planning

Disney Honeymoon Dreaming : Planning for the Parks

Third Time Wife, Wedding Planning
digital collage by Miss Road Trip

digital collage by Miss Road Trip

While I firmly believe you can have plenty of Disney fun without setting foot inside the actual parks, the 4 parks of Walt Disney World are the big draw. There’s a lot to see, do, and experience out there and it helps to have a plan.

Tickets, please!

I don’t know about you, but I still get a slight case of sticker shock when I look at park admission prices to anything Disney. A single park, single day pass will set you back $95 for the Magic Kingdom or $90 for one of the other parks. Ouch. Thankfully, Disney really wants you to spend more than just one day with them, so they give discounts for tickets that span multiple days. Instead of costing $475 for a 5 day pass (1 park per day, $95 x 5), it’s only $289.00 (or $57.80 /day); for 10 days it’s only $339 (or $33.90/day). Now, if you want the flexibility to Park Hop (go to multiple parks in a single day, a very useful feature in my mind), it’s a flat $59 (plus tax) no matter how many days your ticket is good for.

My 2006 Key to the World Card | personal photo

My 2006 Key to the World Card | personal photo

As Florida residents, we generally get a break on ticket prices–I think the theory is that if they charge us less, we’ll be likely to visit more often–and they also give up a lot more options. Whereas anyone can purchase an Annual Pass (a definite savings if you plan to be in the parks for 10+ days or are planning 2 trips within a calendar year), Florida residents actually get some seasonal options that might black-out certain high-traffic periods, but otherwise are good deals. I kept digging and found out that the Weekday Select Annual Passes for Florida residents have the usual high-traffic black-out dates (which we’d never want to visit during anyway) but are good any other Monday-Friday. Since we’ll be driving down there on a Sunday and heading home the following Saturday, this was pretty much perfect. Best part, these passes cost $212–so for what one regular Annual Pass (FL Resident discount applied) would have costs, we got 2 Weekday Select passes. (For reference sake, a 5-day Park Hopper–annual passes are automatically hoppers–would have been $346, so even if we don’t make it back before our anniversary, we still did pretty good.)

And if I hadn’t stepped in to “help” plan, Mr. Road Trip would have spent way more than he needed to, but he’s learning.

Right This Way

Tickets done, now comes the fun part: deciding which parks to visit on which days. Now, I know not everyone wants to be that structured, but forewarned is forearmed and all that, and I like to be prepared.

Disney will almost always be busy, and often packed. Sites like www.easywdw.com and others, though, make a habit of predicting the crowd levels to help people like me plan the least stressful way to tour the World during our trip. They also include which parks might be opening early or staying open later (for resort guests only, a definite perk) called Extra Magic Hours or EMH.

image via Passporterstore.com

image via Passporterstore.com

For more in-depth planning I think PassPorter’s Walt Disney World guidebook is tops! I first found this guide back in 2004 when I was planning two long weekend trips and it was awesome to have all that information at your fingertips. Every attraction is rated and described and the maps are incredibly detailed. They also offer digital versions if you prefer to carry your tablet or smartphone instead of a guidebook (though I prefer the print version–it has planning pockets in the back).

By planning ahead I know that Animal Kingdom (the only park Mr. Road Trip has yet to visit–it wasn’t open last time he was there) closes earlier than the rest of the parks, and that Monday (the day we plan to visit AK) is evening EMH hours at Hollywood Studios, so we can plan to hop over there and get some extra rides in after supper. And while we plan on spending all day Tuesday at EPCOT enjoying the regular sights as well as the Food & Wine Festival, I found out that the former lead singer of STYX, Dennis DeYoung, is performing Thursday night as part of the Eat to the Beat concert series (part of the Food & Wine Festival) so we’ll leave DHS (our least favorite park, though the PIXAR updates might change our mind) early enough to catch his 6:45 show before our 8pm dinner reservations in Japan. And then for Friday we’ve secured our tickets for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, the first of the season, as soon as the ticket sales opened, so whatever we don’t get to on Wednesday (our planned MK day), we can catch up on that night when the crowds will be even lower.

And, of course, having a park plan makes the final prep step that much easier…

Do you like to have an itinerary on your vacations or just go with the flow?

Getting Ready for Our Close-Ups

Third Time Wife, Wedding Planning

The night before our engagement shoot would normally have been our weekly date night. Instead we were rushing around until a bit later than we’d intended pulling together our outfits and props for the next day.

We’d procrastinated the whole glasses situation, but I managed to put in an order on New Year’s Day and have my new, frame-free eyewear in hand in a little over a week. Mr. Road Trip, on the other hand, hadn’t even gotten an appointment by then, so picked up some reading glasses similar to his existing frames to use as stunt specs on the day of.

As far as wardrobe went, we planned for 3 outfits to roughly correspond to our 3 locations. For the shoot at Honey Lake Plantation we wanted something a bit bright to stand out against all that nature without clashing violently with it or each other. (Obviously the items in the sets below are NOT what we wore, just the closest representations I could find on polyvore).

HLP Engagement Outfit
HLP Engagement Outfit (click for source links)

Next was our stop at Lofty Pursuits–our local soda fountain. There was one inspiration picture at a bar or some sort, with neutral tones and the woman in this amazing red dress. We weren’t planning that swanky of a stop, but I figured it could be kinda neat in an incongruous way.

Lofty Pursuits Engagement Outfit
Lofty Pursuits Engagement Outfit (click for source links)

Then, finally, we would relax a bit at the comic shop. Time for jeans and fun, but I still had to include some awesome shoes (mine were hot-pick cap-toes–you’ll see) and even though he could have, T opted to forgo one of his many geeky T-shirts for another of his button-down shirts with a nice pattern to it (hence my clumsy grid over the shirt I used in a previous set).

Comic Shop Engagement Outfits
Comic Shop Engagement Outfits (click for source links)

As for props, we definitely had to bring some wine, glasses, a blanket, and a basket with us. That, plus the banner were the lion’s share of any props we thought of using. Then we had the cute idea to try to include a monkey in as many shots as possible, just a silly little something somewhat “unique” for the shoot. Since we had plenty of monkeys around the house, the trouble was in picking which ones were best to bring with. We settled on 3 of the plush variety and the sparkly necklace one Mr. RT gave me birthday before last that I wear most days.

How did you decide what to wear for your photos–did you shop especially for them or shop your closet?

11 Months and The Big List

Third Time Wife, Wedding Planning

To-Do List graphic

December 2nd marked 11 months until the wedding and things haven’t progressed much since last month.

Oh, wait, I take that back!

I sat down and made The Big List of all things wedding left to do and it took 8 pages in my little notebook. I’m in the process of putting it all into a spreadsheet so I can do all my sorting and shuffling and happy little OCD-ish organizing stuff. So far I’m 2 written pages in and on line 36. It’s gonna be a long one, folks!

But what’s fun about the whole list-making process is you can make it any way you want.

I set up my list with these headings:

  • Category (decor, logistics, papers, etc.)
  • What (that actual thing to do)
  • Who (me, Todd, both of us, a vendor, etc.)
  • Where (venue, home, “global” for those pesky things that could come from anywhere)
  • When (due dates, meeting dates, appointments, etc.)
  • Why (useful when you question your sanity–“so the tables won’t be nekkid” and “because it’s cool” are totally valid answers for why)
  • How (we’re not talking step by step, it’s more like “shopping,” “crafting,” and “think, think, think” for decision-making things)

Did you know you can insert pictures into spreadsheet cells? Sure, Pinterest and bookmarks work, but why sift through the 150 things you pinned last Saturday once you’ve narrowed your faves down to 2 or 3? Just pop a thumbnail in a cell and you’ve got it all in once place.

Generally speaking, one list leads to more lists but you can’t get to List 2 without List 1.

We managed to book our engagement photo shoot for January–might be a little chilly but that could work for us (I like sleeves, you know). It could also be a freak hot snap and we’ll melt. Either way it’ll be caught on film!

Also, I’ve been working on the beaded trim for my cropped cardigan. I’ll do a more in-depth look at the hows and stuff once I get this part of it fully done. But here’s a sneak peak of it in process:

Beaded trim in progress

Pretty Book and Flower Icon

 

What’s the longest list you’ve ever tackled?

Creating The List

Third Time Wife, Wedding Planning

Into every wedding, a list must fall.

Most weddings, several lists come into play. If you have a wedding planner, he or she will have a list for you. If you’re planning it yourself, every bridal book and magazine and website has lists for you to follow.

The thing about those lists, is that it’s hard for 1 person to come up with a list that’s going to fit your wedding perfectly. So you’re either skipping over the things that don’t apply, or writing more stuff into the margins. And that’s no good.

Instead, I suggest you take your top 3 lists, from whatever source they came from, and create your own master list.

Sounds scary, and like a lot of work, but once this bad boy is put together you’re going to feel really good about what’s ahead.

Right now I’m a couple weeks out from our big, mostly-annual Halloween party. Now, considering how many times I’ve thrown this party, you might think everything gets done in my sleep by now.

No

In fact, each party I throw is always a little different because I tweak things here, add things there, ditch stuff that didn’t work, and so on. And even if it was a cookie-cutter operation, there are still things that need to get done each year and if I don’t have them written down, there’s a good chance I’m going to forget something until the last moment and have to scramble.

As a hostess, I prefer not to be scrambling when the guests arrive.

Granted, this is a party for 20 or so friends and family, not exactly the scope of a wedding, right?

Think about it this way: my parties include mailed invitations, a menu, decorations, seating, activities management, and even party favors. The difference between one of my usual parties and a wedding is only a matter of scale.

And there have been plenty of small, backyard weddings that took less than the planning and prep for my average Pumpkin Party or Fairy Fest.

Back when I was planning on becoming a professional event planner (end of high school, early college; pre-Culinary School, obviously), one of the best tips I ever learned was to do a mental walk-through of the event as a guest. In your head, your imaginary guest is going to do everything you’ve planned for them to do, and it’ll point out things you might have missed like making sure there’s a trash can nearby.

To build on that, for a wedding list, I’d say go through each part of the event–starting with the rehearsal dinner–and mentally attend it, asking yourself the big questions.

Who‘s in charge of it?
What do you see? hear? taste? feel? smell?
Where‘s it gonna be?
When is it?
How will be people know about it? get there?
Why is this important?

We’re incorporating the “reporter questions” with the 5 senses and filling in the blanks. Not all questions will be applicable to all settings, but it’s good to run through them in case something jogs your memory. As you think through those items, write down or type everything that comes to mind.

Thinking about our rehearsal dinner, my answers would look something like this

*bride & groom
*People–family and out of town guests, music–supplied by site, food–small group, off the menu?
*restaurant (make reservations)
*November 1, time tba, depending on venue schedule
*Guest list for the rehearsal, send out with invitations, arrange shuttle or carpool for guests in from out of town
*So that we can relax with our friends before the frenzy of the next morning.

So, from thinking this through, I know that I need to add the following to my Event Master List

  • Create rehearsal dinner enclosure for select guests, include with invitations
  • Get count for rehearsal dinner
  • Firm up rehearsal time with ceremony site
  • Make reservation at La Fiesta
  • Ask about fee for resort shuttle for guests staying on property
  • Alternately figure out how many people will need transport and how many cars will be available
  • Ask about limited menu vs a la carte at the restaurant
  • Decide if we’re presenting any gifts at rehearsal dinner
  • Make/purchase gifts (optional)
  • Decide on payment method (credit/debit/cash, etc.) for dinner
  • Make sure to have cash on hand for tips

Because my goal is to relax at the dinner, I’m not going to worry about decorations (the restaurant we’re planning on reserving has lots of natural decor anyway, it’s not a blank slate by any means).

Then you just keep going through your event, working with whatever rough (or specific) timeline you’ve got.

When I get to the walk down the aisle, I’ll “see” the decorations that I want, so they go on the list as something to make, along with the flowers (or whatever) in my hand, and so on and so forth.

Once you’ve got the Master List compiled, then you get to play jigsaw puzzle with it (because different things get done at different times), arrange things in the order that makes sense to you, and it’ll start to look like one of those lists you see in the magazines. And speaking of those lists, use them as a template as far as distance from the event staging, transfer over the things from those lists that apply to you along with your own mental walk-through list, and what you’ll end up with is an Event Master List that is perfect for your event, and not cookie-cutter to the average wedding, etc.

If you make your list in a spreadsheet program, you can color code your text and fields to make it easy to glance at. Or, if you prefer lots of mini-lists, feel free to make sub-lists (like a Packing List, a DIY Project list, a Payments to Make list, etc.) from your master list so you avoid overwhelming yourself with 1 big list.

And if you absolutely hate lists, find a friend willing to channel their inner Monica and send up a flare.

Planning Through Advertsity

Third Time Wife, Wedding Planning
Stormy sky with a flash of lightning cutting across it

image via stock.xchng | photography by hummel_12

While many people ascribe to the hills-and-valleys notion of life, I prefer to think of life as a swinging pendulum. Most of them time we’re swinging through the center with those outlying side-to-side swings taking their turn (though not always politely).

Around this time last year I don’t think anyone in my circle made it through spring without some sort of crisis. Family troubles, work troubles, money troubles, illness, car, computer and every other trouble under the sun. This year hasn’t been quite as rough, but there were some definite brier patches out there.

It’s bad enough on the usual day-to-day when the stress-level amps up, but add in wedding planning and that stress level easily goes to 11.

Let’s look at a few worst-case-scenarios and see what our options are.

Loss of a Job

One the one hand, if you were to lose your job mid-plan it might sound like a god-send in that you now have SO much more time for that list of DIY projects you’ve been meaning to get to. On the other hand, if you’re the one paying for the wedding and you’re counting on that steady income as part of your saving plan, your budget just took a major hit.

The first thing you do, of course, is to start looking for a new job and pronto! Maybe you can leverage your wedding passion into a job with a wedding pro and, in the process, make a connection that will benefit you down the road.

Might as well find that silver lining, right?

Illness (or worse) of a Loved One

In some cultures, mourning is serious business. The death of a family member can prohibit celebrations for a year after the event, which can mean postponing the wedding a year or more.

Whether for that reason or just to make sure your nearest and dearest are with you on your wedding day, some people push up their wedding plans the moment a parent or grandparent’s health starts to fail. And I can certainly understand it.  If, for whatever reason, that isn’t possible or plausible, it’s tough to keep planning a happy occasion in the face of potential tragedy, but even in the face of that, your marriage deserves a happy start, so keep planning as you can.

Situations like this are when you’re very lucky to have wedding insurance! Last time I checked you can purchase it at any point in the process, so if there’s a known situation that could mean postponing your wedding for a while, get the insurance at the first sign of trouble and you might be able to recoup the deposits, etc. for the vendors that aren’t able to accommodate the necessary changes. (It might sound mercenary, but it’ll be one less thing to worry about in the middle of everything else.)

It’s the End of Your World as You Know It

Sometimes, though, something happens that rocks your world to the core and you just wonder how you’re going to pull off this wedding.

Sometimes you don’t. At least not right now.

Last year I faced one of those make or break situations at work. It was beyond what I’d ever experienced before and after a particularly surprising and unsettling alteraction I spent the entire day trying to get a grip and failing miserably. The weekend was shot; I had to cancel some commitments because I just couldn’t face leaving the house. The next week was spent in a state of nervousness that is best described by the irregular heart beat I experienced every time I thought about the situation for too long.

And then all of my websites went down thanks to a hacker. Like I needed that?!

Like anyone needs that.

After a couple of numb weeks and a lot of hard discussions, things have leveled out (thank goodness). But it was close for a while, and I just couldn’t think about the wedding for a solid month or two. How can you when the world has gone completely pear-shaped? So I put everything on hold, left the stack of work where it was, knowing that it would be there when I came back to it.

As usual, the pendulum swung back to the middle and, thankfully, stayed there for quite some time. Eventually I found my groove again and thinking about the wedding became fun again instead of daunting. Like the song says ‘If you’re going through hell, keep on going’–sometimes that’s all you can do!

Have you faced any adversity during your planning process?
How did you handle it?Â