Meryll83's SBP/Citrico's/Morocco PJ - Update: Trip Report now underway!!

[Beep]

We have our honeymoon cruise booked, which is how I was able to do it, but at the moment it only brings up registry items relating to the cruise, we will have to update it when we have our room reservations if we want to add WDW items.

Ah, I see.

This is nice, I wonder what to do for the guests that are only coming to the evening reception here though.....

Hmmm, can't really help with that one. We aren't having anything like that over here. Maybe you could have a website with all the wedding info on and cheekily put the registry website as a link. My DF designs websites in his spare time and I think we might do something like this.

We have quite a few people that would be very interested in what we were doing and want to see the planning and photos afterwards so it seems like a good place to put the link. I know that some people would like to get something for us, even though they aren't coming to the wedding, and I think this is the best idea for us.

 

[meryll83]

Ok, time for a bit of an update....

I am a bridesmaid down.
Jodie came back from Florida a few days ago and agreed to come and try the bridesmaid dresses on with the other girls in a couple of weeks time.
However, a couple of days after this she text me to say that she was really sorry, but wouldn't be able to afford to come to Florida I think the family have spent too much on this holiday they've just been on - I was surprised though given that there's still 18 months to go to save up again, but hey, it's a lot of money and I can't force people to go!

This got me stressing that if she (and her parents) had dropped out already, how may more people are we going to lose in the next year and a half?!!
For example, one of my other bridesmaids, Gemma, has now arranged her wedding for 2 months after ours, but she's still assuring me it won't effect her coming to ours, although I admit it has me worried.

Incidentally, about half an hour before the text message from Jodie, I discovered that Virgin are now selling Oct/Nov 09, so I was just getting uber-excited that as soon as the half term dates are released we can now get something booked!

Me and Si had a chat and we think that we will book a package with Virgin, for flights and staying at Pop, but leaving 3 nights without accommodation at the end when we'll be cruising, and possibly 4 out over the wedding period when we plan to stay at the Boardwalk, using either Disney's discounted room rates, or renting DVC points.
But at least we'll have our flights booked this way, rather than waiting til 11 months out for flight only!

With the departure of Jodie and family from our wedding list, I think we are now leaning towards an Escape wedding, coz we think there about 11 people in total that we can guarantee will come (thought Jodie was a guarantee before though )
This means we need to rethink locations (thinking back to SBP or the YCG now), I'm hoping we can still add on a dessert party with an Escape wedding(Morocco it'll be now I think), but our main thing is trying to figure out where we can hold our reception.
It doesn't seem that you can have a proper reception, more that you have to arrange your own meal, is this correct?
Does anyone have any suggestions where we could have a meal, preferably in the Boardwalk or possibly Magic Kingdom resort areas?
I would love to have a meal at Le Cellier, but first I'm not sure they'd allow this, and secondly I'm not sure how comfortable I'd be in full wedding gear if the rest of the restaurant is casual!
I guess I'll have to email Disney with the new plan and see what suggestions they can offer.

It also scuppers our plans for the hen night to be a wishes fireworks cruise (grand gathering) as you need at least 8 people to do this and wemay only have about females now.
I've seen people posting threads on here asking for groups they can join so they can do grand gathering events when there's only say 2-3 of them, so this is a possibilty I guess, but I don't want to feel like I'm begging for friends!



Good news is we have provisionally booked a Reception location at home, it's a theatre and entertainment complex and we are using a room that overlooks the sea and the bay, with a view of the castle and the sea front, so that should be pretty, even if it will be pitch black in November!
We attended a Wedding Fayre there yesterday, and there was a cool jazz pianist we are going to try and get (seeing as I won't get my glass piano at the LSS anymore )

One less bridesmaid means one less dress / purse / bouquet and hair-do to pay for though, although my lovely symmetry is now ruined.
Plus, Jodie was the only under 21 which was making me wonder what to do with her when I wanted to plan Jellyrolls / PI events, so at least I no longer have to worry about this either....

I ordered my ring today, I think this is it:

And as a reminder, here's my engagement ring (has a gold band though):

29th April before it gets here though - they must be having to get it forged in the fires of Mount Doom or something. Good job we're not in a hurry!
Si is going to get his ordered as well after payday. He is thinking a plain band or possibly two tone, mine is gold with a thin row of diamonds across the middle.

My mum's customised veil looks good, we're going to take it, the hoop, my hair pins and jewellery on sayurday when I go for my first dress fitting

Ok, think I'm all out of steam for now, it's been a busy weekend!!

 

[Funniebunny]

We had an Escape wedding and it was wonderful, every details was sorted and it was sooooo much cheaper.
After the ceremony we did our cake cutting and first dance at the Pavillion and then went over to the Grand Floridian and took some pics in the lobby, as it was the end of November the big Christmas tree was up. We then all had dinner at Victoria and Alberts. Our wonderful guests even agreed to pay for their own meal and then we booked the wishes cruise as a treat for everyone. It was such a relaxing day from start to finish.

Everything you have organised so far sounds great, I hope planning an Escape wedding makes it all easier for you

 

[lpizzuro123]

Sorry about losing one of your bridesmaids but it sounds like it may make some things abit easier. The only thing I do know is that you cannot go into any of the parks in your wedding attire so Le Cellier is out if you want to go in your gown. I have heard many good things lately about Morocco for the desert party.

The rings look great. Keep us posted on what is going on.

Linda

 

[Beep]

Hi hun, sorry to hear you've had a bit of a set back. Never mind, more scope for restaurants!

If you are looking for somewhere around the boardwalk area how about the Yachtsmans Steakhouse at the Yacht Club? They take a group booking at 9 people so you may be limited to the time, but you could always book two tables and ask for them to be close together. This is what we are going to do - either as a group or two tables. If you book 2 tables you can be more flexible on the time.

You could always eat an early dinner and then go into Epcot (again what we are going to do) for some fun and fireworks. We are then coming back to the Boardwalk area to one of the lounges for a drink and then to Jellyrolls or people can go back to their rooms if they have had enough.

If you are a bridesmaid down I could step in. I know, I know, it's a huge ask and a real hardship (and I wouldn;t enjoy a second of it) but I would be willing to do it out of the goodness of my heart

By the way, your wedding ring is very similar to mine. I'm telling you, we were separated at birth!

 

[meryll83]

Hi hun, sorry to hear you've had a bit of a set back. Never mind, more scope for restaurants!

If you are looking for somewhere around the boardwalk area how about the Yachtsmans Steakhouse at the Yacht Club? They take a group booking at 9 people so you may be limited to the time, but you could always book two tables and ask for them to be close together. This is what we are going to do - either as a group or two tables. If you book 2 tables you can be more flexible on the time.

You could always eat an early dinner and then go into Epcot (again what we are going to do) for some fun and fireworks. We are then coming back to the Boardwalk area to one of the lounges for a drink and then to Jellyrolls or people can go back to their rooms if they have had enough.

If you are a bridesmaid down I could step in. I know, I know, it's a huge ask and a real hardship (and I wouldn;t enjoy a second of it) but I would be willing to do it out of the goodness of my heart

By the way, your wedding ring is very similar to mine. I'm telling you, we were separated at birth!

Are you planning on staying in your dress throughout the day, or are you changing at all?

I worry about limitations on where you can go wearing a wedding dress - and the prospect of looking a bit silly depending where it is we want to go!

We almost went to the Yachtsman Steakhouse on our last trip, shame we didn't really coz then we would have got to sample the place and the food.
Do they have any private areas, or would you just be in the main restaurant?

I couldn't ask you to take on such a horrific task as going to WDW again

We do seem to have very similar ideas about, well, everything really!!

 

[Chilly]

I'm planning on an Escape package, at the moment i'm thinking Sunset Pointe, meal at Calafornia Grill then Wishes Fireworks cruise. I am planning on keeping my dress on all day (its gonna cost a lot, want to get my moneys worth) I know other people in the restaurant might look over but who cares it is your wedding day you should be the centre of attention!

 

[DigitalLove]

Have you thought about the Chefs Domaine at Citricos?! Out of the all the places to eat, this seemed to have the least expensive minimum spend at $650 for a single sitting buy out (I can't remember what the charge was for the full night). The room seats up to 12 and looks really nice, and the sitting times worked well with our other plans for the night. We're eating at the first sitting at 6pm so I figure we'll be out of there for 8-15 which is enough time to get some photos around the GF, and then we meet the up with the Grand 1 at around 9-15 to go watch Wishes. I don't know if you're interested in decorating the table etc, but Disney Floral have charged me about $270 for a couple of arrangements for the table (which is long and kinda oval shaped), a table runner made of rose petals, votives and upgraded linen to match my colour scheme for the table which I didn't think was a bad price... but I've seen photos of the table just as it is and it still looks lovely. You can order from the regular menu or they will customise a menu for you and the $650 minimum includes drinks as well. If you're interested then I'll be sure to give a detailed rundown of what it was like when we get back!

So sorry to hear about your Bridesmaid drama! On the plus side, at least she's let you know in plenty of time rather than letting you down at the last minute which I know only too well about!! Grrr!!

Christina
xxx

 

[Chilly]

one of my other bridesmaids, Gemma, has now arranged her wedding for 2 months after ours, but she's still assuring me it won't effect her coming to ours, although I admit it has me worried.

That would worry me a lot as well. She might now say that but when she starts paying out money for her own wedding she might start thinking well if I didn't have to pay to go to Florida I could afford XYZ. Also has she got enough leave from work to have two holidays so close together (presuming she is having a honeymoon and goes out to work).

 

[Chilly]

Have you thought about the Chefs Domaine at Citricos?! Out of the all the places to eat, this seemed to have the least expensive minimum spend at $650 for a single sitting buy out (I can't remember what the charge was for the full night). The room seats up to 12 and looks really nice, and the sitting times worked well with our other plans for the night. We're eating at the first sitting at 6pm so I figure we'll be out of there for 8-15 which is enough time to get some photos around the GF, and then we meet the up with the Grand 1 at around 9-15 to go watch Wishes. I don't know if you're interested in decorating the table etc, but Disney Floral have charged me about $270 for a couple of arrangements for the table (which is long and kinda oval shaped), a table runner made of rose petals, votives and upgraded linen to match my colour scheme for the table which I didn't think was a bad price... but I've seen photos of the table just as it is and it still looks lovely. You can order from the regular menu or they will customise a menu for you and the $650 minimum includes drinks as well. If you're interested then I'll be sure to give a detailed rundown of what it was like when we get back!

So sorry to hear about your Bridesmaid drama! On the plus side, at least she's let you know in plenty of time rather than letting you down at the last minute which I know only too well about!! Grrr!!

Christina
xxx

Wow that sounds perfect for what I would need and is around the price I had budgeted in my head! How far in advance can you book that?

 

[DigitalLove]

Wow that sounds perfect for what I would need and is around the price I had budgeted in my head! How far in advance can you book that?

I think you can book it 180 days out through the regular ADR reservation line. I was less than 180 days out though and had no problem getting the date we wanted. Apparently, not alot of people realise it exists so its not quite as hard to book as other places! I'll try and find you a link I have of some of the photos of the room

http://www.tazfoto.com/webhtml/chefsdomain.htm

 

[Chilly]

Thank you

Sorry to crash your thread Meryll!

 

[meryll83]

Thank you

Sorry to crash your thread Meryll!

Don't worry, all this information is really useful!

The Chef's Domaine looks great, but we may still be over 12 people and a 6pm sitting might not be quite early enough to get us back over to Epcot in time for Illuminations.

'Tis a shame that it might not work, coz it looks an ideal location for a small group.

Part of me wants a reception near the BW so everything is together (presuming we choose SBP/YCG and an IllumiNations dessert party), but then another part of me wants an MK resort location for the reception so we can get some photos done in both areas!

Hmmm... do they do any sort of Wishes dessert parties?
I think maybe it's just the marina boat hire that does things like this, although that would be a memorable end to the wedding day if we watched Wishes from the boat (now we won't be doing the GG on the hen night). To be honest I prefer Wishes to Illuminations, but Epcot is all set up to offer desserts etc. I just wonder if they do any munchies at all on the Wishes cruises...
Hmmm.... think I need to do some more investigating on this.....

Could do SBP/YCG ceremony and have BW piccies done, then head over to the MK for possibly Chef's Domaine or Cali Grill, something like that, followed by a Wishes Cruise, but I really want some sweet treats on the cruise if possible. Perhaps we could cut the cake at the BW, but serve it on the cruise.....

Wow, can't believe how much plans are changing in my head at the moment!



Just checked and the largest cruiser is for 13 people, so it's really gonna depend on our final guest numbers, coz there is the potential for it to be up to about 18 of us in total I think.
Once the dates are out (hopefully within the next month) it's time for me to get brutal anyway and try and find out numbers so this stuff can be sorted out.
Apparently you have to ring 180 (I think) days out to book the cruise - what if someone snaffled it from under my nose, ooh that would be a pain!
I suppose I could revert back to the Illuminations plan if this happened.

Ooh too much going on in my little head!!!

 

[DigitalLove]

Lets see...

... You can apparently have a 'Wishes' Dessert party at the GF so perhaps that would be an option?! 'Wishes' is more likely to be cancelled because of weather rather than 'Illuminations' so how disappointed would you be to have a dessert party without fireworks?!

I booked the Grand 1 90 days out and was told it takes a maximum of 18 people... You can also arrange to have dessert served on the yacht by ordering through Private Dining at the GF. Quite how comfortable 18 people would be on the yacht I don't know... I'll let you know once we get back. You also have the added hassle of relying on getting the yacht and then having nothing organised if someone beats you to it when the lines open to book!

Oh decisions, decisions!!!

 

[Chilly]

You can get Private Dining sent to the boat so you could order some desserts which I might do depends on price at the end of the day.

 

[Starr W.]

Lets see...

... You can apparently have a 'Wishes' Dessert party at the GF so perhaps that would be an option?! 'Wishes' is more likely to be cancelled because of weather rather than 'Illuminations' so how disappointed would you be to have a dessert party without fireworks?!

I booked the Grand 1 90 days out and was told it takes a maximum of 18 people... You can also arrange to have dessert served on the yacht by ordering through Private Dining at the GF. Quite how comfortable 18 people would be on the yacht I don't know... I'll let you know once we get back. You also have the added hassle of relying on getting the yacht and then having nothing organised if someone beats you to it when the lines open to book!

Oh decisions, decisions!!!

I think that Wishes and Illuminations have the same sort of probablility of cancellation. Fantasmic gets cancelled more than W or I.

I know someone had posted Janet Evanovich's daughters DFTW on here. Janet is a famous author(Stephanie Plum series). She had her wedding early November when TS Noel went through. They had to move the welcome lunch indoors. She had the late WP time, with a cocktail DP at Epcot. Served the food indoors, but Illuminations still went off.

Check Janet2K's posts she's done the Wishes DP, I think the minimums might be higher there than an Epcot DP(just because it's the GF).

 

[meryll83]

Lets see...

... You can apparently have a 'Wishes' Dessert party at the GF so perhaps that would be an option?! 'Wishes' is more likely to be cancelled because of weather rather than 'Illuminations' so how disappointed would you be to have a dessert party without fireworks?!

I booked the Grand 1 90 days out and was told it takes a maximum of 18 people... You can also arrange to have dessert served on the yacht by ordering through Private Dining at the GF. Quite how comfortable 18 people would be on the yacht I don't know... I'll let you know once we get back. You also have the added hassle of relying on getting the yacht and then having nothing organised if someone beats you to it when the lines open to book!

Oh decisions, decisions!!!

Are you doing this with 18 people then?
I'm not really wanting to be in the GF itself if possible, Simon finds it too stuffy, but having a private yacht would be totally cool if we can fit us all on, which we definitely should do if you've been told 18 people.
Does it include 18 people plus big wedding dress though?

Will have to propose this new idea to Si and see what he says - he might still want to go for IllumiNations anyway....

 

[Goldeelox9]

Great PJ! Glad I found it!

 

[meryll83]

Great PJ! Glad I found it!

Glad you're enjoying my waffling!


Ok, so now I've seen some piccies of the Grand1 , I'm not really sure it's gonna be roomy enough for 13ish people to eat and watch fireworks, so gonna go back to the Morocco dessert party idea.

Now, I like the look of the menu at the Yachtsman Steakhouse, but it seems that here, and most restaurants, don't open for dinner until 5.30pm.
If our ceremony is at 2.30pm, I would think we would be done with pictures etc by about 4.30pm - so what to do for an hour?

Now I would really like to have some piccies done at the GF area, which then lends to the idea of having our meal there (possibly at the Cali Grill), but if we have a meal at 5.30pm are we gonna have enough time to get back over to Epcot for the dessert party? And this is presuming 5.30pm is good and we don't end up actually getting served at 6pm. I wonder if we can pre-order our menu choices a couple of days before hand to make sure we get served speedily? I would think we would need to leave at about 7.30pm to get to the dessert party.
We could have the ceremony at the BW, photo time at the BW, photo time at the GF, dinner at the CG then on to the dessert party. If we just have a starter, main and cake at the CG there should be room for desserts shortly after right?

I don't really want to drag people from the BW over to the GF just for photos, only to drag them back to the Yachtsman Steakhouse.

The other option is to have lunch somewhere instead of dinner - but then we might be done by about 6pm and what do we do until the dessert party? Although I suppose if after the ceremony we went somewhere in the GF/MK area for lunch, we could then have some photos done (at what might be dusk) after the meal and before going back to Epcot.
Although if another bride has the WP booked at 5.30pm, I'm not sure we'll be allowed to use the beach for photos will we? I don't wanna invade somone elses moment!

Let me know what you think guys - what's the best plan of action??
Help me, help me!!

 

[meryll83]

Judging by the overwhelming reponse to my above ideas i guess it's back to the drawing board!

Ok, so I went for my first dress fitting today, here are the piccies (excuse the man stance and I'm full of cold so this is a really glamourous shot!) It looks better in person, honest!:

And the back, don't ask me why this photo is a completely different colour, I have no idea!:

I'll try and get some better close ups of the dress detail next time, I'm back on the 29th for another fitting....