Dress Drama and Waiting for the BEO

[TiffinyKaye]

Hi everyone,

Need to vent for just a second...but mostly just to see if anyone has ever had a similar experience.

I just got back from my second dress fitting. I have that Belle dress from Alfred Angelo (style 206--the one that looks just like Belle's dress, but with sparklies and is white). I was SO in love with this dress...I've wanted it for years and was ecstatic when I was finally able to purchase it. So...we did...had first dress fitting and we figured out how much it needed to be taken in. Second dress fitting today and...disaster.

I don't know how to explain what it's doing. Basically, in taking in the dress a size, it seems like the material on the bodice is almost "wrinkled." When I asked my sales lady what that was all about and if it'd go away (she owns her own dress shop)--she said that the material in the dress likely just got disturbed in the taking-in process. Making the dress smaller "scrunched" some of the material in the bodice. When the cuts are actually made and the dress is done, hopefully it should some (but not all) of those issues. She said that additionally, because I had short torso, the after-alterations stuff also kind of "scrunch" the bodice to make these little mini-wrinkles.

So, while hopefully the problem will resolve itself...she made it sound like it probably won't--or at least not entirely. My mom doesn't think that anyone will notice--but *I* certainly noticed, and will notice on my wedding day and any time I look at the pictures.

I'm so upset, I can't even put words to it. Has anyone ever had similar issues, or did I just get a bad alterations job? This woman has owned her own dress shop for years an utilized the same alterations lady to do her altering work. I would imagine that what she's saying isn't just some ploy to get out of bad work. I'd think the experience would mean they DON'T do bad work...and sometimes, fabric just doesn't work the way it's meant to. Regardless...there's nothing that can be done about it now to fix it or get a new dress. We're 80 days away from the ceremony, and even less time from when I plan to ship the gown to Florida. Just..so sads.

And then drama of BEO. When did everyone typically receive their BEO after their planning session? My session was 09/08/14...and I still haven't gotten anything yet. I DID get a mock-up of my cake from my planner, and she's got to ask the baker some things (and the baker is out of town until next Wednesday)...but I kind of thought I'd get something by now? How long did most of you Disney brides have to wait?

Thanks!

Tiffiny

 

[mb187143]

Hi everyone, Need to vent for just a second...but mostly just to see if anyone has ever had a similar experience. I just got back from my second dress fitting. I have that Belle dress from Alfred Angelo (style 206--the one that looks just like Belle's dress, but with sparklies and is white). I was SO in love with this dress...I've wanted it for years and was ecstatic when I was finally able to purchase it. So...we did...had first dress fitting and we figured out how much it needed to be taken in. Second dress fitting today and...disaster. I don't know how to explain what it's doing. Basically, in taking in the dress a size, it seems like the material on the bodice is almost "wrinkled." When I asked my sales lady what that was all about and if it'd go away (she owns her own dress shop)--she said that the material in the dress likely just got disturbed in the taking-in process. Making the dress smaller "scrunched" some of the material in the bodice. When the cuts are actually made and the dress is done, hopefully it should some (but not all) of those issues. She said that additionally, because I had short torso, the after-alterations stuff also kind of "scrunch" the bodice to make these little mini-wrinkles. So, while hopefully the problem will resolve itself...she made it sound like it probably won't--or at least not entirely. My mom doesn't think that anyone will notice--but *I* certainly noticed, and will notice on my wedding day and any time I look at the pictures. I'm so upset, I can't even put words to it. Has anyone ever had similar issues, or did I just get a bad alterations job? This woman has owned her own dress shop for years an utilized the same alterations lady to do her altering work. I would imagine that what she's saying isn't just some ploy to get out of bad work. I'd think the experience would mean they DON'T do bad work...and sometimes, fabric just doesn't work the way it's meant to. Regardless...there's nothing that can be done about it now to fix it or get a new dress. We're 80 days away from the ceremony, and even less time from when I plan to ship the gown to Florida. Just..so sads. And then drama of BEO. When did everyone typically receive their BEO after their planning session? My session was 09/08/14...and I still haven't gotten anything yet. I DID get a mock-up of my cake from my planner, and she's got to ask the baker some things (and the baker is out of town until next Wednesday)...but I kind of thought I'd get something by now? How long did most of you Disney brides have to wait? Thanks! Tiffiny

I'm sorry about your dress issues. I also have a short torso and I worried in the alteration process but it looked perfect when my seamstress was finished. I didn't have one of the Disney dresses but I did have an AA dress with intricate beading on the bodice.

As far as the BEO, expect to wait 4-6 weeks at least. Our full BEO took 8 weeks due to having to get some updated pricing on a decor item. You *might* get it sooner but most brides get it within that 4-6 week timeframe.

 

[TiffinyKaye]

I'm sorry about your dress issues. I also have a short torso and I worried in the alteration process but it looked perfect when my seamstress was finished. I didn't have one of the Disney dresses but I did have an AA dress with intricate beading on the bodice.

As far as the BEO, expect to wait 4-6 weeks at least. Our full BEO took 8 weeks due to having to get some updated pricing on a decor item. You *might* get it sooner but most brides get it within that 4-6 week timeframe.

Thanks for letting me know. That makes me SO nervous though. 4-6 weeks is crazy. Our wedding is December 8th. I'd hate to think that we're not going to have ANY ideas about how much this is all going to cost until late October or early November. Blech. :/

Too late to do anything about the dress now. I keep trying to hold back the tears. :/ I appreciate the condolences though. I still wonder if the explanation she gave is true...or if they just messed up and are trying to cover it up.

Tiffiny

 

[leelee9878]

Sorry about the dress our BEO took 6 weeks though.

 

[andeesings]

Thanks for letting me know. That makes me SO nervous though. 4-6 weeks is crazy. Our wedding is December 8th. I'd hate to think that we're not going to have ANY ideas about how much this is all going to cost until late October or early November. Blech. :/ Too late to do anything about the dress now. I keep trying to hold back the tears. :/ I appreciate the condolences though. I still wonder if the explanation she gave is true...or if they just messed up and are trying to cover it up. Tiffiny

I think that's excuses. (Re: your dress), because I've seen them literally take apart and rebuild gowns when brides have lost significant amounts of weight- and most wedding places MAKE you order the gowns bigger, and their gowns look perfect! Long story short, 80 days is PLENTY of time to make it perfect for you, and I'm so anal I'd insist on 100% perfection myself. There shouldn't be puckering on the bodice, period. And if there is, they're not doing it right. It's not like they don't charge HUNDREDS of dollars for alterations, either! You're so much better than me. I would've gone absolutely loco. I'm not married but I'm a classical singer, I've worn a LOT of gowns. They're always perfect. Good luck, I hope you get what you want!

 

[LadyD]

I can see how depending on the fabric, the build of the bodice, and how the bodice fits on your body there may be points with puckering that they can do nothing about, but it shouldn't be significant with a good alterations person. If there is significant puckering throughout the bodice and you're worried, you may want to take it and get a second opinion before they hack at the gown more and then there is really nothing that can be done.

 

[TiffinyKaye]

Not sure what can be done at this point. I'm hoping that once the final alterations are done, and the gown is steamed, that problem will go away. I HOPE.

So....we'll see. :/

Also, I am a little worried about the BEO. That little schedule thingy they give you at your planning session says that the full balance of my estimated budget is due 11/08/14. That doesn't give me a lot of time if I get my BEO on 10/25 to make sure I've got all the money together. I want to put it all on my Disney card, but know that I'll exceed my limit if I do. What I did for the $9K they require after the $2K (Wishes wedding--don't freak out, Escape people ) is put $4K on one week, paid it, and $5K the next week, paid it. That way, I get Disney points. If they put me in a situation where the purchase won't clear in time for me to pay it off and charge another transaction...that'll kind of upset me if I have to do a check or money order. :/

I also know that there are DEFINITELY some things I'll be taking out. For example, at the planning session, you kind of sit there and plan everything you WANT (and reasonably think that you MIGHT be able to afford)...and then they tell you that you can take stuff out if you need to once you look at the BEO. I kind of already have it in my head what the things are I'll take out of the wedding if we hit a certain point. And if we hit a certain point and I can take stuff out to maybe replace it with another item (i.e., Scuba Mickey as a surprise for my groom), then I want time to be able to make those decisions without problems.

GRRRR!

Tiffiny

 

[LadyD]

I'm not sure how the payment structure works for a Disney World wedding vs a Disneyland wedding, but is the amount you've paid thus far equal to your minimum expenditure requirement? If it's not, would they let you at least pay up to that amount pending the BEO for anything over?

 

[mb187143]

I'm not sure how the payment structure works for a Disney World wedding vs a Disneyland wedding, but is the amount you've paid thus far equal to your minimum expenditure requirement? If it's not, would they let you at least pay up to that amount pending the BEO for anything over?

For WDW weddings, the minimum expenditure is due 90 days out, and the full balance is due to at 30 days out for a wishes wedding.

OP, you can try to prompt your planner for the BEO sooner than later due to the timing of the full payment being due. We had a medical situation occur days before the full balance was due for our 2012 wedding and I asked our planner about a possible extension. We had an excellent planner and she came back with being able to give us a couple days but after that Disney would cancel our event, so try to maybe plan for the worst case scenario, budget wise?

You can also make a payment before you get the budget, and then make a final payment closer to the due date - so if you have an idea of where you need your final number to be, pay some of it sooner, and then just the balance when you get the final budget (sorry if I made that confusing). We didn't end up needing an extension in the end but I know they're pretty set on the 30 day payment.

And also the day you get your BEO, scour, send back with changes, and request a 24 hour return for an updated budget due to the final payment being due.

 

[TiffinyKaye]

For WDW weddings, the minimum expenditure is due 90 days out, and the full balance is due to at 30 days out for a wishes wedding.

OP, you can try to prompt your planner for the BEO sooner than later due to the timing of the full payment being due. We had a medical situation occur days before the full balance was due for our 2012 wedding and I asked our planner about a possible extension. We had an excellent planner and she came back with being able to give us a couple days but after that Disney would cancel our event, so try to maybe plan for the worst case scenario, budget wise?

You can also make a payment before you get the budget, and then make a final payment closer to the due date - so if you have an idea of where you need your final number to be, pay some of it sooner, and then just the balance when you get the final budget (sorry if I made that confusing). We didn't end up needing an extension in the end but I know they're pretty set on the 30 day payment.

And also the day you get your BEO, scour, send back with changes, and request a 24 hour return for an updated budget due to the final payment being due.

Thanks so much for that. I will maybe try to do something along those lines if I haven't gotten a BEO by next Friday. I think I said previously that my planner got back with me about a week ago with a mock-up of the cake...so hopefully that's a good sign of, "We need to know this in order to get your BEO right." Additionally, I think I need to make my fiance sit down with me tomorrow and figure out EXACTLY what we want for the dessert party. If I can get that stuff figured out 100%, hopefully that'll make it easier for them to get it all into place.

I'll get a hold of them and be like, "Okay...since I don't know what we're at yet, charge "x" and then I'll pay it off...and then "x" and pay it off. Then, hopefully, I'll have actually PAID the entire expenditure by the time they get me my BEO...or at least have most of it paid so that the rest is easier to finangle. If I ended up paying more by that point, I'm sure they would just refund it to me.

Trying to keep a straight head with the dress drama. :/ I'm trying to do homeowork for my MBA too...and the dress is seriously all I can think about. I ended up calling another bridal store that sells the Alfred Angelo dresses. There were only two retailers in all of Utah who sold them when I bought mine two years ago. Now there are like 5. So, I called one of the other 4, explained to them that I had bought a dress a long time ago from another store (just so that they might be more inclined to hear me out, given I didn't buy from them and not feel all hurt about it), and asked if they'd had any problems with puckering on that dress. They said it was POSSIBLE...but that the Alfred Angelo dresses are really well made and shouldn't. They said they really couldn't tell me what was "normal" unless they actually saw the dress. They said with it being possible to see minor stretching...it'd probably be okay.

So, I'm hoping it will just all be okay...particularly after I get the dress pressed. :/ I also wasn't wearing a slip the day I put it on (which I don't think should make a difference on the bodice)...but who knows? Maybe it will. I'll know in two weeks. If it looks like total crap, then I'll make sure someone has hell to pay.

Tiffiny

 

[Seia]

Tiffiny, you can make smaller payments, too. Our Disney Visa card limit isn't very high, so after our initial deposit I just began making biweekly or monthly payments in smaller increments so we still get reward dollars on everything. That also helps relieve the one big payment at the end. Hope that helps!

 

[TiffinyKaye]

Tiffiny, you can make smaller payments, too. Our Disney Visa card limit isn't very high, so after our initial deposit I just began making biweekly or monthly payments in smaller increments so we still get reward dollars on everything. That also helps relieve the one big payment at the end. Hope that helps!

I actually did consider that after I made the $2K down payment, Seia (we're actually like 79 days out at this point from the actual wedding--December 8! ).

In the end, I decided not to do it that way for silly reasons (but they make sense in my little head). My money market account where I've been stashing money away for the wedding has a higher interest rate than my checking or savings (albeit, not by much!). I decided that after my $2K deposit, that I'd just stash as much money as I could into the money market account so that over time, I would accrue interest on that money (rather than just give it straight over to Disney and have "nothing" for my efforts). It's not much, but with the ever-increasing cumulative balance in the money market every month, there was also an ever-increasing interest payment monthly on the higher balance. Heck, it was only like a $1 extra per month ($2 near the end of saving that $9K chunk that they make you give them at 90 days out)--but I think even if I got $10 in interest out of the entire time I've been saving, it's better than nothing, right? I can afford TWO Mickey premiums!

That's also what I've been trying to do with the remaining amount that will go towards the final bill...trying to accrue as much possible interest as I can. It works out nicely...but this whole idea of possibly not knowing how much Disney's going to want from me until 45 days from the wedding date...and everything being due 15 days later...it's irritating. So, I guess I'm going to have to get it paid as someone previously suggested. Call them, just pay them now, and hope that I'm "close" by the time I get the actual BEO.

Tiffiny

 

[edeneye]

Also, I am a little worried about the BEO. That little schedule thingy they give you at your planning session says that the full balance of my estimated budget is due 11/08/14. That doesn't give me a lot of time if I get my BEO on 10/25 to make sure I've got all the money together. I want to put it all on my Disney card, but know that I'll exceed my limit if I do. What I did for the $9K they require after the $2K (Wishes wedding--don't freak out, Escape people ) is put $4K on one week, paid it, and $5K the next week, paid it. That way, I get Disney points. If they put me in a situation where the purchase won't clear in time for me to pay it off and charge another transaction...that'll kind of upset me if I have to do a check or money order. :/

I also know that there are DEFINITELY some things I'll be taking out. For example, at the planning session, you kind of sit there and plan everything you WANT (and reasonably think that you MIGHT be able to afford)...and then they tell you that you can take stuff out if you need to once you look at the BEO. I kind of already have it in my head what the things are I'll take out of the wedding if we hit a certain point. And if we hit a certain point and I can take stuff out to maybe replace it with another item (i.e., Scuba Mickey as a surprise for my groom), then I want time to be able to make those decisions without problems.

We've had the same problem! Our final payment is due in about 20 days and we've only just last night received part of our initial BEO. And that was because we asked our planner to send what she had so far due to how close to the due date we are getting. We also know there'll be a lot of edits made to our BEO once we have it all in front of us so I understand the worry that you'll run out of time and have to pay for wherever it's up to when the cutoff arrives. I think we're both now in that phase you hear about when people think Disney have forgotten about them, I know my planner has much, much, much bigger weddings on her books for our same period and we worry that much of her time and effort is being absorbed by those but I guess for all we know they could be thinking the same thing. Definitely request an update from your planner with the due date in mind and hopefully they should have something pretty close to complete that they can send you! Hope that doesn't push your current workload over the edge, you're certainly busy enough already!

 

[TiffinyKaye]

We've had the same problem! Our final payment is due in about 20 days and we've only just last night received part of our initial BEO. And that was because we asked our planner to send what she had so far due to how close to the due date we are getting. We also know there'll be a lot of edits made to our BEO once we have it all in front of us so I understand the worry that you'll run out of time and have to pay for wherever it's up to when the cutoff arrives. I think we're both now in that phase you hear about when people think Disney have forgotten about them, I know my planner has much, much, much bigger weddings on her books for our same period and we worry that much of her time and effort is being absorbed by those but I guess for all we know they could be thinking the same thing. Definitely request an update from your planner with the due date in mind and hopefully they should have something pretty close to complete that they can send you! Hope that doesn't push your current workload over the edge, you're certainly busy enough already!

"Forgotten about us" is sometimes how I feel, yes. I'm glad you understand!

I just hope that it all comes soon. I have decided to have them charge $5K to my card on October 6, and then another $3K after. Looking at what you had for your initial BEO, Ben, I think we'll have similar overall costs. With you being at $16K with the stuff that you're having...I think I could probably safely add another $2K or $3K and hit whatever it'll probably end up being.

That's my hope, at least. It'll at least bring us close to what I think our final number will be, so that I'm not freaking out about it days before it's all finally due. And I've been assured that if we end up overpaying, we'll get money back.

That is so funny to me. You'll feel like Disney is "giving" money back to you as a gift...but it's not. It's like a tax return! HAH!

Tiffiny

 

[TheRustyScupper]

I think that's excuses. (Re: your dress), because I've seen them literally take apart and rebuild gowns . . .

Yep!
1) I normally do not visit the wedding forums, however . . .
2) We owned a bridal shop in Cleveland, Ohio, for over 25 years.
3) We did minor and major alternations.
4) Even had to build some from scratch when the dresses did not arrive on time from manufacturer.
5) And, as previously mentioned, we even completely tore down some.
6) THE OP PROBLEMS ARE NOT THE PROBLEM OF THE DRESS, BUT THE ALTERATIONS PEOPLE.

NOTE: We had received dresses with "runs", tears, or snags in the fabric,
but this is totally different than the resizing issues stated by the OP.