My Fairy Tale Weddings Vow Renewal Trip Planning Session

[melanieewr]

Janet;

Our paths crossed on the the 31st at MNSSHP! We walked past your group and watched the fireworks just a few steps from you guys. I recognized you immediately. I would have said hello, but we just made it in time for the show and I certainly didn't want to interrupt your family's fireworks viewing. I can't wait to read your reports. I think I will actually write a trip report myself this time...which will be a first for me!

 

[Janet2k]

Everyone, I have no idea how to begin my trip report. I am really stumped. And in my blatant attempt at stalling, I present to you another photo. This one was taken by Bonzie1. In it you’ll see my Dad, my son, and my nephew. They were sitting at a cocktail table in the “Gangster” portion of the Great Movie Ride when Bonzie1 snapped this photo. It was here that our dinner party began with drinks and hors d'oeuvres. As you view the photo, please note that the hats were optional. But to paraphrase that old expression, a hat definitely makes the man.

 

[Steffy]

Loved the hats!!!

Cue the moon sounds like a great begining to me! Woozer, I can't wait!!!

 

[Scotfan]

So glad you had a wonderful time, I have been checking regularly for updates.
The photos are super, love the hats.

 

[off to neverland]

Janet,

I think you should just jump in and start from day one. You've introduced us to the whole situation with the trip planning report, so.........

I can't wait, I can't wait, I can't wait!!!!!!!

P.S. I'm not trying to hurry you.... well, okay, maybe I am just a teenie weenie bit! I just love reading your reports so very much. Congratulations on your wedding renewal, Janet. I wish you the best for the next 20 years~

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Wonder if those hats are what prompted Cagney to utter those famous words -"You rat, you dirty rat!!" If he had worn his glasses he would have noticed that it was a cute mouse instead though.

SG/Linda

 

[IASW Rider]

Good one, Linda!

Great photo of the gentlemen, Janet! Loved the hats and loved the setting, too - it's so neat to see a cocktail table right in the middle of GMR! Can't wait for your next update / installment! Keep holding on to that magic!

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Hey, Rider!! Every time I rode through the Great Movie Ride my imagination saw all the trimmings and guests. Until I met Janet I did not even know such was possible. If I ever win the lottery, after I take care of my kids and grands I am going to do something similar and will invite each and everyone on the DIS there!! (anyone who wants to help out can send me a lottery ticket, preferably a winning one.

SG/Linda

 

[Janet2k]

I have started a new trip report. It is entitled My Magical Fairy Tale Weddings Vow Renewal Vacation (just click on that link). I will probably go back and forth between this trip report and that one over the next several weeks as I fill in the missing pieces.

Again, thank you to everyone for the kind words that you have shared with me in this thread and in private messages. As always, your kindness has truly meant a lot to me.

 

[NJtoATL]

Janet,
You have inspired me!!! I've always wanted to renew my vows at Disney. My husband and I honeymooned at Disney over 8 years ago. I don't think I can wait until my 20th anniversary. It will have to be sooner ; like on our 10th or 15th anniversary.

Thanks so much for the tread!!!

Congrats!!! God Bless!!!

Kelley

 

[Alicnwondrln]

bump

 

[Janet2k]

My Fairy Tale Weddings planning session was officially set for Thursday, July 22nd. That date was good for everyone involved, so the next set of e-mail exchanges included everyone’s airline itineraries.

Looking through the itineraries, I saw that Nutz4dzny and I would arrive within a few hours of each other on Wednesday morning, while Bonzie1 would arrive later on that day. I also saw that Bonzie1 would be heading home on Friday evening (she had her family trip to prepare for), while Nutz4dzny and I wouldn’t be heading home until Sunday morning. Everyone’s plans looked great. With our plane reservations out of the way, the next few weeks would fly by.

Since I had never planned a vow renewal before (heck, I had never even planned a wedding before), I thought I would turn to the experts for some help. I decided to order a few books regarding wedding planning (I couldn't find anything regarding vow renewal planning):

• Build Your Own Haunted Mansion
• Walt Disney World for Mature Travelers
• The Ultimate Disney Trivia Book 4
• Creative Weddings
• How To Buy Your Perfect Wedding Dress
• Martha Stewart's Keepsake Wedding Planner
• Perfect Honeymoons & Original Weddings
• Planning a Wedding to Remember
• Storybook Weddings
• The Wedding Guide for the Grownup Bride

Okay, I admit it. The first three books on my list weren’t about wedding planning; however, they were about Disney and thus I took a little artistic liberty with ordering them.

As you can see from the other books on my list, they covered everything from how to buy the perfect dress to how to plan an original wedding. I should note that to this day, I haven’t read a majority of those books (but my daughter did build the Haunted Mansion and it is sitting in my living room). In hindsight, I should not have purchased any books because finding the time to read them was darn right impossible for me. I hate it when my real life gets in the way of my fantasy life.

So, with a bunch of books sitting around gathering dust, I continued on with my vow renewal planning. There was no question that I wanted both photos and video taken of it. I contacted Disney Event Productions (DEP) since I was contemplating hiring them for both jobs.

I pretty much knew what to expect from DEP as far as photographs were concerned since I had viewed literally thousands of their photographs over the years (many folks had shared links to their photographs on the Internet). Plus, I had already used DEP twice for my own private events -- last year’s "The Haunted Mansion" Movie Set Dinner event (click here) and this year’s Summerhouse Dinner Party event (click here). It should be pretty obvious to you folks that I felt fairly comfortable with DEP’s photography work.

There were quite a few videography vendors in the Orlando area whose work I was familiar with. Many of those vendors had samples of their work available for viewing on their websites. Plus, over the years, many of their customers had shared links to their private videos. When it came to Disney’s video work, however, I was clueless.

I didn’t understand why Disney didn’t have video samples of their work on-line. And because they didn’t, I had to personally contact them and request that a few samples be shipped to me. I would have preferred to have viewed their samples on-line because having video samples at my fingertips was the preferable method of business for me. I always want easy access to information 24 hours a day / 7 days a week. But since Disney currently didn't operate that way, I had to contact them during the hours of 8 AM to 5 PM, Monday through Friday. Florida time, that is.

After establishing contact with DEP, a few photographs and a short videotape sample arrived at my doorstep. I was pleased with what I saw. It was then time to contact them once more in order to request a tape that contained a complete wedding/vow renewal ceremony and reception. I needed to see a sample of their completed product before I made my final decision. A few days later, another videotape arrived. I liked what I saw and decided to find out more about their videography packages during my upcoming planning session.

I then received an e-mail from my Fairy Tale Weddings Sales Manager. She stated that she had received my mailed contract, signed it, and placed it on her director’s desk for his signature. Things were definitely moving along.

I took a look at the calendar:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nutz4dzny,

I was just looking at my calendar and it dawned on me that three weeks from today, we’ll be at the FTW planning session. Yahoo!

Janet
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Yes, things were definitely beginning to move along very quickly.

 

[Janet2k]

Some things were definitely beginning to move along very quickly in regards to my upcoming FTW vow renewal planning session. However, real life once again got in the way of my dreams and brought me screeching back to reality, and rightfully so.

I sent the following e-mail message to Bonzie1 one Friday:

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Hi, Bonzie. I am very tired today and very thankful that it is a weekend. I have a lot of trip reports to finish writing (and I still need to get my Summerhouse on-line photo album in order, yikes!).

I will be at the tree-planting ceremony for my friend’s son who was killed in Iraq. I am looking forward to the ceremony and the barbeque afterwards.

In less than 3 weeks we’ll be in WDW. I am really looking forward to the trip, especially since you and Nutz4dzny will be there! I want to use the Mears bus for my airport transportation. I have never done so; I have always either used Mears’ limo service or another service’s town car/van service. I want to use the bus in order to keep my trip’s costs down, but since I’m landing at 5 AM, I’m not so sure about that. I need to see if the Mears bus operates 24 hours a day. If it doesn’t, I’ll arrange for a town car from either Mears or FL Tours.

As to our upcoming WDW trip, should we make reservations for dinner somewhere? Should we plan on a visit to the Adventurer’s Club at Pleasure Island? What would you like to do that would be fun? Since I’m hoping we’ll be staying at Port Orleans, maybe we could squeeze in Bob Jackson’s show. Bob is really quite a lot of fun (my son galloped through the lounge with a bunch of other men during our trip last month – if Bob can get my son making a fool out of himself, he can get anyone making a fool out of themselves). Again, let me know what you would like to do.

Janet
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Here I sit, four months after I had sent that e-mail to Bonzie1, and yet I can remember typing it as if it were yesterday. In case you’re wondering what I’m talking about, please re-read the second paragraph:

I will be at the tree-planting ceremony for my friend’s son who was killed in Iraq. I am looking forward to the ceremony and the barbeque afterwards.

At first glance, that paragraph is so small in comparison to the other paragraphs that it might possibly be overlooked. But even though that paragraph is the smallest in words, it is the largest in emotion.

You’re probably sitting there thinking to yourself, "It doesn’t appear as if she put any real emotion into that paragraph. After all, how much emotion could anyone put into a paragraph with so few words?" If that is true, then the following sentence wouldn't be the most powerful sentence that was ever created: I love you.

I think what I find so powerful about my second paragraph isn’t what I said, but rather what I didn’t say. It’s plain to see that I was at a loss for words. But even though I was at a loss for words, I can assure you, I wasn’t at a loss for emotion. I will never forget the emotions that I felt when I typed that paragraph. Not ever.

For those of you who read my May/June trip report -- my Summerhouse trip report: click here -- you’ll remember that a friend of mine’s son had been killed while serving our country in an effort to bring freedom to Iraq. During my friend’s darkest hours after the death of his son, many of us had banded together in moral and spiritual support. Soon after his son’s death, we had given our friend a simple gift to honor his son’s life: a star. The gift of a star was truly ethereal. As ethereal as the Heavens that the star resided in. It was now time for another gift. A more tangible gift. A gift that would be from the salt of the Earth.

A few weeks before I headed to Florida, the day had finally arrived for a ceremony in a park in my friend’s hometown. A tree was going to be planted in his son’s honor. This would be the most moving gift of all because it was a living gift. Our friend could visit the park and rest beneath his son’s tree as it grew from a small sapling into a tree of towering strength. And not only could our friend visit this tree, the rest of us could too. That meant a lot to all involved. We would have a living reminder of the sacrifice that our dear friend’s son had made in the name of our country and in the name of freedom.

I am going to reprint below an updated paragraph from my May/June trip report. I hope this paragraph properly conveys the emotion that I had downplayed in my e-mail message to Bonzie1:

Judging by the many wonderful things that were said about my friend’s son during his tree-planting ceremony, he was loved by everyone. I will never forget the noble sacrifice that he made for our country. And I will never forget the noble sacrifices that all the other service personnel, both military and civilian, both American and non-American, have made in the name of freedom -- U.S. And Coalition Casualities: click here.

And now it’s time to end this post. It is only fitting that I end it with a poem by someone who was killed in action in another war, in another country, in another century. This person also has a living memorial in his memory, the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest: click here,

Trees

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet' flowing breast.

A tree that looks at God all day
And lifts her leafy arms to pray.

A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair.

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

​

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Dear Janet

I understand that few words often express the most emotion especially for those of us who are prone to having words flow like water.

I am so sorry for the loss of that young man. I am sure that your friend is blessed to have friends like yourself to help her through these terrible times and to share many happy memories of her beloved child.

I know the poem "Trees" well. My mom used to quote it often. Is was the name of the school she went to when she was young. Many, many years later, when I took Tom to one of his grade school reunions I found that his school was named Joyce Kilmer as well. Life is held together with so many common threads.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and emotions with us.

Here is a hug for you from me {{{{{{Janet2K}}}}}}

SG/Linda

 

[Steffy]

Thank you Janet, for your very emotional post. I'm so sorry for your loss.

And I love that poem.

Janet

 

[Janet2k]

With the clock ticking down the days, I had lots of details to hammer out before I headed to Florida for my planning session. One very important detail concerned the planning of a fun night that could be shared with Nutz4dzny and Bonzie1 while we were all together in Walt Disney World. After I had queried the ladies to see what they wanted to do, Bonzie1 sent me the following reply:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hi, Janet. As far as something special... dinner would be just fine... Cinderella's Castle... Jiko... You've told me so much about Bob Jackson and we'll be right there... that would be fine too. I just read there is an AP special for Cirque du Soleil tickets. Is that something you'd like to do? Then we could take the boat back to PO-RS. Nutz4dzny mentioned the Adventurer's Club, maybe you and she could squeeze this in on Friday night since my flight leaves that evening.

The one thing I want to be sure of is that you are able to get what you want out of your trip to plan your FTW Vow Renewal. I am there to have fun while participating in that process... really. I don't need anything else special... honest!

i.e. There is an e-night at the MK on Wed night. Do you want to go there then and scout out ideas for any pre-wedding ideas? You had mentioned maybe a dessert party the night before your renewal.

Again... I am only throwing out ideas... you will have enough with your vow renewal without even thinking about a pre-event party, but if you want to pursue that, I want to help wherever I can.

How can I best come ready to provide input for your event... along with ideas (I already know I'll be having FUN!). I want you to be able to leave this planning time with a satisfied feeling, not in a panic. Let me know if there's anything you'd like me to think about before we all get together.

I will write more ideas this weekend. Oh... do you know which rooms of the GMR we'll be using for your progressive party, or will that be decided once we get there? Yes... my brain wheels are already turning!

Excited as I can be!!!
Bonzie1

P.S. I can't believe your daughter is growing up! How wonderful she's been able to do so many activities at WDW!

One more thing... check on Mears. Once we arrived early and had to wait almost 1 hour before getting Mears service. They ended up getting us a taxi which we shared with another. At 5 AM, I would probably want to feel secure about the transportation.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bonzie1 was chockfull of ideas. She is an absolutely amazing woman. When Nutz4dzny telephoned me regarding the same topic, she was just as chockfull of ideas as Bonzie1 was. I was very fortunate to have them both attending my planning session. No stone would go unturned.

The three of us eventually settled upon the idea of attending Bob Jackson’s show at Port Orleans – Riverside during our first night together. We could enjoy a sit-down dinner beforehand at Boatwright’s Dining Hall, and then walk over to the River Roost Lounge in order to catch Bob Jackson’s show. It was sure to be a fun evening.

I sent the following message to Bonzie1:

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Hi, Bonzie1. Thanks so much for the e-mail.

I just booked myself a room at the PO-RS with the AP rate. I booked a standard view room. I think it was $93+ a night w/tax (it was $84 w/o tax). I know Nutz4dzny is going to book the room for you & her. I just wanted to get my room out of the way now. That way my upcoming trip would feel more real.

I worked on my trip report until well after 4 AM this morning. I planned on sleeping in, but Rick brought me breakfast in bed around 8:30 AM, so up I got. I showered and then booted up my computer and worked on my trip report some more. I also began working on my on-line photo album for the Pop Century room that we stayed in. After about an hour or so, Yahoo crapped out on me. It is finally working now, but it took well over 90 minutes for it to let me back in (I have found that it usually locks me out for 60 minutes). That really angered me. It is very frustrating to be doing something, only to have Yahoo turn right around and keep me from completing it. ARG! I HATE YAHOO. I really must begin using another photo service that doesn't lock me out on a whim.

What do I want out of my planning session? Everything! (Just kidding.) I want the venue tour. I want to be able to visualize the dinner party. I want the food tasting (boy, do I ever!). I want the cake tasting (I have read so many wonderful things about the Disney wedding cakes over the years that I can't wait to taste one of their cakes). I want to see what a candlelight ceremony will cost. I want to see what floral will cost. I want to see what different linen packages exist and their associated costs. I want to find out what my transportation options are (buses, vans, limos, and so on). I want to see what my entertainment options are. And so on.

Did I tell you that I ordered a bunch of wedding/party planning books from Book Closeouts the other day? I’m hoping they’ll arrive before I head to Florida. I got some books with obscure titles – like, how to plan a wedding for an older bride, how to plan a destination wedding, and so on. I also ordered one of the old standards – a Martha Steward wedding planning book. It will be fun to see what info the books contain. This planning stuff is completely new to me. I’m hoping to get a fun idea or two from the books.

I ordered that 5-CD set of Disney classics via the Mousesaver’s link last week. The CD’s arrived yesterday and I just loaded one of them on my home computer. I like the “Bella Notte” song, amongst others, and it’s on there. It will be nice to play Disney music as I’m planning my Disney FTW vow renewal on my computer.

Gosh, I’ve rambled on, haven’t I?! Have a great weekend!

Janet
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I’m going to digress here for a moment…

As I sit here today, four months later, composing this post, I have to laugh out loud at one particular part of my message:

I worked on my trip report until well after 4 AM this morning. I planned on sleeping in, but Rick brought me breakfast in bed around 8:30 AM, so up I got. I showered and then booted up my computer and worked on my trip report some more.

Some things never change. I still find myself stealing time away from the Sandman (and my husband) in order to work on my trip reports.

Back to the subject at hand...

Now it was time to begin working on the most important vow renewal detail of all. Before I tell you what it is, I must warn you that this detail is a four-letter word. And to me, it’s the most dreaded four-letter word of all: FOOD.

Why do four-letter words always get me into so much trouble? Why do they always cause me such headaches? And why do I hate this particular word so much?

I guess I should clarify things a little bit. I don’t hate food. On the contrary, I love food. Adore it, actually. It’s just that I hate deciding what food to serve to my guests at a dinner party. I’m always afraid that I’m going to pick the wrong food and everyone’s going to go home hungry.

Everyone here on the Dis knows that I am strictly a hot dog and French fries kinda girl. The simpler the food, the more at ease I feel. How in the world was I ever going to select a menu for the most important night of my life? Yikes. I was suddenly beginning to break out in a cold sweat.

I sent the following note to Nutz4dzny and Bonzie1:

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Ladies, I need your help with the following dual-plated entrees. These were sent to me by the FTW folks as possible dishes for my dinner reception. Of course, I can always pick something completely different since it is my party and I can have what I want. It’s just that I am a hot dogs & French fries kind of girl and have no idea what I want! HELP!

Janet

(PS Even though I am allergic to seafood, don’t worry about that – I will make sure that my plate has a non-seafood item. Rick loves seafood so I definitely want to consider a surf & turf kind of selection.)

- - - - - - - - - -
​

Duo Entrees
(All Entrees will include a Chef’s Selection of Seasonal Vegetables)

Oak Grilled Filet of Beef
Merlot Wine Sauce with Truffles
And
Cold Water Lobster Tail with Drawn Butter
Served with White Truffle Mashed Potatoes

Marinated Pan Seared Salmon with Strawberry & Ginger Puree
And
Oak Grilled Filet of Beef with a Dijon & Zinfandel Sauce
Served with Cabernet & Mushroom Risotto

Oak Grilled Filet of Beef
Topped with Maytag Bleu Cheese & Toasted Pine Nuts
And
African Marinated Chicken Breast
Topped with Asiago Cheese
Served with Anna Potatoes

Baked Crab Stuffed Jumbo Shrimp with Mango & Champagne Butter
And
Marinated Oak Grilled Chicken Breast with Peach Ginger Sauce
Basmati Rice tossed with Honey & Almonds
- - - - - - - - - -
​

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I heard from Bonzie1 first:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Janet, I just took a look at the selections you were given... WOW! Yes, my mind and my stomach are both swimming! Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, sounds scrumptious. YUM!

I asked for my husband's input too. We liked the following (we picked one from each! Ha!) Seriously, I know they have their selections grouped together. We pulled two from different places:

1st) Our own combo from the selections given - Surf + Turf:
Baked Crab Stuffed Jumbo Shrimp with Mango & Champagne Butter
And Oak Grilled Filet of Beef with a Dijon & Zinfandel Sauce
Served with Cabernet & Mushroom Risotto
(I chose the shrimp with crab because it featured 2 types of seafood. My husband liked the risotto.)

2nd) Our choice from the selections given - Beef + Chicken:
Oak Grilled Filet of Beef Topped with Maytag Bleu Cheese & Toasted Pine Nuts
And African Marinated Chicken Breast Topped with Asiago Cheese
Served with Anna Potatoes

Janet, now that you've looked over the list, and pondered everything about it... I would put it aside, and think back on all your WDW vacations and favorite dinners you've had. Is there something that just stands a head above the rest? How about Rick? Does he have a favorite seafood... Lobster, shrimp, crab? If you want to go with a beef and chicken selection as you suggested on Sunday, maybe you could have shrimp as an appetizer, and thus Rick could get his seafood. Or... Maybe you both want to be adventurous and try something new! Another thought, do you want to include any comfort foods, favorites that both of you like, or something which brings back memories of when you met... You can't lose with any of the choices, especially with the best chefs at WDW.

Janet, ALL of the selections sound marvelous. Here is my Food Science background coming forth... This is not to sway you from one choice to the next, just to offer observations.

Chef Choices off Original List:

Oak Grilled Filet of Beef Merlot Wine Sauce with Truffles
And Cold Water Lobster Tail with Drawn Butter
Served with White Truffle Mashed Potatoes
My thoughts: You can't lose with this choice. Beef + Lobster, what's not to like? What exactly is a truffle? I've never had one.

Marinated Pan Seared Salmon with Strawberry & Ginger Puree
And Oak Grilled Filet of Beef with a Dijon & Zinfandel Sauce
Served with Cabernet & Mushroom Risotto
My thoughts: Another great choice. Adventurous. Nice balance with a variety of tastes.

Oak Grilled Filet of Beef Topped with Maytag Bleu Cheese & Toasted Pine Nuts
And African Marinated Chicken Breast Topped with Asiago Cheese
Served with Anna Potatoes
My thoughts: Another eating adventure! No complaints here, just a possible nut allergy with the pine nuts. This is the "heaviest" or "richest" of the selections with both selections served with cheese, and then the potatoes.

Baked Crab Stuffed Jumbo Shrimp with Mango & Champagne Butter
And Marinated Oak Grilled Chicken Breast with Peach Ginger Sauce
Served with Basmati Rice tossed with Honey & Almonds
My thoughts: Another delight to the taste buds! This combination sounds very tasty, but also very sweet together...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I heard from Nutz4dzny next:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Janet, do you know if the chef from the HM dinner is available? He was an awesome chef. But I am sure that everything they make on a fancy scale is yummy! After rereading your choices I still favor the meat and chicken dish, and if you still need the fish to satisfy, use shrimp as an appetizer. Many times when using shrimp as a meal, it doesn't seem like you get a lot. Now I don't need a lot but some men love to eat. Put a few nicely arranged shrimp on a plate and most men would look around and wonder what happened to the rest of the food!

“Oak Grilled Filet of Beef Merlot Wine Sauce with Truffles and the Marinated Oak Grilled Chicken Breast with Peach Ginger Sauce and Basmati Rice tossed with Honey & Almonds” would be a lovely choice. They would be the most mellow and sweet.

On the other hand, “Oak Grilled Filet of Beef with a Dijon & Zinfandel Sauce Served with Cabernet & Mushroom Risotto and the African Marinated Chicken Breast Topped with Asiago Cheese Served with Anna Potatoes” would be a step up to a little more spicy.

"Baked Crab Stuffed Jumbo Shrimp with Mango & Champagne Butter and Oak Grilled Filet of Beef Topped with Maytag Bleu Cheese & Toasted Pine Nuts” sounds very rich tasting (which means for some it would likely give a stomach ache later if you ate too much in the form of revenge)!

“Marinated Pan Seared Salmon with Strawberry & Ginger Puree” sounds very lovely indeed and if I were to go with more of a seafood theme I might choose this one, but since you really don't want to do all seafood because you...the lovely Bride-to-be again…can't eat seafood, I would consider this paired with a nice filet of beef!

The one thing that I really love and I feel it adds substance to the dish is a risotto. They could make any kind and put it under the Filet of Beef. Risotto takes a lot of time and effort to make and when done well, every bite is just bursting with flavor.

I hope some of these suggestions help, meager as they are. But I do have another piece of news for you. I was reading the DIS Boards and it said the Mears shuttle is very crowded this time of year. I decided to do a car service. I called the service I used to use and he said he is using Roll Back pricing to 1999. A roundtrip Towncar is $59.99. So I jumped on it.

WeFullTime and her husband are driving their MotorHome to WDW the night before. Well, not exactly WDW, you know right by the AKL where we visited them? She told me to call her after I got checked in and they will come over to French Quarter to visit us and then we can do whatever you want. She will have their Jeep so we can drive with them if we choose to go somewhere. It is very hot and humid in Florida so don't worry about sweating, she said everyone sweats!

I will call you later! Have a nice day!

Nutz4dzny
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Wow! I was impressed by both Bonzie1's and Nutz4dzny's attention to detail. The two of them had completely put me to shame. If someone would have asked me for my comments on the dishes, well, I shudder to think what I would have said: “Are you sure Kentucky Fried Chicken can’t cater the affair?” Yes, Praise the Lord that it was I who was in need of help and not the other way around.

I poured over both Bonzie1’s and Nutz4dzny’s comments. They each raised excellent points regarding the various entrees. My head was spinning and I couldn’t decide what to do.

It’s time for a tidbit of information about me. Whenever a young person is entering college and asks for my advice, there are a few pieces of wisdom that I pass along. One piece that I never hesitate to pass along is the following: Never be afraid to ask for help. If you find you need help with something, speak up immediately and seek the guidance of someone more knowledgeable.

And so I followed my own bit of advice. It was time to pull out the big guns. Yep, it was time to call in the cavalry. I sent a message to the wonderful chef who had prepared the dinner menu for my “Haunted Mansion” Movie Set Dinner event last year:

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Dear Chef,

Last November my husband and I celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary on the ballroom set of the "Haunted Mansion" movie that is located on Soundstage 4 inside the Disney Studios Theme Park. You put together our dinner menu, and everything that evening was scrumptious.

This coming October, my husband and I will be celebrating 20 years of marriage with a vow renewal inside the Wedding Pavilion. Since we are not your classical married couple, we have decided to do something a little unique for our dinner reception. We have chosen the “Great Movie Ride” attraction inside the Disney Studios Theme Park. I had wanted to choose the “Tower of Terror” for our dinner venue since I thought that was more appropriate for an old married couple, but my husband told me that if I wanted him to stick around for the next 20 years, well, I better let him choose the venue. How could I argue with the only man on the planet who would put up with me? I couldn’t, so the Great Movie Ride it is.

You might remember that I am a hot dog and French fries kind of girl. For my upcoming vow renewal dinner reception, the only thing I have decided on right now is that I want a two-item main entrée (that way if one item doesn’t appeal to someone, hopefully, the other item will). I really have no idea what sort of dinner menu to put together and thus am asking for your professional opinion. You have put together far more dinner menus than I can even imagine. My guess is that you have a very good feel for what sort of menus appeal to the masses. If you could please offer me a few suggestions, I would greatly appreciate it. My guest list will be small, maybe 17 or 19 guests, and their ages range from X to Y.

Janet
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The Chef responded and asked me how my injured leg was doing (I found it awfully sweet that he even remembered my injury). He said that he assumed I was looking for a plated meal for my dinner reception and that he would put together some suggestions for a menu. I was thrilled to hear that. Yahoo! The cavalry had arrived!

When I next heard from the Chef, he mentioned that he had looked over the menus that the FTW folks had sent me. He stated that those menus were the standard ones but there were plenty of ways we could go forward from there. I was pleased to hear that. What he did next, however, took me completely by surprise. Please let me explain.

You already know that when young people ask for my advice, I tell them to ask for help whenever they need it. There is another even more important piece of advice that I pass along: Never be afraid to ask questions. And ask plenty of them until you get the answers that you are seeking.

And that is exactly what the Chef did. He asked me questions about what I wanted instead of offering me suggestions regarding what he thought I wanted. I was blown away by his simple approach. I had wrongly been expecting him to bombard me with lots of menu selections instead of asking me the most basic question: Janet, what do you want?

Since this was a vow renewal, the Chef asked me if I had any special memories of my original wedding meal that I might want to reference. He mentioned that since I wanted a dual entrée, perhaps one of the two items might be from my original wedding meal. He even said I could incorporate that into the appetizers and then go into the main meal with different items that were significant to me, perhaps even from where I had honeymooned or vacationed over the years. I was touched by his thought-provoking questions.

I sent the Chef the following response:

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Hi, Chef.

Now you've done it. You've gone and asked a simple question not knowing that my answer would be somewhat complex!

Please let me give you a little background information regarding my original wedding. My husband and I eloped due to the fact that we couldn't get married back in the Midwest (where we both grew up) since the marriage license waiting period for out-of-state residents was something like 5 or 7 business days (we were living on the West Coast by that time and were planning on being in the Midwest only for the Christmas holidays; the holiday timeframe did not give us enough "business" days in the state to legally pull off a wedding during our vacation). Because of that sad fact, we eloped instead.

Once we had picked up our marriage license (no waiting period required), we drove around until we found a Justice of the Peace to marry us. That marriage ceremony was a joke, nothing like I had imagined it would be, but I can tell you one thing - I have never forgotten it (I don't know if that's good or bad). Since we were in a gambling town, we went to a casino for dinner. What did we eat that evening? Whatever was offered on the casino's buffet. I think the food was good, but I honestly don't remember what we ate.

Like I said, the whole wedding ceremony/dinner was nothing like I ever imagined it would be. But my husband and I have survived 20 years of marriage since that time, so as hokey as our first ceremony was, it certainly did not hamper the marriage that ensued.

Now it is time for our 20th anniversary and I want to do things a little differently. Disney's Wedding Pavilion is beautiful, and I am so happy that we're going to be renewing our marriage vows inside it. The Great Movie Ride venue should be very fun for our dinner celebration - way more fun than a casino buffet. And after having experienced last Fall's anniversary dinner on the "Haunted Mansion" movie ballroom set, I know that whatever food is served during our Great Movie Ride dinner will be equally as scrumptious. I have no doubts in my mind about that.

So, I guess what I'm saying is that I'm basically an open slate. It will not be hard to top my first wedding dinner, have no fear. I know that's not much help, is it? How 'bout this - my family loves to eat. We love food, especially beef and poultry. A few of us have eclectic palates, while the rest prefer more standard fare. I don't think any of us are what you would call picky eaters (least of all me - the hot dog & fries girl). Whatever menu ideas you can come up with will be wonderful; please do not hesitate to pass them my way.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
Janet

(PS I just re-read your e-mail. My husband and I never had a honeymoon. Like I said, I'm an open slate!)
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The following week, the Chef sent me an e-mail that contained a very unique dinner menu:

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Janet, well I guess we don't have much competition in the "wedding menu" area; though a casino dinner is hard to beat for the price.

I have attached a first "run-through" on the menu. Let me know your thoughts. I seem to remember that you have a seafood allergy, correct? I avoided it on the dinner, though there is some on the reception.

The Great Movie Ride is a very fun event, you will have a great time.

Feel free to "critique" the menu as you like. I built around the Gangster and Western themes. I offered venison for the entree (with duck), but I could easily revise to chicken/beef.

Regards,
Chef

- - - - - - - - - -
​

Janet & Rick’s Vow Renewal

Reception and Dinner
$XXX pp++

Gangster Reception

Assorted Passed Canapés and Hors d’ Oeuvres
Miniature Calzones
House Cured Salmon with Caviar
Arancini with Spicy Italian Sausage
Assorted Vegetarian Sushi
Assorted Passed Crostini
(Gorgonzola and Hazelnut, White Bean, and Eggplant)

Western Dinner

Ale and Molasses Marinated Quail with Chervil and bacon Wrapped Shallots
(Kid’s option of Homemade Macaroni and Cheese in a Crispy Beggars Purse)

Assorted Field Greens with a tart Apple Vinaigrette
Warm Golden California Goat Cheese Croute

Intermezzo

Venison with Parsnip, Sweet Potato, and Yukon Gold Potato Tarte
Sundried Cherry and Zinfandel Reduction
Moros Orange and Honey Glazed Duck with Braised Greens
- - - - - - - - - -
​

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Whoa, little doggie! Not only did the Chef remember my leg injury, he remembered that I had a seafood food allergy. My goodness, his attention to detail was amazing. But even more amazing than that was the dinner menu that he had presented to me. Talk about unique. Never in a million years would I ever have thought to have venison offered for dinner. And yet considering that my guests would be dining in the Wild, Wild West, it was an absolutely perfect suggestion. I could actually imagine the cowboys and cowgirls from the Circle J2K Ranch coming back from a long day on the range, totting a freshly killed deer carcass atop one of their trusty steeds. Yes, venison definitely sounded like something that my kinfolk would chow down on for a hoedown as special as a 20th anniversary party. Yahoo! Ride ‘em, Cowgirls and Cowboys!

I sent the following e-mail message to the Chef:

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Chef,

The menu looks wonderful; I love how you've themed it to the Gangster and Western areas. If I would have themed the menu, I suppose I would have chosen alcohol in a brown, paper bag (Gangster - prohibition) and a can of pork & beans (Western - range food). I think now you can understand why I asked for your expert help with my dinner menu.

I sent your dinner menu to two of the ladies who are joining me next week for my FTW planning session, as I would like to hear their comments. I promise to let you know what they think. By the way, that was very good of you to remember my seafood allergy. You're one sharp cookie (do you use expressions like that in your business?!).

Janet
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Nutz4dzny gave me a phone call. She had shown the menu to her husband and son and had asked for their opinions. She said that she was concerned that the menu might be a little too exotic for my guests. She felt the quail would be perfect for the first course and the duck would be wonderful for the main entrée. However, she was worried about the venison. She feared it might have too strong of a taste for most of my guests.

All of her points were excellent ones and I was happy that she had shared them with me. Her main point was that I really needed to put myself into my guests’ shoes when I was determining the final menu. How true, how true.

I then heard from Bonzie1:

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Hi, Janet. The chef really put some thought into this one with the Ganster Theme (do I hear Godfather music playing???) and then with the Western Theme.

I must say everything is put together beautifully and sounds first rate! As far as venison + duck for the main entree, I have never taken to either one, but I'm sure they'll be prepared just like your lamb was for the Haunted Mansion Anniversary dinner and will taste wonderful... I'm game to try something new! My husband has had venison and said when he had it, it was good. The duck, he wasn't too sure about. Go with your gut feeling... I'm sure everything will be scrumptious! After all, when we all got married, we had no idea of the "menu" right? And we're all happy!

I am impressed with the Chef’s consideration to detail. That's why he's the best!

Bonzie1
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Bonzie1’s mention that her husband enjoyed venison had put me at ease. I knew that my sister also enjoyed venison (her first husband was a hunter). I was also pretty sure that my Aunt enjoyed venison. I knew my Mom was game to try anything; however, it was my Dad’s palate that I worried about the most. He was strictly a meat and potatoes kind of guy. Would he even nibble on the venison? I wondered.

I called my Mom and asked for her opinion regarding the menu. She told me that she always enjoys trying new foods and to not touch the menu that had been specially created for me by the Chef. She stated that my Dad “was a big boy and if he didn’t want to try the venison, it would be his loss; don’t worry about him.” I got a kick out of that and so I listened to my Mom. A 20th wedding anniversary was definitely an occasion to select a menu that was out of the ordinary. A menu that was exotic and unique and truly befitting the venue in which it would be served.

It was time to send my response to the Chef:

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Chef, hello. This morning I heard from two of the ladies who are attending next week's FTW planning session with me. One loved your dinner menu and the other was concerned that it might be too eclectic. As for me, I think the menu sounds wonderful and I am going to completely trust you with it. As proof of my trust, I submit the following excerpt from an e-mail that I just sent to my friend:

- - - -
When I first received the Haunted Mansion Movie Set dinner menu last Fall, I was worried that it was too "out there." But that menu turned out beautifully. I'm going to trust the Chef with this one, too. I loved how he put a lot of thought into what foods would go with what eras in time - quail and venison were probably popular dishes during the Frontier Days and thus his selection of them for the menu. If the venison tastes half as good as the lamb tasted at the Haunted Mansion dinner, I will be happy.
- - - -

So, Chef, I can't wait to discover what your recommended dinner menu will taste like during my FTW menu tasting next week. If it's half as scrumptious as the Haunted Mansion Movie Set dinner was last Fall, I will definitely be one happy camper. Bring it on!!

Sincerely,
Janet

(PS Will you be able to stop by my FTW menu tasting next Thursday? There will now be three ladies in attendance from the Haunted Mansion Movie Set Dinner event, and all three of us are anxious to say hello. I think we're going to have to call ourselves the "Official Chef X Fan Club." Are you up to the challenge of meeting your fans? I hope so!)
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It felt good to finally have that other dreaded four-letter word out of the way: MENU.

 

[zurgswife]

OH...Janet the menu sound scrupmtous........those chef's have a flair....WOW!!!

Can't to hear more....

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Janet, I am always in awe of the DISers who plan such detailed agendas for their trips but yours goes way and beyond anything I could imagine. I loved the bottle in a bag and can of pork and beans thing though. LOL Would be more my style as well. I ain't too darned fancy.

I am awaiting the details of your dining INSIDE the GMR. I think I rode it twelve or more times while we were there and imagined it every single time. I am the sort who looks in the nooks and crannies and sees something new every time.

SG/Linda

 

[KayleeUK]

Wow what a wonderful menu

 

[eeyore45]

I am in complete and total awe. I just stumbled onto your original post, and on a day when my kids went to the movies, so I have plenty of time, and kleenex.

I am so humbled that you have chosen to share such details with me, that allow me to dare to dream "what if" it could be me!! You mentioned how you stumbled across a trip report that put a burr in your mind that set off your whole vow renewal... well, I thank you from the bottom of my heart!! Next year we celebrate our 25th, this is one way I may be allowed to "dream". I've followed all of your links, and I've seen so much beauty, but that pales in comparision to the compassion that comes thru in your posts!!

I read that "simple" 2 line about the tree ceremony,, and my heart jumped, and I grabbed a kleenex, knowing that there was so much more, than I read further and you included the poem, you are an amazing spirit, and again, I cant thank you for sharing this part of you, with me, a stranger!

I wonder about if I had a gf that would share with me, like your two Dis friends have come to you... again, thank you for including the details!!

I will now go look for the other link you included, but I was so glad as I was looking at the dates, that you chose to complete this thread - I was afraid you wouldnt... I want to hear more!! I hope that doesnt make me greedy!! I cant imagine how much time and effort you are putting in these posts. When I came back from WDW, I started to include a detail trip report, but I noticed it wasnt getting hits, or mentions, so I just stopped. (not hurt or disappointed, I just felt it didnt matter to anyone as much as it mattered to me, no biggie...) I just wanted you to know you posts matter to me

Thank you...