Our Disneymoon PTR + Wedding TR w/ pics - I'm back! (TR link and POP review 9/7)

[ronnmel]

Hi Mel! I'm joining in! It looks like I have a lot of catching up to do. I'm going back now to do that!

SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE! Let me know your comments on my PTR.

Are you not doing the DDP? Where are you planning on eating during your stay? I personally love the DDP, but I kind of eat like a pig . I also like sitting down to a table service a day (it is my break ). I think that Cape May always serves clams, but I have never been there.

I sooo need to get on the wedding planning, too! I haven't even started my wedding invites My officiant sent me a bunch of sample vows, and I still need to go over those. I have until like a week before the wedding, though (I should still get started). I know what you mean about the time just slipping away. I can hear that clock just ticking away...

We are not on any dining plan. We were hoping to get a free dining deal, but even then it would have been the Quick-service. Now that's out of the window though, since we need more flexibility in canceling due to my mom's health. We plan on eating at a lot of counter-service : POP Century food court, Pecos Bill, Cosmic Rays, Sunshine Season, Flame Tree BBQ, Wolgang Puck Express, to name a few. Last time we liked sitting down for a meal, but also didn't like having to eat at a specific time. I think we're going to enjoy the flexibility this time.

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

Hi Mel! I'm finally all caught up - sorry it took me so long! I absolutely love your wedding venue. It is breathtaking!

I am so sorry to hear about your mother. I think you have the right attitude, though - you have to go on living your life and try to enjoy each moment of this time in your life. I think your idea of doing a photo shoot with her before the wedding is such a sweet idea. I'm sure those will be cherished pictures and memories. Hang in there and try to keep your spirits up!

 

[ronnmel]

Sorry everyone for not having updated in a while. It was report card time at school so that was consuming all my time. I finally finished them all last night.

I will be putting a new wedding update soon about a ridiculous thing I found out about my resort , and some purchase I made.

Hi Mel! I'm finally all caught up - sorry it took me so long! I absolutely love your wedding venue. It is breathtaking!

I am so sorry to hear about your mother. I think you have the right attitude, though - you have to go on living your life and try to enjoy each moment of this time in your life. I think your idea of doing a photo shoot with her before the wedding is such a sweet idea. I'm sure those will be cherished pictures and memories. Hang in there and try to keep your spirits up!

Thank you! I can't wait to be in Cuba, the resort does look fabulous.

Speaking of my mom, here is a bit of news : She is starting the third week of her treatment and so far has NO side effects (other than the mobility issue on her right side, no change there). No headache, no nausea and no fatigue. Her diabetes has been harder to manage though. She had been eating less in order to keep her sugar level low, so she lost quite a bit of weight. The nurse changed the way for her to manage it, so hopefully she'll be able to start eating more again.

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

I'm so glad the treatment has not made your mom sick! Hopefully things will stay that way!

 

[mickeystoontown]

I was so happy to read that your mother is handling the treatments well. I'll pray that she continues to do so.

 

[QVCshopper]

Hi Mel! Just stopping by from the No-Buy thread. Anyway, great PTR! So sorry again about your mom, I will pray for her. My grandpa died from that before I was born, but medicine is SO much better now than 40+ years ago.

I also went to Disney for my honeymoon. It was 12+ years ago, but we stayed at the Beach Club and had a wonderful time. We've been back to WDW many times since. Wish they had that registering thing back then...

Good luck with the planning and I'll stop by again sometime soon.

 

[ronnmel]

I'm so glad the treatment has not made your mom sick! Hopefully things will stay that way!

I was so happy to read that your mother is handling the treatments well. I'll pray that she continues to do so.

So far so good. She's even walking and writing slightly better.

Hi Mel! Just stopping by from the No-Buy thread. Anyway, great PTR! So sorry again about your mom, I will pray for her. My grandpa died from that before I was born, but medicine is SO much better now than 40+ years ago.

I also went to Disney for my honeymoon. It was 12+ years ago, but we stayed at the Beach Club and had a wonderful time. We've been back to WDW many times since. Wish they had that registering thing back then...

Good luck with the planning and I'll stop by again sometime soon.

QVCshopper! Glad you stopped by.

I'm sorry you didn't even get to know your grandpa. My mom is determined to stay alive long enough for my brother and I to have kids, so hopefully medecine can help her achieve that.

How lucky you are, to have honeymooned at the Beach Club! I would love to try that resort one day. Unfortunately, it's way out of our budget...

 

[ronnmel]

I know I said I would post an update soon, so I'm sorry I didn't hold up to that promise. I really thought that the last week before March break, and March break itself, would be calm and relaxing. NOT! I've been so busy, mostly with my mom and wedding planning. So here's a wedding update.

First, the ridiculous news. Room occupancy for my resort is 3. Not 4, like the majority of resorts all around the world, but 3. It has two double beds, but you can't sleep 4. Not even 2 adults and 2 young children. The only way you can have 4 is if you have a baby under 2. You know what they told a family of 4 (kids are 2 and 3) that wants to come to my wedding? Get two rooms, one for mom and a kid, one for dad and the other kid. Or ask a family member to take the second child in their room for the week. Ridiculous!!! I never even would have thought of asking if you could sleep 4, to me it was obvious that you can. Ugh!

Now, on to better news. Wedding purchases.

This week I went to renew my passport, and buy sand and vases for our sand ceremony. The sand will be white (me), light beige (fiancé), and light blue (step-daughter). We want to do a trial run before we leave to figure out how much sand we need, and how to seal it to bring it back without destroying it. We are thinking of melting wax. Let's hope this works!

Instead of flowers (or maybe along with flowers, depending on what the resort offers me), the bridesmaid will have paper parasol. My maid of honor will have pink, Ron's groomswoman will have blue, and his daughter, our junior bridesmaid, will get one of the two depending on what color dress she ends up choosing.

We will be giving beach bags to our guests. We will also give them another gift, but it hasn't arrived yet so you can't see it.
Each family will have a choice of several colors and styles for their beach bags. They were all bought at the dollar store, so even if they never use it again it doesn't matter.

My favorites are these two, in our wedding colors:

Finally, here's the flower I will most probably have in my hair:

Another thing I did this week is go for my dress fitting. First, I'm happy to report that it fits perfectly! I was so worried that it would be too tight, as I gained 15 pounds since I bought it. On a petite frame like me, 15 pounds is a lot! It is slightly snug in the rib cage area, but I can still breathe so it's all good. They only have to shorten the straps and length. It should be ready in 3 weeks, just in time for my photoshoot with my mom.

However, seeing myself in my dress with longer hair has got me confused. At first I thought I would want my hair in a loose bun, but now I'm thinking I might want it just half up. One look is "cute", the other more "sophisticated". I'll see what my hair dresser has to say... Any opinion on this?

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

Yay! I was so happy to see an update! It looks like you've been busy! I love the look of parasols in weddings. And the beach bags look really cute! I'm sure your guests will love those! And it's something that they can use later which makes it even better.

 

[ronnmel]

Yay! I was so happy to see an update! It looks like you've been busy! I love the look of parasols in weddings. And the beach bags look really cute! I'm sure your guests will love those! And it's something that they can use later which makes it even better.

I have been quite busy. I did lots of wedding related things this week, which feels good, like things are moving forward.

Speaking of moving forward, my wedding ticker is so close now!!! I hadn't looked at it for a while, then they disappeared due to the website having problems. Now they are back and Stitch's ear is touching Mickey & Minnie! Can you believe that in 7 weeks from now I will be on the beach at this time? It's incredible!

Plus, to help make the time go faster, here is a list of all the things to look forward to until we leave for Cuba :
- 2 dinners with friends next weekend
- Step-daughter's birthday (she's turning 12)
- Photoshoot with my mom, which are also my hair and makeup trials.
- My bachelorette
- My friend's baby shower
- My birthday (I'm turning 30!) Though the dinner might be the week before, after the photoshoot.
- Our legal ceremony (being divorced it was too complicated and expensive to get legally married in Cuba)
- Easter (4 days weekend!)
And finally we leave!!!!!!

We made some more wedding purchases this weekend.

We found SDD's junior bridesmaid dress. We were very lucky because it appears our wedding colors are very much in style this season. We went to Sears and The Bay and found several dresses in both colors. She tried them all, and in the end she chose a pink dress, so she could stand on my side. Only 35$!!

We also found the shirts for the guys. Fiancé's friend gets the turquoise one, my brother gets the pink one since he'll be standing on my side. He's not too happy about that, but I don't care. Again, both shirts were on sale.

Last thing we bought was the cake topper. There was a bit of drama there. At first I didn't want a cake topper. One less expense to worry about. But then I started thinking about a Disney cake topper, and suddenly the idea was a lot more appealing. Plus, Ron too preferred Disney over regular cake toppers. To my surprise, he suggested Lilo & Stitch over Mickey & Minnie because Stitch is my favorite character and it relates more to us. I found this great looking one with Stitch and Angel (the pink one), but it was either too expensive shipping, or they didn't even ship to Canada. So I looked around the disney store website and found a Mickey & Minnie in bridal clothes for a very reasonnable price. I decided to wait to buy it, to see if we just couldn't find figurines in a store here.

Well, we didn't find anything. So I went back online to order it, and it's SOLD OUT!!! I found it on other website, but for 10-15$ more, plus shipping. Too much money for a simple cake topper. My friend suggested Ebay, so I looked there this morning. I found it, but again for too much. BUT, I found something else. That Stitch & Angel thing I wanted, for much the right price, with free shipping!!! So I bought it. It even has the same flower I'll have in my hair.

That's it for now. We still need to do a trial for our sand ceremony, write the text for it, and write our vows. But most of the big things are done.

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

I can't believe how close your wedding is! I know at almost 3 months for me the time is going by so fast so I'm sure it's flying for you!

I love the jr. bridesmaid dress! You are so lucky that your wedding colors are in right now!

 

[DisneyKira]

I know I said I would post an update soon, so I'm sorry I didn't hold up to that promise. I really thought that the last week before March break, and March break itself, would be calm and relaxing. NOT! I've been so busy, mostly with my mom and wedding planning. So here's a wedding update.

First, the ridiculous news. Room occupancy for my resort is 3. Not 4, like the majority of resorts all around the world, but 3. It has two double beds, but you can't sleep 4. Not even 2 adults and 2 young children. The only way you can have 4 is if you have a baby under 2. You know what they told a family of 4 (kids are 2 and 3) that wants to come to my wedding? Get two rooms, one for mom and a kid, one for dad and the other kid. Or ask a family member to take the second child in their room for the week. Ridiculous!!! I never even would have thought of asking if you could sleep 4, to me it was obvious that you can. Ugh!

Now, on to better news. Wedding purchases.

This week I went to renew my passport, and buy sand and vases for our sand ceremony. The sand will be white (me), light beige (fiancé), and light blue (step-daughter). We want to do a trial run before we leave to figure out how much sand we need, and how to seal it to bring it back without destroying it. We are thinking of melting wax. Let's hope this works!

Instead of flowers (or maybe along with flowers, depending on what the resort offers me), the bridesmaid will have paper parasol. My maid of honor will have pink, Ron's groomswoman will have blue, and his daughter, our junior bridesmaid, will get one of the two depending on what color dress she ends up choosing.

We will be giving beach bags to our guests. We will also give them another gift, but it hasn't arrived yet so you can't see it.
Each family will have a choice of several colors and styles for their beach bags. They were all bought at the dollar store, so even if they never use it again it doesn't matter.

My favorites are these two, in our wedding colors:

Finally, here's the flower I will most probably have in my hair:

Another thing I did this week is go for my dress fitting. First, I'm happy to report that it fits perfectly! I was so worried that it would be too tight, as I gained 15 pounds since I bought it. On a petite frame like me, 15 pounds is a lot! It is slightly snug in the rib cage area, but I can still breathe so it's all good. They only have to shorten the straps and length. It should be ready in 3 weeks, just in time for my photoshoot with my mom.

However, seeing myself in my dress with longer hair has got me confused. At first I thought I would want my hair in a loose bun, but now I'm thinking I might want it just half up. One look is "cute", the other more "sophisticated". I'll see what my hair dresser has to say... Any opinion on this?

I love those bags! As for your hair, I forget...are you wearing a veil? I am wearing a veil and a tiara, so I decided to have a bun lower on my head, where the veil will sit. If I had half of my hair down, I think it might look weird with my veil. If you aren't having your hair down, I vote for the half-up, half-down

 

[mickeystoontown]

I am soooo loving all of the wedding things you have bought. You've been one busy girl! I'd love to hear how the trial run goes with the sand. Lacey and Jesse are doing the sand too.

 

[ronnmel]

In 5 weeks I'll be boarding a plane to Cuba.

I have a feeling those weeks will fly by because I will be VERY busy : Step-daughter and BIL birthdays this weekend, picking up my dress, hair and makeup trial, followed by photoshoot with my mom, followed by my birthday dinner (a week early). DH's family will also join us for that dinner. Then student-led conference, my bachelorette, a friend's baby shower, my actual birthday, DH's cousin's baby shower, our legal wedding, and finally Easter dinner. Oh, and last weekend I had a bridal shower and bachelorette for DH's groomwoman. Phew!

The family of 4 that couldn't all room together in our hotel is in even more trouble. Our resort is now full, so their only option would be to book at a neighboring resort. Then we could all hang out together on the beach, but they would have to buy a day-pass for our wedding.

I received the flower for my hair and its... big. It's very pointy on one end, so I can't really lay it flat against my head. I'll see if my hairdresser is able to do something with it, otherwise I'll have to find a new one quick or go without. .

My maid of honor found her dress, for 30$ Sorry, don't have a picture.

My mom had a rough time last week. They even had to give her a blood transfusion as her plate count was too low. They also had to stop chemo because of it. She seems to be doing better this week at least. Her radiotherapy ends on Tuesday.

I can't believe how close your wedding is! I know at almost 3 months for me the time is going by so fast so I'm sure it's flying for you!

I love the jr. bridesmaid dress! You are so lucky that your wedding colors are in right now!

I know, I'm very lucky color wise. See above for time flying comment.

I love those bags! As for your hair, I forget...are you wearing a veil? I am wearing a veil and a tiara, so I decided to have a bun lower on my head, where the veil will sit. If I had half of my hair down, I think it might look weird with my veil. If you aren't having your hair down, I vote for the half-up, half-down

Thanks. I saw your thread, I love your bags too!
I won't have a veil, nor a tiara. Just the flower.
Part of me loves the beachy look of hair half-down, but I'm also worried about the wind pushing my hair all over my face.

I am soooo loving all of the wedding things you have bought. You've been one busy girl! I'd love to hear how the trial run goes with the sand. Lacey and Jesse are doing the sand too.

I'll be sure to let you know how the sand ceremony trial goes... as soon as DH and I stop procrastinating and actually do it.
What color sand are they thinking of doing?

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

Wow 5 weeks! And it sounds like a very, very busy 5 weeks!

I'm sorry to hear your mom went through a rough patch. I hope she continues to feel better!

 

[disneybarbie]

Hi!

I've only just found your TR/PTR and wedding planning.. really good read!

looking forward to hearing more



Emma x

 

[DisneyKira]

In 5 weeks I'll be boarding a plane to Cuba.

I have a feeling those weeks will fly by because I will be VERY busy : Step-daughter and BIL birthdays this weekend, picking up my dress, hair and makeup trial, followed by photoshoot with my mom, followed by my birthday dinner (a week early). DH's family will also join us for that dinner. Then student-led conference, my bachelorette, a friend's baby shower, my actual birthday, DH's cousin's baby shower, our legal wedding, and finally Easter dinner. Oh, and last weekend I had a bridal shower and bachelorette for DH's groomwoman. Phew!

The family of 4 that couldn't all room together in our hotel is in even more trouble. Our resort is now full, so their only option would be to book at a neighboring resort. Then we could all hang out together on the beach, but they would have to buy a day-pass for our wedding.

I received the flower for my hair and its... big. It's very pointy on one end, so I can't really lay it flat against my head. I'll see if my hairdresser is able to do something with it, otherwise I'll have to find a new one quick or go without. .

My maid of honor found her dress, for 30$ Sorry, don't have a picture.

My mom had a rough time last week. They even had to give her a blood transfusion as her plate count was too low. They also had to stop chemo because of it. She seems to be doing better this week at least. Her radiotherapy ends on Tuesday.

Oh wow! Only 5 weeks? You must be so excited! How was your shower? Mine is in a few weeks...I can't wait! I am so sorry your mom isn't feeling well. I wish you both luck

 

[ronnmel]

We tried the sand for the sand ceremony and were not satisfied with the vases we had bought so far. Yesterday we found 3 small ones to hold each separate color of sand, and today we found a bigger one to pour into at the ceremony. We tried melting some wax (that we bought at a crafts store and is used to mold candles). At first we were very disappointed because the wax was turning black, but when we came back the next day we were able to lift the entire piece of wax without taking much sand with it, so it was ok. We had put a little rope in the hot wax to help with the removal once it hardened, and it worked great. However, Ron wants to try buying styrofoam and using this as well as a saran wrap. He thinks melting the wax is too time consuming, and leaves tiny marks on the glass.
I'll try to take pictures of all of this later.

We have been taking salsa lessons for several months now and are getting quite good. I finally decided to invest in a good pair of dancing shoes. I was hoping to get turquoise to go with my wedding dress (I plan on wearing them for the reception at the disco that night), but they didn't have any. I ended up with black shoes. yes it's not the best for a wedding, but it will be dark inside the disco. Plus, at least they'll be good for any other occasion I want to wear them.

Today we also bought linen pants for Ron to wear at the wedding. They look great! Not only that, but they'll be perfect for Disney, especially our Hollywood studio day since we need to be dressed up for our dinner. Which reminds me, I forgot to tell you all that we changed one ADR. We took away Cape May Cafe Dinner as we bought don't eat much at buffets. Plus, Ron has been in a steak mood lately, so instead we booked Yachtman's Steakhouse for the same time, same evening. It's going to be more expensive, but at least we'll both enjoy the food. Plus, we figured we deserved one nice sit-down meal on our honeymoon.
Although, knowing Ron, this ADR could change again as his food mood is very variable.

Wow 5 weeks! And it sounds like a very, very busy 5 weeks!

I'm sorry to hear your mom went through a rough patch. I hope she continues to feel better!

Thank you, and yes it is!!

Hi!

I've only just found your TR/PTR and wedding planning.. really good read!

looking forward to hearing more



Emma x

I'm glad you have joined my PTR. I hope to hear more comments from you.

Oh wow! Only 5 weeks? You must be so excited! How was your shower? Mine is in a few weeks...I can't wait! I am so sorry your mom isn't feeling well. I wish you both luck

Thanks.
I am getting very excited!

The shower wasn't mine, it's for a best friend of Ron who is getting married two weeks before us. She will be Ron's "groomswoman". I am not having a shower as 1. I feel people are already spending a lot of money to come to Cuba, and 2. There really isn't anything housewise that we need. I am having a bachelorette though, as for me it's an opportunity to party with all of my friends who can't make it to Cuba. Hope you have a nice shower!

 

[DisneyKira]

Thanks.
I am getting very excited!

The shower wasn't mine, it's for a best friend of Ron who is getting married two weeks before us. She will be Ron's "groomswoman". I am not having a shower as 1. I feel people are already spending a lot of money to come to Cuba, and 2. There really isn't anything housewise that we need. I am having a bachelorette though, as for me it's an opportunity to party with all of my friends who can't make it to Cuba. Hope you have a nice shower!

Oops. Sorry I misunderstood. It sounds like your bachelorette party will be lots of fun, though

 

[inkedupmomma]

wow, only 5 weeks away! everything looks so great! I'm super excited for you! good call on changing ADR. even if it changes again, I agree that you deserve one nice sit down meal!

So exciting, and yay about salsa lessons! such fun dancing!