Nikki & Rob's PJ Wishes VR 11/9/09 WP, GF *We leave Sun. morning!!*

[adisneygal]

I love that dress especially with the truffle sash!

 

[Desnik]

Thank you for the compliments!!

My dress is in!!!! I can't believe it is ready so fast!! I still have to get it altered but it's in!!! Now I have to find somewhere to keep it so DH doesn't get tempted to sneak a peak!!

 

[disney_dreaming_mom]

Here is the Blessing of the Hands ceremony:
(I copied it from the info Rev. Knox sent me. "N and N" are not our initials)

We would like to take a moment to bless the hands of N., and N. For it is through the hands that we demonstrate our love and commitment to one another.

N, and N, please face each other and join both hands so that we may bless them.

N, and N These are the hands of your best friend, strong and full of love for you.

They are being held by yours as you two renew the promise to love each other for the rest of your lives.

These are the hands that will continue to work alongside yours as together you two build a future and share your innermost secrets and dreams.

These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, and with the slightest touch will comfort you like no other.

These are the hands that will hold you when fear or grief threatens to overwhelm you.

These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes, tears of sorrow and tears of joy.

These are the hands that will tenderly hold the (Grand)children.

These are the hands that will help you to hold your family as one.

These are the hands that be there to give you strength when you need it the most.

And lastly, these are the hands that even when wrinkled and aged will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch.

Prayer: (optional)

God, bless these hands that you see before you this day. May they always be held by one another. Keep them tender and gentle as they nurture each other in their wondrous love. Help these hands to continue building a relationship founded in your grace. May N, and N see their four hands as healer, protector, shelter and guide. We ask this in your name, Amen.


When you married ___years ago you had no idea what life had in store for you. Your togetherness as husband and wife, at times, may have been under difficult circumstances. Your circumstances may have required great faith, but your faith has found you steadfast and its now brings you to this point in your life where you joyfully reaffirm your love for one another.

I now invite you to look into each others eyes.

Renewal of marriage vows

N, this woman, whom you hold by the hand, is your wife. She has given you one of the most sacred things under heaven: a woman’s life and a woman’s love. She will continue to look to you for support, loyalty, and understanding.
Do you renew your vow here, as you have promised N,
That you will be true and loyal,
Patient in sickness,
Comforting in sorrow,
And forsaking all other, keep yourself only unto her,
So long as you both shall live?

I DO

N , this man whom you hold by the hand is your husband. It is upon your life, your love and your devotion that he will lean upon for strength and inspiration. He will continue to look to you for encouragement, cheerfulness, and confidence. Do you renew your vow here, as you have promised N,
That you will be loyal in adversity,
Ministering to him in affliction,
Comforting in sorrow,
And forsaking all others,
Keeping yourself only into him as long as you both shall live?

I DO

That is beautiful. I just found your PJ and everything looks beautiful. I love the colors you have chosen.

 

[Desnik]

Thank you! I love that vow renewal ceremony too!

My newsletters have reached everyone and the response is overwhelming!! I have gotten so many phone calls from people saying how great they looked. I have another family coming that I didn't think would come so my guest list is growing!!

I have been searching for shoes with no luck. My veil still hasn't come it and I still don't have a wedding planner!!! My sales manager said at the 8th month mark my planner will contact me. We shall see. I am dying to see who I get and book my planning session.

We are going to go with a dual plate of filet mignon and chicken. I am just not sure on the flavors for those dishes! I would love any ideas. I know we want garlic mashed potatoes and we aren't sure on the veggie.

 

[Pirate's Princess]

So I just read through your whole PJ, congratulations. I LOVE the fall colors. I want to have a Oct '11 wedding and doing the truffle brown with warm orange. I love it! So I'll definitely be stealing some ideas from you!

Your dress is gorgeous. I love the halter top. PS I like the truffle sash as well!

 

[Desnik]

So I just read through your whole PJ, congratulations. I LOVE the fall colors. I want to have a Oct '11 wedding and doing the truffle brown with warm orange. I love it! So I'll definitely be stealing some ideas from you!

Your dress is gorgeous. I love the halter top. PS I like the truffle sash as well!

Thank you so much!!! Steal all the ideas you want!!

 

[Desnik]

I got assigned my planner! She just called me. I was also able to book my planning session for 1pm on Friday June 26th!!! Her name is Michelle W. and her assistant is Jesse. She said they will email me a planning kit to fill out before our PS. Wow, I just feel like it's more real now!! Now I have to collect pictures and swatches to bring. I am so excited!

 

[Desnik]

So, DH and I were going through our finances and I need to be on a strict budget for this vow renewal!!! I need to try to keep the Disney portion as close to the $10,000 minimum as possible. So I have been looking at everything and trying to cut all the stuff that I think is unnecessary.
Here is what I came up with(estimated prices):

Ceremony: Wedding Pavilion $2,500
Boutonniers 2 $24
Bouquet $325
Bouquet for DD $125
Motorcoach $465
Limo $252
Cindy's Coach $2,700
1 Disney character $800
Reception White Hall Room and Patio $125 per adult $23 per child 51 adults, 7 kids, 5 infants(free). Total $6536(sit down dinner)

This is with no cocktail hour. We figured we don't need it. We will do pictures before the ceremony and planned to be with our guests for the whole reception. I want to get rid of Cindy's coach because of the cost but DH doesn't want me to because he knows how badly I want it. We were going to do mini cakes but now I am thinking it would be cheaper to just have one big cake? So all of the above is a total of $13,727. This doesn't include centerpieces, linens, drinks, photography, oh and the officiant($175 balance). What has happened is we invited 77 people thinking we would have about 40 to 50 people max. Well, more people said yes and now we are at 63 people! This added to the cost obviously. Then we still have the cost of invitations, favors, dress, shoes for DD(my mom paid for mine) and attire for DH and DS. Holy cow! This is costing so much I am getting scared! I knew it was going to cost a lot but I just didn't think about all the little things.

Also, we were going to use our free night at the GF the night before the VR, then stay 2 additional nights in the same room at a cost of $1125. Then since we are DVC members I booked the treehouse villas at SSR for the following 3 nights. I am thinking to save some money we could stay at BLT at the CR and use our DVC points. This way there will be no cost. We could use the free night at the GF the night of the VR and have my mom stay in our BLT room to watch our kids. What do you all think of this idea? This would also give DH and I our own rooms to get dressed in the day of the VR. Our ceremony isn't until 5pm so I am hoping our GF room would be ready before then.

Sorry I am all over the place! I just need to get my thoughts written out. Now that I booked our PS(June 26th) I have been really looking at the costs. I guess I am also feeling guilty about spending this much money on one day.

 

[Desnik]

I got our AP vouchers today! One less thing to budget for!

I also got the music CD for the organist at the WP and the cake CD. The cakes are all beautiful but I still love those mini cakes!

 

[DISNEYMAGIC2005]

YaY! Your planning session is the day after my shades of green wedding!

I know it is really tough to make and stick to a budget... I am the queen of NOT sticking to it. It will all work out.

Don't feel guilty about spending too much. It's your special day. Happy planning!

 

[Desnik]

YaY! Your planning session is the day after my shades of green wedding!

I know it is really tough to make and stick to a budget... I am the queen of NOT sticking to it. It will all work out.

Don't feel guilty about spending too much. It's your special day. Happy planning!

Thank you!

 

[Tink&PirateMama]

Yay for your husband keeping cindys coach! If you are doing all of this, it's so once in a lifetime, you need to go for it! I can't imagine though, having the cost go up with more guests- yikes! But at the same time, what a nice problem- really, that so many people want to celebrate your love with you! It will work out, take deep breaths! Can't wait to see what you continue to plan!!

 

[padisneyfour]

jut catching up.... good luck with everything, esp. the BEO! looking forward to hearing more!

 

[rumrunnergirl]

If you need to trim your budget and you want to keep Cindy's Coach, I'd cut here:

Boutonniers 2 $24
Bouquet $325
Bouquet for DD $125
Motorcoach $465
Limo $252

Can you or a friend make your own silk floral, or go with what Disney provides? It would be a lot cheaper - I made both my kids' floral for under $4. I haven't read your old PJ, so I don't know if you really need the motor coach and the limo to get everyone somewhere. Also, if you keep Cindy's Coach - do you really need a Disney Character? Just something to think about, which one means more to you, maybe save the Character for your next VR, LOL.

centerpieces, linens, drinks, photography

- I'd make my own centerpieces and skip the drinks. Linens - don't know if they're necessary, but I'm doing an escape so I'm not familiar with Wishes or VR stuff. Photography - can you go with Disney? Or do you have a guest who is a photographer and that can be their gift to you? (If Disney lets you do that)

Invites - you can make; favors - I don't think they're totally necessary, but I'm making mine - candles in a glass holder with decoration on the holder - under $1 each. I read once "why do guests need favors? Isn't it enough that they've been invited to a party and are being shown a good time?" I have to agree, LOL, but that's just me.

Shoes for your DD - I am going to check Payless Shoes for my DD. I don't think anyone is really going to be paying attention to her shoes, so nice white Mary Janes will do (she's almost 10). Attire for your DH and DS - check eBay - you can get complete suits for pretty cheap. Also, a lot depends on your preference and tastes. I got my DH2B and DS's clothes from eBay and the thrift store, because they're only going to be wearing them for a few hours, and having "new" clothes aren't really important to us - we always shop at the thrift store. I got DH2B and DS matching vests and ties (new) on eBay. DD's dress was new on eBay for 1/5 the price tag. I did see boy's suits for $30 new on eBay.

I think the main expense is the reception food, but there's not much you can do about that.

Good luck!

 

[Desnik]

Thank you rumrunnergirl for all the ideas. BTW, the shoes I was talking about were for me, not DD.

I thought I would update what's been going on with me.

I picked up my veil from David's Bridal and it was defective! The appliqué wasn't to the edge of the tule and it was stained! They are taking it back and giving me a credit. I decided not to go with the veil. I am going to use the credit for my DD's dress and my shoes.

My DH has found a suit he really likes and will probably just buy it. It is a Calvin Klein linen suit and he will probably use a chocolate brown tie. Hopefully we can find something similar for DS.

We have our room booked at the GF royal palm club concierge standard room from the 8th to the 13th. We decided to stay at the GF the whole trip cause we didn't feel like moving to another resort. We are letting my sister and her family use our DVc points as well as my MIL.

For now Cindy's coach is out. I have to have the motor coaches and limo for the guests. They are all from NY and are relying on Disney transportation so none of them will have a car. Well, maybe about 10 guests will have a car out of 60. The Disney character is a must. We will now try to use the White Hall room standard linens which are free and come with the room. Hopefully ivory is standard!LOL

As for a bar, we have decide not to have liquor. I know that some of our guests will probably be upset by this but I hope they will let it go. I have a handful of family members who are recovering alcoholics. DH and I don't drink. I just think it would save us money and it would just make me feel more comfortable.

Photography is still going to Misty. We love her work, her price is good and she is available for our date!

We will make the invites. Favors I will do too. Something inexpensive, not sure what yet. I have no idea about the centerpieces. I just think having Disney do them will be more convenient.

I have my parents fighting because my father is bringing his girlfriend and my mother thinks she doesn't belong there and is not coming with her boyfriend so she is mad at him. They are crazy and I am really trying not to get involved.

I have chosen to go with Patricia LeJuene for my hair and make up and will hopefully have a trial on our June trip.

So that's all the updates for now!

 

[rumrunnergirl]

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[Desnik]

Sounds like you are making good progress.

Sorry to hear about your veil and your parents.

For the shoes - if you have a Payless I'd check there anyway. When we went for DD's shoes, I noticed they had a wedding shoe section and they looked nice! They can dye them also.

I hear ya on the coach. If they would just make the price reasonable, it would be booked solid! So many brides want it but can't afford it, so it's not being purchased as much as it could be if they dropped the price. I would love to get it, but I'm not spending $2700 for 20 minutes.

Don't fret over the alcohol - we're not having it either, for the same reasons. I told people if they want it they can bring their own, LOL! I don't want a bunch of people getting drunk at my wedding - it's supposed to be about family and friends, not how much free booze you can down in a few hours.

Good luck!

Thanks!! Especially about the alcohol part!!

 

[Desnik]

Today my husband and mother staged a vow renewal intervention!

My husband said he wasn't happy with the direction things were taking. He felt our original plan changed too much and we were cutting things he really wanted. They both talked to me about the budget and the amount of guests and the layout of the reception. So yes, things have changed, again!

But I have to say I feel totally relieved and really good about everything! So, here is the plan and I swear it is not changing!!

Overall theme: Elegance and romance with fall colors

Number of guests:
Adults: 47
Kids ages 3-9: 8
Kids ages under 3: 5

Ceremony:
Location: Wedding Pavilion 5pm
Music: Organist
Officiant: Rev. Kevin Knox
Decor: Floral alter arrangement
Transportation: Cinderella's Coach
Staged Exit with rose petals

Reception:
Location: Whitehall Room and Patio
Music: String Quartet
Entertainment: Mickey and Minnie
Tables: In the room: 6 round seating 10 each, one sweetheart table for 2
On the patio: kids activity table, cocktail tables
Decor: Colors- Ivory and chocolate linens, lots of candles
Centerpieces: TBD
Food: No cocktail hour, Dinner TBD
Drinks: Bill on consumption beer, wine, soft drinks, water, juice(OK, this is still something DH and I are debating! we may just nix the liquor)
Table Names: Famous Disney Couples
Cake: 1 tier mini Mickey hat cakes for each child, 2 tier mini champagne cakes for each adult

Transportation
Motor Coach to transport all guests.
Limo to transport our parents.

Photographer: Misty Miotto Silver Package

Hair/Makeup: Patricia LeJuene

Resort: We will be staying at the Grand Floridian Royal Palm Club for 5 nights.

Favors: TBD

Things we will not have:
No rehearsal or welcome party
No cocktail hour
No gift, cake, or guest book table
No guest book
No ceremony programs

So far I have one planned event for everyone. We will all meet up at the MK on Nov. 10th to go to MVMCP. Everyone will pay their own way and purchase tickets ahead of time. We just thought this was a great event for our family to share together. So far we will have 30 people, and it could be more!!!

So, that's everything!

 

[Tink&PirateMama]

Oh yay!! I'm SOOOO happy for you! This sounds awesome! And you get all the things you dream of- in the end it is about you and your DH being happy- that is fantastic he did an 'intervention'!! What a great hubby!! And you get the coach now! yay!!! I think it all sounds wonderful Good for you girl!!

 

[Desnik]

Thank you Calesta!

I have a confirmed hair/makeup trial on June 25th with Patricia LeJuene!! I can't wait!