time she was in a truly formal gown, I think it was the '90's!

[ChocoTaco7568]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cherany 
A bridesmaid of mine has been recommending she try a shop where they sell dresses that were ordered and then not taken by the bride, for whatever reason (wrong style accidentally ordered, wrong color, wedding called off, etc.), since they are supposedly much cheaper than regular boutiques. I don't know the name of the shop, but will report back if we check it out.

The white bridesmaid dress is definitely a good option. 

 

There are also a few online options for buy wedding dresses that would be similar to the  store your friend referred you to and since it online they would have a larger inventory…new dresses, pre-owned and samples anywhere from 20%-70% off retail prices.  But you would have to know what you’re looking for.  But if you went to a couple bridal appts and got a sense of what would look good or a few specific styles then it could be a viable option:

 

Preownedweddingdresses.com

Recycledbride.com

Oncewed.com

[danak71]

Originally Posted by cherany 

 

 

That is good feedback! Hmm, I am now debating, because that's really out of our price range, but I have heard from some brides that ordering a more elaborate bridesmaid dress in white is sometimes doable. I would hate for her to fall in love with something that we cannot afford, but I have reservations about taking her to the types of stores where you are the one digging through the racks, because she really prefers to have someone showing her things. I'll talk to her and see what she thinks.

A bridesmaid of mine has been recommending she try a shop where they sell dresses that were ordered and then not taken by the bride, for whatever reason (wrong style accidentally ordered, wrong color, wedding called off, etc.), since they are supposedly much cheaper than regular boutiques. I don't know the name of the shop, but will report back if we check it out.

Online shopping, she likes, but it's impossible to know what the dresses will look like on her when she hasn't tried any on. I skipped right over trying on dresses (found something I love online and then had eyes for no other dress!), but there's no way that would work for her. I am much more aware of how dress styles fit my shape. She wears a dress once every three years, maybe! The last time she was in a truly formal gown, I think it was the '90's!

I went to a bridal salon and tried on some dresses that were more than I wanted to spend (not ridiculously so but definitely more) so that I could get a feel for what style I liked and what styles looked good on my figure. Then I went online and searched for those same dresses. I found the dress I wanted for less than half of what they were charging in the store. There are several brides out there that change their minds about their dresses or have weddings called off, etc and then need/want to sell the dress they bought.

 

In addition to the sites Tova mentioned, I would also look up here and www.weddingbee.com.

 

Good luck in your search!