Steph and I set our alarms for 6:45 because we wanted enough time to pack up all of her stuff and get it to the car and grab breakfast at the hotel before we left. We didnt have to do much since we were getting our hair and makeup done which was nice but we both made sure we had our dresses and shoes for the photoshoot at the Grand Floridian later on in the day.
We got all of our stuff to the car in record time and the headed to the food court. I still wasnt feeling good so I just went with a fruit cup for breakfast and decided to stop taking my antibotics. I did not want to feel like this our entire trip. I know this is bad to do but I just figured it was for the best.
We decided to drive to the venue and then park and eat so we could make sure we got there on time. I must admit I had never really been to Downtown Orlando but we got to the studio pretty fast. I got a little confused with all of the crazy road signs. Florida seems to be notorious for this but it wast too bad.
We were going to park in the lot attached to the building but there were no attendants since it was saturday and I didnt want to get a ticket for parking there so we decided to use the meters. We had a tough time finding the right amount of change but we put enough in for two hours. So we prayed it did not take any longer than that.
We made our way up to their office which was located in an office building where they only really had a very small room. But the room had such great views of the downtown area. We met Michele the owner of M3 and met our makeup artist Tabitha and our hair artist Christine. They were both so nice and we got along great!
Tabitha is engaged so we talked about the wedding planning process which was fun. Since I am an event coordinator I love when I get the opportunity to help answer questions and give advice to brides. I love that part of my job!
Here are our shots from the trial. They left our hair down for our pictures since we didnt want the same exact look we would have during the wedding. Plus if Chris got a peak of me I didnt want him to see me all done up like I would be on the 10th.
After we were done we briefly went over the wedding day schedule and then headed back. When we got back to the car the meter had three minutes left! Ha talk about good timing! On the way back we stopped by the Bath & Body Works outlet to pick up a exfoliator for our faces to use the night before the wedding. Our airbrush makeup was not going on really well because we both had dry skin so tabitha told us this would help.
We got done pretty early so we headed to the Boardwalk to check into our room. We knew it wouldnt be ready but we wanted to at least drop our luggage off with the bell services and then head to lunch. We pulled up and they helped us unload our luggage. We stopped by the pool just to say hello to Chriss mom and Jennifer Andys( Chriss brother/ Best Man) wife. We let them know our plans and told them we could all meet up later and then left.
We decided to eat somewhere different for lunch that would be in a conveient area to get to the GF. We both decided on Contempo Cafe. Steph ordered a flat bread and I had the chef make me the Turkey Club Sandwich on an gluten free Udis bread. It was very tasty! It had a great lime aioli that topped it off nicely. Steph liked her flatbread also.
We sat around for a couple minutes and talked and then decided to make our way to the GF. We were still in tanks and sweat shorts and needed to get to the GF to change.
We parked near the convention services area off to the right after the bus stops since the guest parking was way back from the hotel and it looked like it was going to rain. We headed into the bathroom and changed into our dresses and heels and primped and then stuffed our other clothes into a bag we got from one of the stores at the resort.
We had a few minutes till we needed to meet the photographers so we decided to sit in the lobby on a comfy sofa and people watch
We love doing this together. I love sitting in the Grand Floridian Lobby. I could honeslty do this all day long.
After talking for a little while we spotted our photographers. I didnt know what they looked like but I figured when I saw two lovely ladies holding big honking cameras that was probably them. We greeted them and I thanked god that it was in fact the photographers and not a random stranger.
We got going pretty fast. They walked us briskly outside to the pier area in front of the castle to get some shots outside. I was very surprised at how many people tried to photo bomb us. The photographers were very professional and had a lot of pose ideas for us. We started making our way back towards the hotel taking pictures as we went. As soon as we got inside it started pouring so we made it just in time. We took a lot of great pictures including pictures in Citricos before it opened for dinner and Basin which was cleared out just for us. The experience was amazing and we felt so special and had a great time. We both cant wait to see the pictures which should be ready in a few weeks. I will post them when we get them for you all to see as well.
After finishing up we headed towards the car but had to wait out the rain for a while. We finally decided to take our shoes off and dash to the car. Thank god we changed back into our sweat clothes because we got soaked.
We talked to my other Uncle Gary, and his daughter Rachel who was my bridesmaid and they just arrived. So we made a plan to meet up with everyone at the Art of Animation later on. We headed back to the hotel and our room was ready so we headed up to change and unpack. We both made sure to take off our makeup and undo our hair so the boys wouldnt see any of it until the wedding. We met the Cartwrights in their room and headed to the Art of Animation.
This was the first time the whole gang would be together and meet each other. We had a good time. Chris got his chicken burger which he loves from this quick service and I had the chef prepare a pasta dish for me which was unique. We talked for a while and hung out a little bit. Rachel also got Steph and I in the lobby for the dance party where we joined in. Then we decided to go our separate ways again. Steph and I walked around the hotel with Chris and the guys to explore the new sections that were not opened when we were there last time. We thought the card section was themed really well and we enjoyed that area.
We headed back to the hotel and decided to meet with Kim, Bill, Andy, and Jennifer at Jellyrolls. The guys were in too which I was excited about since I had not really gotten a chance to spend time with Chris since we arrived.
We all went back to our rooms to change yet again and then headed for the bar. After paying our cover we grabbed seats in the back since the close up seating was already full. Thats ok thought we were in the perfect location right next to the bar
About an hour later the place was packed. We found out that Jellyrolls is the local hangout for cast members. We also met a big bridal party who had just gotten married and headed here for the post wedding party. The dueling pianos were so entertaining and the guys were so talented. They played a lot of great music. Steph and I got in the Conga line that circled the whole club and met a few people along the way.
at about 12:30 we all decided to call it a night. After kissing Chris goodnight Steph and I headed back to our room. We put together all of the welcome baskets so they were ready for delivery the next morning. By the time we finished this up it was 2am! We both passed out immeditely after!