becks

Welcome to the forum and congratulations!

Ladies, I've said it before, and I'll say it again and again... you are SO AWESOME! I'm feeling so much better about these!! At the moment, the "template" is a catastrophe (read:86 zillion fonts, 4 pages that don't work). But I promise to get it cleaned up over the weekend if not sooner, and will post as soon as I can. I just LOOOOOVE you guys!!!!

My FI isn't big into things... so gifts are tough. I gave him a watch at Christmas, and golf shoes for his last birthday (wheee...) I'm thinking that maybe I'll find a shell, or something special while at our DH and have it framed in a little picture box. More sentimental than impressive, but I'm stumped. What am I going to do about birthdays and xmases for the rest of my life?? (Love the fact that its for the rest of my life, though!!)

Ooooh! Very fabulous!!

Okay, I'm a dork today. I'm reading these and getting all sniffly.

Hi Jessica! Don't worry, we've all been there and look at how many have survived to tell the tale!

Congratulations and welcome!

You guys are the bestest!!! I think I'll send you all the STDs and tell FMIL to stay home. Thanks for the positive feedback (and the money you're saving me by not having to go to group therapy)!! I really needed it today!

Hi Ladies! Need your opinion. I worked so hard to put together a mock up of my STDs, which FI asked me to show his parents. Their reaction was not what I was looking for... FMIL suggested that I send "something more appropriate." My teeth are still on edge... what is more appropriate than a passport for the STD for a DW? So, truth, please... what do you think? (note that we don't have a date or venue yet, so it's just a mock-up.)

Excellent idea!

Many congratulations! So exciting! Let us know how we can help.

The second trip for the TTD is a good idea if that's what you really want the photog for. But otherwise I agree with Tammy - unless the date is special, work with his open dates.

Well stated, Bre.

Your photos are stunning! Love the photos of the kids....

Sorry that the one you liked went under contract. Your agent really should have told you that someone was that interested. Something will come along, don't worry. The market is in your favor. A couple of thoughts on things that I'm doing to improve my position: (1) Find a contractor or architect that you like and can work with - if you need anything done, its better to have them lined up now. You don't want to have to go looking for someone after you've found the house or you'll lose precious days before you're comfortable making an offer. (2) Call your bank (or several banks) and get a letter of pre-approval for your mortgage. The ability to waive your financing contingency is an enormous asset should you ever find yourself competing against another buyer for the house of your dreams. Inability to get financing is one of the major reasons houses fall out of contract these days. Good luck! Let us know how it goes!

Serously, though... who does that? You have to wonder what goes through people's minds sometimes. And I'm sorry that your FILs are such a pain. And your FH deserves much better treatment than that... especially from his dad. You'd do right by pouring him some water when everyone else is having champagne. Just have the staff tell him he wasn't included in the headcount, so no bubbly. Oh, and another thought - don't make him a place card (if you're using them), just write his name on a piece of the notepad by the hotel phone and go with that. He'll get it...

That is outrageous! I wish you good luck getting it resolved!

I'm contemplating DT, too, and in July or August. Does anyone know if the chapel is air conditioned? If I'm doing the ceremony in the late afternoon/early evening, I'm afraid my guests might melt in the heat...

If you've found a guitarist, he probably has a list of songs he knows. These are the ones that will sound the best, so start from there - you may find that he has lots of things you like. If there's something specific you want, talk with him about it and see what he can do - usually, with a little time, they are happy to accomodate new pieces into their repertoire.

It does strike me as odd that people assume that you have a wedding as a massive gift-grab. FI and I are like you - we couldn't care less if people send a gift. The weirdest thing was my FSIL. Within 30 seconds of telling her we got engaged, she asked where we were registering so she could send a gift. (We'd been engaged for all of 5 days or something.) My standard response has been "that's very thoughtful of you, but isn't the reason we told/invited/etc. you"

But it does raise the question... do I order the size that will fit now, the size that I want to be for my wedding or the one that's in between? Auugh!

Welcome to the forum! And congrats on your nuptials!

Those are great! Well done!

Congratulations, ladies!!

I agree. Don't give business to a bad shop. Just... dont. Find other places and suggest them, and if your cousin still won't change, then tell her to pick a dress and you'll order yours from a different shop. You're not being difficult, you're just being pragmatic.