October 2014 Filers - Texas Service Center

[Mena28 35]

Hey April, we are the same age!

Yeah, I get 5 weeks off a year - but not until I have worked there for 6 months, until then its only 2 days a month - and my fiance works for an almost "evil" company and gets three weeks plus more at his managers discretion. Which can only be pushed so far.

How did you guys meet, if you dont mind my asking? I am always interested in people´s stories :-)

Just my hostfamilies are twenty people. They all want to come, and I feel like it would be unfair to only invite a few of them. I am all for a big backyard, bbq type party next to the pool that happens to have a wedding in it somewhere - lets see if I can make that happen! I am still optimistic that it will happen when its still summer :-)

Thanks for the info! I will have to research it in more detail. Where my fiance live not being able to drive would be horrible. There is nothing withing biking distance.

Good luck with the licence! I guess in London he really never needed it. I do think driving in the US is easier than in Europe, at least thats how I felt - even though people always say Boston traffic is so bad, I never quite agreed ;-)

I am sure Hawaii is beautiful. I know a lot of people who have been there and they all loved it.

Yeah, I know, but once I get AP we will go to my country first thing, so if we want to travel somewhere just on our own, we´ll start with the US and then expand our destination goals later on :-)

Where would you like to go that is outside of the US?

[Wooderz 314]

We met when I was in college studying abroad in London for the summer. A bartender I became friends with introduced and the rest is history as they say! What about yall?

My area is the same. There isn't anything in walking distance and the roads are not walker-friendly. That's why we want to get married asap and get the process moving along. If that means he stays in London and works for a couple extra months after the visa is issued then so be it.

Bbq pool party wedding sounds fun! A minister/officiant can get the deed done and then you can change out of your wedding dress and into your wedding swim suit! Lol!

I have a long bucket list of places I'd like to go but towards the top is Croatia. The friend that introduced us is Croatian and was living in London on a gap year. So Croatia kinda has a special place in our hearts. If Croatians are as awesome as she was, then I know it would be a great place to see. Plus of course it's beautiful there from pictures I've seen. Where would yall like to go inside the US?

[SantyAndAllie 155]

Aw, this is so cute! I love talking about this rather than just the typical visa stuff. Makes it so much more bearable hahaha!

We're talking to our lawyers about how to go about the whole 'leaving the country after the wedding' thing because we'd like to do our honeymoon at some kind of island, and then obviously fly to Ecuador a month later for our second wedding. We looked at Hawaii & FL, too, but we're looking for an all inclusive, and apparently Punta Cana and a few other places have AMAZING and cheap all inclusive deals that other couples told us about. Cheapcarribean. com shows some!

As for our wedding stuff, like I mentioned before, all of our stuff was booked a year and a half in advance! I just LOVED the planning and wanted to have everything done. I've had my dress (needs to be altered), have stuff for our favors, have everything booked, and now we're just looking up stuff for the honeymoon. And for Ecuador, too.. everything booked, and even the Ecuadorian bridesmaids have their dresses. I'm excited, too, because it'll be the first time my mom's been on a plane, and the first time my dad's been out of the country! Ahhh!!

I wanted somewhat of a 'big deal' wedding, but we got incredible packages both in Ecuador and here. The packages include everything- open bar, cake, decor, centerpieces, buffet dinner & sit down for the bridal party, dessert bar, valet, etc. The places in both the US & Ecuador aren't the absolute nicest looking places in the world, but for the price, we took it!

So exciting, guys! And I'm excited to finally have Santy in the States for the first time since we got engaged almost a year ago! Bridal shows, shopping trips... ahhhh (and yes, he likes planning this stuff, too! LOL)

Happy planning, everyone! (Especially you, April! DIY dessert bar.. That sounds like so much fun!)

[Mena28 35]

PuntaCana is awesome! I have been there three times with my hostfamily and LOVED it.

If you want me to I´ll ask them what the place was called again - I forget :-D

[av8or1 246]

FWIW, my ex got her TX driver's license based on her international driver's license, and it was good for one year. She still had to take the test, both written and practical to receive the full-fledged version.

[SantyAndAllie 155]

PuntaCana is awesome! I have been there three times with my hostfamily and LOVED it.

If you want me to I´ll ask them what the place was called again - I forget :-D

Sure! Was it all inclusive?

Yeah, my sister went to Punta Cana, too, and LOVED it! Only thing that worries us is natural disaster (is it hurricane? can't remember) season I have to research it more!

[Mena28 35]

We met when I was in college studying abroad in London for the summer. A bartender I became friends with introduced and the rest is history as they say! What about yall?

I have a long bucket list of places I'd like to go but towards the top is Croatia. The friend that introduced us is Croatian and was living in London on a gap year. So Croatia kinda has a special place in our hearts. If Croatians are as awesome as she was, then I know it would be a great place to see. Plus of course it's beautiful there from pictures I've seen. Where would yall like to go inside the US?

Nice! How did you like England in general and London in particular? did you see other parts of England as well? How did you do with the language?

I lived in England for 10 months - somewhere in the middle of nowhere between London and Oxford - and really liked it.

Croatia is beautiful. The coastline is very rocky and the little towns are very pretty. I am sure you´d love it!

Aw, this is so cute! I love talking about this rather than just the typical visa stuff. Makes it so much more bearable hahaha!

We're talking to our lawyers about how to go about the whole 'leaving the country after the wedding' thing because we'd like to do our honeymoon at some kind of island, and then obviously fly to Ecuador a month later for our second wedding. We looked at Hawaii & FL, too, but we're looking for an all inclusive, and apparently Punta Cana and a few other places have AMAZING and cheap all inclusive deals that other couples told us about. Cheapcarribean. com shows some!

So exciting, guys! And I'm excited to finally have Santy in the States for the first time since we got engaged almost a year ago! Bridal shows, shopping trips... ahhhh (and yes, he likes planning this stuff, too! LOL)

Well, we have another three month wait ahead of us (thats being optimistic, right?) and there is only so much venting I can do before I get miserable. Talking about happy things puts smiles on all of our faces :-)

I was just going to ask what Santy was going to say to those plans, but it sounds like he is happy to! that is awesome! You have been planning this for so long, how long have you been together for in total? And how did you meet? I am curious :-) you probably told each other this at the beginning of the thread, but I have not been following from the start...

My fiance is asking me all those questions what I want and really I don´t feel like planning details yet, because it seems so far away still. We have only been engaged for a few months and I am still in the "oh my gosh, I cant believe I am actually planning to get married" stage, if you know what I mean :-D Also I like to remind him he has to have an opinion too, not just me, so we are slowly picking our way along! He was raised with the "the woman gets to decide everything about the wedding" model and now he is with me, who wants him to have a thought on everything lol

[Mena28 35]

Sure! Was it all inclusive?

Yeah, my sister went to Punta Cana, too, and LOVED it! Only thing that worries us is natural disaster (is it hurricane? can't remember) season I have to research it more!

I just googled it. It was the Mariba Caribe Tropical and also the Paradisus Palma Real. Both are all inclusive places with lots of diff options depending on what and where you want to eat, activities if you want them, spas (pay extra), evening entertainment, pools, a beautiful beachline, a open air market you can walk to in like 15 mins along the beach, and you can do trips off the resort, but I didnt do that.

My hostfamily has a time share there so I went with them a few times, April 2013, February 2014, June 2014 and the weather was always absolutely beautiful.

Both hotels are owned by the same company, the Palma Real is the more high end version where the rooms are a bit closer to the beach than at the Caribe Tropical (which has a little train that runs to anf from the beach, for those who dont want to walk the 15 mins :-))

I do think that the DR is considered outside of the US though, as I needed a new j-1 visa for my second year in order to go with them.

@av8or1 - thanks for the info!

Edited January 20, 2015 by Mena28

[Wooderz 314]

Sure! Was it all inclusive?

Yeah, my sister went to Punta Cana, too, and LOVED it! Only thing that worries us is natural disaster (is it hurricane? can't remember) season I have to research it more!

Hurricane season June 1- nov 30.

[Wooderz 314]

I didn't get too see very much of England or Europe while I was studying there. I met Daniel during the second week and we were pretty much inseparable from then on. I've been back a dozen times since and we try to do day trips outside London or a couple days in a city in Europe as much as we can.

[Wooderz 314]

Check it out. This is the night we met in 2008! We were such babies then!

[SantyAndAllie 155]

Well, we have another three month wait ahead of us (thats being optimistic, right?) and there is only so much venting I can do before I get miserable. Talking about happy things puts smiles on all of our faces :-)

I was just going to ask what Santy was going to say to those plans, but it sounds like he is happy to! that is awesome! You have been planning this for so long, how long have you been together for in total? And how did you meet? I am curious :-) you probably told each other this at the beginning of the thread, but I have not been following from the start...

My fiance is asking me all those questions what I want and really I don´t feel like planning details yet, because it seems so far away still. We have only been engaged for a few months and I am still in the "oh my gosh, I cant believe I am actually planning to get married" stage, if you know what I mean :-D Also I like to remind him he has to have an opinion too, not just me, so we are slowly picking our way along! He was raised with the "the woman gets to decide everything about the wedding" model and now he is with me, who wants him to have a thought on everything lol

Hahah thank youu! We've been together for almost 3 years! We got engaged almost a year ago As you guys know, my sister also got engaged around the same time, and her wedding is in April, so I wanted to make sure I had my stuff done and was able to help her, too. I LOVE wedding planning.. probably one of my favorite things!

I don't think I've ever actually said how we met! I have a little 'bio' thing on my page, but essentially I went to Ecuador on a mission trip and worked at a camp that Santy works at. We instantly liked each other and became good friends. We started dating when I got the chance to go back for the summer, as a friend of ours & cook from the camp offered to have me stay with her family. And it's all history from there!

LOL!! I jumped right into planning! Made myself and my sister wedding binders and started booking stuff. Santy and I actually had to look at venues before he left, so we could pick one before he left because we knew we'd get engaged. Well, my crazy boy waited until his LAST day here to propose. So we got engaged, and then he left the next day. We didn't see each other for four months!! Then I went there for 5 months and then for Christmas. So now this is the first time he'll be back in the US since we got engaged! I'm really happy to have him back.

Also- yes! 3 months isn't all that bad! And considering how most of us are pretty much half way through the wait for the visa, at least for me it doesn't seem AS bad as it did from the start. It goes by quicker than we realize, I think.

Hurricane season June 1- nov 30.

That's what my sister had said. Blah! Btw - you and Daniel are SO cute! Love it!

I just googled it. It was the Mariba Caribe Tropical and also the Paradisus Palma Real. Both are all inclusive places with lots of diff options depending on what and where you want to eat, activities if you want them, spas (pay extra), evening entertainment, pools, a beautiful beachline, a open air market you can walk to in like 15 mins along the beach, and you can do trips off the resort, but I didnt do that.

My hostfamily has a time share there so I went with them a few times, April 2013, February 2014, June 2014 and the weather was always absolutely beautiful.

Both hotels are owned by the same company, the Palma Real is the more high end version where the rooms are a bit closer to the beach than at the Caribe Tropical (which has a little train that runs to anf from the beach, for those who dont want to walk the 15 mins :-))

I do think that the DR is considered outside of the US though, as I needed a new j-1 visa for my second year in order to go with them.

@av8or1 - thanks for the info!

Thank you so much for this info! I'll check that out! Yes, DR is outside of the US. My fiance wouldn't need a visa to go there, but I think we need government approval to leave the US.

[Wooderz 314]

Thanks! I think he's pretty cute! ? as are you and Santy.

I really wish I was into wedding planning. It's so overwhelming to me to even think about. I told my mom she's going to have to do all the calling and pricing and then I'll make the final decision. If I let my mom actually decide, she will go waaaaay over budget lol

I can't even think about dress shopping without anxiety. I'm totally scared that I'm gonna go in there and think nothing looks good and just leave upset.

If I had an unlimited (or even just higher) budget Id be hiring a fancy pants wedding planner to deal with everything.

[Mena28 35]

April, you guys looks so cute :-) Can I say that about couples???

I get it :-) I didnt do much traveling after meeting my fiance - we went climbing a lot, outdoor and indoor - but I had seen so much of the US over the time before meeting him!

Thats a lot of transatlantic trips! Texas England must be what, around 8-9 hours flight time?

England is really pretty and traveling from there to Europe is so close. It used to take me less time to take the bus to Stansted, get on a plane, fly to Austria, be picked up and be home than for my cousin to get on the train and go to her parents place from where she studied! And Austria is really not that big...

Allie, do you have enough energy to plan all of our weddings too? :-P just joking!

So you were friends first too, us as well :-)

What kind of mission trip did you do? I think it is cool, that you have friends there to! always goo to have someone you can visit :-)

I really wish I was into wedding planning. It's so overwhelming to me to even think about. I told my mom she's going to have to do all the calling and pricing and then I'll make the final decision. If I let my mom actually decide, she will go waaaaay over budget lol

I am right with you there. I want it to be nice and I want to have fun and good food, but I feel totally overwhelmed with everything. Oh well, we still have time. Lots of it. since we dont want to be in a "location" kind of place we dont have to reserve anything either, which makes it easier. I hope!

You will totally find a dress you like! I am sure of it :-) just try them all on, one of them is sure to be what you want! Do you have something in mind yet? White or not white?

I want something very simple, I wonder how hard it will be to find that... Just make sure to take someone who will tell you when you look really good in something!

Yeah, for the DR you need to have your AP or your greencard, as far as I remember. But I didnt need a visa either, and I have a VWP passport.

So I guess it depends on how soon you´d want to go?

[yuna628 9,547]

Thanks! I think he's pretty cute! ? as are you and Santy.

I really wish I was into wedding planning. It's so overwhelming to me to even think about. I told my mom she's going to have to do all the calling and pricing and then I'll make the final decision. If I let my mom actually decide, she will go waaaaay over budget lol

I can't even think about dress shopping without anxiety. I'm totally scared that I'm gonna go in there and think nothing looks good and just leave upset.

If I had an unlimited (or even just higher) budget Id be hiring a fancy pants wedding planner to deal with everything.

Thinking about dress shopping was also a big anxiety raiser for me. So I decided to calm myself by approaching it with careful study before I even set foot in the door. I got together lots of photographs of dresses I was interested in.. now obviously for me I am not a model size, so it was hard to imagine what these gowns would look like on me (my guy offered to photoshop the dresses onto me but I declined ) so I tried searching various places like weddingbee and offbeatbride to see if there were photos of real brides wearing the gowns. I printed out a collection of dresses in order of preference and their numbers to help my consultant out some. I didn't want to be pushed around into buying something I can't afford so I wanted to make sure she knew the vision I had in mind. My family unfortunately didn't have much input, but my guy was adamant about one dress in particular.

Once in the store I felt immediately overwhelmed, and was so thankful for the consultant (she was appreciative of all the effort I'd made). I tried on about ten dresses, being torn between two of them. Ultimately I chose the one my guy had his heart set on seeing me in.

Some tips to offer are never ever go on a weekend.. because it is chaos and you want your consultant to keep their focus on you. Keep a sense of humour, the consultant will probably try to get you to put on things you wouldn't normally wear and look ridiculous in just in case it surprises you. Always have backups just in case the dress you had your heart set on actually looks terrible. Bring heels. And don't be alarmed if you don't experience the sobbing sappy feeling that you see brides get on tv. Don't be alarmed if you don't find the one on the first go around, but try and trust your gut rather than the outside 'noise'. The dress you'll most likely try on that day will need altering or may not be the proper size and that always skews things. I knew it was the dress I wanted but felt rather ho-hum at the beginning. When I returned after ordering the proper size, I was excited. It's a great dress, I'm just frustrated I can't wear it yet.

You'll find something, don't worry. I know it's overwhelming. Just remember to relax a little.