Disney Timelines

Planning a wedding with the company that also runs the #1 vacation destination in the world, clearly comes with some rules. Its like moving in to one of those upscale gated communities, you have to assume they won't let you paint your house pink. As I've begun planning my Disney wedding, I've run into rules that would've driven me insane or completely infuriated me if they had affected me. For example, only being able to use a Disney photographer if your ceremony/reception is held at certain sites. Typically this applies only to "in park" functions, but rumor has it the list seems to be expanding and including some resort areas. I can completely understand where Disney is coming from. Its just that I've heard only a small amount of great things about Disney photogs, and a fairly large amount of bad things about Disney photogs. One photographer reportedly lost all the pictures of a couple's entire Magic Kingdom photo session. Disney offered to shoot another one for no charge, but the couple would still have to pay travel expenses, making it not really worth the money. How devastating. Luckily for me, I will be using Randy Chapman for most of my event. I will only be using a Disney photographer for our dessert party which will be held in Epcot.

Floral CAN be another issue, but not so much. Again, if you are in a park you will have to use Disney services. I have never heard a bad thing about Disney floral, well... except that it can be pretty pricey. Many brides seem to opt for minimal floral anyways, since the Disney surroundings speak for themselves and not a lot of extra detail is needed!

The catering is typically pretty flexible. Obviously, the more you are willing to pay, the more flexible they'll be. :) I haven't tasted any "Disney wedding" food, but I imagine it is pretty darn good as Disney world boasts many, MANY great restaurants.

Many of the ceremony/reception locations hold very small amounts of people. For example, Frank and I were going to try to do the ceremony IN the Magic Kingdom, but we could only have 50 people. Of course, Frank and his swindling ways concocted a plan to just have a very large wedding party. No go. The 50 people include everyone, even the Bride and Groom! So, that plan was over before it really began.

My biggest issue, so far, has been the timeline. Our wedding is booked for January 8th, 2010... but I can't even plan anything yet!!! See, at 12 months out you can "tentatively" hold the space for your event... at 8 months you you get to sign a "Letter of Agreement." So what does this all mean??? My location will be reserved, and I can only begin planning my wedding and figuring out all of the details at 8 months out. As someone who prefers to have things done and checked off, this is driving me crazy. Completely... crazy... I can't stand it! What if I don't like what their florists have to offer and want someone else, only to find out the someone else I want is booked? I know, I could just book someone and cancel, but deposits and refunds are a HUGE pain in the "you know what." So I sit here... everyday wishing I knew a little of what they offer, or at least what my flowers would/could look like.

For the most part though, I've enjoyed everything I've learned so far about Disney weddings. Everyone I've worked with has been extremely helpful and fantastic. There are so many Disney Brides out there on the Internet too! They have all been so helpful in answering questions and sharing ideas.

As most brides would be, I'm just suffering from, "I guess this isn't how I thought planning a wedding would feel" syndrome. I thought it would be all magical, exciting, and fun... you know, just like in the movies. Going to tastings, floral appointments, gown hunting. I haven't even entered a bridal shop!!! Which is fine... I'll just be counting down the days to May 8th. :)

A Disney Wedding

I'm not sure how familiar the general public is with the process of having a Disney wedding. Like any wedding, there are so many things to be decided. I've tried to weigh the pros and cons nearly every day. See, as I've mentioned in the past, I wanted to elope and avoid all the hub-bub. So, in no particular order, I shall list the advantages and disadvantages of having a Disney wedding... at least some of them.

Advantages

• Its Disney... home of the best costumer service in the world by far.
• Options galore, including character visits, glass slipper deserts, private fireworks, and more. There is virtually nothing they won't/can't do... for a cost.
• Many different locations to choose from. You could have a wedding in Morocco, a reception in France, and dessert in England! Photo sessions can be held in a land full of magic and fairy tales.
• Disney provides nearly every service (excluding officiants, but they give you a list of locals that have performed Disney weddings) needed at a wedding. Food, flowers, cakes, DJs, bands, etc.
• You truly ARE a princess for a day.
• Its a great excuse for the family to take a vacation!
• There are GREAT resources for a Disney Bride, among them these sites: Disney Brides , Disney Weddings, Magical Kingdoms, Mouse Weddings, DisBoards. There are also blogs galore, here is one of my favorites: A Disney Wedding.
  

Disadvantages

• It is far for a lot of people, and impossible for some to travel.
• Weather can be unpredictable if you choose the wrong season.
• Some locations require you to use Disney services, whether or not you like what they have to offer... even money won't buy you out on this.
• The cost, Disney weddings are just expensive! There are minimums everywhere, and it is very easy to run up to nearly $50,000 if you're not careful!!! Its possible, yes to have a semi-affordable Disney wedding, you just have to be careful.
• It can be expensive for everyone, not just you!
• The timeline...

So, these are only a few pros and cons; I imagine I will be editing this constantly. So far, my biggest problem has been the timeline. My next blog will be an extremely long blog entirely on Disney weddings policies, cost, and timeline. I detest the timeline, I think any bride would.

Ring Ideas!

I am so excited by this idea... check out Globetrotting Bride's Blog. She posts pictures of her rings in things, on things, around things. She chronicles her travels using her rings. What a creative and cute idea for a frequent traveller like me!!! Kudos to her for being creative and also posting some really cute shots!!!

Cute Little Touches

Why not add a special little touch to your wedding correspondence? These stamps are a great way to add just a small personalized touch.

Photo courtesy of: Gifts.com

Photo courtesy of: zazzle.com

After all, the envelopes are the first things your guests will see!!! There are many stamp sites out there. You can customize your own design, use pictures, or pick from a wide variety of templates. Why not make special stamps to go on Thank You cards??

Photo courtesy of: Stamps.com

If you're having a destination wedding, you could find a cute pic of each of your wedding attendants and stock them up on postcards and personalized stamps to send out to their loved ones!

Falling in Love...

with these ring photographs!

Unique wedding ring photo : Steve O’s Photos

Unique wedding ring photo : HyStudio

Unique wedding ring photo : acewatersthe3rd

Unique wedding ring photo : arisingimages.com

Unique wedding ring photo : kelly heasley

Unique wedding ring photo : rocktographers

More to come...

Thank You...

from both hisMrs over at Blushing Bride Bulletin (she also has a fantastic wedding weightloss blog) and Melissa over at M and M Wedding. They gave me an award... my first! I love to devour their postings, hisMrs always has great and creative ideas, while Melissa is a supremo DIYer and has had many do-it-yourself ideas I'd like to try myself! Check out their blogs for some great ideas! Now, on to the prize! My "Love Ya" award!

“These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.”

My tags are (in no particular order!):

Adrienne @ For the Love of Weddings

Maureen @ A Wedding Addict

Attacked by Tulle

Bailee's Bride

Rachel @ Can I Plan a Wedding

Kiana @ Dot the i Wedding

Brittany @ How Sweet it Is

Melissa @ Melissa's Greetings

Check them out!

Great Favors!

I'm always on the look out for wedding favors or cute little things to put in the welcome bags (oot bags.) There are thousands and thousands of things to choose from, but I try to search out original and useful favors. Over at Beau-coup I found these cute little guys:

How cute... and useful! They have a variety of colors and designs to choose from. Really perfect for an oot bag. I got something similar from Barnes and Noble last year, and loved it. You can throw it in your purse in case you need to write any necessary times, locations etc. down, and you never have to dig around for your pen, since it is stored in the handy little slot that keeps the notepad closed!

Check Out My Ride!

I was never a princessy sort of girl. I suppose you could've called me a complete tomboy. I cried when I had to wear dresses, hated makeup, etc., etc. And then I met Frank.

Frank quickly taught me how to be a total princess, and has probably regretted it ever since! I'm a complete, utter, spoiled brat now! To prove that, I have a kitten Frank is extremely allergic to. I didn't even have to ask for it. When we got her, we agreed she couldn't come in the bedroom so he could at least breathe there, well she sleeps in the bed now. He wheezes, and can barely breathe, sure, but at least I can snuggle up to my little furball... right? Poor Frank. He's created a monster . :)

Well, being a princess, I knew I had to arrive to my own wedding in true princess fashion.

I'm so excited for this. I went back and forth debating if it was worth the money, or if it was a bit over the top and tacky. It basically came down to... when am I going to have another chance to do this!?! The pictures will be cute, the kids will love it... I simply can't wait!

Valentine Love

Well, this weekend I was so consumed and busy that I didn't really have a chance to think about the wedding. I need to book an officiant this week, however unexciting that task is. I think I've been putting it off the most, since it just isn't "fun." We spent Valentine's day with Frank's father, and had a lovely dinner together. We also went to an arboretum Saturday, where I got a chance to peek at many beautiful flowers. I did find some that will work perfectly in my bouquet!

Paired with some Spider Mums, I think these will be gorgeous, and have just the hint of accent colors I've been looking for. Oh, I did remember to find out what they were.

Other than that, I didn't do much this weekend. Well, I got my Valentine's present...

She is absolutely adorable... and nameless! Yes, the poor little gal doesn't have a name. We've considered Mademoiselle Katerina le Paws, and Amelia le Paws, Kat and Amelia respectively for short. Katerina, we just think is funny because her nickname would be Kat... with a "K," and Amelia because Frank proposed to me on Amelia Island. Le Paws is just going to be her "french" last name. You know, to make her sound fancy. :) She kept us up all night and is currently destroying every flower arrangement I have in the house. Adorable. Poor Frank is allergic to her, and said he would be fine as long as she didn't come in the bedroom. Then the crying started... er... wailing. Well, the sucker that I am was able to give her clearance into the bedroom, which of course eventually became the bed. Her love for Frank and his body heat showed throughout the night, as every time I woke up that she wasn't on my face, she was on his. Poor Frank. Of course, there was another "unfan" of our little gal. Our giant killer rabbit, Cadburry.

Yes, he's as giant and fat as he looks, and I just love him. He has the most beautiful blue eyes, and is old and grumpy. We can let him out anywhere and he never runs away. He's the best, unfortunately Amelia/Kat didn't think so. In fact, I think they hated each other. At one point I saw hissing, and then Amelia/Kat flying across the room. This was followed by her attempting to sneak up on Cadburry over and over. Uh, not a good idea... seriously.

As you can see, I'm going to have my hands full for the next few weeks. Especially since I have a string of exams coming up as well. Poor Frank will probably get the brunt of my crabbiness. :)

Hoping everyone else had a fantastic Valentine's day weekend as well! XoXo

Keep the Love Alive!

I went to Barnes and Noble the other day to get my daily caffeine fix, and passed by a table of books. I thought nothing of it, but one brightly colored and cute little book caught my eye. So, on my way back out I stopped by to see what it was. Turns out it is a Relationship Devotional.

Cute, right?  Well, there are "365 Lessons to Love and Learn By" in this book.  One for each day of the year.  Why not start a tradition in your first year of marriage by reading one together every night?  Life can be hectic, and the first year of marriage (from what I hear) tough.  Its a small thing you can do to remind yourselves of your love, and what brought you to where you are.  I haven't looked at too many of the entries, as I don't want to spoil it for myself, but they are really short and sweet.  Some are poems, tidbits about famous paintings, love stories from characters in books and movies, etc.  While some may leave you rolling your eyes wondering why you read it, I imagine there will be those that will strike a chord within.  I can't wait to start reading it, and can't wait to complete it on the night of our one year anniversary!

I Love My Fiance!

So, a couple of weeks ago I was "away" from Frank. Neither one of us does very well apart, we try our best, but we just miss each other terribly. When I returned home, there was a little surprise on the bed waiting for me!

I was so excited, I ripped right into it!! I LOVE surprises big and small! Inside were my favorite munchies ever... in my favorite color!

M & M's are seriously my vice. I love 'em. I love to freeze them and dump them into a bowl and just munch. I could eat ten bags in a sitting... probably more. I was so excited, it was so thoughtful and cute! I thought nothing more of it, and set the cute little bag on the floor and stuck my treat right into the freezer. The next day when I got back from school all tired and bummed that Winter Break was over, I walked in the room to this:

I was so confused, and almost disregarded it until I saw the note. Its difficult to read, but it says "Try Again." So, I dug into the bag excitedly, expecting more M & M's only to find this...

OMG!!!! Frank got me a brand-spankin-new camera! And a very nice one too! Along with it came two new lenses and a giant memory card! I am so excited. The timing couldn't be better. With all of the wedding planning, a trip to Spain in March, and a trip to France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy in May... I am beyond happy and so excited to use my new camera! Wow, a beautiful ring and a great surprise all in one month! I'm the luckiest girl ever. I love my fiance. :)

Unconventional Wedding Gift

So, I have been racking my brain trying to come up with something "unique" to give Frank for a wedding gift. I know it is really far away still, almost a year, but I want it to be perfect! I will probably do the traditional cuff link thing, but I think I will also do this:

It may look like just a piece of modern artwork, but it is MUCH more than that! It is a portrait of two different people's DNA. There is this really great site called DNA 11, that makes different types of "personalized" artwork. You can choose from 25 different colors, and can have one, two, three, even four people per frame! After placing your order online, they send out a kit that gives easy to follow directions. After swabbing your mouth, you mail in your samples and receive this truly unique and personalized piece of art. I know its a very "different" gift, but I just like it.

If you're not so into displaying your genetic make-up, they do have a couple of other types of artwork:

Fingerprints

Lip Prints

Now I just have to figure out how to swab Frank's mouth without him catching on...

Preserve the Memories

Every Bride knows how high the price of flowers can climb.  Flowers for bouquets, corsages, boutonnieres, centerpieces, flowers here... flowers there... flowers everywhere!  It really does add up.  So why not preserve some of those flowers, so you can always remember their beauty?  While browsing bouquets last night, I found a great site with some really great floral keepsakes.  I am definitely going to be a little selfish and set aside some of the floral budget for a keepsake for myself. These are just beautiful! 

All of these pictures came from Keepsake Floral, an Orlando, FL based company.  Yes, the prices are quite hefty, usually costing more than the bouquet itself.  What an elegant way to preserve one of the most important accessories of your life though, to me that's priceless.  

 

 

  

Centerpiece Inspiration

While browsing through blogs, I came across Jason and Allyson's wedding at Melissa Jill Photography. Aside from it being an incredibly beautiful wedding, I found these to-die-for centerpiece arrangements:

This is almost exactly as I have imagined/wanted mine to be. I just lacked a picture or way of describing them. 1) I adore pearls... love them... am infatuated with them. 2) I wanted small, tight flower arrangements. 3) I wanted tall, simple and delicate candle holders.

This is perfect! I would change the flowers to green, and lose the black and white accents to compliment my own wedding colors. Other than that... this is perfection!

You are invited!

One of the difficulties with any wedding is the guest list. Anyone who has planned a wedding is familiar with the never-ending questions: Do we have to invite her? If we invite him, then do we have to invite them? Aren't so-and-so's feelings going to be hurt if they're not invited? Now add to that 3100 miles, many expenses, and vacation time. It is definitely not easy to put together the guest list of a destination wedding.

There are those you really want there, but can't afford it, are too fragile, can't take the time off work, etc. Then, there are those that want to come desperately, but don't make the list. I actually had someone argue with me about coming. Somehow she got the impression that "she was like family" to me. How awkward was that moment. It went something like this:

Her: So, when is the date?

Me: January 8th, 2010.

Her: Oh, great! That gives me plenty of time to save my money!

Me: Uh, well... ummm... it's just going to be an intimate wedding. We're just going to invite family and really close friends. We can only invite about 50 people, so its tough.

Her: Well, since I'm like family, I'll make the list. I can't wait!

Me: Well, uhhh, okay. Yeah, we just don't have a lot of room. I mean, we really are only inviting those people we see a lot (desperately grasping for straws at this point.. growing frustrated... completely uncomfortable... AWKWARD) and people we've known for a long time. I have a large family and I need/want to invite them. It leaves me with only about 5-10 places for friends.

Her: (Still not getting it.) That's too bad you'll only be able to invite that many people, at least I'll make the list!

(Was she serious???!!!?? I think so... )

It only took about 5 more minutes before I just had to tell her she wasn't going to be invited. It was probably one of the most awkward situations ever. Frank, who is usually on his toes, was even speechless and watched me break (not intentionally) probably every rule in the Book of Etiquette. I tried to handle it with grace, and be polite. Somehow she just didn't let me, so I swam to my death and was just honest. I didn't see a reason to lie to someone and give them false ideas. Honestly, I really don't know this person. Yes, she's a very nice person, but there are probably 50 non-family members I would invite ahead of her, even 100 wouldn't be stretching it. I just really don't know her like that. Frank says I have a way of making people feel like they are more important to me than they are. That sounds terrible, I know, but I think what he means by that is I let people walk all over me and take advantage of me, so they like me. It's the people I don't allow to walk all over me, people I CAN voice my opinions to, people I can say "no" to that mean the most. If I truly care about you, I've probably yelled at you at some point. I'm not fake to people I don't care deeply about, I'm just very uncomfortable.

So, back to the original topic at hand... the guest list. I am so excited about technology today, because our videographer is going to do a live web broadcast of our wedding! So I know, everyone won't be there for the cake and dancing, but that's not REALLY the important part. Everyone we know can be a part of our "I dos." by just getting on their computer!

Photo Booth

I so want a photo booth at our wedding.  I've wanted one for years.  I heart photo booths so much.  I'm thinking about doing it instead of favors.  I saw one once at a dinner party and they had customized borders and everyone was having such a good time with them. 

I found this site, Peekaboo Photo Booth, and its actually pretty reasonably priced.  How fun would it be to have some props (i.e. dry erase boards for messages, silly hats, etc.)!  Even better, the guests can take home a pic as a favor, and the bride and groom get a copy of all the pics taken for a scrapbook!

Has anyone used one of these before?  Would you like this in lieu of a favor at a reception???

Help a Bride!

Hey everyone, 

Lauren has it out for David's Bridal.  I don't blame her.  Spreading the word.  :) 

She tried returning a packaged bra (34C) that she purchased 2 1/2 weeks ago (with receipt) and they refused.  If anyone is interested just click her name, it'll take you to her site.  

Thanks,

Jenny

Great Tote Alert!

I'm in the process of collecting items and ideas for welcome bags for wedding guests.  Obviously, I'd like them to be fabulous but still inexpensive, since they will still be getting favors and I don't want to push hubby-to-be over the edge.  :)  I really didn't want to use a plain old gift bag, not that there's anything wrong with that, I just wanted to mix it up a bit.  

I've been looking and looking... and looking.  And then I found these:

Cost...a whopping $.99 each at this web site!  What a steal!  My intention is to get iron on transfers and personalize them.  I haven't decided what I want on them, flowers similar to my bouquet, a picture, a date, a love quote, a wedding map (yes, I'm going to ATTEMPT to hand dry my own cute little maps... ha!), a date, etc.  Whatever I decide to put on them, I'm so happy they can be used for more than just a gift bag.  

So Exciting!

So Frank and I have decided to finally finish our PADI Scuba certification this Saturday!  Normally, I would be completely bummed with the extra workload (we have to study for the written), but I am so excited.  It will just make our honeymoon extra special... wherever it is!  Anyone with some good advice on dive sites, please, please, please let me have it!

Nephew Love

So one of the questions that has been looming in my head for awhile is "who will walk me down the aisle?"  Since my father passed away 6+ years ago, I hadn't really thought of this.  It always made me too sad to think about.  I loved my dad so much, and couldn't imagine how I was going to find someone to stand in for him.  No one compared.  

Well Frank, as usual, saved the day!  Literally, he has saved my wedding day.  I cried every time I thought about someone else walking me down the aisle.  Well, Frank decided that it would be appropriate for the closest living male descendant of my father to give me away.  That would be my now four year old nephew!  I debated, and thought about it a lot.  I didn't know whether it was appropriate, or if people would think it was a little strange.  In the end, it was a very easy decision.  I want to remember my wedding day and be completely happy, not feel something, or better someone, was missing.  When I look at pictures five years later, I don't want to notice my father's absence.  I adore my nephew.  In fact, he is my favorite little kid in the world.  I will be so happy looking at pictures of him in a cute little tux, giving me away, and I just know he will do a fantastic job.  

My fiance is brilliant.  :) 

Here's a glimpse of my adorable little hero.