Just devastated! I might not have a Disney wedding!

[Belle1981]

Hi Ladies,
I got a call from the Disney WP named Kathy. Pretty much anything I asked for they would not do...According to the website it says for a custom wedding you have to spend 10K. That is fine we wanted to get married at the WP then have our reception off property then come back and have the Epcot dessert party and then pay extra to dance at Epcot throughout the night. The cost would be above 10K but they said they would not allow it. When I asked about dancing after the dessert party I was told "It's not worth it for Disney to stay open unless we have 100 people." We have between 60-70. So I said to her where can we have it onsite that would best accomodate us? She said well its hard to say since you are on a budget...

I was so excited about planning this and the attitude from the WP was terrible. I have been to Disney every year since I was born. I even worked there. I am so disapointed because I feel like my dream is never going to come true. I am sorry for being so down but this is not the Disney I know.....I even asked the planner for her expertise and the attitude I got was if you want a Disney wedding be prepared to pay which is fine I will pay for it but when I said what we were looking for she said they can't do it and would not even try to help. I feel like because we are trying to have somewhat of a budget I am not important. Even if I don't have the Disney wedding I dreamed of I wish all of you Disney brides the most wonderful day! Sorry for venting to you guys...
Katie

 

[Sirron]

Well, i'm sorry for the way they spoke to you. You can do your wedding on a budget and be fine. You might not be able to do what you want exactly though. I hope you can find something that works out for you!

 

[allisonswonderland]

I am sorry that you are experiencing this - I am actually suprised. I have wondered how many brides have been close to their budgets and I was actually 100 over mine and was so prud of that but I had an outside photographer.

I will say that the 10,000 min can be a bit misleading because since mine is on a friday mine is at 15- and we are only having 54 ppl and 8 are children and quite a few small ones who not charged. They have all those rules and your wedding/ recpetion prices increase after 2 and I am wondering how that would work if your dessert party became a reception they may not count it as a dessert party but as a reception - does that make sense and then with adding the dance floor-

I am know these are not the things you want to hear and I am so sorry you have to deal with this and they are not working with you this has to be frustrating - it all sounds sticky to me and it may be that your I am guessing Sales manager- maybe one of the other girls who know more about dessert parties could help -

I am having my reception at Ariels - I really liked the location because it is not a ballroom and does not require a lot of room decoration- and it already has a dance floor so you could save some money there - it is located at the Beach Club- My wedding is Nov 10 so there will soon be pictures- hang in there!!!!

 

[Belle1981]

Thank you for your lovely words...I asked if we could make the dessert party the reception and she said no. I was shocked too. It could be the person I spoke to as well.... I want so desperately to have it at Disney and I do love Ariel's. I am sure there has to be something that can be done...This is the place where dreams come true. The thing is I would spend 20 or 30k if necessary but this lady just completely took me off guard. The reason we wanted to go elsewhere is because we wanted something a little non traditional. I appreciate we can't have everything we ask for since sometimes us brides do go a little crazy!LOL I think I am going to call back and see who else can help me....allisonswonderland is there anyway you can tell me a little about your menu? I don't want to be nosey but if you don't mind I would appreciate it

 

[wendy46001]

Sorry you had such a hard time. Not to defend them (sounded like she was rude) but i think she got thrown by your suggestion of having the reception off site...they kind of want to be in charge of the whole wedding day …… I’d call back and talk to someone else, maybe they can define the rules for you…that way you know where to start

 

[Maggimus]

Wendy is probobly right, A. She sounded like she was probobly being not her nicest, and B. Im sure this has a lot to do with you adding that you wanted the reception to be offsite. I think Disney feels somewhat of a slap in the face when they hear that. Thats like someone going out to eat only to go somewhere else for dessert (because theirs was lacking). Not a great analogy but- you get the point. Maybe if you cut a couple things on the ceremony side (maybe upgrades or something) it will allow for you to spend more money elsewhere and then she can allow you to have it another place, and still meet the budget? Just an idea...

Good luck to you! I know this is a very difficult thing (especially when we are all working on the biggest day of our lives from far far away). Goodluck... I'll be cheering you on! Dont give up though. IF it doesnt work out with this wedding planner... call the head guy (a lot of ppl know his name, unfortunately I do not)... I would try to speak with someone else... or... better yet- when all esle fails- CALL ROSIE!! Shes a miracle worker... and I think a lot of brides use her and by-pass their WC (not me, i loved mine). If I was going to- Id talk to her- she gets the job done- and so polite! (Not to mention Rosie is the entertainment, floral, etc guru!)

Ill be rooting for ya

 

[happylalagirl]

Sorry you had such a hard time. Not to defend them (sounded like she was rude) but i think she got thrown by your suggestion of having the reception off site...they kind of want to be in charge of the whole wedding day …… I’d call back and talk to someone else, maybe they can define the rules for you…that way you know where to start

I agree with Wendy. Disney likes to know that they are doing EVERYTHING. Especially if you're actually having the ceremony there... Don't give up. Call back and ask if it would be a problem to have an off site party and then come back. If not, tell them what you are looking for and perhaps they can suggest something on property that would fit your taste. Tell them you have a budget in mind, but it's flexible. THat might help too. Good luck and keep us updated.

 

[TinkBride]

I am i am with Maggimus....when all else fails.....call rosie! She has saved me a couple of times! She is so polite and she has tended to make exceptions that my wedding that my planner would not look into.

 

[JJClemson]

I agree w/ Wendy and everyone, Disney does like being in charge! I am guessing that they won't let you have a Dessert Party only b/c for events beginning after 2pm, the food and beverage minimum is $100 per person, which may be hard to do with just dessert.

I am having my reception at Ariel's too. It is kind of a non-traditional venue. The only decorations I will need will be flowers and such for my cake table, and my mom is making our centerpieces. I will be having about 60-70 guests as well, and we are trying to keep it as cheap as possible Everyone on this board is very helpful and has great ideas on how to do so!

Good luck to you I hope you can talk to someone else at Disney who will be nicer and more helpful.

 

[Belle1981]

Thank you for the support ladies...It is funny I still want to host is at Disney the only reason we suggested elsewhere is because we worked there we have been to every Disney restaurant. The place offsite would have costed more than at Disney but we liked the food there. Thanks for mentioning Rosie my parents had their 25th vow renewal there last year and she was great. I never even thought to ask her. I still have awhile to go so a Disney wedding is still a possibility. The WC suggested I invite more people so I can have it at the Rotunda which is gorgeous...Anyone want to come to a wedding? LOL

 

[DVCGirl49]

Not that it in any way excuses the planner from her attitude, but I wonder if part of her saying "it's hard to say" where it can be done staying within your budget, is that you still need to meet the F&B minimums? Even if they said ok to everything else, you still need to spend $100/pp on food and beverage thruout the day. That may be a little difficult to do for just a desert party, I would think. Just F&B min and the fee for the WP, not including anything else would be nearing your $10k budget. Perhaps as others suggested you can call Rosie and see if she has some creative suggestions, how to have the day you would like but stay reasonably close to your budget? Or sit down and do a little brainstorming on your own. I understand your not wanting the traditional reception. We too definitely do not want the standard ballroom reception. So we sat down and did some research on the DFTW site and here....and found some creative alternatives at WDW that would make us happy AND stay within our budget.

HTH

 

[Maggimus]

Rosie Carabbia at (330) 755-2335.

Call her or e-mail...
Rosie.Carabbia@disney.com

 

[Surfingstitch]

Sounds like fun.

Sign us up!! We'll be there.

 

[Belle1981]

Thanks for the great ideas! I just emailed Rosie. I will keep you posted....

 

[allisonswonderland]

Of course u can hear about my menu- I am doing a brunch eventhough my reception begins at 2 - I love breakfast food and I have one cousin who has terrible food allegies, another who is a vegeterian and 8 kids so I figured that this would be great to accomodate a lot of ppl -

we will have a fruit tray
caesar w/ shrimp or chicken
burbon glazed ham
Mickey waffles
eggs/omlet station
bacon sausage
crossiants, blueberry muffins, cinnamon rolls, banana nut bread
there are probably things I am leaving out-
breakfast potatoes

And of course cake -

I am a bit crazy right with last min details and will be very happy to help with any questions once I return home - we will check out and drive home the 17 but we will not be home until th 19 or so. It will be a while.
Anyway-
Hope that helps - I am sure that they were caught off guard and sometimes, unfortunately ppl act snotty when they do not know how to react, you know what I mean- sounds like what you would like is really cool! Good luck and I will be glad to help!

 

[DLR2WDW]

Rosie is only involved in Intimate Weddings...mainly for floral. If you are having a Custom Wedding event, you will need to talk with the Wedding Consultant first and then a Wedding Planner later on in the process. If you have a Custom Wedding and your "reception" begins after 2pm, you will need to hit a minimum of $100 per person for the food & beverage. For a custom event in Epcot, they can do a more elaborate reception at the viewing areas...it does not need to be just desserts. You could do a more elaborate dessert menu and a bar..and coffee with cordials, etc.

 

[Summer-Caitlin]

I am so sorry that you were treated so badly. I have to agree that when you mention you are using outside vendors or going our for the reception, some can get a bit snippy! Try not to let it bother you, please try again, Disney is supposed to be the place to make 'Dreams Come True' don't let this woman spoil your dream.

They can accommodate, I'm sure, and as most of the women on here will state, they too are on a budget. Whether they stick to that original budget is another matter entirely

I really hope you manage to get something sorted, please keep us posted on your progress.

Good luck

 

[disprincessatheart]

I am actually doing a lot of what you want to do for my wedding in April 07. It sounds like the person you got to talk to was either having a bad day or was confused some how. Here's what I'm doing. My WP was Diane Mahoney-Brown, so if you need to talk to her or refer your planner to her for info on what we're doing, feel free.

I'm having a custom for 40 ppl. We're doing the WP at 5, private bus to EPCOT for an Illuminations reception on French Island (a large patio in front of the France Pavilion)

Pre reception from 6:15 - 7:15
Dinner from 7:30 to 8:45
Illuminations from 9- 9:20
Cake cutting, desserts, drinks and dancing from 9:20 to 11pm (after the park closes!)

I was told we could have stayed later, but we dont' have a crowd coming that would stay out much later anyway, so we ended at 11. That way we have time to be in the park by ourselves (no extra charge) and we are within the 5 hour reception timeframe so as not to incur extra charges.

I hope this helps - if you need more info from me I'd be happy to help. You really can do just about anything, just need your WP to be a little more imaginative.

Oh, by the way, we're doing all of this through Disney (photo, video, floral, etc) for just barely over the 10 k min!

 

[dznystar]

I am actually doing a lot of what you want to do for my wedding in April 07. It sounds like the person you got to talk to was either having a bad day or was confused some how. Here's what I'm doing. My WP was Diane Mahoney-Brown, so if you need to talk to her or refer your planner to her for info on what we're doing, feel free.

I'm having a custom for 40 ppl. We're doing the WP at 5, private bus to EPCOT for an Illuminations reception on French Island (a large patio in front of the France Pavilion)

Pre reception from 6:15 - 7:15
Dinner from 7:30 to 8:45
Illuminations from 9- 9:20
Cake cutting, desserts, drinks and dancing from 9:20 to 11pm (after the park closes!)

I was told we could have stayed later, but we dont' have a crowd coming that would stay out much later anyway, so we ended at 11. That way we have time to be in the park by ourselves (no extra charge) and we are within the 5 hour reception timeframe so as not to incur extra charges.

I hope this helps - if you need more info from me I'd be happy to help. You really can do just about anything, just need your WP to be a little more imaginative.

Oh, by the way, we're doing all of this through Disney (photo, video, floral, etc) for just barely over the 10 k min!

This is something we were talking about too! I'd really love the pictures in front of Illuminations, and we're on the same budget. We were going to save some money by making our own centerpieces (lots of candles because it will be at night).

I hope everything works out for your Disney Wedding. I also worked for Disney. Since the company is so large, unless you speak with someone who has been there forever, or someone who understands and has knowledge of your specific questions, they won't give you the answer you're looking for. I had this problem a few weeks ago. Call back and speak with someone else. Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[jmmastra]

I am actually doing a lot of what you want to do for my wedding in April 07. It sounds like the person you got to talk to was either having a bad day or was confused some how. Here's what I'm doing. My WP was Diane Mahoney-Brown, so if you need to talk to her or refer your planner to her for info on what we're doing, feel free.

I'm having a custom for 40 ppl. We're doing the WP at 5, private bus to EPCOT for an Illuminations reception on French Island (a large patio in front of the France Pavilion)

Pre reception from 6:15 - 7:15
Dinner from 7:30 to 8:45
Illuminations from 9- 9:20
Cake cutting, desserts, drinks and dancing from 9:20 to 11pm (after the park closes!)

I was told we could have stayed later, but we dont' have a crowd coming that would stay out much later anyway, so we ended at 11. That way we have time to be in the park by ourselves (no extra charge) and we are within the 5 hour reception timeframe so as not to incur extra charges.

I hope this helps - if you need more info from me I'd be happy to help. You really can do just about anything, just need your WP to be a little more imaginative.

Oh, by the way, we're doing all of this through Disney (photo, video, floral, etc) for just barely over the 10 k min!

I sent you a PM