My Fairy Tale Weddings Vow Renewal Trip Planning Session

[Janet2k]

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** Edited on February 2, 2008 **

So far I have updated pages 1 - 10 and now 11.

** Edited on December 5, 2007 **

I have begun fixing the broken links in this trip report. Please be patient with me since much has changed as far as the Internet goes over the past couple of years. I already know that I will have to find substitute items to incorporate into this report since many of the original items are no longer found on the 'net. ~Drats!~ I hate when that happens.

I will also be adding items to this trip report, so hopefully that will appease some of you (at least that's my plan). For example, I have already begun incorporating actual photographs into a few of my posts. I will do that as I see fit, but it will be a slow process for me. The photos that were added on page 2 actually had to be re-created from scratch. That took up quite a bit of my time since I had to remove personal information from many of the photographs before I could share them.

Lastly, I do have plans to finally complete this trip report. I know many of you folks have asked me that question over the past couple of years. Since my 25th wedding anniversary is basically two years away, goodness only knows that I want to complete my 20th wedding anniversary trip report before I begin working on my 25th!

** Edited on July 9, 2007 **

Last month, my photos were moved to a new website (Flickr). Because of that fact, the links that I have shared in this trip report to my personal photos will no longer work. Sadly, it will take me quite a while to repair them. Until I do, I thought I would share the link to my main photo album: click here. In there, please click on the "collection" entitled "Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings." Inside that collection you will find a series of photo albums that pertain to my custom vow renewal. I haven’t shared all of my photos yet but have shared some of them. As I continue to work on my trip report, I plan on sharing more photographs.
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My Fairy Tale Weddings Vow Renewal Trip Planning Session…

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Janet and a boy named Rick. They met on Halloween almost 22 years ago. The two were introduced by Marcia, Janet’s best friend from high school. Janet had gone to visit Marcia at college. For months she had been hearing about two guys named Rick and Mark. According to Marcia, the two guys were roommates and they had become her newest best friends. Janet was anxious to meet them both. Any friend of Marcia’s was a friend of Janet’s.

When Janet finally met Rick and Mark, she immediately liked them. They were as nice and as funny as Marcia had said they would be. The four of them decided to attend a few Halloween parties together that night. Marcia dressed as Little Bo Peep, Mark dressed as a German Boy, Janet dressed as a Chinese Girl, and Rick dressed as a Genie – curly-toed shoes and all. Everyone looked adorable as they hit college party after college party. As the night wore on, their fun grew. And then it happened. Right there in the middle of Janet’s rather ordinary life, her fairy tale began – Rick proposed marriage to her.

Now let’s stop right here. You read that right – on the day that Rick and Janet first met, Rick proposed marriage. Who in their right mind would ever believe a cockamamy story like that? Take it from me, Janet had a hard time believing it herself and she lived through the experience. But I can assure you, the story is 100% true. And so Janet’s fairy tale begins…

 

[Janet2k]

First Comes Love, Then Comes Marriage, Then Comes A Lot Of Other Stuff That Life Throws At You…

Janet and Rick married almost two years later to the day. They were living on the West Coast by that point in time and had basically eloped since all their family resided thousands of miles away.

Their marriage ceremony was performed in some wedding chapel on the side of the road in a different state. Janet took the whole thing as a joke because it was nothing like she had ever envisioned her wedding would be. But when it came time for Janet and Rick to face each other and say their vows, Janet saw that Rick was crying tears of joy. She felt about as low as she had ever felt in her life. How could she have taken their marriage ceremony as such a farce when Rick had taken it so seriously? She vowed to herself that if their marriage survived, one day she would make it up to Rick and they would have a beautiful ceremony. She carried that wish in her heart always. Through sickness and health. Through richer and poorer. Through thick and thin. Through night and day.

Fast-forward a few years. Rick and Janet and their young son were vacationing at the Grand Floridian Resort with family and friends. They watched the Wedding Pavilion being built and teased each other that someday if they ever got around to renewing their wedding vows, they should do so inside Disney’s Wedding Pavilion. It made perfect sense to the two of them because Walt Disney World had become their favorite vacation destination. And in spite of all the construction that was going on around the Grand Floridian Resort, they could tell that the Wedding Pavilion was going to be beautiful when it was completed.

Fast-forward a few more years and one more child. Janet seriously looked into having her Fairy Tale Weddings vow renewal, but she couldn’t work it into her family’s schedule. She tried again the next year, and the year after that, but the timing never felt right.

And then this year began. Her husband was laid-off after having worked at the same company for 17 years. And Janet’s company was still on the verge of bankruptcy. To top it all off, her leg was still healing after last year’s surgery. Their future couldn’t have been more uncertain and the timing couldn’t have been more wrong. But she had that little wish in her heart. This was she and Rick’s 20th year of marriage. If they didn’t renew their vows this year, they would never do it. She would find a way to make it happen. And so she discussed it with Rick in great depth. The two of them did not make the decision lightly. They decided that in spite of it all, 20 years was something worth celebrating.

A few days later while sitting at work, Janet’s fingers did the walking. Before she knew it, Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings website had popped open on her laptop. She clicked on the Walt Disney World link, and after searching around for a bit, she suddenly saw a link asking her if she wanted the Fairy Tale Weddings folks to contact her. She had never noticed that link before and so she clicked on it. A window popped open that asked her what her phone number was and what time Disney should contact her. She answered the questions and the phone began to ring. Being the high-tech geek that she was, she got a big thrill out of that. Ain’t technology grand?

Fast-forward a few months. With the Wedding Pavilion booked for her vow renewal, Janet decided to travel to Florida alone for her Fairy Tale Weddings on-site planning session. But don’t feel too sorry for her. She asked a few of her Dis girlfriends if they would like to join her for that planning session. Bonzie1, Nutz4dzny, and WeFullTime all said that they would love to. Janet was thrilled. She knew it would be a fun planning session with her fellow Disney buddies by her side.

It took a little bit of juggling, but the ladies eventually found a date when they could all attend the planning session together. With Disney’s blessing, the planning session was booked for July 22nd. And so this trip report begins…

 

[momofmax]

Yikes!! I feel myself being pulled into another fabulous tale. I hope I am patient enough to last in-between installments.

I'm looking forward to reading all about the event, its planning and execution!

 

[janets]

Janet's wedding vow renewal report. I am sitting at my computer at home, getting goosebumps just reading the first 2 installments. I'm not sure I will survive until the end. And since the vow renewal has not taken place, I know that there is plenty of time to go.

Janet, I was not at all surprised that Rick proposed on the first night you met. Just from reading your posts and the responses of the people around you, I can tell that you are one special lady. And I'm sure that Rick recognized it 22 years ago when you were just a young, college aged girl. I am a firm believer in love at first site, having experienced it myself. My husband and I are celebrating our 8th wedding anniversary this coming Tuesday. Although it took us a bit longer to find each other (I don't think you and I are very far apart in age if 22 years ago you were college age - I graduated from college 20 years ago this past June), we knew the first minute we met (perhaps even before, after speaking on the phone for hours) that we were meant to be together. And in those 8 wonderful years, we have 2 beautiful little boys.

Thank you for including us in the wonderful event. I look forward to every special minute.

 

[lUVTOGO]

I loved your Party/trip report, and now I am looking forward to your vow renewal!! You are a very talented writer! Keep up the great work!

Maryann

 

[Masonpips]

WOOOOO HOOOOOO! It's begun!

It may take months for this story to unfold, but I predict it will be SO worth it!

Thanks Janet!

 

[helenk]

Okay,
Are you going to make us beg for more???? You know we love your reports!!

 

[gigi1313]

what a great way to help me count down the hours until my own magical vacation... reading another great installment of janet's fabulous disney moments... thank you for sharing... now i'll be anxious for vacation to end so i can get back to my computer! (well, maybe not! LOL!)

thanks again... & God Bless!

 

[KayleeUK]

Wonderful start Janet

I don't subscribe to many threads - but both of them have been yours!

 

[CJK]

Bravo! Another fabulous trip report in the works! You're such a terrific writer with a great heart to match. We're looking forward to taking this journey with you during the next few weeks!!

 

[crs7568]

I am so excited to have something to look forward to reading. It is obvious from reading your other posts that you do things with style, so I am really excited to read the rest of this!

 

[Janet2k]

Okay, I had the Wedding Pavilion booked for my vow renewal ceremony, now what? This wedding / vow renewal stuff was all new to me since I had eloped the first time. I wasn't sure what to do next, so I took a deep breath and decided that I should start at the beginning. I couldn't go wrong if I started at the beginning.

When one has important news to share, who do they want to share it with first? Why, their parents, of course. Being the high-tech geek that I was, I sent my Dad the following e-mail message instead of picking up the telephone and calling him (I should note that the 3-hour time zone change between where I lived and where my Dad lived probably had more to do with my mode of communication than anything else):

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Dad,

You and Mom are invited to Rick & my 20th wedding anniversary vow renewal ceremony. Rick & I will be renewing our vows inside Disney's lovely Wedding Pavilion (it's a very pretty building that sits next to the Grand Floridian Resort). Our ceremony will be simple, followed by the proverbial cutting of the wedding cake (I hear the Disney wedding cakes are scrumptious). We'll be renewing our vows on Wednesday, October 27th, at 2 PM. I'll invite my siblings and their families to it, too.

I already have a few rooms booked at the BoardWalk Villas in hopes that a few of you will come (I used my Disney Vacation Club points for the reservations). If we need more rooms, I will book them. If no one wants to join us, that's okay, too. I just thought that for 20 years, Rick and I should do something really special in our favorite vacation place. It will be fun to tell Rick all over again how much I love him. I don't know if he caught it the first time around.

Love, Janet
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When I finally spoke to my parents, they told me they would love to join us for our vow renewal in Florida. That made me very happy.

I called my younger sister and extended an invitation to her family next. She was just as excited about attending the vow renewal as my parents were. That made me feel very good. You always wonder how people will react to the news that you're renewing your wedding vows. Will they think it silly? Or will they think it romantic? Luckily for me, my family thought it was terribly romantic.

With the Wedding Pavilion already booked, I next had to book the Magic Kingdom Bridal Portrait Session. There was no way I was going to have a Fairy Tale Weddings anything without a photo of my husband and I standing in front of Cinderella Castle. I mean, what would the point be of all that fairy tale stuff if you couldn't get a photo with a castle in it?

It took a few days to get the photo session booked, and once it was, I sent the following e-mail to my husband:

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Rick,

Well, we are officially booked for our Cinderella Castle photo session early (very early) in the morning on the day before our vow renewal ceremony. I think that will work out perfectly. It should be a lot of fun for you & I, I'm just not sure what to do about our daughter because only the bride & groom are allowed inside the theme park for the photo session. If none of our family attends our vow renewal ceremony, I'll have to see if Disney can hook us up with an in-room babysitter. I think the photo session starts at 6 AM (before sunrise).

Yahoo! We're officially a Fairy Tale couple. And they lived happily ever after...

Love, Janet
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I should note that booking the Magic Kingdom Bridal Portrait session wasn't as easy as it seemed. There is only one session a day and they book up fast. When I booked mine earlier this year, almost all of the dates in late October / early November were taken already (my actual vow renewal date had already snagged by someone else). Read what I sent to Nutz4dzny regarding this topic:

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Nutz4dzny,

I was finally able to book my Magic Kingdom Bridal Portrait session this afternoon. Rick & I had both been calling Disney photography for the past three days and they finally called us back today. There were five dates available during my 17-day stay in October, and I was able to snag one of them (the session on the morning of my vow renewal had already been taken). Only one of these sessions a day can exist, so as you can see, they are rather popular with the Fairy Tale Weddings couples. I’m just so thankful that Rick & I were able to book a session. We’ll get our photos taken in front of Cinderella Castle very early one morning before the park opens. It should be fun and the photos should be beautiful.

Securing the Wedding Pavilion and the Magic Kingdom Bridal Portrait session were the two top priorities on my list. I’m glad they’re out of the way. I now have to worry about photography and videography for the vow renewal ceremony and the cake-cutting ceremony. I think I get photography through Disney as part of my wedding package, but I’m not sure (I’ll find out when I receive my FTW info packet in a couple weeks). As to videography, I know there are a couple of nice companies in the Orlando area, so if I don’t go through Disney for videography, I’ll go with an outside vendor.

Thanks for letting me share.

Janet
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I was thrilled when the Magic Kingdom Bridal Portrait Session had finally been booked.

For those of you who don't know anything about Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings packages, I should probably take a little time to mention them. There are two main categories of packages: Intimate and Custom. The Intimate package is the most inexpensive and the Custom package is the most expensive.

In order to keep costs down, I initially had booked what is called an "Intimate" package. An Intimate wedding / vow renewal can only be held on Monday through Thursday, and only during certain times of the day. There are different categories of the Intimate package, but since I had wanted to renew my vows inside the Wedding Pavilion, that threw me into the highest-priced Intimate category. If I had wanted to renew my vows elsewhere on WDW property, it would have been more inexpensive.

I'll state below what is currently found on Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings website in regards to the Premium Vow Renewal package (the one I had to book):

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Premium Vow Renewal

With all the splendor of a classic Victorian summer home, Disney's Wedding Pavilion offers endless enchanting possibilities for renewing your vows. With its palm-fringed solarium, and views of Cinderella Castle across the Seven Seas Lagoon, this magnificent non-denominational chapel can accommodate your Intimate Vow Renewal in rare style and grace.

Magical Amenities Include:

· Your vow renewal held at Disney's Wedding Pavilion (Subject to availability and scheduled Monday through Thursday only)
· One organist and solo musician for the vow renewal
· Reception, including wedding cake and champagne at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
· On-site Vow Renewal coordinator
· Officiant to perform Vow Renewal ceremony
· Two hours of professional wedding photography
· Wedding Website listing Vow Renewal information
· Disney Vow Renewal certificate
· Four consecutive hours of a limousine charter for transportation to and from ceremony and reception from your Walt Disney World Resort
· Luxurious accommodations at a selected Walt Disney World Resort
· Two Ultimate Park Hopper Tickets including admission to the Walt Disney World Theme Parks, Water Parks and Pleasure Island for the length of your package (During some periods of time, only one Water Park may be open and, on occasion, both may be closed due to weather)
· Unlimited use of the Walt Disney World transportation system (monorail, motor coach, and ferryboat) from check-in until the end of the day you check out
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I originally had wanted to renew my vows on Halloween since that is the day that my husband and I first met. It is also my favorite day out of the whole year (I think that explains a lot about my personality, doesn't it). But Halloween fell on a Sunday this year. That meant I would have to book the more expensive "Custom" package. I didn't want to spend that kind of money if only a few people were going to attend my ceremony. Plus, I had booked multiple BoardWalk Villas rooms around the October 27th date. Moving those reservations to incorporate Halloween would be nearly impossible. The Halloween timeframe is extremely popular with the DVC crowd. And so I stuck with the Intimate package and the Wednesday afternoon vow renewal ceremony.

An Intimate package limited me to 8 guests (plus my husband and myself). For an additional fee, I could increase the headcount by 5 people (that fee was an additional $500). That would cap my vow renewal at 15 people maximum – including my husband and myself. If I went one person over that limit, I would have to switch to the Custom package.

The Custom packages can get quite pricey rather quickly. Currently for a wedding / vow renewal on Monday through Thursday, the Custom package starts at $7,500, plus tax and gratuity (presently a combined 26.5%). For a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday ceremony, the Custom package starts at $10,000, plus tax and gratuity. (I should note that weddings / vow renewals on certain dates start at $15,000 to $20,000, plus tax and gratuity.)

Since I had the Intimate package booked, I had 11 people who I could invite to my ceremony (the other 4 slots were taken up by my husband, our son, our daughter, and myself). That seriously limited who I could invite to my vow renewal. Luckily, my Florida vow renewal was what was considered a "destination" ceremony since none of my guests lived there. That limited who would want to attend because of the cost involved in a destination event (plane tickets, hotel rooms, food, and other incidentals).

Fate was kind to me because there were exactly 11 people who I knew without a doubt would want to attend no matter where my vow renewal was held. However, I should note that there were other people who were close to me who I knew would never attend a Walt Disney World vow renewal – for example, one of my sisters and my brother. A trip to Walt Disney World was, sadly, not their cup of tea. My husband and I had been inviting their families to join us on Walt Disney World vacations for years. We were used to them turning us down. We knew our vow renewal ceremony would be no different, but I must admit that it still hurt when they turned us down (I am human, after all).

I sent another message to my Dad:

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Dad,

Well, Rick & I are moving right along with our vow renewal plans. I finally broke the news to my buddies today (see e-mail below). They already know that I’m insane and this will just cement that fact in their minds. But they have a lot of fun teasing me, so I expect the teasing to begin in earnest very quickly.

I won’t be able to invite my friends to my vow renewal ceremony because my headcount is capped at 15 people total (including Rick & I). That way the cost remains fairly low for me. If you & Mom, Aunt Lillie, my siblings & their families attend, that will take up all the available spots. If none of you attend, no big deal, as the cost is the same regardless if 15 people attend or only 2 people attend (me & Rick).

I had Rick call my older sister yesterday to invite her family to the ceremony. He spoke with her husband, who promised to relay the news. I honestly don’t expect them to come – they’ve never joined us on any of our WDW vacations so I don’t expect this one to be any different. And that’s okay. If they don’t come, I will invite my friends to take their place. But it would be nice if my sister's family joined us. I think my niece & nephew would have a ball, and heck, my sister & brother-in-law might enjoy themselves, too, who knows.

I will try to call this weekend if I don’t have to work.

Hugs & kisses, Janet
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It was time to alert my little circle of friends to my vow renewal. Over the years those friends have never let an opportunity pass by when they didn't tease me about my love of Walt Disney World. I braced myself for the worst:

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Hey, gang.

Just thought I’d let you know that Rick & I are officially a Fairy Tale couple. Yep, we’ll be renewing our wedding vows in October on our 20th wedding anniversary (we booked the date this week). We’ll be saying “I love you” all over again inside Disney’s beautiful Wedding Pavilion. That makes us an official Fairy Tale couple. (I hope that guarantees us an “And they lived happily ever after…”) By the way, this afternoon we officially booked our portrait session in front of Cinderella Castle, so I’ll have lots of sappy photos to share with you guys towards the end of this year. All I have left to do is find some sort of pretty dress to wear (easier said than done).

Janet
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The responses quickly started to come in from my buddies. Believe it or not, they actually toned them down a tiny bit (I was surprised; maybe Disney brings out the best in people):

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Hey, Janet. For a minute I thought you said "Fairy Tail" couple... sigh - gotta get these glasses checked. Congrats!
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And then this one:

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Hello, Janet. My wife and I have renewed our vows many times, but never in a Mickey Mouse pavilion.
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I couldn't let that one pass by without sending a link to photos of Disney's gorgeous Wedding Pavilion, and so I sent the following:

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I’m sorry to hear that. By the way, here are a few photos of the Wedding Pavilion where Rick and I will be renewing our vows: click here.

Janet
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I think that got their attention:

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Looks really nice, Janet. Isn't that the Grand Floridian in the background? Are you inviting any guests?
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And before I could respond, another one of my buddies sent this one:

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She better invite Mickey - and let's not forget Goofy... ;-)
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My friend had asked the question that I had hoped he wouldn't ask… Are you inviting anyone to the ceremony? Boy, how did I answer that one? Rick & I were trying to keep the costs down. Plus, we didn't think any of them would want to fly all the way to the East Coast to attend a simple vow renewal ceremony.

Before I answered my friends, I discussed the topic in-depth with my husband. I told him that I would extend an invitation to my little clique, but if any of them accepted, we would have to change our Intimate vow renewal to a ~gulp~ Custom one. My husband thought it over and gave me his okay.

I sent the following message:

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Thanks, friend. The chapel is lovely and doesn’t look anything like that “famous” guy with the big black ears (I bet you were surprised). That is indeed the Grand Floridian Resort in the background (it’s Rick’s favorite resort). Most of you folks know that the Grand Floridian Resort was based upon the Hotel Del Coronado in California (the Hotel Del Coronado was used in that great movie, “Some Like It Hot”). The wedding pavilion sits next to the resort. I haven’t been inside it yet but have seen many photos of it. Disney designed it so that it would be non-denominational and all faiths would feel welcome. Rick & I watched the pavilion being built during one of our vacations, and we always said that someday we would like to have a vow renewal ceremony there. Well, someday is coming this year. It’s finally our turn.

If any of you folks want to join us on October 27th, come on down! You already know that Rick & I love company whenever we’re on vacation. If any of you are tempted to see me in a nice dress after all of these years (yikes – I’m going to have to shave my legs, aren’t I?), just let me know. So far I’ve only asked my parents and siblings to join us. It would be nice if family and friends were there for us, but Rick & I know that traveling to a destination wedding is not easy, nor is it cheap. Our feelings won’t be hurt if no one can make it. We’ve lived on the West Coast without any family near us for almost 20 years now. We’re used to being on our own. Our vow renewal ceremony will be lovely even if it’s just the two of us, have no fear.

Janet
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I was fortunate that at that time my friends only sent their blessings and didn't want to attend our simple vow renewal ceremony. That allowed Rick and I to keep the Intimate package that we had originally booked. I did get a really cute e-mail from one of my buddies, though. She is exactly the same age as myself and she knows it, but she was kind nonetheless in her response to me:

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20 years? Really? You two must of wed in kindergarten. My first thought
when I read this was that I never thought of you two as a "fairy tale"
couple, you're too weird *ha*

The chapel does look gorgeous though. Maybe someday my husband and I will get
married "properly" too. Nah, I doubt it....
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To her I sent the following amusing response:

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Rick & I are most definitely living a Fairy Tale (as in Fractured Fairy Tales) life. Seriously, I think anyone who has survived even 5 years of marriage deserves the Nobel Peace Prize (and a couple of Purple Hearts). I still am amazed when I think of how long we have been together. We've known each other for just about 22 years, and have been married for almost 20 of them. If that doesn't make me feel old, I don't know what will. But it will be fun celebrating our marriage this Fall, and the Wedding Pavilion really is pretty. I think I'll finally feel "married" once we exchange our vows there. Our first marriage ceremony was such a farce, and I feel bad about that. This time I'll get to do it right. It only took me 20 years to get to this point, so there is hope yet for you and your husband. Never say never.

Janet
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Ah, Fractured Fairy Tales. I'll end with this post with a cute one that I just found on the Internet tonight:

- - - - - - -
...And Then the Prince Knelt Down and Tried to Put the Glass Slipper on Cinderella's Foot
by Judith Viorst

I really didn't notice that he had a funny nose.
And he certainly looked better all dressed up in fancy clothes.
He's not nearly as attractive as he seemed the other night.
So I think I'll just pretend that this glass slipper feels too tight.
- - - - - - -

 

[Alysa]

Aren't non-Disney friends crazy!? I wish you luck in keeping your ceremony an intimate one but I am already nervous about it, knowing your generous nature from previous emails! Can't wait to hear more!

 

[zurgswife]

Janet ....You are living my life before I get too it... I can't wait for my 20th to have my vow renewal.....And just like you I couldn't imagined doing it without a picture in front of Cinderella's castle....

Unfortunate....I don't think I could get away with having an intimate renewal....

we have 4 kids...I have 1 sister & BIL w/4kids and 2 parents plus one step dad....

and DH has 1 set of parents, 5 siblings, 3 b inlaws, 14 nephews/neices, 3 nephew/neice spouses and 3 great neices/nephews....

Just to start we'd have to invite 39 people plus our family of 6 is 45 people.....and you say OH....lots wounldn't attend...unfortunately or fortunately....2 other siblings own DVC and his parents 50th anniversary was celebrated in WDW.....So, my guess is lots of the 45 would try to come...

Oh dear I digress...... I'll live though you....have a wonderful time...

 

[#1hockeymom]

I am at the edge of my seat reading all of this! THANK YOU so much for sharing with all of us here!

Debbie

 

[Angelrose]

I wish you much happiness on your special day renewing your vows. I can't wait to hear more.

 

[Janet2k]

The teasing continued from my buddies. They were curious as to why I wanted photos in front of Cinderella Castle, why I wanted to renew my wedding vows, and a myriad of other probing questions that only good friends can ask (and get away with). I covered most of those topics in the following message to one of my girlfriends:

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Thanks. I'm worried about finding a suitable dress. I want something pretty, like what you wore to your wedding. I am thinking either calf-length or full-length. I wore a short dress when we got married the first time, so it would be nice to wear something different. I already told Rick that he is wearing a tux, no if's, and's, or but's about it (he wore a suit the first time).

The photos in front of Cinderella's Castle are something that I want to hand down through the generations. I am so not the "fairy tale" type, and that's why I think the photos will be fun. I have seen photos of brides & grooms that were taken in front of the castle before the theme park was open and not a soul was around. They all turned out so beautifully. The photo session starts before the sun rises, and continues on through the actual sunrise, so there will be photos in both darkness & light. I think my daughter will enjoy those photos someday when she has her own kids and says, "See where Grandma Janet and Grandpa Rick got married? Yep, in a castle!" Too cute for words.

As silly as it sounds, I am really looking forward to renewing my vows in October. I already know I will be crying like a baby when I stand before Rick because I will be remembering how horrible it was when I married him the first time around (what a joke that ceremony was, it was nothing like I wanted). This time the ceremony will be lovely and the wedding chapel will be beautiful. This ceremony will feel real to me, and that should be a very nice feeling to have. I better make sure I'm wearing waterproof mascara.

Janet
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It was weird when the subject of a "dress" came up. Yikes! I hadn't given much thought to what I was going to wear to my vow renewal. I so dreaded the thought of finding something suitable to wear that I actually surfed the Internet one night looking for ideas. I looked at evening dresses, prom dresses, bridesmaid dresses, and wedding dresses. I surfed the 'net until well after 4 AM. I probably found every dress ever made since Eve wore a fig leaf in the Garden of Eden.

I eventually found one or two styles that I liked and sent screen captures of them to my Dad so that he could show them to my Mom:

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Dad,

Here are a few photos of the sort of dress I was hoping to get for Rick & my vow renewal ceremony:

Please show the three photos to Mom (two of the photos are of the exact same dress, just in different colors). I think Mom's afraid that I want an elaborate dress & veil like you-know-who wore to her wedding. I actually want something simple (these dresses appear to be "separates" - that is, the top & bottom are unattached, which I think is nice). I'm not sure if I want a floor-length skirt or a mid-length one. And I'm not sure of the color yet (I love the navy dress but fear it will clash with a black tux). I'll figure that out soon, I'm in no hurry yet.

Janet
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I quickly sent my Dad this follow-up message because two of the photos showed ladies wearing gloves and I didn't want my Mom to freak out over that:

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By the way, I have no plans for gloves or a veil. Let Mom know. But I do want a pretty bouquet of colorful flowers - they're included in the vow renewal package that I booked, and from what I hear, Disney does lovely work with flowers so I am sure the bouquet will be beautiful and smell wonderful.
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I find this next e-mail (sent a few months ago) very amusing today. I won't say anything further until after you've read it:

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Dad,

Not too much is new here. My son is on Spring Break this week, and my daughter has Spring Break next week. Rick is on a permanent Spring Break!

I spent the better part of Saturday night surfing the Internet for wedding dresses. I saved images of all sorts of dress types so that when I finally get around to purchasing my vow renewal dress this summer, I will know exactly what I want. The images of the dresses that I sent to you yesterday were actually of bridesmaid dresses. I primarily searched for bridesmaid and prom dresses – I think a wedding dress might be too much for me (I prefer something simpler).

As to what my daughter will wear to the vow renewal, I did show her a couple of flower girl and junior bridesmaid dresses that I had found on the Internet. She picked out a couple of styles that surprised me – they were the sorts of dresses that young girls would wear, not girls who are "X" going on 21 (like my daughter likes to think of herself). I actually picked out a couple more sophisticated styles for her, but she chose the younger looking ones, which was perfectly fine with me but still very surprising. Of course, when we finally hit a store to look for dresses this summer, I’m sure she’ll be picking out the sorts of dresses that Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera would wear (you know the kind!).

Janet
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Ah, yes. My daughter. Hhhmmmm… She is quite the little package. She has her green belt in Tae Kwon Do and is a very physical and aggressive child. She also has been taking dance lessons since the age of 2 (ballet, tap, jazz) and is quite poised in front of crowds. Besides her boyish traits, she is about as girly as they come. I love the combination of the two and the person she is becoming. However, she is no angel. No, sir-ee. She is quite the handful and the polar opposite from her brother (who is truly a saint in my eyes).

And that leads me to our recent trip to a dress shop where I tried on wedding gowns and my daughter tried on strapless dress after strapless dress. And she loved 'em all. It was very hard for me to convince her that you need to be at least 16 or 17 years of age (click here) before you can wear such a dress. That didn't faze her one bit. I eventually had to pull out the BIG GUNS and state: "Grandma would KILL ME if she EVER saw YOU in a strapless dress. Now take it off and don't ask me again if I can buy it for you!" With that, she still tried on a couple more of 'em, but she didn't dare ask if I would buy her one. She knows Grandma all too well.

The old adage is true. Be careful with the words you choose – they may come back to haunt you:

"Dad… She picked out a couple of styles that surprised me – they were the sorts of dresses that young girls would wear… Of course, when we finally hit a store to look for dresses… I'm sure she'll be picking out the sorts of dresses that Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera would wear…"

Oh, yes, be careful with the words you choose…

 

[Alysa]

My little baby that I brought home from the hospital "yesterday" just had her year-and-a-half birthday (DH buys cakes every month!) and she will be starting preschool this fall. My DH said he blinked and now shes almost two - he said "remind me not to blink anymore". I know tomorrow she will be trying on her first strapless dress for her first dance and then before I know it I will be driving her to her residence. Since she has been born I have really learned to cherish every moment in life as a gift that will never come again. Sniff!


Anyway, I read this and thought of you!

http://lifestyle.sympatico.msn.ca/Bride/Articles/Why+Couples+Renew+Their+Vows.htm

 

[KayleeUK]

More...More

 

[zalansky]

I was so happy to see this trip report had started, especially because I am home today instead of on our way to WDW like we had planned, because of the hurricane. This report has brightened my day bigtime.
Thanks Janet!