One concern I have: We are staying at BWV (Home Sweet Home!!!) for the entire VR trip but we have one night - the 26th - at the GF which is the night of our VR. I am concerned about where we are going to get ready - I know it is common to get early check-in when you are wearing those ears but what if we don't? We need to be dressed and ready to go at 6:30pm for pix - if we don't get checked in until 3:00pm will that be enough time for us to have hair and makeup done? I can just imagine how long it is going to take for DH to get himself AND Ds14 into Tuxes!!! Maybe we should get an additional night at the GF (The 25th) and DH and I could stay there after the dessert party at the GF and my mom could take DD and DS back to the BWV where we are staying until the 26th.
Lisacope, here's how I handled my VR...
We booked ourselves into the GF for the three nights / four days surrounding our vow renewal. We were supposed to hang onto our room over at the BWV, but we wound up giving it to one of our guests. Had our guests not taken the room, our children would have been in it -- which was the plan so that my husband & I would have the GF room all to ourselves (!!) for a few nights. But Fate obviously had other plans in store for us, and, honestly, it was fine with us. Except that my husband still teases me to this day that we have NEVER had a wedding night or a honeymoon or a vow renewal night. Hey, he should consider it just one more "reason" to make it to our 25th wedding anniversary -- when I FINALLY will make all of his dreams come true!
So, on the day prior to our event, we transfered over to the GF from the BWV (
our friends arrived just as we were transferring so the timing was perfect). I actually checked into the resort with one of my best friends -- that way my husband & son could pick up their tuxes with another one of my dear friends (
the tux place was somewhere in Orlando). I arrived at the GF's Front Desk, but the Front Desk had someone come downstairs to greet me. Two Cast Members then took us up to my room and handled my check-in there. That had been done for me before, but my friend had never seen it and thus got a kick out of it.
Our rehearsal inside the Wedding Pavilion was scheduled for the first night of our GF stay. Our rehearsal was followed by our Welcome Party at the GF's marina. I was thankful that I had booked us into the resort that night. It had been a very busy day for us, and it was nice to be at the resort where all the action was for our events.
The next day was our vow renewal. My Event Manager had booked a ballroom at the Convention Center for my daughter, niece, and I to get ready in. Two cosmetologists handled our hair & makeup needs. It was wonderful having plenty of space to move around in.
Click here to see a few photos.
Once we were
picture perfect, we got dressed and walked over to the GF lobby for our pre-ceremony photos. My husband, son, and nephew joined us there. Photos were taken inside the resort and outside the resort. Time flew by, and before we knew it, it was time for the wedding party to head over to the Wedding Pavilion for the ceremony.
Our ceremony came & went, as did our dinner reception at the Studios. Right around 3 AM, we were dropped off back at the GF. It had been a long & eventful day, and I was VERY glad that we didn't have to check out a few hours later (!!). Booking that third night at the resort was truly some of the best money that I had ever spent.
My husband & son hit the hay right away, but my daughter & I stayed up talking for a few hours. She eventually passed out, but I had a few loose ends to tie up. I don't think I fell asleep until sunup.
Now, you would think that our guests would let us sleep in, wouldn't you? It had been a long night for everyone,
but no rest for the wicked! Our phone began ringing off the hook sometime that morning.
ARG!!!!! And to make matters worse, they were calling us from the resort's pool deck:
"Hey, Janet, come on down to the pool and join us for food & beverages!" It was all I could do
not to tell them to go to
h-e-double-toothpicks (!!). The kids quickly put on their swimsuits and headed to the pool. I think Rick & I joined everyone within the hour.
The rest of our day took off from there. Theme park visits (
yes, more than one) and then a big, family dinner at the Yachtsman Steakhouse. I don't know what time we eventually wound up back at the GF, but as soon as we did, it was time to pack up our suitcases. We were scheduled to transfer back to the BWV the very next day.
So, I had three nights booked at the GF and it was some of the best money that I had spent during that vacation. It was nice being in the resort that was closest to many of our vow renewal events.
I wish you much luck in deciding what to do. It's a tough decision.