miss di

gorgeous! love your work!

thanks sonmgn24! i commissioned a friend to draw it up...but realized that it's probably super easy to do yourself with a little photoshop action and a picture of your own. there's all those crazy tools on photoshop that can make you look animated. could be a neat idea to play around with. we're also going to use this as our return address label with our address wrapping around the oval.

jill - congrats!! that's awesome...i've heard such amazing things about belize. my FI was there with friends about 4 or 5 yrs ago and they STILL swap stories of belize all the time! smith3576 - thank you!! i have been having a lot of fun with it. friends that have gotten the sneak peak have already asked if they should book their flights!! guess that's the idea of the site, right? get fired up!!!

your pictures are awesome!! wow - you look hot hot hot! your FI is going to LOVE them.

yay Andi!!! I just "met" you on here, but you're leaving so soon for your big day, I had to say have fun!!! it's going to be amazing! safe travels and I can't wait to see your pictures and hear all about it...april 24 is going to be a perfect day! take care.....and enjoy the sunshine.

wooohoooo! you have a great TA to recommend this spot! before we booked it, i couldn't find any info on the forum about it and am totally surprised by that. we took tons of pix of the place so if you are dying to see pictures of maximilliano, i have pix of the entire room - kitchen, beds, bathroom, views! also, you are in the room right below the rooftop deck, which is awesome! omg. you are so lucky!!! we did walk to town along the beach everyday - multiple times a day. super quick, easy and pleasant to walk. we never walked back after dark though because you can't see anything! a cab was $60pesos. and you negotiate that price before you even get in! my advice is this: ask the housemen everything! they are so kind and so knowledgeable. also, when you are too lazy to walk to town (which only takes about 10-15min), there is a great spot just 3 minutes in the opposite direction down the beach called "la playita". great food and excellent views. i posted a video tour of QMC on our website for our guests (www.ducksandgoggles.com go to the tab "casa folk") if you wanna see it and get yourself suuuuper excited!

Quote: Originally Posted by smith3576 We just booked our honeymoon (woohoo!) We almost went with Casa Amorita (looks amazing!) but went with Quinta Maria Cortez instead at the advice of our TA (because we wanted something a little more quiet but still walking distance). Check it out if your looking for a unique bed and breakfast; we are staying in the Maximilliano! They have better pictures on Trip Advisor. They also own the villa next door and you can rent out that and/or the b and b for weddings; wish I'd known before we booked ours! Quinta Maria Cortez, Puerto Vallarta Resort you are going to LOVE maximilliano! it's huge and airy and just freaking awesome!...and not to mention the top most room of QMC. aaron and i are going to be staying in the room just below, in maria. don't feel bad about not konwing about casa tres vidas when you booked...your room is definitely way more unique than any of the rooms in the casa side of the property - i promise! have you been to visit yet or did you book it site unseen?

Quote: Originally Posted by pvbeachbride10 Hi, I am somewhat new to the board and just curious about everyone's wedding location in Puerto Vallarta. It seems like there are a lot of Dreams brides and Caletas brides. Anywhere else? Thanks, Meghan hi meghan! i noticed you are going on a scouting trip soon! thought i would share a location with you - definitely look into quinta maria cortez/casa tres vidas. that is where we are staying (38 of us will sleep comfortably) and it is absolutely stunning. they have wedding packages, but you have to hire a wedding coordinator. pretty sure kristin from dazzling details has done weddings there and i know for a fact that vallarta incredible weddings has as well. they should list their prices on the site. check it out at Villas in Vallarta really fantastic spot and everyone that has seen pictures and video that we took a couple weeks ago on our site visit is so excited. if they don't list the prices, and you would like them, i have everything so just message me for it. we are hosting a welcome party on the roof but having our wedding elsewhere. good luck! there are so many places to choose from in PV!

Quote: Originally Posted by DreamsBride09 can anyone help me too? I have no idea how to make a monogram!! did you figure anything out with publisher or any of those programs?

Quote: Originally Posted by Andi quick question for you...Brent did not get to Caletas until all of your guests arrived? is that correct? So then I am assuming you guys took most of your pics after the ceremony? how was the sunlight and such? did it all workout fine with him coming with the guests? oh good!! i've been wondering this same thing - i mean, i suppose i could just be patient and wait until you post your pictures!!! woooohoooo - can't believe we are getting married on the same day... the light has been the one issue that keeps me wondering when i see pictures. i know it will be gorgeous either way but some weddings are super super bright and others seem to be just at dusk...we get enough of that "dusk" look here in sf. bring on the sunshine!

here it is!! i bought it the first week in march - over a year before my wedding! lol. deal i couldn't pass up...can we say sample sale??!!? already have the shoes, too...vera wang & converse... wouldn't have it any other way!

Quote: Originally Posted by Island Princess Hey Girls, I was browsing the forum and absolutley feel in love with Amy's (AMY&ANDY) DIY Floating Orchid Ceremony Curtain she did. Does anyone have any links on how to make them? I would really love to get some instructions and ideas!! Christie this is a fantastic idea!! if you have ever made jewelry...you might be familiar with "crimp beads". don't know if they'll work for flowers but when you make floating necklaces with beads and pearls, you flatten a crimp bead onto the beading wire. in this case you could flatten the crimp under the flower which will then be floating on thin fishing line. can't guarantee it'll work, but you never know!

thought i'd share this spot with those of you looking for something that's a bit more off the beaten path than they typical weddings we see all over this forum (mine included! at las caletas, dreams, playa fiesta, and more...) i remember when i was looking into it i didn't see any info on here on the botanical gardens. i was totally obsessed with the idea of having our wedding at the PV botanical gardens after going through their website and seeing this: Botanical Gardens for Groups and Events i'll be totally honest with you guys - i didn't even visit! we had an appt made to see it on the sunday we were in PV a couple of weekends ago, but just minutes into the boat ride to LC we made our decision. the downside to the gardens is that it is about a 45 minute bus ride there. if you don't mind that, then def. check this place out. if anyone is interested, i have price sheets and quotes from them - SUPER affordable for those on a budget, as it operates as a non-profit (i think!) so money they get from weddings goes back into the gardens. worth checking out...even though I didn't - i blame the short weekend trip!

so glad that i'm not the only one that has been dealing with the stress of figuring out who stays where in the villa ...but most importantly who doesn't stay at all...tough choices to make. is it just me or does it feel like you are putting pieces of a puzzle together with this decision - to figure out who would get along best with other friends, family members, etc. good to know there's a spot to come for support when the villa bookings get difficult! villas are a great choice and so beautiful and unique to boot!! we're staying at quinta maria cortez/casa tres vidas...it's sleeping about 38 comfortably for anyone looking for a large property.

Quote: Originally Posted by Andi OH MY GOODNESS! Your date is exactly one year after mine! We are getting married in two weeks!!!! Maybe by 4/24/10 we will be heading back to PV/caletas for our anniversary trip and we can crash your wedding! nah, just kidding...but congrats on becoming an LC bride! That's so great!! only 2 weeks to go! that is fabulous...have a great wedding and i can't wait to see your pics...so i know what to expect exactly a year from when they were all taken!

just thought i'd share our monogram (it's the image in my siggy)...decided to go non-traditional with it, obviously. the monogram is used as a unifying image that you stamp on everything (invites, programs, STDs, etc...) and we thought we'd have fun with it. initially we did have our initials tied into the image and decided to just have our names. the artist also gave us the image without our names so it's less in your face on certain things that we use it for. just a thought! maybe a little inspiration, maybe not. GOOD LUCK with your monograms, ladies.

LOVE this part of the forum - all of you LC brides are too cool. we just booked our date at las caletas a couple days ago and are soooo excited...let the planning begin. i think - no, i KNOW - we decided on las caletas 5 minutes into the boat ride. meeting kelley was great, she seems totally on top of everything...the site visit was hilarious - love that you pay for a day trip out there to basically sit in the sun and drink drink and drink! too funny. - although, for the price, that's way less than we would have spent drinking here at home! we know this is the perfect spot. we took some video footage of the boat ride and the hidden terrace spots and created a fun little welcome video for our guests that we think represents the vibe of LC. pm me if any of you potential LC brides would like to see it.

april 24, 2010...las caletas!

welcome!!! this forum is a terrific place to start...it has helped me a ton! you'll love it. good luck and congratulations!!

alright sooooo, i went to the jessica mcclintock outlet and didn't stay long. it was a major FAIL. gross. i needed anti-bactierial spray the minute i walked out. it was cheap. because everything was CHEAP - the material, the hems, the designs. that's my opinion, anyway - call me picky, but that was a no-go. it was way different than a regular jessica mcclintock store. wow. for bridesmaids gowns, however, GREAT SPOT...if you don't mind picking through racks as if you were at ross or marshall's! the store in sf had $10 gowns, and they were buy one get one free. can you believe that?? didn't make it to glamour closet yet, but DID make an appointment at a bridal shop in the jewelry mart here in the city. the woman who owns it is fantastic and her gowns were decent in price. i would recommend anyone to look into their local jewelry mart and gift centers that specialize in wholesale and see if there are any bridal stores in them. you don't need a resale license to shop at these places. most of the time, just an appointment to get through security. unfortunately, i also decided to go to a really nice designer in addition to discount shopping so that i could get an idea of what really nice fabric and craftsmanship looks like (thanks, bridal bargains!). big mistake. i fell in love with a $5,000 gown. but she offers a 15% discount if you order your dress a year in advance, as she makes them by hand. regardless, i can't afford that. what i can do, is commission someone to make one. i'm taking the advice from a terrific book, bridal bargains by denise and alan fields (can be found online at target and amazon for about $10, or at a bookstore for $14), and contacted the local fashion institute here to find a starving student looking for work to possibly design my dress. who knows if it will work out. another tip that has nothing to do with a dress: go to your local design center or furniture showroom!!! ask if they have old books of wallpaper or fabric samples they want to get rid of and voila! an awesome touch to add to your invites or placecards, etc. it's great looking paper/fabric for FREE - and most of the time you can get books of natural materials that would fit into a destination wedding theme.

thank you!!! turns out that j.crew is having issues with the manufacturer and they might be discontinuing the color altogether...... the bride changed her mind and decided we all get the same dress in a different style. still j.crew. still the same price. thanks again!!

i need a J.Crew Cotton Cady Lyndsey dress in CLASSIC NAVY, size 4, but will alter if a larger size is available. J.Crew seems to be completely sold out of this color in all sizes and I need it for a July wedding if anyone has one to get rid of...

I know this seems like a totally ridiculous question but my FI and I are trying to figure out what to do here... Our list is at 65 people that will receive a STD...we can pretty much whittle it down to 35 people who would probably attend. We are just scared that some people might surprise us and actually RSVP yes! On the flip side, we think that some would surprise us if they didn't show up...although there have been a bunch of baby bumps popping up left and right, so you never know. My question to you guys is: do you think it would be tacky to send an email to those 65...almost like a "pre-STD" so we'll have a better idea to help to determine what route to take (10+ bedroom villa vs. small hotel, etc...) Thanks!

Quote: Originally Posted by klopez Who doesn't have something white...come on now?!?!?!?! haha lol - that is hilarious. when i was bartending we'd be stressing out for DAYS to find a cute little outfit to wear behind the bar during our annual white party at the club. i agree with everyone though - all white beach weddings are amazing. i'm going to have to have my FI read this thread to talk him into it...

thanks!! this is great. SO excited to start working on projects like this...