Amanda & Josh's Wishes Wedding - 05.04.15 - SBP/Attic/UK Lochside - The End (Complete)

[Seia]

Before I dive into the TR, I wanted to share my Glad I Did/Wish I Had. I'm still working on getting all of my pictures uploaded and organized, and then I will start tackling the TR. We should be getting the rest of our professional photos within the next few days as well, so then I will be excited to share those.


I'm Glad I...

Had a dessert party. It was a magical end to the wedding day! My guests raved about it, particularly the nacho bar. It was a unique touch to a Disney wedding. Plus, I would have been so sad if the wedding day ended at 2:30. It was totally worth the cost!

Hired Michael as our photographer! My family members all commented on how he went above and beyond the day of our wedding, and how impressed they were with him and his second shooter. I can't say enough good things! He did an amazing job, and he worked seamlessly with our cinematographers.

Added Trinity for video coverage. I haven't seen any product yet, but David and Kristina were so sweet and helpful on our wedding day. They are also Disney pros, and they knew all of the media guides working that night. I think that might be part of why we got to shoot some shots around the UK after the party ended.

Wore comfortable shoes. I was on my feet all day, walking up and down the boardwalk. Wearing Toms was the right call!

Had a first look. Seeing each other beforehand helped ease nerves and jitters, and it helped the timeline of the day since we could take photos beforehand.

Decided to forgo welcome bags. Initially we planned to do them (we even have 15 reusable Disney totes that we bought for them!), but so many of our guests were staying off property and it seemed like a lot of work and added stress at the last minute.

Had characters. For me, it was a no brainer. But even though most of our guests didn't dance along with them/us, almost everyone wanted their pictures taken with Donald and Daisy. It was so much fun and added just a touch of Disney magic!



I Wish I Had...

Had my bouquet preserved. I wasn't expecting to fall in love with it as much as I did! My flowers were gorgeous. They made it home, but they aren't drying well. However, it should also be noted that the bouquet was huge and very heavy. I think I could have had a bridesmaid size bouquet. Oh well! It was big and beautiful. Haha.

Been able to have a bar at the dessert party. I really wish we could have made it work, but especially since the DP was purely an extra add on, it just wasn't in the budget. Everyone still seemed to have a great time. It just would have been a nice touch.

Taken the time to eat at our reception! As soon as my plate was made, the Dapper Dans came to perform a set. Then, I was too busy mingling and just too excited to sit and eat. Thankfully, I did get some food at our dessert party. The day really did fly by so quickly.

Started working on toning my arms sooner and more diligently. LOL. I know it sounds a little vain, but just being honest. I think they look kind of fat in some of the pictures and it bothers me.

 

[Disneyducks12]

Can't wait for your TR!!!!!!! It seems like you had such an amazing day and I can't wait to hear all about it!!!

 

[elphie101]

Eeeeeeee glad I had/wish I hads!! The best start to any wedding trip report! I can't wait for more

Also, nacho bars are ALWAYS a good idea. Did you add on a sneak peek from Trinity?

 

[Seia]

Eeeeeeee glad I had/wish I hads!! The best start to any wedding trip report! I can't wait for more

Also, nacho bars are ALWAYS a good idea. Did you add on a sneak peek from Trinity?

The nacho bar may have been the most popular thing from our entire wedding. LOL. It was delicious!

And we did add on a sneak peek, but I'm still waiting. I know it will be worth it, but I can't wait to see! But at least we got the majority of our photos back today.

 

[runner_princess]

Love these-thanks for sharing and can't wait to follow along with your TR!

 

[Doodlebug25413]

LOOK AT YOUR CAKE!!!!!! Oh my goodness that is so cute & elegant!

So beautiful. So happy for your beautiful day!

 

[Alexsandra]

Love your engagement shots, cake, dress, hair and the whole look of the wedding. Can't wait to see all the pics! Congrats

 

[Seia]

Day 1: Travel, nails, pixie dust at the Grand, and evening in MK


Since we needed to be out of the house by 3 am, our alarm went off at 1:45. As you may recall, we finished the packing the night before, but didn't get in bed until after 10. Thankfully we seemed to be running on adrenaline. There was very little traffic, so we made good time getting to the airport. Walking from the parking shuttle through the terminal was an adventure though: we had two carry-on bags (one of which was a rolling back), our two regular rolling suitcases, a backpack, and my purse. Honestly, I'm just amazed that we got everything we needed there and (mostly) back.

Our flight was mostly uneventful, but we had a really funny flight crew. ("For those who actually paid attention to our safety instructions, thank you. For the rest of you… good luck!") I dozed a little, but I was anxious to hurry up and get to MCO.

Good morning, Florida.


I don't know why, but I always want to rush as quickly as possible from the plane to Magical Express. I feel like we need to be some of the first ones onboard. LOL. Probably just excitement! We didn't have to wait too long until we left, and even better, we were the first stop. This night, we were staying at the Grand Floridian as our comp night for the wedding.

One of my favorite sights.


We got to the Grand and checked in. It was just before 9, so our room wasn't ready yet. We left most of our things with bell services and walked to Franck's to drop off some things for the wedding. I saw Richard again, so we stopped to chat with him. He is so sweet!

My appointment for a manicure and pedicure at Senses wasn't until 11, so we decided to grab just a quick bite to eat. We shared the breakfast platter, which was huge. I also had the only perfect variation of the Anna's Birthday cupcake that I found the entire trip: yellow cake with buttercream icing/filling. Boardwalk Bakery had buttercream but chocolate cake, and Beach Club had yellow cake but whipped icing (yuck!). In case you didn't know, I have a lot of strong feelings about cake. LOL

After breakfast, we stopped in Basin. Oh my gosh, I could have gone crazy buying things in there! I settled for a bar of soap and a tub of bath bombs. As Josh and I were looking around, he got a call from one of the room managers of the GF saying they wanted to make our stay as magical as possible by moving us to the main building, club level. Josh didn't know what that meant and told him we really wanted to keep our theme park view. As soon as he got off the phone, I told him he was nuts. LOL. Josh called back right away, and thankfully it was all worked out and we were upgraded to a club level room!!

At that time, I had to hurry to Senses for my nail appointment. Senses was nice, but I didn't partake in using the neat heated loungey chairs. There also weren't any snacks like I had read about in prior reviews, but I had some yummy spa water. The services themselves were nice, but I probably couldn't justify the costs in most circumstances. I wanted a French gel manicure, but it was $20 extra on top of the regular price so I got a blush pink instead. In the end, I liked it. It had just a touch of sparkle and matched my flowers. For my toes, I chose what I called "Donald blue."

I forgot to take pictures just of the nails themselves, but you can see them in some of the wedding photos I will post later. LOL. I will say that I still have the gel manicure on right now, and it still looks pretty nice. It held up through the entire honeymoon and beyond. Once I returned to Josh in the lobby, we went to the front desk to check on our room change. We waited a few minutes for someone from concierge level to come escort us, but eventually had to leave to book it to our lunch reservation at Be Our Guest. For the minor "inconvenience" of having to wait for like 5 minutes, one of the hotel managers gave us 3 FP+ slots to use anywhere in the Magic Kingdom that day. They really take service seriously at the GF, LOL.

As we were eating lunch (one of the few meals I forgot to photograph. Oops), we got the text that our room was ready. We headed back on the boat and I was floored by how nice everything was.

Jacuzzi tub with heat lamp.

Our balcony… probably the best part!

If it weren't for that big tree, we would have had a perfect view of Wishes. We could still hear it and see parts of it, though.

The club lounge. This was during a lull period.

We went back later and they had free wine, fruit, and cheese. That also ended up being dinner.


After we checked out the lounge, we headed back to MK. We had a particularly awkward meet and greet with Anna and Elsa (meeting face characters always feels a little more awkward somehow) and rode Space and Buzz. The mine train was down (which seems to happen pretty frequently) so we rode Big Thunder twice in a row.

Bahahaha.


We headed back to the GF to grab desserts from the lounge and watch (as much as possible) Wishes from our balcony. Then we watched some Disney cartoons (WDW only shows the new ones right now! I hate that. They should at least mix those in with the classics) and head to bed. I also experienced turn down service for the first time in my life, complete with chocolates on the pillow.

Our families and the majority of our friends were arriving the next day and we'd been awake for 22 hours, so sleep was both welcome and needed.

 

[Seia]

Love these-thanks for sharing and can't wait to follow along with your TR!

Thank you!

LOOK AT YOUR CAKE!!!!!! Oh my goodness that is so cute & elegant!

So beautiful. So happy for your beautiful day!

Thanks! There's a reaction shot of me seeing the cake for the first time, and it's hilarious but I love it. Can't wait to share it. I was very happy with how it turned out!

Love your engagement shots, cake, dress, hair and the whole look of the wedding. Can't wait to see all the pics! Congrats

Thank you so much! I'm excited to relive it in the TR because I'm kinda sad that it's over. LOL

 

[Disneyducks12]

Day 1: Travel, nails, pixie dust at the Grand, and evening in MK


Since we needed to be out of the house by 3 am, our alarm went off at 1:45. As you may recall, we finished the packing the night before, but didn't get in bed until after 10. Thankfully we seemed to be running on adrenaline. There was very little traffic, so we made good time getting to the airport. Walking from the parking shuttle through the terminal was an adventure though: we had two carry-on bags (one of which was a rolling back), our two regular rolling suitcases, a backpack, and my purse. Honestly, I'm just amazed that we got everything we needed there and (mostly) back.

Our flight was mostly uneventful, but we had a really funny flight crew. ("For those who actually paid attention to our safety instructions, thank you. For the rest of you… good luck!") I dozed a little, but I was anxious to hurry up and get to MCO.

Good morning, Florida.


I don't know why, but I always want to rush as quickly as possible from the plane to Magical Express. I feel like we need to be some of the first ones onboard. LOL. Probably just excitement! We didn't have to wait too long until we left, and even better, we were the first stop. This night, we were staying at the Grand Floridian as our comp night for the wedding.

One of my favorite sights.


We got to the Grand and checked in. It was just before 9, so our room wasn't ready yet. We left most of our things with bell services and walked to Franck's to drop off some things for the wedding. I saw Richard again, so we stopped to chat with him. He is so sweet!

My appointment for a manicure and pedicure at Senses wasn't until 11, so we decided to grab just a quick bite to eat. We shared the breakfast platter, which was huge. I also had the only perfect variation of the Anna's Birthday cupcake that I found the entire trip: yellow cake with buttercream icing/filling. Boardwalk Bakery had buttercream but chocolate cake, and Beach Club had yellow cake but whipped icing (yuck!). In case you didn't know, I have a lot of strong feelings about cake. LOL

After breakfast, we stopped in Basin. Oh my gosh, I could have gone crazy buying things in there! I settled for a bar of soap and a tub of bath bombs. As Josh and I were looking around, he got a call from one of the room managers of the GF saying they wanted to make our stay as magical as possible by moving us to the main building, club level. Josh didn't know what that meant and told him we really wanted to keep our theme park view. As soon as he got off the phone, I told him he was nuts. LOL. Josh called back right away, and thankfully it was all worked out and we were upgraded to a club level room!!

At that time, I had to hurry to Senses for my nail appointment. Senses was nice, but I didn't partake in using the neat heated loungey chairs. There also wasn't any of the snacks I had read about in prior reviews, but I had some spa water. The services themselves were nice, but I probably couldn't justify the costs in most circumstances. I wanted a French gel manicure, but it was $20 extra on top of the regular price so I got a blush pink instead. In the end, I liked it. It had just a touch of sparkle and matched my flowers. For my toes, I chose what I called "Donald blue."

I forgot to take pictures just of the nails themselves, but you can see them in some of the wedding photos I will post later. LOL. I will say that I still have the gel manicure on right now, and it still looks pretty nice. It held up through the entire honeymoon and beyond. Once I returned to Josh in the lobby, we went to the front desk to check on our room change. We waited a few minutes for someone from concierge level to come escort us, but eventually had to leave to book it to our lunch reservation at Be Our Guest. For the minor "inconvenience" of having to wait for like 5 minutes, one of the hotel managers gave us 3 FP+ slots to use anywhere in the Magic Kingdom that day. They really take service seriously at the GF, LOL.

As we were eating lunch (one of the few meals I forgot to photograph. Oops), we got the text that our room was ready. We headed back on the boat and I was floored by how nice everything was.

Jacuzzi tub with heat lamp.

Our balcony… probably the best part!

If it weren't for that big tree, we would have had a perfect view of Wishes. We could still hear it and see parts of it, though.

The club lounge. This was during a lull period.

We went back later and they had free wine, fruit, and cheese. That also ended up being dinner.


After we checked out the lounge, we headed back to MK. We had a particularly awkward meet and greet with Anna and Elsa (meeting face characters always feels a little more awkward somehow) and rode Space and Buzz. The mine train was down (which seems to happen pretty frequently) so we rode Big Thunder twice in a row.

Bahahaha.


We headed back to the GF to grab desserts from the lounge and watch (as much as possible) Wishes from our balcony. Then we watched some Disney cartoons (WDW only shows the new ones right now! I hate that. They should at least mix those in with the classics) and head to bed. I also experienced turn down service for the first time in my life, complete with chocolates on the pillow.

Our families and the majority of our friends were arriving the next day and we'd been awake for 22 hours, so sleep was both welcome and needed.

What a great start to your trip too bad about no snacks at Senses or getting to use the heated chair I here they are amazing! But what service at GF upgraded room plus free FP that's awesome and not a bad way to smart and how funny your DH tried to decline the upgrade! But glad you got in the end and I think my favorite part of my trips is turndown I don't know why I just love the little chocolate and knowing Im on vacation and get to relax!! Can't wait to hear more

 

[Doodlebug25413]

That is awesome you got upgraded!! Woot!!

Little things mean everything. Even if it's a bite of chocolate.

 

[elphie101]

Oh my goodness, when Josh didn't know what club level was and told them no, I almost DIED. I'm so glad you still got your CL room and you could at least hear Wishes from your balcony! And doesn't wine taste better when it's free? It's too funny that such a minor inconvenience earned your 3 FP+s - I guess the Grand does have a reputation to upload!

Are those little specific Grand Floridian themed chocolates? Adorable. What a lovely first day you had!

 

[Seia]

Oh my goodness, when Josh didn't know what club level was and told them no, I almost DIED. I'm so glad you still got your CL room and you could at least hear Wishes from your balcony! And doesn't wine taste better when it's free? It's too funny that such a minor inconvenience earned your 3 FP+s - I guess the Grand does have a reputation to upload!

Are those little specific Grand Floridian themed chocolates? Adorable. What a lovely first day you had!

Yes, they have Grand specific themed chocolates! We each got a small one, and there was a bigger one too.

And... get ready for this... the big chocolate bar ITSELF is especially themed for the Grand.

Even the top Kleenex in the bathroom was monogrammed with a GF.

 

[runner_princess]

I LOVE the Dapper Dans shirt! So super cute! And yay for the upgrade- what a great start to your trip!

 

[hooplah]

i love the sneak peak and im so glad someone shares my affinity for buttercream. it's blasphemy to me that whipped frosting even exists! your wedding looked beautiful, i'm so excited to read more!

 

[MagicalEnding]

Before I dive into the TR, I wanted to share my Glad I Did/Wish I Had. I'm still working on getting all of my pictures uploaded and organized, and then I will start tackling the TR. We should be getting the rest of our professional photos within the next few days as well, so then I will be excited to share those.


I'm Glad I...

Had a dessert party. It was a magical end to the wedding day! My guests raved about it, particularly the nacho bar. It was a unique touch to a Disney wedding. Plus, I would have been so sad if the wedding day ended at 2:30. It was totally worth the cost!

Hired Michael as our photographer! My family members all commented on how he went above and beyond the day of our wedding, and how impressed they were with him and his second shooter. I can't say enough good things! He did an amazing job, and he worked seamlessly with our cinematographers.

Added Trinity for video coverage. I haven't seen any product yet, but David and Kristina were so sweet and helpful on our wedding day. They are also Disney pros, and they knew all of the media guides working that night. I think that might be part of why we got to shoot some shots around the UK after the party ended.

Wore comfortable shoes. I was on my feet all day, walking up and down the boardwalk. Wearing Toms was the right call!

Had a first look. Seeing each other beforehand helped ease nerves and jitters, and it helped the timeline of the day since we could take photos beforehand.

Decided to forgo welcome bags. Initially we planned to do them (we even have 15 reusable Disney totes that we bought for them!), but so many of our guests were staying off property and it seemed like a lot of work and added stress at the last minute.

Had characters. For me, it was a no brainer. But even though most of our guests didn't dance along with them/us, almost everyone wanted their pictures taken with Donald and Daisy. It was so much fun and added just a touch of Disney magic!



I Wish I Had...

Had my bouquet preserved. I wasn't expecting to fall in love with it as much as I did! My flowers were gorgeous. They made it home, but they aren't drying well. However, it should also be noted that the bouquet was huge and very heavy. I think I could have had a bridesmaid size bouquet. Oh well! It was big and beautiful. Haha.

Been able to have a bar at the dessert party. I really wish we could have made it work, but especially since the DP was purely an extra add on, it just wasn't in the budget. Everyone still seemed to have a great time. It just would have been a nice touch.

Taken the time to eat at our reception! As soon as my plate was made, the Dapper Dans came to perform a set. Then, I was too busy mingling and just too excited to sit and eat. Thankfully, I did get some food at our dessert party. The day really did fly by so quickly.

Started working on toning my arms sooner and more diligently. LOL. I know it sounds a little vain, but just being honest. I think they look kind of fat in some of the pictures and it bothers me.

I'm super excited to read your entire TR and it sounds like everything went great. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE nachos! What was your menu at the dessert party and how much was the nacho bar? I just edited this. . . I saw your menu and the price. . . everything looks great!!!

 

[Seia]

i love the sneak peak and im so glad someone shares my affinity for buttercream. it's blasphemy to me that whipped frosting even exists! your wedding looked beautiful, i'm so excited to read more!

Thank you. Haha... I feel the same way! I won't even eat cake if it has whipped icing. (It's not even icing! It's an abomination! )

I'm super excited to read your entire TR and it sounds like everything went great. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE nachos! What was your menu at the dessert party and how much was the nacho bar? I just edited this. . . I saw your menu and the price. . . everything looks great!!!

The nachos were a HUGE hit. I was worried that our DP menu might be too small, but honestly, I don't think many people even ate the fruit salad. Everyone wanted nachos and ice cream. Haha.

 

[Seia]

Day 2: Family Arrivals, Move to Boardwalk, and MK with the Family


This morning was actually a little uneventful. Initially, we had scheduled a breakfast for Chef Mickey's, but since we didn't technically have our meal plan yet (it was only added to the Boardwalk reservation), we didn't want to pay out of pocket or go all the way to BWV and all the way back. Plus, since they had breakfast in the lounge, it worked out even better. You can't beat free.

Shortly after waking up, I texted my family to make sure that they had made it to their flight okay. None of them are very experienced travelers, so I was pretty worried. We estimated that they would probably be at the BW by noon, so we wanted to make sure we were there and checked in beforehand. Shortly after, I went to the GF gym to squeeze in a run. I was surprised – it was packed!! I got one of the few available treadmills.

Afterward, I'm embarrassed to admit that it took me a little while to find the side elevator and door that I walked out from. I really didn't want to have to go around and through the lobby because I was a sweaty mess. When I got back to the room, I made use of the Mickey bath bombs I had bought the day before by taking a bath in the awesome Jacuzzi tub. Unfortunately, I don't think the jets had been used or cleaned in awhile. Yuck! Thankfully, I didn't turn them on until the very end.

We grabbed breakfast in the lounge and left most of our luggage with bell services to transport to the Boardwalk. At this point, we had to take a taxi or else there was no way we would have beaten our families there. Amazingly, our room was ready when we got there around 11:20! It was also very conveniently located to the lobby (but we'll come back to that later). I know they are re-doing the interiors of the BW rooms, but I'm glad ours was still the old style. The new ones completely lack all of the charm that the BW has IMO.

Our studio had this extra little couch, but my family's didn’t.

Unfortunately, our patio was pretty tiny.



Not long after check in, we were surprised by a knock at the door. It was someone delivering a congratulations gift: a balloon and card from Mickey and Minnie. It was very nice! Unfortunately, the balloon died by the day of the wedding.

Shortly after, I got a text from my family that they were already in their room. LOL. So much for trying to be there to help them check in. Within just a few minutes, Josh got a call from his mom that they had arrived with my dress in tow! So I decided to go visit my family and while he went to retrieve the dress (I trusted him!), get it to our room, and go help his mom get checked in at the Beach Club.

My family was hungry, so we all went down to the bakery to grab lunch. My dad wasn't really a fan of it. (Honestly, after a week at the BW, I was sick of it being the only close QS too since their menu is so small.) My parents went back to their room to take a nap while my sister, nephew, and I explored the BW. Eventually, we made our way over to the BC to see Josh's mom's room. I was curious about seeing a studio there.

With my nephew!


After visiting with Josh's mom for a few minutes (and actually, that was the first time she and my sister had ever met), we all headed back to the BW. Peyton and my family headed to the pool while Josh and I got our luggage and freshened up. We headed into the MK around 4:30. My parents had never been to Disney at all, and my sister hadn't been since we were kids in 1996. So this was an adventure for them! I was worried about my parents' mobility, but they seemed to hold up mostly okay.

Throughout the evening, we rode Dumbo, Tea Party (my parents sat that one out), Barnstormer, Pirates, Haunted Mansion, and Big Thunder. My mom thought Big Thunder was a little too much, so I decided we should not even attempt Space...

Tea cups!

We stopped for dinner at Pecos Bill, which thankfully my whole family seemed to love. I got a call from Beaute Speciale while we were there, and boy, that place is sure noisy. I got the remaining service balance paid off and confirmed room numbers and arrival times. I think the most fun we had was watching the Electrical parade and Wishes. We actually found a REALLY good spot to see Wishes away from the hub – we even got to sit down and still see most of the bursts!

My family in front of the castle.

On the way out of the park (probably around 11:30 or so), we stopped in a few shops on Main Street. I bought my parents a couple of t-shirts, and Josh got me an Alex and Ani bracelet I really liked!

Love it!


We got back to the BW right around midnight. I think my sister and nephew could have made until 2 am (there were EMH that night), but the rest of us were really tired. Even Josh and me, the seasoned Disney veterans.

I hadn't seen this at night before. I liked it!


We all said our good nights and parted ways in the lobby. Josh and I headed to bed not long after getting to our room. I was starting to get excited: our rehearsal and welcome luncheon were the next day!

 

[twinkybel81]

Thank you for the pixie dust!! It was a fabulous day!



Sorry to hear you were sick. But thanks for the wedding day wishes!!



In case you care, it stays up for 30 days. They streamed the ceremony, toast, cake cutting, characters, and a Dapper Dans set here: http://livestream.com/trinityweddingcinema/events/3809295/



Thank you!



Thanks!! It was a great day!



Thank you!! It was a magical day!



Now it's almost time for your wedding!

Thank you for sharing the link! It's taken me several days to watch them (yay busy busy), but I've really enjoyed your videos! Looks like a fun and love filled day! Looking forward to your next TR update.

 

[Seia]

Day 3: Rehearsal, Welcome Luncheon, and Animal Kingdom with Family

Before I begin, I will preface by saying that this post features a mix of professional pictures from Michael, our own photos, and pictures our guests took. Obviously, the ones that are much nicer quality are from Michael. We have all of our pictures back already, which is great since the next part of the TR starts the wedding day entries. Still waiting on our video sneak peek, though.

This morning, we were able to sleep in a little because we had nothing planned until the rehearsal. I had joked about rope dropping Test Track, but I was relieved for an easy morning. I ate part of a leftover bagel that had been pilfered from the Grand club level lounge, but it had gotten kind of hard. Josh forgot to pack any 'nicer' clothes to wear for today, but oh well. We got ready and met my family in the lobby around 9:40.

But we had to stop and get pictures of the sign in the lobby on the way.


We made our way over to Sea Breeze and ended up being the first ones to arrive. I got a text from Laura (bridesmaid) that they were en route and would arrive shortly. In the meantime, we took the opportunity to take lots of pictures.

With my mom and sister. The weather was unusually nice that day (and Monday, thankfully)!

The setup in SBP.


It wasn't long until Diane and Michael arrived, with everyone else trickling in soon after. We ran through the wedding ceremony, including the script that Dustin had prepared, and I clarified a few things. It ran pretty smoothly and was mostly straightforward. The only point of confusion – that somehow still ended up happening on the day of the wedding – was when exactly to start pouring the unity sand. Oh well. LOL

The guys waiting.

I assume I was asking Diane questions.

Rehearsing.


We had several rather forceful lurkers, some of whom proceeded to walk up the walkway on the left side to take pictures of themselves. Grr! Better than on the wedding day, I guess, but I wanted to tell them to get out. Haha. After the rehearsal, we all kind of lingered around until 11 when someone else's rehearsal was about to start. My family went back to their room so the girls could put on comfortable shoes. Everyone else went off to wander the Boardwalk until 11:45 or so, when we could get into Ariel's.

Josh and I were peeking inside Ariel's a little early when his aunt came over to us. She and Josh's uncle were staying at the BC, so they didn't have much of a walk. I had only met her once before, so we spent awhile chatting and catching up. Eventually, I had to go back to BW to retrieve my family because I wasn't sure if they could find their way over on their own. LOL. By the time we got all the way BACK to the Beach Club, it was closer to noon and there were several people there already.

Josh went to wait in the lobby to direct guests who might go there first, while I waited with everyone else. We had invited our vendors, so I got to meet David and Kristina from Trinity before the wedding day which was very nice. We had the room layout to include two long, Roman style tables rather than traditional rounds. Josh thought that would be better and eliminated any need for table assignments. We also each sat at a different table in an attempt to be as hospitable as possible. Hopefully that was accomplished.

I would also like to point out what I referred to as the pity centerpieces. I didn't want to pay for décor or floral for this event, but they supplied some nice looking pieces on the tables anyway!

That is actually the only picture I have of the buffet, and somehow we don't have any of the actual food. I heard good things about the food, but I didn't eat too much myself. The baked macaroni and cheese and the pasta were delicious, and they seemed to be the biggest hits. The desserts were great, too: they made our fresh fruit into the cutest Mickey displays. We also had assorted cheesecakes (classic, mango, and Milky Way). The Milky Way cheesecakes were amazing! I went back for seconds and they were gone.

The dessert table.

The amazing Milky Way cheesecakes.


It was also one of our guest's 2nd birthday, so the staff brought out a cupcake and sang Happy Birthday to her. I thought that was very nice. Unfortunately, my nephew started not to feel well, so my family left a little early to take him back to the room. As more guests started to file out, we began telling people goodbye (until tomorrow!) and reminding them of the timeline for the wedding day. All of the girls were staying overnight in our room and Josh was staying with his mom at the Beach Club.

After lunch, I couldn't believe how quickly the time had passed. Just like that, our welcome lunch was already over. On the way back to Boardwalk, Josh and I took our time going through the lobbies. What scent do they use at the Beach Club?! It is amazing. We sat on one of the swings by the beach for several minutes before we went back to the room and changed (well, I did at least). Peyton was feeling better, so it wasn't long before we headed to Animal Kingdom. My parents decided to sit this one out and rest at the hotel.

My sister on the bus.


We rode the safari and Dinosaur. I wasn't sure how my nephew would feel about thrill rides, so I didn't make a FP for Everest. Of course he wanted to ride it the most, and of course the wait was 40 minutes. Oh well! My sister was afraid and wanted to skip it, but somehow we got her on there. Peyton wanted to ride with Josh, leaving us ladies to fend for ourselves behind them. Haha.

Hahaha. I love this. (And yes, I'm wearing the same shirt from Friday. Don't judge me.)


We ended up grabbing dinner at Pizzafari, which was better than I remembered. Our last FP was for Primeval Whirl, which Josh and I had actually never done before. After riding it, now I see why. This was the first and likely last time we will be on Primeval Whirl. In case you aren't familiar, this ride is basically like simulating the feeling of being in a car wreck. I seriously think I got bruises from that ride.

We got back to Boardwalk around 7:30 or so, which was probably good because of our crazy early morning the next day. Laura had gone to Universal that day, so she wasn't going to be there until around 10. My mom and sister went to pack a bag of things they would need the next morning, and I proceeded with my to-do list. I cleaned up the room a bit for the vendors, filled out Josh's card for the first look, and looked through some pictures from the rehearsal/lunch.

My mom and sister came down to my room around 9:15 or so, and being bad influences , suggested we go get margaritas from the stand. Oh my gosh, those margaritas are really good! My sister and I had strawberry and my mom had the traditional grand.

Margaritas

It wasn't long after we got back to the room that Laura texted me from the lobby. We all talked and looked at hair/makeup pictures on Pinterest until close to 11, when I said I had to go to bed. I just couldn't believe the time was finally here: I was getting married tomorrow!