Opice34

So Lucy's name is Steph?? I'm so confused...

Look at the first tab in the attachment on this thread: http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t13912 I took that spreadsheet to all of my site visits...

Lucy - love your dress!! That's so pretty!! Celina - 325 people?! WOW! That will definitely be a party! All of ya'lls (sorry - I tried to avoid it but I don't know how else to say this sentence without a 'ya'll') plans for AHRs sound lovely! We are not planning on having one as part of the reason we're having a DW is to get away from the stress of planning a big affair. Except I'm going to have a "tea party" with my Grandma when I get back from the wedding because she can't come. All of her friends are coming over and we'll look at the pictures and the video. TODAY IS MY 6TH MONTH MARK!!!! YIKES!!!

Jessica - didn't you say once that you work at the Hyatt? I'd ask your banquet department for a copy of their standard contract. That way you could compare it to the Hilton contract and see if there is anything out of the ordinary...

Quote: Originally Posted by Jessica&Adam Soo...I got a response from Fernanda last night and it looks like we might get the date and venue we want! But she is not sure yet...but as soon as we find out, I want to sign a contract...I'm sooo excited, and I really hope she emails me back soon with good news. So now I have a few questions: 1. Opice, did she ever get back to you with band recommendations? When she does, could you post what she told you? I am in need of some good band ideas too! Sure - she mentioned Kinesis as a reception band and I'll attach the Hilton Music Menu. Quote: 2. Should I make sure that my reception location is stated in the contract? I'm just paranoid about her saying that I can have it and then something happens and I can't. Is it too much to ask that it be put in writing in our contract? Or is it supposed to be in there? It will probably be in the contract when she sends it to you. But yes, you should make sure that the spot you want is guaranteed in writing! Quote: 3. What else should I look out for in the contract? And what things should I make sure that is in the contract? Just make sure to read it carefully. I've found Fernanda and the Hilton to be very ethical and I don't think there is anything in there to be too conerned about. That being said, it's a good rule of thumb to make sure you read and understand every little word before you sign anything. If you have questions, just ask her. She was very patient and explained everything to me and I didn't feel pressure to sign. Quote: 4. How did y'all go about negotiating the contract - phone or email? Email. Get it in writing. And save all the emails just in case. Quote: 5. How did you get the insurance clause out of the contract - what is the best way to go about negotiating it? Just ask. I may have stumbled across this after (I think it was Kim?) said she had trouble with this piece of the contract. I did some research on this and couldn't find a US Insurance Company willing to insure a wedding in Mexico, and I couldn't find another hotel in Cancun that required insurance. So...I told them that and they took it out of the contract. It was pretty easy actually, so I'm thinking Kim may have paved the way for me. (I'm wondering if by the time it comes to you it will be removed as it seems like lots of people have pushed back on that. They may have taken it out all together.) Quote: 6. How much are everyone's group rates for double occupancy? (If you don't mind me asking!) This will change depending on the time of year you are going, so don't be concerned if some people have a lower rate than you. I didn't do any negotiating here. Maybe I could have, but the Hilton still gave me a cheaper rate than anywhere else, and I watched Fernanda put our dates in the computer and then tell me what the rate was. That gave me some confidence as it was clear that she wasn't just pulling a number out of the sky. We're going in the low season and double occ for a standard room is $139. Hope that helps! Hilton_Music_Entertainment_Menu.pdf

Oh, I am so, so sorry. My heart goes out to you and your family.

Love this idea!

Jessica - I'll PM you about the contract. Glad you met Petra! I love British accents, too! Yay! What other info are you waiting on from Fernanda? Is there anything I could send you? I didn't know about tipping until I read it somewhere else on this site, too! I had no idea! But she really does have to manage a lot of stuff and I'm sure they don't pay her very much.

Is anyone using Petra to officiate the wedding? Have you met her? This may sound like a weird question, but does she have a thick accent? I'm putting a lot of thought into our program and I want to make sure everyone can understand what is said!

Quote: Originally Posted by Yari Worked out with my trainer for 30 minutes. He made me run around the building a few times. He ran along with me and kept on yelling it takes 3500 calories to burn one pound. Nothing like some motivation. It takes 3500 calories to burn ONE POUND!?!? OMG that's depressing!

Quote: Originally Posted by froggie1013 I'm down 2.2 this week! Why are people upset with 1.5 and 2 pounds? That's a great weight loss for one week! You should be celebrating!!! TOTALLY AGREE!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by DanielleNDerek be careful. the dizziness is scarey. I don't want anything happening to my fellow November bride. your six month mark is tomorrow, how exciting!!! I know!!! I can't believe it!! Where does the time go?? Quote: Originally Posted by Denise40 I have lost almost 2#. Not much but it is a start. I would like to lose 5-10 before I leave on the 30th. Not sure if that will happen or not. I am going to give it my best shot. Good job everyone!! The totals are amazing for the 1st week. 2 pounds is perfect! That's good healthy weight loss! Way to go! Quote: Originally Posted by Yari I stayed the same. I am disappointed, but really shouldn't be. I drank a lot of margaritas last night and ate yummu fatty Mexican food. I am now eating a WW maple brown sugar oatmeal and decided that I am going to lose two pounds by next Wednesday! Congrats on everyone's loss so far. Yari - staying the same is great! ESPECIALLY with all of the temptations in front of you!!! Sounds like you didn't overdo it on the Mexican food, and that's great! Quote: Originally Posted by lucy106 I have lost 5.4 lbs, good but I know it is just the first week and it wont keep up like that, especially since I cant work out. We are all doing great! This is such an awesome program! I know I will probablly have a bad day coming up so cant expect the same results! 5.4lbs is AWESOME!!! That makes me feel better about mine! I was getting concerned! But it's incredible that you've done that without working out, too! You must be eating really well! Great job!

I was at a restaurant in Cancun and instead of mariachis walking around, it was two men...one playing a harp-like instrument and the other playing a small guitar. It was beautiful! I asked the waiter what it was called, and it sounded like he said Horachi? But I have no idea how to spell this. Has anyone heard of this? I'd like to use them for the cocktail hour, but I don't even know how to google it because I don't have the spelling correct!

Quote: Originally Posted by DanielleNDerek opice - wow 7 lbs is a lot, i know you've been working hard. that's really good. i'm glad that your being smart about. I've actually been trying to lose weight for a few months now and it had been happening very slowly until this week. (I've lost 12 pounds overall, but only 7 since we started this challenge.) I'm wondering if things just finally kicked in this week or something. I also changed up my diet quite a bit this week...I finally got my eating under control. (Except for one slip up last night.) But I don't think getting dizzy in the middle of workouts is a good thing. I've been making sure I get the right amount of carbs and protein at *almost* every meal, but maybe I was just pushing myself too hard in the workouts.

OMG - your figure is gorgeous and that mermaid cut of dress is so flattering on you! I vote #1 hands down. 1) I love sweetheart necklines and I think they are more flattering. (Just my personal opinion.) They look more feminine to me than the straight-across cut. 2) I love the hem detail on Dress #1. Very unique and just gorgeous!! You really can't go wrong! You look beatiful in all of them - but I love, love, love #1! It looks very similiar to a Justin Alexander dress I tried on...

Nice job Janet and Danielle! And you're right, 12 pounds would be GREAT! Jill - congrats on the linen pants!!! That's awesome!!! Have you been taking your measurements? That always helps me when the scale stops moving... So, I'm down 7 pounds this week. Yup - 7 pounds. I'm super excited as this is the lowest I've weighed in 4 years (when FI and I met), but 7 pounds in 1 week is a bit extreme! But I've been approaching this go around differently than I've ever approached a weight loss attempt so it seems to be working. I just hope it's not all water weight, because water weight comes right back! But I probably sweated out 3 pounds after my workout last night. I just took my measurements and I'm down 3 inches in my bust, 1.5 inches in my waist, and 2 inches in my hip/butt area. Of course the boobs are always the first to go... GRRR. They say healthy weight loss is about 2 pounds a week, so while I'm excited about this, I'm a bit concerned! But I've been killing myself in my workouts, so I'm glad it wasn't all for nothing! But I'm just going to start psychologically preparing for my inevitable plateau!

I just tried to do a search on symbolic ceremonies and couldn't come up with anything! We're looking to have a symbolic ceremony as well...I'd actually like to write the whole thing, but I'm not quite sure how to structure it. Would be interested if anyone else has a program from a symbolic ceremony!

Do you still have the original email you sent her? Maybe you could forward it back to her and tell her you just wanted to make sure she received it? Especially since your wedding is coming up in June, I'd think she'd be quicker to respond to those type of issues. I wonder if she just missed that email.

Oh Amy! I'm so sorry! I hate sports injuries - they throw such a kink in our workout plans! I know I've posted about 18 million times today and I promise I'll lay off tomorrow....but I just have to say that I did not follow any of my own tips tonight and I find it hilarious that I just posted them this afternoon. I went to my Pilates Jump class and had to stop halfway through because I was dizzy and thought I was going to throw up. (Seriously. This is THE. TOUGHEST. WORKOUT. EVER.) I got home and my body was seriously craving water and carbs/sugar. I drank a ton of water and inhaled tortilla chips and salsa. Then I had 4 of those Amy's Pizza Snacks things with a - gasp! - diet COKE! WTH? I don't know what just happened to me! I think my body was in emergency mode and there was no stopping it! None of this - take a break, drink some water and see if you're still hungy in 10 minutes crap! I was just inhaling! The good news is I'm not dizzy anymore. I'm not sure what happened. I always try to eat extra carbs for lunch on the days when I have that class because I know I'll need them. But I've been home for 1.5 hours and my clothes are still sopping wet with sweat. Blech. Off to a hot shower... I sure hope this doesn't affect my weigh-in tomorrow!

Thanks for the restaurant recommendations! We'll check them out in June! Yes, Fernanda has been slower than normal with me, too. I sent her an email over a week ago about band recommendations (and told her it was low priority) and haven't received a response yet. But on Monday, I sent her an email because some of my guests were trying to book online and were having trouble with the site, and she responded the same day. (It was really late at night though...she apparently works late!) I really do think she's good at prioritizing. Was your email an emergency? Also - what are you guys planning on tipping Fernanda? I saw another thread were someone said they plan to tip 10% of the total cost of the wedding and my mouth hit the floor. That would be a lot!!!! Have you guys thought about what you're going to give her?

Xandra - Wow - putting down your fork in between bites is a GREAT tip! I've never heard of that! Another one of my issues is eating when I'm at work or in a hurry. I'm usually running in between meetings and end up inhaling my food. It's so, so bad. Lemon is the best low fat seasoning there is! You just reminded me that I need to go buy some lemons! I'm off to my Pilates Jump (Cardio) class that whoops my rear-end... Wishing everyone a healthy dinner and a great weigh-in tomorrow!

I saw a preview for an upcoming What Not to Wear episode where a woman said "I want to be the prettiest woman at my wedding" and I thought "awww....I want to be the prettiest woman at my wedding, too!" This may be tough for me to do as my girlfriends and my mother are some of the most beautiful women I've ever seen, but I'd like to give it a shot! I had never thought about it that way! Hopefully my loving glow will help me look radiant no matter what! Anyway - I'm in pure motivation mode and I'm ready to do this. I think getting my dress helped! I'm ready to get rid of this extra baggage I've been carrying around!

Quote: Originally Posted by lucy106 Danactiv? Is that like a yogurt? I think I have heard of this. Yes, it's a probiotic drink that strengthen's your immune system. It attacks bacteria in your intestines (from what I understand) and eliminates it before it can create a cold or the flu. (But I'm not a doctor.) It's in the yogurt family and tastes yummy! DanActive: Help strengthen your body's defenses <--more info there Quote: Originally Posted by Maura omg i am soooooo sorry that i ate so much shitty food at the game last night. i am dearly paying for it today. i woke up feeling so sick. i couldnt do my colon cleanse routine this morning because i thought i was gonna barf. Awww...I'm sorry. That stinks. I hope you feel better soon! Quote: Originally Posted by Robyn Mumford It hasnt been a super week for me either. The only bonus is I am getting more exercise than usual, but still not good at curbing the eating. If I could just eat LESS then I truly believe weight would fall off of me. I have a problem with second helpings, large first helpings, and just eating too much of not too healthy food. Robyn - that is exactly my problem. I have so much trouble with portion control. I get really frustrated that it seems to be so easy for some people and I truly have to fight myself to stop eating. (My mom eats like a bird and is never hungry.) The only thing I've found to help with this is to drink a ton of water. Like so much that I feel like I might burst. That way I'm too full to eat any more. I've started getting small portions and then if I'm still hungry, I drink a huge glass of water, wait 10 minutes, and THEN if I'm still hungry, I'll let myself get a bit more. But usually after the water and waiting 10 minutes, I'm not hungry anymore. I've cut out sodas too. I don't know what it is, but I could be full, drink a soda, and then I'm hungry again. I don't know if it's the carbonation or what, but no more sodas for me! Portion control and french fries. Those are my vices. Also - I heard somewhere that it takes your stomach 30 minutes to tell your brain that it's full. That's why it's better to eat slower and take breaks. (Again - no idea if this is true - could be an old wive's tale or something.)

Maura - there's no way I could go to baseball game and not have a hot dog either. Anyone been to a game in San Francisco?? I just can't get out of there without eating the garlic fries. They might be the best thing every created. But the best part about baseball games is the food! Xandra - Way to go on skipping the Chinese food for the Haddock and rice and veggies! I'm impressed! I'm using you as my inspiration for dinner tonight and I'm going to make something super healthy! Not sure what yet, but it'll be good! Weigh in is tomorrow! Yikes!

Goodness Yari - I don't think I could handle all of those temptations in front of me! I'm impressed! I once poured a glass of water over the chips when I was at a Mexican restaurant just to make sure I wouldn't eat them. And - ha - I still found myself debating how good even a soggy chip would taste. I really have no willpower, so if it's in front of me, I have to destroy it so I won't eat it. I weighed myself this morning (I know we're not supposed to weigh every day, but I can't help it) and I weigh less than I have in 4 years! What's crazy is that I still have tons of fat to grab onto. I'm talking handfulls of it. I'm not sure how I let myself get this far out of shape! I still have a long way to go before my family and friends can see me in a bikini! For those of you who are, ahem, *stopped up*....have you tried Danactiv? I have always had a problem in that area and now I drink a Danactiv every morning and I'm like clockwork. It's actually my breakfast and it's only 90 calories. I drink that and then I drink a TON of water between breakfast and lunch. (I don't subscribe to the 'eat breakfast to get your metabolism running' philosophy. I tried and it doesn't work for me. I just end up eating more throughout the day.) For those of you who are having a rough time - TODAY IS A NEW DAY!!! You can always scratch the old and start anew! Let's do this!