Meredith & Matt's PJ-June 19th, 2011 Germany/LSS - Completed TR and Blog Feature!

[elleinad16]

Oh man, your trip looks like it was a lot of fun!

I woke up this morning and saw your e-pics on David & Vicki's facebook and loved them all!

Also, I guess I've never spent too much time in the Germany pavilion because I wasn't aware of the cuckoo clock--I just youtubed it and it's amazing! How fun if that went off around your ceremony.

We almost picked Epcot for our reception location and we talked about doing a World Showcase wedding cake...I can't wait to see what they do for yours!

Can't wait to keep reading!

 

[irishwishes]

Since I'm getting married there, I saw your Swan and dolphin pic and got so happy!!! haha, I'm such a dork
Sounds like you guys had a good time (so far)
I can't wait to go to jellyrolls. DF and I have never been, and are so excited to go this year!!!!

You'll love Jellyrolls!!

I really want to take everyone to Jellyrolls too, but my brother is only 17, and DF's brother's GF is only 18, and his 1/2 bro and sis are only 16 and 18, so I don't really want to leave anyone out...

I would feel bad leaving people too! If you can make it to Jellyrolls at all you'll love it.

Oh man, your trip looks like it was a lot of fun!

I woke up this morning and saw your e-pics on David & Vicki's facebook and loved them all!

Also, I guess I've never spent too much time in the Germany pavilion because I wasn't aware of the cuckoo clock--I just youtubed it and it's amazing! How fun if that went off around your ceremony.

We almost picked Epcot for our reception location and we talked about doing a World Showcase wedding cake...I can't wait to see what they do for yours!

Can't wait to keep reading!

I woke up to the alerts of getting tagged in the photos this morning. I'm in love with them! I'll be sure to post some pics of cake and my guests will hopefully get some pics before the professional ones come back. Good luck with all your plans!

 

[irishwishes]

Our engagement sneak peaks are up on David and Vicki's facebook page. I'm in love with all of them!! David and Vicki were so awesome and so much fun! I can't wait to see the rest of them when the DVD arrives. David and Vicki make you feel so at ease and just a ton of fun to hang out with! I would recommend them to everyone.

These are a few of my favs

 

[April Elizabeth]

I love all your e-pics! It sounds like you had a great time. We're using David and Vicki too! I'm so excited! Did you choose your locations?
I love both the BW and the Poly!

I want to see your World Showcase wedding cake too. Everything looks great so far.

 

[KristiLyn]

Those are amazing!!!! They came out great!!!! Love them!!

 

[sw33t_angel]

So cute!!! Love those!!

 

[Disney9.9.10]

Your engagement pictures look beautiful! It looks like you had a great time and they turned out so well!

 

[Sccrmnky2005]

Oh I LOVE THEM!!!

I know I commented on FB, but I also wanted to come on here and tell you that I think they are so pretty!!

Can't wait to read more plans

 

[irishwishes]

Thanks ladies!! I'm so happy you're following along!

I got a little pixie dust in the mail today...another Disney Bride sent me her Just Married pins!! I completely wasn't expecting them and they just made my day I so appreciative of the support I get on these boards and the real sense of community.

I have one more shift tonight and officially on vacation for a week! I promise I will finish my TR next week.

 

[*Pixiedust1438*]

Your e-pic's turned out wonderful!!!!

 

[pixiegirl]

I love your e-pics!! They turned out so cute!!! Can't wait to read about the rest of your trip!!

 

[tinkerbell 766]

Your photos are stunning!!!

 

[donald&daisy]

Great pics! Can't wait to hear more about your trip!!

 

[irishwishes]

Thanks for all the replies and comments!! It really means a lot to me!

I figure I'll move on to Day 2 of my TR since I'm on the DF's computer and it's a lot faster than mine.

So Day 2 we got up early to head to Universal! We wanted to get there early because DF's parents got us tickets to both parks. Our main reason for going was to see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter but we got to do everything in one day!

If you're a fan of the books, Harry Potter was awesome!! It felt like you were walking into Hogsmeade. There was so much attention to detail and we had a ton of fun. There isn't much in the way of rides and things to do, but walking around and looking at everything made up for it. We did the ride inside the castle first before it got too crowded. I'm kind of embarrassed to say but the ride was a bit frightening and I had to close my eyes through some of it. Which meant we had to go back later that night to ride it again. BUT totally worth it to ride twice!! Anyway...here are some pics of Hogsmeade and inside the Hogwarts Castle.

The Sorting Hat

Floating candles right before you get on the ride

Enjoying some yummy butterbeer

After we explored Harry Potter for a bit we headed over to the other park. I have to say the rest of Universal was a little lackluster to me. The attention to detail compared to the Harry Potter area just wasn't there. I got more of an amusement park feel instead of a totally immerse you in the experience...which may be what they're going for. Anyway, we had a ton of fun riding the rides and the day was totally worth it.

Enjoying some beer and soda bread for lunch in Universal

I think we got on all the rides we really wanted to hit. Sorry I know not much detail. We kind of just made a big loop around Universal and then headed back to Harry Potter. We wanted to see it at night and get another butterbeer! We rode the ride inside the castle again. I did not close my eyes at all this time and completely worth it!!

We got back to our room earlier than expected so I had time to wash my hair for my hair trial the next days. We had reservations at Ohana that night at 9:30 and even though we were exhausted I couldn't wait to go! The food was delicious, service eh, but the food made up for it. They were running behind in the reservations so we walked around the Poly for little and were seated around 10:00.

Our spread

I couldn't get enough of the dessert!

After dinner we headed back to our room and boy am I glad I had time to shower before dinner. I think we fell asleep 5 seconds after hitting our pillows. Up next...hair trial and engagement pics!!

 

[irishwishes]

So onto day 3 of our planning session weekend...

I had a hair trial scheduled for 8:30 that morning so we were up by 7:30. I wanted to at least get my eye makeup on before Rosie arrived because we were being picked up for our engagement session at 10:30. Rosie was soooo easy to talk to and so much fun. I showed her some inspirations pics and we got started. I wanted some volume up top and just pulled back loose with lots of texture. My inspiration was Portia de Rossi on her wedding day. I LOVE her hair. We talked about how I should have my hair cut right before the wedding to get the best look. I'm going to add some more layers so that it's lighter on top to get more volume and texture. I'm really happy with the outcome and my hair looked awesome for the rest of the day!!

I got the hair clip from etsy and picked purple to go with the bridesmaids. I won't be wearing a veil because of the way my dress looks from the back. I wanted something to pop in my hair and I'm really happy with the result.

Rosie let my hair down half way to get a different look for the engagement pics. I finished putting on the rest of my makeup and packed to check-out. Since we were leaving that night we put our luggage in our rental car and off we went with David and Vicki! Our first stop was the Poly for pics with the castle in the background. We took pics all over the resort and got changed to head to the Boardwalk. Right before we left the Poly Vicki wanted to get some quick pics inside and they turned out amazing!! They were some of my favorite pictures with how the light was coming through the windows Next stop was the Boardwalk and we walked all over the place. David and Vicki spent so much time with us and our session ran over a bit. We didn't have any real plans for the rest of the day and we could have hung out with them for the rest of the day!! I can't wait for the DVD to come in in a couple weeks and I can get started on the guest book.

After our pics we got dropped off at our car and headed to Downtown Disney for the rest of the day. We got delicious sandwiches from Earl of Sandwich and they were incredible. I got the Hawaiian BBQ and I think DF got Turkey Club. I can't wait to go back in the summer and get more.

We stopped in to Raglan Road to talk to Cathy about our rehearsal dinner. She showed us the Snug Room where we'll be eating. It's off to the side for a little privacy but you're still able to see all of the entertainment. We decided on a menu and our guests will have their choice of soup or salad. For the main course their choice of bangers and mashed, Sheppard's pie, sage roasted chicken, beef and Guinness stew, or risotto. For dessert apple crumble or bread pudding! We're really happy with the menu and they'll be printing up personalized menus for us.

outside Raglan Road

We were talking about doing a cheaper option for the rehearsal and maybe doing a lunch or buffet breakfast instead of Raglan Road all together. DF's parents want to help with the rehearsal dinner and we weren't really sure if they'd be on board with the cost for dinner. When Matt got home to talk about the options the were overly excited for Raglan Road so we're going to stick with it!

After Raglan Road we walked around DTD and I got my bridal ears!! I wanted to have them before we arrived in Disney in June and my only chance was now. I was sad that our weekend was coming to an end because it really went too fast. We headed to the airport around 4:00 and said goodbye to Disney for a few months

 

[Deb loves Disney]

I love your E-Pics to much. David and Vicki really captured you two in a fun way.

I'm loving your trip report because you did some of the things we did when we went last month for our honeymoon. I loved the Harry Potter section of IOA but it was just so crowded with tour groups that it was a little overwhelming. For the first time ever I felt clausterphobic, it was inside one of the gift shops, and I had to go outside to catch my breath, lol. The theming and details were unbelievable though.

OMG, I love Earl of Sandwich so much!!!! If you ever go during the holidays you must try the Holiday Sandwich, it's to die for. BTW, banger's and mash is my absolute favorite meal at Raglan Road.

 

[elleinad16]

Just out of curiosity, what other cheaper options were you thinking about for a rehearsal dinner? I'm trying to be as budget friendly for my DF's family, but it's so hard!!! Raglan Road sounds like a great place, but again...isn't it on the pricey side? Thanks!!

 

[belle2211]

We've booked our ceremony at the Germany Pavilion because the DF's family is all German and then a brunch reception immediately following at LSS on June 19th, 2011.

Just found your PJ! And you're getting married a week and a day after I am!

 

[belle2211]

Hi! My DF and I are finally trying to plan for the rehearsal dinner. Do you mind if I ask how much Raglan Road is per person and if there are any additional fees (or minimums?) Thanks!

 

[irishwishes]

Just out of curiosity, what other cheaper options were you thinking about for a rehearsal dinner? I'm trying to be as budget friendly for my DF's family, but it's so hard!!! Raglan Road sounds like a great place, but again...isn't it on the pricey side? Thanks!!

We were looking into doing a breakfast buffet or lunch somewhere at a resort. We originally had our rehearsal scheduled for the morning so we were thinking of going to breakfast right after or lunch right after. Now our rehearsal will be at one of the ballrooms in the afternoon so we're keeping the Raglan Road dinner.

Just found your PJ! And you're getting married a week and a day after I am!

I found your PJ and have been following along!! Thanks for joining!

Hi! My DF and I are finally trying to plan for the rehearsal dinner. Do you mind if I ask how much Raglan Road is per person and if there are any additional fees (or minimums?) Thanks!

We picked the cheapest banquet menu option. I think it came to $38.95 a person plus 18% gratuity added. It has soup or salad, entree and dessert for each guest and we're paying for the first round of drinks. We could have had everyone pick off the main menu but I didn't want people to feel like they had to restrict themselves. This just seemed easier at the time and that way everyone will get 3 courses. We're not going to bring a cake either because dessert is included. We also will be getting the Tables in Wonderland card and we have that included on the BEO. So that will take 20% off the bill.