#tbt My Bridal Shower

Exactly 10 years ago, we celebrated Eliot's and my upcoming wedding with my bridal shower!  Last week, I showed you some of the preparations for it, but since it was on August 25th, and today is Throwback Thursday, I knew that I needed to go more in depth about the actual event today.  So let's travel back in time 10 years ago today... 

Saturday, August 25th was a beautiful summer day here in Maine.  We were grateful for the great weather so we could have my bridal shower out on the deck.  My parents' house has a huge deck that Dad built, so there was plenty of room to put everyone!  I remember being so excited about it, because a few of the people coming to my bridal shower weren't able to go down to Florida for our Disney Wedding.

That morning, Eliot, Katie D. and I got to work getting the final decorations set up and hung.  Eliot got on the ladder to hang some of the giant cupcake pinatas from the big tree.  We also set up all of the stuff for everyone to sign and all of the food.

I don't remember much of the actual party, but I remember parts of it.  I recall everyone doing the questionnaire that Katie and I had prepared.  I remember Elissa Skyping with us since none of Eliot's family were able to make the trip from California but she still really wanted to be part of it.  I also remember sitting on the deck opening all of my presents.  (There were lots of pink and lime ones to match our wedding colors!)

While I can't recall everything from it, I have a lot of great photos that always make me smile!  I thought that I'd share some of those with you today!

BJ and Katie N. were some of the first people to arrive.  Eliot and BJ were going to go spend the afternoon together during my shower.  

Naturally, they were being mischievous before they left on their adventure...  BJ even stole my crown for a quick photo!  Look good BJ!

There were cupcakes and ice cream decorations everywhere!

I used cupcake liners and handmade ice creams as hanging decor.

Mom hung up one of Elissa's bat mitzvah Mickey towels on the deck door.  Then on the other side, I hung photos from our wedding planning trip to Walt Disney World that April.  (Side note, I didn't even remember this... I'll have to hunt these photos down because I don't think I have them.  They might be hard copies that my Mom has!)

I loved the hanging outdoor decorations!!!  Lanterns and poofs and cupcakes, oh my!

My party favor bags even coordinated with the overall bridal shower colors!

We also had these homemade ice cream bath favors that I made.  The bottom "cone" part is brown sugar and body wash, and the "ice cream" top is a little shower puff!

Katie was in charge of the candy bar and it did not disappoint!  Yum!!!

My favorite part was the little wedding M&Ms!

I set up the signing table with a few things for party guests to sign.

This handmade bridal shower plate was my pride and joy.  I worked really hard on it and I was so excited about it!  You basically draw on a plate with Sharpies and then you bake it to set the marker.  I don't ever plan on using it since it's a great keepsake!

I was really happy with how all of the little details came out.  These aren't great photos since they're from a digital camera ten years ago... but you get the idea.  I think the Mickey Mouse cherries at the corners of the plate are my favorite part!

I also decorated a few scrapbook pages for people to leave a longer message.

Of course, you can't have a cupcake and ice cream themed party without having some food.  The spread was quite delicious!  And I was so excited to use my special ice cream sundae topper bowl.  It was a cute centerpiece and practical!

We found a Disney Princess cupcake stand for the "ice cream sundae" cupcakes.  I think Katie D was the one who made the cupcakes...

Speaking of my maid of honor, Katie was a rock star helping my Mom plan this entire thing!  Once I got into my dress, she and I got a quick photo before everyone arrived!

I was showered in so many gifts from everyone!  They took over the futon!

The silliest part of the day was the toilet paper bride game.  Everyone was split into three groups to make a wedding gown, veil and flowers... my Aunt Janie, cousin Kaitlin and Aunt Jeri were the good sports about getting all dressed up in toilet paper!

I also had a special moment with Katilin's son Emery when we gave him his party favor gift.  He was our ring bearer- even though he was only 20 months old at the time and a bit young for it.  Eliot and I had bought him a little Mickey plush so he'd have something to play with before our wedding.  (Eliot and I knew we were having Mickey come to our wedding reception and we didn't want Emery to be afraid of him and Minnie Mouse!)

Finally, we had to take a photo with me and all of my party guests! (If you look closely, you can even see Elissa on my laptop!)  Thankfully, we let Daddy stay for the party, so he was able to take it for us!  Plus, even though he's not in these photos, he was there for my entire bridal shower, and I think Papa was too!  I'm so grateful to all of these women for coming to spend time with me before our big day!

As you can see, my bridal shower was pretty "sweet"... get it?  (hehe.)  But in all seriousness, I had a wonderful day and it was a blessing to be surrounded by women who mean so much to me.  Thank you to everyone who made it special for me!!!  °o°

Our 4th Wedding Anniversary

Today is Eliot's and my 4th wedding anniversary!  It's hard to believe that four years have passed since we had our Disney Wedding.  It was a dream come true and sometimes, it still feels like it was a dream!

Thankfully, we splurged on photos and videos so we'll always have reminders of our special day!  I was going through a few of them the other day, and I created this short slideshow video for my Instagram account.  I thought I'd share it here too!  (Note: It's made to be viewed on Instagram so the photos are not a very high quality!)

We don't have any big plans for today.  Honestly, we've been so busy with ears that I've barely seen Eliot this month!  But, it'll totally be worth it when we're at Walt Disney World and on our cruise in a few more days!!!  (10 days until our cruise!)  We've already decided that we'll celebrate more then!  And what better place to celebrate then where our Happily Ever After first started?

ChEars to four magical yEars!!!  °o°

Disney Bride Christmas Exchange

Being a Disney Bride is an incredible honor.  It's like being part of a magical sorority of sisterhood.  No matter when your wedding was, you're always a Disney Bride.  I'm very proud to be part of an online community of Disney Brides on Facebook.  We share our wedding photos, stories, encouragement, tips and advice with each other.

This year, we decided to have a few holiday exchanges!  One was for Christmas cards and the other was for an ornament.  Of course, I signed up for both of them.  I love sending and receiving fun Mickey Mouse mail.  I was placed in a group of twelve girls and we all had to mail each other Christmas cards so we'd received 11 cards in total.

I wanted to include a little pixie dust in my cards.  I mailed all of the girls a gift card for 50 free 4" x 6" photo prints from Snapfish.  Eliot and I had given them to our wedding party as a thank you after our wedding was over and I had some extra cards!

Then, we were also paired up with one of the girls to get an ornament.  My ornament buddy's name was Elizabeth.  She and her husband were married in 2015 so I found two picture frame ornaments with the year on them.  I wanted her to have some ornaments with their wedding year so she could put some wedding pictures in them!

In turn, I received an ornament from my buddy Lisa.  She ordered me a beautiful ornament from Etsy.  The US postal service took a while to deliver my package, but it arrived just in time for Christmas!  I love it!  It's so cute and it looks great on the tree!

I'm so glad I participated in both the Disney Bride Christmas Card and Ornament Exchanges!  It was tons of fun!!!  Plus, it was also a great way to get to know some of the other girls in the group.  I hope to do it again next year too!  °o°

Our 3rd Anniversary

Today is Eliot's and my third wedding anniversary!!!  It's hard to believe it's already been three years since our Walt Disney World Wedding.  It was a dream come true!

To celebrate, I thought I'd take you for a walk down memory lane.  Our wedding trip was the most magical Disney trip we've ever had.  It was full of great memories with our family and friends.  Two years ago, I wrote recaps of our wedding week trip.  It's fun to look back at them each year at our anniversary.  I've put them in round-up format so it's easy to bounce between them, or to read only a few.  Enjoy!

Wedding Trip Introduction- Why a WDW Wedding?, Wedding Planning, Venues, etc. 

Wedding Trip Recap- September 14, 2012- Packing, Traveling to Florida, Checking In

Wedding Trip Recap- September 15, 2012- Hello Walt Disney World, Magic Kingdom, Typhoon Lagoon, Pop Century Pool

Wedding Trip Recap- September 16, 2012- Epcot, Pop Pool, Magic Kingdom

Wedding Trip Recap- September 17, 2012- Hair/Make Up Trial, Wedding Projects at Pop Century, Hollywood Studios

Wedding Trip Recap- September 18, 2012- Getting Our Marriage License, Wedding Projects at Pop Century, Bachelor and Bachelorette Night

Wedding Trip Recap- September 19, 2012- Wedding Party in the Magic Kingdom Park, Wedding Rehearsal, Rehearsal Dinner at Golden Corral

Wedding Trip Recap- September 20, 2012 Our Disney Wedding Day!!!

Wedding Trip Recap- September 21, 2012- Animal Kingdom, Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party with Family and Friends

Wedding Trip Recap- September 22, 2012- Universal Studios, Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Magic Kingdom

Wedding Trip Recap- September 23, 2012- Blizzard Beach, Bob Evans

Wedding Trip Recap- September 24, 2012- Magic Kingdom Photo Shoot, Wedding Video Shoot at Wilderness Lodge, Epcot, Minimoon Begins

Wedding Trip Recap- September 25, 2012- Goodbye Pop Century, Checking into Animal Kingdom Lodge, Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party

Wedding Trip Recap- September 26, 2012- Epcot, Goodbye Animal Kingdom Lodge, Magic Kingdom, Goodbye Walt Disney World

As you can see, it was an action packed trip.  Eliot and I had a blast and were sad to see it come to an end.  But it was the start to another adventure that's been fun these past three years!  Here's to many more happy years together as Mr. and Mrs.!!!  °o°

Fun Find: Hokey Donut

It's time for Fun Find Friday!  Today's find is Hokey Donut on Etsy!!!

In honor of Black Friday, I wanted to share a shop from one of my first Etsy friends.  I met Cheryl when I was in the process of planning our Disney wedding.  Cheryl makes Disney jewelry and I immediately fell in love with all of her designs.  I've bought from her shop on a few different occasions.  (I really can't help myself.  They're just that awesome.)

Cheryl makes designs for the holidays, Disney Cruises, Aulani and events- like a Disney Wedding!  She has different characters, different patterns and designs.  She also has designs for popular movies, music groups, sports teams, sci-fi, and other well known characters.  You can find her Etsy store here and her Facebook page here.

Those of you who follow me regularly know that I have a weakness for Disney holiday items.  I was completely hooked when I discovered Cheryl's holiday earring designs.  So far, I've gotten some for Halloween and Christmas.  I'll probably have to see if I can get designs for the other holidays at some point.  ;-)

The other thing I've fallen for are her Origami Inspired Rhinestone Lockets with Charms. I've always loved floating locket designs.  Cheryl has made them a must have.  She's designed charms that are perfect for a Disney locket!  How cute is this Disney Christmas locket with the little snowman, nutcracker, wreath and Santa hat charms!

You can get charms of your favorite character, holiday, movie or even a Disney Cruise honeymoon design with bride and groom ears!!!

Plus, if you become a fan on Hokey Donut's Facebook page, you can receive the latest scoop on new products and specials just for her fans!  Also, yours truly is one of the featured customers on her cover photo!

Purchasing from Hokey Donut means you are getting high quality polished earrings and locket charms that are coated for protection.  These are great quality.  Cheryl also takes great care in shipping them so they'll arrive safely.

I have over 15 pairs of earrings from Hokey Donut.  I absolutely love them and they're my "go-to" earrings while I'm in the parks!  I always match them up with my theme park clothes.  I also have some for my eventual Disney Cruise and trip to Aulani.  I even have a Gryffindor pair of earrings for visiting the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!  (The photo below is a few of the Hokey Donut earrings I have collected thus far!)

You can get customized options!  I ordered custom Disney Bride earrings with Eliot's and my wedding colors and I still make sure to wear them whenever I can.  Cheryl is great with specializing your order to what you want.  You just have to ask!

Here's the best part!!!  Cheryl is offering My Disney Life blog readers a VIP experience with FREE SHIPPING in honor of Black Friday.  The coupon code is MELISSA and it will be active from Friday until Sunday!!!  (11/28/14- 11/30/14)  All you need to do is type in MELISSA during the checkout process.  Please note, there is a $10 minimum total of your purchase for the free shipping.

So get on that guys!!!  It's a great time to get some!  These are perfect stocking stuffers for the Disney fan in your life!!!  In fact, I'm going to do a little shopping myself!!!  °o°

Note: All of these photos are from Hokey Donut's Etsy and Facebook pages. Cheryl owns the copyright on them.  Please do not use them without her permission.