Day 7: August 24, 2001
Our Midsummer Night's Dream Reception & Illuminations

The ride to the Boardwalk was quickly over, and we got out of the car. Patrick was waiting for us with his video camera, and we waved. As we were about to walk into the convention center, he asked us to stop. "I have a great idea," he said. "It's not every day you can get a shot like this."

The Boardwalk Inn and Villas were currently under rehab, and there were construction vehicles nearby to work on them. Near the entrance to the Convention Center - but not interfering with our wedding in any way - was a large work vehicle, with a couple of construction hats sitting on top. Patrick grabbed the hats and we placed them on our heads, posing for a quick video shot. Well, I didn't actually place it on my head. I held it up so it would look like it was resting on my head.

We then walked into the convention center and into the grand lobby of the building, where Carol was standing, waiting with most of our wedding party. The lobby of the Boardwalk was beautiful and elegant, and certainly set the mood for our wedding, as it was the first thing our guests would see. Carol informed me that the guests had already been ushered into the Marvin Gardens ballroom, where the reception was to be. I itched to go see the St. James Hall & Patio, to get an idea of what the Pre-Reception had looked like. While I had worked with Disney on its decorations, I hadn't actually SEEN it. I knew it was to be a collection of cocktail tables with white linens, with votive candles in star crystal holders and silver and gold metallic mickey confetti spread around it. The table with our guest book and pen, and our keepsake plate, was decorated the same, but instead of confetti had rose petals spread throughout. Our gift table was likewise decorated. At the center of the room was to be a giant buffet table of fresh fruits, dips, breakfast pastries, teas, coffees, and juices. The patio was available too, but I do not know if our guests would take advantage of it given the heat of this day. My family assured me it was beautiful - they had gotten a chance to go in while we were doing our last photos.

But there was no time to dally off, as it was time to announce us to the reception. Jon, our DJ, came out to ask us a couple of questions regarding music, and to make sure he had the correct pronunciation of everyone's names. While I was answering his questions, my mom and sister were trying to do my bustle. I could only share a secret smile with John and shake my head at their attempts. My mom had not gone to my last gown fitting with me, and Jackie had not gone to any. Thus, they had no idea how to do my bustle. I tried to explain to them how to do it, and it was really quite simple - given the design of my gown, it actually only had one button with which to secure it. But they couldn't figure it out, and I couldn't see behind me to see what they were doing wrong. Finally, after 15 minutes, it was figured out, and we were all set to go. Jon returned to the room, and Patrick and Randy left to set up. Carol lined us up in order, but had John and I go into one of the salon rooms so that we would not be seen when the doors were opened.

One by one, we heard the announcements made, beginning with our parents and ending with Bryan and Jackie, our best man and made of honor. They entered into the room to the music of the Legend Suite. And finally it was our turn.

"And now I am proud to announce, for the first time ever, Mr. And Mrs. John Mangio!" We heard applause and cheering as we swept into the room to the music of the Unicorn Theme from Legend. If I had not been smiling so proudly, my hands clasped firmly in John's, I think my jaw would have dropped when I saw the entrance to our reception room.

Creative Elegance had provided the decorations to our reception, at a significant savings to what Disney would have charged. We wanted a light "Midsummer Night's Theme" to our reception - enough to give our reception a distinctive feel that was very "us" but not so much to overpower it. The entrance of the room had been designed to look as if you were walking through a canopy of trees. Ficus trees, palms, ferns, peace lilies, and other greenery went out from either side of the doors, twinkle lights strung between them to look like the soft glow of fireflies. Soft tulle was draped along the bottom, weaving in and out of the trees and plants, looking for all the world like a thick collection of fog, twinkle lights gleaming from deep within. At the end of the entrance was a grapevine archway with ivy and tulle and lights through which you walked to enter the room.

Scattered throughout the room were ficus trees with twinkle lights, adding atmosphere. The lights were low, adding to the evening affect. The DJ was directly across the way against the far wall, two great roman columns on either side of his setup - which was draped all in an ivory so fine it looked white - with ivy and twinkle lights dangling from the top. Two ficus trees with twinkle lights sat on either side of the column, and a scattering of stars (lights) was projected onto the wall behind him. In front of him was the dance floor, with a beautiful rose projected onto the center of it, and on the far end, tucked into the wall and half-hidden was the bar, draped in ivory-white as well, ficus trees to either side. The guest tables stood between us (at the entrance) and the dance floor and DJ. We had four large tables, short hunter green linens draped over the floor-length ivory linens. A grapevine wreath with white flowers and roses sat on the center of the table, hurricane lamps with burning candles sitting at the center. And dangling off from the centerpiece on little hooks were tiny Tinkerbells (a last minute touch that Minda, from Briar Rose Chocolates - now Briar Rose Celebrations - had done for me). Our beautiful pearlized frames sat at each place setting, and the butterfly bubbles were placed before each guest to use during the reception. The chairs around each table had ivory chair covers with hunter green bows, and dangling off the back of each chair as a gift to our gifts were beautiful Mickey wreaths, hand-made as well by Minda. They fit PERFECTLY into the theme of our wedding! Each wreath had a different combination of white and green flowers and greenery. To the right of where all the guest tables sat was our cake table, draped in ivory cloth with rose petals scattered throughout, my bouquet and the bridesmaids bouquets providing decoration as well. A statuette of Mickey and Minnie dancing in wedding attire sat to the side, with our Disney Fairy Tale Weddings cake cutter and server in front. Our cake was three layers, with frosting "drapes" and roses dangling from each layer, and atop the cake was a white chocolate replica of Cinderella's Castle. Stars were projected along the wall behind and around the cake table. And finally, to the left of the guest tables, was our sweetheart table. It sat on a riser, draped in ivory linen as well, and the table was covered in floor-length ivory linen. Our unity candle arrangement now provided the centerpiece for our table, a stunning collection of roses and greenery. Creative Elegance had draped ivy, tulle, pearls, and twinkle lights across the front and sides of the table, providing an elegant touch. Two eight foot roman columns sat to either side of the rise, topped with dangling ivy and twinkle lights, tulle draped between them. Ficus trees with twinkle lights sat to either side of them, and to either side of the trees were shorter five foot roman columns with ivy and lights. All in all, the room was stunning. Amazing. Beautiful. It was everything I had envisioned and more. And the décor of the Boardwalk added so much to it. The lights in the room all represented candles in bronze holders, the chandelier like candles as well. The dark pink and ivory walls complimented the decorations so much in the low light, and added a romantic air to the room. I was swept away by what I saw.

Everyone was cheering us as we walked into the room, and we waved and smiled at everyone as we walked over to the dance floor. Jon announced our first dance, and as we turned to face each other, the first notes of "A Love Before Time" began to play. Not a lot of people knew the song we had chosen, but they all told us afterwards it was beautiful. I am surprised it was not a more well-known song, given how beautiful it is, even if it comes from a foreign film. "A Love Before Time" is the love themesong from the movie, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. John and I heard it, and felt the song was perfect to us:

We danced together as if we were the only two people in all the world, alternately hugging, kissing, and holding each other, reveling in that we were married and at long, long last dancing our first dance together as husband and wife, gazing with all our love into each other's eyes. I knew the words of the song, and so sang part of it to John as we danced, and tears of joy filled both our days. It was truly a magical day.

The song ended and everyone applauded. John and I shared another tender embrace, before he kissed my hand and went to sit down. Jon announced that I wished to share a special dance with my father, and my Dad joined me on the dance floor. His eyes were red but beaming with joy, and I caught him in a warm embrace as we began our first dance together, to the song "Butterfly Kisses." I know a million brides must have danced to this song with their fathers, but this song was special to me as well. When I first heard it back in 1998, I knew then and there that it was the song I wanted to dance to with my Dad. It said everything we both longed to say, and I hoped he knew that I loved him so much. We hugged and danced and he swept me across the floor, each of us alternating smiling and crying, and struggling to hold back tears to enjoy the dance. When it came to the verse about it being her wedding day, I sang the words to my dad as we danced and gave him a big hug. When the song was over, we were both wiping away our tears.

Jon then announced that I wished to share a dance with my mother, and my mom then joined me on the dance floor. The music to "A Song For My Daughter" began, a song about a parent's joy and pride that their daughter is now a bride... where did the years go? It was perfect for me and my mom. There were no dry eyes during that dance, and my mom sang part of it to me as we danced together.

When the dance ended, I joined John again and we sat down together at our sweetheart table. There was a book - well, a box that looked like a book - which said "Our Fairy Tale" on it. Surprised, we opened it, and discovered our gift from Disney Fairy Tale Weddings. I won't spoil the surprise for the future Disney Brides by saying what it was. :-)

Bryan then stood up to give his toast, and everyone lifted glasses as he began speaking. He talked of how long he had known John, and how much John loved me. That this day was a reflection of all that we shared and felt for each other, and he wished us all the best and endless love for the years to come. Everyone cheered, and the sound of chiming filled the air as everyone touched glasses and drank to the toast. Jon then announced that dinner was being served, and I almost wanted to stop him. What about Jackie's toast? But I could see by the look in her face that Jackie was relieved not to be asked to speak publicly - she was STILL a nervous wreck! - and so I let it pass. I knew that Patrick would interview her for the video, and so I knew I would hear it then.

As the servers started bringing out the tossed Caesar salad, the chiming of forks against crystal glasses began as people demanded we kiss. And John and I certainly obliged them, kissing long and truly every time they did so. Once food was served, I think some of the purposefully waited until we had mouthfuls of salad before chiming the glasses, but we obliged them every time. The music to the Princess Bride began playing in the background as dinner began. Jon came over to us at one point to ask a question about music, and at that time we told him that we wanted people to sing us love songs to get us to kiss. Shortly thereafter, he made the announcement, and we waited to see what people would do.

We decided to do that because we knew that many of our guests had beautiful singing voices - I'd say a good half of them had a good amount of talent - and we wanted to get them to sing. Our plan backfired however, as many of them suddenly became shy or couldn't think of any songs. And then the most unlikely person of all, John's friend Mike, stood up and began bellowing out the theme to Love Boat. Amidst laughter, we began kissing. Caitlin followed it up with a celtic love song, so beautifully sung, and we kissed again.

After we finished most of our salad, we took some time to walk amongst our guests and talk with them, sharing hugs with those we had not yet seen prior to the wedding. I wanted to spend time with them all, and I was so happy to see our closest friends and family gathered here with us. We talked and laughed, and I relished the happiness in everyone's face.

At this point, the main course was being served, and John and I returned to our table to eat. We had given our guests a choice of menu. Some had chicken in basil cream sauce, with confetti rice, baby green beans and carrots. Others had beef served with cabernet jus with mashed roasted shallot potatoes, broccoli and carrots. Finally, a few had a vegetarian dish consisting of . John and I, wanting to sample both the chicken and the beef, had a duet dish made for each of us, combining the two dishes.

Carol had told us that the Boardwalk made amazing chicken, and she wasn't lying. Before, I would have thought my favorite would be the beef dish, and while it was amazing, the chicken just blew it away. It was so delicious, so tender and flavorful, that I wish I had more of it on my plate. The entire meal was amazing, and the plates were presented in a beautiful fashion, with the food arranged _just so_ on it. Everyone was impressed and loved their meals, and dug in with relish.

It was while the meals were being served that I was made aware that two of our guests were not here. I had noted that two seats were empty at the table, but it hadn't really hit my conscious thoughts. Chimene and John were missing, and now I realized I had not seen them at the ceremony either. We wondered where they were.

The riser made John and I feel almost as if we were sitting above everyone else, and we enjoyed looking out to see all our friends and family gathered with us, enjoying themselves. I was pleased that Disney had remembered that I loved strawberries with my champagne, and a bowl of strawberries was sitting at our table, already cut and waiting to be dropped in my champagne. Our toasting flutes were Romeo & Juliet flutes, bought by my Aunt Reesa. Though she had not come down to the wedding, she had insisted that we use the flutes she had bought us. Other friends - who were here - had bought us flutes as well (dragons to match our rings), but I thought it was a small enough thing to do for my Aunt and to make her happy.

While Disney had seated everyone according to the chart we had given them, the tables were not actually set up as we had specified. What I mean is, at a specific table, people were seated next to whom we had designated. But we had arranged each table so that the tables closest to each other would have specific individuals back to back to one another, to promote talking between the tables. At table 1, for example, Bryan was suppose to be at the 12 o'clock position, and my Dad & Celeste directly opposite at the 6 o'clock position. My Dad would thus have his back and side to my sisters and brother, sitting at the 12, 1, and 2 o'clock positions on table 2. This way, I could separate my parents (who were divorced), but still have both next to my siblings and allow them all to talk together. However, at table 1, my Dad was at the 12 o'clock position, and thus not near them. I was sad for my dad for this reason, though John assured me - and I knew he was right - that my dad would be happy wherever he was sitting, and would not mind at the little mess-up. But we had worked hard on our seating chart, and worked hard to make sure there was cross communication, placing people back to back that we knew would want to talk to each other. Sadly, the seating didn't get arranged quite the way we wanted it. However, happily, we noted that people were mingling and talking much more than we had dared to hope, and it didn't really matter where we sat them. We were so happy to see this, and so happy to see everyone enjoying themselves.

The main course was finishing up at about the time that I realized that nature was calling to me loudly, and I needed to find a restroom. But as I watched the waiters carrying away the dinner plates, I knew that dessert was about to be served, and I didn't want to miss it. This was a special surprise that we had planned, and I wanted to see everyone's reaction. John asked me what was up and I told him, and one of the waiters overheard me. "We'll wait for you to get back," he assured me. "It's your day after all. Just let us know when you want us to serve dessert."

I got up and dashed out of the room to head towards a bathroom. Carol, Randy, and Patrick were all standing outside in the hallway, the latter two finishing their meals. Patrick was quick to dash to his feet and rush over to me ahead of Carol, asking me what was wrong. I just smiled and said that everything was wonderful; I was just looking for the bathrooms. He pointed me in the right direction, and I headed towards them. The bathrooms were likewise beautiful and elegant, and also near to the dressing room. I slipped into the dressing room after I was done and put on the garters, and then returned to the reception.

I sat down again beside John, and we clasped each other's hands. He leaned down to one of the servers and told them that we were ready for the dessert. I squeezed John's hand in anticipation of what was to come. The waiter came to our table first, and put the dessert in front of us. We both gaped at how amazing it looked, but our real attention was on our guests. And as the first guest received their dessert, we heard the first actual gasps, heard the first actual exclamations. We watched as Cathy pulled Chuck away from a conversation to excitedly point to the dessert in front of her. Watched as Celeste showed my Dad, even though he had one in front of him too. Heard an exclamation of "Ohmigod, it's CHOCOLATE" as someone discovered that the castle screen on the plate was indeed made of chocolate. We both had foolish, smug grins on our faces as we reveled in our guests' reaction to the famous Cinderella Slipper Dessert.

Not only is the dessert itself amazing, but the presentation is impressive by far. It starts with the slipper itself, crafted out of white chocolate and filled with white chocolate mousse, bright red raspberries on top like buttons on a boot slipper. A tear drop of raspberry sauce stretches out from the slipper along the plate, vanilla hearts in the center of it. And to the side is an extremely detailed screen of Cinderella's Castle, made entirely of chocolate. It's beautiful, delicious, and simply amazing.

We reveled in the reactions of our guests for a few more moments before we dug in ourselves to the dessert. John doesn't actually like mousse, so I ate his, and he ate my slipper. Jon had come up to us again while the dessert was being served and exclaimed, "Oh, you didn't tell me you were doing this dessert! I've got something you will both enjoy."

He went back to the microphone and announced that there was a special tradition here at Disney. "It's considered good luck for the bride and groom if you lick the chocolate castle off the plate," he said. "And who better to give the bride and groom their first wish of good luck than their mother?"

"Me?" my mom exclaimed loudly and laughed, but was conjoled into licking her plate clean of the castle. Then my Dad and John's dad licked their plates clean, in unison.

"Now, if more than 12 people lick their plates," Jon continued, "That is something special. So I am going to ask you later if you all licked your plates clean!"

People continued eating their desserts. All through dinner and dessert, music had constantly played in the background. John and I had chosen the music to compliment our theme. We wanted it light and meaningful, but not something that made our guests feel that they should get up from their meals. Music from the Princess Bride and Legend played, as well as music by Enya and Loreena McKinnett, and various classical and celtic music collections, such as Fairy Night Songs and Celtic Legends. Finally, as dessert was ending, the Love Song from the Princess Bride - "A Storybook Love" - began to play. I looked at John and asked him to dance, and we took to the dance floor.

"My love is like a storybook story," I sang to him as we danced, "but it's as real as the feelings I feel." He pulled me close and held me, and we danced together through the rest of our song. "Don't you know that storybook loves always have a happy ending?"

When the song ended, people clapped and cheered. Jon then announced that we had another special song we wished to dance to, and the song," From This Moment" by Shania Twain, began playing. As John and I began dancing, Jon invited everyone to come up and surround us "in a circle of love." As people came up to the dance floor and formed a circle around us, many came armed with the butterfly bubbles we had left on the tables. Before we knew it, we were surrounded in a shower of bubbles from all sides. It was beautiful and amazing, and we spent as much time looking around at all the bubbles as we did dancing.

When the song ended, Jon called all of the Wedding Party onto the dance floor for a big group dance, and the music for "I'll Be There For You" from Friends (a favorite of John's) began playing. People started laughing and singing along, and to our delight everyone got into the mood and began dancing. It was so much fun!

After the song ended, the dancing began in earnest, and Jon did a really great job of livening up the dance floor. His choice of music was perfect, and we were happy and pleased at how much fun everyone had. People really got into the music and into the dancing, and the party spirit infected everyone. Laughter and singing competed against the music, as people kicked off shoes and got into the swing of things. Chuck even ditched his tux pants for a pair of nice black shorts, and lost the shoes for a pair of sandals. Carol would tell me afterwards that she had never seen an afternoon wedding group do so much dancing, or get into the party spirit quite like ours did.

One of the people really kicking up a storm throughout the reception was my dad! I can't recall ever having seen my dad dance so much ever before in my life, but he was always on the dance floor, always smiling and having a grand old time. Sometimes he pulled Celeste up with him, and the two of them danced together. Other times, he was dancing with my sister, Julie. I loved watching the two of them together. Julie is the baby of the family and was always Daddy's Little Girl. She was the only one of us who looked like Dad, with black hair and brown eyes. She was a dancer, too, and it was so much fun watching the two of them dance together.

After a couple of dances - and another slow dance - Jon asked all of our guests to raise their hands if they had licked their plates clean of the chocolate castle. Almost everyone in the room did, much to our surprise. He laughed, and then told John that since more than twelve people had licked their plates clean, then John had to as well, or the good luck would be lost! John laughed and, in the spirit of things, said "No!" so that everyone would ride him. Finally he walked up to our table again, picked up his plate, and in a great show, licked the castle right off it. We all laughed and cheered and clapped.

The dancing continued. Finally, after a little bit, they made the announcement that it was time to cut the cake. The lights in the room were raised, and everyone began gathering near the cake table. Two of the waiters helped pull the table out, oh so carefully, so that John and I could get behind it. We picked up the cake knife, as Randy explained how we should hold it. I told John how much a shame it was to cut the cake - it was so beautiful!

The music to "Sugar, Sugar" by the Archies began to play, and John and I got into the groove of the music as we cut our first cake to some cheering from our friends. We could hear people telling us to smash the cake into each other's faces. I then picked up the first piece - the larger piece - and turned towards John. Perhaps, had I not been the first one to do it, I would have really smeared John's face with the cake. But the fact was that *I* didn't want to get smeared. I picked up the soft cake, smiled at him, and smeared it onto his nose before stuffing it into his mouth. And while I didn't smear his face, it was a large piece, and I did stuff it in there. My hand was covered in frosting.

John then picked up his piece and told me to hold still as he dabbed my nose with frosting before stuffing the piece in my mouth. My first thought was, "Wow! This is good!" The buttercream frosting was delicious... the cake soft and moist, and the white chocolate mousse filler... mmmm mmmm mmmm!

There was a round of boos from all of our guests because we didn't smear each other with the pieces. And just so people wouldn't be too disappointed, I wiped the frosting off my hands into John's face. He tried to duck out of the way, but it was too late. He gave me a look, then laughed, and wiped the frosting off his face.

The servers came over to take the cake and cut it, and John and I moved back among our guests. We posed for some pictures with Michelle, and then spent some time talking with people. When the cake was brought out, I darted back to our sweetheart table to have a bite. The largest layer - the one we had cut - was white cake with white chocolate mousse filler and buttercream frosting. The second layer was also white cake with buttercream frosting, but the filler was white chocolate mousse with strawberries. The top layer - ours to take - was the same as the first. John doesn't like strawberries, at least in his frosting, but I do. I had made sure to request a layer of strawberries for my piece. I had maybe two bites of it - oh my! It was sooooooo good!! It was truly "to die for" - before Jon called me back to the dance floor for the bouquet toss.

Jon then announced, as we had asked him to, that while we were doing the traditional toss of the bouquet and garter, we were NOT following ahead with tradition afterwards. So no one need fear catching the bouquet or garter - we weren't going to embarrass them afterwards! Instead, we would share a dance with those who caught the bouquet and garter.

Disney Floral had made a simple hand-tied version of my bouquet for tossing. It was on the cake table with all the other bouquets. I picked it up and walked out onto the dance floor, hefting it to see if I could get a good feel for it. It seemed so light in my hands; I would soon learn that it was heavier than I thought, and thus should have been thrown with more force. All of the unmarried ladies - and there were many of them - came out onto the dance floor. My sister Julie had told me many times how much she wanted to catch my bouquet, and I could hear her behind me, on the other side of the floor. I leaned in her direction, my back to all of them, and threw the bouquet over my shoulder, spinning around as I did. Tori had already caught the bouquet when I turned around, a look of sheer astonishment on her face. John told me afterwards that I threw the bouquet right at her. And everyone told me how I had "thrown like a girl." The bouquet had seemed so light, but it certainly wasn't aerodynamic, and it barely reached the crowd of girls at the far end. Oh, well!!

We did, however, laugh about how this was a bad sign for all the ladies, if they had to wait until Tori was wed first!

And then it was time for the garter. A chair was brought out to the dance floor, and I sat down. John knelt beside me, grinning, and I knew he was going to have great fun with this. Everyone gathered around to watch. The theme music to "Mission Impossible" began to play, and everyone started laughing. John then began his mission for the garter. He made a great production of it, and everyone was laughing, though he was careful not to show my legs off to the crowd. He got the toss garter off my leg, and then displayed it triumphantly to the crowd.

The guys then gathered on to the dance floor, and John took the opposite end, his back turned, to toss the bouquet. On the count of three, he flung it over his shoulder. We all started laughing and cheering as Kevin, Dave, and Mike leaped for it, Kevin and Dave literally crashing into each other and tumbling onto the floor. Kevin finally emerged triumphant, garter in hand.

The music began playing again, and John escorted Tori onto the dancefloor, and I escorted Kevin. The four of us danced together, and had great fun doing so.

The dance music started up again after our dance, and everyone took to the dancefloor again. We were having so much fun, and the time just flew by. Jon then played "We Are Family" and I quickly looked around to find my mom and sisters. I saw Jackie sitting at her table, but there was no sign of my mom and Julie. I was disappointed that they weren't in the room - I had absolutely no idea where they had gone to - but I went over and grabbed Jackie. Jackie was very shy about getting out onto the dancefloor, but she heard the song and smiled and said, "For you, Michelle, I'll come out and dance." And the two of us took to the dance floor and danced together.

Jon really knew how to keep the party hopping, and I have never had such fun dancing in my life. We twisted and shouted and generally had a grand old time. After one song, Jon picked up the mike and made an announcement. "The word has really gotten out here in Disney World about John and Michelle's wedding," he told everyone. "Everyone has heard about it, and heard how much fun all of you are having. The VIPs want to join the fun, too! It seems one VIP has come all the way over to join the celebration. I want you to join us all here in and welcome..." The music starts up, and the doors to the reception open up. I hear gasps even as Jon says "Mushu!" and the little red dragon himself comes dancing into the reception hall.

Mushu was an instant hit. We heard exclamations all around us, and people immediately took to the dance floor to join him. John and I had been uncertain how people would react to characters at our reception, and it was with great delight we watched everyone jump onto the dance floor. We laughed as people vied for Mushu's attention, and we got up there and joined him ourselves!

When the song ended, Jon made another announcement. John and I looked at each other, grinning. We knew what was coming. "Okay everyone!" he said. "The bride and groom wanted me to make this announcement... They want all the members of Eclipse to get up on the dance floor - you know who you are!"

We watched as Dave, Hillary, Michelle, Kendra, and Jaime all looked at each other in surprise, and started laughing. They were already on the dance floor, so it made it easier. Mushu grabbed Dave and dragged them to the center, and everyone backed off to give them room. And as the first notes of "I'll Make A Man Out Of You (Be A Man)" started playing, they all started laughing all the harder. Their joy brought us untold happiness, and when they looked at us, we just grinned smugly and laughed with them.

It would take a long time to explain the significance of this, but I'll try to make it brief. The five of them belong to a team, which they named "Eclipse." Dave is the only guy on the team, with four girls. Some of the stuff they do is pretty strenuous and sometimes involves mock combat. When Mulan came out and they first heard the soundtrack, they decided that "Be A Man" was their team song - as if Dave was the one singing it to all the girls. They had first told us that this was their theme song for their team back in April, and we watched them do a little singing/dancing number to it. We had already planned to have Mushu at our reception then, but had kept it a secret as a surprise to everyone. When we saw them doing their skit, we knew we had to have Mushu dance to "Be A Man" with them.

It was great fun to watch, and they really got into it! Dave and Mushu stood off to one side, and sang the verse to the girls, who sang the refrain. Dave wound up with the mike at one point, and they all sang and danced and laughed their way through it. It was great!!

When that song ended, to everyone's laughter and applause, "True To Your Heart" started playing, and Mushu took my hand and we danced together to that song. We were all having so much fun, and dancing up a storm the entire time.

About twenty minutes later, Jon made another announcement. "As I told you, word is getting out about the great wedding John and Michelle had, and how much fun we are all having. I just got word that THE VIPs themselves have come all the way down from the Magic Kingdom to join us... everyone give applause to Mickey and Minnie!" The doors to the reception opened again, and in swept Mickey and Minnie Mouse. Mickey was wearing a tux and top hat, and Minnie was in a gold crepe dress with a gold bow in her hair. They swept into the room to the Main Street Electrical Parade song, and everyone started clapping and cheering. And then we were all on the dancefloor together, laughing and dancing, as "Hey Mickey" began and we all jived with the Mouse himself.

Shortly before Mushu was to leave, Randy and Carol brought Mushu, John, and I out into the hall, so he could take some pictures of the three of us. It took only a moment to capture those precious memories, and then we were back in the room again. Mushu returned with us to make his goodbye. Jon made the announcement, and everyone waved to Mushu and some gave him a hug as he did one final dance and then left.

The dancing continued through several more songs, and then Jon took the mike again. "Wow," he said. "I can't believe how word got out! It seems like there is another VIP who would like to join the celebration." John looked at me, confused, and I tried to keep the smug little smile off my face. As far as John knew, we had only planned for Mushu, Mickey, and Minnie to make an appearance at the wedding. So who was coming now? But I, of course, knew... this was yet another planned surprise. This time, the surprise was for John.

The reception doors opened, and Pluto came running in, dressed in tux tails and a top hat, with a bone pillow in his mouth. He came in waving and wagging, and ran over to John. John started laughing and I could see the delight in his eyes. He shook Pluto's paw, and then Pluto started pointing at the bone in his mouth. Finally John got what he was doing, and pulled the bone-shaped pillow out. Embroidered on one side were the words "Puppy Dog."

When John and I had first started dating... wow, was it 9 years ago?... a friend of ours, as a joke, had said that John followed me around like a little puppy dog. Well, it stuck, and "Puppy Dog" became, for many years, my nickname for John. He was, after all, a consummate dog lover. And he had told me a couple of months ago that if we could add any character to the reception, he would want to add "The Dog." And so I conspired to Carol to have Pluto appear for him, with a little gift for me.

John looked at me and I could see the love in his eyes, and we hugged. And then he turned back to Pluto, and began a game of fetch with him. He threw the bone and Pluto raced after it. Someone else picked it up and threw it back to John, who gave it to Mickey. A game of hide and seek with the bone began, and we were all laughing hysterically by the time it was done. The dance music then started up, and we all took to the floor once more.

Randy and Carol pulled us out to the hall with Mickey and Minnie and took some photos of all four of us, and then we returned to the reception. Though I was glad that everyone was having a grand time, I knew what the appearance of all the characters meant... the reception was nearly over! That thought was sad... where had all the time gone?

A little while after we returned, they played a love song, and Mickey took my hand and brought me to the dance floor, and John escorted Minnie out. The four of us danced. Halfway through the song we switched, so John and I were dancing, and then Mickey and Minnie were. It was great fun to watch the two of them, as they pantomimed out their love for each other. It brought tears to all of our eyes to watch them. They said goodbye after the song and left, and we all waved them off.

Pluto then joined everyone on the dance floor for some dancing to "The Best Years of Our Lives" by the Baha Men, a very fast, upbeat song that fit the mood of the reception perfectly. Everyone was singing and dancing along by the end. It then transitioned into "Remember The Magic" by Brian McKnight - the theme song of WDW during the 25th Birthday Celebration of the Magic Kingdom; the theme song during the year we were engaged. It was a perfect, fitting song. If you've never heard the song, I highly recommend doing so! It's truly beautiful. When that song ended, Randy and Carol pulled us out into the hall again for a few photos with Pluto.

As were finishing the photos, I could hear the first notes to "To Our Family And Friends" playing. I grabbed John's arm, "This is our song to everyone!" and ran back towards the reception. Both John and Pluto were standing on my train, however, and for a moment I feared they ripped it. But then we were dashing back into the reception just as the first verse was ending.

"To Our Family and Friends" is this great song I heard on New Wedding Traditions, and I knew it would be great for John and I to "sing" to our guests. We got onto the dancefloor, and danced, facing everyone, and singing along with the words, "Here we are a bride and groom, It seems this day went by too soon..." The song starts out slow, but at the end of the first verse, after telling our friends and family how much they mean to us, and how they've been a part of our love from the start, it says how we cannot just let the day end, and so... "Hold on...!" and the temp picks up and turns into a dance song. "Hold On, There's a party going on, Hold on, real tight! Hold on, there's a party going on, with our family and our friends tonight!" At this point, we were waving at everyone to get up and join us in the dancefloor, and people were soon getting up and dancing with us. "You've joined our celebration, Danced and had some fun, What a better way to end this day, Now that we are one" the song continued, "Get up, get out here, This ain't no time to hide, We want to party till the end of time"

The song continued, and before long everyone was up there with us, and we were all dancing and holding hands and laughing. When the song ended, Jon made the goodbye announcements and then declared that this next song was our last dance. And the music to "I've Had The Time Of My Life" began to play - a more fitting ending song to a wondrous day could not be had.

Everyone was on the dance floor at this point, singing along and dancing with us. Some had picked up the bubbles again and were blowing bubbles everywhere. We became one large group together, all dancing and hugging and singing, and stayed that way till the song's end.

When it ended, I had a moment of almost disbelief. Was it really over?? It had gone by so soon! I knew now what one thing I would have changed about our reception: I would have made it five hours, instead of four.

The lights in the room came up, and people started gathering their things. I made an announcement to remind everyone of the Illuminations party, and told them to meet at 8:15pm at the International Gateway at EPCOT. We also explained how to get there. We then also told everyone that they could take the Tinkerbells from the centerpieces, and that the Mickey Wreaths and the Frames were theirs to keep.

As people left, they came up and said goodbye and gave us hugs, assuring us they would be there in the evening. I kept looking around as if there was something I should be doing, but Carol, her assistants, and the waitstaff at the Boardwalk were wonderful in gathering up everything that was ours and putting it all together for us. Patrick came up to us to say goodbye, and we gave him a huge hug. I was almost sorry to see him go; we had become such good friends! He told us that he had heard that our parents were both divorced, and so said that he would send us an extra two copies of our videotape (for a total of 5) at no charge. He then asked if we gave our permission for Disney to use the video of our wedding. We were the first wedding couple ever to have Mushu appear at our reception; we were very proud of that fact.

As we were gathering up everything to leave, I ran over to the Dressing Room to grab my things, and also to pull out the gift and card we had gotten for our coordinator, Carol. I grabbed John and then the two of us went over and gave it to her. She had such a look of surprise on her face and unexpected joy, and we hugged her and thanked her for everything, as she thanked us too for the gift. We felt like we had become such good friends with her, having spent so much time together over the past five months planning our wedding.

By now there was a pile of stuff sitting in the lobby of the Boardwalk, and I took a quick peak through it to make sure everything was there - or at least everything that I could recall. Our guest book was there, and we took a quick moment to look through it. It had a padded vinyl leather cover with "Guests" written in silver script on the cover. Inside, each page included space for a 4x6 photo, and underneath it were lines for the guests to write their names and leave a message. And everyone had taken the time to write some kind of message, and everyone made sure to put their names on different pages! We were looking forward to choosing photos of all of our friends and family to include on these pages.

Underneath the guest book was a Styrofoam container - and I practically squealed in delight as I picked it up to look at it. I had almost forgotten about this! Inside the container, meant to cushion it, was a beautiful porcelain, gold-rimmed plate. The center of the plate had a Kim Anderson photo of a boy and girl holding hands in black and white, with the boy giving the girl a bright red rose. In a half-circle above the picture, it said in gold letters, "This Day I Married My Best Friend." The plate had come with a gold pen, designed so that each guest could sign the plate - and everyone had. It looked beautiful!!! I could not wait to put it on display in our home!

Finally everything was packed up and waiting. I had grabbed the unity candle arrangement as well, to bring back and place in our hotel room. Kevin offered us a ride to the Wilderness Lodge in his convertible, which is good - we had more stuff to cart than we had thought! Randy agreed to meet us at the Wilderness Lodge to take some more photos, this time of us around our favorite resort. I said goodbye to my mom and sisters, who were going to catch a taxi back to their resort. And then we left.

I sat in the front of the convertible, ducked down and trying to protect my hair from becoming a windblown mess during the ride. Normally I wouldn't care about such a thing, but we still had more photos to do, and I wanted to look at least somewhat decent in them. As it is, I still had a little bit of a windblown look in the photos we got back.

It was a fun ride back to the Wilderness Lodge, and Randy was right there waiting for us when we arrived, snapping a photo of us in Kevin's convertible. We then hopped out, and Bell Services took our things to hold onto them until we checked in. We decided we would wait until after the photo session to actually get our room.

We got a lot of congratulations as we walked through the lobby in our wedding attire, and I was torn between feeling awkward that everyone's eyes were on us and happy and proud that we were wed.

Randy took us out to the main area of the Wilderness Lodge, and we took photos all over - along the bridge, in the tunnel, by the water, and more. We had so much fun doing this photo shoot, and being utterly goofy with each other. The tension, if any had remained, was all gone at this point... we were wed. And at this point, we were really beginning to feel just how exhausted we were!

Randy took a ton of pictures, and we laughed and played our way through it. There were some great shots taken. Afterwards, I gave him a big hug and we thanked him for everything, even though we had more yet to go... Randy was going to be at our Illuminations party to take photos. We said goodbye, and then John and I went back inside to check in.

Checking in was quick and painless. This was the one room that was reserved under John's name, rather than mine, mainly because it had been booked by Disney Fairy Tale Weddings. One of the nice perks about having a custom wedding at Disney is that your wedding night is on them. We had been tempted to stay at the Grand Floridian in a Honeymoon Suite, but at $630 per night, we could not afford to stay any additional nights there, and we knew we wouldn't be spending much time in it on the wedding night - far too much planned! So we decided to stay at our favorite resort - the Wilderness Lodge - and opted for the Honeymoon Room there. Disney paid for our wedding night, but the next two nights were on us, though we did get our wedding discount for them (no AP or DC rates had been available for this room).

Bell Services was called to bring all of our reception stuff, as well as the luggage we had transferred from the Animal Kingdom Lodge. We were told that it would take a few minutes for them to get everything , but that we should head upstairs and they would bring it when it was ready. We then went upstairs to our room.

I know one of the things John liked about being on that floor was the fact that, in order to reach it, you had to place your keycard in the elevator. It was one of those neat little things that make you feel special, and John loved it.

The Honeymoon Rooms - there are only 4 of them - are on the very top floor of the lobby, on either side of the railing looking down. John's bestman, Bryan, and his wife were also staying in a Honeymoon room, but they were across the way from us - and their room overlooked the woods and parking lot. Our room was on the opposite side, and had a great view. We could see the Contemporary Resort and Space Mountain from our room, and it provided an amazing view of the fireworks over the Magic Kingdom.

The room was large and nice, with a huge kingsize bed, separate walk in area, bathroom, balcony, and the most important feature - the Jacuzzi tub. However, the room was much like any of the rooms in the Wilderness Lodge and in that we were a little disappointed. We had expected something different, or at least something indicating that it was for honeymooners or that we had just gotten married. The Jacuzzi, however, looked very appealing, and it was large enough for the both of us - yay!

The refrigerator we had been promised was not in the room, and John called the front desk to ask about it. It was brought up a few moments later, right after our luggage arrived. As soon as it was brought in and plugged in, I took the shelf out of it and immediately stuffed my bouquet inside. I wouldn't be able to mail the bouquet till Monday, and needed to keep it fresh. I had John get ice for me as well to help preserve it.

I had originally wanted to preserve his bout as well, but the heat had not been kind to it, and I realized it was a lost cause. Oh, well! I debated for a few moments preserving some of our unity bouquet - the rose blooms were so large, so full, and so gorgeous!! - but in the end, the beauty of the arrangement and the gorgeous smell it gave to the room convinced me to keep it in the room, and let it die naturally. We set it up on the table, and then arranged some of our wedding stuff around it.

We then plopped onto the beds, feeling exhausted and wanting to sleep. But I looked over the clock and realized that we only had about twenty minutes before we needed to leave to go to Illuminations. No rest for the weary!

We took a few moments to relax, before pulling ourselves to our feet (well, John pulled himself, and then helped pull me). We knew that once we started moving and saw everyone again, the blood would flow and we'd awaken, but right now we were really feeling the exhaustion.

We decided to take the ferry to the Magic Kingdom, and from there to take a bus to the Boardwalk. From the Boardwalk, it was only a short walk to the International Gateway Entrance to Epcot. We arrived at the dock only to see the Magic Kingdom boat pulling away towards Fort Wilderness. Oh, well! I guess we would catch the next one.

The Cast Member at the dock asked us if we had gotten married or if we were getting married, and we happily told him that we were newlyweds... going on 8 hours now! He asked where we were going, and we told him. When the next boat pulled in - a tiny little ferry going to the Contemporary Resort - he told the CM driving the ferry that we were newlyweds and "needed an express shuttle over, just the two of us." He helped us aboard the ferry and then we were off - the two of us alone on our own private ferry ride to the Contemporary. It was a beautiful day - cooling off a little by now - and it was a beautiful ride together across the lagoon.

The ferry pulled in at the Contemporary dock, and we got out, thanking the driver as we did so. We then walked hand-in-hand across the docks into the resort, and then took the elevator up to the monorail platform. All along the way, we received many congratulations from people as we did, and it made us both warm and fuzzy inside to hear so many people offering us well-wishes.

While we waited for the monorail, I could hear a little girl talking to her mother behind us, and she told her mother that I looked just like a princess. That really made my day!

John asks the CM there if we can ride in the front, and he says he will ask when the monorail pulls in. Unfortunately, when it does, the front is already taken. He says that we can get in on the next one, however. We look up at the clock, and realize that we don't have time to wait. We thank him, and climb into the monorail, taking a whole seat unto ourselves and just snuggling in to one another.

We ride that way, half awake, until the monorail approaches the Wedding Pavilion, at which point we sit up to look and reminisce about the day's activities. We smile and talk softly and laugh over all the memories. Finally we are at the Magic Kingdom, and we get off to go catch our bus. I smile as we do, and say to John, "I wonder if a CM will tell me I can't enter the Magic Kingdom?" We laugh, but none do as we make our way to the buses. For those who don't know, you're not allowed to wear your wedding attire into the parks. One of the main reasons being is that little kids tend to think that brides are Cinderella, and then get upset when they discover they are not. Disney has a universal policy about not allowing wedding attire into the four major parks.

We hop onto the Boardwalk bus, and then we are off. It actually stops at the Beach & Yacht Club first, and so we got off there instead. We walked through the lobby of the Yacht Club, hand-in-hand, to many congratulations and many more stares, and then strolled down the walkway towards the international gateway entrance. A family on a surrey passed us by and yelled congratulations as they did. We received many well-wishes and many questions regarding the wedding as we walked. It really made us glow!

When we get to the International Gateway, it is about 10 past eight... five minutes before the appointed meeting time. The "punctual people" were already there - my Dad, Celeste, Ed, the "Brown Crowd," and some more of our friends. People had taken our advice and dressed down into more comfortable, cooler clothing - shorts and t-shirts - and were thus surprised to see us still in our formal wedding attire. "I would have thought you would have gotten out of that dress by now!" someone said, followed by a "Aren't you guys hot?" from another. We just laughed and smiled, and explained that Randy was going to take photos and we wanted to be in our wedding attire for it.

Carol introduced us to our Guide, a Cast Member who would bring us to the dessert party when we were ready, and make sure people didn't crash it. Our Guide asked if we were ready to go in, but there were still several people missing, so we opted to wait for them. We sat around the benches outside the international gateway entrance, and all laughed and talked while waiting for the stragglers. Slowly, people began trickling in and meeting up. Finally, at 8:30 - fifteen minutes after we were suppose to meet up, the CM Guide told us that we needed to go in. However, there were still several people missing - most notable among them were my mom, sisters, and brother.

We were suppose to have everyone here before we went in, as they could not join us afterwards (unless they had their own park admission). Most of our guests had taken advantage of the special viewing passes offered to them as a result of us having this illuminations party. Instead of park admission, they could purchase the viewing passes (at $12 each) and be allowed in to the dessert party to see Illuminations. And many of the guests missing had purchased these passes. Finally, our Guide offers to bring us in and then remain at the gate to see if anyone else showed up and bring them in if they did.

She gathers us into a group, with John and I leaving, and waiving her light stick, brings us all through the gate. We take the short walk down to the UK Lower Terrace, right by the Rose and Crown, and they open the roped off area to allow us in. Randy is already there, camera in hand and snapping away. We go down to the terrace right by the water, and are instantly greeted by the dessert setup. A huge round table is in the middle of the terrace, and there are fresh fruits, toppings, shortcakes, cookies, and more piled all around it. There is a bar off to one side, offering lemonade, iced tea, water, and Orange Muscat wine to our guests as part of the dessert, as well as any drink they may wish as part of the bar. And finally there is a large table, with the hot beverages, more cookies, and the crowning item of our dessert party - the groom's cake.

John and I immediately go looking at the cake, and cannot keep our childish excitement from showing at how happy we are at the way the cake looks. It is an all-chocolate cake, and is made to look like a giant storybook. The cover says "Happily Ever After" and the binding of the book says "Mangio." It is beautiful, and truly looks like a real book, with a dark brown cover, gold lettering, frills and bindings all around, and white pages. We ask the servers there to spoil the magic for us and tell us how the cover is made, and we find out that the cover is actually a chocolate tootsie-roll-like substance that is rolled out on the top. We begin pulling our guests over to show off the book, before finally joining our friends and family in the mad dash to eat the desserts. I fill my plate with strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and whipped cream, and then sit down amidst everyone to eat and talk.

As we are all enjoying the desserts, one by one the latecomers begin to make an appearance. Chuck, Cathy, and Mike show up, and we pull them over to show them the book cake, which they instantly love.

Finally, as the announcement is made that Illuminations will begin in five minutes, Randy pulls off to the side to explain how the photos will be done, and to set us up. My mom and siblings have still not arrived, but I determine to place it from my mind.

Illuminations then begins, and it is amazing! John and I stand for photos during the show, sneaking peaks at it all the while, and at times watching it outright between photos. It is beautiful, and we can hear the gasps of amazement from many of our friends and family, who had never seen any version of IllumiNations before, and certainly nothing like this. The sky is filled with lights and fireworks, and the show is just breathtaking.

Just as it is ending, the wind picks up, and blows right in our direction, so that as Illuminations is ending, we find some debris raining down in the area. Not much, but some of the pieces are rather large!

We are all laughing and having a grand time when it ends, and we all start talking about the show and how wonderful it is. John and I then announce that we are going to cut the cake, and that everyone has to have some! We go over to the cake, and with the two waitresses, try to determine how we are going to cut it. The cake is soft, and to cut through the outer layer would make a huge mess. Finally, we decide to pull back the cover and "open the book," pulling back the tootsie-roll layer to reveal the cake beneath. We pose for another cake cutting shot, and then cut the cake together. No feeding this time! Instead, we start serving our guests, and handing out pieces. Once everyone who wants one has one, we try it ourselves. First, I will say that it was delicious. Chocolate cake with white chocolate frosting and german chocolate filling.... Mmmm...mmmm! However, the filling also had nuts in it, and I was pretty sad about that. I am not a nut fan, and the taste of nuts actually detracted from my enjoyment of the cake. We hadn't request nuts, and I was upset that they had been included. It also meant that AJ, who loves chocolate more than anything, couldn't have a piece, as she is allergic. Sad!

We made sure that the piece which said "Mangio" was saved so we could bring it back to our room, and then we encouraged everyone to eat up... the party would soon be over!

At about this time, my mom and sisters showed up, and apologized for being late and missing everything. Apparently they had gotten lost on the Boardwalk, and had thought the party was on the Boardwalk and not in EPCOT, and had spent the last hour walking around, trying to find the international gateway. My mom told me that she had known where to go until people had told her to go to the Boardwalk resort, and then she had gotten confused. I told her it wasn't a problem, but it was sad that they had missed Illuminations. I then told them to eat up!

We enjoyed a few more minutes, all together, before people began making their goodbyes. Several people were actually going on to the Magic Kingdom, to do the E-Ride Night there. Jake and Caitlin were actually leaving in the morning, as another of Caitlin's friends was getting married at 1pm tomorrow back home in Lexington, and so they needed to fly home in the morning. As they had only arrived on Wednesday, they wanted to get in as much park time as possible. And several people had taken our suggestion of making use of the E-Ride Night, and they took off to do that. They told us that they were going to DisneyQuest afterwards if we wanted to join them, but we only laughed... this was our wedding night! We were going to bed!

Randy made his goodbye as well, and we were sad to see him go. He had been so wonderful!!

John's brother then came up to us, and said that he had to make a confession. "I had thought a Disney wedding was the stupidest idea," he said to us, "but I have to say, this was the best wedding I've ever been to. All of this was amazing. This was the best idea. I'm going to go home and tell all the Aunts who thought this was a stupid idea that they are wrong and that they were fools for not coming."

John and I were both stunned, and John was especially pleased to hear this. His brother is one of the most cynical men we know, and certainly not one to offer praises. That he thought this was all amazing and a great idea, spoke volumes about how wonderful it truly was.

One by one, people made their goodbyes and left, until John and I were the last, and practically being ushered out of the UK. It was nearing ten o'clock, so I could understand why! My "uncle" Ed was waiting for us at the gate as we came out. He, my dad, and Celeste had offered us a ride back. Ed had thought that my Dad and Celeste were with us, but since they weren't, thought they had gone on ahead. We headed out to the parking lot, but they weren't in the car either. We waited a few moments, and then Ed drove back towards the EPCOT gateway, and at that point we passed them, walking towards us. We picked up my Dad and Celeste, and then we were off.

We had a nice, pleasant ride back to the resort together, talking about the day and how wonderful it had been. Finally we arrive at the Wilderness Lodge, and they drop us off.

John and I walk slowly up to our room, hands clasped together, my head on his shoulder, enjoying each other's company and the fact that we were alone at last. We go up to our room, and find that housekeeping has left the promised snacks, soda, and water. John helps me out of my gown, where we still find many rosepetals from Tori's perfect aim. He then tells me to go start the Jacuzzi, then disappears to get ice and drinks.

He returns when the Jacuzzi is full, placing the drinks by the side. The hot water is truly luxurious, the jets even more so, and I find myself all at once half-asleep, warm and contended, almost at once...

What? You didn't think I would really finish up the description of this night, did you? It's our wedding night, after all. Use your imagination, but the real details are between us and us alone. Let's just say it was a very good night, a perfect ending to a wonderful day, and leave it at that.

NEXT: John's Wedding Day Recap

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