gkashmira

Quote: Originally Posted by OneLove i've seen this several times, "Adult Dinner Reception immediately following ceremony"... But does this mean they'll be bringing the kids to the ceremony? Hmmm... that makes me think I should put a note up ojn my website about hiring a babysitter at the hotel for guests that bring their children but dont' want to bring them to the reception (children are invited but I'm sure some people would rather not bring them!)

I agree that these look very nice - no worries about looking cheap at all!

On my invitation do I put the time people should arrive at the hotel or the time the ceremony will actually start? We are planning for a 6pm ceremony - do I write "6 o'clock in the evening" or "half past five o'clock" What did you guys do? Unlike an AI wedding, I doubt many of our guests will be staying in our hotel so i don't want everyone to be late but I also want to do it in the traditional manner... thoughts?

I say send your STDs out whenever you'd like but definitely set up your website ahead of time and put it on your STD. That way people can check flight, accomodations, all that stuff. i think sendng out a wedding invitation a year in advance is too far. People will lose them quite honestly. Send a magnet with the date and location (even if it's just the city) and your website. People can book their travel ahead of time if they'd like (though honestly a year out is really too early to book travel - it's not even possible to buy airline tickets that far in advance). Then as you lock things in you can update your website. I was worried that people weren't going to look at it or use it but it's only been up since September and there's over 400 hits! We did not invite anywhere near 400 people - so I think people really are checking it for updated info. But seriously whatever you decide will be fine. If you send it out to early you maye just have to hound people for responses (people don't like to commit SO far in advance) and if you send them out late you'll have to hound people for responses - either way it's whatever works for you. I think however that it's fine to send STDs out as early as you want but I wouldn't send REAL invitations out any earlier than 6 months... even that's a very long time honestly.

Wow! That's one great list Tammy!

Quote: Originally Posted by akh Kash - look at the end result, your DOWN 6.5 pounds! The holidays, and a long vacation will do that to anyone. DOn't be so hard on yourself - I think you're doing great - I'd be quite happy to be down that much. Just keep at it, and you'll see more results in no time! Thanks darling! I know - you are right. I guess I was just so relieved my first week when I weighed in after vacation at only 1.4 up... so I wasn't expecting to go up AGAIN. But in my (weight's) defence I DID eat Italian food TWICE and even ate a peice of cake. I have a tendency to be too hard on myself (at least I know) but my sweet FI and I talked through it last night and he's going to help me count up the points in our dinners (which he makes for us since he's out of work right now). Whenever I count up the points AFTER I eat I always realize that's I've eaten WAY too much. So now he's going to write down what ingredients and in what quantities he uses ahead of time so I can count up the point BEFORE I eat. On another note - I have not been exercising AT ALL! sigh.... I need to get on that!

phew! I started worrying at the top of this thread and by the time I got to the bottom I've relaxed.... opr maybe it's just a good excuse to wear the dress all weekend! (would that be wrong?)

Quote: Originally Posted by anacgarcia I live in the border with Texas,.. I'm trying to avoid tacos to loose weight for my wedding hehehehe, thank God I can cross the border whenever I want and go to wal-mart to buy my fat free products hahahaha I bet you need to stay away from those delicious tacos! When I was there over the holidays I ate SO many quesadillas and fresh made tortillas... yum! I have a really stupid question for you. When you cross back and forth across the border do you just need to show your drivers license or passport like we need to cross into/out of Mexico? I know it's a dumb question but I just always wondered... i hope I don't sound ignorant! I always thought the US immigration policy was pretty racist - i.e. not as easy for our Mexican friends to cross back and forth as freely as our Canadian friends do.

Well as everyone said earlier - this used to be the "cabo wedding forum" hee hee hee.. but we're delighted to have all our non-Cabo friends with us! I picked Cabo because we love Mexico. We originally wanted to have a small wedding in Mexico in La Paz or Loreto or somewhere less commercial. (Cabo is very commercial) but here's why we picked Cabo: 1. Well equiped International Airport so our friends and family from the east coast and my parents in St. Louis can easily fly in with only one stop. 2. My friends (who don't have a lot of $$) can easily fly to Cabo in 2 hours and flights aren't too expensive from here. 3. The beach! 4. San jose del Cabo is a charming, lovely town with great restaurants and a less commercial feel 5. We thought it'd be cheaper than Los Angeles (FYI: we were wrong) 6. It's a resort town with lots of stuff to do like beaches, pools, restaurants, bars, golf and stuff for guests to do (without having to plan things for them) Sometimes I wish we had just gone with La Paz though. Cabo, while gorgeous and close, sometimes feels too expensive. Oh well - it's going ot be great!

The one I posted at top also just sends you a check - no referral agents or anything either. The girl I now sit with used this sight and it worked out great - she said they loved it! Tammy, I'll check out the ones Traveler's Joy too! Anny, where is Mexico do you live? I adore Mexico - I don't know how you stay so think though - the food is so amazing!

we have one hour planned as well.

Quote: Originally Posted by akh I think I am going to have them sew in cups when I have my dress altered. And that's all I'd wear (on top anyway!). I'm about a C cup - that will be enough, won't it? Me too. Also a C cup. I'm going to wear Spanx as well

Quote: Originally Posted by AQHARIDER I honestly don't think I would be having a DW without this forum. I was just getting to the overwhelmed and frustrated point when I found this forum (well actually the old Cabo one!). I agree that I feel like I'm friends with so many of the girls on here. It's so fun to meet people from other places, share something in common and get to know more about eachother. I will admit that this forum has made me laugh (often), cry (I know, i'm a sap!) and has also challenged my long-held opinions about tradition and even other issues. I'm so happy to have all you girls... I second all of this! i was about to give up when I found this forum. Planning my wedding has gone from torture to fun because of my "forum friends." Plus it helped me find a great location (hilton), a great wedding coordinator (maye) - neither of which I would have considered without this forum!

Quote: Originally Posted by Hummingbird ...that everyone is so nice here! That really makes it more fun. I have been on other wedding forums, (who shall remain unnamed, but we know who they are! ) and sometimes the girls can get downright nasty! Not that those other forums aren't helpful, it's just surprising to me how different this one seems. So, thanks everyone. Altogether now... Really? What would they be mean about? That seems so weird! This is the only forum I'm on but it's weird to think of brides being mean instead of supporting each other! Well I'm glad you found us - we're happy to have you as a member!

I am SO sad! I am actually UP two pounds this week - I think it's my vacation weight catching up with me: Before Christmas/New Years I was down 9.9 (never did break 10 though!) pounds Then I gained 3.4 over the holiday so now I'm down 6.5 pounds. I almost cried yesterday at the meeting when I weighed!

Up until now all the Honeymoon registries I've seen have been to are with travel companies. Because we're planning on backpacking through Europe none of the programs really worked for us.. until now! (Don't I sound like an advertisement?). A coworker told me about the following website that they used for their honeymoon registry: The Honeymoon : Honeymoon Registry,Honeymoon Packages,Hawaii Honeymoon Vacation,All Inclusive The great thing about it is that in the end they actually send you a check so you will literally have cash to spend on your honeymoon instead of just a credit towards some airline tickets etc. For us this is perfect because we can spend the money while we're their instead of being forced to plan everything out ahead of time. Basically it works like this: You create a registry and list items you'd like (i.e. "A Gondola ride in Venice") You give this info out to your guests (though not in your invitation or STD of course - that's considered very rude) Your guests pay a service charge which is a percentage similar to saelss tax (the more then spend the lower the percentage however). The rates are listed below The website notifies you when something has been purchased 5 days before your honeymoon they send you a check for all the money that's come in After your honeymoon they send you any remaining gifts 30 days after your honeymoon the account is closed. Here's the FAQs from the website: How does The Honeymoon's registry work? The Honeymoon gift registry works like most gift registries. Instead of creating a list of gifts (china, crystal, housewares, etc.), couples list what they want to receive to have the honeymoon of their dreams. Honeymoons have many components and activities that can represent gift items: i.e. scuba diving, drinks by the pool, hotel accommodations, etc. Everything is itemized like a traditional registry-so you can pick and choose what you want to give. More expensive pieces of the registry can be split into smaller increments to better accommodate guest purchases. Once the registry is created, wedding guests can then purchase items from this list. Why would couples use this type of registy? Wedding guests like being given a choice of gifts because it gives them an opportunity to choose a gift that better matches their own personality. No one wants to give a gift that they would not appreciate themselves; which is why we recommend having a traditional gift registry for your guests that are more traditionalists and prefer giving you something that they can see, touch, and feel themselves. For others, they will appreciate the more progressive nature of a honeymoon registry because it a wonderful alternative that is simple, fun and easy. Read some of the testimonials on our homepage. These are only a fraction of the comments both guests and couples are making. Why would guests use this type of registy? Couples enjoy the variety of gifts their guests give them for a shower and the wedding day. That is one reason why they choose to register with The Honeymoon. We offer an alternative to the traditional registry of toasters, china, crystal, etc. Instead of giving a physical item, you have the opportunity to give the couple the honeymoon of their dreams - and possibly the vacation of a lifetime. Let your gift to the couple be more than just a plate, let it be a memory to last a lifetime. As a guest, how do I get started? Giving a honeymoon gift is one of the most unique and wonderful gifts you can give. To find a couple who is registered at The Honeymoon, search for either party's last name. Once you've found their name, you can go straight to their registry or look at their webpage for more information about the couple. As a couple, how do we get started? Getting started at The Honeymoon is easy and fun. You create your registry by giving us key information about you and your wedding (date, time, place, etc). Looking for honeymoon ideas? You can browse through the information we have on some of the world's great honeymoon destinations, or follow the links to other information sources we feel are helpful. Need some ideas to get started? No problem! We have a wide variety of sample registries that couples have created over the years. If you already have your honeymoon planned and just want to create your registry and personal wedding web page, you're ready to get started. Most important, have fun with your registry and give it your own personal touch! My honeymoon is the most important trip I've ever planned. What is the best way to go about planning it? Planning a honeymoon is a big deal. You want to ensure you have the best accommodations, car rental, and travel arrangement possible. This can be very overwhelming. Travel has room for all sorts of surprises which is why we suggest you work with a travel agent. You don't know exactly what you've purchased until you get there, unless you have the experience and expertise of a travel agent to assist you. Whether you have your own travel agent, use one of ours, or work with one of our affiliated travel agencies, it is important that you give your agent the information they need to get you the best honeymoon for the money. That means they'll need to know the budget they have to work with, how many days and nights you would like to stay, and what would be more important: more nights in a lesser quality room or fewer nights in a posh honeymoon suite. Travel agents need to know these things to do a quality job for you. Making price comparisons are important, however the bottom line is to make sure that when you do, you are comparing "apples to apples." Many of the travel providers we work with, for example, build in special value-adds for honeymoon packages. These value-adds have costs, but their true cost to you is always less than if you were to buy them individually at the property. For example, a common value-add is a parasailing trip. Booking this with your travel agent not only saves your money, but will also save you time! Travel agents do this because it will ensure a positive experience that reflects well on them; and hopefully, you'll refer someone or come back yourself. What if I've already purchased a honeymoon package or already planned a honeymoon trip through a different service? You can still use The Honeymoon Registry! Simply create a registry and add your package details when prompted. How do couples collect their gifts? The Honeymoon will send you two checks. The first one you receive will be issued five (5) business days prior to your honeymoon. Any funds that come in after that will accumulate in your FDIC insured account, which will stay open until for an additional thirty (30) days. At that time, your registry will be closed to the public and a final check will be issued to reconcile the account balance. These dates are guidelines set in place for the benefit of the couple. We realize that this schedule does not accommodate all couples and we encourage you to contact us by phone (1-888-796-7772) or email if our disbursement schedule does not work for you. How do I let my guests know about my registry? We provide an insert for your shower invitations that notifies guests that you have a "Personal Wedding Web Page" at The Honeymoon. On your web page, you have the opportunity to put all the important information pertaining to your wedding and honeymoon. How do the gifts in my registry get paid for? It is important to distinguish the difference between the registry and your travel booking, whether it be with an online or traditional travel agent. In the case of cruises and most hotel/resort bookings, a deposit must be made to hold a reservation; and a final payment needs to be made at least sixty (60) days prior to departure. This means that you are ultimately responsible for your honeymoon payment arrangements. Our registries are a means to help with honeymoon expenses and to offer guests a gift alternative that may be more in step with their own personalities. You may want to have a pedicure and massage while on your honeymoon, but may have stretched your budget just getting to your honeymoon destination. Some guests would prefer to help you get that pedicure, massage, parasailing or romantic dinner; and others are happy getting you a toaster. The important thing is that guests have the choice. Should we still create a gift registry elsewhere? Absolutely! Here's why. Your wedding guests appreciate that you are trying to make their gift giving more convenient and personal. However, they also greatly appreciate alternatives that allow them to choose a gift that is meaningful to them. What can a couple expect in terms of gifts so that they don't overextend themselves? Due to the nature of our service, there is no easy answer to this question. A successful registry depends on many factors. The more creative and personal with your registry, the more apt your guests are to purchase those items for you. For instance, "Up up and away" is a much more fun and appealing description than "Airfare." You may want to consider having a honeymoon themed wedding shower. Although there is no obligation for guests to give a gift, most would like nothing more than to give something the couple really wants or needs. A parent, maid of honor, best man, other bridesmaids or groomsmen, or close friend can usually get the word out. People who care about you will rally for you. Is there a cost to this service? The only cost to the couple is the time they put into creating a registry and wedding web page. Couples can put as much or as little effort in the personalization of their registry as they want, though creating a registry is often both exciting and enjoyable. There are no fees for creating your registry and the service/gift delivery fee is the lowest of any honeymoon registry service available. See the table below for our current pricing structure. Gift Total Service Fee $0.01 - $500.00 8.85% $500.01 - $750.00 7.85% $750.01 - $1000.006.85% $1000.01+ 5.85% Why is there a service charge? The service and gift delivery fees are how The Honeymoon is able to offer you this valuable service and stay in business. In most cases, the service charges would amount to less than the cost of sales tax and gift wrap for a traditional wedding gift. They help pay for the transaction costs (credit card fees and processor fees), customer service, and the costs to operate and improve our business. Through their purchase, guests are helping us offer this service free of charge to couples. In essence, it is part of the gift they give. Most importantly, when a guest purchases a gift, the couple receives the entire gift; not a lesser amount. Do I have to use one of your honeymoon specialists to use your honeymoon registry service? Using one of our travel agents is not required, but is encouraged. Our honeymoon specialists are chosen from among the best in the country. If you do not have a travel professional to help you with your honeymoon, we strongly recommend that you consider using one from our nationwide network of professionals. How do I know what each guest has purchased? Once you've created an account, there are a number of features at your disposal: registry creation and editing, a wedding web page, guest notifications, and a registry review. Your registry review shows all gifts purchased, when they were purchased, and who purchased the gift. Couples are also notified by email of each purchase. These emails serve as a great way to keep track of gift givers. Please note, guests do have the option to delay gift notices sent to couples in order to keep the gift a surprise. Items that are purchased will be marked on the registry immediately, but the purchaser will remain hidden until the date they've specified. Please be assured all notifications will be sent in time to thank guests.

you may also want to consider Marbella en la Playa. When we scouted it there wasn't anyone else on the beach (a very pretty beach but non-swimmable like most). The prices are VERY affordable - I've attached the menu they sent me in August. But there are soome considerations - the rooms while very clean and seemingly comfortable are spacious but far from luxurious (though perfectly nice). I believe you can actually rent the entire hotel for a pretty reasonable fee if you wanted to. I mean it's not a resort or anything but it is a charming older hotel that will give you the privacy, the beach and the price you're looking for. They were doing some construction when someone else was there (tasha or Christa maybe?) so you should ask them about their plans for construction in the future. Also the place has TONS of stairs - this would not be a good place for anyone who is handi-capped or even a lot of small children - there aren't any elevators or ramps. Rooms start at about $89/night but some of them have more than one bedroom. A lot of my friends are staying here because it's close to the Hilton and it's affordable. You can see my pics of the place in my photo gallery... http://bestdestinationwedding.com/fo...p?do=view&g=35 Send me a PM if you'd like me to email you more pics! There's a really lovely poolside area for the reception which is pretty cool. On another note, the Sheraton's prices for food, drinks, cake etc. are rather high - it's an amazing property but they were the highest of all the places we went to see. You MAY be able to get away with a weddin gunder $10K but honestly I'm not so sure. I can see prices spiraling out of control pretty fast. As for WIP all I can say is don't work with them! Ask TammyM - she hired and fired them. I started workign with them in the beginning but they were so expensive that I looked elsewhere... then I foudn this forum. Another thing you may want to consider (to save $$) is many hotels/resort have wedding coordinators. If you decide to go with a place that has a good one then just save yourself the money of hiring someone else. If however you go with one of these smaller hotels (Marbella, Cabo Surf, etc. then you will need a coordinator.

Quote: Originally Posted by REBECCA Kash, TJ's is tricky. Make sure you read how many servings are per container. I used to eat their Organic Black Bean Enchiladas (they are SOO good), but I noticed one day that one package is two servings!! I know - I'venoticed that before on some of their other products. These however are per container... BTW - What India food were you trying to look up? There's a page of Indian Food points in their dining out book... also I'm India so maybe I can help breakdown the ingredients!

Try Wedding Favors - Wedding Party Favors - Ideas for Wedding Favors at Bliss! Weddings Market I bought smaller ones and I love them! Here are the ones I got: Mini Palm-leaf Hand Fans / Pack of 10 : Unique Wedding Favors - Wedding Reception Favors - Bridal Shower Favors There's also these larger ones: Medium-size Palm-leaf Hand Fans / Pack of 10 : Unique Wedding Favors - Wedding Reception Favors - Bridal Shower Favors Bamboo Fans / Pack of 10 : Unique Wedding Favors - Wedding Reception Favors - Bridal Shower Favors Wood Fan : Unique Wedding Favors - Wedding Reception Favors - Bridal Shower Favors

Quote: Originally Posted by Soon to be Mrs. Hull idea with fans Each guest received a straw fan with a note attached from the bride and groom: "Good friends and a gentle breeze are blessings that make our hearts sing...Cheri & Curt." I bought these same fans from Bliss Weddings Market for giving out as favors. I'm going to tie ribbon to then and possibly use them as seating cards... That or I may just have them be simply favors. They've been delivered and they are very cute. Plus it'll be nice since my wedding's in Mexico in June! HOT!

I'm wearing a long veil for the ceremony and either no veil or a shorter one (which I happen to already have) for the reception. These are so pretty for your hair! Cream "Moon" Orchids - Set of 3

Sarah - PM me your email address and I'll send you the Banquet menu

Come on by! It'll be SO fun! Can you ask Leigh to snap some pics while she's there?

Great info Ann!

I think you should go for it. Lots of people have the ceremony at one location and then meet at another place for the reception - think about the millions of church weddings/ temple weddings/ etc. etc. - it's not weird at all. I do however think you would need to provide a bus or something like that for transportation for all your guests since it IS a DW. Also if you are expecting a lot of guests you could do room blocks at both hotels and hopefully get the fees waived!