"I brushed my teeth, and I don't have cooties." An August DFTW and Disneymoon TR

[the2ndstar2theright]

You look beautiful!!! And those pictures are so sweet! Can't wait to read about the rest of your magical day

 

[disneyAndi14]

I’m still reading along and enjoying, beautiful pictures!

 

[amazingact21]

Yay! We're to the wedding day! I don't care what anyone else says, I am perfectly happy with you breaking it down into several updates and using multiple posts for standard pictures/professional shots. I want all the details!

3 a.m.? Ouch. That's an early morning, but you handled it like a champ. Love your hair. And your dress. And your shoes. Basically, I love it all.

I have to agree with you on the angle choice for the first look shots. She managed to get your reaction but not his...Maybe she took some pictures of the moment but they didn't come out well? No matter, though, overall they are still lovely and sweet.

All right, I love the donut-eating photo. Because that's also part of the wedding day craziness. And it kind of showed a moment of peace between the two of you guys in the midst of the hustle and bustle. I don't know, those little moments are nice.

 

[ashw100]

Loved your first look and getting ready photos. You looked absolutely beautiful. Sounds like a calm morning everything considered, I hope the rest of the day was smooth sailing as well. Can't wait to read more.

 

[amalone1013]

Yay! So excited! Beautiful pictures and I love your jewelry! And your shoes Can't wait to hear more! I also like that you're sharing all of you pictures, because it's like I'm really there Your first look pictures are so sweet.

I felt the same about getting ready that morning - it felt much faster than it really was. My hair and makeup artist showed up early, which was good because I have a lot of hair, but I was feeling anxious about being ready on time because I have a lot of hair.


Also have to jump in on the makeup conversation @fallonkendra @MeghanEmily @Raeven One year in high school, our homecoming was on a Friday so I came home from school to get ready. The first thing I did was paint my nails, and when I went to show my mom, she went, "But what about YOUR FACE!!" Maybe she thought I was going to skip it because I had only become interested in wearing any about 6 months before, around the end of Freshman year. Now I can get by with my eyeshadow/mascara/liner... I used to be faster at it but I don't wear makeup to work anymore... I only pull it out occasionally on weekends and on trips

 

[MeghanEmily]

You looked absolutely gorgeous! The first look photos are so sweet! I think it's probably super important to have a photography crew that you can trust and feel comfortable with, and I am glad to here they fit the bill!

Thank you! I agree that it's important to feel like you trust your photographer, and all the professionals/vendors involved in your big day! Even if you have a low-key wedding, it's still important to make sure you feel comfortable with the people you're paying to help you make it happen.

I love your First Look pictures....even though I have to agree that the angle was kind of an odd choice. Love your Mom's pic with Nathan's expression--such a purely magical moment!!!

Plus, I love the donut scarfing

Thank you!

Yep, that's who I have booked! I really like her work on Instagram!

I really liked her! If you have a particular style you like, I'd recommend taking a few inspiration pictures with you. Or like, if you want a more natural makeup style, or something more glam, etc. But of all the pictures I looked at online, I liked hers the best and found her prices were even a little better than some of the others who get booked a lot. I especially liked her hairstyles and stuff better because they seemed a little more natural-looking, while a lot of the ones I saw looked more sleek/formal/90's-prom kinda thing.

Haha, I had to jump in on this conversation. You two always have your makeup done so nice! On my high school prom night, I came downstairs and announced I was ready, and my mom freaked out because I had no makeup on haha - she told me I had to wear it on a special night like that . I so rarely wear makeup, even these days, that whenever I do I always have people telling me how nice I look that day - guess my makeupless face isn't that great . I had mentioned doing my own makeup for my wedding day, and my mom shot that down pretty quickly, and then told me she would pay for me to make sure I actually wore makeup to get married.

Thank you!! Oh my gosh, that's hilarious! I'm pretty low maintenance most days. Now that my hair is short, I feel like I put in a little more effort to look feminine, so I fill in my brows and wear mascara most days, but that's usually it. But once in a while I like to get dolled up...and those are usually also the days I take pictures of myself. That's so funny that your mom wouldn't let you do your own makeup!!

You look beautiful!!! And those pictures are so sweet! Can't wait to read about the rest of your magical day

Thank you!!

I’m still reading along and enjoying, beautiful pictures!

Thank you! Glad you're here!

Yay! We're to the wedding day! I don't care what anyone else says, I am perfectly happy with you breaking it down into several updates and using multiple posts for standard pictures/professional shots. I want all the details!

Careful what you wish for, I've already got another update coming! I'm glad you guys are on board though. It's as much for me as anything, because I'm having fun reliving it all. And it'll also be a nice little record to have when I feel like looking back on things and remembering the details in the months and years to come.

3 a.m.? Ouch. That's an early morning, but you handled it like a champ. Love your hair. And your dress. And your shoes. Basically, I love it all.

Oh yeah, the early morning felt a bit like a punch to the gut! But much easier to do when you know you're heading to an empty Magic Kingdom, and then to marry your love. Thank you!!

I have to agree with you on the angle choice for the first look shots. She managed to get your reaction but not his...Maybe she took some pictures of the moment but they didn't come out well? No matter, though, overall they are still lovely and sweet.

Yeah, it was strange. It's too bad we didn't bother hiring a second shooter to cover some of those extra angles. But I'm still pleased with what she got, and it was a nice moment for us.

All right, I love the donut-eating photo. Because that's also part of the wedding day craziness. And it kind of showed a moment of peace between the two of you guys in the midst of the hustle and bustle. I don't know, those little moments are nice.

I didn't realize my mom had been photographing this moment, but I'm kind of glad to have it. These little moments of realness are some of my favourites looking back, even when they're silly.

Loved your first look and getting ready photos. You looked absolutely beautiful. Sounds like a calm morning everything considered, I hope the rest of the day was smooth sailing as well. Can't wait to read more.

Thank you! It was really a pretty chill morning. Everything actually felt pretty relaxed that day, except for the ceremony itself because there was a lot to do in a short period of time.

Yay! So excited! Beautiful pictures and I love your jewelry! And your shoes Can't wait to hear more! I also like that you're sharing all of you pictures, because it's like I'm really there Your first look pictures are so sweet.

Thank you!! I'm sacrificing my pride in the interest of not leaving anything out!

I felt the same about getting ready that morning - it felt much faster than it really was. My hair and makeup artist showed up early, which was good because I have a lot of hair, but I was feeling anxious about being ready on time because I have a lot of hair.

You have tons of hair, so I can only imagine!! I also had a deceptive amount of hair. The individuals hairs are fine, so you don't notice it to look at me, but there's a ton of them! It takes forever to curl. Thank goodness your hair and makeup artists showed up early and gave you lots of time!

Also have to jump in on the makeup conversation @fallonkendra @MeghanEmily @Raeven One year in high school, our homecoming was on a Friday so I came home from school to get ready. The first thing I did was paint my nails, and when I went to show my mom, she went, "But what about YOUR FACE!!" Maybe she thought I was going to skip it because I had only become interested in wearing any about 6 months before, around the end of Freshman year. Now I can get by with my eyeshadow/mascara/liner... I used to be faster at it but I don't wear makeup to work anymore... I only pull it out occasionally on weekends and on trips

Amazing! Your mother sounds so horrified that you could leave with your face looking like that!! I'm also very low maintenance in my day-to-day life. I just like to play with makeup on occasion...especially when I know I'll be photographed...including on trips.

 

[MeghanEmily]

WEDDING DAY: Magic Kingdom Bridal Portrait Session
Disney Day 3 - Part 2

Back again, already!! At the end of the last update we were on our way to our early morning bridal photo shoot at the Magic Kingdom. Our “first look” shoot began at 5:45, and our MK shoot was supposed to be from 6:30-7:30, with the park opening to guests at 9:00am. On the drive over, Amanda asked us about what our photo priorities were for this shoot, and we all chatted and got to know each other a bit. She told us a bit about her experience shooting weddings, and she and N (whose sister is a trained photographer) bonded over the way people hire amateur photographers for weddings due to the cost, but then get angry when their photos don’t look professional. It was also at this point that I took a selfie to commemorate how much I was loving the early morning...

When we got to the MK, everything was dark, and “Matt” drove us into the park through a backstage entrance. It was so early in the morning and it’s been so long now that I already forget some things, but I believe we parked somewhere in the Liberty Square area. Floral arrived quickly, and I got my bouquet for the first time…and so began my arm-day workout for the day! The thing was incredibly heavy for its size! It was remarkable, really! I would tell someone how heavy it was, and then I’d hand it to them to prove it and they’d nearly drop it in surprise. (Close-up photo of flowers coming later.) N also got his boutonniere, and so began the equally-difficult challenge of keeping it pinned on.

We had arrived at the MK early for our session, so we sat for a bit and waited. After a while Amanda decided to try to start a bit early, so we headed over to the castle. The first Halloween parties and setting up of Fall decorations would be happening within a couple of weeks at this point, so when we got to the castle they were actually doing demos of the Halloween castle projections. Amanda asked when they’d be finished, and it was going to be a fair bit longer, basically as long as we’d still have the darkness to work with, so she asked how we felt about having Halloween images in our photos. I was okay with it, and N was thrilled—he loves Halloween and is an overall quirky human being—so we started our shoot.

While we still had the morning twilight, we went also around toward the back of the castle, and Amanda shot photos of just me, and of us as a couple. I remember standing here for a long time while she experimented with a bunch of slight variations on her lighting, and while she tried to capture exact moments during the castle projections to get the right colours. My bouquet was heavy and had to be held in a particular place, and I was uncomfortable, but these are the struggles a wedding fashion model must face!

We popped over to the breezeway area under the castle next:

Another major priority for me in this shoot was to get some photos in the Little Mermaid areas of New Fantasyland, so we made the trek over there next. As some of you may know, if you do a bridal photo session in the Magic Kingdom there are three different possible routes you can take because there is only so much you can accomplish in an hour…and also because I’m sure they wanted to maximize their revenue by allowing up to three different couples in the park on any given morning. All the routes include the castle, plus three other locations, and the sooner you book the more likely you are to get your first choice. Our route was the Under the Sea ride, Enchanted Tales with Belle (we didn’t really end up doing this, though I’m sure we would have if I’d requested it when Amanda asked me about my priorities…) and Be Our Guest. This was my first choice of routes. The other two routes were: Haunted Mansion, Pirates, and Tangled tower bathroom area, OR Teacups, Carousel, and Wishing Well.

By this point, Matt had taught me how we would deal with my dress for travelling for the remainder of the shoot, and I was getting pretty good at it. I would hold out one arm—the free arm without my bouquet…(though it was often N’s “job” to carry my bouquet from one place to another)—and Matt would gracefully gather my train together and drape it over my arm for me. My dress would be lifted off the ground enough to facilitate walking, and off we’d go! It was pretty impressive, really. I had also been warned on the boards that the ground at MK would be wet in the morning and that my dress would get wet and dirty, but other than the moments where it touched the ground for actual photos, it hardly ever made contact with the ground at all. I didn’t find it went through too much hardship. It actually got wetter in our photos at Epcot’s Canada, which are coming up soon. It still looked pretty nice by the time we got to the ceremony, so I didn’t end up having any trouble.

I had seen photos of the inside of the Under the Sea ride queue, and I knew I wanted that location, so Amanda made sure to make time for it.

For that photo, they had to let down some of the queue line ropes and let us into an area that’s usually blocked off for guests, which was really neat! I think it's mostly just used for overflow when the line is super long and they need to open extra areas? Anyway, Amanda told us that one of the coolest parts of her job was being allowed to enter areas that guests aren’t allowed to access. That was also when we noticed that the “chains” that divide the queue in this ride aren’t actually chains at all! All the “links” are actually stuck together and the whole piece moves together as a whole. And they’re pretty heavy, too! Maybe they do this to deter kids from playing with them, which always seems to happen in queue lines. It’s hard to explain, but if you’ve never noticed this just try to lift the “chains” the next time you’re in this queue! We took a few different shots there, and then we were on our way out…when Amanda happened to notice a little area off to the side in the queue that had a neat lighting effect and she just had to stop. That’s where we got this shot, and it turned out to be one of my favourite locations.

We hit a few other spots outside the queue in that area of FL…

…before heading to Be Our Guest. Typically, I don’t think they let people inside the restaurant for photos, and it was no different for us, but that was fine for me. Some of the neatest backdrops for photos are outside anyway.

We were almost finished for the morning already—an hour goes so quickly!—but we had one more task to complete…castle photos in the daylight! We did the back of the castle first.

I actually think the back of the castle is prettier than the front, but I didn’t like our poses back here as much as the front ones. We moved to the front next…

…and we finally got one of my favourite photos of the whole shoot! It’s hanging in our living room now, and it made the Great Balloon Caper totally worth it. Here it is:

At this point it was nearly 7:30am, and there were announcements that kept going over the PA system saying that the Magic Kingdom was being cleared for opening and all people/vehicles needed to clear the area. It was specific to the area around Main Street/the castle, if I remember correctly. I think they have the park ready in sections, and there were still people working in the areas further back. It was neat to see CMs here and there working to get everything finished, and to think that this process happens there every morning before the guests ever enter the park. And it was also super weird to see trucks and other vehicles parked around the MK. Amanda rushed to get a couple of last-minute photos before we cleared off for the next part of the morning. We were hopping back in the big white vehicle-box, and headed to Epcot. ...but not before taking the infamous Cinderella "shoe" photo..

Amanda’s photos weren’t 100% exactly my style if I'm being honest. I have a few photographers at home who I follow and whose photos are much more my style, and I even researched a few Orlando photographers with similar portfolios. But I had been so worried that our Disney wedding photographer would be terrible and I would hate all my photos, that I was so pleasantly surprised with the photos we got. Moreover, Amanda was confident, relaxed, and had a super personality. She was able to pose us easily without making us feel anxious or awkward, and that was reflected in the images she got. I also knew in advance that MK shoots usually only included further-away shots because the photographers wanted to showcase the MK backdrop, so I wasn’t disappointed with what we got.

And in case that wasn’t enough photographic evidence of our photo session for you…here are some more photos in the next post!​

 

[MeghanEmily]

...MORE MK bridal portrait session!

​

 

[Gina Starr]

I rarely comment but OMG! I love all of your photos! I'm so sad my Disney obsession didn't start until after I got married. I guess we could always get remarried or renew our vows because I MUST have a Magic Kingdom photo shoot. The Little Mermaid pics are my favorite!

 

[MeghanEmily]

I rarely comment but OMG! I love all of your photos! I'm so sad my Disney obsession didn't start until after I got married. I guess we could always get remarried or renew our vows because I MUST have a Magic Kingdom photo shoot. The Little Mermaid pics are my favorite!

Thank you so much! We really cherish our photos from the whole experience, and especially the MK photos. My understanding is that the MK photo shoots used to be for Disney brides/grooms only, but that now they've opened them up to couples who get married anywhere. The Disney Fairytale Wedding couples just have the advantage of a longer booking window, so they're more likely to get their first choice for dates/locations. (We had no trouble getting our dates/times for anything, and I've heard most people who don't book at a super busy wedding season have similar experiences.) So you could conceivably just dress up and take "wedding pictures" there someday as an anniversary present to yourselves or something without ever having to get "married" again! Though Disney also does a lot of vow renewals, so I wouldn't rule that option out for someday down the road either...

 

[Grom]

The MK ones are great, but I really love the last two photos you posted. You are gorgeous together.
I wonder if Mandara would have redone your mani if they chipped after only a couple days

 

[Grom]

Thank you so much! We really cherish our photos from the whole experience, and especially the MK photos. My understanding is that the MK photo shoots used to be for Disney brides/grooms only, but that now they've opened them up to couples who get married anywhere. The Disney Fairytale Wedding couples just have the advantage of a longer booking window, so they're more likely to get their first choice for dates/locations. (We had no trouble getting our dates/times for anything, and I've heard most people who don't book at a super busy wedding season have similar experiences.) So you could conceivably just dress up and take "wedding pictures" there someday as an anniversary present to yourselves or something without ever having to get "married" again! Though Disney also does a lot of vow renewals, so I wouldn't rule that option out for someday down the road either...

Your time slot was perfect with that soft morning light. Well done you! Again congratulations and best wishes in your professional studies!
Bridal blue roses 4 u

 

[pkondz]

she and N (whose sister is a trained photographer) bonded over the way people hire amateur photographers for weddings due to the cost, but then get angry when their photos don’t look professional.

Yes. Agree 100%.

It was also at this point that I took a selfie to commemorate how much I was loving the early morning...

So excited to be getting married!

Um.....

Realization that it's forever, sinking in?

I got my bouquet for the first time…and so began my arm-day workout for the day! The thing was incredibly heavy for its size!

Actually, no. I'm not surprised.
It looks very dense... and beautiful.

N was thrilled—he loves Halloween

It's official then. He's a keeper.

Love all the photos! A few (for me) really stood out.
They were all wonderful, but these are my absolute faves:

And I really love the detail on the back of your dress.
I haven't seen that before. Beautiful.
But then again... the dress's beauty pales in comparison to that of the bride's.

 

[cajunfan]

BEAUTIFUL. BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL!!!! I particularly like the ones in the castle tunnel. Ok and the black and white close up of you two looking at each other...that the great balloon one you all have hanging...gosh it's hard to say which would be a favorite. They really all are stunning!

 

[fallonkendra]

I really liked her! If you have a particular style you like, I'd recommend taking a few inspiration pictures with you. Or like, if you want a more natural makeup style, or something more glam, etc. But of all the pictures I looked at online, I liked hers the best and found her prices were even a little better than some of the others who get booked a lot. I especially liked her hairstyles and stuff better because they seemed a little more natural-looking, while a lot of the ones I saw looked more sleek/formal/90's-prom kinda thing.

I'm looking forward to working with her! I know I want some kind of hair style with braids, and she seems to be so amazing at those.

She told us a bit about her experience shooting weddings, and she and N (whose sister is a trained photographer) bonded over the way people hire amateur photographers for weddings due to the cost, but then get angry when their photos don’t look professional.

Agree x 100%! This was the one part of the wedding I refused to cheap out on - it's the only thing you really have in 20 years. I'm in a few wedding groups on Facebook for the Edmonton area, and I see posts all the time "Looking for wedding photography, want to spend under $500" - my first thought is always Good luck with that!

Floral arrived quickly, and I got my bouquet for the first time…and so began my arm-day workout for the day! The thing was incredibly heavy for its size! It was remarkable, really! I would tell someone how heavy it was, and then I’d hand it to them to prove it and they’d nearly drop it in surprise.

It's so pretty! I love the Disney bouquets!

I love, love, love the colours in this one! Also, I'm so sad I don't get to have a MK photo session, we just couldn't justify the cost (and it was more important to Luke to have an actual reception and feed everyone ). Maybe for a future anniversary!

I love this one too! Ok, I love all of them, but I really love those Mickey balloons

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

I think your wedding pictures came out great. I especially love the pictures with the balloons.

 

[Neverland_Girl]

OBSESSED with these pictures! You guys look amazing. I always love the ones in the dark with the light behind you. I always thought I'd go with the tradition of not seeing each other before the wedding, but I'd totally sacrifice that for an early morning MK photo shoot.

 

[MeghanEmily]

The MK ones are great, but I really love the last two photos you posted. You are gorgeous together.
I wonder if Mandara would have redone your mani if they chipped after only a couple days

Your time slot was perfect with that soft morning light. Well done you! Again congratulations and best wishes in your professional studies!
Bridal blue roses 4 u

Thank you so much! Hmm, I'm not sure whether the spa would have redone my nails. Maybe, if I'd gone back. Once the wedding was over I didn't care too much how they looked, but if I had it might have been worth checking.

 

[MeghanEmily]

So excited to be getting married!

Um.....

Realization that it's forever, sinking in?

Oops! Naw, Nate's seen that face many times over the years, and it typically means tired or hungry...often both.

Actually, no. I'm not surprised.
It looks very dense... and beautiful.

It was definitely dense! I'm not sure how they packed so many flowers into that amount of space! And roses are fairly dense and heavy themselves anyway. I should have gone with a little fluff ball of hydrangeas or something...

It's official then. He's a keeper.

Love all the photos! A few (for me) really stood out.
They were all wonderful, but these are my absolute faves:

He sure is a keeper! ...and really, whether he is or not is kind of beside the point for me now anyway I guess...since I signed up to keep him forever anyway... Fortunately, it seems to have been a good choice.

Thank you!

And I really love the detail on the back of your dress.
I haven't seen that before. Beautiful.

Thanks! It was one of my favourite things about the dress. I asked Amanda to get at least one shot that showed off the back, but she was on it anyway.

But then again... the dress's beauty pales in comparison to that of the bride's.

Aww shucks! Careful now, you'll make me blush!

 

[MeghanEmily]

BEAUTIFUL. BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL!!!! I particularly like the ones in the castle tunnel. Ok and the black and white close up of you two looking at each other...that the great balloon one you all have hanging...gosh it's hard to say which would be a favorite. They really all are stunning!

Thank you so much! I have a few favourites as well, and the ones you mentioned are also on my list. I'm so glad the pictures turned out really nicely, but it was almost worth it for the experience itself.

I think your wedding pictures came out great. I especially love the pictures with the balloons.

Thank you!

OBSESSED with these pictures! You guys look amazing. I always love the ones in the dark with the light behind you. I always thought I'd go with the tradition of not seeing each other before the wedding, but I'd totally sacrifice that for an early morning MK photo shoot.

Haha thanks so much! It was definitely worth it. And I know a lot of couples choose to do their portrait session a couple of days after the wedding, so they aren't exhausted that day, and so they can still keep the tradition of not seeing each other before the ceremony. So it's totally doable!