Camy47

Thanks so much ladies! The only unfortunate part about buying bridal shoes is the long wait before you can wear them!!! I try and sneak them on occasionally when the FI isn't home! haha.

I just stumbled across this thread and I HAD to show my shoes! I have a wee bit of a shoe obsession...so this was a very important part of my wedding attire! I actually ordered these from Paris and am dying b/c I can't really show anyone here until after the wedding....so thank you for the release! btw...this thread is great....so much fun seeing what everyone is wearing.

I just stumbled across this thread and I HAD to show my shoes! I have a wee bit of a shoe obsession...so this was a very important part of my wedding attire! I actually ordered these from Paris and am dying b/c I can't really show anyone here until after the wedding....so thank you for the release! btw...this thread is great....so much fun seeing what everyone is wearing.

@Luvmoo...that's AMAZING!!! Congratulations on such an accomplishment. I had every intention of losing weight for the wedding....even if it was just 10-15 lbs but that hasn't seemed to happen! haha....so way to go girl...your hard work is paying off!!! @Janet...beautiful invitations! Thanks so much for sharing....this gives me some good ideas!

Hello Ladies, I'm just wondering what everyone put in their invitations for inserts? So for weddings here these usually include things like RSVP, Ceremony Directions, Reception Directions etc. My invitations are pocketfolds so I want to include something besides the RSVP, but my guests already got Accommodation information in the STD. What other inserts could I include? I was thinking Reception Details?!

Hello Krysta, I had the same issue but mine was even worse....my guests only had 2 weeks to get in their deposit and the final payment was due only a month later (this was 8 months before the wedding). The reality is that if people want to come to your wedding they will find a way to get there. Besides, even though an EBB may be the cheapest route, it's not the only route. Just simply remind your guests that this is the best rate available, but if they want to wait to book later they can. Just make sure they know that the rate will go up after the deadline and it may not come back down....also that the flight might sell out. We still have 8 'tentative' guests who haven't booked yet so we won't know until last minute if they are coming. Try not to let it stress you out!

Thanks so much....I'll let her know!!!!

So I know this isn't OOT related....but you ladies are so great at giving advice I couldn't resist: What did you put in your invitations instead of traditional inserts? I was thinking just RSVP and Reception info as I already gave out Accommodation info with the Save the Dates. Thoughts?

I've been to a few all inclusive resorts and Bubba Kegs definitely get my vote! My FI and I took them on our last trip to Cuba and we used them the entire trip! If you are tanning on the beach, the last thing you want to be doing is getting up every 10 minutes to get a cold drink! We took the larger ones and we actually had people offering us things in exchange for them throughout the week! hahaha! Now that we are home we still use them....especially if we are camping or at a friends cottage. If I recall, I think the regular price is around $10 at CT so if you get them on sale they can be as little as $4-$5. This was our main purchase for our OOT bags so didn't think that was too unreasonable. As for packing them I'm still trying to figure that out....but I read that you can check a box instead of a suitcase as long as it meets the baggage dimensions. This way you only have to pay extra baggage fees one way b/c you can just leave the empty box there. As for Dollarama they have some more great finds now in stock!!! The other day I saw tubes of sunscreen SPF 30 & 60 for $2. They also have Self Laminating Sheets in the back to school section (8 in a pkg. for $1). I am going to be using these to make personalized luggage tags; I ordered premium business cards for free from Vistaprint that I will fill out with my guests info, seal them in the self-laminating sheets, hole punch the top, and use ribbon in my wedding colours so ppl can attach to their suitcases. I figured this was the cheapest way to do luggage tags (until I saw the ones on here 4/$1! haha). Does anyone know what stores in the US carry the Shout wipes or bug repellent wipes? I'm assuming WalMart or Target....but my Mom is going to go down so don't want to send her on a wild goose chase!

Great question! I was thinking of removing the packaging for anything that has instructions, ingredient listings etc. on the internal package. So for example the travel advil does, but I have some pepto type pills that don't. Would love to hear what everyone is doing though...

I think these will come in handy on the last day....especially if you are like us where guests have to check out from the hotel in the morning but we don't head to the airport until later that evening. This way guests can spend the day on the beach and not have to worry about what to do with wet suits! I have actually used hotel laundry bags on many occasions to carry wet bathing suits so I know I'll use one!!!

It's amazing how quick things add up don't they?! My budget is $15K all in and right now I'm VERY close. However, I do think you can do this for a lot less if you want....we just chose to splurge on a few items. We have approx. 32 ppl coming and everyone is paying their own way. Our view is that since all of our friends and family are spending so much $ to come to our wedding, we wanted to give as much back to them as we could afford. Here are a few of the key expenses: 7 nights all inclusive for FI and myself $1000 (this would have been free with the travel credits we earned, but we opted to share our credits with some of our bridal party) Basic wedding package FREE Reception & upgrades to package $1,600 DJ & dancefloor $1,000 Real Flowers (incl. all bouquets,centerpieces etc.) $1,000 Additional Decor (tiffany chairs, chair bows, tablecloths etc.) $700 Photography & Videography $2,000 Gown & all accessories $2,000 Bridesmaid dresses x 5 & gifts $800 Groomsmen suits x 3 & gifts $600 Surprise excursion for guests $1,800 OOT Bags $400 Stationary (DIY incl. invitations) $300 I also spent a lot of time researching all of these items to ensure I would get the most value for my $. Hope this helps!

Does anyone offer OOT interventions?! I walked by La Vie en Rose tonight so I HAD to check out the bathing suit bags you ladies recommended. ADORABLE!!! So of course I had to buy them for my bags!!! )

Lianee....what a great find!!! Too bad I didn't know about this months ago!!! ) Thanks!!!

Krysta, Just sent you the referral through VP with the offer. Let me know if it doesn't work and I can forward direct from my email.

The shipping charges can be really weird and not make any sense. Tori, I have had the same thing happen but if you keep adding items after the initial 2 it probably won't increase by very much. I just placed an order for another 10 items (including 100 postcards) and the shipping came to about $19. Just play around with it until you get the combination that works. Krysta, unfortunately the emails don't have a code on it but if you PM me your email address I can forward you the offer if you like.

Oh one more thing on the rack cards.....be sure to leave enough space to cut a hole for the door knob. The first set I did I didn't take that into consideration so I had to order a second set. It ended up costing me a whole $4 in shipping to re-do them! )

MJKH, Kinda. I believe that once you purchase an item which uses an upload, that image is saved in your file so you can use it on other items too free of charge. I uploaded my logo during one of the free upload promo's and have used it on several items. The exception would be if a 'freebie' doesn't include advanced editing so you couldn't use the image. So for example sometimes the free versions don't allow for personalization and you have to use a VP template. So you may have ordered the pen with the logo free this week, but next week's promo might not allow it just b/c you have to use a template. I hope that makes sense. This week's promo is good b/c it allows for free uploads. This is a great way to get pictures uploaded at no cost and then use them at a later date. At one point I made a calendar which I totally didn't need, but now I've got 12 pictures uploaded that I can use on other items. )

Congrats on your first attempt! ) You have a couple of options depending on what program you are using. I use photoshop and have done it a couple different ways (again, depending on which works out cheaper!). If the 'freebie' offer allows you to upload your own design, then yes create a file that's the same size as the dimensions of the rack card. Make sure though that your image resolution is at least 300 dpi or they won't print very nice. The only thing to be careful of is that some items have preset margins so you won't get a full bleed to the edges. If the offer does NOT allow you to upload the full design, you can always select a blank design and then just add your images over top. The other thing I would recommend is that if you are planning on printing a variety of items, try and find a vista design you like that comes in sets. I realized this after I ordered a few things and am now using the Cocktail Floral pattern on most items to keep them consistent. I then just use the advanced editing feature to add text and images. I find it's much easier and I don't have to worry about margins etc. b/c it always prints to the edges. Oh....I just realized that in this week's promo you can get LARGE banners free. Normally they only have small ones so this is a great deal b/c they are usually about $60. I had one made for my welcome dinner. Hope that helps!

Thanks so much ladies!!! I was worried about not doing things the 'traditional' way...but then again what's traditional about a destination wedding! haha My FI will be happy to hear this as he really didn't want to wear magenta! )

Ladies, I need some unbiased opinions! Do my groomsmen need to match my bridesmaids? My wedding colours are a deep pink (think magenta) and royal purple. My bridesmaids dresses are in the magenta and will be carrying bouquets of pink and purple flowers. The groomsmen are all in matching beige suits with white shirts. I have looked everywhere for ties to match the bridesmaid dresses but have had no luck. However, I did score an amazing deal at Sears which was a purple tie (with a very subtle design) and cufflinks for $5!!! Is it OK to have the groomsmen wear purple instead of the pink? My shoes and a lot of the decor is also purple if that helps. Help!!! )

MJKH, LOL....I too have lost many hours of sleep b/c of Vista!!! I did see the oval stickers come on sale once for free...but that was several months ago. Depending on when your wedding is, you might be able to wait for a bit and see what comes up. A few more tips: If you are going to buy something and actually pay for it *gasp*, do it when they have a free shipping promo (so spend $35 get free priority shipping). This way you get the shipping on your entire order so all the freebies ship at no cost. Another option is create the item and then add it to your cart but don't order it. About a week after you've done this you will get an email saying 'Oops you forgot to order' and they'll offer you 25-30% off. Sometimes the code is valid site wide too! You can also try the US site to see if they have better deals. I accidentally did this with my first order and bought everything from the US site during a July 4th sale. They still print/ship the items in Canada...but you get the US pricing. For those ladies wondering how to fill the OOT bags with vista goodies, you can always place multiple orders for the same thing. So for example if MJKH is able to get a bag, pen, sticky note and note pad for $5.79, she can just place that same order 1 time or 50 times separately. Also play around with adding free items to your cart even if you don't want/need them. For some reason sometimes just by adding in a pen, or keychain the shipping will actually DECREASE!!!

MJKH, LOL....it's addictive isn't it?! I've had a few sleepless night b/c of Vista!! I have only seen the oval stickers once for free....but that was several months ago. Depending on when your wedding is, you could wait and see if they come up again. Another tip is whenever you are purchasing things at full price, either wait for a free shipping promo (so spend $35 get free shipping) b/c then you don't end up paying shipping on the free items and it is less expensive. Also, if you add the item to your portfolio and don't order them, in about a week you will probably get an email saying 'oops you forgot to order' and they give you like 30% off. As for the single quantities....just place several individual orders to get around it. So if a bag, pen, sticky note and note pad is $5.79, then place 5 separate orders at that price and voila! Also play around with adding free items to your cart...for some reason sometimes the shipping actually decreases if you add a keychain or pen or other small items.

It really depends on what you are looking for. One order I wanted to 'upgrade' some of the items I purchased so I paid extra for double sided colour printing, multiple quantities, various finishes etc. With this I ended up being over $35 and had a promo code for free priority shipping. With my 10 free items I got a giant box of items for under $40. Strategies for large orders are different than small orders though. I usually just keep all the promo codes and then when I'm ready to check out try the different ones to see which gives me the best value.

Torilynnsmith, I was intimidated by Vista at first too....but after a little bit of playing around I got the hang of it. It will take some investment of your time to get everything the way you want it, but it's worth it in the end. For example I'm just working on an order that will get me a car magnet (I'm putting these on our limo on the way to the airport), 10 schedule of events cards, 100 'wish you were here' postcards, 10 thank you cards for my bachlorette, 10 rehearsal dinner invites, 50 guest room lists, a t-shirt, pen and totebag all customized for $25 incl. shipping. With this order and everything I mentioned earlier I'm still under $100 and that gives me enough for 25 bags. Another tip: create the items you want when you have some time to work on them and then save them to your portfolio. They store them for 90 days or something, so when you get a sale email you are all ready to add them to your cart and order at the discounted price!