ashhtayy

@@cruisebride2016 I love that you are giving your guests t-shirts. We wanted to do tanks for all our guests but the cost ended up being too much. You got a great deal. We are now thinking we may just do tanks for our wedding party. Can't wait to see the actual tees once you get them.

Fingers crossed your etsy vendor steps up and you get your cake topper on top. It's so unique!

Good luck with the rest of your planning. You're so close!

Glad you had a great shower I anticipate feeling awkward being the center of attention too, but it's good preparation for what's to come at our weddings.

Sexy bathing suits! Show off how hard you've worked

I popped into Sephora yesterday and asked about the powder because I couldn't find the travel sized one in the Laura Mercier section. The lady found it for me in the que line. Your store may have it up there as well. I purchased too - @ should get commission.

You're in great shape. Soon we'll be sending you Happy Wedding Day messages!

We had a VERY successful shopping day

- Mike has clothes to wear! He purchased his pants, vest, jacket & shoes. All we are missing now is the short sleeved dress shirt in white, his bow tie and matching belt. Jacket will only be worn for ceremony and photos and then he will wear his vest, bow tie and short sleeved dress shirt with the sleeves rolled once. I may be bias but he looks like a total babe. GM will wear the same pants, white short sleeved dress shirt, bow tie and cognac coloured shoes and belt.

- I went to Sephora today and had an eyebrow consultation (?). They taught me how to shape by eyebrows and I bought the product they recommended. I'm in love. I also picked up @'s recommendation - Laura Mercier Translucent Powder. Mike's also super excited for it lol

- I bought my shoes today They look similar to these except aren't see-through at the heel. Can't find the exact photo and haven't taken a picture of mine yet. I went comfort over style 100%. I actually don't even like them but they are so comfy and are cute enough to do the trick.

Mike's mom also gifted him this cute travel bag

@@Jasminr3803 Thanks! The straws are super cute & match our colours and our pre-ceremony drink

@ I may grab some of those straws off you if they are the same as ours Thanks so much.

Thanks ladies @@vancouverpetunia, @@calgarybride2015 & @@deecol!

@ - I have 75 with a guest count of 49 - do you think I'm good with what I have? I always figured they'd only last for one drink because they get soggy. Thanks for the offer

Wedding Designer Update

After the missed planning call and multiple failed attempts to get an answer from a supervisor, I called again yesterday. I was told that "all brides are currently being reassigned wedding designers" and that "this should be completed in the next two weeks". I asked if I had a say stating I'd like to keep the same wedding designer seen as how we are getting pretty close and I've done all my planning with her. Without tell me my planner is no longer with the company, they told me I could not have the wedding designer I've been working with for the last year. The girl that took my call let me go through all my list of questions and was helpful, but it was clear she'd never looked at my file and I kept having to say "well it's on the sky deck" "we already confirmed that" "I've asked to not do that anymore", etc. Little disappointed with Karismas "roll out" of the new wedding designers. Not even an email as forewarning or a reason as to why this has to happen.

Things we added/changed:

- booked Mega DJ from 7-12

- podium rental is in fact not available. They will set up a high cocktail table for our MCs to use.

- reduced cake size to the smallest possible; we are bringing a large fake layer of cake and they told us combining the two won't be an issue.

- will not put wine on each table; too expensive and doesn't seem worth it seen as how there is an open bar with servers

I'm sure there is more but I'm writing in a rush

@@melanderic2017 we booked last March and our promo, sadly, is 1 in 21.

I'm overwhelmed with people's kindness, @@deecol. Three lovely brides (@@snswedding2016, @ & @wafflesmom) all offering you their veil/headpiece...it makes me smile. Not only are people here to share their wins, successes, fails, etc. they're all here to make sure your day is perfect

@@snswedding2016 Both @@Jasminr3803 and I are getting the run around from AF right now. Jasmin's WD is no longer with the company and mine is well...absent. Completely. They said medical which is totally understandable but they've also promised to call me back twice since Thursday and I haven't heard from anyone. It's getting down to crunch time and it'd be nice to solidify some things. Fingers crossed we hear something ASAP.

@ Thank you - I love that dress. And glad you used your cute but unnecessary straws all night - that gives me hope! Maybe I should have bought another pack lol

@@Wafflesmom OMG don't be sorry about being MIA! We're just happy to have you pop back on from time to time to share some post-wedding wisdom. Thank you! I'm so happy with how things are coming together

Minor Updates

- First dress fitting is moved from Thursday to Monday due to the snow storm that we may or may not have. Nothing like eating your face off Easter Weekend and then trying to squeeze into your dress!

- My MIL & FI's Nonna fly in tomorrow and are staying with us for a week. Mike and I are both off and because they love shopping, the plan is to shop until we find Mike's attire and the GMs attire. Fingers crossed.

- Legal wedding is still on lol Happening Saturday. Ah!

- Final payment deadline is Monday. Today we found out my girlfriends husband and their 6 year old can no longer make it. We're sad but SO happy she is still coming. In total we've lost 9 guests who had paid deposits. Surprisingly I'm not even freaking out. I'm very calm and just ready to get married. As of today we have 49 adults including Mike and I and two others that say they are coming but haven't booked yet. No more kiddies. Again, were sad the two kids we had aren't coming but I think this just confirms that the party is about to get even crazier.

Zazzle has 40% off totes until 1PM...

http://www.zazzle.com/tote+bags

You are SO close!

BFF - I am so sad for you, your friend and your friends mom. It's really too bad that she can't see through her sorrow right now. She's going to look back on this time and your wedding day and feel such remorse for what she's put you through and for not standing by you. I can't even begin to imagine how she is feeling but blaming you is not right. Not sure if she told her mom a different story and that's why she took the veil back but at this point, you don't need her veil. @@snswedding2016 is so sweet to offer you hers. I teared up reading that. Anyways, I'm so sorry she's made you out to be the villain. Keep your chin up and focus on you and Col.

Cheap Paper Fans - Have you been to Creative Bag? If you decide you want to do this still, they have some at reasonable prices and various colours. I know there is one in Mississauga so may be worth checking out.

MC Script - If you get around to writing this out, I'd love to see it. We need to start working on this too.

Your ties, ring box and card box look great! Aren't fiancé work trips the best thing for wedding planning? lol I miss Mike like crazy when he's gone but I find I'm 50% more productive.

Good luck with the rest of your list. Seems like you are on top of every detail. Your day will be here in no time

My mum found her dress today from David's Bridal

Just needs a few alterations and she's all set. David's was a zoo but our consultant was great. My mum is super hesitant to wear a dark colour but I think it works perfectly. My mother in law is wearing a short navy sequin fitted dress with cap sleeves and I think they will complement each other nicely.

I also bought some straws to be served with our welcome drink (peach bellini). Super unnecessary but cute

I forgot them in my mum's car but they look like this (slightly lighter pink than the picture).

@@vancouverpetunia You made me LOL with your "Vancouver is pretty casual"!

I think its your shower and you should wear whatever you want! If you want to wear sweats do it, if you want to wear jeans or leggings do it...but you said you don't have any casual dresses and you can make any the dresses you have casual! if you want to wear a dress, try and pair any of the ones you have with a blazer, jean jacket, etc.

Don't worry about your shower outfit! I think it's a minor detail and it seems like you have tons of options already in your closet.

@@vancouverpetunia Take some melatonin - you need to get your sleep leading up to your wedding! Your to-do list is pretty much done; you'll be just fine

I don't have any updates because I haven't heard back from my WD. I called today (I've never called!) and they said my WD hadn't been in in two days. I know one of the WDs is no longer with the company as of this week and I hope that isn't the case with mine as well. Seems like there is a ton of turnover in Karisma's wedding department.

I'm still interested to see what they will charge for wine on the table but I feel more and more comfortable with saving that money now. Seems like we won't go thirsty

Erin - that's a good idea to put your MC at your table; that never even crossed my mind. We are at capacity for our head table (12) and can't squeeze him in so I'll need to get a little creative if the podium rental is outrageous.

Thanks @@snswedding2016 - maybe a high cocktail table would do the trick! Only problem is I didn't plan on that table to decorate so I'll have to come up with something if we go that route. That idea may have saved us a lot of money!

Sounds like I should stop over thinking things and leave the hair and makeup appointments as is. We won't be squeezing in a first look so I guess we will just eat a lot if we are done early and pray I still fit into my dress. OH! My first fitting is next Thursday. AHH! My mum, MIL, nonna-in-law lol are coming and my MOH is going to try and make it.

I have no idea if there is another wedding on our day. If I hear back from my WD I will ask her and hope that she can tell me. The Zky Bar would be the perfect location to host an informal cocktail hour. I will double check that it opens at 5 - that would be the easiest place for people to go and cool off

I changed the ceremony time on our website to 15 minutes earlier a while ago. I think I'll keep it that way JUST in case. I LOVE that the onsite staff came and asked you about sunglasses. That's so sweet and a question I would appreciate being asked. They really do think of everything, don't they?

Today I popped into Yorkdale after work and I'm glad I did. I picked up a white dress from Banana Republic and two bathing suits from Victoria's Secret. I imagine I will get to wear this dress twice - once for my shower and maybe for our rehearsal dinner. It's hard to tell in the picture but the bottom fits similar to a pencil skirt and the top is oversized; kind of looks like a crop top and skirt but it's all one piece. Try and picture it with a big necklace and some heels.

Thanks for always being so helpful, Kim @@calgarybride2015.

We do have open bar for 5 hours so depending on the cost, we may forego the wine on the tables. I don't remember reading any past brides complaining about the bar service so if they are as quick as they were at your resort, sounds like we won't have an issue and can put that money elsewhere...like towards a podium I know it isn't necessary but sometimes it's just awkward standing there and I feel that moreso when there are two MCs. Again, pending costs this is one thing I'm pretty set on. Knowing AF, it will probably be $2500 to rent a podium lol

Good point about the rushing. I just worry the longer I have my makeup and hair done, the earlier it will start to look bad lol I should pick up some of that setting spray the ladies have been talking about - maybe that's the trick.

Fingers crossed our WD just got caught up and I don't get the ever so frequent "X is no longer with the Company - X will be your new WD". Seems to be a trend going on with the Karisma Wedding Department

According to your memory @@calgarybride2015, I'm due for some wedding nightmares! lol

@ Ahh! That's terrible! I'll consider myself lucky that they haven't really started yet. Poor Mike though haha

I was supposed to have a planning call with our wedding designer today, but she never called. I'm pretty surprised because she is normally really good with contacting me on time. I was hoping to have some new updates for you all but that will have to wait until I hear from her. 

A few things I am waiting on before making any decisions:

- Cost to have wine on all tables

> Would you ladies care or do you think it's fine that the waiters and waitresses come around and refill glasses? I mean, the bar will be open the whole time but I like the idea of people being able to pour their own glasses in the event the aren't topped up frequently.

- DJ Max (Mega DJ)

> We are going to book the cheapest of the two vendor approved DJs IF they confirm they will play at least 95% of our requested songs (Mike's been working diligently on our lists and surprisingly enjoying it lol). Because we are paying to extend the bar for an extra hour, we will have to pay for the DJ to stay an extra hour as well as for their meals. Extra cost is surprisingly minimal so we are okay with that.

> As much as all of you had great success with the Wedding DJ App, we're just too nervous to try it. We decided to splurge a bit and cut back on a few other things to make the DJ happen. I think we will be so grateful we did day of.

- Cost of podium rental

> Shocking - this is extra! I asked where our MC's were supposed to stand and they said "beside the DJ booth". Umm, no. We want them to have some sort of home so if the prices aren't outrageous, we are going to look at renting something for them.

> I don't think I wrote this on here...maybe I did...but we asked one of my best friend's (a bridesmaid) and her husband to MC our wedding. We are SO excited that they said yes. They will do an amazing job!

- May change our hair and makeup appointments to later. We are scheduled for 11 and 12 but with the ceremony being at 4:30 I am thinking we should push it to 12 and 1 because that still leaves us with plenty of time to get our dresses on and have a bite to eat.

- Since we are no longer having a formal cocktail hour, I need to sort out which bar would be the best spot for our MC's to say "feel free to grab a drink and a bite to eat at X bar while the bride, groom and families take their photographs". Hoping the WD will give us an idea. @@snswedding2016 - I know you recommended somewhere to me but I cannot remember.

- When do we need to let the resort know about any allergies or vegetarian options?

> I don't think we have any but I haven't asked and their are a few of Mike's friends that have significant others I haven't met that may fall into these categories.

- Timing for ceremony

> Should we tell people it starts 15 minutes before it does or will that cause issues if the wedding team is scrambling to set things up?

- Can we get a copy of the Sky Deck video and if so, how much?

- Where will they hang the lights for me on the Sky Deck? Is along the sides an option? 

- Confirm that we want Peach Bellini served as guests arrive at ceremony and sparkling wine to be served post-ceremony

- Change the cake order to the smallest cake ever

> My mum's friend is going to make a fake layer for us that will go underneath the smallest cake ever. This way we can still have a cake cutting but our cake won't be super embarrassing.

Hopefully we can get some of this sorted out ASAP. I am off to the mall because my girlfriend found an adorable white dress at Banana Republic. Fingers crossed it works and I will have my shower dress  

At what point am I supposed to start having wedding nightmares? lol I have been wedding nightmare free for the most part but Mike's have started haha

@ I love the look of just baby's breath in a vase/mason jar - maybe I can buy some from michaels and put it in mini mason jars next to the larger mason jar? I'll check out michaels ASAP. Thanks for your insight

@@vancouverpetunia I know you were trying to showcase the different arrangements I just so happened to love everything that was in those photos lol I wish Katy had a website. I find the Facebook page hard to navigate through. I'm a non-facebooker, clearly. Thanks for your help

@@snswedding2016 hrmm...tax fraud? Interesting haha Thanks for the insight! I wouldn't have thought of that.

@@tiffanyt we didn't send invites lol seemed redundant when most our guests had already booked...

I felt it was silly to send invites when we sent a save the date and included our website that had all the details people needed. Only one person messaged us last week and said "wait, when is your wedding and should I book soon?" This person clearly lost the STD or never read the website. He also lives across the country from us so we aren't in constant communication with him.

Q. DJs on Lomas site are now referred to DJ Mix and DJ Max - Are DJ All Music and Mega DJ still available?

A. DJ Mix and DJ Max are the same people - rebranded.

***This scares me - why would they have to change their names?

I think it's super fun to not know much about your shower. Makes the whole thing even more exciting. My BMs have been super sneaky and although I do enjoy tripping them up from time to time I try not to ask too many questions so I can be surprised. A post-shower sleepover sounds like a great way to wrap up the evening. I hope your shower is perfect

Look at you! Congrats on an 18lb weight loss. You'll be able to lose two more for sure. I bet it feels great seeing the results in your wedding dress - and probably in your everyday clothes! What's your secret? MFP, clean eating, workouts? Share!

@ Thanks for you input. Only thing that is 100% missing is our table numbers (4x6) framed numbers - haven't purchased frames yet. Its so hard to picture what it will look like. I'm working on painting a round kitchen table so once it's done I'll reset everything on there and see what I like best.

@@vancouverpetunia Most of those pictures have the wooden round piece that I want SO badly...but I can't travel with wood, right? lol Now you've made me want more mason jars!! How am I going to travel with all this glass? lol

@@deecol You ladies are all right. It's too symmetrical and I need to mix it up a bit. Different height variations and more votives. Back to the drawing board

I'm disgusted by your best friends ex. What a pig! Lets leave that at that and focus on YOUR wedding. Here you can talk about your wedding as much as you'd like and don't have to worry about upsetting your best friend because she hopefully won't see it This is your safe space!

Ps. My heart breaks for her.

Can't wait to see all your in progress projects!

Please share your grooms gift when you think of one. I want to do something special too but I have no idea either. I would love to gift something he could use day off...like a watch...but Mike never wears the ones he has. Would Col wear a chain or a watch?

The heart shaped vases are adorable and go with your table numbers well. Amazing the Col started the work on them too Florals look great! Yay for Michaels and their coupons. 50% off one item this week if you need anything else.

Your sandals are great. I think you're smart wearing flats. So comfortable! Are you wear them for both ceremony and reception?

Look at you go! Everything looks great.

Q. Are extra lights required on the sky deck?

A. No - the sky deck is set up for evening events and no other lights are needed.

Q. Is fake cake or a fake layer of cake an option?

A. Yes - $85USD per layer.

Q. Welcome Drink - when is this served? Before or after ceremony?

A. Up to you but resort does offer complimentary sparkling wine. Most brides serve their signature drink when guests arrive and sparkling wine post-ceremony.

I'm just going to post the replies to the ridiculous questions I was our WD on here in case they help anyone else out. Maybe we could all do this?!

Q. Are bottles of red and wine wine on the tables during dinner?

A. No - waiters and waitresses walk around pouring wine throughout the night.

Thank you @@kristinejasmin