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Great pics, such a cute couple!! Pretty courageous taking them out in the snow, I think I would've lasted 5 minutes... Can't wait to see more!!

Oh and Coco Bongo was about the same cost $40 but it included your drinks, I think they're all like that, cover includes drinks. I wish they did deals like that here, pay one price and drink all you want.

As for the bridesmaids hair I think it was $45. And 'Mini-me' and 'Bernardo' are the guys to talk to about going to the clubs. There were about 12 of us that went out a couple of nights and they'll take you to where you're going and make sure you get a table and don't have to wait in line. We went to Bulldog the first night out and since I had never heard of it I was skeptical but we had a great time. The girls danced and the guys drank, Bernardo hooked the guys up with a table right by the dance floor. I got in for free and I think everyone else paid $40, cover is usually $45. But that included bottle service so it was a good deal. Then we went to Coco Bongo another night and it was crazy packed but Mini-me (and yes he actually goes by this and is really small) got us a couple tables. Definitely hook up with one of those guys to take you where you want to go. And they stay out with you to make sure you're OK which is crazy because they'll be at the resort the following morning leading that day's activities. They work all the time!

I totally know where you're coming from, I recently worked on the Business side in Manufacturing and it's a hard core gig. Salary employees are taken advantage of because they know you will work until the job is done however there's no incentive with overtime or bonuses in a down economy. The company is a contract manufacturer so we worked off our customer's schedule, my fabulous customer worked with month end targets as well as the usual quarter end and year end. And their fiscal year matched the calendar year so holiday time was always great when you couldn't take off to spend with your family. It used to be a good gig, you worked hard but there was so much profit you would get great profit sharing and big bonuses if eligible. I took a position that was a great advancement opportunity but they cheated me on the salary because it was a new facility and they went through the same song and dance of not having it in their budget. Well one day HR made a mistake of including a salary tab on one of our costing files and I found out my male counterpart (who was hired a year after I took the job) made 10K more than me. I marched my little a$$ into my managers office and said match it or I'm out. He did but that didn't make up for the amount I was cheated by the original hiring mgr. Basically I think you did the right thing, I always felt underpaid from the moment I started that job and busted my butt to make that business work. I quit and then they really tried to keep me, the bonuses started flowing and they even let me work from home for 4 months. I had to think at that point if I really wanted to leave but I was too bitter about things that happened and didn't want my job to take over my life like it had. I now work in a corporate environment for a medical device company and it's like a different world. They're respectful of your time and you don't have people stopping by your desk every 10 minutes about an urgent issue. I might not make big bonuses like I was when i left my previous company but I am so much happier and I know I'll work my way up to a point I'm comfortable with. Hang in there and finish school, hopefully they have tuition reimbursement. Use them for that and hopefully you can find a new job, or you might be OK with where you're at. And don't let them make you feel like you've burned a bridge with rejecting that job, if anything they did. Wow that was long but you got me thinking about my old Manufacturing days!!! Good luck!

Those are so fabulous, love your hair and your accessories!!

Great job everything looks great! Good luck on your wedding and trip, you must be so excited!!

It's been a while since you originally posted, have they warmed up to the idea? My husband's mother had a horrible reaction to our choice of wedding location. I felt so bad for him since my family was so gung ho. He's the same way, has never asked his parents for anything and this day was about us and what we wanted, not them. It's not like we were asking them to pay anything for our wedding, just show up for a few days in Mexico. They live in FL and we live in Memphis so they would've had to travel anyway to come here for our wedding. In the end they had a fabulous time at the wedding and really enjoyed having their family together for a few days of fun. Chances of that happening again are slim so thankfully they really cherished the moment and were positive during their trip. Hopefully your future in laws will warm up to it too!

Hey Courtney, I'm a Courtney B too...or at least I was, now Courtney K. Congratulations on getting your dresses for free, such a great program!

I can't wait to see more, these are such amazing pics!! You guys look great, beautiful couple, congrats!

As for the photographer I didn't use Juan Navarro for my wedding but instead used that session for a family and friends session the day before the wedding. We asked everyone to wear white and Rob and I wore pink....well my dress was pink but his shirt was so pale you can hardly tell. I knew we wouldn't get a good trade for that and the pictures turned out pretty well, plus everyone has a shot of themselves from that day in their pretty whites. However I only had his assistant, there was a wedding going on at that same time so I think Juan and his other assistant was doing that wedding. Also, I coordinated that session with Juan and waited to tell Cecilia I had an outside photographer coming until we met with her at Dreams. She charged me only one $55 fee even though it was the photographer and his assistant, not a big deal.

Your book looks awesome, what beautiful pictures!! I love your layout, I'll definitely be using yours as a model to make mine. Do you have coupon codes that are still valid?

I could see my mom being the same way if I was getting married at 23. She was married young and it didn't work out, is your mom the same? My now hubby and I have been together since I was 24 and I knew right away I wanted to marry him but I didn't want to get married before I was 30 (I'm now 31). I was so worried I would change too much as a person to love the same man at 30 that I did at 24. I know it might seem odd but coming from a broken home I wanted to make sure this was it. Plus we didn't want to have kids so the marriage to us could wait. However if you feel he's the one and you guys have already been together for a few years just sit down with your mom and talk it out. Let her know you're making the right decision for you and it's yours to make. If she has any concerns let her air them and listen without being defensive. Sometimes mom's know what they're talking about and other times they just don't want to let go. But at least if you hear her out it might help but I'd agree with the other ladies and say go for what you think is right. I'm impressed you're willing to wait until 2012 and can actually pick a place now for so far in advance!!

I was afraid of crying at my wedding also but I didn't at all!! I saw my hubby before the ceremony for pictures which helped. I also begged my mother to control her tears of which she did an excellent job. Everyone caught a glimpse of us before the actual ceremony so there were no nerves on my end when it came time to walk down the aisle. I just had a big grin on my face and walked to my hubby to be. Someone said he got a little teary on my walk up but I didn't see any when i got up there or else that might've set me off. Just keep a tissue on hand and a smile on your face, hopefully the tears and red face won't make an appearance. Plus if it's windy like it was at mine that will help!!

I just checked out your e-ring, very pretty!!! I went with white gold, I'd rather spend the $$ on the diamonds than the metal. Then again I'm pretty careful with my jewelry so if you think it will get some abuse go with the platinum. Either way it will be beautiful, congratulations!

I did canvas bags with an embroidered green starfish with their last initial on top of the starfish in black. They ended up costing $10 each but I think they turned out well and everyone seemed to like them. I figure they'll use them again but if not they got a nice bag to walk around with while at the resort. Plus we only had 12 couples (1 bag per couple) so it wasn't a big cost. If I had a lot of people going I'd probably just do a colorful tote from cheaptotes.com......

I think it's inappropriate, it's a wedding, not an opportunity for your guests to invite their friends. It's cool if he needs a roomie but he shouldn't invite more than one person, can your FI tell him that? It's not the point of you paying for them but having his extra friends around makes it awkward. I just got back from my wedding and it was great having family and friends at the resort. I'm thinking if one of my friends brought people I didn't know (assuming that's the case here?) it would irritate me, especially if I didn't like them. Let's face it one obnoxious person can get under your skin and ruin your good time, esp if you don't address it beforehand. This is your wedding so if you think it will bother you it more than likely will, I say talk to him and ask him just to limit it to 1 person. If he doesn't like it he won't go, sounds like you were mainly inviting him because of his wife anyway?

I just got married on the 16th and we started the pics at 2:30 up in my room, then went down and did pics of me and the groom, the ceremony started at 4. After the ceremony we did group and family shots and then moved to the beach to do shots with the bridal party. That took about 45 min to an hour and then we let them go to the cocktail hour so we could do some of just me and the groom. If you're planning on doing several different locations allow for more time. I would've like to have more time before the wedding to take some pics of us in the lobby or on the pier and shave off that photography time at the end of the day. We had 5 hours with our photographer, I would've like at least 2 solid hours before the ceremony to take pics. As far as him seeing you before you'll get a good pic of his reaction and he'll still be emotional when he sees you walk down the aisle with the music playing and everyone watching both of you. It also helped with my nerves since it wasn't a huge reveal, by then everyone had already seen us.

I ended up folding/rolling mine up and putting it in a medium duffle. The resort steamed it for free so I figured it was easier to just carry that bag and deal with the wrinkles than bother with the dress bag. I didn't think it would fit in the duffle but surprisingly it folded up really easily.

I wore a flower and a veil for the ceremony and pics but during the pics took the veil off. Well the wind contributed to that decision but that way I had pics both with and without.

We just got back from our wedding and I wish I would've at least made a list of some popular songs to incorporate. My family and friends are dancers but the music the DJ played was kinda lame at times, I found myself thinking of songs on the fly and asking for them. I thought by having a DJ and asking to play popular dance songs that would be sufficient but it wasn't. At least give them a list of songs so they can use that as a guideline, that way there won't be any confusion.

Everything looks great, good job!! Your dress looks great on you and what an awesome find for your BM dresses!

Yeah I might have better luck with one of those garment bags and feel better about it going through the conveyor safely. I think I'll hit up TJ Maxx or Ross after work to see if they have any good sized ones, thanks!

Are you carrying your dress in the dress bag? My friends think I'm crazy because I said I'm going to roll mine up and try to put it in a duffle bag. I hope it fits, I'll have to test that out. I told them worst case I'll use our vaccuum seal bags we use to pack for skiing....their mouths dropped! Just kidding of course, if it doesn't fit in a duffle i guess i'll carry it in the bag. I'm assuming it has to go through the security conveyor? That might be a little awkward.

Perfect timing for me to read up on this thread.... I ordered a garter but apparently it got lost in the mail because I didn't receive it. Which made me think I don't have any single people at my wedding so a garter and bouquet toss doesn't make sense. I don't think it's tacky at all not to have one....or at least I hope it isn't!

My MOH was an old friend that I'm not as close to now but I asked her to be my MOH because growing up she said she wanted to be. It's been a few months now and since then she's bailed and now isn't even coming to my wedding.... So go with who you are closest to. I don't think it's weird if your cousin is standing with the groomsmen, he's important to you but I'm sure it's more comfortable for him to be on the guy's side. As for the MOH you can certainly just say you're not having one, that you love all your friends and choosing one over the other would seem unfair. If they're your friends they'll be OK with that and not worry about the title. I would also include the other cousin in some manner, doing a reading or being an usher is a great idea. Good luck with your decisions!