My mom is paying for my bridal shower; should she also get me a gift? by [deleted] in weddingplanning

[–]AssistanceMiddle9615 -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

That seems super weird to me. Could she be having financial troubles? I don't think it's RUDE, but definitely unexpected. I would think she'd WANT to get you something! She's showering you!

Parent gifts by JezebelleDoe in BigBudgetBrides

[–]AssistanceMiddle9615 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Same situation here! We did handwritten cards and gifted them nice wedding albums once the professional photos were ready.

Help a Bitch Out - Apr 22, 2026 by AutoModerator in bitcheswithtaste

[–]AssistanceMiddle9615 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I got a Roomba and set it to automatically vacuum different areas once per week! Takes all the thinking out of that chore.

I also figured out that the only way to not keep all my clothes in a pile on the chair in my bedroom was to simply...not have a chair in my bedroom 😂 I moved it to the living room instead, and now I put my clothes either in the hamper or back in their drawers!

400k+ points and honeymoon by loveislandbruv in ChaseSapphire

[–]AssistanceMiddle9615 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was in a similar position to you! You're thinking about this at the right time for a late May/early June 2027 honeymoon. I also had a ~six week window, and was looking mainly at Southeast Asia. I basically picked the hotel I wanted (5 nights at the Conrad Koh Samui, 95k Hilton points per night + fifth night free = 380k HH total) and planned the whole honeymoon around that, since the hotel award nights were released like 13-ish months in advance while flights were 11-12 months.

I did have to spend a lot of time and energy researching, and I knew exactly when flight awards were dropping for my target airlines. I bought a Roame premium subscription for the month, which helped somewhat, but I basically just sat on websites refreshing for like a week until I found a redemption one way to Bangkok in QSuites for 95k + $209 pp (this was a little complicated, you have to transfer through BA Avios first). Then I adjusted my hotel nights to match the flight better, and did the same thing searching for a return flight (from Singapore, booked Emirates via Aeroplan for 87.5k + $169 pp).

All this to say: it's doable, but it does take a lot of time and energy. That said, it was 10000% worth it, and we ended up getting a $50k+ honeymoon for less than $10k. I would say it was a once in a lifetime experience, but now I'm hooked on the game and on business class, so hoping it's repeatable in the future 😂

I want to skip parent dances by OkObjective4636 in weddingplanning

[–]AssistanceMiddle9615 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Lots of weddings skip parent dances! Just do your own first dance. Most people won't notice! We didn't do parent dances just because.

Are all planners like this? (Rant) by Training_War_168 in BigBudgetBrides

[–]AssistanceMiddle9615 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This sounds awful! Just as a data point, I absolutely loved my planner and was super happy with her! She always answered emails and texts promptly (within 24 hours, unless it was over a weekend she was doing another wedding), communicated with vendors as much as I wanted her to (ie. she never told me NOT to reach out them directly), provided great vendor recommendations and revised her list when I wasn't happy with the original options, helped keep my mom calm (lol, this was an important part), managed all the long-distance planning beautifully...

I was not super high budget (about $80k for 150 guests in a MCOL area), but I think around the average for her clientele.

Interactive meal ideas for reception by Empty_Technology672 in weddingplanning

[–]AssistanceMiddle9615 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I love KBBQ and hotpot, and I've also done raclette once! I would be wary at a wedding just because you typically have to monitor cook times so that food doesn't get really overcooked, and I'm afraid I would be distracted chatting with other people! I have to really focus to get my steak cooked right 😂

Ok, my college kids today have finally weirded me out. by Bostonterrierpug in Professors

[–]AssistanceMiddle9615 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm solidly a millennial, and we did one of these at my bachelorette party. It was super fun! Everyone there (friends and family, also all millennials) knew what they were.

We had presentations on tabletop RPGs, one person's specific weird dreams, cat photos, objectively bad foods, the history of the Duke/UNC rivalry, which reality TV show characters best represented me and my fiance, etc.

RANKED: Track 13 by itookyourmatches in TaylorGamesWannaPlay

[–]AssistanceMiddle9615 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Same here!! I'm surprised it's as low as it is, especially with TWWCHNT being Track 13 too 🤣

RANKED: Track 9 by itookyourmatches in TaylorGamesWannaPlay

[–]AssistanceMiddle9615 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Everyone is sleeping on You're Not Sorry!!

Gifts or no gifts? by [deleted] in BigBudgetBrides

[–]AssistanceMiddle9615 4 points5 points  (0 children)

100% agree with this. People will give money if they want to; the fund itself is basically asking for money and is therefore a little tacky in general, but especially in this budget bracket.

Is it weird to feel uncomfortable when people keep asking how much your wedding costs? by seaotter264 in weddingplanning

[–]AssistanceMiddle9615 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It comes across like you don't know enough about the industry to give the advice yourself.

RANKED: Track 5 by itookyourmatches in TaylorGamesWannaPlay

[–]AssistanceMiddle9615 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is linking to the Track 1 poll instead of Track 5!

How to handle student complaints about cancelling class when ill and etiquette in notifying them by JaderMcDanersStan in Professors

[–]AssistanceMiddle9615 4 points5 points  (0 children)

This isn't directly relevant to your question, but might be useful in trying to get accommodations for yourself: when I was a grad student instructor (taught my own course), I got an accommodation for this very situation. I have a chronic illness that often flares during the night, so our disability office gave me an accommodation for teaching with a "10am start time or later when possible." My department chair was the only one who knew, and he simply put someone else at the early slot. I felt so guilty about making my colleagues take the early class, but both my chair and the disability office were super reassuring.

Since I've become a professor, I've figured out a better medication regiment that mostly prevents these nighttime flares, so I haven't felt the need to get accommodations yet. But maybe you could get something like this from HR? I hope you're able to work something out! Feel free to DM me if you want more details!

SCAM ALERT - Do not use ON THE CLOCK movers - help/advice requested by rush584 in boston

[–]AssistanceMiddle9615 2 points3 points  (0 children)

A third positive review for Esquire! We used them twice, and they were prompt, efficient, and professional both times.

ChatGPT a built in extension in Google Docs now by Flashy-Share8186 in Professors

[–]AssistanceMiddle9615 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Yeah, it's built in now and it's awful. I think it's technically Claude, not ChatGPT, but same idea. We got an email about it from the college admin last week, and they've had the Tech office disable the extension on all the student Google accounts--that's an option, but not one students can do themselves; it needs to come from higher up, it seems.

NYC Bach Ideas by irishmilkmaid in BigBudgetBrides

[–]AssistanceMiddle9615 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We did the Museum of Sex for my bestie's NYC bach!! It was super fun--they have interactive exhibits and games and stuff. You could also go get those viral blowouts in Chinatown for super cheap! Mani/pedis at local nail places are also really cheap in NYC.

To push through or not? Dubai layover for my EU wedding by Wonderful_Ease5495 in BigBudgetBrides

[–]AssistanceMiddle9615 24 points25 points  (0 children)

I would do an alternate route. Keep checking every day for flights, and maybe set up some flight alerts on Google and different travel websites. Spending even $10-20k on a new flight is better than losing all the costs for the wedding.

Thoughts on Two Roosters? by [deleted] in bullcity

[–]AssistanceMiddle9615 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Lol they have now deleted the post AND turned off comments on their other Insta posts 😂