Sarah & Bobby's 11-13-11 WP/GF--Completed--ALL PHOTO LINKS FIXED!

[Princess SarahK]

LOOOONG time lurker, recently come out of hiding and into planning-and now starting her very own DFTW PJ! I honestly didnt think this day would come...but here we are! YAAY!! We are hoping for a November 13, 2011 Wishes wedding at the Wedding Pavilion and reception at Whitehall Room and Patio (depending on guest count) or St Augustine Ballroom in case of bad weather or lots of guests.

About us:

I'm Sarah, about to finish up my student teaching and graduate in December with my teaching degree..woohoo! I have always been a Disney Freak and have no problem owning up to it either. Everyone that knows me just expects it by now! Ive been going since I was a kid and have never stopped.My fiance is Bobby who will graduate with his nursing degree in May of '11. We have been together for nearly 6 years now and engaged for about 9 months.
Here we are:

Engagement Story:

At my company Christmas party last year in Breckenridge, Colorado (we live in Houston, TX) Bobby and I spent alot of time shopping and walking around the picturesque town. We skied a little bit and really enjoyed ourselves. I had been whining for an engagement for quite sometime by then, since most of our friends were already engaged and I felt leftout and all that..now looking back I realize just how dumb I was being...but we dont have to mention that lol. Bobby always dismissed my whining and blew me off, we had talked about marriage and knew we were going to be together but school has always been our top priority and setting up a good foundation for our life together so we waited, I think I just wanted a rock. We were getting everything ready for the trip and I really did not expect anything because he was always telling me "Its not going to be anytime soon, I dont want to be engaged for more than a year, its pointless right now, were not getting married til after we graduate anyways, yadda yadda", you get the idea. So I wasnt even thinking about it. We were in Breckenridge for 4 days and had such a great time, it was just us and since we dont live together it was nice to have a vacation alone. So I was loving all of the time I was getting with him with not a care in the world. The night of the Christmas party comes (last night we were there) and we get ready and head down to the ballroom in the hotel to meet and greet everyone that I had never met in person. I work in corporate, and only meet the people in Houston..not in the other states and cities we are in. It was a great time, we really enjoyed ourselves and I had a few glasses of wine. The altitude was not on my side and was really hightening the effects so I was a very cheap date that night at the open bar..hahah. So I start whining towards the end of the night to go back to the room and chill out for a while and Bobby is not interested in that. He wanted to stay with everyone for a little longer and hang out. I couldnt figure out why since they were my coworkers...why would he want to stay? (now its a total: duuuh!) So more whining on my part and he obliges. We go up to the room and crash. The next morning I get up to start packing to leave Colorado, come back from the restroom and find a Jared ring box on my pillow!!! I couldnt believe it! I had no clue it was coming and I was caught waaaay off guard. Now Bobby is not a mushy gushy-give you a speech kind of guy and he was way nervous..so he chose the path of least resistance and left it for me to find. He was laying next to my pillow waiting for my reaction. I stopped in my tracks as soon as I saw it. He said "Will you marry me, babe?" and said, "Oh God..is this real? Really? Oh God!" I immediately started blubbering and asking him, "Are you sure? Are you sure you want to marry me?" haha I nagged for so long and now I ask if hes sure..lol. Anyways, he said "Well, do you see the ring? Im pretty sure!" So I say yes, cry some more put the ring on and call my mother crying/screaming/and oh so excited! Then I call my dad and BFF's family, and all the other importants in our life. Ive had the ring for about 9 months now and I still cannot stop staring at it...gah I just love it! So now I really get to tell people "He went to Jared!" bahahaha!

My gorgeous ring!-from Jared's

Kind of blurry but its a 1 carat center with 1/3 pear on each side set in pave bands..its love!


My mom and I are set on saving as much as we can on the wedding so we are doing a lot of things ourselves. Weve started on a bunch and have a ton done already. I will start posting that stuff next. Im not sure what I maybe missed or need to include in this so someone please tell me!! THANKS! In the meantime, I will give you all some super cute schnauzer furbaby pics. Mine is Lady the solid black one and my mom's/my surrogate is Bella the gray and white one..soo cute!

Lady:

Bella:

 

[Princess SarahK]

We have a lot decor and accessories so far! Its great! Spreading it out over the course of a year and a half will really save our wallets! My general vision for the wedding is elegance, timeless, romantic, classic, chic, and formal. Its so traditional its almost boring-to some. I also want all white. White roses will be the only flowers, although mine will be red. There are 6 BM's, 1 JBM, 2 FG's and 1 Ring Bearer/Bell Girl. Our original RB wont be joining us and I wanted to include my cousin's little girl, so she will either carry the ring or ring the bell and say, "The Bride is coming!" We will see...anybody seen or doingthis? Is is okay to have a girl ring bearer? Whats your take on the Bell girl?

So I will be in White, BMs in Black, FG's in White. Everyone will have white roses, I will have red roses. And the petals for the toss will be red. Like I said, classically boring to some..ahaha

We are doing silk flowers and making them ourselves for the centerpieces and will save a boatload of money that way. The bouquets will be real but everything else will be silk. I really love the orbs/balls of roses and so this is what we will have on our tables. There will be one big and two smaller. These are the big ones:

and the entire setup-excuse the nasty dining room table:

These will also be on columns lining the aisle in the Pavilion for the ceremony. We will have 5 columns on each side with the draping..undecided on swagging yet. Thoughts? We will have Disney move them to the reception.

A few months ago, I found these great vases at Home Goods for 6 and 8 dollars, respectively and snagged them for altar decor.

and just the other day, Mom being the genius she is found these fillers at Hobby Lobby 40% off, they are the strands for Christmas trees. Theyve got pearls, silver beads, and crystals in there. Since Ive got pearls and crystals on my gown it was only fitting. We made do and have come to this conclusion. Not completely sold on the setup yet but we like them. Do you think they look home-made? The goal is to not have anything look homemade..help!

Im thinking we will have a centerpeice with an arrangement or two on the altar with these.

We have some of these to go on the cake table, sign in table, or wherever really. There are also bigger ones too.

Thats what we have for Decor up to this point.

Here are all of our accessories!!

My David Tutera Toasting Flutes:

Ive been searching for the cake serving set but cant find it anywhere! if you know where I can get one, help a sister out! please!
Like I said, Im a longtime lurker and bought one of these a while back when I saw somebody's-I think it was Dr. Cinderellas. Thanks!

Of course you gotta have these babies!

Since my name means Princess-ahh so fitting! I bought this at Michael's for like .50 cents and will have it put on my bouquet handle. Its my special touch.

Thats all weve got for decor and accessories so far! Ive recently started getting things for welcome bags, folders, and everything so I will get to those later this week!

Next up: THE dress! Welcome bag stuff, BM gifts, and other cutesy stuff!

 

[Princess SarahK]

So there is a really great party supply store in town and Mom and I hit it up last weekend. We found Welcome Bags for suuuper cheap and jumped on it. I also had Dolly (JTandDolly from the Creative DISigns) create a logo for us. So we printed labels and have slapped them on the bags and folders. The folders were on clearance at Office Max and are better quality than the paper ones. Plus, since Im a teacher I get a really great discount!
Here are the bags, were not going to be putting too much in them so I think/hope the size will be okay.

Still need to make the "Welcome" tag to attach to the bag. I bought a Mickey Punch and stuff to get crafty...we'll see how that works out..lol We will also tie them with black ribbon to give a little more contrast.
The folders are just plain black shiny a little more durable folders. No picture of those yet.

Bridesmaid Gifts:

I bought these for my BM's the other day, I will fill them with bath salts and stuff. I thought the label was too cute to pass up. The bottles were very inexpensive! Youll come to notice we are bargain shoppers!

Also have these totes and cosmetic bags for my girls.

I will fill them with all kinds of goodies. I really want to order bath bombs and the Matrimony soap from Basin White-the store in GF but Im not sure what scent I want for them yet so I will wait til we go in person to pick them out. Here they are

They wrap their stuff really cute and since my colors are black and white it makes sense...plus its something I would want. Im a beauty product junkie.

For my flowergirls and junior BM I made them mini bags that are more fun and exciting.

Things to Do:

I came across these cones for the petal toss and they are my inspiration. Mom and I will be trying to work on these starting sometime soon..I just love them. Since my gown is white lace, my girls will be in black and I will have red roses, I think it is perfect.

 

[Princess SarahK]

Next Up: Dress, BM Gown Ideas, Hair, Shoes, Etc!

 

[KitKat5]

YAY for making a start on your PJ! Everything looks and sounds so great! You really are a bargain hunter! Great way to be if you ask me as weddings can be so expensive! I've had to get pretty much everything through Disney as I'm coming from the UK and just cant take that much with me! I cant wait to read more about your planning and I'm looking forward to seeing pics of your dress too!!

 

[mareeld86]

Yay for starting a planning journal! your wedding is just under 2 weeks after mine! Its getting exiting waiting for the LOA. your planning looks great so far!

 

[PixieDust1969]

I love everything you have done so far! I am getting married the day before you on the DCL. You are exactly right about all of the white being extremely elegant. I don't think it is boring at all! I am looking forward to reading along!

 

[DisneyShamrock]

Congratulations and welcome!

I love you decor ideas. So elegant! I will definitely be checking back to see more of your plans.

 

[elleinad16]

YAY!!! Hi and congratulations!
I'm getting the same weekend as you--looks like it's gonna be good!

I love all of the stuff you have made--I don't think it looks homemade at all.

Can't wait to keep reading.

 

[Princess SarahK]

Thanks everyone! So glad you are following along! Today I will be putting up the dress pictures!

 

[Dr.Cinderella]

Hey Sarah! So glad to see you started your planning journal! Everything looks so beautiful so far! I love all the classical decor, it is gorgeous. Where did you get your centerpieces and how much were they if you dont mind me asking? I love them! Your welcome about the hanger! Although I like yours better than mine haha! It looks more sturdy. Did you get it on Etsy? I really like your welcome bag design too, what are you planning on putting in them? Im debating having them or not because it just seems like so much extra work and money, and Im not sure if people will really appreciate them or if its worth it. Cant wait to see your dress and hear more!

 

[Princess SarahK]

Hey Sarah! So glad to see you started your planning journal! Everything looks so beautiful so far! I love all the classical decor, it is gorgeous. Where did you get your centerpieces and how much were they if you dont mind me asking? I love them! Your welcome about the hanger! Although I like yours better than mine haha! It looks more sturdy. Did you get it on Etsy? I really like your welcome bag design too, what are you planning on putting in them? Im debating having them or not because it just seems like so much extra work and money, and Im not sure if people will really appreciate them or if its worth it. Cant wait to see your dress and hear more!

Hey Marissa! Thanks for joining in!


We actually made the centerpieces, we found the vases (the same ones you can rent from Disney) from a supplier here in town for about $3 for the larger ones and $1.50 for the smaller ones. Then we got the styrofoam balls and some silk flowers from a craft store here..we bought the more expensive roses because they dont look as fake or cheap. So we just clipped the stems, stuck and hot glued the flowers to the balls and voila! The flowers were the most expensive part. Theres about 36 roses on the large ones and 12 on the smaller ones. We will be having about 10 tables, so 10 big ones and 20 small ones. While its not totally cheap, its still a bargain compared to what real floral would cost..and since we have the time why not? Were also going to get a "rose scent" to put on the silks so they smell real, most people may not even realize they are fake! We are all about spreading the cost out especially since its looking like more people will be coming than we originally thought, so more $$ for the reception food and drinks, etc. You get the idea. We will not have any use for them after the wedding, so finding something to do with them will be a task..haha. Maybe I'll list them on Ebay or something.

Yes, I got my hanger on etsy and I love it. It is sturdy and can definitely hold a heavy dress! Let me know if you want the sellers info!

As far as welcome bags go, I am looking into having water bottles with personalized labels printed...but Im not sure whats reasonable for cost. I will also be putting a personalized chocolate bar or some kind of candy/sweets in it for guests to munch on late at night or whenever. Id love to put a disposable camera in each one just so we can have all kinds of pictures from the entire time from our guests...but again that would be expensive..and Im not totally sold on that yet. I will be doing a welcome folder with info, schedule, park maps, scavenger hunts, hidden mickey info, etc. Welcome bag stuff I am scraping for..because besides what I have already what will they need? Its November, not July so sunscreen or mini fans would be pointless. I really have no idea what else to put in them and completely understand the thinking that they could possibly be a waste or unappreciated. But I am asking people to come all the way to Florida so the least I could do was put together a nice gift bag for them, right? The kids bags are soo easy! I found a Disney Princess Wedding Coloringbook at Michaels the other day and got them for the little princesses that will be joining us! They werent a bargain, but I cant pass that up!

Favors are something I really have no clue about! HELP!!

 

[Dr.Cinderella]

PS Forgot to mention your ring is just gorgeous! And I love the crown detail for your flowers! So adorable. For Favors, we are planning on doing the Chocolate placecards...cute and delicious!

 

[pezaddict231]

Congrats and welcome! Everything looks wonderful! I really wanted to get one of those hangers, but they mainly only had the all wire ones when I was looking which I knew wouldn't hold my dress. The one you got looks great and will be so cute in pictures.

Love the welcome bag and logo, looks very nice and classic. I think guests do appreciate the welcome bags. For ours we did a folder with wedding info: bus pick-up times, ADRs, etc; a tip sheet and a hidden mickey search. I know a lot of people did actually read the tip sheet. We also put a bunch of snacks in there and then a little bear necessities bag that had advil, shout wipes, disney band aids, hand sanitizer and a few other little things. I didn't want to spend too much or go too crazy on them since sometimes things do just get thrown away, but who doesn't want to have some chips and cookies for their room? A lot of people that arrived late at night appreciated having something to snack on as soon as they arrived.

 

[pixie921]

I love what you have done so far! I'm anxious to see what else you have planned.

 

[BecBennett]

Wow, you've done so much!

I take it you must be driving to Disney to be able to get all your stuff there? I wish I could drive, I'd make a lot more stuff too... As it is everything I think about getting for welcome bags etc. I have to think "Now how heavy will this be, and how much room will it take up?"

I love your vases, and flowers and everything!

 

[Princess SarahK]

Yes, I will be driving because Im too much of a control freak to have everything shipped. We do not live close, by any means! It will be about an 18-24 hour drive. But like I said---control freak! I am sure something would go wrong or awry. Im sure it would be so much easier to fly and ship it all..but that would be pricey!

So earlier I had mentioned my dilemma about a bell girl or a girl ring bearer...what are your thoughts on this? I really just cant decide!

And favors..the poll starts now girls! What are you using for favors? Do you have any ideas for a girl thats completely clueless?

TIA!!

 

[LuvLuvLuv]

lol... we're driving too. it's about 12-13 hours for us--but i'm a control freak as well. i will be taking EVERYTHING!!

 

[Princess SarahK]

Well, when Bobby and I were first engaged in December 2009 I had a good idea of dresses and what I liked and wanted. Mom and I started looking around and one day we went to try stuff on. Here are a few that we tried and really really liked:

First we went to a boutique out in the suburbs where we live and found this lovely Eve of Milady...she was EXTREEEEEMELY EXPENSIVE! and I think that was a major drawback for me..while I still love the dress, a quarter of the budget just wasnt making sense to me..either way, shes gorgeous. Im pretty sure my mom loves this one enough she would have bought it and thrown the dress budget out the window..haha
Sorry for the crappy phone quality pics..

Then we went to another boutique in town where I met a lovely Maggie Sottero..I really loved this one..alot! Now please excuse the fact that it is waaay too small and doesnt really sit or fall right over my beyonce hips and butt..You get the general idea..I really LOVED this one.

We ended up leaving because I didnt want to settle so quickly without seeing other dresses. So off we went to Davids where I saw the dress I had been looking at since high school..you could say it was fate. We bought the dress that day, I love the lace, and the classic-ness of it.

Fast forward about 4 months and subtract 30 lbs. I went BM dress shopping with my BFF for her wedding and was trying dresses on at David's. My consultant was talking to me and helping me with dresses. She recognized me and we got to talking. When I bought the dress originally I bought a 14. When we were trying on BM dresses I told her I had lost some weight and would need a 10 or 12..she said okay and brought me the sizes...they were too small! So I ended up being an 8 that day! After throwing a dance party in the dressing room and having a serious pep talk to keep it up I tried on the dresses in my new size and was just soo happy...until I got some bad news. My consultant told me that I couldnt lose any more weight or they couldnt alter the dress any more. I guess 3 sizes is the max.?? So I said..uhhh no. I asked her if I could switch the gown I bought for a smaller size, she checked with the mgr and he said yes..thank GOD! So a few weeks later mom and I bring my gown in to exchange. I see a beauuutiful gown in the window and start to wonder..hmm. Nope, Ive got my dream gown and Im so big in the hips mermaid wouldnt look good on me..although every gown in my original look book was a mermaid..darn these hips! So I get my gown in a smaller size and try it on. I walk out and look in the mirror..eww. We have a problem

Thats my not happy face..my dream gown looks terrible on me. Aaaah the lace, the scalloped edges, my princess dreams down the drain. So then I look around and see the same mermaid lace gown I drooled over earlier and just like all the others I used to drool over but dismissed. Mom and I decided I may as well just try it on..what the heck?!?! So my adorable consultant comes and says well, weve got another problem..I only have the gown in a 4P and a 18W...umm crap. Im in between both of those..okay no biggie..but what do I do with my frumpy gown now? Consultant says, you can try the 4 and we can just get an idea. Okay..suuure. I laugh out loud and say, yeah FAT chance..literally! But ill humor you. I take the gown into the dressing room and holy crap, it fit over my hips! Then it continued to zip up...OMG this is seriously opposite day...The size must be mismarked! Either way I put it on and fall in complete love..way more love than the first gown! Here's my new lovely amazing gown. We ordered the 6P because Im very short, only 5' and the size 4 was really really really tight. And I am not a size 4 person at all, not in normal clothes ever!!..i think it may be the cut that let me get away with it.This dress is ivory, we ordered it in white you get the idea though..

I decided on the Mantilla veil, its so vintage and gorgeous with the gown..its just perfect! Sorry for all my weird faces in these.
These are the earrings I bought..I still drool.

I am currently searching for the perfect shoes but until we get the gown..another 4 months since we custom ordered it I cant get anything yet. I really love the Fifi Louboutins, just like Dr. Cinderellas (our styles is eerily similar) or the Alexander McQueen red ones with swarovski's..I think theyre called ruby red or something. They are just so expensive..I would love to wear hot pink shoes but my flowers are red..so we have an issue there. I also loove these..I am a believer in the higher the heel the better!
So these are currently my number 1! I love the lace and applique on it, as it sort of mirrors the gown.-These will be in white, if I get them.

Thats about it for now. I am still losing weight, or at least trying to. Ive been on a plateau for a while. I really want to drop 20 more lbs and keep it off! So I am definitely working hard at that.

Let me know what yall think of everything, I love getting yalls opinions! Thanks Girls!!

 

[BecBennett]

I still think you looked beautiful in the original DB dress, but yes that mermaid dress is stunning on you! Personally I think you need hips to pull off those dresses.

I love the shoes! They're gorgeous! DF and I are the same height, so I can't really have much of a heel, but I probably will anyway!

Sorry, can't help with the flower girl/ring bearer thing, we're not having either, but hey I always think "It's your wedding, do what you want!" Why not give her petals and the rings?