Magical weddings, a party on the beach,and 'pinch me...are we really here?!?"

Recently, I was lucky enough to attend Disney's Social Media Moms Celebration at the Walt Disney World Resort. This was the second year I attended the event and it was even more magical than last year's event!

The event was all about social media - but because it IS Disney, there was magic added in at every turn. Our first day was no exception.

After checking in at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa (and spending half the day at the Magic Kingdom), we all headed to Disney's Wedding Pavilion... just a hop, skip and a jump away from the Grand Floridian...for the first event - the Platinum Soiree to celebrate Disney Weddings' 20 years of planning magical weddings!

We all received Minnie Mouse bridal ears and then we were greeted by Franck (yes...THAT Franck from Father of the Bride) and Edna (from The Incredibles)! And then we saw the candy buffet tables. Oh my, the candy. With 'carry out' boxes. To fill to the brim with all that candy! (At this point I was thinking "this would have been so neat at MY wedding!").

I ventured inside Franck's and immediately decided that I NEEDED a Disney wedding. Yes, I'm already married. But my 10 year anniversary is next year and well....wishful thinking, I know.

After mingling for a bit, catching up with friends, and enjoying some "bubbly" ... we all headed over to the Wedding Pavilion for more surprises! Along the way we had a chance to see some of the Disney Fairy Tale Weddings gowns by Alfred Angelo - so amazing!

The Pavilion itself is breathtaking. I've seen it so many times as we whiz by on the Monorail, but to be inside and (maybe) imagine a wedding (vow renewal) ceremony taking place....um, wow! Of course, at this point it was filled with about 150 moms in Minnie Mouse ears so that took it to a whole new level of fun!


One of the 'special guests' at the event was Michael Shettell, the designer behind the Disney Fairytale dresses at Alfred Angelo and he had a surprise for us! The newest dress, the Platinum Collection Cinderella gown was revealed. And oh my .... the dress is amazing.

Other 'guests' included Carley Roney with The Knot and celebrity wedding planner and host of My Fair Wedding, David Tutera. A few 'take aways' from these speakers:
- Your audience is everything!
- Social media is a cocktail party. Be clever and interesting.
- Create a trend!

And then....well, it got even more magical. We were introduced to a couple who had been married at Disney a few years ago. They told their story and then Franck whisked them away...only to have them return a bit later to RENEW THEIR VOWS! I think my tweet at that moment was "Oh my gosh! Surprise vow renewal!" It was such an amazing event to witness - the "wedding party" danced down the aisle and I think many of us were crying happy tears for this lovely couple!

After the vow renewal we headed back to Franck's Bridal Studio for one more surprise...Cinderella's carriage arrived to carry the bride and groom to their reception. Oh, and there were fireworks. Because no wedding is complete without fireworks!

And, I had my photo taken with Franck. Looking fierce!


And then it was time for US to party.
On the beach. At the Grand Floridian.
Did I mention how amazing the day was?
It was even more amazing once the party started.

This tweet summed it up:
Beautiful weather. amazing event. Incredible people! #DisneySMMoms

A couple of my favorite pictures from the night:




Throughout the evening many of us kept repeating "Oh my gosh! Are we really here?!? I can't believe we're actually HERE!" And that was a theme that repeated again and again during the weekend.

If this first day was THIS magical, what could the next few days bring?


Disclosure: While I paid my way for this event, we were given an incredible deal by Disney. The conference fee included three nights at the Grand Floridian, 7-day park hopper tickets, the conference, most meals, several special events, and other 'goodies' to take home. All opinions expressed in these posts are mine. Disney did not ask that we blog about the event. But as a lifelong, dedicated Disney fan, I am more than happy to share my experiences with you.