Call it procrastination: we had waiting until the final possible minute to contact the two rabbis listed on Disney’s preferred list and they did not have good news for us. One rabbi listed his price at three times my list of clergymen; the other was booked for our wedding day. Not able to afford the high price of the first rabbi, we set out on a mission to hunt down any and all Jewish people in the Orlando area for a new list of preferred rabbi; one who would officiate with my chosen priest and who would join us for some Disney World fun.

Two weeks and several awkward phone calls down, we had one. He wanted us both on the phone to go few a through things. And here are some things I learned in the priest 20-minute conversation.

• Many rabbis and priest will not do interfaith weddings, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t reach out. It was a rabbi who initially declined us who helped us track down our current selection within his awesome Jewish Batman email network.

• You might need to get an additional license. The Ketubah is a Jewish marriage contract of sorts. It’s apparently a very expensive piece of well-decorated parchment paper that stands for your contract of marriage and many rabbis take it seriously.

• You might be able to get your marriage license ahead of time. Check with your priest, rabbi, planner, or the city hall in your chosen location for rules and regulations. Some allow apply by mail, some require you in person, and still others create time limits before and after ceremonies and life events.

• Be prepared to connect your rabbi and priest beforehand. Both of ours requested to be in contact with each other and I think it’s a great idea. It leaves for no surprised (of what sort, I don’t know) on your wedding day and many destination weddings aren’t given a rehearsal.

• You’ll need to be flexible. After the initial phone call with our new rabbi I learned that we had to be sensitive in the ceremony wording and vows. While all mentions of a higher God of some sort are okay, it’s insensitive to wear your “I LOVE JESUS, HE’S AWESOME” t-shirt to your wedding, should you be a Christian. So that Jesus doesn’t think I’m denouncing him, I can’t wait to slap my “YAY JESUS CHRISTMAS!” stamps on our itineraries and follow-up invites.

• Finally, don’t leave the front door closed when you’re on the phone with your rabbi and the Chinese delivery guy is on his way. It’s just awkward to explain to the rabbit that yes, you’re listening, but the dim sum just arrived.

See more posts from my absolutely insane, last-minute (even though we’ve been engaged for 3 years) destination wedding at Walt Disney World right here.

Sure, we were excited about the new cues for Haunted Mansion and Winnie the Pooh, not to mention the big wall guarding the famed Fantasyland expansion and the brand-new Beast’s castle peeking out from over the top. But most exciting of all, the night before we left, I stumbled upon this blessing of a blog, the Disney Food Blog, where I discovered a cupcake crawl.

Walt Disney World might not be the first place you think of when you go on a foodie vacation, but we decided, in preparation for our nuptials and dessert table, it was our duty, no, our mission in life, to test out as many Disney desserts as humanly possible. Thank goodness for walking uphill to Splash Mountain 4 hours a day!

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This platter of cake samples was provided by our Disney Weddings planner. We fell in love with both almond cake and marble cake, amaretto cream and white chocolate.

Candied apples are very popular at Disney World. These Mickey and Minnie apples were found in Hollywood Studios and are covered in sparkling sugar.

These cupcakes are found at the Boardwalk Bakery near the Epcot Boardwalk resort area. Besides the marshmallow cream and graham cracker crust, the center was filled with molten chocolate.

Cake pops are a new offering at Disney World and they're already everywhere. These versions were spotted at the Main Street Confectionery in the Magic Kingdom and were freshly made by a team of in-shop chocolatiers.

Best for the tiny hands of kids (or those who can't handle a cupcake) these are simple pretzel rods doused in white, milk and dark chocolate, and sprinkled in coconut, M&M's and nuts. They're available in Downtown Disney and Hollywood Studios.

If pretzels aren't your thing, these chocolate covered marshmallows should do the trick. Like the pretzel rods they're doused in candy and on display in Hollywood Studios and Downtown Disney.

We chose to pass on being the first Tower of Terror Courtyard wedding. While we had our hearts set on it, the park schedule and space limitations would have stopped a few of our favorite guests from being able to make it. Instead, we’re moving one park over for an Animal Kingdom ‘Casablanca’ themed reception at Tamu Tamu Courtyard, and we’ll keep our small ceremony at Disney’s Wedding Pavilion, just outside of the Magic Kingdom.

• A few things to note about a theme park reception if you’re preparing your own Disney World wedding:
• Your venues are not solidly booked until six months before your proposed date.
• You cannot access your venue until two hours after the park has closed, making Animal Kingdom, the park that closest earliest, a clear choice winner.
• Parks may decide to add a day of ‘Extra Magic Hours’ and keep the park open for longer, on a whim. If this happens, your reception is pushed back even further.
• Should a larger gathering want to book your space (or your whole park) you can be booted out, even as close as a month ’till your date.

Not exactly ideal. But because we’re having a very small party of just close friends and family, we felt that any emergencies could be easily handled. For others, it may not be that simple. We’ve even picked a Plan B location in Hollywood Studios Park.

So, we’ve moved on from the idea of a Disney Wedding, or destination wedding in general, being the simple easy choice, but we have decided that it’s for us. Nothing is perfect, but this is the party, with its laid-back vibe and surrounded by fun, that best reflects us.

Photo by Disney Travel Babble.

My hot, hot, burning hot, humid August Florida wedding is causing me some major havoc in clothing. Sure, everyone else can enjoy their sweet lil outfits and sit under a fan, but Travel Bride here needs to hoof it across the ceremony and reception in a sweaty beaded gown, tiptoeing in 6-inch heels. Somethings gotta give, so, I’m giving up the heels. Sorry, Jimmy Choo, no one needs you acting up in 90-degree humidity.

Below I’ve cataloged a few of my all time favorite flats. These aren’t your nieces school-day shows, but chic bridal options that will carry from quiet ceremony to funky reception- and all the way back to the honeymoon suite.

Though @Scrabb and I aren’t saying our “I do’s” till 2011, having a destination wedding means having everything prepared months ahead of time, and creating a plan B for disasters of all types. Particularly, at our venue of choice, we can’t place a hold till 12 months in advance, but are asked to present a detailed guest list, color palette, and vendor contracts at that time, as well. We have a great team of friends that are assisting us with everything we need, and sharing thoughts from their own upcoming nuptials, as well.

Because planning a destination wedding is travel + wedding, I’ve decided to unleash all my bridely fury on the viewing public by creating this channel at Frill Seeker Diary, Destination: Wedding. This section is here to provide slight guidance for any other destination wedding brides, as well as some travel tips for brides and grooms who chose an away wedding, and will probably spend many months zooming back and forth planning for the big day.

Before I unleash details of my own not tying, be warned, I’m not giving it all away till the very end. I’ll be posting tips, clues, and colorful inspiration tid bits, though. Below you can find Inspiration Board #1, the first clues to what will go down in 2011.

Wedding by adooling on Polyvore.com

When you’re hosting a wedding away from home, it’s tempting to forgo the typical white gown for a more casual option. However, even in warmer climates, brides tend to look back and long for even just one shot in the traditional garb. The best solution to this is the reception dress. Part party, part walk down the aisle, it’s an option that’s become more and more popular as of late.

Below you can find a few unique choices to swap after ripping off your chiffon gown.

What’s more romantic than a wedding in Italy? How about tying the knot in the very place said to be the home of Juliet Capulet? The town of Verona, Italy is said to be opening the balcony of the 13th century Capello home for weddings. This, just weeks after officials unearthed the skeleton of what they believe to be a female vampire in the same village. Verona is really shaping up to be a destination for the masses!

Read more on the story here via Discovery Channel.

I hope to see you tonight at The Knot’s Evening of Style & Glamour, According to the email I received, you can expect a Pronovias bridal gown fashion show, featuring models dripping in Kwiat platinum diamonds, makeovers by the make-up experts from Sephora, an appearance by Knot EIC, Carley Roney, and more.

You might remember the last event I attended at Pronovias a few weeks ago. It was seriously a lot of fun and a great way to spend an afternoon os if you can get down there tonight, bet on having a great time.

*Editor’s Note: Due to last-minute work, I will not be attending this event, but I hope to see you all at the next one!

Among the terrific advice, my absolute favorites were:

1. If you don’t know exactly what you want, think of what you don’t want and work backwards.

2. For shy couples, have the DJ ask everyone to stand instead of announcing your first dance. Standing attendees are more likely to join in dancing.

3. Consider food choices other than the typical “chicken or beef” choices. Create a menu that is tailored to you.

4. A great way to punch up a wedding and make it more “you” is with color. A bright tablecloth costs the same as a white one.

5. If your location has a sound limit, use a band with amps, but turn them all the way down and make sure the band knows loud doesn’t always equal good.

My favorite advice of the night, however, came from Weinstock, celeb cake queen, 60-year marriage veteran, and total sweetheart, who schooled me on my August 2011 wedding date after I explained to her that C is finishing his Masters. “Who cares what you’re doing? Get married even if you have school or whatever else going on. Going through all of that together is a binding experience. I’ll call your fiance and tell him myself!” I really should have let her call C.

After spying a gallery of adorable invitation ideas and having a few slices of Sylvia’s cakes, we headed upstairs for a fantastic fashion show of Pronovias wedding gowns. Please enjoy a few pics from the event below and the rest on my personal Photobucket gallery as found here; all photos by the talented Ms. Lori Singlar. And, please, ignore both my hair and sweater eating me (it was a rough, hot water-less morning).