Rehearsal Day- November 30th
Happy New Year, everyone! Well, the time has come and I am finally ready to start my trip report! We got all of our wedding photos from Cricket last Friday and I've had time to gawk over them a few dozen times, so I think I'm ready to begin this trippy! This first installment, which is the day of our rehearsal (the day before the wedding) will sadly have an extreme lack of pictures because I was stressed out and a bad DISer, but don't worry, I'll have a ridiculous amount for our wedding day recap! As all of you know by now, George and I are local, so I don't really need to rehash the days leading up the wedding since they were mostly spent doing household chores and running last-minute wedding-related errands. We checked into Disney the day before our wedding, so that's where I'll start.
Wednesday, November 30th was the day of our wedding rehearsal, as well as the day we checked into the Boardwalk. We woke up early that morning to get my car all packed up and were out the door by 10AM so we could try and get an early check-in. We got to the Boardwalk somewhere around 11:30 and I dropped George off at the lobby to check-in while I waited in the car. It took forever for him to check-in and I was just sitting there in the car for a good 30-40 minutes. When he finally showed up, we got the bellhop to help us take everything out of our car, which was completely packed, and brought to bell services since our room wasn't ready yet. We were getting pretty hungry, but since there are no quick-service restaurants at the Boardwalk, we decided to drive over to Firehouse Subs for lunch. My best friend Meghan had arrived the night before and wanted to meet up for lunch with us so we picked her up (and my sister was with her) and went out to eat. It was so great having my bestie and sister at Disney with me!!! Everything was finally starting to feel real.
By the time we finished up with lunch and dropped Meghan and my sister off at Pop (where they were staying), we got the text that our room was ready so we headed back to the Boardwalk. We were supposed to meet up with our planner, Kristie, at 1:30 to go to the Attic so we could figure out how everything would be set up for the reception so we quickly went up to our room to drop all our bags off, and then meet Kristie at the Attic. Well, turns out the room we got was right NEXT to the Attic. Like literally 10 feet away. It was so nice and convenient, although a super far walk from the lobby. When we walked into our room, I was absolutely floored by how huge it was, but I didn't have time to explore because Kristie was walking up right behind us to show us into the Attic. This was our first time getting back into the Attic since our site visit a whole year back and it was so nice being back in that space. Its seriously gorgeous and we could not have picked a better venue. We went over where we would set up our iPod and speakers (since we brought our own) and where our dances would take place, along with some other wedding-day details. After going over everything, we quickly went back to the room to change and then it was off to our rehearsal at the Wedding Pavilion!
As we drove to the Grand Floridian for our rehearsal, it had started to look very overcast. I was a little panicked, but fine, rain as much as you like the day of the rehearsal, just leave my wedding day alone! When we pulled up to the Pavilion, we were surprisingly the last ones there! I thought for sure tons of people would get lost and be late, but most of our guests had arrived early so that was awesome. Kristie was already going over details with my mom, and when we walked up, everyone started clapping for us. I immediately got super embarrassed. I don't remember much about the rehearsal because it had started to rain and I was pretty much trying not to trip on the slippery pavement (glad I didn't wear heels like I had planned)! I know Kristie went over everything the first time with us and we were all pretty derpy about what we were supposed to do. I wanted to do a quick run-through of the ceremony with our officiant, Jeff, since this was his first time officiating a wedding. He did GREAT and a huge wave of relief washed over me, since I was a little nervous about our last-minute switch in officiants. The second run-through of the rehearsal went a lot smoother, but it was raining a little harder at this point so we rushed through it so we could get into the Wedding Pavilion, where it was nice and dry. Kristie answered any questions we had about the wedding and then she was on her way and I wouldn't see her again until the morning of the wedding! Our group stuck around for a little longer and we took some pictures inside the Pavilion.
Bridesmaids and I
Bridesmaids, moms, and grandmas <3
When the rain let up, we headed out to our cars. We still had a couple of hours before our rehearsal dinner, so we invited everyone back to our hotel room since we have plenty of space and so everyone knew how to get to the Attic the next day. We made it back to the Boardwalk and up to our room and hung out there for a little bit until 4PM when Abracadabar opened, then everyone headed down there for a drink. I needed a few minutes alone to decompress from the rehearsal so I stayed back and had that huge, gorgeous room to myself. I wish I would have taken pictures of the room, but the lighting was bad since it was dark and rainy outside so I settled for a video instead. I'm not sure how to link it here, though, so here's some pictures I stole from the Disney website! We stayed in a one-bedroom villa and it was newly renovated and absolutely beautiful. When you come into the room, there is a small entryway that leads into the main living area/kitchenette. The living room had a couch, several chairs, a huge TV, and balcony. The living room is open to the kitchen, we had a full-size fridge, oven, sink and dishwasher, and all the cooking utensils and dinnerware. We also had a huge split-bathroom, with shower, toilet and sink, and the other half opened up to a jet bathtub, another set of sinks, and a huge walk-in closet. That part of the bathroom opened up to the bedroom, which had the comfiest King bed I've ever slept in and another balcony. I seriously could have lived in that amazing room!
Obsessed with that light fixture!
Also in love with those boardwalk prints above the bed
After making an Instagram story of our room, I decided I did want a drink afterall and went down to the Boardwalk to meet up with the rest of the group at Abracadabar. Holy crap is that place awesome! The details, the theming...just gorgeous. I made a mental note that I really wanted to take pictures there after our reception. I forgot what the name of my drink was called, but it came in two cups and when I mixed the liquor into the drink, it changed colors. It was super delicious.
After our much-needed drinks, it was time to start heading to our rehearsal dinner, which was off-property at an Italian restaurant called Buca di Beppo. Our group consisted of myself and George, my mom, dad, sister, grandma, uncle, and best friend Meghan, George's mom, dad, step mom, 2 brothers, sister, sister-in-law, and grandma. We got a private room in the restaurant and a catered menu that consisted of two kinds of salads, spaghetti, fettuccini alfredo, chicken parmesan, and cheesecake for dessert. It was a super fun night and it was amazing seeing everyone from both sides of our families getting to know each other. I only have one picture because I really just wanted to spend my time enjoying everyone's company.
After dinner, George went back to our house to feed and hang out with our dogs for a bit, while I rode back to the Boardwalk with my sister and Meghan (stopping at Publix on the way to get some breakfast and snacks for the next morning). When I got back to the room, there was a lovely surprise waiting for me from one of my Disney bride friends that I met through Facebook. It was such a sweet and thoughtful gesture that I teared up. I seriously can't tell you how grateful I am to be part of this amazing community of women.
I relaxed on the balcony in solitude for a little while until George got back and then we exchanged wedding gifts. I forgot to take pictures, but I got him a Death Trooper helmet (he's big into Star Wars collectibles) and he got me a Cinderella Castle Pandora charm and AMAZING Darth Vader Irregular Choice shoes. We then took a short walk on the Boardwalk together to decompress a little before heading to bed. We went to bed around midnight and there ends my last day as a single lady! Stay tuned for the wedding day next! Ahhh!
https://flic.kr/p/QPQomN