Showing posts with label DFTW Planning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DFTW Planning. Show all posts

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Our last Disney DIY project completed!

 
Just in time our final Disney DIY project completed!  A personalised travel journal and passport cover
 
 
 
 
The travel journal is split up into 2 sections, section one is each family’s trip plan with their itinerary, travel confirmations, day trips and tours, important information and contact numbers.
 
 
  
 
Section 2  is a travel journal, with journal pages for each place & port we visit, a place to keep tickets, receipts and mementos of our trip.
 
 
 

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Disney Floral & Photography


Very exciting day today!

Rosie from Disney Floral & Photography called to discuss our cruise favors and also my bouquet and DF’s buttonhole for our Magic Kingdom photos.

She is just gorgeous! So helpful and she let me put in an order for the items from Frank’s studio I wanted as well.

These are the chocolate favor options I have 


or we can choose a Mickey Bottle Stopper $6.95


Or Mickey Ornament $10


I think we will go with the chocolate Mickey Ears & Mickey Rice Krispies.

Rosie also sent me the Mickey Pin-tuck accessory list, now to decide on just one!




Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Disney Welcome Bags

 
Another big DIY project down!
I’ve finished our Disney Welcome Bags!!!
I haven’t made them up as such, but I have collected all the items and finished off the DIY projects I wanted to include.  We will assemble them the day before we depart at our WDW hotel and then we have organised to drop them with our on-board coordinator and she will deliver them to everyone’s stateroom prior to their arrival.   
 
Final bags will be DCL ship gift bags and contain the following

# Mickey chocolate shortbread (will pick up at WDW)

# Mickey & Minnie DCL plush

# DIY bear necessities kit

# Bag of chocolatears (will pick up at WDW)

# DIY door hangers

# Mickey & Minnie coin purse

# Ariel magic towel

# DCL magical memories badge

# DFTW disposable camera

# Mini Disney tin (Bambi, Thumper or Dumbo) with Mickey earrings inside

# Magnetic note board & pen (for stateroom doors)

# Disney umbrella

Depending on how full the bags end up I may put some extra lollies or chocolates in them as well as i want each bag to be full to the brim with goodies for everyone.



Friday, September 11, 2009

DIY Projects for the Cruise Welcome Bags

A few more of the DIY items ready for the Cruise welcome bags......
 
Door hangers (front & back)
 
 
The bear necessaries bag ~ including lip balm, hand sanitizer, tissues, band aids, heron and tissues.
 
 

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Fish Extender Exchange Gifts


I’m a perfectionist, I just can’t help myself and sometimes it's just easier to do things yourself (I know control issues much!) and the FEE is a classic example.

We have 25 families in our FEE group so we need 25 gifts (one for each family) from each of our family groups. Instead of asking each of my family groups to make/get their group of gifts and then stress about it being forgotten, I thought it was easier to make them myself.
 
Yes which means I am making 5 sets of 25 gift packages or 125 individual FEE gifts.
 
First up were the bag labels, one from each family












 And then the gift bags, I’ve tried to put a little Aussie in each set…





 
And then for ease of delivery I have made a large brown bag for each stateroom and put one of each family gift in it.

3 Month Today !!!

 
 

Thursday, August 20, 2009

100 days to our DFTW

 
Its 100 days today until our Wedding Cruise!
The perfect time to send out our second newsletter and gift! This newsletter will have more details on our Disney World trip & accommodation, park tickets & dining, options for additional excursions on the cruise and information on the Fish Extender exchange.
  
 

We’ve finished everyone Fish Extenders and will be sending them out with the newsletter and they will be this editions travel essential item.

 

Monday, July 6, 2009

Disney Newsletter Edition 1

The first edition of our Disney newsletter went out today!
It’s jam packed with not only cruise & wedding details but also lots on the trip in general and the week in WDW.
 
I have been including a travel essential in each mail out so that by the time we depart everyone has a cute little collection of travel essentials to take with them.
The first essential went out with the invitation (we skipped the Save the Date as we were still undecided on location at that time) was the latest edition of the Disney Cruise line guide, this time I am including my DIY luggage tags !!

 

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Fish Extenders ~ Part 1


Time is getting away from me and with still so much to do I need to get one of the big projects underway, Fish Extenders!!

For those who haven’t heard of this before, several online Disney Forums run a meet up & fish extender exchange on their cruise.

What the heck is a fish extender (FE) and what is a fish extender exchange (FEE) I hear you ask?


It’s a “secret Santa” concept, a gift exchange that occurs during your cruise. The idea behind it is to spread & share magic with your fellow forum members. It’s called a “Fish Extender” because outside of every stateroom there is a fish mounted to the wall with your cabin number. It was put there by Disney as a way to deliver notes & messages to you without entering your room. Now people have taken to use it as a hook & hang their “Fish Extenders” from it.

First thing first… where does one get a Fish Extenders? As we need one per room so I am going to need approx. 8 … Answer is you make them! Now my sewing skills are ok but this is a big project so I am calling in help from my mum & one of her friends.

As this is going to be the second travel gift that is sent with newsletter #2 at this point it’s still a surprise, so everyone won’t have an opportunity for input into their decorations. With that in mind I definitely want to decorate each to reflect their trip & personalities and not make it about the wedding.

I was hoping to do little embroidery pattern on each pocket but I won’t have time, instead I am going with iron on designs & embellishments.

For this project I am going to need:
*8 x pieces of doweling
* Backing material for backing
* Lots of colourful material for the pockets
* The iron on images & embellishments.
* 8 cable ties (for the cruise to secure the FE from the fish) 

This is going to take a while; we have finished the sewing of the first one, now to add the embellishments

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Disney Cruise Pack


Our Disney Wedding Invitation & information pack for our Disney Cruise Guests, it has a DCL book, DVD on the ship; details of ports we will stop in, postcard, pen & the invitation.
 
    
 
 

 

Friday, June 26, 2009

Wedding Guests ~ USA Trip Planning


While we only have a small number of family & friends joining us in the US for our Disney wedding, each family wants to do and see different things and make the most of the trip.

Getting a happy median for all is important as it’s a big trip for each of them and it’s so important to us that they have a lovely time and get to see and do as much as they wish in the time they can spend away.

We look to have agreed on an initial itinerary where everyone will....
 
fly into Las Vegas & spend a week before travelling
 


to Walt Disney World and staying a week



then departing on the Cruise




Most have decided to head back to Australia on returning from the Cruise but one group may stay in WDW a little longer.

Now that we have a basic plan we need to narrow down flights and accommodation options for all, as well as day trips & sightseeing. Knowing the airline preference each group has will determine the airfares and we have an agreed budget for accommodation, which makes it easy for me to select a few options and then the group can decide.

We have given everyone lots of information on the sights & things to do in each of the three stops and once everyone gets back to us with some selections we can begin to make the bookings.
  
  


Saturday, June 13, 2009

Monday, May 4, 2009

The DIY Plan


DIY projects are mounting up as I need two sets of a lot of the projects, especially the stationery ones. I am creating a list and once I finish each project I will link the list item to the post, so hopefully that will make finding each project easier amongst all the other posts.

Our first project and one of the most important is my Ultimate 2 Wedding Checklist – The mega checklist with all the planning items for both wedding on it.

So far this is the list after the checklist is done

Hunter Valley Projects

 Planning
Hunter Valley running schedule – full run schedule for the weekend
Vendor running schedule – condensed run sheet for specific vendors
Weekend schedule packs for Bridal Party & immediate family  

Stationery
Bridesmaid Lunchon Invitiation
Rehearsal Dinner inviation
Reception Signage

 Gifts
Bridesmaid Checklist Bag
Attendant Gifts

  
Reception Details
 Bathroom baskets
Pashmina basket


Disney Wedding Projects

Planning
Planning Folders for Bride & Groom
Planning Folder for Guests
USA Trip Planning & Bookings for Guests

Stationery
Cruise Newletter 1
Cruise Newsletter 2
  
Gifts
Welcome Bags
Fish Extenders
FE Gifts from Bride & Groom
FE Gifts from Bride Parents
FE Gifts from Groom Parents
FE Gifts from Brides Brothers
FE Gifts from Bride Family

Saturday, April 25, 2009

The secrets of your dream wedding on a budget

Lately I have had more and more comments about how “lucky” we are and how “wonderful” it must be to have such an enormous budget for our wedding!!!

The conversation usually goes like this …

Friend: “Wow you are so lucky to have such a big budget for your wedding, it must be fun not having to worry about what things cost and just getting what you want”

Me: “huh?...us…. ??? …MONEY!!! ahhhh no, not really”

Friend: “but look at your plans, you are doing so many things, it must be costing a fortune”

Me: “ True enough we will have been engaged almost 2 years when we get married and we have been saving this whole time, but we still have a very reasonable & tight budget. We just make sure we use every cent and try to stick with what we wanted. But we aren’t prepared to spend the equivalent of a home loan deposit on the wedding”

Friend: “I don’t get it, did you forget about ordering food or something?”

Me: “Nope definitely getting everyone food, I promise! We are finding savings everywhere, and all without really compromising the feel we want for the day. It all depends on what you want, just because something looks expensive, doesn’t mean It is”

Friend: "So how are we getting a Disney Wedding and a weekend reception back home?"

Me: "It comes down to three things ……. Planning, Budgeting and Organising"

But seriously, we are very lucky to be having a destination Disney Wedding and a big home reception with all our friends & family who can’t make the trip overseas. For us it really has been, thorough careful Planning, Budgeting and Organising that will hopefully pull it all off and not leave us in debt.

Planning & Budgeting is a big part of getting the balance right between what you want & how much it will cost, so you don’t end up with any nasty surprises or disappointments along the way.

The first thing we did was talk about what we wanted our wedding to be & what was important to us and always keep that in mind. We spend time researching and looking at everything to work out what we liked, and what gave us what we wanted plus what costs were involved.

Set your budget together (after you have spoken with your family if you are asking or expecting them to contribute) and stick to it !!

Always, always ask questions, don’t be afraid to ask for a better deal and be honest about your budget when discussing options with your suppliers/vendors

Being Organised is what will make sure your planning & budget stay on track and make sure you make smart choices with your money.


To be continued...... how we pulled off our dream Disney wedding on a budget


*Tip of the Day*
Taking advantage of sale items only work out cost effective if they were part of your original plan / budget or you can work them in, without additional costs occurring. Make sure you think before making any spontaneous purchases as 50% of 25 large square vases is a great saving but not if flowers weren’t going to be your centerpieces. That being said, don’t always discount something that wasn’t part of your plan, just think about it first.

Friday, April 24, 2009

Our Disney Wedding Confirmed !!!!

Today is a very very exciting day, one that has been a long time in the making !
17 months after our wedding planning began we have FINALLY confirmed our Disney Wedding plans and new wedding planning kit has arrived.

Earlier in the year, after almost 14 months of deliberating we finally decided 100% against a Disney Wishes Wedding (bye bye Disney Couture Collection) and opted to keep our big home reception and therefore have a small Escape Wedding in WDW.

Since then we have been trying to decide on which ceremony location to have, as the Wedding Pavilion, although gorgeous, just did not seem right anymore.

So flipping through Carrie’s Disney Weddings book, looking for inspiration, I stopped on chapter 6 – The Disney Cruise Collection.

The more I read, the more it sounded exactly like what we wanted. So I asked DF to read it, and before he was even ½ was through he said “YES, this is it!”

So after a few emails with our wedding coordinator and a lot of work from our wonderful travel coordinator Julie at Magic Travel – we are booked & I am officially a

Disney Cruise Line Bride

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Mickey Earrings by Avon

One of the girls on disboards pointed me to these gorgeous Mickey Mouse earrings by Avon.

I love them; they are perfect for our Disney guest welcome bags!
 
 
As Avon Australia don’t have them I have found something almost identical in Sterling Silver with Cubic Zirconia’s.

 

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Our Master Destination & Honeymoon Wedding Packing List

 
Packing and transporting all our wedding and honeymoon luggage to the Hunter, then onto the USA and back home again will definitely be a challenge.

While most of the bulky wedding items will be left for extended family to bring home, we will need to take our personal items (wedding dress, FH's suit and a few other wedding nick knacks) with us, but Disney supply everything else.

While it’s important not to be bogged down with loads of things I don’t need or use, take too little, and you end up buying what you didn't bring.
 
I have been searching for the best destination wedding packing list and have ended up merging a few together to create a master planning checklist!
 
First stop – Hunter Valley wedding ceremony & reception

Hunter – Tub 1
{Critical - our accomodation}
·         Wedding planning folder with guest list and wedding details
·         Thank you notes for vendors & tip envelopes & vendor gifts
·         Extra thank you cards
·         Fix it kit: Sharpies, tape, scissors (X2), glue, extras of all materials used to make favors, double sided tape, cardstock, ribbon, tacks for flowers.

Hunter – Tub 2
{our accommodation}
·         Printer, extra cartridges & paper
·          Attendant gifts
·         Parent gifts

Hunter – Tub 3
{to be dropped at ceremony venue}
· IPod & charger for ceremony (with burnt cd’s of music for backup)
·         Ceremony accessories
·         Water Bottles

Hunter – Tub 4, 5 & 6
{to be dropped at reception venue}
·         Menus
·         Signage
·         Guest book & pens
· Lace cards & escort cards
·         Cake Topper {back-up}
·         Table décor (candles, flowers, table runner, etc.)
·          Bathroom baskets
·         Slipper Basket
·         Pashmina Basket
·         Bird Cage

 Hunter – Tub 7 & 8
{to be dropped at reception venue}
·         Personalised Chocolate Bars
·         Glass Jars for Candy Bar
·         Candy for candy bar
·         Noodle Boxes for Candy Bar

 Hunter – Tub 8 & 9
{to be dropped at Crown with Brides Parents}
·         Welcome Bags & contents
 
Hunter – Tub 10
{to be dropped at Crown with Brides Parents}
·        Bridesmaid checklist Bags

Hunter - Bride Suitcase 1
·         Special outfits for rehearsal dinner, goodbye brunch, and any scheduled activities
·         Wedding night sleepwear
·         Wedding makeup
·         Wedding-day underwear
·         Wedding shoes
·         Comfortable shoes for dancing
·         Tiara/headpiece
·         Purse
·         Wrap
·         Groom accessories
·         Something old, new, borrow, blue
·         Groom’s gift (wrapped)

Hunter - Bride Suitcase 2
·         Casual clothes for the week
·         Make up & toiletries

Hunter - Groom Suitcase 1

·         All Grooms wedding & other event clothes
·         Grooms shoes
·         Grooms accessories
·         Ring holder

Hunter - Groom Suitcase 2

·         Casual clothes for the week
·         Toiletries


Then onto the US and WDW!! For our Disney Wedding celebrations & Honeymoon CARRY ON (Divide up between the two of us)
 
NB: All FEE Gifts have been given to each family group to bring.  
Travel folder contains:
·         Passports and driver's licenses
·         Plane tickets
·         Itinerary / Maps
·         Copies of all contracts
·         Vendor contact info
·         Lists of guests and travel info, arrival times, hotels where they will be
·         Copies of wedding insurance policy
·         Hotel / Cruise reservation confirmations
·         Photocopies of medical and or trip insurance coverage
·         Contact details for doctor, house sitters, credit card companies etc
·         Wedding vows
·         Extra wedding invite
·         Copies of WDW wedding coordinator emails
·         Credit / debit cards, (only taking ones that we plan to use)
·         Envelope of $1 bills for tipping (we are bringing about $75 worth)
·         Wedding day jewellery, including wedding rings
·         Wedding dress
·         Veil
·         Groom's suit
·         Mobile phone & charger
·         Camera & extra batteries/memory stick
·         Video Camera
·         Sunglasses
·         Spare outfit for both
·         Small toiletries bag (immediately needed supplies – medications, toothbrush etc)

USA & Honeymoon – Checked bag 1

·         Bride Clothes
·         Make up

USA & Honeymoon – Checked bag 2
·         Groom’s Clothes
·         Toiletries

USA & Honeymoon – Checked bag 3
·         Bride & Groom accessories

 USA & Honeymoon – Checked bag 4
·         Welcome Bags & contents
·         Our FEE gifts