Bahama Beach Wedding Diary

[dcarter4]

Thanks Crystal!

 

We are on Pinetrest...but not Esty?! I'll have to look at that this weekend?!

 

Dwayne

[pinkdiamonddolly]

Dwayne, you are hilarious! I am enjoying your play by play more than you could imagine. My SI and I are getting married in St. Thomas Dec 30th 2014, and in a much similar situation. We have been together 10 years and its time to say I Do. We don't want to spend a lot of money, but I have princess taste LOL. Here's wishing you and your bride, great luck and fortune!

[JFontaine]

Dwayne, First congrats. I know I'm late to your wedding party, but I wonder how much you would save by giving up Aqua class and Blu for a regular balcony room. Save cash, eat with all of your friends. And maybe one night in a specialty restaurant? I should say that while I'm a huge Celebrity fan (25 cruises) I don't get paying much extra for Blu. I usually cruise in a suite, and can eat in Blu for free, but prefer the main dining room. Good luck to you both.

[dcarter4]

Thanks Pinkdiamonddolle!! Wishing you guys the best!!!

 

D & K

[dcarter4]

Hey JFontaine!

 

Thanks for your thoughts...but we really love Blu...and the Spa stuff. Kelly is a Massage Therapist....the a Spa-like surroundings is her deal. I'm a foodie...so Blu is my thing....and we can't afford a Suite!!!

 

So AQ it is!

 

In reality...you are only saving $ 150 to $ 300..so..it's worth it to us!

 

Keep on reading!!

 

D & K

[dcarter4]

Hey All!

 

Well…this is turning out to be an interesting new year….

 

I don’t know how to say it, but…..this weekend….

 

I closed on the biggest Catbitat Sale of my LIFE!!

 

We made it!!

 

The Cruise is paid for!!!!

 

Thank you all for sending out those positive waves!!

 

I can’t tell you how relieved we are!! So far…I have had 4 sales this year!!

 

Now…we don’t normally make a lot off of our Catbitat sales. It’s really about the animals…But this client bought every upgrade she could find!

 

Sure…we still have to come up with$ 4k - $ 7k for the actual wedding…..but we have control over that cost!

 

Worse scenario, we go for the basic package……

 

We have finally turned the corner, folks!

 

 

Mother May I…or Daddy Dearest?!

 

Some of you may recall, that my mother is traveling alone?

 

She (unfortunately) does not have a great second marriage. To be blunt…he’s an A**.

 

I won’t air family dysfunction on this forum…but I do not care for my Step-father. I don’t like the way he treats my mom…so…he’s on my S&*$ list.

 

To that end…my mother prefers to leave him at home…if she wants to have a good time.

 

This weekend, he has decided, that he wants to come to the wedding.

 

Since my mother didn’t formally ask him not to come (it’s dysfunctional and complicated)…he is now coming.

 

In keeping with our “No Drama Wedding” mandate…I have changed the Stateroom to accommodate him (Did I mention he can barely walk…and refuses a wheelchair?).

 

No? Not my problem……

 

Please don’t think me cruel. I love my mom…and he treats her like crap. Therefore…he is crap to me.

 

In any event…it will not tarnish our wedding. I am sad for my mom…but…oh well…

 

You get what you marry……

 

I think I’ll buy her a few Spa Treatments during the cruise….

 

Later…

 

D & K

[worldbound30]

Oh Yay! Congrats on the sale & getting the cruise paid!

[cyntil8ing]

Hello. Just wandered into this forum and found this thread. I've subscribed to watch your progress. My husband planned our wedding nearly 11 years ago. Our's was traditional (church wedding and KofC hall reception), but all I had to do was pick the flowers and my dress. He did a great job!

 

But speaking of time crunch, we just booked a cruise for my daughter to get married. We're going to do an embarkation day wedding on the Carnival Pride. But here's the catch...it's only three months away!

 

I'm sure that our lack of time will work in our favor in that we will have to make final decisions quickly. No time for waffling back and forth (my biggest issue) or fancy stuff. We're aiming for fast, good and cheap, but as a fellow IT PM, I know one usually falls by the wayside.

 

Anyway, I enjoy reading along.

[dcarter4]

Hey PurnellBabe and Cindy!

 

Thanks so much for your kind words and thoughts!!

 

I resist posting everyday...I don't want you all to get sick of me....

 

Cindy...a wedding in 3 months?! OMG!!!

 

Are you trying to show me up?;)

 

Talk about Risk Assessment ?!!:D

 

D & K

[JFontaine]

Let's hope that your mom's husband will notice how a husband (you) should treat his wife and change his tune. Weddings are about romance and dreams coming true, right? Continued good wishes to you and your bride.

[dcarter4]

Hey JFontaine,

 

I wish....I think he enjoys being a A%#^...:rolleyes:

[dcarter4]

Hey All!

 

Well…this is a bit anti-climactic (after Monday’s Post)…but….

 

I (physically) paid for the other Staterooms today!

 

Hate to see all the money drain from the account…but it’s good to see the spreadsheet below Five figures!! (Attached)

 

It will be nice to turn our attention towards the actual Wedding and Cruise entertainment!

 

We have started looking at Shore Excursions and the like.

 

Still focusing on the big numbers on the page….

 

We have a $ 550 payment due at the end of the month (to WITB) and the final payment due by Feb 14th (about $ 4k), then an estimated $ 3.5k for the Cruise and Misc. items.

 

We are still stressing…but a little less, now.

 

At the very least…We’re goin on a cruise!!!

 

With This Ring……

 

Did I mention….Kel presented me with my wedding band for Christmas!

 

Even before I proposed (my God…how long ago was that?!!!), we casually looked at a ring. I like larger,Medieval styled rings.

 

Think Johnny Depp style rings…(ladies…you may breathe, now).

 

This particular ring is a bit “Biker Style”

 

Funny…this was one budget item I didn’t count on!!! Glad she paid for it!!

 

Later

 

D & K

[JAC1213]

Yeayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy, I'm so excited for you guys. Let me be very honest I will never get tired of reading your posts. They are equipped with so many emotions and so much useful information. I'm wishing you lots of sale's in the upcoming days.

[dcarter4]

Hey All!

 

Well…it’s been a little while…….

 

Just a few updates…..

 

Kelly had her last fitting and brought the dress home. She seems quite pleased…so that story ended well!

[/img]

 

I wear Ray Bans and Classic Tuxedos….

 

One of our clients may not be going (my long time customers…you know…the loaded ones!!). The Mrs. had knee surgery, so she’s not too sure how she will recover…

 

Too bad…I really wanted to see them hanging with us common folk…

 

Leaving On A Jet Plane……

 

I took a big leap of faith today and bought the plan tickets. The prices were down as low as I’ve seen them…so I pulled the trigger.

 

Part of the thrill, will be flying on Virgin America. I’ve always wanted to travel on Virgin Airlines! The flight from Phoenix to FLL (via LAX) was actually cheaper…in the long run.

 

I wanted to wait for a direct flight…but all the airlines we could use, had us sitting in FLL until the evening. From previous cruises, we’ve learned it’s best to just head to the airport, after disembarkment.

 

So…we fly good ol’ Southwest, from PHX to LAX….wait about 120min…the fly from LAX to FLL.

 

I just hope there are no delays….

 

Slappin’ ‘em down….

 

Catbitat sales have slowed a bit…bummer…we were on a roll for a few weeks!

 

Not complaining…but Kelly hasn’t scored any hits at the Casino, either.

 

At least now…we control the expenditures. If we need to cut back on the flowers (or whatever…) so be it.

 

55 Days to go, folks!!!

 

Later…

 

D & K

[dcarter4]

Hey All!

 

Just a few updates…..

 

Keep your fingers crossed!

 

I’ve (reluctantly) bid out a few computer consulting jobs (to an old client). Desperate times calls for desperate measures. We are less than 51 days to go…and we still owe a bunch.

 

Keep your fingers crossed. If the client says “YES”, then the profit would cover at least 25% of the remaining cost of the wedding!!

 

Come on email…….

 

Suited and Booted

 

Went in for my fitting this weekend. By myself. Kinda lonely feeling. Could have been a fun event with the guys or Kel. She didn’t want to go. Bummer…I thought she might enjoy it.

 

Oh well…the moments lost….

 

Went with the classic style. I plan on trying it on, several day s before I pick it up. We went with Men’s Wearhouse. They were offering a $ 30 off each Tux…so I rented my Formal Night Tux from them, also.

 

Hopefully it will all look good.

 

Bling!!!!

 

Kel’s starting to enjoy her dress, more. She’s starting to accessorize. Looks like she got some ear rings and a purse?!

 

 

I’ve got my eye on a new Invicta watch!!

 

This one....

 

Or maybe THIS one?

 

Come on Ebay Snipe!!!!

 

What’s a guy to do?

 

Coming into the Fold:

 

The guests are starting to get excited. Getting lots of email questions and texts!! I answer them all directly…but I always lead with…..

 

“…If you check out the Wedding Website….”

 

Hey…I don’t mind. I’m glad they’re all coming….but the Website is very detailed….

 

Just sayin….

 

Later…

 

D & K

[dcarter4]

Hey All!

 

I've missed you!!

 

We are about 40 days out...time is gettin' short!

 

The Tax Man Comeith

 

We were able to put down a good chunk of change on the wedding this month (thanks to some weekend consulting and Catbitat sales)!!!

 

We still owe WITB about $ 3k.....but we can cut back on the decor...if we have to...

 

Come on Tax Return!!

 

I would like to thank the ladies at WITB (Weddings in the Bahamas) for their flexible payment arrangements. Our deadline was Feb 14th. They have extended it to the 28th. Two weeks will make a HUGE difference!

 

With this Ring...

 

Kelly and I picked out her Wedding Band this week!! We went with a local jewelry store chain (London Gold) and actually came in under budget!!

 

Kelly would like a second band (naturally)....but Dwayne will be getting his TV...BEFORE that happens.....just sayin...

 

Looking forward to making the final arrangement in the next few weeks. We can see a bit of light at the end of this tunnel....

 

Later!

 

Dwayne & Kelly

[dcarter4]

Hey All!

 

Just a point of clarification. In reading thru my post....the ring thing seems a bit confusing.

 

So let me explain....

 

Kel has a beautiful, custom engagement ring from the jeweler of her choice....

[/img]

 

She just may get it....in the future.

 

But first....even before our Honeymoon (CruiseTour of Italy and Greece 2015)...

 

Dwayne is getting his TV!!

 

It's a long story...but Dwayne has been trying to buy this #$#@$#$ TV for 4 years, now....and I get them at COST!!

 

Life keeps getting in the way...

 

So ladies....save your comments....

 

Dwayne is a nice, honest, HARD working guy, who just wants a little (75") toy.....and Kel is wearing a mid-sized sedan on her finger!!!

 

SHE'S GOOD FOR AWHILE!!!;):D

 

Now...if she's REALLY good...we can play with the timeline a bit!!

 

RIGHT MEN!!!!????

 

Later!

 

Dwayne & Kelly

[dcarter4]

Anyone out there....anyone?

 

Are you bored with me?

 

Feelin' lonely....(sniff, sniff)...:(

 

D & K

[Annasreadytocruise]

We are here... Waiting for another update. I literally check your post daily to see if there's an update. :)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[dcarter4]

We are here... Waiting for another update. I literally check your post daily to see if there's an update. :)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

AWWWW...Thank you so MUCH!!!!

 

I'll have another post in Sunday!! I have a Catbitat AND a consulting job to do tomorrow!!!

 

What I do for love....(and a Cruise)!!!:D

[deentonyo]

Hi Dwayne,

 

It's amazing how similar our stories are.

 

Tony and I have been engaged for many years now, so the rings were not an expense to our wedding, and we booked our cruise thirteen months in advance.

 

First, we chose the cruise... particularly because the embarkation port was close to home and because we were able to reserve fifteen cabins all beside each other. :)

 

We are hoping they will take all the deck dividers off and we can have one BIG deck party. :) We went trough a local travel agent HUGE MISTAKE!!!

 

So, we place down the deposits and begin asking only close friends and family to join us. This whole trip is on us, so we are astounded at how many people opted out, for fear apparently.

 

Worse, was when Tony's mother said no :confused:

Needless, to say, we are no longer on speaking terms!

 

After we lock in who is actually coming, we are left paying for only seven cabins. Fine by us... like yourself... we are not rich by any means.

 

Then, we choose our honeymoon! This is my favorite part! We are cruising in Europe two days after our wedding cruise yippee. We purchased the air fare early and think we did pretty good, although flights make me very nervous and this flight is super long. And it's Turkish Airlines, which, I've never heard of. So, I will be asking my doc for a little something something :)

 

Our Wedding Cruise leaves in 77 days, and we just did final payment on both the wedding and honeymoon cruise. It is funny but when the cruise line had it's big sale our travel agent never even mentioned it to us. We were so lucky to have had one of our friends looking at our cruise at the time, and informed us that we were able to save $200 pp. When we asked our agent to get us the new sale price, she did, but in doing so she lost a cabin in our line-up:mad:

 

THAT STUPID LINE-UP WAS A DECIDING FACTOR ON THIS VERY CRUISE!!! I WAS SO STUPID MAD!!! So it looks like all my cabins would be broken up with a perfect stranger in the middle.

 

Tony says I have to learn to let go, that there is nothing we can do, and that we will enjoy our wedding all the same. I am trying.

 

I also purchased my wedding dress online from China, and get this, I bought it two sizes too small! I did so on purpose to motivate me into weight loss action. But now your post has me scared :eek:

 

I guess I can only weight and see.

 

As of yet, we have planned nada for the wedding itself, crazy I know, we just haven't had the money to do so. And we need to go super cheap because we need some money in our pockets to get us through an eight day cruise onto a twelve day honeymoon cruise.

 

Your posts have been so entertaining!

 

Thanks, Denise

[dcarter4]

Denise,

 

Thanks so much for responding!! WOW....sounds like you've had a few too

many drama's already!!

 

We are keeping our fingers crossed for you!..

 

Meanwhile....Kel's decided to go on diet before the wedding so....I'm dealing with Ms. Crabby Pants......

 

More tomorrow...I need to go blanch her a chicken breast or something gross....:rolleyes:

 

D & K

Edited February 10, 2014 by dcarter4

[violetmoon1979]

I recently got engaged and have been going back and forth between doing a Vegas wedding or a cruise wedding.

 

Thanks for posting all of your experiences, it's very entertaining to read!!!

 

Keep us updated!

[CCMS14]

Thanks for the update, we are 7 days away from our wedding on the Reflection and it is certainly going to be a busy week. It's oddly reassuring that everyone has some pre-cruise drama :S

[dcarter4]

I recently got engaged and have been going back and forth between doing a Vegas wedding or a cruise wedding.

 

Thanks for posting all of your experiences, it's very entertaining to read!!!

 

Keep us updated!

 

Hey Violetmoon1979!!

 

Good luck to you and yours!!

 

We are in Vegas TOO much...plus...kelly LOVES to gamble....so our Cruise wedding is CHEAPER for me....believe it or not!:D

 

D & K