We have not yet gone on our honeymoon, but we will be doing a (hopefully) fun and exciting tour of South America in two weeks time! It will be our first time there, so we went with a travel agent to help us plan. Our travel agent is a South American specialist, and she set us up on a tour group, along with a luxury start and a more rugged finish. I loved working with Cathie, because she knew what sort of vacation we wanted. I think it’s fun to plan a vacation with someone who liked adventure, and it was obvious that Cathie and everyone else there loves their job. I’m really excited by the itinerary that she set up, mainly because it touches on everything that I want to do while in South America. I don’t think I would have been able to plan something as good as this on my own.

My husband found this company through an internet search that said they were the best price for a limousine in the Dayton area. We called around and found that the prices were all about the same. The limousine we rented was very, very cool, and I did love it, and I would love to be in a limousine again! We were able to rent the limousine by the hour, or block of hours, and we made it to the church and reception just in time. I would recommend overbooking the limousine by an hour just in case you run late.

We were able to rent all of our audio visual needs, like a sound system and lights and cameras, from Kosins. They have a great selection of equipment for parties, which saves money on a DJ and lets us take control of the party. Lori, who is one of the owners, was really great about making suggestions on what we would need in terms of audio equipment. It worked out great.

We got blank postcard kits and made our own save-the-dates. It was easy to do. We were worried that our printer wouldn’t be able to print up on postcard size cards, but you can format your printer really easy. Also, the blank postcards cost us $20, which is really cheap.

My husband proposed to me with a plastic ring so that we could go choose our rings together. I chose Michael’s because it is a nice jewelry store, and I have bought my mother jewelry from there. The experience of shopping for an engagement ring and wedding ring was giddy. I was super excited, and I was happy that the salesperson, Matt, was happy and giddy but professional with us. We found something that I liked that was in our price range, Matt did a good job about explaining guarantees and insurance, and how to clean the ring and such.

I have been going there for almost ten years now, so I know what to expect when I go there. I wear my hair short, so there wasn’t much I could do with my hair other than hair it cut and dyed. There are three people there who know how I like my hair to be cut, and what color I always opt for. My stylist showed me how to add in crystal hair clips and make a more formal style after I had my haircut and dyed the Wednesday before the wedding. I was happy with how I looked, and the new styling tip she showed me.

Two of our guests actually switched hotels because they did not like their rooms at the Days Inn. I had selected three hotels and then let the guests from out of town contact the hotels themselves and make reservations. This was the least popular amongst our friends. The people who left after one’s night stay said it was because they felt unsafe. I wouldn’t send people there again.

I took classes here on scrapbooking, and I used this as my resource for making my guestbook. I also made a scrapbook of the wedding day and the preparation for friends. They have a nice selection of papers and supplies, and a good workstation that is open to anyone who buys supplies. I usually always meet someone knew who can teach me a new idea or skill for scrapbooking.

I found the bridesmaids dresses for my younger sisters, and I also found my flower girl’s dress here. The dresses in the junior and children’s section are really cute and not expensive. I think JC Penny also has more conservative taste, so I was able to get dresses that were appropriate for their ages. Finally, the junior dresses were cheaper than dresses at bridal stores, but the flower girl’s dress was expensive. It was not on sale, and because it was so cute I didn’t think there would be many left if I waited too long.

I loved this! My best friend and I went for a full spa day before going to my mother’s house for the bridal shower, and it was the most relaxing time! I had a full body message and a manicure. My friend was frustrated because we had to wait a bit, but they offered us free teas while we waited. The massage lasted for 50 minutes, which was perfect, and the staff is really professional so I didn’t mind getting naked for the massage. It was a nice safe environment.