BarbieBrideU

Oh my gosh, your slideshow is gorgeous! I definitely teared up a bit, when I see that raw emotion on other people I can't help put get a little misty-eyed myself. Question: the decorations that you used for the gazebo, did you purchase them yourself or were they provided by the resort? I loved the elegant simplicity of them so I'm thinking of doing something similar.

Hi Dream girls! Thinking about Dreams and my wedding today- missing it like crazy like I'm sure all us past brides are!
 

For future brides, here is our slideshow! I know I always loved looking at these when I was planning! Hope you're all having a wonderful Summer!

http://andiandjess.drepvphoto.adventurephotos.com.mx/#/slideshow-1/

Hi ladies Finally got around to posting my review! Check it out if youre curious! <3

@edevine1031

The destination sign was custom made by tcart2010. The Mr & Mrs signs were made by thebackporchshoppe. I would recommend them both!

@Krs398

I wasn't hot with my hair down believe it or not. February in PV has beautiful weather! It was absolutely perfect!!!!

Oh, the after party outfits were for after the reception, we all met up at a bar in the resort to keep the party going!

Thanks ladies!!

The thread got posted twice so before the original gets deleted, thanks to these ladies that took the time to read/comment!

Originally Posted by sunshine2413 

Everything looks amazing!! I love the wood A & J... you did a fabulous job. Congrats!!

Originally Posted by Speckles121 

AMAZING thread!!! Love all the detail..you looked stunning as well!!! Congrats and best wishes for a long happy marriage!!

Originally Posted by principessa 

Oh my gosh everything looks so perfect and you looked absolutely stunning on your wedding day - what a gorgeous dress!!

Originally Posted by Diamantenyc 

really cute love all of it.. thanks for sharing your day

Originally Posted by danasb788 

 

Hey everyone...our wedding is coming up in 9 days and last night I heard about the hold up of the Carvival cruise ship passangers where they robbed everyone on a bus in town on the way to an excursion...I was just wondering if anyone who had been there had run into any issues going into town or on any excursions?  My fiance and I were there 2 years ago, went into town many times, had no issues and loved it!  But now, some of our guests are getting nervous.  We were planning on doing a night out in town before the wedding as well as a zip lining excursion for everyone.  Any info or feedback would be helpful...thanks!

Hi danasb788-

That actually happened while we were out there. No worries, just tell your guests to be careful! Hello! It's another country! We're from LA and I wouldn't go to Compton flashing a Louis Vuitton bag, so don't do that in Mexico! The bottom line is those things can happen anywhere, take precautions and you'll be safe.

FYI- me and my husband left the resort twice- once for dolphin swim and once for zip linig too. We left our rings in the safe and brought minimal cash. All was fine! It was a blast!!! you'll be ok!

On another note I posted my planning thread! (Still working on the review!) Here's the link!

http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/t/78872/andis-planning-thread-pic-heavy#post_1749156

T

First off, I have to thank Tammy and all the contributors of this BDW. Unlike a lot of women, I haven’t been planning my wedding since birth. I always knew I wanted it to be on trend but timeless. So when my husband proposed to me I didn’t know where to even start! But now I feel like I could do this for a living!!! (Minus putting of with all the crazy bridezillas!) It’s all thinks to this site, and the amazing support I’ve received from so many friends and family.

Our Story:
So like everyone does, I will start with our story. We met in January 2007, while we were both getting out of bad relationships with other people. It’s true what they say, when you meet that person you KNOW. I couldn’t get him off my mind! And while I was too young at the time to think about marriage, all I knew was that I never wanted to spend 1 minute away from him for the rest of my life! I knew he was the one within the first month of dating. I met my match. We’re absolutely CRAZY about each other!!

Engagement:
Jesse proposed to me on a Tuesday, last February. I was at work feeling under the weather. Jesse called me to see when I would be home and said he would make me feel better. Thinking a glass of wine or bowl of soup was waiting for me I got home as soon as I could, but it was something better! The lights were dim and there were candles and rose petals everywhere. It was the most romantic thing I’ve ever seen. I still didn’t know what was happening until I saw a box in his hand and he got on one knee. If he hadn’t have gotten it all on camera (sneaky!) I wouldn’t even remember anything past that. I was sobbing my eyes out!!!

I think these days many girls feel like they are owed a proposal based on the amount of time they have been together, or just to keep up with their friends. I know it must take so much for a man to spend that amount of money on something for the one they love, just to put their pride on the line and ask for our hand in marriage. We had a hard month leading up to the proposal, so that made it even more special. That in the hard times, he was still thinking about making me his wife. It makes me tear up to this day!!

I’m not big on posting pictures of my ring- not that kind of girl. Aside from the wedding photos I don’t have many of just the ring, but it is the ring of my dreams! Over 2 carat rock and stunning! He did awesome.

Planning:
Once the dust settled I began planning. We knew we wanted a destination wedding for the simple fact that 1. Jesse’s family is so BIG. In order to keep the intimate feel we wanted we had to get away. And 2. we weren’t planning on getting any help for the wedding financially from either of our families. Nor did we want to fall into debt over our day. Destination wedding was the best way to avoid that.

I knew I wanted 2/25/2012, before Jesse even proposed! 2/26 is our anniversary. I thought, what would be more romantic than to celebrate 5 years of being in love than to get married?! PLUS, I’m superstitious about numbers. I HAD to get married in an even year, so it worked out

There is such a wide selection in the world of destinations!! Mexico seemed like the easiest, since it is so close to both our families. After weeding out all the “spring break party†destinations, we wound up landing on Puerto Vallarta, and Dreams Resort. The date we wanted and location on the resort we wanted our ceremony/reception were available so it was perfect!!! And then began getting down to the nitty gritty….

I had my share of “bridezilla†type breakdowns. Although mine were more like I would burst into tears for just about anything as opposed to being a screaming banshee. I just know what I want, I speak my mind, and I’m not a pushover. It paid off in the end. Our wedding was US. Not anyone else.

My advice to future brides is, really, don’t let anyone sway you. While I said I didn’t plan my wedding since birth, I also had the wedding I would have dreamed of as a little girl. It’s important your wedding reflect you as a couple. Not a stranger couple from Style Me Pretty.
Also, you really find out who your true friends are. While true friends will be there in low times, they should also be there in high times, and nobody should take that away. It’s your day. The one time in your life you get to be fully selfish and have everything be about YOU. If anyone tries to steal that happiness from you- they don’t belong in your life. Time to reevaluate relationships.

Colors/Flowers:
Jesse had a hand in choosing our color palette/flower theme. It was between stargazer lilies and yellow, which could have gone VERY tropical, and orchids and purple. Which is much more us. I consider orchids to be one of the most romantic flowers, yet they have an exotic feel to them. The woody stems and pretty white petals became my inspiration for the entire wedding!

My Wedding Day look:
Choosing my dress was the hardest thing I had to do. Really. Anyone who says you put on one dress and you cry and it’s the one is lying. I went through probably 50 dresses and STILL couldn’t find exactly what I was looking for.

Finally, my consultant Desiree at Mon Amie bridal who was AMAZING btw, told me to just look for a dress that has the specific elements I was looking for, which were 1. organza, 2. a pleated bodice, 3. full ruffle detail skirt 4. NOT a corset/lace up back. You would think this would have been easy, but it wasn’t. I finally found a pronovias gown that was a one shoulder, with tiny pleats, and a full floral ruffle skirt that came all the way up to the bust. The scariest part was ordering the dress as it was. I just had to picture the end result.

My seamstress, Sonia was AWESOME. She changed my neckline, and dropped the skirt to make more of a mermaid silhouette, and rearranged the florals. She extended the zipper and added more buttons. I couldn’t have asked for a better seamstress. Every thing I told her she would say “it’s your design!†She rocked my socks. and I have to admit, it feels great knowing my dress is custom to me and nobody in the world will have this exact dress!!

To complete my bridal look, I wanted to look glamorous (as I always do) so I went for a double layer 11†birdcage veil, by Tessa Kim and the bling-iest crystal necklace for my ceremony look. The shoes were Christian Louboutin crystal encrusted flats. Perfect and comfortable.

For the reception, I got an amazing sash and hair comb.

For hair I knew I wanted something asymmetrical. Those styles look best with a birdcage veil. I decided on a side swept “old Hollywood†look, but knew I definitely did not want my hair up. An outdoor wedding seemed on the casual side for a bridal updo. While I felt my curls were too tight during the ceremony, the fell to the right amount of sexy wavy looseness by the time the reception came around.

Makeup, while I wanted to look glamorous, I still didn’t want anything too heavy or evening-y. I decided on a smokey eye in a grey palette. I wore shu umera eyelashes and felt so beautiful!

Getting ready/ After party attire:
While getting ready I wore a light turquoise satin robe that said “Brideâ€. The robe was from Victoria’s Secret, and I added the iron on.

For the after party I wore a custom white hoodie that said “Mrs Urias†on the back, white shorts, and silver glitter TOMS.

Other Details:
My something old was a ring my grandma gave me when I was a teenager. I tied it to my bouquet along with my favorite detail, my bouquet charms. It was the perfect way to honor my grandma and my dad. Little things happened during the day to let me know they were there with us. And my mom said she felt their presence strongly. That made me so happy.

My something borrowed was the engagement ring my grand father gave my grand mother.

My something blue were my amazing blue lace panties, with crystals that say “I do†on the hip. I love them!

My something new was well…almost everything!

My garter and clutch were as glamorous as the other details. LOVE sparkle and glam!!

Groom/Bridal party:
Jesse wore a Calvin Klein tux, with a simple white shirt, and skinny satin black tie. His groomsmen all wore their own black suits, white shirts, same tie, and all wore black vans.

My bridesmaids wore Bari Jay dresses. I wanted a fun, flirty, short dress with a different neckline than strapless. This style fit everyone’s body perfectly. Their earrings were from Forever 21, and their shoes were their own.
My Bridesmaids wore their hair up, but I made sure to tell them to keep it casual and loose. They all looked absolutely gorg!

My nephew was my ring bearer. He wore black pants, a white button up shirt, black suspenders, and a black bow tie. Oh yeah- and his signature faux-hawk! He looked so cute!!

Mother of the Bride/ Mother of the Groom dresses:

Bridesmaid gifts:
I wanted the girls to have something cute and matching to wear at our after party. I got all the girls tanks and cute leopard (LOVE leopard) shorts from Forever 21. I used iron on decals for the back of the tanks. I packaged them in a cute sparkly leopard bag.
I put their earrings in cute heart shaped boxes from Michaels.

Groomsmen gifts:
Jesse got his groomsmen custom engraved flasks with quotes from each of them, and custom T-shirts.


Décor:
When it came to décor, I wanted to keep everything fresh looking and streamlined. To do this I knew I had to keep it as simple as possible which meant eliminating anything in color. Everything had to be white and silver in order for the concept to work. This became an obsession that I stressed about til the 11th hour! I LOVED the way it all came together!

Ceremony:
I spent countless nights lying awake in bed wondering if I had enough flowers/décor for the ceremony space. Ultimately I had to realize that less was more when it came to the ceremony. The location and view needed to speak for itself so I kept it minimal. Plus, we had budgeted only 20- 30 min max for the ceremony. If we were having a 1 hour+ religious ceremony, I probably would have done more.

Ivory and soft pink peony petals lined the aisle.
2 small vases with white roses were placed on either side of the aisle, and a white rose centerpiece on the ceremony table.
Wooden letters hung as a backdrop along with a few crystal strands to sparkle in the sunlight.

I decided to forego programs for the simple reason that a 25 person wedding doesn’t need them.
I placed tubes of bubbles with a cute saying on each chair.

Cocktail hour:
For cocktail hour I wanted it to be fun for our guests. It was in the same area as the reception so to keep everyone out of the reception area we had white lounge seating.

We had custom drink stirrers and a signature cocktail.

I had the bartenders place orchids in the cocktails.

Our guestbook table was more of a photo booth-like setup. I made fun props and we bought a cute mini Polaroid camera for the table. This way guests can take pictures of each other and sign next to it in our guestbook. I think the most popular prop was the ones of Bella, our dog!

For our escort cards, my inspiration was a photo setup I saw on style me pretty. I thought it would be a cute way to display the escort cards along with some photos of us and our guests. I spent hours blinging the clothespins and cards. The “find your destination†sign was purchased on Etsy. So perfect!

Reception:
Centerpiece inspiration:

Like I said, the orchids became my inspiration. Working in the industry that I do, of course I wanted to be on trend! The latest centerpiece style trending was more rustic, bare branch, and woody centerpieces. So we had a simple Manzanita branch, with a few orchid stems in a vase with some pale river rocks. I loved it.
To glam it up a TAD, I had the florist place 2 mini centerpieces on either side, white roses in silver buckets.

Chairs were all Chivari silver chairs, with silver cushions, and the charger plates were silver square plates. I loved them!

Linens:
Of course they had to be white, but I wanted a little more detail to them rather than a plain white table cloth. I loved the subtle floral pattern on them that had a beautiful sheen when the candle light flickered!

Menu:
Food was a very important aspect of the wedding for us. I’m a vegetarian and while I’m no foodie, the most important day of our lives, I wanted something yummy!!
For the cocktail hour, we opted for more Mexican inspired appetizers. There were 6 yummy options ranging from mini tacos to shrimp ceviche on tartlets.

For dinner there were 2 options- the steak and chicken combo, and the fish. I can honestly say I don’t remember how my dinner tasted (I had the fish) I just remember I was so excited I barely touched it! I had plenty of bread though so that didn’t help either. Jesse loved his dinner though!

When creating the menus I added rhinestone details that were incorporated throughout the wedding.

Lighting:
I wanted tons of candles everywhere- a perk of having our wedding outdoors. There were candles on every table, including the lounge area. There were floating lanterns in the pool behind us.
The overhead lighting were twinkle lights. Sometimes I wondered if I wanted an indoor wedding with pretty colored up lighting on the walls, but sometimes indoor weddings start to look all the same! In the end this was more us, and more

our theme.

Cake:
Inspiration:
I knew our cake would have to be small for such a small wedding. And to be honest I didn’t care/ I wouldn’t have even had a cake if we didn’t want to get pictures of the cake cutting! Plus I’m pretty sure only my nephew ate it!!!! We had the chocolate fountain as the cake alternative.

Other Details
Favors:
Our favors were custom shot glasses.

OOT bags:
I didn’t go all out on the OOT bags like some brides. I set a budget for them and REALLY stuck to it. We kept them cute and small- and all things people can either keep, or throw away all in a little gift bag with a welcome letter.

Filled baggies with various medications, and drink mixes. All purchased from minimus.biz

Mini organza bags from oriental trading filled with Hershey’s kisses.

Badge holders from oriental trading for holding room keys.

STDs and Invitations- both purchased from wedding paper divas.

And I think that's it!!!!!! Happy planning, brides!!!! Enjoy every second, because the time FLIES!!!!! Don't settle and make your dream wedding a reality! We did!!

XO

Originally Posted by BarbieBrideU 

 

First off, I have to thank Tammy and all the contributors of this BDW. Unlike a lot of women, I haven’t been planning my wedding since birth. I always knew I wanted it to be on trend but timeless. So when my husband proposed to me I didn’t know where to even start! But now I feel like I could do this for a living!!! (Minus putting of with all the crazy bridezillas!) It’s all thinks to this site, and the amazing support I’ve received from so many friends and family.

 

Our Story:

So like everyone does, I will start with our story. We met in January 2007, while we were both getting out of bad relationships with other people. It’s true what they say, when you meet that person you KNOW. I couldn’t get him off my mind! And while I was too young at the time to think about marriage, all I knew was that I never wanted to spend 1 minute away from him for the rest of my life! I knew he was the one within the first month of dating. I met my match. We’re absolutely CRAZY about each other!!

 

 

Engagement:

Jesse proposed to me on a Tuesday, last February. I was at work feeling under the weather. Jesse called me to see when I would be home and said he would make me feel better. Thinking a glass of wine or bowl of soup was waiting for me I got home as soon as I could, but it was something better! The lights were dim and there were candles and rose petals everywhere. It was the most romantic thing I’ve ever seen. I still didn’t know what was happening until I saw a box in his hand and he got on one knee. If he hadn’t have gotten it all on camera (sneaky!) I wouldn’t even remember anything past that. I was sobbing my eyes out!!!

 

I think these days many girls feel like they are owed a proposal based on the amount of time they have been together, or just to keep up with their friends. I know it must take so much for a man to spend that amount of money on something for the one they love, just to put their pride on the line and ask for our hand in marriage. We had a hard month leading up to the proposal, so that made it even more special. That in the hard times, he was still thinking about making me his wife. It makes me tear up to this day!!

 

I’m not big on posting pictures of my ring- not that kind of girl. Aside from the wedding photos I don’t have many of just the ring, but it is the ring of my dreams! Over 2 carat rock and stunning! He did awesome.

 

 

 

Planning:

Once the dust settled I began planning. We knew we wanted a destination wedding for the simple fact that 1. Jesse’s family is so BIG. In order to keep the intimate feel we wanted we had to get away. And 2. we weren’t planning on getting any help for the wedding financially from either of our families. Nor did we want to fall into debt over our day. Destination wedding was the best way to avoid that.

 

I knew I wanted 2/25/2012, before Jesse even proposed! 2/26 is our anniversary. I thought, what would be more romantic than to celebrate 5 years of being in love than to get married?! PLUS, I’m superstitious about numbers. I HAD to get married in an even year, so it worked out

 

There is such a wide selection in the world of destinations!! Mexico seemed like the easiest, since it is so close to both our families. After weeding out all the “spring break party†destinations, we wound up landing on Puerto Vallarta, and Dreams Resort. The date we wanted and location on the resort we wanted our ceremony/reception were available so it was perfect!!! And then began getting down to the nitty gritty….

 

I had my share of “bridezilla†type breakdowns. Although mine were more like I would burst into tears for just about anything as opposed to being a screaming banshee. I just know what I want, I speak my mind, and I’m not a pushover. It paid off in the end. Our wedding was US. Not anyone else.

 

My advice to future brides is, really, don’t let anyone sway you. While I said I didn’t plan my wedding since birth, I also had the wedding I would have dreamed of as a little girl. It’s important your wedding reflect you as a couple. Not a stranger couple from Style Me Pretty.

Also, you really find out who your true friends are. While true friends will be there in low times, they should also be there in high times, and nobody should take that away. It’s your day. The one time in your life you get to be fully selfish and have everything be about YOU. If anyone tries to steal that happiness from you- they don’t belong in your life. Time to reevaluate relationships.

 

Colors/Flowers:

Jesse had a hand in choosing our color palette/flower theme. It was between stargazer lilies and yellow, which could have gone VERY tropical, and orchids and purple. Which is much more us. I consider orchids to be one of the most romantic flowers, yet they have an exotic feel to them. The woody stems and pretty white petals became my inspiration for the entire wedding!

 

 

My Wedding Day look:

Choosing my dress was the hardest thing I had to do. Really. Anyone who says you put on one dress and you cry and it’s the one is lying. I went through probably 50 dresses and STILL couldn’t find exactly what I was looking for.

 

Finally, my consultant Desiree at Mon Amie bridal who was AMAZING btw, told me to just look for a dress that has the specific elements I was looking for, which were 1. organza, 2. a pleated bodice, 3. full ruffle detail skirt 4. NOT a corset/lace up back. You would think this would have been easy, but it wasn’t. I finally found a pronovias gown that was a one shoulder, with tiny pleats, and a full floral ruffle skirt that came all the way up to the bust. The scariest part was ordering the dress as it was. I just had to picture the end result.

 

My seamstress, Sonia was AWESOME. She changed my neckline, and dropped the skirt to make more of a mermaid silhouette, and rearranged the florals. She extended the zipper and added more buttons. I couldn’t have asked for a better seamstress. Every thing I told her she would say “it’s your design!†She rocked my socks. and I have to admit, it feels great knowing my dress is custom to me and nobody in the world will have this exact dress!!

 

 

 

To complete my bridal look, I wanted to look glamorous (as I always do) so I went for a double layer 11†birdcage veil, by Tessa Kim and the bling-iest crystal necklace for my ceremony look. The shoes were Christian Louboutin crystal encrusted flats. Perfect and comfortable.

 

 

 

For the reception, I got an amazing sash and hair comb.

 

 

For hair I knew I wanted something asymmetrical. Those styles look best with a birdcage veil. I decided on a side swept “old Hollywood†look, but knew I definitely did not want my hair up. An outdoor wedding seemed on the casual side for a bridal updo. While I felt my curls were too tight during the ceremony, the fell to the right amount of sexy wavy looseness by the time the reception came around.

 

Makeup, while I wanted to look glamorous, I still didn’t want anything too heavy or evening-y. I decided on a smokey eye in a grey palette. I wore shu umera eyelashes and felt so beautiful!

 

 

 

Getting ready/ After party attire:

While getting ready I wore a light turquoise satin robe that said “Brideâ€. The robe was from Victoria’s Secret, and I added the iron on.

 

 

For the after party I wore a custom white hoodie that said “Mrs Urias†on the back, white shorts, and silver glitter TOMS.

 

 

 

Other Details:

My something old was a ring my grandma gave me when I was a teenager. I tied it to my bouquet along with my favorite detail, my bouquet charms. It was the perfect way to honor my grandma and my dad. Little things happened during the day to let me know they were there with us. And my mom said she felt their presence strongly. That made me so happy.

 

 

My something borrowed was the engagement ring my grand father gave my grand mother.

 

My something blue were my amazing blue lace panties, with crystals that say “I do†on the hip. I love them!

 

My something new was well…almost everything!

 

My garter and clutch were as glamorous as the other details. LOVE sparkle and glam!!

 

 

Groom/Bridal party:

Jesse wore a Calvin Klein tux, with a simple white shirt, and skinny satin black tie. His groomsmen all wore their own black suits, white shirts, same tie, and all wore black vans.

 

 

My bridesmaids wore Bari Jay dresses. I wanted a fun, flirty, short dress with a different neckline than strapless. This style fit everyone’s body perfectly. Their earrings were from Forever 21, and their shoes were their own.

My Bridesmaids wore their hair up, but I made sure to tell them to keep it casual and loose. They all looked absolutely gorg!

 

 

My nephew was my ring bearer. He wore black pants, a white button up shirt, black suspenders, and a black bow tie. Oh yeah- and his signature faux-hawk! He looked so cute!!

 

 

 

Bridesmaid gifts:

I wanted the girls to have something cute and matching to wear at our after party. I got all the girls tanks and cute leopard (LOVE leopard) shorts from Forever 21. I used iron on decals for the back of the tanks. I packaged them in a cute sparkly leopard bag.

I put their earrings in cute heart shaped boxes from Michaels.

 

 

 

Groomsmen gifts:

Jesse got his groomsmen custom engraved flasks with quotes from each of them, and custom T-shirts.

 

 

Décor:

When it came to décor, I wanted to keep everything fresh looking and streamlined. To do this I knew I had to keep it as simple as possible which meant eliminating anything in color. Everything had to be white and silver in order for the concept to work. This became an obsession that I stressed about til the 11th hour! I LOVED the way it all came together!

 

Ceremony:

I spent countless nights lying awake in bed wondering if I had enough flowers/décor for the ceremony space. Ultimately I had to realize that less was more when it came to the ceremony. The location and view needed to speak for itself so I kept it minimal. Plus, we had budgeted only 20- 30 min max for the ceremony. If we were having a 1 hour+ religious ceremony, I probably would have done more.

 

Ivory and soft pink peony petals lined the aisle.

2 small vases with white roses were placed on either side of the aisle, and a white rose centerpiece on the ceremony table.

Wooden letters hung as a backdrop along with a few crystal strands to sparkle in the sunlight.

 

 

I decided to forego programs for the simple reason that a 25 person wedding doesn’t need them.

I placed tubes of bubbles with a cute saying on each chair.

 

 

Cocktail hour:

For cocktail hour I wanted it to be fun for our guests. It was in the same area as the reception so to keep everyone out of the reception area we had white lounge seating.

 

 

 

We had custom drink stirrers and a signature cocktail.

 

 

I had the bartenders place orchids in the cocktails.

 

 

 

Our guestbook table was more of a photo booth-like setup. I made fun props and we bought a cute mini Polaroid camera for the table. This way guests can take pictures of each other and sign next to it in our guestbook. I think the most popular prop was the ones of Bella, our dog!

 

 

 

For our escort cards, my inspiration was a photo setup I saw on style me pretty. I thought it would be a cute way to display the escort cards along with some photos of us and our guests. I spent hours blinging the clothespins and cards. The “find your destination†sign was purchased on Etsy. So perfect!

 

 

Reception:

Centerpiece inspiration:

 

Like I said, the orchids became my inspiration. Working in the industry that I do, of course I wanted to be on trend! The latest centerpiece style trending was more rustic, bare branch, and woody centerpieces. So we had a simple Manzanita branch, with a few orchid stems in a vase with some pale river rocks. I loved it.

To glam it up a TAD, I had the florist place 2 mini centerpieces on either side, white roses in silver buckets.

 

 

 

 

Chairs were all Chivari silver chairs, with silver cushions, and the charger plates were silver square plates. I loved them!

 

Linens:

Of course they had to be white, but I wanted a little more detail to them rather than a plain white table cloth. I loved the subtle floral pattern on them that had a beautiful sheen when the candle light flickered!

 

Menu:

Food was a very important aspect of the wedding for us. I’m a vegetarian and while I’m no foodie, the most important day of our lives, I wanted something yummy!!

For the cocktail hour, we opted for more Mexican inspired appetizers. There were 6 yummy options ranging from mini tacos to shrimp ceviche on tartlets.

 

 

For dinner there were 2 options- the steak and chicken combo, and the fish. I can honestly say I don’t remember how my dinner tasted (I had the fish) I just remember I was so excited I barely touched it! I had plenty of bread though so that didn’t help either. Jesse loved his dinner though!

 

 

When creating the menus I added rhinestone details that were incorporated throughout the wedding.

 

 

 

Lighting:

I wanted tons of candles everywhere- a perk of having our wedding outdoors. There were candles on every table, including the lounge area. There were floating lanterns in the pool behind us.

The overhead lighting were twinkle lights. Sometimes I wondered if I wanted an indoor wedding with pretty colored up lighting on the walls, but sometimes indoor weddings start to look all the same! In the end this was more us, and more

our theme.

 

 

Cake:

Inspiration:

I knew our cake would have to be small for such a small wedding. And to be honest I didn’t care/ I wouldn’t have even had a cake if we didn’t want to get pictures of the cake cutting! Plus I’m pretty sure only my nephew ate it!!!! We had the chocolate fountain as the cake alternative.

 

 

 

Other Details

Favors:

Our favors were custom shot glasses.

 

 

 

OOT bags:

I didn’t go all out on the OOT bags like some brides. I set a budget for them and REALLY stuck to it. We kept them cute and small- and all things people can either keep, or throw away all in a little gift bag with a welcome letter.

 

 

Filled baggies with various medications, and drink mixes. All purchased from minimus.biz

 

 

Mini organza bags from oriental trading filled with Hershey’s kisses.

 

 

 

Badge holders from oriental trading for holding room keys.

 

STDs and Invitations- both purchased from wedding paper divas.

 

 

And I think that's it!!!!!! Happy planning, brides!!!! Enjoy every second, because the time FLIES!!!!! Don't settle and make your dream wedding a reality! We did!!

XO

First off, I have to thank Tammy and all the contributors of this BDW. Unlike a lot of women, I haven’t been planning my wedding since birth. I always knew I wanted it to be on trend but timeless. So when my husband proposed to me I didn’t know where to even start! But now I feel like I could do this for a living!!! (Minus putting of with all the crazy bridezillas!) It’s all thinks to this site, and the amazing support I’ve received from so many friends and family.

Our Story:
So like everyone does, I will start with our story. We met in January 2007, while we were both getting out of bad relationships with other people. It’s true what they say, when you meet that person you KNOW. I couldn’t get him off my mind! And while I was too young at the time to think about marriage, all I knew was that I never wanted to spend 1 minute away from him for the rest of my life! I knew he was the one within the first month of dating. I met my match. We’re absolutely CRAZY about each other!!

Engagement:
Jesse proposed to me on a Tuesday, last February. I was at work feeling under the weather. Jesse called me to see when I would be home and said he would make me feel better. Thinking a glass of wine or bowl of soup was waiting for me I got home as soon as I could, but it was something better! The lights were dim and there were candles and rose petals everywhere. It was the most romantic thing I’ve ever seen. I still didn’t know what was happening until I saw a box in his hand and he got on one knee. If he hadn’t have gotten it all on camera (sneaky!) I wouldn’t even remember anything past that. I was sobbing my eyes out!!!

I think these days many girls feel like they are owed a proposal based on the amount of time they have been together, or just to keep up with their friends. I know it must take so much for a man to spend that amount of money on something for the one they love, just to put their pride on the line and ask for our hand in marriage. We had a hard month leading up to the proposal, so that made it even more special. That in the hard times, he was still thinking about making me his wife. It makes me tear up to this day!!

I’m not big on posting pictures of my ring- not that kind of girl. Aside from the wedding photos I don’t have many of just the ring, but it is the ring of my dreams! Over 2 carat rock and stunning! He did awesome.

Planning:
Once the dust settled I began planning. We knew we wanted a destination wedding for the simple fact that 1. Jesse’s family is so BIG. In order to keep the intimate feel we wanted we had to get away. And 2. we weren’t planning on getting any help for the wedding financially from either of our families. Nor did we want to fall into debt over our day. Destination wedding was the best way to avoid that.

I knew I wanted 2/25/2012, before Jesse even proposed! 2/26 is our anniversary. I thought, what would be more romantic than to celebrate 5 years of being in love than to get married?! PLUS, I’m superstitious about numbers. I HAD to get married in an even year, so it worked out

There is such a wide selection in the world of destinations!! Mexico seemed like the easiest, since it is so close to both our families. After weeding out all the “spring break party†destinations, we wound up landing on Puerto Vallarta, and Dreams Resort. The date we wanted and location on the resort we wanted our ceremony/reception were available so it was perfect!!! And then began getting down to the nitty gritty….

I had my share of “bridezilla†type breakdowns. Although mine were more like I would burst into tears for just about anything as opposed to being a screaming banshee. I just know what I want, I speak my mind, and I’m not a pushover. It paid off in the end. Our wedding was US. Not anyone else.

My advice to future brides is, really, don’t let anyone sway you. While I said I didn’t plan my wedding since birth, I also had the wedding I would have dreamed of as a little girl. It’s important your wedding reflect you as a couple. Not a stranger couple from Style Me Pretty.
Also, you really find out who your true friends are. While true friends will be there in low times, they should also be there in high times, and nobody should take that away. It’s your day. The one time in your life you get to be fully selfish and have everything be about YOU. If anyone tries to steal that happiness from you- they don’t belong in your life. Time to reevaluate relationships.

Colors/Flowers:
Jesse had a hand in choosing our color palette/flower theme. It was between stargazer lilies and yellow, which could have gone VERY tropical, and orchids and purple. Which is much more us. I consider orchids to be one of the most romantic flowers, yet they have an exotic feel to them. The woody stems and pretty white petals became my inspiration for the entire wedding!

My Wedding Day look:
Choosing my dress was the hardest thing I had to do. Really. Anyone who says you put on one dress and you cry and it’s the one is lying. I went through probably 50 dresses and STILL couldn’t find exactly what I was looking for.

Finally, my consultant Desiree at Mon Amie bridal who was AMAZING btw, told me to just look for a dress that has the specific elements I was looking for, which were 1. organza, 2. a pleated bodice, 3. full ruffle detail skirt 4. NOT a corset/lace up back. You would think this would have been easy, but it wasn’t. I finally found a pronovias gown that was a one shoulder, with tiny pleats, and a full floral ruffle skirt that came all the way up to the bust. The scariest part was ordering the dress as it was. I just had to picture the end result.

My seamstress, Sonia was AWESOME. She changed my neckline, and dropped the skirt to make more of a mermaid silhouette, and rearranged the florals. She extended the zipper and added more buttons. I couldn’t have asked for a better seamstress. Every thing I told her she would say “it’s your design!†She rocked my socks. and I have to admit, it feels great knowing my dress is custom to me and nobody in the world will have this exact dress!!

To complete my bridal look, I wanted to look glamorous (as I always do) so I went for a double layer 11†birdcage veil, by Tessa Kim and the bling-iest crystal necklace for my ceremony look. The shoes were Christian Louboutin crystal encrusted flats. Perfect and comfortable.

For the reception, I got an amazing sash and hair comb.

For hair I knew I wanted something asymmetrical. Those styles look best with a birdcage veil. I decided on a side swept “old Hollywood†look, but knew I definitely did not want my hair up. An outdoor wedding seemed on the casual side for a bridal updo. While I felt my curls were too tight during the ceremony, the fell to the right amount of sexy wavy looseness by the time the reception came around.

Makeup, while I wanted to look glamorous, I still didn’t want anything too heavy or evening-y. I decided on a smokey eye in a grey palette. I wore shu umera eyelashes and felt so beautiful!

Getting ready/ After party attire:
While getting ready I wore a light turquoise satin robe that said “Brideâ€. The robe was from Victoria’s Secret, and I added the iron on.

For the after party I wore a custom white hoodie that said “Mrs Urias†on the back, white shorts, and silver glitter TOMS.

Other Details:
My something old was a ring my grandma gave me when I was a teenager. I tied it to my bouquet along with my favorite detail, my bouquet charms. It was the perfect way to honor my grandma and my dad. Little things happened during the day to let me know they were there with us. And my mom said she felt their presence strongly. That made me so happy.

My something borrowed was the engagement ring my grand father gave my grand mother.

My something blue were my amazing blue lace panties, with crystals that say “I do†on the hip. I love them!

My something new was well…almost everything!

My garter and clutch were as glamorous as the other details. LOVE sparkle and glam!!

Groom/Bridal party:
Jesse wore a Calvin Klein tux, with a simple white shirt, and skinny satin black tie. His groomsmen all wore their own black suits, white shirts, same tie, and all wore black vans.

My bridesmaids wore Bari Jay dresses. I wanted a fun, flirty, short dress with a different neckline than strapless. This style fit everyone’s body perfectly. Their earrings were from Forever 21, and their shoes were their own.
My Bridesmaids wore their hair up, but I made sure to tell them to keep it casual and loose. They all looked absolutely gorg!

My nephew was my ring bearer. He wore black pants, a white button up shirt, black suspenders, and a black bow tie. Oh yeah- and his signature faux-hawk! He looked so cute!!

Bridesmaid gifts:
I wanted the girls to have something cute and matching to wear at our after party. I got all the girls tanks and cute leopard (LOVE leopard) shorts from Forever 21. I used iron on decals for the back of the tanks. I packaged them in a cute sparkly leopard bag.
I put their earrings in cute heart shaped boxes from Michaels.

Groomsmen gifts:
Jesse got his groomsmen custom engraved flasks with quotes from each of them, and custom T-shirts.


Décor:
When it came to décor, I wanted to keep everything fresh looking and streamlined. To do this I knew I had to keep it as simple as possible which meant eliminating anything in color. Everything had to be white and silver in order for the concept to work. This became an obsession that I stressed about til the 11th hour! I LOVED the way it all came together!

Ceremony:
I spent countless nights lying awake in bed wondering if I had enough flowers/décor for the ceremony space. Ultimately I had to realize that less was more when it came to the ceremony. The location and view needed to speak for itself so I kept it minimal. Plus, we had budgeted only 20- 30 min max for the ceremony. If we were having a 1 hour+ religious ceremony, I probably would have done more.

Ivory and soft pink peony petals lined the aisle.
2 small vases with white roses were placed on either side of the aisle, and a white rose centerpiece on the ceremony table.
Wooden letters hung as a backdrop along with a few crystal strands to sparkle in the sunlight.

I decided to forego programs for the simple reason that a 25 person wedding doesn’t need them.
I placed tubes of bubbles with a cute saying on each chair.

Cocktail hour:
For cocktail hour I wanted it to be fun for our guests. It was in the same area as the reception so to keep everyone out of the reception area we had white lounge seating.

We had custom drink stirrers and a signature cocktail.

I had the bartenders place orchids in the cocktails.

Our guestbook table was more of a photo booth-like setup. I made fun props and we bought a cute mini Polaroid camera for the table. This way guests can take pictures of each other and sign next to it in our guestbook. I think the most popular prop was the ones of Bella, our dog!

For our escort cards, my inspiration was a photo setup I saw on style me pretty. I thought it would be a cute way to display the escort cards along with some photos of us and our guests. I spent hours blinging the clothespins and cards. The “find your destination†sign was purchased on Etsy. So perfect!

Reception:
Centerpiece inspiration:

Like I said, the orchids became my inspiration. Working in the industry that I do, of course I wanted to be on trend! The latest centerpiece style trending was more rustic, bare branch, and woody centerpieces. So we had a simple Manzanita branch, with a few orchid stems in a vase with some pale river rocks. I loved it.
To glam it up a TAD, I had the florist place 2 mini centerpieces on either side, white roses in silver buckets.

Chairs were all Chivari silver chairs, with silver cushions, and the charger plates were silver square plates. I loved them!

Linens:
Of course they had to be white, but I wanted a little more detail to them rather than a plain white table cloth. I loved the subtle floral pattern on them that had a beautiful sheen when the candle light flickered!

 

Menu:
Food was a very important aspect of the wedding for us. I’m a vegetarian and while I’m no foodie, the most important day of our lives, I wanted something yummy!!
For the cocktail hour, we opted for more Mexican inspired appetizers. There were 6 yummy options ranging from mini tacos to shrimp ceviche on tartlets.

For dinner there were 2 options- the steak and chicken combo, and the fish. I can honestly say I don’t remember how my dinner tasted (I had the fish) I just remember I was so excited I barely touched it! I had plenty of bread though so that didn’t help either. Jesse loved his dinner though!

When creating the menus I added rhinestone details that were incorporated throughout the wedding.

Lighting:
I wanted tons of candles everywhere- a perk of having our wedding outdoors. There were candles on every table, including the lounge area. There were floating lanterns in the pool behind us.
The overhead lighting were twinkle lights. Sometimes I wondered if I wanted an indoor wedding with pretty colored up lighting on the walls, but sometimes indoor weddings start to look all the same! In the end this was more us, and more

our theme.

Cake:
Inspiration:
I knew our cake would have to be small for such a small wedding. And to be honest I didn’t care/ I wouldn’t have even had a cake if we didn’t want to get pictures of the cake cutting! Plus I’m pretty sure only my nephew ate it!!!! We had the chocolate fountain as the cake alternative.

Other Details
Favors:
Our favors were custom shot glasses.

OOT bags:
I didn’t go all out on the OOT bags like some brides. I set a budget for them and REALLY stuck to it. We kept them cute and small- and all things people can either keep, or throw away all in a little gift bag with a welcome letter.

Filled baggies with various medications, and drink mixes. All purchased from minimus.biz

Mini organza bags from oriental trading filled with Hershey’s kisses.

Badge holders from oriental trading for holding room keys.

STDs and Invitations- both purchased from wedding paper divas.

And I think that's it!!!!!! Happy planning, brides!!!! Enjoy every second, because the time FLIES!!!!! Don't settle and make your dream wedding a reality! We did!!

XO

OOps Liks didn't work- here you go!

Hello Brides!! My husband and I have been back for about a week or so (missing Dreams so basdly already!!) We had absolutely the time of our lives!!!!!! Our family and friends did too!

The wedding was amazing and perfect. Fatima did an awesome job. I could not have been more pleased with her. I will write I full review soon, hopefully by next week and I will let you girls know when I post it.

Here are some pics- enjoy!~ Let me know if there's any questions I can help you with!!!

Hey Star! This is the info I have regarding outside guests:

If they come half an hour before the wedding starts and stay no later than half an hour after they can come for free.
If they come at 9am and stay until 6 during your time here the cost is $94 per person per day.
If they come from 9am - 11pm the cost is $132 per person per day.
If they come at any other time during the day the costs are dependant on how many hours they are stayting.
If they want to just stay late after the wedding the cost is $20 per person per hour however they can only stay until 1am at the latest.
All external guests must be reported to the WC well in advance to inform security. We will need to know exactly who is coming, and exactly what dates and times.
Surprise visitors will not be permitted access to the resort without concent from the wedding coordinator.If they come half an hour before the wedding starts and stay no later than half an hour after they can come for free.
If they come at 9am and stay until 6 during your time here the cost is $94 per person per day.
If they come from 9am - 11pm the cost is $132 per person per day.
If they come at any other time during the day the costs are dependant on how many hours they are stayting.
If they want to just stay late after the wedding the cost is $20 per person per hour however they can only stay until 1am at the latest.
All external guests must be reported to the WC well in advance to inform security. We will need to know exactly who is coming, and exactly what dates and times.
Surprise visitors will not be permitted access to the resort without concent from the wedding coordinator.

It is on my contract, my wedding is Feb 25th- right after yours!!! So exciting! 1 month to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Originally Posted by star18 

Hi,

 

Does anyone know the current day pass fee for guest staying off the resort?

 

Thanks

 

Hi Dream girls!

Quick question-

i am considering surprising my hubby with a slide show I will put together of the 5 past years of our relationship. Has anybody had a slide show done for them at their reception?? If so how did it work out for you??

Thank you!!

Aww Sarah it looks beautiful!!!! I'm a very detail oriented person too I thought it would be too much for Fatima but that gives me hope!!! Cant wait for the review!

 

Originally Posted by SarahBen2011 

Hola!  We got married two weeks ago (11/18/11) and got home last weekend.  Everything was amazing. Perfect.  Fatima was great!  I was very particular and gave her a lot of direction.  She nailed it.  Review to come - but here are some pictures!

 

Las Palmas - 60 guests - 7 round tables

 

 

Seaside beach

 

 

Las Palmas again

 

 

Bridesmaids and their flowers

 

 

My dad walking me down the aisle

 

@Sascolo, your setup looks so familiar! was it featured on style me pretty? Or another wedding websie? I feel like i've seen it before... beautiful!

Originally Posted by sascolo 

 

 

Here's how ours was set up on the Las Palmas Terrace.

Does anyone have any pictures of las palmas terrace? Like an overall layout picture so I can get a better idea of how things will look?? That has become my latest obsession.

Also if anyone had their cocktail hour there too and can let me know how that worked for them??

Thank you!

It's not a signed contract. It just has a liest of your package and any additional charges. Fatima regularly updated it for me when I added things and emailed it to me. You may want to request one.

 

Originally Posted by b gardner 

I am dealing with a Lady named Eleane Joya, I dont know how good she is but i hope she's better than Fatima sounds.

When do they email a contract? my wedding is in November and i still havent signed a contract?!?! however im still working out the details for everything as we just booked end of July.

Kerri I just read your whole review. Thank you for taking the time to write such a detailed account of everything! I'm so sorry things happened the way they did but everybody in your pictures look like they had a blast!!!

I am disappointed in Fatima as well that she didn't actually have a plan B set and ready or even try to convice you to move your reception set up indoors knowing there was a ppossibility things could have gone array.

PS- I haven't heard from her  in a couple weeks (I haven't emailed, i'm been busy and had my bachelorette party) but I emailed yesterday and was getting strange respnses that made me think I am not dealing with Fatima now. My email was in regards to the cake and they kept emailing me telling me it was $4 extra per person if I have more than 20 guests...?? I already have received multiple contracts from Fatima- she knows I have more then 20 guests it's on the contract!! Was she let go? Or is anyone else dealing with a different person?? So confused! Though I wouldn't be surprised!!

Kerri congrats on your wedding and enjoy your new life as a wife!!!! <3
 

Originally Posted by kerrib 

OK, posted my review. It is LONG (surprise!).

 

Planning Journal to come.

 

SaraBen2011, i'm not friends with Fatima (see review). Search me on FB Kerri Blaine, I changed my settings or PM me on here to add you.

That is so sweet your son and grandson are giving you away!!

Unfourtunately I live in LA and she lives in Texas. So there have been a lot of emails, and texts going back and fourth between us. Last thing she had told me was that she bought it  Like i said I'm hoping she changes her mind down the road... We have 6 months.

 

Originally Posted by asiamarie1 

The dress is definitely pretty. Did she purchase it already? If not maybe you can get her to try something else on while she is there trying that one on. Plus I think as the mother of the Bride she would want something more sleek! She would look gorgeous, sophistcated and elegant especially with the right accessories. I agree with stluciabound that she would look like she was going to the prom in this dress!! Good luck with everything.....The good thing for me is I am having my son and my grandson give me away!! At least that's what I am hoping for. My grandson isn't officially here yet but by the time I get married he will be 16 month old!!
 

 

Thank you both!

asiamarie- I agree. Though I partially blame myself because I told her it was pretty. Which it is, for somebody in their 20s or 30s you are totally right. She's so fickle though I am hoping she tries it on again in a couple months and decides she doesn't want it anymore.
 

Originally Posted by asiamarie1 

The dress style definitely is similar, and I think you are right it is your day and you should be able to say what goes! Too be honest I think that dress would be more suitable for younger woman, and I say that because I am a mother of a child old enough to get married! I would want to wear something shorter, cooler and definitely more sophisticated for myself. But that is just my opinion....

stluciaboud- Thank you for agreeing. She was making me feel like I was crazy. She kept saying "yours is mermaid, mine is a-line!" ummm... if that's the only difference other than the color, there's a problem! I will just have to put my foot down.
 

Originally Posted by stluciabound 

Hey BarbieBride! I can't download your attachments, but I totally agree with you. I may be bias, but I don't like it when mothers of the bride look like they are going to a prom. When my mom asked me what to wear and whether or not she needed to "match" I just told her to try and stay within the color family of the theme and be dressy yet comfortable given the beach setting. Our colors are turquoise, lime, and fuscia. She ended up going with a flowy patterned turqouise dress with hints of the fuscia, which I think will really represent her relevance without "stealing the show" and will still look great in pictures. Maybe just hint to your mom how warm it is going to be and that maybe she would be more comfortable in more beach friendly attire? Either way good luck and I think it is awesome that your mom will be giving you away. That will be such a special moment
 

 

Hey brides!

Question- what are your mothers wearing to you wedding?? I decided to give my mom a little creative breathing room since it is a destination wedding. I told her a chiffon or light dress would be great (She was originally in love with a taffeta/tulle dress... wtf??) and a print would be nice too, since it's outside, mexico... blah blah.

I recently asked her to be the one to give me away (my father passed away 4 years ago) and my mom was a single parent most of my life anyway. She is floored with excitement and so was I.

Then, she sent me an email with the dress she chose. I panicked thinking it might be too similar of a sihouette to my dress and of course it's my day and I don't want anyone looking anywhere else but me and my fiancee! I asked wsome coworkers and they were all on my side. But I thought I'd get some more unbiased opinions... See for yourself:

My dress: 

Very similar to mine, except mine is more sweetheart at the neckline.

Her dress:

I don't want to see like a bridezilla, but shouldn'e be what I say goes??? It's my day, not hers! help...

untitled1.bmp

untitled.bmp

I totall can relate to both of you, ladies! My mom was the first to show her unhappy feelings. She seems to think she is going to be gunned down!! Hahaha! I kept telling her "I'm not getting married in Tijuana!!!" Soooo ridiculous.

And then the Fiance's family (That is HUGE by the way- the main reason we are having a destination) somehow got it in their heads that we would pay for their trips. Boy how their minds changed when they found out they had to pay their own way! We are paying for everything entirely on our own so it is so stressful. I have to constantly reiterate this to everyone, including "friends"... It will be interesting to see who comes. Invitations go out this month!

I'll all work out in the end!

 

Originally Posted by stluciabound 

Amen Branya2012!!! We have been going through the same nightmare with family members... well, his family to be exact. They are currently boycotting us having a destination wedding and refusing to come. They only want to come if we have an at home "traditional"wedding. That's a funny request coming from people with an enormous family and who are refusing to help contribute at all. They have spared no words trying to convince us how selfish WE are being. So ironic. Anyway, good for you for standing up to whomever is giving you trouble!! It IS definitely only about you two and it is your day. It is amazing how quickly people tend to forget that. Just keep standing your ground. Hopefully they will come around, but if not, it will defintely be their loss. Good luck to you and happy planning!!!

 

PS There are several blogs on here dedicated to this which I have found to be very therapeutic whether you want to vent or just hear other brides stories to make you feel not so alone

 

Thank you for the suggestions! I'm almost to the point where I might just allow open seating, I mean there is only 35 people attending! We'll see I need a break from all the wedding stuff it's exhausting!

Hey ladies!

Totally random question-

I don't know what to do with the escort cards situation. Ideally I'd love a big frame and just have each person's name with the table they are seated at next to their names, but I can't see myself hauling a large frame to Mexico....

I've considered the individual escort cards with holders but with such a small amount of people (35) that seems silly. However, I have 2 entree choices, so I know some order needs to be involved...

Anyway, any suggestions as to what you are doing/what you did?? It would be much appreciated!!

Thanks!

You should totally do it! My fiancee gets tired of all the daily issues and tasks I talk to him about, so I will vent on the blog from now on!

 

Originally Posted by torilynnsmith 

Welcome to the site Ashley, it will be a great resource for you!!!!! I would recommend sending out your STDs as soon as you have your wedding date set with the resort, doesn't mean you book travel etc. but it will at least give your guests time to save and plan, book vacation etc.  We waited to book so we bypassed STDs and just sent out invites.  We made the arrangements with our TA, when we booked we mailed out our invites (May) for our February 2012 wedding.  Our guests has 3 months to book from the date we put down our deposits so this made the most sense to us!!!!!  I would definitely choose your resort and secure your date as a lot of brides have mentioned, dates book up quickly!!!!!!

 

I think it all depends on travel.  Where your wedding is at home you can probably follow more at home "traditions" rather than DW standards because I am assuming less people are travelling.  One reason for the advanced STD and invites is because people have to book and AI vacation (or flight/hotel) and need time to save, book etc.

 

I have been wanting to start my own planning blog because I have so many ideas floating in my head and want to help other brides!! I will definitely check it out!!!!!
 

 

Hello brides!!!!

I'm so thankful for this forum and all the help I have received. I know this time can be stressful so I have started a wedding planning blog, and I would love for anybody who wants to read/follow it to do so.

http://hautecouturecupcake.wordpress.com/

Thanks ladies!!!