Planning Journal: YC Gazebo/Portobello~MINI-TRIP REPORT ON PAGE 3!

[purplegirl247]

Got some way-cool updates regarding the honeymoon, so thought I'd start the planning journal over, so as not to bring the "guess who got engaged" thread back to life (less reading for you folks this way!). So, to recap:
Engagement ring:

I tried to get a better close-up of the ring, but like other posters have mentioned, it's really hard to get a decent shot of a ring! And in case you're wondering, yes, it is a Disney head amethyst ring. He knows I'm not a fan of diamonds, and he definitely knows we're Mickey fanatics, so I think he made a great choice.
Date: April 23, 2007 (my grandparents' wedding anniversary)
Location: Yacht Club Wedding Gazebo
Time: noon
Photographer: Randy Chapman
Intimate "reception": Portabella Yacht Club
Hair/makeup: Anna from Makeover Majic
Bouquet: purple hydrangeas (sp?) with gold drape
Added options: Bridal Portrait, as they call it, or Magic Kingdom Photo Shoot, as DISers call it
Dress: Betsy & Adam

Invitations:

I'm planning on using a Mickey head silhouette stamp (either finding one online pre-maid or just "making it" myself with one large circle stamp and two smaller ones) on the inside, then using transluscent vellum (or whatever it's called) to print the actual info on. Does that make sense? So when you open it, you'll be able to see the Mickey head through the vellum...?

Officiant: We wanted a friend of ours to perform the ceremony, so we're "sponsoring" him to get his notary public license. I still have to write the vows, which has me a little worried.

Hotel(s): Yacht Club the night before and the night of the wedding, then moving to Port Orleans Riverside for the remaining days. YC seems great, but my goodness, what a way to break the bank!

Honeymoon: Ah, here's where I get really excited. DF and I live in Orlando, and go to Disney all the time, which is why some people think it's weird that we're honeymooning here (well, besides the fact that Disney intimates require it; lol!). So my plan was to make it as spectacular as possible. I've cut a lot of corners for the actual wedding (family only) so we could have a great time doing stuff we've never done before in all of our years of Disney-ness. So, here's the plan...

Monday the 23: Get married. Have reception. Will probably do something later that night for dinner. Haven't gotten that far yet.
Tuesday the 24: Keys to the Kingdom Tour (5-hour backstage MK tour) with my then-DH and my two out-of-town brothers. Say bye-bye to brothers. Eat dinner at Hollywood & Vine at MGM, then see Fantasmic (tried to get the Fantasmic Dinner Package but it's not available through H&V anymore).
Wednesday the 25: Hidden Treasures of World Showcase (3.5-hour Epcot tour of countries). Lunch at Le Cellier.
Thursday the 26: Around the World at Epcot (2-hour Segway tour; how cool is that??). Lunch at CRT (also ridiculously cool, right, StephFL? ).
Friday the 27: Undiscovered Future World tour at Epcot (4-hour, self-explanatory tour). Lunch at Garden Grill.
Saturday the 28: Check out, head home, enjoy the rest of the weekend before it's back to work with us, as newlyweds.

We wanted to do some of the Animal Kingdom safari tours, but almost all the tours are during the morning hours, and we're only going to be at Disney for so many days! For those of you who are booking their Disneymoons, I would definitely look into the tour options. They sound awesome!

Anywho, just wanted to share the updates. I feel like I have so much more to do (song choices, wedding cake, favors, etc.), but when I write everything down, it makes me feel like I've done so much already! Oh, and happy new year!

 

[purplegirl247]

Just thought I'd give an update in case someone stumbles across my planning journal someday...

Had my trial makeover with Anna Wacaser of makeovermajic.com on Sunday. She's supposed to come to your house to do everything, but I got an e-mail from her saying her car wouldn't start. She offered ten dollars off the price if any of us (she had 3 scheduled that day) would drive out to see her.

I was pleased with the trial overall. She did exactly what I wanted with my hair (though I have to warn you I wasn't very specific). My makeup looked good as well, though I do have a slight problem with rosacea that I pointed out to her beforehand and she didn't quite address. I told her I definitely didn't want the redness showing up in photos on the day of the wedding and will remind her again on the day of.

I had brought my dress and shoes so she could get a feel for how (in)formal our wedding would be. Apparently she's an amateur photographer, so she offered to take some very nice pics with her digital camera. My only, ONLY problem is that she hasn't sent these pictures to me yet, and it's already Thursday night.

Anywho, when she does get around to sending them to me, I will be sure to post them here. Oh, and there was another Disney bride there (not a DISer tho) so we were chatting about photography and when Anna heard I was having Randy, she confirmed that he does good work. Even other vendors are impressed with Randy; how cool is that??

 

[JackieSparrow]

purplegirl, your itinerary looks great. the tours seem super fun, i'd really like to check them out someday

 

[Belle Amy]

Honeymoon: Ah, here's where I get really excited. DF and I live in Orlando, and go to Disney all the time, which is why some people think it's weird that we're honeymooning here (well, besides the fact that Disney intimates require it; lol!). So my plan was to make it as spectacular as possible. I've cut a lot of corners for the actual wedding (family only) so we could have a great time doing stuff we've never done before in all of our years of Disney-ness. So, here's the plan...

I know how you feel! We live in Bartow, about 45 minutes south of Orlando, and people think we're crazy for wanting to have our honeymoon at Disney..we're always there anyway. But the longest we've stayed on Disney property has only been three days, so we're making our honeymoon a fourteen day stay!! It will be different for us, and we will be able to do many things that we've never had the opportunity to do...

I'm glad you had a good experience with your hair and makeup trial, and I can't wait to see more pictures...thank you for sharing your plans!!! Only a couple months left for you!! How exciting!

 

[curiouser]

Hey PG! Glad to see you updating!! I hope all your planning is going well and glad to hear you enjoyed your hair trial I was just thinking about you the other day while finalizing some details for our trip!

The Segway tour is a blast!! You'll have SO much fun!! In fact, I should see if we can schedule it in.. I'd love to do it again!

 

[meryll83]

Where did the Mickey ring come from? I love it!

 

[myprincessgirlisa]

i LOVE THAT you went with an engagement ring thats your style & taste & made it totaly original....thats the stuff DFTW are made of ...ORIGINALITY!!

Wow your gonna do alot of tours....i would really love to know how they were & if they are worth the time & money.

Pretty dress, to bad someone couldnt take it for you so the flash didnt blur some out...oh well its very pretty & you look really good in it...not many girls can pull of the slender dresses....you look great

 

[purplegirl247]

meryll: I'm pretty sure DF got the ring somewhere at Disney. It's definitely unique, though the design is making it a challenge to find a wedding band that doesn't look overwhelming!

As for the tours, we've done the Keys to the Kingdom tour before and I can definitely tell you that one's worth it. I had no idea there was so much going on (planning-wise), even just on Main Street! And from what curioser says, the Segway tour will be fun, too.

I was pleased to see that with the new Disneymoon registry, you can add these tours! I've already had family come forward and mention that they would like to pay for (or help pay for) some of the tours because they sound like so much fun! Yay, the new registry!

 

[purplegirl247]

It took forever, and I don't think my smile is that great (she was making me laugh, which oddly enough comes off looking like a fake smile), but here are the pics of my hair and makeup trial with anna wacasar from makeovermajic.com.

I have no idea why she made me stand like this, but at least you can see the entire dress, top to bottom.

You can see the back detail in this one.

This one is just fun because it's in black and white. FYI: I don't usually look so goofy when I smile.

And here are some closeups of what she did to the back.

All in all, I think she did a great job.

On a related sidenote, I've lost 4 pounds since I started working out and eating right a few weeks ago. Hooray! Only six pounds to go, and 8 1/2 weeks to do it in! No pressure!

P.S. Does anyone know of some fancy, secret slip/camisole/something I can wear under my dress? You can't really tell from these pics, but the dress is pretty sheer and you can *almost* see through it to my underthings. I tried putting on a regular slip like I would wear under a skirt, but you could easily see where it started and stopped. I'm not usually very good at these girly things, so any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[meryll83]

I love your hair, the knots at the back look lovely!

 

[Maggimus]

WoW!! Your hair looks really good. I think you look beautiful and Anna did a great job!! I bet you are excited-- just think the next time you meet her is the big day!!

As for something sheer for underneath.... I really would love to help you and send you something. Unfortunately I really dont know what. Have you considered a nude type underwear instead of white? The "no panty line" type underwear... do you know what im talking about? I have a couple of pairs (I know you dont want them ) but If you are interested I can look for some next time im out. You might try and see if those work for you.

I just cant think of a practical slip or something to go underneath that you wont completely see (especially if its as sheer as you say). Another option-- which might run a little expensive- is take your dress to a bridal shop (I wouldnt go to a chain, but rather someone who owns their own shop and lives this type of stuff-- the chains just want to make money off of you)... if you take it to someone they might be able to look at the material and give you a suggestion or two.

Good Luck and let us know how it goes!!

 

[curiouser]

Oh I LOVE the back of your head!! (great compliment, no? ) Your hair looks just beautiful. I love the height she got on the top - you're probably blessed with nice thick height holding hair, right?

 

[PrincessBride07]

I just wanted to say I love the hair and the dress. Thanks for sharing your review on Anna, because I have booked her for my wedding!

 

[DisneyFairy19]

Great Journal... You look beautiful in your dress.... and your ring is stunning.. I love it

 

[purplegirl247]

Thanks, everyone, for your kind comments. Just some quick updates before I'm off to bed...

*For the dress/slip condundrum, I think I'm just going to go to a department store and have a look around. It's not *that* sheer; it's mostly just when the light hits it the right way. I don't want the photographer to be there, merrily snapping away, and have the photos turn out to be x-rated (or at least pg-13!) like a Paris Hilton shot or something!

*I'm really bummed. Found out that the Brevard County Courthouse only does license by mail for out-of-staters. I tried to explain that I just got a new job, don't have much vacation, and assume it's a lengthy process, but the lady wouldn't budge. Rats.

*I fax off our final documents to our wedding coordinator on Friday. That means two months from Friday, we'll be getting married! Eek! I still have to do the favors, write the vows, finish the honeymoon reservations, start the honeymoon registry, and get the wedding license. Err...I mean, *we* still have to do that stuff. (Yeah, right )

 

[purplegirl247]

I've heard about brides having meltdowns over little stuff before and I always wondered why they would let that stuff get to them. Well, I experienced that today for sure. I've been plugging along, finishing stuff up, when I decided to go upstairs and try on the underthings that I bought for the dress. I put them on, put on the dress, turned to face the mirror...and looked totally stupid. The underthing just didn't look right. I tried the dress on without the underthing. Still looked stupid. I wonder if maybe I should try getting another dress altogether. Realize it's THREE WEEKS from the wedding, so that's out of the question and I'm "stuck" with what I have.

Needed a healthy boost of self esteem so I put on the outfit I bought for the honeymoon pictures. I'd bought the top and bottom separately, but I was sure they were going to look super cute together. I put them on today. No such luck. I think they look stupid together. I desperately try switching the bottoms to shorts, a jean skirt, anything to get the magical combination. Nothing.

At this point I'm panicking because I really want our wedding photos to turn out great (it's what we're spending the bulk of our money on, ironically). I'm also fighting tears when I realize I'm being ridiculous and the dress and outfit can't look nearly as bad as I'm seeing. They looked cute at some point, right? So I phone a friend and ask her if she can help me through my mini-wedding meltdown. She can, but not until Tuesday.

Tuesday! That's three whole days of agonizing over this stupid underthings business! I totally get now why some brides go Bridezilla on everyone. One little thing can seem so life-altering when I know logically (definitely not emotionally!) that everything will turn out ok and this will all seem so funny in...say, four weeks when the wedding is over.

Anywho, I've been chronicling the rest of the wedding planning so I figured I might as well chronicle my foray into the world of crazy. *sighs*

 

[AuroraBorealis]

It will be okay. It really will. I think you look quite lovely in your gown!

Can you try to find a different underthing for your gown? Or maybe you can find a seamstress to sew in another lining to make it less sheer? I had a similar sheerness problem with a dress once and my seamstress worked magic; adding a thicker lining and also sewing in some bra cups. She added a nude-colored lining and it made all the difference. I didn't have the visible slip line with it either since it ran the length of the gown.

I'm sure you will love your honeymoon outfit too! You loved it enough to buy it, you will love it when you are wearing it. I hope your friend will be able to help you get it to look the way you want it!

And you are right, everything will turn out okay! At the end of the day, you will be married(!) and that is the most important thing! One day, you will look back and laugh at all this.

Good luck and keep up updated!

 

[calanniebu]

try to find Spanx. *MANY* people swear by them. Don't get another dress ... it's perfect for you and on you!

Good luck! I know the last three weeks before my wedding I was a pure stressball. It will all work out ... and just think, you're going to be marrying the love of your life! That's the light at the end of the tunnel.

 

[Indy's Girl]

Hopefully you will feel better from your meltdown soon! As far as having your friend marry you, if there is no religious reason why he wouldn't want to get ordained you can have him ordained for FREE onine at the universal life church. My stepfather is marrying us and so he did this, took about 10 minutes. Just a thought. Hope you feel better soon! I definitly have my share of meltdowns, and the worst is that you know it shouldn't be that big of a deal but somehow it is.

 

[luvsmickey]

Purplegirl, I completly understand!!!! I'm going through the same thing! I used to be like, what's wrong with those girls that crack up?! And then it happens to you...The littlest thing sets you into tears!

I'm sure it's all just your emotions, cause you look beautiful in your pics! I'm sure it'll all work it's self out! Good luck on your next couple of days!