Not all Disney wedding couples elect to attend an in person wedding planning session, but Eliot and I knew this was non-negotiable. Most of our wedding planning happened while Eliot was finishing his senior year at Wentworth and I was in charge of a lot of the details. But we both wanted to attend the planning session so we decided to do the in person session right after he finished with his finals, but before he had graduation.
My parents, my brother Jeremy and my Nana and Papa all went to Florida with us. It was so hot that week... most days we didn't leave the hotel until after 4:00 pm unless we had to. This was also the trip where Eliot and I first became annual pass holders when we both activated our passes gifted to us from Disney Fairy Tale Weddings.
Our plan for the week was to visit the parks as usual, but to do it around the schedule of events we had to plan our wedding. Thankfully, I had booked our planning sessions around two days, so that allowed us to enjoy the parks on the other days!
On Friday April 27th, Mom, Dad, Eliot and I headed over to Franck's Bridal Studio so we could take a tour of the Living Seas Salon in The Seas at Epcot, where we were having our wedding reception. We got a private tour from Joel (who reminded me so much of Joe Pavelski). We got to go through "backstage" areas to get into the facility and Joel drove us through private cast member roads to get to The Seas Pavilion. It was so cool to go behind the scenes of Epcot and see the countries from the back!
When we got back from our tour, we had a few minutes before our next appointment was going to be starting. Joel told us we could go into the Wedding Pavilion since no one was currently using it for a ceremony. This was the first time that any of us had ever entered it and it was an emotional moment for me. This was really happening!
After our tour, Mom and I attended a session with Shelley from Impressions. She was designing our wedding invitations and all of the paper products. We met with her at Franck's Bridal Studio, the Disney Fairy Tale Weddings headquarters located right beside the Wedding Pavilion. We picked out colors, designs, and details while there.
The highlight of our trip was on Monday April 30th, when we finally had our Wedding Planning Session. They only allow four people at the planning session, so Mom, Dad, Eliot and I attended that. During our meeting, we met with our Disney wedding planner Christy to discuss our vision and the timeline for our day. Then, we also went over details like table linens, floral arrangements, decor for both venues, etc. But the best part of the session was trying out wedding cake and frosting samples!
Another pretty big highlight of our trip was our Epcot Menu Tasting. That took place after our Wedding Planning Session. It was so cool to go behind the scenes at Epcot again. This time, they took us into the actual Epcot kitchen. We had a small table set up right in the middle of it, and there the four of us sampled our pre-selected menu.
Eliot's not into fancy foods, so he wasn't eating that much while we were there. Christy asked Eliot what he usually ate at home, and he answered tater tots. We all got a good laugh, but a few minutes later, we understood why she asked. One of the Epcot chefs came out with a plate full of tater tots for Eliot. (The table must have had a hidden microphone.) They took note of it too, because on our wedding day, the same chef came out with a plate of tater tots for Eliot at our wedding reception. It was really special and our private menu tasting at Epcot was an experience that I'll never forget!
The rest of the week, Eliot and I enjoyed our time exploring the parks and riding on our favorite rides with my family. One of the days, we took advantage of the hot weather and visited the water park at Typhoon Lagoon. It was so refreshing!
The rest of the week, Eliot and I enjoyed our time exploring the parks and riding on our favorite rides with my family. One of the days, we took advantage of the hot weather and visited the water park at Typhoon Lagoon. It was so refreshing!
Eliot and I never took formal engagement photos, so another day we dressed up in coordinating outfits and took a few PhotoPass photos at the Magic Kingdom. We also had my brother Jeremy capture a few photos of us at the Contemporary Resort, on the balcony from the Main Street Train Station and on Main Street USA.
We also enjoyed visiting the Flower and Garden Festival at Epcot. We had seen the topiaries before, but this was the first time I remember seeings so many of the newer ones! We were certainly dazzled by all of them spread out over the World Showcase!
We also enjoyed visiting the Flower and Garden Festival at Epcot. We had seen the topiaries before, but this was the first time I remember seeings so many of the newer ones! We were certainly dazzled by all of them spread out over the World Showcase!
It was a wonderful week and Eliot and I had such a great time planning for our Disney Wedding! I only wish that I'd taken more photos of our planning session and our menu tasting. But other than that, it was pretty much picture perfect! °o°
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