AmandaR

I made programs, but I didn't consult with Sandals first, so they're probably out of order. I'll find it and see if it matches what's in my wedding video and post.

Our wedding was very intimate - we only invited our immediate families, so we had a total or 8 guests. We stayed at a Sandals resort for our entire trip, and our families stayed at a Beaches, and came to our resort for the wedding and reception. We kept things very simple, but opted for a few ceremony and reception upgrades, and still did the traditional first dance and father/daughter dances. We kept things simple by not taking suitcases full of OOT bag stuff. Instead we made small OOT bags and gave them out a couple of weeks before the wedding. We also didn't do a lot of DIY projects that we or our guests had to truck down to Jamaica. I made programs and that was it. Bottom line is that our wedding was simple and beautiful, and because we didn't have to worry about putting together OOT bags at the resort, delivering OOT bags at the resort, or making sure we didn't go over our baggage limit bc we packed DIY projects and wedding decorations, we were able to thoroughly enjoy every minute before AND after our wedding.

I upgraded my bouquet to a mix of roses and gerbera dasies - the WC said she received tons of compliments as she was bringing it up to my room! The upgraded bouquet was a gift from my parents.

I had my hair and make-up done at the resort and I LOVED my hair, and ended up loving my make-up once I toned down the lipstick and eyeliner back in my room. I'd recommend getting hair and make-up done there - just ask them to go light on the eyeliner - especially if you don't usually wear any! Also, allow plenty of time. It took me 2.5 hours to get my hair and make-up done.

I say go for it!!! I think we all have those things that we splurged on for our weddings, and just how many people do you know that have gotten married in Jamaica, let alone had a steel drum band play at their reception?!?

It's definitely one of those movies you can watch over and over and not get sick of. I actually bought the DVD for $5 at Wal-mart a few years back, so now I'm spoiled and don't have to wait for it to be on TV

What a great thread! I work in Human Resources as a Recruiter and love what I do - every day is different, and there's great satisfaction in knowing that I have recruited a candidate for a hard to fill position, or just made a job offer to a candidate who was out of work through no fault of their own. In an ideal world, I would still do my day job, but also run a resume writing/critiquing business and write articles for HR publications.

We had a live musician for the processional; however, it was my brother who is an awesome trumpet player, so it was free! Otherwise we used recorded music.

I heard this song in the tanning salon the other day and immediately thought of all the BDW ladies getting hitched in Mexico and other Spanish speaking countries. It would make a terrific first dance song. Here's a link to the video on YouTube: http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6WjGKmomXE

Quote: Originally Posted by hollisandsteph Hehe... Me either Amanda! The sad thing is we sat the next night in the middle of the bed eating the left over cake they sent with us. It was pretty funny and totally us. I wish I had someone to take pictures of us doing it...lol I hear ya! We had it on our table right next to the door out to the balcony, and I was sneaking in bites every time I walked by! Mmmmm, nothing like wedding cake and a Red Stripe!

I have trouble sleeping when DH is out of town. He is out of town for most of the week every few weeks for his job. It stinks, but it also helps us to appreciate the time we are together so much more!

It looks like a great time! I love the cake pops idea!

I'm sorry to hear about your time apart. I think a lot of couples with now solid relationships go through those patches. DH and I were apart for a month before we got engaged and it was the strangest month of our lives. When we were going through the separation (my doing), I always remembered that everything happens for a reason, and in the end we would be better people because of it whatever the final outcome.

I think it's a terrific idea to take something with you to at least help alleviate any symptoms. UTI's aren't fun when you're at home, and they're certainly not fun on your honeymoon!

It's amazing how real those flowers look - I love it!

As a sidenote - the cakes are yummy! We opted for vanilla because it seemed the most weddingish flavor and it was amazing, but then again, I don't discriminate when it comes to baked goods...

I don't know about MN law, but you shouldn't have to pay $$$ to change your name due to marriage. We were legally married in PA before our DW and our PA marriage certificate doesn't have a name change line, but I have had zero problems changing my name. My thought is that the ee's at the Registrar's office don't really know what they're talking about. I would call your local Social Security Office and find out what the rules are in your state. In PA, I just needed to show my marriage certificate sans new name line, and that was fine.

Quote: Originally Posted by JennyK Congrats!! Being an aunt is so much fun bc you can always give them back at the end of the day! hehe j/k It's a blast. I second that statement! Whenever I get a touch of baby fever, I just offer to have DH and I watch my year and half old niece, and the feeling disappears! She's adorable, but we're just not ready for that right now.

I'm one of those people who actually works year round - haha! So, I'll be enjoying my weekends as much as possible. I have a girls only trip planned to Atlantic City the end of July, but probably won't go out of town otherwise since we just spent $$$ on our wedding/honeymoon!

You don't necessarily have to wear white to your legal wedding. DH and I just dressed up a tad, but I was still in pants.

I'm putting in my plug for Sandals. We stayed and were married at Sandals Grande Ocho Rios, and our guests stayed at nearby Beaches Boscobel. We had a terrific experience!

I say do what works best for you. You're probably insanely busy right now with preparations for the wedding and no one is going to expect a thank you before then. My mom got me a notebook at my shower where you write the gift giver's name, gift, and can check a box when a thank you has been sent. This was incredibly helpful for me. I appreciate all the gifts, but don't have time to sit down right then and there and write a thank you. Now that the shower thank you's and first round of wedding gift thank you's are complete, I plan on writing them on a weekly basis as we get gifts. It's much easier for me to write out a group of them than one here and there.

I think overall there's mixed reviews about the Sandals photography. Personally, DH and I had a terrific experience and a beautiful album to boot. I have some pictures posted on this thread http://http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t21875 I'm not sure about whether you can get black or white, but I imagine you can for more $$$.

We included our logo on our wedding announcements, which I can proudly say were ordered, delivered, and mailed to friends and family within a month of the wedding