Planning Our Happily Ever After - A Disneymoon PTR! (NEW 7/13 - TR Link!)

[DisneyCrafter]

I missed you Courtney! (Is that weird? ) I am looking forward to seeing lots and lots of pictures and hearing all about it. I'm so glad that you had a great time.

However you want to share your posts is just fine.

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

Welcome back Mrs!!!!! Can't wait to hear all about it and be jealous some more

 

[Princess_K]

I'm glad everything went so well! Can't wait to hear about it!

 

[Nermel9]

Welcome back! Can't wait to hear all about your wedding and Disneymoon!!

 

[Tracy161]

Welcome back!!! I thought about you two a lot over the last couple weeks and was hoping you had an absolutely wonderful wedding day (I had no doubt that you would!) and a great honeymoon! Can't wait to see pictures!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[blessedmom4]

Courtney WELCOME HOME!!!!!

I can't WAIT to read all about it!!!!!

I can't WAIT to see photos from the wedding and the Disneymoon! YOU'RE MARRIED!!!!!

 

[lilpapsgirl]

YAY!!
I am so excited!!

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

Thank you so much for the warm welcome back! And for all of the well-wishes for the wedding and honeymoon, too (meant to say that in the last post). I feel so honored to have you all to share these memories with! And now, on with the wedding!!!


REHEARSAL DAY – JUNE 17TH

As you all know, I planned and prepared and planned and prepared for months on how to make the week leading up to the wedding go as smoothly as possible, since I knew that packing and preparing for our longest Disney trip ever coupled with the final preparations for our wedding could quickly turn me into bridezilla if I didn’t get things under control.

The weekend before the wedding I finished up all of the wedding related projects and packed those up so they would be ready to be hauled off to our ceremony site on Friday afternoon.

On Thursday night after a mani and pedi with my grandmother and maid of honor #1, I typed up an inventory list to send to my day of coordinator and printed out the directions to our rehearsal dinner location that my MOH #2’s father had made, to pass out to the attendees at the rehearsal. Thankfully, doing all of this made me very relaxed and I felt in-control!

I went to bed that night feeling relaxed, and slept really good all night. This is quite odd for me as I am not a good sleeper, but it was thankfully a trend throughout the wedding and honeymoon! When I woke up Friday morning I was refreshed and ready to tackle the day ahead.

My first order of business that day was to get my hair “pre-done”. I left Miguel sleeping while I ran off to the hair salon to get my hair professionally blown out. I didn’t actually have it done until the day of the wedding, but since my hair is naturally curly I needed it to be straight for the hair lady. Ultimately, this was time and money that could have been saved, because it ended up raining that night and my hair ended up curling up a bit before Saturday morning. My MOH #1 touched up the blowout, though, so all was fine in the end!

Any way, I made it home by 11:00 and Miguel and I had a quick lunch and I went over all of our lists one more time before we loaded up the car to head downtown to our hotels.

The plan was to leave by 1:00 and we made it out of the driveway right on time! Being late stresses me out, so this was a good way to start the day! So far so good!

We first went by and picked up Miguel’s best man, his cousin Pedro at his house and then we all went to the tuxedo store to pick up their tuxes. I was really worried about the tuxes not fitting and needing altering, and since the guys were not able to pick them up until that day, I worried that there wouldn’t be any time if needed. Thankfully though, the only change that had to be made was for Pedro’s sleeve to be taken up a bit. It only took about 10 minutes for that to be done, though.

Finally, with tuxes in hand we were on our way to the guys’ hotel! We arrived at the Four Seasons (where they would be staying along with the guests of the wedding) right on time! We met my dad out in the lobby and I got the guys checked into their room. The Four Seasons is lovely hotel that was super easy to get to. If you know anything about driving in Atlanta, then you know if can be a nightmare! Thankfully this hotel was just a few blocks off of the highway and was very easy to navigate to and from. It ended up being a great place for our guests to stay, and we were also really pleased with the group rate that the hotel gave us. It was more than 50% off the standard rate, and ended up costing less than a moderate hotel at Disney!

In the meantime, I picked up my cousin who was in my grandparents room, and then we were off to our hotel for the evening and what would be mine and Miguel’s room for the wedding night: The St. Regis.

My dad had a connection and was able to get us an amazing suite at a very affordable price. It was an amazing room! There was so much room, it was like an apartment. There was a foyer, dining area, living room, bedroom, a huge master bathroom and a smaller half bath. It was so nice to have all of the space getting ready on the wedding day!

Our view:

I actually used to live in that blue building (the one trimmed in white in the middle) when Miguel and I first met, so I thought it was pretty neat that we could see it from our window!

On a side note, if you are ever traveling to Atlanta or live in the area and need a weekend away place to stay, the St. Regis was amazing. It was my first time staying at one and I hope it will not be my last! The hotel is absolutely beautiful and the staff was amazing. They truly waited on us hand and foot! Ok, end side note!

Back to the rehearsal day – after getting checked in and marveling over our home for the weekend, my maid of honor and I quickly got ready for the evening and headed back over to the Four Seasons to meet up with the rest of the bridal party and head out to the ceremony site. Unfortunately, it had started to rain, but we didn’t let it dampen our spirits. Plus, I was already aware that it was predicted to rain both that day and the day of the wedding, so I had already come to terms with that!

Once we got to the Four Seasons, we had to wait about 15 minutes for my aunt and uncle who were late arriving because my aunt left her dress for the wedding at her house and they had to turn around and go back. Traffic was also terrible this evening being that it was Friday, rush hour, and it was raining, but we all managed to make it to the venue by 6:00. Yay for being on time again!

We all got the car unloaded and transferred all the things for the wedding into the venue’s storage space. After that, the guys along with my dad and grandfather got our canopy set up. Finally, it was time for the rehearsal to start! My day of coordinator and her assistant did a great job of directing the rehearsal, but it still seemed a little disorganized to me. Our officiant was performing a bi-lingual ceremony for us (as Spanish is Miguel’s native language) and he seemed a little unprepared. A lot of our guests were also more interested in talking than paying attention, so it was sometimes hard for Miguel and myself to hear what the DOC was saying. We had a very small bridal party – only 2 attendants for each of us and no flower girl or ring bearer, so our rehearsal group was pretty small: only about 20 people. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be to wrangle the groups with larger bridal parties!

We ended up running through the ceremony two times, and I left the rehearsal feeling a little unprepared! I never considered the different motions that had to be remembered – turn at this time, hold right hands here, left hands here, both hands here, etc. I actually went to the hotel that night and studied the program just to make sure I knew the order of service; kind of funny since I came up with it! Haha. Just a bit of foreshadowing, though – the ceremony ended up going very smoothly!

After the rehearsal we were all ready to eat, so we headed out to our dinner location. As you might remember, we chose a Mexican restaurant to honor Miguel's culture. It ended up being a great location! It was a little more upscale than most Mexican restaurants, but it was still casual and we all felt as though we could relax!

Us with my dad.

My grandparents.

My cousin (MOH #1) and my aunt and uncle.

My best friend (MOH #2) and I.

The food was wonderful, too! All of our guests commented how great it was and how much they enjoyed the restaurant. I’m so glad we chose it! Right before we left, I also handed out our bridal party gifts, which everyone loved. So far, the evening was a success and I was still remaining calm and relaxed!

After we left the restaurant, we all went back to the Four Seasons where I dropped off the guys and Miguel and I said our final goodbyes for the evening and saw each other for the last time as boyfriend and girlfriend. What a surreal moment!

It was actually very hard to say goodbye. I think we said it four times before I finally managed to leave with my two maids of honor!

In no time, we were back to the St. Regis and still marveling over the room. I hopped in the gigantic tub and it was so nice! I didn’t want to get out. It was like being in a pool! My ladies also showered and we all got ready to bed. I was worried that I would be too anxious to sleep, but I managed to fall asleep rather quickly, sometime before 2:00 am. That might should late, but I normally go to bed at 1:00 during the week (really bad, I know since I get up at 6:15) so 2:00 wasn’t bad at all for me. I slept wonderful all night – my last night as a single girl!

Next up: Wedding Day!

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

Your rehearsal looked really fun! Glad that everything went well minus the weather. So cute that we didn't want to say goodbye to Miguel. I walked out of ours with my girls and Randy came running out saying "you forgot to say goodbye" ooops!!!

 

[Jennifer48]

Hooray you're back and a married woman!!

Rehearsal day sounded like it went well.

How cute that you didn't want to say goodbye. It is a weird surreal moment isn't it?!

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

Your rehearsal looked really fun! Glad that everything went well minus the weather. So cute that we didn't want to say goodbye to Miguel. I walked out of ours with my girls and Randy came running out saying "you forgot to say goodbye" ooops!!!

Haha, that is too funny! I was planning on more of a private goodbye, but everyone was just standing around. It was awkward!

Hooray you're back and a married woman!!

Rehearsal day sounded like it went well.

How cute that you didn't want to say goodbye. It is a weird surreal moment isn't it?!

It was such a weird moment! I was very thankful that the whole day went very smoothly! If it hadn't I probably wouldn't have been as relaxed that night which led to me sleeping well.

 

[ronnmel]

Sounds like a great rehearsal day, beautiful hotels, and things going mostly well (except for the rain). I'm someone who doesn't sleep well either usually, so I can imagine how good it must have felt to sleep well just in time for your big day(s)!

 

[klacey1]

Courtney, it sounds like rehearsal went really well! I love how organized you kept everything! Your suite at the St. Regis is just gorgeous!! Like a luxury apartment! Can't wait to hear about the wedding day and see the pictures!

 

[Princess_K]

It looks like you had a great rehearsal day! I'm excited for the next update!

 

[Mrs T 2009]

YAY You are back AND married!!!! Welcome to the club

I am SO EXCITED to hear all about your Wedding and Disneymoon!!!

The rehearsal sounded like it went great! A few snafu's are to be expected, and I am glad it was not anything big deal

Your rehearsal dress looked great on you You are so pretty!

Can't wait to hear all about the BIG WEDDING DAY

 

[lilpapsgirl]

Wow you look so calm. I would have been a mess! Everything sounded like it went so smoothly. The rehersal dinner looked like it was a great place. I bet the food was awesome. And the hotels looked stunning. I love great hotels, they make me feel like I am living another life when I stay there...almost like a fairytale that I don't want to leave. I am very excited for your next updates!!!

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

Sounds like a great rehearsal day, beautiful hotels, and things going mostly well (except for the rain). I'm someone who doesn't sleep well either usually, so I can imagine how good it must have felt to sleep well just in time for your big day(s)!

They day did go really well. Thankfully the rain didn't affect us (with the exception of some bad traffic).

Courtney, it sounds like rehearsal went really well! I love how organized you kept everything! Your suite at the St. Regis is just gorgeous!! Like a luxury apartment! Can't wait to hear about the wedding day and see the pictures!

Organization was definitely key! I knew I would freak out otherwise! The suite was so nice. I could live there for sure!

It looks like you had a great rehearsal day! I'm excited for the next update!

We did! I'm excited to get started on the actual wedding day! And I just noticed your ticker! Yay for a DFTW! Are you going to do a PJ? I will definitely follow along if you do!

YAY You are back AND married!!!! Welcome to the club

I am SO EXCITED to hear all about your Wedding and Disneymoon!!!

The rehearsal sounded like it went great! A few snafu's are to be expected, and I am glad it was not anything big deal

Your rehearsal dress looked great on you You are so pretty!

Can't wait to hear all about the BIG WEDDING DAY

Thanks! I'm glad to finally be a part of the married world after planning it for so long! And thanks for your sweet comments!

Wow you look so calm. I would have been a mess! Everything sounded like it went so smoothly. The rehersal dinner looked like it was a great place. I bet the food was awesome. And the hotels looked stunning. I love great hotels, they make me feel like I am living another life when I stay there...almost like a fairytale that I don't want to leave. I am very excited for your next updates!!!

I was shocked at how calm I was, because I am not a calm person! I'm really glad we chose the restaurant that we did. It was nice to have a more casual rehearsal dinner since the wedding was so formal.

I know what you mean about the nice hotels! It is fun to pretend while you are there! I could have stayed in that suite for a long time. It was so fun to stay there!

 

[dreamerchic33]

everything looked amazing!!! can't wait to see the rest! xo <3

 

[Nermel9]

Looks like it was a fun, busy day! That room you stayed in at the St. Regis was beautiful!! And the rehearsal dinner looked great, nice and laid back before your big day!

 

[blessedmom4]

Amazing Pictures and your wedding night suite is to ...I loved seeing everything packed that I have seen in your past PTR updates...like the thongs!

I can't WAIT for more!