PS Trip Day 2, Part 1: The Planning Session
We woke up early because I wanted plenty of time to write down questions and notes I wanted to cover with Diane. After we got ready, we caught a taxi outside the Coronado lobby. We weren't sure if the driver would know exactly what we meant by Franck's Studio, so we told him to head to the Wedding Pavilion. We encountered a bit of trouble in that the security gate was down, and the attendant on the other side didn't seem to see us. Our driver had to do a loop around, and that added a bit to our fare. For future couples wondering about the cost of cab fare to Franck's, with a tip, it cost us $20 exactly. We left plenty early though, and arrived at about 8:55.
Cliché picture outside Franck's!
We had to wait just a few minutes before Diane took us into the Merryweather room. I looked around, but didn't take any pictures inside. Sorry! As we began, the receptionist brought me a cup of coffee. I wanted caffeine so badly that I actually drank it black – I normally have to have creamer and sugar. Anyway, we sat down with Diane and her new assistant Courtney to begin hashing out the details. The first 20 minutes or so were spent going over a timeline of the next 6 months. When payments are due, when counts are due, and other deadlines.
We discussed our options for a rehearsal or welcome dinner and how that might affect our wedding rehearsal time. Eventually, Diane suggested we tell her our reservation time when we book it so she can work around that. Then it was time to dive into the planning of our actual wedding day. Honestly, it all happened so quickly it's kind of a blur. First we began by discussing a timeline for before the ceremony.
BS is arriving at 4 a.m. with my makeup and hair scheduled from 4-6. Last I heard from BS, they had scheduled 5-7 a.m. time for my bridesmaids and mom. Diane suggested taking pictures with the bridal party beginning at 8:30 that morning, but I will need to run that timeline past Michael. I think I would prefer 8 as an extra time cushion. She also suggested one-way vans with an extra stop as opposed to a charter bus like we initially planned. This will obviously save us money, but I'm worried about having guests who may want to leave our reception early. I'd love advice on that one!
For the ceremony, we decided upon using an iPod setup so that we could definitely have the song selections we chose. We also decided to go with the sand ceremony that Disney provides so that we don't have to worry about bringing one down with us. For entrances, Diane suggested that groomsmen enter on the right walkway and bridesmaid on the left. Then, for my entrance, she will have me start from the ESPN club and walk up the steps down the center. However, there has been one big addition to our wedding that may change how my entrance time and location. We'll discuss that in day 3!
For the staged exit, we decided upon bubbles, which we will provide. You can buy them pretty inexpensively through Oriental Trading. Also, in the moment, I asked for Major Domo who will definitely be getting cut, especially because the price for him seems to have increased. Then it was time to delve into the reception. In lieu of traditional favors, we have added a caricaturist from 10:45-2:45. Diane also suggested we buy tubes for them at Staples or the like because Disney charges an obscene amount for them.
Our current timeline for the reception is: first dance, toasts, we go through the buffet for food, guests eat, dances with parents, and then characters and cake cutting from 2-2:30. The more I think about, the more I think I may request that toasts be moved after our meal. Speaking of toasts, for our bar, we decided to go with a BOC wine and mimosa bar. We’ll see what that translates to on our budget, lol.
Honestly, the PS covered so many details I probably never would've thought about, such as bringing sharpies for the guest book instead of ink pens. We also got to choose what character attire we wanted for our special guests.
After reception details, it was time to discuss our dessert party. Eventually we agreed upon two meeting places for our guests, at the Epcot main entrance and the International Gateway, with everyone then walking to UK Lochside. I kind of picked my "blue sky" menu without going too overboard, as we'd like to keep it right at 30/pp. For my choices, I chose a nacho bar, ice cream sundae bar, cheesecake bites, standard popcorn, and fruit salad. If the price isn't too high, I may try to add brownie bites or the marshmallow squares. We're sticking with the included beverages and not adding any extras there.
Phew! By that time, our cake arrived and it was time for the tasting! Here was the one and only hiccup of our PS. I'm not sure where wires got crossed, but the cakes and filling we were provided were not the ones we asked for. Some flavors were omitted and some extras we didn't ask for were provided.
In the end, it wasn't a huge deal because the ones we really wanted to try were included but I'm still disappointed we didn't get to try red velvet and cream cheese.
Cake! The big piece is almond cake with Bailey's mousse. We both liked it, even Josh who isn't a coffee person.
The chocolate cake was an easy pass from me. I don't normally like chocolate cake as it is, and this was pretty dry. The yellow cake was good but not incredibly impressive. Almond cake was the clear winner as it was delicious and moist. For the fillings, the tropical was an immediate no from me. (I don't really like fruity flavors in my dessert.) The raspberry mousse was good but not what I want for my wedding cake. I was disappointed in the white chocolate as I had such high hopes for it.
I easily could have gone with buttercream filling on top of buttercream icing, but not everyone has a sweet tooth like me. Ultimately, we decided upon almond cake with amaretto filling for both tiers. Speaking of cake, I should probably talk about what ours will actually look like! As I mentioned in prior entries, this was a point of contention with us. During our planning session, I gave Diane a basic vision for what we want: a 2 tier mad hatter inspired by the Mad Tea Party ride, with "Happily Ever After" written on there somewhere.
I'll save it for a future entry, but we've already gotten back a rough sketch from the bakery about the vision for the cake. We added a touch to it, but are very happy and can't wait to see the end result! We've already purchased our cake topper, so they incorporated that into the sketch as well. After all that, we had a half hour break before the florist arrived. So we walked over to the Grand Floridian because I was on a mission…
And I met Richard!! He was super sweet. He seemed amused and a little embarrassed when I told him what an internet celebrity he is among Disney brides.
Our floral session didn't take too incredibly long because I came prepared and we honestly didn't ask for much. For SBP, we have ribbon along the stairs and one floral arrangement on each side of the aisle entrance (which may get cut depending on price). We chose navy and rose for our sand colors (I think). We got my bridal bouquet, Josh’s boutonniere, and corsages for the moms with me planning on getting silks for everything else.
For the Attic, I showed her the hydrangea centerpieces with the nautical rope I posted in earlier entry. Somehow we came to the agreement for our sweetheart table to have the "Rose in the West Wing" piece with a pink rose inside. I may change that, but Josh seemed to really like the idea so it will probably stay. In the moment, I also agreed to glow cube centerpieces for our dessert party in multiple colors. Unless they're terribly expensive, I will probably keep them because they look so neat in pictures. Plus, we will only have 2-3 cocktail tables at Lochside.
After all that, we had a 2-hour break before we had to be at the Boardwalk for our menu tasting!
I am definitely a sweet tooth and don't usually care for fruit in my desserts, which is obvious in our choices. Haha! I am a buttercream lover and loyalist, so I was pleased to see whipped icing isn't even an option. 
Seriously, cake is just a tasty holder for frosting as far as I'm concerned! 
, but also 
