An Intimate Vow Renewal with Kids: Hawaii is a no-go

[Alexsandra]

Hi there, I am starting a planning journal after being inspired by so many others on this forum. I am going to be doing a lot of DIY projects and will share my plans and experience as I go forward.

I am creating a table of contents for easy access to all my posts. I will continue to add to this as I go.

Table of Contents:
Our Story and Wedding Pictures
The Plan
My Colour Inspiration
Flowers for my DIY Bouquet
DIY Boutonnière
Floral Decoration
Room Choices
Dress Shopping: ROUND 1
Change of plans: Vow renewal in Hawaii
Planning for Hawaii
Dress shopping: ROUND 2

I actually am planing something very private and very heart felt, just with myself, my husband and my two kids DS4 and DS8. We decided to cut out the extended family because we want total freedom to do do what we please without worrying about other people's schedule, budget or opinions. This was a big debate at first since I wanted the family there and my husband preferred it being just us (he is a shy guy!) I had trouble making this decision, but in the end, I came to the conclusion that something more intimate was going to feel more special and not feel like a wedding redo# 2.

Even though our wedding anniversary is on the 25th of June, we are planning our renewal for first week of March 2016 because it is a better time of year to travel money wise. Since my husband does not tolerate too much heat or humidity, that pretty much rules out June in Florida. Plus by the time March comes around, we Canadians like to escape from the snow and the blistering cold. The kids are off first week of March so we are planning it around then so that they don't miss too much school.

We celebrated our 10th anniversary this past June and wanted to do our vow renewal then but we had to put it on hold because of medical reason. I have been really bummed out ever since. I felt like I had missed the 10 year mark and thought we needed to wait for our 15th wedding anniversary to do the renewal. My husband in an effort to cheer me up, suggested we plan it for next year. He reminded me that it is ultimately our wedding renewal and we could choose to do it whenever we please. Yup, I have the best husband in the world. That is why we are still married after 10 years!

Let me introduce the Family:

My husband John, my youngest Jonah, my oldest Kheo and myself.

 

[Lynne G]

How nice. Sounds like a great way to include your family and show the love the parents have.

 

[Alexsandra]

How nice. Sounds like a great way to include your family and show the love the parents have.

Thanks, I think the kids will love being part of this special day. Plus its Disney, how could we go wrong

 

[Alexsandra]

Our Story:
We met 16 years ago in College and quickly fell for one another. We moved in together a year later and waited to finish school to get married.

Our Wedding:
We got married and bought our first home in 2014. We are Canadian but decided to get married in Ogonquit, Maine which had been my family vacation spot since I was little. It was a small wedding with 70 people. I'm half Italian so for Italian standards 70 people is a small wedding. We wanted to pay for our own wedding but did not have a lot of money back then so we did a lot of DIY and got friends and family to help. My aunt made my bouquet and my uncle baked our wedding cake (he is a chef so it was quite beautiful and delicious). My bridesmaid did my makeup and my hair as well as the whole wedding party. She is not a professional but I think she did a pretty good job. I am a graphic designer so I made my own invites and all the printed material. I loved my wedding but if I could go back I would do a few things differently. I would have stayed at a hotel the night of my wedding instead of staying at the home we rented with friends. I would have worried less about hosting and would have concentrated more on us. But my biggest regret is that I let my Mom convinced me to buy the first wedding dress I tried on. It was a good price and since she was paying for it I felt kind of pressured into getting it. Don't get me wrong it is a very pretty dress but it would not be the dress I would pick out for myself now. I hated that it was strapless and had a long train when I wanted just the opposite. It was badly adjusted too so it kept slipping down and I had to keep pulling back up and the train would not stay attached to the back when I was dancing. My husband regretted letting her choose his suit too. It was a little too big for him but I still find he looked handsome. Anyway, to not harp on it too much, it was still a wonderful wedding and everyone had a lot of fun.

 

[Alexsandra]

The Plan:
I really wanted to have a vow renewal on Disney property but the Disney Fairytale packages seemed so limiting and expensive that I started to look into alternatives such as having it at the Swan\Dolphin or at an off-property location such as Paradise Cove. But when it came down to it, it just was not "Disney" enough for me and my husband and I felt like we were deviating too much from our original plan.

So we went back to the drawing board and calculated our budget and what we could do to stay within that budget. We had two choices either a Memories Package with DFTW or a private in-room affair. I actually got help from my fellow DISers who made lots of great suggestions that help me narrow down our choices. We finally decided on the in-room affair. We are going to spend the money we would have spent on the Memories Package and instead use it to stay at the Poly for the length of our trip. If I did the Memories Package I would have to stay at a value or moderate to be able to afford it. The Polynesian is our favourite resort but it is so expensive that we never could afford it with the kids and especially not in combination with a DFTW. Plus I always wished I could get married in Hawaii. Well I can,t afford Hawaii and it seems like too far of a trip to travel with such young kids, so Disney's Polynesian Resort is the closest thing I can get to attaining my dream.

The Memories package was also too limiting and expensive for what we wanted. We really wanted to hire an outside photographer of our choice and we do not want an officiant, a musician or a limo. Just seemed like a lot of wasted money. By doing an in-room vow renewal at the Poly we can do it the way we like.

Since I am planning on making my own bouquet and bringing my own decorations I can save on a florist. I also want to order a small cake to make it feel like a renewal.
I am looking into maybe staying in the one bedroom suite the day of our renewal so we could have more space for the renewal and we could have separate sleeping quarters from the kids This is still up for debate though because of the extra expense it would entail. I am also looking into a private fireworks cruise for Wishes.

Then we plan to do two days at Universal Studios to visit the new Harry Potter section. We are big Harry Potter fans!

 

[majix]

Ooh sounds good! Following along!

 

[Alexsandra]

Ooh sounds good! Following along!

Thanks and welcome!

 

[Alexsandra]

My Color Inspiration:
I am going for a romantic bohemian beachy theme. I decided on a blush and sand color palette with highlights of seafoam green which reminds me of sea. I think these colors will marry well with the dark wood and orange colors of the Polynesian Resort. I also want to incorporate maybe some sea inspired elements like seashells, wood and other natural elements to give it a bit of a rustic bohemian look. Here are some picture of my intended color palette.


Picture from : http://www.greylikesweddings.com/re...carneros-inn-wedding-napa-blush-wedding-gown/



Picture from: http://www.stylemepretty.com/gallery/picture/1829375/



Picture from: http://weddbook.com/entry/1920805/a-romantic-bohemian-wedding-hairstyle



Picture from: http://beloveddarling.com/maui-hawaii-vow-renewal-photography-by-mariah-milan/






Picture From: http://cuteandcompany.com/coastal-wedding-inspiration/

 

[Alexsandra]

Flowers for my DIY Bouquet:
I decided to buy silk flowers to create my own bouquet so that I can bring it with me to Florida. This way, I save money and I get to keep the bouquet afterwards as a souvenir. I work for a Gift and Home Decor wholesaler in Canada and we have quite a big selection of silk flowers. Since I am getting the flowers at a wholesale price it makes it that much more appealing. I am no expert in floral arrangements but I took a one day class this summer with a florist. She showed us how to make a bouquet with silk flowers and floral arrangements in vases. I am starting early so that I have plenty of time to redo it if it does not work out.
Here is my inspiration bouquet:


Picture from: http://www.stylemepretty.com/gallery/picture/529579/


This is what I found for my bouquet: silk peonies, silk chrysanthemums and my filler which is a branch of little yellow flowers


Peonie branch for $5.


Chrysanthemums for $5 ea, 1 white and 1 pink


Filler $1 ea.

This is what it looks like when I roughly bunch them up to create a bouquet. This is not the final product but it give you a good idea of what the final product might look like.







Of course I would prefer a bouquet made with real flowers but instead of costing me $200 this bouquet is costing me a total of $22. I think that is a very pretty bouquet for that price, plus it won't show in pictures that it is fake. I still need to get floral tape, metal wire, pins, and a pretty ribbon to hide the stems.

 

[Alexsandra]

DIY Boutonnière:
So I want to make the boys Boutonnières myself. This should be an easier DIY Project. I was considering using silk flowers at first but then I saw these on Pinterest. I think they look more manly and they go with the beachy look I was going for.


Picture from: http://www.dreamyweddingideas.com/s...ere-for-beach-wedding-1388,630702.html/120410


picture from: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/418482990350635758/


Picture from: https://www.etsy.com/listing/153330...Graph&utm_medium=PageTools&utm_campaign=Share

At work I was able to find these seashells that I got from our selection of vase fillers. I also found greenery that I got from some filler branches. They look like they come from the sea and it adds some greenery to the seashell. My only debate is if I should put a single seashell or if I should use three? I will try use the same ribbon to hide the wires of the boutonnière as my bouquet or maybe some natural finer like jute.


Seashells I found


Filler


The look with one seashell


The look with three seashells

 

[LittleKittyMarie]

Congrats (belatedly) on your 10 year anniversary. I'm really enjoying your journal so far. I love reading about diy projects so I'm really looking forward to reading about your plans. Also a fellow Canadian disbride I like your idea of making a silk bouquet and keeping it forever. I was a little sad watching my expensive bouquet wilt after our wedding I wish I'd thought to do something about it. Oh and I love the colour palette, such a romantic choice.

 

[Alexsandra]

Congrats (belatedly) on your 10 year anniversary. I'm really enjoying your journal so far. I love reading about diy projects so I'm really looking forward to reading about your plans. Also a fellow Canadian disbride I like your idea of making a silk bouquet and keeping it forever. I was a little sad watching my expensive bouquet wilt after our wedding I wish I'd thought to do something about it. Oh and I love the colour palette, such a romantic choice.

Thank you! I felt the same way about my fresh flower bouquet on my wedding. I first wanted to do DIY projects to save money, but I am having fun with the whole process. I only hope the end result will look nice

 

[My2Qtz0205]

I like the single seashell as the boutonnière.

 

[Alexsandra]

I like the single seashell as the boutonnière.

Yes, I was thinking the same thing but wasn't sure. You helped me decide, thank you.

 

[Alexsandra]

Floral Decoration
I found these beautiful floral branches at work. I think they go with the Polynesian's tropical look and they look really nice with the flowers in my bouquet. I was thinking of using them to decorate the room and using them for a makeshift isle runner. They cost $6.00 ea. There are 2 sprays of flowers on one branch. I was thinking of purchasing 4 of them for a total of $24.

 

[Alexsandra]

Room Choices
Now that my husband and I determined we want to stay at the Polynesian and have the renewal in-room, we started looking more closely at our options. I was a little concerned about the space we would have for a vow renewal in a regular room at the Polynesian. We were maybe considering a one bedroom suite for the night of the renewal but my husband was not too crazy about the decor of those rooms. So yesterday, we looked at the pictures of the new DVC villas being built. We really loved the colours and decor of the new deluxe studio and we would have room to do the ceremony and a table to cut the cake on. If we do that we will just stay in this studio for the length of the trip. Then we saw the picture of the Bungalows they are building and my husband suggested we treat ourselves. We would stay in a regular room for the whole stay but then switch to a Bungalow on the day of the renewal. Okay baby, now we are talking! I was so excited when he suggested it, I almost peed myself! You can probably guess which option I am leaning towards Anyway, it is still unsure but I think either it will be the studio or the bungalow. Yay!


Deluxe studio
Picture from: http://mouseplanning.com/polynesian-dvc-villas-deluxe-studio-room/


Bungalow outside
Picture from: http://www.wdwmagic.com/resorts/the...sian-resort-dvc-villas-construction/22576.htm


Bungalow inside
Picture from: http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...soon-for-disneys-polynesian-villas-bungalows/

 

[Alexsandra]

Congrats (belatedly) on your 10 year anniversary. I'm really enjoying your journal so far. I love reading about diy projects so I'm really looking forward to reading about your plans. Also a fellow Canadian disbride I like your idea of making a silk bouquet and keeping it forever. I was a little sad watching my expensive bouquet wilt after our wedding I wish I'd thought to do something about it. Oh and I love the colour palette, such a romantic choice.

OMG just saw your Casablanca inspired wedding. Loved it! You really went all out and it totally paid off. Love all your DIY projects too! SO inspiring.

 

[Disneyducks12]

I am really enjoying your PJ so far! I love your color palette it is really soft and pretty and will go great for the beachy theme and your seashell boutonnieres are amazing! I wish I had though of something like that! Also going to HP wizarding world will be so much fun I hear its amazing with the new additions! I will be following along!

Happy Planning
Melissa

 

[Alexsandra]

I am really enjoying your PJ so far! I love your color palette it is really soft and pretty and will go great for the beachy theme and your seashell boutonnieres are amazing! I wish I had though of something like that! Also going to HP wizarding world will be so much fun I hear its amazing with the new additions! I will be following along!

Happy Planning
Melissa

Thanks so much. I just looked at your PJ, so fun. Some great DIY projects for me to get inspired. Thanks for sharing! We really enjoyed ourselves at Universal Studios on last trip. The section we visited in Island of Adventure was phenomenal. I can't wait to see the new section they built in Universal. I heard it is amazing. I am sure you'll have a great time. Thanks for following along, the more the merrier!

 

[Disneyducks12]

Thanks so much. I just looked at your PJ, so fun. Some great DIY projects for me to get inspired. Thanks for sharing! We really enjoyed ourselves at Universal Studios on last trip. The section we visited in Island of Adventure was phenomenal. I can't wait to see the new section they built in Universal. I heard it is amazing. I am sure you'll have a great time. Thanks for following along, the more the merrier!

Your welcome! and I went overboard on DIY but i love it and wouldn't have it any other way so please use away I have a few more projects to post and then I am done and I have only been to the Island of Adventure side as well very curious to see how they did with Diagon Alley!

Melissa