simba1234

Thanks everyone! I'm actually now really excited about doing this. I ran the idea by my hubby and he loved it. So now, I'm just trying to find the best printer to do it. I had 50 guests and I'm planning to send one magazine per couple so I'll only print about 25 copies. I'll have to pay about $6 for each one but the more you print the cheaper the price. So if I were printing 50 magazines it would only cost about $4 each.... 100 copies would be $2 each, etc... So, my original vision was a 'perfectly binded' magazine meaning they would glue the pages together like some of the monthly magazines (i.e. cosmo, Brides Mag, etc..). But they just told me that since I only want each magazine to have 8-10 pages, I'll need to "saddle stitch" which means they staple the spine the same way you see the weekly magazines (like people, sports illustrated, etc...). I was kinda bummed because I wanted it to look and feel like a monthly mag. I think it just makes it look more sleek and professional. Do you think I should add more pages to the magazine? Would that be overkill? Or should I just stick with the smaller magazine that has the pages stapled together?? Do you think the magazine would still look good?

Quote: Originally Posted by mrs*j*2011 One thing you might want to include is a personalize note in each "magazine", specifically thanking the person/people for coming to your wedding and maybe even mention something specific that you did with them during the trip. I always prefer something personalized vs a generic "thanks for sharing our special day" note. Thanks everyone for all the feedback! I was a little hesitant at first but I asked people around my office and everyone thought it was a great idea plus after reading the feedback here I think I might go for it. mrs*j*2011 ---I did think about your comment (above) and agree that I would like to include a personal note. So here's what I was thinking of doing.... You know the page in real magazines where the editor usually writes a letter in each issue? I was going to leave a blank page in our 'wedding magazine' similar to that, and hand write a personal thank you note to each guest. That way it feels even more personalized.

I've been trying to think of a really unique idea for my thank you 'cards'. I came across this idea where you can create a "personalized magazine". I was thinking of putting a picture from our trash-the-dress on the cover with headlines thanking our guests and also headlines of some of the fun memories from the week. The inside pages of the magazine would have some pictures & collages of everyone who attended the wedding having fun and enjoying themselves at the different events throughout the week - starting with the Welcome cocktails, the rehearsal dinner on the beach and ending with the actual wedding. Everyone had the time of their lives during our wedding week and have told us it was the best time they've ever had. I just thought this might be a good way to give them a few of those memories... Maybe 5-10 pages total. Is this totally crazy? How would you feel about getting a 'thank you' card like that?? I don't know if this is too much so I would really like to hear honest opinions. I won't be hurt if you think it's crazy lol

Quote: Originally Posted by AndreaD Thank you for posting. I will also have a Catholic ceremony at the Chapel. I wanted to ask you if you had programs and how you went about selecting the different elements of the ceremony (i.e. first and second readings, etc...). Did you work with the Parish in Cancun or a coodinator at the resort? Thanks I did print programs. I chose the readings from a book I got at the pre-cana classes at home. It has all the different options for readings. You can also google it to get an idea of your options for readings. Once I had my readings picked out, I emailed it to the parish in Cancun and the priest wrote me back to confirm that it was all ok. Let me know if you have other questions or if you want me to send you how I laid out the order of the ceremony in my program..

Yes it was windy during my ceremony & reception and YES I would absolutely do it all outdoors again! For me there was no other option - if my guests & I were traveling thousands of miles for a destination wedding in Cancun, it was to enjoy the outdoors and the amazing scenery. I have zero regrets. It was windy during the ceremony and I thought my veil was going to blow away when I was walking down the aisle:) But my photographer was loving it! She got some AMAZING shots of my veil blowing in the wind and those are some of my favorite pics. I took the veil off for the reception. The wind was actually great to have during the reception because everyone was dancing the entire time and it was good to have that nice breeze to keep them from sweating. No one complained at all... it was perfect because it's not a cold wind. I say do it outdoors and don't stress it. Enjoy that gorgeous backdrop that Cancun has to offer.

Are you looking for all-inclusive resorts only?

Quote: Originally Posted by anacj13 I may have to use a limo service and buses as well. What are the prices you guys have been finding in Cancun and the Riviera Maya? I ended up going with Cancuntransfers.com and I they were really reasonable compared to every other company I contacted & the level of service I received. I reached out to about 7 different transportation companies and they beat all of their prices. The service was great and the Limos & buses were clean, on time and stocked with drinks/champagne, etc... Price really depends on where you're travelling to. I was quoted $190 per hour for the Limo and the bus was about $160 each way for a 53 passenger bus. My final price ended up being lower because I booked a lot of transportation with them so I got a discount.

Morgan just photographed my wedding 2 weeks ago and although I haven't seen the pics yet I have to say that she was nothing short of amazing to work with. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE her! She was soo incredibly sweet and responsive. The day of the wedding she was working her butt off!! Every single one of my guests had something positive to say about her because she was EVERYWHERE! Everytime we turned around she was there on the floor, on top of something, twisting and turning to get the perfect shot. But it wasn't intrusive either...I know the pics are going to be awesome because I love all her work. We did a trash the dress with her too which was soo much fun! I'm so anxious to see the pics! Does anyone know how long she usually takes to send proofs/slideshow?

Quote: Originally Posted by Boo I love the make up job that he does but I am worried about the hair. Does he use the same person each time? to me it seems like its easier to screw up the hair than it does the make up. By chance do any of you ladies know whether he would just do the make up? Fernando only does make-up. He brings someone else for the hair. The hair stylist he brought to do my hair is called Gama. I think that's his main hair guy, but for my wedding he brought another hair stylist because I had two girls who wanted to do their hair and we didn't have enough time for just one person to do everyone's hair. You don't have to do your hair if you don't want to. Are you having a trial done? I would really recommend it for the hair...that way you could feel more comfortable.

I personally don't like when I feel like I'm being forced to mingle with planned 'icebreaker' activities. So, for my wedding I just organized a welcome cocktail reception with lots of drinks and good music. By the end of that hour everyone loved each other and was one big happy family:) It just happened naturally - people just started talking, drinking, dancing and it was a GREAT way to break the ice. By the time the wedding came around everyone and I mean EVERYONE was partying with each other like they had know each other for a lifetime.

Thanks JerseyKitten - The points you made are exactly the types of feedback I'm looking for:) I always like to see all my options so I can make a really informed decision. I'm hoping that by showing my friend all the pros & cons she can really make an informed decision and not just go with what most people do. Hopefully this info will also help other brides decide on the option that works best for their personal taste. The resort I chose for my wedding had 8 restaurants & buffets in addition to 4 bars, 3 pools and a ton of other things so people didn't have to leave if they chose. The rate was $105 per night for the room so it was really only $50 per person for two people in a room, or about $35 per person if 3 people were sharing a room. So it's not necessarily always cheaper to go with the all inclusive option. You got a GREAT rate and I like all-inclusives sometimes but I just want my friend to know that's not the only option. The other vendor restrictions I was referring to include 'florists', DJ's, photographers, etc.. Sometimes (not always) all-inclusives charge fees or don't even allow you to bring outside vendors at all. Some all inclusives also charge extra for guests who are not staying in the resort. I'm not knocking all-inclusive resorts with my post - I'm just trying to lay out all the good & bad of both all-inclusives and non-all-inclusives so that brides to be can know all their options:)

I would like to gather all the pros & cons of having a DW in an All-Inclusive resort. It seems like that is a very popular option on this forum even though it's not the only option and in my opinon not necessarily always the best. I'm trying to help my friend decide which way to go but I want to be as objective as possible and help her see both sides so she can choose what's best for her circumstance. Hopefully this will also help other brides on this forum who are undecided. I got married at Le Meridien in Cancun which is not an all-inclusive and it was absolutely awesome. I have no regrets. I got such personalized service and the coordinator was attentive, helpful and granted my every wish. I didn't have any of the problems I've heard from other brides about unresponsive planners or surcharges for outside vendors/guests. It was a really, really smooth process. I had the wedding of my dreams. My guests didn't even stay at that resort. We stayed somewhere else entirely and it wasn't even an issue. My wedding was very affordable especially for everything I got. Everyone thinks I spent a hundred thousand dollars when in reality it was less than half of what a hometown wedding would cost:) So, I'm curious why so many DW brides choose to have their weddings at all-inclusive resorts? I personally don't like all-inclusives for the following reasons: Too many restrictions with vendors Too many 'outside fees' I was afraid that the cost of all inclusive resorts would scare some of my guests away. Sometimes when people see $250 or $300 per person/per night it's a lot scarier than seeing $105 per night. They'll probably end up spending more money on meals anyway but it's all about initial perception. I don't like being restricted to resort meals. I like to go out and explore other restaurants outside of the resort. If I pay for all-inclusive, I just feel like I'm paying double when I go to an outside restaurant. Why did you choose to have your wedding at an all-inclusive resort?? What do you consider the pros & cons of a wedding in an all-inclusive resort??

I just got married last week and Fernado did my make-up and his hair guy Gama did my hair. I don't wear makeup...i don't like the look or feel of it and my husband's only wish was that I look natural on the wedding day. Fernando did a great job! I didn't even feel like I had makeup on...it felt and looked really natural. He is very talented. He only uses MAC products and he even gave me a lipstick to keep for touchups throughout the night:) And I LOVE HIS PERSONALITY! He is so much fun and just made me feel so relaxed. I paid $300 for hair & makeup. My mom and one of BM's did their makeup with him and another BM had her hair done. I think he charged $60 or $80 for the BM/mother makeup.

I started this thread because I was really stressed about who to pick as BM's, I was stressed about who was booking and wouldn't make it....but you know what? I just got married last week and NONE OF IT MATTERED! At first I was stressing about asking Friend A to be my maid of honor because I thought it would hurt Friend B's feelings. I've known friend B longer and she was the one who actually introduced me to friend A. Well, friend B very nonchanlantly told me she was not going to the wedding. So all my stressing was for nothing. The friend who I originally wanted as my MOH has two small kids, a mortgage and her husband got laid off from work but she still made sacrifices and flew to MX to stand by my side. I was stressed about choosing between two of my FI's sisters to be BM's and one of them also backed out at the last minute and didn't even go to the wedding. I was stressed about choosing between two of my cousins to be a GM...I felt guilty because I'm closer to one than the other but the younger one feels like no one ever chooses him to be a GM. Guess what? All that stress I went through and only the one I really wanted to be a GM from the beginning showed up. Not only that, but he flew 26 hours from Kuwait to be at my wedding. Things have a funny way of working themselves out. I invited 60 ppl and 50 made it. 90% of my guests waited until the cutoff date to book their trip. Before I left to MX all I could think and stress about was the 10 ppl who weren't going to make it. When I got to Cancun I was having SO MUCH FUN I forgot those 10 ppl even existed. Don't sweat the small stuff and enjoy the process. Everything will work out, you'll have the time of your life and none of those trivial things will matter in the end! I just wish I could turn back time and have that wedding week again because it was AWESOME. DW's are awesome and you should just enjoy the process. My 2 cents:)

They didn't even look at my stuff that closely. They opened my luggage and saw that I had a ton of stuff. He asked me what it was and I said it was favors and gifts for my wedding guests. He asked me "how much did you spend?" I said $200 and he said "Thanks...congratulations" and closed my bag. That was it. I spent WAY, WAY more than $200...I lied because I had at least $1000 worth of merch but as soon as he heard it was for a wedding he relaxed. He didn't even ask for receipts. I think they look at the label if you ship items. But if you're traveling with it, and they know it's for a wedding I don't think they'll give you a hard time. Just to be safe and help you feel better you can take off labels and make fake receipts. But as I said, we had enough luggage to make you think we were moving to Mexico forever and I was not hassled at all. Good luck.

Quote: Originally Posted by katrina305 simba1234, what a beautiful wedding!! I am also interesed in having fire dancers. Can you tell me where you rented them from and how expensive they were? I paid $600 for a 30 minute show and at first I hesitated at the cost but it was worth every single penny! It was something that my guests absolutely loved and raved about. It was something so unique and different that they weren't expecting. The resort (Gran Caribe Real) arranged it for me so I'm not really sure what company they used but I can try to find out.

Fancy That - Thanks for the compliments:) My wedding wasn't on the sand at all. The ceremony was inside the catholic chapel but it's all glass so the entire time you are facing the ocean and it was a really breathtaking view. It was the next best thing to actually being on the sand:) I wanted a beach view but also wanted a catholic ceremony (not to mention I also wanted heels lol). I did have my rehearsal dinner on the beach/sand and it was also stunningly beautiful. I told my guests to wear comfy shoes so they all wore shoes they could easily take off. No one had a problem with it. They all took off their shoes and danced all night. As for the photographer I wanted to go with the very best photographer I could afford. This was actually a really big portion of my budget. Photography was my number one priority because when it's all said and done the pictures are all you really keep. Photography is the way we will be able to look back in 10, 20 or 30 years and capture the memories. I never even considered a resort photographer. It really just depends how important it is to you. Photography & Music were really, really important so I didn't want to take any chances with either one.

I just returned from the most amazing wedding & honeymoon I could have ever imagined!! I couldn't have done it without this forum and all the great ideas on here. I received so many compliments on my wedding and every single person came up to me and said it was the best wedding they'd ever been to. That comment came even from my very picky friend who has been to at least 20 destination weddings and hundreds of traditional weddings. A lot of ppl have even asked if we can get married again:) There's so much planning that goes into any wedding but especially a DW and the process can be such a roller coaster ride but trust me that it will ALL BE WORTH IT IN THE END!! There is nothing that can compare to a DW. And if I can leave everyone with one piece of advice it is...don't sweat the small stuff! Don't worrry about the people who don't make it to the wedding because when you're there you'll be having so much fun with the people who make it that you won't think about anyone else at all. We invited 60 people and 50 people made it. I was so stressed about those 10 who weren't going but the second I landed in Cancun I forgot all about them. We had a blast with the people that went because those are the people who are closest to us and they made it a week to remember. So without further a do, here's my wedding review:) My wedding was a little different from what most people do. I didn't want our guests to stay in the same resort where we were having the ceremony & reception. I wanted them to experience different things and see different scenery. So, all my guests stayed at the Gran Melia Cancun with a group rate but I had the ceremony & rehearsal dinner at the Gran Caribe Real and my reception at Le Meridien. It was a little bit of a gamble to have events in different places but it's one of the things that made the wedding so unique and my guests LOVED moving from one place to the next and seeing totally different backdrops. GRAN CARIBE REAL (OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE CHAPEL) ---- A I gave them an A and not an A++++ because of the stress they caused me in the planning process. I only had my rehearsal dinner and ceremony at the Gran Caribe Real. Some of you may have seen my previous post about my rude and unhelpful coordinator. She was really horrible to work with at first. She said no to everything and I had to battle with her. The customer service at Gran Caribe was really lacking during the planning process. But I have to say they came through in a BIG way at the end. I had a different coordinator that handled the wedding day and rehearsal dinner logistics. She was way more accomodating and I LOVED the way everything turned out. Rehearsal dinner - Gran Caribe Real BEACH I was blown away by the way everything turned out at the rehearsal dinner. I asked to have it right on the beach at sunset. I wanted one long table with tiki torches all around it. They did such a beautiful job with the decor....they set up four long tables connecting in the form of a square and had flowing fabric, tiki torches and large vases as decoration. They greeted all the guests with some really delicious cocktails and had ambient music playing in the background. The sun was setting when we got there and that view of the turquoise blue ocean, white sand, flowing fabric and tiki torches really blew everyone away. Dinner was really good and the service was fantastic - everytime we turned there was a waiter asking if we needed anything. Then they let us connect our ipod to the sound system and everyone just started dancing the night away:) FIRE DANCERS We had fire dancers perform as a suprise to all our guests and again we were blown away. They did such an amazing job. I would recommned anyone do this. All our guests loved it and thought it was such a unique touch. CEREMONY We went to do a quick rehearsal in the chapel the night before and were greeted by a bunch of construction workers and a complete disaster in the chapel. I was tempted to freak out but decided to keep my cool. The coordinator told me that they were expanding the chapel and putting up new beams and columns but assured me everything would be cleaned out the day of the wedding. I honestly think that they shouldn't have even been there the night before...it could have caused me unnecessary stress had I not made the consious effort to stay positive. That incident the night before is another reason they didn't get a a++++ from me. All that being said, the day of the ceremony the chapel looked GORGEOUS! I don't have any professional pics yet but I'll post them as soon as I get them. Below are some pics with a regular camera and they don't do the chapel justice. It was completely transformed from the night before. When I went for my site visit I made a big stink about the walk into the chapel but my new wedding coordinator pulled some strings and got me a room where I could exit right onto the chapel. I only got the room for about 30 mins and it was a huge favor on her part because they're not supposed to do that. I had to be really nice to get it and I think she also felt bad because of the whole construction incident. It made for a great long walk down the "aisle" to the chapel. RECEPTION at LE MERIDIEN - A+++++ I wish I could give them an even higher rating:) The wedding coordinator at Le Meridien (Patricia Luyando) was a DREAM to work with from day one! She made sure that every single one of my wants was taken care of and she really helped create the wedding of my dreams. I can't rave enough about them. The service, the food, the decoration, EVERYTHING was perfect. I had the reception at the small round gazebo overlooking the ocean and it was stunning! Patricia was so organized and a week before the wedding she sent me a huge file that outlined every single detail of the wedding with pictures and everything. We went over it to make sure that everything was covered. The day of the wedding I saw that file come to life because not one detail was overlooked. The best part is that they made me feel so at ease throughout the entire process - I never once felt stressed about the reception. I knew it would be just as I wanted. Photographer - MORGAN LYNN PHOTOGRAPHY - A+++++ Photography and music were the two most important things for me. I fell in love with Morgan's work when I saw her blog and website. She's an award winning wedding photojournalist and I really love her style. I just got married two weeks ago so I obviously haven't seen my pics yet BUT I still give her a great review because she was working her butt off at the wedding. Everywhere I turned she was on the floor, on top of something or doing some type of acrobatic to get the perfect shot. Her second photographer was her husband and they were both so incredibly friendly and a real pleasure to work with. I felt so comfortable with them and that was also really important for me. They went above and beyond the hours that we discussed in the contract. They even took pictures at the rehearsal dinner which wasn't even part of the deal. We went for a trash the dress two days after the wedding and I know those pics will look beautiful. I can't wait to see the pics and share them here. MUSIC/DJ -Producciones del Mundo Maya A+ Music was probably my top priority right after photography. My family/friends love to party and I wanted to make sure they had the time of their lives. I didn't know if should really trust a DJ in MX with our music because they might not know our style. So, my hubby and I put together a playlist with every single song that we wanted them to play at the reception. We asked them to stick to that list and play nothing else. They could mix it any way they wanted though. They did just that and the music was the highlight of the wedding. As soon as the first song came on EVERYONE hit the dance floor and stayed there for the next 5 hours. There was not one time that the dance floor was empty. I've never been to a wedding where everyone danced like that. The DJ handed out props like balloons, light up maracas, light up head bands, etc... and it made it even more fun. They did a great job mixing the music and sticking to our playlist. Even our photographer said it was an amazing dance party:) FAVORS At check-in we gave everyone a tote bag with beach towels, small tequilla bottles, and a brochure with the itinerary. Everyone loved it especially the tote bags... ppl used them all week. At the wedding we gave away flip flops and cigars. The flip flops were brought out in a basket right as the party was getting started and everyone RAN...those flip flops were a HUGE hit! I paid 2.50 each at Old navy and it was well worth it. All the girls were still wearing them the rest of the week. The cigars were brought out later in the night and the guys went nuts! I know we have some really great pics of all the men smoking together with dark shades on:) It was a lot of fun. We also set up a tequilla bar at the wedding. It was set up on a table with a sarape (typical colorful mexican cloth) and we had different types of fancy tequillas, salt, lime and chile. We got monogrammed shot glasses that said "Cancun, Mexico" on them. We put each shot glass in white boxes tied with ribbon and placed one for each person on the tables. After dinner my hubby went to the tequilla bar with a mic and told everyone we were going to toast using the shot glasses on each table. Everyone took a shot -even the ppl who don't drink! Right after the shot, we had the dj play a really popular song that EVERYONE in our families loves, and sure enough that got the party started because everyone hit the dance floor. Guest Resort- GRAN MELIA - A+++ This resort is truly amazing! I've travelled and stayed in really nice hotels but I have to say this resort is top notch. I got a group rate of $105 per room for the european plan and $200 per room for all inclusive. Everyone loved it...it is really huge which was good because we didn't have to feel like we were on top of each other all the time. It has 4 HUGE beautiful pools, 5 restaurants and the rooms are just gorgeous. They gave me a free upgrade to a one bedroom suite, a bottle of champagne, 20% discount for ALL guests to the spa and a bunch of other amenities. The best part was the WELCOME COCKTAILS. As part of my group reservation, they gave us a one hour cocktail reception for free. They gave us a coordinator who planned all the logistics. They let us use a beautiful space in the hotel which they set up with cocktail tables, hors d'ouvers and open bar for an hour. This was a great way to break the ice so everyone could get to know each other. By the end of the hour everyone was one big happy family:) I really would recommend to everyone that they have a welcome reception of some sorts. It made the rest of the week so much fun because everyone felt comfortable and knew each other. It was great that I didn't even have to pay for it:) I can't rave enough about Gran Melia...we all want to go back there. TRANSPORTATION- Cancun Transfers -- A++ These guys were great, on-time, courteous, affordable and clean. I got a bus to transport everyone from the hotel to the ceremony, then to the reception and back to the hotel. Out of the 8 transportation companies I check, they gave me the best price by far. Our guests even turned the bus into a party bus at the end of the night and the driver was a great sport...he even lowered the lights and played music lol. I also got our limos and they were in great condition- they were clean and fully stocked with champagne, drinks, ice, etc... I know this was long but I always wanted details and reviews when I was planning and I couldn't have done it without this forum so I'm paying it forward:) I hope this helps some of you. These are not the best pictures but it's all I have right now.. Some of my guests took fantastic pictures which I'll post as soon as I get them. This pic was after the ceremony and they had alredy taken some of the decorations down.... Here's another angle of the chapel: From a distance... THE RECEPTION I'm still waiting for good pics of my reception. These first 2 pics are not from my wedding day but this is what the gazebo looks like: Here are a few pics from my reception:

The first thing I thought when i saw your pic is that you were a STUNNING looking bride...really beautiful! Congrats!! As I kept looking through your pics I realized that you did a lot of the things I want to do - i.e. the fire dancers and the cigar roller. My wedding is in 3 weeks and I'm trying to get both booked. Can you tell me who you hired for the cigar roller & fire dancer...and if you would recommend them?

The dinner starts at 6pm but it's three hours long so it should be dark enough around 8pm, which is when I would do it. I really want this to work

Hi - I am having my rehearsal dinner right on the beach (on the sand) at sunset in April. All my guests are invited (45-50 people) for a 3 course meal with open bar for 3 hours. I'm hiring a fire dancer to surprise everyone. I think this will be a cool thing that most of our guests will remember. Second I want to do a slideshow of FI & me growing up and our families/friends. A lot of ppl do this during the reception but I just want ppl to party during the reception so I'm doing speeches & slideshows at the rehearsal dinner. My wedding coordinator said they don't usually recommend it because of the wind. She told me they'll do it if I want to and they'll figure something out. Has anyone had a slideshow at their beach wedding? or have you been to one where they've done it? Has wind been a problem? I really, really want to do this but I want to know if wind will really be a problem. Advice/opinions please

My advice - Research and negotiate EVERYTHING and don't be afraid to do so. Everything and I mean EVERYTHING is negotiable. I have not paid the first cost I was quoted on anything... If I paid what everyone originally asked for I would have paid about $7K more than I'm actually paying. In other words, I was able to save about $7k. I negotiated the guest hotel rate, the reception fee, cost of food & liquor, DJ, Flowers, transportation/Limos, decoration, Photographer (and I thought this was going to be tough because she's an award winning photojournalist I'm flying in...but I got her to come down a couple of hundred bucks and still throw in some extra free pictures and extra hours of photography).... and the list goes on. Don't take anything at face value. They ALWAYS inflate the prices because they expect you to negotiate. So don't feel bad doing so because if you pay the first price they throw out, then you're putting extra money in their pockets unnecessarily. Good luck & happy planning!

I'm having 45-50 people and I've been debating about it a little. I might do it only because I don't want there to be an 8 person table where there's one extra person who really wants to sit there and pulls a chair from another table:) I just want the tables to be even which is why I might do them. I'll mix it up so every table has a fun group who likes each other and will be happy to be sitting together. I'm absolutely 100% NOT doing a bridal party table... I hate those. I think that the bridal party should be spread out and sit with everyone else. I was a BM at my bro's wedding and hated having to sit wtih the bridal party. I wanted to sit with my family & friends. My FI was a GM in his sisters wedding recently, who also had a designated bridal party table. I didn't think it was as fun. We wanted to sit with some other ppl but couldn't because we were forced to sit in the "bridal table". I've had bad experiences with them so I won't be doing it:)

Quote: The reason I love destination weddings is it shows you the people who truly care for you. Those who really really love you will make magic happen to be there on your day. Having a at home reception does defeat the whole purpose of saving money! The reason I chose a destination wedding is so i dont feel like I have to spend $100 per head for someone I haven't spoke to in years just because my mom would be offended if we didnt invite them! its just ridiculous.... A wedding is about you and you future husband starting your life together!!!! no one else!! and why should you have to put yourself in debt to throw a party to make every1 else happy?! AMEN to this! You pretty summed up all my feelings in these 3 paragraphs. I know for a fact that the people that REALLY matter will make it happen somehow. At first, I was really worried and stressed that some ppl wouldn't make it because i know they were a little strapped financially but you know what? They made magic happen somehow and they booked their plane tickets/hotels. My friend who has 2 small kids, an insane mortgage and who's husband got laid off 1 year ago worked magic and she will be there. 2 of my sisters in law who also got laid off, found a way to book. And the list goes on. My so called friend of 20 years and her husband who are both gainfully employed and have PLENTY of vacation time to spare informed me very coldly that they won't be making it. No apologies, some lame excuse - they just won't be there. She's always felt destination weddings were 'selfish' so I wasn't surprised by her decision. She had a stuffy, boring traditional wedding 6 years ago so she hates that everyone now a days is having a DW (those were her words in reference to another friend's DW...before I got engaged). That told me a lot about her and our 'friendship'. I have about 45-50 ppl going to my DW and it's all the ppl that really care about us that have bent over backwards to be there. It's your day and you have a right to be selfish! They're the selfish ones for making this about them when it should really be about you and what makes you happy.

I love the 1st one. Please share where you got it from & price?? I'm getting married next month and still desperately searching for an OOT bag. Thanks!!