Trip Report - Disney Wedding and Honeymoon

[SRUAlmn]

First of all let me say that although I dont know you outside of this board-- im extremely proud to call you my internet friend. What you did by not having your dad walk you down the isle was not only took a lot of strength, but a lot of self discipline. Im glad that you stood up for what is right, regaurdless of who it is. I, too, choose to live a marriage of fidelity regaurdless of what others in society do. I dont agree with it and its one of my biggest concerns with marriages today. DH's dad and mom lived in a marriage filled with infidelity for AT LEAST 17 years (Until DH was old enough so that they could divorce). I applaud you for your courage and strong will power! Karen was so sweet to take you asside and say what she did. That really shows what a good person she is!

Second- you are cute as a button!! I love that dress-- and the matching outfits is so adorable-- your right-- hes got it bad for you O'hanas looked like tons of fun and the gifts were very appropriate. Way to go on having good taste!!

Im still hanging in here for the long haul and enjoying every moment of it I think ill eat too-- might not be at WDW... but hey, want some popcorn... I'll share

Man, Maggie!! You always say everything I want to say and you say it better than I ever could. I guess I'll just say DITTO! Seriously, though. You are a strong person for making that choice and I think it was a wonderful idea!

I also teared up reading the story about the old man at CP because I know I would have cried too! I'm the same way about older people. I guess because I love Clint so much, and I saw my mom lose my dad, I just can't even imagine going through that. I even get days once in a while where I get upset and don't want to leave him to go to work because of everything I've been through, so I can totally understand your tears

Lastly, LOVE the matching outfits!! We try to do it sometimes too!! We didn't get to for our rehearsal which I was bummed about, but I think you and Mark looked soooo cute!! I loved his shirt too!!

Ok, ready for more!! Although, everytime I come to read yours I get yelled at for not working on mine

 

[beckyb29]

I'm so happy that I found your trip report! You and all the other dis-brides are making me want to finish my weddingTR from November!

First of all, you and your new DH make such a cute couple!!

We were lucky enough to stay Magic Kingdom view at the Poly for 5 nights of our honeymoon. It was the best resort...I couldn't have asked for a better view every morning/night...Disney Magic, for sure!!!

The Crystal Palace looks like a lot of fun! We'll have to check it out sometime. The story you told about the cast member was heartbreaking. Add that to the stress of the wedding(even though it is the happiest day of your life, it is extremly stressful!), I can see how you would break down into tears. I'm glad the rest of your pre-wedding trip went better!

Can't wait to read more soon!!!

 

[Emwit27]

I am loving your TR. Thank you for posting!

I am with the other girls...you look beautiful! You guys look so cute in your Mickey ears.

I cannot wait to read more...

 

[JJClemson]

I just caught up on your TR-- whew! You are so strong for walking down the aisle by yourself! That is an incredibly tough decision to make, but you should be sooooo proud of yourself I think it's awesome that your DH met you 1/2 way. What a great way to start your marriage

I love your matching outfits at 'Ohana! I really like your dress! You look so beautiful in it! I cannot wait to hear about the wedding day

 

[KellyJo18]

I am loving your trip report! Just by reading it I can feel your excitement, it's very catching and I love that all of it comes across even a year later. There is so much I want to say but it would just be echoing the words of the other ladies. You seem like an amazing person and I am so glad you decided to share your story with us. Oh, and I have to tell you how gorgeous your dress is from the rehearsal - especially with the matching green shirt Mark wore, so cute! I can't wait to read more .

 

[PRINCESSAJ]

Great Trip Report!

I'm loving all your pic's - you look so happy and great together!!

Looking forward to the wedding day!!

 

[Ticky Toria 78]

Your TR is so good, can't wait to hear more! Congratulations to you both! The pictures are great, and bring back loads of happy memories for me of places we visited. The mouse boats are so much fun.

 

[Cinderella22]

I love you TR!!! I can't wait for the wedding day, and the rest!!!! YaY! Better late than never.
Maggie

 

[disneyeeyorefan]

Just wanted you to know that I am loving your trip report.

 

[oneyodafan]

Congrats, what a wonderful TR. Looking forward to some great wedding day details!

 

[sunsh1ne]

i love your report. i can not wait to see more!!

do not feel embaressed about the " old alone thing" everytime i see an elderly person alone in a resturant or movie or somehitng i say to mike " can we sit with them and my heart hurts i do not know why. especially since my gpa passed it hurts more. mike knows to try to not let me see it he is so silly he will be like owww look over there. he knows me too well

 

[disneyheaven]

You guys are all the best!!!!! Thank you so much for all your kind words!!!! I am sorry I haven't been online the past 2 days...I spent all yesterday at a Kenny Chesney Concert at Gillette Stadium (home of the New England Patriots!) He is one of my favorite performers and it was an all day-all night affair! I was in the 4th row!!!!!! It was incredible!!!! So I am going to get started on the wedding day either tonight or tomorrow. You have all brought me so much happiness! I love signing into disboards and seeing all your sweet, thoughtful comments. It makes me so much!! Love to you all!!

 

[disneyheaven]

Day 5: Monday, August 21, 2006 (Our Wedding Day)

Note** This next installment was written last October. If anyone has ever read The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks, you will understand where I am coming from with how detailed I wrote this recap of our wedding day. I wanted to remember every detail, every single second of the day, hoping that it would help me to always remember this once in a lifetime day. So, I sat down last October and began typing away in a Word document. I wrote, and wrote, and wrote. I still havent completlely finished, but this has encouraged me too!! I am cutting and pasting a great deal of this "recap" I wrote (eventually I hope to have it typed and put into our wedding scrapbook) so please bear with me and all the silly detials and descriptions

Here we go!

If you were to ask why I would ever sit down to write about the intimate details of our wedding day, it would have to be because I am a die-hard, true to the last drop romantic and I fear that as time passes on, as the days turn into weeks, the weeks sew into months, and months evolve into years, I have a burning fear that the memories of our wedding day will soon begin to fade as well. Sure we have photographs that captured the beautiful moments-in-time, forever frozen with the perfect positioning and smiles. And we will always have our incredible video that my parent’s paid a fortune for to help relive the day over and over again in all its brilliant color and density. But what about the intimate moments? The feelings, the thoughts, the emotions that carried through that day? How do you begin to capture those with a photograph or video clip? It’s those feelings and emotions that create a wedding day, and it is those feelings and emotions that defined our wedding day. The feelings I had just as I woke up that morning, laying next to Mark knowing that for the rest of my life, he would be the face I would get to see. The feelings I had as I watched my parents leave the bride’s vestibule, leaving me in a surprisingly calm state of solitude, the feelings I had as Mark tenderly kissed me on the forehead as we embraced for the first time as husband and wife.
. It is those moments that I never want to lose. Not the crispness of my wedding gown or the scent of my bouquet, it’s those once-in-a-lifetime moment that can never, nor will ever, be replaced. I write my story because I always want to remember our wedding day and all the beauty and fulfillment that went along with it. For as long as I live, I want to remember the feelings, the bittersweet walk down the aisle, the “I never want it to end” first dance we shared. I want to remember the details and never ever let time get the best of them. I want those precious moments to remain as crisp and clear 50 years down the road as they are right now, at this very moment. I begin the story of our fairytale.

Ever have that feeling as a little kid, when you were waking up on Christmas morning and the night before you didn’t think you would ever be able to fall asleep because of the excitement and anticipation you knew would be awaiting the next morning? And when you finially did nod off to sleep, and awoke Christmas morning, for a total of 3 seconds, during that hazy, half-asleep, dreamlike state, you actually forgot it was Christmas. And then, just like that, your brain sounds a bell and sends a feeling to your stomach. It’s an incredible feelings of adrenaline and nerves, like something big is about to happen. It used to happen to me every Christmas morning as a little girl. I always describe it now as the feeling of childhood. The feeling of innocent wonder and imagination. The feeling that there was magic in the air and no matter what anyone else said, you did believe in the impossible. As I grew up, I found it harder and harder to retrieve that “feeling”. With the grown up realities of deadlines and dates, business and bills, I sometimes can only get that feeling again on the morning Mark and I leave for a big vacation, especially Disney World. When that dreamlike haze ends and you realize all at once, “Yes! It’s really here!” and your stomach fills with that feeling of endless possibilities that await you. It was that very feeling that greeted me on the morning of Monday, August 21, 2006. Our wedding day

It was an incredible feeling, I lay there for a few minute just enjoying the sensation in my belly. I knew that the day would be filled with business and exciting chaos so I took these precious moments and just lay still, not wanting the bubble in my belly to burst just yet. I, as I did so many years ago, let the feeling envelope me. I slowly rolled over and saw my future husband, my beloved Mark sleeping on his side. His body looked so peaceful and calm. I watched him breathe in and out, his shoulders slowly rising and falling with each inhale and exhale. This would be the very last morning I would wake up next to someone that was not my husband. This would also be the last morning I would wake up next to my fiancé. I had loved using that name for Mark. Besides wearing my breathtaking diamond on my finger, introducing Mark as my fiancé, was one of my favorite parts of being engaged. It was such a stepping stone in our courtship, a precious milestone that we had waited with so much excitement to reach. And here we were again, on the brink of another milestone. Today, this sleeping man beside me would become my husband. When you dream of your wedding your whole life, the way I have, it’s surreal when the day finally arrives. It’s like you imagine what you might feel or think, and then it’s here and you don’t know what to feel or think.

After taking time the few moments that I did to take in all that would be happening this day, I think quickly returned to the Sarah that we all know and love. I practically jumped out of bed, and began to head for the bathroom. It was about 7:00am and my sisters would be coming for me in about an hour and 15 minutes. They had planned to take a taxi over from the Beach Club where they were staying with George and Jeff to pick me up. It was Annie’s idea from the very beginning to do this, and I loved her for it. Being my maid of honor, she couldn’t fathom me taking a taxi, all by myself, on my Wedding day. She said it broke her heart and she refused to let it occur. So, she promised she would take a taxi and get me. I am so glad Katie decided to come too. It seemed like a perfect way to begin the day; a quiet few minutes with my sisters who I loved with all my heart. They had been there for me through every step of my life. Watched me through the graceful periods of my life, like proms and graduations, and the not to graceful parts of life, like getting my wisdom teeth removed or fighting the flu. Every phase of my life, beautiful or ugly, they were there. They were 2 of my best friends.

 

[disneyheaven]

-Continued

I wiped the sleepies out of my eyes and turned on the shower in our beautiful Polynesian bathroom. I love hotel bathrooms, especially Disney’s. The water power is always so strong, it almost hurts against the skin. It’s powerful stream always made your hair feel different, more soft and silky. Or maybe I just loved Disney showers so much because it was Disney and to me, everything is perfect in Disney. This shower seemed to be especially strong, especially this particular morning. Mark, who is obviously much taller than me, left the showerhead pointing outwards towards the plastic curtain so water starting out from the bottom. I quickly tilted the head back in towards the shower wall, and waited for it to heat up. I made sure I had two towels waiting for me, one for my body, one for my hair, and then hoped in. I soaped up my whole body first, then attempted the perfect shave. I kept thinking in months past how terrible it would be to have razor burn on the day of your wedding. You know, you have a beautiful strapless dress and you go to lift your arms to embrace your new husband, and its like “EK! Ek! Ek!” Scrapes and cuts on your underarm that tell of a nightmare that occurred in the shower a few hours before. With all the wedding worries, this was one of mine. I wanted a perfect underarm shave. Well, I wanted a perfect leg shave too. Granted my legs would be hidden most of the day under my huge wedding gown, but there was that traditional retrieval of the garter where my legs would be revealed. And don’t forget, we had a videographer to capture this moment up close. That’s the last thing I needed was to see spiky hairs in the footage! So, I lathered up extra that morning and shaved particularly slowly, making sure not to rush or be careless. And when I was done, it was perfect! Phew! I shampooed and conditioned my hair, against the advice of my hair dresser, Ana, who would be taking care of us girls today. “A dirty head takes to an up-do much better than a clean one” she had told me. Yeah well, did anyone ever tell that to a true blond? Natural blondes wake up in the morning, and the oil that has collected during the past day and night, almost strips away the color. If I didn’t wash my hair the morning of my wedding, my hair would have been a greasy, oily shade of brown. Yick! I would have a clean head and that would be final!

After a nice 15 minute shower, I turned off the knob and grabbed my two towels that were waiting for me. One got twisted up like a turban onto the top of my head and the other wrapped around my body. I toweled off in the tub, then stepped out. I looked in the mirror and my eyes looked sleepy. We got a good night’s sleep but I think overall, Disney is not a restful place and the past few days of excitement were starting to catch up. I reached for my makeup bag and started to use a moisturizer and q-tip to remove the left over mascara from the rehearsal dinner the night before that had now fallen onto the under parts of my eyes. After I completed that, I towel dryed my hair, so that it was straight as a board. I knew the moment I stepped outside it would frizz right up again though. The Florida humidity was outrageous and my hair always looked like I stuck my finger in an electrical socket. After my hair was all set, I skipped the makeup (Ana would be doing that later on in the day as well) and headed to the small hallway right outside the bathroom. There were a few drawers and 2 closets where I had put all of my wedding day things. Without getting dressed, I began to get those nerves that I would forget something, so I started on that project first. I began to make a pile. Wedding dress? Check. Wedding shoes? Check. Veil and tiara? Check. Cutie “Bride” undies? Check. Pedicoat? Check. My dad’s tuxedo? Check. Money? Check. Video camera and digital camera? Check. Pocketbook? Check. Alright, I think I had everything I needed. I was hoping I wasn’t making too much noise, seems as how this was a regular hotel room and Mark was sleeping only 10 feet away. By now, it was about 7:45ish. I went to the bathroom and put on the outfit that I decided to wear today. I chose a black strapless sundress that I absolutely loved. I had bought it a few years ago but I just loved the way it looked. Plus, it would be perfect because it didn’t go over my head. Any girl knows that when you get your hair done for a prom or wedding, you must wear a shirt that can be unbuttoned or taken off from the bottom. So I was all set in this department! As soon as I was dressed, I walked slowly over to Mark. I gave him a kiss on the forehead, and he didn’t seem to flinch. He sleeps like this sometimes, so deep and uninterrupted. I picked up the phone and called concierge. I told them I would need some help with my things and they said they would be right over. I thanked the voice on the other end and hung up the receiver. This was just about it! I would be leaving this perfect sleeping face and not see him again till I was walking down that aisle. I sat down on the bed beside him and nuzzled my head into this shoulder. He awoke and hugged me in such a sleepy way. “You ready to go?” he asked. “Yup, I just called the front desk so they would help me with all my stuff.” I told him I couldn’t believe this was it, it was our wedding day and he agreed. It was unbelievable. I told him how much I loved him and couldn’t wait to be his wife. We embraced again, and I heard a knock at the door. It was my time to go! I unlocked the door and pointed to the massive pile of things that needed to be taken. The man told me he had a golf cart downstairs so he would drive me over. Perfect! Saves me the walk through the resort! I gave one last kiss to Markie as the man was picking up the last of the things and I shut the door behind me.

 

[Maggimus]

wow you are such a powerful writer. You have a way with words. beautiful!

 

[disneyheaven]

The man and I walked downstairs together and while he loaded up the golf cart with all of my things, I took a seat in the 2nd row of the cart. I watched carefully as he put my wedding dress into the flatbed. I had taken such careful steps to ensure that my wedding dress would survive this trip. Everything from buying the special bag for it to travel in, to even buying the dress its own seat on the plane! (Alright, alright! I heard enough cracks and jokes about this! It truly was cheaper than shipping it via FedEx!) Anyway, he got everything loaded and off we went. Just as we began our golf cart journey, my phone rang. It was Katie and she and Annie had just arrived. I told them to hold the taxi and I would be right there! I could not believe what perfect timing it was! The man asked if my taxi was here, and I told him that was just the phone call saying that it was right out front. We went around the side of the Polynesian Resort and I couldn’t believe what a beautiful day it was. The sun was shining so brightly, and it was already so hot! And remember that electrical socket thing I told you about with my hair? Oh yes…it was happening right at this very moment! I could feel the tiny curls of hair starting to develop around my face! I was so grateful for a beautiful day. That was another worry of mine in this whole planning process. Everything would be indoors anyway, but it’s always nice to have the outdoor pictures that you have always dreamed of! Within a minute or two, we were pulling up in front of the Polynesian, and there, waiting in a bright yellow taxi were my two sisters! They had such big smiles on their faces, I was so relieved to see them! I must have looked funny, sitting in the back of a golf cart all by myself, whipping around the corner with all of my things hanging out from behind! I laugh when I think about it! I directed the man to which taxi was ours and he pulled right next to it. The girls jumped out of the taxi and there were hugs all around. I then helped the man get all of my things into the trunk of the taxi. I tipped him for his services and he wished me luck. All of us girls got into the back of the taxi and before I knew it, we were pulling away from the Polynesian.
It was funny sitting in the backseat of the taxi with my two sisters. It was something we had done our entire childhood. Mom and Dad in the front, us girls sitting in the back. Fighting for a window, angry about sitting in the middle, the typical sister stuff. When do I ever get to sit in the backseat of a car with my sisters anymore? It was always such a simple thing, something we took for granted all those years. The closeness, the talks about nothing. It’s always the little things in life that sometimes mean the most. And yet here I was, the morning of my wedding day, knee to knee with the two girls in the world who have known me the longest. It was bittersweet; stupid, but bittersweet. It was only a taxi, and the ride only lasted about 12 minutes, but I was sure that for that particular ride, I had the best seat in the house.
We pulled up to the front of Disney’s Beach Club Resort. It was stunning. I had been to the beach club a few times with Mark in years past, just to poke around, but have never stayed here. It really was breathtaking. It gives me that turn-of-the- century, days-gone-by type feeling. We got out of the taxi and the taxi man helped get everything out of the trunk. My girls (being as generous as they are) refused to let me pay for the taxi, although I had a $20 all ready to go. No such luck. I guess it was one of the advantages of being the bride. Everyone wanted to take care of you and provide for you. No complaints here! There were a few families waiting outside the Beach Club and it was nice watching them watch us. They saw the David’s Bridal bag with my “not seen, but obviously in there” wedding dress and tote bag. I saw their smiles, their whispers, their “aww’s” as we made our way into the lobby. It was nice to experience that. I didn’t want to make it obvious, but I was smiling on the inside

The lobby was very quant. Cremes and sandy pinks filled the airy walls and high ceilings. There were two beautiful grand staircases to the left and right of the lobby. We took the one on the left. Katie and George, Annie and Jeff, Mom and Dad, and Grammie and Grampie were all staying at the Beach Club. It was a treat from my Mom and Dad. They knew that the girls and boys wouldn’t have been able to afford it on their own, so they made up the difference of what it would cost if they had stayed at the Caribbean Beach. My parents were always doing things like that. Taking care of us financially. They knew we were all starting out and didn’t have enough to spend over $350 a night at a hotel, so they helped us all along. They helped Mark and I by treating us to 2 nights at the Polynesian (our honeymoon resort). We made our way down a long hallway and stopped when we were just about at the end. Katie opened one of the doors and I saw my mom and dad inside. They were just finishing up getting ready. After hellos and hugs, we were just about ready to go downstairs. We had breakfast reservations with Grammie and Grampie at the Cape May Café. I got all of my things onto my parents’ bed. We would be getting ready in their room. Anna, the woman who would be doing all our hair and makeup, would be arriving shortly after 11am.
When everyone seemed ready to go, we made our way, like a heard of elephants, back down to the main lobby. We were going to wait there for Grammie and Grampie. There room was on the first floor due to Gram’s electric scooter. She had needed a wheelchair for this trip due to a pretty bad fall she had about 2 months prior. I know the angels got her down to Disney for this wedding. She fell, re-broke her leg that she has previously broken over a year ago, and time was not on our side. Only 2 months from the day she broke it to the day of the wedding. In that time, she managed to have surgery, recovery, and weeks of physical therapy, all with the simple attitude of, “Well, my grand daughter is getting married in Florida and I WILL be there, so let’s get on with it”. In her frail, and sometimes failing, 83 year old shell, she is one tough piece of ****! And I mean that in the highest amount of respect. You push her, she’ll get back up. You tell her she can’t, she’ll tell you she will. You tell her it’s impossible, she’ll make you believe in miracles. She and my grandfather are such an inspiration and having them be there to watch me get married was simply a gift from god. They have helped raise me, and love me, through the good times and bad. The hours they have spent watching us grow and change through the years are endless. I am blessed to have been apart of their magnificent life story.

 

[disneyheaven]

we waited downstairs, I think it was Annie who brought my attention over to an electronic scrolling board that posted the day’s daily events. We watched to see if our names would be posted. Sure enough, on the 5th or 6th scrolling, it read, “Purrington/Augustyniak Wedding Reception. 7pm, Ariels”.

I felt like a star! And what do us girls do when we see something exciting? We rip out our digital cameras of course! After a few snaps (and moments of waiting for the page to reappear) we got what we needed…proof and realization that I was getting married today!! I think it was right at this moment that the “contractions” started. Now, don’t be alarmed. There is no baby delivery in this fairytale, but that is how I spend the day describing the butterflies in my stomach. It would come on suddenly, my belly would do a little dance, and then it would go away. We joked that all day, as the time was growing nearer and nearer, they contractions came more frequently. It was silly, but something I would always remember.
As we stood and waited, we heard my grandfather call out. There they were, scooter and all. Thankfully, my grandfather left his scooter back at the hotel room. Yes, he had rented one too. My mother’s 4 day headache of those scooters had caused a great deal of stress on her behalf. Huge family breakfast at Crystal Palace? Oppss….my family was running late because they had to get the scooters on the bus. Rehearsal Run through at the Grand Floridian? My family missed half of it because my Gram forgot her leg brace that she has been instructed to wear. George and Jeff being there to watch the rehearsal? Nope….they were the ones who had to go back to get my Grammie’s brace. It was chaotic, there is no sugar coating that. But I must say, for all the headache it was for my family, having Grammie and Grampie there was worth it all.

Once we were all accounted for, we headed over to the Cape May Café. My dad checked in with the hostess and we only waited about 5 minutes before we were sat. Our table was near the far corner of the restaurant. We had about 3 tables that were pushed together. It was funny being there without Mark. Everyone had their “someone.” Grammie had Grampie, my Mom had Dad, Katie had George, and Annie had Jeff. So I sat smooshed between Katie and Annie. Our waitress soon come over and got us our drinks. She had a think accent and I almost feared my Grampie saying something to make her feel bad about it. He sometimes has, what my mom and dad refer to as, foot-in-mouth-disease. Thankfully, he didn’t say anything! As soon as we all had our OJ’s and coffee, we all headed towards the buffet line. There is just something to be said about Disney breakfast buffet’s. They are the best!! I mean nothing comes close to the Crystal Palace buffet with their breakfast pizza, but for someone who lives for breakfast, Disney does it up well! As much as I wanted to put just about everything on my plate, I hesitated and held back a bit. What if I had something that would make me sick? What if I ate something that was undercooked and had food poisoning? So I stuck with, pretty much, the basics. Once we were all seated back at the table, we began our small talk about the day. We reminisced about the rehearsal dinner the night before. We talked about how great the food and atmosphere was at O’hanas.

 

[disneyheaven]

Alright, back to breakfast! We really did have a nice time. I think it was the perfect start to my wedding day. My fears were pretty much at bay, I was considerably calm, and could not wait to get the day started. Before I knew it, breakfast was over (my grandfather and dad had argued a bit over the bill, my dad one) and we were heading upstairs to the hotel rooms. Every moment I had, I kept checking out the window to make sure the sun was still out. Every bride dreams of the sun streaming through the windows on her wedding day. I knew planning this wedding that Florida’s rainy season was in the summer, but I also knew that you can’t plan your life around Mother Nature. Its one of the many uncontrollable, unforcasted things in life that is beyond our means. It was the start to a gorgeous day though. Very warm, as it has been the past 5 days we had been in Disney and the humidity was unbelievable. But the sun was out and that put my mind to rest.
Time was ticking on and a great deal of the early morning had already ticked by. Annie and I had nail appointments at 10:30 at Periwigs Salon at the Beach Club Resort. I had originally made just myself a nail appointment to get a French manicure, but Annie (being the sweet little thing she is) wanted to come with me. The other girls had their nails done right before they left for the trip. I had wonderful luck with Periwigs. I had talked with them a few times on the phone and they were very accommodating. The rest of the family was headed upstairs to relax for awhile and Annie and I headed out to find Periwigs. Their salon was located right near the pool area that the Yacht and Beach Club share. We walked right in and were greeted by three very nice ladies who were working that day. No one else was there at that point, so they started right away on our nails. It was so nice and relaxing, just chit-chatting with my sister and the girls at Periwigs.
! I was thinking about what the girls were doing at this point. Anna had been scheduled to start doing hair and makeup at 11:00. We had arranged her to “work her magic” in my parents room. They were nice enough to open up there room and let us all hang there all afternoon. We would be getting ready there as well. Julie, my future mother in law who I love so much, was scheduled to go first. She would be doing her hair and makeup, and then heading back to the Caribbean Beach to where the rest of Mark’s family was staying. Then, Anna would start on the rest of the bridesmaids. I couldn’t wait to get back to the room to see how things were going!
The ladies who were doing our nails had done a fantastic job! I loved the way my nails looked. When it came time to pay, I took my wallet and Annie immediately ripped it away from me. To my surprise, she had already taken care of everything for me! She is incredible! I insisted that I pay my share, but she wouldn’t hear of it. She said it was the least she could do for my wedding day. That small gesture meant so much to me and I can’t wait to return the favor on her big day. We said goodbye to the girls at Periwigs and headed back to the hotel room. It was still a beautiful day and the Beach Club/Yacht Club pool was buzzing with action. It was funny to me. I watched young children laughing and playing in the water. I watched parents busily trying to lather sunscreen on their kids. I watched families moving about, getting a start on their day. To them, it was just another day in Disney. To them, it was just another Monday. To me, this was the biggest, most important day of my life!  It’s funny how one day can mean so much to one peson, and just be “another ordinary day” to someone else.
When we reached the Beach Club lobby, we went directly upstairs to my mom and dad’s room. When I opened the door, I was pleasantly surprised by all the excitement! The room was packed! Towards the back of the room (near the balcony) was Julie sitting in the chair, facing the small vanity in the room. Behind her stood a pleasant looking woman, who was working with rollers in Julie’s hair. This, I assumed, was Anna from Make-Over Majic. We had talked a few times over the phone and through email and I could not wait to meet her in person. My sister was there, along with Danielle, Lauren, and Sue. I was so happy to see everyone! (I think I had another contraction as this point!) Annie and I went into the room and I went directly over to Anna, where she greeted me with a huge hug and a congratulations on the big day! She was amazing! From the moment we first met until the moment we said goodbye later in the afternoon, she was so calming. All of my girls loved her so much! Julie was just about done with her hair. She has short curly hair, so Anna put her hair in tight tight tight curls, giving Julie instructions to let them soften as they day goes on and gave her tips of how to lightly brush them out right before she was ready to go. I gave Julie a hug and before I knew it, she was on her way back to the Caribbean Beach. The next time I would see her….would be coming down the aisle!

 

[disneyheaven]

Since Sue would be heading back to the Caribbean Beach (she was actually standing on Mark’s side. She would be in a bridesmaids dress but Mark was having his brother as best man, Kerrin, his sister, Joe, and Sue. I was having my sister as my maid of honor, Katie, Danielle, and Lauren. So even though it was a little “mix-matched” it worked for us and we loved our wedding party!) we had her go first. Sue has a great head of hair, but it took her some time because Sue’s hair is soo amazingly thick. When Sue was done, I asked her if she wanted to head back or stay with us for a bit. She decided to stay so I was happy! Anna was ready to start on the second bridesmaid, so Danielle volunteered to go first. She decided on a simple, side part up-do with a cool bun in the back. Danielle has great hair to work with so it looked so elegant and classy. Shortly after Anna started Danielle’s hair, there was a knock at the door. It was Carolyn Allen’s. They had arrived to do all the dress steamings! Yeah!! So far, everyone had been on time! It was the same woman that did the fittings at the Polynesian yesterday. We had all the dresses hung on the closet doors, so she came right in and set up her steamer in the bathroom. She got right to work! She had quite a few to do, too! She was going to steam all the girls dresses, plus my mom’s gown, and then my dress as well as my petticoat.
Anna was so quick, and before we knew it, Danielle was all done! (with her hair at least, she did all hair first, then makeup last). Lauren went next, and once again, a great head of hair! She did a similar look to Danielle, with the side-part but did a lot of pinned curls instead of a bun. It looked fantastic! We were having so much fun just all chatting together, doing girl stuff! I was feeling calm, with the occasional rumble of nerves that would go through my belly! By this time, it was about noon. I couldn’t help but think what Mark was doing right now. I know he had made plans to go to the Magic Kingdom earlier that morning with his dad and brother. He wanted some time alone with his “boys”.  We were all getting pretty hungry, we decided to order some room service. Katie and Annie went downstairs to see if we could find a menu

We did end up grabbing a menu from the front desk and headed back upstairs. I knew I was hungry, but didn’t want to push my stomach, which can be very EASILY upset by many of the foods I eat. I decided on a plain bagel with butter. The other girls ordered small items such as sandwiches. Danielle placed the call. When she told room service she wanted a plain bagel they said it was too late to order breakfast food, to which Dani politely asked, “Even for a bride?”. She explained that there was a bride in room _ _ _ _ who wanted nothing more than just a plain bagel on the day of her wedding. Room service immediately changed their tune and said they would do anything they could to help. That was so nice of them!
Katie was up next. The trend of the day was a side part with hair pulled back and pin curls. Everyone was looking fantastic though! Just as it as Annie’s turn, there was another knock at the door. Room service! They had brought all of our food, plus a special treat for me! They had delivered an ADORABLE Mickey stuffed animal dressed all in his best wedding attire, and a Minnie stuffed animal dressed in a beautiful white wedding gown with a veil. There was a beautiful card accompanying the dolls, saying congratulations on our wedding day. It was signed the Beach Club Dining Service. I was soooo happy and surprised! Those dolls are here with us now in our apartment. They sit right on a shelf, next to our Minnie bridal ears and Mark’s Red Sox Mickey ears! We took a quick break to eat, and Anna continued on with Annie’s hair. My sister Annie has the BEST hair to work with! We always tease her about being a Pantene commercial. It is the most BEAUTIFUL shade of blond I have ever seen (and best thing about it is that it is 100% natural! She had ever had to color it or highlight it.) Katie has the darkest blond out of the three of us, I have the middle shade, and Annie lucked out with the lightest shade of blond! Sometimes it does pay to be the youngest! I was so happy to be eating my bagel! It was delicious and I knew it would be the last bit of food I would have until about 8:00 at the reception. (I had to go THAT long without food!! WHAT!!??) 


When Katie’s hair was done, she got started on Annie’s. Annie’s hair is so fine, that it went up really quickly! It looked so beautiful! Just as Anna was finishing up Annie’s hair, I heard some commotion coming from where the woman from Carolyn Allen’s was working. She brought over my mom’s dress and pointed to a water stain. She insisted that it was there before. My mom, who had been in the room for quite a bit, said that there absolutely was no stain on the dress before. My mom was starting to get a bit agitated, as I think she was correct. My mom is pretty fanatical and she would have noticed if there was a stain on the FRONT of her dress. The woman keeps INSISTING that she did not put it there (although it seemed to me that was the most logical answer) but in any case, she went right to work trying to get the stain out. Within 10-15 minutes, she had managed to work it out and the dress was as good as new! Phew!! When my mom’s fiasco with her dress had been resolved, Anna set to work on my mom’s hair, which was also done in no time.
Before I knew it, it was finally my turn to get my hair done! I was sooo excited at this point!! I couldn’t wait to have Anna work her magic on me! I had stressed for quite a bit over what to do with my hair. I had a veil that would be clipping into the back of my up do, and a beautiful Swarvasky headband piece that would go in the front. I pretty much knew exactly what I wanted, so I explained to Anna and she set to work. She put my whole head in beautiful ringlets (I almost wanted to leave it just like that it looked so nice!) and then put it up and did all pin curls. She then put a nice side part in, and put in my headband. It was so exciting to see it all coming together!! If something wasn’t right, I would mention it and she would fix it right away. She was fantastic!
Yeah!! My hair for my wedding day was complete! I looked in the mirror and I really liked what I saw. I thought for my yucky, frizzy hair, she really had it looking pretty good. She was fantastic! When everyone’s hair was done, she set to work on makeup. She started with my sisters first. Their faces looked fantastic! They looked so great that Danielle and Lauren (who up to this very moment had planned on saving money and doing their own make-up) immediately changed their minds and asked if Anna could do theirs as well. Anna, being as fantastic as she was, said she would make time for them. So, she worked on Dani and Lauren, and then she started on me. I was nervous because I do NOT wear a lot of makeup and with my coloring, I didn’t want to have on too much. I wanted my make up to show, but not so I looked like a Vegas Showgirl! Hahah!  I think Anna did a wonderful job. I had a monsterious pimple on my face as well, and she covered that baby right up! Makeup truly is a wonderful thing!

 

[disneyheaven]

I couldn’t believe how things were coming together! My hair was done, as was my makeup! Anna began packing up her things and we said our goodbyes. She was truly a joy to have on my wedding day. I recommend her to anyone getting married at Walt Disney World or in the surrounding area. She kept me calm and peaceful the whole day through. The afternoon had sure flown by! We got a phone call shortly after Anna left saying that the florist was downstairs and the flowers had arrives!! Yipee!! I could nto wait to see them! I had been extremely nervous picking out the color blue I did for my girls, as it is very difficult to time beautiful blue flowers. We gave the florist our room number and she headed right up. I almost died when I saw the flowers! They were beautiful! They were the perfect compliment to the bridesmaids dresses! A perfect sillouette of purples and blues! They were a dream come true! I was very very pleased with Disney floral after I saw all the details they had paid attention too. My bouquet was very beautiful, and I could not help but cry a little when I saw those glittery hidden mickey Swarvarsky crystals poking out from my bouquet. I was sooo happy! After a bit more relaxing and hanging around, we decided it was time to get dressed! I had been waiting almost a year and a half for this moment! I had bought my dress shortly after Mark and I got engaged. I loved it from the moment I put it on. It was a perfect dress for me, and I could not wait to put it on! I decided that I wanted the girls to get dressed first, and then they could help me get into my dress. It didn’t take long, and the girls were ready! It was finally my turn! I put on my strapless bra and climbed into my petti coat. That thing was huge!! I had a hard time figuring out how, exactly, to put on my dress. I knew I had to climb into it, I just couldn’t figure out how without ruining my hair. As this point, (imagine this) I have my 2 sisters holding the stress horizontally, standing near the top, trying to guide me through the bottom of the stress like I was driving through a dark tunnel. “A little to the left! Go down! Wait, stop! Duck your head! Find the light!!!” My mom was standing there laughing her head off, my 2 friends were snapping away with pictures, and my dad was with the video camera (don’t worry…I was turned so he just saw my back) trying to catch the “magical moment” of putting on the dream wedding gown. I was so frustrated I yelled and said, “Wait girls! Wait! You’re stressing me out!” Everyone stopped and I just said, “I need to get into this dress myself. Just hold it and let me get into it without another word!” So, they did. I climbed in and my mom zipped me up. My sister Katie helped me get the petti coat all unruffled and Lauren helped me put on my wedding flip flops. Yes! That’s right! I do NOT like high heels so I decided to wear white, sparkly flip flops under my dress! You will see them peaking out every once in a while in pictures! I was finally dressed! And I did feel really really good. Everyone wanted lots and lots of pictures! The girls snapped away while my mom and dad got dressed. I couldn’t believe the time. Mark and his wedding party had already started their wedding pictures at the Grand Floridian. They would have Randy for about 45 minutes, then we would take pictures for about 45 minutes, and then off to the ceremony. The limo would be here soon, so we had to get downstairs.