ashrose

Oops! Forgot one of the pictures! Here's the back of the dress.

 

Need to find me a size 10 gal to model the dress so I can see what it looks like on an actual person. I'll be a size 10 soon enough!

 

Hey Ladies! I've been around for a long time... fiance and I had to move our wedding to an unknown date. Recently, I got super bored of not having anything wedding related to do, so I bought a dress from www.peridress.com on a whim. What's more, I bought it several sizes smaller than I currently am ... but I'm ok with that. Thought I'd throw out some pics... Inspiration dress is Amy Michelson's Grace (http://www.amymichelson.com/popup_grace.html). The dress looks fairly similar to the inspiration pictures... so I am pretty pleased with how it turned out. Now I don't know what to do with my time anymore .

 

Here's a few pics of the dress:

 

 

 

 

I was hoping the under lining would be a bit of a nude color instead of the ivory color of the dress, but I figure if I really want that changed, I can order another... other than that... it seems like a fair great replica. Dress quality seems study... communication was decent with peridress... they do not provide any kind of progress pictures or updates -- like I said, this was on a whim.

You girls are the best! I'm at 67/100 so I'm definitely getting closer. I really appreciate your honesty and willingness to fill it out. I think the project is going to shape up nicely.

 

THANK YOU SO MUCH!! I'm halfway to my 100 minimum goal. It's not too late to take it if you haven't!

 

I will definitely share the results with everyone -- the project is slated to be done by June. A quick sneak peak...

 

My prelim results show that MOST people are super stressed out about planning their weddings and are spending over 50 hours agonizing over the details. They also find that figuring out how to translate their vision within their timeframe and budget is fairly difficult. Tradeshows, magazines, and workshops don't appear to be the best use of details planning dollars.

 

What I am more interested in after the results of the survey is the brides who have taken workshops or event planning classes to help plan their wedding. I want to know what was covered in the workshops, how much they cost, and why they weren't helpful. If anyone is in that category I'd love to chat with you directly (send me a PM).

 

I'm working on producing something similar to a workshop - but not in the traditional sense. I'd agree that most classes and whatnot don't help much... and that you can get that information from books and articles. What I am convinced of, however, is that the industry has a huge gap. Anyone can get a book on traditions, ettiquette and to-dos... but those aren't what make a wedding. I'm convinced that brides spend 50+ hours agonizing over details because the information they have doesn't help them cut through all that and really hone in on a clear vision from the beginning.

 

I'm looking to combine the planning processes of project management (boring, I know) with the artsy creative side of event planning.

 

What it is going to look like, I'm not quite sure yet. Ha. Definitely not like the current unhelpful things... that's for sure.

 

Also... I have to make the project generic for stateside bride for my prof, but after the class I'm going to really be digging in for destination brides - that is where my heart is at and I think I can definitely make an impact.

 

So thats my sneak peak -- and you guys have all been a part of that! Thank you!

Hey Ladies,

 

So aside from being a bride and trying to plan my own wedding (I'm really hoping we can go destination again - stupid economy), I am an event planning student at a community college near Seattle. I'm in my final quarter and decided to tackle the wedding planning industry for my final project.

 

In the long run, I'm hoping to develop a free resource to help brides know how to wade through ALL the information out there.

 

Could you take 5 minutes and fill out my survey so I know where to focus my research and how to frame the project? My professor wants at least 100 responses so I can have a statistically valid data pool.

 

Wedding Planning 101 Survey

 

Thank you so much!

Oh Lordy... its been a while since I posted this topic.... and I wish, 6 months later, that I had a better understanding of how to include the ladies in the day.

 

I'm really leaning towards having a neuter party - I have some guy friends that I was really super close to before my FI an I got together... they really did a good job of protecting my heart and treating me like a sister. And while we know that's what they did, I still can't get over the fact that it would appear that I have best friends who are male (which is NOT what we want to portray)... though it would allow him to have his sisters be his supporters (he doesn't have a ton of man friends).

 

Other things I've thought through include the fact that there are several jobs in a wedding:

 

Usher, Greeter, Reader, Singer, Communion Server

 

Could his sister's do those things?

 

Could his sisters walk him down the aisle? You could even have them get matching dresses - maybe in one of your contrasting colors. I've thought about doing this and only have the maid of honor/best man stand up there with us during the ceremony.

 

Could you have his sister's "host" one of the parties? I thought about having his sisters host the cocktail hour -- let them pick out the apps or at least have a big say in it... and then do something special to honor them... and they can give sisterly toasts to thier brother/the couple.

 

 

One of the major things I've been thinking about is... why do people want to be in the bridal party anyway? I'm not talking about friends who love you... but the other people. Why? It comes at a higher cost and it comes with way more responsibility. Plus, you end up in a ton of pictures wearing an outfit you likely wont get to pick. At the reception you have duties and are likely forced to sit with the bridal party instead of a group of friends/family you may be more comfortable with. There are so many bridesmaid horror stories that I just don't get why someone who doesn't love you would want to be one of your bridesmaids.

 

I understand the point that it is the sister's who love the groom. But seriously - I don't think anyone questions that at a wedding... and quite frankly, the most attention I pay to the bridal party during a wedding is to look at their dresses/hairstyles and how it complements the decor....and to look at their names and relationship to the couple. After that... its all about the couple.

 

Problem is... who wants to be the bridezilla who says "gosh, I know you only are throwing a fit about this because you want attention and you want to make this day about you ... but I just want to remind you that while we love you, the day is about us making a committment to each other. Simmer down and take a seat in the audience."

 

Bunch of random thoughts, I know... but I've been thinking about this for about 6 months.

Thanks for all the tips...

 

Everyone knows it is a DW. As soon as we decided on DW, we picked a date 18 months out and told our closest friends and family... then a few months after that we had an engagement party and reminded them... so its not like it is going to blindside anyone.

 

People are just getting kinda ansy about booking (my aunt already booked on her own) which makes me ansy about not giving them the opportunity to book.... and in order for that we need to get the contract signed with our deposit.

 

We've been barely skating by on unemployment... my "pay" was cut in half going on unemployment - leaving me just enough for some of my bills and then I went through a series of 3 bad roomates in a row who stole about 2500 dollars from me in total (which was my wedding money). So yeah... we are at the square root of nothing right now.

 

2 months you say? Ok. 2 months it is.

Oh wonderful ladies of BDW... its been a whirlwind couple of months. I had taken a break on wedding planning because it hurt way too much to even dream about it. Between a possible lack of funds for a wedding and the very really possibility of breaking up completely, my FI and I have just been way in over our heads.

 

I have a question. We're now 6 months out from our DW. We've been planning a DW since last year around this time... so we've had the blessing of a long time to plan and save.

 

But as of today, nothing has gone our way in terms of finances... with both of us laid off, our parents refusing to help, and our small business not quite at the level we had visioned, we just flat out don't have the money. FI keeps telling me to keep the faith and hold on - he says we have plenty of time to get the money (apparently he plans on quickly growing our business).

 

So what do we do? How late is too late to book the hotel and allow our guests to book? I mean... we have the date, time, and gazebo reserved at the resort... and I've come really close to booking the room block. But we just don't quite have the money for a full deposit yet... and I'm feeling totally irresponsible about not being able to send out our save the dates with information about booking.

 

Advice?

Hi Moon Palace brides! I haven't been around in a while but was thinking about you... We can't wait for February... eep! It's coming so fast.

I hope this is in the right spot...

 

One of my friends asked me today about doing the group booking thing at Palace Resorts and I thought I'd see if any of you have ever heard of this being done.

 

We're getting married at Moon Palace. Because it is one of the Palace Resorts, there are benefits (free nights, free functions) on the line if our guests book under our group contract. Some of our guests are not too keen on the idea of Moon Palace and have wondered about the other Palace resorts in the area. Since they have "sister resort" privillages... they wont have to pay for a day pass and they'll be able to get the experience that they want. I'm fine with that. Let's just send my step mom to the farthest resort away. Maybe in Cabo. Yes, I realize its on the other side of Mexico... Anyway, I'm inclined to want to encourage, suggest, beg that they stay at moon palace so we can get those group booking benefits.

 

However...

 

The question is... has anyone ever heard of a resort offering the group benefits for their whole system of resorts... ie: book 25 rooms at any of the Palace Resorts in Cancun and qualify for the group benefits.

 

Is this ever done (at palace resorts or anywhere) or is it just a good idea that remains as one of those "gee, that would be fantastic" ?

I agree with Betsy... we are having the same issue with people wanting to stay at another resort.

 

It really isn't worth it when they figure in the transportation and the day pass. We are recommending that folks stay 3-4 days at the resort and then go somewhere else (like their timeshare) if they want something "cheaper"

So I decided I want fire dancers... and I did a search for threads about them... and it sounded like a no go but the thread kind of died.

 

Has anyone talked with the resort about fire dancers? What was the result?

I voted! Good luck!

Yeah... I chose not to get married in Jamaica for the exact reason -- I wanted to fly someone in to officiate and wanted them to actually pronounce us man and wife....

 

We'll just visit Jamaica later I suppose.

GOOD NEWS!!!

 

I contacted Landy Bridal and they are going to design/create something similar for about $180 including postage!

 

I'm so wicked excited to see the dress in person.

 

We're going to probably order it next month some time - just waiting on our income source to stabilize for a little while.

So my photographer doesn't call them "trash the dress" sessions for that exact reason... it kind of freaks people out. She has aptly named them "extreme bridal" sessions... and she explains that the concept is to get great images without worrying about getting the dress dirty.

 

I hope that helps... My FMIL freaked out when we tried to explain it to her... I'm lucky, I guess, since my mom died when I was young and I don't give a flying flip what my step mom thinks. We just decided that talking to FMIL about TTD was just a bad idea. Instead, I decided that I can just avert the conversation to china patterns. She likes talking about China patterns.

 

Good luck!

That's so beautiful and was put together so well.

Oh wow... your pictures are stunning! What a gorgeous dress.

Thank you thank you for posting pictures! I've been dying to see pictures from inside the chapel gazebo... and was curious where the horse and carriage dropped the bride off. I love the pictures of you and your dad walking across the bridge.

So you said 1st installment on photobucket... does that mean we get more gorgeousness?

Hey Sarah... I noticed that you were sitting at a long table. Did the rest of your reception sit at a long tables? Were they an extra cost?

 

Miami told me that the round tables are the only ones that are "included" - but I've seen a couple brides on here with long tables. I have a beautiful long table design but I need to know if going forward with that design is going to cost me beaucoup when I get to the resort.

 

Most hotels offer both ... just curious what MP did.

We are doing a white party for our welcome dinner. I've seen some weddings where all the guests wear white and it looks really cool in photos... I just think I'd go bridezilla myself if it was for the ceremony, but for the welcome dinner - I'm all for it.

leogurl - the last rates I was quoted for Feb 2010 were higher than 300 a night for double occ (unless you mean less than 300 a night per person - then you would be golden).

 

I'm trying to get new rates to see if they lowered them ... I'm hoping that they lowered rates becuase of the continued decline in economy... but I'm not holding my breath.

leogurl - the last rates I was quoted for Feb 2010 were higher than 300 a night for double occ (unless you mean less than 300 a night per person - then you would be golden).

 

I'm trying to get new rates to see if they lowered them ... I'm hoping that they lowered rates becuase of the continued decline in economy... but I'm not holding my breath.

Carly! I love the dress too!

 

Yeah the dress is definitely not in my price range, but I am going to see if I can find someone who can make something similar. I don't want my girls to have to pay more than $150 for a dress... I think that dress is so expensive because it is 100% silk and... is technically a couture party dress.

 

I'm pretty sure I could find a girl on Etsy to make a cuff similar for me.

 

Aye. Big dreams.

It is way, way, way wicked expensive.

 

Check it out:

 

 

Detail of the rose pleat at the bottom:

 

 

 

Oh, and here's the jewelry:

 

 

 

So the dress is a Carmen Marc Valvo Couture and is $1870. BUT SOOO pretty.

Flower Pleat Dress*-* Neiman Marcus

 

And the cuff is Rodrigo Otazu for $440

Rose Cuff Bracelet*-* Neiman Marcus

 

Oh man... I know that I have expensive taste... but this is really going over the top...

I have to agree with Jacilyn on the question of ethics.

 

Designers get paid big money because they have built a brand around themselves. The reality is, when someone purchases a Vera Wang, they aren't purchasing a "dress" - they are purchasing couture, fabulous, sexy, stunning. They are also purchasing the right to say "I got married in Vera Wang."

 

By purchasing a knock off from china, I am saying, "take a look at this picture, can you do something super close to this?" I don't want a brand name, I want a look... and that's because for my dress, I don't want to buy the rights to say "my dress is from so and so."

 

I'm buying a custom made dress that looks like one I saw in a picture. Kind of like taking a picture to the salon and saying "make me look like this."