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10 comments:
Hi Robin, very impressive shots u got there... N thanks for coming... Would like to join u guys in near future if time allows... Maybe the Ferrari restaurant I mentioned earlier?ReplyDelete
excellent shots, robin. makes me want to get an E5. nice combination though - i had that lens and it's so sharp it makes people eyes bleed as you have proved. did you find the gear to be heavy or it was comfortable for the duration of the show?ReplyDelete
- Anonymous8/30/2011 01:42:00 PM
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.ReplyDelete
Hello John,ReplyDelete
Thanks for your compliments. It was my pleasure to be there, thanks to you for the invitation.
Do let me know about your coming plans !!
Hello Valerie,
Thanks for the kind words !! I was quite comfortable with the weight of the camera lens combo, but I have been shooting with DSLR for years. I cannot say the same for others though !!
- Anonymous9/02/2011 08:30:00 PM
Nice pictures...do you know any event coming this weekend in KL (3-4 Sept)?ReplyDelete
hello anonymous,ReplyDelete
thanks for the kind comment.
I have no idea on this weekends happening. also kIndly state your name next time. hello anonymous,
thanks for the kind comment.
I have no idea on this weekends happening. also kIndly state your name next time for easy traceability.
idea on this weekends happening. also kIndly state your name next time. hello anonymous,
thanks for the kind comment.
I have no idea on this weekends happening. also kIndly state your name next time for easy traceability.
Too bad I missed this show! Was it a public show? It could be my 1st ever lingerie shot haha.ReplyDelete
BTW I like attend fashion show too around KL. It is very rare to find Olympus gear there. If you find 1, it could be me.
Did you adjust the exposure & crop? The noise is quite apparent. Perhaps a bit NR will look better.
Normally for this kind of show I will shot raw, then PP for the exposure & WB. Since my E510+kit lens is a bit slow to focus, I only take shot when the model is posing. Otherwise the picture most likely come out blur.
There were more than a dozen Olympus users out there shooting the lingerie show, too bad you were not with us.ReplyDelete
I turned OFF the noise filter, and I have looked beyond the noise complications.
Seriously, the less you worry about the noise in your photograph, the more you can concentrate your energy in getting a better shot. Noise is something that has been over exaggerated by many modern photographers to an extent that they do not even contribute to any value of the photography output at all.
To my eyes those photographs are actually noise free. I have full size images to show. But of course, again, everyone has "different level of tolerance" when it comes to noise. I find my camera having usable ISO noise control up to ISO1600, but another friend of mind said my ISO100 image is so noisy (properly exposed, under abundant sunlight). So go figure.
Sorry for not leaving my name previously..I am Lau. I started street photography a week ago.I really like most of your photos.ReplyDelete
Hope you can comment on my photos.
- Anonymous3/29/2013 09:15:00 PM
Pretty! This was an extremely wonderful article. Thank you for providing theseReplyDelete
My homepage - http://www.lrf-kenya.org/index.php?option=com_blog&view=comments&pid=8519&Itemid=0


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Use your wishlist to create a handy list you can then use to request more info or for your own reference.
Images are representative of product. Product may not be exactly as shown.
Lloyd's Furniture has been delivering quality Mennonite Furniture to Ontario residents since 1994. All furniture is delivered by our own staff of careful, courteous, experienced delivery people, and includes free setup to ensure you are properly looked after and satisfied. We deliver our quality handcrafted Mennonite furniture to Bradford, Newmarket, Aurora, Keswick, Sutton, Richmond Hill, Markham, Vaughan, York Region, Markham, Cambridge, Elora, Kitchener, Barrie, Cookstown, Alliston, Schomberg, Tottenham, Toronto, GTA, Ajax, Pickering, Oshawa, and Mississauga areas in Ontario.

subset: commoncrawl


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Everytime I try a method to make sprites in my game, it comes up with errors. I am using Bloodshed's Dev C++ 4.01.
It always comes up with errors in assember code. I tried to use the asm thing, and it came up with the same error. I tried the one on the faq, didn't work.
I tried Allegro, that didn't work.
I know it should be able to work, since it uses MingW, a nice compiler.
Can someone just explain step by step how to set the screen to 13h mode? Please don't just drop some code, explain to me please!


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Adept Changeling allows a doppelganger to assume multiple forms instead of just one, which I'm sure we all already knew. The implication is that a doppelganger can then start collecting a wide range of forms for later use. Well, that was too open-ended for my group so we decided to incorporate a doppelganger's ability to remember only a certain number of forms.
Adept Changeling allows a doppelganger to have a reserve of up to Level(HD) x (1 + Intelligence Mod. (Mimimum 1)) forms that they can change into.
So, for example, a 7the level (7 HD) doppelganger with an intelligence of 16 (+3 mod.) would be able to remember 28 forms. (7 x (1+3)).
What do you all think? (We just didn't like the idea of infinite standby forms.)
Doppelgangers and Adept Changeling
Share and review houserules for Ponyfinder.
4 posts • Page 1 of 1
Doppelgangers and Adept Changeling
When dragons in our hearts do fly, is it not right that we should also?
Re: Doppelgangers and Adept Changeling
Sure, that works. You won't get flack from me for it. 28 is surprisingly close to 'infinite', in practice, I think.
Re: Doppelgangers and Adept Changeling
Sure, that's 28 standby forms, but it's a character with some levels and a good intelligence. My concern was that this change might be too prohibitive to lowbies without a good intelligence. Say, a first level fighter with 10 intelligence. Sure, they can switch their form whenever, but they can only have the one "saved" at any given time - any time they want to get a new one they lose the old one..
When dragons in our hearts do fly, is it not right that we should also?
Re: Doppelgangers and Adept Changeling
Which would mean they could really only imitate what they could see at the time. So sneaking up on a target and turning into them just before jumping them would be the sort of thing such a doppelganger would do.
4 posts • Page 1 of 1
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The Pledge to Care, created by The Family Firm Inc., in Bethesda, Md., helps establish an understanding among family members about why and how they will approach managing an elderly parent's financial affairs, should it be necessary.
Family Firm founder Mary Malgoire emphasizes that a pledge may be tailored for the situation. A possible start:
As your ______________ (e.g., son, cousin, caring friend), I am grateful for the wonderful years we've had together and all that you have given me in life. I especially appreciate ____________________________ (e.g., your caretaking of me in my younger years, the education you made possible for me, your kindness as a neighbor, etc.). Fortunately, we have the pleasure of growing old together, and you are getting to the point where I really would like to watch out for you. I want to do this respectfully, keep you fully informed and keep you in control. I will approach this from a place of kindness and respect, and have created this Pledge to Care to help guide us through this period. While this is not a legal document, it is an agreement to provide clarity and understanding to each other regarding the management of your personal finances.
Although a signed pledge is not legally binding, Malgoire points out that it's consistent with a fiduciary approach to handling financial responsibilities. Most importantly, it provides the elderly person with information—and hopefully peace of mind—about how these responsibilities will be handled.
A sample Pledge to Care is included in the firm's workbook, "Financial Tips for Adult Children of Elderly Parents," which is available for other advisors to use. It and the Sibling Pledge to Care may be downloaded from www.FamilyFirm.com.
>> Return to "When Older Clients Falter."


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Talented teen heats up court in Aus Open junior comp
ROCKHAMPTON teenage tennis star Olivia Tjandramulia will proceed to the second round of the Australian Open Juniors tournament in Melbourne today after a fantastic first round performance.
Fifteen-year-old Tjandramulia did the Beef Capital and the country proud on Sunday night, when she took down her New Zealand opponent Emily Fanning 6-3, 6-3 in round one of the girl's singles competition.
Tjandramulia will go on to play junior world number two ranked player Katerina Siniakova from the Czech Republic in a round two showdown not to be missed.


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Be careful what you wish for cuz you just might get it. . . That's my song these days. This puppy is NUTS!!! For the most part I can deal with that, just so long as he potty trains. Itzy is not a fan of Moze either. She's been doing some very odd things since we got the puppy. Yesterday we left for a half hour and found she had been swimming in our toilet. Chris thinks it was a suicide attempt. Poor girl is just beside herself.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Posted by Unknown at 5:27 PM
7 comments:
- LaDawn Lingard said...
Gotta come see all the exciting stuff.
- July 13, 2008 at 1:07 PM
- Brad and Marissa said...
I like what you are doing with your digital scrap booking stuff. Looks really cool.
- July 13, 2008 at 6:00 PM
- Dorese @ Dorese's Pieces said...
I want a puppy so badly! Too bad Itzy is trying to take herself out though, poor thing! Like Marissa, I LOVE all of your digital scrapbooking stuff! You do such a great job with it all! :D
- July 15, 2008 at 12:33 PM
- LUCKY7 said...
i'm sorry but that is kind of funny!
- July 15, 2008 at 10:54 PM
- Johnna Jayne said...
Oh, it gets funnier. . . the toilet was clogged at the time. I was letting things soften if you know what I mean. . . maybe Itzy just likes. . . well you get the idea.
- July 16, 2008 at 11:09 AM
- Unknown said...
i can't believe that you posted that... but...since you did... i must clarify that it was clogged compliments of the lady of the house.
- July 16, 2008 at 11:10 AM
- Julie Plotz said...
OMG JOHNNA! You are hilarious! I do that sometimes too. In fact I use the plunger more at my house than my brother does. I can't believe Itzy wanted to swim with your kids that you left at the pool! HAHA!
- July 17, 2008 at 1:10 PM


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Top » Catalog » Sterlina Milano Coin Jewellery » SM 040 S
My Account | Cart Contents | Checkout
This Beautiful 22mm Small Yellow Gold Plated Sterlina Milano Double Heart Disc can be put in the small Coin Holder. This is the latest trend in Jewellery and is changeable. The Coin Holders to hold these disc can be Bought separately from our website. This Beautiful coin holder and Disc is made from steel and comes in a presentation box.


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Church Pastors:
Doug Chambers & Brenda Chambers
Children's Education Director: Brenda Chambers
Video & Audio Director: Rally Joaquin and Carol Phillips
Church Secretary: Karen Olsen
Full Gospel Church of Bellflower, Inc. 9611 E. Alondra Blvd, Bellflower, CA 90706 USA
(562) 866-0755
Return and Refund Policy: If you submit a donation online and there is an error as to the amount of the transaction, please email or call the office. If you need to return a purchased item, you may return new items sold and fulfilled by Full Gospel Church of Bellflower, Inc. within 30 days of delivery for a full refund. Items returned more than 30 days after delivery will receive a partial refund.


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In the Ottoman Garden by Helga Butzer Felleisen
February 6 – March 21, 2013
Artist's Talk and Reception: Tuesday, Feb. 26, 10 am – 12 noon
Artist's Statement: A child of immigrants, Helga Butzer Felleisen has always lived between cultures. To her, identity represents a tension between wanting roots and the freedom of floating. It is not surprising that her work centers on the relationship between identity and memory. Similarly, Helga's drawings of hand-cut vellum cross the boundaries of drawing, sculpture and design. Minimalistic, the cut lines reference the natural world. Interjections of pattern or recognizable imagery anchor them in culture. As site-specific installations, the drawings' ever-changing projections onto their context tell stories. Felleisen holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in Classical Civilizations and Classical Archaeology. More recently she earned a Diploma and Fifth Year Certificate from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Helga shows her work extensively. www.helgafelleisen.com


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Search within featured Scientific Education items
You Searched ForStart Over You searched for: Genre Business correspondence Remove constraint Genre: Business correspondence Rights In Copyright Remove constraint Rights: In Copyright Subject California--Orange County Remove constraint Subject: California--Orange County Subject Public schools Remove constraint Subject: Public schools
Letter from Arnold O. Beckman to potential Beckman@Science conference attendees
- 1999-Sep-24
This letter from Arnold O. Beckman invites potential attendees (and potential donors) to a conference on the future of science education in Orange County, California. This initiative to improve science education was…
- Creator Of Work Beckman, Arnold O.
- Subject Science--Study and teaching, California--Orange County, Humanitarianism, Public schools, Education


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About the title of this post==I mean who doesn't miss the Spin Doctors?
I've only had two bikes stolen (that were locked to a structure or object) within the 21 years I've been riding in NYC. Neither of which have been with a Kryptonite lock, which has been a leader in bike security for decades. This is not to say there aren't other reliable manufactures out there or that not having this particular brand was the only reason my bikes were stolen. Rather it's been the name brand I've always gravitated towards and been the most readily available in NYC. When I was a messenger in the early 90's the insider street knowledge was you either had the big Kyrptonite chain & lock or your bike got stolen. They've also been super active on the bike culture front and provided lots of free prizes for alleycat races and other events.
Kryptonite's generosity trickled down to little ol me and they recently sent me two care packages.
The first came when I inquired about getting spare keys for the five chains and u-locks I have owned for years. I've lost one to many key sets in the past and didn't want to be caught unable to get my locks open.
Kryptonite responded with full spare sets and all they needed was the numbers written on each key. (word of advice–write these numbers down or register on-line)
The care package included a ton of stickers, a water bottle, their new transit H-Bar handlebar mount and a limited edition 40th anniversary U-lock.
I was really excited about their evolution series 4 Mini-5 U-Lock, which has come out in limited supply to celebrate 40 years of bike security perfection.
This is the same trusted lock as the as part of their evolution series (the signature orange color) with 13mm hardened steel shackle that slides into one end of the crossbar. The lock has a small key hole which is strategically placed in a reinforced cuff so as not to be easily pried upon by thieves. Weighing 770g or 2.1 pounds, this is the smallest lock in the series. It's perfect for slipping in a back pocket or in a u-lock holder on the belt of a hip pouch (Fabrichorse.com) I use this lock to secure my back wheel to the frame. Its not long enough to fit around a standard NYC street sign and go through the frame and front wheel so it's definitely used as a secondary lock. They do however make longer models to accommodate frame and wheel, as well as bigger locking options. Many urban riders only want to carry u-locks to avoid more bulky chains.
The lock riding hipside or sticking out of a back pocket has become an icon of urban bike fashion and is such a classic design that Kryptonite's K-4 lock is on permanent display in the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) design collection. I felt rather nostalgic (or maybe old) that this was an anniversary edition with a flashy ruby red color on the crossbar.
Check out contest details on the next page.
Continue reading Pocket full of Kryptonite–Lock(s) giveaway on twitter and instagram


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ROLLINSFORD ― Although neither Prince Albert nor Queen Victoria were in attendance on Sunday, local residents none the less experienced some of what it was like to be in England between 1837 and 1901.
Those 63 years comprised the reign of Victoria, the longest of any British monarch.
According to staff members of the Association for Rollinsford Culture and History (ARCH), historical rumor abounds that it was a time of a prudish and very straight-laced populace.
Some of which was true, as the middle class aspired to become nobles and thought that by emulating nobles' mores and manners they would be more like those of higher status
Numerous young ladies, and one young man all between the ages of 5 and 12 arrived at the Colonel Paul Wentworth House in Rollinsford for the third annual Victorian Tea Party on Sunday. All were accompanied by an adult, and several had, at the request of ARCH, brought a favorite doll with them.
All in attendance were dressed in finery suitable for such an event. First order of business was a 19th style scavenger hunt, after which all entered the formal dining room populated with tables covered with white linen and full settings of "the best" china.
After the formal introduction of each of the youngsters and their dolls, they were entertained by violinist Bella Britton of Dover, playing Lully, a gavotte by Barbara Anderson.
A Victorian game of Lookabout ensued, after which the ladies of the day, Lucy Putnam, Chris Reishus and Laura Scheibel gave lessons on Victorian manners, assisted by a perfectly attired Kate Roberts of Boston.
"In those days," instructed Putnam, "one never said 'I'd like to introduce', but rather 'May I present'." She also demonstrated the correct method of removing one's gloves, "one finger at a time." Very instructional as many of the youngsters were wearing formal white gloves.
Next came the moment the mothers, grandmothers and children had been waiting for, the Victorian Tea Party.
Finger sandwiches, Devonshire scones, as well as honey, lemon and ginger scones were set on the tables. Children were advised that reaching was not acceptable, but a request to "please pass" was in order.
Abigail Wagner of Rollinsford could be seen practicing perfectly with Serena Cahill, also of Rollinsford. Wagner was joined by her mother Errin, as well as her grandmother Krickett Merrill of Eliot.
Dessert brought lemonade and tea joined with shortbread cookies plus lemon thins and mints, with a final instruction on "stirring the tea slowly, making no noise."
This was done as the beautifully gowned Britton, a fourth grader at the Garrison School, performed a minuet by Boccherini.
The final event of the day was an opportunity to craft a Victorian head band or a marbles pouch, as the adults watched avidly.
Eleven-year-old Ruth Hartford, attired in a hat worthy of the previous day's Kentucky Derby, was joined by her mother Grace. The Hartfords of Rochester were attending their second tea sponsored by ARCH, and said Ruth, "I am excited to be back here."
Bella's mother Cami expressed pleasure at the day's events. "This is our second year. Bella and I really enjoy it."
Bella and Cami had a special link to the day, just returning from England the previous week.
As Nancy McGinnis of Rochester and Sally Lavallee of Bedford, grandmother and aunt respectively of Serena Cahill, were leaving they could be heard saying, "we have great fun here, we should make it a family tradition."


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Disney's Wedding Pavilion is getting a new interior look in 2017 - take a first look with new concept art.
Jodi & Victor's Walt Disney World Wedding
Maximum Happy,
Minimum Stress, Great Value
We (Jodi Bucknam and Victor Nazarian) got married at Walt Disney World on Sunday 18 April 2010 at the Gazebo in the Rose Garden at Disney's Yacht Club resort and had our reception at the Atlantic Dance Hall.
The bride & groom laughed and cried and danced.
The critics raved:
It couldn't have been any better - Bride's Mom.
I want to do it all over again - Groom.
The best wedding I've ever been to - Our minister.
If you've seen Molly Ringwald in "Sixteen Candles" or Steve Martin in "Father of the Bride" you may understand my state of mind in early 2009. I was worried and I wasn't sure we knew what we were doing. Marrying Jodi was a rock solid sure thing. I couldn't have been more positive of anything in my whole life. HOW do we get married?
HC SVNT DRACONES... (Here Be Dragons)
I asked Jodi to marry me on the Royal (pipe organ) stage at the Maryland Renaissance Festival on the last day of the Fall 2008 season. I was just back from an airborne Coast Guard Auxiliary patrol, still in my uniform flight suit. We'd been dating since the previous February and had known each other from swing dancing for about a year before that. She said yes, my friend Gary played Ode to Joy on the pipe organ and I was walking on clouds. Now we had to start walking those clouds in the direction of a wedding, somewhere.
We spent months, buying magazines, doing Internet research and talking to friends. We must have put in 200 hours on our MacBooks looking up details and reading reviews and comments on weddings and we probably put over 5,000 miles on Jodi's Honda Civic Hybrid traveling to interesting wedding spots. We wanted to stay out of debt and pay for it mostly on our own. It had to be fun, include dancing and have as many of our friends and family as possible. We knew we could save some money by doing our own invitations and ceremony programs and providing a few of our own special touches. We even got our friend Slash (Eric Dunn) to draw up some special graphics we could use in our invitations. We knew we'd probably spend quite a bit if we wanted a memorable event and we wanted to do it RIGHT, get a good value and have lots of fun for our money.
We had lots of ideas for themes including Victorian formal, steam punk, zoot suits, island/tropical and Jazz Fest in New Orleans, etc. I even suggested getting married by a ship's captain in period garb - a pirate wedding.
Jodi wasn't into the pirate wedding theme but getting married on a ship (in non-pirate clothes) stayed on the list. We considered several cities close to the water and also maybe staying close to home.
Even though Washington D.C. is beautiful in the Spring the sprawling nature and inflated costs of the D.C. metro area would have made staying close to home expensive and complicated.
Also, because Jodi's family is somewhat dispersed and would have to travel anyway it only seemed fair to have the wedding somewhere worth traveling to. This made a destination wedding much more appealing, at least to my logic.
We visited, Baltimore, Portland (Maine), Tampa, Orlando, New Orleans, Charleston and several other cities. One of the pilots in my Coast Guard Auxiliary aviation flotilla, even flew us out to Tangier Island in the Chesapeake Bay. Then we talked it all over, did the math and searched our hearts. All in all it came down to what would make the maximum happy with the minimum stress at a reasonable cost? Walt Disney World came up on top. It was more than just choosing a location, it was more like choosing a project management team with romantic show business experience.
I had just one tiny concern...
"I don't think I want a Mickey Mouse wedding."
Looking back that might seem silly. We had just about the best time anyone can have getting married. Before-hand however I had some real concerns. I didn't want to spend the price of a small, used airplane on something that might feel plastic and be regarded as cheesy. I love Disney and Pixar and I'm fond of the Sorcerer's Apprentice. We own every Pixar film and we both love The Muppets. Even so, I wanted to make sure our wedding would be a Jodi and Victor focused affair, special in its own right.
I was also worried I would talk Jodi into something she wouldn't love. I can be a real bulldozer when it comes to decisions. When the little voice in my heart expressed concerns about "Mickey Mouse wedding" I listened to it. I made sure to say something to both Jodi and the Disney folks. I also made a point of listening to everyone. I'm not always the best listener but for this, I tried to listen extra hard.
Here's where the Disney folks really impressed me, Telepathy. Yup, Kristi Davis one of Disney's wedding sales representatives over at Franck's can read minds! She showed us the wedding chapel and the beach near the Grand Floridian and then, perhaps reading my body language or looking inside my skull suggested we go over to the Yacht Club and look at the rose garden and gazebo.
Long before I met Jodi my best WDW trip ever was back in the early 2000's when I stayed for several days at the Yacht Club. It's cool, retro and wonderful and it's right by the water. Also, it's walking distance to both Epcot and MGM (now Disney's Hollywood Studios). Somehow Kristi must have known I love all of that. I love mind readers!
We were still not sign-on-the-dotted-line just yet. We made sure to finish up visiting the other sites we had planned and we double checked our hearts. We looked at numbers and talked with friends. We asked family members what they thought and then we did the smart thing. We talked with Jodi's mom.
Jodi's mother Anita is a saint. Really! She's a super smart, ultra cool professor over at Ohio State (Go Buckeyes) and not only was she happy to let us do the wedding any way we wanted but she also said she'd help us if we needed it. She agreed with us that WDW was a good idea and was very supportive. Likewise Jodi's father was very supportive as well and also offered to help if needed. Although we wanted to do this ourselves as much as possible we were relieved to know that help would be there if we needed it. We did "tap the rents" a little for money for photography, etcetera and my own mother even put up some money for the rehearsal dinner. They were all comfortable with Disney and helped keep our stress down a lot.
The due diligence and teamwork really brought Jodi and me closer together and made us more confident in our decisions. Some people have buyer's remorse about their wedding (the place, hopefully not the partner). I didn't want to ever have any feelings whatsoever that we could have done it better. By personally visiting lots of locations together and talking to lots of people face-to-face we bonded and we assured ourselves we were doing the right things. Then we chose Walt Disney World and Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings. Smart move, they were able to make it all happen with lots of happiness and without stress. They have, or can arrange for, almost everything you might need.
Walt Disney's company is much more than cute media icons and cultural fluff. He and his brother Roy established a creative business culture that revolves around family, friendship and taking good care of people. Disney has what it takes to make a wedding into a celebration:
1. Professionals who are capable and motivated to make things happen.
2. Customer service - feeling pampered should be part of any wedding.
3. Happiness, fun and smiles, for everyone - key to a good wedding.
4. Low stress!!!
5. Resources that are all close at hand.
Weddings mean people. People mean food, usually drinks too. About 4 months before the wedding we took a trip with Jodi's mom to WDW to taste food and cake. We were bowled over. They gave us a list of themes to choose from, each of which had associated food selections we could mix and match (and taste). We were able to add in ideas of our own and do a significant amount of
modification. We could have done everything from scratch but it would have been expensive. Disney can do almost anything but if you want hard-to-find food or extremely difficult to prepare meals it may cost a whole lot extra. Whatever the case, we enjoyed extra high quality, extra pleasing presentation and people going out-of-their-way to make us and our guests happy. If we'd had folks that were vegan, they could've worked with that. If we'd had folks who hate seafood, they would have had that covered.
We went with one of the suggested themes and generally stuck with interesting but not extravagant food items to stay within budget. While at the tasting Jodi and I did sometimes speak wistfully about interesting or favorite foods like crème brulèe and key lime pie we wished we could have. You know something, Shelley Dunkley and the chefs made special magic happen for us. At our reception the Disney folks brought us several little dishes, out of the blue, with some of the off-menu items we had mentioned in passing at the tasting, no charge. It all looked and tasted wonderful.
I love these people! If you happen to let slip that you love something, someone at Disney may just make your wish come true.
Everything served was superior and the presentation was artistic and beautiful. Many married friends had advised me to make sure I eat something at the reception because it's easy to be too busy to eat. I did and I was glad for it. Everything I ate was like a slice of happy.
I love cake. I love weddings. Strangely enough, I do not really like run-of-the-mill wedding cake. Go figure. Disney does cake. Not just wedding cake, cake like you used to want to get older faster for so you could have your next birthday right away. Cake that would make you want to be friends with that kid in 4th grade who no one liked just so you could get invited to his party. That kid turned out to be a good friend by the way.
Fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth with wonderful layers of filling and frosting in-between with candy corn and flowers and stuff on it! Cake that can make your forget about a rainy day or a broken arm...
Ok, I love cake. Anyway, my favorite is German chocolate. I knew years ago that if I got married it was highly unlikely that I would have German chocolate cake for the wedding. I was wrong. Not only did Disney let us taste about a dozen different cakes and toppings but they also made it clear that just about anything we wanted (within reason, for a price) was possible. We're not talking Komodo Dragon flavored cake but certainly any flavor that had ever been used for a birthday or wedding or tea party should be possible. Well, Jodi and I chose 3 different wonderful layers for each level of the wedding cake. We also had a separate German chocolate groom's cake just to make my little dream come true and it wasn't expensive.
The wedding cake itself was more than just good to eat. It was ultra fantastic to look at too. Each layer was a completely different (and wonderful) type of cake and the filling in-between was awesome. Jodi wanted the outside to have lots of natural theme-ology so it was decorated with fern leaves and chocolate acorns and even though it was white it didn't have that stacked glacier/frozen tundra look that so many wedding cakes have. It looked man made but also natural, like a beautiful ornamental garden decoration that the plants had adopted.
Wow but it was good. One thing though, we couldn't figure out a way to get the top layer home on the plane so instead of keeping it for our 1st anniversary we shared it with friends the next day at breakfast. Since some of them stayed at WDW for an extra couple of days, we were able to share our happiness with them a little longer.
Wine, beer and mixed drinks are a traditional part of many weddings. I know I would have been genuinely put-out if we had not been able to have a champagne toast and a glass of merlot. No problem, Disney has levels of drink service you can choose from with a per-drink cost spelled out. You can also let guests buy their own drinks but I think it's more fun if they don't have to. Disney will even work with you to provide unusual or exceptional drinks. If you have a particular beverage of choice they will work with you to obtain it and make it available but you will not be allowed to simply bring bottles of booze. They MAY make an allowance for a particular bottle of wine or champagne for the bride and groom but maybe not. Be nice and know when not to push things. They're not going to go out-of-their-way to hassle you over a hip flask but a quart of moonshine may get some stern words.
Disney provides virtually every drink-able item and they can get almost anything. Kids can have juices, teens can have soda and adults can have whatever they like from OJ to schnapps to water. Costs are on a par with other catering venues or good restaurants. It boils down to how top-shelf you want the drinks in general, how many extras you add and how many drinks get consumed. The guests see none of this, they just have fun. The one draw back I felt during our reception is the fact that at an "open bar" event no one handles any cash but that means that people usually forget to tip the bartenders and wait staff. I personally feel a sense of responsibility on that account so I made a point of getting some thank-you gift cards to the banquet staff after all was said and done.
You will get an itemized tab and it won't be too painful unless you have a boring reception where everyone does nothing but drink a lot. In reality that gives you a very good reason to have an extremely fun reception with lots to do. More activity usually means less time to drink. Also, you can rest easy about guests getting home. They can walk, take a boat or take the free shuttles back to their own rooms on the Disney property. We chose one of the middle tier services and we were well provided for. Folks had the drinks they wanted and didn't have to mess with cash or credit cards and everyone got 'home' safe. By the way, we had our champagne glasses custom etched by a friend at the Maryland Renaissance Festival and they are beautiful. Don't forget to support your friends and local craftsmen when you can.
Pictures are an integral part of any modern wedding. Digital photography itself has become relatively inexpensive and yet wedding photography has actually increased in price in recent years. When we got the wedding package from Disney I was taken aback. The cost of wedding photos if we went with Disney would be nearly 20% of our budget, without video! I was so floored by this that I spoke with some photographer friends who were Smithsonian and Secret Service photographers and did weddings on the side. They told me that a good wedding shoot could cost between $2,000 and $12,000! That gave me a frame of reference. Even with all of my research I had missed that detail. I still needed some convincing.
About that time Jodi's father volunteered to cover the cost of the photography. He made it much easier for us (me) to think clearly, without financial stress clouding my judgment. We decided to let the Disney folks take care of our photography and we wouldn't regret it. We chose to have one of the higher end photography services but decided not to have Disney do the video. Our friend Annette who worked there for 30+ years offered to shoot digital video for us and that worked out fine. The Disney Fine Art Photography focused on shooting fantastic stills and they did so much more than just take pictures. What we paid was a bargain for the service, care and handling they gave us. The over-the-top-notch service and the 'no-worries' feeling is worth more than I can describe. Thanks Dad!
It's impossible to compare Amy Alexander, Daryn Backal and the Disney wedding photography staff with normal wedding photographers. It's just not a reasonable comparison. Out-of-house wedding photographers aren't as familiar with WDW as the Disney folks. Disney photographers know their own back yard better than anyone else ever will. That means fantastic settings, framed backdrops and near-perfect lighting & color schemes. If you then add in top-of-the-line cameras & equipment and truly awesome post-production resources... well, you get the picture. There's just no chance a regular photographer can compete, even at a discount. Add in attentive customer support from Carol Feeney and Dara Bond and the extra special Lillian Lopez (love that woman!) you get fantastic-ness that no other wedding photography can match.
Let me take a special moment to further praise Amy Alexander and Lillian Lopez. Amy was often a lot like an athletic coach while shooting us. She 'danced' us through our still photography like a Broadway director moves performers on stage. She somehow managed to read our minds (there's that special Disney magic again) and make the shots happen. Backgrounds, lighting, movement, reflections and even raindrops all seemed to be under her command while she orchestrated Jodi and me. To top it all off, Amy is also a post-production wiz. She took the thousands of shots and culled them down to over 800 fantastic photos that all show wonderful happiness.
The pictures, when we got them, were like a small avalanche of great memories. One word of advice, pay the extra money to get the high-resolution DVD's and really consider the other extra options. It's all money but it's all so worth it.
Lillian Lopez helped us put our wedding album together when we came back to WDW about 8 months after the wedding. Actually she helped us put two of them together. One large one with a wonderful spread of all aspects of our wedding and a second, smaller one with just the best of the best of the best. She's patient and happy and it makes me smile just to think of the hours we spent with her. Yes, hours! Even though Jodi and I had spent many nights before bed going over the photos to narrow it down to just a couple of hundred for album consideration, it still took 3 to 4 hours with Lillian to get things laid out and perfect. This was time she gave willingly and happily and it's exactly the way it needed to be. I'm sorry to say I was grumpy that morning when I woke up. I had slept extremely poorly at the Swan & Dolphin the night before and I just felt played out. Lillian rescued me from that mood and made a chore into yet another happy memory. If you have the chance, work with her. She'll take good care of you and make you smile.
Wedding Planning Staff
Our excellent wedding planner Diane Bowen was graceful and professional. Whenever we had a question it was handled with assurance, respect and a smile. She was responsive and helpful before the wedding and was professional and unflappable during the ceremony and reception. When it looked like it might rain she trusted me to make the call to stay outside even though she didn't know I have been trained in weather analysis by the Coast Guard Auxiliary. When there was a hiccup with the music just before the ceremony started she handled it and kept things moving. When a guest had to leave the reception and fly home due to an emergency Diane found an internet connection, arranged for the flight and got her on her way. If I ever get the chance again, I'll hire her, she's aces. When one of my two best 'men' Johnny, who lost his leg a few years ago, had trouble with his prosthetic, Jamie Ledet and Chrissy Walsh found a wheelchair and took special good care of him. Awesome.
In addition to Diane keeping us very well informed about the wedding expenses and planning, assistant planners Jen Flores, Alix Griffin-Arnold and Jessica Moore went out of their way to make sure the paperwork and reservations process was as painless as possible. Anyone out there who's ever managed any kind of large project or event knows that the devil lives in the details and those details hide in the paperwork. Jen took care of us and Jess made sure we understood what we were doing each step of the way. Any time I eMailed any of them or called I knew they would do their best. I was also heartened that their 'best' is several notches above other people's best.
Laura Kidd with Disney floral was the ultimate cool. Jodi is a naturalist and park ranger. She wanted nature to be part of our wedding and Laura and her staff were able to make that happen. The flowers and greenery were beautiful in a way that still makes me feel warm and fuzzy. The bouquets and corsages all looked like little bits of purity and sunshine with a little spice.
The flowers and natural touches to the ceremony were actually enhanced quite a bit because the Gazebo at the Yacht Club is in a beautiful but understated rose garden. Laura and her staff know how to use flowers and plants to add-to rather than compete-with the landscaping and darn, it looked great. In the 1990's the word was synergy.
I don't really know how the Disney floral and landscaping staff did it but somehow we had baby bunnies and newborn ducklings as part of our marriage. I don't know where they nest or live but they provided a little bit more magic for our wedding. Fortunately they didn't actually get in anyone's way during the ceremony but we saw them several times during our trip and it made us extra happy.
The Ceremony
Disney's Yacht club is upscale and wonderful. Even in a non-wedding setting it's the kind of place that can make you feel that everything's alright. The facilities inside and the main lobby and lounge areas are fantastic for photos and preparation. The secluded rose garden and gazebo have a view of the water but are also somewhat obscure. It's a very successful fusion of public and private spaces and is pure Steve Jobs, Walt Disney, Albert Einstein type genius.
Although mostly shielded from wind and weather the rose garden still gets lots of light. There is easy access to restrooms, food, guest rooms and good photo backdrops. There are indoor galleries and ballrooms near at hand in case it rains and the ceremony has to move indoors. It's also well shielded from most unwanted sounds.
The hotel check-in staff made sure that many of our guests had rooms with balconies or walk-out porches into the rose garden. Believe me, this was a significant comfort to yours truly when I was waiting for the ceremony to begin. More than once I walked over between the bushes to my friends' rooms to shake hands, exchange hugs and to make sure they were ready to take their seats. Smooth, low stress and very romantic. I cried a bunch.
The Reception
The Atlantic Dance Hall at Disney's Boardwalk is exceptional. My grandparents had told me how much they loved getting married and going to Cape May back "before the war". The Atlantic Dance Hall is a very high class reconstruction of that pre-WWII, mid-atlantic feeling. It's also got a layer of Art Deco flavor and could easily make you feel like Daddy Warbucks and Annie might walk in at any minute. The combination of great banquet service and the very fine facility are perfect for each other. The multiple levels allow for some seclusion if people need time apart while the general arrangement of the place mostly keeps all of the spaces part of the central focus. As with the rose garden it's a mix of conflicting aspects that are artfully and successfully combined. It's even got outside balcony areas overlooking the water where folks can go outside, watch the boats and smoke cigars if they want to.
Banquet manager Shelley Dunkley and her staff of decorators, waiters, chefs and bartenders turned a beautiful space into a celebration of happiness. The wait staff was attentive, energetic and kind while the bar keepers were quick and friendly. Because chocolate is a significant part of our lives Jodi and I put out Ghiradelli chocolates as favors to our guests. We purchased these the day before at Downtown Disney and this gave a bit of extra yummy in addition to cocktail hour hors d'oeuvres.
So our wedding guests could get to know each other more easily, Disney set up more tables and place settings than we paid for at no extra cost. Before I found out about this free 'extra' I had honestly thought about paying for extra settings just for this reason but the per-plate cost would have been hard on our budget. When they said they do it as a matter of course it made me smile. They think like I think. The extra tables and place settings did indeed come in handy as people mingled and sat and ate and got to know each other.
I did specifically request one other extra table, set with just one place setting. This setting and table was provided free by Disney to honor absent companions. It was to remember those who are no longer with us and could not come to the wedding. It's a military tradition that is both solemn and very beautiful. In a way, Disney helped make it so my two younger brothers and my father and several others who all left us much too early were there in spirit. It was uplifting even though it represents loss and separation. I was so glad the Disney folks could make it happen for me.
If you like dancing, Atlantic Dance Hall is excellent. It has one of the best dance floors I've ever been on. Taking in the seating areas, bars, stage, the beautiful architecture and lighting you get an experience worth raving about. When we arrived we made a "secret" entrance and took the elevator upstairs. Then, with fantastic flourish from DJ Patrick Cullen we descended the grand staircase to the Muppet Show theme and went right into our 'first' dance, L-O-V-E by Nat King Cole. It was even more fun than I had thought it could be.
Also, it's kid safe (within reason) and handicap friendly. If you ever have an opportunity to go to an event there or simply poke your head in, do it. Dance if you get the chance!
DJ Patrick Cullen (http://www.atomicweddingdj.com) was superlative. He really aced the gig with Master of Ceremony duties as well as great dance music DJ work. He showed up in great zoot suit style dance clothes which went well with several of our friends who also dressed up in '30's/'40's/'50's style. Everyone had a fantastic time and with Patrick's management of the up-beat mood, we all had tons of fun while burning lots of calories.
I got high praise from a pair of my friends who dance often, "He's trying to kill us!" they claimed. That was because Patrick was playing such good music no one wanted to leave the dance floor! Everyone was dancing themselves into smaller clothes sizes by the minute and smiling the whole time. He also played slow stuff for folks to settle down and eat and relax but always made sure the mood and pace of the music matched the needs and happiness of the guests.
We even had a conga line near the end that got almost every single guest up and dancing, again!
I never met the man before that day. He was specifically recommended to me by the Disney staff so I was willing to trust he was good. I had high expectations and he more than exceeded them. It also helped a lot that Disney has top notch sound systems. Quality equipment lets professionals do good work. Planning the reception music, Patrick was very good at communicating from a distance. I was easily able to stay in touch with him and plan the reception music & style completely from home. He made it all seem so easy. When we have our 5 year anniversary I'm going to hire him again. Patrick's genuinely a wonderful, fun guy. One other thing, Patrick and his wife can also take care of other wedding preparations and production if you need a non-Disney local person in the Orlando area. Oh, and he can dance too!
At many weddings dancing is often largely the responsibility of the guests and the DJ but Jodi and I are regular, committed swing dancers. We weren't going to just dance a couple of dances with each other and our parents and hope for the best. We wanted to make sure dancing was a central part of our reception. I wanted to see my mother dance with her husband and my new sister-in-law dance with my friends. We both wanted to see everyone smile and laugh and get to know each other. Some of our guests dance but we didn't want anyone to feel left out so we brought down our friends, super fantastic dance instructors, Dabe and Janelle Murphy (http://www.Dabe-and-Janelle.com).
You know that 30 to 90 minutes between the ceremony and the couple's grand entrance at the reception? That quiet time when photographer gets special photos of the new couple? Well, we didn't want any dull times in our wedding so we asked Dabe and Janelle teach a dance lesson during that 'quiet' time. A dance lesson is a great ice breaker! Each gentleman ends up dancing with each of the ladies as the instructors 'rotate' the partners from one to the next during the course of the lesson. Our family and friends will be part of our lives forever and the lesson gave them a good opportunity to get to know each other, much better than just standing around drinking cocktails.
The end result, everyone got a dance lesson, everyone laughed and joked and met new people and no one even noticed the time go by. When Jodi and I got to the reception everything was smiles and music and energy. As the afternoon progressed everyone danced a whole lot and had a great time!
The dance lessons may have even saved us money. If our guests had been drinking the whole time instead of dancing the bar tab might have been $500 higher. Flying Dabe & Janelle down to Disney was significantly less than that and we LOVED having them. It also happened to be their 3rd anniversary and Janelle used to work at WDW. It was a true win-win!
Facilities & Accommodations
How can you beat having hotels, food, reception space, cosmetology, hairstyling, clothing, airport transportation, entertainment and professional management all in one place? The reduction in stress of knowing that no matter what, everyone can get to the wedding and back again safely is a serious boost to any wedding. The fact that we chose the rose garden for the ceremony and the Atlantic Dance Hall for the reception made things an order of magnitude easier. Jodi and I stayed our first 2 nights at the Pop Century because Jodi loves the giant swing dancers on the side of one of the buildings. Both Pop Century and the All Stars resorts offer reasonable cost and excellent, comfortable accommodations. Jodi then moved in with her mom over at the Yacht club and I stayed with my brother Chris.
Really, having some of the guests' hotel rooms with walk-out access to the ceremony grounds and everyone able to walk from the ceremony to the reception simplified the planning, timing and even the photography while also reducing costs. It also made it extra easy for everyone to stay in touch. When the bride's mother wanted to know if I was ready, she didn't have to go far. If the wedding planner had a last minute question about the flower arrangements she only needed to knock on the bride's mom's hotel door. That kind of stress reduction is valuable beyond price.
Sure the rooms at Disney's Yacht Club are a little more. That little bit of cost makes a world of difference. If you take into the account that everyone saves on gas, taxis, limousines and stress, it all makes good sense. Even for those who need to stay at the more inexpensive Disney hotels the free shuttle busses handle that issue easily.
Destination weddings or indeed any wedding where folks are coming from out-of-town can involve a lot of extra transportation issues. Disney has that so completely covered that it's even easier than having a wedding near home. Specialized transportation can of course be had. Disney can arrange for limousines, horse drawn carriages, classic cars, motor coaches (bus), boats, etc., etc. Disney allows you to make external transportation arrangements also. If you have a particular limo service or your grandfather has a 1940's Packard you want to use, that's OK (within certain boundaries). If you want to have a spectacular getaway, they have resources ready for you. About the only thing they don't have available is aircraft. That's not really a problem though.
Jodi and I wanted a water 'getaway' from the reception but unfortunately Disney's ultra cool motor launch, "Breathless" was broken and a Disney cruise ship at Port Canaveral was out of our budget. So, Jodi and I decided to rely on the free Friendship Boats that run on the canals between the Boardwalk/Yacht Club and Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios. These boats are a treasure and it couldn't have been more perfect! Jodi and I had the open back (fantail) of the boat all to ourselves. The coxswain (captain) of the boat even helped out by spinning Friendship VI around and backing it to the docks. He then pulled slowly away into Crescent Lake so everyone could get great photos while we waved goodbye and Jodi blew kisses. It was like something out of a 1930's motion picture and it was fantastically beautiful. Royal weddings don't have it any better.
Jodi and I flew Southwest Airlines (http://www.southwest.com). Along with convenient BWI to Orlando direct service and free bags (a HUGE plus) they were very kind and sweet to us. Southwest even let us put little 'clingy' valentine decorations in our row on the airplane on the wall and window and seat backs and we rode in super-fun silly, romantic happiness both ways. They even gave us a bottle of champagne. Southwest took extremely good care of us!
If your guests are staying at a Disney-owned resort Disney's Magical Express will transport them and their bags to and from the airport for free. Disney mailed us baggage tags and once we checked our bags with Southwest at BWI we didn't have to think about them again until we got to our room at WDW. Trains, buses and most of the major air carriers go to Orlando so getting there from almost anywhere is easy. Interstate highways make for easy driving to WDW. Guests can park free at Downtown Disney or at their hotel or at the wedding venue and take free shuttles everywhere. Remember, not all of the hotels on the WDW property are owned by Disney and thus the free airport transportation might not be available. The Swan and Dolphin is a particular example. If you stay there you may have to deal with your own bags and airport transportation.
Hair, Makeup, Dress, and Odds & Ends
Jodi chose to get an extremely beautiful and dance-able dress from David's Bridal (www.davidsbridal.com) up here in Washington D.C. and we shipped the dress down a week before the wedding. Jodi chose a beautiful, traditional girly-girl dress with a halter-top and a train she could 'bustle' up so we could dance without worries. It worked great and looked fantastic. I have theater costume experience and lots of travel experience so I know how to properly box and ship a large, expensive dress. Jodi was worried but I was confident it would all be OK. It was. When we arrived our friend Annette Mead took us to the dress shop and we double checked everything and it was all good. Disney had recommended the dress prep service / shop and they were perfect. They even came to Jodi's mom's room to help with last minute issues.
To propose to Jodi, I purchased a pretty, gold ring with Celtic knots and a deep red garnet stone from a long time friend at the Maryland Renaissance Festival, master goldsmith Rob Piland (http://www.repiland.com). I wanted this ring to be special but I also wanted Jodi to be able to design her own wedding rings and help me design mine. This way I figured she had a special 'proposal' ring to wear while we designed our custom nuptial rings and Rob made them for us.
My grandmother gave Jodi and me my grandparents' 30th anniversary rings to use in making our own wedding rings. The diamond from my Grandmother's ring became the stone for Jodi's engagement ring and Rob used gold from both of my grandparents' rings in our new ones. Jodi now wears the proposal ring on her right hand and the engagement ring and its wedding 'jacket' look stunning on her left. Mine is an intricate woven Celtic design that I think looks fantastic.
Jodi's sister Cory, has extensive theater experience and did Jodi's makeup and our friend Lindsey braided Jodi's hair into a beautiful do. Jodi's naturally an extremely pretty girl. Really! I'm biased but look at the pictures. She looked great (and continues to look great). Even so, it was good to know that Disney was able to recommend hair and cosmetology people had we needed them. If something had gone wrong with the dress, hair or makeup (or most anything else really) Disney would have been able to help. That really did our sanity a world of good.
For the dinner with the parents the night before the rehearsal we went over to the Boardwalk. Anyone who thinks that Walt Disney World only has tourist food needs to make reservations at the Flying Fish. It's fine dining and you should not show up wearing a t-shirt and flip flops. Kristi Warrick is one of the managers there and she has a fine crew of fantastic chefs and wait staff. It's not cheap but it's worth every penny to have really great food in a relaxed atmosphere while smiling and sipping wine with your about-to-be father-in-law. If you have the opportunity, go. They even printed up special congratulatory copies of the menus for us to keep as souvenirs. Darn cool.
Our luncheon after the rehearsal was a low key but extremely happy affair at the ESPN Club at Disney's Boardwalk, walking distance from the ceremony location at the Yacht Club. Back in 2009 there was an ESPN Zone here in Washington D.C. so I was able to visit it a few times to check out the food and ask some questions. I found out that the menu could accommodate special needs and I could indeed arrange for a large party without any serious hassles. I was able to verify this with a couple of phone calls down to the WDW location and it all came together easily. It was inexpensive and very good. Everyone had a great time. If you don't like ESPN there's a myriad of other options but I highly recommend ESPN at WDW for a good low-key gathering.
The Disney web page for our wedding helped a lot. Using this, guests stayed informed and arranged for park tickets and room information among other things. This might seem like a small thing but it's one of those free 'little things' like the Disney save-the-date cards that made life easier for Jodi and me and gave an extra warm-fuzzy. These small things not only gave us a useful way of getting folks the information they needed but also lent a sense of gravity and special-ness to the planning and invitation process. When folks got the save-the-date cards or visited the web site they got a special 'wow' feeling that many of them specifically mentioned to me later. To me it still feels a little like we were part of the Disney family and that we made them a part of us.
Make friends with a local person! My special friend down in the Orlando area is Annette Mead who retired from Disney after something over 30 years. I met her back in the 1990's at WDW for Star Wars Weekends and we've stayed in touch ever since. She was able to help us with a million little details like getting bubble stuff (instead of rice) for the ceremony and driving us to city hall for our marriage license. Her insider knowledge of all things Disneyworld helped a 'bunchaton'. She and her daughter Brandy also shot some video for us that ended up being a special addition to our wedding DVD. I will always owe her for being so good to us.
Things to watch out for:
- Communications. For whatever reason cell phone and text communications are not necessarily universal for the wedding staff. There were a few times when it was somewhat difficult to get a hold of the right person. New technology or a change in policy may have fixed this.
- Locations and transportation during wedding planning. For whatever reason, the wedding planners were located about a 20 minute drive away from almost everything. Wedding sales folks at Franck's had cars to show customers around but the wedding planners themselves didn't. If possible make sure you set aside extra time in-between food tasting, flowers and other agenda items when visiting sites and facilities on planning trips. Banquet, bridal and other services may not be co-located. Confirm times and places more than once and check a map. If it takes 25 min. by Monorail and bus to get from one place to another and you only set aside 10 min. you'll stress. The wedding planner might not have a car to give you a ride. Consider reserving a taxi if necessary. If you're in your own car a good GPS is your friend.
- eMail attachments. We experienced a few kinks in the exchange of eMail messages apparently revolving around a problem with Microsoft Word and the Microsoft servers & eMail services used at Disney. They've almost certainly been fixed by now but I remember the staff having to make 3 attempts to eMail a graphic of the layout of our reception. Microsoft's software kept trying to encapsulate the graphics in some corrupted or difficult-to-open format. PDF and JPEG are your friends and avoid .docx documents.
- Guest accommodations coordination. The arranging of rooms for the wedding is handled much like for a convention. Disney's wedding folks arrange for blocks of rooms to be 'held' for the wedding at a discount price and give 'credit' to the bride & groom for a free honeymoon room. Unfortunately, the actual reservations and payment services are only partly coordinated & automatic. You should contact each family or individual to advise them and again later to get their hotel confirmation numbers and send those to the wedding planners. This may get especially problematic if you have a guest who 'thinks' they know what they're doing and doesn't follow instructions.
- Billing policies. It took me 5 really careful readings of the paperwork and 3 phone calls over the course of 2 weeks to really understand what money was going to be spent on which things. Most of my confusion came down to 'required' expenditures in relation to day-of-the-week and location. As an example, a Saturday wedding mandates you spend a particular amount of money while a Sunday wedding has a lower mandatory amount (at the same location). The costs of individual banquet, ceremony or entertainment items themselves may not change, just the requirement that you must buy more stuff on Saturday vs. Sunday. You'll probably be spending more than the minimums anyway so it probably won't matter unless your budget is very tight.
- Music restrictions. If you have an outdoor ceremony or reception anywhere on the Disney property they will not let your mom or dad sing at your own wedding. If your father is a semi-professional choir member or your sister is a professional vocalist and dancer, no-dice. They consider that all "entertainment" and stipulate that all live entertainment MUST be arranged by Disney. It still makes me scratch my head since a ceremony is NOT entertainment. They will however let you pre-record whatever you like and play that recording over the sound system they provide. This is what we did. I made 2 burned CD's and a pre-loaded iPod as backup and it all worked well. Thus we did manage to have my music teacher Paul Ruskin play 'What a Wonderful World' for us, virtually speaking. I suppose we could have had Dad lip sync... Indoor gigs are different.
- Make double sure you have all of the legal issues with your wedding sorted out before you go for your special day. Disney can help a bit with that but it's one of the few things they can't do for you. Disney insists that you have your marriage license all in order before you have the ceremony and you have to go to the court house in the correct county to take care of that in-person, ahead of time. That might be more complicated than you would think because WDW is actually bisected by the county line, most of it is in Orange county and part is in Osceola county. Also, in-state residents have extra rules and potential time-impediments that out-of-state residents don't have to obey. Along with our wedding planner Diane Bowen, Debbie Grant at Disney Online Communications helped set me straight about that and they made sure we had the correct answers. We made lots of calls and had lots of backup documentation and arrived a few days early just to make sure we got this perfect.
The above issues are really not dire (except for the marriage license), just important to think about and try to get right. After speaking with literally dozens of people involved with weddings (their own and other peoples') I understand that Disney gave us service that was above-and-beyond and that our little project was about the most trouble-free wedding possible. It was also about the most fun we could have possibly had! Put in the fact that with only a little help from the moms and dads we got it all done and didn't even use up all of our savings or go into debt.
Special thank-you's from (and to) Disney
I know that part of the Disney norm was (and is) to give us more than we paid for. Sometimes it was simply providing better-than-excellent service and more happiness. In some cases they actually gave us specific, tangible extras or gifts that were both extremely valuable and memorably kind.
While we were at our sweetheart table during the reception our wedding planner Diane Bowen gave us two unexpected special gifts. She gave us each a beautiful formal Disney Fairy Tale Wedding watch (in a little box shaped like a fairy tale book) and two Walt Disney World annual passes. We both treasure our watches and wear them often. They are beautiful and shiny and unique and I feel special wearing mine. The annual passes are good for park-hopping in any WDW parks all day, every day for a whole year starting whenever we want to start. These are very valuable and were a complete surprise. They even allow us to get discounts on our Disney hotel rooms when we stay at WDW in the future. Of course, we'll be back, hopefully a lot.
Don't forget to write thank-you notes to the Disney folks and other vendors. In addition to sending gift cards to the banquet staff we also made sure to write thank-you notes and send gift cards and copies of our wedding DVD to each department at Walt Disney World and most of the outside vendors who helped. I know it might not seem like much but many of the Disney folks and the other vendors get very little positive feedback and it's a great kindness to show them some extra appreciation if you can. After all, these people do make Disneyworld extra special and they will thank you right back. We even wrote a thank-you to the vendor that provided the little chocolate squares we found on our pillows at the Grand Floridian. When we wrote to Astor Chocolate and thanked them for making our wedding night a little bit sweeter they actually wrote back and sent us over 2 pounds of fine chocolates. Wow, that was cool.
It was all so wonderful and near-perfect that I still feel overwhelmed 18 months later. I got to marry a fantastic lady that I'm thankful for every day. I got to hang out with some of my best friends and most beloved family. I got to vacation in Disneyworld. I got to do it all together! It's all more happiness than can be had with mere money. It's magic and I'd love to marry Jodi all over again. Oh, and this time I'd love to take her on a cruise. ;-)
Jodi and I wanted to make sure that our friends and family who couldn't come to Walt Disney World would get the chance to share our happiness, so we had a local reception at the Old Town Alexandria water front near D.C. a few months after we got back from Orlando. It was a gas!
And they lived happily ever after…
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Last year, the IIAR ran a survey to identify who AR practitioners believe should win the award of 'analyst of the year' and 'analyst firm of the year'. I am pleased to say that today, we are now launching the survey once again and hope that you can all take part.
This is your chance to vote for the analyst or firm who you believe deserves more recognition. All too often we only speak about analysts when we want something, but this survey gives you the opportunity to explain what criteria makes an analyst important and who you consider to be world-leaders for their segment.
The previous analyst of the year was Ray Wang, Principal Analyst with Forrester Research, Inc. Respondents praised his insight, depth of industry knowledge, and independent voice. Runners up for the title were David Mitchell of Ovum and James Governor of RedMonk. Ray was also named Analyst of the Year for the Americas, while David Mitchell of Ovum was voted the EMEA Analyst of the Year.
With respect to individual firms, Forrester was highly regarded by respondents in all regions, and was voted the Analyst Firm of the Year. It was commended for the strength of its analyst team, the quality of its client services and its ability to spot new trends. Gartner and IDC came second and third, respectively. Not only did the traditional global analyst firms perform well in the survey, but the smaller, boutique consultancies also scored highly. Freeform Dynamics and MWD came in the top five in EMEA with RedMonk in the top three in the Americas, and a number of other firms also received honourable mentions. Respondents liked their honesty, ability to innovate, the quality of their research and use of new media channels.
To see a copy of last year's survey results click here for summary post or here for download.
For your benefit I have listed below a brief summary of the methodology used.
1) Entrants:
This survey is open to anyone who works in analyst relations in any country, either in-house or at an agency/consultancy. In order for someone's entry to be valid, you will need to submit your email address and company name to verify you are not an impostor trying to distort the results. (This happened last year from a global firm!!). The personal information will not be distributed or used beyond sending copies of the results to all participant. The survey will be open until the end of May. IP addresses will be taken to ensure that someone does not vote twice.
2) Questions:
The survey specifically focuses on an individual's perception of the analyst world in 2008. Respondents are able to select from a pre-populated list of 501 firms which company they believe are the most important and relevant for a list of multiple segment areas.
3) Segmentation:
Respondents are able to specify their submissions based upon geography (US, EMEA, AsiaPac, Global), segment (Hardware, Software, Services, Communications and Networking, Green IT/Sustainability, Developer/IT Department) and customer-base (Enterprise, SMB and Consumer). Based upon these criteria further analysis could be made of the results to identify specific regional or segment champions.
If you have any questions or comments about this survey please contact either myself or Hannah Kirkman.
To take part in the 'analyst of the year' survey – click here
Filed under: IIAR, IIAR Analyst Of The Year | Tagged: IIAR, IIAR Analyst Of The Year, Survey |


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'Made for More Than My College Culture'
How Catholic living changed one student's campus experience. College Guide '11 feature.
To see the complete College Guide, click here.
Embarking for college at 18, with a solid Catholic upbringing by faithful parents and 14 years of Catholic school, I cared very much about following God's will. I was comfortable with myself, and I certainly didn't think anything would change me.
Unfortunately, I experienced culture shock right away, and instead of bracing myself for a bumpy ride, I let go and fell into a world wrapped up in the college party scene.
This happens to many Catholic college students, especially those at secular schools. There are no parents or teachers around to tell them to go to Mass. There are coed dorms, even coed rooms, which completely blur the sacred differences between men and women.
Not everyone knows the tune to One Bread, One Body, and devout Catholics are a rare breed. In fact, Fellowship of Catholic University Students (Focus) reports that 85% of Catholic college students don't attend Sunday Mass.
With all of this, a university atmosphere usually isn't conducive to the sacramental life. So, many Catholics forget spirituality and fall victim to distractions.
This happened to me my freshman year at Vanderbilt University. I thought I'd finally discovered the "fun" I missed out on in high school. I knew my choices weren't right.
At the end of my first semester, I remember looking at myself in the mirror one time and thinking, Who am I? What have I become?
After a year of living like this, I hit rock bottom. My soul was restless, and it was crying out for something real.
With the help of Vandy Catholic, the university's Catholic campus-ministry group, I finally reawakened to my faith my junior year. I joined a women's Bible study, attended daily Mass, and signed up for a weekly Holy Hour. I also helped with student retreats and entered into discipleship (one-on-one mentoring) with one of the campus Focus missionaries.
This Catholic support reminded me that I was made for more than my college culture — and that I was made for more than what this world has to offer.
My new mentors told me I was called to be a saint. If only I could rid myself of worldly distractions and recommit myself to Christ every day in prayer and sacrament.
If only I could leave my old friends and form more Christ-centered relationships. The Catholic community opened me up to a beautiful conversion that helped me to discover who I am and what I am called to do.
Being Catholic at a secular university isn't easy, but I think my semi-unique story proves that it is possible.
St. John Vianney once said: "The happiness of heaven, my children, is easy to acquire; the good God has furnished us with so many means of doing it!"
In order to live a devout life at a secular school, Catholic students must pray regularly, receive the sacraments often, and find friends who live faith-filled lives.
In the Acts of the Apostles, Peter tells the Eleven to each "save yourselves from this corrupt generation."
I attended Sunday Mass and confession during my rough phase, but I didn't fully return to my faith until I learned the importance of Christian fellowship. Catholic students striving to live virtuously should surround themselves with people who are doing so.
There were many means for me on a secular campus to live a sacramental, prayerful, Catholic life. There are Newman Centers and Catholic campus-ministry groups on most campuses. They are there to offer a community and, most importantly, the Blessed Sacrament. What more can a Catholic ask for?
Thanks be to God, I rediscovered my faith in college. I just graduated a few months ago, and now I am doing public-policy work on marriage-and-family issues in Washington, D.C. I wouldn't be here today if God's grace hadn't opened me up to my true calling and awakened in me a passion to protect the sanctity of all human life.
I pray that others at secular schools will be as blessed as I was, and I pray that all Catholic college students fully live their faith — and also come together to change the culture they are living in.
Frannie Boyle writes from Washington.


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About Mia
Bride's Name & Age: Mia, 30
Bride's Occupation: Student/Office Support
Groom's Name & Age: Alfred, 30
Groom's Occupation: Banker
Honeymoon date and location: Undecided
How long have your been dreaming of your wedding day and what was/is your Dream Wedding: I had been dreaming of my wedding since I was 4 or 5. I would take my Barbie and Ken dolls and make them march down the aisle and kiss. I dreamed of a Steel Magnolias/Little Mermaid type of wedding. My love would magically open his eyes/ears to me and fall in love. Everyone in the world/ocean would attend. My wedding would be the social event of the year. My family would add the humor like in Steel Magnolias.
Approx. Wedding Budget: $18,000
Who's Paying for the Wedding? Alfred and Mia
Who's in Charge of Budget? Mia
What happens if you go over budget? We will have to live with my mother for a couple of months (which is not an option). My car payments may not get paid and we may have to think of an alternative to my daughters schooling
Did you hire a wedding planner? How are they doing? No, My sister- in- law is assisting us.
Describe your dream wedding dress: My dream wedding dress would be a sequins ball gown. It would have a long, tight torso to make me look extra skinny and lean. It would flare just at the hips into a tulle skirt. Or I would love a dress like the one Carrie Bradshaw wore.
Who chose the rings? What's the story behind the rings? Alfred chose the rings. He searched for a set for me. His ring was his deceased fathers. He does not know that I am trying to purchase a new ring for him. My ring is white gold. His father's ring is yellow gold. I want our rings to match.
How long have you been planning the wedding? Since August 2009
How helpful has the groom been (or not) in the planning process? He did come to look for bridesmaid dresses and their shoes. But he mostly has nothing to say.
Are you trying to lose weight before the wedding? How are you going about that? What's your goal? Yes, My dad said there shall be no fat bride. I am on Slim Fast. I stay hungry and gassy. I sneak and eat my daughters snacks on the way home from work.
Tell us about your future In-Laws. How do you get along with them? How does the groom get along with your parents? His mother and I are getting there. Alfred and my dad are cool. He thinks my dad is fun. He likes my mother also. Loves her cooking. He does wishes she would relax sometimes. She can talk, especially during movies.
Tell us about your family. How have they been involved in the planning process? Everyone is doing their own thing we are still trying to recover from the lost of my grandmother. She was the head of our family. We had not had a death in our family since my great-grandmother in 1982. My grandmother's birthday is October 29, 1926.
Have you or your groom been married before? Any children? If so, what role will the kids play on the wedding day? We have never been married. Alfred does have a 11 yrs old daughter and we have a 2yrs old daughter together
Who are your most/least favorite celebrity brides? Most- Carrie Bradshaw. Least – Mariah Carey's first marriage was way too over the top and her dress was not youthful.
What's the worst thing that could go wrong on your wedding day? People will not show, because it is on a Sunday during Football season. Or extra people show up that were not invited.
What's been your biggest stress since you started planning the wedding? Trying to stay as close to our budget as possible and getting Alfred motivated about the wedding.
How do you typically handle stressful situations in regards to your wedding? I sneak and eat/cry or I slightly elevate my voice to my mother/ Alfred.
Define the type a bride you will be: Controlling, Neurotic, Demanding, Emotional or Laid Back? I try not to be controlling, emotional, demanding or neurotic.
What's the story of how you got engaged? It was really unexpected. I was just about to break up with him because he spent $8 at McDonald's. We were saving for a home (really tight budget). He kept begging to go to P F Changs. My mom convinced me to go. When we got there I was giving him throwing eye daggers because he invited his mother, stepfather and cousin. We did not have money to pay for them. After dinner, the manager brought out all the desserts and the fortune cookies. When I opened the cookie, fortune banner said "will you marry me" and a ring came out. By that time, Alfred was already on one knee asking the question. I cried and said YES!
What do you love the most about your husband-to-be? His height
What does he love about you? Everything
What's your biggest pet peeve about your husband to be? He does not respond quickly to situations
When you disagree, what is it usually about, and how do you handle it? Money. I take his credit cards and give him an allowance for two weeks
What disagreements have come up about the wedding? The bridemaids had a slight disagreement about the wedding dresses. Alfred and I fight about money. My mother and I fight over details of the wedding. She went to the venue and MADE the people go over bit by bit the agreement. My mom made the store hold my dress until she was ready to make a decision about my dress that I am paying for. NONE OF THE MEN HAVE TRIED ON/ PURCHASEd THEIR SUITES.
Has the engagement/wedding ever been called off, or in jeopardy? If so, what happened and how did it get resolved? Yes, because Alfred feels I do not show him any affection.
In what ways have you shown Bridezilla behavior during the wedding planning? I did not like the first dresses the maid and matron chose. I bought their dresses from them and sold them to my event coordinators. I have secretly changed the bridal party dresses they ordered from David's bridal 3 times. I have bridesmaid that are maidzillas. They have quit over dresses and letters.
Who tends to bring out the Bridezilla behavior in you? Why? Anyone that has anything to do with the wedding. No one is listening to what I am saying.
When things aren't going your way in regards to the details of how you want your wedding, how do you handle it? I cry or slightly voice myself to my mother and Alfred


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You are currently browsing the tag archive for the 'different people' tag.
A movie that I enjoyed very much. It's an investigation on radical borderlines in art and advertising packed up in a movie form by Hermann Vaske.
It's about how nowadays radical has become a buzzword. Everyone is talking about radical decisions, radical shifts or radical cutbacks.
One thing is for sure. Radical means different things to different people.
Malcolm McLaren, who is regarded by many the inventor of punk, gives a short history of radical movement. Radical art was a form of art that protestet the status quo. A form of art that challanged the culture to change. An enormous leap of faith in the culture was taken in the 60's in music, when suddenly it was singing songs of protest. The art was suddenly breaking away from traditional painting and sculpture and becoming involved in more interactive experiences. We had the marriage of art, Andy Warhol, with movies and music by The Velvet Underground.
Today art is no longer looking to change the culture, but to run in tandem and promote the culture that already exists.
Today art has become a brand.
Cologne gallery owner Rafael Jablonka concludes "Especially in the last ten years, the artist has become a competitor of Paris Hilton."
For Koons, radical art "gives just kind of a sense of consciousness to things, makes people aware of their environment and of how they can participate in that environment."
For artist and radical dandy Sebastian Horsley, surprise is one of the most important things in life, never to do what is expected of you.
For Dave Droga from the New York advertising agency Droga5 "the most simple solutions are the most radical ones." Droga is responsible for the UNICEF Tap Project.
Roald van Wyk does radical advertising for PETA in NYC. "The only way to speak to these corporations, to get people to notice and to pay attention is trying to hit them as hard as possible. And I think that worked well in a radical way."
"The reason we took the Colonel as head of the torture camp, and making him so surrealist is because they've spent all this money and try to bold up this guy as the fun-loving southern colonel, and you know, it's all bullshit, because, none of those things are true. It adds layers, and it softens the blow of what they actually do to these poor chickens."
Kalle Lasn says that "radical advertising is advertising that stirs up the pot. It's advertising that throws a curveball into the system. It's advertising that shifts paradigms and creates epiphanies for people, and changes the world."
The Déboulonneurs in France also deal with advertising in a critical way.
"In the new world that we are about to enter, advertising will play a much less significant role than it has done in the past twenty years or more," says Malcolm McLaren. "The primary reason is, as we begin to understand what it is we need to consume and what it is we don't, what it is we need to survive and what it is that we don't need to survive. How can we take from the past, from a culture of necessity, and apply it to the future is a big, big problem. But one thing is for sure – people are fed up being trapped in a culture of desires with no end in sight. That has got to stop."
These are some of the point views presented in the movie. A great movie full of insights of what radical could represent.
"Never do what is expected from you."
"Go to the bottom of the ocean and not dorwn."
"Don't follow the rules."
"Question and protest the status quo."
"The simplest way of doing things."
For me radical means forcing myself to walk an unknow path and create from what I found on it.
I wonder what radical means to you ? Give me a clue.


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Please note: These are NOT finished doll clothing items. These are embroidery machine patterns for embroidery machines. These doll clothing patterns are done completely in your embroidery hoop. The following 15 Inch Doll Items are Included in this set (with links to each design):BibCapri LeggingsDiaperFlare TankJumperLeggingsMini ShortsShirtTankTunicRequired: 6x10 design area (although some designs will fit smaller hoops, please refer to individual listings.This clothing set will fit 15 inch American Girl Bitty Baby and Twin Dolls, and some other 15 inch baby dolls.
More Detailed information about each pattern (including a supply list) can be found here.
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By Ajai Shukla
Business Standard, 30 Oct 14
Brazil's decision to buy the Swedish JAS-39E/F Gripen (or Gripen NG) has opened a tantalizing possibility for India's defence ministry (MoD), which is frustrated after 33 months of negotiations with French company, Dassault on the proposed purchase of 126 Rafale medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA).
On Monday, October 27, Swedish defence giant, Saab, which builds the Gripen, announced that Brazil had signed a contract for 36 Gripen NG fighters for US $5.475 billion.
Brazil chose the Gripen NG over the Rafale (Dassault, France) and the F/A-18 Super Hornet (Boeing, USA).
Brazil will now ask Saab to develop the Sea Gripen, says defence analyst, INS Jane's. Twenty-four of these "navalised" fighters will equip Brazil's aircraft carrier, Sao Paulo.
IHS Jane's also highlights the Indian Navy's need for the Sea Gripen for two carriers that Cochin Shipyard is building --- the 40,000 tonne INS Vikrant and a larger, yet unnamed, successor referred to as the Future Indigenous Carrier.
So far, the Indian Navy had planned to fly a naval version of the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) --- the Naval Tejas --- from these carriers. However, the Naval Tejas, which the Defence R&D Organisation (DRDO) is developing, may not be ready for service by 2018, when the Vikrant will be commissioned.
The Sea Gripen constitutes a new option as the Vikrant's light fighter. The navy already has a medium fighter, the MiG-29K, on order from Russia.
Indian analysts, like Manoj Joshi of Observer Research Foundation, say buying the Sea Gripen would let the DRDO engage Saab as a design partner for the Naval Tejas and Tejas Mark II, both advanced versions of the current Tejas Mark I.
In 2011, then DRDO chief, Dr VK Saraswat, had approached Saab to collaborate in developing the Tejas Mark II. In 2012, the DRDO and Saab held detailed discussions. In January 2013, Saab was issued a Request for Proposal, which the DRDO examined and discussed. Yet nothing came of it.
The DRDO's interest in Saab stems from the numerous technical parallels between the Tejas and the Gripen. Both are light fighters in the 14-tonne class. Whilst developing the Gripen NG, Saab changed the engine to the more powerful General Electric F-414 turbofan, and added more fuel; which is exactly what the DRDO proposes for the LCA Mark II. Fitting the bulkier, heavier F-414 into the Tejas would require re-engineering of the fuselage; a problem that Saab has promised to solve.
"The greatest benefit to the Tejas Mark II could be from the Gripen's superb networking. Aerial combat is no longer about eye-catching aerobatics; it is about data links; networking, and cockpit avionics, which is Saab's strength," says Joshi.
The DRDO was also hoping to learn from Saab's maintenance philosophy, which has made the Gripen the world's most easy-to-maintain fighter. According to independent estimations, the Gripen requires three-five man-hours of maintenance per flight hour. That means, after an hour-long mission, 6-10 technicians require only 30 minutes to put the fighter back in the air.
In contrast, the Rafale is estimated to require 15 maintenance man-hours per flight hour; while the F-35 Lightening II requires 30-35 man-hours.
According to a Jane's study, the operating cost of the Gripen is $4,700 per hour. The Rafale is thrice as expensive, at $15,000 per hour.
"The Tejas Mark I has not been designed with operational availability in mind. It is a maintenance nightmare, with sub-systems inaccessible. The Tejas Mark II will need Saab's help in radically re-engineered these," says a DRDO engineer.
Senior Saab officials say, off the record, they are keen to partner India in developing the Tejas Mark II. They say the Tejas Mark II, built cheaply in large numbers, would eliminate the need for a heavy, costly, highly sophisticated fighter like the Rafale. Saab sees major profit in co-developing the Tejas Mark II.
Brazil's contract for 36 Gripen NGs comes on top of Stockholm's decision to buy 60 of these fighters for the Swedish Air Force.
In 2011, Switzerland too had selected the Gripen over the Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon. However, in an astonishing, nationwide referendum on the proposed $3.5 billion purchase, the Swiss people voted to spend the money instead on education, transport and pensions.
The current version of the Gripen NG, the Gripen D, is currently in operational service with the Swedish, Czech, Hungarian, South African and Royal Thai Air Forces, and also with the UK Empire Test Pilots' School (ETPS).


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Anne Arundel County police seek 3 robbers
Anne Arundel County police said they are looking for three robbers.
A 16-year-old Glen Burnie boy told police he was walking when three robbers approached him from behind. One of them demanded he empty his pockets and a struggle ensued between the victim and that assailant, police said. During the struggle, a second assailant restrained the victim while a third assailant went through the victim's pockets and took personal items.
The trio fled on foot and was last seen running towards Furnace Branch Road. The victim was not injured during the incident.
Police said they are looking for three black teens. One is about 5 feet 8 inches tall with a thin build, wearing a black jacket and blue jeans. The second was also about 5 feet 8 inches tall with a thin build, wearing brown pants, a brown striped T-shirt and a black/white bandana. The third robber was about 5 feet 7 inches with a thin build and short curly hair, wearing a dark-colored T-shirt and blue jeans.
The investigation is ongoing.