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Mary & Dan's TR- WP/BW 6/22/07-Getting ready

I am SO loving your report- thanks for another great update. So sorry to hear you got sick though!!
 
Yay for another update! I hope you got over being sick quickly!
 
I am always so jealous of you girls and your disney weddings....it is the only regret I have about my own wedding. I will be married 8 years this fall...so maybe we will have to do a vow renewal in disney someday:) i love your report, it looks like you were having a blast
 


Thank you so much everyone!

So now that my recaps are getting more into the wedding festivities I thought I would add my vendor eviews and things I was happy I did or didn't do.


Happy we followed our hearts and had a Disney wedding
Of course at some moments I doubted the choice myself, but Disney is just Dan and I. it was there that I realized I truly and deeply love my husband, and it was there he proposed to me in a way I will never forget. So while other people may have been skeptical, we always knew this was the place we were destined to be married.


Happy I spoke up and asked for a new planner
While I won’t get into all the drama with my first planner, I will just say she almost had me doubting my decision to use Disney. Once we spoke up and voiced our concerns to Kristi Davis, she assigned us to Dian Bowen. The woman is spectacular. I never had to wait more than 24 hours for a response to anything, or a revision. She was just awesome and she was as nice and sweet in person. My only regret is that I did not have her from the beginning and the P.S. (which was totally out of my control lol!)

Randy Chapman
Again another decision I was on the edge about. There were a few photographers in mind and in the end Dan made the final decision. His choice was made (of course on Randy’s work) but also his experience. There had to be a reason all these people use Randy. Well after knowing him now I know why. There is not a cooler, sweeter more easy going guy than Randy. No matter what he will make you smile and he will make you feel beautiful. Plus he knows Disney and how to photograph it.

Kennedy video productions
Another vendor I cannot say enough good things about. Kathleen and Ray are just the most amazing people. After we saw their work we didn’t even look anywhere else. I have complete trust that my video is going to be completely amazing.

Disney floral
I know many people have had issues with Disney floral but I am so happy we used them. Rose Dizon is one of the most talented floral designers I have seen. Some girls dream of the coach or whatever but my thing was the flowers, my bouquet and the centerpieces and the room. I was very clear of what I wanted and rose knew that but from the moment I met her at the PS she just got it. In fact I thought because I asked to reduce the price of certain things to fit within our budget that my floral would be smaller than I had initially hoped, but actually quite the opposite- it was drop dead beautiful- I am bias of course :rotfl:

Happy we had our reception at the Boardwalk

Ahhh I just love that resort. Everything about it. The service everywhere from the Inn, to the villas, to the convention center was just top notch. The chef at the BW (chef Dennis) was just awesome. He knew how important the food was to us and everything was awesome. The service the night of the wedding was insane. I would take a sip of a drink and the waiter would give me a new one- literally! Also having the Inn so close to the CC was great and most of my guests stayed there also which made it very convenient. Plus I am so happy I decided to use the BW for pictures. I just love the feel there and it is so much in character with Dan and I.

Lisa Pena
I know people have had issues with her as well, but I was blown away by the work she did for me. I almost cried when I saw my hair and makeup- it was EXACTLY what I wanted. We had all together 8 heads of hair and 4 faces of makeup and in my opinion every single person looked beautiful! We were done with way more than enough time. A good friend of mine who is a stylist and owned salons in NYC and Florida wanted to do my hair. I wanted her to enjoy the wedding. She was nervous and standing by on- call in case I freaked but even she was amazed at how good of a job Lisa did!

Added all of the “extras”
It was all a big hit and people were just blown away by the detail. The Rolls- Royce (which while I love the carriage it is just not me and I do not regret whatsoever not having it), The butler (which was a last minute addition that everyone is still talking about, the sorbet (the biggest hit of the night), the slipper, and the confetti canons.

Welcome dessert party
Another thing we were going back and forth on. See the thing is I really wanted to have a 5pm ceremony. Being part Greek most wedding are not until the evening and the party goes all night so I wanted a later ceremony- so no DP. We decided to do it as a welcome party and it was a big hit. People were amazed. It was also a great ice breaker. I got to meet people from Dan’s family and vice versa so the wedding greetings went super smooth. What I regret is not eating any dessert because I was so full from O’Hana..grrrr! I am also happy I had this professionally photographed and video taped.The thing I would have saved money on here is the bus transportation- 2 buses were not needed for 70 people 25 of which were staying at the BW.

Broke tradition and stayed with Dan the night before
This was not planned but I was so nervous I don’t know what I would have done without him. He has a way of calming me down. He is the yin to my yang. Anyway he slipped out early in the morning way before I woke up and we didn’t see each other until the ceremony.

So happy we used the Garden Suite to get ready and for the 2 nights after the wedding
I just love, love, love that suite. So cute. It had so much space and it was perfect for getting ready. Plus I think we will have some great pics in there. Plus it was really romantic after the wedding.

Took the day after the wedding to unwind
We totally pampered ourselves with a couples massage at the Mandara and Victoria and Albert’s and it was perfect and a great way for us to unwind and spend alone time together.

Thing I may have done differently......

Not stayed off property for 2 nights
We had scheduled a week and a half of Disney before the wedding. As we approached the date we just wanted to get down there and do a full 2 week vacation before the wedding. Plus Dan had never been to Sea World. We couldn’t book the Boardwalk so we decided to stay at the new Vistana. Well it wasn’t that we hated it (there was still a ton of construction going on) but it just wasn’t the same. Plus moving was annoying. We really felt like our real vacation started when we arrived at the Boardwalk. Sea World was fun but even if I decide to back I will still stay on Disney property.

I would have had Disney Arrange Something different for the Pre-reception
My Ch was supposed to be on the boardwalk outdoors under the lobby. Well that day it didn’t really rain which I am so thankful for. I think it sprinkled for like 2 mins at 3pm and that was it. But Disney was scared it was going to rain. Plus because there was no rain it was craaaaazy hot and humid. Disney basically said look one of 2 things is going to happen 2a. it is going to pour on your guests or b. someone is going to pass out it is so hot. So I said fine, move it inside- boohoooo. I know I wasn’t even there but I loved that spot. Not sure what else I could have done but forced it to be outside and my guests be miserably hot which would have been selfish of me. This leads me to the next wish I had…

Not had it at the end of June
Again nothing I could have done to really change this. I graduated at the end of May, my BM’s are college students and the other a teacher. We had no other option but August. It was soooo hot. I am so amazed it did not rain. In fact, aside from the heat it was a beautiful day. The thing is the 2 weeks leading up to the wedding were torture. Every time there was a 4 or 5 pm rain shower which was like almost everyday (and man did it pour) I would get depressed and say oh man right now our ceremony would be beginning. So in the end it was great but there was always that heat and rain floating over our heads.
 
June 19, 2007

Chapter 3 cont’d:
“Drinking (and eating and more drinking) around the world”


The plan today was to meet up in EPCOT around 9am with all the family. My Aunt, Uncle and 3 cousins (all of whom were in the bridal party) had arrived the night before and planning to meet us at 2pm for DATW. Dan, myself, my mom, my bro, Kerry, Kyle and Dan’ parents had ressies at LeCellier for 11:30am for lunch. We were going to hit the park and ride some rides before lunch.

Well that was the plan anyway. Once again I woke up dreadfully sick at 8 am. I dosed up on medicine went back to sleep and woke up again at 10 am. I took some more vitamin concoction and cold medicine and felt a little better. I was not going to let a stupid cold ruin this week for me or make me miss LeCellier for that matter. So I got dressed and we quickly head to EPCOT to meet everyone (ahhh you’ve got to love the Boardwalk for that reason alone!) We had some lunch and I had the petit filet- yum yum!

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For some reason it made me feel better just to sit and relax and eat a good meal!
After lunch we met up with my cousins and began our drinking and eating fest. Well mostly drinking for me and mostly eating for Dan!

We started in Canada and worked our way to the UK!
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my cousins and I trying to be funny. The thing is we are all under 5’5” and that top hole is up there so naturally Jessica decides to step on me to get up there. You can see her foot dangling- and the painful look on my face!

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Me getting my tour started!
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Dan getting his started lol!

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We all had some beers and hung out and watched off kilter and British Invasion band (is this even the name???)
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We made our way to France…
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Krystle, me and Jessica

Where EVERYONE got their drink on…and I mean EVERYONE!
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Dan’s dad
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Dan

By the time we hit Morocco I was getting buzzed! Still I stayed true to form and had a beer in Morocco. Everyone else had some fruity frozen thing and Dan had some food! When we got to Italy had a call on my cell. My friends had arrived and were in EPCOT!!!

We all waited for them and in the meantime I introduced everyone to Rosa Regale.
Needless to say it was a hugeeeeee hit.

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umm yeah that’s my mom with 2!!! Don’t ask lol!

Finally my friends arrive and they are all holding margaritas turning our group of 11 into a group of 20! They had passed Mexico and spotted that margarita booth and couldn’t wait. Bunch of lushes I tell ya.

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Jenny, Heather and Phil
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Ro, Heather and Jenny
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Hector, Cat and Jenny…hmmm how does Jenny get in all the pics???

We stopped in Japan and china for some- you guessed it -drinks and shopping. I just love the shopping in Japan. I love all things Japanese and so we spent a good chunk of time here. Some people did some sake shots and I got this yummy tropical drink in a booth in Japan. I think it had 151 so needless to say by the time we hit Mexico and had a margarita in hand we were all pretty wasted!Now this would have been the perfect time for that rumored tequila bar- but oh well that wasn’t there so a another margarita would have to do.

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We decide not to watch Illuminations since the DP was just a few days a way and I decided I needed my rest and sleep to ensure I didn’t get any sicker. The alcohol had managed to numb my senses but under it all I could still tell I was sick. At around 8pm everyone went their separate ways. Dan, myself my mom, and Steve head back to the BW. Out of curiosity we decided to check in at Flyin’ fish to see if anything was available and sure enough it was. How Dan ate at this point was beyond me!!!!!!!



Still, it was one of the best DATW ever. Dan and I had done this countless times but just by ourselves. I thought it would get chaotic but it never did. Everyone just went with the flow and had a blast! I would highly recommend this activity with a large group.

Up next in chapter four…the wedding festivities begin, bridal tea, bachelorette party but is Mary going to be too sick to make her own wedding festivities?? Stayed tuned folks…..
 
Mary I hope you were'nt dog sick for the wedding!

Love your pointers, especially why you chose to keep the wedding at Disney!

Keep it coming!popcorn::
 


Subscribing! Your trip report is awesome. I love all the pics. Keep em coming! Your teaser pics were beautiful...can't wait to see more popcorn::
 
"I introduced everyone to Rosa Regale"

I'm so glad someone else has a love for this as much as I do! It is hands down the best and I intend on asking how I can get it at my reception! :cool1:
 
It's good to hear that going around the park as a group went so well. I'm kind of nervous about this because I know at least 15-20 of us will probably attempt to go around together.
 
"I introduced everyone to Rosa Regale"

I'm so glad someone else has a love for this as much as I do! It is hands down the best and I intend on asking how I can get it at my reception! :cool1:


We had a bottle on hand at the reception. They cahrge alot for it so we didn't do it for everyone's toast but we used it for ours and then finished the bottle lol!

Thank you so much everyone...more coming soon!
 
Another terrific installment. British Invasion is my FAVORITE! Sounds like a great day and looking forward to hearing about the wedding festivities as they begin!
 
Okay - I'm hooked:surfweb:
Everything looks great so far! You all look like you had such a great time!
Can't wait to see more!
 
Thank you Maureen and Mary!

I will be adding more very soon . Cross my fingers but I should be getting my CD from Randy soon-:banana: So that will help!!!!!!!
 
It sounds like you had so much fun! I don't even know how you did it staying off property those first days. It would kill me to be so close and have to leave!! And wow, you drank like a champ at Epcot!!! Can't wait to hear more!
 
BrcsDisneyPrncs- I know that was the bggest mistake- staying OP. We thought well we have 10 nights at Disney that should be enough- let's save a couple of bucks:headache: not worth the headache!

June 20, 2007

Chapter 4:
“Let the wedding festivities begin….”


It was Wednesday morning around 10 am, luckily today I got to sleep in because it really helped with my developing cold. I woke up and felt 10 times better than I had been feeling. Luckily all those vitamins kicked in just at the right time. Dan was getting dressed because all the guys were meeting in my mom’s villa for their tux fitting with Carolyn Allen’s. He asked me if I had anything planned because he wanted me to be there lol! I didn’t originally plan on being there but my bridal luncheon wasn’t until 2:30pm so I said why not.

We went over to my mom’s room and some of the guys were arriving. Just a few minutes later Kathleen arrived and got to work.

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Just a few things had to be swapped out here and there so there were no major issues. She took back what needed to be changed out and said she would leave the new ones with Bell Services tomorrow. So far, so good. The guys got dressed and head out for their manly day of wings, beer and baseball at ESPN zone. I head back to my room to get changed for tea. We had arranged to meet everyone in the lobby of the GF at 2pm. So my mom and I head on over at around 1:30pm. Two of my bridesmaids were not able to make because of work schedules but that was ok, I wasn’t so upset because at least they could be there tomorrow for the rehearsal.

We all met in the lobby and took some pics. As you will see I thought it would be fun to do a “wear something red theme” it started as a joke between my cousins and I because we were joking about wearing big hats and polka dot dresses but everyone got into it!

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My girls and I

We head over to the garden view lounge and get seated.
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ummm yes even at tea champagne was necessary!

After tea we said our good byes and my mom and I head to the GF spa to get a pedi. I wasn’t blown away by the spa itself (I had been there before) and the pedi IMO was just so-so but hey it got the job done and I had a cute French pedi for the wedding! Also they used this amazing sugar scrub which I couldn’t resist and bought! Afterwards my mom and I walked around a bit and talked the we head back to the BW because at 7pm we were having a pizza party in my mom’s villa and afterwards we were off to jellyrolls! Also I was not feeling so hot again so I knew I needed to rest- grrrrrr! Once we got back to the BW and I changed and got out of the heat I felt better again and that was the last time the darn cold ever showed it’s face again!

Up next in chapter four…a pizza party with 30 people in a one bedroom villa, everyone gets drunk at Jellyrolls and the girls are off to Pleasure Island!
 
I am so, so hooked on your report. Totally LOVE the black and red theme going for the luncheon- how fun. More please!
 
Mary - your trip report is awesome! I love the red and black theme at the luncheon, and your DATW looked like so much fun!

I can't wait for more :)
 
What a great trip report!! I have just read all 4 pages and I am hooked! hehehe I can not wait to read more!
 

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