Danielle & Chris: 11-11-11 WP/ADH/DP Wedding PJ/TR - Complete *(1 Year Anniversary)

11/10/2011
Rehearsal & Rehearsal Luncheon


Our wedding rehearsal was scheduled for 10:30 am in the Grand Floridian Convention Center - St. Augustine Room A. I was concerned that most of our wedding party would be late, since they were traveling by Disney busses, so I told everyone to arrive by 10:00 am. ;) I was most excited to see my remaining two bridesmaids and youngest flower girl, who I had not seen since June 2009. I stood outside the ballroom to wait for them when, all of a sudden, a little body waddles around the corner with her arms wide open to give me a hug. It was my youngest flower girl, Hannah! I fell to my knees and embraced her, she was so adorable! Next around the corner were my two bridesmaids, Erin and Chelsea. I got up to give them both a hug and I just started crying my eyes out. They kept telling me not to cry, but I reassured them they were happy tears. Then we went inside the room to rehearse!

Reverend Tim Herring gave a little introduction as to how things would flow the following day. He had all of the wedding party go up and stand in the correct order and learn what their duties were. Reverend Tim had a wonderful sense of humor that put us all at ease. He teased the guys and taught them to stand in the 'fig leaf' position, which became a running joke the rest of our trip. We then ran through the processional twice, practiced our ring exchange, and then our kiss. The whole rehearsal was a pretty simple, but enjoyable, undertaking. Our planner, Carol, then led us down to the Whitehall Room & Patio for our rehearsal luncheon.

The spread of build-your-own tacos and nachos was beautifully arranged in the hallway. I wasn't too hungry, since tacos didn't sound appetizing first thing in the morning, but I made sure to try a little of everything since Chris' family was hosting the event. Everyone kept saying that they were fancy tacos, since we got to eat them on fine dinnerware. :rotfl: Our friends and family raved about the food.

Start of the buffet line
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Mesquite Barbecue Pork Shanks
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Yucatan Fried Rice
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Our guests digging in
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The Whitehall Room
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It was such a wonderful time to catch up with all of our friends and family. After we were all done with our lunch, Chris' dad stood up to say a few words. He thanked everyone for coming out to Disney and he welcomed me into the family. Chris' dad started to get very emotional, which is something we don't see very often, so it was a very touching speech for me.

Hugging my almost-father-in-law
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Then it was time to have some dessert, which I had no problem consuming. :laughing:

Chocolate Kahlua Cheesecake
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Tequila Mousse Torte
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Will she like the Chocolate Kahlua Cheesecake? (She did.)
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After all that sugar, my niece had some energy!
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My niece wasn't the only one having a good time, haha.
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After our meal, we went outside onto the patio to give our wedding party members their gifts. :goodvibes

My girls with their princess certificates
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Closeup of the bridesmaid necklace
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Then the little ones!
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After the gifts were opened, we wrapped up our event by taking a couple of formal group pictures.

With the kiddies--Hannah loved that book! :laughing:
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Chris with his boys, minus 2
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Me and my girls!
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With our wedding ears
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Bridal party and immediate family
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Once it was over, everyone hightailed it out of there! They all wanted to go enjoy Disney World! :lmao: I still had one more welcome bag delivery trip to make sometime that day, but first I had to change.

To be continued...
 
Your rehearsal and luncheon look fabulous!! What great photos too!
 

-Awww I can just see you crying. You’re SO sweet.
-Your rehearsal sounds nice and easy! Woohoo!
-Oh, the crack of dawn tacos. Inlaws….
-Okay, those tacos look AWESOME. Fun fact: I hated tacos until a few months ago. But Chipotle made me change my mind!
-Um, Kahlua cheesecake is my FAVORITE kind! Did you save me some??

Can't wait for more! :D
 
Looks like a great rehearsal and lunch! I love Mexican, but even I think 11 am would be too early for them.

Adorable pictures of your flowergirls and ringbearer.

It seems like you have great in-laws. You are lucky. :)

It's funny that Jackie said she didn't like taco until recently. When Paul and I moved in together 10 years ago, he was a very picky eater. I ran out of ideas to make for dinner in a week or so. I mentioned one day "How about tacos?" Paul then told me that he had never had a taco!!! :scared1: He was 35!!!! :scared1: How could that be!!! He consented to try them for dinner and now he loves them and we have them for dinner all the time.

Can't wait to read more Danielle! With both of us on the look out for each other, we are bound to run into each other one day! :laughing:
 
-Awww I can just see you crying. You’re SO sweet.
-Your rehearsal sounds nice and easy! Woohoo!
-Oh, the crack of dawn tacos. Inlaws….
-Okay, those tacos look AWESOME. Fun fact: I hated tacos until a few months ago. But Chipotle made me change my mind!
-Um, Kahlua cheesecake is my FAVORITE kind! Did you save me some??

Can't wait for more! :D

HAH! I had to tell Chris about your 'crack of dawn tacos' comment. I lost it. :lmao: He thinks I'm silly, oh well. They were pretty yummy, I'll give him that. ;) Ahh, Chipotle is pretty good! I can see why you would convert. We shall partake in a Kahlua cheesecake when I teleport to your place while we watch SYTTD and drink sangria! :banana:

Looks like a great rehearsal and lunch! I love Mexican, but even I think 11 am would be too early for them.

Adorable pictures of your flowergirls and ringbearer.

It seems like you have great in-laws. You are lucky. :)

It's funny that Jackie said she didn't like taco until recently. When Paul and I moved in together 10 years ago, he was a very picky eater. I ran out of ideas to make for dinner in a week or so. I mentioned one day "How about tacos?" Paul then told me that he had never had a taco!!! :scared1: He was 35!!!! :scared1: How could that be!!! He consented to try them for dinner and now he loves them and we have them for dinner all the time.

Can't wait to read more Danielle! With both of us on the look out for each other, we are bound to run into each other one day! :laughing:

Thanks! I love my flowergirls, ringbearer and in-laws. They are all fabulous and I am truly blessed to have them in my life.
Agreed, I still think it was too early for Mexican, but it was pretty yummy. Oh my goodness, I can't believe Paul had never had a taco! :eek: I mean they are pretty much a staple in my diet. :laughing: At least he loves them--if he didn't, I would be very concerned!
 
11/10/2011
Relaxation, Babysitting & The Last Supper

From the rehearsal lunch, I went with my two flower girls inside the Grand Floridian to drop them off for their tea party with Alice and the Mad Hatter. Long story short, Phoebe got scared of Hatter and only Damia attended. It sounded like she had a lot of fun with the characters, though. :thumbsup2

Tea Party
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The next thing on my to-do list was to deliver my last welcome bag to Animal Kingdom Lodge. There was only one family staying there, so I wanted to make sure they were informed about how the next day would flow. I was on my way back to my room when Katherine, Chris' sister, told me they were heading to the pool to swim with our ring bearer, Nick. She persuaded me to swim with them first and then she'd go with me to Animal Kingdom Lodge to drop off the welcome bag. I wasn't too thrilled with the idea of swimming, but I succumbed to get a little bit of relaxation time before the big day. We swam in the pool that has the really fun slide. Chris and Nick had a tally going to see how many times they could go down the slide, which was really cute. (Nick ended up going down 18 times!) :)

Nick swimming with Michelle and Katherine.
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We got out of the pool after an hour of swimming and got changed and headed for the buses. My niece had then asked if she could come with us, so we agreed to watch Damia and drop her back off with my brother later that night. Why we decided to do this is beyond me, because she is such a little spit-fire! :laughing: On our way to the bus stop, we saw Cinderella's carriage coming up the path, I looked inside and there was DISbride Elizabeth! She looked stunning and so happy. I congratulated her and her new husband, Robert. I was so excited to see a DISbride I knew. :) Damia was overwhelmed by the princess sighting and wanted to pet all the ponies, haha. We boarded the bus and headed to Downtown Disney and then transferred to Animal Kingdom Lodge. We ended up chasing Damia all around wherever we went. She was doing kart-wheels inside the lobby of Animal Kingdom Lodge and wouldn't sit still on the buses. She was wearing us out and testing our patience. After we dropped the welcome bag off, we decided we'd go to Downtown Disney to keep Damia a little more entertained. It turns out a whole group of our wedding guests were at Downtown Disney, so we all went into the shops as a group. Eventually, we ended up at the World of Disney store (also another big mistake with Damia--she wanted to buy everything!) and we saw little Hannah, my youngest flower girl, all done up from the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique!

Hannah as Princess Tiana
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The big group of us went over to the margarita kiosk and enjoyed our drinks by the water front while the girls danced to steel-drum music. They had quite and audience watching too. It was super cute.

We're jammin' mon!
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Eventually, Chris and some of his boys came over to show us the lightsabers they had made. (He and his boys went to T-Rex for a little bachelor bash and then built lightsabers.) :lmao:

Boys with their toys
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Chris got Cory in the leg!
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From here, I said goodbye to the majority of our group and went back to the Grand Floridian to drop Damia off. She slept the whole ride back, thank goodness. :rolleyes: After Damia was safe in her daddy's arms, Katherine and myself hopped on the monorail to attend a late night dinner at Kona Cafe with Chris' family. I'm pretty sure we all half-asleep when we were eating, it wasn't a very lively or memorable dinner. I do remember toasting to Chris' brother, Paul, because he had been traveling all day and wasn't supposed to get in until after midnight that night.

Cheers to you, Paul!
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Our dinner ended and Chris and I were given cute celebratory cupcakes!

"So cute and fluffy"
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The group of us walked back to the Grand Floridian, since monorail service had stopped for the night. It was a chilly night, but so peaceful. I held hands with Chris as we walked by the Wedding Pavilion and whispered, "tomorrow". :bride: We said goodnight and parted ways. Katherine came with me and Chris went to stay with his parents.

We got back to the room and where we both got a second-wind. Katherine and myself started to beautify ourselves--I hopped in the shower and then blow dried my hair. We decided to watch t.v. until we fell asleep. I turned off the t.v. and the room was pitch black. Through the darkness, she asked me was if I was nervous, to which I replied, "Nope!"

:bride:

To be continued...
 
-Yayyy! I can’t wait for you to build this teleportation device!
- Oh geesh. Damia sounds like a handful!
- I kind of want to eat Hannah up. In case you were wondering.
- OMG they built lightsabers! I love that they went and played with dinos and Star Wars. I was talking with Chris about what he wants to do, and he was talking about playing Mario Kart on his 3DS with his friends. Yes, my lovely fiancé wants to go to WDW and play video games. I don’t understand!!!
-I love reading about the night before the wedding: it makes me SO excited! I can feel the excitement, Danielle!!! And I can’t wait for moreeeeeee.
 
Danielle,

I agree with you on the taco thing. It would have been a weird thing not to eventually like.

What a fabulous update! It seems like you didn't have a whole lot of stress leading up to the big day, which is awesome! I loved the ending of your day, especially the "tomorrow" and the "nope" part. Awesome!

Really looking forward to the wedding. I know how beautiful it was from the photos, but can't wait to hear you talk about it.

Happy New Year to you and Chris! I keep forgetting to comment on Midori. She is adorable!!
 
* Love the welcome event! We stayed at POR and never went to the show, but walked by a few times as it was going on. If I had a bigger group of people I would definitely have stayed, I think it would be a ton of fun! DH isn't really into that sort of thing, but if I had other people I would love it.
* I'm not sure I would be ready for tacos that early either, but it still looks like a really fun luncheon. And those cakes sounded very tasty!
* The girls are so cute. I love Hannah in her Princess Tiana outfit!
* Can't wait for the next update to actually hear about your wedding!!
 
-Yayyy! I can’t wait for you to build this teleportation device!
- Oh geesh. Damia sounds like a handful!
- I kind of want to eat Hannah up. In case you were wondering.
- OMG they built lightsabers! I love that they went and played with dinos and Star Wars. I was talking with Chris about what he wants to do, and he was talking about playing Mario Kart on his 3DS with his friends. Yes, my lovely fiancé wants to go to WDW and play video games. I don’t understand!!!
-I love reading about the night before the wedding: it makes me SO excited! I can feel the excitement, Danielle!!! And I can’t wait for moreeeeeee.

:goodvibes I love all 3 of my little girls--they are so adorable I can't even stand it.
Omg, so, I don't know what kind of gaming console Chris likes to play on, but all of my boys are obsessed with the Xbox360. Well, while I had my wedding countdown going, they all had their Skyrim countdown--which came out 11/11/11. :rolleyes: Everytime I mentioned something about the wedding, the boys would just get pumped about Skyrim! They even told me they were scheming to bring an Xbox360 with them and then sneak out of Disney at midnight to get a copy of the game!!! NO thank you, boys. Luckily, they were good, but I COMPLETELY understand the video game situation. :lmao:

Danielle,

I agree with you on the taco thing. It would have been a weird thing not to eventually like.

What a fabulous update! It seems like you didn't have a whole lot of stress leading up to the big day, which is awesome! I loved the ending of your day, especially the "tomorrow" and the "nope" part. Awesome!

Really looking forward to the wedding. I know how beautiful it was from the photos, but can't wait to hear you talk about it.

Happy New Year to you and Chris! I keep forgetting to comment on Midori. She is adorable!!

I was stress-free and so comfortable! I am actually surprised by that, because normally I am a complete stress-ball.

Thanks! Happy 2012!

And Midori says, 'thank you'! :cutie:

* Love the welcome event! We stayed at POR and never went to the show, but walked by a few times as it was going on. If I had a bigger group of people I would definitely have stayed, I think it would be a ton of fun! DH isn't really into that sort of thing, but if I had other people I would love it.
* I'm not sure I would be ready for tacos that early either, but it still looks like a really fun luncheon. And those cakes sounded very tasty!
* The girls are so cute. I love Hannah in her Princess Tiana outfit!
* Can't wait for the next update to actually hear about your wedding!!

The show was so much fun--but I agree, you need a group to really enjoy it. Mmmm, the cake! :laughing:
Thanks, Becky--writing another installment now!!! :thumbsup2
 
Your TR is like a really good novel! lol I can't wait for the next part!

Awww, thank you, Nancy! That means a lot to me, because I feel like I'm not the best at communicating through writing. :hug: Glad you are enjoying it. :goodvibes
 
Danielle sweetie - Loving every moment of your TR!!! What a gorgeous little Princess Tiana they produced for you at the BBB!!
You seemed to enjoy every moment of your pre-wedding time at WDW - Good for you sweetie!!!!
Looking forward to hearing more!!
 
Danielle sweetie - Loving every moment of your TR!!! What a gorgeous little Princess Tiana they produced for you at the BBB!!
You seemed to enjoy every moment of your pre-wedding time at WDW - Good for you sweetie!!!!
Looking forward to hearing more!!

Thank you, Joanne! I really did--every moment at WDW was a blessing and an absolute treat for me.
 
11/11/2011
Wedding Day: Getting Ready


My alarm went off at 7:00 a.m. and Katherine immediately jumped on top of my bed and sang, 'Going to the Chapel' at the top of her lungs. I was feeling pretty energized and excited because it was finally wedding day! :) We packed up the dresses, accessories and toiletries and made our way over to the Grand Floridian Convention Center. Our dressing room was set up in Salon 4, which was large enough to accommodate all of us primping beauties. All my other bridesmaids arrived, dropped off their items, and then ran over to Gasparilla's to get me some breakfast. They know I am not one to eat first thing in the morning because it makes me nauseous, but I managed to nibble on a croissant. Beauté Spécialé arrived at 8:30 a.m. and went right to work on my girls.

Erin
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Katherine
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Michelle
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Jackie and Chelsea
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Me and MOH, Kaitlin
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Me with my classy MOH, Melanie
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Our photographers, Ashely and Phillip, arrived while I was getting my hair and makeup done. They went off into the hallway of the Convention Center to shoot some of the little details.

My dress
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Jewelry - Something new
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Hankie and brooch - Something old and something borrowed
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Shoes - Something blue
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Rings
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By this time, some happenin' beats started playing from the Whitehall Room--One of the other 11/11 brides was already at her reception! My girls, who were all ready to go, were dancing around to the music. Then, before I knew it, Disney Floral arrived and gave us our bouquets!

Looking at my bouquet for the first time!
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While all of us girls were still in the dressing room, our photographers went to go reenact Chris' 'getting ready' scenes in the lobby of the Grand Floridian.

Jacket
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Gotta get it just right
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Adding the boutineer
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Then it was back to documenting my finishing touches!

Admiring my makeup
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How many girls does it take to get a bride into her dress? Apparently 7.
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Where do the buttons latch?
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And, we're in!
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Adding the necklace
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Then the garter
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And the earrings
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Finally the veil
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We finished up sometime after 12:00 p.m., gathered up all our belongings, and then made our way over to the lobby to get ready for our 'first look'. On our way down the covered walkway, we passed another bridal party! I had no idea whose wedding it was, until Christine tagged me in this photo on facebook!

On my way to get married - Thanks, Christine / Christine's MOH!
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To be continued...
 
Great update! I can look at your pictures over and over and not get tired of them!!

Oh... we decided to try to brave Easter weekend... I have an urge to get the most out of these passes, lol!!
 
-7am is WAY too early for singing.
-That’s not Jackie. I’M Jackie!
-Oh, your something old and borrowed are just beauty-ful.
-Your ring looks just like mine! :D
-I love Chris’s smiles. He looks so happy and excited!
-Danielle, you are gorgeous. So gorgeous. My MOH and I were fawning over you the other day. Sorry I’m a creeper.


...And this is all I get to read until I get home! I can't wait!
 
11/11/2011
Wedding Day : First Look


I truly felt like a princess when we arrived in the lobby, because all of our groomsmen showered me with hugs and compliments. (Even a few of our wedding guests, that were waiting for the motor coach bus, snuck over to snap pictures of me!) Chris was already outside waiting for our 'first look'. Carol led me and the photographers outside, while cute GF cast member, Richard carried my train.

Even though many thought our 'first look' was taboo, I'm glad we did it. I knew the anticipation leading up to my debut at the ceremony would make me a nervous wreck. I was able to have an intimate moment with Chris and thoroughly get to enjoy every moment of our ceremony without distraction.

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I think Chris got a little anxious here
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Starting to walk
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Tap tap!
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Happy and giggly
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Chris checking out my dress

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Another point of view - I did get a little emotional here :)
http://picasion.com/create-avatar/

To be continued...
 










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