Wedding Wednesday: My Cinderella Moments

It's Cinderella's 73rd Anniversary today so I thought I'd do a special edition of my Wedding Wednesday blog segment.  For our Disney Wedding, Cinderella was one of the themes organically due to the location and what Eliot and I decided to include in our wedding day.  As soon as I knew we were getting married at Walt Disney World, it seemed natural to go along with the Cinderella theme. 

I think every girl dreams of being a real life princess at one point or another during her lifetime.  For some of us, that dream never dies... and that's why so many couples get married at Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Aulani and the Disney Cruise Line.

I was blessed to have many what I like to call "Cinderella Moments" during Eliot's and my Disney Wedding experience.  Today, I thought I'd share a few of those with you!

Riding in the Carriage- One of the things that I was most excited about was riding over to our wedding ceremony in Cinderella's Carriage.  Riding in the coach is one of those things you think you'll never be able to do, but with Disney Weddings you can.  It was one of the more indulgent parts of our wedding day, but the cost was worth it.

I've talked about my carriage ride before, but I'll reiterate my favorite part.  When we were leaving the Grand Floridian and heading over to Disney's Wedding Pavilion, a bus had to stop to let us out onto the road.  I'll never forget all of the little girls popping their heads up in the windows to catch a glimpse of the "princess" riding in the glass carriage.  I'm sure that I'm in plenty of random people's Disney vacation photos, and it's such a wonderful memory.  To some of those little girls, I *was* Cinderella and if that's not a true princess moment, then I don't know what else is. 

I even got to go into it twice.  Right after our wedding, they had Eliot and I take a short trip up to the road and back so they could take photos and some video footage.  It was the first time after our wedding that we got a quiet minute to ourselves, and it was nice to be able to soak everything in together.  Plus, it made for a great photo op!

Major Domo- Obviously this wasn't a necessity, but when you get married at Disney, you might as well make it as magical as possible, right?  And honestly, I've said it before and I'll say it again, when Major Domo walked down the aisle of the Wedding Pavilion with the glass slipper holding Eliot's and my wedding rings, that's the exact moment when it hit me that we were *actually* getting married at Walt Disney World and our dream was coming true.  It came over me all at once and I got emotional... having him there was 100% magical and something that I'll never forget!

Fireworks- Ok, so fireworks themselves aren't really a Cinderella thing.  But the experience of going into the World Showcase to watch IllumiNations from the France Pavilion definitely had a princess vibe.  From walking through the World Showcase in front of park guests (many who stopped to notice the girl in the poofy white gown), to having our own private location to watch the show, to all of the yummy treats at our Dessert Party, to taking spectacular pictures during the show, to dancing to "Promise" our wedding song after the show was over... the entire evening was a magical memory.

Slipper Photos- A few days after our wedding, Eliot and I had our photo shoot at the Magic Kingdom.  This was another must have... I mean, what's the point of having a wedding at Disney if you can't take advantage of the beauty the resort has to offer? 

I brought along a bag with a few photo props: my "glass" slippers and one of my pink parasols that Stephanie, our wedding photographer, told me to bring along.  One of my favorite photos of the morning was at the Cinderella Fountain that's tucked behind the castle.  Most people walk right by it without even noticing it.  Stephanie used it as a photo location so it would look like Eliot was putting the glass slipper on my foot.  We used the fountain so I wouldn't have to sit in my dress, and I also wouldn't have to keep my foot and leg lifted so long.  I love how the photo came out and I was thrilled to recreate this Cinderella movie moment!

Cinderella Castle Photos- I was so excited about the castle photos.  For months leading up to our wedding, I would become really overwhelmed with emotion every time I thought about Eliot and I having our own photos in our wedding attire with Cinderella Castle.  Thankfully, we got quite a few of them!

Our photos on the lawn didn't come out as well as I'd hoped they would.  (I think it was still too dark out.)  But we got a bunch of other ones that I could only have dreamed of.

I'm so glad Stephanie had me bring the parasol with me.  This is one of my favorites.

Eliot and I were also able to go inside of Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique for some photos.

My favorite moment though, was actually one that Eliot sat out of.  Stephanie had us go over to the walkway leading up to the castle where she and her assistant posed me with backlighting.  The result is something beautiful that I couldn't have imagined even in my wildest dreams.  It's the perfect princess moment... I felt like a real life Cinderella.

And to this day, I still have to pinch myself sometimes to remind myself that all of this actually happened.  Eliot's and my Disney Wedding really was a dream come true.  I am forever grateful to have had my own Cinderella Moments that I'll never forget.

Happy 73rd Anniversary Cinderella!!!  °o°

Magical Merchandise: Scentsy Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary

Well, Eliot and I were supposed to be home yesterday around noon.  But after pushing back our flight, flying into Providence, RI instead of Portland, ME, renting a rental car, getting caught in a snowstorm, and staying in a hotel in Woburn, MA... we finally got home and settled in this evening about an hour ago at 7:00 pm.  (It's still storming, we had to drive the rental car home to Maine, unpack our luggage, and then return the rental car to the Portland airport.)  Needless to say, it's been an interesting 36 hours!

I had planned this post though, so I'm going to go through with it.  Now that Eliot and I have (finally!) returned home from our epic two week trip during Walt Disney World's 50th Anniversary celebration, I'm looking to keep a little bit of that magic alive.

Photo Source

Thankfully, as you know, Scentsy created a special collection for Walt Disney World's 50th Anniversary, and Eliot and I have our warmer sitting at home waiting to be put on display.  These have been in the works for months, so you probably have already seen them.  I think we ordered ours back in March when I first told you about the castle. 

If you need a refresher, the main piece in the Scentsy collection is the Cinderella Castle warmer.  The castle is decorated in banners and a 50 medallion, just like the real thing.  It also has the same colors as the castle post makeover.  The iridescent wax dish is nothing short of stunning.  The entire pieces takes my breath away.

We also knew that they were coming out with a special scent of their wax melt Scentsy bricks.  It is called "EARaridescent" to go along with the 50th Anniversary theme.  It has a sweet smell, with notes of cedarwood, citrus, peony and apple blossom.  (Eliot's Mom got us the combo pack with the castle, so we got one of the giant bricks!)

What I wasn't expecting was anything else in the collection.  However, I was pleasantly surprised when they added these Mickey and Minnie Plush Scentsy Buddies back in October to coincide with the ship date of the castle warmers!  They are so cute!

Photo Source

Mickey has his classic shorts in a purple and blue pattern with gold buttons and a gold bowtie.  His face is white and overall body is a shade of purple instead of black.

Minnie also has a purple and blue polka dotted dress with a gold belt and a giant golden bow atop her head.  She's also made in the same purple/white color way as Mickey.  I absolutely love her dress and wish they made one in my size!

One of my favorite parts of both plush, is that they have the Walt Disney World 50th logo embroidered on the back of their outfits in a metallic gold thread. 

I love these guys so much that I might have to get a set to put in my office.  Their colors match the jewel tones I have in there, and they would look great on my shelf!

The Scentsy Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary Collection certainly adds a little bit of magic to your house.  I think it's the perfect way to keep the magic alive back home... and it will last well after the 50th celebration ends at the end of March!  °o°

Happy New Year 2023!!!

It's officially 2023 and Eliot and I are ringing in the New Year with Mickey!!!

Walt Disney World is my absolute favorite place to ring in the new year.  There is always something extra special about ending one chapter and beginning a new one in my absolute favorite place.  When the fireworks go off at midnight, it's so magical.  

I know it's not everyone's cup of tea.  The parks are always extremely crowded, but the atmosphere is electric with magic and possibility.  I always feel so inspired.

Last night was no exception.  Eliot and I were treated to a wonderful first day back at Walt Disney World.  We hadn't stepped foot inside a WDW theme park in 1078 days... and we have had a rough time lately, so it was like a shot of espresso that reawakened my soul.  I desperately needed that pixie dust... more than I ever could have imagined.

So now, we celebrate the beginning of another chapter from the most magical place in the entire world.  My heart and soul are dancing with excitement right now.

Happy New Year!!!  May 2023 be filled with lots of love, laughter and glee!!!  °o°

Magical Mickey Mail

We've gotten a lot of magical Mickey mail over the past two weeks!  I don't know about you, but I love to receive Disney mail!  It brings a little bit of the magic home!

During March Madness, Disney ran a "March Magic" competition pitting favorite Disney Rides and attractions against each other.  (You can read more about that here.)  This year, they also made t-shirts for each "team".  Since you can't buy merchandise for a lot of these rides, we were all over this.  His parents bought each family member his or her favorite ride.  Eliot and I also got a few of our favorites knowing we might not be able to find merchandise for them again.  The shirts were printed to order, and they just arrived earlier this week!  Eliot and I both got Main Street Electricity, World of Color Spectrum, and the Fantasmic Dragons.  Eliot also grabbed the Briar Patch Splash design.  I, on the other hand, opted for one of my favorites- the Philharmagic Maestros!

One of the perks of working really hard with my Happily Ever Hatter business is that I'm able to occasionally treat myself to handmade creations from other Etsy shops.  I love supporting other sellers.  On Tuesday, I received the bows I'd bought from Mad Hatter Bows.  I fell in love with her Rapunzel and Anna Coronation bows.  The details are fantastic.  They're really cute and I can't wait to wear them!

Last week, I received my order from MigotoChou.  I've been admiring Amanda's monorail bracelet for a long time.  She makes the cutest beaded jewelry!  She had a beautiful rainbow Mickey Balloon necklace that was calling my name.  I also asked Amanda to create a custom order for a Mickey balloon purse charm.  It was like Christmas when the package arrived!  I love all of my new accessories!  The Mickey Balloon necklace is absolutely stunning.  Pictures don't do it justice.

Yesterday, Eliot was home to receive a package that had to be signed for.  I can't tell you what it is just yet, but it has to do with the joint business idea we're working on!  I'm happy to report that we're ahead of the time schedule we were anticipating!  (Yay!!!) Therefore, I'll be able to share a lot more soon!  Here's one more hint!

Finally, I've saved the best for last!  On Wednesday, I received a package I wasn't expecting.  Upon further investigation, I discovered it was from a lady named Joan who is a My Disney Life blog follower!  I've never met Joan, but she comments on my blog posts occasionally.  She got our mailing address when she ordered from Eliot's Snowblade Creations shop.  Joan sent me a beautiful card telling me how much she loves to read my blog and how it brings her joy.  It's an amazing feeling to know my blog brings joy to others.  She also sent me a Disney recipe for the Liberty Tree Tavern Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake.  (I'll have to try it out this summer!  It looks really good!)

But that wasn't it.  I removed the tissue paper to find one more treasure inside of the box.  Before I finished opening it my eyes started to water.  Joan sent me this stunning castle sign with one of my all time favorite Walt Disney quotes.  (She'd never know, but I've been admiring the Hallmark Disney signs for a while now!)  I'm incredibly touched by her kindness.  Her gift left me speechless with happy tears.  Thank you so much for your generous gift Joan.  I sincerely appreciate it and I'll treasure it always.  I'm planning to put it on my desk with a few of my other special Disney keepsakes.   It will always bring a smile to my face whenever I look at it.  I'm so grateful for how Disney brings people together.  Further proof that Disney magic is real. °o°

Fun Find: Coolest Summer Ever

As most of you have probably heard, Disney has made a ton of announcements over the past few days.  (Frozen 2 is coming!  Yippee!!!)  I'm pretty excited about all Disney has in store for us.  But there was one announcement that really stuck out to me! Wednesday, Disney announced the "Coolest Summer Ever" at Walt Disney World!

Photo Source: Disney Parks Blog

The kickoff to summer starts with a 24 Hour Event over Memorial Day weekend. Guests can enjoy 24 straight hours of nonstop Disney fun at the Magic Kingdom from 6 am May 22nd to 6 am May 23rd.  Of course, guests are encouraged to show their Disney Side by dressing up as their favorite Disney characters!  This sounds like so much fun.  Going to one of these 24 hour events is definitely on my Disney Bucket List!

Of course, it wouldn't be the "coolest" summer ever without a little snow and ice from our favorite frosty film!  "Frozen Summer Fun" returns to Hollywood Studios from June 17th to September 7th.  Park guests will be able to see Anna, Elsa, Kristoff and Olaf! This doesn't surprise me considering the continuing popularity of Frozen.  I hope they extend it to the end of September so Eliot and I might get a chance to see it!  And make Olaf a meetable character!!!  Pretty please!!!

Photo Source: Walt Disney World

The "coolest" (he he... I'm punny) part of the announcement for me, was that it took place in Boston!  Good Morning America brought a little bit of hope for summer to Boston of all places!  It's been a rough winter in New England, so it's nice to bring us some Disney magic!  To make the announcement, they created a 20 foot wide summer scene complete with sand, sun, a beach chair, beach balls and an umbrella!  There's even a Cinderella (sand) Castle!!!  Of course, summer isn't complete without our favorite summer loving snowman!  Olaf helped make the announcement as the official host of the "Coolest Summer Ever".

Faneuil Hall was one of my favorites when I lived in Boston.  It's still one of my favorite places to go when we visit.  The historic atmosphere is awesome and the food at Quincy Market is amazing.  I just wish I'd been able to go see the sandcastle!

It's looking like Walt Disney World is going to be a fun place this summer!  Click here for more information about the Coolest Summer Ever.  Planning to attend one of these events?  You can always contact your friendly Key to the World travel agent, me!  °o°

Fun Find: Gingerbread Wonderland

Hi friends!  It's time for another fun find!  Last year, I came across a website for Disney's Gingerbread Wonderland.  The display, created out of gingerbread, modeling chocolate and icing, was on display over at Epcot during the holiday season of 2013.  I was excited to discover that the website with the photos is still active!

Photo Source: Disney's Gingerbread Wonderland

The masterpiece consisted of gingerbread models showcasing all of Disney's different travel experiences: Walt Disney World Resort featured Cinderella Castle, Disneyland Resort featured Sleeping Beauty Castle, the Disney Cruise Line featured the Magic, Aulani Resort & Spa in Hawaii was included and finally Adventures by Disney featured the Great Wall of China, the Eiffel Tower and the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Photo Source: Disney's Gingerbread Wonderland

On the website, you can get a closer look at the models.  You can do a 180 view of each design as well as look at detailed photos.  You are also able to watch videos about the making of Gingerbread Wonderland.  I love watching the design come to life! It reminds be of making models in my interior design classes during college.  The time lapse video shows you how they put the design together with the gingerbread "houses" and the scenery.  It's incredible to see the end result!  It took 15 pastry chefs six months of work to complete the display!  The coolest part is that everything is edible!

Photo Source: Disney's Gingerbread Wonderland

Another great feature is where you can make your own gingerbread castle picture frame!  (There's a link of the bottom right side of the page.)  Or you can click here to download the directions to build your own gingerbread castle frame!  Yum!  °o°

WDW Frozen Experiences

Do you like Frozen?  

I absolutely love it!  In fact, it might just be my new favorite Disney movie!  

There were so many fun things we did and saw this trip that involved Frozen.  I wanted to do a separate post about our Frozen experiences while at Walt Disney World.  I have a ton of photos and I didn't want to overload my recap posts with Frozen pictures! But I also didn't want to hold out on you guys either!  So if you like Frozen, you'll love this post!

The first thing that we saw Frozen in was "Celebrate the Magic" at the Magic Kingdom. Celebrate the Magic is a projection show that is shown with Cinderella Castle as the projection "screen".  It is set to music and it's amazing!

Here's the full effect of the show with the entire Cinderella Castle projection:

Frozen segment in Celebrate the Magic Castle Show featuring "Let It Go" (Video Credit: Attractions Magazine)

If you'd like to see a video with a closer view of the projections, check out this video by The Dis.  And here are all of my pictures from the show!

It starts with the castle lit up as if it were Arendelle.

Elsa appears in a spotlight singing "Let it Go". 

Then there are swirls of snowflakes all over the castle.  This was so coo!

Elsa continues to sing and there are flashbacks to her and Anna when they were kids.  

We get a quick glimpse of Olaf with the girls and Anna giggling.

The scene changes back to Elsa singing with a bunch of trees covered in snow swirling around the base of Cinderella Castle.

Elsa begins her transformation into her blue ice dress.

We see more swirling snowflakes before Elsa's magic appears to transform Cinderella into a shimmering purple, pink and blue ice palace.  The colors were incredible.

Elsa comes out fully transformed and snowflakes begin to appear all over the castle.

It was beautiful so I took as many pictures as I could!

The snowflakes swirled away.

Then Elsa walked across the front of the castle.

The Celebrate the Magic Frozen segment ended with "the cold never bothered me anyway" and Elsa shutting the castle door just like in the movie!  Then the snow magically disappeared and the next segment of the show started!

It was so good!  I'm so happy that we got this front row view last minute!  We didn't mean to but it really worked out!  I also didn't think that they'd still have this portion since I'd heard that it was an addition for the holidays!  I hope they keep it!  It's beautiful!!!

The next Frozen adventure we had was at Hollywood Studios when we went to the Animation Building.  I always love seeing the drawings in the Magic of Disney Animation. One of my first Disney memories was watching the animators drawing in a room filled with Disney toys and figures.  I was mesmerized by it.  I think that's the moment when I knew that I wanted to so something creative with my life.

We walked through the section of the Animation Building with paintings and sketches of cities, towns, jungles, and the castles.  Afterwards, we headed to the other side.  I wanted to watch the animators for a few minutes.  When we arrived, we noticed the room next to the animators had a ton of Frozen displays.  

There was an awesome board with Elsa in her coronation dress on the far wall.  We also could see one of Kristoff on the same wall.  On the side tables, there were some Olaf sketches!  There was also a pin board with all sorts of drawings on the side wall.  But it was so hard to see them from the angle we were at.  It was even harder to get pictures due to the reflections from the lights and glass!

At this point, I really started to get my hopes up.  The last time Eliot and I were at Disney, we saw the artwork from Wreck it Ralph in the Production Gallery. The trip prior to that, we got to see artwork from Tangled.  The drawings in the room below us were awesome, but I was really hoping to see more art from Frozen up close!

I was not disappointed when we entered into the Production Gallery and "bam!" there was a picture of Anna, Kristoff and Olaf right in front of me!  Woo-hoo!!!

There were three display cases.  The one closest to the entrance had concept art of the trolls, Kristoff, Sven and Olaf!

The case to the left of the first was filled with artwork of the different backgrounds and the scenery in Frozen.  You could see the mountains, snow, Arendelle, the village, and the ice castle that Elsa creates.

Finally, the last case next to the entrance to the show had concept artwork of Anna and Elsa! (Ok, so there were also a few pictures of Hans... but I'm still mad at him!  Ha!)

I was so excited to see all of the artwork!  I waited until everyone cleared the room for the show and then I dove into taking as many pictures as I possibly could!  And because I love you guys, I'm going to share them with you!

Here are close-ups of the case with Kristoff, Sven and Olaf!

I love the drawing of Olaf with all of the sand snowmen in summer!

Oaken's store was actually full at one point!

Here are sketches of the trolls and their home.

Arendelle and the surrounding mountains are covered in snow.

Here you can see a few drawings of Elsa's ice palace.

Here's the real fun!  I love character development!  Here are the many faces of Elsa. And how awesome are her shoes?!?!  I want a pair!

Anna's character development.  They even did a study of how her traveling cloak moved.

More pictures of Elsa as well as a few of Anna and Elsa when they're just kids.

Concept art of Elsa in her room with her powers taking over the room.

Last, but not least, Hans.  (Wait, last and probably least: least liked.  Anyways...) Here's Hans during his duet with Anna.

Finally, before we left the Production Gallery, Eliot and I took pictures with the poster of Anna, Kristoff and Olaf!  We love Olaf and couldn't pass up the chance!

The artwork was incredible!  I'm so glad that we got to see it while we were there!  But our biggest Frozen experience was still yet to come!

Photo Source: Pinterest (Original Pin here.)

As most of you know, I worked really hard on making myself a custom Elsa ear hat before we left for our trip!  (For those of you who don't know, I will be opening an Etsy shop for them very soon!)  My big goal this trip was to get a picture with Anna and Elsa while wearing my ear hat!

I also teased that I had another project that I was desperately trying to finish before we left. That didn't end up working out.  And although I brought my glue gun and supplies to Florida, I still never finished the last one!  (I'm hoping to finish it later this week!)  In the meantime, here's a behind the scenes look at Anna! 

Eliot and I knew that meeting Elsa and Anna was going to be quite an adventure.  What we didn't realize was how long we were going to wait to meet them!  We were hoping to get there right at 11:00 am when the character spot opened.  When we arrived at the Norway Pavilion Friday morning, it was apparent that everyone else had the exact same idea we did.  By the time we got over to Anna and Elsa, the line was already backed up to a 1:00 pm greeting time.  We finally decided to stay after realized that we'd probably be waiting that long no matter when we got there.

While we waited in line, we realized that Anna was the only one greeting guests.  I started to question staying in line.  We were told that Elsa would be there by 1:00 or maybe even 2:00. The cast members didn't seem to have an exact time.  We were in the 1:00 window, and I was debating letting people cut us if Elsa wasn't going to be there.  I really wanted a picture with her and my Elsa ear hat!  

Thankfully, as we got closer to the doors, someone spotted Elsa!  The sign outside the door was changed to both "Elsa and Anna" and I was thrilled that we were going to see both of them!  It was so going to be worth the 2+ hours standing in line!

Eliot and I got to enter the room while the family in front of us met Anna and Elsa. The little boy and girl had the cutest Olaf t-shirts on and the girls loved them.  The kids were so cute!  Anna and Elsa really took the time to interact with them too.

Before I knew it, it was our turn!  I started to walk over to them and Anna spotted my ear hat and proclaimed, "aww... wow!"  I then told her that I didn't have the time to finish the design for her hat and that I was really sorry!

She said, "no, it's ok.  It's just that I'm really impressed."  She then showed my hat to Elsa.  "Elsa look!"

Elsa loved it.  She asked me how long it took me to make it.  I told her it took a few hours. She showed me her snowflake cape and said that she made it herself, except for this one snowflake towards the front.  Anna made that one for her.

Anna replied "Yeah, it took me about 2 hours to make it too."  Then she looked back at my hat, "If I made your hat, it'd probably take me 2 months!"  I had to laugh.

I told Elsa that she's been visiting us a lot this winter in Maine.  She replied "I don't think I did that.  Although, I also don't remember freezing my entire kingdom either!"

We posed for a few photos together.  Then Eliot joined us and Elsa asked me, "shall we show our ice powers?"  So she and I posed using our magical ice powers.  (Yup, I totally tried to copy what she was doing.)

The girls were very nice and made everyone feel special.  Everyone had a good amount of time with them, especially after waiting so long in line to meet them.  The girls fit their personalities well and their outfits were amazing too.  Elsa draped her cape around a few times and the snowflakes sparkling on her cape were beautiful.

It was definitely worth the 2 hour wait!  My only regret is not having my Anna hat done so I could get pictures with both hats.  (Maybe next time!)  I was also pretty pumped at how many people asking me where they could buy my Elsa ear hat!  They thought Disney made it!  Yippee!!  I was so proud to tell them that I made it myself.  I also had a ton of cast members compliment it, which I consider the ultimate compliment!

Frozen is definitely the hot ticket at the parks right now.  There are rumors swirling around about Disney turning Maelstrom into a Frozen ride.  Disney has recently confirmed that they're going to eventually bring Frozen to Broadway.  There's even rumors of a movie sequel!  One thing is for sure, you can't find Frozen items anywhere in the parks!  I found one pin that I bought, and the only other Frozen merchandise I saw were a few books and a light up snowflake wand in the Emporium at the Magic Kingdom. It appears that they had a Frozen inspired display, but everything sells out as soon as it's put out according to cast members and guests alike.  

Photo Source: Disney

Hopefully with the movie's popularity, there will be many more Frozen experiences to come to the parks for guests to enjoy!  In the meantime, I hope that you enjoyed our Frozen experience at Walt Disney World!  °o°