Jackie and Chris's Wishes Wedding 1/6/12: SBP/Attic/SCP 5/11 Final Post- PJ Finished

[DoomBuggy0922]

Hello all! I've been following many of your planning journals for the last few months and, now that I've FINALLY been penciled in, I figured it was time for me to start my own PJ!

About Us
Chris and I are Connecticut natives who recently moved to the even colder state of Wisconsin. I was lucky enough to be awarded a teaching assistantship (and, therefore, full scholarship) at a private university in Milwaukee for a M.A. in English Literature, so Chris and I packed up all of our belongings and moved over the summer. Chris was also able to find a job here, and he works as a graphic designer. We have a bluetick coonhound/beagle mix named The Smoke Monster, or Smokey for short, who we love very much, and is every bit our “child”--- even though he’s a pain in the butt.

Chris and I at Sci Fi during my 21st birthday trip.

Smokey!

We’ve been together since our senior year of high school, and we’re both 23 now, so almost 6 years--- but I hate telling the story of how we met. Chris was dating a good friend of mine, and there was all of this silly high school drama, but it was obviously worth it in the end. (And now it’s just a pesky, slightly embarrassing story.)

Why Disney?
Like almost everyone on this board, I’ve been in love with Disney since I was a little girl. Chris and I go to the world every year, and some of our best memories are from WDW. He proposed there, but I have a long story to go along with that, so I’m going to make it its own separate post.

Our Wedding Plans
Chris has a huge family, but neither of us have ever wanted a particularly large wedding. So, we looked into it, and when we realized we could have a small Disney wedding for a fraction of the price of a huge wedding at home, we were sold. We chose Sea Breeze Point because it reminds us of New England, even though it’s supposed to remind you of Atlantic City. We chose The Attic because I’m in love with the venue’s seemingly cozy atmosphere, and Chris likes that it has couches. (Yes, that’s how I convinced him--- I told him there were couches.) And, we chose Sago Cay because, as I have told Chris many, many times, I love “Wishes” more than I love him! I cry like a little girl every single time we see “Wishes,” and I really want it to be a part of our ceremony. I just hope we get all of our venues!

 

[DoomBuggy0922]

This is how Chris proposed--- I have a blog I write in every so often, and this is mostly copied and pasted from there.

So, for back story, I was being a royal pain in the butt basically from the time we booked our vacation to Disney World up until our arrival on July 20, 2010. I was asking Chris every single day "Are you going to propose? I think you should propose. If you're not going to propose, you should tell me." It was, I'm sure, driving him up the wall. See, I'm a control freak, and the fact that I couldn't plan my engagement (you know, like Eliot did on Scrubs?) was absolutely killing me.

But, we arrived at WDW without any hitches. While I'm a poor graduate student, my grandparents are not and they lent me some Vacation Club points and put us up in a room at Animal Kingdom Lodge with a savannah view for our first night. We could see giraffes and zebras from our hotel balcony; it was surreal. We had a lovely, fun day, that might have involved a seven hour nap, but that definitely did include looking at animals through night vision goggles. I had kind of figured though that, if he was going to propose, he was going to do it our first night. If you were carrying a ring around with you, wouldn't YOU do it your first night?!


But, alas, no proposal. In my mind, I didn't rule it out, but I had also tried to convince myself that it wouldn't matter if Chris decided not to propose that week. I was going to have a fun vacation no matter what. The next morning we checked out of AKL early so that we could take a taxi to our next hotel (the much more affordable Pop Century) first thing in the morning, check in, get our park tickets, and get to the Magic Kingdom before park open.

We had a great morning over at Pop Century that day; I'm a Walt Disney Resorts pen kleptomaniac, and I had convinced the hotel clerk to give me six pens. Then, later on in the gift shop, a random woman came over and gave us 3 fast passes to use! For the next hour or so, Chris kept saying "Yeah, Jack. You got pens! The day is just going to go downhill from there." He's not sarcastic at all.

We got on the bus, and we arrived at the Magic Kingdom around 8:30am, so right around when we wanted to be there--- especially because I'm a little in love with the opening ceremony and it may or may not make me shed a tear or two. So, we waited a little bit and we watched the show and yadda yadda yadda, so by the time we were allowed into the park at 9:00am, I was excited and ready to go ride some rides, gosh darn it!

But, Chris had other plans. We walked by a Disney photographer, and Chris said "Hey! Let's get our picture taken!" And, honestly? I thought he was crazy. It was 9:00am on our first day at the Magic Kingdom, and the last thing I wanted to do was get my picture taken. The castle wasn't going anywhere, for Pete's sake. (Or should it be Goofy's sake? Something to think about.) So, I said that in a much nicer way; rather, I said "Yeah, okay," in agreement, but I was hoping he'd forget about this outlandish suggestion.

But he didn't! He said it again at another photographer. And then another. (Why are there so many, by the way?! There's one every five feet. How about we take one of them and put it in front of the Mansion so I can get in a decent picture in front of the gorgeous facade of my favorite ride... but I digress.) Until, finally, he stopped. "Jack, let's get our picture taken."

"Okay," I said, verbally agreeing, but in my head I was thinking about how people were getting in line ahead of us on Splash Mountain. But, then, Chris told the photographer to hold on a second, and I stopped worrying about Brer Rabbit.

"This is where it happens," he said. "Look, I know this is the most magical place in the world to you. But, to me, the most magical place in the world is wherever you are. And I hope we can keep coming here every year for the rest of our lives. Will you marry me?" And then he got down on one knee, and then I cried, and then he cried a little bit, and then people started shouting "Say yes!" and it was adorable.

And I DID say yes! (You know, in case you're wondering.) He told me about how he had hid the ring from me; he had placed the receipt for the ring in the DVD case for my least favorite movie, "The Usual Suspects," because he knew it was the one place in the house I would never look. He had kept his ring in his X Box box, and then, on the plane, in his backpack. While he didn't ask my dad for permission, he did tell my dad about it, and they decided it was virtually the same thing.

And the ring? The ring is gorgeous! The diamond had belonged to his great-grandmother (and I love old stuff anyway!), but he had the tiffany-cut diamond placed in a new white gold setting. It's the exact setting I had always wanted.

The photopass photographer took some great pictures, and I'm so happy to have them. Afterwards, we hugged and kissed, and did all that sappy stuff, and then we walked down to City Hall to get our "Just Engaged!" buttons. (Because, really, we were JUST engaged!!!) And then?

And then we went on the Haunted Mansion, followed by Pirates of the Carribean. And then we had a magical vacation.

And, of course--- some pictures!!!

The Proposal:

The Stupid-Happy-Grins Afterwards:

The Ring:

 

[KitKat5]

Congratulations!! I love your engagement story!! I was a royal pain in the behind the day DF proposed to me but I soon changed my tune when he popped the question! haha! Gorgeous ring too!! You're so lucky to have pics of the engagement! We got engaged during Wishes so I have no pics I cant wait to follow along and hear all about your plans!!

 

[KristiLyn]

Congrats! Super cute engagement story!!

 

[elleinad16]

Love the story!

Can't wait to read more!

 

[DoomBuggy0922]

So, over the weekend, Chris and I had a change of heart. We had 22 people on our guest list and there wasn't anyone we could cut, and I was kinda sorta having a nervous breakdown. We talked to my dad (who is the main source of funding for our wedding), and he told me that we could upgrade to a Wishes wedding!!!

Now, originally, this wasn't something I wanted to do. I want a small wedding, and I don't really care about little details and the like. (Well, Chris makes fun of me--- I say that I don't care about details, but I abhor the carpet in the Wedding Pavilion and I complain about it a lot... but anyway...) But, I decided, I still don't have to get caught up in little details and still have a Wishes wedding!

I called my consultant yesterday and was freaking out the entire time. I pictured other people taking the venues I had my heart set on and I didn't know WHAT I would do, because The Attic is the only reception venue in all of Disney that I wanted. (Well, besides some of the more expensive theme park options.) I actually ended up calling DFTW... oh, 5 times yesterday, and no one got back to me until this morning!

...BUT, we got our date AND all of our venues! So I am more than a little ecstatic right now. We will be having our ceremony on January 6, 2012 at 10am, followed by a brunch reception at The Attic and a dessert party that night at Sago Cay. (That also relieves me because I love Wishes SO much, and I don't really like Illuminations at all!) We chose the 10am ceremony because we realllly NEED to stick to that $10,000 minimum. As of right now though, I don't see it being a problem: our wedding is going to be alcohol-free and I hate flowers, so flowers won't be an integral part of our decor. Also, I chose venues that, thankfully, don't need much decoration!

I'm going to make Chris help me pick out our room blocks tonight so I can get those back to our consultant ASAP. I have some ideas with what I would prefer, but I want his input too.

Honestly, the best part about this upgrade is that we got to hold our spots a year out! I was so nervous about not having anything to choose from come May. And, really, sometimes I just sit back and think how truly lucky I am. Walt Disney World is like home to me, but my dad hates it there, so I really can't believe most of the time that he's letting us get married there. (My grandparents were the disney fans who took me when I was little.) I am so thankful to have a Wishes wedding in WDW, and even more thankful to have my fiance!

OH! One more tidbit: Chris and I were nominated for "Best Love Story" on the Disney Wedding Blog! We're losing, but I figured I'd just throw that out there.

Well, I think I've babbled enough. I can't wait to update this thing with my progress now--- we're going to make Save the Dates this weekend, so expect pictures of our DIYness.

 

[DoomBuggy0922]

Just a quick update: we have officially booked Randy Chapman for our photography! I emailed him and a few other photographers, but he was the most helpful (and, I'm not going to lie, the most budget-friendly), so that's why we decided to go with Randy. Although, I must say, I do drool over his website often, and he does gorgeous work! His packages now include an engagement session, so I'm really hoping we can go to WDW for a few days for our PJ and to take pictures.

I've also contacted Beaute Speciale, and I should be booking with them sometime within the next few days.

AND I filled out our room block information. We chose Pop, POFQ, and the Boardwalk for our resorts, and we chose GF as our free night. Just one question though: why the heck do they make that thing so confusing?! I think we did it correctly. (And when I say "we," I really mean "I," but I like to think Chris is helping me in spirit, right?)

 

[DisneyShamrock]

(I'm a WI native, never lived anywhere else, and it's too cold here. )

Your proposal story is so sweet! I love it that he cried a little, too. It makes it even sweeter.

Yay for getting you times and dates for a Wishes wedding! And, yay for Randy Chapman. There have been a ton of brides on here who have used him, and his work is awesome.

Congratulations and welcome! I look forward to reading more about your plans as you move through the planning fun.

 

[DoomBuggy0922]

Well, we've been snowed in all day thanks to my first midwestern blizzard--- it took us 2 hours to dig out our cars--- so I figured I would do a little update on the PJ.

Not much is new on the planning front--- I did officially book beaute special though, so there's that. So, I think all I have left to do for outside vendors is book an officiant (we're going with Jack Day, but I'm going to wait a few months to contact him so I can go a bit easier on my poor, poor bank account), figure out if we're going to use Carolyn Allen's or Men's Wearhouse for tuxes and, of course, contact Carolyn Allen about my dress...

...but dresses are giving me so many woes! I am desperately, head-over-heels in love with the Belle and Cinderella Alfred Angelo dresses. I sort of want to marry them and have their babies. (Don't tell Chris.) However, I cannot, for the life of me, find a store that carries a sample large enough for me to try on! I mean, I know I'm not the smallest gal in the world, but I'm certainly not the biggest either! I've contacted 4 stores (3 in the WI area and the Alfred Angelo signature store in Connecticut, in case I decide to go home to dress shop) and they all only have 4s and 10s in the Disney dresses. Now, I am not expecting every store in the world to have plus size samples, but just one store (especially the signature store!!!) would be helpful. I actually contacted someone AT Alfred Angelo's corporate offices, and she said she would try and find one in the Wisconsin-area for me. There are also 3 signature stores in Massachusetts I haven't contacted yet... but I'm just so frustrated. I actually had a mini-breakdown about it yesterday and cried a few times (which, I promise, is really unlike me).

Anyway, DISers, please keep your fingers crossed that I'll be able to find one of these dresses. And, also, please keep your fingers crossed that my consultant gets my LOA back to me soon... I know they're busy, but I'm on pins and needles.

 

[KristiLyn]

**crossing my fingers**
And I truly hope you get to try on those dresses. The disney dresses are so gorgeous. I really love them. And congrats on getting a wishes wedding!

 

[DoomBuggy0922]

**crossing my fingers**
And I truly hope you get to try on those dresses. The disney dresses are so gorgeous. I really love them. And congrats on getting a wishes wedding!

Thanks! I mean... one store has to have them, right?!

 

[pinkmiss3]

Hi, I just wanted to let you know that I am a size 16 and I was able to try on every disney dress. Each dress that I tried on was a different size. But I will tell you that they ranged from size 4-10. The store I went to was amazing. They gave great customer service. I was very nervous to try on dresses because I am plus size and I didn't think I would get to have the whole wedding dress experience. The cinderella dress was a size 4 and what the bridal specialist did was clip me in. I posted a thread about getting my wedding dress and if you look at the pics you can see the clips in the mirror. I would think that no matter what size you are they should be able to make it work, but I don't know if some stores are more willing to then others. Good luck with the dress shopping. I hope everything works out.

 

[TweedleDe&TweedleDum]

my fingers are crossed! i really hope you get to try it on soon! every girl should have the dress she dreams of on her wedding day!

and i LOVED your story! it was so cute.
can't wait to hear more!

 

[Bickimook2]

Hey awesome engagement story! I hope you are able to find the dress. You might want to try on something similar that way you can get an idea of what they look like. I am crossing my fingers for you girl can't wait to hear more of your plans

 

[sambycat]

don't let this get you down!! i'm a street size 12/14 right now, and i wanted this particular dress from david's bridal but it was brand new and wasn't anywhere in the area in a size bigger than a 12 bridal. i was depressed. do NOT get down on yourself! generally, bridal sizes are smaller then street sizes anyways, so try try TRY not to focus on that. good shops can clip you into them so you get an idea AND you should try on similar silouhettes. that can tell you alot right there.

good luck and chin up!

 

[DoomBuggy0922]

Awww, thanks girls! You made me smile. Yeah, I've been debating trying similar styles--- I've also emailed four places by home (in Connecticut) to see if they have anything, and three of them are A.A. stores. So, let's keep hoping, and I'll probably update when I hear back from them!

 

[DoomBuggy0922]

YES!!! I JUST FOUND ALL THE DISNEY DRESSES IN MY SIZE!!!! I can't WAIT!!!!

 

[DisneyShamrock]

Eeeekk excited update! I heard back from one of the stores, and they have the Cindy dress in my size! So I will at least be able to try on one of them! Sorry to post in my own thread so much--- I feel so self absorbed!

Hun, it's *your* thread. You're supposed to be posting in here a lot!

Hooray for having Cindy's dress

 

[sw33t_angel]

YES!!! I JUST FOUND ALL THE DISNEY DRESSES IN MY SIZE!!!! I can't WAIT!!!!

Yay!!! Let us know how it goes!!

 

[KitKat5]

Woo! Thats great news!! Take pics and let us know how you get on!