Cakes and Napoleons and F&W, oh my! Planning our Disney wedding!! UPDATED 9/15!!!

[emmysmommy]

Hi there Sara! I'm finally getting caught up. Sounds like you amassed quite a collection of celebration pins - even if one set was for an anniversary at least they were very thoughtful. (I love the mystere surrounding Wingnuts "real" name... I'm going to dub him "Joe" for now! )

Your breakfast choice at Kona makes us kindred spirits since I fully endorse macadamia nut pancakes! I won't judge anyone who can't decide between tonga toast and macadamia nut pancakes - I live that dilemma every trip! (Although the pancakes win out every time for me.)

How awesome that the Swan was so thoughtful with the gift!! More pins!! And a cool pen.

What a crack up you are with the towel animals - so creative and clever! You are so good that you make that towel for the nose look exactly like money!!!

I am excited to hear all about the wedding planning.

 

[smile4stamps]

I had the same Tonga Toast vs Macadamia Nut pancakes debate for quite awhile!!

Can't wait to hear about the wedding plans!

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Ooooo <claps hands> I can't wait to see the wedding planning stuff !!!

Coming up soon!!!

I always love your little towel creations. They are too cute!

Aw, I love that the front desk gave yall the cute little card! (AND PEN.) That's Disney for ya! Or should I say, that's on Disney property but not officially Disney but still Disney anyway for ya!

Hahaha thanks!

LOL yes - it was very "not quite Disney but still Disney" of them!

You are definitely now the only person to stress over the macadamia pancakes versus the Tonga Toast. Both are SO good.

Love your new navigational skills.

How sweet of the Swan to send you that cute little greeting. You guys really ended up with a lot of pins.

That picture of the lobby was so pretty.

Hahaha it is a very difficult decision!!!

We did!!! Everyone was so sweet!

Lol! Best laid transportation plans....... I know for me it always seems like If I plan our transportation perfect THAT is when it won't go that way.

I think the gift from the front desk is super cool... Had a hard time reading the note though. I kept reading the word "the" as "me" :rolleyea:

Breakfast looks super yummy! Can't you believe I have never ate at Kona for breakfast

Yep...that is always the same way here too!

I thought so too! Hahaha I didn't notice that until you pointed it out, it does look similar.

WHAT???? You need to go, right now!!!

One of his cousins lives at my house.
By himself, he's very quiet. No need to screech, 'Mine, mine, mine!' all the time, since they're all his.

Yum! I may need to make some of these over Christmas break.

Awww yeah ours is pretty quiet too!!! Although the louder ones do make me laugh!

Oooh that's an excellent idea!

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

How nice of the front desk staff to send a little package! That's really sweet.

You are not the only one who decides what to eat at Disney restaurants weeks ahead of time...

It was so sweet, especially since we weren't the ones staying there!

Hahaha I had a feeling it wasn't just me!

How sweet of the front desk at the Swan to do that! Love it! I love those seagulls too lol I have a t-shirt with them on it

It was!! I've seen that shirt and been tempted every time, it's really cute!

I can't believe how cute that seagull is... I've never seen that...

You and Wingnut are Dis Transportation die hards... I had a Kona breakfast on our MK morning and I just broke down and took the cab as well... DH would have done the bus but I was really tired that morning and just really needed an extra 1/2 hour of sleep...

I got the Macadamia pancakes also- Weren't they good? I love that butter... there have to be other uses for that butter...

I'm sorry your parents didn't like the pressed pot... I have to say I really did like it but then again I'm a big fan of really strong coffee... bitter though not so much...

Going to the GF for wedding planning... too cool...

Isn't he so cute??? They were in a little basket with some other stuffed animals in the Seas gift shop!

Hahaha we use cabs as well, don't worry! We used them a few times on this trip, actually!

That butter is amazing, I would come up with excuses to put it on anything!!!

I am going to have try your towel animal bait trick on our upcoming trip. We're staying at Coronado, the only resort I've stayed at where we got nary a towel animal. (Seriously!)

I would have gotten off at the TTC, too. Its a super short walk and its just lovely. I really did like the Poly and with refurbed rooms... could be sweet! But I doubt I'll ever convince my husband to stay there again.

Yummy breakfast. Your parents chose well; the Samoan is my favorite!

What a sweet gesture from the Swan. I've always wanted to try out the Swolphin, with its ACE location and all, and they do offer special teacher rates, it just seems like they never offer them when I want to go there. I'm sure someday it will be a less expensive option and we'll stay there. Its very pretty...and again...gotta love the location!

Bring on the wedding locales!

I have to say, the towel animal bait really does not have that high a success rate for me. It is a VERY rare day at Disney when we actually get a towel animal!

Hahaha I liked aspects of the resort, and I LOVE visiting there, but I don't think I'd stay there again either! Too far from Epcot and DHS!

It was really sweet of them!! We've stayed there a few times, it really is a nice resort. And the location is awesome!

We've had lunch and dinner at the Kona but not breakfast. Everything looks really good!

How sweet of the Swan to send a give! Too cute!

Oooh you HAVE to try Kona for breakfast! It's great!

It was!!

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Here's your missing little "yay" guy!

There's always a good transportation adventure, isn't there?
What a nice gesture from the Swan/Dolphin! Especially since your parents were the ones staying there!

Kona breakfast - our first time there for breakfast was our recent trip and I can say you are NOT the only one debating between Tonga Toast and Macadamia Nut pancakes! I will be going back to try the "other" one next time!
I tried the press pot too. I put a LOT of cream and sugar in it!!

Yay!!! Thanks!!

Hahahaha yes, there always is!!! Yes, it was so nice of them!!!

Both are SO good, it's difficult to decide!!

We've always had a rental when we've been in WDW so I have no refrence for bus travel lol
Boo to monorail not working!!!!

Haha! you can accumulate buttons in a snap!!!

YAY for wedding planning!!!!

At least the monorail was only down for a little bit, thankfully!

Hahaha I never thought we'd get so many!!

Aww what a cute gesture by the Swan CMs!

Eeee can't wait for wedding planning! I'm guessing your reception and/or ceremony will be something Epcot related.

It was so sweet of them!!!

Hahaha details to come soon...

Super nice of the hotel staff and uber impressed by your Poly navigation skills!

Soooo excited to start wedding planning!!

Hahaha thank you!!!

Hi there Sara! I'm finally getting caught up. Sounds like you amassed quite a collection of celebration pins - even if one set was for an anniversary at least they were very thoughtful. (I love the mystere surrounding Wingnuts "real" name... I'm going to dub him "Joe" for now! )

Your breakfast choice at Kona makes us kindred spirits since I fully endorse macadamia nut pancakes! I won't judge anyone who can't decide between tonga toast and macadamia nut pancakes - I live that dilemma every trip! (Although the pancakes win out every time for me.)

How awesome that the Swan was so thoughtful with the gift!! More pins!! And a cool pen.

What a crack up you are with the towel animals - so creative and clever! You are so good that you make that towel for the nose look exactly like money!!!

I am excited to hear all about the wedding planning.

Everyone was so sweet to us, it was so nice!!

Hahahaha you are too funny!!! I will say, his name is not Joe!

It is a very difficult decision!!! It was a last-second choice for me in the end!

It was so nice of them!!! (And I actually used the pen yesterday to make a grocery list! )

LOL yes, my towel animal skills are THAT good!!

I had the same Tonga Toast vs Macadamia Nut pancakes debate for quite awhile!!

Can't wait to hear about the wedding plans!

Hahaha they're both so good!!!

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

After our breakfast, we hopped onto the now-working monorail to the Grand Floridian, where we received directions to the Disney Fairy Tale Weddings office through the construction walls that were now up. (We didn't actually try going this way, but from looking at maps, it seems like it would have been a somewhat equidistant journey from starting out from the Poly.)

The new Alice in Wonderland Splash area:



I was really surprised to see how big the new GF DVC seems to be, I’ll be very interested to see what it looks like when it is all done.







We were a bit early for our Site Visit appointment, so we meandered around the area.







This was also my first time seeing the Wedding Pavilion in person. It is a beautiful area, and I can definitely see why it is such a popular choice with Disney brides, despite not being able to see the inside of the Pavilion itself.





(This isn't to say that we didn't try though... )





We found these paving stones by the side of the office with all of these couples that had gotten married at Disney.



They seemed to stretch all the way back to the Poly.



Eventually, we decided that we were a bit too cold to keep wandering around outside, so we went into the office and checked in for our appointment.

The inside of the Disney Weddings office really is pretty much everything you would expect it to be, with cakes and flowers and linens and favors everywhere, and Disney love songs playing softly in the background (“At Last I See the Light” from Tangled is one that comes to mind). We hung out for a little bit looking at everything, and soon were heading out in the Disney Weddingsmobile to check out the sites for our day!

(I’m going to get this out there right now and apologize, because I barely took any photos during our site visit. I know, I’m shocked too.)

The places we visited were:

Sea Breeze Point (Ceremony)



Atlantic Dance Hall (Reception)



and...

Le Terrace de Fleurs (France Upper) (Illuminations Dessert Party!)



We were really excited to visit all of these areas and really start to visualize how the day would come together. I love how you are able to see ADH from SBP, and vice versa. We really wanted our guests to be able to dance and mingle and love that aspect of ADH, with its dance floor, two levels, and balconies overlooking the lake. And we especially can’t wait for our dessert party that evening, it’ll be such a fun way to end the festivities. (And yes, that will GUARANTEE we will see Illuminations on that trip!!! )

We were all thrilled with the locations, and it got us even more excited for the rest of the planning to come the next day. We were dropped back off at the DFTW offices, and then discussed our plans for the rest of the day. We were all planning to have dinner together that night at Sanaa, but what park to visit before then?

Time for a round of Bus Roulette!!

(P.S. I hope everyone has an absolutely wonderful and safe and happy holiday!!!! )

 

[Nermel9]

Great update! At first I thought you were visiting the GF to possibly get married there, and I thought "no way, they have to have an Epcot or Epcot resort wedding"! Ahhh seeing this update makes me wish SO much that we had a Disney wedding! But at least we had a Disneymoon!

I think all of your choices are wonderful, it sounds like your wedding will be amazing!

Happy Holidays!

 

[jecskc]

YAY for wedding stuff !!! I have always wanted to stay at Grand Floridian and this DVC addition is my chance !!! It looks bigger at the ground level than it does from the monorail, I think.

 

[emmysmommy]

How excited to see your ceremony, reception, and dessert party locations!! Is Sea Breeze Point the site at the far end of Boardwalk before you get to the bridge to Epcot?? It all looks so lovely!!

This all makes me want to drag my man back down the aisle and make him declare that he still loves me after all these years with a vow renewal!

Wishing you and Wingnut (ok, not Joe apparently!), planty, and Hoot a wonderful Holiday as well!!

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

Your wedding is going to be SO magical! I knew you'd choose an Epcot location, and the dessert party is a great idea! It's fun living vicariously through you guys as you plan!

 

[annmarieda]

I am so impressed with how your plans are already coming together! It is going to be amazing!!!

 

[MEK]

Did you know I actually went in the wedding pavilion once? Yup. True story. Several years ago I was on a girls' trip and we were pool hopping at the GF. So we decided to walk down the beach towards the chapel. A force just pulled me in and I kept getting closer and closer until I was at the door. I pulled on the handle and *bam* it opened. Queue the hallelujah chorus. It was gorgeous. O.M.G.

Your venues for your service, reception, and dessert party are wonderful choices. What is the date again? (you know - in case I happen to be there at the same time and become an accidental lurker....). Cynthia and I saw a lovely reception set up near the cottages and the quiet pool at the BWV. We didn't stay around to see the guests come in, but the area looked beautiful and we got a sneak peek of the bride out near the boardwalk.

So there's a wedding mobile?

Fun update.

 

[marDgreen88]

Oh my goodness!!!! Yall's wedding is going to be AMAZING. You are so lucky you have a chance to get married at Disney World... and a fiance that's willing to do so!

Your own private IlluminNations dessert party? Oh my Heaven.

 

[Mrs T 2009]

All of those locations look wonderful!!!!

So excited for you!!!!
A Disney Wedding

Illuminations Dessert?!? um, AWESOME!!!!! Perfect way to end the night, AND make sure you see illuminations!!!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

What great choices for your wedding venues!!! We saw a wedding taking place at the SBP one visit. It was so pretty!

I remember MEK's stealth visit to the wedding pavilion! She got some great pictures!!

 

[MeMom]

I want to try to get over to GF to see the new pool area on the March trip.

So fun to be making Disney wedding plans! Thanks for letting us in on the behind-the-scenes preparation.

Did you know I actually went in the wedding pavilion once? Yup. True story. Several years ago I was on a girls' trip and we were pool hopping at the GF. So we decided to walk down the beach towards the chapel. A force just pulled me in and I kept getting closer and closer until I was at the door. I pulled on the handle and *bam* it opened. Queue the hallelujah chorus. It was gorgeous. O.M.G.

Oooooooh, how fun!!!

 

[jash08]

Not that I am biased, or anything, but Sea Breeze is the best spot! I can still remember standing there with my husband on a beautiful sunny day, with Disney blue skies (you know Exactly what I mean), a nice breeze and our family. Some of our best pictures have all of the Boardwalk buildings as a background. So excited for you! We go back every year and take a picture there together.

 

[tinacaplan]

WOW! Your wedding looks like its going to be amazing! I shouldn't be even remotely surprised that you chose a Boardwalk area/EPCOT location. I think you made great choices and I can't imagine any better way to end a wedding than with Illuminations!

 

[amazingact21]

Love all your wedding location choices! Sea Breeze Point looks like a gorgeous place to have your wedding ceremony. And I've always thought the IllumiNations Dessert Parties are a great addition to a Disney Wedding. (It was number 1 on my must-have list back when I toyed with a Disney Wedding.)
And, it looks like day 1 of wedding plans ran smoothly! Always a plus.

 

[burly]

Excellant choices, i wonder which one you will go with. Not a loser in the bunch, good luck. And Illuminations to cap off the night. Perfect for you two!!!