DisneySweetie's Wedding PJ & Disneymoon PreTrippie: UPDATE 12/07 *Backwards Bride :)*

[DisneySweetie]

Hey there! Hi there! Ho there! You're as welcome as can be...

Well, less than 4 months out and I decided to start a planning journal / Disneymoon pre-trippie...

Just a quick FYI: I am not a DFTW bride, but I still consider myself a Disney bride at heart. We are getting married here in Phoenix and then heading to WDW for our honeymoon.

A lot of the stuff for the wedding has already been decided on, but that doesn't I'm done planning. I think the beginning of this planning journal will be quite a bit of back-tracking, but that's ok - come along for the ride anyway, some rides are better backwards.

A few notes about us:

Me - DisneySweetie - Aaryn. 25 years old. Disney child from day one. I think every animated Disney movie (the classics, not the straight-to-DVD sequels) has brought me to tears at one point or another. They are my comfort. We moved around A LOT when I was growing up. Disney movies always felt like home. I have always been a bit of a tomboy. I enjoyed all the princess movies as a child, but I watched the other ones more (Robin Hood, Peter Pan, etc). All of that changed the week 'The Little Mermaid' came out on VHS... I had my first girly sleepover and we watched it 4 times in a row. I really think I became more of a girl that day. I remember having the audio cassette in my fisher price tape player non stop for months on end.

DF - Hunny - Mike. 25 years old. I've never known a boy (man?) that loves Disney as much as he does. And now that I've found him, I don't think I could marry anyone else. He's kind, funny, sweet, and full of surprises. And, well, he brings out the girl in me even more so than 'The Little Mermaid' does.

We met in college. He started at Colorado School of Mines in Golden, CO and I started at University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA. So, how did we meet? Well, we both transferred to University of Colorado in Boulder, CO for fall semester of 2002. I chose computer science and astronomy as my majors, and he just happened to show some interest in astronomy too.

We took classes together for a full year before we talked to each other. We had 2 classes together in fall 2003 and he actually started saving me a seat. Only thing was, I didn't know his name. Hahahaha! By then it was too late too ask. We were already having conversations and walking out of class together. Everyday I would go to our classes determined to hear someone say his name. But it never happened. They kept talking to his other friend and saying his name (Billy), but they never said Mike's name. It got to the point where my friends and my roomie would ask me everyday if I had figured out his name yet. We even tried to come up with plans on how to get it. I would try to snatch his homework or offer to pass it in, but he was always there before me.

So, halfway through the semester, I was walking up to the classroom and Mike and Billy were waiting outside. I was talking about some frustration I was having with mapping out my next semester's classes. I was having trouble finding what I needed on the school's web site. Anyway, Billy proceeds to say something like, "Yeah, tell me about it. The search function doesn't do any good. I mean, we tried to enter 'cute astronomy girl' and it didn't return your name. What is your name by the way?" Hahahaha! This whole time, they didn't know my name either. Billy said, "He [Mike] should be more embarrassed because he has more classes with you." More jokes and then I confessed that I didn't know Mike's name either. Great beginning right?

Well, we all became great friends. It wasn't until several months later when we started to date. I am always very cautious about that. I have had plenty of guy friends (more than girl friends actually), but only a handful of boyfriends. When I started dating Mike it was like a whole new experience. Our first date felt like my first date ever. I guess that doesn't make much sense, but that's what it felt like.

Anyway...

I had been to Disneyland 4 times. Once with my family when I was in 6th grade. Once with the high school band. Once with my swim team. And once with my DF (DBF at the time). I had always wanted to go to WDW. My parents have had some financial troubles in life and we never quite got there.

Mike had been to Disneyland several times. He spent the better part of his life growing up in CA. He had been to WDW once with his family.

All of the above was true until December 2005. Mike and I went to WDW together over winter break. It was the last winter break before I would finally graduate (transferring and two degrees makes college take a bit longer to complete). We worked really hard to save up for the trip. And it was perfect because...

He Proposed!

Yep. On our first full day. We went to the Magic Kingdom for the morning and we were trying to figure out the best way to get over to Epcot for the evening (forgive me, I did not know about the DIS, good thing too because it probably would have distracted me from school). So, we decided on the monorail and I was about to take off. Then Mike said, "Why don't we sit down for a second?" We were to the right of Cinderella's Castle on a beautiful walkway and we had a seat on the bench. I knew something was going on, but I just studied the map. He got down on one knee and proposed. I just said YES! as fast as I could. All grins and happiness. Perfect moment and a beautiful ring.

Now, some of you may wonder if I knew it was going to happen. I've got to say that we had talked about marriage. We had even gone out and tried some rings. I'm not much of a jewelry person so he wanted to get a feel for my taste. Even before WDW Mike said that he wished he could propose to me there, but he needed more time to save for the ring. He had a chat with my parents in early December, but I didn't think twice about it. We didn't see them that often and I just thought he was getting it out of the way. I figured he would do it on Valentine's Day or my birthday in May or my graduation or something. I understood and did not expect it at WDW. Believe me, it was a surprise. A perfect surprise.

We spent the rest of the trip engaged at WDW!

 

[mariacj]

So CUTE! I love your story. It makes me laugh that you did not know his name. Funny! I am glad you found someone that loves Disney as much as you do. It makes a huge difference in the relationship. I know a lot of guys that think it is sill that I know every Disney song and am not afraid to sing along with the movie.

I can't wait to hear more of the planning process. You are so right n saying that you don't need to get married at WDW to be a Disney Bride. it is all in the hidden touches. Hope to see an update soon.


I am subbing for sure!

 

[shasess]

Glad to see another Disneymooner . I love your story!! So cute!!!

 

[Hillary12.8.07]

YAY! another Disneymooner!!! Welcome and I can't wait to start reading about it!

 

[DisneySweetie]

You are so right n saying that you don't need to get married at WDW to be a Disney Bride. it is all in the hidden touches.

Thanks mariacj. I'm glad to see that others understand.

Thanks for reading and welcoming me shasess and Hillary12.8.07. Since people are reading, I guess I'll be posting updates.

 

[DisneySweetie]

It occurred to me that I didn't post a photo of my engagement ring. So, here you go.

I love it. Perfect size and just wait until you see the wedding band. More on that later.

After we came home from WDW, everyone wanted to know if we had set a date. Honestly, I brushed them all off. I needed to finish school and find a job before we would set a date. And Mike agreed. I really wanted a Disney wedding. We toyed with the idea of a DCL Wedding and a WDW Wedding and even a DL Wedding. Sure, I started to pick up wedding magazines, but there was a lot of other stuff on our plates.

After another long hard semester, I graduated. And we moved to Phoenix, AZ for the job I got. I am blessed with the fact that Mike was willing to move with me. He just asked that I look for a job outside of Colorado because he was ready for a change of scenery. Phoenix is definitely a change. And we have been here for about 14 months.

After the move, I concentrated on my new job. We dipped into the wedding stuff every once in awhile, but not too often. You see, it was intimidating. We knew we were paying for the wedding on our own and that made it a little stressful. While I don't think Mike and I have ever had a true fight, we do get a little stressed out when it comes to our finances. We've both got a lot of school loans, etc. that we're paying off. Add a wedding on top of that and you can see where we're coming from.

Anyway, it soon became clear that if we wanted all of our friends and family to come, we would need to do a larger DFTW. And, well, that wasn't really affordable for us (or our friends and family). So, we settled on the fact that we would not have a Disney wedding. We thought about doing it in CO or CA, but since we both moved so much when were were growing up, neither of us really has a hometown. Therefore, we chose Phoenix. It seemed like the logical choice. The weather in December here is lovely. Family and friends were going to have to fly from all over anyway. And planning a wedding in the town you're living in is much easier. So, we started looking for a location and vendors.

We went to a LOT of places around the valley. It's a little bit tough to find everything when you're new to town. Plus, we didn't really know anyone so we were counting on the bridal websites to advise us of all the vendors, etc. There are some beautiful locations, but they all seemed a bit expensive. There was one in our price range, but not really our style.

After Christmas, we sat down and mapped out a budget. It was encouraging to see that we could pull off a wedding before 2008. Then it occurred to us - let's get married exactly two years after he proposed. December 16, 2007. Date set. We have to find some place that fits our budget. We had almost given up hope and we were about to go with the place that didn't fit our style. But we found our final location on a whim. It's perfect an I am glad we came across it.

Aunt Chilada's. It's an authentic mexican restaurant that has been around for over 100 years. It's near Squaw Peak and it's right outside the Hilton Pointe Squaw Peak Resort. We get the entire garden patio and garden bar with white tent from 11am-4pm on our wedding date. Honestly, if we were traditional, this wouldn't really work. But, we love the idea of having great food (yum!) and friends for an afternoon wedding on the patio. Simple and fun. We booked it right away.

From there we started to look up all the other vendors. My goodness. I do not know what brides did before the internet. I don't think I could have seen nearly as many options or ideas without it.

Next, we booked our photographer. She is expensive. I will not even admit how much of the wedding budget is going towards the photographer. Ever since I saw her work, no other photographer would satisfy me. She mostly does more expensive weddings, but from her work during engagement sessions and senior portrait sessions, I know she can do our wedding well too. We were just going to hire her and pay for the images on CD and put together our own album. But then we saw her albums. They were unlike anything I've ever seen. After she corrects the images and designs the album, they get sent to Italy to be printed and bound. I'm telling you, they are the best albums I have ever seen. I have no doubt that they will last for generations. So, we held our breath and booked her too. The only way we are able to afford her is because we can pay for the album after our wedding. I just adore everything she does and I am so excited that we are making her our splurge.

On to find a florist, invitations, entertainer, wedding dress, wedding party attire, favors, etc...

 

[Hillary12.8.07]

WOW, your wedding sounds like it's going to be so much FUN!!! I am a traditional girl myself, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE hearing about all the awesome non-traditional stuff people do! Sometimes I wish we were just having a big laid back party, like yours sounds like!!!

And we didn't choose a DFTW for the same reasons you did, too many people to invite, and too much money!!

I can't wait to hear more! Oh and your ring is beaUtiful!

 

[DisneySweetie]

WOW, your wedding sounds like it's going to be so much FUN!!! I am a traditional girl myself, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE hearing about all the awesome non-traditional stuff people do! Sometimes I wish we were just having a big laid back party, like yours sounds like!!!

Yes. That is kind of the point. I just want everyone to come and relax. Oh, and we'll throw our vows in there somewhere. Don't get me wrong, it's still going to cost a pretty penny. All weddings do it seems. But I feel like the more we tone it down - the more comfortable I will feel and the more we will enjoy ourselves.

And we didn't choose a DFTW for the same reasons you did, too many people to invite, and too much money!!

I totally understand. DF has a lot of people in his extended family that he wanted to invite. And we both could not imagine getting married without our close friends. By the time you add on their guests, the number climbs way up. And, actually, I have no idea how many people will come. But at least everyone got invited.

Thanks for reading. I'll post more later.

 

[DisneySweetie]

Well, it seems I should talk about the guest list.

We wanted to invite everyone. There are so many people that touch your life before you wed. We need those significant people to share in our happiness. I really believe that your family and your friends contribute greatly to the person you become. I am grateful to all of Mike’s family and friends for making him into the person I love. And I am grateful to all of my family and friends who helped me reach this point. The guest list could be huge.

We actually got it to be about 150 (including a possible guest for almost everyone). A lot of them probably won’t bring a guest. There are some who are thinking of just traveling with each other and splitting hotel room costs and such. Makes sense to me. But we are allowing them the option of inviting a guest. I think you have to do that when people are traveling to attend your wedding. Well, you probably don’t have to, but I do think it’s appropriate.

So, we have no idea how many people will accept. It’s really quite up in the air. Since all but about 10 of them will be flying in from all over the country, it’s hard to say. Plus, we are doing it right before the holidays. I wish there was an easier way to estimate. But we believe we will get about 75-100 people. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

Ok, moving on. Part of finding a florist means choosing your flowers which means choosing your colors. Part of finding invitations means choosing your colors. Part of fining wedding party attire means choosing your colors. Do you see where I am going here? We needed to choose our colors.

Honestly, we had been back and forth about colors since the moment we started talking about a wedding. The classic red, black, and white. The lovely lavendar and sage green combo. I really like yellow. And we both love blue. In other words - we were all over the place. And it didn't help that we weren't sure if we wanted the wedding party (6 people btw) dressed formally.

So, we decided to live it up in the mexican decor. We thought we would have everyone in the wedding party wear black (girls in black dresses, boys in nice black shirt and slacks). And then we would tie them together with a bright accent color. We would get ties for the boys and long scarves for the girls. Each a bright bold solid color. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple. You get the picture. However, this was proving incredibly difficult (especially the scarves for the girls). I spend hours online and calling tons of places. I finally came up with a satisfactory option.

Then we went to a couple flower shops. There was one outstanding florist who sat down and talked through our color vision and our flower tastes. So we chose the flowers to go with the colors - red gerbera daisy, orange asiatic lily, yellow daffodil, green bells of ireland, blue volkenfrieden dephinium, purple lisianthus. We didn't sign the florist that day. I had a few other people I wanted to meet.

Then David's Bridal came out with their new spring colors. Needless to say, I loved some of them. And I changed EVERYTHING. Don't worry, Mike was involved in the changes. I actually think he was a bit more comfortable being that it is more traditional now. The David's Bridal colors also coordinated with vests at After Hours. And they also happened to coordinate with the stargazer lily (one of our favorite flowers). So, after much deliberation, we switched it all. We are now going with wild orchid, clover, and cornflower. Sadly, the David's Bridal website does not do these colors justice whatsoever. So, I am posting a swatch from the groom catalog.

Looking at this, the colors are a little bit off here too, but at least they are better. Best man and maid of honor will be on wild orchid. Groomsman#1 and bridesmaid#1 will be in clover. Groomsman#2 and bridesmaid#2 will be in cornflower. Mike will be in honey, (it's really more of a really light gold/tan in the store). Mike might also choose to wear the asian jacket (I think it's called a neru), but he hasn't decided yet. And father of the bride will be in silver.

My bridesmaids are all over the country. I had them go and try on dresses in the right colors and they all had different opinions. And since these colors are new, their options are a little limited. This was the look I was going for. I did this on the supercool "dress your wedding" feature on the David's Bridal website. The faces are a bit strange, but you get the picture.

But the dress in this option would have to be tailored to fit each girl (none of them felt that it fit right). So, I switched it up again. The groomsmen are going to wear all black (including the collared dress shirt) with their colored vests. The groom, Mike, will have the option of wearing a white collared dress shirt in order to stand out a little (but he doesn't have to if he doesn't want to, no one else will be wearing honey). Then the girls will be in black dresses with either a sash of the coordinating color or a wrap of the coordinating color. No one can really complain right? Black is slimming on everyone. And it will help these spring-like colors work for our December wedding.

The trouble with this plan is that they don't have wraps of the right colors listed online. One employee told one of my bridesmaids that one of the wraps comes in all my colors. But I think she may have been mistaken. I am hoping to drop by my David's Bridal within the next week or so to hash this out. However, they do have the sashes in the right colors. The only problem there is finding a black dress that will work with a sash (no one likes the skirt in the above option). I'm still working on that part. I will provide an update on this later.

 

[alltvseries]

 

[mariacj]

Fun, choosing colors was hard because I wanted baby pink and DF had his heart on red... red roses are his fav. I like baby pink roses. We are doing a mix... it worked out well. I am hoping to set an appointment with Davids in ocotber for a BM dress day! Let me know how it goes for you. Happy Planning!

 

[DisneySweetie]

Fun, choosing colors was hard because I wanted baby pink and DF had his heart on red... red roses are his fav. I like baby pink roses. We are doing a mix... it worked out well.

Baby pink and red roses sounds great! It's cool that your DF is so involved. I love that my DF is a part of every decision. The flowers decision was a bit tough because of that though. My DF did not want roses at all. I mean, he likes roses, but he just didn't want to use them for our wedding. This also meant he was pretty particular about the flowers we did choose for the wedding. It ended up working out quite well and I was glad to have his input. All flowers are beautiful, it would have been hard for me to narrow it down without him.

I am hoping to set an appointment with Davids in ocotber for a BM dress day! Let me know how it goes for you. Happy Planning!

I'll be sure to post an update after my adventure at David's Bridal.

Thanks for reading everyone!

 

[DisneySweetie]

So, in the midst of the bridesmaid dress dilemma, we went back to the florist we loved. He sat down and redid all of it with us according to the new colors. We signed and paid a deposit right away. New flowers are stargazer lily, light blue belladonna delphinium, buttercream yellow freesia, white mini gerbera, and plum astrantia. The filler will be green variegated ivy and mossy green astilbe. Here’s a collage of the flowers:

The special guests (immediate family – mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters) will get corsages/boutonnieres of white daisies with yellow centers.

With these flowers, the centerpieces don’t need much. Lilies are large and fill out really well. This saved us money. Plus, we talked the restaurant into letting us use their vases for free. We just have to pick them up and deliver them to the florist 3-4 days before the wedding. Also, the restaurant does four 2-inch white votives on each table. And they have set up floating candles on the bars and buffets and such. This also keeps our cost down. Here's a photo of the vase with the votives (we will skip the mirror part and our flowers won't be roses, but you get the idea):

Also, while deciding on wedding party attire – I tired on quite a few wedding dresses. I am not much of a dress person. Sure, I wear skirts and dresses occasionally, but not too often. And, I never went to prom or homecoming or anything. I’ve only worn a fancy dress twice in my life. High school senior dinner dance (I went with a bunch of friends) and Military Ball. Mike used to do ROTC when we first started dating. So, he really was my first fancy dress-up date ever. Picking a dress for that was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I don’t really have any good photos of it, but here’s one of us from that night way back when.

So, wedding dress. Choosing one is harder than it looks. I’ve really gone back and forth all over the place. I really like 2-3 dresses.

One is a pick-up skirt and might be a bit much. I would do a simple sash instead, but still.
http://davidsbridal.com/bridal_gowns_detail.jsp?stid=2843&prodgroup=10

Another is really really simple made out a satin with side draping, no train. I would do it in white.
http://davidsbridal.com/bridal_gowns_detail.jsp?stid=1223&prodgroup=10

And the other one is organza with some scattered sparkle beading with side draping and a short train.
http://davidsbridal.com/bridal_gowns_detail.jsp?stid=1741&prodgroup=10

I actually think they all look fine. The way most a-line wedding dresses are cut seems to flatter my figure.

Why am I torn? Well, I could really regret the pick-up style skirt in a few years. I think it’s just a little too fashion forward for my style. The simple one might be just that – too simple. This one fits the top of me the best (I don’t have a lot of money to spend on alterations), but it also kind of makes me look flat-chested. And the organza one, well, I wish it didn’t have a train. I know, I know, a bride that doesn’t really want a train. Well, I’m getting married on a patio. I’m not sure a train really fits in. Yes, I will have a bustle. But if you have a train, shouldn’t you use it for the ceremony? Have you ever heard of a bride who kept it bustled all the time? I don’t know. Since we are doing some photos on the Hilton resort property (up the street from the restaurant, it’s where we’re getting ready), maybe having a train for the photos would be nice. But I’m not convinced.

I went to a bridal shop with my mom to show her each of these. And, well, she agreed with the simple one or the organza one. Hahaha! Thanks mom. Oh well, at least I know I have narrowed it down to some good ones. She would have told me if one of them was hideous on me right? I sent some photos to my maid of honor. She responded in much the same way. I think everyone knows that the decision is ultimately up to me. And while they approve of my choices, they know that I will agonize over it for some time and then make the right choice. I think they also know that the logical part of my brain is standing in the way of what some brides feel when they try on THE ONE. I’m not really that kind of person, so I’m not counting on that feeling. So, wish me luck. I will continue to try on others. I don’t think I will require myself to make the choice until the first week in October. I need enough time to get a hem (I’m a little short for these) and a bustle if I need one.

Other wedding activities…

I have got to say, when you are asking a lot of friends and family to fly in to see you get married, you kind of feel like you need to make more than one day out of it. Plus, we haven’t seen some of these people for years. And since we just moved here, we really miss our Colorado friends. I wanted to have everyone over and just play. Mike and I decided that we didn’t want the traditional rehearsal dinner. We wanted everyone who was in town on Saturday (wedding is on Sunday) to just come and hang out. We live in an apartment complex that has a clubhouse we can rent. All we needed to do was pay the rental fee and provide food. There’s a field right outside of the complex that is perfect for Frisbee. Just a laid-back afternoon with friends and family. Sounded great. So, we started looking in to sandwich shops and other food.

Well, then Mike’s dad & stepmom offered to fund the rehearsal dinner. Uh-oh. This gesture was so appreciated I can’t even express it. Having just a little more money in our budget was really going to help us out. However, I was a little worried. Mike’s stepsister just had her wedding last year. I didn’t get to go because of school, but Mike went. It was a really traditional wedding. I saw photos over thanksgiving and it was beautiful. Everything seemed perfect for them. But, as a girl about to be a new daughter-in-law, worrying is part of the territory. What if Mike’s parents expected our wedding to be traditional? And now they are offering to pay for the rehearsal dinner – well, what if it’s not really a rehearsal dinner? I wasn’t so worried about whether or not they would pay for it. We already had it budgeted in, so it’s not like it was something we were counting on. I was more worried about whether or not they would approve.

Well, they came down one weekend to visit and everything went smoothly. I think they really appreciated our vision. Truly an excellent visit with the future in-laws. Time to stop my worrying. They seemed to understand our desires. And they even offered to fund our little Saturday gathering – now officially dubbed the open house. We went to dinner at the restaurant and they loved the food. I think it went quite well. And I was over the moon appreciative of their willingness to contribute. With a budget this tight, every bit helps. Plus, his stepmom is being really proactive. We pretty much handed off the planning of the open house to her. Great, one less thing to worry about.

They also had a great idea that we are putting into action. A no host kick off dinner. Yep, on Friday night, we’re going to have a room at another fabulous restaurant reserved. Anyone who is in town and feels the need can swing by. The best thing is that we will get to see everyone more and it’s not costing us anything. It’s only an optional event and I’m sure some people will go out and explore Phoenix instead. But it’s a great option to hang out with our immediate families and any guests who come to town early.

Now that we aren’t providing the food for the open house, I wanted to rent chairs. The restaurant has chairs of course. They’re white patio chairs with this teal pad built in to the seat. Believe me, I looked. They cannot be removed. I talked to Mike about renting chairs before, but he was a little concerned about the price tag. And I had to agree. It’s amazing how much it costs to rent chairs. Plus, the restaurant was renting them through another vendor. But they won’t let me price shop for chairs from anyone else. They will only let me use that vendor. The same is true if I wanted chair covers. I guess a lot of businesses might work this way. However, it makes it hard for brides on such a tight budget. Anyway, the difference in how the patio looks with or without the white wooden chairs is night and day. So, we’re sucking it up and paying for it. We got such a great deal on everything else from the restaurant that I suppose something like this was bound to come up. Here's a photo of the patio with white wooden chairs:

That's all for now - more to come…

 

[Hillary12.8.07]

Everything looks great!! I LOVE the colors, it's all just so FUN! I do know that sometimes David's has more in the stores than the website, so maybe they will have those colored wraps there?
And I really like all 3 of those dresses. The first one stands out the most I think, but I agree that it is kind of a fad right now, and if you're not so much into fashion it might not make sense. The other 2 are beautiful.
Everything is so pretty, yet casual and fun! Can't wait to read about the rest!

 

[DisneySweetie]

And I really like all 3 of those dresses. The first one stands out the most I think, but I agree that it is kind of a fad right now, and if you're not so much into fashion it might not make sense. The other 2 are beautiful.

Thanks for the input. I really think that most bridal gowns are pretty. It's just really hard to determine what fits your personality the best. I'm never going to be a lace person, but lace really works for other people. I really have to stop putting this off and just get back into David's Bridal. If I need alterations on a dress, I need to order it soon.

Thanks for reading.

 

[DisneySweetie]

What else? Oh, ah, the honeymoon. As you can tell, we are going to WDW, but let me chat about this for a while…

Initially we were looking at little or no honeymoon. Honestly, we just wanted to get married. And with our finances, there wasn’t really much left for a honeymoon.

So, we were going to go camping. We LOVE camping. We try to get out several times a year (just camped at the mogollan rim a few weeks ago). And as long as we were spending time together, married, we would be happy.

Then we figured out how we could save our pennies enough to drive to San Diego for a few days. It’s not a very long drive from here and we were excited. Then we figured out how to save some of our monthly budget so that we could go to Disneyland, Sea World, San Diego Zoo, etc. Well, even with enough honey money for that adventure, there was no way we were getting to WDW. Well, in late March, I came up with a plan. Instead of a traditional registry, we would ask for Disney Gift Cards. We could take our honey money and book the airfare and the WDW trip and we could use the Disney Gift cards for food and everything. Mike thought I was a genius. Sure, many people may have already done that kind of thing, but we had never heard of it. So, it kind of was a stroke of brilliance.

I even wrote a poem for it. Mike helped polish it up. I think a poem helps to address this otherwise awkward request. It’s hard to know the etiquette when it comes to letting people know about a registry. Our friends and family are so spread out and none of them really know each other. We could not count on word of mouth or people calling up the parents of the bride or groom. So we posted the poem to his website with details about Disney Gift Cards.

Mike and I adore nearly everything Disney
So just take a guess where he knelt down before me.

He nervously proposed at the castle of Cinderella
And my gleeful "yes!" made him quite the lucky fella

Exactly two years later is when we will wed
With family and friends our vows will be said.

We are wistfully dreaming of a magical honeymoon
But can we afford a Disney World visit so soon?

That is why we are here, asking quite modestly -
Would it be all right if we just skipped the registry?

Instead we want memories in our favorite of places
Imagine the joy in our hearts and the smiles on our faces.

We want to start off right and what better way
Than to escape it all with Mickey play.

Any amount will help and we will surely appreciate
Thank your for caring, we hope to see you on our wedding date.

Hahahaha! A couple weeks after that, I got an announcement about the Disney Honeymoon Registry via e-mail. We registered right away and updated the website. We are also registered at Bed Bath & Beyond for the people who prefer a more traditional registry. But seeing as we own most things that we need, we are hoping people will respond more to the Disney registry. I just think it’s awesome that this worked out so well and the timing was great.

Why did we post all of this information to the website so early? Well, we sent out save the date notices that pointed everyone to the website for details. This is a great way to give guest tons of information about the events and the area. And I don’t feel bad about including information about the registry on the website. And we were able to use a great picture on this page - the picture of the bride and groom in the pumpkin carriage with the castle in the distance (the one from the WDW Wedding & Honeymoons ads that you see in all the wedding magazines).

What else? Ah, the invitations. Well, I’m sure this isn’t news to any of you, but, wedding invitations can be quite expensive. Because of this, initially we were going to make our own. We’re both rather crafty and looked forward to spending the time together doing it. After we chose everything, we realized that making them ourselves was also turning out quite expensive. Plus the postage would have been more too. So, it was time to spend more hours on the internet.

We decided to go with seal-n-send invitations. They’re such a neat design. And the RSVP card is a postcard that you take off the bottom. We didn’t know which design we wanted. We ordered several samples. And we put off ordering them as long as we could (last day of their summer sale). We put it off just in case there was a change and also because we wanted to be sure about our colors.

When we finally sat down to order them, we spent an entire afternoon. We had spent a couple of hours two months earlier trying to figure out the wording we wanted, but when we sat down to place the order we weren’t so sure anymore. So we changed it. We went with the Purity design.

It’s really neat. It’s white with an opalescence shimmer to it. And we’re getting the text done in plum (which is kind of a purple-y silver). "This shimmering opal seal-n-send possesses a truly classic look, perfect for your classic style!" And we are going with the blue stripe shimmer seal.

I think it works really well for a winter wedding without being too wintery. Plus, it's simple, but not too simple. It's got just enough umph to it. And it's a good budget saver so no complaints there. I’m super excited.

We worked together on our wording. Who knew it could be so difficult. We had mapped out our wording months ago. And that took a few hours. But then when we were about to place our order, we changed our minds. And then we spend another few hours mapping out our wording again. It's hard when you're paying for it yourselves and your trying to keep it less formal and fun. But we didn't want to go overboard on informality because there might be some more traditional people in attendance. In my opinion, our wording is perfect. Here’s our proof in B&W:

A note about the quote on the invite: When we first got together, the first thing we ever really did as a couple was watch Moulin Rouge. Believe it or not, I was the one who hadn’t seen it. Mike had seen it before and he was excited to watch it with me (he knew I really enjoyed musicals). Turned out to be a perfect first date / movie night. For our anniversary I designed and cross-stitched the quote and I got it framed nicely. That quote is just really relevant to us and the way that we have both really opened up to one another.

So what do you think? No, it’s not traditional, but I think it suits us well. I really like the RSVP part. Kind of like a mad libs. So fun. We just finalized the proof yesterday. We are hoping to get the invites out in the first week of October. Most everyone knows about the wedding because of the save the date notices, so we thought early October was an appropriate time to send the invites.

Still to come... wedding bands, DJ, menu, cake, etc.

 

[OhioGrumpyGirl]

DisneySweetie...........I LOVE LOVE LOVE the invites!! And I am so happy to see another bride using black bridesmaids dresses. I got my dress from David's that has "apple" red accents, so the girls are going to have "apple" red on their dresses, but none of them want the whole dress red because they think they'll look like firetrucks!!! I can't wait to read and see more of your planning. Oh, BTW, your little poem for your registry made me cry!!

 

[hmgolden]

I love the invites, and the wording you are using.

 

[DisneySweetie]

DisneySweetie...........I LOVE LOVE LOVE the invites!! And I am so happy to see another bride using black bridesmaids dresses. I got my dress from David's that has "apple" red accents, so the girls are going to have "apple" red on their dresses, but none of them want the whole dress red because they think they'll look like firetrucks!!! I can't wait to read and see more of your planning. Oh, BTW, your little poem for your registry made me cry!!

Black bridesmaid dresses really is the best way to go. Everyone needs a black dress. That's why I'm trying so hard to find one they love. I want them to be able to keep it and use it after the wedding. But I really need to add some color in other ways. Hopefully they have wraps in the right colors. I'm planning to stop in David's Bridal tomorrow. I'm glad you enjoyed the poem. It was really fun to write.

I love the invites, and the wording you are using.

Thanks so much. Who knew wording could be so important? I'm just glad it worked out.

Thanks everyone for reading.

 

[DisneySweetie]

Wedding bands – so many choices. Let me just start by describing my mom’s wedding set. Her name is Rose. And my dad got her an engagement ring that had the diamond as the rosebud. Her wedding band finished off the look because it fit the engagement ring and had a small leaf engraved into it. So there was a leaf under the rosebud. It was a small diamond and a yellow gold set. And you couldn’t really tell it was a rosebud and a leaf unless you looked closely. Anyway, I have always loved that they went together so well.

If you take another look at my engagement ring, you can see that it indents inward on both sides due to the wave effect. ShaneCo had a simple wedding band that fits into it. It’s kind of the reason Mike chose this ring. He knew how much I liked my mom’s and he knew I wanted simple. Hahaha! But not TOO simple. I wasn’t one for just the solitaire diamond on a plain band. I liked a little bit of design. Which is why the engagement ring was perfect. I was concerned about the wedding bad adding too much metal thickness to my finger. I really wanted it to remain thin. So, I was back and forth about getting a fun thin band for my left hand and moving my engagement ring to my right hand OR getting the band that fits it. In the end, I chose the band that fits it. I will have to get used to wearing that much metal (which isn’t much really, but it still feels like a lot), but I knew that I have always loved my mom’s set and this one was similar without feeling the same.

Mike was also all over the place about the kind of band he wanted. I started taking notice of other man’s bands when we got engaged. You know, at the checkout like at the supermarket or at work or wherever. I would just look. I knew that ultimately Mike wanted me to pick the band, so I needed to get an idea of the styles out there. It seems like most men like a very plain band. Either that or it has one stripe through the middle or two stripes – one on top and one on bottom. Mike likes detail. So we needed to choose one that was neat without being too much. We went to several stores, but we liked the selection and service at ShaneCo the best. We had it narrowed down to two – one that he liked and one that I liked. But we were a little concerned about the thickness of the one that he liked. It was so thin (not thin top to bottom, but thin between the part that shows and the part that lies against the finger). Mike does a lot of work with his hands, we were afraid he would bend it. And the one I liked had this stripe that could really catch a lot of grit and grime. Then the salesperson came out of the back with one that wasn’t on display. It was perfect. It doesn’t really go with my ring at all, but we liked it so much we chose it right away. I mean, there was a little hesitation because there always is when you’re spending that amount of money, but we went ahead and size him for it and bought it that day.

DJ – Well, I’ve got to say that initially we didn’t really want a DJ. We are not dancers. We never went clubbing and I didn’t go to many dances in high school. We are just not dancers. We might be closet dancers when we get silly and there’s a favorite song of our one, but it’s just goofy looking. So, we looked up several alternatives to a DJ.

We had all but decided on a caricature artist. It was a little less expensive than a DJ and our guests could take home the art as favors. Well, by the time we did the math on how many he could get done in the amount of time he would be set up, it didn’t seem like he would be able to do more than 1/2 to 2/3 of our guests. So, we weren’t so sure.

Then a valid point was brought up – what about the father/daughter and mother/son dances? Did we really want to deprive our parents of those moments? It could be something they have been looking forward to for a really long time. Hmmmm? Our other concern was what else the guests would do. Our combined ceremony and reception time is 5 hours (actually, probably more like 4.5 hours). It’s shorter than traditional weddings, but long enough to be concerned about what would keep everyone occupied.

So, I started my vast internet search for DJs in our area – again. Then I stumbled upon someone on craigslist. He moved out here from the Boston area and he’s been a DJ / entertainer for years. He was running a special for his services here because no one knows him yet. I contacted him and we set up a meeting. He is great. And he gave me references (I called two of them and got positive feedback). Best thing is – he’s about 1/3 the cost of the cheapest reputable DJ I could find otherwise.

Now we just have to pick songs and learn to dance. Hahhaha! Maybe I’ll netflix some instructional dance DVDs. Anyone know a good one? We can’t really afford dance lessons.

There’s one song that I know for sure - Somewhere Over the Rainbow / What a Wonderful World by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole. It’s from the ‘Meet Joe Black’ soundtrack. I think it’s been on several other soundtracks too, but I believe ‘Meet Joe Black’ was the first. I’m using it as my father/daughter dance. But since it’s so long, I thought I would have each of my two younger (24 & 18) brothers swap in for some time at the end. ‘Meet Joe Black’ has a real significance to me…

When I was a sophomore in high school, I came home one rainy day after swim practice. My mom was downstairs in the rec room curled up on the couch with a blanket watching ‘Meet Joe Black.’ She stopped it, hit rewind, and asked me to sit down with her. She played Anthony Hopkins’ character’s speech to his daughter.

I want you to get swept away. I want you to levitate. I want you to sing with rapture and dance like a dervish. Be deliriously happy! Or at least leave yourself open to be... I know it’s a cornball thing but love is passion, obsession, someone you can’t live without. If you don’t start with that, what are you going to end up with? I say fall head over heels. Find someone you can love like crazy and who’ll love you the same way back. And how do you find him? Forget your head and listen to your heart... I’m not hearing any heart... Run the risk. If you get hurt, you’ll come back, because there’s no sense living your life without this. To make the journey and not fall deeply in love - well, you haven’t lived a life at all. You have to try, because if you haven’t tried, you haven’t lived... Stay open. Who knows? Lightning could strike. ~Meet Joe Black

Afterwards she stopped it and told me that she thought it was the best advice any parent could give their child about love. She hadn’t even watched the full movie and she already loved it because of that speech. She said that she wished she could give me that kind of advice. And I told her she just did. Later I played it back over and over again while I wrote down the whole speech. I have passed it on to others and gone back to it several times throughout the years.

While I will be dancing with my dad, I figure by using that beautiful song I will be honoring my mom as well. Plus, I think it will help remind her that she helped me find my way to love.

Cake – I have got to be honest, I am not much of a cake person. I like ice cream or cheesecake or brownies. Yum. Ooooo, and since we’ll be at a Mexican restaurant, I am excited for sopapillas (a great excuse to eat tons of honey). But, I am not so untraditional that I didn’t want a wedding cake. Especially after we found the perfect cake topper. ‘Magically Ever After’ by Precious Moments.

I know that you disbrides have probably seen this several times. But it was new to me and I love it.

We went to several cake shops. Lots of cake-tasting. Some of the yummy cakes almost turned me into a cake person they were so good. But, wow, wedding cakes can be expensive. We didn’t even want anything that fancy. Just a simple round 3-tier white cake with the topper. We are dressing up the cake table with our colors. And we want the focus to be on the topper. We found a more reasonable cake place near the restaurant. They even cut their delivery fee in half since they only have to go about a mile. We weren’t too crazy about any of the flavors they had for the tasting, but there are some other ones on the menu that we will get a sample of later. They were concerned about the weight of the cake topper so she will build in extra support. Plus, since we are going to have three different layers, she said we could choose three different flavors if we want. I’m not sure that we will, but maybe. We booked them. We just need to go back to hash out the details.

I like the whipped frosting meringue imperfect look.

Mike likes the dot look.

We’ll see what we decide.