Top Ten Romantic Things to do in Disney World (3 of 10)

Top Ten Romantic Things to do in Disney World

3.) Spa Treatments

Where : Three resorts at WDW offer full service Spa's, Disney's Grand Floridian, Saratoga Springs, and The Dolphin. You can also find limited spa services, such as massage, and health clubs at these Disney Resorts. The Yacht and Beach Resort Ship Shape Health Club, Boardwalk Inn's Muscles and Bustles Health Club, Wilderness Lodge Sturdy Branches Health Club, and Animal Kingdom Lodge's Zahanti Massage and Fitness Center.

How : You can call the resort concierge desk to find out what each spa or health club offer and book an appointment.

Why : After doing some research I decided I would focus on one of the full service spas. All of the spas on WDW property are top of the line, high class, spas that offer a variety of services and ultimate relaxation. They all would be amazingly romantic! The one I chose to focus on though, was the Mandara Spa, located at the Dolphin resort. 

After reading about this spa and seeing the amazing pictures of the inside I am completely in love with it!  I am hoping that Adam and I can do a couples massage in there at some point during one of our upcoming WDW trips. The reason that it intrigued me so much was the Balinese Style. It is not something that you would expect to find when visiting the house of mouse and it just oozes exotic. 

There are two "pre-treatment" exotic retreats, The Palm Garden and the Meditation Garden, where you and your significant other can start your pampering. You can also book the "Couples Retreat" suite that comes complete with a Bathing Boudoir... Oh la la! If you're traveling as a family and have little ones to worry, about the Mandara Spa also offers complimentary child care. 

Some of the signature services that you and your other half may want to look into are...

- Mandara Hot Stone Therapy

- Elemis Aroma Spa Seaweed Massage

-Mandara Ritual of the Hands and Feet (Great for all those long walks through the park!)

I personally have never done a spa treatment of any kind in WDW. It has always been on my "to-do" list and I can't think of anything more romantic then a nice relaxing spa treatment with the one you love. 

Wedding Wednesday

Before we get back into our Top Ten Romantic Things to do in Disney World, I am going to participate in Wedding Wednesday with Dragyn Ally. (One of my favorite blogs)

In honor of the Royal Wedding I've decided to countdown my top 5 Disney wedding dresses... not the Alfred Angelo dresses, the actual dresses that Disney princesses have worn.

Number 5 has to go to Minnie Mouse.

She keeps it real, classy, and even includes her signature bow in her ensemble with a bridal twist.

Number 4 goes to Ariel

I love that her dress was modest but also very hip with the times. The Little Mermaid came out in 1989 and look at those puffy shoulders! She was one stylish bride for 1989.

Number 3 goes to Jasmine

Jasmine put her own twist on her wedding dress. There are beautiful gold accents to her dress... just incase you forgot she was royalty. She also used flowers in her hair instead of a tiara, Very pretty!

Number 2 goes to Cinderella

Her dress is 100% class! It reminds me of Grace Kelleys wedding gown when she married the Prince of Monaco. The simple elegance of her gown is absolutely breathe taking.

Number 1 is going to Princess Tiana! Why? Because not only did she wear one AMAZING ball gown but she also got to wear ANOTHER more sultry wedding dress at the end of the movie.


I Loved that her first wedding dress was green. I contemplated wearing a pink wedding dress but was eventually talked out of it. Tiana's green dress was stunning and it's one of my favorite dresses ever! If I was a little girl you KNOW i'd be wearing that to the Magic Kingdom!


Her second wedding dress, was a slimmer fitting gown that kept with the green accents. This dress goes back to that simple elegance that I love, yet with beautiful accents like her crown.

Well there you have it! My top 5 Disney princess wedding gowns! I am so excited to see what Kate Middleton's wedding gown is going to look like and I hope it is just as amazing as the Princesses on my list.

Life Announcements

Wow! I have missed blogging. I'm so sorry that I haven't posted in a few days, but I'm here! I love "Making My Fairy Tale" and as much as I love writing articles about Disney and being a newlywed, I also want to include you all in my life events. That being said, let me fill you in on whats been going on...

We have decided that we are going to be putting the house up for sale (hopefully) in June. We've been working hard on finishing up renovation projects, and getting the house "staged" like you see on HGTV. It's been hard work and we're not done yet... BUT hard work does pay off and we have our eye on a home that (if the stars align) will still be on the market when we are ready to buy.

The other major event is that... Drum roll please... I got a NEW JOB!!! My current job was just not what I thought it would be. After giving them four years of hard work I'd decided it was time to move on. I went on a few interviews, but nothing got me excited. Last week I went on an interview and instantly fell in love with everyone in the office. The job is exactly what I want to be doing, I won't be "just a secretary" anymore, and the amount of knowledge this position is going to give me is just amazing! I wanted to tell you all about it last week but things were not finalized and I hadn't given my notice yet to work. Today I gave my notice and I am so excited to start this new chapter in my life! :)

So that's where I've been! I'll be getting back to my Top Ten Romantic Things to do in Disney World, just bear with me while I get adjusted to my new routine.

xoxo
Katie

Top Ten Romantic Things to do in Disney World (2 of 10)

Top Ten Romantic Things to do in Disney World


2.) Boat Rentals 

Where: The following resorts at WDW all have marinas where you can rent boats. Beach and Yacht Club, Caribbean Beach Resort, Contemporary Resort, Port Orleans, The Grand Floridian, Polynesian, Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness, Old Key West Resort, Coronado Springs, and Down Town Disney Marketplace.

How: When renting the smaller Sea Raycer boats or the pedal boats, you can walk right up to the marina and rent them. The going rate for a Sea Raycer is 30$ for 30 minuets, 40$ for 45 minuets, and 45$ for 60 minuets. The pedal boats are 6.50$ per half hour.  For the Specialty Cruises you call the Disney Recreation line and make the reservation. The going rate for most of the specialty cruises depend on the amount of people you have with you. (From what I read)

Why: In terms of romance, renting the Grand One Yacht for a specialty fireworks cruise is almost always mentioned.

I mean look at her! She's a beautiful boat and renting her for a romantic evening would be spectacular. But if you're like Adam and I, you probably can't fathom the idea of spending the $520 per hour to rent her. If you are looking to "Wow!" a loved one or to do something special for a "grand gathering" and can split the cost, then absolutely go for it!

For us "regular" folk I have another idea for some nautical romance!

Ok, Ok, I know what you're thinking... In comparison to the Grand One it doesn't look all that romantic, but let me reassure you that you'd be surprised! Adam and I have rented these so far on two of our trips. Once out of Old Key West, and most recently from the Polynesian. Both times were simply amazing! Renting from Old Key West put us on track to drive by Down Town Disney, Saratoga Springs and Port Orleans. It was a great get away from the crowds and it was nice to be alone tother floating around. We got to check out resorts that we never had explored before and we got a great ocean view of Down Town Disney.

When we rented one from the Polynesian we were put in an even more romantic mood. I thought that it was just because we were on our honeymoon but after reviewing the film (Yes I videoed our nautical excursion) I noticed that the scenery we were looking at was absolutely brilliant. To better prove my point I made my first movie on IMoive! Enjoy! (p.s. please excuse my rookie attempt at movie making)


I hope you enjoyed my little film. (Please hold the applause) Renting the sea raycers are a great way to spend time alone together and also get a new perspective on WDW.

Top Ten Romantic Things to do in Disney World (1 of 10)

As a Disney fan, Disney bride, and Disney newlywed I get questions from people like, "How can you say Disney is romantic? There are kids everywhere!" or "What do you suggest I do to bring some romance into my vacation?" I have always thought of Disney as being romantic so it's nothing out of the ordinary for me. When I was little I saw movies like "The Little Mermaid" and "Sleeping Beauty" where the thought of Prince Eric or Philip rushing to their princess was the ultimate romantic fantasy. Now as an adult (and I use that term loosely) I see it as something so much more. I have found my prince charming and we always keep the romance going on our Disney trips. My next ten posts will be my top ten romantic things to do in Walt Disney World. I know that other blogs and podcasts have done similar segments but I feel they left a few of the good ones out. Plus it's always good to get other opinions right?

Top Ten Romantic Things to do in Disney World

1.) Carriage Rides through Fort Wilderness or Port Orleans Riverside

Where: You can do these private carriage rides at both Fort Wilderness and Port Orleans. We did ours at Fort Wilderness and we loved it. 

How: You can reserve a carriage ride by calling Disney's recreation line. It's basically the same as making an ADR. The going rate for a carriage ride is 45$ for 25mins.

Why: Imagine riding in a carriage on a dirt country road. Wildlife is all around you. You hear birds chirping and see bunnies hopping about. The woods are so lush and green, with Spanish moss hanging low off of the branches. You have a glass of wine in your hand, a cozy warm blanket over your lap, and you're all cuddled up with you honey.  All the while the sun is setting and twilight is falling. 

How romantic is THAT!? 

I guess I'm partial to the carriage rides because Adam proposed to me on one at Fort Wilderness on our November 2008 trip. Honestly if we didn't get engaged it still would be on my list! It was one of the most romantic things I've ever done. We went to Fort Wilderness a bit early and grabbed two glasses of wine at the Meadow Snacks Bar window. If it's just the two of you get a nice glass of wine for the ride, if you're going to be with the kiddos maybe get a hot chocolate (if its cold) or some lemonades (if its hot).  

I can't speak for the carriage ride through Port Orleans, but the one through Fort Wilderness was very private. You first go through the campgrounds and then on this trail through the woods. We saw a whole family of deer and a group of bunnies hopping around. Obviously the family of deer was an added bonus to our carriage ride and I can't guarantee that it'll happen for you. It was an awesome experience and extremely romantic. 

At Fort Wilderness

At Port Orleans

A Pirate's Life for me... From Land Lover to the High Seas

October first is the day we will be heading to Port Canaveral and hitting the high seas! I'm sure I'll be too anxious and excited to sleep in, unlike Adam who will be needing his beauty rest after two days of running around.  I called Disney Cruise Line and asked them what time I should expect to be picked up at the Wilderness Lodge to be brought to Port Canaveral. I was told I would get a letter in my room the day before telling me what my pick up time was. She told me it could be anywhere between 10:30am and 12:30pm.  

Since I know I'll be up early, I'll take a shower and get ready for the day and pack up everything before heading out for a solitude walk. Like I said in my previous post I love these walks. I'll be sure to take my video camera and film everything that I come across. The grounds at the Wilderness Lodge are so beautiful! Adam and I walked through them briefly on previous trips, but to walk through them in the morning before too much starts happening gives a whole new perspective. 

I love sitting right here!

After my mini excursion I'll head back to wake up Adam and go grab some breakfast at the "Roaring Fork". 

Depending on when the bus is going to be picking us up we will either go get our things for check out and sit in the lobby, or we'll go hang out by the pool. 

Part of me wants it to be the later pick up time so we can enjoy the resort and being in WDW alittle longer. The other part of me wants it to be the early pick up time so we can get on that ship! 

Once this chariot pulls up we'll be on our way to Port Canaveral.

I found these pictures of the port and it's beautiful!! I'm so excited to see it in person!

Here is where I have nothing left to write about. I have no idea what the "check in" process is, I don't know what happens once you're checked in, I'm basically clueless. I do know where our stateroom is though! But that's because I picked it! We are in stateroom 6635. I did some ridiculous amount of research and found that the "aft" of the ship is calmer and you don't feel much movement back there. (Look at me, I'm using nautical terms!) I'm not worried about getting sea sick too much, my dad owns a boat and we've been boating since I was little. But a little boat is very different than a large boat... I'm not taking any chances!

Here is where I'm going to ask for your help... Anyone with any insight to Disney Cruising is much appreciated! 

I can make excursion and Palo reservations at the 75 day mark which is July 18th. So until then I'm going to cool it on the cruise coverage. I have some fun things in store for Making My Fairy Tale so don't worry, I'm not leaving you! :)

*photos courtesy of Allears.net 

Soundless Sundays

EPCOT
Food and Wine Festival 2010

A Pirate's Life for me... Starting as Land Lovers Cont.

Day two of our four parks in two days marathon....

I am an early bird, always have been and always will be. If I sleep late I feel like I'm wasting a day. I also like to stop and smell the roses when I'm in WDW.  There were many days on our honeymoon where I would wake up, get dressed, and slip out of the room, unnoticed, to walk around the resort grounds by myself. A couple times I stopped at the boardwalk bakery for breakfast and brought Adam his food in a to go box. I actually liked these moments of solitude in the early mornings. I'd stop and say good morning to the cast members, explore the nooks and crannies of the resort, and I loved sitting on a bench on the boardwalk watching the boats start their day. 

Adam however is all about sleeping late. In his defense he gets up very early for work everyday. On his vacations he has no problem sleeping until ten.  Normally when I get back to the room from my walks of solitude I slowly make more and more noise to wake Adam up. hehehe. Unfortunately for Adam, this is not whats going to happen! We are getting up early!

I want to be here by nine thirty!

Magic Kingdom opens at nine that morning. I'd love to be there for rope drop but I have to be realistic. 

Adam and I usually get breakfasts at our resorts when we are in WDW. I want to try something different and get breakfast at the Magic Kingdom Main St. Bakery.

I read some reviews and everyone seems to like it. I think it'll be nice to grab a breakfast sandwich and sit out on Main St. 

We will spend that morning at Magic Kingdom hitting up the "mountains", The Haunted Mansion, and some of our other favorites. I'm very excited to see the new interactive Haunted Mansion queue and maybe we can see some of the new Fantasy Land construction. I hope we can get to all of it, fingers crossed the crowds aren't bad that day. 

Around one o'clock I want to jump on the monorail and head over to EPCOT. EPCOT is our favorite park by far. I love everything about it! I could walk around world showcase all day and never get bored. Talking to cast members from different countries, trying different foods, and shopping! I just can't get enough of the park. I'm actually listening to the park music on youtube at the moment. (such a geek!)

The Food and Wine Festival is also starting on September 30th! Adam and I did it last year for our honeymoon and we fell in love with it! Lunch that day will consist of stopping at each kiosk and having little bites of exotic food... and trying not to get shattered on alcoholic beverages. HA!

At seven thirty that night we have an ADR at Le Chef's De France. We had an ADR for this restaurant the day after our wedding but we missed it. We were having too much fun with our friends and family in EPCOT that we totally forgot. Oops! 

If I timed it right we should be be just finish eating in time for Illuminations! I know I'm going to get grief about this but Illuminations is by far my favorite Disney Fireworks Display. I get so pumped for it! That show is amazing and will never get old. 

After Illuminations we'll make our way back to the Wilderness Lodge for bed. 

For your viewing pleasure...

I have not forgotten about you! I had a very important appointment today! I don't know anything yet but once I know the details I will be letting you know about the changes to Adam and I's life.

I'm working diligently on researching for future blog posts. Giving you a look at Disney Cruising for a "first time" cruisers point of view is going to be tons of fun and I'm excited to get started. It would be wrong to give you (or myself) bad information so I'm doing all of my due diligence before I start blogging. :)

But to keep you entertained tonight I'm posting this amazing video of the summer Nightastic Fireworks at Magic Kingdom. Enjoy!

A Pirate's Life for me... Starting as Land Lovers

Let me preface these next few posts with these two disclaimers... First, This trip is still 5 months away. If my plans change please excuse my indecisive, neurotic tendencies. Second, We will only have two days left on our annual passes. I have every intention on using them as much as possible during the two days before we head to Port Canaveral. Adam is well aware that we will be in "run around" mode for the first few days. I promised him that once we are cruising we will be vacationing at a much more relaxed pace. My fingers were crossed, of course, when I made that promise, But I digress.... lets start with day one of our land lover portion of our adventure, shall we?

September 29th, 2011 (Thursday)

I'm hoping that we get the first flight out of Logan Airport that morning. I want to be on the magical express by 10:30am. This is no joke either! We did it on our wedding trip and we were on the magical express by 9:15... It CAN be done! There are a few flights I'm keeping an eye on at the moment. As soon as they come down a bit in price I'm booking!


Here is where we will be staying for two nights, The Villas at the Wilderness Lodge

Once we get to the Villas at the Wilderness Lodge and check in we will be going to the Animal Kingdom.



I want to hit the major rides, Expedition Everest, Dinosaur, Kilimanjaro safari, Ect.  I'm hoping to see the Festival of the Lion King show FINALLY! I've always wanted to see the broadway show but things have always come up and it's never happened. This is the next best thing and I'm making it a point to go see it come hell or high water!


I hope that in between the attractions we have time to walk around and enjoy the scenery and animals. But I'm not holding my breath. 

At 3:00 we are going to have to leave Animal Kingdom to head back to the Villas at the Wilderness Lodge. It'll be time for showers and a wardrobe change before our first ADR. We have a reservation at Yachtsman Steakhouse at the Yacht Club resort.


We are both extremely excited to eat here! Doesn't it look cozy and rustic on the inside? I've been stalking their menu and everything looks yummy. 

After dinner we're going to finish the day off at Hollywood Studios.

The first thing we are doing is running right towards star tours! I have been a Star Wars geek since I could crawl. Adam hates when I watch them because I end up quoting everything and getting wayyyy too pumped up when the AT-AT walkers come out in the opening scenes of "The Empire Strikes Back". I once did star tours five times in a row with my little cousin while everyone else went to do Tower of Terror. I am so happy that they are updating it and I am optimistic that it's going to be awesome when it's done.


To be honest, after I ride the newly updated star tours, I'm down with whatever hubby wants to do at Hollywood studios. I'm sure we'll hit up the main attractions, Rockin' Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, The Great Movie Ride, ect.  We will fit in what we can before the park closes at nine and then we'll head back to the Wilderness Lodge for bed. We will need it for our continuing four parks in two days marathon! :) 

A Pirate's Life for me... We be needin' the details!!

In the spirit of the unseasonably warm weather and my ADR's being booked, I've decided that now is as good a time as any to start my coverage of our next great adventure. Adam and I are anxiously awaiting this adventure. Why are we so pumped about this trip? It'll be filled with many "first's."

Here are the details...

Where : WDW/Disney Cruise (Western Caribbean)
When : September 29th - October 8th
Accommodations : Disney's Villas at The Wilderness Lodge / The Disney Magic
Excitement Level : Off the freaking CHARTS!

Here are a list of the "first's" that Adam and I will be experiencing...

- First trip as a married couple (You can't count the honeymoon honestly)
- First cruise (Disney or otherwise)
- First stay at the Villas at the Wilderness Lodge
- First time out of the country (we really need to get on our passport situation)
- First time eating at the restaurants we made ADR's for
and finally
- First time being a blogger planning a trip! (hehehe that's my favorite)

I've been researching like crazy and I'm hoping, with your help, I can make this a truly amazing. I will be breaking down each day of the vacation and showing you what I have planned. The WDW stuff will be easy but the cruise stuff... yea, i'm a work in progress.  So whose with me??? Arrrrrrg!

P.s. I'm really rather excited about the fact that I can incorporate pirate lingo into my cruise blog posts

Teased (My version of Tangled)

One of the craziest feelings I had when I got home from our wedding/honeymoon was that I felt like I had no identity. Out of all the emotions I thought I'd feel this was not one of them. After thinking about this more in depth it made sense. For almost two years I was "The Bride to be". That's a long time to be identified with something. I needed to get out of my post-wedding funk and decided it was time for a change! I needed a new identity. It was time to say goodbye to the "Bride" and hello to the "Newlywed".

The one major thing I could think to change was my hair. I have ALWAYS had long hair. I let it grow out for the wedding and it was probably the longest its ever been. It was all the way down to the middle of my back.



Not the best picture of me, but you can see how long it is here.

Two weeks after we got home I headed to see my hairdresser. After some wedding chit chat it was time to get down to business. I told her my plan and she was so excited to "change" me. She put my long hair into a low pony talk and said "Are you ready for this?" and she chopped off the pony tail. I looked in the mirror and saw that she was holding a pony tail with a good portion of my hair in it. I felt liberated! After the colors were added and the shaping was finished I looked in the mirror and saw this.





Not only did I love the hair cut and the blond highlights but I loved that it was a new me!

Post wedding blues are a real thing. I know many former brides who went through it. The reality of it is that anyone who spent a long time planning and identifying with one major event or period of their life, can find that they are feeling "lost" once it's all over. Cutting my hair was symbolic to me. I was saying good-bye to the hair that I took the time to grow for the wedding. For other people, it could be something else. I fully recommend finding what you need to change in order to feel better and do it!

Soundless Sundays

EPCOT
Test Track

Moving forward...

I hope you all enjoyed the wedding recap! I have to confess that I'm kind of excited now that its over. I do get post-weding blues from time to time, but like every major life event once it's over it's time to move forward.

Moving forward with Making My Fairy Tale has been my ultimate goal. I didn't want my blog to just be about the wedding and then have it end. This blog gives me a reason to continue doing what I love (writing) and it is motivation to keep my life as positive (and Fairy Tale like) as possible.

I have ideas on a few things I'd like to try. It's going to be a work in process until I find my groove but I am completely motivated and dedicated to Making My Fairy Tale and it's success. My mind is racing with ideas and all I need to do now is write them down. So stay tuned for life updates, future travel plans, fun articles, and all things Disney Newlywed related!

I hope you all stick with me and will help me find my niche in the blogging world.  Thank you in advanced for all of your support and encouragement!

 :)

-Katie Z

Wish I did / Glad I didn't do

I feel it is my civic duty, as a "veteran" Disney Bride, to share with you my honest opinion on what I wish I did and what I was glad I didn't do. Sometimes we have this vision of what things should look like. We get it into our heads that without certain things the whole "look" will be thrown off or that it'll be missed. Adam and I were working on a strict budget and sometimes I would have "wedding envy". I would see pictures of centerpieces, or Cinderella 's coach, or Minnie and Mickey at a reception and I would be sad that I couldn't afford them. I started finding little ways to try and save extra money to include these "extras" into our wedding day.  In the end things needed to be cut and I had to decide what was most important to me.  Before I start with my list let me just say that I in no way regret the decisions I made. I loved me wedding day. This post is just to try and help future brides, whether Disney or not.

Wish I did :
- I wish I tried on more wedding gowns.
I say this because I bought my wedding gown online. (Ebay to be exact) Being on a strict budget I couldn't see spending thousands of dollars on a dress I'd be wearing once. I did love my dress but I stressed over my decision A LOT! I wish I'd tried on more to make sure I knew what type of dress looked best on me before I committed to the one I bought.

- I wish I'd started saving sooner.
Adam and I got engaged 1 year and 11 months before our wedding day. I didn't start saving until a year ahead of time. I should have started sooner not to spend more, but to make myself feel better. We really didn't have ANY wiggle room on our budget so it caused stress on us in the final months. My advice... start saving the day you get engaged!

- I wish I didn't sweat the small stuff and realized that "less is more"
I'm using this "I wish I..." to segway into my "Glad I didn't do" section. I really worried that because I didn't have a big budget that my Disney wedding wouldn't and couldn't compare with the big ones! I wish I had seen beyond all of the materialistic stuff and realized earlier that the simple weddings can be just as elegant.

Glad I didn't do :
- I'm glad I didn't spend the extra money on a custom wedding cake
With the Disney "escape" wedding package you get to pick one of 5 different cake designs. They were all pretty generic and I had it in my head that I wanted the Madd Hatter cake. It would be an extra 150$ to have a madd hatter cake. Adam decided it wasn't worth it and asked if we could cut it and I caved in. I told my wedding planner to just give us the "rose and drapes" cake and I could tell she knew i was bummed out. She told me that to make the cake alittle more unique I could customize the colors of the roses and drapes. I had the drapes changed to a navy blue to match the bridesmaid dresses and the roses were a bright pink to match our flowers. I LOVED our cake! I'm so glad we didn't waste the money to upgrade the cake.

- I'm glad I didn't splurge on decorations
Both of our locations were outdoors and both were filled with character. Originally I wanted big centerpieces on the reception table, and I wanted all kinds of crazy decorations at Sea Breeze pointe. I am so glad Adam talked me out of it!!! This is where the "Less is more" comes into play.  I look at our reception pictures and looking at the table and how we were seated I think a big centerpiece would have been distracting. All we had were some rose petals and a few tea candles. It was romantic and didn't take away from the location at all. The same goes for Sea Breeze Pointe. My personal opinion is to let the locations be the decorations.

- I'm glad I didn't spend money on a videographer
Adam and I couldn't afford a videographer and we talked ourselves into thinking that we'd be fine with just the professional pictures. A week before we left for Disney I started panicking and decided we needed video. I did some research and decided that we should get an IFlip. If you can't afford a videographer I fully recommend this! It cost us 150$ and we use it all the time. We asked Adams dad if he minded videoing the ceremony and he was excited to do it for us! It is great quality for a little video camera and we have awesome footage of the ceremony, reception, and the honeymoon. So glad we have it.

This is just my opinion. I hope it helps anyone second guessing their decisions about where to spend their money on their wedding day. One more piece of advice that I want to extend is this... It's not about how much money was spent, or how much decoration you had, or even how big your guest list is. Its about the couple and their commitment to each other.

<3

Reception : The Grand Finale!

Alright everyone! Ready for the Grand Finale???

The main reason we wanted our reception at the Grand Floridian Marina was for the prime fireworks view.  I was so excited to end our wedding day with a bang!

Randy got us set up in the perfect spot with Cinderella Castle behind us. He warned us that we wouldn't be watching the fireworks due to all the posing, but our guests could!

We had so much fun! We could hear the music from across the lake and our guests were loving the fireworks. It was such an amazing few moments. Even though there were people all around us, it felt like it was just Adam and I.







This is where I really started getting emotional. I don't know if it was the "wishes" music, the fact that the wedding was coming to a close, or what. I couldn't help shedding a few tears. The day went off without any problems and it was better than I ever could have dreamed it would be. I felt one hundred percent loved and blessed in that moment. If I could go back in time to any moment during our wedding day, it would be for the fireworks.



Adam could see I was getting emotional so to lighten the mood (and get a good picture) he decided to resurrect the "dip" again.





This made me and everyone else start laughing! It ended up becoming an endurance test for Adam. Randy kept telling him to stay in the "dip" for a few more seconds, which turned into minuets. In that last picture i'm holding on for dear life!

As a special treat I have a video for you! Please ignore the ridiculous commentary in the background... MD and Adam's brothers were having alittle too much fun!



This concludes our very magical wedding day at WDW.  Hope you all enjoyed it! If you have any questions or comments, feel free to ask!

I thought about ending this post with "And they lived happily ever after..." But I am in no way finished. Ever wonder what happens to Cinderella after she married Prince Charming? I always did!

Coming up next... "The Wish I did, Glad I didn't" post and the "Where are we now" post.

Reception Cont. That's Candy... Right?

After dinner, it was time for the cake to make its return.  We all got little dessert plates with a slice, and a scoop of ice cream.  Everyone was commenting on how good it taste.  The bottom tier was Almond flavored with Amaretto filling and the top tier was red velvet with butter cream filling.  Oh, just describing it is making my mouth water all over again!

Once we were finished with our cake Randy approached Adam and I.  He told us we had time before the "Big Finale".  He wanted to take us around the Grand Floridian for more pictures.



We took some pictures on the large staircase in the lobby. I could hear the noises of the monorail in the distance.......


After some begging we made our way to the monorail station.  Randy snapped some pictures while monorail powder blue was stationary, and then a few as it was leaving.  We could only get so close before a cast member alerted us about the safety hazard, oops :) Being the awesome cast member that he was, he gave us two fast passes. SCORE!


This was absolutely a highlight for me!

We headed back in and Randy snapped these pictures of us in front of that amazing chandelier


This is one of my favorites!

After the chandelier pictures I saw this store across the way. I could see these glass jars filled with what I thought was candy inside of them. Randy thought it would be a great spot to get some pictures of us eating the candy. So we walked in and took these pictures...


In this picture here Adam is saying (with teeth clenched) "Ummm this candy smells like soap" I began to laugh and in between a couple pictures looked around.... We were in BASIN Co. Which is a soap store. What we were pretending to eat in these pictures are not jelly beans, but bath beads.
Oh well we continued anyway....


Hey, what do you want? I'd never been to the Grand Floridian I had no idea! hahahahaaa

We had a good laugh with Randy about the soapy candy. On the way back to the Marina, Randy took these pictures. I love the angle and the look of the staircase.




Up next... The grand finale!