Ginger & Tim 10-30-12 CC/SCP; Update--1/2:TR Day 1: Checking into the CS

[Freckledginger]

Your engagement pictures were amazing. Jess did such a good job!

What a cute Kitty! Have fun unpacking. I moved 3 years ago and still have boxes in the basement. LOL

Thanks so much Lisa!! Jess is an amazing photographer. I cannot say enough wonderful things about her work. She truly just has a gift. Really looking forward to working with her again on the DP and wedding.

Haha, Penny is a cutie. Unfortunately, she's going through a bit of an evil stage right now. Attacking our feet all the time, and being difficult about getting weaned from the bottle. Luckily, she's adorable, so I can't stay mad at her for long

Yeah, moving is not so much fun... I'm having a hard time dividing my time between unpacking, looking for a job, and all the wedding planning. It'll all get done eventually I suppose, but how long it'll take who knows... haha

How are things going up North?? Been busy?

Ok first off, cutest kitten ever!! I would become a crazy cat lady and adopt every cat I met if my DF would let me!

Darling shoes! They are just fantastic and so so fitting!! Anddd I adore your engagement shots!! The photographer did an amazing job and you both are adorable!

Can't wait to keep reading!! Loving all your updates!

Hey Jessica! Good to hear from you again!
Thanks so much for the compliments about Miss Moneypenny! I also think she's as cute as a button, but I'm a bit biast I know what you mean about the inclination to become a crazy cat lady! It's hard to say no to those cute little faces. Our pets truly rule our household

I appreciate your kind words about our engagement photos! We had a lot of fun taking them--it was nice to just run around the farm posing for photos Jess is a fantastic photographer! I'm very lucky to have her!

Should have some more updates soon! My planning got a bit stifled with the move, but with only 7 weeks to go, I'm back on it My dress has arrived into the Bridal Salon in Atlanta, so I have my first fitting scheduled there on Sept 21. I also have a few welcome bag goodies ordered that should arrive soon. The next big task is the ceremony.... Since we're bringing our own officiant, I've got to organize all that. I'm a bit intimidated by it, but I know I've got to just do it. Maybe next week... haha.

Hope your plans are going well!

 

[Evi]

Hi Ginger,

I love that they sent you the ring designs how cool is that. Good to hear that the move went smoothly and very cute kitten.

 

[LittleKittyMarie]

Hi Nicole!
Thanks for posting! Good to hear from you!

Really appreciate the kind comments about our engagement photos! We were pleasantly surprised about how the preview photos turned out, and cannot wait to see the rest! It's so hard to be patient for these things... I cannot imagine what it's like to wait for wedding photos.

I am so happy with the wedding dress hangers! I had never seen the additional charm before either--besides wedding dates, she does hearts and other short phases (e.g. "I Do"). Pretty cute. Additional bonus is that the vendor is super nice. If you're in the market for a dress hanger, definitely check out her etsy page (EricaMayMade).

Thanks also for the compliments about my shoes! I like them I know they're pretty simple, but I think they'll do the job well.

The move went well! Happy to finally be settling into the new apartment. Now I've got the monumental task of unpacking all my stuff (ugh) from Australia. We just adopted a new kitten though, so she's keeping things interesting during the day. Her favorite thing is to find obscure hiding spots... yesterday's was Timmy's leather carry-on suitcase

Your kitten is so adorable! I think I may have squealed a little when I saw the photo. So cuuute!

Also, I am in the market for a dress hanger and have been looking at all the many sellers on etsy, not sure who I should go for. Thank you for sharing your seller, I think I'll definitely check them out, seeing how nicely yours turned out that that you had a good experience!

 

[ccbride412]

-Cake: Touch of Romance Design with a custom cake topper (will be designed this month, so stay tuned for more on this). Top tier will be vanilla with white chocolate mousse and bottom tier will be marble with raspberry butter cream

Ooh! Customer cake topper! Can't wait to see it! We had a Disney Lenox topper which was a *tiny* bit over the weight limit, but we got it anyway since Shanda approved and it *is* a Disney topper after all! The Touch of Romance is really pretty, you'll love it!

I did Touch of Character cake with white cake both layers, the top filled with milk chocolate caramel and the bottom with raspberry butter cream! I'm sure all I'll get of that teeny cake is the one bite that Michael feeds me- that's usually what happens from what I hear!

I only got a teeny bit of our cake I was really disappointed! I was given a full piece later on for myself, but I wasn't as impressed with that flavor as I was with our top tier, so I gave it to someone else. Ugh! Our top was marble with the milk chocolate caramel=AMAZING!!!!

Can't wait to hear all about both of your weddings ladies!

 

[Freckledginger]

Hi Ginger,

I love that they sent you the ring designs how cool is that. Good to hear that the move went smoothly and very cute kitten.

Thanks Evi! I appreciate you following along!

Yeah, technology is amazing nowadays. Brilliant Earth uses CAD to render computer drawings of the rings. Guess it's more efficient than drawing it by hand. I got an email from the company the other day letting me know they had received my final payment, and that my ring would be shipped next week most likely! So that's exciting

How are your plans going?

Your kitten is so adorable! I think I may have squealed a little when I saw the photo. So cuuute!

Also, I am in the market for a dress hanger and have been looking at all the many sellers on etsy, not sure who I should go for. Thank you for sharing your seller, I think I'll definitely check them out, seeing how nicely yours turned out that that you had a good experience!

Thanks Nicole I thought you would get a kick out of seeing her. She's very adorable and super mischievous--deadly combination. Her new favorite thing is attacking my fingers while I'm typing on the computer

There is such choice on esty for dress hangers! I found it quite overwhelming. Everyone on there seems to do brilliant work though, so I don't think you'll go wrong with whoever you choose

Ooh! Customer cake topper! Can't wait to see it! We had a Disney Lenox topper which was a *tiny* bit over the weight limit, but we got it anyway since Shanda approved and it *is* a Disney topper after all! The Touch of Romance is really pretty, you'll love it!

I only got a teeny bit of our cake I was really disappointed! I was given a full piece later on for myself, but I wasn't as impressed with that flavor as I was with our top tier, so I gave it to someone else. Ugh! Our top was marble with the milk chocolate caramel=AMAZING!!!!

Can't wait to hear all about both of your weddings ladies!

I loved your cake topper Meaghan! It was so gorgeous! Do you have it displayed somewhere in your home now? I'm glad to hear that Disney isn't overly anal about the weight as long as the cake topper is approved. Our cake topper hasn't been completed yet, so I was only able to send in a photo of one that is similar to what ours will be. Hopefully it won't be too heavy though!

I'm sorry you didn't get to enjoy much of your cake! I have a huge sweet tooth, so I'm determined to get to eat at least a small piece of each tier What was your flavor for your bottom tier again? Marble with milk chocolate caramel sounds amazing! It's a pitty that we can't elect to do little cakes/petit-fours, so we could have a bit of each flavor combination

 

[Freckledginger]

I haven't had an update lately, so I thought I'd post a photo of our Thank You cards.

Vendor: Two Pooch Paperie (http://www.etsy.com/shop/twopoochpaperie)

Early on in my wedding planning process, I came across this vendor and fell in love with her cute little crab invitation suite. Later, when I decided I wasn't really feeling the beach theme for the wedding and changed to the travel/international theme, the crab invites were left to gather dust in my Etsy favorites box. A couple weeks ago, I started looking for Thank You cards, and came across the crab design in a thank you card! It doesn't match my invitation suite or anything, but it just makes me happy.

The vendor, Kellie, was excellent. She set up a custom listing for me (for the number of invitations I wanted, colors, etc.), send me a proof right away, and had them printed/mailed relatively quickly.

I'm headed back to Alabama next week, where where the other components of the welcome bags shipped to. So hopefully, I should have some more updates in the next week or two! Hope everyone is having a good week!

 

[GrimGrinningVal]

Adorable cat names :} So you have a cat, kitten and bunny? All getting along nicely? Your thank you note design is really cute; I think it's fine that it doesn't match the design of your invitations. It all blends well

 

[Freckledginger]

Adorable cat names :} So you have a cat, kitten and bunny? All getting along nicely? Your thank you note design is really cute; I think it's fine that it doesn't match the design of your invitations. It all blends well

Aww, thanks! I agonize over pet names, so I appreciate the compliments!

I actually have two bunnies (Archie and Dolly), a cat (Bond), and the kitten (Miss Moneypenny). My dogs, two Australian Shepherds, were living with my parents while I was in vet school, and passed away last year sadly I didn't want to put them through the stress of Australian quarantine at their old ages, but I'm sorry I missed out on their last few years

As for my current menagerie, vets have a bit of a reputation for accumulating pets, and I'm definitely no exception to the rule. The group gets along as well as you could really want for predators and prey. They have separate areas of the house, and are only allowed together under supervision. The bunnies mostly ignore the cats, while the cats are very intrigued by the bunnies, but understand that they are not allowed to eat them. The kitten just follows them around, while Bond will go out and actually try to eat hay with them. It's quite humorous to watch as cats are not particularly adept at eating forage. I'm not quite sure of his reasoning behind this... Maybe he thinks we'll forget he's a cat, and leave him alone with them

Regarding the thank you cards, Thanks! I'm happy with them also. They're simple and cute, so they're working out well!

 

[JessieGlitter]

I haven't had an update lately, so I thought I'd post a photo of our Thank You cards.

Early on in my wedding planning process, I came across this vendor and fell in love with her cute little crab invitation suite. Later, when I decided I wasn't really feeling the beach theme for the wedding and changed to the travel/international theme, the crab invites were left to gather dust in my Etsy favorites box. A couple weeks ago, I started looking for Thank You cards, and came across the crab design in a thank you card! It doesn't match my invitation suite or anything, but it just makes me happy.

The vendor, Kellie, was excellent. She set up a custom listing for me (for the number of invitations I wanted, colors, etc.), send me a proof right away, and had them printed/mailed relatively quickly.

I'm headed back to Alabama next week, where where the other components of the welcome bags shipped to. So hopefully, I should have some more updates in the next week or two! Hope everyone is having a good week!

I LOVE THEM!!!!!! They are the cutest cards!!!

 

[GrimGrinningVal]

Sorry to here about your two Shepherds... I know how important our pets are to us. I'm sure your parents took good care of them and that they had a happy life. Pets current and past will always have a special place in our hearts. Your current menagerie sounds fun I can just picture the cats stalking the bunnies in curious pursuit! While I've never seen a cat eating hay, I do believe that some felines are just plain unique! lol...I think my cat was a dog in a past life!

 

[Goldeelox9]

I Love those Thank you Cards! They are so cute. I really do not think it matters at all that they do not match the invites!

 

[LittleKittyMarie]

Your thank you cards are truly adorable! I agree that it doesn't matter if they match the invites, they're just too cute to pass up!

 

[JBeanBunny]

Those thank you cards are darling! I might have eaten some crab legs from Cabanas... BOY do I miss Cabanas already!

I just wanted to pop in and tell you that the raspberry buttercream was VERY tasty! I had it with white cake. We had our "cake cutting" bite, then they sent a piece of each layer to our room and served more at dinner that night. There was still SO much more cake that we didn't touch! I hope the servers got to eat it! I was bad, though and never tried the white cake with chocolate caramel filling, so not much to report on that end I'm not much of a "cake" person, otherwise I would've been in heaven! On a cruise there's just SO much good food to eat, cake kind of took a back seat to my Escargot, French Onion Soup, Steak and Lobster at Royal Palace that night!

Wah! I wanna go back! I guess I'll have to live in the excitement for you and Timmy and your upcoming wedding! I'm always SO thrilled to read your updates!

 

[Evi]

Hi Ginger,

I think those thank you cards are adorable.

Sorry to hear about your pups. Many years and many pups I can relate. We always had a dog in the house since I was a baby. Its good that they were able to stay with your parents and not be uprooted I'm sure they were very happy.

 

[JBeanBunny]

Hi Ginger!

I just wanted to pop in and say "Hi!" I hope you're settling in well after the move and that all of your wedding plans are going well, too! I'm getting so excited for you- it'll be here before you know it!

 

[miste2blue]

Hey Ginger,
I have very recently decided on a DCL wedding too! I'd love to hear how everything goes since you are so close to your date now..., as it looks like I will be on the Disney Dream for an onboard wedding in October of 2013! (yeah me!) My fiance is also not a huge lover of Disney, so I'm trying to incorporate a little bit of Disney where I can (and where he'll let me). I've really enjoyed your PJ....I'm not sure that I am committed enough to the blogs to do my own PJ, but I have found yours VERY helpful! I hope your wedding day is as magical as it sounds!

Thanks for posting your info....

Misty

 

[JBeanBunny]

Hey Ginger,
I have very recently decided on a DCL wedding too! I'd love to hear how everything goes since you are so close to your date now..., as it looks like I will be on the Disney Dream for an onboard wedding in October of 2013! (yeah me!) My fiance is also not a huge lover of Disney, so I'm trying to incorporate a little bit of Disney where I can (and where he'll let me). I've really enjoyed your PJ....I'm not sure that I am committed enough to the blogs to do my own PJ, but I have found yours VERY helpful! I hope your wedding day is as magical as it sounds!

Thanks for posting your info....

Misty

Hi Misty! I <3 Ginger's PJ and I'm dying to see how everything turns out!! If you're impatient like I am, Check out my PJ/TR because I just got married aboard the Dream about 2.5 weeks ago in the D Lounge. If you flip towards the end, I've got some wedding pictures (Still waiting on the professional ones from our photographers!) and I've started my Trip report- I should have the last 2/3 done within a few days. That way you can get a good idea of how an onboard wedding will go since Ginger's getting hitched on Castaway Cay (SO SOON! )!

 

[Freckledginger]

Hi Ladies!!! I'm back!! Many apologies for the absence. I've been back home in Alabama this past week, and have also been preoccupied with job interviews in Texas. I know... 3.5 weeks away from my wedding and I'm interviewing for jobs... I'm crazy! Hopefully, the job stuff will wind down in the next couple of days, and I'll be able to immerse myself into the wedding. I have a ton of updates for the PJ! I'm going to respond to your posts now (thanks so much for continuing to post! It makes my day!), and will post a mammoth update later this evening.

Hope everyone is doing well!!

I LOVE THEM!!!!!! They are the cutest cards!!!

Jessica! It's amazing all the darling stuff floating around on Etsy!

Sorry to here about your two Shepherds... I know how important our pets are to us. I'm sure your parents took good care of them and that they had a happy life. Pets current and past will always have a special place in our hearts. Your current menagerie sounds fun I can just picture the cats stalking the bunnies in curious pursuit! While I've never seen a cat eating hay, I do believe that some felines are just plain unique! lol...I think my cat was a dog in a past life!

Thank you for your kind words, Valerie. I miss my dogs too, but I know they had a wonderful life at the farm. They were able to herd cattle, run down to the pond for a swim, sun themselves on our front porch, go freely exploring on the ranch, and got way too many treats from my mom. What more really could an Australian Shepherd ask for? I take comfort in that, but it's still hard to lose them--especially when they had been in my life so long.

I'm having a lot of fun with the cats and bunnies though! Penny, the kitten, has grown so much since I've been away from Alabama! Unfortunately, she's moved on from her cute baby/cuddling phase and has now reached the toddler/attack any of your exposed body parts phase. Sigh...

I Love those Thank you Cards! They are so cute. I really do not think it matters at all that they do not match the invites!

Thank you, Lisa!! After reflecting on it further, I'm kinda happy they don't match the invitation suite. It'll be something new and different for people to receive

Your thank you cards are truly adorable! I agree that it doesn't matter if they match the invites, they're just too cute to pass up!

Thanks Nicole!! I need to catch up on everyone's PJs, including yours! I'm excited to see how your plans are going!

Those thank you cards are darling! I might have eaten some crab legs from Cabanas... BOY do I miss Cabanas already!

I just wanted to pop in and tell you that the raspberry buttercream was VERY tasty! I had it with white cake. We had our "cake cutting" bite, then they sent a piece of each layer to our room and served more at dinner that night. There was still SO much more cake that we didn't touch! I hope the servers got to eat it! I was bad, though and never tried the white cake with chocolate caramel filling, so not much to report on that end I'm not much of a "cake" person, otherwise I would've been in heaven! On a cruise there's just SO much good food to eat, cake kind of took a back seat to my Escargot, French Onion Soup, Steak and Lobster at Royal Palace that night!

Wah! I wanna go back! I guess I'll have to live in the excitement for you and Timmy and your upcoming wedding! I'm always SO thrilled to read your updates!

Hi Jillian! Can't remember if I've said it already, but welcome home!! You're married!!! Yay!

Thanks for the compliments about the thank you cards! I've only sent two out, so I haven't had much of a response to them yet, but hopefully people will enjoy them.

I'm so thrilled to hear positive feedback about the cake, especially the raspberry filling!! I'm super excited about the cake (I have a ridiculous sweet tooth), and I'm really looking forward to trying both flavors hopefully!

I know what you mean about all the food on the cruise! I distinctly remember eating ALL the time on the last cruise on the Magic, so I'm sure it'll be hard to resist on the Dream. I'm trying to lose a few pounds in preparation I have no idea where we'll be eating on the night of our wedding. Since our wedding dinner will fall on pirate night, and all the menus are changed for that occasion, I figured I'd just roll the dice and see where DCL places us. Hopefully it'll be good!!

Going to catch up on your TR tonight! Can't wait to read all the details!! So exciting!!

Hi Ginger,

I think those thank you cards are adorable.

Sorry to hear about your pups. Many years and many pups I can relate. We always had a dog in the house since I was a baby. Its good that they were able to stay with your parents and not be uprooted I'm sure they were very happy.

Hi Evi!
Thanks for the compliments (on the thank you cards) and condolences (on my aussies). Very kind of you to say

Hi Ginger!

I just wanted to pop in and say "Hi!" I hope you're settling in well after the move and that all of your wedding plans are going well, too! I'm getting so excited for you- it'll be here before you know it!

Hi again Jillian!! hehe
Thanks for checking in on me! I have a massive amount of updates to post... my first dress fitting, welcome bag items, bridal party changes, engagement photos, flowers, etc. And I've still got heaps to do... including writing the ceremony I totally can relate to the stress you were feeling prior to your big day!

Hey Ginger,
I have very recently decided on a DCL wedding too! I'd love to hear how everything goes since you are so close to your date now..., as it looks like I will be on the Disney Dream for an onboard wedding in October of 2013! (yeah me!) My fiance is also not a huge lover of Disney, so I'm trying to incorporate a little bit of Disney where I can (and where he'll let me). I've really enjoyed your PJ....I'm not sure that I am committed enough to the blogs to do my own PJ, but I have found yours VERY helpful! I hope your wedding day is as magical as it sounds!

Thanks for posting your info....

Misty

Hi Misty!!!
Thanks so much for posting! It's great to hear from you! Congratulations on your engagement and planning a DCL wedding! October 2013 sounds great! Are you also doing a sailing around Halloween?

Yeah, the fiance being reluctant toward Disney details can be a bit discouraging at first (especially since so many brides on the DIS incorporate these fabulous Disney details into their weddings), but you eventually find a vibe that works for you all as a couple. As you already know from reading my PJ, Timmy and I are doing a travel/multi-cultural relationship inspiration for our wedding, but I've managed to work in a fair amount of subtle Disney stuff. Timmy's big thing was, "I'm okay with a bit of it if it's done in a sophisticated way," so I've managed to incorporate some Disney (via hidden Mickeys, Fastpass inspired DP invitation, having a Wishes DP, and some other things I haven't posted yet--stay tuned ). So my advice would be plan it like it's a non-Disney themed wedding, and over the course of working out everything, you'll figure out fun ways to incorporate Disney elements

I understand not having the time to do a PJ, but I hope you'll update us with your plans here or on the DCL brides thread. It'd be fantastic to hear what you're planning!!!

 

[Freckledginger]

Ok, Ladies. Here is the first of several updates. I'll try to get the rest out tomorrow for your perusal

1) Dining Assignments
After turning in my planning guide, I asked Meredith if I could request seating assignments for dinner. She said that once Disney had my final party size (38 guests), they would get back to her with the types of tables needed. I was then notified that our group would be split into two server groups. Each group would have one 4 top and two 8 tops with 1 vacant seat. Timmy and I fiddled around with potential seatings, and finally decided just to mix everyone up. I'm sure people will switch spots over the course of the cruise anyways, so why not put them with people they haven't really gotten the chance to know very well. Hopefully this turns out to be a good plan!

2) DCL Wedding Itinerary
I received my Preliminary DCL Event Itinerary on September 13th. Meredith told me to review this carefully (there were some typos in it), write in any changes needed, and fax back with payment for the additional guest fees. The approximate schedule for all the wedding events are as follows:
Embarkation Day: Meet & Greet with Groups Manager from 2:30-3:00
Nassau: Free
Castaway Cay:
-8-9 am: Hair appointments for myself and my mother
I spoke to Meredith about the possibility of getting hair appointments for my other two bridesmaids, and she recommended speaking to the Onboard Coordinator and Salon when on the ship. If we can't work something out with the salon, they are planning to do their own hair.
-10-11 am: Ceremony
-11 am -12 pm: Cake and Champagne Celebration
On my planning guide, I included approximate numbers of how many guests I thought would prefer a specific beverage (champagne vs sparkling cider). I guess DCL completely overlooked this, because on the itinerary, 5 bottles of champagne were listed and only 1 bottle of cider. Rather than take any of the champagne away, as some of our guests love their bubbles (me included ), I decided to add 2 extra bottles of cider and just pay the difference. Hopefully that'll be enough for everyone to have a decent sized glass in celebration.

3) Bridal Party
-1 Maid of Honor, Bride's sister
-1 Bridesmaid, Bride's best friend from college
-3 House Party Members: 2 of the groom's sisters and 1 of the Bride's friends from vet school
-1 Best Man, Groom's best friend
-1 Groomsman, Groom's friend from college
-2 Ushers: Groom's brothers in law

For those not familiar with a House Party, there's an excellent explanation here: http://bellsandbouquets.blogspot.com/2010/01/whats-house-party-and-what-do-they-wear.html It's a Southern traditional, and the members are basically the female equivalent of ushers. I wanted to keep my bridal party small due to the size of the wedding, but their were people I still wanted to recognize. So my mom suggested a House Party, and I thought it was a great idea. Members get a special role in the wedding (eg. doing a reading in the ceremony), receive a gift, and take part in photos, but don't have to worry about buying a specific dress.

4) Wedding Attire Updates
We're still ironing out a few details, but here's some of the wedding attire.

Timmy will be wearing a grey J Crew suit

Bowtie, suspenders, and shoes TBD

Here's a photo of my first dress fitting.

It went really well! The dress mostly fit--just has to be taken in at the top, hemmed at the bottom, and cups sewn into the bust. Please ignore the atrocious face I'm making in the photo. It was not a good photo day for me, haha. My veil will be that color (I wanted a matching blush veil, but everyone told me the cream was gorgeous with the light blush color), but much shorter! Just past fingertip length. My mom tried to talk me into a cathedral length veil cause she loved how it cascaded behind the dress, until I gave her a polite "are you crazy" look. I cannot imagine trying to run around the ship, let alone walk in the sand, with a cathedral length veil. No M'am was my response I still need to work out jewelry...

My sister also got her maid of honor dress in. It's a cornflower blue, and I think looks really cute on her. We've got to do a few minor alterations, but otherwise it seems to work well. I really love the white sandals she found as they have a detail that echoes the neckline of the dress

The Ringbearer attire is being made by a lady on Etsy. It's going to be a pair of grey knickers, grey suspenders, white collared shirt, blue bowtie, and newsboy hat.
Vendor: finehandmadeclothing

Think it'll be really cute I've got to decide on shoes still... The Ringbearer is Timmy's nephew, Reuben. He's only 1.5, so in lieu of trying to get him to hold a pillow, I came across these flags on Etsy (think it'll be easier to hold)
Vendor: Joyfuljoyful

What do you all think thus far? Am I on the right track? I don't have photos of the other bridesmaid dress yet or the groomsmen attire.

Hope everyone is having a good night!!!

 

[ccbride412]

Ginger! Less than a month!

That's the only bad thing about a CC wedding, it's Pirate Night that night! DF and I had such cute outfits planned and had to change everything up! On the other hand, when they do the party and fireworks, it's like they're doing them to celebrate your big day!

I also wanted to say how sad I am for you about your dogs. I am in the same situation. My little catahoula is living at my parents while I'm in Spain and my mom told me before I left to be prepared that she might not make it until I get back. I do miss her , but I feel she's having a great time at my parents' with my mom working from home and being able to go swimming at my sister's!

Good luck in your interviews and settling in!