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*I'm Back!* We're getting married..at Disney World!!! Jeff & Kathy's PJ! UPDATE: Let's Party! (9/18)
- Thread starter kanadar
- Start date
kanadar
2015 Disbride!
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2013
Well I made it back Tuesday from Disney. It was a great trip, regardless of my struggles getting there and home. I have been busy since I've gotten back but I will try to start my report from the showcase this weekend! I just wanted to check in!
At the showcase I had the pleasure of meeting my coordinator and she was amazing!
At the showcase I had the pleasure of meeting my coordinator and she was amazing!
kanadar
2015 Disbride!
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2013
I finally have some time to sit down and start my little trip report for you all! DF and I are sitting here watching the Bears game so what better time than now!
DF Jeff's mom lives only about 30 minutes from O'Hare airport so looking at prices and times for flights I decided to just drive up to her place Thursday night so I could catch the first flight out and get to Disney by 11! This plan sounded perfect as my sister was flying from AZ and took the red eye so she would be arriving before I even got up to go to the airport! Before leaving for our trip my sister and I decided we should decorate our MB's. It took us a while to decide what to do but once we did it was a lot of fun decorating them! In fact, we've both decided to go back and decorate our older ones so we can match our outfits on future trips as all of the bands are still attached to our accounts! Here are my bands, and one of Mary's. It was her favorite so I believe she wore it the whole trip!
I had originally planned on leaving for Jeff's moms early afternoon as I didn't have a job, but once I got my job that changed to leaving around 5:30 so I would miss Chicago traffic. I ended up getting there around 8, and Jeff's sister Angie (a bridesmaid) and I headed to Portillos! This is one of my favorite places to eat when we visit so this was a perfect pre-Disney dinner!
That night was spent talking to Jeff's mom about wedding stuff, and just life in general. Then it was time for bed! We were leaving the house at about 5:30 as my flight left at 7:20 and I wasn't sure what security would be like on a Friday morning. It was good I got there early because the line looked to be pretty long, I'm guessing about 30 minutes. As I was standing in line, I got a little pre-Disney pixie dust! There was a TSA agent that came about halfway through the line and was asking people how many were in their party, then sending some people into the Pre-Check side. I wasn't sure if I would be one of the lucky ones to get through but I was! So I was through security and into the airport in less than 10 minutes! That never happens at O'Hare!
So I headed straight for the Dunkin Donuts line. I didn't have to wait in a security line so I had lots of time for the DD line right?! I decided on a hot chocolate and a boston cream donut. So delicious I love them!
Things were going great so far! It was set to be an awesome day! Until...I look and our flight is delayed. Then I look at my phone and Jeff's mom has sent me a text. There was a fire in Aurora and the en route air traffic control center. Well a little bit later our flight was cancelled, as well as several other flights. So I get on the phone with rebooking, and also decide to get in line at the desk just in case it's quicker. Our gate desk did end up being quicker! Although I am glad I got in line when I did, and that will become apparent soon. The agent asks if they booked me on the 3 o'clock flight, and they hadn't. She was very nice and rebooked me on the 3 o'clock flight and put me on standby for the 10 o'clock flight. So I talked to my dad and sister and let them know what was going on, and headed over to the 10 o'clock gate was and sat, and sat, and sat. I was near a tv and could hear the news. They were saying flights would be going out at 10 at the earliest. Eventually there is an announcement that all flights before 12 are cancelled! Things were not looking good
I started to get hungry so I grabbed a quick lunch and headed to where the 3 o'clock gate was to hang out. As I was sitting there they were blowing up balloons. I thought "aww how nice their blowing up balloons for kids stuck here". As they brought out more and more balloons I realized this was not what they were doing! I sent this picture to DF and my sister trying to figure out what was going on
Mary says maybe its for a make a wish kid. Turns out it was! As the time got closer and closer, things were looking very good for me getting out. I was still a bit hesitant as I kept checking the monitors and most flights were being cancelled still! I decided to get in line at the gate because my phone app didn't have me checked in for the flight, so I wanted to make sure I had a seat (I had a paper ticket but wanted to make sure). As I was standing in line, and representative was talking to a few others in line. Turns out this was American Airlines Magic flight that goes out ONCE a year! She said she was on the phone as soon as she heard the cancellations and told them this flight was getting out no matter what! She had planned it for a year! There were 2 make a wish families that were going to be on this flight and going to stay at Give Kids The World Village! I was so thankful to be on this flight and what they did for everyone on the flight was amazing! Here are some picture!
They had a magician to entertain the children until it was time to board! He was pretty good!
Oh and Buzz showed up too!
What they did was amazing! There was a donation box which lots of people put donations into (including me). So even though I was leaving O'Hare 8 hours after I was originally supposed it, it wasn't as bad as it could have been!
I am going to stop here as this is quite a bit longer than I thought it would be
So I will pick up later with our first night at Disney! Did we go to a park? Or did we decide to just hang out at the resort?
DF Jeff's mom lives only about 30 minutes from O'Hare airport so looking at prices and times for flights I decided to just drive up to her place Thursday night so I could catch the first flight out and get to Disney by 11! This plan sounded perfect as my sister was flying from AZ and took the red eye so she would be arriving before I even got up to go to the airport! Before leaving for our trip my sister and I decided we should decorate our MB's. It took us a while to decide what to do but once we did it was a lot of fun decorating them! In fact, we've both decided to go back and decorate our older ones so we can match our outfits on future trips as all of the bands are still attached to our accounts! Here are my bands, and one of Mary's. It was her favorite so I believe she wore it the whole trip!
I had originally planned on leaving for Jeff's moms early afternoon as I didn't have a job, but once I got my job that changed to leaving around 5:30 so I would miss Chicago traffic. I ended up getting there around 8, and Jeff's sister Angie (a bridesmaid) and I headed to Portillos! This is one of my favorite places to eat when we visit so this was a perfect pre-Disney dinner!
That night was spent talking to Jeff's mom about wedding stuff, and just life in general. Then it was time for bed! We were leaving the house at about 5:30 as my flight left at 7:20 and I wasn't sure what security would be like on a Friday morning. It was good I got there early because the line looked to be pretty long, I'm guessing about 30 minutes. As I was standing in line, I got a little pre-Disney pixie dust! There was a TSA agent that came about halfway through the line and was asking people how many were in their party, then sending some people into the Pre-Check side. I wasn't sure if I would be one of the lucky ones to get through but I was! So I was through security and into the airport in less than 10 minutes! That never happens at O'Hare!
So I headed straight for the Dunkin Donuts line. I didn't have to wait in a security line so I had lots of time for the DD line right?! I decided on a hot chocolate and a boston cream donut. So delicious I love them!
Things were going great so far! It was set to be an awesome day! Until...I look and our flight is delayed. Then I look at my phone and Jeff's mom has sent me a text. There was a fire in Aurora and the en route air traffic control center. Well a little bit later our flight was cancelled, as well as several other flights. So I get on the phone with rebooking, and also decide to get in line at the desk just in case it's quicker. Our gate desk did end up being quicker! Although I am glad I got in line when I did, and that will become apparent soon. The agent asks if they booked me on the 3 o'clock flight, and they hadn't. She was very nice and rebooked me on the 3 o'clock flight and put me on standby for the 10 o'clock flight. So I talked to my dad and sister and let them know what was going on, and headed over to the 10 o'clock gate was and sat, and sat, and sat. I was near a tv and could hear the news. They were saying flights would be going out at 10 at the earliest. Eventually there is an announcement that all flights before 12 are cancelled! Things were not looking good
I started to get hungry so I grabbed a quick lunch and headed to where the 3 o'clock gate was to hang out. As I was sitting there they were blowing up balloons. I thought "aww how nice their blowing up balloons for kids stuck here". As they brought out more and more balloons I realized this was not what they were doing! I sent this picture to DF and my sister trying to figure out what was going on
Mary says maybe its for a make a wish kid. Turns out it was! As the time got closer and closer, things were looking very good for me getting out. I was still a bit hesitant as I kept checking the monitors and most flights were being cancelled still! I decided to get in line at the gate because my phone app didn't have me checked in for the flight, so I wanted to make sure I had a seat (I had a paper ticket but wanted to make sure). As I was standing in line, and representative was talking to a few others in line. Turns out this was American Airlines Magic flight that goes out ONCE a year! She said she was on the phone as soon as she heard the cancellations and told them this flight was getting out no matter what! She had planned it for a year! There were 2 make a wish families that were going to be on this flight and going to stay at Give Kids The World Village! I was so thankful to be on this flight and what they did for everyone on the flight was amazing! Here are some picture!
They had a magician to entertain the children until it was time to board! He was pretty good!
Oh and Buzz showed up too!
What they did was amazing! There was a donation box which lots of people put donations into (including me). So even though I was leaving O'Hare 8 hours after I was originally supposed it, it wasn't as bad as it could have been!
I am going to stop here as this is quite a bit longer than I thought it would be
So I will pick up later with our first night at Disney! Did we go to a park? Or did we decide to just hang out at the resort?
kanadar
2015 Disbride!
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2013
So after having spent MANY more hours in the airport than I had expected, I FINALLY made it to Florida. There was an amazing welcome for the Make A Wish Families, I don't have any pictures because I forgot to take my camera out. There were a lot of people there to welcome them, cheering, clapping, and yelling their names. It was pretty cool.
I was lucky enough to be near the front of the flight, so I was able to get off the plane and out of the airport relatively quickly. Mary had rented a car and was able to pick me up from the airport. Unfortunately it had been gloomy and rainy all day in Florida, so as we were driving we were trying to decide what we wanted to do. We debated whether to risk going to a park, or just heading back to the resort and having dinner there. Finally, we made it to this beautiful sight...although at the time it wasn't looking pretty it was exciting!
We had decided to risk it and head to Epcot. Although, we told ourselves if the rain hadn't scared off the locals we wouldn't stay long. It was a Friday and we know that F&W booths can get crazy Friday night and Saturdays.
I hadn't eaten in a while and was really hungry at that point, so we headed straight for the World Showcase. On the way we grabbed a F&W map so I could decide which way I wanted to head first; left or right. After making our decision we headed for...
Patagonia! They had one of my favorite F&W bites ever. The grilled Beef Skewer with Chimichurri Sauce and Boniato Puree. We each got our own and a glass of Terrazas Reserva Malbec.
It was very good as always. Since we were able to find a table, and we saw our next stop close by, I ran over and got in the pretty much non-existent line! It seems the rain had scared off not only the locals, but a lot of the resort guests as well! None of the booths had a very long time. Jackpot for us!!
We decided to get the Lamb Meatball with Spicy Tomato chutney.
This was pretty good. We had it last year, so we knew it could do without the bread. The same held true this year. I think we each had a few bites with bread and a few without.
Next we were off to our next booth! Little did we know it was only about 20 steps from where we were
Mary decided to carry our forks with her
. Our next stop was...
Here we had the Garlic Shrimp and the Grilled Lamb Chop with Mint Pesto and Potato Crunchies
As you can see we enjoy the lamb chop. But both dishes were very very good. In fact, we really enjoyed the shrimp and will probably get both again when we go back in November for the Wine and Dine Half Marathon. So after eating our shrimp and lamb, we hit the next booth we wanted to eat at...
Mary was REALLY looking forward to this booth! Here we got the shrimp taco, the sweet corn cheesecake, and a mango-strawberry margarita.
Mary absolutely LOVES the shrimp taco, she could eat just these and be super happy. The taco was very good. And I was pretty excited that the margarita was on the rocks, I'm not a huge frozen margarita fan. After eating so much so quickly we decided to head take a break from eating and walk around world showcase. Eventually we decided to stop at the Italy Pavilion and shop a little bit. I decided I wanted a Prosecco, and Mary decided to have us share a shot of Limoncello. We got a VERY nice pour of the Limoncello! The bottle was almost empty so the girl asked us if we wanted to just take a sip and she would pour the rest of the bottle in our shot. Umm of course we will! So we took them outside and enjoyed them while sitting in the pavilion area.
Once we finished our drinks we headed to get our dessert at...
We got the carrot cake and Mary got some type of beer, I can't remember what kind. I tried it but I'm not a huge beer fan.
The carrot cake was super yummy! Definitely a good dessert. We decided to move on, and I knew through instagram there was a fellow disboard member in the park. So we decided to try to meet up. So while we were on the look out, I decided I needed to make a stop to get another yummy drink!
I got the La Passion Martini Slush. This drink was super yummy, and went down VERY easily! We ended up getting another one later in the trip. We walked around a bit more and finally found fellow disboarder, emmebear; Patty and her daughter Emme
They were both so cute and it was nice to meet them. We decided to watch Illuminations together. I love this show, but sadly this time the globe was not working
Once Illuminations ended, we parted ways and headed back to the resort. We had a early, long, exciting day ahead of us on Saturday!
Breakfast of Champions!
I was lucky enough to be near the front of the flight, so I was able to get off the plane and out of the airport relatively quickly. Mary had rented a car and was able to pick me up from the airport. Unfortunately it had been gloomy and rainy all day in Florida, so as we were driving we were trying to decide what we wanted to do. We debated whether to risk going to a park, or just heading back to the resort and having dinner there. Finally, we made it to this beautiful sight...although at the time it wasn't looking pretty it was exciting!
We had decided to risk it and head to Epcot. Although, we told ourselves if the rain hadn't scared off the locals we wouldn't stay long. It was a Friday and we know that F&W booths can get crazy Friday night and Saturdays.
I hadn't eaten in a while and was really hungry at that point, so we headed straight for the World Showcase. On the way we grabbed a F&W map so I could decide which way I wanted to head first; left or right. After making our decision we headed for...
Patagonia! They had one of my favorite F&W bites ever. The grilled Beef Skewer with Chimichurri Sauce and Boniato Puree. We each got our own and a glass of Terrazas Reserva Malbec.
It was very good as always. Since we were able to find a table, and we saw our next stop close by, I ran over and got in the pretty much non-existent line! It seems the rain had scared off not only the locals, but a lot of the resort guests as well! None of the booths had a very long time. Jackpot for us!!
We decided to get the Lamb Meatball with Spicy Tomato chutney.
This was pretty good. We had it last year, so we knew it could do without the bread. The same held true this year. I think we each had a few bites with bread and a few without.
Next we were off to our next booth! Little did we know it was only about 20 steps from where we were
Mary decided to carry our forks with her
. Our next stop was...
Here we had the Garlic Shrimp and the Grilled Lamb Chop with Mint Pesto and Potato Crunchies
As you can see we enjoy the lamb chop. But both dishes were very very good. In fact, we really enjoyed the shrimp and will probably get both again when we go back in November for the Wine and Dine Half Marathon. So after eating our shrimp and lamb, we hit the next booth we wanted to eat at...
Mary was REALLY looking forward to this booth! Here we got the shrimp taco, the sweet corn cheesecake, and a mango-strawberry margarita.
Mary absolutely LOVES the shrimp taco, she could eat just these and be super happy. The taco was very good. And I was pretty excited that the margarita was on the rocks, I'm not a huge frozen margarita fan. After eating so much so quickly we decided to head take a break from eating and walk around world showcase. Eventually we decided to stop at the Italy Pavilion and shop a little bit. I decided I wanted a Prosecco, and Mary decided to have us share a shot of Limoncello. We got a VERY nice pour of the Limoncello! The bottle was almost empty so the girl asked us if we wanted to just take a sip and she would pour the rest of the bottle in our shot. Umm of course we will! So we took them outside and enjoyed them while sitting in the pavilion area.
Once we finished our drinks we headed to get our dessert at...
We got the carrot cake and Mary got some type of beer, I can't remember what kind. I tried it but I'm not a huge beer fan.
The carrot cake was super yummy! Definitely a good dessert. We decided to move on, and I knew through instagram there was a fellow disboard member in the park. So we decided to try to meet up. So while we were on the look out, I decided I needed to make a stop to get another yummy drink!
I got the La Passion Martini Slush. This drink was super yummy, and went down VERY easily! We ended up getting another one later in the trip. We walked around a bit more and finally found fellow disboarder, emmebear; Patty and her daughter Emme
They were both so cute and it was nice to meet them. We decided to watch Illuminations together. I love this show, but sadly this time the globe was not working
Once Illuminations ended, we parted ways and headed back to the resort. We had a early, long, exciting day ahead of us on Saturday!Breakfast of Champions!
kanadar
2015 Disbride!
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2013
Well we are at the 1 year mark for our wedding! I can't believe it is here already! We won't hear anything about our date until Tuesday because they do everything on Monday if your 1 year mark is on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. A little disappointing but its ok, just a few more days to wait!
Now, on to more of the trip report!
So we got back to the resort around 11 or so. I decided to go ahead and take some pictures of the room. We had a great room! We had a savannah view, and across the savannah was Sanaa. Unfortunately getting there so late, no animal pictures yet.
Mary photobombing my picture of the wallpaper!
Saturday was a big day for us! Not only was it the Bridal Showcase, it was also Dapper Day! We were so excited that we were at Disney for Dapper Day. So, we woke up early in the morning because we had a breakfast we needed to get to! We had a pre-park opening ADR at Crystal Palace! We were pretty excited about this. We got all dressed up in our dapper dresses and drove over to the Grand Floridian to park for the showcase. On our way we passed this pretty new sign!
We LOVE the Polynesian. I'm excited to see everything once it's finished. So we arrived at the Grand and parked the car. We knew we had to take the boat the MK because our ADR was for 8:15 and the resort monorail doesn't start running until 8:30. So off to the boat dock we went!
Our transportation for the morning
The boat took a while to arrive, so we were getting a bit nervous. We had time, but it was still nerve wracking getting so close to our ADR time. But we made it! Just in time for a few pictures on Main Street before we went to check in.
So after having a bit of fun, we made it to check in at...
We waited no more than 10 minutes before our table was ready. Now, Mary and I are not big character greeters. So we ordered our drinks and headed straight to the buffet! So much food to choose from!
Mary's first plate
My first plates. I like to dip my sausage in syrup, so I had to get a little bowl of it. Everything was good on this plate except the potato thing. It was just meh.
The only character we met.
The breakfast lasagna. I thought it was very good, Mary thought it was better the last time we had it.
So not long after the park was open, we were finished eating. There were a few families around us who were trying to get out quickly (Mine Train or Anna and Elsa run?!) and still needed to meet one or two characters. They put on a bit of a show for us trying to get to meet them.
Once we finished, we headed out of the park (we were totally salmon swimming upstream). We decided to take the resort monorail back to the Grand to get ready for the Bridal Showcase!
Look! It's on the board at the Grand! Can you tell I'm excited?!
And look who we ran into and HAD to get a picture with in our dapper outfits!
Richard! He was so cute and sweet. He was hilarious while we were taking the pictures. I'm so glad he was there and we were able to get pictures with him.
Then we continued on our way to the convention center. I'm going to stop here, but I will try to post another one later tonight with LOTS of pictures from the Bridal Showcase!
Now, on to more of the trip report!
So we got back to the resort around 11 or so. I decided to go ahead and take some pictures of the room. We had a great room! We had a savannah view, and across the savannah was Sanaa. Unfortunately getting there so late, no animal pictures yet.
Mary photobombing my picture of the wallpaper!
Saturday was a big day for us! Not only was it the Bridal Showcase, it was also Dapper Day! We were so excited that we were at Disney for Dapper Day. So, we woke up early in the morning because we had a breakfast we needed to get to! We had a pre-park opening ADR at Crystal Palace! We were pretty excited about this. We got all dressed up in our dapper dresses and drove over to the Grand Floridian to park for the showcase. On our way we passed this pretty new sign!
We LOVE the Polynesian. I'm excited to see everything once it's finished. So we arrived at the Grand and parked the car. We knew we had to take the boat the MK because our ADR was for 8:15 and the resort monorail doesn't start running until 8:30. So off to the boat dock we went!
Our transportation for the morning
The boat took a while to arrive, so we were getting a bit nervous. We had time, but it was still nerve wracking getting so close to our ADR time. But we made it! Just in time for a few pictures on Main Street before we went to check in.
So after having a bit of fun, we made it to check in at...
We waited no more than 10 minutes before our table was ready. Now, Mary and I are not big character greeters. So we ordered our drinks and headed straight to the buffet! So much food to choose from!
Mary's first plate
My first plates. I like to dip my sausage in syrup, so I had to get a little bowl of it. Everything was good on this plate except the potato thing. It was just meh.
The only character we met.
The breakfast lasagna. I thought it was very good, Mary thought it was better the last time we had it.
So not long after the park was open, we were finished eating. There were a few families around us who were trying to get out quickly (Mine Train or Anna and Elsa run?!) and still needed to meet one or two characters. They put on a bit of a show for us trying to get to meet them.
Once we finished, we headed out of the park (we were totally salmon swimming upstream). We decided to take the resort monorail back to the Grand to get ready for the Bridal Showcase!
Look! It's on the board at the Grand! Can you tell I'm excited?!
And look who we ran into and HAD to get a picture with in our dapper outfits!
Richard! He was so cute and sweet. He was hilarious while we were taking the pictures. I'm so glad he was there and we were able to get pictures with him.
Then we continued on our way to the convention center. I'm going to stop here, but I will try to post another one later tonight with LOTS of pictures from the Bridal Showcase!
andeesings
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 5, 2012
Oh my god-- I SAW you guys at Crystal Palace!! We were sitting as you were finishing up!!! We had a big party of 8 and commented about your polka dot outfits and you reminded me it was a Dapper Day at the studios!!! Hahaha! What a small world!!
TiffinyKaye
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- May 22, 2013
You are right about Richard. SUPER adorable little guy. He is a minor celebrity among the Disney brides!
Tiffiny
Tiffiny
kanadar
2015 Disbride!
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2013
Oh my gosh! What a small world! I remember seeing a big party as we were leaving!
He really is! I won't be seeing him on my wedding day as we will be at the Boardwalk, so I'm glad I got to see him for the showcase.
kanadar
2015 Disbride!
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2013
When we left off, Mary and I were making our way over to the Grand Floridian convention center. We checked in, got our swag bags and wrist bands. We had decided ahead of time that we wanted to change out of our dresses into some more comfortable clothes since we knew we would be at the showcase for a while. So we went to change before they opened the doors.
They had a different entrance this year. I was kind of disappointed to see they had ivy instead of the storybook. I thought the storybook was pretty cool and this seemed a little boring in comparison. Once we were allowed to enter, we started looking around. This post will be very picture heavy.
The Mad Hatter table
And of course the new, very cool image projection cake! This was awesome to get to see.
My favorite cupcake. Its close to our wedding color, and I LOVE bows.
This girl was painting all these white chocolate statues. They looked amazing!
I think I'm getting close to my photo limit now so I will continue in the next post! The Showcase continued!
They had a different entrance this year. I was kind of disappointed to see they had ivy instead of the storybook. I thought the storybook was pretty cool and this seemed a little boring in comparison. Once we were allowed to enter, we started looking around. This post will be very picture heavy.
The Mad Hatter table
And of course the new, very cool image projection cake! This was awesome to get to see.
My favorite cupcake. Its close to our wedding color, and I LOVE bows.
This girl was painting all these white chocolate statues. They looked amazing!
I think I'm getting close to my photo limit now so I will continue in the next post! The Showcase continued!
kanadar
2015 Disbride!
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2013
Next up on our walk around the room was some tastiness. We didn't eat a whole lot because we had such a big breakfast but it all looked good. We did try the mousse.
Dark chocolate mousse
Tequila Key Lime mousse
White Chocolate oreo mousse
Mickey Mouse golf cart
The famous carriage!
We were able to sign up for both of the seminars during the day. They had said these seminars were sold out, but both of the ones we were in were half full. The first seminar we attended was
This one was about floral and photography. We thought this seminar wasn't as interesting as the second seminar. It seemed like they could have made it a bit more interesting. The photography portion was mainly about the different types of pictures they take, and that was about it. The floral was about the same. A few examples of what they could do. After this seminar ended we had a bit of time before the second one so we headed back into the room and got some more pictures.
Frozen inspired table
The second seminar was
These were the presenters. There was a chef from the Grand Floridian Convention Center, a chef from the Boardwalk, and 2 wedding planners. There were chefs in the room from the Yacht and Beach Club and from Theme Park Events.
We thought this seminar was very interesting! This could partially be because we LOVE food and there were lots of pictures of food. Or it could be because it was just more interesting. We couldn't decide which was true, maybe both! This seminar gave a lot of information for those deciding between a plated meal, or a buffet. Since we want the ADH, I knew we would be having a buffet meal. They gave ideas about what you could do for the cocktail hour, and one of the things I liked was that they suggested being more adventurous in your cocktail offerings if you are going to be "safer" in your meal. They also told us that they like to use different levels, and to keep the decorations going even on the buffet table. They said this is all on the kitchen, not the floral department.
They talked about different "action stations" they have done before. I really liked this idea. This could be anything from a carving station, to a pasta station, to a station where the chef is cooking the food as the guests are coming up to get food (like mini F&W stations). They also talked about cheese stations which varied at each location, or even a guacamole station. There were so many ideas it was amazing!
After this seminar we had about 30 minutes or so before our final showcase event. So I will leave you all hanging here for tonight. Tomorrow I'll update about the Food and Wine Tasting!
Dark chocolate mousse
Tequila Key Lime mousse
White Chocolate oreo mousse
Mickey Mouse golf cart
The famous carriage!
We were able to sign up for both of the seminars during the day. They had said these seminars were sold out, but both of the ones we were in were half full. The first seminar we attended was
This one was about floral and photography. We thought this seminar wasn't as interesting as the second seminar. It seemed like they could have made it a bit more interesting. The photography portion was mainly about the different types of pictures they take, and that was about it. The floral was about the same. A few examples of what they could do. After this seminar ended we had a bit of time before the second one so we headed back into the room and got some more pictures.
Frozen inspired table
The second seminar was
These were the presenters. There was a chef from the Grand Floridian Convention Center, a chef from the Boardwalk, and 2 wedding planners. There were chefs in the room from the Yacht and Beach Club and from Theme Park Events.
We thought this seminar was very interesting! This could partially be because we LOVE food and there were lots of pictures of food. Or it could be because it was just more interesting. We couldn't decide which was true, maybe both! This seminar gave a lot of information for those deciding between a plated meal, or a buffet. Since we want the ADH, I knew we would be having a buffet meal. They gave ideas about what you could do for the cocktail hour, and one of the things I liked was that they suggested being more adventurous in your cocktail offerings if you are going to be "safer" in your meal. They also told us that they like to use different levels, and to keep the decorations going even on the buffet table. They said this is all on the kitchen, not the floral department.
They talked about different "action stations" they have done before. I really liked this idea. This could be anything from a carving station, to a pasta station, to a station where the chef is cooking the food as the guests are coming up to get food (like mini F&W stations). They also talked about cheese stations which varied at each location, or even a guacamole station. There were so many ideas it was amazing!
After this seminar we had about 30 minutes or so before our final showcase event. So I will leave you all hanging here for tonight. Tomorrow I'll update about the Food and Wine Tasting!
edeneye
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2014
What a thorough trip report so far! I've especially enjoyed seeing all the details from the Showcase, we're only two weeks away from leaving for our Disney Wedding but there's so much I'm learning and seeing for the first time! It seems like you got a lot out of the trip and it should have you in great stead for planning your own wedding. Also I was excited to see you visited the 'Australia' stall at Food & Wine, being Australian it is always interesting to see what they come up with (and what they cal it!). Looking forward to hearing more about your trip!
kanadar
2015 Disbride!
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2013
Our second seminar ended around 1:45, and our afternoon of food and wine wasn't supposed to start until 2:30. We decided to head outside to warm up. It was FREEZING inside the showcase. After a few minutes we decided to head over to where the seminar was taking place. It was going to be in the Whitehall Room at the Convention Center. My sisters friend actually had her reception in the Whitehall Room so we had been there once before. We arrived to check in and noticed a few people standing outside so we went out to join them, when we were greeted with this!
I don't recall what it was but it was pretty good. They came around and refilled our glasses as we needed, but we knew we had more wine to come so we both declined. I did enjoy it thought!
While we were waiting, they started to prepare for us to enter the room. They brought this cart out.
Once we were called into the room, we were handed hot towels to clean off our hands. This was a very nice touch! We knew it was going to be a fancy afternoon when we saw this. So we entered the room and Mary took a few pictures.
This was the table set up. There were only 4 tables in the room. Each table had 9 or 10 seats at them. We had 9 people sitting at our table. In fact, I had a great surprise at our table! After our second seminar I knew we had a few minutes so I decided to go back into the room and ask if my coordinator, Michelle, was there. They said she was, and she was walking right towards us! So we talked for a minute and she told me then that she would be sitting at our table for the food and wine tasting!! She said she thought about telling me in our emails before hand, but decided to keep it a surprise. I was happy that she had decided to surprise me! So when we arrived in the room I looked over to our table and she had saved us seats right next to her! She was really sweet. She has been working with DFTW for 17 years, about half as a planner, and now as a coordinator. I wish I would have remembered to take a picture with her! So after chatting for a few minutes they got things started.
Menu, a folder which I haven't even looked through yet lol, and a corkscrew. The corkscrew looked really nice, sadly the mean ole TSA agent on the way home took it away. Mary's was nice and let her keep hers!
Our chef and sommelier from Cambria wines
First up was the wine paired with our soup course. This was a viognier. We had never had this type before and thought it was good. Mary is not a big white wine fan but she thought this one was pretty good.
The soup was a Lobster Bisque soup with a puff pastry top. This was SOOOO good! I'm not a huge tomato soup or a lobster fan, but I really liked this. It was extremely hot though! The puff pastry top definitely kept the heat in! Our second course was the salad course.
This was a rocket and petite greens salad with roasted clementines, sriracha picked radish, and macerated tomatoes with a light lingonberry vinaigrette. And that delicious bite of food that you see at the top of the plate is a gorgonzola frosted pecan cupcake. The salad itself was a bit different for my tastes. I am very plain for the most part when it comes to my salad, and I don't like hot stuff so the radishes were not for me. Maybe my sister will comment with her thoughts on the salad. BUT that cupcake was oh so good! The gorgonzola frosting added a little something to the dish. Even my coordinator said, she knew there was a lot of food to come but she ate all of her cupcake! This was served with the Cambria Katherine's Vineyard Chardonnay.
Our next 2 courses we sadly forgot to take pictures of They were both soooo good. I apologize for our lack of food porn. The fish course was a pan seared mahi filet with an early fall squash and sweet corn saute and and an orange saffron beurre blanc. This was very very good! And was a good size portion.
Our 4th course, the entree course, was a dual plate. This was a grilled filet of beef with a wild mushroom veal glace and an herb roasted chicken, gruyere cheese, leeks, and prosciutto with a raspberry veloute. This was served with duchess potato and crowned baby carrots. This was served with both a glass of the chardonnay and Cambria Julia's Vineyard Pinot Noir. Both of these entree's were so good! We discussed at our table which one we liked better but we couldn't decide! We would take a few bites of the beef and want to say the beef, but then we'd take a few bites of chicken and decide the chicken was better. But we couldn't decide for sure. The portion sizes of the food were not tasting sizes. We have been to Victoria and Albert's before and we decided this was like a mini Victoria and Albert's. The entree and fish were all probably about 6 oz portions. Sorry for the lack of pictures I wish I hadn't forgotten. But I did remember to get a picture of the dessert!
This was a chocolate hazelnut dome with raspberry and vanilla bean sauce. This was served with another glass of the pinot noir. This was very chocolatey and very good. So for those who are not big chocolate fans this would be too rich for you. Mary had about 1 or 2 bites and was done.
Overall, this was definitely worth the extra cost! Not only did I get the chance to meet and talk with my coordinator, the food was delicious. This was a lot more than we expected. After we were finished, we stayed to chat for a few minutes before we headed out to Hollywood Studios. We needed to changed first and drive over. We had some fp+'s to use for Dapper Day!
I don't recall what it was but it was pretty good. They came around and refilled our glasses as we needed, but we knew we had more wine to come so we both declined. I did enjoy it thought!
While we were waiting, they started to prepare for us to enter the room. They brought this cart out.
Once we were called into the room, we were handed hot towels to clean off our hands. This was a very nice touch! We knew it was going to be a fancy afternoon when we saw this. So we entered the room and Mary took a few pictures.
This was the table set up. There were only 4 tables in the room. Each table had 9 or 10 seats at them. We had 9 people sitting at our table. In fact, I had a great surprise at our table! After our second seminar I knew we had a few minutes so I decided to go back into the room and ask if my coordinator, Michelle, was there. They said she was, and she was walking right towards us! So we talked for a minute and she told me then that she would be sitting at our table for the food and wine tasting!! She said she thought about telling me in our emails before hand, but decided to keep it a surprise. I was happy that she had decided to surprise me! So when we arrived in the room I looked over to our table and she had saved us seats right next to her! She was really sweet. She has been working with DFTW for 17 years, about half as a planner, and now as a coordinator. I wish I would have remembered to take a picture with her! So after chatting for a few minutes they got things started.
Menu, a folder which I haven't even looked through yet lol, and a corkscrew. The corkscrew looked really nice, sadly the mean ole TSA agent on the way home took it away. Mary's was nice and let her keep hers!
Our chef and sommelier from Cambria wines
First up was the wine paired with our soup course. This was a viognier. We had never had this type before and thought it was good. Mary is not a big white wine fan but she thought this one was pretty good.
The soup was a Lobster Bisque soup with a puff pastry top. This was SOOOO good! I'm not a huge tomato soup or a lobster fan, but I really liked this. It was extremely hot though! The puff pastry top definitely kept the heat in! Our second course was the salad course.
This was a rocket and petite greens salad with roasted clementines, sriracha picked radish, and macerated tomatoes with a light lingonberry vinaigrette. And that delicious bite of food that you see at the top of the plate is a gorgonzola frosted pecan cupcake. The salad itself was a bit different for my tastes. I am very plain for the most part when it comes to my salad, and I don't like hot stuff so the radishes were not for me. Maybe my sister will comment with her thoughts on the salad. BUT that cupcake was oh so good! The gorgonzola frosting added a little something to the dish. Even my coordinator said, she knew there was a lot of food to come but she ate all of her cupcake! This was served with the Cambria Katherine's Vineyard Chardonnay.
Our next 2 courses we sadly forgot to take pictures of
They were both soooo good. I apologize for our lack of food porn. The fish course was a pan seared mahi filet with an early fall squash and sweet corn saute and and an orange saffron beurre blanc. This was very very good! And was a good size portion.Our 4th course, the entree course, was a dual plate. This was a grilled filet of beef with a wild mushroom veal glace and an herb roasted chicken, gruyere cheese, leeks, and prosciutto with a raspberry veloute. This was served with duchess potato and crowned baby carrots. This was served with both a glass of the chardonnay and Cambria Julia's Vineyard Pinot Noir. Both of these entree's were so good! We discussed at our table which one we liked better but we couldn't decide! We would take a few bites of the beef and want to say the beef, but then we'd take a few bites of chicken and decide the chicken was better. But we couldn't decide for sure. The portion sizes of the food were not tasting sizes. We have been to Victoria and Albert's before and we decided this was like a mini Victoria and Albert's. The entree and fish were all probably about 6 oz portions. Sorry for the lack of pictures
I wish I hadn't forgotten. But I did remember to get a picture of the dessert!
This was a chocolate hazelnut dome with raspberry and vanilla bean sauce. This was served with another glass of the pinot noir. This was very chocolatey and very good. So for those who are not big chocolate fans this would be too rich for you. Mary had about 1 or 2 bites and was done.
Overall, this was definitely worth the extra cost! Not only did I get the chance to meet and talk with my coordinator, the food was delicious. This was a lot more than we expected. After we were finished, we stayed to chat for a few minutes before we headed out to Hollywood Studios. We needed to changed first and drive over. We had some fp+'s to use for Dapper Day!
kanadar
2015 Disbride!
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2013
Thank you so much for following along! I knew I wanted to make this pretty detailed, especially the showcase portion for those on here that were unable to attend. Australia is probably my favorite booths! I've never been to Australia so I don't know how close it is to food their, but it definitely tastes good!
10/10/15 we will be getting married at the Croquet Lawn with reception to follow at the Atlantic Dance Hall. I am so excited!!TiffinyKaye
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- May 22, 2013
Well congratulations and I'm super happy for you! I can't wait to see the pictures once it's done!
Tiffiny
I can't wait to see the pictures once it's done!Tiffiny
EpicBilynn
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Aug 30, 2012
But are you really excited? I couldn't tell hahaha!
CONGRATS! An official countdown has begun!
CONGRATS! An official countdown has begun!
twinkybel81
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jun 29, 2014
*happy dance*
DisneyFirefly
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 25, 2009
Yay! Congrats on your date!
Congratulations on getting your date! That is always super exciting! 
I'm really enjoying your trip report and all of the pictures. We were actually down there that same week, but left the day before the showcase. And we didn't get to go into the parks at all.
I'm really enjoying your trip report and all of the pictures.
We were actually down there that same week, but left the day before the showcase. And we didn't get to go into the parks at all.Share this page
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