lolkitteh

Quote: Originally Posted by Kits55 Did you order your book from BRI? If so, has it come in yet? I am unhappy with the proof of an album that our photog sent us so I'd like to create my own completely. He told me he will change one or two pictures and the cover but that's it. Um, hello..I thought it was OUR album, not his?! I am dying to see some DIYers albums! Hi - didn't order one yet, but it is fully designed. Just haven't gotten around to placing the order. I designed it in Fotofusion - it just needs to be proofed and uploaded. Will update once I get around to it. We are in the middle of moving, so I've been waiting to get settled in with the new address to place the order. with fotofusion it really wasnt that hard - BRI has their own templates, but I liked the flexibility of fotofusion. If you aren't liking what your photographer did, its a great option.

Recently returned from being married at the Wynn! My package did include a rehearsal, but if your wedding is small and you don't have attendants, I don't think it's necessary. We had only a MoH and BM, and our rehearsal was less than 20 minutes, including the initial consultation with the minister. IMO, if it's just the 2 of you, then you can probably correspond by email to figure out the ceremony order. Even if you have attendants, I think it's still possible. More than a MoH and a BM, though, you might want to consider paying for a rehearsal. The wedding coordinators do a fabulous job of making sure people are where they need to be on queue, which is why I don't think a rehearsal is absoloutely necessary for a small wedding. don't know about unity candle procedures since I didn't have one. However, I'm sure this is something that can be arranged by phone and email without too much trouble. As for the marriage cert, only the witnesses need to sign the cert. You really don't need to do anything with it the day of. Wynn will deliver the cert and the gift included in your package to your room while you are off at your reception (assuming you have one)

I'm going to chime in with a disclaimer that although I am not a pro photographer, I am a serious dabbler. The first comment I would make is that there is a huge difference between edited and unedited pictures. Like a previous poster pointed out, I'm surprised that he is even offering unedited pictures, because of this difference. I think his reluctance to show you the other 420 photos in the online gallery comes from the possibility that he doesn't believe that those are represent his best work, and photographers generally don't want anything but their best prodcuts to be shown - it gives the wrong impression to both the client and to anyone else who might see them. Also, 450 pictures are a lot, but I am betting that there are probably multiple shots (perhaps 5-7) of the same pose/expression/outfit. Thus, getting those probably won't do you any good, since he has probably already picked out the best of the 5-7 of the dupes to show you. All that said, I would not pay $200 for unedited photos - I honestly don't think it would do any good to have them, unless you have the skills yourself to post-process them. An unprocessed photo, especially boudoir, is markedly different from an original, and really makes the difference between an interesting snapshot and a glamourous work of art, for which the fee is likely going to be a lot more. OTOH, if you do have decent post-processing skills, $200 is a bargain to get all of the photos from the session. If I were you, I'd do a number of things. First, I'd ask if he would just post the unedited images you want to see in the gallery, and any other he thinks are good shots from the session, not all 450. Then ask him for the cost of these *edited* images on CD. Then buy just those you want, if he is willing to do this. I am guessing he is going to want a lot more for the edited images than the unedited ones, though. I think a fair price for edited images can range anywhere between $20-$50 per image. Also keep in mind that he has already done the processing work on the 30 he did the book on, so he may be willing to cut a deal on just those, but I am guessing he is going to want close to $200 for the 30 edited ones. Finally, keep in mind that the issue that most photographers have with selling images on CD stem from these top three things: 1) Lost revenue from potential print sales 2) Copyright 3) Lack of quality control. For these reasons, it is unreasonable to expect any photographer to easily give up the CD without charging a fairly good price that factors in all of these things.

Quote: Originally Posted by TammyB I think that's great advise, however I must say, that I haven't seen too many photographers that will do this. Yes I have seen them post those type of photos on their blogs, but they credit it the workshop. I just don't want our forum members to feel they have to worry about this, because these types of photograhers are few and far between. As a relatively "serious" amateur photographer (that is nowhere near pro) I'd have to concur with this viewpoint. I thought the original post was somewhat alarmist and somewhat distorts the value of the images obtained from "workshops". I personally have attended some photography workshops and while some of the images obtained from them are under the guidance of the instructor, the majority of them are taken "from the lens of the student". That is, the images taken do actually reflect the artistry of the photographer taking the shot. Thus, I somewhat disagree that workshop shots are simply "point there, and shoot" to get a great shot. Photography is a far more complicated art than that. No reputable workshop (that I've ever heard of) is ever constructed to just give people good shots; the point of them is to teach students to take good shots on their own. I also think it would be pretty difficult to replicate a "live" wedding shot in a workshop without it being fairly obvious to the observer. Nevertheless, the simple question of whether a photo was from an actual wedding or not should clear up the confusion, and is a worthwhile question to ask.

Quote: Originally Posted by Gail does anyone know what kind of book they post pics of after from dry erase board -just photo book? Any ideas on how to incorp theme as mentioned in doing this. I love the idea. maybe do it at cocktail hr?? I am doing the dry erase board and was just planning on making a photobook with one of those press book services (Blurb, Shutterfly, MyPublisher, etc)

I've noticed quite a number of threads from ladies who had their BD shoot in a hotel or other on-location shoot. My session will be in the photographer's studio. Just wondering what the advantages are to using a hotel vs. the studio? I just assumed that a studio would be better, since the props are already there, and the lighting/setup etc. would be better. Ladies, what played into your decision not to choose the studio setting?

Hi Islandbride - I consider myself pretty nifty when it comes to makeup skills, but I am still hiring a pro to do it for me. I've tried mineral makeup in the past, but haven't liked it very much because I have oily skin and it doesn't last on me or starts to pill and look even worse than my regular skin. Bare Minerals specfically leaves my face looking shiny (I need matte products myself). I have bothersome skin, though, so I'm sure you will have much better luck with it than I did. The only thing I would caution you about is that lots of mineral makeup (not sure about Bare Minerals specfically) is that the primary ingredients tend to include titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. Both are great because they are effective sunscreens, BUT they tend not to look good with flash photography (they will tend to leave a white-ish cast) For this reason, I'd recommend trying it out multiple times and getting your picture taken with it using flash to make sure your face looks normal with it on. If you put a light layer of regular powder over the makeup, it may solve the problem if you notice it. Also, practice with it, and make sure you do try it out for the whole day to make sure that it will last for you for the entire wedding. With my oily skin, my #1 issue with mineral makeup is longevity. You might also want to try the Bare Escentials primer to make it go on smoother. Some say primers make their makeup last longer, but I personally have not noticed that to be the case. (Have you noticed that my #1 issue with makeup in general is longevity? LOL. Yeah, having oily skin sux.)

Not sure if you want a photobook or a real album, but I'm planning on DIY'ing a flush mount album with Black River Imaging. The thread I started on this subject is here: http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t39471 Mpix.com also offers an "assembled album" that seems to be close to a flush mount.

Do you have a picture of it that you can post? How much does it have to be let out, and where is it tight? I would take a look at the seams, if they are visible. This is the material that the seamstress will have to work with, and will give you an idea of how much the dress *can* be let out. Generally speaking, I've been told that if you let out every single seam to the max, you can usually get around 4 inches, which is quite a lot, so I'm sure getting it to fit won't be a problem, unless the dress is really, really small on you. What might be a problem is that the fabric where the stitching was might show the thread holes, since the material is chiffon. Again, look at where the existing stitches are and see if the holes look like they might show. At any rate, I'd book an appointment with a seamtress ASAP to see what can be done. I think letting it out won't be a problem, but since the fabric is chiffon, there may be issues - a good seamstress should be able to tell you what the situation is right away.

I did buy a gown preservation kit for $169 to have my gown cleaned, preserved and shipped back to me after the wedding (convenient since it includes UPS charges to ship it to them directly from the hotel and I won't have to deal with packing it in a suitcase after the wedding). After that, I am undecided. FH and I do not plan on children, and passing it on to nieces who might want it is iffy, especially since it looks like they are all going to end up being taller and bigger than me (The dress is a street size 0-2). And ladies, don't forget that if you gift it to charity, you do get a tax deduction if you itemize, which can sometimes be better than selling it, especially if you have costly and unique gown that isn't necessarily going to have a ready market. What I will probably end up doing is try to sell mine first. If I don't sell it at the price I am after, I will donate it and get the tax deduction. I figure that if I don't get a price that is at least as good as the actual value to me of the deduction, off to charity it goes.

Everything looks like soooooo much fun! I bet you had a blast. and I <3<3<3 the cake! LOL

Yes, we did not specify "Adult reception and Ceremony" on the invites because we felt that to do so would be rude. We also wrongly assumed that everyone on our guest list was aware of invitation etiquette - that is, if a name isn't called out on the invite, they are not invited. I mean, it's a pretty basic rule that I never thought anyone would misunderstand. At the end of the day, though, it isn't that big of a deal. My only concern is about the ceremony and reception - I've already let the offending guest know that the kids are welcome at all other wedding-related events - just not the ceremony and reception. If I had to do it all again, I still would not specify "adults only" on my invites - IMO, to do so would have been worse than handling the one-of situations like this that occur from mis-understanding invitation etiquette. The only thing I would do differently is put this info on the website upfront. At this point, I don't want to update the website with "adult only", since it might make my friend feel bad (eg, they might get the impression that the website was updated and directed at them) I consider this issue handled. for the moment. :-)

Didn't think this would happen, but an RSVP I received last week indicated that one of my guests, a good friend, ignored the lack of "and family" (the invite was addressed to Mr & Mrs only) and wrote in a total attendance of 5 on the RSVP. I don't mind the kids being around for the weekend or for our after-event parties, but FI and I decided that the ceremony and reception would have to be adult only. They live way out of town in a diff time zone, so it's not like I can tell them in person - going to have to handle it through email or some such. Sigh. It's not like they don't know invitation etiquette (or at least, I thought they did) - they are one of the last folks I would have thought to ignore addressing details like this.

Quote: Originally Posted by Bridget810 I should also mention that I run on the treadmill at least 3 times a week immediately after shredding for about 30 minutes; I hear that running after strength training makes you burn more calories. I'd say that "Shred" isn't technically strength training - I'd classify it as "aerobic toning" - the weights used and the pace/# reps is too high and the weight size too low to really be considered pure strength. I've been lifting weights for years (used to date a bodybuilder and am used to lifting heavy) and due to the pace of this workout, the highest weight value I'd probably use is 10-15 lbs (for level 1, I haven't done the other levels yet to comment, but I'd guess that the pace is even higher for those levels, and thus the weight you would use would be even less). If you want to work and build the big muscle groups, that really isn't enough weight. On the issue of running after strength training - theories vary, but it's generally accepted that you should do cardio before weights - if weight loss is the goal, doing cardio before weights increases metabolism and energy expenditure somewhat, and thus theoretically, the calorie burn is more efficient. However, since "Shred" IMO is not really "strength training", it shouldn't matter. Running after Shred to extend workout duration will most certainly help with fat loss, since the body generally only burns glycogen stored in the muscles during the first 20 minutes or so of aerobic exercise. After 20 minutes, the glycogen stores are depleted and the body is forced to burn fat. This is another reason why I was concerned in other posts that "Shred" is only about 20 minutes long - that isnt enough time to burn any serious fat.

Quote: Originally Posted by Mel&B Just make sure you don't judge this video by level 1. Levels 2 & 3 are much, much difficult! Thanks for the recommendations on the other videos. I previewed the other levels and yes, they do look tough! Gonna try level 2 a couple times next week!

Quote: Originally Posted by yoAzul Hi Ladies Im officially a MRS Just wanted to share the exciting news Also down to just days... Woot!!!!! Congratulations!!!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by AlmostaSeif Do you think that the film for the Instax is the same size as the Polaroid film? I tried to search it, but can't seem to find anything on it. This is the guest book I want to get, but am worried the film won't fit! Personalized Instant Photo Guest Book According to the ordering info from this website: 15050476 Fujifilm Instax 200 Instant Color Print Film, ISO 800, 20-Pack the Film size is 4.25" x 3.4". According to the same website, the polaroid format is 3.5x4.25 - so they are pretty close. 625477 Polaroid 600 Film Single (10) Hope that helps! One thing you might consider is just using a regular digital camera and getting the digital camera photobook + a cheap photoprinter (like from HP or Epson). It may be more costly than buying an instant camera and film in the beginning, but I bet you'd find a use for the printer at some point. Or maybe just get prints made later?

I don't have any original words of advice, but if it helps, I constantly struggle with the exact same issue! My body just gets stuck very easily at it's various set-points, and I hit plateaus all the time. I've been working out for years now, and it just seems like my body gets content at a certain weight, and then I can't lose any more without really pushing it very hard. The only suggestions I can give other than the ones already posted on this thread is to add muscle-building (serious muscle-building - as in lifting heavy at the gym, preferably with a trainer to start) to your workouts. Without any muscle building or weight bearing exercise, the body will lose about 1.5 lbs of muscle a year after the age of 30. If you want to rev your metabolism, building muscle is a must. Also, start working up from 4 days to 5-7 days of working out per week. When you do cardio, rev up the intensity and/or do intervals - just pushing yourself a little more may just be enough to get you over this plateau. Good luck! I'm sending weight loss vibes your way, too!

Quote: Originally Posted by AlmostaSeif I still have so much to do. My main focus right now is getting the stuff for our guest book. I am trying to find a decent priced polaroid camera. Last time I was in Rome, the picture hawkers that were carrying instant cameras around Trevi Fountain weren't carrying Polaroids - they were carrying Fuji Instax cameras. As you may know, Polaroid has or will soon stop making instant film! The Instax cameras are cheaper than the Polaroids. I found this one on amazon for around $50. Amazon.com: Fuji Instax 200 Instant Film Camera: Electronics Hope that helps!

Wanted to share my initial thoughts on this video, since I posted my doubts about it before. I finally got it and did the level 1 workout 2 times this week. I think I will be switching to level 2 next time I do it - as I posted before, I've been working out for many years, so level 1 wasn't as much of a challenge for me. I do, however, think that the interval training approach is an effective one - I think I'll be doing this video on days when I am short on time and can't work out for longer periods. I think it is a nice addition to my collection for time efficiency I also have Results Fitness - Boost Your Metabolism, The Firm 500 Calorie Workout, and The Firm Maximum Bootcamp, and these are somewhat similar to the Jillian video. If any of you out there are looking for a longer workout but similar in training style to the Jillian video, these are 40-60 minutes long. Results Fitness also does a video called "10 Days to a Better Body" that includes 2-30 minute videos - one for upper, and one for lower body, so you can do one workout or both if you like for a longer workout.

Must have: Being married to my soul mate at the end of the day. Don't care: All the rest of it (I wanted to just drive through a chapel in Vegas, but my sweetie wanted something closer to a "real" wedding.)

Quote: Originally Posted by mummergirl MY DRESS IS FINALLY IN!!!! first fitting thursday night at 7! i am so relieved, but really regretting the crazy stress-eating i've been doing lately! YAY! I just had my first fitting myself this week-the next one is scheduled for April 21st. With you on the stress eating! I had gained a bunch a weight after buying the dress, and only now was able to squeeze back into it. I'd still like to lose about 5 more lbs, though.

Quote: Originally Posted by waliandayanna It just dawned on me that the all inclusive covers the food for the wedding and now I feel kind of bad because it seems like each guest is essentially paying for their food for the wedding day. Ugh. Know what you mean. This is precisely why I did not choose an AI resort for the wedding, or one that provides reduced rates, or a "free" wedding depending on the number of guests booked. It would've been like I was getting guests to subsidize my wedding! Honestly, though, I don't think you should worry about it at this point. If any of your guests noticed this part about the wedding and actually cared about it, the damage is already done. If they haven't noticed and/or don't care, then "giving back" the money for the day of would only highlight the situation and be a little awkward.

yes! Olive oil is the BEST. I am really sensitive to commercial eye makeup remover, so i use EVOO instead - it rinses away much more easily than other oils, and it's full of antioxidants, too. I also use it as a bath oil and shower oil when bathing. If I'm in the kitchen and had to wash my hands, I'll put a little of this stuff on my hands, too. Sometimes I'll use it as a hot oil treatment for my hair, but not very often - only when I'm out of my regular deep conditioner.

Quote: Originally Posted by *Casey* That's so exciting! People are now getting our invitations in the mail. It kinda freaked me out when one of my friends texted me to tell me she got it that day. I was like... wow... this is really happening. Not like a bad freak out but more like a good shock or something. I don't know. It's hard to explain. And one of Stu's roommates that one of his GM, got his. I couldn't resist, and opened it before he got home from work because I couldn't wait to see how it came out. Is that bad? I know the feeling! The day I mailed out our invites, I promptly informed FH that the invitations were out and he was officially trapped and could no longer back out! LOL. Luckily, he didn't mind. :-)