Shana & Sean's PJ - 7/5/13 Swan/Fultons *Wedding TR - Updated 9/1*

[MickeysStarTrader]

Ugh, tell me about it! I'm in my senior year of my bachelor's degree and have grad school to look forward to in 2014. I feel you! You are going to LOVE Bay Lake Tower!! What an amazing wedding gift from your company, I don't think it could get better than paid time off! I love your guestbook, it's so cute! I think you got a great deal on it. You mentioned going back and forth on a DJ, have you come to a decision on that? I had an idea, but might be totally unhelpful. Could you hire a band of some description instead of a DJ? That way you'd have entertainment and I guess if people wanted to get up and dance they could, but because it's a band and not a DJ, if people didn't want to dance they could just sit back and enjoy the music without feeling awkward? Just an idea. Breakfast at Tamu Tamu with a Kilimanjaro Safari mix-in sounds AWESOME! Did you hear back from Disney yet? That's awesome that you picked your floral! I got mine organized recently.

I'm sorry about the drama with your sister maybe she feels guilty because she has to tell you she can't go and she knows how much you planned the wedding around her. Maybe that's why she hasn't said anything but she could have told your mom thinking your mom would tell you so she wouldn't have to? I've had similar drama in my family, people saying things regarding the wedding behind my back and even family members asking me to change the date and time of my wedding to suit them better! At the end of the day, you're marrying Sean so it will be amazing and you won't be thinking about anything/anyone else

 

[charliegirl76]

Love the guest book and the flowers! So pretty!

Sorry to hear about your sister. I'm sure she just doesn't want to disappoint you, but trying to avoid telling you isn't the best thing to do. She probably feels bad about having to back out.

 

[ShanaMouse]

Hi Everyone! I am sorry i havent updated in a little while but I really didnt have anything new to share and then the holidays just kind of took over from there.

Life has finally settled back in now and I am back on my normal schedule of work and school (ugh!). I also started working out again since I have been putting off for way too long!

Basically my day consists of the gym, work, homework, dinner, and then bed. Trying to squeeze in anything wedding related has become quite a challenge, which may explain why it is stressing me out lol.

Anywho, moving on to some wedding updates:

1. I finally confronted my sister and she did say that she wasn't able to make it due to money reasons... I know my sister and her financial situation and I honestly think it's not because the money isn't there but because they just don't want to spend it. This is fine, but I just kind of felt like that wasn't the truth. Also, in the next breath she did say that she just bought herself a new iPad... I'm over it at this point and didn't even get mad. I just said ok and moved on. Honestly, our relationship is back to normal since then. I think I just needed to hear, directly from her, that she wasn't coming instead of her telling others or avoiding me all together.

2. DF and I went to Macy's and registered for the wedding. We already registered at Crate and Barrell but Macy's had so much more stuff and I was going crazy with the little scanner lol. We were now thinking of just doing our Macy's registry if people ask, just because it has pretty much the same items on it as our C&B one and much more household related items. How many different places did you all register at?

3. Since my sister backed out of the wedding, my best friend Sarah (one of my BM's) has kind of taken over the role of maid of honor. She is planning my bachelorette party, which I am quite excited about. It isn't for a while but she said she is already well into the planning stages. I think we will actually have my bachelorette party about a month before the wedding or so, just because of school and the other girls' schedules and it just works out for the best this way. She asked me if there are any "no-no's" as far as the party is concerned and i told her that i don't like anything involving having to go up on a stage, kind of like Magic Mike style

4. We have paid off our remaining balance with Just Marry for our ceremony and I also managed to pay off our photographer and videographer. That means that big things, besides the reception, are out of the way and we can focus on smaller things, such as flowers, BM's dresses, etc.

5. My dress was delivered to Alfred Angelo's a few weeks ago and I was able to go and pick it up!
I put the dress back on and it actually fits perfectly to where I don't even need any alterations, which is a huge money saver!!!

6. My uncle designs mens suits and my dad and DF are going up to see him in Atlanta in March and he will make them custom suits for the wedding. His clothes always look great so I am excited to see what he makes for both of them! Also, being that we don't have to pay for this, it's another big money saver!

Other than that, like I said, I am starting to stress out a little bit because I feel like I am running out of time and still have a ton of stuff to do!
The wedding is now just under 6 months away and I didn't realize, until I made a new list, how many little things still needed to get done.

First off, I am having the worst time trying to find BM dresses. Well, it's not that I can't find any but I don't actually love any of them. Sarah and I went a few weeks ago to take a look and even she said that there were a few that she liked, but when she tried them on they just didn't look that nice. Then I went, by myself, to another bridal store here where they carry more of the designer BM dresses and she told me that if I wanted to order with them, then I need to do it soon because their dresses take about 4 to 5 months to come in!
I am hoping that by the end of the month I will have found something that the girls will also like.

I also have to look into flowers again. I still really like the ones i initially picked but I wanted to see if there was something else and possibly contact a florist directly. Then I gotta get some shoes for myself, DF has to pick out suits for the groomsmen, get invitations, book hair and makeup, make centerpieces for the reception, make programs, look for some aisle decorations, arrange transportation from the ceremony to the reception, pick a cake, linens, menu at Fultons, rehearsal day options, get evening attire (we are all heading to Epcot and will have dinner at Biergarten), get jewelry, bridal party gifts, make welcome bags, get a box for the wine box ceremony, write vows, purchase rings, consider music options, seating chart, table names, and so on... It was stressing me out just writing it all down and I am sure I forgot something.

I know I mentioned above that we need to look at rehearsal day options and I think we are just going to go with what DF and I initially discussed. There is a really nice park here in the area about 25 minutes away from Disney or so and we will rent one of the indoor/outdoor pavilions there the day before the wedding and then have BBQ catered and just have everyone come out there, enjoy the day, eat, mingle, ask any last minute questions, etc. It's the most economical thing to do and I am sure that everyone will want to do something since its a holiday.

That's all I have for now!
Thanks for still following along!!

 

[Summer Daydream]

I'm glad that you got a straight answer from your sister. I'm sorry she can't come but that's awesome that your friend has stepped up for you. As far as BM dresses, I have read a lot of good things about Bari Jay. Have you looked into them? I sure the guys will look great I the suits your uncle gets for them.

 

[ShanaMouse]

I'm glad that you got a straight answer from your sister. I'm sorry she can't come but that's awesome that your friend has stepped up for you. As far as BM dresses, I have read a lot of good things about Bari Jay. Have you looked into them? I sure the guys will look great I the suits your uncle gets for them.

I have not looked into them... until just now!
I already saw three dresses that I am loving!!! Thanks so much for the tip! i was gonna go to bed but now I need to keep browsing first!

 

[Summer Daydream]

No problem...glad I could help!

 

[charliegirl76]

Hi! Glad you updated! I think the holidays sidetracked a lot of us....myself, anyway.

I'm sorry to hear about your sister. It really irritates me when people say they're not sure they'll be able to make it to the wedding (when they have over a year to save), and then in the next breath they're talking about the new gadget or expensive purse they just bought. All I can think is, you know, that could have paid for you to go to my wedding...... Ahem, sorry. That's kind of a personal rant. Some of my family members are doing similar. Anyway, glad your friend is stepping up....it may be for the best.

2. DF and I went to Macy's and registered for the wedding. We already registered at Crate and Barrell but Macy's had so much more stuff and I was going crazy with the little scanner lol. We were now thinking of just doing our Macy's registry if people ask, just because it has pretty much the same items on it as our C&B one and much more household related items. How many different places did you all register at?

DF and I weren't going to register for gifts since we have pretty much all we can fit in our place and more. But, due to the advice of a friend, we ended up registering on the Disney website. We're staying at the World 10 days for our honeymoon and decided it would be more cost effective to do that.

Wow, you've already paid a lot of stuff, you don't need alterations to your dress, AND you're getting the guys' suits for free.....awesome! Less to worry about.

 

[xAshleyx]

Shana !!!
Finally caught up on everything.
First off, I absolutely love your dress. You look stunning in it & your face is just glowing.
Second- your guestbook is so cool. We also did ours from Shutterfly and I am so in love with the photo guestbook idea.

I can also totally relate from your frustration about email responses with vendors. Seriously the only person so far in my wedding planning that hasn't let me down has been Erin at Just Marry. She is seriously awesome.
I think its great that you were able to switch your ceremony time. It sounds like a lunch time reception is more accomodating for your budget which is nice. After your post tonight on FB- im annoyed about Fulton's for you. I really hope it works out for you if you have your heart set on it. And if you dont have your heart sold on Fulton's im more than happy to help you find a new PERFECT reception venue so that you dont have to stress about it. You deserve to ENJOY (haha no pun intended from the email) your special day

Cant wait to hear more updates

 

[ShanaMouse]

Shana !!!
Finally caught up on everything.
First off, I absolutely love your dress. You look stunning in it & your face is just glowing.
Second- your guestbook is so cool. We also did ours from Shutterfly and I am so in love with the photo guestbook idea.

I can also totally relate from your frustration about email responses with vendors. Seriously the only person so far in my wedding planning that hasn't let me down has been Erin at Just Marry. She is seriously awesome.
I think its great that you were able to switch your ceremony time. It sounds like a lunch time reception is more accomodating for your budget which is nice. After your post tonight on FB- im annoyed about Fulton's for you. I really hope it works out for you if you have your heart set on it. And if you dont have your heart sold on Fulton's im more than happy to help you find a new PERFECT reception venue so that you dont have to stress about it. You deserve to ENJOY (haha no pun intended from the email) your special day

Cant wait to hear more updates

Thank you!! I absolutely love my dress. When we first got engaged a couple of years ago i picked out a dress but it doesnt even compare to this one.

Arent the photobooks from shutterfly great? I want to order more lol.

I LOVE ERIN! hahah she has been awesome this entire time. From the time I first contacted them up until today. I definitely have nothing bad to say about her!

I was glad I got the whole Fulton's situation resolved and, honestly, I am over it at this point. I talked it out with Marian and all is good and I am happy with that!

Thank you for offering to help, though. It is very much appreciated!!!

 

[ShanaMouse]

Hey Everyone!!

So I have a few updates for you all so I wanted to post them now before I dive into some homework and then don't feel like typing anymore lol.

First off, I found the bridesmaid dresses for the girls!! I am so excited. It was a long back and forth with the dresses because i wanted to make sure that the girls liked what i picked and if they didnt then i would try to accomodate what they wanted while keeping the style i wanted. One of my girls said that she doesnt have a preference on dress but, if possible, she would like something with sleeves. my other BM didnt have any preference so I went on the hunt to try and find something but had the hardest time. Anyway, then... I found them!!!

its one of those wrap dresses that the girls can wrap any way they want. If one wants sleeves she can do that and if the other wants to wear it without any straps then she can do that but they will still look coordinated!!! I am obsessed with them. I wanted one for myself but it was a little pricey
I got the dresses for my girls as a gift!!

I also finally contacted Greenery Productions after seeing Faiths (Mrs. Duck) flowers, as they were just gorgeous and she had recommended them before also. Tommy contacted me back within 24 hours and we set up a meeting. I will be seeing him next Saturday to go over my plans. He told me that I can bring some inspirational pics so I am taking these:

Our wedding colors are mint and different shades of pink. Its also the middle of summer so I thought that these colors would be perfect! I will be discussing personal floral and then centerpiece ideas. I am also thinking that i want linens and then chair covers, as the ones at fultons are this burgundy color and I am not too much of a fan.

DF and I are also leaning away from a traditional wedding cake and are going to go with mini pies. I found a bake shop here that does pies, mini pies, and pie pops for special events. I am thrilled with this idea because I love anything thats different and unexpected.
Her shop is called P is for Pie and I am going over there this sunday to pick up some samples to try and decide what flavors we want. best of all, it is going to be about half the price of the original wedding cake that we had wanted to do.
Also, Fultons stated to me today that if we do mini pies and just have them at each place setting and dont need extra set up then they would waive the $2 per person cake cutting fee.

The idea of the pies also brought about an idea for wedding favors. Sweet tea in a mason jar!!

I love this idea! The only thing is that i would need to find mason jars at a good deal in bulk. Otherwise this would probably be a little more than we were anticipating for favors.

We also decided not to have music at the reception. its a luncheon and with the amount of people, the room would be really tight. Although we have the deck at Fultons, I really dont want to have people sitting out there to make room for the DJ in the middle of a Florida summer. Instead we will create a playlist and have an Ipod dock for some background music.

That's all I have for now. I will be back soon!!

 

[xAshleyx]

Hey Everyone!!

So I have a few updates for you all so I wanted to post them now before I dive into some homework and then don't feel like typing anymore lol.

First off, I found the bridesmaid dresses for the girls!! I am so excited. It was a long back and forth with the dresses because i wanted to make sure that the girls liked what i picked and if they didnt then i would try to accomodate what they wanted while keeping the style i wanted. One of my girls said that she doesnt have a preference on dress but, if possible, she would like something with sleeves. my other BM didnt have any preference so I went on the hunt to try and find something but had the hardest time. Anyway, then... I found them!!!

its one of those wrap dresses that the girls can wrap any way they want. If one wants sleeves she can do that and if the other wants to wear it without any straps then she can do that but they will still look coordinated!!! I am obsessed with them. I wanted one for myself but it was a little pricey
I got the dresses for my girls as a gift!!

I also finally contacted Greenery Productions after seeing Faiths (Mrs. Duck) flowers, as they were just gorgeous and she had recommended them before also. Tommy contacted me back within 24 hours and we set up a meeting. I will be seeing him next Saturday to go over my plans. He told me that I can bring some inspirational pics so I am taking these:

Our wedding colors are mint and different shades of pink. Its also the middle of summer so I thought that these colors would be perfect! I will be discussing personal floral and then centerpiece ideas. I am also thinking that i want linens and then chair covers, as the ones at fultons are this burgundy color and I am not too much of a fan.

DF and I are also leaning away from a traditional wedding cake and are going to go with mini pies. I found a bake shop here that does pies, mini pies, and pie pops for special events. I am thrilled with this idea because I love anything thats different and unexpected.
Her shop is called P is for Pie and I am going over there this sunday to pick up some samples to try and decide what flavors we want. best of all, it is going to be about half the price of the original wedding cake that we had wanted to do.
Also, Fultons stated to me today that if we do mini pies and just have them at each place setting and dont need extra set up then they would waive the $2 per person cake cutting fee.

The idea of the pies also brought about an idea for wedding favors. Sweet tea in a mason jar!!

I love this idea! The only thing is that i would need to find mason jars at a good deal in bulk. Otherwise this would probably be a little more than we were anticipating for favors.

We also decided not to have music at the reception. its a luncheon and with the amount of people, the room would be really tight. Although we have the deck at Fultons, I really dont want to have people sitting out there to make room for the DJ in the middle of a Florida summer. Instead we will create a playlist and have an Ipod dock for some background music.

That's all I have for now. I will be back soon!!

Those BM dresses are so cool. Where did you find them ?! Is that the color you are getting them in ? It's very pretty

Your floral inspirations are wonderful.

Love the pie idea. It's unique and another great way to cut costs from fultons. Do you have any photos of the pie pops ?

 

[MickeysStarTrader]

I love the idea of sweet tea favors! How cute! Have you checked Ikea for mason jars? I'm not sure if they have them, or if they do I don't know if they're cheap to buy bulk I might hit them up for 99¢ picture frames you won't be alone with your reception music, we're not having a DJ because most of our guests would refuse to dance. We're just making a playlist and having that as background music

 

[charliegirl76]

Love all your updates! The dresses are beautiful and I adore the pie idea!

 

[Summer Daydream]

I love the pictures I've seen of the Chinese lanterns! I sent you a request on Facebook so I could see more! (At least I think it was you). Love the save the dates. They are amazing

 

[Summer Daydream]

Oops...I crossed my PJs!! Sorry Shana! I love love those dresses...are they Bari Jay? I think the convertible dress works for everyone and if that is the color you are getting them in, I love the color too!! The company that did Faith's flowers did an amazing job, so I am sure they will make your flowers just as beautiful. I love the pie idea, so unique!!!

 

[ShanaMouse]

I love the idea of sweet tea favors! How cute! Have you checked Ikea for mason jars? I'm not sure if they have them, or if they do I don't know if they're cheap to buy bulk I might hit them up for 99¢ picture frames you won't be alone with your reception music, we're not having a DJ because most of our guests would refuse to dance. We're just making a playlist and having that as background music

What a great idea to take a look at IKEA! Thank you, I will be sure to look there next time we go. In regards to the DJ, i feel like only my family would be the one's enjoying the dancing and all of DFs family would just sit at the tables. Being that it's a luncheon reception, I feel like it wouldnt be terribly missed.

Love all your updates! The dresses are beautiful and I adore the pie idea!

I had been eying those dresses for months now and then i showed them to my BMs and they loved them too so I just ordered them. I am excited to see them once they get here!

Oops...I crossed my PJs!! Sorry Shana! I love love those dresses...are they Bari Jay? I think the convertible dress works for everyone and if that is the color you are getting them in, I love the color too!! The company that did Faith's flowers did an amazing job, so I am sure they will make your flowers just as beautiful. I love the pie idea, so unique!!!

No worries
No, the dresses arent Bari Jay (although I loved the ones on the website). I actually found them on Etsy. The seller is CoralieBeatrix and she has a ton of them to choose from. They take a while to be made and then shipped so I am anxious to see them! Yes, the dresses will be that exact color, which goes perfectly with the color scheme we have (mint and pale pink).

Those BM dresses are so cool. Where did you find them ?! Is that the color you are getting them in ? It's very pretty

Your floral inspirations are wonderful.

Love the pie idea. It's unique and another great way to cut costs from fultons. Do you have any photos of the pie pops ?

I found the dresses on Etsy (seller is CoralieBeatrix). They come in different styles colors, lengths, etc. Yes, the dresses will be the mint color, which I love. I didnt realize how hard it was to find the right shade of mint I had been looking for. There are pictures of the pies on Tara's website http://www.crazyforpies.com/. I was unable to save them and then post, so i figured this may be easiest.

 

[Summer Daydream]

I am definitely bookmarking her site. I found so many good things on her etsy page. I see why you wanted to get a dress for yourself, too. I hope they come out amazing.

 

[ShanaMouse]

Hey Everyone!

Oh my gosh, I cant believe that we are already in the month of February... I feel like January just flew right past me!!! I did have the flu for the last 10 days of January, which may explain why I can't remember most of it
I also started working out and eating healthier again right after xmas and I am excited to share that i have already lost a total of 20 pounds!!! I go to the gym between 4 and 6 (sometimes 7) days a week and just make sure I dont go crazy when it comes to food. I still eat about 5 or 6 times per day (smaller portions) and i am totally happy with it. The first week was quite rough but now I am hoping that I can lose some more weight so I can look and feel great in our wedding pics

I do have a few new wedding updates I wanted to share.

Last Saturday, my mom and I met with Tommy of Greenery Productions to discuss floral for the big day. I told him my budget was between $500 and $1000 prior to meeting and he said that he could assist in working with me to create something that fits into that budget. So when we got there, Tommy greeted us right away and led us into his design studio. It was basically a larger room with different ideas for floral arrangements, linens, chair covers, and anything else you could think of. To the side of the room was a warehouse with about 10 or so employees all putting together floral arrangements for the wedding they had coming up on that day. Anywho... He asked me what my vision was and from there I feel like I just blacked out it was going on so fast: what kind of flowers do you like? do you like these? what about these? what color? do you like a mix or do you want all the same? how big of a bouquet do you want? what are the bridesmaid colors? how many are there? how many boutonnieres? what flowers for those? long, or short stems? what kind of ribbon? what about the moms? and so on and so on.. Next thing I knew, we had laid out what I wanted for the personal floral and it was onto ceremony decor. Again, a black out loomed over me and then I found myself walking through the warehouse with Tommy and him showing me what they could do. Then we discussed the reception decor a little bit and then i had to stop him.... I asked: "so.. what are we up to right now, as far as budget it concerned?" he took about 5 minutes to calculate everything and then looked at me and said "well, we are over the budget a bit.. With tax and service charge we are looking at $1400 - $1600." Now i finally understood what all of the other girls in the Disbride group were talking about when it came to the floral BEO and having to cut. Well, cutting i did until I got it down to about $1100 but i still was unsure if i wanted to commit. So he said he would type everything up for me and send it to me in a few weeks and then i could decide. I think i was just so overwhelmed with what was going on that I couldnt make a sound decision anymore and i didnt want to just say yes, without discussing the fact that I was over budget with DF.

Oh, I almost forgot to describe what my bouquet would look like: white hydraengas mixed with orchids in different pink tones and cream colored calla lilies. I was in love with that but i just wasnt sure about all of the other decor towards the end of our meeting. Well, about 1 hour later my mom headed out and i completely shut down about the wedding. My mom was asking me about how i felt about the meeting, what else i had in mind, if i was happy with the selection, etc and I was so "blah" that i didnt even feel like talking about it. Again, i think i was so overwhelmed coupled with the flu that i just wasnt feeling it. I got over it a little while later (once i had something to drink, eat, and a nap) and everything was back to normal

I still havent gotten the information from Tommy, but as soon as I do, I will make more concrete decisions about floral.

I also finally got in contact with someone from Beaute Speciale and they sent me the contract on Friday so I will send that back to them next week with the deposit, so I have that out of the way too.

Then i booked a room for the BMs and myself to sleep in the night before the wedding. it was going to be a suite at the Buena Vista Palace Resort & Spa in the Downtown Disney area. I didnt have any more DVC points and didnt want to rent any, which prompted me to choose that resort (as it was cheaper than a disney resort with that amount of space, since we will be about 7 or 8 people in the room the morning of the wedding). I then actually cancelled part of our disneymoon this morning, which freed up some points and i then just rented a 2 bedroom DVC villa at Old Key West for us and I am super excited.

I have been trying to think about things to do with my BMs the night before the wedding (july 4th) but have come up short, since I dont think they will all have park tickets. In our FB group, another lovely bride did make the suggestion of Ohanas and then watching the fireworks from Poly beach, which sounds awesome or doing mani pedis. I am still open to suggestions, if you have any.

The reason why i cancelled it is actually quite exciting to me!!!! So, DF and I are local and we only live about 30 mins or so away from the World. The entire time we just planned to stay at Disney for the week of our wedding and then do a real honeymoon later on in 2013 when we were both able to travel due to work/school schedules, since we wanted to travel outside of the country. So we had a resort booked from 7/4 through 7/11, which was split between Saratoga Springs and Bay Lake Tower. Lately I have been looking for honeymoon ideas that we could go to for a few days following the wedding and just have time to ourselves and explore something new. DF and I are huge Cirque du Soleil fans so I was looking into going to Vegas, since they have numerous shows playing there. Needless to say, being that its during the week, I found a hotel for about $65 per night on the strip so I booked it. Its Treasure Island. Has anyone every been there? DF doenst know we are going and I am going to try and keep it a secret until then but i am extremely excited!!! DF and I arent big on gambling (so i am not worried on spending a lot of money that way) but we have both always wanted to go. So now the plan is to stay at Disney from 7/4 to 7/7 and our flight to Vegas leaves on 7/7 and we will stay there until 7/11. On the 11th we will drive to anaheim to go to Disneyland and then we fly out from LAX back to Orlando. I think DF will be thrilled. I dont have all of the details worked out yet, but I am really happy with this.

If anyone has any tips for must do's and must see's in Vegas, please feel free to share

Lastly, we have decided to cancel the whole "welcome event" we had planned before (renting a pavillion here at a local park and then catering food and hanging out with everyone, etc) due to some unexpected circumstances that are taking up some of the wedding funds. I am okay with this, however. What we will probably do is either get some food and drinks to serve in our villa and people can come and go as they please or have an informal get together somewhere else on property.

Thanks for still reading along

 

[disneydania]

I'm officially joining in here. I'm all caught up.

And let me just say that your dress is so beautiful and you look lovely in it. Your BM dresses are TDF What lucky (and hopefully grateful) bridesmaids you have. You will all look stunning.

 

[Summer Daydream]

Glad you're feeling better! First, I'm sure your flowers are going to be stunning. Faith's were so beautiful that I have no doubt yours will be too. The bouquet sounds like it is going to be so pretty...can't wait to see it
Don't you hate when things go over the budget. I am glad you were able to make some cuts. You're not too far over now.
Hurrah for Vegas. You are going to have so much fun!!! Good luck keeping it a secret from Sean!