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There have been many threads in Ask/Tell and GBS lately about getting engaged/married, so I thought it would be useful to consolidate resources in a easy-to-read thread. Have a question about diamond quality? Ask here! Don't know your Gerbera from your Snapdragon? Ask here! Want to know what cummerbund will match your Princess Peach-style dress? Ask and prepare to be mocked! LINKS quote:General Wedding Sites: Lefty Lugubrious posted: I think http://apracticalwedding.com/ might be helpful to you. It's a happy medium between The Knot and Offbeatbride. quote:Need a officiant? Get a friend or loved one ordained: http://www.themonastery.org/ Be sure to check the website for laws specific to your state. quote:Need gifts? quote:Flower sites: quote:Groom Friendly: quote:Need a honeymoon location? ENGAGEMENT AND WEDDING RING INFO These guys are the definitive expert on diamonds. Very helpful! Check to make sure you are getting a good deal on your diamond: http://www.pricescope.com/ quote:Diamond/Quasi-Diamond Engagement Rings: Check out goon JohnnyRnR's site: http://www.johnnybrookheart.com They specialize in Conflict Free, Ideal Cut, Colorless diamonds set in modern designed settings on par with Tiffany, Cartier, and DeBeers. They also feature a line of solid gold and diamond engagement piercings. We provide exceptional quality at excellent prices!" quote:Non-traditional and Men’s rings: Need to insure your new fancy rock? JohnnyRnR recommends Jewelers Mutual Insurance http://www.jewelersmutual.com/  STAY AWAY FROMhttp://www.diamondnexuslabs.com or http://www.betterthandiamond.com - These are diamond simulants, meaning you pay way too much for fancy glass. Gravitee fucked around with this message at 20:25 on Mar 21, 2015 |
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Feb 7, 2008 03:50
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Bumping since Bizarro Toby closed the other thread.
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Feb 7, 2008 15:19
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Since you didn't get married, were you able to return most of it?
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Feb 7, 2008 18:15
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I think a lot of people just don't know how to plan and so they just stress out for the last three months. I've been doing a few things each month, and I'm way ahead of a future cousin who is getting married two weeks later. I spent the first month after I got engaged just researching everything. I think it's helped tremendously.
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Feb 8, 2008 01:47
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Queen of Roses posted:Our most expensive thing was, in fact, the biggest money saver. We had our reception at a really swanky hotel (the O. Henry, for any Greensboro/Triad goons) and those folks covered just about everything. It was either $5,000 or $10,000 (I can't remember which, but it was a round number. My folks obviously footed the bill.) It covered rental space, catering, transportation for me and my groom, tables/chairs, table linens, centerpieces, our hotel room for the wedding night, and (we chose our own baker but could have opted for) cake+cake cutting. In addition, any of our guests that wanted to stay at said hotel for the wedding got discounted rates, which was EXTREMELY important for us, as 90% of our guests were from out of town. I'm having my ceremony and reception at the hotel since all of my familly will be from out of town. People can still have their fun and not have to drive home. Our hotel does the same thing as yours, except an open bar is included in the per head price. It makes it so much nicer than I'm not going to worry about the caterer, bartender, linens, etc.
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Feb 8, 2008 17:48
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Does anyone have any good first dance song selections? We really can't come up with anything solid. We enjoy rock and indie music, so no Phil Collins please.
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Feb 10, 2008 00:22
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Unagi posted:
As I've mentioned, I'm having my wedding at a hotel. We are not paying for rooms, but the hotel offers a discount to everyone who attends. My family is all spread out - I'm inviting people from six states and Canada so it's just not feasible for one person to pay for it. I've been invited to a destination wedding and it was the same deal. You had to pay your way to get there, but everything was either discounted or included in the price. I think in your sister's case, as a courtesy she should have arranged a deal with a nearby hotel to reserve a block of rooms for out of town guests. Gravitee fucked around with this message at 04:44 on Feb 11, 2008 |
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Feb 11, 2008 04:39
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Ringlet_Bob posted:I have what feels like a bit of a silly question, but how did you plan the date? Between parents, friends, venue availability, etc. I'm not quite sure where to start. I want the announcement to be a surprise (i.e. hey guys we're getting married on 14th Aug next year - get planning, not, hey we're getting married tomorrow), since my boyfriend and I have been together for years and have been getting stick about when we're getting married for most of those! Our date was entirely based on the hotel's availability. I had a date range in mind however. AWSEFT posted:So, the reason for my . I know you don't HAVE to invite out of town guests to a rehearsal dinner. But is this some sort of standard thing? From what I've read, it's customary to invite all of the out of town guest to the rehearsal dinner. I believe it's due to the fact that the guests don't know the area that well, and to serve as a thank you for coming a large distance.
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Feb 11, 2008 16:12
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Don't forget, planning the oh-so-important organizing of the bachelor party.
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Feb 11, 2008 22:55
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aneurysm posted:Anyone know any awesome places in the Detroit area for an outdoor wedding? Best I'm aware of is the local botanical gardens. I'm amazed at how entirely useless Google is for anything wedding related... nothing but advertising. Kensington Metro Park, Henry Ford Estate, and Detroit Zoo are ones I can think of off the top of my head. The knot lists 132 different sites for weddings, with a majority of them having outside facilities. http://www.theknot.com/vs_DETROIT_CAR.shtml
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Feb 13, 2008 03:06
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sheri posted:I'm getting married in May, and we're trying to figure out what to give as gifts to our bridesmaids and groomsmen. I'm taking the grab bag approach. I've been picking up little things that remind me of each of them, or I think they would all like, and I'm going to put them in a large purse or sac. I haven't gotten too far yet, but I bought them all pedicure kits and I'm getting them earrings made to match the dress. I'll probably get about 5-7 items total. I think this is a lot more personal and practical than a monogrammed mirror case.
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Feb 15, 2008 03:12
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Skutter posted:Destination wedding stuff I don't have any advice, but I do have a recommendation. Of the few destination weddings I've been invited to, send out a save the date to let people know what and where you are doing things. The last one was somewhat a last minute invite (2-3 months) and it just wasn't economically feasible. I might have gone if I would have time to save up (it was in Jamaica).
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Mar 11, 2008 03:10
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Senor Tron posted:We are planning to get married next year around May, generally how far in advance is it a good idea to start booking stuff? I would start looking at locations ASAP if there is a place that you had in mind. If you aren't set on anything, you have time to scout around. I had to push my date up a month earlier because I couldn't get a date in September and this was exactly a year in advance. However a friend of ours just picked his spot two weeks ago for his July wedding. They're getting married in a park on the beach. Another couple we're friends with wanted to get married in their local church and they had to book 18 months out to get a date. I also had to go through 3 photographers before I found one I liked that had my date available. Basically, the sooner you find locations and vendors you like, the easier it will be to book them. It's first come first serve.
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Mar 13, 2008 14:53
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Sorry about your nonno. Have you thought about having your traditional wedding in Italy and having a small reception here in the States?
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Apr 23, 2008 16:46
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IdeoPhanthus posted:Do the guys need to see the dresses in order to pick their tuxedos? I think it's a little weird that he wants to match the tuxes with the bridesmaid's dresses. As you mentioned, I can see if it is a themed wedding, or maybe if you are going really casual that they may want to pick a casual tux. Tuxes are pretty generic. teamgod posted:Is it normal to just invite family and not friends?
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May 8, 2008 00:19
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I don't have an A/B list because I've invited everyone who I would want there. The concept is pretty popular; my planner book even has a section for B list people. I can see it being useful if your wedding/reception location can only hold X amount of people and you have X+50 on your invite list. It's not necessarily about being greedy or having a wedding within your means, it's just a logics problem.
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May 9, 2008 20:43
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ElanoreMcMantis posted:
This is the one I picked up: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Simple-Stunning-Wedding-Organizer/Karren-Bussen/e/9781584793489/ teamgod - I don't think there's anything wrong with having a casual wedding. If that's what you want, I don't think anyone would turn it down over a sit down reception. Less hassle and planning!
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May 9, 2008 22:01
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What is everyone's opinion of a big group photo of the whole bridal party, family and guests after the ceremony? I've seen some before and they really look neat. Is it hard to coordinate? I don't think I want a receiving line. I understand the importance of thanking everyone who came, but I always feel awkward no matter how well I know the couple. The cocktail hour starts immediately after the ceremony and I figure we'll finish pictures during that time and make our entrance between cocktails and dinner. I think I might go around to each table after dinner to talk to people.
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May 15, 2008 19:55
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Slo-Tek posted:The everybody photo is the only wedding photo hanging in our place. We didn't have a receiving line, but we did go down the aisle letting everybody out, and collecting hugs and kind words, and I think maybe the ushers caught people on the way out the door for the photo. It was practical and quick enough for the 80 or so people we had, and sitting down waiting for your turn is probably more comfortable and organized than waiting in the hallway to shake hands and kiss cheeks. I remember seeing the one at your place. I thought it was a cute photo! Do you have people on steps so you could get a good shot of everyone or did the photographer stand up on a ladder? I don't know of good steps around the 'log.
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May 15, 2008 22:21
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In a couple of other wedding forums I've visited, the bachelor party seems to be a point of contention among couples it seems. From indiebride:quote:Myself, I've ever so slowly come around to old school radical feminism. Porn and strippers are absolutely dealbreakers for me, assuming the Women Against Pornography definition of pornography vs. erotica. I'd far prefer he fell in love with someone else and carried on an affair than if he were to get off on commercialized sex. As I see it, it's essentially a consumer paying a slaveowner to rape a sex worker, or documentation of such an exchange in the case of porn. Yes, I own my judgmental stand while making allowances for the fact that there can be exceptions. If you feel otherwise on the sex worker question, I'd really like to know your take on it. I'm not really worried about the bachelor party, even though I know they are going to a strip club. Either I'm extremely naive or maybe I just trust my partner - I'm not worried about it. There is a subforum on indiebride almost entirely dedicated to the subject and I think most of them are overreacting. For my bachelorette party we are going camping. No dick necklaces and tiaras for me.
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May 16, 2008 02:34
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Congratulations! I had a general 2 month window I wanted and I picked the date based on the availability of the ceremony/reception location.
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Jun 5, 2008 18:23
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I went to a coed shower last year and it wasn't too bad. The guys just watched tv and played video games while the girls played party games (gag) and talked. After a while, they came back upstairs and we watched them open presents together. The rest of the party was basically a BBQ where we grilled and played horseshoes.
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Jun 6, 2008 14:16
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If you guys (err, ladies) have any like that you found helpful, I'll edit the OP. SO and I are going to the Riveria Maya area of Mexico to an all inclusive called the El Dorado. We went to a travel agent and found the place through there. It was nice having someone who knew the area pretty well and was able to recommend areas based on what we were looking for. Once I saw the brochure, I knew that's where I wanted to go. I'm also glad that we are waiting a few weeks to go on our honeymoon because we are saving a few hundred dollars and we won't have to get all of crap together right after the wedding. I can't imagine getting on a plane a day or two after the wedding. You have to remember all this other poo poo for the big day and then you have to turn around and get ready for a vacation too.
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Jul 6, 2008 22:28
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The hotel I'm using includes four hours of open bar in the per person package. I'm splitting up that time up between the cocktail hour and after dinner. The difference in price between an adult 21+ and the under 21 is roughly $10. I'm honestly surprised it's not more. I was at a wedding this past weekend where it was beer, wine, and soda. No one had a problem with it, but there was a rough start. The person who supplied the kegs did not provide the bar staff with a correct tap and there was a hose missing. Apparently there are taps for European beers. Who knew?
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Jul 16, 2008 19:52
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Belldandy posted:Has anyone gotten married on a beach? I imagine there would be some sort of permit you'd need, or something. Is it worth the effort? Any feedback would be appreciated. The aforementioned wedding I went to this weekend was on the beach, well the ceremony was anyway. It was at a state park and they contacted the park's DNR division and they took care of reserving the spot. I don't believe it was very expensive. They did have to rent chairs and roped pylons to enclose the area. It was a very beautiful ceremony. Having said that, there were a few downsides - you had half naked people watching and one guy walked through the water right behind them in the middle of the ceremony. There's not much you can do about it, but you may not want random strangers invading your space. It was also very hot. They didn't have enough chairs for everyone, so a pregnant friend of mine had to stand in the sun for 30 minutes.
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Jul 16, 2008 22:04
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I think a lot of people are exaggerating. As I said above, the difference in meal prices at my reception are between a 21+ and under 21 is about $10 and that's for an open bar. I think you can get the cost difference to half that if you go the beer and wine only route.
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Jul 17, 2008 16:26
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CalamityKate posted:Oh no, I'm sorry Well that is stupid. If they want to pay for the entire thing, they can have it wherever they want. Since you've already put the deposit down for the place in Chicago, I think that settles that right there. I'll be your go between. I have a vested interest yet don't know them so if I piss them off, no big woop.
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Jul 17, 2008 17:42
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That puts it in perspective - she and I are at least on the same page as far as dress shopping goes. The latest disagreement is whether to hold the wedding here in Chicago or in my hometown 6 hours away, which boggles me, because they know we have a deposit on a place we really like here (see above).
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Well if your dad ends up paying for it, he might find out how much those extra 50 people are going to cost him and decide against it. Worse case scenario you end up shaking a few more hands and you have a few more gifts to show for it. Turns out if you invite a lot of people from out of town, it really keeps the guest list down. I invited 150, thought I'd hit 125 but I'm a hair under 100. I'm not really concerned, but these last 15 that haven't RSVP'ed are killing me. That's 2 tables worth of people.
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Jul 23, 2008 20:24
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IdeoPhanthus posted:When do most people go & pick up their gown from the shop? I'm getting married Aug. 16 too. I'm going in for my last fitting on Aug. 2nd and they are going to keep it until the day before or morning of. They will steam it so it's all prettied up... I just have to keep it hung up off the floor with the train extended until I put it on.
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Jul 24, 2008 23:10
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Getting engaged is like a disease in my family. My SO's brother got married last October, we are getting married in 2.5 weeks, and his sister is getting married next February. We kind of jumped the gun on getting married before his sister, but she was going to be engaged for over 2 years and I didn't want to wait that long. My brother is also getting married next March (HI KATIE) so all of my siblings will be married in a short period of time. SO's cousin is also getting married two weeks after us and they are the only ones who said something to us about having their weddings close together. I didn't originally plan to have it in August, but the date was open for the venue I wanted so it was do it then or wait another 6 months. It's was more a big deal to the cousin's mom then the cousin but she got over it. All of that non-exciting personal information aside, you do have to worry about the other people in your family when picking a date. If you have your two weddings close, then people may not come to the later one if they have to come from out of town. They also might forgo going to either because they can only get to one and not the other and don't want to pick favorites. That's not fair to either you or your sister. Going to a wedding is not cheap; you have to buy a dress, a present, make travel arrangements etc etc. If your parents are chipping in, you also need to consider their pocketbooks. If neither of these situations apply, then have it whenever in the hell you want.
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Jul 29, 2008 21:02
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I love the checklist, but another thing I used was many of the etiquette FAQs they had listed. I used it to come up with how I wanted my invitations worded, the policy about "Plus ones", who pays for what, how to address invitations, etc etc. There's a wide range of info available. The forums for the small-ish city that my wedding is in weren't too bad and came with a lot of vendor recommendations/reviews that I used more than once. Also NINE DAYS aaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Aug 7, 2008 20:21
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I'm going to hijack my own thread back for purely self indulgent reasons... I'M GETTING MARRIED TOMORROW WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! Everything has fallen into place and no major problems to report. The MIA co maid of honor made it back into the US last night, my favors arrived yesterday, and the weather is going to be beautiful tomorrow. One sad thing though - one of my guests was hit by a drunk driver Tues. night (he's ok, car is not) and he won't be able to make it which is totally understandable. A full year of planning has gone into this and it's about to pay off. I sat around last night watching tv and I kept thinking to myself "I should be doing something" but the SO said to me "You've been planning this for a year and you are done. Relax!" and so I did. I've spent so much energy into planning, I have no idea what I am going to do with myself when I get back from my honeymoon. Maybe I'll have a dinner party with all of the new fancy dishes I've been getting! Also, good luck to IdeoPhanthus on her wedding day too!
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Aug 15, 2008 12:58
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Everything was perfect.
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Aug 18, 2008 05:15
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Adri posted:Can anyone tell me what to do with a mother who does not want to help at all to plan a wedding? My parents are happy that I am getting married, but not happy with how. They want us to elope just like them. Why do they want you to elope? Is it a money thing or something else?
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Aug 20, 2008 21:26
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CalamityKate posted:Speaking of which, is it totally dumb to want the dress to be a surprise? Matt is being sort of a butt about not being able to see the dress, on the grounds that it's a dumb tradition. He is sort of right, but it's still fun for it to be a surprise! Am I being retarded? He is very much being a butt about it. He thinks its funny to try and sneak peaks, but he needs to back off. Jeremy and I already live together and we saw each other before the wedding so there weren't too many surprises the day of. (LOL Virginity joke) I wanted the dress to be a surprise so when he saw me for the first time he'd be excited. I'm all for not being traditional but I still wanted to make an entrance whether before the ceremony or during. There's nothing wrong with wanting to feel like a pretty pretty princess for a day in your fabulous dress.
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Sep 12, 2008 18:07
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JustLikeYouThought posted:Should we have our reception in one of our favorite old dives, even though the food sucks? Have you thought of hotels, K of C or Lions Clubs halls, parks with pavilions, restaurants with large private rooms, restaurants where you can rent out the whole place, museums, nature centers, or church activity rooms?
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Sep 17, 2008 20:08
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LittleCat posted:We're gonna go for a really bold, springy colour scheme - mostly green with a bunch of pink and some orange. I've been to two weddings within the last year that had pink and orange - one looked great, the other not so much. At the bad one, the MOH wore orange and the rest of the bridesmaids wore that dark pink color and it looked really off. I think that was due in part to the fact that there was like 6 of them to the one orange. The one that looked great paired the pink and orange with black which contrasts so well. It really made an impression. Green and white were my colors and I had the hardest time matching the shade of green. All of the tux places around had either forest or lime, but not the clover I picked out. Men's Warehouse carried the color in a vest but the pattern was awful. I never found a vest I liked, but I did find a tie, so we went with a tie and suspenders. The guys looked great! I also had a hard time matching the color with invitations, linens, and jewelry. I had to have the invitations and jewelry custom made. It's definitely something to keep in mind when choosing your colors if they aren't a fairly standard 8 pack of crayola color - check with potential vendors to see what they offer.
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Sep 29, 2008 18:11
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Please tell me you're kidding.
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Oct 7, 2008 04:02
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I got some proofs back and I feel the need to graffiti the internet. Boring stuff first: A table!  The head table!  Everyone! (hint: I'm the one in white)  Moving to a new shooting locale!  I have no idea what this was about but apparently it was funny!  I like the prespective on this!  Gettin' our drink on!  There are THOUSANDS of photos to go through but it's been worth the wait. I want to put them all in order and just make a flip book of the day.
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Oct 9, 2008 19:43
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We had to pay for the chair covers out of our own pocket because my parents thought it was way too much money, but it just pulled everything together. Since the reception was in a hotel/conference center, all the chairs are an ugly gray/black and I didn't want my wedding to look like it could be taken over by a Toastmasters seminar in 10 minutes.
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Oct 9, 2008 20:13
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