Nkavanaugh Grand Sirenis Planning Thread-May 3Rd,2016

[nkavanaugh]

Hi All,

 

I am someone who is so unable to make decisions on my own, I also lack the creativity gene. I have spent countless hours going through the planning threads here and I feel like I have already learned so much. So I thought I would start one myself both to hold my self accountable and to keep track of where I am at in terms of planning. My fiancé Steven and I are getting married on May 3rd, 2016 at the Grand Sirenis Rivera Maya.

[calgarybride2015]

Welcome!!! Looking forward to following all you GS brides

 

 

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[nkavanaugh]

Our Story:

 

Steven and I got engaged in April of 2014 in Costa RIca, it has taken us a bit to finally start planning! We met in 2009, we had attended the same small university in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia but didn't meet until around the time we graduated. We had a mutual friend who was killed in a car accident the day before graduation, this brought several groups of friends together in the following weeks leaning on each other to cope and also to celebrate the life of a guy who was truly a really special person. I had dated someone basically throughout university (who in hind sight was a whole lot of crazy lol) we split a couple of months prior to this and I vowed I would stay single for a while (not so much lol).

 

Steven moved to Ottawa shortly after graduation for work and we did long distance for about a year at which time we decided this relationship was worth taking a risk for, and so I moved. We have moved quite a bit in our 6 years, to Ottawa, Red Deer and in Thunder Bay where we are now (temporarily) settled. I consider myself incredibly lucky to have found someone like Steven to spend the rest of my life with, he is honestly one of the most kind, compassionate, selfless people I have ever met.

 

A destination wedding seemed to be the obvious choice for us as we both have a passion for travel, we have spent time in Mexico, Thailand, Cambodia, Cuba, D.R, Vietnam, Costa Rica, and all over Canada and the U,S. We've been pretty lucky these last few years, this year Steven decided to go back to school and complete his engineering degree so our travel days are currently on hiatus. Destination wedding is the perfect fix to that!

 

We attended a wedding in May 2014 at the Grand Sirenis and it was seriously the best time, it made sense for us to use this resort because we had been there before and it had been such a fantastic time. We are getting married in the church on site which was another bonus for us since our families are both Catholic!

 

 

The Booking Process:

 

I had gone through several travel agents until I finally found one I felt would work well with us, he has been god sent through this process let me tell you! I really felt like destination weddings were supposed to be stress free, the booking process and waiting for deposits has been a lot more stressful then I anticipated. However it is finally coming to an end! We are one week away from our deadline and currently has 53 people booked! I can't believe how great the response has been its so exciting to know all these people want to come out to support us! We shall see what this last week brings, I can't wait to have a final number.

 

Wedding Party:

 

I must say after reading some of the forums on here about wedding party drama I am a bit nervous. We have 4 people each standing for us my little sister is my MOH and Stevens older brother is his BM, 3 of m best friends are my BMs and 3 of his are his GMs, our friends are generally really laid back people and all but two of them are booked right now so hopefully there won't be any issues with the last two GM's!

Welcome!!! Looking forward to following all you GS brides


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 Thank you @@calgarybride2015 I am hoping if I do this I will actually start making some decisions!! Lol

The dress:

I so thought I knew what I wanted for a dress, lace kind of a vintage feel not super fitted. Boy was I wrong. I ended up getting a dress with a jacket type of thing to wear over it so I can mix it up for the ceremony should I choose too. I wanted to wear something that would surprise Steven and our guests because I can honestly be super predictable and boring sometimes. Lol so here it is! Ignore my ridiculous face in these photos. I can't wait until I get it in my size to get a real feeling for how it will fit!attachment=33141:ImageUploadedByTapatalk1437610457.989386.jpg]




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I am really needing an opinion on these bridesmaids dresses! I am pretty sure I want to do coral with Aqua and gold accents, I'm hoping to somewhat go for an under the sea theme. I ordered these dresses from lulus.com they were 68 usd. My whole bridal party still lives in Nova Scotia so that process is a little tough but I am thinking on doing this dress, it is a little big on me which makes it hard to tell but I think the color is beautiful and all my girls are tiny so they will look good in pretty much anything. What do you guys think of this dress?





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[calgarybride2015]

I think your dress is gorgeous and your little 'jacket' is stunning and will go well with your color palette.

 

Personally I love your BMs dresses. Gorgeous and that price is stellar!!

 

I know a few people from Cape Breton actually. And I don't believe it's a large place is it? You've been all over you were lying!!

 

I look forward to hearing more!!

 

 

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[acw271011]

Hi and welcome! I've been a bit MIA since we're on holiday this week and oh my lord I'm going to have SO much to get caught up on when I get home!

 

Your dress is beautiful and I love the jacket over it!! Bridesmaid dresses are great for that kind of price? Definitely can't complain! The colour is really pretty and with Aqua will be gorgeous!

 

Look forward to reading more!!

[Wafflesmom]

Hi and welcome to the forum! Your wedding dress is gorgeous! I love the jacket that comes with dress, and I love that it gives you the option to change your look for the ceremony and reception.

 

I'm gonna look at lulus.com right now. That's a great price for bridesmaids dresses, and it looks beautiful.

[krystalball]

Yay, another planning thread - and another Grand Sirenis bride! Can't wait to see your pictures of the wedding in the Church on site, it's a beautiful spot for the ceremony.

 

I really like your wedding dress and the bridesmaid dress from lulus. I will have to check out that site - the prices are really great!

 

Looking forward to reading more as your planning continues!

[Moments That Matter]

Wow~! welcome to our forum community nkavanaugh and congrats on your upcoming Grand Sirenis Wedding!!! what a Gorgeous dress you've picked - well done - it's Amazing!!!

 

You've also picked a great resort that will make such a picturesque backdrop to your wedding photos, as you can see in these magical wedding "moments that matter" Linc captured at one of his weddings there.......enjoy!

 

....from the Grand Sirenis Wedding Album:

 

 

 

Wishing you happy research, and all the best with your plans - cheers!!! team MTM

[Wafflesmom]

@@nkavanaugh, how was the sizing on the bridesmaid's dress? I've never ordered from lulus.com and was wondering if their dresses fit true to size or run small or big. Thanks in advance

[nkavanaugh]

Hi all!! Thanks for the warm welcomes I was away for a wedding this weekend so I have been a bit MIA, sneaking a quick peek at the forum at work lol @@Wafflesmom I find the sizing pretty standard! I generally wear a small and small from there fits me well! My sister is a tiny bit bigger then me and she fits well into a medium! The quality of the dresses on that site are really really good for the price point! My sister is getting married in 2016 as well and we got our bridesmaids dresses from that site for her wedding too!

 

 

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Ps. Thank you everyone for the compliments on the dress! It's something different then what I would normally go for so I am hoping I don't regret that!! @@calgarybride2015 cape Breton is not big at all! Do you know where abouts the people you know are from? There is a lot of us east coasters out in Alberta that's for sure!

 

 

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