Lua

Just wanted to add one more thing!!! Here is the dress my mom made for me! it was made ENTIRELY of the fabric that was removed from the train of my wedding gown!!! I plan to either wear it for the rehearsal dinner, OR I may save it to change into for dancing on the wedding night. I'll decide when i'm down there and see how hot it REALLY is! I also plan to wear this for our AHR in June.

I can't believe how fast the time has been flying by! holy!!! I am so glad I took today and tomorrow off of work, because I have no idea how I'd get ready if I had to go in. I'm up early because FI still has to work (and let's face it, I've been too excited to sleep the last 2 nights). Anyway - we leave tomorrow!!!!! ah!!! (well leave for the air port) Our plan is to leave around 5 tomorrow (or earlier depending when FI can get home) as the airport is an hour away. Then we're going to eat an early supper and straight to bed in hopes we can get at least a few hours of sleep!!! we have to be at the airport just after 3AM wednesday!! yikes! I've kinda been running around like a mad woman getting the house ready and such since we have our neighbour coming in to feed the cats while we're away. So this morning my mom requested that I go to yoga with her. Here's hoping that helps to relax and mellow me out! After yoga we have plans for lunch and then one last trip to the mall (i want to grab another tank and a casual skirt... along with some US $$$)... and then PACK! Oh!!! and look what my mom finished yesterday!!!!!!!!!!! I'm not going to lie ... I started making this dress but was totally stressing out, so my AMAZING mom took over! She did such a good job!!!! This dress made ENTIRELY of the fabric that was removed from the train on my gown!! I plan on wearing this for sure at our AHR. As for in Jamaica, I thought of wearing it for our Friday night dinner (night before wedding), but part of me is thinking I might want to save it for the wedding day. Looking at the weather, it's HOT HOT HOT there and by the time we head to the disco on the wedding night, I might want something lighter and cooler on. I'm SO happy with how it turned out!!!!

Meg/Lisa --- the dresses look amazing!!!!!!! Teira!! looks like you had a great bachelorette!!! safe travels and wishing you all the best on your big day!!!!!

OMG!!!! So my work totally just threw me a SURPRISE shower-thing!!! (i hate surprises!!!LOL) They got me upstairs in the boardroom and eVERYONE was there. They threw a "bride" sash on me along with a paper plate bra covered in bows LMAO! then took my pic for our province-wide gazette! (oh god) Anyway SO nice. they got me a cake and everyone pitched in and gave me a card with about $400!!!! WOW! so nice! ... my face is still beat red from embarassment LMAO

Aww thank you for the kind words Sheri!! I coudl say the same thing right back to you!! My dad actually just got himself an ipad 2 last week which will be coming south with us. so I just might be able to steal it from him and send you all a sneak peak of a pic after the big day!!

Today's my LAST DAY at work!!!!! Yippe!!!!!!! I thought this day would never get here!! I plan to spend my weekend packing, doing some last minute shopping and relaxing before we head to the airport Tuesday night!! Can't wait! Victoria - not sure if you'll see this, but incase you do, have a safe trip and an amazing wedding!! lesee - glad to hear the dress looks awesome!! as for yourself, lots and lots of fluids! that's what i've been doing and i'm slowly starting to feel better

Yay!!! i'm so happy for you!!! finally home!! this day probably can't go by fast enough for you!!!

well i'm back at work today. i have today and tomorrow and that's it!!!! (can't believe i'm almost done already!) i ended up going home at noon yesterday, managed to eat a bowl of chicken noodle soup and then I passed out on the couch until 4:30!! pumped the ginger ale and water as much as i could yesterday and plan to do the same today. i'm still feeling iffy right now but i think it's because i may have eaten too much for breakfast... i was sTARVING though!!! here's hoping i'm better by tuesday when we leave!

mocha --- it's because of the bags that i had to do the steps with the towels in between. they aren't made of natural fibers and actually melt when touched with the iron directly. i learned that the hard way when i ruined my first one

Lisa -- I don't remember shipping being that much for me.. maybe because I only ordered 18??? anyway, here's how we managed to do the iron on step 1: print out your logo on iron on paper step 2: lay the bag on your surface (i did it on my mom's kitchen table on top of a stack of placemats so i wouldn't ruin her table) step 3: place a tea towel flat INSIDE the bag so that there is protection between the two layers step 4: put your iron-on in place and then cover with another tea towel that's folded in half step 5: start your ironing. just be careful at first until you can figure out how long you can hold it on for. I pressed down for probably 20-30 seconds in different spots step 6: carefully remove the towel from the top and use a rolling pin or something hard to reinforce the seal to make sure your iron-on has stuck step 7: VERY carefully peel off the iron-on paper. dorky pictures here: http://startingoutfit.wordpress.com/2011/02/22/ do you need any iron-on paper??? i had to buy a pack of 10 sheet and think i only used like 2 or 3!

thanks. u feel better too! hopefully the congestion goes away when you land on your nice warm island!!

Hey Brandy!!! Sorry to hear your flight is delayed but i'm glad I get to talk to you quick before you leave!!!! I wish you nothing but the best for your wedding on saturday!!! Will be thinking about you!

i must have lost at least 5 lbs yesterday ... not the way one wants to lose weight before their wedding lol ... still feeling kinda rough this morning and may just go home at noon to rest more

Meg - so sorry to hear about your stepdad!!! sending him many good vibes!!! As for me, well i caught the flu... and i don't know where i got it... i was up all night monday pretty much laying at the toilet = not fun... spent the day yesterday glued to the couch eating maybe 10 crackers all day... back at work today but still dont' feel too hot

thank you again everyone!! Lisa - cheaptotes was SO great to deal with!!! shipping was fast and CHEAP too! i literally think my order came to like $23 for 18 bags! My only tip is if you get these same bags, they're a synthetic material .. so when you go to iron on, put a dish towel between your iron and the iron-on/bag, or else you'll melt it!!!! (glad i ordered extras haha)

those are gorgeous Char!!!!! great job!

thank you ladies!!!! i'm still working on the rest of those darn game books (individually cutting every page) but aside from that, i'm glad to be all ready to go!!! mocha - we defintiely have to get together sometime this summer or something!

The Story: All week, we had been planning on going out for supper with FI's parents Saturday night. His dad had called at the start of the week and said he wanted to take us out for FI's bday (which is wed) and his mom's bday (which is tomorrow). So yeah.. we were expecting a harmless quiet dinner just the 4 of us. Our day was kind of all over the place with doing some shopping for the trip and our workouts. By the time we had gotten to FI's parents place, we were starving and ready to eat!!! His dad was offering us a snack, but we passed thinking we were going right to supper... we should have eaten those snacks!!! Anyway, he gets' on the highway saying it's a secret where he's taking us, but he heard from a friend that it was really good. All along FI's mom is acting like it's a secret to her too BTW.... We start getting further and further away from home... like we're in Toronto and then we start going north!! STILL, FI and I suspected nothing. We end up in Vaughan and FIL is acting like he's lost and not sure what's going on. We end up at this place called Dave & Busters or something and FI's pissed LOL like "why are we going here?" ... FIL is still acting like he's not sure what happened with his directions and we go inside thinking it's just to warm up. Next thing we know our best friends are running out at us!! and then pops out FI's aunts and uncles and cousins.... 15 min later, our pops my parents!!! LMAO ... we're given "bride" and "groom" shirts to wear and yeah... we had a great meal and then played games the rest of the night. We're not exactly party people so it was pretty much right up our ally. Apparantly plans for this had been in place for a month!!!! WE HAD NO CLUE!!!!

ok planning thread posted!!!! As for the surprise....

Clothing!! And the fun stuff.. here are some random pieces that are coming along on the trip with me. J Dresses: From H&M From Fairweather (last summer) From Fairweather (last summer) From Forever 21 (last summer) From Costa Blanca From Le Chateau Bathing Suits: Turquoise from Old Navy; navy from Joe Fresh; brown from Wal-Mart; not sure where the other is from Cover-Ups: This one I found at La Vie En Rose in turquoise http://www.lavieenrose.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=10052&productId=98201&langId=-1&errorViewName=ProductDisplayErrorView&categoryId=5004001&productName=DianaWrap&parent_category_rn=5&top_category=5&subCatName=Cover%20Ups&storeName=la%20Vie%20en%20Rose This from Old Navy http://oldnavy.gapcanada.ca/browse/product.do?cid=15292&vid=1&pid=809601 Random Sandals (the green ones were only .97, so I may just leave them there) Rehearsal Dress: I wish I had a picture of this one, but it’s not quite done yet. My mom and I have been working on making a dress out of the fabric that was removed from my gown. It’s not quite finished, so I’ll come back and post a pic of the finished product in a few days! J …And I think that’s about it! I’m a pretty simple/basic kind of girl and kept everything at a minimum. Since the whole reason we decided on a DW was to save $$$$, we’re not making and bringing our own decorations or anything. We’ll let the gorgeous scenery and location do that for us!!! I can’t wait!!! J

OOT Bags: I had never heard of an OOT bag before BDW, so I obviously needed to make some of my own. I will be giving one to each couple and one to each single. I ordered these bags from cheaptotes.com for only $.79/ea and a fantastic shipping price. I then made my own logo which my mom and I ironed on. I plan to put the following items in my OOT bags… Welcome Letter: Made this on Vista Print Key Card Holders: I purchased the lanyards and zippered badge holders off of different sellers on ebay. I then designed the inserts (using other bride’s ideas for wording – thank you!!!!) and printed them on Avery badge card stock. 1 for each guest. Photo-Share Cards: Another Vista Print item (forgot to snap a pic but you'll see them below) Bookmarks: I DIY’d these. Just made the design in word and then I printed them out, laminated them, cut out each individual bookmark, punched a hole and tied on some hemp. J Game Book: I DIY’s these as well with the help of some free puzzle sites. I forgot to snap a pic of it on it's own, but you'll see the finished copy below. Here's the file for anyone interested. Do Not Disturb Card: Yet another Vista Print item (LOVE that site) First Aid Kits: I purchased little kits at Dollarama and ran out of time to make any sort of label, but they look fine on their own. The Final Bag all together And here is 1 complete OOT bag (we're going to assemble them all at the resort and hand out at our welcome dinner) gamebook.pptx

Flowers: Although my package includes a free bouquet and boutonniere, I decided to make my own. That was the only way to get the flowers and colours I wanted. J I posted about it here: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/thread/67812/my-real-touch-silk-diy-bouquet/ I was going to make FI’s bout, but we get one free anyway, so he will have a white orchid. Bubbles: I purchased these Wilton bubbles from Michaels and just tied on ribbon in our colours for a little extra something. They will be sitting on everyone’s chairs when they arrive at the ceremony location. Pre-Travel Brochures + Luggage tags: I made the following brochure on Vista Print And then DIY’d these luggage tags for each guest We sent these out to everyone at the end of February (so just over 1 month before the trip) and they went over very well! No one expected them! ****MORE TO COME!!!****

My dress! The dress I picked was the 4th dress I ever tried - on my first shopping trip! (and I only ever tried on 4!!) I bought it on the spot and brought it home the very first time I went out dress shopping. The dress is the Brittanya design by Maggie Sottero. I managed to score the sample dress (because it was discontinued) for only $500!! (Which is a steal because it was $1600 to order.) Aside from it being incredibly long (I’m only 5’3) and having a huge train, it fit perfectly so I consider myself very lucky! Here I am in the dress the moment I decided it was the one! And here I am in the dress in February after the alterations were finished. Shoes: We’re having the ceremony on the beach, so I will be wearing these for that: And then I’m putting these babies on for the reception – LOVE that I found them in my colour! They only cost $11 on ebay! J Jewelery: I’m going pretty simple on the jewelry front because of all the embellishment on the bodice of my dress. My mom bought me these earrings in “Italy†at Epcot over at Disney World earlier this year. I am going to be borrowing a simple pearl bracelet from my sister-in-law for my “something borrowed†I will also be wearing this ring on my right hand as my “something old†– it belonged to my great-great-grandmother. As for my hair, I’m hoping for a low side ponytail with curls (providing we can get them to stay in) paired with my DIY hair flower. FI Attire: We lucked out big time last summer when we literally found FI’s entire outfit in one day – and we weren’t even shopping for it! His suit, shirt and flip flops were purchased from H&M for a great price! And his tie was purchased at Le Chateau ****MORE TO COME!!!****

Well ladies, I leave for the airport in only 8 days and can’t believe it’s finally time for me to post my planning thread! These planning threads have been such great pieces of inspiration for me and I can only hope that I am able to pay-it-forward by showing what I have done. BUT, first thing’s first – Tammy! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for creating this forum that I just happened to stumble upon one day. When my FI and I decided on a destination wedding, I had no idea about the possibilities! And had NEVER heard of an OOT bag! For the past 11 months, this forum has been my saving grace. Also, thanks to this forum, I was given the opportunity to get to know a real amazing group of girls – shout out to my fellow April brides here – without you, I sincerely, from the bottom of my heart, don’t know how I would have gotten through. You girls are amazing! Anyway, enough sappy stuff, let’s get down to business! The Proposal: On May 9, 2010 my then boyfriend and I made our way to his parents’ place to pick up a few things and then headed out on a morning run. We had run a 10K race the previous Saturday, our first race together and longest race. The idea of this run was to just stretch our legs and essentially get back into the swing of things. I remember it being a really cold morning as I was bundled up in a hoody (I never run in a hoody) and well looked like a bummy runner! Half way through, he pretended something was in his shoe and ended up pulling out a ring from his pocket. I was completely caught by surprise but obviously said YES right away. ~~~ for a more detailed version check out a post I had made on my blog: http://startingoutfit.wordpress.com/2010/05/13/a-little-well-big-announcement/ Venue: The idea of a DW just kind of hit us one day. A few weeks after decided on that option, my aunt came for a visit (she’s a TA) bringing with her many books and pamphlets. She and my uncle had actually just been to the Riu Negril and raved about it. They had an incredible time. The resort happened to have the option of a free wedding package, so we went for it! Our ceremony will be on the beach. Engagement Photos: We have been very lucky when it comes to the photos. FI has a friend who is an upcoming photographer. She wanted to start expanding her portfolio and asked if she could do an engagement shoot for us – for FREE!!! We obviously said YES! The photo shoot was done in October 2010 in and around our small town of Bowmanville, Ontario. To see only a small selection of the 190+ photos, go here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/51507031@N06/sets/72157625300985064/with/5141736262/ The Rings: My engagement ring is a princess cut Canadian diamond – exactly what I wanted. (the diamond is even engraved with a serial #. How cool is that?) My band FI’s band (tungsten) All of our rings were purchased from Ben Moss Jewelers. http://www.benmoss.com They have been so great to deal with! And I love the fact that I can get them cleaned for free every time I’m at the mall. Monogram: I decided to try my hand at designing our monogram myself and I was pretty happy with the result. I made this in Illustrator. Invitations: When we first booked our trip, we decided to do an email Save The Date, which I made. Even though we had written “formal invitation to followâ€, we never bothered. Essentially everyone who was coming on the trip booked right away, and we didn’t see a need to do formal invites for nothing. We’re saving those for our AHR. ****MORE TO COME!!!****

good morning ladies!!! oh do i have to tell you about my weekend LOL ... and our complete surprise of a bachelor/bachelorette thing!!! oh my! But first, i'm working on posting my planning thread!!! be back in a bit!