Weddings...

[RiverDiva]

As most of you know Dave and I have been planning our wedding....as well as some other board members. 2009 is a big year for a lot of us.

Some questions for those of you that have done this before....

What are some things that were worth the extra money?

What are regrets you have....or don't have?

Any different or special things you did that made your day stand out?

I love our new section

 

[Nord]

 

[sherthebear]

Hi there! I am whitework's baby's mama . He told me that I needed to register and respond to the wedding post.

I was totally obsessed with wedding planning a few years ago. I have reviews of all our vendors if you ever want to check that out on another site I frequent.

What are some things that were worth the extra money?
- photographer - We spent money on getting a photog whose style we really loved and it was totally worth it, because we will have those photos forever.

- dj/master of ceremonies - he was totally awesome and kept the whole day flowing. During the toast, I spilled red wine on my dress and before I knew it he was there wiping it off and there was no stain. My dad went to give his toast and forgot to bring up his glass to toast with and the DJ made sure that he had a glass to toast with. It was nice that I didn't have to worry about when things were going to happen.

- wedding coordinator/helper - she was really a friend/acquaintance who we hired (not someone who was invited to the wedding) who set everything up at the wedding site. Even though our venue had a wedding coordinator, my person was someone who was looking out for my interests and wants vs. those of the venue. I am pretty anal and had a list of everything I wanted set-up, we had over 200 candles that had to be lit and they took care of it all and made sure everything looked the way I wanted it to look.


What are regrets you have....or don't have?
I don't think we had any regrets. We had a big party and everyone had a great time. It is still a wedding that all our friends talk about.

Whiteworks regrets that there wasn't a donkey painted like a zebra or the taco cart in the parking lot to go with our Cinco de Mayo wedding.


Any different or special things you did that made your day stand out?
We had the De La Hoya fight on a big screen at our wedding after the father/daughter dance etc. (it was the night of the big fight and since out location was pretty secluded, we decided that we would show the fight after the main wedding festivities so people wouldn't leave). My mom even thought it was a great idea. People still remember that.

open bar as people arrived - whiteworks' idea. I didn't get to partake in that but he and our friends really appreciated that.

I can go on and on. I had a lot of details that made it stand out to me but not so sure it stood out to others.

 

[MissB]

When I did it, we went to Hawaii, and did a very informal, barefoot thing!! But it was us and I thought it was fun.

It is what you make it!! Just remember to put the special touches that mean a lot to you and Dave. Keep his likes in mind. We women can get pretty wrapped up it in it, and I know they say "oh do whatever you want", but in reality they are saying, "can we have center pieces sitting on chrome polished engines?"!

 

[ROZ]

Most important things to blow your money on...

Photographer

venue that will stay open as late as you want

DJ that will stay until dawn

Open bar.. for at least half the wedding!

 

[DaytonaBabe]

Seems like the previous posts covered all the bases, but I'll chime in too...


The things that we thought were worth the extra money were:

Photographer: You have your wedding pictures forever--make sure that they are good by hiring someone with experience. Someone without experience may miss very important moments. Look at photographers websites to find a style you like.

Open Bar: We were lucky enough to be able to have the open bar all night. This was my hubby's only "want" since all of our friends are boozehounds and providing free alcohol is definetly a way to make a party fun for them.

DJ: Make sure you hire a DJ who can play to the crowd and get people out of their seats. Our guy was fantastic at this and was able to play songs that were well received by all agegroups.

Day of Coordinator: My mom was totally on top of helping me do the planning, so there was no need to pay money for a wedding planner, but I wanted someone to be there for the day of the wedding to make sure that everything went smoothly. Our day of coordinator took the pressure off of my mom so that she was able to relax and enjoy the wedding that she helped me put together. Everything was on time and all issues were handled without any of us knowing about it. She was awesome!





The only thing that I regret about all of our wedding planning was not getting a videographer. At the time it just seemed like an expense that wasn't necessary, but there have been several times over the past few years that I wished I could pull out a DVD and watch the day over again. My MIL was even offering to pay for it, but I turned her down- doh!:smackhead At least I went with a great photographer and am able to look at our pictures for a trip down memory lane.


A few small things that we did that I think people enjoyed:

Rather than buying wedding favors from a vendor, we put ours together ourselves. We did small boxes of 4 See's Candies chocolates wrapped in gold paper with plum ribbon. My mom was even able to convince the See's ladies to give her the little stickers with the old broad's pictures on them so we could put that on the bottom. We heard that it made everyone feel like they got to open a little gift and many of our friends were relieved that they weren't being sent home with another trinket with a wedding couples' names on it.

We used those custom stamps that you can buy online. We had an engagement photo put on them and those stamps were put onto our wedding invitations. We got so many commens about how cool people thought that was.


This is the website that I LIVED on while planning. No surprise, but it's another forum. I found tons of information, reviews, answers, ect. specific to San Diego on here and it really helped in the beginning when I was choosing vendors. Check it out here: http://www.sandiegoweddings.com/forum/

 

[djunkie]

Don't Do IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :skull:skull
________
Ferrari ascari

 

[angiebaby]

It's been 20 years since I planned a wedding. I can't believe it's been that long. Heck in a few years, I'll probably be helping my daughter plan hers. Maybe I should start planning on paying for it now

I think the DJ staying as late as possible is important, along with the bartender.

BTW, the Crowne Plaza has an excellent facility for receptions and they don't have an extra facility use fee. We had our 20th reunion there and paid only the cost of the food and 75$ for the bartender (for the night). However, they don't let you stay late. I think midnight is it.

We just had the reception in my parents backyard and all the relatives brought a dish, so I can't be much more help. But I do remembering that it was over very fast, and I wished it could have lasted longer.

Good luck with your planning Stacey. I wish you and Dave the best :beer

 

[mrs flyin vee]

well Stacy as you know we did not have a wedding. well not a big one.
regrets I do have are
I had no cake
make sure you get a large cake with lots of pics

I had no reception
make sure you have a reception you will never forget

we had our first dance in a restourant with a band that came to our table and they did songs from louisiana. I thought it was cool but I was embarrased as hell

Do what you and Dave both want always take each other opinions and work together on them dont be one sided work together.

always remember if you go big, go all the way but watch the spending it can get out of hand.
love you both and I hope my regrets will help you..

we do plan on having our vows renewed and a big reception with a cake because we did never have that.

 

[RiverDiva]

Thanks guys....

We're actually going to get married on a cruise ship so that limits us on a lot of things. Which is good because I'm too indecisive. It also limits us on our guest list which is good as well. It would be easy for us to invite 400 people....and that's just way too impersonal.

I'm going back and forth on whether to do real or silk flowers. If we do real we have to purchase them through the cruise line and that gets expensive. There are some silk that look awesome....but they still aren't real. So I think I'm going to go to some wholesale flower places and see if I can find any that I mistake for real.

We have to have the cake and food that the ship provides. We have a close friend as our minister which will make it very personal. We'll write our own vows of course.

I keep thinking we might have a big party when we return for everyone that didn't get to go on the cruise with us. We'll have to see how that pans out.

We're working on our wedding website now. Then save the dates. So many little projects....it's very time consuming....but fun

Happy Valentines Day Ladies!

 

[boatnam2]

One tip if your a big baller and plan to spend 20-40k on a wedding do yourself a favor hit vegas have fun and then buy a house with the money you will waste on a wedding feeding a bunch of people you will never see again.My best buddy did this and still rents to this day for 3k in HB.I dont care how priceless the memorys and pics are.OF COURSE IF YOU HAVE 80K LAYING AROUND DO THE WEDDING AND HOUSE

 

[linds]

Sounds like your plans are coming along! Have you set a date yet? Since yours is on the cruise it will be limited but a suggestion I have that I did and still look back on and enjoyed was making my own favors. It was my own personal touch, cheap and I enjoyed making them. It is so easy to just buy a favor to put at each seating but half of them don't get at/taken and then you wasted your money on those left behind.

My favor was a silver plastic spoon with a hershey kiss sitting on the spoon wrapped in white tule and a sage color ribbon tied around it to hold it in place. My color was sage obviously... then attached to the bow was a note I made off the computer on these label thingies I bought from Staples that says "a spoonful of kisses from the Mr. & Mrs."

It was sweet and simple and fun making them.

Definitely get the throw away cameras. Those are the best pictures because you see the "behind the scenes" of what was going on while you were so busy trying to talk to people and have a good time with your new hubby. I often look at the albums of the random pictures and just crack up! The best was a mooning shot!

I did go cheap on my flowers just becuase they don't last and no one will remember them but you. Silk may be the way to go for you since you can get 50% coupons from Joanne's & Michaels every weekend and start buying what you need with those and definitely save some cash.

Well enough of my thoughts for now Best of luck Stacy! Happy Planning!! :beer

 

[boatnam2]

opps missed the cruise ship part.....well then only tip i have i stay away from the railing after getting sauced up!

 

[mrs. bordsmnj]

I love weddings!!!!!

My best advice is to have fun! If you get to the point where planning your wedding is no longer fun, take a step back and remember why you are getting married. Its for you and Dave and noone else!

I barely remember most of the day. It goes by in a flash!

I have a couple regrets like in an effort to save money, we had my sister-in-law's husband as our photographer and I wish I had hired a professional. I also had planned on having a reception after the fact for all our friends and family and I never did that.

I did my own wedding favors also. Anywho who knows Jason knows he eats hot sauce on everything so I got a bunch of bottle of Chaluila hot sauce, soaked off the labels and made ones that had our names, date and they said something along the lines of "Adding spice to life" I tied a tule bow on them and voila! Everyone loved them! I think I still have one in my fridge. LOL

 

[djunkie]

Don't Do IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :skull:skull

:hmm:hmm:thumbsup
________
APRILIA RS125

 

[Mrssquirtnmyload]

Sounds like you are really coming along with your wedding planning! I agree... make sure you have fun! The engagement goes by fast after you set the date!

Brian and I are less than 4 weeks away from our wedding and right now are on wedding overload. Of course there has been a little drama but I think everyone will have that. We were lucky with all of our vendors. I booked them way back in June and got the best prices. We just had our engagement pictures two weekends ago and loved our prints. Definitely want to spend a little more on that like everyone else has said here

Good luck with all of the planning! One little part that I am super excited about is our Guest Book. Instead of the boring signatures... I found this cool website - www.guestbookstore.com that has your guest fill out pages. It's kind of like your bathroom guest book that you have in Parker... lol Check it out! :thumbsup

 

[Wendi]

Love the added site!!!

What I liked most about my wedding:

The food. We did a very elaborate buffet, and had a few stations ie. barron of beef.

During the wedding party pictures we had passed hordevores (sp?) and an open bar for all our guests. We continued the open bar for a total of 4 hours for our guests.

Wedding coordinator was a plus!! Very helpful and allows you and your parents to enjoy your special day.

The downside. Our photographer, ended up going out of business on us and several other wedding parties. After further investigation found out he did this quite often. Luckily we got our pictures. Come to find out my father-in-law was a better photographer than the one we hired. He took the most beautiful pictures for us and ended up making a career out of it. He is now a wedding photographer and truly loves it.

I've been to many weddings and a couple that stood out:

Brandon & Jen: Loved the back yard and I also liked the way they set up there honeymoon as part of their gifts. Gosh how I wish they had that when we got married.

My cousin: They had theirs at a winery. It was like being in Italy. The food and drinks were great!!

Hope this helps and keep a large folder of all your stuff. It helps too!!

Hope all is well.
Wendi

 

[sherthebear]

We didn't do any favors. Instead we have a candy buffet with different candy in different jars and people could scoop up whatever candy they wanted and put it in cute little bags. Everyone loved it and it was cheaper than regular favors. We bought candy from costco and walmart (I was able to return the unopened bags too!). I got a bunch of glass containers and scoops from friends. I still have some great glass containers and maybe some scoops still too. I've used them at other parties, so it is reusable too.

 

[TAF]

I watched my sis photograph my cousin's wedding in Morro Bay (best weather weekend there all last year) and my cousin's best friend wasn't in the wedding but actually babysat, planned and helped set up most photos of the wedding while my sis just had to snap the pics. Photochic was so greatful for the extra help so she didn't have to keep putting the camera down and use her hands and intruct how everyone should stand:thumbsup. The best friend also got to be in some great candid and some touching :hmm pics too

So for all ladies getting married, if you have one girl friend whose more fiesty, out spoken, a bit pushy, but doesn't want to be in your wedding that is a fun job for them. My cousin's girlfriend also owned a classic ' 64 Ford red convertible Mustang so she got to be the chauffeur too. BTW, it broke down leaving the beach after sunset pics before the reception but some surfer boys in a VW van had jumper cables.

 

[TAF]

Brian and I are less than 4 weeks away from our wedding and right now are on wedding overload.

Is that why you guys were at the lake both Sat and Sun. this past weekend?:hmm
I hope to see you guys out there again Thurs or Fri.:beer

Make sure yer hubby brings the Grizwald just incase someone needs a tow in:smackhead
Also I might need to know who to avoid (females) at your wedding, please

 

[OnlyMoney]

I found it silly that I woke up reliving a family friends' wedding on a cruise ship. All my friends/family say that I should get into wedding/party planning. Something tells me there are a TON of them in Vegas....I'd be a sinking ship from the start.

Our friends got married on a Friday, the day the ship sailed. I think it was a great idea. It gave people an option to simply join them for the event or to sail on and join the party. I'm guessing 150 people were there for the ceremony and 50 or so continued on for the weekend. The room/showroom used for the ceremony had a turquoise curtain for them to use as their backdrop. That's fine if you want turquoise in your wedding and in your photos. The flowers were fake and worked just fine. The food was REALLY good actually. The open bar was a must for the group that attended, something tells me it's a lot like your group. For the most part, and overall, it was a complete success and they truly loved how it worked out.

The ship provides almost everything for you, which you know, so here are my thoughts to make it your own:

Have a welcome cocktail. We found a recipe in the Southwest mag for the original daquiri (not like you would expect) and it was orange. Our wedding color. We called it the "Tashtini" utilizing our last name.

Cut costs where you can, heck I don't know what size you are but I really don't need my wedding dress anymore and would be more than willing to sell it to you.

You'll need to set aside some $$$ for some cool things:

We did the photo stamps mentioned above. I think my mom still has hers on her fridge 1.5 years later. Costco has a site to them, zillow.com makes them, too. Shop them around, it will save you even more $$$. And Zillow has a lot of coupon codes out there. Let me know if you need help with that, I'm an online shopaholic and never pay full price.

We had 30 people fly to Hawaii for ours, so I decided a great thank you gift would be welcome gifts and personally written thank you notes for making the trip with us, for us. A picture frame with our Starfish/travel theme, some little souvenirs from the ABC store, mini bottles of liquor....and such. I think I have pics of all of these and since I love reliving my day...I'll share.

Oh and on the photographer, yes you want a good one, but don't be thinking about flying some LA hot shot down. You'll spend your nest egg on that. My stepdaughter (ugh, that's still strange) took some of the best pictures just following everyone around and in this age of digital cameras....you'll have plenty to choose from. Yes, the photographer counts, but don't put all your eggs in one basket. I think everyone emailed us pics and we have used them all at some point.

I know RD recently lost his dad. Chris' parents are both gone. We did empty chairs for them and fancy lei's, not the ones everyone else got. That was the beginning of our ceremony. Be sure to do something for his dad, either elaborate or simple, just do it. I'm sure he can think of a symbolic gesture.

We also had some river friends get married a while back. Their favors were coozies and chapsticks. They had labels or printing ont hem that said stuff like "To have and to hold and keep your beer cold". We still have them. Lots of Havasu people do actually....lol.

So here are my pics of the stamps we did (we got big kudos for those), the welcome gifts, oh and our Pirate pic from the cruiseship during dinner the day of the wedding which was earlier. I think I drank a bottle of red for my dinner.

Congrats Stacy, enjoy. Don't overthink it either.

 

[Mrssquirtnmyload]

Is that why you guys were at the lake both Sat and Sun. this past weekend?:hmm
I hope to see you guys out there again Thurs or Fri.:beer

Make sure yer hubby brings the Grizwald just incase someone needs a tow in:smackhead
Also I might need to know who to avoid (females) at your wedding, please

LOL... yeah. We needed a wedding break!

Great time this weekend! Even though most of the time we were towing you around We probably will be out this week again while Debbie is out :thumbsup Maybe we will see another Bald Eagle...

Are you going to Bartlett next weekend?

 

[RiverDiva]

Wow....sounds like you are in the know about the cruise deal! I will definitely be picking your brain along the way. Thanks for all the info!!!

I found it silly that I woke up reliving a family friends' wedding on a cruise ship. All my friends/family say that I should get into wedding/party planning. Something tells me there are a TON of them in Vegas....I'd be a sinking ship from the start.

Our friends got married on a Friday, the day the ship sailed. I think it was a great idea. It gave people an option to simply join them for the event or to sail on and join the party. I'm guessing 150 people were there for the ceremony and 50 or so continued on for the weekend. The room/showroom used for the ceremony had a turquoise curtain for them to use as their backdrop. That's fine if you want turquoise in your wedding and in your photos. The flowers were fake and worked just fine. The food was REALLY good actually. The open bar was a must for the group that attended, something tells me it's a lot like your group. For the most part, and overall, it was a complete success and they truly loved how it worked out.

The ship provides almost everything for you, which you know, so here are my thoughts to make it your own:

Have a welcome cocktail. We found a recipe in the Southwest mag for the original daquiri (not like you would expect) and it was orange. Our wedding color. We called it the "Tashtini" utilizing our last name.

Cut costs where you can, heck I don't know what size you are but I really don't need my wedding dress anymore and would be more than willing to sell it to you.

You'll need to set aside some $$$ for some cool things:

We did the photo stamps mentioned above. I think my mom still has hers on her fridge 1.5 years later. Costco has a site to them, zillow.com makes them, too. Shop them around, it will save you even more $$$. And Zillow has a lot of coupon codes out there. Let me know if you need help with that, I'm an online shopaholic and never pay full price.

We had 30 people fly to Hawaii for ours, so I decided a great thank you gift would be welcome gifts and personally written thank you notes for making the trip with us, for us. A picture frame with our Starfish/travel theme, some little souvenirs from the ABC store, mini bottles of liquor....and such. I think I have pics of all of these and since I love reliving my day...I'll share.

Oh and on the photographer, yes you want a good one, but don't be thinking about flying some LA hot shot down. You'll spend your nest egg on that. My stepdaughter (ugh, that's still strange) took some of the best pictures just following everyone around and in this age of digital cameras....you'll have plenty to choose from. Yes, the photographer counts, but don't put all your eggs in one basket. I think everyone emailed us pics and we have used them all at some point.

I know RD recently lost his dad. Chris' parents are both gone. We did empty chairs for them and fancy lei's, not the ones everyone else got. That was the beginning of our ceremony. Be sure to do something for his dad, either elaborate or simple, just do it. I'm sure he can think of a symbolic gesture.

We also had some river friends get married a while back. Their favors were coozies and chapsticks. They had labels or printing ont hem that said stuff like "To have and to hold and keep your beer cold". We still have them. Lots of Havasu people do actually....lol.

So here are my pics of the stamps we did (we got big kudos for those), the welcome gifts, oh and our Pirate pic from the cruiseship during dinner the day of the wedding which was earlier. I think I drank a bottle of red for my dinner.

Congrats Stacy, enjoy. Don't overthink it either.

 

[TAF]

LOL... yeah. We needed a wedding break!

Great time this weekend! Even though most of the time we were towing you around We probably will be out this week again while Debbie is out :thumbsup Maybe we will see another Bald Eagle...

Are you going to Bartlett next weekend?

Bartlett is a go w/ my kids as long as the weather is nice. Any female friends going to Bartlett and any single females to your wedding? :hmm

nifty things are bottle openers or floatie key fobs too

 

[Mrssquirtnmyload]

Any female friends going to Bartlett and any single females to your wedding? :hmm

nifty things are bottle openers or floatie key fobs too

There might be a few single ladies at the wedding :hmm

What's the nifty bottle openers and key fobs for? the favors? Brian wanted to register at West Marine... but lets just say it didn't work out

 

[Boatfloating]

As most of you know Dave and I have been planning our wedding....as well as some other board members. 2009 is a big year for a lot of us.

Some questions for those of you that have done this before....

What are some things that were worth the extra money?

What are regrets you have....or don't have?

Any different or special things you did that made your day stand out?

I love our new section

I've been DJ'ing weddings for 20 years and I can help you out on what works and what doesn't.

1st thing you don't need: Wedding Planner do it your self.

Don't skimp on food or DJ. 2 things than can ruin a wedding. Bad food and a bad DJ. People will pay $1K for a cake but want to pay $100 fo a DJ.

Book early and save money.

If you need anything else let me know.

www.rockyourworldbiz.com

 

[Havasugirl84]

if you are looking for gifts for men. Here is a cool beer bottle opener. My step dad got them for all of the boys in the family and no we are getting them for some of the guys. Every man needs a bottle opener


http://www.whynotbe.com/vipsale.html?gclid=CPjfnfam7JgCFQ6jagod_mbL0g

 

[TFH]

Ok, we are on the ship. But, what are the details? Where are you going to say the I do's? And, everyone has to make sure they don't leave Trevor & I in Mexico, cause all I can say is Ola!

 

[RiverDiva]

Ok, we are on the ship. But, what are the details? Where are you going to say the I do's? And, everyone has to make sure they don't leave Trevor & I in Mexico, cause all I can say is Ola!

Welcome Barbie...you have to get your own screenname now! I'm so glad you guys are joining us on the cruise....we're getting married in the port before we depart. I'll be sending out details soon....:beer