"She's Gone Country" Chris and Amanda's May 25, 2015 SBP/Attic Wishes Wedding

[DisneyFirefly]

Oh my goodness, thank you so much! I've edited the picture. And for those of you lucky enough to have seen it, I really really like white chocolate macademia nut cookies so if you wanna send some I would not be upset.

We ordered our brochures from VistaPrint. It was super easy. They have the templates all set up all I had to do was put in our pictures and words. We only ordered 24 and I think it was like $30 or something around that.

I am so sorry to hear about your dog. It sucks so bad that those little guys make us love them and then they leave us so soon.

Funny you should say about the glitter. I love it! Every time I go to a store and they have something with glitter on it I rub some on my finger then put it on my face. My DF says it's because I'm a fairy and I just need to sparkle. He used to hate glitter too... but has grown accustomed to the fact that our house will always have the threat of a glitter bomb attack.

Not a problem. That's just something I tend to look for, since I know that sometimes we all get so excited about something that we forget about certain things. I have a friend who recently posted her address publicly on her Tumblr account and I was like "...uh, honey?"

That's good to know. I was looking at their invitations, since I've got no idea what sort we'll end up going with. I haven't managed to get DF to look at any yet except for some boxed ones the last time we went to Michael's. I'll keep that in mind I like their quality.

Yeah, me too. She was a good dog. Her name was Delilah and she was a boxer-mastiff. She just randomly started losing weight and no matter what she ate, couldn't put any on. She was extremely lethargic as well. We think she may have had cancer, but we're not sure. It was time for her to go, sad as it was.

I'm not the world's biggest fan of glitter. It has its place, but if it's going to come loose, I don't like it. That being said, I did make tutus for a couple friends of mine with glittery tulle... The glitter shed like crazy. It took forever to clean up because it got into the grain of the hardwood floor.

 

[Serendipityblah]

A LOT has been accomplished over the past few days. One of our favors has come in. I am so excited about these.

Chris and I love to collect koozies and now we have two to add to our collection. The letters are done in sparkles (of course).

We picked out our toasting glasses and they finally arrived!

My favorite wine glass is a red solo cup glued to the top of a handle... so we went the "fancier" route for our wedding, seeing as how this is a formal affair of course. These came out SO good. You can't tell where the two different glasses meet. The lady did a fantastic job.

My hangar is here!

I love the colors on this. And I am sooo excited that I was able to get Cinderella's coach on it.

I got the jewelry for my Maid of Honor.

You can't really tell in the picture but the necklace is Tinkerbell holding a heart. My MOH is OBSESSED with Tinkerbell so I thought it would be nice to incorporate that into her outfit so she had something to wear after the wedding too.

These are my earrings:

The Disney Store online has some really nice looking jewelry for cheap. I was super happy to find all this.

My necklace and bracelet are both from Etsy. Here is the necklace:

And here is my bracelet:

Each one of the charms represents a different Disney princess. I looooove this bracelet. I can't wait until after the wedding and I get to wear it all the time.

Now a few weeks ago, DF and I were cleaning out our closet and we came upon this mysterious box:

DF couldn't understand why I snatched it out of his hands and ran from the room almost crying. He caught me in the living room on the couch holding this reverently in my hands:

When I was about 7 or 8 years old, my family went to Disney World. I saw this in the store and asked my mom to buy it for me so I could use it at my wedding. I've kept it in the box ever since then. I'd forgotten all about it up until I saw it again. What is even better is that I didn't have it at my first wedding... almost as if young me knew he wasn't the right one so kept it hidden until Chris came about.

The sides are a little (a LOT) yellow, but I still fully intend on using this on my day.

I told my dad about it and he said he didn't remember it. I wonder if my mom would have remembered. I'll have to ask her when I get to Heaven.

But enough of that sappy stuff! As much as I love it let's get to the real reason anyone is reading this.

THE DRESS!

I went in for a fitting today and was finally able to see all my pieces come together. I think the result is stunning. I am overjoyed by how great everything looks. There isn't anything I would change (except to get the dress tailored of course.)

I'm just gonna stop the post there because there is no way to top that, lol. I can't stop staring at these pictures. I am soooooo happy!

 

[EpicBilynn]

That necklace is gorgeous. And I'm obsessed with your hat! Everything is looking amazing so far!

 

[Serendipityblah]

That necklace is gorgeous. And I'm obsessed with your hat! Everything is looking amazing so far!

Thank you! The lady who made it did such a fantastic job.

My mom wore a similar hat at her wedding only it was more Victorian. So this is sort of an homage to her with a Southern Belle twist.

 

[twinkybel81]

Welcome home!

Congrats on your weight loss! It's hard work and you look great.

I love your ensemble, everything goes together so well!

 

[Serendipityblah]

Welcome home!

Congrats on your weight loss! It's hard work and you look great.

I love your ensemble, everything goes together so well!

Thank you! I couldn't believe I put that outfit together all by myself! I am a fashion disaster so I was sooo happy that it turned out so well.

 

[oknavymom]

Wow, I'm getting so excited. I love everything. And the girls I work with just loved the invitations. Hope it was ok that I shared. You have done a great job and I am so blessed to be able to call you daughter. You have definetly made my son happy.. Thank you for that.. And this old mom finally figured out how to get my pw reset..this electronic stuff is going to be other my head some day..Lots of Love from this ok navymom...

 

[sheri18]

Good PJ....just bound these boards a few days ago....reading all that I can....thanks for sharing

 

[Serendipityblah]

Quick Halloween update:

We did our very first 10k!

I was of course Captain America. I didn't wear the little eye thingy because I couldn't imagine running 6.2 miles with that thing on my face. It was annoying just having it on for two seconds.

We finished in 1 hour and 4 minutes. For our first time and that being the furthest either of us has ever ran in our lives I think we did an AMAZING job.


Here are our smiling, and exhausted, faces:

Later that week was Halloween night and I dressed up as none other than the Evil Queen from Snow White:

Tomorrow we are going to see Marvel Avengers Live! I am STOKED! I want to dress up like Captain America again, but it might be too cold outside. I might just settle for bringing my shield with me.

My planning session is only 16 days away! It's a phone call but still super exciting!

 

[Serendipityblah]

We both got all four days off for Veteran's Day Weekend. Which in the Navy is absolutely unheard of because chances are you will have duty at least one of those days. So we were very lucky in that. On Saturday, DF took me to see Marvel Universe Live. It was so much fun! I was only able to get a good shot of the stage before the show began.

They did an amazing job with the choreography and lip-synching. I knew it was a kid's show, but I didn't feel weird going there without a kid with us. Plus I wore my Disney Bride sweatshirt so it was lots of fun.

Monday, we brought Boomer to a park called First Landing. He loved it. At one point a couple was walking towards us, and Boomer gave them his super cute butt wiggle and they smiled and called him a cutie as they passed. Boomer ran at me full speed, jumped, chest bumped me, and then went back to walking ahead. Like he was saying "Look Mom! They said hi to me!"

Ever since then he has been chest bumping me any time something cool happens for him (which is about every five minutes.) I know it's not "good" to let him to do that, but I think it's hilarious. And he doesn't do it to anyone but me so I can live with it.

Last Saturday we had a Taste of Town Center 5K. We ran a 5K and then a bunch of local restaurants had food samples for the runners. It was freezing out there!

DF asked me to hold his soup for him and I thought it was cheese something or other so I tasted it.... it was clam chowder. I about puked. I absolutely hate seafood. So I had to scarf down some chicken mac and cheese to get that taste out of my mouth... and I was still burping clam chowder all day. BLECK!!

We relaxed and finally were able to drink the beer DF had brewed a couple months ago. It was actually really good. I love dark beer. He didn't like it very much because he is more a Bud Platinum guy (hence my garters.) But he brewed the dark stuff for me his first time because he loves me. I got myself a keeper.

 

[Serendipityblah]

Got my wedding planning session tomorrow. We have ADR for BOG 21st for dinner. Then CRT 22nd for breakfast. So excited to see to plan our wedding!!

 

[Serendipityblah]

Planning Session Trip Report

I drove myself to work on the morning of my planning session. It was a pretty cold day, but it wasn't unmanageable. I wore running pants under my uniform to keep my legs warm.

Here is a photo of my car back when she was new (new to me)

Here is me in uniform holding up some paperwork to prove that I do work.

It was a pretty long morning. I was so excited to get home and start our planning session.

I couldn't wait to leave this place:

Soon enough though, it was time for me to drive myself back home. But not without a lunch stop. Chris called me as I was leaving work and asked if I would like to pick him up from work and we could go to Moe's. Of course I said yes! Even though it meant I would have to take him to work in the morning, lol. I like Moe's so much more than Chipotle. I think it's the queso honestly. And I like being greeted with a hearty "Welcome to Moe's" every time I walk in the joint.

I had the chicken burrito with rice, no beans, queso, salsa, grilled onions, sour cream, cheese, and lettuce. Chris had pork with all the fixings including guacamole. We split an order of chips and queso con carne. I had cherry vanilla Coke and he had sweet tea. I forgot to take a picture of our food, but let me tell you it was delicious! If you've never been to Moe's, I highly recommend it.

We fought our way through traffic and finally made it home. I wasted no time in taking off my uniform and lounging around in my blue navy tshirt and running pants. Chris decided to wear only shorts for our planning session. I told him he was going to get cold, but he never listens. Plus, he said, he could always warm his toes up on me. He loves to do that. He thinks it's funny to see me gasping for air as his ice cold toes burn my thighs. He is a monster sometimes.

Our appointment was at 1300 so I made sure we were ready. The venue was breathtaking.

The decor and atmosphere really made me feel like I was at home. We were both super comfortable.

I started to countdown the minutes until our planner was going to call. 10 minutes, 9, 8, you get the idea. Then it went to 1 minute past, 5, 10. I ended up calling her and was like "Um am I supposed to call you?" To which she replied "Oh my goodness! I am soo sorry! I read my calendar wrong and thought our meeting was at 2!" She asked me to give her five minutes and she would call me back. Poor thing probably thought I was going to yell at her, but I just thought it was funny.

Five minutes later and our planning session was underway! I was pleasantly surprised that Chris actively participated in the conversation. We confirmed our times for our MK Bridal Shoot, Before/After ceremony pictures, basically we started at the beginning of the day and took us all the way to the end of the reception. It was soo much! And we still have to talk with Floral, our DJ, our officiant (Tim Herring!), and the cake people.

One thing that was awesome was she was able to get the Entertainment people to buy off on us getting Mickey and Minnie to wear their western attire! That was important to us (me.)

Our menu is going to be southern comfort food featuring truffle mac and cheese and sirloin steak. I don't remember ALL the food we decided on but it's going to be scrumptious! I can't wait to see my BEO and then die from the prices and have to scale everything back!

All in all our planning session lasted about two hours and we made it through the whole thing without fighting!

Well, almost.

 

[Serendipityblah]

November 29, 2014... a date which will live in infamy.

I turned 30! Like for real. I am now 30 years old. It's crazy! It's ridiculous. It's down right scary. I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up. I'm getting out of the Navy in less than 5 months. In less than 5 months, I'm getting married.. Whoa! So many life changes! I'm certain my 30s are going to be my favorite decade yet... but it's still scary. Plus now I'm officially old so that doesn't help

Chris bought tickets to go see Wicked on my birthday.

Boomer wanted to be in the picture.

It was my second time seeing the musical, but it had been about 7 or 8 years since I saw it the first time. It was AMAZING! Only thing that I would have changed would be the time. It was a 2000 showing. I usually go to bed around that time so the entire second act was me wiggling around in my seat trying not to fall asleep.

After the show though, we stopped at Sonic for ice cream! Ice cream at midnight? Why not! I'm 30 years old I can do what I want!

I can put my spoon on my nose if I want to. I'm an adult!

Plus, even though I am now 30, I am still the fairest in the land. I got the confirmation from Siri.

Snow White ain't got nothing on this princess.

We had Chris's Christmas party this past week. And this was the only shot I got of the two of us together.

It was a typical work Christmas party. I had to go to work the next day so we didn't stay very long. But we did stay long enough to win a $25 gift certificate at the Cheesecake Factory! Hooray!

I almost forgot! On our way out the door to the Christmas party, we had mail.

My new phone case! It is sooooo sparkly and just perfectly me. The wives at the party all loved it.

Not a whole lot has been done on the wedding front. I ask Chris all the time what he plans on wearing, what cufflinks he wants, what socks, etc. He doesn't know. He is driving me crazy. But luckily men can wait awhile for their stuff and it will be ok. I just want to make sure he and his best man at least match each other. He has hinted that he wants me to go with them and tell them what to wear. I really don't want to do that. I want him to surprise me. But I may just end up having to do it.

I also don't know what to do about our children's outfits. My son knows that he is going to Disney World. His two kids don't know and we are keeping it a surprise because we don't want drama from the mama. So now we have to find clothes for them. His daughter is 7 so she will wear anything we get her. His son is 13. I don't want to get him something that he will hate. We were thinking khakis and a shirt/vest for the boys. But then kids grow so we don't know how big they are going to be. It's definitely going to be interesting.

I've booked all our ADRs for our stay:

May 21- 7:25p Be Our Guest
May 22- 9:05a Cinderella's Royal Table
6:00p Jedi Mickey's Star Wars Dine at Hollywood and Vine
May 23- 8:00a Star Wars Dine-In Galactic Breakfast at Sci-Fi
6:20p Via Napoli
May 24- 11:30a Wolfgang Puck Grand Cafe (might get cancelled due to steaming at 1300)
May 25- GET MARRIED!!
May 26- (now with kids) 6:45p Akershus
May 27- 6:15p Hoop Dee Doo
May 28- 9:00a Pirate's League (all five of us are turning into pirates)
6:05p Mama Melrose
May 29- 4:00p T-REX
May 30- go home

We are kind of doing our honeymoon backwards in that all our park time alone will be before the wedding. My son lives with my dad in Saint Louis (can't be a single mom on a ship in the Navy when you have to be able to deploy with 24 hours notice) And his two kids live in Oklahoma with their mother. So the grandparents are going to bring the kids to Florida. They will all be going back to Virginia with us after the wedding for the summer though. And since I won't be in the Navy anymore, my son will be moving back in with us. It's been since Christmas 2010 that I haven't had my son living with me. So I am super excited to finally have him back. Having him live with Grandpa was not part of the plan when I joined the Navy back in 2009. It's been a long hard road, but we finally get to be a family again.

A few weeks ago, I bought the park tickets for the kids. I never received a confirmation email or confirmation number, but my credit card was charged. I waited a little while to see if the tickets would just come in and they still haven't arrived. So I called Disney today and they said they have them marked as sent, but they are going to go ahead and send me new ones anyway via FedEx. This time I DID get a confirmation number and email so I'm super excited. Every time I call Disney it is so easy to talk to the CMs. I have really bad anxiety about talking to people on the phone (which is weird because growing up all I ever did was talk to my friends on the phone. This was before cell phones of course.) It's so bad that I have let credit card charges be charged to me wrong just because I didn't want to talk to someone. I don't know what my problem is. But Disney makes it so easy to talk to them. They are always super helpful and super nice.

I think that is pretty much it for right now. We took Boomer to see Santa at Petco yesterday, but we haven't received the pictures yet... so here is a different picture of him.

Have a great day! Only 168 more days until my wedding!

 

[oknavymom]

Hello Amanda, boy I haven't been on here for awhile. I'm getting excited, do you realize it is only 5 MONTHS AWAY! OMG time is getting past me so fast.
Everything looks and sounds so wonderful. Do you know what us parents/siblings are suppose to do or when we are to arrive? Are we taking family photo's? Let me know when you can... Hope you both have a Merry Christmas, sure wish we were going to be with you, but gosh sometimes life gets in the way... LOVE MOM

 

[LadyD]

AHHH I love how everything is coming together!!! Your ADRs. So. Tasty!! I didn't realize they do a Star Wars thing now at Sci-Fi. That sounds so fun! Your dog is adorable btw haha Can't wait to hear more.

 

[Serendipityblah]

AHHH I love how everything is coming together!!! Your ADRs. So. Tasty!! I didn't realize they do a Star Wars thing now at Sci-Fi. That sounds so fun! Your dog is adorable btw haha Can't wait to hear more.

I was so excited when they announced Star Wars Weekends. I don't remember the original places I had booked, but I dropped them in a heartbeat for the Star Wars Characters lol.

And thank you, we love Boomer sooo much. I don't know what we did without him.... besides NOT have muddy pawprints on my jeans and I used to be able to wear black

Hello Amanda, boy I haven't been on here for awhile. I'm getting excited, do you realize it is only 5 MONTHS AWAY! OMG time is getting past me so fast.
Everything looks and sounds so wonderful. Do you know what us parents/siblings are suppose to do or when we are to arrive? Are we taking family photo's? Let me know when you can... Hope you both have a Merry Christmas, sure wish we were going to be with you, but gosh sometimes life gets in the way... LOVE MOM

We will be taking family photos the day of the wedding after the ceremony. We are going to do a rehearsal the day before, but not a rehearsal dinner. We haven't decided on a place to "get together" yet. I have to be up at 4am the day of the wedding lol. So the rehearsal day is going to be an EARLY night for me.

I have been such a bad bride lately... I promise I will post an update... soon-ish lol. There have been some fun things happening though and my BEO should be here sometime this upcoming week!!!

 

[Disneyducks12]

I can't believe I haven't already posted on your PJ our wedding is two days apart!!! I have been following along, I love your invitations and I really loved your save the date I love the country theme and boots and your dress looks so amazing it fits you perfectly! Glad to see everything really coming together can't wait for more updates!

Happy Planning
Melissa