CrystalM

Quote: Originally Posted by Butterflyf369 I just don't know why these shows can't keep one couple happily married...it's not unheard of. LOL, I might show my age a little, but The O.C. kept the parents together, they had issues, but they were happy together. My favorite TV married couple to date possibly.

Quote: Originally Posted by Dee83 This is my TTD dress...I think it would look gorgeous in pictures That is a cool dress!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by jean-marcus Watch out .... Photographers advice coming through here.. MAKE WAY heheh jk you girls are all on the right track... MAC or SMASHBOX (actually designed for photographery) I have found that those bareminerals stuff , even though great in daylight, they are reflective as all sin when it comes to photography. You're already going to be fighting the shinyness in those tropical locations don't add to that. If its all outdoor daylight wedding then the photography aspect of it all wont matter because there wont be any flash but soon as it gets dark and everyones flashes come on you're gonna look like a bronze statue and there is my ¢¢ I beat ya to it :-D even though I'm not a portrait photographer. I also forgot to add - USE MOISTURIZER AND PRIMER BEFORE THE FOUNDATION!! It'll do wonders!

When I took my lighting class for photography, the class used me and 2 other girls as models most the time. I used MAC, one used Smashbox and the other used a drug store brand. You can tell the difference. Smashbox and MAC are thick enough that the lights don't penetrate through the make up. This will save your photographer hours in editing. I know most people on here won't need or want a lighting set up, but that's something to think about. Also, as far as MAC foundation, I quit using it everyday, cause it did break me out. I use it for special occasions. MAC will do a free makeover with a purchase of $50 (I think) but they'll give you a small pot of foundation for free. I'd do the make over and buy the blush, lip stick and eyeshadow - I have nothing bad to say about their stuff (other than the break out issue with the foundation).

Quote: Originally Posted by chloe55 I'd say go tonight and get a price adjustment tomorrow to make sure you get all the colors/sizes you want. This is what I did. 3 workers told me about the sale. I said "I know, I'm buying tonight and doing a price adjustment tomorrow" All 3 said "Thats a good idea"

I bought 2. They're not great, not terrible either. For $4, they'll work

Quote: Originally Posted by cdnvb9 I would rather splurge on my purse or shoes or something. My vote is for a new purse and shoes I'm going with no veil or flowers. I considered the veil but I didn't think it looked right with my dress. Flowers are a no because I would blue, and there are very few true blue (not purple-ish) flowers.

Quote: Originally Posted by lakerbride Beautiful story- sorry for your loss. Post pics of those beautiful rings! I added a link to my signature with my photobucket wedding album and added the ones I physically have. My grandma's is in a safe at my grandpa's so it's covered under their home owners ins. until I can get a new appraisal and add it to my ins.

For Christmas, I knew I was getting 1 of 2 things from my boyfriend. It was either an engagement ring or a new desperately needed camera. I'd been pestering him about both for about a month before Christmas. He kept the gift at work so I wouldn't know based on the package. I got the camera. I left for Michigan to visit family the day after Christmas for about 5 days. I was planning on coming home to spend New Years with Dave. He had to work, so I went alone. My grandma got sick, went into the hospital on Christmas Eve. We went to the hospital when I got up there and the doctor came in to tell my dad and grandpa that she was not expected to live very much longer and any option they had would only "delay the inevitable". So I decided to stay in Michigan, basically until she died. My dad didn't want me driving back to Tennessee just to get the call and bad weather kept popping up. New Years, I spent hanging out with my mom and step-dad in Ontario about 4 hours from my dad's house. Dave and I were fighting every day over my decision to stay - to the point where I told him not to call me unless there was something to talk about that didn't have to do with Michigan and him missing me. My grandma passed away on January 5, 2009. On the 6th, Dave decided to drive through the night after work to make it up to Michigan in time for my grandma's visitation. He never got to meet her, which is soooo unfortunate to me, because she was the only member of my family I have ever been really close with. I found out later that I was her confidante too. So he got to my dad's house about 5 minutes after I woke up on the morning on the 7th. My dad went out to handle some of the arrangements for my grandma's funeral with my uncle. Dave and I were basically making out on the sofa and "Will you marry me?" just fell out of his mouth. I looked at him and said "Um, Duh!". He took my anniversary ring (1 ct. round and baguette channel set) off my right hand and put it on my left. My grandma's funeral was the morning Jan. 8. Later that day, my dad gave me my grandma's jewelry, without her wedding ring. I went through everything and decided most of it needed to be cleaned. We went to the mall and the first store we came across was Zales. I gave them everything and started looking around. Dave took off the the bathroom. By the time he got back, I saw 2 rings I was interested in looking at. 1 was a .75 emerald cut 4-prong tiffany style solitaire. It was stunning! The other was a 1.25 cttw Princess cut set above a river of round diamond running up one side and back down the other side. It has channel set baguettes on each side. It was very unique. The guy pulled it out and said it was on clearance with 70% off and they were having a sale that everything in the store was an additional 30% off. The final price was $636 including tax. That's how we picked out my engagement ring. We were on our way back to my dad's house and were talking about when to get married. After everything in the last few days, I said May 1 next year, with out even caring what day of the week it was (it's a saturday). My grandparents were married May 1, 1948 and celebrated over 60 years of married together. Dave decided that would be perfect for us. The next day, my dad got up before I did and went to the funeral home to pick up the rest of the personal belongings. When he got back he handed me my grandma's wedding ring. I decided that I'm going to wear that after the wedding. It's a 1.65 cttw 5 stone round diamond platinum ring. My grandpa cried (happily) when I told him I was going to share his anniversary date and the ring he gave my grandma.

We got officially engaged at 16 months. We've been together 21 months and will have been together almost 3 years when we get married.

Quote: Originally Posted by estella1007 I actually don't. I used to, but now everything is cut longer. Plus I am always layering a tank underneath anyway. I mainly can't find bathing suits. Empire waisted tops are tough too. I love them, but they aren't made for bigger boobs. The seam usually runs through the center of my boobs. It drives me CRAZY when I see someone wearing a shirt like that! I want to walk up to them and yank it down where it belongs. It's my inner "Stacy and Clinton" coming out. Yeah, I am exactly the same way with the tanks under everything. I have a tank top in every color and flip flops to match. I was thrilled when they brought back the long style tops. I still find a few that I worry about shrinking on the length when they get washed. I know what you mean about the line going through the boobs and looking bad. I don't have that problem though. I'm a solid B cup when I'm heavy and an A when I'm not. Gravity took over and it all went to my behind.

Quote: Originally Posted by estella1007 LOL! When I try them on it's hilarious. It's like I'm wearing a bathing suit as a jumpsuit, and the straps are like suspenders, with just boobs flopping over the top. If you find anything that works let me know! Oh my gosh, you seen the medieval times dresses...that's what they look like on me with the boobage popping out on top... I was on the swim team in HS - we used Nike swimsuits. The sizing is great on those they stretch out and up. Try them. Do you have issues with T shirts being too short too?

Quote: Originally Posted by estella1007 I wish I had some luck finding bathing suits like you gals are. I must be a freak with a long torso cause whenever I try a one piece the top ends UNDER my boobs. If I try a tankini it ends above the "kangaroo pouch" and doesn't do it's job of covering my tummy. I am forced to wear a bikini, which isn't pretty Ugh. Help!!!! OMG ME TOO! I just bought the CUTEST monokini at Target and lets just say it's going back for this reason.

Quote: Originally Posted by JoLo908 I went to St. Thomas in June... Definitely do AI, the island itself is really expensive. (food and such). We stayed at the Marriot and and Secret Harbor. We met people who stayed at Bolongo and loved it. A good place to grab food/drinks in Charlotte Amelie that is not killer expensive and has good food is the Greenhouse. A splurge, but AMAZING dinner and atmosphere is the Blue Moon Cafe at Secret Harbor. Expensive, but one of the best meals FI have ever had. Secret Harbour has already ticked me off. I emailed them to ask about group rates and instead of answering the question they did a sales pitch on getting married there, holding the reception there and that they don't discuss group rates until they have a wedding contract and all the rooms have a deposit. What did you think of the Marriott? I've heard alot of bad things about it. I looked into it. Best rates given were about $300-$400/night I think. I asked my fiance about AI, and he said "Absolutely not". He has his eye on some places to eat already.

Quote: Originally Posted by ~Angela~ if you purchased the flip flops within 2 weeks, maybe old navy will do a price adjustment?? I called just to ask that and they said as long as you brought the receipt in and it was dated w/in the last 14 days the would. You HAVE to take the receipt in on saturday to do it though.

I'm planning on it. I just don't know the 1st place to look

Quote: Originally Posted by jackobelle Hi ladies! I am about a size 16-18, and I was wondering if you know of any bridal stores in Ontario, or in the US close to southern Ontario that have plus size wedding dresses that you can try on? I was the MOH in a wedding last summer and I had to order my bridemaid's dress without even being able to try it on! The samples were a size 10 I think and I couldn't get into it to even try with it unzipped. I have been putting off wedding dress shopping because it is too upsetting, but now I am running out of time. This is something that is supposed to be exciting. I don't want to buy a dress I can't try on first. Any suggestions? Does David's Bridal have larger sample sizes. I'm looking for something beachy, so maybe even a bridesmaid dress would work. David's Bridal and Jessica McClintock. JMC goes up to a 20. If a particular store doesn't have something they'll ship between stores and stuff. JMC also has some cute chiffon beachy types of dresses. What's the closest border crossing to you? I'm familiar with Sarnia, Windsor, and Niagara Falls. I'm sooooo jealous! You get to go to Cuba!! I'm planning on having my mom and her hubby "pay" for a vacation down there at some point for me LOL

I did hear back from the MB Authority apparently the beach is open 24/7 but the office is only 8-5? WC said she didn't realize they had specific hours like that... So, It's all good

We've had a joint account since we moved in together about 2 years ago. Both us are okay with the others spending habits so it works well. He's more frivolous with money than I am but he also brings a lot more of it home. We have yet to have any issue with each others spending habits.

He's a huge fan of Johnny Walker Blue. He checks it out at every liqueur store but never buys it - even when I was bringing home $1500/week. It's really expensive in Nashville ($220). I priced it in Michigan the last time I visited family and it's $130 up there. That along with a BD book (I told my mom about it and she's loving it! She decided she is paying for it!) will be his gift. I'm not sure which one will be more surprising for him.

I know where I'm going to be on Sat. morning!!

Quote: Originally Posted by 2bebridejamaica Seriously... what the heck are Jay and I gonna watch together ... we have totally different taste on TV most of the time... but I started watching shows he loves to be a snuggle bug.. and now I really really like them... The Unit, Numb3ers, Without a Trace, Prison Break, Terminator, and Medium... AHHHHH what to do!!! Medium just switched networks and Numb3rs is OKAY!

I'm a size 14/16/18 depending on the store. I have a big bubble butt that sucks sometimes. Dresses are often a no-go. My wedding dress fits great off the rack except the hips, I will have to take the hip area out as much as possible Skirts and tops are fine. Jeans are IMPOSSIBLE! The only place I can find them is White House | Black Market which is expensive (I buy on sales and clearance only!!). I LOVE LOVE LOVE NY & Co. They are my go to store for clothes. They have great prices and styles. I've bought about $300 worth of clothes for $75 after sale prices and coupons I get in the mail. Fyi, there is Old Navy/Gap/Banana Republic in Canada. My mom used to live in Kitchener, there is an Old Navy there in the Sunrise Plaza off of Homer-Watson Blvd. I also know there is one in Windsor at the mall...Banana Republic & Gap are at the mall in Kitchener also. I'm not sure where Sudbury is...but look into it! Old navy is GREAT! I'm trying to lose weight. I'm 5'8" about 210 now, started at about 230 (damn Ice Cream!) I wanna get back down to about 170 at the heaviest by next year. Ideal would be 150-160.

Quote: Originally Posted by justdeb1107 Please don't get me wrong, we didn't necessarily have a bad experience. Fortunately, we are pretty laid back people and the little things didn't both us much. However, when you pay a hefty fee to use someone's service, you'd like them to get your details right. Our "just the two of us" wedding cost over $1,600. At that rate, you don't expect to make a pit stop at your minister's house because he forgot your custom vows. lol You didn't have the great experience with them that I have heard from everyone else though! Being laid back certainly helps on a day like that. I usually am, just not with the wedding stuff.

Quote: Originally Posted by justdeb1107 Well, ladies, we made it through our wedding in decent shape! lol There were several details that didn't go exactly as planned, but all in all it was a good trip. When our ship arrived in St. Thomas it was raining. An earlier ship bride's wedding that started in the morning got wet. I feel so badly for them. Ours was to start at 1 p.m. and the sun broke through just in time. There are clouds in our photos, but the water looked GREAT! Hmm...reviews. First, I got off the ship and went to Just Cuts salon near the dock to have my hair/make-up done by Carol Ann. Truthfully, it was a huge waste. We were on day 3 of our cruise, and by then (despite 18 proof sunscreen) my nose was a little sunburned. I could have handled that in about 3 seconds with my regular concealer/foundation, but for some reason it stumped her. Since I'd only brought mascara off the ship, I was stuck with a red nose. (( Also, I am blonde, and Carol Ann barely put any mascara on me. THANK GOD I'd carried mascara off the ship. If I hadn't, I'd have looked like I'd had my lashes singed off in a fire for our wedding/pictures. I am so grateful I was worried about her having waterproof mascara and took it with me. My hair looked okay, but all in all, I wish I'd have done my own make-up and hair, especially since Lindquist Beach had gale-force winds and my hair just looked like a wind-blown wreck regardless. I expected some wind, but not as much as there was!!! lol Stuart Scott (Janelle -Island Bliss- Scott's husband and our minister) was late picking us up from the hair salon because the new florist they were trying out for our wedding didn't have ANY of our flowers done a mere hour prior to our wedding time. He came 20 minutes late with just my hair orchid. I could tell he felt bad, but I was upset and stressed out already by the make-up/hair situation and wasn't all that happy when we were leaving without any of the flowers. (There is nothing worse than feeling like an ugly bride.) As we pulled out of the parking lot, we saw the florist walking down the road with my bouquet/flowers and grabbed them through the window. The flowers were lovely, even if they were purple (!) and white instead of the rose/ivory tones I'd requested. Stuart got us through the courthouse smoothly. When we got back in the car I asked him about the custom vows I'd sent Janelle. He didn't have them, so then we had to drive to their house so he could print them. I was getting upset by this time. Also, listening to your minister on his cell phone talking to a buddy about meeting him for a beer isn't conducive to a holy atmosphere. We arrived at Lindquist Beach and it was far, far more gorgeous than I'd imagined. There was hardly anyone there at all, and the few people were far down the beach. It was very private. I highly recommend this location to anyone who doesn't want a bunch of sunbathing tourists around. The cake looked like I wanted it to, but it was vanilla instead of chocolate, and the recorded wedding music I'd requested was absent. There was, however, a cute family of chickens that were running around. This tickled me for some reason. The photographer for Blue Glass (Sulan) was there when we arrived. The sun was glaring. Unfortunately, it hurt my eyes and I squinted the whole time. I'm scared about how our formal photos will look. The ceremony was nice, but all in all, it felt more like a photo shoot than the blessed occasion it was supposed to be. Halfway through, Tom and I just started to make the best of it and got the giggles. I think we were simply relieved that it was nearing to a close after the stressful morning. We took all the "traditional" shots, then wanted to do some other shots we'd planned, as well as TTD. Janelle brought two bottles of Corona we'd requested, and we asked Sulan about doing a shot of us looking out to the water with them. I'd seen this on the board and loved it. She seemed put out, wanted to do the shots her way, etc. She also seemed irritated when we wanted to get the TTD shots in an area of clear water a few feet down the beach instead of the current location with a bunch of seaweed floating offshore. Since we were paying her $500 for the one hour to shoot pictures, we weren't happy. I just hope they turn out well. She told us it would take a full month to get the images on disk. After the ceremony, Stuart drove us to Secret Harbor where we ate lunch seaside at the Blue Moon Cafe. The food was terrific (crab cakes and a Philly cheesesteak wrap). Even though our cake wasn't chocolate, it was delicious (VI Desserts, I think). Then we plopped down on the beach for a few hours, enjoying the peace. In one area, there was a small coral reef and I waded around watching parrot and angel fish, crabs, and even a small sting ray that swam by to check me out. All in all, at the end of the day, we'd accomplished what we'd set out to do...have a beach wedding at a lovely location. However, if you are someone who would like to have all the little details go exactly as you'd requested (iPod music, flavor of cake, custom vows ready when you arrive, correct color flowers) you might want to work with another planner, as nice as Janelle and Stuart seem to be. Just my .02. I hope this helped. Wow I'm sorry you had a bad experience with Island Bliss Weddings. I haven't heard a single bad thing about them before this. I'm using them - al la carte style though...and I mirco-manage so my fiance and I are handling everything.