August 16 2010 Hot Air Balloon Wedding over WDW! What an amazing experience!!

[LovesHerTaurus]

During the ceremony it will only be head and up. Standing on wicker for 3 hours with a heavy dress on!

Shoes are then being thrown off after breakie for pictures. Hopefully my cute green mickey toenails will poke out for a few pictures - I'm an IT hippie, prefer to be barefoot +=ME!

 

[distherapy]

Just found your report. So excited for you!

 

[LovesHerTaurus]

7 days until we hit the road!

Official countdown:

7 days until we go a province over to sleep before we ...
8 days until we catch the 7am flight!
9 days until we are married!

I am so excited I am trying not to barf

Yesterday was my last day of work until August 31 SO much to do this week - and just got home from a 12 hour drive to pick up my daughter from camp I sunburnt my nose watching her end-of-camp rodeo... guess tanning to look cute is out for a few days!

This week is bachelorette party, my first ever manicure and pedicure, getting my hair dyed/cut, packing, putting together our flowers .... and packing on the sleep because I know we won't get any while we are there!!

So much to do but tonight I'm watching season 1 of the Cleveland Show, drinking some beer, and celebrating both my daughters being home from their camps they have been at for the last 5 weeks AND me being on vacation!

Gah. I decided I wanted peacock feather earrings. Everyone needs an impossible mission (I live in a tiny town!) to take away from real stress

 

[LovesHerTaurus]

Just found your report. So excited for you!

I totally have ants in my pants. I can't wait!! I FINALLY get to marry my prince charming!!

... when we come home and the three of us go through official name changes... THAT is something I'm going to worry about *after* the trip!!

And oh yes. There will be photos. Oh yes. I'm polishing up my photopass, my daughter got a new camera, AND I sent a 61 line list to the photographer of pictures I need taken

 

[CinderelliT]

You are so close!!

How have the flowers come out? Were you able to find them?

And I know all about impossible missions in a small town. Thank god for the internet. My DH is always like "What did you order now?"

I have to say that you are brave wearing slippers. I would rather wear flip flops or be barefoot for comfort than those. I think it's b/c I am clumsy and I would trip over them.

You know what's sad? They probably have flowers or something on them, but on my computer it looks like little hidden mickeys. I'm crazy. I think I see them everywhere.

 

[LovesHerTaurus]

You are so close!!

How have the flowers come out? Were you able to find them?

And I know all about impossible missions in a small town. Thank god for the internet. My DH is always like "What did you order now?"

I have to say that you are brave wearing slippers. I would rather wear flip flops or be barefoot for comfort than those. I think it's b/c I am clumsy and I would trip over them.

You know what's sad? They probably have flowers or something on them, but on my computer it looks like little hidden mickeys. I'm crazy. I think I see them everywhere.

The slippers have tiny starlets on them that TOTALLY look like tiny hidden Mickeys! That is why my man pointed them out to me. I get the feeling that this is SO not our only trip since we are already planning our next trip

I'm not walking an aisle and he has quick reflexes so I think the slippers are the perfect compromise between painful barefoot and the bedazzled converse shoes I was pondering. Or my white crocs

Friday was my last day of work until the 31 of Aug Saturday I spent 13 hours on the road picking up my chicklet from her last summer camp. Today was my man's mommie's birthday - so the flowers are on the menu for this week! I will SO post pictures I still can't find my peacock earrings I really want... but I've only searched 3 of 7 possible store in my town. My man DID find awesome Thank You cards though - they have a cute Pooh on them - sure they are meant for baby showers, but at that point I wasn't picky

Tomorrow is house cleaning since I have to "decamp" the kids now - wash all their gross clothes, put away the duffel bags, and make ROOM to play with flowers! I also get to do my online check in, tan my poor white Canadian butt, and search for the elusive peacock earrings that have torn at my soul

Plus now I stalk exchange rates. It is a dirty dirty habit. The Can->US rate is almost at par now, but the rate the bank is selling US isn't quite as good. I'm changing a good chunk of money, so it does make a difference. I'm paying for the wedding package in cash day of so I want the most bang for my buck. Orlando is my weather eye home page on my Blackberry... I'm getting a mickey manicure - green to match my dress with tiny white dots and mini mickeys on my big toes I am a woman obsessed. My wedding/trip binder is a pink Pirates of the Caribbean zip binder my fiance bought for me... but holy crap are we having fun

 

[LovesHerTaurus]

Lots of talk about wedding colors, inspiration boards and all... I guess we are wiggy

We decided in December after we got engaged that my favorite green was cool for a color. I offered to let him have his blue (his favorite). That was almost our first fight, trying to give each other what we thought would make the other person happier

He convinced me that my green (clover) would be prettier with my eyes than his blue (a rich but not royal)... I think I was hoodwinked somehow!

My dress has green inlay. My daughter's dress is a mini bridal of mine. My tomboy's dress is clover in a flowy slightly lighter color. His bowtie is clover. I'm making a flower girl basket lined with the same material.

Then we wanted orange tiger lilies. We couldn't find pretty silk ones during our city shopping expedition (wrong season for orange silk tiger lilies it turned out!!)... so we went with white/cream tiger lilies. With white beads. And then we adored all the peacock feathers we found. I almost got a giant peacock feather wreath for a headpiece So thus, peacock feathers were added - minus the headpiece

Then we bought some red birds of paradise because he thought they were pretty.

So main is green, with white/cream, with peacock feathers. And a little bit of red. To us, absolutely perfect. Creative and gorgeous, and I managed to sneak in his favorite color (peacock = blue!!) without him catching on (HA!)... somewhere, a wedding planner is shedding a tear and getting goosebumps

Pictures will be posted of this craft project before, during and after. I think we will be packing them in our carryons in boxes. But that is something to think about once we make them. He still has 3 nights of work left, so we're going to wait to make them since he wants to play with me and wave around our tiny pink glue gun. So I have a few more days to find more peacock feather "stuff"

 

[distherapy]

Sounds great!!!
If you didn't mind the gamble, you could always order some peacock feather earrings (there are TONS online) and have them shipped to your resort...

 

[LovesHerTaurus]

Sounds great!!!
If you didn't mind the gamble, you could always order some peacock feather earrings (there are TONS online) and have them shipped to your resort...

We actually already have earrings - they are little white and crystal danglies. Quite pretty. I almost think my brain makes me create mini impossible missions that won't break the bank or my heart to manage stress It is a good idea and now you have me thinking.... bugger

I am tempted to make my own. I am a lover of the glue gun though and it comes out tomorrow. However, the 40 pins I ordered FINALLY came in so I get to make an appearance at work My first day off work and I'm going in. What the heck right?

The marriage license came in as well - that was my BIG stressor. BIG. Like, sore stomach stress. All over a piece of paper.

 

[CinderelliT]

Girl! You trip me out. Too funny.

I can't wait to see your projects. I wish I could go stalk your wedding, but it's just not in the cards this month.

 

[LovesHerTaurus]

W00t!

I ordered 40 pins from eBay to get us started on pin trading. Well the lovely lady added in some wedding pins for us. Super cute ones with Mickey and Minnie ears that say "Mr" and "Mrs", and then one Disney wedding one that is huge with Mickey and Minnie on the bridge! SO sweet!!

All stress has left me today since I decided I don't want to do anything else today. I bought bread and milk, picked up a strapless bra for my tomboy , picked up my pins from work, went for a tan to try and "cure" my white Canadian hide for the Disney sun... and now I am back in my pink princess hooded vacation housecoat

In other news my daughters are SO tanned from summer camp (I guess dirt+a lot of sun and water make for a good tan!) that they don't even LOOK traditionally Canadian if you know what I mean. My younger daughter looks like a Florida beach babe with her sun bleached hair and super golden tan! I am considering buying some self tanning spray for my tomboy through since she won't wear shorts or a tanktop she has a WEIRD tomboy tan going on! Think feet super tanned, mega white legs, and a tan only on her forearms

Any good suggestions for a self tanner????

 

[LovesHerTaurus]

We leave in less than *4* days. I am nauseous. I have butterflies. When I eat I try not to barf At least I will still fit into my dress next week!

Tomorrow is hair dying/cut day SO I snipped off pieces of each of my daughters hair. Weird, yes. But I want my younger daughter's blonde, with low lights of my older daughter. I'm all about the photos Then I almost dropped the scissors so I stuck the hair in my mouth. It got wet and changed color. Then I put it down (while pulling hairs out of my mouth) and put it down to dry. Then the a/c scattered the pieces all over the couch I also lost a piece of luggage in the house. I've looked in the crawl space (it was about 40C in there - hot out!), closets... nothing!?

*THAT* is the kind of day I am having. All Disney laundry is at the laundry mat to pick up tomorrow (wash and fold kicks ***!)

4 days till we hit the road
5 days until we hit DISNEY
6 days until we are F-I-N-A-L-L-Y married!

We are $40 short of my precise budget so I'm going to go through all pants in the house that aren't at the laundry to find it In real life I'm quite bad with money. My 10 year old owns enough pink clothes to outfit her entire class. I find this highly amusing that I am so on budget.

I don't tan. I have color though and no longer look ghost like. I can't find my spare SD cards. My house is only 1/2 clean. We're out of milk and I refuse to go shopping again before we go. I've almost cured myself of nailbiting in time for my manicure Friday.

Stress level growing in good-butterfly ways. I almost MARRIED!

Only stress level is my honey's bachelor party. Will he come home in one piece without something weird happening? Am I the only person who has seen the movie "The Hangover" ??

 

[CinderelliT]

R u back? How did it go? I need updates! I can't wait to see pics. Please come back and share with us!

 

[Princesspunkin]

Were you the couple feature in the newspaper about getting married in the hot air balloon. It looks nice. soon DFTW may get a hold of that idea.

I love your report.

Dawn

 

[LovesHerTaurus]

But you never know - we do get into some interesting adventures

You have a link?

 

[LovesHerTaurus]

WHOO!

We made it out alive!

Here is a quick rating of service:

Beaute Speciale - I adore them. They are amazing. We had the greatest time at 3am hanging out with them and giggling about everything. They were the best. I wanted to take them home with me. A++++

Glen Marks/TopMarks photography - A - awesome pictures, so flexible and awesome - we had to call him to get him to drop off the pictures though since he forgot what date we were leaving. But super affordable and great!

Carolyn Allen - tux rental and dress steaming - came to the hotel with the tux for my man, were really nice and great, and when I unpacked my dresses and realized they were in fact super wrinkled (that is another story) they offered to steam them when they came back. Really nice people and great to work with A++

We ended up pretty lucky after handling a lot of logistical problems - including a 10 minute dash across the Chicago airport to another terminal to catch our plane after our flight was delayed leaving Winnipeg by 90 minutes!

 

[LovesHerTaurus]

Ok so I am still giddy that I got to marry my super hero, my best friend, and the love of my life. I'm still a little new about this, and have trouble calling myself by my married name. And I am sooooooo broke

Here is the start of my photojournalism story of our wedding day....

3am hair and makeup with Beaute Speciale - I got 2 hours of sleep. They woke me up when they knocked on the door. It was quite funny. We giggled and laughed for a few hours - my 10 year old was sleeping while getting her hair done! If I would have been more awake I would have taken a few shots of that. But I was madly trying to chug back enough espresso shots to get though the morning

They picked us up at 5:30 am to get us to the balloon site...

My man is traditional and didn't want to see me in my dress. The kids JUST woke up after passing out in the van on the way there. We were just slightly tired

Before we took off....

.....

 

[Boardwalk_bride]

I love your dress! You look so beautiful, and I cannot wait to see all these pics!

 

[LovesHerTaurus]

At this point I quickly realized that to get through the morning without incident or anyone upset we needed some bribery. We were operating on 3 hours of sleep each, and only had 4 hours the night before. My 10 year old princess tried to lay down in the grass during the set up. We had 4 hours to get through before a planned 6 hour nap. Before I freaked out, I decided to offer them each their spending money we had planned for the trip. It worked beautifully. If I did it again I would NOT get married on day 2 at Disney -- after staying at the Magic Kingdom until 1130 (oops! Fireworks? Shiny thing? Disney? Space Mountain 5 times!!)....

So after a 2 minute moment where I almost had a cow, the morning continued really well

One of my favorite pictures...

Yes my 12 year old is smiling as much as expected since I made her wear a dress.

Did I mention that I almost *never* wear makeup? With my fake lashes, airbrushed makeup and full treatment I actually felt a little like a drag queen. But a pretty drag queen

And I LOVED our hair. Beaute Speciale girlies did an amazing job. I wanted to leave it in for a few days. But the 100 bobbypins wouldn't allow me to nap ...

She hates getting here picture taken... but look how pretty!! She wouldn't let me tag in on Facebook in the wedding photos.

My 10 year old was enthralled with how the balloon operated....

 

[LovesHerTaurus]

Yes we got married while in the air! The ceremony wasn't dragged out and was exactly what we wanted. And our balloon man who married us was amazing with the vows. I was really shocked. Truth and trust, and it really stuck with me.

We actually ended up with over 300 amazing pictures, but I'll keep this decently precise. As much as I adore the photos, I'm thinking people want the story not the full experience

We landed without a bump quite nicely - no I wasn't dumped out in my dress onto the ground....

I needed some help getting out!

Another of my favorite pictures ! We got to squish the air out of the balloon bag!

Then we had a little time to kill before they were ready for the next stage....