Sara & Ryan's Wishes PJ & TR ~ 8/17/10 WP/GF/Marina ~ 1/22 Thank you!

[pezaddict231]

Good luck with the house on top of the wedding! THe DF and I are both in the process of background checks for new Gov't jobs. Why have things easy when we can make life more spicy!

lol, I guess when it rains it pours! But I think it will be nice to have it taken care of before the wedding.

Wow Disney's Save the Dates are beautiful Sara! Good luck with the house hunting too!

Thanks Marissa! I think they are sooo pretty! I hope they keep them. Lol, I'll need it. Most of the houses where I lived are old and overpriced. Well since the market went down, still old and slightly less overpriced .

Hey!

Geez i'm sorry to hear about the whole apartment craziness but I wish you luck on finding a house! Thats really exciting!

I love the save the date they are so pretty!

Yeah, a little advanced warning would have been nice, but I have been wanting to get our own house so that is very exciting. And DF is excited because I said we can get another cat when we have a house.

Thanks! I really like them too .

YAY how exciting!!! Aren't they beautiful!!
I was told by my planner that depending on when you signed the contract, you may or may not get the actual STD's.

They really are. That's a shame, it's like one of the two things you get for free as a Wishes Bride, I think they should keep them. An email just seems a little tacky not to mention what if it went into a Spam folder and guests never even got them. Plus I feel like so many guests have no idea what to expect from a Disney wedding, so the Save the Date gives them a little preview.

Oooh! I am loving those STD's, it is sad that they are stopping them.
I wonder what they will say to us 2011 brides?
It was a great detail to receive those though!
The letter press and die cut detail are nice!

I'm hoping you still get them, I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. They are really well made and very nice looking and I think it helps people realize that a Disney wedding is a real wedding and not a joke, because some non-Disney loving people do think that. We had some people think they were the invitations. Now I'm glad I stepped it up with the pocketfold invite.

Just been catching up. I love the STDs.

Thanks for following along! Congrats on your own wedding! I can't wait to hear more about your big day!

 

[pezaddict231]

Happy Lazy Sunday everyone!

We finally have the second week of our honeymoon booked and I've started researching things for that and getting really excited.

We're using my parent's timeshare and my mom had a few searches out for different islands but nothing was coming up. So she called them and they did have an opening for that week in Kona, Big Island, so we decided to take it.

We're going to be staying at they Wyndham Kona Hawaiian Resort. The resort looks really cute and kinda rustic. We'll have a full kitchen and washer/dryer and it will be nice to be able to make a few meals ourselves. Plus it will give the chance to experience my favorite store... Costco ... in Hawaii!

Here's are some pics from Wyndham's site:

I couldn't find any pictures of where we're staying in Oahu but it is the Wyndham Waikiki Beachwalk which I've heard is in a great location.

And I started looking into fun excursions and wow they are expensive and add up fast. So we'll probably only do two on each Island.

But so far here's what we're thinking.

Oahu -
1) Surfing Lesson
2) LOST tour - we are HUGE fans and can't wait to see some of the locations they filmed at. Since basically the entire show is filmed on Oahu, even the non-Island scenes, it will be really cool to see how they transformed the locations.

Kona -
1) Manta Ray Night Snorkel
2) Mauna Kea Summit Adventures - this looks really cool. Mauna Kea is the highest Mountain in the world (some of it is below sea level). So this tour takes you to the top and you get to see the sunset and stargaze. I can't really describe it very well, but here are some pictures.

I thought I'd be able to use my miles to book the flights but US Airways messes up all my plans. SO I still have to figure out that aspect of it.

And onto the wedding plans:

We booked our flights to FL, I was able to use my points so those were free!

MOH and DFSIL got fitted for their BM dresses. DFSIL hadn't seen them in person before and really liked them. Now that just leaves my other MOH. She lives in Charlotte but will be coming up in Mid-Feb so I'll have to call and make sure but I think if she waits to get measured here we'll still get everything in plenty of time.

We sent DF's parents a ton of info for the rehearsal dinner so we'll see what they decide. DF told them he preferred it to be in a private room at California Grill or at Shula's.

And on the house front. We've been pre-approved for a mortgage! The agent seemed to think our price range was reasonable so that was good to know. It felt so weird going there yesterday... I guess we really are grown-ups. I'm going to look at a place today. DF will be watching football of course. The pics online look nice but I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much. I may swing by a few open houses if I'm not feeling too lazy. But I'm feeling pretty lazy today!

 

[MainStMandy]

WOW! Big updates!! Your honeymoon is going to be amazing!!! Lucky girl

Congratulations on getting pre-approved too!! Df and I are hoping to start house shopping when we get back. Can't wait to see how it turns out for you!

 

[Dr.Cinderella]

Hi Sara! Lots of great updates! Your honeymoon sounds amazing! Ive heard Wakiki is awseome! I want to go to Oahu for our honeymoon so I cant wait to hear how it was! Also the new Disney resort should be open my the time we go, so Id like to stay there for at least part of the time! Those excursions sound pretty awesome too. Congrats on the mortgage too, it sounds like you have a lot going on huh?! Must be very exciting!
Marissa

 

[figment fan21]

You must be sooo excited!!! that honeymoon looks amazing!!!! And that hotel looks amazing! Congrats on booking it!

I'm definatly putting a trip to hawaii on my to do list!

 

[MsEsty]

The Hawaii trip looks amazing! Especially the part about seeing where they shot Lost...so excited for the final season (and finding out just *** is going on!)

 

[Boardwalk_bride]

I'm super jealous of the Hawaii trip! I love that you have so much planned...I get annoyed when people travel and just hang out at the beach but you are def taking advantage of so much!!!

 

[ChocoKat]

Oh Sara, the Wyndham looks so cool! Reminds me of the Poly

Surf lessons, stargazing, LOST! I am jealous!
I am sure you are going to have an amazing time.

And Costo in Hawaii I wonder if their samples will be any more exotic than here in the mainland? I love Costco too

Good luck house hunting! It is very exciting, DH and I did it several years back but didn't find anything we really REALLY liked, plus I am very difficult to please and picky on location so we are still waiting for the right "dream home" to come along. Someday though, someday.

And yes! Please do keep your fingers crossed about the STD's, I have already resigned to not having them, (I haven't told DH they ever existed or what they looked like because believe it or not he'd be waaaay more disappointed than me if we didn't get them), but if we do I'll be sooo surprised and happy.

 

[Chilly]

Your Honeymoon sounds fab.

I am a big Lost fan as well but i'm quite behind.

 

[jessesgirl-080708]

The honeymoon plans sound great!

Be sure to check into the North Shore shark adventures in Oahu!

DH and I did this and had such a fun time! It was alot of fun! And we were able to see a ton of sharks all around!

 

[pezaddict231]

WOW! Big updates!! Your honeymoon is going to be amazing!!! Lucky girl

Congratulations on getting pre-approved too!! Df and I are hoping to start house shopping when we get back. Can't wait to see how it turns out for you!

Thanks Mandy! I'm so excited, we've been wanting to go to Hawaii for a while now. I can't wait!

I was a little nervous there but it went well and I think we really could have gotten more but we don't want to spend all our money on mortgage payments and not be able to do things we love...like go to Disney!

Hi Sara! Lots of great updates! Your honeymoon sounds amazing! Ive heard Wakiki is awseome! I want to go to Oahu for our honeymoon so I cant wait to hear how it was! Also the new Disney resort should be open my the time we go, so Id like to stay there for at least part of the time! Those excursions sound pretty awesome too. Congrats on the mortgage too, it sounds like you have a lot going on huh?! Must be very exciting!
Marissa

Hey Marissa, thanks so much! I'm really excited, and I think we'll love Waikiki. I really like that there are so many restaurants and things to do. I'm so jealous though that the Disney resort will be open when you go, I would definitely try to stay at least a few days there! I've seen some of the concept pics for it and it looks AMAZING! Oh well, just a reason to go back one day.

Lol, yup, lots and lots going on. It is a little stressful but fun at the same time and I'm really looking forward to having a place that's really ours and decorating it.

You must be sooo excited!!! that honeymoon looks amazing!!!! And that hotel looks amazing! Congrats on booking it!

I'm definatly putting a trip to hawaii on my to do list!

I really am! Thanks so much! I really like the looks of the hotel and I think it will feel like our own little bungalow in Hawaii. I loved the look of those little bungalows in Fiji but obviously those are way out of our budget.

The Hawaii trip looks amazing! Especially the part about seeing where they shot Lost...so excited for the final season (and finding out just *** is going on!)

Thanks! I know, me too! I know they digitally enhance the show a lot so it will be interesting to see the locations. Too bad they will be done filming I've heard on the tours they sometimes see the actors! How awesome would that have been? I can't wait for the final season, only a few more weeks now and they will hopefully explain everything!

I'm super jealous of the Hawaii trip! I love that you have so much planned...I get annoyed when people travel and just hang out at the beach but you are def taking advantage of so much!!!

I think being a Disney lover makes you a crazy planner. I would get so bored sitting on a beach everyday, that's why I liked the idea of Hawaii, you could do as much or as little as you want. But I totally get what you mean, it's like there were so many awesome things to see and you just sat on a beach...even worse is when they go to a place with awesome beaches and then just hang out at the pool!

Oh Sara, the Wyndham looks so cool! Reminds me of the Poly

Surf lessons, stargazing, LOST! I am jealous!
I am sure you are going to have an amazing time.

And Costo in Hawaii I wonder if their samples will be any more exotic than here in the mainland? I love Costco too

Good luck house hunting! It is very exciting, DH and I did it several years back but didn't find anything we really REALLY liked, plus I am very difficult to please and picky on location so we are still waiting for the right "dream home" to come along. Someday though, someday.

And yes! Please do keep your fingers crossed about the STD's, I have already resigned to not having them, (I haven't told DH they ever existed or what they looked like because believe it or not he'd be waaaay more disappointed than me if we didn't get them), but if we do I'll be sooo surprised and happy.

It really does remind me of the Poly too, I think that's why I like it so much! Did I mention the surf lessons take place on a private beach with firefighter instructors and you're there for like 5 hours... if DF asks the reason we're using them is for safety and the good reviews.

Lol, only Costco lovers can understand! I hope they will and I wonder if they will have things like surfboards in bulk or things like that.

Thanks! We're off to a decent start, I know, it's really hard for me because I have a tough time visualizing sometimes. I need that HGTV guy with the computer to come along and show me how they could look! Aww, don't worry, that dream house will come along.

I definitely hope they keep those Save the Dates, or at least keep them long enough so you get them. I think that's so cute that your DH would love them so much!

Your Honeymoon sounds fab.

I am a big Lost fan as well but i'm quite behind.

Thanks Claire. That's okay, I've seen every episode so far and I still only have a vague idea of what's going on!

The honeymoon plans sound great!

Be sure to check into the North Shore shark adventures in Oahu!

DH and I did this and had such a fun time! It was alot of fun! And we were able to see a ton of sharks all around!

Thanks! Oooh that sounds really cool but no way my DF will go for it. He didn't even really want to do the manta thing because he thought they had stingers. I did do a snorkel tour in the bahamas that ended with a shark snorkel and it was a really cool experience and gave me a new perspective on sharks, DF stayed on the boat. I did just go to the website and it looks really cool.

 

[shippedtosea]

WOW! I am jealous! While I am extremely excited about our Disneymoon, my original though was Hawaii! It looks like it will be amazing! Can't wait to see pictures.

I'm glad your BMs like their dresses. I know its always a fear that they will hate the dresses (mine have had NO opinions.....)

I vote for California Grill for rehearsal dinner...I think it would be really nice!

Congrats on the mortgage! That’s awesome....I can't even imagine being able to do that! I think its great! happy hunting!

 

[Stephie77]

your honeymoon looks awesome! you guys are going to have such a wonderful time. so excited that you are going on the lost tour! take tons of pics to showall us losties back here! i am so excited for the final season but sad it is over. all the other excersions sound great too!

 

[figmentfan814]

Aloha! DH and I went to Hawaii for our honeymoon too. We spent 5 days on Oahu and 3 days on Maui. We are like you and don't like to spend time just laying on the beach Our last afternoon on Oahu we decided to lay on Waikiki beach for a while. After about 20 minutes we both looked at each other and said at the same time "I'm bored!"

There is so much to do on Oahu. I'm not sure how much time you have there compared to the other island. Some of our favorites - hiking up Diamondhead, the Dole Pineapple Plantation, Pearl Harbor, and the Polynesian Cultural Center (our favorite of everything!).

I have a ton of Hawaii stuff in my TR. Here's the link to that page since it is too long to sort through if you're interested in checking it out.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1752447&page=70

 

[pezaddict231]

WOW! I am jealous! While I am extremely excited about our Disneymoon, my original though was Hawaii! It looks like it will be amazing! Can't wait to see pictures.

I'm glad your BMs like their dresses. I know its always a fear that they will hate the dresses (mine have had NO opinions.....)

I vote for California Grill for rehearsal dinner...I think it would be really nice!

Congrats on the mortgage! That’s awesome....I can't even imagine being able to do that! I think its great! happy hunting!

We'll definitely take lots of pics! Aww, you know, even though I know our honeymoon will be amazing...sometimes I get a little jealous of people having a Disneymoon! I also get jealous of people from the UK since they get to go to Disney for so long.

Well no opinions are better than bad opinions. I am very lucky though that they all like it since sometimes that just adds unnecessary drama.

That's our top pick too, I have no idea how much DFFIL and DFMIL want to spend so it will depend on that but it would definitely be the most convenient.

Thanks! I'm so excited...in fact I have a bit of news on that, but that will be in my update.

your honeymoon looks awesome! you guys are going to have such a wonderful time. so excited that you are going on the lost tour! take tons of pics to showall us losties back here! i am so excited for the final season but sad it is over. all the other excersions sound great too!

Thanks! I can't wait for LOST on Tuesday! You know there have been rumors about Disney doing a LOST attraction which would be so awesome....I hope maybe the rumors come true! One I heard was they were going to make old Discovery Island the LOST island but I don't think they could do that since it's overrun with birds.

Aloha! DH and I went to Hawaii for our honeymoon too. We spent 5 days on Oahu and 3 days on Maui. We are like you and don't like to spend time just laying on the beach Our last afternoon on Oahu we decided to lay on Waikiki beach for a while. After about 20 minutes we both looked at each other and said at the same time "I'm bored!"

There is so much to do on Oahu. I'm not sure how much time you have there compared to the other island. Some of our favorites - hiking up Diamondhead, the Dole Pineapple Plantation, Pearl Harbor, and the Polynesian Cultural Center (our favorite of everything!).

I have a ton of Hawaii stuff in my TR. Here's the link to that page since it is too long to sort through if you're interested in checking it out.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1752447&page=70

Hi Vanessa. I did know that! I totally lurked in your Wedding and Honeymoon TR. You were one of the first Disney Weddings I read about on here and I have to say it was so amazing! I love the AA rotunda, I wish we could have used it for a reception but I really wanted outside photography.

I saw some awesome pictures of it from your TR and it definitely made me glad we picked Oahu . We'll be spending Sat - Fri there and then Fri - Fri on the Big Island. I think we're definitely going to go to Diamondhead...not sure we will hike up to the top, it looked really exhausting in your TR and we're pretty lazy. And the Polynesian Cultural Center looked really fun too. Pearl Harbor is on the list, so we'll have to see how energetic we feel. That's our first week so it will be the week after the wedding.

We do like the Beach on vacation, but I love the water so it usually results in me getting extremely sunburned since the sunblock just washes away, so our beach time ends up being pretty limited anyway.

 

[pezaddict231]

Hey Everyone,

What a week! This week has been a complete emotional roller coaster, but things are really starting to look up now.

First we talked to my parents about getting a house and at first they weren't sure it was such a good idea , then they kinda came around so that was good. They were just worried and want what's best for us since the economy is still pretty crazy.

We also changed the area we were looking in, so now we are looking in the town my parent's live since my mom will most likely be watching our kids when we have them. Unfortunately where we live it's almost impossible to afford things on one income. So while I'd love to be a stay at home mom, it's just not a reality.

So we explained that we mainly want to get an idea of what's out there and if we happen to find something and can get that tax credit it'd be great, but if not, we can definitely wait to get a house. We're not really sure what our landlord is going to do and even if he sells it may take a while anyway. But we wanted to know our options.

Today we went to see two houses in my neighborhood. One was really small and right off the highway and we totally hated it. Plus we got there a little early and the real estate agent wouldn't let us inside...and it was freezing today! So that sort of rubbed us the wrong way.

We went to the second house, which we loved! It was on the high end of our budget but the street is great, it's in the heart of town. The house has tons of room and wouldn't need to be expanded even if we had a big family one day. And it even reminded me of Disney in a way. The staircase to go upstairs was under this curved arch and the stairs curved around kinda like at Cinderella's Royal Table! It did need to be updated, but you could live with it for a while and I have family close by that could help us out with that part.

So we put in an offer and hopefully it will all work out! I have a really good feeling about it, but would welcome some pixiedust from all you lovely ladies!

In wedding news I ordered personalized sharpies for our wedding guestbook. They will say "Happily Ever After" on one line and Sara & Ryan 8-17-10 on the other line. I'll be sure to take a picture when I get them.

Now I have to start thinking about ADRs since the 180 day window is almost here! I can't believe that! Looking for good group dining places. I figure I'll just make reservations for 10-12 people and whoever wants to join us can. So far I definitely want to do:

MK - Liberty Tree Tavern
EP - Biergarten, possibly also Teppen Edo but we have good hibatchi places around here so that one may not be necessary.
AK - Tusker House Safari breakfast
DHS - Sci Fi or PTC

Any suggestions?

I also get to have concierge make the reservations so I'm very excited but I haven't received an email from them yet. I emailed them when we first booked and they basically said it was too early to contact them, but now we're under 200 days and they still haven't contacted me.

That's all for now, hopefully I'll get some good news on that house later this week!

 

[weedee]

Oh wow, congrats on putting an offer in on the house!!! It sounds amazing - hopefully you'll post some pics if they accept it! My best friend is also in the process of buying her first home with her hubby, it's such an exciting time.

Your ADRs look good! The Biergarten is an awesome choice. We currently have an ADR there for a group dinner with our parents after the wedding. Have you thought of somewhere like Chef Mickey's for character dining, or maybe something like Cinderella's Royal Table (I just think it would be so cool to eat in the castle!)? Of course there's always places like Cali Grill but it's more pricey and might be better for a more intimate meal. And there's always Ohanas which can accommodate large parties well.

 

[pezaddict231]

Oh wow, congrats on putting an offer in on the house!!! It sounds amazing - hopefully you'll post some pics if they accept it! My best friend is also in the process of buying her first home with her hubby, it's such an exciting time.

Your ADRs look good! The Biergarten is an awesome choice. We currently have an ADR there for a group dinner with our parents after the wedding. Have you thought of somewhere like Chef Mickey's for character dining, or maybe something like Cinderella's Royal Table (I just think it would be so cool to eat in the castle!)? Of course there's always places like Cali Grill but it's more pricey and might be better for a more intimate meal. And there's always Ohanas which can accommodate large parties well.

Thanks! So far it's looking good and we should hear back on Monday what they say! I definitely will post some pics if it becomes ours! Aww, good luck to your BF!

I'm very excited about Biergarten. I've always wanted to go but DF wasn't keen on sitting with people we didn't know...so now we'll have brought the people we know with us!

Hmm, I've never done Chef Mickeys, so that is definitely an option. We love CRT! Especially since we got engaged there . Maybe we will do a meal there, I may try for the coveted breakfast and treat my parents. Thanks for the idea!

We're trying to stay away from signatures since we're not sure if people will want to spend so much and hoping CA Grill will be where our rehearsal dinner is. Good call on Ohana's! That's another one I have to add!

 

[gemmybear83]

We loved Biergarten when wwe went, somewhere we really want to go back to!

I think concierge are a bit hit or miss about first contacting you, so don't worry if you have to make the first move.

Congratulations on the house hunting! We both our house nearly three years ago (people rent less in the U.K), and I am so glad we bought, our house needed work too and it has been great turning it into "our" home if that makes sense?

We also think that after the wedding if we decide we went to start trying for a baby, we have a house and a garden so there is no stress trying to move then

 

[Chilly]

Keeping my fingures crossed for you!