jasonandlisa's PJ -- 9/2/07 UK Pavilion/LS -- DPS pics added!!

[JonetteA]

Lisa, Your table ideas look gorgeous!! I can't wait to see it all come together. I love your place cards to. Those look yummy.

 

[pezzapixiedust]

wow! your wedding is going to be so magical! You look like such a lovely couple, can't wait for the dress pics cake pics etc etc, loving the pj!

 

[Summer-Caitlin]

Lisa, I love the table decor, it's stunning and the chocolate placecards are so cute, I do like the white ones with the silver bow the best, although I prefer the taste of milk chocolate
I love your color scheme you have planned, it's so fresh and pretty. I think you have chosen a wonderful location.
We might be stopping by WDW after the 30th we are in Orlando until the 6th so I may convince Steven to have one more trip to Disney

 

[IrishLily]

Thanks! How long have you been in Austin? I love it here, but I do miss the beach! I hope your DF's parents will decide to drive!! That really makes things much easier. We might have them drive DF's suit down there, too, so we don't have to worry about packing it. I'm going "home" to NJ again in a few weeks so as long as his alterations are finished, I'll be able to take it with me.

I've been in Austin since August of 2004, I came down here to go to school at UT. I love Austin, too, because the city is a great size where one minute you're in it and the next you're in suburbia. I'm not a fan of TX summers though, and they don't really have a fall, and the winter has no snow so I don't think that counts either! It's funny that you mention the beach, because my sig pic is of DF and I at Wildwood on the boardwalk. He's gone there since he was a child, while it was completely new to me.

I've never pictured this, but will you be having a custom dance floor @ the LS? I think that was one of the reasons we decided against it, not that we even checked. I love your tables, and whimsical was my favorite out of the tables Disney gives pics of. But unfortunately, I think we're gonna go with outside vendors to save $ and put it towards the honeymoon. My DF keeps on telling me that I'm going way overboard with everything. Ug.

 

[jasonandlisa]

The tables are going to look beautiful! I love the style!
I also love the table chocolates - great idea and so yummy!!!

Thank you!

Lisa, Your table ideas look gorgeous!! I can't wait to see it all come together. I love your place cards to. Those look yummy.

Thank you! Seems like the place cards are pretty popular! I'm not using these, but someone with a Mickey theme or even a bunch of hidden Mickeys might be interested in them. Disney can also make Mickey lollipop "place cards" or personalized favors. I thought they were very cute but decided to go with the squares instead. Here's a pic:

wow! your wedding is going to be so magical! You look like such a lovely couple, can't wait for the dress pics cake pics etc etc, loving the pj!

Thank you. That's so sweet of you to say! Guess I'll post cake and food next. I've been delaying on the dress, since I'm a little upset about that situation at the moment. Trying not to think about it...

Lisa, I love the table decor, it's stunning and the chocolate placecards are so cute, I do like the white ones with the silver bow the best, although I prefer the taste of milk chocolate
I love your color scheme you have planned, it's so fresh and pretty. I think you have chosen a wonderful location.
We might be stopping by WDW after the 30th we are in Orlando until the 6th so I may convince Steven to have one more trip to Disney

Thank you! It would be fun to meet in person, if you do happen to stop by!

 

[jasonandlisa]

I've never pictured this, but will you be having a custom dance floor @ the LS? I think that was one of the reasons we decided against it, not that we even checked. I love your tables, and whimsical was my favorite out of the tables Disney gives pics of. But unfortunately, I think we're gonna go with outside vendors to save $ and put it towards the honeymoon. My DF keeps on telling me that I'm going way overboard with everything. Ug.

There is a dance area in the LS, but we're not having dancing so no custom dance floor for us. Actually, we might (and probably will) be going over the 84 guest limit with the existing tables of 6, so we'll likely use what's normally the dance area for another table or 2. Here's a floorplan my WP sent me:

I've seen pictures of decor by outside vendors posted by other brides here. It's always just as beautiful. I'm sure you'll be able to get something you love for a lot less $. For me, just keeping things simple with minimal vendors (Disney, hair/makeup, officiant, bridal salon) was a major factor. Perhaps if I'd found these boards earlier, I might have considered other outside vendors, though. But sadly, I didn't find disboards until after my planning session.

 

[BaBeeCee14]

Lisa,

Your wedding is going to be gorgeous. I hope you will do a TR when you get back and show us all the wonderful pictures!!

 

[jasonandlisa]

On with the PJ... food and cake

We're going with a "breakfast" brunch for several reasons. First, DF and I both love breakfast foods. We usually go out for one nice breakfast every weekend. And then I've never been a fan of typical wedding food. We just have plainer taste. Also, since our ceremony is at 9 and the reception starts at 9:45, breakfast made plenty of sense. Finally, I also considered the fact that we'll have a bunch of children. With breakfast, we don't have to worry about a separate kids meal. Our menu is a modification of "Tinker Bell's Brunch Buffet".

For the pre-reception cocktail party, I wanted foods that would make sense as appetizers before a breakfast brunch that were also light enough that people wouldn't fill up too quickly:

* seasonal fruit display, artistically presented on fruit skewers. Hopefully, it'll look something like this:

* chilled deviled eggs:

* regular and chocolate croissants:

We'll have an open bar (bill on consumption) will call brand beer, wine, and liquor. We're not having any "signature" cocktail as I figure most people will want drinks like bloody marys, mimosas, bellinis, screwdrivers, coffee and bailey's, and coffee and kahlua.

The reception brunch buffet consists of:

* oven roasted yukon gold potatoes
* hardwood smoked bacon
* maple glazed pork sausage links
* danish, brioche, cinnamon buns, rolls, butter, jellies
* assorted dessert pastry display

Carving Station:
* Carved-to-order "Raleigh" deep-fried turkey breast
* Beef Tenderloin carving station
* stone ground mustard, mayonnaise, butter, and warm bakery rolls
(O.K., so I may be going a little crazy with the Google image search here, but I like PJs with as many pics as possible...)

Omelet Station:
* eggs and omelets (made-to-order)
* assorted cheeses including mozzarella
* ham, peppers, onions, mushrooms, spinach, and salsa

Waffle Station:
* chef's selection of waffles (prepared-to-order)
* caramelized bananas, chocolate hazelnut, fresh fruit, whipped cream

As I mentioned before, the kids have the same menu. Disney only charges half price per child between the ages of 3 and 9.

There will also be 3 vendor meals for the 2 Disney photographers and videographer.


I recently changed my cake design, so this hasn't been confirmed yet by my planner. But here's what I want, with buttercream frosting and fresh floral:

The layers will be alternating chocolate cake with raspberry mousse and yellow cake with raspberry mousse. So guests who don't like raspberry mousse are out of luck .

 

[jenny08]

Your buffet choices sound delicious!!! I love breakfast too!

 

[Glorydaz]

The layers will be alternating chocolate cake with raspberry mousse and yellow cake with raspberry mousse. So guests who don't like raspberry mousse are out of luck .

holy moley - now that's what I call a CAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Michelle

 

[jodeeluvsdisney]

Lisa, I just wanted to be sure I read the post correctly about your tables...is it really $300 for each table??? I just didn't think I read that right!!! I think I'm feeling faint if that is correct!

Love your cake...it is so gorgeous... and breakfast is my favorite meal of all, so I would be doing that as well...

Ahh...to have a custom wedding. Everything looks so wonderful. Are you so excited??!!

It is close!

 

[jasonandlisa]

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I hadn't posted pictures of my dress yet, since I was a little bit upset about it and trying not to think about it. Well, trying to not think about it isn’t working for me. So I figured writing it all out might help. After all, that's one of the benefits of writing a journal, right? (I apologize in advance for the length of this post!) I’m sure I’m just being a bit of a bridezilla and over-reacting about it and that everything will work out fine…but right now I’m a little worried about it. So here’s the whole dress story:

I went dress shopping with my mom back in January, in New Jersey. Since we naively didn’t make any appointments ahead of time, we were turned away from a lot of shops before finding one that had time to show me dresses that day. Once we did find one, the bridal shop owner there started by asking me a few questions about my wedding. I gave her the key details: Disney, September (hot!), English garden ceremony, etc. and described what I was looking for: A-line, strapless, lace, simple. Well, after that she just turned around and plucked a dress off the rack behind her: A-line, strapless, lace, perfect!

She also grabbed a couple other dresses she thought I might like (which I did--she was absolutely dead-on in reading me and determining my style.) When I put on the first dress, I made the beaming, “this is the one” face. Mom loved it, too. The only problem (in retrospect) was that I was absolutely swimming in the dress. They had to use these big clamps for excess fabric and it still had to be held on me, so I couldn’t really tell how well it’d fit. After trying on the other two, I put on the first dress a second time and said, yup, this is the one. So I was literally buying the first dress I tried on! Then I was measured so that the dress could be custom-made for me. I felt a little guilty about the cost, but mom really wanted me to get exactly the dress I wanted without worrying about the price.

So fast forward 6 months (the amount of time required to get the dress), and I’m back in New Jersey again for the 4th of July. When the dress comes in, I go for my first fitting with my mom and dad. Well, I put it on and mom and dad are happy and smiling and taking pictures. And I’m feeling happy to finally try on the dress without any clamps. Moving around in it is impossible, though, since it’s several inches too long (even with my 4-inch heels!) Also, the bustier I brought to wear underneath doesn’t work, since the bottom edge of it makes a line that’s visible through the fabric of the dress. So it looks like I’ll be going topless underneath (not really a problem since I’m far from top-heavy.) Overall, it seems to fit just fine.

The seamstress starts by gathering up fabric in the back and asking me what type of bustle I want. This is the first part that’s a little weird, since I had just assumed that that would have been something determined by the designer, not by me. And at this point, the shopowner/saleslady, her assistant, and my parents are all chatting together out in the showroom. I’m in a back fitting room with just the seamstress, but I figure that even if mom and dad were in there with me, they probably wouldn’t have opinions on the bustle anyway. So I just go with one of the options she shows me. Fine. Not a big deal.

Then she moves on to pinning up the bottom of the dress. The edge is scalloped lace, but she assures me that she can hem it in such a way that that will remain. While that’s happening, I start to look at the top of my dress more carefully. I spot a bit of the lace that’s hanging off (as if it’s been ripped) right in the center of the bodice. It’s detached from the dress by more than an inch, so it’s pretty obvious. Now, I can see that it’s a really easy problem to fix, but it still bothers me that this expensive, designer (Paloma Blanca) dress that took 6 months to make isn’t perfect. I don’t get upset or anything, though. I just point it out to the saleslady and the seamstress and ask that it be fixed. Nobody seems to think it’s a big deal. So that's fine.

Next, I notice that the scalloped lace edge along the top of the bodice isn’t quite right either. There’s a “bare” spot in which the satin underneath forms the top edge instead of the lace. I’m also feeling like the top is coming up too far. The lace is a little high under my underarms. (It’s brushing against them instead of lying underneath.) But what do I know about bridal gowns…maybe that’s just the way scalloped edges are? I’m also a little surprised about the height of the front. I had planned to wear pearls that my mom recently gave me, but they’re likely to drop down too far. And then I’m also wondering if the dress is as tight as it should be on the top. It’s certainly not going to fall down but at the same time, it doesn’t have that “fits like a glove” (or a glass slipper) feeling to it. As all of these little things are going through my head, I’m wishing I had someone else there who would inspect the dress critically. (My parents are still out in the showroom chatting with the salesgirls.) Instead, I just having everybody telling me that the dress is perfect.

But…I tell myself that I’m probably being overly picky and that none of this will show or look weird in the pictures. After all, the professional seamstress (who very much seems to know what she’s doing AND is from an independent bridal salon) has determined that the top fits perfectly. Only the bottom needs to be hemmed. And the dress was measured to fit, so it’s probably perfect. I’m just worrying for no good reason. Also, I tell myself, it’s a WEDDING dress. It’s probably not supposed to be as tight and low-cut as, say, a cocktail dress. So, in the end, the consensus is that since it’s only the length that’s being adjusted, I don’t really need a second fitting. My mom will just pick it up whenever it’s ready. But in the car, I ask my mom to please make sure to inspect it carefully for any problems like the hanging-off lace. I won’t be back to NJ again until August, when I return to put together all the welcome gifts.

That was last Tuesday (8 days ago). I was heading out to Austin (driving back) on Thursday. Wednesday evening dad gives me prints of the pictures he took at the fitting. Well, I expected to not look great in them, because the lighting in that back room wasn’t ideal, I’m in need of a haircut, and I wasn’t wearing any make-up. But I was surprised and upset that I was really not thrilled about how the dress looked. It’s not bad. It’s just a little blah. And it looks a little indented right in the middle of the bodice. Plus, I think it looks very different from the pictures on the designer's website, which is what I've been looking at for the past 6 months. (I’ll put all the pictures at the end…) Anyway, after looking at them over and over again up by myself in my bedroom, I finally go downstairs to where my parents are sitting and have a little meltdown.

I’m crying about the dress to mom and dad (and normally I’m a fairly rational, not overly emotional/dramatic person). And mom’s saying things like, “we can just get a new one” and “let’s go to the seamstress (who works in a different shop, about an hour north of my parents’ house) tomorrow to get it fixed” and stuff like that. But I don’t want a new dress, especially since it’d be really, really hard to find one that’d fit perfectly in such a short amount of time. AND, even more importantly, I feel like they’ve already spent way too much on my dress. I don’t want them to buy me yet another way-too-expensive dress. And I’m feeling really, really bad about my meltdown, because my parents are so sweet and wonderful and generous. I just want to really LOVE the dress, not feel like it's just o.k.

The other thing mom is saying is that it really does look perfect in person, that there was just weird lighting in that room that's causing it to look like there's a fold/wrinkle in the front. But she wants me to feel like my dress is perfect. She also points to the fabric on the throw pillow next to her that’s thick, like drapery and says that fabric like that, like my dress just isn’t as fitting. That it sort of stands on its own. And she keeps trying to talk me into postponing my departure and going back to the seamstress before I leave. But I’m already leaving about a week after I’d initially planned, since the dress came in a little later than I expected. And I haven’t seen DF in a few weeks and want to get back. She’s also telling me I should have one of my friends (who lives in L.A.) fly out to help by giving her opinion, which seems a bit excessive to me…

So… here’s the current situation. Mom isn’t going to just pick up the dress. We’re going to wait until I go back in August (7th-14th), so that I can try it on again and get the seamstress to make alterations if it isn’t just right. Like I said in the beginning, I’m sure I’m overreacting. I know people have much, much more serious “dress nightmares” than me. But I’m still worried that when I go back in August, it’ll still be just “fine” and that it’s not going to fit absolutely perfectly. That because I couldn’t tell exactly how it’d fit when I was originally trying it on with the clamps, it’s just not a dress that’s particularly flattering for me. And I know I should just stop worrying and wait until August, but it’s tough because at that point, there won’t be hardly any time left before my wedding.

Whew… that was a lot longer than I expected. On with the pictures. These are the two from the designer’s website:

In the second one, where it looks like the top is very fitted, mom said that maybe that’s why she’s lying on her back. That it wouldn’t look that fitted if she was standing up. Mom has also said that maybe when the length of my dress is adjusted, and I don’t have all that extra weight pulling it down, the top will fit better on me.

Now here’s the dress on me. That’s my mom next to me in the first picture. The second picture isn’t great because I’m hiding the waist with my arms. Also, note that these were taken before the length was adjusted/pinned.

 

[orangetiggs]

I love your dress, I have one that is very similar to yours. it flatters your figure really well. Its a hsame you do not like the pictures but like you said your hair and make up are not done

 

[jasonandlisa]

holy moley - now that's what I call a CAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Michelle

Yeah, I'm not sure if mine will be quite that dramatic, since I'll probably only need 3 or 4 layers for about 100 guests. But it'll still be pretty, I think.

 

[BaBeeCee14]

I'm sorry that you're having dress problems, but you look beautiful in that dress! It's really simple and elegant, I love the way it looks on you. I hope everything works out for you!

 

[jasonandlisa]

Lisa, I just wanted to be sure I read the post correctly about your tables...is it really $300 for each table??? I just didn't think I read that right!!! I think I'm feeling faint if that is correct!

Love your cake...it is so gorgeous... and breakfast is my favorite meal of all, so I would be doing that as well...

Ahh...to have a custom wedding. Everything looks so wonderful. Are you so excited??!!

It is close!

Yep, the prices for the table decor are pretty crazy. I'll list them here, in case people are curious. And yes, I'm getting sooo excited!! I think I might be just as excited about the Disney vacation part of it as I am about the wedding, though. I haven't been much at all in the past few years, and we used to go every year when I was a child. So I've missed it!

chargers $11.75 each
rental of glass vases: $15 each for 22", $5 each for smaller sizes
22" centerpiece: $175 each
smaller centerpiece: $125 each
shotglass votive: $2.50 each
satin tablecloth: $29 each
organza overlay: $20 each
swagging: $16 each
napkins with ribbons: $4 each

So, an average table is:
6 * 11.75 +
(15 + 5 + 5)/ 3 +
(175 + 125 + 125)/3 +
6 * 2.50 +
29 + 20 + 16 +
6 * 4
-------
$324.50

 

[jasonandlisa]

I love your dress, I have one that is very similar to yours. it flatters your figure really well. Its a hsame you do not like the pictures but like you said your hair and make up are not done

Thank you very much. Maybe by the time I go back and see it again in August, I'll have come to my senses and realized that it's really all in my head. And that I'm actually being completely irrational

I'm sorry that you're having dress problems, but you look beautiful in that dress! It's really simple and elegant, I love the way it looks on you. I hope everything works out for you!

Thank you. I feel badly that I'm complaining. Maybe what I need is one of those really crazy, negative brides from the "other" wedding boards to come over here and yell at me and call me a bridezilla for acting like I have a problem when there's really none. Everybody's too nice here to tell me to just, "shut up and quit complaining."

Seriously, though, thank you so much for your compliments and support. I really appreciate it. Now I just need to stop obsessing about it!! Maybe I'll add another, more positive entry to my planning journal, to get myself back in the right (enthusiastic, happy) frame of mind.

 

[jasonandlisa]

I love my shoes!!! It took forever to find them. I was literally going to DSW and Nordstrom's and elsewhere about once a week, for months. I was stressing that I wasn't going to find them in time for my first fitting. (I ended up finding them just two days before I had to leave for NJ.) At one point, I even had over $1,000 in shoes from zappos.com (since they have such a great easy, free return policy.) But none of them fit.

In the end, I found these at Neiman Marcus. They were on the clearance rack, AND they were having a sale on all clearance shoes at the time. So I ended up getting them for about half of their original price. One of the things I like best about these shoes is that I'll definitely wear then again after the wedding. They'd even look great with jeans. And I love that they're "very me" shoes.

 

[jasonandlisa]

For a variety of reasons, we're not having any dancing at our wedding. Not even the "first dance." That was one of the reasons we chose the Living Seas. It provides some non-dancing entertainment with its aquarium views.

For the ceremony and the pre-reception, we're having a string quartet. Our ceremony song selections are:

Prelude: Brandenburg Concertos #3 and #2
Groom/officiant and flower girl entrance: Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
Bride entrance: Canon in D
Recessional: Joyful, Joyful we Adore Thee (Beethoven's 9th)
Guest exit: Spring from the Four Seasons

During the pre-reception and the beginning of the reception, they'll continue to play classical and Disney music.

About 15 minutes into the pre-reception, 3-4 Caricature Artists will arrive (depending on our final numbers). They'll draw caricatures for the guests during a 3 hour time frame.

Another pre-reception "activity" is signing the guest book. We'll have polaroid cameras that people can use to take snapshots that can be inserted into the guest book:

Our books will be pale blue. (I needed to get two books, to make sure I'd have enough pages.)

Then, a little after the buffet begins, a piano player will take over for the string quartet.

We requested that upbeat songs be played instead of background music: country, pop, Broadway, soundtracks, oldies, Elvis, Billy Joel, Beatles, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Eagles, George Strait, Jimmy Buffet, Johnny Mathis, Leroy Anderson, Lester Lanin, Rogers and Hart. (Some of these suggestions were from my parents. My grandmother always played the piano, so I wanted some of the music she used to play.)

And then near the end of the reception, Donald Duck will arrive for pictures, autographs, etc.

 

[JJClemson]

Wow Lisa... I just read your whole PJ and all I can say is WOW I love your dress, invites, cake, colors, and proposal stories!! I cannot wait to see how your wedding is going to come together-- it's going to be beautiful!! Where in NJ are you originally from?