Nicole & Rick's Wishes Wedding 10/27/13! *SAVE THE DATE UPDATE 4/11

[ncp17]

Hi DISFriends!
A new DTFW bride to be here!! I had started this thread on another forum, but thought it would be better placed in with the other pj's!

After 5 1/2 years together, my fiancee Rick and I have been engaged since Christmas Day of 2012. I'm a sucker for Christmas, but this one has taken the prize for best ever!!! Such a wonderful surprise

The wedding planning is in full swing now!
In the beginning stages of planning, my father was the one to actually suggest a DFTW in the first place! ( gotta love the man). Like so many of you, I have spend countless family vacations on the wonderful WDW properties, and it has become such a huge part of my life! It only makes sense to start planning the beginning of my 'forever' with Rick at the Happiest Place on Earth!

I spoke with a Disney consultant (Michelle G) last week, and was fully intending on going with an Escape wedding.......
well.... that didn't last long!

In discussing with my parents, it didn't seem feasible to discount so many members of my family. My entire family is from Buffalo, NY and with a guest list capped out at 20... seemed a bit daunting.
So officially, we are looking at a wishes wedding on October 27,2013 at the Wedding Pavilion & then Citricos for a brunch until we all break to change and then meet back at MK truly so excited.

I am just thankful I have a spot at all.. I figured planning this now would lead me to have a wedding in 2015!! But it seems that someone is looking out for me so far, and is willing to let me have a wedding in oh... 7 Months?! (wait... what am I thinking?!)

Congrats to all the other brides to be and beyond! Glad we can share this amazing experience with each other & share words of wisdom!

 

[CinderALLIE]

Congratulations. Look forward to reading your plans.

Pictures please

 

[LittleKittyMarie]

Congratulations and welcome! You have an awesome dad to suggest a DFTW! Haha! Looking forward to following along!

 

[ncp17]

I've had to take a break from checking DISboards (yeah, right!) because I'm still waiting for my LOA to arrive and I'm getting SO stir crazy thinking about it! I should have it by the beginning of next week. But my mind is going a million miles a second and I just cannot WAIT to start planning officially!
And with Passporters, it has really given me something to do wedding related I go dress shopping this Friday and Saturday, and am really confident I'll find something! We are going in downtown St. Louis to this boutique that has the Alfred Angelo DFTW collection... so I'll definitely post some pictures if I find anything of note! I'm nervous anyway. haha.

My accomplishments this week? I have an rough draft for my STDs to send to family and friends- everyone in my life is over 800 miles away from me in upstate NY so I needed to make sure I had enough space on a STD to explain everything that relatives need to know about the booking process and exactly what to expect with a DFTW (even though I've got some surprises planned!) so I fashioned a brochure like STD that mocks the park's Guidemaps- I saw the idea on Pinterest & Etsy. I really like the way they have come out so far!! I'm going to solidify the info as soon as the planner becomes assigned and send those babies out! phew.

Hope everyone had a great weekend and safe St. Patrick's Day

 

[WittyAmb]

Congrats on your soon to be wedding!!!

I'd love to see your std's (ha ha... I always have to giggle when I write that). It sounds like a really neat design!

~Cristina

 

[ncp17]

Congrats on your soon to be wedding!!!

I'd love to see your std's (ha ha... I always have to giggle when I write that). It sounds like a really neat design!

~Cristina

Haha! I always do too... Not like it's so much more effort to type out "save the date" in it's entirety! Lol. once I figure out how to post photos, I definitely will!

Dress shopping begins tomorrow! fingers crossed!

 

[ncp17]

Here's the Save The Date format! These are screenshots. obviously there's still some things to add, but once everything is finalized (hopefully this will happen this week) I can get to sending!

This will fold like the guidemap or a brochure, so use your imagination!

 

[marvelgirl2010]

Wow! What a good idea! It looks great! You are so smart to do this! I made the mistake of thinking people would actually look at the website when I sent my STDs. I spent a lot of time making my website and putting information and guides on it, but maybe 10 people out of the 115 invited have actually looked at it, lol. I might steal this idea for invitations. Was it hard to put together?

 

[ncp17]

Wow! What a good idea! It looks great! You are so smart to do this! I made the mistake of thinking people would actually look at the website when I sent my STDs. I spent a lot of time making my website and putting information and guides on it, but maybe 10 people out of the 115 invited have actually looked at it, lol. I might steal this idea for invitations. Was it hard to put together?

Thank you! It was really easy to put together. I'm not a graphic designer or anything lol but I just used a template for a brochure on my computer & format the words and added photos! I went to dafont.com and downloaded the classic Disney font (called "Waltograph") and then the "Mickey" and "Minnie" fonts too! (Those are used on the "Disney events" panel). I'm sorry your guests didn't spend as much time on your website! Most of mine are coming from far away, and some have never been to WDW before, so I felt there was so much information they needed to have right in front of them. This would be fun for an invitation too!

 

[LittleKittyMarie]

I love the guide map save the date! The colours are fabulous. Are those going to be your wedding colours?

Also, how did the dress shopping go?

 

[charliegirl76]

Congratulations! Wow, love your save the dates!! They look fantastic.

I wish I'd done something with more information for everyone. I've been sending out emails and I'm not really sure everyone is getting/reading them. Especially since I've specifically asked them to let me know if they're still planning on coming and I've gotten two responses so far. So frustrating.

Sorry for the rant, I can't wait to follow along!

 

[ncp17]

I love the guide map save the date! The colours are fabulous. Are those going to be your wedding colours?

Also, how did the dress shopping go?

Thank you! The colors will be close as its a fall wedding, with maybe some navy blue accents here and there. I'm thinking for my bridesmaid (I'm debating between one and two! But that's a whole different post lol) that navy will be their color. But still deciding!

AND the dress shopping went So Much better than I expected. I am by no means a size 2, and was really nervous I wasn't going to look as pretty as I wanted to in my big day. But I found something that made me feel so pretty. AND it's in the Alfred Angelo DFTW collection! Ha! I'm going back in for measurements tomorrow & will post pics

Congratulations! Wow, love your save the dates!! They look fantastic.

I wish I'd done something with more information for everyone. I've been sending out emails and I'm not really sure everyone is getting/reading them. Especially since I've specifically asked them to let me know if they're still planning on coming and I've gotten two responses so far. So frustrating.

Sorry for the rant, I can't wait to follow along!

No apologies necessary! That would bother me too. It seems now that RSVPs are seen as an optional thing! I'm getting nervous that people aren't understanding that with a wedding like this, we can't afford for them to be flaky! I need concrete numbers here people! Haha. if I have to travel to NY to beat down people's doors for a for sure answer Ill have to- I'm too type A for these things to be left up to chance or last minute.

I got my LOA yesterday, and have been chatting back and forth with my dad who all of a sudden has a million and a half questions about the contract and what is expected. I just want to scream! Nothing in that is anything that you didn't know already! And we don't have time to putz around and sit on it. I just want to start planning already! Gah!
*deep breath*
End of rant

Positive notes- going back tomorrow to try on my dress one more time for measurements and one step closer with the LOA & planning soon!

 

[WittyAmb]

Ncp17.... I can take out those non-responding NY-ers if you want!

Thanks for sharing the pics of your STD's (hehe)... love them!

 

[ncp17]

Ncp17.... I can take out those non-responding NY-ers if you want!

Thanks for sharing the pics of your STD's (hehe)... love them!

Ha! I may have to take you up on that!! how did dress shopping go today??! Crazy surreal, right? Hope you felt like a princess!!!
-Nicole

 

[LittleKittyMarie]

Thank you! The colors will be close as its a fall wedding, with maybe some navy blue accents here and there. I'm thinking for my bridesmaid (I'm debating between one and two! But that's a whole different post lol) that navy will be their color. But still deciding!

AND the dress shopping went So Much better than I expected. I am by no means a size 2, and was really nervous I wasn't going to look as pretty as I wanted to in my big day. But I found something that made me feel so pretty. AND it's in the Alfred Angelo DFTW collection! Ha! I'm going back in for measurements tomorrow & will post pics

Ooh navy sounds like a nice addition!

And that is excellent that the dress shopping went so well! I can't wait to see pictures!

 

[pkdang]

Congratulations! Just tuned it. I love your save the dates! Can't wait to see more!

 

[ncp17]

First off, thank you ladies for all the kind words!

I went back to the bridal shop today to try on the dress one more time (hey, why not?!) and to officially get measured and order the darn thing! Alfred Angelo DFTW is quoting 4-6 months for the dress to arrive So from yesterday.... I've got 7! So fingers crossed it all comes out just as I think it will! I saw the "Rapunzel" on their website and immediately was drawn to how flattering and simple it was, yet had a style all it's own. I couldn't believe that out of all the dresses I tried on, THAT was the one I went with. But I'm truly in love with it.

I'm in a dress 2 sizes too small so... it will lay differently. Don't judge! LOL.

My matching wedding band came too. And I have to say... it's beautiful. I know I'm biased... but it's perfect. I was sitting just staring at it, and I was looking at the inside of the band itself.
Rick had it engraved. Something as simple and beautiful as "With All My Love" made all the upcoming stress and planning and time so worth it.
I'm just bawling as he walks in the room! haha! What a sight for him to see. And it just made me think of how we met and how much time and effort we have put into US... that it's truly meant to be.

Rick and I met when I was a sophomore in college, and he was a senior. I was taking an Anatomy class... and he was my lab teacher. (HA!!!! Now THATS a story for our kids.) Now before we get into all those 'inappropriate teacher-student' ideas... he was more of a teaching assistant... he was helping my professor and getting extra credit before going off to med school. But still. tehehehehehehehe.
And it was seriously love at first sight. He asked me questions in class and I couldn't even remember my name it felt like. I was so embarrassed! But it must have stood out in his mind because he went to our optional lab a few days later, hoping I would be there. (I wasn't. lol!) He saw me the next week in class, and then asked for my number. He told me later that that week of him only knowing my name and that I had an A- in Anatomy was killing him. He said it was the longest week of his life until he saw me again.

After spending almost an entire evening talking at Barnes & Noble... he graduated from undergrad and went onto medical school two hours away from where I lived. I graduated from nursing school, and then he joined me after being apart for 2 years for his residency in St. Louis. And now, here we are. Almost 6 years later and about to get married. It definitely has NOT been easy. But what is? I'm the luckiest girl in the world.


Other than that? I sent the LOA back to my consultant today to add some kind of a welcome event. I booked SBP for a kind of welcome dinner the night before the wedding... but I'm kind of conflicted.
My dad said he would help pay for this welcome event because that's really more his idea. He feels that it's the 'right thing to do' to have a welcome dinner. BUT.... its the night before the wedding. And EVERYONE going to the wedding will be there.
So it's like having a second reception. Which I think is stupid. But that's just me.
And him stalling like this is making me
a) go insane
b) have more anxiety
c) delaying me returning my LOA (I feel like if we are going to do this welcome event I want to have something booked now because of availability reasons later?)

eh. It'll all come together. But I'm just stressing because I don't feel like I have as much time as I would want. I've been reading that people don't get assigned a event planner until like a week after they return the LOA, and I already don't have a whole lot of time! Whether this is my OCD kicking in or the excitement of planning, I'm not sure. I just want to have something done SOON!

Hope everyone has had a great week so far; it's off to work this weekend for the holiday. Yay nursing! hehe.

 

[charliegirl76]

Your dress and rings are beautiful!

We're not doing a welcome party at all, just the rehearsal dinner, and that's going to be for the wedding party only, the night before the wedding. I kind of feel the same as you...inviting everyone to a welcome party the day before the wedding is too much like a reception, you just won't be married yet. LOL

I love that he was the TA in your class. Great story to pass on to the kids. As for the time, yes, it does pass quickly, but don't worry too much, you'll get everything done. Some days I'm shocked at what I've accomplished, then I realize I have sooo much more time to go before the wedding. Make sure you're taking time to enjoy the planning part as much as possible...it really does go by fast.

 

[WittyAmb]

Ha! I may have to take you up on that!! how did dress shopping go today??! Crazy surreal, right? Hope you felt like a princess!!!
-Nicole

Nicole I love your dress. Shopping for me was actually not what I expected but I think that's b/c I didn't find "the one". We're going to Alfred Angelo on Monday though. I've already pulled from their website 21 dresses that i want to try! It'll be a long day for sure. I'll definitely put something up in my PJ about it all soon.

 

[Summer Daydream]

I love the Rapunzel dress! It is so beautiful. It waste only Disney dress I was really a fan if when I saw it. You can tell that it is going to look so good on you when they get you the right size