ead79
<font color=#FF0066>Disney Bride!<br><font color=v
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2000
- Messages
- 10,436
Days before the wedding:
December 11:
We left Atlanta bright and early at 8:00 with our two SUVs loaded with stuff. We had 7 peoples luggage plus all the wedding stuff, so we were quite the caravan. My dad drove one car with my grandmother on my dads side and my fiancé, Colin. My mom drove the other car with me, my grandmother on my moms side, and my matron of honor, Melissa. We have a tradition of eating at the Cracker Barrel in Valdosta, GA, on the way down to Disney World. The French toast really hit the spot! We didnt make the best time on the drive down, so it took us about 9 and a half hours to get to WDW (its usually about 8 hours).
We pulled up to the Grand Floridian and some of the crew got out to check in. My grandmother and my parents got checked in easily, but as luck would have it CRO had lost my reservation. Somehow I actually remained calm, and the sweet lady at the front desk was extremely helpful. She called CRO, and we finally got the whole mess all straightened out. I had an annual passholder rate at the GF, and it somehow got put in one of my bridesmaids name. Room key finally in hand, we went off to find our room. My wedding block and I were all blocked in the Sago Cay building, which was located very conveniently right next to the main building. The rooms are very cheerfully decorated, and they are luxurious and large.
My other grandmother got checked in at the All Star Movies, and they were able to honor my room request for her with a first floor room in the Toy Story building (I wanted to minimize her walking to the bus stop). Colin checked in to the Caribbean Beach Resort in the Martinique Building (#23).
I had a little surprise up my sleeve for my matron of honor and best friend, Melissa. She and I went to dinner at Kona Café at the Polynesian, then I pulled out two tickets to that nights Mickeys Very Merry Christmas Party. She was so thrilled that she nearly cried! She and I went to the party and had a wonderful time. The crowds were quite light, and we enjoyed the attractions until a little before 11 when we decided to leave. Unfortunately I was too excited to get much sleep that night.
December 12:
After a long night of tossing and turning, I woke up for my hair and makeup trial run. I was a little confused about my trial run time (dont ask me how I got confused, but I did, LOL), so I was a little late, much to my embarrassment (I hate being late). Lisa did my makeup, and Lilly did my hair. They were terrific! I cant say enough good things about them. My makeup looked natural, yet very elegant. Lisa matched my skin tone perfectly, which can be tricky since I am very fair skinned. I showed Lilly some pictures of a hairstyle I wanted, and she did it perfectly. It was gorgeous! Any nerves I had about my hair or makeup not looking perfect instantly melted away. Lilly took down my hair (so it would be a surprise on the wedding day), and I was off to my bridesmaids luncheon at the Grand Floridians Garden View Lounge where the tea is held.
Three friends of my mom hosted the luncheon on my behalf, and they did a terrific job. First we were offered tea and champagne or sparkling cider. We were then served shrimp cocktail, which was absolutely delicious! My godmother is from the North Carolina coast (where seafood is truly excellent and fresh), and she declared it to be the best shrimp cocktail she had ever tasted! The next course consisted of finger sandwiches. I remember there being a watercress one, a chicken salad one, a salmon one, and a pear sandwich. Next came the most delicious scone with Devonshire cream. Following that we had choices for dessert. I had the English trifle (WONDERFUL!), and the others at my table had either trifle, a jam tart, or assorted pastries and a chocolate covered strawberry. My moms friends had arranged for a charm pull cake, which was a lot of fun. I got the airplane charm, signifying that I will travel in the future. (You bet I will, Im coming back to Disney World of course!)
Following the luncheon, we shopped in the stores at the Grand Floridian until it was time to get ready for the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. The Wedding Pavilion was being used that evening, so our rehearsal was held in the Grand Floridian Convention Center. Everyone seemed calm, and the rehearsal went off without a hitch. Rev. Jack was terrific, and it was great to finally meet him in person. Hes a very kind, funny person. It seemed very surreal that it was my wedding rehearsal after having been in two friends weddings earlier this year. It still didnt seem real. I was actually more tense than I thought I would be. I wasnt really nervous about anything in particular; I just felt tension in general.
After the rehearsal, we went over to the Polynesian Resort for the rehearsal dinner at Ohana. It has always been a favorite restaurant of ours, and it was a fun place to have the dinner. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, but I was too tense to eat much. After the dinner, my bridesmaids and I had a sleepover at the Grand Floridian. The guys all stayed over at the Caribbean Beach. This worked out very well, as having my friends around helped relieve some tension. We walked around outside the GF, and we even went over to look at the Wedding Pavilion (which was closed for the evening, however). As we were headed back to the resort, we saw the Magic Kingdom fireworks. They were terrific!
Back in our connecting rooms, we played a fun game Melissa brought for us to play. She said it was based on a game called Catch Phrase that works a lot like $10,000 Pyramid. You have to get your partner to guess what the word is without saying it. We used all wedding words, and it was a great game. We then went to bed around 11:30, and I finally got some sleep thanks to Tylenol PM. Boy that is some wonderful medicineno bride should be without it!
December 11:
We left Atlanta bright and early at 8:00 with our two SUVs loaded with stuff. We had 7 peoples luggage plus all the wedding stuff, so we were quite the caravan. My dad drove one car with my grandmother on my dads side and my fiancé, Colin. My mom drove the other car with me, my grandmother on my moms side, and my matron of honor, Melissa. We have a tradition of eating at the Cracker Barrel in Valdosta, GA, on the way down to Disney World. The French toast really hit the spot! We didnt make the best time on the drive down, so it took us about 9 and a half hours to get to WDW (its usually about 8 hours).
We pulled up to the Grand Floridian and some of the crew got out to check in. My grandmother and my parents got checked in easily, but as luck would have it CRO had lost my reservation. Somehow I actually remained calm, and the sweet lady at the front desk was extremely helpful. She called CRO, and we finally got the whole mess all straightened out. I had an annual passholder rate at the GF, and it somehow got put in one of my bridesmaids name. Room key finally in hand, we went off to find our room. My wedding block and I were all blocked in the Sago Cay building, which was located very conveniently right next to the main building. The rooms are very cheerfully decorated, and they are luxurious and large.
My other grandmother got checked in at the All Star Movies, and they were able to honor my room request for her with a first floor room in the Toy Story building (I wanted to minimize her walking to the bus stop). Colin checked in to the Caribbean Beach Resort in the Martinique Building (#23).
I had a little surprise up my sleeve for my matron of honor and best friend, Melissa. She and I went to dinner at Kona Café at the Polynesian, then I pulled out two tickets to that nights Mickeys Very Merry Christmas Party. She was so thrilled that she nearly cried! She and I went to the party and had a wonderful time. The crowds were quite light, and we enjoyed the attractions until a little before 11 when we decided to leave. Unfortunately I was too excited to get much sleep that night.
December 12:
After a long night of tossing and turning, I woke up for my hair and makeup trial run. I was a little confused about my trial run time (dont ask me how I got confused, but I did, LOL), so I was a little late, much to my embarrassment (I hate being late). Lisa did my makeup, and Lilly did my hair. They were terrific! I cant say enough good things about them. My makeup looked natural, yet very elegant. Lisa matched my skin tone perfectly, which can be tricky since I am very fair skinned. I showed Lilly some pictures of a hairstyle I wanted, and she did it perfectly. It was gorgeous! Any nerves I had about my hair or makeup not looking perfect instantly melted away. Lilly took down my hair (so it would be a surprise on the wedding day), and I was off to my bridesmaids luncheon at the Grand Floridians Garden View Lounge where the tea is held.
Three friends of my mom hosted the luncheon on my behalf, and they did a terrific job. First we were offered tea and champagne or sparkling cider. We were then served shrimp cocktail, which was absolutely delicious! My godmother is from the North Carolina coast (where seafood is truly excellent and fresh), and she declared it to be the best shrimp cocktail she had ever tasted! The next course consisted of finger sandwiches. I remember there being a watercress one, a chicken salad one, a salmon one, and a pear sandwich. Next came the most delicious scone with Devonshire cream. Following that we had choices for dessert. I had the English trifle (WONDERFUL!), and the others at my table had either trifle, a jam tart, or assorted pastries and a chocolate covered strawberry. My moms friends had arranged for a charm pull cake, which was a lot of fun. I got the airplane charm, signifying that I will travel in the future. (You bet I will, Im coming back to Disney World of course!)
Following the luncheon, we shopped in the stores at the Grand Floridian until it was time to get ready for the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. The Wedding Pavilion was being used that evening, so our rehearsal was held in the Grand Floridian Convention Center. Everyone seemed calm, and the rehearsal went off without a hitch. Rev. Jack was terrific, and it was great to finally meet him in person. Hes a very kind, funny person. It seemed very surreal that it was my wedding rehearsal after having been in two friends weddings earlier this year. It still didnt seem real. I was actually more tense than I thought I would be. I wasnt really nervous about anything in particular; I just felt tension in general.
After the rehearsal, we went over to the Polynesian Resort for the rehearsal dinner at Ohana. It has always been a favorite restaurant of ours, and it was a fun place to have the dinner. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, but I was too tense to eat much. After the dinner, my bridesmaids and I had a sleepover at the Grand Floridian. The guys all stayed over at the Caribbean Beach. This worked out very well, as having my friends around helped relieve some tension. We walked around outside the GF, and we even went over to look at the Wedding Pavilion (which was closed for the evening, however). As we were headed back to the resort, we saw the Magic Kingdom fireworks. They were terrific!
Back in our connecting rooms, we played a fun game Melissa brought for us to play. She said it was based on a game called Catch Phrase that works a lot like $10,000 Pyramid. You have to get your partner to guess what the word is without saying it. We used all wedding words, and it was a great game. We then went to bed around 11:30, and I finally got some sleep thanks to Tylenol PM. Boy that is some wonderful medicineno bride should be without it!
Tamie
