Crown_Princess and Angrypenguin DFTW 03/30/2009-7/24 Update, MGM studios!

[Angrypenguin]

So exciting to see your TR started I love the commentary from both of you. I bought a new Canon SX10IS before our trip to WDW last month and I spent a lot of time experimenting with it. Definitely a great place to get the hang of a new camera!

The shots at the courthouse are such a great addition to your story; those are the little things that you'll always want to remember. The room you got at CR was really nice; I love the mirror shot where you're fluffing the gown.

We did the kitchen sink a couple years ago and it was so cool to try it. Although DH was the only one that like mint ice cream and insisted that we still get it in there. Needless to say everything tasted like mint

I've been craving the kitchen sink for the past few weeks. Granted, myself not being the most efficient of dairy digesters, I felt it afterwards. But it was a good pain.

Welcome back! Glad to see you've already started your TR. I love that you guys are both adding to it! It's so nice to get a perspective from both angles!

DF and I are having our reception at the CG and will hopefully be staying at the Contemporary for the trip as well!

Can't wait to read more! Congrats!

Thanks Disneygal! We're both having fun contributing. Although crown_princess seems to think I'm stealing her thunder a bit with the pics!

haha! I just read your last post out loud to my DF and he said "Can we go there!" so there is another 26 year old guys opinion for ya

He should go there, it's fun! It's Hooters with laser tag.

Ok, first of all I have to say I LOVE LOVE LOVE everything so far. I SO wish I would have found your report sooner

It looks like you guys were having a wonderful time before the wedding day actually got there and you are super cute together!!!

I can't wait to read your wedding report!!

Second...I am in love with the quality of your pictures. Now, time for some silly questions...

Did you do any sort of editing to these pictures or are they settings on the camera? If you did edit, what software did you use?

How difficult is the camera to use? I am not completely new to the photography world but definitely (not even close) to a professional. My camera now is about one step above a point and shoot, but I am desparately wanting to upgrade and am considering your camera...or the one you had before you sold it anyway

Can't wait for more updates!!!!

Thanks for the kind comments Ariel! I'm glad you could join us, and I hope you enjoy our trip report!

For everyone wondering about the pictures, I've kind of taken up photography as a hobby. I've been reading a lot of books (such as "The Digital Photography Book" by Scott Kelby and "Understanding Exposure") as well as learning as much as I can online about photography techniques and what not. Additionally, I do post processing in Lightroom to get the look I want.

Feel free to browse the DIS photography board; lots of good info there!

I am loving your TR so far!!! your pictures are amazing, i am hooked!

Thanks, camara!

 

[Angrypenguin]

OMG this TR is soooo funny.... im literally laughing out loud with some of your expressions

Looks like you had a great time and your closeness to each other really comes across when you both write

Angrypenguin you take amazing pics... wish mine came out like that, makes me think i should invest in a good camera for my disneymoon!

Loving it so far and waiting for more

Glad we could make you laugh, Nicola. Thanks for hanging out with us!

I just love reading your trippie!

More, please!

We're working on it! Maybe I'll have Crown_princess write the next part...my fingers are getting tired.

Loving your TR so far! All of your pictures are amazing!!

Thank you! More pictures to come.

Awesome updates!!! Fantastic pictures as always

Thanks Lynn! I started going through your trip reports as well. Sounds like you like DVC! I've been looking into it as a potential future investment. I may have some questions for you later down the road.

 

[Angrypenguin]

Taking a break from our trip report, I got my new camera and lens yesterday! So I thought I'd post some snaps .


Alex and Brian playing BBall

My lovely wife

Playing with photoshop a little

 

[Lynn5700]

Awesome pics!!!!!!! You are so talented.

 

[Angrypenguin]

Thanks Lynn! Congrats on the camera again!

Everyone: We'll have a post up of day 4 soon; Julie is supposed to write it as it was tea party/rehearsal day. Unfortunately for most of the day I sat in the room like a potato while she went out to the spa and had her tea party. So we'll wait for her ;-)

Thanks to everyone for following along with us! Julie and I have enjoyed sharing our experiences with you all; we love to read your comments. Also, before I forget, thanks to everyone for all the support you've provided us over the past year or so. You've all been a great blessing.

 

[29apr00]

Playing with photoshop a little

Now THAT is a cool picture!! great job!

 

[Crown_princess]

Hi, ALL. I know I've been pretty quiet lately.

I have gently chastised DH for stealing our TR and turning into his own personal photography journal.

He took it well.

I have in turn been gently told I must post the next post tonight. We'll see how long I last before passing out on the couch after work and working out.

 

[figmentfan814]

Looking forward to reading more. I can't wait to hear about the tea party

 

[KSchwagg86]

Can't wait!!

 

[Lynn5700]

Looking forward to your updates!

 

[Crown_princess]

Day 4!

Day 4
While DF sat in the hotel room editing photos and answering the phone, the almost-beautiful bride went to Grand Floridian Spa to bring her beauty up to 90% ready-bride status (the other 10% to be achieved by Patricia LeJeune). It was a rainy Sunday, March 29th, so when the bride arrived at GF Hotel she was stranded on the veranda looking out toward the spa, several hundred feet away and not yet insight due to the pool blocking her view. She decided to make a run for it and arrived at the spa only minimally damp.

She donned a spa robe, decided the spa’s slippers were hideous (so kept her own), and waited in the lounge for her name to be called for a French pedi and mani. The bride had learned when making her reservation that GF Spa only does “natural” nails, so she did not get her normal acrylic. She was hoping she wouldn’t ruin this mani, pedi in the next 24 hours, which is why she normally got acrylic nails.

The spa lounge is comfortable but not quiet the ambiance one might expect for a $110 mani, pedi. However there were free refreshments: tea, water, grapefruit, and mints.

The bride realized this was the first time she had had alone in over a week and felt suddenly tired. Relieved to leave the lounge and the annoyingly chatty woman breaking the serene silence of the lounge, the bride answered to her name and was escorted to a pedicure chair.

Oh, such bliss!! But she did not know that a mani, pedi French would take 1.5 hours! Her mani, pedi was scheduled for 10:30am and she had planned to meet her groom at 12:30pm in the hotel room to practice dancing, and at 1pm was to head back from Contemporary to GF Garden View Tea Room for her 2pm tea with family and in laws. The mani pedi did not end until 12:30pm, or later. She called her MOH to pick her up, but had to walk back to the hotel – shuffle in mani slippers – because the spa had no parking lot of it’s own.

Form there the bride and MOH rushed back to Contemporary for clothing change and makeup. No time for hair! The groom was panicked from constant phone calls – the bride had made it clear to all guests that she would not be answering a phone all week (and glad she did so), and the groom was paying the price.

Off MOH and the bride drove as fast as they could to GF, just a little late for the 2pm tea.

Some of the guests, among which were the bride’s mom, MIL, aunt in law, cousin in laws wife, two grandmas, sister in law (brides side), matron of honor, many had been driven by their menfolk.

After hurredly and forcibly telling the Tea Room hostess to add one to the reservation and that they must be out by 2:45pm in order to make the 3pm wedding rehearsal – this pissed them off good, the bride posed for a picture and forgot to smile!! Lol.

BTW, my brother took these pics and not Angrypenguin

After that the Tea Room people managed to successfully serve 9 ladies in 45 min tea and sandwiches. All had a great time, and favors were exchanged afterwards outside of the lounge – the bride had read not to bother trying to do gifting in the lounge.

From there all found their own way (many picked up by their man and transported) to the wedding pavilion for the beautiful rehearsal. Many hugs were exchanged.

Steve, the bride’s friend’s husband, was the minister. He gently said quietly to the bride in private that she had planned a great deal and now it was time to let others do their jobs. The bride laughed and said, “Steve, is that your way of telling me to let go?” to which he replied “no.” But the bride knew this was what he meant and decided he was right. She was glad to have someone else boss around her wedding party, parents, and all and the following day ran perfectly smooth.

Carol Mikles, the gracious and always professional wedding planner, was present also. This was when the bride gave Carol anything for the wedding: programs, some small floral arrangements, the guest “vase.” These items were in a bag the bride was carrying , so MOH let Carol take the whole bag. Luckily, when the bride realized, during family snapshots at the picture point, that she had left her envisalign braces in the bag MOH was able to call Carol’s cell phone to ask her for them back. Carol got a good laugh out of this, and the braces were successfully obtained, since Carol had not gotten far.

A few shots of the rehearsal

The rehearsal ended at 3:30pm. All people present, plus a few extra took their own transportation to Animal Kingdom lodge for the rehearsal dinner – 16 people total – at Boma Restraunt. In good tradition, the bride and groom got distracted at their hotel during the break (dinner starting at 4:50pm) and arrived about 20 min late to their own party.

Rehearsal dinner pics (these taken by Angrypenguin )

The best man

The MOH

AP's mom and aunt

Boma gave us a little surprise!

AP's dad and our minister, Steve!

My mom!

Some family and friends

Coming up next...the BIG DAY!!!

 

[disneygal922]

Great update crown_princess! It looks like you had a wonderful rehearsal! Can't wait to see the recap of the big day!

 

[tiggersam00]

great update! At least the rain was on the 29th not the 30th! You really did have amazing weather for your wedding day.

Good to know about the 2 hour mani/pedi too... that is a long time

 

[Crown_princess]

Great update crown_princess! It looks like you had a wonderful rehearsal! Can't wait to see the recap of the big day!

great update! At least the rain was on the 29th not the 30th! You really did have amazing weather for your wedding day.

Good to know about the 2 hour mani/pedi too... that is a long time

Thanks!

Last night I was in the mood to write in third person. It was sort of my way of making fun of myself.

Just to warn people: book about 1.25 hours of your time to do the tea room. A traditional English tea is about an hour. What I did really ticked them off. But it couldn't be helped. I'm just glad they were nice about it once we got seated. They couldn't exactly turn away nine women in front of the bride - that would be mortifying for the bride!

 

[linzwylie]

enjoying reading !

looking forward to hearing more !

Linz xxx

 

[KSchwagg86]

This trip report is great...especially with the awesome pictures!

 

[Lynn5700]

Aww look how cute you were at your bridal tea!!! So adorable! looks like you all had fun.

I love the picture of you two. It's so cute!

 

[Rebclay]

Yay! Can't wait for the next update!! Sounds like everything went really well. I hope I can not answer my phone either the week of but i think my df would kill me. Love it so far.

 

[Pirate's Princess]

your wedding vacation sounds so much fun and wonderful! I can't wait to hear about the wedding!

 

[29apr00]

the bridal tea looks so fun and WOW for a 2 hr mani/pedi!! How relaxing that would be!!