An Amazing Journey: Ch. 13 -- Tying the Knot About This Page:

[Jennifer Marx]

Tying the Knot



Normally I’m a very private person and I shy away from talking about my circumstances or myself. So I must admit I’ve been a bit surprised at how readily I am discussing our pregnancy. We recently had a special event happen in our lives, and normally I would not mention it to anyone other than our family and closest friends. But I figured that if I’m in for a penny, I’m in for a pound. So after a few deep breaths, here’s the latest saga in our baby story…



When we found out that we were expecting Alexander and that the pregnancy was “sticking,” we began to talk about marriage. “But wait,” you say, “aren’t you two already married?” Nope. For all intents and purposes we’ve been totally committed and married in virtually every sense of the word for a very long time. We figured we’d get around to doing it one day, but we weren’t in a big hurry either – we are both very secure in our relationship and we know that being married doesn’t guarantee anything (we’re both divorced). Things change a bit with a baby, though – we realized it might be a bit easier to deal with schools and doctors if we were married. And perhaps Alexander might prefer we be married as well. So we decided to get married in a simple fashion. It didn’t take too long to figure out that we could get married at Walt Disney World easily and simply, and so we began making arrangements.



We knew that we’d only want to invite our immediate families, which was perfect considering that Disney’s Intimate Wedding Package only allows up to 13 guests. So we contacted Disney to find available dates and locations, and decided on May 1 (May Day) on Sunset Point at the Polynesian Resort – that’s the palm-studded hill that juts out into the Seven Seas Lagoon and had a view of Cinderella Castle. So we booked it and handed over the details to a Disney wedding coordinator – it was a piece of cake (no pun intended)!



We sent out invitations to our family in early April – we invited our parents, siblings (my sister, my brother-in-law, Dave’s brother, and Dave’s sister-in-law), and Dave’s three nieces. My sister Kim’s children (my nieces) were also invited, but due to their young ages and their recent visit in December, their parents felt it was best to leave them at home. Naturally we planned a weekend at Walt Disney World around the wedding ceremony, including some nice meals. We chose Port Orleans French Quarter as our resort due to its excellent price (we got an annual pass rate of $79 for everyone’s rooms), its smaller size, and its recently renovated rooms.



Being pregnant meant there were a few special considerations, too. I was worried about being at the parks all day in the hot May weather, especially in light of the Braxton-Hicks contractions I’d been having. I consulted with my obstetrician, who gave me some good advice (such as taking the aisle seat on the plane and getting up to walk every hour). I also obtained my medical records to take with me just in case I needed to visit a hospital while I was in Florida. In addition, I decided in advance that I would need to take a nap daily, and if I had problems walking around I would get an ECV. Besides these health concerns, I knew I’d need a maternity dress for the wedding ceremony, but I didn’t want a traditional wedding dress (we wanted a dressed-down wedding). So I opted to sew a dress myself, which allowed me to pick comfortable materials and tailor-fit it to my shape and size. The dress turned out perfectly, and I’m really glad I took the time to make it for myself.



We also decided to keep quiet about our wedding. We have many friends, but we would not be able to invite them due to Disney’s guest list limits. Thus it seemed best not to reveal that we were getting married in advance to avoid hurt feelings. Plus, this way we could be in Walt Disney World without it being public knowledge, which also meant a bit more anonymity than usual – always a good thing when you’re also planning a honeymoon!



We flew down to Orlando on April 29 and checked into Port Orleans French Quarter. We then met up with Dave’s parents, and then my parents, sister, and brother-in-law. Everyone exclaimed over how “good” I looked, which I think translates to “big,” but that’s okay. I like the way I look pregnant. Dinner that evening was at Earl of Sandwich, the new quick-service at Downtown Disney Marketplace – great sandwiches, but their service needs some improvement yet. On Friday, April 30, Allie arrived, as did Dave’s brother, sister-in-law, and three nieces. That evening we ate at Cape May Café – I mostly remember my sister encouraging me to eat more food. What can I say … I fill up easily these days.



One very special thing that happened on Friday was courtesy of my sister and brother-in-law, Kim and Chad. While I was back at the room for my nap, they presented me with an incredible goodie bag filled with treats and gifts! Inside was a home-made rice krispie bar in the shape of Mickey’s head (much better than the ones you can buy on property), lots of snacks, a bottle of wedding bubbles, a pink and gold necklace and bracelet, a “Wedding Day” candle, and a pack of little Uno playing cards. My bag was personalized for me, with the words “To the bride… just a little something to help with the festivities” and “This is where it all began.” The bags were decorated scrapbook-style with labels, stickers, and even beads. They were SO impressive… I was just blown away. It was evident Kim and Chad had been planning these goodie bags for a long time, and had put a lot of time and effort into them. She’d made a bag for everyone, and the girls’ bags had special treats and toys just for them. You wouldn’t believe how special this made me feel. I couldn’t stop thanking them for their generosity! And the funny thing is that I’d brought a few treats and some gift bags along with me, intending to make up a bag of treats for each room – their idea blew mine way out of the water. I gave the treats and bags I’d brought to them so they could incorporate them into their stuff!

[Jennifer Marx]

On our wedding day, May 1, we turned on the Weather Channel to check on the day’s likelihood for rain. Much to our disappointment, it showed thunderstorms in Orlando starting at 3:00 pm… and our ceremony began at 4:45 pm. Resigned to the worse (well, at least I was), we contacted our wedding coordinator to make sure the limo could pick us up right outside our rooms at Port Orleans. Then we tried to put it aside – we can’t control the weather, after all. We started the day with a family breakfast at 'Ohana, hosted by Dave’s parents – good food and great fun! We also got a nice group photo together! Then it was off to the Magic Kingdom to play for a few hours, after which I returned to the hotel room for my daily nap (which I took religiously).





The family gathered at 'Ohana at the Polynesian for breakfast



The limo was scheduled to arrive around 3:30 pm to pick up the first half of our party, so I began getting ready around 2:30. I wasn’t going to get fussy with hair and makeup – this was to be a casual wedding after all – so that seemed like plenty of time. I had asked Dave and Allie – who had elected to stay at the Magic Kingdom while I took my nap – to be back by 2:30. At 2:45 I called him and he said he was just leaving the Magic Kingdom. Yikes. I tried not to stress out about this, and they did arrive back at the room by 3:00. When they walked in, Dave announced there was a box outside our door – I had assumed it was from the wedding coordinator (we were promised a gift with our intimate wedding package) and wasn’t going to open it until later. But Dave opened it and discovered it was a set of Mickey bride and groom wedding ears from Kim and Chad, my sister and brother-in-law! They said it was a tradition, as I’d gotten the ears for them seven years ago when they were on their honeymoon at Disney. I was really touched!





Our chariot awaits to take us to our wedding



We were all running just a bit late, but we managed to get out the door and into the limo by 3:30. While we were on our way to the limo and the family was snapping photos, Dave’s brother Dan presented us with another set of Mickey ears – he’d had the same idea as my sister! His bride ears were different than the traditional white cap, however – they were covered in sequins and mounted on a headband (very nice!). We felt very lucky to be surrounded by such thoughtful people!



My family (mom, dad, sister, and brother-in-law) rode in the limo with Dave, Allie, and I to the Polynesian. The limo would return to pick up Dave’s family after dropping us off. We arrived at the Polynesian early – our coordinator wasn’t there yet. I’d brought along flower leis to give to everyone in the wedding party, and I asked Allie (as our flower girl/ringbearer) to distribute them to those who were assembled. We spent the extra time taking some photos of one another in front of the beautiful garden in the hotel’s atrium. And I kept watch on the sky. It was now well after 3:00 and it wasn’t raining yet… would the rain clouds stay away for another couple of hours?





[i]Jennifer and Allie at the Polynesian[i]



Around 4:00, our wedding coordinator arrived and gave me my hand-tied bouquet of roses (very pretty) and Dave’s boutonnière. Allie had a basket of pink and white silk flowers, in which was nestled a ring box in the shape of a rose – Allie was to carry this down the “aisle” and then retrieve the rings from the box when it was time to give them to us. The rose-shaped ring box was Allie’s idea, by the way!



The wedding photographer also arrived around this time and began grouping us for various shots in the atrium. The photos haven’t been posted on our Disney wedding web site yet ( http://www.disneywed.com/watsonandmarx/ ) – we were told they are usually posted in two weeks. I gave my digital camera to Kim to take photos of us during the ceremony, and I know that Chad, my Mom, and Dave’s Dad also took photos with their digital cameras.

[Jennifer Marx]

At 4:30, the wedding coordinator directed everyone to walk out to Sunset Pointe… Dave and I were driven out in a golf cart. When we arrived, everyone but Allie was seated in white chairs on the top of the hill. Allie was waiting at the base of the path with her flower basket. The violinist was also there, and we discovered at this point that his intent was to walk with us up the hill while playing – how charming! The coordinator directed Allie to begin walking up the hill, and we were to follow a minute or so later (it’s a fairly long path). Poor Allie kept looking back at us, however, so we left a little early. She was clearly feeling shy. So up the hill we walked… in the glorious sunshine! That’s right – no rain in sight! The violinist accompanied us playing “Once Upon a Dream” from Sleeping Beauty.





Walking up our "aisle" to Sunset Pointe



When we got to the top of Sunset Pointe, the officiant began the wedding ceremony. We’d designed a short, simple, sweet ceremony that reflected our long-standing relationship. We exchanged simple gold bands inscribed with our names and wedding date. We also recognized Allie’s contributions to the relationship, and we presented her with a medallion of three gold rings during the ceremony to symbolize our love for her. Dave had been carrying the necklace in his pocket and it became knotted, so naturally we had to untangle it before we could put it around her neck… and in doing so, my hat blew off my head and almost into the Seven Seas Lagoon. But I didn’t care… I was happy.





Presenting Allie with the Family Medallion, before my hat blew off!



The ceremony lasted just 10 minutes, then we strolled over amidst the blowing of wedding bubbles to make a toast and cut our wedding cake. We’d forgotten to prepare something profound for the toast, so we just gave simple thanks to our family for their support of our relationship through the years. (I toasted with sparkling juice, by the way.) Then we fed each other a piece of delicious chocolate/raspberry wedding cake.





Cutting the cake



The photographer snapped away, but we elected not to eat our wedding cake now… we had a big meal coming up! We then signed our marriage license (and Allie signed as our witness). The violinist played “So This Is Love” for our first dance. We felt only a little silly dancing by ourselves, but it was really quite sweet and romantic. Afterwards, the wedding coordinator presented us with Disney’s version of the marriage license (for display only) and a boxed set of Fairy Tale Wedding watches (very nice!).





Signing the marriage license with our officiant, Joy McFarland



At this point, everyone else walked back to the lobby to get the limo. We lingered for a few more photographs, then walked back with the photographer. A little girl at the pool stopped to say how pretty my dress was – very sweet!

[Jennifer Marx]

The limo took us over to the Grand Floridian for our wedding dinner… at Victoria & Albert’s! That’s right… we were treating our family to a wedding feast at the best restaurant on property. To be honest, we’re not normally this extravagant, but when we priced out the cost for private dining rooms at other nice restaurants on property, the Fireplace Room at Victoria & Albert’s was actually less expensive due to Disney's "minimum" charge for the room (there's a per-person charge and a minimum rate based on the room's capacity - you pay whichever is higher). The other private rooms held more people than the Fireplace Room, so the minimums were significantly higher, despite the higher per-person rate at V&A. We’d faxed over a seating chart before we arrived, so when we walked into the room personalized menus were at each place setting of one long table and there was no confusion about who was to sit where.





Jennifer and Dave at Victoria & Albert's



The wedding dinner was superb! There were six courses, each a little better than the last. In particular, we adored the Stilton “cheescake” during the cheese course and the Vanilla Bean Crème Brulee, which was given to the men at the table (women got very rich chocolate mousse). We were worried Allie wouldn’t eat anything (she’s a very picky eater), but her cousins got her to try some things, including the “Herb Cured Poussin with Pumpernickel Curls and Miniature Romaine Lettuce” (even I’m not so sure what that was at this point). She also enjoyed the grilled prime filet with cauliflower-potato mousseline. She did try to get us to order her special food, but we’d explain beforehand that this was not an option at Victoria & Albert’s, and she handled it very well.



There were 16 of us at dinner and eight servers waited on us. At the start of each course, all eight servers would file into the room bearing china plates. They lined up behind the women and girls and presented the plates in unison. It was like something out of a Masterpiece Theatre film. Very impressive.



We’d ordered several bottles of wine in advance, and it flowed very freely during the evening. I, naturally, kept to sparkling water. So while the dinner began quietly (I think most everyone was a bit awed by the grand surroundings), it ended with everyone in high spirits, so to speak. I remember one extremely amusing tale about my niece Megan, told by her mother Kim (which I won’t repeat here out of respect for my niece – I’ll just remind her in person when she’s a teenager).



After dinner, we all waddled out (and you thought I’d be the only one to waddle) to the limo and back to Port Orleans French Quarter. We had asked folks not to give gifts (their presence was the only present we needed), but my mother still presented us with a lovely ceramic heart frame and some Ghiradelli chocolates! Thanks, Mom! Allie elected to stay in her cousins’ room next door, while Dave and I stayed awake for an hour discussing the details of the day. We decided it was absolutely perfect just the way it was, and drifted off to sleep very happy and content.

[Jennifer Marx]

The day after our wedding, we all met at Boatwright’s down the river for a farewell breakfast. We wore our Mickey ears and the server brought us a Mickey rice krispie treat – we were forced to eat it at the same time (we each took an ear) while our family snapped pictures of us. Very funny.



After breakfast, Dave’s brother and his girls began their long journey home to Atlanta. Allie was very sad to see her cousins go, and while she accompanied us to Disney-MGM Studios, she wasn’t the happiest of campers. She did get Kim, Chad, and Dave to ride Tower of Terror with her, however (I, naturally, sat it out along with my Dad). Eventually, time came for Allie to get on the plane home to New Jersey. It was clear she didn’t want to go, and we didn’t want her to either, but she had school the next day. After many tears and hugs, Allie was off.



That evening we went to Downtown Disney Marketplace with the family that remained, dining at Wolfgang Puck Express. We also stopped in the Adventurers Club afterwards, where Dave’s Dad Fred was chosen to go “on stage” for some light-hearted harassment – he actually danced on stage for everyone during Samantha’s Cabaret! After we returned to the resort, Dave’s parents presented us with a wedding card with a very generous gift inside – thank you so much, Fred and Adele!



Monday morning came and it was time to say goodbye. We drove back to the airport and boarded our plane. Now you might think we were going back to Michigan, or perhaps onto some other interesting destination for a honeymoon. But, no, it was time for us to enter “The Twilight Zone.” At least that’s what Dave called it. (And you'll notice that this is Chapter 13 of our story! Muhahaha!) We had to fly to S. California to attend the Disneyland Media Event for the next two days. That’s right, we interrupted our honeymoon to go work. Aren’t we dedicated? The report of the media event is elsewhere, so I won’t go over that again. Let’s just suffice it to say the trip was productive. The only real problems I had where that it was hot and I had some swelling in my ankles and hands, which was uncomfortable. Also, we had to take a red-eye flight back to Orlando on Wednesday evening that boarded at 10:30 am and arrived at 6:15 am. What a mistake that was! I couldn’t sleep because it was much too uncomfortable, and my doctor had insisted I get up and walk every hour anyway. Plus I hadn’t been able to take a nap that day as we’d checked out of our hotel room at 11:00 am. Not a good day for me, but I did survive.



On Thursday morning, bright and early, we arrived back in Orlando to begin our honeymoon. We’d splurged on a honeymoon suite at the Grand Floridian for three nights. It wasn’t inexpensive and we got no discounts. But we’d promised ourselves a special stay at the Grand Floridian when we sold 50,000 books, and we’d passed that a couple years ago and still had not taken our reward trip (we’re now over 120,000, by the way). So when we factored in the fact that we had this reward coming to ourselves and it was our honeymoon, we felt justified in the indulgence. And what a treat it was! We couldn’t have asked for a better room. It was one of the “turret” rooms in the main building, with eleven windows – we could see Cinderella Castle, Spaceship Earth, and Tower of Terror from our room. Simply amazing. The room also had a huge bathtub, wet bar, walk-in closet, and all the other yummy amenities of a Grand Floridian concierge room.





Jennifer and Dave in their Honeymoon Suite (4021) at the Grand Floridian



I won’t go into all the details of our honeymoon, but I can assure you we didn’t work and we enjoyed ourselves completely. We experienced some typical things (like a character breakfast and some park time) and we also did some new things (like drive Water Mice around the lagoon and play miniature golf at Winter Summerland). I also had a lovely Mother-To-Be Massage at the Grand Floridian Spa. We intend to report on these experiences in future PassPorter newsletters, as they are well worth our readers’ attention.





Jennifer by the suite window, gazing out at Sunset Pointe where we were married a week ago[/i]



When we returned home on Sunday night, we were well rested and very happy. I was amazed at how I’d survived the week with only swollen ankles and hands (and only on a couple of days) to show for it – I believe the daily naps made all the difference in the world. I didn’t even have to rent an ECV while I was there – I did all my own walking, and there was plenty of it. We’d been gone for ten days and had boatloads of work to do, but the time spent on ourselves was well worth it. I think Alexander was happy, too! He’d been only marginally active during the wedding and California portion of the trip (which didn’t overly worry me), but during the honeymoon and the first couple of days after our return, he was extremely active. I think he’s been doing cartwheels. In fact, he was so active that Dave was finally able to feel him kick for the first time on May 10, the day after our return from one of the best Disney trips we’ve ever had!



Now that we’re married, I do plan to change my last name to Marx. But I will do it gradually over the next year to avoid confusion. Other than that, I don’t expect much else will change. Oh, well, other than the introduction of a new family member in three months! Just little things like that to look forward to at this point.



Until the next update!

[statelady01]

Congratulations to you both and it sounded like what a wedding should be- a celebration of your lives and looking to the future!!

Congrats again- it couldn't have happened to a nicer couple!!!

[OffKilter_Lynn]

Weddings always make me cry and your's was just beautiful! Simply beautiful!

Congratulations Jennifer, Dave, Allie & Alexander! A beautiful beginning. I wish you love and happiness!

Thank you!

[mousestruck]

Oh, Jennifer, thank you so much for sharing! Congratulations to both of you on this magical milestone!!! What a beautiful wedding.

And I love your dress!!!

[Belle*]

I am, of course, completely teary eyed reading this. Darn adoption hormones! Jennifer, you were a gorgeous bride and Allie is so beautiful - you, Dave and Allie's Mom must be so proud of her. (Oh yeah, Dave looked pretty spiffy too! ) I am so happy for all of you!!! Thank you so much for sharing all of this with us.

[vsonnier]

Congratulations to both of you! I really enjoyed reading your report...How wonderful of y'all to share your lives with us!

[ilovelilo]

Congratulations you all! The wedding sounded like it was perfect and your dress was beautiful! Thanks for sharing it and I loved the pictures, too!

[rescuesk]

Oh my, I'm crying again. What a beautiful story. And the pictures.... Thank you so much for sharing your special day and special trip with us!

[graygables]

Congratulations from our family to yours! What an exciting time for you! Thank you for sharing with us, so those of us who didn't get married in WDW can live vicariously through you We wish you every happiness and all the best in your "new" lives together!

[Chrissi]

I'm crying again, too! The picture of you two wlking up the path to Sunset Pointe put me over the edge! What a wonderful story. Congratulations!

[Shell_of_the_South]

What a wonderful story - thanks for sharing it with us Jennifer! The whole event sounds just marvelous! Congratulations to both of you for the many blessings that have been added to your lives!

It was so interesting to hear all the details of a WDW wedding. I can't help but thinking how your experience will improve future Passporter editions!