islandbride317

So glad to hear that everything worked out, sweetie! Your wedding is supposed to be a happy time, and if you need to wait a little longer so that it can be joyous, you friends and family will more than understand -- plus, it'll give them more time to save! A true WIN-WIN for all involved

Beautiful rings, ladies!!! And, jackie_c.....I ADORE how unique and truly stunning your ring is! What a fabulous idea, and no one else will have your exact ring for sure! Awesome!

Best wishes....to all the Mrs.!!!

Vote cast! Good luck, ladies!

I can certainly understand your frustration, dear....it's unfortunate, but a lot of frustration comes with having a DW because it is something completely different than an at-home wedding, and it's an idea people still are getting used to. And while she says she wants to come, it sounds to me like she's already decided she not going to be able to go, so have to asked her frankly what her plans are? Just put it all out there, and let her know that while you would absolutely love for her to be there, you need to move on with planning and if she can't make it, she'll still be included in the AHR. Good luck and I hope this all gets sorted out!

Oh, THANK YOU, Christine! You're such a sweetheart And I know it sounds cliche, but it was *the* happiest day of my life and I've never felt better!

My noms for July: B2B: hockeymom97 MRS: *Rachel*

WOW, Tammy! YOU DID IT!!! And so darn quickly, too -- KUDOS! Everything looks fantastic, and I'm sure we'll all catch on in no time!

Quote: Originally Posted by BachataBride When I got engaged I didn't have FB! But I would definitely have waited until I told my closest friends & family before I announce it to the cyber world! You have to put yourself in their shoes...would you want to find out from FB (or worse, from someone else who say it on FB) that your best friend/close cousin/sister/etc was engaged?? Probably not! Yep -- I'm with Manders 100%! Try to make sure those near-and-dear to you hear it from you first before they hear it in ANY other capacity, facebook or otherwise!

Quote: Originally Posted by BachataBride Gorgeous Christie!!!!! Thank you, sweetie pie! It's always a little awkward to feel sexy and "in the moment" when a complete stranger is standing there snapping photos, but we did the best we could!

When I was a bridesmaid, I NEVER expected the bride to pay for my dress... I always assumed when I said ,"Yes, I will be in your wedding" that it was going to cost me quite a bit of money (to be in a bridal party, YOU are going pay for a LOT!)

Quote: Originally Posted by Meitra Thanks for all the feedback everyone I have decided that I will go ahead and sends invitations to everyone I sent a STD to, even if they can't come. YES, love...you've got the right idea! Send invites to EVERYONE, despite whether or not they've already indicated they may not attend -- it's just the courteous thing to do and then NO one can ever say in the future that you didn't try to include them in your celebration! (The cost for the invitations and the stamps, which I know are both expensive, are NOTHING compared to the craziness you might have to endure for relatives and friends NOT having received them, I assure you!)

THIS just might be one of the sexiest pics of my husband and I during our TTD: and this was the sort-of sensual one:

BETTY...my sweet -- all I have to say is CONGRATULATIONS and I wish you all the *very* best of luck, love, and happiness throughout your soon-to-be MARRIED life!

Quote: Originally Posted by MayBride2010 did any of you ladies submit your story to the Maggie website? Here is mine! Natalie Lenz, Edmonton AB - Maggie Bride NATALIE!!! Stunning...just stunning, sugar! I always check the new "Maggie Bride" and "Midgley Bride" pic postings almost daily on their respective websites, and I JUST *KNEW* when I saw your pic that you were a BDW GIRL!!! And WOW! YOU look incredible in your LIBBY gown! (I posted the pic of me that you see in my siggy on the Sottero & Midgley site!) Here's the link to me and my little gown story, as well: http://www.sotteroandmidgley.com/viewBride.aspx?Id=8773 HUGS, sweetie!

Nice....I thought I saw a girl from high school in one of these -- sure hope it wasn't her!

Quote: Originally Posted by Ashley* thanks ladies, for your support, and advice. It's appreciated, and noted. IslandBride~I too, keep holding out, hoping she'll snap out of it and become the way she once used to be. Well at least 2 years ago...before she got married. I'm wondering if she's resentful because I have a great relationship with my FI, and her's she continuously yells at. ..... I'm getting resentful & thinking the same as "IslandBride," I wouldn't put up with a friend to treat me this way, how can I be friends with my sister?! Honey, I know all-too-well what that "waiting for a miracle" feeling is like (aka her snapping out if it!), and sometimes it's an exercise in futility! I'm NOT telling you to give up on her entirely the way I've been driven to in my situation with my own sister, but I just don't want you to put yourself out there and get crushed if/when she doesn't come through for you, is all.... And I'm also there with you that your sister feels resentful because you and your FI share such an amazing relationship, and well, she just doesn't have that with her own husband! Little side note: My sister's husband (in the 13 years they've been together, although they've only married recently in Dec. 09) has NEVER, EVER attended a single holiday at my parent's home, while my entire family THINKS THE WORLD of my husband! It's like when we were all kids -- didn't your sister ever get mad if you got a better "present" for Christmas than she did?! Same idea here! You seem happier than her with your man, and she can't be mature enough to accept her own situation for what it is, put that aside, and be DECENT enough to be happy for you the way she OUGHT to be! JUST SHAMEFUL! And finally, to my comment about how you wouldn't allow your friends to treat you that way, so why is it okay for your sister, right? Bottomline -- it's NOT OKAY!! And when people show you who they *really* are, although it sometimes might hurt like hell, you've just got open your eyes and deal with what you see. I'll pray that she WAKES UP and starts acting like the sister you deserve!!!

Ooooh, Meitra! It's so sexy and sophisticated...just gorgeous! I'm gonna ask too -- do you have any pics of YOU wearing this fab gown?! WE *HEART* pics on REAL brides; they always look more stunning than the models!

Quote: Originally Posted by missbliss85 Islandbride, I know exactly how you feel about the whole AHR thing. We got married in Mexico in late April (we had 9 lovely guests with us), and had planned on throwing an AHR for everyone at the beginning of July. We had made the announcement about having a party last September, and I even went through the trouble of mailing out STDs to everyone so that they had AMPLE time to think about coming out. Well, when it came time to send out invites to people, I had a number of people who had all previously told me that they were going to come suddenly decline...We had invited around 110 people, and I was expecting around 80 to show. About a month and a half before the reception, I was only at around 50ish people who were coming, and trust me, I know how you feel about people who were excited to be going to your AHR suddenly bail out. MY DH's aunts were super vocal about us not inviting them to Mexico, which was a big part in why we threw the AHR for everyone. And two of his aunts and their families didn't even make it! After all their moaning, they never came... So, my advice to you is to simply wait it out, and likely some more people will reply back to you. I found people were really bad at remembering to mail them back (I purposely gave them return envelopes that were already addressed and had stamps!), so you may end up chasing after people. In the end, I did enjoy myself at the AHR and did get to see some family and friends I almost never get to see anymore, but in retrospect, I probably never would have done one. OMG, MissBliss! Are we living parallel lives here?! We also sent out STDs back in November when I booked the venue, and included self-addressed, stamped envelopes for people in the "official" invitations that went out about 2 months ago...all they had to do was check a stupid box!! Another similarity between us is that we also only had 10 people attend our wedding in Jamaica, and for us, that was a blessing...but we were really hoping that the AHR would be the "real reception" I had always dreamed of, and sadly, it's not shaping up for us in the same way it didn't shape up for you! SO SORRY to hear you had to go through this nonsense, too! And yes, I have chased down a few of the non-responders, and some have finally said they are coming (after apologizing for letting the rsvp date 'slip their mind') and some have said now that they just can't make it -- people can be so frustrating!! And again, I FEEL YA on the "if I only knew before hand that this was the way it was all going to turn out, I wouldn't have had one at all" tip! That's EXACTLY where I am right now!! It's just disheartening that the people we love and are supposed to love us don't realize that their whims of NOW not feeling like coming (when before, they were practically shouting from the rooftops how excited they were) is going to be a REALLY expensive, kind of hurtful lesson! But like you, we are going to try to make the most of it and have the best time possible with those that show up, because like the other girls said, we will know that they ACTUALLY are happy for us and really want to be there! THANKS for your insight -- it means the world!

Quote: Originally Posted by Sapphire723 Haha, well kudos on uninviting your sister. I understand that sometimes there are other life events that happen on the same day, but I'm under the impression that a 13 y/o would NOT want a 32 y/o at her B-day party... or at the very least wouldn't care if she was there or not. And if it's THAT important, send the husband with a gift. It's not like they can't spend a couple hours apart.... or maybe his family said that he wasn't allowed to go without your sister babysitting him!! At the end of the day, you don't need the drama, so just let her go her own way. And if you still are having trouble getting the minimum 75 people to show up, invite some local BDW girls. We'd attend and even bring a gift! Awww, thanks Leanne! You're such a sweetie! And I totally think you are right that this soon-to-be teenager most likely truly doesn't give a rats a$$ if she's there or not, but there is just no getting through to my sister once she's got herself convinced of things, so you're right -- I will just have to let her go her own way! HUGS for the advice!

Quote: Originally Posted by josietoms We are having our AHR only 6 days after we come back and have had a really good response so far from both family and friends; so I dont know if your lack of response is maybe down to the fact that it is quite a time after your wedding?? But I really feel for you x Thanks, Josie...and yes I agree that 3 month delay between the DW and the AHR probably DOES have a lot to do with it, but we simply could NOT afford to do anything sooner, even if we wanted to. As I mentioned, we've both been working 2 jobs for months, and we're STILL gonna be cutting it close -- unfortunately, our hands are tied and this is part of the consequence to that! And @ Rachel: Damn you're good, sugar! THANK YOU again (1) for being so amazing with your advice, and (2) for sharing that you are also experiencing sister-drama of your own -- which sucks, but I really do appreciate that you know how sh!tty all of this feels first hand...it makes me sad to hear that your sister is acting like such a bonehead when you and your DH are being so kind and letting her share your home with you, too! And on my sister's "non-reaction" reaction to being dis-invited, all I have to say is that I think she probably knows deep down how wrong she is, but she is exactly the same "stubborn bitch" you described above, and her IMMENSE PRIDE would never allow her to approach me now and say she's sorry -- I already know that's NOT gonna happen, so I won't be holding my breath! Oh, quite the contrary, she probably has herself convinced somehow that I AM OUT OF LINE for NOT being more understanding that she's got "more that one obligation" ........ I really DO GIVE UP!

Girl.....I am ALSO in the middle of some pretty major sister drama right now, so I FEEL Ya, for sure! Long story short, my sister (my only sibling) came to my wedding in Jamaica, but now wants to skip out on my AHR (local reception) for a 13th birthday party -- WTF?! And then she wants to go public and make subtle ignorant comments about me on facebook, too?! Nope, I'm done with her. She's no longer welcome at my party, I took her off my facebook friends list, and I have ZERO intention of calling her for any reason other than if (God forbid) a family emergency would occur. So, my advice: Your sister sounds like mine -- she wants you to be there for her 100% of the time, but is completely unwilling to return the favor to you, so if I were you, I'd cut my losses and start planning your wedding under the assumption that she will NOT be taking part in it. Like a fool, I have been holding out hope that my sister would one day grow up (she's 32 now btw, and I am 30 and it still hasn't happened yet). Only VERY recently (aka this past weekend!) have I decided that SHE DOENSN'T GET TO HURT ME, OR LET ME DOWN ANYMORE!!! My advice for you is that you protect yourself, draw the line, and do the same... Honestly, if my wasn't forced to deal with my sister because we're related by blood, we wouldn't be friends in life, if you know what I mean. You should continue to plan your wedding as if she's not going to be a part of it, and if she comes around and you work things out, you can always try to add her back in at the last minute. I think it would be the easiest, best way to go rather than try to plan everything around her and then she drops out at the last minute and leaves you in a bad spot.... Anyway, I'M HERE FOR YOU if you need a sister-venting buddy, for sure! Hope things work out, Ashley!

Quote: Originally Posted by *Rachel* Ugh- I was hoping your sister would have done a turn around, but taking it public on FB? Wow! That's a low of low. I get pissed at my sister sometimes but I would never think to make it so public. How did she respond when you uninvited her? I know, right?! Putting me on BLAST on facebook? What, are we seriously in junior high school again?!!? No matter HOW upset I could be with someone, I would never DREAM of airing my dirty laundry (more or less personal family drama) on flippin' FACEBOOK for the whole damn world to see! So when I finally said enough is enough, and I removed her from my "friends" list, I then also sent her a text to make her aware that she's no longer invited, and her only reply was that the posts on fb were 'about something that happened at work' and that I was 'waaaay off base' -- I call bullshit!! She's been my sister all my life, so you would think she'd realize that I know HER better than that! It was the words she chose and how she used them -- what, does she take me for an idiot?! She wanted to make an a$$ out of me, but if I called her on it, she could deny it 100%, but frankly, I am tired of the games no matter what happens from this point... And what's worse is that she didn't say anything about not being invited to the AHR anymore, so that just tells me she never really wanted to go to begin with. Oh, well! iQue Sera!, I say!

Quote: Originally Posted by nsbride2010 wow... I am so sympathetic about the turn-out disappointment. We invited 150, had 90 rsvp yes, and about 65 show up. Thankfully, we didn't invest too much money into it! The party will still rock (ours did) and you will have the people there who really WANT to be there! Drink 'till it's fun is a good motto... thats what I did! hahaha! As for your sister, you're right to stop investing ANY time in her childish behaviour. I would be beyond mad if I had a sister that acted like that. Girl, its HER loss, not yours!! Thank you, love! It feels good to know that my DH and I are not the only ones who've been let down by family and friends when it comes to these wedding-related events...and I hate to be petty, but I WILL remember those that were there for us and those that weren't for sure, including my sister! I hope she has someone else to call the next time the *sh!t* hits the fan with her husband and his family, as it has sooo many times before! Lil sis is tired of being there, when she can't do the same for me! Ggggrrr...... On a more positive note, I did want to mention that a few more people have rsvp'd and we are at 55 now, so it's a little better than I originally thought! Every little bit counts, right?!

What a great article, MarieSam! I'm still a wedding-gown-aholic, and let me please say, these little beauties are amazing....with incredible prices to match! Thanks for sharing, and I'm sure this will help LOTS of B2Bs to find a fab, but affordable, wedding gowns!