Atlantic City Wedding

   Walt Disney World

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, Tony Guida

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.


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   The Chelsea

I worked with two wedding coordinators because the previous one moved away! The coordinator I worked was with Laura, and she was still in transition of her new role. Nevertheless, the wedding went as smooth as it could! Highlights: The food! (although the groom and me hardly had any since we were so busy!), the atmosphere, the hotel rooms, and the service! Some lowlights: small dancefloor.

The servers did give us a plate of some of the hors d'ouerves, but we only picked at it since we were being pulled left and right to take pictures. Our guests raved about the lobster ravioli, lamb chops, and the mini burgers! As for the service, impeccable! Since I brought in all my decorations, centerpieces, candy buffet setups, etc, they were able to follow my directions that I laid out in a photobook! They also sent us strawberries to our penthouse suite that night :)

We did a cocktail reception, so there was a smaller dance floor since the tables took the most space. I guess it made for a crowded dance floor, but with our group, we definitely needed a larger space! The ballroom was beautiful though, especially with the lighted mirrors all around!

We did the after party on the 5th floor, which turned out great since hardly anyone was there, and it seemed like our own private party :)

Teplitzky's was where everyone had brunch, and it seemed like the perfect end to the weekend!

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   Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa

HORRIBLE customer service all the way around. This place is supposedly the 'best' casino on the Atlantic City strip - but in reality it is far from it. My fiance chose to have his bachelor party there, and came back completely disgusted with the rudness and unprofessionalism of the hotel/casino staff. If you're having your bachelor/ette party in Atlantic City we recommend you don't have it there.

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   Atlantic City

The guys had a great time celebrating in AC!! It's got the beer, booze, "boobs" if you want, and gambling. The guys had a great time and the city is extremely accomodating!!

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   Blue Mercury Spa at the Tropicana

We brought my bachelorette party here to start the evening with each of us getting individual massages, and one of us getting a facial. They were crammed with other parties so we had a bit of a wait in a cramped room. After that, the massage itself was nice and relaxing. I think they overbook, but the staff is very nice and professional.

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“ help with atlantic city/new jersey! ”

hi girls!  i'm STUMPED and need your help!  i'm trying to plan mandy's bachelorette party.  we wanted to go to the beach, either atlantic city, md or wildwood, nj (to keep driving to a minimum).  but, some of the girls coming at just under 21, so we need to find 18 to enter, 21 to drink clubs.   i cannot find ANY in either of these 2 cities, i've been searching for 2 days!!

 

anyone know any 18 to enter 21 to drink clubs in atlantic city, maryland or  wildwood, new jersey?

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“ Anyone in the Atlantic City area? ”

Going to be there with Fi from this thurs to sat.  He'll be playing at the poker table quite a bit and I thought it mights be a good opp to get a PW GTG going.  Last minute, yes, but I figured I'd give it a shot for Fri or Sat night.

Atlantic City could be fun!

 

 

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“ How We Met ” by Carroll625

Danny and I met on June 25, 2005 at a cancer benefit. I approached him asking his name....a few friends thought he looked familiar. He took it as me trying to put the moves on him, and I was really only asking because we thought we knew him. Once the benefit was over we ended up at the same bar and have been inseparable ever since.

In October of 2005 Danny and I were shocked to find out.......I was pregnant. I know.....we didn't waste any time! Though neither of us were ready for children at the time our little boy come on June 9, 2006. He is the best thing has ever happened to either of us. He is an awesome kid.

Danny Finally popped the question to me on 2/15/08, we took a weekend trip to Atlantic City, NJ. It was so perfect and he totally caught me off guard. We are just starting to plan the wedding that we both have always dreamed of!! I can't wait for 6/25/10, it will be one of the greatest days of my life. The day we met just happened to fall on a Friday in 2010!!!

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“ My Bachlorette Party Weekend!!! ” by soon2bMRStip

My girls threw me the most AMAZING bachlorette party!!! We went to Atlantic City for the weekend of 8/14/09 - 8/16/09 and had SO much fun!!!! I could't have asked for a better time!!! :)

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“ Vendors and Wedding To-Do List ” by jennifer_m21

Date: October 22, 2010

• Ceremony: Church of the Assumption, Galloway NJ
• Venue: The Chelsea, Atlantic City NJ
• Rehearsal Dinner: Gourmet Italian Cuisine, Galloway NJ
• Engagement Picures: Dave Austria
• Photography: Danielle Hopkins
• Save the date video/Videography: Persempre Videos
• DJ: DJ Apt One
• Florist: Flower and Balloon Boutique, Philadelphia PA
• Limo: Atlantic Limo, Atlantic City NJ
• Engagement/Wedding Bands: Milanj Jewelers, King of Prussia PA
• Groom Tux - Custom-made by Frank DeRito, Newtown PA
• Groomsmen Tuxes (Navy Blue): Galelli Tux, Philadelphia PA
• Cake Stand/Centerpieces: Home Goods/TJ Maxx, www.crafta.com, www.shopwildthings.com, www.save-on-crafts.com
• Bridal Gown: Brides and Grooms, Newark DE -> Maggie Sottero Rhianna Royale
• Bridesmaid Dresses: Brides and Grooms, Newark DE -> Belsoie L3017
• Bridesmaid Accessories: Clutch from Aldo, pearl necklace and earrings (gift from FMIL, hand-made in the Philippines)
• RD Dress: Lulus,  H&M
  
• Bachelorette Dresses: ASOS
• Save-the-dates: Magnet Street
• Registry: Macy's, Bed Bath and Beyond, Amazon, Disney
• Hair and Makeup: The Little Touches
• Veil: Unique Vintage, GlamitUpToppers
• Male Sponsor Gifts: Pocket Watch from Tempus Fugit
• Female Sponsor Gifts: Pearl Rosaries
• Honeymoon: Walt Disney World
• Reception items (Cake server/toasting flutes): Bed Bath and Beyond
• Invitation/Program Designer: Nestingproject on Etsy
• Limo: Atlantic Limo
• Marriage Preparation: Engaged Encounter 6/11-6/13
• Candy buffet bags, small velour bags (sponsor gifts), welcome bags: www.papermart.com
• Mr. and Mrs. wood letters, trim for birdcage holder, lace trim for votive candles, cardstock for YAY flags, misc. DIY items: www.joannfabrics.com
• Votive candles + candleholders: www.quickcandles.com
• Fake flowers, misc. DIY items: www.michaels.com
• Rehearsal Dinner Invites, Favor and welcome bag stickers: www.vistaprint.com
• Door hanger/welcome note: www.zazzle.com
• Reception dress: www.edressit.com
• Bridal Shrug: LoveChildBoudoir
• Boudoir Pictures: Scott Church
• Candy for candy buffet: BJs, www.groovycandies.com, www.candywarehouse.com
• Cake Topper: www.dazzlemeelegant.com
• B-Pic Book: www.adoramapix.com
• Guestbook: www.aandibooks.com
• Bathroom baskets: www.joann.com
• Photo frames: www.homegoods.com
• Wedding necklaces: www.gilt.com, www.anntaylor.com
• Reception shoes: www.nordstrom.com
• Wedding shoes: www.ninewest.com
• Thank you cards: www.magnetstreet.com

 

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“ The Proposal ” by Michelle828

After five years Justin decided he was going to propose. It was the week before my birthday and Justin had a ring designed and found the one, and planned this elaborate set up in Atlantic City. The plan was we were going to Atlantic City with another couple, Justin had booked a gorgeous ocean view suite at the Borgata resort and they were going to go up to our suite before we got there and lay out candles, rose petals, champange and choc. covered strawberries for when we walked in.

Justin purchased the ring and ended up down on one knee that same night on our kitchen floor because he just couldn't wait. I told him I couldn't think of anything more perfect than being at home, just us, and our little Jack Russel.

We still went to Atlantic City to celebrate that weekend!

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“ The Proposal... ” by joyfulnoise

Friday Shawn called me at work and told me we had dinner reservations at Polidoro (my favorite restaurant in DE). Then Saturday morning we got up REALLY EARLY and drove to Atlantic City. He said we were going to watch his friend launch some kind of hot airship over the water...this was not exactly true. Really, we got there and he had a picnic basket and blankets and we sat and watched the sunrise over the ocean. It was so peaceful and wonderful. Then we had a really nice day at the beach walking the boardwalk and looking in the shops. The beach is one of our favorite places to go together. In the early afternoon we started to drive home - at which point I was thinking "what the heck, didn't you forget something?"

After we were almost to his house we took a detour and went to this beautiful park where we had some of our first dates. It sits right by the river and has a pond and an island...its really a fun place. We had a great time, he even brought champagne and chocolates. Then at sunset he talked to me about how much he loved me (I'll spare you the details)...and asked me to marry him :) The ring...is beautiful!!!! And we ended the night by going to dinner at the same restaurant where we had our first date :)

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