My Disney World Wedding

[Bethanymouse]

Finally! I am finding some time to start our walt disney world wedding trip report! It has only taken me nearly 5 months to get my act together!

And so it begins.....

Monday, July 27, 9:00pm-
Our bags are packed.....are we ready to go? The realization hits me...this is my last night sleeping in my room, in my bed, with my puppy, as a single woman.....wowowowowowow! I guess we are really doing this!

Tuesday, July 28, 2009 3 am. Alarm goes off! After showers and final bag checks we load the bags into the limo and off we head to the airport. Arrival at neward was smooth, but boy is that airport packed! We have so many bags....you cant even imagine. Anthony and I each have two large bags and a carry on each, with a personal bag each. Wedding stuff is packed meticulously in each bag, and I said my prayers we 1) wouldnt get our bags weighed and 2) they wouldnt search it because I was SURE we couldnt possibly fit it back in the way it was......

Our line at baggage check took longer than usual. It was Anthony, me, my parents, my brother Joey (age 20), George (dad's cousin, age 73?). Our bags got weighed, we got charged and so we move on......Nothing could ruin our excitement!

Off to security....of course one of our carryon's gets selected for check. It was the one with all of the breackables....the toasting glasses, cake topper, unity candle, etc. Things were a little stressful there for a bit, but we got through it grabbed some food and headed to the gate.

At our gate we saw my cousins! Linda, Billy, Courtney, Little Billy, Tammy, Greg, and the two kids. How weird it felt! But so exciting. I think then it hit me, these people were all traveling to celebrate our wedding with us....It was one of the many magical moments we would feel throughout the trip!

Our flight was smooth and we landed in Neward on time. We caught our Magical Express bus to the All Star Movie Resort and we were off. Now I have to say, I was super leary about staying at the ASM resort. We are Poly people or POP people. But this came with the wedding offer and it was for 2 nights before the wedding then we were switching over to the Poly.

We checked in and our room was ready. We were in the Mighty Ducks building. Nothing could hamper our excitement to be in disney. And the realization that we were getting married truly would only sink in every now and then. For most of the moments up until the wedding day, I felt like it was just a big family vacation.....

Anyway, we check in, move to our room....we have a handicap room- the bathrooms are odd, and really grossed me out because there is no shower/bath , it is all open, meaning the water just flows everywhere and goes down this drain in the middle of the room. So if Anthony showered first, and I went in to use the bathroom, I was stepping in puddles of his shower water.....ewwww.....

Okay, enough of that stuff.....after dropping off our bags, we had a full day planned. My parents were staying at the Poly so they went to check in and then my dad picked up Anthony and I to run some errands.

We went to go get our marriage license, grocery store, tux final fitting for Anthony, and staples for boxes for the wedding stuff. What a busy day already.....and it was only about 4 pm!

After running those errands, we went to the Poly, my dad went to the room to meet up with family members and the plan was to meet them in Epcot at Teppan Edo after we picked up our AP passes at the TTC.

I was super excited because my cousins were in from Minnesota and we were going to get to meet up with them for Dinner. Just a run down of some names in this next section:
Little Lenny- age 43? my FAVORITE cousin! Battling cancer, in really bad shape, but was determined to pull through for the wedding
Tara- his wonderful wife, the backbone of the family
Maggie- their daughter and a bridesmaid!
Little, Little Lenny- their son and a groomsman!

Okay.....dinner and fun coming up next.....

[Bethanymouse]

Teppan Edo was fun as always. It was a magical moment to eat together with our cousins and truly enjoy these special moments. So many good memories were made. Ones I think about almost daily.

After laughs and full bellies we decided to work the park a bit. The adults (over the age of 40!) headed back to rest at the hotel. Little Lenny was not in a good place and spent the majority of his time in his room visiting with family and friends who were there for the wedding.

We walked around Epcot and our first ride of the trip......Maelstrom! Yay! I love this one! They decided to do Mission Space which I opted to skip and walked around Epcot a bit. it was some nice quiet time to really take it all in for me. After they were done, we checked out the line for Soarin- too long, so we headed to HISTA and figment. We were exhausted, being up since 3 am.....we finally called it a night around midnight and went back to the hotel.....

Tomorrow- Dad/daughter day!!!!

[beksy]

Thanks for the report! It figures that the one time you really, really don't want to be weighed and checked, you would be! Anyway, glad things got off to a great start.

[SBETigg]

Wonderful start, surrounded by friends and family, getting ready for the big day. Looking forward to more reports!

[RedSoxFan]

Great start. Look forward to hearing more.

[meldan98]

Yeah!!! I can't wait to hear all the details!

[mouseketeer mom]

Hi Bethany! So looking forward to your report! I posted awhile back that we were there the same time as you, and although I didn't know it, we were up close and personal together! You and Anthony and your Mom and 2 other people are in one of our pictures! I had taken a pic of my husband and kids in the Poly pool and once home, I saw you guys in the pool right next to them!!! I recognized you guys from the earlier pics posted!!

[magicofdisney]

Hi Bethany! So looking forward to your report! I posted awhile back that we were there the same time as you, and although I didn't know it, we were up close and personal together! You and Anthony and your Mom and 2 other people are in one of our pictures! I had taken a pic of my husband and kids in the Poly pool and once home, I saw you guys in the pool right next to them!!! I recognized you guys from the earlier pics posted!!

That is so crazy.

[Bethanymouse]

Hi Bethany! So looking forward to your report! I posted awhile back that we were there the same time as you, and although I didn't know it, we were up close and personal together! You and Anthony and your Mom and 2 other people are in one of our pictures! I had taken a pic of my husband and kids in the Poly pool and once home, I saw you guys in the pool right next to them!!! I recognized you guys from the earlier pics posted!!

That is so amazing! I remember reading that! Can you send me a link to the pic? It would be so neat to see!


Thanks for reading everyone. I hope to post more of this report tonight!

[Bethanymouse]

Day 2, Wednesday, July 29th, 2009

Woke up nice and early. Today is daddy/daughter day! Because of all of my lovely fellow intercot friends, I decided to suprise my dad with a dad/daughter day of Keys to the Kingdom tour! My dad picked me up at the ASM resort and off we went to the MK. OUr tour started at 8:30 and ended at 1. For those of you who have not been on the tour, it is absolutely wonderful. It was a lot of fun. Lunch was at Columbia Harbor house as part of the tour. They take you on some attractions and you do get to go underground. It is a great tour and we had a great day together.

While we were on the tour, Anthony and the guys were meeting with the tux store at the Polynesian where the tuxes were getting dropped off.

Once the tour was over, we were hot! We decided to head over to the Poly and go swimming. We met up with by MOH and her husband and family and also my parents, Maggie (BM), Lenny (GM), George, and my brother (GM). SOOOOOO much fun swimming in WDW with our family and friends. Who doesnt love that Poly slide?!?

After we cooled off we headed over to Ohana's. This was the big family meet. We invited anyone who wanted to join us to come to Ohana's for dinner that night. So many people joined us:
Anthony's mom and all of her friends
Uncle Mike and family
Aunt marge and family
Amy (BM, Dan, Christine (BM), Jason, Barbara and family, Weiss family (Including Little Lenny!!!), Tammy and family, Billy and Family

So much fun catching up and seeing everyone. While we were eating our delicious food, the skies opened up. What a storm! After our bellies were full we waited out the storm in the Poly lobby visiting with everyone. It was a nice and relaxing time.

Once the weather somewhat cleared up, a bunch of us headed out to the MK. We rode Buzz Lightyear and Laugh Floor. Maggie made it on the big screen! She was loving it, and so were we! We tried to ride HM but it was closed so we headed back and called it a night. Last night for me at ASM! Thank God, because I hate that bathroom!

Up next: Who is the family of the day and opening the magic kingdom! and Rehearsal day!

[RedSoxFan]

Sounds like you had a nice day with your father and then the rest of your family. Can't wait to hear more.

[beksy]

Sounds like you had a great father/daughter day! I wish my dad and I were that close...we would never last a day together! We're taking the tour in about two weeks and now I'm even more excited! Can't wait for the next update.

[Bethanymouse]

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Rehearsal day!

We woke up to my phone ringing at 7:30 am. Guess who was the family of the day? My uncle Mike, his wife Danielle, and my twin 9 year old cousins, Matthew and Melissa! What a perfect way to start the day! We were super excited for them. Many of the family members were there to catch it on film. How magical it all was!

Anthony and I got everything together, including all of my bags- it was our last full day together as an unmarried couple! So exciting!

We packed up my things and all the extras we needed for the wedding and off we went to meet the bridal party and my parents at the Poly. The girls dropped off their dresses for steaming early the next morning.

The rehearsal was at the Grand Floridian convention center. We advised everyone included in the wedding ceremony to meet us there. Let me just say, we were not off to a good start. When we arrived, everyone on my end was there on time and dressed appropriately. We had asked everyone to dress nicely because our rehearsal luncheon was at the California Grill, who has a strict dress code. We had secured a private room, The Napa room for a wonderful lunch.

Back to the actual rehearsal. Carol Mikles, our wedding planner, was there and ready to go. Our reverand, Jack Day, was also present and ready to begin. One groomsmen, and the two ring bearers, traveling together were very very very late. About 45 minutes. When they arrived, the ring bearers were completely out of control. Seriously.....I am not kidding. I have a high tolerance, but they were behaving so poorly the wedding planner had a private talk with me after ward. They refused to walk up the aisle and were just running all over the place. They did not listen to anyone. In case you were wondering they were ages 5 and 3.5. It was a horrible feeling because I was trying to concentrate on the moment and all I could think about was them doing this at our ceremony. Carol and Jack Day were wonderful and I tried to remember what we were there for.

Unfortunately, i couldnt stop thinking about how poorly the children were behaving. As we headed over to the Napa Room, I was in tears. Anthony and his mother tried to console me and told me that perhaps I should consider taking the boys out of the wedding party. I felt horrible. I didnt want to hurt anyone's feelings. Anthony's mom, Victoria, was wonderful. They are her nephews and she told me that I needed to concentrate on what we were there for, I needed to be selfish for once in my life, and that I needed to make a decision to not have them at the ceremony. I told her I would think about it........

Up Next: Our Napa Room luncheon...! delicious!

[magicofdisney]

To Be Continued? Noooo...I hate "To Be Continued"

Is Bethany unselfish for once in her life?
Will Anthony support her decision?
Will the wedding be tainted by disgruntled family or mischievous nephews?

Find out tomorrow...

[SBETigg]

Ooh, can't wait to hear what happens!

[beksy]

Way to keep us in suspense!

[mouseketeer mom]

Oh No!!! The kids sound like they became a huge distraction for you. How awful! I'll be waiting to read more...

[meldan98]

...queue dramatic soap opera music and flashback sequence now...

[tinkerbell04]

More......please!?!?!?!?

[Bethanymouse]

Thank you all for reading. I am glad you are enjoying it!

Continued:

We continued our journey over to the Contemporary Resort for our rehearsal luncheon. We had reserved the Napa room which is located toward the back of the resturant, by the restrooms, with a spectacular view of the Magic Kingdom, and an area to step outside.

The food was served buffet style. It was delicious. The menu was a package presented to us and included Salmon, polenta, mustard chicken, a fresh spinach salad with gorgonzola and fruit, corn soup, and fresh bread. The desserts looked delicious and I am sorry to now report, I didnt try them! I had to fit into that gown you know! They were a served to each person, a sample of creme brulee, hazelnut chocolate truffle, and cheesecake. Everyone raved about the food.

Anthony thanked everyone for coming and we gave our attendents and parents their gifts. The girls received a tote bag from Bass filled with goodies (disney towel, disney dollars, rain poncho, and some other stuff). They also received a white gold, diamond circle necklace with a chain to wear on wedding day. I also personalized a small photo album for each of them with pictures from our years of friendship/family and wrote a special note to each.

The guys received a sterling silver money clip with their initials. To our parents: My mom received her wedding day jewelry- earrings and a necklace. I also gave her a hanky with a poem. My dad had the daddy/daughter day tour, but I also gave him a hanky with a poem and a picture from my childhood on daddy's lap. It was in a beautiful frame and said "Daddys little girl". For Anthony's dad we bought a black disney fram with silver emblems for all four parks. And for his mother we purchased a hanky with a poem and a picture frame. We gave our readers a lenox disney ornament.

I just want to make a sidenote here.....while the luncheon was going on, the ring bearers were running all over the resturant. They were not listening and twice the matre'd asked me if they could be spoken to and told to stop running. Even when it was directly addressed by the waitstaff, they continued to run all over.

Up next: DHS with some friends and dinner at Primetime....and what to do about those boys?