edeneye
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2014
Are you ready for this? Brace yourself... My name is Ben & I'm a Disney Groom *collective gasp*. And thus our story begins
Who are we? You?.. Us?... Who gettin' hitched?!
Jess & I met on MSN Messenger almost 11 years ago via a mutual friend. After a few weeks we met up for lunch one day, followed shortly after by another meeting and another. So many texts exchanged and after about 6 weeks we became official on July 2, 2003 - Jess' 16th birthday (I had myself just gone 18).
(that's us on the right, Jess with the colourful stockings!)
Oh & we live in Australia. Did I mention that? So despite Jess' infatuation with Disney we had never been, instead we became passholders at all our local theme parks which Disney pale into insignificance and spent much of our early years together there. Jess finally got to visit Disneyland in 2007 and has since been to every Disney resort except the Tokyo ones. But my first visit didn't come until 2012...
The proposal
After months and months of planning, my first trip out of the country would be to Walt Disney World. Jess was so excited, she had been dying to show me Disney ever since her first time and this was our first trip to WDW.
Roughly halfway through our visit we had a reservation at Les Chefs de France, we are both big fans of Ratatouille. Jess knew the little Chef himself visited tables at certain times and held her breath for months hoping she wouldn't miss out. She loves him so much!
Well sure enough, before we had even ordered out he came. If anyone hasn't encountered him before, he arrives on a cart among a cheese platter and that cart came straight to us at our lovely table by the window. His companion lifted off the dish et voilà, one little chef and one little ring box.
Oh please someone say something. 'Yes' preferably
Unfortunately I was a tad boxed in at that point and unable to get on one knee as I'd hoped (I did it later on) and I was kinda emotional. Composed enough but fully aware that speech would result in tears. Awkward moment I'll never live down, but we got the point across. Chef Remy squeaked his congratulations and recommended the Creme Brulee and he was off to do his rounds, leaving us with celebratory champagne and our new badges. I can't say enough how extraordinarily gracious the management and staff at Les Chefs de France were, they really went above and beyond and looked after us. Naturally though we were very sad to hear Remy is no longer there, he'll forever be an integral part of our lives.
Engagement announcement a la instagram.
Upon returning to our room I had completely forgotten about one other detail. Mickey & Minnie had visited and left us *both* a surprise! Roses, flower petals (which housekeeping had a lot of fun decorating with every day) and a print congratulating us. Proposing is a little scary but Disney give you all the tools to make it magical and take so much of the pressure off.
As we were abroad at the time, we had to let Facebook do the job of informing our friends and family who were lighting up our notifications once they woke up to the news back home. After 9 and a half years we were finally engaged.
Why a Disney wedding?
Besides that Jess & I absolutely fell in love with WDW on our stay, there were other more practical matters that helped inform our decision on a DFTW. I have a big family. My cousin had a wedding a few weeks ago with 150 guests - and she had to let a lot of people down. No kids even! Jess however has a very, very small family - many of whom she rarely sees. I currently live in one state with mine, she in another with hers. Travel is necessary for someone regardless and there are crazy uneven numbers to deal with, Jess would be a little uncomfortable at an affair featuring 150 people she may as well have never met!
Jess already knew you could have a wedding at Disney & introduced me to the concept. Once it was discussed there has never been any going back. Who was I to tell my Bride she can't have the Happiest Place on Earth? We had already planned our next visit on our way home from the US so that was to be our first meeting with DFTW. Even though that would be 18 months away from our date, we were accommodated a site visit with our Sales Consultant due to the fact we came a long way and wouldn't be able to make it back! Followed by a six month wait to see if we could have November 18, 2014 (spoilers - we could).
As I said we have our date set and our venues chosen. Our wonderful Sales Consultant suggested both sites but due to a convention booking was only able to show us Sea Breeze, we haven't and aren't likely to set foot in Prop Shop until our wedding arrives but it looks suitably mad and whimsical like us and importantly will very neatly accommodate our guest count which we anticipate to be no more than 25. We're also going to have a farewell party - well, a group booking - at the Crystal Palace because we love Pooh Bear and want him involved in our wedding somehow. Since he can't come to the reception we just had to have this, it's one of the things I've been most adamant about!
We just loooove Pooh Bear
We haven't yet booked any wedding day outside vendors but have made most of our enquiries and just tonight finalised personal floral through a local vendor over here, no photos as yet of course but she's excited to work with us! We also have a celebrity each whom we're acquainted with that we want to ask to marry us first before we start otherwise looking at Officiants.
And that's pretty much where we're currently at! Jess has her dress but I'll need to hand over to her for that to be revealed because I'm not seeing it!!
Who are we? You?.. Us?... Who gettin' hitched?!
Jess & I met on MSN Messenger almost 11 years ago via a mutual friend. After a few weeks we met up for lunch one day, followed shortly after by another meeting and another. So many texts exchanged and after about 6 weeks we became official on July 2, 2003 - Jess' 16th birthday (I had myself just gone 18).
(that's us on the right, Jess with the colourful stockings!)
Oh & we live in Australia. Did I mention that? So despite Jess' infatuation with Disney we had never been, instead we became passholders at all our local theme parks which Disney pale into insignificance and spent much of our early years together there. Jess finally got to visit Disneyland in 2007 and has since been to every Disney resort except the Tokyo ones. But my first visit didn't come until 2012...
The proposal
After months and months of planning, my first trip out of the country would be to Walt Disney World. Jess was so excited, she had been dying to show me Disney ever since her first time and this was our first trip to WDW.
Roughly halfway through our visit we had a reservation at Les Chefs de France, we are both big fans of Ratatouille. Jess knew the little Chef himself visited tables at certain times and held her breath for months hoping she wouldn't miss out. She loves him so much!
Well sure enough, before we had even ordered out he came. If anyone hasn't encountered him before, he arrives on a cart among a cheese platter and that cart came straight to us at our lovely table by the window. His companion lifted off the dish et voilà, one little chef and one little ring box.
Oh please someone say something. 'Yes' preferably
Unfortunately I was a tad boxed in at that point and unable to get on one knee as I'd hoped (I did it later on) and I was kinda emotional. Composed enough but fully aware that speech would result in tears. Awkward moment I'll never live down, but we got the point across. Chef Remy squeaked his congratulations and recommended the Creme Brulee and he was off to do his rounds, leaving us with celebratory champagne and our new badges. I can't say enough how extraordinarily gracious the management and staff at Les Chefs de France were, they really went above and beyond and looked after us. Naturally though we were very sad to hear Remy is no longer there, he'll forever be an integral part of our lives.
Engagement announcement a la instagram.
Upon returning to our room I had completely forgotten about one other detail. Mickey & Minnie had visited and left us *both* a surprise! Roses, flower petals (which housekeeping had a lot of fun decorating with every day) and a print congratulating us. Proposing is a little scary but Disney give you all the tools to make it magical and take so much of the pressure off.
As we were abroad at the time, we had to let Facebook do the job of informing our friends and family who were lighting up our notifications once they woke up to the news back home. After 9 and a half years we were finally engaged.
Why a Disney wedding?
Besides that Jess & I absolutely fell in love with WDW on our stay, there were other more practical matters that helped inform our decision on a DFTW. I have a big family. My cousin had a wedding a few weeks ago with 150 guests - and she had to let a lot of people down. No kids even! Jess however has a very, very small family - many of whom she rarely sees. I currently live in one state with mine, she in another with hers. Travel is necessary for someone regardless and there are crazy uneven numbers to deal with, Jess would be a little uncomfortable at an affair featuring 150 people she may as well have never met!
Jess already knew you could have a wedding at Disney & introduced me to the concept. Once it was discussed there has never been any going back. Who was I to tell my Bride she can't have the Happiest Place on Earth? We had already planned our next visit on our way home from the US so that was to be our first meeting with DFTW. Even though that would be 18 months away from our date, we were accommodated a site visit with our Sales Consultant due to the fact we came a long way and wouldn't be able to make it back! Followed by a six month wait to see if we could have November 18, 2014 (spoilers - we could).
As I said we have our date set and our venues chosen. Our wonderful Sales Consultant suggested both sites but due to a convention booking was only able to show us Sea Breeze, we haven't and aren't likely to set foot in Prop Shop until our wedding arrives but it looks suitably mad and whimsical like us and importantly will very neatly accommodate our guest count which we anticipate to be no more than 25. We're also going to have a farewell party - well, a group booking - at the Crystal Palace because we love Pooh Bear and want him involved in our wedding somehow. Since he can't come to the reception we just had to have this, it's one of the things I've been most adamant about!
We just loooove Pooh Bear
We haven't yet booked any wedding day outside vendors but have made most of our enquiries and just tonight finalised personal floral through a local vendor over here, no photos as yet of course but she's excited to work with us! We also have a celebrity each whom we're acquainted with that we want to ask to marry us first before we start otherwise looking at Officiants.
And that's pretty much where we're currently at! Jess has her dress but I'll need to hand over to her for that to be revealed because I'm not seeing it!!