Delicious Indeed!

[NancyLuvsMickey]

Sorry about the stress of the wedding... I wish I could give you some advise but nothing I say will make things easier... So I'm sending you some Pixie Dust to make things better...

So, think positive and focus on the Disney honeymoon!!!!

 

[SoonerGirl]

I'm sorry Rachel I can relate, I had to make some major concessions when planning my wedding/reception because of my in-laws, and the fact that DH wouldn't stand up to them further irritated me. I hope things get better for you!

On a good note, your venue is beautiful!

 

[jane2073]

I was teaching while planning my wedding. Not easy!!
I let my mom do a lot of it and was ok with most everything.
But there were a couple of decisions I really wish I had been more assertive about.

Almost forteen years later I can look back and appreciate the day but really love all of the years of happy marriage that followed. That is the important thing!

The windows are beautiful. It will be really nice if you can see the moon and stars.
Maybe they can use white Christmas lights for lighting. See if there could be a "twinkle" setting.

 

[Heffielump]

Sending you lots of magic pixie dust!

I totally get it, being from a Chinese family myself it's all about the traditions! My best friend is planning her wedding now and what was supposed to be a 200 person wedding has now grown to 350 people! And she doesn't even know most of them!!!

Your venue looks beautiful though! Maybe you can use lots of candles and tea lights to make the whole place feel magical and romantic?

Just remember - it's about you and Howard, not them (even though it might seem that way). Don't forget about each other and plan little date nights where you're not allowed to talk about wedding stuff at all!

 

[Jennifer48]

Aww Rachel I'm so sorry to hear about the stress this is causing you!

Is there a way that your parents and Howard's parents can all get together and speak about the wedding? That way Howard isn't the "messenger" and things can all be discussed at one time?

Don't worry about your TR...we'll always be here!

 

[klacey1]

Aww, Rachel . I saw your status on FB about this-- it's not fair that people are making what is supposed to be a fun time for you and your fiancee super stressful!
Your reception venue is GORGEOUS! Is it in the city? Those windows really are beautiful...

 

[wingedjojo]

Sorry about all the stress but regardless of what ends up as the final decision, I'm sure you'll still have an awesome time. Not to mention you'll be married to Howard.

 

[Nermel9]

I'm so sorry you're stressing out about your wedding. It's too bad there isn't a way you could find some common ground. Like, it really seems like you want an afternoon reception (which would be amazing in that room, with those windows!!! )...there's nothing that can be done, no compromising at all? I understand you have tradition to think of, but it's your day, and you only get to do it once...so please do what makes you happy!

 

[Cat0727]

Aww Rachel I'm sorry you're stressing out and the parents & in-laws are driving you nuts What's most frustrating is there probably isn't anything you can do Your wedding location looks beautiful, though.

 

[YukiPhnx]

OH Rachel.....I know exactly what you mean! My parents have already told me what they want me to do for my wedding.... And even though it's tradition for the groom's family to pay, seeing as how his dad hates me, I don't see that happening. Which means it'll be up to my parents to help out.

It's really too bad you're losing the natural lighting....those windows are gorgeous!

 

[kathleen27]

I'm so sorry to hear about your stress, and having to compromise.

I completely understand wanting natural light, the reception hall is beautiful, love the windows. Have you seen the reception hall at night?

 

[chunkymonkey]

Hope your wedding planning is going better. I totally understand your strife! Just hang in there, and know that your day will be perfect to you no matter what happens! I was lucky that my in-laws were not demanding. My mom was a little more insistent on certain things. But the only thing my mother in law asked about was why we were having white paper lanterns as part of the reception? As you know white isn't exactly a good color in Chinese culture. But I was like, really? Of all the things you would ask about, you'ed ask about the lanterns? I mean, I'm wearing a white dress for goodness sake, I think we've kind of established we arent having a chinese wedding... but everything worked out in the end, white lanterns and all...

BTW, that place looks familiar, is it the chinese scholars garden in SI? I have seen pictures of that venue before! It's beautiful and so is your reception location. Is that on SI as well?

 

[LilAnn]

Oh girl, so sorry to hear about your stress and wedding planning drama. I can TOTALLY sympathize on that front. You want to try to accommodate everyone and please everyone, but at the same time, not lose totaly control of what will be a very special day. I was lucky that my parents were pretty lowkey about it all and just went with it, but my in-laws kept springing things at the last minute. They are very traditional and there were simply some things we could NOT forego.

Too bad we didn't know each other back in the day, because I'm pretty sure you would have enjoyed my sushi buffet at our "american wedding ceremony" before the big banquet. I am still beyond bummed that I didn't get to enjoy it myself. Feel free to FB me if you just need to vent or have any other questions. I know I sent you a pic of my chinese dress a ways back.

On the other hand, hearing about the mango salsa is making me hungry right now.

 

[Philadisney]

I can relate! We've been engaged since December and have done basically nothing to plan our wedding because it's so stressful and well, no fun. Both of us work full time and I own a crumbling house that we are trying to rennovate, plus with both of our families and our wedding venue (that we haven't picked yet) 6+ hours away, and serving as mediator between my opinionated mother & non-traditional fiancee...ugh I'm getting a knot in my stomach just thinking about it. We're having the same problem where my family is waaay larger than my fiancee's so that's causing tension too. I feel your pain!!

 

[Bridora]

What a great shot of Ray at Target!

I load up the dishwasher, too before we use any of the dishes. I know that they "should be" clean, but after I wash them I know that they are! You just never know...

I am so sorry to hear about your wedding planning stress. That venue is gorgeous, though! Will you be able to take wedding photos there during the day? I hope the rest of your planning will go smoothly.

 

[RachelNinja]

It's been awhile since I've had time to DIS on a regular basis. I'm joining in here (and will go back to your PTR to catch up if I get bored). So exciting to be taking a trip as an engaged couple with your friends!

I like Flat Weird and Ninja's costumes. I think it would be fun to take a train ride. But I would be extremely frustrated with walking back and forth between the front and the back.

Ahh, the train station brings back many memories (funny because I've never been on the train) but have dropped and picked up several family friends from there.

I can't believe that creepy man tried to take something from Nikki.

That is a cute bag and a good deal. I would have got the pink because I wear A LOT of pink.

That Target is the Target I went to when I lived with my dad. I'm most certain because I passed your timeshare often. I love Target already but like this one because of all the Disney stuff and Starbucks.

Can't wait to hear what happens on your Cracker Barrel/Publix adventure.

YAY, I'm so glad you're here! It really was fun, and I think we'll have another trip next year as an engaged couple, but it'll be with my family. Our Easter break lines up with our timeshare break!

Oh, I'm sure it's very possible for people to have very bad Amtrak experiences. Thankfully, we had a good one! Minus that creepy guy, of course.

I'm really enjoying your trip report!

It sounds like the train went mostly well. You seemed to have a lot of fun! You all seem to have a great time together!

The vinylmation video is great, I like that you start out saying you spent enough money, then end saying lets go buy another! It was a good price though! I'm glad you found the bag you liked and bought it, can't believe there weren't any when you went back!

That jumping through the target photo is great! Impressive timing with the photo, and impressive jump.

We said the same thing about the sun on our first day! It was so bright we couldn't even see.

The timeshare looks really nice! I missed our time share a little bit this trip! As much as I loved staying on site, I really missed the 2 bedrooms, living room & kitchen!!! I really want to stay on site more, but also want that space!!! I also feel nostalgic about our timeshare since we've had it for over 25 years now!

Thanks, Kathleen! Haha, the funny thing about our spending money is that we really didn't spend much at all at the outlets! I said that because I was thinking about how we had to pay for our Amtrak tickets! Still thrilled that I have the bag; I can't wait to use it when it gets a bit warmer!

Oh what I would do for some of that sun right now! I don't know how or why, but we got snow today! SNOW?! It wasn't that much where I am, but still ... it's spring!!! What's going on?!?

I think a timeshare definitely has advantages that a hotel on Disney property doesn't have. Of course, the same can be said about the reverse. I'm very excited to at least stay on property ONCE for our Disneymoon!

Don't worry about not having an update up!!! I'll still be here waiting patiently!

Btw, I found only one jar of mango salsa over the weekend, but it had cilantro in it, which I'm allergic too =( I SO wanted to try it, but I was so disappointed. I need to look for it in other stores

Thanks, Yuki! I'm glad you'll always be here!

I don't think I'd like the mango salsa with cilantro in it if it were a lot. That's a really overpowering flavor! What happens if you eat it?

I'm all caught up now. Your target trip sounds like fun, I love target! Your condo is super cute too! Definitely a home away from home. Hehe your mom sounds like my mom. She runs the dishwasher too at these condos. LOL Guess it's an Asian mom thing?

Yuummy, can't wait to see what you guys cook during the week! And I do love hamburger helper. It's my guilty indulgence one in a while, Haha.

Oh and Cracker Barrel! I LOOOOVe it. I am so sad there is not one closer to the city. Otherwise Id be there all the time! Its so cheap too!

Haha, normally my mom runs the washing machine with travel clothes only (no underwear or anything like that). It's mainly the jeans or pants that she does so as to "clean" the washing machine! We didn't have to do that because Dani and Ray were the first ones to do a load!

I definitely missed Hamburger Helper! We used to get when I was a kid. My mom would add more noodles to it though because it would really salty. It was fun to just have a ton of it too! We actually had too much!

YES, they need to have a Cracker Barrel closer to where we are!!! I can't believe it. I'd have to sit in the car for almost an hour, and that's a good chunk of time. We keep trying to see if there's anything nearby that we can do too to make a day trip out of it, but so far, we haven't made it out there.

 

[YukiPhnx]

Oh what I would do for some of that sun right now! I don't know how or why, but we got snow today! SNOW?! It wasn't that much where I am, but still ... it's spring!!! What's going on?!?

We're getting snow up here too!! A LOT of it! It hasn't stopped snowing since this morning! I was all ready to put away my snow boots too

Thanks, Yuki! I'm glad you'll always be here!

I don't think I'd like the mango salsa with cilantro in it if it were a lot. That's a really overpowering flavor! What happens if you eat it?

Yeah...the smell is so.....heavy...

I'm ok with just a tiny bit or having food touch it, but if I swallow about....1 tsp or more of it, my throat gets swollen, my face gets all red, I start throwing up and it's just all very unpleasant.

When I was a baby back in China, cilantro is a very popular spice where I come from, and my parents would feed it to me, but I would always throw it back up. They finally take me to the doctors, find out that I'm allergic and that they could've killed me if they kept feeding it to me! Thank goodness they found out in time.

 

[RachelNinja]

Thank you everyone for all of your thoughts and for the pixie dust! I really did feel much better hearing what each and every one of you had to say. I'm so glad that I have friends who are supportive and encouraging!

I would say do what you want, its your wedding - but I understand tradition.
That is a beautiful location and the windows are awesome - but I bet they can make it look great at night with the right lighting!
And by the way, just bunches are awesome with some yogurt and fruit - its like granola....

I really wish I could've just done everything the way I wanted it to be done. I told myself that's what I'd do all along, but now that I'm actually in the situation, it's a completely different story! Haha, so much easier said than done. If only I had known earlier, I wouldn't have gotten myself so psyched about how MY wedding turned out. It really is OUR wedding (as in, our families).

Ooo, that combo sounds good! Too bad I'm lactose intolerant! Blah. I used to love granola in yogurt. I don't like yogurt on its own, so it's definitely yummy when there's something to crunch!

I am so sorry to hear about the changes to your wedding plans. My daughter is getting married in Georgia (where she attended Master's Commission but is a 10 hour drive from Louisiana) in August. She is living with us in Louisiana while she finishes school. Her fiance is living in Tennessee with his parents while he finishes school. We are having three receptions just so everybody can celebrate. So, my daughter and I can certainly sympathize with you about the stress of planning a wedding. We have had only one little argument and that was at the very beginning of the planning stage.

I hope that the stress factor goes down now that you've given in a bit.

I'm glad the wedding planning is going well! I remember when you initially posted that Lacey was geting married! I'm sure you guys have a ton of people to invite and who want to be there to share in this very special day! My main issues are with my dad. My mom's pretty much game to whatever I choose, but my dad is much more traditional and believes I should be doing what my in-laws want.

Sorry about the stress of the wedding... I wish I could give you some advise but nothing I say will make things easier... So I'm sending you some Pixie Dust to make things better...

So, think positive and focus on the Disney honeymoon!!!!

THANK YOU SO MUCH! I definitely felt that pixie dust! And you're so right ... we have our Disneymoon!!!

I'm sorry Rachel I can relate, I had to make some major concessions when planning my wedding/reception because of my in-laws, and the fact that DH wouldn't stand up to them further irritated me. I hope things get better for you!

On a good note, your venue is beautiful!

I think that's what got me kind of angrier. I wanted Howard to be able to do something about even though I knew logically that there wasn't anything he could say or do.

Thank you! I love the venue too. I'm not a fan of the fancy-shmancy places with marble and chandeliers. It's just not my style for my own wedding.

I was teaching while planning my wedding. Not easy!!
I let my mom do a lot of it and was ok with most everything.
But there were a couple of decisions I really wish I had been more assertive about.

Almost forteen years later I can look back and appreciate the day but really love all of the years of happy marriage that followed. That is the important thing!

The windows are beautiful. It will be really nice if you can see the moon and stars.
Maybe they can use white Christmas lights for lighting. See if there could be a "twinkle" setting.

I AGREE! It's VERY difficult trying to do planning for the wedding while also planning lessons! I'm going insane! In a way, sometimes I actually like going to work because it's LESS stress! I never thought I'd see the day ...

I told my dad that we're preparing for a marriage and not just a wedding. But he said the wedding is important to him too because I'm his only daughter. I guess I won't fully understand that until I'm a parent myself.

That's a cute idea to have the Christmas lights! It would definitely make it more magical and even more Disney-like!

 

[PirateKate]

I had twinkle lights at my wedding and I loved them. I thought it made the whole place look sort of magical. It was a good wedding. I don't know if everyone would have liked it, but it suited us.

I was really lucky, though. We didn't have any wedding strife. My mom and I shared a similar vision and my in-laws were very undemanding.

It's funny, you spend so much time working on a wedding and then once it happens, none of those details even matter any more. You just look back on and think what a happy day it was.

 

[RachelNinja]

Sending you lots of magic pixie dust!

I totally get it, being from a Chinese family myself it's all about the traditions! My best friend is planning her wedding now and what was supposed to be a 200 person wedding has now grown to 350 people! And she doesn't even know most of them!!!

Your venue looks beautiful though! Maybe you can use lots of candles and tea lights to make the whole place feel magical and romantic?

Just remember - it's about you and Howard, not them (even though it might seem that way). Don't forget about each other and plan little date nights where you're not allowed to talk about wedding stuff at all!

Oy, I'm glad that the HUGE extended wedding of people I don't know if most likely NOT going to happen because of finances. I used to say in the past that I'd want to pay for it all so as to avoid all those obligation people!

I immediately told Howard about your "date nights" suggestion. After this Saturday (we have a potluck with our church group), we're going to set aside time to do just that! Thanks!!!

Aww Rachel I'm so sorry to hear about the stress this is causing you!

Is there a way that your parents and Howard's parents can all get together and speak about the wedding? That way Howard isn't the "messenger" and things can all be discussed at one time?

Don't worry about your TR...we'll always be here!

We did have that lunch even though it wasn't entirely focused on the wedding planning stuff. It was more of a family + family thing instead. Well, I should say parents + parents since our siblings weren't there. I'm sure it'd be completely different if we were together though. Haha, everyone would be polite at that point!

I can't wait to have the time and energy to get back to updating the TR! I did just get sick with either a cold or sinus/throat infection ...

Aww, Rachel . I saw your status on FB about this-- it's not fair that people are making what is supposed to be a fun time for you and your fiancee super stressful!
Your reception venue is GORGEOUS! Is it in the city? Those windows really are beautiful...

I agree! It bothers me so much that this is supposed to be a joyous occasion, and they have made it into the complete opposite. I do believe that things are going to be a bit better at this point. I'll type that update soon!

I love love love the windows! When I saw the pictures of someone I know get married there, I was immediately drawn to the windows! She got married there at night, so it looked completely different, but I knew in the daytime, it'd be so bright and cheerful! That first are personality more. Haha, not that we're bright and cheerful people, but we do like the brightness as opposed to the night club-y feel of the nighttime.

Sorry about all the stress but regardless of what ends up as the final decision, I'm sure you'll still have an awesome time. Not to mention you'll be married to Howard.

I didn't realize it was so difficult to remember the simple fact that we'll be married! I mean, I know that sounds bad, but it really is so easy to get caught up in everything else. It makes us want to elope though to remember that it is about us become hubby and wife!