Requesting a new planner

[FutureMrs.B]

I'm sorry you are having trouble. I got married yesterday and Meri was our planner. We were very happy with her. Everything was really smooth and we didn't have to worry about a thing. She was on top of it and everything. I had a different expexperience with her. I thought she was really great about getting back to me whenever I emailed and always willing to set up a phone conference if need be. Most of the time she has had off was bc of planning sessions, wedding rehearsals. She told us last night she had a full day again today with another wedding. As for floral I went with an outside vendor. We had Emily from charming events. I could not have been happier with the beautiful work and reasonable prices. And she was a sweetheart through out the process. I wish you luck throughout this process. If you do stay with Meri all i can say is your in good hands.

 

[twiu]

I had Meri for my wedding a over 3 years ago and she was amazing!

I think one thing to understand is that they are super busy. As brides I think we sometimes think we're the only client they have when they actually are juggling multiple weddings/ brides at a time. I see you're local, so am I, have you thought of scheduling another meeting to put you at ease? Their job as a wedding planner is to make sure all your needs are met. If you have ideas / changes, don't expect them to come up with ideas for you unless you ask for it. For example "hey, I think my floral is a bit over budget, my budget is $ x.00, can you help me meet that?". Stuff like that. Or email her assistant.

I don't know, I was a super laid back in my planning and everything I needed / wanted happened.. but I also didn't expect a phone call or email every 2 weeks. And like other brides have said, once your day gets closer, they kick it into high gear more with the communication.

 

[PartofDisney'sWorld]

I also had Meri for my wedding 7 weeks ago. We thought Meri was wonderful from the start. She was always very quick to respond to emails (I don't think I ever called her, I just emailed her my questions), and half of the time I did get that automated email, but she always resonded within a few days. I never once had to "push" her to get a response. And since we are locals we went in for a second time after our planning session for a quick review of changes that needed to be made, and she was very accommodating. She told us well in advance that she would be out of the office during the month of her wedding and told us who to contact while she was out. Her assistant Alix was also wonderful, she always responded the same DAY I would send her an email, if not it would be the next day. Meri did make a couple of suggestions for us but I had done a TON of researching for my wedding and knew pretty much exactly what I wanted and what we could afford. Elizabeth was our florist and she was simply amazing.

We connected very well with Meri, but not every bride connects with their planner. If you are not satisfied then you should speak up, it's not like you get to have a Disney wedding every day.

 

[DVC Bride 2011]

I think one thing to understand is that they are super busy. As brides I think we sometimes think we're the only client they have when they actually are juggling multiple weddings/ brides at a time.

I totally agree with this. I don't think we always realize just how busy the planners are. If you think about it, you're in contact with your planner about 6-9 months out. If a planner has 3 weddings in one week, she could have over 100 brides at one time. That's a lot of weddings to be planning!

 

[FutureMrs.B]

I can honestly say they are very busy. Meri was at our wedding til almost 11 last night and this morning when we were going to breakfast we saw her with another wedding. Also another castmember was saying that they do about .2000 + weddings a year. thats alot! I think the key is patience. They knoe what theyre doing. Im a control.freak and can honestly say I worried about nothing. Everything wjent as planned and ran smoothly.

 

[iluvasoldier]

ok well if she's this busy now, how is she gonna be able to actually accomodate me during the holidays? we're gonna have WAY more to work around in November and December. Plus, it still aggrivates me that I haven't heard even a single word from her reguarding the construction. If I didn't live close and didn't join this board i'd have NO IDEA! How do you think I'd feel to show up a few days before my wedding and all of a sudden see a bunch of walls and hear construction having never heard anything about it beforehand?

I also talked to someone who can tell me that in Jan. They will be working on constructing the actual building. So my 10am Tuesday morning ceremony is 99.99% likely to have construction noise going on. but of course I've heard nothing. She never asked if I got the e-mail about the windows changing and if I was alright with that. No word on construction. Nothing.

 

[kharmagirl]

ok well if she's this busy now, how is she gonna be able to actually accomodate me during the holidays? we're gonna have WAY more to work around in November and December. Plus, it still aggrivates me that I haven't heard even a single word from her reguarding the construction. If I didn't live close and didn't join this board i'd have NO IDEA! How do you think I'd feel to show up a few days before my wedding and all of a sudden see a bunch of walls and hear construction having never heard anything about it beforehand?

I also talked to someone who can tell me that in Jan. They will be working on constructing the actual building. So my 10am Tuesday morning ceremony is 99.99% likely to have construction noise going on. but of course I've heard nothing. She never asked if I got the e-mail about the windows changing and if I was alright with that. No word on construction. Nothing.

I'm getting married this Saturday. I have to say that I love my planner(s) (I had Jami while Pamela was out and am now with Pamela), but they also did not inform me of the construction or the windows changing or ask if I got emails. I don't know if they were told not to follow up on those things. As others have said, I can only imagine how difficult it would be to follow up with each and every bride that they have. I also just learned that things don't move as quickly as I'd like, but they get done. I still haven't signed my final BEO because we're still working on changes. I just decided to have faith that it will all come together. This is what they do and I believe it will it all come together when it has to. I used to like to be very much in control of every aspect of things, but with that comes huge amounts of stress. I decided that I wanted to enjoy this time completely and give up some of that control. Believe me, the time flies by and I want to remember the fun and excitement of this time.

 

[DVC Bride 2011]

ok well if she's this busy now, how is she gonna be able to actually accomodate me during the holidays? we're gonna have WAY more to work around in November and December. Plus, it still aggrivates me that I haven't heard even a single word from her reguarding the construction. If I didn't live close and didn't join this board i'd have NO IDEA! How do you think I'd feel to show up a few days before my wedding and all of a sudden see a bunch of walls and hear construction having never heard anything about it beforehand?

I also talked to someone who can tell me that in Jan. They will be working on constructing the actual building. So my 10am Tuesday morning ceremony is 99.99% likely to have construction noise going on. but of course I've heard nothing. She never asked if I got the e-mail about the windows changing and if I was alright with that. No word on construction. Nothing.

I'm sure a LOT of brides that are not on the DIS were also not informed. I think we forget that we are only a small fraction of the brides that get married at WDW. I'm not saying it's right that you weren't told, but it's not like they are obligated to get anyone's permission to do the construction. We have no idea how many brides our planners have at any point in time, and if you (in general, not specifically YOU) were that concerned you could call up and talk to one of the receptionists, but it wouldn't change any of their construction plans. It's not the planners faults that they cannot send a personal email to every bride about the possibility of construction on their specific wedding date. I think upper management should have been responsible for sending out emails or finding a way to notify brides, but again, this is on DVC, not the GF or DFTW. DVC keeps things under wraps and I'm sure the planners aren't allowed to say anything without being given permission.

Also I just want to say in general that these planners know what they are doing. As much as we want our weddings to be unique and personal, they have probably seen and heard every idea we throw at them. They know how to pull off our weddings and they do a great job. I would have 110% confidence in them to help you create a fabulous day. I did not have major contact with my planner until 1-2 months out. I wouldn't stress too much over it.

 

[mickin]

ok well if she's this busy now, how is she gonna be able to actually accomodate me during the holidays? we're gonna have WAY more to work around in November and December. Plus, it still aggrivates me that I haven't heard even a single word from her reguarding the construction. If I didn't live close and didn't join this board i'd have NO IDEA! How do you think I'd feel to show up a few days before my wedding and all of a sudden see a bunch of walls and hear construction having never heard anything about it beforehand?

I also talked to someone who can tell me that in Jan. They will be working on constructing the actual building. So my 10am Tuesday morning ceremony is 99.99% likely to have construction noise going on. but of course I've heard nothing. She never asked if I got the e-mail about the windows changing and if I was alright with that. No word on construction. Nothing.

I got an email from meri on 9-16-2011 saying that they are gettin an update about the constructionm on 9-26 and that she wanted to talk to us by phone on tuesday about what was discussed. She told me in a reply email that I had sent to her earlier that day.

 

[MissManners]

I don't think that a planner having too many weddings, or too much on their plate, is a valid excuse for neglecting a bride. Disney weddings are not cheap, and a planner should go out of their way to go above and beyond with every bride... that is their job! To OP, if you are not happy with your planner, I absolutely think you are doing the right thing by requesting a new one!

 

[princess_ariel_85]

I'm sure a LOT of brides that are not on the DIS were also not informed. I think we forget that we are only a small fraction of the brides that get married at WDW. I'm not saying it's right that you weren't told, but it's not like they are obligated to get anyone's permission to do the construction. We have no idea how many brides our planners have at any point in time, and if you (in general, not specifically YOU) were that concerned you could call up and talk to one of the receptionists, but it wouldn't change any of their construction plans. It's not the planners faults that they cannot send a personal email to every bride about the possibility of construction on their specific wedding date. I think upper management should have been responsible for sending out emails or finding a way to notify brides, but again, this is on DVC, not the GF or DFTW. DVC keeps things under wraps and I'm sure the planners aren't allowed to say anything without being given permission.

Also I just want to say in general that these planners know what they are doing. As much as we want our weddings to be unique and personal, they have probably seen and heard every idea we throw at them. They know how to pull off our weddings and they do a great job. I would have 110% confidence in them to help you create a fabulous day. I did not have major contact with my planner until 1-2 months out. I wouldn't stress too much over it.

Pretty much this. I also never recieved any communication regarding the construction, I sent an email. All I can say is thank you to the other Disbrides who had this info and passed it on. Otherwise I wouldn't have known, so I sent an email to my planner.

My fab planner called me at home to discuss it and nothings changed. The constructions still there, which is the same outcome as it would have been if I hadn't found out about it.

This all being said you need to be comfortable with your planner, so if your not then you should deffinately request another one. I also should add that through research and a general curiosity I don't think theres a planner out there without the complaint of 'they don't get back to me quick enough'.

Good luck and let us know how you get on

 

[iluvasoldier]

I received a phone call from Alix, Meri's assistant, yesterday. Today at 4 we are having a phone conferance to kinda 'say goodbye' and I'll be reassigned a planner.

I was never able to explain to anyone why I wanted a new planner. I left a message asking for them to call me to discuss it and that never happened. I am going to make sure that Meri understands it isn't that I dislike her as a person, I just do not feel it is a good connection that will help me be less stressed during the upcoming months.

On another note I have been e-mailing the florist and working on some options there so that has helped me a little. I was not looking for a special e-mail about the construction. In my eyes she could and SHOULd have sent a mass e-mail to all her brides at the WP explaining about construction and telling us that if we wanted to voice our concerns to give her a call or reply in an e-mail. No it does not change that the construction is there, but I'd like to know my options rather than be sitting in the dark,

 

[DoomBuggy0922]

I'm glad you're getting the resolution you want. Even though I know all of the Disney wedding planners are busy, you said that you hadn't heard from her since July--- and that is unacceptable, IMO!

 

[MrsDuck]

I received a phone call from Alix, Meri's assistant, yesterday. Today at 4 we are having a phone conferance to kinda 'say goodbye' and I'll be reassigned a planner.

I was never able to explain to anyone why I wanted a new planner. I left a message asking for them to call me to discuss it and that never happened. I am going to make sure that Meri understands it isn't that I dislike her as a person, I just do not feel it is a good connection that will help me be less stressed during the upcoming months.

On another note I have been e-mailing the florist and working on some options there so that has helped me a little. I was not looking for a special e-mail about the construction. In my eyes she could and SHOULd have sent a mass e-mail to all her brides at the WP explaining about construction and telling us that if we wanted to voice our concerns to give her a call or reply in an e-mail. No it does not change that the construction is there, but I'd like to know my options rather than be sitting in the dark,

Hope you're assigned someone who is a better fit for you!

 

[tinkerbell 766]

I had Meri for my wedding a over 3 years ago and she was amazing!

I think one thing to understand is that they are super busy. As brides I think we sometimes think we're the only client they have when they actually are juggling multiple weddings/ brides at a time. I see you're local, so am I, have you thought of scheduling another meeting to put you at ease? Their job as a wedding planner is to make sure all your needs are met. If you have ideas / changes, don't expect them to come up with ideas for you unless you ask for it. For example "hey, I think my floral is a bit over budget, my budget is $ x.00, can you help me meet that?". Stuff like that. Or email her assistant.

I don't know, I was a super laid back in my planning and everything I needed / wanted happened.. but I also didn't expect a phone call or email every 2 weeks. And like other brides have said, once your day gets closer, they kick it into high gear more with the communication.

I totally agree with this. I don't think we always realize just how busy the planners are. If you think about it, you're in contact with your planner about 6-9 months out. If a planner has 3 weddings in one week, she could have over 100 brides at one time. That's a lot of weddings to be planning!

I can honestly say they are very busy. Meri was at our wedding til almost 11 last night and this morning when we were going to breakfast we saw her with another wedding. Also another castmember was saying that they do about .2000 + weddings a year. thats alot! I think the key is patience. They knoe what theyre doing. Im a control.freak and can honestly say I worried about nothing. Everything wjent as planned and ran smoothly.

I don't think that a planner having too many weddings, or too much on their plate, is a valid excuse for neglecting a bride. Disney weddings are not cheap, and a planner should go out of their way to go above and beyond with every bride... that is their job! To OP, if you are not happy with your planner, I absolutely think you are doing the right thing by requesting a new one!

I agree with Catherine (Miss Manners) and think there is absolutely no excuse for a lack of communication between bride and planner!! I see keeping the bride up to date about events and updates surrounding her big day as a major part of a planner's job. All the DFTW planners have assistants, and no matter how many brides they have to look after, a brief reply to an e-mail, for example, is not too much to expect!!
Whilst I agree that we maybe shouldn't expect our planners to 'come up with ideas for us', this is exactly what my planner was excellent at!! When I was out of ideas for floral decor and needed to reduce the budget, she was full of 'well, if we take that away, but add this, we will get a similar but less expensive effect' etc etc. Surely that's what they are paid to do!!
I know you will all think that I am banging on about how good my planner was, and I apologize for being boring, but she never let a communication go by without acknowledgment (usually the same day). If she can do it, why not all planners? I realize that it may well be DFTW who are at fault for overloading their planners with work, but the bottom line is that some of their brides are not feeling well served!!!
OP I feel for you!! There is nothing worse than feeling uninformed about your big day, and whilst I know that some brides have been very happy with said planner, it is a very personal thing. If you are uncomfortable, then you are right to ask for a change. We all know that we are not the only brides our planners serve, but a good, professional planner should make a bride feel like she is the only one on her books!!! I know mine did!!!

 

[CDsSleepingBeauty]

I received a phone call from Alix, Meri's assistant, yesterday. Today at 4 we are having a phone conferance to kinda 'say goodbye' and I'll be reassigned a planner.

I was never able to explain to anyone why I wanted a new planner. I left a message asking for them to call me to discuss it and that never happened. I am going to make sure that Meri understands it isn't that I dislike her as a person, I just do not feel it is a good connection that will help me be less stressed during the upcoming months.

On another note I have been e-mailing the florist and working on some options there so that has helped me a little. I was not looking for a special e-mail about the construction. In my eyes she could and SHOULd have sent a mass e-mail to all her brides at the WP explaining about construction and telling us that if we wanted to voice our concerns to give her a call or reply in an e-mail. No it does not change that the construction is there, but I'd like to know my options rather than be sitting in the dark,

I'm glad that you are getting a new planner. I hope the rest of the planning process goes better for you!

 

[Evi]

There is no excuse for planners not to share information that is possibly going to impact multiple brides. I'm sure the planners are able to at the least send out a group email with a generic letter allowing anyone concerned to request a call back etc.

 

[iluvasoldier]

I spoke with Janet yesterday. I voiced all of my concerns and all the stuff I was upset with. She says that they never got a fax I sent (although my mom has confirmation it was received) so I'm not sure what to think there.

She offered me the Marina as my better option since I was so worried about the construction. I'm getting married in JANUARY in the morning! My guest could be freezing their lil butts off should the weather decide to be a pain. She talked it up and made it sound amazing, but this morning I looked at the pictures e-mailed to me and there is just ABSOLUTELY no comparing it to the WP.

she did state that next week they're getting an update on what construction timelines look like right now.

She also said that, aparently, the same mailing system that sent out the mass e-mail about the WP windows, sent one out to everyone telling of construction 'next door'. I have never seen or heard of such e-mail and was sure to let her know that.

I really hope whomever my new planner is [we didn't get to that part of the call yesterday because we both ended up busier than we thought] can help give me some better options regarding my ceremony and the construction because the Marina just DOES NOT COMPARE

 

[One_Song]

This is the email I got in early August:

------------------------------------------

Greetings from Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings,

Work will begin on an expansion at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. While we take great care to preserve our guests' experience as much as possible whenever construction is occurring, Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings & Honeymoons would like to take this opportunity to provide you with information on how this might impact you. We understand how important this day is to you, your family and your guests. While we do not have every detail yet, we felt it was important to share as much as we know at this time since there will soon be visible signs of construction.

The Grand Floridian's beach will be the primary area affected by the expansion. We would like to stress that Disney's Wedding Pavilion is not under construction and most importantly, the view of Cinderella Castle will not change. If you were planning on using Grand Floridian Beach for photos, we are now using the beach that is to the right side of Disney's Wedding Pavilion, which has diamond white sand, swaying palm trees and a perfect view of Cinderella Castle. We have renderings available for each phase of the expansion so you will have an idea of what to expect when you arrive.

You may also be wondering about the impact the sound of construction will have on you. The construction schedule is still being finalized and we are working closely with the construction team to minimize potential disruptions. When the information is available, your Disney Wedding Planner will be happy to discuss any specific potential impacts to you.

Thank you in advance for your patience while we work with brides and grooms who have reserved events in the very near future. We know that you may have questions and we want to be here for you every step of the way in the meantime, please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have.

Congratulations on your engagement and continue to enjoy the planning of your special day!

Happily Ever After,

Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings & Honeymoons

--------------------------------------------

Someone certainly dropped the ball by not making sure you received this email. I am not a fan of how Disney has handled the PR of the construction, but I do think this email was a (tiny) step in the right direction.

 

[iluvasoldier]

This is the email I got in early August:

------------------------------------------

Greetings from Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings,

Work will begin on an expansion at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. While we take great care to preserve our guests' experience as much as possible whenever construction is occurring, Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings & Honeymoons would like to take this opportunity to provide you with information on how this might impact you. We understand how important this day is to you, your family and your guests. While we do not have every detail yet, we felt it was important to share as much as we know at this time since there will soon be visible signs of construction.

The Grand Floridian's beach will be the primary area affected by the expansion. We would like to stress that Disney's Wedding Pavilion is not under construction and most importantly, the view of Cinderella Castle will not change. If you were planning on using Grand Floridian Beach for photos, we are now using the beach that is to the right side of Disney's Wedding Pavilion, which has diamond white sand, swaying palm trees and a perfect view of Cinderella Castle. We have renderings available for each phase of the expansion so you will have an idea of what to expect when you arrive.

You may also be wondering about the impact the sound of construction will have on you. The construction schedule is still being finalized and we are working closely with the construction team to minimize potential disruptions. When the information is available, your Disney Wedding Planner will be happy to discuss any specific potential impacts to you.

Thank you in advance for your patience while we work with brides and grooms who have reserved events in the very near future. We know that you may have questions and we want to be here for you every step of the way in the meantime, please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have.

Congratulations on your engagement and continue to enjoy the planning of your special day!

Happily Ever After,

Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings & Honeymoons

--------------------------------------------

Someone certainly dropped the ball by not making sure you received this email. I am not a fan of how Disney has handled the PR of the construction, but I do think this email was a (tiny) step in the right direction.

I'm glad this e-mail exist. lol there for a little it seemed like she was just looking for a cover story but glad that wasn't the case and that an actual e-mail did go out.