Caitlyn&Steven *hopefully* Wishes Wedding :)

[WingsofThread]

Hello! I've been around asking questions on the boards here and so many of you have been so helpful thank you<3

My fiance Steve and I are currently looking at the Wishes wedding package in WDW for September 2014! After much anxiety, I have finally called the planning office last week and I received lots of information that was extremely helpful on whether or not it was really in our budget.

Although we know our budget and our guest count (which could change obviously due to a destination wedding, etc.), I am realllllly nervous about putting that deposit down and locking in our date, etc. I'm super scared that once it's locked down we are going to go over our budget by accident with something we forgot to write down.

We are planning on no floral or decor, which has helped our budget greatly. Basically, we are going bare minimum on things such as that, but the food scares me. Even though I have gone over the numbers a hundred thousand times, I'm terrified to lock it down and end up too over budget and in hot water with my father who is kindly helping us out to the best he can.

Has anyone else experienced this or is currently feeling this that has anything to offer in terms of help? I'm planning on calling my planner back of course to talk things over with her, but it's still really nerve-wracking

 

[bradleyjess]

I know how you feel! I'm having a Wishes wedding this September, and it took me months of crunching numbers from budgets on this board before I felt comfortable signing a contract.

Just be honest with yourself about what you can afford and are willing to go without. My minimum is 10,000, and I've had no trouble staying under with 40 guests and a brunch reception.

Also, if you feel like you need more time to
decide, September isn't the most popular month, so you don't have to book it right at 12 months to get a date you're happy with. I booked my date at 10 months out, and changed my reception venue at 6 months out with no problems!

Just keep crunching numbers and saving money until you're comfortable

 

[tinydancr06]

Crunching numbers was definitely one of the biggest things we had to do in deciding if a DFTW was possible for us. I think most people have to do this, regardless of what their budget may be!

Like bradleyjess said, just be totally honest/realistic about what your guest count and budget are/could be and do the math of what the bare minimum would come out to be. We are trying to stick strictly to the food and beverage minimum per person and (so far) that has proved not to be as hard as I thought.

My consultant also sent us a sample pricing/budget for what a wedding of our size would cost with all the basic things (basic floral, basic food, a limo, etc) and that really helped give us a ballpark idea.

Have you been assigned a consultant yet? They are usually very honest about whether or not things are feasible within your budget as they're not really trying to sell you on having your wedding with them, they have plenty!

I would be happy to help if you need anything that I may already have in terms of info.

 

[WingsofThread]

Thank you!! Both of you It's such a hard feeling. I'm not typically a "frugal" person by nature, but so far with looking at wedding venues and food and just everything else (Disney and other back-up places), I have found that I don't want to spend a dime because it's just so expensive and intimidating!!

I have been speaking with Kristi down in WDW and so far she's been absolutely wonderful! She's taken her time when I know she should have been home just to talk to me and help me with current pricing and numbers. She's super sweet and has been making it so much easier for me to relax and take one number at a time.

Last night however, she did tell me that to really stick to the lowest minimum for my budget I should try to keep my guest count around 50. We are currently at 75 people and getting it down to that hasn't been simple I don't think 50 is just possible. I come from divorced parents who are both remarried so I have 4 families and my fiance is Italian. He's cut a lot of people, but they still have a lot of family in the immediate department. After speaking to Kristi last night, this has been our only "big" issue.

Does anyone have any tips for cutting people to come? And out of that 75 people, realisticly we don't even have an idea of who would come/wouldn't come...

 

[wiigirl]

I just wanted to say Congrats!

 

[bradleyjess]

I decided to not invite great aunts/uncles and second cousins. People have been generally accepting that I've decided to have a small (40 guests) wedding. I think it being a destination wedding might deter people from coming and help them understand why it has to be small.

When people ask why you can't invite more, just say because of your venue, you can't have more people. They don't have to know it isn't necessarily true lol

 

[tinydancr06]

Cutting people is really hard but it's very typical for us Disney brides. I know you've cut some already so I'm not sure what you've already done to get to where you are but something that helped me was to think like this: who could I/my fiance absolutely not imagine our wedding day without? Like you just can't even think about what your day would be like without them there. Start by listing those people and if it's not an immediate "yes" that they should be on that list then they probably shouldn't be. It's kind of a harsh way to think but 50 is a smaller number than it seems, I know.

I hope that makes sense! The guest list was the worst part for me so far so once you get past this things will be more fun

 

[bradleyjess]

I agree! It was the worst part for me too!

Like pp said, I made an A list of people who HAD to be there and a B list of people I'd like to invite if I had room. When someone on the A list canceled, I moved someone from the B list

 

[WingsofThread]

I just wanted to say Congrats!

Thanks!

 

[WingsofThread]

I agree! It was the worst part for me too!

Like pp said, I made an A list of people who HAD to be there and a B list of people I'd like to invite if I had room. When someone on the A list canceled, I moved someone from the B list

That's a super great idea!! I think we'll do that tonight!!

I've got my family alone (my dad/stepmom side) down to 26 people and (my mom/stepdad side) down to 23. Sadly, I don't think I can cut more of those people, but we'll have to ask them I suppose >< This is so hard and stressful!! I don't know what I would do without the boards!

 

[bigr3ddog]

I've been lurking for a couple weeks, but I ran into a similar problem with numbers. I have a lot of uncles, aunts, and cousins, probably numbering 40-50. My fiancée doesn't have nearly as many. We are also doing a wdw wishes wedding, but the destination concept will not keep my family away since they are scattered throughout the country already. The distance will not be a factor, and probably 90% of those 40-50 will come if we invite them, but there is no way we can afford to invite them all and stay around the $12k minimum. Sadly, because there is no way I can invite only some without offending others, we simply cannot invite any of my extended family. We simply can't afford it. So we're doing only our respective immediate families. It puts us at 26 total.

Good luck with your conundrum. It's not a fun one to be in.

 

[WingsofThread]

I've been lurking for a couple weeks, but I ran into a similar problem with numbers. I have a lot of uncles, aunts, and cousins, probably numbering 40-50. My fiancée doesn't have nearly as many. We are also doing a wdw wishes wedding, but the destination concept will not keep my family away since they are scattered throughout the country already. The distance will not be a factor, and probably 90% of those 40-50 will come if we invite them, but there is no way we can afford to invite them all and stay around the $12k minimum. Sadly, because there is no way I can invite only some without offending others, we simply cannot invite any of my extended family. We simply can't afford it. So we're doing only our respective immediate families. It puts us at 26 total.

Good luck with your conundrum. It's not a fun one to be in.

No it's not I wish I could get away with just having our immediate families and cutting aunts/uncles, but there are some uncles/aunts I want to be there so it wouldn't be fair at all Not to mention that my parents are divorced and don't get along at all so the more people buffering them from each other as well as from me so I don't hear the drama and have more fun is a big plus. We are capping at 75 no matter what and are hoping that we can have under 55 people actually come xD That probably sounds so horrible, but it'll save us a BUNCH of money not only on food, but with a second charter bus.

 

[purplegirl1818]

Is this Caitlyn - let's-complain-about-our-crazy-parents-on-facebook?! (This is Bailey)

So glad to see you've started a PJ!!

 

[WingsofThread]

Is this Caitlyn - let's-complain-about-our-crazy-parents-on-facebook?! (This is Bailey)

So glad to see you've started a PJ!!

Ahh! Bailey!! Hi, yes it is Hopefully I'll be able to add more to it soon I guess I should start with something, huh?!

 

[purplegirl1818]

Ahh! Bailey!! Hi, yes it is Hopefully I'll be able to add more to it soon I guess I should start with something, huh?!

Yep - I still have to start mine

Waiting to send in the LOA.