JustNoelle

@@JustNoelle I have a few questions and you seem like the ultimate expert for destination weddings LOL

 

1. Who did your trash the dress session? And how was it doing it underwater? We are considering it. Were you able to get your dress semi-dry to fly it back home? I feel like no one ever has explained the "cleaning up after the trashing" process to me lol so I am just curious!

 

2. Did you ship everything down in advance or carry it on the plane (OOT bags, etc.)

 

3. Where did you start your planning thread? I am new to this website and I can't find the specific forum where I could start my post about planning my wedding. Did you wait until after your wedding to do one long "planning post" ? 

 

Your wedding looks fabulous and you looked stunning. Congrats & and advice you can give this "newbie" would be greatly appreciated. I am getting married in four months in St Thomas/St John and i have SO MUCH LEFT TO DO!!! 

 

Hi Morgan,

 

I am happy to answer all of your questions but I am NO EXPERT. Lol.

 

1. Debora from Del Sol Photography shot our TTD session. After the shoot, we placed all of our wet clothes in a large plastic bag and when we got back to our room, we hung it in the shower and washed as much sand out of it as possible. We then hung it out on the back of a chair on our balcony. The dress was completely dry by the time we were ready to checkout and go home. As soon as we got back to NY I dropped it off at our local Dry Cleaners (they charged $300) and it was like almost new again. 

 

2. We shipped nothing down. Our wedding coordinator made it clear early on that they were not going to be responsible for and shipped goods. However, Maracas Mexico did ship our maracas to the resort a couple weeks before (I think that was an exception). I brought 2 extra luggages down with me. Both were hard-top to prevent any damages. We used 1 for mostly the OOT bag items and the other for the extra  wedding decorations. It worked out great for us because my sister was allowed to carry 2 extra bags for free (she has 2 kids).

 

3. I waited until after my wedding to post my planning thread. I even waited until after I received our "sneak preview" of our professional photo so that I could include our photos. I would suggest you start to write your post from beginning to end by using Microsoft Word or something. That way, you will only have to copy and paste it write onto the forum. 

 

Also, I have been MIA for awhile because I'm in nursing school. I logged in today and saw that there have been many changes to the site. So I wouldn't be able to assist you as to how/where to post your thread,

 

Thank you for your kinds words. I hope I answered all of your questions and I wish you all the best with your wedding planning! 

Wow I absolutely love your colors !!!!! Thank you so much for all this information. Your picture are stunning. Did you do an aisle petal runner with silk flowers?

 

I am unable to download the template for wedding survival kit. Would you mind emailing them to me ? I would appreciate it. Lisagonzal1 at hot mail. Thank you so much !!!

 

Hi,

 

Thank you so much for your kind words. Our resort forbids the use of silk flower petals on the beach (for environmental reasons). So I purchased 5 bags of real rose petals through them. If the costs of the flowers weren't so outrageous, i would've had a much fuller layer of petals for the aisle. Oh well... it did the job and I think it turned out beautiful either way. 

 

Sure. I'll send you the templates when I get home tonight.

Oh wow, what a fantastic job you did! I love your cork board map guest book- did you just have your guests sign all over it? I have a mini map theme going on, and my FH will really love this. Thank you for all the great detail! Just a beautiful wedding.

 

Thank you! We had our guest sign on it with a fine pt. marker. It turned out so beautiful and unique.

Your pictures are amazing.  They should be in a magazine!!!

 

 

Beautifully and well done!  The wedding is gorgeous and everything is so on point with the theme.  Great advice too.  Thanks so much, and congratulations to you both!

 

 

Gorgeous I am using Del Sol too!!! I CANT WAIT!

 

 

Great planning thread! Thanks for sharing! 

 

Thanks so much everyone!! I am glad you all enjoy my planning thread and I was able to give back to all of you helpful and creative ladies!!!     

LOVE THIS!!

@@julienelson0713

 

Can you please send me your key/tip template?  [email protected]

 

Thanks SO very much!

 

Thanks! Here's a photo of how it turned out on my planning thread.

 

http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/topic/75527-justnoelles-peacock-wedding-planning-thread-long-pic-heavy/?p=1816690

Here are the PDF versions of my OOT bag templates:

 

 

I'll PM you the templates now.

 

Thank you Sparkle!! I lived on Etsy for a year and a half. Lol. Planning a wedding is definitely doable. However, If you can save money DIYing, do it. I had very little spare time due to my work and school schedule. But if I had the time, I would've definitely did a lot more myself. Good luck!

 

 

Thanks Jahanee!! You may not be able to open in the PM either. I believe you have to reach a 150 post count to open any attachments but I'll PM you the attachments anyway. I bought the mini tote bags from EBay. They don't have the turquoise or purple colors anymore and they are now more expensive then what I paid. I'll look to see if I can find the link and send it to you too.

Thank you! I bought them from Ebay. If interested, I have 6 purple bags and 4 turquoise bags left. PM for more information.

Thank you so much Mck! My husband was reluctant about it at first and now he can't stop talking about it. Lol it was so much fun!!

WOOHOOOO!! My planning thread made it to BDW's featured home page!! The little things make me so EXCITED.

Thanks EV! Finding the frames was sought of last minute for me. I was searching the dollar-trees, Marshall's and Walmart for frames that were decorative enough, made a statement and did not weigh much (to avoid overweight luggage charges) and decided to take a chance in paramount... And Bingo! I found exactly what I had been looking for.

 

I didn't realize you had a peacock theme. I was searching high and low for peacock brides on BDW. I think I was obsessed with finding you all at one point. Lol. But I'm glad you like my thread. 

 

P.S.

Let me see them pics girl! I'm sure your wedding was BEAUTIFUL!

 

Thank you! I used to stalk a couple of brides on BDW (lol) so I know the importance of sharing ideas/advice. I'm glad you enjoy my thread and are able to take back something from it. 

Thank you Allie!

 

Thanks Ana! Check you inbox, I responded to your message.

 

 

Thank you so much. I was so worried about the "peacock theme" but I'm glad everything came together nicely.

Wow!! Amazing pics! That was such a good idea to take engagement photos on your vacation. 

As promised, attached are my templates for my Survival Kit Topper, First Aid Sticker and Money Holder Insert. Feel free to use and tweak them as you please.  

 

   

They charged me $100 for the "string" and to put it up. Yeah, they're ridiculous! However, I'm sure you haggle them once you get down there.

 

If you haven't already, feel free to read my review:

http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/products/dreams-rivera-cancun-resorts-and-spa/reviews/7593

Did you have your maracas shipped to you or to your WC in mexico?

Thank you so much! It felt like I was planning this wedding forever... I'm just glad it's over. Lol. The maracas were shipped directly to the resort. They just asked me for the name of my WC and it was smooth sailing. One thing I do have to warn you about is that, although MaracasMexico is located in Mexico they are close to central Mexico so the shipping cost was about $150. I know... Crazy! The cheaper option was a local shipping company in Mexico but they did not offer insurance so I had to opt for the expensive one.

I gave my hubby a boudoir leather album (I did a boudoir photo shoot a few weeks before). I included poems and short love quotes on the pages of the album and a love letter on the back page.

 

Here's the digital version of one of the pages:

Hey DRC brides!!

 

I am so excited to share our Wedding & TTD slideshows from Del Sol. 

 

http://delsolphotography.com/wedding-dreams-riviera-cancun-np-10022013/

http://delsolphotography.com/riviera-maya-trash-dress-np-10082013/

 

I also recently completed my looooong planning thread. Lol. Check it out if you like. 

 

http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/t/87815/justnoelles-peacock-wedding-planning-thread-long-pic-heavy

 

Next up will be to write my reviews for all the vendors I used. 

 

Enjoy & Happy Planning!!

Noelle + Phil’s Peacock Wedding

Planning Thread

 

Wow, it’s my turn! Woohoo! I can’t believe the time has flown by so quickly. It’s surreal to me to be doing our planning thread. I would like to thank all of the creative and crafty brides on this site for all of your inspirations. You ladies (and guys) helped me a lot… even drove me to insanity at some points. Lol. I learned so much from you all and I am very appreciative. If it wasn’t for the BDW site, I don’t how our wedding would’ve turned out and it’s only fair to share our planning story in hopes of helping another bride who like me, didn’t know where to start. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! J

 

How we met:

Phil and I met through a co-worker of mine, also his cousin. He occasionally would call her on the job. Whenever I answered the phone, he would flirt with me but I thought nothing of it. Unbeknown to me, he started calling purposely, hoping that I would answer the phone. For about a year, his charm and persistence became more appealing. We eventually became “phone buddies†and at some point I accepted his cell phone number. I did not call him for about a week, so through his cousin he wanted to know the reason. Ultimately, I called, we met, sparks flew…and the rest is HISTORY!!!

 

 

Engagement:

Phil and I had been talking about marriage for a while. I knew it was coming but not when. On my birthday, Phil and I were watching TV, our usual routine on a weekday, getting ready for bed when he stood up beside me on the bed and gave me a kiss and told me he loved me and I told him I loved him. He then knelt on the floor beside the bed and said "is this how I am supposed to ask you to marry me?" I said "yes, that is how you do it". He then asked "am I supposed to tell you that I love you so much and want to spend the rest of my life with you?†I said "yes, that is what you are supposed to say". At this point I can see that he was getting nervous. He then asked "is this where I pull out the ring?†I said "yes, this is when you pull out the ring". All of a sudden he grabs my hand (I can feel his hands shaking), reaches into his pocket, pulls out box and asks me "Will you marry me Noelle?†I said "YES!", (as the water works started up) of course lol. I couldn’t have been more surprised and ecstatic.

 

 

The Destination:

After going back and forth about the budget and our HUGE guest-list, we decided it will be best to have a destination wedding. We weren’t sure where we wanted to go. But after doing some researching, we knew for sure that we wanted to be in Mexico. Actually, Del Sol was the turning point in our decision. We looked at their underwater TTD and their wedding slideshows and knew that not only did our wedding have to be in Mexico but we had to book them to shoot our wedding… And that is exactly what we did!!

 

 

Yep… That’s us!!! 

 

The Resort:

I already had joined BDW and started looking through all the threads to find the resort where our wedding would be taking place. I came across these two threads and immediately began contacting Dreams Riviera Cancun for their packages and prices.

http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/t/64834/my-wedding-trash-the-dress-slide-show-by-the-amazing-and-wonderful-elizabeth-medina

http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/t/73522/janines-drc-mexico-wedding-planning-thread-pic-heavy-pages-1-7-are-the-thread-11-11-10

 

  

 

Travel Agent:

About 2 years ago, a bride on BDW recommended Jill Demers for a travel agent. She was amazing and very patient. Jill organized all of our guests travel arrangements.  My guests had a bumpy start with her response time but we squared that up immediately. Most of my procrastinating family members booked at the very (and I mean very) last minute. And she definitely handled it well and was very attentive to their every need. We all received travel packets in the mail a few weeks before with a cute little travel pouch and a booklet with every information we needed. Our transportation was very well organized and we felt safe and secure as soon as we stepped outside the airport.

 

My BIL took a photo of this airport sign that she arranged for us… I thought this was pretty neat!! 

 

 

Wedding Website:

Next up, was to create our wedding website:

http://www.mywedding.com/noelleandphillip

 

Save the Dates:

So I did a lot of research on this site to find creative Save the Dates. I immediately fell in love with the Passport STD idea (especially, being that we kept being asked “do I need a passport for Mexico?â€â€¦ I know, crazy! Lol).

I entertained the idea of me doing them myself but realized quickly that, that was too tedious of a job for me to do alone. So we hired Ginger from Serendipity Beyond Design to create them. She did an AMAZING job!! Most importantly, she was so easy to work with.

 

 

Inspiration Board:

Thanks to pinterest, etsy and you ladies on BDW, it wasn’t hard to create our inspiration board.

 

 

Our Monogram:

I created our monogram myself using Microsoft PowerPoint. We actually only used it for my wedding planning binder cover and our OOT survival kit topper but it was still fun to do.

 

 

The Invitations:

After a lot of drama with the initial vendor I hired to do our invitations (Sproullie Designs), I ended up finding Rebecca from Allurements by Rebecca to create our invitations. She did a great job with them! She also did our programs, menus, escort cards and signs (I’ll get into that later).

 

 

The Dress:

I purchased my dress for RK Bridal in NYC. It’s Mori Lee Style #: 4968

Finding my dress was pretty easy for me. I knew I wanted a fit-and-flare/drop waist style and I knew it had to be a sweetheart neckline made out of silk organza (Yes… this is all due to my upcoming underwater TTD with Del Sol Lol). When I told my bridal consultant that I needed a dress that looked good underwater, she nearly fell out. She made me promise to send her a pic… and I will. Thanks Olga!

 

 

I can’t remember who made my sash but I also purchased from RK Bridal.

 

 

 

The Shoes/Accessories:

 

My shoes were Nina Electra and I ordered from zappos.com. I actually only wore them for 2 seconds.

 

 

Chelsea from {Red-i} By Chelsea designed and created my barefoot jewelry.

 

 

I bought pretty much all of my other accessories from different vendors on Etsy.

My earrings were made with Swarovski crystals and purchased from poetryjewelry.

 

 

I purchased my statement bracelet from BridalBeginnings… Also from Etsy.

 

 

I opted for a birdcage veil after reading all of the reviews about the veil getting in the way due to the breeze from the ocean. Plus, I thought it was “fitting†with my peacock theme. Get it… Peacock is a bird… Birdcage veil? Oh, forget it! Lol. Anywho, purchased from IceGreenEyes.

 

 

I also glued 80 individual Swarovski crystals that I bought from Michael’s onto my veil. I believe they were 2mm size. When I moved, I sparkled. 

 

 

Garters were purchased from Etsy by All4Brides.

 

 

My personalized dress hanger was purchased from OriginalBridalHanger on Etsy. Mine was purple with blue and green feather details.

 

 

*Unfortunately, I left my hanger in the closet so I didn't get a chance to use it. 

 

Groom’s Attire:

We ordered his beige linen vest and pants from J.Crew (The Ludlow Shop). The hat was Tommy Bahama from Lord & Taylor. Lastly, we purchased his flip flop sandals from American Eagle Outfitters.

My BIL was my husband’s best man. He wore J.Crew linen pants, white shirt and flip flop sandals from American Eagle Outfitters.

 

 

Hubby insisted on wearing his personalized pocket watch from ThingsRemembered. Lol.

 

 

Bridesmaids:

My seamstress designed and made my bridesmaids’ dresses.

 

 

Their hair clips were like the first thing I purchased from Etsy (almost 3 years ago) Lol. There from ThereOnceWasAGirl and earrings (blue Swarovski) from EstyloJewelry.

 

 

I purchased their barefoot jewelry from {Red-i} By Chelsea for all of them (including the flower girl).

 

 

They also received personalized tank tops from me as a gift. From BridesDelight.

 

Flower Girl/Ring Bearer:

 

My adorable niece was my flower girl. Her dress was also made by my seamstress and she wore her barefoot jewelry (similar to the bridesmaids just a miniature version). Her earrings were also purchased from the same Etsy vendor as the bridesmaids’ but hers had a small round lavender Swarovski crystal.

 

 

I don’t have a very good picture of my nephew, the ring bearer. He’s 2 and did not feel like cooperating, let alone stay still to take any pictures that day.

 

Anywho, I purchased his beige linen pants from Gymboree (on sale for $12.99. woo woo!). Thank goodness because I had just contacted an Etsy vendor to make them because I could not find linen pants anywhere for him. I purchased his turquoise suspenders from amazon.com and his bow-tie from MosBowsMemphis on Etsy.

 

 

My mother ended up carrying him because he did not want to walk down the aisle by himself. Lol too cute!

 

This was the shell he was supposed to carry but my WC told me it broke when they were unwrapping it so they found a simpler shell for him to carry.

 

 

The Rings:

 

 

Welcome/OOT Bags:

 

I actually was hesitant about doing OOT bags but my sister/MOH insisted I do them and she helped me a lot with them… They actually turned out pretty fun. 

 

I bought the mini tote bags online. (I have 12 purple bags and about 4 turquoise bags… Anyone interested in purchasing, please PM me)

 

 

I printed our welcome brochures and letter online using VistaPrint.

 

 

 

Contents:

• ID/Money holder (eBay)
• First Aid Kit (Amazon)
• Lysol Spray (Amazon)
• Purell Anti-bacterial (Amazon)
• Benadryl, Pepto Bismol, Advil & Motrin (Amazon)
• Peacock Deck of Cards (Oriental Trading)
• Pack of Gum (BJ’s)
• Puzzle Book (Dollar Tree)
• Sun Block (Amazon)
• Shout Stain Remover (Amazon)
• Emergen-C Packet (Amazon)
• Lip Balm (Dollar Tree)
• Pens (Dollar Tree)

Bags w/ kids:

• Coloring Book (Toys r Us)
• Beach Ball (Oriental Trading)
• Water Toys (Dollar Tree)
• Fruit Snacks (Target)

 

 

We assembled the bags in my suite and my bridal party helped distribute them.

 

 

Attached are the templates to the Survival Kit Topper, First Aid Sticker and ID holder insert.

 

Side Note: I asked a bride on BDW if she would help/give suggestions as to how to create these templates. She told me she worked hard on them and if I wanted, I can purchase her template from Etsy. We all worked hard and I am sure she would not have thought of doing it, if it wasn’t for all the previous brides on here sharing their ideas/templates. 

 

Anywho, it took me awhile - a lot of wasted ink, paper and paper cuts but I DID IT!! And I am sharing it with anyone interested. 

 

Ceremony Décor:

 

I purchased 6 yards/each of silk chiffon from the “Fashion District†in NYC for the beach chuppah in Blue, Purple & White.

 

 

Maracas Mexico designed & shipped our personalized maracas & Rebecca from Allurements by Rebecca designed our ceremony programs.

 

 

I purchased our personalized Sand Ceremony kit and sand from davidsbridal.com.

 

 

Cocktail Hour Décor:

 

I purchased 100 ct. personalized cocktail napkins from davidsbridal.com.

 

 

I had Rebecca from Rebecca Allurements create our signature drink sign, “Something Blueâ€. Our guests said that was the best drink in the resort.

 

 

Our hotel provided the vase centerpieces and ribbon to tie around the cocktail tables.

 

 

 

*Unfortunately, we have NO professional photos at cocktail hour. Very disappointing!! 

 

Reception Décor:

 

I did not want a traditional guestbook so I purchased our Guestbook Map from corkandbirchmaps on Etsy. She did an amazing job designing and personalizing it for us. The map dimensions are 16x20. We are going to have it professionally mounted and hung in our home.

 

 

Rebecca from Allurements by Rebecca created our pre-printed escort cards and a ‘Thank You’ message for our family & friends.

 

 

I purchased the picture frames for the signs from the Dollar Tree and gold spray from Michael’s. My husband spray painted all the frames and the serving tray gold.

 

 

*I don’t have a picture of the serving tray  with the place-cards but this was the inspiration photo*

 

 

I created the table #s using purple colored scrap book paper, teal paint, cardboard, a razor and lots of patience.

 

 

The folded menu cards were also created by Allurements by Rebecca. We had 1/table.

 

 

I purchased the “peacock blue†sheer organza table overlays from tableclothfactory.com. I believe they are 84x84†and I purchased the purple napkins from urquidlinen.com. (Both currently on sale… PM me if interested)

 

 

I bought a ton of peacock feathers from amazon.com with me to be placed on each folded napkin on the gold charger plates (also for my bouquet, the boutonnieres, corsages and cake).

 

 

I had a 3-tier tres leche cake. The resort provided the teal ribbon but of course, I brought the peacock feathers.

 

 

I purchased our “T†cake topper and matching serving set from Toppers with Glitz. You can’t see because its upside down but its engraved with our names and wedding date. Bummer!  :/

 

 

I purchased 12/each of the teal, green, purple and plum colored hanging paper lanterns from jianoupaperlanterns.com. I believed they were 14†in diameter.

 

 

Our Mr. & Mrs./Thank You signs were purchased from MerryMeSigns on Etsy.

 

 

I think my photographer had a little too much to drink. Lol. But “Thank Mrs.†does have a nice ring to it.

 

 

Our Music:

 

Ceremony

• Prelude – Maxwell – Whenever, Wherever, Whatever
• Processional – CeCe Winans – I Promise (Wedding Song)
• Bride – Train – Marry Me
• Sand Ceremony – Beyonce – Ave Maria
• Recessional – James Brown – I Feel Good

 

Cocktail Hour

• Mariachi Band

 

Reception

• Entrance – Black Eyed Peas – I Gotta Feeling
• First Dance – Miguel – Adorn
• Father/Daughter Dance – Luther Vandross – Dance With My Father Again

*My father and I danced to that same song 10 years ago at my sweet 16. I had the DJ make that announcement before we began to dance.*

• Mother/Son Dance – R Kelly – When A Woman Loves
• Bouquet Toss – Beoynce – Single Ladies
• Garter Toss – OutKast
• Cake Cutting – Rihanna – Cake Cake Cake

 

 

P.S.

We had a legal ceremony in New York the day before we left for Mexico.

 

 

Lastly, I couldn’t help but get me a peacock iphone case for my honeymoon.  Purchased from charmscrafts on Etsy.

 

*We were having lunch at Oceana… 1 of our favorite restaurants at the resort*

 

 

Our Del Sol slideshows:

 

http://delsolphotography.com/wedding-dreams-riviera-cancun-np-10022013/

 

http://delsolphotography.com/riviera-maya-trash-dress-np-10082013/

Hello Ladies,

 

I am so excited to show you my dress! I am going to be honest, when I chose my dress, I wasn't too thrilled (it was 3 months before my wedding and time was running out) but I later fell in love with it. Especially after seeing my photos.  

 

Here's a few photos from my wedding:

 

Great thread!

 

These are our rings.  

 

 

Its a pity they weren't able to get a photo with all 3 together.

 

We gave our guests 3 meal choices - fish, beef and chicken. Our WC Lorena instructed us to send her each guests meal choice 30 days in advance. Since we included that on the RSVPs, it was pretty simple to do.

 

I had our menus printed by RebeccaAllurenment, she did our invitations. Each table had 1 tented 5x7 menu card.

 

Since we had the Ultimate Package, we basically go to mix and match the different entree choices (no more than 3 entrees). Again, I don't think there would be any issue with that as long as you provide your WC with each guests meal choice. 

 

I had the chicken and my husband had the sea bass. I thought they were both excellent. However, I heard from my guests that the beef tenderloin was way too under-cooked.

 

Here's a photo of my menu:

 

Hi EV,

 

Wow, you did a great job with your peacock inspired wedding! I too was scared of including too much peacock but I had my MOHs to help me put a stop to my crazy peacock obsession. Lol. I love the different shades of blue and the edible peacock feathers was a good idea. Your husband's suit was right on the money... Very James Bondish!

 

BTW, where in the Bronx did you have your AHR. That place looks beautiful! I would like to know for future reference.

I wonder how I missed this thread! Lol.

 

Here's my inspiration board:

 

And our professional pics from Del Sol Photography. I tried to include all peacock inspired photos... Hope this helps other peacock brides.

 

P.S. 

Look out for my Peacock Beach Wedding planning thread soon.

 

You should do that. My husband was through... He like WTH! Lol. I keep telling everyone that destination weddings are just as expensive as having your wedding local.

 

In total... Including the $2500 for the package.