Disney Flashback Friday

This will be my first participation in the Flashback Friday Blog Hop hosted by Deb of Focused on the Magic. For this first entry I don't have to go very far back to revisit what was without a doubt, my family's most special day in Disney World. There have been many special days, but none can match this one. Enjoy!  

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August 24, 2011

It's 5:30 AM and an alarm goes off. My daughter is about to get up and start getting ready for her wedding day. Jason will also be arriving (with his mom) to get ready for the day.

At 7:00 the hair stylist and make-up artist arrives and starts to work. There had been worries that rain might move the ceremony indoors, but as of now, the sun is shining and the sky is blue. So the predicted rain may not indeed become a factor. And anyway, the forecast only calls for a 30% chance of rain by 10:00 AM, the scheduled time of the ceremony.

Soon, the photographer that my daughter has hired (in addition to the one provided by Disney) arrives in the room and starts to work. I do my best to stay out of his way and not play "flash tag" with him, since his will be the more important photos of the day. Still, I manage to get quite a few good shots of the preparation. And then it is time for me to get dressed.

At 9:30 we leave the room to meet the rabbi in order to sign the civil marriage license and the ketubah ... the Jewish marriage contract. The guests, who have arrived at The Boardwalk lobby are invited to join us for this. A quick look outside confirms that it is still sunny and that the ceremony will be taking place outdoors as planned.

We leave the hotel and head out onto the boardwalk itself and walk towards the pavilion where the ceremony is to be held. Once the guests are seated, Jason and his mom, and my wife, daughter and I prepare for the ceremony to begin. The violinist plays and Jason and his mom walk in and take their place under the chupah. The violinist starts to play "When You Wish Upon a Star," and my wife and I escort Iris down the aisle and take our places under the chupah as well. The ceremony begins. I do my best to keep my sniffling under control. It is a beautiful ceremony and Iris and Jason look as happy as can be.

The ceremony ends with Jason breaking the glass and the violinist plays Baroque Hoedown as the happy couple walk back down the aisle, followed by Jason's mom and my wife and myself.

Tables had been set up outside of the pavilion for champagne and cake, but since it is such a hot day, and the sun is already very strong, everyone stays under the cover of the pavilion for the toast (which I manage, somehow, to get through ... only "losing it" a little bit) and the cutting of the cake. The eating of the cake will wait for a bit, since we have arranged for lunch at The Turf Club at Saratoga Springs Resort, and will have it served there. Now, however, it is time for more pictures with family and pictures of the bride and groom around the lake. As hot as it is, these pictures will look amazing when they are ready, and all of the heat, humidity and sweat will be forgotten. Many of the guests head back to our room while both photographers work to get those memories saved. I stay back and watch them work, taking a few pictures myself along the way. The Boardwalk and the surrounding lake present some wonderful photo opportunities both on the beach and on the boardwalk itself.

Finally it is time to head over to Saratoga Springs Resort for lunch. The stretch limousine arrives to take the couple (and parents) there. In the limousine, we all are simply happy to have cold water on ice, and enjoy the short air conditioned ride to the resort. The Turf Club is a restaurant that we have been to a number of times, and Iris worked with the chef to put together a wonderful experience for all of us. We had an area in the back of the restaurant to ourselves, and the staff couldn't have been nicer, friendlier or more attentive to our needs. Remember the cake from the ceremony? It was cut and served for dessert here ... chocolate and lemon cake covered in fondant. Need I tell you how good it was? When it was over, the limousine took us back to The Boardwalk - along with a box of the left over wedding cake - where Iris and Jason would check in to their room. The rest of us head back to our room where we can change out of our formal wear and into something comfortable and relax for the rest of the afternoon. Soon naps are being taken and everyone is getting ready for later, when the final activity of the day will be taking place. But for now the main event is over, the weather held out and the ceremony was able to go on outside as everyone had planned and hoped for.

The final activity of the day started out at The Contemporary Resort marina. We were going out on a fireworks cruise to see Wishes at the Magic Kingdom from the Seven Seas Lagoon. We left from the dock and had a tour of Bay Lake and all of the spots of interest there when we were treated to an up close view of the Electric Water Pageant. This parade, which has been running continuously since the resort opened in 1971, is the forerunner to both the Main Street Electrical Parade and SpectroMagic. We then headed over to the Seven Seas Lagoon and soon took our place to watch Wishes. It was the perfect ending to a most perfect day.