Lisa & Trace-1/25/2011-WP/GF - we got our wedding pics!

[sambycat]

lots going on and now that we are at this just about to be >7 months point, i'm starting to feel the pressure again!! working on our move - we are actually getting brand new flooring throughout his home today (except the bathrooms which i forsome reason think we can tile ourselves - too much HGTV??)! Then the "FH" comes out sunday to help me get together for the move. we pack up, i've got 2 more weeks of work, movers come the 8th, we head out - WITH MY LITTLE DOGGIE- to WDW for a quick weekend alone (yay!!) and our planning session. THEN we DRIVE to texas. Then all my crud arrives and we work some more!! YOU CAN DO EEEEETT!!

PLANNING SESSION - Karen and her asst, Jessie, seem awesome! the communication has been great, planning session is confirmed. got an email about picking things to taste. we are essentially doing the tinkerbell buffet, i think we will add mickey waffles, as the carb/sugar load isn't quite high enough for our liking. but i hadn't really thought about tasting anything because, like, why do we need to taste a waffle or an omelet?? karen said think about it and we will taste the chicken dish - which sounds great but for the roasted fennel that i hate so i can taste it and see how fennel-y it is - and the artichoke pasta dish of which i am 100% positive is most likely not super artichoke-y unless you think bubbly hot artichoke dip from chilis or wherever is super artichoke-y. i think it will be good, just not....not "fresh" maybe? i mean i think it will be pasta with a super pale greenish sauce that is just like a heavy alfredo. which is fine by me, but we will taste and make sure we don't think its tooooo nouvelle cuisine for some of our guests!

upon reviewing the menu, we know we are putting the pastry items to the "pre-reception", so i am almost feeling we need something more - a fruit dish (although i don't really want fruit salad), maybe a green salad of some sort? also i sondered if we needed one "wow" item at the pre-reception, but couldn't think offhand of what kind of item would be good served from trays and "go" with the brunch AND be uber budget friendly.... suggestions????

but we have stuff to taste! i'm bringing along a bunch of stuff for my inspiration - should i print EVERYTHING out? i'm kind of thinking i will just bring my laptop? i already sent a "power point" type file with wedding inspiration to my planner, so i thought i could bring the computer, then i can email any files they want.

also mentioned wanting some ideas for the decor ala the lanterns or balloons and things i've talked about before. of course in my email i said i needed something budget friendly and under 1K! well, i really mean UNDER $500!! so who knows! and i don't know if its even worth finding someone else for that one element...

i'm stymied by flowers - positive any flowers of the types i like will be lovely, not sure what to do or specify for my MOH and the family members getting flowers. i LOVE flowers. its good the amount of flowers i would want is so far out of our budget its not even possible! but i love flowers! i want flowers but at the same time need to keep it to a minimum becasue we are also going on the cruise the next day, my MOH is probably leaving THAT evening - just hate to see beaustful flowers just tossed!! all the pics i have are flowers, pom poms of flowers etc.... i'm wanting a "looser" bouquet in general (you got that right? LOOSE-er not LOSER??! heh), but think maybe i should shoot an email over today to also ask floral to make any suggestion about the above... i think using lots of branches as well will keep with the theme and be less sad and wasteful!

DRESS- FH's step-mom does alterations and is a tailor/seamstress by profession. i am hoping she will have advice or suggestions for me. still wanting to shorten the dress - i guess i shouldn't buy a crinoline until i shorten it or buy it now? - and i googled something up that seems to think that it is possible to put a corset back onto a zipper back dress. WHA?? MAKE MY DRESS UTTERLY PERFECT??? this must happen!!!

on a weird side note, the soldering (is that how you spell that??) on my e ring that i had resized came off! like i can see where they cut it and everything. they made it smaller so the ends are together but ***??!! the rest of the repairs they did appear intact, i will go back to the shop tomorrow but its just so odd!

i'm still working on the invites, have gone back to the original fonts and changed the wording again. as soon as trace gets here, i want to start printing so we can get them out as soon as we arrive in texas, before home improvements swamp us!! PLUS i already put our RSVP date as 11/15 or something..

also - i'm stressing on the room block getting filled, trace paid rev. miller in full, i have a hair/make up trial with BSpecial at WDW - i don't know what i'm doing! - and we have epics with the arndts - and we are going to get my little crazy love bug maggie out of MK jail for some of the pics!! very excited! more so to see how we look in the pics with make up etc... i HOPE we like them - less about the photography more about being self critical...

OMG I HAVE A MILLION ZILLION THINGS TO DO!!!!

 

[padisneyfour]

just catching up! love the cake topper! your ideas are wonderful! have fun at your planning session! take a breath and one step at a time, you have alot going on but you will get there!

 

[Brit_Jude]

Love your cake topper! It is adorable. Your dress is lovely and of course I like the sparkly shoes I can sooo sympathize on being an older bride, being in the over 40 set myself. I can say though that I have not had any negative reactions from anyone - especailly when I explain all I am getting and only having to deal with one place. They also know me and I think they know that Disney suits me

On the planning I want to tell you to relax it will all come together but that is so easy to say - I hope that the planning session will help, you need to enjoy this time. You have soooo much going on with the move etc.

 

[sambycat]

i was looking at this weird but funny video we recorded last year on our way to the cruise and realized this was the day he proposed! heh.

you can see it here.. its not real long

 

[daisygirl902]

i went for my tasting a few weeks ago and tried this same stuff...here is my feedback - maybe it will help!

I tasted the chicken dish with wild rice, the artichoke pasta, and cream cheese grand marnier crepes with berry and creme anglaise sauce.

I didn't really taste the fennel at all in the chicken, and the whole dish was to die for! Loved it so much, and i found the rice to be the perfect pairing. i was very on the fence about it until I tried it, then it became a MUST HAVE!

The Pasta was amazing too...it was very light and creamy but not a thick heavy cream....and it had artichoke quarters in it, not what I pictured at all...I kind of had pictured a more "blended or chopped" type sauce. It was phenomenal too.

I loved the crepes, and chose them over the mickey waffles (we wanted one more "carby sweet" dish as well), only because you can get Mickey Waffles everywhere down there, but these crepes were amazing. Although he is making them without the grand marnier for my wedding as I found it too boozy for my taste.

Maybe try the yogurt martinis as the pre-reception! If I was having them that's what I was planning to do (they tasted WAY better than I had imagined)...I took them out only because it felt like too much food, so we're doing fruit trays and pastries as our pre-reception.

Good luck with the planning!

 

[Brit_Jude]

i was looking at this weird but funny video we recorded last year on our way to the cruise and realized this was the day he proposed! heh.

you can see it here.. its not real long

Funny! He doesn't give anything away does he.

 

[sambycat]

i've had this idea for mickey eared bridal gear.... i do have the more typical bride headband with veil thingy..... but i wanted an ivory top hatwith floof and flowers. so i made this -

first, the painting ivory. let me say, these groom ears are like 2.7 mm thick. and yet, took a CAN of ivory spray paint AND about 2/3 a LARGE bottle of ivory craft paint... arg!!! soooo painted -

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now that we are dry, adding blue ribbons and flowers - havent glued anything in place, but you get the idea -

in other news, keep getting emails about PS stuff - yay!! a week from today we will be checked in at saratoga springs, the move will have begun....

working on invites, finishing up printing stuff so we can assemble and mail as soon as we get to texas! got the postage cost today - going to check out zazzle stamps now!!

 

[Brit_Jude]

You have been crafty! Hat looks fanstatic. Very checky as we Bristish would say.

One week till you are at the world what bliss! Can't wait to hear all about your trip.

 

[sambycat]

You have been crafty! Hat looks fanstatic. Very checky as we Bristish would say.

One week till you are at the world what bliss! Can't wait to hear all about your trip.

THANKS!!!

well, that trip you speak of is here - as I tye this we are awaiting the movers. when they are done, we clean up the apartment and get ready to head to texas - via WDW!! - tomorrow!!

trial run hair and make up is sunday and e pics with the arndts! monday is our planning session! then its back to texas - we'll see how long that takes!!!

anyways, will contribute to describing the PS experience upon my return and get back to reading the boards like i like too!!!

see you real soon!

 

[Brit_Jude]

Hi Lisa,

Just wanted to check and see if you were back yet? Wondering how the move is, OK I hope

Judi

 

[sambycat]

Hi Lisa,

Just wanted to check and see if you were back yet? Wondering how the move is, OK I hope

Judi

annnnnddddd - we're back!! thanks for asking!

the movers came a week ago, took all the stuff, well not all my stuff because i wanted to have a few items with me so i'd have clothes and make up and personal items until the movers arrived (which is a good thing because the movers called and asked if they could come a week from yesterday, which will be a 2 weeks, a few days after the agreed upon date) however i forgot in my calculations of what would fit and has fit in my SUV before that this trip we'd be three- DF and Dear Pup (my crazy dog), so getting settled and sqeezed into te car was ridiculous. then of course i didn't leave near enough time fo cleaning up the apartment. mainly, my vacuum died so the carpets weren't pristine, and all the stains and wear, at least half came with the carpet not from me!, is all exposed and looking worse then ever, and i had issues with throowing stuff away. i took all the spices and unopened food items and sat them in the lobby, but i also left alot of cleaning items in the apartment. i was just over it all and we had a 13 hour drive ahead of us and needed to be at WDW at a certain time to get crazy dog into the kennel.

basically we were there friday nght and left last tuesday for texas, which we drove to in one hideous car ride that i was sure would never end...

the main focus of the trip was to be the PS, hair/make up trial, e pics and other wedding recon. here are the pre-PS specifics:

• hair/make up - i've lined up BS, and have made my wedding and bridal shoot appts with a non refundable deposit already. anna came to my room on sunday to help me with hair and make up. i was worried about not explaining myself well and not being pleased with the results because of my own self esteem kookiness more than the actual make up being poorly done. i decided to show just a few magazine pictures and not break out the lap top slide show. she asked alot of questions. i felt a wee bit frustrated about the hair, my hair is long for me, but actually quite short and it seems anna didn't think my hair length could accomplush the pics i did find. DF really liked my hair though, so that was good.
• make up - this was another area where i personally wasn't so thrilled, and i didn't speak up enough. that said, in thinking back, i brought pics i felt were similar, our idscussion lead off into a more vintage glam kind of thing and i did indeed agree to go with more eyeliner, darker lip as i know i do like those ideas in my mind and on others, but haven't liked it on me. i kinda thought that having a professional do it would transfomr me into a pin up girl and it didn't. i mean it was a lot of make up, which is what you need, but it didn't feel terrible, i just in the moment went a different direction than my pictures and thats on me, although i can see perhaps anna has a style she prefers! i with hold judgement really util i see pics, and i bet it does look good in the pictures! ad the job done was fine. i think the trial was almost more about me figuring out how to express what i wanted? and anna said several times - tell me what you like or don't like and we can change it. she was also helpful in me finishing up my outfit after she was done! my main worry is that i've more ruled something OUTas a look, then found the look and now i won't be back until the wedding. i think i may try to email some deas in and since we've now met in person, maybe she can help me figure out how to describe what i want and if she thinks it will work?
• e-pics with david and vicki arndt were next! we were both very nervous about this, but, like everyone says, THEY WERE SO MUCH FUN!!!! put both of us at ease immediately and took a ton of pictures! saw a fes theough the camera shots that looked cute so we are hopeul about getting a few good ones back - will post some when we get them! basically, they really walk you through doing stuff in a way that doesn't feel completely insane and having 2 people actually felt better, less pressure, kept the mood light! we went to th poly, inside and at the beach area and SBP, over the the WP area (with scaffolding and frahnks being closed!) and did stuff outside and on the beach, and when they dropped us off at SSR they hopped out and we took a bunch of pics at the stairs where we were staying. can't say enough about them!

i will get on to PS deets hopefully tonite... sadly there is much packing and cleaning and painting to be done before all the stuff gets here wednesday! oh and i still have one more thing to print for our invites. i did end up ordering stamps from zazzle and those came already...

TO BE CONTINUED........

 

[brer rabbit 28]

I can't wait to see you e pics.

try not to worry too much about your make up. I'm sure it will be fabulous on the day

 

[disneybarbie]

Hi Lisa!

I just stumbled across your wedding PJ and love all your plans so far!


Btw we met briefly at the All About the Mouse 'Kim Possible' meet last December.. you & Trace had just got engaged!

Looking forward to reading more of your plans... my fiance and I are also going on the Disney Dream ship as part of our honeymoon (not until next June though!), can't wait!


Emma x

 

[Brit_Jude]

Hey there - like the summary. Can't wait to see the e-pics and how the make-up looks!

 

[sambycat]

Btw we met briefly at the All About the Mouse 'Kim Possible' meet last December.. you & Trace had just got engaged!

Looking forward to reading more of your plans... my fiance and I are also going on the Disney Dream ship as part of our honeymoon (not until next June though!), can't wait!


Emma x

how funny! small world, no??!?

yes, still awaiting the epics. i hope they are not hideous! and by hideous i mean me being overly judgemental of myself. soooooo fingers crossed on that!

so the planning day was great and overwhelming too. we met karen, who seems really great and, of course, super organized. we all met up at the GF convention center, which is where WH room/patio situation is located. LOVE the location and the monorail going by! lots of activity around outside, including the lovely pouring rain of the florida summer, but it was very very quiet inside the entire GF covention center, which is good to know.

we went into one of the smaller ballrooms and karen went over all the planning stuff we've sent in and discussed thus far. this made me realize that i know nothing about how weddings are "supposed" to go! i know that, bottom line, whatever we want to do, we can and will do, but she was asking questions and explaining about the timing and entrances and toasts and order of processionals and it's all greek to me! i mean, on the one hand, i respect and give ALOT of weight to her experience and knowledge, but then somethings i feel, like, why?

• i would *like* to have the first peek at the reception space, yes please! but the more she explains it, it seems like there really isn't a "secret" way to get to the room without people seeing us and it seems silly to me to sneak down the hall to the room and then sneak back out past all the windows (which she told us this would entail). i think DF wants to sneak and it's just getting to me that it will be awkward....
• the whole "pre-reception"/cocktail hour deal.... i mean, we have a hall way to the room, and actually the room is pretty small (but neat and with the birds! yay!). i was more open to the prereception area in the planning tools material - i thought it implied a guest book table and/or gift table were gratis? and our sales person suggested the whole "move some buffett items to the pre-party". wellllll, noone mentioned till now that "moving" things from the buffett menu - THE PRE-PLANNED, NO SUBSTITUIONS MADE MENU - costs MORE. like apparently they remove the item from your buffett menu charge and charge you MORE MONEY for the same thing on a different table. a different table they will probably want to charge for as well. now i don't know how much more, but right there i was kind of annoyed by that, not at karen or anything, but thats just silly.
• on that subject is another issue - i want to have our guests be comfortable and be a great host. we choose this space because of the cool room and location and january weather can run the gamut so now plans for the patio. well, the planner suggests several tables, several tables that will need to have table cloths and something on them set up outside. i don't personally even what to bother with the outside and i really don't want to pay more money for stupid (but delicious!) danishes to move 12 feet to an area that will only be used for less than an hour. i'm so not trying to be a cheap-o, but that seems like a waste to me....
• are we supposed to assign someone to toast? and apparently this occurs at the beginning of things? like outside apparenlty if we follow the schematic karen showed us?

yes i know little about weddings....

so we talked and went over all the things we sent in. just clarified my answers really. and karen said at the outset, we'd be generating the first of possibly a million "BEOs"!! so all was good.
THEN we went to taste food! despite reading planing journals here, i had no idea we'd be led into the working kitchen where there was a table and chairs with white table cloths, flowers and mickey and minnie wedding big fig! it was just so cool! and to think i wasn't going to bother with tasting anything - karen talked me into it and it was cool!

things were going so quick in my head i truly don't remember the name of our fabulous chef and our server - but they were both awesome! i expected to taste food, perhaps share a full plate of the dishes we chose, but no! it was a full on multi course spread! we were stuffed at the end!!! we tried the pastries/danish (ok, i ate 2), then i had asked about suggestions for a green salad to possibly add. she had prepared an asian type salad, which trace loved! then i had thrown the le cellier cheese soup on there just because and, well, i think we will be adding that too! then they made the asparagus pasta -yummy! - and then the chicken dish (and no, i couldn't detect the fennel majorly) with 2 potatoes. well, we've now changed from the oven roasted potatoes to the divine mashed potatoes.... oh boy! nothing like butter and cream to make things delicious!

then the cake action - we loved the almond cake and are looking at probably the rasberry creme filling stuff and the chocolate buttercreak as fillings. since coming home i realize we should just maybe alternate fillings on the same layers throughout the cake i think, since we are doing just almond cake for both layers. now, budget permitting, i'm thinking of surprising trace with a grooms cake..... but..... we are having so much food and everyone including us leave the next day, so not sure if that will happen.... the other cool thing about the cake is that i think karen and i got on the same page about me/us not wanting fondant on the mad hatter style. i want the plain vanilla or whatever buttercream, color the frosting different for different layesr. lots of frosting flowers! fondant ok for accents or what not. i explained i don't even want the smoothness of the fondant and the decorations or stripes or polka dots whatever they want to do to make it all crazy can just be piped icing or whatever. hopefully this will be ok with the bakers, but i suspect it will!!!!

after the food we literally rolled ourselves back to the meeting room to meet with elizabeth from floral and discuss the linen and all that.

we repeated our concerns about budget, especially, again, in light of us departing on the cruise and not wanting to spend tons on flowers i can't enjoy after the day. we discussed the flowers i like and she pointed out they are larger bloms so we should be able to do a nice bunch, more loose, not the (pretty!) ball type but more wild and garden-y. my MOH will have a smaller bouquet like mine. decided to look at gardenias for corsages/wrist corsages for the ladies of honor in the family, with my grandmother getting the most duded up of the corsages. my mother loved gardenias and they smell so wonderful, i'm counting on the special ladies in the family to make the whole place smell divine!!!!!

we talked bouts, i think we decided ranunculus for now.... both trace and i will have a hidden mickey crystal, but thats it... no petals no other decor at the ceremony. but i had this vintage table cloth i was thinking of having on our sweetheart table, that elizabeth suggested we think about putting on the altar? i think we might!!

we talked mad hatter decor. i had been thinking the muti color table cloths, but i think we will go with white table cloths and chair covers (4 tables plus the sweet heart) and multi colored bright sashes and napkins... we picked out a green, blue, pink? i don't know, i didn't write them down, but 4-5 colors.

that leaves centerpieces.... apparently my lantern idea can be a go - something like 23 lanterns for like 1000$? well, we may indeed splurge on this because we are doing so little else in the way of floral. don't know anything more about colors or sizes, but i am interested! as to centerpieces, i was told that there aren't anymore "mad hatter" hats as shown in the disney media photos still, just the kind of small-ish (on our 10 person rounds) tea pots with floral. i don't know what to do. they showed us some BEAUTIFUL tall glass vases with a sort of cone shape with greenery and flowers galore that are divine, karen said that style would run ~$350 each (more than the lanterns). we looked at some alternate pics as well. elizabeth now has me thinking about these glass circular tall vases, that weird color gel (which i think could play into helping differentiate tables by the centerpieces?), maybe curly willow branches, a bit of (real) greenery - i was going to say live, but maybe it really isnt live if you cut it?- and maybe some kind of butterfly (not live) or faux crazy birds or something......

so lots to think about, no pics to share as yet and we are waiting for the movers whilst none of his animals like my insane dog.

 

[sambycat]

we got an email from david and vicki arndt today - can't say enough good things about them! - with a few e pics (more this weekend! woot!)!!

i look ok, i just have one U.S. a $ $ load of make up on!!!!

 

[brer rabbit 28]

Great pics. Can't wait for more

 

[disneybarbie]

lovely pics!

 

[sambycat]

thanks guys!! i've got one more and some sample pics from and alice party disney hosted at francks that the photogs did, but my wi-fi is acting up! wil post in a bit!!

 

[sambycat]

here are a couple of inspiration pics for tea party lovers!