Fun Find: Disney Fairy Tale Weddings 2023 Fashion Show

Happy Fri-Yay!!!  And today is a big yay indeed.  This morning, Disney Fairy Tale Weddings had their annual Bridal Collection Fashion Show and it was live-streamed on YouTube.  I wasn't able to watch the live earlier, but I have watched the video and the collection is stunning.  As a Disney Bride who wore a licensed Disney wedding gown, seeing all of the new princess gown designs are always a highlight for me!

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Today, Disney Fairy Tale Weddings and Allure Bridals debuted 21 new wedding gowns inspired by Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Tiana and Rapunzel.  (I think that's also the order they had the girls walk down the runway if you want to skip ahead to see a particular princess.)

The backdrop of the fashion show was the iconic Sleeping Beauty Castle at the Disneyland Resort.  She looked extra spectacular as the castle is currently decorated for the Disney100 celebration.  The lights and florals at the end of the runway also made the show magical and added an elegant touch.

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I was excited to see a few familiar faces.  I've followed Courtney Quinn on Instagram for a while now.  She was also accompanied by fellow content creators Karlie Place, Toni Bravo, Allison Bickerstaff and Janette Ok to host and model some of the gowns.

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And for the first time ever, they debuted a bridesmaid collection!  At the end of the show, four girls came out in the new Aurora inspired gowns in pink and blue.  We only saw these, but they will be making bridesmaid gowns for all nine fo the princesses.

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My favorite part of the fashion show was that they showcased girls of all sizes, shapes and colors.  I've always thought that inclusion matters.  For me, it was nice to see some girls with more curves in the show.  I was never very hung up with my weight or appearance when I tried on wedding gowns, but I've heard horror stories from some brides about trying to fit into the few gown sizes bridal boutiques have.  It's good to know that they thought of women of all sizes when they designed this collection!

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I love all of the new gowns and I'd be hard pressed to pick a favorite.  My gown didn't have lace details, but I'm totally loving those.  (The Snow White and Cinderella gowns stick out in my mind.)  I'm still a big fan of the poofy princess-y skirts too.  I don't need another wedding gown anytime soon.  But Eliot and I have talked about having a vow renewal someday... I'll definitely be keeping these gorgeous gowns in mind!  °o°

Fun Find: 2022 Disney Fairy Tale Weddings Fashion Show

Today, I have a really fun find that I wanted to share.  If you love gorgeous gowns and fairy tale weddings as much as I do, then this is the post for you!

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On Wednesday 2/9, Disney Fairy Tale Weddings officially released their 2022 Allure Bridals wedding gown collection fashion show video online.  (Ironically, it was the same day that I was celebrating 10 years since I said "yes" to my wedding dress.)  I always love seeing the new Disney wedding gowns inspired by our favorite Disney princesses.

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I've kept an eye out on both the 2020 and 2021 releases and I honestly haven't been wowed by a lot of them.  But this year, there are a few gowns in the collection that really took my breath away.  Eliot and I have talked about having a vow renewal at Disney someday, and a few of these gowns are definitely on my radar!

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I think my favorite is the new platinum Snow White gown (below).  I love the neckline detail and the gorgeous florals cascading down the gown.  It's fit for a princess!

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Here's a look at the 2022 Disney Fairy Tale Weddings Fashion Show.

Oh my gosh... the gown at the end.  And how they used it as a projection screen tied into the castle!?!?!  What?!?!  That's pure Disney magic right there!  The Walt Disney World anniversary gown is stunning and I definitely need to know more about it!

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All of these gowns (and the models wearing them) are absolutely gorgeous!  I noticed that they have modest options for women who don't want to show as much skin.  There are a lot of different silhouettes in the collection of 25 new dresses this year.

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I also want to point out that I'm very impressed that Disney and Allure Bridals included women of many different races and plus sized women!  As a curvy girl, I love seeing girls that look like me wearing these gorgeous gowns.  The entire Disney Fairy Tale Wedding dress collection is available in sizes 0-30!!!  I'm totally on board with that!

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I think these new Disney wedding gowns are absolutely stunning and would make any girl feel like a fairy tale princess on her wedding day!  °o°

Wedding Wednesday: Saying "Yes" to the Dress

I wasn't planning to write a post today.  However, this morning I was reminded that it's been exactly 10 years since I said "yes" to my wedding dress.  I've thought about posting some Throwback Thursday style blog posts about planning our wedding for a while now.  (I've already done ones for our Save the Date and our engagement.)  It seems like the universe is trying to tell me something, so I've decided to roll with it.

In honor of Eliot's and my 10 year anniversary coming up later this year, I've decided to officially start a new segment here on my blog called Wedding Wednesday.

Ten years ago today, I took a day off (from the furniture store) to take time to focus on myself, pick out my wedding gown and spend some time with loved ones.  My Mom, Nana, Papa and my best friend Katie were all coming down from Maine to go wedding dress shopping with me.  My other friend Katie was also joining us, while her husband BJ and Eliot were going to meet back up with all of us for dinner.  I was so excited.  

Once Katie arrived, we went to the local mall where I had my first ever manicure and pedicure.  I had my nails done in a deep magenta pink that was one of our wedding colors.  Then, I had my toes painted lime green- which was our other wedding color.

Katie and I then drove over to the Alfred Angelo bridal boutique in Danvers, MA where we met up with my Mom, Nana and Papa for my appointment.  When I first entered the store, I was a bit overwhelmed by all of the options, but I settled in after meeting my consultant.  She asked me a lot about Eliot and our wedding plans.  I was so excited to tell her about our Disney Wedding and all of our venues!

I showed her a few of the gowns I'd looked at online and we got to work.  The one that I originally wanted with color going down the back did absolutely nothing for me.  And it was at this point that I realized I was pigeonholing myself.  I told my consultant that I was open to pretty much anything and the gowns just kept coming.

After finding out that Eliot and I were big Disney fans, my consultant had me try on a few of the gowns from the Disney collection.  The Belle dress was pretty, but it just didn't do it for me.  It was fun, but way too dramatic and over the top.  

The Snow White dress was beautiful, but I just didn't fall in love with it.

When she put me in the Ariel dress and it was as if the planets had all aligned.

I could tell this one was different by the reactions of everyone.  Both Katie D and Katie N thought it was stunning on me.  My Mom really loved it too.  Nana and Papa thought it looked great.  And I was over the moon in it.

The dress was a taffeta gown with a criss-cross front that tucked into the right side and draped around the back.  The front had cascading organza ruffles falling from the right hip.  The back was a lace up corset.  It featured fabric flowers with feather accents right where the ruffles started and also had a semi cathedral train.  It was gorgeous.

Before I knew it, we were adding accessories and a veil.  This was getting real!

I tried a few other wedding dresses on afterward, but none of them compared.  She put me back in the Ariel gown and that was it... except I wasn't a huge fan of the strap or the flower on the top.  We tucked the strap in and my consultant covered up the giant flower on my chest saying that they could take it off.  Once I saw it like that, I knew... this was the one and I officially said "yes" to my Alfred Angelo Ariel wedding dress!

After that, my consultant helped the girls with bridesmaid dresses.  We already had a few that we'd marked off, so we started there.  The girls looked great in all of them, but in the end we settled for a halter design for the bridesmaids and a single strap look for Katie D my maid of honor.  The dresses would be a deep magenta color called Lipstick and we would make them satin ribbon sashes to tie in the lime green.

We stayed to get my wedding gown ordered in the correct color, ivory and the correct size.  I also ordered the veil that I fell in love with.  I couldn't believe how much Mom was willing to spend on my dress, but she said it was perfect and that was the one.

Afterwards, we all drove back over to Woburn to meet back up with Eliot and BJ to have dinner and celebrate.  I kept things about my dress vague so Eliot wouldn't figure out which one it was.  And I never really told anyone which one it was so it would be a surprise for everyone on our wedding day!  (Even though a lot of people asked!)

For me, wedding dress shopping was a wonderful experience.  While I didn't leave the shop with what I had originally envisioned, the gown I picked was absolutely perfect and everything I could have ever wanted.  (Plus, it was an actual Disney Fairy Tale Wedding gown!)  To this day, I still love everything about my wedding dress.

I'm so happy that I was able to say "yes" to my dress with my Mom, my best friends and my Nana and Papa there.  It was truly a magical day and experience.  °o°

Quit Talking And Begin Doing

It's been five months since I wrote my Magic Maker post where I rediscovered and redefined my purpose.  And it's been five years since I first made my Mickey American Flag dress that I debuted on the 4th of July in 2016.  I'm so proud of my dress and how much people love it.  I've gotten so many compliments each time I've worn it!

The Mickey American Flag dress was just the beginning.  I was so happy with it that I created a few more.  I've worn my Mouseketeer one a few times- including at the D23 Expo in 2017 and for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party in 2019.  I wore my Disney Cruise Line dress on Embarkation Day on our first cruise.  The cast member at check in loved it so much that she let Eliot and I go in the Castaway Club line!  Then, I wore my Halloween print to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party in 2016.  I also have a few other dresses in my closet that I just haven't worn yet.  (Let's just say that I wasn't 100% happy with how a few of them turned out.)

I haven't worked on any new designs in years.  However, I did have a few other dress and skirt designs that I made on my old college laptop before it died.  (When I lost my computer, I also lost access to my designs and the software.)  As you know from my Calendar Conundrum, I haven't replaced the software yet.  But that ends soon.

For five years now, I have talked about opening my own clothing shop and dreamed about creating a clothing line.  I've never jumped in for one reason or another.  I've talked myself out of it so many times that it's ridiculous.  At one point, I thought I would need physical samples or no one would buy them.  (Not true because I know of a few other successful Etsy shops who only sell based off renderings.)  Other times, I've been afraid my designs aren't as good as other shops.  (My ideas are different... which would probably be beneficial.)  Most recently, I've allowed not having my old laptop and my design software to stop me from moving forward.

"The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing."  - Walt Disney

This afternoon, I finally quit talking and began doing.  I prepared to take the plunge to open my Wish Upon A Wardrobe clothing shop over on Etsy.  In an ironic twist of fate, once I finally got myself logged into my account, I realized that I had already taken the steps to open the shop way back in January of 2019.  For almost two and half years, it's sat there untouched just waiting for me to return.

So instead of opening the shop, I spent a few minutes this afternoon updating the shop and setting a few things up.  Right now, it's pretty bare bones, but I've gotten over the biggest hurdle by opening it and making an effort to prepare it for opening.   

Over the next few weeks, I'll be making item listings and getting the shop policies and announcements set up.  It's going to be a much different business model then both Happily Ever Hatter and Snowblade Creations so I can't just copy & paste everything word for word from those shops.  But I've got plenty of experience working with Etsy shops and shop design, so I'm not too worried about doing that part.

Soon, I'll be selling the dresses that I've waited five years to release.  I'm also working on getting my design software again.  I've recently realized just how much I've missed designing- especially when working with Canva making stuff for my blog updates.  

I still have a ways to go before I'm running at full capacity.  I'll probably have to re-learn a bit of the design software.  I'm also planning to learn totally new software that I can use to digitally draw things on my iPad Pro.  But all of that will come in time.

For today, I'm celebrating this small milestone on the path to my dream of having a clothing line.  I can't wait to see you grow up Wish Upon a Wardrobe!  °o°

Fun Find: The Dress Shop

Hi friends!  I'm sorry I haven't been around.  Eliot and I been so busy lately!  (I'll fill you in soon!)  I've had at least 5 posts planned since my last one and I never ended up having time to start and/or finish any of them.  I'm trying to get back into the flow... hopefully I'll be able to post more often next month!

I have something I wanted to share with you for Fun Find Friday.  If you follow the Disney Parks Blog, you've probably heard the news, but if not then I've got a treat for you!  As of this morning, the newest store opened at Disney Springs.  Disney parks favorites meet Disney style in the newest merchandise addition: The Dress Shop.

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The Dress Shop is a new collection of apparel and accessories, mainly vintage and retro inspired dresses.  The cool part is that they're all designed around a Disney character, movie or attraction.  It's a great way to add a little bit of Disney style to your everyday life, or to dress up in something a little bit more stylish at the parks.

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Honestly, I'm surprised that it took Disney this long to come out with their own line of dresses.  With events like Dapper Day, and the popularity of Disneybounding, it was only a matter of time.  (I'm really glad that time is now!  Finally!!!)  I'm so excited for this new addition to official Disney parks merchandise. 

From what I've seen of the collection, it's perfection.  The dresses currently range in prices from about $98-$119 and sizes are from XS-3X.  You can see more photos from the collection on DisneyLifeStylers Facebook page here.

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I think my favorite dresses are the Orange Bird, Small World and Tiki Room.  Although, I really love the Minnie Mouse, Tea Cups and Tower of Terror dresses too.  Plus, the matching handbags are super cute!  I hope this collection does well and that they release more designs!  I can't wait to get my hands on one (or more!) of these dresses!

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The collection is currently on sale at the Marketplace Co-Op in Disney Springs and a few of the items are also available at Vault 28 in Disneyland.

So, which one is your favorite?  Will you be adding any of these to your closet?  °o°

Wedding Trip Recap- September 24, 2012

On Monday, Eliot and I had our Magic Kingdom photo shoot first thing in the morning. Our photographer Stephanie was picking us up at Pop Century right at 6:15 am to take us over to the Magic Kingdom.  I got up at 3:00 am to take a shower and to get ready for my 4:00 am appointment with Beauté Spécialé for my hair and make up.

Eliot stayed in bed for part of my hair and make up appointment.  (Grumble.)  I was glad that I got to work with Jessica again.  At this point, we'd seen each other 3 times in a week and I knew the drill.  In no time she had my hair and make up looking amazing.  I had my Mom help me into my wedding gown and my Dad helped tie it up.  (Stephanie still had to help get the ties put away.  She rocked!)

Right at 6:15, we were off for our photo shoot.  I was so excited to see the Magic Kingdom empty!  (Or so I thought!)  Stephanie was a great tour guide and she showed us all of the behind the scenes sites.  I wish that'd I'd asked if I could take pictures of it.  She used her Disney Cast Member ID to get us in through the backlot.  I don't know what I was expecting, but we literally drove through the entire back stage area.  Stephanie showed us the back side of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.  We also saw some of the ride vehicles that were being serviced.

What I wasn't expecting, was how busy and not empty the park was.  Stephanie explained that it would be pretty busy with everyone getting ready for park opening.  We literally drove right out onto the walkway in Frontierland next to Splash Mountain.  There were cars and trucks parked all along the sides and workers were everywhere fixing the flowers or delivering supplies to the restaurants and stores.  It was insane to see cars parked where people are usually walking!

We pulled over near Liberty Square so we could be closer to Cinderella Castle.  Stephanie had us walk onto the grass through a gated entrance and she set up a tripod on the bridge facing the castle.  Her assistant set up lights down on the grass where Eliot and I stood.  We took a few photos at the castle with us looking at the camera.  Then we took a few photos of us looking at the castle.

After that, Stephanie had us come up closer to the walkway.  She had asked me to make sure that I brought one of our paper umbrellas, and now I knew why.  She helped position us behind the umbrella.  The result was breathtaking.  This is one of my favorite photos from our photo shoot.

Next, I got to play Cinderella!  We moved over to the Castle and I got to take a few photos looking like I was running up to the castle.  I love how they came out with the lights still on with the windows and clock lit up.  I truly felt like a real Disney Princess.

We also got to go inside the Castle to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique where we took a few photos in the mirrors.

And a few photos with our wedding shoes and stickers.  You can tell that mine are still brand spankin' new since I didn't wear them during our ceremony… me and my stupid black sandals!

Afterwards, we made our way towards Fantasyland where we got to use my other wedding shoes, my glass slippers.  I'd told Stephanie that I wanted to do something with them.  She had us set up by Cinderella's Fountain.  I thought it was a perfect location for Prince Charming to give Cinderella her glass slipper.  (Plus, I got to rest my foot on the fountain so I didn't tip over!  Score!)

We noticed that the other couple getting their bridal wedding photos done got to actually go onto the castle so I begged Stephanie to let us.  She had us walk up the back stairs with our "And They Lived Happily Ever After" sign.  I love how these photos came out!

She also took a few more once we came back down the stairs with the castle in the background.  Simply stunning!

Eliot and I had wanted to take some pictures in the New Fantasyland, but since it wasn't opened, we decided that we'd do a few by the new entry gates.  We decided to use the back of our sign with "Here Comes the Bride" since we didn't get to use it on our wedding day.

Finally, we finished our shoot at the Haunted Mansion.  If there's time, the Disney photographers will let you take pictures in the park that aren't in Fantasyland or at the Castle.  We both really wanted to take some here and Stephanie knew exactly what she was doing.  Some photographers take the pictures so that they Photoshop the groom's head onto the bride's hands (like in the ride when Constance beheaded all of her husbands).  

Stephanie decided that was too morbid so she had told us that she had something else planned.  I loved it!  She took a few photos with me in the background with my veil over my face.  Next, she took a few photos with just Eliot in them.  Then she told us that I'd be a ghost in the background.  We didn't get to see how they turned out until we got our wedding photos, but the result was fantastic!  I love it!

The Magic Kingdom photo shoot was well worth it, and I'd love to do it again someday. The only disappointment was with how dark it was when we took our first castle photos.  If we did it again, I'd make sure that it was brighter at 7:00 am so the photos would come out a little brighter!  But it was cool to get some photos with Cinderella Castle lit up pink in the background!

After our bridal photo shoot was over, we jumped back into the van and Stephanie gave us a gift.  She had printed out two of our wedding photos for us to see.  I was so excited that I couldn't wait to see how the rest turned out!  We told Stephanie that we might be back for a Trash the Dress session during our honeymoon, and she told us that Typhoon Lagoon was a great backdrop for photos.  We also said that we'd make sure that we booked her if possible. (We didn't end up doing the Trash the Dress on our honeymoon but it's still on our Disney Wishlist!)  All too soon, we were back at Pop Century and we had to say goodbye to Stephanie.

But there's no rest for this bride and groom, no.  We also had to do our video shoot from our wedding video package.  We could have opted to have Disney film our rehearsal, but since we were eating off property, it didn't seem worth it to waste the two hours of video on our 30 minute rehearsal.  Eliot and I decided to do the Love Story Interview instead.  We were given the option to film at a bunch of different locations, but ultimately, we decided to go to the Wilderness Lodge since we'd never been there before.

Once we got back to Pop Century, we changed out of our wedding attire and back into something a little more comfortable.  Then my Dad drove us over to the Wilderness Lodge for our 10:00 am appointment.  We got there a little early and explored the lobby while waiting for our video team.

Eliot and I aren't really camera people, but I'd gotten a little more used to it during our wedding day.  Although, I quickly realized that having a camera watching your every move is totally different from someone interviewing you with a camera a few feet away looking right at you. The wedding was a lot less nerve wracking!  

Eliot and I were seated on directors chairs right in front of the Silver Creek waterfall. Kirsten, our video coordinator, asked us a few questions about how we met, how Eliot proposed, why we decided to get married at Disney.  After a few questions, we eased into it and it was less terrifying.  She asked us how we felt a few days after our wedding, how it was and what we have planned for the future.

After that, they separated us to do individual interviews so we'd be surprised when we got our final video.  Eliot went first so I hung out by the lodge and took a few pictures of him. When it was my turn, they asked me about what I felt when I was walking down the aisle.  I laughed and told Kirsten that I couldn't see Eliot since I didn't have my glasses on!  But that I knew it was him obviously.  She also had me film a special message for him.

After that, Kirsten left us with our two videographers to film a B-roll.  The B-roll was basically supposed to be shots of us holding hands, kissing and having fun together.  We took some footage at the creek and Eliot started splashing me.  It was funny because anytime we did something spontaneous, they'd have us do it again for the camera.

Wilderness Lodge map. (Photo from Disney.)

Afterwards, we walked along the trail way and took some footage by the trees.  We also got some video of us on the boat dock.  We found the location where they rent out bicycles and we got to ride on one of those for free!  That was hilarious.  Finally, we ended the session with Eliot and I on the beach making hearts in the sand.  (I had NO idea what to expect, but the final result was really nice.)  We called my parents to let them know that we were done and we hung out in the gift shop while we waited for Dad to come pick us up.

Later that afternoon, it was time for Mom, Dad, Nana and Papa to leave and start the long drive back up to Maine.  I was pretty upset to have them go.  At that point, everyone else had left Pop Century and it was too quiet after having us, our families and all of our guests occupy the entire wing of our 50's section.  They were the last ones to leave and I was pretty depressed that it really was coming to an end.  Eliot and I helped them pack all of our wedding stuff into the trailer and they took everything that we wouldn't need for the next two days with them.

After a tearful goodbye, the car, truck and trailer all pulled out of the Pop Century parking lot, and Eliot and I went back to our room to take a nap after our super early morning.  I was completely emotionally wiped out at this point.

When I woke up, I felt a lot better.  We still had that night, the next day and part of the following day to enjoy the rest of our time at Disney. We decided that we were going to call our extra few days our "mini moon" since we were planning on doing a Disney Cruise or another trip to Disney the following year.  (We should have called it our "Minnie" Moon!)

We decided that since it was our last  night to watch whatever show we wanted, we would go back over to Epcot to see IllumiNations again.  We hadn't really been able to watch it the night of our wedding since we were so busy taking photos and video footage.  We didn't get there early enough to get a good view, but I was still happy to see the show.  

Afterwards, we danced to Promise for a few minutes before heading back toward the front of the park.  On the way we stopped at Mouse Gears to get a look at some of the wedding items that they had.

When we got back to Pop Century, we started to pack up all of our stuff since we were spending our last night at Disney at the Animal Kingdom Lodge and we had to switch hotels the next morning!  °o°