Crafty Wednesday (or Friday) - For the Disney Bride

It's Friday and I was supposed to get this up on Wednesday. So lets just say it's "Wedfriday". Besides, crafts don't care what day of the week it is. They are crafty all week long.

Here's goes my Disney Bride inspired finds...

I got married at Disney (see part one of my wedding below if you don't believe me). I feel like I say that a lot and to a whole mix of reactions. There is a "wow" -- as in "wow, that is really weird". There is the "WOW!" -- as in "WOW! I am so jealous I didn't think of it." And everything in between.



No matter the reaction, I know it was an awesome decision and for any future Disney bride, ignore the haters. Let your Disney Bride flag fly. Some crafty finds to help you make your special day even more... well, special.

For your shoes: Sparking Mickey "I DO" stickers for the sole of your shoes ($6.99). In case you can't say it loud enough, you can just kick up your heels. There are loads of colors to chose from but I think the subtle silver sparkles are nice.

A cheat sheet just in case you forget your line.

For your wall: Never forget your anniversary date with a Mickey inspired anniversary date wall art. ($10.00 - cheap because its a digital file, nothing is printed. You get the file and have it printed someplace else)

Great. Now I want a cupcake. Thanks Jeff and Nicole.

For the Wedding Guests: You know you need wedding favors, but you also need something to put those favors in. These "Happily Ever After" bags might be cooler than the actual favor inside ($22.00 for 20)

Who cares about the votive holder. This bag is a keeper.

Happy Wedding Planning! Just don't forget to invite us.

~Davina

Friday Libations - One Disney Lapu Lapu Please

It's Friday. And it's a long weekend. What better way to wait for 5PM to hit than plan the drink menu for this weekend? Since there is an extra day off, why not try something a little more challenging than cracking a beer?

Stitch enjoying a Lapu Lapu

I'm thinking of taking on a Poly-style Lapu Lapu and you can too.

Here is the recipe.

Prep Time: 5 min if you don't carve out a pineapple. Waaay longer if you do

Ingredients:
1 hollowed out pineapple (optional for lazy folks, but I'm thinking about keeping it real this time)
One part of your favorite brand dark rum (doesn't everyone have a fav?)
Two parts orange juice
Two parts sweet and sour mix
One part Bacardi 151

Instructions:
1. Carve out that blasted pineapple or purchase a tiki themed Disney mug
2. Shake together the dark rum, orange juice, and sweet and sour mix.
3. Pour the mixture over ice in the drinking vessel of your choice.
4. Float the 151.
5. Garnish with a cocktail umbrella (come on now, it really does need one)
6. Grab a straw and enjoy!

Cheers!

~Davina

ESCAPE FOR A DISNEY WEDDING

After the excitement of the proposal winds down and the celebratory confetti has settled, you and your bride or husband to be may be at the point where your ready to decide on the best place for your wedding. You’re a huge WDW fan but you just don’t know if you can afford it or let’s say you only have a handful of people you want to invite. On the other side of the scale you could be ready to go all out and get married with a grand boom! Either way WDW has 3 different wedding packages for you to choose from. They are perfect for all budgets and styles. From an intimate gathering to a gala event, it’s up to you to decide.

The three collections are
- Escape
- Wishes
- Couture



Today I’ll talk about the Escape collection which Davina and I have personal experience with. Davina decided to get married at WDW a few years ago and wanted to keep it a small, simple affair. She had envisioned a tropical , Hawaiian style wedding but that proved to be a difficult task. I was traveling with her as her maid of honor with my husband and two small children. A 12 hour plus flight was not in the cards for me. The perfect solution was the Polynesian Resort…mini Hawaii! They offered the Escape collection there which is listed as an “Exotic” choice. Ceremonies are 7 days a week at Sunset Pointe.You could also choose between 4 different ceremony times which made it more convenient. It truly was gorgeous with Cinderella’s castle in the background, Hawaiian music playing and a perfect cropping of palm trees surrounding the bride and groom. Keep in mind that this site will only technically accommodate 8 people, but more are welcome to watch from the beach.

Other Exotic locations include an open air elevated veranda in Canada at Epcot. It looks out onto the World Showcase in one direction and has the mountains behind you. Maximum guest number is 20, but you can only have your ceremony at 9 a.m. Sunrise Terrace at the Wilderness lodge also looks like a gorgeous spot. Elevated on the 4th floor with a view of the untouched area surrounding Bay Lake. Maximum guest count here is 8 and you can also choose from four different ceremony times here.

If your feeling more magical then head over to the Wedding Pavilion at the Grand Floridian. This site can accommodate 20 guests and has wonderful views of the lagoon and castle . Pictures would be great here surrounded by all the beautiful foliage. Ceremonies are 7 days a week.

If your idea of romance includes saying “yes” in a romantic garden setting then choose a garden ceremony location. Head over to sea Breeze Point at Boardwalk Resort. Say your vows In a classic white gazebo on the shores of Crescent lake. Maximum guest count is 18 with 4 different ceremony times to choose from.

If you’re in a New England state of mind then the Yacht Club Resort wedding gazebo is the perfect choice for you. Surrounded by roses with architecture that will remind you of the beach hotels of classic New England. Again the guest count is 18 with 4 different times to choose from.

With all of these you also get flowers, a cake and champagne, violinist, limousine, WDW photographer and a personal wedding website. Add ons are always available for a cost. At Davinas wedding Mickey himself appeared looking quite dapper in a top hat and coat tails. Needless to say he was a huge hit with the kids, but I couldn’t wait to get my picture with him as well. It’s not every day you can dance at a wedding with the head cheese himself.

I think he loved me.

~Karen

A Disney Wedding: Part 1 - Picking a Location

Let me start by saying, I am not a princess bride. My dream wedding was always on a beach with only a handful of people attending. Bare feet, palm trees, and the most basic of dresses rounded out my fantasy ceremony. So I think it came as a surprise to just about everyone when I chose Disney as my wedding destination.

Disney? Cinderella's hometown? It just didn't add up. Well actually, it did-- in a really bizarre way. My dream wedding destination was Hawaii. It was my first choice until I really thought about what I was asking family and friends to do. Not that people would not love Hawaii-- just traveling 12 plus hours did not seem fair.

I checked other beach locations on the East Coast but I could not let Hawaii go. I fretted over the destination until one day my mom said to me, "you could always get married at Disney's Polynesian. It's like fake Hawaii." A light-bulb went off and the idea steamrolled. I had never even thought about Disney as a wedding destination and had no idea if they even allowed weddings on the Polynesian site - but it seemed too perfect and idea to let pass by.

Turns out, they not only hosted the weddings at the Polynesian, but they have a whole wedding planning department that can make almost any wedding dream come true.

You want to ride to the wedding in cinderella's coach? Check.
How about Mickey as a guest? Check.
Pictures in front of the castle? Check.

Picking a location became as easy as a phone call to the Fairy Tale Wedding 800 number.

~Davina

Next Up: A Disney Wedding: Part 2  - My Best Friend the Wedding Planner (check out her most recent post for all the Disney wedding updates)