gkashmira

MONIQUE LHUILLIER FALL 2007 TRUNK SHOWS: beverly hills salon 9609 south santa monica blvd 310.550.3388 thursday january 11th through saturday january 13th 10am-6pm minneapolis salon 3928 west 50th st 612.929.0747 thursday january 18th through saturday january 20th 10am-6pm by appointment

I'm glad you guys liked the list. Dress shopping such a weird experience. At times I loved it and sometimes I hated it to be honest. I really think the picture thing is important. If they won't let you take pictures I even think it might be worthwhile to ask them if you can take a picture, look at it and then delete it (even show them you're deleting it). It really makes all the difference.

As many of you know (and I'm sure are totally tired of hearing about) I went through quite a lot of changes and mild drama trying to buy my wedding dress. In the end I bought one that I am in love with BUT i learned a lot about buying a wedding dress along the way. I thought for those who have not bought their dress yet, haven't started shopping or really any stage along the way I may be able to pass on some of the info I've learned (much of which was in fact told to me before - of course I didn't listen...). Plus I know a lot of other brides who have bought there dresses may have some great tips to pass on as well - and perhaps some DOs and DON'Ts of their own! WHAT TO DO WHEN LOOKING FOR YOUR WEDDING DRESS: 1. DO Set your budget ahead of time. Be realistic about how much you have and how much things reaslly cost. Don't forget about the veil, taxes and alterations - come up with a final number. 2. DO Look at dresses online (Knot, Brides, etc.) to see what kind of styles you like 3. DO Go to a bunch of different places, including the big ones like David's 4. DO try on on different cuts - including ones you don't think will look good. 5. DO take your mom/sister/best-friend with you 6. DO take pictures of you in the dresses before you buy one - something that looks good in the bridal shop mirrors may not be the same in those pictures! 7. DO try on both white and ivory. 8. DO think about weather and location when buying your dress - Will heavy silk be too hot for your wedding in July? 9. DO look for sample sales online (topbutton.com for NYC & LA) and make appointments. 10. DO find a dress that you really truly LOVE! WHAT NOT TO DO WHEN BUYING A DRESS from my experiences and others: 1. DON'T wait until the last minute (big price increases on those rush orders) 2. DON'T TRY ON DRESSES THAT ARE OVER YOUR BUDGET! (DO try on dresses that are UNDER your budget) 3. DON'T impulse buy. The dress WILL be there tomorrow - go home and think about it for a few days. Take some pictures and look at them at home - really decide you love it. 4. DON'T get stuck on one style ahead of time and limit yourself to only trying on those dresses - it may not be the best look for you! 5. DON'T buy a dress that is either too small or too big - alterations are expensive! 6. DON'T look for dresses after you buy yours! I know there are few ladies who have turned into 2 dress brides because of this! 7. DON'T think nothing is going to look good on you... (and then, oh, I don't know, let's say, try on a dress way over your budget and fall in love with it...) And here are a few notes: - You can buy a lot of major brands online for less. Once you know what dress and what size you want it doesn't hurt to check the online sources for their prices. There's a great thread on here listing all sorts of places to look - check them out. - Bridal Salon mirrors can be decieving. Check them while you're still in your normal clothes to see if you appear taller or thinner... funny how that can make a big difference in what you think of a dress! - Always post pictures of you in your dress up here on the forum so we can see it too!

I came across this posting on Craigslist and thought it may be a really good option for a group of family members or friends who are on a budget. The houses in this community are suppose to be quite nice - we actually toured one on a House Hunters episode. There's a private beach attached to the community. Check out these links: CaboVilla4rent.com Vacation in the LUXURY of a Priv. Home Anyway it says that the house can sleep 9 so this could be a GREAT option for a group of 3 or more friends. Like for my date (june) it would be only $83/per night per person and they get their own bedroom and a whole house. (I wanted to see if ther bunnies would all dance in line)

Quote: Originally Posted by JANET1111 FYI you can get iPhoto books thru MyPublisher for deep discounts. Check out the MyPublisher page that has info about Macs (you have to download a iPhoto plugin but it's super easy). Get 25% off orders of $50+ or 50% off orders of $100 or more using coupon code 2MAC2550 thru June 30th I think. PM me if you want more info on this. Jonathan's is right though. These albums are awesome for your coffee table or for gifts, but it probably isn't good enough to be a primary album! Janet - are the MyPublisher books the same quality as the iPhoto books?

For you ladies interested in the boat cruise Tasha did a bunch of research a few months ago too. We were thinking about it for our rehearsal dinner but then my parents wanted top stay on land but I think it's a really cool idea! Here was the original thread for you ladies interested in researching this option: http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t903 I had a quote from Sunrider for $2900 including tax/service for 60 peeps. This was for either a daytime lunch/snorkel cruise or a dinner sunset cruise. However I cannot speak for the quality as I have never actually worked with them. Tasha is working with them and it sounds like they're been very responsive.

OK, I know this is WAY lower quality than the amazing albums listed about but what about this: My understanding is they last AND you could always continue to save up for your expensive album What about doing a bound, printed hardcover book through iPhoto (anyone who has a current Mac can put it together). I'm making one for our roadtrip which I am REALLY excited about. They're very affordable and they are terrific - my friend who is a professional photographer (editorial not wedding) uses these for his own photos: $29.99 for a book with 10 pages (single sided or 2-sided) and then $.99 for each additional page. I think you can go up to 50 sheets (potentially 100 page bound book for $69.99) total. They come only up to 8.5 x 11 though so I'm not sure if that's big enough. But anyway if you want to check it out here's the link. Also I can show you mine once I finish making it and ordering it! It's also really fun! Apple - iLife - iPhoto - Books Apple - iLife - iPhoto - Books I think for "Formal" could be nice for a very classic look. We're actually going to be doing this for our gifts for our parents - I haven't figured out just what yet!

Quote: Originally Posted by destinationbride07 Hey Everyone...Update: I went dress shopping yesterday...and it was not a good day....the place i had the appt with DID NOT have the dresses i wanted after they told me they did...well the lady on the phone said they did...the lady i worked with was really helpful and she did have a similiar dress by davinci...looked good but I dont want that dress...she says she will call me when they do come in....so i went to 4 other places all over this dang on city and suburbs and tried on 1 other dress...YES 1 other....got home at 8pm..left at 10 am! Today I am calling some places who also have large selection of other dresses..but I am calling first b.c. they are in the western burbs and i dont want to make a trip that will not be worth it... I was frustrated yesterday but I am feeling better today...I am starting to get worried...I was so mad yesterday that I did not look at other dresses...probably wrong on my part.....today is a new day and I am going to take a diff approach to this..... Sherri - that sucks! Don't feel sad or mad - it just turns out you picked a very "new" very gorgeous style! But I agree that it would be wise to try on other styles of dresses. But at the same time you can keep an eye out for dresses like this one. The other dress is also very pretty. I think a lot of girls had their heart set on one style but then found something that they liked ever more. For example I think rebecca didn't want a strapless (if I'm keeping my stories straight!) but in the end found a really amazing dress that was perfect for her - it happened to be strapless. I didn't know what I wanted but I did know I wanted to stay away from mermaids because i thought they would make me look heavy... turns out that was the exact stlye that suited me best! And in the end I bought a dress that was basically a mermaid (technically a "trumpet" but close enough!)! The dress you love could very well be THE dress - definitely try it on! It already of course is winning points becauase it has made you fall in love I can't wait to see those pics of you in it!

Quote: Originally Posted by A10CALGAL Hahah Kash, you are so cute! I'm pretty sure someone gave you the same advice at some point If only I had listened!!!!!!! hee hee hee... geesh probably everyone I ever met who has bought a dress gave me that advice... clearly there's something wrong with me!

Christine! Fantastic! I love the wine theme in Napa. What an amazing wedding weekend you'll have! Everything sounds perfect - the dress, the church, the wine tasting! gorgeous! I CANNOT WAIT to see pictures of YOU IN THE DRESS!!!!! But I guess I'll have to hold on until Feb!

Kate I think that's the perfect plan. Even after I found the one I wanted I tried on about 100 more dresses! I am SO happy that I was able to try on the one I ended up buying with my mom. I actually really wanted to fly her out here again to see it a second time before I bought it (it didn't make sense in the end). I think having oyur mom's opinion will really help. I knwo for me hearing her tell me to go to the store, buy the dress, not to try on any more and that that was THE one took about 100 pounds off pressure off my chest. If she could say that then I knew that was the dress. Also you have LOTS of time before you have to commit to a dress (6 months out or so the stores are saying you should at least have it narrowed down). My recommendations are to try on every dress (that is in your budget!) whether you think it would look good or not. You may buy the first one but in the mean time it will be both fun and when you do finally buy something you will hopefully do so knowing you're making the right decision. Definitel;y try and snap some more pics of dresses you like so we can bed those "fresh" eyes too! (hee hee hee - I'm just being selfish because it's so fun to see everyone in their dresses!)

Hi Salsa bride! Welcome to the forum! I can only speak for Cabo as I've never been to Mazatlan (but have heard WONDERFUl reviews!). Anyway here's my opinion on some of your questions... The Sheraton is a big resort but it doesn't feel like one it's actually very intimate (not topless sunbathers when we visited!). Instead of being one large building with one huge pool area and stuff it's actually divided into smaller buildings and spread out a little. We were in Cabo at the slowest time of the year (weekend after Labor Day and after the last Hurricane) but I got the impression that it is generally quite peaceful. I could be wrong but I feel like at most of the AIs privacy will be your biggest obstacle (if that is something very high on your list). However the you do end up paying for that privacy because the AIs are also significantly more affordable - even if you guests don't stay there! Unfortunately I have not eaten at either place but there another Sheraton bride on here who I think may have had her tasting. I would imagine the food there is terrific - this is truly a world class resort with basically the best of everything. I think it's actually one of the few 5 stars in Cabo (besides the super expensive Palmilla, Esperanza, etc.) As for April, the one thing also to keep in mind in either location is spring breakers (when is that for colleges and high schools? Sometime in march/April right?). You may find that RIU may have a more younger partier atmosphere where the Sheraton (and other locations like it) may be above the price range for college kids and families. But on that same note they are expensive. Tammy(host )could probably give you a better idea if this is true when the big spring break rushes might be. The Church is San Jose del Cabo is very cute. It's on a lovely plaza with very pretty steps leading down. I think you can get transportation for about $450/500 per every 40-45 people. I wonder if the hotel could arrange for the preist from the church to perform there ceremony. he would certainly have all those vested powers

Bella that sounds lovely! Where is San Miguel? It already sounds romantic!

OK - fess up - who are you Secret Santa? I am dying to know and I have no idea! I love my gift so much! It's perfect!

I like the halter. The reason is because: I think the satin strapless while gorgeous might be too formal for a semi-formal wedding. But more importantly I think the baby doll and the mesh might be a little too close to a wedding dress kind of material and I like the contrast of halter - the cloth is different and still light but different enough.

Thanks Christine - I missed you guys too!

I second Christine's recommendation of sneaking some pics if you can! Anyway I just wanted to re-state that you should NEVER under any circumstanc es try on a dress you cannot afford - not matter how much you are not expecting to like it. I was literally just goofing around when I tried on my dress... and well - there are enough posts up about my dress buying fiasco... FYI In the end I bought it anyway!

I love my gift! Yaya - Secret Santa! I got a beautiful smelling soap and little vial of perfume and a subscription to US WEEKLY!!!!! I love that magazine and I always steal my friend's copy like 2 weeks late... but she's not going to be getting it this year so now I can have my very own! How fun!!!! YAY! Thank you Secert Santa!!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by RAENJAY Ok, I had to open it, I couldn't wait anymore - I received: The softest little slipper socks - they are dark green, and going to keep my very cold toes very wam Starbucks Gift Card - Starbucks Coffee Mug & Christmas Blend Coffee.. My Secret Santa Rocks, thank you so much - can you please let me know who you are so I can thank you properly I can't wait to hear what everybody else is receiving. It was me! I'm so glad you like everything I love those socks - they are SO soft... I have a blue pair for myself!

So cute! I love the starfish

I vote pay for the day pass. I know I myself am not really an AI kind of gal and sometimes when going to other people's weddings you do love the people and want to be there for their special day but not maybe pay the extra for AI because we love to go out to eat and explore new places. Anyway when we were considering doing an AI for the wedding (to save $$) we did factor in paying for people's day passes. Even if people aren't acting excited about coming int he end they are paying for airfare, hotel, car rentals, food, drinks, gifts, etc. so payign the $75 for a day pass if a grcious gesture as the hosts.

1. Spend a lot of money on a dress (did it anyway) 2. Spend a lot of money on a wedding (again - did it anyway) 3. Not get obessed with tiny details (yup....) 4. Not be a crazy bridal person who's obsessed with her wedding (ummmm....)

fiji, tahiti or bora bora would be SO SO SO amazing! Plus gfoing somewhere in July will be nice and hot no matter where you go! Of course Mexico but if you fly from SF you can also reach Costa Rica or Belize pretty easily. What kind of activities do you like?

I haven't received mine yet but my SS should be getting hers today or tomorrow. To be honest I won't be around whether we wait or whether we do it afterwards so whatever you guys decide will work for me!

The dress I want has a short sweep train which I guess will need to be bustled afterr the ceremony. I'm 5' 6" (my FI is the same exact height) so barefoot for the ceremony and lower heels for the reception. The question is how show to I have the dress hemmed?