Chanti

We'll be hiring caterers for an afternoon BBQ at our place, nothing fancy.

I don't think I can go with Jeweler's Mutual since they don't seem to cover Canada! Any Canadians out there with suggestions? Thanks!

I'm wearing white Birkenstock sandals under my dress. I was going to go barefoot then a friend pointed out that the sand will be HOT!!! I think I'll get cute little heeled sandals for the reception.

Welcome, fellow Torontonian :-)

I feel it would be letting go of my identity/culture, to change my last name. Also, I am French-Canadian, and in my culture we tend to keep our own last names (although not everyone does!), to the extent that in Québec (Canada's mainly francophone province), you are not allowed to change last names just because you get married. The THIRD reason is that while my last name is French, his is Flemish and no one knows how to pronounce it. The FOURTH reason is that because of my profession, it is impossible at this point to change my name. So my solution is to just add his last name to my "official" name (which is long to start off with, having 2 middle names, my first name and last name!), and keep all my current ID/certificates/etc... That way, when we have kids, we'll all share the same last name and I get to keep mine which will remain the most used one for myself. He's happy with that now, after much discussion, since initially he was disappointed that I would not give up my name althogether.

Just bought it through amazon.ca! Am excited to receive it. I also got Shiva Rea's Vignasa Flow Yoga workout, apparently it's also a good one!

Prairiegirl, I just found out about MyRegistry.com - All Stores One Registry ®, where you can set up a registry including cash gifts!!! I am exactly in the same position as yourself, both of us being in our mid-30's and now having a duplicate of every kitchen appliance, piece of furniture, etc... one can possibly think of! We would like cash to put toward a downpayment on a house, and through this web site I believe that it will be possible.

This is amazing! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! Making me more and more excited to be there in less than 6 months! Also, I know Cecilia is very busy, having these documents so close at hand will facilitate my task without bothering her as often.

Yay, thanks for the encouragement!!! As soon as the unpacking is done with my 50 boxes and furniture arriving, I will get back on track!

Argh, have done no formal excercise since my last post about 1 month ago. Does installing laminate flooring all day in our home-reno hell count?? My things and butt have been killing me for days... My furniture is moving into my FI's house (I guess mine too now!) on Thursday, so for the next 2 evenings we will be reorganizing all his furniture to accomodate mine. I suppose that will be a work-out in and of itself! I will get back on track: I got the Jillian Michaels Wii fitness game, which is pretty disappointing based on reviews but I have yet to try it. Anyone here tried it? I also have the Wii Fit, so I can start that up again. On the up-side, I only gained 1.5 lbs during the holidays! I really made a conscious effort to NOT eat too many sweets. So I still have 10 lbs to lose, with less than 6 months to go... Is it possible??

Soooo sweet!!! We will be doing this "how we met" story-thing too and I'm looking forward to reading my FI's version!!

gossip girl, which company insures your ring? i am also in toronto and looking to do the same. mine got appraised 4 times more than FI paid for it and i'm really scared of losing it before it gets insured!!!

Thanks for sharing, this is great!! I'm all about lists :-)

Carly, thanks for the great suggestion RE: MyRegistry.com - All Stores One Registry ®!!! I just checked it out and that is likely the route we will take, being in the same position as BeautifulBridetoBe. My FI and I are both in our mid-30's and have been on our own each for 15 years. We already have 2 of everything, since we just moved in together, and cash will be the most beneficial gift, for a house downpayment :-)

Thank you vgirl17!!! Didn't realize it's actually called an avatar and not a profile pic...

Oh, so the pics I see of all the other members are the Avatar picture? Should I upload that differently than profile pic? Yes, I mean the one that shows up on the left side of the screen, right under the member's name...

I downloaded a pic from my computer, not sure what the HTML code or BB code mean... :-(

What am I doing wrong? Any help will be greatly appreciated!

EXACTLY!!! I had a big huge wedding here already when I was much too young, and it was a really stressful, unpleasant experience. Mind you, the whole mariage was a disaster from the start, so that may have coloured my view of it, but still... My fiancé and I felt a DW would help minimize stress and the amount of work necessary to prepare for it, while allowing us more time to enjoy each other and our engagement :-)

Thanks girls! I know I'll want to wear them again and again for special occasions so it was worth the investment :-)

$30 000 for grad school loans is really not bad, I agree with Bridget810. After 8 years of postgrad studies I had a $105000 debt to deal with, and this is despite working throughout my studies :-( I think it is not a bad financial decision to have your dream wedding and end up with $30 000 in loans!

Yay, thanks Heather! Your reasoning makes sense (i.e. not as many projects to share), and I'm really happy to know I'm not alone in the "simple is best for me" approach!

So my dress is very simple, no glitz, no lace, no "shiny" other than one single band of Swarovski-like crystals at the empire waist. It is ivory, with a V-neck and thin straps that cross over once in the open back. I can't find photos of it online for some odd reason, it is a Jai International. Anyways, I thought that Swarovski crystal jewelry would work best, and this is what I bought. I think they are really cute! What do you think? Swarovski Crystal - Online-Shop - Jewellery - Necklaces - Gillian Y-Necklace Swarovski Crystal - Online-Shop - Jewellery - Pierced Earrings - Gillian Pierced Earrings :-)

Sloan, my wedding plan is exactly as you described yours. Thanks for your response girls, I feel better already!!! I do want it simple, it's all about "us". Now I'll feel better not stressing!!! In addition to wedding planning, we are doing MAJOR home renovations, and I work full-time in a very stressful environment, which is why we chose to take the DW approach... It was meant to be simple, easy, and stress-free, and I'm going to continue to strive to keep it that way :-)

Hi Meghan, I think it's normal to have cold feet no matter how much you love the person you're with (my main reason for cold feet is that this is my second mariage)... Mariage is a big commitment and requires work: it's not all fun and games. The beauty of a DW is that you can easilty minimize costs: you don't need to splurge like some do, it can be meaningful and totally special without spending a fortune. You definitely need to discuss a budget and try to keep within that established financial commitment, but a DW should be cheaper than a traditional wedding. Some resorts even have free wedding packages and in that case all you really need to worry about is your wedding clothes! Good luck, and you're not alone :-)