Frozen Wedding Party

We were excited about tonight's character dinner. It was Anna and Kristoff’s Valentine’s Day Wedding. Marina and I wore our Frozen 2 dresses for the occasion.

It started snowing right around the time we needed to leave. It was heavy enough that it took us an extra 15 minutes to get there. So we were super hungry when we arrived. Our favorite server took our order quickly. We all got salads and polished them off quickly.

While we were waiting for our pizza, Marina socialized a bit with the actress who was playing Elsa. Sven also came over to our table where he played with us.

Our pizza arrived at during the “wedding” ceremony. The actress who was playing Anna finally saw us and gave Marina a big hug. After the ceremony, we took photos with all the characters. Then we got ready for the drive home. The streets were covered with snow, so it took a long time and it was late when we arrived at home. 

Fairytales and Fondue

Last year we went to a Fondue Fairytale. We had a fun time, so we decided to go to one this year as well. Marina had a tough time picking out her outfit. She was planning to wear her Elsa coronation dress. But when I mentioned that we would be eating chocolate fondue, which Anna sings about in her coronation dress, she changed her mind. I put her hair in a bun and we added a green tiara. She looked very pretty.

We arrived at the restaurant right on time. We met two of our friends there. The two year old was dressed up as Tinkerbell. We were all really hungry, but it took a while for them to get our first course of cheese fondue took a while. Once it was ready we all dug in.

While we ate, we listened to a few songs sung by the characters. They had Ariel, Rapunzel, Aurora and Prince Charming. I took pictures of Marina with all of them. I even managed to get a group photo. One girl even asked Marina for her autograph. She signed it “Anna.”

 

We all enjoyed our food even if it was served slowly. We talked with them for a while before leaving the restaurant.

Tiaras and Tea

Today was the wedding day of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. To celebrate we went to a Royal Wedding Tea. We invited friends to join us. We dressed up for the occasion with jewelry and tiaras. The weather was rainy, so I let Marina use by fancy raincoat, which she loved.

When we arrived, our friends were already there. We were seated at a pretty table right away. Our server remembered us from previous tea parties there. We had choices between Royal Wedding Tea and White Wedding Tea.

We were all hungry, so when the food arrived we all dug in. The sandwiches were wonderful, as usual, and we all enjoyed our scones. The sweets featured a lemon cake, which was amazing!

As we enjoyed our tea, the owner came by our table. She said she was happy to see us again. She did a few drawings for prizes. She had trouble reading the numbers on the tickets, so she had Marina help her on some of them.

After we finished our tea we said goodbye to everyone and went home.

Fall Fairytale

In our area are lots of fall festivals and corn mazes. We’ve only been to a few. We found out that one we hadn't been  to before was having a Fairytale Day at Maize in the City. We decided to go check it out.

The ads featured Belle, Rapunzel and Flynn Rider, so Marina wore her blue Belle costume. We arrived at the Maize before the party started, so we looked around a bit. Shortly after that, the characters arrived. We were thrilled that they were all performers we know. When they saw us, they waved and called us by name.

The party started with a craft – making a pumpkin wand. Marina chose a big one to decorate. After she finished her pumpkin, we took photos with all the characters. Marina also made a new friend, a four year old girl. The two hung out together until the show started.

Flynn Rider started things off by having an Adventure Academy. Marina went on stage to participate. She especially liked the swashbuckling – sword fighting. When she was tagged she put on a dramatic death. Next Rapunzel, Flynn and Belle sang. Then Belle told stories.

After the show, we spent some time with our friends before we left to look around. We decided to try out the corn maze. A friend of mine told me that you should always go to the right side when in a corn maze, so we tried that. It worked! We not only easily found our way out, but we hit all the markers through it to claim a prize. The prize was a mini pumpkin. Marina was thrilled!

Marina wanted her face painted. The line looked short but it moved very slowly. Her new friend was in line ahead of us, so they played together as they waited. Some other children approached Marina. They thought she was Belle! She played along for a little while.

When it was finally Marina’s turn, she decided on a flower design in red. It came out beautifully. By that time we were tired and ready to head home.

Fondue Fairytale

For lunch today we had reservations for Fondue Fairytales. Marina didn't want to wear a costume, so she wore a pretty floor length sundress. I put her hair in a bun but we left a little on one side which I curled into a pretty spiral. Then we pinned her favorite tiara in front of it. Then Marina put on her makeup.

One of our friends picked us up and drove us to the restaurant. The Fondue Fairytales were on the patio outside. Rapunzel came by our table with coloring pages. Prince Charming also came by and we all took pictures with him.

As we ate, the princesses sang and Prince Charming danced. He was an amazing dancer! Marina went over and danced with him and the Princesses for a while. She also got her face painted. It turned out beautifully. While she was having that done, the Princesses gathered everyone together for a group picture. I was sad Marina missed it. I mentioned it to Rapunzel and she arranged for Marina to have a photo with all of them by herself!

As each Princess left, Marina gave them a warm hug. We finished our meal with chocolate fondue. It was delicious but by then we were all stuffed. On the way home Marina asked if we could listen to Princess music. She sang along with them the whole trip back. We all agreed we want to come back next summer.

Castle Party

While Marina is growing out of her princess phase, she still wanted to attend the Princess Party at a nearby "castle" today. I took the day off so we could go. Instead of wearing a costume, she wore her Belle inspired dress.

When we arrived, Belle and her Prince were already there. We were happy to see Belle was being played by one of the actresses we have seen quite often lately. She greeted both of us warmly with a hug.

At our table was a eleven year-old girl. She and Marina instantly bonded and spent much of the party together. The party started with story time, then both Belle and the Prince sang. The girls sang and danced with Belle. The Prince ultimately took time to dance with many of the girls. Marina reluctantly took a turn and he taught her to waltz.

At the end of the party we took pictures with the castle in the background. Then we visited with Belle and the Prince for a before heading home. Despite growing up, she does still enjoy at least parts of these events.

Unicorn Festival

For months we have been looking forward to the first annual Unicorn Festival. Marina chose to dress as Tinkerbell. She also brought her mermaid fin and Jasmine costume along.

I wanted to get an early start, but we were a bit later than I’d hoped. We arrived and crowds had already started to gather. It took us a while to get inside.

Our first stop was at the Mermaid Lagoon. Marina really wanted to swim with the mermaids. However, they weren’t quite ready to start, so we made plans to come back. Next we just decided to check out the festival. We ran into Prince Charming and Giselle. Marina posed for pictures with both. We found the Princess Palace and Snow White was there. So we took pictures with her as well. Marina then tried out the castle maze which led to a slide.

We went back to the Mermaid Lagoon and found they still weren’t ready yet. We took a photo of Marina with a mermaid and then went to watch a magic show. Marina volunteered to help out with one of the tricks. We also found a fairy king and queen who we had photos taken with.

We wanted to meet Moana, but the line was really long and Marina didn’t want to wait. So we hung out at the bubble tower for a while and had a snack. By then Belle was available, so we got photos with her. Marina changed into her Jasmine costume and we got to the Princess Palace early to see Jasmine. We were very close to the front of the line so we got a chance to meet her quickly.

From there we went to the Mermaid Lagoon and settled in for the wait to swim with the mermaids. It took a very long time, but Marina felt it was worth it. When it was finally her turn, she put on her mermaid tail but it was difficult for her to put the fin on, so she didn’t. She did seem to enjoy her time in the water despite the freezing temperature.

Once she was done swimming we found the festival wasn’t as crowded anymore. We had pictures with Cinderella and Marina petted a unicorn, then she rode one. She even took a turn in the “Crystal Balls” activity. We also got a photo with Ariel. We were about to leave when we saw Captain Jack Sparrow. Of course she wanted to talk to him!

We’d spent the whole day at the festival and we were ready to go home.

Enchanted Symphony

Marina and I have attended quite a few concerts at the symphony this year. Today we were excited for their “Symphonic Beauty and the Beast” concert. Marina wore her blue Belle dress.

We left the house early for the show. I learned a large group of fairytale characters would be in the lobby before the show. Since we were so early, we got the most amazing parking spot - almost directly outside the concert hall!

When we arrived we saw the characters were already there. We got photos with Ariel, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Jasmine and Rapunzel right away. Then we waited in a short line for pictures with Belle, her prince, Gaston and Le Fou. Next up, we met Anna and Elsa with Kristoff followed by Cinderella and her Prince. We also found Pocahontas, Moana and Te Fiti.

After we met all the characters, we found the craft area where Marina made a green necklace which she gave to Te Fiti. On our way to our seats, we ran into Elena of Avalor.

We bought drinks and Marina picked out a snack, then we went to our seats. We really liked our view – we were directly behind the horn section. When the concert started we could see the conductor very well.

The concert was a combination of classical pieces and music from movies. A vocalist came out to sing several songs from the Broadway musical Beauty and the Beast. We loved her performance and Marina gushed over her ball gown.

After the concert, the characters were in the lobby again. Marina hugged each one before we left.

Frozen Festival

As we planned our trip to the Renaissance Festival this year, we tried to schedule a time when Michelle could join us. This weekend was the only time we could do that. Our friend Justine was also able to come, so we had a larger group than usual.

Marina and I decided to dress in our Frozen costumes. She wore the Anna coronation dress and I was Elsa. Justine borrowed a Cinderella costume, but Michelle did not want to dress up, she did wear a tiara all day though.

We didn’t leave as early as we had planned and traffic was crazy getting to the festival. But when we finally made it we were all glad to be there. As we entered, Marina and I were serenaded by “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” We both laughed.

Once inside, the girls all took a run through the maze. We were surprised to see the first joust was taking place. We thought we had missed it. So Marina, Justine and I found seats to watch while Michelle had her hair braided.

After the joust, we wandered the festival and did some shopping. As always, Marina wanted her photo by the wishing well. We also came across Prince Charming. He hasn’t done his act at the festival for a few years now, but Marina was pleased to see him.

We sat down to watch the Endangered Cats show. Marina loved the black panther, who she thought looked like Jasmine. We also enjoyed the antics of the white tiger.

Marina wanted to get her face painted, so we found our favorite artist. Marina chose a star design in red and purple. She was clearly happy with the result. While we were waiting, the royal procession came by. Marina curtseyed and waved to the royals. Princess Elizabeth’s face clearly lit up when she recognized Marina. She waved to both of us.

For lunch, we had our usual turkey leg and were very happy to find a shady place to sit. I was impressed at how much turkey Marina ate. Michelle and Justine wanted to do more shopping, so they went out while Marina and I went to the second round of jousting. Of course, Marina happily cheered Sir William on.

Marina and Justine wanted to ride the elephant, so we all met there. After they got onto the elephant with another couple, the trainers decided to cool off the elephant by spraying him with water. They enjoyed the extra time as well as a cooling mist on their legs.

We all went over to the chapel for the daily knightings. After the ceremony, Marina and I went to meet Princess Elizabeth for her tea party. Once the rug was set for the girls to sit on, Marina took a spot right by the princess. The girls had fun talking about their adventures. Then Elizabeth told a silly story using the members of her court as actors. We spent a few minutes talking with Princess Elizabeth after the party and promised to see her next year.

Marina and I picked up a snack and went back to the arena for the final joust. We met the court poet who said he was looking for us all day. He then serenaded us with “For the First Time in Forever.” Marina was pleased and embarrassed.

Michelle and Justine saved us a spot right in front. As we were settling in, we learned we could get a favor for Sir William’s lance, then get it back from him after the joust. Marina’s face lit up and I knew we had to get one. Michelle and Justine each got one as well.

After the formalities of the joust were complete, the girls stepped forward to give Sir William their favors. Then the joust began. Justine was particularly excited with the action. In the end, Sir William and Sir Balin defeated Sir Joseph and Sir Arthur. When  the ceremony concluded, Sir William came back to the arena to return the favors to the ladies who presented them. He thanked them all and since he won the joust requested they all come to all of his jousts.

Before he could start, Marina gave him a collection of photographs we put together for him of our many meetings. He was very pleased. He gave Marina a big hug before returning her favor. He gallantly kissed the hand of each lady as he gave her the favor. By this time, Michelle and Justine were his fans as well.

We headed for the gate in time for King Henry’s closing remarks. The rest of the cast sang and danced but we only watched for a short time. By then we were all very tired and ready to head back to the present.

Snow White Hike

 A few months ago I found out about performance at the Botanic Gardens based on Snow White. It was called a Theatre Hike. We would walk through the gardens and stop at designated spots for the telling of the story. We were both pretty excited to experience.

Naturally, Marina wore her Snow White costume for this event. We arrived a bit early for the show, so we decided to wandered through the gardens a bit first. We started in the giant greenhouse and looked at the tropical plants, Marina loves this part.

After looking through the greenhouse, we headed for the rose garden. We've never been there when the roses are in bloom. We were amazed at what we saw. I had never seen so many roses in one place. We definitely took the time to smell them!

Next we checked in for the Theatre Hike. We had a violin player who walked along with us and Marina had a nice conversation with him as we waited for the hike to start.

The story was told in four scenes in four separate location around the gardens. The story was silly and fun. There were only five actors playing all the parts. Naturally, Marina loved Snow White. Once the show was over, she got the chance to meet the cast. The actress playing Snow White gushed over Marina's costume. She also got to try on the magic mirror costume.

We wandered through the gardens a bit after the show. Marina even took a few pictures. It was a fun evening!