A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes: A March 2011 Disney Wedding/Honeymoon Trip Report

HollyBelle · May 9, 2011

As soon as I sat down in the chair to get my hair done, it was like a wave of calm came over me. Laine and I talked about all kinds of things. She shared stories about brides with the craziest of requests, like three and four layers of fake eyelashes, and 5 inch high tiaras. We also talked about the Disney Dream and it turns out she was onboard as they sailed from Germany over to Port Canaveral. It put me even more at ease to learn that Beaute Speciale is contracted out by Disney to handle hair and makeup for all their promotional marketing. Hello! If Disney trusts that these ladies can get the job done right, then I must be in good hands.

Almost there...

HollyBelle · May 9, 2011

While Laine was putting the finishing touches on my hair, Jason Angelini, our pro photographer, was somewhere out on World Drive snapping away...

I love, love, love this shot...

Looks like he made it to the Poly just fine:

Could it have been a more gorgeous day? I think not! :sohappy:

becanya · May 9, 2011

Seriously, already crying through your preparations! How dumb is that? Even if this isn't therapeutic for you, it's fixing my awful day! Gosh...I can't believe it's been ten years since I was getting ready for my wedding. Maybe I'm due for putting on my dress and watching the video. :cry:

Ariel484 · May 9, 2011

tiaragirl said:
(Cake counts as a meal - proceed).

Agreed...back to reading.

HollyBelle · May 9, 2011

He showed up right at 12:30pm as expected and started shooting the details. Of course, I had all kinds of things laid out for him to photograph, including our rings, the garment bag, my garter, the printed materials, Lani’s angel wing charm, my shoes, my flip flops, the flowers, and then some. It kept him busy for quite some time. In fact, he enlisted my dad to help with getting the dress outside to fulfill my vision of seeing it amid the palm trees.

The fabulous Minnie Mouse inspired garter that my mom made for me:

Love the little Hidden Mickey pearls on my bouquet, although his ears are a bit close. And I’m so glad I found a textured ribbon for them to wrap the stems with, because I think it adds a lot. Plus it was only $4, when they wanted to charge me $25 for some purple satin ribbon.

I really like this shot, it's so rich in color and simplicity:

HollyBelle · May 9, 2011

Quick comment before we keep going... the Cinderella Castle Medley just came on my ipod as I was working on that last post! LOVE IT. Perfect!

HollyBelle · May 9, 2011

“Look Chipper, I’m a STAR!” The only teaser photo Jason shared with me all day long was this shot of Dale with my engagement ring! Favorite.

Another favorite:

Look closely at the tiki guy...

Okay, so maybe I can't pick a favorite :lol::

Obviously we’re big fans of Ohana (the restaurant) and Lilo and Stitch (the movie). But more than that, the term “Ohana” has completely inspired our relationship. Long before we ever got engaged, I just knew that our rings would be inscribed with this word... and I love that we were able to incorporate it into our ceremony (more on that when we get to it).

becanya · May 9, 2011

HollyBelle said:
Quick comment before we keep going... the Cinderella Castle Medley just came on my ipod as I was working on that last post! LOVE IT. Perfect!

Well...while I was reading about your breakfast with your dad the smell of waffles rose up from below where my husband is cooking dinner for the kids! It's like a full sensory trip report experience.

becanya · May 9, 2011

HollyBelle said:
“Look Chipper, I’m a STAR!” The only teaser photo Jason shared with me all day long was this shot of Dale with my engagement ring! Favorite.

Another favorite:

Oh my gosh, we totally have the same engagement rings, 10 years removed from each other! No joke...same diamond shape, same setting, same band. Of course...it's beautiful!

HollyBelle · May 9, 2011

My super cute wedding shoes that I got for the bargain price of $25:

They were actually really comfortable. But I still switched into the flip flops shortly after the ceremony. Speaking of...

Times guide...

Dinner menu...

HollyBelle · May 9, 2011

What’s left to photograph? Oh yes... the dress. My sincerest apologies for making you all wait so long for this one... honest.

Apparently on the way to the Tahiti longhouse that morning Jason had found the perfect tree with which to hang my dress. So he and my dad headed out there, making a bee-line for the tree, only to find that there were not one, but two, service golf carts parked right in front of it with no CMs in sight. He made do with another tree for a bit and then thankfully one of the CMs came out and gladly moved both carts. YAY!

Without further ado... here she is:

Swooooooooooooooon! Isn’t she lovely?!

After all the dress stress, I found the dress of my dreams. No seriously, she’s made of the softest, most romantic ruffles… the kind of ruffles I'd been dreaming of.

Add to that, this dress met all my initial ‘wants.’ It was fitted with a dropped waist, had NO bling, a sweetheart neckline, and it had the fullness I was looking for in a wedding dress without being a ballgown. Plus it was ivory, which is so much more flattering with my skin tone than the bright white. And a huge BONUS... it needed absolutely no steaming. The dress held its own shape entirely and didn’t wrinkle even the slightest bit. The bodice is organza and the skirt is made out of a beautiful (and super soft) chiffon flower detail that I adore. And in my mind, she just screamed "Wear me at the Poly!” How was I supposed to say no to that?!

I wish you could reach into this photo and touch her... :lol: :lookaroun

Oh hello there, Stitch!

I had no clue Jason had grabbed “grabber” Stitch off the edge of one of my bags to take outside with him. I'm so glad he did though.

All you recent brides out there are probably familiar with the personalized metal wire dress hangers sold on Etsy. Well, I knew I wanted one, but it took me forever to decide on the personalization. Commonly you see the name of the bride and groom on the hangers, but this doesn’t really make much sense to me, because it’s just the bride’s dress, you know? Eventually it hit me... Hollybelle would be the perfect personalization (notice I also ended up using this on my garment bag). And I loved how it looked with all the swooping letters. As soon as Jason put my dress on the hanger though, it wilted.

Although, I’m not surprised because the dress was quite heavy (except when wearing it). Obviously, Jason wasn’t surprised either, because he had come prepared with an in-case-of-emergency lingerie hanger. Yep, he's definitely a professional!

Look at how the ‘b’ has totally smashed into the ‘y’

One more... I think this one was taken in the "back up" tree, but I really love how it looks against the longhouse in the background:

Up next... a guest author!

barrettismyhero · May 9, 2011

HollyBelle said:
Quick comment before we keep going... the Cinderella Castle Medley just came on my ipod as I was working on that last post! LOVE IT. Perfect!

The Spectromagic piano medley just kicked on here..

this whole thread is full of awesome Disney vibes!

tiaragirl · May 9, 2011

The gorgeous day.. swoon.
Pictures.. swoon.
Hair.. swoon.
Dress.. swoon.

I'm just swooning over here, GEE. I might need to go lay down.

maggiegrace1 · May 9, 2011

tiaragirl said:
(Cake counts as a meal - proceed).

um..yes!..

tiaragirl said:
The gorgeous day.. swoon.
Pictures.. swoon.
Hair.. swoon.
Dress.. swoon.

I'm just swooning over here, GEE. I might need to go lay down.

*swoons with you*..I'm crying..carry on!.. :cry:

HollyBelle · May 9, 2011

tiaragirl said:
(Cake counts as a meal - proceed).

Ariel484 said:
Agreed...back to reading.

Thanks for the clarification, ladies! So it looks like I did have a meal around 3pm then!

becanya said:
Seriously, already crying through your preparations! How dumb is that? Even if this isn't therapeutic for you, it's fixing my awful day! Gosh...I can't believe it's been ten years since I was getting ready for my wedding. Maybe I'm due for putting on my dress and watching the video.

I'm glad it's helping with your bad day... and yeah, I'm thinking a trip down memory lane, in your dress, is exactly what you need right now. :animwink:

becanya said:
Well...while I was reading about your breakfast with your dad the smell of waffles rose up from below where my husband is cooking dinner for the kids! It's like a full sensory trip report experience.

Mmmm... waffles for dinner. I love breakfast for dinner. How do you think they'll react if you show up to dinner in your wedding dress?!

becanya said:
Oh my gosh, we totally have the same engagement rings, 10 years removed from each other! No joke...same diamond shape, same setting, same band. Of course...it's beautiful!

That is awesome! I love it for it's classic, clean lines!

barrettismyhero said:
The Spectromagic piano medley just kicked on here..

this whole thread is full of awesome Disney vibes!

Ahh the Spectro instrumental... that and the musical score from Illuminations get the tears flowing quickest for me. They're so moving and inspiring.

And nothing else makes me feel warm and fuzzy quite like those Disney vibes!

tiaragirl said:
The gorgeous day.. swoon.
Pictures.. swoon.
Hair.. swoon.
Dress.. swoon.

I'm just swooning over here, GEE. I might need to go lay down.

Get a cold rag and apply it to your forehead... but make sure you come back because I've got more "getting ready" to do. Thanks, Kenzie!

meganw1985 · May 9, 2011

OMG LOVE LOVE LOVE THE DRESS!!! It actually KIND OF reminds me of my own, Drop waist, LOTS of organza ruffles on the skirt, etc. I will admit, mine does have a little bling on the top, and a pretty long train. But hey, I feel like a fairy princess in it

I wish there was a place for non-Disney wedding blogs on here.....I want to share all of mine!!!

Love the rings! Did you get 2 bands to surround it? I like that idea a lot. Plus its more sparkle

I totally understand you hair and makeup concerns. I'm doing my own makeup, mainly because I want it JUST so and I am enough of a control freak not to trust anyone to do it. So I have done a few practice runs on my own. As far as the hair, I went for my trial run last weekend. My beautician tore a tendon in her wrist and can't make a "curling" motion

I'm slightly panicked about that, as I am supposed to be getting a half-up wavy curl do. Yours looks PHENOMINAL! I am so excited to read the rest!!!!!!!

HouCuseChickie · May 9, 2011

OK- I made it through all of the Spirit of Aloha portion wanting a beer really badly :lol: but after seeing your BEAUTIFUL gown- I want to get married all over again (vow renewal ideas

). I cried at the part about what your mom did to include your sister in the day- very sweet idea.

So- maybe later on tonight- if you have more posts on your TR...I'll have to put on my wedding gown and grab a cold one. :ROFLOL: Can't wait to read more!

cathyy · May 9, 2011

Wow, what a way to start off the rest of your live together!!! I'm looking forward to the rest of the report!
Your dress is beautiful!!!! I"m so glad you found the perfect dress for you.
I have to say the photographer has done a beautiful job!!!

It brought tears to my eyes when I read what your mom did in rememberance of your sister. Very touching. I also lost a sister, just 2 years ago.

Can't wait for the rest of the report!!!
Congrats to you and Brett!!

HollyBelle · May 9, 2011

maggiegrace1 said:
um..yes!..

*swoons with you*..I'm crying..carry on!..

We'll get back to the regularly scheduled program soon! Thanks, Dana!

meganw1985 said:
OMG LOVE LOVE LOVE THE DRESS!!! It actually KIND OF reminds me of my own, Drop waist, LOTS of organza ruffles on the skirt, etc. I will admit, mine does have a little bling on the top, and a pretty long train. But hey, I feel like a fairy princess in it I wish there was a place for non-Disney wedding blogs on here.....I want to share all of mine!!!

Love the rings! Did you get 2 bands to surround it? I like that idea a lot. Plus its more sparkle

I totally understand you hair and makeup concerns. I'm doing my own makeup, mainly because I want it JUST so and I am enough of a control freak not to trust anyone to do it. So I have done a few practice runs on my own. As far as the hair, I went for my trial run last weekend. My beautician tore a tendon in her wrist and can't make a "curling" motion I'm slightly panicked about that, as I am supposed to be getting a half-up wavy curl do. Yours looks PHENOMINAL! I am so excited to read the rest!!!!!!!

If your dress is the one I think it is then I was drawn to it immediately because of the soft vertical ruffles. I remember trying it on and thinking the train was way too long... for Sunset Pointe. I couldn't really pull off the bling either, but I loved the dress.

I wonder if you couldn't start a thread over in the Weddings/Honeymoons section. Any Disney touches to your wedding? That'd be a tie-in.

Yes, I picked two identical bands to go on either side of the stone. You're right, more bling. And despite how it might sound, I do like bling!! I had only one of the rings engraved and that is the one Brett put on my finger during the ceremony... it's the one I wear on the inside. Having three on, they spin pretty badly right now, so I'm considering having them soldered together, but I just don't know if I can do it. I may just get them sized down, but I wanted to wait until summer, when my hands swell more with the heat, to see if that is a possibility.

I don't ever wear much make up but after having Laine do my makeup, I'm itching to go buy some and learn what the heck I'm supposed to do with it. She was ah-mazing! Both with the makeup and my hair. I can't take any credit for how it looked, but thank you all the same. I was definitely nervous because I didn't do a trial run with her. At least you have that to go on and I'm sure your stylist will come through for you on the big day! Half up with curls will look great with your dress. :animwink:

HouCuseChickie said:
OK- I made it through all of the Spirit of Aloha portion wanting a beer really badly :lol: but after seeing your BEAUTIFUL gown- I want to get married all over again (vow renewal ideas ). I cried at the part about what your mom did to include your sister in the day- very sweet idea.

So- maybe later on tonight- if you have more posts on your TR...I'll have to put on my wedding gown and grab a cold one. :ROFLOL: Can't wait to read more!

That is, like, the classiest image ever! Sounds pretty perfect, though. Again, if only I could get into mine without assistance. :lol:

Ooh, you know Disney is currently offering a Memories collection for the Fairy Tale Weddings anniversary... now through sometime in 2012 I believe. It's right around $2,000 I think. Maybe a vow renewal is in order?!

I'm obsessed with the handkerchief my mom created for me. Lani was truly with me throughout the day.

cathyy said:
Wow, what a way to start off the rest of your live together!!! I'm looking forward to the rest of the report!
Your dress is beautiful!!!! I"m so glad you found the perfect dress for you.
I have to say the photographer has done a beautiful job!!!

It brought tears to my eyes when I read what your mom did in rememberance of your sister. Very touching. I also lost a sister, just 2 years ago.

Can't wait for the rest of the report!!!
Congrats to you and Brett!!

Thanks, Cathy! Jason, our pro photog, was amazing (and so much fun to be around). My only complaint is that there weren't two of him running around all day snapping shots. :lol:

Sisterhood is so special. And I'm sorry that you've also had to experience such a loss.

Brett · May 9, 2011

Now for a special break from a Pulitzer Prize winning author and the groom of this wedding… me! While Holly was getting polished and beautiful, my morning was slightly different.

After waking up and getting ready, I met up with my family for breakfast at the Kona Café. I wanted to treat them to a nice meal and let them know how grateful I am for everything. When checking in, my mom did everything she could to make sure EVERYBODY knew that I was “the groom”. The nice lady who took us to our table ended up giving me some wonderful advice about how communication is the key to a successful marriage... something that I’ve definitely already identified.

Breakfast was delicious, as Kona always is. I apologize for not having any food pictures, that’s Holly’s thing. I’m sure you can flip through one of our previous trip reports and you’ll find a similar set of pancakes to the ones I devoured. After breakfast, I was planning on going to my parent’s room and just kind of hanging out until it was “go time”. But I realized I had a lot more time than I imagined, therefore my brother and I hopped on the monorail debarking for the Magic Kingdom!

In a horrible move that Holly could not begin to fathom, I did not take a camera with me to the MK. Oh no!

Therefore I don’t have any pictures to share of these few hours. Once we arrived, Derek and I picked up fastpasses for Big Thunder and then popped over to the Haunted Mansion. The ride was quite memorable considering it slowed to a crawl during the famous bride scene. There’s nothing like staring at an axe-wielding, murderous bride on your wedding day to give you cold feet. :ROFLOL: Nevertheless, I survived and the wedding was still on!

After leaving the ghosts behind, we hopped over to Space Mountain for a quick spin around the cosmos. I’m iffy about the techno music, but I still love that ride. So good. After the ride, Derek received a call from our dad saying he was on the monorail on the way to meet us. So we booked it over to Frontierland to use our Big Thunder fastpasses before meeting up with him. During the ride, I noticed I had gotten a message from Holly. Checking it after the ride, she left me some wonderful well wishes, but also a warning that I better be wearing sunscreen. She didn’t want to marry a tomato. Shhh... don’t tell her this but I didn’t go find any sunscreen. :lookaroun :lol:

We met up with dad and decided to check out the Pirates of the Caribbean since we were in the vicinity. The crowds had started to pick up at this time and the park was getting out of control. After sailing through pirate waters, we made one last lap around the park and settled on the TTA, but it was sadly inoperable. Time was running out so it was time to head back to the Poly, get some lunch, and get married… I guess.

Back at the Poly, my mom and Derek went down to Captain Cooks to pick up some pizzas for lunch.

After a tasty lunch, Derek wanted to buy me one last drink as a free man, so we went down to the Barefoot Pool Bar. I got myself a Bloody Mary. Delicious.

A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes: A March 2011 Disney Wedding/Honeymoon Trip Report

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