1elephant

wow, thanks whoever nominated me!!

i'm not feeling it this season either...i usually plan my day around it, but this season, i'm dvr-ing and ff-ing through everything but the dances.

i don't like brandon, he's too cocky for me...and i kinda feel the same about kayla.

katie holmes sucked, there was no dancing, just walking on a stage, but it wasn't even the SYTYCD stage - totally not even in the building, let alone live...

and they're going to have another season starting in sept.? let's see if the show gets any better then.

just as an fyi, they serve mashed potatoes with EVERYTHING there. it's the side dish for almost every meal.

why justify it? we just flat out said "it's our wedding and this is what we want". if they said, "well you know so and so won't come" we said "our choice is to have our wedding where and when we want it, and their choice is to either come, or not come".

lots of people have changed their weddings for their family. i would not.

that being said, i don't know if the waiters actually looked at the ribbons. i gave gaby a final count and some were still messed up - possibly b/c people didn't remember what they had ordered. most ordered the chicken and steak. no one cared, though, but even so, the waiters went back to get whatever the guests wanted.

yes, the chicken and steak was good - seriously, i don't think there was a single food that was bad the entire time we were there. the desserts, on the other hand - blech. don't bother with more than 1 cake, if you even have that.

we chose ahead of time b/c we did have two options. we emailed everyone and asked them to chose their meal on our wedding website. then when i put the ribbons around the starfish, it was brown for one meal, orange for another, and something else for the kids.

they have beer (corona and modelo, maybe?), but the wine situation is funky. you have to pay for a specific bottle, but don't have to pay per glass. the per glass is just their generic pinot noir or sauvignon blanc. the bottles are listed in a menu, just as they would be in a restaurant. i would imagine that they have wine by the glass available at the wedding, but i'd double check. i didn't put anything like that on my menu, but did have 3 signature drinks. the pic of the menu is in my planning thread.

great idea as far as the terrace, but to be honest, and just as an FYI, while you CAN probably fit up to 80, i'm not sure you'd want to. you'd be really squished, part of your party would be on the other side of the pool, and some people would probably be sitting in the bushes. there would DEFINITELY not be room for 80 people, tables, chairs AND dancing space.

just went to the concierge and asked them how we could send something to her. they have a book of flowers and other assorted gifts to send....

there are already lights around the trees; it's pretty well lit. it's also a pain to hang the lanterns b/c the trees are REALLY tall w/ no branches and there's a pool in the way.

ok i'm a HORRIBLE person. we didn't tip any bartenders that night - totally didn't even think about it, mostly b/c we didn't know what the situation was going to be, but also b/c we were preoccupied and i didn't exactly have my purse with me. i was also WASTED by tipping time and actually asked my parents to slip the dj a $20 b/c he stayed for an extra 30 minutes. i don't feel bad, though, because over the course of 2 weeks, we spent $200 in singles tipping the same people over and over - in addition to the 26 other adult guests tipping the same, if not more.
i don't remember what we tipped the hair/nails/makeup people, maybe $10-$20?
we sent gaby flowers b/c we didn't think that $ was appropriate, though it probably would have been more appreciated. she provided a free service; we didn't feel comfortable judging what to tip on top of that, but did spend $50 on flowers. we were not permitted to give her alcohol of any kind.
as for our photographer, we didn't tip him. we gave him a RAVING review (check out his site Vancouver documentary wedding photographer Rick Collins. Wedding and portrait photography in Vancouver, Victoria, British Columbia and worldwide. for the review) and got him a lot of business since. my BIL is using him in oct. and random people email us all the time for a recommendation. i think that's the best tip we can give him!

there are different antennae to buy - there's one that came with our tivoli that you're supposed to hang out the window. go to a best buy type place and ask.

 

in the meantime - artie was arrested for suspicion of a DUI but wasn't drunk?! wtf is that about?

tam, try using the search button on the top towards the right. there are a ton of threads about hair and makeup in pv, and i believe that there are few specifically about blu.

congrats holly and everyone else! thanks for hosting, ann!

i know that if you're having a civil ceremony at dreams, you have to be there on a certain day (wednesday maybe?) b/c they show a marriage video. you also need to be available whenever the dr. is available for blood work (but check other mx threads b/c there was a rumor flying that you didn't need blood work anymore...?) idk - we had our legal day here tho.

 

not that it matters, but i certainly didn't leave my stuff there on purpose...it just wasn't returned to me and it definitely wasn't the first thing on my mind...if they don't know anything about it, i wouldn't leave it on purpose and expect it to be there..........rebeca was there soon after my wedding, and would have known if it was there when she started working...

 

so then don't change it. if the date is so important and it's too much of a PITA, leave it alone. regardless of whether they can talk to him and email, he's still home, in person, and i can understand why his mom would ask. i agree with rachel, some things are bigger than weddings, and this happens to be one of them - maybe not for you, but definitely for his mother. that being said, she's an adult and can decide whether to attend your shopping event or to spend time with her son.

definitely not often enough here...probably 1x/month, maybe even less if we're busy. i agree with jessica (and rachel?) - it hasn't killed me yet. i'm a teacher; i deal with snot and dirty kid hands all day - much grosser than whatever's on my sheets.

 

as for the guest bedrooms, i leave the used sheets on until i know someone is coming to visit. most often, it's my sister, so i don't always change them for her. since we have cats who like to burrow under the covers, i'd rather just leave them dirty and put fresh sheets on right before the person arrives.

jaclyn, mine were included. originally they were not (in the 2007 prices), but when they were added into the 2008 package, i demanded to have them. if i had to do it again, i still would not pay for them b/c honestly, who's going to remember the chairs? i'd rather spend $ on what was placed on the chairs (tissues, fans, ecofetti, etc.).

thanks guys! i still go back to it too a lot of things have changed there, but there was no one here that had been married at dreams pv when i joined/got married, so i figured it would be helpful for the future. i've even noticed that some girls have taken the same pics as us (jumping into the pool).

i think i've mentioned that all of my stuff is still there, so the candle holders, orange fabric, cake topper etc. should still be there.

if you're not sure about timing, better to have too much time for pics than not enough. who cares if the reception ends at 9 or 11 - you can go to one of the bars after!

oh, we're neighbors! i'm in morris township.

rachel, i hate cooking too. i'm NOT creative in the kitchen and would happily make the same bad meals over and over. however...i'll go to a bbq or a shower or something, eat something really yummy, and be obsessed w/ making it myself (hence, quinoa)...if you grill, why not portobello mushrooms instead of meat? chicken instead of steak/red meat? we grill veggies (zucchini, mushrooms, asparagus, etc.) all summer long. i'd rather have that than pasta or rice.

alternatives to ice cream - make a smoothie and put in the freezer. put grapes in the freezer. simple changes make a big impact!

jkcz (sorry, don't know your name), they had it at my stop and shop, but i know you can always find it at trader joes or whole foods. where in nj are you?

there are places that deliver diet food, but around here they are $$! what about starting w/ substitutions in the house? like substitute whole grain pasta and brown rice for regular pasta or white rice? keeping fresh fruits (esp. summer fruits!) and veggies instead of snacks is helpful too.

OR, since i just noticed that you wrote gluten-free, try quinoa (i've been raving about it on fb). it's delish, easy as anything, yummy, and tastes like whatever you cook it w/. right now i'm eating it w/ a veggie stir fry, made w/ soy sauce and hot chili sesame oil. last night, i melted some chocolate chips into it. gluten-free, tasty, high protein!

rachel, i say this with the utmost love and respect for you, but there is no miracle solution! despite how awesome it would be, there is no way that excess weight is just going to up and leave w/o assistance - believe me, i was waiting and waiting and waiting for it to go! no diet (jenny craig, nutrisystem, sacred heart) or lifestyle change (ww) will help if you're unmotivated. the unmotivated weeks are the worst obstacles! my current motivation is BIL's wedding in october. after that, i'll need something new.

i'm sure i'm not telling you anything that you don't already know....but it's your body and your health. no one else can help but you!

 

again, ETA: when did you do ww? there's a program that used to be called core (called something else now) where you can eat as much as you want of certain foods and only track the other foods. that will be harder if you're lazy, tho, b/c it's a lot of whole grains, and requires more work, imo. the only way that it works for me is if i plan my whole week - make all lunches on sunday night, go food shopping sunday so i know what we'll be having for dinner during the week....

feliway is AWESOME!!!! and we have this stuff called happy cat that we put into the water a few times/week (we have a water fountain for them). my boy cat was on kitty prozac when we were moving (b/c we had to put them in a big cat cage when people were in and out of the house while we weren't home - being caged made him pull his hair out), but took him off after the move. he was ok while on it tho....

rachel, try weight watchers. it's a lifestyle change and i swear by it. you can eat whatever you want and drink whatever you want...it's about learning to make healthy choices. i think the first meeting at ww is free; why not check it out? i'd be more than happy to help you plan meals and be your 'sponsor' (for lack of a better term)...

ETA: just as an fyi, i'm 5' tall (on a good day). when i first joined ww, i was 140lbs. i know that 140 doesn't seem like much, but i was not comfortable and decided to be proactive. that and there's always been a weight competition between my sister and myself. when i realized i was bigger than her, i decided to do something about it. w/in about 6 months i was down to 117. i couldn't maintain it and went back up to 125ish...whenever i stop going to meetings i bounce back up, but as long as i keep going, i can maintain 120-125. the biggest motivation to keep going to the meetings is a) fitting in my clothing and the bigger people who go to the meetings but don't follow the plan always look like they want to eat me - it gives me some kind of warped satisfaction.

congrats!!! hope it's fabulous and everything you ever dreamed of!