H&F

Congratulations Beth! Your pictures are beautiful and you and your DH look so happy and relaxed. It's nice to see a happy ending after all of the frustration. Best wishes!

Thanks for sharing!

Wow! Love all of your details! Especially your bridesmaids clothes! You look stunning!

Thank you all so much! You all are seriously the BEST!!!! I especially love the photos posted from other weddings where the girls were all in different colors. Your posts have seriously helped sooo much! Thanks once again!

With our wedding date rapidly approaching my FI & I still haven't figured out the whole wedding party thing... and by that I mean we haven't even discussed if we are having a wedding party and if so how many people. But we are going to work on that this weekend! I really don't want to make all the girls wear the same dress or even the same color. I'd kind-of like them to pick out whatever style & color dress they like as long as they are knee length and not a print. I don't think I even care about trying to get them to match the wedding colors (I want to do red, orange & purple). My question is am I making a huge mistake by not caring if the dresses coordinate? I just want them to be happy and comfortable. I'm thinking that since the main wedding pictures are on the beach and not at the reception anything they'd wear would work well with the beach look anyways. Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

Beautiful! Can't wait to see the pictures from your wedding with everything all pulled together!

Ohhh! I love the open back... very sexy plus it will probably feel good to have an open back under the hot sun!

Here are some of the photos I took of DreamsVM when we visited in February. Keep in mind that the resort had only been open two months at that time & they were still doing some work on the place. I didn't take any pictures of the rooms b/c they looked exactly as they do online. They are beautiful! I really feel like my pictures do no justice to how nice this resort is. As I've said before, my FI did not want to go looking at resorts while we were on vacation and I dragged him here. Once we set foot on the resort his whole attitude changed & he got super excited. This place is very modern and white. If you like a modern look then this resort is for you. If you are dreaming of a more "old world" look then you probably won't like this resort. I tried to make the photos smaller so I didn't take up too much space. If there are too small let me know and I'll repost them larger. Pic 1: I think this one corresponds with the wedding set-up pictures that susanandmo posted. Pic 2: Another view of the same area Pic 3: Behind the first two pictures heading towards the resort (away from the beach) This is another area where they said they can do a set-up for cocktails or other events if you'd like Pic 4: This is looking at the resort with the areas in the pictures above to the left of this photo Pic 5: There are 4 or 5 pools all linked together at the resort. Each pool is for different reasons (ex. kid pool, quiet pool, activities pool) Pic 6: This looks at two of the outdoor restaurants. The 2nd restaurant is on the backside. Pic 7: View of resort from the beach Pic 8: Gohan sushi restaurant, it sits on top of the resort with amazing views Pic 9 & 10: more views of Gohan If you have any other questions, please let me know!

Great job! Love them!

I love #1 & #3. They are all beautiful! Good luck with your decision!

Thanks so much! You are always so helpful!

Hi BDWers, I've been working with Jessica at The Stylish Scribe on an idea for maracas on my invitations. Jessica is so fantastic! She really brought my vision to life and was so great at pulling it all together. I have to share her beautiful work with you all! As you can see, I didn't want to do a pocketfold invitation. We attached a ribbon from the top of the invite to the bottom so we can slide the response card & other inserts into the back of the invite & it will be held securely with the ribbon. I can't wait to see them in person! Thanks Jessica!

Hey Jen, When I visited DreamsVM I went to the office where Yolanda & Cynthia work. They sit right next to each other so if you can't get one I would call the other and keep bugging them.

Quote: Originally Posted by LSUangel25 Thanks H&F! I love WebMD! Are people really stupid enough to be avoiding Mexican restaurants...OMG! Hey LSUangel! Yes, I know how completely ridiculous about the mexican restaurants. One of my friends is a trauma surgeon and he said he was walking past the "waiting area" at his hospital and he saw a mexican family walk in & this other patient sitting in the waiting area started freaking out and pointing at the family & telling them to put on masks simply b/c they were mexican. He was so disgusted! It's terrible how some people are behaving about this silly flu! It makes me feel even more strongly about having a wedding in mexico to show my guests who haven't been there before just how wonderful the people and country are!

Hey Mexico Brides, I just saw this information on webmd. I thought that it did a good job of putting the swine flu in perspective (esp with it's comparison to the regular flu). Anyways, just wanted to share it with you all. I think the second part of the article with the 7 facts is what is really great about this article. Putting Swine Flu in Perspective 7 Facts to Consider if You're Fearful About Swine Flu By Miranda Hitti WebMD Medical News Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD May 1, 2009 -- Swine flu is big news. Cases are rising in the U.S. and other countries, there's no vaccine, it's a brand-new virus, and it's teetering on the brink of a pandemic. But remember, there's no "panic" in "pandemic." Swine flu has sickened at least 141 people in the U.S. and 365 people worldwide, according to the CDC and World Health Organization's tally of lab-confirmed swine flu cases as of Friday, May 1. But those numbers are changing all the time; the CDC and WHO web sites are updated once daily. Swine flu is serious, for sure. But have some people crossed the fine line between reasonable concern and unwarranted alarm? A new poll from the Harvard School of Public Health shows that of the 1,067 participants, 59% said they're washing their hands more often and using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer in light of swine flu. That's in line with CDC recommendations. And school closings are appropriate if cases are confirmed in students or staff, according to the CDC. But that same Harvard poll shows that 17% of participants said they are avoiding Mexican restaurants or grocery stores and 13% said they thought you could get swine flu from eating pork. You can't get swine flu from eating pork or any other foods, and there is no reason to avoid Mexican restaurants or other businesses. There have been reports of people in the U.S. rushing to buy face masks. Glenn Taylor, a shift manager for a CVS/pharmacy store in the Atlanta area, says people have been asking for the masks all week. He says when he got some in today, he sold them all, 15 or 20 packages, each containing two masks. "A lot of people have been asking about them all week," he tells WebMD. "Everybody is out. There was a run on hand sanitizer. We're out of that, too. I think it's mostly a few people who are really concerned, and they just want to be prepared." Mike DeAngelis, a spokesman for the CVS/pharmacy chain, adds that sales for such items have been brisk all across the country. "Current supply levels are low, and we do have some stores currently out of stock,” DeAngelis says. “We are working with our suppliers to get more masks as well as the other items into our stores to help meet the increased demand.” But most people don't need masks at this point, says Michael Smith, MD, WebMD's chief medical editor, in his blog. 7 Reasons Not to Over Worry After a solid week of scary headlines about swine flu, it's time to take a step back, take a deep breath, and regain perspective. Here are seven points to consider: 1.Most swine flu cases have been mild, so far. Severe cases have been seen mainly in Mexico, for reasons that aren't yet clear. But most swine flu patients have recovered without being hospitalized. 2.You're not defenseless against swine flu. Simple things -- washing your hands, not touching your mouth, eyes, or nose, and trying to avoid close contact with sick people -- can go a long way toward reducing your risk. 3.Most swine flu cases so far have been pretty much like normal, seasonal flu. Swine flu and seasonal flu share symptoms, and spread the same way. 4.How much do you worry about seasonal flu? Maybe you should give garden-variety flu a little more respect. In a typical U.S. flu season, an average of 36,000 people die of flu or flu complications, and about 200,000 people are hospitalized. Swine flu hasn't come anywhere close to that. 5.Swine flu's future is unknown. No one knows where swine flu is headed -- for better or for worse. "You don't know if it's going to fizzle out in a couple weeks or become more or less virulent or severe in the diseases it causes," CDC Acting Director Richard Besser, MD, said on April 29. "If we could see into the future [that] would be absolutely wonderful, but that's not the case. That's why we're being aggressive" in seeking to limit swine flu's impact on human health. 6.The world is more prepared than ever. Remember bird flu ? When that was the "it" virus several years ago, the global health community ramped up its pandemic preparations. As a result of that work, "the world is better prepared for an influenza pandemic than at any time in history," WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said on April 29. 7.Pandemics aren't all deadly." If the World Health Organization declares swine flu a pandemic, that's all about the spread of the virus -- not the severity of the illness. In the past, some pandemics have been mild, while others have been severe, notes WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl, adding that "people should act with common sense, not with panic." Reporter Bill Hendrick contributed to this report.

Best wishes and congratulations! I can't wait to see the pictures and hear your story. Much love!

It's your 1st wedding to your FI so I say go with whatever makes you happy! It's your day & you need to feel beautiful and great in what you are wearing. If not, you'll be fussing & feeling uncomfortable all day. Feel good & look beautiful! Both you & your fiance deserve it!

Lovely pictures! Your veil was such an amazing touch!

Quote: Originally Posted by tylersgirl Very well said MarieSam! Yes, we do need to meet up in Mexico sometime for strong shots Oh yes! Marie Sam & TylersGirl & all other Mexico brides I'm thinking a girls BDW F.U. to the swine flu get-together in Mexico may be in order for 2010! Wouldn't that be fun to swap stories and celebrate!

Quote: Originally Posted by tylersgirl Hey girls! Just wanted to update yall! We were going to reschedule our wedding to Jamaica, but Tyler and I decided that swine flu and less guests-we don't care we are still going to Mexico and having our dream wedding. We still have 3 months and alot can change in that amount of time! XOXO Yeah TylersGirl!!!! I am so excited for you! Your story really pulled my heart-strings when I read about all the drama with your BF & SIL. I'm so glad you decided to stay put b/c that was originally the wedding you & Tyler wanted! I wish you both all the best! I also wish for your brother to sack-up & put your SIL in her place! Congratulations & I'm keeping my fingers crossed for all of us Mexico brides that this thing blows over quickly. All you May brides-- I'm pulling for you too! Much love!

Hey Ladies, Just wanted to let you know that for those with weddings this week & upcoming month I'm thinking of you! Hopefully, things will blow over soon. I'm so sorry for all the added stress and worry this has caused.

Quote: Originally Posted by Jacqueline Here's mine! YAYY I just got it 2 weeks ago but havent had chance to post. I was originally going to get a peacock garter but came across this and thought it that since my flowers will have some ostrich plumes hanging off, it would look pretty. (my bm's flowers are going to have the peacock) Mary Green Ostrich Feather Garter from Classy Bride Ooohhh! I LOVE your garter! So sexy and unique!

Oh my gosh- I love so much of your stuff! From your beautiful Winnie dress to your FI's attire. Everything is lovely! Good luck!

I was interested in the lasso ceremony too. I'll be curious to hear what past brides have done or future ones are planning on doing!

Wow Kate.com, that was very brave of you to call off the wedding (and be willing to share your story). I'm so glad you were strong enough to stand up and make the decisions you did. I must say that I didn't make such a good decision the 1st time around. I married a guy who I knew in my heart was not right for me. He's a good person and there was nothing really "wrong" with our relationship. There was just nothing more between us then friendship and friendship does not alone make for a marriage. Anyways, I was to afraid to call things off as we got close to the wedding even though I felt pretty sure that I didn't want to marry him. I was afraid of all the money already spent, letting people down, hurting him, etc. That was the WORST decision I ever made. It is so much harder and painful to end a marriage then to postpone marrying someone. Please take all the time you need to find out what it is YOU really want. Maybe take a trip somewhere, go visit a friend in another state, anything to give you a little space to figure out what you want to do. Don't put yourself on a deadline and really think things through. In the end, you will end up on the right side of things. I know it! Hang in there!