breeze616

What a great thread! You did an amazing job planning!! I love the beach towels and the chopsticks!! (I'm asian too)

Everything looks so great!! Great job on all the decor details! I wish that light-up floor was an option in Jamaica, I searched and searched but no-go. Congratulations!!

Hi CamLovesJA! I'm getting married at the Iberostar Rose Hall Beach in JA on the 10th, but I leave for a mini-moon at Secrets St.James on the 13th, so I wont be around for your wedding When do you fly in? I'm at the resort from the 6th - 13th so if you there then, pop by and say hello!!

Originally Posted by CamLovesJA 

Hey bride to be! (its so exciting)

 

I am getting married on 16th December at Iberostar Rose Hall suites in JA, have you seen any pics that your photographer Nora Bohanon has done?

 

 

Originally Posted by Tina5978 

 

Hi Ladies just so you know the vendor passes are $100 per person.  As per Nicole the prices for 2011 may increase 10% from 2010. 

FYI - for brides at the 'Beach' resort, Vendor passes are $75 there, not $100.

Originally Posted by mrsdeloatch2be 

 

Hi everyone-

 

I dont know if its just me, but I am so anxious about the "unknowing".  I thought by doing a destination wedding I wouldnt be as stressed but I think its the exact opposite.  I am a nervous wreck trying to plan this wedding with little to no communications from Nicole.  I love this site but we are all contrbuting bits and pieces and I am so nervous about missing something....

 

 

I dont know if I feel added pressured because my FI's sister (soon to sis n law and matron of honor) just had her wedding in PR and while it was nice in the long run so many things went wrong.  I had to step in an whip it her resorts coordinator into shape.    And while it is not a competition the expectation for me to step my wedding up is there because i am a professional event planner.....

 

UGH! Does anyone feel like this or is this my crazy not having control issues stepping in?... LOL!!!

I TOTALLY understand what you are going through. I am a professional event planner as well and feel that planning a destination wedding is DEF more stressful. It would be less stressful if you are an easy-going bride who doesn't really care about decor or timing or all that little stuff... but I think as an event planner we both know the value of those little things. Not being able to meet with these vendors etc, is so scary!

Just go through your list, just as you've done before, your not going to forget anything! You can do it! 

And if you need questions answered, ask them here. I seriously couldn't imagine the amount of questions these WC's probebly get in a day... stupid questions that could be googled like 'when does the sun set?' and stuff like that... and I know on my wedding day I want her focused on ME, not answering emails to other brides.... so I understand that they are not very responsive until the few months before the wedding.

There is seriously soo much to help you on this site. And if you have all your ducks in a row, and be ready to explain to your WC how everything should run in your 'pre-wedding meeting'. Then everything will be FINE.

I feel your pain girl, just let us know if we can help!!

Misee - If you don't rent out the restaurant, then there will be other diners there, and therefore, you cant have a DJ/Dancing with other diners in the restaurant with you.

Another option is to do your dancing/cake/etc at a cocktail reception, just serve appetizers and get a bar. Then you can do dinner (or skip dinner, if you do enough apps and people start drinking you wont need a sit down dinner) and more dancing at the disco.

Thanks for clarifying shoesiesluvr

DWbridetobe & Futuremrsjrj - please update us on what is going on with our lil guy. Futuremrsjrj should be back and the starfish hopefully is on its way to DWbridetobe! I would suggest couriering him to Canada, perhaps you two can split the extra cost.

Dilara and I are holding our breath to hear whats going on!

Originally Posted by DWbridetobe 

I'm pretty disappointed. I got a DM saying that the person ahead of me never received the starfish. I had thought of purchasing my own from an online store a few months ago, but choose to join in on this instead. Now I'm wishing I had, just for "insurance".

 

Bummer.

Originally Posted by Dilara 

Are you serious?! You're right before me! Total bummer!! 

Hey Ladies, I sent shoesiesluvr a message to see what happened. If you read back in the thread - she did send it out to futuremrsj, so I dont know if there just wasn't enough time to ship or what - Sux for futuremrsj, but I hope that it will arrive while she is gone and she will be able to send it on to you Brandi.

Originally Posted by arosier 

 

I am new to this site and would really appreciate some assistance! My fiance and I have been struggling to settle on a destination and property for our May 2011 wedding and we are now getting down to the wire. We have been debating between Jamaica and Riviera Maya/Secrets Resorts and Iberostar. I think we are leaning towards Jamaica and Iberostar but I cannot find much information on wedding package and add-on pricing. If anyone has information that would be helpful please email me [email protected].

 

Thank you so much!

Hey There, I sent you some packages and info.

Originally Posted by wendyjd 

Hey guys just got back...actually in airport on a huge layover. The wedding was wonderful as was the weather most of the week. All the details worked out on site. Marcia Roberts was photog and was great to work with. Will post more later but just a quick reassuring note!!!
Oh and jamaicajenn's wedding was beautiful too. Great to meet another bdw-er

Congrats Wendy!! I've seen the Huppa decor now so don't worry about putting it in your planning thread. LOL! It looks really beautiful. Could your guests hear you guys ok over the wind?

Wendy! It all looks so beautiful! Congratulations!! Can't wait to read your review!

Do you have any pics of the huppa with the fabric on it? I'd love to see it if you do. Was it really windy everyday there?

Great Thread!! Thanks so much for posting!!

Great job! Thanks for posting!!

Terilina- they'll ask for a deposit up front, it's not much, then you pay the rest upon completion. Make sure you get your measurements done by a seamstress, it makes a big difference in hoe your dress will fit.

I think that even if we did post our home locations, the brides before and after eachother still have to confirm that they are comfortable with shipping times. It really needs to be up to us to communicate with eachother and check in on this thread for any changes. The original owners of these starfish are often long married and not as active on the forum, and there is no need for any one person to be responsible for organizing his travels. We can do it!!

Diva-you totally did the right thing by checking. I agree that is def not enuf time to travel from Europe!

Karla- 3 months!!! Holy moly! I know our starfish has travelled back and forth over the border alot, I think a few weeks should be ok

Originally Posted by wendyjd 

 

Thanks all.  I can't believe I'll be there in less than 12 hours!!!  I'll be sure to let everyone know how everything works out.  I'll have to learn how to add a resort so I can write my review.  I probably should do a planning thread but all my OOT stuff is in one big bag in the car so I'd like to have pics of them to post, maybe I'll do that when I get back home!!! 

Ooo! Ya planning threads are awesome! But if you don't have time, we forgive you. Have a fabulous time!!

Originally Posted by tookute69 

 

If you can pull it off and save money, That's great!!! But I am the type of girl that can't go fake... There's nothing like having a real gucci!!!

Word.

But I'm not about to throw my Gucci in the ocean or roll it around in the sand - so a knock-off TTD is a great solution.

Originally Posted by prettypigpig 

 

 

 

 

 

Breeze,

 

Seriously, buying a dress from China is like going to Walmart, it is bad for the US economy, but it is not a labor abuse.  It is not like buying a Tanzarnite or a blood diamond.

For unknown reasons, I have to eat a lot to maintain my weight and besides window shopping, I don't exercise.  I eat out at restaurants everyday for lunch due to biz lunches, and eat whatever I want in the afternoon and night.  My FI calls me a Yaris that consumes like a Hummer.

Thanks Bonnie. You've given me peace of mind about my purchase, and any other purchases I'll make online from China.

Hahaha Nikki, its not so bad. I'll be better once my Jack and Jill party is done in two weeks. Planning that has eaten a lot of my time. I am also job searching/interviewing right now, I work full-time and have 3 different projects on the go with my part time business.

I'm sooo ready to be on the beach.

Bonnie, I was hoping you would come in and comment on this because i knew you might have the knowledge to give us some honest answers. Thank you for sharing, I did believe that what you explained was the case, but I feel a lot better hearing it from you. I'm sure a lot of the other brides feel the same! So thank you!

Ps- super envious that your problem is losing weight on your already tiny frame!! Lol

Originally Posted by wendyjd 

 

Is 6am too early to start drinking??

 

Hells No!! Enjoy that flight baby!!

Is two months before too early to start drinking??

Thanks Lisa! No My Mom is making my actual dress, it has a similar silhouette, but has much more embellishements and will be made with high end silk, not polyester like this one

OK! So here goes.

I am so extremely happy with my dress from Gianinar. There were really only two issues -

1) The spaghetti straps (that go on the shoulders) were super short, and brought the bustline up too high, but its so super easy to put in some longer straps. Also, The boning and structure of the dress was so good, that I didn't even need them! I will put them in anyways since this is my TTD and I will wear it in the water and it'll get heavy.

2) The rouching around the hips start about a half inch too low, and you can see the horizontal seam above them. I saw this in the final photos too, but knew its simple enough to tack up one of the top folds to cover the seam with a few hand stitches, so no biggie there. I just wanted my dress!!

The good stuff-

1) It fits PERFECTLY. I can't beleive it will not need any size altering at all. Even the length looks perfect.

2) The quality is mind blowing. My Mom is a fashion designer and seamstress and she was blown away by how well it was made versus the price of it. She couldn't even buy the fabric for this dress for the price of it finished. The boning is strong, the seams are immaculate and the satin under the chiffon is nice and thick.

Ok, enough blabber - here are the pics - again sorry for the blurriness.

I am standing on a DIY 'bridal step' my Mom made for her studio, so ignore that white cover on the box.

I am really over the moon with this dress Here is the original again FYR

Ginaninar - They were great to deal with. Always responded the next day, and made the changes we asked for perfectly. My Mom as a seamstress saw the photos and gave quite a few changes the first time around. Then I added a few the second time. Altogether the timing was 2.5 months from order to completion. For any brides interested, their email address is: [email protected] and they do have a website: http://www.gianinar.com/

Cost- The dress was $120 plus $69 shipping + Canadian customs/duty $25 = $214 - INCREDIBLE.

Shipping to Canada - Gianinar ships with TNT in China, which is a reputable shipping co. over there. EMS is China's regular post and is not all that reliable I hear. Once it came to Canada the package was handled by DHL Express. After Giananinar sent it, I got the dress in 5 DAYS. There was a customs and duty charge of $25 upon delivery here - which I was expecting.

Slave Labour? - My Mom was a bit concerned that we are supporting 'slave labour' in China with these dresses. She just can't fathom how it could be made so inexpensively without paying the workers pennies to make it. I'm not convinced this is the case, I think it is just the reality of manufacturing in China and until their government improves labour laws, everyone, corporate companies and name brands included, are benefiting from the 'cheap' labour in China. But then, maybe corporations are more stringent in insuring their workers overseas are paid fairly... I really don't know... Maybe someone on here would know more? I do plan on doing more research on it myself and will let you guys know what I find out.

Overall a great experience!

Mimi - Your dress is so beautiful! Your right, just perfect for the beach and it is so flattering on you!

Janapana - Can't you get your dress altered to fit you? one size is not too bad... or is it more an issue that you want a different dress?

Lisadias - I think the dress looks really pretty on you! I can see how it is different from the original, but it is still so beautiful. It would make a lovely TTD!

Seb - WOW! It looks so perfect! I honestly can't see any changes that need to be done to it! AWESOME!

Mocha - I dunno who you ordered from, but my dress from Gianinar fits me perfectly and it has a corset back too.

On that note.... MY DRESS CAME YESTERDAY!!! I got pics of me in it, but they are kinda blurry used my Mom's camera. Anyways, I will post them in two secs!
 

Awesome thread! You look so beautiful, can't believe you were so far along in your pregnancy!! Congrats on both!!

Lisa - woo hoo! Can't wait to see it! I hope you end up liking the part that was not as requested.

Marzm - You look so beautiful in your dress!!!

Karen - I think they should be able to replicate it beautifully for you. Make sure you indicate that you want that flower made from the fabric within the skirt and not attached.
 

Terilina - I personally would forgo the ruffles in the front, but that's just my preference. I also would indicate 'small ribbon/seam' on all the seam areas, like you did on the first pic. What a pretty and unique dress!!

MarzM - Sounds like you are very happy with your dress!! I am so excited to see it!

Lisadias - What shipping company was used in China and do you know who will be delivering it here in Canada?