nat4crim

I've been in contact with Nicole today through email. Maybe she was just busy? Rachel, I see that your wedding is fast approaching. You must be getting soooo excited!!! I'm excited for you I have a question on tipping. I tried searching several times for tipping and LC and I searched this thread as well and can't seem to find it. I know there was some discussion before on tipping. Can someone just post the link so we don't have to rehash everything? I know tips are included for the wait staff, however I want to tip Nicole and the minister seperately. I'm not sure though what the appropriate amount would be though? Would someone be willing to post or PM me what they tipped? Despite the cost, I decided to book the hairstylist since my hair is curly and can get really frizzy due to humidity. I know Ann really liked her hair and the pics are awesome. Did any other LC brides use the stylist at Loccoco and what was your experience? Do you have any pics?

I'm sure he would be happy with any song. If money, education, experience ect..was not an object, would you switch careers? If so, what would you do?

We are doing the legal ceremony at home since we don't want to take a blood test in Mexico and wanted to have more control over our ceremony in Mexico. I was worried getting married before would take away from it. The only way to downplay it would have been to get married in jeans and sign the papers in somewhere like a coffee shop. But just could not wrap my head around that. Even though our real marriage is in Mexico, the legal aspect does mean something to me. So we are getting married the next day we return at city hall with a few close friends and my parents. Then we are going out to dinner afterwards. The great thing about it is I get to wear another dress

I recently quit a job and although I wanted to go down in a blaze of glory and tell him exactly what I thought, I left respectively. Q-If you could change one law (i.e make something that is illegal-legal) what would it be?

Oh and FH is currently thinking about adding my last name before his. He will still just go by his last name but I think this will give our children more of an incintive to go by my last name his last name versus just going by his last name.

This post has forced me to really sit down and discuss with my FH what we are going to do about the name thing. This is what we have decided and I think it is the fairest solution for us. If we have children, I get 95% say over their first names. However, if there is a name I pick that he clearly hates I will take that into consideration. If we have a daughter, her middle name will be Elizabeth after my mother. If we have a son, his middle name will be Michael after my brother who passed away. Our children's last name will be my last name, his last name. No hyphen, just a space between it. They can choose to just go by his last name or go by both of ours. The important part is that my last name will be on their legal documents. His last name is last since that was the compromise but it also sounds better that way. As for me I will add his last name onto mine, no hyphen. I will go by both my last name and his last name so I guess I better get used to writting out two last names for now on

I would be fine with them meeting up for coffee/dinner. I know he loves me completly now and has no "love" feelings for her anymore. He's never felt about her the way he feels about me. However, if it became a regular occurence of them meeting up then I would definately question things. For the ladies, Would you rather have boobs with no nipples or nipples with no boobs?

I usually don't get excited about actors or read about celebrities but.. My FH has a friend from school who has played a few minor roles in movies like The Butterfly Effect, Mystery Alaska. Well tonight as we were watching Lost, there he was. He was one of the guys on the ship, the one who brought Desmond to the sick room. Ok totally off topic...

I hate how even my own mother does not agree with me and that men have most of their family, friends and society on their side. FI said that if he took my name people would make fun of him. That irks me so much. I thought this was 2008. Also, am I the only woman who is questioning the automatic practice of giving children their dad's last name? Am I crazy to think that it should be equal or at least there should be some recognintion that it can go either way. And on another note, if I were to trace a family tree I think its more accurate to follow the maternal line since you know 100% that the child is the mothers but things happen and you never know for sure if some women along the line stepped out...

With less than 2 months to go, I'm still not sure. The only reason I would change is because I would feel guilty or like I am hurting my husband. But that I feel is not a good enough reason. I'm definately waivering towards keeping my last name. I feel strongly that it is part of my identity and I've had it for 30 years. FI is disapointed when I say I won't take his last name. He even claimed it will make us less of a family once. That really irritated me. A family is much more than a name. It is about love and commitment, respect. When I suggested he take my last name or we combine ours, he said, well that isn't the way things are done. Wow, I did not realize we were living in the 1800's. This really set me off. I mean just because it is a patriarchal tradition doesn't mean it is one that always needs to be followed or make it right. In Canada you could legally rape your wife until 1982. My FMIL tried to make me feel bad by saying she was honoured to take her husbands name. Yeah so what? She was married at 19 years old and went from her parents home to the marriage one. Also, it was a different time period. Please don't take this as me disrespecting women who take their husbands last name. The beauty is that women should have the choice one way or another and do what they most feel comfortable about. I guess my irritation stems from the fact that my fiancee is generally not 'traditional' or 'sexist'. I was shocked by his stance on this matter as it does not reflect him in any other way. He really just feels strongly that he wants to keep his name because it represents his father and grandfather. I get that and would never expect him to give it up. The only reason I suggested to FI that he take my last name or combine ours is so he would reflect on that for a moment and see what a momentous decision that would be and what he was asking of me. Why can't he understand that my name reflects my families. Also, I only have 2 sisters and my one brother passed away so I feel like my dad's name won't be passed on if I don't keep it. Finally, another thing I'm struggling with is why does the last name automatically go to the father? They are just as much the woman's children as the man's and lets face it, the woman goes throuh alot more in terms of pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding..ect. I'm saddened that I can't give my last name to my children as would he be if it were reversed. Uggh I wish this decision was easier but its not and I am nowhere near resolving it.

Being in an elevator whose cord snaps is the first thing that comes to mind but now that I think about it, ending up alone wihtout friends or family. If you could only choose one more place to travel to in your life, where would you go? In response to Starchild, I take a bath and read a book to unwind.

I've just posted in the other thread. I was wondering if you would give us some details of your special day. I love reading reviews.

Congrat Jen and Welcome to the forum!! You're pics are beautiful I'm getting married at Las Caletas in April and love seeing happy Las Caletas couples.

Tami, you're dress is beautiful. I love the details on the bust and the veil. You look great in it and your upper body looks good. You're too hard on yourself. No one will notice.

Orange Gladiola

I really like the Maggie dress. What colour would you go with? Perhaps the back would not look so busy if it was not the pink sash? I also love Paloma Blanca gowns. I love the material and how light they feel but to be honest, I'm not a fan of that one. Also, you already showed you FH so you can't get that one now As for that "feeling", I think that's a personal thing. I shopped for a gown for months, and was upset that I never had "the feeling". In the end, I committed to a dress that was one of my 2 top choices and had pretty much everything I was looking for (corset, sweep train, a-line but form fitting, sparkles, light gold). The last few months I was anxious and I only got that bridal feeling at the last fitting. Good luck finding your perfect gown.

Thanks for the suggestion Right now, I'm into turbo jam. I love turbo sculpt and the cardio kickboxing workouts. I'm going to look into P90X once I get bored of turbo jam.

Past Las Caletas brides, did you have a bridal purse? If so, where did you put it during the reception? I'm debating whether I need one or not. I'm assuming Nicole takes your stuff down from the bridal suite. Where does she put it? Do you have access to it? Or do I need to have purse? But then I don't want to walk down the ailse carrying it, nor do I want my MOH to do that I could go without but would rather be able to touch up my makeup if need be.

Can someone please tell me what the name of this medication or post any info on it. I'm in the same boat. I'm not on the birth control pill. When I first planned my wedding and honeymoon, my period was scheduled to happen right after we came back. But over this past year, it has slowly moved its way back and now I'm sure I'll have it on my honeymoon. On top of the horrible cramps and bloating (uggh I already don't like the way I look in bikinis), I won't be able to use any of the lingerie I bought for the occasion. I can see my romantic honeymoon turninng into a cheeseburger eating, curl up on a beach and don't move sort of thing. Please help!!

I love the bookmarks. Wish I would have seen those before ordering my favours. I got the starfish wine toppers, which I love but I also got beach albums. The bookmarks would have been better.

All of the starfish things I bought besides the champagne flutes and the jewelery (ebay) come from Weddinstar. You can order weddinstar products through many stores like HBC or even bridal salons. Or you can visit the weddingstar website directly at Weddingstar - Wedding Accessories - Cake Toppers - Wedding Favors. If you are Canadian, I believe the is .ca instead of .com

Quote: Originally Posted by Virginialedoux I was put off right away by one of the TA as she asks for 100$ deposit during your first consultation. Which I don't really think is fair since she hasn't yet done any research for us. I would never give any travel agent a deposit. They already take a cut off of each trip they book, so why should you give them addditional money? Also, what if you don't like the quotes they've given you or the service they provided? There are plenty of other TA's out there that would welcome your business without charging you.

Unfortunately, I would say that those quotes are quite realistic for the resorts you have listed. There is no way you would get away with $1200 for Majestic Colonial and Dreams. They are high end resorts. The average price is around $2000. Believe me, I really want to go to the Majestic but am detered by the price knowing I can get a way better deal. If you want something less expensive, you may want to consider lower star resorts (sucks I know) or maybe even a different area of the DR. Punta Cana is the most expensive destination in the DR. I've been to the La Romana area and loved it. I believe the resort was called Sunscape Casa Del Mar. The resorts are on the Carribean and the beaches are beautiful. Another thing you need to consider is the taxes. DR's taxes are $300 plus. Over the last few years, they continue to increase The first time I went to the DR taxes were under the $200 mark. Cuba is another option if you are trying to save some money. I've heard great things about the Sandals resort in Varedero. I've been to Cayo Guillermo and the beach was one of the most beautiful I've seen. But, as you probably know, the food in Cuba is not the greatest. Traditionally, Mexico is the most expensive of the three, especially the Mayan Riveria. That being said, I was able to get a fantastic deal. I'm staying at Dreams Puerto Vallarta, which is a high end resort and am only paying $1690 (Toronto departure-April 18th). I think I have the same TA you are talking about. It took me a month to book because I was adament my quotes would be around $1700, would include a waiving of the single supplement fee (such a rip off) and a book 20 adults receive a free one. My TA negotiated with all the tour ops to get me what I wanted. Good luck and try not to get discouraged. By all means, get different quotes by other agents so you make the best decision. But please realize, these quotes are not necessarily a reflection of the TA but the resorts/locations/time of year ect.. For the other Ottawa bride, you may want to check out my TA. She's great!!!

OMG..this post is making me want to book another vacation as soon as we get back from PV!!! I really really want to see Fiji, Hawaii and Greece. Some of the nicest beaches I've seen were in La Romana Dominican Republic. Sanoa island is amazing. Cayo Guillermo, Cuba...omg...crystal clear water...shallow and white white sand. And I went to a beach right near the Tulum ruins in Mexico that was stunning.