So Much to Celebrate. . a Disney Wedding, 30th Anniversary & Easter 2015 Updated 3/29

[vamassey1]

I'M MICHELLE!

My Disney Fairy Tale Wedding
#FontenotFairyTale

Hello, all! As my mother mentioned, I've been briefed on my participation in this thread. I'm Michelle, and I GOT MARRIED AT THE HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH! That's my claim to fame. I see my mom's making her way through the first part of the trip when they arrived prior to all of us. I guess I just wanted to throw out the background before we "arrive"... in terms of Disney Wedding Planning. So my apologies in advance if there's a ton of info. and I'm super new to this, so my emoji game is a little weak.

First of all, I'm major Type A personality. I make lists to make lists to have meetings to plan things. That's just how I roll, and I'm good at it. So essentially, planning a wedding should be a dream for me, right?! WRONG. When we got engaged, it was in New Orleans because my husband knew if he tried to ask me to relax at home, I'd be more concerned about what needed to be done around the house or what groceries needed to be bought for the next week. This also made a big impact on our decision to do a destination wedding. I was not interested in all of the hulabaloo and $$$ that goes into a big, white wedding so I could walk around for hours, smile for pictures, and mingle. However, that does mean we missed a few things, like dancing with my dad, the Church's blessing, and having all of our friends and family there. But there are pros and cons to everything and we wouldn't have changed it for the world. In fact, my husband and I very seriously plan to continue to renew our vows in every place Disney allows you to over time!

Around our engagement, we had toyed with the idea of a big, white wedding and I tried to find ways to make it work in my head, but it just didn't pan out. So his cousin comes to town and everyone is talking about how great her wedding in Vegas was and how destination weddings are the best. Note: she got married in Vegas, but it was still no small affair. My husband comes from a large, Italian, extended family. So, yeah. That was a hot topic at dinner while she was visiting. The next day, my husband and I went tailgating at an LSU game. I'll never forget the moment the words left my lips. We were talking about wedding planning and, half intoxicated, I just said, "If we're getting married, we're having a destination wedding. And it's going to be in Disney World!"

And that was it! We looked into it, sent a few emails, inquired about the whole process. Next thing you know they gave us all available time slots and locations for the week we were planning and it was just a matter of checking a few boxes. We decided on a Sunday-Friday trip with the wedding on Tuesday. Now I don't remember why we chose Tuesday, but I want to say it was to give everyone time to get there and settled before the big day, but early enough in the trip so we still had a simi-honeymoon... with my (now)step daughter and both of our families.

Honestly, originally we had planned an "Escape" package wedding which would have been at the Wedding Pavillion with about 20 people total and a small reception at the Grand Floridian. Forgive me if I don't remember specifics, but that was going to run us a lot more money and trying to get our family and friends to Disney was a lot more difficult than we had anticipated. Not to mention life just got in the way and I was to the point that I didn't care about a reception or how many people were there. I just wanted to marry my love and enjoy our "wedding moon." So we moved to the "Memories" collection with the help of the wonderful (I can't say this enough) people that work for Disney!

Moving from Escape to Memories meant we were giving up on a lot of the amenities included in that price, like a cake, a small reception, annual passes, etc. But it was nothing worth crying over for us, and Disney still made a point to make us feel like royalty throughout the planning process as well as the day of. At the end of the day, we would be married with our closest family there, and in the Happiest Place on Earth. What the Memories wedding did allow us was four guests (more on this later), location, a photographer (20 5x7s included), 3 hour of limo time or an "in room celebration", fresh flowers, a violinist, and an on site coordinator. From that point, it was just picking the details. Disney is AMAZING at this. They basically give you a form with all the options and you pick the ones you want. It was like picking all the toys you wanted for Christmas from the sales circulars. I'll post more on that later. I don't want to write an entire book. And there will be plenty of pictures to come!

Michelle and great wedding planning. You're so good with the details.

 

[ArielSRL]

The wedding details are so exciting! I can't wait to hear more about it!

 

[vamassey1]

The wedding details are so exciting! I can't wait to hear more about it!

They are the fun part of planning!

 

[amazingact21]

Thanks for joining in on the report, Michelle! I just love that you decided to go with what you wanted and what would make you happiest for your wedding.
I have to admit, I was not that strong and did what was "traditional" and my husband and I to this day still comment, "We should've gotten married at Disney." One of bigger mistakes I've made, so I love the fact that you figured out what would make you happiest and went with it.

I'm looking forward to hearing more of the details, such as were you had your ceremony, and how the 4 guests rule was....stretched.

 

[Poolrat]

Hi Michelle!! I am looking forward to hearing all about the details!! Sounds like a wonderful plan and it worked out for you and your hubby.

 

[vamassey1]

I'm looking forward to hearing more of the details, such as were you had your ceremony, and how the 4 guests rule was....stretched.

I'll just say Disney is the best.

Hi Michelle!! I am looking forward to hearing all about the details!! Sounds like a wonderful plan and it worked out for you and your hubby.

Hopefully Michelle will get back on soon. I know she has worked up another post but needed to get her post count up so she could put some pictures in it.

 

[mFont23]

So once we settled on the Memories wedding, it was time to pick our details. This was my favorite part of planning the wedding, for sure!

First off, I hope it doesn’t offend anyone that I call my stepdaughter “my little girl” or “our little girl” but I’ve been a part of a her life since shortly after turning 3 and she is every bit mine as she is her father’s, though not of my own flesh. Just wanted to throw that out there before I go ahead and mention that our little girl was turning 5 a few weeks before the wedding. She was still too young to really hold onto a timeline and count downs are hard to keep up when she spends half of her time with us and the other half of the week with her mom. She knew we were getting married, but we never told her details. We dress shopped and talked about planning, but never said much else.

We didn’t tell her we were even going to Disney until her birthday. Then when she opened her Easter basket on Easter Sunday, that’s when she found out we were going to be getting married while we were in Disney. It’s safe to say we like surprises. Most of our extended family didn’t know either. We sent a mass email out a few days before we flew out, but that was it. It was our day, our little secret, and to be honest I really liked the way that worked out. It kept it special between us and took a lot of the pressure off of pleasing everyone else.

Back to the fun part of planning! Once the contracts were signed, we got our “Disney Fairy Tale Wedding Planning Kit.” This was where all the options were. Each item literally had a drop down box with 4 or 5 choices and that was it. Disney provides almost all of the wedding details, and whatever isn’t directly Disney provided, they give a preferred vendor list.

Choices in Disney Planning Kit:

• Location: Luau Beach at Poly, Conch Key Marina at GF, or Sunrise Terrace at Wilderness Lodge
  • I wasn’t crazy about the Conch Key spot, and Sunrise Terrace wasn’t very “us”
  • PLUS WE LOVE THE BEACH! We got to have a Disney wedding and a beach wedding in ONE!
• Time: Monday- Friday 9am, 11am, 1pm, and 3pm
  • We chose Tuesday, April 7 at 11am. 9am was TOO EARLY and the rest was too late. With 11am, we were still able to celebrate and get our butts back into a park with all of our family!
• Floral Selection: *bouquet included
  • Roses and Lilies Bouquet- White with Ivory Ribbon
• Additional Floral Selection:
  • 3 White Single Rose Boutonnieres (Dads and Groom) $11 each
  • 2 White Single Rose Corsages (Moms) $23.25 each
  • Flower Girl Basket with Rose Petals (pink) $60.25 SHE GOT TO KEEP IT AND ITS SO COOL!
• Limousine Charter or In-Room Celebration
  • I was really proud of myself for not googling what the in-room celebration was, so I was actually surprised when we got it. Limo wasn’t really an option. Our trip time was limited and we wanted to go play!
• Violinist Selection:
  • Bridal Party- Canon in D *don’t even remember this part*
  • Bride- When you wish upon a star
  • Recessional- Wedding march *don’t remember this either*
• Photography
  • We waived our rights to a Disney photographer in order to have an outside photographer that had been doing Disney weddings for, like, 25 years! His pricing and work was fantastic and it fit perfectly into our schedule. While Disney’s photographers do beautiful work, we wanted a little more for our money and it was one of the best decisions we ever made. RANDY CHAPMAN! Look him up if you’re ever in Disney and want a photoshoot.

We got through all the Disney selections, but we still had to pick a few other things. I’m, self-proclaimed, cheap! So splurging to have my hair and makeup done on my wedding day was a big deal. I only did it so that I wasn’t going to stress myself out on timing. We chose Beaute’ Especial and requested Ana because she was so highly recommended. Note: for as long as Disney has been hosting weddings and how well-crafted they are, you would think you’d find more out on google. Turns out, I actually quite enjoyed the element of surprise in the end. We also had to pick our pastor. I picked one guy solely based on his email address. We originally contacted Tim Herring (www.disneyweddingminister.com) but he was already booked for that day. So I researched the other names in the planning kit and decided to contact Reverend Kevin Knox. His website was great, but we really booked him because he did work on The Bachelor before and he seemed super cheesy! This made me just love him! I can’t be serious and emotional at the same time, so to have someone that just loves love and is light-hearted officiate for us seemed perfect. He was available, BAM! Another thing done.

Now with having the Memories wedding, there were some limitations. We were only allowed ourselves and four guests. Problem is we both have two parents and we have our little girl. No way were we doing this without her. So I mentioned my concerns to our coordinator (cannot stress enough how awesome the communication was) and she kind of gave me a “don’t worry about it, we will figure it out” kind of answer. So in my head (because I ALWAYS have a plan), Plan A was include parents and Gia if they would let us and Plan B was just us and Gia if that’s all that was allowed. But we also had some other family that flew in and I would hate to leave them out. So this is where I get really proud of my frugal and thrifty self… we were (almost) all on the dining plan. The wedding was at 11am and we had 1.5 hours of photography scheduled with Randy. So we just booked a lunch at 12:30 at Kona for us all to celebrate together. There was no thought or guarantee that our other family members would even be near the wedding, but everyone was in the same place because of our “reception” anyway. Just keep that in mind for later.

(to be continued)

 

[ArielSRL]

The planning and options sound wonderful! Looking forward to hearing about all the surprises!

 

[vamassey1]

The planning and options sound wonderful! Looking forward to hearing about all the surprises!

I think I've read more detail than I heard back when it was happening.

 

[vamassey1]

April 4 Magic Kingdom Part 2
More Fantasyland and other lands

When I last left off we were making our way from the Little Mermaid. We started heading towards this.



We stopped into Gaston's Tavern so Danielle could have her picture taken some more.





We found a photo pass photographer and had some pictures taken of all of us.




Here Dennis was told to act like the Beast.




Danielle and a Magic picture.






We made our way back to old Fantasyland and rode Peter Pan while the line was still not too bad. We did go through pretty fast so we didn't really get to look at everything and I did not take any pictures. Next we had to do Danielle's favorite since it was close and had a very short line, It's a Small World. Once again no pictures.

It was finally time for our first FP+ 7 Dwarf Mine Train. This was a first for all of us. We were really looking forward to riding this. We knew it was going to be short but still a novelty for us. Looking at the pictures it looks like we really enjoyed this. Dennis and I rode together and Danielle went solo. She started riding with me on BTMR last trip since the lap bar doesn't hold her in when she rides with Dennis. She was afraid she would have the same problem on this ride. Once we got on the ride she realized the lap bars are individual so she would have been ok.




We really enjoyed the ride even though it was quick. When we went though the slow part Dennis and I started rocking the ride, the couple in front of us joined in and we had a nice swing going. I loved all the detail and much preferred it to Space Mountain.



I'm at the end of my allowed picture upload.

Rest of this post is here [URL="https://www.disboards.com/threads/so-much-to-celebrate-a-disney-wedding-30th-anniversary-easter-2015-updated-3-29.3525836/page-14#post-57857839"]So Much to Celebrate. . a Disney Wedding, 30th Anniversary & Easter 2015 Updated 3/29[/URL]

 

[ArielSRL]

Wow...you guys got some great photos as well as accomplished so much! The place practically looks deserted! You are making great time and getting lots of exercise...lol.

This is great touring!

I need to work on getting my 4 yr old on HM. He refused last trip. Love the 7DMT ride photos!

Ok, headed to bed. Looking forward to more!

 

[vamassey1]

Wow...you guys got some great photos as well as accomplished so much! The place practically looks deserted! You are making great time and getting lots of exercise...lol.

This is great touring!

I need to work on getting my 4 yr old on HM. He refused last trip. Love the 7DMT ride photos!

Ok, headed to bed. Looking forward to more!

As I said Dennis likes to stay on the move and get as much done as possible before the crowds build. We also knew one the rest of the party got here we would be catering more to them and slow down. I think this was the only day we really hit so much. Good luck on getting your little one on HM. Danielle was 15 when we did this and this was the first time she was reluctant. It's amazing what scares her. At the beach last week we couldn't get her in the water but she did the skycoater at the Track http://www.gulfshorestrack.com/bigthrills.aspx?5211

 

[Princess Leia]

Hi Vanessa!

Sorry I'm a little late to the party but I'm here in time for the wedding (not sure if you can fit another one in!) I was in WDW when you started so will you forgive me? Loving your report so far and thanks to Michelle for the wedding details.

I loved the feel of POR when we visited on a couple of evenings on our July 2015 trip. They have such a good food court. Mind you, we were staying at OKW so wouldn't be hard to beat their quick service offerings.

Looking forward to following along!

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

Hello from a fellow Louisiana girl. I'm just across the lake from New Orleans, in Mandeville. I do remember reading your other trip reports. When I saw your picture I thought, hey I know her. lol Wow, a wedding! So exciting in itself but getting married in Disney has to be the best. I'm looking forward to hearing all about it. Congratulations!

 

[vamassey1]

Hi Vanessa!

Sorry I'm a little late to the party but I'm here in time for the wedding (not sure if you can fit another one in!) I was in WDW when you started so will you forgive me? Loving your report so far and thanks to Michelle for the wedding details.

I loved the feel of POR when we visited on a couple of evenings on our July 2015 trip. They have such a good food court. Mind you, we were staying at OKW so wouldn't be hard to beat their quick service offerings.

Looking forward to following along!

I'm trilled to have you. We can most definitely fit you in. You'll have to share your space with a bush though(this will make sense when we get to the wedding). Being at Disney is the best excuse to miss the beginning. We love POR. Being from Louisiana it really feels like home.

Lots more to come on the report.

 

[dvc at last !]

I am in - loving your Report !

 

[vamassey1]

Hello from a fellow Louisiana girl. I'm just across the lake from New Orleans, in Mandeville. I do remember reading your other trip reports. When I saw your picture I thought, hey I know her. lol Wow, a wedding! So exciting in itself but getting married in Disney has to be the best. I'm looking forward to hearing all about it. Congratulations!

back Grumpy's Wife! Thank you for reading along again. It's been a few years since I've done a report so I'm still trying to get back in grove.

I work for a family from Mandeville, small world. We're excited to share the wedding. A Disney wedding is the best!

 

[vamassey1]

I am in - loving your Report !

Thanks for joining the wedding party. I almost missed your post. I had to go pick up Danielle from work.

I hope we don't disappoint.

 

[mFont23]

back Grumpy's Wife! Thank you for reading along again. It's been a few years since I've done a report so I'm still trying to get back in grove.

I work for a family from Mandeville, small world. We're excited to share the wedding. A Disney wedding is the best!

Wait a second! There's another "Grumpy's Wife" here?! HOW FUNNY!

FYI, my DSD has dubbed my dad Grumpy (which we actually came up with on this trip thanks to a beautiful Grumpy topiary and a few drinks around the world). And that makes my mom, ye old trip reporter, GRUMPYS WIFE as well.

 

[mFont23]

I just want to take a moment to say our little girl started first grade yesterday. So we walked her into the class and met with the teacher. Let me tell you I WAS IN HEAVEN!!!! The entire classroom was decked out in Disney stuff. Even her shirt had a pink, Minnie monogram on it. I couldn't think of the most appropriate way to say, "Can we be best friends?"

I told my boss about it and even he said he anticipates my resignation to go play room mom in the Disney classroom all year. That'll never happen, but we certainly felt like we left her in good hands!

When we were kissing her goodbye I said, "DO YOU LOVE THIS CLASSROOM?!" With her eyes as wide as they can go she tells me, "I KNOWWWWWW!!!"