atalanta

Yes and no. The rehearsal dinner is supposed to be primarily for the people who are involved in the rehearsal of the wedding. However, it is common practice, to invite out of town guests to the rehearsal dinner (even for weddings in your home town).
 

Originally Posted by starrysim 

The rehearsal dinner isn't supposed to be for your whole group, just the bridal party and parents.  I really wouldn't suggest having a dinner for your whole group the night before.  Maybe you can book a few a la carte dinner for groups - one night for friends/co-workers, one night for your side of the family, one night for his side.  We had 31 people, and we booked two group dinners - one for my side, one for his side.  We had a rehearsal dinner the night before for bridal party (and their partners) and parents.

 

On another note, glad to hear you've got the steel pans band!  We had them at our ceremony.  They played while guests were arriving, and they also playved the Canon in D for my entrance, and they played while we were signing, and champagne afterwards.  We had them for an hour, it worked out well.  I liked it so much more than recorded music.  We forgot to tip them though
 

 

Hi Arnriv,

I was going to tell you that I am using the HH DJ, but you are only 2 days after me. That is not enough time for you to change your mind. I read on wedding wire that the HH DJ was good and that most people danced the night away so we went with him and didn't look back.

Did you find a photographer yet?

Thank you island bride. Your planning is going well. I'm in the midst of dress shopping now. It is a whole lot of fun. I've found some really nice gowns but I've never felt that "OMG, this is the one feeling". I think it has to do more with the fact that none of the dresses fit me just right so it is hard to imagine what they would look like so I'm just going to order my favorite through a chinese bridal shop and hope for the best. I just can't imagine spending $3600 on a dress, I'm not sure will be the one. Just my opinion, but I'd think at $3000 and upwards for the dress, the stores would stock more sizes of each dress.

Good luck with the invites!

I just hit my 7 month mark. Time is really starting to fly now! How's everyone's planning going?

@Lauren,

I would suggest that you get a new account. You are only at 14 posts. Everything you post here is google searchable. This would make anyone searching for your name able to see anything you post such as wedding information, pictures of decorations and your dress.

Just a suggestion.

Beautiful. Please share the underwater pics, too.
 

Originally Posted by magirl 

I wanted to post a link here to my wedding pics so that you all could see the dress i got from topspartner!

everyone loved it! they couldnt believe it was from china, and only cost 300 dollars. even the photographers were impressed. The loved they way it flowed. I can't wait to get my underwater pics back and see it in action. lol

 

anyway pics

 

http://lalunaphotographers.com/blog/gallery/jonathan/weddings/marisela-kevin/

@ceciliag62,

I know a lot of people on BDW have gone through travel agents for pricing. We didn't. I called around to the airlines and to hotels and asked them what is the best rate they could offer our guests. Don't just check web prices, call, too!

We are choosing our hotel because it is on both of our sisters' timeshares. This will make it more cost effective for our parents and siblings to attend since our sisters can request multiple rooms through the timeshare. We also are choosing this hotel because they have the lowest fee for guest passes and many of our guests live on the island or will need to stay at other hotels. Lastly, since we are having our wedding, reception, and other activities off-site, we didn't want our guests to feel like they were losing money staying at an all-inclusive and not having any of the benefits. This hotel offers European, Full breakfast, and All-inclusive plans, allowing our guests to choose what fits them best.

Hope this helps.
 

Originally Posted by ceciliag62 

So when I joined this forum I decided to read through the whole thread. I'm proud to day I'm on page 94. Woohoo!! I'm getting there and I'm taking notes. Talk about informative.

I'm feeling very discouraged at the moment because I've fallen in love with a hotel that is out of our price range    I'm really in love with Majestic Colonial. But for our June wedding the best price I can find is $1365 and we're trying to stay as close as possible to $1200. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I win the lottery but I don't think it's going to happen. Time for a reality check. Don't you just hate those.

 

So....For all of you who have already picked your hotel. Which hotel did you pick and why?

I, too, love your second confession. What's up with people that they think that they have the right to tell you how to get married?
 

Originally Posted by Branya2012 

And for my own confession:

 

I do not want my future brother-in-law and his wife and kids to come to our wedding. This is no surprise to my fiancee because we both think his brother is a terrible person, but it's his brother so he wants him there. (The brother has put up a big fuss about money and now about never taking his kids to Mexico so I don't think they're going to make it anyways, but I still have my fingers crossed!)

 

And another confession, for good measure...I really want to tell all of the people who have been negative and selfish about our DW to go screw themselves, right to their faces!! It's our dream wedding and there's nothing anyone can do to change our minds!! (Especially now that the deposit has been paid.)

@Branya2012

Thank you so much. I hadn't figured out anything as yet. I just hadn't talked to her in a long while. Then she called me and asked if we were married already, which makes me think that I hadn't asked her. Why would I have gotten married and not let one of my bridesmaids know, right?

Originally Posted by Branya2012 

You could ask her what she is going to wear to the wedding. If she says something about a bridesmaid dress, then just say something about how you know that, silly, but ask her what she thinks about your colour and whether she is okay with wearing the same style as the other bridesmaids or does she think it'll look nice for each girl to pick their own style (of course, that will only work if you are laid back about the bridesmaid dresses...I personally think it's nice when a bridal party has the same colour/fabric dresses, all done in different styles...but even if you aren't easy going about it, you are the bride and always reserve the right to change your mind!). If she says she hasn't picked out an outfit yet, then you know you never asked her! There's only a slim chance she'll think you forgot...but that is the case, so would it be that bad??

 

Hopefully that helps, or you've figured it out on your own!! You could also get your fiancee to ask her...I'm assuming he's a dude, so he wouldn't necessarily remember if she was a bridesmaid or not.
 

 

@belledame,

No problem. Let us know what you learn.

@Belldame,

Wow! These prices are really high! I don't think, we would have chosen HH for those prices. I'm curious though. Did you ask for a quote or did you tell them what your budget (for venue, food, ceremony, music) and ask them if they could make a package within your budget?

If you requested a quote, I'm wondering what their response would be if you told them what your budget was and asked them if they had a package within that budget.

Originally Posted by belledame 

wow! Just got a quote back from HH.......30ppl for 8140, excluding the optional gratuity charge of 8,954
I read that @ KayRon got a quote for 40ppl for 8805....That's a little over 700 for 10more ppl. When I add in photographer and airfare, I'm going to be looking at about 14,000. That's double my budget. Womp, womp......... Back to the resort I guess....

@FutureMrsLewis,

Thank you so much for this list!

Originally Posted by FutureMrsLewis 

Those first two Julietta gowns are definitely new!  My inspiration gown was a Julietta too, 3052.  I loved the original, but unfortunately my knock-off was not quite as fabulous.  It's a whole lot of pages back.  So from ordering my own Julietta knock-off, I have a couple of pieces of advice:

 

1.  Do NOT, under ANY circumstances, order from fushopping.com.  Ever.  Unless you want to open your gown and cry for three weeks because your wedding day is ruined and eat every brownie that looks at you funny.

 

2.  Find a company that has a bit of experience in plus-sized gowns.  You can see 5,000 pictures of a size two gown that came out beautifully, but if they are not familiar with how a plus-sized gown is different from a tiny gown, then you may have a problem.  Ask to see pictures of some "curvacious" dresses they've made in the past.

 

3.  Don't give them all of your money before the gown has even been started!  A few companies that the ladies on here have used have allowed you to pay a deposit (something like half the price) and then pay the rest once you've seen pictures and you're happy with it.

 

4. Ask for LOTS of pictures!  And not on a hanger, ask for it to be put on a model if at all possible, even if the models they have are too big or too small, it will at least give you a bit of an idea than just hung on a hanger.

 

5.  If there's anything you question and would like more pictures or detailed pictures, GET THEM BEFORE IT LEAVES THEIR STORE/FACTORY!  I questioned the "belly" of my dress but thought "Nah, that looks okay" and was in tears when I saw it in person.  It cost me over $300 to repair once it got here!

 

I think that's it.  If anyone else has any points to add, feel free, or correct me on some if need be

Originally Posted by FutureMrsLewis 

I forgot two points!    Darn Christmas brain!!!

 

6.  Have your measurements taken by a good seamstress, preferably someone with experience in dress making.  Mine were taken by a dress maker and they were spot on!

 

7.  A corset back is much more forgiving!  Not everyone likes the corset back, but if you do like the look of a corset, it can be much more forgiving in the case that your measurements are slightly off.  My dress had a zipper back, and although my dress fit perfectly when it arrived, we had more pictures taken a month after the wedding (waiting for good weather in Newfoundland takes FOREVER!) and by then I had lost about 10 pounds.  Not a big deal, but it made the dress a little baggy, especially in the bust area, and if it was a strapless dress (thankfully it wasn't) then it would have been a disaster!

@MichCraw,

I loved your mugs, too, and was wondering the same thing.
 

Originally Posted by canadiangirl 

ohhhh...where did you get your mugs? i was looking at getting some from another bride on here, but shipping well it was a bitch lol

Camy,

I looked at your facebook pics. Your wedding was absolutely gorgeous (and I'm not just saying that because we have the same color scheme). But, I do think looking at they way everything came together in your pics made me get really excited about our day.

I'll PM you about specific questions.

Congratulations again! And thanks for the wonderful review!

@Bride2012,

I assume from Lindy's comments that the first dress is hers.

@Lindy S

I think your dress is beautiful! Congratulations! I love the idea of having two sashes for the wedding and reception!
 

Originally Posted by Bride2012 

Lindy, is your dress the first one or the second one?

 

Originally Posted by Lindy S 

I received a photo of my dress today. I ordered my dress from Shades of Pale/The Little Velvet Box. I found this seller through a differet wedding forum site. Overall I have been more than thrilled with the communication with the company. I have been talking to Amalia and she is very, very helpful. As far as the dress goes. I wanted a replica made of the Allure c166 wihtout the one shoulder strap and detail. I am going to have them make a few minor changes, but overall I am really happy with it. Let me know what you think? I have asked for the sweethear "v" to be made deeper and some of the folds to be smoothed out. The beaded part is a sash that is going to be removable, and there will be a different sash with flowers (similar to the origianl dress shoulder detail) as well. I will decide which one I want to wear for the ceremony and which one I want to wear for the reception. Let me know your thoughts...all are appreciated!

@Canadiangirl,

These prices are wonderful. Darn they don't have our purple!

Originally Posted by canadiangirl 

just wanted to let you know of a great place to get your table linens if you havent already...this is who we are using and i love them.

 

http://www.tableclothsfactory.com/

 

@celticgirl,

I keep going back and forth about the decorations. I really don't want to pay for premium decorations. Yet at the same time, I'd rather not lug that stuff around on our honeymoon or ask someone to take it back for us.

A former BDW bride, prettypigpig, once said that she asked people if they remembered the centerpieces at the last wedding they attended and only the brides remembered. That got me thinking about all of the weddings I attended. I only remembered two centerpieces out of more than 2 dozen weddings. The only reasons I remembered those two were 1) we got to take one of them home and 2) we got to eat the other. My unscientific conclusion is that the centerpieces have to be interactive to be memorable.

So I've been thinking about making our centerpieces interactive or scrapping them. I'm like you in that I think the setting is beautiful enough that we really don't need additional decor. The only problem is that we already incorporated these high floral centerpieces in our package, and I'm afraid that we won't be able to get a refund if we decide not to get it.

Originally Posted by celticgirl 

woooo hooooo, now I have a place to chit chat AND a place to OOT ahaha. thanksss tori! OH guess what, I got my wedding ring designed! YAY! Its a channel band, the two outer rows are white diamonds, and the inner row is black diamond... I am VERY excited to see the final product when it is made, I will take a picture for you! Everyone at the store was amazed with what I had designed, they had never seen/thought of using black diamonds in a wedding ring! Hopefully it turns out well... I cant believe I am putting together all the pieces now... my next task is to figure out some decor... My resort wants 3500 for decorations.... EEEEEEK thats more than our flights combined, or our dinner AND open bar combined... I dont understand, since most of the stuff can be reusable... oh well.. I am considering getting most of it myself, but then there is the question of wether or not I will have time to decorate, or if I can even get it down there... hmmmm are you ladies doing anything yourself for decor, or just biting the bullet and paying? My ceremony is fully decorated, but not my reception!

Hi Tabby,

I did the same exact thing. I started out on the knot and then there were so many restrictions if you didn't want to pay extra so I just ended up creating a google site, which gives unlimited everything for free. I just couldn't imagine doing it again for anyone else; this was definitely a labor of love for me.

Congratulations on your new business! Good luck!

Originally Posted by tabby2011 

 

Anyone interested in a "Custom Made Wedding Website" ... let me know.  I made one for myself and then started to make them for other brides that are having destination weddings.   The website could be similar to this http://WWW.DEVONANDTABBY.COM or anyway you like.  I am very flexible and can really create anything you want.     I started this for myself because I HATED the wedding websites that were out on the market and especially the free ones and just made my own...    You can create your own:   Pages Pick your own Music or Play List Have tons of pages Pick from tons of colors, patterns, looks etc... basically WHATEVER YOU ENVISION! Endless albums Any design you want on any page Basically ... your wish is my command! YAY! Prices are from $199 - $499 depending on how many changes and pictures etc....   Let me know ...   [email protected]  

Absolutely beautiful!
 

Originally Posted by aquamaniac 

Hey Canadian brides! A couple things:

 

1. I didn't want to do the work twice but I finally wrote about my DIY Boarding Pass wedding invites, you can check it out on my Blog. If you need the templates I used please don't hesitate to PM me. All my supplies are from Canadian stores, so if you need any advice just ask!

 

2. Does anyone know a good place in Canada to get a flower for a wedding hair up-do? 

 

Thanks ladies!

OK Tori. I feel better now. I hope everyone is enjoying their day off.

I just hit my 8 month mark.  Our engagement announcement and save the dates went out, and this month we are trying on wedding dresses. Where is the time going?

Hi Tori,

Your most recent post worries me. Maybe you should see your doctor. Are you checking your heart rate during the workouts?

Atalanta
 

Originally Posted by torilynnsmith 

VERY IMPORTANT ADVICE!!!!!! I can honestly see insanity sending someone into cardiac arrest, I find my heart hurts sometimes! 

 

Mrs. Lewis,

Again congratulations on your marriage, AND Congratulations on that dress! The transformation is absolutely amazing! You look great in that dress!
 

Originally Posted by exquisite02 

Like i said before I really like your skirt. your dress is very hollywood and is perfect for your wedding. I think if you feel the train is too long then its a great idea to shorten and move the flowers. Make sure you find a seamstress that knowns what they are doing because it would be so sad if they ruin your skirt.
 

 

Thank you Futuremrslewis for the final update on your dress. I felt so bad for you when you found out that it was going to cost a lot more money to fix and all your stress. Your seamstress did a great job! I still love the pink detail that fushopping did though. I think you helped a lot of future brides out with their research on Knock-off wedding dresses. Great picture! you look amazing!
 

 

Gosh, I wish I had known about him back in December. We had decided not to do professional photographs because we couldn't afford the photographers that  impressed us with their work. We decided against photographers we could afford because we thought our families and friends could do as good a job as the less expensive photographers. At $1250 for unlimited hours and pictures, he is in an entire category by himself. Talent and good prices.

At $1250 for unlimited hours and pictures, we would have made our budget work to get him. His work looks amazing. Simple and beautiful.
 

Originally Posted by JayKay 

We booked him back in December and I know his prices have gone up since we booked him, but we payed $1250 for unlimited hours on our wedding day and unlimited pictures.

 

 

Ooops, I meant Ginger!
 

Originally Posted by atalanta 

@Tori,

 

Nice save..... I was going to announce my wedding party, but I think I won't be doing that now.....

 

Thanks! Great tip!