I apologize up-front that this installment is light on pictures and heavy on writing. I can assure you the next will be the opposite, so thanks for sticking with me!!
By the time I got back from the tea party, it was close to 5:00pm. I went back to the room to meet back up with DH. He had been at ESPN Zone with the guys to do some male bonding. From there we were going to meet our friends at the Boardwalk for a party night. The plan was to go to Jellyrolls and ADH. Since I didnt get to chat with the girls much during the tea party, and because we havent seen some of our dear friends in YEARS, I was REALLY excited about it. Plus, it was an opportunity to wear obnoxious apparel that identified us as a bridal party!
I got back to the room, and DH looked like death warmed over. The first thing he said to me was BM and his wife are going to come over and pick you up to take you out, but Im staying here. I feel awful.
I felt like I had been hit with a ton of bricks. Apparently, (after the interrogation I gave him) I found out he had been nauseous since the night before (after Ohanas). He hadnt been able to hold ANYTHING down (at this point, it had been almost 24 hours). He thought it was just a 24 hour bug or food poisoning or SOMETHING that would just work its way out. He hadnt let on to me about any of this, because he didnt want to ruin my day. So, being gracious, he told me to go out and have fun, but he just couldnt.
I immediately started crying. I didnt want to. I didnt want to make him feel worse than he already did, and none of this was his fault, and I knew he would change it all if he could. But, waiting at the Boardwalk were some of my dearest friends. Friends who I had gone to combat with. Friends who had helped me through some of my most difficult times before I met DH. And I hadnt spent quality girl time with them in years. I was almost more excited about this one night than the wedding itself. It was going to be pure fun. And now it wasnt going to happen at all. I couldnt leave him. Not just because I would feel guilty for having a good time while he was sick in bed...but because I had endured the last six months of having to go out to dinner, etc. without him. And after this trip...I would endure another six months of social activities without him. There was no way that I would spend one evening out with friends without him there by my side.
But knowing exactly what to do did not mean I wasnt devastated. So, I cried, and then I felt worse for making him feel worse. It was a dreadful situation.
One of my BMs and her husband called, and I told them what was going on. They stopped by a grocery store and brought saltines, peanut butter, gator-ade and even pedialyte. They were SOO sweet. So, we solemnly went to bed and hoped tomorrow would be better. The next day was the Welcome Dinner. And the wedding was the day after that.
About 3:00am, I woke up and asked him how he was doing. He said pretty good...I havent thrown up since midnight! Within ten minutes, he was in the bathroom again. I announced that that was it...we were heading to the hospital. He tried to argue with me and said if he wasnt better by 6:00 we would go. I told him it had been about 32 hours since hed finished that dinner, and he hadnt kept a single thing down since. Hes 62 and weighs about 200 lbs! You cant go that long without nourishment, so I really felt he wasnt going to be able to get better without strength. Plus, it was the morning of our Welcome Dinner, and by jove, I was NOT going to let this sickness ruin ANOTHER event!
So, I bundled him up, called my parents, stopped by their room to borrow the car keys and drove to the Celebration Hospital. We were seen fairly quickly, but it still took a couple hours to process through everything. The doctor came in, and lo and behold, he had just gotten off of Active duty in the Army and had been in Afghanistan. He laughed that we travelled all the way to Disney World and STILL had to see an Army doctor. He was really good, though.
DH took two IV bags in no time. He was so dehydrated. They also gave him some medication (cant remember the name) that represses the nausea. Apparently they can also give it to expecting mothers with extreme morning sickness. Well, this stuff worked! He almost instantly felt better (well, that, and the two IV bags). They gave us a prescription for more pills, and we were on our way to the pharmacy. We had to wait a little while for them to open (it was Sunday), but we got the pills and headed back to WDW. On the way there, we realized they had only filled 3 of the 12 pills they were supposed to give him, so we called the pharmacy to see if they would fix it. But, I told him to ration the remaining 2...just in case! He could NOT be sick Monday morning!!
(in the end, they actually let my MOH pick them up and bring them to the Welcome Dinner...WHAT a life-saver!)
**disclaimer...DH was diagnosed with food poisoning BUT we all ate the family style food at Ohanas. No one else got sick. He was exposed to TB in Iraq in 2004 and had to take a 9 month course of Isoniazid...aka INH...which I think zapped all the good bacteria in his gut. Hes gotten sick off of chicken wings before, and I think he just has a sensitivity to them. So, no more chicken wings for him...but you shouldnt be worried about Ohanas!**
DH slept most of the day, to get his energy back. We had the rehearsal at 5:30, so other than that, we were pretty free. I brought lunch from Gasparillas and generally played nurse-maid. I was getting early practice on this in sickness part!!
By the time the rehearsal rolled around, he was feeling much better.
We werent able to have the rehearsal at the WP, which was a bummer. Other than the opportunity to be in the WP to see it, it didnt make much of a difference, though. I dressed up a bit, because we were going to do a Love Story Interview after the rehearsal (but before the Welcome Dinner) for our videography.
We used Disney Videography...mostly because in the WP, the built-in cameras seemed like such a nice feature to take advantage of. I had corresponded with Julia a few times to set up the interview, and she also informed me that they would be shooting some B-roll footage after the interview and they would also be filming at the Welcome Dinner! I was wearing my wedding dress from June (but shortened with a jacked added) for the Welcome Dinner, so I wore something else to the rehearsal and interview. I dont think Ive ever been so wardrobe conscious! Definitely an odd feeling for me!
So, anyway, we were in one of the small salons at the convention center for the rehearsal. Michelle ran it, because Rev. Jack didnt show. This didnt seem to bother Michelle, but it did bother me. Mostly because he didnt say he wasnt going to be there. Michelle was more than competent, though!
feeling good enough to act silly
awesome friends listening to Michelle
we were going to wear these banners when we went out the night before. Since that didnt happen... 
apparently, the girls had gotten me a sleeping beauty crown and scepter for the party night. Now, I was even more disappointed that I didnt get to wear it!!
After that, we had a couple hours till we had to meet the bus for the Welcome Dinner. DH and I met the videography crew and they interviewed us. It was a lot of fun working with them, and I was amazed at how technical everything is. Then, we went out into the GF courtyard area and generally acted silly while they shot B-roll of us. It was a great time, and we felt like movie stars...who had no clue what we were supposed to be doing!
Okay, so that explains the Great Sickness which didnt ruin our wedding, but very nearly could have (he still had to take the anti-nausea pills through the day of our wedding. He couldnt eat any of the food at the Welcome Dinner and could only pick at the food on the day of the wedding!) I still havent covered the Welcome Dinner, but Ill catch that in the next installment!
What a wonderful touch with Mary Poppins, the props, and the theming. Do you have a close-up of your menu cards? The GF bakery did an amazing job on the cake. I have a question, do you choose from the menu items at the Gardenview Tea Room or does GF private dining handle the menu? I love the hat shots; that was the favorite part of my bridal tea.
Oreo bon-bons. But I agree that dipping them is a pain. When I made them last Christmas instead of dipping them I just drizzled them with chocolate (put the melted chocolate in a piping bag and cut the tip a little). This was much easier and they still tasted really good.
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but have heard they switched it to noodles then heard rumors of switching it back
What time was it when you were there? Was it super hectic? We are still planning our post-wedding dinner there but have heard it can get pretty crazy busy and loud which makes me nervous. DF still insists it be there and the time we ate there it was pretty empty. We want a fun atmosphere but I would like to atleast be able to relax a little and enjoy my meal!
). I actually had a Lady table and a tramp table. I think my parents were at the Tramp table. I figured I could get away with that!!
