Nikki & Chris' PJ - 5/5/08 - 5 DAYS TO GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[hope1826]

This is my second attempt at a PJ. I had started one late last year, but stopped it because I was way too stressed and in tears constantly. I was dealing with way too much all at the same time (3 months of pain due to female problems including a 2 week cancer scare and possible infertility, losing my job because I was constantly in the ER, and my FMIL demanding a Roman Catholic ceremony, blah, blah, blah).

So now, with a little over 2 months to go, a week away from starting a new job, the pain at a manageable level, and negative cancer tests, I thought it would be a great time for a fresh start. Everyone's PJs and TRs have been so incredibly helpful (and I LOVE seeing everyone's wedding dresses and wedding styles). Hopefully my PJ can be helpful too.

Since I am starting a new job next week, I am going to try to post as much info as I can before then. I will try to update regularly, but I honestly don't know what will happen.

I apologize in advance for the super large pics. (Does anyone know how to shrink pics in Photobucket?)

Who we are and how we met...
DF... Chris (30 today!! :yay:) :love:
Me... Nikki (30 in 3 weeks)

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd199/hope1826/Disney1-1.jpg

How we met...
Chris and I first met during a dinner cruise around Manhattan for our architecture firm's 100th year anniversary celebration. He was scheduled to start work a week later and I had been there for a year. We didn't really notice each other that night. But on the first day of work, he was given the seat next to mine and we clicked immediately. We started dating three weeks later and have been inseparable ever since. My Matron of Honor, Wendy, and my Bridesmaid, Archana, both worked at that firm and did an amazing job helping to keep our relationship a big secret for a year!

The proposal...
Chris proposed while we were on a hiking trip. We had been searching for this particular waterfall for weeks. It was kind of off the trail and pretty hard to find, but finally on this particular day, we found it! I was hoping that he would propose and we had seriously talked about marriage since the first month of dating. And that day, October 20th was the anniversary of our first date.

So as we stood looking at the waterfall, I started to get sad, thinking about how perfect it would be if he would propose right then, without a ring even. I looked away trying to distract myself and so that he wouldn't see the disappointment in my face. When I turned back towards him, he was down on one knee, holding a ring box. I was soooooooooooo happy and excited I can't remember what he said, but it was perfect.:cloud9:

This is near where he proposed. I only had my camera phone with me and had only taken this pic. I stopped taking pictures after I partially fell into the little river/stream shortly after his proposal...
http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd199/hope1826/Photo-0170.jpg

This is my aquamarine ring...
http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd199/hope1826/Ring2-1.jpg

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd199/hope1826/Ring1-1.jpg

Next up... The wedding details and more pics...

[lov2b@disney]

:yay: :yay: Yeah Nikki! Glad to see a pj! We had a similar, hide the relationship at work story! DF had to change jobs eventually, after that it came out!

Love your ring! Love the engagment story--nice when things fall into place!

[Nicola2010]

Hi Nikki,

Cant wait to read more, what a lovely ring you have.

On a scarey level (as you said on one of my thread's that your name is Nichola) tell me about no one in America knowing this name... i cant get any merchandise and when i went on the ET ride i had to spell it for the guy... i felt like an alien... it's so common in the UK :rotfl:

Anyway coincidence number 2: My fiance is also called Chris

Coincidence no 3: We will also be 30 when we get married

Coincidence no 4: We were originally planning to have our wedding day on October 20th! *** obviously the way we write our dates in the UK is the reverse of USA so our date would have been 20/10/2010 which we really liked but now i think i may move it forward to May 2010 as then i can celebrate my 30th birthday in Florida too!

anyway, lots of freaky coincidences that i just had to mention lol

Cant wait to read the rest of your PJ! Good luck with the new job too!

[hope1826]

The Wedding...

May 5, 2008 @ 5 pm
46 guests invited (36 adults, 10 children)

Ceremony @ Sea Breeze Point
http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd199/hope1826/boardwalk2.jpg

Cocktail Hour and Dinner Party @ The Attic at the Boardwalk Inn Resort
http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd199/hope1826/TheAttic1.jpg

Illuminations Dessert Party @ Upper UK
http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd199/hope1826/UpperUK.jpg


Coordinator... Pam Pearce :thumbsup2
Planner...Celeste DiCicco :thumbsup2 :thumbsup2
Assistant Planner... Linda Rhodes :thumbsup2

Officiant...Reverend Kevin Knox
Photographer... Misty Miotto
Hair & Makeup... Patricia LeJeune

Welcome/Rehearsal Character Breakfast... The Garden Grove @ The Swan Hotel (At $17 per adult it's much more affordable than everything else we looked into) Sunday May 4 (Ressies for 50 guests - our invited wedding guests have invited guests of their own, we aren't making room for them at the wedding, but we are inviting them to join us for all pre-wedding meals and get togethers)

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd199/hope1826/C0178.jpg

My dress (EEEEEEEKKKKKKK, it doesn't fit due to evil medications -:headache: the zipper stops about 3 inches from the top! Since this is Problem #10 out of about 20 things to go wrong so far, I am completely not freaking out about anything anymore. My first fitting and alterations are on March 15th and they said they can make the bust area larger for a reasonable price - $65. Maybe I will freak out then, if they say it can't be done. :confused3)

It is from David's Bridal and I am so in love with it. I really thought I would HATE David's Bridal but after being disappointed by several Central Jersey Bridal Salons, I gave in and went to David's. It wasn't the most perfect dress buying experience, but it was a hundred times better than the others.

On the model (mine is in Ivory with champagne beading and about a million sizes larger!!)...
http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd199/hope1826/gown.jpg

blurry self pics.:confused3
http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd199/hope1826/Gown1-1.jpg

The train...
http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd199/hope1826/Train-1.jpg

Cut edge cathedral length drop veil similar to this....
http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd199/hope1826/Veil1.jpg


The Wedding Party


My ladies...
MOH - Wendy (friend)
BM - Mariam (my cousin- she's not engaged yet, but I am trying to convince her to have a Disney wedding when the time comes, so far so good)
BM - Angie (my cousin)
BM - Archana (friend)
Jr. Bridesmaid - Jascinth (my 11 year old niece)
Flowergirl - Michelle (my 6 year old niece)

The bridesmaids and junior bridesmaid will be wearing this in "truffle"...
http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd199/hope1826/s08_f12441.jpg

I think it looks much prettier on Archana's virtual model...
http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd199/hope1826/Ladies.png


Chris' gents
BM - Jeremy (DF's best friend/college roommate)
GM - Kevin (DF's best friend from first grade)
GM - Bryan (DF's other best friend/college roommate)
GM - Trevor (my younger brother)
Ring Bearer ... Quinlan (DF's Godson/ Bryan's 5 yr old son)

They will be wearing something similar to this with "truffle" ties and vests... DF will wear the same tux with an Ivory tie and vest...

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd199/hope1826/radnor_912_small.jpg


Next up... invitations (they have been posted elsewhere on this forum, but I will post again, because I love them), flowers and tiara!

[hope1826]

:yay: :yay: Yeah Nikki! Glad to see a pj! We had a similar, hide the relationship at work story! DF had to change jobs eventually, after that it came out!

Love your ring! Love the engagment story--nice when things fall into place!

Thank you!! Things falling into place is definitely a nice feeling. I'm hoping that keeps happening at least for a little while. We are going to try to conceive right after the wedding. I will need massive amounts of pixie dust to make that fall into place!

Are you still at that same job? How long did you keep your relationship secret. It's such a bizarre experience.

I think our bosses all knew, but they didn't care. If anything our productivity was improving, because we were constantly helping each other and we were at the exact same level.

Hi Nikki,

Cant wait to read more, what a lovely ring you have.

On a scarey level (as you said on one of my thread's that your name is Nichola) tell me about no one in America knowing this name... i cant get any merchandise and when i went on the ET ride i had to spell it for the guy... i felt like an alien... it's so common in the UK :rotfl:

Anyway coincidence number 2: My fiance is also called Chris

Coincidence no 3: We will also be 30 when we get married

Coincidence no 4: We were originally planning to have our wedding day on October 20th! *** obviously the way we write our dates in the UK is the reverse of USA so our date would have been 20/10/2010 which we really liked but now i think i may move it forward to May 2010 as then i can celebrate my 30th birthday in Florida too!

anyway, lots of freaky coincidences that i just had to mention lol

Cant wait to read the rest of your PJ! Good luck with the new job too!

Thank you Nicola!! WOW, that is a lot. Especially the names. Is your DF a Christoper too?

I think Nichola (Nicola) is a beautiful name. But it has given me such a :headache: . In America, when people see it written (teachers, doctors, nurses, etc...) the norm is for people to assume that I forgot to write an "s" at the end, so they call out for "Nicholas". I then stand up and correct them and they fight with me and say "No, I'm calling Nicholas, a MAN!!" They then look embarrassed after seeing my id. Oh well!:confused3

What date do you want in May 2010? I vote for May 5!! lol

[lurkyloo]

Hooray! I'm so glad you are able to start your PJ again! I love your dress - even in a blurry pic, it looks much better on you than on that model (she reminds me of the Afghan Hound we had growing up...all she needs are long floppy ears).

Can't wait to hear more! popcorn::

[Nicola2010]

Hi Nikki,

Loving your work so far :thumbsup2

My man is indeed a Christopher too... i call him either... his family tend to use his full name so i do too but my family always shorten it to Chris... he's easy though so thats cool.

I know i really have no idea as to why my (our) name is so strange in America... i guess the name Nicole took off more over there lol... when i was there in 2006 i was queuing up for buzz lightyear ride and i had my name tag on from ET and a girl infront of me was amazed to meet someone else named Nicola and she was also called that but it was really rare in America... it wasnt you was it? :confused3

Oh well at least we stand out from the crowd lol

With regards to the date, my birthday is on 31st may so i would be looking at getting married around the 26th may (so it will still say 29 on my marriage cert lol). we would have liked the 23rd may (as that was chris' grandma's birthday) but that falls on a sunday in 2010 which would send our budget out of control so we're thinking of arriving in Florida on a sat... get married on the weds... have my 30th on the following mon... and then wave our families goodbye on the fri... and then stay on ourselves for a week as our honeymoon.

Anyway sorry to babble on within your PJ... your dress is stunning and you look stunning in it!

If youve got anymore pics of the UK venue or you know a website who does can you let me know... am struggling to find anything... could do with a menu too but having no luck on the sites ive been too.

[Lizby]

I am glad to hear that things are looking up for you :hug: I love the engagement story and your ring is soooo gorgeous! I agree with Carrie, the dress looks much better on you! :goodvibes Looking forward to reading more of your plans!

[Mermaid_Ariel]

Yay! :yay: Another PJ to stalk, err.. I mean READ! :lmao:

LOVE that dress on you! Absolutely gorgeous!! I can't wait to read more of your plans!

[tlhbdm]

All your plans seem to be coming along good. In regards to Davids Bridal, there will be something they can do. My dress was way to small (due to the period of depression I went through) and they just exchanged it for a bigger size. Can't wait to hear more.

[hope1826]

Hooray! I'm so glad you are able to start your PJ again! I love your dress - even in a blurry pic, it looks much better on you than on that model (she reminds me of the Afghan Hound we had growing up...all she needs are long floppy ears).

Can't wait to hear more! popcorn::

Thank you so much Carrie! You are hilarious!!! :rotfl2: :lmao: Something is definitely wrong with a few of the Davids Bridal models.

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd199/hope1826/gown-1.jpg
... Creepy but true!! :lmao:

[scottish/canadian]

Your ticker is giving me a heart attack!!! I can't think about how fast it's coming!! AHHHH!! Ugh. :scared1:

[lurkyloo]

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd199/hope1826/gown-1.jpg



:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Now that's more like it!

[hope1826]

Thank you all for the wonderful comments about my dress!! I'm speechless, especially since it doesn't fit and I couldn't have taken a blurry pic!! you are all so great!! :grouphug:

Hi Nikki,

Loving your work so far :thumbsup2

My man is indeed a Christopher too... i call him either... his family tend to use his full name so i do too but my family always shorten it to Chris... he's easy though so thats cool.

I know i really have no idea as to why my (our) name is so strange in America... i guess the name Nicole took off more over there lol... when i was there in 2006 i was queuing up for buzz lightyear ride and i had my name tag on from ET and a girl infront of me was amazed to meet someone else named Nicola and she was also called that but it was really rare in America... it wasnt you was it? :confused3

Oh well at least we stand out from the crowd lol

With regards to the date, my birthday is on 31st may so i would be looking at getting married around the 26th may (so it will still say 29 on my marriage cert lol). we would have liked the 23rd may (as that was chris' grandma's birthday) but that falls on a sunday in 2010 which would send our budget out of control so we're thinking of arriving in Florida on a sat... get married on the weds... have my 30th on the following mon... and then wave our families goodbye on the fri... and then stay on ourselves for a week as our honeymoon.

Anyway sorry to babble on within your PJ... your dress is stunning and you look stunning in it!

If youve got anymore pics of the UK venue or you know a website who does can you let me know... am struggling to find anything... could do with a menu too but having no luck on the sites ive been too.

No, that wasn't me. Except for our Disney trip last May, I haven't been to Disney since I was 12!!

I think our name is just British. I've met one other female Nicola in the US. My dad is Jamaican, so it is a very normal name for him. His name is Cecil and my brother's name is Trevor Aston- both very British. I totally understand being looked at like an alien, that's why I just go by Nikki. It happens on a daily basis. Oh and people really LOVE to say "Neee-cola" in the same way as that Ricola cough drop commercial from years ago. They crack themselves up, even in professional settings.

You should consider early May, I think the hotel prices go WAY WAY up around Memorial Day! Also, when we were there last year in early to mid May, there were virtually no lines for any rides. I think our longest wait was 20 minutes for the Aerosmith Roller Coaster.

I am glad to hear that things are looking up for you :hug: I love the engagement story and your ring is soooo gorgeous! I agree with Carrie, the dress looks much better on you! :goodvibes Looking forward to reading more of your plans!

YAY!! Thank you! I'm gathering more pics to post later. Hopefully soon.

Yay! :yay: Another PJ to stalk, err.. I mean READ! :lmao:

LOVE that dress on you! Absolutely gorgeous!! I can't wait to read more of your plans!

Thank you !!
lol. I never thought it would be so much fun to be stalked!

All your plans seem to be coming along good. In regards to Davids Bridal, there will be something they can do. My dress was way to small (due to the period of depression I went through) and they just exchanged it for a bigger size. Can't wait to hear more.

You have no idea, how much better hearing that makes me feel. I keep reading horror stories about Davids Bridal, so although I am not freaking out, I am completely bracing myself.

I hope you are doing better now!! :hug:

[BayouPrincess]

Thank you so much Carrie! You are hilarious!!! :rotfl2: :lmao: Something is definitely wrong with a few of the Davids Bridal models.

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd199/hope1826/gown-1.jpg
... Creepy but true!! :lmao:


OMG! :scared1: That's exactly how I imagined it! :rotfl: :rotfl2: :rotfl: :rotfl2:

[tlhbdm]

I am doing much better. I am young and long story short my parents decided to get divorced my senior year of high school and DH got engaged Spring Break of my senior year. So for the few months I was depressed about my parents. But I am much better now, thank you for asking.

[Nicola2010]

I was going to ask if there was an American holiday around that time period... we wouldnt go any earlier though as whole point of bringing the date forward is to be out there for my birthday, plus my flowergirls (chris' twin nieces) get a week off school at the end of may so they would only have to request 1 week off of school (for 2 weeks away from school, it's a big deal over here and the parents can be fined!) so we want to avoid all that if poss lol

Chris and i are DVC members so our 3 weeks is going to be paid out of our points... as for everyone else, the hotel prices dont appear to be that bad and did i hear with a wishes wedding that they offer your guests a discount on disney resorts? would prob still work out too much for them but worth a price up i feel lol.

[MistressOfAllEvil]

Nikki! You started a PJ! Woo hoo!

I'm sooo sorry that you were having such a rough time. I knew that things were bad, but I certainly didn't know to what extent. I'm so glad that things are looking up and getting better. And in just a short while you're gonnna be a :bride: and Mrs.!! Nifty, huh?

You were a phenomenal cheerleader for me during my planning. I only hope that I can do the same for you. :hug: And now I better get my TR up so you have some SBP experience to help you along the way. Or at least know what to expect. I imagined things a million times in my head, but that still doesn't really prepare you! Hopefully I have some pictures that will make you more familiar with where you're gonna be and what happens!

Keep on keeping on! :goodvibes

[hope1826]

I am doing much better. I am young and long story short my parents decided to get divorced my senior year of high school and DH got engaged Spring Break of my senior year. So for the few months I was depressed about my parents. But I am much better now, thank you for asking.

I'm glad you're doing better. I've had to deal with depression and I know it is not easy.

I was going to ask if there was an American holiday around that time period... we wouldnt go any earlier though as whole point of bringing the date forward is to be out there for my birthday, plus my flowergirls (chris' twin nieces) get a week off school at the end of may so they would only have to request 1 week off of school (for 2 weeks away from school, it's a big deal over here and the parents can be fined!) so we want to avoid all that if poss lol

Chris and i are DVC members so our 3 weeks is going to be paid out of our points... as for everyone else, the hotel prices dont appear to be that bad and did i hear with a wishes wedding that they offer your guests a discount on disney resorts? would prob still work out too much for them but worth a price up i feel lol.

Yep, I think Memorial Day is on Monday May 26th. Late May definitely sounds better for you especially since you are DVC members. We plan on looking into that, do you think it is worth it?

Honestly, I thought the discounts would have been better for the Value and Moderate Resorts. The discount Disney offered for the Grand Floridian was amazing (almost $100 less than normal) but NONE of my guests chose it, because it's still WAY too expensive. We are the only ones using our wedding discount. Our guests got much better discounts through AAA.

Nikki! You started a PJ! Woo hoo!

I'm sooo sorry that you were having such a rough time. I knew that things were bad, but I certainly didn't know to what extent. I'm so glad that things are looking up and getting better. And in just a short while you're gonnna be a :bride: and Mrs.!! Nifty, huh?

You were a phenomenal cheerleader for me during my planning. I only hope that I can do the same for you. :hug: And now I better get my TR up so you have some SBP experience to help you along the way. Or at least know what to expect. I imagined things a million times in my head, but that still doesn't really prepare you! Hopefully I have some pictures that will make you more familiar with where you're gonna be and what happens!

Keep on keeping on! :goodvibes

YAY, I'm so glad you've started your TR! Even though it was hard to write in my own PJ back then, reading your PJ and everyone else's PJs made me very happy! It really helped in getting my mind off of what was going on. So, you've already helped me immeasurably. :hug:

I can't wait till you post your pics! Like someone had said, you really did look like a glamorous Barbie Doll!! And Chuck was your mobster Ken doll!!

[hope1826]

Ok, my intent is not to complain or vent, but I do want to recap what has gone on and what else is planned. This will be followed by lots of pics! I promise!

My FIL's are paying for a huge NJ reception so that everyone they know will be able to celebrate with us. It is going to be held a week before our Disney wedding (June, July and August were too expensive and September was too late) and 250 people have been invited. I AM worried that they are somehow going to try to make this into a surprise Catholic blessing. I have been told by one Catholic priest that this would be impossible. But another Catholic priest told me that under some circumstances, it could be done.

So why do I think this surprise may take place...
- FMIL has been demanding a catholic ceremony since the day after our DF's proposal.
-My extremely Roman Catholic FMlL still seems to be pretending that our very REAL Disney ceremony, which is being officiated by an ordained minister, Rev. Kevin knox, and is centered around God (not religion) is NOT a real ceremony. It seems like she is pretending that this is just a fabulous party she is going to. By doing this, I think she can still attend our "invalid" wedding without risking her soul. Whatever! :confused3
- The RC guests who told us they were so excited to attend our wedding, when they assumed it was going to be in an RC church "regretfully declined" our Disney invite did accept the NJ invite. Why is it ok to celebrate our sinful marriage the week before, but not come to the actual wedding?
- FILs requested that I wear a wedding dress to the NJ reception.
- FILs wanted real wedding invitations for this party and wanted the wording to say "Cocktail Wedding Reception" instead of what it really was "Cocktail Pre-wedding Reception". We fought over this for weeks and finally when I said that I wasn't going to lie to my family and I would send my side different invitations, they accepted "Formal Pre-wedding Cocktail Reception". :headache: (This all started happening while all of my health and job issues were getting worse)
- Now FILs are STEALING some of our Disney wedding plans for their NJ reception. FMIL recently asked what our first dance song was going to be... regretfully I told them, "At Last" by Etta James. She then turned to FFIL and told him to make sure that his friend's jazz trio practices that song well before the NJ reception. She then said, "we can't have them mess our your first dance!" How can we have our first dance as Mr. and Mrs. a week before we marry? :headache: :headache:
- I was planning on displaying the wedding pictures of our parents and grandparents in pretty frames on the guestbook table at Disney. They now want that done at the NJ reception. And they want us to have their 250 guests sign in the guestbook we have for Disney.

So that's where we are now. This is just part of what I'm referring to when I say that so much has gone wrong that I don't care anymore. I just can't wait to be at Disney and have my magical wedding day and I'm not going to let them ruin it. They can steal whatever they want. :confused3

NO MORE DRAMA...PICS, PICS, AND MORE PICS!!! :cheer2:
Anyway, I am completely not as organized as so many of you are, but I love crafts and I have been trying to get things done despite all of the drama. So here are lots of pics, as promised...

Invitations...
There are Swarovski crystals on the Boardwalk Map that are refusing to show up in pictures...

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd199/hope1826/ExtCard_2-1.jpg

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd199/hope1826/120507077-1.jpg

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd199/hope1826/120507078-1.jpg

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd199/hope1826/120507082-1.jpg


Guest Book, Ringbearer Pillow, Parents and Grandparents frames, Picture frame Favors...

I searched for an affordable, yet beautiful ringbearer pillow for two months and finally bought something I thought I would like by Beverly Clark. I was so disappointed when it came ( I hate it so much I can't even post a picture of it). I tried to make it better by adding sparkle and changing the ribbons, but nothing worked. I kept searching and came up with nothing. We don't really have a theme, we kind of just want an overgrown enchanted fairy tale forest Lord of the Ringsy kind of feel. That's ridiculous and insanely hard to shop for. Finally last week, while cleaning the house, I picked up this round handcarved wooden box I had gotten DF for Christmas and a light bulb went off. :idea: This was the result....
http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd199/hope1826/DSC02597.jpg

The guest book was the first thing I bought right after we got engaged. A newlywed friend of ours recommended guestbookstore.com and I LOVE it!!:cheer2:
http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd199/hope1826/DSC02596.jpg

DF's parent's and grandparent's wedding pictures with the guestbook. We are now thinking to use them as centerpieces, so that we aren't exactly repeating our idea that was stolen for the NJ reception. The tables at the Attic are small, 4 chairs each. So we may just have a scattering of blush pink rose petals with a votive candles, an ancestral wedding picture and a double sided color picture of a Disney couple dancing or kissing (this would serve as the table name also- I will post pics of that later)...
http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd199/hope1826/DSC02595.jpg

My maternal grandparents on their wedding day. (See Lurklyoo Carrie, dated but perfect!!) and a sample of the favors. We plan on giving each adult guest a different love quote in a different mini picture frame (quote and frame tailored to their personality). They will also each get a milk, white or dark chocolate Mickey or Minnie. I will post the kids favors once I collect all of the stuff and take pics...
http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd199/hope1826/Photovingette.jpg

[stitchlet]

Loving your PJ ...

I'm sorry that you are having to deal with so much FIL "input" :headache:

Hang in there and know that we are all here for you :grouphug:

Your dress is beautiful and you look great in it! And I really like all of your projects - very unique & personal.

Looking forward to hearing more ... :surfweb: popcorn::

[hope1826]

Floral...

First of all, Rose from Disney Floral is great. Second, I hope I am not driving her crazy. DF and I couldn't afford to go down to have an in person Planning Session (money and time), so I have just had phone sessions with both Rose and my planner Celeste. Because I wanted to convey what we wanted to Rose, we emailed her a 5 page list with tons of pictures, detailed descriptions and expected prices for each floral item. We only have $1250 to spend on floral, so I wanted her to be able to tell me during the phone session how much everything would cost and what I should cross off immediately.

The phone session went VERY VERY well and most of the actual prices ended up being less than what I expected. :thumbsup2 :thumbsup2 Again, Rose was great. During our phone session, she would send me emails so that I could see exactly what she was talking about. I also told her about our ridiculous Overgrown Enchanted Fairy Tale Forest Lord of the Rings quasi theme to help her understand that we want nothing to look symmetrical. These are the pics I sent her for inspiration...

My Bouquet ($275)
Blush pink and ivory peonies (for happiness in life) with a few scattered open roses (for happiness in love) and three sprigs of sage (for gratitude, appreciation and loyalty- not sure if Rose can do this yet) 75% ivory satin ribbon wrap, with heart brooch ( I got it on ebay and I love it- It smells awesome too - it smells like the shipper sprayed it with a rose scented perfume :cloud9: )...

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd199/hope1826/peonymix.jpg

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd199/hope1826/peonies.jpg

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd199/hope1826/Peony1.jpg

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd199/hope1826/heartbrooch.jpg

(5) Bridesmaid Bouquets ($40-50)
MOH 7 Mostly pale pink, some blush and ivory roses, 75% Hot pink ribbon
(4) Bridesmaids 5 mostly blush pink, some pale pink and ivory roses, 75% pale pink ribbon.

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd199/hope1826/BMpinkroses.jpg

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd199/hope1826/rose_bridesmaid_bouquetsjpg.jpg


Men's Floral ($10-12.50)
No pics yet... Disney's Fantasy Buttonhole without hidden mickeys.
DF will have one blush rose and one ivory
Best man will have one pale pink rose
(3) Groomsmen will have one blush pink rose each,
Ringbearer, Fathers and Officiant- 1 Ivory rose each

Aisle and Alter ($450)


http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd199/hope1826/pinkpetals.jpg

Inspirational photo for wispy stuff to be attached to archway at SBP.
http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd199/hope1826/alter.jpg

Next up... Shoes, Accessories and help me pick a tiara!!

[hope1826]

Loving your PJ ...

I'm sorry that you are having to deal with so much FIL "input" :headache:

Hang in there and know that we are all here for you :grouphug:

Your dress is beautiful and you look great in it! And I really like all of your projects - very unique & personal.

Looking forward to hearing more ... :surfweb: popcorn::

Thank you stitchlet!! :hug: You disbrides have all been so supportive already. I really think I would have called the wedding off and forced DF to elope if it weren't for this board!! :grouphug: Like I wrote to Wendy, reading about everyone's plans and experiences has been so immensely helpful. I love everyone's pics and stories and they've helped me become and stay excited about my own wedding, despite all of the ridiculousness!


YAY Disboards!!!:cheer2:

[lurkyloo]

- FILs requested that I wear a wedding dress to the NJ reception.

DANGER! DANGER! BAIL OUT! BAIL OUT! :scared1:

OMG, there's your tipoff right there - that totally sounds like a surprise wedding is planned. :scared: I cannot even imagine how I would deal this - oh yes, that's right - I would NOT SHOW UP!

:hug:

In other news.... love the ringbearer pillow idea - it's so chic! Love the invites. And love the bouquet. Now I can't wait to see your wedding pix! popcorn::

[lov2b@disney]

Nikki- love your invitations! The floral is beautiful, I am partial to the peonies, though I didnt know that before I started planning my wedding!!

Ugh! the pre-wedding party- stick to your guns! I agree with lurkyloo, sounds like they may be planning what you dont want! :eek: Gosh, what is wrong with families...:hug:

[keenercam]

WOW! Everything is absolutely gorgeous! LOVE the ringbearer pillow. Your floral ideas are exquisite. And, saving the best for last -- OMG!! Can I commission you to do our invitations? They are so beautiful! LOVE the idea of the BW map and swarovski crystals. Congratulations on how absolutely beautifully everythign is coming together!
I am so sorry your FILs are being so difficult and I really do think you need to prepare yourself for the worst. Any chance you can confront them and tell them you will leave immediately if the event is anything other than what you are willing to go through with? I think DF needs to step up here and put his parents in their place.

ETA: wow! I just read what I wrote and sound like a jerk, but I really want you not to have the stress of having someone else take over your wedding and pre-wedding. You will always regret not putting your foot down, even if you do go along just to keep the peace. Take it from someone who has been through it. :hug:

[hope1826]

DANGER! DANGER! BAIL OUT! BAIL OUT! :scared1:

OMG, there's your tipoff right there - that totally sounds like a surprise wedding is planned. :scared: I cannot even imagine how I would deal this - oh yes, that's right - I would NOT SHOW UP!

:hug:

In other news.... love the ringbearer pillow idea - it's so chic! Love the invites. And love the bouquet. Now I can't wait to see your wedding pix! popcorn::

I know!! Isn't it crazy! I keep trying to tell myself that they could not really be planning to "surprise" us with this, but it really is possible.

If a priest shows up, I will go along with it, but I will NEVER talk to them again for as long as I live. I welcome being blessed by a priest, but if the FILs are lying and manipulating us to get what they want I will NEVER be able to trust them again. While I am not Catholic and definitely NOT religious anymore (ex-Pentecostal Sunday School teacher), I do believe in and love God (male/female/energy).

I've even spoken to a priest to find out what we would have to do to be blessed. It made me feel better, because he told me that since I am not Catholic, I would not have to make vows I know I don't intend to follow (continue being a Catholic, try to convert my DF, and raise good Catholic children) DF, on the other hand, would have to take those vows. He doesn't want a Catholic ceremony because he doesn't want to say those vows knowing he doesn't intend to follow through with them. But it doesn't seem to matter. He is her only child and she is having an EXTREMELY difficult time accepting that he has a mind of his own.

I keep having dreams (um, nightmares) where this does actually happen and DF knew about it all along, even though I had asked him about it a million times and he denied it in real life and in the dreams. I end up walking out and calling off the Disney wedding a week later.

LOL, I hope my wedding actually happens and I get to show some wedding pics!

[hope1826]

Nikki- love your invitations! The floral is beautiful, I am partial to the peonies, though I didnt know that before I started planning my wedding!!

Ugh! the pre-wedding party- stick to your guns! I agree with lurkyloo, sounds like they may be planning what you dont want! :eek: Gosh, what is wrong with families...:hug:

Thank you Sandy!! I can't wait to see pics of your bouquet! Did you send Rose inspiration pics? I don't remember seeing them in your PJ.


WOW! Everything is absolutely gorgeous! LOVE the ringbearer pillow. Your floral ideas are exquisite. And, saving the best for last -- OMG!! Can I commission you to do our invitations? They are so beautiful! LOVE the idea of the BW map and swarovski crystals. Congratulations on how absolutely beautifully everythign is coming together!
I am so sorry your FILs are being so difficult and I really do think you need to prepare yourself for the worst. Any chance you can confront them and tell them you will leave immediately if the event is anything other than what you are willing to go through with? I think DF needs to step up here and put his parents in their place.

ETA: wow! I just read what I wrote and sound like a jerk, but I really want you not to have the stress of having someone else take over your wedding and pre-wedding. You will always regret not putting your foot down, even if you do go along just to keep the peace. Take it from someone who has been through it. :hug:

Thank you Keenercam!! You can commission me for your invitations, if you're serious and if it's not too many. PM me if you are serious. You completely don't sound like a jerk!:hug:

Sandy and Kennercam, thank you for the support! I am ok with the FIL's. They are really really nice otherwise, but I think FMIL is just having a very difficult time. DF is their only son and he lived pretty far from them for all of his adult life. He moved back to NJ within the last year and a half and since then she has met the first girlfriend he has ever introduced them to (that's me :cheer2: ), dealt with he and I moving in together (in complete sin), realized that her son has not gone to church, except for holidays, for over 10 years, and now she's dealing with the fact that her son isn't getting married in the catholic church. She is a traditional Polish Roman Catholic and from what the priest told me, she honestly believes that her only son WILL go to hell for marrying me this way. And her soul is in danger too because she is choosing to attend our wedding.

So while I don't agree with or understand her beliefs, I do respect them. And they are paying for the NJ reception. I am just hoping that if they choose to invite a priest at some point they will have an honest conversation with us about it.

I agree with you Keenercam, I do think my DF should deal with this better, but he doesn't believe that they would do this and he doesn't think the clues I am picking up on are good enough indications to confront them. :confused3 We have both told them multiple times that we are NOT having a catholic ceremony.

I am fine as long as he isn't lying to me. If it turns out that he has anything to do with this, then that's another story.

[keenercam]

Just wishing you the best, sweetie and wanting this all to only bring you happy memories in the years to come. :hug:

[Desnik]

Hi Nikki! My nick name is Nikki too!
Great PJ! I'm glad you started one. I have seen your posts on the boards and you have been so helpful to me and many others here! I am so sorry for everything you have gone through! You deserve a stress free wedding!!! I love everything you have planned. Just curious, do you know what you are going to wear for your NJ reception? I love your dress for your DFTW.

[lpizzuro123]

Sorry you are going through with all this before your wedding. As a NJ bride also getting married in WDW wouldn't you guys need to have a NJ Marriage License if they were planning turning this into an actual wedding. I have not looked into this at all as we will be getting married in WDW so I don't know the laws but I would think they can't just spring a real wedding on you without a license.

On another note, May 5 was the date we originally wanted for our wedding and we are planning a IllumiNations desert party at UK Lower - that would have been so cool to have two Dis brides next to each other at their desert parties.

Linda

[lpizzuro123]

Oh - I just checked out your report and see you are using Misty. We just booked her this morning for our November wedding. You will definately have to let me know how she works out and I have to check out your desert party pictures. As she is doing ours also I can't wait to see what she does with yours.

Linda

[meryll83]

I love :lovestruc your invations with Boardwalk map!
Where about's are the crystals attached to them?

And where did you get the copy of the map from? Is it an actual map given to you at Disney? You don't have a copy do you, the girl that checked us in when we were last there scribbled all over ours with biro?! :lmao:

[hope1826]

Shoes and stuff

These are the shoes I would LOVE to wear!!:love: :love: :love: :love: :love: :love: :love: :love: :love: :love: :love:
http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd199/hope1826/PINK.jpg

but alas, these are the shoes I will actually wear and the purse I just got in the mail today, Whoo Hooo!!:cheer2: Due to having two brothers and being a tomboy and a young kid during the World Wrestling Federation's peak during the 1980's, I have a chipped bone in my foot. :headache: So, 1" heels are the most I can manage for longer than an hour (damned brothers, jk). I am NOT happy about this. I think it bothers me more than the possibility of FMIL's big surprise! Don't get me wrong, I think these shoes are pretty, but they are a far cry from the heels shown above. I may have these dyed that color though!
http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd199/hope1826/DSC02603.jpg


Bridesmaids Shoes
Two of my bridesmaids may wear these. I love them, but I may have to change them if I can't find low heeled gold strappy sandals for my other two bridesmaids who are similarly heel challenged (both love heels- but have bad back problems). Any suggestions are welcome!!

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd199/hope1826/023-5817_1355fb0_Gold.jpg

If I can't find the low gold sandals, everyone will wear these (maybe)...
http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd199/hope1826/t10494.jpg

My Dream Wedding Cake :love: :love:
http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd199/hope1826/Cake1.jpg

The cake we are actually having. Our cake was the main victim of my budget slashing spree. My parents happily offered to pay for our Disney wedding, and I ecstatically and gratefully accepted. My mother said $30,000, my father said $15,000, so right now it's at $17,000, with Disney's portion including taxes and fees at $11,600. At DF's Bestman's November wedding, people hardly touched the cake. It would kill me if I paid tons of money for a cake that hardly anyone touched. So we picked the cheapest cake ($425 for 50 pp) that most closely resembled our dream cake. Poor, poor cake...

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd199/hope1826/v3_slide0064_image063.gif

The Cake Topper
I am not in love with Mickey and Minnie, but we both wanted a bride and groom cake topper. And being that it is near impossible to find a very nice (keepsake heirloom quality) interracial bride and groom cake topper, Ebay Lenox Mickey and Minnie it is...

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd199/hope1826/minniesdreamwedding70ebay.jpg


My necklace
Rose quartz (said to enhance beauty, true love and passion) I'm going to order it next week. I have no idea what to do about earrings though.
http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd199/hope1826/FA07_194743_4.jpg

[hope1826]

Hairstyles
I sent these two styles to Patricia. I really like both, but I love the half up/half down style. Patricia thinks that something similar to the Faith Hill style would work best for me. I have a trial scheduled with her for only 3 days before the wedding, but she said she will try both of these and keep working until she finds something that's perfect!! YAY Patricia!! :cheer2:

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd199/hope1826/1.jpg

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd199/hope1826/2.jpg

That's pretty much everything for now. I have tons more to do (Welcome bags, children's favor bags, programs, etc) and I will post pics as I get stuff. Thanks for reading!!

[hope1826]

Just wishing you the best, sweetie and wanting this all to only bring you happy memories in the years to come. :hug:

Thank you sweetie. I understand, that's why I said you weren't being a jerk. I wish I could do something or say something to make them understand that this wedding isn't about them. Heck, sometimes I watch Bridezilla and really wish that I could be like that. But all I can do now, is try to ignore them, cross my fingers and hope them respect our wishes and do everything in my power to enjoy myself and help DF enjoy himself.

LOL, My FMIL also ruined my BM dress selection by buying her dress a week before DF even proposed and passive aggressively criticized the length and color of the dresses I ended up picking. There is a lot more too. So I'm just trying to ignore everything and be the more mature person.

I deeply appreciate your best wishes!! :hug: Like I had written before, if it wasn't for all of you disbrides, I would have gone insane and just eloped. I am so grateful for you all!! You really help me put things into perspective!

Hi Nikki! My nick name is Nikki too!
Great PJ! I'm glad you started one. I have seen your posts on the boards and you have been so helpful to me and many others here! I am so sorry for everything you have gone through! You deserve a stress free wedding!!! I love everything you have planned. Just curious, do you know what you are going to wear for your NJ reception? I love your dress for your DFTW.

Thank you Nikki!! :hug: It's ok. I think I deserve a stress free wedding too, but I think it will be great, even with their shenanigans.

This is the NJ reception dress (ordered online, it should be here in 5 weeks) and maybe shoes...
http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd199/hope1826/yhst-36019181146476_1987_2516041.gif

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd199/hope1826/DSC02604.jpg
Sorry you are going through with all this before your wedding. As a NJ bride also getting married in WDW wouldn't you guys need to have a NJ Marriage License if they were planning turning this into an actual wedding. I have not looked into this at all as we will be getting married in WDW so I don't know the laws but I would think they can't just spring a real wedding on you without a license.

On another note, May 5 was the date we originally wanted for our wedding and we are planning a IllumiNations desert party at UK Lower - that would have been so cool to have two Dis brides next to each other at their desert parties.

Linda

I think they may just try to have a priest there to bless us, so that they can go to the Disney marriage without jeopardizing their souls. It's not about us being legally married, it's that since the church comes before law, to her, if a priest doesn't bless us at some point, their son will be choosing to live in sin for the rest of his life and in their eyes, their grandchildren will be born out of wedlock.

One NJ priest I spoke to said that they can't do it anyway, because RC marriages are only recognized if they take place inside an RC church. But another priest told me that if they had a friend who was a priest, who was willing to just do it as a symbolic gesture, that may be good enough for them. That's what could possibly happen, a priest showing up to provide that for them. I have my fingers crossed, hoping that the priests they talk to will refuse their request. But then again, none of this may happen. It's just that their requests have been very strange so far.

A double dessert party would have been amazing fun. I'm sorry you chose a different date. There is another disbride with that date, but I don't think she is having a dessert party. :sad2:

Oh - I just checked out your report and see you are using Misty. We just booked her this morning for our November wedding. You will definately have to let me know how she works out and I have to check out your desert party pictures. As she is doing ours also I can't wait to see what she does with yours.

Linda

I will definitely post pics. So far she seems great.

I love :lovestruc your invations with Boardwalk map!
Where about's are the crystals attached to them?

And where did you get the copy of the map from? Is it an actual map given to you at Disney? You don't have a copy do you, the girl that checked us in when we were last there scribbled all over ours with biro?! :lmao:

Thank you Meryll83!!

Here is the link to the map...
http://www.wdwinfo.com/resortmaps/boardwalk.htm

For the invitations, I photoshopped out all of the writing. The crystals are on the Ceremony and Reception sites (Sea Breeze Point and the Attic).

[meryll83]

Thank you Meryll83!!

Here is the link to the map...
http://www.wdwinfo.com/resortmaps/boardwalk.htm

For the invitations, I photoshopped out all of the writing. The crystals are on the Ceremony and Reception sites (Sea Breeze Point and the Attic).
Totally cool!

Thank you :thumbsup2

[hope1826]

...Please help me decide

#1 - The Circlet
http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd199/hope1826/elvencirclet.jpg

#2 - The Sun Goddess Headband
http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd199/hope1826/Tiara2_95.jpg

#3 - The Tiara- My favorite right now! (this one is customizable- it's shown in an antique gold finish- but I may get it in regular gold finish)
http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd199/hope1826/Tiara1_85.jpg

[Mermaid_Ariel]

I looooooooooooooooove #3!! :lovestruc

By the way, I really like those 1" heels! Where did you get them? I have problems with my feet so I won't be able to wear really high heels either. :goodvibes I was hoping that I wouldn't have to wear something "old lady" and those are gorgeous! :woohoo:

Love your plans btw if I haven't said it already!

[Starr W.]

I like #2.

Looked at your dream cake. Did you see Kendra's $1700 one? Would hate to see how much Disney would have charged for yours! :eek:

[B2B-2008]

Just catching up on your PJ. I must say I like number 3.

[Keira1387]

I vote for number 3!!!! Very pretty!

[keenercam]

#3 is gorgeous and would look so beautiful with your hair color and long, flowing waves/curls. The other 2 are pretty, too, but #3 is just something else entirely! Good luck choosing.

[quidam373]

I like #2 and #3!! #3 is definately a princess tiara. :) and it would look really nice with your hair.

[Pam]

I think #2 is very elegant and has a classic beauty look about it.:goodvibes

[stitchlet]

#3 gets my vote - it's beautiful! :bride:

I really like your 1" heel shoes too - would you mind sharing where you got them?

Thanks!

[lov2b@disney]

I love #3!

[Lynn5700]

I love your ring!!! Aquamarine is my birthstone :)

Your wedding is going to be gorgeous,I love the colors :) I vote for tiara 3! love the hair pics!!!!


YAY can you believe it,your getting so close.I come down the day you get married!!!!

[ChrissyClark]

I'm not sure if you've already bought your Mickey and Minnie wedding cake topper, but I saw Bride and Groom cake toppers that can be bought separately in a magazine I bought today. The website is weddingstar.com. They're not too expensive, so I'm not sure if they qualify as keepsake quality, but they have some really cute (and funny!) designs. Hope it helps! :)

[hope1826]

I looooooooooooooooove #3!! :lovestruc

By the way, I really like those 1" heels! Where did you get them? I have problems with my feet so I won't be able to wear really high heels either. :goodvibes I was hoping that I wouldn't have to wear something "old lady" and those are gorgeous! :woohoo:


Love your plans btw if I haven't said it already!


#3 gets my vote - it's beautiful! :bride:

I really like your 1" heel shoes too - would you mind sharing where you got them?

Thanks!

Thank you!! I'm glad you like the shoes. They are really really comfortable and I do think they are pretty. I got them online from this website...
http://www.elegantbridaldiscount.com/bridalshoes.html. I've seen them on other websites too, but this site had the best price when I ordered them. I think they are $70 + on zappos.com. They were delivered in a little over a week and they looked perfect when they arrived.

I like #2.

Looked at your dream cake. Did you see Kendra's $1700 one? Would hate to see how much Disney would have charged for yours! :eek:

I know !!!:scared1: Kendra's cake is gorgeous, but eeek $1700!! :scared1: When they sent me the cake cd, I was terrified. I didn't even ask them to price my dream cake. Maybe I should ask them to price it, just for fun. :lmao:

Just catching up on your PJ. I must say I like number 3.

I vote for number 3!!!! Very pretty!

#3 is gorgeous and would look so beautiful with your hair color and long, flowing waves/curls. The other 2 are pretty, too, but #3 is just something else entirely! Good luck choosing.

I like #2 and #3!! #3 is definately a princess tiara. :) and it would look really nice with your hair.

I think #2 is very elegant and has a classic beauty look about it.:goodvibes


I love #3!


:cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2:

YAY, Thank you all so much for helping me decide. The winner is definitely #3. I may order it this week! :cheer2: :cheer2:

I love your ring!!! Aquamarine is my birthstone :)

Your wedding is going to be gorgeous,I love the colors :) I vote for tiara 3! love the hair pics!!!!


YAY can you believe it,your getting so close.I come down the day you get married!!!!

Thank you Lynn. When is your bday! I remember you said you were a pisces too, so Happy Birthday soon (or Happy Belated birthday!!) :cheer2: LOL!! we are both getting so close. I'm so excited, I can't wait!




I'm not sure if you've already bought your Mickey and Minnie wedding cake topper, but I saw Bride and Groom cake toppers that can be bought separately in a magazine I bought today. The website is weddingstar.com. They're not too expensive, so I'm not sure if they qualify as keepsake quality, but they have some really cute (and funny!) designs. Hope it helps! :)

Thank you for the tip. See this is our dilemma... there are a few cake toppers with mixed couples, but all of them are plastic or resin. We would prefer $50 more to get something that is porcelain, but they really don't have porcelain mixed couples, even at weddingstar.com.
We were thinking to give up on our bride and groom search and get this, but we're really not sure yet...
http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd199/hope1826/porcelaincoach.jpg

[lpizzuro123]

I like the Lenox Mickey and Minnie topper or Cinderella's carriage.

Linda

[hope1826]

I like the Lenox Mickey and Minnie topper or Cinderella's carriage.

Linda

Thank you Linda, I need to figure out which one we are going to go with pretty soon. We need to order it asap. Maybe I should ask everyone to vote on that too!

[roozlilone]

Just catching up on your PJ, sorry it's a little late but I really love #3 too!! It's a perfect tiara for a Disney Wedding! :goodvibes

[Gillian]

I didn't get a chance to check out all your choices, but the dresses are beautiful.

I'm so sorry you're having problems with the Catholics! I don't quite see how their souls are in jeopardy here, but I don't get a lot of the RC stuff.

We go to a UU - Unitarian Universalist - church here in NJ. Some of the people are a little out there, but most are very nice and we feel at home. Many, many members are "ex-Catholic". Some still believe parts of the religion, others don't. It doesn't matter there. They don't tell you what to believe. I love the minister there, he's a very loving & spiritual person.

[jillybeene71]

popcorn:: subscribing

[Lynn5700]

Are you freaking!!!! your 23 days away!!!!AHHHH we are getting so close!!!

My birthday was the 13th! of March!!!!!

[Lynn5700]

No you are 22 days away!!!!!! YAY

[hope1826]

Just catching up on your PJ, sorry it's a little late but I really love #3 too!! It's a perfect tiara for a Disney Wedding! :goodvibes

Thank you for voting! I LOVE LOVE LOVE #3 and it definitely won the votes, but just this week, I decided to just use the circlet. As things get closer, money is getting tighter and it's hard to shell out an extra $100 when I already have something that I do love too (not nearly as much, but I do still love it).

I didn't get a chance to check out all your choices, but the dresses are beautiful.

I'm so sorry you're having problems with the Catholics! I don't quite see how their souls are in jeopardy here, but I don't get a lot of the RC stuff.

We go to a UU - Unitarian Universalist - church here in NJ. Some of the people are a little out there, but most are very nice and we feel at home. Many, many members are "ex-Catholic". Some still believe parts of the religion, others don't. It doesn't matter there. They don't tell you what to believe. I love the minister there, he's a very loving & spiritual person.

popcorn:: subscribing

Hi Gillian, it's ok. I don't really understand their belief that their souls are in jeopardy either, but I understand that they fully believe it and they have a right to believe whatever they want. They don't have a right to force that on us though and I am hoping that at some point they realize that.


Are you freaking!!!! your 23 days away!!!!AHHHH we are getting so close!!!

My birthday was the 13th! of March!!!!!

No you are 22 days away!!!!!! YAY

Hi Lynn, EEEEkKK I am 23 days away, I think. :confused3 I am getting more and more excited everyday! It's such a great experience. I completely don't have anything done but that's ok.

Are you freaking out!! You are 25 days away!

Oh btw, I have been so busy, I have had such a hard time finding time to post, but I am sorry about your 2nd accident and I'm glad you are ok!

Ohhhhh and also, I think I saw your DF during my morning commute into the city. If not then your DF has a twin walking around out there. :) :)

[hope1826]

I have to start by saying that being back at work is AMAZING, because of all of the magical money I get to spend on my Disney wedding! But work is AWFUL, because it is sooooooooooooo hard to get my disboard fix!

So, here are some VERY super quick updates...

- We had to shorten our honeymoon again. It was initially going to be May 5-16, then we shortened it to May 5-13. Now it's May 5-9. :sad1: But the good thing is that we will be staying at AKL the whole time instead of POFQ as originally planned. :yay:

- Neither of my two dresses fit. The Disney one is now (5 inches too big in the hip area). The NJ reception dress came in too small (5 inches too small in the bodice/bust area). So everyday after work I've been running around doing fittings and such.
Also I cannot find a long line bra that is actually comfortable. Any suggestions are welcome??

- Our BEO came in at $11674 including service charges and taxes, and everything is officially paid for!! Thanks to Dad!!:yay:

- And lastly, the most interesting tidbit, IMO... about a week ago my FMIL was beyond SHOCKED when she discovered that we were going to be married by a Reverend. First of all, she didn't know what a Reverend was, she thought they were judges and was shocked to find out that they are somewhat the protestant version of a priest. DF explained that. Then I had to explain what protestant was and that protestants and catholics read the exact same bible - old AND new testaments. I don't know if this knowledge will make a difference, but I just think it was interesting that she assumed that since we were getting married at Disney, a judge or other similarly appointed person was going to be officiating.

Thats all I have for now. I promise I will post a TR when we get back! And I will try my best to post some updates (with pics) before we go.

:flower3:
Nikki

[hope1826]

So we are leaving for our Cinco de Mayo wedding, tomorrow! We are so excited :cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2: , but sad that we can't go today:sad2: !

Thank you all so much for your help in the past few months. I will do a TR when I get back, and hopefully it can help others. :flower3:

Nikki

[hope1826]

OMG.... I almost forgot, things have been so hectic... we had our Pre-wedding Bon Voyage Reception this past Saturday on April 26th and I am so happy to report that my FIL's did NOT invite a Priest. Of course, there was other massive manipulative, inconsiderate, mean drama, but it could have been a lot worse.

:banana:

[DisneyBrideToni]

YAY!!!! :yay: I am so happy for you!! Have a wonderful time!! I can't wait to see your TR since we have twin weddings!!!

Have a magical wedding day!!! I wish you and your DF all the best!

[padisneyfour]

have a wonderful wedding and a lifetime of happiness.....:goodvibes

[lov2b@disney]

Nikki.. Glad your at home reception worked out okay!

your wedding is so close! :yay::yay::yay: When do you leave?

Cant wait to hear all about it!!!!:goodvibes:

[lpizzuro123]

Nikki - have a wonderful time. I have enjoyed reading your planning journal and have gotten some great tips. I am looking forward to your trip report even more. Sorry your dress is too big but HURRAY for you on losing the weight. Did you ever take advantage of the gym that we were speaking about a few months ago?

Also glad their wasn't a priest at your at home party.

Have a wonderful time.

Linda

[Keira1387]

Yay!! Your getting so close!

[Cosi Bella]

Hi nikki,

I don't know how I missed your PJ this whole time, but I just got caught up on it!! Everything looks so beautiful, you are going to have a fabulous wedding! Its soooo close!!! I'm very excited for you!:goodvibes

[hope1826]

YAY!!!! :yay: I am so happy for you!! Have a wonderful time!! I can't wait to see your TR since we have twin weddings!!!

Have a magical wedding day!!! I wish you and your DF all the best!

have a wonderful wedding and a lifetime of happiness.....:goodvibes

Nikki.. Glad your at home reception worked out okay!

your wedding is so close! :yay::yay::yay: When do you leave?

Cant wait to hear all about it!!!!:goodvibes:

Nikki - have a wonderful time. I have enjoyed reading your planning journal and have gotten some great tips. I am looking forward to your trip report even more. Sorry your dress is too big but HURRAY for you on losing the weight. Did you ever take advantage of the gym that we were speaking about a few months ago?

Also glad their wasn't a priest at your at home party.

Have a wonderful time.

Linda

Hi nikki,

I don't know how I missed your PJ this whole time, but I just got caught up on it!! Everything looks so beautiful, you are going to have a fabulous wedding! Its soooo close!!! I'm very excited for you!:goodvibes


Thank you all so much! EEEEEEEkkkkkkkkkk our flight is at 2:20 pm, but we are still kinda packing and running errands. Yikes!!!!:scared1:

I can't wait to set foot in Disney!

[lov2b@disney]

Nikki- Have a safe trip and a Magical :wizard: wedding

[pjstevens]

Nikki,

Have a wonderful wedding!!! Just found your pj and can't wait to read your tr and see photos. I am so sure you will look absolutely stunning.

[lurkyloo]

Hooray! I am so glad they didn't spring a ceremony on you - that was scaring me :scared1:

Have a fantabulous time! I can't wait to read your trippie! :surfweb:

[Goldeelox9]

It will all be wonderful! I can not wait to hear all about it! :love:

[Mrsdisneyb2b]

Have a wonderful and safe wedding!!! I cant wait to read when you get back!

[Nicola2010]

Damn it i missed you!

Have an absolutely fantastic wedding day!

Cant wait to hear all about it

From another Nicola & Chris lol

[Lynn5700]

Nikki!!!!!!!!!! I'm going to be getting to Disney on your wedding day so I just want to say Congrats and it's going to be a beautiful day!!!!!!!!!!! I hope I get to see you there :)

[Jessbell34]

Wow, what a great PJ! I am so sad that I just now found it... I have been missing out for a few months. I hope you are having an amazing time in Disney. Your wedding is just two days away! I can't wait for your TR when you return.

My wedding will be at Sea Breeze Point too, just 44 days away. :lovestruc

[lov2b@disney]

Nikki! your wedding is tomorrow! :yay::yay::yay: pixiedust: How exciting :dance3:

May all your dreams come true!

[lov2b@disney]

HAPPY WEDDING DAY!

[Keira1387]

HAPPY WEDDING DAY!!!!

[DisneyBrideToni]

HAPPY WEDDING DAY!!!!! :banana:

[camara381]

Happy Wedding Day!!!!!

[Lizby]

:banana: :bride: Have a MAGICAL wedding day! :wizard: :cheer2:

[poohbear15]

Have a magical day!!!

[Goldeelox9]

HAPPY WEDDING DAY!!!!!!!!

[Jessbell34]

:cheer2: HAPPY WEDDING DAY!:cheer2:

[KStarfish82]

Happy Wedding Day!!!!

I hope you have a magical day!

[Nicola2010]

HAPPY WEDDING DAY NIKKI AND CHRIS!!!

HOPE YOU HAD A MAGICAL DAY! :cloud9:

[BayouPrincess]

I'm late but...
HAPPY WEDDING DAY
Nikki & Chris
:lovestruc :love: :lovestruc

[caryndisneydiva]

HAPPY WEDDING DAY!!!

[29apr00]

Hope yesterday was as Magical and Special as you wanted it to be!

Congratulations!

Jennifer

[twiu]

Woo hoo!!! Hope you had a wonderful and super magical day! Can't wait to hear about it :)

[IndyBride]

OH NO! I missed it!

Happy Late Wedding Day!!!! Hope it was everything you wanted and more!

[Jessbell34]

I hope you had an amazing wedding week! I can't wait to read about the details!

[MistressOfAllEvil]

Dear Nikki!

First I have to say thank goodness the mods haven't merged your PJ and TR. I just finished your TR a bit earlier and was sooooooo bummed that it was closed and I wasn't able to post at all. So then I back tracked and read through your PJ. Which I just now finished!!!! :cool1:

I am utterly disgusted with myself for totally going MIA and missing the last few months of your planning and then your actual wedding. Further shame on me for being in Disney in May and NOT FINDING YOU!!! I truely feel like a wretch right now. I feel like you were sooooo supportive during my planning and then I just bailed on you. :guilty:

Okay, I'm still going through your pictures and I have to say everything I've seen so far is amazing. I can really relate to what you were saying with respect to studying other brides pictures so much. It's soooo funny b/c everyone at home here looks at my pictures and thinks they're so amazing. But I think I got some mid-range pictures in comparision to what Misty or Rootography can do! So I'm sure seeing my pictures standing on their own, they are amazing, but in the disboard context, there are so many other great pictures out there!!! lol I don't know what I"m trying to say here other than YOUR PICTURES (what I've seen so far) ARE AMAZING.

And while we're on the subject of AMAZING, your dress was just beautiful. So, so, so pretty!! I loved it, along with the veil! So AMAZING!!

Anyhow, I just wanted to say hi! and I'm sorry! and make a couple of comments on some things below (despite the fact that you're probably soooo over it!)

My FIL's are paying for a huge NJ reception so that everyone they know will be able to celebrate with us. It is going to be held a week before our Disney wedding (June, July and August were too expensive and September was too late) and 250 people have been invited. I AM worried that they are somehow going to try to make this into a surprise Catholic blessing. I have been told by one Catholic priest that this would be impossible. But another Catholic priest told me that under some circumstances, it could be done.

So why do I think this surprise may take place...
- FMIL has been demanding a catholic ceremony since the day after our DF's proposal.
-My extremely Roman Catholic FMlL still seems to be pretending that our very REAL Disney ceremony, which is being officiated by an ordained minister, Rev. Kevin knox, and is centered around God (not religion) is NOT a real ceremony. It seems like she is pretending that this is just a fabulous party she is going to. By doing this, I think she can still attend our "invalid" wedding without risking her soul. Whatever! :confused3
- The RC guests who told us they were so excited to attend our wedding, when they assumed it was going to be in an RC church "regretfully declined" our Disney invite did accept the NJ invite. Why is it ok to celebrate our sinful marriage the week before, but not come to the actual wedding?
- FILs requested that I wear a wedding dress to the NJ reception.
- FILs wanted real wedding invitations for this party and wanted the wording to say "Cocktail Wedding Reception" instead of what it really was "Cocktail Pre-wedding Reception". We fought over this for weeks and finally when I said that I wasn't going to lie to my family and I would send my side different invitations, they accepted "Formal Pre-wedding Cocktail Reception". :headache: (This all started happening while all of my health and job issues were getting worse)
- Now FILs are STEALING some of our Disney wedding plans for their NJ reception. FMIL recently asked what our first dance song was going to be... regretfully I told them, "At Last" by Etta James. She then turned to FFIL and told him to make sure that his friend's jazz trio practices that song well before the NJ reception. She then said, "we can't have them mess our your first dance!" How can we have our first dance as Mr. and Mrs. a week before we marry? :headache: :headache:
- I was planning on displaying the wedding pictures of our parents and grandparents in pretty frames on the guestbook table at Disney. They now want that done at the NJ reception. And they want us to have their 250 guests sign in the guestbook we have for Disney.

So that's where we are now. This is just part of what I'm referring to when I say that so much has gone wrong that I don't care anymore. I just can't wait to be at Disney and have my magical wedding day and I'm not going to let them ruin it. They can steal whatever they want. :confused3

Sandy and Kennercam, thank you for the support! I am ok with the FIL's. They are really really nice otherwise, but I think FMIL is just having a very difficult time. DF is their only son and he lived pretty far from them for all of his adult life. He moved back to NJ within the last year and a half and since then she has met the first girlfriend he has ever introduced them to (that's me :cheer2: ), dealt with he and I moving in together (in complete sin), realized that her son has not gone to church, except for holidays, for over 10 years, and now she's dealing with the fact that her son isn't getting married in the catholic church. She is a traditional Polish Roman Catholic and from what the priest told me, she honestly believes that her only son WILL go to hell for marrying me this way. And her soul is in danger too because she is choosing to attend our wedding.

So while I don't agree with or understand her beliefs, I do respect them. And they are paying for the NJ reception. I am just hoping that if they choose to invite a priest at some point they will have an honest conversation with us about it.

I agree with you Keenercam, I do think my DF should deal with this better, but he doesn't believe that they would do this and he doesn't think the clues I am picking up on are good enough indications to confront them. :confused3 We have both told them multiple times that we are NOT having a catholic ceremony.

I am fine as long as he isn't lying to me. If it turns out that he has anything to do with this, then that's another story.


WOW!!

This almost makes my MIL seem like a walk in the park. I guess I hadn't realized to what extent she was truely harrassing you. I'm sooo amazingly proud of you that you have the maturity to understand and respect their beliefs and the self-control not to air all the dirty, mean, underhanded things that occured at the pre-wedding reception. :flower3: :cheer2: Because... I DO NOT. And it's partially b/c my MIL is so wishy-washy and her convictions CHANGE on a daily, sometimes hourly, basis!! Because our wedding was not in a Church, I have heard my MIL tell several people that she's throwing our at-home reception (which by the way, is 6 months after the fact and has been coated in horrible, horrible, mean! DRAMA) because we didn't have a REAL wedding!!!!!!!

So, I'm finally getting around to writing that TR I promised oh-so-long-ago. Steady, but sure. Hope you get a chance to come around and take a look...

And I hope you're doing well and loving married life. :dance3: It does seem like your TR got closed prematurely (but I don't know... the world got flipped while I was MIA from the dis!) Hope to hear from you soon!!!



xoxo,

Wendy