Andreah and Brian - Dec 8th, 2009 (Reception Photos Posted)

[Pirate's Princess]

Everything looks great! Congrats on keeping up with the healthy living!

And awesome job on ebay!! I'm so jealous!

 

[LuluLovesDisney]

I LOVE that Cinderella dress!

First, I'm sorry about your loss (your uncle) and I know you are upset about weight but remember that your future DH and family love you for who you are. I can relate, though. I had lost 40 lbs, but I gained 8 lbs in Dec. and Jan. and It has taken me the past 3 months to lose it! (11 lbs) So, I was really upset that I've basically "only" lost 3 lbs since December, but I'm healthier and better than before, that's what I have to remind myself! Those 2 lbs will be gone like that and you have 6 months left in front of you!

Those candlesticks are fabulous and they go perfectly with CG.

 

[pink_tink8i8]

I've been thinking about what types of centerpieces to use at our California Grill Napa Room reception, and I came across this on MarthaStewartWeddings.com:

I love the idea of using candlelight instead of floral. The candlesticks are REALLY affordable on CB2.com. We could get 5 assorted candlesticks for each table for about $25.00. I think we'll have 3 or 4 tables in total.

I already have some rhinestone confetti from Pier One, and was thinking these would be pretty with scattered tea lights. I was going to see if they would keep the lights fairly dim throughout the evening as we're having a night-time reception. I love dim lighting for dinner.

I LOVE this idea!

 

[polynesianbride]

Great updates! Looks like everything is coming together! Your planning session looks like it will be short but sweet! DF was saying the other day that we should switch to Wishes just to have a planning session so we can sample all the food Have the dresses come yet????

 

[acwinsett]

DF was saying the other day that we should switch to Wishes just to have a planning session so we can sample all the food Have the dresses come yet????

Unfortunately, California Grill doesn't do menu tastings, but I'm sure we'll get to taste some of the cake flavors. Yummie!

Just waiting on Dress #3 to arrive (the Cinderella one). I imagine it will arrive toward the end of the week. I just can't wait to see it.

 

[MegKate]

Andreah!! I'm sorry I got behind in all my comments!! I am going to be a good DISBride and start commenting!

First of all, I apologize for completely neglecting my "bride-to-be" planning journal duties over the last few months. So much has happened over the last few months and I will try my best to catch up.

So, over the last several days I have purchased TWO more wedding gowns! It's not that I didn't like the one I already bought - I do really love it - but these deals were really too great to pass up.

To refresh your memory, this is the first gown I purchased:

Da Vinci 8005 / David's Bridal 2295E
Original Retail Price: $695 (Currently selling on DB outlet for $449)
Purchased on eBay for: $120 + $20 shipping = $140

Well, last week a beautiful Kirstie Kelly for Disney gown was listed in the size I needed, and this NEVER happens. I have only seen a couple of these gowns ever listed, and the starting price has been like $1,200 or $700 - way more than I'm willing to pay for a sight-unseen gown. But this one was listed starting at $99 - brand new with tags. So, once again, I figured that if I could get a good deal, then I should go for it. I had to compete against once other bidder, but managed to snag it.

It apparently comes from Bellezza Bridal, a bridal shop in Denver that is going out of business. They had hosted a Kirstie Kelly trunk sale a few months back.

Kirstie Kelly for Disney / Style B2812 (Inspired by Belle)
Retail Price: $2,390
Purchased on eBay for: $114 + $50 shipping = $164

So, wouldn't you know, that on Saturday, the very very prettiest ever Kirstie Kelly gown would be listed starting at $99. So my first reaction was "darn it!", but it didn't take long for me to decide that this is the gown I really wanted to try for. It's called "the Platinum Gown" and is inspired by Cinderella. BRAND NEW WITH TAGS!! I couldn't stop thinking about it. I was losing sleep over it. I had butterflies in my tummy. So I rationalized the purchase of yet a THIRD wedding gown by looking at the money that I had actually spent on my bridal attire thus far.

Wedding gown #1 = $140
Wedding gown #2 = $164
Kate Spade Shoes = $72
Kate Spade Handbag = $55
Headpiece = $29
TOTAL = $460 - That's just CRAZY!

Then, I kept thinking about how the rouched bodice and dropped waistline would be flattering (and FORGIVING!), and the gown would be so apprpriate for a winter wedding at dusk.

This one was a bit tougher - I was bidding against three other people by the time it was all over. But, I had a game plan together and used my time-tested and proven eBay method. And . . . . ta-da!

Kirstie Kelly for Disney / Style C2826 (Inspired by Cinderella)
Retail Price: $3,390
Purchased on eBay for: $275 + $15 shipping = $290
That's 8% of retail!

So, only time will tell if these dresses will arrive in good condition, if they look good on me, etc. But, I have a substantial amount of money budgeted for gown alterations - so I think I can probably make at least one of them work well. I've had pretty good luck with eBay in the past, and purchased these gowns from reputable eBay sellers, so here's hoping!

I'll post more photos and additional information once the gowns arrive

They're all beautiful dresses - but my favorite is the Cinderella - just gorgeous! And what deals you've been getting!

The Belle gown arrived in beautiful condition. It appeared to have been tried on once or twice, but there was no damage and there were no stains.

I suppose I'll try it on this afternoon when I get home from work

So how did it go?

I mentioned a few posts back that we had booked a Planning Session for July 18th - 21st when we were able to snag a really really cheap airfare. It'll be a really quick trip, but I think we'll feel a lot better about everything by doing our planning in person.

So, a couple of weeks ago, we created a rough itinerary and booked our dining reservations. Here's what we're planning so far:


Saturday, July 18th

• Depart Memphis at 1:45PM (Central Time)
• Arrive Orlando at 4:44PM (Eastern Time)
• Magical Express to Pop Century Resort
• Check in hotel around 6PM
• Quick visit to Magic Kingdom 7PM to 9PM
• Late Dinner at Narcoosee's 9:30PM

Sunday, July 19th

• Morning at Magic Kingdom
• Evening at Epcot
• Dinner at Chefs de France 7PM

Monday, July 20th

• Planning Session with Karen Heyn, our Wedding Event Planner 9AM to 1PM
• Animal Kingdom 4PM to 6PM
• Dinner at Jiko 7:20PM

Tuesday, July 21st

• Morning at Disney Hollywood Studios
• Lunch at SciFi Dine-In Theater 11:15AM
• Magical Express to Airport 1:45PM
• Depart Orlando 4:49PM (Eastern Time)
• Arrive Memphis 5:50PM (Central Time)

To Do List

• Pick up Bride and Groom mouse ears (veil and top hat, if they have them)
• Pick up lots of brochures for welcome bags and pre-trip mailings
• Pick up celebration buttons to stuff in welcome bags

There are a couple of optional items, that we're not sure if we'll be doing:

• Trial run hair and makeup with Patricia LeJeune?
• Meet with Rev. Kevin Knox in person?
• Engagement portraits?

They do still have the mouse ears down there - I'm sure they'll still have them. I saw more people with the headband and top hat than the other ones. LMK what you think about Jiko - we're going to do a reservation there for the HM, but I've never been!

I have a story about the Drive In coming in my PS TR. I'm going to give it another shot though!

IMO - If at all possible do a trial! Patricia is uber wonderful to work with and a wizard. (She made my hair curl and NO ONE has ever done that and gotten it to stay.) But when I met with her she told me to keep growing my hair out and it also allowed her to figure out what all she'll need to bring the day of.

Things are moving along like clockwork with DFTW. We received our counter-signed contract and our annual pass exchange vouchers on Saturday, May 16th.

We were assigned a Wedding Event Planner, Karen Heyn and she seems fantastic! I can't wait to meet with her in person during our planning session.

The only thing I'm not sure of at this point is our Save the Dates from Disney. We sent our own Save the Dates, but we're still planning on having Disney sent their version as a follow-up. I guess I'll send Karen a message next week along with our guest list and addresses . . .

Congrats! (And what a spiffy day to have that happen on! hehehe) Did she send you the Disney spread sheet for guests?

At the end of April, we called and booked Rev. Kevin Knox as our officiant. I spent a little bit of time on the phone with his wife, Theresa, and she was really really sweet! I was tempted to see if she would be our officiant instead (I read on their web site that she is also licensed to officiate.) Theresa immediately mailed us a packet of information that contains a billion different options for the ceremony. It is very very helpful!

We're people of faith, but we don't belong to a particular church or denomination, so we're planning a ceremony that is light-hearted (with a bit of humor) and that incorporates a few non-denominational religious elements. Not heavily-religious, but not entirely civil, either.

My father is very involved with his church back home so I've asked him if he would be willing to share a message and reading from the Bible at the ceremony, and he has happily accepted the invitation. (He's also going to say the blessing at the reception).

Our only other requirement for the ceremony is that my son should be involved in a portion of it. He's 11 years old and will be my escort AND stand up as Brian's best man (that little multi-tasker . . .). So we also want to incorporate him into the ceremony somehow, either a unity candle, sand ceremony, child vows or family medallion ceremony. Theresa said that Rev. Knox especially loves to perform ceremonies where children are involved - so I'm feeling great about it already!

That's awesome that you felt so comfortable with her! We're like you in re: to the faith. I think alot of brides are like that now, and it's good to be able to incorporate that into the day.

And two about the little multi-tasker!

We booked Patricia LeJeune for our hair and makeup on the day of the wedding and on the morning of our Magic Kingdom / EPCOT portrait sessions. I've seen the work she's done with other disBRIDES and have been incredibly impressed with everything I've seen so far.

So, unless we decide to use an outside vendor for photography, I think we've managed to book all the outside vendors that we wanted (that require a specific availability date).

I can PM you the pictures of me before Patricia and me after Patricia if you want. I haven't gotten to that day in my TR yet! She really is a magician!

I wanted to say thank to the disBRIDE that posted the 20% discount code for Cards & Pockets last week. I decided to go ahead and order the supplies for our Invitations, Programs, Menu Cards, Place Cards and Tears of Joy Kleenex packets - 25 of each. Using the discount code, we saved $17.00. Yippee!

Total cost for supplies: $76.52, including shipping.

The supplies have shipped, so I will hopefully some mockups to post soon!

Yay!! That's not bad at all for that. Good going!

I was doing so great . . . . until this month! I lost another 2.5 lbs in April.

But so far, May has been a disaster! I have been completely off program this month. I've barely had any time at all to exercise and, while I haven't gone completely nuts, I haven't stuck to my eating routines as well. The worst part is that I haven't been weighing myself or journaling as I should. At last check a couple of days ago, I'm up 2.5 for May - so a complete washout for the last two months.


I'm going easy on myself considering the craziness of this month. My diet and fitness challenges have included:

• My uncle died under very unfortunate and unexpected circumstances
• Best friend's birthday celebrations
• Other best friend is moving away - goodbye parties
• Mothers day
• Memorial day
• Son's elementary school graduation
• 2 weeks of big groups of trainees at work (I work in a training department)

Aaaaaaggghhh!

So, anyway, I'm not upset or angry with myself. These things happen. But I need to get back on track and make a fresh start in June. I'm still in much better shape than I was in February!

And now, I have that beautiful Cinderella platinum wedding gown to keep me motivated!

I fell off the wagon for May as well - the Disney food did me in! So don't feel bad at all. June 1st we'll be right back on it! I did want to say that I'm sorry to hear about your uncle.

I've been thinking about what types of centerpieces to use at our California Grill Napa Room reception, and I came across this on MarthaStewartWeddings.com:

I love the idea of using candlelight instead of floral. The candlesticks are REALLY affordable on CB2.com. We could get 5 assorted candlesticks for each table for about $25.00. I think we'll have 3 or 4 tables in total.

I already have some rhinestone confetti from Pier One, and was thinking these would be pretty with scattered tea lights. I was going to see if they would keep the lights fairly dim throughout the evening as we're having a night-time reception. I love dim lighting for dinner.

The only problem with that is that according to my floral planner you're limited to three candles a table now due to a change in the fire regulations. I think it would be gorgeous, but check with your planner. My floral person said they are actively working to get it changed, but no luck yet.

Ok I'm caught up! I feel like a better DISBride now! YAY!!!

 

[acwinsett]

They're all beautiful dresses - but my favorite is the Cinderella - just gorgeous! And what deals you've been getting!

So how did it go?

Story of my life . . . looks great from the waist down . . . won't zip up the back. I haven't received the Cinderella dress yet, but I expect it'll be a similar situation - although the Cinderella gown stops lower on the back, so that should help a little. That's okay, though. Even if it takes losing 10 pounds, a good seamstress, a great plastic surgeon and a fairy godmother - I'm GETTING my bridal butt into that dress!

They do still have the mouse ears down there - I'm sure they'll still have them. I saw more people with the headband and top hat than the other ones.

Yippee!! The new ones just aren't the same.

I have a story about the Drive In coming in my PS TR. I'm going to give it another shot though!

Uh-oh . . . I hope you didn't have a bad experience. We were there for a lunch last September and had a great time. The food was awesome and Brian just loves those goofy movies that are playing.

IMO - If at all possible do a trial! Patricia is uber wonderful to work with and a wizard. (She made my hair curl and NO ONE has ever done that and gotten it to stay.) But when I met with her she told me to keep growing my hair out and it also allowed her to figure out what all she'll need to bring the day of.

I think I will if she's available . . . my hair can be a bit unruly. I'd hate to spring any surprises on her just a few hours before the wedding.

Did she send you the Disney spread sheet for guests?

Not yet . . . I need to email Karen and Jessie just to check in.

I can PM you the pictures of me before Patricia and me after Patricia if you want. I haven't gotten to that day in my TR yet! She really is a magician!

I look forward to seeing them! I've been keeping up with your trip report, but feel free to advance them by way of PM (only if it's convenient).

The only problem with that is that according to my floral planner you're limited to three candles a table now due to a change in the fire regulations. I think it would be gorgeous, but check with your planner. My floral person said they are actively working to get it changed, but no luck yet.

Awww . . . BOO! We'll figure something out. I wonder if the three candle limit includes tea lights . . . It probably does. Ooh, I know. We'll do three candlesticks per table and place them on mirrors to double the effect. Then we can use flameless tea lights. That should keep us us in line with fire codes . . . I just GOTTA have my sparkle!

 

[acwinsett]

The Cinderella gown (Dress #3) that I purchased on eBay arrived yesterday, and it is amazing!!! The details are just stunning! There must be a billion rhinestones and teeny little beads on the bodice.

The best part is the way the dress fits. By now, you all know how much I struggle when it comes to dresses given my top-heavy body shape. But this gown actually works WITH my shape and not against it. Don't get me wrong . . . we'll definitely need to have some alterations done. I'd like to have the train shortened quite a bit (it's "cathedral length") and the hem in the front needs to come up a couple of inches so I don't trip on it. The shoulder straps also need to be shortened by about an inch - but all that's really easy stuff.

But what amazed me was that I was "almost" able to get it zipped all the way up. The zipper did get stuck, but only 2 inches from the top - so close! I'm thinking I could lose 3 to 5 lbs and we're good to go. If not, I've heard that a good seamstress can get an inch or two out of any dress. Anyway, it's looking like the alterations may be much less drastic than I first imagined.

The fabric in the gown matches my Kate Spade shoes and handbags PERFECTLY! The simple and tasteful accessories work very very well with the gown.

I'm also really excited about the fact that I shouldn't have to purchase any additional undergarments for the gown. The crinoline is built-in, and the dress fits the same with or without the Spanx I already have in my closet. So there's a bit of money in my budget I can allocate to something else. Woo hoo!

On an unrelated note, we also received the supplies we ordered from Cards and Pockets. Don't you just LOVE that site?! We ordered supplies for pocket-fold style invitations, wedding programs, menu cards, place cards, and "tears of joy" packets - and got it all for $76. We'll be spending a little extra at Michael's for ribbon and rhinestone slider embellishments, but the cost of the card stock and such was a fraction of the cost it would have been from envelopper.com. Just sayin' . . . .

Obviously, we won't be sending invitations until the first week of October, but I did want to go ahead and get the supplies while we had that 20% off discount code. So prototypes and mock-ups will be posted soon!

Have a GREAT weekend everyone!

 

[padisneyfour]

WOW! congrats on the cinderella gown! It sounds beautiful! It sounds like it was a awesome purchase!

 

[Pirate's Princess]

That Cinderella dress is beautiful!!! I'm so glad it fits well. I'm so jealous you found it on ebay. Good job.

Any possibility of pictures?

 

[Chilly]

I'm so glad the dress fits. Will you re-sell the others?

 

[acwinsett]

I'm so glad the dress fits. Will you re-sell the others?

Yes, I think I'm going to go ahead and look into selling the first two dresses, and try to re-coup some of the expenses. Having two additional gowns hanging in my closet doesn't make much sense at all, especially when there may be some other future brides that might like to have them.

I may check to see if anyone here wants to take them off my hands for my cost plus shipping. Do you think it would be okay to post an inquiry on the main DFTW forum? It IS selling stuff, but technically "not for profit".

Otherwise, I'll try to figure out how to sell stuff on eBay and try to make a few extra dollars, if possible . . .

 

[acwinsett]

We're now 6 months out - a great time to renew my commitment to diet and fitness. As I reported before, the month of May was a bit tough . . . I had a lot of challenges to deal with. At some point I was up 2.5 pounds or so. Not the end of the world, but definitely not the direction I wanted to be going.

I guess I must have been doing something right in the last week and a half or so, because as of this morning I was up only 0.1 pounds since May 1st. I'm absolutely thrilled!

So, I'm down 9.3 since March 1st (6.1%) / 11.0 since Feb 22nd (7.1%). I've always heard that a good rule of thumb is to aim for about 10% loss over three months - so not too bad. At this point, I'm really close to my lowest weight as an adult, which was right after my son was born (11 years ago!).

I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing when I'm able, and realize there are always going to be challenges and obstacles that I need to deal with the best I can.

 

[Chilly]

Yes, I think I'm going to go ahead and look into selling the first two dresses, and try to re-coup some of the expenses. Having two additional gowns hanging in my closet doesn't make much sense at all, especially when there may be some other future brides that might like to have them.

I may check to see if anyone here wants to take them off my hands for my cost plus shipping. Do you think it would be okay to post an inquiry on the main DFTW forum? It IS selling stuff, but technically "not for profit".

Otherwise, I'll try to figure out how to sell stuff on eBay and try to make a few extra dollars, if possible . . .

I'd PM one of the MODS to check its ok to post about selling them.

 

[polynesianbride]

The Cinderella dress sounds soooo amazing! Post a pic for us!!!!

 

[MegKate]

I'm so excited that the Cinderella dress was the one - it's just gorgeous!

 

[starann]

Jumping in to ask....have you booked your photographer? I have seen
A-M-A-Z-I-N-G work from Randy Chapman and Roots (I am not a Dis bride, but maybe one day we will do a VR there?!?!).

I may be wrong (and not trying to scare you) but the Dis Brides tend to not care for Disney's photographers. Again, I could be worng, but after you spend ALL this $$ on such a special day the only thing you will have are your memories and pictures, so you want to make sure your picts are FANTASTIC.

Just some food for thought.


PS.....GREAT about the dress. I, too, am top heavy without having much 'junk in my trunk' so I know exactly what you wen thru..I ended up with a Maggie Sottera dress, as it was a lace up corset which allowed so 'give' up top!

 

[acwinsett]

Jumping in to ask....have you booked your photographer?

Funny you should ask . . . just in the last couple of days, we've been in contact with and paid a deposit to Misty Miotto. We originally planned on having Disney Photography for financial reasons - we are trying to stick to our minimums as closely as possible. But, as we near our planning session, I decided to take a closer look at our options.

I actually like a lot of the work samples I've seen from DPS but, boy, are they pricey?! Misty, Randy and the Roots all have outstanding portfolios. I actually contacted the Roots first because they seem to be the biggest "risk takers" and we love that, but I was pretty sure they would be out of our price range. As it turns out, they are going to be out on winter vacation on our wedding date, so that wasn't going to be an option regardless.

After evaluating our budget and viewing work samples from Misty, Randy and Disney Event Photography, we realized that we'd really be better off from a budget standpoint going outside for photography. So, we contacted Misty, and felt really good about booking her. She has a great personality from what we've seen so far, and she does excellent work. We are super-excited and are trying to set up an engagement session for July so we can get a chance to work with her before "the big day"!

 

[polynesianbride]

Congrats on booking Misty I just put a deposit on her as well! Still awaiting pics of you in the Cinderella dress

 

[pink_tink8i8]

where are your pics girl! I'm dying ot see you in your dress