The girls and I woke up at about 6:45 the morning of the wedding. I was expecting to have to wake up earlier but our hair and makeup team let us know that this time frame would be ok. I didnt sleep well during the night. Not because I was nervous just because I was hoping everything would run smoothly for us since we put so much effort and money into our day. And you only get to officially do it once! Right?
We woke up and put on our matching robes. As soon as we got our dresses out of the closet and accessories together we had a knock on the door. It was our hairstylist. She quickly got her work station put together and put on some music for us and then we started the beautification process. About 30 minutes later our makeup artist Tabitha called. She was having a hard time finding her way around our hotel but then she finally found the room and she got to work as well. Both of these ladies were great to work with but Tabitha really went above and beyond for us! She was amazing. I have never felt as pretty as I did after she got done with my makeup. Ladies airbrush is the way to go!
Although no one warned me how scary the application process is the first time. I honestly felt like I was choking the whole time but it was well worth it.
Our photographer Emily along with her assistant came to see us around 8:30. She sent her assistant to capture the guys as they got ready for the big day and she stuck around with us. Our videographer from Reminsce Productions showed up around the same time. Not really sure when since he did a pretty good job at blending in. I honestly probably said two words to him the entire time he was there. I already knew Emily so it was like having another friend along for the ride. I also much mention what a great help she was. She delivered my floral to me from my planner, she helped us carry things back and forth, and even helped bustle my dress!
Emily used the lighting in our room to capture some shots before heading downstairs. When we finally started making our way down the hall we waited by the elevators to see if we were ok or not to head downstairs. I did not want Chris to see me. But we waited for a while. We took some pictures by the windows and then Emily decided to head down to meet with Kristin and see if everything was clear. Well by the time she headed back up she had my floral in hand. They were not ready yet so we decided to hang out for a while. I am not sure if she went back downstairs or if Kristin came and got us but all I know is that I was told we were running late at some point. It was all starting to run together for me. But Kristin was very sweet. She had a Disney Weddings bag for me with a set of watches for Chris and I to take home with us. She was so sweet and so great to work with. She escorted me to find my dad and he was waiting right in the lobby for me. When he told me I looked beautiful I almost started balling but I held back since I paid an arm and a leg for all that pretty makeup.
After taking some pictures with my girls and my parents we headed to the ceremony site. On the walk to Sea Breeze Kristin let me know that Reverend Jack did not show up this morning. But then she quickly following this devastating news with the phrase but I called Reverend Tim for you and he is here. This was like music to my ears. If she had not taken care of this for us we would not have had a wedding! We were so grateful and I was a little annoyed since I called two weeks prior to the wedding to confirm that we were on his schedule. I was told by his assistant that we were so I am not sure how that all happened but I didnt worry about it.
I got a couple minutes to stand and talk with my dad before walking down the aisle but I am honestly not sure what was said since I was a ball of nerves by this point. But then Reverend Tim came down to me to introduce himself which I thought was very sweet. He asked me if I was ready to start and then he made his was back up to Chris and we started the ceremony.
This is the point where everything started going by in a blur for me. Walking down the aisle I just kept thinking how nice the floral looked and how great the Disney floral team did. As soon as I got up to Chris I was almost shaking with nerves. I could tell he was nervous during the ceremony as well. We had a couple funny things happen during the ceremony like a flower falling from one of our arrangements, one of the boats went by when we read the vows her wrote, he tried to put my wedding band on the wrong finger, and I forgot a line or two during the ceremony. But this all added to the casual feeling of our wedding and I think the guests got a kick out of it.
We did our staged exit and then we greeted all of our guests. I remember after greeting everyone Kristin pulled us aside and made sure we drank some water from our beverage station. She directed us to meet with the Reverend and we went over Marriage License info and then paid him for his services. He made sure to get a couple pictures of us as well. He was such a sweetheart.
After this we took pictures at Seabreeze before the floral team moved our decor. After we got pictures with our guests Kristin escorted them to The Attic while we took some pictures with the bridal party around the boardwalk. We took some pictures alone as well after she sent the bridal party upstairs.
We then made our way to the reception after stopping on the way here and there for photo and video ops. Everyone clapped for us as we came in. We met with our banquet captains Glenn and Manny briefly who really took great care of us during our event. They got us both a drink and some leftovers from the cocktail hour and asked us to take a seat at our sweetheart table while the speeches started.
Stephanie went first with her speech which had me balling. She brought up funny stories from when we were kids. It really touched me since we have really been best friends since birth. Andy followed with his toast which was just ok. You could kinds tell it was put together last minute and he was really nervous but it was a little awkward which made us all laugh.
After the toasts we headed to the buffet. I really like how Disney makes sure the couple gets to eat by escorting them through the buffet first. We got to try mostly everything and it was all so delicious! The chefs did a great job! We didnt get to eat much of the food but I am glad we at least got to eat a little. Everyone raved about the food.
After eating we mingled with everyone and danced a little bit. But this was hard since the space was a little crapped.
We got plenty of pictures with everyone and tried to use the views we had out on the patio as well for some pictures.
At the end of the reception I started realizing that our guest book was missing and some of the other items we wanted the floral team to put out didnt make it out. Glenn called Kristin and let her know so 30 minutes later when our reception was supposed to be over the guest book finally made it upstairs. But we were a little upset about this since we spent a lot of time and money designing custom menus for the guests to take with them that were never used. There some other items too but I cant really remember.
Anyway...the reception went by pretty fast and around 3 in the afternoon we all made our way back to our rooms. We thanked our vendors and the wedding was officially over
how sad. People always tell you how fast it goes by and now I really understand what they meant. It is so hard to take everything in when your so nervous and just hoping everything runs smooth for you and your guests.
We made our way to Chriss parents room to collect all of our bags and gifts we stored the night before. We hung out with the family for a couple more minutes and then we met everyone in the lobby. They all helped Chris and I pack up the car and then after thanking them all for coming we headed on our way to the honeymoon!
We stayed in a one bedroom villa at the beach club during our stay. We got to the hotel and got checked in. Our room was ready since it was 3:30 so we dropped our luggage with bell services and then went to check out our room. I was very very impressed with our villa. The floral team delivered all of our ceremony floral to our room and put them in arrangements for us to enjoy during our stay which were beautiful. The room itself was very spacious and really went well with the beach club theme. It was the perfect setting for our honeymoon!
Right after the wedding...officially Mrs. Cartwright!
And here is a look into our room...
We were so tired so we decided to really take advantage of our nice room and get in a nap. By the time we woke up we were ready to get to one of the parks. We decided to turn in our vouchers for our free annual passes and go to the Magic Kingdom. We thought there would be no better way to celebrate our wedding night then at Cinderellas Castle.
We were both so excited to see the new fantasyland so that is where we headed first. Although this new addition is a little smaller than we expected the details were beautiful. We decided to head to Belles Story Time first. I thought that the mirror walk through was amazing but the actual show left a little to be desired. I guess it was pretty cute to see all the kids get into it...oh and Chris! But I also see this attraction as one big Photopass push from Disneys perspective.
After that we headed to the Little Mermaid ride which I was so excited about. This was always my favorite Disney movie. Although this is an exact replica of the same ride in California the details of the que area were beautiful and the crab game is so cute.
We also took a peak in Gastons Tavern, which like everything else had amazing detail. The food options seem to just be snack type items but it is still a neat sit down area when the florida heat tires you out.
We decided to eat dinner while being serenaded by Cosmic Ray at the Starlight Cafe. I know this is probably not anyone elses idea of the perfect wedding night meal but after gorging ourselves on our buffet prepared by the Disney Catering Team we were not really hungry at this point. We always make it a point to eat here at least once on every trip. Its one of our favorites at the Magic Kingdom.
Chris settled on the Pulled Pork sandwich with fries which he thought was just ok. I am sure this menu item seems great to others who are not die hard BBQ fans like him. We love our BBQ in GA! I decided to just go with the kids meal turkey sandwich and fries. I try to order kids meals as much as I can when we eat quick service. They are a couple dollars cheaper at every meal and they actually come with more food at lunch and dinner. The kids menu items include a drink, an entree, and two sides. Most of the time I end up just ordering double fries which is WAY more food that Chris gets with the adult meals and it costs less!
After dinner we made our way back to the resort. The nap helped us but not for long. We were both still so exhausted and the park was really crowded. When we got back to the resort we enjoyed watching the Epcot fireworks while we ate some of our wedding cake. It was the perfect ending to our special night!
Looking forward to reading the rest of it. But wow, 1am...and you were probably up early the next morning for hair and makeup... a little low on sleep there. 
