LuvLuvLuv's Memories TR Starts Pg 73 - Honeymoon Day 6.1

[LuvLuvLuv]

Edit: This Planning Journal is a hot mess. You will read twists and turns and backflips! There are 73 pages of planning, unplanning, planning less, planning more, and a totally new plan.

The trip report starts on Page 73!

Thanks for joining in!
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Well I'm finally here. I think I may be more excited to start this PJ than I was when he actually asked me! :lmao: You may recognize me as a lurker and occasional poster here, but more from the restaurant reviews and resort boards. Disney World was the highlight of my every summer growing up, and while my friends now head to a beach or cruise... I'm still going to Disney World on my vacations :cutie: Luckily, I found the sweetest guy in the world that loves it as much as I do! We knew we would have to be married there, as no other venue would compare!!

Hi! I'm Deena! I'm 28, Receptionist by day... and Dior Beauty Stylist by nights and weekends :) I play softball, travel to see my friends race dirt late models, shop, read/watch anything that involves Chelsea Handler because she's hilarious, and I love to go out to eat.

...and he's David! He is 31, a Supervisor by day and bouncer by weekends :) He likes to play softball, volleyball, dabble with video games, play paintball, watch TV and sleep!

We had met playing softball about 5 years back, he was one of my teams one year, then I didn't see him for a year or two--which is not uncommon in the softball world. People come and go all the time, and you don't think anything of it--the seasons and years all run together. On April 22, 2008 he appeared at the first game of the season with my team and was furiously flirting with me :rolleyes: I was at a point in my life where the thought of guys and relationships were not amusing--I was over them all. He wouldn't let up on the flirting, so I finally turned around and asked him with a bit of a tone, "Where is your wife? I'm sure she would not appreciate you speaking to me like that." He held up his left hand, and his ring finger was vacant. I had not been kept in the loop very well--oops. So throughout the game, and afterwards we got to talking about what happened, and catching up on my life too--and since then--we've been together. I moved in with him two months after we started dating. Soon yes, but I had known him long enough to know he wasn't a creeper. He had just bought a condo, and I barely stayed at my apartment, so it just made sense. We've stuck it out through the passing of my father, me being sick for months ending in a tonsilectomy in Spring 2009, a miscarriage in May 2009, another miscarriage in April 2010, his job loss from June-August this year, and as you can imagine... none of these things were cheap and caused quite the burden for us. We know that no matter what challenges come along, we'll be fine and that everything will work out :wizard:

I wish I had a fairytale engagement story for you, but I don't. I still think it was just perfect--and mildly comedic. I have been minorly (okay maybe majorly) pressing the issue about getting engaged. I always tell him to "Buy the Cow" (you know like the saying - why buy the cow if you can get the milk for free??) It's become a major joke with us--and used at least once per day. I also have looked at 1000s of rings and can't decide what I want--I have him all confused. Last year we consolidated all of our debt and until it is all paid off, we are not using credit. I explained to him that if we want to do this, we need to save our money starting... um yesterday, to make this work. I mean seriously--We're talking Wishes, Maggie Sottero, Lilly Pulitzer, the Commodore Suite... which means, no more Air Max, Uggs (okay maybe one new pair), clothes that we don't need, and a hiatus from BeniHana. We also need to give family the heads up so they know to start saving. I have been planning Disney trips every 6 months thinking at some point it will happen, lol. My step-mom and aunt were coming to visit over Labor Day, and I hinted that it may be nice to do it before then so we could celebrate while they were in town. Well before you know it, they were here, and gone--nothing. Still hope for our November trip right? After they left, I went into work from 6-9pm. It didn't bother me because he was working late anyway. I came home, got in my pajamas and started catching up on my DVR. He comes home, says hello, then looks at me and said... "Do you want to be my cow?" Excuse me what?? He repeats himself. So I jump up off the couch and chase him down asking him what he just meant. So after I asked him a million, semi-annoying airheaded questions... I finally grasped that he was serious...and that I was engaged! I know what you're thinking... where is the ring? There's no ring. (Don't judge-It's okay) I can't find what I want--and when I find it, we'll get it--and I'll post pictures. Plus, think of all the sales that will come up around Christmas!! We may get a little band or something in the mean time... but I'm really not even that concerned about it. He wants me to have what I love--and I love him for that! Before I fell asleep, I asked him... does this mean you're no longer my DBF and you're my DF now? He told me I was crazy, that he loved me and to go to sleep, lol.

So today:
I'm calling our IPO at WL/CL to put Engagement celebrations in for us.
Looking for a simple band for now.
Letting a few select people know before we change our Facebook status, lol.

Within the next 2 weeks:
Look at budget together.
Nail down an approximate date. (We like April, May, October)
Set our site appointment. We have a sales coordinator already from when we were supposed to have a site visit last May and the wedding in November 2011... then I got sick and it threw everything out of place.
Mess around with colors. We're pretty set on the Aqua/Turquoise/Pool color that seems to be rather popular around here. I also like Lime and Hot Pink.

Next Up:
About our Love Affair with the Yacht Club :hug:
and the Tentative Game Plan (I change my mind a LOT)

[Sccrmnky2005]

Yay!! Can't wait to read more about your plans!!:goodvibes

CONGRATS on the engagement!

[PunttinOnes]

**Welcome and Congrats!**

[athenna]

Congratulations on your engagement! Your PJ is off to a great start:thumbsup2

[2nd Time Bride]

Welcome and congrats!! We got engaged without a ring as well and people seem a little....confused. Oh well!! :goodvibes

[TreasureYourDreams]

Welcome!!! I'm looking forward to reading your PJ :) Congratulations!!

[FutureMrs.B]

Welcome and congratulations! I luved your engagement story. Had me laughing. :rotfl: It was really cute. You're right. What matters is that you luv each other. The ring is just a symbol. It's not what's important. Looking forward to reading more.

[princesswendy720]

Congratulations on the engagement! I know how you feel about being so excited to start a PJ :lmao: I was making plans long before we were engaged and I wanted to start documenting them so badly!

I'm going to be down in November as well and (hopefully) doing a site visit...just waiting for DFTW to call me back.

We had the same problems with picking a date and really going into "savings mode" We ultimately decided that it would be better to have the wedding later (we are now doing November 2012) to have enough time to save up for our dream wedding and not have to severely limit our spending. I'm looking forward to reading your plans!!

[CityGirlLost]

Congratulations! We too are in hardcore savings mode. Can't wait to read more.

[tinkerbell 766]

Congraulations and welcome!!

[Princess SarahK]

WoooHooo!! Congrats and Welcome!! :hug: Your engagement story is wonderful and I completely understand and agree with you (of course this is after I went a little crazy on my DF for an engagement and a ring, weve been engaged 10 months now and Im finally seeing clearly..hahah) I am so excited for you and cant wait to hear more!! Keep us updated!:thumbsup2

[daisygirl902]

Congrats and great story...we were also in the throes of financial hardships when we started our planning - it's been a year and a half of extreme budgeting so I hear you on that side of things...I still don't have an engagement ring but we got kickass wedding bands instead!

Your story is adorable - I love the "will you be my cow?" line...lol

[LuvLuvLuv]

I just wanted to pop in real quick... I have about 2 spare minutes. Thank you so much for all your kind words and wishes!! Work got a little crazy the past few days and I've been all over the place!! We're hosting a 3 day seminar next week and I've been labeling, and stuffing envelopes, making badges and attaching lanyards, etc etc--I'm wore out!! The plus of this seminar is that there is major overtime involved :woohoo: I'm headed out of town for the weekend to see a race, and I'm probably not taking my laptop so that I can relax. I'll be back early Sunday morning and will probably update Sunday evening with pictures :) I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for joining in!!

[LuvLuvLuv]

Well I'm back from my weekend excursion. I got bunches of wedding magazines and went thru them at the hotel--lots of ideas!! Tonight we went to dinner and I had my little notebook out as soon as we sat down. Since we've been working opposite schedules, I haven't been able to pick his brain about the important stuff. I told him to pick 5 dates, and I would pick 5 dates and we'd pick from there. I wrote my 5 down, and had my pen in hand ready to write his down. He said, "February 30th"--- so I intently write it down and ask, "What year?" Yeah.... I feel dumb. I was so excited because he was looking at his phone calendar very seriously--then gives me a date that doesn't exist. Lol--that's pretty much how this whole deal is going to go. Anyway. I wanted to post some pix of us. You'll find the more I post, that I change my hair color all the time. It's never the same--ever. That is on my list of "now" items to work on. I want to keep it darker so that it stays healthy, no highlights and keep growing it out. Okay... here we go.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/16250_339607615025_759395025_970755.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/16250_339610825025_759395025_970757.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/segway.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/16250_339181455025_759395025_970336.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/16250_339181685025_759395025_970340.jpg

Those are from our November 2009 trip... and the easiest accessible at the moment. If you notice... I'm barely 5'2" and he is 6'2" -- I barely come up to his shoulders. I'm on the hunt for 6 inch heels to get me about half way... even if I only wear them for the ceremony and photos.

I am trying to find all my Yacht Club pics so I can tell my story. Hopefully I can update with them on Tuesday night :yay:

[LuvLuvLuv]

One day I'll get down to business with our Yacht Club story... but this is just too exciting!!

Last night we were both off work and decided to take a trip to the mall. We wanted to narrow down my choices for a ring and get pricing ideas. The two I initially had my eye on came in under budget, but I still wanted to look around. We went to another store that always has unique rings and I was checking a few out. I tried on a few, added 2 more to my "maybe" list, and the girl pointed to one down in the front with a "card" behind it and it was a "D". I told her it was gorgeous, but I could tell by looking it was out of the budget. She explained that if the manufacturer couldn't meet there stock order, they had to send a better diamond in the place of the standard quality. She told me how much... and after the warrenty, it came in at 1100 over budget :headache: I just kept looking at it, he just kept looking at it. He kept saying how clear it was and how it shined. Being that it was kind of a mistake and being sold for the stock price of the ring they normally sell... it wasn't going to be there long. We didn't really talk or discuss it, we just kept looking at each other, and looking at the ring.... and next thing you know... we were swiping a card putting a down payment on it!! :cheer2: We didn't finance it, but put it on their layaway and we'll get it out in a few months. I know it's there and am more than willing to be patient for it. I will need to get 2 bands for it as it looked amazing that way--but lets work on one thing at a time. This may also put a damper on the 10 day May trip I wanted to go on.... but maybe we can squeeze a 6 or 7 day :yay:

Anyway... it's picked out--and mine (well almost). It feels amazing to have made a decision after so much debate. I'm going to keep everyone waiting for the pictures till I get it!!

Okay... well back to work I go!! Yay!! I'm still so excited--it's so real now!!

[athenna]

Congrats on finding the ring you love:lovestruc

[2nd Time Bride]

Congrats on finding your perfect ring!!! :yay: I can't wait to see the pics!! popcorn::

[LuvLuvLuv]

I figured I would update on my lunch as I'm just picking at all this food I ordered and I'm mindlessly surfing the boards. Obviously the #1 pick for a venue is the WP. I wanted to lay it all out why the Yacht Club is so special to us. I had planned a surprise trip for David for his 30th birthday and college graduation. When we have had dinner at Cape May he has said how amazing that area is, but that we would never be able to afford it. I had to tell him we were going so that he could get the time off work, but I told him we were staying at CBR again (I had booked the YC). Of course the paperwork comes in the mail and I was exposed. He was still super excited--and so was I!! So the closer it got to the trip, I was thinking of surprises for him, and I wondered if there were any CL rooms available. I checked my finances and I could swing the garden view--so I took it. I told the CM to send the paperwork so that I would have to sign it and he wouldn't be able to get it. That worked great :) Now I just had to keep my big mouth shut for another 2 months. I worked with the IPO, and the CM that I had was the sweetest, most amazing girl in the world!! She added all of our celebrations (my bday, his bday, his graduation) and ordered my basin white products to be in the room upon my arrival. She said she would do her best on a King bed, but there weren't that many--I was okay with that. This was service for sure.. CL is going to spoil me!! Then the unthinkable happened--I had a miscarriage (my second one) at 4 months...and the complications were kind of major. My doctor originally told me I wouldn't be able to go on vacation :( This was all 2 weeks before we were leaving. I was so sick and very unsure how I was going to handle this, but the one thing I was sure of--I wanted to get away. I had an appointment on Tuesday, and they said depending on my bloodwork on Thursday would depend if I was okay to go. I'm like... um I leave Saturday.... and I'm going. I of course called the IPO in a panic and I got information to the local urgent care, etc. I also asked if possible to have a room closer to the lounge in the event I was sick and needed something quick that I could be closer than a hike all the way down the hall. She said she would see what she could do--yay. So the rest of the week I was off work and pretty much immobile. The doctor said that I could travel, though he wishes I wouldn't... and that we should not go commando morning to night. My hcg levels were stuck about the 3 month mark so my body still thought I was pregnant although I wasn't. The combination of my body still giving me nausea, vomiting and bloating with the obvious symptoms of a miscarriage were quite annoying... but I was going to Disney World!! So we get to the airport, I started getting this hot flash through security, I looked at Dave and he's like... you're gonna throw up aren't you? Yes sir I am. So he grabbed my bags and I jetted to the nearest RR. One more time before boarding and I was good to go for our flight. I was praying this was not how the entire week would be. We had the DxDDP and soooo looking forward to trying a bunch of restaurants, and we had a site visit set up with Bill because we knew we wanted to get married here. At this point we weren't engaged yet, but were looking at 11-11-11 as the date. (several doctor bills later--2011 is gonna be a bit too soon) So we were on the bus to the YC and he grabs the itinerary from my hands--ooooh no!!! He saw it. He was sooooooooo excited!!! We got off the bus and were escorted to the 5th floor. Everyone was so classy there and very friendly--not to mention how gorgeous it is in there! They advised our room wasn't quite ready, and that was okay with us because we had lunch reservations anyway and had to go. Dave was very excited he got a Gold Card. He felt fancy and flashed it every opportunity he had. We got a text that our room was ready, and I also got a voicemail from the IPO I dealt with saying that she hopes we love our room and to have a great trip. We finished up at 50s Prime Time and got back to the YC. They said we were in room 5171 and that it was right around the corner. We got in the room--the first room past the lounge on the right--King Bed--LAGOON View!!!!!--Balloons--Candy--Character Signed Cards for Him--Character Signed Cards for Me--A Hidden Mickey Book (his favorite pastime)--My Basin Order.... AHHHHH!!! My IPO sent me a hand written note and it made me cry--she is so sweet. None of that was planned, it was all pixie dust! :wizard: Major pixie dust! This whole experience was so special and we were only there for 2 hours!! This room was our haven for 8 days. A lot of time was spent in it, lots of naps and resting, and the best was enjoying the view on the patio. He was loving his Yuengling, lol, I was loving the Iced Tea, Hot Tea and bacon wrapped scallops (my fave!). I will add pics when I get home for sure!!

We were supposed to have our site visit with Bill on Tuesday morning, but Monday I was feeling pretty terrible, and just didn't think I could go in good spirits and retain any information. I think I was mentally traumatized too from all the stress and wedding planning just didn't fit in at this point. Dave assured there would be other trips and that we could reschedule. I emailed Bill ASAP and told him I just couldn't do it, that I was very sorry, and we wanted to re-schedule for November. It killed me to cancel.

Although we missed our visit, we had one of our best experiences ever that night. Please read so that I don't have to type it all out :)

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=36812243&postcount=69

The rest of the week we took it easy. Saw what we wanted to see, hung out, napped, and ate lotssss of great food!! The bonding was much needed. The stress after my first loss almost broke us up. I was terrified the same was going to happen this time, but this trip really brought us together and gave us time to heal. I'm really glad we got to go.

When looking at venues previously, I didn't care much for the YCG. I actually thought it was dumb, and I hated it. When we walked past it the night before we left... it just seemed perfect. I saw it in a whole different light, and it just felt right. This is where it should be. This place has turned a terrible time in our life to one of the most memorable and we want to share it with the ones we love. So as of now... YCG and YS it is.

So there it is :yay: Our Yacht Club Story :wizard:

Starting next week:
Talking Budgets, Dates, Colors, Inspiration, and my obsession with Makeup.

[Sccrmnky2005]

I figured I would update on my lunch as I'm just picking at all this food I ordered and I'm mindlessly surfing the boards. Obviously the #1 pick for a venue is the WP. I wanted to lay it all out why the Yacht Club is so special to us. I had planned a surprise trip for David for his 30th birthday and college graduation. When we have had dinner at Cape May he has said how amazing that area is, but that we would never be able to afford it. I had to tell him we were going so that he could get the time off work, but I told him we were staying at CBR again (I had booked the YC). Of course the paperwork comes in the mail and I was exposed. He was still super excited--and so was I!! So the closer it got to the trip, I was thinking of surprises for him, and I wondered if there were any CL rooms available. I checked my finances and I could swing the garden view--so I took it. I told the CM to send the paperwork so that I would have to sign it and he wouldn't be able to get it. That worked great :) Now I just had to keep my big mouth shut for another 2 months. I worked with the IPO, and the CM that I had was the sweetest, most amazing girl in the world!! She added all of our celebrations (my bday, his bday, his graduation) and ordered my basin white products to be in the room upon my arrival. She said she would do her best on a King bed, but there weren't that many--I was okay with that. This was service for sure.. CL is going to spoil me!! Then the unthinkable happened--I had a miscarriage (my second one) at 4 months...and the complications were kind of major. My doctor originally told me I wouldn't be able to go on vacation :( This was all 2 weeks before we were leaving. I was so sick and very unsure how I was going to handle this, but the one thing I was sure of--I wanted to get away. I had an appointment on Tuesday, and they said depending on my bloodwork on Thursday would depend if I was okay to go. I'm like... um I leave Saturday.... and I'm going. I of course called the IPO in a panic and I got information to the local urgent care, etc. I also asked if possible to have a room closer to the lounge in the event I was sick and needed something quick that I could be closer than a hike all the way down the hall. She said she would see what she could do--yay. So the rest of the week I was off work and pretty much immobile. The doctor said that I could travel, though he wishes I wouldn't... and that we should not go commando morning to night. My hcg levels were stuck about the 3 month mark so my body still thought I was pregnant although I wasn't. The combination of my body still giving me nausea, vomiting and bloating with the obvious symptoms of a miscarriage were quite annoying... but I was going to Disney World!! So we get to the airport, I started getting this hot flash through security, I looked at Dave and he's like... you're gonna throw up aren't you? Yes sir I am. So he grabbed my bags and I jetted to the nearest RR. One more time before boarding and I was good to go for our flight. I was praying this was not how the entire week would be. We had the DxDDP and soooo looking forward to trying a bunch of restaurants, and we had a site visit set up with Bill because we knew we wanted to get married here. At this point we weren't engaged yet, but were looking at 11-11-11 as the date. (several doctor bills later--2011 is gonna be a bit too soon) So we were on the bus to the YC and he grabs the itinerary from my hands--ooooh no!!! He saw it. He was sooooooooo excited!!! We got off the bus and were escorted to the 5th floor. Everyone was so classy there and very friendly--not to mention how gorgeous it is in there! They advised our room wasn't quite ready, and that was okay with us because we had lunch reservations anyway and had to go. Dave was very excited he got a Gold Card. He felt fancy and flashed it every opportunity he had. We got a text that our room was ready, and I also got a voicemail from the IPO I dealt with saying that she hopes we love our room and to have a great trip. We finished up at 50s Prime Time and got back to the YC. They said we were in room 5171 and that it was right around the corner. We got in the room--the first room past the lounge on the right--King Bed--LAGOON View!!!!!--Balloons--Candy--Character Signed Cards for Him--Character Signed Cards for Me--A Hidden Mickey Book (his favorite pastime)--My Basin Order.... AHHHHH!!! My IPO sent me a hand written note and it made me cry--she is so sweet. None of that was planned, it was all pixie dust! :wizard: Major pixie dust! This whole experience was so special and we were only there for 2 hours!! This room was our haven for 8 days. A lot of time was spent in it, lots of naps and resting, and the best was enjoying the view on the patio. He was loving his Yuengling, lol, I was loving the Iced Tea, Hot Tea and bacon wrapped scallops (my fave!). I will add pics when I get home for sure!!

We were supposed to have our site visit with Bill on Tuesday morning, but Monday I was feeling pretty terrible, and just didn't think I could go in good spirits and retain any information. I think I was mentally traumatized too from all the stress and wedding planning just didn't fit in at this point. Dave assured there would be other trips and that we could reschedule. I emailed Bill ASAP and told him I just couldn't do it, that I was very sorry, and we wanted to re-schedule for November. It killed me to cancel.

Although we missed our visit, we had one of our best experiences ever that night. Please read so that I don't have to type it all out :)

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=36812243&postcount=69

The rest of the week we took it easy. Saw what we wanted to see, hung out, napped, and ate lotssss of great food!! The bonding was much needed. The stress after my first loss almost broke us up. I was terrified the same was going to happen this time, but this trip really brought us together and gave us time to heal. I'm really glad we got to go.

When looking at venues previously, I didn't care much for the YCG. I actually thought it was dumb, and I hated it. When we walked past it the night before we left... it just seemed perfect. I saw it in a whole different light, and it just felt right. This is where it should be. This place has turned a terrible time in our life to one of the most memorable and we want to share it with the ones we love. So as of now... YCG and YS it is.

So there it is :yay: Our Yacht Club Story :wizard:

Starting next week:
Talking Budgets, Dates, Colors, Inspiration, and my obsession with Makeup.


What a wonderful story and I'm sorry for your losses!! :hug: I really love this story and so glad that you have such a great memory there!!:goodvibes

Can't wait to hear more about your wedding plans!

[LuvLuvLuv]

Just got the email.... My site visit is Thursday, November 11th at 10:00 am!!!! :cheer2: We're eating at Kona for breakfast at 8:35 then will venture over, have our visit, then we have early dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table and MVMCP!! What a perfect day!!

[Sccrmnky2005]

Just got the email.... My site visit is Thursday, November 11th at 10:00 am!!!! :cheer2: We're eating at Kona for breakfast at 8:35 then will venture over, have our visit, then we have early dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table and MVMCP!! What a perfect day!!

CONGRATS!! We are going to MVMCP in Dec and Stay out at Disney for a few nights since I live in Orlando only 30 minutes from the mouse I can't talk DF into staying longer than two or three nights:lmao:

Have a great time!!!

[athenna]

Congrats on your upcoming site visit!:thumbsup2

So sorry about your losses:hug:

[KitKat5]

Im so loving you story so far!! I cant wait to read more! :) And I have to say, the whole 'do you want to be my cow' thing actually made me laugh out loud!! :rotfl:

[LuvLuvLuv]

Congrats on finding the ring you love:lovestruc

Thanks!! I just love it!!! I'm glad I waited and got one I wanted, and didn't rush into getting something we could afford at the time!!

Congrats on finding your perfect ring!!! :yay: I can't wait to see the pics!! popcorn::

I'm going to go visit my ring this weekend... maybe they'll let me take a pic.

What a wonderful story and I'm sorry for your losses!! :hug: I really love this story and so glad that you have such a great memory there!!:goodvibes

Can't wait to hear more about your wedding plans!

Thanks :) Everything happens for a reason... and I believe that!! I'll probably say it a million times on this PJ!!

CONGRATS!! We are going to MVMCP in Dec and Stay out at Disney for a few nights since I live in Orlando only 30 minutes from the mouse I can't talk DF into staying longer than two or three nights:lmao:

Have a great time!!!

I'm jealous! We almost moved there this summer when he was out of work. Almost just picked up and left--but luckily we found him a new job in August and we put our impulses away for now :rotfl:

Congrats on your upcoming site visit!:thumbsup2

So sorry about your losses:hug:

Thank you!!

Im so loving you story so far!! I cant wait to read more! :) And I have to say, the whole 'do you want to be my cow' thing actually made me laugh out loud!! :rotfl:

Yeah, nothing is ever normal around me. I never expected him to get down on one knee with a ring... but I also didn't expect to be referred to as a cow, LOL!!! But with our ongoing joke around the house... it was perfect. He's sweet! It's going to be a little tougher to tell the story to my family when they ask how he did it. I may just make up a fairy tale for them, hehe! No use in tainting their high opinions of him :)



Hope everyone has a great weekend. I'm working my other job both days, but will try to slide some of my pictures in here and there!

[FutureMrs.B]

Congratulations on finding your ring. I can't wait to see pics of it. :) I also hope you enjoy your site visit. All your plans sound wonderful.

[LuvLuvLuv]

So our weekend was pretty busy. Our second jobs conflict on the weekends, so we don't see each other (other than sleeping) from Thursday nights until Sunday nights after 6. We took one of our restaurant-dot-com coupons and went to dinner to discuss stuff. My hopes were to talk budget, but he wasn't interested in that... so I moved on to venue and colors, lol. I told him I wanted to look at the WP, the Marina and the Gazebo. His response was that the WP is too traditional for us. He's not 100% opposed to the Marina... but we love the Epcot area more. I just want backup ideas incase something isn't available. Then I told him I wanted to see a few other reception ideas beyond the Yachtsman. He's Yachtsman or bust. He said he would rather cut the guest list than not have it at the Yachtsman. Okay Okay! :worship: I told him we need to peek at the Napa room just in case :) Then I said that we should check out the spots for a dessert party if $$ allows--he said no no to the dessert party. He's not huge on Illuminations--we're Fantasmic people... and I love Wishes too. I'm not sad over the dessert party thing. I would rather incorporate something amazing in the dinner anyway. It'll save me a few $$ that I can put toward my floral that will probably be over budget anyway :laughing: He also said he wanted to look at the suites in the Yacht Club and I was like saaa-weet... he's on board with me there!

Moving on to colors. We've talked about this a million times, but when I asked him point blank if he could choose colors, what would he choose? he said black, silver, cobalt. How lovely--but not for the YC!! My vision took over the conversation and I told him that black would be much too dark against the Yacht Club, and Cobalt against the red striping on the Yacht Club would look like the Fourth of July. If I had a million dollars, I would force them to take down that red striping on my wedding day because I hate red. I mean, I absolutely hate red, lol. That will be a main concern to my photographer. Try to keep the red out... and if it shows... turn it Black and White :) So here comes my vision... I was kind of shocked to hear him say cobalt, because his favorite color is the blueish, aqua, turquoise. (Think the color he's wearing in our avatar) I thought that with white chiavari chairs would be nice. I asked if he would accent it with lime, hot pink or purple. He picked lime. I said I may slide a nip of hot pink here or there, lol :) So there it is. Turquoise, Lime and White. We've finally accomplished something!!

I found 2 really pretty dresses by Lilly Pulitzer, and I'm still not sure if I want bridesmaids or not... so I may just order it for me for the welcome dinner or something. I'll add pix when I'm on my laptop-can't get to my photobucket at work. I love Lilly, and everything she has to offer, but then I feel like maybe I should just wait and find something at Dillard's with my discount.

Speaking of Dillard's. I've already been asked several times at work by the people I've told, if I'm doing my own makeup. What a terrible subject for me, lol. I've done makeup for Dior for a long time, and I'm well requested in our store. :rolleyes1 that's the closest smiley I could find for tooting my own horn, hehe! I'm sure I would be fine doing it myself, but I know if I slip up once, I'll send something flying across the room or out the window, lol. I would feel so much more comfortable having Patricia LeJeune doing it. Less stress, and I think for one day I deserve a break!! Everyone is considering it a waste of my money, and telling me I'll be unhappy because I'm so picky. That's what trials are for my friends! I'm pretty set on this regardless of what anyone else thinks. I've tried a few looks on myself and I'm sure it'll be easier to make a decision after I have a dress etc. Then I remember... you have time. Calm down.

So that was my weekend. This week at some point I am going to corner him into talking about the budget. (In between both jobs and an eye appointment, lol)

[LuvLuvLuv]

I've been trying to come to terms with my crazy spending lately. We have the WL Honeymoon Suite booked in November and I am super excited to stay there. I love Club Level, and I am 100% spoiled. BUT-- We can save $1046 by staying at POFQ. That's a LOT, considering I have a ring in layaway that I want it the :headache: out of there!! I also feel that this is going to be a busy trip, unlike our relaxing trip in May. My heart is broken, but I know I need to do the right thing. I just texted him to see what he has to say about it :( I know he doesn't want to give up Club Level either, but that is a LOT of money for us right now. I'm really sad :( We've never stayed at POFQ, only CBR... so it would be new to us, and I was thinking of adding it to our Room Block... so maybe we should check it out anyway?? Could this be a positive thing? :idea:

[LuvLuvLuv]

:sad1:

i did it. :confused3

port orleans french quarter - king bed - park hoppers - deluxe dining
(after 2 calls and the first person telling me it wasn't available)

now quit being a brat, you're going to disney world!!! :yay:

i saved $1150 :cheer2:

because of this tragic event... i shall treat myself to a sketch dooney&bourke when i go :)

[2nd Time Bride]

:sad1:

i did it. :confused3

port orleans french quarter - king bed - park hoppers - deluxe dining
(after 2 calls and the first person telling me it wasn't available)

now quit being a brat, you're going to disney world!!! :yay:

i saved $1150 :cheer2:

because of this tragic event... i shall treat myself to a sketch dooney&bourke when i go :)

That is a huge savings!! Personally, I think it would also merit a new pair of sandals but then again, I am hard pressed to find an event which doesn't!! :thumbsup2

Good thing you are both on the same page about the wedding accommodations, I offered to ditch the Contemporary MK view in lieu of the MK/Epcot photo shoot and you would have thought I suggested we bring the tent to Fort Wilderness (not that there is anything wrong with camping but...)! I quickly discovered the Contemporary was his "must have". :rotfl:

Maybe that is a good way to tackle the budget conversation - continue with the "musts", "nice to haves" and "cut". Like the DP conversation...what do you think? :confused3

As for the makeup - I say go for it and you are 100% right on the trial run. I love to cook but am having our home party catered just because I will be too stressed if I do it. It's hard to give up that control but I think it will be worth it at the end of the day.

[athenna]

Don't worry, I think you did the right thing:thumbsup2 Now that is money saved that you can use to spend in other ways!
Being a purse girl, I can't disagree w/your Dooney & Bourke statement:rotfl2:

[LuvLuvLuv]

I offered to ditch the Contemporary MK view in lieu of the MK/Epcot photo shoot and you would have thought I suggested we bring the tent to Fort Wilderness (not that there is anything wrong with camping but...)!

I just laughed out loud :rotfl:

That's pretty much what happened when I told him I changed our reservation last night. He's like, um no gold card? Refillable mug? No Yuengling? I'm like sorry love muffin... we have to rough it, lol!! (Not the POFQ is NEAR roughing it, lol) When I told him, all I could think of was your comment!! Seriously! I told him the reason I chose it was because they're the only resort that has Cherry Coke, lol. I pretty much live on Cherry Coke, coffee and tea. He believed that 100%. I played up the room block thing, and he agreed that maybe we should check it out before we suggest people to stay there. Oh the joys of saving a few dollars :cutie:

On the flip side... if you read my very first post... I said I may have to break down and buy a new pair of Uggs this season. My aunt sent me an envelope yesterday with an Ugg ad, and told me to circle the ones I wanted with the color and size that she would order them for me. Saaa-weet! I will be the proud owner of the Bailey Triple Button in Black in a week or two... at no cost to me :) I'm saving money already!!

[princesswendy720]

I know how you feel..I wanted to stay at the boardwalk villas with points when we go in February, but we are now staying at POR to save money. Just think-you can go all out for the wedding week! It's also our only room block hotel we've never stayed at.

Have you thought about having a wishes dessert party? You can have it at the GF marina or on one of the yachts. It might be a nice alternative to the epcot dessert party.

I love lily pullitzer. Bride to be had her bridal party in her dresses and it was adorable!

[LuvLuvLuv]

I know how you feel..I wanted to stay at the boardwalk villas with points when we go in February, but we are now staying at POR to save money. Just think-you can go all out for the wedding week! It's also our only room block hotel we've never stayed at.

Have you thought about having a wishes dessert party? You can have it at the GF marina or on one of the yachts. It might be a nice alternative to the epcot dessert party.

I love lily pullitzer. Bride to be had her bridal party in her dresses and it was adorable!

I kind of wanted a Fantasmic or Wishes dessert party, but he is just against it. We want to have a really big dinner anyway... so I do fear that everyone will be so full that it would be a waste. We want to serve the Yachtsman Sundae with our cake and that will be a LOT of sweet. We'll be at the YC so we can always check out the fireworks from the beach. At some point I will want pictures with fireworks, but I'll work that out somehow.

I loved Bride to Be's Lilly dresses. Right now they have dresses with Turquoise and Lime and I just want to buy them up, lol. It's tempting. Everyday I try to go over $$ numbers and try to move it all up a year... but it's not looking good hehehe! I'm getting impatient!

[2nd Time Bride]

I just laughed out loud :rotfl:

That's pretty much what happened when I told him I changed our reservation last night. He's like, um no gold card? Refillable mug? No Yuengling? I'm like sorry love muffin... we have to rough it, lol!! (Not the POFQ is NEAR roughing it, lol) When I told him, all I could think of was your comment!! Seriously! I told him the reason I chose it was because they're the only resort that has Cherry Coke, lol. I pretty much live on Cherry Coke, coffee and tea. He believed that 100%. I played up the room block thing, and he agreed that maybe we should check it out before we suggest people to stay there. Oh the joys of saving a few dollars :cutie:

On the flip side... if you read my very first post... I said I may have to break down and buy a new pair of Uggs this season. My aunt sent me an envelope yesterday with an Ugg ad, and told me to circle the ones I wanted with the color and size that she would order them for me. Saaa-weet! I will be the proud owner of the Bailey Triple Button in Black in a week or two... at no cost to me :) I'm saving money already!!

:lmao: Nice cover!! And - awesome news on the Uggs!

[LuvLuvLuv]

As everything is falling into place and taking shape... I realized that regardless of the date, budget and flowers... there were more important things to work on. Like myself.

Yesterday I stood in front of the mirror and decided that my first wedding project would be.... ME!

When I moved in with David, I was 140 lb. I considered this to be a bit excessive for me, as I liked myself best around 125-130. Then the comfort level set in and I was soon 150. Then there were 2 pregnancies/miscarriages, tons of prescriptions/hormone therapy, and 2 Disney trips that got me up to the :eek:182 lbs:eek: that I am today :( This is bad, and must be the first thing to change.

I've placed one of my best friends, Brenda (most likely my MOH), in charge of this task. We're lunch buddies and she gets to monitor me :) She recently took a nutrition class and is actually excited about this. I told her if she made it happen that I would pay for her way thru my wedding. It's that worth it to me. The major problem is not the amount of food I eat, it's when I eat. I eat like a bird, very picky, and very allergic to lots of fruits and veggies. The problem is that I leave my second job at 9:15pm, eat and go to sleep. BAD :headache: This will be the biggest problem, and the only solution we can find is to go on a shake for dinner. I can only have a drink at my 2nd job--no food. So I could drink my dinner while working I guess. Anyway... I'm totally on board. I would like to lose 15-20 before we go in November so that I have a cushion to break loose on the DxDDP for a few days. The DxDDP gets me for about 7lb every time--which is fine--it's vacation... let's just not tack that on to what I am currently :scared1: The gym is somewhere I would love to go... but working 70 hours per week, in the car about 90 minutes a day, and softball--ugh--it's tough. (Did I mention housework?)

Next: Hair. Whatever whim made me go blonde 2 years ago is causing havoc. I'm dark again, but the ends are a little rough. I figure taking a good 2 or 3 inches off will make a world of difference and I'll let it grow, stay dark and healthy until the big day.

Then: Teeth. My teeth are very white, but I need to make sure they stay that way and be more diligent when it comes to whitening.

Skin: NO wrinkles here. I'm going to stay out of the sun and tanning for the next year or so and keep up with my skincare. My favorite eye cream is Dior Lor de Vie--it's soooo amazing--but it's sooooo $195 ($165 for a refill). The rest of my regimen is Dior One Essential Serum Booster, Clinique Turnaround Concentrate (Summer) or Dior Capture Total Serum (Winter), and Clinique Zero Gravity Lifting Moisturzier for Oily Skin. Sometimes I get lazy, but I need to be better.

Last, but probably not least: My spending has got to change. Our big plans are going to be expensive, and the sooner we want to do this... the more $$ we're going to need to start saving today!!

That's my first DIY project. I'll be updating randomly on the progress :)

[princesswendy720]

Good luck with your project! If the losing weight becomes difficult, I am a HUGE proponent of Weight Watchers...I gained around 25 pounds after graduating from college - a mix of my new relationship with my now Fiance and some new meds that I went off quickly after they started making me gain so much weight. I tried doing some dieting on my own, but there was no one to hold me accountable for "cheating" on my diet. I did WW with my Mom and have lost all the weight that I gained! I stopped attending meetings about a year and a half ago, but I still count points and have managed to maintain my weight most of that time (I gained 7 pounds this summer and since the end of July I've managed to lose that and get back to my goal weight). It really does work and teach you about keeping track of everything you eat throughout the day (always write it down...even just a bite of something!)

I'm with you on the teeth whitening. I think it makes such a difference. I get the Crest White Strips Supreme (they are professional strength and you can only get from a dentist or online). They're a bit painful...but they really work!

Keep us updated on your progress and let me know if you need any weight loss tips!

[athenna]

^ I totally agree w/above poster..I am a Lifetime Weight Watcher Member after losing 75 pounds:goodvibes
I have gained a little bit back, but I've lost a good 15 or 20, and now I train for Half Marathons so my body is well on it's way to being even better than when I lost the 75:thumbsup2

[LuvLuvLuv]

Aww thanks for being so supportive!!

Small little update.

So last night I was able to sit down with David and talk dates and budget. He had played paintball all day and was rather crippled so I was able to keep in one place and focused :laughing:

I wanted to talk dates. This did not go well, lol. We are going to talk to our sales coordinator and ask a few questions before we decide. I'm pulling for November 5, 2012--so we'll see.

The budget talk went better than expected. Much better. We laid out what we were willing to spend for everything, and how we thought we'd come up with the money... and he thought that $45,000 was quite reasonable. I was doing the happy dance because I thought he was going to have a stroke :banana:

This is EVERYTHING included. We are only budgeting 15,000 for the DFTW stuff and the rest is "other" stuff. We budgeted 15,000 for our hotel room, honeymoon, dining plan, tours, tips and spending. Then 15,000 for everything else. I actually think this could work and its all falling into place :) Yay!! :) Of course we can move stuff around.

I called the Yacht Club this morning and they said that when we are in town we can visit whatever suites are available to see which one we want to go with. From pictures I've found, I like the Admiral's Suite and the Commodore Suite the best... but I can't find any pics of the Captain's Deck... so I dunno.

We have 44 days until vacation :) I can't wait!! It's almost time to start packing!!

Has anyone heard about next years open house?? Dates?? I'd really like to go if possible. Just a random thought.

[LuvLuvLuv]

Today a big black cloud came over everything I've been planning for the past month.

I went to the doctor for my 6 month follow up after my miscarriage. Long story short... He said I shouldn't wait any longer if I want to have a baby. My hormones are crazy, my body is going haywire, and he suspects I will need a hysterectomy (sp?) within a few years. My thoughts were all over the place and before I knew it, I was leaving the office with a prescription that will start my cycle and a fertility prescription. He shook my hand and told me he'd see me in 2 months when I'm pregnant.

WHAT JUST HAPPENED?????

So I called Dave and just started rambling. It's not like you can keep your thoughts straight when trying to explain that your entire life is up in the air. So all in one sentence this is what I explained:

*I have a loaded question for you, are you home? (No, I'm at work, what's up?) Oh, I'll wait till you're home. (No, tell me now) Okay--big breath...

----and rambling begins----
*We haven't even formally announced being engaged (since we're waiting on the ring to avoid questions)--then a baby will come along and it'll look like we only got engaged because I was knocked up.

*I won't be able to work 2 jobs while pregnant and with a baby and that will put a MAJOR damper on wedding money--and life money for bills.

*If we wait, we may not have a baby at all.

*What do you want to do?

*Do you want to move the wedding up?

*Do you want to drop to Escape or Memories?

*Do you want to try and make it all work at the same time?

*I have these prescriptions, should I fill them?

*Oh the weight I would gain.

*Do you just want to focus on the wedding and take our chances?

*What do you think?

*Hello?

His co-worker said he turned white, lol. It was all a bit much for him--and to think... I was driving during all of this :rotfl2:

We talked about it a bit tonight before he went to his second job, and didn't come to a conclusion at all. I know he wants a baby now. I'm wrapped up in bride(almost)zilla mode and I'm ready to lose 60 pounds and walk down the aisle. My main goal in life is to be a mom, and I'm not getting any younger. My first thought was to vent on here--I told him to think about it tonight at work and we'd talk when he gets home. I questioned 3 of my friends and I got 2 votes for baby, and one vote for wedding. I'm still accepting votes.

------------------

On the flip side... I've lost 3 pounds this week. Talking about all this makes me want to eat a few football shaped oreos with milk :) I've narrowed my dress choices to 4. Maggie Sottero's: Emily, Cambria Marie, Claudette and Racheal. There's a trunk show in Cincinnati this month and I'm going to check it out.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/Emily.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/CambriaMarie-1.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/Claudette-1.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/Rachael-1.jpg

What do you think?

Thanks everyone for listening :) I know this was a loaded post, but you have no idea how good it feels to get it all out. :flower3:

[CinderelliT]

I feel like you are my long lost twin!

I am just a few years ahead of you. I won't take over your PJ with all the details, but I had 3 miscarriages, 1 stillbirth (at full term) and finally two beautiful children - then a FULL hysterectomy a few months after my DD was born. I am currently at 190lbs (my heaviest ever) and a very picky eater too!

I was in a very similar predicament to you. DH and I decided to get married sooner, and then I left collage to work on trying to have a baby. It took 4 years, 8 surgeries, and several rounds of fertility treatments to finally get pregnant. That was my son Michael who died during child birth. Another year later, and I finally had my son. A year after that I had my daughter.

I DO NOT regret a single bit of it. I just went back to school and finally finished my degree last year - 10 years after dropping out to persue my dreams of a family. And you know what? School was still there.

If you ever want to talk, just PM me. Good luck with your decision!

And I think the 1st Maggie pic you have is stunning!

[mareeld86]

Congrats on your wedding good luck with everything.. My vote is baby not that it means anything but i don't think Disney is going anywhere! (at least I hope not!

[FutureMrs.B]

I'm sorry that you're going through this difficult decision. I guess the best thing I can say is you have to decide what's the most important thing to you. If that's becoming a mother than do what you need to do and the rest will fall in place. You can always do an escape or memories wedding soon and than do a vow renewal in a big way and can have your baby as the ring bearer or flower girl, which IMHO would be sooo cute. I pray that everything will work out for the best for you. :goodvibes

[neener3]

You`re in a tough place!

But if it were me...I would say....a wedding is a pretty dress and a signed piece of paper and a time for people to gather and rally for the two of you. You feel beautiful and say special words and then it`s over and you continue on.

And really, you can have a baby and then have the pretty dress and the signed piece of paper and the time for people to gather and rally for the two of you. You can still feel beautiful and say special words and you continue on.

I guess the point is that the wedding will be over. Growing your family is a continuous thing...

And you CAN lose the baby weight. And who cares what people think? I suppose we're all taking a chance, I mean, I irrationally worry about not being able to conceive (no problems leading to that worry). In the end, I'm marrying the man I want to spend the rest of my life with, kids or no kids. He's my best friend. But we both want the kids. So if we got your type of news, we'd postpone the wedding in order to try to make our lives a little more the way we want it to be for the years to come.

Not an easy decision though. Good luck!:hug:

[Belle2Be]

Hi! I'm following your PJ now, yay!

What a decision you've got on your hands! For what its worth, my vote is baby :) But I may be a bit biased, as we have 2 :rotfl:We did things a bit backwards (not even for medical reasons!) and are now planning our wedding for next year :) Baby weight does come off, most of it pretty easy if you're healthy during the pregnancy :D A couple things to also consider, I'm kinda weird in this I think but I'm pretty crazy attached to my girls, the main reason we're waiting another year is because I'm not comfortable leaving them at nights yet (they are 18 months and 33 months old), and frankly we both miss them when we're away from more than several hours. Disney World makes it perfect because we can honeymoon there and still see the kids at times, but have some of that romantic "make a good try for a boy" time :D Anyway, just some stuff to consider that I never would have thought of LOL.
Ooh, or you could always do both, a much sooner Memories wedding and Honeymoon = make a baby :D

[puente0629]

My vote is for baby, your wedding is always going to be there. You can always have an Escape or Memories wedding soon and while trying for the baby or if you don't mind, many brides have a full out wedding while being preggos.


I vote for dress 4!:thumbsup2

[LuvLuvLuv]

I feel like you are my long lost twin!

And I think the 1st Maggie pic you have is stunning!

Yay I have a twin!! Thanks for understanding and the support!! I LOVE the first one too... I just have to make sure my shortness looks okay with it.

Congrats on your wedding good luck with everything.. My vote is baby not that it means anything but i don't think Disney is going anywhere! (at least I hope not!

That's pretty much what all of our friends are saying too!! Thanks!!

I'm sorry that you're going through this difficult decision. I guess the best thing I can say is you have to decide what's the most important thing to you. If that's becoming a mother than do what you need to do and the rest will fall in place. You can always do an escape or memories wedding soon and than do a vow renewal in a big way and can have your baby as the ring bearer or flower girl, which IMHO would be sooo cute. I pray that everything will work out for the best for you. :goodvibes

Lol, I already have Zander/Zoey listed in the wedding party as of this weekend, lol!!

You`re in a tough place!

And you CAN lose the baby weight. And who cares what people think? I suppose we're all taking a chance, I mean, I irrationally worry about not being able to conceive (no problems leading to that worry). In the end, I'm marrying the man I want to spend the rest of my life with, kids or no kids. He's my best friend. But we both want the kids. So if we got your type of news, we'd postpone the wedding in order to try to make our lives a little more the way we want it to be for the years to come.

Not an easy decision though. Good luck!:hug:

Very true... we are going to continue planning for the end of 2012 and if we are lucky enough to add in a Zoey or a Zander (or both :lmao:) then we'll see what we have to do from there!

Hi! I'm following your PJ now, yay!

What a decision you've got on your hands! For what its worth, my vote is baby :)

Thanks for joining in!! I like the baby vote!! And if a baby happens, you may have joined in on the longest running PJ ever, lol!!

My vote is for baby, your wedding is always going to be there. You can always have an Escape or Memories wedding soon and while trying for the baby or if you don't mind, many brides have a full out wedding while being preggos.


I vote for dress 4!:thumbsup2

Yay for dress 4... I know I can wear that being short!!
.... and yay for baby!!

---------------------------------------

So here's what we talked about this weekend:

Continue to plan and act as if we're shooting for the end of 2012... probably November 5, 2012.

If we need to back it up... we'll go to April 22, 2013 which is our 5 year anniversary and a week away from my 30th birthday (double celebration).

And I'm filling the prescriptions this week and we shall see what happens. :cutie:

So now I'm bouncing between picking out invitations and strollers, lol... freeze dried petals... then playards.

I also can't express how much I appreciate all of you, your opinions and your support. A lot of my friends are younger and aren't in the "running out of time" frame of mind--nor the marriage frame of mind. My other friends are already married with kids and I have no happy medium of someone to turn to for an unbiased opinion. I'm lucky to have all of you in my life :hug:

[Belle2Be]

Oh man I'm a crazy stroller junkie/diaper bag junkie. Check out Ju-Ju-Be for diaper bags, they have a fab forum as well, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Baby Planet Deluxe stroller! It seriously had everything I wanted for less than the competition :D

[princesswendy720]

I'm just catching up...it seems like you have a lot on you rmind :hug:

My thoughts are.. you can always have a wedding sometime down the road, if now is the only time for baby - then I would do everything you could to have one while you can if you really want it and are ready! Everything else will fall into place as far as wedding plans and budgeting - you still have a lot of time to adjust your plans.

Plus...since you aren't looking until the end of 2012 (my wedding month twin :goodvibes) you could have a cute lil flower girl or ring bearer in time for the wedding!

[LuvLuvLuv]

Plus...since you aren't looking until the end of 2012 (my wedding month twin :goodvibes) you could have a cute lil flower girl or ring bearer in time for the wedding!

Yeah... I keep forgetting that I have some time :) It feels like it's right around the corner! I'm glad you're my twin, lol. I told Dave that we should try really hard to keep it in November 2012 so we can stay a week and stalk your wedding :) Our site visit at the same time, planning sessions will be about the same time... I'm going to try to go to an open house next year... Twins :)

[LuvLuvLuv]

I have a couple things to update... but no pictures because I'm at work.

1. Although I said I was growing my hair out... I got it all chopped off Tuesday night. I had a talk with my hair stylist and we agreed my last run with platinum blonde really made it angry :( So we took it from about 3 or 4 inches past my shoulders up to a short angled bob with bangs. It was the right thing to do, and I know it will look much better growing in healthy.

[i will insert picture here]
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/2f1db5ba.jpg


2. DF and I originally talked about me making the Save the Dates, Invites, etc etc etc. Then I got to thinking if we throw a baby in the mix that the DIY projects I would love to take on, would not be a reality. So I started looking around and found some really decent priced ones on VistaPrint. They're clean, simple and our colors. So I got home and told him that I found some I liked... and he's like ughhh I thought you were gonna do it yourself, blah blah blah. After he got done whining, I showed him and he loved them, lol. I told him to stick with me and he'd be okay :rotfl2: The design is rather simple and doesn't look exactly wedding like, but the people we're inviting wouldn't care if we just sent them a text message of where to show up. It's all friends and family that we're closest to, so I'm not going to go all formal on this. Funny how I always dreamed of the giant card with the bows and crystals, etc... and I'm basically going to send them a postcard, lol!! Funny how none of that matters when you find your "one".

[insert picture here]
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/wedding/invite.jpg


3. I called the bridal store that carries Maggie Sottero in our area. There is a Maggie trunk show in 2 weeks that I'm going to, but I thought I'd ask if they had any of the ones I liked in house to try on. (If you check my previous posts I had 4 of them... but I don't like the 3rd one anymore) They have 2 of my 3 loves in stock. So I wanted to go try those on before the trunk show so I can have a little more attention with them without the hustle and bustle of a busy trunk show. They have the 1st and the 4th one there. DF loves the 4th one--and I also feel like it's very Yacht Club. BUT... the first one is my princess fairy tale dress :)

My next concern is their sample size is 10 :eek: Uh oh. So I called and they actually have a 10 and an 18 in the first dress... but only a 10 in the 4th one. They assured me I'd be fine to at least get an idea. I went rummaging through my drawers because I bought a spanx-type thing for a halloween costume a few years back. It was a size or two too small, but it held me in pretty good :) So tonight I'm going up there to check it out. I told DF that I better get an idea before I get knocked up or I may be in trouble, lol!! I'm so excited to try them on I can't wait till 5pm!!

[insert several overweight pictures of me squeezed into dresses :laughing: ]
See Below :)


4. Speaking of getting knocked up :cutie: I started the first prescription today so we'll see how this goes :) I'm very excited.

5. We are settled on November 5, 2012 as of this moment.

6. DF wants to take our dog with us when we get married and have him stay in one of the new VIP suites. I think this is about rediculous, lol. Someone here can watch him for near free... and he wants him to stay in a suite with a tv?? Lol, I love the little guy just as much, but he cries in the car all the time and I will LOSE my mind if he cries for 12 hours. I guess I never introduced Baxter in here. How rude of me. Meet our sweet little boy:

[insert funny Baxter pictures here]
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/192d056d.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/d3b00523.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/3924f5d6.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/379b409e.jpg


Okay, I guess I should get some work done. I can't wait to insert all of the pictures :) Yay!! 34 days until WDW!! :woohoo:

[princesswendy720]

Can't wait to hear about your dress shopping adventures!!

We have a fur baby too, everyone keeps asking me if he will be ou ring bearer. As much as I love him I just don't want to have to worry about traveling with him and him freaking out on a plane! Instead I'll have a picture of him in a locket on my bouquet.

[LuvLuvLuv]

Well I didn't get home last night until 11pm... then I passed out. Dress shopping went AMAZING and I couldn't wait to talk about it!! So here I am!

Here's a little background on how the day went:

I work in downtown Cincinnati, which is 10 miles from my home in Florence, Ky (grab a map if you have questions about this, lol) Unfortunately traffic can make that 10 mile drive 35 minutes or longer. So I got home at 5:30, grabbed some spanx-type thing I bought for a skimpy halloween costume a few years back, threw on some makeup the way I think it will probably look and ran out the door to grab my friend and go.

(I did the same makeup look last Saturday for work and took pix)

[insert makeup pix here]
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/1e69b62d.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/e5817d56.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/04c9d86f.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/1944eeb8.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/5474c2fb.jpg


So the friend I took was surprisingly not one of my very best friends, not my probable MOH, not a family member... but a good friend and co-worker that is around my age, has the same goals as me, has curves like me and has always seen eye to eye with me. She expressed interest in going and it just felt right. This was the best decision ever. We had the best time and she was 100% honest, helpful and supportive.

We hit about 45 minutes in traffic getting to the shop. Although I live a few minutes outside of Cincinnati it's cut into different parts... and I am West Side stupid. I didn't realize that 12 miles outside of downtown was going to take half my night getting there. So we arrive to bridal row. That's what they call it because it is an entire street of bridal shops, accessory shops and alterations shops. I may shop around in the others for accessories, but Bridal and Formal is the only store that carries Maggie Sottero around here. As we're walking past the employee parking, there's a mini van with 4 Disney World decals on it... I told my friend, "we're gonna be just fine here." :wizard:

So we go in, it's huge! We sign in and get assigned a sales person. We were given a spot on a rack and were told to choose 7 dresses. They walked us through the dress floor and it was all separated by designer. Score... show me the Maggie's. So I got my list out of what I wanted to try, lol! They had 5 of the 10 I was looking for... and I considered that pretty good. I also grabbed 2 others that looked nice. I had: Emily, Rachael, Hadley, Dominique, Annika Marie, Cambria, and Jesslyn (this was a Sottero and Midgley).

I wanted to try the Emily first. It's my first love and my number one that I posted before. I was told that whatever I liked, I would hate on me, lol... so I was prepared for the worst. This dress was amazing. I knew, my friend knew, the sale person knew, other sales reps stopped by---it was stunning, grabbed all the right places and I couldn't imagine this not being "it". No cameras were allowed, but my friend is sneaky and took a terrible picture of me when I wasn't looking. It at least gives you an idea....

[insert half picture of me in the best dress ever here]
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/3babbc41.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/6917da83.jpg

I proceded to try the others on... really hoping to like Rachael--but she made me look like family sized tent. I found another name for her rather than Rachael--but we won't say that here :laughing: When I put the Dominique on, we all stopped again--could this be better than Emily?? I thought it maybe was... but everyone said no. I really liked Dominique and she is my close #2--we'll keep her around.

[insert Dominique here]
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/wedding/dominique.jpg

The others were so meh compared to my sweet Emily. Some cut my short body off and looked awful, but that's what we were there for... to try! A lady came by with a Mickey tattoo on her ankle and I asked her if that was her van, she said no, but she was a huge fan. I told her where I was getting married and she flew out of the room, came back with 4 other employees a few seconds later and they were giddy, excited and wanted to hear all about it. I kind of felt bad for the 2 other girls in there because I had a herd of cattle around me, asking all kinds of questions! They wanted to see "the" dress.

So we put my girl E back on and they offered me a veil--I told them no... I was more of a headband or flower kind of girl. They put the prettiest, sparkliest headband I've ever seen on me and I was in heaven, then the earrings and bracelet----this is probably it. The earrings and bracelet were nice, but working at Dillard's, I can get a massive discount on jewelry. But this headband was amazing... until I looked at the price tag of $330 Yikes!! I was trying to reason with myself on it... but we'll have to wait and see.

When we were in the Jewelry department, I was starting to realize just how big this place was. It was beautiful. They had TONS of shoes, but I didn't get into that yet. Keep in mind that DF and I are a foot apart. I would like something like this:

[insert cute shoe here]
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/shoes.jpg


So we chatted and she got all my information set up in the computer before I left. I was on cloud 9 and soooo happy :) We begin to backtrack how we got there and realize... ummm there's no on-ramp where we got off the highway. Oh West Side--I Hate You. We drove around for about 15 minutes, it's getting dark... then we realize we both have Mapquest GPS on our iPhones. We pull into a well lighted parking lot and try to figure it out. Next thing you know that GPS lady was yelling at us and telling us where to go :) I love when they tell you off. It was about 9:15 when we finally made it home. Even though we had a house full of food, DF waited for me and asked what I was making for dinner. :lmao: Right. So we hopped in the car and went to grab a bite. We talked about money, and wedding, and dresses, and babies--and it was nice--so were my chicken fingers :cutie:


Anyway... The Maggie Trunk Show is there in 2 weeks and they are going to request the few dresses they didn't have for me to try. So here's the run down:

Tried, Liked, In the Running: Emily and Dominique


Want to Try: Cambria Marie, Monica Marie, Megan -- Geddes (Sottero and Midgely)


I'm pretty sure I know what the final answer will be... but I just want to be sure.

Thoughts are always welcome!

I'll add the pix in tonight when I get home from work!

[LuvLuvLuv]

Well this weekend marks my first official purchases :cheer2:

I keep thinking about the amazing headband they put on me that was $330. The earrings I tried on were $280 and the bracelet was $440. Lets get serious here. I was looking over my budget and thought if I could cut some corners that it may be a possibility.

So DF was engrossed in football and I decided to run out for a bit. I went to Charming Charlie to look around. If you have one of these around you... you need to run in there and buy everything :) I love that place. I will be spending a lot of time in there!! First I spotted the bracelet and I loved it. It was what I was looking for. I tried it on.. loved it... turned it over to see the price... and whoa... it was $9.95, lol---WIN! Next to the earrings. I was looking for something very long with the same small and large stones as the bracelet... and I found some I liked! I flip it over... $4.95--Double win!!

Even if these tarnish before the wedding, or I find something different... I'm only out $15. Hopefully they don't because I really like them--especially the bracelet. I cleared out my favorite jewelry box to make way for them. I got this for Christmas years ago. It was something I saw in the Disney catalog that was wayyyyyyy too expensive to ever buy. When I opened it up on Christmas day, I was so excited.. you would have thought I got a car :laughing:

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/c47e25c2.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/414560cc.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/1115b5e6.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/96f3d92b.jpg


I also saw this... not sure where I would use it... but I may come back for it.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/81a3f8b2.jpg


.... and to wrap up the weekend. Here is Baxter's Halloween costume. He's Woody this year :)

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/baxterwoody.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/baxterwoody2.jpg


Well I'm one month away from our trip. I started buying a few travel items and will probably start packing this week :) I'm getting very excited!! I told Dave this would be more of a business trip, lol. We have lots of pictures to take and things to check out. In between all of our ADRs of course :) We go with the DxDDP and are hoping to try a few new places and re-visit our faves.

On our ventures this weekend... I told him to add the Canon Rebel T2i to my Christmas list and he giggled. I'm not sure why he felt this was funny :cutie: The price tag maybe? I'll keep wishing. That's all for now :wizard:

[Princess SarahK]

LOOVE THE JEWELRY!! and yeah, weve got Charming Charlie's everywhere here..I think they are stalking me! I always spend way too much time and money in there! Glad you made your first purchases, doesnt it feel great?

Baxter is adorable and looks like a very upstanding sherrif! soo cute!

[Nikisha421]

Just started reading....congratulations on the engagement...it sounds like my life...ring on layway but wedding in full swing...with a lil shopholic spendaholic addiction...and I vote for the baby....btw I totally understand about the weight loss and the wedding and all things life...but at the end of the day...the baby will make you happy (on a side not this coming from the self fish girl who is trying not to get pregnant before april becuase I don't want to be pregnant at my wedding or too pregnant to go on a cruise in aprill 2011...and I still vote for the bambino) and I sure don't mind picking strollers over table settings...

[CinderelliT]

Yay on jewelry and dresses! And your doggy is just too too cute!

I LOVED the Maggie dresses. I had my heart set on a blue one, and sometimes I still kick myself for not trying harder to get it. I went to several shops that carried maggie dresses and I looked like poo in the ones they had in stock. We live in the middle of nowhere, and it was a big ordeal to go try these on. Sadly, I gave up on the maggie idea and just went for the bargain dress that was closest to what I wanted. In the end, I loved my dress, but it could have fit better.

Anyway, I'll have to live vicariously through you.

And - twin thing again - I just had to dye my hair back to my natural black. I've spent 2 years dying it lt brown with blonde highlights to the point that it was so fried it was breaking off. So I just cut off a good 3 inches into a bob and went back to natural color too. Weird!

But your hair looks fab. Keep us updated!

[FutureMrs.B]

Everything looks soo great. I know you want to grow your hair but I'm loving it short. And your dress is gorgeous.:lovestruc

[LuvLuvLuv]

LOOVE THE JEWELRY!! and yeah, weve got Charming Charlie's everywhere here..I think they are stalking me! I always spend way too much time and money in there! Glad you made your first purchases, doesnt it feel great?

Baxter is adorable and looks like a very upstanding sherrif! soo cute!

Our store is only about 4 months old, and I frequent on my weekend lunch breaks :) I love my purchases... now I think I've broken the seal and I'll be buying like crazy!

Just started reading....congratulations on the engagement...it sounds like my life...ring on layway but wedding in full swing...with a lil shopholic spendaholic addiction...and I vote for the baby....btw I totally understand about the weight loss and the wedding and all things life...but at the end of the day...the baby will make you happy (on a side not this coming from the self fish girl who is trying not to get pregnant before april becuase I don't want to be pregnant at my wedding or too pregnant to go on a cruise in aprill 2011...and I still vote for the bambino) and I sure don't mind picking strollers over table settings...

lol... we're working on it as fast as we can :laughing: i have my prescriptions to move things along and will have good news hopefully within 3 months!

Yay on jewelry and dresses! And your doggy is just too too cute!

Anyway, I'll have to live vicariously through you.

And - twin thing again - I just had to dye my hair back to my natural black. I've spent 2 years dying it lt brown with blonde highlights to the point that it was so fried it was breaking off. So I just cut off a good 3 inches into a bob and went back to natural color too. Weird!

But your hair looks fab. Keep us updated!

Thanks.. my doggy is so precious--such a personality! I actually am loving the short hair, and REALLY liked it with the dress and headband. Maybe I'll leave it! If worst came to worst, I could do my own makeup and hair with it being short--at least for the MK/Epcot shoot. That would save a few dollars :cutie:

Everything looks soo great. I know you want to grow your hair but I'm loving it short. And your dress is gorgeous.:lovestruc

I love it too! I think I found "my cut" - and although I'm going to try on a few more dresses... I know what the answer will be. I'm so in love with it.



This week is slow on updates. I'm working like crazy at both jobs and our poor condo needs a Mousekeeper. I don't feel that great on my first prescription either... I feel a little green :sick: I'm getting antsy about our trip, so in every spare minute I'm looking over things I want to make sure I get pictures of, questions to ask, food to try, etc etc etc. I'm having second thoughts about the Gazebo/Yachtsman and am thinking maybe WP/Napa Room. I can't make decisions to save my life. We'll just wait to make those kinds of choices till we look up close in person. For now... I'll just relax and step away from the computer :rotfl:

[LuvLuvLuv]

So as I assumed, last week was slow for updates. I have a couple things though...

*Last night we finally updated our facebook status-lol. Better late than never.

*I'm going to the Maggie Sottero trunk show this weekend to finish trying a few other options before I put some $$ on the Emily dress :cutie:

*After I'm done with the trunk show, I'm going to check a few other shops in the area that may have a cheaper headband than $330. :eek:
(that i like)

*Also! I didn't think I'd have my ring until January-ish... but I may have it sooner! He asked if I preferred to use his $ in stocks for the wedding or the ring... I'm like WHAT?? :rotfl2: The ring Sir. NOW!!! He said he thought I'd want it for the wedding... I'm like... this is part of the wedding crazy pants! I'm not sure how much we're talking about... but hopefully if it's better than we thought--we can put some money down on the bands and get that out of the way. Or I'll heist it for my dress :rotfl: I just have to keep in mind that it needs to go towards the wedding and not for a Yacht Club upgrade :laughing:

*The countdown is on. 23 days until we leave. We have messed with our ADRs and are (we think) set. I should post them so you can see how crazy we are. Maybe this week sometime.

*We had an awesome event and won a $100 store credit this weekend. I got 2 new sweater dresses I can wear to dinner on our trip... and a Jessica Simpson tank top that was basic, but I really liked it. We are going to MVMCP after Citricos our second night and I wanted to be a little dressy for some Photopass pictures. Hoping with any luck they turn out good enough to bypass E-pix. He's not a big picture person, and our place isn't that big. I have no clue what I would do with E-pix and Wedding pix. Store them in a box in the closet and never dust them :confused: I'm not saying I won't get them in the future--I'll be a full fledged bridezilla by then... but if I can get a few good ones along the way... I'd settle.

*I know I liked those Save the Dates/Invites from Vista Print... and I still do--but out of boredom, I was messing around and made the cutest Save the Dates the other day. I'll have to post the pic later... but I love them so much.

Well I think that's it!! I'll have more to say after the Maggie show this weekend!!

[princesswendy720]

I hope you get your ring sooner than expected! I've had mine for almost 3 months now and I find myself staring at it all the time lol...it's definitely a nice distraction!

Vacation time is almost here!!

[LuvLuvLuv]

Well okay :) I took a few steps forward and a few steps... well not back--i guess i just stood still :lmao:

Things are coming together since we've set the date. The verbal and facebook word has gotten out and we both have lots of friends that are surprisingly excited about going to Disney World. Which brings us to a problem--the guest list is multiplying rapidly. People saying how they're excited to go--and the problem is... I haven't asked them yet. :confused3 We both have 2 jobs (double the co-workers), families, and other friends. I'm the closest with my cosmetic girls, but there's lots of them, and if they want to bring their bf/husband/kids... the list will grow even more. I'm starting to freak out a bit I guess.

I'm also leaning toward the WP and Napa Room. I dunno why, after all that time I was set on the YC.... I'm second guessing it. I just love the thought of having the Napa Room during Wishes, which I like MUCH better than Illuminations. Then rises the next problem... the Napa Room is for 50 people. Great.

So I had an appointment on Sunday for the Maggie Sottero trunk show.... then I got the Flu. :sick: I knew on Saturday I would not be able to drag myself there, so I canceled. The sales associate told me that I was more than welcome to try on more dresses, but she knows and I know that no dress will compare to the Emily on me. I know this, I've accepted it... I'm saying Yes to the Dress. :laughing:

In the mean time... I'm feeling near death at work today. My nose won't stop running, the sneezing, the choking/coughing, blah blah... sorry I'm ranting. I can't focus on work stuff so between staring at the wall and sipping tea, I'm looking for shoes and a headband. :cutie:

We leave in 2 weeks and I've been trying to pack.... Okay, well, not quite packing, but I opened up my suitcase and have been throwing (literally throwing) stuff in it that I probably will take. I also just ended up going to Target and bought all new toiletries, etc so I didn't have to dig thru all my junk. I bought a few new pairs of jeans, new dress pants, a new skirt, and a few nice sweaters for California Grill, Citricos and Yachtsman. I won't get too dressy for those since we hit the parks afterwards... but I like to look like I made an attempt ;)

I made a list of questions for Bill. Mostly involving timeframes, reception menus, venues, guest counts, etc etc. If I don't make a list... I will forget.

Oh yeah...
If you haven't been to Target's $1 bins lately... you should run there! They have 24 month Mickey planners!! How perfect!! 2011 and 2012!! I can see all the way to the wedding--and it's Mickey--and it's $1!!

So we have the date, the dress, the earrings, the bracelet.... and that's it, lol.

Soon we'll have the venues, the guest list, the shoes and the headband!!

[LuvLuvLuv]

just thought i would add...

i just e-mailed patricia lejeune to get info on booking.

so i'll let you know what i come up with.

[FutureMrs.B]

I'm sorry to hear that you have been sick. I hope you feel better. I think it's normal to go back and forth on your choices. I feel like I've been doing alot of that lately. :lmao: Thanks for the target tip! I'm going to my local target tomorrow and see if I can hunt them down! I'm so jealous that you're going in 2 weeks. Can I be a stow away in your luggage. I'm small I won't take up much space. :rotfl:

[princesswendy720]

When we first got engaged I sat down and made a big spreadsheet of all the wedding costs - all of the Disney costs and non-Disney costs - and from there I played around with the guest count and how it affected the total budget (we have dinner minimums of $125 pp, plus welcome party costs, invitations, favors, welcome bags) - basically anything that was a per person charge. From there I determined that I could afford 40 people and anything over that meant that I had to start making cuts elsewhere - in decor, floral, photography, etc.

I told Greg we need to make A, B, and maybe even C lists of who we want there. We will invite all of the A people, and if we don't get 40 yeses we will extend invites to people on the B list and so on. I think we have 60 people on our A list, so we're hoping to get at least 20 no's just from that list...or else we're in trouble. It feels kind of weird to prioritize people based on how close you are to them, how often you see them, the odds they will actually come, etc..but we needed to find a way to stick to our guest count while having the people we want there. Maybe this might work for you guys too!

[LuvLuvLuv]

So through my sickness, I've been trying to logically put some solutions in place. Unfortunately, this has cost me some $$, because when I need DF to focus--I have to take him out to eat. When you're at a restaurant, there is no laptop, remote control or playstation. I can talk through an iPhone--but I can't compete with DVR recordings. So Sunday it was TGI Fridays, Monday it was Red Lobster, and yesterday was Noodles and Company. Of course after we are done eating he wants to shop. So about $500 later :laughing:--I have a bit of peace about our invite dilemma, vacation plans for the next 2 years, more travel sized items than we need for our trip, 8 different kinds of cold meds and several boxes of kleenex with aloe.

Here's what we decided. I'm going with Wendy's A/B/C idea--with a twist. I've divided our guest list:

Group A: Immediate Family((disclosure: when i say mom--i mean my stepmother -- biological is not in the picture and i will call the police if she attempts to stalk and show up. that's all i will say about that. i wouldn't give her the satisfaction of being called mother.))

Deena: (10) Mom, Aunt, Grandmother, Uncle, Boy Cousin, Girl Cousin, Uncle's GF, Close Family Friend, Other Aunt, Other Boy Cousin

David: (4) Mom, Brother, Grandpa, Grandma


Group B
Best Friends and Extended Family


Group C
Those I want to invite, but may not be able to.


So here's the plan. My family doesn't work the way most do. There's no Yay, Huggy, Congratulations here. There's... why do you have to do it there, why do you have to wait so long, blah blah blah blah blah. They also live out of state so when I go home for Christmas... I'm taking a business plan with me.

Yes. A business plan. The kind you present when you want to start your own company and need to convince the people that it's a good idea. I will have 4 weeks after we return from vacation to make it perfect. Everyone will have a folder, and I will be presenting--all of this over turkey and mashed potatoes :)

It will be nice to have them nailed down and I'm pretty much going to ask if they are committing or not, because I'll invite other people. This is my family--so I can say these things to them :rotfl2: His family is easy. His grandparents live in Florida so the travel won't be as bad either.

Then I get to mix and mingle with my "B" list. These are my closest friends, his closest friends, and maybe some of his cousins he's semi-close with. In passing we're going to ask and try to solidify their interest and availability.

Everyone I'm asking is close to me. I would be able to tell them they have lipstick on their teeth, that their shoes don't match and that they look rough from the night before. With that said--I'm just going to come right out and tell them: My reception area holds 50 people--so it's going to be tough. I will blame the majority on family and tell them based upon who in my family can come will be deciding on how many friends can come.

I told DF that we're not taking applications for new friends because we can't afford anymore :) And I was serious :goodvibes

Once I get a pretty good idea--I will know who to send the Save the Dates to. I will send these as soon as I sign the LOA. I feel better about this now that I have a plan.

So more about my business plan. This will include information about the resorts and pricing. I'm going to let my family help decide on the room block because they will be a big chunk of whatever we decide--so I'll let them "help" on this. Information about dining, things to do, transportation, welcome dinner, farewell breakfast, meet and greet, etc.

We decided to calm down on our vacations in 2011. We plan to do a trip during an open house hopefully in the spring. He wants to stay at Coronado Springs... which baffled me. He said he's always wanted to stay there and he's told me that?? What?? You've never told me that. :confused3 Fine with me--it's cheaper! So as soon as they release the date, I'll book it.

We won't do a fall trip... and sadly won't be back until our planning session. We will stay at Bay Lake Tower during the planning session trip in May 2012. We will most likely do E-pix and my hair trial then.

I'm trying to get focused as I'm approaching the 2 year mark. I need to assure that my savings plan is in place to cover everything we want. In July, we will book our DFTW, our rooms, hopefully Patricia LeJeune, our photographers, and the beginning of July is sooner than we think! Savings won't start until January. We have our trip in 2 weeks... then there's the holiday season. No one can save money during the holidays. I also need to order my dress, and I want my shoes and headband. Oh--then our open house trip.... Looks like I'll be bumping up my hours at the store :headache:

2 weeks from right now, we'll be landing at MCO, checking in to POFQ and heading to eat lunch at Mama Melrose. I keep reminding myself that once I see the places in person--it will all flow from there!! 2 weeks!!! :yay:

[Princess SarahK]

Your family sounds a lot like mine..lol. I like the idea of a business plan. Can you send me what you work up? I may need it when I go "home" for Thanksgiving/Christmas too... I already know I am going to be bombarded..so I feel you! Congrats on working a lot of the logistics though! Hope you feel better soon, I feel myself catching it :sick:

[LuvLuvLuv]

Your family sounds a lot like mine..lol. I like the idea of a business plan. Can you send me what you work up? I may need it when I go "home" for Thanksgiving/Christmas too... I already know I am going to be bombarded..so I feel you! Congrats on working a lot of the logistics though! Hope you feel better soon, I feel myself catching it :sick:

I will send you what I come up with.. we'll coordinate soon!



.......IN OTHER NEWS:

My Ring is Paid in Full!!
It's off Being Sized and will be Back in Time for our Trip!!

I can do online check in in 36 minutes!!!
...and I probably will, lol.

[Princess SarahK]

:cheer2: Cheers for having the ring paid off! Its such a nice feeling to know its 100% yours!! Im so glad DF bought mine cash, it would have really thrown us for a loop if not. So congrats! Have a fantastic week!!

[Tinkerkell007]

Hello Deena! Love reading about everything so far! Ohhh, your trip is soon! Can't wait to hear more. :thumbsup2

[LuvLuvLuv]

So just a little update.

We've let the cat out of the bag. Officially all family and friends know. I guess we were being lazy, and I was feeling a little weird without a ring and the thought of breaking a destination wedding was stressful--but it's done and all is pretty much well. There are of course a family member or two that are not thrilled about travel, etc... but my new attitude is that the Napa Room holds 50 people, minus us, minus the photographers... there are 46 chairs available and 80 people on my guest list. I can fill your spot if you want to gripe and stay home.

Since we've pretty much moved our wedding from the YC gazebo & Yachtsman to WP and the Napa Room lots of changes are happening.

I'm not feeling the aqua blue and lime green with the Napa Room--or the WP carpet, so once I see them, I'm hoping to find a color to compliment them. I shouldn't worry about small things like that, but I'm really weird and crazy about that stuff. Just from pictures I found a color called Clover that may work. Its nice and may be really great for November.

Our new plan is to stay in a honeymoon jacuzzi suite at the GF for 6 nights and move to the YC-CL for our honeymoon for 7 nights. I think it'll be great. I'm just concerned that people won't be able to stay at the GF as easy as they would have the YC. I was hoping everyone would stay close.

I contacted Patricia LeJeune. She's available for my date and said we could book now if I wanted, but advised to wait till I confirm my date. I agree--I just wanted to make sure the second that LOA is signed that I can call her!!

I am rather excited that I think I found a theme :) Sparkles and Sweets. Since my dress has the sparkly crystals I wanted to go with that. Lots of loose crystals and of course Wishes Fireworks!! I also was stressing over floral centerpieces and their expense and what to do with them after. UNTIL.... I was looking thru some archives and found Sunsh1ne's reception. Candy centerpieces?? Think taking the Candy Buffet and putting them in giant vases for each table. I looked thru a Candy Warehouse online and got the pricing and I'm so excited about it that I can't stand it. We will use little bags for favors and they can load up on sweets :) I think people will like this because they can snack on their favorites in their room, or on the plane, etc. I'll have to check on the rules with decorating the Napa Room.

As far as cakes go... I have a love for 2. The Mad Hatter and the one with Swarovski crystals. I am trying to get a vision to mesh these together somehow.

Until they put out the fireworks schedule, the timing is up in the air. Keep your fingers crossed that they don't start MVMCP that early because those fireworks are later.

Oh and now that we're at the WP.... HELLO Confetti Cannon!!

----------

So our trip is in 8 days!! Tonight is my last night off until then so we will be doing laundry, packing and cleaning for our doggie sitter. I made some final tweeks to our ADRs and I thought I'd share them just for fun! We like the hidden gems at the resorts :) ....and about that diet--there's always January.

Wednesday:
Lunch - Mama Melrose
Dinner - California Grill

Thursday:
Breakfast - Kona
----Site Visit----
Lunch - Grand Floridian Cafe
Dinner - Citricos
----MVMCP----

Friday:
Lunch - Les Chefs de France
Dinner - Captain's Grille

Saturday:
Lunch - Turf Club
Dinner - 'Ohana

Sunday:
Lunch - Olivia's
Dinner - Garden Grill

Monday:
Breakfast - Hollywood and Vine
Lunch - Le Cellier
Dinner - Yachtsman

Tuesday:
Lunch - Liberty Tree Tavern



We plan on taking a day to take see and take pictures of all necessary things for newsletters etc. We want to take a few shots of where we want pictures taken, etc. I already let him know that this will be more of a business trip :) I did promise I would buy his beer.

Tonight I'm breaking down and buying another tanning package. I was trying to get away from it, but with the weather change, my eczema is starting to flare and the only thing other than expensive steriod creams that helps is tanning. It does miracles for me after trying everything. I wanted to get a little color before I wear shorts next week anyway.

Well I think that's all I have for now. I'm unpatiently waiting for my ring to be sized and ready to go on our trip!! I can't wait to see my ticker when I post this!! Yay!! :cutie:

[LuvLuvLuv]

Sooo I'm a little frustrated right now.

So on the main board, someone else was frustrated because they hadn't heard back from Bill in a while. Funny, I emailed him on 10/19 and nothing back. So it turns out he's on an unexpected leave. Which is fine. Things happen outside of work and I get that. BUT!!! No one is calling his people and letting them know who is taking care of them??

So I called. I said that I had heard he was away and that I had a site visit for next Thursday. She said to just show up as normal and someone would take his place, okay? (like we were done here and I was going to accept this answer)

Umm.... yeah.

So I asked who it would be. She said she didn't know, but someone would be there. At this point I was nervous, because I was afraid she was assuming "someone" would be there. I know that Wendy's is the same as mine and that rules out at least one coordinator. She tries to end the conversation again--no no. I asked how this person would know what I wanted to see. I sent Bill all this information, and you just want me to show up randomly when I've had an appointment?? She said that someone could call me if I wanted. I asked when, and she said sometime before my appointment. Okay... well that's in 9 days and I leave in 8. She couldn't tell me who was calling me, or when it would be. :headache: I called back to see if someone else answered, and it was her again... so I disconnected. Let's hope this is not the way the rest of the planning will go.

I have a feeling this is going to be a major disaster.
I'll keep updating.

[pixie921]

I'm sorry that your PS is causing you stress! I totally understand your frustration, but hopefully they'll give you someone equally good to work with. Who knows -- you may really hit it off with the new person and it might turn out to be a good thing! :goodvibes

I also wanted to say that I love your idea of the "sparkles and sweets" theme. I have no idea if you'd be interested, but I was ordering a couple things from Beaucoup Favors for our VR earlier today and came across the prettiest favor (or you could use it for a decoration, too) that would totally work with your theme ... it's a crystal piece of candy:

http://i723.photobucket.com/albums/ww240/pixie921_photos/crystal-candy-keepsake-250.jpg

http://www.beau-coup.com/crystal-candy-keepsake.htm

:)

[princesswendy720]

Ugh I'm sorry to hear about the last minute issues with your consultant. It sounds like it took everyone at DFTW by surprise. Does he have an out of office message up? Hopefully they are assigning other people to all of his appointments-or there are going to be lots of angry brides. I don't like the sound of "someone will be there" either- from what I understand, franck's is not their real office, so there isn't a staff of
consultants just hanging around there every day. If I were you I'd keep calling until you get someone who knows how to help. I can PM you Joe's number if you want? He might know more than the people answering the phones.

In happier news, your ADRs look great! I also really like the ideas for
your theme - especially finding a way to bling out the mad hatter cake.

We will be staying at Pop whole we're there (arriving Tuesday and leaving Friday). I don't think we are going to MVMCP.. The only day we could go we are going to spend at the food and wine festival. Right now the plan is DHS on Tuesday, MK on Wednesday, Epcot on thursday after the site visit, and AK on Friday before we leave for the airport.

[LuvLuvLuv]

pixie921 those candies are amazing--i will totally be ordering those!!

i'm having an -- i'm going to the courthouse -- moment/meltdown.

i called dftw again today because i haven't heard from anyone and they left me on hold for 12 minutes. then come back to me and say that someone will call me back. i have a feeling that i'm not getting a site visit next week--or it'll be someone who has no idea what's going on and i'm going to go "bridal" on them and stash my 40,000 and go to the courthouse. this hasn't been so magical and i'm just agitated. sorry, but i have to get this out. i'm still mad that yesterday when i asked a question that they told me not to believe anything on the message boards because it's all heresay. well if we didn't have these boards than we wouldn't know anything because they don't return calls!! i'm thankful for everyone on here and the information they give. i'm sure no one jumps on here thinking... hmmm what lie can i post today.

lets keep our fingers crossed that they call today.

[Princess SarahK]

:grouphug: You poor thing! I hope they call you back today, for their sake! Now Im starting to worry I will be having trouble in about 10 days when its time to get my LOA...:confused: I hope they call you back and you get your questions answered, let us know how it goes. In the meantime let me know if theres anything you need to know! ;)

[LuvLuvLuv]

i will be talking with Diane at 11:30am tomorrow.

i'll update everyone on that tomorrow when we're done!

[DVC Bride 2011]

Diane was my consultant and she was awesome to work with. You are in good hands :thumbsup2

[LuvLuvLuv]

So everything is good in my world. I was able work everything out and am finally at peace :)

Last night we picked up my ring and it is absolutely stunning! I've been getting the ooohs and ahhhhs at work today and I love it! :lovestruc

I've tried to get a pic on my iPhone 3g.... but it's so shiny it looks like a big blur. I'll have to charge my playsport when I get home and take a good one.

I forgot how much I loved tanning. My skin isn't so itchy and I'm getting some color back already. By Wednesday I'll be a sunny bunny.

Still no packing or laundry done. I made a master list today and hope to get lots done over the weekend between working. I'm making wardrobe lists for both of us and scheduling dedicated photopass days, so we have to look better on those days :) On my last trip I totally failed at this. We had character breakfasts on both our water park days and I had no makeup on and wet hair. Total Failure. I like to have a day or two of being comfy and feeling like I'm on vacation... but I also want great pictures.

Well I guess I'll add a funny story too...

After we picked up the ring, we both were starving and had rough days at work... so we went to Bob Evans which was on our way home. It's not exactly appetizing, but the options by our house are Bob, Red Lobster or multiple fast food options. We had Red Lobster last week--and it wasn't in our "Disney is in 5 days" budget, so Bob's it is. Ugh. So we sit down, are waited on by your stereotypical Kentuckian and we're just staring at the ring. He asked to see it so I handed it to him, then he grabbed my hand and put it on my ring finger. He acted like this was the romantic gesture that I've been waiting for. I gave him a look of disgust and I told him that to quit while he was ahead. First you ask me to "be your cow" while I'm in pajamas at the house with no ring, then you put the ring on my finger in Bob Evans. So much for my fairytale. He tried to be cute and I commended him for this, but he will be doing many more things to make up for all this in the next 2 years before the wedding. He will be sentenced to Welcome Bag prison for sure.

I've been all over the boards today prepping for vaca and debating on doing my usual dining report, my first ever trip report, and keeping this updated. It sounds like a lot, and I'm not sure about it. I feel somewhat obligated to report my food experiences and would feel terrible if I didn't share, lol. I have an addiction. I obviously will report my wedding stuff... so this may not be the trip to do a full trip report on... but we'll see!!

Pix of the Ring Up Next!
:yay:

[FutureMrs.B]

Gratz on getting your ring! I can't wait to see pics of it!!

[NOMNOMNOMS]

I've just caught up on your PJ! I'll definitely be following you along your journey...Love everything so far and can't wait to see the pics of your DIY save the dates and everything else! :thumbsup2

[LuvLuvLuv]

Gratz on getting your ring! I can't wait to see pics of it!!

thanks!! i haven't had time to get a good pic of it yet... let alone post it!! things have been crazy... i can't wait to put it up on the ering post!

I've just caught up on your PJ! I'll definitely be following you along your journey...Love everything so far and can't wait to see the pics of your DIY save the dates and everything else! :thumbsup2

thanks for joining in!!

------------------------

So.... we leave for WDW in the morning. I haven't packed, I haven't cleaned, I haven't colored my hair or made my last minute Wal-Mart run. I've been in this weird funk and haven't exactly felt that great. I just had a coldish/flu thing 2 weeks ago... but it feels like something is trying to come back. I think it's the weather.

On the bright side. I woke up at 6:00am on Sunday with the time change and DF was just getting home from work. He wanted to go to sleep, but I took him to Cracker Barrell, loaded up on caffiene and noms... was discussing the trip... and mid-caffiene high I told him I wanted a new camera---NOW. I told him that my 2 Nikon digis are old and outdated, and I didn't like his Kodak that his grandfather got him last year at random. I love my Kodak Playsport for playing around with video... but there's no flash. He keeps telling me to save for the Canon Rebel T2i that I want... but even though I want it, I can't see me getting into all that before the wedding. By the time I get the camera, the accessories and a lens or two.... That's pretty much my wedding reception. So after Cracker Barrell, we went to Target and I was looking at the Canon digis... comparing.... and the tech guys were all in a group ignoring us, then I yell out.... Um, can I buy this camera? Then they come running--all of a sudden they were hungry for a sale and wanted to make sure I had memory cards too, lol. Well I got 2 of them just to be safe. I ended up with the Canon PowerShot SD1400 14.1mp. It's very tiny, has great features, takes amazing photos and it was on sale :) This should get me by for a while. It really is a great camera, and its compact--I'm glad I made this choice.

So DF told me the other day that he wants to re-propose to me in the Magic Kingdom. Is this dumb? No seriously, I can't decide. Sure the picture would be cute, but it's already been done. I mean, no one in the crowd would know that we've been engaged for 2 months, but I feel like it's going to bring odd attention and I'm not sure my face can just "act surprised". He really wants to do this, and I think I may be really against it. Do I just go along with it for the sake that he wants to do it? I think when I told him that "this hasn't really been a fairy tale for me" he started to feel bad. Maybe I shouldn't have said that... but maybe he shouldn't have asked me to be his cow. I just feel like he's going to go thru all this trouble with a photopass person and I'm just going to laugh--like hysterically and may even wet myself. I really do welcome any opinions on this because if it's dumb-- I want it to be re-iterated to me. If it's cute or a good idea-- I may need convinced and told to suck it up.

Okay, I'm having a pre-trip panic attack. Too much needs done in too little time and it's making me feel sick and antsy. Does anyone else get this?? I should probably do some work. Please let me know what you think. Thanks!!

[elleinad16]

Aww, I think another proposal in front of the castle is romantic! :goodvibes
I wouldn't be too worried about drawing in crowds of attention...when fe proposed to me in front of the castle his sister was taking the pictures, when we look back at them now we notice NO ONE is even paying attention! It looks like they've seen way too many proposals in their lifetime :lmao:

Ultimately, the decision is up to you, but I think humoring your fiance is a good thing...and the new pictures you'll have will be nice too :)

[Princess SarahK]

Hey, its sweet that he's taken the thought to consider your feelings and want to make it right! Regardless of his screw up with the cow, lol. I think it will make him feel better about it and this way you will have TWO engagement stories, and two wonderful (okay one) wonderful memory of it. And he may say some great things that will really make you glad to hear, if hes not a feelings-sharer..like my DF. I say let him clear his conscience and flatter you at the same time, whats the hurt? Then again, if you are super against it and it will make you angry I vote against it..sounds like he may want to swoon you again though. (insert the cute "awwww") Id give it a try. I wish I had a cute, romantic proposal..:rolleyes1

[LuvLuvLuv]

Aww, I think another proposal in front of the castle is romantic! :goodvibes
I wouldn't be too worried about drawing in crowds of attention...when fe proposed to me in front of the castle his sister was taking the pictures, when we look back at them now we notice NO ONE is even paying attention! It looks like they've seen way too many proposals in their lifetime :lmao:

Ultimately, the decision is up to you, but I think humoring your fiance is a good thing...and the new pictures you'll have will be nice too :)

thanks for the advice!! i think i'm going to let him do it, it'll be great :)

Hey, its sweet that he's taken the thought to consider your feelings and want to make it right! Regardless of his screw up with the cow, lol. I think it will make him feel better about it and this way you will have TWO engagement stories, and two wonderful (okay one) wonderful memory of it. And he may say some great things that will really make you glad to hear, if hes not a feelings-sharer..like my DF. I say let him clear his conscience and flatter you at the same time, whats the hurt? Then again, if you are super against it and it will make you angry I vote against it..sounds like he may want to swoon you again though. (insert the cute "awwww") Id give it a try. I wish I had a cute, romantic proposal..:rolleyes1


I agree with you :) Thanks for putting things into perspective for me!! It wouldn't make me angry... I just would giggle and smirk because I knew it was happening, lol!! Maybe your DF will re-propose to you :rotfl2:

[Skyetk]

Sooo I'm a little frustrated right now.

So on the main board, someone else was frustrated because they hadn't heard back from Bill in a while. Funny, I emailed him on 10/19 and nothing back. So it turns out he's on an unexpected leave. Which is fine. Things happen outside of work and I get that. BUT!!! No one is calling his people and letting them know who is taking care of them??

So I called. I said that I had heard he was away and that I had a site visit for next Thursday. She said to just show up as normal and someone would take his place, okay? (like we were done here and I was going to accept this answer)

Umm.... yeah.

So I asked who it would be. She said she didn't know, but someone would be there. At this point I was nervous, because I was afraid she was assuming "someone" would be there. I know that Wendy's is the same as mine and that rules out at least one coordinator. She tries to end the conversation again--no no. I asked how this person would know what I wanted to see. I sent Bill all this information, and you just want me to show up randomly when I've had an appointment?? She said that someone could call me if I wanted. I asked when, and she said sometime before my appointment. Okay... well that's in 9 days and I leave in 8. She couldn't tell me who was calling me, or when it would be. :headache: I called back to see if someone else answered, and it was her again... so I disconnected. Let's hope this is not the way the rest of the planning will go.

I have a feeling this is going to be a major disaster.
I'll keep updating.

I had a similar thing happen with the coordinators at Disneyland, CA. Except it happened the day I showed up for the site visit, and I made a nice big scene at the planning office - I didn't mean too.

I try to look at it as "well it happened now so it wont happen when it REALLY matters". Of course this view point came after the anger flushed face and the panic attack, lol.

[LuvLuvLuv]

well we're back--physically. this is my 2nd day back at work and i'm still pretty wore out. i had an allergy attack while we were down there and was trying to be a big girl about it--but i was visibly miserable. i did give my new camera a work out. i took over 1400 pics and i have to go through them all, probably this weekend to give a full report. i'm also doing a dining reviews which will be taking up some time as well. i may wait to do any of this till thanksgiving day. i won't be able to make it home, so it'll be a nice, lazy day for me to do pictures.

quick tr in a nutshell: we hated pofq and moved to coronado the first day--which we ended up loving. the next day, we went to our site visit--saw wendy for a minute--got in there, sat down... and there was bill!! i was so happy to see he was back!! not just happy... ecstatic!! we looked at the wedding pavilion and i fell in :lovestruc. we then came back to franck's and went over some details---he was impressed to see i had already penciled the officiant and makeup/hair. we discussed a few other vendors and i was happy and impressed that he didn't push all disney services on us. i wasn't sure how that would go. we then went to see the napa room which was even better than we imagined. we had just had an incredible meal there the previous night--then seeing the room was just great!! we absolutely loved it. we got the table information and another plus to this room is that wishes is piped in for free since it's located in the restaurant!!! :wizard: this is a major plus because i was prepared to pay for it!! ((sooo, um babe--since we're saving money on the music... can you say confetti cannon??)) it was just perfect for us. i'm so happy.

we went back to franck's and we talked about transportation, menus, tux rental/steaming. when we got to the dessert party thing, i was prepared to say "pass." this was something he didn't want to do, and i wasn't going to push it. we had been over it a million times and he kept saying no. we let bill know that we weren't huge fans of illuminations, and that we were already doing wishes at the reception. then when he brought up fantasmic!--df turned into an 8 year old and was like... that's a great idea, can we do it?? can we do it?? really?? i've asked you a million times and you've shot me down, lol!! it's a long shot--but if fantasmic! runs the night before our wedding, we will be having a dessert party then. it will be cheaper than a welcome dinner, and the fantasmic minimums were pretty low. i forget what they were, but i remember that it was less than what it would cost to feed 50 people dinner. another thing to cross your fingers about is that wishes runs the night of the wedding and that there is no mvmcp. this makes me kind of anxious, but i'm hoping for the best. i love wishes so much that i bought the cd while we were there. i think that's the first cd i've bought in a few years, lol. so the site visit was a success--we can book on july 5. so i need to save my pennies...

which brings me back to my 8 year old df. he wants to go back in may--:eek:. don't get me wrong, i always want to go back. he wants to stay at BLT, GF or YC. :scared1: so even with a great discount, spending $, tip $, tickets and dining plan... we're talking about $6000. yikes--that could go to the wedding. so i'm thinking about getting on the weight loss train and trying to do e-pix and hair/mkup trial so it's not a complete bust. sooooo.... we did most of our ADRs last night and we'll be there may 7-14. hopefully holiday commission is plentiful. here's where i'm going to sneak in a little vent. i pay for the vacations myself. all of them--and the majority of the wedding will be paid by me. i'm the one with the excess since he does the big bills and is trying to pay off his debt from his divorce which he got screwed in. he pays most of the bills, the mortgage, etc. i'm on the fast track to paying off my debt from being a frivolous 19-25 year old, but i needed to keep my 2nd job to do that faster--i should be completely out with the exception of my student loan and car in march 2013. when i got my office day job after being a dior manager for 2 1/2 years, i asked to stay 10 hours per week, but they said they "needed" me for about 22-28 a week---which gives me an abundance of spending every month since i make a pretty decent amount there plus commission, plus store discounts and free dior :goodvibes. i get us nice things. i know that he doesn't have excess that i do, and i try to get him everything he wants. we always have new technology pieces, new shoes, new clothes, nice dinners--but i work my tail off for these things. i mean, i am ALWAYS at work. it just seems that as soon as i focus on something to put my money to, that something else comes up and it makes me crazy!!! that's all (i feel better now-deep breath)... in happy news... we'll be back in disney in 6 months!! yay!! then we'll come back and our deposit will be due!! yay!!

in other news--i got jack day's packet of info in the mail while we were gone. i'm really glad i chose him. he's sweet. we caught a glimpse of him while we were on our site visit as well.

i can't wait to put pictures up!! just give me a week or so because next week is thanksgiving and retail is about to get a bit crazy. our suitcases are still in the living room and we haven't touched them yet. i haven't even been hungry since we've been home. i've already lost the 2 pounds i gained while there. which is good because the past 2 trips i gained 7 pounds each time!! so now it's all about getting in shape and getting organized for this wedding!! less than 2 years away!!

[princesswendy720]

I'm happy you had a productive visit as well! The Fantasmic party sounds so fun and different! We can confirm dates on July 12...so I'll be counting down the days too hehe

I'm in the exact same boat regarding vacation spending and saving for the wedding. I just paid off our Disney Cruise in February and have to buy airfare and pay off the Disney portion of that trip. I keep thinking that money could go towards the wedding, but Greg deserves to go on vacation too so I'm trying to suck it up. We are doing our e-pics on that trip too. I'm also paying for the wedding on my own...Greg will be paying for the honeymoon. We split all of our bills...but I make significantly more than him...so it just works out better that way.

Did it get crowded in Disney while you were there? We saw the crowds pick up a lot on Thursday/Friday (I'm guessing it was people coming in for Veterans Day trips). I'm curious if the weekend was busy too.

[LuvLuvLuv]

I'm happy you had a productive visit as well! The Fantasmic party sounds so fun and different! We can confirm dates on July 12...so I'll be counting down the days too hehe

I'm in the exact same boat regarding vacation spending and saving for the wedding. I just paid off our Disney Cruise in February and have to buy airfare and pay off the Disney portion of that trip. I keep thinking that money could go towards the wedding, but Greg deserves to go on vacation too so I'm trying to suck it up. We are doing our e-pics on that trip too. I'm also paying for the wedding on my own...Greg will be paying for the honeymoon. We split all of our bills...but I make significantly more than him...so it just works out better that way.

Did it get crowded in Disney while you were there? We saw the crowds pick up a lot on Thursday/Friday (I'm guessing it was people coming in for Veterans Day trips). I'm curious if the weekend was busy too.

Yeah, I'm with you on the vacation thing. If we don't go... that means no vacation for all of 2011 and that would be intense to not to have a break. We deserve it, and I'll make it somewhat productive :) I just booked a standard room at the Grand Floridian on my lunch, which I want to give a try before the wedding anyway.

It was a bit crowded from Thursday-Sunday. It was a combo of the Golf Tournament and Veteran's Day. The weather was amazing though!! We didn't stand in long lines, we shopped around, snacked, used fast passes. Our favorite part of the whole trip was the Osborne Lights. They were so awesome. The next time I see them will be on the honeymoon and I can't wait!!! So funny thing happened on Friday. We had to go to guest services because they didn't transfer our tickets over right when we transferred rooms. We didn't use our tickets on Thursday because we had the site visit, then went to MVMCP. So we are in the line for guest services at EPCOT and DF is like... haha, that girl is trying to look like Snooki. So I look over--I'm like, ummmm that's because it is Snooki. So I took a few pictures just so people would believe me, lol. I'm the paparazzi in training.


I guess I'll tell this story now and add pix later...

We were at MVMCP and we were so tired from getting up early for breakfast and the site visit. It was also quite crowded. So instead of riding, we decided to stand in line and take character pictures. We normally don't do this, so it was pretty fun!! Especially because we had our engaged buttons on. When we were with the step sisters, they asked him if he proposed to me properly. He answered no, but he was going to. They threw a fit at him and said they wanted him to do it now, lol. He was embarrassed. It was right before fireworks, so they said that we were to meet them at the wishing well on the side of the castle at 10pm. I didn't know if they were joking or serious, but we were there, they showed up--he got down on one knee (before we arrived he took my ring), said a few words that choked me up and made me giggle at the same time and it was re-official, lol!! we got a bunch of great pics with the sisters and it was so much fun. i never expected anything like that!! So his new story to everyone was that he proposed in front of the castle, lol. We'll let him live his dream--as far as I'm concerned, I've been engaged since he stumbled in drunk on Labor Day :rotfl:

Those buttons wore me out!! Everyone saying congrats, asking how he did it, asking to see the ring, asking when's the date--- I felt like a celeb all week. The last 2 days, I told Dave I didn't have the energy to visibly wear it, so I put it on my Duffy purse. I fell in love with that soft little bear. I got the stuffed animal and the purse. My dog fell in love with the stuffed animal and grabbed it out of my big bag I take on the plane... but I had to burst his bubble because $25 for a dog toy is a bit excessive.

Okay, I still have massive work to catch up on that I'm avoiding. Maybe that's why I keep typing. Okay.... see ya bye!

[LuvLuvLuv]

I feel like I abandoned my PJ--it's been 12 days, lol. In my spare (:rotfl2:) time I've been going through my vacation pictures and putting them in folders, cropping, editing etc etc. Most of my time has been going toward my dining reviews and there are minor trip points in that as well... so check it out. (a picture of my ring is also there!) So here's a little update:

The day of our site visit I left the room with:
New, Awesome Digital Camera-- No battery (left on the charger), With Memory Card

Kodak Playsport-- With battery - No memory card (in the carry case that I didn't bring)

I was so mad that I threw a hissy fit on the monorail when I realized what I did. I took the memory card from the digital and put it in the Playsport. All the pictures I took on my site visit day look pretty rough. A couple came out okay and I'll post those soon. We've all seen the Wedding Pavilion and the Napa Room--they are what they are.

Cha Cha Cha Changes:
Our Aqua and Lime scheme is no more. We aren't feeling them up against our venues now that we're not outside at the YCG. We've decided on Clover as our main color. It is a dominant color in the WP and the Napa Room. I'm a little crazy when it comes to matchy matchy, and I'm at peace with this. It's also a nice, calm color for November. Now that I've seen our places in person and have our main color, it's been easier to look for decorations online. I just haven't had anything jump out at me yet. I'm not ruling the "sparkles and sweets" theme out yet--especially because he's loving the idea now. (at first he hated it, lol) It seems like every time I move on to a different idea because he wasn't sold on my original idea... he ends up liking the first one after I'm "over" it. Ahhh! So Clover it is. I would like to do dark colored tableclothes in the Napa Room if possible--maybe like an eggplant or black? The few people that I ran this by said it would make the room look really dark.... well I like that. I like it a lot. I think it would make the sparkles really shine and having it darker in there would make the fireworks seem brighter. DF really really likes the idea of the glowing sorbet slipper. I told him to get a third job :laughing:

Speaking of deliciousness:
I've been staring at the CG menus they gave us at the site visit and am trying to vision how they'll work since there isn't much they'll work with. Unfortunately, I'm the sick kid with allergies. I'm allergic to tree nuts (including coconut, excluding peanuts), zucchini, and we're both allergic to mushrooms. Almonds, Coconut and Mushrooms are always in recipes it seems. I also have skin reactions to pineapple, strawberries and tomatoes--so unless I pick a photographer that photoshops hives away... I better steer clear. So within reason, they will have to work with me. The menus look pretty good, and I already know their food is great. I'm not sold on the "family style" serving of filet--but what are ya gonna do, right?

As much as I want to do the MK photo shoot, I'll have lots of castle pix from the beach and the reception... we'll see. Maybe there will be awesome new stuff in Fantasyland by then... and hopefully that :headache: crane will be gone!!

Our stay in May will determine how long we want to stay at GF for the wedding and when we will move over to YC for the honeymoon. We've never stayed at a monorail resort before so I'm looking forward to giving it a try.

Next dilemma. Photography. This word is giving me a migrane.

Because I am unable to be at peace with a decision, I have decided to go with a resort (GF) PhotoPass session as our e-pix. It's $125 for a 40 minute session and you get the CD. This is a win. Although I wanted to use this time to get to know my photographer... it doesn't look feasable. I don't think I'll have a decision by then, nor the $$ for a real session. It will also be May and warm, and he will lose patience in the heat. I also need to book a makeup/hair trial with Patricia. We just need a couple good pictures, I don't need a ton of engagement shots. I'd rather have lots of wedding photos!!

I am really stressing over this, I wish my friends were fluent in Orlando photography, lol. Going into a Disney wedding, I thought I knew for sure on who I was going with, but now that I am into heavy research--I am going crazy! I really like black and white, fish eye, and photojournalistic shots. If you have any words of wisdom on this... please PM me. Oh, and we're definately doing a first look.

Dress Steaming and Tuxes....
We're going with Carolyn Allen's for both, should make it easier I think. Thoughts? Comments?

The plan on transportation is to do a limo. We're giving GF, BLT and CSR as room block options, so BLT/GF will be really close (close enough for the healthy to walk) and we'll need a trip or three ;) to CSR. After the ceremony, the limo can take those unable to walk long distances over to CR, and the rest of us will take the monorail because I want pictures!! YC will also be on the room block, but we're not telling because we're just using that for our honeymoon.

We're also still looking at the Fantasmic! dessert party. Of course we won't know about that until 6 months out... my back up plan is to eat at Cape May Cafe or O'hana. Although, I've heard spotty stuff about O'hana in large groups :sad2: Pssh, it's spotty when you go with 2 people :laughing: But it's yummy. I especially like my hot fudge brownie sundae since I can't have the bread pudding (coconut allergy). This is also stressful to not be able to nail it down until times come out.

If you haven't noticed... Christmas is right around the corner. This means I need to get all my :eek: together before I go home and "present" this to my family. Since all my plans have changed, I need to rework the program and get prepared. I would say the majority of my family that I ask will be there, simply because Pennslyvanian's love Disney. I just want to give them time to save if needed. Now my friends from here (Kentucky/Cincinnati) and his family/friends may be a harder sale. It doesn't have to be a million dollar trip people! You don't have to go to a park if you don't want to!! I'm beating a dead horse with that subject.

So the next step:
Start buying things. Yeah... I'll get right on that. Right after I buy Christmas gifts, pay off medical bills, pay off vacation that I upgraded to Sugarloaf for his birthday as a surprise :cutie:. The first thing I want for sure is my wedding band, then my dress/shoes/understuff, lol. I figure I'll pick up little welcome bag stuff along the way so it doesn't seem so crazy later. I've been working on music selections and want to start preparing that as well. After Christmas when those rubbermade bins go on sale I'm going to buy about 5 of them (is that enough?) to cart stuff down there.

What am I missing? Everything, lol?

Now that I know what I'm kinda looking for, I can share my ideas!! I knew things would come together after the site visit!! I'm so excited!!

[Princess SarahK]

What an update! Everything sounds awesome!! I cant wait to read more! You are surely on top of it, girl!!;)

[LuvLuvLuv]

Disclosure: The following may be due to the intense-ness of holiday season in retail and working another full time job, and trying to keep up with a household, and having to lay out every wedding detail to my out of town family in 16 days.

I am having a crisis. I just want to be married--now. I think my ticker said One Year, 10 months and whatever...

If you were previously tuned in, you saw my pregnancy/baby dilemma. I am wanting to wait until after the wedding, and he is wanting a child now now now. I need both my jobs to continue to pay down debt and pay for this wedding. Who am I kidding... I need both my jobs and a powerball hit. I will not be able to work 2 jobs with a child, or I will never see it--which will leave him and FMIL :sad2: to raise my kid. no way. i'm also struggling enough to lose my weight. i know it can be done--i just don't have the hours in the day to make it happen. i've been doing a vitamin d thing that i found in First magazine and it seems to be doing something.

so the first half of yesterday, i ran numbers on what dropping to an escape would be, and cutting the guest list. we have 19 family members--so one couldn't come, and not even 1 friend could be there. i assumed we would just get a table for 20 at CG and call it a day. we went to dinner at a local hibachi grill and i brought my research up. the friend thing made both of us sad. i think if it was up to us, we'd only have our friends there :rotfl2: so within minutes we were back to our Wishes wedding and I snuck in a rough question... So how are we going to pay for all this? Now, I know that I can contribute a significant amount, but I'm still coming up short. I obviously will need a little bit of help and his answer of "i don't know" wasn't what I wanted to hear. we were by ourselves at our table, and our chef kind of got the hint we were having a conversation and quit with the tricks, lol. it was delish btw. i think it was when he told me the difference between escape and wishes was ONLY 30 guests. :eek: i had a look of panic on my face, like he didn't get it. I kind of loudly said, yeah... at about $225+ a head for everything all together (food, dessert party, welcome bag, cake, favor, fees, etc) we're talking the cost of a Chevy Aveo, lol.

we've had this talk before and he came up with alllll these ideas--but has yet to follow through. Somedays I get so mad when I look at my finance spreadsheet and see I have $15721 left in debt to pay down and I think of just throwing my wedding budget on that, quitting one job and being stress free. I have paid down over $11000 in the past 16 months and I am making great strides!! (not to mention 2 disney trips :wizard: and still have all the nice things we want) I've tried to imagine a non-disney wedding and truthfully.... I'd rather not be married at all if I can't be married there. So I guess I need to make it happen.

As far as progess goes... I'm on the last page of the newsletter, I probably won't post it on here, because I won't be able to figure out how... if you would like a copy... PM me your address, or if you have Microsoft Publisher--I can email it to you. This is what I will be presenting over Christmas.

Also, after much thought and research--have decided on, and have been in contact with Misty Miotto. She has such wonderful visions and we hope to have her with us on our special day! If possible, I would like to ditch the original idea of the resort photopass session for one of hers. She said she books e-pix a month in advance, so I'll be saving pennies and selling dooneys :laughing: to make this happen. I would feel way more comfortable meeting her first. I think I read on a PJ in the past that she does 15% off for Disney Brides. She didn't mention this... anyone know if she still does this?? That would be another confetti cannon if she does pixiedust:

Ummm so I wanted to order my dress soon.... BUT--the 2011 Maggie Sottero collection is out and I am going to have to try some more on. They are beautiful! She out-did herself this time!! They're all amazing. I still love the Emily dress, but I just need to be sure, for sure, lol!! Plus, I think I just want to try more on :cutie: There's soooo many new ones!!! There's another Maggie trunk show here in Cincinnati in January--so I'm going to that, with hopes I won't be sick again :sick:

I found shoes that I liked last night at JC Penney--they were on super sale and I may go back and get them. DF thinks I should get the platforms that blink different colors that women of "certain" professions wear :lmao: He said that's the only way to make me tall enough. He's probably right :rotfl: I love the pictures where the bride rests her head on her groom.... the problem is that the top of my head doesn't even come to his shoulder--so I need about a 6 or 7 inch bump, lol. We also won't be able to take kissing pictures because I have to look straight up extending my chicken neck, and he hunches over like the hunchback of notre dame---and it turns out awful--everytime. That's what I get for discovering coffee in 2nd grade i guess :confused3 Maybe the lovely and talented Misty can help with this.

I also (in the shower this morning--weird how wedding stuff hits you at the strangest times) figured out what I'm going to do for my Something Old. My dad (who passed away in 2008) made me a little hand painted barrette when I was little. He painted my name on it, and I wore it all the time. I think I know where it's at, but I'm going to hunt for it. Depending on how long my hair is, we can put it in my hair, or I can put it on my bouquet. Something blue will probably be a garter. (or flashing lights on shoes if DF had it his way :rotfl2:) Something borrowed--no clue yet. Something new--well, lol, everything.

I've been making a list of questions to send to Bill. I know I won't be able to send an email to him until after the holidays when my thoughts are back in order. Until then, I keep a question list on file in my wedding folder. I also want to check in on the status of my date. We've decided to use Ohana as a backup plan if Fantasmic! isn't running the night before. My only super concern is Wishes being on my wedding night. Not that Holiday Wishes isn't pretty--but hearing the Wishes soundtrack on my wedding night would be amazing. I listened to it on the way into work today as a matter of fact :wizard:

Anywho... the moral of the story is that I'm ready to get this show on the road. I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way--and that's why we're here! I hope everyone is having a great, stress free, holiday season! Unless something major happens, I probably won't post until after Christmas. Maybe I'll add a few pictures in or something--but I must work on my Dining Reviews! Happy Holidays!

[princesswendy720]

I feel this way ALL the time. I've considered dropping to escape or eloping and doing memories. Or trying to cut my expenses significantly, save more, and cut out the extras so we can move the date up. What keeps me from doing this is that I don't want to rush it because I'm impatient-if I'm gonna get married in Disney it's going to be everything I ever dreamed of- there won't be a chance to go back and do it again. I don't want any regrets or wishing I had done or had something that we couldn't afford. Just hang in there! I'm not going to say time will fly by or it will be here before you know it because I'm living it and time is crawling by!! I've been trying to focus on things other than the wedding. I'm hoping if my brain isn't constantly planning I won't get as frustrated about the wait. I'm trying to focus on short term goals (our February trip is my next project).

[LuvLuvLuv]

I can't focus. I am so excited today, I feel like leaving work and going home to pack :rotfl:

I took my work bonus and booked:

March 18-20 - Pop Century (first time at a value)
Quick Service Dining Plan (this will cover 2 breakfasts, a lunch and dinner)
1 Day Park Hopper (i'm going to see all my favorites in one day)
Bridal Showcase, Luncheon with David Tutera, and Dessert Party!!!!!!

It's paid in full!!!! All I have to do is book my flight--I was going to get a buddy pass, but the flights look kind of full and I don't want to chance flying standby.

I made an ADR for Cape May Cafe for Friday Night (3/18) if anyone wants to join let me know!!!

I'm going by myself so it will be quite the adventure! I hope other ladies show up by themselves so I can socialize!!

I can't even explain how excited I am about this!! I didn't know if I could swing it with our big trip in May... but I worked it all out :) Yay!!

So I may as well add that my shoes are on their way! I found exactly what I was looking for online and they should be on their way this week!! The price was even more attractive, then when my aunt offered to get them--it was a complete win--Free for Me!! When I go home for Christmas, I'm buying my friends crinolene from her... she said it's taking up room in her closet and it could be mine for $30--- sold! I know that I'll be getting Wal-Mart and Target gift cards for Christmas and I'm going to start getting stuff for the welcome bags with those.

In 12 days I can officially say.... "I'm getting married next year!"

[elleinad16]

:woohoo: I'm so happy for you!!! You are going to have a blast in March! I can't wait to see pictures, hopefully one of you and David Tutera! ;)

[KitKat5]

How exciting! You'll have a fab time! You'll be there at the same time as me too!

[LuvLuvLuv]

:woohoo: I'm so happy for you!!! You are going to have a blast in March! I can't wait to see pictures, hopefully one of you and David Tutera! ;)

i was just thinking to myself that i may have to buy another memory card, lol!!! i hope he takes pix with everyone... if not, i'll be like... excuse me sir, i didn't pay $50 for this food, i paid $50 for a picture with you! :rotfl2:

How exciting! You'll have a fab time! You'll be there at the same time as me too!

Yay! I'm nervous about going alone! You should sign up for the dessert party!!

_________

So I'm going back and forth about what I'm going to do for food. I love Disney food. I originally booked the DDP, then switched to QSDP, now I may go back to DDP. I don't even know what to pick! Here's what I'm currently hungry for:

OOP: Breakfast - Pop Food Court
QS: Columbia Harbour House, Cosmic Rays, Earl of Sandwich
TS: Captain's Grille, Cape May Cafe, San Angel Inn, Big River Grille

Friday I am going to be on a commando mission, but am thinking I may want to have a sit down lunch when I first get there to unwind from the plane trip. So I was thinking San Angel for lunch, then QS at MK for dinner. Then Captain's Grille on Saturday before the dessert party. Ugh.... I get obsessed so easy with this garbage!! I'm leaning more toward Captain's Grille than Cape May I think. Being alone, I would have to lug my purse and hope they don't clear my table, etc etc etc. Big River has good steak, shrimp, mashed potatoes and chocolate cake :confused3 I have been craving San Angel since we left there so I pretty much have to count that one in. I normally get a kid's Mickey waffle meal for breakfast... I can OOP that.

So if my calculations are correct, this is 12 weeks away :yay: In busy Deena time that means... tomorrow, lol! This also means that if I want to like my picture with David Tutera that I need to put the McDonald's down and grab an apple :laughing: Luckily my strep and sinus infection for the past 2 weeks has got me 7 lb down :) So I'm on my way!! ((except for the fact that this week is Christmas, lol)) I love when I have something short term to look forward to... it gives me a big kick to get moving!

[Princess SarahK]

How exciting for you!! We just got back from our trip a week ago and had a blast. Although me and Mom were freeeezing! It was more of a play trip than a wedding planning trip...oops! But in my defense at this point theres not much I can really do. So it was a nice trip. You are going to have so much fun! Nothing and no one holding you back! Im so excited for you!! :goodvibes

[LuvLuvLuv]

Woo Hoo! Little Update! 10 things for today:

1. My shoes are in --- they are more gunmetal silver than bright silver and that is bothering me.... but they are super cute, great height and I think they'll work just fine! The peep toe is perfect--not oddly shaped like some cheap shoes, lol. Can't wait to take pix! If nothing else, I have the sassiest shoes for e-pix, lol. I am almost 95% sure I'll be wearing these though.

2. Although I booked POP, I was able to rent points for a studio at Kidani for only $43 more!! Sorry POP, I'm staying with the zebras... you can keep your spring breakers :)

3. It was actually cheaper to stay until Monday instead of flying on a Sunday. Go figure. So I'm staying an extra day. Then I added another day of park tickets... and it's more expensive, lol. At this point, I don't care, lol. At least I don't have to go commando in one day.

4. I've narrowed my dresses to 2. Maggie Sottero's Emily and Dominique. I should quit looking, the Emily was made for me.

5. I found a headband on a website that I'm ordering. Can't wait to show you! It compliments the Emily sooooo well.

6. Dave wants me to wear J'adore Leau for the wedding, but I want to wear Philosophy's Unconditional Love. I'm going to get a bottle with Christmas Gift Cards. I think it'll make for an exceptional picture. I wear J'adore Leau all the time.

7. So now that my apparel is coming together, next is to save save save save save. I'm terrible at saving. I'm better at spending. I wish I could send the money to Disney every month when I have it. If it's anywhere with my name on it, I will spend it--foolishly.

8. I've decided to wait on E-pix until the planning session. I'm being tested like a test dummy for hormone issues, and they said once they straighten me out I'll be able to lose weight easier. They drew 5 vials this morning, so maybe tomorrow we will see things a little clearer :) Plus, I want the discount you get when you book a wedding, but if I can't book for sure until the LOA, then I don't get the epix discount.... its a mess--I'll just wait. Plus why do a hair trial, if I don't know what my hair will look like in 2 years. The other day I said I was growing it out. Then last night we were bored at work and I cut the sides into an angled bob and I had my friend stack the back. As you can imagine, we weren't busy.

9. This weekend I am going to try to get together with my childhood best friend. I know that schedules around Xmas are tough, but I want to feel her out to see if she'll come. I'd like her to be my MOH--but I don't know if she'll travel or not. We'll see.

10. HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! (or whatever you celebrate :) )

[LuvLuvLuv]

I'M GETTING MARRIED NEXT YEAR!!


Well I hope everyone had a great holiday. I know I'm behind on adding pictures, but I am never home :( Someday I will add some.

The holidays were prosperous and talks of the wedding were all over the place. Here is a little recap:

1. I am 100% in love with the Maggie Sottero Emily dress, and have every intention on buying it, but just for fun--I'm going to try on the Disney dresses as my local store just called and told me they have them in :cutie: This will be done tomorrow night :)

2. My side of the family is definately a go for the wedding. Although I was of course told it would be cheaper to do elsewhere. The look I gave them let them know that their commentary was un-necessary. After much talk about accommodations--they decide they want to stay off-site. I tried to hold in my hissy fit for the sake of Christmas dinner, but when we left my uncle's, I unleashed on my stepmom advising that at least she and my aunt would be staying onsite if I had to pay for it myself. I think they should all stay onsite for my sanity---but in the end---it's their money.

3. Thru the talks over Christmas, my stepmom decided she wanted to go with me in March. I have to say, I was excited to go alone.... but I think she'll be more willing to help if she sees some of the sights. She's very excited to be going, and I'm pretty excited too. It's the first time she'll be there since my dad has passed, so I'm glad she'll be able to get out any emotions about that before the wedding. I'm also hoping she'll see the importance of staying onsite. I put us on the DxDDP and booked all the meals I want for the wedding festivities so she can try them. She wants to pay for a family dinner at Ohana if she likes it.

((Funny story about the family dinner. I told her the price and the menu, and she's like, okay, so there's ..., ..., ... naming all the family plus me and Dave and she said--where's the calculator?? Talking aloud, she says 12 times... UM HOLD UP!! I had to advise her that Dave had a family too :rotfl2: she wasn't thinking and forgot about his side. We started to laugh--I think that would be a little rude to not include them))

4. Dave is really fighting me on the Clover and Black scheme--and I am angry, lol. I guess I can't win every battle. I was so mad I told him I'm ready to drop all color and have a black and white wedding. He said this was the best idea I've had yet. Le Sigh. Why are things so difficult. So pretty much everything will be black, white, silver and rhinestones. Grrrr... but it'll work out.

5. With the new colorless scheme brought changes to my idea for a super colorful, crazy fun mad hatter cake. Our cake will be a 2 or 3 layer square with black ribbon, swarovski crystals and cinderella's castle as the topper accented with silver paint. Things are getting pretty fancy around here.

6. So Mickey and Minnie are a go. Haven't decided on the outfits yet.

7. I only want to do the MK shoot now, not Epcot too.... just too much. I want to request Ty... he has some great photos!!

8. I'm going to contact Basin White to see if I can have the matrimony soaps made with no label. I designed a label that would be really cute on there :)

9. We had planned on getting a Honeymoon Deluxe King at the G-Flo for the wedding and YC-CL for the honeymoon. We're now leaning toward BLT - 1 Bedroom MK View the whole time. We'll miss the Club Level, but will like having the full kitchen, extra space and people being able to come and go without CL access. It's also cheaper. Now that budgets are in full swing... I'm trying to be more in tune with everything.

10. I dropped my luncheon with David Tutera. Since my stepmom is going with me, I used the money for that toward the showcase and dessert party for her. She said she didnt want to be trapped in a presentation for 2 1/2 hours. I don't blame her, when I called Event Services they made it sound really boring and didn't really play it up. They said it was lunch and 2 presentations, and they didn't know what was being served. If I was solo, I would go, but I'd rather spend the time with her. I'm hoping she likes the dessert party and wants me to have one :rotfl:

11. Earlier I said I was going to buy the Unconditional Love for the wedding. Well I'm happy to say that my sinus infection has cleared up... and I will NOT be wearing that. Glad I tried it again, lol!! I may try to weasel a Dolce Vita from my account executive :) I've been a good girl this year!

12. Dave and I are at a crossroads about decorating the Wedding Pavilion. Just petals, Petals and Aisle Runner, Flowers? There is no answer yet. I think the flowers will be White Calla Lilies and Lily of the Valley. I think I've decided against the petal toss because my family and friends are failures and will get 2 confetti cannons for both sides.

13. No decisions on a wedding party. I didn't get to see my friend--I was sick, and her class reunion was on the day I left. I wonder if we'll have one next year?? We didn't have a 5 year, and my class was full of slackers. Doesn't really matter to me.

14. Oh yeah... about those newsletters that took me forever. I was so excited that work let me out early on the 23rd that I left them in my drawer. Awesome.

15. I got personalized bride ears from my DWB secret santa!! she's my new facebook friend too! I hope my secret santa liked her stuff as well :)

In other news...
They finally diagnosed me with PCOS and are medicating me to get it under control which will help with my weight. YAY! We're going vegetarian for January to try to jump start our weight loss. He said he's doing it with me, but I'm sure he'll have burger wrappers underneath his car seat.

As you can start to tell in my posts... I'm becoming more aware of my budget. This is not because I'm cheap, it's because I being a realist. I would rather have Mickey and Minnie, and have a MK Photo Shoot and Confetti Cannons than pay extra for a deluxe room at the G-Flo. I would rather rent points for my aunt and stepmom to stay onsite than make welcome bags. The other truth is... I hate working 2 jobs. I hate both of my jobs equally :laughing: Going from May to May without a break in between will be rough for both of us. We were looking at a picture of the Osbourne lights last night and we both said we wanted to see them again, this year. So that means I'm going in March, May and November?? I like this idea... but it's taking $2000 out of the budget. Would I rather take $2000 out and enjoy our time or spend it on an engagement shoot, hair/makeup trial, and a second wedding band. The answer to that is going to Disney for 4 days in November. I'll get one band for now, he is totally against the E-shoot anyway. I totally believe in trials, but for some reason... I really trust Misty and Patricia. We also dropped from the G-Flo in May to the Contemporary Garden Wing. It's just little things that we cut back on that will allow me to work a little less and have things that are important to us. Like sanity.

Fun Fact: We're hoping to take our wedding $$ and tax return from the next year and buy into Bay Lake Tower DVC!!

I'm very excited about March with my stepmom. I think she needs this trip desperately. I hope she likes Kidani Village... it was one of the only places available for a studio on our dates. I took on much of the responsibility and told her just to pay for her tickets and her flight. I took care of the room, the dxddp for both of us, my flight and I'll get an AP. I'm just excited she's going. I was afraid if the cost elevated too much that she woudn't go. Hopefully the AP rates come out for May and take more of a load off my trip :)

Well that's all for now. I'll let everyone know how the disney dresses look tomorrow night!!

[Princess SarahK]

Wow! Talk about an update! Youre on a roll though. It just kind of hit me that Ive got about 9 months til I owe Disney a HUGE chunk of change and so now my budgeting has started. Its a good thing youre doing it so far in advance. I cant wait to see the Disney dresses on someone besides a model! I love the Cinderella one!! Thats wonderful that your stepmom is going with you, Im sure it will make for some great bonding and memories for the pair of you. I cant wait to hear more!! Oh and while the colorless scheme may seem a bit boring I think in the end it will be gorgeous and very upscale...but Im not biased or anything..:rotfl: Cant wait to read more!

[princesswendy720]

Let me know what you think of the Disney dresses! There's a shop near me that carries them and I want to try them on for fun. I'm also jealous that you are going to be in Disney 3 times this year! Our quick 4 days in February is the only thing I have planned until our planning session in may/June of 2012. Eek! I'm actually thinking about activating the free APs in December so we can get 3 trips out of them. We'll see.

[LuvLuvLuv]

Wow! Talk about an update! Youre on a roll though. It just kind of hit me that Ive got about 9 months til I owe Disney a HUGE chunk of change and so now my budgeting has started. Its a good thing youre doing it so far in advance. I cant wait to see the Disney dresses on someone besides a model! I love the Cinderella one!! Thats wonderful that your stepmom is going with you, Im sure it will make for some great bonding and memories for the pair of you. I cant wait to hear more!! Oh and while the colorless scheme may seem a bit boring I think in the end it will be gorgeous and very upscale...but Im not biased or anything..:rotfl: Cant wait to read more!

in the past 48 hours i have grown to LOVE the black and white theming. things are getting very fancy around here ;) of course i went to the bridal store that doesn't allow pix. i think that's crazy. i can't even take a picture to show my stepmom. so sometime she has to come from pittsburgh to cincinnati to check them out. grrrr!

Let me know what you think of the Disney dresses! There's a shop near me that carries them and I want to try them on for fun. I'm also jealous that you are going to be in Disney 3 times this year! Our quick 4 days in February is the only thing I have planned until our planning session in may/June of 2012. Eek! I'm actually thinking about activating the free APs in December so we can get 3 trips out of them. We'll see.

i think we're going nov 11-14!! i'm on a new kick with renting dvc points and its great!! we have a ressie on hold for our may trip at a BLT 1BR.... hopefully i can come up with the funds by next friday :) ((sorry car payment, i'm going to disney :rotfl2:)) j/k, but seriously--i would rather stay in a 1BR than a garden wing in the CR. it was only $200 difference! depending on when mvmcp and the osborne lights start... we may go the weekend before.


So about the dresses:

When I said I was trying them on for fun... it was just that. Fun.

I took a friend with me for opinions. The dresses looked much different on, than on the pictures online. My sales lady was a real peach. she was about 89 pounds and the disgust of my 175 pounds was written all over her face. The first question she asked me is if I was buying a dress tonight. That agitated me and throughout the rest of the experience she was a disaster. I couldn't wait to run out of there. She also implied that she thought the idea of Disney dresses were stupid. She was reading one of the tags and said... now this is the Belly (Belle). Really?? She had no clue what movie any of them were from except Snow White and Cinderella. I had just worked all day, my spanx were choking me, and I wasn't in the mood for confrontation or I would have started some.

They had 5 of the 7 dresses--which was fine. Jasmine and Ariel are made for stick figures so I wouldn't have cared for them anyway.

Disclosure: These are my sole opinions and flame me if you must. The following is the honest truth of what was going through my head.

In order--I told her I wanted to try all the Disney Dresses first. See how well that works out...

First was:

Aurora: When I put this on, all I could do was laugh. Like some kind of sick joke... who would make this for more than a halloween costume? The tulle on the bottom was so HUGE and looked so cheap I couldn't take my eyes off of it. We both laughed like crazy. The top of it was very pretty--could we take the top off and make a new bottom?? This was a no.

Belle (Belly): Even in the picture, this was the dress I liked the least. Putting it on was a real treat. It was Giant. It made me look like Goliath. I mean crazy big. The corset top didn't look like it matched the rest of the dress, and that tulle that goes around your shoulders made it look like someone was tying me up. I didn't like this dress to begin with, so I was trying it on for... fun. :laughing:

Cinderella: I LOVE LOVE LOVE the sparkly tulle on this dress. I mean I have crazy love for this tulle. The top wasn't very long and it cut my short body off which made me sad. I also wish the sparkles on the top wrapped around the whole top of the chest and not just starting in the middle. It makes the bust line look weird. We had all agreed on this. I loved it--I loved the sparkle. Maybe I'll try it again in 30 pounds.

Snow White: If my wedding were still at the Yacht Club, and out was outside in the open air... I would have slapped $1000 on the counter and said sold. I thought I loved Cinderella until I put this on. It is so pretty. Unlike the other dresses, this one looked better made, and the flowers were sparkly and not cheap looking. I was excited with this one on. It just didn't match my theming. Maybe for a VR?

Maggie Sottero Dominique: So obviously the lady listened very well to my wanting to try the Disney dresses first. Dominique was my #2 from my previous dress shopping experience. A little background on this: Everyone fell in love with the first dress I tried on last time. When I tried Dominique on 4th, I really liked it and continued to look at it, but everyone said they liked a previous one and were rushing me to get out of the Dominique. I was pretty sure I really liked it, and possibly more than the other one. Hmmm, well they may know more than me so I eliminated it from my mind. So when I tried it on again last night--the friend I took with me freaked out. She thought it was 100% amazing. Looking at it on... I really did like it, maybe more than the one I thought I loved the most. I stared at it for a while, she continued to rave, even the near anorexic sales girl complimented on it. It was insane the difference in quality in the Maggie Sottero compared to the Disney dresses. They're so close in price, but for 200-300 more you get a dress that looks like it could be $5000. The Maggie had much better quality and I really did love the Dominique.

Tiana: Poor Tiana. She had an unfair situation. I have loved this dress since the picture came out--my fiance loved this dress online. The problem is, I tried Tiana on after Dominique that could possibly be THE ONE. Tiana was beautiful. Not as full as I imagined, or wanted, but still gorgeous. I looked this over because I was trying to make this be the one... but the fabric looked so cheap compared to the Maggie dress, and I couldn't get that out of my head. It was a beautiful dress, but it was not worth the $1000 sticker on it. For a 4 figure dress, I, personally, would expect more quality. If I hadn't known about Maggie Sottero--this would be the one. It was so pretty and will make lots of brides very happy ladies.

Maggie Sottero Emily: This has been my #1. When I put it on, I just loved it all over again. I like where it lays, what it accentuates, what it hides and how well it is made for the 1198 sticker. My friend was amazing how well it fit all the right places. I do love this dress. I love Dominique too. I asked the sales rep which she liked better. She told me she would not give me her opinion because she wanted me to get the dress that I liked :headache: What?? What are you here for? She said that I obviously was attracted to the same style of dress because the Dominique and the Emily are similar in shaping. Well I knew that. The difference in the dresses is the placement of the bling and the placement of the pick ups. I feel like writing a letter.

Maggie Sottero Monica: I liked the Monica Marie online, and figured Monica may be related. She kind of is... but with capped sleeves. It was a very pretty, simple dress with a touch of bling. Very very nice--but not in the running.

Black and White from Some Designer... My friend had grabbed it: The little tart I was working with tried to get me to step into this, when I clearly needed to have it over my head. When I told her it wasn't working, she just took it and bagged it up. So I didn't get to try this on. I just looked at my friend and was confused :confused3 I probably wouldn't have liked it anyway.. but she liked it and wanted me to try it since we're doing the black and white thing now.

Being it was the last one, she took the dresses and went to put them away. Didn't ask if I wanted to try the final 2 on again, or put a headpiece with them or jewelry like they did before. She wanted to get rid of me quick. I asked if I could look at shoes and accessories and she said... they're in there and pointed to the room. I knew where the room was as I had been there before... she didn't come in to see if we wanted to see anything and I started to get really aggrevated.

So before we left, she handed me her card---yeah right. I would really like to find another store that has these dresses, but nowhere that I've called has the Emily or the Dominique. I'm going to try the Pittsburgh stores next--I'll just go to my family instead of making them travel. I have every intention of trying the Tiana, Cinderella and Snow White on again... even if only for fun. For a second you feel like you are them just because you have the dress on. I think it's a Disney thing. I think they will have them at the showcase, so I can at least show my stepmom then. I would like to order my dress by July--so it's creeping up on us quickly.

We talked about the dresses the whole way home. My friend texted me later after we had been home a bit and said that I really looked great in the dresses and that she knows I'm working hard to lose the weight. This made me feel good. She also said she thinks she likes the Dominique the best. I like it too. I would really like my stepmom to help me decide because she doesn't hold back. My aunt gives some crazy two cents too, lol.

So that's it. There's my Disney Dress Review. I'm pretty disappointed in them. They are more fun than elegant. I think that if they didn't have the word Disney attached to them, we would never look twice at them. Marketing Trickery at it's best.

I'm glad I went to see the dresses again--I feel like I'm getting somewhere. For now, I'm concentrating on our upcoming trips, our guest list and reaching out to them. I'm trying to find another pair of shoes with brighter silver. I think mine are too gunmetal and I will just be a sassy pants and wear them out sometime, lol :) This week I am going to call Bill and see if we can go see the Napa Room on Monday. I was going to take my stepmom to the Cali Grill to eat, but she thinks it's too fancy. I was also going to take the reception tour on Sunday... but I think I want to spend more park time with her. We'll see. Maybe I'll just call the CG directly. I'm sure I can find a number around here. I just want to run up and show her, and get out... nothing formal.

Speaking of which... now that the CG is too fancy, I need to cancel our ressie because my card is attached to it and find something else. Probably the Captain's Grille or Cape May Cafe will take it's place.

Guess I'll get to work now :) Have a great day everyone!

[LuvLuvLuv]

So I was reading that January 24th is the most depressing day of the year and is known as Blue Monday. Well I think here in my world, it's coming a week early. This week has been horrible. Some of this is off wedding topic, but I'm just going to get it all out--and give a little update at the same time.

First of all, I thought I got the best New Years gift in the world when I scored a contract with a DVC owner for $9 pp for my May trip. She found me a 1 Bedroom BLT Lake View and we were over the moon happy! We could test drive it before the wedding. So I signed, sent lots of $$ and she calls me yesterday (a week and a half later) that she went to make the reservation today and it was no longer available. WHAT?? I was under the assumption from her that the ressie was made, I paid my $$ and I was speechless and livid. She said that there was not one room available for my dates in BLT, Beach Club or Boardwalk. My options were Wilderness Villas :headache: Old Key West :headache: :headache:, Saratoga :headache: :headache: :headache: or Kidani Village Standard No Animal View :eek:. I felt sick :sick:. I didn't want any of those rooms. None of them :( I contemplated getting another Disney reservation (just canceled my other one), but I really wanted a one bedroom for our 8 day stay and it was still expensive with the current offer. I was trying to hold my frustration as she had my money and I didn't want to make her mad and I choked back tears as I told her to book the Kidani Standard view. She put me on waitlists for BLT and a Savannah view. It's saving me $658--but I am still upset. Dave was not happy either--but what could I do?? We were essentially homeless :sad1: My ADRs are going to be way out of the way and I just can't get over the bitter feeling. I'm asking her if I can use the left over points that I would have used at the same rate for my November trip. I think she at least owes me that. Did I mention I'm staying at Kidani in March too? Lame. Same hotel within 7 weeks--I guess variety won't be the spice of my life. On another note... Dave begged me to make an ADR for Raglan Road. Last time I had this I threw it up after Ride the Comix at DisneyQuest. It was vivid and I was sick for a whole day. Not that the meal was bad, or anything--but I'm not ready for it even after a year. He's lucky I love him, but seriously, I'm having flashbacks just thinking about it. :sick:

Moving on. I was trying to get my 2011 budget in order today. While I was looking at things I needed to make deposits on. I saw that Misty's package price went up $2000. :eek: That's a lot. I mean... A whole lot. It's a good thing I woke up late and didn't wear mascara today because this may have been my breaking point for the week. She does offer a print and cd package with no album now that will be $700 more than her old package. Still significant and I get less. I really want her to be my photographer. I will have to make a cut somewhere else.

I have made my Bridal Party decision. Drumroll please.... There will be none. I just realized that I don't really have any friends. I have co-workers. I guess because I'm always at work, and always with these people that it kind of goes hand in hand... but if we didn't work together--I'm certain we'd drift and only be facebook friends. Most are telling me they're not coming to the wedding, and at this point... I could care less. I want to marry my fiance in the place I love and whoever wants to be there can be there. I honestly feel closer to some of the disbrides than I do to anyone else in my life. I think that's sad and a possible addiction. I thought of putting an application out here to anyone on the board who wanted to apply to be my made of honor. I also don't have any friend guests coming on my side so far. He has 8... so if anyone would like to attend to make me not look like a loser--please let me know. :sad2: This also will cut the cost of buying their dress, shoes, hair/makeup tux, etc... which I was planning on doing since they have to pay for travel. I guess that part of the budget will go toward my super awesome pictures.

So about my dress:
I have been thinking a LOT this week since I've run with our new theme. The Maggie Sottero Dominique dress comes in a Silver Mist color. How awesome would a Silver dress be?? Or would that not be awesome? I kind of love it, and I'm really close to making it my final answer. It would be so different, and I'm not sure anyone would expect it. I'm at work so I can't post it... but check it out on Maggie's site or just let me know if it's a lame idea or not. I won't be offended.

I have my cake all set up in my head and I will try my best to explain it with no pix. The square cake on the DFTW website with the black ribbon and Swarovski ribbon around the bottom. Well make the white fondant into silver, and put a White Chocolate castle topper on it with the towers painted silver. There's my cake. It will be 3 tiers--My family likes cake.

I'm almost positive I'm going with Calla Lilies with sparkles and bling :) I think they're so classy looking. Honestly as long as there's not roses or hydrangeas around I think I'll be okay. I just don't love them. I will probably use whatever I decorate in the Wedding Pavilion for the reception. Trying to save a dollar or two.

I'm hoping the Fantasyland Expansion is close to being done by then. That would be really exciting. I saw the update on the Disney blog and it looks great!!

That's about it. On a side note from my previous post, I talked my step-mom into eating at the Cali Grill. I hope she likes it. We leave in 2 months. I hope the rest of this depressing month flies by because it's getting unbearable. I'm looking forward to opinions on the dress and the wedding party :)

Have a great day everyone!

[DisneyShamrock]

Sorry to hear that you're having a tough time this month, and that Misty's prices went up. It's awful about the DVC thing, too. I would have assumed the reservations had already been made as well. :sad2: January is always a sucky month for me because of snow overload and being stuck inside with myself and time to ponder if I can really do the things I think I can.

Cheer up, though, because you have a fiance and a family who love you, and you have us DISers. :grouphug:

I think the idea of the Silver Mist is pretty sweet. It would definitely be different, and it would probably look awesome in photos. Feel free to bling out the flowers (and anything else) if that's what you want to do. I know this gets said a lot, but it's your wedding, and you should do what you want and what feels right for you.

I can't wait to hear more about your plans. :flower3:

[elleinad16]

Awww, hun! You've got to cheer up! :hug: I feel your pain with the depressing January weather, but you can't let that ruin you!

Hopefully Kidani will be so nice you won't mind spending your next 2 trips there! I bet it'll be beautiful, but you should probably kick that lady in the kneecaps for screwing you over. :mad:

To me, photography is the most important aspect of my wedding. If you love Misty, I know you'll make it work out...and you'll love the end decision (all money aside).

I think it's neat you won't have any bridal party-the focus will be more on you then! :bride: And if you really want a cheering section I will totally invite myself to your Disney wedding. ;)

I just looked up the Maggie Sottero Dominique dress in silver...I LOVE IT! :lovestruc I really think you should go with it. It's unique and beautiful, but it's also still sort of a neutral color that makes it wedding appropriate. :thumbsup2 And I think your idea for your cake would tie it all in together and look really classy and elegant!

:flower3:

[Princess SarahK]

Deena, chin up and cheer up! You are getting your Disney wedding come hell or high water, or crappy DVC bookers,or non animal view rooms, or all that junk. In 6 months none of it will matter, of course its disappointing and we want what we want (so what if were spoiled??) but just think about it, think about whats really important and it wil melt away.--Im not being a bia..Im just being a good friend. :cutie: Ive had some meltdowns myself recently and seeing it as an outsider (in your case) really helps me. Its so easy to tell you that none of it matters and everything will work itself out in the end and not take my advice...but after being a hypocrite for a few seconds I too have changed my outlook. So here it is (our new outlook) we are going to make do with what we get, and make it awesome. And all those rude nay-sayers or plan ruiners will be begging for forgiveness when everything is said and done. :woohoo:

That really stinks that Misty upped her prices, but with your doubling the floral in ceremony and reception locations that should allow for some flexibility, as well as less people coming to the wedding. You will find a way to make it all work, girl! You are a budgeter!! I think the silver dress would be really different and add to your colorscheme.

Dont let that January Blahness get to you!! Dont worry, be happy!! In the meantime, Im here! :cheer2:

[princesswendy720]

Awh I know how you feel about the January glooms...but you have 2 Disney trips to look forward to in the next few months! I'd be upset about the DVC situation as well...Why would she take your money before she put in the request with DVC? I rented points once, and had a good experience, but I can't remember if she reserved the room before I sent payment or not.

Maybe your luck will turn around and a room will open up at BLT! Did you check for a studio there?

I wish they'd announce a date for that expansion already! All I've seen is "late 2012" or "Fall 2012." Part of me is nervous that it will open right before the wedding and crowds will flood into Disney. The other part of me will be mad if it opens right after the wedding and we can't eat at Be Our Guest!

Have you decided how long you're going to be in Disney after your wedding?

[LuvLuvLuv]

I think the idea of the Silver Mist is pretty sweet. It would definitely be different, and it would probably look awesome in photos. Feel free to bling out the flowers (and anything else) if that's what you want to do. I know this gets said a lot, but it's your wedding, and you should do what you want and what feels right for you.

I can't wait to hear more about your plans. :flower3:

Thanks for joining in and thanks for your imput!! My co-worker brought me a huge wedding book to look thru today :)

Awww, hun! You've got to cheer up! :hug: I feel your pain with the depressing January weather, but you can't let that ruin you!

Hopefully Kidani will be so nice you won't mind spending your next 2 trips there! I bet it'll be beautiful, but you should probably kick that lady in the kneecaps for screwing you over. :mad:

To me, photography is the most important aspect of my wedding. If you love Misty, I know you'll make it work out...and you'll love the end decision (all money aside).

I think it's neat you won't have any bridal party-the focus will be more on you then! :bride: And if you really want a cheering section I will totally invite myself to your Disney wedding. ;)

I just looked up the Maggie Sottero Dominique dress in silver...I LOVE IT! :lovestruc I really think you should go with it. It's unique and beautiful, but it's also still sort of a neutral color that makes it wedding appropriate. :thumbsup2 And I think your idea for your cake would tie it all in together and look really classy and elegant!

:flower3:

:) You made me smile :) I've been working numbers and making it work and most of all... trying to think positive!! I'd still like to kick her in the kneecaps though :rotfl2: I'm loving the silver more and more each day. (I look at it at least once an hour, lol)


Deena, chin up and cheer up! You are getting your Disney wedding come hell or high water, or crappy DVC bookers,or non animal view rooms, or all that junk. In 6 months none of it will matter, of course its disappointing and we want what we want (so what if were spoiled??) but just think about it, think about whats really important and it wil melt away.--Im not being a bia..Im just being a good friend. :cutie: Ive had some meltdowns myself recently and seeing it as an outsider (in your case) really helps me. Its so easy to tell you that none of it matters and everything will work itself out in the end and not take my advice...but after being a hypocrite for a few seconds I too have changed my outlook. So here it is (our new outlook) we are going to make do with what we get, and make it awesome. And all those rude nay-sayers or plan ruiners will be begging for forgiveness when everything is said and done. :woohoo:

That really stinks that Misty upped her prices, but with your doubling the floral in ceremony and reception locations that should allow for some flexibility, as well as less people coming to the wedding. You will find a way to make it all work, girl! You are a budgeter!! I think the silver dress would be really different and add to your colorscheme.

Dont let that January Blahness get to you!! Dont worry, be happy!! In the meantime, Im here! :cheer2:

Lol, I guess I am a little spoiled :) Lots of people would sleep in a tent for the chance to go to Disney and I'm complaining about not being on the monorail or not seeing animals out my window. Lol... the money I'm saving is $46 away from Misty's upped price. I guess it was a sign :rotfl: Thanks for your words... appreciated as always :hug:

Awh I know how you feel about the January glooms...but you have 2 Disney trips to look forward to in the next few months! I'd be upset about the DVC situation as well...Why would she take your money before she put in the request with DVC? I rented points once, and had a good experience, but I can't remember if she reserved the room before I sent payment or not.

Maybe your luck will turn around and a room will open up at BLT! Did you check for a studio there?

I wish they'd announce a date for that expansion already! All I've seen is "late 2012" or "Fall 2012." Part of me is nervous that it will open right before the wedding and crowds will flood into Disney. The other part of me will be mad if it opens right after the wedding and we can't eat at Be Our Guest!

Have you decided how long you're going to be in Disney after your wedding?

We did check for a studio... they had it available for 4 days in the middle of our trip. Lame. I'm nervous about the Fantasyland crowds too... and I also want everything to be open for my guests!! I want it to be magical :) You are leaving in a few weeks aren't you :) Jealous... Hope you have a great time!!

_________________

So after all my depressed-ness and lots of kind words... I've decided to be happy with what I have to work with :) So after work, I go home, walk up to my door and there's a box there. I wasn't expecting anything so I was confused :confused3 I pick up the box, it's addressed to me and it's a Keurig box!!! I have the best aunt in America. She surprised me with a new Special Edition Keurig machine!!! I wasn't expecting it at all... I only mentioned it to her in passing that maybe I would like it and that we have one at work. It was just a reminder that January can be happy :wizard:

Well I'm going to look at my giant wedding book and pray the snow gets worse by lunch time and they let us go early :) I love that Cincinnati can't take care of the roads so at 6 inches they call state of emergency.

Stay warm and have a great day!

[Princess SarahK]

Ill keep my fingers crossed for more snow for you! Im so glad youre feeling better, and what wonderful pixie dust from an amazing aunt to surprise you like that!! The littlest things really make the biggest difference sometimes. And now that your money saved from the next Disney trip is almost up to what Misty's new price is youre that much closer! It seems like a great trade off! Im so glad you didnt take my words too harsh, i think sometimes its hard to get out the tone via writing..It was really meant as a "cheer up girl" message with strong undertones, only because those work best with me..I need a little push here and there, lol :rotfl: Any more thoughts on the white vs. silver dress? I was thinking more about it and I am torn..I think the white would be so traditional and classy and the epitome of wedding/bride, but the silver would still be classy and new and fun and all that! I really think either way it will look amazing! I just want you to choose and order it so we can see it on you already! :thumbsup2

[DoomBuggy0922]

I'm sorry you're having a bad start--- it will get better. And AKL is beautiful, animals or no. (But I would be absolutely livid)--- and at least it's Disney World, right?! And I'm very jealous you get to go to the showcase. I'm going to be there in March, same week as you, but I booked my flights a month before the showcase was announced, and I'm leaving the day before! Ho hum.

And, I also like the idea of it just being you and the groom up there--- the focus should be on you guys anyway. :love:

[LuvLuvLuv]

Have you decided how long you're going to be in Disney after your wedding?

I don't know why I didn't answer this before, lol. We're planning on staying until Thursday, November 15th!!

Ill keep my fingers crossed for more snow for you! Im so glad youre feeling better, and what wonderful pixie dust from an amazing aunt to surprise you like that!! The littlest things really make the biggest difference sometimes. And now that your money saved from the next Disney trip is almost up to what Misty's new price is youre that much closer! It seems like a great trade off! Im so glad you didnt take my words too harsh, i think sometimes its hard to get out the tone via writing..It was really meant as a "cheer up girl" message with strong undertones, only because those work best with me..I need a little push here and there, lol :rotfl: Any more thoughts on the white vs. silver dress? I was thinking more about it and I am torn..I think the white would be so traditional and classy and the epitome of wedding/bride, but the silver would still be classy and new and fun and all that! I really think either way it will look amazing! I just want you to choose and order it so we can see it on you already! :thumbsup2

I'm pretty set on the Silver dress :) Love it!

I'm sorry you're having a bad start--- it will get better. And AKL is beautiful, animals or no. (But I would be absolutely livid)--- and at least it's Disney World, right?! And I'm very jealous you get to go to the showcase. I'm going to be there in March, same week as you, but I booked my flights a month before the showcase was announced, and I'm leaving the day before! Ho hum.

And, I also like the idea of it just being you and the groom up there--- the focus should be on you guys anyway. :love:

Awww, we'll just miss you :( I wish it would have been announced earlier too. Then I could have planned a little better than my last minute long weekend.

I think I'm loving the visual of us being up there. Since we won't have a ton of guests I don't want more people up there than in the seats :rotfl2: You don't have to worry about anyone fidgeting or acting foolish :laughing:

--------------

I think that's about it for now. I'll probably have to go buy a new iPhone this week. My iPhone 3g is on life support and is ready to go to heaven. It won't do a backup, an update, open email, open facebook, open myspace and several other apps. Le Sigh.... but yay for a something new :cutie:

[LuvLuvLuv]

Oh January... I'll be glad to see you go in a few days. I am sick, yet again. I'm not even pretending to work... I'm literally not doing anything here today but wedding surfing and dis'ing. The look on my face and the nearby tissue box is enough to let everyone know to stay away.

On a positive note... My iPhone came back to life. Apparently my ESPN Sportcenter app had a bug and wouldn't let me do my updates. I deleted it and everything updated fine and is back to normal. So that was good news.

So the last update on my May ressie was that we were taking AKV Kidani Standard. Well the woman never called to confirm she got my money like I asked her to :headache: and she never confirmed the ressie was even made :headache:. So I've been waiting since last Tuesday wondering if I even had a reservation, if my money was lost, if I was scammed :confused3 I left an email or a voicemail everyday (sorry to sound stalkerish) and nothing. Today, I had it, left a semi-unpleasant message at 1:51pm. Later, I check my personal email and she had sent me an email at 1:39pm with all my info :sad2: whoopsie. I wish there was a recall for voicemails, lol. At least I know I'll have somewhere to sleep now.

So while I was surfing today, I came across CustomizedWeddingCreations.com

This was bad for me. I found (and customized in my head) my dream aisle runner and it's going to cost me a small fortune. I had looked around and was happy with a few cheaper sites until I saw this. It was one of those... I-have-to-have-that-and-nothing-else-will-do moments. So as soon as my date is confirmed, I'll have that made. I am so fixated on it.

I'm not sure if I posted this or not... I would go back and read, but I'm foggy from the meds. We are drastically cutting our guest list. We are only having family. This will be about 13-18 guests. We are keeping it Wishes so we can customize everything. The only part that may need work is the F/B minimum... but that means I get my sorbet slipper!! :banana: Maybe we're loners, but we were thinking about who to invite, if we would be disappointed if everyone said no, if we got there and friends were being high maintenence, or backed out last minute.... it all seems like drama. So we decided to have our families there, have everything amazing and hopefully all stay at BLT together. The only part I'm kind of sad about... is that I won't have anyone to help me in my dress. My stepmom/aunt aren't great at that stuff and I'm kind of at a loss there. I'll figure that out another day. I'm excited that cutting back will also help me with my photography budget and I will have amazing pictures to show all the people who aren't there! I read so often that brides spend so much of their time mingling that they didn't eat or get to take their day in, that it's all a blur... I don't want this to happen to me--and hopefully with our cutbacks it won't.

So here I go visioning things again. I wish the alter wasn't there. I want an unobstructed view of the window with the castle. They said that you can move it, but can't take it away. So my next thought was... Can you use it as your memorial table and put it down on the side?? I didn't ask, but I will. I guess it doesn't matter. I'll have an awesome aisle runner :laughing: We decided against the sand ceremony/unity candle portion of the ceremony. I'm terrifed of fire (laugh if you must, lol but I can vision myself shaking and the WP catching on fire :sad1:) and he thinks sand is stupid--so there you have it.

That's all I have to update. I was just super excited about the aisle runner site. I just had to let it out. I have one more major decision today... Red Lobster or Miyako Hibachi Grill? I am not cooking tonight! Food, Meds, and Bed!!

Hope everyone is having a great week despite the nasty weather!!

[Princess SarahK]

Yayyy!!! So glad youre staying on the positive side (even if it is about January being over, lol) although I am so sorry your sick! I hope you start to feel better soon! Cant wait for you to get your date and get that aisle runner! Yippee!!

Hibachi will always get my vote!! :lovestruc

[LuvLuvLuv]

Well I've spent the past 2 days off work with a fever over 102... and I finally got a small burst of energy to do something that's long past due. You ladies (and maybe a gentleman or two) need some pictures. They'll be a little all over the place, but since I don't get to it much... lets just do this :)

The Dress:
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/wedding/dominique.jpg

The Shoes:
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/fbfe9835.jpg

Earrings in the Running: (opinions please!)
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/c4ffebf6.jpg

Flower Inspirations:
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/blingcalla.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/calla.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/centerpiece3.jpg

Fun Things I Bought in November :)

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/1d649b3e.jpg

A few November Pix!

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/IMG_0047.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/IMG_0123.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/IMG_0163.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/IMG_0217.jpg


I'm going to dig thru more and maybe put more up. You would think that since I've been home for 2 days I would have been more active on the board.. but the only times I opened my laptop was to email by boss both days that I wasn't coming in. I have found TV stations that I didn't know we had (or that I pay for :rotfl2:) and there's one called the Hub that has Fraggle Rock on like 3 times a day. I found this channel to be a win and I now DVR every episode. Fraggle Rock was my love growing up... this made my January blues and my illness all seem better. Baxter, however barks at the TV when Sprocket woofs--I love it. Well I'm going to attempt food that isn't a popsicle, a fudgesicle, an icee or yogurt... then I'll dig thru more pix!

Enjoy!

PS... Did I mention I dyed my hair red--randomly? Yeah... It's not bad, it's just new. I don't plan on it being long term... just a little spice for the winter :laughing:

[KristiLyn]

Yay for pics!!! I LOVE the dress and shoes!! And my vote for earrings goes for the 1st pair :)

[Mindyjoy]

Love the dress, and OMG I've been looking for that castle punch everywhere! Where did you get it?

I like the first earrings.

[DisneyShamrock]

Love the dress, and OMG I've been looking for that castle punch everywhere! Where did you get it?

I like the first earrings.

Deena, your dress is beautiful! After looking at the earring choices, I'd be having a hard time, too. Any ideas on a necklace to match them to? Maybe a tiara?



Mindyjoy, I'm not sure where Deena got hers, but I know they sell them in most of the shops at Disney. I actually bought mine on eBay.

If you search 'castle punch,' about five of them show up (just checked). There are a few listed every week.

[DoomBuggy0922]

I LOVE the dress!! And the shoes! Amazing. As for earrings, I like the bottom left ones--- but they're all lovely.

Feel better soon!

[tnkr mom]

Found your PJ today and sat down and read through all 8 pages! I have laughed, cried and enjoyed reading through; I'm jumping on your PJ - looking forward to your updates! Hope your feeling better pixiedust:

[KitKat5]

I love your dress! And I vote for the first pair of earrings! :thumbsup2

[princesswendy720]

I like the earrings on the top left!

[liltinkerbell25]

I've read through your whole pj and you are amazingly entertaining! I feel like i'm right there with you! Totally wanting a castle punch now, though I have absolutely NO idea what I would use it for.

Voting for the earrings on the top right :wizard:

[Princess SarahK]

I vote for the earrings on the top left as well! Theyre gorgeous! :lovestruc

[LuvLuvLuv]

Thanks for all the responses!! I was so excited! I'm back to work today, feeling much (not quite 100% yet) better. Of course since I was gone a few days, there's mounds of stuff on my desk, in my email, and I really don't feel like doing any of it :rotfl: So here I am :cutie:

Love the dress, and OMG I've been looking for that castle punch everywhere! Where did you get it?

I like the first earrings.

I got the Castle Punch at the World of Disney in Downtown Disney!!

Deena, your dress is beautiful! After looking at the earring choices, I'd be having a hard time, too. Any ideas on a necklace to match them to? Maybe a tiara?


Thank You! I'm thinking of going without a necklace since I want really long earrings, but I am on a hunt for the perfect rhinestone headband!! I have one in mind that I've seen online, I just need to do a bit more research!

I LOVE the dress!! And the shoes! Amazing. As for earrings, I like the bottom left ones--- but they're all lovely.

Feel better soon!

Thank you! Thank you!!

Found your PJ today and sat down and read through all 8 pages! I have laughed, cried and enjoyed reading through; I'm jumping on your PJ - looking forward to your updates! Hope your feeling better pixiedust:

Awww! Thanks for joining in!! I'm feeling much better, Thanks!!

I love your dress! And I vote for the first pair of earrings! :thumbsup2

I love the first pair too :) DF, not so much---I told him to keep watching football :rotfl2:

I like the earrings on the top left!

:) I love them too!! I think I like the top right for the rehearsal. The longer ones look good with my shorter hair because they peek out underneath :)

I've read through your whole pj and you are amazingly entertaining! I feel like i'm right there with you! Totally wanting a castle punch now, though I have absolutely NO idea what I would use it for.

Voting for the earrings on the top right :wizard:

Thanks for reading along!! I'm glad I can entertain someone... I'm here to please, lol!!! DF plays with the castle and mickey punch all the time. I find little castles and mickey heads on my coffee table a lot, lol. I'm not sure what I'm going to use them for either :goodvibes


I vote for the earrings on the top left as well! Theyre gorgeous! :lovestruc

Yay! Thanks!! Now since I'm an earring freak, I will probably just continue to keep buying more :laughing: --- but when I saw those, I did stop and think how perfect they are. They're pretty light too.


-------------

So good news! February starts tomorrow!! I have 46 days till I arrive in Disney!! I got DF's Valentine's Day present this week. He's wanted a big face watch and I found him a pretty sweet one on sale, then an extra 30% off, then my store discount :) $195 watch for $58.25 SCORE!!! We won't tell him. He's getting my Vera Bradley Hipster, Jewelry Box and Curling Iron cover in Baroque for me :) He said I can order it on Friday :banana: I normally carry the mini hipster when we go, but since my step-mom goes to the parks commando... I needed a little extra room for traveling with her, lol!! Well I'm going to try and dig thru this crate-o-mail and see if I can get through at least half before lunch. Thanks for everyone's opinions and kind words :) Always appreciated!!

Have a great day!!

[LuvLuvLuv]

So tomorrow we will be 21 months away! That seems like For-Ev-Ver (drag that out like the little boy on The Sandlot, lol)

I've been kinda of in a blur from being sick and haven't been online a whole bunch, but I felt the need to update. I do feel much better now! I was catching up on FB last night when I read that a girl I used to work with got engaged 2 weeks ago, and their date is March 5... this year. Yeesh! I've been engaged for months and I still have 21 months to go? Blah. I think the thought that I'm hanging on to my second job until the wedding is where my stress is coming from. I'm tired of working 2 jobs, and when I was out sick last week, it was like heaven (except for the high fever part) to be able to spend time at home with my little dog and just relax. (I pretty much banished DF from the house in fear that he'd get the flu) I'm also tired of spending money. I'm so over it. As much as we both want to go in November, I just feel like that money would be better use toward the wedding--but we both really want to go--I may put a cap on it and see if we can rent points on the cheap and not really spend too much. Ugh. I need to get on the savings bandwagon...and I just can't seem to get started. If only I could find a check for $35,000 made out to my name--life would be easier.

So how do brides who are far away from their date like me cope with this time? I have the whole thing mapped in my head from top to bottom, every item needed is listed on a spreadsheet. I can't get half the items until our day is nailed down... and I'm really not doing too much DIY. I really would like to try and fly instead of driving and pack way less. Not sure how that is going to work out... but I'm afraid I won't have a groom if we're locked up in a car for 12 hours together :rotfl2: Plus, if gas prices keep rising--driving my Equinox will cost more than 2 plane tickets and luggage fees. It's the minor details that bother me the most. I just feel like I could have this thing rocking and rea

I sent an email to Bill letting him know of a few of our additions and subtractions--and basically just checking in on our date. I'll let you know when I hear back :)

I've been a bad DisBride and haven't been reading PJs lately. Maybe I'll catch up one night after work this weekend.

I have a funny OT to share: Someone listed an ad on Cars.com for a 2010 Ford F150 with 10,600 miles and apparently/mistakingly put my work number as the contact. I've been flooded with crazy calls for 2 days. Cars.com told me it could take 3 days for the work order to fix this. I want to start telling these people that they can just make the check out to me :) Apparently it's a sweet deal and tons want this truck--because they've all been calling me!! I can't wait to check my voicemail on Monday. Hello, you have 136 new messages, :laughing:

So we leave 6 weeks from today. I'm getting excited, my stepmom is excited and despite the fact that I told her that the AA Disney dresses were like a sick joke on me... she wanted me to make the appointment so she could see them and be the judge at the showcase. I did like the Snow White. If by chance she loved it and wanted to swipe her card... I'm not sure I would have the strength to say no... even though it's not my vision. I'm doubting that would happen--but hey! you never know!

DF is still griping about the fact that we're not staying at BLT in May. I'm ready to knock him out about it. Part of me hope the waitlist comes thru so he's happy... but my wallet would rather keep (or not have to come up with :cutie:) the extra $658. It sounds like a small figure until you're working with a crazy lipstick lady who can't make up her mind for an hour, you have 67 shades of apricot on your hand and wrist, then she complains that lipstick used to be $3 instead of $30, and that she would have to "wear" it around and she would be back. I'll never see her again and I only got paid $15 after taxes for that hour of my life I'll never get back. That's 44 crazy lipstick ladies that I have to deal with if BLT comes thru--44 too many in my opinion. If I see a disheveled lady with crazy in her eye--I tell the girls I'm going to break and I'll be back :laughing:

Well I guess I really didn't have much to say! I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!! Yay February!!

[sw33t_angel]

So tomorrow we will be 21 months away! That seems like For-Ev-Ver (drag that out like the little boy on The Sandlot, lol)


That made me laugh! :lmao: Such a great movie!

Sorry to hear about getting sick! It seems like everyone has something these days, and I am sure working two jobs doesn't help! I haven't gotten sick yet... but that's because I am job hunting, and spend most of my day indoors!

I am right there with on you the thrifty savings wagon, it has been killing me not to impulsively buy stuff like I normally do...

I can barely wait 9 months... let alone 22 months for my wedding! I would go crazy!! I don't have any advice, except keep yourself busy (which you obviously are!)

Haha too funny about the cars.com incident- the guy is probably wondering why he isn't getting any calls!! :rotfl2:

Happy February! :love:

[DisneyShamrock]

So tomorrow we will be 21 months away! That seems like For-Ev-Ver (drag that out like the little boy on The Sandlot, lol)

So how do brides who are far away from their date like me cope with this time?

I agree that planning seems to take forever. :goodvibes

I started my PJ at 24 months, but I've been seriously planning this puppy since 2008 when DF bought the ring. I started passing the time by obsessing over/being picky about decor and selecting flowers for my DIY floral (I'm making all of it).

I also read just about ever PJ in existence that had my locations. It takes a lot of time, but it's really helpful to see if someone else tried the same thing. And, you can pick up some tricks, too!

[Princess SarahK]

Girl you crack me up! I just love your sense of humor!! Try and stay busy and time will end up flying...it seems like yesterday I was getting engaged and planning a wedding over 2 years away and now Im at 9 months...ay caramba! It will start to fly...one day..lol. I think its different everyone. (Not really sure how much that helped...:confused3) Keep your head up, those 44 lipstick ladies could also pay for a confetti cannon! ;) Ooooooh yeaaaahhh!!!

[LuvLuvLuv]

Hello Hello!

So I've come to tell you how much NOTHING I have going on with my wedding, lol! Well there were a few things, but they didn't pan out. So here's my update.

I asked my 2nd job to give me the weekend off (everyone is supposed to get a weekend off--unless your name is Deena) so I could go to PA and try the dress I think I'm set on for my aunt and stepmom. They gave me Sunday and Monday off... but scheduled me 6-9pm on Saturday night. :confused3 Really? The shops up there are closed on Sundays, and they both work on President's Day--so that didn't work out. I'll be cleaning Sunday and Monday instead.

On the flip side of that--I got a lovely email from a lady who's opening a Plus-Size bridal salon in May in my area. She can't carry Maggie dresses because Bridal and Formal have a 50 mile contract in the area. I really don't want to go back there because I may smack that little girl from last time. Although she isn't carrying Maggie's... I may go take a peek when it opens. I felt really at peace with her--and I won't feel like an overstuffed sausage in the samples. Even if I lose the weight... my chest will always be plus sized and I'll need a bigger dress. It won't hurt to look. Maybe she'll have something super blingy :) Or maybe I'll find a weekend to go to Pittsburgh to order it from a Maggie dealer there. ((It won't be on my 10 year reunion weekend... I replied "my regrets" :lmao: I'd rather sit in Stitch's Great Escape all day and smell chili dogs))

Funny story #1: A few weeks ago I thought my iPhone was acting up and I'd need a new one... but then I fixed it. Well Dave shattered his and I cracked mine up the back all within days of each other. We ordered 2 new iPhone 3gs' to replace them which was much cheaper than buying 2 new 4's. We wanted to wait till the 5 came out... but our luck doesn't roll that way.

Funny story #2: My stepmom texted me and advised me she was bringing disposable sheets and pajamas because she didn't want bedbugs. :sad2: Crazy Pants. So I'm picturing paper sheets and hospital like disposable shorts and gown, lol.... when I'm sure she means old stuff she can throw away--but still :laughing: I answered back asking if she was going to bring a disposable mattress, and how would it fit in the overhead. She didn't think that was so funny and tried to state her case. I told her she was more likely to get bugs from the guy next to her on the plane then from a deluxe disney resort. She said, "Ew." :rotfl2:

It's very apparent she hasn't been there in a long time. She asked if we were going to Pleasure Island for a drink :rotfl: I was like... well... I don't think. I don't even know when we'd have time for all that... but I was thinking about putting a bottle of wine in my checked baggage. Has anyone done this without disaster?? Should I bring disposable wine glasses, or drink out of the hotel glasses, lol? Or should we be super classy and drink straight from the bottle in the paper bag?? :laughing: I did tell her about the slushies in EPCOT.

I think I'm going to change the title of my PJ somehow because if you google our names together it pops right up and is a breeding ground for family/friend stalkers. This is my haven and I'd like to keep it that way. So if you see it changed... that's why.

Because I will probably do a mini TR from the showcase... here's a mini Pre-TR itinerary:

Friday: Arrive at Kidani, go get AP, lunch at Chefs de France, EPCOT, dinner at Yachtsman, finish the evening at the Magic Kingdom.

Saturday: Breakfast at Kona, Bridal Showcase, Panel of Experts, Lunch at G-Flo Cafe, Dress Fitting, Shopping at the G-Flo, Back to the resort, maybe swim, maybe chill, Dinner at Ohana, EPCOT Dessert Party, Stop at the Boardwalk Bakery, Downtown Disney to finish the evening.

Sunday: Breakfast in the room (from the Boardwalk Bakery), Running of the Bulls at Hollywood Studios, Hollywood Studios until lunch at Mama Melrose, leave for Animal Kingdom, Leave Animal Kingdom to the resort to prepare for dinner, Dinner at the Cali Grill, Extra Magic Hours till 2am at Magic Kingdom.

Monday: Get checked in for airlines, bags with bellhop, later breakfast at Cape May Cafe, Downtown Disney until we have to be back at the resort to catch the bus for the airport.

See.. packed. I'm not a commando tourist and I'm gonna go nuts. I have narrowed down to must see and hope-to-see attractions. 29 days to go!! Yippee!!

[elleinad16]

BOO! Deena deserves weekends too!!! :mad:

The second story...with your mom and the bed bugs sounds just like me and my momma. OMG. :lmao:

Also, your schedule looks full but fun! Hooray for less than a month away! :thumbsup2

[LuvLuvLuv]

OH OH!! I forgot to tell you about my sneaky plan!! That was one of the main reasons I started writing this morning, lol.

So the majority of my family wants to stay offsite because it's cheaper. I'm not having this. Soooooooooooo! In March, we have the Deluxe Dining Plan. I'm going to save every last receipt and total everything up against what I paid for it. I'm going to show her how much 2 people saved, and that the money they can save on food can weigh out the savings on an offsite place. I know from previous week long trips that just David and I have saved over $650/700 on each. I'm also hoping she likes the convenience of the busses and Magical Express. I really think I can use this Dining Plan thing to my advantage. :wizard:

[princesswendy720]

I'm at work and was so happy to see an update! I'm so jealous of your trip..I really wanted to go to that dessert party. That story about the bed bugs is hilarious lol..but you can tell her I just got back and didn't bring any bugs with me. I also changed the name of my PJ because Greg did find it by googling "Greg Wendy Disney wedding"...I haven't posted anything on my dress choices here, but I'm more nervous of our guests finding it! I think it takes awhile for google to update though as the old title still shows up.

And as far as passing the time...I'm pretty much just reading PJs and wedding blogs constantly. Someone recently asked what my hobbies were and all I do lately is read about weddings! Maybe we can both take up a new hobby to pass the time together. I know that once the 16 month mark hits I'm going to be scrambling to do the things I was pushing off until then..of course!

[lilsqueakrr]

Hii! I followed you over from my PJ, I'm a little late to join but hey better late than never! =]

I will say I must tell you I LOVE Maggie dresses, ha. I am partial because I am a Maggie Bride myself.. but idk they just make you feel GORGEOUS in them. And I LOVE the one that you're looking at! I've actually tried it on myself! hehe. It is a pretty one. And I think it's perfect for you and you'd look stunning! Especially with those accessories! hehe.

I was tempted to try on the Disney dresses to because well, they're Disney! But they don't FEEL like a wedding gown to me?? Yanno?? Idk, but at least I know someone agrees haha. =]

BTW, I LOVE your hair color! It's something I've been trying to get forever! Do you mind me asking what color it is! hah. ;D

Can't wait to see more!

[LuvLuvLuv]

:lBOO! Deena deserves weekends too!!! :mad:

The second story...with your mom and the bed bugs sounds just like me and my momma. OMG. :lmao:

Also, your schedule looks full but fun! Hooray for less than a month away! :thumbsup2

She's just getting worse the more she gets excited, lol. She asked if she should pack a turtleneck :confused3 wth? No--you're going to Florida! I know it'll be chilly at night... but a hoodie will suffice. Yeesh! She's not talking about a fashionable one either... she's talking about putting a fold over turtleneck underneath a t-shirt. Just like we did when I was in elementary school! :laughing:

So funny story add on :) My stepmom is a waitress and a couple I went to school with were in last night and she was telling them about the trip (they're engaged) and how I was telling her what kind of clothes to pack. Jared asked her if she was taking turtlenecks :rotfl2: He didn't even know about our conversation (haven't talked to him in ages)... just how she's been wearing them since we were little, lol. So he texted me after all this went down and I was driving. I could have wrecked my car laughing. :laughing: First it was weird to have a text from someone you only say Merry Christmas to once per year...and it wasn't Christmas. At least it wasn't just me!! I think she got the hint once he said that, lol. Oh... and he was the total prankster and personality king so in no way did he try to insult her... it was all jokes--always has been :goodvibes

I'm at work and was so happy to see an update! I'm so jealous of your trip..I really wanted to go to that dessert party. That story about the bed bugs is hilarious lol..but you can tell her I just got back and didn't bring any bugs with me. I also changed the name of my PJ because Greg did find it by googling "Greg Wendy Disney wedding"...I haven't posted anything on my dress choices here, but I'm more nervous of our guests finding it! I think it takes awhile for google to update though as the old title still shows up.

And as far as passing the time...I'm pretty much just reading PJs and wedding blogs constantly. Someone recently asked what my hobbies were and all I do lately is read about weddings! Maybe we can both take up a new hobby to pass the time together. I know that once the 16 month mark hits I'm going to be scrambling to do the things I was pushing off until then..of course!

Pshhh... everyone keeps asking me how my wedding is coming along. I'm like... welp... slow? I do need to try to do a few things here and there so I don't scramble. I'm a total scrambler. We do need a hobby. I've been trying to hang out on other boards too. I'm pretty much a food extraordinare... hence my size... so I feel pretty confidant giving advice on the restaurant board :lmao: I could finish my dining report from November, start one for March and May?? That could keep me busy. You should do a full TR from your cruise!!! Yay!!

Hii! I followed you over from my PJ, I'm a little late to join but hey better late than never! =]

I will say I must tell you I LOVE Maggie dresses, ha. I am partial because I am a Maggie Bride myself.. but idk they just make you feel GORGEOUS in them. And I LOVE the one that you're looking at! I've actually tried it on myself! hehe. It is a pretty one. And I think it's perfect for you and you'd look stunning! Especially with those accessories! hehe.

I was tempted to try on the Disney dresses to because well, they're Disney! But they don't FEEL like a wedding gown to me?? Yanno?? Idk, but at least I know someone agrees haha. =]

BTW, I LOVE your hair color! It's something I've been trying to get forever! Do you mind me asking what color it is! hah. ;D

Can't wait to see more!

Thanks for joining in!! The day I tried the Disney dresses on, I felt like I was prom gown shopping. I wanted to love them... but up against the Maggie dresses they were... well... cheap looking on me for comparable prices :(

So my hair... in that picture... is Natural Instincts Coffee Creme :cutie: Currently as of a couple weeks ago it is Cherry Creme... and I have a box of Chocolate Creme on reserve, lol. That's why I like Semi-Permenant color... I have decision making issues.

_______________________________

Well I have a short work weekend... for once! I only go in Saturday night and then have Sunday and Monday OFF! I can't wait to clean, and pack, and do laundry!! Oh laundry! I'm so far behind and have no clean clothes :( I'm embarrassed to admit that I'm wearing maternity pants today because I thought clean maternity pants were better than dirty non-maternity pants. I wouldn't admit this to anyone else, but thought at least someone would laugh :confused3 They feel weird, but very comfortable... I may pack them for the plane ride :laughing: Hmmmm....

Have a great holiday weekend everyone!!

[Mindyjoy]

Thanks for joining in!! The day I tried the Disney dresses on, I felt like I was prom gown shopping. I wanted to love them... but up against the Maggie dresses they were... well... cheap looking on me for comparable prices :(

So my hair... in that picture... is Natural Instincts Coffee Creme :cutie: Currently as of a couple weeks ago it is Cherry Creme... and I have a box of Chocolate Creme on reserve, lol. That's why I like Semi-Permenant color... I have decision making issues.


I use Natural Instincts, too! Egyptian Plum here. :cool1: I also love the semi-permanant color, plus it smells the best out of all the boxed dye I've tried. :rotfl2:

I'm excited because I'm going to a Maggie trunk show next weekend (yeah, I'm counting the days)! I read about how much everyone loves their Maggie dress and I hope I can find something I like in my budget.

[lilsqueakrr]

Ooooo MindyJoy you have to let us know as to which girl you fall in love with! There is just SOMETHING about Maggie dresses.. that when you put one on it's indescribable! =]

And thanks for the hair color! hehe. I may have to go find myself some! I'm so indecisive with my hair too.. it's always a different color! But for our e shots in Spring I want it to be chocolate with bright red highlights! hehe. So I've been trying to find the perfect chocolate color! =]

[sw33t_angel]

Funny story #2: My stepmom texted me and advised me she was bringing disposable sheets and pajamas because she didn't want bedbugs. :sad2: Crazy Pants. So I'm picturing paper sheets and hospital like disposable shorts and gown, lol.... when I'm sure she means old stuff she can throw away--but still :laughing: I answered back asking if she was going to bring a disposable mattress, and how would it fit in the overhead. She didn't think that was so funny and tried to state her case. I told her she was more likely to get bugs from the guy next to her on the plane then from a deluxe disney resort. She said, "Ew." :rotfl2:

Should I bring disposable wine glasses, or drink out of the hotel glasses, lol? Or should we be super classy and drink straight from the bottle in the paper bag?? :laughing: I did tell her about the slushies in EPCOT.

I think I'm going to change the title of my PJ somehow because if you google our names together it pops right up and is a breeding ground for family/friend stalkers. This is my haven and I'd like to keep it that way. So if you see it changed... that's why.


HAHA too funny about your step-mom!! :lmao:

I say to drink straight from the bottle in the bag... lol... you can say you are going green and trying to save little plastic cups and help the environment! :rotfl:

ALSO... TY sooo much for posting about the google search!! I never even thought of that!! Of course DF knows better than to go searching anywhere... but I searched our names together, and BAM third hit on google!! :scared1: SO I changed the title of my PJ as well to our nicknames... WHEW.. thanks for the heads up girl!! :worship:

[KristiLyn]

Hello Hello!

It's very apparent she hasn't been there in a long time. She asked if we were going to Pleasure Island for a drink :rotfl: I was like... well... I don't think. I don't even know when we'd have time for all that... but I was thinking about putting a bottle of wine in my checked baggage. Has anyone done this without disaster?? Should I bring disposable wine glasses, or drink out of the hotel glasses, lol? Or should we be super classy and drink straight from the bottle in the paper bag?? :laughing: I did tell her about the slushies in EPCOT.


Straight from the bottle!! haha!! DF calls this BTF (bottle to the face)
He's so classy... :rotfl2:

[LuvLuvLuv]

Well I've been having bad thoughts. Last night I asked Dave a questions, and told him I want the answer by March 1. I figured I should let you guys in on what's going on, lol.

Lately my second job has been really screwing me over. In March they scheduled me 11-9 every Saturday, except the one I'm in WDW... and the full time girls are all scheduled 10-1 or 10-2 because they have "dinner parties" or things to do. UMMM... lets share those sweet schedules because maybe I have something to do. We're also only supposed to be scheduled 1 or 2 at the most Sundays per month. I'm on EVERY Sunday except the one I'm in WDW. I'm supposed to be 4 days per week... and I'm 5 or 6 on all the weeks. 6 days and crappy hours??? I have to get out of there. I cry on my way to there, and as soon as I get in the car coming home--I'm tired and they treat me like their fill-in... not a pro-stylist that used to be the manager who's been there for 5 years.

So maybe I'm just tired, but I really don't think I can do this for another year and eight months. Money is consuming my life and it's so exhausting. I want to enjoy time with Dave, who recently went to 2nd shift. I get home at 9:30, I stay up so I can see him when he gets home at 11, we eat dinner (at 11:00pm which is why we're fat), I go to bed and he watches TV till he falls asleep. He still works the bar on the weekends... so Sunday night is the only time I see him. I want to spend time with him... but with the extra jobs for wedding money... it's getting to the point where it's not worth it.

I ran some numbers the other day. I have figured a week's stay at BLT or the YC (with the dxddp) plus the Memories collection, plus all other wedding spending, etc at a little under $13,000. I think I can swing that by November. I was pricing stays from November 12-19. I don't even care what day it is... whatever they have available! I'm ready to do this, and get it done with. I proposed the situation to him and told him I want an answer by March 1. That means I could quit my second job before Christmas... and actually have a Christmas without retail jail!! :cool1:

If he says no... then it's okay! I will continue to plan our Wishes wedding as planned and be happy. I just am in a place right now that doesn't need calla lily arrangements and sorbet slippers. Maybe I'll change my mind back next week and chalk this up to PMS? I will terribly miss having Mickey and Minnie... but it'll be okay! I would miss my dream dress... but my dream dress wouldn't fit as well outside at the Grand Floridian--it would be much more casual. I found a couple I liked on sale at a few different sites for $250. He said if he did agree to this he's wearing shorts. Alrighty then.

Am I a bad Disbride?? I feel like I'm abandoning my dreams. There's just part of me that say's I'm going to spend $40,000 on a dream week and come home and still want to put hardwood floors in, still put in a garden jacuzzi tub, still change out the standard condo kitchen appliances which don't wash dishes, make ice or cook evenly like they're supposed to... and lets not talk about the wear and tear on the living room furniture. Plus... we could be started on a family sooner. I have a lot to think about.

I guess we could always reserve our condo club house when we come back and I could do it up in callas, rhinestones, black and silver--have a little shindig, collect a couple checks. Bad Deena--but seriously. The next weekend is Thanksgiving and I could have a lil something in PA too.

I have a feeling he's going to say no, but it is something I wish he'll consider. If he says yes... we'll need to talk to family and see if they feel they MUST be there, or if we can just do this on our own. They need to understand we're dining on dining plan credits and we aren't paying for their meals like we previously were :rotfl2: I would think his mom and grandfather would come, and my stepmom and aunt would come. I almost wish no one would come--we'd only be staying a week and I don't want to cater to others. Okay, on that note, I'm just being mean now. I'm going to find chocolate and doritos and try to give myself an attitude adjustment.

I really, really would appreciate thoughts on this. You can be brutal and tell me I'm crazy, or that this is stupid, or whatever! Maybe that's what I need? Maybe I just need to see my favorite mice in 3 weeks to snap out of it?? Hope everyone is doing well!!

[MissManners]

Am I a bad Disbride?? I feel like I'm abandoning my dreams.


You are not a bad Disbride at all. It is not worth you suffering at a job that you hate for the next year and a half, just so you can have one week of utopia.

Disney is a magical place. I think that's part of the reason that we have all decided to have our weddings there. You just get that "feeling" when you are there. I don't think that feeling is going to change if you downsize from a Wishes to an Escape. It will still be a wonderful, magical experience.

The bottom line is, a wedding is about you and your future husband committing to each other for the rest of your lives. You don't want to start out your marriage being stressed about finances. At the end of your DFTW, or any wedding, all you are going to be left with is your pictures and each other. You will have amazing memories... but this will be true regardless of how many people attend, and what your flowers look like, etc. There's no reason why you can't plan an elaborate VR or Disneymoon a few years down the road.

I have been at a job where I was miserable, and it was quite honestly the worst feeling ever. You're exhausted, and if you're anything like me, you can end up unintentionally taking out the stress on your DF. You have to look out for your own happiness and health first and foremost.

I am sure that no matter what you choose to do, you will have an amazing, beautiful wedding. You just have to do whatever you think is right for you and DF, and not worry about what anyone else thinks. Everything will work out the way it is supposed to. :)

[Deb loves Disney]

I agree with the above poster. You have to be sane and look out for yourself and your DF's happiness which includes finances. I had an escape wedding which is way less than a wishes and I still felt like we were spending too much money.

I also agree that just being at Disney for your wedding is magical and no matter how big or small your wedding is, they will make you feel like a princess that day.

Working at a job you hate for so long is not good either. I've been there and don't ever want to feel that way again. It can do some serious damage to your self esteem and happiness overall.

Here is a hug :hug:. I get the same way when pms'ing and chocolate does help. :cloud9:

It will all work out in the end. Just do what you know is right.

[Bewitch324]

I totally understand where you are coming from. Working all those hourse is very wearing and can bring you to despair for sure. Everything in life is about tradeoffs, right ? There is nothing wrong with choosing to put your health and emotional well being over the long haul ahead of the "dream" wedding--especially, if your dreams have changed, and something smaller and more intimate will be just as satisfying for you.

Not to mention you have the added stress of the whole baby thing--while I love all the plans you've described for the wishes wedding, I think you would enjoy something smaller, more intimate and easier just as much. When push comes to shove, it's you and Dave that are important, what you guys both want. And I suspect that he loves you and doesn't want you to keep working a job that is making you miserable just to pay for that one big day.

Whatever you guys decide, everyone here will continue to love reading about it, and offering whatever support we can. Hang in there!

Brooke

[DoomBuggy0922]

I definitely don't think you're giving up your dreams! Do whatever feels right--- and if just have you and your DF (and 4 family members) there feels right, then do that.

I think it's really easy to get caught up in all of this wedding stuff that we "need"--- when, really, all we NEED is a piece of paper saying that we're married! The rest of the stuff is just extra, right?

[lilsqueakrr]

Aw girl, take a deep breathe and just think everything over again at a later time. I know exactly how PMS can kinda alter your plans. ha. I've done it MULTIPLE times. Do whatever you feels best and works best for you. It's YOUR day, it's what YOU want. Even when it comes to the dress... I feel no matter where you are or how formal or unformal your wedding is the BRIDE should always wear WHATEVER she wants. I'm having a beach wedding and everyone's like oh well you should wear something like this.. and I was like well NO I'm wearing whatever I want. It's my day. I'm getting married ONCE. Therefor I'm wearing whatever gown I decide to wear.


I really hope everything works out for you luv. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. Here's some pixie dust... :wizard::wizard: pixiedust:pixiedust:pixiedust:

[LuvLuvLuv]

((second, shorter attempt--the first version poofed into the abyss))

:goodvibes First of all :goodvibes

I have to thank all of you ladies for your kind words. They have meant so much to me and put what's important in perspective for me. For those of you that have been there... it definately takes a toll on you, and I appreciate all of your understanding.

With that being said... he still has until midnight tonight to decide. I feel like if it was a yes... he would have just said it already, but since it's probably a no, he's putting off a possible fight till the end. I don't want to fight with him, but it truly is my money, and my energy working extra for this and I know in the back of my mind I will be upset. I may unintentionally say the wrong things when the answer traps me in a good paying job that I hate, but have to have to pay for the wedding. Lord give me the strength not to cry if I don't get my way.

I can't wait to update everyone tomorrow with the details!

My to-do list is getting longer by the minute for stuff to get done before I leave on March 18. I work every single day until then, with only 4 nights off to get everything accomplished. Hopefully works stay busy and it goes fast. We find out today if we won a $250 contest from last week for store credit. I could use another pair of sketcher's tone up flip flops for the parks. They are amazing!! Okay, I'm rambling now... Catch up with everyone in the morning!! Wish me luck!!

[tnkr mom]

:goodvibes pixiedust: pixiedust: pixiedust:

[LuvLuvLuv]

Oooookay. So last night was his deadline for the Memories decision. I figured the way to a man's heart is chicken wings... so I ordered some to-go and had them waiting when he got home from work. :rotfl:

From there, it's kind of hard to put in words what the answer was. He said if we did do this in November, it would be just us--and we wouldn't invite 4 people. He said this would hurt my stepmom and my aunt which it would tremendously. He said he wouldn't be able to choose between his grandfather or brother for his side to be along with his mother... so we would invite no one. Stress. He asked why I was going to the showcase if I all of a sudden wanted a plain, quick little deal. Well Sir, when I booked the trip for the showcase I was planning a fancy pants, bling bling, I'm going to sparkle like a disco ball wedding. Now that I have my stepmom going, she's more excited than a 3 year old little girl getting to meet Cinderella for the first time. I have to at least go thru the motions.

Be proud that I didn't cry. My emotions were so confused I wasn't sure how to react. I asked if he would be able to contribute and he said he just can't. His was expecting a raise in February and his company sent a notice that no raises would be given this year. So it's back to being all on me, and whatever I can scrape from here and there.

So last night I tossed and turned trying to come up with a solution. Being the problem solver I am, I knew I needed to wait until I had an excel spreadsheet in front of me. This spreadsheet has everything from spending money for the airport, to paying the dogsitter, to Mousekeeping tips, etc etc. I made one for Memories, Escape and Wishes.

Memories: 12,000
Escape: 30,000
Wishes: 42,000

Really the only difference between the Escape and Wishes was that I had budgeted for a 13 night stay for the Wishes wedding instead of an 8 day stay I switched to for the Escape. Also, the decor and linens for the Wishes reception moved the price up. Plus the planning session is budgeted in there--which we wouldn't need for Escape. For the Escape Reception... we would just grab an ADR at the Cali Grill so everyone could just order what they want.

The Escape pricing includes all the original blingy floral, Mickey and Minnie, 6 hours of Photography, MK Shoot (still on the fence, but wanted to budget), petal cannon, cake/floral upgrades... etc etc---I made it everything I wanted. It's still a giant chunk of cash if I have to come up with it on my own AND move the date up.

I was looking at May 7, 2012. It's a Monday--it's exactly half way between both of our birthdays. Mine is May 1 and his is May 13. Thought that was kind of neat. Plus it'll be warm. But, oh yeah--- where are you getting 30 grand?? :confused3

I haven't completely given up on the Memories collection. I'm going to check out the showcase, lay it all out for my stepmom and see what her opinions are. If she wouldn't mind us "eloping" then it may just be the best for everyone. For all I know, the family may not really want to travel, but doesn't want to hurt my feelings. So I'm going to lay it all out there and see what happens.

Honestly, seeing that I could have almost everything I want for 12,000 less is very attractive to me. It's an option as well. I could also have my cake cutting on Commander's Terrace which I love... and I could have Mickey and Minnie there :) That is one part I wished I could have with Wishes, but couldn't.

So we're back to square one. Still don't know what we're doing... but for sure knowing that it will be at Disney. That's the one part we know is set in stone. I'm going to attempt to keep my mind off of it until the showcase and until I talk it thru with my stepmom and maybe my aunt. I have packing to do, hair to color and cut, nails to be done, cleaning, work... I won't have trouble staying busy. So for now, stay tuned to see what whirlwind I end up in next. :laughing:

[DoomBuggy0922]

Hmmm. I think I'm on the fence about his answer, just like you are!!!

Really, just do whatever will give YOU the least amount of stress. $30-42,000 is SO much money for you to come up with this year! (Really, even the $12,000 number is making me a little faint for you.) I know it shouldn't be all about the money, but, really, money is a bit stressful. (Understatement of the year, right?)

If you can have EVERYTHING you want for $12,000, then that's what I would do. I know you'd be hurting your stepmom, but why not plan a trip with her at some point? (Just an idea. Or did you do that already? I forget!)

Anyway, good luck! <3 :goodvibes

[lilsqueakrr]

Oooookay. So last night was his deadline for the Memories decision. I figured the way to a man's heart is chicken wings... so I ordered some to-go and had them waiting when he got home from work. :rotfl:

From there, it's kind of hard to put in words what the answer was. He said if we did do this in November, it would be just us--and we wouldn't invite 4 people. He said this would hurt my stepmom and my aunt which it would tremendously. He said he wouldn't be able to choose between his grandfather or brother for his side to be along with his mother... so we would invite no one. Stress. He asked why I was going to the showcase if I all of a sudden wanted a plain, quick little deal. Well Sir, when I booked the trip for the showcase I was planning a fancy pants, bling bling, I'm going to sparkle like a disco ball wedding. Now that I have my stepmom going, she's more excited than a 3 year old little girl getting to meet Cinderella for the first time. I have to at least go thru the motions.

Be proud that I didn't cry. My emotions were so confused I wasn't sure how to react. I asked if he would be able to contribute and he said he just can't. His was expecting a raise in February and his company sent a notice that no raises would be given this year. So it's back to being all on me, and whatever I can scrape from here and there.

So last night I tossed and turned trying to come up with a solution. Being the problem solver I am, I knew I needed to wait until I had an excel spreadsheet in front of me. This spreadsheet has everything from spending money for the airport, to paying the dogsitter, to Mousekeeping tips, etc etc. I made one for Memories, Escape and Wishes.

Memories: 12,000
Escape: 30,000
Wishes: 42,000

Really the only difference between the Escape and Wishes was that I had budgeted for a 13 night stay for the Wishes wedding instead of an 8 day stay I switched to for the Escape. Also, the decor and linens for the Wishes reception moved the price up. Plus the planning session is budgeted in there--which we wouldn't need for Escape. For the Escape Reception... we would just grab an ADR at the Cali Grill so everyone could just order what they want.

The Escape pricing includes all the original blingy floral, Mickey and Minnie, 6 hours of Photography, MK Shoot (still on the fence, but wanted to budget), petal cannon, cake/floral upgrades... etc etc---I made it everything I wanted. It's still a giant chunk of cash if I have to come up with it on my own AND move the date up.

I was looking at May 7, 2012. It's a Monday--it's exactly half way between both of our birthdays. Mine is May 1 and his is May 13. Thought that was kind of neat. Plus it'll be warm. But, oh yeah--- where are you getting 30 grand?? :confused3

I haven't completely given up on the Memories collection. I'm going to check out the showcase, lay it all out for my stepmom and see what her opinions are. If she wouldn't mind us "eloping" then it may just be the best for everyone. For all I know, the family may not really want to travel, but doesn't want to hurt my feelings. So I'm going to lay it all out there and see what happens.

Honestly, seeing that I could have almost everything I want for 12,000 less is very attractive to me. It's an option as well. I could also have my cake cutting on Commander's Terrace which I love... and I could have Mickey and Minnie there :) That is one part I wished I could have with Wishes, but couldn't.

So we're back to square one. Still don't know what we're doing... but for sure knowing that it will be at Disney. That's the one part we know is set in stone. I'm going to attempt to keep my mind off of it until the showcase and until I talk it thru with my stepmom and maybe my aunt. I have packing to do, hair to color and cut, nails to be done, cleaning, work... I won't have trouble staying busy. So for now, stay tuned to see what whirlwind I end up in next. :laughing:


Wow girl. I can see why you're stressed heh. But I will say, with the Memories package it's unsure as to whether or not it will be available in 2012? So you'd have to do it sometime this year, meaning crunch time to get that money. :scared1: DF & I were gunna do Memories in Oct 2012 after our actual wedding, but they're unsure if it will be available..

So, with Escape you can get ALMOST everything that you wanted. Especially the Mickey & Minnie part! heh. I understand how money is tough, trust me. But if I were you, I'd probably go with the Escape package in May which would just be BEAUTIFUL! You really gotta think everything out. But I honestly think that Escape would be the best bet and would make you and the DF happy.. hope I helped at least a little bit?? :hug:

[LuvLuvLuv]

Hmmm. I think I'm on the fence about his answer, just like you are!!!

If you can have EVERYTHING you want for $12,000, then that's what I would do. I know you'd be hurting your stepmom, but why not plan a trip with her at some point? (Just an idea. Or did you do that already? I forget!)

Anyway, good luck! <3 :goodvibes

Lol, me and my stepmom leave for Disney in 2 1/2 weeks :rotfl: We're going for the showcase, but I know she wants to be involved in the wedding. She's been really lonely since my father passed and I know she feels like she's part of this--I would hate to just tell her to stay home and I'll send ya pictures. :( We shall see how this all works out. Maybe I'll hit the powerball?? :wizard: Thanks for your help!

Wow girl. I can see why you're stressed heh. But I will say, with the Memories package it's unsure as to whether or not it will be available in 2012? So you'd have to do it sometime this year, meaning crunch time to get that money. :scared1: DF & I were gunna do Memories in Oct 2012 after our actual wedding, but they're unsure if it will be available..

So, with Escape you can get ALMOST everything that you wanted. Especially the Mickey & Minnie part! heh. I understand how money is tough, trust me. But if I were you, I'd probably go with the Escape package in May which would just be BEAUTIFUL! You really gotta think everything out. But I honestly think that Escape would be the best bet and would make you and the DF happy.. hope I helped at least a little bit?? :hug:

You always help :goodvibes :hug: :cutie:
I keep thinking the same. I keep looking at the numbers thinking how much more possible it is. Now tonight when I go home and my ice machine is growling and I go to unload the dishwasher full of still dirty dishes... my priorities will change :laughing: I keep thinking if we put our taxes together for next year I can have clean dishes without doing them by hand :confused3 But seriously, I worry if I'll regret just doing the memories collection and feel like I can at least meet my dreams in the middle. With everything I have on the spreadsheet, I actually meet the Wishes minimum... but then I can't have Commander's Terrace, and I'll need a F/B minimum---screw all that--I'll spend my money and eat my cake where I want to :lmao: I always value you're opinions!! You're so helpful!!

[Deb loves Disney]

I loved the Commander's Terrace during our Escape Wedding. The view of the water is just so beautiful and it is actually a pretty big area. There was plenty of room for us to do our first dance, we had a violinist playing our song choice (he also entertained our guests before we showed up) we had the cake cutting and toast. It felt really special! Then we still had a short lunch reception at the Napa Room and kept it under $10,000. It is so doable! I don't think you should omit your family though. It really is special for them as well and will be such a great memory for everybody.

Whatever you do just make sure you are happy!!! That is all that matters really. :goodvibes

[lilsqueakrr]

You always help :goodvibes :hug: :cutie:
I keep thinking the same. I keep looking at the numbers thinking how much more possible it is. Now tonight when I go home and my ice machine is growling and I go to unload the dishwasher full of still dirty dishes... my priorities will change :laughing: I keep thinking if we put our taxes together for next year I can have clean dishes without doing them by hand :confused3 But seriously, I worry if I'll regret just doing the memories collection and feel like I can at least meet my dreams in the middle. With everything I have on the spreadsheet, I actually meet the Wishes minimum... but then I can't have Commander's Terrace, and I'll need a F/B minimum---screw all that--I'll spend my money and eat my cake where I want to :lmao: I always value you're opinions!! You're so helpful!!

Well I'm glad I can help then! :banana: I try! :woohoo:

If I were you I would definitely go for the Escapes or whatever makes you happiest! I'd make sure I'd have the Disney wedding with Mickey and Minnie! :woohoo: Haha, but that's just me. :rolleyes1 The Escape seems like the best way to do it all and not spend a ridiculous amount of money while doing so. heh.

Keeping my fingers crossed for you and can't wait to see what you pick!:hug:

[princesswendy720]

Weddings are definitely very expensive, but I do think it is important to have family there to share the day with you. It seems like you can get everything you want with an Escape wedding - the WP, Commander's Terrace, and even a short reception in the Napa Room if you want. Plus, you have a year to go back and do the castle shoot if you decide you want to later.

Would moving the wedding up cause you more or less money stress? I know you'd be able to leave your other job sooner, but would you feel super pressured to get that money together sooner?

[LuvLuvLuv]

Weddings are definitely very expensive, but I do think it is important to have family there to share the day with you. It seems like you can get everything you want with an Escape wedding - the WP, Commander's Terrace, and even a short reception in the Napa Room if you want. Plus, you have a year to go back and do the castle shoot if you decide you want to later.

Would moving the wedding up cause you more or less money stress? I know you'd be able to leave your other job sooner, but would you feel super pressured to get that money together sooner?


Yeah, moving things up would be stressful, it would be a mad dash to get all the funding together. You're right. I think I was in the wrong hormonal state of mind last week :laughing:

____________________________________

So. Of course I said I wasn't going to think about any of this until after the showcase... but I'm failing at that attempt. I have a few new ideas, a few new realizations, and I'm feeling a little better-which makes my thoughts way more rational. With the Escape budget I have, I'm still over the Wishes minimum, and I hate to lose that status. I REALLY REALLY want the Commander's Terrace, so if they tell me I can't have that as a Wishes bride.... then I'll have to drop down. I was reading around other Escape threads and found were a few had extended their time at CT and had a few appetizers there as well. I fell in love with this idea. Some had a little dance while Mickey and Minnie were there with the violinist playing. I wasn't planning on dancing.... but how FUN would that be?? I've also been considering Citricos along with the California Grill. I think depending on how times fell, would make my decision for me. If the times fell where we could see Wishes at dinner--it would be California Grill. If we ate early.... it would be Citricos. Or I'll change my mind again next week. This is the problem with planning way in advance.

As far as the date goes... I guess we'll keep it. The past week has been really busy with our event at work and a rather successful one I might add. Those are the weeks that I don't mind what I do. I also talked with a few of my good clients who could see that I've been stressed lately. One of them told me I have a gift, and not to let a store ruin doing something I clearly have a passion for. This hit me pretty hard. I will continue to try to make the best of it there for now.

We normally go every May and every November. In the interest of saving the budget, I was going to cancel both...but then that means no Disney for a year and a half--that won't do. So I asked which he preferred.... Osborne Lights or Typhoon Lagoon :laughing: He can't decide. ((I vote Osborne Lights)), but we'll see if we stay Wishes, we'll have to go in May for the planning session. This also impacts if I need to get him an AP in May or not.

So I leave 2 weeks from tomorrow! I can't believe it's here already!! I'm going to put all my ideas down on paper, take lots of pictures, bring some inspiration pictures, and hopefully get some of my questions answered. Maybe my stepmom will have an idea I haven't thought of?? I am getting the 2 week jitters. Do I have everything I need? Am I covered at work? I'm so excited! Do I need to do anything in the house before I leave?? Will he have food to eat and clean clothes?? ((lord knows i'll come back to a garbage can full of mcdonalds and burger king bags)) My stepmom has been sending me a countdown every morning. It's cute. I've been thinking a lot and I don't think she realizes what she's in for the first time she goes without my father. I had a really rough time doing some of the things we used to do as a family. I almost broke to pieces during the Electrical Parade, I had to get out of the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground immediately, walking past the bench where I took my favorite picture of them together, and I had to go to Italy to get his favorite candy. These are things I don't think she's ready for. I know she has even more memories than me, because for so many trips I was too young to remember most of what we did. I'm glad we're taking this pre-wedding trip, so this doesn't happen the week of the wedding.

I always add a funny story: My friend/co-worker in my building (i think i've told you about her) who never listens to what I say, called me this morning. She said, "You leave soon right? What day?" I told her Friday the 18th. She said, "Well when do you want me to be there to watch Baxter?" I replied... "May 6th" :laughing: She never retains a word of what I say to her. NEVER. It's so annoying I can't even put into words how annoying it is. I told her a million times, several times per week since December that I was meeting my stepmom down there in March. She proceded to ask if I wanted to have lunch today. This was 3 minutes after I told her I was an hour and a half late today since I forgot to set my alarm last night (whoopsie!) and that I had to stay in to make up the time. 3 minutes and she couldn't retain that? :headache:

She had a funny story for me too: She just got one of those Facebook check-in things and has been alllllll over it. When she pulled into our building today and went to check in... the first option it gave her was: he!! :rotfl2: That's about accurate.

Okay... well thanks for reading along to my tornado of weddingness, lol! :cutie:

[lilsqueakrr]

Girlie, I'm so right along with you about this whole wedding chaos.. ha. I'm about to say screw it to having my at home wedding and paying for my own Disney wedding and I don't care who even comes, cause I'm just over it? ha. =]

But I hope that the trip helps you figure everything out and give you the answers that you need! I'm kinda jealous. I wanted to go down. But nobody wanted to go with me. Plus it would be just a tease.. since Disney is what I really want.. Fingers crossed! =]

[Princess SarahK]

Hi!! Sorry Ive been so MIA lately. Im so sorry to hear about all of your troubles. Seems like youve sort of figured most of it out to what feels right and best for you and Dave. Keep your chin up, and hopefully things will follow your lead! :hug:

[LuvLuvLuv]

Happy Monday Everyone!

Today I'm feeling discouraged. I'm realizing I'm running out of time to get ready for our little trip. I've been throwing a few things here and there into my suitcase, but I'm nowhere near ready to go. Even though we're all paid and everything.... I've almost decided today to not even go to the showcase. I know--the whole purpose of the trip. When I take time off of work that means I don't have to wear a suit (one job), a dressy black outfit (other job), heels or panty hose. If this is going to be a formal affair, then it should have been outlined as such. I'm not saying I would show up in a Mickey Mouse T-Shirt... I'm just saying that a dress and heels isn't in my vacation vision--especially at night when it's cold at the dessert party. I'm thinking of trashing the day and hitting the pool and the parks. I think that officially makes me the worst DisBride ever. I'm over it.

I hate to say this (it's kind of making me tear up).... but I'm not real sure I'll be writing anymore. Sure I'll follow everyone else, but I just don't think I'm cut out for the whole fancy bride thing. I don't want to be married anywhere but at Disney--and we will try our best to make it happen. All I ever have to update is how things aren't progressing. I'm not a DIY type girl, I'd rather buy new than make something myself or fix something that's broken or dirty. I won't have projects like other brides, I will probably purchase everything thru Disney to make my life easy. My family makes fun of me when I try to do something creative like a newsletter or a party program.... and I don't mean a cute make fun of... like they really think I'm stupid. So I won't be doing any of that, just to get made fun of on my wedding week. We'll all communicate thru text and no one will be where they're supposed to be--and we'll all fight. I'll cry. It's just how it goes.

As a visual... I'm sobbing at my desk, tears are dripping down my navy pinstriped pant suit as I'm realizing I suck as a bride. The only thing saving this situation is Diorshow Waterproof Mascara right now. I should be more excited than this, but when you don't have friends or family that are excited with you... it's really hard... and really all I have are you guys to listen to my plans. My stepmom was married at the JOP and I never saw 2 people more in love than her and my father. Her idea of a party is at an American Legion with plastic tablecloths and fold around bells while YMCA is playing in the background. I appreciate that she's the only one almost/kinda interested... but she has no idea. This is Dave's second wedding, so I almost excuse his lack of interest and his only requests are that we either do it at Disney or at the JOP. My friends still ask if Mickey and Minnie are the MOH/BM, if we're staying in the castle, and that they think Disney is only for children. Some members of my family suggested somewhere more tropical so they could drink on the beach and fish. I don't drink, I'm not a huge fan of sand, and I don't fish. My aunt recently said she's not getting on a plane. His mom said she might not be able to come because of her cats. Of course this is now, while they're all telling me it's too early to even think about solid plans. Then once we get closer they'll give me another story. I'm seriously done with people. I wish me, Dave and my little Baxter could just live in our own little world sometimes.

Maybe after it's all over I'll do a trip report. Maybe after things get rolling, I'll have a change of heart. All I want is to marry the person I love, progress on with my life, and above all--be happy. I appreciate everyone who has followed along and supported me. You've honestly been my only signs of support. If I do end up going to the showcase, I'll probably come back and dish about it. Who knows, it may give me a change or heart. It could also make me feel like I'm not good enough, or deserving to be in the presence of people who are all "bridal" or that may come from better off situations than myself. I'm nervous of the latter.

We'll see how it goes......

[Mindyjoy]

Whoa girl, whoa. I'm not sure what made you feel so down but whatever it is, it will get better. Here's a hug from me to you. :hug:

Have you read my PJ? I'm the anti-bride. I have zero creativity. My family hates pretty much everything I have planned for my wedding. It has not been easy.

These kinds of things happen to every bride. There are ups and downs. It sounds like you are really having a bad day and I'm not sure what to say to make you feel better. Sometimes, we just need someone, even if it's a stranger, to reach out and say "everything will be alright." :flower3:

Please don't stop posting. I have enjoyed reading your journal. And journals are for posting the good and the bad. Everyone has a "vent" post as part of their journals.

As far as the showcase, how FORMAL do they expect you to be? I was supposed to wear FORMAL when I went to club 33 and I wore nice jeans and a sweater. They let me in because guess what?? As long as you pay and look nice they will probably let you in. I don't know anything about this showcase but I bet that as long as you look nice, they will let you in.

And as far as family making fun of your DIY, that's just rude. Don't listen to them and don't let them ruin your day. Do what you want to do for your wedding, as the only people you have to please are you and DF. :grouphug:

[princesswendy720]

:grouphug: Please don't stop posting! I love coming on here and seeing where you are in your planning and seeing your vision take shape. There's nothing wrong with not being the DIY type. I constantly feel overwhelmed with getting all these fabulous little details put together (I need to stop reading Style Me Pretty). And it's just not going to happen. I don't do this for a living. There's nothing wrong with not being the type of bride that the wedding industry/blogging community seems to think is the ideal. And no one is going to critique you on here for not having a fabulous DIY post or even just posting sporadically when you do have something to say. We are your sounding board. So when you think your family doesn't care about the details -we always do! :bride:

And as far as the bridal showcase - all I have to say is - it's Disney. People wear Mickey t-shirts and flip flops to fine dining locations. :rotfl: I don't think anyone will scoff if you wear jeans. It's not a job interview or anything - you have no one to try to impress there!

I'm hoping when you get back you'll choose to post about your observations and experience (I know you'll be honest if it was worth it or a total waste of time).

[DisneyShamrock]

I agree: you should keep posting. I have really enjoyed reading your PJ thus far, and I was looking forward to seeing everything come together. :hug:

I third the opinion about the showcase. Be comfy and look nice, and you should be just fine. I think it might be the thing to get you re-excited about getting married. Plus, your step-mom will be there, and she's excited, too.

As far as the family making fun of you, they might just be jealous that your wedding will be more fun than there's were/will be. A wedding id about you and your fiance making a life-long commitment to each other. If no one wants to be there, or be on time, forget about them. The most important thing is that you get married to the man you love. :flower3:

Life goes up, and life goes down, but it all levels out eventually. You always have us DISbrides, and we don't judge you if you can't DIY. I would bet that most of us get lucky that a project works. There is absolutely nothing wrong with not being creative and using Disney to make you wedding easier. No one would argue with you for convenience. :grouphug:

[Deb loves Disney]

I'm so sorry that you are feeling stressed. :hug: I agree that you should go to the bridal showcase. Don't feel like you have to dress to the nines. Like the poster above said...this is Disney! You can wear what you feel like wearing!

Please don't stop posting, I also enjoy your updates. This should be the one place that you feel comfortable venting. We totally understand and have been through some of the same situations. We will not judge you!

I am not crafty! The only thing I attempted to do my self was the programs and they were a simple design and cost $10. I also did one newsletter but it was more of an informational/ timeline newsletter so everybody at least had the details and our phone numbers in case they needed us. We did not have any extra parties, rehearsals, etc and I still felt like it was an awesome wedding.

I did not share any details with anybody (family) before the wedding and left it all up to them to see on the wedding day. They should be ashamed of themselves for making fun of you! I agree that they are probably jealous!

I hope it all works out and I know you will have a great trip even if you don't go to the wedding showcase. I think a vacation will be a very good thing!

[sw33t_angel]

Whoa girl, whoa. I'm not sure what made you feel so down but whatever it is, it will get better. Here's a hug from me to you. :hug:

Have you read my PJ? I'm the anti-bride. I have zero creativity. My family hates pretty much everything I have planned for my wedding. It has not been easy.

These kinds of things happen to every bride. There are ups and downs. It sounds like you are really having a bad day and I'm not sure what to say to make you feel better. Sometimes, we just need someone, even if it's a stranger, to reach out and say "everything will be alright." :flower3:

Please don't stop posting. I have enjoyed reading your journal. And journals are for posting the good and the bad. Everyone has a "vent" post as part of their journals.

As far as the showcase, how FORMAL do they expect you to be? I was supposed to wear FORMAL when I went to club 33 and I wore nice jeans and a sweater. They let me in because guess what?? As long as you pay and look nice they will probably let you in. I don't know anything about this showcase but I bet that as long as you look nice, they will let you in.

And as far as family making fun of your DIY, that's just rude. Don't listen to them and don't let them ruin your day. Do what you want to do for your wedding, as the only people you have to please are you and DF. :grouphug:

:grouphug: Please don't stop posting! I love coming on here and seeing where you are in your planning and seeing your vision take shape. There's nothing wrong with not being the DIY type. I constantly feel overwhelmed with getting all these fabulous little details put together (I need to stop reading Style Me Pretty). And it's just not going to happen. I don't do this for a living. There's nothing wrong with not being the type of bride that the wedding industry/blogging community seems to think is the ideal. And no one is going to critique you on here for not having a fabulous DIY post or even just posting sporadically when you do have something to say. We are your sounding board. So when you think your family doesn't care about the details -we always do! :bride:

And as far as the bridal showcase - all I have to say is - it's Disney. People wear Mickey t-shirts and flip flops to fine dining locations. :rotfl: I don't think anyone will scoff if you wear jeans. It's not a job interview or anything - you have no one to try to impress there!

I'm hoping when you get back you'll choose to post about your observations and experience (I know you'll be honest if it was worth it or a total waste of time).

I agree: you should keep posting. I have really enjoyed reading your PJ thus far, and I was looking forward to seeing everything come together. :hug:

I third the opinion about the showcase. Be comfy and look nice, and you should be just fine. I think it might be the thing to get you re-excited about getting married. Plus, your step-mom will be there, and she's excited, too.

As far as the family making fun of you, they might just be jealous that your wedding will be more fun than there's were/will be. A wedding id about you and your fiance making a life-long commitment to each other. If no one wants to be there, or be on time, forget about them. The most important thing is that you get married to the man you love. :flower3:

Life goes up, and life goes down, but it all levels out eventually. You always have us DISbrides, and we don't judge you if you can't DIY. I would bet that most of us get lucky that a project works. There is absolutely nothing wrong with not being creative and using Disney to make you wedding easier. No one would argue with you for convenience. :grouphug:

I'm so sorry that you are feeling stressed. :hug: I agree that you should go to the bridal showcase. Don't feel like you have to dress to the nines. Like the poster above said...this is Disney! You can wear what you feel like wearing!

Please don't stop posting, I also enjoy your updates. This should be the one place that you feel comfortable venting. We totally understand and have been through some of the same situations. We will not judge you!

I am not crafty! The only thing I attempted to do my self was the programs and they were a simple design and cost $10. I also did one newsletter but it was more of an informational/ timeline newsletter so everybody at least had the details and our phone numbers in case they needed us. We did not have any extra parties, rehearsals, etc and I still felt like it was an awesome wedding.

I did not share any details with anybody (family) before the wedding and left it all up to them to see on the wedding day. They should be ashamed of themselves for making fun of you! I agree that they are probably jealous!

I hope it all works out and I know you will have a great trip even if you don't go to the wedding showcase. I think a vacation will be a very good thing!

What they said!!! :grouphug:

I too enjoy your posts, and you are not a bad bride! Just because DIY isn't your thing, doesn't make you any less creative! I would love to just buy everything if I had my way (and money.. lol), but it doesn't make your day any less special!!

We are hear to give you support and hear you out when everyone else isn't being very friendly or supportive! Not everyone is going to understand your vision for your wedding, but don't let yourself lose sight of what you want. If you want it- they can just get over it. It is your day and you are marrying your prince.... and at the end of the day- through all the moaning and complaining they will be happy for you.

[lilsqueakrr]

Aw girl! I wanna give you such a big big big big big hug right now! I'm sooo sorry to hear all of this! I hope that you can still come back here and post because I love reading your posts and seeing what you're doing!

As far as family criticizing I would seriously just ignore them. I know it's rough. But I've dealt with a LARGE majority of my family criticizing me since I've been about 16 years old and seriously allowed to express myself other than just using my mouth. ;D My family mocks the Disney wedding in a way too, but more so with the fact that I'm NOT doing the Disney wedding.. go figure?? They're like you mean Mickey and Minnie won't be at your wedding? But I just give them a smart a$$ remark back. ha. ;D

I really hope things work out for you love. I'm so sad to hear about all of this. I need my Maggie girl! ;D Keep your head up and just focus on you and your DF. You two are the only ones that matter. It's YOUR day, do it right and do it the way you want it to. If people decide they don't want to go because of stupid reasons, than they don't deserve to be in your presence anyways! If in Disney the only people there are you and DF than that's the way it's meant to be and it's a clean and clear start for the two of you to start the rest of your life! <3 <3

I hope it all works out for you and I hope we hear from you soon. If you ever need anybody to talk to... feel freee to find me! :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :wizard: :wizard: :wizard: :lovestruc :lovestruc :lovestruc

[KristiLyn]

Happy Monday Everyone!

Today I'm feeling discouraged. I'm realizing I'm running out of time to get ready for our little trip. I've been throwing a few things here and there into my suitcase, but I'm nowhere near ready to go. Even though we're all paid and everything.... I've almost decided today to not even go to the showcase. I know--the whole purpose of the trip. When I take time off of work that means I don't have to wear a suit (one job), a dressy black outfit (other job), heels or panty hose. If this is going to be a formal affair, then it should have been outlined as such. I'm not saying I would show up in a Mickey Mouse T-Shirt... I'm just saying that a dress and heels isn't in my vacation vision--especially at night when it's cold at the dessert party. I'm thinking of trashing the day and hitting the pool and the parks. I think that officially makes me the worst DisBride ever. I'm over it.

I hate to say this (it's kind of making me tear up).... but I'm not real sure I'll be writing anymore. Sure I'll follow everyone else, but I just don't think I'm cut out for the whole fancy bride thing. I don't want to be married anywhere but at Disney--and we will try our best to make it happen. All I ever have to update is how things aren't progressing. I'm not a DIY type girl, I'd rather buy new than make something myself or fix something that's broken or dirty. I won't have projects like other brides, I will probably purchase everything thru Disney to make my life easy. My family makes fun of me when I try to do something creative like a newsletter or a party program.... and I don't mean a cute make fun of... like they really think I'm stupid. So I won't be doing any of that, just to get made fun of on my wedding week. We'll all communicate thru text and no one will be where they're supposed to be--and we'll all fight. I'll cry. It's just how it goes.

As a visual... I'm sobbing at my desk, tears are dripping down my navy pinstriped pant suit as I'm realizing I suck as a bride. The only thing saving this situation is Diorshow Waterproof Mascara right now. I should be more excited than this, but when you don't have friends or family that are excited with you... it's really hard... and really all I have are you guys to listen to my plans. My stepmom was married at the JOP and I never saw 2 people more in love than her and my father. Her idea of a party is at an American Legion with plastic tablecloths and fold around bells while YMCA is playing in the background. I appreciate that she's the only one almost/kinda interested... but she has no idea. This is Dave's second wedding, so I almost excuse his lack of interest and his only requests are that we either do it at Disney or at the JOP. My friends still ask if Mickey and Minnie are the MOH/BM, if we're staying in the castle, and that they think Disney is only for children. Some members of my family suggested somewhere more tropical so they could drink on the beach and fish. I don't drink, I'm not a huge fan of sand, and I don't fish. My aunt recently said she's not getting on a plane. His mom said she might not be able to come because of her cats. Of course this is now, while they're all telling me it's too early to even think about solid plans. Then once we get closer they'll give me another story. I'm seriously done with people. I wish me, Dave and my little Baxter could just live in our own little world sometimes.

Maybe after it's all over I'll do a trip report. Maybe after things get rolling, I'll have a change of heart. All I want is to marry the person I love, progress on with my life, and above all--be happy. I appreciate everyone who has followed along and supported me. You've honestly been my only signs of support. If I do end up going to the showcase, I'll probably come back and dish about it. Who knows, it may give me a change or heart. It could also make me feel like I'm not good enough, or deserving to be in the presence of people who are all "bridal" or that may come from better off situations than myself. I'm nervous of the latter.

We'll see how it goes......

I'm sorry you feel this way :(
I know exactly how you are feeling. I have not a creative bone in my body. I feel like I can't make anything! And everything I do turns out terrible! If you read my pj, it's actually very boring. I read it the other day and got a little depressed that it's so boring. I take the buying route with everything, and money is not exactly rolling in!
And as far as the family thing goes, I completely understand! My family could CARE LESS about my wedding, and probably wont even go. It'll probably just be df's fam. But whatever.
Anyways, the point of this is that there are people here going through exactly what you are, it's ok! We non creative people have to stick together...haha! I hope you feel better... a little :)

[Bewitch324]

Oh sweetie, I'm so sorry that you are feeling so bad!! You are NOT a bad bride!!!! You are you, and you are a bride!! I wish you wouldn't judge yourself so harshly!!! Whatever YOU want is what is right for you, and no one else has the right to judge that at all--and honestly, at least here, I think you have a pretty safe place to share your thoughts and plans and frustrations. We are all on YOUR side. I've really enjoyed reading about your plans and your ideas about changing them as you go along, and I hope you continue to share them with us.

It sounds like your family is not very supportive--use us for that support when you need it.

Hang in there, and know that there are a lot of us here that care about you and want to help in anyway we can. I hope you decide to go to the showcase, I think you will have fun, and maybe it will help you to start getting excited again about the wedding. You will only do this once, I want to make sure you end up doing exactly what you want to (and can afford) so you can have a wonderful day to remember, whatever that ends up meaning for you and your fiance.

Hugs!
Brooke

[DoomBuggy0922]

Awwww I'm sorry too! I really wish I could stay a day later in Disney so we could meet up---

But DON'T feel like a bad bride, and I totally understand not wanting all this fancy shmancy stuff. You have to do what makes you and your DF happy!!

[Princess SarahK]

Awwww :hug: Deena Love, cheer up! I know you've not been feeling well and that Im sure added to all of your stress. I hope you continue to post here, you will certainly be missed if you choose not to come back. I understand where you are coming from. It seems like you've got a pile of negative factors around you and that really doesnt help! We've all had bad days, and crappy family members who just dont get it, it really sucks that these things do put such a damper on us. I think its because our weddings are so personal and we take everything so seriously and when others just laugh and poke fun...it really hurts. I completely understand how it can make you want to change things. Either way you and Dave will be married and will have the most perfect day for the two of you. Do whats best for yall, and everyone else can shut the heck up!

Take a deep breath. This too shall pass. Things will work out and one day it will all seem irrelevant. Whatever you decide, Im here for you. :hug: Ready to listen whenever you need to vent. :flower3:

[LuvLuvLuv]

Le Sigh.

I'm still here... at least 9 hours a day while I'm at my first job :rotfl2:

I can't even begin to say how much I appreciate all the kind responses to my crazy outburst. Everyone's advice has been seriously taken! I'm still in a mass state of confusion and have yet to figure it all out. The past 2 weeks have been chaotic and I'm behind on everything (Sarah I still owe you an Email!). I am debating on taking my ginormous laptop with me to catch up in the airport.

Tomorrow morning at 7:45, I leave for the airport. I haven't packed yet, and I work until 9:15 tonight. This makes me want to panic. I've also been practicing my happy bridal face for my stepmom. She has no idea about any of my doubts, or ideas or anything--I don't want to let her in on any of that either :laughing:

In my current state of mind, the thought of spending an entire day around bridal and wedding mess made me want to cringe. This is the reason I'm going! This is why I spent $2000 on a random trip! My stepmom has been so excited about this trip. She's keeps saying how excited she is to spend a weekend alone with me and not having to share me with anyone. It means a lot, but then I was thinking that I have her running all over the place with activities filled with strangers.

I came to a compromise with everything and I canceled our dessert party and my dress fitting. I'm in no shape to put on a dress at the moment. All the meds they put me on that they said should help me lose, actually made me gain--and I'm so over all of that. I don't even want to see myself in a dress right now--so that gives us a half hour we didn't have before :laughing: The dessert party takes up the better part of the night. Hollywood Studios added Fantasmic! on Saturday night only and I really wanted her to see it. So we're having dinner at Ohana and going to Hollywood Studios for the evening. They close at 10 (we'll have our own dessert party at Starring Rolls :lmao:), then the MK is open till 1. We'll probably even hit AK after the showcase until dinner! That gives us another (almost full) park day and more quality time that we never get. I'm happy with this. The only thing I'm sad about is the new Cinderella dress will be there... it looks pretty. I'll be taking plenty of pictures for everyone's viewing pleasure :cutie:

Dave and I have seen each other about 4 hours in the past 2 weeks. We're working opposites and although he's not the type to say that bothers him, he genuinely said that he misses seeing me and spending time together. It's sweet, but I miss him too :( His bosses have told him that they're going to re-submit a request for a raise since his job requirements have changed. I'm not holding my breath... but it would help sooooooo much!! My annual review is next week... my check will probably go up $1.50 if I'm lucky :rotfl: My Dillard's review is the week after and I'm up for a 10% paycut. Yeah, they cut your pay if you don't make your numbers. I work the crappy hours where there's no traffic in the store and they hired an extra/un-needed person which is another person to share sales with, so yeah... one will go up, and one will come down---I'll break even.

I've had weddings on my brain, but it hasn't taken over my life recently. I've been pretty focused on this weekend's trip and busy with work. The few things that I have thought about are how I can compromise with my dreams to make this Disney Wedding a reality. Little things like the fact that I'm in love with Calla Lillies, but an arrangement of them costs close to the cost of a 10 day park hopper :rotfl2: The custom aisle runner that is $1000 that I want more than anything may be something I need to give up? I just got my hair cut and if I keep it short, I can do my hair myself with a headband.... and I'm definately doing my own makeup. I just need to justify all the little things and see what stays and what goes.

Well I have an hour and 45 minutes of web surfing to do before I get to switch jobs. I'm thinking I may come down with a stomach flu and call off. I have too much to do and it's stressing me out. I want a good night's sleep before my 4 days of madness. Speaking of madness, lol. While I'm stressing and working, Dave took the day off to drink and watch basketball at the bar. He's in a better place than me :lmao:

I'll update when I get back :) Enjoy the weekend everyone!

[tnkr mom]

I just caught up on everything! I know it will all work out for you; I remember saying "this is suppossed to be the happiest point of my life, why does it suc*! Hope you have a great time and please catch up with us when you get back. Know that we will be here for you - unconditionally!

[belle2211]

The custom aisle runner that is $1000 that I want more than anything may be something I need to give up?

I don't know if this helps any, but I had the custom aisle runner that I wanted on my BEO, but I finally decided the $750 could be better spent. But after looking around, I've found several sites that can make me the same one for about $250 so maybe that's an option?

[Sccrmnky2005]

I don't know if this helps any, but I had the custom aisle runner that I wanted on my BEO, but I finally decided the $750 could be better spent. But after looking around, I've found several sites that can make me the same one for about $250 so maybe that's an option?

Also if you have a design in mind or something you have that can be printed out I would be willing to paint one for you, I'm in the process of doing mine, it's half way done. I actually bought the aisle runner at joann with a 50% off coupon making the runner itself $15, paint and such is under $10. I would definitly be happy to help you out in any way I can.:hug:

[liltinkerbell25]

Things will get better, just take a deep breath and one day at a time. Can't wait to hear how your trip went!

[Bewitch324]

I'm hoping getting away from work for a few days with your stepmom and having some good quality time together at the World will help your spirits and help you feel a little happier.

No matter what happens, please remember that there are lots of people out here who care, and are willing to listen and try to help you stay sane in the midst of all the craziness!

Take care of you!
Brooke

[LuvLuvLuv]

Hello hello! I'm at MCO getting ready to board my flight home. I can't wait to get home to Dave and Baxter! I'll give a full update tomorrow when I get to work. My main goal is to get home without throwing up on the plane. Sanaa and I did not exactly get along. It's been a long day :( Be back to update tomorrow!

[LuvLuvLuv]

Well I've been putting this off all day... and it's time. Don't you want to know all the details of my 4 day extravaganza?? Of course you do. So here we go. Of course I'm at work, no access to pictures so I'll add them someday :)

Day 1:
I was all ready the night before, no problems on the plane, took a few little cat naps, got off the plane, straight on to the ME bus and that's where the adventures started. While on the bus on our way to Kidani Village, I was texting with my stepmom who was already at the resort. I had sent her 4 newsletters that she brought with her on vacation. They outlined everything from step by step instructions on checking in, to what was going on in Fantasyland, and an hour by hour itinerary of our 4 days. What more could I have done? So our room wasn't ready yet, but it didn't matter because we had to get to lunch and we only had a few minutes to get there. I had my tickets added to my KTTW card and we were off to EPCOT for Chefs de France lunch. She asked me 6500 questions on the way. All of which were in her newsletters, then she'd ask them again 5 minutes later, then 5 minutes after that, repeat it all back to me wrong. I didn't pack my anxiety meds because I thought I wouldn't need them in the happiest place on earth--WRONG!! My hands and my neck were tensing up and I wanted to put her in a stroller and tell her to just go along with the ride. So we finally get to Chefs de France. Because she wanted to stop and look at everything, we missed Remy and that made me kind of mad. I like Remy, I like him a lot. Lunch was awesome as always, she loved her meal. Toward the end of the meal is when the party really started. She had to smoke. She's a hard core smoker and of course there are only certain areas this can happen. This is a change since the last time she was there and she was not happy. We looked at the map and found where it was, but it was a few countries down and I still wanted to go into the France shops, etc. Well she wasn't having it so we missed those :( I can see how this is all going to go. So she "relieves" herself, we walk a little more... I want to go into shops... she's asking where the rides are. :headache: :headache: :headache: So I gave up looking. So I take her into Mexico and we ride the boat ride in there. We get out of there... she has to use the RR and smoke. :eek: We only made it a few countries down. So we stopped by the Odessey building and I went in the Duffy store. I couldn't believe how much time this took out of our day. Somewhere in the mix, AKV texted our room was ready. We rode Nemo and Figment, I went to check Soarin while she relieved herself again... but fastpasses were gone (@3pm) and standby was 2 hours. Forget that. So I could see we weren't going to get much done at this pace. We went into Club Cool, went to the Butterfly exibit, took pix of the topiaries, went into a few stores...then she needed to..... REALLY!!! So I said we should go back to the resort and get our stuff in our room before dinner. As we're walking what seems like forever, I asked when she checked in if she asked for "close to busses/lobby". She's like no, why? I said it was on ALL FOUR of the newsletters. It was a 15 minute walk from the lobby to our room. I even told her the night before--no retention. I told her the time we needed to leave because the resort is so far away.... somehow she didn't retain because when I said lets go, she said she still needed to get ready... so I called a cab. We needed to get to the Yacht Club, and we'd have to go to EPCOT and walk thru, or AK and get a bus--we didn't have that kind of time. So $17 later, we get to the Yacht Club. We check in, request my favorite server Oscar, take the buzzer and go outside so she can smoke. They came out and said it would be an hour wait for Oscar, but we could be seated now if not. She said she wanted to be seated now. Fine.. but I love Oscar :( So our server comes, he's nice. Oscar came over, I got a hug and a kiss, I introduced him to her, he stayed and walked her thru the menu--she loved him and said we should have waited for him :headache: :headache: :headache: No one listens to me. We have a fabulous meal that she interruped twice to go outside. I'm glad I don't have habits like that because we weren't even thru day one and I was severely annoyed. She was in love with the restaurant. She said she would pay for my reception if I had it here. Although I love the restaurant, and I'm not ruling it out--I'm doing the planning thank you. So she's all over the reception thing--I mean alllll over it. She's asking me 7800 wedding questions that I refused to answer because I knew she wouldn't retain them. I told her to wait for the showcase and her questions would be answered. She kept asking, I kept refusing to answer. At one point I was trying to explain Escape and Wishes. She only heard 2 things: $5750 and $12000. I tried explaining that after you upgrade and add a reception that you're at 12... but she only heard those 2 figures and made her decision. I quit explaining. What's the use? So we were supposed to go to MK after dinner, but because we missed most of Epcot, we decided to go back. She got a snack in France, but I was holding out for caramel popcorn in Germany, and a Peach Bellini in Italy. We get to Germany... they're out of popcorn :headache:, we get to Italy--the kiosk is closed :headache:. Then she says... I have to smoke. So we rush back over to the Odessey area. I was done with this day. I told her I was tired. She said she spend $297 on tickets and she wanted to see everything she could. I told her the way things were going we were only going to see all the smoking areas. We rode Spaceship Earth (dumbest ride ever) and went back Kidani Village, took the neverending trek to our room and I was ready for bed. I hurried up to change and get in bed, but she wanted to talk, and unpack, and rustle bags, rave about Yachtsman/Oscar, and talk. I made a cup of tea, which was as close to Ativan as I could get :laughing: I finally told her.. you have to stop, we have to go to bed, we have to get up in 5 hours. She said she was going back outside to smoke. At least it was quiet and I fell asleep :) I never heard her come back in :rotfl2: This was only day 1... I still have all day Saturday, Sunday and half of Monday. How do you think this is going to go??

Day 2 (Bridal Showcase Day) Up Next.

[Princess SarahK]

TOO FUNNY! --but its not cause its at your expense, but still! I have a feeling thats how DF's parents are going to be if they ever even go into a park at our wedding. They smoke...ALOT! Im interested to know how that will work. I never thought about it since I dont smoke, but wow!

I hope your trip got better, cant wait to read more. Oh and sorry about my frantic text, I was freaking out!! Mini Meltdown definitely happened! :rotfl:

[Deb loves Disney]

The mental image of your stepmother in a stroller made me :rotfl:. I actually saw a grown man in one "relaxing" after leaving the Animation building in DHS. Very strange sight but also very funny!!! I wonder if his family put him there after a day of complaining?

Your story of your day with your stepmother made me realize that I am not the only one with relatives who don't listen/retain anything when visiting Disney and who have to stop a million times for a smoking break. I am soooo glad that I don't have that addiction! I remember being stuck with my aunt once in an aquarium, it started pouring down rain right when we were supposed to leave and we were stuck inside. She was like a tiger stuck in a cage, I was so shocked at how she just had to smoke!

I really can't wait to read your day 2!!!!

How did you like Kidani? We stayed there for the first time in January in a 1 bedroom and were just amazed at the quality of the room and decor! I wanted to live there. :goodvibes

[elleinad16]

I know exactly how you feel! You poor thing. :guilty: My mother is the smoking addict and I get so pissed off because of it. We've missed busses and boats and monorails and fast pass tickets and dining reservations, etc. all because of her smoking habit! It really irritates me...you can't lallygag in Disney...you have to keep a schedule! But I digress...
I can't wait to hear more about the trip! I hope you had some good experiences and had a good change of heart about the wedding stuff!

[neener3]

ARRRGGHH I can totally relate to the newsletter thing. Nobody read mine. Frustrating. On our wedding trip, even DH was reduced to snapping "It was ON the newsletter!" :rotfl2:

And my mother smokes too. Except on the wedding trip? She decided to quit. Cold turkey. Oh, and since she DIDN'T retain the newsletter (I know she read it because I made her lol), she was shocked that the coffee was so awful and ended up giving up cigarettes and coffee. In Disney.

She lasted a day and a half before I begged her to just go buy a pack of smokes.

[LuvLuvLuv]

Day 2:
So the alarm goes off at 6. I hit snooze twice because I felt like death. Mental and physical exhaustion had already worn on me. I knew I had to get up and get ready. If it was a park day, I throw a hat and a t-shirt on... but today was a bit more proper. Kona breakfast was scheduled for 8. I attempted to wake her up, let her know that we needed to leave at 7:20 and I would need to approve of her clothing choice. She said she needed to go down and smoke before getting ready. I told her that between walking down there it would take her 30 minutes and we didn't have that time. Before I could turn around, she was out the door. This day would be screwed. I continued to get ready. I was sitting on the bed with shoes on, purse packed. She comes in the room and asked when we needed to leave, I told her 5 minutes ago. Boiling Blood--Seriously. I had paid for a cab the night before, and I knew the Poly was much further resulting in a more expensive fare. I was determined to take the bus. I kept telling her what she couldn't wear. There was a tie-dyed dress in there, a skort (:laughing:), purple leggings??? Nothing in her bag made sense together. Finally I come up with an outfit, and she puts an unmatching cardigan over it. What can you do? So I tell her we have to go. The HS bus was there when we got down to the bus stop and I told her to just get on it. We went there, to TTC, over to the Poly... not terrible. We get to Kona about 8:30. They try to seat us in one of those half booth things that are attached to another half booth with a family of 2 parents and 4 kids throwing food. No thanks... we'll take a private table please. Plus I haven't mentioned yet... she has a mouth like a sailor. She doesn't care that we are in public, or that there are 75% children around... it flies. I can yell at her, but it won't do any good. Sigh. So breakfast was refreshing as always. I love Kona coffee... I think it calmed me down a bit. All of my emails and paperwork said that the showcase started at 9... so I moved breakfast along and said we had to go. She went and interupted our waiter who was waiting on another table to give him our check. I was turning maroon, red, and a few shades of purple. We left there and worked our way to the Grand Floridian. She had to smoke. I told her I didn't want her going in there reaking of that... but she didn't care. It really is offensive. So we get over to registration and they advise everything starts at 10. :confused3 My stuff says 9... but now we have to wait 30 minutes. Lame. She goes back outside. Finally.. it's 10. We go in and everything is beautiful. First I introduced her to Bill, but she didn't seem interested as she was looking at cake. I shrugged it off and went to the cake. She was in awe. She said that she wanted to get mini cakes for everyone. I told her they were about $25-35 a piece and that would be dumb. I said if it was just me and Dave for an anniversary, or birthday... yes awesome... but not one for everyone at the wedding. She apparently didn't hear me say all of this because she picked one out that she loved and said, so we'll have all of these set up on a table for everyone, I like this style, but we can do it in black instead of red, and....UM HELLO!! Didn't I just say no mini cakes? I had to walk away. I was taking pictures of the table set ups that I was just in love with. They were passing drinks and h'or dourves--just fantastic. They had a set up to try different foods, but I was stuffed from breakfast and couldn't fathom eating anything at the moment. I look back, and she's grilling the cake castmember with questions. Stupid questions I'm sure. I've tried to show her pictures of cakes I liked, but she obviously doesn't remember because when she saw the mad hatter they had on display she thought it was the coolest thing on earth. I've shown her about 10 of them, and have also said we're not doing Mad Hatter now that we're going with the crystal ribbon. She took over the cake topic and continued about having a mad hatter cake, with mini cakes... and I walked away. She continued to grill the cake lady and I felt terrible for her. I walked around and took some more pictures. I was taking pictures of the cake and mini cakes and ran into the fabulous and famous Lurkyloo. I introduced myself and since I was the first to find her... I got a print copy of the Passporter book :worship: :cool1: :goodvibes :banana: I was so excited I couldn't stand it. She took my picture for twitter and I decided it was time to save the cake lady. By the time I got over there, they were calling everyone to sit for the Panel of Experts. We get a seat and it starts. I loved the actress they had MC'ing. I forget what they were calling her because I will forever think of her as Vera Tidy from Bride-to-Be's wedding :rotfl: She was great. I had questions, but I was afraid to ask them. I was afraid she would interrupt and be like "what is that" "where" "when"..... while all this was going on. So I stayed quiet, and my questions went unanswered. We listened to the questions. Some were answered well... some were answered Disney-style--a backhanded "maybe if you have enough money" -or- we don't really know. The guy who helped design the Disney dresses was there, and he gave a little presentation on them and the new Cindy dress came out. It was stunning on the model. I have a few pix of it. We had an 11:45 lunch scheduled at the G-Flo Cafe, but I wasn't terribly hungry, and I kind of wanted to try some of the offerings they had out. So we decided to skip on lunch. I had the scallop and risotto, and the short rib with mac and cheese. Both were so good, but the risotto I could have eaten an entire bowl of and still wanted more :) I was hoping they would have the peanut butter cup icing on one of the cake offerings, but no luck... I had lemon cake with raspberry icing. Good for a bite, but not for the whole cake. It was a nice snacking instead of a big lunch. Well now that we didn't go to lunch we had an abundance of extra time. I thought we could go down the hall where they had the dresses and just look around. They had 3 local Alfred Angelo stores come in, and they had lots of AA dresses, not just Disney, some jewelry, veil, accessories, bouquets and BM dresses. I had canceled my appointment for the sake of time, and that I am uncomfortable with my current weight. My stepmom insisted that I try to work my way in because she doesn't get the opportunity to go dress shopping with me. So she asked, I was prepared (and kind of hoping) for a no. Since it was during the luncheon, there was room for me and they took me in about 10 minutes. I wanted to quickly try on Snow White, Tiana, and a regular AA dress I kind of liked for her.... then go to the parks--I wanted to cover a bit of Animal Kingdom before dinner at Ohana. So they take me into a dressing room and we get started. Snow White was first. I kind of liked this when I tried it on for the trunk show in town, but I did NOT like it on me now. No one did--it was unanimous. Next was Tiana. It looked better. I liked that they had it in bigger sizes so I had a clue what it would look like. It wasn't bad at all. So the AA designer, Michael, came over to talk to us. I said I liked the dress, but I didn't like the strappy thing on my big shoulder. He agreed and tucked it under. He said that depending on shapes, pieces like that can look like 10 chairs at a table for 8. I liked this--I will use that analogy in the future. After he tucked it in... I liked it lots better. There were lots of other girls in there, but he for some reason took a shining to me. He told the AA rep that was working with me 3 other style numbers that he wanted me to try. What? I thought we were 20 minutes in and out :confused3 Blah. So my stepmom is all into this, she is loving it. I said I wasn't wearing a veil. The look on their faces were flabbergasted. Michael said I was going to wear a veil. They had me in veils, he was poofing my hair with jeweled combs, putting bouquets in my hand---then costume change, do it again.... I felt like a rag doll--but my stepmom was LOVING IT. They even took the BM dresses off the manniquins and made her try them on because they said her figure needs something more modern than MOB dresses. She found the one she wants, she looked great in it--though I was rather embarrassed, lol. So we came to a dress I didn't like, everyone loved it so I said I did--but I lied. I kind of wanted to go see Nemo, and I wanted a chocolate covered banana after seeing my whale-like figure in revealing dresses--that's exactly what I needed. So then he says--okay, one more. This dress had bling, the assymetrical rouching (sp?) and drop waist like the Maggie's I love---it was like the 2 dresses I loved rolled into one. I really loved it. I came out, I loved it, Michael loved it, my AA rep loved it... stepmom liked the previous... but after I was jeweled and veiled she loved it. This could be my dress... no lie... I love those Maggie dresses, but $1381 vs $899 is almost a confetti cannon. I really, really, really liked it. I got all the information for it, we all talked for a few minutes, exchanged info, got pictures.... then I was giving the signals that we HAD to go. We were in there for 2 hours. 2 HOURS! The appointments were only for 20 minutes. How did this happen? It's not like I was bridezilla-ing saying that I wanted to try this, now this, now that----the designer was telling me what he wanted to see me in--so I went with it. Really it was a great experience to have a pro tell you what's good for you, what isn't good, etc... I'm glad we did it. So looking at my phone, I realized there was no time for AK. We had to go back to resort, drop our goodie bags from the showcase, change from our showcase clothes and get ready for Ohana. Of course there was smoking in between all this, but what I can't understand is how she made it from 10am-2pm without one. She was occupied I guess. Since we had a little time before dinner, I thought we should take the boat the the G-Flo, walk thru places I want pictures (not like she'll retain that), go past the WP and see if there are any DVC markers ((for Sarah, lol)) and thru the Poly which is really pretty. I've walked this many times. I like the walk. When we got off the boat, she interrupted the boat driver who trying to help someone in an ECV and said, "excuse me sir, how do I get to the wedding pavilion from here?" This threw me off the edge. If I've been telling you for 2 hours that the walk is so pretty, it goes right past the WP, Dave and I walk it all the time.... why would you interrupt someone to ask directions if I know where its at?? It was one of those *** moments for me. We passed a bridal party on a golf cart. I loved the pink and black BM dresses... very pretty. Since the wedding was starting soon, we couldn't go in, but she got the idea. We kept walking to the Poly and we were a little early, but I stood in the check-in line while she was outside. I'm so glad I did because the line filled up fast. About 10 till, they gave me the buzzer and said they opened in 10 minutes. I asked about a window seat--not for the view, because I've been near the aisle where your food gets hit with a broom, coconuts roll under your feet, and you get knocked over by dancing children. I like to be by the wall. Lots of buzzers went off right at 5:00 sharp. They were doing their opening ceremony and I was patiently hanging back because there were people everywhere. Well she thought since our buzzer was going that we needed to be right in the front. She mauled thru people and knocked over a guy's martini he probably paid $15 for. She had no clue she did this and he was screaming at her, and she didn't turn around--she wasn't even paying attention and had no clue he was talking to her. This made him more mad. I went to apologize to him, but she grabbed me by the wrist because they were seating us and she felt we needed to be right up the host's tail. I mouthed that I was sorry and I shrugged my shoulders. Some people are just hyper? They seated us in the absolute prime seat. Window seat, directly across from the castle, it couldn't have been more perfect.... well I guess if we were seated there during Wishes maybe--it was 5pm and I couldn't camp that long :rotfl: So lucky... it put me at peace to look at the castle. So she keeps talking about the dresses and the cakes and the dresses and the dresses.... blah blah blah. Then she goes back to the mini cakes :headache: Why? Is there a point where one can explode out of frustration? Luckily the food started coming. This kept us busy. It was delish. I will, from now on, make a 5pm ressie here. When I've been later, have been just meh for me... but it was all fresh and I was impressed. Then the wedding questions start again. Wishes vs Escape, cake, reception, hotels. I was exhausted. I told her that I couldn't talk about it anymore until she read the Passporter book. I told her she could have it for now, and read it... then ship it back to me. Maybe she needs the visual? I was out of patience and I felt this was the best option. We ate, and ate, and ate some more--that's what you do there! I was uncomfortable when I left, which is probably normal. She went outside to relieve herself, I dipped into the gift shop then we were off to the MK. It was open until 1am we had some time to get things done! We saw Philarmagic, Pirates, HM, Peter Pan, Pooh, Space Mountain, Monsters Inc, Buzz, Country Bears, Thunder Mountain and the Peoplemover... not too bad! I staked out a spot for Wishes while she relieved herself. Before she left, she asked if I wanted popcorn--I said no, I don't want it, I want to go to Casey's later. She comes back with 2 tubs of popcorn, then asks why I wasn't eating it? :sad2: She talked during Wishes... that's a nononononono for me, lol. I wanted to have my moment, I wanted to have my Wishes cry, and just look up in the sky and watch. That wasn't happening, :rotfl: After, I staked out a spot for the Electrical Parade, sat there alone while she went back to her little spot. I told her the way the EP would come up Main Street, but she felt the need to go ask a CM the route. Okay :rolleyes1 So we watched, she tried to take pictures, but doesn't know how to work a digital camera so they were all blurry. She doesn't know how to work a computer so she'll take them to Walmart and have someone show her what to do. --Side Note: What would my life be like if I still lived at home?? :scared1:-- After the parade was over, we went back to finish some of the rides listed above and we went towards Main Street. She was insisting on using her snack credits so I told her to have at it. She went for ice cream, I went for fries and cheese and a coke. It was 1:15am and we were just leaving the MK. We waited for the bus, got back to Kidani around 2, I made the trek to the room (all she had to say was-- is there a room close to the lobby?), she stayed outside until about 2:30... I got a shower because I felt gross, got a cup of tea--and passed out. I can't go to bed dirty. We had a ressie for Hollywood and Vine at 8:00am--I advised her the alarm was going off at 6:30. I also tried to prepare her for the "Toy Story Running of the Bulls" If she knocked the guy over at Ohana to get in front of him... imagine what happens here. Just wait.

Well I'm leaving work... so.... To Be Continued.............

[Princess SarahK]

I REALLY feel for you! :hug: Looking forward to seeing some pictures and reading more!

[Bewitch324]

I am loving your descriptions of Day 1 and Day 2...you are so funny! I totally feel for you, she must have been driving you CRAZY! The dress thing sounds like it ended up being fun after all...and hey, no smoke breaks!!

Can't wait to hear more, I love hearing your thoughts about everything!

Have a good night!
Brooke

[princesswendy720]

Oh man! I have to tell you, I really relate to this. I was just at Disney with my parents and between my Dad being grumpy (and talking all week about how he couldn't wait for the Food and Wine Festival then not eating or drinking anything when we got there) and my Mom nagging him for being so grumpy - let's just say it was not the most relaxing vacation :rotfl: I'm sorry she doesn't seem to listen to anything you say to her. I can't imagine how frustrating that must be.

But how great that you got so much attention from the AA designer! What an awesome experience :goodvibes I'm hoping the next time they do one of these it doesn't conflict with my other trips too much and I can go down! I'm so jealous reading about it.

[DoomBuggy0922]

Geez louise! I thought my grandparents bugged me at times! (Although, my grammy does ask SO many wedding questions... She informed me yesterday I need to figure out the wording for my wedding invitations NOW, even though our wedding isn't for another 9 months.)

Can't wait to read more!!

[LuvLuvLuv]

TOO FUNNY! --but its not cause its at your expense, but still! I have a feeling thats how DF's parents are going to be if they ever even go into a park at our wedding. They smoke...ALOT! Im interested to know how that will work. I never thought about it since I dont smoke, but wow!

I hope your trip got better, cant wait to read more. Oh and sorry about my frantic text, I was freaking out!! Mini Meltdown definitely happened! :rotfl:

Text me anytime with a mini meltdown :) I'm always here... my phone just doesn't always have service :rotfl:

The mental image of your stepmother in a stroller made me :rotfl:. I actually saw a grown man in one "relaxing" after leaving the Animation building in DHS. Very strange sight but also very funny!!! I wonder if his family put him there after a day of complaining?

Your story of your day with your stepmother made me realize that I am not the only one with relatives who don't listen/retain anything when visiting Disney and who have to stop a million times for a smoking break. I am soooo glad that I don't have that addiction! I remember being stuck with my aunt once in an aquarium, it started pouring down rain right when we were supposed to leave and we were stuck inside. She was like a tiger stuck in a cage, I was so shocked at how she just had to smoke!

I really can't wait to read your day 2!!!!

How did you like Kidani? We stayed there for the first time in January in a 1 bedroom and were just amazed at the quality of the room and decor! I wanted to live there. :goodvibes

Lol, glad I could make you giggle :) Kidani was gorgeous, our room was super far :( the only food option made me vomit :( and the bus rides took forever cuz it was far. If I had a rental car and a room close to the lobby I would have been in heaven :laughing:

I know exactly how you feel! You poor thing. :guilty: My mother is the smoking addict and I get so pissed off because of it. We've missed busses and boats and monorails and fast pass tickets and dining reservations, etc. all because of her smoking habit! It really irritates me...you can't lallygag in Disney...you have to keep a schedule! But I digress...
I can't wait to hear more about the trip! I hope you had some good experiences and had a good change of heart about the wedding stuff!

Glad we're not the only ones who missed stuff because of that!! It was good that we went... now for serious planning.

ARRRGGHH I can totally relate to the newsletter thing. Nobody read mine. Frustrating. On our wedding trip, even DH was reduced to snapping "It was ON the newsletter!" :rotfl2:

And my mother smokes too. Except on the wedding trip? She decided to quit. Cold turkey. Oh, and since she DIDN'T retain the newsletter (I know she read it because I made her lol), she was shocked that the coffee was so awful and ended up giving up cigarettes and coffee. In Disney.

She lasted a day and a half before I begged her to just go buy a pack of smokes.

Yeah, maybe I'll have a "meeting" before we go... think that will work? Powerpoint visuals? I'll do whatever it takes!!

I REALLY feel for you! :hug: Looking forward to seeing some pictures and reading more!

:cutie: Pictures are on the computer, just gotta get them on photobucket!

I am loving your descriptions of Day 1 and Day 2...you are so funny! I totally feel for you, she must have been driving you CRAZY! The dress thing sounds like it ended up being fun after all...and hey, no smoke breaks!!

Can't wait to hear more, I love hearing your thoughts about everything!

Have a good night!
Brooke

Thanks! I'll have more tomorrow!!

Oh man! I have to tell you, I really relate to this. I was just at Disney with my parents and between my Dad being grumpy (and talking all week about how he couldn't wait for the Food and Wine Festival then not eating or drinking anything when we got there) and my Mom nagging him for being so grumpy - let's just say it was not the most relaxing vacation :rotfl: I'm sorry she doesn't seem to listen to anything you say to her. I can't imagine how frustrating that must be.

But how great that you got so much attention from the AA designer! What an awesome experience :goodvibes I'm hoping the next time they do one of these it doesn't conflict with my other trips too much and I can go down! I'm so jealous reading about it.

If they have another one you definately have to go!!! ((I might even go again :laughing:)) I can't wait to go in a few weeks for a more relaxing trip!!

Geez louise! I thought my grandparents bugged me at times! (Although, my grammy does ask SO many wedding questions... She informed me yesterday I need to figure out the wording for my wedding invitations NOW, even though our wedding isn't for another 9 months.)

Can't wait to read more!!

Haha!! She wants to know when we can do the invites and I'm 19 months out :rotfl2: I'm like... um I need the date to be nailed in stone and LOA signed and deposit in, etc. Just stay calm... let them know you have time :)

_______________________________

So today I was trying to fix my budget on excel, getting different ideas because the showcase tainted my visions with new amazing options, lol. Then I'm looking around online and I discover the Palm Beach Boardroom. Probably the most perfect room in the world. I emailed Bill if it's available for weddings and also about my Commander's Terrace stuff. Doing my budget, it doesn't make sense to be Escape--we're at 12,000. With Escape, you get a photographer that I don't need so it's actually wasting money. Anywho. I'll let you know what I get back! What really got me was the tastings at the showcase. They were fabulous. I got to thinking that we wouldnt have a tasting with the Napa room, and that we couldn't customize much. This made me sad :( So I'm looking around at other options, and I need to hurry my mind along because 16 months is in July. I also would feel more comfy with a planning session in person than on the phone... so I need to stay at Wishes. Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself because I got a little raise today. Not like a crazy amount... Think the cost of Mickey and Minnie and a cake serving set.... but it's something. I also dropped my 401K contribution to 1% for now to get a few more dollars on my check... a year and a half won't hurt me that bad. In 2 weeks when I get a paycut from Dillard's I'll feel differently :lmao: It'll all work out, I just need to save save save!!!

I'll get to Day 3 and 4 tomorrow, and I'll add pictures Friday night!!
Bye for now!! :yay:

[Bewitch324]

Glad you got the raise! Every little bit helps right? Sucks that Dillards might go the other way though. I agree with you about the 401K. 1 1/2 years won't make a huge difference in the grand scheme of things and if you set it up as an auto transfer on payday to the wedding fund, you won't get used to seeing the money anyway, so it won't hurt when you increase the 401K back to normal.

I've been considering this as an option to save for the wedding too (although, I'm not actually engaged yet. Ring's been done since January 30 and I don't have it yet. Why, I don't know. He's torturing me, I guess!) because I am definitely leaning the wishes direction and while I plan to keep the budget as small as possible, it's still a lot of money, especially once you add in the dress and the travel and all that.

Can't wait to hear more about your new ideas now that the showcase inspired you. Glad you like AKL, although the long walk from the lobby sounds like a huge pain.

Looking forward to your pictures and hearing more about the things you liked and the things you didn't!!

Brooke

[LuvLuvLuv]

Day 3:

*Part 1*
So because we canceled the Grand Floridian Cafe for lunch on Saturday, we decided to add breakfast on Sunday at Hollywood and Vine. They have a pretty good breakfast buffet, I know all the words to the songs by now, and it gets you in the front of rope drop--WINNING! :rotfl2: So the morning was another rat race, especially because we got in so late. I advised it was just a park day and to just throw something on, lets go. I tried to advise against her Old Navy flops, but she insiste So we get there 10 minutes late, and I gave the instruction to eat fast, and when I say we have to go--we have to go. I tried to explain how rope drop to TSM works here, but she wasn't quite grasping it. At 8 minutes till, I told her to drop her fork, stick a tip in the bill folder and lets roll. The restaurant has it's own rope so you're not in the main mob... but you meet up with it along the way. To the right of the restaurant, you could see the huge mass of people we were going to be in the running with. I really love TSM, and I'm not much of a line stander or I wouldn't do this. When the clock struck 9:00 she was getting a crash course in rope drop insanity. Somehow she was staying in the front row, and I had already been knocked back to the 3rd. I had my eye on her so it was okay, but the mass was moving quicker, people were getting pushier, my mickey waffle was coming up my throat from going so fast and all I wanted to do was get there. I hear her scream, "Deena get my shoe!" Oh hell. Someone stepped on her $1 flop and she lost it. I yelled to leave it :rotfl: She said, "No you have to go get it!" So dumb@ss me, turns around to face a million people swarming at me. It was a sight. I was getting pushed, and shoved and stepped on. I finally get down to the flop, and get my hand stepped on--super. So I stand up, waffles still in my throat, and realize that I have to catch up with her--but I was so far behind. I can see her, still in the front row walking briskly on one shoe. She's screaming for me to hurry. I was at this point laughing so hard because the whole situation was unbelievable. I almost peed--seriously. So she jumps in line, I'm way behind, but I get in line, she waits for me at the bottom--we were about the 10th car on the ride for the day... not too bad. The flop was broken, and unfixable. Amazing quality of a $1 flip flop. So she had never been on TSM, and didn't know what it was. I told her to pull the strings and hit the items. Fair enough. She played, she got the hang of it, and she loved it!! I had 155,000 and she had 94,000.... not bad for her first time!! She liked it so much and wanted to do it again, but I told her no... I wasn't getting in the fast pass line. Next stop was a gift shop to get a new pair of flip flops. I recommended the crocs or the fit flop, but she insisted on another pair of high quality plastic ones--whatevs. Rock n Roller Coaster was down so we went to Tower of Terror... another newbie for her. I was pretty sure she wouldn't be able to handle this one so I didn't tell her what it did. While we're in line you can hear people screaming at the top of their lungs--oh no. She asked why they were screaming and I told her that it just shakes you up a little bit. The wait was less than 10 minutes, it was nice. We get strapped in, I'm up against the left wall, she's in the middle, and a random mom was on the end. So the ride starts, she likes the stars, then we get to the elevator. :rolleyes: It drops, she screams and latches on to the random mom next to her instead of me. :laughing: I mean she had this lady by the leg. It would soar up and she would say, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, then latch on to her again. She screamed and screamed and I thought maybe she was sick or was mad that I tricked her... no--it was her favorite ride she ever rode in her life--she loved it. She kept saying how awesome it was. We said our apologizies to the lady who got her thigh grabbed throughout the madness and went towards the Muppets.... we had time to kill before Beauty and the Beast started and RNRC was still down. Muppets are Muppets... we stopped for a "break" or two and made our way back toward the theater. We went thru a few more stores, I bought a sundress and we went to get seats. It was a great show as always--I just love that one!! RNRC was STILL down, and it was time for lunch at Mama Melrose. We both got White Sangrias which were sweet and refreshing, Chicken Parm, and for dessert I got my chocolate gelato and she asked for the Kids cupcake she saw on the table next to us. The frosting looked like spaghetti and meatballs... she's a child, where's the stroller? So during lunch, I was trying my best to get drunk to deal with the rest of the day. She was talking wedding and I told her we wouldn't be doing anymore talking until she read the Passporter book--I told her I was burnt out. Lunch was good as always--very consistant there. After we were done, we decided we needed to get to Animal Kingdom as we were running out of time. We get there, we head to Everest... the line was 40 minutes and the fast pass was for 3 hours later. We took the line. When we got off the ride she asked why we didn't have shoulder harnesses if we went upside down. I had to tell her we didn't go upside down... she insisted we did--okay then! We had just enough time to get to Nemo--another always good show! After that, we had to find a "break spot". We made our way back to It's Tough to be a Bug and WOOHOO you should have seen her scream and jump when the bugs got her in the back and on the behind :laughing: It was priceless--that's really the only reason I took her on that! :rotfl2: So I was tired, my knee was throbbing (I've dislocated it over a dozen times and it gets cranky when I over use it), she had a massive blister from walking barefoot--so I gave her an option. We can walk over to Africa to do the Safari, the trek to see Lilly the gorilla :), and see Lion King... OR we can go back to the hotel, sleep for 90 minutes, get ready and go to dinner. We took the latter. I needed a nap, and advil and air conditioning. It was really refreshing, and it's not like we'll never be back. So we got ready for dinner, jumped on the EPCOT bus because it was the first one there, hopped the monorail to the TTC and we were off to the Contemporary. We checked in, I told her it was my mom's first time there and we were considering using the Napa Room for my wedding reception. I asked if there were any way we could take a peek if no one was in it. A manager met us up there and took us in. I showed her the breathtaking view, the sweet decor and she loved it... until the manager said there was a $3000 minimum. :headache: Why did he have to say that :headache: She has no concept of how little that is for a reception. It sounds like a huge number to her and she started to freak. Then she proceded to ask a few dumb questions I already talked to her about, I was getting anxious to be seated. I told her before we got there that even if our ressie is at 7:25, that it's a busy place and we probably will still wait a while. After 5 minutes she interrupted a lady that was talking to another customer to ask where we were on the list :sad2: Why? Why? Why? This brings me back to memories when I used to tell her to drop me at the corner and I'd walk, :lmao:. I remember why. For some reason I also (off topic) vividly remember her chasing me down the sidewalk in her bathrobe in the morning (in front of all the kids at the bus stop) because I didn't take my vitamin. I put it in my mouth until I got to the bus stop and I'd hawk it out into the snow. I liked how it turned the snow colors, and that it would still be there the next day :laughing: So the lady said it would only be a couple minutes more. She proceeds to tell the hostess that others have been seated before us that came later. I looked over to see the castle out the window, and they were preparing the 2 seater with direct castle view with confetti. I mean the best seat in the house. As she's still yapping about waiting, I hit her in the arm and told her to shut up. I meant it. All the other parties around us were bigger and I knew that after we talked to the manager, etc... that it was for us. Our buzzer went off and the hostess told me that good things come to those who wait. I knew what that meant--I knew it!! That table was ours. There wasn't a better view in the house. The hostess told us (at 8:00-wishes was at 10) to enjoy the best view of fireworks in the entire resort. This meant they expected us to camp out... I fully was prepared to do so. I'm not sure how we got so lucky as this will probably never happen again in my life.

I have to go to lunch so I'll be back to finish!! princess:

[Princess SarahK]

popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::

[elleinad16]

I almost peed my pants from that installment. WOW. I can totally picture the ToT part. :rotfl:
Also, you are so lucky you got the good table!!! Can't wait to see what happens next! :goodvibes

[LittleMissMagic]

Oh my goodness, you are TOO FUNNY!!!! For real... I LAUGHED OUT LOUD!!! I'm sorry you had to run back for the flip-flop.... but it sure made a really great story!!! :rotfl:

[DisneyShamrock]

I've been enjoying your adventure with your stepmom. She seems like a very interesting individual....I would've gone crazy had I been with her....and likely ditched her somewhere....:rotfl:

You are a saint for sticking with her!

I'm going to be stalking your PJ even more now. I've had to switch my date, so I'll either be getting married three days after you or a year after you. Either way, hooray for November! :goodvibes

[LuvLuvLuv]

Day 3 - Part 2

So we're sitting at the most amazing table ever. They sprinkled Mickey confetti over the tablecloth and I liked the look of it. We're barely sitting down and she says... OOOOOH Mickey Confetti! I want that! She starts scooping it up off the entire table and shoving it in her purse :headache: :eek: :sad2: She said she wanted it for her scrapbook. I told her she could have waited until dinner was over, or at least until we got our drinks. You would think we were poor they way she felt entitled to take everything down to the confetti and any napkin that had a logo on it. Deep breath. So we get our drinks and the amazing sourdough bread. I ordered 2 different flatbreads for our appies, both got the filet for dinner and it was a pretty good meal. I asked for no sauce on my steak, and there was sauce on it. I tried to push it off, but it was a bit much for me. I didn't feel like causing any trouble since we were already confetti theives so I just ate like a big girl. After our entree she decides she has to smoke. We are on the 15th floor on a special elevator--no. Absolutely not. She tells me she has to go to the restroom. 30 minutes later she comes back reeking of her bad habit. Really? She went all the way downstairs on the elevator and came all the way back up? I sat there all by myself and I was hotter than a firecracker :headache: We order our desserts--I didn't really eat mine. I was full and mad... but more full. I'm not a fru fru dessert girl--give me a cup of gelato and I'm good. So we camped out for fireworks. I <3 Wishes. It's my 12 minutes of peace, except when you have a yapper in your ear. Dave knows better than to talk during Wishes. So then she decides she likes the CG location better than Yachtsman. She didn't want to do the Napa Room because of the minimum but wanted to caravan our party of 15-20 into the main dining room with other people. OOOOh what a wonderful wedding reception! I let her know that if we had a party that big we most likely would not have premium seating and would probably have no view at all. After I realized I wasn't getting anywhere--I just changed the subject. We were supposed to go the Magic Kingdom after dinner since it was open until 2am. She only wanted to shop and didn't really want to ride anything. I was mentally and physically exhausted so I told her that the Contemporary has a great gift shop that would have 90% of the stuff she was looking for there... plus baked goods for her snack credits. So we go in, see the same stuff we've looked at in all the other shops. I tell her to get her baked goods and fudge here and she said no. She said that you don't know how long theve been there. :confused3 :headache: :confused3 You don't know how long theyve been there at the park either. They wouldn't serve stuff that wasn't fresh, and it's a busy resort. Grrrrrr. Done. Checked out. She asked if I wanted anything and I grabbed the H2O Foot Scrub and Lotion and she told me that she wasn't buying bath products, but if I wanted a T-shirt or jewelry that she'd get it for me. Logic? Whatever. I forgot to add in Day 2, I wanted to stop into Basin White. She said no we weren't going in there and that I needed to stop spending my money foolishly. I kind of knew that was coming, so the week before I put in a pretty big order online :lmao: Hey, I was out of stuff! Back on task. So because she thought the CR had tainted baked goods, we got on the monorail (I offered to walk) and she didn't realize how many stops we had to make to get to the MK. At every stop she says the full words of *** not caring that there are children around or the elderly. I just put my head down. I realized when I scolded her it just made more of a scene. So we get there and she decides she wants to watch the Electric Parade again. I didn't. I have much love for it, but I wanted to go home--like home home. So I went into Arribas Brothers to check out all the things I wanted. I spent hundreds, possibly thousands in my head. She walked around all the shops, bought then went to main street bakery. There's a smell in there that gags me so I don't go in. I just walked around aimlessly getting fresh air when a bug jumps in my eye. That's right! In my eye. I briskly walk to the restrooms by the Crystal Palace and it's already super red. I did what I could to calm it down, but it was uber irritated. So she's looking around Main Street for me and I debated sitting on a bench and watching her, I was kind of liking this. She is yelling my name and spinning in circles :rotfl2: Finally I go up to her and explain what happened. She said she wanted to smoke, then we could do anything I wanted. It was about 11:30pm and the park closed at 2. I only wanted to do three things--that was get into a bed, take some advil and down a cup of tea. So we went toward the busses and made our way back to the resort. I was tired. Childlike tired. The kind of tired that you just tear up and cry. The ride from the MK is sooooooo long and I just started crying. I thought to myself that I didn't want to stay there in 6 weeks, but since I rented points I was stuck. I hated the ride there, and hated the walk to our room even more. I couldn't come up with a solution so just sobbed. I get back to the room first, as she stayed outside to take care of business. Our Magic Express info was on the door. It said that she had to leave at 12:30 and I had to leave at 1:30--In my head I just wanted this emoticon popcorn::. I knew she was going to pitch a fit. I don't question the Magical Express... they give me free transportation and when they say let's go... I go. Instead of arguing with her I said she'd have to take it up with the people downstairs. Well instead of calling she said she'd deal with it in the morning. She asked if I was packing that night or in the morning. I said in the morning--I had to sleep this day off--I think I was still mad about the California Grill. She decides to pack, and rustle and talk. Super. The original plan was to go to Cape May Buffet for Breakfast, but after my breakfast from H&V sat in my throat from the running of the bulls... I thought maybe we should do a lunch. I was thinking Captain's Grille or Cap'n Jacks. I figured we'd have enough time if we got up and took care of things. So that was the plan. I explained how check out and baggage stuff in the morning would work, though I knew I could have talked to the wildebeast outside my window and could have got the same effect. She kept reminding me that she used all her snack credits and I had 4 left. I don't give a rats :rolleyes1 about snack credits... didn't you just see me in those dresses? Meanwhile she has a box of 4 of those huge cupcakes/muffins. I promised her I wouldn't let them go to waste and that I had intentions of using them even if I got a cherry coke or two and a box of cookies. I'm talking about important information, and she's talking about snacks. Focus. I set my alarm for 8 and passed out. We didn't get to see as much as we wanted... but that's not my fault. I would say "maybe next time" but that makes me cringe and puts me on the brink of an anxiety attack.

Well the next installment is Day 4. I should be able to get pix up tomorrow night when I get home! Dave will be working so he won't see the dresses! Yay! Thanks everyone for reading along!

[irishwishes]

I'm laughing out loud from your story :lmao::lmao: I don't even need the pictures to see what's happening. I'm sorry you were so frustrated during the trip though and I can't wait to read more.

[DoomBuggy0922]

Gah! I'm so sorry that your stepmom was SO annoying the whole time. I would have killed her during Wishes. You don't mess with Wishes.

Forgive me if I missed it, but did you have a savannah view at Kidani? We stayed at Jambo house (but just for a day) and we really liked it!--- but you're right, it IS a haul!

[sw33t_angel]

popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::

:lmao::lmao::lmao: Can't wait to read more!!

[LuvLuvLuv]

Here's a few pictures :)

Our Standard View Kidani Village Studio... We still saw some animals!! I loved the curtains!!

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/IMG_1201-1.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/IMG_1199-1.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/IMG_1197-1.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/IMG_1202-1.jpg

From the viewing areas:

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/IMG_1207-1.jpg

Because I like to take pix while on Everest:

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/IMG_1193-1.jpg

Tink in the Electric Parade -- Love Her!

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/IMG_1165-1.jpg

My 12 Minutes of Heaven:

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/IMG_1149.jpg

Lotso Smells Like Strawberries! For Reals!

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/IMG_1061.jpg

Flower and Garden:

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/IMG_1033.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/IMG_1049.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/IMG_1056.jpg

A Small Piece of Our Never Ending Hallway:

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/IMG_1063.jpg


Next Up... Showcase Pictures and All Things Wedding!

[LuvLuvLuv]

As if you've never seen the Wedding Pavilion:

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/IMG_1122.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/IMG_1121.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/IMG_1119.jpg

Mini Cakes :lmao: :rotfl2: :rotfl: :laughing:

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/IMG_1086.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/IMG_1083.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/IMG_1085-1.jpg

Bridal Showcase Stuff:

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/IMG_1067.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/IMG_1068.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/IMG_1069.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/IMG_1070.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/IMG_1071.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/IMG_1077.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/IMG_1079.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/IMG_1082.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/IMG_1090.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/IMG_1095.jpg


And Last, but not Least....

Sweetest Headpiece Ever... Michael did my hair, lol!

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/IMG_1103.jpg

Michael Playing With My.... errr Bustle? --- Didn't like this dress, but stepmom loved it.... bleh.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/IMG_1104.jpg

And this is the one that Michael and I pretty much decided on... Whatcha think??

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/dirtracinchica/IMG_1107-1.jpg


That's all for now :) I still have to do Day 4 of my Adventure :laughing:

[pixie921]

WARNING: Bad pun ahead!!

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I LUV-LUV-LUV that dress on you!! :lovestruc

It looks amazing!

[elle1024]

Hi Deena :goodvibes
I could have sworn that I had posted on here before, not sure how I could have missed your PJ! :confused3 but I am officially caught up lol

& I just wanted to say that I know everything will work out for you.. I really admire you for working both jobs, hard work pays off and in this case it literally pays off. I have thought about taking another job myself, I just don't think I have as much will power as you do... you just seem very driven and I think that's because even though you keep going back and forth about what you want, deep down you know what that is. I know that your physical and mental health come first, but for some reason I just get this vibe from you that you can do it! I feel like such a corn ball but I just keep thinking about how every bride I know whether or not its a destination wedding, whether or not they have family backing them up or not, whether or not... (fill in the blank here because I can keep going and going...) go through this. You can't make everyone happy. And you know what? You shouldn't have to. That is why it is your wedding. Relax. Ha! I know that is much easier said than done, but I think we all stress ourselves out too much sometimes over things that probably under other circumstances wouldn't have bothered us as much. My Df makes fun of me because lately the excuse for my emotions is either I'm about to get my period, I'm on my period or I just got off my period so he never catches a break lol. But anyways, I think you should hang in there and play it by ear. Don't get too discouraged.

Ps. I love the dress. :)

[DisneyShamrock]

WARNING: Bad pun ahead!!

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I LUV-LUV-LUV that dress on you!! :lovestruc

It looks amazing!

I'm going to second that pun! :lovestruc That dress looks beautiful on you! :thumbsup2

[LuvLuvLuv]

Day 4 - Last Day

So the alarm goes off. I hit snooze twice, but know that I have to get up because I wasn't packed, I needed a shower, I needed to check my luggage down stairs and I desperately wanted a milk chocolate pretzel with PB chips from goofy's candy company. So I try to yank her out of bed and tell her we HAVE to hurry. She wants to go down and smoke, I told her hurry and you have to figure out your Magical Express so do that... but quickly! So in the time she was gone, I packed everything of mine, made coffee, showered, dressed and put makeup on and went for a second cup. She comes back crying saying they're forcing her to leave at 12:30. I guess I didn't see the big deal because I'm used to it. My response was, alright then, hurry we HAVE TO LEAVE! Maybe she didn't hear me because she just on the bed crying and complaining. This wasn't solving anything. I was ready, I was hungry and she wasn't packed or showered. I could see this was not going to end in my favor. So I call reservations and ask what time Boma stopped serving breakfast...11--we weren't going to make that. Okay, what time does, (gasping because I didn't want to eat here) Sanaa start serving lunch.... 11:30---we'll take it. There wasn't much on the menu for me, but we had 2 credits left, no time to get anywhere, and I figured it's "free" and if I don't like it I'll eat at the airport. So finally she gets everything together, I call the bellhop to come get our stuff and she decides to unpack one bag and put it in another. I told her he's coming and she has to be ready... of course not--she was screwing around and he had to wait on us. Baggage Check was a challenge. Not for me... I've done this bunches of times. She kept wanting to be in my line and I kept telling her she had to be separate. She wanted to be with me... I'm like.... YOU ARE GOING TO PENNSYLVANIA---I AM GOING TO KENTUCKY---OUR BAGS CAN NOT GO TO THE SAME PLACE. This may have been my final outcry of frustration. ((Fun Tip: The Cincinnati Airport is in Northern Kentucky :) 7 minutes from my condo--convenience is lovely)) She went to the next line, questioned everything the lady was doing, repeated it back to her wrong, etc etc etc. I was done, checked, paid--peace out. So we had 10 minutes before Sanaa opened. She went outside, I went to the gift shop and got 2 boxes of cookies, a thing of cotton candy and a cherry coke--I had to use the snack credits up. All but the cherry coke is still currently in my luggage. So when she came back in, I was sitting in the lobby on a chair with my head all the way back like I was stressed and ready to lose it. She cried that she didn't want to go home and that she had the most wonderful time with me. This went on and on and I started to feel bad about all my anxious emotions from the previous 4 days. She said she wanted to do this again very soon :eek: She asked if I would come back with her and I told her yes. What was I going to say... no? :confused3 So it was time to check in at Sanaa, we were seated in their "sweet" seat overlooking the middle of the savannah. There was a zebra rolling around in the dirt and it was pretty funny. Reminds me of what my doggie does after a bath. Then all 4 giraffes walked by... it was fun. Our waitress was very nice, very knowledgeable. There wasn't very many options for my palatte so I went with breaded califlower for an appie, turkey club for entree and chocolate cake for dessert. I think she had a weird type of tomato soup, weird pork chop and the same dessert as me. I make breaded califlower at home all the time and I love it, so I was hopeful I was going to like it. One bite... fire, spice, burn. I didn't want to be rude, so I tried another bite... this hurt even worse. I couldn't do it, I felt like it was going to come back up right there. I pushed it away. I thought once my meal came that the bread on the sandwich would soak up what was going on in there. The sandwich wasn't bad except I was holding down what was obviously unavoidable. I didn't eat much. The server took off the califlower when she saw I didn't eat it. I told her since we were on the dxddp she didn't need to, but she did, and I tipped her as if it were still there. I ate 2 bites of the chocolate cake and it wasn't bad, I was just feeling a bit :sick:. At this point we had to rush out of there because her ME bus was coming. I didn't want to spend our goodbye moments hovered over in the RR... so I did my best to keep my composure. We got her stuff from bell services, said goodbyes and she was off. I still had an hour... thank God. The second she got on the bus I went running inside. :sick: :sick: :sick: I felt like I needed fresh air so I went outside to the viewing area and sat on a rocking chair. I talked to a lovely lady from South Africa name Christine. We talked about me coming back in 6 weeks, about how Sanaa isn't for everyone :laughing: and about transportation options like renting a car to make life easier. I think she was relieved to not have someone ask her what a wildebeast was. I rocked and rocked for a while. It was relaxing and I was catching some sun and some vitamin D. None of this would have happened if we ate at Cap'n Jacks. :headache: Once I figured I was getting sunburn, I went back in. As soon as I got up out of my rocker and started moving... it was back :sick: :sick: :sick:. I felt kind of bad because the RR's are super pretty there and when you go in, they're so zen... then you hear the chick that can't handle indian/african spices vomiting in the corner. Appetizing. So I figured the place for me to be was in a rocking chair outside. This time I went up to the shaded areas on the lobby level and rocked myself till the ME bus came. I was praying I wouldn't get sick on the bus. We made another stop at POP before going to the airport and I was getting nervous--I think I had one more round left before I was done. I get to the airport... take care of that--which was much more difficult when you have a giant vera bag and a carry-on in there with you. Not much standing room. This time I actually felt like a champion... like it was all gone. Sweet. So I get thru security like a breeze. I did witness the funniest thing ever. There was a dad who had a little boy with him... probably about 4 years old. The little boy wouldn't take his mickey crocs off to go thru security. He was dead weight on the ground screaming at the top of his lungs. The dad wasn't doing much to remedy this...not doing a good job at all. So security said, "pick him up, take off his shoes and carry him thru the scanner." The screaming didn't end. After the dad put him down after getting thru the scanner... he laid on the ground, dead weight and screamed. This went on as I went thru, put my shoes on and got my stuff back together. I had watched this for about 5-7 minutes and I decided enough was enough. I went over and asked if he needed help. He was juggling bags, carry-ons, a stoller and a limp kid. He looked at me and said that he had it under control :rolleyes: Obviously not. So I left and got on the monorail-ish thing to go to my gate since my services weren't needed. Once I got to the gate, I smelled food. Regular food. I decided to go with a kids chicken fingers and fries meal and a coke. This is what I'm talking about... normalness. I just ate small because I wasn't sure what would happen, and I knew Dave would want to eat when I got home. I was revived and back in action. Would anyone be offended if I served this type of fare at my wedding? I think it would be delish :laughing: Just kidding... I love steak as much as I love a chicken finger. :laughing: The plane ride was 2 hours, then I was home. Dave picked me up at the airport and we went to O'Charleys for some dinner. I had the Steak and Chicken Finger meal... how perfect... I think they made that meal for me. :rotfl: We talked about all the events that happened and I told him next time, he was going too. :rotfl2: I was exhausted. I was so happy to see Baxter and almost immediately I got in bed and snuggled up with my little doggie and the love of my life. My adventure ends there.

Now to figure out what I'm going to do with this wedding. I haven't heard back from Bill yet about the other possible reception areas. I had to hard sell the idea to Dave about the tasting and customization... but I think I'm winning him over if I find the right venue. I'm glad I had a change of heart. It was all of my disboard supporters that helped me thru my doubts and I can't thank everyone enough. If you're still following along... the best is yet to come! July is our 16 months, November is our 12 months and that's all right around the corner!! It's starting to be real, which means it's time to get down to business!! :yay:

Thanks for reading my TR... hope it made you giggle at least once :cutie:

[LittleKittyMarie]

Hi there, I just finished catching up on your PJ and have to say I really admire you for all that you've gone through and all that you're doing to make your wedding happen! Congrats and I'm looking forward to reading more about your planning and disney adventures. :goodvibes

That dress is very gorgeous on you and that headpiece is beautiful!

[Princess SarahK]

D, Im so glad you had a change of heart! :hug: And you certainly made me giggle...ALOT! Glad you felt better after your episode at Sanaa, Im such a meat and potatoes girl myself. Give me mashed potatoes and chicken any day!...Actually I was thinking about serving 'comfort foods' at our wedding..chicken, mac-n-cheese, mashed potatoes, etc. Sounds so good!

Cant wait to hear what you decide for your wedding! :goodvibes

[Princess SarahK]

OOOHHHHHH



AND I L:lovestrucVE THAT DRESS! SERIOUSLY OBSESSED! IT LOOKS SO GOOD ON YOU! I DONT THINK I CAN VERBALIZE MY FEELINGS FOR THAT DRESS!! (le sigh)

[DoomBuggy0922]

Ahhh geez. Thank GOD your trip is over, right??? And I felt SO bad for you during your... sickness. :( :( :grouphug: At least the next time you go back, you'll be with DF!

And, that dress looks GREAT on you! Seriously. I love Alfred Angelo so much.

[lilsqueakrr]

Fabulous pictures! Fabulous headpiece! IN LOVE WITH YOUR DRESS! <3 <3 <3

[LuvLuvLuv]

WARNING: Bad pun ahead!!

***

***

***

I LUV-LUV-LUV that dress on you!! :lovestruc

It looks amazing!


:banana: I LUV your pun!! Thanks!!

Hi Deena :goodvibes
I could have sworn that I had posted on here before, not sure how I could have missed your PJ! :confused3 but I am officially caught up lol

& I just wanted to say that I know everything will work out for you.. I really admire you for working both jobs, hard work pays off and in this case it literally pays off. I have thought about taking another job myself, I just don't think I have as much will power as you do... you just seem very driven and I think that's because even though you keep going back and forth about what you want, deep down you know what that is. I know that your physical and mental health come first, but for some reason I just get this vibe from you that you can do it! I feel like such a corn ball but I just keep thinking about how every bride I know whether or not its a destination wedding, whether or not they have family backing them up or not, whether or not... (fill in the blank here because I can keep going and going...) go through this. You can't make everyone happy. And you know what? You shouldn't have to. That is why it is your wedding. Relax. Ha! I know that is much easier said than done, but I think we all stress ourselves out too much sometimes over things that probably under other circumstances wouldn't have bothered us as much. My Df makes fun of me because lately the excuse for my emotions is either I'm about to get my period, I'm on my period or I just got off my period so he never catches a break lol. But anyways, I think you should hang in there and play it by ear. Don't get too discouraged.

Ps. I love the dress. :)

Thank you for the words and for loving my dress! Dave tracks my moods by looking at my pack of BC... I keep it under the coffee table with my nail polishes, etc :)

I'm going to second that pun! :lovestruc That dress looks beautiful on you! :thumbsup2

Thanks!! :lovestruc

Hi there, I just finished catching up on your PJ and have to say I really admire you for all that you've gone through and all that you're doing to make your wedding happen! Congrats and I'm looking forward to reading more about your planning and disney adventures. :goodvibes

That dress is very gorgeous on you and that headpiece is beautiful!

Thanks for joining in!! Welcome to my adventures :rotfl:

D, Im so glad you had a change of heart! :hug: And you certainly made me giggle...ALOT! Glad you felt better after your episode at Sanaa, Im such a meat and potatoes girl myself. Give me mashed potatoes and chicken any day!...Actually I was thinking about serving 'comfort foods' at our wedding..chicken, mac-n-cheese, mashed potatoes, etc. Sounds so good!

Cant wait to hear what you decide for your wedding! :goodvibes

MMM Comfort food...

OOOHHHHHH



AND I L:lovestrucVE THAT DRESS! SERIOUSLY OBSESSED! IT LOOKS SO GOOD ON YOU! I DONT THINK I CAN VERBALIZE MY FEELINGS FOR THAT DRESS!! (le sigh)

Not gonna lie, I was wondering if you missed it or didn't like it when you didn't mention it above :rotfl: Thanks for :lovestruc'ing it! The more I look at it, the more I love it!

Ahhh geez. Thank GOD your trip is over, right??? And I felt SO bad for you during your... sickness. :( :( :grouphug: At least the next time you go back, you'll be with DF!

And, that dress looks GREAT on you! Seriously. I love Alfred Angelo so much.

Thanks!! It's good to be home!! When we go back to Kidani in a couple weeks... no matter how pressed for time we are--no Sanaa!! I never gave AA much thought, but I'm glad I gave it a try!

Fabulous pictures! Fabulous headpiece! IN LOVE WITH YOUR DRESS! <3 <3 <3

Thanks!! I'm sooooooo obsessed with the headpiece!!

__________________________________________________ _

If I were to title this next piece... it would be: Some people just don't give up. The other night I cornered Dave with a bag of Taco Bell and my laptop. I was going over reception stuff, selling him the idea, showing him other rooms, menus, food ideas, etc.... I was selling it so hard it wore me out. Before I went to bed, I updated my facebook status to "decisions decisions" Seriously, this is getting difficult and I feel like July 5 is right around the corner and we need to decide. The decisions were taking over my head so I thought the status was fitting. The next day... someone who always had a thing for me (but I always kept in the "friend-only" zone) called my phone. It's not uncommon for them to call, check in, see how the family is doing, exchange what's new etc--hell, we've known each other for 15 years, but live states away. So after we catch up on family and work, he asks what "decisions decisions" meant. REALLY. I advise that we were trying to figure out details for our reception. I explained wedding planning was a bit more of a bear than I expected. Disappointment reigned in his voice and I could tell he only called hoping something was wrong in our relationship. This made me pretty mad. Too bad the people I thought were my good friends are only after other things. I assured him we were doing great and our wedding was going to be awesome. I continued to go on and on about the wedding then changed the subject to some hot gossip I heard the other day. We finished discussing the latest scandal and I was pulling into work so I had to go. I value the friendship of those that were there for me during some really really tough times when I was in my early 20s, but it's just that-that I value---friendship. Some people just don't give up. I know this subject isn't brought up much around here... but I just think it's so rude for people to interfere with relationships--especially those approaching marriage. I don't believe in sabotage.

So GOOD/GREAT news!! I'm a DVC point renting NINJA! Flights for our days were too expensive, rent-a-cars/gas were too expensive, but if we went 2 days earlier... it saved a massive amount of $$ on airfare. I rented 2 nights in a studio at Saratoga Springs on the cheap! Now were going for 9 nights/10 days for the same price at 7 nights!! :banana: I think it's a win!! It'll be the longest vaca I've had in a while!! We're so excited. I've never stayed at Saratoga, but I figured it would be nice to be close to DD on the arrival night, and Typhoon Lagoon the next day. Since we have an extra day, I'm making it a full day of Typhoon Lagoon. I want to lay out, get a tan and get knocked over by waves all day. We're always in a rush there to get stuff done and get to lunch... forget that.... I make the plans around here :thumbsup2

I got an opening shift today, so I had a couple hours with Dave before he had to go to work. We watched The Princess and the Frog, and UP. We had never seen either so we checked them out on Netflix. It was nice to spend some time together on a Saturday, because that NEVER happens. I was trying to explain that I was seeing a lot of UP inspired stuff and I didn't know anything about it. It was cute... I can see why it's inspired so many!

Going along with my massive planning ideas this week I've been thinking of something else. I love Misty's photography--I love it with all my heart and I think she is amazingly talented.... just wondering if I should explore other options. I feel like we should have a small engagement shoot to get to know the photographer--but the e-shoot plus the price of the wedding won't be possible. Again... decisions decisions. It won't hurt to look, but it doesn't mean I'll change my mind.

So I think thats all for now. I hope to hear from Bill this week about the reception. I can't imagine how it'll feel when I need to make final decisions. Since I've been back I've felt like my head is spinning. :eek:

On a side note... if anyone has the app WordsWithFriends... my screen name is: TinaDeena
I'm a bit obsessed with it, and love to play. My friends call me TinaDeena because my phone bill used to come with the name Tina Deenatest@ (don't want my whole name to be searchable :goodvibes). I couldn't convince the person on the phone that my first name was Deena and my last name was Test@. She was certain my first name was Tina, and what I was spelling was my full last name. It was pretty hilarious and it just stuck with my friends. Start a game with me... it's fun!

Alright, seriously... bed time! Night Night!

[Princess SarahK]

So glad you and Dave got some time together this weekend. I love the Princess and the Frog! Especially since Im from Louisiana, and alot of the humor of it is stuff that you might not catch on to if you dont know a lot about it! I havent seen Up! yet either, I really need to.

I really know what you mean about people not giving up...it can be such a pain in the neck and a real problem! Hang in there!

[tnkr mom]

Your updates are so entertaining I admire your writing style! And thanks for posting photos. Pretty, pretty dress (luv,luv,luv the pick ups!) So is that THE dress for you??????

[LuvLuvLuv]

So glad you and Dave got some time together this weekend. I love the Princess and the Frog! Especially since Im from Louisiana, and alot of the humor of it is stuff that you might not catch on to if you dont know a lot about it! I havent seen Up! yet either, I really need to.

I really know what you mean about people not giving up...it can be such a pain in the neck and a real problem! Hang in there!

you def need to see up!! after much complaining... i got 3 sundays off in april -- so more dave time :cutie: yay!!

Your updates are so entertaining I admire your writing style! And thanks for posting photos. Pretty, pretty dress (luv,luv,luv the pick ups!) So is that THE dress for you??????

thank you so much :lovestruc i'm almost positive this is the dress... but since you've been reading along, you know i can change my mind at the last minute :)

_____________________________________

So I've been pretty laid back when it comes to contacting DFTW... but when I send an email on Wednesday of last week, it's Tuesday of this week and nothing? I'm getting a taste of what I'm in for. They've probably been reading my blog, knowing I'm indecisive and that I was on the fence about dropping down... well guess what.... I'm not dropping down--write me back! Even if it was a simple, "I'm working on it" - at least I know my email isn't in the abyss. It's almost April, May is a blur between vacation, catching up from vacation, a work event and Memorial Day when my family will most likely visit. Then there's June... and I have to have decisions by July 5. I'm running out of decision making time. I'm regretting not going to the reception tour at the showcase to see other options--I also wouldn't have got trampled trying to get a broken flip flop during the running of the bulls.

This week I will be working on my budget for the remainder of the year. I have my new rates of pay for both jobs so I can accurately look at everything. My plan for this year is to put a major down on our hotel stay, get our wedding bands, put $ on a photographer, pay $2000 to DFTW and possibly my dress and accessories. We're still planning November, and that should be about $2600. We'll see how well I do over the summer with savings and paying things down. I'm rambling because I was hoping an email would come and I could delete my worries from above... but it's not here and I'm anxious to go over my budget. So bye for now and I hope to update soon!!

[princess_momma]

I have loved reading along with your PJ! You are HILARIOUS!!! I am also indecisive, so I feel your pain!! Hopefully you get emailed back from DFTW soon!!

PS I found you on words with friends! I'm Princess_Kimmy! I'm obsessed with it too, even though I suck at it! I'm slowly getting better!

[Disney845]

I haven't posted on here before, but I have been reading your planning journal, and I just wanted to comment on your trip with your stepmom.

Congrats on making it out alive! I was cringing along with you when you were mentioning the pushy/interrupting moments of her interaction with the CMs at the restaurants, etc. I have a work colleague who acts the same way to wait staff when we have business dining functions, and you are right that trying to shush them or get them to stop makes even more of a scene, and you just want to bury your head in the sand! The funny thing is that the rest of us are aware of his entitlement behavior and generally go out of our way to be nice to the waiter/waitress to make up for him.

Also, about the smoking thing. I was reading along thinking well at least you managed to convince her that there were "designated" smoking areas, and she wasn't one of those people who think the rules apply to everyone but them and that they can smoke any and everywhere like on your balcony, standing in line for the buses, randomly walking around the parks! So at least she retained that, even if she didn't understand/believe any other directions and info you gave her. ;)

[LuvLuvLuv]

I have loved reading along with your PJ! You are HILARIOUS!!! I am also indecisive, so I feel your pain!! Hopefully you get emailed back from DFTW soon!!

PS I found you on words with friends! I'm Princess_Kimmy! I'm obsessed with it too, even though I suck at it! I'm slowly getting better!

Thanks for joining in!! Still no email as of now :( Yay for a new Words competitor! My phone doesn't work at my day job all the time so I'm more of a night player :laughing:

I haven't posted on here before, but I have been reading your planning journal, and I just wanted to comment on your trip with your stepmom.

Congrats on making it out alive! I was cringing along with you when you were mentioning the pushy/interrupting moments of her interaction with the CMs at the restaurants, etc. I have a work colleague who acts the same way to wait staff when we have business dining functions, and you are right that trying to shush them or get them to stop makes even more of a scene, and you just want to bury your head in the sand! The funny thing is that the rest of us are aware of his entitlement behavior and generally go out of our way to be nice to the waiter/waitress to make up for him.

Also, about the smoking thing. I was reading along thinking well at least you managed to convince her that there were "designated" smoking areas, and she wasn't one of those people who think the rules apply to everyone but them and that they can smoke any and everywhere like on your balcony, standing in line for the buses, randomly walking around the parks! So at least she retained that, even if she didn't understand/believe any other directions and info you gave her. ;)

Well it did take a day to break her of that. I told her she would get fined and that I wasn't paying for it :laughing: I'm assuming that's true, but I kinda made it up. Thanks for reading!!

_____________________

So here's my funny for the day: They may have to cancel my 10 year reunion because only 11 couples are going, which means 12 (out of 88) people from my class are going (since one of the couples are married). I find this hilarious. At least I'm not the only one not interested in one night of interaction with the most screwed up people you'll ever meet. None of us got along then... why would I pay to take a trip to PA, pay for the meal and lose time from work to act like I cared--I have facebook if I feel like nosing in someone's business.

Well as much as I don't want to get on with my day... I must. I have to go clean out my vehicle (lol funny word) on my lunch. Tomorrow is Reds Opening Day whichs means strangers will be parking in our garage. We are directly across from the ball park so it will be like a mad house. It is nice to see inside the park from our conference rooms though :) Since I pretty much live out of my car.... I have all kinds of crazy in there--a theive's delight.

I'm still working on my budget. I took a break from it yesterday to make a list of stuff I'm allergic to, don't like... and want to try for food. It was on my brain so I went with it. I also want to make a list of pictures that I want. I'm still on the fence about the MK shoot... I don't want to get "re-ready" and we take terrible pix anyway... that's a considerable amount of money to spend on people who don't take pictures very well. I don't even care much about the castle pix.... I want pictures in the teacups!! Now with Sarah's inspiration, I think I may look into the Owner's locker and start putting stuff in it. I am going to make a list of all that too. I hope my stepmom is almost done with my passporters book because I could sure use it while I'm at work. I want it back!! She probably hasn't opened it yet. Well that's all for today :wizard: Have a good one!

[Princess SarahK]

Whats the owner's locker?! Glad I could be of inspiration? Now what did I inspire? :rotfl2:--using context clues im assuming its like a storage unit? lol, im so clueless!

[LuvLuvLuv]

Whats the owner's locker?! Glad I could be of inspiration? Now what did I inspire? :rotfl2:--using context clues im assuming its like a storage unit? lol, im so clueless!

www.ownerslocker.com

they are giant purple crates that this company drops off directly to your hotel, then picks them up when you leave. probably a lifesaver for dvc people.

[LuvLuvLuv]

Alrighty! So I got an email back. It's ironic how you send off an email labeled "Questions" only to get answers back that will prompt more questions. What should my reply email be labeled? "More Questions?"

So the room that I found online and loved--the Palm Beach Boardroom is not available for Food and Beverage. This makes me :sad1:. I'm not uber upset because I kind of figured that... I was just wondering.

I expressed my concern about the lack of tasting at the CG and he suggested we eat at the restaurant. We do that every trip and we love it... but when I look at all these menus they are soooooooooo different. I really don't think it's the same. I still want a tasting... maybe because I feel like it's owed to me :rotfl2:

He said the Commander's Terrace is mainly used for Escape and suggested the Summerhouse. What I like about this statement is the word "mainly". I feel like if I dig my heels in I could manage to make it work... but do I want to go thru all of that :confused3 He said we could set up a call next week to work thru some of this. I like that idea.

So I started going thru reception sites for the 58th time in the past 2 weeks and tried to work off of his Summerhouse idea. I saw recent pix of a couple that used a couch and high tables and it was BEAUTIFUL. I started to imagine it with my colors, tried to work out the timing for afternoon so we wouldn't freeze in November. Then I realize my ideas are costing $$. :headache: I wanted a violinist at my reception, but would you hear it out in the open with people walking by, etc? What's the backup plan for weather? Can Mickey and Minnie be there since its outdoors in the resort? It would have to be a buffet do I want that? Are the bugs gonna get me? Is there a smoking area for my stepmom :lmao: :lmao: Just kidding... checking to see if you're still awake :) Will my floral ideas be too formal for the outside? Will black and silver be too bland for the area?? The little wheels in my brain have been all scattered since 11:00am when I got the email. I tried not to think of it over lunch since we were discussing work stuff... but I kept thinking about a cool picture on the couch with Mickey and Minnie. But then what about Fireworks?? I could say a prayer that they're early at 8:00 that night... it's been done before in November :littleangel: and just walk over to Narcoossee's Landing. Is outside just too risky? Will my family or Dave hate this idea? I'm tired of selling ideas to people and not getting commission for my work :laughing:

I threw the idea of switching to the Epcot side of the world for more options, but I just don't wanna :( There are so many pix around the GF, CR and Poly that I want that it would just add more grief and $$ for photography time. I love the WP and if I could just use the dang Commander's Terrace life would be peachy. Now I got the idea of that couch in my head. I showed it to Dave a little while ago and he thought it was sweet. He actually liked it, but if he gets set on it and I can't hold up the financial end--then I'm gonna be up a creek without a paddle. :eek: I looked thru all the ballrooms again and they're sooooo not us. The Napa Room was "us". The Napa Room still is "us".... but I want other menu options. :headache: :headache: :headache: That's what I feel like.

Maybe what I need is a suggestion. What is your vision for us, lol?? Is there something I'm not thinking of?? By the time we change everything around we should have 15-25 people. We're still wanting to stick with Black and Silver and sticking with a modern theming with White Calla Lillies. I won't see Dave until Sunday afternoon because we work/sleep opposites until then, but I'm hoping to corner him and give him some options before I talk to Bill next week. I want him involved, but I feel like I'm going to need to make the decisions if he doesn't speak up.

Okay, I have to deal with some work drama so that's all for now. I would love to hear your suggestions!!

[lilsqueakrr]

Alrighty! So I got an email back. It's ironic how you send off an email labeled "Questions" only to get answers back that will prompt more questions. What should my reply email be labeled? "More Questions?"

So the room that I found online and loved--the Palm Beach Boardroom is not available for Food and Beverage. This makes me :sad1:. I'm not uber upset because I kind of figured that... I was just wondering.

I expressed my concern about the lack of tasting at the CG and he suggested we eat at the restaurant. We do that every trip and we love it... but when I look at all these menus they are soooooooooo different. I really don't think it's the same. I still want a tasting... maybe because I feel like it's owed to me :rotfl2:

He said the Commander's Terrace is mainly used for Escape and suggested the Summerhouse. What I like about this statement is the word "mainly". I feel like if I dig my heels in I could manage to make it work... but do I want to go thru all of that :confused3 He said we could set up a call next week to work thru some of this. I like that idea.

So I started going thru reception sites for the 58th time in the past 2 weeks and tried to work off of his Summerhouse idea. I saw recent pix of a couple that used a couch and high tables and it was BEAUTIFUL. I started to imagine it with my colors, tried to work out the timing for afternoon so we wouldn't freeze in November. Then I realize my ideas are costing $$. :headache: I wanted a violinist at my reception, but would you hear it out in the open with people walking by, etc? What's the backup plan for weather? Can Mickey and Minnie be there since its outdoors in the resort? It would have to be a buffet do I want that? Are the bugs gonna get me? Is there a smoking area for my stepmom :lmao: :lmao: Just kidding... checking to see if you're still awake :) Will my floral ideas be too formal for the outside? Will black and silver be too bland for the area?? The little wheels in my brain have been all scattered since 11:00am when I got the email. I tried not to think of it over lunch since we were discussing work stuff... but I kept thinking about a cool picture on the couch with Mickey and Minnie. But then what about Fireworks?? I could say a prayer that they're early at 8:00 that night... it's been done before in November :littleangel: and just walk over to Narcoossee's Landing. Is outside just too risky? Will my family or Dave hate this idea? I'm tired of selling ideas to people and not getting commission for my work :laughing:

I threw the idea of switching to the Epcot side of the world for more options, but I just don't wanna :( There are so many pix around the GF, CR and Poly that I want that it would just add more grief and $$ for photography time. I love the WP and if I could just use the dang Commander's Terrace life would be peachy. Now I got the idea of that couch in my head. I showed it to Dave a little while ago and he thought it was sweet. He actually liked it, but if he gets set on it and I can't hold up the financial end--then I'm gonna be up a creek without a paddle. :eek: I looked thru all the ballrooms again and they're sooooo not us. The Napa Room was "us". The Napa Room still is "us".... but I want other menu options. :headache: :headache: :headache: That's what I feel like.

Maybe what I need is a suggestion. What is your vision for us, lol?? Is there something I'm not thinking of?? By the time we change everything around we should have 15-25 people. We're still wanting to stick with Black and Silver and sticking with a modern theming with White Calla Lillies. I won't see Dave until Sunday afternoon because we work/sleep opposites until then, but I'm hoping to corner him and give him some options before I talk to Bill next week. I want him involved, but I feel like I'm going to need to make the decisions if he doesn't speak up.

Okay, I have to deal with some work drama so that's all for now. I would love to hear your suggestions!!


Oh my goodness.. it's SCAREY as to how much alike we are.. except I'm not getting my Disney wedding.. :headache:

But anywayz, if I were you I'd stick with my guns about Commander's Terrace until I hear a voice on the other end of the phone and can fight with them about why it is 'mainly' used which MEANS IT CAN BE USED FOR ME THEN. :scared1: That's just how I roll? haha. Then play around with the ideas of the summerhouse and ideas to cut costs so that I could get my couch in there also ALONG with the most important guests, Mickey and Minnie..
When I have free time over the weekend I will search around and see what I can find for you! I'm taking a hiatus on planning my wedding.. so I will help you out! I love the black/white/lillies theme thought.. it's going to be FABULOUS once it's all said and done. And I PROMISE you it will work out. :hug: :hug: :hug:

[princesswendy720]

Were you thinking of Commander's Terrace for a pre-reception or the whole reception? Does it have capacity for that many people with tables? What about the marina for the reception? Or Sago Cay Point? Summerhouse seems kind of out in the open IMO, I like the Whitehall Patio better b/c it is more secluded, but you don't get the water view. Also, according to the Disney Wedding website, the Contemporary Resort marina is available for receptions. I can't picture how it would be set up (and you might be the first one to do it too), but it would definitely be unique.

[LuvLuvLuv]

Oh my goodness.. it's SCAREY as to how much alike we are.. except I'm not getting my Disney wedding.. :headache:

But anywayz, if I were you I'd stick with my guns about Commander's Terrace until I hear a voice on the other end of the phone and can fight with them about why it is 'mainly' used which MEANS IT CAN BE USED FOR ME THEN. :scared1: That's just how I roll? haha. Then play around with the ideas of the summerhouse and ideas to cut costs so that I could get my couch in there also ALONG with the most important guests, Mickey and Minnie..
When I have free time over the weekend I will search around and see what I can find for you! I'm taking a hiatus on planning my wedding.. so I will help you out! I love the black/white/lillies theme thought.. it's going to be FABULOUS once it's all said and done. And I PROMISE you it will work out. :hug: :hug: :hug:

If we look at things this weekend and don't come to a new conclusion, I'll have to lay down the law... :laughing:

Were you thinking of Commander's Terrace for a pre-reception or the whole reception? Does it have capacity for that many people with tables? What about the marina for the reception? Or Sago Cay Point? Summerhouse seems kind of out in the open IMO, I like the Whitehall Patio better b/c it is more secluded, but you don't get the water view. Also, according to the Disney Wedding website, the Contemporary Resort marina is available for receptions. I can't picture how it would be set up (and you might be the first one to do it too), but it would definitely be unique.

Yeah, I know this is all backwards, but I wanted to do the cake cutting and a few small appetizers at Commander's Terrace for say... an hour. I wanted Mickey and Minnie to be outside with the water as the backdrop, very private with possibly a violinist--maybe a little dance with the characters. If I had this, I basically could let the photographer go home at the beginning of the reception because all the main events would be over. I really wanted to do a real dessert and I feel like cake and a real dessert is too much. So if we did cake before... problem solved. If I went to Escape I could do this, but I'm budgeting over the Wishes minimum so why should I be punished??

I checked out the CR marina and from angle #1 I was sold on it... from angle #2... it's right in front of the pool :scared1: Very very pretty view of Bay Lake.

Thanks for the suggestions!! More are welcome!! I really want to sort this out so when we go in a few weeks we can check a few locations out. Plus, I need to pounce on the location on July 5th, lol!! Sorry I'm so aggressive today, we've had work issues and I had to whip some vendors attitudes into shape :) I should go home and sleep it off :laughing: Happy Friday everyone!

[pixie921]

All I can say about the Commander's Terrace thing is GOOD LUCK! That's exactly what I wanted to do and we literally spent two months going round and round trying to get permission and ended up being DENIED over and over. There was nothing we could do or say to get them to agree to let us use it because we weren't an Escape couple. When we pointed out we'd be using the WP so there would be no Escape couple in the WP needing the Terrace, they then told us that it's the rain backup for Memories weddings and we weren't entitled to use it. Even though Memories weddings aren't held on Thursdays, when our VR was. It was asinine. Just one of the many reasons we bailed on the DFTW. Oy.

I seriously wish you better luck than we had -- keep us posted! :goodvibes

[belle2211]

Are the bugs gonna get me? Is there a smoking area for my stepmom :lmao: :lmao: Just kidding... checking to see if you're still awake :)

Well, I don't have any advice for you, but I just wanted to say that you crack me up! And I needed a laugh right now!

[LuvLuvLuv]

So I took Dave out to lunch yesterday with his laptop :) I love that some restaurants have WIFI now :goodvibes We looked thru all the locations, talked about timeframes and food, talked about guests and again.... it's all changing. I'm nervous on a few things, but I think it'll all work out. We also registered at JCPenney and Target. I need to sort everything out online because I think there are massive duplicates, lol.

We have loved the Napa Room since the moment we saw it... but we realized that the people we're bringing with us may not "get" it like we do. We would be better off having dinner there the next day alone. We don't love the ballrooms, and our only other options to stay on the GF side are the outside spots or the restaurants that kick you out early.

So here is what came out of all of this:

Reception Entertainment: Violinist

Ceremony: Wedding Pavilion at 2:30pm -- If outside reception in November... need it during the day so we don't freeze.

Reception: Summerhouse... with the Marina as a close backup (I don't like the boats there--but I guess that's where the go... maybe the Wave private room or the Whitehall as last resorts.

If the construction is bad: Wedding Gazebo and the Attic (backup plan)

Guests: He wants to invite friends so family plus 10 friends each--this will be more obtainable since we will have to do a buffet outside. I thought we decided not to, but it could be good... just more expensive... could lighten the mood a bit.

Reception Decor: Must have the Couch and Lounge area, decorate existing seating Black and Silver

Rehearsal: Ohana or Yachtsman... depends on how much help we get.

Fireworks: I've given up. I thought about a Marina Dessert Party with Ice Cream Sundaes... but I dunno. If they don't appreciate Wishes like we do... I'll cry. I feel like I'd be better off going and sitting on the Poly Beach watching with just him. Plus the longer this shindig goes... the more expensive for photography. Being around holiday time, and it getting darker earlier... you never know what's going to happen--so that whole thing would be a bonus add in later... but for now... it's out.

Children: Only 2 people we would invite have children... and they're wild animals... get a babysitter.

Characters: I think I read somewhere that you can't have characters at outside locations. Where will Mickey and Minnie come into play?? They WILL be there.

MK Photo Shoot: Nix. I always wanted it, but we don't know what lights will be on the castle, what the construction will look like, quality of the photographer, etc.... as of now... it's a no. He doesn't like the idea of re-getting ready, especially so early... so it's whatever.

Staged Exit: He said the people we're inviting aren't competent (I agree) and to dish for the petal cannon. I like this :woohoo:

Floral: We'll have to stay with Disney's Floral since it will be an outside reception. I still want the Callas, but recently saw a picture of a rough looking Calla arrangement and hoping Disney didn't do it. I'm thinking I'll need some fillers in it and some sparkles.

I asked him about cake since I'm sneaky. I want to get a cake for his bday when we are down there and he said he wants lemon with white chocolate mousse. That sounds like :sick: to me... but I'll get my own chocolate/peanut butter.... who said you can't buy your own cake? my birthday is may 1, and his is may 13 :)

Hair: I decided to book with the Contemporary Salon. We'll be staying at Bay Lake Tower and it'll just be easier and cheaper. I'm doing my own makeup and my hair is/most likely will be short. I just need it teased, flat ironed, and sprayed down--I'm willing to pay $80 to not do it myself and not worry about another vendor. I am recommending the salon for the mothers as well. I will probably do a trial during my planning session.

I feel like there's more to say... but I can't think. I lost 4 pounds this week and I'm hoping that streak continues. I'm not really doing much different, I think all the meds are just falling into place and I'm being a little more careful. Careful as in... we ordered Pizza Hut at 9pm last night and I ate a small order of wings and he tore up a pizza. Yeah... careful :laughing:

One last thing.... I decided that if family wants to help financially, that it'll go towards things like my dress, my hair, our hotel stay, dining plan, our flights, and at most... the rehearsal dinner. No hands in the wedding... not going to deal with it. Okay, that's all for now.

Oh and HAPPY BIRTHDAY SARAH!!!!

[princesswendy720]

I'm glad you are making some headway! I'm almost certain you can have M&M at the Summerhouse. Adelia had her reception there (or was supposed to but it was freezing so it got moved to Whitehall) and she had M&M in tropical attire. Also, if you do an earlier ceremony, could you and Dave do a wardrobe change and go to the MK after for Wishes by yourself? I LOVE the lounge furniture idea. I've toyed with the idea of having a lounge area in ADH (it just begs for it!) but I have no idea what Disney charges for that stuff. I think we are going to stay at BLT for the 2nd half of our wedding trip! I was considering concierge level at the Poly or CR, but I think I'd prefer the villa.

[LuvLuvLuv]

I'm glad you are making some headway! I'm almost certain you can have M&M at the Summerhouse. Adelia had her reception there (or was supposed to but it was freezing so it got moved to Whitehall) and she had M&M in tropical attire. Also, if you do an earlier ceremony, could you and Dave do a wardrobe change and go to the MK after for Wishes by yourself? I LOVE the lounge furniture idea. I've toyed with the idea of having a lounge area in ADH (it just begs for it!) but I have no idea what Disney charges for that stuff. I think we are going to stay at BLT for the 2nd half of our wedding trip! I was considering concierge level at the Poly or CR, but I think I'd prefer the villa.

I saw some pictures of M/M there too... let's just hope they haven't changed anything! I think we would appreciate Wishes by ourselves more... so we should go with that--then people can do whatever they want that night. We said we would rather have the lounge furniture than the MK Photoshoot. We think it'll make a more relaxed atmosphere. I was also thinking it would be nicer to have everyone in the open rather than uptight in a room... our families are weird. I looked at a couple places online that rent the wedding furniture and it's not as bad as I envisioned... but its still pricy... but I just love it. Since I'm doing my own makeup, I need to have my case and mirror.... so I'll need that whole kitchen table in the Villa. I want to be able to have room for all my junk, have the washer and dryer and the big refrigerator for anything we might need. We'll probably move to the Yacht Club 2 or 3 days after so we're close to food and wine and we can have our favorite club level.

[lilsqueakrr]

Glad to hear your thinking things through and starting to get a grip on some things. I think that no matter what things will be amazing and gorgeous and wonderful and all that jazz! :lovestruc :goodvibes :lovestruc

Congrats on the 4 pounds! So happy for you! :rotfl:

But ultimately, you're still having your Disney wedding! So woohoo for you! I'd kill to get rid of 75% of my guest list and head down there to do my wedding itself. I still have 6 months to change my parents minds before I hit my year mark, but I know that it won't happen. :confused3

As far as the fireworks go, depending on when your reception ends I'd think about maybe getting ONE photog to stick around and get some pics of you guys with them. Just to have a few memories of that special moment. Because I think the firework pictures are absolutely amazing and would kill to do it!

As far as the MK shoot goes, I heard somewhere that you can still get them done up to a year after your wedding? So hey if you get awesome pics back, get some cash for the wedding.. VOILA there's your MK shoot! PLUS you get to wear your dress.. AGAIN at a later date! :cloud9: :rolleyes1

I'm all for doing it up and beyond! I know money sucks and I completely get that we have the same thing. But you only get MARRIED ONCE. So I say do it up and do it big. Especially when it comes to wearing your dress more than once.. :rolleyes1

[DoomBuggy0922]

Oohh I really do love all of your new plans. I think the Summerhouse is a great choice. The couches are GORGEOUS and make for a relaxed, but still elegant, look. Have you asked your coordinator about M and M yet??? You SHOULD be able to have them there! Blah. Sometimes, I really hate all of Disney's silly rules. (And by sometimes, I mean a lot more than sometimes...)

Looking forward to seeing how all of this turns out!

[elleinad16]

Yes! Glad to see you are weighing more options and going to make it work for you! :thumbsup2

Also, just something I think is rather neat: both of our fiance's share the same birthday and you are the first day in May and I am the last day! I like the cool pattern :)

[LuvLuvLuv]

Glad to hear your thinking things through and starting to get a grip on some things. I think that no matter what things will be amazing and gorgeous and wonderful and all that jazz! :lovestruc :goodvibes :lovestruc

Congrats on the 4 pounds! So happy for you! :rotfl:

But ultimately, you're still having your Disney wedding! So woohoo for you! I'd kill to get rid of 75% of my guest list and head down there to do my wedding itself. I still have 6 months to change my parents minds before I hit my year mark, but I know that it won't happen. :confused3

As far as the fireworks go, depending on when your reception ends I'd think about maybe getting ONE photog to stick around and get some pics of you guys with them. Just to have a few memories of that special moment. Because I think the firework pictures are absolutely amazing and would kill to do it!

As far as the MK shoot goes, I heard somewhere that you can still get them done up to a year after your wedding? So hey if you get awesome pics back, get some cash for the wedding.. VOILA there's your MK shoot! PLUS you get to wear your dress.. AGAIN at a later date! :cloud9: :rolleyes1

I'm all for doing it up and beyond! I know money sucks and I completely get that we have the same thing. But you only get MARRIED ONCE. So I say do it up and do it big. Especially when it comes to wearing your dress more than once.. :rolleyes1

Very good points :) I'm not a fan of Illuminations, but after looking at neener's DP pics yesterday I kinda am having second thoughts. Blah!!!


Oohh I really do love all of your new plans. I think the Summerhouse is a great choice. The couches are GORGEOUS and make for a relaxed, but still elegant, look. Have you asked your coordinator about M and M yet??? You SHOULD be able to have them there! Blah. Sometimes, I really hate all of Disney's silly rules. (And by sometimes, I mean a lot more than sometimes...)

Looking forward to seeing how all of this turns out!

I have a call tomorrow on my lunch already set up :) Anxious to hear what they say!!

Yes! Glad to see you are weighing more options and going to make it work for you! :thumbsup2

Also, just something I think is rather neat: both of our fiance's share the same birthday and you are the first day in May and I am the last day! I like the cool pattern :)

That's funny!! I was looking at your schedule and we may be at the Hoop together on that Friday night!! I haven't booked it yet, but I'm going to get the 9:30 on Wednesday or Friday... just waiting to pay for my dining plan and will see what's available. He's nervous they'll pick on him for his birthday :laughing: We've never been, but he said he wanted to go... and we added 2 extra days to the trip, moved things around and those are the 2 days we could go :) I'm excited!!

_____________________

Not much wedding-ness going on today. I've been fighting a migrane since last night, and have no plans of staying at work all day. I need a dark/quiet room, more advil, a cherry coke and my bed. My ticker says one month to go!! I haven't even unpacked from March yet, lol!! Well have a great day everyone!!

[tnkr mom]

Hope you are feeling better today :goodvibes

[LuvLuvLuv]

Hope you are feeling better today :goodvibes

I am feeling much better today. It kind of feels like an odd hangover though :confused3 I stayed at work thru the day and last night had a pretty bad round of vertigo--a little scary. I told Dave it felt like he just spun me like crazy on the Tea Cups, but I was sitting still on the couch. Today feels like I drank a whole bottle of wine last night... but all I had was peach iced tea, lol!!

The only things accomplished last night were... i asked him if he wanted to go with bright silver or gunmetal silver. he asked the difference and I brought out 2 different silver shoes, lol. He liked the darker one. I liked this too because now my shoes will be the color of our wedding and I'm at peace to not buy another pair :laughing: I think it'll look great outside. I'm excited! I also got us Ohana for our arrival day because I'm an ADR ninja! It's a 9:55pm.... but hey... I'll take it!! He's happy and I'm happy that I got to cancel Raglan :laughing: It was good when we ate it, but I got motion sickness on it and a year later... I'm still not ready for it :rotfl: I vividly remember the scene in DisneyQuest.

My call is in an hour. My building doesn't get great service, so I'm wondering if I should drive somewhere and park? (at $3.79 per gallon -- $74.79 this morning :sad2:) Or sit in the lobby during semi loud lunch traffic and hope for the best. I think I have it all written down, but all my notes look like this :eek:. Even if I walk somewhere downtown, it'll be crowded and loud--plus it's cold and I didn't wear a coat :laughing: I'll have an update this afternoon.

[LuvLuvLuv]

As promised... I'm back. I ended up driving home (20 minutes) for a 10 minute phone call :laughing: I felt more relaxed there, and Baxter was happy to see me for a minute, lol. So I explained my reasoning for concern with the Napa Room. I told him that I wasn't sure it "fit" our families, that I had fallen in love with some menu items at the Showcase, and that we may just be more comfortable in an outside setting. I thanked him for he recommendation of the Summerhouse and told him we decided on it. Without his recommendation of this, I would have never even considered an outside reception. We moved my penciled in venues to WP at 2:30 instead of 5:00 because it would be too cold at night and Summerhouse from 3:30 to 8:30. I'm not sure if it'll be 7:30 or 8:30... but I just went with what he said. I think 2:30 might be better anyway because at 5pm in November the beginning of sunset may be really pretty, but it wouldn't show the castle as bright.

:banana: :banana: We can have Mickey and Minnie!! :banana: :banana:

That was my major concern because I swear I read that you can't, but he said I can and I'm like :cool1: :banana: :woohoo: :yay: :cheer2: 25 pounds of stress were lifted off my shoulders and I was feeling amazing. I got it all figured out. I'm going to leave the stress of doing or not doing fireworks stuff for another point in time. Really I can't make that call until the schedule comes out... so I would call it something extra when the time comes.

I asked about our APs if I got the form right back to them on November 5, since we're heading down there on the 10th or 11th. He said we would work it out and not to worry and just remind him. Plus my JC Penney companion flight.... November will super cheap if I can get a good deal on DVC points--or stay moderate/value!! Or whatever other deals are around that time.

I feel like today has been a success. I should probably catch up on the work I haven't done in the past week because I've been wedding obsessed. :laughing: Happy Wednesday Everyone!!

[DoomBuggy0922]

Yayyy!!!! I am so glad it all worked out and SO happy about mickey and minnie!

[Princess SarahK]

Oh Deena, Im so glad everything worked out! Mickey, Minnie, Gunmetal, and pretty chic couches will be fantastic!! Happy for you! :cool1::cool1:

[KristiLyn]

Yay Yay Yay I'm so glad it all worked out!!!! :yay:

[tnkr mom]

Yaayyyyy! See it all worked out for you! You must be sooooooooooo excited! :woohoo: :woohoo:

[belle2211]

I am so glad everything worked out for you!!:yay:

[elle1024]

Ooh la-la!
I'm so happy that everything is working out for you! I think the couches are going to look awesome, especially with your colors. & you get to have Mickey & Minnie!!! You get the best of all of the worlds lol

[lilsqueakrr]

I am so, so, so, so, SO happy for you! And Mickey and Minnie! I mean how much better can you get!! Yay Wednesday! ;D

[LuvLuvLuv]

Yayyy!!!! I am so glad it all worked out and SO happy about mickey and minnie!

Oh Deena, Im so glad everything worked out! Mickey, Minnie, Gunmetal, and pretty chic couches will be fantastic!! Happy for you! :cool1::cool1:

Yay Yay Yay I'm so glad it all worked out!!!! :yay:

Yaayyyyy! See it all worked out for you! You must be sooooooooooo excited! :woohoo: :woohoo:

I am so glad everything worked out for you!!:yay:

Ooh la-la!
I'm so happy that everything is working out for you! I think the couches are going to look awesome, especially with your colors. & you get to have Mickey & Minnie!!! You get the best of all of the worlds lol

I am so, so, so, so, SO happy for you! And Mickey and Minnie! I mean how much better can you get!! Yay Wednesday! ;D


Yay!! Thanks everyone!! It was all very exciting and I was feeling very peaceful. I was pumped to tell Dave when he got home from softball last night and he was excited. I showed him a map on how close it is to the WP and that we wouldn't need transportation, etc. He was playing on his computer and said, "I don't mean to rain on your parade... but where's that new DVC building going? You may not even have a walkway." :headache: We looked at the proposed maps and it almost looks like the new building is right on top of it. I started to get anxious, but I told him that we would just move to the Marina and all would be good. I'm hoping for the best on this one. Note to self, look over the LOA very carefully and be sure we can move sites if it's too bad. I'm staying positive because I really like this site and there's no telling when they'll break ground. It may not be for a while. We also talked about where we were staying for the wedding. That went south. I told him I wasn't keen on the idea of him staying with me the night before because I don't want him stressing me when I'm trying to get ready. He won't get out of bed, then he'll be in the way while I'm running around, and I'm not having it. I told him I'd get him a studio for the night--and he didn't like that. I also kicked around the idea of using a free night the night of the wedding at the GF so I could have a place to keep "stuff." I like to have "stuff" just in case and I feel like I'll need rolling luggage for extra makeup, kleenex, shoes, sunglasses, medications, etc. Plus... if we could get a room very very close to the Summerhouse... I could use that potty and area to adjust, etc. :cutie: I think I would just feel better in a "cleaner" setting then a public restroom which I'm not sure which one will be used... but may be shared with the pool?? No bueno. Then instead of having to carry him onto the monorail, then thru the resort afterwards... I could just push him to the room :laughing: I would still keep our main stuff at BLT... and just use that for convenience. Maybe if we could get an early check-in he could just go there in the morning and go back to bed, and get ready there. Ugh, I can figure this out another day.

Well thanks again for all the warm wishes :) It's almost the weekend :)

[lubee12]

Sounds like you are really excited for summerhouse. We are having our welcome dinner there next month. I think it is so pretty with the water right there. Good luck with your planning. It seems like you have some much done already. :goodvibes

[LuvLuvLuv]

Wanna see a Disbride have a meltdown at her desk in the middle of the main lobby? Come to downtown Cincinnati.

My boss even walked by and told me to take a deep breath :lmao:

Got a text from the parental unit telling me that Dave and I need to have a serious conversation about a Disney Wedding. It will be very expensive for everyone you want to invite with plane fare, food, tickets and hotel room.

This was out of the blue, random... haven't talked to her in a week and a half.

I couldn't believe my eyes. I picked up the phone so fast and dialed her number. Dave and I have conversations about this almost every night. It's happening. She started on costs and I just blurted that someone needs to let me know because I will have a Memories wedding in November and no one will be invited. I told her you can't have any guests. I know this is a lie, but it felt right :laughing: I said that someone needs to tell me before I drop deposits on DFTW and a photographer, buying things like favors and aisle runners. Ever since my father passed away, the theme of everything is: I don't know if I'll be dead next year. I HATE THAT. Everytime someone says that, I could curl up in a little ball, clinch my fists and scream. She went over what some of the family is saying. I told her that I could care less what anyone does, but someone needs to let me know. I told her we were inviting friends now and we could invite some extended family if necessary and she didn't like it. I advised that she needs to quit looking at "she's paying for the reception" -- she's not. I told her if she wants to contribute, great... but she's not taking on one thing... just give me the chunk and I'll distribute as I see fit. I'm in charge. So there were a few rounds of nonsense and I just lost it. I explained that everyone is expected to be on property for my room block and she thinks every room is $400 a night. I told her she needs to stop talking if she doesn't know what she's talking about. That was mean--I regret it... but she stopped :confused3 She said it would cost each person $2000 to come down. Um... no? I asked her if it cost that much when we went a few weeks ago... and she's like... welllllllll? Yeah. I'm right. We have no activities in the parks and I am not forcing anyone to buy a park ticket if they don't want to. The resorts and Downtown Disney have plenty to offer. :headache: :headache: :headache: :headache: :headache: :headache:

I finally bursted and said we would cancel the whole thing. My temper got the best of me. You would have done the same thing in a fit of rage. This is when my boss walked by and said to be nice and take a deep breath. I have no intention on canceling it all together--I was just trying to get her attention :lmao: I said if they can't afford to go to Florida, then they can't afford to come to Kentucky. Hotels around here aren't cheap, gas sucks, and you still have to buy food and entertainment. I was done with the conversation.

So she's going to work on the family up there, and let me know soon. My aunt has never been on a plane or at WDW and she's scared she doesn't know what anything is. So before I could stop the words from falling out of my mouth.... I invited the 2 of them in November :headache: How did this happen? She loved the idea and is getting back to me in a week or so. What was I thinking?? I think I really excited her. Phooey.

I just get everything worked out and within 24 hours something crashes. I'm not worrying about it. I'm soooooo over dramatics and this wedding. What will happen will happen. Hopefully everyone will be there... if not... we'll figure something out and I'll have new kitchen appliances and a hardwood floor. Sorry, I'm still so mad, but I'm still at work and can't completely lose it. It's probably a good thing that I'm here or it may have gotten obscene and I would have said things I would regret.

So in closing (lol) I have finished my estimated budget. Of course I estimated everything very high for fees, inflation and such. If she saw these numbers she would pass out. I left this part out of our conversation :rotfl2:

DFTW: 17,800 (everything that goes toward the minimum)
Other: 21,700
Total: 39,500


The other includes everything from our flights, apparel, grocery store, dog sitter, planning session, photography, invites, rehearsal, hotel stay, dining plan, spending money, tips.... EVERYTHING-- so it's high. I think I've over estimated by 3000-5000.... which is good--the hotel is based on rack rate and I am hoping for deals! For the Disney part, I did it based on 35 people... which we won't have that many so that's on the high side too. I just like to see what it might be so I don't get shocked.

Okay... I should quit typing and go take a minute to myself. I'm still all worked up. I needed to get this all out and that's a step in the right direction :) Thanks for listening/reading :cutie:

[lilsqueakrr]

Oh girll.... I'm so sorry. I legit woulda done the SAME THING and reacted the SAME WAY.

I have minor freak outs from time to time and threaten to cancel and Dave and I go to Disney in October and get married and we'll be out of our parents houses in the matter of weeks. Ha. I get a lil dramatic at times too. All good! :thumbsup2

Don't drop your plans just yet... do your thing and plan what YOU want to plan. It is all about you and Dave.. wow. Sounds so weird saying that when it's not my Dave. haha. So who gives a POOP about anybody else! You do you!

I'd rather do more friends than anything else too! I can do without the famiyl? but want their gifts? :rolleyes1 :rolleyes1 :rolleyes1

Good luck mama! Here's some hugs and pixie dust! :hug: :hug: :hug: pixiedust: pixiedust: pixiedust:

[princesswendy720]

I'd be fuming too. Does she think you haven't sat down to discuss having the wedding there? You've been planning on it for awhile and you are giving everyone plenty of notice. Just let it roll off you..if people are complaining about travelling/costs, then oh well sorry you can't make it, you're going to miss out on a fabulous time and there is someone willing to take your spot on the guestlist. I've learned by now that you can't (for your own sanity) plan your wedding based on what other people want. Especially if your are paying for most of it yourself. You just have to stick to your guns and stay focused on your happiness, marrying the man you love, and having the wedding of your dreams. Don't let the naysayers get you down!

[DoomBuggy0922]

Gahhh!!!! I would have done the SAME thing you did!!! Geez louise. And you're not MAKING anyone come!!!! If they don't want to come to Florida, then they don't have to.

:goodvibes:goodvibes:goodvibes You need some of those!

[klacey1]

I just read your entire PJ and I'm hooked!! We're not engaged yet, but I'm hoping for a Disney wedding. Can't wait to hear more of your plans!!

[KristiLyn]

Ugh I know how that feels! Alot of my family are VERY upset we are doing the wedding in Disney. Because last time I checked it was about them?:confused3
Oh well, I say if they don't want to come, they dont have to!

[belle2211]

I am so sorry! And I would have freaked out too! This is you and your DF's day--try to remember that! We've had a bunch of family members back out and while on one hand its upsetting (my cousin's family is coming in on Tuesday, using the room block rates, and leaving Saturday morning...my wedding is Saturday NIGHT because the kids have baseball!! huh????) but I keep telling myself that for everyone who cancels, that just means more money for me to do get what I want for the wedding!

[irishwishes]

I was getting worked up just reading that! I can only imagine what you felt like. I don't blame you for putting it out there and saying if no one is coming, I'm getting married in November and no one is coming. I really do hope things get better and that you get the wedding you really want!

[LuvLuvLuv]

Oh girll.... I'm so sorry. I legit woulda done the SAME THING and reacted the SAME WAY.

I have minor freak outs from time to time and threaten to cancel and Dave and I go to Disney in October and get married and we'll be out of our parents houses in the matter of weeks. Ha. I get a lil dramatic at times too. All good! :thumbsup2

Good luck mama! Here's some hugs and pixie dust! :hug: pixiedust:

Awww thanks :) When I read your stuff I think the same about your Dave too. I'm like... I have a Dave, she has a Dave... it's all very confusing :cutie: I'm just going to keep planning away and the less that come, the cheaper. I'm clearly over the minimum... so I won't be hurting there. Thanks for all the Pixie Dust :) I needed that!! I'm glad you would have reacted the same way :rotfl: I hate being semi-disrespectful, but when it comes to decisions and deposits needing to be made it's sooooo aggrevating!! Thanks for being here :hug:

I'd be fuming too. Does she think you haven't sat down to discuss having the wedding there? You've been planning on it for awhile and you are giving everyone plenty of notice. Just let it roll off you..if people are complaining about travelling/costs, then oh well sorry you can't make it, you're going to miss out on a fabulous time and there is someone willing to take your spot on the guestlist. I've learned by now that you can't (for your own sanity) plan your wedding based on what other people want. Especially if your are paying for most of it yourself. You just have to stick to your guns and stay focused on your happiness, marrying the man you love, and having the wedding of your dreams. Don't let the naysayers get you down!

I know!! Does she think we don't talk about this stuff EVERY night?? We'll just keep planning away and whatever happens happens. Well I got my first extreme meltdown out of the way. I've had hiccups in the road before... but this turned me into something you would only see on TV :lmao:

Gahhh!!!! I would have done the SAME thing you did!!! Geez louise. And you're not MAKING anyone come!!!! If they don't want to come to Florida, then they don't have to.

:goodvibes:goodvibes:goodvibes You need some of those!

So glad you understand! I'm not forcing anyone to do anything. The only issue I'm forcing is that people stay on property if they do come. My family consists of 2 older women who won't be able to hang with the group and will want to go back and nap/hang out, a 16 & 21 year old that will want to swim and do their own thing, and 4 adults who will want to do their own thing. Getting a house off property is not smart when you have 3 groups of ages that want/need to do different things!! Plus, if I need them NOW... then they aren't just down the hall... that freaks me out. Psshhh this is just my family, we haven't even talked to his side yet :laughing: :goodvibes


I just read your entire PJ and I'm hooked!! We're not engaged yet, but I'm hoping for a Disney wedding. Can't wait to hear more of your plans!!

Thanks for reading... I'm screwed up, huh? :rotfl2: Hope you're engaged and planning soon! :cutie:

Ugh I know how that feels! Alot of my family are VERY upset we are doing the wedding in Disney. Because last time I checked it was about them?:confused3
Oh well, I say if they don't want to come, they dont have to!

Lol, they were super excited a few months ago, now they're like ???? I can't even keep myself straight let alone worry about 30 other people!! Thanks for understanding!! My Dis-People are the best :)

I am so sorry! And I would have freaked out too! This is you and your DF's day--try to remember that! We've had a bunch of family members back out and while on one hand its upsetting (my cousin's family is coming in on Tuesday, using the room block rates, and leaving Saturday morning...my wedding is Saturday NIGHT because the kids have baseball!! huh????) but I keep telling myself that for everyone who cancels, that just means more money for me to do get what I want for the wedding!

Now THAT is messed up!! It's true.. the less that's there... the more money you can spend on fun things!! How are you going to leave the morning of the wedding? I guess I'll never understand people. :sad2: It'll all work out for us and people will WISH they were there!!

I was getting worked up just reading that! I can only imagine what you felt like. I don't blame you for putting it out there and saying if no one is coming, I'm getting married in November and no one is coming. I really do hope things get better and that you get the wedding you really want!

Thanks very much!! Sometimes it takes a little threat to get your point across :cool2: I even carried my mood into work! I found out that the other girls at my counter got to choose one of our new lipsticks for being #1 in the country last month. I'm there at night so I miss out on a lot... and I have thousands of lipsticks at home but I was :headache: I told my boss that I heard they got a bag of gratis and a new lipstick and to remember that I work there too. She didn't like my attitude... but I got to pick a makeup bag full of tester gratis and I got a new lipstick!! I like this new aggressive Deena... she may be here to stay!! She gets things done!!

_______________

Well thanks again ladies for reading and understanding my frustrations!! I'm so mentally fried that it's insane. Everything is on as planned--sticking with Wishes. Pshhh if no one wants to come, I can spend $12000 easy on just the 2 of us :rotfl: We'll just add in Cindy's Carraige, the park photoshoots, bunches of characters.... don't threaten me with a good time! This girl knows how to spend some cash :lmao: :rotfl2: I'm focusing on our May trip which is only a few weeks away. I'm ready for a break. Alright... time for me to go make my rounds on the boards and give my 2 cents as needed :laughing: Have a great weekend everyone!!!

[elleinad16]

Are you talking to my mother again?! :lmao:
I just had the same experience as you a couple days ago with mine. :sad2: I called her, because I hadn't talked to her in like a week, and was catching her up to speed with our couples bridal showers. She didn't even let me finish, and she freaked out at me (while in the grocery store...grrr.), Saying how 'this will cost us MORE money' and 'you are wracking up the bill...who do you think you are, Princess Diana?'

:furious: Needless to say, I hung up on her and got in the shower to cool down.

I called her back when I was done, and she decided she would listen to me this time.

Anyways...
I hope you don't meltdown again--you don't deserve that crap. This is your time and you can have whoever and whatever you want! I also think it's a good idea you planned out a budget that exceeds what you will probably spend...no surprises that way! :rolleyes1