OOTs, AHRs & RSVPs—oh my!

So unless you are also planning a destination wedding, you’re probably wondering what the heck an OOT or AHR is—I myself hadn’t heard of either until we started planning our wedding last year. OOT is the abbreviation for basically the best loot bags ever—the Out Of Town bags, which we’ll be giving out to all of our guests in Jamaica. AHR is the abbreviation for the big party we’re planning right now—the At Home Reception.

So first, the OOTs! I would just like to say, if you’re one of our guests coming to Jamaica—PLEASE STOP READING NOW! I’m serious, don’t read on! Ang and Chrissy, I’m talking to you ;)  Ok just kidding, I won’t give away all the secret jems that will be hidden in each bag, but I’ll tell you that every guest will be greeted in their rooms upon arrival with a beach bag full of goodies to help them survive the week and have the most fun possible in Jamaica! Some examples of things that are usually included in the OOTs are “hangover survival kits,” (that include things like Aspirin and Tums) basic necessities like extra sunscreen and bug repellant and fun things like card games, puzzle books and other things to pass your time on the beach.  Each bag will also come with a handwritten note to the guest welcoming them to our wedding week in paradise!

Now, for our AHR, Karlo and I had to decide if we wanted to hold the Vancouver party right away after we got back from Jamaica, or if we were going to wait a bit until the dust settled, so to speak. Most destination brides I chatted with were having their AHRs right away, though some did decide to wait a while (4 to 6 months) after their trip to have theirs. In the end, we decided to have ours pretty quickly after we get back—we’re getting back on May 31^st and our AHR is two and a half weeks later on June 18^th. We decided to have the party right away because we really just can’t wait to party with all of our friends and family! Our AHR is going to be an extension of our trip, with the Island vibe infused into every aspect of the party—Caribbean food, reggae music and brightly coloured decorations will bring a bit of Jamaica back to Vancouver with us!

I have to admit, apart from the wedding ceremony itself, the part of the festivities that I am most looking forward to is the dance portion of the AHR—I can’t wait to boogie on down with all our people!  What part of your big day are you most excited about?

a) Saying your vows

b) The big feast!

c) Dancing your butt off

d) All of the above

For our AHR invitations we sent out postcards, to keep with the travel theme. Karlo designed them to match our wedding website…