Girl Goes Wild Planning Honeymoon!

I did a funny and I HAVE to share!

With all this business with Craigslist and all, I have started to project to the day after the wedding and concentrate on one of the MOST fun aspects of planning a wedding…the HONEYMOON trip! I dream of tropical beaches, sunny days, fruity frozen drinks and some great alone time with my new HUSBAND. These thoughts occupy the corners of my mind that aren’t already occupied – hey it’s getting crowded in here!

Anyway, so I started thinking about what did I really want in a honeymoon trip? I have this idea in my head, but it changes quite frequently. The thing that doesn’t change is the tropical isle type of setting. So I started using my new friend, Craigslist, to see what I could find in terms of private rentals. I found some interesting stuff, but started to realize what I might miss out on with going private rental versus a larger, chain of resorts that specializes for honeymooners.

Decisions, decisions. They can make a girl crazy if you’re not careful!

Anyway, in going back and forth about things, I decided to keep going out of the box in my thinking. I mean, I was already considering not using a standard big name for the trip, why not go somewhere else instead of the Caribbean? There are LOTS of places out there with fabulous beaches and cool, fruity drinks…so I started searching further away. Hawaii, Tahiti and Fiji, to be precise. And I fell in LOVE with this place!

Turtle Island - source of all images

Isn’t it fabulous?!?!

Each Bure (small cottage by the beach) is equipped with a master suite and all, and also includes the outdoor queen-sized bed for afternoon naps.
The island is privately owned, and they only allow 14 couples at a time to be there, so it’s all-inclusive, including all activities that they offer.
Really nice…

At this point, I’m sold. Sign me up. But in checking out some other places in Tahiti, I knew that this place was probably out of our price range. Just to follow through thoroughly, I clicked on the Rates/Specials portion of their website and was surprised at what I found. It quoted that prices per couple were between $2,000-$2,800 for a 7 day stay because of a promotion that they were running where you stay for 7 nights, but only pay for 5 nights. Also, they had a honeymoon special that included the short flight from the mainland over to their island for free. So I would just need to pay for the airfare between LAX and Nadi (and of course the trip from Austin to LAX) and that would be it. Since it was all-inclusive, all drinks, food and activities were totally included. I got even more excited.

I sent the website address to Mr. CC and had him check it out. He fell in love with it too, so I clicked on the Contact Us tab for more information.

This is where I SHOULD have gotten suspicious. On the form where you fill out your personal information and contact stuff, there was a field for Budget. And the smallest amount that you could select was “Under $10,000.” Yeah, I checked that box and went about my business. Never suspecting a thing. A travel agent, Barb, contacted me right away and gathered a little more specific information so that she would be able to work up a quote. Did I want her to check into airfare from LAX to Nadi for me? Of course. Thank you so very much!

I waited anxiously for the final number to come in, getting more excited by the minute that this could be the trip of a lifetime.

Yeah, the reason that it would be the trip of a lifetime is because it would take the REST of my lifetime to pay for it. Turns out the $2,000-$2,800 price quoted on the website is a PER NIGHT price. It must be, because the accommodations total that Barb provided for me was $10,350…with an additional $1,240/person for the airfare between LAX and Nadi. Yeah, I quickly replied to Barb and told her that Turtle Island was WAY out of my price range, but thank you for the time.

I mean, Mama CC always told me that if you’re gonna dream you might as well dream big…but I don’t think that I should dream QUITE this big in this one instance! LOL! I had a good laugh at myself over this one, so I thought that you all would also enjoy laughing at me, too.

Have you looked into vacation packages that were just WAY out of your league just “for fun?” Is it disappointing to come back to reality? I haven’t had the desire to check around again after that last email from Barb….

A GREAT Deal... Craigslist MIGHT be my new Best Friend!

Well, those who love Craigslist…I think that I might be willing to join your camp!

I wrote a post last week about looking for a Jazz Fest getaway spot through Craigslist and there were SO many options to choose from! I wrote about 6 people that had posted ads on Craigslist and received quick responses from all of them – give a + for that…unfortunately for me, it seems that I started my search a little on the late side, as five of the 6 wrote me to say that Jazz Fest weekends were all booked.

I even had one “helpful” renter inform me that HIS condo booked months and months in advance of Jazz Fest and I might want to remember that in the future…you see? They’re just SO helpful on Craigslist…are you picking up on the sarcasm? I’m laying it on a little think here…

Anyway, I got a little worried about my timing after I got that one particular response (as I got it first or second) and started wondering if we were just going to have to go the hotel route after all. Then, I started seeing some postings about cancellations and hope sprang once again.

Luckily for me, even though 5 of the owners wrote me to say that they were already book, I had one reply telling me that the weekend was still available. YEA! Insert a GREAT BIG happy face here. The bad news, because you know there’s always a down side…the price was about $50 higher per night than I really wanted to pay. I told her that in my reply email, sort of hoping that she would agree to meet me on this. Her reply back to me? Sorry. Yep, just one word. Oh well, it was worth a try.

Later that evening, I was catching up with Mr. CC and told him about hearing from this lady. He was very quick to point out that even if we paid the $50 more per night, it would still be cheaper than a hotel. You see, the hotels were going for $179/night, plus taxes and parking. This condo was $200/night, but included taxes and parking. Yes, Mr. CC you are wise beyond your years…

But what was a girl to do? I’d already written her and told her that it was out of our budget! Oh well, in this scenario you only have two options…suck it up and beg for forgiveness or move on and keep searching. There are many out there that would probably go for option #2, but I’d already done all the searching that I really wanted to do, so option #1 it was. I was nice and blamed Mr. CC for the mix-up! LOL! Just kidding, Mr. CC – relax. I actually told the owner that after discussing things with my fiancé, we had decided that we would be willing to pay the extra $$ and was the condo still open? Then I held my breath…

And held it a little longer…

I’ll admit it, she had every right to make me wait a bit. But lucky for me, she’s not mean either, and she wrote me back at the end of last week and told me that the condo was still available at $200/night. I replied that we wanted to book it for just two nights of the Jazz Fest. And then I waited to hear back from her. We had a busy weekend, so it wasn’t until late last night that I realized that she had not written me back finalizing things. Just about that time, my crackberry buzzed to let me know that I had a new email.

Sure enough, it was the owner…and surprise, surprise…she really wanted to rent the condo for a full three nights and was willing to come down to my original asking price of $150/night if we would stay for three nights. Deal! Sold! Where do I sign?

So we’re taking a mini vacation to NOLA the first weekend of Jazz Fest! And we’re getting three nights at an awesome condo for only $50 more than we were originally going to pay for two nights! Awesome! And check out the pictures that she sent me…this place looks SO cool. Private condo right on Canal street, private security entrances, parking included, rooftop pool and a fitness center…I don’t think that I would have asked for anything else.

Has anyone else taken a non-wedding related trip during the middle of planning? Did you feel that it helped you to get away from all the planning, even if it was only for a weekend?

A Prank on the Bride

Ok, so the other day was April 1st, which most people realize is April Fools Day – an opportunity for “tricky” people to play practical jokes on strangers and loved ones alike.

I, myself, have fallen for a practical joke a time or two in the past. But I have to give my MOH an award for BEST April Fool’s joke EVER in history…and maybe this has happened to other brides, so I’ll share my funny moment.

You see, I mentioned earlier here, that I’m out of town all this week. I am sitting in the most BORING meetings ever – all day long…8:30AM to 5:30PM where they order lunch in for you and some days you even work while you’re eating your lunch. So, with that being said, the point that I’m trying to make is that time has halted for me. Each day is almost exactly like the day before, and the whole “date” concept has flown out the window for me. So imagine my surprise when I received an email from my MOH on Wednesday (which was April Fool’s – whether I realize it or not!) and it stated:

Hey-Hope that all is well with you.I am not doing well, I found out some bad news today. You know my dad takes a hunting trip every October..........well he will be gone on the weekend of you wedding and that would just leave Shanna here to work the store..............I am very sorry but I do not think that I will be able to be in your wedding. I will try to make it work and let you know asap.

That was an EXACT copy and paste from her email. Word for word. And it totally shocked me. I mean, here I am in the most boring meeting on earth, and I get this email. I’m SO upset! There was a lot of stress and drama surrounding my decisions on who would be standing with me at the altar.

Now, I’ll admit that most of the drama was my own creation, because I was hung up on the length of time that you know someone versus how close you are at the moment. So anyway, despite all the drama that surrounded my choices in who my best ladies were, this one special lady was NEVER a decision to make. She’s the one that I can’t imagine doing this day without…that’s not really true. There are LOTS of people that I can’t imagine doing this day without, including all of my other ladies…but you know what I’m trying to say. So you can imagine my dismay to realize that one of the people that I can’t do this without having them by my side writing me and telling me that she can’t be there…

Insert a VERY sad face.

And what made this even more believable was the fact that she knows that I know that her Dad DOES go hunting each fall in Colorado with a group of friends. She and I have been friends long enough for me to know this and recognize this trip as a valid point. It just gave her story validity. And it also helped to lend to the prank a bit more truth was that they do in fact run a family-operated business that would suffer with the absence of two family members at the same time. So I could completely visualize her dilemma.

I took a few minutes to sort it out in my mind, and then replied back to her email telling her that I understood. I know that this situation is out of her control, and she can only do so much to work it out. I asked that she please let me know as soon as she could, so that I could determine a new course of action.

To which she replied back to me asking if I still loved her…of course I do, and I told her so. Then I received her reply to that she was only pranking me for April Fool’s Day…and she received a reply from me that I did NOT in fact love her anymore…LOL!

Yeah, I didn’t even think about that she could be pulling my leg on the whole thing. These meetings all week long are just sapping my mental capabilities and I had not even had a thought all day long that it was April 1st, thus making it April Fool’s Day. So the joke was on me, and I fell for it hook, line and sinker.

Good one BMaid T!! I’ll give you this one, but just remember that paybacks are hell…

Did anyone else fall for an April Fool’s prank as readily as I did? Or did you have a wedding party member play a prank on you during the wedding planning process?

Taking a Break from the Wedding Planning...

Taking a side trip from wedding planning…Mr. CC and I are trying to plan a trip to New Orleans. Last year we went down to NOLA to meet up with some good friends of ours that live in CA. Her family is originally from NOLA, so this is a combo trip for them, and just an opportunity for us to see them while they are “semi-close” to where we are. Not that NOLA is that close to Austin, TX, but one state away is MUCH closer than 4 states away…

Anyway, last year at the end of our trip we all discussed making this event a yearly thing. So a few months back, we started talking about it. But, Miss CC being normal Miss CC, I only just now got serious about searching for accommodations and thinking about paying for this shindig. Mr. CC and I did discuss not going along on the trip this year due to the wedding. There is a certain amount of money that we’re trying to save up each month to pay for the wedding in cash, and taking a trip to NOLA will take a chunk out of that savings. But we both decided that we would like the break, even if it’s just a long weekend to save on costs.

But if you’re trying to take a long weekend to save on costs, I don’t recommend visiting NOLA during Jazz Fest! Hotel rates are higher, sometimes up to double what they normally are. So I’ve started trying to think outside of the box on our lodging situation. A friend of mine finds all kinds of deals on craigslist.com, so I thought I would check there for vacation rentals. Because if renting a one bedroom condo/apartment is the same price as the rates that the hotel is charging, I would MUCH rather be in my own space than stay at a hotel with a bunch of strangers, that can tend to be loud since it is a party weekend in NOLA.

I know…that begs the question of what weekend ISN’T a party weekend in NOLA? LOL!

So check out a few places that I found that fall into my budget guidelines…aren’t they SO cute?

So cute....

LOVE the french doors on the windows...

I would be SO lucky to find somewhere like this with a courtyard...

So my question is has anyone else ever gone this route on vacation? Staying in a vacation rental rather than a hotel? My aunt and uncle do this on most of their trips and they say that they are rarely disappointed with their decision, but I’m a little apprehensive. Probably just because it’s a new thing.

And of course, I can't stay completely AWAY from wedding thoughts, so while searching for somewhere to stay in NOLA, this got me thinking about my honeymoon…wouldn’t this be a great alternative on a honeymoon versus staying in a chain hotel? It would be more intimate and possibly free up some $$ for other activities, if I found a steal on a rental place…

Is anyone else opting to stay in a vacation rental for their honeymoon? Do you think this is a good alternative to consider?

Resting Easy on Dress Decisions...

I did something SO fun tonight…I went back to Alfred Angelo and tried on my dress again! Yep, you read that right, I’m now stalking the bridal store…patiently waiting for my dress. Or not so patiently, since I’m trying on the dress at random…LOL! I have this picture in my head of the lady in the Mervyn’s commercials who waits not-so patiently for her favorite store to open…

source

While I am serious about trying my dress on again last night, I will admit that I’m joking about the why. Let me explain. There are at least three ladies out there who feel like they got cheated on the whole “bridal shopping experience” since I bought my dress without their help…so I graciously (with no benefit to myself in the forefront of my mind) told each of them that we could go back to the store and try on my dress so that they can agree with me on my selection. Heck, I even told them that I would put all 4 or 5 that I considered before on so that they could AGREE with me on my selection, if it made it more fun for THEM…yeah, or more fun for me!

So last night was the first of these moments. I mentioned yesterday that I’m out of town this week with work stuff. Lucky for me, I’m “in town” for two of my trusted ladies, and Lady C and Lady B are getting put to work this week! Well, Lady B gets to work and Lady C just gets to do fun stuff…but I promise that I will even this out eventually…Anyway, back to my story. So Lady C met up with me at an Alfred Angelo store that was between her house and my hotel. I called ahead to the store to make sure that they did have the style in a size comparable to my size. Lucky for me, they had the dress in store, and I did not need to make an appointment for this.

I get to the store first, and get everything ready for Lady C. She arrives and I commence to get into my dress. Since a girl needs a bit of help with these things, a VERY helpful (you’ll understand why I like her so much in just a minute) sales associate, Laci, came over to give me a hand. At the point where she’s closing the back of the dress, she tells me to “suck it in!” While I’m not really shocked to hear that statement, I have to admit to being a little scared since this dress was two sizes LARGER than the size that I ordered my dress in.

If you need a refresher course on the drama that was my dress size, click here.

So I primp and preen properly in front of the mirrors and Lady C and we check out all of the angles. She, of course, agrees with my choice in gowns and proceeds to detail what all we like about my dress. The discussion soon moves to veils and we try several tiaras and veils on just for fun. At some point, I mention to Lady C my concern about the comment made while putting me into the dress and my whole size ordering dilemma. Now, me being me, I’m just fretting over the whole thing. Lady C being Lady C, she says “why don’t you ask her what size gown she would order for you?”

Brilliant idea, I tell you.

So, once back in regular clothes, I proceed to ask said question of Laci. She gets the “deer in the headlight” look and knows that there is only really one right answer here. She knows that I’ve already ordered my dress, so I’m really only going to appreciate ONE answer here. So I give her the background for the reason of my question, and she seems to relax. This is easy – she’ll just have to measure me to answer that question.

I agree to be measured again, even though I’m really not sure that I’ll like the result of this measuring any better. I mean, yes my work out is working, but it’s not working that quickly, right? There’s no dramatic improvement or change since the last time that I was measured. But I’m a good sport, and I have to admit to riding that high of having “your dress” on…so I move on over to be measured. Laci whips her tape around my bust, waist and hips…then does my waist again to double check herself…and then she says the words that are music to my ears…

“She actually told you to order a 14? Because I’m coming up with a size 8.”

Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. I feel vindicated. I assure her that Amy, my first sales associate in the South Austin store, wanted to order me a size 14 wedding gown. To which she proceeds to turn the tape measure over and read my measurements back to me. My waist was an inch UNDER the size needed for size 8, although my hips were two inches OVER the size of 8…but with the cut on my gown (not mermaid style or form fitting below the waist) it doesn’t matter what size my hips are.

YES!

My dress WILL fit whenever it does arrive. I can rest easy and sleep with happy wedding dress dreams tonight. I can’t tell you how much of a weight has gone off of my shoulders…

Can anyone else relate to wedding dress sizing issues? Did you drive the sales ladies a little crazy at various bridal stores like I did to make sure that it was right? Please tell me that I’m not the only one…