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View Full Version : Johnny and Melissa’s Wedding Trip Report WP/Napa Room 8/9/10


disfan melissa
08-20-2010, 07:53 PM
Even though I used these boards to answer pretty much all of my questions during my planning phase, I never started a planning journal or posted much. Since we just got back from our wedding, I figured I should post some information on our wedding which hopefully will help future brides and grooms. Before getting into any background, let me just say – Disney was amazing and since our wedding, we can’t stop talking about how magical the day was and how we would love to re-live it over and over again!

Some quick background:
Johnny and I have been dating for ELEVEN years (we were really young when we started dating!), live in Brooklyn, NY and got engaged last May after nearly 10 years of dating. During those years, I went to Boston for college, Johnny moved to Boston to join me, then Johnny moved back to NY and I did eventually too.

http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af77/msvacca/melissaandjohnny2005.jpg

I have known for a few years that what I really wanted was a destination wedding. I have a small family and personally don’t usually enjoy cookie cutter catering hall weddings. Every now and then (usually after going to someone else’s wedding), I would look into different destinations for my future wedding and these of course, including Disney. But I pretty much thought it would be way more expensive and a little bit cheesier than other destinations.

After Johnny and I got engaged one Friday night in our apartment, I started seriously looking at destinations. We were thinking of different Caribbean islands, maybe a cruise, somewhere in the Florida Keys, the Carolinas and suggested by my Dad -- Disney. I started searching these boards for pictures of Disney weddings and I fell in love with Disney Weddings.

My family had been Disney fanatics and we always went for our summer vacation when I was growing up. When I was 8 I was diagnosed with leukemia and my wish through the Make a Wish Foundation was to go to Disney World with my family. I cannot even begin to explain how kind and generous Disney was to me and my family. We returned a few more times when I was on chemo and a few year later when I had surgery and walked with crutches or sat in a wheelchair. Disney was unbelievably amazing once again. So I have always had a place in my heart for Disney World and know the level at which they can operate.

Back to the wedding, we did some comparisons of price for us and for our guests and what we actually get for the money. With Disney, we could actually customize different aspects of the wedding. I knew this was where we would be getting married. Of course, outside of my immediate family, we were met with the usual question of “Why Disney?” by family, friends, coworkers and random people. I’m sure all Disney brides deal with this question and the strange glares or comments of “I went there when I was a kid but haven’t thought of it since” or “Are you getting married in the castle?” or just a little bit of laughter. I personally never saw the point of explaining how beautiful my wedding will be. Spoiler alert: even some of my family that thought a Disney wedding would be lame or cheesy were amazed after the wedding with how elegant and fabulous Disney weddings actually are.

I always wanted an outdoor destination wedding on a beach but once we realized our wedding was going to be in August, Johnny pretty much ruled out any ceremony location other than the Wedding Pavilion. We debated between the Whitehall Room and the Napa Room but ultimately, choose the Napa Room for the amazing California Grill food and view of the fireworks. After much debate, we chose to do a welcome dessert party at UK Lochside the night before our wedding immediately after Drinking Around the World (stay tuned for some Epcot craziness!)

Up next: Trip report begins and reviews!

disfan melissa
08-20-2010, 08:18 PM
Reviews

I’m not going to give grades because they’re all off the charts (everything exceeded my expectations!) but I’ll just write about our experiences which hopefully will help future brides.

DFTW: In a word: amazing! Leading up to the wedding, all my questions were answered. Our planning session was fabulous. During the wedding and the weekend leading up to the wedding, I felt like a princess and like I was the only wedding they were working on. My wedding day was the best day of my life and Johnny and I have said since that we wish we could relive the day over and over. I don’t think a wedding can get much better than that! 

Planner - Michelle Wenzler Dorr: Michelle is what singlehandedly made our wedding amazing. Michelle provided advice and suggestions throughout the planning stages, all which were amazingly useful and great. Michelle was there to help us stay within budget but still have the wedding of our dreams. We also made last minute changes to limo and bus pick ups and Michelle made sure everything went smoothly. If you get her as a planner, feel fortunate, she will put on an amazing event!

Floral - Elizabeth Sutton: She totally got what vibe I wanted for our event. Originally, I had planned one bouquet and a look and about 6 weeks before the event switched the bouquets and started freaking out. She was totally sweet about it and worked with me to find the bouquets and centerpieces I wanted. She also provided suggestions and was willing to work within our budget. Let me say, I could not have been happier with my floral from the second I saw my bouquet, the chuppah floral and the centerpieces. It was all exactly what I wanted, even though at times, I provided horrible direction.

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Disney Photography: I know they are not popular on these boards but they were great! One of the things I loved about doing a Disney wedding was that we would not have to deal with a million vendors. We had Chris Wierdo as our photographer and I would recommend him to anyone. We chatted before the wedding and he totally followed through on the day. He gave a ton of guidance to us (“chin up!”, “shoulders back!”) but we definitely felt comfortable with him.

Jazz Trio: We weren’t sure what to do for entertainment. I had never been to a small wedding and never to a wedding without dancing. I’m not organized enough to do my own iPod playlist and I didn’t want to assign anyone to it since I knew we would all want to enjoy our meal and drinks. The jazz trio was fabulous! They set the tone for our event and made the room lively and upbeat.

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Patricia LeJeune: Any praise I give will not possibly be enough. Patricia and her team are absolutely amazing. They are a lot of fun to have as you’re getting ready, (we were cracking Snooki jokes all over the place) they showed up on time, etc. For me the biggest is that they transformed my hair into something it is not. My hair is the John Freida “before” ad but somehow they created something totally fab, soft and straight. My matron of honor, bridesmaid and myself provided little direction. I had one photo for inspiration and otherwise we said stuff like “whimsical bun” and Patricia got us and everyone’s hair and make up was perfect. My mom had not planned to have her hair done (she usually like the way she does it herself) but while we were getting ready, she changed her mind. Patricia was cool as could be about the additional hair and my mom loved it, even admitting it was way better than anything she could do herself. Patricia gets my highest recommendation and endorsement.

http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af77/msvacca/MelissaandJohnsWedding8-2010267.jpg


Reverend Timothy Herring/Rabbi Robert Lefkowtiz: I am Jewish and DH is Catholic. It was important for both of us to combine our traditions for our ceremony. Rev. Tim and Rabbi Lefkowitz got this and did an amazing job! Both are very easy to reach before the wedding and are highly recommended by us. Our guests complimented the blending of our interfaith ceremony. We had a chuppah, ketubah signing and unity candle.

Carolyn Allen's: Carolyn Allen's was a breeze to work with. They steamed our dresses and the best man's tux and my dad's tux. They showed up on time and did a great job. DH rented his tux from Carolyn Allen's, they came the day before the wedding to our hotel room for his fitting and it was easy as could be. We also decided to rent shirts for the best man and my dad in ivory about a week before the wedding. They were very helpful and accommodating.

Nikisha421
08-20-2010, 08:46 PM
Thanks for the reviews so far...Ill keep reading as long as you keep posting...and congratulations on the nupitals...

pixie921
08-20-2010, 08:46 PM
I'm anxious to read more! :goodvibes

disfan melissa
08-21-2010, 05:50 PM
Thanks for reading, Nikisha and Pixie!
I will be posting more soon with lots of pictures.

Jules~Marie
08-21-2010, 07:08 PM
popcorn:: I look forward to reading more and seeing photos. :goodvibes

DisneyDiva84
08-21-2010, 08:51 PM
Congrats!

Cannot wait to read everything! Elizabeth is my florist too!

rachy
08-22-2010, 02:30 AM
Fantastic reviews, looking forward to seeing more pictures x

disfan melissa
08-27-2010, 07:52 PM
popcorn:: I look forward to reading more and seeing photos. :goodvibes

Thanks, I've got lots of photos so be careful what you wish for ;)

Congrats!

Cannot wait to read everything! Elizabeth is my florist too!

Elizabeth is great, I loved working with her! I'm sure she will do an amazing job for you too :thumbsup2

Fantastic reviews, looking forward to seeing more pictures x

Like I said, lots more photos and I haven't even gotten my professional photos yet :rotfl:

disfan melissa
08-27-2010, 09:31 PM
I’m going to start our TR with the night before our wedding when we kicked off wedding festivities and will give a photo tour of the drinks leading up to what we called “Celebrate Around the World” We checked into the Contemporary Resort on Friday, August 6.

Although I have been to Disney more times than I can count, I have never been to the Contemporary. At first I was annoyed we were in the Garden Wing and had to walk all the way to the main tower (because of our room block discount) but it actually ended up being an amazing place to be. We loved the rooms and of course, the location. The hotel is amazing and all the food choices are great. We held an informal meet and greet at the Outer Rim Lounge and consistently ended up at the Wave for drinks, where they make delicious (and strong) drinks and stay open until midnight. Many of the drinks below are also from bluezoo at the Dolphin. I highly recommend for drinks and appetizers. They were really good!

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Me at bluezoo:

Celebrate Around the World

After spending a few days at the parks and seeing a lot of our guests we had to get ready for our wedding festivities to begin!

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We decided to kick off our “celebrate around the world” event at Mexico at 4pm. The plan was for other guests to meet us throughout the night until we meet at the UK for the dessert party. We met with some friends at Cava del Tequila at 4pm for some delicious cucumber margaritas. Yum! This was my first time here and I cannot wait to go back.

http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af77/msvacca/MelissaandJohnsWedding8-2010329-1.jpg
Me and my bff/bridesmaid at Cava del Tequila with Cucumber Margaritas...very refreshing.

We quickly realized we will need some sort of guide. My bridesmaid Nicole found an app for that on her phone and we were off to drink around the world. Next up: plum wine in China.

Two drinks in and I’m knocking on fake doors….
http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af77/msvacca/MelissaandJohnsWedding8-2010114.jpg

As guests continued to meet us, we decided to try the Wine Walk starting in Germany (after using the lovely bathrooms at the Biergarten).

http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af77/msvacca/MelissaandJohnsWedding8-201079.jpg

I highly recommend the Wine Walk – tons of fun! For anyone who has not done this before, for $20, you get a passport to use in Germany, Italy and France. At each wine shop, you get 2 samples (2 oz?) It’s a great way to sample a few different wines and worked really well for our group.

http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af77/msvacca/MelissaandJohnsWedding8-2010151.jpg

Next wine walk stop: Italy!

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Up next: France!

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Sake in Japan!

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checking licenses..thank goodness we're all nearly thirty...

http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af77/msvacca/MelissaandJohnsWedding8-2010189-1.jpg

We now noticed that Disney was setting up for my dessert party at UK Lochside. This was very surreal for me but also very exciting.

But as we continued to drink and chat, I suddenly thought (and probably shouted) Uh-oh, we better hurry to the UK. I can’t be late for my own party!

Up next: Dessert party!

tinkerbell 766
08-28-2010, 04:20 PM
It looks like you had a really fun time!!
Can't wait to read more!!
Bring on as many pictues as you like!! We all really love them!!!

LuluLovesDisney
09-01-2010, 12:05 AM
Great TR!!! I am really excited because I am also a WP/CG bride and I didn't do a PJ either!

I love your Celebrate Around the World idea lol, hope everyone felt ok after all that! The pics at bluezoo are great, what a gorgeous place! Can't wait to hear more!

geek+nerd
09-01-2010, 03:48 PM
Looking forward to reading more and seeing more pics!

brer rabbit 28
09-01-2010, 05:01 PM
Don't stop now! Love seeing lots of pics so please keep them coming!

Your vendor reviews were really helpful, particulary your Patricia review as I am still in two minds about hair and make up.

disfan melissa
09-02-2010, 10:05 AM
It looks like you had a really fun time!!
Can't wait to read more!!
Bring on as many pictues as you like!! We all really love them!!!

We had so much fun and it went by so fast! I wish we could re-live the trip again.

Great TR!!! I am really excited because I am also a WP/CG bride and I didn't do a PJ either!

I love your Celebrate Around the World idea lol, hope everyone felt ok after all that! The pics at bluezoo are great, what a gorgeous place! Can't wait to hear more!

Thanks! Amazingly, we were fine (very tired the next day though) but I think it's thanks to the wine walk which let us make 3 stops without overdoing it.

Looking forward to reading more and seeing more pics!

Thanks, I'll be updating soon!

Don't stop now! Love seeing lots of pics so please keep them coming!

Your vendor reviews were really helpful, particulary your Patricia review as I am still in two minds about hair and make up.
I'm glad the reviews were helpful, I think I would have been lost planning without these boards.

SheriBerry
09-02-2010, 10:36 AM
I loved reading your reviews, especially of Rabbi Lefkowitz as we're considering using him as well.

I'm looking forward to the rest of your TR! popcorn::

evey82
09-02-2010, 05:36 PM
hi its been great to read your report, cant wait to see more x

TinkLoverSam
09-02-2010, 06:20 PM
I didn't know there was another 8.9.10 bride lurking on these boards! Our day was beautiful and I hope it was for you as well. Can't wait to see more pictures!

disfan melissa
09-02-2010, 08:20 PM
I loved reading your reviews, especially of Rabbi Lefkowitz as we're considering using him as well.

I'm looking forward to the rest of your TR! popcorn::

He was great! We were so uneasy picking officiants without meeting them but it worked out well. I'll post our ketubah signing and ceremony pics soon!

hi its been great to read your report, cant wait to see more x
Thanks, I promise, I'll get to writing! And posting pics since that's always my favorite part of trip reports!

I didn't know there was another 8.9.10 bride lurking on these boards! Our day was beautiful and I hope it was for you as well. Can't wait to see more pictures!

It was amazing and there was some rain but not too much! I will check out your TR as well :goodvibes
My sister actually was hoping all along that we would pick 8-9-10 but we had some other dates in mind. It kind of all fell in place and a lot of our guests didn't even realize until the day of the wedding and they saw it on napkins that our wedding day was consecutive numbers :rotfl:

Home@WDW
09-03-2010, 01:22 PM
The Wine Walk sounds like fun. I've always wanted to try out the many possibilities at Epcot without getting a ton of alcohol.

disfan melissa
09-03-2010, 06:52 PM
The Wine Walk sounds like fun. I've always wanted to try out the many possibilities at Epcot without getting a ton of alcohol.

Loved the wine walk! I wanted to do it again while we were there but it didn't work out. I will definitely do the wine walk again and highly recommend it. Some of the people in our group were not big wine drinkers and still had a good time, some had some beer in between :cool1:

Stephie77
09-09-2010, 08:42 AM
Just found this. Congratulations on your wedding fellow brooklynite!! Enjoying your TR. The Wine walk seemed awesome! Looking forward to reading more.

2nd Time Bride
09-09-2010, 09:51 AM
Awesome TR - I will be waiting for more!! popcorn::

Thanks for the reviews on Disney Photography - we are using them as well and have been a teensy bit concerned because they are not popular on the boards here and we see so many amazing pics from the Arndts, Roots and Randy Chapman.

Also, we are going to be using Rev Tim so it was great to see your review about him as well!

And a belated congrats!!! :goodvibes

disfan melissa
09-14-2010, 03:19 PM
Just found this. Congratulations on your wedding fellow brooklynite!! Enjoying your TR. The Wine walk seemed awesome! Looking forward to reading more.

Thanks so much, I admit I read your report before I started posting. Your wedding looked so beautiful and during planning, I was happy to know someone else from Brooklyn was married at Disney since I got so many odd comments about choosing Disney as our destination.

Awesome TR - I will be waiting for more!! popcorn::

Thanks for the reviews on Disney Photography - we are using them as well and have been a teensy bit concerned because they are not popular on the boards here and we see so many amazing pics from the Arndts, Roots and Randy Chapman.

Also, we are going to be using Rev Tim so it was great to see your review about him as well!

And a belated congrats!!! :goodvibes

Loved Disney photography! Chris and Mike were our photographers and they were so nice and got some amazing shots. We just got our professional photos and we couldn't be happier! I would be happy to share the link, if you want the info, PM me.

Stephie77
09-14-2010, 03:54 PM
Thanks for reading and the compliments! I also got some weird comments but in the end everyone had a wonderful time. It was tough because I wanted to make sure it was a "New York type" wedding if you know what I mean. Disney(and Ken and Jen) really did a great job. Now, get on with your PJ. :goodvibes

disfan melissa
09-25-2010, 07:55 AM
Thanks for reading and the compliments! I also got some weird comments but in the end everyone had a wonderful time. It was tough because I wanted to make sure it was a "New York type" wedding if you know what I mean. Disney(and Ken and Jen) really did a great job. Now, get on with your PJ. :goodvibes


I totally know what you mean about a "New York type wedding!" I was so nervous beforehand since I never went to a small wedding before. I was also so hesitant that we were only having flatbreads at the cocktail hour and that our guests would be disappointed that it wasn't enough food since most of the weddings we go to have ridiculous amounts of food during the cocktail hour. But it was actually overall more than enough food!

Sorry I have been so awful at posting, I work at a college and September is really busy. I will post some more this weekend.

Stephie77
09-28-2010, 10:08 AM
I felt the same way. I mean every wedding I have ever been to had usual cocktail hours with all this food (i know it is part of the PP at the hall but still). We obviously couldn't afford it since Disney's cocktail hours are
ala carte but everyone said the cocktail hour was good even with just 3 appetiziers. The same with the buffet, as you know no one does a buffets in the tri-state area but a fancy plated dinner but everyone was happy and loved the food. DH wanted the buffet more than I did (he won that fight :lmao:) since we were not having a big cocktail hour and it worked out.

Trust me I understand about work being busy. I can't wait to read the rest of your TR!

LuluLovesDisney
10-02-2010, 12:39 PM
I am a NJ girl, so I know what you mean about doing weddings in our area (you know us Northern Jersey girls all like to pretend we are New Yorkers at heart lol). I am sure everyone loved your wedding. People still talk about ours; in fact someone posted on my facebook that they wanted us to redo the wedding this November to they could recreate their magical vacation lol. (I wish!)

disfan melissa
02-21-2011, 09:00 AM
After a very long hiatus, I am going to try and finish up this trip report before we go back to celebrate our 1st anniversary in a few months...

So after drinking around the world, I may not be the best person to review the dessert party. But I will show some pics.


We decided to do the All About Chocolate menu with pecan tarts and key lime tarts.

When we arrived at the UK (perhaps a bit buzzed?!?!?!), the event host said that some other guests had arrived but they did not allow them since the bride was not there and they wanted me to take a look at the space. I did and of course, felt like such a VIP and was amazed by the beauty of UK Lochside. Originally, I wanted to go with hot pink gel cylinders with Mickey confetti. I am so glad I chose not to! Disney provided candles on the tables, beautiful linens and amazing presentation!

The desserts were delicious and the view was truly amazing!
The only thing I wish I did was spring for the extra $ for photography at the dessert party. We don't have photos of most of our guests or good ones of me and Johnny.

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A few of our guests brought in wine/beer from the UK pub and when IllumiNations was over, most of our guests headed back to their hotels. A few of us hung around until our event guide told us we needed to start heading out of the park (they did this gracefully and we leisurely exited the park)

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We ended up getting some champagne

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Followed by a late night dive in the pool:


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We didn’t end up back at the hotel and in bed until 3am. I had to be up at 7am the next day to wash my hair for the wedding. Not a lot of sleep but hey, totally worth it for my wedding celebration!

*Pixiedust1438*
02-21-2011, 10:33 AM
Joining in! Looks like you had a blast!

irishwishes
02-21-2011, 01:37 PM
It looks like you had an awesome time!

disfan melissa
02-21-2011, 02:27 PM
Joining in! Looks like you had a blast!

It looks like you had an awesome time!

Thanks for reading!

We had such an amazing time but I can't imagine that anyone wouldn't have such a great time getting married at Disney World. I was so worried about it since most of the planning was done remotely but everything really was perfect.

disfan melissa
02-21-2011, 02:49 PM
Our wedding day was finally here...I woke up at 7am and jumped in the shower to wash my hair. Man, was I exhausted! We had arrived on Friday and today was Monday. Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights I had only around 4 hours of sleep each night.

First up, Carolyn Allen's arrived at my parent's room with tuxes for the men and to steam all of our dresses.

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My niece's flower girl dress didn't need to be steamed

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I was told my hair needed to be clean and dry for Patricia and would be arriving at my parent’s room at noon. As I mentioned, my hair is the before ad for John Frieda commercials. I have not gone out “product free” since I was 12.

With my hair frizzy and still wet, I threw on a robe and went to my parent’s room. My dad thankfully went to get me some coffee and some of the best bananas and waffles ever from Contempo Cafe.

My sister (matron of honor – I love calling her a matron because she’s so not matronly), brother in law (and best man) and my niece (flower girl, 14 months) were in the room connected to my parent’s rooms. We all chatted a bit and then I went back to my room for a 20 minute nap. This continued much of the morning until Patricia and her team knocked on the door….

I had provided a photo for inspiration for my hair and my matron of honor Jessica and bridesmaid Nicole sort of “winged it” for what they wanted their hair to look like. We all have very definite tastes (luckily all similar). First up was my sister who wanted a low, loose bun with a whimsical feel. That's just what she got :cool1:

Next up was Nicole, badly hungover and exhausted, she arrived a half hour late. For some reason, she thought we were meeting at the Contemporary Resort salon. Oh, well…she finally figured it out …
She wanted a loose, fun chignon. Also, that's just what she got :cool1:

Finally, my hair took a team and two and half hours….flat ironed then curled then styled...

http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af77/msvacca/getting%20ready/076.jpg

http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af77/msvacca/getting%20ready/077.jpg

but in the end, I could not have been happier:

http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af77/msvacca/getting%20ready/084.jpg

http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af77/msvacca/getting%20ready/087.jpg

Spoiler: my frizzy hair survived the August heat and humidity until we arrived at the reception and EVERYONE was petting my hair since it was soft, smooth and straight. By the end of the night, it was not as neat as it should have been but this was not the fault of how Patricia styled it.

My mom usually does her own hair and hates the “poof” stylists give her. After spending most of the day taking care of my niece and flower girl, she didn’t have the energy/desire to do her own hair. My mom loved how Patricia blow dried and flat ironed her hair:


We all equally loved our airbrush makeup and fake eyelashes. Wow, do eyes pop with fake lashes!!!!!!!

My mom laced me into the dress

http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af77/msvacca/getting%20ready/MelissaandJohnsWedding8-2010196-1.jpg

And then our flowers arrived amid the chaos:

http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af77/msvacca/MelissaandJohnsWedding8-2010125-Copy.jpg

http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af77/msvacca/getting%20ready/MelissaandJohnsWedding8-201017.jpg

I was so happy with the flowers. I had planned one thing since we started planning and then a few weeks before the wedding, I decided to change the bouquets. I found tons of inspiration pics but Elizabeth said we couldn't do peonies, which I suddenly decided I had wanted. Elizabeth worked with me to create the whimsical bouquet I had imagined and it was just what I wanted.
However, it was much heavier than I had expected which I realized after taking all those pics later in the day...

During all this getting ready, my dad stopped by to let us know Johnny had called Michelle Wenzler Dorr to tell her we would prefer having our buses for our guests and limo for the wedding party pick up at the Contemporary Garden Wing entrance as opposed to the main entrance. Good call by hubby who did not want me walking in my dress across a resort and getting hot, sweaty and annoyed…so considerate. :love: He also made sure our guests knew of the change, which they preferred since they were in the Garden Wing as well.

Next up: Photos at the Grand Floridian and first look

LuluLovesDisney
07-02-2011, 12:10 AM
Beautiful dress!!! I love your bouquet too! Are those roses and calla lilies? That's what my bouquet was. That was awesome that you could switch it. I am sure no one wants to walk so far all dressed up, especially not the BRIDE! Good job, husband!!

disfan melissa
07-15-2011, 09:01 PM
Thanks, Lulu! My bouquet was roses, calla lillies, buds, lisianthus and some berries. It was a last minute change that I was completely happy with!!!!

Okay, so I have to get back to this trip report since we're coming up on our first anniversary which we will be spending at Disney.:woohoo:

Jared Matthews
07-29-2011, 07:57 AM
Hey congratulations!!!! Just waiting to hear more from you... Hope you had good time there... Its a lovely place

LuluLovesDisney
07-29-2011, 10:28 AM
Thanks, Lulu! My bouquet was roses, calla lillies, buds, lisianthus and some berries. It was a last minute change that I was completely happy with!!!!

Okay, so I have to get back to this trip report since we're coming up on our first anniversary which we will be spending at Disney.:woohoo:

I hope you have a great anniversary!!!! Where are you staying?

disfan melissa
08-20-2011, 11:47 AM
Okay, I'm going to try to finish this up asap since we just celebrated our first anniversary. We stayed at POFQ and had an amazing time...I really do think Disney is just the best place to celebrate!

But back to our wedding day....

We got into the limo and when we arrived at the Grand Floridian, I was met by an escort:

http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af77/msvacca/portraits%20and%20ketubah%20signing/MelissaandJohnsWedding8-201053.jpg

Followed by Michelle fixing my dress:
http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af77/msvacca/portraits%20and%20ketubah%20signing/IMG_6945.jpg

We walked through the Grand Floridian lobby, as guests started at the bride walking through. I don’t’ always love being the center of attention or stared at but this was amazing. It was a complete fairy tale!

We took some photos on the staircase and around the GF (guests gathered around watching the strangers who were bride and groom getting their photos taken. How I would love to see if any guests have vacation photos of us in our wedding day best at the GF!):

http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af77/msvacca/portraits%20and%20ketubah%20signing/MelissaandJohnsWedding8-2010305.jpg

After what felt like just a few seconds, Michelle hurried us along to get in the limo to Franck’s to sign our ketubah (Jewish marriage contract).

When we arrived at Franck’s we met Rabbi Lefkowitz and Reverend Herring for the first time. We saw the newly made over Franck’s and Michelle asked what we thought – we were impressed! Other than Johnny and I, no one else in our group had been there. Nicole, my bridesmaid snapped some shots of the items on display. She was shocked at all the different options.

We entered a room to sign our ketubah:

http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af77/msvacca/portraits%20and%20ketubah%20signing/MelissaandJohnsWedding8-2010234-1.jpg

http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af77/msvacca/portraits%20and%20ketubah%20signing/MelissaandJohnsWedding8-2010198-1.jpg

We signed! And sang!

Rabbi Lefkowitz did an amazing job. We were so happy with the ketubah signing and our ketubah was signed by my sister, brother in law, us, Rabbi Lefkowtiz and Rev. Herring.

Michelle then hurried us along to the bride’s vestibule and groom’s room.

The next few minutes passed so quickly! My niece tried eating parts of her basket (uh-oh! Let’s save that for a few years from now when it’s not a choking hazard). Before I knew it, Michelle was lining us up to start walking in.

The room before we walked in (as taken by guests)...
http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af77/msvacca/wedding%20pavilion%20flowers%20and%20details/113.jpg

http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af77/msvacca/wedding%20pavilion%20flowers%20and%20details/115.jpg

http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af77/msvacca/wedding%20pavilion%20flowers%20and%20details/40941_1449960820571_1579752316_1048805_2034792_n.j pg

http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af77/msvacca/wedding%20pavilion%20flowers%20and%20details/111.jpg

http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af77/msvacca/wedding%20pavilion%20flowers%20and%20details/IMG_1337.jpg

http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af77/msvacca/wedding%20pavilion%20flowers%20and%20details/MelissaandJohnsWedding8-2010199.jpg

Next up: The ceremony, petal toss and reception!

LuluLovesDisney
08-26-2011, 12:08 AM
So beautiful!!!!

Your chuppah was AMAZING!!!! I love everything! I cannot wait to see more!