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

[1EvilQueenfan]

Happy Wedding Day Ginger!! I hope all went well and that your special day wasn't affected by Hurricane Sandy. Can't wait to hear all about it and see some pics

Jodi

 

[Freckledginger]

Hi Ladies!!!
We're back!!! The wedding was so fantastic!!! It wasn't without it's dramatic moments *cough* Hurricane Sandy *cough*, but everything worked out in the end.

I so appreciate you all thinking of us, and the well wishes you sent for our big day I'm travelling back to Texas this week, but when I get back, I promise to post my final PJ updates (things were crazy in the week before the wedding) and to start my TR. Really excited to share our experiences and hopefully I'll have some photos back by then!! Here's a teaser photo to get things started!

 

[Fivepin]

Hi Ladies!!!
We're back!!! The wedding was so fantastic!!! It wasn't without it's dramatic moments *cough* Hurricane Sandy *cough*, but everything worked out in the end.

I so appreciate you all thinking of us, and the well wishes you sent for our big day I'm travelling back to Texas this week, but when I get back, I promise to post my final PJ updates (things were crazy in the week before the wedding) and to start my TR. Really excited to share our experiences and hopefully I'll have some photos back by then!! Here's a teaser photo to get things started!

Glad to hear the wedding was fantastic. Your picture looks beautiful-can't wait to see and read more. Hopefully you'll have something posted before I leave!

 

[LittleKittyMarie]

That is a stunning photo -- so gorgeous! Glad to hear the wedding was fantastic! I cannot wait to hear all about it!

 

[belle2211]

Wow! That picture is so stunning that it looks like it was in a bridal magazine!!

 

[JBeanBunny]

Ginger, the couple photos I've seen were PHENOMENAL! I'm so jealous of your photographer's skills! Jess FTW!!! Looking forward to hearing about your trip!

 

[Bewitch324]

Wow that picture is GORGEOUS!! Can't wait to hear all about your trip and the wedding!!

Congratulations!

Brooke

 

[tinydancr06]

Incredible photo! Can't wait to read about the wedding and your trip!

 

[Goldeelox9]

I thought about you non-stop! I can not wait to read all about it!

 

[ccbride412]

Yay! I love your teaser! I can't wait to see more!

 

[Freckledginger]

Hi Ladies!!

I'm back!!! I know it's been forever and a day, and I apologize for neglecting my DIS friends for so long. It's truly been a whirlwind since the wedding. Right after the wedding, some of Timmy's family came up to my family's farm to visit with us for a week. Then we had to drive back to Texas, I started my new job (exciting, but scary too!), and Timmy's mother stayed with us for a month before she went back to Australia. So it's truly been craziness.

It feels great to be married though, and it was so amazing to have everyone come together for the wedding. I'm really excited to tell you all about it, but I've been waiting to get our photos back from Jess first. She told me that we're next on her editing list, so hopefully I'll be able to start my TR in the next week or so. In the meantime, I have a couple random things I didn't get to post before the wedding, and I want to reply to your posts. Thanks so much for continuing to post, and keeping up with my little PJ. Hopefully the TR will be worth the wait

Glad to hear the wedding was fantastic. Your picture looks beautiful-can't wait to see and read more. Hopefully you'll have something posted before I leave!

Hi Judy!
Sorry I didn't get to post anything before you had your special day. How was it?! The couple photos you posted on the Cruise Brides page are so gorgeous!!! You look beautiful!

That is a stunning photo -- so gorgeous! Glad to hear the wedding was fantastic! I cannot wait to hear all about it!

Thanks so much, Nicole!! I've only seen a few preview photos thus far, and it's definitely my favorite. Looking forward to catching up with your PJ!

Wow! That picture is so stunning that it looks like it was in a bridal magazine!!

Oh my, thank you so much, Andrea! That's super kind of you to say. We were combating major winds that day from Sandy, so I truly didn't know how things were going to turn out. Jess is a super talented photographer though, so she made it work

Ginger, the couple photos I've seen were PHENOMENAL! I'm so jealous of your photographer's skills! Jess FTW!!! Looking forward to hearing about your trip!

Thanks so much, Jillian! I'm so excited to see the rest of them!!! Jess did a really amazing job. I didn't make a photo list for her though, so I'm a little worried we may have missed out on some posed shots that I really wanted. I'm sure she'll have some fantastic photos though that'll assail my fears.
Good for you on submitting to the DFTW blog!!! Your photos are so stunning, and you guys would be perfect to be featured! Will cross my fingers for you that you get selected
How's the new job going??

Wow that picture is GORGEOUS!! Can't wait to hear all about your trip and the wedding!!

Congratulations!

Brooke

Thanks so much, Brooke!! Hopefully I'll be able to start my TR soon!

Incredible photo! Can't wait to read about the wedding and your trip!

Thank you, Lindsay! I appreciate you joining in!! How are your wedding plans going??

I thought about you non-stop! I can not wait to read all about it!

Thanks so much, Lisa!! You've been such a dear through this whole thing. You're the best vacation planner anyone could ask for! Hopefully I'll get this TR started soon!!

Yay! I love your teaser! I can't wait to see more!

Thanks Meaghan!! I'm still waiting on the bulk of the photos from Jess, but I'll try to post the other couple teaser photos I have on here.

 

[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.

 

[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!

 

[Freckledginger]

Unfortunately, I didn't get any photos of the Welcome Bags before we gave them out. I put them together on the first night of the cruise, and things were so busy at that point, I completely forgot
Here's a photo of the bag I kept taken after the fact:

Beside the custom canvas bags from the Wedding Chicks site, our Welcome Bags had:

-Bare Necessities Bags (Travel-Size Essentials: Burt's Bees Chapstick, Dramamine, Advil Liquid Gels, Band-Aids & Neosporin, Sunscreen, Aloe Gel, as well as Bath & Body Works Hand Sanitizer in plastic bags I bought from Staples)

-Australian and American Flags to wave at our entrance to the Cake & Champagne Celebration (in lieu of rose petals)

-Mini-Vege-Mites

-Austro-American flag pins

-Halloween bag: with assorted candy and glow bracelets

-Mickey Bottle Openers (Disney Store) wrapped in Muslin Bags (Clementine Weddings) tied to a mini-bottle of Martinelli's Cider

-Custom Mickey Soaps (Jilly Bunny's Imaginarium)

Jillian, hope you don't mind me stealing these photos from your PJ! They were so much better than the ones I tried to take

-Stubbie-Holders aka Koozies (Totally Promotional)

-Custom Stateroom Door Magnets
(Wedding Party Magnet design by Something Printable by Victoria Ann and Printed by VistaPrint; Individual Magnets made by my older sister using designs she customized from the DISboards)

Each stateroom got one wedding party magnet, name magnets for each person in room, and flag magnets representing the nationalities of the guests.

And... I think that's it

 

[Freckledginger]

Supplies:
-100 lb or heavier Cardstock
-Scissors or Rotary Cutter
-Eyelet & Snap Punch
-Eyelets
-(Optional) Decorative Brads or Ribbon

1) Design your program
After looking at different designs on the internet and Etsy, I decided I wanted a 4 petal program with a cover, bridal party page, order of events page, and fun facts about the bride & groom page. There are templates on the internet that you can use to design your petals, but I wanted to work with Victoria Ann again and coordinate with our invitation suite. After giving her a brief description of what we wanted, she emailed me the designs:

2) Print the petals
As I was running short on time, I decided to have the petals printed at Staples locally rather than trying to go through an online company like Vistaprint. I had 50 programs printed on 100lb white cardstock (the heaviest they had).

3) Cut out the petals

I purchased a new pair of small scissors and a rotary trimmer to cut out the petals. I began with the rotary trimmer as I wanted the straightest lines possible, but since the template goes from a straight edge to a curve, I actually found the rotary trimmer more finicky to use. Since I had lots to do and little time to do it, I abandoned the trimmer and moved on to the scissors. As long as I didn't hurry too much, the scissors did a really good job and were a lot easier.

4)Punch a hole in the bottom and set an eyelet

Line up all petals to form one set. Using the Crop-A-Dile Eyelet and Snap Punch, I punched a hole (I used 3/16 size) near the bottom of each set. I then put in a matching sized eyelet, and used the tool to clamp it down. It is really important to apply gentle, but firm pressure until you've achieved the desired level of tightness between the petals. If you squeeze too hard right away, the petals won't be able to move smoothly and your fan won't open up correctly. I did this accidentally on my first fan, but was able to loosen it by pulling at the back of the eyelet a bit.

5) Apply a decorative element

If you want, you can jazz up the eyelet with some sort of decoration. Online, I saw lots of people tied ribbon through the bottom. While at hobby lobby, I came across these really cute travel/beach/nautical themed brads. So I made sure to get a big enough eyelet that would allow the brads to fit through, and bought an assortment of the brads. On the back of each fan, I used the stamp, "Once in a while, right in the middle of an ordinary life, love gives us a fairytale" and applied navy embossing powder--sorry forgot to take a photo of this!

Finished product:

If I had it to do all over again, the only change I would make is adjust the template slightly so the fans were shorter. Mine were just a bit floppy, even with 100lb cardstock, and I think it was because they were a bit long. Or I guess try to find heavier cardstock


Oh, the other thing I made were schedules for the week. Something Printable by Victoria Ann did the design, which was based off of a WDW Times Guide. I printed them out two to a page on cardstock, and cut them using a guillotine cutter. I highly recommend doing a schedule if you're having multiple events and/or transport for your wedding; our guests found it very helpful.

 

[dclwonderprincess]

These are amazing!

 

[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 )

 

[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.

 

[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!

 

[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!