End of Day 2~
After delivering all the bags we loaded up and headed to the Mens Warehouse over by the Florida Mall. AfterHours was bought out by Mens Warehouse and is now named Tux and they both have the same options now. I was really pleased with the service that we received at Mens Warehouse. I know some people have had problems with the different tux shops.
I paid a $10 deposit at a bridal show (which we got back after returning the tuxes after the wedding) and then our groomsmen got $25 off their tuxes plus Kris got a free one with 4 additional rentals. Since we had 6 other ones he got his free. Kris pants were a little short and they fixed them while we waited. Also, we picked up all the tuxes since most the guys werent arriving until Saturday. We decided if we had problems we would just come back later in the weekend. They also extended the rental period on all the tuxes until Wednesday (wedding was on Monday) so we could bring them all back after our Magic Kingdom shoot.
Here are some shots of Kris and my dad at the store:
One of the ladies who was helping us at the shop told me that I did a great job on the tuxes. I told her that this was one thing that I let Kris make all the decisions on for the wedding! He did do a great job they were Ralph Lauren and looked really great on all the guys. Later that weekend when everyone tried theirs on the only problem we had was that my cousins pants were too short. We had him take off the suspenders and pull them down a little on his waist and the problem was solved.
After this we set off to get back to Fort Wilderness for a 6:00 pm dinner with our guests that had arrived that day. Needless to say it was already 5:30 pm and we were about 25 minutes away from Disney!
Thankfully, we didnt hit any traffic and we drove directly to the campground. The bad thing is that when you come by car you have to park up front by the stables. We then got on a bus to head to the back. We asked the driver if he was going to Pioneer Hall and he said yes. He failed to mention that he was not the express bus and that he was going to stop at every campsite area along the way. Note: there is a bus that goes straight to Pioneer Hall and we did not get on that one. We were on the bus by 6:05 pm, but didnt get to Trails End Buffet until 6:30 pm. Thankfully, 6 of our other guests were just arriving at the same time as us. Most everyone had been at Magic Kingdom, so they just took the boat right over.
For those of you that have never been there the food is great and the price is even better. Its not anything fancy, but is a great value compared to other places on property. Their cornbread is amazing! We like to go at breakfast too plus you get the 20% off with the Disney Dining Experience (unfortunately we didnt get our card until the next day, so we missed out on the discount). Its usually pretty easy to get in this restaurant too. Our friends Page and Amanda and my cousins family had arrived on time so they had to introduce themselves. They seemed to be enjoying themselves, so our failure as hosts wasnt noticed!
After dinner our waitress came over to the table and called around the restaurant to get everyones attention. She said that we were going to be celebrating a special event on Monday and asked us to tell everyone what it was
after we answered she asked why she wasnt invited!? Next she had everyone in the restaurant yell Yeehaw and asked us to practice our kiss. Kris at this point was bright red and extremely embarrassed. He is really outgoing, but doesnt like to be the center of attention when it comes to certain things. He gave me a quick peck on the lips and then sat down. The waitress then said This is how youre supposed to do it and grabbed my head putting her arm over my face making it look like she was kissing me.
Everyone burst out laughing at this point. She then presented us with a certificate and gave us a bowl of strawberry shortcake (which was quite delicious!) I know some other people in our party took pictures, but I havent gotten those yet, so Ill have to post them when I do get the pictures. My great aunt (who is almost 84) was sitting next to us and picked up the certificate. She told us that she would keep it safe for us and would bring it back to Michigan. We could come see her and then she would give it back to us. It was so sweet because this was her first day at Disney and she was already getting into everything. She took that certificate really seriously and talked about it several times throughout our trip.
After we finished dinner and headed out, Kris and I along with Page and Amanda took the rental car and headed over to the All Star Movies resort to drop off the Welcome Bags for his family (the only people staying at the value resort). As we were driving, Kris kept asking where is this place? I told him these resorts are pretty far out. Once we got there he was gripping about why his mom had stayed there. I told him she said that she was booking the cheapest place possible (its not that she couldnt afford to stay at POR she was just opposed to spending any $ really at Disney.) He told me, were never staying here; its just too far out. Ive stayed at the value resorts before and dont mind them, but I definitely think they are oriented more towards families with little kids.
Page and Kris taking the bags inside:
On our way over to All Stars, Kris got a call from his best man saying that he was in Atlanta on his layover. Kris thought he was joking since most of the groomsmen werent coming in until the next day (in fact they had all booked a room together for the weekend). Apparently, he wasnt and he really was in Atlanta. How can you mix up your arrival date?
After the Magical Express fiasco that morning with Kris early arrival we decided to have Kris drive to the airport later that night to pick him up. Kris was already sleeping on the trundle in the room with my parents and I, so Page and Amanda offered to let Jeff stay with them. They were definitely a lifesaver!
After dropping off the stuff, we then had just enough time to make it to Downtown Disney by 9 p.m. We were supposed to be meeting Kristen (Kristen14) a fellow Disbride
whose home state is also Michigan and her husband Rob at Ghiradelli. They were in Orlando for the weekend to attend a baby shower for one of Kristens friends. We had also invited some members of our bridal party, but they didnt end up making it.
Here is a picture of us with Kristen and Rob:
We all had a great time and sat there talking for over an hour; the guys were huddling together and the 3 of us girls sat down at a table. While we were talking about the wedding, Amanda got a little emotional and said that she was so happy for Kris and I and was honored to be a part of the wedding. It was so nice to hear her say that and it made me get a little teary too. When her and Page got married they just did the courthouse thing and I think she regrets it. She was so excited to be a part of a real wedding and Im glad she was able to be one of my bridesmaids.
During our conversation, Kristen shared some good advice about her actual wedding day. One important thing she said was that she wished she would have told Anna that she wanted her hairstyle different after it was done. I took this advice on the morning of my wedding. It was way too curly and wasnt as smooth of a look that I had hoped for, so I asked her to redo it and fix it. Im so glad I had Anna make the change! Hopefully, well get to meet again on one of their trips up to visit Kristens family in Michigan.
Afterwards we all walked down to the Westside where Rob and Page checked out the cigar shop and Kris and I went to the Virgin store. At this point, Amanda looked like she was ready to fall asleep since they had left their house around 4 that morning to catch their flight. We went back to the hotel and then Kris and Page headed out to pick up Jeff at the airport. We finally fell into bed around 1 a.m.