kevsgirl

I am on contract at a non-profit, so I'm super excited about getting medical coverage under FI's plan this July!!!

FI makes nearly 2x what I make. With his bonus and extra cash for working the support phone (IT) he'll definitely make more, but that's not regular. He works for a software company as a project manager and has been at the same firm for 9 years. He's not super happy with the job. I think both of us wish we could just start over doing something completely different. We may do that eventually, but now's not a good time!

Nothing yet... I'm loving some of the J Crew options though. I'll post a few in a minute. Someone asked where I found my dress: It's a cute little boutique downtown called the Cedar Closet. It's on Bank and Lisgar, I think. It's upstairs and looks rundown,but is so cute and cozy. And I swear, I wanted to try on almost every second dress I looked at! And I'm a bit picky! Definitely go try the place out. Also, you don't need reservations to go - just show up!

I'm a researcher, working for a non-profit agency in Resource Development. I do prospecting for business development and major gifts. I make a little over $40K. I have a Master's in Medieval Studies and did 3.5 years of a PhD as well, but didn't complete it. I think I'd like to become a jeweller and open my own shop.

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone! No decisions yet. I haven't bought my dress yet and I'm waiting on comments from my sisters and my mother. I think she is going to sew the dresses, so she'll have to find a similar pattern and then we'll have to choose the colours and the fabrics. PLUS, my middle sister is in Australia and so is my mom (they both live there and are citizens) and my little sister is about to go to Europe. Ahhhh!!! It's hard coordinating details with family all over the world...

Oops! You can tell I'm new here I would have thought that if it were a symbolic ceremony you could have them say whatever you want! Good luck figuring it out... Andrea

That's so weird... we got our script from our hotel (Shangri-La Caribe in Playa del Carmen) and it's got stuff about "as the great philosopher said...". It's totally different from yours, but also not the greatest. Is yours going to be in Spanish? Ours will be, so in a way I don't mind so much about what it says. The important parts will be the "do you___ take ____ to be your..." and our vows to eachother. I asked if we could both say a few words during the ceremony and we can. BUT we can't alter what the judge reads, because that is what makes our ceremony legal. Let us know what you find out!

xandrafaye - totally, go try it on! It's so comfortable and really gorgeous Teachergirl: Thanks for the suggestion. I've just cut and copied about 5 styles to my facebook so that my sisters can look at them! J Crew has awesome options. They are perfectly inbetween (not too fancy, not too summer dressy). Thanks! They are super pricey for us though, so I hope my mother can figure out a pattern that resembles them.

Trying to post the photo again:

Peter Phillips and Autumn Kelly leave St. George's Chapel after their wedding yesterday. The couple met in 2003 at the Montreal Grand Prix, when he worked for the Formula One racing team BMW Williams and she worked at the BMW hospitality suite. At first, she had no idea her new boyfriend was the Queen's grandson. A truly Canadian royal affair: 'Down-to-earth' Montrealer weds Queen's grandson in ceremony at Windsor Castle Peter O'Neil - The Ottawa Citizen - Sunday, May 18, 2008 WINDSOR, England - "Down-to-earth" Canadian beauty Autumn Kelly, after marrying uncontroversial, rugby-playing royal Peter Phillips yesterday, dazzled what few members of the public were allowed glimpses of the mostly private royal wedding. The newlyweds, under a light rain in a horse-drawn carriage, passed by two dozen Brownies who were among a small group allowed inside the Windsor Castle walls to watch the post-wedding procession. The carriage was taking them from the 15th-century St. George's Chapel, location of the remains of royals from King Henry VIII to the Queen Mother, to the reception at the Frogmore House retreat on the Windsor Castle grounds. The young girls, waiving paper Canadian flags and Union Jacks, saw royalty in the bride's radiant smile, even though her new husband, the first grandson of the Queen, has no title and is a distant 11th in line from the throne. "She's so pretty! She would make a good princess and a good queen," Lauren Decent, 9, later said. "Are you her dad?" she asked the reporter trailing her Brownie pack. "You sound Canadian." Carol Thirkell and her husband, both retired, were also enthused about the newest member of the Royal Family -- and the only Canadian. They shrugged off some coverage in the London media suggesting that Ms. Kelly and the 70 wedding invitees from Ontario, New Brunswick, and the bride's home town of Pointe Claire, Que., would be of a lesser social "calibre" than the groom's 230 guests that included a who's-who of British aristocracy. "I have no problem with Autumn. We love Canada. They're good people," Ms. Thirkell said as she stood outside the palace entrance, hoping to catch a glimpse of royalty. The bride was wearing a tiara, loaned to her by her new mother-in-law, Princess Anne, and a necklace and earrings that were wedding gifts from her husband. Walking up the chapel steps with her father, Brian Kelly, and flanked by bridesmaids in sage-green dresses, she wore an ivory silk satin gown with "a strapless, empire bodice in beaded Chantilly lace with an opulent A-line skirt," as described by Sassi Holford, the dress designer. Ms. Holford, who stood beaming near the entrance to the chapel when the bride arrived in a maroon Bentley, told reporters she designed the "understated" gown to be consistent with the personality of a young woman of working-class roots who served pints at a pub to support herself through university. "It wasn't intimidating (working with the bride on the design) because she is such a down-to-earth person." The couple, both 30, received a roar of applause from guests at the church before posing after the ceremony for reporters on the chapel steps. They stood with Mr. Phillips' grandparents, the Queen and Prince Philip, as well as Princes Charles and his wife Camilla, Prince Harry, and other Royal Family members. The mood was relaxed. The Queen and Prince Philip chuckled after a brief private exchange, and at one point a smiling Harry stepped forward for no apparent reason to give each of his grandparents a French-style double-cheek peck. While the bride dutifully smiled for the cameras, there appeared to be almost no attempt to play to them. The low-key approach, in keeping with the couple's attempt to maintain privacy as much as possible, made the event appear somewhat anti-climactic. While several hundred members of the public stood outside the Windsor Castle gates, many had no idea the wedding was taking place and some were annoyed that the grounds were closed to visitors. "For a royal wedding it was a bit flat," said veteran royal-watcher Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty Magazine. Media and public attention ahead of the ceremony appeared fixated on two guests. There is a buzz surrounding Kate Middleton, the on-again girlfriend of Prince William, son of Prince Charles and the late Diana, Princess of Wales, because she was acting as her boyfriend's stand-in at the ceremony. Prince William was previously committed to attend a wedding in Africa. Ms. Middleton's role is viewed as an indication that "Waity Katie" -- her nickname based on the assumption she's anticipating a royal wedding of her own -- is edging closer to becoming a princess. There is also growing fascination over the presence of Chelsy Davy, the girlfriend of Diana's youngest son Harry. She was to be introduced yesterday to the Queen for the first time. That was being viewed by feverish royal-watchers as a sure sign the Royal Family takes the relationship seriously. Four twenty-something, unmarried British women, on a giddy 50-minute train ride from London to Windsor yesterday, said tabloids and the public have little interest in Mr. Phillips. "He hasn't done anything suitably lairy to get the tabloids' attention," said Kate Melson, a 26-year-old London graphic designer, using a British expression to describe the behaviour of a drunken loudmouth. "The only reason I know about it was because of Chelsy Davy, that she's going to meet the Queen." But Ms. Melson said she is impressed a member of the Royal Family is marrying a "commoner" from Canada. "It shows that they're doing it for the right reasons, and that's nice." The couple met in 2003 at the Montreal Grand Prix, when he worked for the Formula One racing team BMW Williams and she worked at the BMW hospitality suite. He was determined to woo her on his own terms and did not initially tell her of his royal lineage. She has said she found out she was dating a royal when she saw him on a television program about his cousin Prince William. With files from Citizen News Services Online: Photos 'She's so pretty' To see a gallery of photos from Autumn Kelly's wedding to Peter Phillips, plus videos and more coverage

Thanks! I can't wait to order it and get some pics of me in it The BM dresses are: 1 and 2: from After 6/Dessy Collection 3: Watters and Watters 4: Raylia Designs. Oh and my dress is Alfred Sung Destination collection And it's under $500! It's really pretty - not lacy looking like the picture, but more composed of all sorts of little pearls and beads, etc. It's fairly heavy, but extremely easy to get into and wear. It just zips up the back. I think I might have to pretend to need help getting into it. LOL!

So I am 90% of my dress. I just have to go back and try it on and order it. Here it is!!! The great thing about it (other than the fact that I'm in love with it!) is that I'm really short (about 5'2") and so it is completely different than on this model (duh!). What I mean is that instead of hanging to the ground, the lace in back actually ends up being a sweep train and it goes a bit lower in front too, showing less leg. I won't have to hem it at all! Woohoo! I think that will be a first. Now, to find the BM dresses... my 2 sisters will be my BMs and my mother has offered to sew the dresses. Here are some options that I've come up with. My concern is obviously that I don't want their dresses to be too formal or evening, because the wedding is at 3:30 and my dress is a little less formal. Also, we'll be barefoot on the beach What do you think of the following options? Are they too dressy? My favorite, but I don't think it really goes with my dress: One that I think suits it best: Other inspirations:

We met July 27th 2007 and were engaged on March 1, 2008. I guess that's about 7 months? I moved in after 2.5 months. We'll be married after knowing eachother for a little under a year and a half. It's weird how quickly it can all happen. I was engaged before and it was 5 years into the relationship. The engagement lasted just less than a year. This time 'round, I told FI that when I next get engaged, I mean business!

It's weird - I was completely resistant to having a wedding party, because I never saw the point. And our wedding is going to be very small, with so far about 8 people confirmed. I figure 20 max. Anyway, what happened was the other weekend I was thnking about how excited my 2 sisters are about the whole thing and I realized it would be really nice to have them as my MOHs or BMs. My little sister lives in the same city as me, but my other sister lives in Australia. We haven't been all together for years. It's going to be a really fun time, I think and we're all looking forward to it. Plus, they're both the type of people who are very considerate of things like making sure my eyebrows are combed (LOL!) and the veil is straight. And it's making them even more excited. So in a way, I chose more for them than me. But since it's a DW and they're definitely coming, the only thing that changes really is gettig them both some small bouquets. Oh and my mother has already offered to make their dresses, so ...

Congratulations and welcome! That's awesome that you are able to make a site visit. I'm sure it'll help a lot with your decision. We had to make ours based on TripAdvisor and other web surfing. It's not easy! Have a great trip and let us know what you decide on! Andrea

Your post cracks me up! I'm totally the same way -overplanner, major researcher, etc. FI (I think) thinks I'm crazy, but would never admit it. It's a great little booklet. I know I'd read it if I were going! Thanks for the template! A

Congratulations! You're really on the ball already! I'm sure you'll have a great time planning through this board

Congratulations, Kerry! There's a lot of Dreams info on the board - it'll be really helpful if you're not able to go down there to scout it out yourselves. andrea

Welcome, Aimee!

Welcome, Maggie and congratulations!!! Can't wait to hear your news of your scouting trip

Boo! Sometimes, I don't like being up in Canada. Loooove Target deals

Welcome, Ashley! I'm fairly new too and this board is increadible for DIY ideas and support, etc.

Welcome, Tamara and congrats!

Congrats, Lorani! Coming up soon, isn't it

Welcome, Natasha! Los Cabos is beautiful!