hockeymom97

For anyone looking to book their travel arrangements themselves, go to United Vacations and use the coupon code BIGFALL. I was checking prices for Beaches resorts and this took $200 off the booking price.

You're picture are beautiful and I love your dress! It looks like you had perfect weather and an amazing DW!! Congratulations!!

Moe - your pictures are amazing and you look fantastic!! And the actual book looks like it came out amazing as well!! Quote: Originally Posted by Ayita Check out this website : Houston Boudoir Photography, through a woman's eye - classy, sensual, and fun portraits This is where I will go if one day I want to do one. Maybe for our first anniverary, if I'm not pregnant. lol OMG - I can't believe the before and after pics! It's unbelivebale how great editing can make such a difference! I mean the girls in the pics looked great to begin with, but the editing just made their skin glow! If I lived anywhere near Houston, this is definitely who I'd want to use for BD pics. Quote: Originally Posted by cougs i recently found a girl i went to high school with on facebook, and it turns out she's a photographer these days (in the los angeles area), and does boudoir!Christa Meola Pictures, Inc. Women the following is from her blog ... thought it made sense to share it in this thread: Ten Tips on How to Feel Relaxed & Sexy when being Photographed 1. Focus on Having Fun Make your goal to have fun, not to get great shots - that’s my job Everyone looks their best when they’re genuinely having a great time. 2. Visualize I know this is very Tony Robbins of me, but he’s not the only one who recognizes the power of visualization. Make it a practice to see the experience of having a great time, feeling sexy, everything going smoothly, seeing the photos and loving them. Be specific and visualize from your point of view, as if you’re in it. 3. Get Inspired Look at movies and art for inspiration, tear pages out of magazines and begin to recognize your style and sensibility… what is sexy to you? This will help you communicate with your photographer and help guide the shoot. 4. Show Up With All You’ve Got When I say show up, I don’t mean to just show up. Bring it. And be open. Karen deserves all the credit for the success of her shoot, because she showed up, really stretched way outside her comfort zone and gave it all she had. 5. Be Sensual Use your five senses during the shoot: play music, have a bite of chocolate, a sip of wine, put on a favorite scent, wear a kick-ass outfit you feel great in, and think of memories that make you blush, smile, and sweat… Do everything and (well, almost) anything that gets you hot. 6. Be Silly Any shyness tends to go right out the window after the first few minutes or so of being silly. I am the biggest ham during a shoot, and I embarrass myself frequently (not always on purpose), but this serves me well as it usually puts everyone at ease. Just goof off and have fun! See how outrageous and silly you can be - it’s easier for the photographer to tone you down, rather than fire you up! 7. Create Movement I often hear but I don’t know how to pose. Well that’s good, let’s not do that! Create a little action, however, so there’s energy in every shot. C’mon you all know how to flirt! If you’re on a shoot with me, I can show you some sexy moves (hey hey). 8. Remember the Context The sheer fact that you’re in front of the camera being photographed is damn sexy… it’s powerful and vulnerable at the same time, which is an unbeatable combo - enjoy it! 9. Fake It I’m not telling you to fake the real deal, but if you don’t feel 100% confident and sexy while on a photo shoot, FAKE it. Works every time. 10. Be Yourself Honor who you are, in this moment. Don’t wait to lose a few pounds. (Besides, I’m a pro at retouching, and Photoshop is the best personal trainer in the world - more on that in another post!) But it’s important that you FEEL sexy, so if working out for a few weeks is going to do that, then great. But let’s not wait for all the planets to be aligned and your bangs to be the right length. The time is now. You are sexy and beautiful just as you are. Bonus Tip: And of course, add alcohol Great suggestions!!

Congratulations Janine!! And to the forum!! There is SO much information on this forum, you'll definitely be able to find everything you need.

What an amazing story...I love it! Congratulations and good luck with your wedding planning I know it's still early but do you have any idea on where you want to have the wedding?

Quote: Originally Posted by jodi_22n i am having my AHR just 2 days after we get back we all get back on the wednesday morning and the AHR is on the Friday evening the reason for this is after having 3 weeks off work(going back on the monday) i would not be able to take anymore time off so i decided to have it the weekend of our return i always wanted a big evening reception but was not able to do a big wedding in the UK due to cost so we opted for a large party with everyone when we return i know some people probably think i am crazy but i think as long as i have had everything confirmed before we leave for jamaica then it should be fine I know I said that I think having it immediately after the DW was way too soon, but that's just MY personal preference. I know I'd be be much too stressed. But I think that if the bride and groom are comfortable with having it that soon after returning from the DW then it's completely ok. I guess my point is that the OP was NOT comfortable with having it that soon and was being pressured. That was more my concern. But if you can pull it off and that's what works for you then more power to you

Well it finally happened......So two days ago, I'm talking to my FMIL about the AHR and she brings up the subject about reservations for the DW and starts complaining about the high prices. I thought I was going to scream! Of course the rates are higher....that's why I was reminding her almost daily to make their reservations when we first booked the DWmonths ago, but NOOOOOOOO....they kept putting it off and putting it off and now they're all ticked off that the prices are hundreds of dollars higher. And you know what, I really don't even feel bad about it. They know they are going, so why wait to book?! I even told them how our TA gave us a credit when the prices had dropped a couple of months ago.....so they knew they could get a credit if that happened to them as well. So it's not like they had to wait for the prices to drop before booking. So frustrating!!! And while I don't feel too bad for them, because I know they can afford it....I really do feel bad for other guests who might not be able to make the trip now because prices are too high. Yes, I know it's their own fault for waiting to book, but it sucks that people will miss our DW because of it.

Quote: Originally Posted by KarenM I know you haven't tried it on yet, but do you think the the 12 would be way too small or just a little? A lot of dresses have some extra fabric at the seams & maybe it could be let out a little? If you go try it on, look at the inside of the dress or ask a salesperson. Just a thought. I say def go for it - it's worth the 1/2 hr trip to see if this is your dream dress!! And the store may be able to find it in another store or even state for you. Because the dress is loose and flowy, I'm pretty sure I could lose the weight to fit in the dress EXCEPT for the bust According to the size chart, the size 12 is a 37 inch bust, and even when I'm at my skinniest, I'm still close to a 38, lol so not sure that will work. But I'm still working on losing some weight. I'd at least like to be able to try the dress on and give it a try. Quote: Originally Posted by Morton-Woods Dont know if youve found your dress but if your on a tight budget .... found this knock off of the maggie dress... wedding dress (HS9667)-wedding dress,prom gown and bridesmaid dress by landy bridal Thanks for sharing! I've actually been considering having the dress by Aqua custom made so I know it will fit. But I need to at least go try on a similar dress to see if it even looks good on me. I'm not sure about the empire waist - for all I know it could make me look pregnant!!

I've seen a couple people mention that they purchased the badges from ebay. Is there a particular seller that anyone could recommend?

I agree with what some of the other brides have already posted. While the packages are beautiful, none of them fit my colors or what I was looking for. I think I'd even be ok with the basic "beautiful beginnings" package if I could get the orchids in fuschia instead of magenta; and I could just add some splashes of orange myself. I'm definitely not going to stress about this yet....but will definitely be waiting to hear back from other brides with earlier wedding dates and how their planning went with the new options.

Quote: Originally Posted by Sheree10 Hockeymom... thanks for sharing, at least someone else is going thru this. I had no idea planning a wedding would entail all of this extra stuff!!The main reason for us going away to get married was to keep it simple. We didn't want hoopla of an at home wedding. This whole AHR seems like it's going to be more than we wanted. It was really supposed to be a casual event with about 20-40 ppl in MIL's backyard, since a some of her family/ friends may not be able to make it. Now it seems like it's turning into a second wedding reception. i'm okay since we just have to show up but that's not how I wanted it all to happen. If it's not one thing it's another. I understand about the whole control thing, I think my FMIL's planning of the AHR has to do with her not being in total agreement of our DW. Well, there I go ranting too!! I just want this to be over with already!!! So I'm reading your reply and I'm sitting here nodding my head, saying yep, yep that's our situation exactly! I really feel your pain Sheree!! So feel free to rant as much as you need because I totally get it!!! When we first decided on on a DW, having a smaller party when we got back was the plan, and FSIL offered their house for the party - and they have a beautiful home for entertaining. I thought it would be perfect...have it catered, they have a huge patio as well as a huge yard since it will be warm out; and they have a really nice butlers pantry with a full bar, which is great for parties...FSIL even offered to bring in tents for the back yard if we wanted. And FSIL is one of those people who just loves entertaining so she was just loving the idea of having it at their home. But FMIL said noooooo, that's not big enough for all the people she wants to invite. "She" wants to invite? Isn't this our AHR and we should invite who WE want? And that's when she offered to pay for it (because I'm sure she knew that was the only way she would have any say in things), and you are completely right....I think this is all about them not having any control over the DW. If we hadn't originally planned on an AHR, and this was totally FMIL's idea, then I'd probably just let her run with it and do what she wants and all we have to do is show up. But this was my idea and something I had wanted first; and I had already started planning our AHR when she jumped in and tried to take over. So this is really hard for me. I don't want to be bridezilla, but this is still our reception and there are still certain things I want a certain way. There have definitely been times during this process where I have just felt like throwing my hands up and saying let's just elope and escape all this craziness!!!

The actual dress is beautiful! Can I ask who you used to have it designed?

I'm still early in the planning stages, but my colors are also pink and orange so I'm sure I'll have items to sell after May - definitely in time for your DW if you are still looking for items at that time. I'm pretty sure I'll be buying fuschia organza chair sashes for the ceremony, and there are some really cute fuschia votive candle holders I've been looking at too. I'm holding off buying for now since I don't know how many guests we'll have yet, so I don't know how many chairs/tables I'll need to decorate yet, lol. I also thinking of doing strings of orchid petals (silk) to hang in the arch for the ceremony, and will probably have some orchid petals for on the tables as well. Keep in touch and as it gets closer I can let you know what I have for sale.

I definitely think you have time. I just looked at the Sandals site and it looks like there is room availibility...you would need to check on availibility for your wedding date though.

Quote: Originally Posted by jennaLynn544 Our daughter, Sienna, is going to be 18 months at the time of our big day so while she has already mastered walking (and running!), she will need someone to help her stay put & not run away from the ceremony. We are going to purchase a special necklace (maybe a charm necklace or just a pretty chain) to hang our wedding bands on and have my sister slip it off from around her neck to hand us the rings for the exchange. I love this idea - very cute

Your pictures are beautiful and it looks like you had a fabulous time! Thanks for posting I can't wait to read your review! Just one question so far...what time was your ceremony?

Quote: Originally Posted by gossip girl This is all so irritating. I am about to send out my STD's and on the website we put that as soon as you know that you plan to attend to notify us through the website. We are going to send formal invites as well (I think). And I guess get a formal RSVP? I dunno it's all so confusing. But when I make a cutoff for who is attending the wedding, I am going to adhere to it. If you haven't confirmed you are coming there won't be a seat for you at the wedding. Mostly because I'm a bitch but also, if you can't effing send an RSVP back or click a button on a website then you don't get to attend. We are inviting way too many people and are hoping a lot won't make it. If they are booked anyway that's their thing they can have a great vacay and just not be in attendance and won't be on the seating chart. I was thinking of making the final RSVP cutoff like 2 months before though because it seems that's when I need to start confirming numbers for vendors. I absolutely love the "mostly because I'm a bitch" line! LMAO To the OP - it probably won't make you feel any better but we are just over 6 months out and NO ONE has booked!! STD's were sent out over 5 months ago!! Not even our parents our booked!!! Talk about WTF?! They know they are coming, so why not just freakin make your reservation already!!! I guess that would be too easy. So I'm sure we'll have the same battle after we send out the actual invites and will have to hound people to try and get them to RSVP. At least we all have this forum to vent!

I was just reading another thread where a Sandals bride was asking about a particular room category, so I thought I'd ask about the Beaches Negril rooms. We are booked in the Honeymoon Grande Luxe Beachfront Concierge Room category (could the name be any longer? lol). And the description states these rooms are in the Santa Cruz, Savannah and Montpelier buildings. Does anyone have any feedback on this room category or the buildings themselves? Would you recommend one building over another? And I probably need a TA to answer this question - but does my TA select or request the actual room #? Can they only request a particular building? Or do they only get to request the category we selected and the rest is up to the resort at check in?

Quote: Originally Posted by Future Mrs. G Very helpful thread ladies!! Thank you all for sharing!! As soon as all my RSVP's are in (very soon), I'm going to start shopping. I'm in the same boat - I don't really want to buy too much until all RSVP's are in which isn't for a few months. I'm trying to be patient but I can't wait to start buying things This thread has been SO helpful! Although I admit, I did try to make a rough guess on how many guests and bought the actual bags themselves. I found a bag I really liked and knew if I waited to buy it, it would be sold out. I'll probably end up with extras to sell on here later on.

After reading some of the responses, I feel like I might be sending mine out too soon?? Mine will be ready within the next few weeks and I was planning on sending them out before Thanksgiving and having an RSVP date of Jan 31. That gives me 3 months before we leave to plan for things like OOT bags, programs, reception decorations, etc. I have so many things that I don't really want to buy things for until I get a better head count of who will actually be there. And I figured if I send them out before Thanksgiving, they'll receive the invite early enough that it shouldn't get lost with all the x-mas cards, but it's still early enough for people to plan and book their trip. Keep in mind I have a bunch of procrastinators in my family and even tho STD's were sent out in June, NO ONE has booked yet.

Congratulations and welcome to the form Amanda! With all the tons of information on this forum, I think you'll be fine with planning a last minute wedding. And honestly I don't think it's too last minute at all. I may have started planning months ago, but I still have lots to do because so many things depend on my final guest count, which I don't have yet and probably won't have until just a few months before the wedding. And even then I don't think it will be completely accurate because my family (like many others) is full of people that like to do things last minute. So for right now, most of my planning has just been research. Our RSVP date is Jan 31st - approx 3 months before our date, so after then I'm sure I'll be busy! I guess my point is - don't worry about being "last minute", you have more than enough time to plan

My favorite is #3 - I think it looks AMAZING on you. I have no idea what "stomach" you are talking about because there is nothing there, lol! #1 is my second choice. But like others have mentioned, it's not how we think you look, it's how YOU feel. Pick the one that makes you feel like a princess and don't worry about what everyone else thinks. No matter which one you choose, you're going to look beautiful

They are absolutely beautiful - you did a fantastic job!! And those are my colors too - I love the pink and orange!

Quote: Originally Posted by estella1007 I would just tell her that she would miss so much of your wedding if she had to be responsible for the pictures. How would you get all those shots of you guys getting ready together, the pictures of her reaction as you walk down the isle, etc. Not to mention she would be "working" all day and night. She will probably realize that she would miss out on a lot and not want to do it if you explained all that. Quote: Originally Posted by SusieQ I just tell her, "Mom I love you and need you to be my "MOM" that day." I'll need you to be there for me supporting me through the most important day of my life. She can't be carrying a camera and having the responsibility of that huge job. I think these are great responses and also very true! I'm sure you want and need your mom just to be your MOM on your special day, and not your photographer. And if she's behind the camera all day, she just won't be able to do that. Not to mention she won't be in any of the pictures herself. I think if you explain it this way, she'll definitely understand.

I think 2 days after you return is much too soon and I agree that the AHR is typically more for the people that couldn't attend the actual ceremony. I'm sure you'll have guests that want to come to both and I think that's great, but I wouldn't plan it just so DW wedding guests could attend the AHR before traveling back home. And this is just my opinion, but if I were attending a DW as a guest, and then expected to attend a AHR immediately after, it would feel like too much to me - as a guest I'd prefer them to be spaced out. Yes, you do want to have a AHR close enough to the actual DW so the excitement is still there - I think having it within a month after coming back home is ideal. And this also gives you a little time to get pictures developed to be able to share with all your guests that couldn't attend the DW. Don't feel bad about taking a stand on this either. I also have a FMIL who is trying to control every aspect of our AHR, including the date, since they want to pay for it and it's driving me nuts. We had originally planned it for approx a month and a half after we return. I would have liked to have it sooner, but we are having the AHR in MI (where FI is from) and I didn't want to pull my son out of school again since he'll already be missing time for the DW. So we planned it for the weekend after he gets out of school - this was about 6 months ago and we all agreed on the date -including FMIL. Well she finally decided on a venue this past week and she asks FI if having it 2 weeks later than our original date is ok, because FBIL and FSIL might not be able to make it on the date we picked. I nearly flipped!!! I was like, we picked this date MONTHS ago, and just because you procrastinated on finalizing the venue to make it official and people started making other plans, now I'M supposed to change my date?!?! I said no way - this is the date WE all agreed on. I fibbed a little and said that I couldn't make it on the date she wanted - and I felt bad about the fib at first, but after her next stunt I decided not to feel bad. The day after we finalize the date and venue I get a text from FI asking me if I have anything special for the AHR save the dates in mind, and I replied, ummm yes - I already picked them out. He says his mom is on her way to Kinko's to have some printed so I should call her. Are you kidding?!? She was just going to print them without even asking me?? And the list goes on and on - she thinks she has out centerpieces picked out, dj picked...just everything. It's just going to be one battle after another <sigh>. Sorry for going off on a rant....I just wanted to express that I know how you feel about FMIL wanting to take control. It's enough to make you crazy