My Fairy Tale Weddings Vow Renewal Trip Planning Session

[Steffy]

What an exquiste menu Janet! I'm right there with you. You are such a wonderful writer. Thank you so much for taking the huge amount of time I know it must take to share.

I do hope that you receive some pleasure in reliving all of these wonderful moments you share with us. Thank you.

Looking forward to the next installament....

 

[gigi1313]

what more to say than just WOW?! thank you for continuing your wonderful fairytale story... i cannot wait for more... you certainly empower me to dream the impossible dream... thanks for sharing janet, you are truly a gift from God, as are your words!

 

[Janet2k]

Tick, tick, tock… Time continued to march on…

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Bonzie1,

Oh, my GOODNESS! In two weeks, Nutz4dzny and I will have already landed, and you will be getting ready to head to the airport. Yahoo! I can’t believe it! We’re going to have so much FUN!

Janet
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Yikes! How did the time slip by like that? There should be some sort of Law Of The Universe that states that time cannot march forward until we allow it to. I was nowhere near ready for my FTW Planning Session. The only thing that kept me from going bonkers was the support of my two Dis girlfriends, Bonzie1 and Nutz4dzny. They were doing a phenomenal job in keeping me focused.

I need to mention a little bit about my partners in crime. Bonzie1 and Nutz4dzny were absolutely amazing. Let’s start with Bonzie1. I wish she would consider becoming an event planner because I would hire her in a minute to handle any event. Her attention to detail is beyond compare. During the planning stages of my vow renewal, she was constantly sharing ideas with me for fun and unique touches to add to my events. Please click here to see her Backstage Pass creation. She sent that pass to me along with a script for “The Great Life Ride of Janet & Rick.” Due to things that were beyond my control and that I am choosing to keep private, I could not take Bonzie1 up on any of her kind offers for help. Believe me, it was very, very difficult for me to do that, but I had to focus on what was at hand (both Bonzie1 & Nutz4dzny know what I’m talking about). Bonzie1, if you’re reading this, please know in your heart that everything you suggested completely took my breath away. I can’t tell you how awed I was by your creativity, ~sigh.~

I was fortunate in that Bonzie1 wasn’t the only creative one in my little group. Nutz4dzny was too. She knows what a complete high-tech geek I am since she has viewed lots of my little video vignettes over the past few years. Nutz4dzny tried awfully hard to convince me to create a video montage of Rick and my life together. She wanted the video played on the monitors inside the motor coach during the ride from the Wedding Pavilion to the Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park. It was very tempting for me to do that, but, alas, circumstances beyond my control prevented that. Nutz4dzny, if you’re reading this, please know in your heart how tempted I was by your high-tech suggestion. You definitely know what makes me tick, ~sigh.~

Before I move on from this topic, I would like to make a request of Bonzie1 and Nutz4dzny. When it comes time for my next celebration, I will be begging you two lovely ladies to help me add all those little creative touches that I didn’t add this last time around. Deal? Deal.

Shortly before the date of my planning session arrived, tickets for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party went on sale. My family normally attends two of the parties every vacation. This time around, however, I thought we would only have time to attend one party. I purchased tickets for Halloween night for my family and my sister’s family (my other guests would have departed by then).

In the week before my planning session, I received the following e-mail message from my Fairy Tale Weddings Sales Manager:

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Good Morning!

We are all set for the planning session on July 22nd. We're going to have a regular entourage with us at MGM that morning.

I have also received an e-mail from the Chef regarding the menu tasting. We are just trying to coordinate all of our schedules. I'm thinking the menu tasting part will be in the afternoon. So, that should work out with him.

By the way, your Event Planner is none other than our friend, Xxxx. He’s on vacation this week so I have been speaking with his assistant to get the scoop on the planning day itinerary. I will keep you posted as soon as I hear back from him.

Have a great day!
Your FTW Sales Manager
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Were my eyes deceiving me? Was my Event Manager none other than the same Cast Member who had put together my Summerhouse dinner party? As I reread the message, I couldn’t believe my luck. I had fun working with this gentleman on my Summerhouse event. I knew I would have fun working with him on my vow renewal event. I sent the following response to my Sales Manager:

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Sales Manager, I am very excited about next week's planning session. I know that it's going to be a lot of fun. And now that you've told me that Xxxx is the Event Manager for my FTW vow renewal, WOW! I can't believe my luck! He and his team planned a wonderful dinner party at the Summerhouse for my family and friends - none of us will ever forget that magical night. Under his guidance, I'm positive my vow renewal ceremony and dinner party will be equally as magical.

I'm glad to hear that there will be others with us on the Disney Studios tour that day. The more, the merrier!

There might be four of us at my planning session (myself plus three of my girlfriends). I hope that's okay.

I should note in this e-mail message (since I've copied Xxxx on it), that one of the ladies in attendance at my planning session will be Bonzie1. With Xxxx's help, Bonzie1 had mugs engraved for all nine of the guests in attendance at my Summerhouse dinner party. I had no idea that she was going to do that. She went behind my back and found out who my event planner was, and with his help, pulled her little surprise off. I tell you, Bonzie1 and Xxxx are sneaky little devils. Please make sure that I don't turn my back on either one of them at next week's planning session. Goodness only knows what the two of them will plan without my knowledge!

I look forward to hearing from you. I fly to Orlando on a red-eye on July 20th. I arrive at Port Orleans - French Quarter on Wednesday morning. My friend Nutz4dzny arrives that morning, too, and my friend Bonzie1 arrives that evening. We're all staying at the French Quarter. It should be one helluva girls' weekend, with the highlight being the Fairy Tale Weddings' planning session.

Janet
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When my son suddenly decided to sign up for a Summer course, that meant he wouldn’t be able to travel to Florida with me for the FTW planning session. That left me a little sad since I had been looking forward to a “Mother & Son” vacation. My daughter volunteered to go in his place (bless her little heart), but I told her that I wanted to travel alone in order to keep costs down. Plus, she had daily Tae Kwon Do lessons and I didn’t want her to miss them since I knew how much she loved them. My decision was made; I was heading to Florida on my own.

When I had vacationed in WDW last year, I had met WeFullTime and her husband. The two of them were genuinely lovely people. My family (including my parents and my dear friend from home) had enjoyed spending time with them on several occasions (tour of their motor home, HM dinner party, Crystal River trip). I thought it would be fun if WeFullTime could join Nutz4dzny, Bonzie1, and me for the FTW planning session. Nutz4dzny contacted her on my behalf, and I was thrilled when I was told that she would love to join us. Yahoo! It was going to be a very fun planning session with four very intelligent (and very Disney-knowledgeable) ladies in attendance.

I spent some time filling out a planning session information packet that I had received several weeks prior. The packet contained questions regarding my vow renewal ceremony and dinner reception. The FTW folks needed my answers prior to my planning session, so I FAXed it to my Event Manager’s attention. I answered as many questions as I could, and for those that I couldn’t, I figured they would be answered during my planning session.

Shortly after I had FAXed my planning packet, I received the following e-mail from my Event Manager’s assistant:

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Janet, I received your planning session information. I noticed that you do not know what type of cake and flavor you are going to have for your wedding. For the planning session, do you want us to choose some cake and filling flavors for you to taste? Please let me know since our bakery usually requires 2 weeks notice before a planning session.

Have a Magical Day!
Your Event Manager’s Assistant
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Boy, if he had asked me if I wanted ketchup or mustard for my hot dog, I could have answered him in a heartbeat (neither – I like ‘em plain). But since he had asked me what cake and filling flavors I wanted, well, with me, the sky’s the limit. I haven’t met a cake or a filling that I don’t like. Asking for my favorite cake/filling flavors was like asking me which of my two children was my favorite. I have no favorites. I love my children (and my cake/filling flavors) equally:

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Event Manager’s Assistant,

I have no idea what I want for the cake. The only request I have is that the cake/filling not contain nuts or coconut, as I am allergic to both of those items. If the Bakery could provide some samples of various flavors of cakes and fillings, that would be wonderful.

Janet
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With the cake topic out of the way, it was time to notify Bonzie1 and Nutz4dzny that an Event Manager had been assigned to me:

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Hi! Xxxx will be my Event Manager. He is full of ideas and possesses that true Disney spirit. It will be fun hearing his suggestions regarding how to make my event more memorable.

It was a busy weekend with my daughter’s promotion for Tae Kwon Do and with trying to write about the Family Magic Tour in my trip report.

I don’t know how I’m going to make it through the next week. I feel like a kid who can’t wait to open her Christmas presents. In one week and one day, I’ll be on my way to the most magical place on Earth. Such fun we’re going to have!

Janet
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Bonzie1 had met my Event Manager during my Summerhouse dinner party. She was happy that he had been assigned to my vow renewal. Nutz4dzny hadn’t joined us on that vacation due to her back problems so she had never met him (but she had heard all about him).

Tick, tick, tock… Time continued to march on…

It was now one week away from my check-in time at Port Orleans – French Quarter. I exchanged e-mail messages with my wonderful Dreams Unlimited Travel agent (I had worked with her earlier in the year on my May/June vacation):

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Thanks, DU Agent. This is my on-site planning session trip for the Fairy Tale Weddings folks. My vow renewal is basically only 3 months away and I have lots of things to do. I can't believe how lazy I've been. Just today we booked the person who will be performing our vow renewal ceremony (it took my husband & I a week to be able to get her on the phone since she is vacationing on the East Coast). We chose a woman this time since a man performed our first ceremony. She seems very nice and I look forward to receiving a sample ceremony that she is going to e-mail to us this weekend.

Janet
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Yes, it was true. Rick and I had finally booked our officiant:

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Thursday night (yes, I’m still at work)

Ladies, I forgot to tell you that this morning my phone rang as I was heading out the door to work. It was the woman who Rick has been trying to track down since last week (she has been vacationing on the East Coast). Today she told me that she would love to perform my vow renewal ceremony. I was very pleased to hear that. Her name is Jo Ann and she asked me to give her a call when I am in town next week, so please remind me to do so.

Janet
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When Rick and I got married the first time, a man had performed our ceremony. He was very theatrical with his little Southern drawl (which I swore was fake). To this day I can still hear him stating, ”Re-car-do, please bring your love-ly bride for-ward.” Ugh!

I gave a lot of thought to who I wanted to perform our ceremony this time. I had seen numerous videos of quite a few of the gentlemen who performed ceremonies in Walt Disney World. All of them seemed wonderful and we couldn’t go wrong with any of them. But this time I wanted something different. I wanted a woman. I hoped that Jo Ann Elf Pessagno would be available for our date.

I should mention that Rick and I are Catholic. I did consider seeing if a priest would perform our vow renewal ceremony, but the Orlando Catholic Diocese has taken the following position regarding ceremonies in Walt Disney World (from the official WDW website):

- - - - - - - - - -
Can I have a Catholic ceremony and be married by a priest?

Although Disney's Wedding Pavilion is non-denominational, the official Orlando Catholic Diocese position is that no wedding ceremonies will be recognized outside the Catholic Church. We encourage you to speak with your personal clergy about your situation.
- - - - - - - - - -

I remember when I had first heard about that years ago. I had read many tear-stained letters from brides and grooms who couldn’t convince a Catholic priest to perform their wedding ceremony in Walt Disney World due to the Orlando Diocese’s stance. My heart truly bled for those couples. It was such a shame that the Church had taken such a stance. I know that Rick and my original marriage ceremony would not be recognized by the Church, either, since it was performed in a little wedding chapel out in the middle of nowhere. At first it bothered me that our Church wouldn’t recognize our marriage, but then I realized that the God that I believed in had no religion. And the God that I believed in did not frown upon anyone who chose to get married in a location that was off the beaten path. Oh, sure, Rick and I could have gotten our marriage blessed by our Church afterwards. But for some reason it wound up not being very important to us. We knew we were married. Our family and friends knew we were married. And God knew we were married. We didn’t want for anything more.

It took a little while before Rick and I actually spoke with our first choice for officiant, Jo Ann. We had played phone tag with her for about a week because she was traveling along the East Coast. Just when we had given up hope and were going to look for another officiant, our telephone rang. It was Jo Ann. We had finally established contact.

I spoke with Jo Ann for several minutes that morning. She was sweet and kind and I liked her instantly. ”Ah!” you are probably wondering. ”Did she have a fake Southern drawl?” I can assure you that she had no fake accent whatsoever, Southern or otherwise.

While Jo Ann and I were talking, I mentioned that Rick and I had just about given up on her. It was fate that she had called exactly when she did. I asked her if she was available on the evening of October 27th and she assured me that she was. I then asked if she would be available to perform a rehearsal on the day before. She said that she would make time for it. I was pleased. Jo Ann was very easy to work with. I told her that I would be in Orlando the next week for my planning session. She asked me if we could get together for a chat. That took me by surprise. I told her that I wasn’t sure if I could fit in a meeting because of prior commitments, but that I would try to call her while I was there to see if we could work something out. She said she looked forward to hearing from me.

After I hung up the phone, I breathed a big sigh of relief. It was nice having our officiant booked. It made my upcoming vow renewal seem more real than ever.

Bonzie1 sent me an e-mail giving me the predicted weather for our quickly approaching trip:

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Hi, Janet. My husband has been watching the weather in Orlando. Here's the weather forecast for Orlando:

Wednesday - 89 - 75 - 40% rain
Thursday - 94 - 75 - 40% rain
Friday - 94 - 75 - no rain

I'll pack my poncho and an umbrella... I'll be smiling too! Just so there are no thunderstorms.

I'll pack my swim suit. Do you like to do the hot tub, or are you a pool kinda gal? We enjoyed the hottub at POFQ. Maybe we could do the late carriage ride at PORS and then catch some of Bob Jackson's show. I probably wouldn't make it past 11:00 (I need my beauty sleep... ha). Or, should we brainstorm the night before. Feel free to call the shots.

I'll also bring a camera just in case we can take some pictures of the food or whatever, or of the 3 DIS beauties!

Bonzie1
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Oh, the weather. Yikes. I was really worried about the heat and humidity. Living on the West Coast, I don’t have to worry about either of those two items very much. How on earth was I going to make it through a couple of days with high humidity and 90-degree plus weather? I made a mental note to make darn sure that I packed my Ban deodorant.

It was just about this time that my guest list began to grow. Two of my coworkers asked me if they and their significant others could attend my ceremony. I was surprised by this. Destination weddings/vow renewals are usually not something that anyone volunteers to attend due to the cost and logistics involved. I told them that if they wanted to join my family in Florida, we would be honored. They assured me that they wouldn’t miss it for the world. I found that awfully sweet. I went ahead and ordered a WDW vacation planning video for one of my coworkers since his wife had never been to WDW before.

My guest list had now grown to 21 people. I hoped that during next week’s planning session, my guest list would increase by two more when I extended an invitation to WeFullTime and her husband. I should also note that I was holding three more slots open for another family who I was hoping could attend my vow renewal (I had sent an invitation to them but hadn’t had the opportunity to speak with them about it).

With just a few days left to go, I sent the following message to Bonzie1:

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Hi, Bonzie1!

I've got my suitcase out and a couple pairs of shorts are getting ready to go into it. I still haven't found my AP, though, so it looks like I'm going to have to get a duplicate of it once I'm in FL, drats!

I just checked the weather and it is identical between here & WDW -- both in the 80's. Boy, how I wish the 80's would hold true for our visit but the weather channel is predicting the 90's by the time we're there, darn!

I still can't believe we'll be there in just a few days. I have so much to do!

Janet
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Yes, I had misplaced my Annual Pass. Actually, upon my return home from my June vacation, I had placed my pass in a very safe place, it was just that I couldn’t remember where that place was. Ugh!

The day before my departure, Bonzie1 had sent me a picture of a Hidden Mickey in the Great Movie Ride. She thought it would be fun if we could find it during our walkthrough. I agreed.

Also on the day before my departure, my husband had forwarded to me an e-mail message from our officiant. In it was a sample vow renewal ceremony. Our officiant stated that we were to feel free to change it in any way that we saw fit. I read through the ceremony. It was short but sweet, and I didn't have any changes to make to it.

Late in the afternoon, I received my first correspondence from my Event Manager. He told me that he was very excited that we would be working together again. He mentioned that he was going to sit down with his assistant in order to work out the details of my planning session. He also shared the following with me:

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For your planning visit we will be meeting at Franck's (the building in front of the Wedding Pavilion). In Franck's we have reserved the Merriweather room to start the planning. I will be meeting with you (and friends) to explain the overview, transportation, room accommodations, reservations of sleeping rooms, magic moments, and your park event. The florist will be meeting with you to discuss your floral options, decor, and wedding party needs. Entertainment will be meeting with you to discuss your video, photography, special transportation, special effects, and other reception enhancement needs…We also arranged for a cake tasting at Franck's since we will be heading off to MGM Studios for an event walk through and menu tasting there.
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I was excited to read about my planning session. I sent the following response later on that evening:

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Event Manager,

Thanks for the e-mail. I will not be bringing a laptop with me to Florida, therefore, if you need to e-mail me anything, please try to do it by 6 PM Florida-time on Tuesday - I will leave work for the week at that time (my flight leaves that evening). If you need to send me anything after that time, please feel free to FAX it to my attention at the Port Orleans - French Quarter Resort. I check in on Wednesday morning.

Well, my friend, I will be seeing you & my Sales Manager in just a few short days. The three ladies who are joining me for my planning session are very excited to be attending it with me - probably almost as excited as I am. Bonzie1 was thrilled when I told her that you were my Event Planner. She thought you did an incredible job with the Summerhouse dinner party. She is looking forward to seeing you on Thursday, as are the other two ladies (they have heard so much about you and your team).

Janet
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The next morning, I received the following e-mail message from Bonzie1:

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Janet... Today's YOUR day!!! You're leaving tonight! Hope your meeting goes well today, and that is doesn't last too long!

Charging batteries... Yikes! Thanks for reminding me! Phone and camera! Today will be a long one. It's REALLY happening!!!

I will see you soon!

Bonzie1
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Yes, it was really happening. D-Day (Departure Day) had finally arrived, I just had to get through it first. At work, an out-of-town vendor was coming in to help my company with a project for one of our overseas customers. It was going to be a busy day.

My day passed quickly. Before I knew it, it was time to head home. Once I got home, I booted up my computer and checked my e-mail. I found one from my Event Manager. His message contained the agenda for my planning session:

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Janet & Rick’s Vow Renewal
Walt Disney World

Thursday, July 22, 2004

7:45 am: Transportation to Disney’s MGM Studios
*** Event Manager to pick up Janet’s Party at Port Orleans Resort. Please meet at the main lobby porte cochere

8:00 am: Disney’s MGM Studios - Great Movie Ride Site Inspection
Meet at Disney’s MGM-Studios Guest Services

Janet & Friends
Sales Manager, Disney’s Fairytale Weddings
Janet’s Event Manager, Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
Event Manager, Disney’s MGM-Studios

Walk Park Arrival
Transportation Points
Venue Overview
Event Flow
Set Up
Décor
Food and Beverage

9:00 am: Event Planning
Executive Boardroom at Hollywood Hideaway at Disney’s MGM Studios

Janet & Friends
Janet’s Event Manger, Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

Entire Event Overview
Role Definition
Process and Timeline
Payment and Decision Making
General Transportation
Ceremony

10:00 am: Menu Tasting at Hollywood Hideaway

Janet & Friends
Janet’s Event Manager, Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
Chef de Cuisine, Disney’s MGM-Studios

Menu Options


11:30 am – 11:45 am: Transportation to the Wedding Pavilion
*** Event Manager to take Janet’s Party to the Wedding Pavilion at the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

11:45 am – 12:15 pm: Franck’s Bridal Studio - Merriweather Room

Janet & Friends
Janet’s Event Manager, Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

Cake Tasting

12:30pm: Meeting with Ceremony Entertainment Manager

Janet & Friends
Janet’s Event Manager, Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
Entertainment Sales Manager, Disney Event Group

Entertainment Option at the Wedding Pavilion
Videography
Photography
Special Transportation
Special Effects

1:30pm: Meeting with Floral Event Manager

Janet & Friends
Janet’s Event Manager, Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
Floral Event Manager, Disney Event Group

Floral Options

2:30 pm: Transportation to Resort
*** Event Manager to take Janet’s Party to the Port Orleans Resort
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I quickly forwarded the agenda to the ladies before I sent the following response to my Event Manager:

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Event Manager,

Thank you. It looks wonderful! I'm in the process of printing the itinerary now so that I can place it in my carry-on bag.

I see that you will be picking us up at Port Orleans - French Quarter on Thursday morning. I didn't expect that (I was going to arrange for a taxicab to take everyone to Franck's). Thank you very much.

Well, I'll be seeing you soon. I'm heading to the airport in about 15 minutes. I fly to X first, then onto Orlando. It will be a very long night for me.

Janet
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Within minutes of sending that message, my luggage was loaded in the car and away I went. It was Orlando or bust.

 

[zurgswife]

Janet all the details of your planning trip are wonderful....like I've mentioned before...thank you so much for letting me live my vow renewal fantasy through you.....your attention for written detail is wonderful...Can't wait to read more..

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Dear Janet

I am getting worn out just contemplating the planning of everything. I have always been a detail type person but never to this degree. What a gift you gave your dh. Time is far more important and valuable than anything else to my way of thinking. I think you had fun doing so too . LOL

Just got back from Ohio and a family Thanksgiving. Was much different from holidays in the past, Am a bit sad as I was hoping to be able to sell the video tape to Jerry Springer to finance an extra DW trip but 'unfortunately' it was a love filled time. For the first time in about 40 years we four older sisters woke up under the same roof. I could not ask for anything more.

I take it that you are feeling better now? Sounds like it and hopie it is so.

Back to work for me, LOL

SG/Linda

 

[KayleeUK]

Wow sounds wonderful.

 

[BevS97]

I just wanted to let you know that I am enjoying your reports very much - can't wait to read more when you have time to post

 

[torismom]

Thank you for sharing such an initimate event with your dis family. I love reading your reports and am captivated by your vow renewal. I cant wait to read the rest.

 

[JessetheCowgirl]

Janet--I think this just might top all of your previous Disney events! Anxiously awaiting more . . .

 

[gigi1313]

anxiously awaiting more, more, more! LOL! thank you so much janet for indulging all of us who live vicariously thru you!

 

[Janet2k]

(Note: I am going to post the following in each of my two trip reports since I know that not everyone reads both threads.)

Over the next few weeks, I don’t know how much time I’m going to have to devote to either of my trip reports. My work life is all consuming, leaving virtually no personal life. A key project is due very soon as I head into the second half of this month. The pressure is intense and I am doing the best that I can, I just don’t know if it is good enough. I would like to say “thank you” to everyone here on the Dis who has sent me their good wishes both publicly and privately. Your moral support has really meant a lot to me.

I had hoped to add another post to my trip report last weekend, but instead I spent time finishing my holiday greeting card. For the past few years, I have been using Shutterfly.com for all of my greeting card needs (Birthday, Anniversary, Get Well, Thinking of You, Valentine’s Day, Halloween, and so on). This year’s holiday card is being printed by them once again. I actually have two versions of my card being printed: one card for those who attended my vow renewal, and another card for those who didn’t. Both sets of cards are scheduled to arrive at the end of this week. That gives me the weekend to send them off – I can already feel my hand cramping up at the thought of personalizing and addressing those cards. Yikes!

I would like to share this year’s holiday card with you folks: click here for the cover, and click here for the interior. I sincerely wish everyone here on the Dis the best of everything in the coming new year. Happy holidays!

The rest of last weekend was spent trying to pull together some appropriate music for a video slideshow that I am in the process of creating for my parents and my aunt. I am gathering together the images that the Disney photographers took over the course of my two-day vow renewal celebration. I will set their photos to music. Once I have the slideshow the way that I want it, I will burn it to DVD. My assumption is that when my parents and aunt view the video slideshow, it won’t be quite as boring because background music will be playing as each of the photos is being displayed. Well, at least that’s my plan.

I must admit that I am stumped for one portion of the slideshow – my Grand Floridian dessert party. My Event Manager has got to be one of the most creative people on the planet. He put together a darling party for me whose theme I had kept a secret from my husband and my guests. My Event Manager knew that Rick and I had met on Halloween. He knew that Halloween was my favorite day out of the whole year. And he knew that we would be viewing the Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party fireworks show from our dessert party’s location. Well, he put one and one together and chose to theme my party in true Halloween-style. He added a few unique touches to my event, too, one of which was in the form of a pumpkin that was carved in Rick and my image: click here. It was a hoot! The entire dessert party turned out beautifully and completely took my breath away. My family and guests had the most relaxing time. I can’t think of a more perfect place than the Grand Floridian for an intimate party. I hope the future holds many more intimate parties for me at that resort, ~sigh.~

But now I am stumped for background music for the dessert party photographs. One of my all-time favorite songs is the theme song from John Carpenter’s movie, “Halloween.” The song is hauntingly melodic and gives me the chills (in a good way). However, I don’t know if my parents and aunt will think about that song in the same manner that I do, and thus I’m stumped for music. I will probably play it safe and select some sort of “moon” song instead. My Event Manager did pull off a special request for me at my dessert party. Several weeks prior to the party, I had asked if it would be possible to play Starbuck’s “Moonlight Feels Right.” My Event Manager never got back to me on that subject and thus I arrived in Florida without the song in my possession. Imagine my surprise when it was announced at the party that a special song was being played for me: “Moonlight Feels Right.” I was deeply touched. As they say, ~magic~ happens when you least expect it. Hmmm... Now that I'm thinking about it, maybe I should use that song for the dessert party portion of my video slideshow.

Moving on to another topic, I did recently find a website where I might be able to share some video with you folks. I haven’t had a chance to pursue it yet. If their file sharing rules aren’t too stringent, I will see what I can put together to share of my events. One of the things that I definitely want to share is footage of my custom fireworks display (note: I haven’t seen the footage yet and don’t know when I will be receiving it). From what I was told, a custom display like mine had never been done before inside the Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park. It will be nice to share video of it in case any of you want to add such a unique touch to your own event. I am very happy that I added that touch to my vow renewal. I almost didn’t, but I’ll get around to that story when I continue on with my "My Fairy Tale Weddings Vow Renewal Trip Planning Session" report. (Talk about a teaser.)

Well, gang, I will try my best to post something, anything, as soon as I can. Thank you for being patient. And Season’s Greetings!

 

[DoeWDW]

Janet, can you believe I just found this thread today?? I am spellbound!

I know you're a busy gal, but please come back when you get the time. You have a wonderful style of writing and I feel like I'm right there with you! I can't wait to continue the journey!

 

[zurgswife]

Janet....thanks so much for continuing to write....I love reading about your trip/vow renewal..

 

[Deb8821]

Janet - thanks for continuing to take the time to share. Its been wonderful reading your posts. I am so glad everything thing turned out so very magical for you and your family.

 

[bonzie1]

Janet!

Once again your writing ability captures the excitement and anticipation of a truly magical event! Thank-you for taking your precious time to do this. Hang in there at work. There just has to be a rainbow at the end of your rough project. Merry Christmas wishes to you and your wonderful family!

 

[amwhitaker]

Bump!

 

[Janet2k]

Hello, Dis’ers. I plan on posting in this trip report sometime within the next day or two. Believe it or not, I have Friday off. Yahoo! (Thank goodness for Holiday days.) I was supposed to have all of next week off, too, since my company is shut down then. However, they have asked the team that I’m on to work as many of the shutdown days as possible. I really didn’t want to work any of them because I am so burned out after having worked very long hours since returning from my vow renewal vacation last month. The creative side of me is craving an outlet that has nothing to do with work or my real life, and working on my trip report would have suited that need perfectly. But now I appear to be succumbing to the pressure to head into the office for at least a few days next week (yes, the word sucker is written on my forehead). That will seriously impact my trip report writing. I promise to post as much as I can, though.

I debated today about what trip report to post in next. I was going to post in the other report (the one about the actual vow renewal) until I realized that my next installment would have mentioned the fact that I ran into a few of the folks on the Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park team who were involved in my vow renewal’s dinner party. When I bumped into them one evening, they dropped what they were doing and spent some time with me going over the details of my dinner party. Boy, was I ever grateful for their kindness and professionalism. I should mention that up until that point, the one thing that had been driving me absolutely bonkers was my custom fireworks display. As a few of you here know, I don’t like surprises. Details are my business, and details are what make me tick. Disney was playing the custom fireworks display card very close to the vest and wasn’t giving me any real details regarding it. I found out why as I stood with my team in the Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park that evening.

But you’re going to have to wait to hear about that. I know, another ~teaser.~ Sorry to leave you hanging. I think it’s more important that I first share with you a little background information that led up to my decision to add a custom fireworks display to my vow renewal event. I won’t share everything with you, but I will share as much as I can.

 

[zurgswife]

Thanks Janet....can't wait to read more.....

Glad your able to celebrate my birthday with a day off of work...

Take care...

ZW

 

[Janet2k]

My family dropped me off at the airport. After I checked in my luggage curbside, I kissed my family goodbye. My son was in a hurry to get to his tennis class, and my husband was in a hurry to get him there. My daughter was the only one who was in no hurry to see me go, bless her little heart.

I made my way inside the terminal. The line for the Security Checkpoint was fairly short. As I approached the X-ray machine, I noticed a very tall gentleman standing about four people in front of me. There is only one man I know who is that tall and lanky, and he just so happened to have been the vendor who had worked with me that day. I called out his name and he turned around. It was nice being greeted by a friendly smile.

The two of us went through Security together, and then we discovered that our flights were leaving from the same gate but at different times. He mentioned that since he is so tall, and since the airline had put him on a commuter plane this time instead of on the usual jet, they had to give him two seats – one for each leg. I laughed at the thought of that. I mentioned that my own son was very tall and that I had put him in First Class on our last vacation strictly for legroom reasons (the rest of my family flew Coach). My vendor said he wished his commuter flight had a First Class section.

I stopped at the gift shop to purchase reading material and munchies. Because I had an entire night of flying ahead of me, I made sure to pick up enough reinforcements to tide me over for quite awhile: several magazines, a bottle of water, and a large bag of trail mix.

With my purchases placed into my carry-on bag, I wandered over to my gate and found a place to sit down. The gate area was very busy since a flight was boarding. All the passengers around me appeared to be business travelers. I didn’t see anyone who looked like me – someone heading on vacation. I felt a little sorry for them. The work ahead of me (if you can call a FTW Planning Session work) was definitely going to be more fun than the work ahead of them.

My vendor’s flight left first, followed closely by mine. I couldn’t believe that the time had finally arrived and I was officially on my way. Yippee!

My first flight was short but sweet. My connecting flight was going to be the l-o-n-g one. Before I could make that flight, though, I had to sit in the airport for another hour or two. Since I love airports, I don’t mind spending time in them. I get a big kick out of watching people. Their comings and goings fascinate me, especially when they’re greeting their loved ones. I always find a few tears welling up in my eyes whenever I see grandparents and grandchildren embracing each other for the first time in months (or even years). I am a sucker for a happy ending.

As I sat in the airport, I saw a lot of tearful hello’s, and even a few tearful goodbye’s. I was glad that I had tissues in my purse to dab away my tears. I think I found things especially poignant because I was imagining what my vow renewal vacation would be like with my parents, aunt, sister, niece, nephew, and dear friends in attendance. I knew it was going to truly be a Hallmark moment.

The time had come to board my flight to Orlando. As I settled into my seat, I asked the Flight Attendant what the in-flight movie was going to be. I purchased a set of headphones just in case I decided to watch it. With a magazine in hand and a set of headphones on my head, I began to read.

It was going to be a long night and I really should have fallen asleep, but I was too antsy for my own good. When the movie began, I watched it. Afterwards, I read a magazine and then one of my wedding books. I eventually closed my eyes and got about 40 minutes of sleep before the pilot announced that it was time to prepare for landing.

Within 20 minutes, my plane was at its gate. I was in no particular hurry to disembark since it was still the wee hours of the morning. I was one of the last people off the plane. I said goodbye to the Flight Attendants and Pilot on my way out the door.

It felt good to be inside the Orlando airport. I knew that in just a few hours, Nutz4dzny would be landing. Shortly after she landed, WeFullTime and her husband would be joining us for a day in the theme parks. And our day would wind down with Bonzie1’s arrival. It would be fun being with everyone again.

I took the monorail, or as my daughter likes to call it, the mon-a-rella, to the baggage terminal. Since I had taken my time getting there, my luggage was already circling on the carousel. I picked it up and went off in search of the Mears Transportation desk.

Since I had only used Mears’ limousine service and never their shuttle service, I had no idea where their transportation desk was located. I remembered the video on their website (click here) had stated that they had desks located on both level 1 and level 2. I wandered around until I found both of those desks. Sadly, at such an early hour, neither desk was staffed. I had my cell phone with me so I dialed their phone number. I explained to the Mears Customer Service Agent that I was at the airport and waiting for transportation to my Disney resort. She told me a shuttle would be dispatched to me within 20 minutes and that I was to wait outside for it. I did as I was told and headed for the door.

As I walked outside, an eerie fog awaited me in the darkness of the morning. It was actually quite lovely and very soothing. A taxicab driver asked me if I needed a ride. I thanked him and told him that I had already arranged for my ground transportation.

Within a few minutes, I was joined by a large group of people. They were traveling together and obviously very excited about their vacation. I wondered if they were going to Disney World, too.

As promised, within 20 minutes a Mears shuttle arrived. I approached the driver and told him that I was heading to Port Orleans – French Quarter. He asked the group of travelers if they were heading to Disney also. They told him that they were not. He radioed for a shuttle for them. He then told me to hop aboard his van as I was the only traveler heading to Walt Disney World. I asked him if I could ride in front and he told me I could. He put my luggage into the back of the van and I climbed into the front. Within minutes we were on our way.

My driver was very nice and very talkative. He told me that he had recently taken his niece to SkyVenture for her birthday. He asked me if I had ever done any skydiving before. I laughed and told him that I had not. He went on to explain SkyVenture’s wind tunnel and how it simulates the sensation of skydiving. It sounded fascinating, and he and his niece had obviously had a lot of fun there.

My Mears driver went on to describe other fun events that he had done with his sister’s family. I thought it was wonderful that an uncle was so involved. What a great family guy he was.

The drive to Walt Disney World passed much too quickly. Before I knew it, my shuttle was pulling up underneath the porte cochere of the Port Orleans – French Quarter Resort. I disembarked, and my driver handed me my luggage. I told him goodbye and that I hoped to ride with him again in the future.

As I stood under the porte cochere, it hit me. The moment that I had been waiting for had arrived. The planning of my Fairy Tale Weddings vow renewal was about to kick into high gear.

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Janet, I have always believed that it is people, not things, that makes life worth living and as I read your reports I can see that you agree also. It is not the rides, parades and attractions that bring us back to DW over and over but the friendship and companionship of those like you, who believe in the magic. The details of Spectromagic and Wishes were inhanced by the company we shared that night. I love to people watch too and try to guess what kind of people they might be and what their life story is. If I get a chance to exchange a few words I usually hear their life story, is my special gift. LOL

Merry Christmas to you and yours and may you all be riding the "mon o rella" together soon. (smiles and hugs)

SG/Linda