Hello! New to boards, my planning thus far

[bbb1019]

Hi I have been stalking these boards for several months now. We got engaged in October at Disney World, he took me on a cruise around the lagoon and proposed at the start of Wishes Fireworks! We then promptly booked our Wishes Wedding with them during the same trip! We have been super excited, our wedding is this upcoming October 19th and we are going for our planning session at the end of April!


However, we feel like our experience has been less than stellar since when we booked. When we went in last October for our First meeting, we asked for indoor receptions and ceremony locations. We were told because we were planning Only 12 months in advance, there were only 2 options available Living Seas and American Adventure. And the Only ceremony location available was at the Wedding Pavilion either at Noon or 7:30pm. We were told we should've started 19 months in advance since that's when many brides start to get all the venues they want and now that's all we were left with if we didn't want ballrooms (which we didn't, we wanted an intimate space). We felt like we were completely unprepared and should've been thankful they found us anything at all.

We since realized that they were not very forthcoming in terms of suggestions, and now we are 7 months away from our wedding and we are now considering changing both ceremony and reception locations (indoor or outdoor)

We've also come across issues we were unaware of, or denied requests of. For instance, we looked online and we saw posts about brides customizing their Disney Photography Packages and Videography. For instance, we saw one post about being able to get the raw footage only for videography at a reduced cost of $1500 last year. But upon our request, we were denied without any sort of "working it out". We saw their video edits, and we honestly just want a clean cut and that's it. We also read more and more about bad Disney photography experiences and now we are very worried. However, because our venue is in Epcot (we decided on Living seas reception at 1pm and Wedding Pavilin Ceremony at Noon) we have to use Disney services... and all the costs are really starting to add up.. We were also quoted a Family Style banquet at a cost of $300pp!!! Because Family Style costs more than plated lunches were what we were told. We wanted a fusion asian style banquet meal (if you know about asian wedding banquets and its costs, $300ppl is an incredible amount of money to spend).

We have a phone appt on Monday, we are thinking of changing our ceremony and reception location. We will have ~40 ppl, are there any intimate spaces ppl know of for a ceremony and reception?

We're looking for an upscale dinner vibe. (Victoria and Albert's would've been perfect but we were told they don't host receptions anymore). We've considered Citricos, Jiko's, California Grill. But we have read Citricos only does Brunch receptions in the main room or only dinner certain days of the week, Jiko's we can't get the main room.. only a wine room, same with California Grill, plus it might be too small.. and California Grill doesn't seem to have the look and feel we like. Am I wrong on this info? I want to be able to wear my dress, not feel like I'm sharing the room with other guests, eat great food, decorate classically (beautiful centerpieces within an already beautiful room), and still be able to present and cut a cake!

We've been Offered, Nutcracker room and Marvin Gardens 2 weeks ago when we raised this issue (Once again Disney was not clear we still do not want ballrooms as we will not have dancing and we want minimal decorating costs etc)

PS how do you start a planning journal?

 

[tric8783]

Hi and welcome!!
You can create a PJ by just going to the Planning thread and creating a new thread, easier said than done

How about ballroom type space with a patio? Ie St. James Hall & Patio at the Boardwalk or Whitehall room & patio at GF? I don't think they require much decor and would be good for your group size? I feel like they are more private than a restaurant type setting but that is me.

Keep us posted!

 

[Icecoldpenguin]

I agree with Tricia St James or Marvin Gardens would be nice and Whitehall Room and Patio would also give you that same feel.

I also think that the atlantic dance hall would give you a good feel with a beautiful space and you do not have to worry about the room being big if you decorate intimately.

Also please keep this in mind. Disney is NOT in the wedding business. They do weddings on the side and they are not out to customize a beautiful wedding. They want the bride that will just smile and take what they have to offer so they can get the money. Someone else said this better than I just did.

The thing about wishes weddings is that you get to be Disney bride and that is the thing that so many of us are going for. I am personally a Disney Swan/Dolphin bride because of the many disney restrictions but for instance Tricia is a Disney Wishes bride. Tricia has found ways to get around many of Disney's price mark ups to make her day her own. I would suggest reading planning journals to see what all of us have been doing.

Disney is not very forthcoming on their information but the deeper you dig the more you will get.

Hope this helps,
Teresa

 

[lurkyloo]

However, we feel like our experience has been less than stellar since when we booked. When we went in last October for our First meeting, we asked for indoor receptions and ceremony locations. We were told because we were planning Only 12 months in advance, there were only 2 options available Living Seas and American Adventure. And the Only ceremony location available was at the Wedding Pavilion either at Noon or 7:30pm. We were told we should've started 19 months in advance since that's when many brides start to get all the venues they want and now that's all we were left with if we didn't want ballrooms (which we didn't, we wanted an intimate space).

That's totally bogus! Disney is actually doing more weddings planned in less than a year than ever! I think in your case, it's that October is DFTW's busiest month, so pickings were slim. But if you'd gone in 12 months out for, say, a September wedding, there would have be plenty of availability.

We since realized that they were not very forthcoming in terms of suggestions, and now we are 7 months away from our wedding and we are now considering changing both ceremony and reception locations (indoor or outdoor)

I would not let the timing dissuade you if you really do want to change. We planned our entire wedding in just under 5 months, and we changed dates after we'd signed the contract. It was not a big deal.

We've also come across issues we were unaware of, or denied requests of. For instance, we looked online and we saw posts about brides customizing their Disney Photography Packages and Videography. For instance, we saw one post about being able to get the raw footage only for videography at a reduced cost of $1500 last year. But upon our request, we were denied without any sort of "working it out". We saw their video edits, and we honestly just want a clean cut and that's it.

AFAIK, Disney videography has never officially provided raw footage as an option. The best thing to do if you want to customize videography or photography is to speak directly with Disney Event Photography's Wishes coordinator rather than going back and forth through your planner.

We also read more and more about bad Disney photography experiences and now we are very worried. However, because our venue is in Epcot (we decided on Living seas reception at 1pm and Wedding Pavilin Ceremony at Noon) we have to use Disney services... and all the costs are really starting to add up.

Have you considered hiring an outside photographer for everything but the reception? They would be able to shoot your getting ready, ceremony, couples' portraits, and family portraits. Then you could just pay for DFP's smallest Celebration package (still outrageously priced at $1,300) for the reception or rely on any guests you have who are hobby photographers. It's not ideal, but if photos of the reception aren't a huge deal to you, it could save you some cash.

We have a phone appt on Monday, we are thinking of changing our ceremony and reception location. We will have ~40 ppl, are there any intimate spaces ppl know of for a ceremony and reception?

Well I am super-biased, but I love The Attic at BoardWalk Inn. The suggestion of BoardWalk's St. James Room is a good one, too. It still feels like a conference center, but at least it has a patio. The Whitehall Room and Patio at the Grand Floridian is similar but a little less ballroom-y.

We're looking for an upscale dinner vibe. (Victoria and Albert's would've been perfect but we were told they don't host receptions anymore).

Oh, whoops! Guess my recommendations are more afternoon brunchy!

We've considered Citricos, Jiko's, California Grill. But we have read Citricos only does Brunch receptions in the main room or only dinner certain days of the week, Jiko's we can't get the main room.. only a wine room, same with California Grill, plus it might be too small.. and California Grill doesn't seem to have the look and feel we like.

Have you seen the Wine Room at Jiko? It's completely enclosed, so if you have the whole thing, you definitely won't feel like you're sharing with other guests. Also, while California Grill definitely has a dated '90s thing going on, it's probably the next closest thing to "upscale dinner," and I've seen some gorgeous receptions in the Napa Room. Just don't look at the carpet!

The tough part is that you want to do dinner, and, as you've discovered, most of the restaurants are not available at dinnertime. Ariel's used to be a restaurant and is available in the evenings, but I would not say that it has an upscale feel. The Attic is similarly floral, but I can't help but think that with the patio and the view of Epcot's high fireworks at night, it could be gorgeous.

How do you feel about an outdoor reception? Because the Grand Floridian Marina and Sago Cay Pointe are pretty at night (though not super-private).

 

[bbb1019]

I agree with Tricia St James or Marvin Gardens would be nice and Whitehall Room and Patio would also give you that same feel.

Not sure if I'm doing th quotes right but anyways, We were offered St. James and Marvin Gardens 2 weeks ago. But we would be picking blind right now, and from the pictures, it looked like a bare ballroom/conference room. We really are adverse towards ballrooms but it seems like that's what we'll have to settle for at the moment. We probably will want to get the options again later in April and then go visit them during our planning session April 28th weekend. Hopefully it doesn't get filled up!

I also think that the atlantic dance hall would give you a good feel with a beautiful space and you do not have to worry about the room being big if you decorate intimately

Isn't the atlantic dance hall like 2 stories tall with a stage? I thought it was for big wedding parties with 100+ ppl? I'm not sure if it's available now though.

The thing about wishes weddings is that you get to be Disney bride and that is the thing that so many of us are going for. I am personally a Disney Swan/Dolphin bride because of the many disney restrictions but for instance Tricia is a Disney Wishes bride. Tricia has found ways to get around many of Disney's price mark ups to make her day her own. I would suggest reading planning journals to see what all of us have been doing.

Disney is not very forthcoming on their information but the deeper you dig the more you will get.

Yeah I wish I considered Disney Swan/Dolphin. It was never a consideration when we started because we felt like we had limited pickings as it was. I do realize that Disney just wants you to take things "as is", which is completely misleading when they feed you the propaganda that "anything is possible".

 

[bbb1019]

That's totally bogus! Disney is actually doing more weddings planned in less than a year than ever! I think in your case, it's that October is DFTW's busiest month, so pickings were slim. But if you'd gone in 12 months out for, say, a September wedding, there would have be plenty of availability.


I would not let the timing dissuade you if you really do want to change. We planned our entire wedding in just under 5 months, and we changed dates after we'd signed the contract. It was not a big deal.

It is bogus, and I'm very upset! Because when we called 2 weeks ago asking for possible changes, they had other options! When we asked why these weren't available the first go around, we were told they had cancellations etc. That may be true, I don't know, but after reading these boards, I get the strict sense that on our original meeting, they didn't take us seriously because we had not put down a deposit and were just inquiring to a Disney option. But when you ask for options, you should get ALL the possible options. We left that meeting very upset with ourselves for having planned so poorly only 12 months out and Quickly made a deposit... only to feel like now we were pressured to put a deposit down.

AFAIK, Disney videography has never officially provided raw footage as an option. The best thing to do if you want to customize videography or photography is to speak directly with Disney Event Photography's Wishes coordinator rather than going back and forth through your planner.

Yes we've contacted disney photo and video directly, and we're trying to set up a phone appointment. I just know I saw that one post, and I even have that link saved. I should probably PM that person to ask what happened. I"ll do it when I reach 10 posts I guess haha.

Have you considered hiring an outside photographer for everything but the reception? They would be able to shoot your getting ready, ceremony, couples' portraits, and family portraits. Then you could just pay for DFP's smallest Celebration package (still outrageously priced at $1,300) for the reception or rely on any guests you have who are hobby photographers. It's not ideal, but if photos of the reception aren't a huge deal to you, it could save you some cash.

Yes we've contacted multiple photographers in the event we can get everything changed over to an out of park venue. We're just in limbo right now since we can't settle on another venue. We did the math and to hire an outside photo vendor would be roughly $1700 - 1900 for the day. If we add on another $1300 or more to get a Magic Kingdom photo session etc, it would bring us to over $3600 anyways, which is one of Disney's base packages. We thought of letting my dad, uncle, grandfather (all hobby photographers) taking photos during the reception, but I guess I don't want to make them feel obligated to capture moments when they should be enjoying themselves. The reception is not a big deal, but I guess it's not cost effective for us to hire a photographer for $1700 for a day only to not use them for the 4 hours that makeup a good chunk of your wedding.

Well I am super-biased, but I love The Attic

I loooove the attic! But our guest count is too high. There's a cut off I believe of 30 guests or something like that. Otherwise, I'd hop right on it! I'd really have to go see the room myself for the ballroom types. I've googled endlessly for pictures but I get the feeling it doesn't do it justice since all I see is bright red carpet for marvin gardens haha.

Have you seen the Wine Room at Jiko? It's completely enclosed, so if you have the whole thing, you definitely won't feel like you're sharing with other guests. Also, while California Grill definitely has a dated '90s thing going on, it's probably the next closest thing to "upscale dinner," and I've seen some gorgeous receptions in the Napa Room. Just don't look at the carpet!

The tough part is that you want to do dinner, and, as you've discovered, most of the restaurants are not available at dinnertime. Ariel's used to be a restaurant and is available in the evenings, but I would not say that it has an upscale feel. The Attic is similarly floral, but I can't help but think that with the patio and the view of Epcot's high fireworks at night, it could be gorgeous.

Yeah we're trying to keep our wedding intimate but at the same time really treat our guests to all the great food Disney has (It will be Food and Wine Festival season after all). So the idea is just food, good conversation, atmosphere.

We've been to Jiko's and it's one of our FAVE restuarants. In fact, we picked out food from Jiko's to serve at our Welcome party, cocktails, and reception if Disney approves it. We haven't been inside the Wine Room, but that is on our list to go visit in April. I think if anything we'll end up changing to that.
Does anyone have the email to Jiko's? Or a direct #??

We actually are having a lunch reception, (1pm) We could care less if it was brunch/lunch/dinner. I just keep saying dinner I think, cuz I feel like we're paying the price of dinner haha.

How do you feel about an outdoor reception? Because the Grand Floridian Marina and Sago Cay Pointe are pretty at night (though not super-private).

We are having our Welcome party the night before at Sago Cay actually! Buffet Style, and then fireworks at night. It's gonna be cocktails and dessert. Maybe I should ask about it being available on the day of our wedding and picking another place for the welcome party.

Our wedding date is not negotiable unfortunately which also makes it difficult. It's our dating anniversary, it's when we got engaged, and it'll be our 5 year anniversary on our wedding day.

 

[lurkyloo]

I loooove the attic! But our guest count is too high. There's a cut off I believe of 30 guests or something like that. Otherwise, I'd hop right on it! I'd really have to go see the room myself for the ballroom types. I've googled endlessly for pictures but I get the feeling it doesn't do it justice since all I see is bright red carpet for marvin gardens haha.

They say that now because the inside space will only fit 30 if for some reason the weather prevents you from going on the balcony. But the real capacity is 50 with the balcony. And with the weather as gorgeous as it usually is in October, I don't think you're going to all end up crammed inside. If you're only having 40 people and you really really love the Attic, bug them about it. You can't go to the mat for every single thing Disney says no to, but if you pick your battles, you can usually win a few.

Our wedding date is not negotiable unfortunately which also makes it difficult. It's our dating anniversary, it's when we got engaged, and it'll be our 5 year anniversary on our wedding day.

How romantic!

 

[Chilly]

Check out these links to see photos of locations:

http://www.disneyweddingblog.com/2009/04/disney-bride-jessica.html

http://disneytravelbabble.com/disney-weddings/wdw-venue-photos/

And I suggest this book:

http://disneytravelbabble.com/disney-weddings/passporters-disney-weddings/

 

[itsmebabygi]

I am really glad that I have been scoping out these boards. It seems like Disney says "no" a lot to things that they are actually willing to say yes to when you push them a bit more. It seems like they don't want any extra hassle unless they know you are serious about something. Not exactly "anything your heart desires." That being said, I still wouldn't change my location for any other place in the world.

I hope you make a PJ! You're wedding sounds like its going to be fun!

 

[bbb1019]

Yes I just made a planning journal under the planning section.. really bare right now but I included some updated issues I'm dealing with including a Cake debacle.


I did take the advice of not accepting "No" for an answer and really pushed for a venue I liked. I didn't see the post of the attic until today, but it's okay because we now are awaiting confirmation for Victoria and Albert's!! We're doing a buy out of the 2nd seating. We figure, we'll save $$ on decor, favors, transportation just by having it all there at the GF plus our ceremony at the WP at 7:30pm! Plus we may be able to do something in terms of wedding cake with V&A or mini cake desserts or something.