Planning Our Happily Ever After - A Disneymoon PTR! (NEW 7/13 - TR Link!)

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

Hi!!
You commented on my Disneymoon PTR so I had to come over here and check yours out! I am still going through it, but I just wanted to comment that
1. the poly is my DREAM resort! I am going to get there one day. Enjoy it and take tons of pics It really does look like a nice romantic get away while still on Disney property.

and 2. you posted about the flip flops and I know you are probably going to cringe at the thought, but I promise you these are not your average pair. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Capri Crocs, they are so comfortable, I wore them on our last 2 trips, they are great b/c they dry so quickly and they have the arch for some support. I posted the link below. They have another Capri style with the stripe going down it, but for whatever reason those hurt, these are just awesome!

Capri Crocs

So let me go and check out your wedding details now!!

Thanks so much for coming over! We are so excited about the Poly! We visited the resort for dinner on our trip last month and just fell even more in love with it.

Thanks for the flip flop suggestions! I haven't given up hope yet! I know there has to be something out there that will work for me. I'll definitely keep the Capri's in mind!

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

WEDDING DETAILS – THE ATTIRE

Time for another wedding update! This time I thought I’d focus on the attire that the ladies in the wedding will be wearing. I think I mentioned already, but just incase I didn't my colors are blush pink, ivory, gold accents and pale green accents. Here are the bridesmaid dresses:

I think that this style will be really flattering on both of my bridesmaids, even though they have two very different body types.

Here are some styles and colors that I like for mother/grandmother dresses. These aren’t definites, but more so ideas. We’ve yet to do the mother shopping yet!

And of course, there is one last dress to share with you…my dress!!!

I went into my dress shopping pretty open to different silhouettes and styles. I did quite a bit of “researching” beforehand (meaning watching countless episodes of TLC’s Say Yes To The Dress!) and knew that sometimes, the style that ends up looking the best on you isn’t at all what you expected.

I decided to split my shopping up between 2 weekends so I wouldn’t feel overloaded, and I planned on visiting 2 stores per day, with a plan to return to a store the following weekend if I found a dress that I liked there. The first weekend that I did my shopping, the outcome was kind of…underwhelming. I did find a dress that I really liked in one of the stores and had a really fun time trying them on, but I was missing that reaction from both my family and myself.

I went back to the same store the following weekend with that one particular dress in mind. I thought I would try it on again and see if it brought on a different reaction the second time around. But then another dress caught my eye…

It was one I was planning on trying on the first week but just never got around to it. I knew that I had to try it on, and I decided to let it be the first one. As soon as the consultant put the dress on me I had a feeling. Not necessarily, “this is the one” but “I really, really like this one. A lot more than the other one.” When I walked out of the dressing room all of my family that was there with me started crying. Then I knew. That was definitely the dress! I know that people say this a lot, but really, the picture just doesn’t do it justice. Here it is!

I can't believe how quickly the wedding day is approaching!

Your dress is so pretty!!! The back is just gorgeous! I like your bridesmaid dresses too, I like how its flowy, nice for the summer, I am looking for something similar but short.
I haven't gone dress shopping yet, I am hoping to get to at least one shop though before Christmas to at least get an idea. I really like Maggie Sottero's dresses, I have like 6 of them bookmarked.

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

Heading over to the TR now but I wanted to cast another vote for the Croc Capris. They are seriously the only flip flops I would ever dare wear at WDW with my back issues. I have a couple of pairs but tend to wear my solid black ones the most at WDW. They have gotten me through 4-5 trips now when my feet can't stand sneakers anymore.

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

Your dress is so pretty!!! The back is just gorgeous! I like your bridesmaid dresses too, I like how its flowy, nice for the summer, I am looking for something similar but short.
I haven't gone dress shopping yet, I am hoping to get to at least one shop though before Christmas to at least get an idea. I really like Maggie Sottero's dresses, I have like 6 of them bookmarked.

Thank you! Dress shopping was so much fun. You're going to love it! I was actually worried that it would be a stressful experience but I ended up really enjoying it. I think having a weekend just to look without the pressure of buying really helped. I hope you'll post on your PTR when you find one!

Heading over to the TR now but I wanted to cast another vote for the Croc Capris. They are seriously the only flip flops I would ever dare wear at WDW with my back issues. I have a couple of pairs but tend to wear my solid black ones the most at WDW. They have gotten me through 4-5 trips now when my feet can't stand sneakers anymore.

I think I need to give these Capris a try! It couldn't hurt, right? Maybe I can add them to my Christmas wish list.

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

WE'RE BOOKED!!!

I'm very excited to report that we are booked at the Poly for our Disneymoon! Between planning for the November trip, the holidays and general life happenings, I hadn't set aside the time to call and make the reservation for the honeymoon. I knew I had to do it before December 21, though - that's our ADR day! I can't believe how quickly that is approaching!

I was a little worried that I might have waited too long because I saw a DISer post a thread over on the resorts board about lack of standard room availability at the Deluxe hotels in June, but luckily I didn't have an issue getting our room booked!

So, here are the details:

WHERE: Disney's Polynesian Resort


WHEN: June 19 - 30, 2011 - 12 days, 11 nights! (We had originally planned on 10 days but I just couldn't fit everything I wanted to do into a 10 day itinerary. )


THE LONGHOUSE: After much research here, input from you all, and some time spent on tikiman's site, we have decided to request Tokelau! From what I've read it seems like a great location - really close to everything, which is so important.


THE VIEW: We decided to go with a Garden View room. I looked into Lagoon view, theme park view (and even club level) but the cost was a little shocking, I will admit. I'm of course hoping for some pixie dust and a room upgrade since it's our honeymoon (which I noted on the reservation). I know we would be happy with a GV room though, since the Poly is so beautiful!


I had a really nice CM helping me with the booking, although I was a little confused about some of the info he gave me. I was planning on booking a package with the AP holder dinning plan, but he told me that because AP rates (meaning the discount) hadn't been released yet, I couldn't add the DDP, yet. This seems a little strange to me. I asked him what if there is no discount. He assured me there would be. Apparently I will have to call back when the AP discount comes out, cancel my reservation, add a new one, and then get the DDP.

So, have you AP holders been told this as well? It just seems weird to me. I think I might call back again sometime this week and see if I get the same story...

 

[Princess_K]

That's so exciting about booking your Disneymoon! I think Tokelau is a great location, and I'm pretty jealous you get so much time there

Sorry I can't help with the AP stuff, but that does seem a bit strange

 

[therussells08]

Congratulations! I have never stayed at the Poly but I've always thought it looked like the perfect place for a Disneymoon! I'm sure you are going to have a perfect time!

 

[klacey1]

The AP stuff is weird-- I'd honestly call back and talk to another CM about it. If the first one was wrong, the next one can fix it. Or, if he was right, maybe they can explain it better/give you more details about when a discount will come out/what it'll be.
But yay for being booked! I feel like the Poly is perfect for a honeymoon!

 

[Jennifer48]

Hooray for booking the Poly!

 

[Nermel9]

Yay for booking the Poly! I can't believe you're going for so long, that sounds so amazing...I'd love to go that long one time, but Brandon said 8 days was too long about our last trip! Although, I think he'd change his mind if we were at the Poly, he LOVES that place! I have to stay there someday, it's just SO expensive!!! If I get a 40% off pin code, or if there is a gp discount, it's going to hard not to stay there next year, whenever our next trip is going to be!

I don't know anything about AP's, but I keep thinking about getting one...I'm trying to convince Brandon to take a quick long weekend trip in the months coming up, then going on a longer trip in the fall and an AP would be really helpful, but I don't know...they seem kind of confusing! When you already have tickets and you upgrade while you're there, you just pay the difference, right?

 

[lilpapsgirl]

Yay!! I am so excited for you!!
After the holidays, time will fly and the day will be here before you know it.

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

That's so exciting about booking your Disneymoon! I think Tokelau is a great location, and I'm pretty jealous you get so much time there

Sorry I can't help with the AP stuff, but that does seem a bit strange

I think we made a great choice by requesting Tokelau. I read about it a lot here on the board so it must be a good location!

Congratulations! I have never stayed at the Poly but I've always thought it looked like the perfect place for a Disneymoon! I'm sure you are going to have a perfect time!

Thanks! We think it's the perfect place for a disneymoon, too! I think the fact that it will be our first time to stay there will make it even more special.

The AP stuff is weird-- I'd honestly call back and talk to another CM about it. If the first one was wrong, the next one can fix it. Or, if he was right, maybe they can explain it better/give you more details about when a discount will come out/what it'll be.
But yay for being booked! I feel like the Poly is perfect for a honeymoon!

It's very weird. I ended up calling back and after a loooong time the CM told me that the first CM was right. I'd like to know what the reasoning is behind that policy.

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

Hooray for booking the Poly!

Thanks! We are so excited!

Yay for booking the Poly! I can't believe you're going for so long, that sounds so amazing...I'd love to go that long one time, but Brandon said 8 days was too long about our last trip! Although, I think he'd change his mind if we were at the Poly, he LOVES that place! I have to stay there someday, it's just SO expensive!!! If I get a 40% off pin code, or if there is a gp discount, it's going to hard not to stay there next year, whenever our next trip is going to be!

I don't know anything about AP's, but I keep thinking about getting one...I'm trying to convince Brandon to take a quick long weekend trip in the months coming up, then going on a longer trip in the fall and an AP would be really helpful, but I don't know...they seem kind of confusing! When you already have tickets and you upgrade while you're there, you just pay the difference, right?

I can't believe we're going for that long either - it doesn't even seem real! We've never taken a trip for more than a week, but if there was ever a time to splurge it's on the honeymoon, right?!

Yeah, the Poly price is not pretty. I just keep telling myself that this is probably the most special trip we will ever take to Disney and that we might as well go all out!

Yay!! I am so excited for you!!
After the holidays, time will fly and the day will be here before you know it.

Thanks! I am sure that once we hit January, June will be here before we know it! I can't believe it's almost been a year since we got engaged. It does not seem like that long at all!

 

[amyrella]

yay your booked!!!!

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

yay your booked!!!!

Thanks! It definitely seems a little more real, now!

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

WEDDING UPDATE - VENDORS BOOKED & SAVE THE DATE'S

So, today my ticker for the disneymoon is showing 6 months and 1 week. I know I say this all the time, but I really can't believe how quickly this wedding is approaching! Here we are, under two weeks until Christmas, which was when Miguel proposed last year. Since we planned a year and a half long engagement, the wedding really did not even seem as though it was happening at first because it was still so far off. But now, I am so glad that we did plan it this way because it has really allowed us to take the planning process very slowly and give a lot of thought to all aspects of our wedding. If I had to do it over again I wouldn't change the way that the planning as progressed on bit - it has been so stress free!

I finally feel as though we have gotten all of the really big things knocked out. We've got all of our major vendors lined up and a lot of the big decisions made, so I'm feeling pretty good! Here's a list of what we've accomplished in the year since we got engaged, and what we have left to do. Plus, I'd like to share the Save The Date cards that we chose!

VENDORS BOOKED / THINGS ACCOMPLISHED
Venue (Ceremony & Reception)
Cake Baker
Caterer (also providing linens/dishes/flatware/glassware)
Florist
Photographer
Videographer
DJ
Lighting Designer
Day-of Coordinator
String Quartet & Trumpet Player
Ordered my dress
Decided on bridesmaid dresses
Booked honeymoon
Decided on Invitations and Save The Dates

And speaking of Save The Date's - here's what we chose! Obviously the actual card will have our last names, but I blurred them out, just to be safe.

I love it! I wanted something really simple and elegant that would set the tone of our wedding and I think this really does. The card is about the size of a 5x7 photograph and has raised gold ink on a thick ivory cardstock. I'm planning on getting these ordered within the next week, and getting them sent out to guests during January.

So here's what we have left to do...
Order bridesmaid dresses/mother's dresses/men's tuxes
Transportation
Chairs
Hair and Makeup
Officiant
Book rehearsal dinner
Book hotel for night before wedding/wedding night
Book ADR's/Activites for honeymoon (more on that in a later post, of course!)

 

[Princess_K]

You are making great progress on the wedding planning! The Save the Dates are really pretty. I can't wait to see pics of the wedding...it will be beautiful!

 

[therussells08]

I love your Save the Dates! They are gorgeous! Everything for your wedding is really coming together! I'm so excited for you!

 

[Leeanne]

WEDDING DETAILS – THE ATTIRE

Time for another wedding update! This time I thought I’d focus on the attire that the ladies in the wedding will be wearing. I think I mentioned already, but just incase I didn't my colors are blush pink, ivory, gold accents and pale green accents. Here are the bridesmaid dresses:

I think that this style will be really flattering on both of my bridesmaids, even though they have two very different body types.

Here are some styles and colors that I like for mother/grandmother dresses. These aren’t definites, but more so ideas. We’ve yet to do the mother shopping yet!

And of course, there is one last dress to share with you…my dress!!!

I went into my dress shopping pretty open to different silhouettes and styles. I did quite a bit of “researching” beforehand (meaning watching countless episodes of TLC’s Say Yes To The Dress!) and knew that sometimes, the style that ends up looking the best on you isn’t at all what you expected.

I decided to split my shopping up between 2 weekends so I wouldn’t feel overloaded, and I planned on visiting 2 stores per day, with a plan to return to a store the following weekend if I found a dress that I liked there. The first weekend that I did my shopping, the outcome was kind of…underwhelming. I did find a dress that I really liked in one of the stores and had a really fun time trying them on, but I was missing that reaction from both my family and myself.

I went back to the same store the following weekend with that one particular dress in mind. I thought I would try it on again and see if it brought on a different reaction the second time around. But then another dress caught my eye…

It was one I was planning on trying on the first week but just never got around to it. I knew that I had to try it on, and I decided to let it be the first one. As soon as the consultant put the dress on me I had a feeling. Not necessarily, “this is the one” but “I really, really like this one. A lot more than the other one.” When I walked out of the dressing room all of my family that was there with me started crying. Then I knew. That was definitely the dress! I know that people say this a lot, but really, the picture just doesn’t do it justice. Here it is!

I can't believe how quickly the wedding day is approaching!

I haven't had a chance to post on this but I love your dresses!!! These are absolutely beautiful! I love your bridesmaid dresses. And your dress is unreal. I love, love, love it!!! The back and off the shoulder is amazing!
Leeanne

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

You are making great progress on the wedding planning! The Save the Dates are really pretty. I can't wait to see pics of the wedding...it will be beautiful!

It's really coming together, I think! I can't wait to see how the vision comes together, too! I hope the plan in my head translates into reality!

I love your Save the Dates! They are gorgeous! Everything for your wedding is really coming together! I'm so excited for you!

Thanks! I'm excited that we're finally close enough to actually send out the Save the Date's!

I haven't had a chance to post on this but I love your dresses!!! These are absolutely beautiful! I love your bridesmaid dresses. And your dress is unreal. I love, love, love it!!! The back and off the shoulder is amazing!
Leeanne

Thanks, Leeanne! I'm really happy with the dress. It's exactly what I wanted.