Hello fellow Swan brides!

I have spent the last 4 hours (EEK!) stalking all of your posts on this board. Congrats to all of you on your DW and VR. As I read through all 59 pages of threads starting in 2006 till this past December I have read through all of your planning processes, questions, outstanding moments, frustrations, and excitement for your big day! I am excited to join such an elite group of ladies!
LOL... I actually just started planning a DW as of yesterday

I actually spent from noon till 4 in the morning researching DW online and even downloaded the Passporter Guide to weddings. It wasn't until I downloaded that guide that I discovered S/D weddings. That got me to today, stalking all of you, and signing up for a username on here. I also asked to be added to your group on FB. My name is Danielle Myers on there.
Since I am new to this board I thought maybe you might want to know a little bit about me

. If this bores you... then you may proceed on to the bottom where I will share our prelimanary plans for a DW...
My fiance and I met and started dating when I was almost 22. (2004) We actually met online like match.com. He is four year older than me. We got engaged a year later on Fort Myers Beach (hence my last name on FB- Myers) can't use my real last name since I am a teacher and my students are stalkers.

So... if you are good at math.. you may have figured out already that this February we will be engaged for 8 years and together for 9 years. By the time we marry in June of 2015 yep.. we will be engaged for over 10 years
Due to money mishaps (out of our control) in the last 8 years our wedding has been pushed back and pushed back. However, we are ready for our 2015 wedding.. for sure!
So how did we decide on a DW??? LOL what a story!!! Well to begin with, in the first few years of dating my fiance wanted NOTHING to do with Disney!

I was heartbroken by this.. he thought it was just for kids and the mere thought of stepping foot onto the property.. I think he would have rather had his arm cut off. ME.... I have always LOVED Disney. Went once when I was a kid, and had my WHOLE room in my teen years decorated in Winnie the Pooh. I was convinced he would change his mind at some point and I was BOUND and determined to be the one to do that.
LOL.. I told you this post was gonna be long... After a few trips to Florida in '05 and '07, I knew it was my only chance. In Aug. of 07 we were driving around Orlando (coming from Fort Myers) and I asked him to drive around Disney property. We went to DTD and drove by resorts. He seemed surprised and totally not what he expected.

So, we returned home and later in Sept. he told me he wanted to go to Disney. I was SHOCKED! to say the least. I jumped on that offer so fast!
We decided to do a Disney trip over Christmas in '07. GREATEST trip ever! He loved every minute of it! Actually, I think he loved possibly more than me. On the Magic Bus going back to the airport. They played their Mickey video. I looked over (4 AM) and the

was CRYING! He was SO sad!!! He didn't want to leave! He cried out... BUT IT'S THE HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH! Over the next few months at home, I caught him tearing up on the couch- seeing Disney things on TV and would quickly wipe the tears away and say WHAT? I wanna go back he would say.
Well, jump forward to today.. It has been 5 years and we have not been back... yet.
So, a couple years ago, we got the bright idea of getting married on the beach where we got engaged.

We played around with the idea for a year or so.. My mother was so against it.. HOWEVER- WE are the ones paying for the whole wedding. My mother, wanted me to have a traditional wedding. So about 2 years ago we decided to change our minds and begin planning a traditional wedding. However, we were going to do a theme. 1920s theme. We began purchasing decor for the wedding and did A LOT of research. Found the perfect venue... we were just waiting for funds to line up for us.. The plan was to get married June of 14.
Well... a couple days ago. My fiance's sister posted something on my FB.. that we should get married in Disney. I laughed.. and all I could think was CHING CHING!! I replied.. Hmmm. I wish! So my fiance and I started talking and dreaming. We began discussing our home wedding again, how can we do it for cheap. No matter what, for what we were looking for, it was going to cost us at least 15,000!!!
Now, doesn't sound like much, however, I don't care if many of the 140 people we would invite would come anyways. I know that sounds harsh but I am not close with a lot of my extended family and I never really had a super close knit of friends either. Well then we called the reception hall and asked for their new prices for 2013. Their Friday night discounts in Feb. had gone down drastically a plate. Use to get 25 off a plate now only 10. That is a BIG difference! Plus they told me they aren't doing well fiancially.
So.. my fiance and I seriously talked about this yesterday for a few hours. We started looking at DFTW before I knew about S/D weddings. We realized that we wanted to do...what we wanted to go. after all... It is our Fairy tale wedding

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All I can say is THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for all of your posts. It has really convinced us that S/D weddings is the way to go. I have already gotten a lot of information from all of you lovely brides. I do have lots of questions.. but I know it is early on.. and I think I need to let you all digest everything I just wrote here!!!
I look forward to sharing ideas and taking your advice as well. I am also looking forward to becoming a swanbride sister
Thank you
