Hi everyone.
My name is Ann, and my husband Michael and I got married back in November 2003. We are the "Orange Couple" featured on the Food Network special.
I am writing to give you a bit more insight on my experience with Disney Weddings, and some hints on how to get what you need from them.
I am from NYC and work in marketing and PR. I plan food & wine events as part of my job. I am also accustomed to big, blown out NY area Italian-Irish weddings - that have lavish cocktail hours, lots of food and free-flowing booze.
When I first contacted Disney back in May 2002, I was a little surprised by how things were done. Everything was basically à la carte - which is so unlike the catering halls my friends had used. The proposed menus including a very small cocktail hour - and we were used to the cocktail hour being the best, most lavish part of the reception. I was really nervous about planning - but I was reassured the Disney did things with excellent quality and attention to detail. If I told them exactly what I wanted, they would work with me to achieve my dreams (hopefully).
Well, let's say everything worked out beautifully in the end - but there were some snags along the way. Our menu tasting at the Boardwalk was very underwhelming. We had also requested a tasting of our rehearsal dinner which was supposed to take place on the Italy Isola - but it was a true fiasco (My EM was embarassed and we received an apology letter from the Epcot head chef).
I did get some breaks along the way. I had the most amazing EM - Michelle Wenzler-Dorr. She happens to be from Long Island - and understood the kind of food we wanted and expected - having had that same kind of wedding herself.
As I said, I plan events for a living. I had some very specific creative ideas to make our wedding unique and personal: (my Asian themed cocktail hour (I love Chinese food) and the chinese boxes full of spicy noodles), the Orange Signature drink to match my color scheme, the orange sorbet, the soup, Cinderella butter pats, and on and on.
It was tough going - but my EM was amazing, and worked with Chef Edwin and the Boardwalk to make sure everything would be good.
In the beginning, I felt like Disney hated me because I wanted something outside the box. I just made sure I was very specific, communicating exactly what I wanted - and Disney - specifically Michelle Wenzler-Dorr - became my best ally.
Only a month or so before the wedding, out of the blue, we were asked to be part of the Food Network special. Apparently they had chosen us for the very reasons we had had problems in the beginning - the fact that we wanted everything custom, and had tried to carry our theme and color scheme even through the menu.
Given that we had had earlier problems, we figured the show would be a final insurance policy to ensure that everything would be perfect. And while we still spent what we had planned to - we did receive some very generous upgrades - basically because they looked good on TV. And our EM really pushed to get us the things we had wanted but had cut out due to budget. Also, we did insist that our ceremony be private. What you saw on TV came from our videographer.
I do think that our wedding would have been amazing without those upgrades, but I have to say I wouldn't have traded Lumiere or the giant cake in for anything. I almost died when Lumiere walked in the room. Mikey wanted that big cake - and we never would have had such a monster had Disney not offered it (Our first cake was the same as the GF bride). So those things were truly amazing.
When we first saw the special, we hated it. They had interviewed us for 2 1/2 hours and spent our entire dessert part and reception with us. The producer is wonderful and we have actually worked together since then - but when we first saw the show, we were disappointed, thinking they had showed clips we thought were silly and stupid.
But over 2 years later, we can appreciate the show and realize it's kinda cute. My poor aunt and the stuffed cabbage comment. And poor Mikey and his chocolate chips. But it's nice to be a perpetual newlywed, at least on TV.
Here is what I suggest for working with Disney:
1) If you want something, ask. And if you don't get the answer you want on the first try, ask again. Sometimes it's a question of who you ask and being persistent. This happened with my signature drink.
2) Be specific and as detailed as possible. Remember the part about no rosemary on anything. Well that came out of our tasting when a not so favorite herb was in every dish. So we were specfic and wonderful Chef Edwin listened.
3) If you can, do things on your own. It will save you money. We made the carved pumpkins, pumpkin and leaf placecards, menu cards, programs, confetti wands, favors, etc. Mike says Disney got credit for all his hard work.
4) Dream Big: I had a ball thinking about each and every detail of my wedding. The most important one had been taken care of - I had found the man of my dreams and I thank God for him every day.
2 years later I can say I still smile when I think back on my wedding - but I smile more when I think about how lucky I am to have found Michael.
If you have any questions, don't hesitae to send me a PM or an email at
anniegrl11@aol.com.
