Jackie's Trip Report~~Married Sept. 28th **FINAL UPDATE!

[CivilTwilight]

After we finished photos at Leu Gardens we had to travel down I-4 from downtown Orlando to Portofino at Universal. The car was about a 10 minute walk from where we ended up taking photos, UGH! So Adam (nice groom that he is) took off his jacket and off he went to get the car. Poor guy, I felt so bad for sending him off into the gardens in that hot weather.

As we were trying to get me into the car with the gown, a passer-by asked if we would like her to take a picture of us. It came out so cute...

Now it's approximately 4pm and guess what? Like always, I-4 is completely backed up! How I HATE that highway! Well, being the Orlando natives that we are, we're able to get around it by getting off the highway, but it certainly took way more time than we thought it would. Oh well, we finally arrived at Portofino and Arturo was there waiting for us.

We took our final pictures of the day here and that concluded our time with Arturo. I think some of our best pictures came out of this shoot and I can tell you I was about DONE with pictures by this time! It doesn't surprise me that these are some of my favorites, I absolutely LOVE Portofino. The scenery and the time and thought they put into the architectural details of this place is unbelieveable. When Adam and I lived in NY, we came down to Orlando on our first vacation together and stayed at Portofino. So it has extra special meaning to us. Here are a few of our favorite shots.

This one was taken inside the art gallery

And this shot is worth the entire fee I paid for the photographer. I saw this and literally lost my breath. This picture is truly my favorite.

That concludes all of our professional photography. I was really pleased with the hi res DVD of pics that Arturo took. For anyone who is currently looking for a photographer in Orlando, I definitely recommend him. He and his wife are from Spain and now live in Windermere, Florida (suburb of Orlando). His cost was reasonable and was willing to work with me as far as coming up with a package that would work for my intimate wedding. You can look him up by going to www.artzphoto.com

Stay tuned for the next installment! Thanks for reading and letting me share!

Jackie

 

[Glorydaz]

wow Jackie - simply amazing!!! gorgeous gown, fabulous flowers, but your photographs - priceless!!! and I agree, that last shot is the essence of the wedding..

looking forward to more! many many congrats and wishes for a happily ever after.

Michelle

 

[M&M126]

Congrats on your marriage! Your pictures are gorgeous! I cant wait to read the rest of you TR

 

[Kristen14]

Your pics all look amazing! Especially the last one!

 

[KimAshton]

Your pictures are stunning.

 

[bridetobe08]

beautiful pictures! your hair turned out very well!!

 

[CivilTwilight]

Hello again!

So we bid Arturo goodbye at this point as we only had him as part of the package for 5 hours. Plus, I didn't think it was all that important that he be there to take photos at Bahama Breezes later. It wasn't really a reception, but rather in an informal party on the deck.

Let me just say that Bahama Breezes totally took care of us. I could not have asked for more. For any of you who are considering saving a bit of money for one of your events, you may want to consider going off of Disney property. It's only about a 10 minute drive, if that, from DTD, just down the road from the Crossroads. The roped off part of the deck area for us and it was just perfect for my party of 20. They set up 5 tables for us and then put a table with the food on it. I ordered warming trays of Jerk chicken pasta, coconut shrimp (sooo good), quesadillas and spinach and artichoke dip w/ chips. The food was BEYOND delicious and the service was impeccable. A waitress took drink orders, we paid for non-alcoholic and had everyone pay for their own alcohol. It turned out absolutely perfect.

Please try Bahama Breezes while you're in orlando, even if you only go there for dinner one night, it is delicious! We didn't really take many pictures there as it was time to relax and eat. We didn't throw bouquets or garters or do any traditional stuff, we wanted something informal.

My mom snapped this one picture of us as we got into the car that night to head back to the Portofino.

We got back to Portofino about 9:30pm and we were ready to completely relax. I wanted to take advantage of the pool and jacuzzi so we headed down there as soon as we got back. I realized as I was changing into my bathing suit, that I was kind of sad to be changing out of my wedding gown. The wedding day was over and it went by so darn quickly.

There was one issue I realized as I took off my veil....there was no way to take my hair down easily! It was still cemented on top of my head and it hadn't even moved an inch. So I took off my veil and left my tiara on and went to the pool like that!

We got over to the pool area at Portofino (the quiet pool by the spa) and it was just about perfect out there. There was a slight breeze and we were all alone out there. If any of you ever decide to go to Portofino, I highly recommend lounging by this pool, it is beyond relaxing. And it was perfect for our wedding night...during low season, there was nobody around. We snapped this picture in the jacuzzi that night.

We headed back to our room by walking across the dimly lit piazza, a perfect ending to a perfect day.

Tomorrow we're headed to EPCOT for the F&W festival....we were so looking forward to that!

Thanks for reading!
Jackie

 

[CivilTwilight]

Everything looks great so far. I love the blue hydrangeas in the flowers. We had checked out a couple of other areas in Orlando as alternatives to Disney and there are a lot of great places that sometimes get overlooked. The Gardens where you got married look beautiful.

Portofino looks fantastic; I've always wanted to stay at one of Universal Hotels. I can't wait to read more!

Thank you for the comments! I insisted on the blue hydrangeas in my bouquet even though my florist really didn't want to do it. Hydrangeas do not hold up well in heat and humidity unless in water. And by the end of my photo session, you could see they were wilting a LOT. I put my whole bouquet in a vase of water and they perked right back up in about a 1/2 hour like they were just cut! It was truly amazing, just like a sponge. I was so happy that I insisted they be put in there, that's the one flower I really wanted so I wasn't going to back away.

Portofino is truly awesome. If you ever get a chance to stay, it's worth the money and right up to par with Disney's deluxe resorts (but cheaper).

Thanks for reading!
Jackie

 

[lpizzuro123]

Just finished reading your TR and I really enjoyed it. I really like the way your hair turned out. I am so undecided about having an "up-do" or having my hair part up-part down. We are looking at next November in Disney so I am hoping the weather will not be as hot if I want to leave part of my hair down. I also really like your tiara and I LOVE that you wore it with your bathing suit and then down to the jacuzzi. The picture of you two in the jacuzzi with your tiara on it the best.

Looking forward to reading more.

Linda

 

[Lisella]

Your pictures are gorgeous and so are you. Thanks for sharing your story - can't wait to read the rest.

I'm looking for creative ideas myself to possibly do something Disney related without spending a small fortune.

 

[MistressOfAllEvil]

LOVE LOVE LOVE the pictures in b&w in the forrest area. They look very Narnia. And even though you can tell it's beautiful weather from all the other photos... these look like you're in a winter-wonderland. It's AMAZING!

 

[piglet50]

they are wonderful. your tr is great. i, too, love the hydrangeas in your bouquet. i think it is one of the prettiest ones i've seen. your wedding sounded beautiful. thanks for sharing.

 

[BayouPrincess]

Jackie,
Your pictures are breathtaking! You and DH share the same blissful expression on your faces. I love the pic of him at your neck...very romantic! and the magenta hue pic is just gorgeous...I can't wait to see more!

 

[OhioGrumpyGirl]

Jackie............love your pics!!! The one where the photographer is looking down on you guys looks like an ad out of a bridal magazine!! They are all soooooo beautiful. I can't wait to read more (I feel like I'm addicted!!!!!)

 

[CivilTwilight]

Hello everyone, welcome back to the next segment in the saga...

On our way back from the pool, it was a nice quiet walk back along the piazza back to the room. I took this picture when I got back to the room...from our balcony.

We had turn down service also with some nice chocolates sitting on our pillow waiting for us. And best part was a plate of tuxedo chocolate strawberries sent up from the Asst. front desk manager with a congratulatory note. OOOOhhh, those strawberries were gooood!!! I wish I had taken a picture of them on the plate, but we ate them too quickly!

That night we decided we would induldge ourselves with room service for breakfast so we took advantage of filling out the little form then sticking it out on the door by 2am. I love that they just come up and pick it up and then you pick what time they show up with your breakfast!

When I first woke up Saturday morning, I went out onto our balcony and snapped these as the sun was coming up. What I love about Portofino is that you forget where you are when you're there. You have no idea that in 5 minutes, you could be standing in line at the hulk.

I came inside, room service came right on queue and we enjoyed sitting there in our complimentary robes eating. And then it was time to get ready. Adam had to go return his tux to Afterhours at Millenia and I had to get us checked out and drive myself separately since my car was at Portofino also! Then we were meeting everyone at EPCOT for the food and wine festival! YAY!

We bid goodbye to Portofino and off we went. About 1 hour after I left, I realized that the mini-bar key was still in my pocket which then triggered me to remember I FORGOT TO CHECK OUT! DUH!! I had to call Portofino and talk to guest services....

Next segment includes F&W festival!

Thanks for reading along!

Jackie

 

[shasess]

Wonderful TR. You looked sooo beautiful in your dress. I really love your updo!!!!

 

[BaBeeCee14]

Jackie,

Great TR so far. You pictures came out beautifully. Thanks for sharing!

 

[oneyodafan]

Fabulous photos!!

 

[honeybee5517]

i absolutely love your bouquet. i love that its not so formed and looks like you could have just picked it in a garden, on the way to the ceremony. it fits the location perfectly. great choice!

 

[Kristen14]

How was your experience with Peddles? I've heard mixed reviews, but I've been emailing back and forth with Vicki and she seems very nice. I think I'm going to go with her for my bouquet & wedding party flowers.