Fairytale Wedding Photos

Our Disney Fairytale Wedding

Sunset Pointe – Walt Disney World – November 15, 2005

As a little girl visiting Disney World I used to gaze at the Wedding Pavilion as the monorail passed by the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa and wonder what it would be like to be married there. So of course when Lee proposed I asked if we could get married in the Happiest Place on Earth… Luckily for me he agreed!

When we started planning the wedding we decided the Pavilion was probably too big for our small wedding party so we opted for Sunset Pointe over at the Polynesian Resort. As we were planning our wedding here in the UK it was really difficult to find information about planning a Disney Fairytale Wedding from afar – so I’ve put this page together to help future Disney Brides-to-be.

Let’s start with some photos from the Big Day…

For more photos scroll down the page

Wedding Planning Meeting in Orlando

Our Wedding and Disneymoon trip was three weeks long. We flew into Orlando on November 3, and the wedding was scheduled for November 15. We travelled with six family members and spent the days leading up to the wedding in a couple of villas over on Poinciana Boulevard – just off the 192.

We’d arranged the ceremony through Virgin Holidays and the planning had pretty much been filling in an application form to request the venue, flowers, cake flavour and music for the mini reception. Our Virgin co-ordinator then booked the wedding with Disney.

On our first day we met our Virgin wedding co-ordinator over at one of the Downtown Disney hotels. Here’s an excerpt from my ‘trip report’:

We finally find Yvonne – a lovely Scottish lady – and although we’re early she’s ready for us – Dad asks how long the meeting will take – Yvonne says if I’m decisive 40 minutes, if not make it 2 hours!! Dad confirms I’m decisive so we send mum and dad off to the café for cakes and we get down to business.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this meeting. Virgin had been right royal pains in the you know what’s to begin with – until I’d complained and found a lovely lady called Caron who was happy to answer my emails when I morphed into Bridezilla!

I think the issue was that Virgin sell you an off the shelf package and expect you to turn up on the day and say “I do”. I however was a DISer and knew of all the things that could be done; such as a Magic Kingdom portrait session choosing our officiant and writing our own ceremony… I suddenly thought one day – what about the ceremony?? So I wrote to Caron and she sent me the standard ceremonies for their two officiants… and I hated both! So I surfed the internet and scraplifted some of the ceremonies I found, copied and pasted them together, and came up with a a personalised ceremony that we were much more comfortable with. Then I left messages on the DIS to find out which officiant I should use – you people are so kind :0) We picked Jimmy based on a personal recommendation and he was great!

Oh and don’t get me started on photographs… we got 12 included in the package – but 12 couldn’t be enough could it?? So I ummed and ahhed and posted on the DIS, should I use DPS or Randy Chapman?? Then a UK bride told me she’d had the most amazing photos done through the virgin photographer – and a video too. We hadn’t planned on having a video, but then the in-laws couldn’t make the trip – and people suggested we could play it at the party we were throwing back home, so we thought – ok let’s get a video – so let’s go through Virgin.

Anyway I digress – funny how you forget the small things!!

So we sat with Yvonne and she went through the forms – had they got the right bouquet and cake orders – who was on the guest list etc. Who was giving me away… *eek* I’d decided I wanted mum and dad to do it… but hadn’t got round to asking… so we put down both and I crossed my fingers that mum would agree as the limo logistics were based on that decision! Yvonne warned me that our Disney wedding co-ordinator Matthew would call me about the limo times – she also warned me he would cut it fine and that if he did I had to call and tell her so he could sort it out… (which is exactly what did happen a few days later!)

Now who’s doing my hair… hmm me?? Someone can come to my room for $70? Bonus – book them in quick! Does my bridesmaid want her hair doing? Another $70, hmm no she can manage…

Now the photographs… we’d pre-orded 50 5x7s… so Yvonne pulls out the albums… hmm 5x7s they’re rather small aren’t they? The 10x8s look much nicer, and what’s this? Photos with different colours on them? How much does that cost? Lol so we completely change the order – lets have 30 10x8s and lets pay the extra $200 for digital enhancements :0) Oh and 2 parent’s albums… and a video – well we need three copies, what’s that we can have dvds instead? Oh what the heck pay the extra who has a video player anyway (Did Dad say I was decisive…??)

I should probably plug the photographer just here – total imagery if anyone is in need of a photographer :0)

Right where was I? I think at this point mum and dad came back – and Yvonne reviewed what we had – at which point mum asks why I’m not having my bridesmaid’s hair done… yup there’s a change of mind coming… what the heck – it’s a special day and what’s $70 in the scheme of things… make that two for hair!!

So that’s it… so where are we eating dinner Yvonne asks.. the RainForest Cafe? At 5pm? You’ll never make it!! Arrgghh Ok lets change the plans again! Apparently the Outback restaurant here in the hotel comes highly recommended so Yvonne agrees to make reservations for us for 9pm (sounds a bit late but we had plans until that point in the evening anyway).

Hooray that’s it – the final plans are made… there’s nothing else we can do now except enjoy the holiday…

But first we have to go get the wedding licence.

Collecting the Marriage License from Kissimmee Courthouse

So we pile back in the car and head to downtown Kissimmee. The traffic was quite heavy and we got a bit lost… going off the tourist trail is a real eye opener, there are some really run down looking places down that way.

Anyway I digress again – I’d downloaded the form from the internet and filled it in already – and we had the right amount of cash. So we go to the court house – which is a lovely building – and up to the marriage and passports office. It was busy so I had to write my name on a list and say why we were here – and then wait to be called.

There were an odd bunch of people here… a couple who also wanted a license had to keep going to the back of the queue because he couldn’t read the handbook quick enough. (OT I was fascinated by this since I’d prepared all this from the other side of the world and knew FL residents had to read a handbook – in fact I’d read it online just to see what it was – seemed strange that the locals came so unprepared!)

When it was finally our turn we headed to the counter as the woman completed our form and asked us a few questions – then made us raise our right hands and solemnly declare that it was all true… we though that was hilarious as we had no idea we’d have to do anything like that!

So we’re all ready to be married – it was an odd feeling having that piece of paper in our hands and knowing that it was actually going to happen… although we had to fill in the envelope with our name and address so they could post the licence to us at home – and I couldn’t write Mrs… in case I jinxed us! Had to put Lee’s name on it instead!

Tux Fitting at Carolyn Allens

We booked the tuxes with Carolyn Allens over the internet. We’d sent in the measurements and were going to have them deliver them direct to the villa – but then we found out that they are located just next to Sea World so decided we’d rather go to the store – in case the measurements hadn’t been right!

We managed to find the store ok – and I decided I didn’t want to see Lee in his tux – he hadn’t seen my dress after all – so I went for a wander around Publix with my bridesmaid.

After about 10 minutes mum tracked us down and asked me if I wanted my dress steamed – I said no it was fine as it was – but mum knew that – so I asked her why she was really here and was there a problem… she just laughed and said Dad’s trousers were three inches too short – and as he was wearing white socks he looked like Michael Jackson! Luckily they were going to fix it for him…

I was getting a bit worried by this point – especially when I asked what colour the suits were and all four men gave me a different answer!

I decided to leave it to fate and we piled back in the truck to go to the Florida Mall.

The Big Day – Preparing for Our Disney Fairytale Wedding

Considering the awful evening and the fact that I’m alone in a strange hotel room I actually slept really well last night – the AKL has these amazing black out curtains that don’t let in a drop of light (even in the middle of a sunny day).

I do however still have a cold… my nose is running and my head feels like it’s full of cotton wool… best stock up on the ibuprofen!

I’d set my alarm for 9am but woke at about 8. I called the AKL spa on the off chance that they did manicures but no luck… seems I’m destined to get wed with no polish on my nails…

I switched on my mobile and picked up the text that Lee had sent when he got back to the villa last night – so I’d know he’s made it in one piece. It was a lovely message saying how much he was looking forward to today.

I also got a text from my boss at work wishing me luck – which I thought was really sweet.

As I was thinking about eating breakfast the phone rang – it was Matthew my Disney wedding co-ordinator. He wished me a Happy Wedding Day and confirmed the times for this afternoon – when I hung up the phone I was beaming, and starting to feel very excited

I switched on the tv while eating my cornflakes and flicked through until I reached the Weather Channel… I was pretty impressed that they had a section especially for the weather at Disney World… and even happier when it said NO RAIN was forecast! Warm and sunny with a few clouds will suit me fine thank you very much.

The phone rang again and it was Yvonne, my Virgin wedding co-ordinator wishing me luck for later – wow a girl can be very popular in her wedding day!

As time was pressing on I decided I’d better take a shower… hmm except I can’t get my hair wet… I hate showering without washing my hair.

I got a box full of Kirby grips and spent a good 10 minutes pinning my hair up on top of my head… not a bad look actually… and then I donned the Mickey Mouse shower cap {glad I’m here alone} and headed for the shower.

By the time I was done it was time to throw on some clothes and head down to reception to meet the others.

The others being:
David (my brother) – to take photos of the preparations
Emma (his girlfriend) – to keep him company
Victoria (my bridesmaid) – to have her hair done

Mum and Dad were there too but they had a look around the hotel and then went back to the villa to get ready – the rooms at AKL are generous but not big enough for six people to be milling around in!

David and Emma went off to take photographs of the animals while Victoria and I scoured some magazines looking for hairstyles… yup it’s hours before the wedding and neither of us have decided on our hair!

When they got back I had David making a cd for me to give to the photographer. Last week when Yvonne gave us the music selection for our video we couldn’t decide on what “common love song” to choose – they were all so mainstream. Then last night I’d noticed a tiny piece of small print at the bottom saying we could pick our own! Typical… I had a couple of cds with me but luckily David had a whole host of MP3s on his laptop. I picked out the Tim McGraw track I know how to love you well, which I wanted us to have as our first dance at our at home reception, a track by Live called I want to Dance with you, and Richard Manuel is Dead (If I could give all my love to you) by the Counting Crows. I was keeping my fingers crossed that DH would like them all as I was making the decision without him!

About 15 minutes before the hairdresser was due Victoria started working on my make up. {She sells Virgin Vie make up back home and had gone on a wedding course so that she’d be able to do my make up – she’s such a star} We’d been told to have the base in place before I had my hair done so that it wouldn’t mess up my hair do.

The hairdresser turned up bang on time {I have to confess to not knowing her name! I was in the bathroom when she arrived and she must have introduced herself to the others but they can’t remember – I have a feeling it was Jane but I’m not really sure…}

She asked us who was going to have their hair done first… now Victoria has really long, thick wavy hair, and she had said she wanted it curled… takes a long time… so I had wanted to go first… can’t have the hairdresser running out of time and the bride turning up with only half a hairdo now can we? However just as I’m about to sit in the chair I mention that my head feels horrible form having “yesterday” hair – hence the Kirby grips… at which point “Jane” says: why haven’t you washed it then? Hey? I explain that Yvonne told me it couldn’t be clean, and Jane said different hairdressers liked to work with hair in different ways, and she liked it to be clean!

So now I’m in a dilemma – do I have my hair done dirty – or go wash it… bearing in mind that I’d love to jump in the shower but Victoria has painstakingly done my base make-up already…

Well it’s only 11am and I already feel grubby so clean hair it has to be… but the shower option is out, so I lean over the bath and have David wash my hair for me!

We manage to get it shampooed without damaging my make up and I concentrate on painting my toenails and buffing my fingernails while Victoria has her hair curled.

While she’s working with the curling tongs Jane asks me whether I’m having my hair up or down… now I’d been advised to have it up because of my veil – but I’d had my hair cut to above shoulder length the week before we left home… and Jane thinks it’s now too short for her to do a decent “up-style”.

At this point I grab some clips and my veil and do a parade around the room with my hair up / down / and in between!

Everyone agrees on half up half down… phew – a decision!

It doesn’t seem to take Jane any time at all to curl Victoria’s hair – and she does a fantastic job, Victoria looks stunning when she’s finished.

So now it’s my turn in the hot seat…

Jane does a great job – she flicks my hair out at the bottom (very Sandra Dee) and then curls the ends of the half she’s pinned up to give it some height so that my veil fits properly. Great job – I love it!

David goes out to get lunch while Jane is finishing my hair – and takes the 10 dollars Lee gave me for my lunch money… of course this means that Jane finishes up and I realise I have no money for a tip! Oh how embarrassing, and she did such a great job… All you brides-to-be out there take note – keep some money aside for the hairdresser!
Lunch consists of chicken strips and fries… although I didn’t eat much as my stomach was churning – ok maybe I’m a little nervous after all. I’m also wearing my veil already and paranoid about it falling in the ketchup!

Before I know it mum and dad are back in their wedding outfits and it’s time for Victoria to finish my make-up.

I’m so glad we didn’t have the 1pm wedding slot we’d asked for initially – we’d have never been ready!

Just after 1pm mum suddenly gets a funny look on her face and tells David to not let me look out of the window… so obviously I do… and OMG it’s RAINING!

I start to panic… the weather forecast said no rain… what’s going on?… then I think of the other DIS bride I know who is getting married at 1pm at Sunset Pointe, oh no she’ll have to get married inside… and the day was going so well…

Everyone convinces me not to worry too much about it – I can’t do anything about the weather so I shouldn’t worry about it… besides we have more pressing things to deal with, like doing up my bodice…

It is pulled together at the back by an 8 foot piece of satin and at this moment we realise that it’s only ever been done up by Pat in the bridal shop!

I could write a new joke here, how many people does it take to do up a wedding dress? Four, one to hold each end, one to thread and one to supervise!

In the end David comes to the rescue and does it up perfectly – if not a little tight – but then who needs to breathe anyway?

It takes about 20 minutes but I’m in… all that’s left now is the skirt, which is easy enough… and voila I’m a bride! Wow!

By now it’s quarter to two and time for David and Emma to go and meet the limo to take them over to Sunset Pointe. It’s at this point I realise that I still haven’t asked my mum to give me away – I’ve tried to all holiday but never found the right moment {in my head I always thought she’d say no as it would be too much of a break from tradition} so she looks at me and says – am I going in the limo with these two then? So I ask her if she’ll give me away with dad and she says yes! All that worry over nothing…

So David and Emma are off, Victoria touches up my make up {my nose is still running and starting to look a bit red } and adds my mascara {I hate wearing the stuff so we left it as long as possible} I put on my jewellery… and that’s it… I’m all ready…

I wouldn’t say I feel nervous… but I do worry that I’ve forgotten to do something… I wish I’d written a list so I could tick it off before we left the room… just another tip for you brides-to-be!

As there’s nothing else we can do here Dad takes us outside to take some photos and then we go and wait for the limo.

It turns up on time and DC – our driver – is shocked that we’re out here waiting and not running around inside trying to get ready… at least something is going to plan, we’re on time… hooray!

Travelling to Sunset Pointe by Limo

We have great fun in the limo posing for pictures and before you know it we’re at the Polynesian Resort.

DC tells me that the photographer will be waiting for me to get out of the limo – great I think this is where I fall on my butt!

I manage to get out as gracefully as possible and smile for the camera

The Disney photographer, Mike, introduces himself and tells us he’s going to take some arrival shots and then the Virgin photographer Ryan will take over for the ceremony.

At this point David comes round the corner with his camera and DC rushes over and moves him away… I didn’t think much of it at the time but here’s what happened…

**

Flashback: David and Emma are picked up in the limo from the AKL, on the way to the Poly the limo driver, DC, asks David if he’s nervous. David just complains that he’s hot in his suit and DC tells them where the secret stash of water is in the limo.

Fast forward to current time: DC rushes over to David and tells him that the groom can’t see the bride before the ceremony… “but I’m not the groom”, David says, “I’m her brother”! OMG what kind of groom did he think he was taking pictures of the bride?

**

So we have our arrival shots, and fool around a little for David who is now allowed to take photos!

Then Karen the Disney co-ordinator comes over to introduce herself, she tells me that Lee is here, hidden around the back of the waterfall. She explains that he and Ian (brother and best man) will go up to Sunset Pointe, and that she will then take us up behind them.

As I’m still worried at this point about the other DIS bride I ask Karen if she was here for the 1pm wedding and whether it rained, she says she was, that the wedding was beautiful, and that there had been no rain at the Poly all day! Now I’m happy

Karen then heads off to collect my bouquet.

Now I should tell you here that I’ve never been a real girly girl, and flowers are not the be all and end all. I have read so many threads on the DIS about brides paying to have their bouquets preserved and always laughed at the expense… until I laid eyes on that bouquet… it really was the most beautiful thing… just a huge ball of gorgeous red roses, and boy was it heavy!

Ok my outfit is complete – I am ready to marry my sweetheart…

Karen brings Jimmy round to meet me before we go outside, he’s a lovely chap, and we picked him following a recommendation from another DIS bride. He chats to Victoria about being bridesmaid – and also to mum and dad about them both giving me away.

Then we head outside… to a golf buggy…!

Karen explains that as it’s quite a walk to the Pointe we’re going to drive, so Karen and Jimmy get in the front seats, mum and Victoria get in the back seats, and dad and I perch on the seat in the back, facing backwards! I love it! Much more original than Cinderella’s coach and no one back home will believe me when I tell them that I arrived for the ceremony on the back of a golf buggy LOL

When we reach the bottom of the path leading up to the Pointe we pile out of the buggy. Karen introduces me to the violinist while Jimmy heads up to the top of the path. I can see Lee standing in the distance, facing out across the water towards Cinderella’s Castle, and I start to feel a bit teary. Karen explains that he’s been told to stand like that so he can’t see me.

And now it’s time to go…

Time for the Fairytale Wedding Ceremony at Sunset Pointe

The violinist starts playing as Victoria walks up the path… and then I put my arm through dad’s and mum takes the other, and we start to walk up the path behind her…

I can see Lee ahead, twitching his shoulders like a boxer about to hit the ring and it makes me giggle… and then he turns around to look at me and I try not to cry… this is it… the most beautiful location… on a beautiful day… the sky is blue with white fluffy clouds, not a rain cloud in sight… and we are about to be married…

We arrive at the Pointe and Jimmy starts the ceremony, he has me hand my flowers to Victoria and then I hug my parents, and they hug DH and then they go and take their seats.

The ceremony was beautiful, I am so glad that we wrote it ourselves as it made it much more personal. Everyone laughed during the hand blessing when we reached the line about me giving Lee a back rub… in fact we laughed through a lot of the ceremony, Jimmy just had that slightly zany character about him, which is a good thing!

There was a bit of a hiccup with the rings, we ended up holding our own rings so had to do a quick swap when it came to putting them on fingers… and then when we went to kiss at the end Jimmy said something funny and I threw my head back with laughter and my tiara nearly flew off my head!

But other than that it was perfect.

After the ceremony we moved over to the grass where a table had been set up with the cake {which was beautiful} and the champagne.

Ian made a beautiful speech {we hadn’t been told he would need to so the poor thing was told when they arrived at 2 o’clock! But you couldn’t tell} and then we cut the cake.

Karen told us that it’s an American tradition for the bride and groom to feed each other a slice of cake and that we looked well behaved and not the type to cake fight… hmm red rag to a bull… I gave Lee a piece that missed his mouth oops! And then had to clean up the mess…

We then did the whole cake feeding and cake kissing thing properly…

We spent the next quarter of an hour eating cake and chatting while the violinist played a Disney medley.

Then we got together to sign the marriage certificate. We’d agreed that David and Ian should sign it, but Jimmy didn’t know that and had asked Ian and Victoria as they had stood up for us… so in the end all three of them signed which was a nice touch.

After this Karen presented us with our wedding certificate signed by Mickey and Minnie and a present from Disney Fairytale Weddings – which I probably shouldn’t reveal as it might spoil it for future brides. It is a gorgeous keepsake though.

And then we had our first dance… to music from a violinist, on a hill overlooking the Seven Seas Lagoon, with the Castle in the distance, and people waving from passing boats… can’t beat it really…

Karen and Jimmy then said their goodbyes and wished us luck, before taking the others into the hotel. Lee and I stayed outside with Ryan to have our photos taken.

We had great fun doing this, and had photos taken in many spots, including back under the trees at the Pointe {it had been quite windy during the ceremony so Ryan re-enacted a few shots to ensure they all came out well}, we then moved onto the side of the hill for some Castle shots, then down onto the beach in front of the Grand Floridian.

We must have spent over an hour and although both of us hate being in front of a camera usually Ryan really made us feel at ease – and the photographs turned out beautifully.

When we were done Ryan collected the others up for some group shots in front of the hotel.

On our way back from the beach we passed some people by the pool a little girl told her mommy that I looked like a princess and lots of people wished us congratulations. This is what a Disney wedding is all about, complete strangers sprinkling you with pixie dust and sharing the magic.

After the group shots were done we pulled out our confetti sticks {recommended by a DISer) and had everyone form an arch that we could walk through – the confetti was amazing and we got some great photos! It was however extremely messy, the confetti is quite big and goes everywhere… so at this point we decided to make a run for it back to the lobby…

Ryan finished up with a couple of limo pictures and then he was on his way.

 

As my brother is a budding photographer he took us all back out to the beach then so that he could take some fun photos with us on the hammock.

Celebrating with a Wishes Cruise

By now the sun was starting to set and it was almost 6 o’clock so we had to move onto the Wilderness Lodge. Lee and I went in the limo and the rest followed in the A Team truck which DC had kindly driven over from the parking lot for us.

At the Wilderness Lodge we headed to the bar for a much needed drink.

Now was time to set my plan in action…

**

Flashback: When we agreed to get married at Disney World I asked Lee if we could have an Illuminations Cruise to finish off the day. He liked the idea so 90 days out from the wedding I took the day off work and phoned WDW-Play to try and reserve a boat… by the time I got through they’d all gone… I even asked the CM about Wishes Cruises but nothing was available. I hung up and rang Lee to tell him. I was quite upset but we decided we’d try for a cancellation nearer the time.

At this point I posted a message on the DIS sharing my disappointment, and within a few hours had a PM from a lovely lady called Sandy telling me that she’d managed to secure a Wishes cruise for me!

I couldn’t believe it… I picked up the phone to call Lee and tell him the news… and then a plan formed in my mind… I hung up the phone and decided to keep it a secret.

That night when Lee got home I told him that I’d posted on the DIS and some people had told me that you could watch Wishes from the beach at the Wilderness Lodge and that it was a perfect view and very romantic. So that was the new plan.

**

Forward to our wedding day:

We had to meet the boat at the dock at 7.15 – so I told everyone we needed to head to the beach at 7pm to get a good spot to watch Wishes.

At quarter to 7 Lee and Ian went off to phone their mum… first bit of panic sets in… what if they’re gone too long?

At 7 I round everyone else up and go off on a search for Lee. They couldn’t ring their mum as they didn’t have enough money on their phone card…

So we head outside and follow the signs for the dock… as we get there a boat is pulling away…

I have a slight panic until I realise I’m in the wrong place… so we retrace our steps and head out past the pool in the other direction.

Now I had a fatal flaw in my plan… Wishes wasn’t on until 8 and everyone knew that, so they were in no hurry to get to the beach… I was the only one who knew we had to be there by 7.15 and couldn’t say why!

At 7.10 we find the jetty, and there are 8 sun loungers lined up along the shore! Fantastic – so I tell everyone to take a seat.

I see someone go into a building nearby and decide that must be the boat house – so I follow them in and ask when the boat will arrive. After a couple of seconds of confusion {and blind panic} I am assured it’s on its way.

Back outside it appears that everyone wants to take a bathroom break… I’m not sure where the nearest bathrooms are and time is ticking on. There is nothing for it but to pull David aside and tell him about the boat. I tell him to keep an eye out and head off to the bathroom with the others.

As I’m coming back with Emma I tell her too, can’t keep the secret in much longer and I feel like I’m gonna need some help! She squeals with excitement and I tell her the whole story. When we get back to the beach Lee and Ian step out form behind us… OMG I hope they didn’t hear me talking…

Still no sign of a boat…

I get everyone to sit down and make themselves comfortable… and then the boat pulls up… Hallelujah!

I go and speak to the driver to check he’s here for us and then calmly turn and tell everyone that there has been a change of plan and that we will be watching the fireworks from the comfort of our private boat!

The looks on people’s faces was a picture!

Lee looked stunned, but not very excited and I began to worry – I think he was just in shock though.

The cruise was AMAZING – we piled on the boat and got comfy, then we cracked open the free soda and chips. The driver took us around Bay Lake and then over to the Magic Kingdom. It was a nice drive – we went around the old Discovery Island and the driver told us about the wildlife. The only bad bit was when another boat went by and as we went through the wake a wave came in the end of the boat and soaked my feet!

The clouds had all blown over by now and it was a lovely clear sky – perfect for fireworks.

We pulled up in front of the Magic Kingdom – a few hundred feet from another boat, and at 8pm the fireworks started…

We didn’t have the music piped into our boat – but you could hear it across the water anyway… watching Wishes from this viewpoint – with the castle dead centre – is how they are meant to be viewed, and the whole experience was just breath taking…

All too soon it was over and we were headed back to the Wilderness Lodge and dry land.

We all piled into the A Team van {that’s an experience in a wedding dress!} and drove over to the Buena Vista Palace where we had reservations at the Outback restaurant.

Dinner here was lovely – we all got a kick out of the butter shaped like kangaroos! It was steak all round and then some desert. I struggled to eat – which isn’t usually unusual but I think it had more to do with my bodice than lack of appetite… now I know why all those women from the bodice era were so slim!

The restaurant is lovely with a waterfall right in the middle of it.

Ian did his Best Man bit and read out the wedding cards from our friends and family back home – and then we had some wedding presents to open. Ian and Victoria bought us a great print of all the characters that had been signed, and a nodding Mickey and Minnie that have magnetic noses so they kiss x

David had wanted us all to go clubbing to end the evening but by the time we’d finished dinner we were all too tired so Dad drove DH and I back to the Animal Kingdom Lodge – and then took everyone back to the villa.

And we were alone at last – Mr & Mrs.

As we hadn’t really been able to talk all day Lee and I shared our thoughts on the day and the ceremony, and he gave me a present… a beautiful Mickey Mouse watch, the strap is made up of sparkly MM heads… it’s just gorgeous. And then I did something I had managed not to do all day… I cried… with happiness…

A perfect end to a perfect day…

Magic Kingdom Bridal Portrait Session

Today is the day of our early morning trip to the Magic Kingdom, in our wedding outfits for our photo shoot.

We had been told to meet our photographer outside the hotel at 5.30, so I set my alarm for just before 4… to make sure I had enough time for breakfast, hair and make-up and of course getting into my dress again!

An alarm call at 4am on any day let alone a holiday is a shock to the system… but excitement is a powerful drug, strong enough to get you out of bed! Everything was going to plan, I managed to do my own hair and make up and on schedule at 5am Lee was just about to begin lacing me into my bodice {remember this took 3 people nearly 20 minutes to accomplish on my wedding day} and the phone rings…  it’s the photographer… and he’s in the lobby! Appears our pick up is at 5am not 5.30am… oops!

He hears the panic in my voice and says he’ll wait in the lobby until we’re ready but we need to be as quick as possible…

Luckily Lee managed to lace up my dress in 10 minutes flat, and after throwing on shoes and jewellery (me not him!) we legged it out of the room and down to the lobby.

There were people everywhere, and in the middle of the lobby was a massive Christmas tree! Seems like the elves were out for some Christmas decorating while we were sleeping!

We found our photographer and headed outside to his SUV… I know it’s 5.15 but I wasn’t expecting it to be quite so cold, I only have flip flops on my feet and a satin wrap round my shoulders, if I’m not careful I’ll catch pneumonia!

DH tries to catch a sneaky nap as we are driven to the Magic Kingdom, it’s so weird to drive in via the service road instead of going by boat or monorail!

Inside the park it’s a hive of activity with Cast Members stocking the stores and cleaning the pavements.

We park up in front of the castle and our photographer leaves the heater running inside so we can keep warm while he sets up for the pictures.

It’s still pitch dark and the castle looks beautiful with the lights making it change colour every few minutes. We pose in front for some pictures together and on our own. It’s quite windy so my veil is flying around in the pictures again! Just as I think I might go numb from the cold we pile back into the truck and head round the back of the castle.

The next shots are done inside the castle {where its much warmer} – we have some formal shots next to one of the pillars and then in front of the Christmas tree, then I have some fun shots holding hands with a suit of armour… my knight in shining armour… get it??

Before too long we’re back outside and going up the steps on the side of the castle for our balcony shots. It’s cold up here so we have to snuggle up to stop the shivering!

Then we head out to the carousel, we have some photos taken leaning against the horses, and then we’re asked if there are any other poses we’d like… er yeah… riding the horses obviously! Don’t ask how I managed it in that puff ball dress but we managed to get some really cool shots.

By now it was nearly time for the shoot to end, so we went round the side of the castle for a few more “together” shots, then it was time to bundle back in the warm car and go back to the hotel.

We got a sneaky peek around the back of the castle on the way out, to see the “wig room” and where all the supplies are stored under the castle, we were also shown where the fireworks are fired from for Wishes, way over on the right of the Magic Kingdom towards the Contemporary Resort.

We were back at the Animal Kingdom Lodge by 7am and more than ready to get back into a nice warm bed!