Fruitcrush

Wow! Okay, your pictures turned out amazing! And you are absolutely gorgeous to top it off!! We are very confident with our decision to use her! A couple of questions for you. We have chosen to book with Cecilia but, the only reason why I am a little hesitant is that shes doesn't typically provide a contract and wants for us to wire her money. Is this standard? Or I should ask, is this what you also experienced? I just want to make sure that I have all of my bases covered and this is how everyone else has worked with her? Because, we are to wire her money and just meet her once we arrive off of the ferry.... Adriana

I saw those too! I couldn't decide but I ended up going with bags from crate and barrel! They have the cutest bags in sevel colors that are for a perfect size for carry on toiletries. I want to use for aspirin, tums, etc

I think that sometimes, as brides, we loose sight of things during the planning process. While we want our friends and family to be there on our big day to celebrate (Which we chose to be a destination wedding) , I think that we forget that people have lives of their own, responsibilities and financial obligations out of our control. I think that people have the best intentions when saying that will be coming and sometimes I think they commit out of excitement and when they review finances, vacation time, etc... it doesn't work out as planned. As for the friend having kids young, etc.. Who Cares?! I'm curious as to why so many destination brides take it so personally if certain people are unable to attend? I have experienced this as well, but hey. its my day with my soon to be husband and I am happy with whoever can make it!

We Love San Fran! In fact, we wil be taking a trip down next month again! (We go every couple of months) If I had one recommendation, I would suggest booking a night tour of Alcatraz. You need to book now, as the evening tours fill quickly. The evening tour is hosted by a park ranger and its really fun, spooky, and overall educational & interesting! We had a blast! And then the Wharf.. and make sure you look out for "Bush Man"

Hi Amanda!I have a great TA for you. He is in Maui and he is also a business partner of mine. He is the owner of Klahani Travel. Jerry Downer, 808-662-3222 He has been wonderful and very helpful with coordinating everything!! Let him know Adriana Bayer sent you!

Craigslist. Don't ask. lol

Whoa! I just realized that we have about 5 months until our wedding and I think that I am officially a little stressed. We have been soooo BUSY with our business that I have put the wedding aside. We sent out our save the dates and now are just waiting to see who is going to book, etc. This way I can start with a head count. I just don't want to wait last minute to buy favors and put together goody bags for the guests. How soon did you ladies start these tasks? And did you just over buy and then sell whatever you had left over? I need to strategize! I am not the bridezilla type that stresses about all of the minor details, but I am afraid that if I wait too long,I will become her! (nothing wrong with her-but not just me) And, I don't know if I can wait two more months for an onsite coordinator to get in touch with me! I want to know details now Adriana

I love the white theme! In fact, I think that is what we are leaning toward. I am going with a very non-traditional wedding dress that is not white, but a very pretty raspberry color. I figure I would for sure stand out with an all white ceremony and reception!

This is why I have opted to not have a maid of honor. I asked a girlfriend of mine to be a bridesmaid but because she lives on the east coast and I am on the west coast she will not be available to help with things. But, I think she was a little bummed that I didn't ask her to be my maid of honor. To be honest, I would rather not have either bridesmaid or maid of honor! Adriana

Okay, so don't laugh.. but, FI and I met off of Craigs List. (I know, a bit creepy right?) FI had posted saying that he was going to a jazz bar with a group to celebrate a friends birthday and was looking for a lady friend to meet. (I'm almost embarassed to admit the CL thing) So, needless to say, I responded to the ad.. I had nothing else going on at the time and said that I would meet him for a drink. So, when I arrived to the jazz bar, I was greeted by a group of his friends and I said that I was meeting Shawn. His friend Sean, quickly stood up and said, "I'm Sean!" (Not the Shawn I was looking for, he was about 5' 4" and asian-it was really cute and funny) And I said, "um, yeah, I don't think you are who I am looking for!" He told me Shawn was over by the bar so I walked over and introduced myself and the rest is history! The entire evening we talked and it was almost as if nobody else was around us! We were so fixated on one another. It was an amazing connection right away. And a great and memorable first date!! So, my first date was the first night we met! And the wonderful thing is, Shawns Grandparents had their first date on August 21st, the same as FI and I! We have been inseparable ever since and this was almost three years ago! It's amazing how we meet our mates isn't it! Adriana

Hi Ladies! I am looking for a TA for the Palace Resorts in Cancun for our August 24th ceremony! FI and I live in Seattle but location of TA is not a big deal! Hope to find someone soon! Thanks! Adriana

Woo Hoo! FI and I have been so good. We have been exercising every day! I have dropped 9 pounds in the past week from cutting carbs, exercising, and drinking lots of water and being conscious of the foods I eat! I feel so much better but I still have 20 pounds to go! Adriana

Hey Ladies! Not too many of us in here yet!! Cassie- I love your inspiration board! Love the colors. We are going with white with hints magenta and turqoise. Here is where we are at so far: Wedding date: August 24th, 2010 Moon Palace , Cancun! - My mother and I went dress shopping right away and found a very non traditional dress. The white dress was very hard for me because I LOVE color! - Chose colors, as I said, white with hints of magenta and turqoise. But again, because I LOVE color.. I will probably add green and yellow - We have ordered and received our STD's. I will have to post some pics soon. They turned out great! We went with postcards after finding them on Etsy. They are so cute and pretty. FI just loves them! - We decided to start a blog on wordpress, rather than a wedding site, so that we can continue to update even after the wedding. I have to get all of our information on it before we send out the STD's. That will be my weekend project! We have been so busy with our business that I can barely find time to fit everything into our busy schedule! We are the type of people that want to get everything done asap so its hard not getting it all done right away esp. since we are not in contact with our wedding coordinator yet! Ugh, drives me nuts but I need to learn to just let go. All the ladies have said wonderful things about Moon Palace so there is no reason to stress! Adriana

Oh! I'm so glad to have found this thread!! I want to lose about 30 pounds by August! I have been working out every day this week and have changed my diet! I cannot believe how hard it's been to stay away from all the wonderful carbs and sweets that I enjoy so much! FI and I are meeting with a trainer at the gym tonight to get us on the right track! Super exciting! We figure.. we gotta start somewhere!

Welcome to the forum! I am also a Moon Palace Bride! August 24th, 2010! Very exciting! Have fun!

THANK YOU ALYSSA! You receive a standing ovation from me!! I understand that we all get caught up in "OUR DAY". Fine. But, also realize that people have their own lives and if they decide not to come to our DW then that is their choice. People and their circumstances are unpredictable. And quite frankly, I am NOT interested in flying with a baby. Been there, done that. It was a 2 hour flight from Seattle to San Francisco and that was one of the longest two hours I have ever experienced in my life! And being pregnant and traveling.. yep, sounds like a blast. Hope that I don't go in to premature labor and get stuck where ever I happen to be. Sounds memorable.

Well... although this email (should not have been in the form of email, but we have technology to thank for this) was long overdue, you now know why she has been acting this way. It's an unfortunate test to your relationship and sometimes peoples emotions, esp.when it includes envy, can get in the way of rational thinking. I experienced this with my best friend of 20 years. She dropped off the face of the earth once FI and I started dating and talking about marriage. Her fiance had cheated on her not too long before. She is very successful and has great things going for her, but I think that because she was officially the last of the single friends she was feeling a bit envious and left out. I had always been the single friend, and single parent at that.. and I think my girlfriends always banked on the fact that I was always "available". And I do hate to report that we have never been the same since. And it's heartbreaking because she and I have been friends for many years... Rather than avoiding the situtation, I made every attempt to contact her. I knew that it was nothing I did but rather she had things to work through. It sounds like your friend is in the same boat. Question is, now that she has been honest with you, can you move on? Or will this effect your relationship? Only you know how your relationship is with her. I know that it was probably difficult for her to tell you that she would not be able to accept the responsibility of the wedding and she was probably dissappointed that she would not be able to attend. She probably knows that it was very important to you. I would invite her for coffee and sit down and talk to her and tell her how upset you felt. I'm sure you will feel much better once you can express that to her.. Okay, done with my rant! Adriana

I totally know what you are feeling right now. And Precious is right, do not elope. This is your and FI's day and you shouldn't have to feel like you need to accommodate everyone else. Do what makese you feel comfortable and if it's such a problem for everyone else, then wait for them to make the first move. The last thing you should be worrying about is how other people feel. I know it's easier said than done.. but hang in there!

Thanks to everything that made me feel better! It's nice that we can all relate in some way or another! I have def. cooled down and talked to FI and he and I have both realized that we can't let people get to us. I can't say that I won't let it get to me, because I am so overly sensitive it's bound to happen again. I know that I can't let people get me down or make me feel guilty. It's almost like they do it because they can. I figure the people that come are those that have truly made the effort. I do understand that financially, not everyone can come. But don't make the excuse that you can't come or get the time off when I already know you are taking an extravagant trip! **Stay Positive!! Adriana

FI's Mom may not be able to go either.. they decided that they would rather take a 14 day trip to Italy a month after our wedding. It's okay because when it comes down to it, we are both just so excited to be together on that day. Thanks again for listening! I'm glad that I'm not the only one experiencing these feelings. Adriana

Okay, so this is my first true venting session regarding the wedding! The one thing that I was never warned about, when getting engaged, is how selfish people can be!! Since when did getting married mean accomodating everyone else, but YOURSELVES?!?! I would like to think that our wedding day is about FI and Myself, but apparently I have it wrong... My Father's wife keeps making a big deal about how they don't know if my Dad can get the time off. (They are taking a week off right before the wedding to go fishing-and they are well off) I spoke with her today and she then proceeded to telling me " how do you expect for people to come to your wedding? people have to buy tickets, take time off, spend money, etc. for you" .. well, No, we don't expect for people to come. In fact, we expect for very few people to come, which is fine. Um, okay? Well, we are getting married in Mexico. We chose this to save money. Now, my thought is.. unless people are paying for our wedding themselves, then they can have a say. The funny thing about this is that my brother lives in Minnesota. If he were to get married, that would mean we would have to fly there, get hotels, cars, and take time off. My Dad and his wife would happily go, as they have in the past for graduations, etc. I'm so frustrated with the actions of others right now. I had no idea that this is how it would be? FI and I are fine if it is only us and our two witnesses who come because the day is for us. We chose Mexico because we wanted it to be memorable for US! People are trying to make us feel guilty but what if we had our wedding locally and it was on a day where people had prior committments? Would they expect for us to change the dates? At this point, it's hard to say, but I'm sure someone would make the suggestion! Okay, sorry about my rant! This could go on forever! ~Adriana

I guess we never really thought about the rsvp with std. Could be a good idea! Regarding the wedding website- We decided to go with starting a blog with wordpress. You are able to have multiple pages and set it up the way you would like. It's free and it's something that you can continue after the wedding and add to with information about your new life! Adriana

See if you can get that website you put on the std's and create a new one very quickly with a link to the actual site?! (I know, cheesy) Adriana

It's always interesting seeing other peoples perspectives on things, and this is one of them. FI and I are very open about things and this is the one thing that does not bother either of us. In fact, he and I enjoy going to strip clubs together. At the end of the day, I know who he is coming home with and I am very secure with myself to not worry about things like this. I consider FI and Myself to be attractive and I cannot get mad if someone hits on him and goes the other way. Now, like some of the others have said, if he has had a reputation in the past to make you feel otherwise, then this is something that needs to be worked on asap! Adriana

HI! Congrats on the engagement and wedding! I am an August 24th, 2010 Bride!! Lots of fun!