Once Upon A Dream: A March 2011 Disney Wedding/Honeymoon Pre-Trip Report!

FINALLY! We’re getting married... that’s right, I said married. After seven years of dating and 21 trips to Disney World together, the time has finally come. Oh dear, where do I even start? I’m constantly splattering our faces (and vacation stories) all over the internet so I never quite know how much detail to put at the beginning of a report, because it always feels so repetitive. I guess a little background on us is a must though, seeing as how this is a pre-marriage report and all. :D

We (Holly and Brett) met in 2004 working at one of the dive bars in our little college town. We probably worked together (flirting shamelessly) six months or so before we started dating. We weren’t together two months before Brett had my first trip to Disney planned and executed. For real. I vividly remember us hanging out at a friend’s house one afternoon when the subject of Disney came up. The conversation eventually moved to other territory, except for in our little corner of the room... Brett was downright shocked that I’d never been to Disney. He was like “Let’s go.” And I’m thinking, sure, what’s the harm in playing along with this little game, it’s not like we’re going to pick up and go tomorrow. A few days later he tells me he’s worked out all the details, and if I’m still up for it, we leave next week! Talk about sweeping a girl off her feet. :)

It was a short trip, and I mean short... only two nights. We took off after work one Friday night and were at Downtown Disney by lunchtime the next day. We stayed at Caribbean Beach and somehow managed to hit up all four parks and Blizzard Beach over the course of two and a half days. It was a whirlwind. Here are some pictures from that very first trip. Yes, I had to scan them in because they’re from the dark ages – April 2004 to be precise. High quality!

Apr04.jpg


Apr04007.jpg


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Overall the trip was a screaming success. Of course it was, otherwise I don’t think we’d be where we are today. :lol:


There are a handful of moments from that first trip that are as clear as could be for me... one was running through the Magic Kingdom at night during a major downpour, laughing like crazy and holding Brett’s hand as he drug me from one awning to the next, not caring in the slightest that I was completely drenched from head to toe.

Another was dinner at Ohana. I fell in love. In love with the Polynesian. In love with the restaurant. In love with the food. In love with the fireworks outside the window. In love with Disney. In love with the guy across the table from me. What?!? :eek: Uh-oh. Wait. How’d that happen?! And how am I gonna keep him from noticing? After all we’d only been dating two months.

Another was ice cream on Main Street on our last afternoon, just before we had to leave and head back home. I was hit so hard by how much I didn’t want any of it to end. I still get the exact same feeling every single time we leave property to head home. I think I mention it quite a bit in my trip reports, but my love for Disney is completely and totally tangled up and intertwined with my love for Brett. Falling in love with them both at the same time can have that affect on a girl. :animwink:

For us, Disney is a place where our relationship shines. Simply put... it is us at our best. And as cheesy as it may sound I come away from every trip even more in love with this man than before. THIS is why we are getting married at Disney World... it’s always been a part of our narrative as a couple and it will always continue to be.

 

tiaragirl

Well-Known Member
Dyingggg at those "say no to the dress" wedding dresses. That being said, there were some nice ones in there too, you've got a great wedding dress figure ouuuuuuuuu lala.

It's exam time, and I'm stuck between praying you posted your TR, and praying you didn't so I continue to be mildly productive. ;) For the record, I'm more "for" than "against".

Lovelove.
 

angieandtrevor

Active Member
A wedding bible?! The organizer in me loves the idea of keeping tabs on everything with a wedding bible. I'm guessing you saved it right? That will be so fun to look back through.

Not only did I save it but I also made one for every one of my friends who got married after me, I love to plan things :)
 

Dianarella

Member
Thanks Holly for posting all your dress pictures, trials & tribulations. So sorry it was more of a stressful time than a time to enjoy.

To be honest, I thought you looked wonderful in all of them.

Looking forward to your 'real' dress reveal and the commentary on your Wedding Report.

I did read previously from you about the trouble with the seamstress on your gown. Will you eventually tell us what happened with that?

When I went looking for a wedding dress I figured I had all of NYC at my disposal. I headed straight to Kleinfeld (this was before they filmed Say Yes to the Dress). Total disappointment. I felt very rushed and quite frankly most of what I saw I had seen a million times before. When I watch that show now I crack up when the bride says they have X number of dollars to spend and the dresses they are shown are usually above that price by a few thousand.

What a lot of brides forget is that their alterations start at $495 and go up from there. It is probably higher by now, and they tend to forget that NYC has a sales tax that is almost 9%. So when a bride tries on a dress that is at the top (or over) her budget, it really adds up to lots more money.

After scouring NYC for a few weeks, I ended up at a very small bridal shop run by a family of very talented seamstresses. It was a place that I would have not found in my search unless a good friend steered me their way. They were so helpful and patient. No pressure to find 'the one' and allowed me to consider the purchase, not just settle for anything. They made the stress of the other stores fade away.

I'm very happy that you were able to put it behind you and love your dress.

Will you also be posting on the CC Disney Board? I like to read your impressions of Disney since it was recently announced that a Disney ship will be calling NYC home.

Congratulations again on your marriage.
 

wishes2013

Well-Known Member
Loved all the dress pics! I can't wait to see the real thing! Untill then I'll be waiting anxiously for the report, probably checking in multiple times a day to see if you posted any thing.
 

pcrum

New Member
Hi Hollybelle:

Anxiously waiting for your trip report. On our spring break cruise, we were docked next to the Disney Dream in Nassau on 3/28/11 and I thought of you. The ship looked beautiful and the aqua coaster looked like a lot of fun!!

You should have lots of anxious viewers on the cruise board too, as I mentioned that people should look out for your review when I did my trip report. In fact, in a bit of a brain freeze, I did a double post of the day in Nassau, so you were mentioned twice!!

Can't wait to hear all about the trip!!

Pam
 

HollyBelle

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Dyingggg at those "say no to the dress" wedding dresses. That being said, there were some nice ones in there too, you've got a great wedding dress figure ouuuuuuuuu lala.

It's exam time, and I'm stuck between praying you posted your TR, and praying you didn't so I continue to be mildly productive. ;) For the record, I'm more "for" than "against".

Lovelove.

So, Kenzie girl, I know for certain that you've wrapped up all those finals... how'd they go?! A++++++'s, I hope. There were definitely some nice dresses to balance out the atrocious ones and you are way too sweet! Thank you.

Not only did I save it but I also made one for every one of my friends who got married after me, I love to plan things :)

That's what I call a "lifesaver" kind of gift. I bet all your girls loved you for it!

Thanks Holly for posting all your dress pictures, trials & tribulations. So sorry it was more of a stressful time than a time to enjoy.

To be honest, I thought you looked wonderful in all of them.

Looking forward to your 'real' dress reveal and the commentary on your Wedding Report.

I did read previously from you about the trouble with the seamstress on your gown. Will you eventually tell us what happened with that?

When I went looking for a wedding dress I figured I had all of NYC at my disposal. I headed straight to Kleinfeld (this was before they filmed Say Yes to the Dress). Total disappointment. I felt very rushed and quite frankly most of what I saw I had seen a million times before. When I watch that show now I crack up when the bride says they have X number of dollars to spend and the dresses they are shown are usually above that price by a few thousand.

What a lot of brides forget is that their alterations start at $495 and go up from there. It is probably higher by now, and they tend to forget that NYC has a sales tax that is almost 9%. So when a bride tries on a dress that is at the top (or over) her budget, it really adds up to lots more money.

After scouring NYC for a few weeks, I ended up at a very small bridal shop run by a family of very talented seamstresses. It was a place that I would have not found in my search unless a good friend steered me their way. They were so helpful and patient. No pressure to find 'the one' and allowed me to consider the purchase, not just settle for anything. They made the stress of the other stores fade away.

I'm very happy that you were able to put it behind you and love your dress.

Will you also be posting on the CC Disney Board? I like to read your impressions of Disney since it was recently announced that a Disney ship will be calling NYC home.

Congratulations again on your marriage.

Oh my goodness, I figured the alterations cost was high at Kleinfeld's, but that is just crazy! I wonder how many people actually stay at that price. I bet a lot of them end up paying at least twice as much. You're so right about how they always bring out dresses over the proposed budget. I'd totally refuse to try anything on that was out of my price range. In fact, I did just that a couple of times when consultants were like, "it doesn't hurt to try it on." Ummm... yes it does!

I can definitely talk about the seamstress issues after I start posting pictures. Mostly, the lady didn't have any pride in her work and then she charged us for taking out a seam that totally shouldn't have been put in to begin with.

Yes, I'll be posting on the CC board when I get to the cruise portion of the trip. I'll probably post both here and there simultaneously once I get to that part. Seeing as how the focus is solely on cruises, that's probably the only part I'll post over there.

Thank you for the sweet words!

The a nticipation of "thee dress" is killing me LOL

I know! Waiting is brutal isn't it? Please Holly, just a little something? Pretty please? :)

Yeah ,n once we get to see the chosen one we'll be dying to hear the rest of the trip lol

I'm sooooooooooooo sorry for being such a tease! :lol: I'm going to start the trip report tonight... FINALLY! And if I stay on track, I should start posting the wedding (and the dress) on Monday.

Loved all the dress pics! I can't wait to see the real thing! Untill then I'll be waiting anxiously for the report, probably checking in multiple times a day to see if you posted any thing.

Thanks, wishes2013! I've never been so far behind on a trip report before. But I'm finally ready to get the first leg of the trip posted... and that includes the wedding!! Hopefully, you'll still be checking in after all this time.

Any updates?

First post goes up tonight... my apologies for the long wait!

Hi Hollybelle:

Anxiously waiting for your trip report. On our spring break cruise, we were docked next to the Disney Dream in Nassau on 3/28/11 and I thought of you. The ship looked beautiful and the aqua coaster looked like a lot of fun!!

You should have lots of anxious viewers on the cruise board too, as I mentioned that people should look out for your review when I did my trip report. In fact, in a bit of a brain freeze, I did a double post of the day in Nassau, so you were mentioned twice!!

Can't wait to hear all about the trip!!

Pam

Hi Pam! I need to hop on over to CC and check out your most recent report. I haven't been on the board in awhile, mostly because I don't have any upcoming cruises planned AND I'm trying to get this monster of a report written. Thank you so much for the shout out (two times :D)!
 

erstwo

Well-Known Member
I'm sooooooooooooo sorry for being such a tease! :lol: I'm going to start the trip report tonight... FINALLY! And if I stay on track, I should start posting the wedding (and the dress) on Monday.





First post goes up tonight... my apologies for the long wait!

Okay. *taps foot impatiently* You posted this at LEAST 5 minutes ago. Where's the report? Where? Where? :lol:
 

HollyBelle

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Okay. *taps foot impatiently* You posted this at LEAST 5 minutes ago. Where's the report? Where? Where? :lol:

OMG! From the moment I posted that I've been having internet issues. Arrgghhhhh! I'm determined to get it up tonight, though. :D
 

becanya

New Member
Can't wait! No really...can't wait. :eek:) My husband laughs about how obsessed I am over your wedding...I cried when I showed him your invites for heavens sake.:cry:
 

HollyBelle

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
The leis look totally Amazing! And so real!!

Thanks, Siobhan... I wish we would've kept count of how many attempts we made before settling on that one. :lol: Some were way too dense, and some had way too much space between. Then, on top of that, we went through quite a few flowers and colors that weren't right. Many trips back and forth to a myriad of craft stores for those. I couldn't be happier with how they turned out. They just *popped* once everyone was wearing them. And your comment that they look real is a super compliment because we were really hoping they would at least give the illusion of realness.

I'm so glad you did post about the dresses. It was a wonderful addition. I think most girls go through something like that.

I appreciate the reassurance, silver1113. Because you're right, not everyone has that instant connection to a dress, despite what you always hear.
 

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