Wow — I REALLY need to re-group and get busy! I still have a lot of shopping to do and details to sort out. Really the different areas are: Welcome Bags, Welcome Party, Sailing Excursion, Wedding Attire and ‘Bridal Prep’, Ceremony Details, Reception Details, additional Photography, gifts to family and wedding party… While I have vented many a frustration regarding working with vendors so far away they are coming through for me and now its them waiting on me. My nature is to “run, run, run 110% til I totally burn out and crash, and then get back up and jog…” Time to pick myself up and jog to the finish line.

Planning Status:

• I need to start nudging people to get in their RSVPs! I think people figure we know their coming so RSVP isn’t necessary, but we need to know if they plan to participate in other activities like the sailing excursion and if they will be in Aruba in time for the Welcome Party
• Hoping to firm up Welcome Party details. The wedding planner and manager of the La Vista restaurant have been wonderful to work with! I adore these ladies. We’ve thrown around a lot of ideas and now its time answer the big question – what is this will cost us! We’ve requested a proposal based on 50 people instead of our original 35 (even though I only have RSVPs so far for 16 – grrrr). Henna Artist & Music: They are glad to make special arrangements for our henna artist (extra lighting) and let me provide the background music. I offered to send them a CD in advance so they can preview and make sure it is appropriate since it will play throughout the restaurant, but they are not at all worried. Menu: We’re thinking of doing a fruit collage and 4 indian appetizers – two meat and two vegetarian with chutneys, and non-alcoholic beverages. We are not going to offer an open bar, but the regular La Vista bar will be open. If we can work it into the budget, we do hope to offer a pre-determined amount of a ’signature cocktail’ which we will pay for. I sent them a recipe for a Tamarind Margarita that we really like. They have already tried it out down there. Only downside is its kind of a complicated recipe that I’m afraid will be expensive to make. Favor: I found some customized chocolate bars I want to offer as a sort of favor – the package shows a pair of henna’d hands holding a pink flower which just happens to be one of my colors. Only problem is we will likely need to expedite shipping so I need to make a decision in the next day or two. I’ll also need to make sure I’ll have room to pack them in my carry-on. Also, it looks like a cousin might be able to bring bangles and bindies from Bombay for the ladies. They’ll probably be the same inexpensive bangles I probably would have ordered off of ebay, but wouldn’t it be more fun to receive something someone brought all the way from India?
• Sailing Excursion: We need to make a selection and book it! I’ve emailed a few companies for the current availability and pricing. (I did this a couple of months ago, but just sent out another set of emails this morning.) I personally favor the catamaran style boats – I’ve emailed DePalm, Pelican and Red Sail. But, I think the kids might have more fun with the ‘pirate’ style boat so I think it will come down to Mi Dushi vs Jolly Pirate. I know the rope swings are really popular. (Also, someone suggested that older people sometimes have more trouble getting around on the cats.) I haven’t really seen much information that sways me to one or the other except that Mi Dushi is a lot more affordable if you want to charter it privately. Seems like all of the boats offer open bar, snacks and snorkeling gear at extra charge. So, Mi Dushi vs Jolly Pirate: Mi Dushi we can charter privately for just over $30 per person (based on 30 or more people). JP is pretty expensive to charter privately – over 50% more. But, if we want to join JPs existing excursion, it would amount to just over $30pp (At the moment you can get a 12% discount if you book and pay online). So, less than 30 people, JP becomes a better deal but the excursion won’t be private. Thirty or more people they are pretty much even. Today was the first day I thought to look at snorkeling sites though. I see JP goes to the Antilla Shipwreck during their afternoon 3 hour excursion. Mi Dushi does Antilla on their longer morning excursion, but not their shorter one. Maybe they would still do it for us if it is a private charter? I’ve emailed them to ask. Both offer “premium” open bar (though I’m not sure what they consider premium), snorkel gear and snacks. Being a private charter, Mi Dushi will customize the snacks for our group. (Seems like most of the excursions like to offer a lot of heavy meaty snacks and we have indian vegetarians and fussy kids so we really want to have some fruit.) I believe JP leaves from the pier closest to the hotel and am not sure where Mi Dushi boards… So really, Mi Dushi kind of seems like a no brainer – why can’t I pull the trigger? Might be in the fact that for a private charter JP costs SO much more so I feel like I must be missing something. Is the boat a lot bigger or nicer? Will Mi Dushi not do the Antilla for us?
• Welcome Bags: Ordered and on their way! Need to work on favor tags and labels and the CDs, though I’m still waiting for the playlist from the DJ. Also need to decide on can koozies and anything else I need to order. And need to start packing OOT Bag stuff into a duffle to see how much I really can carry with me.
• Wedding Attire and “Prep”: received the correct wedge flip flops (not crazy about them) but still need a veil, jewelry, a purse and to figure out what I want to wear underneath. I want support but am trying to be mindful of the heat. I have ‘difficult’ measurements so finding pretty lingerie that doesn’t cost a fortune is tough. I also do not think my fiancé has his shirt or groomsmen shirts figured out yet. He wants me to ‘just pick something’ but I really need him to help with this one. I was hoping for a nice embroidered linen short indian Kurta – Indian and “beachy”, but no luck… Don’t want to tell you how many hours I’ve spent looking! I also need to schedule appointments for my nails, pedicure and bikini wax. Highlights are being done on Monday! I think I’ve decided against airbrush tanning but want to start using one of those really gradual daily lotions. And need to find ‘inspiration photos’ for hair and makeup. Do I want a flower in my hair? If so, natural or silk? Also need to pick out bouquets for myself and my bridesmaids and confirm whether they want hair appointments. Oh ya – and my groom still needs a wedding band!
• Ceremony Details: I think we have an arch picked out though I’m still not sure we really need one. If the budget need to be cut, that might be where a cut comes from. Also, I need to decide if I want a carpet runner or rose petals down the aisle. If I want the runner which will make it easier for me to walk in heels, I can’t have real rose petals. If I want real petals I walk on sand… hmmmmm…. The officiant is scheduled from 4:00-6:00, so if we have to move the ceremony time that will be ok. He’s glad to meet with us a day or two before the wedding but nothing has been scheduled yet (its not unusual to not meet the officiant until ceremony time). But, we need to figure out how we’re going to incorporate his kids into the ceremony so a meeting may be nice. And I’ve heard both raves and complaints about this particular officiant so I think I might like to meet him in person first.
• Reception Details: the biggest thing I’m stuck on is flowers. I just want to find a photo that I can give to them but am not finding anything quite right. I’m really bothered because I have not liked the centerpieces in most of the set-up photos I’ve seen. On one hand I love the modern ’submerged orchid’ centerpieces, but then how to I incorporate my other colors? Another set up I like is the long ‘troughs’ of flowers but expect that to be way out of my budget. What I don’t like is the skimpy plain centerpieces spaced evenly down the table (boring). I’m thinking clusters of flowers, each arrangement being a single color. I also like the look of organic elements like wood ‘vases’. There aren’t any runners or chargers available that I like so really flowers is all I got. And of course my lanterns which I’m really excited about! The planner now has about 20 S/M/L/XL and I’ll be bringing 25 minis. I think I’m giving up on the candy buffet because I just don’t want to spend the money it would take to really do it right. Lighting: he still needs to have his call with the Banquet Manager to find out what lighting options are available – we so don’t want the ‘floodlight’ we’ve seen in a couple of setups. Menu: we’re doing the Marriott’s “Four Corners Buffet” but substituting one of the ‘corners’ for Indian. We need to decide which existing corner goes and start discussing the indian menu. (I believe the default corners are Asian, Caribbean, Mexican and Middle Eastern.) Cake: I really feel like I need to have flowers decided before picking a cake.
• Photography: my FI is actually likes the idea of grabbing a jeep and going to the rocky part of the island for a Trash the Dress / Post-Wedding shoot! Now its a matter of seeing if someone is available to actually shoot it and what the costs will be. (I think money here will be well spent vs the candy buffet.) And I need to decide if I want to wear my real dress or get a simpler sundress like the one Kristine is wearing in my previous post. And the 4″+ Jimmy Choos will definitely not do.
• Gifts: I am at a loss as to what to do for gifts. I guess worst case I could always do gift certificates for the girls and framed photos for the parents. I just don’t see myself coming up with anything especially sentimental or clever right now.