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!

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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.

 

sweetpee_1993

Well-Known Member
OMG! All your printed stuff is amazing!!! You're sooooo creative. The 'Times Guide' is the best. I loooove that! Also, your little coordinating notebook is sweet beyond words. I totally love that touch.

Only 4 more sleeps?! Wow! It's come so fast!!!!
 

becanya

New Member
Oh my gosh, I seriously am crying now! Your invites etc are AMAZING and make me so happy. I wish I had been a disney freak when I got married 10 years ago this summer! I can't wait to hear the rest of the story! I will be following like a stalker. :sohappy: But not stalking you, just your wedding.
 

HopLow

Member
Looooooove your printed pieces! The way you incorporated the little tiki dude is fantastic!!! Your time guide ended up looking exactly like one of the park guides! And the notebook? Such a great idea!

Make sure you take some time to relax and soak it all in this weekend. I know you guys will have an amazing time and I wish you both all the best!
 

DisneyRed95

New Member
Holly, you are getting married this week!!! YAY!!! I am SO excited for you guys!!! :sohappy: :sohappy: :sohappy:

I love your printed materials. You are so creative and I love how you played off the Poly design. Too cute!!!
 

Tiggerish

Resident Redhead
Premium Member
Back from my mom-daughter trip and all caught up now on your report.

It was pretty darn chilly in Florida last week, but as we were leaving yesterday morning, it was shaping up to be a beautiful warm day, and the cold front was headed out--a nice warm week is predicted, so hopefully you will have a perfect day for your wedding!

Love, love, love, love the printed materials you made for the wedding weekend! Amazing.

Best wishes for a fabulous trip, a meaningful wedding day, and a relaxing Disneymoon!

We'll all be thinking of you on Friday! :sohappy:
 

plaz10

Well-Known Member
Absolutely adorable. The times guide is perfection. Are you available for hire for weddings? :ROFLOL:I may have to hit you up for some creative ideas for my big day...whenever that may be! Loving all the details. Going to be an amazing wedding/honeymoon/cruise/celebration!
 

wdwmagic

Administrator
Moderator
Premium Member
Very cool times guide - love it!

Beaute Speciale are awesome - we used them at our wedding. Great choice! :)
 

MillerPoppins

Well-Known Member
LOVE LOVE LOVE the Wedding Times Guide. What an awesome idea! :sohappy:

I know I've told you before, but I'll say it again...Congratulations and the Best of Luck with everything Holly. Could not be happier for you two and hope that everything goes off without a hitch down there! I absolutely can not wait to hear how everything goes! Safe travels and have an awesome time!
 
I LOVE the Times Guide! What a great idea, so creative, and something you will have to help you remember the weekend forever! I also love the invites and the notebook, just a really great personal touch.

Less than a week for you guys! How exciting! I am wishing you great weather too!

Congrats again! :sohappy:

Melanie
 

diddy_mouse

Well-Known Member
Wow! You did such a great job on your wedding materials! I adore the Times Guide and how you personalized your Ohana menu. Everything is so exciting!

I just happened to check the weather for this week and it looks like nothing but sunshine! I hope you guys have a safe trip down and a fabulous voyage on the cruise. I'll definitely be thinking of you both on Friday!
 

Disneyfalcon

Well-Known Member
I agree with everyone, the Times Guide is awesome! It's just genius!:sohappy:

Your photographer looks like a great choice. I hope he's awesome!!
 

tiaragirl

Well-Known Member
You know, I still need that photographer out on the lagoon. :animwink:

GIRLLLL you know you don't have to ask me twice ;) All this talk about a special surprise is making me want to be the uninvited-but-kinda-encouraged-sorta-stalker-photographer.. bad.

I don't think I knew you had a Dream trip planned for August... is it with the fam? I'm definitely excited to see a family trip report from you after your fabulous girls trip!

Yess, a little Disney Dreamin' for the fam - it was our supa-surprise Christmas present.. Carly and I mayyy have gotten a little teary, but that's a story for another time ;) Me and the sista and the 'rents, should be magical - as always.


WEDDING NOTES:

How are you the cutest couple anddddd best little graphic design team ever? No wonder you wanted more guests, I'd love to show off that skill! The invitations and cover of the notebook are gorgeous, Holly, and the itineraries are the cutest - what a smart idea. I'll be expecting a discount when I hire you for my wedding.. or a really great e-card at some point ;)
 

disneygirl1

Well-Known Member
OMG Holly you are just a few days away from getting MARRIED!!! :sohappy: Your printed materials look absolutely AMAZING!!! I actually started getting all teary eyed reading everything!!! So happy for you two!!!

In case this week gets a little hectic, I want to wish you an Brett a life time of "magical memories" Best Wishes!!! :animwink:
 

PartOfYourWorld

Well-Known Member
Your invitation, times guide, menu, and notebook are all amazing! You should start your own business doing special designs!!!! I wish you guys the most magical day on Friday!!!! :)
 

HollyBelle

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
WoW!!!! It's getting really close! Can't believe how time has flown. Very excited for you guys! I also REALLY LOVE the times guide and materials you put together!

I know... time really does just move faster and faster. I actually kinda hate that. But I guess that means we need to enjoy all the little moments while they last! And thank you.

Yay! Congrats on making it through hell week!

You definitely have the right attitude about your to-do list. No point in tearing your hair out trying to get everything done at this stage.

Oh my gosh Holly, you are so creative and talented. That stuff looks fabulous! You should definitely frame some of those print-outs after the big day. We framed our invitation, but our leftover programs, which I actually did make, are just boxed up. I should really have one out somewhere. They're nowhere near as good as yours though. The purple is so nice...it looks great.

4 sleeps...woohoo!

Hope you guys have a good last week of not being married and that you don't have too much last-minute craziness...good luck!

Yeah one of the bigger things that fell off the to-do list was baskets of goodies for everyone. We bought fabric and had it all planned out... the baskets were going to be Disney inspired with lots of homemade goodies. In fact we spent the weekend before last baking quite a bit... it's just not going to come together. And I'm honestly not that upset about it.

Thanks for the sweet compliment, Shannon. I really do love playing around with photoshop. I was thinking that we may display some combination of the printed materials in a shadowbox with our leis afterwards, but I guess we'll see. You should totally get yours out!

Last minute craziness is an understatement... :lol: But that's okay because we'll be relaxing soon enough!

Okay, just looked at your stuff again, and somehow I missed the Mickey and Minnie silhouettes before. Adorable!!!

I adore that silhouette and just knew I wanted to use it when I came across it. It's so sweet.

This is GENIUS! I love it!!!

Thank you, Diana! I was really excited with how it turned out.

OMG! All your printed stuff is amazing!!! You're sooooo creative. The 'Times Guide' is the best. I loooove that! Also, your little coordinating notebook is sweet beyond words. I totally love that touch.

Only 4 more sleeps?! Wow! It's come so fast!!!!

Thanks, Kelly! You should totally make yourself a personalized notebook for your cruise in September, especially considering how much importance you place on the notebook!

Too fast... Brett and I were talking about it last night. It's funny that I feel like "OMG! It's here all of a sudden," like I need more time or something... we've already waited 7 years! :ROFLOL: I think it's more about my anticipation for this trip and how in just a couple weeks it will have come and gone. Of course, none of this makes me any less excited, it's just weird how my mind plays tricks!

Oh my gosh, I seriously am crying now! Your invites etc are AMAZING and make me so happy. I wish I had been a disney freak when I got married 10 years ago this summer! I can't wait to hear the rest of the story! I will be following like a stalker. But not stalking you, just your wedding.

Aww, thank you, becanya. You can wedding stalk us all you want. :D

Looooooove your printed pieces! The way you incorporated the little tiki dude is fantastic!!! Your time guide ended up looking exactly like one of the park guides! And the notebook? Such a great idea!

Make sure you take some time to relax and soak it all in this weekend. I know you guys will have an amazing time and I wish you both all the best!

Thank you, Ashley! I loooooooove the little tiki dude! I plan to relax and soak it all in... in fact, Brett and I have talked extensively about how we're going to slow down and enjoy the resorts on this trip, keeping the commando park approach to a minimum. We kinda left true commando park touring behind a long time ago, so I don't think it should be too difficult.

Holly, you are getting married this week!!! YAY!!! I am SO excited for you guys!!!

I love your printed materials. You are so creative and I love how you played off the Poly design. Too cute!!!

I know, crazy isn't it?! Thanks, Krista. The Polynesian was definitely the inspiration for all the printed stuff.

Absolutely adorable. The times guide is perfection. Are you available for hire for weddings? I may have to hit you up for some creative ideas for my big day...whenever that may be! Loving all the details. Going to be an amazing wedding/honeymoon/cruise/celebration!

Just say the word Jess and I'll be all over it. I love doing stuff like this so I would love to brainstorm with you and come up with something fun. Thanks!

OMG you are getting so close!! I'm so excited for you! Very cute invites/Times Guide!

Thanks, Melanee. I can hardly believe it's almost here. :sohappy:

I love your graphic designs! You did a great job on all of it! I'm so excited for you guys!

Only 3 more sleeps!

Thanks, Corey... make that 1 sleep until we leave!!! Wow there's still a lot left to do in twenty four hours.

Very cool times guide - love it!

Beaute Speciale are awesome - we used them at our wedding. Great choice!

Thank you! How did I not know you got married at Disney?! I'm really excited about having the girls from Beaute Speciale. It's nice to hear a glowing review, especially seeing as how I'm a little freaked out about the make-up because I don't normally wear much.

LOVE LOVE LOVE the Wedding Times Guide. What an awesome idea!

I know I've told you before, but I'll say it again...Congratulations and the Best of Luck with everything Holly. Could not be happier for you two and hope that everything goes off without a hitch down there! I absolutely can not wait to hear how everything goes! Safe travels and have an awesome time!

Thanks so much, Karen! I'm just so incredibly excited that we're finally getting married. Even with the inevitable hiccups here and there, I think it will still be perfect!

I LOVE the Times Guide! What a great idea, so creative, and something you will have to help you remember the weekend forever! I also love the invites and the notebook, just a really great personal touch.

Less than a week for you guys! How exciting! I am wishing you great weather too!

Congrats again!

Melanie

Thanks, Melanie. We've definitely tried to put a personal touch on things and I'm excited that we were able to kind of do that without spending a bunch of money.

Wow! You did such a great job on your wedding materials! I adore the Times Guide and how you personalized your Ohana menu. Everything is so exciting!

I just happened to check the weather for this week and it looks like nothing but sunshine! I hope you guys have a safe trip down and a fabulous voyage on the cruise. I'll definitely be thinking of you both on Friday!

Thanks, Erin! Let's hope the sunshine holds out. Actually at this point, I'm surprising even myself because I'm not as freaked out by the possibility of rain anymore. Whatever will be, will be. In the end we'll still be married and that's what really matters, right?! :animwink:

I agree with everyone, the Times Guide is awesome! It's just genius!

Your photographer looks like a great choice. I hope he's awesome!!

Thanks, Tammy. I'm going to do my best to let the photographer do his thing, and not worry too much about it. Although, I do have a list of shots I'd like to get.

GIRLLLL you know you don't have to ask me twice All this talk about a special surprise is making me want to be the uninvited-but-kinda-encouraged-sorta-stalker-photographer.. bad.

Yess, a little Disney Dreamin' for the fam - it was our supa-surprise Christmas present.. Carly and I mayyy have gotten a little teary, but that's a story for another time Me and the sista and the 'rents, should be magical - as always.

So you can totally be the INVITED-but-kinda-encouraged-sorta-stalker-photographer... only so long as you don't post pictures of us before I do. :lol:

I soooooo cannot wait for the Kenzie family cruise. How fabulous! And I'm not gonna lie, when I read that your parents surprised the two of you at Christmas and there were tears involved all I kept thinking was how Disney should totally use it with their new marketing campaign. Adult children being surprised with Disney is sooooooooo cool! Tell me there is video of this exchange?

WEDDING NOTES:

How are you the cutest couple anddddd best little graphic design team ever? No wonder you wanted more guests, I'd love to show off that skill! The invitations and cover of the notebook are gorgeous, Holly, and the itineraries are the cutest - what a smart idea. I'll be expecting a discount when I hire you for my wedding.. or a really great e-card at some point ;)

Luckily I have all of you out here on the interwebs to share my designs with! And I didn't have to pay for printed copies to give you. :lol: I'll be ready when you get engaged... just say the word!

OMG Holly you are just a few days away from getting MARRIED!!! Your printed materials look absolutely AMAZING!!! I actually started getting all teary eyed reading everything!!! So happy for you two!!!

In case this week gets a little hectic, I want to wish you an Brett a life time of "magical memories" Best Wishes!!!

Aww, thanks, Reese! Speaking of "magical memories" can I just say that I think it's fun that our wedding (and start to the rest of our lives together) falls during Disney's Memories campaign!? It seems perfect.

Your invitation, times guide, menu, and notebook are all amazing! You should start your own business doing special designs!!!! I wish you guys the most magical day on Friday!!!!

I think it would be so much fun to design stuff like this all day. But my day job pays the bills! Thanks for the well wishes!
 

HollyBelle

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
So I made a last minute purchase that arrived just in time... I figure if it does rain, we need a fun umbrella to brighten things up. Isn't it lovely!? :) And I think it's perfect for the Polynesian and our color scheme! Of course, I'll be excited not to have to use it, but it'll be really nice to have if it turns out we need it!

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