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]