Red Pattern

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Coaches On A Cruise Ship, Part 3

After an exciting day at Nassau and a day at sea filled with fun, we decided to do absolutely nothing on the last two days of our honeymoon. Well, I take that back, we did have to leave our lounge chairs long enough to get a couples massage, but you won't hear me complaining.

The last day of our cruise was spent on Disney' fabulous private island, Castaway Cay. Along with all of the other wonderful things about this island, I just love that fact that it is so secluded and simple. You literally feel like you are in the middle of nowhere, and it's bliss.



We spent the majority of our morning and afternoon enjoying the gorgeous view from our chairs. Some of you might recognize the picture from the little sneak peek I posted. I will never get over the beauty that is the water in the Caribbean. The "adult" beach on the island, Serenity Cove, is completely secluded from the rest of the family areas and is basically just a long line of beach chairs, umbrellas and drink service. The simplicity of it is what I love so much; they don't line up rows of chairs between you and the water or have lots of shops and restaurants, they just keep it simple and let the views speak for themselves.



Later in the afternoon, we took a break from our relaxation to head over to our couples massage ;) This was not your ordinary massage, however, it was in a hut, just a few yards from the ocean! Hearing the waves coming in while enjoying such a relaxing massage with my new hubby was just heavenly.















 We concluded our day with one of Disney's amazing live shows in the Walt Disney Theatre. The show was fantastic, and Mr. Coach requested we go to more on our next cruise (the have a different show each night!)

Although our cruise ended bright and early Thursday morning, we had decided to stay in Orlando for one more night to further delay the inevitable trip back to the big D. When we were making plans for our stay, we really wanted a hotel that had beautiful grounds, a pool, and activities outdoors where we could enjoy the beautiful Florida weather and not feel like we had to leave the hotel. Our sights landed on the JW Marriott at Grande Lakes and we were so, so pleased when we pulled up to this gorgeous resort.



We spent the rest of the day (so glad they let us check in at 10am!) enjoying the beautiful pools and lazy river, and really just decompressing from an exciting week at sea. It was so nice to have absolutely nothing planned, and we felt free to take walks, go for a swim and even take an impromptu nap in a hammock by the lake.



Unfortunately, on Friday morning we did have to fly back to Texas, although we got to enjoy the joys of first class travel one last time. To say we milked this trip for all it's worth would be an understatement ;)

How did your honeymoon turn out? Were you fully relaxed and rejuvenated by the end, or could you have used one more day to recover from your vacation? :)

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Coaches On A Cruise Ship, Part 2

For those of you who think we're a little, shall we say, "off our rockers" for deciding to go on a Disney honeymoon, I'm hoping this post shows you what we were so excited about. You've already seen our impressive home away from home, and although we easily could've relaxed their all week, we did step out long enough for a few exciting, and adult appropriate, events.

Despite their popularity, Mr. Coach and I aren't exactly "excursion" people, meaning we weren't planning to snorkel, zip line, or take part in any of those sort of adventures during our vacation. This is mainly because those things don't really translate into a vacation for us -- we love to relax, spend time together, and try to avoid being carted around with groups of people who feel the need to partake in activity after activity. Joking aside, I totally understand why many people choose to plan adventurous excursions. We, however, chose a nice, relaxing lunch and wine tasting at one of Nassau's most historic hotels -- much more our style ;)

The beautiful Graycliff Hotel, Nassau

After checking in at the Port Adventures desk aboard the ship, we learned we were the only ones who would be taking part in this particular excursion, turning it into a private drive through the city, private lunch and private tour of the Graycliff's wine cellar. We were in heaven, to say the least. We were transported to the hotel, and quickly greeted with a welcome champagne cocktail. The hostess told us we were free to walk around the gardens and visit the cigar factory before returning to the main house for lunch. Um, what? Seriously, we felt like we had stepped back in time and it was fabulous!




This is my "Oh my gosh, take a picture of me with this lion statue!" face...
The gardens were absolutely beautiful and no picture I could ever take could do them justice. We took a little stroll and snapped a few pictures before making our way to the cigar factory. This was a pleasant surprise for Mr. C, as he enjoys an occasional cigar. The freedom they allowed us inside the factory was pretty unbelievable. We were able to walk right up to the factory workers who were rolling the cigars and see first hand how they are made.



After our little walk, it was time for lunch. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into with this, as we had thought the tour was just that, a wine tasting and cellar tour. However, the hotel had a full meal and wine pairings prepared for us. This was the first of two wine pairings we did throughout the week, and I really enjoyed both of them. We are slowly discovering what we like and don't like as far as wine goes, but getting to experience different kinds with a perfectly matched meal is just an amazing experience (if you like wine :) )


The first few courses were so amazing I forgot to snap pictures - this was three or four plates in!
After lunch, we concluded our afternoon with a tour of the Graycliff's impressive wine cellar. Graycliff has the third largest privately owned collection in the world, and the entire collection is housed under the hotel in what was previously (1700's) a prison.



They house over 250,000 bottles, with the most expensive costing right at $200,000, and it was easily the largest and most impressive collection I have ever seen. If you're a wine lover, you have to see this place! For anyone who is planning a visit to the Bahamas in the near future, I cannot recommend the Graycliff experience enough. It was fabulous. Whether you are cruising to the island, or making an exclusive trip, I would definitely encourage you to visit the hotel and have a meal there if possible. We are pretty picky about our cuisine, but it was exceptional. (Feel free to shoot me a message if you want any more info!)
One of the oldest and most expensive bottles in the world (a 1727 Rudesheimer Apostelwin from Bremen Ratskeller,  for anyone curious!)

Aside from our port adventure, there were also a few places on the ship where we were able to relax and honestly you would never guess were aboard a Disney ship. The first: the Senses Spa. We got a mini membership that lasted the entire cruise and allowed us access to the their Rainforest Room. 



The Rainforest room was basically just a sanctuary of relaxation to use if you weren't actually getting any spa services done. They had different types of showers, shown in the picture, that had different water pressures and settings, as well as typical spa amenities like saunas and steam rooms, but with quite the view outside:

Finally, we were also lucky enough to enjoy a fabulous meal at one of the two adult only restaurants on board, Remy. Some of you might remember I mentioned Disney's fabulous dining once before. We were so excited for this meal, and it certainly did not disappoint. It was over three hours of wonderful food, drinks, and service with a wonderful ocean view outside. In an effort to simply enjoy my time with my new husband (!!) I didn't take to many pictures, but the shot of the dessert should give you an idea of the thought and preparation that went into every plate.



As much as we love the upbeat atmosphere that Disney brings, these parts of our trip were equally enjoyable and memorable. For anyone considering a Disney cruise, I promise you will not be bothered by Goofy the entire time, nor will screaming children interrupt every romantic meal - Disney is really pretty exceptional at making it the perfect experience for adults (and newlyweds!) as well.

What were your favorite parts of your honeymoon? Anyone else have a wine tasting or fancy dinner planned with your significant other?

Monday, November 12, 2012

Coaches On A Cruise Ship

Our post wedding festivities began the way any wedding night should: complimentary champagne, chocolate strawberries, and room service. Although we were both able to enjoy our dinner during the reception, we quickly realized we were both starving when we finally made it back to our hotel room. We also discovered a nice surprise left for us by the hotel - champagne and chocolate covered strawberries. We may or may not have snacked on those while we waited for the rest of our food to arrive...


Quesadilla and shrimp cocktail.. it didn't seem like such a strange choice at the time. 
Interestingly enough, the next picture I took was the following morning on our early flight, and it is also a picture of food. Mr. C and I were lucky enough to get to fly first class on our way to Orlando (thanks to Mr. C's parents!) and we got to enjoy a yummy breakfast they served on the plane. Considering how tired we were from the night before, and how early our alarm woke us up, it was much appreciated.



Once we made it to the Orlando airport, we had to find our way to Disney's transportation terminal and hop on one of the buses that takes cruise passengers from the airport to Port Canaveral to board the ship. I had actually wondered how enjoyable this part of the trip would be; a forty-five minute bus ride with lots of over-excited children could be a potential for disaster. However, it was actually very exciting! They show a video during the drive that includes ship info, Disney trivia and some fun classic Disney short films. By the time we got to the ship, I was in full on Disney mode.


Arriving at Port Canaveral and boarding the ship was a bit of a whirlwind. As concierge guests, they allow you to pretty much bypass any line you come across, and you are constantly being escorted and passed off from one staff member to the next. Before I knew it (or could snap any pics), we had made it to Deck 12 of the ship, and were enjoying snacks and beverages in the concierge lounge.

I may or may not have had three of those little shrimp cups, yum!
This place was wonderful, and one of our favorite things about the trip - especially since we weren't expecting it. The lounge sits in the middle of the rooms on the concierge level of the ship, and is open all day with food always available and a cocktail hour before dinner with complimentary beverages. It was so nice to be able to grab a snack when I didn't want to make the trek to one of the restaurants, or for Mr. C to bring me a nice cocktail while I was getting ready for dinner in our suite. And speaking of, this is the place we were so pleased to call home for a few days:



Having that much space on a cruise ship was pretty incredible. Complete with a living room, dining area and kitchen, it was quite the experience. We found our refrigerator stocked when we arrived, and replenished every day, as well as a coffee & cappuccino maker that Mr. C used every morning. One of the staff members told us that many guests that stay in this room never leave, and I can certainly see why.

As if the room didn't provide us with enough space, we were also presented with the most amazing deck, and views, I could've imagined. Going into the trip, I was most excited about getting to have this space all for ourselves, especially if being surrounded by families on our honeymoon proved to be less that relaxing. Luckily, that was not the case, but we still managed to spend some private time out there and enjoy the remarkable views from our hot tub!

After we got settled in, we enjoyed the rest of the afternoon and took a little dip at the pool. Thanks to a little aftermath from Sandy, the waters were a little rough that night, so after dinner we decided an early bedtime was in order to allow us to catch up on our rest from the weekend and hopefully wake up in smoother waters.

And, that we did! I woke up the next morning and stepped out onto our deck to see beautiful blue water and Nassau awaiting our arrival. One of my favorite things about cruises is waking up each day in a beautiful new place. After a rough night, the Bahamas did not disappoint.

Fun fact: the ship you see to the far left is the largest cruise ship in the world, Royal Carribean's Allure of the Seas!
The beautiful Atlantis resort as we pulled into port
After watching the captain dock the ship from our deck, we got dressed and headed down to the Port Adventures desk to start our excursion - a luncheon and wine tasting at one of the oldest hotels on the island. It was one of the highlights of the trip - stay tuned!

Anyone else going on a cruise for their honeymoon? What are you most looking forward to about the trip?


Wednesday, November 7, 2012

I Now Pronounce You..

It's official, y'all - this Miss is now a Mrs.!

Our wedding day started bright and early as MOH L and I woke up early enough to straighten up the hotel suite. We stayed up a little too late the night before, so it was a bit difficult to wake up so early, even though I was extremely excited - what can I say, I love my sleep! The beautiful view from our room did make it a little easier, and I took the time to snap a photo of the sun coming up before vendors started flooding in and our morning began.


Last time you heard from me I was sitting in our hotel suite, waiting my turn for hair and makeup while MOH L worked on the music playlist for the morning. I promise we were having much more fun than this picture portrays. You might also notice the monogrammed shirts we are wearing!


After we were finished getting ready, we headed over to the chapel and - Oh yeah! This happened:


Then, when we were finished there, we headed off for some relaxation in the Carribbean, with some of the most beautiful ocean views in the world:


All in all, I'd say it was a pretty successful week ;)

Thank you guys so much for the well wishes on the big day! It was so nice to read your comments while I was getting ready. Of course it will be a little while before we get Megan's photos back (I am already dyinggg to see them - really, it's torture) so I'll be doing a mini-recap of our honeymoon with Mickey to start things off. I can assure you there is lots to come!

I am so excited to be back in the presence of the Hive - I missed you guys!


Saturday, October 27, 2012

This Is It!


Hello, wonderful hive! Today is the big day! I am sitting in our hotel suite with all of my lovely ladies waiting to get our hair and makeup done. MOH L has some chill music playing to get us up and ready. Mr. Coach already sent me a text message this morning to assure me he wasn’t getting cold feet, so we are good to go ;)

Thank you all for the support and inspiration you have provided me over the last few months. It’s been such a fun journey up until this point, and I am so glad I have been able to share it with y’all! I’ll be absent for a bit while we get some quality time with Mickey, but rest assured I will be back soon with lots of pictures to share our day!

You guys are wonderful!

xo,
Miss Coach

Thursday, October 25, 2012

To Put Things in Perspective

The Coach wedding weekend is officially upon us! Mr. Coach's parents' flight is due to arrive this afternoon, and from there the excitement begins. I have been able to take care of a lot of last minute tasks this week, and even squeeze in a project here and there. On that note, I started getting curious about what all I have accomplished during this entire planning process. It's been really easy lately for me to feel like I didn't make enough items for the wedding decor, or I didn't tackle enough projects I saw on Pinterest, and I was hoping to shoot those thoughts down by doing a little recap of what I've been able to accomplish.

If you remember, I posted a while back a short list of DIY items I was hoping to tackle. Three months out from the wedding, I was hoping to tackle this list:
  • sew/create the ring bearer’s pillow
  • design some sort of holder, probably a frame, for the escort cards at the reception
  • put together a gift/care package for my lovely bridesmaids
  • create table numbers for the reception
  • decide on our exit from the reception, and then put together whatever “supplies” will be needed
As mentioned previously, it was nothing too crazy, but definitely some things that would make me feel like our wedding had a personal touch. You guys, I am so happy to report that I completed all of this things! The only small exception being with the ring bearer's pillow, but that's a story for after the wedding :)

We decided on bubbles for our exit, and I hand tied one hundred tiny bows around the bottles. I know it doesn't look like that many, but believe me, it is. I also created a fun sign to let our guests know what time we will be making our exit (if you look closely, there's even little bubbles in the background!) My hope is that some of the older folks will see we aren't heading out too late, and they'll decide to stick around :)


You guys probably remember another item on the list, our glitter table numbers, which I am still very proud of.


And recently, I showed you all how I made our DIY escort card holder, one of the main items I wanted to check off that list.


Overall, I am really happy with the items I was able to complete, and I honestly didn't realize until I looked back at the list that I hadn't left even one off. Of course, there will always be those extra details that you see on Pinterest and wish you had time to make for your own wedding, but I highly recommend to those of you early on in the planning process to make a list of tasks and projects you really want to achieve, and use it as your main inspiration. It helps put things in perspective when you're two days out and need some encouragement :)

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Last Minute Project: Thank You Banner

It's official: we are less than a week out and I am in über bride mode. When the seven day mark hit, I was completely overwhelmed with the urge to craft, plan, and prepare. This might be the final project I get to share with you guys before the big day, but I just finished it up and I'm really excited about it so I wanted to go ahead and let y'all take a look!

With my recent burst of energy came the desire to create a cute thank you banner to hang on the table that would hold gifts from guests, favors, and (spoiler alert!) bubbles for our exit. Luckily, there is so much wedding banner inspiration online it's almost overwhelming!

pink and white love banner held between the adorable flower girl and ring bearer yellow and pink bea
CarolineLimaPhotography_Nov2011_030
However, as you probably already know, a lot of the wedding banners being made are using burlap. And, if you guys have been following this journey for a while, you know I'm going in a bit of a different direction with our wedding style. So what did I decide on? Well if you remember from our table numbers, I do love some sparkle!

All this project took was some glitter card stock, glue, ribbon and scissors, and it was actually a lot of fun! I started out by outlining the letters on the white card stock, I then cut out the white letter, and used it to trace the larger background letter onto the silver. For the style of the letters, I just found a picture I liked, similar to those above, and did my best to copy the font!





After I had traced and cut out all the letters, it was time to stick them together. I originally tried double sided tape, but because of the texture of the glitter, it wasn't holding on as well as I would've liked. I did a little research, and picked up a bottle of Zip Dry Paper Glue. Apparently this stuck will stick just about anything to paper, which is just what I needed, and luckily it worked like a charm! I covered the back of each white letter with the glue, pressed them firmly to the silver letters and let them all sit for about ten minutes before I started hanging them on the ribbon.


There is no rhyme or reason to my gluing. Don't judge!
I used a craft punch with a narrow slit to make holes in each letter, then sloooowly threaded each letter onto the ribbon, starting at the end. This may have been the only part of the project I wasn't too crazy about..


Finally, the end result! I added a heart for good measure between the words, and chose to use only the silver paper for a little contrast. This is how it will hang on the gift table at the wedding, obviously not held up by our new wedding dinnerware :)


The table the banner will hang on is covered in a dark linen, so I'm hoping that it will actually stand out a little more like it does in this picture.


Any other brides getting married this week who are on a crafting frenzy like me? We're almost there you guys!