twojo21 wedding trip report

[jordansmomma]

I love the pics and the report.

 

[Tinkerbellz]

I am lovin' this TR Tasha! Sounds like you planned out everything perfectly I love all the pictures and the accounts of the day. Can't wait to get to the wedding part!

 

[twojo21]

on sunday morning 3/19 we had our guys & gals events. i had booked towncars through mears for us to get from the yc & our wedding party from the allstar movies to the grand floridian for our 10am events. my parents took the boat from the wl.

the guys (my dh, our dads & usher) went on a guided 2 hour bay lake fishing excursion which they loved it was overcast on the lake but they still got burnt as you'll note in later welcome dinner pictures. so make sure to wear sunscreen guys & girls. they caught a decent amount of fish (catch & release) & had a good time on the boat.

now us girls (me, my mom, jenny, my mil, aunt joyce, linda & great great aunt lilly) went to the grand floridian spa for our group booking.

the gf spa

i had booked the spa months before with the manager tom who was so helpful & nice. the staff at the gf spa treated us like princesses. we got comfy in our gf spa robes & one by one went for our treatments i had an 80 minute swedish massage as did my mom & mil. jenny had a mother to be treatment, my aunts had manicures & pedicures & my great great aunt lilly had a facial & her nails done. after our treatments we relaxed at the ladies hot tub & sauna with water, tea & juice. the spa 2 days before the wedding was so nice & relaxing i was getting so excited & stressed about everything being perfect this totally mellowed me out.

me & my moh

being goofy

after the spa we meet up with the guys in the grand floridian lobby to take the monorail to our lunches. the guys were headed to epcot & the biergarten for lunch and us gals were headed to cinderella's royal table for lunch. greg & the guys had a great time at their lunch so i was told they overate & had a few steins & loved every minute of it. greg also got a free stein glass from the biergarten on his prewedding occasion.

so make sure you note a special occasion on your adr & when you arrive you never know when you'll get some pixie dust. i also got free crt champagne flutes at our lunch. the guys went on test track & some other rides after lunch.

us 7 ladies headed into the magic kingdom for lunch after getting of the monorail. my great great aunt lilly had never been to wdw & was so excited to see the castle from the tv & world of disney she watches, she was tickled pink. when i told her we were eating inside the castle she told me she could die happy.

we did the lunchtime buffet at crt which i paid for in advance when making the adr. i also brought my dde card which i bought when we received our annual passes, at crt they refunded me my 20% discount. we got a photo with cinderella & waited about 10 minutes before being seated at a long table upstairs. i really like the new menu at crt & the characters were so fun. we shared the appetizers & talked over lunch. i had the salmon & risotto, my aunt joyce & lilly had the major domo pot pie, jenny had the focaccia sandwich & my mom, mil & aunt linda had the pasta dish. followed by a yummy sorbet dessert. we looked at some of the mk stores & did some rides before taking the buses back to our hotels. that night was our welcome dinner.

 

[JohnsPrincess]

More! More! More! I love it so far!

 

[Maggimus]

great report- will keep looking for more

 

[happylalagirl]

Tasha - this is an amazing trip report!!! Thank you for taking the time to share all the details... We only have 75 more days until our wedding and I"m nervous already... mostly because of the money... as soon as it's paid for, I will be much more relaxed... well.... maybe... but I am so looking forward to it. Keep the TR's coming!!! Can't wait to hear more!!!

 

[twojo21]

sunday was also when all our guests were arriving & checking in. we booked our guests at the allstar movies resorts for 3 nights & they were roomed at the love bug. weeks before i had asked for everyones airline times & booked them on the magic express which is free. definetly suggest this to your guests.

after an afternoon at the parks we went to dtd for our welcome dinner. i had booked rainforest cafe for our welcome dinner since it was tropical themed & it was a convinient location to everyone since everyone could take the bus from the resort to dtd marketplace. i worked with laurie at group sales & we had the private amazon terrace outside near the lake. greg & i were almost late to our own dinner but made it there before 6. our dinner was booked 6-8pm for our 50 guests & everyone was outside & so excited to see us. there were tons of hugs, welcomes, florida is nice & thanks for having us comments. for the dinner i had bought personalized disney tshirts on sale through disneydirect.com for us & our parents, this way family from each side new who was who when it came to the parents, plus they were so cute.

we were then escorted through the jungle to our tables. i had booked a custom menu for our dinner with margaritas pizza for appetizers, ceasar salad, a duel dinner of mojo bones & tuscan chicken followed by chocolate cake with rasberry sauce for dessert. there was also a cheaper kids menu for the younger ones with chicken fingers. along with soda & drinks, numerous guests got the glowing souvenir glasses. everyone ate up & talked, getting to know eachother & mingling. my hubby gave a small toast welcoming everyone & thanking them for coming. the welcome dinner was such a great evening & total worth the cost. we also handed out 1 day park tickets as a gift to our guests to use on monday at the disney themepark of their choice. we got them discounted through disney & this allowed everyone to enjoy the fun of wdw.

 

[twojo21]

after our welcome dinner we explored dtd for a bit. alot of our guests continued the evening at dtd shopping & headed to the clubs at pleasure island. most of our younger cousins & their parents headed back to the allstar movies resort to go swimming. later sunday evening we went with gregs mom & jim to magic kingdom for the extra magic hours it was a blast we did all our favorite rides there.

thats me screaming in the back

monday, march 20th was everyone's day at the themepark. alot of our guests choose epcot for the combo of rides, attractions, shops & restaurants. some of gregs cousins also did a drinkathon around the world. greg & i also went to epcot & had lunch at alfredos & dinner at the lotus blossom cafe in china.

that night greg went out with some of his buddies to the allstar movies & i went out with my moh jenny to mgm for the evening magic hours. some couples spend the night before the wedding apart but since greg & i lived together & just found it more comfortable we spend the night before our wedding together in our yc room. we went to the hot tub that night, talked & cuddled before going to bed. tuesday was going to be our big day & we were both so happy & excited.

 

[twojo21]

our wedding day, tuesday, march 21st 2006

greg & i woke up around 8:45am kissed & cuddled for a moment before the excitement of the day & things to do set in. i had booked a second standard room at the yacht club for greg & the guys to get ready in that morning. we had brought gregs tux, some personal items & our rings down there the night before so we didnt forget anything. we grabbed a few goodies from the concierge lounge for breakfast & then the room started to get busy. the first to arrive that morning was anna wacaser & her friend from makeover majic to do my hair & makeup at 9am.

greg stayed in the room for a bit while she started on my hair before i kicked him out to his room when carolyn arrived from carolyn allens to steam my dress. he had yet to see my dress & it was a surprise, i wanted the traditional wedding day. we said our i love you's & see you later's and the day was off. i had also arranged for towncars to bring our parents & wedding party to the yacht club from the allstars & wilderness lodge. the guys were off to their room on the 3rd floor to get dressed, snack & get ready for photos. my mom, mil & jenny came to our yc concierge room to get dressed, made up & hang out. anna finished my makeup & hair and i felt so pretty like a princess & the girls commented on how beautiful & natural i looked. my mil m was next to get her hair & makeup done since she was getting some photos done with greg. i hung out in my pj's until the last minute so i was comfortable. my mom was next to have her hair & makeup done while anna's friend painted my nails. my mom never wears makeup so this was a big change for her & she brought a special hair pin for her hair. i barely noticed carolyn left except to see all our dresses steamed, hung & ready to go. my moh jenny has short hair but anna curled it all pretty like marilyn monroe & she felt great at 5 months pregnant.

the guys were joking around & watching tv while they got ready im told. greg looked so sharp & handsome in his tux

then the guys had their preceremony pictures taken by randy chapman, who by the way is an awesome & talented photographer. next was us girls turn for preceremony photos. we had pictures taken in & outside around the yacht club.

photos by randy chapman of chapman photography.

 

[twojo21]

i loved the floral (went through disney) it was all so fresh & pretty. the colors were all significant too. like the blue in my bouquet & in gregs bout, my moms yellow roses corsage & great great aunt lilly's lillies.

before you knew it the guests were arriving at the yacht club via a disney charter bus & the magical moment was almost here as our usher greeted them & handed out our handmade programs.

majority of the photos shown here for our wedding day are taken by randy chapman of chapman photography. some low grade photos were taken by family & friends. randy was great to work with. at the end of my report im going to post vendor reviews.

 

[lurkyloo]

YAY! Thank you for updating your report and posting all those great pix! It seems like so many of the trip reports on here are abandoned before we get to hear the details of the big day. Your update was great!

 

[Maggimus]

Your pictures are so great. I love the new additions. You looked beautiful and you both look so happy. How many hours did you contract with Randy Chapman? I like how you had him come to your room before the ceremony.

 

[kimnkel]

twojo: I had read your trip report and seen other pics before, but this is the first time I saw your dress detail up close. It is beautiful--gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous!! Very sophisticated.

It sounds like you had a great time, and you looked beautiful. Congratulations, best wishes, and may you live happily ever after!

PS: I love the photo of you on the balcony, taken from the back, and the photojournalistic one of your shoes and other accessories. Awesome!

 

[twojo21]

lurkyloo - thanks, im determined to finish & share my day with the dis. it was the most amazing & happy day of my life & if my report helps or entertains others then ive done my part. when i was planning all the help & ideas here were great.

maggimus - we had randy booked for unlimited time with our package, he started photos at around 10am & stayed through our dessert party til around 9:30pm. he was great to work with & we love our photos & album. you're getting close to your big day nowtoo, best wishes.

kimnkel - thanks for the compliments, i loved my dress & the details.

 

[Maggimus]

Thanks TwoJo... I am using Randy as well. Any suggestions with using him? Is he easy to work with? Anything you might want to share about the photography experience?

 

[Snoopygirl]

Great trip report. You look sooooooo pretty!!!

 

[twojo21]

our wedding ceremony was scheduled at 1pm & our guests were seated around 12:45 im told. our em & her assistants were in charge & everything was going as planned. it was a beautiful spring day the sun was shining, the wind was blowing & we were getting married. the musicians were playing, we had a harp & violin & a cd for my processional.

our grandparents & readers were seated & then greg seated his mom to braveheart. then it was my moms turn the final seating before jenny my moh. summer place by piercy faith played, the same song she walked down the aisle to when she married my dad. she told me it was such a nostalgic moment & she sat down looking back excited to see me & my dad. jenny was talking with me & my dad & then claudine our em popped her head in the hallway to say she was on & i could hear concerto no. 8 playing.

my dad asked if i was ready & i say oh yeah he told me i looked beautiful & i gave him a big hug & said thank you for everything. the music was breath taking as i walked down the aisle, it was perfect, how i always imagined my bridal processional would be to everlasting a dramatic classical piece ive always loved. the wind was blowing in unison with the music & it was like a fairytale movie fantasy. i was so happy & giddy i felt like i was walking on air. it was so nice having my dad walk me down the aisle, he kept me grounded & it was a special moment & conversation while we walked the boardwalk. then i looked down the aisle & saw greg in the gazebo & my heart just filled with joy as i reminded myself please dont cry yet. the moments during the wedding were so amazing, i can barely gather my thoughts to put the feelings, readings & order into words. we had wrote our own ceremony to reflect our love, beliefs & family. reverend tim did a great job.

reverend tim herring asked who gives this bride to this groom & my dad said her mother & i do. i gave my dad a peck & greg & my dad shaked hands cracking smiles as reverend tim joked with them.

my dad was seated next to my mom then & reverend tim read our introduction, a mixture of religion, story of greg & me meeting & what marriage & life is about. we then had a silent prayer which gave us a chance to reflect & breath as amazing grace played on the harp & violin. reverend tim then invited my aunt linda up to the gazebo for the first reading. readings are a wonderful way to incorporate those we love into the wedding ceremony. we choose 3 short psalms & passages from the bible including song of soloman 8:6-7. afterwards reverend tim asked our dads to come up to the gazebo to light the family candles. traditionally the mothers light the candles opposite the unity candle before the ceremony but we wanted both our dads involved too & to symbolize that our families matter & are joined by our marriage. we held hands & were entranced in eachothers eyes & hearts throughout the ceremony. i have never felt so much happiness as those moments. we had our second reading by my great aunt about love & the soul. greg & i plucked 2 white rose buds from my bouquet to give our moms then to thank them for their love & support throughout our lives & for the life our beloved (if it wasnt for them we wouldnt be here sharing & loving eachother). we had a buddhist homily based on reincarnation read then before we said our vows. we had written our own vows & i clutched my hankie from my dress as i started tearing.

 

[twojo21]

we had reverend tim hold our rings until we presented them to eachother as a symbol of our love. we lit our unity candle to one of gregs favorite bands the doors, light my fire, everyone got a good chuckle out of this & knew we were equally responsible for the ceremony. everything about our ceremony was us. we were then presented as mr & mrs. w! and kissed, and kissed. i was blushing & smiling ear to ear as we recessed down the aisle as man & wife to some enchanted evening.

to future brides treasure your ceremony its such an exciting moment & it goes by so fast. to the marrieds wow wasnt the ceremony amazing!

 

[Maggimus]

love the photos!! Randy did a GREAT job- and you look beautiful (as in all the pictures)

 

[JackieSparrow]

You look so beautiful, and sooo happy! the photos came out great! Congrats!!!