figmentfan814AAR~LivingSeas~French Is. *I'm back and married! Will start TR soon!*

[figmentfan814]

Here is the start of my journal. I am going to try to figure out how to post pictures tonight when I get home.

I thought it was about time that I put together my planning journal since I have already gone down to Florida for my formal planning session. First, here is a little bit of info about me and my DF, Kris. I (Vanessa) work for our state’s version of C-SPAN and he works in marketing and planning for a hospital system down in Ohio. After graduate school last year, since the Michigan economy is really bad, he ended up having to take a job out of state.

Here is a little bit of background on how we met:

We met in a public speaking class during their freshmen year at the University of Michigan. He asked me out on a date and I promptly turned him down.

Later that week, when I went in for an interview for Student Government Council I was embarrassed to see him sitting at the table as a member who would be one of the people interviewing me. After two more attempts to ask me out, I finally agreed to go see the "Barber of Seville" opera at Whiting Auditorium and seven years later the rest is history.

Our engagement story is pretty unique. I have posted it before, but I will copy over the story again, so it is all in one place. I knew it was coming soon, but was pretty surprised by the entire scenario.

How We Got Engaged:

The day after Valentine's Day I received two envelopes in the mail. One had instructions on the outside not to open until 11:15 a.m. the next morning. When I opened the other envelope I found that Kris had cut out letters and numbers written out with instructions to arrive at a specific address the next morning at 8:55 a.m. Holding back my curiosity I went to bed without checking to see where I would be going the next morning.

When I arrived at the specified address I was excited to see that it was a spa. When I walked in I was asked what I was there for and I said that I had no idea! Once I gave them my name, I was told that my boyfriend had arranged for me to get a massage, facial, and to have my makeup done. I was also told that he had made special arrangements for someone to come in earlier, so I would be done at a specific time.

After two hours of exquisite pampering, I opened up the second envelope at the appointed time. The paper enclosed was a printout of the web site for Whiting Auditorium (a local theater which hosts Broadway shows, the area orchestra, and various concerts, etc.) The one difference was that instead of just having the regular web page it said “Now Showing” and had a picture of me along with our names listed for the upcoming shows. The page also read, "Go where it all began."

I then drove to the auditorium where we had first gone out seven years earlier to see the "Barber of Seville" opera. When I arrived, Kris was standing at the door and walked me into the lobby and down the stairs to the main floor of the theater. Once the doors opened I saw that all the lights were down except for one spotlight up on the stage. He then walked me down the main aisle and up on stage.

When we were under the spotlight he got on one knee and said that the last seven years were the best of his life and he could not imagine spending the rest of his life without me by his side. He then opened up a gold box that showcased a beautiful sapphire ring and asked me to marry him. Both of our moms were in the first balcony along with a few other friends and family members. Kris had also arranged for photos to be taken during the entire thing because he knows how important it is for me to capture memories in her scrapbook.

After I said, "Yes," they walked out where they were greeted by family and Kris gave me a huge bouquet of flowers. Apparently the theater, had urged Kris to come to an upcoming show where they would allow him to come on stage and ask me in front of the entire audience. He insisted that I would prefer to have privacy rather than having that moment shared with thousands of people and he was correct.

To top the entire experience off, he had made reservations at Redwood Lodge for the entire group. It's hard to imagine all the coordination that must have went into his plan when he is living nearly 300 miles away.

That is copied off our wedding web site that’s why it sounds kind of “scripted.”

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/86446-R1-10-5.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/FL000007.jpg

After I started showing people my ring everyone said that it is like the one that Princess Diana had for her engagement. I looked up pictures of it and they are pretty close to each other. I love dark sapphires, so I was pretty impressed when Kris picked it out on his own.

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/DisneyPlanningSession201.jpg

The day after our engagement my parents took us out for breakfast and asked us what we were going to do for the wedding. Everyone in my family had known that I had dreamed about a Disney wedding (long before I met Kris), but they wanted to know if that was actually what we were going to do now that it was official. Kris and I had decided that we would go ahead and move forward with the idea. We are both only children and wanted a small wedding with our close family and friends. We knew if we had it up in Michigan since both of our extended families are large it would quickly grown out of hand. I have to be honest Kris is not super excited about the idea of a DFTW. He likes Disney, but is not fanatic like my family. He has gone on several trips with us to WDW, but he is not obsessed. We have family that lives in the Orlando area, so we typically visit every year or so.

From there we started doing some research online and I put in my first call to DFTW. I knew I wanted to have the wedding somewhere different and even though the wedding chapel is beautiful I knew that location wasn’t for us. On one of the videographer’s websites I came across a sample video that showed a wedding ceremony at the American Adventure Rotunda and instantly knew that I had to get married there. Kris and I are both political junkies. I have worked on campaigns and he has run for office, so the American Adventure was a perfect fit. Plus, Epcot is my family’s favorite park.

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/DisneyPlanningSession066.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/DisneyPlanningSession118.jpg

After everyone found out about our engagement we put together packets with information on travel and our first newsletter. Some of our friends and family will be making this a Disney vacation while others have no desire to go to the parks. We tried to include information on all the different options that were available for entertainment and tried to make everyone understand how easy Disney travel will be for them.

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/WeddingNewsletter4-07-07_Page_1blac.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/WeddingNewsletter4-07-07_Page_2-1.jpg

It's a weird angle, but here are pictures of the packets.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Folders.jpg

We originally wanted to get married on Leap Day 2008, which would have been the 8th anniversary of our first date. Unfortunately, after I made my initial contacts to Disney we realized that having a Friday wedding would be too expensive with the additional minimum expenditures plus since we wanted to plan events leading up to the wedding it would not be very practical for our guests. Most of our wedding party will be arriving a few days in advance, so we realized having the weekend leading up to the wedding itself was a better idea. I would have also liked to have gotten married on March 1 (my grandfather’s birthday), but it fell on a Saturday which was even worse. In the end we picked March 3, 2008 that following Monday.

Since we are doing a theme park wedding at Epcot our ceremony has to be at 9 a.m. After the ceremony we are having a brunch reception at the Living Seas (originally we were booked at the American Adventure Parlor- I will explain more later) with a dessert party at the French Island that evening.

My colors are pastels. I wanted to do an old-fashioned wedding similar to the color scheme from the 1950s. Each of my four girls are wearing the same dress, but in different colors. The colors are green, pink, purple, and blue- all in pastel hues. The dress that I am thinking about going with is by Mary’s Bridal. I want to have some tank sleeves added since all my girls vary a lot in size and shape. The great thing is that the dresses come with jackets which will be great for the dessert reception since it can get a little chilly at night in March.

As I mentioned we are having four girls, out of these I have both a maid and matron of honor. On the flip side, we are having five guys. I wanted one of my male cousins to stand up on my side, so one of the groomsmen is actually walking down my FMIL since my DF’s parents are divorced. I might have a flower girl; I am still trying to make up my mind. We originally wanted to keep our wedding under 50, but the guest count has continued to grow. Our most recent count is 62.

Needless to say, my FMIL is not happy about our wedding being out of state and she is especially not happy that we are having a DFTW. The funny thing is that Kris wanted us to go to Reno and get married with just our parents there, so having it at Disney actually allows us to include more people. A few weeks ago her and I had a phone conversation about how she is disappointed that so many people that Kris wants at his wedding can’t be there. I reminded her that this was a compromise that allowed us to have more people than Kris’ original idea, but also kept us from having the huge grand affair with 300 people that would have occurred if we had our ceremony in Michigan.

Even though our wedding is in Florida, Kris’ dad’s family (his parents are divorced) wanted to have a reception up here. So, we have party planned for June 1, 2008. His dad was able to get us a hall and we are going to do a more relaxed atmosphere. We’re doing a garden theme and are planning on keeping it pretty casual. This is something else that my FMIL is not happy about with the wedding. She told my DF that I am being greedy wanting to have a party up here too. He and I both reminded her that it is something his dad wants for us and that she doesn’t have to invite her family and friends to the party.

I went down to WDW May 9-11 and was able to get a lot of things done for the wedding. Originally I had scheduled the trip to do some site visits and to look at some locations for rehearsal dinner, etc. In the end, it become much more than I had anticipated. We had signed our contract Easter weekend and I was contacted by our coordinator a week later. I was assigned Marion Stewart and she is absolutely wonderful. She has been with Disney almost 20 years and she really knows the ins and outs of DFTW. I know some people have had bad experiences, so I feel lucky to have gotten such a great coordinator. Her assistant Linda and my consultant Bill have all also been great.

When she found out I was coming down in a few weeks she offered to let us do our planning session. I was a little worried because I was originally making the trip with my mom and my DF and I were planning on coming back in September to get more of the formal planning done. I called him trying to see if we could work something out for him to make the trip down from Ohio and meet us in Orlando. It turned out that he had a major meeting with all the executives at work that was scheduled for the same morning that Marion had offered to do our planning session. At this point, I was a little panicked and called Linda (Marion’s assistant) right away to tell her that Kris couldn’t make the trip, so I would probably have to reschedule. She told me that she would talk to Marion to see what she wanted to do about the situation. I told her if they still wanted to meet that was fine, since Kris really only cares about the food and cake.

In the end, Marion wanted me to go ahead and come to meet with her during my trip. I also scheduled a site visit with Bill the day I arrived, so I could find an alternate location since we wouldn’t fit in the American Adventure Parlor anymore. For our 3 day trip I had also scheduled meetings at Fresh – restaurant in the Dolphin, Wolfgang Puck – Downtown Disney, and Portobello Yacht Club – Downtown Disney as possible locations for our rehearsal dinner.

Our trip- May 9:

We left Flint (about 50 miles north of Detroit) on a 7:00 am nonstop flight to Orlando. There were pretty bad thunderstorms when we took off and once in the air lightning flashed right next to our plane. It was the scariest thing that I have ever had happen in the air. There was a loud explosion noise and the cabin was bright with orange and red light. After that, our trip was pretty uneventful. At the Orlando Airport we headed for the Magical Express, along the way I took a ton of pictures to use in my future newsletters for our guests that I have never been to Orlando.

We had reservations at Pop Century, so we hopped on the bus to check-in. I have to admit we usually stay at POR and it had been over four years since I have been at a value resort. The rooms were okay, but these resorts are definitely geared for people with kids. We had a great time wandering around looking at the buildings, but definitely missed the atmosphere of the moderate resorts.

Once at the resort we put our carry-on luggage with the bell-hop and checked in then headed out for our first appointment. Since we had arrived at 11 am our room was not available, so we hopped on a bus to MGM to catch the boat to the Swan and Dolphin. We made it to our destination within two hours of landing at the airport, we felt pretty efficient! The first place on our agenda was FRESH, the Mediterranean marketplace restaurant. FRESH is only open for breakfast and lunch, closing at 2 pm, but they had a great private area that would be perfect for a rehearsal luncheon. The manager there was helpful giving us a tour of the restaurant. They offered a wide array of group menus that we could select or we had the option to let our guests eat off of their daily buffet. I am not big on Mediterranean food, but the food looked great and it offered a lot of options even for picky eaters.

Fresh
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/DisneyPlanningSession039.jpg

After that we had to race off for our next appointment which was with Shelley from Impressions at Franck’s. We took the bus from the hotel to the Magic Kingdom then hopped on the monorail to the Grand Floridian. For those of you taking Disney transportation to the wedding pavilion here is a tip. Even though I have seen the wedding pavilion a thousand times I didn’t realize that when you’re walking it’s actually closer to take the monorail to the Polynesian and then cut back behind Franck’s following the path for the luau.

To be continued....

[jasonandlisa]

I'm looking forward to hearing more about your wedding plans! Do you have a picture of your ring? It sounds very beautiful and unique. I love sapphires myself.

[purplegirl247]

Looks great so far. Very informative. Love the detail! :thumbsup2

[figmentfan814]

I'm looking forward to hearing more about your wedding plans! Do you have a picture of your ring? It sounds very beautiful and unique. I love sapphires myself.

I do have some pics, so I will make sure to post them. I have never posted any pics, so I have to try it tonight :)

[myprincessgirlisa]

wow....i really want to see those pictures...cant wait to hear more

[hisprincess]

Yay, I'm excited to hear all that you have planned. I'll be at WDW on March 3 since my wedding is the 4th. I think we'll be there until the 11th, maybe we'll run into each other.

[VistaLeigh'smommy]

Can't wait to see the pictures!!!

Great date by the way!!! My birthday is March 3rd!!! :thumbsup2

[figmentfan814]

When we met with Shelley she brought a lot of Figment items since I mentioned that I wanted to try to incorporate him into my reception in some way. Some of her ideas were really cute, but others were not that fantastic. I have to admit looking through her options for invitations she was a lot more expensive than places I had checked out online and locally. These prices didn't included adding licensing fees for any Disney characters that we might want added. Basically she said that she would recreate any invitations I saw and then add any other elements including Disney characters to personalize them. After some discussion, I came to the conclusion that I would want to incorporate Figment for our evening dessert reception. For our brunch, I would use Disney couples to name the tables.

Anyway, here is a summary of what I thought about Shelley, she had some really great ideas, but she seemed pretty overpriced. I don't know if it's because I have planned some large events, but I thought a lot of the stuff she did would be simple to do on your own for a lot cheaper price. I am having her send me some pricing on a few things like printed napkins (since I want Figment at night) and some programs. I will talk about Shelley again later in my report.

We only had 1 hour until our next meeting, so we ran next store to the Polynesian and grabbed lunch at Kona Cafe. I have been here for breakfast (great Tonga Toast- I recommend getting it grilled), but had not tried any other meals. The lunch was great and we got done in plenty of time to make it back to meet up with Bill.

[jasonandlisa]

I love all your pictures!! Thank you for posting them. Your ring is stunning!!!

[M&M126]

I love your PJ so far!! I cant wait to hear the rest :)

[figmentfan814]

After meeting with Shelley we met with Bill our consultant for some site visits. We went to the American Adventure Parlor (my original reception location), the Living Seas, the Marvin Gardens room at the Boardwalk Convention Center, and the Attic (my original second choice). If anyone wants pictures of these sites please let me know because I took a ton of them.

The Attic is fantastic. I would definitely do my reception here if I was only having around 30 people. The view overlooking Boardwalk is amazing and it is such a unique space. The one downside is that it is really far away from everything. It is not near an elevator, so you have to walk through several long, winding hallways. It is located directly above Jellyrolls.

The View
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/DisneyPlanningSession142.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/DisneyPlanningSession130.jpg

The Parlor is a great room, I was just concerned about space because it really does only hold 50 people. I will include some pictures anyway just to show everyone. The view overlooking the countries is great. One downside is that there nowhere to do dancing.

The View
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/DisneyPlanningSession103.jpg
The Cocktail Area
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/DisneyPlanningSession106.jpg
The Dining Area
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/DisneyPlanningSession114.jpg

[figmentfan814]

Yay, I'm excited to hear all that you have planned. I'll be at WDW on March 3 since my wedding is the 4th. I think we'll be there until the 11th, maybe we'll run into each other.

That would be fun. Of course, since our Magic Kingdom pictures are right after each other that is a possibility.

[figmentfan814]

Can't wait to see the pictures!!!

Great date by the way!!! My birthday is March 3rd!!! :thumbsup2

Then it sounds like we did pick a good day. :)

[Lynn5700]

Hi.I love your journal so far. I am also getting married in March of 08. Our date is March 12,and we are gettinng married at Seabreeze Point.

How long are you going to be staying for?

[figmentfan814]

At this point we are planing on staying through the 8th or 9th. We have definitely decided yet. It sounds like several of us are going to be down there that week :bride: :bride: :bride:

[figmentfan814]

We had an appointment at 9 am with Marion, so we left the Pop Century early in order to make it in time. The line for the Magic Kingdom bus was huge since it was early entry, so we decided to take the Epcot bus then use the monorail to get to the Wedding Pavilion.

Once at Epcot, we hopped on the monorail. Since it was so early we were able to ride in the front car!

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/DisneyPlanningSession218.jpg

When we arrived at Franck's we were escorted into a waiting room and were provided with refreshments. A few minutes later, Marion came in to meet us.

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/DisneyPlanningSession244.jpg

Right away we started talking about the various locations that we had visited the day before and then we tried to narrow down options for the reception. When she found out that we had not visited Ariel's she went to find out if it was available that morning. I had originally not wanted to check out Ariel's because of some of the things I had heard about the colors and the hanging fish from the ceiling. Apparently, the large fish tank is out of commission now, so there isn't a live aquarium anymore.

When she went to check on availability she discovered that a wedding which was just finishing in the pavilion was booked for a reception in less than an hour. We raced out to the car and she drove us over for a quick peek. When I saw Ariel's I thought it would be a perfect fit, the more lighter colors would fit in perfectly with my color scheme. All the tables were set up with snow globe centerpieces and I got to see one of the cakes up close.

After a few minutes we headed back out to the car just as the bus with the reception guests was pulling up to the hotel. We had perfect timing. :cool1:

Once we got back to Franck's, Laura from Disney Floral was waiting to meet with us. While we got started, Marion went and checked on availability for my wedding date and unfortunately another DB beat me to it! After some discussion with Laura and Marion (and after looking at some other wedding set ups in the Living Seas) we decided to move our reception to this location. I was originally a little hestitant because I did not want to go with a water/beach theme. Neither my DF or I are much into the beach, so we wanted to avoid that for the wedding.

After talking about it, we came up with some ideas that would use our theme and just have the walls looking into the Living Seas more as ambiance. It is also really convenient for our American Adventure Rotunda ceremony. Our guests will just have a quick bus ride over to the Living Seas. Plus, the room will be great for all of our guests who have never been to WDW. I wish I would have known that I was going to end up at Living Seas because I would have gotten better pictures during our site visit the day before with Bill. I am glad I checked out the bathrooms because I hate having a great location with bad facilities for your guests. :)

Here are a couple of my pictures from the Living Seas:

The tables; we are switching the green overlays for white. I am considering adding color napkins in the pastel colors that match the bridesmaids dresses.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/DisneyPlanningSession085.jpg

The Pre-Reception Area:
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/DisneyPlanningSession078.jpg

The Piano- I fell in love with this piano. I play and am considering playing something as a surprise for my DF. I haven't decided for sure if I will be up to it or not.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/DisneyPlanningSession089.jpg

Here is the walkway that leads from the elevator to the main rooms.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/DisneyPlanningSession093.jpg

This gives perspective of the rooms. The pre-reception area is to the left and the tables for dining are straight to the left.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/DisneyPlanningSession094.jpg

One great thing about this location is that we will not have to pay for any set up time for our pianist. Another plus is that since we are not doing a ton of dancing we don't have to pay to have a dancefloor put down.

[DVCGirl49]

Awesome PS trip report so far! Can't wait to see/hear more.

BTW, we are doing the Living Seas and American Adventure for our wedding events as well. If you need any more/different pics, PM me your e-mail address.

Brandi
aka DVCGirl49

[figmentfan814]

By the time I had arrived at my planning session I still had no real theme in mind for the wedding. Once I sat down with Laura (Disney Floral) I ended up making a lot of decisions that helped move me towards a theme. Since the wedding is in March I wanted lots of spring flowers- irises, daffodils, hydrangeas. My favorite flowers are snapdragons, but during my research I had discovered that you can't really use them in any bouquets.

When I first sat down with Laura and started giving her the types of flowers that I was considering she was able to come up with a great scheme for all the arrangements, bouquets, etc. Since each of my bridesmaids is in a different color I wanted to have their bouquets correspond with the color that they were going to wear. My bouquet will then be a mixture of all the colors. The boutonnieres for the groomsmen will match their respective bridesmaid.

She was great at offering suggestions on other flowers that could be used in the arrangements and even helped figure out flowers that I liked but didn't know their names. She even found greenery that I remembered from my grandpa's garden growing up. I didn't know the name, but after giving a brief description she knew exactly what I was talking about, she was such a great help!

I wanted the handles of the bouquets to be a Tussie Mussie type style. When I mentioned this she was able to show me a great alternative that is actually made out of a heavy plastic, but is a lot cheaper. Since I don't really think that any of my girls are going to be too sentimental about holding on to their bouquet holder I decided to go this route.

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/DisneyPlanningSession248.jpg

For our moms, I wanted to do something different, so I am going with these purse-like arrangements. There is a small compartment for them to use as a purse and it comes with an extra container in case they ever want to do another arrangement for a future event. They come in a variety of colors and I wish I would have written down all the choices. These are similar to the ones that were the bridesmaids carried in the Brides magazine fantasy wedding; the only difference was theirs were the larger version.

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/DisneyPlanningSession247.jpg

Laura told us a little bit about her experiences working on the fantasy wedding. She said that a lot of the crew including herself spent 30 hour straight in the Magic Kingdom getting things ready for the wedding.

We also talked about options to add embellishments to my bouquet. Here are some charms that you can have added.

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/DisneyPlanningSession249.jpg

I read in a bridal magazine about using antique broaches or jewelry to add sparkle to a bouquet, so I am planning on using something from my grandmother who passed away. We are also going to have empty chairs placed in the front row for each of our grandparents who have passed away. Since we are using spring flowers a white iris will sit on each chair. In total there will be three chairs on each side since Kris and I both only have one grandparent who is living.

Of course, I am planning on adding a few hidden Mickeys too :)

Laura was also a great help with the other items for the decor. She kept us going with the garden type theme carrying it over into the centerpieces and other items. For the ceremony we decided to add the $8.50 chair covers. I have seen pictures of the dark chairs in the Rotunda and didn't like the look, so we decided that this was one area we could splurge on. By using the covers we wouldn't have to pay the delivery charges that you have with renting chairs. For the $8.50 price that includes a ribbon sash tied around each seat. Since we will have five rows, Laura suggested using the four colors from the bridesmaids- blue, purple, pink, green, and then add in yellow as an accent. In the end we will have one entire row of each color, which I think will look nice. We also went with the plain cotton covers because we worried that the satin ones would be slippery.

To be continued...

[jodeeluvsdisney]

The floral purse arrangements are soo cool! I wish I knew if my Mom and FMIL would carry those...they are kind of weird like that. I love your ring too! Keep the pictures coming, they're great!

[figmentfan814]

The floral purse arrangements are soo cool! I wish I knew if my Mom and FMIL would carry those...they are kind of weird like that. I love your ring too! Keep the pictures coming, they're great!

My mom thought they were great (she was at the planning session); I haven't sprung the idea on my FMIL. My fingers are crossed ;)

[figmentfan814]

My DF was up from Ohio this weekend, so I didn't get a chance to finish my report. We got our engagement pictures taken, so I should be able to post those soon.

Back to the planning session...
For the centerpieces we ended up picking hanging votive holders. I forgot to get a picture, but here is one that shows a much smaller version. Ours will actually be more like a tree and will hold 12 votive holders. Disney Floral actually has three different sizes of these holders; we went with the smaller versions. Half of these will include candles and half will have floating blooms. There will also be petals sprinkled around each one. Since at the Living Seas you have to leave the existing setup we will have a few extra tables. These tables will have a few single votives with some sprinkled petals.

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Votive.jpg


Even though the tables at Living Seas have a blue cloth with a green overlay you can exchange the overlay for white at no additional charge. We are considering adding some more color with a thin overlay or with colored napkins.

We are using the bouquets to decorate the cake table and a centerpiece with snapdragons (since they couldn't go in my bouquet) and other spring flowers will be made for the head table.

For the evening dessert party we are going to have a little bit more fun. We aren't having any kids under the age of five at the wedding and reception, so we wanted the evening to be kid-friendly. We are going to do a Figment theme. Laura has done the glowing candles with Figment floating in the water. I wish I had a picture to share, but I still haven't seen one yet. :) They have done these for another wedding. Basically, it will be the glass cylinders with a floating candle the water will be died to the bright colors- purple, orange, etc. and a figment character is placed inside looking free floating. We are going to get some Figment napkins from Shelley and are going to give away glow necklaces and toys as favors. We really want to have glow ice cubes and we are on the lookout for a good deal if anyone finds one please let me know
:thumbsup2

[figmentfan814]

I finally figured out how to make the photos smaller for my posts! :yay:

After we finished up with Laura we had our cake tasting. Since Kris couldn't make it this trip Marion said we will have a second tasting when we return in September.

I had requested the peanut butter cup filling and the carrot cake and both were on the tray. I have to admit it was kind of odd that they didn't give us a cream cheese filling to try with the carrot cake. I guess that will have to get added to my requests for the fall.

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/DisneyPlanningSession250.jpg

The fillings we were able to try were amaretto, bailey's, raspberry, butter cream, peanut butter cup, chocolate mousse, bavarian cream, and white chocolate mousse. My favorites were #1 peanut butter, #2 amaretto. We also both liked the baileys, but I am afraid it might be too rich for some people.

I am curious if anyone has tried the lemon or orange cakes? I think I might add them to my list for September.

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/DisneyPlanningSession252.jpg

If I had to choose today I would go with peanut butter cup and chocolate cake for one layer, carrot cake with cream cheese filling for another, and something plain for the third layer.

I will have to post the cake design that we chose off of the CD tonight. I wanted a square or hexagon shape, so I was a little bit more limited. The design we picked has hexagon layers with different flowers on it. The picture has everything in cream, but I am having the flowers colored. I am having some modifications done including separating the layers and adding pastels to the flowers. I really want the cake to be different. It was quite an ordeal describing all of our requests to Marion. I think she was beginning to see how indecisive I can be on some things. :rotfl:

We also want to have some fresh flowers between the layers and a few hidden Mickeys mixed in throughout. I am leaning towards the chocolate castle topper, but have not definitively decided yet.

[sunsh1ne]

your cake tasting looked good. i wich i could have the ob to try and the rasberry sounds so yummy.

has anyone used the rasberry mousse?

[jasonandlisa]

your cake tasting looked good. i wich i could have the ob to try and the rasberry sounds so yummy.

has anyone used the rasberry mousse?

We selected the raspberry mousse! It was our favorite by far. We're using it for all three layers. (Two with chocolate cake, one with yellow.)

[figmentfan814]

The raspberry was really good with the chocolate cake. I love berries, but not too many people in our families do so we probably won't go with it. I do agree though the raspberry was great!

[figmentfan814]

Here's the picture of the cake. I am having them color all the flowers in pastels to match my theme. Each layer will also be separated with columns with fresh flowers in between. I'm still undecided with a topper; I'll probably end up with the castle.

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Cake.jpg

After the cake testing, we talked about a lot of the other details such as music, seating assignments, and transportation. We decided to get two limos for the bridal party and parents with one bus for our guests. We are dangerously close to needing a second bus, so hopefully there aren't too many last minute surprises of extra guests. We are at 46 people with a limit of 50. The other problem we had is that several of our guests will have motorized scooters. Getting a handicapped accessible bus would drastically reduce the seating, so Marion suggested getting wheelchairs to use for the four people who will have the scooters. All of our guests with the scooters (grandparents, great aunts, and one member of the bridal party) can walk on their own they just have difficulty with distance, so we should be okay. We are going to designate a couple of the guys for the "wheelchair brigade."

I'm still undecided on the exact music for the ceremony and reception. We are going to have a piano for the reception and possible a keyboardist and guitar player at the ceremony. Since my cousin is a musician at Epcot we can request to have him play at our ceremony. He plays at Norway and for corporate parties, but they will allow us to have him play for the wedding.

The planning session went on for quite a long time. We were scheduled to be done at 1 p.m., but we did not get out of there until around 2:15 p.m. Marion was fantastic! Any question we had she immediately found out the answer. She had to leave straight from our session to head to a wedding, but she made sure that we did not feel rushed on any of our decisions.

After we left our planning session we raced over to Epcot to meet my cousin. Since we didn't have passes this trip he was going to get us into the park. Unfortunately when we got up to the gate, his guest pass wouldn't go through. After several phone calls, he found out that the computer had generated a new card for him and that his current one (even though it was dated through the end of 2007) was no longer valid. They told him that he could pick up his new card in Kissimmee the next afternoon. Oh well, it was a little disapointing but we survived.

We headed over to the Beach Club instead and grabbed lunch at Beaches and Cream. It was nice to have some time to spend with him even if we didn't make it into the park.

That also gave me a chance to go over to the Boardwalk Bakery to check on ordering a groom's cake. Since I wanted it for the rehearsal dinner Marion had suggested using them. I got the card for the head pastry chef and the pricing information. I need one to feed about 30 people and want it to be decorated like a moose (Kris' nickname from high school and college) will run about $80, which I didn't think was too bad.

While walking over to Boardwalk I also saw Randy Chapman taking some engagement pictures, so I walked up and introduced myself :)

That evening we went to Downtown Disney and I found a Swarovski tiara that I fell in love with for the wedding. Little did I know at this point, I eventually ordered the Cinderella tiara through the Labor Day sale at the outlets. Thank you to everyone for this great tip.

The next day we got up and checked in with the Magical Express then we headed out for our appointments. We had appointments arranged at the Portobello Yacht Club and at Wolfgang Puck. We ended up being a little late to our first meeting because I forgot during the day that the bus also goes to the waterpark on the way to Downtown Disney.

At Portobello they offer an indoor seating area or an outdoor patio. Both looked great and the restaurant serves both lunch and dinner, so the menus had a great variety. We could bring in our own centerpieces and favors, but would have to pay a $2 cutting charge per person for the groom's cake. The deposit for the location would be $300.

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/DisneyPlanningSession356.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/DisneyPlanningSession347-1.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/DisneyPlanningSession350.jpg

We then walked down to Wolfgang Puck. They have an area downstairs in the express that can be used during the day or a more formal area upstairs for dinner. Upstairs they had a great view and they pulled curtains to provide privacy from the rest of the diners. Their prices are a little more. I've eaten at the express before and the food is great!

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/DisneyPlanningSession370.jpg
Downstairs
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/DisneyPlanningSession364.jpg
Upstairs
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/DisneyPlanningSession365.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/DisneyPlanningSession366.jpg

After these meetings we headed to the campground for lunch at Trails End Buffet- they have great fried chicken and chili! I wanted to get some pictures for a newsletter since we are doing a hay ride for our welcome party. You can rent one completely out for $300; I will talk about this more later.

We then took the boat to the Magic Kingdom and then grabbed one to the Grand Floridian. I wanted to pick up some information at the Garden View Tea Room since we are scheduling a tea with all the ladies the day before the rehearsal.

Next we headed back to Pop Century. Since we got back early we walked around to see all the buildings for the different decades then we headed on the Magical Express to make our way home.

[figmentfan814]

Now that I finally finished my trip report I thought I would include some information on the rest of my planning so far for the wedding.

Here is the basic information, which I have kind of already mentioned.

Photographer: Randy Chapman
Videographer: Stan from STVS Video

I have to thank everyone on this board for helping me find these great guys. We are saving a ton of money and I have the peace of mind of knowing who I will be dealing with in advance.

We have also opted for the Magic Kingdom photo shoot. This is one area that I really wanted to spend a little extra on, so we decided to do this instead of having characters at the reception. We are doing the two park option with pictures at MGM too. The great thing is since our wedding is at Epcot we will have three of the parks covered! :cheer2:

The biggest pain has been finding a dress. I have been to 9 bridal shops and have tried on way to many dresses to count. I know I am driving my mom crazy over the entire dress dilemma. :headache: There have been two kinds of favorites, but I am still up in the air. One is on the verge of being out of my budget and the other is one that the shop will sell me off the rack.

The first dress is by Demetrio's is exquisite. The problem is that even with a slight discount since I have to custom order it; the overall cost is about $400 more than I originally was going to spend. I have pretty much ruled this one out, but it's always nice to dream. I would have added capped sleeves to help cover my broad shoulders.

The dilemma with the second option is that the dress is too long for me. Since the bottom of the dress has intricate beading the only option is to have me loaded up with two crinolines plus they would add extra tulle to the dress. On top of that I would have to wear a two inch heel when I was planning on wearing flats. This one is by Mary's, but it is part of their fall collection so there isn't a picture available online yet.

I am looking for very particular things which have kind of limited my choices. I wanted a detachable train since we have the early morning Epcot wedding and brunch with the dessert party that evening. We will be going around with Randy taking pictures at some of the other resorts in between, so I am going to have my dress on all day, so a detachable train is a must for me.

For my jewelry I did reserve the Cinderella bracelet, tiara, and necklace from Swarovski. Based on the types of dresses I have been looking at with such intricate beading I probably won't end up wearing the necklace. I thought I better buy it just in case at that great price!

The bridesmaids’ dresses are a little easier. I have it kind of narrowed to two different options. I wanted to find something that came with a wrap or jacket for them to wear at the dessert party that evening. Here are my top two choices so far. Both are from Mary's- one of them won't let me save the picture, so I'm just giving the link to it. Again each of the four girls is wearing a different color- blue, purple, pink, and green.

Here I am with my maid of honor, Judi (on the right), and my matron of honor, Marquitta (on the left.)
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Movie003.jpg

I will probably have some kind of strap added to this one. My girls are a wide array of sizes, so I want to make sure that they all feel comfortable.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/BridesmaidwithButterfly.jpg

The link for the second dress is:
http://www.marysbridal.com/modernmaids/m1513.htm

More to come...

[hisprincess]

Beautiful bm dresses, they are very elegent and the colors are very springy(I just made that word up). It makes me want to switch to a custom so that I can have some bms!

[figmentfan814]

Things are really starting to fall into place this week. My official "Save the Dates" went out from Disney and everyone loved them. Then since I had today off of work I headed out to look at a couple more dress shops. I have really been getting frustrated since I now (after today) have been to 11 shops and tried on almost 75 dresses. I know that is probably way too many and as I mentioned before I have found a couple that I liked, but was no where near making a decision. I have been looking for so many specific things it really narrowed my search.

Anyway, my mom road along with me to check out dresses at two shops that were about 1 hour north of us. At the first one I found two great dresses. One had blue lace and beading on it and was really unique; the only downside is that the front was really ornate, but the back was pretty plain- it was by Maggie Sorrento. Since the ceremony is at the American Adventure Rotunda, I really wanted a formal gown. There was a second option there that even had a detachable train which is something I wanted considering the long day I will be having- this one was by Mon Cheri. It was beautiful, but I decided to check out one more store. I told my mom that this was going to be it I wasn't going anywhere else!

This shop is actually in a really small town way out in the middle of nowhere. Ironically, I discovered tonight after going home that yesterday they were named one of the top three bridal shops in the entire state of Michigan by the Detroit News. For any of you other Disney brides from MI the shop is Unique Bridal in Auburn towards Midland right off I-75.

Anyway, to make a long story short I think I finally found my dress. It is part of the Signature Collection by the Private Label by G. It doesn't have a detachable train, but it is not heavy even when it is hooked up for a bustle. The front design is almost identical to a Mary's dress that I liked before, but the best thing about this is that it already comes with cap sleeves, which I would have needed added to any of the other dresses that I liked at other stores.

Here is the picture from the company web site:
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/1257-2.jpg

Here are some pics of me at the store, I was so tired today and I look like it in the pictures :eek:

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/DisneyPlanningSession520.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/DisneyPlanningSession522.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/DisneyPlanningSession519.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/DisneyPlanningSession523.jpg

[pooh98378]

Your dress is beautiful!!!!

[shezfrombermuda]

What a beautiful dress! I like the style of the sleeves and the detail on the dress.

[jenny08]

You look great in that dress!

[hisprincess]

I've heard of that place, but I never ended up going. Your dress is BEAUTIFUL!

[mla1977]

I'm really enjoying reading this. I would love to have a Disney wedding, but I think a Disneymoon might suit us better. (Now if only I could get the ring...)

[figmentfan814]

I'm really enjoying reading this. I would love to have a Disney wedding, but I think a Disneymoon might suit us better. (Now if only I could get the ring...)

I know that feeling, we were together 7 years before we got engaged. Although, I wasn't really ready for the ring until the last two. :love:

[figmentfan814]

First, I wanted to thank everyone for the compliments on the dress. I'm not sure what color I want- white or ivory. I'm using my mom's viel, so we're having it cleaned to see which color it matches. The veil right now is closer to an off-white. We're having it cleaned and then are going to go back to decide before I order.

Lots of other great stuff has happened. All my "Save the Dates" from Disney went out to our guests. Everyone loved them! :yay: Now I am going to have to put together the next newsletter for all the guests.

*Spoiler Alert* The best part was today we got our annual passes in the mail from our sales rep along with our copy of the signed contract. The lady at the post office asked me if I knew someone that was getting married at Disney. When I told her that I was she was so excited because she had watched the different specials on food network. It's amazing how many people get excited over DFTW.

Here I am with the passes:
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/TeddyRoosevelt020.jpg

We are going down in September for our menu tasting, but are going to wait to activate our passes until we go down for the wedding trip. We want to have the passes last all the way until right before our first anniversary in 2009. My DF and I already have a deal that we will go to Disney the week before our anniversary (before our passes run out) then will go to some spring training baseball while we're down there. I get my Disney fix and he gets his sports fix!

[hisprincess]

Does that shop do gown alterations?? If not, can I ask if you happen to know where you are getting yours done? I did not get my dress from davids bridal, and the shop I got it from doesn't do alterations, so I have no clue where to get it done. I thought I would ask another michigander if you knew of someone good to go to? Thanks so much!

[figmentfan814]

Does that shop do gown alterations?? If not, can I ask if you happen to know where you are getting yours done? I did not get my dress from davids bridal, and the shop I got it from doesn't do alterations, so I have no clue where to get it done. I thought I would ask another michigander if you knew of someone good to go to? Thanks so much!


That shop does do alternations, but I am having them done by a lady out of Millington. She is retired from working at bridal shops (in Flint and Birch Run areas) and has a small business out of her home now. One of my bridesmaids is having hers done by a lady in Flint. I can PM or email you the info if you want for either or both of them. The lady out of Millington that I am using is always really reasonable, I of course have never had a wedding gown done before but she did all my prom dresses and other formal dresses for some events in college. Just let me know. :)

[hisprincess]

It sounds like the lady your going to must to a pretty good job if you've continued to go to her that much. Could you PM or email me the info for her?? Thanks. My email is mrrobin2@svsu.edu

[figmentfan814]

Okay, I thought I would catch everyone up on some of my general planning to date. I know I already posted my first newsletter, but here is some more information about the folders that we put together for everyone- which included the newsletter.

We went to AAA and had a travel agent order a stack of Disney brochures. We have a lot of guests that have not been to Disney before, so we wanted general overviews of the parks, etc. We also got pricing information on packages because the discounts (if people are going to the parks) work out better for our guests. I spoke with my DFTW coordinator and all I have to do is get their reservations numbers to make sure that they count towards my room blocks. One note, for anyone just coming to the wedding and not buying any tickets it is better for them to use the room block that we have set up through DFTW. Our blocks are for All-Star Movies, Port Orleans-Riverside (my family's favorite resort), and the Fort Wilderness Cabins. We are also adding Beach Club to the block. We picked the cabins since we thought some of the groups might want to stay there and especially since my DF's family was complaining about costs of travel this would give them a option with a full kitchen.

We are also arranging for discounts through AirTran Airways for our guests. The discount is 10 percent off, so we had a brochure for AirTran in their initial packets too. We are doing this through their Event Savers http://www.eventfares.com/eventsavers.aspx If we get 30 guests to use this (which we probably will in the end) we will get a free ticket too!

Here we are putting together the packets. We put together 30 all together and even had a few of the Disney planning videos sent with the AAA brochures that we included for some of the families.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Grayling148.jpg

The packets had a handwritten note using the "Year of a Million Dreams" free stationary download from the Disney site. Here is the info on downloading the stationary if anyone is interested. It won't allow you to post a direct link, so here are the directions. Go to www.disneyparks.com then on the left hand side at the bottom click on "Free Downloads." Then on the right under Dream Downloads click "Letterhead" it really is so cute I highly recommend printing one off. It allows you to customize the heading with a name, etc.

We also included Save the Date magnets that we printed using magnetic paper. I got the design through one of the great ladies on the Creative Board.

The magnets:
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Grayling143.jpg

I wanted something with Epcot since that is where our ceremony and receptions are being held. The design by itself:
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/EpcotWedding2Personalized.jpg

We printed off this design and put it on the outside of all the folders (Creative Board) which were just plain red pocket folders. We also got some Mickey paint swatches from Home Depot and peeled them from their backing and used them as tags on the front of the folders. We then printed off names to attach to the tags (I'll have to get some pictures to post.)
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/engagedKrisVanessa.jpg

I thought I would also post that this design (as seen on my newsletter) was also done by someone on the Creative Board. What a great resource; it saved me tons of time from having to do something on my own.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/KANDVMonogramw-outShadow.jpg

I am going to be putting together my second newsletter this week. A lot of people were confused after they got their Save the Dates from Disney, so I'm going to have to include a step by step for reservations for 1- if you're going to the parks; 2- if you're just coming for the wedding. While I was down for my planning session I also got some brochures for golfing and other activities. I want to send these out to all our non-theme park going guests.

I also picked up park maps, but am probably going to save these for our welcome bags at the actually wedding. We got a stack of "First Visit" and Birthday pins to hook to the bags of our guests. I wanted to make sure that I had these in advance in case they don't have the "First Visit" ones next year.

[JaxTeach]

I really like your information folders for your guests. I am working on our first newsletter and have been collecting park maps each time we visit the parks. You mentioned receiving your first stack of "First Visit" pins. Did you call Disney to get those? I've seen a lot of people include them with their Welcome Bags and wasn't sure how to get them.

[figmentfan814]

I really like your information folders for your guests. I am working on our first newsletter and have been collecting park maps each time we visit the parks. You mentioned receiving your first stack of "First Visit" pins. Did you call Disney to get those? I've seen a lot of people include them with their Welcome Bags and wasn't sure how to get them.

Thanks! The folders were a lot of work, but people really seemed to enjoy getting them. The only bad part was having to mail it to some of our out of state family and friends because the postage added up quickly!

I actually went to the concierge desk at my hotel when I was down for my planning session. I told them that I was putting together bags for my upcoming DFTW and asked if I could get some pins for my guests. They were pretty helpful and gave me what I needed. I ended up getting 15 pins in all, so I didn't ask for a ton.

A good tip that I got from my wedding planner about getting park maps is to go to Downtown Disney. At the World of Disney (by the checkouts) and at Guest Relations they have maps for all four parks, so I was able to get big stacks including ones for the Epcot Resort area (boardwalk) and Downtown Disney.

[lajones81]

Sounds great! I can't wait to read more! :) :) :)

[figmentfan814]

I was so excited this weekend we ordered two Leave a Legacy tiles. :cool1: We were originally only getting one, but I couldn't resist adding the second since we are getting married at Epcot. The best part was since I already have a tile it was only $40 all together.

Here is the first one:
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/WeddingDate.jpg

Another great bonus was that even though they are pretty particular about using proper names they let us include the information on where we were getting married on this tile.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Details.jpg

I'm hoping they might make it up by our trip in September, if not they'll still be up by the wedding.

[figmentfan814]

We were thinking about doing something a little different for the invitation. We wanted to have one that includes photos, so that narrows down our options a little.

I have gotten several samples, but am leaning towards this one since it has three color photos on it. It is from Rexcraft. Nothing fancy, but it is pretty personal with all the photos on it. Plus, since it is standard size there wouldn't be any extra postage.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Tri-FoldInvite.jpg

The front photo would be one of our engagement shots and the two inside would be of us in front of the ceremony site and the reception site. I figured we could take this pictures in September when we visit Epcot. Any ideas, suggestions? I am having a friend design our programs, but I thought it would be easier to just order the invites.

On a side note, for the programs I am thinking about having him design them to look like Spaceship Earth, we're stilling working on some of the details.

We got some of our engagement photos back and they didn't turn out the greatest. I am waiting for the CD from the photographer and then I will post some of them. We had them taken a couple weekends ago and it was freezing! I had on a sleeveless dress and it was only like 50 degrees with a little bit of rain. Typical day in May for Michigan ;) The session was pretty short, so the photographer offered to set up another day to take some more shots and we are definitely going to take her up on that offer. We had them taken in Frankenmuth which is a small German town. There is a cute covered bridge which we wanted to get pictures by; we ended up with a few but the wind by the water was too strong to get very many!

[hisprincess]

OOOh, I bet your pics will be beautiful if they were in frankenmuth. I love that town, so pretty. We were gonna have our wedding there before we decided on Disney

[Belle1981]

I can't believe I missed this PJ! Everything looks wonderful and you will be just GORGEOUS at your wedding I love the dress! I look forward to reading more!

[figmentfan814]

I'm still waiting on my CD of our engagement pictures. For those of you that are from around here and have been to Frankenmuth the ones that the photographer posted on her site turned out pretty good. We have several great shots of the covered bridge in the background. It was funny because in a couple of the shots you can tell that the wind was really blowing, but that's what you can expect up here.

Anyway, I wanted to say that I got all of my Swarovski stuff in the mail on Monday. I bought the Cinderellla tiara, bracelet, and necklace. I don't necessarily know that I am going to wear the necklace because I would want to see it with my dress, but I got it just in case especially at that price.

I also bought all of my bridesmaids a gift, but I can't mention it because I know some of them read this thread.

I have been putting together my second newsletter and it has been taking longer than I expected. So far I have a rather lengthy article about all the things to do outside the parks and one that talks more about specifics for the actual wedding day. We have a few naysayers in our families about the entire DFTW, so I wanted to show them everything else there is to do. I covered things like golfing, boat rental, spas, fishing, watersports, etc. I am also working on an article about the Magical Express Service. Any other suggetions. I'm not sure if it's too soon to start bombarding people with info on dining and some of the pre-post wedding events. I'm open to any suggestions.

I've been trying to get in touch with my floral designer from Disney Floral and haven't had any luck yet. I want to order some things like the cake servers and I wanted to make a few adjustments to my centerpieces. I have learned though that you need patience because no word usually means that they are working on your requests.

One of my more crafty friends is up from Georgia for a month, so she is helping me on a bunch of wedding projects. She is doing the embroidery on the canvas tote bags for the members of the wedding party. We decided to put family names on them and then a monogram with initials for the singles in the crowd. Only our wedding party and immediate family are getting the canvas totes, I watched for sales at Hobby Lobby and got them at $2 each. The rest of our guests are getting large gift bags with our monogram on the front. I ordered these from Oriental Trading and got them for $8 per dozen.

My friend is also going to help me with modifications to my veil. We cleaned it using oxy clean and it came out really nicely. I'm using my mom's which has three layers and an attached head piece. We're taking it off the headpiece and attach combs to secure it in my hair. Then since my mom had wide chunky lace added to it, so we're taking that off too. We're then adding Swarovski crystals some in the dark sapphire and some clear. The sapphire will go along with my ring.

Once we have some progress on these projects I'll post some pictures. It should be rather quickly since she is only here until July.

That's about it for now, my DF comes home from Ohio this weekend and we are actually having a date night on Saturday. Usually his visits are always jammed full of family events and meeting up with friends, so I'm looking forward to having a night out on our own.

[figmentfan814]

OOOh, I bet your pics will be beautiful if they were in frankenmuth. I love that town, so pretty. We were gonna have our wedding there before we decided on Disney

My cousin got married there a few years ago. They had their ceremony at St. Lorenz the old Lutheran church and their reception at the Bavarian Inn Lodge. It was a lot of fun and a bunch of stayed the night afterwards and had brunch together the next day.

[jodeeluvsdisney]

Being a Michigander, I Love Love Love the Frankenmuth as well! So cool to have pics there. I am too far away to be trying that though, over on the west side!

Can't wait to see the pics of your newsletters, welcome bags, etc.! Everything looks/sounds great.

[figmentfan814]

We finally got the CD with our engagement pictures. Since it was such a cold and rainy day we didn't get very many shots, so we are getting some more done in a few weeks. There are some where Kris' shirt blew way out and my hair was going everywhere!

Here are a couple of the pictures. The covered bridge was a great backdrop. My mom doesn't like the ones of us on the bridge because we aren't standing right next to each other, but those are some of my favorites!
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Ferg_001.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Ferg_011.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Ferg_017.jpg

I cropped this one since his shirt was blowing way out!
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Ferg_027.jpg

Here is one with it blowing.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Ferg_030.jpg

Here I am talking:lmao:
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Ferg_045.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Ferg_051.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Ferg_047.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Ferg_017.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Ferg_005.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Ferg_012.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Ferg_021.jpg

I finished up the second newsletter and just sent it out tonight. I was so glad to have it done for everyone. I emailed out a lot more of these, so that will help save on some costs. I still have to get some hard copies printed this week, but only about 10 of them. I have to admit I have borrowed a lot of ideas from other brides that I have found online. The Disney artwork is from the gals on the Creative Board too.

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/WeddingNewsletter6-10-07_Page_1-2.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/WeddingNewsletter6-10-07_Page_2-2.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/WeddingNewsletter6-10-07_Page_3-1.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/WeddingNewsletter6-10-07_Page_4.jpg

We also got our floral proposal from Laura at Disney. Thankfully, it was pretty much right on target for what I had estimated. It was actually only $50 more than I had guessed. This even includes if we have to have my bouquet refreshed. The proposal covers everything from the chair covers to centerpieces to ribbon wands. We can't have anything to throw (petals, biodegradeable rice, etc.) at the AA, so I think we will end up using the ribbon wands. I also got some of the Mickey bubbles that people have talked about on here, but will probably have those for people at the dessert party. our dessert party will have glow centerpieces with Figement in them. Since we are having kids at the DP we wanted to make it a little more fun, so we're following a Figment (my favorite!) theme.

I am going to get this knife set from DFTW:
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/CakeKnifeandServerset.jpg

[JaxTeach]

Your engagement pictures look very nice even though the weather wasn't exactly cooperating! Again, I LOVE your newsletter! It is so professional looking and full of good information. The ladies on the Creative boards are awesome!

[figmentfan814]

Your engagement pictures look very nice even though the weather wasn't exactly cooperating! Again, I LOVE your newsletter! It is so professional looking and full of good information. The ladies on the Creative boards are awesome!

Thanks, I have to admit I spend way more time on the newsletters than I really need to... I guess it comes from working in the communication/media field for so long.

[purplegirl247]

Your newsletter is awesome; very informative. Looks great too. And your engagement pics are adorable. I love the dress you're wearing!

[M&M126]

Wow I love the newsletter! And your engagement pics. Very cute!

[figmentfan814]

Thanks M&M126 & purplegirl247. I bought that dress last year and had never wore it, I figured it was a good excuse to get it out :cutie:

[Tabetha]

Your newsletter is amazing! I would love getting those personalized details if I were a guest.

One tiny nitpicky edit... Front page, third paragraph, last sentence. Should be "immerse yourself", not "emerge yourself".

I'm such a nerd.

[JackieSparrow]

the pics are so cute! my favorite is the one in color with the water and rocks directly behind you. fantastic job on the newsletter

[figmentfan814]

Your newsletter is amazing! I would love getting those personalized details if I were a guest.

One tiny nitpicky edit... Front page, third paragraph, last sentence. Should be "immerse yourself", not "emerge yourself".

I'm such a nerd.

Thanks everyone for your compliments, like I said before I've gotten lots of great ideas from other people. Tabetha thanks for finding that correction, I still have a bunch to print off and mail out so that definitely needed to be changed. :thumbsup2 I swear no matter how many times you read something there is always one thing that gets missed (I had already found one other reversed letter that I fixed today too!)

[figmentfan814]

Okay, so we are finally getting started on some of our do-it-yourself projects. The first is our canvas tote bags for the members of our wedding party. My friend is up visiting from Georgia for a month and she is amazing at sewing! I honestly have no clue when it comes to those types of projects. She is helping me redo my mom's veil and with the totes.

Here are some pictures of us working on the totes. She ended up taking them home to work on the rest of them, so I will post some pictures of the finished products soon.

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Recital07157.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Recital07164.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Recital07165.jpg

We are doing 15 of these larger bags, three smaller canvas totes, and 25 gift bags (for the regular guests.) The totes are for our parents, grandparents, members of the wedding party, and our two hostesses.

:bride: I wanted to reuse parts of my mom's veil, so we are taking off all the 1970s motif and are adding some swarovski crystals in clear and sapphire colors to match my engagement ring. Some tips if anyone else is reusing an old veil. I took it to the cleaners to have freshened up and they told me to just wash it in the bathtub using some Oxy-Clean. It really made a huge difference in the color and was cheaper than having it cleaned professionally.

Here are some pictures before we got started.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Recital07159.jpg

You might be able to see it better in this image, which was kind of a joke that Kris and I were doing for a contest we were entering. :goodvibes
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Bridezilla.jpg

The original headpiece:
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Recital07161.jpg

My new headpiece is the Cinderella Swarovski tiara that I bought during the Memorial Day sale from the Texas store. :thumbsup2
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/TeddyRoosevelt118.jpg

Here is Amanda taking off the mountains for chunky lace:
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Recital07156.jpg

Right now it is just three plain layers of tool :)

When I get home tonight I will post some more pictures of the veil. Also, I went crazy this weekend at the Disney Store Semi-Annual sale. I bought tons of stuff for my gift bags and ended up finding something for my centerpieces which I will share soon once I get the pictures in PhotoBucket.

Since I posted pictures of my tiara here is the other jewelry I purchased during the sale for anyone that hasn't seen these pieces yet. I don't know that I am actually going to use the necklace, but at that price I just had to get the whole set. I am going to take it to the dress shop when I place my order to see if it works or not.

My huge box of Swarovski goodies:
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/TeddyRoosevelt110.jpg

Necklace:
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/TeddyRoosevelt113.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/TeddyRoosevelt114-1.jpg

I love the bracelet:
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/TeddyRoosevelt116.jpg

[figmentfan814]

I've had a couple of really hectic days and now I finally have some time to post my pictures from my recent purchases. As I said before I definitely cleaned out several of the Disney stores... it was a two state effort! My parents were visiting family in Indiana, so I had them pick up some items there and I hit up two stores in Michigan. Plus, my aunt ended up making a run to the Indianapolis store. I'm going to visit my DF this weekend in Ohio and am going to have to see if there is anything else I missed out on from the other stores :rotfl:

These are some of my bags... you can kind of see our dog Molly peeking in at the side, I think she thought I was going crazy when I kept bringing in more and more bags. When I left the mall one of the girls working at the Disney store had to help me carry my stuff to the car.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/WeddingPlanning004.jpg

Here are some of the items I bought for the gift bags. I had wanted to have some playing cards and was glad to find both the Mickey and Princess kinds. The cards were $1.99. The antenna toppers were only 99 cents. I got the pirate and princess toppers for the rehearsal dinner gift bags, we're going with a water theme for it. I've gotten some other cool pirate items that I will have to post another time. pirate:
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/WeddingPlanning007.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/WeddingPlanning051.jpg
A neat thing about the pencils is that some of them change color with heat. You can kind of see the pink a little bit on the purple pencil. Plus, all of them were only 99 cents!
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/WeddingPlanning048.jpg

This is what I decided to do for the main centerpieces. I originally had picked out some cylinders with floating flowers and candles. Anyway, when we were down for our planning session during our site visit to Ariel's I saw the setup for a reception that used Disney snowglobes for the centerpieces. I fell in love with the idea, but thought that it would be completely out of budget.

Guess what? When I went to check out the sale at Disney they had their snowglobes which were originally $89.95 and $69.95 down to $39.99. In the end, I saved over $500 off the original prices. The best part is that this is the same price as the rentals from Disney. Now I will be able to keep them or give them away to other people instead of just using something for one day. We will still have petals sprinkled around the bottom and possibly a few votives like originally planned for the other items. Another bonus is that I don't have to make table names now because the globes can be used instead of table numbers or names.

I cleaned out the store at the mall near me. I bought six at one time and had them reserve one at another mall for me. I then called my mom and had her run to the store down where they were visiting. We also coordinated so we were able to get enough playing cards, pencils, antenna toppers, and some kids items for all the bags.

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/WeddingPlanning022.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/WeddingPlanning028.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/WeddingPlanning030.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/WeddingPlanning031.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/WeddingPlanning043.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/WeddingPlanning038.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/WeddingPlanning035.jpg

We ended up with a Finding Nemo, Peter Pan, Dumbo, Beauty and the Beast, Little Mermaid, Mary Poppins, Snow White, Cinderella, and the Princesses. I am waiting on the Alice and Wonderland from my aunt. I also ordered a Pinocchio and a classic Disney characters one online. This will definitely be my biggest Disney touch to the wedding. The ceremony won't really have any Disney at it, so I think it will be a good mix.

The Peter Pan, Cinderella, and Finding Nemo ones have blowers for the glitter and light up.

Here are the placecards that we have been putting together. We bought the packs of placecards at the dollarstore (6 for a dollar) and are adding the rhinestones in the Mickey shapes. Kris has paid for my mom to take a calligraphy class that she has been wanting to do, so it works out perfect because she wants to write out all the cards.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/WeddingPlanning010.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/WeddingPlanning011.jpg

[Tabetha]

I love the snowglobes-as-centerpieces. What a great idea!

[Lynn5700]

I love the snowglobes..I always pick some up when they are marked down to 39.99.

Love the idea for the centerpieces!

[figmentfan814]

Thanks everyone, when I saw the other Disney bride use them I fell in love with the idea. :cheer2:

[JackieSparrow]

What a great idea with the snowglobes! I love those antenna toppers you picked up too. Is the sale still going on?

[figmentfan814]

What a great idea with the snowglobes! I love those antenna toppers you picked up too. Is the sale still going on?

As of yesterday it was, so I would definitely give your store a call or stop by.

[cryssi]

what a great deal on the snowglobes! snowglobes are great centerpieces...we just had the mini wedding ones on top of a floral arrangement. I think I mentioned somewhere before that DH wanted snowglobes as centerpieces so people would fight over who took them home...:sad2: good grief! lol

your mickey place cards are great too! :thumbsup2 :thumbsup2

[BubMunkeyBles]

I love those centerpieces... :) Cute place cards too!

[M&M126]

I really love your centerpiece idea! How awesome and colorful :) You are so on top of things. I feel like I need to get moving on things! Haha

[alauniira]

What a great planning report. You have awesome ideas. Thanks so much for sharing them.

I'm not sure if I missed it or not, but I was looking for more info on the hay ride you have planned.

[Maggimus]

I love those snowglobes!!

[figmentfan814]

What a great planning report. You have awesome ideas. Thanks so much for sharing them.

I'm not sure if I missed it or not, but I was looking for more info on the hay ride you have planned.

You didn't msiss it yet, so don't worry. I called Fort Wilderness, but I'm not able to book it until 180 days out (if I remember correctly, I have it written down in my planner, so I will let you know if that is wrong.) So, right now I'm just playing the waiting game.

I'm not sure if I mentioned it, but the cost is $300 for the wagon and it holds 30 adults or a combination of 35 adults and children. I'm a little worried at this point that we might need two wagons :scared: I guess the more the merrier! We are going to have it coincide with the start of the campfire program so families can stay for the movie and for roasting marshmallows. The number you call about reserving the wagon rides is (407) 824-2734.

[figmentfan814]

Thanks for all your great comments everyone. I was glad that the placecards were so cheap to put together that gives me more money for favors. Although, I really can't decide what they will be at this point. Definitely something chocolate. I've debating making my own from some Mickey and Minnie molds that I have, but the ones from Disney are so cute too. Way too many decisions.

[figmentfan814]

You are so on top of things. I feel like I need to get moving on things! Haha

I'm glad to hear that from someone. My mom keeps freaking out that we're so far behind! :rotfl:

[Maddiesmum03]

love the snowglobe idea, but how on earth are you going to choose who takes them home, I would imagine EVERYONE would want them!!!! perhaps you could have some sort of wedding lottery to decide LOL !

[Gradar1]

I love the snowglobes idea--that is so creative. I'm definitely going to keep that one in mind. ;)

[hisprincess]

What a fun and pretty idea with the snowglobes! Gosh, I'm gonna have to try to sneak into your wedding just to see how great it's going to turn out! I'm just kidding I wouldn't do that, but really though, you have some great ideas, I'm enjoying seeing how everything is comming along for you!

I saw those pencils at the disney store in saginaw just the other day. I was so tempted to buy a few, but once I started I knew I wouldn't be able to stop, I'll have to go sometime w/DF, he can control my shopping. haha

[figmentfan814]

love the snowglobe idea, but how on earth are you going to choose who takes them home, I would imagine EVERYONE would want them!!!! perhaps you could have some sort of wedding lottery to decide LOL !

I know that will definitely be something interesting to figure out; we definitely don't want any fighting over anything :laughing: I figure that I will offer them to some of the people that are helping out with things at the wedding. That will be my "thank you" of sorts for everyone besides the wedding party who plays a part in the wedding.

[figmentfan814]

I love the snowglobes idea--that is so creative. I'm definitely going to keep that one in mind. ;)

I know I had it filed away after I saw it at the reception at Ariel's. I'm just glad I was able to do something within budget for once!

[figmentfan814]

What a fun and pretty idea with the snowglobes! Gosh, I'm gonna have to try to sneak into your wedding just to see how great it's going to turn out! I'm just kidding I wouldn't do that, but really though, you have some great ideas, I'm enjoying seeing how everything is coming along for you!

I saw those pencils at the disney store in saginaw just the other day. I was so tempted to buy a few, but once I started I knew I wouldn't be able to stop, I'll have to go sometime w/DF, he can control my shopping. haha

I was up at the Saginaw store to pick up one of the snowglobes and I told the lady some of the other items that I had bought and she tried to get me to take home more pencils and cards. Luckily I resisted. I haven't gone too overboard yet with the bags. For all the regular gift bags for guests I am right on budget. I'm a little worried that I will go over on the larger bags for our immediate family and the wedding party. Maybe it's a good thing that my DF is not living in MI yet, it's probably better that he doesn't know how much I spend ;) Although I'm down in OH visiting this weekend... maybe I should go to the Disney store while he is at work today.

[LeesyUD]

Could you Possibly tell me where you got the "Around the World in a single day" clip art with the characters on it that is on your newsletter? I love it!

[figmentfan814]

Could you Possibly tell me where you got the "Around the World in a single day" clip art with the characters on it that is on your newsletter? I love it!

I actually found it one day when I was on the Creative Board, everyone over there is so great :yay: I'm not sure who designed it, but I have it saved on my computer at home. If you would like me to email it to you just PM me and I can send it tonight.

[Cinderella22]

Everything sounds wonderful! I LOVE the snowglobes. I just bought one from our trip this year, and about a month after, it got knocked off a shelf and smashed. I think I cried for an hour!
Anyway, if you don't mind me asking: which program did you use to make your newsletters? I can't find the disney font anywhere!
Good luck with all future planning.
Maggie

[figmentfan814]

I'm sorry to hear about your snowglobe breaking. I have one that my DF bought me a few years ago that has Mickey and Minnie that sorts looks like a Romeo and Juliet kind of scene. I would love to use it at the wedding, but since I don't have the original box I am worried about transporting it down there.

I just used InDesign to layout the newsletter; I'm still learning a lot about the program because I was used to laying out in Quark back in my college days. I did download the Disney font for free from a web site. All I did was Google the font which is called "Waltograph." I think this is where I got it, but it's been a while so it might not be the same site I used, but it should work too. http://www.1001fonts.com/font_details.html?font_id=2272

[myprincessgirlisa]

holy cow....i vote you the bargain queen of the day.!!!!!

I need to get my but over to TDS!!

I love snowglobes!!!

great idea...id fight over them;)

[figmentfan814]

holy cow....i vote you the bargain queen of the day.!!!!!

I need to get my but over to TDS!!

I love snowglobes!!!

great idea...id fight over them;)

I am definitely always on the look out for deals. The best part is that I have been able to get way more stuff while still sticking to my budget. My welcome bags for the guests are going to be a lot better than I originally anticipated. I've been keeping a spreadsheet to see how much I save :surfweb: ... so far it's over $500 on stuff for the bags and other gifts (bridesmaids, parents, etc.) I am definitely a nerd when it comes to that sort of stuff, but it helps me keep track.

[figmentfan814]

I am having some issues with my FMIL once again. I had to go down to Cleveland for a couple of days for a training seminar, so I stayed at my DF’s place since he lives about 35 minutes away from there. His mom has been staying with him doing traveling nursing for a couple of months (way too long of a story there.)

Anyway, since my planning session in May, I have been trying to get her to look at all the different options for a rehearsal dinner site. She has shown no interest and said she didn’t care where we picked, so I made a decision on my own. I decided to go with FRESH Mediterranean Market at the Dolphin Resort. So, first let me give the background on the dinner.

I picked this one for a couple of reasons. First, our rehearsal will be in the morning and will take place at the Yacht or Beach Clubs or at the Boardwalk, so everyone can take the boat over for the dinner. Plus, we want to have the rehearsal in the morning because the wedding party wants to head to Epcot for the rest of the afternoon. Our other two options were for restaurants at Downtown Disney. We figured that keeping it within the Epcot area will allow us to save time in getting back to the park.

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/DisneyPlanningSession046.jpg

Another great thing is that they have a private area that is off in a separate room which we can have to ourselves. The windows look over to the Boardwalk and have a great view. They will also set up all of our favors, etc. too and will do one long table for the set up.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/DisneyPlanningSession040.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/DisneyPlanningSession039.jpg

Instead of a plated menu (they do offer this option) we are opting for their buffet that has a changing menu every day. They have carved meats, roasted chicken, soups, salad station, sandwiches, and some other entrees with a Mediterranean fare.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/DisneyPlanningSession044.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/DisneyPlanningSession045.jpg

Plus a pretty decent size dessert bar. I should have gotten a closer picture of the desserts!
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/DisneyPlanningSession043.jpg

The price is great too. We don’t have to pay anything for the room and it is only $21 per person including beverages.

So, last week I talked to Kris and we decided to just go ahead with FRESH. I emailed Kris some of the pictures to share with his mom on Sunday. Once I got down to Ohio I knew Kris hadn’t showed them to her yet, so I started downloading them on his computer to show her. I told her I was downloading pictures for the rehearsal dinner site to show her and she turned to me and said, “So what’s your point?” then she turned around and left his apartment.

I was so upset because I know she doesn’t care about the wedding at all, but to say such a bluntly rude statement I didn’t know what to say. :headache: My DF was really mad and wanted to talk to her about it right away. I asked him to wait until I left this morning. I guess when they talked she said she didn’t know she had said anything rude; I also think she was put off that he was standing up for me against her. I told my DF at this point I would prefer for us to just pay for the things that she originally offered to cover. I just don’t want the headache of having her continue to be angry because we aren’t having the type of wedding that she wants. She has been against a DFTW from the very beginning.

Thank you for listening to my rants about my FMIL! I have lots of other things to share. Over the last few weeks there have been a lot of small things that have started coming together.

I was experimenting making Mickey Rice Krispie treats to include in the Welcome Bags. Next time I make them I am going to put the chocolate further down on the head and not just on the ears because it weighs them down a little:
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Wedding%20Crafts/WeddingPlanning183.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Wedding%20Crafts/WeddingPlanning184.jpg

Here are all the canvas bags done for our wedding party, parents, and grandparents. The smaller bags are for the flowergirl and hostesses. My friend Amanda did all the embroidering on the bags for me. I wanted people to be able to use them after the wedding, so I made them personal instead of putting “Kris and Vanessa” on everything. I put family names on some and then for the singles we did the intial monograms. I got the bags half off at Hobby Lobby for $2 each and all together the thread and Velcro for the pockets was only $12 for all 18 bags. Our regular guests are getting regular gift bags with our wedding monogram on them.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Wedding%20Crafts/WeddingPlanning177.jpg http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Wedding%20Crafts/WeddingPlanning179.jpg

I still need to show some pictures of the updated veil which we finished up last week and some more great stuff we got for the gift bags. To be continued...

[Dremwvr]

Sorry your FMIL is not "playing nice with others". Be very glad your DF stood up for you, I know if it were mine...he would just let it slide.

Those Rice Krispy treats look so Yummy!!! You are making me hungry for one!!!

Can't wait to see what else is going in your welcome bags!

[jenny08]

FRESH is a great decision!! I love their yogurt parfait and the one time I had strawberry stuffed french toast...YUM!! My FMIL still talks about it and that was over 2 years ago. I hope you have a great time.

The bags and the treats look great!! :thumbsup2

[figmentfan814]

Dremwvr;19692854 "Sorry your FMIL is not "playing nice with others". Be very glad your DF stood up for you, I know if it were mine...he would just let it slide."


It was nice to have him do that and it kind of took me by surprise. He is an only child and his mom raised him on her own, so he has a problem standing up to her sometimes. I think it took her by surprise too.

[figmentfan814]

FRESH is a great decision!! I love their yogurt parfait and the one time I had strawberry stuffed french toast...YUM!! My FMIL still talks about it and that was over 2 years ago. I hope you have a great time.

The bags and the treats look great!! :thumbsup2


That is good to hear, I was a little nervous about choosing it since we have never eaten there :upsidedow It just seemed to be a perfect fit and they have been really great to work with so far on everything.

[scootert]

FRESH is a wonderful choice. We've been there for breakfast and thought it was one of the best buffets ever. The food was outstanding and there was truly something for everyone.

Don't let FMIL get you down -- you've made a great choice!!

[figmentfan814]

Here are some pictures of my friend Amanda and I working on my mom's veil. I know I posted pictures before, but here are the before shots.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Recital07159.jpg

We removed the lace, added Swarovski crystals in clear and sapphire (to match my ring) and added a comb to replace the headpiece since I have my tiara. I'm having some blue crystal added to the beading on my dress too. Here are some shots of it in progress.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Wedding%20Crafts/WeddingPlanning197.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Wedding%20Crafts/WeddingPlanning207.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Wedding%20Crafts/WeddingPlanning206.jpg

Here is the final product.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Wedding%20Crafts/WeddingPlanning214.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Wedding%20Crafts/WeddingPlanning212.jpg

I am so grateful for all of Amanda's help. It took us over 4 hours to put all the crystals on the veil. We were originally going to work on it over a period of a few weeks and she ended up having to go back to Georgia where her husband is stationed at Fort Benning 2 weeks early (she was riding back with her mother-in-law.) She volunteered to come over to do it two days before she had to go back and we were up until 1:30 am finishing it up.

On top of everything, she made me these really cute wedding pillowcases as a gift. There are so many cute sayings on the material.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Wedding%20Crafts/WeddingPlanning208.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Wedding%20Crafts/WeddingPlanning210.jpg

[KStarfish82]

Oh my gosh!

I love, love, love your veil!!!

I love the addition of blue to the veil! My colors are going to be white, blue, teal, and silver! That is absolutely gorgeous!!

[figmentfan814]

Oh my gosh!

I love, love, love your veil!!!

I love the addition of blue to the veil! My colors are going to be white, blue, teal, and silver! That is absolutely gorgeous!!

Thank you so much, it took us forever to find the dark blue crystals. I was so excited :yay: when my friend called me from the craft store to tell me that she had found some!

[Cinderella22]

I love the veil

[Lynn5700]

Everything looks great! You did a great job with the veil, and I love the mickey rice treats!!! They are sooo good!!!

I like where you are having the rehearsal,I am having such a tough decision picking a place...Anyway I went to allearsnet.com to see the menu and i only saw a menu for breakfast and lunch,do they have a dinner menu or do they only serve breakfast and lunch?

[figmentfan814]

Everything looks great! You did a great job with the veil, and I love the mickey rice treats!!! They are sooo good!!!

I like where you are having the rehearsal,I am having such a tough decision picking a place...Anyway I went to allearsnet.com to see the menu and i only saw a menu for breakfast and lunch,do they have a dinner menu or do they only serve breakfast and lunch?

Unfortunately, Fresh is only open until 2 pm. I was completely shocked when I first found this out and figured it would not be an option for us. But, after some discussion we are opting for a morning rehearsal around 10 am, so we will have time to relax and head to Epcot later that afternoon. Once this decision was made Fresh became the obvious choice. We also checked out Wolfgang Puck's and Portobello Yacht Club at Downtown Disney, they have some really great options too.

[figmentfan814]

I love the veil

Thanks! :cool1:

[2angelsinheaven]

Wow, love all the photos, love the bags, love the snowglobes and the viel is stunning! Congrats and I can't wait to see more.

[hisprincess]

I am so sorry that you FMIL is acting that way. :hug: I don't know what I would do if people were acting that way towards me, I'd probably cry! I am glad to hear that your DF stood up for you though.

On a happier note, you and your friend did a fantastic job on your veil, that little bit of color is really pretty. You definatly are getting a lot done, I feel behind! I guess being an escape I dont have as much to do as you do. It's all so beautiful, and those mickey rice crispies are so cute!:thumbsup2

[JackieSparrow]

Try not to let FMIL get to you. It always seems like there's someone in every family that wants to rain on the couple's parade

Props to your DF for standing up for you to her. That's really great. :thumbsup2

[figmentfan814]

Wow, love all the photos, love the bags, love the snowglobes and the viel is stunning! Congrats and I can't wait to see more.

I'm really into scrapbooking, so as you can see we take pictures of everything! It's nice to have them to share with everyone in the planning process.

[figmentfan814]

I am so sorry that you FMIL is acting that way. :hug: I don't know what I would do if people were acting that way towards me, I'd probably cry! I am glad to hear that your DF stood up for you though.

On a happier note, you and your friend did a fantastic job on your veil, that little bit of color is really pretty. You definatly are getting a lot done, I feel behind! I guess being an escape I dont have as much to do as you do. It's all so beautiful, and those mickey rice crispies are so cute!:thumbsup2

I have to admit that day after she left I did cry :sad: Surprisingly on Friday night, I got a call from my FMIL and she apoligized to me for her behavior. I think it was more because of Kris' talk with her rather than her actually being apologetic, but it was a nice gesture. We'll see how things shape together next time I see her.

A lot of the little things are coming together, but some of the bigger things I have been behind on :eek: I still haven't ordered my dress! I keep looking at more, but at this point I think I am going with the one that I have posted her in my thread. I have Friday off this week and plan on going to the store to order it.

[figmentfan814]

Try not to let FMIL get to you. It always seems like there's someone in every family that wants to rain on the couple's parade

Props to your DF for standing up for you to her. That's really great. :thumbsup2

I definitely agree, I think you run into someone who wants to stir up trouble no matter what you do for your wedding. I try to remember that in the end it really matters what my DF and I want rather than worrying about everyone else.

[figmentfan814]

We have about 15 people that we have not heard one way or another if they are planning on coming to the wedding, so I designed and printed off some preliminary response post cards and mailed them out this weekend. They aren't formal RSVPs, but I just wanted to get a general count so we can finalize things like our transportation. Also, since I have been working on the welcome bags I don't want to end up buying stuff for bags of people who aren't even going to show up. I printed them on a diamond color stock that shimmers in the light.

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Wedding%20Crafts/ResponseCardsVista_Page_1.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Wedding%20Crafts/ResponseCardsVista_Page_2.jpg

On Friday, I also had a phone meeting with Laura, my floral manager. We talked about how my centerpieces are going to be laid out now that I have the snowglobes. Most of them will be placed on a glass block that is a 10 inch square, ivy will be placed around the base, and then the mixed petals from the flowers within the bouquets will be sprinkled around the base. Some of the snowglobes are too tall for these blocks, but most of them will be raised up to give them more height.

We also talked about the options for the flower preservation and for favors. I have considered doing my own favors, but I had her send me the price list for their favors. If anyone wants the price sheet feel free to PM and I will share it. They have some new carriage chocolates. I'm not doing a Cinderella theme, but they were really cute.

On Wednesday, I have a phone meeting with Marion, my planner. I want to talk about some different options to individualize my cake more, so I will share my updates later this week.

[2angelsinheaven]

I can't wait to hear more, what a beautiful wedding you are planning. Hopefully you will hear from those guests soon.

[BrcsDisneyPrncs]

WOW! What a transformation with that veil! It turned out beautiful! So sorry that your FMIL is being so difficult, it's hard not to let things like that get to you, but you have made some great choices in your planning and i'm sure it will be a fantastic wedding! Great Idea with the snow globes, i never would have thought of that! Keep up the good work and I can't wait to hear more! Where did you get the diamond card stock? I've been looking for some interesting card stock for a few things i need to put together, that would work great!

[figmentfan814]

WOW! What a transformation with that veil! It turned out beautiful! So sorry that your FMIL is being so difficult, it's hard not to let things like that get to you, but you have made some great choices in your planning and i'm sure it will be a fantastic wedding! Great Idea with the snow globes, i never would have thought of that! Keep up the good work and I can't wait to hear more! Where did you get the diamond card stock? I've been looking for some interesting card stock for a few things i need to put together, that would work great!


Thanks for your compliments, it's nice to see things starting to come together a lot more now.

I actually got the card stock at a Stampin' Up party last year. I don't know if you're familiar with them, but they are a company that does in-home parties similar to Creative Memories or Tupperware. You can usually contact someone who sells it to place an order. You might even be able to find some Stampin' Up stuff on eBay too. The paper is really cool; when it hits the light it really sparkles I highly recommend it.

[figmentfan814]

I can't wait to hear more, what a beautiful wedding you are planning. Hopefully you will hear from those guests soon.

Thanks! :goodvibes I'm really hoping to hear soon because 15 people makes a big difference when you're only talking about 65-70 all together. It will make planning a lot easier to know their decision.

I noticed you live near the Cape. My aunt is in Titusville, so we usually head that direction whenever we're in Florida.

[bopper]

I know that will definitely be something interesting to figure out; we definitely don't want any fighting over anything :laughing: I figure that I will offer them to some of the people that are helping out with things at the wedding. That will be my "thank you" of sorts for everyone besides the wedding party who plays a part in the wedding.

People often take centerpieces home, so you will need to have somebody keep an eye on them towards the end, or have the waiters gather them up for you. If you just want to give them to people at the table a way to do it is to let the person with the birthday nearest to the wedding day "win" the centerpiece.

[myprincessgirlisa]

I love how well your veil turned out...you would NEVER guess it was from the 70s with a little updating,....awesome!!

The bags are great & i like how you chose initials & last names. & the embroidery is perfect!

Bargains galore again for you!!!

I hope FMIL comes around....that was pretty lousy of her & then for her to bel Like " I was Rude???"...she knew she was & she bailed when she got called on it.....just remember, you only have to see her at holidays & bdays;)

I love how well its coming...keep it up!!!

[figmentfan814]

People often take centerpieces home, so you will need to have somebody keep an eye on them towards the end, or have the waiters gather them up for you. If you just want to give them to people at the table a way to do it is to let the person with the birthday nearest to the wedding day "win" the centerpiece.

That is definitely something to keep in mind. Hopefully since they are all pretty breakable no one will try to take one on their own. I might have to put someone in charge of guarding the snowglobes!

[figmentfan814]

I love how well your veil turned out...you would NEVER guess it was from the 70s with a little updating,....awesome!!

The bags are great & i like how you chose initials & last names. & the embroidery is perfect!

Bargains galore again for you!!!

I hope FMIL comes around....that was pretty lousy of her & then for her to bel Like " I was Rude???"...she knew she was & she bailed when she got called on it.....just remember, you only have to see her at holidays & bdays;)

I love how well its coming...keep it up!!!

Thank you for all your compliments, I was really pleased how the veil turned out. I really wanted the bags to be something that people could use again.

I definitely agree about my FMIL. It should be interesting to see how things shape up over the next few months :rolleyes1

[lpizzuro123]

First of all - wonderful report - I am so looking forward to reading it all.

We were at the Disney Magic Meet this past Saturday in Harrisburg PA and the way they gave away the centerpieces (which I won - YAAAAAAA) was when we entered the room there was a little chinese take out box on all the tables. We were not allowed to open them all day. At the end of the day we were told to open them - they were filled with little slips of paper - 0 to 9 - we had to pass the box around and take out a piece of paper - then the MC picked a piece of paper out of his box on the stage and read it out. This is the person that won the centerpiece.

the idea that you had about giving them out to special people that helped you with the wedding is also a great idea. Just make sure someone keeps track of them and they do not go walking off.

Looking forward to more report from you.

Linda

[2angelsinheaven]

People can get pretty crazy when it comes to centerpieces, maybe you might want to consider placing the name of the person who each is intended to go to on the bottom so there are no questions the day of if your too busy to pass them out.

[figmentfan814]

Thanks for all the ideas about the centerpeices. It sounds like I'm definitely going to have to come up with some type of method to make sure that they are given out the way that I want them that day. Thanks for all your ideas :thumbsup2

[figmentfan814]

Since several other brides are sharing their pricing I thought I would give an overview of my recent floral budget. Laura just sent me an updated version this week with the pricing for the snowglobes instead of the original centerpieces. Our budget could have been lower, but we are getting a lot of extra corsages for people that we are having participate in some way for the wedding. This budget also includes our knife set that we are getting from DFTW and decorations for our dessert party the evening of the wedding.

Ceremony:
Bridal Bouquet: daffodils, freesia, hydrangeas, ranunculus, lavender iris, roses, stephanotis, , dusty miller as greenery, hidden Mickey inserts- $250
Theme Park Photo Refresher (if needed) $75.00
Swarovski Crystals $15.00
Total: $265 Bouquet, $75.00 Refresher
I am also going to have a brooch from my grandmother (my mom's mom who passed away before I was born) attached to the handle of the bouquet.

Bridesmaids Bouquets with silver tussie holders (4)- $100 each also being used on cake table
Each of the bouquets is different to match the color of the girls' dresses and will include dusty miller for greenery. One will be in Lilac- white hydrangea with lavender freesia, light blue- white hydrangea with light blue delphinium , light pink- white hydrangea with light pink spray roses, and peridot- white hydrangea with light green lisianthius buds.
Flowergirl Bouquet Ball- $75

Groom (triple stephanotis with Swarovski crystal accents)- $23
Duplicate Boutonniere for Magic Kingdom photo shoot- $23
Groomsmen boutonnieres to coordinate with each bridesmaid- (5) $10.50, the extra groomsman will have a light yellow daffodil with dusty miller.
Usher- $10.50
Dads (2)- $12.50
Singer (matron of honor's husband) & guitarist (my cousin)- (2) $10.50
Moms flower bag purses (2)- $50.00
Wristlet Corsages for Grandmas (2)- $26.00
Wristlet Corsages for Hostesses (2)- $26.00
Wristlet Corsage for Aunt- $26.00
Boutonniere for Uncle (1)- $10.50
Ceremony Spray to use on Sand Ceremony Table & at Head Table for Reception (mix of pastel floral including snapdragons- my favorite!)$125.00
Chair Covers with sashes in Apple, Lilac, Light Blue, Light Yellow, and Pink- Each row will coordinate to the colors of the dresses and accents (the chairs at AAR are really ugly and are a dark gray, these covers were one big splurge for us)- (60) $8.50 each, $510.00

Single White Irises on empty chairs in front row on either side of the aisle - 3 for my grandparents who have passed away and one for Kris' grandpa who has passed away- (4) $3.00 each

Here are pics of some of the more unusual floral. I have already posted pictures of the tussie mussies at the beginning of my planning journal and of the mom's purses, but I added them again too.
Delphinium
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Flowers%20and%20Decorations/Delphinium.jpg
Dusty Miller
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Flowers%20and%20Decorations/DustyMiller.jpg
Lisianthius
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Flowers%20and%20Decorations/lisianthius.jpg
Tussie Mussie Holder
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/DisneyPlanningSession248.jpg
Flower Purses
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/DisneyPlanningSession247.jpg

Reception:
Vase with Snapdragon Arrangement in pastel colors for table that will have placecards and guestbook- $45.00
Ice Blocks to elevate snowglobes as centerpieces, 2 globes are taller and don't need blocks. Accented with loose ivy, loose blooms, and sprinkled petals- (12) @ $20.00 each, $240.00 total
Ice Block rentals $50.00
Votive candle accents for tables (I might do away with these at some point) - (38) $95.00
Linens existing blue linens with white overlays $0
Disney Fairy Tale Wedding Cake Knife & Server Set $50.00

Dessert Party:
9" cylinder vases filled with gel (9" cylinder vases filled with gel (5 in lavender/5 in orange). Place (2) LED lights in each and accent with Figment PVC characters. (10) - $15.00 each plus $10.00 cylinder rentals, $25.00 total each

Delivery Fee $25.00, Move Fee $25.00, Total $50.00

Total: $ 2,768.41

[figmentfan814]

I finally ordered a dress on Friday. :cheer2: I was hoping to get this posted earlier, but I was at Cedar Point (for anyone who doesn’t know it’s an amusement park in Ohio) on Saturday. I rode down with my matron of honor’s church and Kris drove over to meet us for the day. I had some other friends from Indiana who drove over to meet us too. They had one of my snow globes that wasn’t available up here, so I brought it home on the bus with me. It is an Alice in Wonderland tea party one. I will have to post pictures once I take it out of the box.

It was such a relief to finally get it out of the way. We counted and figured out that we had visited 15 different bridal shops since March, so that means I tried on at least 100 dresses! I told my mom if we ever do a vow renewal and I can't wear this dress I'm just paying to have someone make one for me! I am happy with my decision though and am glad to have this part of the wedding planning complete. :dance3:

This picture is right after we signed all the papers, it was so great to be done!
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Dress/Wedding015.jpg
My mom was relieved to be done too, it is hard to believe how long it took me to make a decision. What’s funny is with my bridesmaid dresses I only looked at 4 styles and made up my mind!
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Dress/Wedding014.jpg
I went back up to a shop north of where I live to get the one that I had kind of liked and they were having a trunk show and I ended up getting one from that designer instead. I still have to admit the "this is the one thing" never happened for me, but this is definitely the closest to what I wanted. In a perfect world I probably would have a little bit more intricate beading and embroidery on the bottom; but I still think it was a good choice. I was originally going to have some sapphire crystals added to whatever dress I got, but I don't think I will need it with this dress.

The back of the dress normally has the corset lace up kind of style; I ended up paying a little extra to do away with this since I'm not a big fan of it. I just wanted a regular zipper. Also, I had to pay for hem to hollow since the beading on the front doesn't allow you to hem it up from the floor.

The pictures show it in cream, but I ordered it in white which will have the silver embroidery. The part I loved most about this dress was the top. Plus on the back, the embroidery and design on the skirt part started right below the veil; it was perfect.

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Dress/Wedding001.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Dress/Wedding003.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Dress/Wedding004.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Dress/Wedding006.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Dress/Wedding007.jpg


Detail shots
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Dress/Wedding012.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Dress/Wedding009.jpg

I ended up getting a "Cinderella" tiara through Swarovski. So, everything seemed to flow together. My crown and bracelet were perfect. I have a necklace that matches that set, but it didn't quite go with the dress. I bought to have the set and didn't think I would end up wearing it for sure. I am contemplating getting rid of it, but it might be nice to keep the set to pass down.

Here is the other one that I had originally considered. The capped sleeves ended up being kind of itchy plus the train was really heavy when it was pinned up. Another downside was that since the dress had so much material in the back the bustle looked kind of funky. It would have went from hip to hip. The other nice thing about the one I chose over this one is that there aren't any pleats on the one I ordered. This is a bonus because I don't have to wear a crinoline. This dress was posted earlier in my planning journal.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/DisneyPlanningSession522.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/DisneyPlanningSession519.jpg

Here are my shoes that I bought at DSW Warehouse. I decided I was not wearing heels since it really will be an all day ordeal. I thought about flip flops, but I could imagine the flopping noise echoing in the Rotunda as I am walking down the aisle and decided against them.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Dress/WhiteSkechers.jpg

I wanted to wear ballet slippers since I have been a dancer all my life, but my mom was worried that my feet would start to hurt since they don’t have much support. I decided I’m probably still going to get a white pair to wear at the reception for dancing, etc.

[figmentfan814]

Duplicate post removed

[DisneyFairy19]

I love your journal.... :goodvibes

[JaxTeach]

Yay! You've ordered your dress!! I know that is a huge relief. The dress you chose looks beautiful on you! You have done such a great job on updating the veil, I'm glad it's going to work with your dress.

I love the shoes you are wearing! I am wearing heels to the ceremony, but am going to change at the reception as we are going 2:30-10pm. I have ballet slippers but those are not going to work. They are much too soft.

[Glorydaz]

I truly love your gown - it looks simply stunning on you! and I agree with wearing comfortable flats - I have the same ones you have pictured but in cream..they are super comfortable! everything looks fantastic - looking forward to more ..:surfweb: :goodvibes

Michelle :cloud9:

[figmentfan814]

Yay! You've ordered your dress!! I know that is a huge relief. The dress you chose looks beautiful on you! You have done such a great job on updating the veil, I'm glad it's going to work with your dress.

I love the shoes you are wearing! I am wearing heels to the ceremony, but am going to change at the reception as we are going 2:30-10pm. I have ballet slippers but those are not going to work. They are much too soft.

It was so nice to have the dress ordered. Now I feel like I can concentrate on all the smaller details. :yay:

I agree, ballet slippers are definitely pretty soft. I couldn't imagine toughing out the entire day in heels either. We are starting pictures at 8 am and won't be done with everything until close to 10 pm with the dessert party. It is going to be a long day :eek:

[figmentfan814]

I truly love your gown - it looks simply stunning on you! and I agree with wearing comfortable flats - I have the same ones you have pictured but in cream..they are super comfortable! everything looks fantastic - looking forward to more ..:surfweb: :goodvibes

Michelle :cloud9:

Thanks for the compliment on the dress; it felt great to finally find one :bride: That's good to hear about the shoes. They felt really good at the store, so I was hoping that they would be good for walking around all day.

[figmentfan814]

I love your journal.... :goodvibes

Thanks! :goodvibes

[DaPookie]

You're dress is beautiful, and you look gorgeous in it!!!

9" cylinder vases filled with gel (9" cylinder vases filled with gel (5 in lavender/5 in orange). Place (2) LED lights in each and accent with Figment PVC characters.

This sounds kinda neat... Does Figment float on the top, or is he suspended in the gel? And are you providing any of this, or are they doing the whole thing?

It's a really cool accent!

[disneywld2002]

I love your dress, everything looks so beautiful.

[figmentfan814]

You're dress is beautiful, and you look gorgeous in it!!!



This sounds kinda neat... Does Figment float on the top, or is he suspended in the gel? And are you providing any of this, or are they doing the whole thing?

It's a really cool accent!

I'm not quite sure how the Figments are going to look. They are placed inside the glow gel centerpieces that they use for the dessert parties. Laura (my floral manager) has been trying to track down some pictures from that event. She is going to send me some pictures from other dessert parties this week. I guess they do a lot of different characters, I think the ones she is sending me are from a wedding that used Mickey in theirs. I will make sure to post the picture as soon as I get it.

[figmentfan814]

I love your dress, everything looks so beautiful.

Thanks, I'm really starting to get super excited now. :cool1:

[hisprincess]

I'm so happy for you that you found your dress! You look beautiful in it! I thought about wearing actual ballerina slippers, but wasn't sure how supportive they were for walking a lot, and opted for some nice shoes and a pair of silver flilp flops to change into. You have a long day, so I would definitly be getting comfy shoes, wow!

[figmentfan814]

I'm so happy for you that you found your dress! You look beautiful in it! I thought about wearing actual ballerina slippers, but wasn't sure how supportive they were for walking a lot, and opted for some nice shoes and a pair of silver flilp flops to change into. You have a long day, so I would definitly be getting comfy shoes, wow!

Thanks, I was so relieved to be done with dress shopping! Ballet slippers aren't bad, but if you're spending a lot of time on a hard surface standing in place for a long time they can start to both you. Shoes were a hard decision, I just knew I wanted something that I could stand being in while dragging around my dress all day :)

[DVCGirl49]

The dress looks great on you! I'm loving hearing the plans so far, thank you for posting all the pics too!

Those shoes are awesome! I thought the shoes I picked would be really comfortable, but I might just need to get a pair of those too just in case!

[figmentfan814]

The dress looks great on you! I'm loving hearing the plans so far, thank you for posting all the pics too!

Those shoes are awesome! I thought the shoes I picked would be really comfortable, but I might just need to get a pair of those too just in case!

I kind of feel bad for my bridesmaids now since I know they are not going to be comfortable in heels all day. I think might have to come up with a solution for something that they can wear after the reception.

[mla1977]

You look amazing in that dress!

[BrcsDisneyPrncs]

That dress is beautiful! It looks great on you! Good for you having it ordered and taken care of!!!

[figmentfan814]

I got in a car accident on Thursday on my way back from work. I was taking a side road off of the freeway to avoid a huge traffic backup in a construction zone. A young kid blew through a stop sign going 55 mph and broadsided me. I'm okay, just bruised and sore (at least I'm on some good meds to make it through okay.) Thank God, it wasn't any worse and that everyone walked away!

My DF was on the phone with me when it happened (I had my bluetooth earpiece in at the time.) He called my mom hysterical because he said he heard a crash and then me crying. I blacked out for a few minutes and when I woke up the girl behind me stopped and came right up to my car. She called my family for me. I vaguely remember the firefighters coming up and taking my vitals. After a few minutes I crawled into the passenger seat. A police officer came up to my car and asked where they had taken the driver. I said, "I am the driver." He was relieved... apparently most people don't walk away from these types of accidents

Anyway, I will probably be MIA for a few days, I'm on some good meds for pain, so that makes it a lot easier to deal with everything. Kris drove right up that night. I have serious bruising from the seat belt and on my hip from the door handle. I have some small cuts on my arm from the window. The only thing that really worried me was some marking on my face from the airbag, the doctor said not to worry that it shouldn't scar.

Here are a few pictures (I hope they don't bother anyone):
On the camera phone-
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Accident/072607_1848.jpg
At the salvage shop-
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Accident/Accident042.jpg

[jasonandlisa]

I'm so glad to hear that you're all right!! The pictures look so awful. I was in a similar could-have-been-fatal accident like that a few years ago and felt very, very lucky that it wasn't worse. How scary for your DF that he was on the phone with you at the time. That must have been terrifying for him. Again, thank goodness that you're o.k. I hope you have a speedy recovery that's as painless as possible. Take care of yourself and get lots of rest.

[BrcsDisneyPrncs]

OH you poor thing, i'm so glad you are alright! That cop is right! I come from a family of firefighters and Paramedics, and often when a car looks like that, its at least one fatality. You're poor DF, i can't even imagine having to hear that and not being able to do anything. You get rest and take care of yourself, you'll be good as new before too long, and don't you worry about the marks from the airbag, i'm sure it will heal quickly and you will be just beautiful in time for that wedding! You're in my prayers! :hug:

[HarbinsMom]

You are so lucky to be alive. Take care of yourself and rest.

[KellyJo18]

Good thing you added "but I'm okay!" to your title because from looking at those photos I would have thought otherwise. I'm so glad that you walked away with only bruises and I'm sure a lot of aching bones. I hope you feel better soon!!! :flower3:

[misscmac]

Wow how scary:scared1: but I am glad to hear that you are doing well...take care:flower3:

[Lynn5700]

OH MY GOSH!! Thank GOD you are okay. Those pics are horrible wow you were lucky. Get some rest and I hope you feel better:):grouphug:

[KStarfish82]

Thank goodness you are alright...you are very lucky!!! Good to hear that there shouldn't be any permanent damage, with the exception of your car.....I hope that you are pursuing legal action against the other driver...possibly getting that DFTW paid for ;)

[AbbyPan]

:eek: I am so glad you are okay!!!

Get better soon! ....I feel bad for your car too...ouch!

[sunsh1ne]

that did not look good. i am very hapy to hear yu are ok. i can imagine how sacry it was to y9u and you df wow. take care of yourself

[dizneyfreak]

I have titled this post WOW for two reasons. First of all that accident looked horrible and it's a miracle you are ok. I am an EMT and if I rolled up on an accident like that I wouldn't have a good outlook for the driver. Thank God you are ok and you will be in my prayers. Second, the wow is because I am home sick today and I had the chance to read your entire planning journal and I'm loving it! Keep up the good work...when your good and rested that is!

[Maggimus]

Holy moly!! I know what its like to have bad things happen-- we've had 2 housefires in 4 months. Im so glad you are alright.... i really mean that!! :hug:

[Dremwvr]

Thank goodness you are ok! From the looks of the pictures it was a BAD accident. You'll be in my prayers for a quick and painless recovery!

[MickeyCrazed]

I'm glad that you are OK. What a miracle that you were able to walk away from that accident!

Sending lots of pixie dust to help you get better soon!

[DVCGirl49]

Oh my goodness!!!! I'm glad you are okay!

BTW, a lesson I learned when I was in an accident a few years ago....make sure that even if your neck is sore/stiff, that you move it around a bit every few hours or so. I just was tensing my neck/shoulders up (basically 'guarding' it) a lot because it hurt and ended up having to go to 6 weeks of Physical Therapy because a few days later it got so tight that I couldn't turn my head side to side or move my neck up or down at all! The PT I saw said definitely next time to take the happy drugs and move/stretch periodically...even if it hurts. So go take your happy drugs and get some rest! Hope youfeel better!

[2angelsinheaven]

Oh my, I am so happy to hear you are doing alright. I agree with everyone the photos look really terrible can't believe you walked away with minor bumps and bruises, very lucky. Take your meds and relax and take care of yourself. We'll still be here when you return, right now time time for yourself.

[disneyeeyorefan]

I found your report today and am enjoying all the details of your upcoming wedding, especially love the snow globes for centerpieces.
Sorry about your car accident, am glad you are all right.

[FSUDisneyGirl]

Glad to hear you are doing okay! :) Hopefully you will fell better as the days pass.j

And, of course, there's always planning your wedding to make you feel better! :cool1:

[cryssi]

OMG!!! I'm so glad you are ok!

[LuluLovesDisney]

I am so glad that you are okay! That is the most important thing! However, that is a terrible accident! I hope the pain meds help. What a horrible experience! I can completely relate. I was in an accident - the car almost flipped over - as a very young child (maybe 8?) and was also involved in a head on collision that resulted in me biting a piece of my tongue off and getting pretty scraped and bruised. I have avoided driving as much as possible for the past year. So, my advice is as soon as you are better to start driving again, because once you stop, it is so hard to get behind the wheel. At least it is for me. Again, I am so glad that you are okay. It really is a miracle.

[princessdisneybelle]

I'm so glad you are ok. Those pics of your car look like it could have been so much worse. Take your time and heal well. Your poor DF that had to be so scary. Much pixie dust and prayers for both of you. Remember if you need anything we are all here for you.

[figmentfan814]

Hi everyone, I just wanted to thank you all for your support. :grouphug: I am starting to feel a little better. I am sleeping a lot from the medication, but I know the rest is good for me. :sick:

It will be strange getting behind the wheel again, but I know it's something I will have to work through especially since I work an hour away from my house. Thankfully, I have a few days to rest up aand don't have to worry about that for now.

My DF went back to Ohio last night. I think he is still pretty shook up even though he probably wouldn't admit it. This morning he called me from work (he works at a hospital) and said he was so glad that I was in intensive care or anything.

Hopefully in a few days I should at least feel up to being on the computer a little more, after all there are still wedding plans to be made.

[Bouncy bounce]

I love the newsletter you give to your guest. Where did you find the disney type font??

[myprincessgirlisa]

oh my god I am SO glad to hear you are ok..i was in an almost identical accident in 1993 & i had family in the car & it ended up being alot worse than yours .....so am i SO happy to hear its mostly scratches & bruises....your car lloks awful!!

Take care of you & get lots of rest & dont think about those scratches now....just rememer it could have been worse:hug:

glad you decided on a dress & signed off on it!! woo hoo!!!

[figmentfan814]

oh my god I am SO glad to hear you are ok..i was in an almost identical accident in 1993 & i had family in the car & it ended up being alot worse than yours .....so am i SO happy to hear its mostly scratches & bruises....your car lloks awful!!

Take care of you & get lots of rest & dont think about those scratches now....just rememer it could have been worse:hug:

glad you decided on a dress & signed off on it!! woo hoo!!!

Thanks for the encourage, that helps a lot. I'm suppose to rest all this week, which is not normal for me but I can tell my body needs to time off :)

Now, I'm especially glad that I got my dress taken care of before the accident.

[figmentfan814]

I love the newsletter you give to your guest. Where did you find the disney type font??

I downloaded online for free; it's called Waltograph. I don't remember exactly where I got it from, but I think this link should work fine for you http://www.download.com/Waltograph-Font/3000-2190_4-10355416.html

Enjoy! :yay:

[Island Mouse]

I'm glad to hear you are feeling a little better after your terrible accident. Your poor DF!! I can't even imagine how worried he must have been. I'm glad you are okay, though. I just read your PJ and I love some of the ideas you have. I will definitely subscribe to this one to see how everything unfolds.

[lpizzuro123]

I love the Disney font but I do not understand the "downloading" thing. I went to the site and downloaded it but I do not understand how to use it. It put the font in folders but how do I then use this font. Any help would be appreciated. I have been working on a Newsletter and would love to make the font a Disney font.

Thanks,
Linda

[DaPookie]

I downloaded online for free; it's called Waltograph. I don't remember exactly where I got it from, but I think this link should work fine for you http://www.download.com/Waltograph-Font/3000-2190_4-10355416.html

Enjoy! :yay:

Woot!!! Thanks for posting that! :cool1: :woohoo:

[figmentfan814]

I love the Disney font but I do not understand the "downloading" thing. I went to the site and downloaded it but I do not understand how to use it. It put the font in folders but how do I then use this font. Any help would be appreciated. I have been working on a Newsletter and would love to make the font a Disney font.

Thanks,
Linda

I'm not super good with computers, but I know once I downloaded it whenever I open up a program- Word, Photoshop, etc. if I go to the font list and scroll down to "W" it appears in the list as Waltograph. I didn't have to do anything special to import it into any particular program. :confused: Hopefully that helps some if not, I'm sure someone else on the board might be more of a techie than I am and can offer more technical expertise. Sorry I can't be any more help.

[lpizzuro123]

Thanks, I'll go in later today and see if I can just do this.

Linda

[BayouPrincess]

Figmentfan,

I'm late getting to your story. I'm soooooooooooooo glad you walked away from that accident.:goodvibes 8 years ago,I lost my brother in an accident with less damage to the car than yours, so be thankful...I know you are and I'm really sure your DF is. :hug:

REST! REST! REST! That's one of the best things for you.

That said your dress is gorgeous and the newsletters are the best! Hope you're mobile again soon.

[figmentfan814]

Figmentfan,

I'm late getting to your story. I'm soooooooooooooo glad you walked away from that accident.:goodvibes 8 years ago,I lost my brother in an accident with less damage to the car than yours, so be thankful...I know you are and I'm really sure your DF is. :hug:

REST! REST! REST! That's one of the best things for you.

That said your dress is gorgeous and the newsletters are the best! Hope you're mobile again soon.

I am very grateful for coming through the accident. I realize how fortunate I am and have been trying my best to rest up. It's hard slowing down when I'm used to being on the run.

Thanks for reading through my plans, I'm glad you've enjoyed them so far. :cheer2:

[figmentfan814]

Since I've been resting up from my accident I have worked on a few small projects for the wedding. I already posted the canvas bags that are for our wedding party, parents, and grandmas (18 of these bags were made). Our other guests are getting their welcome bags in pastel gift bags that I purchased from Oriental trading (we have to make 25 of these).

I wanted to get a label made for my welcome bags for the regular guests, so I asked for some help on the Creative Board.

Patnl34 came up with these two designs for me. She had the basic design on her web site and I had her customize it. The two different colors gives me options to coordinate to the different bags that I got for the guests. I ordered labels that were 4 inches by 3.33 inches and they fit perfectly when I printed them out.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Wedding%20Crafts/WelcomeBagLogo-Blue.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Wedding%20Crafts/WelcomeBagLogo-Purple.jpg
Here they are on the bags:
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Wedding%20Crafts/Accident107.jpg

I have also been working on these jar art projects. I saw these at a discount store and I just had to buy them. There are also some princess ones that I haven't taken pictures of yet. We are doing 15 of these to place in the gift bags. These are for the people who are getting more Disney items than others. We have lanyards, the Mickey antenna toppers and playing cards, and some Mickey candies that fit perfectly inside the jars. I really didn't need them, but they were so cute I couldn't resist.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Wedding%20Crafts/WeddingPlanning016.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Wedding%20Crafts/WeddingPlanning017.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Wedding%20Crafts/WeddingPlanning013.jpg

Here are some pictures of the other snowglobes that I got after the initial purchases. My aunt in Indianapolis had to get the Alice in Wonderland one for me and the Pinocchio and Donald ones are from Disney Shopping.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Wedding%20Purchases/Accident074.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Wedding%20Purchases/WeddingPlanning130.jpg

Since we were only able to get a few pictures during our engagement shoot with our photographer in Michigan I decided to call Randy Chapman to see if we could get in this September. It works out perfectly, he was able to fit us in the afternoon right after our menu tasting. I still can't decide which sites we want to use for our pictures. I'm leaning towards Port Orleans and Wilderness Lodge, but I'm not sure. Any input is greatly appreciated.

We are wanting to do a photo book for our guests to sign, so I want to have a good variety of pictures to include in it. I saw this idea in a wedding magazine and thought it was great. We can use it as a coffee table book after the wedding. I want to buy one of the nice photo books that are hard cover. I haven't decided which web site I want to order it from yet.

I also called Air Tran yesterday to set up our Event Saver. They are emailing me a contract with all the details, so I will share them once I get it. Our guests are eligible to travel and receive the discount 3 days prior and 3 days after our events. I listed our events from March 1-5 to give people flexibility in their travel. Here are the basics from the description on the AirTran site:

10% discount on most of AirTran Airways' already low fares.
No Saturday night stay or minimum stay required.
Priority advance seat assignments at time of ticketing.
Change fee waived once per reservation.
Confirmed Business Class upgrades at time of ticketing for certain fare classes.
Flexible arrival and departure dates - up to 3 days before and after the event - so travelers can take in the sights.
Special meeting and convention rates from Hertz.


I am off work until my birthday next week, which doesn't seem fair :upsidedow If I finish up any new projects between now and then I will make sure to post them.

[disneyeeyorefan]

Love the bags and designs:woohoo:

[LuluLovesDisney]

I love the bags! I never saw that design before - Mickey and Minnie touching noses - so cute!

[dizneyfreak]

That picture is just too cute! How did you get the creative boards to make it for you?

[figmentfan814]

I was really pleased with how the design came out too.

dizneyfreak: This time I emailed the designer directly (Patnl34) who has a web site http://www.patsdesigns.com/. I've had them do other things before like the monogram that is on top of my newsletters with the K & V inside the Mickey head. All I did was go over to the board and started a new thread describing what I was looking for and I got several responses within a day or so. It's great, everyone over there is so talented and are willing to help with all kinds of Disney designs. They have some reallly cute designs for T-shirt iron-ons too. :cheer2:

[dizneyfreak]

Sweetness! It's that easy huh? I'll just have to pop on over to the creative boards for some help then. Thanks for your help!

[figmentfan814]

Since I've started physical therapy I've had a lot of time to sit in front of my laptop, so I decided to put together a newsletter for my bridesmaids.

I didn't have a lot of specifics, but I wanted to put everything together in one place for them since they are all spread across the country. (I'm not sure why the second page came out smaller when I converted the PDF.)

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Wedding%20Crafts/BridesmaidNewsletter_Page_1.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Wedding%20Crafts/BridesmaidNewsletter_Page_2.jpg

I also picked up some folders for the welcome bags. I wanted to be able to put everyone's itineraries, park maps, welcome letters, etc. in a folder, so they wouldn't get messed up in their bags. Since there are so many back to school sales I was able to get some Tinkerbell and Pirates of the Carribean ones. The baseball ones are for Kris' groomsmen because they are going to some spring training games in Florida while we're down for the wedding. I was hoping to get a bigger variety of characters, but they were on sale at Kmart for 50 cents compared to some of the other stores where they were 85 cents to over a dollar.

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Wedding%20Purchases/Reunion07151.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Wedding%20Purchases/Reunion07152.jpg

That's about it for now. I also ordered a couple of other small things to add to the welcome bags, which I'll add once I get them in next week.

[debbieb04]

I just caught up on your pj. Everything is wonderful, your dress, welcome bags, pictures, all great.

I'm so glad you are healing from that horrible accident.

I'm looking forward to more.:thumbsup2

[figmentfan814]

I just caught up on your pj. Everything is wonderful, your dress, welcome bags, pictures, all great.

I'm so glad you are healing from that horrible accident.

I'm looking forward to more.:thumbsup2

I'm glad you're enjoying my journal. I have definitely had more time over the last few weeks to make some wedding plans. I'm still off work until August 27th because I had to go into physical therapy. At least I'm able to spend time on the computer and phone making plans for the wedding :goodvibes

[figmentfan814]

I have a lot more to share from the last few weeks, but just wanted to let everyone know that I head down for my menu tasting and engagement pictures tomorrow! :yay:

Here's a newsletter that went out to my guests this weekend too. It outlines the Airtran discount a little more. If anyone notices there is one error in the date on this version, but the correct version went out to my guests.

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Wedding%20Crafts/WeddingNewsletter9-3_Page_1.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Wedding%20Crafts/WeddingNewsletter9-3_Page_2.jpg

[lurkyloo]

Love your newsletters!

I see that you're having a welcome hayride at Fort Wilderness - someone suggested this to us as an alternative to the welcome dinner. Can you tell me a little more about it? Thanks!

Have fun at your tasting!

[JaxTeach]

We had our engagement pictures taken on Monday. Boy was it hot! I hope the weather was good for your session. I just hope my face isn't too red in our photos! Hope your trip went well. :goodvibes

[figmentfan814]

Love your newsletters!

I see that you're having a welcome hayride at Fort Wilderness - someone suggested this to us as an alternative to the welcome dinner. Can you tell me a little more about it? Thanks!

Have fun at your tasting!

I stopped by Fort Wilderness and got more information last week. The cost is still $300 and the wagons can hold 30-35 depending on the ratio of adults and children. There are two times that leave each night- one is at 5:30 p.m. and one is 8:15 p.m. The direct number to call for booking is (407) 824-2734.

[figmentfan814]

We had our engagement pictures taken on Monday. Boy was it hot! I hope the weather was good for your session. I just hope my face isn't too red in our photos! Hope your trip went well. :goodvibes

Thankfully it wasn't too hot, but there was a horrible downpour about 30 minutes before we started. Our butts ended up soaked whenever we sat down :rotfl: Randy kept watching the sky and waiting for the right angle, so there weren't dark ominous clouds in the background.

[miranda1979]

figmentfan... I wrote you a PM and I don't know if you have got it but I would like to know were you got your tiara, necklace and braclet please if you have the time to let me know it would really be greatly helpful.

thanks miranda

[JaxTeach]

Thankfully it wasn't too hot, but there was a horrible downpour about 30 minutes before we started. Our butts ended up soaked whenever we sat down :rotfl: Randy kept watching the sky and waiting for the right angle, so there weren't dark ominous clouds in the background.

Oh no! That stinks that it had to rain right before your pictures. In Florida you get rain or heat. It had rained a lot the day before and Randy kept asking us if it was dry before we sat down. He's really wonderful! He would wait for a cloud to cover the sun for us since we were dying in the heat and it was really bright out! Where did you have your pictures taken?

[caryndisneydiva]

i'm just reading your pj and i have to say that your accident brought me to tears...you're so lucky your DF is so wonderful. i had a similar situation a few years ago with my DF (future at that time...) and he was so fabulous!!! happy planning!!!

[oneyodafan]

I was really pleased with how the design came out too.

dizneyfreak: This time I emailed the designer directly (Patnl34) who has a web site http://www.patsdesigns.com/. I've had them do other things before like the monogram that is on top of my newsletters with the K & V inside the Mickey head. All I did was go over to the board and started a new thread describing what I was looking for and I got several responses within a day or so. It's great, everyone over there is so talented and are willing to help with all kinds of Disney designs. They have some reallly cute designs for T-shirt iron-ons too. :cheer2:


Thank you for sharing. I've bookmarked her site and am going to share this with my SIL. Also am sharing your newsletters with her. Love 'em!

Hope you had a wonderful weekend. Can't wait to hear all about it.

[caryndisneydiva]

i just emailed pat as well for that design, thank you so much for posting that info!!!

[figmentfan814]

figmentfan... I wrote you a PM and I don't know if you have got it but I would like to know were you got your tiara, necklace and braclet please if you have the time to let me know it would really be greatly helpful.

thanks miranda

Sorry just realized that I responded to your mom's account. I just forwarded you the original PM.

[figmentfan814]

Oh no! That stinks that it had to rain right before your pictures. In Florida you get rain or heat. It had rained a lot the day before and Randy kept asking us if it was dry before we sat down. He's really wonderful! He would wait for a cloud to cover the sun for us since we were dying in the heat and it was really bright out! Where did you have your pictures taken?

We ended up switching our pictures at the last minute. We were originally going to Wilderness and Boardwalk, but switched Boardwalk to Polynesian. My DF decided he wanted a Hawaii honeymoon (after our week at Disney with family) so I thought the Polynesian was fitting.

[figmentfan814]

i'm just reading your pj and i have to say that your accident brought me to tears...you're so lucky your DF is so wonderful. i had a similar situation a few years ago with my DF (future at that time...) and he was so fabulous!!! happy planning!!!

He really has been so sweet even for being so far away right now. When we were down this weekend for the menu tasting he was my designated wheelchair driver. I can walk pretty good most the time, but I didn't want to slow us down so I went with a chair for at the parks.

[figmentfan814]

Glad I was able to connect some of you to the designers. They really are a great resource :thumbsup2

I'll try to post some pictures and updates from my trip soon. I'm also going to be out of town for part of this weekend, but I'll try to get it done before I leave :)

[caryndisneydiva]

He really has been so sweet even for being so far away right now. When we were down this weekend for the menu tasting he was my designated wheelchair driver. I can walk pretty good most the time, but I didn't want to slow us down so I went with a chair for at the parks.

i know what you're talking about...df and i did long distance (nj to tx) for about a year and it was terrible!!! it's great though, to find that man that will be there, no matter how far apart you are separated!!!

[figmentfan814]

We headed down for our menu tasting from September 5-9. We stayed at Port Orleans. My parents and I went down a day earlier than Kris. Since it was right after Labor Day he couldn't take off the same day as us. We stayed at Port Orleans-Riverside; one of our favorite resorts.

I had to call the airline in advance to make special arrangements since I'm still having some trouble getting around from the accident. I needed more leg room for the flight., so the airline seated me right behind business class so there was plenty of space. I can walk short distances, but to save time we got a wheelchair at the Orlando Airport. We flew out of a relatively small airport near our home with only 15 gates, so walking wasn't an issue up here.
Here we are wheeling through the airport :)
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Menu%20Tasting/FloridaWeddingPlanning-Sept.07382.jpg

We let our bags go with the Magical Express and rented a car from National, so we could hit up the 3 Disney Outlets on our way to our resort. We were looking for some items for our gift bags. I will take pictures of all my finds and post them tonight (hopefully).

We went to the Prime Outlets off of I-Drive to the Character Warehouse and then to the two Disney outlets in Lake Buena Vista. It was definitely worth the trip. We went to the Character Warehouse first and it had been redone since we last went there. It is definitely worth the drive to hit up this outlet. Here are pictures of me with the bags at the Prime Outlets.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Menu%20Tasting/FloridaWeddingPlanning-Sept.0741-1.jpg

After leaving there we were starving so we went on property to check-in and to get lunch. First, we went over to Fort Wilderness for lunch at Trails End Buffet and I stopped in to get the details for our Welcome Hay Ride.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Menu%20Tasting/FloridaWeddingPlanning-Sept.07417.jpg

We then decided to check-in before heading out to the other outlets. However, we ended up having some problems with our reservation. We had called in advance because we had requested a room in Alligator Bayou, but since I can't get around as well we wanted to make sure we had a first floor room since there aren't elevators in this section.

Needless to say we had been stuck on the second floor. At first they offered to move us to a building further away on the first floor then we would have to be moved the second night. My mom and I started getting a little upset because we have never had an issue like this before (on several trips we have traveled with people that need accomodations for disabilities and Disney is usually great about handling these issues.) We also told them that we're having group of around 40 people staying at this resort in March and don't want to encounter similar problems.

After about 30 minutes of going back and forth with the girl at the desk she went in the back room to talk to someone. When she came out she magically had a room for us in a building up front on the first floor :banana: I also went over to the concierge and got a wheelchair to use for the days where we would be doing a lot of walking. This definitely came in handy at the parks and for our engagement pictures.

The other two outlets weren't that great this time around. I'm glad I made the trip though because I probably would have second guessed myself if I hadn't went. The car rental perfect because we were able to turn in the car at the Car Care Center right by the Magic Kingdom that night and there was a free shuttle to our hotel afterwards. (Although a piece of advice... the shuttles stop running at 8 p.m. We called to check on our shuttle at 7:30 pm and had to rush to make it in time.) You have to rent through Alamo or National because they are the only ones right on property. It was great to get all the information because we have some guests that are venturing to other areas in Florida and had asked us about car rentals. In the past we always rented off property, so it was great to be able to go right by the Magic Kingdom.

The next morning we met up with my cousin at the Magic Kingdom. He is a cast member at Epcot and got us in the parks for the day. My cousin had to work that afternoon, so he only hung out with us for a while. While he went in search of coffee with my dad my mom and I came across this Jim Shore castle. I'll tell more about it later; it is going to be incorporated into my cake table.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Menu%20Tasting/FloridaWeddingPlanning-Sept.07488.jpg

I took the wheelchair this day because I knew that I wouldn't be able to handle that much walking. Unfortunately, my therapists told me that I couldn't do any rough rides or rollercoasters, so I missed out on Space Mountain and Big Thunder two of my favorites. :mad:

It was a lot of fun to have some time at the parks because in May when we came down for the planning session we never went into any of them! We got to do the new Laugh Floor with Monsters, Inc. and I was surprised how much fun this actually was even for adults. We walked right on Buzz Lightyear several times and this was the first time my mom and I ever beat my dad on the ride.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Menu%20Tasting/FloridaWeddingPlanning-Sept.07099.jpg

Since we were on the free dining plan we had decided to try new restaurants. We went to Tony's that night. It was pretty good, but I wasn't that amazed with anything. I'm not sure if I would ever really go back, but the atmosphere was nice. It was funny because it was so cold in there they were handing out tableclothes to the women to use as blankets! Lady and the Tramp fountain in the center of the restaurant:
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Menu%20Tasting/FloridaWeddingPlanning-Sept.07110.jpg

That night we rushed back to the hotel to meet Kris when he got off the Magical Express.

More to come- menu tasting, engagement pictures, and hair & makeup trial....

[disneyeeyorefan]

I love that castle, I can't wait to see how you are going to incorporate it:goodvibes

[caryndisneydiva]

OHHHH! i can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip!!! i'm sorry that you're still not 100% from your accident...will you be able to get around for the wedding?

side note: if your cousin is still a cast member the next time you're down, have him take you to property control. it's the cast member only disney store and there they sell all disney merchandise that's returns, discontinued, etc...you can get stuff for pennies on the dollar, at least you used to. df and i used to go once or twice a week when we were cast members...

[figmentfan814]

I love that castle, I can't wait to see how you are going to incorporate it:goodvibes

We're going to use the castle as part of my cake display. I was not happy about spending $100 for the plain chocolate one, so I was excited to find this pastel one which fits my theme perfectly! Plus, it was only $110 and it was signed by the artist. :cool1:

Even though it is pretty lightweight it is still a little heavy to be on top of the cake, so my planner said it would be okay to use one of these tiered stands. I'm only have 3 layers of cake, so the top stand would hold the castle. (This is just a sample of the stands; my cakes will not look like this at all.)
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Menu%20Tasting/Cakestand.jpg

[figmentfan814]

OHHHH! i can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip!!! i'm sorry that you're still not 100% from your accident...will you be able to get around for the wedding?

side note: if your cousin is still a cast member the next time you're down, have him take you to property control. it's the cast member only disney store and there they sell all disney merchandise that's returns, discontinued, etc...you can get stuff for pennies on the dollar, at least you used to. df and i used to go once or twice a week when we were cast members...

I'm suppose to be back to most of my normal routine by November, so my fingers are crossed. I am finding that it's a lot slower for my recovery than I originally wanted. Basically, I have to do a lot of muscle strengthening to make sure that I don't have problems down the road with my back, etc.

Thanks for the tip on the cast member only store. My cousin never knows anything about what's going on down there and he has already worked there like 4 years, I think I'm going to have to drag him to the store next time! :goodvibes

[jenelope]

Vanessa, I could see from the first entry that you are from the Flint area. I was born in Flint and raised in Lapeer. When I was in high school, I took drama classes at the Bower Theater and saw a classmate perform in "The Nutcracker" at the Whiting. Also, my cousin's daughter had her senior picture taken sitting on the rock in the river right behind you in your Frankenmuth engagement pics. So much of your journal has been a real walk down memory lane for me, so your engagement story and planning journal dragged me out of lurking!

Everything looks so beautiful. I can't wait to read the rest of your planning journal and look forward to reading a wedding trip report.

[figmentfan814]

Vanessa, I could see from the first entry that you are from the Flint area. I was born in Flint and raised in Lapeer. When I was in high school, I took drama classes at the Bower Theater and saw a classmate perform in "The Nutcracker" at the Whiting. Also, my cousin's daughter had her senior picture taken sitting on the rock in the river right behind you in your Frankenmuth engagement pics. So much of your journal has been a real walk down memory lane for me, so your engagement story and planning journal dragged me out of lurking!

Everything looks so beautiful. I can't wait to read the rest of your planning journal and look forward to reading a wedding trip report.

You are absolutely right; I live just a little north of Flint. It really is a small world after all :grouphug: it's good to hear that everything brings back fond memories. I'm glad you're enjoying everything so far!:goodvibes

[figmentfan814]

We headed down for our menu tasting from September 5-9. We stayed at Port Orleans. My parents and I went down a day earlier than Kris. Since it was right after Labor Day he couldn't take off the same day as us. We stayed at Port Orleans-Riverside; one of our favorite resorts.

I had to call the airline in advance to make special arrangements since I'm still having some trouble getting around from the accident. I needed more leg room for the flight., so the airline seated me right behind business class so there was plenty of space. I can walk short distances, but to save time we got a wheelchair at the Orlando Airport. We flew out of a relatively small airport near our home with only 15 gates, so walking wasn't an issue up here.
Here we are wheeling through the airport :)
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Menu%20Tasting/FloridaWeddingPlanning-Sept.07382.jpg

We let our bags go with the Magical Express and rented a car from National, so we could hit up the 3 Disney Outlets on our way to our resort. We were looking for some items for our gift bags. I will take pictures of all my finds and post them tonight (hopefully).

We went to the Prime Outlets off of I-Drive to the Character Warehouse and then to the two Disney outlets in Lake Buena Vista. It was definitely worth the trip. We went to the Character Warehouse first and it had been redone since we last went there. It is definitely worth the drive to hit up this outlet. Here are pictures of me with the bags at the Prime Outlets.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Menu%20Tasting/FloridaWeddingPlanning-Sept.0741-1.jpg

After leaving there we were starving so we went on property to check-in and to get lunch. First, we went over to Fort Wilderness for lunch at Trails End Buffet and I stopped in to get the details for our Welcome Hay Ride.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Menu%20Tasting/FloridaWeddingPlanning-Sept.07417.jpg

We then decided to check-in before heading out to the other outlets. However, we ended up having some problems with our reservation. We had called in advance because we had requested a room in Alligator Bayou, but since I can't get around as well we wanted to make sure we had a first floor room since there aren't elevators in this section.

Needless to say we had been stuck on the second floor. At first they offered to move us to a building further away on the first floor then we would have to be moved the second night. My mom and I started getting a little upset because we have never had an issue like this before (on several trips we have traveled with people that need accomodations for disabilities and Disney is usually great about handling these issues.) We also told them that we're having group of around 40 people staying at this resort in March and don't want to encounter similar problems.

After about 30 minutes of going back and forth with the girl at the desk she went in the back room to talk to someone. When she came out she magically had a room for us in a building up front on the first floor :banana: I also went over to the concierge and got a wheelchair to use for the days where we would be doing a lot of walking. This definitely came in handy at the parks and for our engagement pictures.

The other two outlets weren't that great this time around. I'm glad I made the trip though because I probably would have second guessed myself if I hadn't went. The car rental perfect because we were able to turn in the car at the Car Care Center right by the Magic Kingdom that night and there was a free shuttle to our hotel afterwards. (Although a piece of advice... the shuttles stop running at 8 p.m. We called to check on our shuttle at 7:30 pm and had to rush to make it in time.) You have to rent through Alamo or National because they are the only ones right on property. It was great to get all the information because we have some guests that are venturing to other areas in Florida and had asked us about car rentals. In the past we always rented off property, so it was great to be able to go right by the Magic Kingdom.

The next morning we met up with my cousin at the Magic Kingdom. He is a cast member at Epcot and got us in the parks for the day. My cousin had to work that afternoon, so he only hung out with us for a while. While he went in search of coffee with my dad my mom and I came across this Jim Shore castle. I’m going to have it incorporated into my cake table.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Menu%20Tasting/FloridaWeddingPlanning-Sept.07488.jpg

The castle is around 12 inches tall, so not too bad. I have wanted something to use on the cake table instead of just buying the chocolate castle and this was perfect. Even though it is pretty lightweight it is still a little heavy to be on top of the cake, so my planner said it would be okay to use one of these tiered stands.

I'm only have 3 layers of cake, so the top stand would hold the castle. (My actual cake won't look anything like this; it's just the picture of the stands that I got online :) )
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Menu%20Tasting/Cakestand.jpg

Back to the trip report…. I took the wheelchair this day because I knew that I wouldn't be able to handle that much walking. Unfortunately, my therapists told me that I couldn't do any rough rides or rollercoasters, so I missed out on Space Mountain and Big Thunder two of my favorites. :mad:

It was a lot of fun to have some time at the parks because in May when we came down for the planning session we never went into any of them! We got to do the new Laugh Floor with Monsters, Inc. and I was surprised how much fun this actually was even for adults. We walked right on Buzz Lightyear several times and this was the first time my mom and I ever beat my dad on the ride.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Menu%20Tasting/FloridaWeddingPlanning-Sept.07099.jpg

Since we were on the free dining plan we had decided to try new restaurants. We went to Tony's that night. It was pretty good, but I wasn't that amazed with anything. I'm not sure if I would ever really go back, but the atmosphere was nice. It was funny because it was so cold in there they were handing out tablecloths to the women to use as blankets! Lady and the Tramp fountain in the center of the restaurant:
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Menu%20Tasting/FloridaWeddingPlanning-Sept.07110.jpg

That night we rushed back to the hotel to meet Kris when he got off the Magical Express. We ended up heading to bed shortly after Kris arrived. We met him in the main building and he grabbed a bite to eat before we headed back to the room.

The next morning Anna from Makeover Majic called at around 7 am. I have to admit I was still sleeping, but I think my mom was already up and in the shower. Anna was coming over at 8:15 am for my trial; we had to get out of our room by 9:15 am to meet Marion at Franck's by 10. I have this in the hair and makeup section, but for any of you who didn't see it here is the recap:

She came in and was done with my hair and makeup in around 30 minutes. I showed her a few pictures for general inspiration and she did the rest.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Menu%20Tasting/FloridaWeddingPlanning-Sept.0712-2.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Menu%20Tasting/FloridaWeddingPlanning-Sept.07125.jpg

I forgot to take a picture with the veil and tiara held up to me. She didn't pin them in since we were getting our other pictures done later that day.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Menu%20Tasting/FloridaWeddingPlanning-Sept.0712-1.jpg

She did it up the way I wanted for the wedding then made some minor adjustments to make it look softer and more relaxed for our engagement pictures. On my wedding day the curls will be a little tighter and will be pinned in place.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Menu%20Tasting/FloridaWeddingPlanning-Sept.07123.jpg

The cost for the trial was $100 and was well worth the money to me. The total cost for my hair and makeup on my wedding day will be $125.

We finished up in plenty of time and headed to Magic Kingdom then caught the boat to Polynesian. We were loaded down because we bought the castle with us to show Marion and had all our clothes for our engagement pictures. I walked most that day, but used the chair to help us haul around some stuff.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Menu%20Tasting/FloridaWeddingPlanning-Sept.07181.jpg

Here we are waiting at Franck’s:
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Menu%20Tasting/FloridaWeddingPlanning-Sept.07162.jpg

I have to admit this was the most excited I have seen Kris about the wedding planning. I think with him being so far away for most of the planning; it finally was real for him going to Franck’s in person.

Once Marion arrived, she pulled around a car and we headed off to Epcot for the menu tasting.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Menu%20Tasting/FloridaWeddingPlanning-Sept.07138.jpg

After Marion pulled around we loaded up in the car and headed to the Epcot kitchen behind the World Showcase.

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Menu%20Tasting/FloridaWeddingPlanning-Sept.07141.jpg

When we got inside I was so excited to see that they had a full buffet set up for us. We're having the Tinkerbell Brunch menu with several modifications.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Menu%20Tasting/FloridaWeddingPlanning-Sept.07133.jpg

For our cocktail hour we are having a fruit display and the cheese display. We tried the fruit dip to make sure it was what we wanted. For this portion of the reception we weren't sure what type of beverage to serve, so the chef came up with a signature juice drink which included a mixture of orange, passion fruit, and papaya juices. They had it for us to taste and it was wonderful! :)

Instead of the penne pasta we requested the chicken Caesar pasta from the Crystal Palace buffet at Magic Kingdom. This was the favorite dish for Kris and I at the tasting.

For the potatoes we weren't sure what we wanted, so we had them prepare fried potatoes with onions and peppers & the cheese au gratin potatoes from the breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table. The cheese ones were amazing and they were what we ultimately ended up picking.

We also sampled our chicken with the fig au jus which was fantastic! Then they made us crepes fresh to order since we are having both the crepe and omelete bar at the reception (we added a few additional items to each of these bars). Our regular menu will also include a pastry display, bacon, and sausage.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Menu%20Tasting/FloridaWeddingPlanning-Sept.07134.jpg

Another item we requested were the peanut butter marshmallow bars for our dessert party. My planner's assistant said they don't usually let you try anything from the dessert party, so we were excited to see them there. We're both huge peanut butter fans, so we wanted to make sure that we liked them a lot.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Menu%20Tasting/FloridaWeddingPlanning-Sept.07136.jpg

Here are some pictures of us at the tasting :bg: :
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Menu%20Tasting/FloridaWeddingPlanning-Sept.07132.jpg

Cake tasting and more to come....

[sunsh1ne]

sosos yummy and so unique i havent seen any of these foods before. wow

[caryndisneydiva]

i'm so glad you posted pics of the tinkerbell brunch...depending on how much my custom menu costs per person, that's the one that i would switch to!

[oneyodafan]

Everything look so yummy!

[KimAshton]

I just read your whole TR and I just love your dress. Beautiful.

[figmentfan814]

sosos yummy and so unique i havent seen any of these foods before. wow

I'm glad to hear that :cool1: It took us forever to come up with some different options to add to the menu tasting. We went through tons of web sites looking at menus from different restaurants on property. I'm not sure if I mentioned it or not, but the au gratin potatoes are from Cinderella's Royal Table and the Caesar Pasta was from Crystal Palace. I was so happy that the chef got the recipes exact!

[figmentfan814]

I just read your whole TR and I just love your dress. Beautiful.

Thank you so much! It took me forever to find one, so it's nice to hear that from someone! :goodvibes

[figmentfan814]

i'm so glad you posted pics of the tinkerbell brunch...depending on how much my custom menu costs per person, that's the one that i would switch to!

I would love to hear what you're having on your menu. I know we are changing out the potatoes and the pasta and adjusted the omelete bar some too. I was glad that they are pretty flexible with everything. I was so happy that my planner let me switch some of the items from the brunch over for our pre-reception. For this we did switch the salmon out for a cheese display.

[figmentfan814]

Everything look so yummy!

:mickeyjum This was definitely my favorite part of the planning!

[Kristen14]

I love your engagement pics in Frankenmuth! I'm having my bridal shower at Zehnder's in December... too bad it'll be way too cold to get any good pics by the bridge :(

[figmentfan814]

I love your engagement pics in Frankenmuth! I'm having my bridal shower at Zehnder's in December... too bad it'll be way too cold to get any good pics by the bridge :(

Maybe you'll luck out and it will be one of the pretty winter days, although those are kind of few and far between up here. It was so cold the day we got our pictures with freezing rain blowing in our faces; you should see some of the ones that I didn't post ;)

Zehnder's sounds like it will be really great, are you having it in one of the areas downstairs? A couple years ago my cousin got married in Frankenmuth and they had their reception in the Bavarian Lodge. It was a lot of fun! So are you near Frankenmuth? I only live about 20 minutes away from there.

[caryndisneydiva]

wow-listening to you guys talk about winter makes me homesick, i'm originally from nj and moved to tx 4 years ago, sometimes it gets to me...they think it's cold here when it gets to 50 deg out...

[M&M126]

I just caught up on your TR. I'm so sorry to hear about your accident but I'm very glad you're recovering!! All of your plans are so great. You are going to have a very fun wedding weekend!!! :)

[Kristen14]

Maybe you'll luck out and it will be one of the pretty winter days, although those are kind of few and far between up here. It was so cold the day we got our pictures with freezing rain blowing in our faces; you should see some of the ones that I didn't post ;)

Zehnder's sounds like it will be really great, are you having it in one of the areas downstairs? A couple years ago my cousin got married in Frankenmuth and they had their reception in the Bavarian Lodge. It was a lot of fun! So are you near Frankenmuth? I only live about 20 minutes away from there.

I'm not sure where in Zehnder's it'll be, my sister and my cousin are the masterminds behind it:)

I live in South Florida, but I was born and raised in Farmington Hills. My parents and all of my family still live in the Detroit area, so I go up several times a year to visit. Frankenmuth is about a 45min drive from my parents house, but DF is obsessed with the Family Style chicken meal... so we go every time we're in town!

[Kristen14]

wow-listening to you guys talk about winter makes me homesick, i'm originally from nj and moved to tx 4 years ago, sometimes it gets to me...they think it's cold here when it gets to 50 deg out...

I know exactly what you mean! I live in South Florida now and know way too many 20 somethings that have never seen snow. I dont really miss it though, a week in Michigan over Christmas is usually enough for me. After 8 years here I've really gotten used to going to the beach year round!

[caryndisneydiva]

kristen14, you're getting married 2 days after me!!!

[figmentfan814]

I know exactly what you mean! I live in South Florida now and know way too many 20 somethings that have never seen snow. I dont really miss it though, a week in Michigan over Christmas is usually enough for me. After 8 years here I've really gotten used to going to the beach year round!

You sound exactly like my relatives who have become Florida natives. They avoid visiting all of us during the winter!

[figmentfan814]

Duplicate post

[figmentfan814]

I apologize for not posting sooner, but things have been a pretty busy lately. Plus, I just had everything typed up to post and then lost it! I am always careful about copying and pasting it and then somehow this time I even lost that copy!
I know there are few details that I forgot to mention from our tasting. First, here is our napkin fold. When we first saw them Kris actually had an opinion on something and liked the bird of paradise one, so I had no problem going with that one.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Menu%20Tasting/FloridaWeddingPlanning-Sept.07130.jpg
Another thing that Kris really wanted on the menu was crepes. I originally wanted to switch it to a waffle station, but Kris said his mom used to make crepes when he was little… who knew!? Anyway, now that’s a big joke whenever he says that he is allowing me to do whatever I want for the wedding; we always remind him about the crepes!
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Menu%20Tasting/FloridaWeddingPlanning-Sept07135.jpg
When we left the tasting they even sent us with a box full of the peanut butter marshmallow squares!
Next we headed to the Living Seas since Kris didn’t get to come with us to the site visit in May.
Here we are waiting for Marion.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Menu%20Tasting/FloridaWeddingPlanning-Sept.07144.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Menu%20Tasting/FloridaWeddingPlanning-Sept07157.jpg
I’m trying to decide if I want to play a song for Kris at our reception as a surprise. I’m not sure if I’ll be too nervous to pull it off. I’ve been playing for years and even though I haven’t really been able to play very much since my accident I know I will have time to prepare. I’m just worried that with all the rest of the stress from the day I will not do my best. Any opinions?
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Menu%20Tasting/FloridaWeddingPlanning-Sept.07159.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Menu%20Tasting/FloridaWeddingPlanning-Sept07147.jpg
Some of these pictures are a little blurry.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Menu%20Tasting/FloridaWeddingPlanning-Sept.07160.jpg
Everyone was trying to spot the sea turtles. Kris loves turtles (long story, he actually rescues them off the road!)
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Menu%20Tasting/FloridaWeddingPlanning-Sept07151.jpg
My mom and Marion
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Menu%20Tasting/FloridaWeddingPlanning-Sept.07158.jpg 
We then headed back to Franck’s for the cake tasting. We requested the following flavors in advance:
• Carrot
• Chocolate
• Lemon
• Marble
• Orange

Fillings:
• Amaretto
• Orange
• Blackberry
• Cream Cheese
• Peanut Butter Cup
• White Chocolate with Strawberries
• Buttercream
• Dark Chocolate with Raspberry

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Menu%20Tasting/FloridaWeddingPlanning-Sept.07168.jpg


I have to admit, Kris requested the orange and it was fantastic. I’m normally a fan of lemon, but the orange was a delicate flavor that was not strong and overpowering. We ended up deciding on a layer of chocolate with peanut butter filling, carrot with cream cheese, and orange with orange. We are having all the layers cut since we’re saving the one from our at-home reception for our anniversary.

Marion looked at the castle that I bought at the Magic Kingdom and loved it. She definitely thought it could be incorporated into the cake table. She had tried to coordinate a meeting with the pastry chef, but he couldn’t meet until later in the afternoon when we would be getting our engagement pictures. We’re in the process of trying to schedule a conference call with the chef.
Here I am with Marion during the session:
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Menu%20Tasting/FloridaWeddingPlanning-Sept07174.jpg

Laura from Disney Floral sent over a bunch of samples for me. I wanted to see the green lisianthus which will be in the one bridesmaid bouquet (each of my girls are wearing a different color and their bouquet will correspond with their outfit)
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Menu%20Tasting/FloridaWeddingPlanning-Sept07173.jpg

In my family we are huge chocoholics, so I had her send over some samples of their favors. I’m glad I did because I love dark chocolate and was a little disappointed by theirs when I tasted it. The milk chocolate was the best and was similar in texture to Nestle. We were so full of sweets by this time though we ended up taking them back to the hotel to eat another day.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Menu%20Tasting/FloridaWeddingPlanning-Sept07325-1.jpg

I also had her send over the garter set and the knife set. I was going to make a Mickey garter, but
since the price was pretty reasonable I decided not to bother. I am going to take the knife set to get engraved soon.

We then headed over to the Grand Floridian to look for a shirt for Kris. He accidentally brought the wrong shirt to Florida for the first half of our photo shoot. Halfway there it started pouring rain. I was a little nervous because our engagement pictures were set to start in 45 minutes. We didn’t find anything within our spur of the moment budget at the Grand Floridian, so we headed to the Polynesian. He ended up buying this Mickey polo. I was excited to see him pick out a Disney shirt on his own!
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Menu%20Tasting/FloridaWeddingPlanning-Sept07184.jpg
After we purchased the shirt, we headed into the public restrooms to get ready. My mom was a big help because I had bags of makeup and a huge garment bag. Here we are right before meeting Randy:
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Menu%20Tasting/FloridaWeddingPlanning-Sept07187.jpg
Randy was great when we met up with him. We still had a lot of our stuff from the planning session and he helped Kris carry stuff while he was maneuvering the wheel chair. He also kept an eye on the clouds to make sure that we got great shots. We did have some problems with wind as you can see in some of the pictures.

[figmentfan814]

Here are some of my favorites:
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Engagement%20Pictures/VK00043-3-08.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Engagement%20Pictures/VK00163-3-08.jpg
Kris stopped to write our initials in the sand:
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Engagement%20Pictures/VK00693-3-08.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Engagement%20Pictures/VK00823-3-08.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Engagement%20Pictures/VK00783-3-08.jpg
I love how the bird flew in the picture by the castle:
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Engagement%20Pictures/VK01003-3-08.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Engagement%20Pictures/VK01713-3-08.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Engagement%20Pictures/VK01733-3-08.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Engagement%20Pictures/VK01653-3-08.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Engagement%20Pictures/VK01583-3-08.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Engagement%20Pictures/VK01473-3-08.jpg
Look at the wind in the picture:
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Engagement%20Pictures/VK01193-3-08.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Engagement%20Pictures/VK01023-3-08.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Engagement%20Pictures/VK01853-3-08.jpg
Kris and I are never usually like this, so this shot made me laugh.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Engagement%20Pictures/VK02013-3-08.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Engagement%20Pictures/VK02043-3-08.jpg
We then headed over to Wilderness Lodge. Randy had to swing by the Grand Floridian, so Kris and I took the boat over and grabbed a snack before meeting back up.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Engagement%20Pictures/VK03373-3-08.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Engagement%20Pictures/VK02843-3-08.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Engagement%20Pictures/VK03453-3-08.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Engagement%20Pictures/VK03023-3-08.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Engagement%20Pictures/VK03483-3-08.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Engagement%20Pictures/VK02733-3-08.jpg

Here’s the shot we’re using in our engagement announcement for the newspaper:
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Engagement%20Pictures/VK03313-3-08.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Engagement%20Pictures/VK03093-3-08.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Engagement%20Pictures/VK02693-3-08.jpg

[BayouPrincess]

Your pictures are great! It sounds as thought your session went well. I want to try all the little cake twinkies! and ALL the fillings...twice!:rotfl:
I have been toying with the idea of singing at our vow renewal, but I don't know. I think I would be incredibly nervous. I would be leary to play piano, especially since you've been a little out of practice. Of course, I'll bet Kris would love it, even if you played chopsticks, just because you did it for him. Ya'll are so cute together in your pics.


How have you been feeling since the accident? I hope things are progressing well for you. I think about you often, I'm glad you were able to post some more here today. I'm just about ready to begin my VR plannng journal. I've been collecting pictures to be able to post.

I can't wait to hear the next installment!

[figmentfan814]

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Engagement%20Pictures/VK03223-3-08.jpg

I told Kris that we had to have a couple of shots with the Mickey ears!
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Engagement%20Pictures/VK02963-3-08.jpg

We had around 125 pictures and I was extremely pleased compared to what we had done in Michigan. http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Engagement%20Pictures/LorettaLynn065.jpg

More to come…

[caryndisneydiva]

what great pics! i'm working with marion as well, isn't she great!!!

[Kristen14]

Your engagement shots look great! I love that you changed clothes in between locations, it gives you a wider selection of pics. Randy did a great job! I can't wait to work with him!

Btw... I'll be in Michigan over Christmas, I'm not afraid of the cold... just as long as I can leave after a week :)

[figmentfan814]

what great pics! i'm working with marion as well, isn't she great!!!

Marion has been fantastic. It's great to have someone with so much experience and knowledge of Disney to work with for the wedding! :goodvibes

[figmentfan814]

Your engagement shots look great! I love that you changed clothes in between locations, it gives you a wider selection of pics. Randy did a great job! I can't wait to work with him!

Btw... I'll be in Michigan over Christmas, I'm not afraid of the cold... just as long as I can leave after a week :)

Thanks, I was so pleased with the outcome of the pictures. We tried to get a good variety because I'm using them to make a photo book to use as a guest book. This way we'll have a way to use our pictures for years to come and I plan on using it as a coffee table book.

Maybe you'll be lucky and it won't be too cold at Christmas this year:sunny:

[lpizzuro123]

Just wanted to say I have really enjoyed reading your report. I reread it all today as we are heading down next month for a site visit and I am now backtracking on things that I have been reading over the past few months to take note and print out pictures to bring.

I remember your centerpieces being the snowglobes and was wondering how you are using them. Also, have you decided on who will be getting the snowglobes and how you will be giving them away - or are you going to keep them for yourselves? I love this idea but I need to decide where our reception will be. We are having about 50 people and if we chose Ariels this would mean about 9 centerpieces. Which would be great. If we go with Atlantic Dance Hall the tables are only 4 tops so that would mean alot more tables and they are alot smaller and the snowglobes would look too big.

I was wondering how many people you are having per table and was wondering if you had any pictures of what the tables will look like set up. I know you said you got the idea from a wedding being held at Ariels when you went down to visit. Did you happen to get any pictures of that? Are you just having the snowglobes or are you adding anything else to the table (votives or flowers)? I love everything you are doing - it really looks wonderful.

Thanks for any answers you can provide.

Linda

[figmentfan814]

Just wanted to say I have really enjoyed reading your report. I reread it all today as we are heading down next month for a site visit and I am now backtracking on things that I have been reading over the past few months to take note and print out pictures to bring.

I remember your centerpieces being the snowglobes and was wondering how you are using them. Also, have you decided on who will be getting the snowglobes and how you will be giving them away - or are you going to keep them for yourselves? I love this idea but I need to decide where our reception will be. We are having about 50 people and if we chose Ariels this would mean about 9 centerpieces. Which would be great. If we go with Atlantic Dance Hall the tables are only 4 tops so that would mean alot more tables and they are alot smaller and the snowglobes would look too big.

I was wondering how many people you are having per table and was wondering if you had any pictures of what the tables will look like set up. I know you said you got the idea from a wedding being held at Ariels when you went down to visit. Did you happen to get any pictures of that? Are you just having the snowglobes or are you adding anything else to the table (votives or flowers)? I love everything you are doing - it really looks wonderful.

Thanks for any answers you can provide.

Linda

Thank you Linda, I'm glad you're enjoying everything so far. :)

For the snowglobes, Laura (from Disney floral), is going to put some of the shorter ones on glass blocks. There will then be ivy around the blocks. Petals matching the flowers from the bouquets will be sprinkled around the table and then votives will also be spread around.

If you end up at Atlantic Dancehall I would check out the smaller snowglobes. I know I've seen some that are only around $10-15 on Disneyshopping.com.

Here is what I was able to find from Ariel's. It's hard to see in this picture, but this bride just had rose petals sprinkled around the base of them and it still looked great. I just decided to add a little more to my centerpieces.

I don't have a picture of what mine will look like set up, but it's pretty easy to imagine. Disney will just provide the clear glass blocks and the petals will include daffodil, iris, and other petals from my spring bouquets.

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Miscellaneous%20Disney/DisneyPlanningSession229.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Miscellaneous%20Disney/DisneyPlanningSession232.jpg

Let me know if there's any other question that you have before your site visit.

[Kristen14]

Can I ask how much Disney Floral is charging you to put the ivy & flower petals around your snowglobes?

For my sandcastles they're charging me $45 per table (times 16) and then $70 for the larger one on the buffet table. So in total I'm paying $790 for flower petals, which i think is way too much, but I really need something to enhance my sandcastles and make them appear a little larger.

[figmentfan814]

Can I ask how much Disney Floral is charging you to put the ivy & flower petals around your snowglobes?

For my sandcastles they're charging me $45 per table (times 16) and then $70 for the larger one on the buffet table. So in total I'm paying $790 for flower petals, which i think is way too much, but I really need something to enhance my sandcastles and make them appear a little larger.

We are paying $50 to rent 10 glass blocks (2 of our snowglobes are taller, so they don't need blocks.) Then for the 12 tables we are being charged $240 for petals. Then the votive accents for all the tables including the head one will be $95 ($20 for the head table and $75 for the regular tables). All together with rentals, votives, and petals the total cost for 12 tables is $385.

However, keep in mind we are using cheaper flowers compared to most people for our bouquets. For instance my bridal bouquet will include "daffodils, freesia, hydrangea, ranunculus, lavender iris, light accent of roses and stephanotis" will be $250.

Hopefully that helps out some :goodvibes What other things are being add besides flower petals to your tables? Are you tables larger? At the living seas the tables only seat 6 people, so the tops are smaller compared to ones that seat 8 or 10 which I would assume take more petals to accent. Just a thought...

[Kristen14]

That helps a lot! I'm definitely going to have to ask for ivy & cheaper petals! My mom went crazy when she found out how much they were charging us!

I'm also at the Living Seas, but we're having 16 tables instead of 12. The sandcastles will be surrounded by flower petals, and 3 votive candles. The votives are something like $2.50 each... basically nothing compared to my outrageously expensive flower petals.

[Bostonbride6292008]

Can I just tell you how much I love the snow globe idea!

[caryndisneydiva]

kristen, are you having the square or round votives? i know 2.50 isn't a lot of money compared to other things...but you can buy votives for .50! wow...

[figmentfan814]

That helps a lot! I'm definitely going to have to ask for ivy & cheaper petals! My mom went crazy when she found out how much they were charging us!

I'm also at the Living Seas, but we're having 16 tables instead of 12. The sandcastles will be surrounded by flower petals, and 3 votive candles. The votives are something like $2.50 each... basically nothing compared to my outrageously expensive flower petals.

We're paying the $2.50 too for the votives. I'm sure it all depends on the types of flowers. Thankfully I didn't get a bill showing a price like you got, I'm sure you'll be able to work something out. Good luck :goodvibes

caryndisneydiva: I know the price is ridiculous! I was going to buy some on my own, but I already have so many other things to transport I thought it would just be too much to worry about it.

[figmentfan814]

Can I just tell you how much I love the snow globe idea!

Thank you! I was so glad that I was able to get them on sale. I'm hoping everyone will really like it at the reception.

[Kristen14]

kristen, are you having the square or round votives? i know 2.50 isn't a lot of money compared to other things...but you can buy votives for .50! wow...

I know! But since we're inside a park, you cant go there to set it up yourself, and Disney charges a set up fee for everything you dont purchase from them. I bought my own centerpieces and Rose said the only way she would set them up for me is if I purchase floral from her. Even on top of that i'm being charged a set up fee.

[caryndisneydiva]

amazing.

[figmentfan814]

I recently got my photobook from Shutterfly. I received a card in the mail for a free 8x8 so I only paid $7.41 for shipping. It is 20 pages long. I'm thinking about using it as a guestbook. I left white space for people to sign it. I saw this idea on a wedding show and thought it would be cute. They suggested it as a great way to reuse your engagement pictures and to have a functional guestbook. They said you could turn your guestbook into a coffee table book that people would look at for years to come :woohoo:

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Wedding%20Crafts/BookCover.jpg

Here are a few of the pages. There are 20 pages all together-
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Wedding%20Crafts/BridalShow024.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Wedding%20Crafts/BridalShow025.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Wedding%20Crafts/BridalShow026.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Wedding%20Crafts/BridalShow030.jpg

I put our engagement story on the last page and included the story on how we met on the very back of the book.

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Wedding%20Crafts/BridalShow034.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Wedding%20Crafts/BridalShow035.jpg

[BrcsDisneyPrncs]

That would be a great idea for a guestbook! It looks awesome!

[figmentfan814]

That would be a great idea for a guestbook! It looks awesome!

Thanks! I thought it would be great to get more usage out of our photos.

[Kristen14]

Thats such a great idea! I signed up for shutterfly a few months ago and I get emails all the time for free prints, but nothing as good as a free book! I figured I'd make our parents some "albums" there instead of buying them for $295 from Disney. It's practically the same thing but for $200 less!

[figmentfan814]

Thats such a great idea! I signed up for shutterfly a few months ago and I get emails all the time for free prints, but nothing as good as a free book! I figured I'd make our parents some "albums" there instead of buying them for $295 from Disney. It's practically the same thing but for $200 less!

That's a great idea to make the albums as gifts after the wedding :)

They're having a contest right now and I just one another free book the other day. You might want to check it out http://shutterfly.eprize.net/fall2007/

[JaxTeach]

Thanks for posting that link! I just won an 8x8 photo book! :woohoo:

[lpizzuro123]

I just love this idea and i didn't realize you could add writing to the book. I do have a questions though - what type of pages are in the book. I was thinking about this but figured if the pages were glossy when you wrote on them the ink would smudge. Are you using a special type of pen?

I was also thinking of using this for a parent album - and maybe one for each of my bridesmaids also. They are so great it make you want to make one for everybody.

Thanks,
Linda

[Kristen14]

They're having a contest right now and I just one another free book the other day. You might want to check it out http://shutterfly.eprize.net/fall2007/

Thanks for the link! I played all 3 of my email addresses and won a calendar, collage poster and an 8x8 book :)

Is your book 8x8? Or 12x12?

Btw... Shutterfly's marketing tactics are fantastic, and I have a BS in Marketing so i'm usually very critical!! I'm definitely more likely to get my regular prints done there if they keep sending me free stuff!!

[figmentfan814]

Thanks for the link! I played all 3 of my email addresses and won a calendar, collage poster and an 8x8 book :)

Is your book 8x8? Or 12x12?

Btw... Shutterfly's marketing tactics are fantastic, and I have a BS in Marketing so i'm usually very critical!! I'm definitely more likely to get my regular prints done there if they keep sending me free stuff!!


I'm sorry I completely missed your post :guilty: My book is an 8x8. I agree about their marketing tactics, my B.A. is in communication with a public relations focus and they are great at what they do to get new customers.

[ohgosh]

I'm not sure where in Zehnder's it'll be, my sister and my cousin are the masterminds behind it:)

I live in South Florida, but I was born and raised in Farmington Hills. My parents and all of my family still live in the Detroit area, so I go up several times a year to visit. Frankenmuth is about a 45min drive from my parents house, but DF is obsessed with the Family Style chicken meal... so we go every time we're in town!


I'm a little late on this one, but I'm from Farmington Hills too! Except I relocated to the equally cold city of Chicago, not quite South Florida :confused3

Man, you guys have got me craving some Frankenmuth chicken BIG TIME over here. :sad2:

[figmentfan814]

It's good to hear from another Michigan girl! My other favorite thing about Frankenmuth is going to see the lights at Bronner's in the evening during the Christmas season.

[figmentfan814]

A few exciting thngs have happened in the last couple of days. I booked dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table for the night after our wedding. Even though we're spending the time at Disney with our family before Hawaii I wanted to have something special with the two of us. It's the night before our Magic Kingdom photo shoot too.

We ordered Kris' wedding ring online and it came in too. He won't be up until next week to try it on. I was hoping that it wouldn't have such a matte finish, but he likes it, so that's the main thing. We both really liked the comfort fit style.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Dress/KrisRing004.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Dress/KrisRing006.jpg

I asked my younger cousin to be in the wedding this week. My cousin will do a great job plus she's a little older at 7 so I know she'll be really well behaved. I talked to her mom about her being in the wedding and then I ordered this special cookie for her. It is personalized with her name on it and she should be getting it in the next couple of days.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x62/vcf81/Wedding%20Purchases/Flowergirlcookie.jpg

I also put together some sample welcome bags and will have to post those pictures soon.

[mla1977]

Hi Vanessa! I was talking to people at work about how my Tae Kwon Do tournament my be in Detroit next summer and one of them mentioned Frankenmuth. It took me a second to remember where I had heard about it, and then I remember it was from you. I don't think anyone at work knows about my DIS obsession, so I didn't bother to fill them in with the details. I just thought is was very random that in a Philadephia suburb I hear about a place I had only heard about online before.