thatdisneygirl
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jul 12, 2007
I can't believe I'm starting my TR!
There's so much to share, but I'm holding off a little bit before I start the big trip report because I know everyone else has a ton of pictures and it will be easier when some of them start to come in. I was bad and didn't take pictures of anything...oops! Don't worry, I'll start the trip report soon...and it will probably go on and on and on because I have so much to tell you!
In the meantime, I thought I'd do my vendor reviews while they're still fresh in my mind. I haven't done them for photography or videography, but I'm pretty sure those are going to be high...
Disney Fairytale Weddings: A+
Our wedding was so incredible and magical and all of those things that Disney claims they can do for weddings. I absolutely wouldnt have done it any other way.
Marion Stewart and Assistants: B
First, I have to say that Marion is a very sweet woman. Shes charming and funny and quick to help when you ask her for something. I also worked a lot with her assistant, Jennifer Flores, in the weeks before the wedding and found that she was incredibly helpful and prompt. Unfortunately, they lose a full grade for wedding eve and wedding day performance, mainly because they werent very helpful. Marion had another wedding on top of my tea/rehearsal, so I only saw her for a second. The assistant that she sent to do the rehearsal didnt have the right information, couldnt remember what I was telling her for more than 30 seconds, and seemed very much like shed never done a rehearsal by herself before.
On the wedding day itself, I only saw Marion for about 5 minutes. She sent a different assistant (I think she has a small battalion) for the morning pictures and that one was NOT very helpful or friendly. If Id wanted a sourpuss to be present for the morning pictures I could have invited one myself. Marion popped in for the actual wedding, but then I didnt really see her again until I did the room once-over right before the reception and then at the end when she gave us our wedding present and thanked us for being easy. All in all, I think shes lovely and friendly but if she was being helpful it was all behind the scenes and I didnt catch any of it. Of all the vendors, I also think that she was the only one who made our wedding feel like it was a routine thing that happens all the time instead of a special event.
Grand Floridian Hotel Staff: A
Love them, especially the ones who cooked our food because it was to DIE for! Everyone at the GF was incredibly helpful and speedy. Id like to send a special shout out here to Terry, who Marion left in charge of the tea when she ducked out for a wedding. Terry was very patient and accommodating, particularly when we asked if we could get to-go boxes. (Apparently, to-go boxes are a no.)
Pop Century Hotel Staff: C
You get what you pay for. The people at Pop Century were nice enough, but they were also hurried and harassed. Nobody commented on our wedding (even when we checked in in our wedding regalia) and the people working the luggage desk were rude to us and everyone with us. They also managed to misplace some of our guests luggage and refused to have ours sent to the airport. I know its a value resort, but come on, people.
Root Photography: ?
I cant send a full vendor grade out because we havent seen the pictures, but Im not too worried about it. You all saw what they did with our engagement pictures I can only imagine how our wedding will turn out! Nathan and Jensey were on time, smiling and ready. They didnt interfere with the day at all by breaking in to make us do the shots they wanted to take and they were ready to direct the crowd when we were looking for our group photos.
George from Apex Media: ?
I cant put out a full vendor grade for George either, because I havent gotten the video back, but I can tell you that he was incredibly easy to work with. After he introduced himself he just blended into the background and we didnt have to worry about him at all. When it was time for him to go, he quietly stopped me, thanked me for letting him come to the wedding, and then shrugged off the fact that I still owed him money. The fact that I was able to come home and Paypal him the remaining balance instead of rooting around for my checkbook at the wedding reception was VERY nice and I really appreciate it. Im looking forward to getting the raw footage!
Anna from Makeover Majic: B-
This is a tough one. I debated long and hard on that grade trying to decide if I should make it lower or higher. Anna is very nice and she was right on time, full of energy, and incredibly sweet. She also did my makeup flawlessly and it stayed put until I scrubbed it off around 2AM. That being said
I have two things that werent so awesome. One is that Anna is really, really expensive. She charges about a hundred dollars to do hair and although that includes her coming to the hotel room whenever you need her, thats a lot of money. My hair and makeup was $140 and it didnt include the trial in August (which was another hundred dollars). Maybe Im just cheap, but that means that getting my hair and makeup done twice was as much as my wedding dress. Holy crap, people.
The other thing is that Anna was a little in love with the tight curls and the hairspray when she got to our room. Im not sure exactly what was going on, but she made my mother and I look like beauty pageant contestants. Childrens beauty pageant contestants. Both of the hairstyles were fixed on request (my moms looked great mine was still pretty fluffy) but it was one of those awkward and semi-terrifying moments. She loses points for not sensing the eighties-ness.
Reverend Kevin Knox and Theresa Knox: C
Rev. Knox is the one thing where I can actually say I should have gone with someone else. A lot of people have used him and he came highly recommended from both past Disney brides and the staff at DFTW for being a total wedding pro. Well, maybe hes been doing them a little too long because I was not impressed.
First, he called me up the evening before the rehearsal to let me know that he wasnt going to do my rehearsal. It turned out that he had another rehearsal to go to and he was choosing that one because it was more complicated. Complicated or not, I booked Rev. Knox in February, so Im pretty sure I had him first. Plus, its just tacky to wait until the last minute like that. He ended up sending his wife, Theresa, to do the rehearsal. She showed up on time, but she was a little weird and a little pushy. She also didnt have the right script for us and she had sort of a sharp personality. Kyle was really glad she wasnt doing the wedding because he didnt like her at all.
I actually wasnt too bugged by the rehearsal thing at the time, because we had so much going on, but when we actually met Rev. Knox (5 minutes before our ceremony!) I was super disappointed. He wasnt apologetic about missing the rehearsal, didnt have the right script, and made a point of demanding a check immediately because we had forgotten to pay Theresa. During the ceremony he messed up one of the changes, which was kind of a big deal since the ceremony was only about 4 minutes long. He also booked it out of the ceremony when everything was said and done. One of the main things that I heard from people after the wedding was I saw your Reverend run out of the ceremony immediately. He sure looked like he was in a hurry! Thats such a weird last impression to make
Carolyn Allens: ?
Im not going to grade Carolyn Allens because they didnt actually perform a service for me. However, I had a weird interaction with them. I originally booked them to deliver and steam my dress, but failed to send it to them on time, so I cancelled the appointment before we left. The day before the wedding I got a call from one of their agents saying that they were confirming my appointment. When I told her I didnt have an appointment, she said yes, you do. Were all ready to deliver your dress so if you want it you need to be there for your appointment. I had to be like, um my dress is in front of me Im not going to meet you so you can deliver the nothing that youre all set to deliver and if you have a dress you should probably figure out whose it is instead of bringing it to me How weird is that?
Mens Wearhouse: A+
The Mens Wearhouse people delivered the tux on time and called twice to confirm and make sure we got it. The tux fit perfectly and even though we returned it a bit late they didnt bug us at all about it. It couldnt have been easier.
JR Silva: A-
The DJ was another hard one. On the one hand, I actually had a moment where I instructed Jed to threaten the DJ with non-payment if he didnt stop being goofy. On the other hand, the number one thing that Ive heard from people who came to the reception is that they were so glad I had such a good DJ and they all loved him. So, there you go. Im apparently the only one who doesnt like goofiness at weddings.
In all honesty, DJ Silva was very good. He was a little bit cheeseball, but he kept the energy level way up for the entire reception and the dance floor was almost always packed to capacity. He was also careful not to play anything on our do not play list and double checked with me about questionable requests. I should give him a full on A+ since everyone loved him so much, but there was a moment at the reception when he came down onto the dance floor and taught everyone the cupid shuffle which was basically exactly what I told him not to do at the reception. The fact that everyone ate it up and was out on the dance floor does not withstand the fact that I was hardcore annoyed for those full three minutes.
There's so much to share, but I'm holding off a little bit before I start the big trip report because I know everyone else has a ton of pictures and it will be easier when some of them start to come in. I was bad and didn't take pictures of anything...oops! Don't worry, I'll start the trip report soon...and it will probably go on and on and on because I have so much to tell you!
In the meantime, I thought I'd do my vendor reviews while they're still fresh in my mind. I haven't done them for photography or videography, but I'm pretty sure those are going to be high...
Disney Fairytale Weddings: A+
Our wedding was so incredible and magical and all of those things that Disney claims they can do for weddings. I absolutely wouldnt have done it any other way.
Marion Stewart and Assistants: B
First, I have to say that Marion is a very sweet woman. Shes charming and funny and quick to help when you ask her for something. I also worked a lot with her assistant, Jennifer Flores, in the weeks before the wedding and found that she was incredibly helpful and prompt. Unfortunately, they lose a full grade for wedding eve and wedding day performance, mainly because they werent very helpful. Marion had another wedding on top of my tea/rehearsal, so I only saw her for a second. The assistant that she sent to do the rehearsal didnt have the right information, couldnt remember what I was telling her for more than 30 seconds, and seemed very much like shed never done a rehearsal by herself before.
On the wedding day itself, I only saw Marion for about 5 minutes. She sent a different assistant (I think she has a small battalion) for the morning pictures and that one was NOT very helpful or friendly. If Id wanted a sourpuss to be present for the morning pictures I could have invited one myself. Marion popped in for the actual wedding, but then I didnt really see her again until I did the room once-over right before the reception and then at the end when she gave us our wedding present and thanked us for being easy. All in all, I think shes lovely and friendly but if she was being helpful it was all behind the scenes and I didnt catch any of it. Of all the vendors, I also think that she was the only one who made our wedding feel like it was a routine thing that happens all the time instead of a special event.
Grand Floridian Hotel Staff: A
Love them, especially the ones who cooked our food because it was to DIE for! Everyone at the GF was incredibly helpful and speedy. Id like to send a special shout out here to Terry, who Marion left in charge of the tea when she ducked out for a wedding. Terry was very patient and accommodating, particularly when we asked if we could get to-go boxes. (Apparently, to-go boxes are a no.)
Pop Century Hotel Staff: C
You get what you pay for. The people at Pop Century were nice enough, but they were also hurried and harassed. Nobody commented on our wedding (even when we checked in in our wedding regalia) and the people working the luggage desk were rude to us and everyone with us. They also managed to misplace some of our guests luggage and refused to have ours sent to the airport. I know its a value resort, but come on, people.
Root Photography: ?
I cant send a full vendor grade out because we havent seen the pictures, but Im not too worried about it. You all saw what they did with our engagement pictures I can only imagine how our wedding will turn out! Nathan and Jensey were on time, smiling and ready. They didnt interfere with the day at all by breaking in to make us do the shots they wanted to take and they were ready to direct the crowd when we were looking for our group photos.
George from Apex Media: ?
I cant put out a full vendor grade for George either, because I havent gotten the video back, but I can tell you that he was incredibly easy to work with. After he introduced himself he just blended into the background and we didnt have to worry about him at all. When it was time for him to go, he quietly stopped me, thanked me for letting him come to the wedding, and then shrugged off the fact that I still owed him money. The fact that I was able to come home and Paypal him the remaining balance instead of rooting around for my checkbook at the wedding reception was VERY nice and I really appreciate it. Im looking forward to getting the raw footage!
Anna from Makeover Majic: B-
This is a tough one. I debated long and hard on that grade trying to decide if I should make it lower or higher. Anna is very nice and she was right on time, full of energy, and incredibly sweet. She also did my makeup flawlessly and it stayed put until I scrubbed it off around 2AM. That being said
I have two things that werent so awesome. One is that Anna is really, really expensive. She charges about a hundred dollars to do hair and although that includes her coming to the hotel room whenever you need her, thats a lot of money. My hair and makeup was $140 and it didnt include the trial in August (which was another hundred dollars). Maybe Im just cheap, but that means that getting my hair and makeup done twice was as much as my wedding dress. Holy crap, people.
The other thing is that Anna was a little in love with the tight curls and the hairspray when she got to our room. Im not sure exactly what was going on, but she made my mother and I look like beauty pageant contestants. Childrens beauty pageant contestants. Both of the hairstyles were fixed on request (my moms looked great mine was still pretty fluffy) but it was one of those awkward and semi-terrifying moments. She loses points for not sensing the eighties-ness.
Reverend Kevin Knox and Theresa Knox: C
Rev. Knox is the one thing where I can actually say I should have gone with someone else. A lot of people have used him and he came highly recommended from both past Disney brides and the staff at DFTW for being a total wedding pro. Well, maybe hes been doing them a little too long because I was not impressed.
First, he called me up the evening before the rehearsal to let me know that he wasnt going to do my rehearsal. It turned out that he had another rehearsal to go to and he was choosing that one because it was more complicated. Complicated or not, I booked Rev. Knox in February, so Im pretty sure I had him first. Plus, its just tacky to wait until the last minute like that. He ended up sending his wife, Theresa, to do the rehearsal. She showed up on time, but she was a little weird and a little pushy. She also didnt have the right script for us and she had sort of a sharp personality. Kyle was really glad she wasnt doing the wedding because he didnt like her at all.
I actually wasnt too bugged by the rehearsal thing at the time, because we had so much going on, but when we actually met Rev. Knox (5 minutes before our ceremony!) I was super disappointed. He wasnt apologetic about missing the rehearsal, didnt have the right script, and made a point of demanding a check immediately because we had forgotten to pay Theresa. During the ceremony he messed up one of the changes, which was kind of a big deal since the ceremony was only about 4 minutes long. He also booked it out of the ceremony when everything was said and done. One of the main things that I heard from people after the wedding was I saw your Reverend run out of the ceremony immediately. He sure looked like he was in a hurry! Thats such a weird last impression to make
Carolyn Allens: ?
Im not going to grade Carolyn Allens because they didnt actually perform a service for me. However, I had a weird interaction with them. I originally booked them to deliver and steam my dress, but failed to send it to them on time, so I cancelled the appointment before we left. The day before the wedding I got a call from one of their agents saying that they were confirming my appointment. When I told her I didnt have an appointment, she said yes, you do. Were all ready to deliver your dress so if you want it you need to be there for your appointment. I had to be like, um my dress is in front of me Im not going to meet you so you can deliver the nothing that youre all set to deliver and if you have a dress you should probably figure out whose it is instead of bringing it to me How weird is that?
Mens Wearhouse: A+
The Mens Wearhouse people delivered the tux on time and called twice to confirm and make sure we got it. The tux fit perfectly and even though we returned it a bit late they didnt bug us at all about it. It couldnt have been easier.
JR Silva: A-
The DJ was another hard one. On the one hand, I actually had a moment where I instructed Jed to threaten the DJ with non-payment if he didnt stop being goofy. On the other hand, the number one thing that Ive heard from people who came to the reception is that they were so glad I had such a good DJ and they all loved him. So, there you go. Im apparently the only one who doesnt like goofiness at weddings.
In all honesty, DJ Silva was very good. He was a little bit cheeseball, but he kept the energy level way up for the entire reception and the dance floor was almost always packed to capacity. He was also careful not to play anything on our do not play list and double checked with me about questionable requests. I should give him a full on A+ since everyone loved him so much, but there was a moment at the reception when he came down onto the dance floor and taught everyone the cupid shuffle which was basically exactly what I told him not to do at the reception. The fact that everyone ate it up and was out on the dance floor does not withstand the fact that I was hardcore annoyed for those full three minutes.
