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

[princess_ariel_85]

Your Small World invitations are so beautiful! Having the inside of the envelope lining decorated too, that's such a nice touch!

Agreed. They are simply amazing, I love them.

I love disboards and all but my wedding is about 2 weeks away and i can't stop the feeling that it is inadequate. I wish i got more into weddings about a year ago, It wasn't even like i didn't have a long engagement. Now i'm going nuts with things i have to get done like bridesmaids gifts but i keep feeling like there are better ideas out there than what i have. How do you deal with the feeling like your wedding is not as good as it could have been? Do i just cry and move on? Maybe it is a type A perfectionist thing.
Anyway just in a venting mood tonight.

You're wedding is going to be one amazing day, I honestly believe that from everything I've seen in your PJ that you will have on heck of a day. Sure you will have moments where you feel inadequate but that just means you care deeply about your day. I can't wait to see pics of your day, because your idea's are fab!

I have been up throw the night packing and as soon as DF wakes up we are driving down to Disney World. Less than a week before the wedding!
Here are some of the things i have been working on:
t-shirts for the bridal party, groom, & mothers:




I dyed the black and white pajamas for the morning w are getting ready into each girls accent color:


Here is the flower girl presents:

And their bag:

And the jewelry we made:

Groom Shirt:

Front of the shirt:

My sister/Maid of HOnor working on table numbers/countries:

My mom made & designed us all jackets in case it got cold: FRONT

Back of mine:

Bridesmaid:

Sandals i bedazzled for the reception:

Bridesmaid Jewelry- everyone got one made for their color:

all the above looks wonderful loving the jackets!

 

[chefbob609]

DF and I drove from MA yesterday straight through to FL... took about 22.5 hours. We are exhausted. We stopped to nap today and the planner calls! I have some last minute changes, my BEO wasn't final until last week, i sent the check and just got around to looking at it.
Should i have gone over things with her again? She kind of just shot me down a bunch and just answered my questions.

Anyway, this is SO sur-real I cannot believe I am getting married Monday! It doesn't feel like it is happening. More guests arrive tomorrow, i'm trying to stay on top of all these last minute details and enjoy the parks!

 

[LuvLuvLuv]

you're so close. i don't envy your long drive at all.

i would maybe call her one more time after you sleep, eat and have some caffiene to go over everything top to bottom once more. i think you'll feel better if you do.

have a great time, enjoy the weather!

 

[chefbob609]

CRAZY! getting ready for the welcome to WDW dessert party, meeting my planner for the first time.. no time to write.. sunday rehearsal and monday wedding!

 

[NOMNOMNOMS]

I just got married 4/10 WP/ADH/UK ...I wish you the best and hope everything goes smoothly! Sending some pixie dust your way! Make sure to enjoy every moment...it all goes so fast! There were some major bumps for me...i hope it goes better for you but if not don't sweat it...Make sure to enjoy your day and guests who have have traveled to support you and you new hubby!

 

[chefbob609]

So let me tell you what went wrong at the dessert party because it is more than what went right.
First my guests were supposed to meet at 7:30 out front of epcot, pick people up at international gateway and arrive at the party by 8. They held them in the front until 8, wouldn't listen to me and said they had orders to wait for 30 people when i told them only 6 didn't have tickets and everyone else wouldn't be there. So they missed the food.

The food- my only selection was assorted cheesecake. what do we get? tons of raspberry swirled cheesecake.. thats it! So i complained, and we get a tiny plate of 10 or less banana and pumpkin! then i complain again because all i wanted was plain and i got a plate of about 5 which other guests ate on me.

The photographer, boy am i glad i switched him for my wedding to just the dessert party. He was awful, he showed up 5-10 min late, didn't take any pictures, had his assistant do all the work who wasn't even doing that well, took pictures of Christopher and I during illuminations (no suggestions whatsoever on posing!!) just stand there, they were the worst pictures we waster a golden opportunity i have all this guilt for not looking up cute poses and relying on him.

Then after it ended i asked him to get pictures with me and the guests, i walked away to get a drink after about 2 groups and he packed up and left!

Then i get back to the room and call over to Boardwalk because we are moving there tomorrow for the comp nights and find out that my bad word of a reservations person never put the request in for our garden suite with a balcony so now we are not in one and he is seeing what he can do because they are full. I am about ready to cry- you wouldn't believe how many times i looked at room diagrams with that bad word and told him exactly what i wanted!!

And finally on a personal note, the groomsmen who blew off the bachelor/bachelorette party last week think they are taking the groom out sunday to get drunk and god knows what else....

Please someone tell me a worse story to make me feel better because i feel awful right now and it is about 24 hours until my WDW wedding

 

[NOMNOMNOMS]

Oh NO!...I'm soo sorry...I did not have quite the magical experience with my planner and the organization as well...I would love to go into detail but let's just say I feel jipped on a lot of things. Many things went wrong...the worst was that the planner was rude and mean to many of my family members and uncle/photographer. The planner was very hard to get a hold of leading up to our event...there was no assistant due to position changes...things that we thought were already set were changed in the final BEO and overlooked...it was a HUGE mess... It came to the point that I broke down in tears on my wedding day because of things I was hearing. We pay Disney thousands of dollars to take care and handle things for us on our day. Needless to say...things were handled very poorly. Honestly you just have to take things as they come and keep looking at all of the positive things happening that day. Keep in mind this is YOUR day. Your guests are there for YOU. The negative things can be dealt with later...This day only comes once...I'm still reeling, and upset over events. I didn't get to taste all of my cakes...barely had a bite to eat at both my reception and dessert party...but the worst was the way my family was treated...Try to stay positive...If you need to vent I'll be checking in on you! enjoy your time and family...

 

[Fay]

This is not a personal story of mine... I think I saw it on a bridezilla episode!

Well this woman was mean any way... However... was an hour late to her own wedding because the flowers had not turned up at all!

I think that will make you smile... Anything can go wrong! BUT you have to be prepared and RELAX! You will have a fantastic day today!

I wish you all the best for today, hope it only goes with minor hitches - that will probably go un noticed to the regular guest! :

Happy Wedding Day! Cant wait to see pictures!

 

[princess_ariel_85]

So let me tell you what went wrong at the dessert party because it is more than what went right.
First my guests were supposed to meet at 7:30 out front of epcot, pick people up at international gateway and arrive at the party by 8. They held them in the front until 8, wouldn't listen to me and said they had orders to wait for 30 people when i told them only 6 didn't have tickets and everyone else wouldn't be there. So they missed the food.

The food- my only selection was assorted cheesecake. what do we get? tons of raspberry swirled cheesecake.. thats it! So i complained, and we get a tiny plate of 10 or less banana and pumpkin! then i complain again because all i wanted was plain and i got a plate of about 5 which other guests ate on me.

The photographer, boy am i glad i switched him for my wedding to just the dessert party. He was awful, he showed up 5-10 min late, didn't take any pictures, had his assistant do all the work who wasn't even doing that well, took pictures of Christopher and I during illuminations (no suggestions whatsoever on posing!!) just stand there, they were the worst pictures we waster a golden opportunity i have all this guilt for not looking up cute poses and relying on him.

Then after it ended i asked him to get pictures with me and the guests, i walked away to get a drink after about 2 groups and he packed up and left!

Then i get back to the room and call over to Boardwalk because we are moving there tomorrow for the comp nights and find out that my bad word of a reservations person never put the request in for our garden suite with a balcony so now we are not in one and he is seeing what he can do because they are full. I am about ready to cry- you wouldn't believe how many times i looked at room diagrams with that bad word and told him exactly what i wanted!!

And finally on a personal note, the groomsmen who blew off the bachelor/bachelorette party last week think they are taking the groom out sunday to get drunk and god knows what else....

Please someone tell me a worse story to make me feel better because i feel awful right now and it is about 24 hours until my WDW wedding

I'm so sorry that your DP wasn't as planned

That photographer didn't sound to helpful or professional at all, hopefully you get some nice shots.

I know it's easier said then done but try and put it behind you because its 24 hours banana to your wedding All hitches and glitches are out the way and it'll all work out fine. You'll have an amazing day

I really look forward to hearing about your big day, have fun xx

 

[chefbob609]

Sunday morning before the wedding rehearsal My fiance and I checked into Boardwalk for our complimentary stay. We went at 7 am because we needed a rollaway bed and they were first come first serve (the bridesmaids slept over for hair and makeup sunday night) and they said 7 am was the earliest. So we went to checkin and we had to wait to checkin with the concierge because we were in a garden suite. She talked forever but she checked us in and ordered the rollaway, she told housekeeping on the phone it was for room 1207 but she told us we weren't allowed to know that and to wait for the phone call like usual.

So we are late to rehearsal, we run out of there to breakfast, late for that, run out of there, late for my nail appointment because we went the wrong way down celebration ave to find magic nails (it is a left off the ramp not right FYI). We got the call that we were in a room some suites down from were we thought. Run back late for dinner and finally after we are late for our fantasmic dinner show (our dining plan ended at checkout but it was supposed to be good until midnight, unfortunately the caribbean beach screwed up the keys somehow). OKAY, that is not the bad part.

Our car broke down in the parking lot of Hollywood Studios, the back wheel was making a thump thump thump sound. My friends boyfriend lubed it up and we drove back to our old hotel to collect our luggage. All of the men stalled looking at the car in the parking lot so i FINALLY got my aunt to drive me to Boardwalk at 11 pm. alone with a room full of stuff. I load it up at bell services and proceed to the room. Stick the key in, red light. I called the front desk frantic at this point in tears, snot pouring down my face, my dress wasn't even hung up or opened, all of my stuff was shoved in random bags because we nearly missed checkout. They said they would send someone right away with a new key, i stressed immediately and that i was alone and had hair and make up in 4 hours. Just for fun i walked to 1207.. green light door opens. I look in but it is dark, i got scared so i shut the door...25 minutes later my disney bride friend Sam walks over from the Dolphin, gets me new room keys and walks bell services to the room- still no employee in sight? no clue what happened to my "immediate" request.

If it wasn't for Sam i would have lost my mind. She helped me organize my stuff, put the tub on and ordered some wine. I went to the front desk crying after all of my stuff was safe inside (i couldn't go to the desk myself because i had just lugged all the stuff there and i didn't want to bring it back or leave it). I told them to have the manager after my wedding. So a couple hours after my wedding today still no response. I went to the front desk IN my wedding dress, a manager told me she had to "look" into the situation and call me.

I get back to the room exhausted and trying to put the tub on. She called and said the voice message we were supposed to receive at 3 o'clock said to come to the front desk and get new keys. I told her it did not. I asked her what happened to the person bringing me a new key instead of leaving me alone outside and she said she hadn't even looked into it today and she would have to wait until tomorrow when the person i talked to comes in. She offered me $100 room credit and told me the wine my friend ordered was $63! that would come out of the credit. I told her the wine was damage for the harm caused by her hotel and she should comp it with the credit but she wouldn't. So i told her i'm not talking the credit i want an answer from the woman who said she would send someone right out tomorrow. So now i have nothing but an awful traumatizing memory of the night before-morning of my wedding. Any advice on what i should say when she calls back tomorrow?

 

[chefbob609]

Okay so the wedding day wasn't much better. It started by my sister saying she would wake me up and her sleeping through her own alarm. Beaute Speciale called me but i didn't hear it because i was asleep. When they came into the room they refused to do me first and made me wait behind someone for my hair. And Anna was there but she didn't do mine. She made some nasty comments about the fact that i didn't give her my room number when i didn't even get it until 11:30 last night for sure.

So then floral shows up and the bouquet was awful.. so i sent it back! They were pissed even though they said that i could. I wanted purple roses, tulips, freesia (no buds) and the only thing that was to be white was paper white daffodils scattered singly throughout- I GOT purple roses and tulips, paper white CLUMPS.. like disgusting lazy work stuck in there no prettier than smushed up baby's breath, AND purple and white freesia with buds!! It was the ugliest thing i had ever seen (no offense if someone actually has had this). AND they messed up the ribbons on the flower girls baskets (they were blue and green instead of green and purple), the mother's corsage was supposed to be silver and it was white AND they delivered everything to my room instead of epcot for grooms photos with some pieces. So i got a new bouquet delivered to Epcot, i said no freesia, and single paper whites, they COMPLAINED about the time it would take them to make the single paper whites but it came from a photo from my florist! It still came with freesia, but at that point i just had to take it.. They didn't listen to me but it wasn't as awful as the first one.

Then the ceremony the wrong music was played when the mothers lite the unity candle tapers so they played nothing for my fiance and I (because the mothers stole our song). The one good thing about the ceremony besides that i got married! was Rev Jack Day was awesome and we planned a Major Duomo prank on the best man that went awesome.

Our staged Exit was awful, i just wanted to kiss and have them throw them up, instead i got pelted as i walked by and no beautiful kiss picture like i had seen even though i asked

I surprised my mom with Jiminy Cricket in Italy, she cried! Major Duomo announced him Ty did my photos, he was nice and creative.

At the reception we had issues with the food. There was supposed to be a note on my BEO that was there, i don't know where it went about special alfredo Chef Wayne made me during my tasting, the chef there had no idea what i was talking about and didn't come close. We also paid for Mickey waffles for the sole purpose of my sister getting special dairy free type and instead they didn't know what we were talking about, they couldn't make anything until we left- they sent her out with a lunch bag of their attempt to recreate what Chef Wayne did for us (he wasn't cooking our food like we thought or at least not the parts that went bad). We were supposed to have a blue and white table and we ended up with green napkins.

Other than that the cake was awesome, so was Goofy, DJ Miles and Duffy- he SO wanted to dance it is too bad they haven't completed his branding yet because he would be awesome for helping cut the cake or dance but instead i feel like he stayed less than the half hour because people were done talking pictures with him.

Anyway i'm back at my room, haven't heard from the manager on the rough night last night or the planner on all the screw ups- DID anyone get an emergency number for the night before their wedding from the planner? because i sure didn't. I emailed her at 9:30 emergency call me and she never called me up until i saw her at Epcot this morning for the wedding. She told me she was asleep!

I'm going to try to post the pictures friends have put up on facebook so you can see the cake and stuff.. little sneak peaks.

 

[chefbob609]

The Small World Cake:




The top 2 layers were the landscape shots from out invitations with sugar flowers scattered, then it was the water with the cake topper my cousin made and then the bottom layer "below" the water was under the sea with the small world people faces scattered and a hidden mickey.. oh and the clock tower on top!

Christopher & I:

 

[NOMNOMNOMS]

Oh Amanda! So sorry to hear about all of the issues you've had ...Plus side... you look beautiful! You're cake is amazing and you had so many characters! I bet you're guests were over the moon! As you know i had issues with my planner as well... please keep me posted on any resolutions that they might extend! Congratulations to you guys!

 

[KristiLyn]

Oh no! I'm sorry you had all of those problems!
But the pictures look great! Your cake is amazing!!

 

[tinkerbell 766]

I am so sorry you have had all these issues!!!! I hope you had a happy day nevertheless!!!

 

[LittleStinkerbelle]

I'm so sorry to hear about all the problems you encountered. I hope you get some answers.

 

[LuvLuvLuv]

oh nooooooooo!! i'm so sad for you on the bright side, you're married now!! i'm feel awful about all the disasters... as i was reading... i felt like you were living my life, lol--those are the kind of days that i thought only happen to me

since you're staying in the garden suite... try calling the club level ipo, get suggestions about you can talk to higher up. the bw/yc/bc ipo's are spectacular. i sure wouldn't let this rest and would definately follow up with a written complaint.

here's a hoping the rest of your trip gets to be a little more magical!

 

[princess_ariel_85]

I am really sorry to hear of your issues. I felt awful as I read what you've been though

You look stunning though and the cake is amazing!

Hopefully you get answers from the relevent people, I'm no way near our big day but I feel so nervous now...

Fingers crossed that the rest of your trip is better x

 

[chefbob609]

The first manager offered me $100 credit after informing me i already owed $60 for the wine my friend ordered to calm me down. I told her the wine should have been complimentary since it was their negligence that put me into that state, i also asked her to research why i was left alone for 30 minutes with no key. She left me a voice message today stating she issued me the $100 credit and waived the wine! But i was upset because she didn't tell me how i was forgotten. So i called again and i asked to talk to a manager that wasn't that woman.
This manager was much nicer, more understanding and i wish i had gotten her sunday because she basically told me i would have been upgraded. But now i have less than 24 hours left at the Boardwalk. So she offered to call my next hotel- BLT and upgrade me there. I was thrilled at first and then she called back and said that because i had a CM reservation they couldn't do it! And because the first manager took it upon herself to issue me a credit i could not get anything to solve the problem worth any monetary value? So where am i left now- crossing my fingers they upgrade me anyway tomorrow? Or demanding more? any suggestions i really shouldn't still be dealing with this on my disneymoon.

 

[yellowcrayon]

As a guest of this wedding, let me attest that it was truly beautiful & magical for those of us that attended. I would have never known anything was wrong if I hadn't read this. Amanda, I am SO sorry with all this ridiculousness you had to deal with. No bride should ever have to deal with such issues on their wedding day, especially if they have a wedding planner. That's the sole reason for hiring a planner in the first place. I feel like there have been increasingly more and more negative posts on this board recently, with rarely a wedding going off without a hitch. Disney seems to have gotten too greedy with with their wedding industry and have expanded it to a point where they can't properly manage it. I hope you guys can enjoy the rest of your Disneymoon without any other issues! Thank you for the hard work you personally put into this gorgeous wedding, that was reflected in everything from the welcome bags to the awesome theming to the tear-inducing music selections (I never thought I would cry hearing "Big Blue World"!!).