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

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 ). 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 Let’s take a stroll down memory lane…

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!

 

[Fashionista007]

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

Yes! It's one of my favorite things :sohappy:

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

I'm glad you liked it I totally forgot to take pictures of the drink bar, we had wine, coffee, tea, water, and some assorted fruit juices. Darn it all I should've swiped the tea bags, heck I paid for em!

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.

Aww of course, I love sharing all of my Disney trips! This one especially since it was the trip of a lifetime :sohappy: I can't tell you enough how awesome the Illuminations Dessert Parties are!!

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?????

I don't blame you!! Disney does a great job with weddings and it was such a wonderful experience. I'm with you on the dress, why would anyone NOT want the sparkles?

 

[Fashionista007]

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!

LOL this made me bust out laughing, I can just picture you watching Regis & Kelly with a cup of coffee in your wedding dress. I might have to put it on one more time before I sell it...I do work from home alone all day. I skype with my co workers but not the video chat They would never know...

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!

I'm gearing up to finish this report before I send out my Christmas cards because I put my blog address on them so our families can see pictures and view the video. So that means it needs to be done in the next 2 weeks :sohappy:

 

[Fashionista007]

Day 5 Food, Food, and More Food!

I woke up the day after my wedding in a state of wonder. Did that really happen? The ring on my finger says yes! Now it was time to enjoy our Disneymoon!

The first order of business was to check out of the Grand Floridian. For the remainder of our trip, we would be staying at Saratoga Springs! We got packed up and called bell services to come get our luggage. We figured we would take a taxi but the bellman told us of a great service that Disney provides where they transfer your luggage between hotels for you! He saved us cab fare so we gave him a little extra tip He also said he would make sure our cake would be refrigerated the entire time. I wasn't about to let anything happen to my precious cake!!

We hopped the monorail to the Magic Kingdom and then took the bus over to our new resort, Saratoga Springs!

We got checked in quickly and bonus - our room was ready! We had a very nice deluxe studio on the ground floor in the Springs area. For those of you who don't know, Saratoga Springs is separated into sections like they have at the Caribbean Beach Resort. The bus makes stops at different named locations around the resort. We didn't have any problems with it!

We were very worried that we would not like Saratoga Springs because what can possibly compare with the Grand Floridian? We were glad to see that there was nothing to be worried about! Even before we got to our room we loved it. We immediately noticed how quiet it was everywhere. Since we stayed in the main building at the Grand Floridian, our room was near the lobby so we could hear the band and people milling about. We were glad to have peace and quiet for our Disneymoon!

Sort of a self-in-mirror camera fail, next time I won't put the camera in front of my mouth!

We loved the hidden mickeys here!!

And my favorite, the kitchenette! I specifically chose Saratoga Springs for our honeymoon because I wanted a kitchen so we could eat leftovers We had tons of cake and cookies! Little did I know that the kitchen is stocked with plates, forks, and even packets of plastic utensils! It was perfect!

 

[Fashionista007]

The view from our patio, so quiet and serene!

We had a lunch reservation with my parents at EPCOT at Rose & Crown so we hopped a bus over there. The funny thing was that our room was really close to the bus stop but we still never heard any noise. Did I mention we loved our room?

This fountain is behind the Springs bus stop, so beautiful!

We arrived at Rose & Crown right on time and were seated right away! Good thing too because I was starving! We all shared the Trio of Kingdom Pasties appetizer and it was so good this was the only picture I got!

Our waiter was great and we were curious about "Bubble and Squeak" and he told us that it is named after the sound that it makes frying in the pan. I've always wondered that since the first time I heard the term in Bedknobs and Broomsticks!

For my entree, I had the good ol' standby, Fish & Chips!

Jason had the bangers and mash and he cleaned his entire plate!

Dad had the sheppard's pie, yum! I think I'll get this next time...

Mom had the sunday pot roast, I tasted some and it was delicious!

We tried a couple desserts too but I didn't get a photo. We were pretty full of food, beer, and irish coffee by then that I was a 'lil loopy! The waiter was nice enough to take a photo of us!

 

[Fashionista007]

As you can see, I continued wearing strapless tops because I didn't want tan lines for our bridal portrait sessions on day 7! After lunch, we said goodbye and parted ways. Jason and I headed back to Saratoga Springs to get our luggage and more importantly, our cake!

We called bell services and they brought our luggage straight away. They were not sure where the cake was but they assured me they would find it and they did! It arrived nicely refrigerated and in tact. I couldn't have been happier!! After we unpacked, we watched the wedding video again and had cake

I didn't cut the wedding cake properly, I didn't want to remove the white chocolate disk on top! It was too delicious to ruin.

We decided to hang around the resort for the remainder of the day because we had dinner reservations at The California Grill that night, 8PM with Wishes at 9PM. I had to wake up at 5AM 180 days in advance to nab this reservation! We got all gussied up and took a bus to the Magic Kingdom and from there we would walk to the Contemporary. We chatted up a nice family on their way to the Luau at the Polynesian. They had an adorable little girl who loved princesses. She said she hadnt met sleeping beauty yet because she said she hadn't__woken up. She was adorable!!

Unfortunately our evening started out very un-magically because we had to wait 40 minutes to be seated and the restaurant was only half full. This is exactly why I am glad they are cracking down on no-shows but The California Grill already had a no-show policy. I was getting pretty antsy that we wouldn't be seated before Wishes and Jason didn't want to watch from outside because there was a lightening storm. Luckily we were seated in time and we got a great table!

We were seated at a table near the window but unfortunately Jason's view was almost completely blocked by a wall. Being the polite guy he is, he refused to move because he didn't want to walk in front of anyone while Wishes was going on and he didn't want to take the chance that he would stand in someone's way.

We struck up a nice conversation with the couple at the next table. We told them about our wedding and they were so happy for us! We admitted that we were fish out of water at The California Grill and we did not know what to order or what wine went with what. The man stood up and came over to show us his favorite wine. We still did not know what to do but a few minutes later, the waiter shows up with this!

Yes, the couple from the next table had bought us a bottle of wine. I have never been so touched in my entire life. It was so nice and we could not thank them enough. We have purchased many bottles of this since we've been home, it's delicious!

For our appetizer, we split the "california rolls". Neither of us knew that these are not your typical california rolls. I liked them, Jason did not.

Shortly after our appetizer arrived, Wishes began.__The view from our table was so spectacular that I couldn't help but cry! I felt like fate stepped in to see us through and we had the perfect wedding and I was sitting with my prince who I love dearly. The tears flowed freely at the end..."Make a wish, dream a dream, trust your heart, and your wish will come true." It was the perfect moment!

Okay back to food. For my entree, I had the pork. I loved the flavor of the meat but I did not like the mashed potatoes it came with. I'm not a fan of really strong cheese.

Jason had the salmon which was good but he said he likes the salmon at The Hollywood Brown Derby better.

The California Grill ended up being a good experience for us but we were not huge fans of the food, it's just not our style. Although we never got their names, I will never forget the nice couple we sat next to. Thank you so much for giving us such a magical experience! It was a magical night!

The first day of our Disneymoon was everything we wanted - food and relaxation! Stay tuned for more including the bridal portraits and meeting our friends in the Disney Online Community! I feel like I'm starting a whole new trip report, there are 4 more days to go!

 

[enchanted_belle]

Yes! An update!! Perfect timing, I was almost about to actually do work in my office. :animwink: :lol:

That was SO nice of them to buy you the wine, and yummmm food ! You're making me way too excited for my trip lol (ugh, still 83 days to wait...). But even more excited for your portraits!

 

[PartOfYourWorld]

The bridal potraits are coming!!!!! :sohappy: I seriously can't wait for these.

And my cameo is coming soon as well!! :lol:

All these food pictures are also making me hungry!!!

 

[enchanted_belle]

The bridal potraits are coming!!!!! :sohappy: I seriously can't wait for these.

And my cameo is coming soon as well!! :lol:

All these food pictures are also making me hungry!!!

I think I figured out why my stomach has been rumbling nonstop for the past 15 minutes... :ROFLOL:

 

[Fashionista007]

Yes! An update!! Perfect timing, I was almost about to actually do work in my office. :animwink: :lol:

That was SO nice of them to buy you the wine, and yummmm food ! You're making me way too excited for my trip lol (ugh, still 83 days to wait...). But even more excited for your portraits!

:ROFLOL: Yeah I'm finding it hard to concentrate this week at work. I just need to get through today...

Our California Grill experience would have been low to moderate if it hadn't been for the nice couple at the next table That place is a bit fancy pants for us!

Yay for the trip countdown! It's 94 days for us, next time we're staying at POFQ for house hunting!! Next year is going to be EPIC!

The bridal potraits are coming!!!!! :sohappy: I seriously can't wait for these.

And my cameo is coming soon as well!! :lol:

All these food pictures are also making me hungry!!!

Yes I have been keeping the bridal portraits secret and I haven't even posted them on photobucket yet It's coming soon though!

Only the first cameo is coming up, I truly am saving the best for last. Our last day was so awesome and I can't believe we ended up meeting so many new friends!

I think I figured out why my stomach has been rumbling nonstop for the past 15 minutes... :ROFLOL:

Me too!! I'm constantly on a diet and sometimes I just want to eat these pictures LOL.

 

[enchanted_belle]

:ROFLOL: Yeah I'm finding it hard to concentrate this week at work. I just need to get through today...

Our California Grill experience would have been low to moderate if it hadn't been for the nice couple at the next table That place is a bit fancy pants for us!

Yay for the trip countdown! It's 94 days for us, next time we're staying at POFQ for house hunting!! Next year is going to be EPIC!

Ugh, I can't believe we're on a 10 day difference... you're literally going down when we had planned our original trip! I wanted to do the Princess Runs so badly this year, but we figured the free dining was too much of a big savings for us to pass up right now.

I can't wait to hear all about the house hunting! LOL, I feel like I need to have a notebook for taking notes on all of your adventures! I need to get my butt in line so I'll have enough money to move down the year after... :lookaroun

Me too!! I'm constantly on a diet and sometimes I just want to eat these pictures LOL.

Don't you just hate these diets? I'm bound and determined to look good for Disney, but I just want to eat when I see all the food . LOL.

 

[diddy_mouse]

Yay for the trip countdown! It's 94 days for us, next time we're staying at POFQ for house hunting!! Next year is going to be EPIC!

94 days you say?...and staying at POFQ? I will be checking out of that very same resort right as you're arriving. (give or take a day) :lol:

And hooray for house hunting! :sohappy:

 

[PartOfYourWorld]

Yes I have been keeping the bridal portraits secret and I haven't even posted them on photobucket yet It's coming soon though!

Only the first cameo is coming up, I truly am saving the best for last. Our last day was so awesome and I can't believe we ended up meeting so many new friends!

NOW!!!!! :lol: Just Kidding!! I know it's totally worth the wait

I still can't get over our last day either, it was just so awesome!

 

[Fashionista007]

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!

Ugh, I can't believe we're on a 10 day difference... you're literally going down when we had planned our original trip! I wanted to do the Princess Runs so badly this year, but we figured the free dining was too much of a big savings for us to pass up right now.

I can't wait to hear all about the house hunting! LOL, I feel like I need to have a notebook for taking notes on all of your adventures! I need to get my butt in line so I'll have enough money to move down the year after... :lookaroun

Don't you just hate these diets? I'm bound and determined to look good for Disney, but I just want to eat when I see all the food . LOL.

Aww it's a shame we're just going to miss each other this time around! Enjoy your trip though and I can't wait to hear about it!! I love trip reports and I really need to catch up!

I love writing about all my adventures because this is the first time in my life I've had remotely interesting adventures! The line up for 2012 is looking good And someone once told me that if you wait until it's the right time and everything lines up, it will never happen. Right now Jason and I aren't in the best place financially because we just paid for the wedding. But, our lease is up in April so we're going to move anyway instead of staying put for one more year. We won't have that much money saved up by then but I just figured heck, we should just do it. So we are! We'll see how it goes, we will probably have to take our own snacks to the parks for awhile... ::shrug::

Ugh dieting. I'm so sick of it! But, if I don't do it then I would quickly become morbidly obese! I wasn't too bad at Thanksgiving dinner today, I never had second helpings and I didn't take too many leftovers. I can't stop looking at pictures of my wedding cake though...I miss it! Luckily we can always get a replica made at the Grand Floridian!

94 days you say?...and staying at POFQ? I will be checking out of that very same resort right as you're arriving. (give or take a day) :lol:

And hooray for house hunting! :sohappy:

OMG no way!!! If our trips overlap, we have to get together! We'll be down 2/25-2/29 We're so excited, this will be our first time at POFQ, I've never been able to get in there because it books up so quickly.

NOW!!!!! :lol: Just Kidding!! I know it's totally worth the wait

I still can't get over our last day either, it was just so awesome!

I'm working on it now, so very soon!

Today at Thanksgiving dinner my niece, Brooke, made a little paper turkey and we all wrote what we were thankful for. I wrote about my family, of course, and that I am also thankful for all my new friends. I can't even count how many new friends I've met this year from the Disney Online Community! :sohappy:

 

[Fashionista007]

Day 6 Relaxation and Spa Day

We woke up around early around 7AM and decided to cancel our reservation at The Crystal Palace. Instead, we decided to go to Downtown Disney. We took a nice romantic stroll along the path from Saratoga Springs and it was SO beautiful!

It was such a nice day and the walk was just what we needed. Pretty soon we reached Downtown Disney!

The first order of business was breakfast. I guess I was behind in my WDW knowledge because I thought McDonald's was still there. We were pleasantly surprised by their replacement, Pollo Campero! SO much better than McDonalds!

I actually had cake for breakfast so I watched Jason eat his breakfast sandwich with a side of bacon!

After breakfast, we strolled around for awhile and went shopping. I never realized how many cute photo opportunities there are at Downtown Disney!!

I couldn't help myself, Mr. Potato Head is one of my favorites!!

__

To infinity and beyond!!

 

[Fashionista007]

And then we found our new favorite store, the Wonderful World of Gaming!! Jason and I are both avid gamers and the existence of this store just tickled us!! The Cast Member working there didn't know much about video games and he asked me to show him how to play Cars 2 for the Wii. I schooled him I love racing games!! Jason had to check out Lego Pirates of the Caribbean...

After our gaming break, we tried to find swimwear for our spa appointments that afternoon. In all the craziness the week before our trip, I had forgotten to pack swimsuits! I knew there were whirlpools at the spa so I figured we needed swimsuits. I struck out but Jason found a good pair of trunks on sale We found a few more photo opportunities on our way around!

This is one of the coolest sculptures at the Lego store!!!

 

[Fashionista007]

Before we left, we stopped by Arribas Bros to see if we could get mugs engraved. The lady didnt have anything but she called the Main Street store and talked to the artist for me. He said he could do something for us so we stopped in there later in our trip. They even ship things home for free! I had to get a picture of this Chernabog sculpture, I WANT!!

__

Since I couldn't find a swimsuit anywhere at Downtown Disney (what's up with that??), we hopped a bus to the Grand Floridian so I could pick one up at Summer Lace. Of course, they had exactly what I was looking for. The Cast Members talked to us about the wedding and I showed them pictures. One of them said she was working the day we were married and she saw us walking through the lobby a few times! It was magical

We took the monorail to the Magic Kingdom and a lady told us that she was married at the Wedding Pavilion 10 years ago. She said its nice to bring her son here now, he was in a stroller. That will be us soon!! I loved talking to other guests about the wedding. It will be kind of a bummer on future trips not to be congratulated all the time so we won't feel special. But, I guess everyone is treated like a VIP in Walt Disney World

Finally we made it back to Saratoga Springs for spa time and massages!

We did the 50 minute couples aromatherapy massage and it was worth every penny! We both really enjoyed it. But, I did not know that the whirlpools were in the locker rooms. So, Jason and I couldn't soak together. I never even ended up using my bathing suit! We were so relaxed and sleepy that we ended up cancelling our reservation at Le Cellier and hanging around the resort. No worries, we will eat at Le Cellier in February 2012! By late afternoon I was positively starving because all I had to eat all day__was a slice of wedding cake and a few samples at Pollo Campero. So, we hit up the Artist's Palette!

Sorry, no food pictures I was so dazed that I totally forgot to take pictures of the food! I had the chicken nuggets and Jason had the Smith Stack. Both were absolutely delicious!! We spent the next hour planning our__day for WDW's 40th anniversary. We were getting so excited to meet our Disney online friends!!

Since I had to get up at 3AM for hair and makeup for bridal portraits the next morning, we stayed in that night to rest up. We never even ended up going to one of the parks. It was a nice relaxing__day!

Oh boy, bridal portraits are up next!!

 

[enchanted_belle]

And then we found our new favorite store, the Wonderful World of Gaming!! Jason and I are both avid gamers and the existence of this store just tickled us!!

I know the first store Dan and I go to while were at DTD. He is going to LOVE it.

yayyyyyy bridal portraits!!! I'm so excited! :sohappy:

And... don't worry, we'll catch up at some point I'm sure haha. In fact, I'll be in Baltimore for a Pampered Chef thing in January for a few days. Think we're doing a huge happy hour of some sort somewhere? :shrug: I'll have to keep you updated, maybe we'll get lucky and something will line up! :lol:

 

[Fashionista007]

I know the first store Dan and I go to while were at DTD. He is going to LOVE it.

yayyyyyy bridal portraits!!! I'm so excited! :sohappy:

And... don't worry, we'll catch up at some point I'm sure haha. In fact, I'll be in Baltimore for a Pampered Chef thing in January for a few days. Think we're doing a huge happy hour of some sort somewhere? :shrug: I'll have to keep you updated, maybe we'll get lucky and something will line up! :lol:

The Wonderful World of Gaming is great but if he's a gamer, take him to DisneyQuest. Jason and I will need to upgrade to Premium Annual Passes when we move down to FL just for that alone! It's SO fun!!

Bridal Portraits coming right up

 

[Fashionista007]

Magic Kingdom Bridal Portrait Session!

I woke up bright and early at 3:30AM. I had no trouble getting up because I was well rested and SO excited for our Bridal Portrait Sessions at the Magic Kingdom and EPCOT! Patricia Lejeune was right on time, she knocked on the door at 4AM sharp to do my hair and makeup. She did a perfect job again! It was so nice to see her and talk to her again. We talked about the wedding and I showed her some photos on my iPhone. I feel like I need to have another special event just so she can make me all beautiful again!

Jason slept while I was getting all dolled up and he got ready in 10 minutes!

I'm finally ready!! I did the same makeup but I had her do my hair a bit different. I went with it down in romantic curls

A few minutes before 6AM, the photographer called to see where we wanted to be picked up. I wanted to be picked up outside the lobby so Jason and I could walk around a bit in our wedding gear! As we walked up to the lobby entrance, there were a lot of sad people waiting for the Magical Express to take them home. They all perked up as we walked by and they applauded! I got some really nice compliments on my dress We waited at the entrance for a few minutes and then the van showed up. Our photographer was Joe and his assistant was Alicia. Alicia and I became fast friends because we had so much in common and she was so sweet! I made so many new friends on this trip!!

We got in the van and drove to the Magic Kingdom! On the way we discussed the photos we wanted. I didn't have time to make a shot list but I had a few ideas. I was so excited to be backstage but there were workers everywhere, construction vehicles, etc. I was a bit surprised that it was so busy that morning and so was the photographer. We started at the castle and even with all the noise and construction, I made myself ignore it so I could take in the moment. I was standing in front of Cinderella's castle in my Alfred Angelo Cinderella wedding dress with my Prince. It was one of the best moments of my life.

I'm so glad these photos turned out so well. There were 2 cranes at the castle that morning and workers everywhere but the magic of Photoshop made it look like we were the only ones in the park! We used silk flowers for our portraits instead of doing the floral refresh. I was so__grateful__for this because my wedding day bouquet weighed about 10 lbs! Ok I'm exaggerating but it was heavy!! Thanks to everyone who helped me design my silk bouquet, it looked great

We moved into the castle and took some shots near the doors and artwork. The photographers were really professional, setting up lighting, and perfecting my dress the whole time. I felt like a movie star!

I really like the black and white shots they did for us, I'm a big fan of old hollywood and these photos are just perfect!

 

[Fashionista007]

Then we shot near Cinderella's wishing well. I loved every minute!! My Cinderella dress was just perfect for all of these photos!

I really can't choose a favorite but I lean towards the black and white photos. This one is definitely near the top!

We went to the Prince Charming's Regal Carousel next. It was a bit difficult and uncomfortable for me to sit on a horse in my wedding dress and they did a good job making it look like I wasn't about to fall off!

Until this point, the carousel music was turned off. As I was sitting on the horse, a cast member turned on the music. It was When You Wish Upon a Star and I totally started crying We got in a few last shots before the tears were streaming down my face!

Jason took a few solo photos while I composed myself!

We finished up with some shots of Peter Pan's Flight since that is where Jason proposed to me He proposed on 9.21.2010 which was my 29-and-12-month birthday. Peter Pan's Flight was the perfect proposal, he did it as we were flying over London ::swoon::

When we walked out, an announcement came on saying that the Magic Kingdom was opening at 9am and needed to be "show ready" at this time. It was so cool being there before it opened and getting to go backstage!

Of course, I posted a slideshow with all of the pictures on my blog!