The Ladies Weekend: Bachelorette Party, Part 3

I am going back and forth between bachelorette party posts and recaps, I realize. But I want to give you the wedding recaps with actual photos from my fabulous photographer, Dorothy Hatchel and I can't do that just yet. So party posts [and other pre-wedding posts that never made it to the blogosphere!] will have to hold you over!

MY FABULOUS LADIES AND I IN FRONT OF MR. TOAD!

After a full day at the Happiest Place on Earth, my ladies and I ventured over to Disney's California Adventure for dinner at Ariel's Grotto and to see the magnificent show World of Color. Disney has a very good promotion going on where you can have dinner at one of their restaurants and get a fastpass to see WOC- cutting out sitting around for a couple of hours. So knowing that we had a section waiting specifically for us, the girls and I took our time at dinner. The spread at Ariel's Grotto was pretty decent- it's a present menu, but it included an appetizer, dinner and a dessert tray. We got started with a vegetable anti-pasti tray with fresh fruit, grilled vegetables, a selection of cheeses and some darn good salad. After that came our main course of tri tip cooked over rock salt [very good!] and we finished out our time at the Grotto with a beautiful tray of desserts. There was more fruit, mini tiramisu cups, macaroons and some tasty tarts- I was in heaven!

DINNER AT ARIEL'S GROTTO WITH MY LADIES!

After letting our food settle, we grabbed our fastpasses from our waitress and made our way over to the pier where WOC comes to life. There were hundreds of people already waiting, but we managed to have a fabulous view thanks to our fastpasses. About fifteen minutes before showtime Disney castmembers came out and got the crowd involved in a little singing contest. My favorite part of this little preview was the amazing larger than life puppets that surfed through the crowd. Tigger, Genie, Sebastian and Mike all danced and sang along with the castmembers- silly, but fun.

WAITING FOR WORLD OF COLOR

After the mini-show it was time for the main event: World of Color. Let me say that there are no words that can describe the beauty and imagery that cascades in front of you during this show. I immediately had tears in my eyes- at the very first upshoot of water. Some have critized WOC of not having a consistant storyline, but any true Disney fanatic knows that World of Color is a tribute to the show of the same name produced by Walt Disney in the sixties. WOC is meant to act as a showcase- to show you what Disney can do and how amazing their technology really is and how amazing their imagineers are. Needless to say, Disney is fabulous and they know what they're doing. I was amazed at the beauty and precision of the show- two big thumbs up for Disney as it was my favorite part of the trip.

After WOC it was time to retire for the evening because really- there is no topping that experience.

Up next: Characters galore!

Bittersweet Symphony: The Rehearsal

I woke up Saturday morning and prepared myself for my last day as a single lady. I was trying to make sure that everything was done and that there would be no last minute loose ends to tie up. I remembered that I had to finish my online application for graduate school before I did anything else and so wandered around the house patiently while I waited for Mr. Yankee's friends to wake up. Note to Brides to Be- Do not, I repeat do not try to apply to graduate school the month of your wedding. Your brain will be mush. Just as I finished up the application my MOH arrived to take to me to a "surprise" in town. I was a little apprehensive- still feeling like I was missing something or forgetting to do something and that I was going to get frazzled if I left the house before the rehearsal. Alas, I let the control freak inside of me go and went with my MOH like I was told. And I was so happy I did because my fabulous friend got me a massage!!! So I took the hour to just let everything go- the wedding, the grad school application and the fact that my ankle was 4 sizes too big [which is a story that won't be told here, sorry!].

After the massage I was refreshed and relaxed- ready to tackle the rehearsal day full speed. I was finishing up some last minute things when I realized how close we were getting to rehearsal time. Eek! So I hobbled upstairs and started getting ready and had Mr. Yankee's friends drop me at my mom's house to pick up her car. I arrived exactly on time [to my great surprise] and we started to rehearse!

EVERYONE LINING UP

I have to say, rehearsing was a lot of fun. I was kind of nervous after reading all the wedding blogs about how chaotic the rehearsal can get. Maybe it was because we had a smaller wedding party. Maybe it was because our wedding party just truly rocked- either way, it was a gas! Jokes were flying, tears were flowing and everyone knew exactly where they needed to be. It was excellent.

ALL OF OUR FABULOUS FRIENDS GETTING READY FOR THE BIG WALK!

Once we rehearsed a few times, Mr. Yankee and I decided to disperse with our friends. He would take his friends to a late lunch, I would check into my suite and make sure my dress was hung properly. Of course, losing my mind right before the wedding, I remembered that I had forgotten a few key items back home. Luckily, Bridesmaid J had also forgotten a few items and so we rode together back our houses and told everyone we'd meet them at the rehearsal dinner.

ONLY MY FRIENDS WOULD HOP INTO AN EMPTY TUB!

Did you have a good time at your rehearsal?!



Next Up: We eat!

[all photos are personal]

The Ladies Weekend: Bachelorette Party, Part 2

PERSONAL PHOTO

Saturday morning the ladies and I dragged ourselves out of bed, changed into our Bachelorette Party gear and hopped on our early morning flight to John Wayne Airport. As soon as we touched down a shot of excitement soared through me and I couldn't wait to get to the park. After grabbing a shuttle and dropping off our bags we made our way over to the most beautiful place in the world and met up with Bridesmaid A's friend who so graciously signed us in.

The sun was shining, the music was as timeless as ever and of course there was that wonderful Disney smell that was in the air. We made our way through out the park and grabbed our fastpass for Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy. There was a little sign in front of the entrance that stated the ride might be too scary for children, but the girls and I thought nothing of it. Space Mountain is usually a scary ride for kids- its fast, in the dark with lots of fast twists and turns. We didn't think the Ghost portion was going to do anything to increase its spookiness- I mean this is Disney, we're talking about. WRONG!

Let me just tell you that Ghost Galaxy is TERRIFYING!! I don't think I have ever screamed so loud on a ride in my life. It was absolutely without the question the most scary ride I have ever been on. I am sure there is a youtube video of it somewhere- if you have the guts, google it. But let me be clear that it is nothing to be played around with! It is spooky!

After practically losing our voices on Space Mountain [and most of us declaring our decision to never ride it again] we grabbed some lunch and enjoyed the park until it was time to head over to DCA [that's Disney's California Adventure for you non Disney folk] for our dinner at Ariel's Grotto and the majestic show that is World of Color.

Up next: Dinner at Ariel's Grotto and WORLD OF COLOR!

The Ladies Weekend: Bachelorette Party; Part 1

Authors Note: I interrupt the wedding recaps to share some much belated pre-wedding posts I've been meaning to share. Enjoy!

I realized that I promised you pictures from the bachelorette party- between battling a cold and falling down some stairs [another story for another post] and the craziness that is the week of a wedding I just never got the chance to sit down and write out the details... Forgive me! But alas- here were are about two weeks post wedding and five weeks post bachelorette party and I finally have the time to gab about all the fabulousness that was the Bachelorette Party!

The party started Friday night with my Maid of Honor picking everyone up and driving us to her friend's house which was closer to the airport. Because we were flying out so early the next morning, MOH thought it might be a good idea to sleep a little closer. We arrived a little before 10, had a few welcome drinks with her friend and proceeded to open our goodie bags.. And let me tell you- they were fabulous!

PERSONAL PHOTO- HOW AWESOME IS THAT SHIRT?

Inside the bags were candies, necklaces, buttons and matching shirts. We made the executive decision that everyone would wear their shirts our first day in Disneyland. Finally at about midnight we decided it was time to get some sleep. Making sure the alarms were set for 4am, we changed into our jammies and grabbed some shut eye.

What did you do for your bachelorette party?

Next Up: Disneyland, Day 1

Bittersweet Symphony.. Recap Part One: The Welcome Dinner

Author's Note: I walked down the aisle to the instrumental version of The Verve's Bittersweet Symphony [and heard it twice while we were on our honeymoon!]. I love the classical string in the song and feel that it was truly meant to be my song. So to tie all of my recap posts together, I will start each with the title of Bittersweet Symphony. I hope you enjoy the recaps as much as I enjoy sharing them with you! :o)

While I wait for the professional photos from the awesome, amazing, beautiful and very talented Dorothy Hatchel- I thought I'd share the details of our wedding weekend starting with our Welcome Dinner.

Our wedding weekend officially began the Friday before the wedding, where we had a "Welcome Dinner" for the family and wedding party. Being that I had some aunts fly in from out of town and members of the wedding party that didn't know each other very well, I thought it would be a good idea for everyone to get together in a relaxed environment and hang out. I was hoping it would be an opportunity to break the ice and while the house remained somewhat divided, I was happy everyone came together.

The dinner was held at my moms house, with her husband the creative chef at the helm for food. Since Mr.Yankee is Japanese, our chef was really insistent on combining the flavors of the east and west into the dinner menu. For some reason, J [my mom's husband] thought it would be a good idea to make a sushi pizza- combining Japanese and Italian cuisine... That was until my mom and I explained that we were German/Irish and not Italian. J thought this was impossible because my mom was from back east... I guess everyone from New Jersey/New York is Italian.

Luckily we had a pretty normal menu... but one thing J decided we had to have was Balut... If you'd like to know more about it, click here.... While I respect the cultural aspect of the dish, the idea of it makes my stomach churn... But the boys [and one of my rock star bridesmaids] took part in sucking down the egg. Their opinion? It was more gross looking than anything else and a little chewy. Still not enough for me to try it, but who am I to stop someone else?!

After dinner Mr. Yankee, myself and two of Mr. Yankee's groomsmen made the trip back to our condo where there were some drinks and conversation. At about midnight I was done for the evening and went to bed, trying to prepare myself for the rehearsal on Saturday.

...Did any other brides have a welcome event for their friends and family?

Next Up: We Rehearse!

And I'm married.

That's right, folks. I am now officialy MRS. Yankee. It is still surreal to think of myself as someone's wife. Or to think I have a husband. It was especially weird when we touched down in Florence [our first honeymoon stop] and our ride was no where to be found. I had to call our car service and I couldn't understand what the guy was asking for and I simply said, "Here I'll let you talk to my husband.." There was definitely a lump in my throat..and an odd look from the husband.

I will be writing recaps as soon as I get back into the groove of things... The wedding was beautiful and it went by very fast, but I think I did a decent job of soaking everything in. The one word I would use to describe our wedding day? Joyful. Everyone was so genuinely happy and I felt such absolute love from everyone. I was so humble and honored to be around such amazing people- all of our family and friends made the day something I will truly cherish and remember for the rest of my life.

So to those of you who made it all possible- thank you. I love you. You will always be the most important people in my life.

~ MRS. Yankee :o)

Gee wilickers, Batman!

It's the beginning of the end. After arriving home from my bachelorette party last weekend, I instinctively knew that it was go time. There are 15 days left until the wedding. 15 days.... That is just creepy! I have been planning this wedding for almost two years and now we're just days away?! Goodness.

What have I been doing to get ready for this shindig?! Well I've been cutting menus and programs, making sure I had an .mp3 of my entrance song, created a wedding day play list for us girls while we're getting our hair done. I've made a few appointments for last minute hair touch ups and been pulling my hair out over the seating chart. Brian and I created our wedding wish tree [such an adventure!] and looked into more wine for the wedding. I've worked on the dreaded wedding day timeline and tracked down missing RSVPs. Seriously, people- if you're invited to a wedding RSVP before the response date. You know why?! 1. Etiquette stipulates that if there was no RSVP the guest isn't coming [so imagine how surprised the Bride and Groom will be to see you there when they expected you not to attend] and 2. The Bride and Groom have better things to do 3 weeks before the wedding than to track down your meal choice. Even you if are completely positive that the Bride and Groom knows your coming, send your RSVP- we aren't mind readers and need to know what you would like to eat, mkay?!

But mostly I've just been trying to get mentally prepared for the big day. It's going to be emotional and exhausting, but also loads of fun! I am also getting ready for my honeymoon in Italy!! I am so ridiculously excited about visiting Europe I can barely see straight. I plan to eat tons of gelato, drink lots of wine and take a million pictures.

I promise pictures of the bachelorette party soon- I am battling a cold right now so most of my energy is being put towards getting healthy so I can focus and have fun come game day :o)