~Dani and Bryan's Hopefully Fairy Tale Wedding on a Budget PJ and almost TR 12/5/10

[Dani916]

Thanks for the laughter at the rehab joke.

Here is the latest:

Maxine contacted me today and told me we have the Marina on hold for our rehearsal dinner/BBQ/fireworks/welcome party. If we can do it for the price she mentioned, then I am super happy. This means that the DP will be off the night of our wedding. At first this made me feel ok because it means that no one has to move from place to place, I don't have to get my guests transportation from the BW back to the GF, and Bryan's Dad is paying for the rehearsal dinner, so it takes some of the burden off of my parents for a DP. Then of course I get sad because then there is no fireworks pictures of us in my dress. Why do I care about these things? I can hire a photographer for the rehearsal dinner and get pictures but will I regret not having of them in my dress? One of the people I am thinking about using said they would follow us back to the GF to get pics of us watching the fireworks. I guess that would work? Of course I am onto a "I want an Epcot viewing DP" kick now, which of course involves the transportation I was trying to avoid. I am so confused.

I would love to have a ridiculously priced thing for the wedding, but the coach only takes you from the GF to the WP. For that amount of money, I should be able to use it all week, get up front parking at the parks, and traffic should be closed down. That would be ideal. Oh, and lifetime passes. Oh and maybe the suite in the castle free for life. That isn't too much to ask is it?

On another note, I stayed awake last night thinking about invites. I love the things Shelley has and would love to use her. I still might but then I started feeling guilty. I worked for 5 years at a scrapbook company making things. I worked with Martha Stewart. I have done TV shows for DIY. I have more paper than I know what to do with. If the house started on fire, we would seriously be burnt to the ground in a matter of seconds. I have more punches and stickers and ribbons that could cover a small country. I SHOULD do my own invites. People expect it. Kind of like when I started sending homemade cards out to people, and this past year I sent out a photo Christmas card. You would have thought I killed someone. People were NOT happy about it-they felt cheated. Do they keep them forever and put them over their fireplace or in a fire safe box? Um, no. If I am lucky they don't thrown them away, they recycle them, but I got email after email about how they can't believe I did not make my cards. Forgive me and Happy Holidays.

Anyway, now I keep thinking about the invites. I also wonder when do I send them out and ask for a response by since everyone but about 3 people are coming from out of state? I really would appreciate knowing someone who could hook a sister up with some Lunesta, at least until December 6th or so....

Alright, I tend to ramble and my fiance, Mr. I am Tired of you Being on the Disney Message Board and/or Talking About our Wedding, is coming downstairs which means I have to sign off before I get busted.

More soon about my dilemma about photography (AGAIN) Thanks for reading!
Dani

 

[daisygirl902]

I do understand the issue with the coach....I am going through a couple of these "can they seriously charge that much for THIS??" moments as well...but all in all it's about prioritizing what will work for YOU! Mine are the confetti cannon ($500 for basically one picture), the music for Wishes at the DP (again $500 for them to flick a switch and make the music come on!!), and $750 for the cd of our MK photo shoot (GASP....Seriously??)....although I'm no help because somehow i have managed to justify all of this - as pi**ed off as I am that they can charge this much for the "moments" in our day....lol

If you will seriously regret not getting the coach, even just for the few photos that you will have, I would do what the previous poster said and try to save up yourself for it and add it on.

Alright, I tend to ramble and my fiance, Mr. I am Tired of you Being on the Disney Message Board and/or Talking About our Wedding, is coming downstairs which means I have to sign off before I get busted.

LOL - he'll get used to it....it's better that you vent on here than talk incessantly about the tiny details with him....I think Adrian is happy I finally started a PJ...

Can't wait to keep reading.

 

[emilymad]

I am loving all of your details and stories!

For the invites, I made mine myself. They were pretty simple but I should have mailed one to myself first to see how it faired. It all worked out ok but lesson learned. I also gave people the traditional 6 weeks to get back to me. Huge mistake! I should have given people 3 weeks top. There is travel involved. People should know if they are coming!!! In the end I had to track people down after the date. Ugh I sent my invitations out mid January with a response date by March 1 for my May 10th wedding. Why all of this was a problem was that after my planning session I was way below my minimum but I couldn't plan anything until I knew how many people where coming. In the end almost everyone is coming so my budget increased.

Sorry, I rambled! I hope at least some of this makes sense or helps.

 

[Dani916]

Last night the cake and music CD arrived in the mail. I was giddy. Let me tell you, I do not like cakes, but I was excited it was something wedding. Bryan even let me look at it even after my "no more wedding tonight" ban was enforced. Thankfully, he loves cake so he was actually interested in it. I on the other hand, am not a fan of cake (although I love me some cupcakes-go figure. I think it is the presentation. Big bulky thing, as opposed to cut tiny things in wrappers.) I don't think Bryan realizes there are just pictures of the cakes, it does not involve testing the cake. Anyway, we looked at it, and I was not impressed. Then again, cake does not impress me. Cool designs, but nothing besides the Mad Hatter was "me." I then told Bryan I would prefer a mini cake for us to cut, and then cupcakes for everyone else. Apparently he thinks that is "SO not classy." Um, ok. Then I see there is a price list for a sheet cake so I am wondering if I can score me one of those and keep it in the back and save myself some money on the thing I care least about. We shall see.

I also received the music CD but I have yet to listen to it. I have to tell you, I have no idea what 99% of the songs are. Part of me just wants an iPod and my sweet Bose speaker (it may only be one speaker but that thing rocks) to play the songs I want to play but with the WP comes with an organist. I wonder if s/he knows any songs by Wham (I admit, I heart Wham). But for 3,000 I hope the organist will rock the house. OK, not realistic but how fun would that be?

Now on to the photography. I mentioned before that I was having serious regrets about the photographer I picked. The prices were great, the pictures were nice, but I went crazy booking things without really looking. After much internal struggle I decided that since the deposit was 100% refundable, it was a sign from the wedding fairy that I should switch. I contacted him and told him about my decision. He called me immediately, which of course I did not answer because I am a big ole chicken. He then emailed me saying he wanted to talk. I know I am a sucker and I know I would cave, so I waited until Bryan came home. Bryan looked at the photographers website and he said he was not happy with the style and we should switch. He then proceeded to write an email from my account saying we wished to part ways. The photographer wrote back and said that he did not understand, I seemed so happy and excited. Bryan wrote back again saying we did not want to explain, we just wanted our money back. I was having serious issues with this as I felt like I was breaking up with someone. The photographer wanted to talk, he did not understand, he thought I was so happy. It sounds like men I have dated in the past that I really am just trying to break up with. It was hard, but in the end he was great about it, and is refunding our money. I feel awful because he seems so great, but our style did not match up with what we wanted. I do not want to regret anything, and my photos are the most important thing to me. I could not go on wondering what if?

So now the search continues to find "the one" for us. There is the one who I like, but Bryan does not. There is the one we both love who is available for our wedding but not the engagement session (we have to do it on the 15th of July when we are down there) but who are also the cost of our mortgage for a few months. There is another one that we both love and is available for everything we need, and has been AWESOME at getting back to be right away. Emails are answered ASAP and she answers all of our questions. The only concern is that she has not done as many Disney weddings as any of the others and I am afraid this could be an issue. BUT, I love, love, love her pictures. I think I have made my decision but I am so afraid of making the wrong one.

Maxine and I will be talking on the 27th and I am so excited. I hope she can help me focus because I am all over the place and I want to make this a pleasurable experience for her, one where she does not want to harm me throughout the process.

I am really struggling with the transportation aspect of it all. Most of the people coming think they will be renting cars but then there are those that will not be. People have called me seriously ticked off when I tell them I will not have a bus taking them to the BoardWalk. I told Maxine about my concerns and she said sure, it is nice, but it does not HAVE to be done. She also said that if we got married anywhere else, people would not expect us to transport them. Valid point. Even if we got married in Colorado, 85% of our guests would be from out of town. Would they expect a bus to take them from the ceremony to the reception? Not likely, so why do they expect it now. This is stressing me out.

At this point there is really nothing I can do except look at other people's PJs with envy, drool, and wish I could win the lotto. I would also like to know who is and who is not coming, but that is not likely for a long time. We are anywhere from 62-80 right now. Plus Bryan keeps opening his mouth to his co workers and telling them they can come and bring all their kids. Seriously? I love people, I do, but we just can't afford the people he feels he HAS to invite. I have a lot of friends, but I can't invite all of them. I just can't. Nor can I have my parents pay for a co worker that Bryan might see ever so often coming to the wedding, AND bringing their 3 kids.

Speaking of kids, I love them, I do, but I wanted an adult only wedding, minus our family's kids. Bryan has two kids, I have 4 nephews and a niece, my cousin has three kids, and that was going to be it. Little did I know, Bryan told his friends all their kids can come. I know, not that big of a deal but I have to say I am getting a little frustrated with him inviting people without talking to me. Maybe that is selfish but he is not paying for any of it, and I would like him to talk to me before he goes inviting people. I already told all of my close friends (who all have kids) that we were only doing family kids. How am I supposed to explain this when we go to the wedding and Bryan's side all has kids there? My friends have a minimum of two kids each and it will just spiral out of control. The thing that really gets me is one of his friends is bringing his three kids, one of which is 18. Could the 18 year old watch the 2 other kids just for one night? I am sorry if this sounds totally bi*chy, but it is just frustrating.

I think I vented enough for the time being. Thanks for reading-Dani

 

[*Pixiedust1438*]

Glad to hear everything worked out with the photographer! I feel your pain with DF inviting people, we are not to that point yet of sending out invitations but DF talks to people all the time like they are invited, and as much as I would love to have everyone, at $125 pp, it's just not gona happen! I can't really comment on the kid thing, we will be having kids but there will not be very many. I do think you should go one way or the other though (with the exception of family). I really like the mad hatter cakes too! What is the wedding music CD? Is it songs you can play at the ceremony/recepetion/both?

 

[Dani916]

I am feeling a little like the wedding planning and I broke up. Actually, we are probably just "on a break." I have done nothing regarding the wedding. OK, I take that back, I have thought about it, and kind of crafted the invites in my head, but other than that-nada, zip, zero, zilch. Last Friday my fiance had to put one of his dogs down and it really upset me. I have never had a pet, so I was surprised that it would upset me as much as it did. I did not think I liked her (sad but true) but when he came home from the Emergency Vet at 1 am without her, I sobbed. So maybe the loss of Sadie has impacted me not thinking about the wedding?

It is so weird because I was obsessing. Checking the board all day long, and lately, it has been once a day. I start wondering if I should be planning more, but really, what can I do 7 months out? I don't have my planning session until July 16th and we are not sure where the reception is going to be (if we will be moving back to the GF or staying at the BW) so I can't do the invites. I have so many questions with no answers. I hope when I talk to Maxine on Tuesday, I can start the process up once again. On the other hand, this may lead me to staying up all night with thoughts of wedding ideas running through my head. I just feel lost right now.

I am STILL having issues with choosing photographers. There are pros and cons to all of them, which I may have said before. Some are GREAT with communication, others not so much. All have different packages with different prices. I am just so worried I will pick the wrong one and regret it. I have already broken up with one photographer. I was ready to seal the deal with the person I chose, and then another photographer contacted me and was so nice. I just love her. So many decisions!

I am also having a struggle with the bridesmaids. I went a little nuts and asked a bunch of people. Forgive me if I mentioned that before. I have 9 now. Yes, 9 and I think it is going to look a little ridiculous. Plus I hate odd numbers and 9 is an odd number. What to do? They all have their dresses and all are set to come. I wanted to just have my sister and sister in law but then that leaves out the people I am closest to. Then I felt obligated to ask others. It is too late to change now so I wonder will they be able to stand on multiple steps in the WP? Having 9 people next to me will look weird so I want them on two levels if that makes sense. So much to think about!

On to another topic: I got an email from Costco saying that the Kristie Kelly Disney dresses will be at the Tustin, CA location. This is a problem considering I live in Colorado. Oh, and I already have my dress. Bryan LOVES Costco and since they have a return anything anytime, he is the KING of returning things, and getting his money back. So far, I think we have had 5 Dysons. Not kidding. Anyway, how cool would it be to go to Costco, pick up some dog food, boxes of Mac and Cheese, two milks, maybe some other bulk items and a wedding dress? I would buy it just to say, "I got my dress at Costco." Awesome.

So that is it for now. I have absolutely nothing wedding related going on. I need to get back into it, chose my photographer, confirm my steaming appointment, etc.

I hope all is well with everyone! More to come!

Dani

 

[daisygirl902]

HAHA - so sorry for laughing at you but for some reason that post cracked me up (except the part abuot Sadie the dog - so sorry about that - although some days I hate my cat I would be crushed if something happened to her)...but your writing style in general kind of just makes me chuckle a bit...especially the Costco bit. I would LOVE to get a wedding dress at Costco too! Too awesome!

And by the way I am not trying to make light of your stress - just trying to let you know you are very good at making me visualize things as you write - I appreciate your style!

Don't worry about the lack of planning....sometimes I get so overwhelmed about the entire lack of planning that a Disney wedding takes that I end up changing things around randomly - or at least spending hours a day pondering whether I should change things (i open my dining reservation spreadsheet at least twice a day and consider changing things around a bit....but I planned and co-ordinated dining for 6 different couples so don't want to start changing it now that it's booked)! This is why I have added and deleted and re-added the MK shoot, changed out resort stays, etc etc etc....so ENJOY the lack of planning.

For the photographer issue - number one thing is YOU have to be comfortable with your choice...you strike me as someone who knows what they really want (i say this like we're besties and have known each other for years - lol). Check out lots of photos, make sure you know they are the right choice for you! That's the best you can do in the end...

Good Luck not planning your wedding

 

[PunttinOnes]

I love your proposal story! How cute!!!

Keep the updates coming, it's nice to see I'm not the only one thinking the same things as you!

 

[Dani916]

Thanks again for the kind remarks! It is a dream of mine to write a book that gets published. I am often told I have a good style of writing, as if I am in the room talking to you. I started a blog that my friends seem to enjoy, but what would I write a book about? A bunch of randomness? I once had a blog about my online dating experiences which was a lot of fun. Then unexpectedly, I met Bryan, and well, I no longer needed a dating blog. Winning the Colorado Young Author's Award when I was in 2nd grade started my dream although meeting the Governor of Colorado at the time (Dick Lamb-awful name) was a lame "prize." Hello, I was in second grade. I don't want to meet the Governor-I want to go to Chuck E. Cheese or McDonald's play land. Anyway, enough about that.

Kelly- we are besties. Sure we have never met, but you have read my planning journal, therefore we should get the best friends necklaces that I wore back in the day. I think reading something I wrote qualifies us as best friends. Oh, and I am a cougar as well. Bryan is younger than me.

I know I want amazing pictures, but I am torn in so many directions. I have such a hard time making decisions (like right now I am wondering do I take a nap? Oh wait, this is an easy one.) I am surprised that I did not ponder the Will you Marry Us question by saying, "You know, that is really sweet of you to ask me. I love you so much, but can I take some time to think about it? Can we finish dinner, maybe dessert and I will let you know? I need to make a list of the pros and cons of this offer." Saying yes was easy. I knew I wanted to be with him and the boys. Now if I could just have each of the photographers "propose" to me, maybe I would make a decision on the spot. BUT I have a feeling I would say things like, "Sure, you have a nice "package" but I am not sure you are right for me." Wait, that might come across inappropriate There are things I like about each. Some of them are so nice, others expensive but amazing, some are free for the wedding date, but not the e-pics (we are only able to do it on one day in the summer), one only does E-pics on Mondays and that is not possible for us, etc. etc. I just want to make a decision! I have a tendency to second guess everything! I need to choose soon so I can stop thinking about it.

Last night I was looking at pics of the castle with the lights on and I told Bryan I hope they are on while we are taking our castle pics. I hope they are not just on the castle but not turned on. I don't want the castle to look like our neighbors house-you know, the people that STILL have their Christmas lights up since the holiday but they are not turned on? I worry that is what the castle would look like. I am not sure if they are turned on only after the Very Merry Christmas Party or what. Fingers crossed they will be on. I was telling Bryan all of this and he said, "Please don't tell me all the things that are wrong with the wedding, or the things that are not right." What?! I will know everything that goes wrong as I am the one doing all the planning. Apparently he does not want to hear it. So I guess he will go on thinking it is magical and perfect (even though we all know things will go wrong.) I will be stressed knowing that X, Y and Z are incorrect and he will think it was all part of the plan. Sheesh-men. So frustrating! I do tend to focus on the things that go wrong as opposed to all the things that go right. I will do my best, but I will need to find someone to complain to. That's just how I roll.

Oh! I forgot. So the Friday before our wedding I want to do something cool for the bridesmaids (all 867 of them) I am not a bar kind of gal, so I do not want to go "party." Um, I will be 34 at the time and I am over it. Not sure I was ever into it, but you know what I mean. I do not want the typical bachelorette party. I want to go to the parks. Now that I write this, I am thinking I already talked about this before. OK, so quick recap. Bryan says it is selfish for me to just do something with the bridesmaids the Friday before and that I should invite everyone since people are flying down to be with us. I sort of dont agree with that. When I have flown places for someones wedding, I do my own thing and see them at the wedding. Bryan thinks we need to make a schedule of the entire week, where we are going to be, etc. I am fine with us, although the thought of 50+ people with us at all times makes me want to breathe into a brown paper bag. Imagine going on Space Mountain, "How many people in your party?" "64." My chest tightens just thinking about it (if only my stomach would tighten-quick workout) There is the option of taking them out on the boat for the fireworks but again, I am excluding people. I can't tell them to come down earlier as it is more money. So confused.

I am also worried about the flowers. I love flowers. I do. But I don't like how much they cost to just die a few days later. I worry my bouquet won't last until the 8th when we have the castle portraits. I worry I am going to spend a fortune. I thought about ordering the flowers from Costco (yes, Costco) since they have screaming deals but will I be a stress case worrying about them getting there? Probably. It just kills me to know I can get a beautiful bouquet at a store for 18 bucks, but I will have to pay $75+ for the flowers if I do it through Disney. I love gerber daisies so I am hoping those are cheaper than others. I also hope to use the bridesmaids bouquets as the table centerpieces to cut costs.

I am worried about transportation still. Also wanting a DP at Epcot now that the Wishes DP got changed to our rehearsal dinner. We could walk to Epcot but then I wonder if Bryan's 88 year old grandparents will beat me if we do that. Also, I would have to switch to a Disney Photographer for the DP. So much to think about!

I had planned on a black white and red color scheme (a shout out to Mickey and Minnie), and really wanted red bridesmaids dresses but Bryan's first wedding had red dresses so I went with the black dresses. Not my favorite but the girls love the dress and it can be worn again. I want black and white polka dot ribbons on the bouquets but can Disney do that? Then I think Shoot, my dress is ivory. Is white going to clash?! Then I saw the thread on if the men should wear an ivory shirt or white. I did not even think about this. Sheesh! I just want answers.

Trying to breathe now. I am so consumed with these questions, but trying not to get too caught up in the whole thing. I know myself, and I know that I build something up in my head, and when it is over, I go into a funk. For example: Christmas. Love it. When it is over, I get sad. Post Christmas Funk. I know I will have this after the wedding. Shoot, I just realized the wedding will be over, then it will be Christmas right after, so I will be suffering double.

I am sorry if it just sounds like I complain constantly. I just want things to go right. I know marrying Bryan is the most important thing, and I am thankful every day that I get to marry him. I am just a bit of a worrier and a perfectionist. Not a good combo.

Thanks for reading! Have a great day!
Dani

 

[daisygirl902]

OK - Again maybe it's the painkillers I am on for my miserable toothache but I just sat here all by myself and actually laughed out loud at my computer screen...I have to now try to multi-quote your post cause I feel the need to comment on virtually everything....I hope we're still besties when I'm done...I am warning you I am bored so this will be long and rambling!

Thanks again for the kind remarks! It is a dream of mine to write a book that gets published. I am often told I have a good style of writing, as if I am in the room talking to you. I started a blog that my friends seem to enjoy, but what would I write a book about? A bunch of randomness? I once had a blog about my online dating experiences which was a lot of fun. Then unexpectedly, I met Bryan, and well, I no longer needed a dating blog. Winning the Colorado Young Author's Award when I was in 2nd grade started my dream although meeting the Governor of Colorado at the time (Dick Lamb-awful name) was a lame "prize." Hello, I was in second grade. I don't want to meet the Governor-I want to go to Chuck E. Cheese or McDonald's play land. Anyway, enough about that.

I won an essay award in grade 9 and they gave me a book...and it wasn't a good book. It sucked. I would also have rathered go to McDonald's - we don't have Chuck E. Cheese here but if so that would have been great too...

Kelly- we are besties. Sure we have never met, but you have read my planning journal, therefore we should get the best friends necklaces that I wore back in the day. I think reading something I wrote qualifies us as best friends. Oh, and I am a cougar as well. Bryan is younger than me.

My life is now complete - I have found a new best friend over the internet (sorry Shanna, my best friend since grade 11, you are ousted - Dani is IN, cause she and I are getting BFF necklaces).

I know I want amazing pictures, but I am torn in so many directions. I have such a hard time making decisions (like right now I am wondering do I take a nap? Oh wait, this is an easy one.) I am surprised that I did not ponder the Will you Marry Us question by saying, "You know, that is really sweet of you to ask me. I love you so much, but can I take some time to think about it? Can we finish dinner, maybe dessert and I will let you know? I need to make a list of the pros and cons of this offer." Saying yes was easy. I knew I wanted to be with him and the boys. Now if I could just have each of the photographers "propose" to me, maybe I would make a decision on the spot. BUT I have a feeling I would say things like, "Sure, you have a nice "package" but I am not sure you are right for me." Wait, that might come across inappropriate There are things I like about each. Some of them are so nice, others expensive but amazing, some are free for the wedding date, but not the e-pics (we are only able to do it on one day in the summer), one only does E-pics on Mondays and that is not possible for us, etc. etc. I just want to make a decision! I have a tendency to second guess everything! I need to choose soon so I can stop thinking about it.

If you tell a photographer that they have a nice package please get it on video and share...that is hilarious. I am a trainer at a call center and once during a role play in front of 20 people in my class I was trying to give them a great example of using our 30 day money back guarantee as a positive sales technique - I said "Well sir, I'm certain that if you go home and show your wife the package she will love it and have no problem with the money you spent...and if not we do have a 30 day money back guarantee so if I'm wrong you aren't in any trouble!" The supervisor I was doing this role play with says "Did you just tell me that if I show my wife my package she'll let me use our credit card for whatever I want? Cause that's the way I just heard that!"

Last night I was looking at pics of the castle with the lights on and I told Bryan I hope they are on while we are taking our castle pics. I hope they are not just on the castle but not turned on. I don't want the castle to look like our neighbors house-you know, the people that STILL have their Christmas lights up since the holiday but they are not turned on? I worry that is what the castle would look like. I am not sure if they are turned on only after the Very Merry Christmas Party or what. Fingers crossed they will be on. I was telling Bryan all of this and he said, "Please don't tell me all the things that are wrong with the wedding, or the things that are not right." What?! I will know everything that goes wrong as I am the one doing all the planning. Apparently he does not want to hear it. So I guess he will go on thinking it is magical and perfect (even though we all know things will go wrong.) I will be stressed knowing that X, Y and Z are incorrect and he will think it was all part of the plan. Sheesh-men. So frustrating! I do tend to focus on the things that go wrong as opposed to all the things that go right. I will do my best, but I will need to find someone to complain to. That's just how I roll.

You can complain to us!! We will not tell you that you are over analyzing every detail (well we may...but you can't hold it against us like you do Bryan, cause you aren't marrying any of us!)...I have spent a bunch of time over thinking the carpet in the Wedding Pavilion...everyone just tells me that no one will notice it....I keep responding with "But I WILL!" - apparently we just have to learn to "let it go" - I'm not very good at that either so I hear ya! I have been to Disney when the lights are on the castle and not lit up though, and I found the lights barely noticeable. My sister and I were both quite surprised actually!

Oh! I forgot. So the Friday before our wedding I want to do something cool for the bridesmaids (all 867 of them) I am not a bar kind of gal, so I do not want to go "party." Um, I will be 34 at the time and I am over it. Not sure I was ever into it, but you know what I mean. I do not want the typical bachelorette party. I want to go to the parks. Now that I write this, I am thinking I already talked about this before. OK, so quick recap. Bryan says it is selfish for me to just do something with the bridesmaids the Friday before and that I should invite everyone since people are flying down to be with us. I sort of dont agree with that. When I have flown places for someones wedding, I do my own thing and see them at the wedding. Bryan thinks we need to make a schedule of the entire week, where we are going to be, etc. I am fine with us, although the thought of 50+ people with us at all times makes me want to breathe into a brown paper bag. Imagine going on Space Mountain, "How many people in your party?" "64." My chest tightens just thinking about it (if only my stomach would tighten-quick workout) There is the option of taking them out on the boat for the fireworks but again, I am excluding people. I can't tell them to come down earlier as it is more money. So confused.

Go and have fun with your girls! If you are having 62 bridesmaids it seems that most of the guests are actually IN the wedding anyways I think doing a park day is a great idea - I don't do the party thing either and I think there are lots of things to do at Disney to keep you occupied. You could try the "all 4 parks marathon" - where you try to hit at least one headliner in all 4 parks using only Disney transportation to get from place to place...you could do a scavenger hunt, or you could simply go and ENJOY the park of choice for the day!

You cannot possibly schedule everyone...what I have agreed to do is let everyone know what park we are planning to go to each day, and agree to be there at park opening...if they want to meet up with us they can, but I'm not waiting for anyone! We tried to co-ordinate a family trip for 17 people a few years back and my sister and I still have nightmares...you all get ready to go to the bus and one person forgets their key card, then they get back and someone has to go pee....it's sooooo frustrating.

I am also worried about the flowers. I love flowers. I do. But I don't like how much they cost to just die a few days later. I worry my bouquet won't last until the 8th when we have the castle portraits. I worry I am going to spend a fortune. I thought about ordering the flowers from Costco (yes, Costco) since they have screaming deals but will I be a stress case worrying about them getting there? Probably. It just kills me to know I can get a beautiful bouquet at a store for 18 bucks, but I will have to pay $75+ for the flowers if I do it through Disney. I love gerber daisies so I am hoping those are cheaper than others. I also hope to use the bridesmaids bouquets as the table centerpieces to cut costs.

Gerber daisies are cheaper than other flowers!! I talked to Rosie about mine - I am doing mostly Gerbers and they should be very reasonable.

You seem obsessed with Costco - it's hilarious...

I am worried about transportation still. Also wanting a DP at Epcot now that the Wishes DP got changed to our rehearsal dinner. We could walk to Epcot but then I wonder if Bryan's 88 year old grandparents will beat me if we do that. Also, I would have to switch to a Disney Photographer for the DP. So much to think about!

I really wanted to have an EPCOT DP but the DPS thing is what stopped me - I want my chosen photog to be able to do my DP shots, so that's how we ended up with Sago Cay. They EPCOT DP is beautiful though....

I had planned on a black white and red color scheme (a shout out to Mickey and Minnie), and really wanted red bridesmaids dresses but Bryan's first wedding had red dresses so I went with the black dresses. Not my favorite but the girls love the dress and it can be worn again. I want black and white polka dot ribbons on the bouquets but can Disney do that? Then I think Shoot, my dress is ivory. Is white going to clash?! Then I saw the thread on if the men should wear an ivory shirt or white. I did not even think about this. Sheesh! I just want answers.

I suck at colors, but can't see how ivory could clash with anything...in fact I am watching What Not To Wear right now and I'm sure Stacy and Clinton would agree with me!

I had kind of a freak out right after I bought my dress, because obviously I haven't spent a lot of time looking at the photos from Adrian's first wedding and thought "OMG what if my dress is just like hers was???" - but them i realized I really don't care...I am cuter than her anyways (lol) But I can understand not oding the same colors - I get how that may seem a bit off...

I am almost positive Disney could do Black and White polka dot ribbon. Not totally positive obviously cause I don't work for Disney - but I can't see why not!

Trying to breathe now. I am so consumed with these questions, but trying not to get too caught up in the whole thing. I know myself, and I know that I build something up in my head, and when it is over, I go into a funk. For example: Christmas. Love it. When it is over, I get sad. Post Christmas Funk. I know I will have this after the wedding. Shoot, I just realized the wedding will be over, then it will be Christmas right after, so I will be suffering double.

I am sorry if it just sounds like I complain constantly. I just want things to go right. I know marrying Bryan is the most important thing, and I am thankful every day that I get to marry him. I am just a bit of a worrier and a perfectionist. Not a good combo.

Thanks for reading! Have a great day!
Dani

As I said before - keep complaining...even if I'm the only one reading - I find it wildly amusing....although I will say I don't plan on having a "great day" as I said I have a horrible toothache today (oh woe is me...notice I am using your PJ as a place to whine about my pain)

And the Christmas funk sucks - but not as bad as the "post-Disney" funk....that's the one that gets me the most...I HATE coming back tot he real world from a trip and realizing that I have to actually WORK to be able to afford my next trip...I always say I live, breathe, and work for my next vacation...lol

 

[TinkLoverSam]

And the Christmas funk sucks

I so did not read that right the first time... move some letters and I go HEY I thought that $h!t got edited out?

I so get the overplanning and constant worry about did I do this, should I have done that... I'm doing it too about everything from the dress to the dates to the hotels and wondering if DF's family is going to take advantage of the parks at all while they are there.

 

[Dani916]

Hi All-

As always, I am sure I will be all over the place as I write this entry. I feel like my head is spinning. I have been sleeping thanks to this cold and NyQuil, but as soon as this passes, I am sure I will lie awake with thoughts of the wedding running through my head.

A few weeks ago, Maxine said we could start having phone planning sessions. I was relieved that someone was willing to talk to me about the wedding, as I have been limited on the amount of wedding related emails I can send to Bryan. Thanks to some of you on this board who have written to me who are also willing to talk wedding. I would be lost without you!

Anyway, Maxine and I had a chat the other day. We had it scheduled for several weeks and when the time was about to come, my fickle iPhone decided to say NO SIM INSERTED. It has been doing this a LOT at the most inconvenient times. Thankfully it started working again right before she called. Phew.

We went through the basics of the wedding, what I wanted, etc. She asked me the theme I was going for, and I honestly have no idea. None. I thought black white and red would be good as a shout out to the big cheese, and I heart black and white polka dots. Other than that, I got nothing. Sometimes I want roses, sometimes daisies. Sometimes I want bright colors. Sometimes I want to run screaming. All I know is I want it to look expensive but at a reasonable price. I struggle with so many choices. I wish there were packages to chose from that I HAD to pick from. Life would be far too easy.

I struggle with the cake. I could give a hoot about cake, but for some reason, it is the most important thing for Bryan. Really, a CAKE is the most important thing to him? I like to think of myself and fun and funky. Not in terms of style, but more in terms of quirkiness. People tell me I am funny which is fabulous, and that I am "the happiest person they know." Sadly, they don't know me all that well but at least that is how I come across. What is the point of me telling you this? Well, I want things that reflect my personality. I love bright, fun things. I have never seen Alice in Wonderland (dont ban me from the Disney board please.) I hear it is as if they were on something when it was created, so I have thought I would not dig that movie. Why am I telling you this? Because I LOVE the Mad Hatter cake style. Fun, funky and totally me. Also love the Whimsy one. Do I love the prices? Heck to the no. I would love to get a mini cake for Bryan and me and then do a sheet cake if possible. He said cake is a major part of the wedding. I even asked my sister in law how she would feel if I just did ice cream bars, and she said a wedding should have a cake. WHY are people so into this cake thing? Is there a pro cake movement I am unaware of? I even mentioned cupcakes and you would have think I killed someone. The horror! A mini cake in a wrapper is just FAR too different than a regular cake. Seriously? OK, so my point is I love those two cakes. When I was telling some of my bridesmaids about how I wish someone could make me a fake cake, they told me they all had fake cakes except for the part where they cut into it. I was shocked! Apparently Disney does not do this. Darn it. I struggle with the cake thing. I really do, and I dont even care about cake. Apparently I do since I am obsessing about this. Maxine suggested a white cake with red flowers. I thought it sounded nice but then I realized it is so not me. We will see what happens with that.

Now the flowers. Bad idea looking at other people's flowers. So many pretty ones. I also said I did not care about flowers, but I do. I just don't want to spend a ton of money on things that die. My favorite flowers are gerber daisies (not that I am going to turn down roses from anyone) but the more I see rose bouquets, I love them. Then I see bouquets with multiple kinds of flowers, and love them to but I always heard it was cheaper to do one kind of flower. I am so confused. I thought I was not going to do chair covers but I think I might have to which means way more money.

Then there is the question of the bar. Bryan and I had a long talk about it last night and I had no idea two people could talk so long, or argue, about a bar. There are several people who will not be drinking, there will be several who have one or two and then there will be about 10 who I am thinking we will need to roll out the door. Maxine mentioned the BOC to us, and I was always so against it for the fear that we would be charged a fortune, but the more I look at it, it might be a better option. If we do an open bar, we would be paying about $42 per person which basically means each person would need to average 6 drinks or so. I don't think that is going to happen. But sodas are $4 a piece and my family can down several of them, but is it worth it to do an open bar? I am so stressed about this. Bryan thinks there is a catch to the BOC and that they essentially lose money if people do BOC as opposed to an open bar. We are confused. We did a ton of math last night and it does seem cheaper to do a BOC. I guess we need to figure it all out.

As for the dessert party, I do not think it will happen. I am sad as I wanted pictures in my dress with fireworks, but we will have them the night before at the welcome party. Is it going to be that big of a deal to me? I guess I feel like the ooh and ahh factor is happening BEFORE the wedding but since Bryan's Dad offered to pay for the rehearsal/welcome dinner, that takes several thousand off of my parent's cost so I should just be grateful! I saw on the Disney blog that you can get your own fireworks for after the ceremony so I looked into it thinking it would be cheaper than having a dessert party and I would still get the fireworks effect (why do I care?) Well, it is $4,000 for 30 seconds. No thank you. At least I know.

I am feeling so overwhelmed right now. I just want answers and to have something in my hands. I hate being in limbo and I feel like I am in limbo all the time! Sadly, I can't even DO the limbo.

Have a great day!

 

[helloirishkitty]

I haven't read your whole PJ yet but I'm posting to let you know that your proposal story made me cry! And I'm also going back and forth with paying for the coach. I wonder if I will really regret it if I don't get it. ::sigh::

Ok, now I'm going back to read the rest!

 

[DisBride011]

Hi. I'm new to the boards. I just read your PJ, love it and can't wait to hear more. You make some really good points about the planning process, and the confusion of things and so many choices. I recently got engaged about a month ago, but DF and I have been together 10 yrs this coming July. We haven't set a date so I haven't done any real planning, just trying to get ideas and a reasonable budget. Anyhow, enough about me.
The post about all the kids, I loved. I have the same dilemma. We have a friend who has 4 kids that I absolutely love. Her daughter will be me flower girl and she will be a bridesmaid, and her husband a groomsman. That leaves 3 boys. I have a very small family with no kids, DFs family has a ton of kids. I know it's hard to travel for a wedding and leave the kids at home (babysitters, trying to find family friends to watch them). Disney does have the in room babysitting service that will watch multiple sets of children. I have thought of that for the reception. I want the adults to be able to have a good time without worrying about the kids, and I don't want the possible whining and crying of kids to ruin anything.
Well, I look forward to reading more of your posts, and keeping up with your planning process. You're doing a great PJ.

 

[Dani916]

Hi! I am in awe that people are actually reading this. A big thank you to those that are, especially those who have said such nice things to me. I appreciate it! It is nice to vent, write, and blab on about something most of the people I talk to don't care about.

As always, I have no idea what I have shared or have not shared. I don't take the time to go back and look. I just ramble whatever is on my mind and go from there. Sorry if I repeat myself.

Bryan's Dad booked us a two bedroom villa at Sarasota as our wedding present. While I am incredibly grateful for this, it makes me sad that we are not staying near my family-only Bryan's family. GI thought I would be near my parents and my siblings. I would ask my family to stay where we are, but it is through the DVC and I don't think it is possible with the points my Aunt is giving us. Sorry if that is being selfish but I am bummed about it. I stayed there in 2004 with my family and it is fabu, but I just wanted to be close to my family. My Dad already said he was going to pay for our hotel, and it is a huge financial amount that my father no longer has to pay for, but I am kind of sad about it. Please don't smack me. Just sharing what is on my mind.

Speaking of hotels, Bryan has two kids, as you who read this know. This means we will have them with us all week (I am trying SO hard to get used to having kids around when I have been used to living alone...very hard!) The night of the wedding, I wanted to stay at the Boardwalk but does it make sense? We have a two bedroom place and we are moving to a standard room the night of the wedding? Also, I am going to stay somewhere the night before the wedding (old fashioned that way, which makes no sense as we already live in sin) Therefore, I get in on Thursday, then Saturday night I have to move to another room, then move to another room the night of the wedding, then move back to Sarasota. I really would like someone to hand me a paper bag so I could breathe into it right now. I am so confused (standard emotional state lately). Do I just stay in the room Bryan and I will be staying in the night of our wedding? Thoughts?

That also makes me think about the transportation again. How are my bridesmaids going to get to the hotel for hair and makeup? People are refusing to rent cars. Even B's family all said they will be taking the shuttle now instead of renting cars. Seriously!? Oh, and get this. His sister and her sister's boyfriend are in the wedding, but they are not sure they can make the rehearsal dinner since they will not take Friday off of work. Grrrr. I tend to growl a lot lately. So what do I do? Tell people where to be and not worry about it? OK, I WILL worry about it but what do I do?

Maxine and I have gone back and forth on email today so I have a few more questions answered. I know I can have polka dot overlays for the tables (love black and white polka dots) I had no intention of covering the chairs, or the tables but of course I am obsessing about it now. Maxine mentioned how we might want to make the napkins and sashes polka dots instead of all the tables as it might be too much of a print. She has a point, so I am going to talk to the florist soon. I have no idea how much table things cost so I am a bit nervous. Also, we have no idea how many people are coming. It is anywhere from 60-80 and that is a huge number difference. I wish people would decide. I know it is 7 months away, but it would help me plan if I knew how many were coming.

Now onto the flowers (again). I love gerbera daisies-they are my favorite. Originally it was the black, white and red theme, but I love bright colors and now I wonder should I do only red flowers or bright colors? Does it matter? I keep getting things in the mail for FTD and Teleflora and I LOVE their bouquets. I also love their prices. Why can't Disney do bouquets for $65 a piece? I wonder if anyone ordered their flowers from a flower site before? So much cheaper. I wonder how much the prices are going to be. Do I do all roses? All daisies? A mixture of flowers? Is it bad to have my bridesmaid's bouquets smaller? If I can use them as the table centerpieces, I may spend a bit more, so we will see. I have saved pictures of bouquets I like, so maybe that will help guide me when I go down for the planning session.

Speaking of the planning session, here is another dilemma. My good friend lives down there and works for Disney. He said we can stay there, and we were thankful for that. Then we looked at renting a car (he lives near Universal so we need a car) and the cost of parking, and it is cheaper to stay at All Star. Bryan is against this as one of his 58 year old friends (not that he has multiple 58 year old friends) said it is AWFUL and is only for kids, etc. Um, how often are we going to be in the room anyway? Not sure what to do about that either.

Maxine just emailed me and is sending me an estimated budget after our initial phone call. My heart is already racing, plus I am super nervous that all the prices will go up, as I have read that the character pricing is going up. I really need a brown paper bag. It does not even have to be brown. Just something so I can calm down.

More to come. Have a great night! Dani

 

[daisygirl902]

Hi! I am in awe that people are actually reading this. A big thank you to those that are, especially those who have said such nice things to me. I appreciate it! It is nice to vent, write, and blab on about something most of the people I talk to don't care about.

Here I am - still stalking you...LOL

Bryan's Dad booked us a two bedroom villa at Sarasota as our wedding present. While I am incredibly grateful for this, it makes me sad that we are not staying near my family-only Bryan's family. Granted, I love his family, I do, but I did not plan on staying next to his grandparents, sister and her boyfriend, step mom, Dad and Aunts. I thought I would be near my parents and my siblings. I would ask my family to stay where we are, but it is through the DVC and I don't think it is possible with the points my Aunt is giving us. Sorry if that is being selfish but I am bummed about it. I stayed there in 2004 with my family and it is fabu, but I just wanted to be close to my family. My Dad already said he was going to pay for our hotel, and it is a huge financial amount that my father no longer has to pay for, but I am kind of sad about it. Please don't smack me. Just sharing what is on my mind.

I can seriously empathize here - I just bought into DVC last year and we're staying with my fiancé's parents at BWV and ALL of my guests and family are staying at POP Century. I mean on one hand I'm so glad we get to stay at BWV but on the other hand I am FREAKING out that I am separated from my family and close friends....BUT staying at the deluxe hotel has won out...

Speaking of hotels, Bryan has two kids, as you who read this know. This means we will have them with us all week (I am trying SO hard to get used to having kids around when I have been used to living alone...very hard!) The night of the wedding, I wanted to stay at the Boardwalk but does it make sense? We have a two bedroom place and we are moving to a standard room the night of the wedding? Also, I am going to stay somewhere the night before the wedding (old fashioned that way, which makes no sense as we already live in sin) Therefore, I get in on Thursday, then Saturday night I have to move to another room, then move to another room the night of the wedding, then move back to Sarasota. I really would like someone to hand me a paper bag so I could breathe into it right now. I am so confused (standard emotional state lately). Do I just stay in the room Bryan and I will be staying in the night of our wedding? Thoughts?

If I were you I'd stay at the same place the night before the wedding as you are on your wedding night....or have the kids stay with someone else on the wedding night so you have the whole villa to yourself that evening after the wedding...the less moves the better! Although to be honest - I have heard Disney makes it very easy to move from resort to resort - DVC owners so it all the time...they will transfer your stuff, but you still have to repack it every time.

That also makes me think about the transportation again. How are my bridesmaids going to get to the hotel for hair and makeup? People are refusing to rent cars. Even B's family all said they will be taking the shuttle now instead of renting cars. Seriously!? Oh, and get this. His sister and her sister's boyfriend are in the wedding, but they are not sure they can make the rehearsal dinner since they will not take Friday off of work. Grrrr. I tend to growl a lot lately. So what do I do? Tell people where to be and not worry about it? OK, I WILL worry about it but what do I do?

Wow - sounds interesting! I would simply tell them where to be and when...it's too hard for you to worry about it all, especially if they aren't complying to your suggestions...as for the rehearsal I'd be a bit ticked if I were you - that's just not cool!

Now onto the flowers (again). I love gerbera daisies-they are my favorite. Originally it was the black, white and red theme, but I love bright colors and now I wonder should I do only red flowers or bright colors? Does it matter? I keep getting things in the mail for FTD and Teleflora and I LOVE their bouquets. I also love their prices. Why can't Disney do bouquets for $65 a piece? I wonder if anyone ordered their flowers from a flower site before? So much cheaper. I wonder how much the prices are going to be. Do I do all roses? All daisies? A mixture of flowers? Is it bad to have my bridesmaid's bouquets smaller? If I can use them as the table centerpieces, I may spend a bit more, so we will see. I have saved pictures of bouquets I like, so maybe that will help guide me when I go down for the planning session.

I love the mix of daisies and roses - that's what I am using for my bouquet, and my MOH is having a smaller bouquet of just daisies.

With the 9 bridesmaids, I think it's a great idea to reuse their bouquets as table arrangements! It would likely work out fantastic and save you a bit of $$!

Speaking of the planning session, here is another dilemma. My good friend lives down there and works for Disney. He said we can stay there, and we were thankful for that. Then we looked at renting a car (he lives near Universal so we need a car) and the cost of parking, and it is cheaper to stay at All Star. Bryan is against this as one of his 58 year old friends (not that he has multiple 58 year old friends) said it is AWFUL and is only for kids, etc. Um, how often are we going to be in the room anyway? Not sure what to do about that either.

OK so granted I am a kid at heart but there is REALLY nothing wrong with All-Stars and POP! In fact POP Century is the one thing that held me back from DVC for years - I LOVE it there! The pools are great - and so are the food courts! The only thing I will say here is I would pay the extra few dollars for the preferred room...we didn't last time and we were WAY at the back of the resort...it was a HIKE to the front to get to the food court and/or busses...

Maxine just emailed me and is sending me an estimated budget after our initial phone call. My heart is already racing, plus I am super nervous that all the prices will go up, as I have read that the character pricing is going up. I really need a brown paper bag. It does not even have to be brown. Just something so I can calm down.

Stick with a brown paper bag....plastic can be dangerous...what if you swallowed a piece and choked by accident? Jeez! That would not help your stress at all!

Keep your chin up....it's stressful but it'll all be worth it in the end...good luck with your estimate...I'm kind off freaking out about that myself right now since I just switched from Escape to Wishes....gulp...it can be frightening but you are not in this alone!

 

[tinkerbell 766]

Are your bridesmaids staying off site or are they very young?
If not can they not just take Disney transport from their resort to where you are staying on the morning of the wedding. If they are off-site, might have to be a taxi job!!!

 

[mrsksomeday]

I am reading along, I love your writing. I hardly read on this part of the forum but your title caught my eye. You sound like me when it comes to worrying about things, changing things, and wondering about things.

It will be fun to follow you on your journey to your special day.

 

[CinderelliT]

Okay - so it's been like forever and a day since I posted on here, but I'm lurking around and stumbled on to your journal and read from start to finish! You totally make me laugh.

I am/was just as crazy over the whole planning thing and trying to make everyone happy and this was for a VR. In fact my at home reception was sooo not what I expected that I have totally avoided being on here for a while due to pj and tr envy.

Anywho, I hope that I can help you out a little bit. I think that you should do a mix of colors - think red and pink for flowers. Sounds crazy, but check out some pics of them together - it can be really beautiful. This is where your planning session will be able to help you out. Also, Disney does really beautiful rose wands with a single flower and lots of ribbon. What if you do a daisy wand instead of a rose? I think that it would look great for your maids since you have so many. Also, what if you do silk flowers for them and bring them with you? It will save you some money that you could put into something else.

And there is nothing wrong with the pop and all star resorts. They are kind of generic, but really, you aren't there for the hotel! Save that for the really important wedding trip. They are perfectly fine for falling asleep after a crazy long day.

Annnnddd...a little shameless self promotion on my part. I am a photographer, but still learning. There are some amazingly talented ones in Orlando. I live about 1 1/2 away, but look for any excuse to go. If you want or need someone for engagement session or for just fireworks pics - let me know. I am all about some guinea pigs to get my foot in the door. You can always put on your wedding clothes again on another night and do firework pics at GF. There are lots of photographers who would be willing to split their time up so you can do a night shoot. Keep looking.

 

[Dani916]

Hi! You all are so kind! Thank you! I am so glad I found this board, it has kept my sanity.

A little update: I got my way early preliminary BEO last night and I did not pass out, scream, throw things, breathe into a paper or plastic bag, pull any of my hair put, or eat an entire cheese pizza (although eating pizza even when not stressed is a favorite pastime!) When I opened the document, I scrolled to the bottom and I actually thought, "Wow, I could probably buy a private island for that much money, and I really hope we don't ever get divorced, and it would be nice if Mickey and Minnie would do a rehearsed line dance with me for that kind of cash, but that is about what I was planning on spending." (Do I need to put quotes if it was only in my head?) There are things that need to be changed, and there are things that are only estimated like the floral which I am sure will go up. But it was around the price I was thinking so I feel a little better. I will never feel great about it, as it is a ridiculous amount of money, but after all this, it better be magical darn it.

As I was reading the BEO I got a phone call from one of my 42,016 bridesmaids. It is always great to hear from her (she lives in MO) and she has been so great to me through this whole wedding planning time. We chit chat, she asks how things are going, I tell her a few things, and then she says, "I have something to tell you." I hate those words unless they are followed by "You look fabulously hot and skinny today." Sadly, those words have never been said. So she tells me she can't come to my wedding. Can't come?! You are one of the thousands of bridesmaids! This was not what I was expecting to hear! I ask her why and she tells me she is pregnant and due on Christmas Day and there is no way she can fly that close to her due date. While I am happy for her, I am a bit sad. Sure, I will get over it, but she is important to me and I would love for her to be there. When Bryan got home, I was bummed and he did not understand why. He said, "You have SO many other bridesmaids, what does having one less matter?" Dude, you so don't get it do you!? Oh, and another completely random side note why is it that everyone asks HIM how the wedding planning is going? I am surprised he even knows where we are getting married. Anyway, back to the original point: I was bummed and he did not get it. He kept thinking it was about one less bridesmaid. NO-it is that one of my closest friends can't be there.

So now I am down to 42,015 bridesmaids. All of them are staying on property but I am still worried about how they are going to get places. I worry about everyone but myself. That's how I roll...

I did know they have the wand, but being that most of my bridesmaids are 35 and older, I do not see them wanting a wand. I would feel like we would need to do a routine with them complete with jazz hands. I think they are GREAT and love seeing other people that have had them, but for the 35+ crowd who are already SO over being in weddings, I think I need flowers. I will probably use them for the centerpieces too.

Speaking of flowers, I have a conference call on Monday with a florist. His name is Warren and being the curious person I am, I looked him up on Facebook. Oh my gosh, he is ADORABLE! I just want to hug him. If he were not gay and I were not engaged, I would kiss the boy. He is so, so cute. I think I will love him. Maybe become BFF with him. I look forward to talking to him.

As for the photos-CinderelliT I might take you up on the rehearsal dinner pics. That is very sweet of you to offer. We are having a BBQ for the rehearsal dinner. If hot dogs and hamburgers do not entice you, I don't know what will (unless of course you are a vegetarian). I am still struggling. I have one person who I love, love, love her e-pics she has done. She has not done many Disney weddings, so I am a bit leery of that. She has great prices and is really good. Plus she edits every photo which will be helpful knowing I will have dark circles and probably lots of acne the day of the wedding. The other people I am considering using can't do the e-pics when I need them, will not do a rehearsal dinner on a Saturday to keep it open for weddings, but are available for the wedding. Is it weird to break it up? Should I just go with the one person for everything? I was hoping Option #2 would not be available for the wedding, then I would have my answer. I had no intention of doing e-pics until I saw they were included in the packages. But if I break up the two people, I have to pay for my e-pics. This is my issue-I have no clue about things, and then when I find out I want something, I obsess. I saw the e pics she did and I have my heart set on it. Too many decisions.

Since our reception site changed, our room blocks are changing, with the hopes that no one booked at the Grand Floridian yet. Now that this is happening, I bet we would have been able to have the reception at the Grand. I am still struggling with not having a DP with fireworks for the wedding. If I got married anywhere else, I would have never ever thought of doing that, but like I said, I found out about it, and now I am obsessed.

Alright, off to do more over analyzing about everything. Thanks again to all of you for reading and for your kind comments. I love that I can make some people laugh! You are the best!