Since becoming a member of BDW in 2012, I couldn't wait to start planning. I debated whether I should start a planning thread but this forum along with all the brides, have been tremendous help that I hope to return the favor to future brides. This planning thread will also be a memory of all the planning that went into my dream wedding!
Our story
My fiancé and I went to the same HS in 1997. He was a sophomore and I was a freshman. A few months after school started we began dating. We dated for about a year when he transferred to a different HS. My parents were strict at the time and I was not allowed to have a boyfriend so we ended up breaking up. I was heartbroken because he was my first boyfriend and my first love. Fast-forward to 2010 I get a surprise call from none other than him! He ran into a mutual friend and the first thing he asked was for my number. I invited him over that same day. We spent hours in my front porch just catching up. Turns out he tried several times looking for me but just never found the way to contact me. A few dates later I knew he was the one. We moved in a few months after making it official.
Getting married is something we always talked about. We had even gone ring shopping together. On Memorial Day 2012, he surprised me and proposed with the ring we had both loved!
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The Planning Begins
We had gone to a destination wedding in Punta Cana and we just loved everything about it. We knew that a destination wedding was the way to go. He fell in love with the crystal clear blue waters and wanted Punta Cana as the location. I had already gone to 2 destination weddings there so I wanted a different location. I ended up winning the battle so we decided on Mexico. Picking a resort was by far the hardest decision we’ve made throughout the planning process. We wanted an all-inclusive family friendly resort. After going through tons and tons of pictures and reviews and with the help of our travel agent we went with the Barcelo Maya Palace Deluxe Resort. We planned a site visit the following summer and fell in love with it even more! Our wedding day was set for July 25, 2014.
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We sent our Save the Dates a year in advance. We decided not to take engagement pictures so we went with a picture from our trip to Punta Cana the year before. Our STDs were purchased from magnetstreet.com
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Invitations - These went out about 6 months in advance. My lovely dear cousin does custom invitations and custom made my wedding invitations as a wedding gift to us.
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Our ceremony is going to be in a gazebo overlooking the ocean. I don't plan on decorating the gazebo as the background is gorgeous enough. For my guests, I made ribbon wands to wave after the ceremony and purchased fans from http://www.paperlanternstore.com (the straws are for the reception)
This is a picture I took of the gazebo from my site visit!
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My Vision
I have to say that pretty much my entire wedding has been planned on Pinterest! I don’t know what I would have done without Pinterest. I have also gotten so many wonderful ideas from the brides on this forum. So I decided to start my DIY projects last summer while I was off from teaching. I worked on so many little DIY projects that I have very little left to do.
My Theme - I love anything chevron and just had to include it as part of my theme I found inspiration pictures on Pinterest and took it from there. My colors are gray and white chevron with hints of teal and fuchsia.
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I purchased chevron fabric from http://warehousefabricsinc.com I purchased free standing table numbers from http://save-on-crafts.com and will paint them teal.
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I will be using mason jars for my centerpieces with fuchsia roses. I will be using quart mason jar for the center and 2 pint mason jars. Mason jars were purchased at Kmart and AC Moore
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I purchased teal linen clothes from amazon and pink maracas from www.amols.com . I bought 3-4 inch white finger starfish from etsy. The size is perfect for anyone using starfish for escort name cards.
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I purchased lanterns and pom poms in my color scheme from http://www.paperlanternstore.com
Wedding Party
We will be having a small wedding party. My sister will be my maid of honor, my cousin and best friend from HS, and my fiancé's sister will be my bridesmaids. His best friend will be best man, other best friend, my brother in law, and his good friend will be groomsmen and 2 flower girls.
So far for my bridesmaids, I purchased chevron passport covers, personalized OOT bag from Etsy, and the shoes they will be wearing on wedding day.
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Their dresses are from David's bridal in the color that's pictured
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Here is the inspiration for their bouquet
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Groomsmen will be wearing linen pants and linen shirt from Tasso Elba in Macys and my fiancé will be wearing a tan Perry Ellis linen suit from Macys. Here is the inspiration picture. For the groomsmen, we will be buying the shoes they will be wearing on wedding day.
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I will be wearing a Maggie Sottero gown which I will post after the wedding. 
I am obsessed with Christian Louboutins so it was only right that I wear a pair for my wedding! I will change into sandals for the reception. I still have to get my jewelry.
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I hired The Best Moments to come do my hair and make up. Here are my inspiration pictures
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My bouquet will look like this!
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This planning journey has been awesome so far! I have tons of projects I have done that will post later on. I can't wait... 3 more months!!!!
