Thank you Abby, we’re so close to being completely organised. I never thought we’d get to here 🥴

I have tonnes of bubble wrap thank god, they’re a beast!
Your countdown is teeny tiny, you must finish work next week?

I’m gutted we didn’t get to meet up again before you left, deffo have post holiday dinner! Xx

It was a little bit stressful Michelle I’m not gonna lie 😂, I’m just glad it’s all done now!
I can’t wait to see everything all put together, I just hope the flower arrangements survive the travel 🥴
I’m quite happy the boys outfits are now sorted, one less thing to do whilst out there and yes far more Target time 😬
Thank you again for an amazing 2 days 😘

Oh no I’ve not seen that Debbie! Let me check my junk mail!

Ok thank you x

How exciting! Your plans sound brilliant. Congratulations on the new job too. Not long now.

M x

Hi Alicia, 👏🏼

I’ve been following along with your plans over the last few months. All your choices of food and hotels and everything really are Fab!

There are loads of lovely things I’d like to say about all your plans but I don’t know where to start, so I’ll just say they all are as that’s easier. 🥰 😂

Have a great time!

Kat x

How wonderful to have a wedding to plan for and to be able to have all your family there with you. All your outfits and flowers look fantastic. I hope everything goes smoothly and you find the time to sit back and enjoy it all.

We are now T minus 14 days until we leave for the airport hotel . My calm state has now disappeared and I’m a mixture of nerves, excitement and dread
I’ve got the busiest 2 weeks coming up with not only work but with my date to start training at BA only a few weeks after we return I’m having to attend all the various appointments before going away.
I’ve already had my wet drill, then I have my medical, joint appointment and toxicology test to go! Have also got to get up to the US embassy to have my visa interview but I’ll do that once we get back, ain’t no way I’m parting with my passport this side of the holiday

The good news is nearly everything to do with the wedding is sorted. Just got a few vendors to confirm any last minute details but that’s it! All outfits are with their respective owners and miraculously fit. The bridesmaids dresses have been altered although at £80 for Hopes to be taken in an inch at the waist and a few inches on the hem, her dress now costs more than mine . Even Jenny’s dress that only needed an inch off the bottom cost £40. I’m in the wrong job!

My Mum wrote all the names on the oyster shells for me, her hand writing is considerably nicer that mine!



This is the current state of my packing! The en-suite is now unusable as I’m using it to store everything that we are taking. Thank god for the 2 cases of 32kg we have going out as we have a lot to take with us!





I succumbed to a bit of pressure on The Dibb plus having major FOMO I ended up ordering myself a Mia Tui Jenny bag, I absolutely adore it and it holds so much . I tested it out on an overnight stay with Michelle (Sparksy72) a couple of weeks ago and it was fab! I did order the Mini Jen to begin with but with my serious overpacking habit I swapped it for the larger Jenny which is much better for me!



All my clothes are washed and ironed ready to be packed which I’m aiming to do the weekend before we go. I’m looking forward to trying out the packing cubes that came free with my Mia Tui order, I’ve never used them before so unsure of how to pack but thinking of putting dresses, shorts, t-shirts, jumpsuits/playsuits and underwear/swimwear in their own one? Will play around with it when I start packing.



It will shock none of you that I’ve still been shopping and sending bits to Debbie
I ordered some more candles from Antique Candle Co as they released their Fall scents. Butterscotch, Vanilla Chai, S’mores, Salted Caramel, Warm Caramel Crumble and Pumpkin Spice. Yum!



I was then browsing the Pottery Barn website which is always a dangerous thing to do and ordered this adorable mercury silver acorn candle. I was so tempted to buy the larger one too but thought I better not as 1. Weight and 2. Cost!



I also ordered this sage stripe cushion that I actually saw in store earlier this year but stupidly didn’t buy. This is for Hope’s bedroom.



I have finished the gift bags. I went a little ‘extra’ and decided to personalise each one using my Cricut and some heat transfer vinyl. I’m really pleased with how they turned out! I’ve still got a mini hand sanitiser from B&BW to put in them and on the day of the wedding will put a cold bottle of water with each one too.
The tiny glass bottles are for collecting some sand from the beach to keep as a memento





PARK PLANS
Now we only have 3 Disney days so haven’t had to do a whole load of planning but I do have a rough itinerary to try and stick to.

Animal Kingdom
As this this our first day I’m sure we’ll be up at the crack of dawn so will aim to be at the park for opening.
My sister and Co aren’t big ride fans (I know right!) so the plan is to really soak in the atmosphere in all parks.

The one ride that is non negotiable in AK is Flight of Passage! I will probably pay to use the Individual Lightning Lane to skip the most likely huge queue.
Assuming I pay then it’s highly doubtful we’ll get a time for as soon as we arrive at the park so I think we’ll just take a slow walk clockwise possibly stopping at Wilderness Explorers to see if T&W want to take part.



After a mandatory photo in front of the Tree of Life our first attraction will be It’s Tough to be a Bug. My parents loved this the last time we were here so looking forward to this again.



After stopping at Creature Comforts for a quick refuel, we’ll head into Africa and hopefully time it right for Festival of the Lion King.



Next up Kilimanjaro Safaris followed by the Gorilla Falls Trail and then a first time visit to Rafiki’s Planet Watch.



If hunger calls then we’ll stop for lunch at Yak & Yetis cafe and a sit down in the shade.
I’ve never walked through the Maharajah Jungle Trek so that will be a first for all of us and a good way to burn off lunch!



Myself, Ollie and possibly Tilly may attempt Expedition Everest Single rider if the Stand by queue is too long.
Our last stop will be Dinosaur which I’ve not been on since 2015!



At some point we’ll obviously have to double back to FoP which is no biggie.



I really hope the day will be nice and relaxing taking in all the sights and sounds of Disney

Magic Kingdom
I very nearly made a huge boo boo for this day . I was checking out times for the evening entertainment at MK on My Disney Experience and it didn’t have them available for the day I had booked which was Tuesday 23rd August. It suddenly dawned on me it must be a MNSSHP day and sure enough it was! Thank god I checked as can you imagine turning up and not being able to watch the fireworks on our ONE and ONLY day there
So I’ve swapped it to Wednesday 24th and rebooked the airboat ride for the Tuesday.
I do think when booking park days Disney should highlight when the special event days are as if it had been my mum or sister doing this they wouldn’t have a clue about Halloween parties in August!

Onto the plan
We’re going to split this day into two with a break back at the villa in the afternoon before going back for the evening and fireworks.
After a slow walk down the greatest Street in the world we’ll probably grab some breakfast at Main St Bakery before taking some family pics in front of the castle.



We’ll start in Adventureland and let the kids explore the Swiss Family Treehouse before going on Pirates of the Caribbean.
Mum enjoyed this one before!





Into Frontierland and a ride on Splash Mountain which is a firm favourite that I’m sure the kids will love.



We’ve never done the Liberty Square Riverboat so may do that one next.
After a loo break at the fanciest toilets in the land, we’ll head into Fantasyland and it’s a small world. Don’t ask, this is my sisters request





Assuming Peter Pan will be an insane wait time we’ll head next door into Mickeys PhilharMagic, a favourite of mine and a nice dose of air con!



After this we’ll most likely be peckish so will go to The Friars Nook for some Buffalo Chicken Tater Tots followed by a cinnamon roll from Gaston’s Tavern followed by a Peter Pan float from Storybook Treats
I’m hoping to be able to catch the interactions with guests at the Gaston meet and greet, I’ve only ever seen clips on You Tube but they look hilarious!



If we have any steam left I’ll leave it up to T&W what they would like to do next. Maybe explore more of Fantasyland or they may want to head back to the villa.



In the evening we’ll come back and start with Tomorrowland and the attractions there. I’m hoping for Buzz Lightyear, the People Mover and Monsters Inc.





If I’m feeling brave then maybe Space Mountain!
We’ll grab dinner at Casey’s Corner then stake out a spot for Enchantment. CAN. NOT. WAIT for these!



If we have any energy left then we may stay to do a few more rides to let the crowds leaving the park die down.

Hollywood Studios
There have been a lot of additions to this park since I was last there in 2017 so it’s almost like a brand new experience for me too!
I think we’ll probably head to Toy Story Land first and attempt to do Slinky’s Dog Dash and Toy Story Midway Mania on Stand by, breakfast will be a Nom Nom Cookie from Woodys Lunch Box





We’ll then head into Galaxies Edge to marvel at the theming which I’m sure is amazing even though I’ve never seen a Star Wars film in my life . A bit like Avatar really!



I’m fairly sure the queue for ROTR will be ridiculous so we will have to see how we feel if we want to wait that long. William is a HUGE Star Wars fan though so we may split up with Ollie sucking up the queue whilst my sister and I take Tilly to the Frozen singalong. He may be happy enough to go on Star Tours instead as this seems to consistently have low waits every time I look.



We’ll stop for lunch, possibly at Backlot Express before hopefully timing it right for the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular.



I’d like to take the kids to watch Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream, it’s important to know where it all started



We’ll end the day on Sunset Boulevard and will 100% queue for Tower of Terror, it’s one of my favourite ever rides in all of DisneyWorld!



CHECK LIST
I have a trusty check list that I use for every holiday and apart from a few last minute items they’re all ticked off, such a good feeling when this happens!

To Do
Book flights/print off ✔️
Book car/print off ✔️
Select seats ✔️
Submit API ✔️
Add booking to Check My Trip ✔️
Apply for Estas/print off ✔️
Fill in details to VeriFLY
Get travel insurance/print off ✔️
Print off practice customs forms ✔️
Book airport hotel ✔️
Book Tampa airport hotel ✔️
Book Orlando villa ✔️
Book Anna Maria Island house ✔️
Book Sawgrass hotel ✔️
Book Hilton Head Island condo ✔️
Book St Augustine hotel ✔️
Email passport copy ✔️
Contact numbers emailed to me ✔️
Restaurants/stores logged on Maps ✔️
Pay balance on accommodation ✔️
Order dollar cash
Load Amex card
Register for restaurant & mall vouchers✔️
Book Boma ADR for Mum & co ✔️
Book Disney tickets ✔️
Reserve park days ✔️
Book Airboat ride✔️

And for the wedding this is the next list I’ve been working with

Wedding
Wedding rings bought ✔️
Engagement ring cleaned✔️
Wedding vows written ✔️
Marriage certificate sorted ✔️
Ceremony details finalised ✔️
Reception details finalised ✔️
Music playlist sorted on Spotify✔️
Photographer arranged✔️
Dress/shoes/sandals/jewellery bought✔️
Bridesmaids dresses/shoes bought✔️
Dresses altered ✔️
Groomsmen shirts/shorts/shoes bought ✔️
Hair piece made ✔️
Flower arrangements made ✔️
Beauty appointment booked (Salon Salon AMI) ✔️
Place names written ✔️
Iced biscuits and cake ordered from bakery (Hometown Desserts)✔️
Cake toppers ordered✔️
Gift bags personalised and filled ✔️

I think that’s about everything, it’s all feeling very real now

Can you believe we're in August already?! The weeks are just speeding by, I feel like I just blinked and missed June and July .
Thank you so much for reading along

Hey Kat, thank you so much for reading along! I hope I've made the right choices for everything, we'll find out soon enough if I have

Thank you so much! I really hope so too, I want to be able to absorb as much as I can as I know how quickly these holidays tend to go!
I'll try and post some photos of the big day on here soon after