Linzertort
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Sep 13, 2013
Hey guys! I haven't started a thread over here, but I loved our wedding so much I thought I'd share our recaps with you in case they helped someone!
Glad I had…
A Disney Wedding!
I feel like this should go without saying but I could not be happier that we had a Disney wedding! For the first time in (probably) years, I turned my brain completely off that day and relaxed into the celebration. I definitely expect Disney to take care of us when we vacation, but this wedding completely exceeded even our high expectations.
The Roots!
Hiring the Roots was my number 1 priority going into this wedding. Jackie said she wouldn’t have a big celebration anywhere but WDW, and I said I wouldn’t do it without the Roots. I know, without a doubt, that I was right to hire them and I am so happy and glad that we did. Despite the fact that Jensey was in the hospital (she came home on our wedding day, between our reception and dessert party), Nate was completely present and genuinely excited for our day. He brought Kimberly Mitchell with him to help out in Jensey’s absence, and we loved her too! We didn’t have to worry about anything and felt completely comfortable to be ourselves. LOVE the Roots!
Patricia LeJeune!
Patricia and her ladies exceeded all expectations. They listened closely to each member of our party/family that they worked with, and everyone was thrilled with their hair/makeup. Two of our sidekicks seriously regretted not getting their makeup done and asked for lashes when we all got them! My cousin had them do her eyes, and my mom, who is super picky about her hair/makeup, was so thrilled with her makeup that I don’t know I’ve ever seen her so happy to look at herself! Patricia was very serious about doing exactly what we all wanted, which made us all feel amazing. Jackie and I were both stunned by our makeup and all the colors and things that she chose for us. Patricia was also super excited about my dress because she had just done a photo shoot for my dress designer in Florida, so that excitement added to my confidence and happiness about my day! <3
A dessert party!
I am so glad we added the dessert party back to our agenda. I definitely felt better about the reception ending knowing that I would see everyone again that evening for dessert and fireworks! Our carrot cake cookies were a HUGE hit, as were the mickey bars. Everyone is still talking about how they can’t imagine a better spot to watch illuminations (I won’t be one to tell them any different lol!) and how excited they are to have had “VIP” viewing! I think everyone enjoyed being escorted into the park and to a separate area, it made them feel special on our day too! Jackie and I just loved being able to entertain guests at the end of our day!
A caricature artist!
Our caricature artist was truly talented and completely blew our guests’ minds! I mean these pictures are hysterical, I can’t wait to share them with y’all! I was a little iffy on this part, but my mom REALLY wanted to add something else to the reception since our small(er) guest list freed up some of her money, so I conceded and I’m glad I did. This was a fun way to get people who didn’t want to dance a lot involved in the day!
DJ Charles Miles!
Okay we LOVED DJ Charles Miles! He was so pumped about our wedding, and so good about reading the guests. I could tell that he cared a lot about doing a great job and doing exactly what we asked. He seemed invested in getting people to have a great time and he seemed like he had fun as well. I cannot imagine a better DJ for us. Seriously, I am so happy!
A room at Boardwalk by renting points!
The Boardwalk was so perfect. I definitely underestimated how much I would love staying in the Epcot resort area, but walking to Epcot and Studios was even more convenient that I imagined, especially after we spent our last night at Poly and the monorail had “technical difficulties,” which meant a 1.5 hour travel time to MK. Whaaa? Yes. It took us 90 mins to get to MK from Poly. I especially loved the bakery/pizza window, the proximity to Beaches & Cream, the games, and how relaxed the atmosphere felt. I am in love.
Written our own vows!
Our vows were BY FAR the best part of our ceremony. We had our guests chuckling, and we had some sniffles, it was the best! I will talk more about this later, but I feel like between our vows, Melissa’s reading and our head sidekick toasts, our guests really got to see us as we are, and with our ceremony being slightly less than we wanted, I’m glad our vows were a hit.
My cousin Melissa do a reading during our ceremony!
Melissa read from The House on Pooh Corner, which was perfect. She couldn’t look at me the whole time because she was trying so hard not to cry, and that made me cry! Winnie the Pooh was a favorite of my grandmother’s and she read this story to us many times as children. I am so grateful to have a new connection to the story, so that it is no longer just MY memories, but OUR new memory. I love that I can share it with Jackie now and that I can honor my grandmother as well. BEST.
Only half a first dance and finished up with all of our guests!
Ok this might have been my greatest reception idea ever. We danced for only about 30s or a minute, and then DJ Miles asked everyone to join us, AND THEY DID! It was amazing and so much fun to have literally everyone on the dance floor with us for our first dance, it is a memory I will NEVER forget.
Ear Hats as favors and Mickey and Donald at the reception!
Our guests FLIPPED over these two things. I have so many photos of people’s place settings and adults actually cried at Mickey and Donald. SO. MUCH. FUN!
A small wedding (even though we didn’t necessarily plan it that way)
I worried about this part and tried to convince myself that it would give me more time to spend with each guest, and the reality is that it really DID allow me to spend time with each guest. I didn’t even notice that we had a small wedding, our venues and our timing made it feel big, and being able to talk with everyone, dance with everyone, and take photos with everyone made a huge difference.
My nails redone at Image Nails when we arrived.
By the time we arrived in Florida from Houston, my nails were a hot mess. My fingernails were all sorts of different shapes and my toenail polish (shellac) was coming off. ***?! It was stressful to check into the hotel and rush off to Image Nails but I am so glad we did because they did a GREAT job!
Disneymooners!
I am so happy I joined this community. I didn’t always get to catch up or respond to everyone, but I have so enjoyed reading about everyone’s days and talking about ours. I hope to stay in touch with the community in the future and be of help to anyone who needs it! Of course, I also am determined to plan a VR later on so there’s that as well!!!!
Wish I had…
Videography.
It just wasn’t in the budget, and I didn’t fight it too much because I had already fought hard for the Roots, so I felt like I used all my fighting points already. This is probably my biggest regret. Jackie walked in to the James Bond theme and apparently it was a big hit, but I feel so awful that I didn’t get to see it!
Been more aware of my shoes during/after the reception.
My brand new Jimmy Choos are gone. Totally disappeared. Jackie and I both I changed into our chucks after our first dance, stored our shoes next to our table, and somehow I ended up with only Jackie’s shoes and my mom’s shoes. I figure Diane thought my mom’s shoes were mine and didn’t check further for mine, and I can’t really fault her because I didn’t look either! I was definitely not thinking clearly after the reception and only wanted to get back to our room and cool off for a bit before the dessert party, but in hindsight I wish I had been a little more aware. Oh well.
Glad I had…
A Disney Wedding!
I feel like this should go without saying but I could not be happier that we had a Disney wedding! For the first time in (probably) years, I turned my brain completely off that day and relaxed into the celebration. I definitely expect Disney to take care of us when we vacation, but this wedding completely exceeded even our high expectations.
The Roots!
Hiring the Roots was my number 1 priority going into this wedding. Jackie said she wouldn’t have a big celebration anywhere but WDW, and I said I wouldn’t do it without the Roots. I know, without a doubt, that I was right to hire them and I am so happy and glad that we did. Despite the fact that Jensey was in the hospital (she came home on our wedding day, between our reception and dessert party), Nate was completely present and genuinely excited for our day. He brought Kimberly Mitchell with him to help out in Jensey’s absence, and we loved her too! We didn’t have to worry about anything and felt completely comfortable to be ourselves. LOVE the Roots!
Patricia LeJeune!
Patricia and her ladies exceeded all expectations. They listened closely to each member of our party/family that they worked with, and everyone was thrilled with their hair/makeup. Two of our sidekicks seriously regretted not getting their makeup done and asked for lashes when we all got them! My cousin had them do her eyes, and my mom, who is super picky about her hair/makeup, was so thrilled with her makeup that I don’t know I’ve ever seen her so happy to look at herself! Patricia was very serious about doing exactly what we all wanted, which made us all feel amazing. Jackie and I were both stunned by our makeup and all the colors and things that she chose for us. Patricia was also super excited about my dress because she had just done a photo shoot for my dress designer in Florida, so that excitement added to my confidence and happiness about my day! <3
A dessert party!
I am so glad we added the dessert party back to our agenda. I definitely felt better about the reception ending knowing that I would see everyone again that evening for dessert and fireworks! Our carrot cake cookies were a HUGE hit, as were the mickey bars. Everyone is still talking about how they can’t imagine a better spot to watch illuminations (I won’t be one to tell them any different lol!) and how excited they are to have had “VIP” viewing! I think everyone enjoyed being escorted into the park and to a separate area, it made them feel special on our day too! Jackie and I just loved being able to entertain guests at the end of our day!
A caricature artist!
Our caricature artist was truly talented and completely blew our guests’ minds! I mean these pictures are hysterical, I can’t wait to share them with y’all! I was a little iffy on this part, but my mom REALLY wanted to add something else to the reception since our small(er) guest list freed up some of her money, so I conceded and I’m glad I did. This was a fun way to get people who didn’t want to dance a lot involved in the day!
DJ Charles Miles!
Okay we LOVED DJ Charles Miles! He was so pumped about our wedding, and so good about reading the guests. I could tell that he cared a lot about doing a great job and doing exactly what we asked. He seemed invested in getting people to have a great time and he seemed like he had fun as well. I cannot imagine a better DJ for us. Seriously, I am so happy!
A room at Boardwalk by renting points!
The Boardwalk was so perfect. I definitely underestimated how much I would love staying in the Epcot resort area, but walking to Epcot and Studios was even more convenient that I imagined, especially after we spent our last night at Poly and the monorail had “technical difficulties,” which meant a 1.5 hour travel time to MK. Whaaa? Yes. It took us 90 mins to get to MK from Poly. I especially loved the bakery/pizza window, the proximity to Beaches & Cream, the games, and how relaxed the atmosphere felt. I am in love.
Written our own vows!
Our vows were BY FAR the best part of our ceremony. We had our guests chuckling, and we had some sniffles, it was the best! I will talk more about this later, but I feel like between our vows, Melissa’s reading and our head sidekick toasts, our guests really got to see us as we are, and with our ceremony being slightly less than we wanted, I’m glad our vows were a hit.
My cousin Melissa do a reading during our ceremony!
Melissa read from The House on Pooh Corner, which was perfect. She couldn’t look at me the whole time because she was trying so hard not to cry, and that made me cry! Winnie the Pooh was a favorite of my grandmother’s and she read this story to us many times as children. I am so grateful to have a new connection to the story, so that it is no longer just MY memories, but OUR new memory. I love that I can share it with Jackie now and that I can honor my grandmother as well. BEST.
Only half a first dance and finished up with all of our guests!
Ok this might have been my greatest reception idea ever. We danced for only about 30s or a minute, and then DJ Miles asked everyone to join us, AND THEY DID! It was amazing and so much fun to have literally everyone on the dance floor with us for our first dance, it is a memory I will NEVER forget.
Ear Hats as favors and Mickey and Donald at the reception!
Our guests FLIPPED over these two things. I have so many photos of people’s place settings and adults actually cried at Mickey and Donald. SO. MUCH. FUN!
A small wedding (even though we didn’t necessarily plan it that way)
I worried about this part and tried to convince myself that it would give me more time to spend with each guest, and the reality is that it really DID allow me to spend time with each guest. I didn’t even notice that we had a small wedding, our venues and our timing made it feel big, and being able to talk with everyone, dance with everyone, and take photos with everyone made a huge difference.
My nails redone at Image Nails when we arrived.
By the time we arrived in Florida from Houston, my nails were a hot mess. My fingernails were all sorts of different shapes and my toenail polish (shellac) was coming off. ***?! It was stressful to check into the hotel and rush off to Image Nails but I am so glad we did because they did a GREAT job!
Disneymooners!
I am so happy I joined this community. I didn’t always get to catch up or respond to everyone, but I have so enjoyed reading about everyone’s days and talking about ours. I hope to stay in touch with the community in the future and be of help to anyone who needs it! Of course, I also am determined to plan a VR later on so there’s that as well!!!!
Wish I had…
Videography.
It just wasn’t in the budget, and I didn’t fight it too much because I had already fought hard for the Roots, so I felt like I used all my fighting points already. This is probably my biggest regret. Jackie walked in to the James Bond theme and apparently it was a big hit, but I feel so awful that I didn’t get to see it!
Been more aware of my shoes during/after the reception.
My brand new Jimmy Choos are gone. Totally disappeared. Jackie and I both I changed into our chucks after our first dance, stored our shoes next to our table, and somehow I ended up with only Jackie’s shoes and my mom’s shoes. I figure Diane thought my mom’s shoes were mine and didn’t check further for mine, and I can’t really fault her because I didn’t look either! I was definitely not thinking clearly after the reception and only wanted to get back to our room and cool off for a bit before the dessert party, but in hindsight I wish I had been a little more aware. Oh well.
I'm so glad you're here!
Seeing them look so beautiful in my photos makes it so much more sad that they never turned up!
