Email update from DFTW on Construction

[SusieQ79]

Just got this, ladies:

Greetings from Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings,

Work will begin on an expansion at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. While we take great care to preserve our guests' experience as much as possible whenever construction is occurring, Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings & Honeymoons would like to take this opportunity to provide you with information on how this might impact you. We understand how important this day is to you, your family and your guests. While we do not have every detail yet, we felt it was important to share as much as we know at this time since there will soon be visible signs of construction.

The Grand Floridian's beach will be the primary area affected by the expansion. We would like to stress that Disney's Wedding Pavilion is not under construction and most importantly, the view of Cinderella Castle will not change. If you were planning on using Grand Floridian Beach for photos, we are now using the beach that is to the right side of Disney's Wedding Pavilion, which has diamond white sand, swaying palm trees and a perfect view of Cinderella Castle. We have renderings available for each phase of the expansion so you will have an idea of what to expect when you arrive.

You may also be wondering about the impact the sound of construction will have on you. The construction schedule is still being finalized and we are working closely with the construction team to minimize potential disruptions. When the information is available, your Disney Wedding Planner will be happy to discuss any specific potential impacts to you.

Thank you in advance for your patience while we work with brides and grooms who have reserved events in the very near future. We know that you may have questions and we want to be here for you every step of the way in the meantime, please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have.

Congratulations on your engagement and continue to enjoy the planning of your special day!

Happily Ever After,

Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings & Honeymoons

 

[elleinad16]

I wanna see the renderings!

 

[iluvasoldier]

me too.

 

[blondie1184]

I was told that yes, there will be construction, but they are doing everything they can to make the process smooth. It can't be guaranteed that there will be no construction during the ceremonies, as the construction crew needs to work whenever the weather is good to meet their deadlines. The project will be completed in 2013. During my wedding, in March 2012, it will be 3/4 of the way done and will be about 5 stories tall. They are trying to block the views with a stone wall and landscaping, but understandably they can't block out multiple stories. Although they are working on the parking lot there will still be parking available. The beach to the left is being used for the construction, but they said the beach to the right can still be used for photos. They are not sure of the new pathways yet, but there will be a path to the Grand Floridian (for the Escape brides having cake at the hotel). I think that's all, lol.

I'm going to visit closer to the date to see what it looks like, but I'm thinking that the ceremony will still be nice because it's inside, the celebration will be nice because it is at the hotel, and the photos will be nice because the camera can be aimed away from the construction. The guests will just have to walk by construction to get there, but it should be pretty from then on.

This is a rendering of what the building will look like (the view from the Wedding Pavilion) from December 2011 to April 2012.

 

[One_Song]

This is the rendering we were sent for October 2011:

 

[mjshorses]

ah well, what can we do. I wish it wasn't so but, I still have faith that my wedding will be wonderful, construction or not.

 

[elleinad16]

Yikes! That's a pretty drastic jump from October 2011 to December 2011...anyone have a rendering for November 2011???

(I'm sure it'll be a nice building, but holy cow, it's huge!!!. )

 

[DisneyFirefly]

Yikes! That's a pretty drastic jump from October 2011 to December 2011...anyone have a rendering for November 2011???

(I'm sure it'll be a nice building, but holy cow, it's huge!!!. )

Just a lurker, but my father works in construction. With a good crew, you can get the building's framework up fairly quickly, which is what it looks like in the December rendering. It's the masonry, woodwork, things that require a lot of work by hand that take a while.

 

[iluvasoldier]

If it really looks like what is in the rendering then I suppose it wont be so bad. As long as they have all the foliage to help cover the construction walls.

 

[Jilian]

Just a lurker, but my father works in construction. With a good crew, you can get the building's framework up fairly quickly, which is what it looks like in the December rendering. It's the masonry, woodwork, things that require a lot of work by hand that take a while.

Yep and October-December has some of the nicest weather in FL, cool and no rain = lots of good working days.

 

[Nichole33]

I asked my planner about the carriage route and for renderings for late Oct/early Nov and this is the reply I got:

At this time, it has been suggested to us that all construction will take place during the day/during the week….so our late afternoon and weekend weddings will not have to contend with any sound issues. Of course, there are going to be signs of growth, but it will not be visible when you are INSIDE the pavilion.

As for the Coach, we are playing this by ear. If at any time we can not use the path that was created for us about 2 years ago, we are going to revert back to the our original route, which was to take the Coach out of the GF Main entrance, go onto Grand Floridian Way and then make a right into the Wedding Pavilion. We used this route for about 12 years prior to the path being expanded.

The renderings that are attached are for September through November. They show the view from the bridge as well as the view from the Grand Floridian hotel (basically the view from across the pond).

 

[elleinad16]

Thanks for sharing, Nicole!

 

[Designer Rose]

hmmm, I wonder what it will look like October of next year.

 

[LaurenM]

Our wedding is Oct. 1st 2011 on Luau Beach, do you think any of this will be effecting us? How about noise wise?

 

[Gareth& Hayley]

I still cannot for the life of me understand why Disney have not emailed me this info!

 

[iluvasoldier]

I still cannot for the life of me understand why Disney have not emailed me this info!

I haven't heard at all about ANY of this from my planner.

 

[jshora]

I received the renderings from my planner and had a thorough "chat" with her a week or so ago. She specifically asked me not to post them, so that's why I didn't put them up. With the way construction is going right now, I don't think Aug - Oct weddings have much to worry about as far as "seeing" the construction. Noise may be an issue as they will be lying foundations and preparing for the structures to go up. My planner said that they do have a schedule of all the ceremonies and that they are going to do their best to accommodate so that their is no noise during ceremonies.

 

[NBCGal]

Our wedding is 10/8/11 on Luau beach which is a Saturday morning. Hopefully there won't be noise from construction.