Reason # 9,000 why I love Disney...

and Mickey Mouse...

Once upon a time when I was just a ween bairn my parents bought into the Disney Vacation Club and this allowed us to travel from cold Massachusetts to lovely Florida twice a year.

On one particular trip we travelled to Disney's Vero Beach Resort and during the stay I tried my hard at drawing Mickey Mouse in one of the many classes they have to entertain kids while their parents go off and do... something. I think that this only furthered my love for Mickey because I went on to draw him for the next 10 years or so.

Which may or may not have something to do with the reason why I HAD to buy this at Target...

and these:

(Sorry about the pictures not sure where the cables for the camera are so I had to use my blackberry)

Although I haven't decided where they're going yet! These are all dinner plates made by Zak!Designs and sold at Target. They're kind of plastic-y and I had no intention of eating off them so they're going on my wall and the bf is going to like it.

More on DVC later...

New Spain -After Party

Disney Weddings has this great thing called a Dessert Party where you can have a catered designated spot to watch Illuminations. My problem is that in having a mexican-ish theme, I'd want my dessert party to be at the Mexico Pavilion and it does not have a cul-de-sac type area that is easy to block off to non-wedding party spectators. I'm pretty sure my guests would think it's weird to suddenly have dessert in Italy or the UK after all my careful theming.

So my plan for the after party is to have everyone get into comfortable disney approved (can't go into the parks in my wedding dress) attire and head over to the Mexico Pavilion take a ride with Donald, get drinks, then grab a good spot for the show!

New! La Cava del Tequila celebrates the heritage and tradition of tequila making in Mexico. Guests 21 years of age or older can enjoy over 70 varieties of authentic tequila, from the simplest to the rarest, and the resident "tequila ambassador" will educate Guests on the history of this uniquely Mexican libation. Sip on exotic blended margaritas made with fresh tropical fruit while you sample tapas-style dishes like freshly made guacamole, warm corn chips and salsas.

Did someone say tequila?

New Spain -Reception

My Reception:

Las Ventanas @ Disney's Coronado Springs Resort is where I'd like to have my reception. I think the rooms are beautiful and fit perfectly with my vision of a New Spain wedding. The palette in these rooms are my favorite because the colors are understated and I feel like you can add more to it, instead of trying to take some of the theming away to fit my needs.

I'm not thrilled with the mustard color linens and it sounds like there would be a charge to remove them. I'm thinking if the tables are in decent shape I'd like to do without any table cloth so that the dark wood color isn't lost.

I don't want flower centerpieces just candles. I still need to find something that looks exactly how I want it to and when(if) I do I'll post it.

Location Details:

There are no venue fees for these locations. No Disney Characters may appear at the event. All decorations and entertainment must be set up through Disney Event Group.

Las Ventanas

Breakfast/Lunch (100% seating) Capacity = 75, F&B 1,000++

Dinner (100% seating) Capacity = 75, F&B 2,500++

Reception (60% seating) Capacity = 100, F&B 4,000++

Special to this location: Dinner and Receptions that continue past 9pm must include an additional F&B minimum of 2,000++ Existing Sound System and Audio Visual may be customized to group.

Rix Lounge

I love the candle holder on the left of this picture and the marble table! Since this is a lounge, there is a lot of informal seating which would be great if the cocktail hour needs to move inside.

Breakfast/Lunch (100% seating) Capacity = 150, F&B 2,500++

Special to this location: Existing seating only. Existing Sound System and Audio Visual may be customized to group.

Outdoor Locations:

Laguna Patio

Reception (75% seating) Capacity = 30 F&B 750++

Laguna Terrace Upper

Reception (75% seating) Capacity = 60 F&B 1,500++

Laguna Terrace Lower

Reception (75% seating) Capacity = 80 F&B 2,000++

Special to these locations: Existing seating only. No audio or visual equipment. Backup location required.

New Spain -Cocktail Hour

My Cocktail Hour:

Depending on how the ceremony space is divided I would either have the cocktail hour in the same space as the ceremony or move the guests into the reception area early. I would of course have to a mariachi band playing during the cocktail hour and continuing into the dinner part of the reception.

This is a picture of the Mariachi Cobre that plays daily at the Mexico Pavilion at Epcot. Do I think I'd actually get them? No, but it would be really cool! I'm sure there are plenty of similar bands that would work for my wedding.

At a cocktail hour everyone wants to start drinking right? Well the one drink I would have to have included is a frozen strawberry margarita:

wow, I really want one now... it's 4 o'clock somewhere right? I'd also include some virgin strawberry daiquiris (for the kids and non-alcholics) since I had my first at one at Disney's Vero Beach Resort.

New Spain -Ceremony

My Ceremony:

I'm really in love with outdoor ceremonies and this seems to be one of the few outdoor spaces that the Coronado Springs Resort uses for meetings (I had to check the meetings and conventions page) and since it wouldn't be a big wedding, I think this space would fit our needs perfectly.

These are two locations on the Coronado Springs property where I'd love to take pictures. The first is in the main reception area and the second is on the property between guest room buildings:

New Spain -Gift Bags

I'd love to give my guests reusable bags as part of their welcome gift. I hate plastic bags and try to remember to bring my reusable grocery bags whenever possible. Also most stores give you 5 cents back and that really can pay off the bag depending on how much you shop and if you bring it with you. This bag is $2.99 from Pier 1 Imports.

Inside the bag:

1. Lake Champlain Assorted Chocolate Squares (180 pieces =$105.00)
2. Personalized Mini Hot Sauce bottles ($39.00 for 12 bottles, $6.00 for 15 labels) {not my fav but the boy likes it on his burritos}
3. DIY Mexican Paper Flower
4. Custom Wedding Party Buttons from Zazzle.com (113.50 = 50 buttons)
5. Coppertone Continuous Spray SPF-30
6. Map of Epcot (and all the other parks)
7. Poland Spring Water Bottles
8. Wedding Itenerary
9. Emergency Numbers and Party Member Contact Info
10. Must See Ride and Show List For All the Parks!

New Spain -Invitations

When I saw these lamp shades, I knew I needed to find a way to incorporate them into my wedding.

Invitations:

David's Bridal: Dramatically Fashionable - Invitation

It seems to me that the venue, flowers, and bridesmaid dresses will all have so much color that bringing out this understated design in the invitations will make seeing the overall look at the wedding, that much more powerful.

I'm also thinking that I'll use this design for the table numbers at the reception.

New Spain -Inspirations

The idea for my first attempt at planning a fantasy wedding was actually going to be fairly traditional and pretty (and will probably be on here eventually) but before I could start working on it, I received a random infomation packet from Rix Lounge @ Disney's Coronado Springs Resort. So obviously I had to check this place out since I had never heard of it before.
I thought maybe this could be an Aug wedding but then I remembered that May had Cinco de Mayo and was actually a very sexy month, so this could work.

Ideas:

1. Rix Lounge in Coronado Springs - the whole theme of the resort is southwest, spanish mexico and the explorer Don Francisco de Coronado and his unsuccessful search for the Seven Cities of Gold. The theme is already there at the hotel so I think I'll just add some touches here and there to carry it along.
2. The color persimmon (I love) and it seems perfect for this theme so the bridesmaids will be wearing it, maybe some candles in this color.
3. Wrought-iron and scroll work -I love the added touch of the iron (would love to find some monogram pins for the groomsmen) This scroll pattern is on some pillows and lamps and I think I'll work it into the invitations.

So I'm calling this wedding theme New Spain because 1 - all the spanish/mexican influences and 2 - marriage is a journey not unlike the one explorers took when searching the new world and trying to find the cities of gold. I want my guests to feel like they're a part of our journey.

Stay tuned for my first attempt at planning a wedding!