The Countdown Begins…. – Wedding Planning Diary No. 3

Well everyone, it is officially January 2020 – which means we are 16 months out from our wedding date! For some people planning a wedding, that may mean nothing. But for us, it means everything! When planning a Disney wedding, at 16 months out from your chosen date you begin to speak more frequently with your wedding coordinator, setting up appointments, asking questions, etc.

But let’s rewind a bit. So far y’all have gotten a wedding/engagement Q&A as well as an inside look on the “ask gifts” for our wedding party. So what have I been doing over the past month since that last post?

I found my bridesmaid dresses!

One of the most asked questions after my engagement was, “will Lilly be included in the wedding?” And I really didn’t know the answer to be honest. While I’d love the girls to wear Lilly, it had to be something I LOVED and went with the vibe we were going for. And as the holiday collection came out, I found it: the Levy Dress.

I first tried it on for myself in early December, and I fell in love with it! Pictures do not begin to do it justice with the coloring and metallic shine. It’s very Grand Floridian-esque in my opinion. Additionally, it has pockets and the silhouette is flattering on many body shapes (my bridesmaids are all shapes, sizes, and heights), so this is a plus.

Also, big bonus because it has a few inches of extra fabric at the bottom that can be taken out to make it longer, or be cut out and used in other places (or possibly for bow ties, fingers crossed).

Now I can’t get ahead of myself, because we haven’t purchased any dresses yet. I’m praying they’ll go on sale and I’ll be able to find the three sizes I need… Pray for me lol.

I took my (pregnant) Maid of Honor, Addie, to try the dress on when I was back home. She was a trooper for agreeing to have a 4 hour round trip car ride solely to try a dress on lol. But it fit her beautifully and made me confident in my decision.

We got a wedding coordinator/planner!

A few days before the new year, our contact at Disney Fairytale Weddings let us know she’d be connecting us with our “official” coordinator/planner. A few days later I got an email from Pam along with tons of booklets and other information. She’s already answered so many questions for me, some good and some bad. But all that matters is that progress is being made!

We set up a “site visit” date!

At the time you’re reading this, we’ll be going tomorrow! We booked our site visit for my 22nd birthday, January 14th. Disney’s site visits are a chance for the bride & groom (and up to 3 friends/family members) to see up to three venues (ceremony or reception). We’ll also be discussing the time/date/location of the event, minimum expenditures, room blocks, and availability. At the site visit we’ll be meeting with another Wedding Consultant, not our “official” planner/consultant.

Later down the line we will have a “planning session” which will get into the nitty gritty: florals, enhancements, design, food, etc.

We made a guest list!

For the site visit they like to have an estimated head count, mostly so they’ll know if you can realistically fit into certain venues. This has been a difficult process and we’ve made changes almost weekly. But we are getting more confident.

We’ve changed our minds!

It’s always been hard for me to make big decisions, and this is no different. However, I think we are now getting closer to an event and layout we feel more comfortable with. Unfortunately, I’m not gonna spill any tea here lol. Mostly because we haven’t been very open with anyone about our plans so far, not even with our families. And we may change our minds again and I don’t want to confuse anyone.

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It’s no secret the wedding planning process is incredibly tedious, and it’s no different for a Disney wedding. The real work hasn’t even started yet! I am so thankful to have this outlet to document all of this on. It’s a great place to be able to look back on what we were doing and thinking at a certain time, especially because our planning process is longer than most. I’m so excited that y’all are just as excited as we are!

Cheers!

xoxo
Jayme