LittleKittyMarie
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 25, 2011
- Messages
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That is the sweetest proposal! And your ring is gorgeous!
Cristina's Real Life Fairytale - 1/5/2014 <3
- Thread starter WittyAmb
- Start date
WittyAmb
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2013
- Messages
- 100
Ladies, I think I brought some of the cold weather to Florida with me. It's just a little colder than I would've liked but I guess I can't complain too much... it's certainly not NY weather.
Okay so lets rewind a few days prior to the proposal. Mom and I were on our girls trip to Disney. We weren't able to go the year prior so it was nice to have the time with her. Even though Andy and I weren't engaged yet, I wanted to see the Wedding Pavilion. I saw it online and honestly it looked kind of cheap and corny... at least to me.
We journeyed to the pavilion, the winter poincientas lined the walkway of the bridge and it was a gorgeous day. As we made our way to the main door of the chapel I had all these butterflies fluttering in my tummy. Excited, anxious and nervous I opened the door and *gasp* immediately fell in love. It was nothing close to cheezy and corny. It was classy, lovely and special. I looked at my mother to see her reaction and she said to me "we should never have come here". This was her way of immediately accepting (and loving) it!
Fast forward:
After our proposal we started talking about wedding venues. DF knew that Disney was one of the options I wanted to be considered but I was freaking out about the cost.
The Pros:
It's all-inclusive-ish
They have high standards and are trustworthy
The atmosphere and vibe
I was closely related to the site
The Cons:
The minimum payment (knowing we'll go over)
We'd have to invite less people
Not everyone will show given it's destination
It may be too expensive for guests
When I looked at this it discouraged me because of course I want my guests to have a good time and hey... even show up! SO... we started looking at venues in South Florida... mainly venues that have water views.
I had high hopes that we could find something really special with a beautiful view and for less money. Boy was I wrong! The venues we saw... there was nothing special about them. The best way to describe them is "meh". The worst part is that it was about the same minimum price as Disney but NOT with everything included. I was disappointed.
The following morning I woke up for our morning ritual (minus the infamous squeeze squeeze) and Mom and DF had decided that it would be Disney and that I wasn't allowed to look at any other venues!
It was very sweet but at the same time I was having high anxiety over the prices. Looking at other places though put it into perspective for me and if you're still struggling as to whether or not you want a DFTW then do what I did. Research other venues. Figure out how much it would cost and weigh your pros and cons. Ask yourself if you're willing to sacrifice some guests and glam to have your wedding at WDW. The answer may be "no" and that's okay. You can always use WDW for your vow renewal.
So that was that. I was beaming and insanely excited that we were getting married there.
I put in a call to Disney that day and got a phone date with a Wedding Consultant. Poor guy. I had so many questions for him. My biggest concern was (and sort of still is) the construction with the new Grand Floridian building. I'm a bit worried it won't be done in time. I just don't want the construction to be loud and there to be dust flying all over the place. They assured me though that it would be finished by this coming Fall. Fingers crossed!
FYI... I'm going wedding dress shopping today for the first time. I. Am. Ecstatically Excited!!!!
Okay so lets rewind a few days prior to the proposal. Mom and I were on our girls trip to Disney. We weren't able to go the year prior so it was nice to have the time with her. Even though Andy and I weren't engaged yet, I wanted to see the Wedding Pavilion. I saw it online and honestly it looked kind of cheap and corny... at least to me.
We journeyed to the pavilion, the winter poincientas lined the walkway of the bridge and it was a gorgeous day. As we made our way to the main door of the chapel I had all these butterflies fluttering in my tummy. Excited, anxious and nervous I opened the door and *gasp* immediately fell in love. It was nothing close to cheezy and corny. It was classy, lovely and special. I looked at my mother to see her reaction and she said to me "we should never have come here". This was her way of immediately accepting (and loving) it!
Fast forward:
After our proposal we started talking about wedding venues. DF knew that Disney was one of the options I wanted to be considered but I was freaking out about the cost.
The Pros:
It's all-inclusive-ish
They have high standards and are trustworthy
The atmosphere and vibe
I was closely related to the site
The Cons:
The minimum payment (knowing we'll go over)
We'd have to invite less people
Not everyone will show given it's destination
It may be too expensive for guests
When I looked at this it discouraged me because of course I want my guests to have a good time and hey... even show up! SO... we started looking at venues in South Florida... mainly venues that have water views.
I had high hopes that we could find something really special with a beautiful view and for less money. Boy was I wrong! The venues we saw... there was nothing special about them. The best way to describe them is "meh". The worst part is that it was about the same minimum price as Disney but NOT with everything included. I was disappointed.
The following morning I woke up for our morning ritual (minus the infamous squeeze squeeze) and Mom and DF had decided that it would be Disney and that I wasn't allowed to look at any other venues!
It was very sweet but at the same time I was having high anxiety over the prices. Looking at other places though put it into perspective for me and if you're still struggling as to whether or not you want a DFTW then do what I did. Research other venues. Figure out how much it would cost and weigh your pros and cons. Ask yourself if you're willing to sacrifice some guests and glam to have your wedding at WDW. The answer may be "no" and that's okay. You can always use WDW for your vow renewal.
So that was that. I was beaming and insanely excited that we were getting married there.
I put in a call to Disney that day and got a phone date with a Wedding Consultant. Poor guy. I had so many questions for him. My biggest concern was (and sort of still is) the construction with the new Grand Floridian building. I'm a bit worried it won't be done in time. I just don't want the construction to be loud and there to be dust flying all over the place. They assured me though that it would be finished by this coming Fall. Fingers crossed!
FYI... I'm going wedding dress shopping today for the first time. I. Am. Ecstatically Excited!!!!
WittyAmb
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2013
- Messages
- 100
Thanks Mary!!! It was definitely the sweetest!
WittyAmb
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2013
- Messages
- 100
I'm definitely enjoying it and living it up!
WittyAmb
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2013
- Messages
- 100
I love your proposal story!!! How sweet that was...and it's so awesome that he included your mom and your brothers...and then you had your cruise to enjoy being engaged and seeing that GORGEOUS ring sparkle in the sunlight!!!!!
Can't wait to hear more!!
Brooke
PS - There is nothing wrong with you...it is a perfectly natuaral occurrence to stare rapturously at the gorgeous sparkly on your hand for hours at a time...at least that's what I've been telling myself since I got mine in January!!!
Lol Brooke seriously... it puts me into a zen state to stare at it.
mariapicardikenyon
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 14, 2013
- Messages
- 134
Ladies, I think I brought some of the cold weather to Florida with me. It's just a little colder than I would've liked but I guess I can't complain too much... it's certainly not NY weather.
Okay so lets rewind a few days prior to the proposal. Mom and I were on our girls trip to Disney. We weren't able to go the year prior so it was nice to have the time with her. Even though Andy and I weren't engaged yet, I wanted to see the Wedding Pavilion. I saw it online and honestly it looked kind of cheap and corny... at least to me.
We journeyed to the pavilion, the winter poincientas lined the walkway of the bridge and it was a gorgeous day. As we made our way to the main door of the chapel I had all these butterflies fluttering in my tummy. Excited, anxious and nervous I opened the door and *gasp* immediately fell in love. It was nothing close to cheezy and corny. It was classy, lovely and special. I looked at my mother to see her reaction and she said to me "we should never have come here". This was her way of immediately accepting (and loving) it!
Fast forward:
After our proposal we started talking about wedding venues. DF knew that Disney was one of the options I wanted to be considered but I was freaking out about the cost.
The Pros:
It's all-inclusive-ish
They have high standards and are trustworthy
The atmosphere and vibe
I was closely related to the site
The Cons:
The minimum payment (knowing we'll go over)
We'd have to invite less people
Not everyone will show given it's destination
It may be too expensive for guests
When I looked at this it discouraged me because of course I want my guests to have a good time and hey... even show up! SO... we started looking at venues in South Florida... mainly venues that have water views.
I had high hopes that we could find something really special with a beautiful view and for less money. Boy was I wrong! The venues we saw... there was nothing special about them. The best way to describe them is "meh". The worst part is that it was about the same minimum price as Disney but NOT with everything included. I was disappointed.
The following morning I woke up for our morning ritual (minus the infamous squeeze squeeze) and Mom and DF had decided that it would be Disney and that I wasn't allowed to look at any other venues!
It was very sweet but at the same time I was having high anxiety over the prices. Looking at other places though put it into perspective for me and if you're still struggling as to whether or not you want a DFTW then do what I did. Research other venues. Figure out how much it would cost and weigh your pros and cons. Ask yourself if you're willing to sacrifice some guests and glam to have your wedding at WDW. The answer may be "no" and that's okay. You can always use WDW for your vow renewal.
So that was that. I was beaming and insanely excited that we were getting married there.
I put in a call to Disney that day and got a phone date with a Wedding Consultant. Poor guy. I had so many questions for him. My biggest concern was (and sort of still is) the construction with the new Grand Floridian building. I'm a bit worried it won't be done in time. I just don't want the construction to be loud and there to be dust flying all over the place. They assured me though that it would be finished by this coming Fall. Fingers crossed!
FYI... I'm going wedding dress shopping today for the first time. I. Am. Ecstatically Excited!!!!
We came to the same conclusion. Dollar for dollar Disney was a better value and we LOVE Disney!
/
charliegirl76
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Sep 27, 2012
- Messages
- 337
Hi! Congratulations! Love your story, the application is a riot! You've got another follower! 
mariapicardikenyon
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 14, 2013
- Messages
- 134
Love your photo!
WittyAmb
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2013
- Messages
- 100
Thanks for the support ladies!!!
Dress shopping was...interesting. I've at least narrowed down the types of dresses I won't wear so I guess that's good. I'll write up a whole thingy on it after Monday. We're going to Alfred Angelo on that day so I'll have more to say.
Hope everyone has a great weekend!!!
~Cristina
Dress shopping was...interesting. I've at least narrowed down the types of dresses I won't wear so I guess that's good. I'll write up a whole thingy on it after Monday. We're going to Alfred Angelo on that day so I'll have more to say.
Hope everyone has a great weekend!!!
~Cristina
Summer Daydream
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2011
- Messages
- 374
Narrowing it down helps big time! I had an awesome consultant that asked what I didn't like about each dress. I would tell her and then she wouldn't bring me any more with that aspect. It was super helpful. Good luck! I know I found it slightly stressful to dress shop, which I know seems odd. I felt like there was so much pressure on finding this one dress! Good luck!!
1EvilQueenfan
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Apr 4, 2008
- Messages
- 366
Thanks for the support ladies!!!
Dress shopping was...interesting. I've at least narrowed down the types of dresses I won't wear so I guess that's good. I'll write up a whole thingy on it after Monday. We're going to Alfred Angelo on that day so I'll have more to say.
Hope everyone has a great weekend!!!
~Cristina
Hi just joining in
! I am interested to see how your experience was with Alfred Angelo! I was getting very frustrated dress shopping. I don't have an family or really close friends near me so I brought my closest friend that is my coworker. Didn't go very well. I went to David's Bridal twice and Alfred Angelo twice. Finally I went to a small local bridal boutique an hour south of me and I'm so happy I went. The owner was helping and she was wonderful. I found my dress that day!! Good luckJodi
WittyAmb
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2013
- Messages
- 100
Thanks Summer! I can definitely relate to the stress.
Jodi, I actually haven't gone to Alfred yet... we're going Monday at 12. I'll definitely let you know how it goes. I have some high hopes because I like a lot of their designs. We shall see!
Jodi, I actually haven't gone to Alfred yet... we're going Monday at 12. I'll definitely let you know how it goes. I have some high hopes because I like a lot of their designs. We shall see!
WittyAmb
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2013
- Messages
- 100
First and foremost, a very Happy Easter for those of you who celebrate it. Today Mom, Andy & I will be driving to my brothers home for dinner and I'm happy to say that the only thing I've had to cook was stuffed mushrooms (yum!).
After the big decision, I immediately became a research machine. The first thing I came across were these boards and they've been SO helpful! This was where I learned about Carrie's book "Passporter's Disney Weddings & Honeymoons". She's an invaluable source of information and if you don't have the book yet definitely buy it!
We decided to have a Wishes wedding (there was no way I could narrow my guest list down to 20).
Details:
Jan. 5th, 2014
2:30 Ceremony at the Wedding Pavilion
3:30 Cocktail hour at the Grand Floridian
4:30 Reception at the Grand Floridian
Total number of Guests Invited: 59 adults (not including plus ones), 4 kids (under the age of 8)
We've also recently decided to have a Dessert Party the night before as a welcome event for our guests. We booked Lochside at Epcot and I have to say, I think I'm more excited about this than the actual wedding!
The most stressful aspect of the beginning stages of a DFTW is the infamous room block. Seriously, this bad boy stressed me out! I had no clue about the amount of people who would show up let alone how many would stay at a resort.
The hotel choices were easy. Each time Mom and I go to Disney we wind up staying at Riverside... we've stayed in other resorts but this one has been our favorite so far. SO we went with Riverside, Pop Century & The Floridian given that we want to stay there the night of the wedding.
I decided on Pop Century because I researched bus reviews for the value resorts and Pop Century had the best ones. I read that sometimes the buses for the other resorts (music, sports, movies) are shared and pop century always has its own bus.
When I tackled the room block the only people I had in consideration were my friends who I knew without a doubt would be there and my immediate family members. SO initially I blocked out 25 room nights only. We wanted to reach the minimum so we could qualify for a free room night for ourselves the night of the wedding.
I sent this to Disney and their response was that I should up it to 62 simply because of the time of year we're getting married and the fact that at the end of the day, we can bring it back down to 25 nights. SO... that's what we did.
Below is our actual room night block so you can see how we put it together. OH... and we're going to upgrade to a suite in the Floridian for our free night and just pay the difference.
This really was a daunting process. I was most worried about having to pay for the rooms that were not taken BUT DF has reassured me (multiple times) that given the amount of guests we think we're going to have making 25 nights shouldn't be an issue.
Having said that, I'm not a magician, I don't have a crystal ball and there was no way to predict who would stay where (if they'd stay on the grounds at all). The way I rationed it was that the majority of the guests would probably want to stay at the same hotel as us. For that reason alone, I placed most of our room nights in our hotel. The other thing to consider is that you guests don't have to stay in the hotels you've chosen, if for some reason you go over your room night allowance that's okay... they can still book if there are rooms available in other hotels AND get the discount. Also, you can always lower the amount of rooms blocked so you can reach your overall minimum. Wrap your head around all of those factors and you won't freak out as much. Once you accept this, the process seems a bit less crazy.
Our wedding is on a Sunday so I have rooms from Wednesday through Sunday night. I'm almost positive no one will stay past Sunday night.
Wednesday: (5 total nights)
3-Riverside
2- Pop Century
Thursday: (8 total nights)
5- Riverside
3- Pop Century
Friday: (11 total nights)
6- Riverside
5- Pop Century
Saturday: (18 total nights)
3- Grand Floridian
10- Riverside
5- Pop Century
Sunday: (20 total nights)
3- Grand Floridian
11- Riverside
6- Pop Century
TOTAL Nights: 62
I hope this has helped you a bit!
After the big decision, I immediately became a research machine. The first thing I came across were these boards and they've been SO helpful! This was where I learned about Carrie's book "Passporter's Disney Weddings & Honeymoons". She's an invaluable source of information and if you don't have the book yet definitely buy it!
We decided to have a Wishes wedding (there was no way I could narrow my guest list down to 20).
Details:
Jan. 5th, 2014
2:30 Ceremony at the Wedding Pavilion
3:30 Cocktail hour at the Grand Floridian
4:30 Reception at the Grand Floridian
Total number of Guests Invited: 59 adults (not including plus ones), 4 kids (under the age of 8)
We've also recently decided to have a Dessert Party the night before as a welcome event for our guests. We booked Lochside at Epcot and I have to say, I think I'm more excited about this than the actual wedding!
The most stressful aspect of the beginning stages of a DFTW is the infamous room block. Seriously, this bad boy stressed me out! I had no clue about the amount of people who would show up let alone how many would stay at a resort.
The hotel choices were easy. Each time Mom and I go to Disney we wind up staying at Riverside... we've stayed in other resorts but this one has been our favorite so far. SO we went with Riverside, Pop Century & The Floridian given that we want to stay there the night of the wedding.
I decided on Pop Century because I researched bus reviews for the value resorts and Pop Century had the best ones. I read that sometimes the buses for the other resorts (music, sports, movies) are shared and pop century always has its own bus.
When I tackled the room block the only people I had in consideration were my friends who I knew without a doubt would be there and my immediate family members. SO initially I blocked out 25 room nights only. We wanted to reach the minimum so we could qualify for a free room night for ourselves the night of the wedding.
I sent this to Disney and their response was that I should up it to 62 simply because of the time of year we're getting married and the fact that at the end of the day, we can bring it back down to 25 nights. SO... that's what we did.
Below is our actual room night block so you can see how we put it together. OH... and we're going to upgrade to a suite in the Floridian for our free night and just pay the difference.
This really was a daunting process. I was most worried about having to pay for the rooms that were not taken BUT DF has reassured me (multiple times) that given the amount of guests we think we're going to have making 25 nights shouldn't be an issue.
Having said that, I'm not a magician, I don't have a crystal ball and there was no way to predict who would stay where (if they'd stay on the grounds at all). The way I rationed it was that the majority of the guests would probably want to stay at the same hotel as us. For that reason alone, I placed most of our room nights in our hotel. The other thing to consider is that you guests don't have to stay in the hotels you've chosen, if for some reason you go over your room night allowance that's okay... they can still book if there are rooms available in other hotels AND get the discount. Also, you can always lower the amount of rooms blocked so you can reach your overall minimum. Wrap your head around all of those factors and you won't freak out as much. Once you accept this, the process seems a bit less crazy.
Our wedding is on a Sunday so I have rooms from Wednesday through Sunday night. I'm almost positive no one will stay past Sunday night.
Wednesday: (5 total nights)
3-Riverside
2- Pop Century
Thursday: (8 total nights)
5- Riverside
3- Pop Century
Friday: (11 total nights)
6- Riverside
5- Pop Century
Saturday: (18 total nights)
3- Grand Floridian
10- Riverside
5- Pop Century
Sunday: (20 total nights)
3- Grand Floridian
11- Riverside
6- Pop Century
TOTAL Nights: 62
I hope this has helped you a bit!
I TOTALLY hear you about the room block! I felt like if I could tackle this bad boy, the rest would fall into place eventually.
The other point that gave me less anxiety about the whole thing was being able to release any rooms I didn't feel we would use 60 days prior to the wedding in writing. That at least felt like a kind of 'eraser'! I'm sure they have to know that we can't anticipate EVERYONE that will show up! 80% of the rooms booked we have to fill... and with your guest count, I agree with the DF! I definitely think you can do it
Hope the mushrooms are delish and you enjoy your Easter!
The other point that gave me less anxiety about the whole thing was being able to release any rooms I didn't feel we would use 60 days prior to the wedding in writing. That at least felt like a kind of 'eraser'! I'm sure they have to know that we can't anticipate EVERYONE that will show up! 80% of the rooms booked we have to fill... and with your guest count, I agree with the DF! I definitely think you can do it
Hope the mushrooms are delish and you enjoy your Easter!
leelee9878
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 14, 2007
- Messages
- 766
Love your story!! I also love that one of the reasons you couldn't move back home was because of the pizza lol. I'm from Jersey and there really is something about Jersey/NYC pizza & bagels they just can be beat!
mariapicardikenyon
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 14, 2013
- Messages
- 134
I'm with you ladies. From NJ and can't imagine leaving. Love NYC and so convenient. The bread is amazing!
WittyAmb
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2013
- Messages
- 100
Nicole... yes... the eraser aspect was defintely helpful! (Mushrooms came out great btw) 
LeeLee and Maria... I'm telling you... I have NO idea what I'm going to do about pizza and bagels when we move out of NYC! We'll most likely come back to Florida with in the next year and a half and I just don't know how I'll handle it. We've been in S. Florida all week and I badly miss my favorite hole in the wall Italian place in Queens. Eeek!
LeeLee and Maria... I'm telling you... I have NO idea what I'm going to do about pizza and bagels when we move out of NYC! We'll most likely come back to Florida with in the next year and a half and I just don't know how I'll handle it. We've been in S. Florida all week and I badly miss my favorite hole in the wall Italian place in Queens. Eeek!
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