lsmith211

SO, FI and I basically said from the beginning that we would be ok with anyone that wanted to come to the wedding... We have a few guests that have significant others that we haven't met, but figured whatever - if it'll make their vacation better we'll deal with them coming. Of course we only said this to each other and did not broadcast it, and we figured that only people we cared about would spend the $$ to come as our resort is on the pricy side.... Well - yesterday FI got a facebook message from someone that we went to highschool with and haven't talked to since!! We are 30, by the way - and neither one of us was friends with him - he's honeslty crazy and into some crazy drugs - oh and his gf is my ex's sister who has also been to rehab on a number of occasions and I haven't talked to in about 8 years... Well, he said to FI - "we're thinking of taking a last minute vacation and we'd love to come to your wedding! Which resort are you staying at in Jamaica and what are the dates?" Seriously????

Brandy - I vote for #4!

Wow girls - it's so hard to kepp up!! I know I'm gonna miss lots of stuff, but here's stuff that I remember: Tris - congrats on the house hunt - hope things go well with the second house that you found! And that's amazing about the photographer - hopefully FI will be convinced! Lua- score on the AHR - I know it's not entirely what you want, but it makes it a bit more tempting when someone else is paying... And I love the OOT bag logo - can't see the key card logo cause I don't think I'll ever be able to open attachements, but I'm sure it's nice! Erin - congrats on getting married!! Love your rings! Brandy - They're both really nice, but I think I like the seahorses better It's great to hear that everyone's FI got in the spirit of v-day this year! Mine too - he usually grumbles a bit about celebrating it, but this year I got a diamond necklace and he made reservations at a fancy restaurant - I think it's the first time he ever made reservations!!

sorry, $35 per person for the $1100 package and $25 per person for the free package I knew it was a $10 difference, anyway!

we're going with the free package, cause when we compared it to the $1100 package there were hardly any differences besides the minister fees - the rest of the stuff didn't matter to us (like more resort photographer pictures cause we are taking our own photographer, flowers, cause I got real-touch flower bouquets etc). Another reason we switched was because of the cost for additional guests. We have 54 guests, and with the $1100 package it was $25 per person after the first 24 people. The free package is $15 per person after the first 16 people. This will save money on top of the $1100. We are still adding extras - we are renting the gazebo with a DJ and having our own bar at the reception - to us, it made sense to save $$ on the little things that weren't important, and put it towards things we really wanted. Here is the menu options right now, but Beverly told me they are subject to change: The only options for weddings are the italian and the grill: Dolce Vita MENU Nº 1 Cream of Tomato and fresh Basil Spinach Ravioli with Sauce "Boscaila" Beef Scalloppini with Fungi Sauce Porcini Tiramisu MENU Nº 2 Minestrone Soup Neapolitan Penne Rigatto Seafood Choppino Panna cotta MENU Nº 3 Caprese Salad Cream of Roasted Squash and Thyme Chicken breast with ricotta, walnuts and bacon - basil - risotto crunch Profiteroles with Cream and Chocolate Coulis Garden Grill MENU Nº 1 Coleslaw Salad Onion Soup au Gratin with Bread Crouton Mix Grill Cheese cake MENU Nº 2 Caesar salad with chicken Beef and Vegetable Soup Snapper with Balsamic Sauce and Tequila Reduction Lemon pie MENU Nº 3 Blue Cheese Salad Mexican Tortilla Soup Grilled Lamb Chops with Baked Potatoes Apple crumble

akua does that $400 include the minister fee??

I confirmed with Beverly that you don't need a deposit if you're going with the free package

Insanity is retarded! I tried it about a year and half ago, when I was in really bad shape, and I thought i was going to throw up at several points in the 30 minute workout lol.... I haven't tried again since I've been working out regularly and got into decent shape, but I've been thinking about it for a while now.... I'm sure I'll be surprised at how much better it is, but I know it's still gonna be damn hard!! If you make it through you will be in amazing shape at your wedding, I'm sure!

Ooooo - very pretty Brandy!!

Love your pics!! Was that forest in Ocho Rios? Do you know the name of the area?

I'm with you girls - I think the mailman must think I have a shopping addiction - there seems to be at least 2 new packages that arrive every week! I'm going to have so much extra time and money once this wedding is over...... Lisa, I think the dress looks great with that bottom! But I agree with Mocha - if you're getting a new bottom put on your existing dress, I would make sure the seamstress has lots of experience! As for wedding party gifts, we are finally done! for BMs: Coach wristlet pearl earrings beach bag pedicure kit terry cloth lounge chair cover GM: aviator sunglasses golf balls flower girl and ring bearer: beach bag sand toys bubbles mexx sun hat I also took my dress in for alterations last weekend, and FI took his suit in for alterations, plus I did the paylist for the ceremony and champagne reception (my sisters doing the actual reception playlist for me). So, the only thing left on my to-do list is to get the prongs filed on my e-ring so it sits right with my band!

Hi Tris, I asked Beverly about the tables a while ago and this was her response: are the tables square or round? and how many do they seat? (I need to know how many centrepieces I need for about 50-60 guests) Please find that the tables seat 8 - 10 persons each. The head table will seat the number of persons in your bridal party.

Aww Brandy that sucks! The orange and white look good, though... I would call/email the guy and tell him you are really not happy. See if he can put a rush on getting pink and white ones right away (for no extra charge obviously) without you having the ship the orange and pink ones back first? The good thing about ebay is that most sellers are so scared of negative feedback that they try to be accomodating. i bet he was just hoping you were a pushover who wouldn't say anything about the crappy work he did - obviously he knows that they aren't acceptable when you can't even see the imprint!

Yay Akua - your time is so close!!! We stayed in Montego Bay for our friends' wedding last year, and we had a trip to Negril planned for the day after the wedding... I think we left at 9, and some people were so hung over that that they decided not to go.... But for those of us that sucked it up, it was amazing! The biggest issues for us with the fact that we had to be on a bus for 2 hours, amd we'd be in Negril/travelling for 10 hours or so. But where you're only going to ocho it's nice and close... I'd say 10am will give people enough time to get moving and get some breakfast, plus you'll have lots of time to do the falls and shopping. As for the falls, I think they'll still be pretty busy at 9:30 when you get there if you were to leave at 9... I think they're always busy! Oh, and a word of advice - tell your guests that for anyone that wants to climb the falls, water shoes are mandatory, and if you don't have them, you have to rent them - it was gross wearing rental shoes! Oh, and I can't wait for the post of the reviews your mom found!

Thanks so much for the info on reservations! Just an FYI for any of you that want to book a res for the restaurants - I sent her an email this morning and she replied that they can't take reservations more than 3 weeks in advance, so she asked me to check back then

JWETLI - I ordered mugs from discountmugs.com and I had a great experience. I signed up for email offers and ended up getting one for 25% off. I know they offer free shipping a lot too, but it doesn't apply to me in Canada... I ordered my mugs with no logo, and I ordered waterproof labels from vistaprint to stick on. They didn't stick all that well because of the mug I chose - it was curved, so air bubbles were getting under the label. But I just bought some modge podge from Michaels to seal them and it worked well (oh, and I put the hair dryer to each for a few seconds to heat up the sticker before I sealed them - it made a huge difference). The shipping was really fast - I had them in Canada in a week and half, but I guess that's cause I didn't get them to put a logo on there.... I know how you feel about forgetting things - I feel like I'm almost ready to go, but that doesn't seem right? We aren't doing a lot of the little personal touches that others are doing, such as OOT bags, DIY projects for centrepieces, luggage tags, etc and that seems to be the things people still have on their to-do lists. I really hope I don't forget anything big!

Thanks Char! Luckily I only have to fax them to the resort, that fedex charge is crazy!

akua - I just got mine at Michael's - they are the white silk folding fans, nice and simple. They are $29 for a box of 18, so if you print off the 40% off coupon they are only $18 a box: http://calgary.flyerland.ca/michaels/369/coupon/42405

Hi ladies - did any of you have to get your documents notarized to send to the resort? If so, any recommendations on where to get them done? Seems like the pricing is crazy for the few I found that post prices (like $60 a document and we have 4). Appreciate any suggestions!

Those bags are going to look great Teira! And I love the idea of personalizing them with each individual's name - I did that with my travel mugs as well - nothing worse than trying to figure out who's is who's all the time! Oh, and another great place for bathingsuits for us large chested gals is www.barenecessities.com - they have really cute ones in bra sizes with support - highly recommended!! Have a great weekend everyone!

Brandy - is that dress from venus.com? My friend ordered the same one in green last year when she was going down south, and it is really nice! I don't think it's too casual - that's the beauty of a destination wedding

Lisa - don't be concerned over the quality of studiosuits.com - the stiching is amazing, and the fabric is definitely not thin or see through - we got the linen blend and it's actually pretty thick, and it's really good quality, especially for the price! Lua - pretty dress for your mom - very tropical!!

Welcome Apola!! Just had to share with you girls - I'm so excited!! Originally FI and I booked our resort for 10 days, as everyone travelling through our travel agent is meeting on a connecting flight and arriving on the same day - so, with 10 days we were going to get 3 days to ourselves after everyone left.... But, we didn't factor people booking themselves in on different days, so we now have a group of 9 people that will be there for 2 days after everyone else leaves... I was bummed cause I was thinking we are going to have a group crashing our mini honeymoon, but what are you gonna do...... Well, last night FI suggested staying a few more days. I called the travel agent, and we booked for 12 days, and it only ended up costing $150 more each! So, now we're still going to get our alone time, and I get to stay in paradise for a few days longer!! Yay!!! As for the weekend, the only thing planned is getting FI's suit altered, but that'll only happen if he decides not to go in to work on Saturday.... And I have to find acrylic vases for the sand ceremony - no luck at the Winners by my house, so I'll try a few more around the city to see if I come across them... Tris - so sorry about your grandfather.... I lost my last grandparent last year and it sucked. But she was 99 and spry til the end, so can't really ask for much more than that. Hopefully everyone can enjoy themselves at the party for his sake this weekend!

Thanks Mrs Dow - and congratulations!! That's great advice about length of time needed per person to walk down the aisle, although besides my 3 bridesmaids I'll have a 2 year old flower girl and ring bearer, so I should probably give a bit more time for them - I forsee at least one of them having a meltdown half way down the aisle lol!

Wow Tenny - reading your post actually made me angry that someone could be that selfish! And I just don't understand how someone in your life could be so heartless when you are mourning the loss of your mother... I agree with the others - if you feel that she is not worth having in your life as a friend, then you should let her know that she hurt you, and you'd prefer to not have her at your wedding