Michelle & Daniel's Wishes Wedding-WP/GF 6.8.2012 *We're back! Starting TR SOON!*

[chellebelle18]

Wow... I am so terrible at this whole updating thing... You'd think I'd update my PJ more considering how much time I've spent on these boards.

SO! Since I've last updated... We sent in our contract and paid the deposit and got our APs! I was crazy excited when I opened up the envelop to find those inside! WOOO! too bad they came like a week after I went to Disney and spent so much on tickets!

On that note...DF and I went on a spontaneous trip to Disney World! Like... I mean we're driving in the car on a Thursday afternoon and DF says, "I wanna do something fun... lets go to Disney....like now." I'm like... "You're joking right? We just went and have no money AND we're moving out of our apartment on Saturday..." But, sure enough we went to Disney on Sunday! While we were there I probably should have done more wedding related things but we just wanted to have some fun.

Back to wedding stuff... we booked our photographer! we're using Misty Miotto and I'm really excited! I love her work!

I also booked Beaute Speciale for my hair and make-up. I didn't even consider using anyone else because of all the rave reviews I've read on here. So far, the contact has been just wonderful! I just need to find a hair inspiration pic....

I haven't gone wedding dress shopping yet... I can't wait to go! It's the one thing i've desperately wanted to do when I finally knew I was having a Disney Wedding.. but I'm trying to lose a few pounds before I go... Weight has always been such an issue with me. I've lost and gained and lost and gained like no body's business. In March, I had my gallbladder removed so that kind of kick started my big weight loss. I was doing really well (until I went to Disney and enjoyed way too much food.... especially dessert from Ohana!!! ahh that was amazing). Since then, I've gotten a little off track. But now I'm back at the gym and hopefully I'll have the discipline to keep it up! I'm planning on going dress shopping next month.

Oh! here's my one pic to show something I've done... lol
I made tears of joy packets. Our colors are red and black (I don't know how summery red and black are... but they're the colors of our favorite football team.. the falcons and also the colors of our college... UGA!)

I've also done my save-the-dates and newsletter but I don't have a picture of those on this computer so I'll post it next time I update!

Well, that's all I've go for now... I really will try to update more often!

 

[chellebelle18]

sorry about the huge picture... I still haven't gotten a hold on photobucket for some reason!

 

[roxysmum123]

sorry about the huge picture... I still haven't gotten a hold on photobucket for some reason!

Its not huge, no worries!

 

[chellebelle18]

Its not huge, no worries!

lol... it was last night! oh well!

 

[NicknNancy]

Looking forward to more updates!!! Congrats!

 

[chellebelle18]

Wow! I SERIOUSLY suck at updating this... lol I guess I've never been much of a blogger, but I'm trying. So I guess I'm gonna have a huge update!

First off, we got Meri as our wedding planner! I've read some really good things about her so I'm really excited! We haven't really talked at all, but I guess we'll be talking more when it gets a little bit closer. How often do you usually talk to your planner?

We also sent out our save the dates. I did them on Microsoft Publisher. Here's a picture of those:

I'm sending out our newletters tomorrow... FINALLY! It feels like I've been working on them forever! (I borrowed the template from another bride ) I promise I'll post pictures when I figure out how... lol (I've been converted to a mac person finally because I use it at work and now I've forgotten how to use a PC)

In other news, we booked Reverend Kevin Knox as our officiant. I've read good things about him too so yay!

In drama news... I'm battling my FFIL about the rehearsal dinner. I really want to have a rehearsal dinner just for the bridal party and a welcome dessert party. He really wants to have a dinner for everyone (about 65 people estimated) and no dessert party That's the first problem. The other problem is that he wants a nice dinner for cheap.... which is NOT gonna happen at Disney. He's suggested multiple times that we just have it off property! NO NO NO! I am NOT having my guests come all the way to Disney to go eat off property. I've told DF that I'm willing to just pay for the whole thing just so I don't deal with being controled by someone else. I mean, just because someone is paying for an event doesn't mean its their event... But FFIL sure seems to think so. I hope we can just work something out that makes everyone happy.

THE BEST NEWS....

I GOT MY DRESS!!! AHH! It was so fun! I think that getting my dress made getting married a little bit more real Here are some pictures:

I'm in love with it

What do you think?

Hopefully I will update this again soon... I can't make any promises. lol It's funny too because I'm on the boards ALL THE TIME just reading.

 

[DoomBuggy0922]

So I'm just joining in... But you look GORGEOUS!!! Absolutely stunning.

 

[tric8783]

Your dress is just gorgeous on you! Great pick! Congrats on getting some things accomplished and getting your planner assigned! Our planner was assigned and we set up our planning session within a few weeks, so I email with her about once a week or so with questions. I think because we met her and had the PS, that jump started me talking to her more!

We are doing RD for just the wedding party and parents, then a welcome DP in Epcot following dinner. I definitely think a dinner for 65 people will be more than dinner for say 30 and then just a dessert party for everyone else. I guess I could be wrong! You'll have to let us know! Most of the welcome dinner menu's that Disney offers are around $45/person for a buffet.

Where did you end up reserving for your room blocks? We're having drama with this currently too, it's hard for me and DF just tells me "they're going to stay where they're going to stay, there's nothing you can do about it"... so frustrating!

Looking forward to hearing more plans!

 

[Jilian]

That dress looks like it was made for you. It looks fabulous on you! Nice choice. I love the detail at the top.

 

[belle2211]

Your dress is GORGEOUS! I'm totally jealous! And I had the same problem with my rehearsal dinner, but I lost. I wanted either an event on property or a DP. We had it off property at Bahama Breeze. I hated it and argued about it all the way up to the night. BUT it was perfect! It was so nice outside and we had our own patio. It ended up to be great!

 

[DisneyShamrock]

I just stumbled across your PJ.

I love your proposal story, and your ring is so pretty and sparkly! I also just adore your dress. You look so gorgeous! He's going to be blinded by beauty when you walk down the aisle.

I can't wait to read more about your plans!

 

[chellebelle18]

So I'm just joining in... But you look GORGEOUS!!! Absolutely stunning.

Thank you!

Your dress is just gorgeous on you! Great pick! Congrats on getting some things accomplished and getting your planner assigned! Our planner was assigned and we set up our planning session within a few weeks, so I email with her about once a week or so with questions. I think because we met her and had the PS, that jump started me talking to her more!

We are doing RD for just the wedding party and parents, then a welcome DP in Epcot following dinner. I definitely think a dinner for 65 people will be more than dinner for say 30 and then just a dessert party for everyone else. I guess I could be wrong! You'll have to let us know! Most of the welcome dinner menu's that Disney offers are around $45/person for a buffet.

Where did you end up reserving for your room blocks? We're having drama with this currently too, it's hard for me and DF just tells me "they're going to stay where they're going to stay, there's nothing you can do about it"... so frustrating!

Looking forward to hearing more plans!

Thank you! Yes, I think a dinner for 65 would definitely be more than just dinner for a few and a DP, but DF's dad really wants a dinner so that's what we're doing. I'm kinda bummed about not having a DP but I'm done trying to fight it.

We ending up having our room block at Pop Century, Coronado, and the Grand Floridian. I'm sorry you're having drama about it! It was really hard for me to hear that everyone wants to stay off property But i guess everything doesn't always go as planned.

That dress looks like it was made for you. It looks fabulous on you! Nice choice. I love the detail at the top.

Thank you so much!!!! I absolutely LOVE it! Its a Maggie Sottero

Your dress is GORGEOUS! I'm totally jealous! And I had the same problem with my rehearsal dinner, but I lost. I wanted either an event on property or a DP. We had it off property at Bahama Breeze. I hated it and argued about it all the way up to the night. BUT it was perfect! It was so nice outside and we had our own patio. It ended up to be great!

Thank you! I'm sorry you lost your fight, but I'm glad it worked out! I actually convinced DF's dad to have it on property so I'm VERY HAPPY!

I just stumbled across your PJ.

I love your proposal story, and your ring is so pretty and sparkly! I also just adore your dress. You look so gorgeous! He's going to be blinded by beauty when you walk down the aisle.

I can't wait to read more about your plans!

Thank you!!!! That's so sweet! I'm sorry I'm terrible at updating lol but since the day's coming soon, hopefully I'll have something for everyone to read!

 

[chellebelle18]

Well again, I suck at updating lol We're a little more than 4 months out and I'm kind of freaking out!!! I've been so busy with things that I haven't done much wedding planning (which is why I'm freaking out). During the holidays, I changed jobs, DF and I moved into a new apartment, my kitty passed away and we've had some other family drama. So, with all of that my mind's been a bit preoccupied.

But, my PS is on Friday so I've got to get back on the wedding planning track. I'm a bit nervous about my PS because I'm still not totally sure what I want for the wedding. I'm such an indecisive person and its so hard for me to make a decision lol I'm also kind of freaking out about the budget. As I've said earlier we're planning on having about 65 people there, so food and beverage is going to be a HUGE chunk of the budget. But I have so many ideas and things I want that I guess I need to get resourceful. I'm also kind of worried bc I've read how people go to the PS, plan, get their BEO and freak! ahh! I wish disney would just give you a list beforehand of prices and what not. I'm scared I'll plan the wedding of my dreams and get my BEO and have to change so much! We'll see.....

I will definitely post a TR about my PS because I'll have something exciting to share and something to actually talk about

Does anyone have any tips for the PS, or a list of questions they asked/wish they asked?

 

[chellebelle18]

Ok! I just got home from my planning session a couple hours ago and was excited to go ahead and start my TR even though I am super tired! We were in the car what seems like forever because of the terrible crash on I-75. So sad Thoughts go out to their families!

I’ll just go ahead and jump right into it..

DF and I left Atlanta around 3:00 pm. We both went to work until 2 which kind of sucked… but you gotta do what you gotta do. We got to Disney around 10:00 pm, and before we checked into our hotel we stopped by downtown Disney to grab something sweet

After that, we checked into our hotel, the All Star Sports Resort. I’ve never stayed here before, but it was better than I expected… plus who doesn’t want to save a few bucks!

The next morning was our planning session! But, we headed over to Magic Kingdom to jump on space mountain before heading over to our menu tasting.

After that, we met my parents (who flew down for the day) in the GF lobby before meeting Meri. Meri is SO NICE! I’m so exited that she is my planner. She seems so helpful, and I know that we will be in good hands.

So after introductions, we went back into the GF kitchen, which was really cool. I expected when we walked in to see the “Welcome Michelle and Daniel” sign, but was surprised to see “Welcome Michelle and David” Needless to say I didn’t take a picture of that lol I told them that DF’s name was wrong and they quickly unplugged the sign.

We then sat down and started talking details about dinner.

We picked our napkin fold (pocket) and then got straight into the food. For cocktail hour, we tried the Brie and Strawberry Crostini Drizzled with Balsamic Honey Syrup, Chinois Chopped Chicken Salad in Wonton Cup, and the Beef Skewers with House-made Teriyaki Sauce. The Crostini and the Beef Skewers were DELICOUS! The chicken salad was not my favorite. Everyone else thought it was okay, but we decided to go with the bacon wrapped scallops. Here are some pictures (please excuse my crappy camera…)

We decided to skip the appetizer with our meal, and go with the cesaer salad. Nothing too exciting about that, but who doesn’t love a good cesaer salad?

For the entrees, we tried the Seared Beef Filet with Blackberry Demi, Dauphinoise Potatoes and Fresh Seasonal Vegetables, the Tanglewood Farms French-cut Chicken Breast with Red Wine Demi with truffle and cheese risotto and fresh vegetables, and the Miso-glazed Salmon with Shiso Butter Wasabi Whipped Potatoes, and Seasonal Vegetables tossed with Ginger and Sea Salt. The beef was my favorite. The others were okay, but everyone else seemed to like them (I have a child’s palette so don’t trust my judgment lol). Anyways, that’s the menu we will offer our guests.

For something fun we tried a dessert. I’ve always seen that people try the Cinderella chocolate slipper, but I saw the Snow white at the ball dessert and was intrigued. I WISH WE COULD HAVE THIS!!! It was AMAZING! (too bad I can’t afford another $20 per guest ).

It’s chocolate with raspberry mousse and fresh raspberries inside the ball. There’s even edible gold! It was simply amazing! Hats off to the GF kitchen!

Overall, the menu tasting was excellent, and it was a great experience!

Next up, the planning session!

 

[NoOrdinaryPrincess]

Wow! I've never seen that snow white dessert before! Looks phenomenal!

 

[dreamsdidcometrue]

The Snow White dessert looks really yummy! I love chocolate with raspberries! Who am I kidding, I love chocolate with anything I think it's so funny that we are both Michelle and Daniel! Does he go by Dan or Daniel? Mine prefers Daniel but since I have known him since we were kids, and he went by Dan then, I use both. Tell us more...

 

[chellebelle18]

Wow! I've never seen that snow white dessert before! Looks phenomenal!

Yeah! Before our PS, I was searching the boards to see if anyone had tried this dessert before and couldn't find anything! I'm so glad I tried it. It was AMAZING! Sooo good!

The Snow White dessert looks really yummy! I love chocolate with raspberries! Who am I kidding, I love chocolate with anything I think it's so funny that we are both Michelle and Daniel! Does he go by Dan or Daniel? Mine prefers Daniel but since I have known him since we were kids, and he went by Dan then, I use both. Tell us more...

haha! It was AMAZING! I'm a chocaholic too, and when they brought it out my mouth was watering... even after all that other food we ate lol DF goes by Daniel. He hates it when people call him Dan or Danny. So we're both Michelle and Daniel!

 

[chellebelle18]

So after our Menu Tasting, we had an hour break where we just mingled around. My parents really wanted to drive by the Best Friends Pet Resort during our break to check it out for my dog. Because most of my family will be at the wedding, my parents decided to bring our family dog, Belle, down with them and have her stay at Best Friends. My mom has set her up in the VIP suite, with a TV, bedtime stories, extra playtime, cuddle time, and ice cream sundaes. Lol what a spoiled puppy

After that we went over to show my mom the WP since she didn’t come to our site visit. She loved it How couldn’t she? I’m so in love with the WP. I don’t know about anyone else, but every time I walk in there I just feel like I’m on cloud 9

I also wanted to check out the construction. I posted some pictures here in case you’re interested.

I think it look’s pretty good right now… but I don’t really want to think about what it’s going to look like in June I think I saw a picture where the steel body of the building would be up… which really sucks. Especially because I got excited when I heard that they might be done with the building by then (that was a while ago… and they weren’t behind schedule).

Finally it was time to go to Franck’s and meet Meri to start the planning session. It’s crazy how much you decide in that short amount of time haha (especially because I’m such an indecisive person).

Some highlights of some of our decisions:

Our cake is going to look similar to this… except it will be 3 tiers, and we will have a bling ribbon around the base instead of the black piping, and we’ll have a rhinestone S cake topper.

We decided to have red velvet with cream cheese in the top and bottom tiers, and marble and dark chocolate in the middle. I hope the red velvet is good bc we didn’t taste it, but I trust the GF bakery team.

We’re planning on just doing a limo for transportation I really want Cinderella’s carriage, but can’t justify the price. My dad keeps saying he might surprise me, and I hope he does! Lol

After Meri left, we met our florist, Elizabeth. She is so nice! I think she gets what I am invisioning. I told her I basically want red roses everywhere. Here are some of my centerpiece inspiration pics:

And here’s what I want my bouquet to look like:

But I want a rhinestone belt around the stems like this:

Meri told us that we’d get our BEO in about a week, and Elizabeth said we’d get the floral BEO in about 2 weeks. I’ve been nervous about this since we left Franck’s! I have a feeling I’m going to have HUGE sticker shock , and have to take out some many things I’ve already fallen in love with Let’s just pray it’s not too bad lol

Once it comes in, I’ll post it here or on one of the budget threads – those really helped me out so I want to help others!

Until then, I'll try to think good thoughts

 

[NoOrdinaryPrincess]

Your inspiration pics are GORGEOUS! I hope your BEO isn't too bad. If you don't mind sharing, how many guests are you expecting?

 

[dreamsdidcometrue]

I like the rhinestone around the stem idea, that's really pretty with the red! Why couldn't you taste the red velvet cake? Did you have to tell them which flavors ahead of time?