Jess & Ben's Wishes Wedding 11/18/14 Sea Breeze Point/Backstage Prop Shop
- Thread starter edeneye
- Start date
Aschenputtel
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Nov 7, 2013
Great update! It's so cool to read about your trip while finalizing our pans for the first trip (a few more days and I'm making my first ADRs!)
Libby_Darling
Flippin' Her Fins
- Joined
- Jul 4, 2010
Ben where have you gone? We neeeeeeeeed more updates of your amazing wedding-moon trip! Hope everything okay with you both xxxx
edeneye
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2014
So sorry for another long absence! I keep thinking that I'm gonna be away for so long that I'll come back and this will be in the 'completed' sub-forum due to being presumed abandoned! Things have been pretty crazy here, firstly it was my 30th birthday last month so I flew down to where my family live to spend it with them. They & Jess threw me a surprise party and many of my friends from around here had flown down secretly to be there too. Also both of my groomsmen were there (they live around the area) and both of Jess' bridesmaids flew down so it was really good to get everyone together again. They'd all really bonded on our trip and were really excited to see each other again and catch up. It also kinda doubled as an at-home reception as we played a little slideshow from our wedding as well as the whole video and bit of our reception that I'd edited together (I'll get them on youtube soon so I can share them here).
Also around that, we are working our normal day jobs AND getting our photography business off the ground! We've done a couple of weddings, some family sessions and a couple of baby sessions too so far and the bookings are starting to roll in for later in the year especially (September/October are looking pretty busy which is awesome). And unfortunately, last week our dog (not Patch who you might remember from posts roughly this time last year) got critically ill. We've had her for almost 10 years and it's hard to imagine our life together without Heidi so we've been pretty shaken by that, she has spent the last 8 days in the Animal Emergency hospital and there's been some really hard conversations and tough decisions to make but tonight we got the call that she is definitely improving and, if everything goes well overnight, we can finally bring her home tomorrow to continue her recovery here.
So that's where the time has been going! I must say I miss the Disboards App for keeping up while I'm on the go - because I've been out a LOT more than in lately - but I do like the redesign and always post on a desktop anyhow so I've just gotta make more time at home!
And finally, one stray thought! We are currently in milestone territory! Yesterday was two years exactly since our very first site visit with our wonderful Sales Consultant. My, how that time flew! The very same day was also six months since we left for our wedding trip. It is SO SAD watching our amazing holiday get further and further behind us. I think we talk about it just about every day, it really was the absolute best time of our lives and if we could do it all over again I'd do it in a heartbeat. Even the frustrating times when we were standing in the ASM lobby for an hour here and an hour there trying to get something to happen that eventually never would, I knew in the moment and can confirm now that I would gladly take the worst day there over my best day here. Even if everything wasn't exactly perfect it was closer than anyone should ever expect and we loved it so much. This time six months ago we were having a Tramtastic Day at Universal Studios Hollywood and everything was ahead of us. We are absolutely dying to get back and do it all again as soon as we can but sadly our doggy is costing us thousands in vet bills so that's gonna have to wait. She's family though, it's totally worth it to have her crazy, happy face back in our home where she belongs.
HP day is coming! It isn't this post but the very next one! The Seven Dwarf ride was fun but oh so short! Basically our impression was that we were glad we didn't line up for two hours for it! Technically it is very impressive, the Dwarves look amazing, but it wasn't something we were desperate to ride again (and we never did). And yep - it seems like lots of fun having your friends along but the main thing that we never really thought of was that they might not want to do all the things we want to do and at our pace. Some people were happy to come along for the ride, some were more interested in going their own way and some just seemed like they were looking forward to getting their actual vacation started. In saying that though it really was great fun - you'll see on the Universal (HP) day that we finally got it right and struck a balance where EVERYONE could enjoy themselves at once. But I'll leave that until the next report!
Thanks! So nice of you to say so and to join in! I must say I'm impressed you got through about a year of posts!
Thanks Jenn! I've been really enjoying putting together this time capsule so that when the memories become fuzzier I have it all committed to... well not paper. The webs! And thank YOU for your amazing thread which has been ever inspirational to me in so many ways. I'm merely trying to keep up with the detail and how well written your posts always are!
ADR TIME IS THE BEST TIME! It is AWESOME when the whole thing is happening but nothing beats the anticipation for me. It is so exciting when it is all ahead of you and all things are possible. I was really looking forward to making ADRs, it becomes so real when you have actual reservations and know where you'll be at certain times. The day to day planning really begins in earnest when ADRs are booked and it means you're getting so much closer.
haha I appreciate it! Things have been pretty crazy here but it's allll looking up! And there's no way I'm leaving this unfinished, I'll always come back and I hope it doesn't always take this long.
Also around that, we are working our normal day jobs AND getting our photography business off the ground! We've done a couple of weddings, some family sessions and a couple of baby sessions too so far and the bookings are starting to roll in for later in the year especially (September/October are looking pretty busy which is awesome). And unfortunately, last week our dog (not Patch who you might remember from posts roughly this time last year) got critically ill. We've had her for almost 10 years and it's hard to imagine our life together without Heidi so we've been pretty shaken by that, she has spent the last 8 days in the Animal Emergency hospital and there's been some really hard conversations and tough decisions to make but tonight we got the call that she is definitely improving and, if everything goes well overnight, we can finally bring her home tomorrow to continue her recovery here.
So that's where the time has been going! I must say I miss the Disboards App for keeping up while I'm on the go - because I've been out a LOT more than in lately - but I do like the redesign and always post on a desktop anyhow so I've just gotta make more time at home!
And finally, one stray thought! We are currently in milestone territory! Yesterday was two years exactly since our very first site visit with our wonderful Sales Consultant. My, how that time flew! The very same day was also six months since we left for our wedding trip. It is SO SAD watching our amazing holiday get further and further behind us. I think we talk about it just about every day, it really was the absolute best time of our lives and if we could do it all over again I'd do it in a heartbeat. Even the frustrating times when we were standing in the ASM lobby for an hour here and an hour there trying to get something to happen that eventually never would, I knew in the moment and can confirm now that I would gladly take the worst day there over my best day here. Even if everything wasn't exactly perfect it was closer than anyone should ever expect and we loved it so much. This time six months ago we were having a Tramtastic Day at Universal Studios Hollywood and everything was ahead of us. We are absolutely dying to get back and do it all again as soon as we can but sadly our doggy is costing us thousands in vet bills so that's gonna have to wait. She's family though, it's totally worth it to have her crazy, happy face back in our home where she belongs.
HP day is coming! It isn't this post but the very next one! The Seven Dwarf ride was fun but oh so short! Basically our impression was that we were glad we didn't line up for two hours for it! Technically it is very impressive, the Dwarves look amazing, but it wasn't something we were desperate to ride again (and we never did). And yep - it seems like lots of fun having your friends along but the main thing that we never really thought of was that they might not want to do all the things we want to do and at our pace. Some people were happy to come along for the ride, some were more interested in going their own way and some just seemed like they were looking forward to getting their actual vacation started. In saying that though it really was great fun - you'll see on the Universal (HP) day that we finally got it right and struck a balance where EVERYONE could enjoy themselves at once. But I'll leave that until the next report!
Found your report and WOW!!! Your planning was so fun to read through and your pictures! Speechless! Looking forward to reading the rest
Thanks! So nice of you to say so and to join in! I must say I'm impressed you got through about a year of posts!
Thanks Jenn! I've been really enjoying putting together this time capsule so that when the memories become fuzzier I have it all committed to... well not paper. The webs! And thank YOU for your amazing thread which has been ever inspirational to me in so many ways. I'm merely trying to keep up with the detail and how well written your posts always are!
ADR TIME IS THE BEST TIME! It is AWESOME when the whole thing is happening but nothing beats the anticipation for me. It is so exciting when it is all ahead of you and all things are possible. I was really looking forward to making ADRs, it becomes so real when you have actual reservations and know where you'll be at certain times. The day to day planning really begins in earnest when ADRs are booked and it means you're getting so much closer.
haha I appreciate it! Things have been pretty crazy here but it's allll looking up! And there's no way I'm leaving this unfinished, I'll always come back and I hope it doesn't always take this long.
Last edited:
edeneye
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2014
And now - on with the show!
Wednesday, November 12
6 days to go
Only SIX days out. You'd think by this point we were pretty much ready and continuing to enjoy our holiday. Especially since we'd been away from home for over two weeks by this point. Well there was one minor detail that we never got to cover at home - my groomsmen had NEVER tried on their suits. They live a few hours flight from here and with all the craziness and expense of getting the wedding together I just never got a chance to go see them or have them come up. And as the second of them only arrived the previous evening, this day was the first time we had all been in the same place in about 6 months (which is crazy to think when you're on the complete other side of the planet, we had a lot of those moments).
So as you know, things had been kinda crazy during the week since we arrived in WDW. Very little had proceeded according to plan and we had lost a lot of time all over the place. To that end, one thing I really needed to make time for earlier HAD to happen first thing. We got up, had breakfast (in our rooms, thank you WalMart - we'd bought cereal, milk, bowls and spoons) and then I called Carolyn Allen's asking if they could do some emergency last-minute alterations. They weren't super excited about the timeline but agreed and asked for us to come in a little later that morning.
This gave us time to attend to another detail - Jess, her parents and I drove down to WalMart (yes again, I think I've missed about two or three other trips there too believe it or not) so that Jess could get her nails touched up at the salon there. She had gotten them done here in Australia but that was about three weeks previous so they needed a little work. I busied myself wandering around, spent ages looking through their t-shirts (one thing I definitely don't need more of) and generally waited around until Jess & her Mum were all finished. Then we RUSHED back (safely and legally of course) to All-Star Movies cause I really needed to get going to Carolyn Allen's by this point!
UNFORTUNATELY. Perhaps I was a little rushed. Perhaps a little distracted by the CM-filled PARGO that was backing out at the time. Maybe I'm used to a fairly small car and parking a Jeep is a bit more akin to driving a tank, but I did the unthinkable in the situation. I was parking and I gave the car parked next to me a darn good SCCCRRRRRAAAAAPPEEEEEE. It sounded bad. We traded paint and I gave it a little scratch and the slightest of dents too. And I was running so late. Jess, to her infinite credit, didn't panic. I was so worried that I was gonna be in deep trouble, we had a suit fitting to go to and she had her High Tea shortly. We didn't have time or money to deal with this. But she was calm, she dealt with it. We took loads of pictures (the other car was double parked on that side), gave the scrape a little wipe with our fingers - and with that it didn't really look as bad once you got the paint marks off - and Jess called security to get the other car's details, left a message with the renter of that car and called our rental company. She let everyone know that I needed to go and she waited around for security to come and file a report. Meanwhile I sheepishly piled the groomsmen, Father of the Bride and myself back in the Jeep and we set off for Carolyn Allen's.
While we were gone, Jess met up with security and did the accident report as well as leaving a note with our details on the windshield of the other car (they weren't in their room so she left a message as well). Meanwhile, on the ride downtown, it's safe to say I was the butt of some good natured jokes from the boys and my future father in law. When we arrived near our destination - I say 'near' as I parked WAAAAY far away from it in a nice, safe, QUIET, part of the lot - I went around to the trunk of the car as I'd brought along not just the suits but also my gifts for the groomsmen. I figured this was basically the start of the bachelor party so why not! I couldn't wait anymore and it got my mind off my embarrassment. While we were at the Ice Hockey the week before, we had bought three Solar Bears jerseys - one black and two white - and I presented the two white ones to the groomsmen.
We all went in to Carolyn Allen's and found the staff there to be so friendly and welcoming. They were joking around with us the whole time and, despite the large amount of work we were leaving them a small amount of time to accomplish, really made the whole process quite simple and fun. They were joking with my groomsmen 'Figgers' a LOT as he is kinda skinny and his suit... well, wasn't. They mentioned we should take him to Golden Corral and try to fatten him up a bit! We really had a great laugh with them and it was really something to finally have us all try on our suits together and for the very first time. Mine was actually quite good, it would need very very minor work but basically fit very well but Figgers' one was going to look kinda big (you may have noticed in our pictures, particularly the jacket is a bit big on him).
While this was going on, Jess, her mum and her bridesmaids went to the High Tea at the Grand Floridian. She enjoyed that but didn't really have lots to say about it. Food was good, venue was nice and it was pretty much as she expected. Just a nice afternoon with the girls. They seated her at the head of their table which was nice but it had it's back to the nice Garden View that the Tea Room is named for!
And onwards with my day because that's the only part I was around for. Having finished arrangements with the suits to be delivered to Jess' parents room on the day before the wedding, the groomsmen, my future FIL and myself made our way to the Tilted Kilt on I-Drive for lunch where we were joined by Jess' bridesmaids' husbands. We all had a great time there, we ate, drank and were exceptionally merry. Well, I don't drink - but the other boys did. I would've had a Coke Zero if they've got that there. Anyhow! This was a quieter day on our side, a total non-park day for me - the second in three days which has to be a record.
From our lunches, Jess and the girls went onward to EPCOT. They had a reservation at the Biergarten as Jess and her bridesmaids have visited Germany about 15 years ago and still hold it fondly as the time of their lives. And they LOVE German food. Jess wishes I could've seen them, she said they must've gone back for more food 5 times and that there were periods where noone was talking, they were just shovelling food down a la The Simpsons. And drinking a stein of beer or two! And dancing to the band and generally having a great time. The boys and I went on to Downtown Disney and spent a couple of hours at Disney Quest, playing lots of games and also checking out the rest of DTD. We had a pretty late night, I know we got back well after midnight and were looking at maybe 4 hours sleep ahead of the next day.
That next day? Back to the Dark Side. But this time, our guests would be there. We had two more parties to arrive, one of my close friends from High School and her husband who were coming from England and a close friend of my Mum's who was travelling from Australia. My friend and her husband were arriving the next morning and would meet us at Universal so it was exciting to have almost everyone together for the very first time - even if it wasn't at Disney! Figgers and Robbie (my groomsmen) were both short on cash for the whole trip and said they weren't going to be able to join us but there was NO WAY I was letting them miss this, I told them we'd pay their entry and we'll sort it out later. Figgers is the biggest HP fan I know and I couldn't wait to show him the Wizarding World.
Wednesday, November 12
6 days to go
Only SIX days out. You'd think by this point we were pretty much ready and continuing to enjoy our holiday. Especially since we'd been away from home for over two weeks by this point. Well there was one minor detail that we never got to cover at home - my groomsmen had NEVER tried on their suits. They live a few hours flight from here and with all the craziness and expense of getting the wedding together I just never got a chance to go see them or have them come up. And as the second of them only arrived the previous evening, this day was the first time we had all been in the same place in about 6 months (which is crazy to think when you're on the complete other side of the planet, we had a lot of those moments).
So as you know, things had been kinda crazy during the week since we arrived in WDW. Very little had proceeded according to plan and we had lost a lot of time all over the place. To that end, one thing I really needed to make time for earlier HAD to happen first thing. We got up, had breakfast (in our rooms, thank you WalMart - we'd bought cereal, milk, bowls and spoons) and then I called Carolyn Allen's asking if they could do some emergency last-minute alterations. They weren't super excited about the timeline but agreed and asked for us to come in a little later that morning.
This gave us time to attend to another detail - Jess, her parents and I drove down to WalMart (yes again, I think I've missed about two or three other trips there too believe it or not) so that Jess could get her nails touched up at the salon there. She had gotten them done here in Australia but that was about three weeks previous so they needed a little work. I busied myself wandering around, spent ages looking through their t-shirts (one thing I definitely don't need more of) and generally waited around until Jess & her Mum were all finished. Then we RUSHED back (safely and legally of course) to All-Star Movies cause I really needed to get going to Carolyn Allen's by this point!
UNFORTUNATELY. Perhaps I was a little rushed. Perhaps a little distracted by the CM-filled PARGO that was backing out at the time. Maybe I'm used to a fairly small car and parking a Jeep is a bit more akin to driving a tank, but I did the unthinkable in the situation. I was parking and I gave the car parked next to me a darn good SCCCRRRRRAAAAAPPEEEEEE. It sounded bad. We traded paint and I gave it a little scratch and the slightest of dents too. And I was running so late. Jess, to her infinite credit, didn't panic. I was so worried that I was gonna be in deep trouble, we had a suit fitting to go to and she had her High Tea shortly. We didn't have time or money to deal with this. But she was calm, she dealt with it. We took loads of pictures (the other car was double parked on that side), gave the scrape a little wipe with our fingers - and with that it didn't really look as bad once you got the paint marks off - and Jess called security to get the other car's details, left a message with the renter of that car and called our rental company. She let everyone know that I needed to go and she waited around for security to come and file a report. Meanwhile I sheepishly piled the groomsmen, Father of the Bride and myself back in the Jeep and we set off for Carolyn Allen's.
While we were gone, Jess met up with security and did the accident report as well as leaving a note with our details on the windshield of the other car (they weren't in their room so she left a message as well). Meanwhile, on the ride downtown, it's safe to say I was the butt of some good natured jokes from the boys and my future father in law. When we arrived near our destination - I say 'near' as I parked WAAAAY far away from it in a nice, safe, QUIET, part of the lot - I went around to the trunk of the car as I'd brought along not just the suits but also my gifts for the groomsmen. I figured this was basically the start of the bachelor party so why not! I couldn't wait anymore and it got my mind off my embarrassment. While we were at the Ice Hockey the week before, we had bought three Solar Bears jerseys - one black and two white - and I presented the two white ones to the groomsmen.
We all went in to Carolyn Allen's and found the staff there to be so friendly and welcoming. They were joking around with us the whole time and, despite the large amount of work we were leaving them a small amount of time to accomplish, really made the whole process quite simple and fun. They were joking with my groomsmen 'Figgers' a LOT as he is kinda skinny and his suit... well, wasn't. They mentioned we should take him to Golden Corral and try to fatten him up a bit! We really had a great laugh with them and it was really something to finally have us all try on our suits together and for the very first time. Mine was actually quite good, it would need very very minor work but basically fit very well but Figgers' one was going to look kinda big (you may have noticed in our pictures, particularly the jacket is a bit big on him).
While this was going on, Jess, her mum and her bridesmaids went to the High Tea at the Grand Floridian. She enjoyed that but didn't really have lots to say about it. Food was good, venue was nice and it was pretty much as she expected. Just a nice afternoon with the girls. They seated her at the head of their table which was nice but it had it's back to the nice Garden View that the Tea Room is named for!
And onwards with my day because that's the only part I was around for. Having finished arrangements with the suits to be delivered to Jess' parents room on the day before the wedding, the groomsmen, my future FIL and myself made our way to the Tilted Kilt on I-Drive for lunch where we were joined by Jess' bridesmaids' husbands. We all had a great time there, we ate, drank and were exceptionally merry. Well, I don't drink - but the other boys did. I would've had a Coke Zero if they've got that there. Anyhow! This was a quieter day on our side, a total non-park day for me - the second in three days which has to be a record.
From our lunches, Jess and the girls went onward to EPCOT. They had a reservation at the Biergarten as Jess and her bridesmaids have visited Germany about 15 years ago and still hold it fondly as the time of their lives. And they LOVE German food. Jess wishes I could've seen them, she said they must've gone back for more food 5 times and that there were periods where noone was talking, they were just shovelling food down a la The Simpsons. And drinking a stein of beer or two! And dancing to the band and generally having a great time. The boys and I went on to Downtown Disney and spent a couple of hours at Disney Quest, playing lots of games and also checking out the rest of DTD. We had a pretty late night, I know we got back well after midnight and were looking at maybe 4 hours sleep ahead of the next day.
That next day? Back to the Dark Side. But this time, our guests would be there. We had two more parties to arrive, one of my close friends from High School and her husband who were coming from England and a close friend of my Mum's who was travelling from Australia. My friend and her husband were arriving the next morning and would meet us at Universal so it was exciting to have almost everyone together for the very first time - even if it wasn't at Disney! Figgers and Robbie (my groomsmen) were both short on cash for the whole trip and said they weren't going to be able to join us but there was NO WAY I was letting them miss this, I told them we'd pay their entry and we'll sort it out later. Figgers is the biggest HP fan I know and I couldn't wait to show him the Wizarding World.
Seia
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2013
Ack! This doesn't sound like a fun day. 
I'm so sorry about the car issue... but it's great that Jess was able to stay calm and you still made it to CA's. Also, Jess and her girls look so CUTE with their hats and her blingy dress! I love the visual of them shoveling food The Simpsons style. 
Bahaha.
I'm so sorry about the car issue... but it's great that Jess was able to stay calm and you still made it to CA's. Also, Jess and her girls look so CUTE with their hats and her blingy dress! I love the visual of them shoveling food The Simpsons style. Bahaha.
edeneye
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2014
It was a bit of a stressful day but really it was all handled so well by everyone involved that we really had a lot of fun around it all! And thanks! Jess and the girls had decided to find clothes for the bachelorette day that reflected home - so for Jess, Sarah & Ebony that was Australia and Luisa (MOH) is wearing something from her own wedding which is from Fiji. The one trouble they had with their attire? They had SO MANY PEOPLE mistake them for being from England (not that there's anything wrong with that). The Union Jack being on our flag as well seems to confuse people! But they had fun with it and just rave about the German food!
Disneyducks12
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 14, 2013
I'm so glad your back!!! I just love your style of writing its really awesome glad to hear all is going well with the photography business 
and what a bummer about dinging that other car I would have just died so kudos to jess staying calm! But glad you made it to your appointment and got everything settled in that department and we have a groomsmen who reminds me Figgers he's like 100lbs soaking wet lol and way smaller than the other guys and made finding him stuff more difficult! and I just can't wait for the HP day it is helping get me excited for my trip! I can't wait to hear more! and I hope your doggy comes home soon!
and what a bummer about dinging that other car I would have just died so kudos to jess staying calm! But glad you made it to your appointment and got everything settled in that department and we have a groomsmen who reminds me Figgers he's like 100lbs soaking wet lol and way smaller than the other guys and made finding him stuff more difficult! and I just can't wait for the HP day it is helping get me excited for my trip! I can't wait to hear more! and I hope your doggy comes home soon!
edeneye
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2014
Thanks Melissa! Our brave Heidi came home today! There's still medication to take, physiotherapy to go through and more tests to make sure everything is returning to normal but the recovery is happening at home from now on and we're all so much happier. Jess did a lot of guesstimating with Figgers' size and gave him way too much - the hockey jersey was also kinda huge - but he's always happy to go along with everything so it was never really an issue.
Thursday, November 13
5 days to go
Since from here on there'll be a lot of our guests entering the equation, it's probably a good time to include a cast so I can start using names and it'll all be a lot easier to read/write. So! Dramatis Personae!
Ben - me!
Jess - my bride! I know you know these ones, the first ones should be easy.
Luisa - Jess' MOH
Sarah - Jess' bridesmaid (both of these girls got married in 2014 and had Jess as their MOH)
Ebony - Jess' junior bridesmaid/flower girl
Figgers - my groomsman
Robbie - my groomsman
Rhiannon - my close friend from high school, lives in England now
Jan-Erik - Rhia's husband
Dan - Luisa's husband
Adam - Sarah's husband
Phil - Jess' dad
Diane - Jess' mum
Bev - close friend of my mum
JT - friend of Jess'
Sharz - JT's wife, we've cruised with these guys before and they go to the US annually.
Robbie, Figgers and I
Before I start - here is a controversial statement. This was our group Universal day. And this was the most fun we would have on any of our park days. Yep, I said it. Everyone just had an amazing time and there was no Fastpass+ standing in our way.
I think it must've been around this point that I really started to realise time was moving right along. Our guests were finally all in the one place but it was already the Thursday before the wedding! We'd passed hump day (which obviously doesn't exist at Disney) and it felt like we were rocketing toward the big day by this point. As per usual, we were all up EARLY! Both parties from the night before had relatively late nights but that's not really out of the ordinary here. When you're planning such a big group holiday you have fantasies of how much fun it'll be all going down to the resort's food court together for breakfast but that never ended up happening. We had a lot of quick breakfasts in our room to save time and most of our friends were on varied schedules and would be in and out at different intervals. This was another one of those mornings - we'd told everyone to meet us at 7:30 outside our room (our poor neighbours - by this point we occupied about 5 nearly consecutive rooms, but there was still other parties nearby and many of you would know how easy it is to hear people hanging around outside your door!) and away we went.
Adam and Dan each followed my lead as we drove to Universal and parked on site. We weren't quite as early as we hoped so we hustled to the entrance, we wanted to get to Diagon Alley before it got too crowded! That was about all we'd planned, we had to hit the newest area first and just wing it from there. On our way though we did make one stop - guest services again. The Universal disability pass is kinda amazing. As I've mentioned earlier, Jess has scoliosis and in addition on this day Adam and Diane are both between knee surgerys. On our first trip to Universal we happily bought their fastpass option but then we found out that they will actually look after Jess' disability which is great because we rarely attempt anything with a long line due to the discomfort Jess gets. This made a huge difference.
For anyone unfamiliar with how these passes work, if the posted wait time is 30mins or less you get to go straight through the fastpass (I forget the Universal name for it) line. If it's 30mins or more you get a time that you may return and do the same. So basically if for some reason you have a condition that makes standing for long periods difficult, you don't have to. We did kinda feel bad taking advantage of that with a group the size of ours but as you'll see we never once had everyone on an attraction at the same time.
So onward! We passed through the many sights of Universal Studios. Our guests were clearly excited but Jess kept everyone moving, we HAD to hit Diagon Alley first. And I'm glad we did it this way, the slow reveal of the area is awesome and really has an impact that Hogsmeade misses. We passed Kings Cross Station in the London area and through the brick wall into Diagon Alley. Figgers went CRAZY. He was literally yelling out with excitement. He's a very outgoing personality and as I've said he's the biggest HP fan I know so I was so looking forward to him crossing into DA and he didn't let me down. Meanwhile however, part of our group had disappeared! The other big HP fan, Luisa, was nowhere to be seen. She was very quickly spotted though inside the very first shop. She had ducked in there quickly, completely overwhelmed and visibly crying! Diagon Alley is really quite extraordinary and it hits you all at once and she needed a moment to compose herself.
Luisa and Dan, now having gained control of their emotions by way of Butter Beer
Our group took in the ambience, Figgers explored the area and watched with great interest a production of the Beetle & the Barb. In fact, he was so taken in by it he didn't even notice Jess approaching with a Butter Beer for him. Day obviously made. Luisa caught up and enjoyed the show and Jess kept everyone moving toward Escape from Gringotts (because if the ride wait got over 30mins it was going to tie us to the area for a lot longer). Fortunately the posted wait was a surprising 25mins so once we'd worked out our bags and lockers etc we could head straight up the express line. The trouble with this is the lines are SO BRILLIANTLY themed that you kinda miss out. Ebony had a habit by this point of getting very excited and practically running through the lines and Jess had to hold her back so that we could all take in the incredible queue area on our way through. We boarded the ride in a party of 7 and it was so much more fun than the previous week. By the end of the ride, Figgers was applauding and laughing and everyone really had a great time.
From here it was goodbye to Diagon Alley and on to the other new part, the expanded Simpsons area. Figgers and Robbie lagged behind to finish up in Diagon Alley and would meet up with us soon and the rest of us were off to enjoy an early lunch - this too is an area that gets REALLY packed if you leave it long enough. We decided to check it out early and then we'd have covered the new parts before they got too busy. Also, if there's something Luisa and Dan like nearly as much as HP it is the Simpsons - Universal Studios is really very well suited to those guys! We all sat together in the food court, eating Krusty Burgers and sharing a huge donut which doubled as Luisa's birthday cake (a few weeks late, but we'd planned this knowing how much she loves the Simpsons).
While we were eating, we finally heard from Rhiannon - they were here! They'd arrived that morning and once they unpacked they had decided to meet up with us at Universal so we let them know where to find us. It was awesome to see Rhia again, she was a close friend in High School and I hadn't seen her in about 7 years since she moved to England and met her now husband Jan-Erik (whom we'd never met but we instantly liked, I think everyone loved 'Erik' as we came to call him right away). The early lunch allowed Robbie, Figgers, Rhia and Erik to catch up to us and when we were done we set about checking out the rest of the park. Jess, Ebony, Sarah & Adam went on Rip Ride Rock It next while the rest of us stood at the foot of it just saying 'nope!'. Apparently it's awesome but you won't catch me up there! Jess and Eb loved it, Sarah & Adam were happy to have done it but weren't in a rush to ever go back.
There was lots more exploring to do of course! But different parts of our group have different tolerances for rides and some enjoy a faster pace than others. We decided to split up. Luisa, Dan, Phil & Diane went one way, happy to visit shops and have coffee and take their time while Robbie, Figgers, Sarah, Adam, Rhia, Erik, Ebony, Jess & I headed back toward Kings Cross, stopping on the way at The Mummy and Twister. Twister especially was fun, the boys and I had really taken a liking to Bill Paxton's crazy overacting delivery and have regularly impersonated it (and his amazing power stance) ever since. Even on the wedding day. There are photos of us Bill Paxtoning.
Bill Paxtoning
Then we made our way back to Kings Cross to take the Hogwarts Express over to Hogsmeade! This was Jess and my first time (as well as everyone else's, of course!) so it was really exciting. Rhia & Erik commented on how accurate it looked and Figgers was nervous that there might be spiders - he is DEATHLY afraid of spiders. As noone had been on it before we couldn't warn him either way but we got through unscathed. And then the fun happens all over again, we disembark and we're in Hogsmeade. This is clearly the way to do it when you've never visited. The slow reveal into Diagon Alley and then the train ride to Hogsmeade is such an effective way to take it all in and everyone spent at least 20 minutes just touring the stores. We told them to make their way towards Hogwarts and meet up near the pin stand so they could all take it in. I tried to stick near Figgers but he was so excited it was kinda hard to keep up so I went and waited by the pin stand so that I could make sure noone missed it and went too far ahead. While we were there we bumped into Luisa and Dan who were also exploring the shops by this point! They were enjoying themselves going at this pace so while we crossed over we never regrouped just yet.
Figgers. Just LOVING Hogsmeade.
Once our side of the group had all gathered by the pin stand it was time for Forbidden Journey! We split up for this one as it is 4 at a time and Jess wanted to ride with her friends but then go again with Figgers and Robbie (and me as well, I guess!). The boys and I waited outside for Jess to ride, come back out and go again with us in tow. As I'd said, Figgers is terrified of spiders. Really seriously afraid of them. If you're familiar with this ride, you know this is an issue. Jess promised to warn him when to close his eyes and that she'd call out again when the scary part is over (secret: I keep my eyes closed after this too, the Dementors in here are kinda scary to me). Naturally, everyone loved it. There's really nothing remotely like this in Australia.
We made our way back across the bridge next to my favourite part. I am always excited for this bit. I don't love Universal, but I love Jurassic Park. So much. It was a MASSIVE part of my childhood, I really wanted to be a Palaeontologist for years after seeing it and long dreamed of going on the ride. It turns out Erik was much the same and he was really looking forward to JP so it was awesome reliving my first visit through him and seeing the joy on his face as Rhia took his picture under the sign and with the cars. Oh & going on the ride! I love this ride! I'm not a huge thrillseeker by any stretch so flume-type rides like this are awesome for me and the theme just clinches it. I loved doing this with our guests and we were so glad afterward that we'd bought the photoconnect pass.
I'm sitting next to Erik here, enjoying living through his first trip to Jurassic Park!
Since we were a little bit wet, we thought we may as well visit Bluto's Barges! We have a 'river rapids' ride here in Australia so our guests thought they knew what they were in for. A gentle ride down some rushing water, maybe someone gets a bit wet going through a little waterfall. Small drop and then we're good. Maybe some wet seats but it'll be fine. hahahahahaha NOPE! NOT THIS TIME! I love Bluto's Barges for just this reason. You expect the experience we're used to and it is so much crazier than that. And we. Got. Soaked. Absolutely drenched head to toe. Our guests couldn't believe it. I think my biggest regret from the whole trip is that I didn't have my GoPro on that ride. We had a barge to ourselves and did not stop laughing the whole time. I think Sarah was a little uncomfortable being absolutely drenched and Jess wanted to try and get her Lorax dress dry because she was hoping we'd get time to go meet him but the rest of us figured while we were already soaked we may as well go down Dudley Do-Right Falls. Again, drenched. I think my shoes are still making that squelching sound. We went in two seperate logs one after the other and I was at the back of the first one so I was constantly looking back and waving at the other group. And listening to them scream as we went over the falls. I'd do these last three attractions all day if I could (Jess however, not so much).
From here, we made our way back toward Hulk. Jess figured if this doesn't dry her off, nothing will. Jess, Sarah, Adam, Figgers and Eb braved this coaster while Robbie, Rhia, Erik and I waited on the viewing platform. Again, Jess and Eb loved it, Sarah & Adam liked it but 'never again' and Figgers turned greener than the Hulk himself. We asked the rest of our group to meet us in the Marvel area and left everyone to explore on their own as Jess and I went to Seuss Landing to see if we can meet the Lorax. Unfortunately he wasn't out today - it was a little rainy so he tends to stay inside - so we'll have to show him Jess' dress next time! Jess LOVES the Lorax, we visited the nearby store to see what Lorax stuff they had and then rejoined our group. By this point it was getting late in the day and unfortunately our awesome day was coming to an end. We had a reservation for our welcome dinner to attend so we needed to get going if we were going to dry off!
I don't know how Jess does it, she always has the presence of mind to wave to me all the way over on the observation area.
We drove back to ASM, showered and got ready and then back out we went, this time back to Downtown Disney. We had made a reservation for the whole party to be in the one place for the first time at Planet Hollywood. Jess and I love PH; burgers, fries and malts is pretty much our favourite thing. And again, we don't have anything like this back home so Jess was so excited to show her friends the amazing collection of memorabilia. We had a great dinner after massive traffic issues in the area (the roadworks/construction was a bit of a nightmare) dampened things a little and then everyone went on to Disney Quest and finally dispersed back to ASM for the night.
Just like our engagement announcement, our impending Wedding was also immortalised on the PH screens!
What a day. A crazy, huge, fun day. And before I knew it, it was the Friday before our wedding. Where was the time going?
Thursday, November 13
5 days to go
Since from here on there'll be a lot of our guests entering the equation, it's probably a good time to include a cast so I can start using names and it'll all be a lot easier to read/write. So! Dramatis Personae!
Ben - me!
Jess - my bride! I know you know these ones, the first ones should be easy.
Luisa - Jess' MOH
Sarah - Jess' bridesmaid (both of these girls got married in 2014 and had Jess as their MOH)
Ebony - Jess' junior bridesmaid/flower girl
Figgers - my groomsman
Robbie - my groomsman
Rhiannon - my close friend from high school, lives in England now
Jan-Erik - Rhia's husband
Dan - Luisa's husband
Adam - Sarah's husband
Phil - Jess' dad
Diane - Jess' mum
Bev - close friend of my mum
JT - friend of Jess'
Sharz - JT's wife, we've cruised with these guys before and they go to the US annually.
Robbie, Figgers and I
Before I start - here is a controversial statement. This was our group Universal day. And this was the most fun we would have on any of our park days. Yep, I said it. Everyone just had an amazing time and there was no Fastpass+ standing in our way.
I think it must've been around this point that I really started to realise time was moving right along. Our guests were finally all in the one place but it was already the Thursday before the wedding! We'd passed hump day (which obviously doesn't exist at Disney) and it felt like we were rocketing toward the big day by this point. As per usual, we were all up EARLY! Both parties from the night before had relatively late nights but that's not really out of the ordinary here. When you're planning such a big group holiday you have fantasies of how much fun it'll be all going down to the resort's food court together for breakfast but that never ended up happening. We had a lot of quick breakfasts in our room to save time and most of our friends were on varied schedules and would be in and out at different intervals. This was another one of those mornings - we'd told everyone to meet us at 7:30 outside our room (our poor neighbours - by this point we occupied about 5 nearly consecutive rooms, but there was still other parties nearby and many of you would know how easy it is to hear people hanging around outside your door!) and away we went.
Adam and Dan each followed my lead as we drove to Universal and parked on site. We weren't quite as early as we hoped so we hustled to the entrance, we wanted to get to Diagon Alley before it got too crowded! That was about all we'd planned, we had to hit the newest area first and just wing it from there. On our way though we did make one stop - guest services again. The Universal disability pass is kinda amazing. As I've mentioned earlier, Jess has scoliosis and in addition on this day Adam and Diane are both between knee surgerys. On our first trip to Universal we happily bought their fastpass option but then we found out that they will actually look after Jess' disability which is great because we rarely attempt anything with a long line due to the discomfort Jess gets. This made a huge difference.
For anyone unfamiliar with how these passes work, if the posted wait time is 30mins or less you get to go straight through the fastpass (I forget the Universal name for it) line. If it's 30mins or more you get a time that you may return and do the same. So basically if for some reason you have a condition that makes standing for long periods difficult, you don't have to. We did kinda feel bad taking advantage of that with a group the size of ours but as you'll see we never once had everyone on an attraction at the same time.
So onward! We passed through the many sights of Universal Studios. Our guests were clearly excited but Jess kept everyone moving, we HAD to hit Diagon Alley first. And I'm glad we did it this way, the slow reveal of the area is awesome and really has an impact that Hogsmeade misses. We passed Kings Cross Station in the London area and through the brick wall into Diagon Alley. Figgers went CRAZY. He was literally yelling out with excitement. He's a very outgoing personality and as I've said he's the biggest HP fan I know so I was so looking forward to him crossing into DA and he didn't let me down. Meanwhile however, part of our group had disappeared! The other big HP fan, Luisa, was nowhere to be seen. She was very quickly spotted though inside the very first shop. She had ducked in there quickly, completely overwhelmed and visibly crying! Diagon Alley is really quite extraordinary and it hits you all at once and she needed a moment to compose herself.
Luisa and Dan, now having gained control of their emotions by way of Butter Beer
Our group took in the ambience, Figgers explored the area and watched with great interest a production of the Beetle & the Barb. In fact, he was so taken in by it he didn't even notice Jess approaching with a Butter Beer for him. Day obviously made. Luisa caught up and enjoyed the show and Jess kept everyone moving toward Escape from Gringotts (because if the ride wait got over 30mins it was going to tie us to the area for a lot longer). Fortunately the posted wait was a surprising 25mins so once we'd worked out our bags and lockers etc we could head straight up the express line. The trouble with this is the lines are SO BRILLIANTLY themed that you kinda miss out. Ebony had a habit by this point of getting very excited and practically running through the lines and Jess had to hold her back so that we could all take in the incredible queue area on our way through. We boarded the ride in a party of 7 and it was so much more fun than the previous week. By the end of the ride, Figgers was applauding and laughing and everyone really had a great time.
From here it was goodbye to Diagon Alley and on to the other new part, the expanded Simpsons area. Figgers and Robbie lagged behind to finish up in Diagon Alley and would meet up with us soon and the rest of us were off to enjoy an early lunch - this too is an area that gets REALLY packed if you leave it long enough. We decided to check it out early and then we'd have covered the new parts before they got too busy. Also, if there's something Luisa and Dan like nearly as much as HP it is the Simpsons - Universal Studios is really very well suited to those guys! We all sat together in the food court, eating Krusty Burgers and sharing a huge donut which doubled as Luisa's birthday cake (a few weeks late, but we'd planned this knowing how much she loves the Simpsons).
While we were eating, we finally heard from Rhiannon - they were here! They'd arrived that morning and once they unpacked they had decided to meet up with us at Universal so we let them know where to find us. It was awesome to see Rhia again, she was a close friend in High School and I hadn't seen her in about 7 years since she moved to England and met her now husband Jan-Erik (whom we'd never met but we instantly liked, I think everyone loved 'Erik' as we came to call him right away). The early lunch allowed Robbie, Figgers, Rhia and Erik to catch up to us and when we were done we set about checking out the rest of the park. Jess, Ebony, Sarah & Adam went on Rip Ride Rock It next while the rest of us stood at the foot of it just saying 'nope!'. Apparently it's awesome but you won't catch me up there! Jess and Eb loved it, Sarah & Adam were happy to have done it but weren't in a rush to ever go back.
There was lots more exploring to do of course! But different parts of our group have different tolerances for rides and some enjoy a faster pace than others. We decided to split up. Luisa, Dan, Phil & Diane went one way, happy to visit shops and have coffee and take their time while Robbie, Figgers, Sarah, Adam, Rhia, Erik, Ebony, Jess & I headed back toward Kings Cross, stopping on the way at The Mummy and Twister. Twister especially was fun, the boys and I had really taken a liking to Bill Paxton's crazy overacting delivery and have regularly impersonated it (and his amazing power stance) ever since. Even on the wedding day. There are photos of us Bill Paxtoning.
Bill Paxtoning
Then we made our way back to Kings Cross to take the Hogwarts Express over to Hogsmeade! This was Jess and my first time (as well as everyone else's, of course!) so it was really exciting. Rhia & Erik commented on how accurate it looked and Figgers was nervous that there might be spiders - he is DEATHLY afraid of spiders. As noone had been on it before we couldn't warn him either way but we got through unscathed. And then the fun happens all over again, we disembark and we're in Hogsmeade. This is clearly the way to do it when you've never visited. The slow reveal into Diagon Alley and then the train ride to Hogsmeade is such an effective way to take it all in and everyone spent at least 20 minutes just touring the stores. We told them to make their way towards Hogwarts and meet up near the pin stand so they could all take it in. I tried to stick near Figgers but he was so excited it was kinda hard to keep up so I went and waited by the pin stand so that I could make sure noone missed it and went too far ahead. While we were there we bumped into Luisa and Dan who were also exploring the shops by this point! They were enjoying themselves going at this pace so while we crossed over we never regrouped just yet.
Figgers. Just LOVING Hogsmeade.
Once our side of the group had all gathered by the pin stand it was time for Forbidden Journey! We split up for this one as it is 4 at a time and Jess wanted to ride with her friends but then go again with Figgers and Robbie (and me as well, I guess!). The boys and I waited outside for Jess to ride, come back out and go again with us in tow. As I'd said, Figgers is terrified of spiders. Really seriously afraid of them. If you're familiar with this ride, you know this is an issue. Jess promised to warn him when to close his eyes and that she'd call out again when the scary part is over (secret: I keep my eyes closed after this too, the Dementors in here are kinda scary to me). Naturally, everyone loved it. There's really nothing remotely like this in Australia.
We made our way back across the bridge next to my favourite part. I am always excited for this bit. I don't love Universal, but I love Jurassic Park. So much. It was a MASSIVE part of my childhood, I really wanted to be a Palaeontologist for years after seeing it and long dreamed of going on the ride. It turns out Erik was much the same and he was really looking forward to JP so it was awesome reliving my first visit through him and seeing the joy on his face as Rhia took his picture under the sign and with the cars. Oh & going on the ride! I love this ride! I'm not a huge thrillseeker by any stretch so flume-type rides like this are awesome for me and the theme just clinches it. I loved doing this with our guests and we were so glad afterward that we'd bought the photoconnect pass.
I'm sitting next to Erik here, enjoying living through his first trip to Jurassic Park!
Since we were a little bit wet, we thought we may as well visit Bluto's Barges! We have a 'river rapids' ride here in Australia so our guests thought they knew what they were in for. A gentle ride down some rushing water, maybe someone gets a bit wet going through a little waterfall. Small drop and then we're good. Maybe some wet seats but it'll be fine. hahahahahaha NOPE! NOT THIS TIME! I love Bluto's Barges for just this reason. You expect the experience we're used to and it is so much crazier than that. And we. Got. Soaked. Absolutely drenched head to toe. Our guests couldn't believe it. I think my biggest regret from the whole trip is that I didn't have my GoPro on that ride. We had a barge to ourselves and did not stop laughing the whole time. I think Sarah was a little uncomfortable being absolutely drenched and Jess wanted to try and get her Lorax dress dry because she was hoping we'd get time to go meet him but the rest of us figured while we were already soaked we may as well go down Dudley Do-Right Falls. Again, drenched. I think my shoes are still making that squelching sound. We went in two seperate logs one after the other and I was at the back of the first one so I was constantly looking back and waving at the other group. And listening to them scream as we went over the falls. I'd do these last three attractions all day if I could (Jess however, not so much).
From here, we made our way back toward Hulk. Jess figured if this doesn't dry her off, nothing will. Jess, Sarah, Adam, Figgers and Eb braved this coaster while Robbie, Rhia, Erik and I waited on the viewing platform. Again, Jess and Eb loved it, Sarah & Adam liked it but 'never again' and Figgers turned greener than the Hulk himself. We asked the rest of our group to meet us in the Marvel area and left everyone to explore on their own as Jess and I went to Seuss Landing to see if we can meet the Lorax. Unfortunately he wasn't out today - it was a little rainy so he tends to stay inside - so we'll have to show him Jess' dress next time! Jess LOVES the Lorax, we visited the nearby store to see what Lorax stuff they had and then rejoined our group. By this point it was getting late in the day and unfortunately our awesome day was coming to an end. We had a reservation for our welcome dinner to attend so we needed to get going if we were going to dry off!
I don't know how Jess does it, she always has the presence of mind to wave to me all the way over on the observation area.
We drove back to ASM, showered and got ready and then back out we went, this time back to Downtown Disney. We had made a reservation for the whole party to be in the one place for the first time at Planet Hollywood. Jess and I love PH; burgers, fries and malts is pretty much our favourite thing. And again, we don't have anything like this back home so Jess was so excited to show her friends the amazing collection of memorabilia. We had a great dinner after massive traffic issues in the area (the roadworks/construction was a bit of a nightmare) dampened things a little and then everyone went on to Disney Quest and finally dispersed back to ASM for the night.
Just like our engagement announcement, our impending Wedding was also immortalised on the PH screens!
What a day. A crazy, huge, fun day. And before I knew it, it was the Friday before our wedding. Where was the time going?
Disneyducks12
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 14, 2013
OMG I am so loving your Harry Potter day it seemed so amazing! and I have to comment on the Slytherin Shirt that is my DF's favorite house 
lol when we go to HP world he has his slytherin tie all ready so its funny seeing another fan and I love how excited Figgers is I am huge Disney Fan but HP falls right after that for me I grew up with that so I think its so special seeing other fans reactions and it is making me so excited to go see Diagon Alley I have been to Hogsmead but I definitely will be taking your recommendation and hitting Diagon Alley first and then using Hogwarts Express to go back to Hogsmead that seems like a smart plan! also I love Jurassic Park!
world universal is really well done in that sense all "the worlds" and I love have Jess waves to you while on rides that is so awesome, your TR is so full of detail its going to be useful to so many other Dis Couples in the future and I am loving following along and the Mr and Mrs Potato Head announcing your wedding priceless!
Melissa
lol when we go to HP world he has his slytherin tie all ready so its funny seeing another fan and I love how excited Figgers is I am huge Disney Fan but HP falls right after that for me I grew up with that so I think its so special seeing other fans reactions and it is making me so excited to go see Diagon Alley I have been to Hogsmead but I definitely will be taking your recommendation and hitting Diagon Alley first and then using Hogwarts Express to go back to Hogsmead that seems like a smart plan! also I love Jurassic Park!world universal is really well done in that sense all "the worlds" and I love have Jess waves to you while on rides that is so awesome
, your TR is so full of detail its going to be useful to so many other Dis Couples in the future and I am loving following along and the Mr and Mrs Potato Head announcing your wedding priceless!Melissa
elphie101
Left my heart in Tomorrowland
- Joined
- Sep 30, 2008
This is how you know the wedding day is approaching - welcome dinner!! Just that much closer to the main event 
You had such the perfect Universal day it seems - I'm impressed! I'll have to take some touring tips from you and Jess next time we venture over to the dark side
You had such the perfect Universal day it seems - I'm impressed! I'll have to take some touring tips from you and Jess next time we venture over to the dark side
Disney_Alli
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 4, 2010
Ben I've just finished your ceremony/reception recap and I haven't had a chance to look at all your pictures yet but I wanted to say what a gorgeous day you had! As a fellow Tattooed DisBride I feel a connection to Jess and she looked just stunning! We're also doing at ToT mix-in with our Fantasmic! Dessert Party so I'm super excited you got to sneak some photos in there. That's totally my goal! We're also doing a HS Shoot and the only place I want photos is on Hollywood and Sunset Boulevards with the vintage cars and as much of the Hollywood Tower Hotel as they'll let us do! Can't wait to finish up your report!
edeneye
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2014
I know, I know! I've been VERY slack lately! Well, kinda. I've been very very very busy but it's been in places that aren't here. Lots of wedding bookings and family shoots and my regular day job around that and I don't even remember what else.
So to make up for it, here's something fairly substantial. The video I put together of our day! As I think I've mentioned, I set up a tripod to film our ceremony so we could watch it back (we most certainly ran out of money for a proper videographer) and we also got some footage from various guests of the rest of the night. I've put this together with some of our photos from the Roots to make as thorough a video as I could given the material! So here's the whole thing. It's about 32 minutes in length and I know people don't always have that kinda time on their hands so here's some shortcuts to various points!
Start of ceremony video
Vows (I cry, Jess laughs)
Ring exchange
Sand ceremony
Kiss the bride & announcement
Staged exit
Reception entries
First dance
Backstreets Back Formation dance
Reception footage (incl Tower of Terror)
Aaaand if you just want more photos, Jess has them in a public album on her facebook!
I'm pretty sure the Universal day was the most fun our group had as a whole! It was just so easy and we got so much done and there was so much that everyone could enjoy - especially for all the HP fans in our group! I always wear my Slytherin shirt to Universal, Jess had her new Lorax dress or else she generally has a Gryffindor one. We bought robes on our first trip but I don't think I'd dare wear them in the park (although I'm dying for an excuse to wear mine, I pretty much haven't ever since!).
We really didn't expect this to be the best day but that's how it turned out! We really looked forward to taking people to see WWOHP which many of us had heard about but never seen but thought Disney would be unbeatable. I guess we found, at least with our guests, that it's easier to have fun in a group at Universal. I wish we'd had a group trip to WDW before fastpass plus!
We had exactly the same photos in mind! Especially Hollywood Tower Hotel! I guess the main thing to be wary of there is they can't guarantee what you'll get during your mix-in; we got super lucky and they let us roam around a bit but I got the impression that this might be a case by case basis as some of our escorts wanted to move us on and some were happy to let us explore. Nate was so excited with the opportunity and was running around ahead of us looking for the next shot! Similarly, they can't guarantee what you'll get at the portrait session which is something Jess was really disappointed with. She'd seen some shots online that she liked in the HTH and as it turned out, we actually had the photographer who took them. Alas, that was a once only thing that he was apparently told he can't do again so we were unable to do anything similar (from memory it was a picture on a couch?). Overall though the ToT mix-in was amazing! We tossed up that our Toy Story Mania but I'm glad we did this. TSM would've included more of our guests - we had a few sit out because they weren't keen on riding ToT - but being all separated like that it wouldn't have been the same. That was definitely the most fun I've ever had on that ride (and probably ever will!).
So to make up for it, here's something fairly substantial. The video I put together of our day! As I think I've mentioned, I set up a tripod to film our ceremony so we could watch it back (we most certainly ran out of money for a proper videographer) and we also got some footage from various guests of the rest of the night. I've put this together with some of our photos from the Roots to make as thorough a video as I could given the material! So here's the whole thing. It's about 32 minutes in length and I know people don't always have that kinda time on their hands so here's some shortcuts to various points!
Start of ceremony video
Vows (I cry, Jess laughs)
Ring exchange
Sand ceremony
Kiss the bride & announcement
Staged exit
Reception entries
First dance
Backstreets Back Formation dance
Reception footage (incl Tower of Terror)
Aaaand if you just want more photos, Jess has them in a public album on her facebook!
OMG I am so loving your Harry Potter day it seemed so amazing! and I have to comment on the Slytherin Shirt that is my DF's favorite house
world universal is really well done in that sense all "the worlds" and I love have Jess waves to you while on rides that is so awesome
Melissa
I'm pretty sure the Universal day was the most fun our group had as a whole! It was just so easy and we got so much done and there was so much that everyone could enjoy - especially for all the HP fans in our group! I always wear my Slytherin shirt to Universal, Jess had her new Lorax dress or else she generally has a Gryffindor one. We bought robes on our first trip but I don't think I'd dare wear them in the park (although I'm dying for an excuse to wear mine, I pretty much haven't ever since!).
This is how you know the wedding day is approaching - welcome dinner!! Just that much closer to the main event
You had such the perfect Universal day it seems - I'm impressed! I'll have to take some touring tips from you and Jess next time we venture over to the dark side
We really didn't expect this to be the best day but that's how it turned out! We really looked forward to taking people to see WWOHP which many of us had heard about but never seen but thought Disney would be unbeatable. I guess we found, at least with our guests, that it's easier to have fun in a group at Universal. I wish we'd had a group trip to WDW before fastpass plus!
We had exactly the same photos in mind! Especially Hollywood Tower Hotel! I guess the main thing to be wary of there is they can't guarantee what you'll get during your mix-in; we got super lucky and they let us roam around a bit but I got the impression that this might be a case by case basis as some of our escorts wanted to move us on and some were happy to let us explore. Nate was so excited with the opportunity and was running around ahead of us looking for the next shot! Similarly, they can't guarantee what you'll get at the portrait session which is something Jess was really disappointed with. She'd seen some shots online that she liked in the HTH and as it turned out, we actually had the photographer who took them. Alas, that was a once only thing that he was apparently told he can't do again so we were unable to do anything similar (from memory it was a picture on a couch?). Overall though the ToT mix-in was amazing! We tossed up that our Toy Story Mania but I'm glad we did this. TSM would've included more of our guests - we had a few sit out because they weren't keen on riding ToT - but being all separated like that it wouldn't have been the same. That was definitely the most fun I've ever had on that ride (and probably ever will!).
Disney_Alli
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 4, 2010
Thanks for the detailed response. I won't hold my breath for the ToT shots but if we get some I'll be thrilled. Even if we just get some in the gardens...
edeneye
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2014
Ooookay! A SUPER quick note to add here! I've been busily editing a video we shot but I realised I've neglected the Dis far too much and thought I'd better quickly stop by. That was about two hours ago. This is why I don't get to stop by very often! I just can't help myself, there's so much to catch up on and then I end up looking back and oh my the rabbit holes I end up going down.
ANYWAY. Today's suddenly lengthening note is just to say that the Roots featured us on their blog a few days ago. For those who haven't had the profound pleasure of being a Root couple (subject? groom? It doesn't fit as well as Root Bride, but welcome to my world), you never *know* when you're going up there. You'll probably have a sneak peek inside a week or two, a preview a few weeks later and then your full post might not happen for a year or more. Not to worry, I visit their blog every day regardless for inspiration and to enjoy their amazing work (and Jensey's beautiful way of describing things). So last week I was looking at turning my (empty) instagram into one for our business and completely coincidentally I noticed Jensey had posted a couple of our pictures on her page. Then I realised it. Oh god. Today might be the day. I went straight to their page (which is easy, it's always open in a tab on my phone - like I said I'm there every day) and sure enough, there we were.
I can't really describe the thrill here. It's kinda unexpected even. I love these guys and their work, they kinda feel like celebrities in my mind so seeing *us* on their page sent my heart racing. And Jensey said such wonderful things about us and the day and even gave our business a plug (as photographers, I've had a similar thrill when Nate & Jensey liked our page and again when Nate 'liked' one of our pictures - high praise indeed). Plus we got to see a picture we'd never seen before! If you check it out, the one we'd never seen is the picture of the gift basket we'd given them. It is pretty innocuous but it's something I haven't seen since *that day* so it was really one of those things that transports you right back to the moment in the Boardwalk Hotel when Jess gave them the basket and I saw them walk down the hallway with it as myself and the boys were off to get our portraits done.
ANYWAY PT II - here's us! With a lovely cameo in the comments from Jenn (elphie) who is also a regular visitor to their site, gorgeous Root Bride herself and whose full post I believe we are still eagerly anticipating (I know, not fair - we went out of turn!)
ANYWAY. Today's suddenly lengthening note is just to say that the Roots featured us on their blog a few days ago. For those who haven't had the profound pleasure of being a Root couple (subject? groom? It doesn't fit as well as Root Bride, but welcome to my world), you never *know* when you're going up there. You'll probably have a sneak peek inside a week or two, a preview a few weeks later and then your full post might not happen for a year or more. Not to worry, I visit their blog every day regardless for inspiration and to enjoy their amazing work (and Jensey's beautiful way of describing things). So last week I was looking at turning my (empty) instagram into one for our business and completely coincidentally I noticed Jensey had posted a couple of our pictures on her page. Then I realised it. Oh god. Today might be the day. I went straight to their page (which is easy, it's always open in a tab on my phone - like I said I'm there every day) and sure enough, there we were.
I can't really describe the thrill here. It's kinda unexpected even. I love these guys and their work, they kinda feel like celebrities in my mind so seeing *us* on their page sent my heart racing. And Jensey said such wonderful things about us and the day and even gave our business a plug (as photographers, I've had a similar thrill when Nate & Jensey liked our page and again when Nate 'liked' one of our pictures - high praise indeed). Plus we got to see a picture we'd never seen before! If you check it out, the one we'd never seen is the picture of the gift basket we'd given them. It is pretty innocuous but it's something I haven't seen since *that day* so it was really one of those things that transports you right back to the moment in the Boardwalk Hotel when Jess gave them the basket and I saw them walk down the hallway with it as myself and the boys were off to get our portraits done.
ANYWAY PT II - here's us! With a lovely cameo in the comments from Jenn (elphie) who is also a regular visitor to their site, gorgeous Root Bride herself and whose full post I believe we are still eagerly anticipating (I know, not fair - we went out of turn!)
elphie101
Left my heart in Tomorrowland
- Joined
- Sep 30, 2008
Dawwww you linked to us!! You're the best You're right, we haven't gotten a full post yet, but like you I'm also checking every day, it's just so much fun to see all the happy faces, especially when they're ones you recognize - like the two of you!! I'm pretty sure I did a full on "AHHHHHHH BEN AND JESS!!!!" I know exactly what you mean about that thrill - that's how I felt when I realized we were the First Look on the First a little while back!! It's just the best feeling ever.
I'm so glad they blogged you so we can see even more of your amazing photos from your amazing day. I maaaaaaaaay have also liked your photography page as well! Of course, the only Australian I know (in real life ) moved to the States last year, but if I notice him mentioning any friends/family of his who are engaged I'll throw your link their way!
You're right, we haven't gotten a full post yet, but like you I'm also checking every day, it's just so much fun to see all the happy faces, especially when they're ones you recognize - like the two of you!! I'm pretty sure I did a full on "AHHHHHHH BEN AND JESS!!!!" I know exactly what you mean about that thrill - that's how I felt when I realized we were the First Look on the First a little while back!! It's just the best feeling ever.I'm so glad they blogged you so we can see even more of your amazing photos from your amazing day. I maaaaaaaaay have also liked your photography page as well! Of course, the only Australian I know (in real life
) moved to the States last year, but if I notice him mentioning any friends/family of his who are engaged I'll throw your link their way!
Share this page
-
Walt Disney World Bounce Back Offer Can Save You 25% to 35%!
-
Tokyo Disneyland to Replace Buzz Lightyear with Wreck-It Ralph Attraction
-
Does Anyone Have Disney Jollywood Nights 2024 Predictions?
-
Top 4 Reasons to Stay at Disney's Port Orleans Resort - French Quarter
-
A Brief History Of Disney: Disneyland's Matterhorn Bobsleds
GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE
Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.
Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!
Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.
Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!
