JustNoelle's Peacock Wedding Planning Thread!! ***LONG & PIC HEAVY***

[JustNoelle]

Noelle + Phil’s Peacock Wedding

Planning Thread

 

Wow, it’s my turn! Woohoo! I can’t believe the time has flown by so quickly. It’s surreal to me to be doing our planning thread. I would like to thank all of the creative and crafty brides on this site for all of your inspirations. You ladies (and guys) helped me a lot… even drove me to insanity at some points. Lol. I learned so much from you all and I am very appreciative. If it wasn’t for the BDW site, I don’t how our wedding would’ve turned out and it’s only fair to share our planning story in hopes of helping another bride who like me, didn’t know where to start. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! J

 

How we met:

Phil and I met through a co-worker of mine, also his cousin. He occasionally would call her on the job. Whenever I answered the phone, he would flirt with me but I thought nothing of it. Unbeknown to me, he started calling purposely, hoping that I would answer the phone. For about a year, his charm and persistence became more appealing. We eventually became “phone buddies†and at some point I accepted his cell phone number. I did not call him for about a week, so through his cousin he wanted to know the reason. Ultimately, I called, we met, sparks flew…and the rest is HISTORY!!!

 

 

Engagement:

Phil and I had been talking about marriage for a while. I knew it was coming but not when. On my birthday, Phil and I were watching TV, our usual routine on a weekday, getting ready for bed when he stood up beside me on the bed and gave me a kiss and told me he loved me and I told him I loved him. He then knelt on the floor beside the bed and said "is this how I am supposed to ask you to marry me?" I said "yes, that is how you do it". He then asked "am I supposed to tell you that I love you so much and want to spend the rest of my life with you?†I said "yes, that is what you are supposed to say". At this point I can see that he was getting nervous. He then asked "is this where I pull out the ring?†I said "yes, this is when you pull out the ring". All of a sudden he grabs my hand (I can feel his hands shaking), reaches into his pocket, pulls out box and asks me "Will you marry me Noelle?†I said "YES!", (as the water works started up) of course lol. I couldn’t have been more surprised and ecstatic.

 

 

The Destination:

After going back and forth about the budget and our HUGE guest-list, we decided it will be best to have a destination wedding. We weren’t sure where we wanted to go. But after doing some researching, we knew for sure that we wanted to be in Mexico. Actually, Del Sol was the turning point in our decision. We looked at their underwater TTD and their wedding slideshows and knew that not only did our wedding have to be in Mexico but we had to book them to shoot our wedding… And that is exactly what we did!!

 

 

Yep… That’s us!!! 

 

The Resort:

I already had joined BDW and started looking through all the threads to find the resort where our wedding would be taking place. I came across these two threads and immediately began contacting Dreams Riviera Cancun for their packages and prices.

http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/t/64834/my-wedding-trash-the-dress-slide-show-by-the-amazing-and-wonderful-elizabeth-medina

http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/t/73522/janines-drc-mexico-wedding-planning-thread-pic-heavy-pages-1-7-are-the-thread-11-11-10

 

  

 

Travel Agent:

About 2 years ago, a bride on BDW recommended Jill Demers for a travel agent. She was amazing and very patient. Jill organized all of our guests travel arrangements.  My guests had a bumpy start with her response time but we squared that up immediately. Most of my procrastinating family members booked at the very (and I mean very) last minute. And she definitely handled it well and was very attentive to their every need. We all received travel packets in the mail a few weeks before with a cute little travel pouch and a booklet with every information we needed. Our transportation was very well organized and we felt safe and secure as soon as we stepped outside the airport.

 

My BIL took a photo of this airport sign that she arranged for us… I thought this was pretty neat!! 

 

 

Wedding Website:

Next up, was to create our wedding website:

http://www.mywedding.com/noelleandphillip

 

Save the Dates:

So I did a lot of research on this site to find creative Save the Dates. I immediately fell in love with the Passport STD idea (especially, being that we kept being asked “do I need a passport for Mexico?â€â€¦ I know, crazy! Lol).

I entertained the idea of me doing them myself but realized quickly that, that was too tedious of a job for me to do alone. So we hired Ginger from Serendipity Beyond Design to create them. She did an AMAZING job!! Most importantly, she was so easy to work with.

 

 

Inspiration Board:

Thanks to pinterest, etsy and you ladies on BDW, it wasn’t hard to create our inspiration board.

 

 

Our Monogram:

I created our monogram myself using Microsoft PowerPoint. We actually only used it for my wedding planning binder cover and our OOT survival kit topper but it was still fun to do.

 

 

The Invitations:

After a lot of drama with the initial vendor I hired to do our invitations (Sproullie Designs), I ended up finding Rebecca from Allurements by Rebecca to create our invitations. She did a great job with them! She also did our programs, menus, escort cards and signs (I’ll get into that later).

 

 

The Dress:

I purchased my dress for RK Bridal in NYC. It’s Mori Lee Style #: 4968

Finding my dress was pretty easy for me. I knew I wanted a fit-and-flare/drop waist style and I knew it had to be a sweetheart neckline made out of silk organza (Yes… this is all due to my upcoming underwater TTD with Del Sol Lol). When I told my bridal consultant that I needed a dress that looked good underwater, she nearly fell out. She made me promise to send her a pic… and I will. Thanks Olga!

 

 

I can’t remember who made my sash but I also purchased from RK Bridal.

 

 

 

The Shoes/Accessories:

 

My shoes were Nina Electra and I ordered from zappos.com. I actually only wore them for 2 seconds.

 

 

Chelsea from {Red-i} By Chelsea designed and created my barefoot jewelry.

 

 

I bought pretty much all of my other accessories from different vendors on Etsy.

My earrings were made with Swarovski crystals and purchased from poetryjewelry.

 

 

I purchased my statement bracelet from BridalBeginnings… Also from Etsy.

 

 

I opted for a birdcage veil after reading all of the reviews about the veil getting in the way due to the breeze from the ocean. Plus, I thought it was “fitting†with my peacock theme. Get it… Peacock is a bird… Birdcage veil? Oh, forget it! Lol. Anywho, purchased from IceGreenEyes.

 

 

I also glued 80 individual Swarovski crystals that I bought from Michael’s onto my veil. I believe they were 2mm size. When I moved, I sparkled. 

 

 

Garters were purchased from Etsy by All4Brides.

 

 

My personalized dress hanger was purchased from OriginalBridalHanger on Etsy. Mine was purple with blue and green feather details.

 

 

*Unfortunately, I left my hanger in the closet so I didn't get a chance to use it. 

 

Groom’s Attire:

We ordered his beige linen vest and pants from J.Crew (The Ludlow Shop). The hat was Tommy Bahama from Lord & Taylor. Lastly, we purchased his flip flop sandals from American Eagle Outfitters.

My BIL was my husband’s best man. He wore J.Crew linen pants, white shirt and flip flop sandals from American Eagle Outfitters.

 

 

Hubby insisted on wearing his personalized pocket watch from ThingsRemembered. Lol.

 

 

Bridesmaids:

My seamstress designed and made my bridesmaids’ dresses.

 

 

Their hair clips were like the first thing I purchased from Etsy (almost 3 years ago) Lol. There from ThereOnceWasAGirl and earrings (blue Swarovski) from EstyloJewelry.

 

 

I purchased their barefoot jewelry from {Red-i} By Chelsea for all of them (including the flower girl).

 

 

They also received personalized tank tops from me as a gift. From BridesDelight.

 

Flower Girl/Ring Bearer:

 

My adorable niece was my flower girl. Her dress was also made by my seamstress and she wore her barefoot jewelry (similar to the bridesmaids just a miniature version). Her earrings were also purchased from the same Etsy vendor as the bridesmaids’ but hers had a small round lavender Swarovski crystal.

 

 

I don’t have a very good picture of my nephew, the ring bearer. He’s 2 and did not feel like cooperating, let alone stay still to take any pictures that day.

 

Anywho, I purchased his beige linen pants from Gymboree (on sale for $12.99. woo woo!). Thank goodness because I had just contacted an Etsy vendor to make them because I could not find linen pants anywhere for him. I purchased his turquoise suspenders from amazon.com and his bow-tie from MosBowsMemphis on Etsy.

 

 

My mother ended up carrying him because he did not want to walk down the aisle by himself. Lol too cute!

 

This was the shell he was supposed to carry but my WC told me it broke when they were unwrapping it so they found a simpler shell for him to carry.

 

 

The Rings:

 

 

Welcome/OOT Bags:

 

I actually was hesitant about doing OOT bags but my sister/MOH insisted I do them and she helped me a lot with them… They actually turned out pretty fun. 

 

I bought the mini tote bags online. (I have 12 purple bags and about 4 turquoise bags… Anyone interested in purchasing, please PM me)

 

 

I printed our welcome brochures and letter online using VistaPrint.

 

 

 

Contents:

• ID/Money holder (eBay)
• First Aid Kit (Amazon)
• Lysol Spray (Amazon)
• Purell Anti-bacterial (Amazon)
• Benadryl, Pepto Bismol, Advil & Motrin (Amazon)
• Peacock Deck of Cards (Oriental Trading)
• Pack of Gum (BJ’s)
• Puzzle Book (Dollar Tree)
• Sun Block (Amazon)
• Shout Stain Remover (Amazon)
• Emergen-C Packet (Amazon)
• Lip Balm (Dollar Tree)
• Pens (Dollar Tree)

Bags w/ kids:

• Coloring Book (Toys r Us)
• Beach Ball (Oriental Trading)
• Water Toys (Dollar Tree)
• Fruit Snacks (Target)

 

 

We assembled the bags in my suite and my bridal party helped distribute them.

 

 

Attached are the templates to the Survival Kit Topper, First Aid Sticker and ID holder insert.

 

Side Note: I asked a bride on BDW if she would help/give suggestions as to how to create these templates. She told me she worked hard on them and if I wanted, I can purchase her template from Etsy. We all worked hard and I am sure she would not have thought of doing it, if it wasn’t for all the previous brides on here sharing their ideas/templates. 

 

Anywho, it took me awhile - a lot of wasted ink, paper and paper cuts but I DID IT!! And I am sharing it with anyone interested. 

 

Ceremony Décor:

 

I purchased 6 yards/each of silk chiffon from the “Fashion District†in NYC for the beach chuppah in Blue, Purple & White.

 

 

Maracas Mexico designed & shipped our personalized maracas & Rebecca from Allurements by Rebecca designed our ceremony programs.

 

 

I purchased our personalized Sand Ceremony kit and sand from davidsbridal.com.

 

 

Cocktail Hour Décor:

 

I purchased 100 ct. personalized cocktail napkins from davidsbridal.com.

 

 

I had Rebecca from Rebecca Allurements create our signature drink sign, “Something Blueâ€. Our guests said that was the best drink in the resort.

 

 

Our hotel provided the vase centerpieces and ribbon to tie around the cocktail tables.

 

 

 

*Unfortunately, we have NO professional photos at cocktail hour. Very disappointing!! 

 

Reception Décor:

 

I did not want a traditional guestbook so I purchased our Guestbook Map from corkandbirchmaps on Etsy. She did an amazing job designing and personalizing it for us. The map dimensions are 16x20. We are going to have it professionally mounted and hung in our home.

 

 

Rebecca from Allurements by Rebecca created our pre-printed escort cards and a ‘Thank You’ message for our family & friends.

 

 

I purchased the picture frames for the signs from the Dollar Tree and gold spray from Michael’s. My husband spray painted all the frames and the serving tray gold.

 

 

*I don’t have a picture of the serving tray  with the place-cards but this was the inspiration photo*

 

 

I created the table #s using purple colored scrap book paper, teal paint, cardboard, a razor and lots of patience.

 

 

The folded menu cards were also created by Allurements by Rebecca. We had 1/table.

 

 

I purchased the “peacock blue†sheer organza table overlays from tableclothfactory.com. I believe they are 84x84†and I purchased the purple napkins from urquidlinen.com. (Both currently on sale… PM me if interested)

 

 

I bought a ton of peacock feathers from amazon.com with me to be placed on each folded napkin on the gold charger plates (also for my bouquet, the boutonnieres, corsages and cake).

 

 

I had a 3-tier tres leche cake. The resort provided the teal ribbon but of course, I brought the peacock feathers.

 

 

I purchased our “T†cake topper and matching serving set from Toppers with Glitz. You can’t see because its upside down but its engraved with our names and wedding date. Bummer!  :/

 

 

I purchased 12/each of the teal, green, purple and plum colored hanging paper lanterns from jianoupaperlanterns.com. I believed they were 14†in diameter.

 

 

Our Mr. & Mrs./Thank You signs were purchased from MerryMeSigns on Etsy.

 

 

I think my photographer had a little too much to drink. Lol. But “Thank Mrs.†does have a nice ring to it.

 

 

Our Music:

 

Ceremony

• Prelude – Maxwell – Whenever, Wherever, Whatever
• Processional – CeCe Winans – I Promise (Wedding Song)
• Bride – Train – Marry Me
• Sand Ceremony – Beyonce – Ave Maria
• Recessional – James Brown – I Feel Good

 

Cocktail Hour

• Mariachi Band

 

Reception

• Entrance – Black Eyed Peas – I Gotta Feeling
• First Dance – Miguel – Adorn
• Father/Daughter Dance – Luther Vandross – Dance With My Father Again

*My father and I danced to that same song 10 years ago at my sweet 16. I had the DJ make that announcement before we began to dance.*

• Mother/Son Dance – R Kelly – When A Woman Loves
• Bouquet Toss – Beoynce – Single Ladies
• Garter Toss – OutKast
• Cake Cutting – Rihanna – Cake Cake Cake

 

 

P.S.

We had a legal ceremony in New York the day before we left for Mexico.

 

 

Lastly, I couldn’t help but get me a peacock iphone case for my honeymoon.  Purchased from charmscrafts on Etsy.

 

*We were having lunch at Oceana… 1 of our favorite restaurants at the resort*

 

 

Our Del Sol slideshows:

 

http://delsolphotography.com/wedding-dreams-riviera-cancun-np-10022013/

 

http://delsolphotography.com/riviera-maya-trash-dress-np-10082013/

[AnaSteele58]

Great planning thread!

[babystace1985]

To say that this planning thread and everything in it is AMAZING would be an understatement! Thanks so much your sharing! You're awesome!

[babystace1985]

Did you have your maracas shipped to you or to your WC in mexico?

[JustNoelle]

Did you have your maracas shipped to you or to your WC in mexico?

Thank you so much! It felt like I was planning this wedding forever... I'm just glad it's over. Lol. The maracas were shipped directly to the resort. They just asked me for the name of my WC and it was smooth sailing. One thing I do have to warn you about is that, although MaracasMexico is located in Mexico they are close to central Mexico so the shipping cost was about $150. I know... Crazy! The cheaper option was a local shipping company in Mexico but they did not offer insurance so I had to opt for the expensive one.

[DRC2014bride]

Awesome post!! thanks for sharing! Did they charge anything for bringing your our paper lanterns? They told me they would charge a set up fee if i brought anything extra I just think it's crazy to pay $10 per each lantern with 20 minimum!

[babystace1985]

Thank you so much! It felt like I was planning this wedding forever... I'm just glad it's over. Lol. The maracas were shipped directly to the resort. They just asked me for the name of my WC and it was smooth sailing. One thing I do have to warn you about is that, although MaracasMexico is located in Mexico they are close to central Mexico so the shipping cost was about $150. I know... Crazy! The cheaper option was a local shipping company in Mexico but they did not offer insurance so I had to opt for the expensive one.

Great to know, thanks!

[csho]

Seriously Noelle! Your wedding was stunning! You did such a wonderful job putting it all together! Looked sooo beautiful! Congratulations!

[JustNoelle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DRC2014bride 
 

Awesome post!! thanks for sharing! Did they charge anything for bringing your our paper lanterns? They told me they would charge a set up fee if i brought anything extra I just think it's crazy to pay $10 per each lantern with 20 minimum!

They charged me $100 for the "string" and to put it up. Yeah, they're ridiculous! However, I'm sure you haggle them once you get down there.

 

If you haven't already, feel free to read my review:

http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/products/dreams-rivera-cancun-resorts-and-spa/reviews/7593

[JustNoelle]

As promised, attached are my templates for my Survival Kit Topper, First Aid Sticker and Money Holder Insert. Feel free to use and tweak them as you please.