They say that Disney World is the #1 place newlyweds are honeymooning these days...and I totally see why!! The Mr. and I spent almost a full week at the parks and then we went on the Disney cruise from the Sunday after the wedding until Thursday morning. I couldn't be happier with the decision we made to keep everything Disney. A lot of people brought up when I told them of our plan, "aren't there going to be too many kids?" or " it seems a little hectic to be a romantic honeymoon". Well, ya, it's a little hard to be mushy, gushy, sickeningly sweet romantic at a Disney theme park, but luckily for us, that was not what we were looking for. Matt and I are kids at heart. We wanted a fun, light-hearted time..and we find the romance in the little things.
The Disney cast members are freakin' amazing! Because we wore our "Just Married" buttons and our Mickey and Minnie wedding ears, every cast member we passed congratulated us. Every time we waited in line (which this trip was never long at all..booyah!) one would ask us about the wedding and sound genuinely excited for us. When we would walk up to the ride, they would let Matt and I pick where we wanted to sit (score!). There were some really nice employees who gave us things without any charge: photos from the ride we were just on, coffee, dessert, food from the Food and Wine Festival...and more. It was not expected but we totally appreciated it. We felt really special (who shouldn't feel special on their honeymoon?!). Sure, there were tons of kids. Tons of unruly strollers. Tons of crowds. But that's expected at the Disney World. At least the lines were extremely short everywhere we went (I think the longest line we waited in was to meet Mickey and Minnie..I'll post those pictures soon!). Can't beat that!!
Every day I had reservations set up at a restaurant. At Epcot, we ate at both China AND Italy. Hollywood Studios we ate at the Sci-Fi Drive-In (which is my favorite!). The food in there isn't top notch(you know, just burgers and fries, shakes, that kind of food), but inside it looks like you are sitting in a drive-in theater back in the 50's. The "sky" is dark and lit with stars..the theater screen shows movie commercials, ads, and cartoons from back in the day, and our tables? They are CARS. I think it's the coolest :) Then we ate at Planet Hollywood in Downtown Disney..Tony's (where Lady and the Tramp had that infamous spaghetti kiss) at Magic Kingdom, and then Artist Point at our resort (Wilderness Lodge).
The cruise...all I can say is "wow". This was my first cruise ever, and Matt's first Disney cruise. Any notions you have that a Disney cruise is all family and kid related? Think again. Disney did such an amazing job providing fun and services for everyone. The only time Matt and I were ever really surrounded by kids was when we waited in line to meet Goofy and Tinkerbell (call us dorks..whatever!) and then when we were on the main deck taking a peek at the outdoor movie theater. At the time is was playing Lady and the Tramp. I loved it!! Other than that, our activities were pretty secluded from the families and kids. There were a good handful or two of bars and clubs for adults only.we had an adult only section on the top deck equipped with bars, multiple pools and hot tubs, private lay-out sections, and more! We had an adult karaoke night (Matt made me sing once) and a Match Your Mate show, which is like the Newlyweds Game. There were trivia nights, a pirate party, they played movies. You name it. So, our cruise went to the Bahamas. Our first day was Nassau and our second day was Castaway Cay..the Cay that Disney owns in the Bahamas. The weather was gorgeous!! We did a glass bottom boat voyage at each of our destinations and then layed out, afterwards. Our third day was a full day at sea which was perfect. We layed out on the top deck, with a good book, and had guys coming by offering us frozen cocktails. We gladly accepted.
Our honeymoon was a glorious two weeks. Just long enough to feel we did everything we wanted to do, and coming home wasn't such a bummer. I think we were both ready to get home as husband and wife and see our furbaby (who we haven't seen in three weeks!!). I now am wishing we could be back there, enjoying the sun and seeing the Christmas decorations the parks are filled with starting this month. But, we still have our annual passes (thanks to the Disney Wedding Team!) so I think we are going to try to have another Disney vacation sometime in the spring. When Matt and I relocate to where he is stationed next, he has a good 20 to 20something days off before he reports for duty. I think that sounds like a perfect time to vacation again in Orlando!
A princess throws herself into the world of the United States Marine Corps...
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Here Comes the Bride!!
I have been a TOTAL slacker when it comes to my blog! Though, I think I am forgiven, considering I spent three whole weeks in Orlando planning the wedding, actually getting married, then going on my glorious, two-week, honeymoon!!
Let me start by saying: I had the best time on my wedding day! From waking up having hot chocolate delivered to my room to coming back to the room, surprised with rose petals and a solid dinner, everything was perfect :)
It's true when people tell you to relish every minute of your day because it flies by oh-so-fast. I definitely did take my time outs to look around and take in the atmosphere..to look at Matt and see how happy he was..to look at my family as well as the new family...and take in all the details I could of what I spent so much time and effort to put together. All those times I had been brought to tears over the course of our 14-month engagement was proven to be worth it..x10.
Disney did an amazing job putting everything together. Not once was I confused in where I was going, what I was doing, the decor was amazing, the cake, the lighting, the staff. Definitely worth every penny spent. We are still in search of the perfect gift to send our planners in thanks for being so wonderful. They worked really hard to make this as easy of a planning period as possible, especially since I live over 3,000 miles away!
There were two things that I really cared about turning out perfect: the photography and the food. Let's start with the photography. I loved our photographer! Her name's Regina and she happens to be a huge Boston sports fan, so we knew it was meant to be (for those who don't know, Matt is a die-hard Boston fan)! I told her I like pictures that are creative and unique. Pictures that can be editorial. Of course I also like the candid shots and the fun colorful shots..but if I am spending quite a bit of money on photography I want photos that have that special something. Along with our wedding day photos we did an early morning photo session at Magic Kingdom in and in front of Cinderella's Castle. Regina sent us a sneak preview of the photos to come and we are completely in awe! It was more than I was asking for and I am on pins and needles awaiting all the rest!!
The food was fantastic. My dress was super tight so I couldn't indulge myself in all the yummy things that I wanted, but I sampled enough to know how tasty everything was :) I have gotten a lot of compliments still to this day on how great it was, so this gal is satisfied!! Oh, and the cake? Where do I even begin?? I basically gave the planners the idea of vintage Alice in Wonderland with classy colors to match the rest of the wedding but left the rest up to the bakers. They did such a wonderful job. There were the playing cards "flying about", a tea pot pouring "tea" down the cake and into the teacup that held the bride and groom (wearing Mickey ears, might I add!), and vintage-looking photos of Alice in Wonderland circling around the bottom tier. Perfect :)
Now...my favorite part of the day (also the scariest) was the moments leading up to and walking down the aisle. I loved spending those few minutes alone with my dad...just taking a deep breath..seeing how happy he was and how calm he was. That, in turn, calmed my nerves (because let me tell you, the rush to get photos done, and get all the girls rounded up, and so many people talking to me at once I wanted to scream a little. I was starting to feel claustrophobic, especially since my dress was so tight!). Then, I heard the bridal march begin. The door flew open and all I saw was Matt straight ahead in his uniform. What I thought was going to be the scariest walk of my life turned out to be simple. I had my dad to hold on to and the love of my life right ahead..looking proud and happy and excited. In love. Sure I had my nervous giggles saying my vows, but I enjoyed every second of it. It's something I will never get to do again for the first time (there's always renewing vows..but it's not the exact same). There are so many details and memories I want to share on here, but, I am trying to keep this a blog and not a novel. I will divulge details in the course of the next few blogs when I talk about our honeymoon and when I post pictures (the pictures I'm waiting for from the photographer..there are quite a few pictures that tell a really great story and share these specific memories I am talking of now). So, in time!
I want to thank all my family and friends for being so supportive and sending all their love our way. I am so so so thankful to all the friends and family who were able to make the trip to Disney and share this amazing, special day with us. This was a day where Matt and I truly felt like family to each other and our families now coming together. I couldn't be more thankful than I am now for the people I have in my life. <3
Until next time, this is now Mrs. Devil Dog signing off. 'Rah, Right Out!'
Let me start by saying: I had the best time on my wedding day! From waking up having hot chocolate delivered to my room to coming back to the room, surprised with rose petals and a solid dinner, everything was perfect :)
It's true when people tell you to relish every minute of your day because it flies by oh-so-fast. I definitely did take my time outs to look around and take in the atmosphere..to look at Matt and see how happy he was..to look at my family as well as the new family...and take in all the details I could of what I spent so much time and effort to put together. All those times I had been brought to tears over the course of our 14-month engagement was proven to be worth it..x10.
Disney did an amazing job putting everything together. Not once was I confused in where I was going, what I was doing, the decor was amazing, the cake, the lighting, the staff. Definitely worth every penny spent. We are still in search of the perfect gift to send our planners in thanks for being so wonderful. They worked really hard to make this as easy of a planning period as possible, especially since I live over 3,000 miles away!
There were two things that I really cared about turning out perfect: the photography and the food. Let's start with the photography. I loved our photographer! Her name's Regina and she happens to be a huge Boston sports fan, so we knew it was meant to be (for those who don't know, Matt is a die-hard Boston fan)! I told her I like pictures that are creative and unique. Pictures that can be editorial. Of course I also like the candid shots and the fun colorful shots..but if I am spending quite a bit of money on photography I want photos that have that special something. Along with our wedding day photos we did an early morning photo session at Magic Kingdom in and in front of Cinderella's Castle. Regina sent us a sneak preview of the photos to come and we are completely in awe! It was more than I was asking for and I am on pins and needles awaiting all the rest!!
The food was fantastic. My dress was super tight so I couldn't indulge myself in all the yummy things that I wanted, but I sampled enough to know how tasty everything was :) I have gotten a lot of compliments still to this day on how great it was, so this gal is satisfied!! Oh, and the cake? Where do I even begin?? I basically gave the planners the idea of vintage Alice in Wonderland with classy colors to match the rest of the wedding but left the rest up to the bakers. They did such a wonderful job. There were the playing cards "flying about", a tea pot pouring "tea" down the cake and into the teacup that held the bride and groom (wearing Mickey ears, might I add!), and vintage-looking photos of Alice in Wonderland circling around the bottom tier. Perfect :)
Now...my favorite part of the day (also the scariest) was the moments leading up to and walking down the aisle. I loved spending those few minutes alone with my dad...just taking a deep breath..seeing how happy he was and how calm he was. That, in turn, calmed my nerves (because let me tell you, the rush to get photos done, and get all the girls rounded up, and so many people talking to me at once I wanted to scream a little. I was starting to feel claustrophobic, especially since my dress was so tight!). Then, I heard the bridal march begin. The door flew open and all I saw was Matt straight ahead in his uniform. What I thought was going to be the scariest walk of my life turned out to be simple. I had my dad to hold on to and the love of my life right ahead..looking proud and happy and excited. In love. Sure I had my nervous giggles saying my vows, but I enjoyed every second of it. It's something I will never get to do again for the first time (there's always renewing vows..but it's not the exact same). There are so many details and memories I want to share on here, but, I am trying to keep this a blog and not a novel. I will divulge details in the course of the next few blogs when I talk about our honeymoon and when I post pictures (the pictures I'm waiting for from the photographer..there are quite a few pictures that tell a really great story and share these specific memories I am talking of now). So, in time!
I want to thank all my family and friends for being so supportive and sending all their love our way. I am so so so thankful to all the friends and family who were able to make the trip to Disney and share this amazing, special day with us. This was a day where Matt and I truly felt like family to each other and our families now coming together. I couldn't be more thankful than I am now for the people I have in my life. <3
Until next time, this is now Mrs. Devil Dog signing off. 'Rah, Right Out!'
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