Carrie and Patrick have been two dear friends of ours since we photographed their wedding years ago. (I feel so old saying “dear” friends, but couldn’t think of a substitute!) When Carrie wrote and asked if we’d be a part of her anniversary surprise for Patrick during their Walt Disney World trip, I was all in- Mainly because when Carrie surprises Patrick, it’s not “surprise! We’re going to dinner at your favorite restaurant!”… Or even, “Surprise! We’re going to dinner at your favorite restaurant and the Roots are here!” Ohhhhhh, no… This particular surprise consisted of her surprising him with her hair and make-up being done, wearing a gown from Rent the Runway, surprising him with a white tux, a fireworks cruise watching Epcot’s Illuminations front-and-center from the water, a private dinner in the Hollywood Tower Hotel, AND us showing up! I still hope Patrick was ok with that last part! ;)
The whole evening went perfectly, and despite feeling like a country bumpkin next to Carrie in her gold sequined gown, we had an amazing time and felt like ultimate VIPs. :)
Nate haaaaaaaates Illuminations. After much deliberation, I’ve decided to stay married to him, regardless. ;) (Nate note: Just the part where nothing interesting is happening! You know, like the whole middle.)
They seriously looked better than most celebrities at the Oscars!
My favorite part of the evening- We got to walk through the lobby of the Hollywood Tower Hotel! Past the rope and everything! ;)
Loooooooooooooooooove! Sad I never got a photo of me and Nate on the couch! :(
We were strictly told not to touch anything in the lobby, so Carrie pushed the boundaries as much as possible. ;)
Seriously- One of the coolest things I’ve ever been a part of! :)
The one thing I miss the most about being a cast member- Being the only one in a park at night! :) Carrie and Patrick, thank you for letting us tag along your anniversary adventure. We love you guys! :) If you’d like to read Carrie’s article on how to plan your own private dinner like she did for Patrick, you can find it here. And yes, it’s much more affordable than you think!!
Some related Carrie + Patrick posts!
Carrie and Patrick’s First Look
Christmas at WDW with Carriatrick Part I
Christmas at WDW with Carriatrick Part II
LOVE!
Carrie’s blog is how I found this blog…and all your various Twitter accounts…so I now consider you all my cyber friends…even though I’ve never met any of you!
LOL!
Great pictures and I totally want to do this now. And Nate should be ashamed for not appreciating the beauty of herds of animals running across that electronic globe during Illuminations! ;-)
SHA-ZAM!!!!! Now, that’s a surprise I could live with! That was an incredible gesture of love…for her husband and for life. I shall be thinking of this alllll day! Well done!
I saw this on her blog…. so stinking cool! Amazing shots as always… I’m just bummed she didn’t pony up the crazy amount of dough so you all could have ridden the ride! :) LOL
I love Love LOVE this whole thing! The lobby shots are sooo awesome! I read the article too! I’d love to be able to do something like this one day!
OK, two things: 1) “Nate haaaaaaaates Illuminations,” WHAT?!?! WHAT?! HOW?! WHAT?!
2) I heard about this party! Only because we were all trying to figure out how it got approved for so few people. =) Haha, good for them though! I LOVE that space and wish it were used more often.
FAVORITE.DISNEY.PICTURES.EVER!!
I loved all the pictures when Carrie posted about the dinner, these are so amazing. Thank you for sharing these.
Nate… the middle of Illuminations drives me batty too but I really enjoy the rest of it.
This is one of the coolest things. Ever.!!!!
Shame on me for being so behind on reading your blog! It took me way too long to comment on this! I LOVE it! I’m so jealous of your adventure, but I totally feel like I was there after looking at your pictures. :) And Nate- seriously?!– Illuminations?! Sad day! haha
LOVE the black and white of them looking at the book. The old film grain look is astonishing given the atmosphere. I’ve always wanted to do something like this, living so close to Disney and all. It would be insane if they had a hotel room you could actually stay in, like Cinderella’s Castle in Magic Kingdom! ;-)
Thanks, Keaton! That would be so cool! I mean, it is a hotel, after all! ;)