Chapter 1. A Brief Background into the Wedding.

July 2004. My then-girlfriend Rachael and I take a well deserved vacation to Orlando, staying on I-Drive. Things are going swell and unknown to her I have taken a little sparkly something along with me.

I pop the question and get a "yes" in return.

I recall it was the next day that Rachael suggests getting married in Orlando. For those of you who have never been to Scotland, or to be more precise, Aberdeen, it´s COLD!Exchanging vows underneath the Florida sun sounds like a good idea and so plans get set in motion.

Step 1: Finding a venue.

Being thousands of miles away from where you plan to get married immediately throws out a few curve balls. Where in Florida to get wed, how far the venues are from the airports and recreational facilities etc, can the venue deliver the dream wedding and of course... Where can we afford to go.

Now the internet may be a wonderful thing for finding places and closing the gap across the pond but seeing pictures of gazebos, pagodas or beaches just isn´t enough to put the mind at rest.

Several months pass, every venue we like seems to have a draw back, in some cases a very LARGE draw back.

I had mentioned early on in the search that we could get hitched in Walt Disney World but put this on the back burner as it did feel a little daft.

Long story short....

We decide to get married at WDW.

Now you may think that this in turn decides the venue. But no.

Aside from the dull, stereotypical (in my opinion) Wedding Pavilion, We could choose to get wed at several hotels.

A beach wedding was a "no" which ruled out the Polynesian.

A gazebo was also a "no" and with it the Yacht and Beach Club.

We decide on the balcony at the Wilderness Lodge. It´s romantic and perfect for a small amount of guests.

Smiles all round. We know where we´re getting married. Or do we?

A spanner in the works - The Animal Kingdom Lodge has a ceremony location too. Knowing that we were to be staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, it seemed only natural to enquire about the ceremony at the hotel. Could anyone help us on this location?

Does Mickey have small ears?

Not one picture, not a single wedding coordinator knew anything about it.

Then we get the news...

"Disney doesn´t use that location now"

But the Disney Weddings website still has it on there...

Forget it. Back to plan A. The Wilderness Lodge it is.

Hooray! Let´s get it booked. Oh, we can´t?

Wedding locations can only be booked one year in advance.

So now all wedding plans are on hold until the 1^st December 2005.

Tick, tick, tick, tick....

Ring, Ring!

"Hello Virgin Wedding Co-ordinator. Can we please book our wedding venue now?"

"We can? Great!"

Several forms to fill out about photography, flowers, extras etc.

All done? Do we get married now?

Well, no. We´ll have to arrange a meal afterwards for all our guests...

How about the private dining room at the Animal Kingdom Lodge?

We have a designated Disney coordinator so let´s ask him to get info for us....

Well, if being a Disney Wedding Co-ordinator means giving us phone numbers to call to arrange things ourselves then the guy we had did a fantastic job.

I phone up the AK Lodge and enquire about the room. Now we´re by no means poor but we´re a long way off from being rich and there´s no way we´re going to spend $2,500 for 12 people to eat. So we turn back to the Disney Wedding Coordinator and ask him on places to have a meal and make the mistake of mentioning a few places we´ve read about. Ignoring the actual question he focuses directly on the restaurants we mention and low and behold he gives us more phone numbers. Does this guy just coordinate phone numbers or what?

Again I don´t want to bore you with trivial niggling things so I´ll get to the next main stumbling block: Where Do I get changed the day of the wedding. It´s not quite the same getting dressed in front of my bride-to-be on our wedding day so I ask our coordinator about using a room at the AK Lodge on the morning of the big day. I think by this time the guy we had either got the boot or just gave up as we had a new Disney Coordinator and with her a new hope.

"And here is the number to call"

And these people get paid for this?!?

So I call up the AKL and am told I can get changed in the wash room. "On my wedding day, you´re giving me the grand experience of getting changed next to some guy standing at a urinal scratching his butt?"

And so the Disney Corporation gets more money from us as I´m forced into reserving a room at another hotel. Truth be told, I´m quite happy about this as it means I get to soak up the ambience of the Pop Century Resort for a night.

That pretty much brings us up to the final run through forms before the wedding...Except that they´re full of mistakes. Neither the Virgin nor the Disney coordinators seemed to have listened at all.

OK, I agree that wasn´t exactly a brief background but it takes us up to the wedding itself.

Chapter 2. The Run-Up.

Monday 27^th November.

We wake up at Silly-o-clock in the morning to catch an internal flight from Aberdeen to London Gatwick. We are still half asleep and having trouble carrying our cases out to the waiting taxi.

There is of course the final panic check.

Passports - Check

Cash - Check

Required paperwork for wedding to proceed - Check

Wedding Dress - Check

Kilt outfit - Check

Everything else is deemed unnecessary and left to the hope that we packed it the night before.

I´ll not go into the hum-drum that is the 1 hour and forty five minute plane from Aberdeen to Gatwick, and I´ll not mention the 3-4 hours spent in the airport (complete with a beer or two) before boarding a plane for another 9 hours of travel followed then by the shuttle bus to our hotel. Needless to say, it´s not fun, it´s not exciting and while it´s not really stressful it doesn´t exactly relax you, although the glass or three of free alcohol on the long haul flight does help.

Now I am well aware that this report is supposed to be all about getting married in Orlando but I thought it OK to have a little rant and mention that on the first evening we went to Downtown Disney to get something to eat. I´ve taken my camera which I switch on only to find it didn´t make the journey in working order. Glad I thought ahead and bought those extra memory cards before we left... grrr.

Tuesday 28^th November

We have an appointment with the Virgin Holidays Wedding Coordinator and then on to the courthouse to obtain our marriage license. Thankfully we had already marked on our sheet that we would like a taxi arranged for all this and getting to the hotel to meet the coordinator is a doddle. She (Yvonne) is very pleasant to talk to, a Scottish lassie herself and everything she tells us makes the whole thing seem more real. Then she hits us with the bombshell...

"And as part of the package you´ll get an album with 12 photos as well as the photos on CD," she smiles.

We smile back. "That´s right. At least we´ll have the CD to print out the others no problem."

"Actually, no. You get just the twelve pictures on the CD and those 12 are picked by the Disney photographer."

Our faces drop. "So as part of our wedding package we only get 12 photos and we don´t even get to pick which ones?!?" We now have a look that crosses between anger and disbelief.

"That´s correct," stuck on smile beams back. And then comes the sell, "Here are our photographic packages and the prices." Needless to say we have no choice but to pay for a photo package. This wasn´t budgeted for and I hand over my card with a sharp intake of breath.

We carry on with the details and Yvonne goes over the video package and what we do with the license etc. Everything goes fine after that and as we fill in the last forms she calls the taxi company to have us taken to the Osceola Courthouse. The cab driver is fantastic. He takes us there with no problems, stops outside the courthouse, explains to ushow the security in the building works, which floor to go to, where the window is and where he will be waiting for us to come back out.

Our timing is impeccable and there´s little to no queue once we find the correct office.

Again there´s more forms to be filled out. We have to raise our right hands and swear an oath then part with more money to buy the license. Couldn´t be easier. We get back outside and look for the taxi. Clearly our quick turnaround was unexpected as the driver jumps with a start as we approach. Back in the taxi and back to the hotel. Job done. As good as married.

Wednesday 29^th November

Nothing but theme park fun!

Thursday 30^th November

More Disney fun for part of the day then I check myself into the Pop Century Resort. My kilt bag weighs a tonne and it´s hurting my brain trying to think if I´ve remembered everything I need. Now here´s the next stumbling block... Our wedding is at 3 in the afternoon.. I ask when check-out is.

"11 a.m."

This leaves me dressed in a kilt for four hours in the Pop Century Resort. I explain my situation and ask for an extension in time. The woman behind the desk seems to understand and calls housekeeping. Words are exchanged, she says "thank you" and smiles as she hangs up the phone.

"They have extended the time Sir. You can check out at 12.

This still isn´t ideal as the limo picks me up at 1:45.. A long time to wear a full kilt outfit while locals stare at "The man in the skirt". I have no option, thank the woman for her help and head over to the room.

Now at this point we still haven´t actually seen the ceremony venue and toddle off to the Wilderness Lodge for a look. The guy we ask there is more that happy to show us where the balcony is and seems genuinely happy that we´re getting married there. Glad to say the balcony is beautiful. The view is mind blowing and aside from the stack of scaffolding down below everything is perfect. We can´t resist a hug and kiss as the relief washes over us.

Back to the parks for the rest of the afternoon and then a gathering for a meal in the evening, The meal is a way to get everyone together before the wedding and to let them get to know each other. Not only that but it´s a great way to show off the Animal Kingdom Lodge to our guests. The meal tastes great and we head to the bar for a few. Then we get outside to the fire pit. We sit on the rocking chairs surrounding the open fire still with drinks in hand enjoying the evening air as well as the African music which wafts through the atmosphere.The evening wears on and it´s time to go our separate ways. Back to the room for one last thing before kissing my fiancée for the last time.

Chapter 3. The Wedding Day

Friday 1^st December

I meet my best maid and her husband for breakfast and we decide to go to the Disney Marketplace for an hour or two before we have to get ready. As it turns out we barely get off the bus before it´s time to get back on again and head back to the hotel. I shower, shave (for the second time that morning), get dressed into my finest, grab the rings and head out to the hotel lobby.

I should note that I made no attempt to be out by 12. In fact I put the snib on the door to stop anyone getting in. What´s the worst they would do? Throw me out?

As expected walking around is somewhat drawing attention. Children point to the funny dressed man as they tug at their parents clothes to get their attention. Would you believe that one woman even made the following comment: "Nice Skirt." It was a highly original thing to say. It must have taken her all her imagination to come up with it and her parents must be proud. I give her one of those "You´re a prat" looks, give a fake laugh back and say "thank you."

I check out again and have my bag transferred back to the AK Lodge.

To quote a well known song:"And time... goes by... So slowly."

Around 1:35 and the limo is early. I´m more than ready to get in and my companions are there ready too. Perfectly timed. The driver Shaun is a star and makes us comfortable and points toward the drinks chiller. I can´t help but take a look. Nothing stronger than Cola.

As a divert...

Let´s travel back a few hours and over to Bride.

Rachael and her "Honorary Matron of Honour" wake up around 6:30, get some breakfast and enjoy the sight as two giraffes take a look into the balcony. It´s just typical that I had her camera. You might recall mine was broken so we had to share.

With breakfast (including some sparkly stuff) well and truly finished it´s time to get hair and makeup done. Again thanks to the wonderful tick-boxes supplied by Virgin Weddings this was already pre-arranged and the whole process of making up the two ladies takes less than two hours. Obviously I wasn´t there to see my bride getting dressed; tackling the job of getting into a long wedding dress. But things went OK and before long they too are in the limo which has dropped me off and swung back for them.

Out of the limo are we. I have been told to expect the Disney coordinator (Tanis) to approach me. It´s not like she would have trouble recognizing that we´re there for a wedding. It should be noted that this was the third coordinator assigned to us and, thankfully, she was wonderful. She was down to Earth, professional and kept the mood just right.

The guests assemble now and we are all led by the Disney photographer who was already there for a few snaps here and there. He takes great delight in my Mickey Mouse cuff-links and tie pin and snap-shots them a few times. Now let´s keep in mind that we only get twelve pictures and the photographer chooses them; I knew that he was going to use up at least one of them with my jewelry!!

Pictures done, the officiant arrives, Rev. Jimmy Johnson shakes my hand and makes pleasant small talk. I´ve taken a guestbook along with me and have Jimmy be the first to sign it.

The Virgin photographer is now here setting up along with the Virgin videographer I´m kitted up with a microphone and instructed on where to stand.

The violinist plays away as everyone gets comfortable and the camera starts to roll taking candid scenes of the guests as they sit patiently and wait for the bride.

Told now not to turn around as the bride is "in the building" I´m left facing forward afraid to even glance either to the left or right in case I catch a glimpse of white dress. This I later discover makes it look on the video like I´m nervous.

Music changes to When You Wish Upon a Star as Rachael walks down the aisle to meet me. Jaw dropping beauty stands by my side and the ceremony begins.

Words exchanged, Rings on fingers and a piece to camera from Jimmy to tell the "viewers" back home about the reception planned and we´re back out for cake and champagne.

More pictures taken, a first dance to the tune of You´ll Be in My Heart and a few glasses of champagne to wash down the cake. The cake itself is a flavour of our choosing and has Mickey and Minnie on top. We then are presented with a mock wedding certificate signed by the main mice and a set of his and hers watches with a fairy tale castle on the face. The violin continues to play a mix of Disney and classical music until the champagne is finished we as a crowd are lead downstairs and outside for more photographs and video shots. Smiles all round as the camera snaps away and we are lined up for various shots. Then the guests depart to the Grand Floridian via the limo which has sat outside waiting.

Now as husband and wife Rachael and I are moved around for more artistic photographs and video scenes and soon it´s back into the limo to join our guests.

And that I guess ends what the normal wedding package would include. I´ll not go into the great meal we had that evening as well as the wine that flowed.

Chapter 4. The Aftermath

What I will now go into is the wedding photo shoot that we had paid extra for.

For those who don´t know the Photo Shoot is a set of photographs done at a Disney location including The Magic Kingdom and various places around Epcot. Now since Cinderella´s´ Castle is the very image of Disney World there was no choice for us. What better lasting memory to have than a photograph on the wall of the bride and groom in front of Cinderella´s Castle.

Now since they can only do one Magic Kingdom photo shoot a day due to it being done before the park opens you can imagine that availability isn´t great. For this reason we had to have our session about a week after the wedding.

Now traveling back in time once again let me explain about the horror email that we received along these lines....

"There will be a crane set up behind the castle due to work being done...."

"We can edit the images and matt out the crane..."

"Blah blah blah."

This in itself almost had us canceling the shoot months prior to the wedding but after some assurances that things will be done properly we go ahead as planned.

The day of the shoot comes around and the cosmetologist appears slightly late after ending up in the Animal Kingdom Park instead of the Lodge. This doesn´t phase us that much and just in time we´re dressed up and ready to meet yet another photographer who drives us to the park.

Being a Disney fan I´m finding the journey fantastic as we pull up to a back door and get to see backstage at The Magic Kingdom as well as the station where they put the monorails to bed for the night..

We drive up to the castle forecourt and it´s amazing to see the park so empty apart from the vans and cast members beavering about doing their daily duties. The photographer points out that the coloured lights on the castle have not been switched on and goes to find someone. She returns back with the assurance that the lights will be on soon and that they´re "working on it." She takes a few shots in the meantime and ask another worker about the lights. "They´re working on it" apparently. Trying to make the most of the allotted time we move round to the back of the castle for some pictures on the carousel and inside the castle itself.

Back out again and the lights are still not on. By this time daylight is breaking and time for actually seeing the lights on the castle is running out. Yet another call to the engineers who are still "working on it". Now I´m no expert but I think the flick of a switch or press of a button on a computer keyboard should not take over an hour! It´s light now and the photographer takes a few more shots of us and tells us that they can doctor the photos. Being a user of a paint package myself I know how easy it is to brighten up and colour a dark object so I´m happy with her suggestion.

Now I can´t remember when exactly we got these photographs back but I do remember opening up the album. Mortified. The edited pictures were really badly done. For being photographic experts I was amazed how bad the pictures looked. Instead of colouring in the castle they had cut out our pictures and pasted them onto another photo. Difference in shades and focus as well as a definite line round our bodies. With our holiday nearly over I had no choice but to phone our contact at home and convey my disgust. Assurances yet again that he will look into the photos personally I say my thanks and have a drink.

Returning to work a week or so later I find an email basically telling me to fix them myself since I can use a paint package. LIVID!! Return email spouting words of annoyance being sure to mention the money paid and the so called Disney magic. I get an apologetic response taking of misunderstandings. At the time of writing this report the photos have still not been fixed.

All in all we had a fantastic Disney Wedding but I don´t think we would recommend the process to anyone. Indeed if there are Virgin or Disney reps reading this may I suggest you make things clearer and think more about the couples arranging a wedding outside the US.