November 25, 2013

Disneyland Hotel Wedding ~ Steve and Mandi

FILED IN: Disney Fairy Tale Weddings, Disneyland Hotel Rose Court Garden, Disneyland Hotel Rose Court Garden, Sleeping Beauty Pavilion, Weddings

I met Mandi and Steve while taking their Disneyland Engagement Photos on a bright sunny day at the park. We laughed all day, and then laughed again when I went through their images to edit them. In fact, we teased each other so much that I felt comfortable participating in one final joke before Mandi’s wedding. When we were texting the day before her wedding, Mandi ended our conversation with, “see you tomorrow”. I responded with, “Why? What’s tomorrow?” I immediately followed it up with a “just kidding” text, but she said it was still the worst joke she’d ever heard. :p

Their wedding day was beautiful, and you could see how much love and support their families had for them. Their colors were bright and cheerful and I loved that Mandi opted for parasols. But before I go on and on myself, I sent Mandi a few questions about their wedding so she can explain it in her own words. Enjoy!

How they met:

Steve and I met when we both were on the Disney College program in Walt Disney World. We both worked at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Steve is from Chicago and I am from El Paso, TX. I don’t think I could identify a definitive moment for when I knew he was the one, but I remember the first time he came to visit me in TX. After he left, it was just the worse feeling ever.

How they chose their wedding colors:

We picked orange and blue as our colors because Steve wanted Chicago Bears colors but I felt they were too dark. We compromised by picking lighter more “spring-y” versions of orange and blue.

What makes them a great couple:

The thing that makes us a great couple is our understanding of each other. We have a playful give-and-take that anyone can tell you about (just ask Jenna). We have inside jokes and just like to tease and bug each other. We are always acting goofy.

Side note from Jenna~ everything they say is true, and I had to laugh at all of their Office references throughout their wedding day.

On their perfect date:

The perfect date night for us (besides going to Disney), would be going to a ball game. Any game really, we are big football and baseball fans. We like nothing better than getting a hot dog at the Diamondbacks game and cheering our team on.

How they made their wedding special:

To make the wedding special, we added little things that no one else would know the significance of but us. We have a million inside jokes. Things like our mailbox and Grape Soda boutonniere were a nod to UP, the first movie we saw together, but no one really knows that. We picked Creme Brulee as our dessert because every time we go to EPCOT we run to the French pavilion and buy the creme brulee there. We just wanted it to be special to us.

7.) We knew we had to have a Disney wedding since it is where we met and we just love Disney all around. We wanted Walt Disney World but in the end we decided Disneyland was better because it was closer for my family and had better (read “closer and cheaper” hotel accommodations than Walt Disney World. We now can say both coasts hold special meaning for us.

Any advice for future brides?

My advice is to not sweat the small stuff. And to me, a lot of it was small stuff. Weddings made people crazy, prioritize and really ask yourself if that detail will matter years from now. Remember that the most important things are marrying the love of your life and sharing that day with people who really matter to you.