Jackie and Chris's Wishes Wedding 1/6/12: SBP/Attic/SCP 5/11 Final Post- PJ Finished

[NoOrdinaryPrincess]

Jackie I really, really liked your DP pics. Really nice. Too bad about the inappropriate photographer, though.

 

[yourgypsy]

Oh, thank goodness there's to be the honeymoon TR, too! I saw the title of the update and was about to say, "What am I going to do without weekly updates from Jackie?!"

Perhaps some day in the future, once you've retired from teaching, you guys could move south and you could work part time at Disney!

I think I'm going to have to add the napoleons to my ever-growing list of Foods I Need to Eat While at Disney. (I really do have a mental list of this.)

Alright. I'm ready for the honeymoon TR!

(Oh, and I've officially been given the 'no' on Mickey. Doug's parents are giving us some money and I brought the subject up tonight, and he told me he feels it's a waste of money. Therefore, Kristen will have to wait until she's given birth to the firstborn child and wait until he's basking in the glow of that and then I'll ask about the vow renewal. )

 

[CinderALLIE]

Hi Jackie.

Love the Epcot photos, can't wait to hear about that day.

So happy you got to get a picture with Belle in your wedding gown

 

[DisneyEverAfter]

So glad you had a good wedding day! The DP looks fab & delicious! And I LOVE the Epcot piccies! They are beyond perfect~

 

[MrsDuck]

YAY!! What a gorgeous wedding and a wonderful TR!

 

[DoomBuggy0922]

Jackie I really, really liked your DP pics. Really nice. Too bad about the inappropriate photographer, though.

Thank you so much! I'm still ehh about them, but I am really critical.

Oh, thank goodness there's to be the honeymoon TR, too! I saw the title of the update and was about to say, "What am I going to do without weekly updates from Jackie?!"

Perhaps some day in the future, once you've retired from teaching, you guys could move south and you could work part time at Disney!

I think I'm going to have to add the napoleons to my ever-growing list of Foods I Need to Eat While at Disney. (I really do have a mental list of this.)

Alright. I'm ready for the honeymoon TR!

(Oh, and I've officially been given the 'no' on Mickey. Doug's parents are giving us some money and I brought the subject up tonight, and he told me he feels it's a waste of money. Therefore, Kristen will have to wait until she's given birth to the firstborn child and wait until he's basking in the glow of that and then I'll ask about the vow renewal. )

Oh, don't worry! I just meant it was the end of the wedding day. Sadface. And actually, my dream lifestyle would be to move to Central Florida and teach, and then work in WDW over the summer. Chris loves his job though, so we won't be moving anytime soon. Poop.

NAPOLEONS ARE AWESOME EAT ALL OF THEM NOW!!!!!!!

And I love your idea of waiting til you have a baby to ask about characters! Sneaky sneaky!!!

Hi Jackie.

Love the Epcot photos, can't wait to hear about that day.

So happy you got to get a picture with Belle in your wedding gown

Thank you so much! Me too! Story about that coming soonish!

So glad you had a good wedding day! The DP looks fab & delicious! And I LOVE the Epcot piccies! They are beyond perfect~

Awww thank you. <3

YAY!! What a gorgeous wedding and a wonderful TR!

Thanks, Faith! <3

*************************************
Okay, I had some free time in between classes, so I just wrote up all of my DFTW vendor reviews. Outside vendor reviews will probably be up tomorrow morning. I realized I really need to get a move on with this TR so I can have it done before I leave for my next vacation! (Which all of you will read about, right?!)

Disney Wedding Consultant: Michelle Gilhooly. A. Michelle was absolutely great! I actually didn’t need to utilize her very much (I was penciled in at my one year mark, and then a week or so later I upgraded from Escape to Wishes and was given a Wedding Planner instead), but every interaction I had with her was fantastic. She was very quick to reply to all of my emails, and was super-sweet in person. She also sent me an email about my dad after she passed, even though I hadn’t spoken to her in over six months.

Disney Wedding Planner: Christy Brown (formerly Jacoby). A. Okay, I admit it: I might have a slight girlcrush on Christy. She was assigned to me fairly late in the game (My original planner was Carol Milkes, but I was assigned Christy at my PS), but she was phenomenal. She never took longer than a day to reply to one of my emails, and the one time she DID take longer than a day she apologized because it had been a whole 48 hours! I got my first BEO five days after my Planning Session. When we had our final phone call to go over the BEO, she made the changes that very day. She’s basically a rockstar.We had a lot in common, and we had some girltalk during my PS. We also used to email back-and-forth about How I Met Your Mother. She was supportive on the day of the wedding, and seemed genuinely interested in my princess clutch and even took one of my favors home because we had favors. She also stopped by the dessert party just to check in, even though she didn’t have to. I really can’t say enough good things about her!

Disney Wedding Florist: Elizabeth Sutton. B. This B has absolutely nothing to do with her work: the flowers at my wedding were absolutely beautiful. As you have seen, the only flowers I had at my wedding were daisies, and my bouquet was exactly like I wanted it, as were my two bridesmaids’ bouquets. She was also the one who had designed the Beauty and the Beast rose, which was lovely. Disney Floral also put rose petals on my tables, which I hadn’t asked for (nor did I pay for!), which impressed me. So why the B? She was over an hour late to my planning session appointment: and, when you’re in Disney, time is money. When she did eventually show up, we only talked for fifteen minutes because I knew exactly what I wanted. I felt her arriving late was unprofessional, and so I had to dock her a letter grade.

Disney Fine Art and Photography: Dean. B. As I mentioned previously, I was only moderately satisfied with my DP photos. The pictures themselves are fine, but there was a lot of weird editing done and our faces look kind of weird. He also had some wedding-inappropriate conversation. He was a nice enough guy, but I really don’t think our dessert party photography was worth the price we paid. If I could do it all over again, I would have just had Randy Chapman return for our DP pictures.

Disney Fine Art and Photography: Regina. A+. Seriously, what could I say about this woman that has not been said already?! The Epcot portraits she took of us are absolutely stunning. She was a professional and arrived early, and didn’t complain when she had to wait because my makeup took longer than expected. She managed to make Chris and me feel relaxed, and she did such a great job posing us for all of our pictures. Her editing skills are also excellent. If I could have guaranteed that she would have been my photographer, I certainly would have booked Disney for photography. I am fairly certain I going to book her for an anniversary shoot. I just love her!

Disney Fairy Tale Weddings: A. Even though Chris gets annoyed with me when I say this, I don’t think I would have loved my wedding half as much if I had had it anywhere besides Walt Disney World. I know so many girls have run into problems with DFTW, but I had such a pleasant experience with them. The day and time that I wanted was open, my wedding planner responded to emails quickly, and the entire team made my wedding day run seamlessly. WDW now has so many memories for me, and I feel so blessed that I can go visit my wedding venue whenever I go on vacation. More than that, now that my dad has passed, I cherish the Disney Memories that I had made with him. Because of my wedding, Disney now holds an even stronger place in my heart, and I really can’t thank the DFTW team enough.

 

[CinderALLIE]

Thanks for the vendor reviews. I love reading everyones experience.

Disney should let you request your photographer and confirm that you have them prior. I think more people would book with them if they were guaranteed to get who they want, especially when they all have such different styles...and you're paying enough for them.

 

[DoomBuggy0922]

Thanks for the vendor reviews. I love reading everyones experience.

Disney should let you request your photographer and confirm that you have them prior. I think more people would book with them if they were guaranteed to get who they want, especially when they all have such different styles...and you're paying enough for them.

I agree: their photography just costs SO much money. I really don't understand why they don't let you choose (and then, if something goes wrong, you should have a backup or SOMETHING). I was so terrified of having Ty, who has been mean to some plus sized brides in the past, and I should not have been terrified for the amount of money that photoshoot cost! (/End Rant.)

*************************************
DH is home "sick" from work today! (He is alternating between "my tummy hurts" and "I've got the sniffles": I told him he was like a little kid who couldn't figure out what his excuse was for wanting to stay home from school.) Still, I told him he was messing up my routine, and now we're both back in bed on our electronic devices: I have more reviews to write, gosh darnit!

I didn't use very many non-Disney vendors, as I didn't have videography or a photo booth or anything like that. Still, here's what I did have.

Men's Wearhouse: A I was actually pretty worried about using Men's Wearhouse, as they have had some iffy reviews on the boards. I guess I must have lucked out, because I had absolutely no problems with them. I never had to call them with a question because they called me multiple times just to check in and make sure that everything was okay. All of the Customer Service girls I talked to from the Winter Park store were nice and accommodating. The guys' tuxes fit fine when we arrived in FL, and they loved that they could just leave them at bell services when they were done with them. This was, quite possibly, the least stressful experience of my wedding.

Alfred Angelo: D Now, I have to preface this review by saying that I absolutely loved my dress. I think Alfred Angelo has some beautiful designs, and my dress was 100% The One. My bridesmaids' dresses were also lovely, and the colors were perfect. HOWEVER! This company gave me more hell than I thought was humanely possible. I purchased my dress from the Altamonte Store, and they were great when I bought it--- but, as some of you may remember, a few months later they sent me the wrong dress!!! (I'm fairly certain I still have PTSD from this. ) I was offered no monetary compensation for having been sent the wrong dress, not even a 10% off my next purchase. My girls also had problems with Alfred Angelo. We went to their North Attleboro, MA store to try dresses on, and the saleswoman was both unhelpful and pushy. Becky ordered her dress from the Manchester, CT store, and they called her when her dress came in, but had failed to mention that her sash had not arrived. Alfred Angelo's customer service is atrocious, and I cannot recommend their signature stores to anyone. I even had a terrible experience with a local vendor (who made me feel fat and worthless), so I have a difficult time suggesting this company at all. Thankfully, once I was sent the RIGHT dress, it was absolutely perfect. I wish I could put it on every single day.

(On a side note, if anyone in the Greater Milwaukee area is looking for a seamstress, I highly suggest P'Dia. I still can't believe she took my dress in and gave me a bustle for $85! The bustle lasted the entire day, and for my Epcot photoshoot too!)

Randy Chapman: B+ I feel like a horrible DisBride for not giving Randy an A, I really do. Randy is a really nice guy, and I do love all of the pictures he took. My wedding pictures are beautiful. However, I was really disappointed that he didn't do any editing to our pictures at all, and I was also disappointed that he never posted a "sneak peek" of our pictures to his blog.I also find myself wishing there was a happy medium to giving us all of our pictures and to giving us only the "good ones": trying to find wedding pictures to print amongst 2500 can be an exhausting venture. Thankfully, if I wanted any editing done to our pictures, DH is a graphic designer--- but I really think this is the photographer's job. I was also disappointed that he wasn't able to get me any pictures of my dad and I prior to his funeral.

So that's the end of the Vendor Reviews! The honeymoon starts next.

 

[LuvLuvLuv]

Great, Honest Reviews! Love it! I'm sad the wedding day is over... but ready to see what kind of fun you had on the honeymoon!!! Yay!!

 

[princess_ariel_85]

Hey Jackie,

Your DP pics are good and looked like everyone had a good time.

I'm sad your Wedding bit of the TR is finished. It's been wonderful to read.

Thank you for posting your vendor reviews, they'll be helpful for future brides (how I wish I was a lottery winning future bride )

Looking forward to hearing about your honeymoon xx

 

[MrsDuck]

WAIT... Randy didn't edit your pictures...!??!?!

 

[Fairy Godmother]

Alfred Angelo: D Now, I have to preface this review by saying that I absolutely loved my dress. I think Alfred Angelo has some beautiful designs, and my dress was 100% The One. My bridesmaids' dresses were also lovely, and the colors were perfect. HOWEVER! This company gave me more hell than I thought was humanely possible. I purchased my dress from the Altamonte Store, and they were great when I bought it--- but, as some of you may remember, a few months later they sent me the wrong dress!!! (I'm fairly certain I still have PTSD from this. ) I was offered no monetary compensation for having been sent the wrong dress, not even a 10% off my next purchase. My girls also had problems with Alfred Angelo. We went to their North Attleboro, MA store to try dresses on, and the saleswoman was both unhelpful and pushy. Becky ordered her dress from the Manchester, CT store, and they called her when her dress came in, but had failed to mention that her sash had not arrived. Alfred Angelo's customer service is atrocious, and I cannot recommend their signature stores to anyone. I even had a terrible experience with a local vendor (who made me feel fat and worthless), so I have a difficult time suggesting this company at all. Thankfully, once I was sent the RIGHT dress, it was absolutely perfect. I wish I could put it on every single day.

(On a side note, if anyone in the Greater Milwaukee area is looking for a seamstress, I highly suggest P'Dia. I still can't believe she took my dress in and gave me a bustle for $85! The bustle lasted the entire day, and for my Epcot photoshoot too!)

Randy Chapman: B+ I feel like a horrible DisBride for not giving Randy an A, I really do. Randy is a really nice guy, and I do love all of the pictures he took. My wedding pictures are beautiful. However, I was really disappointed that he didn't do any editing to our pictures at all, and I was also disappointed that he never posted a "sneak peek" of our pictures to his blog.I also find myself wishing there was a happy medium to giving us all of our pictures and to giving us only the "good ones": trying to find wedding pictures to print amongst 2500 can be an exhausting venture. Thankfully, if I wanted any editing done to our pictures, DH is a graphic designer--- but I really think this is the photographer's job. I was also disappointed that he wasn't able to get me any pictures of my dad and I prior to his funeral.

So that's the end of the Vendor Reviews! The honeymoon starts next.

Hi Jackie
I have been a longtime lurker to your PJ but rarely comment.
I couldn't agree more with you about Alfred Angelo. Their customer service is the worst. Their dresses are beautiful but I would never recommend them. I too am still suffering from PTSD from dealing with them. They basically ruined my Disney vacation but fortunately not my wedding day.
I also agree that it is very disappointing to not have a sneak peek posted on Randy's blog. It sort of makes me feel unworthy.

I think your wedding was absolutely beautiful and you looked like a princess in your dress. I look forward to reading about your honeymoon.

 

[Icecoldpenguin]

Fatih:
Randy only edits a few pictures depending on the package that you get. The larger the package the more edited pictures you receive. So it really just depends on what they purchased.

Great reviews! I think you have to request a sneak peek from randy he does not just do it automatically.

But I am not sure!

I love the character pics BTW you look like you were having a ball.

Cant wait for the honeymoon

Teresa

 

[CinderALLIE]

I agree: their photography just costs SO much money. I really don't understand why they don't let you choose (and then, if something goes wrong, you should have a backup or SOMETHING). I was so terrified of having Ty, who has been mean to some plus sized brides in the past, and I should not have been terrified for the amount of money that photoshoot cost! (/End Rant.)

I just started visiting the Disboards about a month ago after my partner agreed to a Disney wedding when we do eventually get married I find that absolutely shocking about Ty and believe Disney should fire his a*s. Nobody deserves to be treated mean especially on their wedding day. That is just unacceptable.

Makes Dean the inappropriate photographer seem like an angel in comparrison LOL.

 

[Jilian]

I'm shocked about Randy too, I've seen a lot of his work and he doesn't edit? Well crap!

 

[DoomBuggy0922]

Great, Honest Reviews! Love it! I'm sad the wedding day is over... but ready to see what kind of fun you had on the honeymoon!!! Yay!!

I'm sad the wedding day is over too... but I can't wait to write about the honeymoon either! We ate sooooooo much!

Hey Jackie,

Your DP pics are good and looked like everyone had a good time.

I'm sad your Wedding bit of the TR is finished. It's been wonderful to read.

Thank you for posting your vendor reviews, they'll be helpful for future brides (how I wish I was a lottery winning future bride )

Looking forward to hearing about your honeymoon xx

Awww, thank you! And LOL! I wish I was a lottery winning future bride too! I would totally do a castle ceremony. And an Epcot reception in the French Pavilion. I've thought about this once or twice...

WAIT... Randy didn't edit your pictures...!??!?!

You know how on his website there are all of those highly stylized ones? I got none of that! Lame!

Hi Jackie
I have been a longtime lurker to your PJ but rarely comment.
I couldn't agree more with you about Alfred Angelo. Their customer service is the worst. Their dresses are beautiful but I would never recommend them. I too am still suffering from PTSD from dealing with them. They basically ruined my Disney vacation but fortunately not my wedding day.
I also agree that it is very disappointing to not have a sneak peek posted on Randy's blog. It sort of makes me feel unworthy.

I think your wedding was absolutely beautiful and you looked like a princess in your dress. I look forward to reading about your honeymoon.

I was SO stressed out for you and your Dress Dilemma. Like, OMG I can't believe you had to go through that. I was so sad for you--- but I am so happy you get it. Did you get to keep Cindy? They should have let you.

Fatih:
Randy only edits a few pictures depending on the package that you get. The larger the package the more edited pictures you receive. So it really just depends on what they purchased.

Great reviews! I think you have to request a sneak peek from randy he does not just do it automatically.

But I am not sure!

I love the character pics BTW you look like you were having a ball.

Cant wait for the honeymoon

Teresa

Yeah, I replied to this on the other thread--- but I paid for 7 hours of photography! He edited a handful of my e-pics, but none of my wedding ones.

And I DID have a ball with my characters. I wish I could have one on one time all of the time.

I just started visiting the Disboards about a month ago after my partner agreed to a Disney wedding when we do eventually get married I find that absolutely shocking about Ty and believe Disney should fire his a*s. Nobody deserves to be treated mean especially on their wedding day. That is just unacceptable.

Makes Dean the inappropriate photographer seem like an angel in comparrison LOL.

Right!!! I agree completely. I don't understand how some of those Disney photogs are still in business...

I'm shocked about Randy too, I've seen a lot of his work and he doesn't edit? Well crap!

I've already replied to this. But hi, Jillian, my lovely SIL!! <3

 

[tinkerbell 766]

My sweet Jackie - Loving all the newly posted pics!!! It really was a glorious wedding!!! So sorry you became another victim of the bad service sometimes delivered by DPS. I am glad you were more than happy with Regina though!!
Sorry that you found some fault with Randy. I cannot understand the editing thing at all!! We got plenty of photos edited (and copies of any edited photos in their unedited form), and a sneak peek posted on his blog. We didn't ask for, or pay extra for any of these things. I did tell Randy to take his time with our photos, and didn't rush him at all (not that I think you did), but I think it all depends how much time he feels he has to work on the photos. I have heard him say that sometimes he feels under great pressure to get photos out to brides. Maybe his editing all depends on how busy things are for him. This is no excuse, of course, and he should maybe firm up with brides what they want, maybe explaining that if they want their photos quickly, less editing may get done.
I loved having so many shots to choose from (even the bad ones - which gave us a bit of a laugh) and I am glad Randy sends all of them. I believe that sometimes, what a photographer thinks is a bad shot, would actually be one you would treasure, so I am glad I got to make my own decisions about this. I agree, though it is exhausting going through them all (nice exhausting though!!)

 

[MrsDuck]

I'm so sorry to hear that you paid for 7 hours and didn't get edited pictures. I know everyone raves about Randy but this turns me off entirely.

Regardless, you did get some gorgeous pictures and that's all that matters in the end!

 

[One_Song]

I got a little behind somehow, all caught up now!

-Both of your cakes are incredible. Brandon and I were both LOSTies. I told him you had a Dharma Initiative groom’s cake, and he acted like I had betrayed him by not suggesting the idea to him.

-I love the picture of you and your dad on the couch. Maybe it’s because you two are relaxed, but it just looks so genuine. (Well, the first picture—that second one could be a Godfather poster. Wedding or not, you’ve got some hits to plan…)

-Cute picture with the enchanted rose. Glad I’m not the only one that was super into my props

-Woah, what was with your DPS photographer? That is beyond inappropriate. He really doesn’t need to be talking about his personal life. If he couldn’t resist, how about “You like Disney princesses? My girlfriend likes them too.” There. And no profanity. I think most people feel that if you curse at work, you get fired. (I hope you reported his behavior in your feedback survery.) I hate reading stories like this. I had such an amazing experience with DPS that I want to recommend them to others, but I just can’t in good conscience. There’s too great a risk you might end up with a bizarre man that takes just okay pictures. They should keep Regina, Amy, and Stephanie and clean out the rest. That boys club they have always seems to disappoint.

-No editing on your Randy pics? From what I've seen from other brides, I thought that was his calling card. I love some of ours where the colors or lighting has been manipulated, they make beautiful art pieces. Maybe you could talk to him about having some editing done?

-I’m so excited to read about the honeymoon!

 

[elleinad16]

I'm probably going to be the only cuckoo one here, but I've never been a fan of Randy's editing choices. I think some of them take away from the beauty and overall quality of the picture. He does have a great eye for composition, though.

I am in love with your pictures and wouldn't have ever known they were from Randy, because he gave them to you in a clean and pure style.

However, since you paid him a service to take photos and edit them--that's what you should have gotten, which is really upsetting to hear.

I know you said that Chris could play around with them, but if you ever want any additional tweaking, I'd be happy to help!