Lurkyloo's PJ: Morocco/Attic/UK Lower - Greetings from WDW!!!

[Pezalicious]

I'm glad you like it! I was surprised that the colors pretty much match your theme.

 

[caryndisneydiva]

i love that cake!!! i'm so glad that you're not going with the traditional server, i'm not either, they bore me! i like the spatula! and i'm with you on the fluffiness on cake tables...

 

[lurkyloo]

We are flying DF’s childhood pastor out to officiate our wedding. I happened to meet him a few months after DF and I began dating, and I knew right then that if I were to marry DF, this was the fellow I wanted to officiate! We’ve met with him a few times to talk about the ceremony and just marriage in general, and he’s been very respectful of my beliefs (which are different than DF’s) and incorporating aspects into the ceremony.

I know this doesn’t help someone who is trying to choose an officiant from Disney’s list, but I would say to be sure the person you pick really listens to you and what you want. I would be horrified if the officiant skipped or mangled some of the parts of the ceremony that are important to me.

Also, if you’re on the fence about bringing someone to officiate or having a friend ordained so he or she can officiate, I say go for it. We are paying for the pastor’s flight and hotel room, but with the wedding discounts and his willingness to take a cheaper flight, it’s not too expensive and totally worth it.

Our only attendants will be DF’s brother as Best Man and my brother as Man of Honor, so that’s why I don’t have any pictures of bridesmaid or flower girl dresses. I think bridesmaids are nothing but trouble, and I can say that ‘cuz I’ve been one! They don’t like the dress or they think it’s too expensive, and you have to choose all their accessories and pay to have their hair done and buy them bouquets and give them cheap jewelry they’ll never wear again – ugh!

Having said that, my brother is turning out to be just as high maintenance as any Maidzilla. (Let's just say he's not a big Disney fan... )

So here’s what I told him he had to wear:

 

[autumnbride2B]

A person does not have to be ordained to perform a wedding in Florida. Any notary public can also do it.

 

[Kristen14]

Lol, I love your brother's dress. I can't believe I just said that Your cake server is just too cute. I want some of those for my house!

 

[lurkyloo]

Music is a big deal for me. I’ve been a radio DJ and played in bands, and I had a pastel yellow Sony Walkman permanently attached to my hip throughout the ‘80s! One time when I was a pouty teen I removed my headphones long enough to declare “I wish my life had a soundtrack…” to which my dad replied, “It DOES!”

So the wedding – especially the ceremony – is my chance have a soundtrack that everyone else can hear for one day in my life. (DF pretty much sticks with movie scores, and he likes what I’ve chosen).

When we picked Morocco as our ceremony location, I started thinking about using music from the movie “The Wind and the Lion,” which was my mom’s favorite film. If you can get over Sean Connery playing a Berber, it’s a really fun action-adventure-romance film. One of my fave movie composers, Jerry Goldsmith, wrote the score, which I thought had a nice Moroccan feel. Then I watched the movie again and realized it actually takes place in Morocco - bonus!

For the reception I’m thinking (a bit schizophrenically) about doing Main Street, U.S.A. music from Disneyland for the cocktail hour and a samba/bossa nova/jazz mix for the rest (we’re doing an iPod instead of a DJ – no way am I having the Macarena or the Chicken Dance played at my wedding!).

I linked the names of each song to samples of the songs so you can hear them… cuz I’m a nerd!

Ceremony:

Entrance – “Main Title from The Wind & The Lion”
Right now I’m thinking about having no prelude – just kicking off with this dynamic movie-opening song as DF’s parents are seated.

Mom’s Song – “I Remember (Love Theme)”
As a way to remember my mother, who passed on about three years ago, we’re going to have them play this song after DF’s parents are seated and before anybody else walks down the aisle. The song makes me and DF cry, but it is basically my mom’s theme song, and I think she’d really love it.

Officiant, Best Man & Man of Honor – “007”
We had to work in something from a James Bond film ‘cuz we’re huge fans, so this alternative Bond theme from the movie "From Russia with Love" should make our three guys feel pretty cool as they walk down the aisle!

Groom’s Entrance – “Life’s Incredible Again”
A love for “The Incredibles” was the first thing DF and I had in common. This song played when Mr. Incredible was getting back in shape and everything started to go well for him again – I think it’s a great entrance for DF!

Bride’s Entrance – “Off to Work”
This is my favorite song from the soundtrack to “The Incredibles,” and I played it over and over when DF and I were first dating. It’s the perfect fusion of John Barry’s, Henry Mancini’s and Jerry Goldsmith’s styles. I only wish I were wearing a slinkier dress so I could kinda glide down the aisle to this song!

Exit – “Two Hornpipes (Tortuga)”
OK, we *had* to have something from the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies, so why not the song from the barroom brawl(s) on Tortuga as we exit?

Reception:

First Dance – “Wave”
I’m going to weave three different versions of this Antonio Carlos Jobim song into the reception. For our first dance it’s Sarah Vaughn singing with a big orchestra. This song played over the end of my favorite movie, “Next Stop Wonderland.” The cool thing about this version is that it starts out slow but has a jazzy break in the middle so we can bust out our swing dance moves!

I’m also going to print the lyrics in our guestbook, which is a glossy coffee table book of our engagement photos:

Wave
So close your eyes for that’s a lovely way to be
Aware of things your heart alone was meant to see
The fundamental loneliness goes whenever two can dream a dream together

You can’t deny, Don’t try to fight the rising sea
Don’t fight the moon, the stars above, and don’t fight me
The fundamental loneliness goes whenever two can dream a dream together

When I saw you first the time was half past three
when your eyes met mine it was eternity

By now we know the wave is on its way to be
Just catch the wave don’t be afraid of loving me
The fundamental loneliness goes whenever two can dream a dream together

Mother-Son – “Movin’ Right Along”
DF and I are huge “Muppet Show” fans, and he had to work a Muppet song into the wedding somehow. This should be a pretty hilarious mother-son dance – the song is mid-tempo and nearly impossible to partner dance to, plus neither of them know how to dance (Well, OK, DF can swing dance, but you can’t swing to this one!). I can’t wait…

Father-Daughter Dance - ???
I’m letting my dad pick the song we dance to. I figure it’s only fair, since I’m picking all the rest of the music. We’ll see what he comes up with…

 

[AbbyPan]

Lurkyloo! I'ts been forever since I've posted, but i am so happy to see your PJ!
I love your ring and your venues. I totally understand why you love Morocco, it's so beautifully themed. ...and the way you guys met is just so sweet...I don't care how much we love Disney, its just so hard to believe that you wished it and, Voila, it came true, that never happens, right?

I still have to read pg 3...i'll be back!!!

 

[snubie]

Mother-Son – “Movin’ Right Along”
DF and I are huge “Muppet Show” fans, and he had to work a Muppet song into the wedding somehow. This should be a pretty hilarious mother-son dance – the song is mid-tempo and nearly impossible to partner dance to, plus neither of them know how to dance (Well, OK, DF can swing dance, but you can’t swing to this one!). I can’t wait…
http://www.amazon.com/gp/music/wma-...16/ref=mu_sam_wma_001_016/104-0980376-9183144

We actually used this song as our recessional song after the ceremony. We had such fun walking back up the aisle as a married couple and everyone was giggling at us. We were married in Rhode Island and RI is mentioned it in the song so it was also appropriate for the location.

 

[lurkyloo]

Lurkyloo! I'ts been forever since I've posted, but i am so happy to see your PJ!I still have to read pg 3...i'll be back!!!

Welcome back! (I've been reading your trippie - love it! )

We actually used this song as our recessional song after the ceremony. We had such fun walking back up the aisle as a married couple and everyone was giggling at us. We were married in Rhode Island and RI is mentioned it in the song so it was also appropriate for the location.

That is so COOL! I think the beat is perfect for a recessional, and it's great that your guests were actually listening to the song, since you chose it so specifically!

 

[Lisacope]

How is your ceremony music going to work? Will someone be holding an Ipod and know what music is going to be played with each part, and then will that person make the music fade-in and fade-out as people make their entrance, or will you choreograph the ceremony and figure out how long the music should be for each section and have that section of music be that long?

 

[lurkyloo]

How is your ceremony music going to work? Will someone be holding an Ipod and know what music is going to be played with each part, and then will that person make the music fade-in and fade-out as people make their entrance, or will you choreograph the ceremony and figure out how long the music should be for each section and have that section of music be that long?

They made us pay for a sound system and a tech to run it. We are going to give them a CD with all the songs on it and specific instructions about which songs can be faded out and which have to play through to the end. I'm just crossing my fingers that it works - I know another Epcot bride who had a song that was supposed to play in the middle of the ceremony, but it was skipped and then played as her recessional instead

I tried to time the walk to the altar on our site visit, but I don't think I did it right because everything came out to only 30 seconds - yikes! Some of the songs I'm going to edit down using software on my computer, but some I think we'll just have to vamp a little at the altar until they're done - I really don't want them faded out. I figure if they're roughly a minute or 1:20 they won't be too long... I'll let you know how it all turns out!

 

[Lisacope]

I am tempted to try to time portions of the ceremony and have music played for them - but I know I would be so stressed about making sure that it all came out correctly!

Good luck - I hope it all works out!

 

[lurkyloo]

Hooray! My dress came Friday - a month early! I was really anxious about it because I ordered the same size as the sample I tried on in the store, even though I was warned that sample dresses can be stretched out. But when I put the dress on Saturday, it fit perfectly (mind you, it has a major corset and a huge skirt, so I don't exactly have to be Twiggy to fit in it ).

So long, diet!

 

[lurkyloo]

You know how they say that you should pick the three things that are most important to you about your wedding and then just not sweat any of the other stuff? Unfortunately for me, every aspect of the wedding falls into the “most important” category – except flowers. I like flowers, but I don’t know much more than that I like my flowers bright and ginormous.

Apparently this means I like dahlias. The bouquet I’d brought a picture of for our planning session meeting with Rose was dahlias, but she said they’d be out of season in February and hard to get. So she layed out all her cards with different flowers on them and asked me to point to the ones I liked, in the hope that we’d find some alternatives. Here’s how it went:

Me: “OK, how about this one?”

Her: “That’s a dahlia.”

Me: “Oh, OK. What about that one?”

Her: “Um, that’s a dahlia too.”

Me: “Sorry – this one?”

Her: “Dahlia.”

Me: “Argh! OK, that one then.”

Her: “You already pointed to that one.”

etc…

Finally Rose said she’d try really hard to find a grower who could get dahlias in February. I have no concept of floral seasons – I live in California, and I’ve seen dahlias in grocery stores year-round. Rose said if, if, IF she could get the flowers, they’d cost twice as much. However, when I eventually got my floral proposal, my bouquet came to $250 – which seems to be the bouquet cost in all the BEOs I’ve ever seen.

So the flowers and colors will look like this

In the shape of this orange bouquet, with a turquoise ribbon with little tails all around it like in the picture

I gave Rose my only picture of the boutonniere I liked, so I don’t have it to post, but basically it’s going to be an orange cushion mum with some unusual greenery that kinda squiggles like a pigtail. I’m not too concerned – I just told her I wanted something unusual and not your standard rose with baby’s breath.

Cushion mums

Oh, and DF wants a turquoise hidden mickey in his boutonniere. We are totally cheaping out on other personal floral – the groomsmen and my dad get boutonnieres cuz they’re in the wedding, but we won’t have any for DF’s parents (gulp!). They prolly won’t notice…

I didn’t want any altar arrangements, but seeing the arch in Morocco, it looks kind of bare. I mean, I don’t want it to look like we were sashaying through Morocco with our pastor and just paused at the arch and decided to get married. I want a focal point!

Rose’s first proposal was two potted palms, but with baskets and stands and all it worked out to nearly $400. I can get potted palms at IKEA for $25 apiece, and I’d get to keep those! So now I have Rose working on either vases of banana leaves (which they really should just go get from the Jungle Cruise and give me for FREE) or branchy twiggy things, possibly with Chinese lantern seed pods:

Banana leaves (just to refresh your memory) with bonus dahlias!

Branchy Thingies

Lanterns

At the planning session, I asked for these lovely centerpieces for the reception…

to be arranged in these blue vases:

However, I didn’t let myself get too attached to them. When the floral proposal was done, they came in at more than $1,500, so I slashed those babies right out of the budget! I figure the Attic is already so well themed, and the tables are so small, and there are so many things I’d rather have than something as short-lived as centerpieces…

I will have a vase to stick my bouquet in on our sweetheart table, but I’m not paying for a floral refresh or anything. I figured I could make or buy a fake bouquet for far less than $110 that will look good from 50 feet away in those Magic Kingdom photos.

Last week I found this bouquet for $18! It actually looks a lot like one of my first bouquet inspiration pictures, before I settled on dahlias. It may look super-fake in person – we’ll see – but I’m betting no one will be able to tell in the MK pics.

 

[caryndisneydiva]

$18? that's a great buy! even if they look super fake, you won't be able to tell in your mk pics!!! i'm with you on the centerpiece dilema, mine came to 1750...

 

[Kristen14]

The flowers look gorgeous! My bouquet thru Disney was $265, and I wasnt told I picked hard to find flowers... so you're doing good!

 

[IrishLily]

I love, love, love your invitations. I could've sworn that I already posted this, but I can't find it anywhere, so I'm going to just ask again. How did you get your invitation design to print all the way to the edge of the paper? Did you buy the paper with the design already on it? If so, where did you get it? I thought you said the design was from Martha Stewart, but I could be wrong.

THANKS!

 

[lurkyloo]

I love, love, love your invitations. I could've sworn that I already posted this, but I can't find it anywhere, so I'm going to just ask again. How did you get your invitation design to print all the way to the edge of the paper? Did you buy the paper with the design already on it? If so, where did you get it? I thought you said the design was from Martha Stewart, but I could be wrong.

THANKS!

Hi! I think we may have had this conversation on the thread where I posted my invites, but of course it's buried by now

The design is one I found in a magazine and copied. It isn't Martha Stewart, but I can't remember who it is. All I remember is that to buy them was going to be $1,100!

The actual invites were printed on 11x17 sheets and then cut out by a friend of mine with a letterpress stationery business. Unfortunately, there's no way to print anything all the way to the edge. You have to print on a bigger piece and cut out.

You could do invites the way I did the folder: Print your 5x7 (or whatever size) invites on a bigger piece of paper, like 8 1/2 x 11 or 11x17, and then cut them out. I had the folders printed from a PDF I made on a color copier at a pro printing place, and I paid them something like $9 to have them cut the folders out for me. Getting color copies instead of real offset printing saved a bundle. You could probably even do it at Kinko's!

Hope this helps!

 

[IrishLily]

It helps a ton! Thanks!!

Clearly I need to start keeping track of my posts...

 

[lurkyloo]

OK, this part might be boring for some of you, but it might also be helpful for a few people. The handling of transportation is probably my biggest problem with DFTW. It was also the most confusing part, so I’ll put in everything I know and see if it helps anyone. Also, I will try to find some pictures – any pictures just to make this post more interesting… Oh - and I put some of it in white to keep the surprise in case some of my guests stumble upon this post. (I'm trusting they'll be savvy enough to find this post but not savvy enough to figure out how to read white text... )

The Schedule
We are having a charter bus pick up guests at the 4 hotels in our room block and take them backstage at Epcot for the ceremony. DF and I will ride in a limo to the ceremony because we’re getting there early to take pictures. After the wedding all of us will be transported by Friendship Boat from the dock at Morocco to the dock at BoardWalk Inn for the reception. At the end of the reception, our guests will be taken back to the 4 resorts on the bus, and DF and I will take one of the boats from BoardWalk Inn to the Beach Club. That night, another charter bus will pick everyone up at the four hotels and take them to the Dessert Party in Epcot and back.

Don’t get on this bus, wedding guests – it’s going to Animal Kingdom!

The Bad News
Disney has a five-hour minimum for the charter bus, which I think is very sneaky – it’s too short a period to cover an entire ceremony and reception and too long to justify having the bus come twice: just to pick up for the ceremony and just drop off after the reception.

Because we want to add the Friendship Boat, we have to pay to keep the bus sitting idle from 8:30am when the ceremony starts til 2pm when the reception ends. Of course, we weren’t forced to add the boat, but we would have had the same problem if our reception were also in Epcot and guests were walking to the site, so we aren’t the only ones being fleeced.

Our alternatives are the one-way bus (a.k.a. the minibus) and town cars. However, the one-way bus only picks up at 2 hotels. Of course if we’d known about this at the beginning, we would have only blocked 2 hotels. But we didn’t find out til after our save-the-dates had gone out listing 4 hotel choices. Grrrr!

The town cars are only an option on paper. When you ask for one they tell you that the company they contract with is unreliable and will step over your grandmother to take somebody to the airport, even if the driver is scheduled to pick up your guests. So why does Disney contract with this company? Oh yes, because they are in cahoots with the bus company….

Evil town car stranding wedding guests

The Dessert Party
This is the one event for which most brides seem to skip the bus. However, all but 5 of our guests have never been to Walt Disney World and have no idea how to get around. We felt weird asking them to use Disney’s bus system to get to the party, especially since there are no resort-to-resort buses, and they can’t take the Epcot bus because they don’t have admission and we all need to meet at International Gateway.

The Breakdown
(That’s me having a breakdown trying to figure out cheap transportation).

One-way Limo to Ceremony: $144.45
Pre-Ceremony/Post-Reception Motorcoach (8-hour charge [for 4 hours’ use] @ $89.25/hour): $714
One-way Friendship Boat to Reception: $250
Dessert Party Motorcoach (5-hour charge [for 3 hours’ use]): $446.25