The One & Only Disneyland Hotel Wedding TR! - Day 2 Pt. 1 added (updated 6/7)

[ghoulish delight]

:rotfl:

Okaaaayyy! So I know maybe SOMEWHERE among the boards there may exist one other trip report from a DLH wedding! However, I got your attention by implying it was exceptionally rare, right? ;)

For those who are unfamiliar, my name is Anjanette (Anj much of the time because it's easier, hehe) and my now husband is named Jason.

We just got married on May 8, 2010. :teeth: Seeing as there are so very few Disneyland brides on the DIS, I feel it is my duty to help out by posting my experience.

I hope that the details I share will be both beneficial or enjoyable for at least a few of you!

...



Trip Report Index!

Vendor Reviews (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=36684329&postcount=2)
Teaser Pics (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=36684329&postcount=3)
Day 1 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=36696375&postcount=7)
Day 2, Part 1 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=36908745&postcount=30)

[ghoulish delight]

The When & Where!

When: 5/8/2010

Where: Disneyland Hotel Rose Court Garden (ceremony), Dreams Lawn (pre-reception) and Sleeping Beauty Pavilion (reception).




Vendor Reviews!

DFTW Sales Manager: Cynthia Autry - 9.5/10 -Now, all this time I truthfully thought of her as my wedding coordinator. I didn't discover until a few weeks beforehand that she wouldn't be there on the day of with me being hands on. I knew she'd be there, but she said it would be mainly to supervise everything. For the entire 18 months we spent dealing with Cynthia, I adored her. She was very sweet and personable. She answered any questions we had with lightning speed, and was extremely accommodating. The only reason I'm rating her less than 10 is because she was sort of a ghost on our big day. This could simply be due to my own misunderstanding, however, it did disappoint me. All in all, I would undoubtedly recommend her and I'm glad we got to work with her.

DFTW Coordinator: Herta - 3/10 - We didn't meet our wedding coordinator until our rehearsal, and the first impression was not a good one. She was VERY impatient, rather rude and unassertive. We had a group of nearly 30 people and many of them were requiring her direction. It was very messy and beyond confusing. There was a wedding rehearsal immediately following ours and it seemed like her only aim was to power through ours so it wouldn't interfere with theirs. As if this doesn't sound awful enough, I was told that she would meet me in my bridal dressing room the morning of to pick up all the items I'd brought for the ceremony and reception. I saw her only once before she came to pick me up for staging!! I was ready to pull my hair out because Disney would not give me a contact number for her, it was 15 minutes before my wedding and much of my things were still not even taken. My MOH and another bridesmaid had to set up my table numbers and placecards! Ugh. At least she came to retrieve me in time I suppose. Also, after the ceremony her attitude changed drastically, and she was much nicer at least.

Disney Catering & Food Service - 10/10 - No complaints whatsoever. Everyone adored our food. They even tracked down the same mint julep syrup they use in the park so that our toasting beverage would be exactly what we wanted! The servers were very friendly, quick and good. Just perfect. :thumbsup2

Disney DJ: Reuben Sears - 10/10 - The only Disney vendor we chose to use was the DJ and we're so grateful we did! He was outstanding and couldn't have been a better match for Jason and I. His musical tastes were very similar to our own, and he played the perfect songs for our event. He was super outgoing, considerate, and genuine. He even gave us all the CDs he played for the day. He worked like clockwork and made the whole reception run seamlessly. Just awesome!

Photographer: Brian David (http://www.briandavidphotography.com/) & his wife Karen - 10/10 - I haven't yet received my professional photos but I have no doubt they will be flawless. These two are some of the sweetest, most energetic people I've ever met! First of all, they checked out the site on their own to see where would be good for shots. They even stayed the night before the wedding at the hotel and came to our rehearsal so they could see who would be there and where. I loved them! They were very patient and told us they would have taken photos with Jason and I all night had we not been too tired. :laughing: Highly highly recommend them!

Videographer: Placid Pictures (http://www.placidpictures.com/wedding%20videography.html), Bodie Smith & Anita - 10/10- Again, we haven't yet received their final product but we did receive a preview they made and sent to us while we were still away on our honeymoon. Judging from that preview and their extreme patience on the day, they score a perfect. We were only supposed to have them for 8 hours with the package we chose, and they were there from 7 or 8 in the morning to 6:30pm without one gripe! :goodvibes They were another set of good, talented people for sure!

Florist: Michael's Flower Girl (http://www.murrietaflowergirl.com/) - 10/10 - My flowers were ridiculously gorgeous. The florist was there early, set up everything despite any wedding coordinator there to give them direction and it was perfect. I felt the price we got all our floral for was very reasonable for what we actually got. And I was so happy with my bouquet, I made the decision after the wedding to get it preserved!

Harpist: Ted Nichelson (http://www.yourharpist.com/) - 10/10 - He was nothing less than amazing. He learned two songs that we had specially requested for our wedding. The only thing he asked was that we provide him with the sheet music for them so that he may learn it. Both songs were beautiful and having him added such class to our event. I'm so pleased we chose him!

Officiant: Mack Harris (http://www.whollyignited.com) - 10/10 - Last but not least, is our officiant! Mack made everything very simple for us. He listened to our requests for how we wanted our ceremony to flow and had beautiful words of his own that he said. Wonderful and kind man. You can also tell he is very genuine in his spirituality, which was quite important to us!

[ghoulish delight]

A few teasers!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/anjiechan/wedding/28688_1362346537020_1182275751_3097.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/anjiechan/wedding/28688_1362527501544_1182275751_3097.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/anjiechan/wedding/28688_1362359137335_1182275751_3097.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/anjiechan/wedding/cake1.jpg

And I posted it on my PJ, but here's the link to check out the preview video our videographer sent us: http://www.placidpictures.com/anjanette_jason.html.

[Boardwalk_bride]

I'm glad most of your vendors worked out well for you! I'm so sorry about your planner...I don't even know how I would have handled that! Luckily you had good bm's to help you out!

You look so gorgeous! I love your cake, and I cannot wait to see more pics :goodvibes

[helloirishkitty]

Congratulations!! You were such a beautiful bride! Your dress is gorgeous and I really like the how you're ceremony site and reception room looked.

I also loved hearing about the Disneyland side of DFTW! I love Disneyland and if we had more guests on the west coast, we would be doing ours there as well.

[ghoulish delight]

I'm glad most of your vendors worked out well for you! I'm so sorry about your planner...I don't even know how I would have handled that! Luckily you had good bm's to help you out!

You look so gorgeous! I love your cake, and I cannot wait to see more pics :goodvibes

Thanks muchly! I was so so grateful to have my BMs helping me out! If not for them, and my other capable vendors it probably would have been a hot mess. :lmao:

Sounds like I'll have pro photos real soon! Photographer told Jason possibly by tomorrow! Woohoo!

Congratulations!! You were such a beautiful bride! Your dress is gorgeous and I really like the how you're ceremony site and reception room looked.

I also loved hearing about the Disneyland side of DFTW! I love Disneyland and if we had more guests on the west coast, we would be doing ours there as well.

Aw, why thank you! :blush: We were extremely happy with how it all turned out! Now that DH and I have been to WDW, I feel like I can more properly follow all you DFTW brides out there too! It's better when you feel like you somewhat understand the logistics of the area. Hehe

[ghoulish delight]

Day 1 -- May 7, 2010

Ahh, the day before the day! Jason and I had hitched a ride with his sister (my MOH) and their stepdad, so we wouldn't need to fuss with a car. Once we magically fit ALL of our belongings, wedding related and luggage, into the car we were on our way! :cool2:

After we arrived at the hotel, we went straight to see if we were able to check in early. After much hassle at the front desk due to some confusion on the names of who was in each room, we were finally able to get our stuff to one.

Not long after getting situated in a room, it was time for us to get to our rehearsal. It was a wait before all of our wedding party and family made it down but we started immediately when they did. Our wedding coordinator had a hard time of getting everybody rounded up to hear what they should be doing... :headache: So we were instantly unimpressed. In fact, while we were waiting for everyone to arrive, she mentioned to me three separate times that there was a rehearsal RIGHT after our own also. Just so rude! :snooty: Oh well, thankfully everyone involved had either been in a wedding before or was already married. Lol, so we all knew the drill!

Here's my precious flowergirls!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/anjiechan/wedding/28688_1362345136985_1182275751_3097.jpg


I'm pictured here complaining about the mess that was our rehearsal to my dad. :rotfl2:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/anjiechan/wedding/28688_1362344976981_1182275751_3097.jpg

And my adorable/nervous groom!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/anjiechan/wedding/28688_1362344936980_1182275751_3097.jpg

And me with all my girls!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/anjiechan/wedding/28688_1362344816977_1182275751_3097.jpg

Once we figured we'd had it about as mastered as could be considering the circumstances, we went to our rehearsal dinner. We had our rehearsal dinner at the ESPN Zone in Downtown Disney. Which is literally a minute walk away from the ceremony site. Hehe. It just so happens that it's one of mine and Jason's favorite eateries up there too! So it was delicious and lots of fun, of course. ;) After dinner was over, we went for a walk with family and then I politely excused myself to try and get some sleep. Naturally, I think I only slept for 5 hours that night? Thank God for makeup!

[shippedtosea]

yay! I am very excited to read your TR. I feel like is was not long ago when when I started reading your PJ! I'm sorry you had such issues with your rehearsal...thats annoying!

[weedee]

Yay! Excited to read your TR. That sucks that your planner was so rude the day of...since I haven't met mine either I'm kind of afraid that might happen to us too! Everything looked beautiful :goodvibes

[BecBennett]

Wow, your bouquet was rediculously gorgeous!! Have you already received it back preserved? Is the blue still as vibrant? It's beautiful!

[ghoulish delight]

yay! I am very excited to read your TR. I feel like is was not long ago when when I started reading your PJ! I'm sorry you had such issues with your rehearsal...thats annoying!

I know!! Isn't that insane? I do wonder where time goes! :scratchin I can't wait until your wedding! Soon I'll be reading your TR! :goodvibes

Yay! Excited to read your TR. That sucks that your planner was so rude the day of...since I haven't met mine either I'm kind of afraid that might happen to us too! Everything looked beautiful :goodvibes

Thanks for following along! :hug: And don't worry! I'm sure mine was a fluke. For all I know, she might be the best and was just having a crappy week or something! Lol. I'll send happy thoughts your way in hopes that your planner is nice and perfect for you guys though, just in case!

Wow, your bouquet was rediculously gorgeous!! Have you already received it back preserved? Is the blue still as vibrant? It's beautiful!

Why thank you, dear! My florist did an amazing job! I haven't gotten it back yet. It takes about a month but from what I understand, it should look pretty well the same! I'll post photos when I get it back though for sure. :thumbsup2

[Disney9.9.10]

Hi there! I am fairly new to the boards so I wasn't with you during your planning, but I just wanted to let you know that your pictures are beautiful so far! I love your colour scheme and the flowers are beautiful! I'm getting married in WDW so your vendor reviews don't really apply, but they sound really helpful for those who are getting married at DL. Congratulations on your wedding!!

[helloirishkitty]

:headache: I'm sorry your rehearsal was such a mes. You would think that Disney would have it down to a science since they do so many of them!

I also love Disneyland's Downtown Disney and ESPN zone is one of my favorite restaurants there.

can't wait to hear more :wizard:

[Chilly]

Can't wait to hear more!

[Boardwalk_bride]

Your rehearsal pics are so cute! I love your "bouquet" for it!

[spacerangerqueen]

yey! Trip report!!!

loved the video, I also loved that when I clicked on your videographers website it plays 'Don't Stop Believin' I LOVE that song! lol

I'm sorry your wedding coordinator was in a bad mood and that rehearsal didn't go too smoothly, but it looks like everything turned out really great! I can't wait to see more!
:cool1:

[redlight]

Congratulations.

I'm happy for you that almost everything worked out so well (so many 10 out of 10s!). Looking forward to more.

[Petals & Pixie Dust]

:banana: YEAH! Trip Report!
I'm sorry that your coordinator was um...less than stellar...Strange Disney would do this...I'm glad that you had great people to help you and other vendors were great!
Can't wait to read more!!!

[pink_tink8i8]

yay on starting. can't wait to read more! popcorn::

[ghoulish delight]

Thank you to all of you who are following along! :flower3: I posted some of the professional photo teasers in my siggie for now! Jason doesn't want me posting the full size pro pics until we give these photo frames we made up of our wedding photos to our family members. Just in case we've got any lurking family on here. :rolleyes1

In the meantime, tomorrow (erm, technically today?) is my 25th birthday and my sweet DH is taking me to see The Lion King musical for it! :woohoo: However, I promise that Day 2 will be up within the next several days for sure!

[Petals & Pixie Dust]

:bday:
Enjoy the Lion King! :yay:

[DVC Bride 2011]

Happy Birthday!!

I'm loving your TR so far! I can't wait to see more pictures :thumbsup2

[Disney9.9.10]

Happy Birthday!:yay: I hope that you have a great day and a great time at the Lion King!!I look forward to your next instalment!

[Boardwalk_bride]

Happy Birthday :bday:

Your siggie pics are amazing!!! I can't wait to then all!

[shippedtosea]

happy birthday!!! have looots of fun! I still have never seen it and want to soooo bad! :bday:

[curiouser]

Oh my gosh, that pwned shirt is awesome!! :lmao: Your pictures look gorgeous; I am going to live through your photos vicariously because I really love the DLH weddings but I couldn't rationalize dragging our families to California.

[pink_tink8i8]

:bday:

[BecBennett]

popcorn::

[Pirate's Princess]

I don't know how I managed to miss this!! First off, congratulations! Love the teaser pics. You look so happy. And happy belated birthday! I can't wait to hear all about it.

[ghoulish delight]

Thank you for the bday wishes, everyone! :teeth: The Lion King musical was breathtaking! And I don't know if I've ever used that adjective to describe anything before in my life. :rotfl2: But it was seriously an experience!

Alrighty, so now, without further delay! ---



Day 2, Part 1 -- May 8, 2010
My alarm went off at 5AM and it's probably the only time in my life where I didn't feel compelled to hit the snooze button. :lmao: I got out of bed, showered, gathered all the things I needed to bring down to the bridal dressing room and was headed down asap. Jason's sister was waiting there for me with her curling iron already heated up. Haha, so she set out to do my hair right away to get it pinned for when my makeup girl came.

My mom, MOH, and DH's mom were all down there for moral support mostly. A couple were getting their makeup and hair done too. I remembered being asked to eat something, and was given a plate with a variety of fruit. I think I ate a few pieces. :confused3 Lol.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/anjiechan/wedding/HastertWed_0002.jpg

All this prep stuff was going pretty smoothly. My hair was coming along just fine and makeup was done in beautifully in record time. Photographer and videographer were there bright and early to do what they needed to do... in fact, photographer was there very early to kidnap my dress and rings for a bit!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/anjiechan/wedding/HastertWed_0076.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/anjiechan/wedding/HastertWed_0090.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/anjiechan/wedding/HastertWed_0075.jpg

Once they got back, it was time to get me into my dress. Which was a bit scary because I didn't warn the girls that my dress was intentionally ordered a size small so that the corset in the back would be a V shape. Lol, so they're trying to tie me up and yelling at me that it won't close. Well, it fit just fine but nonetheless, we have no photos of them tying me up as a result. :rotfl: Instead, I have a few shots with the mirror and my mom helping me put my garter on.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/anjiechan/wedding/HastertWed_0047.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/anjiechan/wedding/HastertWed_0051.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/anjiechan/wedding/HastertWed_0064.jpg


And at 9:30AM, they took my girls and I out for our photo time.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/anjiechan/wedding/HastertWed_0067.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/anjiechan/wedding/HastertWed_0306.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/anjiechan/wedding/HastertWed_0254.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/anjiechan/wedding/HastertWed_0252.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/anjiechan/wedding/HastertWed_0100.jpg


Now, there was one person missing and it was the one person I needed to see most - my wedding day coordinator! :sad2: I didn't stress until it was maybe 10:30AM? I'd only seen her pop in once at approximately 9AM to ask if I'd brought down all the things needed for the ceremony and reception that we were providing. She told me she'd return to get them all, and then I didn't see her again until she was taking me to stage me away from everyone else so the coach would remain a secret.

I won't complain TOO much because that was really the only time I was stressed. There was just a huge lack of communication and I didn't know who or what or when or where to go. Thankfully it all worked out, but man was I an inch away from a bridezilla meltdown. :rolleyes:

One thing my wedding day coordinator deserves kudos for is successfully sneaking me away from my bridal party without them realizing something was up. Once I was over by the coach in person, I got to see just how massive it really is! And gorgeous, of course. I was taught safety protocol on how to properly get in and out and when to hand my bouquet to the coachman. They even had me do a couple test runs. Haha, I was never more grateful than I was at that moment that I had chosen flats! :thumbsup2

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/anjiechan/wedding/HastertWed_0362.jpg

After I finished my safety run thrus, my dad came up and got in with me. That's when I started to hear our harpist playing processional music for the seating of our moms and such. My heart was literally in my throat. :scared1: And before I knew it, the coach started to move! I wasn't nervous until THAT moment...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/anjiechan/wedding/HastertWed_0366.jpg


And with that, I shall say - To be continued! ;)

[Petals & Pixie Dust]

Your colors are stunning! and the COACH! I love it! The color in it gives it a certain POP!
More please! popcorn::

[Chilly]

Your colors are stunning! and the COACH! I love it! The color in it gives it a certain POP!
More please! popcorn::

Couldn't agree more!

[tinkerbell 766]

Yes, IMHO the Disneyland coach is far nicer than the WDW one!!

[Boardwalk_bride]

Your bouquet is so gorgeous, and the carriage looks so different from the one at WDW...I love it!

[DznyGal]

I love your dress, and everything looks so beautiful. It is nice to see a Disneyland wedding! :goodvibes

[pezaddict231]

everything is gorgeous! You look amazing in your dress!

Love all the getting ready pictures and the coach is fabulous! I love that the wheels really look like the pumpkin vines.

Can't wait to see more!

[spacerangerqueen]

LOVE IT!

Bummer that you didn't get any lace up shots of the dress since there as confusion over the fit, but you looked lovely none the less and you sure as heck got enough other gorgeous shots. I love your dress shot!

Can't wait for more!

[BecBennett]

wow, everything is so beautiful! :lovestruc

Who made your dress? It's probably posted in your PJ, but I don't remember :laughing:

[DVC Bride 2011]

I love your bridesmaid's dresses and the photos of the coach! I never would have thought of pairing the purple and blue but they look awesome together! Your bouquet too....ahhh so pretty!! Everything is awesome so far, I can't wait to see more! :goodvibes :goodvibes :goodvibes

[pink_tink8i8]

I just got a little teary eyed. Your pictures are gorgeous. Your dress - amazing and those flowers oh my gosh beautiful

[TinkLoverSam]

I have slight flower envy:rotfl:

[shippedtosea]

hey hun! I don't know how I missed this post! Everything so far is beautiful. I love all your getting ready pictures! You were stunning. I love how your flowers even matched the coach! Can't wait for more!!

[ghoulish delight]

Hello my dear DIS girls! Apologies for being so lazy with my TR! Life has been keeping me a bit busy as of late.

I promise to finish a part 2 by the end of the week, as we're housesitting for my mother-in-law at the moment. And then the next part should follow much sooner, I swear. :rolleyes1

In the meantime, I'm wishing you all happy planning to those of you who are, and happy married life to those of us who are already wed! ;)

OH! Also, those of you familar with the Disney Wedding Blog, I'm happy to say that our wedding was spotlighted! So if you want more sneak-peek photos there are more to be found here: http://www.disneyweddingblog.com/2010/07/wedding-spotlight-anjanette-jason.html.

[shippedtosea]

Hey hun! I just saw the spotlight! congrats! I hope all is well at home. Can't wait for the rest of the TR.

[Torrance]

Hi Anjanette! Congratulations on the Disney Wedding Blog spotlight! :woohoo: Your wedding looks like it was wonderful. And your flowers were amazing!

[pixiegirl]

You looked so beautiful on your wedding day. I love the flowers and your coach!!

[stgervais]

Everything looks amazing! Now that I remember I was at the park on the 10th for my DF birthday! :lmao:

[KitKat5]

Hiya! :wave: Just caght p on your TR...I first saw you on Carlys Disney Wedding Blog an fell in love with your colours and flowers!! :lovestruc They were stunning!! I cant wait to read more! :goodvibes

[Mindyjoy]

More more more!!!! :yay::yay::yay::yay::yay:

[DreamtheImpossible]

Nuu! D: Any continuing?

[Mindyjoy]

I hope you'll come back and finish your TR!

[FairytaleBride73]

Me too! Come back!