New Randy Chapman Question..

[MistressOfAllEvil]

Hey Everyone... I hope someone can help me. After reading all the positive feedback on Randy I'm pretty convinced that I want to hire him.

I've talked to him a couple times on the phone and he seems a little disorganized Please reassure me that he's very professional?!?

Also, I'm trying to fill out the contract and credit card info, but I don't know what I'm supposed to put on the contract, especially by way of pricing, etc. Seems strange that there's no where to check which package you want, etc. Idk... work some ladies (and gents!)

TIA

 

[Malibelle]

Maggie where are you , she nees some reassurance....

As Maggie will tell you he is the best. We even gave up our first choices of photographer and lost $1700 to get Randy. We are so happy with our decision. He know when and where to take the pictures, the best spots..etc. He was there the entire time from getting ready to our dessert party. He is very proffesional for the wedding, we had special requests and he obliged.

 

[magdog79]

I just went through this process with Randy don't worry. Just write down which package on the form. He keeps track in his book he keeps on what you want ordered and so forth. He'll or his wife will send you a copy of the real contract that they will fill out oncef you have sent your papers in.

 

[purplegirl247]

He came across in phone calls as sort of disorganized but the day of the wedding, he's very good. Just be sure that no matter who you choose, you are clear on what type of photos you want. You'll hear me saying that over and over again, in multiple threads, because if you *assume* he'll do certain shots that you've seen in other people's photos, you may end up disappointed. If you *ask* him do to certain shots/styles, he'll certainly oblige you.

 

[Maggimus]

Randy and Linda are both definitely organized... regaurdless of what happened over the phone. You have to realize that you talked to Randy personally. Randy, as a photographer.... knows whats going on pretty much the day of. Its nearly impossible for him to keep up with 2 brides, every single day, and every bride he has on the books and their packaging information, etc. (and im not joking here-- Linda told me that Randy is lucky to get 1 personal day a week). Linda handles most everything at the studio (Linda being Randy's wife- they work as a team). When he wakes up in the morning he knows where hes going and what he's doing--- as for organizing everything to get to that point-- well thats Linda's job. This is definitely the busier time of the year-- heck its wedding season all over the place. Everyone wants to get married at Disney and he's got so much going on im sure its hard to conduct business over the telephone. Personally-- if you want reassurance for yourself-- call the studio and talk with Linda. She may not be able to answer right away-- they are incredibly busy- but she will get back with you! As a photographer he knows what he is doing and will be more than happy to answer your questions... but bare with him... he's a photographer not a public speaker. I think you will be fine! Like others have said just write down the package that you want. Ive never heard of them getting any packaging mixed up. Randy takes the same amount of photos from start to finish as he would with any bride-- regaurdless of the package that you purchase. He meets you and he starts clicking and he doesnt stop until your contracted time is up. He definitely doesnt beat around the bush waiting for time to pass by. Get your name on their books-- get your contract in and dont worry about it. There are bigger fish to fry in the worrying department... this definitely wont need to be one of them! Trust me on it!

Congrats on your upcoming marriage and booking Randy! You'll be so glad you did!

 

[In The Know]

".... Its nearly impossible for him to keep up with 2 brides, every single day, and every bride he has on the books and their packaging information, etc."

Wish that posters gave DFTWPs the same "slack". Everytime I read these threads, people bash the planners without realizing their workload and what they deal with every day.
People complain because their planner hadnt returned their call in a timely fashion for a wedding that doesnt happen for 6mths or a year out.
Maybe they are in a wedding.
Or in a planing session.
Or making changes to your or someone elses wedding BEO
Or taking 10 minutes to eat lunch
Or....maybe they are at home trying to get some sleep after puttting in a 14hr day
They are just as busy and seems like they have more crap to deal with as opposed to what a photographer has to deal with.

I'm not a DFTWP,just someone who can see outside the box

 

[Maggimus]

".... Its nearly impossible for him to keep up with 2 brides, every single day, and every bride he has on the books and their packaging information, etc."

Wish that posters gave DFTWPs the same "slack". Everytime I read these threads, people bash the planners without realizing their workload and what they deal with every day.
People complain because their planner hadnt returned their call in a timely fashion for a wedding that doesnt happen for 6mths or a year out.
Maybe they are in a wedding.
Or in a planing session.
Or making changes to your or someone elses wedding BEO
Or taking 10 minutes to eat lunch
Or....maybe they are at home trying to get some sleep after puttting in a 14hr day
They are just as busy and seems like they have more crap to deal with as opposed to what a photographer has to deal with.

I'm not a DFTWP,just someone who can see outside the box

Hmm... not to stir the pot but are you sure you don't have emotional ties to DFTW planners? Ive never seen someone be so passionate about something that they didn't directly have ties to (or a low post count for that matter... or a s/n that's "In The Know" and from Orlando).

However, I understand what you are saying.... but people rarely make large vents about their planners not getting back to them unless its been at least a week, week and a half. At that point one must understand that they are running a business and getting paid for services rendered. I haven't seen anyone get bashed for not returning a phone call in 72 hours... or an email for that matter.

I agree that DFTW's does have a lot on their plate... but those planners that cant return phone calls within 2 weeks definitely need an assistant or someone else helping with support (like photographers have those who work in the office, scheduling, and answering phones). No one thinks negatively about DFTW's..... i think you are mistaken-- the worse rap they get is for being very inconsistent with information.... allowing one bride to do one thing while letting another bride do another. If you are a DFTW planner (which the moderators are adamant that some do read these boards-- although you say you are not)-- please take that information and run with it. Many brides are told one thing while others are told another. That's all!! Have a good day!

 

[AbbyPan]

".... Its nearly impossible for him to keep up with 2 brides, every single day, and every bride he has on the books and their packaging information, etc."

Wish that posters gave DFTWPs the same "slack". Everytime I read these threads, people bash the planners without realizing their workload and what they deal with every day.
People complain because their planner hadnt returned their call in a timely fashion for a wedding that doesnt happen for 6mths or a year out.
Maybe they are in a wedding.
Or in a planing session.
Or making changes to your or someone elses wedding BEO
Or taking 10 minutes to eat lunch
Or....maybe they are at home trying to get some sleep after puttting in a 14hr day
They are just as busy and seems like they have more crap to deal with as opposed to what a photographer has to deal with.

I'm not a DFTWP,just someone who can see outside the box

Well, I certainly won't bash my planner. I LOVE Carol Mikles, she is so nice and attentive- and I don't expect her to be because I KNOW that she is busy.
These boards are for brides- and sometimes brides get stressed and confused-absolutely normal. We're here to listen to each other and help!! DFTW's will do the rest

I probably shouldn't speak for other brides, but I'm sure most of us really appreciate the hard work and dedication from our planners

 

[Holly81]

".... Its nearly impossible for him to keep up with 2 brides, every single day, and every bride he has on the books and their packaging information, etc."

Wish that posters gave DFTWPs the same "slack". Everytime I read these threads, people bash the planners without realizing their workload and what they deal with every day.
People complain because their planner hadnt returned their call in a timely fashion for a wedding that doesnt happen for 6mths or a year out.
Maybe they are in a wedding.
Or in a planing session.
Or making changes to your or someone elses wedding BEO
Or taking 10 minutes to eat lunch
Or....maybe they are at home trying to get some sleep after puttting in a 14hr day
They are just as busy and seems like they have more crap to deal with as opposed to what a photographer has to deal with.

I'm not a DFTWP,just someone who can see outside the box

I'm pretty new to these boards, but I haven't seen very many instances where people bash their planners. Inconsistency is the one complaint I've seen, particularly as it pertains to intimate weddings, but even then I think the posters on this board are generally fair. They ususally say something like "She's been great so far, but there's this one thing I don't think it's fair..." And I've haven't really seen people complain about response times. Of course, I'm new...

I, for one, really liked my planner, Jennifer. She's not going to be my planner too much longer because she's moving on to do Wishes weddings, but she's been great! Hopefully my new planner will be great, too.

 

[mystiichell]

I'm pretty new to these boards, but I haven't seen very many instances where people bash their planners. Inconsistency is the one complaint I've seen, particularly as it pertains to intimate weddings, but even then I think the posters on this board are generally fair. They ususally say something like "She's been great so far, but there's this one thing I don't think it's fair..." And I've haven't really seen people complain about response times. Of course, I'm new...

I, for one, really liked my planner, Jennifer. She's not going to be my planner too much longer because she's moving on to do Wishes weddings, but she's been great! Hopefully my new planner will be great, too.

Holly:

I have/had Jennifer too & will miss her. I hope Kathleen is as good & sweet as Jen was.

 

[Holly81]

Holly:

I have/had Jennifer too & will miss her. I hope Kathleen is as good & sweet as Jen was.

There are quite of few of us on this board that had her as our planner, huh? We can all together! Here's hoping Kathleen is as nice!

 

[Cinderella22]

I don't even have a planner yet (24 more days!!!!) but my coordinator, Kristi Davis has been unbelievebly great!! She returns e-mails and phone calls asap! She is also very helpful with suggestions and ideas. I am kind of sad that I will be moving on to a planner because I won't have her anymore.

I think most people on these boards understand and respect all of the work these planners and coordinators do.

Have a good day everyone, Maggie

 

[In The Know]

Let me start off by saying that I didn't mean to offend anyone or stir the pot. I like reading the boards and i like the online community. I am new to the boards and yes, i have been bit of a lurker and not much of a poster.

I just saw an opportunity to point out a very interesting point. In a previous post someone had written that Randy can only get to one or two brides a day....i just thought (after reading all the posts and taking the totality of all the messages into consideration) that there seems to be a dissconnect between the way we treat Randy and the way we talk about the planners.

I used to be a cast member at WDW and i simply was witness to what event planners were put through. And it seems that they are not afforded the same courtesy as we would give to someone like Randy.

I can't speak to any of the issues that DFTW has internally (such as inconsistant info) but as a past cast memebr, I can probably shed some light on it.

At WDW, each venue, each location, each chef, each area has a separate set of guidlines, a different issue, a different set of circumstances where events are concerned.

So one can make the connection that because each wedding is completely different from the next - of course we are all going to get different info.

Who would want the same wedding that the next guy had anyway? Just like a the previous post referenced.. "Don't expect Randy to do everything you see on the board - you have to ask, otherwise you will get the same as everyone else".

Weddings are trend based and things are constatnly changing - I personnally wouldn't want to be somewhere that WASN'T moving with the times.

Every event is different, every day is different, the weather, the time of year, the other events, all contribute to what makes each event unique.

I can't imagine any planner waking up in the morning and sayihng "Hmmmm who can i give incorrect info to today....".

Especially where intimate vs custom is concerned. These are TWO totally different products! One is a point and click your way to a wedding package - where the other is a build your wedding from the ground up. They are both great but they are intrinsically DIFFERENT. One is a package and one is not....therefore why would the info be the same?

All I am saying is that it struck me as funny when i reflected back on some of the things that people have posted (remember - these things go back - WAY back! All the way to 2003!)

I am not married to a planner, I'm not a planner (although I wish I was) and I don't work for Disney anymore....i just saw an opportunity for all of us to keep things into perpsective .

Gosh look at us! If we spent half as much time reading or walking or teaching a child to read or feeding the homeless (instead of sitting here gaggling about our weddings) MAN what a great workd this would be.

Again, didn't mean to offend....just typing outloud.

 

[ForKeeps]

Again, didn't mean to offend....just typing outloud.

Well I personally was very offended. If you were to read my posts prior to my wedding you would label me as someone who bashed my WC.

But without this board, where I could vent to, I may have had a nervous breakdown. I'm NOT kidding.

Do you know that when I called with a question that it took upwards of 2 weeks for a response at times? I didn't mind while I was still a few months out, but even with a couple weeks to go it would take a full week for a hastily completed response.

My BEO wasn't sent to me until 7 business days before my wedding despite many requests for it. And when I finally did get it, it was wrong.

My WC never called me before the wedding to confirm anything (I was told they'd do that later, and so not to be a bridezilla I patiently waited, and was never attended to).

Furthermore, she advised me exactly 1/2 hour before she left on vacation that she would not be my WC, and did not provide me any opportunity to ask any questions about my wedding at all.

I've been in the service industry since I was 16 years old. And at any one of my jobs, had I performed the way I received treatment, I would have been FIRED.

I was also careful to compliment those DFTW castmembers who did a great job.

We all have very different situations on this board. Please remember this, and the fact that when you write "I'm not trying to offend anyone" you usually will.

 

[Maggimus]

Let me start off by saying that I didn't mean to offend anyone or stir the pot. I like reading the boards and i like the online community. I am new to the boards and yes, i have been bit of a lurker and not much of a poster.

I just saw an opportunity to point out a very interesting point. In a previous post someone had written that Randy can only get to one or two brides a day....i just thought (after reading all the posts and taking the totality of all the messages into consideration) that there seems to be a dissconnect between the way we treat Randy and the way we talk about the planners.

I used to be a cast member at WDW and i simply was witness to what event planners were put through. And it seems that they are not afforded the same courtesy as we would give to someone like Randy.

I can't speak to any of the issues that DFTW has internally (such as inconsistant info) but as a past cast memebr, I can probably shed some light on it.

At WDW, each venue, each location, each chef, each area has a separate set of guidlines, a different issue, a different set of circumstances where events are concerned.

So one can make the connection that because each wedding is completely different from the next - of course we are all going to get different info.

Who would want the same wedding that the next guy had anyway? Just like a the previous post referenced.. "Don't expect Randy to do everything you see on the board - you have to ask, otherwise you will get the same as everyone else".

Weddings are trend based and things are constatnly changing - I personnally wouldn't want to be somewhere that WASN'T moving with the times.

Every event is different, every day is different, the weather, the time of year, the other events, all contribute to what makes each event unique.

I can't imagine any planner waking up in the morning and sayihng "Hmmmm who can i give incorrect info to today....".

Especially where intimate vs custom is concerned. These are TWO totally different products! One is a point and click your way to a wedding package - where the other is a build your wedding from the ground up. They are both great but they are intrinsically DIFFERENT. One is a package and one is not....therefore why would the info be the same?

All I am saying is that it struck me as funny when i reflected back on some of the things that people have posted (remember - these things go back - WAY back! All the way to 2003!)

I am not married to a planner, I'm not a planner (although I wish I was) and I don't work for Disney anymore....i just saw an opportunity for all of us to keep things into perpsective .

Gosh look at us! If we spent half as much time reading or walking or teaching a child to read or feeding the homeless (instead of sitting here gaggling about our weddings) MAN what a great workd this would be.

Again, didn't mean to offend....just typing outloud.

Although you say you arent directly in with DFTWs.... you know far too much information whether it be about weddings themselves, or what products DFTW's use on their computer not to be one. Having said that.... i can see why you want to stick up for them so much.

However, if you arent in with them-- then you really dont have much room to speak if you havent planned a wedding and been right there when things havent gotten done. Again, this is a message board not a compliment card. There have been times when the EXACT same instance has been shot down to one bride and yet another bride was granted the opportunity. Im not talking at two different locations-- im talking the same location, the same time, etc, etc. Have you planned a DFTW? Maybe that would put things into perspective for you... not everyone will be 100% happy (although I was pretty happy myself).

As for your comment about feeding the homeless, blah blah instead of 'gaggling' about weddings.... personally im offended... and whether you are a planner or a moderator I could really care less--

 

[Fantasia Sam]

Keeping everything else into perspective - everyone is entitled to post here whether they are Cast Members, ex-cast members, wedding planners, guests of Disney, brides to be, brides past blah blah you get me drift.

Personally I love that these boards ALLOW brides to say what they want about their wedding planners or vendors or their wedding guests etc etc as long as they post within the guidelines of the DIS.

THIS is indeed a place to vent, heck that's why a lot of the regular members to this forum do post here for the support in their wedding planning - sometimes a member does beg a question and doesn't often like the response that they get but hey everyone is entitled to their opinion.

So please remember that when you do have an opinion to be careful that your wording cannot be construed as a personal attack on another member.

Otherwise it's just that.. .an opinion.

I think we're pretty much all clear, whether we are past cast members or not, of the fact that every department runs things differently and has different codes of practice etc etc but honestly if I didn't get my BEO until 7 days before my wedding I'd be pretty ticked too regardless of whether or not I was an intimate bride or a custom bride - service is service regardless of how much one is paying.