Avery and Andy's Crazy Adventure--3/27/2011 ***SNEEK PEEKS***

[Princess85]

Hello All!

I've been reading these since we decided to have a wedding at Disney in January! But now that I have been switching pretty much everything, I thought I could make a planning journal to not only watch the progress for myself, but get suggestions from you guys!

A little about us-- My name is Avery, I'm 25 and live in Winnipeg, MB. My DF's name is Andy (obviously by the title of the thread ha-ha), he's 25 and lives in Grand Forks, ND. So not only are we planning a big dream wedding, we are also dealing with immigration which is more stressful than the wedding!! My dad married a woman who is American and Andy is my stepbrother's best friend! He introduced us about 3 years ago and we started dating about 2 years ago.

Here we are at a jazz festival!

Me, Andy and my brother...very serious, as you can tell

There was no real big proposal. I knew I wanted to marry him very shortly after we started dating and I would always joke around saying "Baby, let's get married" and he would make some silly joke. Well one night, his answer was "yes, yes we should" and it proceeded from there. It was just perfect, on the couch at his place, very low key and beautiful. And the best Sunday night ever! With the best rock ever...can't quite find a picture that does it justice so here's the picture from the Kay website...

So with the fiancée visa that I am coming down to the states with, we were required to have our wedding there. So we started looking at different places we could do it, never ever imagining that Disney would be an option! But once we started really pricing things out, it made sense to spend the extra money and have our dream wedding! The cutest thing about Andy is he's this big scruffy man and yet you go to his house and he has every Disney movie ever made. So it wasn't too hard to come to the decision!

We originally booked the wedding for January 29th, 2011. We had a planner, locations, custom menu, everything. And then, we scrapped it all! We decided for financial reasons to push the wedding back a bit to March 26, 2011. Thankfully, we had one shot to postpone the wedding and Disney has been so good about it! Kristi, my coordinator, laughed at me that I had such a good time planning the first one, I had to do it a second time. It's kinda true though. I had booked everything and then found this site and the passporter's book and was extremely frustrated because I felt that my money could be maximized so much more and so here we go again........

 

[Princess85]

Before I start I have to say I love that woman. I wish she was my planner! She has been so incredible this entire time I have been working with her! I have sent pages of questions multiple occasions and shes always so quick to get back to me and never makes me feel like I am getting to obsessive!

So she just notified me that our locations have been secured and we don't have to do a new contract just an ammendment! So we are booked for a 12pm ceremony at Sea Breeze Point and the cocktail hour and reception at St. James and Marvin Gardens!!

 

[neener3]

Good luck!

That's the thing about doing research - I'm finding more things that I want and finding ways to get it!

Can't wait to read along - you're getting married a little over a month after us

 

[Princess85]

So here's what I do know about the wedding...

-I must have the carriage. There was no fight on that one, if I was doing Disney I was going to be Cinderella. Yes it is insanely overpriced but it will be the ultimate defining moment that I will remember forever. I know theres alot of things I want but am willing to cut but this was one of those things I knew I would regret not having. So ponies it is.

-We are doing a Mad Hatter theme. My bridemaid's dresses are blue, hot pink and tangerine. So pretty sure that will continue throughout. My invites are pink water bottles with a custom label which is the cutest thing ever!!

Obviously not my girls but here's the dresses from the website!

-I have my dress!

Other than that, I am pretty much up in the air right now. I had a custom menu designed but it was $86/pp and for lunch I think its pretty extreme (no i am not naive enough to think everything won't be extreme through Disney). So I as I said starting from scratch. Andy wasn't very involved the first time around but he's getting there now and now won't seem to budge from the DP. Being from Canada we thought it would be fun to do it in the Canada pavillion but that doesn't seem to be an option which is kinda disappointing!

 

[Princess85]

Is it wrong that I would take a MK photo session over a fancy lunch reception?? I was running the idea by Andy last night that maybe we could do the Chip and Dale rehearsal dinner menu and the photo shoot instead of a nice meal. He looked at me like I was crazy and then told me didn't think that was such a great idea....and called me Princess-zilla. Food is food, MK photo shoot is FOREVER! I have to see if we can fit it in there somewhere!

On a side note I have confirmed Oscar Chavez as my photographer. I had booked him back when the wedding was in January and just found out that he's available on our new date! I know that I could have chosen a photographer who's done Disney a million times or gone right through Disney. But Oscar has never done a wedding there, and was SO excited that I was even giving him the opportunity. So he made me a custom package I couldn't refuse! I am pumped that I get to keep him!! Plus its a husband wife team and she is so sweet as well and from what I have seen of his portfolio, he's going to do a great job!

We originally had Alice and the Mad Hatter characters booked for the reception but at $1350 for 30 minutes, I think we might skip it. I came across a great idea in the passporter book of having a caricaturist. DF LOVES that idea and I think it would make a great favor for our guests but I haven't really seen many reviews about that on here. Any advice?!?

And I've rambled again.

 

[KitKat5]

Hiya!! Just thought Id pop in and say hi and congratulations! I cant believe you're planning it all again!! Ive enjoyed the planning but I wouldnt want to do it twice!! I love the sound of your colour scheme...I cant wait to see pictures of everything! Im really looking forward to reading more!

 

[Princess85]

Thanks!! Doing it all over is pretty stressful but to me, because of us living in different countries, the wedding planning is so much fun because it means the long distance thing is almost over!! And I get to take everything I liked, build again and make it even better!

 

[neener3]

I don't think it's crazy at all. To be honest, I've never had great wedding food anyway, no matter the price paid!

 

[Princess85]

This is all happening so quickly now! Just heard back from Darcy at Pearl Beach Paperies. She had done my original invite and thankfully we didn't order them the first go round but she is now working on changing the date and locations and I should have my proof really soon! The first one was so amazing so I can't wait to finally get it in my hands!! She's also going to be doing all our table names and place cards as well as menus...and maybe programs but we'll see about that. Can't decide if it's necessary or not!

I'm also looking at videography for the ceremony. But $450 seems really steep and not really fitting into my budget anywhere. Andy thinks it would be completely appropriate to skip it, it's not something we are going to be watching all the time anyway and the guy I was talking to wasn't even sure he would be there to get the ponies as he was "extremely booked" that day. Blah. Maybe if I can find a better price.

 

[Princess85]

SO I turned 25 yesterday!!!! Oh my goodness did I get spoiled! We are paying for the wedding ourselves but I managed for make almost a grand in birthday present money yesterday! My family is MUCH more generous this year but I'm not complaining!! We just moved into a new apartment, well actually DF moved in and I don't get to go down permanently until December. But his dad sent me a gift card so I can go buy yet more stuff for the new place. DF used to live in what can only be described as a bachelor pad. A small, white walled, no food but lots of beer kind of place. So I have taken over the decoration on the new one. Its 3 times the size of the old one and I have already painted every single room. It looks like a home and I cannot wait until December, 85 more days until the driving is done!!

So DF and I figured out our room block last night. We are going to have POP, All-Star Movies and Port Orleans! When it came down to it we realized even if anyone can afford to stay at any of the deluxe resorts, and trust me its high season rates are insane anyways, that they would rather be closer to all the family and so we are really happy with our choices. We have decided to use our comp night at AK but we are going to use it the last day of our trip. I read that on someone's PJ I just thought that was so smart. So we will probably spend a week at POP and a week at Port Orleans and then leave in style at the AK.

I've been bombarded with details in my head the last couple days. So originally I had the little teapots with Gerber daisies as my centerpieces. The really nice thing about those is that you get to take all the tea pots home so we were thinking that they could be our thank you gifts to our parents. HOWEVER, I've decided they aren't quite what I think I want. I think I want either spyder mums, which I have pretty much fallen in love with or do something really off the wall like a silver platter with different sized vases filled with color water with "Drink Me" tags on them. Once I get assigned a florist we'll have to see how big the difference is in price and what they would look like. I told Kristi yesterday I want to do whatever is going to be most obvious and memorable for our guests and cut anywhere they aren't going to notice to maximize our budget. Pretty sure most other brides work that way on a budget too but sometimes I think they forget I'm on one! Anyway there isn't much I can do now! I have to wait for the amendment for the contract and Kristi is gone until next Wednesday so my poor mind gets to just wander away from me for a couple days! Poor man that has to deal with the details queen!

 

[Princess85]

My mom's friend has the greatest basement in the world! It is completely themed as though you are in Vegas and he graciously allowed us to have our engagement party there!!

And who doesn't need cowboy bartenders turned karaokee stars...

And me and my dad having our first dance at the party...such a suck that daddy of mine

And we've also had our social. Anyone not from Manitoba has no idea what a social is so I'll explain alittle. Its basically a fundraiser for your wedding. Its held a community center and you collect silent auction prizes. Its $10 a door and drinks are $2.75. Everything you make, you keep. We made about $5000 for the wedding. Everyone goes to everyone else's and sometimes you go to random ones just because drinks are so cheap! Its the absolute greatest idea ever! Here are some of my favorite shots of the night....

I'm trying to figure out what I am gonna do when they are no more parties in my honor to be had!!

 

[FutureMrs.B]

Hi just joining your PJ. I can imagine it's stressful planning it all again but at least you'll get to choose and do what you want and have no regrets because you didn't know about something. Gotta love the passporters book and these boards. I love your colors and your wedding dress as well. It looks great on you! As for the MK photo shoot I say go ahead. Years from now people won't remember what they ate or how it tasted but you'll have that once in a lifetime experience captured on film. How many brides out there..other than us Disney brides...really have the opportunity to take pics in the Happiest Place on Earth on our Happiest Day. For me that is definitely a must..regardless if I have to cut corners on something else.

 

[Princess85]

Thank you! I love my dress! I figured doing a Mad Hatter reception required a dress a little out of the ordinary. I love Davids Bridal. I had such a great experience there! I tried on so many dresses, and Gina my associate just kept getting more. She was actually the one who found this dress, I didn't even know it existed!

I agree with the MK photo shoot. Right now we are going between a DP and that so we'll see. Andy being the wonderful man he is wants to make sure our guests are happy and taken care of but me....its my wedding day, its about making me happy!!

 

[Princess85]

So the file would only open in adobe so I had to scan it which is why the color kinda sucks but...HERE'S OUR INVITE!!!

It's a label that we will be wrapping around hot pink vitamin water bottles! And we have a sticker for the lid that says "Drink Me".

I could not be happier with them!

 

[FutureMrs.B]

OMG how cute!! I love it.

 

[redlight]

Congratulations! Happy birthday too!

I love your dress and the pictures from your party. I'll be following along.

 

[Princess85]

Thank you guys! So the only problem before I can tell Darcy to print is Andy thinks it says Mad natter's. It's just the way the font is, the h is actually capitalized. Now its all I can see. So I need to see if there is another font we can use or if anyone will actually notice. Maybe its just us because we want everything to be perfect?!?!

 

[elleinad16]

Thank you guys! So the only problem before I can tell Darcy to print is Andy thinks it says Mad natter's. It's just the way the font is, the h is actually capitalized. Now its all I can see. So I need to see if there is another font we can use or if anyone will actually notice. Maybe its just us because we want everything to be perfect?!?!

I love the water bottle invites!
But I do see what you mean by, "natter". Could you try just making a different H instead of changing the whole font?

Love the planning (again) journal!

 

[Princess85]

I am feeling a touch frustrated today. 2 Fridays ago I sent my "Final request for information" and room block to Kristi. I've been waiting and waiting, which is not something I normally have to do with Kristi. So then today I sent a quick "what the hell email" (LOVE those) and she got back to me within 20 minutes saying she didn't think I had sent one of the forms to her!! I'VE BEEN WAITING 2 WEEKS TO HEAR FROM HER, WHY DIDN'T SHE ASK ME!!!! See this is why I believe that sometimes you have to stay on top of people to make sure stuff gets done. I may be a touch of a control freak . So anyways I forwarded her the email from September 30 and she responded super quick saying she will request the agreement tomorrow and I should have it next week. Thank goodness for what the hell emails I guess!!

So I looked at our budget from the first go-round and managed to take about $4000 off it. I was so impressed with myself, we actually have to spend more money to hit the minimum. But I did strip it down to the bare bones so there certainly things I want to add. I was telling Andy he's lucky we have the carriage or we would have to spend SO much more just to get it to the minimum and so that is now my new reason to justify my ponies

I've decided I do not want to focus on anything a normal wedding focuses on( And by normal I mean a at home wedding, not a DFTW, because honestly none of them can do wrong) So I want to look into non-floral centerpieces that aren't so pricey, looking at different menu options (we are having a custom $86/pp menu, is anyone really going to remember the food 20 years from now?), doing a BOC bar and focus on things like a desert party, characturist, possibly characters and maybe a MK portrait shoot and really make this wedding hit the senses without worrying too much about the things that most people won't remember. So now realizing I won't have a planner until about 5 months out, I'm going to throw myself into research so I can pretty much nail down what I want before I even have my meeting.

Oh and a very fun quick story. I mentioned before that the first time around Andy was very anti-planning when it came to the wedding. He now has tons of opinions. SO theres a Grand Wedding Showcase going on here the last 4 days of the month. He said "great babe so you go and then show me what you find and I'll let you know what I think" and I said "Oh no baby, you want to be Mr. Opinionated, you will be joining me at the shows and doing your own research". His face dropped at the idea of spending 10 hours of his weekend wedding planning and then realized..."Sure thing babe, I'd love to do that with you" Should be quite the weekend!!

 

[*Pixiedust1438*]

Just found you PJ so far and I am loving your plans! I love Alice in Wonderland so I'm very excited to see how everything turns out. Your invitations are awesome!!! I can't wait to hear more about you plans. P.S. The social idea sounds brilliant... why don't they do that around here!