Except for DHs cousin, who had run ahead to start our iPod, DH and I were first into the room. When I saw our cake, my heart sank: The bakery got the design perfect, but the colors were
awful they were nothing like the picture Id given my planner. Instead of bright orange and fuchsia, they were salmon and maroon ick! Admittedly, the picture Id given my WP was printed on an inkjet, but the color values of that print were correct, just a little washed out. I was kicking myself for not being as specific about the cake colors as I was with my bouquet. I later mentioned my disappointment to Nathan & Jensey, and they appear to have given my cake a little help in Photoshop whoohoo!
Really, though, I have to give the bakery credit for the dead-on reproduction of the patterns on the cake. (I was told they had to change it a little bit so it wouldnt be a direct rip-off of someone elses design.) And we got lots of compliments on it!
Inspiration picture
DH made the cake topper!
I was also relieved to see none of the dreaded clouding of linens on the cake table (although the turquoise and orange sashes were too short and dangled halfway up from the floor. Not a good look
)
Look ma, no clouding!
DH and I went out on the balcony and had a look around.
For the pre-reception (it cant really be called a cocktail hour cuz we didnt serve any hooch) we had them serve the fruit platter and pastries included in our brunch buffet. It would have been way too much food to have all at once, and it saved money!
We got to the Attic a little bit earlier than accounted for in the BEO, so I kept feeling like something should be happening but it wasnt time yet. I felt this way for the whole reception, so I can definitely say that (without dancing) three hours is plenty of time for a casual reception. Finally it was 11:00 and DH and I started our first dance. We chose Sarah Vaughans version of the Antonio Carlos Jobim tune Wave. Besides having lyrics that fit us and the way we met, it starts out slow and romantic but has two up-tempo breaks that gave us a chance to surprise our guests with a few swing moves. Our reception playlists were mainly bossa nova music, and I worked two other versions of Wave into the mix.
Using an iPod for our music worked really well. I created five playlists, one for each section of the reception - pre-reception, first dance song, brunch, parents dances, rest o the reception so that we wouldnt have to search around for the first dance songs in the middle of the reception. We asked DHs extremely overqualified cousin (hes a sound engineer for Disney Feature Animation) to cue up each of our playlists at the appropriate time, and it all ran like clockwork. The pre-reception playlist was upbeat cocktail/space-age pop stuff Henry Mancini, Esquivel, Arthur Lyman and Les Baxter. The brunch playlist was mellow samba/bossa nova by artists like Joao Gilberto, Eliane Elias, Stan Getz and Elis Regina. The second half of the reception built from bossa nova to cocktail to Latin jazz and ended with Love Theme by Barry Whites Love Unlimited Orchestra. (When I heard that one, I knew the party was winding down but thats the only way I could tell!)
After our first dance, the BM gave an hilarious toast that was done entirely as a Jungle Cruise skipper spiel. He delivered it with his hand over his mouth to make it sound authentic it brought down the house! Then the MoH and pastor gave toasts, followed by a brunch blessing by the pastor. Then
brunch!
After they announced brunch DH and I went over to the buffet, but there were no servers. I knew from reading trippies that someone would help us get our food, so I was kinda tapping my toe, but DH was surprised and impressed when they did materialize and help us load up our plates. We sat at a table for two in the far corner of the room, next to the doors that lead to the deck. I just realized we dont have any pictures of our sweetheart table, but Im kinda glad cuz it wasnt much to look at we had two ugly black banquet-hall chairs and a plain white tablecloth with just my bouquet in a vase. While we were eating, the paparazzi got to take a break and eat their vendor meals (I think they got deli plates), and I later learned Jensey started editing and Photoshopping our ceremony photos on their laptop. My WP disappeared, which I had expected (also thanks to trip reports) but would reappear occasionally to direct various events.
. Can't wait to read more.
That's so nice of you to say!
We had SO many unopened leftover sodas - the only thing that kept me from taking them with me afterward was I couldn't fit them all in my bodice...
I only wanted the Rolls cuz you looked so glamorous all crouched over in it...
This is a very good sign for you, I think....
Thanks!!!
And all the pictures are so beautiful and personalized that I'm giggling while I'm tearing up. Oh everything was just perfect.
Would you say it was.... smoochtastic? 
Of course, knowing how DFTW reacted to my "wacky" request not to have a DJ, I don't think it would have gone down so well... P.S. Although the term "Disney Haters" has become common parlance on this board, I can't use it in my TR anymore. (Hi SIL! 
Thanks! There's plenty more...
I'm clueless.
