Once Upon a dream TR: Intimate WP/ Citricos Chef's Domain/ Grand 1/ Tour/ COMPLETE

I'm glad you all liked the tickets! We had a lot of good comments from them. I think it was a neat touch.

I'm also touched by your concern for the wedding tour. Without further adieu I'll get going on my next post (I was waiting for DH to get home to help upload some things)....
 
Well, the fate of the wedding tour seemed pretty grim. With DH set to start working all weekends starting on the 7th of July it seemed unlikely that we were going to be able to pull it off.

Our first concern was Ottawa and Newmarket. St.Catharines and Toronto seemed easier to resolve because we could get DH there later on in the day. But Newmarket was a 2 hour drive from his worksite and Ottawa was upwards of 6:sad2:

We tried to move the Newmarket date to a date in June, but not enough of the guests could swing the change with such late notice. We decided to move the Newmarket date to coincide with Toronto. Guests would need to drive half an hour, but it wasn't the end of the world.

But Ottawa was still problematic. We went up on Canada Day and celebrated both the birthday of our nation and our wedding tour with one set of friends from Ottawa. But there was still another entire party to contend with. There didn't seem to be any solution. No other weekend worked for the friends hosting our party and we simply could get DH there. Ottawa -- at the very least -- was going to be cancelled.

That is....until my friend Rene saved the day. She cheered me up and promised that they'd make it happen (one way or the other) and even said that I could "borrow" her husband (my good friend Tim) as a proxy DH if need be. She even suggested having a video link. :hug:

In the end we wound up finding out this afternoon that DH's start date will be pushed back until next weekend. The tour will be hitting Ottawa...with DH.


So on with the show....

ST.CATHARINES, ONTARIO
The plan was to host my mom's family on Saturday and my dad's family on Sunday at my parent's house. Both my parents have many brothers and sisters and had all my cousins come, we wouldn't have had enough room.

Let me introduce you to the place I call home.

St.Catharines is located in the region of Niagara, known for its fruits and its wine, particularly its ice wine. I love it. There's nothing like driving along the highway coming from Toronto, turing the bend around Hamilton and feeling the lake. And I do mean feeling it. The air just changes in a way that feels like home.

One of my favourite places in St.Catharines is Lakeside Park. I spent a lot of time as a kid and teenager hanging out here. I think it's just gorgeous
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000_0010.jpg


I love the beach and the piers...
000_0001.jpg

000_0016.jpg


I even love our Canadian Geese (despite the mess they make)...
000_0014.jpg


But I'm most proud of our old fashioned, hand carved carousel...(it's only 5 cents a ride!)
000_0007.jpg


Before DH and I realized that a DFTW was a possibility, I had looked into getting married at the end of the eastern pier. I thought it would be the perfect place to have a small gathering, especially because I feel so close to my grandmother (who passed when I was 16) when I'm there.

I love my parent's house as well. I guess it'll always be home now.
LeanEcho.jpg

(that was the first day I got my brand new car, it was the only picture I had with the front of the house).

DH and I drove home the Thursday before the weekend started to come up with a game plan. I still had to put together the favours, do all the shopping and put the food together.

We originally had planned to do t-shirts for favours, to keep with the theme. But after being inspired a la Oprah, I decided that making them would be an unnecessary use of energy. And I wasn't sure if people would have any use for them. Instead we made copies of the DVD (which Simon modified), packaged them with popcorn, and had a package of hershey's hugs and kisses for take aways.
WeddingTour001.jpg

WeddingTour002.jpg


Every time I go to buy a fruit tray for an event, I shake my head and say "why would I pay so much money for cut fruit....I can do it myself". Well after 2 hours of cutting fruit and veggies on Saturday, I would have gladly shelled out the extra $20 :rolleyes:

Unfortunately I don't have many pictures of the actual days. I was busy moving from room, to room, to the backyard to tell my tales and show the pictures. I promise, promise, promise we'll take more for the Ottawa stop.
WeddingTourSt.Catharines002.jpg


One of my favourite moments was slipping outside with my little cousin and her friend to watch them blow bubbles. They were so cute!
WeddingTourSt.Catharines025.jpg


After being disappointed with my DFTW cake, I wasn't taking any chances on our wedding tour cakes. For this stop we splurged and went to a great local bakery. It was so tasty!
WeddingTourSt.Catharines038.jpg


The wedding tour was off to a great start. It was nice to sit around and chat with family in a relaxed way, to tell them all our stories, and watch them experience the wedding for the first time as they watched the DVD.

DH did a great job taking the footage we received from videography and adding on post-ceremony footage from my dad's video footage. We had fun making a DVD to true form. Bonus features were included in the DVD including montages from when we were little, video from my limo ride, and even a commentary (that's right...we sat down and recorded our thoughts as we watched the video). It's truly a great keepsake.

I'd like to share a little of it with you. This the montage DH composed of me from video and pictures taken over the years. The picture has lost some of its resolution from compressing the file, but I hope you still enjoy popcorn:: (turn on those speakers & click on image)
 
Well, the fate of the wedding tour seemed pretty grim. With DH set to start working all weekends starting on the 7th of July it seemed unlikely that we were going to be able to pull it off.

Our first concern was Ottawa and Newmarket. St.Catharines and Toronto seemed easier to resolve because we could get DH there later on in the day. But Newmarket was a 2 hour drive from his worksite and Ottawa was upwards of 6:sad2:

We tried to move the Newmarket date to a date in June, but not enough of the guests could swing the change with such late notice. We decided to move the Newmarket date to coincide with Toronto. Guests would need to drive half an hour, but it wasn't the end of the world.

But Ottawa was still problematic. We went up on Canada Day and celebrated both the birthday of our nation and our wedding tour with one set of friends from Ottawa. But there was still another entire party to contend with. There didn't seem to be any solution. No other weekend worked for the friends hosting our party and we simply could get DH there. Ottawa -- at the very least -- was going to be cancelled.

That is....until my friend Rene saved the day. She cheered me up and promised that they'd make it happen (one way or the other) and even said that I could "borrow" her husband (my good friend Tim) as a proxy DH if need be. She even suggested having a video link. :hug:

In the end we wound up finding out this afternoon that DH's start date will be pushed back until next weekend. The tour will be hitting Ottawa...with DH.


So on with the show....

ST.CATHARINES, ONTARIO
The plan was to host my mom's family on Saturday and my dad's family on Sunday at my parent's house. Both my parents have many brothers and sisters and had all my cousins come, we wouldn't have had enough room.

Let me introduce you to the place I call home.

St.Catharines is located in the region of Niagara, known for its fruits and its wine, particularly its ice wine. I love it. There's nothing like driving along the highway coming from Toronto, turing the bend around Hamilton and feeling the lake. And I do mean feeling it. The air just changes in a way that feels like home.

One of my favourite places in St.Catharines is Lakeside Park. I spent a lot of time as a kid and teenager hanging out here. I think it's just gorgeous
000_0015.jpg

000_0011.jpg

000_0010.jpg


I love the beach and the piers...
000_0001.jpg

000_0016.jpg


I even love our Canadian Geese (despite the mess they make)...
000_0014.jpg


But I'm most proud of our old fashioned, hand carved carousel...(it's only 5 cents a ride!)
000_0007.jpg


Before DH and I realized that a DFTW was a possibility, I had looked into getting married at the end of the eastern pier. I thought it would be the perfect place to have a small gathering, especially because I feel so close to my grandmother (who passed when I was 16) when I'm there.

I love my parent's house as well. I guess it'll always be home now.
LeanEcho.jpg

(that was the first day I got my brand new car, it was the only picture I had with the front of the house).

DH and I drove home the Thursday before the weekend started to come up with a game plan. I still had to put together the favours, do all the shopping and put the food together.

We originally had planned to do t-shirts for favours, to keep with the theme. But after being inspired a la Oprah, I decided that making them would be an unnecessary use of energy. And I wasn't sure if people would have any use for them. Instead we made copies of the DVD (which Simon modified), packaged them with popcorn, and had a package of hershey's hugs and kisses for take aways.
WeddingTour001.jpg

WeddingTour002.jpg


Every time I go to buy a fruit tray for an event, I shake my head and say "why would I pay so much money for cut fruit....I can do it myself". Well after 2 hours of cutting fruit and veggies on Saturday, I would have gladly shelled out the extra $20 :rolleyes:

Unfortunately I don't have many pictures of the actual days. I was busy moving from room, to room, to the backyard to tell my tales and show the pictures. I promise, promise, promise we'll take more for the Ottawa stop.
WeddingTourSt.Catharines002.jpg


One of my favourite moments was slipping outside with my little cousin and her friend to watch them blow bubbles. They were so cute!
WeddingTourSt.Catharines025.jpg


After being disappointed with my DFTW cake, I wasn't taking any chances on our wedding tour cakes. For this stop we splurged and went to a great local bakery. It was so tasty!
WeddingTourSt.Catharines038.jpg


The wedding tour was off to a great start. It was nice to sit around and chat with family in a relaxed way, to tell them all our stories, and watch them experience the wedding for the first time as they watched the DVD.

DH did a great job taking the footage we received from videography and adding on post-ceremony footage from my dad's video footage. We had fun making a DVD to true form. Bonus features were included in the DVD including montages from when we were little, video from my limo ride, and even a commentary (that's right...we sat down and recorded our thoughts as we watched the video). It's truly a great keepsake.

I'd like to share a little of it with you. This the montage DH composed of me from video and pictures taken over the years. The picture has lost some of its resolution from compressing the file, but I hope you still enjoy popcorn:: (click on image)

Tiffany the video was great. You are so cute!
 


As I said Tiffany, Simon did a wonderful job with the montage:goodvibes I loved it. WOW, your home town looks beautiful, it really makes me want to visit Canada. Everything looks so clean and perfect, a.k.a. Pleasantville! I'm glad you had better luck with your cake this time, what was the filling?
 
Tiffany the video was great. You are so cute!

Thanks so much Laura! And thanks for saying that I was cute. But to be honest I went through an awkward stage from age 6 to age 19. Still...very nice of you to say :goodvibes

All I can say about the video is WOW - I felt like I was growing up with you:)

Thanks, it's really interesting because I didn't choose any of the clips -- the only thing I chose was the song. It was all DH and he managed to capture a lot of moments.

As I said Tiffany, Simon did a wonderful job with the montage:goodvibes I loved it. WOW, your home town looks beautiful, it really makes me want to visit Canada. Everything looks so clean and perfect, a.k.a. Pleasantville! I'm glad you had better luck with your cake this time, what was the filling?

That's so funny, because I've referred to St.Catharines as Pleasantville since I saw the movie. This time for the cake I chose marble cake, chocolate whipped cream in the centre (the closest I could get to chocolate mousse), and white buttercream.
 
Tiffany- WOW :goodvibes That video montage Simon made for you is truly a treasure! You were such a cutie pie who grew up into such a beautiful woman! I loved seeing the pictures of you ice skate, so cool you can do that!

St. Catharine's looks beautiful! It sounds like you had a great time at the first stop of the wedding tour! I'm glad it was back on too! I loved the favors you made, such a cute idea to include popcorn and chocolate w/ the DVD. You are so creative :thumbsup2
 


I am in awe of Simons work in the montage. Thats truly amazing-- I nearly cried at the end when I saw the WDW footage of you during your childhood.... its crazy to think that years later you were there getting married!! Literally... i was tearing up pretty good! Your ice skating is awesome!! I always wondered how they do that stuff! You were such a doll-- i dont think I have that much footage of me growing up-- makes me realize the importance of video cameras!

Your hometown is beautiful! Im so glad things worked out and Simon was able to make the stops!
 
I'm glad you are writing about your wedding tour. It looks like a lot of fun.
The video was precious.
 
Tiffany- WOW :goodvibes That video montage Simon made for you is truly a treasure! You were such a cutie pie who grew up into such a beautiful woman! I loved seeing the pictures of you ice skate, so cool you can do that!

St. Catharine's looks beautiful! It sounds like you had a great time at the first stop of the wedding tour! I'm glad it was back on too! I loved the favors you made, such a cute idea to include popcorn and chocolate w/ the DVD. You are so creative :thumbsup2

That's so sweet of you to say. I'll pass on your words to Simon. Unfortunately I can no longer do the jump on the montage. Ahem....my centre of gravity has changed many times since then (I was about 14 when I stopped free skating). But actually, Simon and I ice dance together. I'm not sure if I've told everyone here, but Simon was also a competitive figure skater as well. But we didn't know each other until we had become recreational skater (aka went to university ;) ) It's neat though...being able to ice dance together.

I am in awe of Simons work in the montage. Thats truly amazing-- I nearly cried at the end when I saw the WDW footage of you during your childhood.... its crazy to think that years later you were there getting married!! Literally... i was tearing up pretty good! Your ice skating is awesome!! I always wondered how they do that stuff! You were such a doll-- i dont think I have that much footage of me growing up-- makes me realize the importance of video cameras!

Your hometown is beautiful! Im so glad things worked out and Simon was able to make the stops!

Thanks Maggie! I was blown away by the way Simon captured everything. I cried the first 5 times I saw it. My mom likes to watch it over and over. I love that my dad thought to capture the first time my brother and I saw the castle on tape. You can tell that he and I spent a lot of time together. We moved a lot when I was little, so we always played together. The funniest part is actually when he's pouring sand over me. In the original footage I had buried him in the sandbox. He then says to be "OK Tiffany, close your eyes...." in a way that only brother can and goes to pour it over my face. :rotfl:


I'm glad you are writing about your wedding tour. It looks like a lot of fun.
The video was precious.


Thank you so much Melanie!!!! I'm having a lot of fun with it. I used to kid that instead of a birthday, I celebrated a birth-week....it's only fitting that my wedding will last half a year ;)


We're off to the Ottawa stop tomorrow morning. It's all very exciting. I'll be sure to take lots of pics of our Nation's Capital.
 
Tiffany - like the others said, you were such a cutie!! :cutie: That was the sweetest thing I have ever seen, Simon making that. He really did a great job!

Have a great time on your next stop!! Don't forget to take LOTS of pictures!!:cool1:
 
We didn’t get home that night until 1:30 AM

The first thing I did was boot up the laptop and check out the DIS. But there was so much that had happened in the past 10 days. I read that Lindsey had headed to Orlando and smiled. Someone’s always just going to the happiest place on earth. I saw that Maggie was still giving great advice.

Closing my laptop I headed to bed.

When the alarm went of the next morning I sat straight up wondering which park I was going to that day.

Then I realized I was going to my 9:10 Securities class.

Reality bites. Or so Wynona says.

As I dragged myself out of bed, showered and stuffed my laptop into my school bag I grumbled a bit. It was going to be a long day.

But I fell back into my routine pretty easily. It was nice to tell my friends all about everything.

It’s been 25 days since we were married. It was the most perfect day. It was the most perfect trip.

I’ve marveled over it to my friends and family.

Any yet, life goes on.

The next year of my life will be a hectic one. I finish law school in 3 months, and will have my graduation. I will go through the licensing process to become a lawyer and begin the articling process with my firm.

My nails have long since chipped off, and have been cut so that I can type better. I traded my wedding ears for my toque, and I’ve sent my gown for cleaning and preservation. My transformation back from princess to jeans and ponytail is complete.

But as I’m trudging to the bus stop in -20 degree Celsius weather (that’s 12 degrees F), I smile and think: “what a perfect day.”

When people say to keep things in perspective because it’s only one day, they’re right. It was just a day. But for me, it was a remarkable one.

Thank you for being a part of it. I look forward to sharing in everyone’s special days and to share the things I learned along the way. I’ll also keep you posted about my wedding tour. DH and I plan to travel Ontario celebrating our wedding with our friends and family by having backyard parties over the month of July. I have lots of planning to do.

Here’s to wedding planning. Here’s to love. Here’s to a vow renewal in 10 years.

Cheers.

Tiffany

awwww..this made me tear up..soo sweet...you have such a way with words.

BTW: Where did you go to school?

I'm in London, Ontario
You might be my go-to girl for questions regarding my Disney wedding :P--hopefully thats okay.

You wedding was incredible!! You two are soo sweet. Congrats.

Maggie
 
Hi Tiffany:

I just went through your complete TR and videos -what a fantastic job! I just can't say enough.

I recently read Jen's Wedding TR and she recommended your report as well as Maggie's. I started with yours because I immediately noticed that in addition to being fellow Canadians we are also fellow lawyers (or at least you will be soon!)

Can't wait to read more about the upcoming wedding tour!:)
 
Thanks everyone, for all your sweet comments. I'll relay to Simon your compliments!!! :goodvibes

awwww..this made me tear up..soo sweet...you have such a way with words.

BTW: Where did you go to school?

I'm in London, Ontario
You might be my go-to girl for questions regarding my Disney wedding :P--hopefully thats okay.

You wedding was incredible!! You two are soo sweet. Congrats.

Maggie

Maggie, I went to the University of Waterloo for both my undergrad and grad degree and to U of T for law school. Actually, I'm headed to London next week for the day. It seems like a great city. Feel free to ask me anything. I know a couple times I had Canadian specific questions that came up (though, I can't seem to think of them right now :) )


Hi Tiffany:

I just went through your complete TR and videos -what a fantastic job! I just can't say enough.

I recently read Jen's Wedding TR and she recommended your report as well as Maggie's. I started with yours because I immediately noticed that in addition to being fellow Canadians we are also fellow lawyers (or at least you will be soon!)

Can't wait to read more about the upcoming wedding tour!:)

Thanks so much! It's really great to share such a a great day with everyone.

I was reading along with you for Jen's report (a true gem!!!) and Maggie was my inspiration.
 
OTTAWA, ONTARIO

Ottawa is the capital of Canada. Its beauty is only surpassed by the fantastic people that live there. It's a place that is known for congeniality, fitness, and good living. It's also the place where Simon and I met five and a half years ago.

In the wedding video the videography asks about our first date. Although, not official, our "first date" was skating under the moonlight on the Rideau Canal. In the wintertime, the canal becomes the world's largest skateway.
rideaucanal.jpg


Unfortunately it's also 5 hours away from Toronto, which is more than a short jaunt.

So, the Friday morning of the weekend of the Ottawa stop on the wedding tour Simon and I set out on a road trip, ready for anything. We were lucky to have good driving weather. It wasn't too hot or rainy.
WeddingTourOttawa180.jpg
WeddingTourOttawa182.jpg


Once you're out of Toronto, the road to Ottawa is lined with trees, and not much else.
WeddingTourOttawa190.jpg

WeddingTourOttawa199.jpg


Because I had packed snacks, we had one quick stop and soon we were headed on the last leg of the journey.
WeddingTourOttawa206.jpg
WeddingTourOttawa216.jpg


Arriving in Ottawa always comes suddenly to me. After hours and hours of brush, all of a sudden you're in the middle of the city. The first thing that Simon and I did when we got in was take a trip downtown.

This is the city where we fell in love. Both with the city, and each other.
The Peace Tower:
WeddingTourOttawa234.jpg


The Chateau Laurier:
WeddingTourOttawa238.jpg

(This is the building that served as the model for the reproduction in the Canadian Pavilion in Epcot)

The Supreme Court of Canada:
WeddingTourOttawa263.jpg


The Parliamentary Buidlings that back onto the Ottawa River:
WeddingTourOttawa258.jpg


The Parliamentary Library:
WeddingTourOttawa262.jpg

This building is recently restored after a fire that occured there. If you look carefully, you can see the new copper roof, which hasn't yet changed to green after oxidation.

And, because I thought all my American friends may appreciate a taste of home, here's the American consulate.
WeddingTourOttawa247.jpg
WeddingTourOttawa266.jpg


To be continued....
 
Sunday was the date of the wedding tour.

After going for brunch, DH, our hosts and I started preparing for the guests. I made brushetta and brownies (for my infamous brownie sundae dessert), and our hosts set up the house.

By 2pm our firsts guests had arrived and by 3 the party was in full swing. We mostly hung out in the backyard. The girls sat and chatted, looking at pictures, while the guys decided to start a mini game of football.

WeddingTourOttawa294.jpg
WeddingTourOttawa302.jpg


WeddingTourOttawa311.jpg


Even though it was a "best wishes only" party, our friends brought us some presents. And after their chant began "gifts, gifts, gifts", we happily obliged.
Simon and I decided to wear our matching disney polos and I added both my wedding ears and my wedding shoes as an added Disney touch.
WeddingTourOttawa337.jpg
WeddingTourOttawa327.jpg


After that it was time to start the grill. We were all so hungry we scarffed down all the hamburgers, hot dogs, and brushetta without any photo ops :upsidedow

When it was time for dessert I hurried to the kitchen to assemble the brownie sundaes and we all sat down to watch the wedding video.
WeddingTourOttawa352.jpg


When it came time for the toast on the movie, DH decided that that was the best time to pass out the champagne we had bought for the group. This was my favoute moment of the tour so far. The timing was a bit off, so the group yelled out "PAUSE", and we paused the video until all the group had something to toast with. Then we proceeded...
WeddingTourOttawa354.jpg


Because it was a Sunday, many of the group left after the video was over to get home for work the next day. For the rest of us, it was time to act a little goofy.
WeddingTourOttawa362.jpg
WeddingTourOttawa364.jpg


It was a great day. A great, relaxed way to share our wedding day with our great friends.

Next up: The Toronto Finale
 
Wow Tiffany--- Ottawa is breathtaking! So beautiful! No wonder you two fell in love there :love: It looks like you, Simon, and your guests had a great time! That's so cute that everyone toasted along with your video! mmmm your brownie sundae sounds delicious, I want some right now ;) I cannot wait to hear about the final stop!
 
Tiffany, I love this installment. No wonder you and Zach (oops I mean Simon) fell in love in Ottawa. I would too-- that place is gorgeous and reminds me of London. Love it! Looks like a great trip this go round.

OKay-- so Simon reminds me a lot of the actor Zach Braff. He played in the movie "Garden State", was also on the show "Scrubs", etc. Heres his photo-- everytime I see Simon I think im lookin gat Zach Braff...haha..
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0103785/photogallery
 
Tiffany, I am so glad you posted your next instalment. Ottawa looks simply beautiful, it now has a high position on the list of places I want to visit, I absolutely love the buildings. You and Simon make such a beautiful couple, has Simon let his hair grow longer? It really suits him:thumbsup2
I just realised I have talked to you for ages and I have no idea how old you both are, you both look so young, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to of course;)
Okay brownie sundae dessert, how can you tease me like that and not post the recipe???? I LOVE brownies and it sounds amazing, I'm waiting...
 

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