Amanda & Christopher- 4/18/11- Italy Isola/AD

[chefbob609]

Wow, I am just really getting into disboards about a year too late but i decided to start a personal journal. I guess i should begin from the engagement.

In August 2009 Christopher and I went ring shopping. We picked a ring but I wasn't allowed to know when he would take it home, he put a deposit on it but you were able to take it home when you had paid at least 50%. Suddenly in September 2009 he said "lets go to Disney World". Even though i had said this many times before he never has. In addition, My mother always is the biggest penny pincher in the world and she was urging me to do- suspicious much?

So, once we got to Disney World, it was Saturday October 10, 2009 and we were walking around Fantasyland. Christopher wouldn't tell me where we were going to dinner but we were very close to the Castle. I was shocked when he went up to the podium to checkin because i had been trying to get a reservation for the castle for the last 2 weeks and there wasn't anything. The castle staff were very suspicious as well. I went to the bathroom while we were waiting to meet Cinderella and an announcement came over the loud speaker that the Bryan party had to meet Cinderella first. And then be seated first at the best table in the house- a table for 2 overlooking Fantasyland.

Dinner was kind of humorous, I ordered the steak well done and it took 3 steaks (the first two were medium rare) and the chef to come out to get it cooked right. The waitress looked like she was going to die! she was so upset by it. Then for dessert we selected from the choices. I looked left and the waitress is coming towards us with a white dome covered plate and a photopass photographer! gee.. i wonder what is coming? She placed the plate down and took off the cover and it was a bed of roses with a glass slipped holding my ring!

I kind of stared at it at first but then Christopher got down on one knee and i got to put on the ring! We hugged and the photopass guy was like kiss her! so i kissed him but he missed the shot It wasn't until then that i realized the whole restaurant had stopped to watch!

So embarrassing! Christopher got a discount on the meal though because of the problems with the steak. I took the dessert to go because i couldn't eat it but i never ending up touching it. When we were leaving the park that night a couple standing in front of the castle for wishes said congratulations, apparently they were dining at the Royal Table as well.

 

[Fay]

Hi There!

What a cute story... your DF sounds super!

What are your plans so far?! Cant wait to hear more! and see pictures (Which is my fav bit of DIS)

XXX

 

[chefbob609]

[url=http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/member-galleries/p64052-engagement-photos.html][/URL]

Christopher got this for me when we returned to the room from Disney Floral:

This is the view from the table:

This is what the plate looked like but the ring was in it:

 

[Princess SarahK]

Welcome!! Cant wait to read more about your plans, better late than never!

 

[chefbob609]

I almost forgot, while we were in WDW getting engaged we attended our first Not So Scary Halloween Party!! I loved it. I made myself and DF costumes, his favorite character is Aladdin and I was Wendy just because.
Christopher on Aladdin's Carpet Ride:

Switching up the engagement, we met Aladdin as Prince Ali and Jasmine:

And of course we had to meet my people:

And Jafar after Villians Mix and Mingle:

 

[Fay]

Loving the photos!

 

[chefbob609]

Sorry i had to figure out how to put some images up!
Okay, so from there i got in contact with Disney Fairytale Weddings right away. I took Christopher to Disney World in August 2008 for the first time, since then we have been about 5-6 times together and both of us work for the Disney Store now! I grew up going to WDW but he was deprived LOL so it was a give in that we would get married in Disney World where we were engaged.

Heidi Pickert sent me all the information and signed us up for a meeting with a consultant in 3/2010. I'm so thankful to her for sending us this information because some of it changed before our meeting and i was able to use these documents to change my contract/letter of agreement to my benefit. I'll explain in a second.

We met with Bill Barchik on a Friday, i believe the first week of March 2010. A couple days before Christopher and I were in the Magic Kingdom. i went to the bathroom and when i came out a survey lady had stopped him! poor guy. She told us that if she ever got married in WDW she would use the Atlantic Dance Hall. We said okay not thinking much of it.

Bill gave us a bad impression from the start. We were right on time and we waited on the couch in Francks for 10 minutes while he gossiped in his office with another consultant about a bridezilla he was dodging! with the door open. Then he came out and invited us in. I asked him if there were any reception locations that had balconys (like the Park Plaza back home in MA) and he said no. He showed me Ariel's? i think it was and i told him i love Nemo but i don't want fish at my wedding. Finally i remembered the survey woman and he was like oh yea, Atlantic Dance. He pulled up the picture and i was in love!!! We were able to take a ride over and look at it that day, done deal.

Apparently i reached my limit of photo uploads today so i will have to continue tomorrow with the pictures my mom took of Atlantic Dance and the Italy Isola.

I chose Italy because my family is 100% italian and i love this area. When i was little i always dreamed of the Wedding Pavilion but never realized how church-like it was inside. I had trouble being Catholic getting married in WDW so i decided against this atmosphere. I think i was told my someone in the Arch Diocese of Boston i would be living in sin because i would be legally married but not in the eyes of the church because it was not in a church.

 

[elle1024]

Love your ring & your story!!
You guys are so adorable in your costumes, and oh my you made them?! Can't wait to see all the goodies for your wedding with talent like that! Will def be following along.

 

[elle1024]

Ahhhh I just read your section about Bill! Please tell me there was a change of heart or something? I'm supposed to meet with him April 11th, anow I am nervous!

 

[chefbob609]

I changed a LOT about the contract/letter of agreement with Bill. The main thing that i am most proud of is the room block provision. I read it and it said something along the lines of You have to pay for 80% of the rooms you hold and you have one shot to reduce them but it can only be reduced 40%. It also said that I only received 1 complimentary night after the first 25 nights booked. I called Bill right away and told him that the documents Heidi sent me last fall said something like I receive 1 complimentary night but for every 50 after that i got another free night AND i was told to over-block and that i could release them before the wedding no harm/no foul.

Bill responded by saying something like which provision did i give you? I was like what do you mean "Which"? and he said there were multiple provisions for the room block so he just had to switch it with another one!!?? So now my provision said I receive 1 free night after the first 25 nights and for every additional after than i get another. It also says that I can reduce the number of nights i have held 3 months before the wedding, down to as low as i want.

I can't remember the other changes off the top of my head but i just want to encourage every disney bride to change whatever you want! I had no trouble, they won't offer you changes but they did everything i asked.

 

[chefbob609]

I don't want to be hating too bad but my worst experience with DFTW was with Bill. I don't want to skip ahead, I'm trying to go in order but Bill messed up 3 major things in my wedding. By time i got in contact with my planner (then Karen) in October 2009, i found out Bill never held my space for my dessert party/welcome party, never held space for my Magic Kingdom Portrait. Karen was able to get me my Magic Kingdom portraits THANK GOD! but Epcot was sold out for my dessert party, In January someone finally cancelled but i ended up in France instead of the UK because it is literally the only place open. Recently i also found out when told me there was no problem having a unique character at Atlantic Dance he didn't know what he was talking about. The Atlantic Dance Hall is limited to VIP (Mickey and friends) unless you theme your wedding SO heavily that the character will fit the backdrop like Alice in a Tea Party wedding.

So, i don't know how any other consultants are but just stay on top of him. He promised me he would email me info on various things and he never did but he would after i called him on it. Also make sure your contract includes anything he promises you or you talk about- a hard lesson learned!

 

[JimmysGirl313]

I changed a LOT about the contract/letter of agreement with Bill. The main thing that i am most proud of is the room block provision. I read it and it said something along the lines of You have to pay for 80% of the rooms you hold and you have one shot to reduce them but it can only be reduced 40%. It also said that I only received 1 complimentary night after the first 25 nights booked. I called Bill right away and told him that the documents Heidi sent me last fall said something like I receive 1 complimentary night but for every 50 after that i got another free night AND i was told to over-block and that i could release them before the wedding no harm/no foul.

Bill responded by saying something like which provision did i give you? I was like what do you mean "Which"? and he said there were multiple provisions for the room block so he just had to switch it with another one!!?? So now my provision said I receive 1 free night after the first 25 nights and for every additional after than i get another. It also says that I can reduce the number
of nights i have held 3 months before the wedding, down to as low as i want.

I can't remember the other changes off the top of my head but i just want to encourage every disney bride to change whatever you want! I had no trouble, they won't offer you changes but they did everything i asked.

Hi so I was wondering. I know you get a free night for the first 25 room night, but in your letter of agreement it saids if you meet another 25 room nights you get another free night. Sorry if I didn't read it right. thank you

 

[chefbob609]

Hi so I was wondering. I know you get a free night for the first 25 room night, but in your letter of agreement it saids if you meet another 25 room nights you get another free night. Sorry if I didn't read it right. thank you

Exactly, i read somewhere about earning more free nights so i asked my consultant about it. they have multiple provisions they can switch in and out at your request. My provision said i get one free night at 25, and more and more for every additional 50. So i earned my second at 75 nights and my third at 125. I haven't reached 175 and my room block closed today so 3 free nights it is!! And my complimentary room is a Garden Suite at Boardwalk (with club privileges) so i have it for 3 nights free of charge.

 

[chefbob609]

Love your ring & your story!!
You guys are so adorable in your costumes, and oh my you made them?! Can't wait to see all the goodies for your wedding with talent like that! Will def be following along.

Thank You! I am worried i haven't done enough special things for my wedding and now i'm running out of time!

I searched for threads on Bill after you asked me that and people apparently love him as well, so just be careful and stay on him maybe we just didn't mesh?
Good Luck!

 

[chefbob609]

To be continued tomorrow when i can upload more pictures, but here are a couple my mom took during our consultant appointment with Bill.
This one is taken from Disney's website:

This is Christopher and I outside on the deck of AD:

View from the outer deck:

again:

coming down the grand staircase inside AD:

from the upper level:

The tables in the back of the lower level:

The bar on the lower level to the right of the dance floor depending on how your looking:

The ceiling:

the grand staircase:

Christopher and I looking around:

 

[chefbob609]

From the balcony center shot of AD:

balcony of AD from the right:

From the outer patio looking at Boardwalk hotel:

Inside AD, lower level looking at staircase:

Ad staircase/bar lower level:

AD dj box area and handicap ramp onto dance floor:

ITALY!!

The Isola from the front:

One of the bridges of Italy Isola:

Italy Isola from far away:

 

[chefbob609]

Bridge of Italy Isola:

Same bridge, i don't think it is the one i walk across:

The Isola..probably the bridge i am walking across?

You can have a wedding facing the plaza:

which is nice but i didn't like the sewer looking area or the tall pointed trees:

so i chose to face spaceship earth:

 

[chefbob609]

After finalizing the letter of agreement with Bill i patiently waited to be assigned a Wedding Planner. As soon as i was assigned a Wedding Planner we were able to book our planning session. We had our session on Columbus Day weekend 2010.

Also over the summer i found out i had been assigned a contact in the group reservations department. He never sent me a welcome email with any information i was informed of his name when i called to ask when the room rates would be available for 2011. To this day he has never introduced himself and he only sends me updates on my room block when i demand them.

My wedding planner was Karen Heyn, she sent me a lot of information right before our planning session on menus etc. to pick our menu tasting and the 13 page survey to fill out and mail back before we arrived.

 

[princess_ariel_85]

hiya and congratulations on your up coming wedding

Your photo's look great. your costumes are brilliant, we want to do MNSSHP this year (I've never been) and I hope I can find a costume as good as yours.

I'm glad you could get your MK portaits, that would have been awful to have mised out on because someone hadn't sorted it for you. I can't wait to see how it turns out... I get all excited by peoples pictures and end results.

The atlantic dance hall looks amazing. How many guests are you having?

I look forward to more of your planning. x

 

[chefbob609]

We met Karen at Francks, we were so early it was locked! We headed over to the Boardwalk to meet in a conference room and have our menu tasting. After your tasting we went back to Francks and met with our florist- Warren.

If i could do one thing different it would be to have purchased my bridesmaid dresses before this day so i would have had the swatches with me. I also would have looked at disboards more. Warren kind of stared at me and waited for my ideas but i was expecting him to make suggestions.

The cake tasting was crazy! I have a disney bride friend who has been my back bone throughout this entire process- she let me in on the secret that the standard cake tasting isn't all they have to offer, you can call and request different fillings and cakes. I asked my planner's assistant ahead of time and she sent me the extra list. I picked a couple special flavors, the assistant told me they would switch them out but when we started our cake tasting we had double the amount of fillings and cake to choose from- she didn't switch out anything!

Here are a couple pictures of the tasting, until tomorrow when i can upload more:
Christopher and I entering Francks, or so we thought:

It was locked:

Mother and Father of the Bride, my dad had just had knee surgery:

The Mickey pin-tucked flower girl basket, ring bearer pillow and guest book i picked: