JUSTUSTWO

I must confess that I'm a Good Morning America junkie but I saw this today thought it was pretty interesting, especially considering the current flu/cold/virus season & the importance of washing your hands. They did a test to see which was more "effective" & why. Here's the link to the story: Washing Hands With Soap vs. Hand Sanitizer: Which Is Better? - ABC News Here's the link to the video: Hand Sanitizers or Soap: Which Works Best? - ABC News Here's the entire story: 'GMA' Tries Different types of Hand Sanitizer and Soap to See Which Works Best In Hand Washing, Technique More Important Than Technology By ELISABETH LEAMY By Oct. 29, 2009 As Americans prepare for the height of flu season, health experts keep saying "Wash your hands, wash your hands." That's great advice, but we wanted more information. What should we wash with? Is antibacterial soap better than regular soap? And do hand sanitizers really work? "Good Morning America" put them all to the test. We went to the University of Maryland, a world leader in food safety and microbiology, and did a small, informal test in which we basically washed our hands until they were raw. Caution: Not all soaps and sanitizers are created equal. "Good Morning America" enlisted Jianghong Meng and his intrepid University of Maryland graduate students to do the experiment with us. The Experiment That's right. We deliberately put E. coli bacteria on our hands to see which products would wash it off. The E. coli we used for our experiment was a harmless strain, not the deadly E. coli 0-157. After each test, we swabbed our hands to see if there was any bacteria left that would transfer to these special incubation plates. First, hand sanitizers. One with alcohol as the active ingredient, versus another that was alcohol-free. The key with hand sanitizers is to use at least a half a teaspoon or enough that it takes 15 to 20 seconds before it's dry. Next, we tried out some soaps. A recent British study showed using soap instead of water alone killed three times as many germs. We pitted regular bar soap against antibacterial bar soap, and regular liquid soap against antibacterial liquid soap. Each time we washed, we counted out the full 20 seconds the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends -- except once, when we tried another popular timing technique: singing. We sang our ABCs while we scrubbed, which experts say ensures you wash for at least 20 seconds. E. coli. Wash. Rinse. Dry. Swab. We repeated the process again and again until our hands were chafed. Research shows that most people only dash their hands underwater for about five seconds, if they wash at all. When she kept track, graduate student Caroline Rocourt was surprised at how long 20 seconds is. "It's kind of hard to admit," Rocourt said. Wenting Ju, another grad student, said he'd like change his ways -- and at least wash for 10 seconds. The Results We came back to the University of Maryland three days later, after our samples had incubated. We looked for white dots where E. coli colonies had grown on the incubation plates. The fewer the better. The first thing we noticed is that alcohol-based hand sanitizer clearly works the best. In fact, the CDC says you should use a hand sanitizer containing at least 60 percent alcohol. As for soap, the antibacterial soap worked only slightly better than the regular soap. The Food and Drug Administration recommends using only regular soap because of worries that germs will develop resistance, and people will develop laziness from high-tech soap. "Based on the results that we got, it's really not necessary to use antimicrobials in the products. You can see some difference, but it's really not significant," Meng said. The difference between the amount of E. coli left by regular liquid soap and antibacterial liquid soap was even smaller almost undetectable. The bottom line on hand washing: Technique is more important than technology. The E. coli we used for our experiment was a harmless strain, not the deadly E. coli 0-157 bacteria. Swine flu is a virus, but the advice is the same: Alcohol kills viruses and soap -- any soap -- used well, washes them off. When to Use Which Experts say washing with soap and water is first choice, especially if you have visible dirt on your hands. Sanitizer can't cut through that grime. Hand sanitizer is great for when you can't get to soap and water, and it's actually more effective at eliminating germs because it kills them rather than just removing them. You should supervise young children when they use alcohol-based hand sanitizer, but poison control centers tell us it tastes so terrible that kids don't usually eat much and don't suffer any ill effects.

My vote is in!! Good Luck!

Erika everything looks great!! I hope you have an amazing wedding day! Can't wait for the pics!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by Tammy Host just posted my red velvet cupcake recipe on blog... YUMMMMM...Between this & the funnel cake, I don't know which to try first!

Quote: Originally Posted by IrishgirlinNY When you do the free package and you have more than 20 people, do they charge you extra for the dinner for the people above 20? Nope, no extra charge!

Did you see this thread? There are only 2 pics here but it should give you an idea: http://bestdestinationwedding.com/fo...ion-ror-49818/ Here's another thread with poolside reception pics: http://bestdestinationwedding.com/fo...ception-36571/ You can find other poolside pics by doing a search for "ROR Poolside reception". Here's a thread from a bride who had her beach reception at Seagrape: http://bestdestinationwedding.com/fo...g-great-15662/ You can find other Seagrape pics by doing a search for "Seagrape".

I'm with Carly. I love both dresses but #1 is definitely beach appropriate. I'd try to convince her to stick with #1. Dress #2 seems perfect for the AHR.

Wow...definitely amazing pics!! Now I see why he calls himself a "Rockstar" photographer. Can't wait to see more & hear the story of the groomsman stripping. That will def be one to remember.

Happy Wedding Day Heather!!!!! Hope its a BEAUTIFUL day & you're having the time of your life.

Quote: Originally Posted by becks We didn't order the boxes with ours, but they all came with them. They were white corrugated cardboard. I think in the end we unpacked all of them and wrapped two together in a piece of tissue to save the space in the suitcase. I didn't order the boxes either but we still received them. As becks & jetsbride said, they were just plain white cardboard boxes. I kept them in the box & just put the box inside of the OOT bag. I will say that it was easier to pack them without the boxes though.

Quote: Originally Posted by kurz04 Does anyone have or know where i could find pictures of the beach reception at the ROR. Sorry if this has been asked already before but I have checked everywhere on this site and can't seem to find any. We are having are dinner at Mammee Bay and then were thinking of having a private beach reception afterwards, having a hard time deciding between poolside or beach reception but maybe if we saw some pictures it would help us decide. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks! I would suggest that you search ROR wedding reviews. Most ROR brides come back & post pics of everything in their wedding reviews.

We had about 37 in our group & had the free package. In terms of picking a package, I think you would have to look at which best fits your needs & budget. I had originally chosen the Royal package but once I decided to bring my own photographer, having photo's included in the package was not a priority. Also the other amenities such as spa services & an upgraded room were not necessary since we booked the suite. We saved money by bookint the free package & then added any decor/upgrades separately. As for the chairs, in pictures they look brown/wooden/wicker but they are plastic. They do not come with covers but you can rent them. Last year they were $10 per cover & that included the sashes. They may not be the same price this year so if you're interested you should ask Chandlyn. Also keep in mind that the same chairs used at your ceremony would be used at your reception as well.

Hey Yamille! I've missed seeing you around. Glad to hear that all is well & congrats on the job!

Kate I'm just seeing this thread but everything looked beautiful & perfect. I can only imagine how much fun you must've had.

Nice inspiration pics Morgan. Can't wait for the after pics. Also kudos to you for donating your hair.

I ordered my mugs from them too & did not have a problem. With that being said, I agree that yours don't look bad & that as suggested, your guests might appreciate the logo being smaller, but you should have gotten what you ordered & you should be satisfied, especially with something that is used for your wedding. The first image that you posted, is that the proof from them? I remember submitting my order & then getting a proof before the mugs were made. If that is the proof that they provided you then I would be fighting with them b/c your end product doesn't reflect the proof. Yeah they have stuff in their terms & conditions but you are a customer & its your wedding. I don't see why they wouldn't just take the mugs back & send you what you really want. I would continue to press them for a resolution that makes you happy!

As far as I know you don't have to do anything before or after your wedding & your marriage in Jamaica is legal in the US. You can check with your state's County Clerks office just to confirm. If you are changing your name you won't be able to do so legally until after you receive your official marriage certificate from ROR which should be within 3 months of your wedding. Once I received mine, I was able to get my new social security card & drivers license. You will receive a temporary certificate before you leave ROR. If you need more info regarding ROR, be sure to check out the Jamaica part of the forum. There is alot of info there.

Looks great Tammy. My stomach is growling now. I've never tried Indian food either so this will be a start! Can't wait to see the funnel cake recipe!!!

Hope you have a wonderful Bday Kristy!

I figured that this thread would come in handy for me one day so I bookmarked it. Hopefully its the one that you were looking for: http://bestdestinationwedding.com/fo...n-songs-32268/

Quote: Originally Posted by bearbunny OOT beach bags for a decent price? I have seen some great ones on here but there are a lot of posts to go through the topic! If anyone can send me a link or suggestion I would really appreciate it..also love the pashmina idea too!!! If anyone has gotten them online and had a good experience share please!!! Thank you ladies You should do a search on the forum for Cheaptotes. Many BDW brides have gotten their OOT bags from there & have loved the quality for the price as they were inexpensive. There are also plenty of threads regarding Pashmina's. I suggest searching the forum for those and you should find quite a few recommended vendors.

I love #1 and #3 would get my 2nd vote. They are very flattering!!! And I don't think you have a problem. You just have to figure out what style of dress you think you ultimately want. Do you want strapless, halter? Is there a certain material that you really like or hate? Do you want something beaded or plain? Not everyone finds "the" dress right away. Just keep looking and you'll eventually find the one that you love. Out of the ones that you posted, is there 1 that you really like & are leaning towards? Is there 1 that you just can't stop thinking about or really love yourself in?

Bev, everything looks great! I like the saying on the fans...very cute! Hope you have an amazing time & look forward to your review & pics ofcourse!

Quote: Originally Posted by amqueens Thank u guys for your help! If you just have drinking/ dancing at the Seagrape at night, they don't close it off? Anyone do the semi- private dinner, how is that? I think I want to do the semi- private dinner and then some sort of party with dancing, drinking and a DJ. Just unsure of the best location. Any help or guidance is appreciated!! Thanks! There are many past ROR brides who did the semi-private dinner. I had dinner at Mammee Bay at 6:30 & then we had the disco, privately, from 9pm to 11pm. The disco then opens up to the public at 11pm. If you go with the disco, there is a bar/bartender so you'll be able to drink all you want. If there should be something in particular that isn't served at that bar, you could go right outside of the disco where there is another bar. If you go with the disco, I strongly suggest you have a song list (bring your own music on CD's) with types of music that you want to hear. The DJ may play music that you may not like so it helps to be prepared. You could also ask Chandlyn if he has an Ipod hook up, that way you wouldn't have to be bothered with CD's. When I was there this past June, the DJ had music playing through his laptop. You could do a search in the Jamaica section for Mammee Bay and also look for Seagrape...those should give you plenty of threads regarding your other reception options.

We had a group of about 35 & had dinner at Mammee Bay at 6:30 & then had our reception at the disco from 9pm-11pm. Everyone had a great time at the disco & I don't think anyone was bored. We did the first dance & had speeches/toasts there as well. While we enjoyed having it privately, the party really did get much better once the disco opened up to the public. If I had to do it over again, I wouldn't change a thing. In terms of tables being set up in there, I'm not sure if you'd be able to do that. There really isn't room for any tables. The bar takes up a bit of space and then there are barstools along the bar & along the outside walls of the disco, then there's the dance floor & the DJ's booth. You could talk to Chandlyn about tables but again, the space might be too tight. Definitely take some time & browse through some past ROR threads. There are tons that discuss the DJ & other reception options such as the poolside reception & using Seagrape.