Problems with co-ordinator - feeling the pressure - help!

[Cinderella2006]

I could really do with some support. We are getting married in 5 months at Disney's Wedding Pavilion. I thought that planning a small wedding in Disney would be easy who was I kidding! I am an emotional wreck and I am only having an intimate! Am I over reacting? I am really delicate at the moment; our house it up for sale; we are hoping to move nearer my family, I am just finishing my diploma whilst my fiancé is working 120 miles away and I am trying to juggle looking after my very energetic two year old whilst trying to plan a wedding. I cannot decide on anything, I don’t know whether it’s because there is too much choice or if I want everything to be perfect or I am just bone-idle!

I feel like my co-ordinator couldn’t care less; I do understand that he has lots of other weddings but I am finding it particularly hard being from the UK and it doesn’t help when the only contact is through email. I emailed him with a couple of questions over a week ago and he still hasn’t got back to me

Did anyone else feel like this before his or her wedding because I feel like I am heading for a nervous breakdown!

Anyway, enough moaning, lets get down to business.

Flowers - Well I don’t know where to begin, I have had a look at all the threads, I really like pink, and it is my fave colour. My bridesmaids are wearing a deep red (Christmas colour!?) do you think this would be ok? What should I get for the bridesmaids - wands or wrist corsages? I think the wands are cute. Flower girl - has anyone had Disney’s flower basket? Any pictures?

Music selection - I don’t know what is going to sound better on an organ or a violin!? So far we have the traditional Bridal Chorus for me, Wedding March for Recessional - put a lot of effort into that I really like a whole new world but not sure on the rest.

Decorations - I want to try and cut down on costs as it is costing £20,000 to get the family over to Disney. Can I bring my own flowers to decorate the wedding pavilion? Would I need to pay for a setting up fee? How would I know how to decorate a place that I have never seen?

Dinner - I have made a reservation for 1900 Park Fare for dinner after the wedding. There are a lot of children and I want everyone to enjoy himself or herself so I thought this would be suitable. Can I get them to decorate the table? Maybe some place cards, confetti, centre piece etc?

Thanks for your help guys; I am beginning to sound like a bridezilla (it that what you call them!?)

 

[karentan]

I feel like my co-ordinator couldn’t care less; I do understand that he has lots of other weddings but I am finding it particularly hard being from the UK and it doesn’t help when the only contact is through email. I emailed him with a couple of questions over a week ago and he still hasn’t got back to me
first of all, dont worry, with an intimate its just a fairly set package, and you wont hear much from your coordinator til much closer to the time. they should send you a form sometime asking about flowers and cake fillings, etc, but until you get to the US you wont really hear much from them. but dont panic (i did!) everything will be fine. what were the questions you wanted answered? i had an intimate last november and i'm form essex so may be able to answer them from a previous UK bride point of view


[/QUOTE]Flowers - Well I don’t know where to begin, I have had a look at all the threads, I really like pink, and it is my fave colour. My bridesmaids are wearing a deep red (Christmas colour!?) do you think this would be ok? What should I get for the bridesmaids - wands or wrist corsages? I think the wands are cute. Flower girl - has anyone had Disney’s flower basket? Any pictures?[/QUOTE]
pink should be ok. i had pink and white roses in my mixed french bouquet. the link to my photos is in my signature, theres a photo of the flowers in there. as long as you dont pick a colour that clashes with the red you should be fine. you mentioned the cost of getting everyone over there, with that in mind, i'd maybe suggest the wands for the bridesmaids cos they work out substantially cheaper than bridesmaids bouquets and corsages

[/QUOTE]Music selection - I don’t know what is going to sound better on an organ or a violin!? So far we have the traditional Bridal Chorus for me, Wedding March for Recessional - put a lot of effort into that I really like a whole new world but not sure on the rest[/QUOTE]
i had can you feel the love tonight for my recessional, you can request any disney or wedding song for them to play at times you specify. you dont have to specify music for every part, they'll play classic disney/wedding tunes otherwise. they played braveheart when my husband walked down the aisle (he's scottish so thought this was great!)

[/QUOTE]Decorations - I want to try and cut down on costs as it is costing £20,000 to get the family over to Disney. Can I bring my own flowers to decorate the wedding pavilion? Would I need to pay for a setting up fee? How would I know how to decorate a place that I have never seen?[/QUOTE]
the wedding pavilion is beautiful on its own, we didnt have any decorations, but you could bring your own if you wish, but bear in mind that you'll have to buy local flowers or take fake flowers in from the uk cos you wont be able to take flowers from here into the US. you may have to pay a set up fee or you could get someone from your family to set them up just before the ceremony starts. the pavilion is still gorgeous without decoration though. the castle through the window is testiment to disneys amazing attention to detail.

[/QUOTE]Dinner - I have made a reservation for 1900 Park Fare for dinner after the wedding. There are a lot of children and I want everyone to enjoy himself or herself so I thought this would be suitable. Can I get them to decorate the table? Maybe some place cards, confetti, centre piece etc?[/QUOTE]
we went to chef mickeys after our intimate, they treated us like royalty, the characters were great and its a great choice for a family meal! did you mention your wedding when you made the adr? i'd try and call 1900 park fair direct to ask this question, they'll be better equipped to deal with this query than your coordinator anyway.

any other questions, feel free to PM me.
hope this has helped

 

[Cinderella2006]

Thanks Karen, I have had the planning forms for 5 months now and still have quite a lot to fill in. Not sure what time we should get the limo to pick us up, wedding is at 2pm, we are staying at Port Orleans, anyone know how far away it is to the GF?
Most of the questions you have already kindly asked; I like to be organized. Can I ask how you got your wedding certificate (is that what you get from the courthouse before the wedding?)? Did you go to the courthouse or sort it out in the UK? We are only in Disney for two days before we get married so it will be a tight squeeze!

 

[penlanspice]

You have to go to the courthouse to get the marriage licence, you can use a company (forget what they are called) and they will send the licence here to the UK and you post it back, it is quite expensive though. After the wedding the reverend takes the licence back to the court house and then it will be posted to you. I think it takes about 4 weeks.

I would say go with the organ, it sound's amazing in real life. Much better than on cd's and dvd's. I was amazed at how good it sounded.

Sam

 

[karentan]

Thanks Karen, I have had the planning forms for 5 months now and still have quite a lot to fill in. Not sure what time we should get the limo to pick us up, wedding is at 2pm, we are staying at Port Orleans, anyone know how far away it is to the GF?
Most of the questions you have already kindly asked; I like to be organized. Can I ask how you got your wedding certificate (is that what you get from the courthouse before the wedding?)? Did you go to the courthouse or sort it out in the UK? We are only in Disney for two days before we get married so it will be a tight squeeze!

hiya again
we had a 2pm ceremony also, the limo picked the guys up from the AK lodge at 1pm i think (or 1.30 cant remember), dropped them off at the WP, then came back to POR for me. we started the ceremony about 10/15 minutes early to try and beat the rain. from the POR to the WP its probably not more than 20 minutes so if the limo is just picking you up then 1.30 should be fine. the limo is then free to you for the next 4 hours so we had it take everyone to the GF then come back for us. after the cake reception it took us all to the contemporary (minus dad and DF's dad cos the limo only holds 8, so they took the monorail, and actually got asked what band they were in! (DF dad was in kilt!)

just trying to find a PM i sent someone a few months ago about the marriage license... if youve got a spare 2 hours when you get there it's a lot cheaper to get it yourselves rather than pay for a company to get it. we only spent about 45 minutes in the courthouse, and that was with a big queue. here it is:


ive got the directions from the buena vista palace (used to be the wyndham palace) next to downtown disney, so best thing is probably to go there (easy enough to find), and then follow the directions from there. we found it very easily so theyre good directions!

osceola county courthouse
2 courthouse square
2nd floor
kissimmee
Fl, 34741
tel # 4073433530

open monday to friday 8.30-4.30, closed on holidays

take passport, divorce papers if applicable or name change documents if you've changed name at any time, plus $97.50 (current charge) payable in cash, travellers cheques or credit card

you get an hours free parking

directions from buena vista palace:
go out of car park
turn left onto buena vista drive
turn left at 1st traffic light onto hotel plaza blvd
continue to next main intersection - SR535
turn right onto the 535
continue straight ahead to highway 192
turn left onto highway 192
continue to john young parkway (bermuda avenue)
turn right onto john young (bermuda avenue)
go to the 4th traffic light - patrick street
turn left onto patrick street
the courthouse will be on your left on the corner of patrick and rose street.


hope that helps
karen

 

[tchan03]

There's a company that helps you applying for marriage license by mail is called A Wedding For YOu Inc. http://www.aweddingforyou.com

Read the information there carefully about getting Florida license , or ask specific question via email or phone. They are quite responsive.
Terence

 

[JDR2b777]

Hey Tchan03 - I like your photos, who was your photographer?

There's a company that helps you applying for marriage license by mail is called A Wedding For YOu Inc. http://www.aweddingforyou.com

Read the information there carefully about getting Florida license , or ask specific question via email or phone. They are quite responsive.
Terence

 

[Janet2k]

I could really do with some support.

Here are a couple of big <<HUGS>> for you.

Here's a little background info on me. I had a custom vow renewal in October of 2004. My ceremony was at 8 PM inside the Wedding Pavilion. My dinner party immediately followed my ceremony and it was held inside the Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park. It was the most magical night of my life. The Fairy Tale Weddings folks pulled off the most fun event imaginable.

I'll share in my answers below a few of the choices that I made for my vow renewal. Even though I was a Custom and you are an Intimate, I went through the same things in regards to "What should I do?" (If you want to read all about the planning of my vow renewal, click here. There are lots of details in that trip report, including links to photos and such.)

I emailed him with a couple of questions over a week ago and he still hasn’t got back to me.

E-mail your coordinator again and state that you would like a telephone conference with him. Explain that you need your questions answered so that you can take care of the final details of your wedding. Also state in your e-mail message that you expect a response by such-and-such date. If he is unable to contact you by that date, he is to have someone else from the FTW department contact you. Be firm but polite. I know the FTW coordinators are busy but you are the customer and deserve to be treated as such.

Flowers - Well I don’t know where to begin... What should I get for the bridesmaids - wands or wrist corsages?

I was at a loss, too, regarding flowers. I simply told Disney that I wanted spring colors (even though my vow renewal was in the fall). I also wanted a simple, round bouquet that smelled wonderful. The kind of flowers that I would want to smell all night long. As to my bridesmaids' bouquets, I wanted them to be slightly smaller versions of my bouquet.

When the bouquets arrived on the night of my event, this is what they looked like when the floral box was opened: click here. Here is a photo of the three bouquets: click here. And here is a close-up of a special touch that I had requested: click here. Everything was perfect and exactly how I had envisioned it would be. And the bouquets smelled divine, ~sigh.~

Music selection - I don’t know what is going to sound better on an organ or a violin!? So far we have the traditional Bridal Chorus for me, Wedding March for Recessional...but not sure on the rest.

I wanted to keep things simple in the Wedding Pavilion so I went with the organ. It was lovely. As to songs, I left that entirely up to Disney. Music at my ceremony wasn't important to me. All I wanted to do was look into my husband's eyes and recite my marriage vows. I had been waiting 20 years to tell him "I do" all over again. Nothing else mattered.

Decorations - I want to try and cut down on costs... Can I bring my own flowers to decorate the wedding pavilion? Would I need to pay for a setting up fee? How would I know how to decorate a place that I have never seen?

Decorating the Wedding Pavilion wasn't important to me. I felt it was beautiful on its own. I requested a simple floral arrangement and some candles for the altar: click here. The only thing that mattered to me was simply reciting my vows to my husband.

Please ask your coordinator if you can bring in outside flowers. I know other folks have done it in the past but I'm not sure what the current rules are. Outside vendors have decorated the Wedding Pavilion in the past.

Dinner - I have made a reservation for 1900 Park Fare for dinner after the wedding. There are a lot of children and I want everyone to enjoy himself or herself so I thought this would be suitable. Can I get them to decorate the table? Maybe some place cards, confetti, centre piece etc?

1900 Park Fare sounds perfect. I have dined there many times and have always had a lovely time, I've even dined there with small groups of family and/or friends.

As to decorating some tables for your party, you are going to have to contact the manager of the restaurant to see if that can be done. Hopefully, something can be worked out, especially if you're dining at a time that isn't too terribly busy. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.

I hope my answers helped a little bit. Everyone plans weddings differently. For some, flowers are the most important thing. For others, music is the most important thing. And for an old married woman like me, finally getting the chance to tell my husband that I love him all over again was all that mattered. Well, that and a kick-butt dinner party.

Again, here are some big <<HUGS>>. I'm sure you'll have a beautiful wedding.

 

[Cinderella2006]

Thank you everyone; I am really touched that you have all put so much time and effort into helping me; i feel better already!
karentan - Thank you for the information on the wedding license, i think we will go down the day before the wedding; thats if they will be open because it is halloween! Appreciate the info on the limo; its the little things that really help
Janet2k - Loved having a sneak at your pictures; simple but done to perfection! You have helped me alot, you have made me realise that the most important thing is marrying the man i love; everything else is a bonus!

You are all great

 

[MrsTink04]

I am just going to address your concerns about music and WP decor.

Decor: The WP is beautiful on it's own, it really does not need much decor. I did not decorate at all and don't regret one bit that I didn't go that that added expense.


Music: When we had our intimate (a little over 2 years ago), the music was piped in. I did not have an organ or a violin. Matter of fact, not only was the music pipied into the pavilion, it was even piped into the bride's room. The music almost sounded like a full orchestra...it REALLY sounded great!!!

Calm down, though. Stress will do nothing but make you crazy!!

Pixie Dust!

 

[Janet2k]

Cinderella2006, the folks on the Dis are very helpful. I’ve been a member of this community for years and they never cease to amaze me with their insight and their compassion. I’m glad you saw that in this thread.

As to your wedding, Disney gives you so many choices that it can become overwhelming. I wrote about that in the trip report that I provided a link to in my prior post. My Planning Session had lasted well over eight hours (it was an unusual session due to my unusual vow renewal). It was an action-packed day, and towards the end of it, I was on information overload. I had become overwhelmed. And I bet if you asked my Event Manager about it today, he would be forced to admit, “Yes, Janet had that ‘deer-in-the-headlights’ look.” It truly had become difficult for me to keep track of every little detail that had been presented to me. The possibilities were endless with Disney.

You're probably experiencing that right now as you learn more and more about Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings from their official website and from people here on the Dis website. It's probably adding to your stress level because there are so many things that you would like to add to your wedding. But take a step back and think of what you truly want. Try not to get bogged down in all the extraneous stuff. I'm going to share with you how I felt about my own vow renewal now that it has come and gone. Hopefully it will help a little bit.

When I stood inside the Wedding Pavilion on the night of my vow renewal, the most important thing to me was simply sharing that moment with my husband. Nothing else mattered. I don’t remember what music played as my bridesmaids walked down the aisle. I don’t remember what music played as I walked down the aisle. But I do remember seeing my husband standing at the altar with a big ol’ goofy grin on his face. And I do remember him messing up his lines during the ceremony and putting everyone in stitches: click here. Those are the memories that I will carry with me forever. Everything else was a blur.

If you need to cut back on your budget, think of the things that aren’t very important to you and do your cutting there. For example, I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on the Wedding Pavilion for two main reasons. Number 1: My husband and I are simple people. I wanted understated elegance for our ceremony, and I got exactly that with a lovely floral arrangement and a few candles. I didn’t want anything else to detract from the simplicity of two old married people saying “I do” again after twenty long years of marriage. Number 2: I wanted to have a very fun dinner celebration. Any spare pennies that I had were going to be spent on the party. It was there where I went hog wild. And what a party it was, ~sigh.~ I truly had the best of both worlds for my vow renewal: a simple ceremony and a wild & crazy dinner party. It may have taken me twenty years to make my dreams come true, but it was well worth the wait.

So discuss with your fiancé what is important and what isn’t important about your wedding. You may have to compromise on a few things that he finds more important than you do, but that is the way your marriage will work so get used to it. For my own vow renewal, I knew my husband loved white cake and white chocolate. When I chose the mini-cakes that were served at our dinner party (click here), I requested they be made of white cake and white chocolate filing. That was a concession that I made to my husband even though I personally liked the strawberry filing better. But a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. Come to think of it, I think that was my only concession to my husband. Everything else that I chose for our vow renewal was pure me. Well, as much as anything can be pure me when I’ve been one-half of a twosome for more than twenty years.

Keep your goal in mind as you plan your wedding. Incorporate the things that your heart truly desires. And try to enjoy yourself. The time passes much too quickly.

 

[pintradingwedding]

You are selling your home, finishing school, your fiance is far away and you have a two year old. NO WONDER YOU ARE STRESSED!!! wedding planning is stressful period. added on top of all your responsibilities it's no wonder you're losing your mind!! so DON"T FEEL BAD!

>>I feel like my co-ordinator couldn’t care less;

can you request a different wedding coordinator? i don't know if this is allowed or what disney's policy is but I would look into that option!!! do you want me to ask the Disney person I've been talking to if that's allowed and what you should do? let me know!

I think pink and red would be fine -- there are really no rules anymore -- be creative -- it's whatever YOU like. christmas red dresses would look gorgeous with white boquets. classic!

i don't know what wands are, but i think bouquets AND wrist corsages gets to be overkill. simple is classy. less is more. AND will save you some money!

violins are heart breakingly beautiful !!! i vote for violin ! although in another post someone said the organ at the chapel sounds beautiful -- not like a typical organ or something.

which is the traditional wedding march? i think there are a couple. i personally can't stand the 'here comes the bride, all dressed in white' one. but that's just me!!!

Maybe you could ask people here to post their photos of the wedding pavillion so you can see what it looks like. i'm getting married outside at epcot so i don't need to bother with decorations. thanks to the wonderful disney world theming!!!

again, i don't know if you even need this. i'm not familiar with 1900 park fare but most disney resorts and restaurants are already themed and don't really need decoration. besides YOU will be the decoration in your beautiful gown.

i hope you have the most magical wonderful happy day and that you can relax and enjoy it!!!

 

[Button]

Cinderella2006 - I am so feeling your pain. I too am from the UK and getting married in October (18th). It seems to be coming around really quickly and I just seem to feel like Rev Jack or Stan or Randy are not going to turn up. Umm I guess more of a worry would be if H2B didn't. Nah that's fine his mum would kill him...

Being so far away is driving me crazy. I'm a wee bit of a control freak and can't stand the fact that you have to wait for people to respond by email.

My biggest melt down was over the reception. We have 15 guests travelling from UK. Mum is only just coming around to the idea of a destination wedding let alone a Disney one. She kind of wants to keep things traditional and really wanted a private reception. Time and time again I explained that being an intimate this was virtually impossible through Disney. So I decided to look outside for our meal. We've booked the Wedding gazebo at Gaylord Palms Resort for our meal. The co-ordinator there has been amazing. I think the woman works all the time!!! We managed to get a three course private meal with 3 hours attended bar. The food is $86 per head and we haven't had to pay anything for the location hire. Just a nominal $75 small party fee.

Once we are fit to burst we plan to spend the rest of the evening chilling out in the Piano Bar. The Gaylord is an amazing place and only about 10 mins from Disney. This way I get my Disney Wedding with Donald and Chip n Dale and a scrummy meal in a beautiful location.

So what's my next big worry - What will H2B wear??? I think he'll end up shopping the morning of our big day.

Anyway this board is keeping me sane as the gorgeous past brides are living proof that our days really will be a Dream Come True. Take care x

 

[Cinderella2006]

It is really nice that everyone has responded. I am sure there are many people feeling the same as I do; it has got to the point where I think 'forget it' and when I get my son to bed I just sit in front of the TV before falling asleep an hour later. I am so tired and worn out; I don’t suppose my diet helps! That’s another thing to sort out; wedding is in 5 months and I have 14 pounds to lose! I have just been putting it off and finding excuses but the extra weight needs to go!

pintradingwedding - thanks, I have thought about changing co-ordinators but I don’t want people to think that I am awkward. It has been two weeks and no response and I think that is very rude.

Button - don’t give me ideas; I hadn't thought what if no one turns up! Unfortunately my mum can’t make it (my step dad has cancer) and Fiancés parents are unable to fly due to health reasons - this is why we opted for an intimate. I didn’t want a wedding at home, by having an intimate wedding in Disney instead of the custom; I can have a formal wedding reception at home. The Gaylord Palms sounds wonderful; I did consider there but we have a lot of children attending (8) so we opted for a character dinner at 1900 Park Fare.

Thanks again everyone

 

[janine]

I also know how you feel. I am from the UK and I had a bad time also, but it's easy to let your emotions run away with you. I was furious when the GF cancelled my reception after they learned I was an intimate bride. I told them I was getting married and that it would be a wedding dinner. I booked a lovely outside area at the GF marina, booked the balloon artist, caricature artist, magician, flowers, and the meals, everything.
Then they cancelled it and blamed it on my EM, when in fact it was the GF.
To make matters worse they told me the day Damian had major kidney surgery. He had spent 6 hours in surgery,and I was already very upset. I was also 4 days before Christmas!! Great day huh?
I ranted and raved on here, just to release some anger to someone, and the girls on here were great, they gave me loads of advice and I am extremely grateful. If there was one thing I learned it was that they told me ' dont worry, it WILL work out on the day'. And it did. Disney have the knack, even if it seems they don't at the moment.
Our day was absolutely wonderful and we had the best time ever.
I know it seems stressful, but please try to relax, it will come together.
Your pink flowers will be really nice. Talk to Rosie at floral, she is wonderful. Email her at: rosie.carabbia@disney.com
She can show you pictures of bouquets, confetti for your tables, floral for your tables, place cards, favours etc etc.
I had a cinderellas coach filled with flowers & lights for the adults table and a lady & the tramp lantern for the kiddies table. I also had little votives at each place and silver mickey icon confetti all over the tables. It was lovely.
I had some Minnie & Mickey flower girl baskets filled with rose petals for my flower girls. Disney floral charge $10 to fill each basket.
For my older bridesmaids I bought a crystal handbag for each of them, £20 each from Debenhams.
For my music I had, when you wish upon a star & a whole new world, played by the violinist. It was lovely. I also had a bagpiper lead us out. It was great. Everybody stopped and looked, it's a great feeling.
I reckon you will love 1900 PF. I have never been but have heard it is great. I wanted to go there, but for my troubles Disney helped me out a little and I had the reception in Epcot, which was good of them as intimates can't usually do this.
I wil post some pictures of the centrepieces, confetti and place cards later for you.