Annie and Joe's "How Much Disney Can I Sneak In" At Home Wedding May 2017 - Update 7/25!

[SoccerDogWithEars]

Hello, and welcome! My name is Annie, and I'll be your guide through this crazy journey we all call wedding planning! As you probably gathered from the title, we are actually not planning to get married at Disney. I've been thinking about doing a PJ for a while, but I wasn't sure if it was allowed. Then a couple of days ago @amalone1013 asked, so we decided to band together and post our at home plans!

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Intro Below
Proposal
Bridal Party
Real Life Update
Theme
Dresses
Decision time
Reception Venue
Photographer
Cake Topper
Cake, Flowers, Engagement Pics
Bridal Party Changes

Let's start with some introductory information:

Who:


As I already said, my name is Annie. I'm a 25 year old travel agent, born and raised in Raleigh, NC. I was raised a Disney fan, my parents and I going at least once every other year (and sometimes, every year) growing up. I'm obsessed with dogs, Indycar racing, and as I'm sure some of you have guessed, all things Coca-Cola. I'm disloyal to my home state like that.

That tall handsome stud next to me is DF Joe. He's 27 about to turn 28 and funnily enough, also an only child and also born in raised in Apex, NC, a smaller suburb outside of Raleigh. His first trip to Disney was in 2013 (when this picture was taken). He whined the whole way down, convinced that Disney was for kids and he wouldn't find anything to enjoy. Guess what? He loved it! He's slowly becoming a Disney geek like me, though he still likes vacations to other places.

When:
While nothing has been officially confirmed yet (more on that later) we are aiming for May 27, 2017. All of Joe's family with the exception of his parents are coming from out of town, so we like the idea of a long weekend for them to come and stay. We'd tossed around the idea of a Memorial Day weekend wedding for a couple of years, but this year was out of the question because we're going to be IN Indianapolis for the hundredth running of the Indy 500!!!!! Plus, we're at that age when ALL of our friends are getting married. This year alone we have my former soccer teammate's wedding in June, my best friend's in July (I'm a bridesmaid), my cousin in August, his best friend in September (he's the best man) and then a mutual friend in October While only a couple of those were planned when he proposed, we still decided we wanted time to plan and save money. Now we're extra glad we decided to wait another year!

Where:
Many of you may be thinking "so you grew up loving Disney and he's learning to love it...what gives?" Back in the early stages of dreaming and hypothetically planning (you know, before I actually had the ring ) we talked about what was important to us. We both agreed that having our family and friends with us was the most important thing. Considering his dad is one of seven and my dad is one of five....we have a LOT of family. Our guest list as it stands is at 197, and while I know that not everyone will be able to make it, it puts a Disney wedding just a tiny bit out of our budget. Okay, a rather large bit out of our budget. I'm not too heartbroken though, because I adore my church and have always dreamed of walking down the aisle there. So our ceremony will be here (though it would probably help if I turned in the paperwork to my minister )

Slightly sidetracking for a moment--this picture was taken during our service celebrating 100 years in 2015. On the left is the chancel choir, who sing at our traditional worship, in the middle is the youth choir, and on the right is the Grace and Peace Singers, the choir at our early informal worship that I'm a part of. You can't really see me, but the woman holding the yellow binder in the front row of the loft is my mama! In the row behind her is my choir director Kathi, who is a second mom to me. I adore our choir, and another thing I've always dreamed of is having them sing at our wedding. I've already told them to mark their calendars.

As far as our reception venue goes, we don't have one booked yet. We are waiting to hear back from the one that we absolutely love, just to make sure everything works out budget-wise, and if it does then we'll officially have a venue. Fingers crossed we hear back soon, because I'm starting to hyperventilate about not having anything booked!

 

[amalone1013]

YAYYYY! I'm so excited!

Your home church is beautiful and I love the choir plan! I've always wanted to go to a service with a choir like that; my home church is tiny. We're in the same boat with the family too; we're at 207 for our guest list so Disney is not happening with that. Hopefully in the next month we will know what we're doing - it depends on some family drama if we do intimate escape Disney wedding or big at home wedding. I'm voting for at home, because I've always imagined having my large family there.

Zack would be so jealous of you guys going to the Indy... I'm pretty sure that's an unvoiced dream of his. Last night I showed Zack the disboards and was like, look I started a PJ and it's exciting and there's someone else and she's gonna start one for her at home wedding and I can't wait... (much rambling ).

 

[DisneyFirefly]

You guys are adorable Yay for another at-home PJ! Your church is lovely! Welcome aboard!

 

[SoccerDogWithEars]

YAYYYY! I'm so excited!

Your home church is beautiful and I love the choir plan! I've always wanted to go to a service with a choir like that; my home church is tiny. We're in the same boat with the family too; we're at 207 for our guest list so Disney is not happening with that. Hopefully in the next month we will know what we're doing - it depends on some family drama if we do intimate escape Disney wedding or big at home wedding. I'm voting for at home, because I've always imagined having my large family there.

Zack would be so jealous of you guys going to the Indy... I'm pretty sure that's an unvoiced dream of his. Last night I showed Zack the disboards and was like, look I started a PJ and it's exciting and there's someone else and she's gonna start one for her at home wedding and I can't wait... (much rambling ).

Thanks! I am totally in love with my church, and my choir. The song I'd like them to sing is called "Borning Cry," (pretty decent version here) and we usually sing it at our baptismal service. It's such a sweet song though, we all have a hard time getting through it without tearing up. I told them I was giving them lots of advance notice so they had time to brace themselves.

You guys are adorable Yay for another at-home PJ! Your church is lovely! Welcome aboard!

Thanks! Glad you're coming along for the ride!

 

[SoccerDogWithEars]

How We Got from There to Here (The Story of Us)

Back in 2011, I was a sophomore at ECU. I had a group of girlfriends who were all in the same sorority, and they usually hung up with a group of guys who shared a four bedroom apartment. As typical with many ECU students, parties were a regular thing (but we are NOT a party school, if you call it that I very defensive). One weekend, I was over at the apartment, and there was a guy I'd never seen before. He introduced himself as "Joe Physics" because there was another Joe in the group and he had met Jacob (one of the apartment's residents) in a physics class. I was immediately as I thought he was just the cutest thing ever. He doesn't remember me being at that party

That's okay though, because the next weekend was St. Patrick's Day, and, well.....they were having a party (but I SWEAR it was NOT a party school!!). He was there, having a competition with his roommate over who could get the most signatures on a tshirt. He asked me, and I was so flustered that I ended up spelling my name wrong. I was writing it in cursive, and just got carried away and added a couple of extra humps so I'm pretty sure it read "Ammie". We got to talking, hung out some the next couple of weeks, and on April Fools' (no fooling!) we decided to officially become a couple.

Fast forward through a four years, two graduations, a nine month stint in Boston for Joe, a real grown up job for me, buying a house, moving in together, getting a puppy.....are you starting to wonder why it took so long? Me too In all seriousness, we had spent four years together and were happy, but a girl does start to wonder where things are going. For Fourth of July, I had a long weekend off of work. When I asked Joe what our plans were, he said his parents needed help with the apartment they still owned in Greenville (where ECU is, they bought it for Joe to use and were continuing to rent it out). Uh, okay, not exactly how I pictured our holiday. We get down to Greenville, and he says his dad texted that they weren't quite there yet. Joe suggests we go walk around campus and see what's changed. I'll admit--my reaction probably wasn't what he was expecting. In my defense, it was 95 degrees that day with 300% humidity. With only slight whining on my part, we started off around campus. We walked past my old dorm, talked about how he used to pick me up in his truck to go on dates. We got to the center of campus where the Cupola, the symbol of ECU sits. Joe sat down and pulled me down next to him. He pulls out the shirt from St. Patrick's Day and says "Remember this?" My heart started pounding. We looked over all the signatures of our friends, and then Joe stood up and started fidgeting. I asked what was in his pocket. "My wallet, do you want it?"

"Well, yes, but I meant your other pocket"

"Nothing I'm just not used to wearing pockets" (Seriously, I can't make this up)

"Oh, I thought for a minute you might've been proposing"

"Oh, I am"

At this point, Joe gets down on one knee and pulls out a box from the pocket he'd been fidgeting with. He opens it, and asks me to be his wife. I think I almost strangled him I hugged him so tight. And of course I said yes. And then almost immediately took this photo.

The funniest part of the day was when we walked into the apartment (his parents really were doing work there, but they had no idea we were in town too) Joe's dad goes "Hey, how are y'all?" and Joe responds "Engaged." He hadn't told them what he was planning

As I mentioned in the previous post, we decided not to try and have the wedding the following year. So here we are, 5 years a couple, engaged, and planning our happily ever after!

 

[rachel09985]

That's funny that you like Coke so much. I actually work for Pepsi They are headquartered in NYC so you aren't that disloyal!

 

[fallonkendra]

I love your church! I was raised in a small community, but a large church (seriously, half of my town belonged to this one church). As a child, I figured that would be where I'd get married, but since I moved across the country 5 years ago, the choir director at the church retired, and they've brought in a new priest who people don't love as much. So, that's out of the question for me now! I love that you've asked your church choir to sing at your wedding though! I was a member of our church choir all through high school (I was the only one under the age of 40 haha) so I totally get it!

I can't wait to follow along and see all of your plans!

 

[amalone1013]

Um, I totally love Borning Cry. One of my favorite church songs. We sang it at all the baptisms and confirmations. That will be beautiful.

I love that he didn't tell his parents either. And your ring is so pretty! I love the colored stones.

P.s. I think in college party can also mean 'let's hang out in a big group... possibly with booze.' That's what most of my college parties were lol.

 

[SoccerDogWithEars]

That's funny that you like Coke so much. I actually work for Pepsi They are headquartered in NYC so you aren't that disloyal!

Yeah but it was created in NC, so I feel bad every time I'm in New Bern and see the original pharmacy where it was sold. There's also a major bottling plant by my college. Halfway through my sophomore year, for some reason or another ECU decided to start offering Coke. I was thrilled! And then I realized I couldn't get Gatorade anymore

I love your church! I was raised in a small community, but a large church (seriously, half of my town belonged to this one church). As a child, I figured that would be where I'd get married, but since I moved across the country 5 years ago, the choir director at the church retired, and they've brought in a new priest who people don't love as much. So, that's out of the question for me now! I love that you've asked your church choir to sing at your wedding though! I was a member of our church choir all through high school (I was the only one under the age of 40 haha) so I totally get it!

I can't wait to follow along and see all of your plans!

I live in one of the fastest growing areas in the state, so there are TONS of churches around. I'd say my church is pretty average sized, but I'm lucky that while we've gone through some staff changes, our senior minister has stayed as well as my choir director. I used to be the only one under 40, but recently we had another mother/daughter group join so I'm not the youngest anymore.

Um, I totally love Borning Cry. One of my favorite church songs. We sang it at all the baptisms and confirmations. That will be beautiful.

I love that he didn't tell his parents either. And your ring is so pretty! I love the colored stones.

P.s. I think in college party can also mean 'let's hang out in a big group... possibly with booze.' That's what most of my college parties were lol.

Isn't Borning Cry wonderful?? The first time I ever heard it, I actually was accompanying the choir on flute, but I noticed in the music it had a note about changing the words if it was sung for a wedding (saying "now you found" instead of "when you find"). I pretty much decided then and there it was happening.

One of the things we both agreed on for the ring was having blue diamonds. We both really liked the color as it reminded us of the ocean. I've always really liked halos, and Joe never did. Joe really liked three stone rings, and I didn't. When we found a three stone ring with a halo, well, it was just fate.

 

[SoccerDogWithEars]

The Bridal Party

You've met me, you've met Joe, now it's time to meet who else will be with us on our special day! I have two best friends and Joe has two best friends, so it works out really well for us. We also can't pick who we love more, so I will have two MOHs (though by next May one will be a matron and one will still be a maid) and Joe is having two BMs.

That's me on the right. I'm just now noticing I seem to have a knack for picking photos where my shirt reflects an obsession--I promise I have normal clothes! In the middle is Lindsey, the "maid" and then on the left is Brinkley, my "matron." Brinkley went to the same elementary school as me, but she was on a different track, so we knew of each other but didn't really know each other. All three of us went to the same middle school, and in seventh grade ironically both of them switched from Track 2 to Track 1, so we now were all on the same track. We became friends through Battle of the Books, because we're all nerds that way. We were all in band together, and while Lindsey ended up at a different high school, we've stayed close through it all. I'm a good median to our group--Brinkley is preppy and can sometimes be dramatic, while Lindsey is a down to earth farm girl (seriously, she has two horses) who rarely is open about her feelings. I fall in between, calming Brinkley down when needed and getting Lindsey to open up. Our lives don't let us get together nearly as often as we need, but I know they're always just a phone call away if I need. I seriously don't know how I would have gotten through life without these two lovelies. I'm enjoying torturing them through this process by finding horrific bridesmaid dresses and sending them pictures. Luckily, they know me well enough not to take me seriously.

Look at little baby Joey!!! This photo is from six years ago, but it's the only one I could find that had all three of them. They all grew up in the same neighborhood, so they've been friends even longer than the girls and I. In the center is Jaret. He's 26 (I think) currently at a college in Orlando for video game design, which is his life's passion. He's a quiet guy and very chill, and we get along really well. Anytime he's home on a break, he spends a couple of days at our house hanging out and I enjoy having him around, but it helps that he's a dog person as well.

On the right is Cory. Sigh....Cory. He and Joe have been friends since they were 2, and he's a fiercely loyal friend. He just turned 30 and is getting married in September. I adore his fiancee, but Cory seems to push every button I have. I try, I really do. But then he says something the gets on my nerves, and I lose my temper so then he thinks I'm a witch, and, well, we tolerate each other's for Joe's sake. He's a good guy though, really, even if we don't get along. I am considering pairing him with Brinkley, just because he's 5'3" and she's 5'9" and it would amuse me

We decided against regular groomsmen and bridesmaids because while we have friends/relatives who could fill the positions, we're not that close to any of them. It also provided me with a convenient excuse to my Nana when she asked which of my cousins I was having: "Oh we're just having our best friends and keeping it small."

Kathi, my choir director I mentioned earlier, has four kids that I adore. Fiona, her youngest, will be 9 by the wedding, so if she's still willing I'm planning on having her as my flower girl. Aidan will be 13, so while I'd love to include him I think he might be a little old for ring bearer. We're not fully committed to having either of these positions, though if we do want to go younger Joe has a plethora of babies/toddlers to choose from since all his cousins have since married and reproduced. We hesitate to ask any of them because we're afraid it will turn into a "why are you including ________ and not _________" so we'll see!

 

[DisneyFirefly]

Your proposal story is adorable! I think your idea of pairing Joe with Brinkley is hilarious, but I'm evil like that

 

[amalone1013]

Your proposal story is adorable! I think your idea of pairing Joe with Brinkley is hilarious, but I'm evil like that

I also like this idea... possibly because I have a similar opportunity in our party

 

[epcotcenter1982]

Love this story.

There's a myriad reasons we chose a Disney wedding but one reason I was happy doing that is because the church I grew up in has since been incorporated into part of the primary school and a new church was built. I only ever loved and felt connected to the old church which is no longer a church building so with that connection broken it made it much easier.
Also coming from a tiny family as it was and only 3 living relatives remaining on my side made it a bit easier...

Happy Planning

 

[hollybearsmom]

Your story is so sweet. Your ring is gorgeous! Can't wait to see how you slip Disney in.

 

[SoccerDogWithEars]

Your proposal story is adorable! I think your idea of pairing Joe with Brinkley is hilarious, but I'm evil like that

Thanks! The best part was after he put the ring on my finger, the next thing he said was "Don't lose it, it's not fully insured yet"

I also like this idea... possibly because I have a similar opportunity in our party

We have to get our kicks where we can take them, am I right?

Love this story.

There's a myriad reasons we chose a Disney wedding but one reason I was happy doing that is because the church I grew up in has since been incorporated into part of the primary school and a new church was built. I only ever loved and felt connected to the old church which is no longer a church building so with that connection broken it made it much easier.
Also coming from a tiny family as it was and only 3 living relatives remaining on my side made it a bit easier...

Happy Planning

We'very gone through some changes as a church, but our building has stayed the same. I've always loved my large family, but now that I'm paying for them to eat I wish I had a few less! LOL

Your story is so sweet. Your ring is gorgeous! Can't wait to see how you slip Disney in.

Thank you! I have a few plans up my sleeve, we'll see what I can sneak by him

 

[SoccerDogWithEars]

Real Life Update

Ok, well, I should start by saying that we received the proposal from the venue we were interested in, and it was about $5000 more than we budgeted for. And the catering director doesn't seem willing to negotiate. But, it's the only place we all really liked, so we're going to probably go ahead and put the deposit down and hope for the best.

To help with that--my good news! I got a new job!!! I loved my job as a travel agent, but it was 100% commission, and with student loans and a wedding to pay for, it wasn't cutting it. Plus, all it did was stress me out. So today I accepted a job at a local credit union! It pays a salary (and a nice one at that) and it's closer to home, and I'm very excited to start.

 

[hollybearsmom]

Congrats on the job!

 

[DisneyFirefly]

Congrats on the job! And wow, that's quite a bit more for the venue proposal

 

[SoccerDogWithEars]

Congrats on the job!

Thank you!!

Congrats on the job! And wow, that's quite a bit more for the venue proposal

Yeah, that's what I said. There may have been some not nice words that came out of my mouth when I opened that e-mail. But, I'm worried that this late in the game (and yes, I'm OCD enough that 15 months out is "late) we don't have many more options. We're trying to figure out how to get his Dad alone to ask if they're willing to contribute.

 

[SoccerDogWithEars]

Theme ramblings

So a couple of years into our relationship, I had friends that also both went to our college that got married, and their wedding colors were purple and yellow. I showed pictures to Joe, and he said "I would never do a purple and gold wedding." Filing that little tidbit away, when things started getting serious I decided that our wedding colors should be green and gold, since we met on St. Patty's and green is my favorite color. I pinned and dreamed and talked about it some with Joe, who didn't say much. Then, a little before he proposed, we were talking one day and Joe says "I wouldn't mind a purple and gold wedding" Dude, seriously? My response may have been "You know I'm going to have to start all over with my Pinterest board right?" He was decidedly un-bothered. Now in the real planning stages, we have confirmed purple and gold. I go back and forth over which shade of purple I want, but most likely it will be a Royal Purple with a more yellowy gold. We also are planning on putting slight subtle pirate/nautical touches throughout, as that was our mascot. No eye patches or parrots, but I was thinking of having the giant jewels with numbers on them for our table numbers, and maybe a treasure chest or two here and there. Classy pirate. My co-worker told me there's no such thing, and I'm determined to prove her wrong

I am also determined to put in small Disney touches where I can. Joe is determined to stop me Time will tell which one of us emerges victorious. The funny thing is, the very first Disney movie we saw together in a theater was Tangled. And we both absolutely adore it. I knew for sure he was the one when we were in Disneyland watching Mickey and the Magical Map, and Flynn Rider came out onstage. I made a comment about the fact he didn't really look like Flynn, and without missing a beat Joe went "They just can't get his nose right." Now, coincidentally, the main colors in Tangled are, of course, purple and gold, so I'm waiting to see where I can sneak in touches (I tried convincing him we should do a Tangled wedding with lanterns and everything, but no dice). I do know that our first dance will be to "I See the Light" because we don't really have any other song that's "ours." And we both like it, and it's sweet. I also have a friend who hand paints shoes, and I think I'm going to commission a pair for my reception. Here are a couple of examples:

I think I'm going to ask for shades of purple with the castle silhouetted, and lanterns floating. On one shoe: All at once everything looks different and on the other: Now that I see you, and then linked wedding rings on the heel. Can you tell I've put some thought into this?

Up next: Dresses! Both mine and bridesmaids