Brides who ate at Citricos

[lt90]

Due to finances were now getting married off property but as were staying at on property I still want to eat at Citricos's on my wedding day in my dress! Am I allowed to do this? I thought it would be fine but just recently I've been reading loads of stories about GF's not-so-great customer service i.e. pestering brides to leave if their not the wishes bride.
Im not planning on taking pictures around GF (maybe a few but on family cameras) but I really dont want to feel like I can't be there or feel that I have to run to Citricos's so no one sees me. Obviously I dont want to get in anyones way but I also dont want to be ushered along
Ive heard such great things about Citricos but its the GF and their staff Im worried about!!

 

[lurkyloo]

Whoa - where are you reading about that? There is absolutely no prohibition on wearing wedding attire at the Grand Floridian or any Disney resort, and I have never heard of anyone being hassled about it. For starters, how would a front-line cast member even know where you had your wedding or what kind of wedding it was? I've only ever heard positive stories of CMs going out of their way to congratulate brides and grooms, and the GF is usually especially good to their guests.

 

[sambycat]

yeah, i’ve not heard that myself, although i know DFTW strives to keep the wedding machine rolling and keep their brides with that special “it’s my day” feeling - i know they did with us!

i’ve read on here that photographers working with DFTW or otherwise are very conscientious about timing of pictures, so i imagine if you are heart set on having a pal (or professional photographer) snap pics on the stairway and there was either a bride there or one expected soon, that i could see someone would probably - nicely, sweetly - say something - but you shouldn’t have trouble! our MK photo shoot was the following day and we came in and out through the lobby and ate breakfast in the concierge area before changing into our real clothes....

have fun!

 

[sunkist867]

Just echoing sambycat... there hasn't been any talk on here of brides being ushered along for wearing their wedding dress outside the GF or in any restaurant. The only talk is about WP brides are given a time slot and schedule to take pictures inside the GF and cast members strive to make it feel like each bride is having her special day and not like they are sharing it with anyone else. I think some non WP brides get sensitive about this because they don't care if they see another bride, but you don't know how the other bride is feeling and her time at the GF is included in her WP fee and she only has a limited amount to get all her pics in before the ceremony. You'll be fine wearing your dress to Citrco's and I'm sure CM's will only stop you to wish you congrats!

 

[sunkist867]

sorry double post!

 

[Sarah84]

I'm worried about a simular thing (think we must have read the same post) although we do want to take pictures with our photographer back on Disney property (having ceremony off site but having our reception, Wishes cruise and staying at Disney)
During most of my planning I really didn't think it would be a problem and thought there would be no issues with wearing my dress at the hotel(s) as I've seen previous non DFTW brides do so but since seeing Deena (LuvLuvLuv) even as a DFTW had, it has me slightly worried.

 

[weedee]

You can absolutely have your wedding dinner at Citricos and in your wedding attire!! We had our reception dinner there after our Escape wedding and Citricos was AMAZING...the staff, the food, the fireworks afterwards. I highly recommend them and if you want an in depth review of our wedding experience there, check my PJ

 

[Jilian]

I've never heard of it being a problem either, especially if you have a meal planned at Citricos. I couldn't see them asking you to leave, you'd be a paying customer at one of their restaurants. I'm a Swan bride and I booked Randy for my pictures, he did say that he'd have to check with the DFTW people to be sure that there weren't any GF brides before we did out photos at the GF but other than that I haven't heard of anyone being hurried along or asked to leave the GF. I'm curious to hear where you read about that, because if that is the case I may want to reevaluate my own plans of having pictures there.

ETA: I think I just read what you're talking about in Deena's PJ. Boo! What a bummer. I hope they aren't going to start policing brides at the GF. If you get a photographer that works with DFTW you can plan around othehr DFTW brides. I know Randy does this. In our case we have 2 backup locations just in case.

 

[tinkerbell 766]

You know sweetie, I was not a 'Wishes' bride, I was not a DFTW bride, and, if we are being totally strict, I was not even a 'first time' bride. I was a VR bride, and I couldn't have been treated any better by the cast at Citrico's or the GF in general!!!
Citrico's made me feel like I was the only bride to have ever been there, and the cast of the GF were full of congratulations, and couldn't have been sweeter or more friendly!!
Not once did I feel awkward or unwanted. Quite the opposite!!
I was even there at a time when there was a 'Wishes' bride having her photos taken on the staircase. We were careful not to intrude on her 'space' (Randy is excellent at this, and knows the workings of DFTW like the back of his hand). We later had our session on the staircase, and encountered no trouble at all. I repeat, quite the opposite.
It will be a real shame if things change, and if the bride who encountered this problem, was a DFTW bride, albeit not a 'Wishes' bride (as would seem to be suggested), it is an extremely bad 'show' indeed if she was made to feel uncomfortable!!

 

[LuvLuvLuv]

I did have a problem... and most likely I'm the one that this sprung from. I felt like a criminal trying to get a few shots in there. I really felt like I was breaking Disney law the way the woman with the earpiece treated me. I've never heard of such a thing and I was so mad that we finished the shot we were doing and left--I was done and over the whole thing. Had this not have happened, we may have stayed and took some more, but I was so embarrassed that my $2000 wedding didn't seem to be enough to take a few pictures in a hotel. I just wanted to go or I probably would have started to cry--I could feel how beat red my face was--and I'm sure it'll show in those few shots.

I'm sure you won't have any problems eating at Citricos. It's delicious and we have always had a great meal there. They go above and beyond to make it great. I'm also sure that you probably won't have any trouble taking pictures--it's just my lack of luck. Don't let my lack of magic and pixie dust scare you away!!

Here is the small piece from my TR about what happened:

We ended up walking over to the GF... I wanted to be around that fountain... lots of pics around the fountain!! So we did that, he took some pictures of our rings, then we went inside. I made sure to continue warning that we had to be very mindful of the other bride in there and to stay on the opposite floor, and if she wanted up there, then we had to move--I felt like a director--but I wanted to keep the peace and not cause any trouble for the Wishes Bride! We went upstairs because I really just wanted the picture with the chandelier and that was it for the inside. We were getting into place, taking a few... and we were interrupted by a GF CM. She asked if we were with DFTW--I said yes. She asked who our planner was--I say Kathleen Reynolds. (like she didn't believe me) She asks where she was--I said that she left us and knew we were coming here. She tells us there's already a bride inside and we need to make sure to keep a distance. I told her we were almost done and leaving, and that I knew the drill. She was very stern and made me feel like a criminal for taking pictures in there. I was no longer in a mood to be there, and I wanted to go back to my room--she really pissed me off. This unfortunately is still leaving a bad taste in my mouth about the GF. So we finished up a few shots and hopped the monorail back to the Contemporary.

 

[sunkist867]

Just my two cents again...

I really don't think this should be made about how much your wedding costs and therefore your treatment. It's not Wishes vs. Escape vs. Memories here. The heart of the matter is that GF is used as a pre-ceremony photo location and the CM's and DFTW staff try there best to keep things running smoothly. No one should ever be treated rudely about it but I certainly don't think the CM was thinking "hey you only had a 2000 wedding get out here" I'm sure they were over zealous and rude thinking theres another bride in the time slot. Theres a reason we don't see questions like this about other hotels or resturants, because they aren't pre-ceremony locations with photo time slots! It's not like GF is a bully.
I really think it is up to your photog to make sure they comply with DFTW requests and rules, like Randy Chapman does. Part of their job is to understand your venues and wishes and what that might entail.

Anyway... I think we should get back to the OP question, you can eat at Citrico's in your dress and no you won't be ushered out!

 

[gamberlane]

I too have this worry.
When I started dreaming of a Disney wedding and being married at the wedding pavilion I dreamed of having my wedding pictures taken inside of the lobby of the GF and was upset when that was not included with an Escape wedding. We decided to book an outside photographer for that reason (among others) and had paid for extra time so that we could do this after our cake cutting.

When I was asking our coordinator Kathleen about something else unrelated and mentioned that we were paying for extra time with our photographer so we could have pictures inside, she casually slipped in that we'd not be welcome inside between such and such times because there was a Wishes bride having her pictures then, so I'd have to have pictures outside and then if I wanted to take a few shots inside when she was done (with 5 minutes left with my photographer), that'd be ok. I was so upset I was crying after that email and I've not contacted my coordinator since (this was a few months ago) because it made me feel so un-important, despite being a Disney bride. Luckily, my photographer is a saint and is staying an extra 15-20min with us for no extra charge so that my dream of having my wedding portraits there can be a reality. It just made me mad that it was someone who doesn't work for Disney who ended up saving the day and making it magical for me, when that is what Disney is supposed to specialize in. And yes, I did take it personally that it was a Wishes bride and she gets first dibs because why even mention that it was a Wishes bride then, just say another bride? I also was confused because her portraits are BEFORE her wedding, and I guess I am old fashioned but I thought the groom wasn't supposed to see the bride in her dress before the ceremony, so I didn't understand why that was even happening.

But I am getting the photos I want now (supposedly), I just really hope they're not jerks to me trying to take the pictures of my dreams because the Wishes bride is there. I would never dream on being pushy and getting in anyone's way. I am so quiet and polite, so the whole "you shouldn't even be inside the building while she's there" implication was sort of insulting, even though I understand why they do it. I just wish our coordinator could have been more diplomatic, but then again she probably had no idea how important those photos were to me.

 

[Chilly]

I'm sorry you were upset but I think you've gotten confused somewhere along the way. As an Escape Bride you can have photos in the GF because I did and it was before the wedding, these were bridal photos only but some Brides and Grooms do take photos together and do what's called a first look to save time later. After the wedding we took more photos but just stayed out of the way of the bride who was by then having her photo taken in the lobby.

Do you want photos of just yourself in the lobby if you do take them prior to the wedding.

Again i'm sorry you were upset but Disney were just trying to give everyone their time in the lobby.

You'll have a wonderful wedding whatever happens.