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

[lescal79]

Congratulations Ginger, a beautiful bride! Pictures and everything looks great!

[Freckledginger]

Originally Posted by JBeanBunny

Ginger!!! I'm so happy you're back! I got an e-mail from Etsy saying that your "custom listing" was purchased and I immediately came here to see if you'd updated... Yesssss! I'm DYING to see your pictures and to hear more about your trip! No movement on the etsy shop yet (other than you and Judy!) but I just took a zillion photos of new soaps (and pixie dust!) so I'm going to add those today or tomorrow after editing, and hopefully with variety I might get more traffic... I really wish I could post the Mickey soaps on there, but I can't risk those copyright issues. Cross your fingers for me! The new job at DAKL is going alright! It's SUCH a big change going from Parks to Resorts, and it's a little scary! I also hate that I don't really know anybody, so that makes me a little bit uncomfortable, since I don't know who I can trust! I'm doing front desk this month, then I start getting Concierge trained on 01/03/13 I understand the post-wedding whirlwind! I thought things would slow down post-wedding! I'm a horrible newlywed, I'm JUST getting my "Thank You" cards done! I've completed all of the bridal shower thank you's, and I'm going to do the wedding thank you's today and tomorrow. I went to Vistaprint and printed two different business card sized magnets with a wedding photo and "Mr. and Mrs. Pariona Thank You" that I can insert into my small thank you cards... Then Michael and I get to hang out on their refrigerators Anyways, hope your new job is going well and that you're settling into your Texan home nicely! Take care!

Hi Jillian!!
So great to hear from you!! I'm thrilled to be back! Hehe
I was more than happy to write glowing praise on your Etsy page. I can imagine it's a slow start, but I know you'll be successful once you build up a bit of a fan base. One of the DIS brides started a Disney Weddings blog a little while ago (http://www.disneyweddinginspiration.com/). Maybe you could post a tutorial on one of your crafts, e.g. pixie dust or something and then feature photos of your soaps as well? May be a good way to get word around.

I can completely sympathise with you on starting a new job. It's so much new information and you haven't exactly figured out your place yet in the new scheme of things. I've been working for roughly a month now, and I still feel so uncertain with most things. When I'm not seeing patients, I spend my day buried in a pile of veterinary textbooks trying to review the ridiculous amount of information I need to know I know you're doing great at your new position though, and concierge is lucky to have you!

Glad to hear you're behind on your thank you cards too! I still haven't done mine. I'm hoping to start them this weekend, and get them out before Christmas Hehe, I just need to keep repeating that mantra!

Originally Posted by JBeanBunny

I love it all! And I definitely don't mind you using my photos of YOUR soaps Those fans are adorable, even if they wound up floppy! The times guides were such a great way to keep everyone coordinated! One thing I wish I'd spent more time on was a list of guests and room numbers so it would've been easier to use the wave phones! I typed and printed off what I THOUGHT was enough room # guides, but when they were passed out, a lot of people didn't have one... Like me!! I'm glad that you did the door magnets too! Those took a HUGE chunk of my time and budget, but it was nice walking through the halls and knowing where my guests were! I love the Koozies! Another thing I'd wanted to put in my bags (Who throws away a koozie? Nobody!) Anyways, I'm looking forward to reading more! (Also, I feel like I'm "cheating" when I see Jess Cumbie's photos on facebook! I feel like I have an unfair advantage over those who have to wait to see them on DIS )

Thanks for the compliments, Jillian! You're too nice. The fans were only a little floppy, so it wasn't too much of a defeat, haha. The guests seemed to think they were pretty cute, so I'd call them a success. I think the welcome bags were a bit more popular, but they are definitely more exciting than programs.

I totally agree with you about wave phone numbers! Had I to do it all over again, I would have made a list of phone numbers to distribute ahead of time. We did a makeshift one while onboard and just got it copied at guest services, but I think it could be a really cute DIY to make up a credit card sized list that guests can carry with them. Idea for prospective cruise brides! The wave phone numbers are just the room number + a 1 or 2 at the end. Each room has 2 wave phones, and we passed the word around that guys should take the number 1s and girls take the 2s to make it easier. They're such a fantastic innovation that DCL has added!!

I've gotten my proof photos from Jess!!! YAY!!! So I plan to start my TR this weekend! Very excited! Apologies that it's taken so long, but looking forward to sharing our experiences with you all.

Hope you're having a good weekend, Jillian! Your posts always make my day! Thanks for sticking with me all this time

Originally Posted by dclwonderprincess

These are amazing!

Thanks so much, Amber!!

Originally Posted by Evi

Hi Ginger,

Congratulations again!! Great to see you back. From what I've seen of your pics all look fab. Loved the details on your cake topper. Everything came together so well. Thank you for sharing your experience with extensions. I'm thinking I may go for extensions for length also. Can't wait to see more pics and hear more about the wedding.

Thanks so much, Evi! I appreciate all the compliments. Now that I have my wedding photos back, I am happy I had the extensions. They really allowed me to achieve that long, romantic look that I wanted, which I wouldn't have been able to without them. My only recommendation would be to do research/talk to hair dressers to find the kind that will be best for your hair.

Originally Posted by LittleKittyMarie

So glad to see you back and posting on the Dis! (Not that I blame you for being away and getting caught up with family, and that post-wedding whirlwind as you say! )

Very interesting info about the hair extensions. I think if I lost 3/4 of my hair thickness upon removal, I'd probably be bald. My hair is also very fine and pretty thin to begin with. I guess if I do it I will look into the other options as well. But I'm glad to hear that they did the trick while they were in, and they do look beautiful from what I've seen!

Your welcome bags and programs are fabulous. I love the petal program design, I think I may have to use your tutorial to make my own!

Looking forward to reading more!

Thanks for posting, Nicole!!
How have you been? Yeah, I don't mean to scare you away from extensions all together. I was very happy with them at the time, but I would just recommend you do your research on the type best for your hair.

Glad you like the tutorial, and knowing how talented you and your fiance are at DIY, I'm sure you could make something 100x more amazing than I did

Originally Posted by celerystalker

So glad for the update! I really like the program/fan - I might have to borrow that one! I can't wait to see all the pics!

Thanks Amber! Please feel free to borrow! I think the petal fans are a really cute alternative to the traditional paddle fan programs.

Originally Posted by lescal79

Congratulations Ginger, a beautiful bride! Pictures and everything looks great!

Aww, thank you Lesley That's very kind of you to say. Stay tuned for more photos. I'm going to write the first part of my TR this weekend

[dclwonderprincess]

Thanks for the advice on the wave phones, I really need to get back to wedding planning/crafts and this would be a great one to start with.

[JBeanBunny]

OMIGOSH! I am so excited that you got your proofs and I am dying to see more! Jess is a wonderful photographer from everything I've seen thusfar! I still go through all of my photos and I keep discovering "new" shots that I hadn't noticed before! I got back 1065 photos (I think) so it's a bit overwhelming! I still don't have all of my photos on Facebook! I only have pre-wedding and wedding ceremony/celebration... But I'm still missing the 5 hours of photography that happened after that! One day... one day! I'm still working on those dreaded Thank You's! All of the bridal shower ones are done, and I worked on some of the wedding ones, but I've still got a long way to go! It'll happen in time! This week I headed to JoAnn's (my kryptonite!) and bought about 15 5x7 frames (each for 50% off!!!) and I found a code for 40% off of prints ordered from Walgreens, so I had some family photos printed... I'm going to *try* to get them all sent out to family before Christmas, but it may be closer to New Year's! Maybe that will ease the sting of a tardy "Thank You" Starting a new job really sucks at first, but I'm getting the hang of things! Still learning new things every day, but I'm enjoying myself more now! So I know that you'll get there too- though your job seems a LOT more complex than mine I think my husband would make a good vet, so I keep trying to drop hints that he should try going to school for that! We're at that point where one or both of us need to go back to school ( I hate school) especially since Michael only has a month left at his spa job since Disney's buying out the company he works for. But anyways, things are going well over the Holidays! We bought and set up our first Christmas Tree (got lots of ornaments from the Christmas store @ Downtown Disney!!) and we just bought a pretty new 46" LCD TV and did some rearranging in our living room... exciting things! Sending you pixie dust for a MAGICAL first Christmas as a married couple!

[charliegirl76]

Originally Posted by Freckledginger

So I just realized I missed a bunch of everyone's posts that they sent me before the wedding! Sorry about that! Thank you so much for all the compliments! I truly loved working with all the vendors on Etsy and our own, Jillian I'm not very crafty, so having the ability to get people more creative and talented than myself to contribute to our wedding was amazing! Love love love Etsy! haha.

There were also a couple questions about my hair extensions. In retrospect, I have mixed feelings about the whole process. I loved having long, thick hair for my wedding, but the trouble and expense I experienced with them gives me pause as to whether to recommend them to other brides.
The type of extensions I had were Platinum Seamless, a type of tape in extension. When I inquired to my stylist, this was the type he recommended because they were easy to apply, looked extremely natural, and allowed you to pull your hair up. Because I have an uncommon hair color, the extensions had to be colored to match. Initially, this wasn't a big deal, but as soon as I washed my hair for the first time, a substantial amount of the color leeched out. I went back to my colorist, and she said because the extensions are heat processed prior to selling, they become quite porous, and will sometimes not hold color well. She recommended coloring my entire hair a darker color, so that the extensions would not fade as quickly. As a result, my hair was darker for the wedding than I would have preferred.
Other than the color, I didn't have any complaints about the extensions (in fact I loved them) until I had them removed. I was told not to use conditioner except on the ends because it would cause the extensions to slip. I didn't realize the harm this would cause to my own hair until the extensions were gone... it was badly broken and 1/4 thickness it was prior to the extensions. And I only kept the extensions in 2 months (I was told they typically last 3-4 months). I've had to bob my hair, and I'm hoping it will get healthy again with TLC. I'm sure part of my problem was just the type of hair I have--I have a good amount of hair, but it's baby fine, and just couldn't cope with the stress. But after talking with the lady who cut my hair post-extensions, she said that's a common problem with the tape in extensions. She recommended getting clip-in real hair extensions or the cold fusion type extensions. If I had it to do over again, I'd probably still do extensions, but definitely do more research on the types available. Since I had my hair mostly down on my wedding day, I could have easily gotten away with a clip in type.

I work with a lot of ladies, all have told me never to get anything more than clip-ins. I'm still considering getting extentions, but after reading what happened to you, I think I will definitely stick with the clip-ins. I have a lot of hair, but it is pretty fine already and wouldn't want to wait for it to become healthy again after the extentions are taken out.....I just don't have that much patience. It is good to know that if I do decide to go with the clip-ins, I may need to look for a different style. Thanks for the information, very good to know!

[JessieGlitter]

Im so excited to see your photographs!!

Guess i know what I will be doing this weekend!!!

[Freckledginger]

Hi Ladies,
I apologize this has been so long coming... It feel very guilty about not getting started earlier, but truthfully work has really set me back in the free time department I'm very excited to start my TR though, and hope you all find it fun and informative to read. I'm going to start with our time in WDW, and go through the cruise, so it may be a bit of a longer read.

Without further ado....

DAY 1
Prior to the wedding, Timmy and I had worked out that I would head down to WDW before all the guests arrived (on Wed Oct 24th), so I could have some time to get things organized (make a photo list for the photographer, put the welcome bags together, etc.). My sister/MOH would accompany me on the drive down to FL, and then Timmy as well as all the other guests would arrive on Thurs or Fri. There were some last minute changes though due to domestic flights, so Timmy and his family actually ended up arriving into Orlando on Tues Great to see them early, but unfortunately, kinda took away the time that I was going to use to wedding organization. So Bre, my sister, and I left Alabama early that morning for the drive to Orlando. It's a fairly easy drive (about 8 hours), so we passed the time chatting excitedly about the wedding and listening to Disney music.

I knew my sister had a couple of surprises planned for me that day, but just didn't know what. We arrived into WDW in mid-afternoon and went into the Coronado Springs to check in. My experience with the CS was fairly positive. I had arranged for a room block with them via Disney's Group Reservations, and everything seemed to go smoothly. The cast members were friendly, and all our guests had rooms in the same area of the hotel (Cabanas block near the main building, El Centro). Many of the rooms were right next to each other, but a couple were on the lower level also. It was very convenient in terms of catching up with people, and organizing the group to go to the DP. CS has refurbished the rooms since I last stayed there, and it was a nice update. The rooms were a good size and comfortable. Forgive me, but I didn't take any photos. Whoopsie... Guess it was the craziness and stress associated with the wedding, but I didn't take many photos at all during the entire trip. I'm still waiting for photos from our guests, so once I get those, I'll try to add some to make this entry to the TR less wordy.

At the hotel, I said hi to a very tired Timmy. He had flown straight into WDW from his Bucks/Bachelor Party in Vegas. I haven't heard many details about that trip other than, "Awesome," "Epic," and "Exhausting", but I did come across this photo:

Looks like they had fun

Just as soon as we dropped our bags at the CS, Bre came over to reveal my first surprise: afternoon tea for the two of us at the GF. Yay!! I had never been to the GF before, and always wanted to experience the tea room. Unfortunately, the reservation was in 30 min, so my sister and I did a frantic, Home-Alone like changing into dresses and rushed to the GF.


For those that haven't been, the tea room is lovely. Lots of windows and natural light, elegantly decorated, quiet, and yummy little sandwiches and treats. We decided to go with a la carte, and ordered tea, scones, and strawberries and cream. The scones are delicious. For those who are a lover of lemon stuff (like myself), I highly recommend getting lemon curd with your scones rather than strawberry preserves. Yum!


Strawberries and Cream. Delicious!
The cast member serving our tea asked if we were celebrating anything, and my sister promptly chirped that I was getting married this weekend. The cast member then returned with a gorgeous pink rose and two happily ever after buttons. I was so surprised and thrilled


While at tea, I kept getting texts from guests asking about a little tropical storm called Sandy. Since I was already at the GF, I decided to stop by Franck's to see if I could talk to someone to assail my concerns. It was really neat getting to walk by the Wedding Pavilion; I had seen so many photos of it in WDW brides photos, and it definitely was just as pretty from the outside in person.

Couldn't resist doing the traditional Franck's photo

Inside, I spoke to a receptionist and explained who I was. She was very nice, and immediately stopped a passing planner to chat with me about the incoming weather and my DP on Friday. The planner said that DFTW does not make a decision regarding venue change until as late as possible on the event date. With DP at GF, the food and drinks would be moved into Whitehall, but we would still go out into SCP for the fireworks showing. My DP contract had detailed all this information also, but it felt nice hearing it from a live person, and based on the reports she had heard, she had a feeling the DP would proceed as planned The receptionist then called Meredith, who was as lovely as always, and we discussed how Sandy would impact the DCL component. She said it takes a MAJOR event for them to cancel a cruise, so the cruise would definitely still be embarking as scheduled. As far as the wedding was concerned, everything would be done to get to CC, and a decision would only be made to move it indoors if the ship could not dock at CC +/- torrential downpour that day. Meredith emphasized that they do everything to keep the wedding as you envisioned it to be, so they wait until the day of the wedding to make these decisions.

Feeling much better as we left Franck's, Bre and I ventured outside into the rain (a preview of what was to come, I guess) that had started and hurried back to the car.

Back at the CS, I greeted some of Timmy's immediate family and friends that arrived. It was so fantastic/surreal to walk around the resort, hear an Australian accent, and realize I knew that person/they were here for our wedding.

After changing into dry clothes, Bre revealed her second surprise to me: dinner at the Yachtsman Steakhouse! Coming from a ranching background, one of my favorite meals in the whole world is a well-prepared steak, and The Yachtsman does a great one. We slipped into some warmer clothes this time, and drove out to the Yacht Club. I really love this resort (probably my second favorite behind the WL), and the whole atmosphere of the Boardwalk. I must say how handy it was to have a car during our time in WDW before the cruise. It allowed us to zip between resorts and parks when needed, and for our guests to pick up things prior to the cruise--for example, the boys did a big booze run to the liquor store prior to the cruise, and a bunch of people went Halloween costume shopping.

At the Yacht Club, Bre and I walked around a bit before our dinner reservation. It was really nice to have this whole day just to us sisters. Disney World is a special place for us both, so to have private time to reflect on our trips there, and have a couple quiet moments with just the two of us was great. Definitely something I'd recommend doing, if time allows, with your siblings +/- parents. Everything gets so busy during the cruise, and you're constantly trying to make it around to spend time with everyone, that you don't get very many intimate moments with people you tend to see more often.

Dinner at the Yachtsman was fantastic, but we were still a bit full from tea, so we ended up taking part of our meal takeaway (breakfast the next day! Thank you refrigerators at CS!)



We then headed back to the CS and straight to bed as we knew the next day was going to be a big one!

Next Installment: TR Day 2: Running the Gauntlet at WDW and MNSSHP

[Freckledginger]

Our wedding was featured on Magical Day Weddings today! http://magicaldayweddings.com/disney...os-ginger-tim/
Super exciting, and really made my day. Thanks so much to all the amazing DIS friends who commented on the blog and Facebook. You ladies are too lovely for words and I so appreciate your support =)

[XxsmortzxX]

Originally Posted by Freckledginger

Our wedding was featured on Magical Day Weddings today! http://magicaldayweddings.com/disney...os-ginger-tim/
Super exciting, and really made my day. Thanks so much to all the amazing DIS friends who commented on the blog and Facebook. You ladies are too lovely for words and I so appreciate your support =)

How exciting to have your wedding featured! Plus, what a great way to share how wonderful the DCL is when it comes to wedding! I am so awed at how great your pictures came out. I hope our photographer can come up with some of that. Lol!!! Your Day 1 report sounds fun and busy. I have never been to the tea room at GF, so I loved those pictures! What a great idea to get away from the planning for a bit and relax.

Can't wait for the next installment!!

[JBeanBunny]

So exciting to see you featured on Magical Day Weddings! I knew once I saw it on facebook that you must've relayed it to here... Lo and Behold! I even got day 1 of your TR! So excited to see and read more

[Evi]

Hi Ginger,

Looking forward to reading the rest of your trip report. Your pics are phenomenal. I'm glad to see they were featured.

[1EvilQueenfan]

That's so exciting that you were featured on Magical Day Weddings. The pictures are amazing! I am loving your TR and looking forward to the rest.

[dclwonderprincess]

This is so exciting, I can't wait to read more!

[Cmdbuddy]

Agggg I was a little bit behind on your thread, so I came to catch up, read the first installment of the TR, and then I figured out that's all you had done! I was so engrossed and then so disappointed in a matter of like 10 seconds. Can't wait to read more!

[LittleKittyMarie]

Really enjoying the TR so far! I love that you and your sister had so many fun moments together. The afternoon tea sounds absolutely lovely, and something I'd love to try some day too!

I saw the feature on Magical Day Weddings and your photos are spectacular! Everything looks amazing!!!

Looking forward to reading more!