Amanda & Roy's *House of Blues Wedding* April 3, 2017 - TRAVEL DAYS -- MAY 16th Update!

apainterxx44

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Apr 2, 2008
Hello! I'm Amanda a long time disboards member and disney fan. I never thought I'd be getting married on disney property. I guess we will start with the story of us then we can get into how planning has been going so far.

Roy and me met about 7.5 years ago through mutual friends. In this time we've done a lot of growing up, most of my time was spent playing roller derby and his was playing video games. Also during this time I did a Disney College Program. Disney has always been a huge part of my life, as it is for most of the people planning these weddings!

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Last year, while I was 18 weeks pregnant on our yearly trip to Disney World, Roy proposed to me on Halloween night (my favorite holiday) in front of the Haunted Mansion (my favorite ride) during MNSSHP (you guessed it, my favorite event!)

While I was super excited that I was getting engaged to Roy in my favorite place, I couldn't really focus on the actual wedding because we had some fertility issues so I just wanted my happy and HEALTHY baby to be here before I started making new plans.

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Once Marceline (named after Walt's hometown) Danger was here and healthy on April 9, 2016 I started thinking about what type of wedding I wanted. I always assumed the wedding I really wanted I could never have because our parents can't really help us so we'd be doing it all on our own and the thought of spending that much money when we have a new baby just seemed very selfish to me.

We started looking at venues around us and found one that we loved. It was a castle and we wanted to get married in the winter so we thought it was perfect. For some reason I could never push myself to book it, and I didn't know why.

Then I started talking to my co-worker and fellow disbride Ashley who told me about DFTW Escape and also Swan and dolphin. I didn't like that escape limited our guest list, and I didn't want a real reception so I didn't want a wishes wedding. The idea of swan and dolphin never really excited me, it's not Roy and my style. So when she mentioned to me about doing the House of Blues I decided to look into it.

Within a few months we were booked at the house of Blues orlando at 11am in the musical courtyard (outdoor location) on April 3 2017. We've done alot so far but I want to use this PJ as a way to remember all the planning and also help anyone else that wants to do a non traditional disney wedding! Next post to include pictures!!
 
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Let's talk plan of the weekend.
We are getting married on a Monday so I am hoping to have an all weekend event.

We are expecting probably around 30 people, although we have convinced eachother that it will end up being just us.

No one else realizes how important it is to book disney early, even though we keep reminding them how important it is. Which I'm sure alot of destination have run into. So far only us, my sisters/grandmother and my mom/her boyfriend have booked.

The plan is on Saturday is to take the girls (any girls who end up coming) To get our nails/eyebrows done at GF spa then afterwards have Tea. Then break, and get ready to go out for a monorail bar crawl or something similar!

Then Sunday, we are planning to do DAK in the morning with Marcy (who will be 11 months old then :O) then that night we are doing our Dessert Party at Rue de Paris at 730pm.

Monday- Hair/Make up, first look photos at PORS, bridal photos at the Wilderness Lodge. Ceremony starts at 11am at HOB. Disney Springs happy hour (basically just going to a couple bars on the way to lunch) jock Lindsay's became Roy and my favorite place last trip so we really want to stop there. Then Chef Arts homecoming for lunch.

I guess where we can start is vendors...
 
So we are getting married at the House of Blues and I have been working with Jennifer at justmarry! You'll recognize them as the company that normally help out the Swan and Dolphin brides.

I didn't even think they handled other venues but there are alot on their website. They do all the vendor coordination + day of coordination for the ceremony only. Which is a huge help when you're 1000 miles away.

Originally we went with the voodoo room, which is a small private room at the house of blues. And while it is a pretty space, part of me could not get over that it was just a room..in a resturant. So ultimately I asked Jennifer if I could move it outside which she said was no problem!

House of Blues is a new venue for them so they don't have many pictures of the musical courtyard but this is what I have found...

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So I'm super excited.

A few snags currently

- that ugly railing. I'm in talks now with justmarry about potentially putting a barrell with glass top to do our unity ceremony.
- chairs. I hate the shape of their chairs so I'm hoping we can work out the gold or dark brown chiavari chairs into our budget.
- floral.. more on that in upcoming posts...
 


Next we knew we didn't want a real reception so we decided to have a lunch after the ceremony. Originally I was super set on Morimotos Asia or House of Blues but then I realized Morimotos has nothing to do with our theme and House of Blues wasn't the type of food either of us were excited about.

Then I saw Chef Arts Homecoming and fell IN LOVE with the fact that it is on that beautiful fake disney springs water and it has huge windows. When I looked at the menu I fell even more in love! We will have our own private room on the deck, they'll give us a microphone for speeches/toasts etc. and they also said as it gets closer we can talk decor! Yay!

We were able to customize our own menu which I really liked because it made it seem like a real wedding to me.

Here is the signed contract + photos the planner sent me!


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She said we can edit the guest count up until 10 days out!


This is our room and it's called the laughing place! :love:

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Next up, we have been working with Gloria (who so far as been great!) as our Disney Catered Events coordinator for our dessert party. I'll include what we've had priced so far but mainly we are doing a half savory/half sweet party. We aren't having a rehearsal dinner so this is mainly why we are doing it this way. I'm hoping the budget will allow for us to do a ride mix in on Frozen Ever After since most of our guests have never been to Disney and we invited 5 kids.

Our location is Rue De Paris - I mainly picked this location because of my current obsession with France. Especially since I want to take photos in France during the dessert party so I am hoping that will work out!

Be Our Guest Inspired Master's Cupcake - My DF is OBSESSED with the grey stuff. So this is a MUST have.
Warm Mickey Pretzels with Yellow Mustard - I thought this would be fun and I don't think you can go wrong with pretzels!
F&W Inspired Bratwurst with German Mustard - DF has about 5 of these during F&W so this is a surprise for him!
Chinese Vegetable Pot Sticker with Ginger Soy - Y U M
Create your own Mashed Potato Bar - Yukon Gold/Sweet Potato Mash - tons of toppings, this is also another definite.
$45 ++ per guest based on 1 hour of service.

We will be cutting some savory options and adding some sweet ones.
Mainly I want the potato bar and pretzels, Roy wants the Master's Cupcake. So we will probably change this menu a few more times before our party!

Pineapple Dole Slushies with Rum Floater
$17++ per guest based on 1 hour.

I had this priced sort of for fun but I definitely want one alcoholic beverage for the party! Any suggestions?

This will serve as our welcome party/rehearsal dinner/party
 


Saying 'Yes' to the Dress!

In July I started looking at wedding dresses, I knew that I wanted to start with Alfred Angelo since their dresses weren't too expensive and I love the dramatics of a lot of the dresses. I thought I'd want the Snow white one with the cape or the long sleeve Elsa dress. I always imagined myself in a dramatic dress, not necessarily a ball gown, just something that no one else had or something like that.

I brought my mom-mom, my sister Tara, my SiL Gianni, My friends - Stacey, Goldy and Meg. I invited my mom but she said she wasn't feeling good, I hope that I don't have too much more drama with her, but my mom is definitely 'extra' - which I think is the perfect word for her lol. I also invited DF's sister and mother but they couldn't come either, which was a bummer! I wasn't too concerned with the crowd, I am lucky to have really encouraging friends/family and also I take everyone's advice but ultimately I like what I like so I knew I wasn't going to be the type of person to try on a ton of dresses.

So, we walked in and met with our consultant Jo, she was very sweet. At the time I was only 4 months post partum so I was definitely nervous to see my new body in dresses but she made me feel very comfortable. I told her my style, and that I was really excited to try on this particular snow white dress and a particular aurora dress. She quickly dismissed the Aurora dress saying that no one looked good in it, even the model, and that it really shouldn't be the first dress I try on. I agreed because I LOVED the snow white dress.

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Originally, I was going to get married in the winter so I had the idea in my mind of snow, deep reds/purples, and me in a gorgeous WHITE dress. I put this dress on, and knew automatically that it wasn't the dress - but definitely what people would have in mind for me to wear. It was so pretty, and it did compliment my body, but it was exactly what I bet all my friends/family had put me in their mind. It weighed about 200lbs, was super white and not at all a spring Florida dress.

Next, I don't know where Jo was going with this one. I don't know anything about dresses but this just wasn't me. It was pretty but definitely made me feel like a mother, which I am, but I don't know if I'm ready to look like one yet lol. It was so pretty though, but less dramatic.

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Now if only I could find something in between....

Jo asked me if I wanted to wear white, and honestly, I didn't know if I did or not. Jo brought me in the Aurora dress, it was goldish, actually it looked like the color of butter - she cautioned "don't get discouraged if this doesn't look good on you, it doesn't hit anyone the right way. It's a pretty dress but just doesn't do any one justice" I'm not exaggerating, (which I do a lot) she was literally giving me a pep talk to put this dress on because she didn't want my dreams to be crushed when I looked frumpy in it. I stepped in to the dress, not being able to see myself and walked out.

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Everyone was smiling and SO happy to see me in it. The second I looked in the mirror I had that 'yes to dress' feeling and was so happy. She put a veil on me, and told me how no one looks good in the dress, she can't believe it etc. etc. which I'm sure was sales tactics but I was believing it! The dress is lightweight, gold, the back is dramatic and the top is perfect for me since I have some scars from a piercing I had on my sternum.

I purchased - the dress the veil and the slip. I still dream about this dress and will be picking it up on SUNDAY! I'll be sure to put the picture of me trying it on again, I want to LIVE in it!
 
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I LOVE the idea of a reception at Homecoming! I also love your dress! The only thing I know for when I eventually go dress shopping is that I refuse to wear strapless, so that dress is one that would make me happy :)
 
I LOVE the idea of a reception at Homecoming! I also love your dress! The only thing I know for when I eventually go dress shopping is that I refuse to wear strapless, so that dress is one that would make me happy :)


Thanks! I've never been to homecoming but the menu sounds soooo good. Also booking that lunch was like the easiest part so far of the wedding, the planner, Kylie was nice!

I really thought I would go with full sleeves or some kind of capped sleeve I never have envisioned myself wearing a strapless so yeah this was definitely a plus that it has the illusion.
 
I invited about 36 people to the wedding and decided to do a room block. Even though I've heard horror stories about room blocks when you're not a DFTW bride I still did it because literally none of our family is paying attention to us so they wouldn't have gotten the normal spring discount and they would've ended up paying rack rate for everything then blaming us.

My best friend is a travel agent so she worked out with them that we would give a final notice by 90 days whether we could fill out 10 rooms per night minimum (no its not like DFTW where nights count its strictly PER ROOM). I decided to book Wilderness Lodge, PORS standard, PORS royal rooms, CSR and POP. Most of our guests so far are staying at PORS with us so that is exciting!

With all that being said we got on the Save the Date/Invitation train fast.
Save the Dates were sent out in July and Invitations were sent out right before Halloween with an RSVP of Dec. 30th. Some may say too soon, I say, not soon enough. ;)

We opted for a normal Disney wedding save the date, even though paper fast passes are obsolete I was not into 2-3 month post partum engagement photos and I liked the idea of it being a magnet. DF decided to be fancy and make our info card. They had a TYPO ON THEM but that's what happens when I tell him to finish them at 2am.

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Then for our invites I wanted to them to be unique but also fit a ton of information and I think this was a great way to have everything on display. My only complaint is that I wish I would've asked the seller to remove the HUGE logo on them :(

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Next up the Bridal Party!

Roy's life revolves a lot around his friends they do everything together, weekly they see each other twice a week for his podcast and also band practice. I knew this was going to be a big deal for him to have his friends in the bridal party. He said that he would need his best friends Warren & Jake and then his brother Tyler to be in the wedding.

I really wanted to avoid having anyone in the wedding because one we only invited parents, grandparents, siblings & closest friends so I really didn't want anyone to throw us a shower because I really just want everyone to come to our wedding and be as stress free as a destination wedding can possibly be. Two, I don't want anyone to buy a dress. But both the girls I asked to be in my wedding are super excited to be in it and they have been fine about buying a dress so here we go!

Stacey - She has been my best friend for about 11 years now. I don't know how we found each other but we both grew up going to Disney world, listening to punk music and finding everything hilarious. She actually just got married earlier this month 11/5, and everything was so beautiful. She is a Disney travel agent right now so we're hoping she makes some $$ off our room block. I'm so happy she is going!

Goldy - Her name is actually Kristy but we know each other from roller derby so we never use our actual names. She is my best friend that I don't get too see all the time especially since she lives in the city and I live in the suburbs, neither of us skate anymore but we still keep in touch almost every day. I'm so excited for her to be there!

I don't know why but asking them to be in my wedding gave me super super anxiety like I was asking them to marry me. I decided to make these boxes filled with Disney characters I thought matched their personality. Our main wedding color is Navy with Orange accents so that's also how I colored the boxes. I thought they turned out pretty well but I forgot to take a picture of the "will you be my bridesmaid?" clip art I pasted to the sparkly paper on the inside top of the box.

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When I asked Stacey I just asked her to come over to see if Marcy would fit in her flower girl outfit for Stacey's wedding, which was a real thing we had to do but I definitely pushed it to be as soon as possible. I basically told her I crafted something ( I never have crafted anything) She of course loved it and said she would love to be there for me as long as her and her then Fiance could swing it.


When I asked Goldy I basically forced her to come up to my house and go to a haunted house with me literally the first week of October. I gave it to her in my car and she was like omg this is so cute ... completely not realizing that the top said "will you be my bridesmaid" :rolleyes1 so I was like, um did you see the question. lol then she screamed and said yes of course.

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Now that we are about 4.5 months out with 2 of those months basically being non stop holidays we have started talking about ordering dresses from Azazie. I'll post some dresses that I have in mind but I basically told them dark navy, floor length and not a high neck because I'm not sure if that will compliment my dress or make it look funny. I've ordered from Azazie before and it was a great experience their dresses are great quality. There is apparently going to be a big sale on Cyber Monday so I'm having them hold off till then in hopes they get a dress for under $100!
 
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Quick Update
-- On Saturday I went to pick up my dress, it was pretty loose on me both the illusion top and the waist but I figured it would be because of how much weight I've lost since having Marcy.

Here's some pictures...

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Also, because I totally forgot to show them before here are the shoes I'm going to wear - I got flats because my DF is only about 2inches taller than me plus they're comfortable! I ordered Irregular Choice Cinderella flats. They were pretty expensive but I can wear them a lot more since I think they're pretty cool. AND they light up! the bow has LED lights in it that really seal the deal on being tacky. I love it ! :cloud9:


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I also ordered our digital file for buttons. I think they turned out great, my hair isn't this long though.

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I got this ring box off of Etsy..

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I love everything so much! I know I said it already, but your dress really is insanely gorgeous and perfect for you! Also loving the adorable buttons and that ring box! I'm so sad I forgot to get a special ring box for our rings.
 
I love everything so much! I know I said it already, but your dress really is insanely gorgeous and perfect for you! Also loving the adorable buttons and that ring box! I'm so sad I forgot to get a special ring box for our rings.

Thanks so much! I'm getting most of the little details now before we start just hemorrhaging money in the new year lol.

I bought the silver version of those same flats for my Epcot wedding next year. Love them!

Those were the ones I was originally looking at but then since my dress is goldish I thought those would match better.
 

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