Monorails and Memories- Nov. 7- Mary Lou & Rob WP/CG/Epcot DP

[LuluLovesDisney]

Day 3- Rehearsal

When I woke up this morning, I felt okay for someone who had been out so late, but as soon as I tried to talk---- I had no voice! I could barely speak even if I strained. Not good at all!

I had lots of boxes to organize and to add to the stress we were moving from the Contemporary Resort to the Caribbean Beach Resort. I told my mom we should just ask for late checkout but she wanted to come back in between the rehearsal and the welcome lunch and move resorts then. So, we were on a tight schedule today and I was rushing around packing everything I needed to take to the rehearsal- my rehearsal bouquet, decorations for the welcome lunch and gifts for the wedding party - plus, everything I had brought with me in suitcases to go to the Contemporary.

And of course, I needed to shower, blow dry, flat iron, do my makeup, etc. lol You girls know how that routine goes!

Surprisingly, we left on time. My parents drove us over in order to save time.

The Wedding Pavilion was gorgeous! I couldn't believe that in 24 hours we would be getting MARRIED there! It was surreal seeing our names on the marquee out front!

We went inside and I was happy to see some of our party and our awesome wedding planner Michelle inside

I took some pictures with my family and friends. I seem to have lost one flash drive of pictures. I will go back and edit when I find them.

Another tip to brides to be- Give someone YOUR camera and ask them to take pictures. I ended up missing out on a lot of pictures and losing others, so learn from my mistakes!

Here is me with my brother and then my SIL.

I am wearing the Swarovski heart necklace my mom gave me at my bridal shower. It is so pretty!

Then, I met with Rev. Jack Day. He is one of my favorite parts of my wedding. I am so glad I chose him. He was such a sweet and respectful gentleman. He complimented my ceremony and said he thought it would go perfectly. I trusted him so much that I ended up focusing a lot on him at the wedding because I knew he would tell me what to do next! lol One thing I loved about Rev. Jack is that he took me on the side, with Michelle, not with anyone else around and asked me several questions about exactly how things were supposed to run. It was great because it eliminated anyone giving their opinions on things or anything becoming a "discussion". It was very clear when Michelle or Rev. Jack said something, everyone listened. Rehearsal went very quickly and smoothly because of that.

We had a few people running late, so after my conversation with Rev. Jack, we waited for a few moments and joyfully, they arrived! Finally, we could begin!

First my mom walked down the aisle escorted by my eldest nephew/her eldest grandson.

Then, Rev. Jack. Don't worry, that stroller won't be there on the wedding day lol.

My groom!

Best Man

Groomsmen

Then my GIRLS!

Look at how much faster and closer together my girls move! Make your own judgments!

Yes, we had 5 bridesmaids and 3 groomsmen. I am glad it worked out that way, too. These are my best friends and I wanted it to be about that and not specific numbers matching up. I also had my 4 eldest nephews as ushers and my brothers and sisters-in-law listed as honor attendants and they walked down the aisle as well. I will post my program so you can see how I did it. Because my nephews were preteens and teenagers and my brothers are in their 40's, plus all together there would be a TON of them, and you can't just ask one or two- I didn't ask them to be groomsmen, but ushers and honor attendants instead- it just seemed to work out best this way.

 

[LuluLovesDisney]

Rehearsal Continued

With the guys and girls all down the aisle, it was my favorite part, nope, not me- the little ones!!

Now- the stars of the show- my little niece, my husband's goddaughter (Best Man's daughter) and my littlest nephew- aka, the flower girls and ring bearer. Look how excited I am! I love them!

So adorable!!

Well, now everyone is in place.

Only one more thing to do before we start the ceremony . . .

Me and my dad!

I was getting a little teary eyed here. I didn't cry on my wedding day, but this was the moment I almost gave in at rehearsal.

Let me explain . . .
My dad is older. As you might have guessed from my brothers' ages, I am the baby. They were all teenagers (13 - 18) when I was born. My parents were just not young parents and I've always been worried about losing them.

Rob and I were together for 5 years before he proposed and towards the time he proposed, I was starting to really worry about my parents being around for my wedding. I was kind of in a rush. Well, fast forward to August 13, 2007. I was in the shop in Fantasyland with all the princess stuff and I picked up a pink princess Magic 8 ball. I asked it if I would have a wedding with my parents. Its answer? "YOUR TIME IS ALMOST UP". I couldn't believe I got such an answer. The next day, my boyfriend became my FIANCE during Wishes. He proposed!

So, when we were back on Main Street and I remembered that Magic 8 ball, the phrase just shook me a little. I had taken it so negatively, but my time really was almost up- time waiting. My dream was going to come true.



So, walking with my dad down the aisle at rehearsal was a little emotional for me, but I held it together and we smiled as we joined everyone else at the front altar of the Wedding Pavilion. After all, you need to work hard to make a dream come true.

The rehearsal was over so fast!

Here are Rob and I walking back down the aisle. You can see my bouquet here. It was all the bows and ribbons from gifts at my shower!

Look at them pretending to toss their petals!! Could they BE any cuter??? I love this picture!!

More recessional

Well, with all the practice in place, we were ready to head over to the Rainforest Cafe! The plan was to drop me off and then my parents would head over to CBR, get the stuff, check out and head over to CR, check in and meet us over there by the time everything got started. This would give me time to set up the little toys and candles I had bought as decorations. Stay tuned to see how that plan worked out

 

[DisneyShamrock]

Yay! I'm so happy you posted more pictures! It sucks that you lost a flashdrive full, hopefully it will turn up soon . . .

Can't wait for more.

 

[bapawoo]

I have no kids of my own yet, but I teach 4 & 5 year olds. What you did for those kids brought tears to my eyes! What a GREAT idea!!! They will have incredible memories thanks to you! ah, I love it! Your whole celebration seems like such a dream. Thank you for doing this trip report!!!!!

 

[ScotsMinnie]

Loving your report so far. Found it by accident so hope you dont mind me reading along! I absolutely love that you have so many family with you and you can see in the photos how much you both are loving every minute. can't wait to see more!

 

[LuluLovesDisney]

Yay! I'm so happy you posted more pictures! It sucks that you lost a flashdrive full, hopefully it will turn up soon . . .

Can't wait for more.

You are so sweet! It was a flashdrive of my brother's pictures so I might be able to get them from him. Thanks so much for following me

I have no kids of my own yet, but I teach 4 & 5 year olds. What you did for those kids brought tears to my eyes! What a GREAT idea!!! They will have incredible memories thanks to you! ah, I love it! Your whole celebration seems like such a dream. Thank you for doing this trip report!!!!!

That is just so sweet of you to say! I was really excited about making it a special trip for them, too. I think I did a good job with that; at my reception my niece crawled on my lap and said "Lulu, I want to have my birthday party here!" lol Lately she has been asking us to get married again so she can go back lol. Thanks so much for reading this trip report. I'm really late in getting it done, but I've always wanted to finish!

Loving your report so far. Found it by accident so hope you dont mind me reading along! I absolutely love that you have so many family with you and you can see in the photos how much you both are loving every minute. can't wait to see more!

Thank you so much! I am thrilled to have you reading along. That is so sweet. I really had an amazing time. The best part was having so many people there to share it with us and seeing the joy on their faces, especially the little ones!

 

[LuluLovesDisney]

Day 3- Welcome Lunch at Rainforest Cafe!

Instead of a Rehearsal Dinner or Lunch, we wanted to include everyone who was already in Disney World, so we just made it one big party.

I chose Rainforest Cafe because it was a reasonable cost, the CM I worked with was really nice and because there is one in NJ that I took my nephew to all the time when he was a little guy, so I have lots of great "RFC" memories.

After the rehearsal, my parents dropped me off with this enormous bag of "stuff" so I could set up at the Rainforest Cafe. The only problem was they got turned around so they dropped me off at the wrong entrance. So, here I am in heels and a dress trying to carry this bag across DTD. It was one of those "Haitian bags" if you guys know what they are, they're like plastic woven straw material and bigger than a suitcase. Inside, I had some animal print candles and some little rainforest animal finger puppets. I thought that would go with the theme and make the tables a little more special and give the kids something to play with. If you can't tell by now, I am a kid-loving person (most of the time. Once they scream like a raptor, I'm done. I can handle messes and the constant kid questions, but I cannot handle that high pitched scream thing.)

Anyway I was forced to ditch the heels just to get over there and then I was a sweaty mess. Eek. I got in to set up the tables and I saw we were in the area behind the lit up bar. It was so cool!

These are the candles and the little toys I added.

I went back outside to distribute the meal tickets. Because we were such a big party (I think we were 55-60 people) there was a different color ticket for each entree item. I also had made up buttons "Mother of the Bride", "Father of the Groom" etc. for the bridal party. Some of these needed to be distributed here, too. Rob's Best Man's wife loved the one for her: "Best man's Best Woman" lol. I thought it was good for people who didnt know each other to know "who's who" in a way.

Back outside, most people were here, except my parents! I knew checking in at CR now was not the best idea, but I was hoping they'd arrive soon.

My guests were having fun outside, though which was a great thing. There were parrots out front and a lot of them were watching the bird trainer. I stayed far away, though, since I have a fear of birds. They look really pretty though.

My friend Matt. I really miss him. He made everything so much fun!

Finally, we all walked in.

The kids immediately wanted to see the fish in the archway tank.

The servers were great and gave everyone lots of drinks since it was still pretty warm out. One of the things that I lucked out with is weather. Every day was warm and sunny with blue skies!

Finally my parents were there! This is a picture with my mom's side of the family (most of them).

Rob decided to make a toast and thank everyone for coming.

Now, it was time to eat! I had long planned on having a delicious tropical beverage, but it was hot tea for me, since I barely had a voice!

I actually think I had at least 10 cups of tea this day.

My niece loved the finger puppets so much she wouldn't even take them off while she was eating! She liked the chicken fingers, too.

After the food, I had the servers bring out special birthday desserts for my friend Matt and for my bridesmaid's daughter.

Sorry the pictures are of different sizes, but some smaller ones are from my Wedding Lens account where guests uploaded photos and I didn't pay for the premium account so I only have the small images.

Anyway, after the birthday wishes, they brought out dessert which was cheesecake or chocolate diabolo cake I think. You will see a lot of chocolate cake in the upcoming table photos.

Up next: table photos and gifts for the bridal party!

 

[disfan melissa]

Jellyrolls (and everything else so far) looked like such a blast!!!!

I can't wait to see the next chapter of your wedding trip!

 

[LuluLovesDisney]

Jellyrolls (and everything else so far) looked like such a blast!!!!

I can't wait to see the next chapter of your wedding trip!

Thank you!

 

[LuluLovesDisney]

After dessert, we decided to start giving out our gifts. We had quite a few since we gave gifts to our four ushers (my nephews) as well as our bridesmaids, groomsmen, flower girls and ring bearer - plus, our parents and my 3 brothers and sisters in law.

Handpainted tie tack and "certificate" for all 4 of us to go on the "Behind the Seeds" tour for my dad

A Tiffany necklace for my mom

An engraved silver coffee mug for my FIL and a Spa GC for my step MIL

A similar coffee mug for my uncle

A bracelet for my godmother

An engraved silver photo album for each of my three brothers - it said "X and Mary Lou Forever Brother and Sister" for each of them.

Each SIL received a silver purse sized perfume atomizer engraved with her initial.

Each nephew/usher received a wallet with a name plate.

Flower girls got a Disney Princess bag with a towel and some assorted goodies (plus the Disney princess dresses they got earlier before our breakfast).

My little princess!!

Our other flower girl received all the same things except her dress was Belle.

I have to say they both loved their goodies and still use those bags! Seeing the wedding through the eyes of these two little girls was amazing.

Our ring bearer, my nephew, received something a little unusual. He was a huge Club Penguin fan and loved the puffles so we got him a TON! (Plus a t shirt and a Club Penguin GC) It sounds really odd, but I wanted to make things special for him since he wouldn't get all the "girlie" stuff that the flower girls would and because he was actually really interested in wedding planning. He wanted to see pictures of everything and he actually advised me to choose the Contemporary as my Deluxe Resort (because of the monorail and because of California Grill being so close).

I think they all really loved their goodies!! What was nice is that the kids weren't expecting presents so their little faces lit up!

 

[LuluLovesDisney]

More presents!


Rob's groomsmen!

They received personalized cufflinks. Rob had also given them Oakley sunglasses.

My girls!

They received a bag with lots of little goodies- Bath and Body Works, bubble bath, rose shaped bath pouf, etc. plus champagne, a purse to carry on the wedding day, jewelry and my favorite, a glass slipper bottle opener!

You'll notice that the personalization on the white bags is in different colors- I chose each girl's favorite color instead of my wedding colors.

 

[LuluLovesDisney]

After Rainforest Cafe, Rob and I were going to split up for "girl" and "guy" time but our people needed time to get to their resorts and get things ready. Lorie and Rachel were going to sleep over in my Contemporary room tonight, so they needed to pack and prepare. So, after Rob left with his boys, I enjoyed a boat ride with my brother, SIL and niece and nephew before heading back to my new room at the Contemporary.

Who could resist more time with these cuties?

We got a boat and our life jackets quickly and soon my brother was driving us down the canal, past Saratoga Springs, OKW and lots of gorgeous sights!

We had gorgeous weather!!

He let Matthew "drive" lol.

OKW lighthouse! So beautiful!

My little tour guide!

 

[pinkmiss3]

Your welcome lunch looked like so much fun! I really liked the gifts you gave to everyone. They seemed so thoughtful. Can't wait for more!

 

[minniebride]

I love your TR so far!!

I'm excited to hear your reviews on your France DP, as we are having one at that location as well! Did you have France upper or lower?

 

[LuluLovesDisney]

Your welcome lunch looked like so much fun! I really liked the gifts you gave to everyone. They seemed so thoughtful. Can't wait for more!

Thank you so much! That is so nice of you to say! I am so glad you are following along!

I love your TR so far!!

I'm excited to hear your reviews on your France DP, as we are having one at that location as well! Did you have France upper or lower?

You are so sweet! I LOVED my France DP!! We had French upper (Terrace des Fleurs, I think). Everytime we walk by there, we make some sappy comment about our dessert party there!

 

[LuluLovesDisney]

After time with the kids, I took the bus over to the Contemporary and checked in. This was the best check in experience of all time. The manager came over and introduced himself to me, asked if he could do anything for me and actually escorted me to my room. I loved it! The best part, though, was that everyone who had booked the Contemporary was upgraded to the Tower instead of the Garden Wing- that was about 7 rooms of guests. This was some pixie dust and everyone was so excited! I think I said before that I had wanted to book Tower, but then my mom advised me to change it, etc. and it worked out just perfectly.

After checking in, I took some time to organize my things and get ready for dinner. My bridesmaid Rachel and MOH Lorie came over during this time, too, since they were sleeping over in my room, as it was the NIGHT BEFORE MY WEDDING! Eek!

We had a dinner (with the other 3 bridesmaids) booked at the Wave tonight. It was my "thank you" gift to them. I had also ordered a surprise cake for our bridesmaids dinner. I was really looking forward to it and had worked with Brian at the Contemporary to get this cake arranged. I told him "girly" and 'pink" and let the rest fall into his hands.

Everyone really liked the cool decor of the Wave and thought it was very different from the usual Disney restaurants.

So, Rachel, Lorie and I walked into the Wave and sat at the bar where we soon met up with Lauren. We ordered some cocktails while we waited. The pink bikini was awesome! I think someone ordered one of the antioxidant cocktails that came with a free bracelet, too. I thought the free bracelet with cocktail thing was unusual!

After a few minutes, Erin arrived and we were seated. The Wave had left some balloons at our table since they knew we were celebrating, which was awesome.

We had a great meal here. The service was awesome and the food was really great. I was only sad that I still had no voice. I was really trying to save it for tomorrow, too, so I used sign language to communicate lol. It was funny, but I wish I could have chatted with my friends like I should have been able to on my last night as an unmarried lady.

As far as the food, I believe I had black bean chili with jalapeno cornbread and a salad. I know the chicken pot pie (which was sort of a deconstructed version, with flaky pastry sheet on top of a plateful of smothered chicken, still on the bone) was a popular choice. I would definitely recommend the Wave to others looking for unusual food choices in a quiet environment.

After dinner, the waitress delivered the cake on a cart. My bridesmaids LOVED it and the waitress said that the CMs had been looking at it all night. I don't think they get many custom cakes there.

The best part? The chocolate cake inside was DELICIOUS!

I know the last pic is too dark but you can see the cake pulls there. Underneath the icing, there were 5 cake pulls on white satin ribbons, one for each bridesmaid. Each one received a different charm, to denote things like prosperity, good health, luck in love, etc. Just a fun little addition.

After dinner, we took the cake up to my room and had a mini lingerie shower. The girls had bought me some different gowns and "things" to wear, which was incredibly sweet of them! It was fun to see what they all picked out for me! After the other bridesmaids had left, it was just me with Lorie and Rachel and I was starting to get nervous. Rachel made me about 3 cups of tea because it was my voice that was making me so nervous! I didn't want to sound like a frog on my wedding day! Disney hadn't even released Princess and the Frog, yet!

We heard some music outside and rushed to our balcony just in time to see pictures of the Electric Water Pageant! I love this parade because it is not something in a park, it is something free and there is something so retro about it. It really does make me feel like a little kid again! All my pageant pictures came out terrible, but a picture with two of my best friends is always nice! This is also the last picture I have before I would wake up as a bride!

Coming up next, the wedding day!!!

 

[DisneyShamrock]

I LOVE the roses on top of that cake! They're exactly what I want on my wedding cake. I might be swiping one of those photos . . .

The cake pull thing is really cute. I'm glad to hear the cake was yummy.

 

[ScotsMinnie]

I cant tell you how much I am enjoying your report! The thought and detail that you have put into everything is incredible! That cake and the charms are out of this world.

So excited to read your next installment!

 

[LuluLovesDisney]

I LOVE the roses on top of that cake! They're exactly what I want on my wedding cake. I might be swiping one of those photos . . .

The cake pull thing is really cute. I'm glad to hear the cake was yummy.

Swipe away!! I am so glad you think they're pretty! Thanks for being my loyal follower

I cant tell you how much I am enjoying your report! The thought and detail that you have put into everything is incredible! That cake and the charms are out of this world.

So excited to read your next installment!

Thank you so much for following along and for your nice comments. It means a lot to me!!

 

[LuluLovesDisney]

The Wedding Day begins!

I thought that needed something special!

It took me awhile to be able to fall asleep. Between my sore throat and my adrenaline, I couldn't rest well. However, it felt like I had just fallen asleep in that nice early morning sleep when my 4:45 am wakeup call came! In fact, I was still in bed 5 minutes later when Beaute Speciale came knocking on my door.

These girls were the best! They came right in, full of energy and caffeine and got right to work. Now, I had set up some things out and because I had some overnight guests, we had a lot of things in the room. I wish I had moved some things out before pictures started, but oh well.

First, we all ran to the bathroom to brush our teeth, put on deodorant, things like that. (We all showered the night before). Good thing, we are not morning people. So, I was actually surprised when Rachel said to me, "Mary Lou, your voice is sounding a lot better today!" Not perfect, but it had healed a LOT overnight! Wow, that was my third really big touch of pixie dust! Free desserts and a room upgrade pale in comparison to being able to SPEAK on your wedding day!! Thank you, evening star!! (Which, by the way, was probably still out my window!)

Then, Lorie and Rachel got started on hair while Rosie, the other makeup artist, got her things arranged. I was to be a bit later. My other 3 bridesmaids were on their way.

When my other MOH arrived, Rosie got started on her makeup.

Then, Ana started me

By now, my other bridesmaids had arrived, as well as my mom and aunt. It was starting to get busy in this room and things were just getting started! I sat there, enjoying having my hair in Ana's expert hands, since I am terrible at doing my own hair. I give myself a solid A- on makeup, but a dismal C- on my hairstyling ability! Ana was so easy to talk to and she kept complimenting how calm and easy to work with I was. I guess she sees some crazy brides! I loved hearing about celebrities she worked with and I loved getting hair and makeup advice from her. In fact, I never would have tried Cover Girl Lash Blast mascara, if not for Ana! She was great to talk to and great at her art. I still loved peeking around the room at everyone else, though!!

My mom was so excited to have her makeup done. She hasn't had it done professionally in many, many years.

Now that the food court at the Contemporary was open, my uncle and cousin/MOH Amanda went to get us some breakfast. I asked for tea and dry toast lol. I wasn't hoping to lose weight, just feeling a little bit of butterflies-a-flapping, I guess! I really enjoyed the tea.

My SIL and niece came in, next in the batallion of women who needed full hair and makeup armor for the day!

She looks really happy for a 3 year old girl having her hair curled at dawn. What a good sport she was!

I took a moment to enjoy the sun rise over the marina and drink my tea.

I just thought to myself, I can't believe this is my day and I am in Disney World and all these people are here for me! I was really happy, definitely nervous. I don't know if other brides are like this, but I almost felt as if I were watching a movie of someone else, like it wasn't really happening! I guess it is hard to believe!

I came back into the room and sat down at Rosie's table. It was time for my makeup! I relaxed into the soft chair and tried to imagine what Rosie was doing to my face. It was quite peaceful, until there was another knock at the door. It was Randy, ready to start taking pictures! I think my heart skipped a beat as he entered the room, just a few minutes early as usual!

He walked into a three ring wedding circus! But, I had my eyes closed, as Rosie was working on my crease color!

More of Randy's getting ready pictures tomorrow!