Alyaki & Raist's Wishes Wedding - Italy/LSS/France 3/17/2015 - Mini Update 10/29 Food

[elphie101]

Those look delicious!! You can always ask your planner to come up with a menu for you that's XXpp, whatever you're willing to spend, and change it from there!

 

[alyaki]

That's probably what we'll do, I just really want some type of sundae (I'd even be happy if the only toppings offered were caramel, strawberry, hot fudge), and I think we both want something a little off the beaten path....and the cronuts keep sounding so good when people bring them up (we just feel like it could be better to have a smaller version). We'll see how it goes.

By the way, we are now in for Rue de Paris for the dessert party. A little worried that we were told they normally don't set it up with seats for everyone, but the spot looks so cute!

 

[Bewitch324]

I'm so excited for you that you were able to add the dessert party! And I love what you have in mind...I think Rue de Paris will be lovely...

I like your welcome bags, and what a great price!!

Brooke

 

[alyaki]

I'm so excited for you that you were able to add the dessert party! And I love what you have in mind...I think Rue de Paris will be lovely...

I like your welcome bags, and what a great price!!

Brooke

Thanks Brooke You're using a similar spot in France for your Welcome Party, if I'm remembering who posted their BEO recently, aren't you? I think we have a pretty similar guest count as you, so hopefully it won't really be a problem.

 

[Bewitch324]

Thanks Brooke You're using a similar spot in France for your Welcome Party, if I'm remembering who posted their BEO recently, aren't you? I think we have a pretty similar guest count as you, so hopefully it won't really be a problem.

Our dessert party will be at UK Lochside so in the same neighborhood but not not the same country !

 

[alyaki]

Our dessert party will be at UK Lochside so in the same neighborhood but not not the same country !

Hmmm, must have been mixing people up again. Sorry about that! Lochside was the other spot we had been debating between.

 

[alyaki]

So, two quick updates.

First, starting the process of designing out invitations. For some reason, I thought the deposit was $50...found out yesterday it's going to be $150. Ouch! Not a horrible thing, since then it'll be over half paid off, but definitely more than I expected...and seeing as I need to pay for some car maintenance, that's probably getting relegated to being paid next week when I next get paid.

On a happier note, was talking to some family last weekend (or two weekends ago - I've lost track of time) about the wedding a bit, and someone asked if the beer was going to be green. Raist and I thought that was a fun idea so we asked and....planner said no clue. However, she went and talked to catering. So, we're going to have green beer! Apparently they said they can put a drop of green food coloring in the glasses before they pour them, which works for me.

Small random things....but it's slowly getting closer.

 

[elphie101]

I love green beer! That's going to look awesome and if you aren't being charged extra, even better

Money woes suck. Seems like every month we get closer to the wedding the purse strings just get a little bit tighter - it's quite annoying. Sorry about your car, hope it's going ok!

 

[alyaki]

Well, it's been a bit since I've updated. There should be more updates after our planning session in a couple weeks, but right now, it's been pretty slow.

So, what's new since last time I updated?

• Picked and paid for dress/sash
• Paid deposit for invitations - proofs are in progress
• Submitted our tasting and planning session kits/checklists

I think that's it. It's even less than I thought. So, yeah, not too much to update with. Looking forward to the planning session and the chance to meet with a few of our other vendors, including our photographer. Hopefully we'll come away with more things done. On a random note though, I did manage to save money on my dress - I'm pretty proud of myself for that! Now as long as alterations don't cost an arm and a leg, we'll be good!

 

[alyaki]

So, apparently we still had one planning item to fill out - a floral checklist? We received an email about it sometime last week, but it sort of caught me off guard. However, it's now all filled out, and sent in, so hopefully that means that everything needed for the planning session is in!

On other fun news around the planning session - just over a week to go! And we leave on Sunday morning. We also get to do our engagement photos, and I'll be doing my hair and makeup trial too. And then we get to meet Rev. Kev while we're down there too. We even have a site visit so we can see our spots in person, which will be neat. So, lots of stuff getting done while we're there.

And, in other good news - I managed to find a flight to Orlando for a decent price for the wedding! Still have two others to purchase, plus hotel to book in our honeymoon location, but still - progress!

Now, if only everything didn't cost money....

 

[edeneye]

Hope you're enjoying your site visit trip! The floral checklist caught us off guard too but we found it the easier one, half of our other checklist just says 'TBD'! Looking forward to hearing about your trip, we're looking at hiring Teresa Knox as our officiant so I'm interested to see how meeting Rev Kev, he was highly recommended by our coordinator so it sounds like you're in great hands.

 

[TiffinyKaye]

So stressful to manage--but I'm glad you've got the idea. You've got dates, locations...it's going to be beautiful.

Sorry, I just started following the PJ (I'm making an effort to follow more people's now--especially those like you who have been so supportive on the boards!).

How was your planning session? By now, I'm sure you've completed it. DETAILS!

I wanted to kind of follow up on the divorce stuff. Someone else had already mentioned that their parents are divorced, and that you shouldn't give it too much thought. I'm in agreement--don't let it mar your own thoughts of marriage and all of that. My parents have been divorced since I was two (and separated before that). I honestly don't remember what it's like to have my biological parents TOGETHER.

That said...my mom has since re-married, and my step-dad is super awesome. I look at the example that they provide...and I know hope is not lost. Plus, I look at it this way. I think a lot of us on the boards (in our 20's, 30's, and even 40's) are seeing a lot of our baby boomer parents getting divorced because of the generation THEY came from. That generation got married really young, cohabitation often wasn't an option before marriage, and dating for longer than a year often wasn't a thing either.

Nowadays...practices like extended dating and cohabitation are much more acceptable. Marrying later in life is much more commonplace (heck, I'm 30! I never thought when I was 8 that I'd be getting married as late as 30!). These sorts of factors, I think, contribute to a greater (though not inevitable) chance of success in marriage.

I don't know much about you guys other than what you've said...but you're both 26 and it sounds like pretty well established in your professional lives. That's a huge plus.

Your "boring" proposal (which I think is cute, no matter what!) makes it sound like you guys are cohabiting...which I think is ALSO huge plus. One of the things my mom always told me about my biological father was that he "totally changed" once they got married--and a big part of that is that people often act differently in public, and even on the limited basis you spend with them on private dates and stuff, than they do when you actually have to SHARE a living space. You get to know each other's habits, how they live, and how they react to sharing space 24/7. Living together first before marriage gives you a chance to bail if it turns out that you REALLY can't stand some irritating habit. It's much cheaper than waiting until you get married, and then divorcing.

I mean, it's always possible that anyone could "grow apart" as time moves forward (a bit thing that I've heard people say about their marriages when they get divorced)...but if you put a lot of work into it BEFORE hand, I think it significantly increases your chances of "making it."

I also think having a Disney wedding when you're not already super rich increases your chances of making it too. Why? Because it allows you to get a feel of what the "for poorer" part of your vows would be like! LOL! We've definitely decreased our lifestyle a bit as we save for this massive overpriced wedding. And...we're still doing okay. So, I think we'll be good. I mean, we're not living in a cardboard box poor...but saving TOGETHER to pay for a wedding yourselves (versus just relying on parents) really gives you an idea of how you work together to achieve mutually-desired goals. I think it's great--and I think you guys will be just fine.

Here's to hoping that I can keep up!

Tiffiny

 

[elphie101]

I've been slacking on my commenting!! I hope you're enjoying your trip and I cannot wait to hear about your PS when you come back!

No dress pics?! Hahaha I know some people like to keep it private But yay for getting great flights!

 

[alyaki]

So stressful to manage--but I'm glad you've got the idea. You've got dates, locations...it's going to be beautiful.

Sorry, I just started following the PJ (I'm making an effort to follow more people's now--especially those like you who have been so supportive on the boards!).

How was your planning session? By now, I'm sure you've completed it. DETAILS!

I wanted to kind of follow up on the divorce stuff. Someone else had already mentioned that their parents are divorced, and that you shouldn't give it too much thought. I'm in agreement--don't let it mar your own thoughts of marriage and all of that. My parents have been divorced since I was two (and separated before that). I honestly don't remember what it's like to have my biological parents TOGETHER.

That said...my mom has since re-married, and my step-dad is super awesome. I look at the example that they provide...and I know hope is not lost. Plus, I look at it this way. I think a lot of us on the boards (in our 20's, 30's, and even 40's) are seeing a lot of our baby boomer parents getting divorced because of the generation THEY came from. That generation got married really young, cohabitation often wasn't an option before marriage, and dating for longer than a year often wasn't a thing either.

Nowadays...practices like extended dating and cohabitation are much more acceptable. Marrying later in life is much more commonplace (heck, I'm 30! I never thought when I was 8 that I'd be getting married as late as 30!). These sorts of factors, I think, contribute to a greater (though not inevitable) chance of success in marriage.

I don't know much about you guys other than what you've said...but you're both 26 and it sounds like pretty well established in your professional lives. That's a huge plus.

Your "boring" proposal (which I think is cute, no matter what!) makes it sound like you guys are cohabiting...which I think is ALSO huge plus. One of the things my mom always told me about my biological father was that he "totally changed" once they got married--and a big part of that is that people often act differently in public, and even on the limited basis you spend with them on private dates and stuff, than they do when you actually have to SHARE a living space. You get to know each other's habits, how they live, and how they react to sharing space 24/7. Living together first before marriage gives you a chance to bail if it turns out that you REALLY can't stand some irritating habit. It's much cheaper than waiting until you get married, and then divorcing.

I mean, it's always possible that anyone could "grow apart" as time moves forward (a bit thing that I've heard people say about their marriages when they get divorced)...but if you put a lot of work into it BEFORE hand, I think it significantly increases your chances of "making it."

I also think having a Disney wedding when you're not already super rich increases your chances of making it too. Why? Because it allows you to get a feel of what the "for poorer" part of your vows would be like! LOL! We've definitely decreased our lifestyle a bit as we save for this massive overpriced wedding. And...we're still doing okay. So, I think we'll be good. I mean, we're not living in a cardboard box poor...but saving TOGETHER to pay for a wedding yourselves (versus just relying on parents) really gives you an idea of how you work together to achieve mutually-desired goals. I think it's great--and I think you guys will be just fine.

Here's to hoping that I can keep up!

Tiffiny

I certainly agree with pretty much everything you mentioned! As for updates, I'll be doing them sometime this week (maybe today, though I need to get pictures off my phone). We're waffling on one thing, which I'll post about (and I'm up for hearing some opinions on it). I actually just sent my planner a huge list of questions/modifications/other stuff. Being sick while there for the session was not a great thing for making sure things weren't missed. If we could redo, would have done some things differently, but oh well. No use worrying about it now!

 

[alyaki]

I've been slacking on my commenting!! I hope you're enjoying your trip and I cannot wait to hear about your PS when you come back!

No dress pics?! Hahaha I know some people like to keep it private But yay for getting great flights!

Haha, the dress pics not being here isn't because I'm trying to keep it private - Raist actually helped me pick it. We just both consistently forgot to take pictures of it, and when I went to have my measurements taken down and for it to be ordered, I wasn't feeling well, so I didn't even think about it until afterwards.

As for PS...well, it was a mixed bag. I'll be putting more about it here, but I need to pull pictures and stuff first. And I know we're changing ceremony locations, but we're not sure if we're staying in Italy (just a different location)...or switch over to Japan in front of the koi pond. Both spots are gorgeous, and I know Raist was interested in Japan (and seeing some pictures from a more recent ceremony there from a few people helped a lot), so it's sort of up in the air right now. They both work ceremonies with little to no decor added though, which is what matters to both of us - no need to spend money on that at the ceremony, when it's better spent at the reception!

 

[TiffinyKaye]

Haha, the dress pics not being here isn't because I'm trying to keep it private - Raist actually helped me pick it. We just both consistently forgot to take pictures of it, and when I went to have my measurements taken down and for it to be ordered, I wasn't feeling well, so I didn't even think about it until afterwards.

As for PS...well, it was a mixed bag. I'll be putting more about it here, but I need to pull pictures and stuff first. And I know we're changing ceremony locations, but we're not sure if we're staying in Italy (just a different location)...or switch over to Japan in front of the koi pond. Both spots are gorgeous, and I know Raist was interested in Japan (and seeing some pictures from a more recent ceremony there from a few people helped a lot), so it's sort of up in the air right now. They both work ceremonies with little to no decor added though, which is what matters to both of us - no need to spend money on that at the ceremony, when it's better spent at the reception!

I'm sure I've mentioned this somewhere before, but DF and I are having a Japan ceremony for that very reason. Two reasons, actually:

1. It's our favorite pavilion (mine WAS Norway...but it has been demoted since they removed Maelstrom)

2. It's the most beautiful of the pavilions, next to Morocco. Morocco is structurally beautiful, but Japan has all that foliage...which is really what I want. You don't have to dress up the venue hardly at all (if at all).

#2 is probably the BIGGEST reason we chose Japan. I wanted to save as much money as I could on venue decoration so that we could, as you have stated, spend more money on the reception. I also wanted to have extra money for the dessert party too.

I vote Japan...but I am biased.

Tiffiny

 

[alyaki]

I'm sure I've mentioned this somewhere before, but DF and I are having a Japan ceremony for that very reason. Two reasons, actually:

1. It's our favorite pavilion (mine WAS Norway...but it has been demoted since they removed Maelstrom)

2. It's the most beautiful of the pavilions, next to Morocco. Morocco is structurally beautiful, but Japan has all that foliage...which is really what I want. You don't have to dress up the venue hardly at all (if at all).

#2 is probably the BIGGEST reason we chose Japan. I wanted to save as much money as I could on venue decoration so that we could, as you have stated, spend more money on the reception. I also wanted to have extra money for the dessert party too.

I vote Japan...but I am biased.

Tiffiny

Haha, your number 2 is the reason why we're considering it. I really wanted to have water visible from whatever location we're at (and both have that), but we both really like greenery. Neither location really needs additional decor though, which is great! I need to resize and upload my pictures today, but hopefully I can get some of it up soon.

 

[elphie101]

I'm sorry your PS wasn't as smooth as it could have been I know you made comments on FB about some things that didn't go as well.

I think a Japan ceremony would be beautiful and you definitely wouldn't need much in the way of decor! I look forward to hearing what the two of you ultimately decide.

 

[alyaki]

So, we have to wait until Monday before we find out if it's officially changed, since both our planner and her assistant are out of office today, but Raist and I decided to officially switch over to Japan for our ceremony venue. Unless we're told it's booked...but we're the only ones booked for that morning so far, so we should be okay. After doing the site visit, and getting the chance to see some pictures from more recent ceremonies done there, it just seems like it'll fit us a bit better. Though we'll still try and get some pictures done over in Italy.

So, yay!

 

[DisneyFirefly]

So, you guys are kind of adorable Your plans sound awesome so far!