Laura and Charles- 7/13/15- Italy/LSS/UK Lochside

[lthiesfeld07]

Mini Update!

OMG! Everything went so well at my planning session today!! Jamie was wonderful. She listened to all my requests and was so honest about everything. Elizabeth and Sarah from Disney Floral were great too!! I can't wait to see how everything turns out.

My tasting in backstage Epcot was amazing!!!! Everything was so yummy!!!!

I also had my hair/make up trial with Cindy from Beaute Special. It held all day!!!!

I'll post an official update next week.

Thanks all!!

 

[WillRunForDisney]

Any updates?

 

[lthiesfeld07]

Hello Everyone,

I know it's been a VERY LONG TIME since I've updated...

I've been so busy with working 4 jobs. I barely have time to think!

I've got lots to update, so I will try to cover as much as possible!

My Planning Session was amazing. If any of you are on the DisneyMooner Boards, I started a Planning Session Recap on there.

I'll do a quick summary. My PS trip was from January 15-19, 2015. My mom, sister and I stayed at Caribbean Beach Resort. We had one of the new rooms and they are gorgeous!
My PS was January 16, 2015 at Franck's with Jamie Betz. Jamie is amazing. She completely understood my vision and my need to stick to the budget. She had my Pinterest Boards up the entire time! I was very pleased leaving the session. We first discussed transportation, ceremony details, timeline, etc. Then, it was cake time!



I like this design...

With these colors...



I asked to add purple and yellow floral on the cake table.

What was our final decision?
Top Tier: Almond Cake with Amaretto Mousse
Bottom Tier: Yellow Cake with Milk Chocolate Mousse

After cake, Elizabeth from Floral came in! Elizabeth pulled up my Pinterest Board and we got started! We discussed ceremony decor first. We are sticking to the plain black chairs. I didn't want to pay extra for chairs. We are adding some hand tied pew clusters to the back row and we are going to scatter flower petals along the aisle. I want to add a Memorial Candle to hour our grandparents. Unfortunately, all of Charles' grandparents have passed away. I have one set of grandparents that are gone as well. I want to honor them by placing their wedding photos around the candle. I want to get some 5x7 photo frames for the table. I think it will look nice.

Here's an inspirational photo for the ceremony


As for personal floral, I chose my bouquet, as well as my bridesmaids. I'll post my inspiration photos at the bottom. For the men, I want a single yellow rose with purple delphinium and rucus. I've debated on possibly doing fake flowers for them to cut down the cost. My BEO quoted me $12.50 each, which I guess isn't too bad.

For the moms and grandma's (I've got 2. My grandpa divorced my mom's mom and married my step-grandma years before I was born) Anyways, we are doing a simple wrist corsage at $28.25 each.

Here is my bouquet. The BMs (as of now) will have a smaller version of this. I want to take out the seeds, and add more yellow roses in place of some of the lavender ones. I can't wait for this!



At the reception, I am doing simple centerpieces. We will only have 4 tables so it won't be much. Here is my inspiration. I want to add more yellow flowers to this. I am debating on doing a cornflower blue wrap instead of the purple? I'm not 100% sure! Opinions would be great!



That was the end of our Planning Session. Next up was our menu tasting in Epcot with Chef Carlos and Chef Patrick!

The food was delicious!! Here are some photos!







I forgot to mention, I also had a hair and make up trial that morning with Cindy from Beaute Speciale! Here is a photo!



I did get my BEO back a few weeks ago and I was horrified at first... but I realized it wasn't as bad as I thought. I've had a few guests drop out which brings the cost down. I also am making a few cuts. I am having a phone meeting with Jamie on Monday so I will post the details of my BEO next week after our conversation.

I am happy with our Dessert Party menu. We are having chicken fingers with various dipping sauces, french fries, Mickey bars and cookies! I also will have a bar with beer/wine and Sultan's Colada from Morocco. I can't wait for that!!

I spoke with Randy Chapman tonight and discussed a potential time line for the wedding day. Once I talk to Jamie, I'll post more about that too!!

That's it for now. I'll post another update this weekend, and then again next week after Jamie's phone call!

Thanks for reading. Please share your opinions if you have any! I would love any help!

 

[MagicalEnding]

I love everything. . . Your wedding sounds amazing. . . I do like the idea of adding more yellow roses to your bouquet, it would make it pop. I just got my contract and about to send it back so seeing your beo would help with what I should expect. I look forward to hearing more.

 

[lthiesfeld07]

Phew! What a week... Spring Break is next week!! Thank goodness... Charles and I were supposed to close on our house tomorrow, but it has been postponed until next Friday. I was planning on painting and moving next week, but alas I cannot. I've got plenty of wedding stuff to catch up on, so at least I can get caught up on that!

I also had my last day at David's Bridal this week. However, I might go in one day next week since I won't be working in the house!

Here is a picture of the house!



Here are some pictures of our invitations! I had these made by Jennifer. She runs a shop on etsy called JLB Papery. She is amazing. She will do whatever you ask! I found her on a group called Disney Brides Diary on Facebook. These were $10 each. I felt it was okay to splurge because I only needed 30. Which actually, is WAY too many... I have tons of extras... oh well.






_____
I had my phone conversation with Randy Chapman last week and it was fantastic! Here is the schedule that we discussed.

Beaute Speciale will leave around 6:45.
Laura, BMs and family will be ready at 7:00.
Laura and her dad will do a 1st look at POR around 7:05.
We will shoot some photos around POR before the limo picks us up at 7:15.
Arrive in Italy at 7:30.
Take Bridal photos from 7:30-8:00ish.
Charles will need to be ready by 7:45. Limo is picking him up then.
Charles will arrive in Italy around 8:00.
Laura, BMs and family will hang in The Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar while Charles is taking photos with his groomsmen and family.
9:00 Ceremony!

Laura's Limo:
Laura, My Mom (Beth), My Dad (Alan), My Gram (Shirley), My Sister (Megan), My Best Friend (Renee), Kevin (Renee's husband), Randy and possibly Stan. In the event that Stan brings his wife, I'lll have to have a One Way Van follow us to Epcot.

Charles' Limo:
Charles, His Mom (Diane), His Dad (Joe), His Brother (Nick), Groomsmen John, Groomsmen Jeremy.

You'll notice that Ethan is not a groomsmen anymore. He's still coming to the wedding, but long story short, he's in a lot of weddings this year, and we are happy that he will be attending ours.

I had my phone convo with Jamie on Monday. I removed some things from my BEO. (Which I know sounds vague... I haven't had a chance to figure out how to upload them here...) She is going to get back to me to see if I still meet the minimums.

I did have a few guests drop, and I added a few too. Here is the updated guest list! A * means they are not confirmed yet!

Mom, Dad, Megan, Gram, Mom, Dad, Nick, Aunt Sue, Aunt Carole, Aunt Karren, Aunt Mar, Grandma, Grandpa, Renee (BM), Kevin (BM husband), Jeremy (Best Man), Kayce (soon to be wife of Best Man), John (Groomsmen), Ethan, Ryan (friend of Charles and boyfriend of my sister... lol), Lauren (Laura's friend), Lauren's Husband Erik (or her mom), *Cousin Jackie, *Cousin Matt, *Cousin Mitchell

____

Here is another picture that I sent Jamie of a cake that I like. I like the cornflower blue on the cake.

I've been working on our ceremony. Any brides who have their ceremony ready (or had their ceremony) who want to post on here, please do! Is it weird that I want to do traditional vows AND our own vows? Charles is insistent upon writing our own vows, but I love the way traditional vows sound. I really want to do both. What do you all think?

That's it for now. I wish I was more organized with my updates. Some of the PJ's on here are so organized! I am jealous!

Have a good weekend! Thanks all!

 

[Seia]

I've been working on our ceremony. Any brides who have their ceremony ready (or had their ceremony) who want to post on here, please do! Is it weird that I want to do traditional vows AND our own vows? Charles is insistent upon writing our own vows, but I love the way traditional vows sound. I really want to do both. What do you all think?

That's it for now. I wish I was more organized with my updates. Some of the PJ's on here are so organized! I am jealous!

Have a good weekend! Thanks all!

It's not weird at all! We are going to recite our own vows and then exchange traditional ones. Your invitations look so beautiful. I love the castle with the fireworks!

 

[lthiesfeld07]

Hi Everyone!!!

Gosh, it's been a super long time since I've given you an update! I am so sorry!!!

Charles and I moved into our new house on April 4! We love it! I've been busy unpacking, organizing and painting! I'm also finishing up with the end of the school year. The 8th graders graduate on May 28! :woohoo I still have to be in school until June 9. At least I can use that time to work on wedding stuff!

Charles and I are pretty sure we have a final guest count at this point. We are thinking we have 22 guests for certain. We are not 100% sure on a friend, and my aunt might come at the last minute. It just depends on my uncle. That 22 includes the friend.

My friend, Lauren, got married in March. She had her ceremony in Canada and her reception at the Living Seas. Her pictures were absolutely stunning. I couldn't attend her wedding, but she will be at mine! She shared some of her activities at her reception and I think I am going to try some out! During her reception, she had a scrapbook table. She bought 2 Fuji Film Insta Cameras! Here is a link:http://www.michaels.com/fujifilm-instax-mini-8-camera-radiant-orchid/10411693.html#q=camera&start=7
She provided scrap book paper, and stickers, etc, for guests to make their own scrap book pages. After the wedding, she compiled the pages and it is an adorable keepsake! I think it will work nice for my guests because I have a variety of ages, and some may not dance the whole time. She also bought props at Party City and had them on the dance floor. It made for adorable pictures. Since it's a brunch reception, I think that might be a nice idea!

Back to my BEO, I want to change my cake flavors. Instead of the top layer being almond/amaretto, I want that to be the bottom layer! Top layer will be yellow/milk chocolate. I just can't get over that almond/amaretto cake.... YUM!!!!

Here is the Cake Topper that I ordered. Of course I ordered a F. I think it will look nice on the cake. It's light weight and it will make for a nice keepsake.

I'm still debating on favors for Florida... I've always liked the custom Yankee Candle
I would get the votive size. They would be $5.50 or $5.25 each depending on how many I get. The Lilac scent is my favorite. I would get the silver tulle also. They are small enough that I could get them to Florida safely.

For our Home Reception, I'm going to order these in Purple with White text.


We had both of our bridal showers. They both were fantastic!
Here is my grandma, mom and me!

Here is a bad picture of us thanking our guests! lol


That's all I have for now! I feel like I have a million things to do still! I'll feel better after talking to Jamie on May 27.

Thanks everyone!

 

[lthiesfeld07]

Update!

I've made some more music decisions. I changed my mind on what I want to walk down the aisle to. I'm going to walk down the aisle to Canon in D. I want to use the version from Father of the Bride, so I'm going to put it on the iPOD for the ceremony. Instead, for the bridesmaids, I am going to use the violinist and have him/her play "I See The Light" from Tangled. I love that song/movie! I went on youtube to listen to violin solos of Disney songs, and was happy with that version.

Bridal Party update!
So Charles decided that he was going to have his friend as a groomsman after all... The plan back in August was he was going to have 3 groomsmen and I was going to have 2 bridesmaids. At the time, I couldn't think of anyone else that I wanted to have as a bridesmaid.
A few months later, Charles told me that his friend, Ethan, couldn't afford to get the tux for the wedding, but would still attend. No problem! I decided that he could be a reader, so he could still be involved. Now keep in mind that we are only having 22 guests, so being invited and attending should be pretty special. (in my opinion anyway...)
On Sunday, I took my dad to get measured at The Men's Warehouse. I was told that everyone was measured! Yay! I was so excited that everyone had booked their hotel rooms, and was measured for the wedding, that I posted a status on Facebook! Well, Ethan commented "not everyone." And I was mad! I asked Charles what was going on, and he said "Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you, Ethan is going to be a groomsman." He said this with a big smile on his face, as if he was expecting me to be as thrilled as him.... Um no! Well apparently, Ethan never said that he couldn't afford the tux... Charles had decided that for him months ago and just never told him... Ethan told Charles that he could and was so excited to be in the wedding... So Charles told him it was no problem.
I think I had just cause to be mad. You can't just change things 50 days before the wedding! UGH!
On Monday, we had friends over for a BBQ. I told Charles' Best Man(Jeremy)'s fiance (Kayce) the situation, and she was totally on my side. (Their wedding is June 5, 2015!) She jokingly suggested that she should be a bridesmaid to keep things even. We all laughed, but I thought about it... and checked David's Bridal to see if I could get a dress in time... So I asked Kayce if she would seriously consider being a bridesmaid.And she said that she would only if I was serious. I mean we are friends, but only because of Jeremy and Charles at first. She said that she totally would do it, but would stay out of the pictures, etc. because she's just a stand in. I told her she was being silly. I mean, our fiances are best friends, which means that we will be in each other's lives forever. I had her try on my sister's dress and it fit her, so I called David's Bridal today and ordered the dress and it will be here no later than June 26! Crazy!!! That's why I love David's Bridal. Now keep in mind that this is a strange situation. After working at David's, I know that this scenario does not always have a happy ending!!
Here's a picture of the dress. I can't remember if I posted it before. I'm also going to post a picture of the jewelry.





So now we have 3 BM's and 3 Groomsmen. Here they are!

Jeremy- Best Man
Charles has known him since first grade and they have been inseparable ever since... Definitely a bromance! lol
Kayce- Bridesmaid (Jeremy's fiance)


John- Groomsman
John and Charles met in college. John is a wonderful friend. I'm so glad he lives so close to us.


Renee- Bridesmaid
Renee has been my best friend since preschool. All throughout elementary school we never had any classes together, but we were always friends. When I was 15, I moved next door to her! It was awesome! Her parents still live next door to my parents and I hang out with her mom often. Renee has since moved to Little Rock, Arkansas and got married in 2013 in St. Lucia. Her wedding was my first time out of the country!


Megan- Maid of Honor
Megan is my 21 year old sister. She is an EMT and is going to attend paramedic school in the fall.



Ethan- Groomsman.
This picture is from high school. Ethan is a childhood friend too. He lives in LA. It's very nice of him to fly to Orlando for the wedding.



I emailed Stan from STVS today and asked him about his expectations for the day. His services were going to stop at 12, because of the package I got. So I decided, that I should upgrade so that he could stay the entire time. In the long run, I think I would regret not having him there the whole time. At this point, what's another $300... lol

With all these changes, I have been working on transportation. I'm trying to save the most money... You'd think with only 22 guests, a bride and groom, 2 photographers and 2 videographers it wouldn't be that difficult... but it is. I've got a mock up.

I have a phone meeting with Jamie tomorrow. I am very excited. I can't believe how close we are to the wedding! Hopefully we can work out some transportation issues.

That's it for now! Thanks all!

 

[Seia]

For what it's worth, I think you will be very happy that you added video coverage for the entire time! Especially if it wasn't that much more money (relatively speaking, of course. Haha).

Good luck with getting transportation squared way!

 

[lthiesfeld07]

Hi All!
Officially 27 days away!!! Ah! I don't know where the time went. I feel like I have so much to do!

Lots of Updates so here we go!

First off, school is over! :woohoo I still have a job for next year, so that is good.

Charles and I received a phone call on Friday, that our Home Reception hall lost it's permits... They have a meeting on Thursday, June 18 to hear if all is well. They had to cancel 2 June weddings. Can you imagine? Thankfully our reception isn't until July 31, so we do have some time. I am staying in denial until I hear something on Thursday... Pray for the all clear! We LOVE this place and NEED it to happen! So far we have 154 Yes, and 46 no. I was only anticipating 25 no, so we won't max out on the place. We still have 51 people who need to RSVP...

I was originally going to have the Major Domo for our ceremony, but removed him. Here's why. Charles was the best man in his best man's wedding on June 5. They both went on and on about how great it is that they get to hold each other's wedding rings at their weddings. lol. So after much consideration, I removed him and saved $675. I told Charles about my surprise, and he did not like that idea at all. So phew!!

I finalized our ceremony with Rev. Kevin Knox. We have a phone meeting next week. We are going with his Sentimental Ceremony, with some Traditional and Civil touches. Charles isn't religious, so I removed religious aspects.

I discovered last week that my mom's new cat ate part of my veil... So I had to go to David's Bridal to buy a new one. While I was there, I checked out sashes... I am thinking of changing mine.

In Wedding Dress news, my dress had to be taken in a size and a half! :woohoo I've lost 14 pounds so far (as of 2 weeks ago) I go to the dr. every few weeks to weigh in. He put me on a new medication, and I have been doing It Works. It actually works, I swear! So I signed up to sell it too. I've been wrapping and my skin looks so much healthier. I'm so excited! I haven't been able to lose weight in 10 years. My seamstress said that she will take my dress in until the day I leave! Love her! Next time I am there, I will take pictures to post!

I stole the following checklist from Shanna! (Thanks Shanna! :hug)

Colors: Cornflower Blue, Regency (Purple) and Yellow
Photography: Randy Chapman, DFAP for Dessert Party
Videography: STVS
Hair and Make-up- Beaute Speciale

Music (Ceremony)

Prelude: Various Disney and Classical Songs that the Violinist will play

Seating of the Family: Tale as Old as Time (on the Violin)

Groom, Groomsmen, Officiant Entrance: Holiday in Spain (on CD)

Bridesmaid Entrance: I See The Light- Tangled

Bride’s Entrance: Canon in D from Father of the Bride (CD)

Wine Box Ceremony: A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes

Recessional: Star Wars (on a CD)

Music (Reception)

Entrance of Bridal Party: Capital Cities – Safe And Sound? Maybe Walk This Way- Aerosmith?

First Dance: You’re Still the One- Shania Twain
(We really like the lyrics to this song. Lots of people doubted that we would make it. So ha! Lol)

Father/Daughter Dance: I asked my dad what he wanted, but he hasn’t told me what he wanted yet.

Mother/Son Dance: Moon River

Cake Cutting: Not sure if I need this? We only have 22 people. Thoughts? I would do Honey Bee- Blake Shelton

Last Dance: I’m not sure yet. Maybe God Gave Me You- Blake Shelton. I’ve always wanted the last dance to be Charles and I in the middle with everyone around us, but I don’t know if that will happen.

Food (Reception):

Pre-Reception:
Flora- $32.50 per guest
Warm Brie and Caramelized Onion Tartlet
Shrimp Cocktail Bites Served on an Olive Oil Bread Crouton
Fried Chicken Dumplings Served with Teriyaki Sauce

Reception:
We are having a Full Call Bar, BOC.
Custom Brunch Buffet- $70 per guest
Caesar Salad with Parmesan Croutons
White Cheddar Baked Mac&Cheese
Yukon Gold Potato, Applewood Bacon, and Gruyere Tart
Fresh Asparagus and Baby Carrots
Oven Roasted Chicken Stuffed with Prosciutto, Spinach & Fontina Cheese
Pan Seared Mahi Mahi with a Florida Citrus Gremolata Sauce, Arborio Polenta, and Sauteed Swiss Chard.
Fresh Baked Rolls and Butter
Coffee, and a Selection of Teas

Cake: Top Layer: Yellow Cake with Milk Chocolate Mousse
Bottom Layer: Almond Cake with Amaretto Mousse (I can’t wait for this!!!) Inspiration: IN These Colors


Reception Entertainment: My friend bought polaroid cameras and brought scrapbook pages for guests to create. I kinda want to do that, but don’t want to spend $100 on polaroid cameras… Does anyone have any suggestions for non-dancers? I do want to bring some silly props to dance around with too.

DJ: Charles Miles

Décor/Floral: I don’t have much extra décor at the reception. I eliminated a lot to stay in budget.

Personal Floral: Disney Floral Here is my inspiration for my bouquet.

Ceremony: Inspiration Photo:

Reception: Here is a picture of my inspiration for our centerpieces.


Dessert Party: nothing extra. Epcot is providing tables and black linens

Food: We are having a BOC Beer/Wine Bar. I am adding Sultan’s Colada from Morocco too! So excited for this! Our menu is chicken fingers, French fries, mickey bars, and assorted cookies at $25 per person.

Other Accessories:

Wine Box: Ordered from Etsy

Memorial Table: I am going to have a picture frame of 3 wedding photos. One wedding photo of my grandparents who have passed away. Both sets of Charles’ grandparents have passed, so I will their wedding photos also. Disney is providing a Memorial Candle. It will be pre-lit.

Guest Book: I created and ordered a guest book off of Shutterfly. I had this brilliant idea of trying to make an interactive guest book where people could place things on a picture, but logistically? How would I get it to Disney? So I did this instead. It was shipped yesterday, so I can’t wait to see how it turned out.

Favors: Custom Yankee Candles. They are so cute!


Cake Topper: I ordered this cake topper with a letter ‘F’.


Programs:
My inspiration came from the lovely Jenn Finnigan! (Thanks Jenn!!) I used Microsoft Publisher to create it. I’m pretty happy with it. Ignore the poor screen shots.






Place Cards: I also made my own. I just bought place card paper at Michael’s and printed them. They turned out really nice.

Table Signs: Since I only have 5 tables, including a Sweet Heart Table, I went with my favorite attractions (and some of Charles’) lol.
Sweetheart Table: Splash Mountain
Tables 1-4: Tower of Terror, Peter Pan’s Flight, Space Mountain, and Toy Story Midway Mania

Bridal Party Gifts: I already bought my girls necklaces to wear from David’s Bridal. I want to get yellow flip flops, a nail polish and some sort of small bag. Again, easy to transport. I also want to include a note thanking them.

Parent Gifts: I got my mom a handkerchief from Etsy. I got my dad this plaque from Personalization Mall. I got Charles’ parents a picture frame where they can put our invitation on one side and our wedding photo on the other. I’m debating on getting my FML a hankie too.

Groomsmen Gifts: Charles got them all knives.

Welcome Bags: I’m going to just have envelopes at the Front Desk with a Times Guide that Kristin on Etsy made. I’m also going to include some Glow Sticks for the Dessert Party!

Transportation: I have a limo for Charles& I and the bridal party and I went with One Way Vans for everything else. It was only $40 per van.


So that's where I am at. I am finalizing our honeymoon plans. I still feel like I am forgetting something, but I can't think of it!

 

[Seia]

Your day is getting SO close now!! I love your cake inspiration... and almond cake with amaretto is soooo good! I'm confident you won't be disappointed. Haha.

 

[elphie101]

Bah I want to see the program-spiration! The photo didn't load for me

Have you thought about a photo booth, or photomingle? I'm not too sure about the costs, but I think people love those! I wish we had done one, to be honest.

It's so so close!! I can't believe it!

 

[lthiesfeld07]

I edited my post and tried uploading the photos again!!

I thought about a photo booth, but they are just so expensive...

I found this on ebay... but I'm not sure if I can trust it!http://www.ebay.com/itm/IMPOSSIBLE-..._DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2ee2bb93c6#viTabs_0

I found some Mad Libs to download, which might be fun. Thankfully my reception is really only from 11-2pm, so I don't need tons of extra stuff to do.

 

[Seia]

Happy Wedding Day!! Enjoy every single second!

 

[DisneyFirefly]

Happy wedding day!