So many! I found our itinerary from 3 years that I'll copy from. We were incredibly lucky in that there wasn't rain for 3 weeks prior to us getting there so none of the trails were muddy but make sure you bring shoes you don't mind walking ankle deep (literally) in mud. We referenced this book to come up with our itinerary because our friends suggested it to us and I highly recommend it.

Hotel

Hilton Garden Inn Kauai Wailua Bay

This is where we stayed and we were super happy with it. It's right next to a beach park and we got to watch the sunrise every morning on the beach listening to the waves. The hotel provided us with a straw beach blanket and a cooler and we used that throughout our trip. Also it's walking distance away from a strip mall that had a lot of good food options. We were able to walk there every evening for dinner which was nice since we didn't have to drive.

Food

Lava Lava Beach Club

The happy hour is amazing. The prices are super reasonable (don't go for dinner or lunch, the prices are absurd). You get to have the toes in the sand experience with $3 mai tai's and super yummy appetizers. I can't explain how much we loved this place. We still talk about it to this day.

Hikes

Pihea Trail

This was by far our favorite. It's basically bouldering throughout the entire hike which was awesome. Be prepared to get muddy!

Kalalau Trail

Unfortunately we didn't get to do this since it was closed for trail maintenance but apparently it's a must. We want to go back just to do this trail. Word of advice, check online to make sure it's open before driving all the way out there.

Group Activities

We booked two group activities because we didn't want to rent our own kayaks or stand up paddle boards and we wouldn't have known where to go with them. We had a blast and the guides we had were fun and I highly recommend it:

• Kauai Stand-Up Paddle Board Tours – Downwind River Adventure
  
• Wailua Waterfall Kayak
  
  There's a ton more to do and if you are interested I can share my itinerary with you, I didn't want to make this post too long (too late). There's a lot of great ideas in the guide book. Let me know if you have any questions!

Ok, here's a tutorial of sorts. These were super easy to make, and I am not very crafty.

Materials:

7" vases - Dollar Tree

9" vases - Dollar Tree

10.5" vases - Amazon

Glass stones - Amazon

Submersible LED lights - Amazon

Calla lilies - Amazon
I ordered orange and navy. My wedding color blue is royal blue, not navy, but as you can see in the photos they are pretty light for navy, and are passable for royal blue.

The flowers come in a variety of colors, so if you're into calla lilies you can make these work. They have wires in the stems, so I just bent the stems up and played around with height and color combos until I had a set up I liked. Then I used those flowers as a template to cut the other flower stems to length with wire cutters.

The calla lilies float if they are not weighed down, so I hot glued the end of each stem to one of the glass stones and buried it under the rest of the stones. Worked perfectly, and you can't see it in the final set up.

The Dollar Tree vases are FANTASTIC, and I suggest looking there first no matter what type of vase you're looking for since they have a variety. They didn't have the taller vases I needed so I had to spend a bit more to get them from Amazon, but kept total costs to about $250 for 10-12 centerpieces. I don't think there's an appreciable difference between the Amazon vases and Dollar Tree vases, they go very well together.

My original plan was to use floating candles instead of LED lights, but I really liked how the shadows are cast with the uplighting from the submerged LEDs. It also makes a little bit of a blue glow through the stones. I am making another one-vase decoration (same thing, just the medium-sized vase instead of 3) with a floating candle next to a written memorial for my dad and my fiancé's and my grandparents who have passed. The point is floating candles definitely work for these if that's your thing.

Anyway, I'm happy to provide more info by request, though I think this pretty much covers it!

Get this book: The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook: Kauai Revealed

It is SUPER helpful. That being said our highlights from our trip were the helicopter ride, ATVing, and kayaking. I highly recommend kayaking the Wailua River to Secret Waterfall, we just rented the kayak and did it ourselves rather than do an official tour, super easy and nice to go at our own pace, prepare to get muddy lol. I also highly recommend spending at least a day to drive up Waimea Canyon and hike around, the views are jaw dropping (see my post history for my engagement pictures there). There’s also a great restaurant nearby that’s a little hole in the wall place called Da Booze Shop, great place to refuel in between hikes.

Edit: I forgot to mention if you’re a dog person and have some flexibility in your schedule you can check out a dog at the Kauai Humane Society and take them on a field trip. We did this and took him to the beach, it was a blast.

Gift cards are always nice - generic ones like Amazon, Michaels, Etsy, or more specific experiences, like a mani/pedi, facial, dinner out?

For items - a nice picture frame if she's done engagement photos? Ultrasonic jewelry cleaner? I personally was a total disaster with organization, "wedding crap" all got stored in Amazon boxes that we collected over time, but maybe nice storage boxes for stuff and folders for contracts? A travel garment steamer to have on hand for last minute stuff? Or to go in a completely different direction, adult coloring books are great for stress relief.

Or, I know a lot of brides debate on what pinteresty getting-ready stuff to get - they're all extra and not necessary, but oh so pretty. So maybe one of those popular personalized hangers for her dress, or a nice robe, or champagne flutes?

I'm not much of a flowers person either, and the only flowers in my wedding are the bouquets and boutonnieres. I am having real flowers, but I'm lucky enough to have some connections to a florist so the flowers are fairly cheap. Also, when I was in a wedding where the bride used real flowers, the smell of some of the flowers could be so relaxing during the craziness of the day. Since everything leading up to my wedding has been so stressful, I just wanted the flowers to be something that would certainly be soothing should I stress out. :)

For our centerpieces, my fiance and I are renting mirrors from our reception hall and placing these floral bowls, filled with AquaGems and a submersible LED light underneath the AquaGems, on top of the mirrors. We had seen this done at another wedding, and it added a really neat glow to the room...and truthfully, the AquaGems are really fun to play with...

My soon to be mother-in-law was the only one upset that we aren't doing floral centerpieces, but I think it's because my bridesmaids and I have to be responsible for assembling the centerpieces and dropping them off at the reception hall, rather than a florist doing all the work. No one else has actually cared about that, though. Since my fiance and I are paying for everything ourselves, doing our centerpieces for 35 tables is way cheaper than floral centerpieces, especially since we were able to find all the pieces we needed in bulk or at Dollar Tree. After renting the mirrors, buying the materials (including shipping and tax costs), we averaged paying about $5 per centerpiece.

Actually, they've been done for like... a month now. I just forgot to share them!

So, I decided to DIY my own wedding invitations and RSVP cards since I'm keeping my wedding small and intimate. I wanted to keep the invitation simple and clean so I played around with fonts and layouts in Photoshop before I settled on the above. For the card itself, I went with a layered design to keep the clean look, but also have a border and a pop of color. I got the white card stock at work (we have so much!), the metallic champagne card stock on Amazon, and the matte mint card stock at Michaels. The cards were cut down to size and were put together using Scotch ATG tape.

It was only AFTER I had finished putting the cards together that I realized that I wanted to have a ribbon to tie the invitation and RSVP together. Luckily, I only put the tape on the edges, so I carefully cut two slits in the back of the mint card stock and wiggled a ribbon through. I made 40 invites & RSVPs, so I had do that 40 times. :x I would definitely recommend doing that before attaching your DIY cards together. It was a hassle trying to get the ribbon through each time.

But they are done and have been mailed out! I'm happy with how they turned out and am now anxiously awaiting all the RSVPs to trickle in. :D

One thing I should've mentioned... run this idea past your sister/MOH first, in case she's doing something already similar to this. Just say something like "I want to make a little something for everybody as a Thank You, what do you think of ____?"

And since your sister would "know" what your idea is for the rest of the girls, and because she is planning this, get her something extra or different as a Thank You :) Maybe like a necklace, fav perfume, wristlet, gift card to her fav store, OR an extra large bottle of wine haha. Besides the alcohol, Amazon (Prime, if you have) is awesome in terms of your timeline right now.

Not sure what your budget is, but here are some ideas:

Gift Bags

Totes

Temp Tattoos

Hair ties


Have fun!

I struggled with bacne for a while. I noticed it especially after I started going to the gym on a regular basis (not great incentive to keep going!). I started trying to change out of my gym clothes or shower right away. I'd also change my sheets more often. As far as products, I read that tee tree oil can help, so I started using the body wash from Trader Joe's that has tea tree oil. I also found this product and would apply after I got out of the shower. You have plenty of time to get it under control before your wedding, you may want to consult a dermatologist. They can prescribe creams and pills that may also help! Good luck

i bought one off amazon and got it in the mail yesterday-really gorgeous quality, soft and clean looking. tons of good reviews and if you’d like you can DM me and i’ll send you photos of the veil i got- it was ‘fingertip’ length and it was $12.99. so cheap for such a good quality.

Not OP, but I have used Dr Georges Dental White Gel based on a video that Jaclyn Hill posted, and I think its great. Supposedly its the same stuff as crest white strips, but you use a tray so that it stays in better, plus you get a lot more gel for a lot less $$. I'd recommend this to anyone who isn't going the dentist route.

I'm fair skinned and burn super easily, and my dermatologist recommended Elta MD's sunscreen - doesn't really smell like anything, and feels really light when it's on! And it's on Amazon Prime :)

Dr. George's Dental White Gel https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003GU46VK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_uJ9YBb07H5BCP

I’ve been using this stuff for years. It’s definitely a little harsh, but effective. If I use it too much, my teeth get a little sensitive. BUT it’s cheap and really works. I always get compliments on my white smile. Sensitivity goes away after about a week if you overdo it.

I'm sure the jewelers have much nicer ones, but this one is the best home model I've seen. My mom has had this one for years, and so when we got one a few years back, we got the same thing.

Generic Sonic Wave CD-2800 Ultrasonic Jewelry and Eyeglass Cleaner, White/Gray https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001DKDAVW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_j0bwybX80VAMZ

I keep this white mini bowl from Target in our bedroom (it's hard to see but it has a pretty lace pattern), and an elephant ring holder in the bathroom. I just need to find a cute one for the kitchen now.

Don't stress! I'm sure that whatever you choose will be lovely. An idea, My caterer recommended using bamboo plates for our dinner plates because they are cheaper and recyclable, but look pretty.
Here is an example:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0040MJR8A/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1415515492&sr=8-2&pi=SY200_QL40

This is what I do too. I have this cute little ring holder that works great!

Thank you! The dinner napkins and forks were purchased from Smarty Had a Party, and the bags, twine, and wet wipes were purchased from Amazon.

Altogether it cost $48.75 and made enough bags for 48 guests (could have made 60 if I purchased another 16 pack of napkins for $1.89) with 32 leftover forks that I'll put in mason jars on the appetizers & dessert table.

Amazon! I didn’t even think of it until I saw others suggest looking here. I wanted a plain veil because I wanted to keep the back details visible and didn’t want to compete with the lace top half of my dress.

I wound up getting a great fingertip length one for $13 - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071S7Z1VP/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_rPaNDbBE46RAM

Sticker photo corners are something really easy and inexpensive to do before hand. I bought these and in the end my book will look something like this.

Just a note though- get a book that's spiral bound or post bound if you are planning for a lot of photo pages. If you don't you'll end up with a book that won't close flat.

I don't know what you mean by watercoloring the edges. I think I would be concerned this watercoloring would rub off on my hands or on the food.

I echo /u/SuB2007 about the weight issue. (And the Oregonian in me has to cringe and foam) The last wedding I went to used bamboo plates and they were very strong, like these

Did you know Amazon will donate a portion of every purchase if you shop by going to smile.amazon.com instead? Over $50,000,000 has been raised for charity - all you need to do is change the URL!

Here are your smile-ified links:

Gift Bags

Totes

Temp Tattoos

Hair ties

---

^^i'm ^^a ^^friendly bot

I used this tape glider for this exact purpose, along with my save the dates and sealing the envelopes. It’s a little pricy but it works incredibly well.

I bought these and was pleasantly surprised with the quality.

Not sure how great it is personally but I have had this on my amazon wish list for forever since another bride on here suggested it a while back.

Have you heard of those water jelly things? I don't know exactly how they work but basically you have some jelly balls and they turn transparent when filled with water like [this] (http://www.amazon.com/Wholesale-Transparent-Vase-Floating-Separately/dp/B003D8O50C). I've never tried it myself but maybe the lemons would stay preserved longer?

I'm having a hard time stomaching the cost of veils, so I ordered this one from Amazon because it was $13 and had good reviews. Haven't received it yet, might end up with a different one.

THICC girl here so I know a thing or two about thigh rubbing.

I used Glide for Her. I actually first heard about it from this sub! It's usually used by runners and the like since they tend to experience a lot of friction in that area when they do what runners do. Anyways, I dig it. I can wear dresses without bloomers again! I wore it on my wedding day and a single application lasted through all the sweating, dancing, everything.

Yes! This is the silica gel I used and I needed the entire bag for the flowers pictured. I assembled everything with hot glue.

I just ordered the bulk of my stuff off of Amazon today!


- Advil (2 pill packs)
- Tylenol (2 pill packs)
- Pepto chewables (2 pill packs)
- Wet ones (single wipes)
- Single use toothbrushes
- Hand Lotion
- Bandaids

​

I'm also planning to get spray deodorant from the grocery store when I pick up baskets and put in Tide-to-go Sticks which we already have at home.

https://www.amazon.com/Wilton-307-350-cake-stands/dp/B002HFKMOU/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1542011658&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=multi+level+cake+stand&dpPl=1&dpID=31az3YTJxWL&ref=plSrch

I personally really like ones like this, so they’re like a tiered cake but slightly separated.

I bought an elephant ring holder after we got engaged to hold my ring, but I had to keep moving it from room to room. For Christmas, my fiance got me two more, the cat and the bunny from that set, and his mom got me a ring dish. Now I have to look for places I need to take my ring off just so I can use all four!

I have bacne, but it only gets bad when I use soap with perfume in it or some type of fragrance. Neutrogena has acne body spray, and it works really well! It is at Walmart and similar places. It works very well!
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003X18NPW/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=34097257282&hvpos=1t2&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11367314268007260712&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_pa83ewrvs_e

If you follow vistaprint on facebook they will tell you when they have 50% off, which is how we are getting STDs and invites. The thank you cards I found on amazon The thing with all this stationary is the cost of postage. We are getting 150 STDs for $52 but the postage will be $75 if we don't opt for a post cards STD.

I got these off of amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003T1S338/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

We have a "tree of life" / autumn theme going on with our wedding ( our cake is this design: http://www.dreamdaycakes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/ls-tree-cake-full.jpg and this is our ketubah and chuppah design: https://img1.etsystatic.com/005/1/5985588/il_170x135.470076237_fp35.jpg)

I have the same set and totally understand the obsession! If anyone is interested you can get them here!

i actually just bought this and snipped my bouquet into pieces last night. gonna make a shadow box with our cake topper i think.


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001H7HA80/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

One option: buy a blank album and the triangles separately.

E.g.
https://www.amazon.com/Personalized-register-hand-bound-decorations-engraved/dp/B01I2FEQMM

and

https://www.amazon.com/CANSON-100510401-Adhesive-Photo-Corners/dp/B0018NDBVS/ref=zg_bs_12898901_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=RFYQEG21433EGBQ1SXS2

What's the stalk part of your bouquet made of? Can you mod podge sheet music to it?

Edit:fixed link

https://www.amazon.com/Wilton-307-350-cake-stands/dp/B002HFKMOU

Modpodge: http://www.amazon.com/arts-crafts-sewing/dp/B001IKES5O

You could try using these weird floaty things. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003D8O50C/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I3I16RAX8RH3UR&colid=LOONHYQOWZC2

Gotcha. I think typically office visits are like $150 without insurance, but then most of the rosacea treatments are brand-name, so they'll be crazy expensive prescriptions without insurance.

Anywho, still an idea to keep in mind for the future when she gets on your insurance if she's often bugged by this!

EDIT: also, there's a really light-weight sunscreen by Elta that has an anti-redness ingredient (niacinimide) that lots of people with rosacea swear by. You can put it on under makeup. It's available on Amazon for ~$25