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Second wedding, lots of kids, thinking about Great Wolf Lodge

aes_sedaiaes_sedai
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in Second Weddings
This will be the second wedding for us both.  I have 4 children ages 9-14 as well as 2 young grandchildren and he has 3 grown children and 8 grandchildren 11 and under.  It's important to us to include all the kids and I want this all to be a stress free as possible for everyone.  I was thinking about a June wedding on the beach, but now I'm leaning towards February or April (leaving out March because of Spring Break) and the only place I can think that would be kid friendly and less stressful is Great Wolf Lodge.  My kids love it and we've been several times.  They don't let you have an outside caterer (my fiance is in the restaurant business) and they pretty much plan it all and have it all there for you.  It would definitely make it all less stressful and I didn't want anything formal or fancy to begin with.  Has anyone else had any experience with this?  I'm open to suggestions and tips.  Thanks!
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Re: Second wedding, lots of kids, thinking about Great Wolf Lodge

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    Marrin713Marrin713 member
    5 Love Its Combo Breaker First Comment First Anniversary
    edited December 2011
    I'm sure the kids will all be ga-ga over GWL.  How do you and your FI feel about it?  I mean really feel about it?  We have a GWL up in the Wisconsin Dells and I always imagine it completely overrun with kids.  I did go up to an indoor waterpark/resort in Kohler Wisconsin a few years back.  It was very pretty and on the shores of Lake Michigan.  But again, kids everywhere.
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    Marrin713Marrin713 member
    5 Love Its Combo Breaker First Comment First Anniversary
    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_second-weddings_second-wedding-lots-of-kids-thinking-great-wolf-lodge?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:35Discussion:7a11ecce-e01d-429d-aed2-959b95b65664Post:d6614736-19bb-4937-9d8f-182b304a0ecb">Second wedding, lots of kids, thinking about Great Wolf Lodge</a>:
    [QUOTE]This will be the second wedding for us both.  <strong>I have 4 children ages 9-14 as well as 2 young grandchildren</strong> and he has 3 grown children and 8 grandchildren 11 and under.  It's important to us to include all the kids and I want this all to be a stress free as possible for everyone.  I was thinking about a June wedding on the beach, but now I'm leaning towards February or April (leaving out March because of Spring Break) and the only place I can think that would be kid friendly and less stressful is Great Wolf Lodge.  My kids love it and we've been several times.  They don't let you have an outside caterer (my fiance is in the restaurant business) and they pretty much plan it all and have it all there for you.  It would definitely make it all less stressful and I didn't want anything formal or fancy to begin with.  Has anyone else had any experience with this?  I'm open to suggestions and tips.  Thanks!
    Posted by aes_sedai[/QUOTE]

    Did I read that right?
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    aes_sedaiaes_sedai
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    My main focus is on the kids and this being as stress-free as possible.  I'm more interested in our honeymoon and making that about us.  Yes, there will be lots of kids in the hotel and at the waterpark, but we'll be having the ceremony and the reception in the conference center which is in another building.  I'm also planning on bringing my sitter to help with my 4.  I'm figuring that she can wrangle them in their room while I'm getting ready and such and they'll be in the ceremony (having my daughter be the flower girl and the boys walk me down the aisle) then we'll have the reception and then all hang out at the waterpark for a few hours as a family before he and I turn things back over to the sitter.
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    aes_sedaiaes_sedai
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    edited December 2011
    LOL, yes, you read that right.  I wasn't including my grown daughter in the count, just her small children since that's sort of my focus right now.
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    MikesAngieMikesAngie member
    Name Dropper 5 Love Its Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited December 2011

    Here's a thought before you decide on GWL, why don't you and your FI take a quiet moment (or second with all the kids) and reflect about your wedding like it's a week after and your talking about what you LOVED about it and what you had wished was different.  It will help you in finding the right venue or even in making smaller decisions.

    I know it sounds corny but it works and it's advice that I snitched from another knottie, and used when talking about our guest book. 

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    Marrin713Marrin713 member
    5 Love Its Combo Breaker First Comment First Anniversary
    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_second-weddings_second-wedding-lots-of-kids-thinking-great-wolf-lodge?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:35Discussion:7a11ecce-e01d-429d-aed2-959b95b65664Post:945e4314-6aa0-4e0c-82af-d1cd36c9b3f2">Re: Second wedding, lots of kids, thinking about Great Wolf Lodge</a>:
    [QUOTE]LOL, yes, you read that right.  I wasn't including my grown daughter in the count, just her small children since that's sort of my focus right now.
    Posted by aes_sedai[/QUOTE]

    Okay, I thought I was seeing things LOL~!  or at the very least reading it incorrectly.

    I think the place in Kohler also had an entire wing that was conference/banquet related.  Well, sounds like you got it figured out!  I was just thinking aloud that maybe you were too focused and worried about the kids having fun than you were about what you two wanted.  Sounds like it'll be a blast <img src="http://cdn.cl9.vanillaforums.com/downloaded/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-laughing.gif" border="0" alt="Laughing" title="Laughing" />
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    MikesAngieMikesAngie member
    Name Dropper 5 Love Its Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited December 2011

    A belated congratuations and welcome!!

    You're April wedding date is the day before mine!! 

    Congratulations!!  Happy Planning!

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    ichellemay1ichellemay1
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Congrats!  I had never even heard of GWL until they were on Undercover Boss a few weeks ago.  I think that would be a great kid-friendly place.  Plus, if they handle all the details - all the better!!
    Anniversary
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    debi1941debi1941 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011

    SO DIFFERENT........ALL I CAN SAY IS....THIS IS A FAMILY GETTING MARRIED

    I absolutely love the idea......My children also loved the GWL when they were younger....and if they were still younger, i am sure they would also love your idea.....

    One thing that is a concern....How on earth will you keep all the kids focused on the wedding with  water parks all around them...????   That will be a feat of its own!

    Every one has their own vision of their wedding and includeing their children in the plans.....BUT, i don't think I would want to strip out of my beautiful wedding dress, ruin my hair and makeup...for a few hours at the water park with my kids before the sitter is once again in charge of the crew......

    BUT......if I am reading correctly, you and your fiance are very much family orientated and obviously the children are coming first.....

    PLEASE keep us all updated on if you decide to and then all the plan and pics !!!

    LOVE IT

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    aes_sedaiaes_sedai
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Thank you all for your input.  I like the idea of reflecting on what we would like to remember from the day, but I also believe that if a wedding goes perfetcly, you have nothing to laugh about years later. :D

    We're both very laid back and this will be a casual wedding so I don't mind the idea of getting out of my dress and getting wet with the kids.  I splurged on a groupon last week and got a brazilian blowout that I'm completely loving so that makes the idea of doing my hair afterwards much less daunting. 

    The ceremony being in a separate building will help mitigate much of the excitement about the water park and I plan to keep the ceremony short and the reception light with food the adults will enjoy as well as kid friendly items.  My ex-husband got re-married 2 years ago and has stopped seeing the kids completely.  I want my kids to feel secure that there won't be any repeat of that.  The fact that we're going on a week long honeymoon alone afterwards makes me really want to make sure they feel secure before we leave.  I'm also mulling over the idea of doing a family vacation when we get back so we enforce it yet again. 

    I guess I'm a little different bride in that I really don't care too much about myself during the actual wedding.  That being said, I fully intend to be all about me and my husband on the honeymoon :D
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    arv266arv266
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    edited December 2011
    Aes, welcome and congratulations!   Great Wolf Lodge?  LOVE IT!  When I was a single Mom, I would take my kids to the resort in WIlliamsburg and we had a BLAST.  I love family friendly places, and love places where the kids could freely roam free.  When I met my FI, we introduced him to the lodge and he equally loves it. 

    I love that your main focus is the kids, and that this is truly a family event.  Do not be detered by tradition and what other brides have done, but make your wedding your own.   A bride is a bride is a bride... Whether she be in lace or in spandex....

    Have you considered a cruise wedding?  My cousin and his wife were married in Puerto Rico, and then we all joined him and his wife on a 7 day caribbean cruise.  The two of them had a merged household of three kids, but with 40 family members aboard, there was always a babysitter ready.  It gave the new couple plenty of "couple" time, but also a good amount of family time.  That vacation was one of the best!


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    aes_sedaiaes_sedai
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    That does sound like it would be a great vacation, but we have people from all different income levels that I really want present.  I'm thinking about a cruise for the honeymoon, though, but I'm torn because I really want to go to Ireland, too.  Decisions, decisions! :)
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    arv266arv266
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    There is a reason married couples celebrate anniverseries...   I am quite certain that the  traditional gift for the first wedding anniversary is a trip to Ireland.....Wink

    Make your wedding your own.. Toss out all notions of "should haves", "traditions" and "what would people think."  At the end of the day have the wedding that knocks your socks off.   But please, not your bikini top if you go to GWL, your kids would neverrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr get over it!
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