Ginger & Tim 10-30-12 CC/SCP; Update--1/2:TR Day 1: Checking into the CS

[Freckledginger]

Planning Journal Contents:

Plans:
About Us/Engagement
Early Planning Stages (Finding Photographer & Travel Agent)
DIY Save the Dates
Q & A with the DCL Wedding Coordinator 1, 2
Welcome/Dessert Party Planning: 1, 2, 3, 4--includ. Room Block & Transportation Info
Bachelorette/Hen's Party
DIY Wedding Newsletter
Invitations: 1, 2 (with DIY Tutorial for Envelope Liners)
Boudoir Shoot
Floral: DFTW Choices & Accessory Floral Inspiration , Accessory Floral
BEO/Budgeting
Welcome Bags: 1, 2
Wedding Attire: Wedding Dress, Bridesmaid Dresses, Welcome Party Dress, Shoes, Updates (First Dress Fitting & Groom's Suit)
Wedding Dress Hangers
Engagement Shoot: Preview, Photos
Planning Guide Selections
Wedding Rings
Hair, Wedding Party Gifts, & Groomsmen Accessories
Bridal Accessories
Cake Topper
Programs & Times Guide (w/ Tutorial)

Trip Report:
Day 1

Vendors:
Welcome Party: Wishes Dessert Party, Sago Cay Pointe at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
Ceremony Venue: Castaway Cay, Bahamas
Cake & Champagne Celebration: Outlook Lounge, Disney Dream
Travel Agent: Lisa Reece, Pixie and Pirate Destinations
Photographer: Jessica Cumbie Photography
Officiant: Pastor Hugh Kelly (my Uncle)
Bridal Salon: Joan Pillow (Atlanta, GA)
Motorcoach Transportation: Escot Buslines
Invitations: Something Printable by Victoria Ann
Accessory Floral: DK Designs Hawaii
Personalized Wedding Dress Hangers: Erica May Made
Custom Cake Topper: Sophia's Workshop
Welcome Tote Bags: Wedding Chicks Shop
Engagement Shoot Stylist: Amber Veatch (Jacksonville, FL)
Ginger's Wedding Band: Brilliant Earth
Timmy's Wedding Band: Ben Bridge Jewelers
Monogrammed Bath Robes: Shop Momento
Leather Wrapped Flasks: KillorglinCreations
Ties: The Tie Bar
Groomsmens' Flip Flops: Havaianas
Clutch Bag: ANGEEW
Lace Gloves: My Secret Place
Drink Koozies: Totally Promotional
Mickey Mouse Soaps: Jilly Bunny's Imaginarium
Muslin Favor Bags: Clementine Weddings
___________________
Greetings Everyone!

My name is Ginger. I'm a long time reader of the Disney Weddings and Honeymoons disboard, and have really enjoyed following different brides' PJ. Now that I am engaged and have the opportunity to plan a wedding, I thought I'd start my own PJ as well

About the Bride:
I'm 28 years old, and most recently from AL. I'm in my last year of veterinary school in Western Australia, and after graduating in Dec (woot woot!! ), I hope to work in a mixed animal practice back in the US. I love working with animals, traveling, all things Disney (especially Alice in Wonderland), reading romance novels, visiting the family farm, and going to see movies in theaters.

About the Groom:
Tim is also 28, and from Victoria (Australia). He's an engineer, and also comes from a farming background. Tim is a bit of a gamer, who also enjoys travelling, watching movies, and diving in his spare time. He indulges my love of Disney, and has visited WDW 4 times as well as been on 2 DCL cruises with me.

Being silly on New Years Eve 2007 aboard the Magic

How We Met:
Tim and I met in 2005 when I was studying abroad for a semester in Melbourne, Australia. A mutual friend introduced us, and we started dating about a month before I was set to return to the US. Tim and I decided to try to continue our relationship long distance, and only saw each other twice a year for the next 18 months. After graduating from college in the US, I got accepted to vet school in Australia, and then moved to Western Australia in 2007. Tim and I moved in together in 2008, and have been happily living together ever since. We hope to move to the US in early 2012.

The Proposal:
Tim and I got engaged on July 30, 2011. Tim surprised me with a weekend away at a cottage in a nearby wine-growing region. Whilst relaxing by the fireplace (July is during Australia's winter), Tim suggested we go to the beach to have a glass of champagne and watch the sunset. The weather had been particularly unpleasant that day (cloudy, rainy and windy), but we hadn't done any sight-seeing yet, so we bundled up and headed out. Once arriving at the overlook, we made our way down way down the rocks toward the beach.
When we realized that the path didn't actually lead to the beach (whoopsie), we trekked back until we found a spot on the rocks that was somewhat shaded from the wind. We then sat down with a glass of bubbles, and tried to enjoy the beautiful scenery. At sunset, Tim suggested that we take some photos. After we finished doing that, I noticed that Tim was fidgeting quite a bit. I was about to ask him if he was too cold when he swiftly moved in front of me and got down on one knee. I'm sure I looked absolutely shocked, and my internal monologue was so loud with "Oh my gosh, Oh my gosh" that I missed out on half of what he was saying to me. I managed to re-focus in time to say "Yes, absolutely!!!", and then we were engaged!!!!!

The Ring:
The ring is absolutely gorgeous! Tim designed it completely by himself, and used the diamond from his grandmother's engagement ring. It was originally purchased in an antique shop in England, and is thought to be over 160 years old. I love the fact it has such a history within Tim's family.

The Wedding:
Due to the trans-global nature of our relationship, it was impossible to find a place that would be convenient for both sides of our family. We then started looking into destination weddings. I had long liked the idea of a DCL wedding, but Tim was concerned it may be "too-disney" or not personal enough. We spent about a month discussing it, and eventually decided that it would be a really fun option. We could get to spend more time with our loved ones (many who will be traveling from Australia) than you typically can at weddings, and we'd get to travel around the Caribbean in style!

We're sailing on the October 28 to November 1, 2012 (Halloween!!) Disney Dream cruise, and will be getting married on October 30 in Castaway Cay. We're anticipating somewhere between 20-30 guests, so it should be a relatively intimate group. I'm early in the planning process, so I have no idea yet about theme, colours, etc., but I think we'll go for a relaxed, but playful feeling to the wedding. I'm really excited about planning though!!

 

[PixieDust1969]

Yeah! Another Castaway Cay bride!!!

What a great engagement story and what a beautiful place to get engaged. I love that you have his grandmother's diamond. I have my grandmother's diamond so I know how special it is.

Cannot wait to follow your PJ!

 

[Freckledginger]

I'm still on rotations in the hospital, so it's been challenging to get much accomplished planning-wise. Over the past couple of months, I have accomplished a few wedding things though...

1) Confirmation of our wedding by DFTW
I know a few DCL brides have had different experiences, but I found booking the ceremony relatively easy. When we decided we wanted to have a CC wedding (late August), I rang the DFTW number. I was then directed to a DCL vacation planner, who looked to see if my preferred date was available. She then collected my details, and helped me reserve a stateroom on the Dream. I received confirmation of my stateroom reservation that night, and then an email from the Shada, the DCL wedding coordinator, two days later. Once I paid my deposit, I expected to receive by DFTW confirmation, but sadly, none came. From following the DCL wedding disboard, I knew that Shada stays very busy, so I decided to send a friendly reminder email after 2 weeks of anxiously checking my inbox. Shada was very nice, and then got the confirmation as well as planning information out to me the next day

2) Wedding Budget
Because I'm a full-time student at the moment, it was very important for Tim and I to establish a budget early on. Our parents are going to help us a little bit, but it'll mostly be self-funded, so we're planning to budget roughly $12,000. One of my favorite wedding blogs, http://www.intimateweddings.com/blog/, always discusses budget in their real wedding spotlights. I think that's awesome. I find it really helpful to see what previous brides' weddings have cost, so I'll try to similarly forthright in this PJ.

3) Travel agent
Whilst perusing the DCL wedding thread, I came across the PJ of Goldeelox9 (http://www.pixieandpiratedestinations.com/lisa-r.html). In addition to being a past DCL bride, she is also a vacation planner, so I immediately emailed her for help. She is fantastic and SO knowledgeable! Our wedding is still aways off, but she has made the reservation process so much easier, and is a great support!

4) Professional Photographer
Based on the advice of past DCL brides, I knew from the get-go that I really wanted to bring along a professional photographer. Beautiful and memorable wedding photos are very important to me, so I wasn't comfortable with taking the chance of possibly getting a good DCL photographer. That being said, I also did not (unfortunately) have a large portion of the budget to devote to hiring a photographer. I spent the better part of two weeks emailing different photographers, whose work I had liked. I initially looked at photographers just in the Orlando area, but then I expanded to photographers that liked working Disney Weddings or had been on Disney cruises. I had pretty basic expectations for wedding photography--coverage of the wedding + celebration + some bridal portraits on the beach, a DVD with the images, and the option to purchase an album. I got a very positive response from all the photographers; they were very excited about photographing a cruise wedding, but unfortunately, many of their quotes were cost prohibitive. In the end, I found a wonderful photographer, Jessica Cumbie (http://www.jesscumbie.com/). In addition to being willing to work within my budget, Jess is a Disney enthusiast and takes gorgeous photos. I'm so thrilled to get to work with her!

Next up... DIY Save the Dates!!

 

[Freckledginger]

Yeah! Another Castaway Cay bride!!!

What a great engagement story and what a beautiful place to get engaged. I love that you have his grandmother's diamond. I have my grandmother's diamond so I know how special it is.

Cannot wait to follow your PJ!

Thanks Lisa!!

Your ring is gorgeous! Your grandmother's stone is beautiful, and I love the pink flourish on either side. Does your wedding band slide underneath??

I have been following your PJ! It's been so great to see all your plans. Only a month to go until the big day, right? How exciting!!

 

[Freckledginger]

Since we're sailing during Halloween, I was concerned about staterooms selling out and getting expensive, so I decided to send the Save the Dates out at 1 year instead of 6 months. As I'm still really early into the planning process, it was challenging to decide on theming for the STDs. After looking at some possibilities on pinterest (isn't it amazing?!) and Marta Stewart weddings, I decided on the traditional photo booth style. When I first moved back to the States, Tim sent me a package with an assortment of goodies, including photos of him in a photo booth with "I miss you" written in the last photo So I thought that a photo booth STD was a good fit for us, and could turn out really cute!

It was a super easy DIY project. First, I purchased black card stock and wrote out the messages with a white marker. Tim and I then used the Mac Photo Booth program to take the photos. I created a template of a photo strip using powerpoint, and then just fit the photos into it. I downloaded a font to fit the occasion (dafont.com has some great options!), added the website address, and then saved the project as a PDF. I then spent several days designing a wedding website. As I'm not the most techno-savy person in the world, I decided to use one the free templates provided on theknot.com. I then just changed some headings, added details about us, uploaded a few pictures, and included booking information---then presto, I had a DCL wedding website

Because our guests are on opposite sides of the world, I decided to email the STD instead of printing them. I was a bit nervous about how guests would respond to receiving a STD electronically, but I was pleasantly surprised. All the guests seemed to really like it, and also appreciated having a website to consult for planning details and booking information.

Now, I'm just waiting to hear who's coming!!

 

[PixieDust1969]

I really LOVE your STD. You will definitely have a gorgeous wedding with the budget you set. I listed my budget for just wedding stuff through the cruise line on my PJ if you are interested. I am working on getting everything else together that I have spent to get a grand total.

 

[Goofy4Ever]

I'm excited to see you started a PJ!! I will be following along.

Love your STD's

 

[Freckledginger]

Thanks for the compliments, Pixie & Goofy!! You both must be SO excited for your weddings!! Not long at all now!!

I apologize in advance for the massive following post... I thought I'd just lay out all of what has happening lately!!

We have 10 staterooms booked for our wedding party (20 guests + 1 child)!! Very exciting considering it's still a year out! It's mostly DF's family and friends; my side doesn't seem nearly as keen about booking early. It's a bit unfortunate as I'm worried about them waiting and then it getting too expensive for them to go... But I guess all I can do is recommend that they book now, and if they choose not to do that, there's nothing I can do. Have you all heard about the room re-categorization that's occurring on the Dream and the Fantasy starting October 18? There's a link to a really helpful thread here: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2816159. My DF and I are staying in the one of the 6A staterooms that will be re-categorized to a 5E. Luckily, we've already booked so our room is price protected.

In other news, I emailed Shanda this week with a few questions. I try not to bother her, because I know she is a very busy lady, but there were a few things in particular that I wanted to know about. I've attached my questions, and her responses below:

1) I'm interested in reserving tables for our entire wedding party on the night of our wedding, October 30 2012, in Palo. Is that a reasonable request? We're still in the midst of people reserving staterooms, but once I have an idea of numbers, how would I go about accomplishing this? Our travel agent, mentioned that another DCL bride has reserved the private room and then nearby tables for her wedding party. Would this be a possibility?

This request does concern me due to the size of your group and what the Palo restaurant is able to accommodate. So I want to share the information below with you so that we can find a solution that will work best for your group with what the ship is able to accommodate.

The Palo Private Room: Palo feature a semi-private room available for dinner only. The private room on the Disney Dream can accommodate a minimum of 10 guests and a maximum of 14 guests for dinner only. There are two seating times available, 6:00 PM & 9:00 PM (6:00 PM only on last night of the sailing). If you would like to request this, please send me the names & reservation numbers of those guests. Requests are review approximately 45-30 days prior to your sailing.

Palo Main Dining Room: The restaurant strongly advises against requesting the private room for some of your guests and booking reservations for the rest of your party in the main dining room. The tables in the main dining room cannot be moved or pushed together. While there are a select few tables near the private room, there is a wall blocking the view, so you can’t see into the room. So a large portion of your group would feel very detached from the 14 guests in the private room, which is not the experience Disney wants to provide them. Also, while I am happy to assist with booking the private room for you, reservations for the main dining room at Palo are only available to book online at www.disneycruise.com. So each of your guests would have to sign in to the website and book this themselves. It is not realistic that all of your guests would be able to book the same seating time as well. Reservation times would most likely be staggered throughout the evening.

An Alternative: Many of our couples want to enjoy their wedding dinner experience with all of their guests that have joined them on the cruise. A great way to do this with a larger group or a group that includes children is to have your guests seated together for your main dinner seatings each night in the three main dining rooms(Royal Palace, Animator’s Palette & Enchanted Garden). Once the guest list has been finalized, we can request your group to be seated together on the same rotation. If there’s a specific dining room that you would prefer for your wedding night (Royal Palace, Animator’s Palette & Enchanted Garden), just let me know and I will be happy to request this for you. It’s a great way for everyone to reconvene at the end of each day and swap stories of their adventures. Then, if you all want to have a romantic dinner for two at Palo on another night, I am happy to schedule this for you.

2) My uncle is a minister, and if possible, it would mean a lot to my family for him to officiate our wedding. I read in the FAQs that this is allowed provided that the officiant has a reservation (which he does), but I was just curious about the logistics of this. Are there any things in particular that I need to discuss with him (e.g. time limit, what he can say, etc.)?

I think this is a wonderful idea! It will add a very nice personal touch to your special day! The ceremony itself usually lasts approximately 15 – 20 minutes.
The ceremony takes place in the morning (usually around 10:00 am) and will be on the beach, in the sand. Our island partners will supply a podium and microphone if he wishes to use.

I would also invite your uncle to join you & your fiance at the Meet & Greet with your Onboard Wedding Coordinator on Embarkation Day.
This way he can meet the Onboard Wedding Coordinator, go over the timeline of events and cover any questions he may have.

3) We're interested in providing a 'bar tab' for our guests to be able to purchase drinks with meals or at lounges during the cruise. Would there be a way to do this? Would we just charge everything to our stateroom, or could we put stateroom credit on their rooms?

An onboard stateroom credit will work perfectly to accomplish this. Unless all guests plan to stay together for the entire sailing, it will be difficult to charge everything to your stateroom. When an onboard stateroom credit is applied, the credit is already added to their stateroom and can be used as they wish. Also, this way each guest can receive the same allotted amount. Onboard credits can be applied over the phone by calling Disney Cruise Line at (321) 939-4610 or online at www.disneycruise.com/planning-center/gifts-and-amenities . If any of the onboard stateroom credits are not used during the cruise, that amount will be credited back to the original method of payment.

4) I'm bringing along a photographer to take photos during the wedding. We're currently booking her reservation, but are there any things I need to know about bringing an external photographer, or are those discussed with the onboard coordinator?

Thank you for letting me know. Please be sure to notate who will be your photographer on your planning guide. Along with your uncle, I would also invite your photographer to join you & your fiance at the Meet & Greet with your Onboard Wedding Coordinator on Embarkation Day. This way your photographer can meet the Onboard Wedding Coordinator, get an idea of the time frame for your event and ask any questions.


Shanda was really helpful, and I really appreciate her getting back to me so quickly. The only real bummer was the news about Palo I know it's a big ask to have the wedding night dinner in there, but it was something I was really hoping to do... I've eaten there before, and I love it, and would love to share that experience with my guests. I guess I'll just have to see how many guests end up booking in the next couple of months, and then if it's smaller than we had initially expected, approach her again about it. Does anyone else have advice about this??

The only other piece of news I have is that we're considering doing a DP at WDW. I thought it would be a really good option for a welcome event the night before the cruise departs. I'm still working out if the budget will allow it (and I've emailed Shanda for further information about them), but I've been researching them over the last week, and like the idea of doing something at Fantasmic or Illuminations. I've read some PJ's for weddings that had Illuminations DPs, and brides seem to really love them. I think they sound like a fun and unique way to start the wedding trip

I'm still utterly confused about wedding themes and colors... So hard to decide. How have other brides decided on their wedding inspiration?

 

[virtuous girl]

welcome .... great plans so far

 

[Freckledginger]

Oh my gosh, just found the the most fun fashion blog ever... http://disneybound.tumblr.com/
It has tons of Disney inspired fashions! Great for working a few somewhat subtle disney details into your wedding party fashion.

Now I'm thinking of a subtle nautical/finding nemo theme... Could be really appropriate for our wedding based on our venue and our connection to Australia. Maybe, Maybe...

 

[ccbride412]

DF just told me that our room got re-categorized from 5E to 4 something. Luckily like you, I had already booked! It went up to almost $4000 from the $1700 we already paid! The prices for our cruise went up quick. Really quick. The majority of our rooms jumped $500 in a month! Couldn't believe it!

 

[PixyDusted]

CONGRATULATIONS! As a photog, I LOVE that you captured your engagement on "film." Ahhh! SO SO CUTE!

I love DCL and just got off the ship from a Castaway wedding. (Lisa and Rob's wedding cruise) I really cannot say enough amazing things about DCL.

 

[PixyDusted]

Also...wanted to add..I was just in the Palo private room and it's a HUGE round table that truly does only seat 14. I don't think they could fit 6 more seats and it doesn't sound like they will.

Just an idea: book it for immediate family only. That way your friends will be understanding and you'll get your Palo dinner! Or just for you two (but that seems like less fun when you'll be excited to be there with so many people).

 

[Freckledginger]

Thanks so much for your posts, Mikkel!! It was great hearing from you, and just let me say, your photos of Rob and Lisa's wedding are drop dead gorgeous!!! I cannot wait to see more! How is the Dream in comparison to the other DCL cruises you've done?? It looks like such a wonderful ship!

I appreciate your suggestion about Palo's. I've been doing lots of thinking since the email with Shanda, and I had come to a similar conclusion. I really want to do something special for the immediate family, especially DF's who are travelling from Australia, so I think I may apply for the Palo room the night before the wedding. That way it can serve as our rehearsal dinner, even though there's not a rehearsal per say involved Selecting the 14 people to come will be a bit of a task, but it's something I'll worry about early next year.

I also would love to dine in Remy at some point during the cruise, but I don't know how realistic that is... Was toying with the idea of doing it on our wedding night, just DF and I, but as an early dinner, and then going to dinner with the rest of our guests (but not necessarily eating) for the rotation. What do you all think? Fraught with disaster? I know I still have heaps of time to make these decisions, but it's always fun to consider the different possibilities

 

[Freckledginger]

**Update: 6/16/12: Changed my mind and decided to do different color scheme/theme. However, I still think the style board is cute, so I decided to leave it up **

After struggling for months trying to decide on wedding colors/theme, I think I have finally found something I like.... This has been such a hard part of the wedding planning process for me--finding something that reflects you and your partner as a couple, but also will be beautiful and timeless to a certain extent. Very intimidating for a non-artistic person like myself. Has anyone else found it difficult??

As I had perused the wedding blogs quite a bit prior to getting engaged (hehe), I knew that wedding with a classic/vintage feel and a few playful elements appealed to me the most. I thought briefly about trying to work in a subtle Disney theme, but DF is not really a Disney guy, so I realised that wouldn't work. As we're getting married on CC, I also considered a nautical or tropical theme, but it still didn't feel quite right. I'm starting to sound a bit like Goldilocks from the Three Bears, aren't I?

Finally, the other day, I had a bit of an epiphany. I was looking on Southern Weddings (one of my regular blogs), and I came across a gorgeous wedding shoot called, "Paper, Cotton & Flour" (http://iloveswmag.com/2011/11/08/v4-feature-paper-cotton-and-flour/). I absolutely loved the colors, and being from AL myself, the subtle southern elements. Then, it hit me.... DF and I are from different countries, so we should celebrate elements from those places in our wedding.

Theme: "South and the Other South"​

A combination of southern US things (seersucker, cotton, rustic details, etc.) and Australian things (beach location, casual feel, etc.) using our favorite colors, blue and green.

Here's a style board that I made of some of things that have inspired me (gotta love pintrest):

The seersucker came out less stripey and more psychedelic/diagonally in that image unfortunately, but you get the idea =) I'm super excited about it! What do y'all think??

Next To-Do, working out the bridal party...

 

[lexis]

Thank you for posting the questions about the photographers and palo. I had asked ifit was ok to bring photographers and shanda said yes but it is good to hear that they should meet the onboard coordinator. Also im a bit dissapointed that we can not get everyoneinto palo for the wedding night dinner. We do have 4 children in our group and some non essential non family members that are guests due to the request of parents, so i am hoping we can cut our number down to 14.

 

[ccbride412]

Awesome idea with the storyboard! I didn't even think about doing that and boy would it have made things easier! Looks like your planning is coming along well now!

 

[Freckledginger]

Thank you for posting the questions about the photographers and palo. I had asked ifit was ok to bring photographers and shanda said yes but it is good to hear that they should meet the onboard coordinator. Also im a bit dissapointed that we can not get everyoneinto palo for the wedding night dinner. We do have 4 children in our group and some non essential non family members that are guests due to the request of parents, so i am hoping we can cut our number down to 14.

Glad to share the information To the fairness of other cruise guests, I understand why they have rules concerning the booking of Palo, but it's a bit of a bummer. It's an outstanding restaurant, and would be perfect for a post-wedding dinner. Hopefully, we can get the private room for the night before though, and I'm sure the main restaurant will be lots of fun.

ccbride412 Awesome idea with the storyboard! I didn't even think about doing that and boy would it have made things easier! Looks like your planning is coming along well now!

Thanks Meaghan!! I'm still in very early days of planning, but it feels good to be starting to make plans. It'll be easier when I move back to the States, and can go dress shopping, visit with the photographer, decide on flowers, etc. Till then, I just visit blogs and pintrest, ooh and ahh, and accumulate ideas on my computer that I like

 

[Freckledginger]

Bit of exciting news in my life... Yesterday, I took my last exam of vet school!!! I have to wait a week to get my results before I can officially say I've finished, but it's exciting to at least be done with all the school work for now

Wedding wise, we have 15 staterooms booked now!! Very exciting! There's still a few people left who still need to book, but I anticipate final numbers being somewhere around 35-40. Nice sized group =)

I also heard from a DFTW planner regarding the possibility of having a DP as a welcome party. Unfortunately, the date I would like to hold the event (Sat October 27, 2012) is not available to Illuminations DP. The Food and Wine Festival has every Sat booked, so a DP there is out. That narrows the possibilities a bit, but I'm not really disappointed... I liked the idea of a Fantasmic DP best anyways

Officially, DCL brides are not able to book an ancillary event with WDW until 8 months from the actual cruise date. Therefore, the planner will contact me again on Feb 21, 2012 to discuss what the options available would be. So it's a little ways away before I know if a DP will be a part of our wedding celebrations, but I guess it'll give me time to save up and decide if a DP is truly what I'd like to do.

 

[Goldeelox9]

Hey Ginger! I just found this! I will be following along! You know I love a good DCL planning journal! LOL