"I brushed my teeth, and I don't have cooties." An August DFTW and Disneymoon TR

[afwdwfan]

That time I said there may be more news coming soon...it may or may not have something to do with this screenshot...

More on this (and also some replies!) as soon as I get through the next quiz without failing...

Oh no!!! You tried to book a flight, but the computer froze and you got charged anyway???????


I mean I've been watching it for a few minutes and that loading screen just isn't going anywhere.

 

[MeghanEmily]

Oh no!!! You tried to book a flight, but the computer froze and you got charged anyway???????


I mean I've been watching it for a few minutes and that loading screen just isn't going anywhere.

Also reminded me of this...

 

[pkondz]

Haha that wasn't the intention of the photo, but it's absolutely how it turned out!

I have a feeling we'll be spoiled now and the next time we go we'll be hopping the fence! When security comes we'll tell them not to worry, that it's actually our garden now, and we have pictures to prove it.

Yup. Just wave 'em off. "No it's okay! We're good!"

And yes, they made for beautiful shots. It's a great effect!

Yes!

Gotta start a wedding day with a hearty breakfast!

Oops. Breakfast. Make that bacon wrapped filets.

Naw, I'd moved out for school years ago,

Figured as much... but it was more fun this way.

then had a brief "return to mooch" phase for a year, then moved back out again a couple years ago. Nathan had also been sharing my 2-bedroom apartment and contributing for almost a year at that point. So people kept asking my mom how she was handling things "losing me," etc....and she kept laughing at them and telling them that, in her opinion, nothing was really changing except who I'd be filing my taxes with! And I think it holds true—doesn't matter how married I am now, there are still some situations where my mom is my first phone call. And she's always my second at the very least.

Of course. And that's okay.

Actually, awkwardly enough, there was once a situation between him and one of my bridesmaids where one was interested in the other at a time when neither of them were available, and it didn't go over well with the uninterested party....

Whoops. I suppose not.

Fortunately they were both able to put that history aside for our benefit and there were no issues.

Could've been a not very pretty picture.

 

[missangelalexis]

Beautiful photos of the ceremony! I'm glad it all went off without a hitch!

 

[MeghanEmily]

Oops. Breakfast. Make that bacon wrapped filets.

Yes! Nom!

Could've been a not very pretty picture.

Mmmhmm. I was a little concerned and mentioned it to one of them beforehand, but they assured me that we're all adults and they were sure there would be no problems on either side. And they were true to their word. Good friends.

Beautiful photos of the ceremony! I'm glad it all went off without a hitch!

Thank you! I couldn't have asked for things to go much smoother.

 

[pkondz]

Mmmhmm. I was a little concerned and mentioned it to one of them beforehand, but they assured me that we're all adults and they were sure there would be no problems on either side. And they were true to their word. Good friends.

And your threatening to beat them to within an inch of their lives probably helped too.

 

[MeghanEmily]

Soo....that screenshot I recently posted—which has been correctly identified as the WestJet booking screen—carries with it some exciting news...

As you all know by now, my talented husband travels for work a lot. Like, A LOT. Sometimes it sucks being a performance artist's wife. But...sometimes it doesn't...

In the last couple of years he's started branching out and doing some work in your great country, as well as in ours. He's been to Florida for work a few times and has networked with some show organizers in the area. When I got my class schedule and "spring break" dates for the upcoming winter semester, I jokingly asked N if he had any work prospects in more southernly locations in February....but the more he started looking, the more opportunities he found! He's managed to put together a January/February schedule that's taking him down south, including to Georgia and Florida....which meant a little extra income that could go toward trip expenses, and also an excuse for me to join him on my break! I don't have enough time off to do the drive down with him, so I'd need a plane ticket...ew...

But then he and I went home for a post-wedding shower/celebration at his family's church. We'd asked them not to give us gifts since we're already settled in our condo and we don't need anything, (and since people always buy you weird gifts that aren't your style and then expect you to put them up in your house...) So instead his parents recommended people just give us cards...and after subtracting our gas/travel expenses to get home for the weekend, we still ended up with almost enough gift money to purchase my plane ticket!

So you all know what that means!! Another Disney trip!!

Which also means that as long as the budget allows it, of course we'll be renewing our Disney APs, as well as purchasing Universal APs for the first time...because...

It also looks like if I end up working for N this summer and travelling with him, there will be at least one, and possibly two other Central Florida travel opportunities, so we'll likely make good use of our APs, even if we're mostly working and only get to do touristy things for a day or two each time.

BUT February won't just be a day or two...it'll be a whole week! I'm flying down direct on Feb. 16th to meet him, and I have a week off school, so I don't fly back until Feb. 23! I already have a room booked at All Star Sports, and I've booked ADRs, but I didn't want to tell you folks until the plane ticket was booked and it was a for-sure-gonna-happen kinda deal. FP+ day is in 3 weeks, so after that's all done I'll post our vague itinerary. I'm slightly concerned about the President's Day weekend crowds. We don't have a nationwide statutory (federal) holiday that weekend here. Some provinces have the Monday off for something called "Family Day"—yes, Canada is adorable —but it's not typically a big travel holiday.

But, anyway...I'm excited!! And, spoiler alert: it'll give us an opportunity to go to Jiko for the first time, which we cancelled for December/January, as well as to try something new that I kept getting recommendations for back when I booked our Trail's End ADR...and that's Hoop Dee Doo Musical Review! Yay for more Disney!

Now, on with the show...​

 

[MeghanEmily]

WEDDING DAY: Toast/Cake Cutting/Special Guests/Dance
Disney Day 3 - Part 6

Once we made the long and sweaty walk down the aisle, everyone took a few minutes to chat and hug and whatnot.

Champagne (or sparkling apple juice, in our case) was set out, and setup tweaked slightly...

By this point the cake had already been set up, and I'd asked Amanda to take photos shortly after it arrived so I'd have photographic evidence of the frosting decor before it started melting...

If you followed my PTR, you'll know that I had a chance to do a cake tasting with Erin McKenna's on a weekend trip last spring, and that's when the baker alerted me to the option of doing a small mini cake and a bunch of cupcakes, rather than a larger two-tier cake. I chose the frosting colors and designs from samples and photos I saw on their website and social media pages. And N and I ended up choosing a combination of cupcakes where some were red velvet with vanilla frosting, and some were chocolate with cinnamon frosting (which doesn't sound tasty, but it absolutely was!) The cake was an amalgamation of different ideas, so I only had a vague idea of what it would end up looking like, and I was so pleased when I saw it!

Before the cake cutting we were arranged for a specific photo because we'd brought bubbles for our guests...

They were not very good bubble blowers, I have to say, but it was still fun!

During this time our violinist was also taking requests, and he'd play whatever someone could come up with!

My grandmother requested another photo...

...and then it was time to set up for coupley-cake-photos...

In the interest of being transparent with you all, I include the following photo for your enjoyment:

I also include this photo because it's the only picture we got from the whole day (other than the terrible one above) that featured our wedding coordinator, Samantha...

She really was wonderful to deal with and she went above and beyond to make sure everything went perfectly for our day. If anyone ever told me they'd been given Samantha as a coordinator for their wedding, I'd be the first to assure them they were in good hands.

Next, N and I looked on—and I later social-media'd this photo of us doing so...

...while N's best man, Brad, spoke and gave the toast. N and Brad actually became friends because Brad was my roommate in school for my first degree, and it was as much for me (or even more so) as it was for N that he chose to ask Brad to stand up with him.

Brad also was my pianist when I majored in voice in my Music degree. We're good friends, and he's watched N and I go through a lot over the years. He's also the kind of person who loves to get up and speak in front of a crowd and give pep talks, say something sentimental, make bad jokes, etc. So we knew he'd be happily honored to speak for us. Everyone agreed that he did a really nice job. He made a couple of jokes at our expense, and he also got a little teary as he spoke about how he'd seen us go through so much, good and bad, and how in the end we were always the people who were still there. N and I even ended up taking some time apart after my neurosurgery when we were both in different stressful places, and it was Brad who went for coffee with N and told him that he was sure we weren't finished with each other yet. Obviously, he was right. When we got engaged at Disney, N sent him a message right away to tell him about it and to ask if he'd be the best man, and then Brad immediately called me as I was walking into Epcot that evening, to say "You're getting married!??" It was so special to have him there on our wedding day.

Then, just as Amanda was doing our official cake photos...

...some special, and totally unexpected (hah! ) guests arrived on the scene...

...who could it be...???

The main mice came to our wedding!!

(Side note: someone at a show a few weeks ago wanted Nathan to paint a Mickey&Minnie-themed painting for their child, and the kid was blown away when I told them that we were friends with them and they attended our wedding! )

Samantha and Amanda set us up for cake cutting photos with Mickey and Minnie...

I kid you not, we attempted to eat that cake on three separate occasions. I got a few bites. It was incredibly tasty. But fleeting.

Mickey and Minnie looked on, and then they joined us as we had our "first dance." This was more ceremonial than anything else since we weren't having a full reception/dance with our wedding, but after the Illuminations reading in our ceremony I wanted to make sure we got a chance to dance to "Promise." The violinist played a nice arrangement for us. The only problem? Erin and I both forgot to bustle my dress again, so I had a lovely short train trailing the entire time. Oh well.

(I included this photo in particular because you can see my aunt blotting herself in the background! It was HAWT!)

Up next, the whirlwind ceremony portion of the day wraps up, and a few post-wedding thoughts...​

 

[paradesintherain]

Love your surprised face and he's looking the total wrong direction!

Love this! They look so elegant in their wedding attire!

Awwww I just love this

 

[MeghanEmily]

Love your surprised face and he's looking the total wrong direction!



Love this! They look so elegant in their wedding attire!



Awwww I just love this

Yeah, I think someone had said something to him at that moment. There are other photos where he's looking in the right direction. But it makes for a funny picture. And thank you!! We were honored that Mickey and Minnie showed up so dolled up for us. We got to pick their attire from 5 or 6 choices, and I thought these outfits really flattered them both!

 

[pkondz]

So you all know what that means!! Another Disney trip!!

Yay!!!

BUT February won't just be a day or two...it'll be a whole week! I'm flying down direct on Feb. 16th to meet him, and I have a week off school, so I don't fly back until Feb. 23!

Nice! Sounds wonderful... And at the right time... right smack in the middle of winter!

Some provinces have the Monday off for something called "Family Day"—yes, Canada is adorable

Ours is Louis Riel day.
Appropriate, for us.

Looking a tad relieved and more relaxed.

I'd asked Amanda to take photos shortly after it arrived so I'd have photographic evidence of the frosting decor before it started melting...

glorp.... icing on da ground.

The cake was an amalgamation of different ideas, so I only had a vague idea of what it would end up looking like, and I was so pleased when I saw it!

I like it too! Great idea.

Before the cake cutting we were arranged for a specific photo because we'd brought bubbles for our guests...

Cute concept!

During this time our violinist was also taking requests, and he'd play whatever someone could come up with!

Enter Sandman. Metallica.

In the interest of being transparent with you all, I include the following photo for your enjoyment:

Thanks!

He made a couple of jokes at our expense,

Required.

and he also got a little teary as he spoke about how he'd seen us go through so much

Awww....

Cool!

I kid you not, we attempted to eat that cake on three separate occasions. I got a few bites. It was incredibly tasty. But fleeting.

Yep. That's pretty much SOP.

The only problem? Erin and I both forgot to bustle my dress again, so I had a lovely short train trailing the entire time. Oh well.

Oh, well is right. Beautiful wedding so that's pretty minor.

(I included this photo in particular because you can see my aunt blotting herself in the background! It was HAWT!)

You may have included it for that, but....

I love this photo of the two of you. This one just screams "love" to me. The way you two are holding each other?

 

[dizneeat]

I had too many photos that I really really liked, so I decided not to quote them all, but I need to say .........

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL BRIDE
WHAT A BEAUTIFUL WEDDING CEREMONY
WHAT FUN GUESTS YOU HAD!​

 

[amalone1013]

and since people always buy you weird gifts that aren't your style and then expect you to put them up in your house...

Basically my biggest fear. And we don't have room for that stuff right now since we're with my in-laws. We're now house/apartment hunting, but until then, it's just going in storage - either their crawl space, grandma's extra bedroom, or the corner of our room... Which is where all of our wedding gifts are now! I've also got a lot of nice kitchen things from my family home already, so we don't need as much housewares stuff. We would have had a strange registry. Plus I'm a deal hunter/in a buy it for life mentality now, so I would have 1. felt bad putting things on their and people paying full price, when I could have waited for a sale, and 2. not wanted to put the cheap version of *insert necessary item here* on there that's not going to last. I did keep all cash gifts and gift cards separate in our budget, so we can put them towards those items or things like furniture when the time comes!

BUT February won't just be a day or two...it'll be a whole week! I'm flying down direct on Feb. 16th to meet him, and I have a week off school, so I don't fly back until Feb. 23!

Hey wait... our APs don't expire until the end of February... that means we should totally plan a third trip around that week, right?

In the interest of being transparent with you all, I include the following photo for your enjoyment:

I have a few of those I'll be sure to include!


Love all of your photos! They are fantastic. And I love the mini cake and cupcake setup! It's so cute and pretty, and the colors, and the topper, and the flavors...

Your pictures with the main mice came out great too! That's the one thing I would have splurged on too if I'd gone through DFTW. It's just so fun!

Can't wait to hear more

 

[AV007]

Your wedding looked and sounds amazing!

Can't wait to hear more!

 

[missangelalexis]

Yay for a February trip booked! How exciting! And also exciting that you may be able to squeeze some more time in during the summer!

Again, more lovely photos! The cake/cupcakes look so nice! And Brad sounds like an awesome guy, I'm glad he could be there for you all on your special day.

I LOVE your face when you saw Mickey & Minnie walk in! They look So adorable!

 

[ariane37]

You've done a wonderful job of making me fee like I was at your wedding Everything was absolutely beautiful including you! And yay for your Feb. trip It's killing me not going again until March, that's like 4.5 months between trips! Crazy lol!

(I almost asked RevKev to tell people to put away their electronic devices and just live in the moment—and seeing N's mom photobombing this gorgeous picture above with her pink phone case almost makes me wish I had!—but in the end I didn't bother because I knew how much my photo-crazy family would feel itchy not being able to document the experience as it happened.)

I understand both points. At my stepson's wedding last month, as soon as the ceremony began my DIL's mom's boyfriend started snapping away with his phone and for whatever reason, his phone made a weird loud noise whenever he took a picture And he was standing RIGHT upfront like almost on top of them so it was super annoying, but of course her mom wanted lots of good pictures. In the grand scheme of things just a little blip.

I ___, promise to love and cherish you, ____,
To give you my strength,
To help you in good times and bad,
To respect your individuality,
To make our home one of love and understanding.
I give you all of my trust,
All of my tomorrows,
All of my life.

These are beautiful, love them so much more than traditional vows. And I'm very traditional when it comes to what I like about weddings!

We've also always been very close—almost as close as I am to my mom.

This was myself and my maternal grandmother. She lived minutes from me my whole life, for many years about 30 steps away. We spent more time together than I did with my father and I shared more with her for years than I did with my mom. I miss her every day and am forever grateful for the bond we had, and also that she got to meet Ricky

I kid you not, we attempted to eat that cake on three separate occasions. I got a few bites. It was incredibly tasty. But fleeting.

I remember at my (first) wedding trying to finish a drink! Friends kept telling me to get drunk and I was like, "how??? I have to kep putting my drink down for pictures and then I can't remember where the hell I left it!!!"

Mickey and Minnie looked on, and then they joined us as we had our "first dance."

I LOVE them dancing together! I mean, you and N dancing are cute and stuff, but the mice

 

[Raeven]

So you all know what that means!! Another Disney trip!!

Yay! After all what's the point of having an AP if you don't go to Disney whenever you can?

 

[MeghanEmily]

Nice! Sounds wonderful... And at the right time... right smack in the middle of winter!

That's what I thought! I joke about our miserable winters (and ours aren't even typically as cold as yours are!) but I've actually struggled quite a bit with seasonal affective kinda mental health symptoms. I'm a proud SAD light therapy lamp user! And I know it's pretty common for people to get a little "blue" in the winter here. So I'm looking forward to having a December top up of Florida sunshine to get through till February, then another one to get me through until Halifax starts melting in April.

Ours is Louis Riel day.
Appropriate, for us.

I've heard of this holiday as well. Appropriate for Manitoba, definitely.

Enter Sandman. Metallica.

I have no doubt he would have taken it in stride and started playing it. But for some reason people kept asking for Disney songs...

You may have included it for that, but....

I love this photo of the two of you. This one just screams "love" to me. The way you two are holding each other?

Thank you! It was a really nice moment.

I had too many photos that I really really liked, so I decided not to quote them all, but I need to say .........

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL BRIDE
WHAT A BEAUTIFUL WEDDING CEREMONY
WHAT FUN GUESTS YOU HAD!​

Thank you! It was really special, and I do think people really did have fun.

 

[MeghanEmily]

Basically my biggest fear. And we don't have room for that stuff right now since we're with my in-laws. We're now house/apartment hunting, but until then, it's just going in storage - either their crawl space, grandma's extra bedroom, or the corner of our room... Which is where all of our wedding gifts are now! I've also got a lot of nice kitchen things from my family home already, so we don't need as much housewares stuff. We would have had a strange registry. Plus I'm a deal hunter/in a buy it for life mentality now, so I would have 1. felt bad putting things on their and people paying full price, when I could have waited for a sale, and 2. not wanted to put the cheap version of *insert necessary item here* on there that's not going to last. I did keep all cash gifts and gift cards separate in our budget, so we can put them towards those items or things like furniture when the time comes!

Exactly! Yeah, and I'm very particular about things, so I would hate to ask for certain towels or pots and pans, etc., and then have someone get something similar but not what we were looking for, but then we'd feel silly going out and getting what we actually wanted when we had perfectly functional ones that were given as gifts, etc. And I got a few wall hangings/picture frames/etc., which couldn't have been farther from our style/colours, etc. And, like...what do you do with those things? Do you just pick a room that will be decorated with your smorgasboard of random non-coordinating treasures and try to keep it contained? Just sneakily put the things out when you have company?

Hey wait... our APs don't expire until the end of February... that means we should totally plan a third trip around that week, right?

Ummm, yeah! Sounds logical to me! You go ahead and book it, and then let me know and we'll plan a Dismeet!

I have a few of those I'll be sure to include!

Looking forward to it! Glad I'm not the only one with unflattering hilarious pictures.

Love all of your photos! They are fantastic. And I love the mini cake and cupcake setup! It's so cute and pretty, and the colors, and the topper, and the flavors...

Your pictures with the main mice came out great too! That's the one thing I would have splurged on too if I'd gone through DFTW. It's just so fun!

Can't wait to hear more

Thank you!! Everything came together pretty great, I have to say. The photos are really special to have. And Minnie and Mickey really made the day extra magical, even though the cost was a major splurge for us. Totally worth it for a once in a lifetime thing.

Your wedding looked and sounds amazing!

Can't wait to hear more!

Thank you! It was really special!

Yay for a February trip booked! How exciting! And also exciting that you may be able to squeeze some more time in during the summer!

Again, more lovely photos! The cake/cupcakes look so nice! And Brad sounds like an awesome guy, I'm glad he could be there for you all on your special day.

I LOVE your face when you saw Mickey & Minnie walk in! They look So adorable!

Thanks! The cake was really great—at least during the ceremony, which is what mattered. It melted once the ceremony was over! Mickey and Minnie were looking spiffy, and in super great spirits!

 

[MeghanEmily]

You've done a wonderful job of making me fee like I was at your wedding Everything was absolutely beautiful including you! And yay for your Feb. trip It's killing me not going again until March, that's like 4.5 months between trips! Crazy lol!

Glad you're enjoying the wedding re-play in painful detail! 4.5 months between trips is like a lifetime! You definitely should be going in between!

I understand both points. At my stepson's wedding last month, as soon as the ceremony began my DIL's mom's boyfriend started snapping away with his phone and for whatever reason, his phone made a weird loud noise whenever he took a picture And he was standing RIGHT upfront like almost on top of them so it was super annoying, but of course her mom wanted lots of good pictures. In the grand scheme of things just a little blip.

I can see it both ways, too, which is why in the end I didn't give any expectations for people. I think there's something to be said for just trusting the photographer to take photos and for just enjoying the moment and soaking it all in. And it makes for nicer photos when they're not full of people holding up their cell phones (I actually read a good article before the wedding written by a photographer about how she urged people to do this because it makes her pictures much better and people get to appreciate the wedding more, etc.) But I'm also the kind of person who takes pictures of everything I do, so I know it would be challenging for me if I were at an important wedding not to want to take pictures of everything. My family loves taking pictures of everything and everyone.

These are beautiful, love them so much more than traditional vows. And I'm very traditional when it comes to what I like about weddings!

Thanks! We really liked them, too. RevKev gave lots of options, and also lets people incorporate anything they've found elsewhere or written on their own, etc. But these were perfect for us.

This was myself and my maternal grandmother. She lived minutes from me my whole life, for many years about 30 steps away. We spent more time together than I did with my father and I shared more with her for years than I did with my mom. I miss her every day and am forever grateful for the bond we had, and also that she got to meet Ricky

What an awesome relationship! I love that you had this with her and that she met Ricky. Grandmothers are special.

I remember at my (first) wedding trying to finish a drink! Friends kept telling me to get drunk and I was like, "how??? I have to kep putting my drink down for pictures and then I can't remember where the hell I left it!!!"

Sounds about right!

I LOVE them dancing together! I mean, you and N dancing are cute and stuff, but the mice

I agree, they kinda steal the show wherever they go. They were so fancy and adorable, and had really great interactions with us and our guests.

Yay! After all what's the point of having an AP if you don't go to Disney whenever you can?

Exactly!!