Amber and Wes 11/16/13 Swan/Fantasmic!DP Update 12/18 -Disbride ideas!

[celerystalker]

Nabbers! I forget that you never get on facebook. I just assumed you all had seen pics of him!

Me and him at Disney on Ice!

At a friend's birthday party.

 

[NAB]

Aww thanks Celery!

You look adorable and happy together.

 

[Summer Daydream]

I love that your fiance tried his best to surprise you. with the proposal and that the ring has some sentimental value The proposal was so sweet! I look forward to reading more!

 

[SeaBreezeBride]

Welcome to the Boards! I love your story so far...you are both such a cute couple! And I love your dress!

Congrats!

 

[celerystalker]

Thanks! I've been a longtime lurker on the wedding boards - dreaming of the day.
I'm just so excited I can actually POST on wedding sites now instead of being a stalker.

There was a "wedding planning for those not yet engaged" thread a few years ago and I MIGHT have been a contributor.

If there are any single ladies reading this, I felt your pain from 1997 to just a couple of weeks ago.
That's a long time! But hang in there.
Prayer and kissing a million frogs is what got me through.

 

[celerystalker]

Quick Update - Various Things

So far, I've been very pleased with the responses I've gotten back from people. I'm only SLIGHTLY impatient!

Disney Group Travel gave me an email proposal within 2 days of contacting them.
The amount they quoted me could potentially save my guests a lot of money, but I'll have to wait until closer in to decide anything since most of the people I know are most likely coming are going to be staying offsite.
Both my matron of honor and my friend who is helping decorate(Bridget) have family in town.
Wes's mom is planning on renting a huge house with her timeshare points, so I imagine almost all of his family will stay there.

Some people also might decide to stay at the Swan or Dolphin, so we'll see how it goes!

I have the wedding website started and I know a large portion of it will be tips for my guests – of course, I’m guessing most of them won’t bother to read it, but oh well!

Disney Event Planning was pretty prompt with their initial response about the Fantasmic! Dessert party, so that’s encouraging as well.

I’m really interested in Randy Chapman for photography – I think he’ll get mine and Wes’s personality…
But he hasn’t responded just yet.

My friend Pete (Bridget’s husband) is an incredible photographer, but I want him to be a guest, not have to work.
I might get him to take some pictures at the dessert party if Disney doesn’t mind too much.
I need to ask JBeanBunny (a Disney cruise bride and the person I borrowed the invitation idea from) how it works actually in the park since she’s a cast member in that area.

I really want the officiant to be someone from my church, but most of the people I’ve approached aren’t able to make the trip.

Oh! And I ordered a Cricut Mini off of eBay yesterday! I can’t wait to start on my cards!

Tentative Wedding Weekend Plans
Arrive Thursday – Meet everyone for the Fort Wilderness Campfire – Smores, sing a longs, Disney movies and Chip and Dale – all for FREEEEE!
(I’ve never done this, so Wes and I will check it out in our planning trip)
Friday – Wes and I will be at the Canada pavilion in Epcot at 11:15 and will move in a counter clockwise direction around World Showcase. All those interested in eating, shopping and drinking around the world, helping Phineas and Ferb catch evil doers and visiting all Kidcot spots can meet us there.
I figure this will be a great way to show all ages of people what Disney has to offer – it’s not all about rides and Fantasyland, but some people don’t know that!
Plus, since there’s not many shows or rides, everyone can wander in and out as they want. I plan on hanging out around there or the Boardwalk until we get tired and go back to our room (planning on renting points at the Boardwalk).
Saturday – Wedding around 11 AM, hopefully. Then everyone is free to do whatever until approximately 5 since the dessert party at Disney Studios will start at 6! I can’t wait! I’ve already asked Disney dessert planning if it’s ok if most of the party meets from inside the park and those few without tickets get escorted in. They said it wouldn’t be a problem. I told them I want to ride tower of terror as many times as I can both before and after the Dessert party, so I don't want to have to worry about where my guests are!
Sunday – Goodbye brunch at around 11 AM – hopefully a character meal.
I’ll need help figuring out the wording for the brunch.
It’s probably not going to be in our budget to pay for everyone – so I need a polite way of saying that.
After I plan on Wes and I going to Animal Kingdom and anyone that wants to tag along (and not be a pain in the keister! ) can come.
Monday morning we’re switching resorts to Bonnet Creek – so that will be everyone’s cue to leave us alone!

 

[tiggerfan77]

Hey Celery!

Just joining in! Congrats on becoming official! I am a fellow cradle robber myself (I am 35 and my DB 26) I know how you felt about being early because I am in the process of waiting for my DB to save up the money for a ring since he does not want to use credit. So I patiently wait and lurk around the boards...

Looking forward to seeing your plans unfold

 

[celerystalker]

Welcome, tigger!

Starting on Invitations

I got my cricut mini!
I was a little worried that I wouldn't be able to figure it out since I've never used a cricut before, but it went pretty good.

Here's my first prototype:

I'll probably add some glitter accents just for fun!

 

[Backstage_Gal]

Cel, your plans sound great.

I am still hoping my daughter will opt for the wedding by her uncles pool as I suggested. She still expects us to pay. Didnt that go out with giving goats to the husband?

Speaking of weddings though, in German it is called "Hochzeit", literally translated as "High Time". So enjoy!

 

[celerystalker]

Unofficial Engagement Photos
I'm planning on having my friend Pete do an engagement photo session with us at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel once the Christmas decorations are up. I've also asked Randy Chapman to do a session with us in April or May when we hopefully have our pre wedding trip.
But I wanted a few pics with the dogs and with fall colors, so I had my sister come take pics of us today. Here are my favorites.

 

[luvvwl]

Well, hey there Cel!

Your plans look great!

 

[Backstage_Gal]

Great pics, Cel, I am so excited for you!

 

[JBeanBunny]

I just caught up! I'm pleased that you're up to 3 pages already! I feel like it took an eternity to fill up with posts and spaces in the early stages of planning... BUT you seem to be an expert (and eager!!!) planner

I would LOVE to take credit for cutting out each piece of paper for the background image in my invitations, but that would be wrong! I bought the image from somebody on etsy, then I used tracing paper on craft paper and recreated it in colors I preferred! Then I scanned it and had Kinkos print me about 30 pages (2 per page) We did, however, punch out 8 squares of blue paper for the front of the invitations (and since the edges were white, Michael used a blue marker to make it evenly blue ) they were very labor intensive, but it would've taken me a hundred times longer if I'd handcrafted that background image in every invitation

I love your work with the mini cricut! My fellow bride friend (got married the week before I did) had one and I used hers as much as I could before she moved away! They're so fun- I just used her wedding cartridge to make a whole bunch of labels and tags! She didn't have the Disney cartridge, but one of the gals on my cruise made a door tag for me & Michael from the Cinderella & Charming image! It looked to be very complicated, but at the same time, it's fun to put all of the pieces together!

I la-la-la-LOVE your ring I had the marquise cut on my "wishlist" (I had a desktop folder full of different rings for Michael to peruse whenever he was ready to go ring shopping!) but my mom was sneaky and gave the center stone from her engagement ring (parents divorced) which is a 1/2 carat round diamond. I adore my ring set, but I still love the Marquise! Maybe I'll get one in a gemstone for some right hand candy! (We then reset my mom's ring with a sapphire and gave it back to her!) I totally agree about rhodium plating- I can appreciate yellow gold, but I don't prefer to wear it!! I love white gold, silver, and platinum colors! I have a beautiful ring from my mom that looks like a lacy version of Princess Aurora's crown (I wore it on my wedding day for my 'something borrowed') and I really want to get it rhodium plated because it's yellow gold. Have you rhodium plated it yet? Is it expensive to do?

You mentioned asking me about outside photographers and Disney. From what I understand, as long as your photographer has a ticket into Disney, they can take photos of you. (This is how it was with the cruiseline too! My photographers had been paid for to be there, so they were able to take all the pictures they pleased). NOW, do notice that ESPECIALLY at Magic Kingdom, they don't want brides taking photos unless they'd paid to do so at dawn before the park opens. They WANT the right to have bridal portraits taken with their own photographers so you pay THEM for that. Does that make sense? I'm in food and beverage at DHS (at the moment... I just got a transfer to DAKL concierge!!!) so I'm not certain about in-park wedding photography... But I know that you can take out-of-park (ie, resorts or DTD) photos with your own photographers. I've seen several local photographers with extensive engagement sessions @ Boardwalk and Grand Floridian, etc. I hope that's helpful If you're looking for a local photographer for your wedding, I used www.LoraRodgers.com and she was fantastic!! She cut me a deal because I was her first cruise bride, so I just paid for her and the second shooter's cruise and the photography was free! I even got full printing rights to those unmarked 1065 photos and she's mailing me a DVD with the images!

Oh, you mentioned something about CM's and discounts? I hear that it's miniscule for WDW Fairytale Weddings, but it's NONEXISTENT for DCL weddings! I paid full price for everything IF I was treated any differently because I am a CM, I was going to have DFTW and my wedding coordinator by the throat, but luckily everything was GORGEOUS and better than I'd expected!

I think the idea for a welcome get together at the FW Campgrounds is so much fun! I've only been to FW once or twice, but it's really cool! Also, if your friends bring kids, the marshmallows and movie (and the space to run amok!) would be a great idea! Plus, we're all just grown-up kids at heart, so your friends should love it too! I also think it's very WISE that you and your DF (is it awesome to call him that now?) are taking a planning trip! I went on a research cruise with my DM and DH about 9 months before the wedding, and the experience was INVALUABLE! Michael told me that he wouldn't have enjoyed the cruise AT ALL if he hadn't taken the time ahead of time to acclimate himself to the ship and all of its activities! It's best not to be on sensory overload from the DISNEY essence on your WEDDING trip! There's enough stress involved in weddings as it is- to be as prepared as possible (as I'm sure you will be! ) should take some of that stress away!

Anyways, very excited to hear more from your plans! I know absolutely NOTHING about Swalphin weddings and I'm very curious to learn more! Thrilled to hear that you're considering a DP at Fantasmic! I've seen so many (sometimes they get in my way when they're setting up ) and I've always wanted an excuse to do one! I'm a total Fantasmic nut, though! I've been working at WDW Fant! on and off for over 4 years now, and I got engaged after DL Fantasmic! and I'm NOT even remotely tired of it! I still like to come as a guest to watch it on a day off now and again!! Yay for you!!

 

[celerystalker]

So far, the swalphin experience has been good.
I've heard back from It's tasty too! (baker that several people used - and she's so cheap!) and Randy Chapman.
I really like his pics, so I'm probably going with him - plus he's very reasonable.
(I love a good bargain!)

Jilian - The marquise is beautiful and I love it - but it's dangerous on the hand of a clumsy person!
Wes woke up yesterday with a cut above his eye. Oops. I must have accidentally hit him in my sleep!
And I almost got a 2 year old at church yesterday.
This is after 1 week - can you imagine how many people I'll hurt for the rest of my life!?!?!

Ah! So you photocopied the dancing people! Brilliant!

I mainly would like a photographer during the dessert party.
Hopefully they won't even pay attention if my friend is taking pics.

Sorry you won't be there for my dessert party - I was kind of hoping you'd help stock the mickey bars for us!
I'm sure we'll have plenty of room if you want to come join us!

I haven't had my ring plated yet. I'm going to wait awhile - I can't find a band that fits snug against it! Grr. And I hate jewelers handling it while I'm looking.
Ha.
I told Wes tonight to imagine how possessive I'd be over a newborn if I don't like taking the ring off my finger!

luvvwl - Thanks for following along!

Marita -

 

[JBeanBunny]

Jilian - The marquise is beautiful and I love it - but it's dangerous on the hand of a clumsy person!
Wes woke up yesterday with a cut above his eye. Oops. I must have accidentally hit him in my sleep!
And I almost got a 2 year old at church yesterday.
This is after 1 week - can you imagine how many people I'll hurt for the rest of my life!?!?!

Ah! So you photocopied the dancing people! Brilliant!

I mainly would like a photographer during the dessert party.
Hopefully they won't even pay attention if my friend is taking pics.

Sorry you won't be there for my dessert party - I was kind of hoping you'd help stock the mickey bars for us!
I'm sure we'll have plenty of room if you want to come join us!

haha, although I'm food & beverage, I've got nothing to do with the Fant! DP's! They have a special events crew who run that operation! I do sell 's though!

If your photographer is just taking pictures of your DP, you've got no problem! That'd be totally fine!

Thanks for warning me about the danger of marquise! Though, I found that I cut myself AND Michael the first few weeks of wearing my diamond, and I have a plain 'ol circle! I think it's just something you get used to over time! I had to have mine resized right after my engagement, so I understand your separation anxiety! Michael's ring is currently getting resized I just want it back already!! Good luck in your wedding band search!

 

[celerystalker]

We got our date! Wahooooo!
We're going to be married on 11/16/13 at 11 am at the Crescent Terrace!!!!!
WHeee!


Now to go make the save the dates!

 

[ShanaMouse]

I am sooooo excited or you!! Now the planning can truly begin

 

[CityGirlLost]

Hey stalker!

LOVE that TARDIS invite you posted with #10 and Madame du Pompadour! It's AMAZING.

I don't know much about the Cricut mini. I have an Expression and a Gypsy (the handheld Cricut thingee that has all of my cartridges loaded into it). With the Gypsy, for each image, you can "hide" a cut. So let's say you select the Arial you used. You click on the hide button and it brings up the image on the screen and highlights one cut in red. You can either include it or hide it, so when you press the cut button, it doesn't make the cuts you chose to hid. It essentially lets you cut the sharper silhouette without the face and folds in the fabric of her dress or whatever.

Another couple little tips-- make sure you're using a new cutting blade and mat for something like your invitations. Textured cardstock sucks for detailed cutting. You'll always get little tears and ugly bits. Lastly, the thinner the paper, the crisper your cut will be.

Congrats on the official engagement!!!!

 

[celerystalker]

Shana - I know! At the rate I'm going, I'll have everything done by new years!

City - The TARDIS invite is the work of JBeanBunny - check out her planning journal - she's another crafter extraordinaire!
Thanks for the cricut tips. I'm slowly learning the craft room tricks - show contour lets me take out parts of the detail lines, so I'll be using that. I'll also buy some new blades - this is a used machine and I think it was only used a couple of times, but a new blade won't hurt.
I'm not sure if I'm going too deep or not - should an outline of the cut show up on the mat?
That poor thing has been cut to death!
And it's not that sticky already - I'm using double sided tape in sections that aren't cut to stabilize it.
I hate the way the hands are cutting - just a bunch of tears! I think it'd be cool to stamp a bouquet and put over that part anyway.
It'll give me another excuse to either use a stamp I have or buy a new one!

 

[CityGirlLost]

Oh, it sounds like you're cutting way too deep if you're leaving deep marks on your mat. For cardstock, I generally use a blade depth of 4 and high pressure. Still, those tiny little pieces, like the hands, are tough and often tear. The bigger you cut a piece, the easier it is to get the finer details. Like, I wouldn't do any of the Cars cartridge at anything less than 5". It just turns into a big mess.

You can also re-stickify (is that a word?) your mats. I use a baby wipe on mine and rub pretty hard to get all of the lint and paper dust off them. It takes a couple minutes to dry after that. I've also heard of people spraying their mats with repositionable spray adhesive.