Karen&Rene

I haven't had my wedding yet, but I do know that they provide white chair covers, white linens, and table runners in a variety of colors (I've seen brown, teal, pink) all included in the price of the premium package.  Some girls have brought their own table cloths if they wanted something specific.  They also offer chair sashes in a variety of colors at an extra cost. 

I am all for asking questions on here instead of contacting Kelley, especially after that most recent mass email!  Poor girl!  Working 114 hours a week is crazy, especially when you have a husband and four year old at home.
 

Originally Posted by kya101 

I have a question for past brides whether you brought your own chair covers, linens, table runners, etc., or if they were provided? And if you used the provided ones were there color options? I thought I would find out on here if at all possible so I don't have to bug Kelley with this... I know how busy she must be getting all these amazing weddings together. Thanks... any help at all is much appreciated!!

Hmm... had trouble attaching it above.  Here is the pre-travel document I am using:

Before you leave.docx

I agree that it's hard for me to tell how close it is to the original... also because they sent two separate photos of the bodice and skirt.  But overall, I think it looks gorgeous!  I'm impressed by all the detail; it looks really expensive!!

Originally Posted by mochamakes3 

I think it looks really well done. It's hard to tell exactly because she is just holding it up, but there is lots of delicate detail on the bodice and the skirt looks nice and full.  I hope you get it soon so you can tell us about the fit. The veil is definitely gorgeous.

Alright ladies, I received my dress from babyonline!  I am very happy with it.  Overall, I would recommend this company regardless of the issues I had with them because the quality of the end product is well worth it.  From my experience, here is a list of the positives and negatives of working with this company:

Positives

• Good quality overall: It is fully lined, the bodice has boning and cups built in for support, and it has a layer of crinoline as requested.
• Accurate replication: I ordered a custom dress and I would say it's about 90-95% accurate.
• Price: It only cost $150 shipped.
• Near perfect fit: The dress is only an inch or two too long.  Fits perfectly everywhere else. 
• Shipping time: It shipped on February 24th and I received it February 28th.
• Follow-through on requests: I asked for photos to be sent before the dress was shipped and they complied.

Negatives

• Communication: While the communication in the beginning was excellent, it deteriorated over time.  Sure, they had the holiday and all, but I was told my dress shipped when it hadn't, they thought I had ordered two dresses at one point instead of one, I received incorrect tracking numbers, etc.
• Production time: I was told the dress would take 10 business days when I ordered it on January 6th.  I was promised several different deadlines along the way, but in the end it didn't get shipped until February 24th.  I know some people may think this is excusable due to the holiday, but if they knew a holiday was coming up, then they shouldn't have promised ten days.  Maybe if you order a dress now it would take 10 days, but I can only speak for my experience.
• Minor issues with dress: they did not accurately place the flowers, it's more A-line than the original dress, you can see some of the stitches where the outer skirt is attached to the lining, the flowers are glued on instead of sewn on, and there are a couple dirt spots (not noticeable in photos).

Here is the final product:

Ok ladies, for all of you waiting on your dresses from babyonline, here is some reassurance!  I received photos of my dress today and confirmation that it has been shipped.  I think it looks pretty close, with the exception of the three flowers instead of one.  They said the other flowers should be easy enough to remove, so we'll see.  I'll post more pictures and a review of my overall experience with them once I receive the dress.

My real dress                                                        dress from babyonline

I have an order pending with babyonline right now too, and I've been having similar communication issues.  I got an email from dhgate saying that my dress had shipped, but when I tried to confirm with the rep, they said it had not shipped.  The next day they gave me a tracking number, but when I looked it up, I saw that the package was heading to the wrong city.  When I questioned them about it, they said they had made a mistake, my dress actually had NOT shipped, lol.  They said they had two customers named Karen in the U.S. and they had given me the wrong tracking number.  Now I have to wait until Feb. 18th when they get back from the holiday for them to finish my dress (I ordered at the beginning of January and was quoted 10 business days).  I'm still hoping that it will all work out, but it's pretty clear that they are very disorganized... not sure if it's just due to the holiday or not.  I would recommend waiting until the 18th, asking them to double check all of the information they gave you, and if they still insist that it has shipped, I would open a dispute with dhgate and request a refund.  

Originally Posted by maygimelli 

so ladies i have been reading through tons of these threads. just a good topic. so the reason for my interest is for my bridesmaids. I already have my wedding gown. i tried babyonline recently and paid $30 for them to ship me fabric swatch samples before i order the dresses. Well its been literally over 2 weeks! they said they sent the package but when i called USPS and provided the tracking number, the rep told me the package was scanned in their warehouse but has never left. Babyonline swears they sent it and that its delayed because of the new year, but really?? if it was sent then why doesnt it show in transport status for USPS? just seems fishy to me. 2 weeks for some fabric samples? i really want to trust them, but this is not starting off good. has anyone else ordered BM dresses from babyonline and encountered issues?

 

anyone order BM dresses from a china seller?... and if so, please post pics. I really want this bari jay dress for my BMs.

For those that couldn't find them at Target, you can get them online here for $.99 each.  Shipping is reasonable too... I paid less than $5.

http://www.facevaluesonline.com/071661012022.html

Also, I'm in the process of booking my second session with Serenity (I'm doing an album this time as the wedding gift for my FI), and they directed me to their new website which has all the costs listed out.

http://serenitygallery.net/packages-price-points-for-every-budget/

That bride was from Canada, so I'm not sure how your comments about the U.S. economy apply here, lol
 

Originally Posted by prettypigpig 

wow..omg $6800 for a giant Swiffer 360 duster.  No wonder US economy is going downhill.

CamilleA, there is another thread for brides to sell their leftovers on this forum.

Originally Posted by prettypigpig 

JPenny,

Sorry that I was a bit bold.  I am not slamming on the choice of the dress.  I am more shocked on the price of the dress.  I am sure it is nice fabric and quality, but still I just find it a bit excessive given the current situation of the economy which millions of houses are getting foreclosed, and so many unemployed people  (and yes, I am always perplexed on how the US economy reaches this point, deep in debts everyone and everywhere) .  $6800 is a few months of mortgage, and maybe the whole wedding for some brides on a limited budget.  Ladies, I know the dress is very important, and everyone wants to look their best on the day, but Life continues after wedding.

I agree.  My cousins work there so I have stopped by there whenever I was in Maui.  Last time we were there we saw Hulk Hogan, lol.  Make sure you do the road to Lahaina when you're in Maui!
 

Originally Posted by JayKay 

The Four Seasons Maui at Wailea is really nice!

I got mine from sendaframe.com.  Came out to $31-32 including shipping.  This was the only place I could still find the espresso one since it was out of stock at amazon and linens n things.

http://www.sendaframe.com/Umbra-316194-213-ETHER-med-espresso-Picture-Frame/k=t/new_fgallery/items/4256.shtml?a=frame&f=028295057004&keywords=umbra+ether&items_per_pg=24
 

Originally Posted by hutchets 

Did everyone get their frame from the same place?  I'd love to see where others purchased theirs from.

It's normal to have a few doubts after purchasing the dress, but you have nothing to worry about.  I think you look stunning!  I wish I had the curves to rock a dress with this silhouette. 

I'm hesitant to recommend babyonline since I haven't gotten my dress from them yet, but I sent them photos with markings all over them indicating what details were important to me to include in the dress, and they were fine with it.  They even asked for specific measurements such as "how far down should the back of the dress start?"  I should be receiving my photos from them in less than a week, and then I'll post them on here. 

Originally Posted by shootystar 

They just said that they can't make it "like you asked in the picture." and that they are "incapable" of it and that I should just go buy the dress from the bridal shop if I wanted it like the photos. Which might be a time thing but sounds more like they just think the dress is too complicated and don't want to make it anymore. It is disappointing since I already told them that it is fine that the pleats are different, fine that the flowers are different, fine that the lace is different. I just want is the top to have a waistband, all be pleated, and not to go down as far. They are obviously capable of pleating well, can probably add a waistband without trouble (well it seems simple to me, a complete non-sewer ) and I gave them the exact measurements for how long the bodice should go down. I didn't think I was being suuuuper picky and difficult, but I maybe I am. Well, if they say that they can't do it, I should just trust that they can't since they know their abilities best, but who can I ask to make it now?

 

Jeff Lui wants $216 for it, which is fine, but can't show me any photos of his lace or appliques. Topspartner will take too long now, probably even if I do rush service with the holiday coming up.

 

I think you have to start a dispute first.  
 

Originally Posted by shootystar 

Also, does anyone know how to request a refund through dhgate? Monica bridal said that they called dhgate to give a refund but they said the refund process requires me to request one through my account. I can't find any refund buttons to click!
 

And they have super fast shipping.  Just received mine today... they're gorgeous!

Good to know; I was worried about this too!  Only 78 days until I'll be married at Las Caletas!!  Woo-hoo!  Is this about the time I should be contacting Kelley to work out the details??

Originally Posted by Andi 

I think that depending on when your wedding is you should be just fine with the normal start time of the ceremony. when we got married in April we have no light issues because sunset isn't right away. So in my opinion from March - june you should be just fine because there is more day light. Might be a good idea to move it up from oct-feb.

 

Love the ceremony and TTD photos!  You looked gorgeous... you could be a model!

Very pretty!  You could try a band on each side of the E-ring so that it's symmetrical.  I have a double banded E-ring and it looked nice with a wedding band on each side... I ended up going with a single band, but it still looks fine imo because of the negative space in the E-ring itself. 

Originally Posted by Kbodchill 

Here is mine

 

 

Now the hard part... finding a wedding band that will suit it!

 

 

Here's our wedding rings!  Couldn't resist trying on the wedding bands at home...

Did they just outright refuse to make it or did they say they just couldn't make in time due to the holiday?

Originally Posted by shootystar 

So Monica Bridal just got back to me about my detailed pics and said that they couldn't make the dress. Now what do I do? I asked for a refund, I hope they'll give it to me and not insist I take the dress that even has sequins I specifically asked not to be used.

This may not involve literally trashing the dress, but some of the best TTD photos I've seen have been taken in the heart of cities, on the local public transportation, etc.  I think photos of a bride and groom in an out of place location looks really cool...

Originally Posted by 11-11-11Bride 

Are any of you consideringn something other than running in the ocean/sand for your TTD?

These are sooo cute!  The chocolates by themselves would make cool favors!

Originally Posted by wendyjd 

here is the "cake" for our AHR.  Mom made the cupcakes and I did the chocolates for the top. dad made the tower. 

This cake is awesome!  I would be worried if my venue could re-create it though...

Originally Posted by janette34 

 

I think this would be so cute with different colors. 

Alright, now that I have a good idea of our final guest list, time to get rid of some of the extras!  I have for sale:

- A-2 natural brown envelopes (4 3/8" X 5 3/4").  I used these for my STD magnets.  Selling these for 10 for $1 plus shipping.  I have 200 of these.

- 6 oz Max Block After Sun Aloe Vera gel.  I have 21 of these and selling all of them together for $15 plus shipping.

- Chapstick Ultra 30 SPF.  I have 3 packs of 2 (6 total).  Selling all 3 for $3 plus shipping. 

- Motion Sickness tablets, two tablets per pack.  I have 20 of these.  Selling all for $3 plus shipping.  These have the same active ingredient as non-drowsy dramamine (Meclizine Hydrochloride) although the box says that it may cause drowsiness, lol.  These expire in Feb 2012. 

PM me if interested!  Thanks for looking!

Wow, thanks for the info.  I even used weddingwire for my website, but hadn't checked out their other features...