Private Dinner Off, Wedding Maybe Too!

[janine]

I wish I had never booked my Disney wedding.
I have now been told by Private dining that I cannot have my dinner at the Marina that I booked, as I am an INTIMATE BRIDE.
I had asked all my guests for their dinner choice etc, and booked caricature artist, balloon artist and a magician for the children. and now they say NO.
My EM contacted the GF tp tell them no, it cannot happen.

I have lost everything I wanted at Disney. Instead of the magic I just feel bitter.
I wish I had just booked it in this country instead.
I can't even speak to Damian at the moment, he has just had 6 hour kidney surgery today. This has all come at a bad time. I am just so upset, I really feel I am about to just cancel the whole thing.
I may decide on a Swan wedding instead, I have heard they dont have restrictions like this.

 

[JessHooper]

I wish I had never booked my Disney wedding.
I have now been told by Private dining that I cannot have my dinner at the Marina that I booked, as I am an INTIMATE BRIDE.
I had asked all my guests for their dinner choice etc, and booked caricature artist, balloon artist and a magician for the children. and now they say NO.
My EM contacted the GF tp tell them no, it cannot happen.

I have lost everything I wanted at Disney. Instead of the magic I just feel bitter.
I wish I had just booked it in this country instead.
I can't even speak to Damian at the moment, he has just had 6 hour kidney surgery today. This has all come at a bad time. I am just so upset, I really feel I am about to just cancel the whole thing.
I may decide on a Swan wedding instead, I have heard they dont have restrictions like this.

I'm very sorry to hear about your fiance and your situation with Disney. I ran into the same thing and I am in the process of booking a Swan wedding as well. You should talk to Michele at Just Marry. She is amazing and she is the director. That is who my fiance and I are working with. Let me know if you want any info about her or Swan weddings...just PM me. Good luck and again, I'm very sorry about what has happened.

 

[allisonswonderland]

I know the difference between a custom and intimate but it seems like you are less likely to be able to get what you want as an intimate? I guess it is the money? I wish you good luck and hope that things work out. Take care and happy holiday

 

[UnderTheMistletoe]

Janine-

I am so sorry it has all fallen through like this. I am even more concerned for you fiance. Is he OK? Surgery go alright?

On the wedding front, why not worry about it until after the holidays. There is no sense in adding this to your plate this time of year. You have DFi to be concerned about, and family and friends who you will want to be near at the holidays.

I would suggest looking into the Swan, as well. I have heard nothing but wonderful things from the people on this board about their experiences with the Swan and JustMarry.com. I would most definately recommend contacting DFTW and let them know how upset you are. Please check you PMs, as well, as I've sent something there for you.

Here's a speedy recovery for DFi, best wishes for the holidays, and hoping that you can have the wedding of your dreams with or without FTW.

xoxo

 

[WDWbride2007]

Janine,
I am so sorry to hear about your troubles. I hope your DF feels better very soon. As for Disney, did you tell your EM about the dinner? I can't believe your EM called private dining to tell them NO. I would seriously call the director of the department. I think it is ridiculous that they expect anyone who wants a quiet dinner after their wedding to pay a minimum of 10K (on weekdays, not to mention weekend minimums). It seems that they care more for the bottom dollar than providing good customer service to all brides. Just because you want a small, intimate affair shouldn't make you a second-class bride...especially when you do the legwork yourself. Sorry to ramble on...but I just get so upset when FTW dept. treats intimates so badly. Someone else posted that intimates were now allowed to book the Illuminations party. Can you try to book that and perhaps add in some appetizers? It would be lovely.

Best wishes for a wonderful holiday,
Barbie

 

[Mommy Poppins]

I'm sorry Janine. That just sucks! Can you have your mother or a friend book the private dinner under their name with no connection to the wedding?

 

[FutureAshleyDukes]

Gosh to have your EM do that seems stupid to me. It's not like you're somehow pan-handling a free private dinner from the resort, YOU'RE PAYING FOR THE SERVICE. Sorry to hear about your fiance I hope he gets to feeling better soon. Maybe you can still have your Disney wedding and just have your reception or private meal at the Swan or Dolphin.

 

[WDWbride2007]

As Ashley mentioned, you could look into a dinner at the Swan or Dolphin. You could also try Fulton's Crab House in DTD. They have a nice private area on the third deck. If you PM me, I will send you any info that you need concerning Fultons. There is also the semi-private room at Palios. There is no minimum. You just need to order from a price-fixed menu. Again, I have more info if you need. Good luck. I wish you all the best for your wedding!

 

[twojo21]

that is horrible! i would be so livid. first i would call dftw & ask your em why you cant have a private dinner event like other guests (other brides have done a private dinner at the gf, even my fi & i had a private dinner on the beach) & why she would cancel it. i would complain, complain, complain to your em, her manager, head of dftw. i would insist she allow the event as is.

worse comes to worse have another family member book your dinner event with no connection to your name. or cancel your dftw ceremony & have that elsewhere ie the swan with justmarry, leu gardens in orlando. then try to book your dinner at the gf since theres no connection to dftw or book your dinner elsewhere.

i feel so awful this happened to you, i would be devasted. i hope everything gets straightened out. best of luck.

on a sidenote i hope your fi is recovering from his surgery & well soon.

 

[Laurafoster]

janine i am so sorry this has happened to you!

I would definately ring your EM and ask why you cannot have the dinner - as many other brides have done and my SM said it is no problem to do that at all, you can even have an illuminations or fantasmic party as long as you dont wear your dress!

 

[hmgolden]

I wish I had never booked my Disney wedding.
I have now been told by Private dining that I cannot have my dinner at the Marina that I booked, as I am an INTIMATE BRIDE.
I had asked all my guests for their dinner choice etc, and booked caricature artist, balloon artist and a magician for the children. and now they say NO.
My EM contacted the GF tp tell them no, it cannot happen.

I agree its unfortunate, but to play devil's adcovate for FTW - it appears that by booking your dinner at the Marina, and all the entertainment you have booked that you are attempting to have a custom wedding without the custom wedding price tag. For better or for worse Disney, and the FTW department, is a business. The intimate package is just that - a package with limitations, and a custom wedding, is well, customized. There is a huge difference in booking a priorty seating at a restaurant after your intimate wedding, and trying to book a customized reception, which it appears is what you want. While other brides may have had success in having private events after their intimate wedding, Disney does have the right to prevent you from having a custom wedding without paying for it.

If you still want your marina reception, you should look into what you will end up paying for everything you have selected, etc and see if you will meet the custom wedding minimums. If you will, I would switch to being a custom bride. If you can't, I would suggest looking at the Swan as a Disney alternative. While you could try to circumvent the rules, you wouldn't want your reception to be interupted by Disney telling you that you can't be at the marina in your wedding dress during your party.

Good Luck deciding what to do and I wish your FI a swift recovery!

 

[Button]

That is dreadful, after all that trouble. Some people are so cruel. If these people don't have a heart they shouldn't work in FTW! What a jobsworth!

Don't cancel your wedding remember you love your H2B and at the end of the day that's what is important.

Take care. x

 

[janine]

Hi
After the GF told me that I emailed my EM, she told me she had not telephoned them, they in fact telephoned her and told her that they were going to cancel it. It appears they may be shifting the blame here. I did find this rather odd because my EM had told me it was possible for me to have the private event, and she even booked me the entertainment. I wont mention her name, but she has been great to work with so far. I really now believe it was the GF that put a stop to it not her. They probably never thought I would have contacted my EM about it.
I haven't complained as such , but I have made it very clear to them that they have ruined my day, and they emailed me to say they would look into an alternative.
I shan't hold my breath.
If I could go custom I would. I have been down that road, and could not spend 10,000 on my small wedding. I got to $7000, and found the other $3000 plus, was money not well spent, so I went back to initmate with the hope I could book a private dinner.
If they just said no, I would accept it, but I will not tolerate having it all booked for them to say no 2 weeks later.
I have to say though the Yacht club conventions dept were ten times worse. They said yes one minute and the next I didn't hear a dicky! they would not return emails, calls etc. So rude she was.
At the moment I am just going to forget it all, and get Christmas out of the way.
I have enough on my mind with Damians health to worry about.
We will decide what to do in the new year now.
Thank you for all the well wishes, Damian is still poorly.
He has had a blockage in his ureter for the last 18 months, and has been in hospital numerous times. They finally found the blockage (after 18 months of scans etc) and re-implanted the ureter into the bladder.
He was in surgery for over 5 hours and is still really groggy, but improving slightly. A few more days and he will be up out of bed. His breathing has been a little worry, so he has had some help with that, but he should be ok in a couple more days. Apparently it is the morphine that affects his breathing.
Our girls are very upset that Dad is in hospital over Christmas, but at least he wont have to keep going in hospital every few weeks when the pain gets so bad.
Thanks for all your good wishes, I am sure everything will be fine soon.
Janine

 

[Rustyflwr3]

Janine,
I hope everything works out for you! I know this is and was upsetting to you, but I really hope it doesn't ruin your day! Good Luck with everything!

Jessica

 

[WDWbride2007]

For better or for worse Disney, and the FTW department, is a business. The intimate package is just that - a package with limitations, and a custom wedding, is well, customized. There is a huge difference in booking a priorty seating at a restaurant after your intimate wedding, and trying to book a customized reception, which it appears is what you want. While other brides may have had success in having private events after their intimate wedding, Disney does have the right to prevent you from having a custom wedding without paying for it.

I agree with you, but I feel that Disney does not offer any middle-of-the-road options. You either have a small wedding with no privacy for dinner or you have to plan an all-out reception. I think some intimate brides would just like a simple dinner in a room apart from other guests. It is such a special day after all. Yet, I feel that Disney takes advantage of this to try to pump thousands of dollars out of a couple for some privacy. When I looked at the wishbook, my total only came out to about $7500 for everything on the wedding day. I don't want to spend an extra $2500 plus tax and tip to have a private dinner. It seems a bit outrageous to me. Perhaps they should help intimates have a dinner without dancing or an elaborate reception, but some privacy. This way they can control the situation to make sure it is not a real "wedding reception." I don't know...it is all very confusing. If it becomes too much of a headache, I might not have a wedding at Disney. I don't want to be bullied to spend way more than I can afford to have some quality time with my closest family. Although I love dining at Disney, I feel that on my wedding day I would like to do so without other guests around me. Oh well, I hope it works out for Janine. After all that she has been through, I hope they work with her to create a magical day!!!

 

[Mommy Poppins]

Hope Damian makes a very speedy recovery. Christmas in the hospital can't be fun for any of you. Also, I hope that Disney is able to work something out for you. Seems like they've screwed this around enough!!!

PS - How old are your girls? Merry Christmas to them!!