Katie & Mike TR - SBP/Bluezoo/Morocco - Dessert Party (8/5)

[PrincessShea]

I'm just editing the beginning here so people can easily read the Trip Report. I will edit the table of contents as I add stuff.

THE TRIP REPORT

1. Vendor Reviews | Wish... | Teasers
2. Ranting about DP photos
3. My not so magical trip from Chicago to Orlando
4. The boring arrival day concludes
5. Getting ready...
6. Some hair details I forgot
7. Meanwhile, at the Swan...
8. An Interlude: Accessories, ring, and things
9. What happens when the groom is clueless
10. The ceremony: Part I | Lots of people walking
11. The ceremony: Part II | I obsess and we exchange vows
12. The ceremony: Part III | Exchanging rings and pouring sand
13. The ceremony: Part IV | A 10 minute ceremony closes
14. Time to eat, drink, and be merry
15. I FINALLY MEET DAISY
16. The ceremony winds down
17. Portraits
18. Dinner reception at bluezoo
19. The Dessert Party

...now back to your regularly scheduled planning journal...

The Introduction


Hi, my name is Katie and I'll be getting married in Disney this June. My finance and I met in high school, starting dating senior year, and have been dating ever since. Our first date was May 19, 2001...so it's been a while.

Anyway, after we graduated college we moved in together and this past summer he proposed while we were in Disney World. Neither of us have big families and we just saw a traditional wedding here in Chicago at a banquet hall as a waste of money...the rubbery and tasteless chicken, cringing through the electric slide, watching people we barely ever see take a sip from a drink and then set it down, etc, etc, etc. We considered Vegas for a bit, but I have always been obsessed with Disney, so Disney it was!

Here is a picture of us at a dinner cruise on the lake that we went to on my birthday.

Here is a picture of the ring. I picked it out a couple months before we went to Disney, so I knew it was coming eventually. I have been obsessing about heart-cut diamonds since high school, so I definitely wanted to pick it myself:

Ok, now that the boring stuff is over...

The Details

I've edited all of this since I originally posted to reflect the most recent decisions...

Escape wedding @2:30pm

Location: Sea Breeze Point.

Officiant: Ron Rosenweig

Photography: Studio 222 http://www.thestudioishere.com/

The Dress: At first I didn't care at all about my dress. My prom dress was white and if I still fit in it, I might have considered it. But once I started trying them on, I got the *bride bug* and really started to care. I went to House of Brides myself about a week ago and saw a dress I really liked. After I scratched the prom dress, I thought I could get a dress for like $500. Well this dress was about $850. Later in the week I made an appointment at a boutique in Chicago and went with my mom. I tried on a ton of dresses. Probably around 25-30. And all I kept doing was trying to find a dress similar to the HOB one. Well I went back to HOB with my mom and sister and got the dress. I didn't want to keep running around town when I knew what I wanted. After tax it was in the middle 900's. So much for the budget! And don't even get me started on the alteration charges that are coming...

I don't have pictures. The sample dress was green anyway. The picture on the designers website does not do the dress justice. I don't even want to post it because you will all think I picked a monstrosity. Also, the website picture is gold colored . I chose ivory. I thought the white was too white. You'll just have to trust me that it's good until you see the pics in June

After Ceremony: Bluezoo

The Dessert Party: Morocco

Decor: Had my appointment with Rosie. Everything is in progress currently. I will post details once it's all finalized.

Welcome Party: Originally I planned on Ohanas, but my dad said "**Expletive** the welcome party" Woah! He said it was a waste of money and prefered to go to some Orlando racetrack with 'the boys' and the girls can go shopping. lol. Well, I'm not gonna argue, it will save some money!

Hotel: Beach Club Villas. I started out with Contemp ressies, changed to Grand Floridian, changed again to Boardwalk Villas, and am now set on Beach Club!

Ok, I have blabbered enough. More to come later! Hopefully this will be a satisfying PJ for people since the wedding is right around the corner! I'm currently reading about a few that are happening in 2010...these journals make me even more nervous because my wedding is exactly 210 days away and have sooooooo much to do!!!!

 

[padisneyfour]

welcome and congrats! your plans sound great looking forward to hearing more! I love your ring too!Its very pretty

 

[trudy88]

...and your ring is gorgeous!
trudy <><

 

[disneygal922]

Hi PrincessShea! You have a great start to your PJ! I'm also from Chicagoland and agree that a big banquet wedding here would be way too expensive for us. We are still planning on an at-home reception for the family and friends who can't make the trip to disney, however, it will be a 'hey, come celebrate with us' type thing! Can't wait to read more of your plans!

ps ~ your ring is GORGEOUS!

 

[PrincessShea]

Some Jewelry

Hello all! Just wanted to update because I got my necklace today all the way from Hong Kong! I actually took this idea from another Disbride. A lot of stuff in this PJ will seem familiar to you all, since I am stealing so many ideas!

Anyway, here it is. When I told my mom I was wearing a mickey necklace, she rolled her eyes and said it would be tacky, but she was very surprised and thought the necklace was really nice. Granted, its from Hong Kong, so I am sure it is an imitation of the real thing--whatever the real thing is--but regardless I think it's really pretty and will look nice with my dress!

 

[padisneyfour]

That is pretty!

 

[PrincessShea]

welcome and congrats! your plans sound great looking forward to hearing more! I love your ring too!Its very pretty

...and your ring is gorgeous!
trudy <><

That is pretty!

THANKS!

Hi PrincessShea! :I'm also from Chicagoland ...

Holla!! Glad to know I'll have other people to commiserate with during the inevitably horrible winter coming. We can wish we were in Florida together

 

[honey2741]

Congrats! I'm enjoying reading your journal.

 

[honey2741]

What made you decide on Narcoosee's?

 

[bridetobe789]

Congrats on starting a pj!! Your ideas sound great so far! The necklace is very pretty and what a cute pic of you and df!!

 

[B2B-2008]

First off congratulations, I LOVE YOUR RING!!!!

I also love your necklace, it looks similar to mine but yours has Mickey's, fantastic.

DP - Would they let you have the UK lover? I had that as my first option but a convention got it on my date as they were a bigger group. I had 10 guests.

MK Photos - I was also in two minds about these photos because of the cost and my DH hated the idea of getting out of bed at that time. But getting married at Disney and having the pictures in front of the castle in my dress sold me. And we really did both enjoy the experience.

Can't wait to see more of your plans.

 

[PrincessShea]

Congrats! I'm enjoying reading your journal. What made you decide on Narcoosee's?

Thanks!

Well, I considered the private room at Citrico's at first. I believe though that I have read the first seating is at 6:30, which would be too late if we want a DP. I don't know if they would accommodate us earlier than that, but I guess I just like the food choices at Narcoossees better...Crab cakes and Mahi Mahi...Mmmmm. The Italian type food at Citrico's would be ok though. I also think it might be better to be in a bustling restaurant since there will only be 10-15 of us and that will make the atmosphere more lively. But it will be awkward I guess when we are all dressed up and everyone else there is in t-shirts!

Now when I talked about the $12,500 cost so far, keep in mind that I am including things like my dress, hair and makeup, Ohanas, etc in that. When I add up the things that are through DFTW, I still do not think we would come even close to $10,000. Also, there is no way we'd hit the room minimums, as again only 10-15 people are coming, and over half are 100% staying off property....hence the Escape wedding.

Congrats on starting a pj!! Your ideas sound great so far! The necklace is very pretty and what a cute pic of you and df!!

Thanks!

First off congratulations, I LOVE YOUR RING!!!!

I also love your necklace, it looks similar to mine but yours has Mickey's, fantastic.

DP - Would they let you have the UK lover? I had that as my first option but a convention got it on my date as they were a bigger group. I had 10 guests.

MK Photos - I was also in two minds about these photos because of the cost and my DH hated the idea of getting out of bed at that time. But getting married at Disney and having the pictures in front of the castle in my dress sold me. And we really did both enjoy the experience.

Can't wait to see more of your plans.

Thanks! First off I just wanna say I really enjoy your TR. Your whole wedding seemed fantastic. And when I read your report I imagine an English accent saying everything which makes it even more fabulous

I asked my WP about other locations and she said Morocco was the only choice due to size...so who knows. What they tell brides though does seem really inconsistent. I'm not totally opposed to Morocco...we were in Disney this past June and we watched Illuminations near the crepe cart in France, and looking back at my pictures the infamous tree that blocks the view is in the same line of vision as the view we had by the cart, and I didn't even notice it. I just wish there were more pictures online! It seems like there are none of actual DP's there!

And again, I feel the same way about the pictures. I know in the end I will probably just do it because I always regret it. I just pray I have at least one good shot I can get an 8X10 of as I am an impoverished teacher and those pictures are basically an entire paycheck

Sorry for the quality but here is a pic of my 'save the dates.' I just bought some cardstock at Michaels and some red envelopes. Then I downloaded a Disney font and bought some scrapbooking stickers and voila! I thought they were pretty slick, but I made them before I started reading this board...so I know they are nothing compared to the masterpieces some people here have made! But I have grand plans for the real invitations now! People seem to hate doing them, but I enjoy crafts and look forward to the project!

 

[padisneyfour]

Your save the dates are cute!I like them!

 

[disneygal922]

We can wish we were in Florida together

I completely agree!

I LOVE your save the dates! I think you did a fantastic job on them! I love scrapbooking and crafty things too! However, because I'm still over a year out I haven't made my save the dates or anything like that yet! Can't wait to read more!

 

[PrincessShea]

Hey Ladies. Thought I'd post about some of the indecisive madness I've been going through the past few days.

Well, if you look a few posts up, you would see that I posted about how I didn't think I would come close to Wishes minimums. Well I started to play around with the wishbook, and I think I could do it! The thing that aggrevated me the most is that I used the wishbook to add up the cost of what I get with an Escape package...and well, it doesn't even come close to $4500

My biggest problem with the escape package is zero options for eating afterwords. I originally went with an escape because with 10-14 guests (including me and df)...well, Wishes made no sense. But I have been struggling like crazy about what do to after the ceremony. If you asked me in September, I would've said decisively, "We are going to Narcoossees afterwords". I had no second thoughts. I LOVE (and I mean LOVE) crabcakes and mahi mahi. That is a dream meal. So Narcoossees seemed perfect. And I didn't worry about clothing because at the time I thought I would just change out of my dress and all the guests would be casual. But then....

...I got my dress. Trust me it's magical! I always thought I would get something super simple and super A-line. Well, my dress is not. So now I want to get my money-worth from that baby! I don't want to change out of it and I want everyone dressed up. I'm going with my sisters next week to get bridesmaid dresses. I know I can wear my dress in the restaurants, but I am such a shy little baby, I feel like I'd be too embarrassed about being so out of place.

So I started to think I should just pay for Wishes. Well I have run into several issues. First, the date has to change. The minimums for weekends are $20,000. June 12 is Friday, so that would have to change.

Also, June 12-18 is basically all that works for our families, so it has to be then. Grrrr, this is the only time I curse being a teacher because I would love to just have an easy middle of October wedding when the parks are empty and there is less hassle! But alas, I have no choice (always wanted to use that smilie!)

Well, Disney tells me that June 18 is the only day SeaBreeze Point and White Hall at the GF (a place small enough for for my guest count I guess)is available at 2:30. But then I find out today that there will be no DP's that day So June 18 is out of the question. A DP is a must for me. The weird thing is that WC said there are no DPs that day because Epcot projects peak attendance. They project peak attendance for a Thursday, but not a Friday? Must be an EMH day. Regardless, with the 4 for 3 deal (a sign of the economy I assume) I can't believe Disney is projecting any peak days this summer...

I'm waiting to hear back about June 15-17. I'm willing to have it somewhere other than SBP. The YCG would be ok. I don't even really care about the reception location. I just want a room. I do want a DP though and would really prefer a 2:30 time (just so everything flows into each other). I also do not want an Epcot ceremony because there is no way I am waking up early and I want an outside photographer (which I wouldn't be able to have at Epcot).

...which leads to another issue. I would have to hope that Ron R. is able to change the date, otherwise I am out those deposits .

So maybe I will just stick with the escape package already booked for June 12. Right now I am investigating private dining in restaurants at The Swan/Dolphin. We stayed there in June and I really like it. It works with the SBP location, because everyone can just walk and then we can easily walk to the International Gateway for the DP. That would be great to save on transportation costs. I really like Bluezoo. Waiting to hear back about minimums. I just got a reply from Shula's and the minimum is $1000 for the 'Sideline' room. I dunno how I feel about the sports theme though I guess $1000 is what Narcoossees would've cost, so it would work. Plus it'd be private. (I have a feeling the Bluezoo minimums are going to be ridiculous).

Finally (sorry for the novel here!) I think I'm gonna nix the MK photoshoot. The more I look at other people's, the less I like them. Yes, some pics here and there are nice...but for $1000? No. All I really want is a picture in front of the castle in daylight. I don't like the ones inside the castle (looks too Medieval Times to me) or the ones on the Carousel, etc. I also don't like the pictures taken before sunrise. I think I might just use the stupid Honeymoon shoot I get and take some pictures of us in front of the castle in nicer casual clothes. Or maybe an Epcot shoot? I am not a Cinderella girl. I am a Beauty and the Beast girl and would love a nice picture in front of the Stain glass BB windows in France. Who knows though. As you can see I change my mind every 5 seconds!!!!

If you area interested in any info about the Swan/Dolphin private rooms, just ask and I'll post them as I get them.

Well if you got this far, I'm sorry to bore you...but sometimes it's nice to just clear your head by typing things out

 

[PrincessShea]

Oh, I am also thinking about changing the hotel reservation from GF To Beach Club. It would be a little less $$$. Then of course, I will have THREE hotel reservations Gotta start canceling some!

 

[honey2741]

My biggest problem with the escape package is zero options for eating afterwords. I originally went with an escape because with 10-14 guests

...I got my dress. Trust me it's magical! I always thought I would get something super simple and super A-line. Well, my dress is not. So now I want to get my money-worth from that baby! I don't want to change out of it and I want everyone dressed up.

Right now I am investigating private dining in restaurants at The Swan/Dolphin.

If you area interested in any info about the Swan/Dolphin private rooms, just ask and I'll post them as I get them.

Wow! Are you in my brain? This is EXACTLY what I'm struggling with. I am so sorry you are going through this madness. It does help to either talk or write it out. Thank you so much for posting. I NEVER even thought of private dining locations at the Swan/Dolphin. I would love to read any information you may obtain about private dining at the Swan/Dolphin.

The point is to have a nice event, stay in the dress as long as possible, but stay within budget! Good luck and wishing many blessings to come your way. It will all work out

 

[PrincessShea]

Wow! Are you in my brain? This is EXACTLY what I'm struggling with. I am so sorry you are going through this madness. It does help to either talk or write it out. Thank you so much for posting. I NEVER even thought of private dining locations at the Swan/Dolphin. I would love to read any information you may obtain about private dining at the Swan/Dolphin.

The point is to have a nice event, stay in the dress as long as possible, but stay within budget! Good luck and wishing many blessings to come your way. It will all work out

Thanks! I know what you mean. All I wanted was something simple and to have a fun week with my family in Disney World. But I feel like Carrie in Sex and the City...once I got the dress things got out of control If I can get a private room at one of these S/D restaurants, I am definitely just gonna stick with the escape package.

The private party menus for Shulas are here, and I got more specific info in an email today. It seems like a lot, but the $1000 minimum is basically what it'd cost to eat at Narcoossees. And they have crab cake and mahi mahi! The pictures of the place look nice...but I still don't know about the sports theme. I'll post Swan/Dolphin private dining info as I get it!


Private Party Pricing
Room Sizes

The following rooms can accommodate group sizes up to:

Ribeye Room 20 – 28 Guests; with $2200.00 in Food & Beverage minimum
Porterhouse Room 30 – 42 Guests; with $3200.00 in Food & Beverage minimum
New York Room 42 – 60 Guests; with $4200.00 in Food & Beverage minimum
Coach’s Room 55 – 65 Guests; with $5200.00 in Food & Beverage minimum
Sideline Room 10 – 14 Guests; with $1000.00 in Food & Beverage minimum

Hall of Fame Rooms

Nick Buoniconti 12 – 15 Guests; with $1200.00 in Food & Beverage minimum
Larry Czonka 12 – 15 Guests; with $1200.00 in Food & Beverage minimum
Bob Griese 12 – 15 Guests; with $1200.00 in Food & Beverage minimum
Larry Little 12 – 15 Guests; with $1200.00 in Food & Beverage minimum
Hall of Fame Capacity 78 Guests


No-Name Lounge
Receptions

Entire Lounge 30 – 75 Guests; with $3000.00 in Food & Beverage minimum
Partial Lounge 10 – 30 Guests; with $1500.00 in Food & Beverage minimum



Groups must meet the minimum amount of guests for the private dining rooms or a room charge of $68 per person up to the minimum amount will be accrued.

 

[B2B-2008]

Everything you have written was exactly the way I felt. We originally was going to have an escape but changed to a Wishes because I wanted a full day and a nice private meal. And my dress was staying on me

When I originally phoned Disney I only had 8 guests and they said I may have to justify why I wanted the wishes option but that was so easy because with everything I wanted on the wish book I was hitting just under the $10,000 without any food!

I was so worried about having to pay a bill at the end of the meal and then not having enough money etc, I wanted it all paid for on the day so I didn't have to worry about a thing.

Could you not have a wishes dessert party in the grounds of the GF, I have seen some girls have these?

 

[PrincessShea]

Could you not have a wishes dessert party in the grounds of the GF, I have seen some girls have these?

That's true, but I'd prefer the more lively atmosphere of Epcot. I think the 12-14 of us are going to be tired of staring at just each other all day

Well, many decisions were made today during lunch period! Again, not sure if anyone cares but maybe a window into the madness will help another bride later on

I decided to just stick with the escape package. I have contacted Bluezoo at the Dolphin and they have a private room available June 12. I haven't received the menus yet, but even if the minimum is $2000, it will still be less than wishes.

I also cancelled my reservation at the Grand Floridian. Yes, it would be cool to stay at a monorail resort, and the same resort that the Tanner family visited on the magical Full House episode where Michelle learned a valuable life lesson about sharing (BEST.SHOW.EVER )... but I just have too many reservations about transportation logistics. I wanted to stay the Beach Club, but found a Boardwalk Villa for the dates we need that's the same price as a BC standard room (no Beach Club Villas were available ). I'm not gonna lie, the clown pool scares me, but I think for the room size, it's worth it. On the wedding day, with my mom and sisters in the room and the makeup artist, it will just be better with a villa. I'll of course still keep my eyes open for BCV between now and June!

So the plan is SBP @ 2:30
Bluezoo @ 5:30
Morocco DP @ 8:30

So everything will be walking distance! Plus after the ceremony, it will be easy for my family to just go chill in our room while we take pictures since there will be time between the ceremony and dinner. Phew. I feel better about things! Maybe tonight I'll actually be able to sleep!

Still pouring over the MK photoshoot. Also considering a character at the cake cutting ceremony. More to come eventually, including operation weightloss at the YMCA!