Alison and Katie May 1 2014 Italy/Attic/EpcotDP Pre-Planning Session Update
- Thread starter Alifay
- Start date
Alifay
Emotes in shades of pink
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2012
Okay okay okay! I know, it has been forever and I am terrible at updating. The thing is
nothing happened, then A LOT happened and then it took a while to get life back in order to have time to sit down and write this.
So here I am NOW YAY! I am looking for a better way to embed photos in here can anyone help with this? For now I am going to direct link but I think page owners dont generally like that. Any advice on this will be much appreciated.
OKAY SO.
Where to begin
Lets start with the little things.
We were talking Mimosas, and I was thinking mimosa bar or bellinis would also be quite nice! Such a cute setup here.
I just found this little detail idea I very much like this, and I think I can talk Katie into it
Initials and wedding date embroidered in what looks to be the inside of the suit jacket pocket. Too cute.
I had a lot of trouble contacting the lady who had the lace bolero I posted earlier. Im a little upset, actually. I wrote her a message through Etsy asking for a swatch of the fabric in ivory to make sure it matched my dress. She wrote back to tell me that she does not send swatch. I wrote again and said I understand, lace is expensive, and requested to purchase a swatch. I heard nothing back for weeks (I was still in the decision process). Then I emailed her again, to tell her I was still waiting for a response, and began actively looking elsewhere. I am so, so glad I did. I still have never heard another word from the original seller. I contacted Maira Eaton about
this shrug (it matches my dress so much better!). I asked for a swatch, and she replied immediately and I received a swatch about a week later. It matched perfectly. I placed my order, and she followed up (a couple times because I was bad at responding) to get a couple measurements. I received the shrug and it is GORGEOUS just like the photo. She even sent a little matching hair pin with it so sweet. Unfortunately, it didnt fit at all around the arms. After talking with my mom about it she suggested I send it back to be fixed. So I emailed Maira last night (Christmas Eve!) and apologetically told her that I needed to send the item back to be fixed, and I was sure to mention that she didnt need to get back to me until well after the New Year. She e-mailed me back the very next day (Christmas Day!) to say SURE THING and make sure I had her address to send it back to. No questions, no fuss, just unexpectedly amazing service. I highly, highly recommend her for her outstanding communication and products that are exactly as pictured. She is WONDERFUL. I cant say enough how much I have loved working with her.
Next lets talk BRIDAL PARTY!!
Katie and I (mostly me) were unsure at first if we wanted to have a bridal party. I thought it might be easier and less chaotic and a nice money saving point to not have one at all. But then I thought of all the things a bridal party can and will do for the wedding as a whole and how important some people in my life are and we decided YES. Lets go for it. Katie choose a good friend (who is also occasionally her flight instructor) Stephanie to be her Best Man (Best Bro as Katie likes to say it, yes Stephanie is female we have gender roles all over the place here ☺ ). She is also considering her friend since infancy, Dani (female, short for Danielle), to be in the wedding party as well. I think its an awesome idea, but Katie is wavering because Danielle is still living in the South. Even though Dani is supportive and has never had a problem, it is still a difficult topic to approach in that surrounding. I think in the end Katie will ask Dani and all will be well and super happy. I love Dani and would LOVE to have her in the wedding ☺.
I had a hard time picking my bridal party. I have one friend (Dayl, female) who has been a close friend since we met well over ten years ago. For the most part though, besides Dayl, I dont have many friends who are still really IN my life on any regular basis. I actually had to sit down and chat with Katie to figure out who I wanted in my side of the bridal party, and we decided to keep it simple. I will ask Dayl and my great friend Justin to be my Bridesmaid and Bridesman.
Okay so THIS is the fun part. Katie and I are throwing a New Years Day tea party (what better way to kick off a new year than with friends and warm beverages and tiny sandwiches?!). Dayl is going to be in town (she is finishing her pharmacy phd in Washington) and I have told Justin that he MUST get the day off work to be at the tea. I ordered these items to POP the question to each of them:
Cufflinks in a light vintage blue for Justin and
for Dayl
There are going to be just a few close friends at the tea, and I am very, very excited to make a semi-public proposal! I will have to make sure to hand a camera off to someone to catch the moment !
On tooooo CAKE!
Katie found this lovely cake (I cant tell you how many times we have watched Tangled or how obsessed I am with that movie)
I like it, but it is very dark and we are having a morning ceremony with a brunch reception. I especially am not fond of the silhouette cityscape. But the idea is sound! So I went on the hunt and found this (birthday) cake:
The colors here are muuuch nicer and closer to what would work for us. Maybe lean away from purple and focus more on pale shades of pink and blue and lanterns (not 3D, Katie thinks the lanterns in this photo look like Captain Crunch!) maybe in a soft rosey gold color. A completely different topper and no ocean scene on the bottom maybe a different phrase but yes! There is a start of a good thought here. It is especially nice since I will be walking down the aisle to I See The Light (have you heard it played on strings? It is SO beautiful .. check it out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q30sa7RO_Fk# ) so the cake will match that. OH! But we are cutting the cake to the Disney Mania version of A Dream is Wish so maybe something like that Oooh possibilities.
Speaking of music Katie decided she wanted to walk in (more casual than walking down the aisle) to Snow Whites Someday My Prince Will Come (it is very pretty played on the strings, also in the youtube link above). So thats adorable and I am all for it.
Okay here come the big changes. Are you ready?
We met with Joe, our sales rep, earlier this month. This was on the table for our meeting, I was so excited to see our names on Disney stationary!
He took us into the Wedding Pavilion, which was very grand to walk into! Much more than what photos will tell you. The stained glass was my favorite part. Joe told us it was added to block views of construction and intended to be temporary, but it has been so popular they plan to keep it! I guess the photographers like it too since it filters the light to make it softer.
Then he offered to snap a quick photo in front of the archway. If you squint and reeeally believe it, you can see the castle in the background.
He took us to see Luau Beach, which was intended to be our backup location but we were underwhelmed by it in person.
In our meeting with Joe, he showed us some lovely pictures of Magic Kingdom weddings, and I was so excited! I asked if the ceremony was typically a little longer in the Magic Kingdom, since it is such a grand setting at such a large price. He said no .. actually, it is usually pretty short and then a few minutes to snap a few photos and then right back up main street so the park can open. Huh. Okay. That totally makes sense but lets take this. Put it together with the stress of NO DATE BOOKED until 6 months out and couple that with the $10grand price tag that looks more and more difficult every day and the Magic Kingdom isnt looking so appealing anymore. Hm.
I think during the meeting Katie and I were thinking the same thing, but werent ready to voice such doubts about something that meant so much to us. The next day we were walking through Epcot World Showcase and chatting I told her I picked Luau Beach as our backup because originally she wanted a beach (toes in sand) wedding. But if I really had my choice, it would be somewhere in the World Showcase. Like Italy or France. (For those of you who dont know, I am a little obsessed with the World Showcase and would easily spend several days of a Disney Trip there if Katie would let me! Also, Duffy is my favorite Disney Character and just happens to be the World Showcase mascot! LOVE!) Katie says well I am half Italian
And then something amazing happens. I forgot to mention that Katies parents were also in Disney on this trip (it wasnt a together trip, but a we are coming to and lets hang out some trip). So. The Amazing thing. We mention this thought process to Katies parents (maaaybe Italy ?) and her mom says WELL HECK! Lets go look at it!!!. Katie and literally almost fell over or stopped breathing or something because .. WHAT!? Did Katies Mom just ask to do something wedding related with us!?? OH HECK YEAH LETS GO LOOK NOW! Now before you change your mind (we could hardly believe that she had .. I mean it was so unexpected that she would want to even think about or mention but she wanted to go look at a venue choice with us?!!).
So we did. And its awesome. And perfect in a whole different way. And by the way, my dress will look awesome there. I was having trouble reconciling my ivory dress with the blue-white of Cinderellas Castle and the Italy Pavilion screams shades of ivory in a lovely way. And there is a dias! Like .. a tiny stage! It is so grand! It could be so beautifully formal! And less than half the cost and we can book 12 months out and HELLO ITS IN EPCOT!!
So we are booking the Italy Pavilion for Thursday, May 1, 2014 .. and while we are at it we love the Italy location for the dessert party too (the smoke from Illuminations seems to always head towards the UK) so yes. Oh and we still love the attic. So thats the big change!! Italy Pavilion ceremony, The Attic for brunch reception, and the (smaller) Italy location for the Fireworks Dessert Party. SO. EXCITED.
On the topic of dessert parties we know it is probably not an option, but the answer is always NO until you ask ☺. We are wondering how much it would cost to buy out all of the reservations for the Tomorrowland Terrace Dessert party and if we could even do that at all. Because that would be brilliant -- Magic Kingdom and Wishes dessert party? How unbelievably cool would that be? I really doubt they would let us but we are going to see what they say when we ask !
Speaking of asking we asked about having the Dapper Dans perform and Joe looked into it and its been done before !! So we got a ballpark price quote and confirmation that YES WE CAN BOOK THE DAPPER DANS!!!! This MUST happen.
Katie and I are now deciding between a few characters we love and want. Mickey and Minnie (classic and not to be overlooked). Duffy and Figment (our respective favorites and BOTH Epcot mascots! They will be in the wedding somewhere ), and Katies childhood favorites, Chip and Dale. There is time to decide, and to find out if they even still have the full size person Figment costume (though they are hinting they are bringing the Dream Finder back and that would be stupendous).
So there are the big changes since we last talked!
AND ONE MORE!
I saved the best for last. Arent I nice?
Okay this one is really big. Really, really big.
I work at the airport, and last Thursday my Dad flew through and had a long layover. I was so happy to see him, I never get enough time with my Dad. He asked about our recent trip to Disney and I told him about the change in plans and how much money it would save and then the amazing happened. In a nutshell Dad is going to help pay for the wedding. I cant explain how much it meant to me to go from wondering if he would attend to the amazing gift of financial support. And at Christmas time. And I was overwhelmed and I cried and I still can hardly believe it.
I am a very lucky girl indeed.
So here I am NOW YAY! I am looking for a better way to embed photos in here can anyone help with this? For now I am going to direct link but I think page owners dont generally like that. Any advice on this will be much appreciated.
OKAY SO.
Where to begin
Lets start with the little things.
We were talking Mimosas, and I was thinking mimosa bar or bellinis would also be quite nice! Such a cute setup here.
I just found this little detail idea I very much like this, and I think I can talk Katie into it
Initials and wedding date embroidered in what looks to be the inside of the suit jacket pocket. Too cute.
I had a lot of trouble contacting the lady who had the lace bolero I posted earlier. Im a little upset, actually. I wrote her a message through Etsy asking for a swatch of the fabric in ivory to make sure it matched my dress. She wrote back to tell me that she does not send swatch. I wrote again and said I understand, lace is expensive, and requested to purchase a swatch. I heard nothing back for weeks (I was still in the decision process). Then I emailed her again, to tell her I was still waiting for a response, and began actively looking elsewhere. I am so, so glad I did. I still have never heard another word from the original seller. I contacted Maira Eaton about
this shrug (it matches my dress so much better!). I asked for a swatch, and she replied immediately and I received a swatch about a week later. It matched perfectly. I placed my order, and she followed up (a couple times because I was bad at responding) to get a couple measurements. I received the shrug and it is GORGEOUS just like the photo. She even sent a little matching hair pin with it so sweet. Unfortunately, it didnt fit at all around the arms. After talking with my mom about it she suggested I send it back to be fixed. So I emailed Maira last night (Christmas Eve!) and apologetically told her that I needed to send the item back to be fixed, and I was sure to mention that she didnt need to get back to me until well after the New Year. She e-mailed me back the very next day (Christmas Day!) to say SURE THING and make sure I had her address to send it back to. No questions, no fuss, just unexpectedly amazing service. I highly, highly recommend her for her outstanding communication and products that are exactly as pictured. She is WONDERFUL. I cant say enough how much I have loved working with her.
Next lets talk BRIDAL PARTY!!
Katie and I (mostly me) were unsure at first if we wanted to have a bridal party. I thought it might be easier and less chaotic and a nice money saving point to not have one at all. But then I thought of all the things a bridal party can and will do for the wedding as a whole and how important some people in my life are and we decided YES. Lets go for it. Katie choose a good friend (who is also occasionally her flight instructor) Stephanie to be her Best Man (Best Bro as Katie likes to say it, yes Stephanie is female we have gender roles all over the place here ☺ ). She is also considering her friend since infancy, Dani (female, short for Danielle), to be in the wedding party as well. I think its an awesome idea, but Katie is wavering because Danielle is still living in the South. Even though Dani is supportive and has never had a problem, it is still a difficult topic to approach in that surrounding. I think in the end Katie will ask Dani and all will be well and super happy. I love Dani and would LOVE to have her in the wedding ☺.
I had a hard time picking my bridal party. I have one friend (Dayl, female) who has been a close friend since we met well over ten years ago. For the most part though, besides Dayl, I dont have many friends who are still really IN my life on any regular basis. I actually had to sit down and chat with Katie to figure out who I wanted in my side of the bridal party, and we decided to keep it simple. I will ask Dayl and my great friend Justin to be my Bridesmaid and Bridesman.
Okay so THIS is the fun part. Katie and I are throwing a New Years Day tea party (what better way to kick off a new year than with friends and warm beverages and tiny sandwiches?!). Dayl is going to be in town (she is finishing her pharmacy phd in Washington) and I have told Justin that he MUST get the day off work to be at the tea. I ordered these items to POP the question to each of them:
There are going to be just a few close friends at the tea, and I am very, very excited to make a semi-public proposal! I will have to make sure to hand a camera off to someone to catch the moment !
On tooooo CAKE!
Katie found this lovely cake (I cant tell you how many times we have watched Tangled or how obsessed I am with that movie)
I like it, but it is very dark and we are having a morning ceremony with a brunch reception. I especially am not fond of the silhouette cityscape. But the idea is sound! So I went on the hunt and found this (birthday) cake:
The colors here are muuuch nicer and closer to what would work for us. Maybe lean away from purple and focus more on pale shades of pink and blue and lanterns (not 3D, Katie thinks the lanterns in this photo look like Captain Crunch!) maybe in a soft rosey gold color. A completely different topper and no ocean scene on the bottom maybe a different phrase but yes! There is a start of a good thought here. It is especially nice since I will be walking down the aisle to I See The Light (have you heard it played on strings? It is SO beautiful .. check it out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q30sa7RO_Fk# ) so the cake will match that. OH! But we are cutting the cake to the Disney Mania version of A Dream is Wish so maybe something like that Oooh possibilities.
Speaking of music Katie decided she wanted to walk in (more casual than walking down the aisle) to Snow Whites Someday My Prince Will Come (it is very pretty played on the strings, also in the youtube link above). So thats adorable and I am all for it.
Okay here come the big changes. Are you ready?
We met with Joe, our sales rep, earlier this month. This was on the table for our meeting, I was so excited to see our names on Disney stationary!
He took us into the Wedding Pavilion, which was very grand to walk into! Much more than what photos will tell you. The stained glass was my favorite part. Joe told us it was added to block views of construction and intended to be temporary, but it has been so popular they plan to keep it! I guess the photographers like it too since it filters the light to make it softer.
Then he offered to snap a quick photo in front of the archway. If you squint and reeeally believe it, you can see the castle in the background.
He took us to see Luau Beach, which was intended to be our backup location but we were underwhelmed by it in person.
In our meeting with Joe, he showed us some lovely pictures of Magic Kingdom weddings, and I was so excited! I asked if the ceremony was typically a little longer in the Magic Kingdom, since it is such a grand setting at such a large price. He said no .. actually, it is usually pretty short and then a few minutes to snap a few photos and then right back up main street so the park can open. Huh. Okay. That totally makes sense but lets take this. Put it together with the stress of NO DATE BOOKED until 6 months out and couple that with the $10grand price tag that looks more and more difficult every day and the Magic Kingdom isnt looking so appealing anymore. Hm.
I think during the meeting Katie and I were thinking the same thing, but werent ready to voice such doubts about something that meant so much to us. The next day we were walking through Epcot World Showcase and chatting I told her I picked Luau Beach as our backup because originally she wanted a beach (toes in sand) wedding. But if I really had my choice, it would be somewhere in the World Showcase. Like Italy or France. (For those of you who dont know, I am a little obsessed with the World Showcase and would easily spend several days of a Disney Trip there if Katie would let me! Also, Duffy is my favorite Disney Character and just happens to be the World Showcase mascot! LOVE!) Katie says well I am half Italian
And then something amazing happens. I forgot to mention that Katies parents were also in Disney on this trip (it wasnt a together trip, but a we are coming to and lets hang out some trip). So. The Amazing thing. We mention this thought process to Katies parents (maaaybe Italy ?) and her mom says WELL HECK! Lets go look at it!!!. Katie and literally almost fell over or stopped breathing or something because .. WHAT!? Did Katies Mom just ask to do something wedding related with us!?? OH HECK YEAH LETS GO LOOK NOW! Now before you change your mind (we could hardly believe that she had .. I mean it was so unexpected that she would want to even think about or mention but she wanted to go look at a venue choice with us?!!).
So we did. And its awesome. And perfect in a whole different way. And by the way, my dress will look awesome there. I was having trouble reconciling my ivory dress with the blue-white of Cinderellas Castle and the Italy Pavilion screams shades of ivory in a lovely way. And there is a dias! Like .. a tiny stage! It is so grand! It could be so beautifully formal! And less than half the cost and we can book 12 months out and HELLO ITS IN EPCOT!!
So we are booking the Italy Pavilion for Thursday, May 1, 2014 .. and while we are at it we love the Italy location for the dessert party too (the smoke from Illuminations seems to always head towards the UK) so yes. Oh and we still love the attic. So thats the big change!! Italy Pavilion ceremony, The Attic for brunch reception, and the (smaller) Italy location for the Fireworks Dessert Party. SO. EXCITED.
On the topic of dessert parties we know it is probably not an option, but the answer is always NO until you ask ☺. We are wondering how much it would cost to buy out all of the reservations for the Tomorrowland Terrace Dessert party and if we could even do that at all. Because that would be brilliant -- Magic Kingdom and Wishes dessert party? How unbelievably cool would that be? I really doubt they would let us but we are going to see what they say when we ask !
Speaking of asking we asked about having the Dapper Dans perform and Joe looked into it and its been done before !! So we got a ballpark price quote and confirmation that YES WE CAN BOOK THE DAPPER DANS!!!! This MUST happen.
Katie and I are now deciding between a few characters we love and want. Mickey and Minnie (classic and not to be overlooked). Duffy and Figment (our respective favorites and BOTH Epcot mascots! They will be in the wedding somewhere ), and Katies childhood favorites, Chip and Dale. There is time to decide, and to find out if they even still have the full size person Figment costume (though they are hinting they are bringing the Dream Finder back and that would be stupendous).
So there are the big changes since we last talked!
AND ONE MORE!
I saved the best for last. Arent I nice?
Okay this one is really big. Really, really big.
I work at the airport, and last Thursday my Dad flew through and had a long layover. I was so happy to see him, I never get enough time with my Dad. He asked about our recent trip to Disney and I told him about the change in plans and how much money it would save and then the amazing happened. In a nutshell Dad is going to help pay for the wedding. I cant explain how much it meant to me to go from wondering if he would attend to the amazing gift of financial support. And at Christmas time. And I was overwhelmed and I cried and I still can hardly believe it.
I am a very lucky girl indeed.
BritKansas
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Apr 30, 2012
I personally love all the changes & updates that you guys have made! You are on top of this whole planning thing that it makes me feel so far behind you guys lol...
CinderALLIE
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 29, 2008
Congrats on the changes. More money to spend on other things now lol
Summer Daydream
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2011
Yay, you updated!! I love all the changes. The MK wedding is beautiful but this seems to make you so much happier! I can't wait to se how everything progresses. Only a few more months until you can lock in your date!!!
Allyourwishes
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Feb 19, 2011
Great updates I haven't read the whole thread but I saw the first page on now the updates it's so great for you both that the families are on board with the wedding and the helping with the planning too.
The music is really beautiful and I'm super excited to find out what they say about booking out the Tomorrowland Trr Dessert Party that would be amazing
The music is really beautiful and I'm super excited to find out what they say about booking out the Tomorrowland Trr Dessert Party that would be amazing
celerystalker
<font color=green>Look! I'm yankeepenny!<br><font
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2006
I'm so glad your parents are making strides to accept the wedding! That is so awesome!
I'm not a huge Cinderella fan, but the castle is so beautiful - but to me it's soooooooo much money for something that's over way too fast. I love the look of the Italy pics you posted I think you all are making the right decision! I can't remember if it's in the plans, but you should DEFINITELY do the MK photo shoot to get some awesome castle pics.
I'm not a huge Cinderella fan, but the castle is so beautiful - but to me it's soooooooo much money for something that's over way too fast. I love the look of the Italy pics you posted I think you all are making the right decision! I can't remember if it's in the plans, but you should DEFINITELY do the MK photo shoot to get some awesome castle pics.
Alifay
Emotes in shades of pink
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2012
Thank you! I am a planning/research fanatic! It's what I love to do
. Also, I have a degree in event planning, so that helps 
Thanks! Yes that is what I think too! So many financial worries faded away with the change in venue and support from my Dad.
The MK weddings ARE gorgeous ... but this is a lot less stress. Besides, my ivory dress would have looked strange with that silver blue castle
. SUPER excited to lock in the date -- everything is gettting so REALYay welcome! The answer about the Tomorrowland Terrace Dessert party was a no, since it is part of the guest experience and not intended for private parties. It was worth asking though
.Having parental help makes things SO much better!
We actually asked our sales consultant if we could do the MK photoshoot the same morning as the wedding --- and he said YES! So *sweet* I will have my cake and eat it too
Alifay
Emotes in shades of pink
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2012
Quick mini-update!
Tomorrowland Terrance Dessert Party:
Joe was able to get me an answer very quickly --
"Since it is an enhancement to the park gust experience, we cannot use the location as a buyout option. Grand Floridian (or Contemporary) is the closest we can get to the Magic Kingdom for a Wishes viewing." Ah well, I wasn't counting on it anyway.
MK Photoshoot:
I forgot to add in before that we are ABSOLUTELY still doing an MK photoshoot! Since the Epcot ceremony is at 9:00 (instead of 8:00 in the MK) there is still time to have the MK photoshoot the same morning as the wedding -- YES. Super excited!!! I didn't want to have to pay for hair and makeup and get up super early AGAIN. I want all wedding lovelies in one day! So this is the plan
Also, Katie and I had wanted to do our First Look photos in the MK, so now we still can. Ideally I want to do it from the top of Main St (with Katie standing facing the Castle and me walking up behind her), but Joe says we might not have access to that area during the photoshoot. That's no big deal, we can do a first look elsewhere, closer to the castle. Any ideas??? Open to options!
Quick purchase:
Katie and I took a stroll into the Disney Store where she used to work, and just happened upon this gem I have been eyeing:
On SALE!! The last one in the store!! We snapped him up quite quickly! Isn't he the perfect Mickey for our Main St USA theme??? Too too perfect. We think this Mickey will go on the cake table with Duffy (my favorite) and Figment (Katie's favorite). We are even discussing getting little costumes made for Figment and Duffy to match this Mickey .. like the Dapper Dans! So fun!
There's my quick mini-update. Brought to you by Influenza A currently keeping me solidly attached to the couch. Ick.
Tomorrowland Terrance Dessert Party:
Joe was able to get me an answer very quickly --
"Since it is an enhancement to the park gust experience, we cannot use the location as a buyout option. Grand Floridian (or Contemporary) is the closest we can get to the Magic Kingdom for a Wishes viewing." Ah well, I wasn't counting on it anyway
.MK Photoshoot:
I forgot to add in before that we are ABSOLUTELY still doing an MK photoshoot! Since the Epcot ceremony is at 9:00 (instead of 8:00 in the MK) there is still time to have the MK photoshoot the same morning as the wedding -- YES. Super excited!!! I didn't want to have to pay for hair and makeup and get up super early AGAIN. I want all wedding lovelies in one day! So this is the plan
Also, Katie and I had wanted to do our First Look photos in the MK, so now we still can. Ideally I want to do it from the top of Main St (with Katie standing facing the Castle and me walking up behind her), but Joe says we might not have access to that area during the photoshoot. That's no big deal, we can do a first look elsewhere, closer to the castle. Any ideas??? Open to options!
Quick purchase:
Katie and I took a stroll into the Disney Store where she used to work, and just happened upon this gem I have been eyeing:
On SALE!! The last one in the store!! We snapped him up quite quickly! Isn't he the perfect Mickey for our Main St USA theme??? Too too perfect. We think this Mickey will go on the cake table with Duffy (my favorite) and Figment (Katie's favorite). We are even discussing getting little costumes made for Figment and Duffy to match this Mickey .. like the Dapper Dans! So fun!
There's my quick mini-update. Brought to you by Influenza A currently keeping me solidly attached to the couch. Ick.
Wedding plans are coming along nicely. We have only had one major disagreement but other than that we are either thinking the same thing or totally agree. I will have to give into her idea of centerpieces I just worry they won't go with our space.
My parents (mostly mom) is coming around to the idea that her daughter is gay and is really trying to accept it ( I think). She is having strong religious conflicts as did I when I first came out. I have a surprise for her if she does attend the wedding that I think she will love. I won't post it because someone might tell her.
In a little under 5 months we get to put the deposit down and sign some paperwork. I am absolutely thrilled. Colorado is in the process of passing a civil union bill and I am in the process of getting signatures to repeal our one man one woman amendment. So it looks like we might have something to sign the day we say I do.
My parents (mostly mom) is coming around to the idea that her daughter is gay and is really trying to accept it ( I think). She is having strong religious conflicts as did I when I first came out. I have a surprise for her if she does attend the wedding that I think she will love. I won't post it because someone might tell her.
In a little under 5 months we get to put the deposit down and sign some paperwork. I am absolutely thrilled. Colorado is in the process of passing a civil union bill and I am in the process of getting signatures to repeal our one man one woman amendment. So it looks like we might have something to sign the day we say I do.
Alifay
Emotes in shades of pink
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2012
No no no... let's be clear about this one little disagreement. It wasn't that Katie didn't like what I wanted for centerpieces ... its that she didn't think there should be any at all!!!!! I even laid it out for her with a bedsheet over our coffee table and a bowl with a christmas bow in it (hey I was improvising with what I had to grab at that moment) .... she still didn't understand why we need centerpieces at all.
So, I told her she could have an opinion on the centerpieces when she decides that YES, we should have them.
I'm all ears for anyone who wants to speak up on this! Any pics of tables with/without centerpieces?? I'm sure I'm not the only one that thinks that SOMETHING to decorate the table is a given ... not just plates and glasses!
librarygeek
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2011
I love all of your plans so far! I'm sure the MK ceremony would've been lovely, but the price tag is so high and as you said it's stressful waiting for a date! I think Italy is even nicer, personally! And if you're doing the MK photos then you really get the best of both worlds
quandrea
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 24, 2010
I just discovered you planning journal when I looked at your Christmas room decorations. It's going to be an amazing day. We did a Vow Renewal at the Swan in 2011. We too had planned a DFTW, but things happen and the Swan ended up being our destiny. Flexibility is key. Italy looks like it will be beautiful and booking twelve months out is so nice. I wish I'd had your journal to use for inspiration when I was planning. We had an UP themed event. Here's my link if you're interested.
http://justmarry.com/just-between-us-the-real-vow-renewal-of-andrea-and-franco/wedding-blog/
ps the save the dates are super
http://justmarry.com/just-between-us-the-real-vow-renewal-of-andrea-and-franco/wedding-blog/
ps the save the dates are super
Alifay
Emotes in shades of pink
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2012
I love all of your plans so far! I'm sure the MK ceremony would've been lovely, but the price tag is so high and as you said it's stressful waiting for a date! I think Italy is even nicer, personally! And if you're doing the MK photos then you really get the best of both worlds
Yeah, we were reeeeally looking forward to the MK ceremony -- but too many things piled up against it make it worthwhile. We will still get our pictures there the same morning as the wedding so all is well! Italy will be lovely, and I'm sure our guests will be glad for that extra hour of sleep
Yay Christmas decor! That was so much fun
. The pics from your wedding are adorable!!! I love that you had Mickey and Minnie, the kids so super excited.Thanks for the lovely complement -- I know I love pictures more than anything when reading other reports or plans - so I try to include some in all of my posts.
Alifay
Emotes in shades of pink
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2012
Alllright. So similar to the first time I posted I have been down and out couch-ridden sick. I really need my immune system to grow up and stop letting bully viruses push it around. On the bright side, it gives me LOTS of time with pinterest and lots of time to look at everything Wedding I can find. Which is a lot. I have about a dozen boards or so all just for different parts of the wedding. I am research junkie and LOVE looking for new inspirations. Our theme and ideas have evolved since my first post, so I am going to go through all of our pin boards and update on everything.
Alright! In no particular order, I give you highlights of my many wedding Pin boards.
First up, Bridal Party Pin Board!!
This board is for bridal party gifts, dress/suit ideas and even little shower ideas that I have come across & I know its not my job to pick shower anything but maybe my friends can get ideas that they know I like! I have officially only one bridesmaid. My Brides Man-to-be got sick and couldnt come to the tea party where I was planning to pop the question 9. So I havent asked him yet. I also havent asked my sister to be my MOH. She will be shocked, I thought she wanted nothing to do with the wedding, but at Thanksgiving she was talking about Bachelorette parties, and she even talked to my dad about being more supportive. Love it. I love tradition and there is nothing better than having your whole family support you when you thought they might not be there at all.
Katie is the same as me on her side. She has her Best (wo)Man, and she is going to ask her childhood friend next month when they get together. She is also going to ask her brother this is another big deal because they hadnt spoken in years until last June, and now their relationship is healed and awesome. Family horray!
Some of the dresses I am considering& (look for guys ideas in groomswear)
I want something with chiffon, and tea length. Something not strapless& and in pastel colors. Light blue and blush pink.
This next one I reeeally like, its from a webpage that will compare popular designs (like modcloth) and tells you what pattern to use to make your own. I love the style of this dress, and I think making it with an ivory lace over blush or pale blue cotton would be really lovely.
I cant sew, but my mom can. And we would only need three dresses total. Hopefully it will work out! If not, there are lots of other dresses that will also be quite pretty.
Lets see, some gift ideas are here as well.
I love this idea for pretty tote bags. Everyone needs a good tote bag right?
Looks super simple, and easily made in any color.
I am also looking into this very pretty necklace it will go nicely with the bracelet they get when we ask and look lovely the day of.
Reminder of the bracelet:
Also, I love bridal party shirts but my personal preference is NOT tank tops. Not a fan. So I found these lovely downloadable to print on transfer paper --- all matching scripts! Even Bridesman!
,
However, I look at these things and I think about Katies mom. I dont want her to be left out. Katie is not desiring to be referred to as Bride , so Groom is the best title for her. Not perfect, but there isnt anything better. Anyway Katies mom would LOVE to be play Mother-of-the-Bride. She would not like to proclaim herself Mother-of-the-Groom. Shes always wanted her little girl to be & a little bit more of a girly-girl. That just isnt Katie though, and her mom has come around to that. I really want to do something to include her in the bridal party .. but not sure what. Mother-in-Law to be? That sounds strange. Oh! Maybe they could each be Best Mom ! Like & my mom could be:
Best Mom
(Alison)
And then Katies Mom:
Best Mom
(Katie)
Oh oh !! Yes. This might work well. Everyone is included and & yes. Okay. Hey thanks for helping me figure that out!
Alright! Lets head on over to Groomswear !
Shades of light ivory, khaki, etc. Complemented with colored ties. Suits/dresses on my side will be blue accented, and pink accented on Katies.
Something like this:
Katie is a very casual person. I have to keep telling her she cant wear flipflops to the ceremony (but I compromise by telling her she can wear them to the dessert party .. and at the reception if she really really wants to&) We were originally thinking just a suit, slacks, jacket, tie. Pink tie, khaki suit. Then I came across this lovely gem:
Its a perfect middle ground! Vest and tie, still formal, but with a nod to comfort. And a morning ceremony feels a little less formal to me anyway. I showed this to Katie and she was super excited! I might still want her to wear a jacket just for the ceremony, since I will be super fancy in my dress. But then she could still look sleek and be more comfortable at the reception with just the vest :.
For her boutonnière, we def want a hidden mickey of some sort (buttons, crystal, something) And I found this cute image:
The idea is that she wears the key on her boutonnière , and I have the lock that the key fits in my bouquet. Its so simple and cute! Maybe I could even have my Dad carry the key and pass it on to Katie. Just a thought right now, we havent gone too deep into floral discussion. Also, if you want to click the groomswear link above, you can see the ring we have (finally) picked out for her.
Next up Stationary!
Okay there is a lot here& lets see if I can make sense of it all. Stationary is so much more fun than it sounds!
Lets start with the part that is new, and I am SO excited about.
Backstory: A few years ago my paternal Grandpa died. Two years later, to the day, my Uncle Steve (Dads big brother) shot himself in the head. My paternal Grandma has been slowly sliding away. At first we were terrified that the death of her first born child would completely destroy her, but she held on and pushed through. She now has Alzheimers, and my Dad is now the head of the family (he has a little sister and a little brother) & and things have been extremely difficult for him. He is a very sensitive person, and we all have great pride in ourselves as Sandlins its like the name itself is what pulls us together in hard times.
So, this past Christmas, I spend many many hours on Ancestry.com tracing the Sandlin name all the way back to the first Sandlin immigrant in Pennsylvania, and then back to the still existant Scottish clan of Sandilands and James Sandilands I, first Lord of Torphichen, with Calder Castle an estate gifted to him by Mary, Queen of Scotts, due to their family ties. The title and estates are currently held by James Sandilands the 15th, still in the family.
How cool! I learned that I am a direct descendent and a little to the side of Scottish Royalty! I found the clan crest and coat of arms and motto Spero Meliora, I aspire to greater things. (pics and more info http://pinterest.com/alisongal/sandlin/"]here[/URL]).
Anyway! With recently discovered family ties, I wanted to add a small nod to Scottish roots in the wedding. For our monogram, we def wanted something with a crown, so I thought just for fun I would look up Scottish crowns (which I found many lovely pictures of). I stumbled upon the Luckenbooth. Its a traditional brooch commonly traded at engagement and is worn for different types of luck. There are unconfirmed rumors that Mary, Queen of Scots gave one to Lord Darnly upon their betrothal. And! Its really pretty!
There are many different interpretations, but basically it is two entwined hearts with a crown. There are often thistles that represent Scotland .. but we are just going to have hearts in ours. I picked a few good images to send to a graphic design friend, along with the crown we picked out, and he is sketching out a monogram for us! I cant wait till its done. He has shown me some crown drawings and they are amazing. I swear, people who can draw, its like magic to me. I have no idea how someone puts pencil to paper and actually makes something awesome. I cant even sign my own name in a pretty way! Anyway It will be entwined hearts with an ornate C in the center and a lovely crown. I dont really want to pic spam much on the different bits of images I sent over to my friend, if you would like to see them click through to the Stationary link above and scroll to the bottom :.
Invites!!! There is one set of invites that I have seen all over the place that I am completely obsessed with.
Its written like a storybook!!! I LOVE IT!! Every other invite I have looked at I have compared to this one. Love love love it. Katie loves it too. We are now just waiting for Impressions Walt Disney World exclusive invite to come out before we make a final decision. Love this one. Lots.
I also found this awesome piece of equipment:
How cool is that? And its only $25 which is sooooo much less than you would pay for embossing from the stationary vendor. Super chic.
Lastly, Katie is working on a Welcome Novel haha. She is writing suggested park itineraries and including some of our favorite things. These are all for the welcome bag. Everyone needs a Disney Touring Plan! Im not certain how we will format it, but I am thinking several small pamphlets inside a newsletter style booklet. The pamphlets would be for each park with a suggested touring itinerary, things that are special to us, recommended places to eat, some hidden Mickeys and trivia about the park itself. Then we will also do one full of non-park things to do. The booklet itself will be about specific wedding information, times, places, ..uhhh& and lots of other stuff Im sure. The idea is that our guests can take just one park pamphlet with them, and leave the big book of other info in their room. That way they can make good use of our knowledge of the parks without being weighed down by lots of other info. That is still in the works overall, but we are probably going to go through Ever After Printables on Etsy to order the actual pamplets
And thats it for stationary!!! This is getting seriously long --- so Ill break it down into chunks :
Coming up:
Must have pictures, Ceremony, brunch, reception, dessert party, keepsakes, and maaaybe my DIY list.
Alright! In no particular order, I give you highlights of my many wedding Pin boards.
First up, Bridal Party Pin Board!!
This board is for bridal party gifts, dress/suit ideas and even little shower ideas that I have come across & I know its not my job to pick shower anything but maybe my friends can get ideas that they know I like! I have officially only one bridesmaid. My Brides Man-to-be got sick and couldnt come to the tea party where I was planning to pop the question 9. So I havent asked him yet. I also havent asked my sister to be my MOH. She will be shocked, I thought she wanted nothing to do with the wedding, but at Thanksgiving she was talking about Bachelorette parties, and she even talked to my dad about being more supportive. Love it. I love tradition and there is nothing better than having your whole family support you when you thought they might not be there at all.
Katie is the same as me on her side. She has her Best (wo)Man, and she is going to ask her childhood friend next month when they get together. She is also going to ask her brother this is another big deal because they hadnt spoken in years until last June, and now their relationship is healed and awesome. Family horray!
Some of the dresses I am considering& (look for guys ideas in groomswear)
I want something with chiffon, and tea length. Something not strapless& and in pastel colors. Light blue and blush pink.
This next one I reeeally like, its from a webpage that will compare popular designs (like modcloth) and tells you what pattern to use to make your own. I love the style of this dress, and I think making it with an ivory lace over blush or pale blue cotton would be really lovely.
I cant sew, but my mom can. And we would only need three dresses total. Hopefully it will work out! If not, there are lots of other dresses that will also be quite pretty.
Lets see, some gift ideas are here as well.
I love this idea for pretty tote bags. Everyone needs a good tote bag right?
Looks super simple, and easily made in any color.
I am also looking into this very pretty necklace it will go nicely with the bracelet they get when we ask and look lovely the day of.
Reminder of the bracelet:
Also, I love bridal party shirts but my personal preference is NOT tank tops. Not a fan. So I found these lovely downloadable to print on transfer paper --- all matching scripts! Even Bridesman!
However, I look at these things and I think about Katies mom. I dont want her to be left out. Katie is not desiring to be referred to as Bride , so Groom is the best title for her. Not perfect, but there isnt anything better. Anyway Katies mom would LOVE to be play Mother-of-the-Bride. She would not like to proclaim herself Mother-of-the-Groom. Shes always wanted her little girl to be & a little bit more of a girly-girl. That just isnt Katie though, and her mom has come around to that. I really want to do something to include her in the bridal party .. but not sure what. Mother-in-Law to be? That sounds strange. Oh! Maybe they could each be Best Mom ! Like & my mom could be:
Best Mom
(Alison)
And then Katies Mom:
Best Mom
(Katie)
Oh oh !! Yes. This might work well. Everyone is included and & yes. Okay. Hey thanks for helping me figure that out!
Alright! Lets head on over to Groomswear !
Shades of light ivory, khaki, etc. Complemented with colored ties. Suits/dresses on my side will be blue accented, and pink accented on Katies.
Something like this:
Katie is a very casual person. I have to keep telling her she cant wear flipflops to the ceremony (but I compromise by telling her she can wear them to the dessert party .. and at the reception if she really really wants to&) We were originally thinking just a suit, slacks, jacket, tie. Pink tie, khaki suit. Then I came across this lovely gem:
Its a perfect middle ground! Vest and tie, still formal, but with a nod to comfort. And a morning ceremony feels a little less formal to me anyway. I showed this to Katie and she was super excited! I might still want her to wear a jacket just for the ceremony, since I will be super fancy in my dress. But then she could still look sleek and be more comfortable at the reception with just the vest :.
For her boutonnière, we def want a hidden mickey of some sort (buttons, crystal, something) And I found this cute image:
The idea is that she wears the key on her boutonnière , and I have the lock that the key fits in my bouquet. Its so simple and cute! Maybe I could even have my Dad carry the key and pass it on to Katie. Just a thought right now, we havent gone too deep into floral discussion. Also, if you want to click the groomswear link above, you can see the ring we have (finally) picked out for her.
Next up Stationary!
Okay there is a lot here& lets see if I can make sense of it all. Stationary is so much more fun than it sounds!
Lets start with the part that is new, and I am SO excited about.
Backstory: A few years ago my paternal Grandpa died. Two years later, to the day, my Uncle Steve (Dads big brother) shot himself in the head. My paternal Grandma has been slowly sliding away. At first we were terrified that the death of her first born child would completely destroy her, but she held on and pushed through. She now has Alzheimers, and my Dad is now the head of the family (he has a little sister and a little brother) & and things have been extremely difficult for him. He is a very sensitive person, and we all have great pride in ourselves as Sandlins its like the name itself is what pulls us together in hard times.
So, this past Christmas, I spend many many hours on Ancestry.com tracing the Sandlin name all the way back to the first Sandlin immigrant in Pennsylvania, and then back to the still existant Scottish clan of Sandilands and James Sandilands I, first Lord of Torphichen, with Calder Castle an estate gifted to him by Mary, Queen of Scotts, due to their family ties. The title and estates are currently held by James Sandilands the 15th, still in the family.
How cool! I learned that I am a direct descendent and a little to the side of Scottish Royalty! I found the clan crest and coat of arms and motto Spero Meliora, I aspire to greater things. (pics and more info http://pinterest.com/alisongal/sandlin/"]here[/URL]).
Anyway! With recently discovered family ties, I wanted to add a small nod to Scottish roots in the wedding. For our monogram, we def wanted something with a crown, so I thought just for fun I would look up Scottish crowns (which I found many lovely pictures of). I stumbled upon the Luckenbooth. Its a traditional brooch commonly traded at engagement and is worn for different types of luck. There are unconfirmed rumors that Mary, Queen of Scots gave one to Lord Darnly upon their betrothal. And! Its really pretty!
There are many different interpretations, but basically it is two entwined hearts with a crown. There are often thistles that represent Scotland .. but we are just going to have hearts in ours. I picked a few good images to send to a graphic design friend, along with the crown we picked out, and he is sketching out a monogram for us! I cant wait till its done. He has shown me some crown drawings and they are amazing. I swear, people who can draw, its like magic to me. I have no idea how someone puts pencil to paper and actually makes something awesome. I cant even sign my own name in a pretty way! Anyway It will be entwined hearts with an ornate C in the center and a lovely crown. I dont really want to pic spam much on the different bits of images I sent over to my friend, if you would like to see them click through to the Stationary link above and scroll to the bottom :.
Invites!!! There is one set of invites that I have seen all over the place that I am completely obsessed with.
Its written like a storybook!!! I LOVE IT!! Every other invite I have looked at I have compared to this one. Love love love it. Katie loves it too. We are now just waiting for Impressions Walt Disney World exclusive invite to come out before we make a final decision. Love this one. Lots.
I also found this awesome piece of equipment:
How cool is that? And its only $25 which is sooooo much less than you would pay for embossing from the stationary vendor. Super chic.
Lastly, Katie is working on a Welcome Novel haha. She is writing suggested park itineraries and including some of our favorite things. These are all for the welcome bag. Everyone needs a Disney Touring Plan! Im not certain how we will format it, but I am thinking several small pamphlets inside a newsletter style booklet. The pamphlets would be for each park with a suggested touring itinerary, things that are special to us, recommended places to eat, some hidden Mickeys and trivia about the park itself. Then we will also do one full of non-park things to do. The booklet itself will be about specific wedding information, times, places, ..uhhh& and lots of other stuff Im sure. The idea is that our guests can take just one park pamphlet with them, and leave the big book of other info in their room. That way they can make good use of our knowledge of the parks without being weighed down by lots of other info
. That is still in the works overall, but we are probably going to go through Ever After Printables on Etsy to order the actual pamplets
And thats it for stationary!!! This is getting seriously long --- so Ill break it down into chunks :
Coming up:
Must have pictures, Ceremony, brunch, reception, dessert party, keepsakes, and maaaybe my DIY list.
Alifay
Emotes in shades of pink
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2012
Part Two! You all know how long winded I tend to get…
Okay Ceremony Board !
As we know, ceremony has been moved to the Italy Pavilion. In my last post I covered ceremony music…
But I have come up with so many exciting additions! Now that we aren’t spending a boatload of money on the MK ceremony, it allows us more room for different kinds of awesomeness.
Lets start small, with the chairs. Two really adorable chair décor ideas:
Ribbons!
Bows!
I think I like the ribbons more, I can picture them fluttering in the breeze and adding such an airy feel… Plus it will look awesome in..
A painting!!! Painted as the ceremony occurs!!
Such lovely entertainment for our guests as they wait, and an amazing keepsake. I can see this as something that we hang on our wall and enjoy even more often and with more love than even our album. We will of course still have photographers … but I think splurging on this is a completely worthwhile investment ! I am still waiting to hear back from our sales consultant about this specifically, and if Disney will provide someone or if we will be allowed to hire an outside vendor. Ah! So excited!!!
The next addition to our ceremony is another thing I am endlessly excited for.
We have always planned to do a sand ceremony. I was looking for just the right set, something that would make a lovely keepsake and would also be easy to use during the ceremony. I didn’t want separate layers of sand, I want them to visually blend together like in this photo:
I couldn’t find anything that was attractive as a keepsake that would also allow this pretty styling of the sands mixing together.
This was the closest I was getting – but still am not a fan of just displaying a plain vase of sand.
I know there are photo frame ones, and those are nice but still not quite right..
And then .. out of nowhere … something AMAZING happened!!! Drumroll please…
TA DA!!!
It’s perfect. Too too perfect. Here is how it works. You buy the whole package up front. Choose 2-8 colors, and they send you the glass crystals in those colors. You use the crystals in the symbolic sand ceremony style (your own sand ceremony set, just use the glass crystals in place of sand). After the wedding, ship the glass crystals back in the included postage paid package. They make the sculpture in the style pictured and ship that back to you at home!
It is pricey ... but it so perfectly hits that something more I was looking for. I talked to Katie about it and she said YES! Lets do it! One bonus will cover the cost of that easily. BEST. FIANCE. EVER !!!! I can’t describe how excited I am, how lovely it will be at the ceremony (Painter, ribbon chairs, stairs to lovely platform, crystal sand, gorgeous glass slipper holding the rings…!) – it’s going to be so special. And my Daddy is going to walk me down the aisle and I am going to cry SO much. I honestly never even dreamed I would be able to plan a wedding like this.
Ahh. Okay, a couple more ceremony things. I am not sure if I posted this, but as I mentioned above we have that beautiful limited edition glass slipper (250 made) to use for holding our rings, like so:
And this past Christmas my Grandma (on the Sandlin side, same side discussed in previous post) had wall hangings made for all of the kids and grandkids made out of all of Grandpa’s ties. It’s a lovely remembrance, the one I received just happened to be blue and it will make the perfect setting for the glass slipper at the ceremony. Love.
One last thing, I found these graphics that offer the perfect jump start on our vows. I love the part where it says adventure, because Katie and I are always going on adventures – and we call them that! Uh oh .. we are lost and took a wrong turn .. its an adventure!!! Gotta go to the store but don’t really feel like it … LETS GO ON AN ADVENTURE!! Something crazy just happened … it's life. Life is an adventure.
Our vows are going to be fed line by line from our officiant like traditional vows ( you know, “Alison repeat after me…”). I know Katie (and probably me too) would get stressed about reading them from a page, and I think it will be prettier to have them fed line by line, we can look at each other and not have to glace at a notecard.
We are going to use the same vows for the first part (very much like the image above) then we are each adding in our own personal vows in addition. So we will take the same vows, and enhance them specifically for each of us. Love.
Ahh. I know that guests like to just skip through the ceremony and get to the party … but this is so absolutely special, especially after all we have been through to get to this point... and to have our families involved. I have always wanted a traditional wedding, I love traditions and the way they tie a culture and society together.
Okay okay. Sappiness aside – lets move on to the reception!!
We are still in love with The Attic for or reception.
We are planning to line the walls just outside and heading in with pictures of us throughout our ten years together, and tell our own love story. I haven’t started working on this yet … so I’m not sure how long it will be … I’m thinking maybe an image or two from each season? Not sure. But it will be lovely, and I found this great DIY project to go with it:
Okay. Centerpieces. Of all the weird things, this is what Katie and I have fought the most about. I’m not kidding – yelling at each other in front of friends and family and everything! Stupid centerpieces!!!
As a refresher, this is a mock-up of what I had thought of (excuse the netting and way too many blue beads, I did this at the craft store to try it out)
So it wasn’t that Katie didn’t like the idea (or maybe she didn't but wouldn’t say so?) – she thought we didn’t need centerpieces at all! AUGH!!! So we finally yelled enough and Katie didn’t actually admit that she thought we should have centerpieces … .. but she did start suggesting a few different things. WIN FOR ALISON!! Ahem. So.
Katie thought it was dumb that I wanted a square of fabric or something to set the centerpieces on. I patiently listened to her while she described using a mirror or a park map before I told her I hated both those ideas (The Attic is so BRIGHT and it will be early morning, so the mirrors would just look too harsh, they are better at night. Park maps … … there was more to that idea that is cute, but for the centerpieces it’s terrible).
While I was searching through centerpiece ideas I found something to solve ALL our problems!!
A slice of wood!!! It’s perfect! Hahaha.. I’m sure you are wondering why. Katie and I have decided that we are going to style our home around a storybook enchanted forest theme (yes, we are highly influenced by Once Upon a Time … if you haven’t seen it yet geton Netflix and marathon it! It is AMAZING!).
So I searched for more pictures and ideas, and we settled on a wood/moss base:
Tree style “vases” to hold garden roses (cheaper and even prettier than peonies)
And on the wood, we could carve our intitals:
On each table, we could include a picture or a tidbit about us… Katie wanted to point out special things that have happened around Disney, like proposing at Disney Land .. something. Maybe. I haven’t really sorted through this much yet.
Katie loves it, I love it – horray!!! Now I just wonder if Disney can provide something like this, or if I should DIY it? I think I’d rather go through Disney or a vendor of some sort, that is a lot of stuff to drag all the way to Florida.
I also LOVE these napkin bows! It might pretty up the table to have one at each seat where a plate would normally go, since it will be a buffet. A little extra pretty that is also functional Cause we already need napkins, right!
Did I show you the crown cake topper yet? I don’t think I have.
Crown cake topper!! I love it, it’s adorable. And it will go with our monogram. The monogram is two entwined hearts with a crown, so the cake topper can be the crown part and then on the top tier we can have the hearts and C part of the monogram.
Though we still also like the lanterns cake. I think we could probably work it both out… It would be pretty.
And garden roses. First I wanted peonies and wide open roses. Then I found these gorgeous flowers … so pretty!
Everyone wants to hear about food, right!? Food is next!
Okay Ceremony Board !
As we know, ceremony has been moved to the Italy Pavilion. In my last post I covered ceremony music…
But I have come up with so many exciting additions! Now that we aren’t spending a boatload of money on the MK ceremony, it allows us more room for different kinds of awesomeness.
Lets start small, with the chairs. Two really adorable chair décor ideas:
Ribbons!
Bows!
I think I like the ribbons more, I can picture them fluttering in the breeze and adding such an airy feel… Plus it will look awesome in..
A painting!!! Painted as the ceremony occurs!!
Such lovely entertainment for our guests as they wait, and an amazing keepsake. I can see this as something that we hang on our wall and enjoy even more often and with more love than even our album. We will of course still have photographers … but I think splurging on this is a completely worthwhile investment ! I am still waiting to hear back from our sales consultant about this specifically, and if Disney will provide someone or if we will be allowed to hire an outside vendor. Ah! So excited!!!The next addition to our ceremony is another thing I am endlessly excited for.
We have always planned to do a sand ceremony. I was looking for just the right set, something that would make a lovely keepsake and would also be easy to use during the ceremony. I didn’t want separate layers of sand, I want them to visually blend together like in this photo:
I couldn’t find anything that was attractive as a keepsake that would also allow this pretty styling of the sands mixing together.
This was the closest I was getting – but still am not a fan of just displaying a plain vase of sand.
I know there are photo frame ones, and those are nice but still not quite right..
And then .. out of nowhere … something AMAZING happened!!! Drumroll please…
TA DA!!!
It’s perfect. Too too perfect. Here is how it works. You buy the whole package up front. Choose 2-8 colors, and they send you the glass crystals in those colors. You use the crystals in the symbolic sand ceremony style (your own sand ceremony set, just use the glass crystals in place of sand). After the wedding, ship the glass crystals back in the included postage paid package. They make the sculpture in the style pictured and ship that back to you at home!
It is pricey ... but it so perfectly hits that something more I was looking for. I talked to Katie about it and she said YES! Lets do it! One bonus will cover the cost of that easily. BEST. FIANCE. EVER !!!! I can’t describe how excited I am, how lovely it will be at the ceremony (Painter, ribbon chairs, stairs to lovely platform, crystal sand, gorgeous glass slipper holding the rings…!) – it’s going to be so special. And my Daddy is going to walk me down the aisle and I am going to cry SO much. I honestly never even dreamed I would be able to plan a wedding like this.
Ahh. Okay, a couple more ceremony things. I am not sure if I posted this, but as I mentioned above we have that beautiful limited edition glass slipper (250 made) to use for holding our rings, like so:
And this past Christmas my Grandma (on the Sandlin side, same side discussed in previous post) had wall hangings made for all of the kids and grandkids made out of all of Grandpa’s ties. It’s a lovely remembrance, the one I received just happened to be blue and it will make the perfect setting for the glass slipper at the ceremony. Love.
One last thing, I found these graphics that offer the perfect jump start on our vows. I love the part where it says adventure, because Katie and I are always going on adventures – and we call them that! Uh oh .. we are lost and took a wrong turn .. its an adventure!!! Gotta go to the store but don’t really feel like it … LETS GO ON AN ADVENTURE!! Something crazy just happened … it's life. Life is an adventure.
Our vows are going to be fed line by line from our officiant like traditional vows ( you know, “Alison repeat after me…”). I know Katie (and probably me too) would get stressed about reading them from a page, and I think it will be prettier to have them fed line by line, we can look at each other and not have to glace at a notecard.
We are going to use the same vows for the first part (very much like the image above) then we are each adding in our own personal vows in addition. So we will take the same vows, and enhance them specifically for each of us. Love.
Ahh. I know that guests like to just skip through the ceremony and get to the party … but this is so absolutely special, especially after all we have been through to get to this point... and to have our families involved. I have always wanted a traditional wedding, I love traditions and the way they tie a culture and society together.
Okay okay. Sappiness aside – lets move on to the reception!!
We are still in love with The Attic for or reception.
We are planning to line the walls just outside and heading in with pictures of us throughout our ten years together, and tell our own love story. I haven’t started working on this yet … so I’m not sure how long it will be … I’m thinking maybe an image or two from each season? Not sure. But it will be lovely, and I found this great DIY project to go with it:
Okay. Centerpieces. Of all the weird things, this is what Katie and I have fought the most about. I’m not kidding – yelling at each other in front of friends and family and everything! Stupid centerpieces!!!
As a refresher, this is a mock-up of what I had thought of (excuse the netting and way too many blue beads, I did this at the craft store to try it out)
So it wasn’t that Katie didn’t like the idea (or maybe she didn't but wouldn’t say so?) – she thought we didn’t need centerpieces at all! AUGH!!! So we finally yelled enough and Katie didn’t actually admit that she thought we should have centerpieces … .. but she did start suggesting a few different things. WIN FOR ALISON!! Ahem. So.
Katie thought it was dumb that I wanted a square of fabric or something to set the centerpieces on. I patiently listened to her while she described using a mirror or a park map before I told her I hated both those ideas (The Attic is so BRIGHT and it will be early morning, so the mirrors would just look too harsh, they are better at night. Park maps … … there was more to that idea that is cute, but for the centerpieces it’s terrible).
While I was searching through centerpiece ideas I found something to solve ALL our problems!!
A slice of wood!!! It’s perfect! Hahaha.. I’m sure you are wondering why. Katie and I have decided that we are going to style our home around a storybook enchanted forest theme (yes, we are highly influenced by Once Upon a Time … if you haven’t seen it yet geton Netflix and marathon it! It is AMAZING!).
So I searched for more pictures and ideas, and we settled on a wood/moss base:
Tree style “vases” to hold garden roses (cheaper and even prettier than peonies)
And on the wood, we could carve our intitals:
On each table, we could include a picture or a tidbit about us… Katie wanted to point out special things that have happened around Disney, like proposing at Disney Land .. something. Maybe. I haven’t really sorted through this much yet.
Katie loves it, I love it – horray!!! Now I just wonder if Disney can provide something like this, or if I should DIY it? I think I’d rather go through Disney or a vendor of some sort, that is a lot of stuff to drag all the way to Florida.
I also LOVE these napkin bows! It might pretty up the table to have one at each seat where a plate would normally go, since it will be a buffet. A little extra pretty that is also functional
Cause we already need napkins, right!
Did I show you the crown cake topper yet? I don’t think I have.
Crown cake topper!! I love it, it’s adorable. And it will go with our monogram. The monogram is two entwined hearts with a crown, so the cake topper can be the crown part and then on the top tier we can have the hearts and C part of the monogram.
Though we still also like the lanterns cake. I think we could probably work it both out… It would be pretty.
And garden roses. First I wanted peonies and wide open roses. Then I found these gorgeous flowers … so pretty!
Everyone wants to hear about food, right!? Food is next!
Alifay
Emotes in shades of pink
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2012
Mmm food post!
First we bounced around what we wanted for our brunch. I love breakfast foods, Katie wanted to weigh more in on the “unch” part of Brunch. We decided a ham was best for both, great for breakfast and also a good lunch style food too. I want Mickey waffles and a hashbrown bar. And we both agree that we def need fresh fruit. I thought a yogurt parfeit would be nice, maybe with plates of toppings. It’s very important to serve feel-good light healthy foods. It is so easy to get swept up in bad food choices at Disney! There is always a healthy food option if you look for it through. I want to send our guests with good food in their tummies for their day at the parks ☺
With these things in mind, I went to take a look through the sample menus they sent us … and found the perfect one!!! Okay, the perfect one to alter to our specifications. I looked through the rest of the menus and picked things that we would enjoy to sub in.
The Briar Rose Brunch Buffet:
This is the menu as provided. Here is the menu with our requests:
Cocktail Hour:
Yogurt parfait, cheese display with grapes, crakers, and baguette (might sub out one or both of these)
Buffet:
Strawberry/Brie/Balsamic crostini (subbed in for tomato, mozzarella, basil)
Salmon with goat cheese (upgraded from white fish, we love salmon!)
(Pasta removed from menu, it just seems like a filler item)
Brown Sugar baked ham (!)
Hashbrown bar (subbed in for potato gratin, though Katie might want both)
Seasonal vegetables with citrus oil (LOTS of veggies please!)
Hardwood smoked bacon
Egg cookery Station
Mickey Waffles (subbed in for fancy French toast)
Cinnamon rolls, danish, croissants (might push this to cocktail hour)
Juices, coffee, hot/iced tea
Add in – Bubbly bar!
We will have prosecco (Italian sparkleing wine .. heehee) with 3-5 mix options. If you have any creative ideas please let me know!
Right now, this is the list of juices/flavorings we are going to pick from:
Orange
Cranberry
Grapefruit
Mango
Strawberry (banana)
Peach
Pomegrante
Lavendar lemon
Mixed Berry (blu,black,rasp)
Extra special: Chambord
I think this will be a fun way to have different cocktails without adding too much to the bill in alcohol. Also, it’s a brunch, no one needs to be drinking that much!
Mmmm food and bubbly beverages. Now I’m hungry…
Might as well keep with the same theme – we are starting to pick what we might want for our dessert party. We scavenged some sample menus and took what looked good from those, as well as our own favorite treats.
We have 7 must have items (Which is probably plenty? How many different choices would be standard?)
French macaroons. The first time I ever tried (and fell head over heels in love with) French macaroons was at the Princess lunch Katie treated me to when she proposed. She even flagged down a server and asked for one of each flavor so I could try them all! Such a sweet Katie ☺
The caramel filled chocolate cookie from the Karamel Haus in Epcot’s Germany pavilion. If you have not had this cookie, make it a top priority !!! This is the most delicious thing I have ever eaten. So, so perfectly good.
Caramel apples. This is Katie’s pick. We might have to serve them already sliced I think.
Mickey Rice Krispy treats!!! These are my favorite park treat (outside of that cookie).
Fruit salad, again with a light option. Everyone loves fruit.
Éclairs. Katie’s Nana used to make éclairs and it’s one of her fondest memories of her.
Mickey ice cream bars! These are Katie’s favorite park treat.
Other things we are considering in partial order:
Goofy Sour Balls (Katie loves these)
Warm Chocolate banana torte with rum sauce (this sounds AMAZING, we will have to request it for our tasting)
Fruit tarts
Mango shooters (this sounds intriguing … again will have to taste)
Pistachio crème brulee
Banana crème tart
Obviously we aren’t going to try to have ALL of these things. Lots of them we want to try (need to get reservations for the Tomorrowland Terrace Dessert Party!). Still plently of time to edit this list though ☺
Oh, and milk is an absolute must as well. Mmm milk and caramel chocolate cookie….
Now that we have had lots of foodpicspam … let’s talk about pictures!
Just a sampling of some “must have” pictures I’ve collected from everywhere. . Wedding Portrait inspiration.
Let’s start with one of my favorites:
Wedding dress + Minnie ears ! Ah too cute!!!
The Kiss picture from the other perspective, with friends and family in the background!
Like time has stopped
So sweet.
This is such fun!
Guests enjoying Illuminations
Of course lots of fireworks pictures!
Super wide angle – I hate it when the top of the castle is chopped off!
There are more on the portrait link above. These are just some of my favorites. I will need to sort them out into categories: Magic Kingdom, Ceremony, Formal, Reception, Dessert Party… We also still plan to do our first look in the Magic Kingdom. Ah so fun!
And last but never ever the least, a collection of wedding keepsake ideas.
Take a piece of your dress and put into a necklace. Or use a piece of Mom’s gown to wear to the wedding (really want to do this)
Bind wedding cards together like a book – so you can keep them but not just shove them in a box!
Take a ticket stub or plane ticket or invite or program (any nostalgic bit of paper) from your wedding/honeymoon to kinkos, have them blow it up, print it on a fabric transfer and make this pillow. Such a cute idea to keep forever, and work into our storybook décor. I think I will want to do several of these ☺
So that’s all!!! It’s fun for me to look through my first post on through to this one and see plans evolve. It’s so much fun to go through this process, to share it all with Katie, and make it completely personal and special. Weddings are some of the best dreams-come-true.
First we bounced around what we wanted for our brunch. I love breakfast foods, Katie wanted to weigh more in on the “unch” part of Brunch. We decided a ham was best for both, great for breakfast and also a good lunch style food too. I want Mickey waffles and a hashbrown bar. And we both agree that we def need fresh fruit. I thought a yogurt parfeit would be nice, maybe with plates of toppings. It’s very important to serve feel-good light healthy foods. It is so easy to get swept up in bad food choices at Disney! There is always a healthy food option if you look for it through. I want to send our guests with good food in their tummies for their day at the parks ☺
With these things in mind, I went to take a look through the sample menus they sent us … and found the perfect one!!! Okay, the perfect one to alter to our specifications. I looked through the rest of the menus and picked things that we would enjoy to sub in.
The Briar Rose Brunch Buffet:
This is the menu as provided. Here is the menu with our requests:
Cocktail Hour:
Yogurt parfait, cheese display with grapes, crakers, and baguette (might sub out one or both of these)
Buffet:
Strawberry/Brie/Balsamic crostini (subbed in for tomato, mozzarella, basil)
Salmon with goat cheese (upgraded from white fish, we love salmon!)
(Pasta removed from menu, it just seems like a filler item)
Brown Sugar baked ham (!)
Hashbrown bar (subbed in for potato gratin, though Katie might want both)
Seasonal vegetables with citrus oil (LOTS of veggies please!)
Hardwood smoked bacon
Egg cookery Station
Mickey Waffles (subbed in for fancy French toast)
Cinnamon rolls, danish, croissants (might push this to cocktail hour)
Juices, coffee, hot/iced tea
Add in – Bubbly bar!
We will have prosecco (Italian sparkleing wine .. heehee) with 3-5 mix options. If you have any creative ideas please let me know!
Right now, this is the list of juices/flavorings we are going to pick from:
Orange
Cranberry
Grapefruit
Mango
Strawberry (banana)
Peach
Pomegrante
Lavendar lemon
Mixed Berry (blu,black,rasp)
Extra special: Chambord
I think this will be a fun way to have different cocktails without adding too much to the bill in alcohol. Also, it’s a brunch, no one needs to be drinking that much!
Mmmm food and bubbly beverages. Now I’m hungry…
Might as well keep with the same theme – we are starting to pick what we might want for our dessert party. We scavenged some sample menus and took what looked good from those, as well as our own favorite treats.
We have 7 must have items (Which is probably plenty? How many different choices would be standard?)
French macaroons. The first time I ever tried (and fell head over heels in love with) French macaroons was at the Princess lunch Katie treated me to when she proposed. She even flagged down a server and asked for one of each flavor so I could try them all! Such a sweet Katie ☺
The caramel filled chocolate cookie from the Karamel Haus in Epcot’s Germany pavilion. If you have not had this cookie, make it a top priority !!! This is the most delicious thing I have ever eaten. So, so perfectly good.
Caramel apples. This is Katie’s pick. We might have to serve them already sliced I think.
Mickey Rice Krispy treats!!! These are my favorite park treat (outside of that cookie).
Fruit salad, again with a light option. Everyone loves fruit.
Éclairs. Katie’s Nana used to make éclairs and it’s one of her fondest memories of her.
Mickey ice cream bars! These are Katie’s favorite park treat.
Other things we are considering in partial order:
Goofy Sour Balls (Katie loves these)
Warm Chocolate banana torte with rum sauce (this sounds AMAZING, we will have to request it for our tasting)
Fruit tarts
Mango shooters (this sounds intriguing … again will have to taste)
Pistachio crème brulee
Banana crème tart
Obviously we aren’t going to try to have ALL of these things. Lots of them we want to try (need to get reservations for the Tomorrowland Terrace Dessert Party!). Still plently of time to edit this list though ☺
Oh, and milk is an absolute must as well. Mmm milk and caramel chocolate cookie….
Now that we have had lots of foodpicspam … let’s talk about pictures!
Just a sampling of some “must have” pictures I’ve collected from everywhere. . Wedding Portrait inspiration.
Let’s start with one of my favorites:
Wedding dress + Minnie ears ! Ah too cute!!!
The Kiss picture from the other perspective, with friends and family in the background!
Like time has stopped
So sweet.
This is such fun!
Guests enjoying Illuminations
Of course lots of fireworks pictures!
Super wide angle – I hate it when the top of the castle is chopped off!
There are more on the portrait link above. These are just some of my favorites. I will need to sort them out into categories: Magic Kingdom, Ceremony, Formal, Reception, Dessert Party… We also still plan to do our first look in the Magic Kingdom. Ah so fun!
And last but never ever the least, a collection of wedding keepsake ideas.
Take a piece of your dress and put into a necklace. Or use a piece of Mom’s gown to wear to the wedding (really want to do this)
Bind wedding cards together like a book – so you can keep them but not just shove them in a box!
Take a ticket stub or plane ticket or invite or program (any nostalgic bit of paper) from your wedding/honeymoon to kinkos, have them blow it up, print it on a fabric transfer and make this pillow. Such a cute idea to keep forever, and work into our storybook décor. I think I will want to do several of these ☺
So that’s all!!! It’s fun for me to look through my first post on through to this one and see plans evolve. It’s so much fun to go through this process, to share it all with Katie, and make it completely personal and special. Weddings are some of the best dreams-come-true.
librarygeek
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2011
Wow, you have so many amazing ideas! I love the invites you posted that look like a storybook, those are so cute and fun. The idea of having a painter at the ceremony is so cool!! Plus I think it would fit in perfectly with the vibe of Epcot and the Italy pavilion. And as you said, it would make an amazing keepsake.
Mmm, I love your food choices, they all sound great. And I also really like how you are trying to keep things on the healthier side. There are so many healthier options that taste delicious, you might as well go with them! I think 7 items is more than enough for a dessert party. If it helps I had the mango shooter at the Tomorrowland Terrace fireworks dessert party and it was good but nothing amazing.
Mmm, I love your food choices, they all sound great. And I also really like how you are trying to keep things on the healthier side. There are so many healthier options that taste delicious, you might as well go with them! I think 7 items is more than enough for a dessert party. If it helps I had the mango shooter at the Tomorrowland Terrace fireworks dessert party and it was good but nothing amazing.
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