True Love Conquers All - Disney Fairytale Wedding & Disneymoon Sept 2011

I wake up every morning wondering if it was a dream. It was my dream come true – I got married at the Wedding Pavilion in Walt Disney World. I married my best friend who shares my love for Walt Disney and his legacy. I am just the luckiest girl in the world!

How It All Began

My name is Shelley and like many little girls, I always dreamed of being a princess. Here’s a picture of 15 year old me donning the Bride ears back in 1996. I love this picture for so many reasons but I mainly miss the 2 floor Centorium. I like Mouse Gear but I miss my Centorium :(

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When I was in my mid 20’s I became jaded towards love. One night in September 2006, I went out with some of my girlfriends for a girls’ night out. I remember telling them that I just wanted to meet a nice guy who liked Disney. Yep, those were my criteria: nice guy, likes Disney. We proceeded to our favorite bar and it was still a bit early so the bar wasn’t very full. While I was ordering drinks, a guy came up and started talking to us. The funny thing was, he was all by himself! It’s not every day that a guy has the guts to walk up to a group of girls and just start talking. At first I ignored him thinking he was just another jerk. But then he spotted my Kingdom Hearts cigarette case and matching lighter. (Kingdom Hearts is a video game series, sorry – it is the best video game series to grace God’s green earth. If you love Disney and video games, you must play this series.) I remember the face he made at me, like he couldn’t believe we were meeting. He also loved the Kingdom Hearts series and his name was Jason. I remember so much of that night because it changed my life forever. We talked about everything Disney and he told me that his favorite Disney movie was The Sword in the Stone. I found that very interesting because that is not a well-known animated classic. I told him I had a cat and that I had named her after a character in Aristocats. After a few guesses, he said “Oh I know, so you named her Duchess?” (RIP Duchess, we lost her this past June :cry: ). I couldn’t believe I had met my nice guy who liked Disney. I don’t think we ever really dated; we were always in a serious relationship from that point forward.

In 2009 we went on our very first Disney World trip together with my Mom (see the trip report here). At this time, my career was not going well and neither of us had been to Disney World since 2003. This trip changed our lives forever and both of us have made major career strides since then. I have also lost a ton of weight since then :D Let’s take a stroll down memory lane…

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We went back a little over a year later in September 2010 (see the trip report here). On my 29-and-12-month birthday, Jason proposed to me while we were flying over London on Peter Pan’s Flight during Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, September 21, 2010. I loved his proposal, it was absolutely perfect!

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Fashionista007

Active Member
Original Poster
Trust me, back when you put up the picture of your spreadsheet with the prices, I sent a copy to my mom. I had a "See mom? It IS doable!!!" moment, which managed to finally get her on board for the idea.

LOL that is awesome!! I did the EXACT same thing! Before Jason proposed to me last September, I had been looking into the non-Disney hotels in Downtown Disney because I just didn't think we could afford a Disney wedding. And then I read a trip report from 2008 for an Escape wedding that cost about $6500 AND they had an Illuminations Dessert Party in Morocco. I couldn't believe it! I always thought Disney weddings started at about $20k!! And the Disney Cruise packages are even cheaper than the WDW Escape Package...just sayin' :sohappy:

congratulations!! :sohappy: i'm a little late to reading this since i was busy getting ready for my wedding and then was on my disneymoon! :D reading your report and seeing all of your pictures got me a little teary eyed here at work since i was just walking down the aisle 3 weeks ago.

oh my goodness, your pictures from your wedding day are absolutely gorgeous! you looked so beautiful! and your dress!! i love how it sparkles in all of your pictures. and i loved the diy bride and groom hats you made! super cute. and those flower girl baskets in the shape of mickey ears were adorable! i can't wait to see more pictures and read the rest of your report!! congrats again!! :D

oh...and i just saw your disney blog about having manners when at disney world. LOVE it! what a great idea. i haven't gotten to read all of the posts yet but i love the concept. looks like i am going to be very busy at work with all of this reading material. :lookaroun :lol:

Congratulations to you too, I can't wait to read about your wedding and Disneymoon!! So many WDW Magic people are getting married this year, woohoo!

I love all the comments about my sparkly dress :) They actually sell it with an option without sparkles. Who would do that?? People said I shimmered when I walked and I got SO many compliments on the dress. I really loved Alfred Angelo too, their store was never packed and it had a very "family" feel. They all ooed and aahed over my plans. Which reminds me, I need to send them a thank you note...

Thank you for reading my blog! I do put a lot of work into it so I'm glad people are enjoying it! I recently expanded it to include stories of inspiration. I didn't want it to just be a sounding board for people to talk about rude behavior in the parks. If you ever have any ideas, feel free to email or PM me!

:sohappy: Thank you! :sohappy:

You are very welcome :wave:
 

HollyBelle

Well-Known Member
Shelley! Just so you know, I'm totally ready to go to your dessert party now. :animwink: Hint! Hint! It's time for Illuminations!
 

Fashionista007

Active Member
Original Poster
Shelley! Just so you know, I'm totally ready to go to your dessert party now. :animwink: Hint! Hint! It's time for Illuminations!

LOL I will have another round of updates this weekend! At this rate I'll finish up by Christmas ;) Kidding, but I do have another 5 days to post! Man this trip was EPIC!!
 

PeoplemoverTTA

Well-Known Member
I fell so far behind in your report because of work, but I guess it was easier not having so much suspense waiting for the wedding pics :lol:. Congrats again to both of you - what a beautiful ceremony and reception!

Looking forward to your Disneymoon pics, too!
 

Fashionista007

Active Member
Original Poster
lol me too! :wave:

Me three... bring on the food ! :sohappy:

Coming right up :)

I fell so far behind in your report because of work, but I guess it was easier not having so much suspense waiting for the wedding pics :lol:. Congrats again to both of you - what a beautiful ceremony and reception!

Looking forward to your Disneymoon pics, too!

I feel your pain! Work has been crazy for me too ever since we got back :( I'm glad you got to catch up though!!
 

Fashionista007

Active Member
Original Poster
Illuminations Dessert Party!

After our photo session on the grand staircase at the Grand Floridian, Jason and I said goodbye to our guests and went back to our room. When we got up to our floor, there were many guests milling about and they applauded as we walked by and told me how beautiful I looked. There was a very nice older couple who chatted us up a few times during our stay. The lady was in a wheelchair and she was just so sweet gushing over all of our plans. I was really glad that she saw us in our wedding attire! I was positively glowing by that point because I was SO uber excited for our Illuminations Dessert Party!

When we got to our room, Jason and i finally had a chance to relax!! We ordered room service for lunch, I was starving!! We waited for our food and watched the wedding video. While Jason got to see the entire processional live, I had missed all of it because I was back stage! I was floored at how beautiful it all was and I cried, of course.

Our room service came and we chowed down! I had the 1/3 angus cheeseburger and Jason had the club sandwich, yum!

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We spent the afternoon relaxing and talking about how fabulous everything was. I think we watched the wedding video a second time and I fell asleep at some point. I got up around 6PM and we got ready for our Illuminations Dessert Party!! We went down to the lobby at 6:50PM and the lobby was even busier than before. People parted ways for us again and one mother said to her daughter, "look honey, it's a princess bride!". I waved at the daughter and she just looked at me in awe like kids do the first time they meet Cinderella. It made me all teary, once again!

I was so happy to see that our sedan was already there 10 mins early so we hopped in. Our driver, Bruce, was really great. We drove to backstage EPCOT! We saw so many cool things! Test track extends out into the backstage area a bit. We saw a Maelstrom boat by the side of the road! Of course, no pictures are allowed backstage so I didn't even try.

Finally we arrived at France which was where we would enter the park to be escorted to UK Lochside. Our escort, Jamie, was so great! We arrived before our guests so we got out of the sedan and stood around waiting for a few minutes. Jamie chatted us up about our wedding and dessert party. Finally our guests arrived! About half of our guests opted for the private transportation and half met us in EPCOT at UK Lochside. Jamie opened the doors and we were in France! The instant I was in EPCOT in my wedding dress I got all teary. People were staring at us and pointing as we all entered into France from backstage. I felt like a movie star!

And then we got to walk from France to the UK! I know many of your know the route well and it was so magical being able to walk it in my wedding dress. People applauded as we walked by and I heard the princess comment many more times! Sigh, walking across the bridge in my wedding dress is just something I'll never forget. I remember looking at Spaceship Earth as I have so many times before thinking "Is this really real??". __I wish we had taken more pictures and video :(

We were early so Jamie took us over to watch the English Channel rock show in the UK. I miss the british invasion but the new band was rockin. They all waved to us! It was so magical. We got to watch quite a bit of the show before it was time for us to get to our dessert party!

When we got to UK Lochside they were still setting up so we hung out for a minute while one of the escorts, Diana, told us the history of the lagoon and the __torches stand for each century. There are 20 torches around the lagoon and the one in the middle of the globe makes 21. The globe tells a story as well from the beginning of the earth starting with water, then land animals, and finally airbourne animals. It really added to the experience.

Finally we went down to UK Lochside and everything was amazing! The view is beautiful from there and the setup they did for us was spectacular! I had wine straight away and the bartender took one look at me and said "white wine?" He knew there was no way I would drink red wine in that dress!! Everybody settled down at their tables and I was pleased to see our families mingling on their own.

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Fashionista007

Active Member
Original Poster
And now everyone's favorite, food !! Our menu included freshly baked cookies, brownies, fresh fruit, and ice cream with all the toppings you could ever want! We chose the "Celebration" menu and added 4 bottles of wine (2 red, 2 white).

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One of the hosts came over to me and asked if my dress was the Alfred Angelo Cinderella dress? I said yes and she said that some guests at the tables overlooking UK Lochside were wondering if I would come and model it!! Jason and I walked up there only to find a huge group of Disney/Alfred Angelo employees!! What a coincidence!! They took pictures and asked if they could use them in promotional materials and social media. Um, YES! I gave Robert my email address and he laughed at the "waltsentme" alias! They were all so nice and made our night even more magical. I felt like a celebrity!! He emailed me the next day for some additional info which I provided promptly. Which reminds me, I owe him an email with the professional photos...

Robert took this picture and emailed it to me:

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We had a great time at the dessert party. We talked with all of our guests and everyone raved about the food!!

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Emma wanted to get a better look at the sparkles in my skirt :)

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Fashionista007

Active Member
Original Poster
Right before the show started, Jamie handed out "Mickey Vision" glasses. They made it look like mickeys were surrounding each light! What a nice surprise! I have read SO many trip reports including Illuminations Dessert parties and I have never seen this mentioned. I'm not sure if it's something new or other people didn't want to spoil the surprise :p

When the show started, everyone sat on the benches. I could hear them all gasping and saying "wow this is so beautiful!" I cried through the whole thing, from beginning to end. All I wanted was for all of our guests to have a good time and seeing all of their smiling faces pleased me to no end. I thought about all the stress and drama leading up to the wedding and I cried tears of relief and happiness that it all turned out beautifully. I married the man I love at the happiest place on earth. I was so completely happy and relieved in that moment that the tears flowed freely. It was the perfect end to the perfect day.

We go on
Through the joy and through the tears
We go on
To discover new frontiers

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After the show ended, I handed out the personalized cake bags that I had purchased so everyone could take leftovers. I am SO glad i did this because we hardly made a dent in the cookies and brownies! I actually wish i had filled up the ziploc bags too. We left a lot of food there. Plus, our guests really enjoyed being able to take home leftovers! I think I filled up about 4 bags and some cookies did make it home although I polished them off quickly :) They were delicious!

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Then it was time to say goodbye. We were escorted out by Jamie again and again passersby applauded and wished us well as we walked back to France from UK Lochside. It was just the most magical memory I've ever made in Walt Disney World. The dessert party was definitely the highlight of the day! It was the perfect way to end the most magical day of my entire life.

And there's even more to come including the entire honeymoon where I met many of my online friends and our Bridal Portrait Sessions at the Magic Kingdom and EPCOT! Stay tuned!
 

PartOfYourWorld

Well-Known Member
I hope you didn't get your beautiful dress dirty eating that delicious looking burger! :lol:

All of that dessert looks so incredible I wish I could just gobble it all up!!
 

diddy_mouse

Well-Known Member
So, after seeing your pictures I just told my husband that if/when we do a vow renewal we are going to try and have an Illuminations Dessert Party. I can see why your guests had such a great time.

I love how the bartender immediately suggested white wine for you. :lol:

How awesome is it that you have all these new wonderful memories at EPCOT, let alone Disney World. :eek: I'm sure I've said it before and I'll say it again, it's the best feeling in the world sharing the most magical day of your life in such a magical place.

Now I'm just waiting patiently for those MK portraits! :lookaroun:D
 

Fashionista007

Active Member
Original Poster
So after seeing those pictures, the Desserts party is definitely on my list for potential receptions! :p

I highly recommend the Illuminations Dessert Party! There are a ton of places to choose from and we picked a middle tier price wise. UK Lochside is FABULOUS! We liked it because it was right on the water and it's kind of tucked away so you get some privacy.

I hope you didn't get your beautiful dress dirty eating that delicious looking burger! :lol:

All of that dessert looks so incredible I wish I could just gobble it all up!!

LOL no I didn't eat the burger in my wedding dress :lookaroun

I LOVE WDW cookies!! You could tell the ones for our party were freshly baked. They also kept for weeks after, I was eating them up to a month after we got back! And the best thing is, I can go anywhere on property and get a cookie and it will always remind me of that night :sohappy:

So, after seeing your pictures I just told my husband that if/when we do a vow renewal we are going to try and have an Illuminations Dessert Party. I can see why your guests had such a great time.

I love how the bartender immediately suggested white wine for you. :lol:

How awesome is it that you have all these new wonderful memories at EPCOT, let alone Disney World. :eek: I'm sure I've said it before and I'll say it again, it's the best feeling in the world sharing the most magical day of your life in such a magical place.

Now I'm just waiting patiently for those MK portraits! :lookaroun:D

I really can't gush enough over the Illuminations Dessert Party. It wasn't just the food but the nice location with a perfect view of Illuminations also. You can't beat the feeling of being escorted into EPCOT by a host in your wedding attire :cry:
 

PartOfYourWorld

Well-Known Member
LOL no I didn't eat the burger in my wedding dress :lookaroun

I LOVE WDW cookies!! You could tell the ones for our party were freshly baked. They also kept for weeks after, I was eating them up to a month after we got back! And the best thing is, I can go anywhere on property and get a cookie and it will always remind me of that night :sohappy:

Oooh freshly baked WDW cookies, that will be an awesome memories for years to come :sohappy:
 

switts

Member
Finally caught up. The food pictures were great....though I am now starving and craving cookies and brownies. Congratulations looked like everything was awesome
 

foreverbelle

Well-Known Member
Finally caught up. It looks like such an amazing time. I am so honored once again that you decided to share it with us.

The dessert party looks absolutely fabulous.
 

kstella

Member
Ok, so now really really thinking again about a Disney wedding.

You were a beautiful bride and how great that people stopped and applauded.

Why would anyone get that beautiful dress without the sparkles?????
 

DiPSU224

Member
Yay! An update! I love the sparkles your dress gives off in each photo and I love reading the guest reactions to you and your hubby as they saw you in your wedding attire.

I'm so jealous you got to put your dress on multiple times...for the wedding, dessert party and your photo session! I remember almost sleeping in my gown because I knew I'd never get to put it on again (except I did once; a week after my wedding I put it on, sat on my bed and watched Regis and Kelly with a cup of coffee...don't judge :lookaroun :lol:)

I can not wait for your portrait sessions at MK and Epcot!
 

plaz10

Well-Known Member
Eeek the dessert party pics are fabulous. And making me hungry :lookaroun

I can't WAIT for the portrait sessions...the EPCOT ones especially! So excited! You looked stunning in that dress. It's like it was made for you. Congrats again!
 

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