Tom & Heidi 1/19/09 Italy WD/WP/Narcoossee's/Sago Cay...Sprint to the Finish!!!

Heidi are you out there? Your wedding is in 8 days! I'm sure you're busy getting all the last minute details done but we're dying for an update! Hope all is well!
 
I am SOOOO sorry I haven't updated in forever. In my defense, things have been CRAZY busy. Recap:

--I had my PS on the 13th of Nov (I flew to the States for that) and came back on the 19th (after being fitted for my wedding dress in Houston).
--I had a military ball the day after I got back
--the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, I picked up my childhood friend from the airport in Munich. She now lives in Egypt and came for 3 weeks!. On the way to the airport, DH's truck threw a rod through the engine (Toyota Tacoma with 65K miles!!! Thank GOD he bought the extended warranty).
--My friend and I went to Disneyland Paris for Thanksgiving, and we also went sledding in Austria once her husband got here. At one point, I had guests and two cars in the shop! Thankfully my old Audi was fixed so I could stop renting a car!
--Then, my household good were packed out the day after they left (the 16th and 17th of December).
--They were delivered to my new house (near Hohenfels) on the 19th.
--I had to drive back and forth to Ansbach to do some clearing and such and then I had Christmas with my new landlords (super nice folks!).
--The day after Christmas, I picked up my Mom and a friend from the airport, and they've been here ever since. I have to admit that I'm a bit obsessive about my house...I can't rest until my nest is in order. So, I've been consumed with that.

But now that my litany of excuses are expressed...I'll get back to wedding details!

So, I flew to Atlanta on Nov 11th, where I met my BFF and MOH and her daughter. We drove that day down to Orlando. We got to the ASMu at about 11:30pm, and I was EXHAUSTED, since that was about 6:30am the next day for me. The next morning, we went to DTD and did some shopping. I REALLY wish you could register at the Disney stores there. They have some of the cutest things, and some guests would be glad to wait till they are there to shop...I think.

That day, I met Shelley from Impressions at Franck's. She had my invitations and they looked AMAZING! I know some people have not been to impressed with Impressions, but she did an awesome job, and if you want custom Disney invitations, it's really the only way to go (I didn't have time to DIY). I did letterpress, so they weren't cheap, but they are beautiful, and she was so much fun to work with. She took the "What are you celebrating?" logo and added it to some scroll work that she had to tinker with to make it Disney-approved (apparently she has to run all ideas through Disney for licensing). I also had her address and mail them. What a life-saver! And I was so impressed with how well she addressed them. They even have the guests' return address on the reply card!
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I also desperately loved the Lady and the Tramp invitations she had displayed in Franck's. So she did them for our Welcome Dinner, which will be at Italy Isola.
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So, we talked about the other things she was going to put together for the wedding (menu cards, etc.). She had so many ideas, that it was so much fun to work with her.

That evening, I had a hair and makeup trial with Patricia LeJeune. I used her in June, and loved her. She did a great job, and initially I was happy, but upon review, I'm going to change the hair again...so I won't show it here :) I realized I loved my hair from June much better than what she had done for the trial, so I'll have her do SOMETHING similar...but slightly different. She did do the fake lashes, though, and they were great!

On the 13th, we had the tasting session. We met Michelle at Franck's and went over some wedding details before we left for the GF Kitchens. Everyone was so friendly in the kitchens.
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They had a welcome sign for us, which was so neat to see. Of course, it said "Heidi & Thomas" and it made me sad that Tom wasn't here. But, I was still glad to have my MOH along.

We tasted the Sonoma Goat Cheese Ravioli (DH's favorite from CG) (Sorry...no close up picture...here's a picture of our chef plating it).
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Le Celier Beer Cheese Soup
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Delicious, of course!
A salad with Green Goddess Dressing (I had had this at CG once and loved it)...but it wasn't as good as I remembered and the presentation was kinda ho-hum.
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Next was an Endive salad with Radicchio and a Champagne Viniagrette sauce. I didn't think I would like this, but the presentation was beautiful, and the salad was amazingly delicious. It had some great blue cheese and walnuts!
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Next was the sorbet slipper. I was convinced I wanted this for the WOW factor of a Disney wedding. But, I thought the sorbet was not very flavorful (I expected an explosion of raspberry flavor...and it tasted kinda like slightly flavored ice). The presentation was beautiful, of course, but I expected more from the taste. Oh, and the "purple" light didn't look that purple...more blue.
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After that we had TWO duo plated main courses. The first was beef filet with red wine demi (I think) and airline chicken breast (meaning it had the skin and the bone). The beef was good, but I thought the sauce was kind of boring. The chicken tasted GREAT, but I'm not keen on the bone and skin at a fancy dinner. The veggies were good too.
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Then, we had a thyme marinated chicken breast (without skin and bone) and mahi mahi with limoncello beurre blanc. I thought I would like this chicken, but it was REALLY dry. The chef explained that it is hard to keep the breasts moist without the skin and bone (hence their preference for the airline breast). The fish was great, though. I forgot to take a picture till I was half-way through, so I apologize for the half-eaten appearance, but the fish did look really nice plated.
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Last was the chocolate slipper, and this was delicious AND beautiful! The chocolate mousse with the raspberry sauce was very good.
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I really though I would need Soup or Salad, Appetizer, Sorbet, main course and dessert. The tasting session helped a BUNCH to decide that I really only wanted salad, main course and dessert. It's more than enough for a lunch time wedding, and the slipper still gives it the WOW factor. Only my MOH will know that the sorbet slipper was an option! :)

That's alot for my first post in 3 months, so I'll pause and get back to it in a few
 
After stuffing ourselves at the tasting session, we met with Rose about the flowers. She really was great and easy to work with. I brought lots of pictures and ideas, and worked through them all systematically. It is so easy to plan with her! Of course, this time I was more prepared!

A few other things we noticed/did

--since this trip was about BUSINESS, we ate in the food courts (usually I splurge at the restaurants because they are all so good...so much good food...so little time). We had breakfast at the ASMu court (I would get the kids Mickey Waffles), lunch at the Gasparilla Grill and dinner one night at food court in AKL. They were all GREAT! Not just average...but really good meals. We also at b'fast one day at Wolfgang Puck's Express and it was amazing, too!
--We checked out the DVC "open house" in the Saratoga Springs resorts. They had show rooms for AKV and BLT. They are both GORGEOUS! I have pictures if anyone's interested. They both are exceptionally beautiful.
--go to DTD for shopping in the morning! We were one of the first ones there, and by the time we left around 1:00pm, the parking lot was full! And this was mid-Nov! Not a busy time.

All in all, a wonderful trip...even though we didn't even make it into the parks!

Then, I flew to TX to visit my folks and get my dress fitted. It's beautiful! Here's a few pics...

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The dress originally had lace that sort of "stood up" on the top of the bodice...but I had them take it off. I liked the cleaner line better.
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Here's with the veil.
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And the shoes matched PERFECTLY!
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I was also on a hunt for a dress for the tea party. I wanted something "garden party" looking, which proved to be a challenge in Nov. I thought Dillards or Macy's or a big store like that would have SOMETHING left on the clearance rack...but no such luck! But, I hit the jackpot at Dress Barn. The dresses were 60% off and then another some-odd percent off that. So, in the end I found 8 cute dresses for $135!! Here's the winner for the tea party.
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And I wanted a hat, which is ALSO hard to find in NOV...but I stumbled on this beauty for $20 at TJ MAXX
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And I found these penguins to decorate the "Jolly Holiday" theme at the tea party. They were $5 at Kohl's.
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So, all in all a productive trip! It was quick, but it was nice to get away, and it was nice to get home again. Unfortunately, things really sped up from there!
 
Oh, I totally forgot to brag about my AWESOME Tea Party invites I found off of Etsy. This wonderful lady, Shannell, worked with me to customize an invite she had with a tea cup, and a tea bag in it. They were beautiful, and she even ADDRESSED my envelopes, so all I had to do was stuff them and mail them!

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Aww everything looks great.

Love your gown, so gorgeous and your tea party dress is so cute so are the invites!
 
Hi, just started reading your planning journal. Your wedding dress is beautiful, I love it. Looking forward to hearing more.
 
Heidi, I have seen your dress in magazines a lot and never looked at it twice til you took the lace off the top - genius!

It looks amazing - and amazing on you! :goodvibes
 
Great update! Sounds like everything is coming together nicely! Your dress is absolutely stunning! Congratulations- can't wait for the TR!
 
Heidi your dress is gorgeus!!

invites came out great and the tea party ones are so cute!! Wont be long now!!!:dance3:
 
And I wanted a hat, which is ALSO hard to find in NOV...but I stumbled on this beauty for $20 at TJ MAXX
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OMG Is that a Lady and the Tramp shirt?? How cute!! The hat looks good too! :thumbsup2

Wow your dress is beautiful, and the veil and shoes are perfect! I love the Lady and the Tramp on your Welcome Dinner invite! So cute!!! I may steal that for my dinner!!

The invites for the tea party are so adorable! very cute and the dress is very pretty and festive for a tea party!! Everything is going to be perfect!!

Just a few more days!! When do you get here?
 
Your dress is stunning!!!!!!!! I love it! It looks perfect on you!

I love your tea party dress. I wanted to do a garden theme also for my tea but then I opted for a Audrey Hepburn, breakfast at tiffany's kind of thing...LOL. I got a hat similar to yours but in black. What a great reason to wear a hat!!!

You don't have too much longer just about 6 days left! How exciting for you! I can't wait to read your TR! :banana:
 
Thank you all for the wonderfully sweet comments!

Carrie-Thank you! I am NOT talented in the fashion department, but every now and then even a blind squirrel finds a nut!

Jennifer-Yes, I actually got it on Disney Shopping! I love it! I get in TOMORROW!

The past couple days have been a bit hectic. Of course, I waited till the last minute to start packing, and I have NO idea what to wear. The highs are supposed to be in the 60s. Well it was 3 (as in 3 F or -16 C) here the other day, so I can't remember what 60 feels like!

Today I got a call from DH and he sounded IRRITATED! In his defense, he called last night at about 10:00pm his time and said he had to be at the terminal at Balad at 2:00am. He wasn't going to sleep at all. So, he probably arrived in Kuwait sometime in the early morning. We both talked about him "dragging his feet" a bit, because we REALLY wanted him to arrive on the 15th. Normally, things in Kuwait are a bit backed up, so he thought he'd definitely get out on the 15th, but maybe the 16th. Well...they wouldn't let him slow down, so he's getting to Orlando 5 hours before me!!!!

I am so ticked. This is NOT what I dreamed about for 6 months. My hero-Soldier-hubby getting off the plane back to civilization with no one to greet him...and then having him hang around in the airport (although I'll admit that if you have to be stuck in an airport, Orlando's not half-bad). Anyway, it stinks, but there's nothing to be done about it.

I was able to call and check in a day earlier at the GF (I was planning on spending tomorrow night with my Mom at the CR...ummm...THAT'S not going work!)

I nearly knocked myself out today banging my head on a doorway. That was fun. I could imagine myself in a hospital the day before my hubby flies to Orlando!

I'm getting fever blisters...so I've been combatting then with Abreva like crazy! My eyebrows are out of control! I must find someone to wax/pluck them, but apparently no one does that on Disney property???

At any rate, it's been nuts.

Thank GOD for my MOH. She's putting together the welcome bags, and they are going to be wonderful.

I did send off a newsletter to folks (email) to make sure everyone knew when to be where, etc.

Whew...I think that's it! I'll update more soon!

Thank you all for the support and kind words!
 
My hero-Soldier-hubby getting off the plane back to civilization with no one to greet him...

Oh no! That is terrible... . I volunteer the Roots! :cutie:


I must find someone to wax/pluck them, but apparently no one does that on Disney property???

The Mandara Spa at the Swan & Dolphin does, and you get a discount if you have a Starwood Preferred Guest card.

http://www.mandaraspa.com/Main/SpaView.aspx?SpaID=8

Hang in there - your wedding's going to be FABULOUS! :goodvibes
 
I love your dress So Pretty !

What a good day to get married ~ MY BIRTHDAY :cool1:

not long to go

Linz xxx
 
for the fever blisters, take lysine (its in the herbal section), its helps speed up the duration so they go away quicker!!
 
I had been wondering how things were going for you and I was so excited to see all the updates. It definitely sounds like you have been extremely busy. We did the same thing at our PS too. On one trip we only went to a park 1 day and the other trip was all business :thumbsup2

It sounds like the tasting session was really productive for you. Especially with something like the sorbet that can add a lot of costs, its good that you were able to try it first without being disappointed in the flavor on your actual wedding day.

I love the hat for the tea and the invites are so cute :cutie: I know how much fun it was for me and my guests wearing our hats. It is so much fun arriving there all decked out with the hats. The dress was perfect too.

Your wedding dress is so beautiful; it definitely flatters you and you will look wonderful on your wedding day :bride:

I can't believe you're so close now :dance3:
 
Hello! I am a lurker and have been following your story since the first trip report :goodvibes I just wanted to say have a great trip and a magical wedding. Thank you for sharing your story with us :thumbsup2

Everything you have planned looks beautiful and I am sure it is going to be a wonderful wedding! :love:

I had to post in regards to lurkyloo volunteering the roots...that made me laugh out loud!

Relax, enjoy, and just think...you get to see DH soon!
 
I emailed them to see! I figured no harm/no foul in asking. And I told them it was your idea! :) Sorry to blame you! But if they're able it IS a good idea.

:rotfl:

Well if we were arriving in Orlando next week instead of the following week, I'd volunteer us to meet Tom - but only if he got off the plane wearing an inflatable pool toy like in your siggy pic! :lmao:
 





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