Victoria and alberts?

[plutosbuddie]

Hello ladies!! Everyone has been so helpful with planning on these boards and I am so happy to report we just put a deposit for escape wedding next year with our sales manger at WDW!!

Has anyone had their after escape wedding dinner at Victoria and Alberts? It looks totally fun and a once in a lifetime thing to do for our immediate family! How was your experience? Did you (can you) wear your wedding dress? Thanks!!!

 

[Disney_Alli]

My sister had her 'reception' dinner at the Chef's Table at Victoria and Albert's it was an amazing experience! She wore her dress and they said it was the first time they'd had a dress in the kitchen but I've read here about several other brides having their meals in V&A's in the dinning room. I'm sure one of them will be along soon to comment too.

 

[plutosbuddie]

Thank you so much for your information and encouragement!! I can't wait for this truly once in a lifetime experience!!

 

[TinkLoverSam]

I'm the sister!

I sadly do not have any pictures of me in my dress at V&As but here is a picture of our Chef's Table



And the special Cinderella's Slipper sorbet course they did on request



The Disney Parks Mom's Panel did a feature on my wedding back in 2010 and posted a video called Doug the Wedding Whisperer. It's not on their site anymore but I know the internet has archives and you may be able to find a live link to the video still.

Let me know if you have any questions and I will do my best to help!

 

[plutosbuddie]

Wow! Thank you so much for the pictures!! Everything looks so fun and exciting!! That sorbet looks delicious. How was the overall experience?! Did you find it was worth the cost?

 

[TinkLoverSam]

Wow! Thank you so much for the pictures!! Everything looks so fun and exciting!! That sorbet looks delicious. How was the overall experience?! Did you find it was worth the cost?

We had an amazing evening at V&As. The service, the food the entire evening was awesome. I don't know what the main dining room is like as it's a bit more formal. In the kitchen we could take off suit jackets and be a little louder than you can in the main dining room as it's only your party, plus there is no second seating. Yours is the only party they will be service and that means that you really, really can take your time.

 

[plutosbuddie]

Can I ask you how many were in your group? Did everyone have wine, or do they also have a full bar? It sounds like you guys had a very memorable evening!! I was worried about the noise level, but if you're at the chefs table I suppose there isn't much to worry about! Thank you so much for sharing :

 

[TiffinyKaye]

I would LOVE to do a dinner at V&A's...particularly at the Chef's Table. I talked to DF about it though...and it's been nixed. He was like, "Do you want to have dinner at Victoria and Albert's, or go on the Jungle Trek thingy at Animal Kingdom?"

And...yeah. I guess that's how he got me. I have such a hard time spending that kind of money on food. I'm having a hard enough time trying to justify the minimum cost of the food at the brunch reception! LOL!

If you're having an Escape wedding though, it's probably not too bad. We're doing Wishes, so our costs are going primarily into the stupid brunch that day. :/ Where are you getting married? I know the options with Escape are a bit more limited. When we were considering an Escape option, we were looking at Canada in Epcot.

Tiffiny

 

[plutosbuddie]

Tiffany,

We are having our escape wedding at sea breeze point! My fiancé said "Do you want your wedding in the park, or do you want to take pictures in the magic kingdom and at animal kingdom in your wedding dress?"-- I'm a scrapbooker so, yes I picked the pictures!! I wanted a wishes but couldn't justify spending the extra costs for all the extra stuff, but we are probably spending around the same as your brunch on Victoria and Alberts. It's really a once in a lifetime experience, so you mine as well get that in for your wedding!

At lest for the wishes wedding collection you have more of the traditional wedding experience, where as the escape doesn't! So you kinda have to improvise a little.. We didn't spend any money on decorations or table settings or centerpieces.. It's just ceremony and dinner! Which is fine with us! Life is an experience, sometimes it's nice to have a once in a Lifetime dinner!! ) Can I ask you who your wedding planner is? Do you like her/him? Did you add disney photography? Or are you getting an outside vendor?

Angie

Ps:I am heading off to vet school after my masters this year, and I don't blame you for picking the safari over Victoria and Alberts!!

 

[TiffinyKaye]

Hi Angie!

I think I would have to agree with you on that deal! I'd love pictures in AK...but we're probably not going to, just given the cost. For me, the pictures were the priority too. We actually originally wanted (as I mentioned before) an Escape wedding. We were going to have it in Canada and use Disney for all the services. The problem was, for me, that I couldn't book it until 8 months in advance. So, me being me, I became absolutely terrified that I wouldn't be able to get my date. Plus, you can't book the castle session unless you use Disney's photography...so my thought was, "Book Wishes, book Disney photography, get castle session all figured out a year before!"

Sadly...it didn't work that way. We were so turned off by a lot of the Disney photography, that we decided not to use them, so it didn't matter. That said, I was still terrified about losing my date...so we decided Wishes was the best way to go anyway. Turns out that aside from the cost--it wasn't a terrible idea. It would have been a heck of a lot cheaper for Escape...but I think we're ultimately happy knowing that the date was locked in, and we had more options on the venue. We didn't want to get married anywhere else but Epcot...and Canada's pretty, but we also really wanted Japan. So...Wishes opened it up for us. Now, with where we're at, it's also nice that a lot more of my family can come that weren't on the guest list before. Plus, I plan on adding my photographers and videographers to the list for food...so I can feed them real stuff, as opposed to "vendor meals." I'm quite happy about that. So...I guess we'll see.

My wedding planner is Mikki Bray--though, honestly, I don't talk to her very often. I interface primarily with her assistant, Amanda. I like them both quite a bit. I think it's hilarious that a "Mikki" (Mickey) is planning my wedding.

I touched on this above. We're not using Disney photography. We had a nice long conversation with Disney about their photography services before we booked. I had hung out on this board for a bit and had seen Carrie's castle photos...and it freaked me out. Disney did a lot to try to make me feel less nervous about it...but honestly, I've seen more "bad" Disney photos than I've seen good ones. And, for the money--an outside photographer can deliver equal (or superior) quality with more product (i.e., the album, gallery wraps, etc).

I also just decided (like, within the last two weeks) that I'm having a videographer too. I initially didn't think I'd want to spend the money...but I realized that I wanted that extra "memory" after everything's over. I'm spending a CRAP ton than I think I've ever spent on a single thing before...and I only get one day. It's crazy to think about. So...it just seemed like I should have something that allowed me to "relive" the event whenever wanted. The pictures will be AWESOME (I hope)...but there's also something about having the 'living' memory of people walking and talking. I'll be able to hear my husband say his vows...and that's kind of cool. So--that's how i"m justifying the cost.

And I am SUPER jealous on the vet school. I'd like to do something like that...but I'm not good enough at science and mathematics to be able to do veterinary work. Not to mention, I think I'd be a ball of tears any time I had to put an animal down.

When's your date?

Tiffiny

 

[plutosbuddie]

Hi Tiffany,

Ahhhh, the elusive official date waiting game! It's fun. Well our date is April 16 2015 tentatively. We were able to squeeze in a little early because my sister is a CM. But I am still pins and needles, as our plans could get thrown by the wayside if a wishes bride really wants our venue. Thankfully it's not at the wedding pavilion so I think were okay!

Another bummer about the escape wedding is you can only "request a disney photographer" I would love to get cricket, but her services are in very high demand! I tell you I am not going to be such a happy camper if we pay a crap ton of money for extra photography in the park and it's awful! :/ I couldn't agree with you more about getting an outside photographer. I think you get A LOT more paying for an outside photographer. I'm going to ask our officiant to wear a go pro! It's a fun account of you, your husband, and your guests. Our whole event is going to be less than one hour not including dinner so my thought is.. What's the point to hire someone other then disney and pay for an hour videographer?! But thinking about it, it would be nice to have our first dance and dancing with my dad on video... Hmmmm

Wishes package although a lot more expensive, I feel like you get to plan a lot more, and have that true wedding experience! Plus there is no cap on the guest count besides your budget. Which is nice. Of course the major plus is your date is set in stone way before an escape bride has the chance to even inquire about it.

Have you guys done your cake tasting? May I ask which flavors were your favorite? Also are you having your reception brunch inside the park? I like that it's early in the morning, it gives you the freedom to do whatever you want the rest of the day.

When is your date?

Angie

 

[TiffinyKaye]

Angie,

I think you'll be okay too. I get the impression that the wedding pavilion is "the place to get married" in Disney World for most brides. We think the pictures of it are beautiful--but honestly, I didn't feel it was very "Disney." It looks like a beautiful chapel...which I can get in Vegas. You can hardly see Cinderella's Castle through the window (you can kinda see it--it's little, and I've heard the Grand Floridian DVC villas have messed it up). So, we picked the Japan pavilion in Epcot. It's different, and very "Epcot" (and, therefore, Disney ). Plus, a lot of the Epcot locations are decorations in and of themselves...i.e., don't have to waste a ton of extra money on flowers through Disney (a big reason we picked Japan--very dense type foliage area).

I LOVE the idea of your officiant wearing a GoPro. LOL! Just make sure he stands back a bit so that you're both in the shot. Seriously--I've never heard of that before. I think that's awesome.

You can get your first dance with your dad on video in kind of the same way. Have a guest hold the camera and get you guys. You don't need a professional videographer to get everything on tape. You just have to make sure that your guests know how to point a camera. There's a service I got an email about the other day called WedFlik (wedflik.com) that might do the trick for you. Basically, you pay them a fee for 5 little mini-cameras...and then your guests can video tape everything from their respective angles. I think the purpose of them would be more for receptions--kind of in the like when people put disposable cameras on the table. I think it'd work great for your event though, too. Bottom dollar cost is $349 for just the footage. It goes up from there (but not over $1000) for professional editing of said footage. It's TOTALLY do-able.

We have not done our cake tasting yet. We'll do all that at our planning session, which we have scheduled for September 8th of this year. I'm not sure my favorite's going to be...but I can say that we're pretty much going to llimit ourselves anyway to probably a combo of chocolate/white or chocolate/red velvet. The DF is not a white cake fan...and I like chocolate, but I'm not as big a fan of it as white. We do, however, both like red velvet. So, the cake may end up being all red velvet. Not sure.

We are having a brunch reception, yes. Disney forces you with a Wishes wedding (as you probably know) to do a brunch reception following the ceremony if it's a morning one. That's cool though--breakfast is my favorite meal of day. I will TOTALLY be cool with eating all the Mickey waffles I possibly can. We're going to have it at the Living Seas Salon from 10 AM-2 PM. Dessert party (which I'm looking forward to more than the reception) from 8:30 PM-10 PM at Lochside.

I think a lot of people get to play the rest of the day...but we probably won't. Given that we're doing the dessert party that night, and I'll be in my dress...my thought is that I'll actually go to sleep for a few hours after the reception. I'm not 100% certain (but thinking of it)--but I might actually get a different white dress for the dessert party. I want to wear my wedding dress...but the idea of getting into it again just...blech.

Date is December 8, 2014. We'll have a reception back at home in Utah in January 10, 2015 (since most of my family aren't able to go to Florida).

Tiffiny

 

[Alexsandra]

Hi and Congrats on your Engagement! As far as I know, you can wear your wedding dress anywhere on Disney Property except in the Parks (unless with an escort for wedding or photo shoot). As for Victoria and Alberts, we went for an anniversary dinner last September and the food was spectacular! The experience was really special and my husband and I both thought is was well worth the money. They feed you until you are about to burst. The staff was so nice and they treat you like royalty. The desserts were so out of this world. Since I am lactose intolerant the chefs personalized the whole menu to suit me. We sat in the Maine dining room which is beautiful. Here are some pictures of us and the food we sampled that night.

Here is what the room looks like (just ignore us)





(the Maitre D is behind my husband serving another table)



This is what the food looks like:













Dessert:









Hope that helps

good luck

 

[plutosbuddie]

@ Alexsandra,

Thank you so much for sharing your pictures, and for the congratulations. We are pretty exited about this once in a lifetime dining at disney! Your food looks absolutely perfect in every picture! I love the glass slipper! We are 100% set on having our dinner here!! We are wanting to try for the chefs table for 10.. But might have some overflow and need to move our party into Victorias room! Either way it's going to be amazing! What was your favorite thing on the menu? Thank you again for sharing your experience, that was really nice of you!!

 

[plutosbuddie]

Angie, I think you'll be okay too. I get the impression that the wedding pavilion is "the place to get married" in Disney World for most brides. We think the pictures of it are beautiful--but honestly, I didn't feel it was very "Disney." It looks like a beautiful chapel...which I can get in Vegas. You can hardly see Cinderella's Castle through the window (you can kinda see it--it's little, and I've heard the Grand Floridian DVC villas have messed it up). So, we picked the Japan pavilion in Epcot. It's different, and very "Epcot" (and, therefore, Disney ). Plus, a lot of the Epcot locations are decorations in and of themselves...i.e., don't have to waste a ton of extra money on flowers through Disney (a big reason we picked Japan--very dense type foliage area). I LOVE the idea of your officiant wearing a GoPro. LOL! Just make sure he stands back a bit so that you're both in the shot. Seriously--I've never heard of that before. I think that's awesome. You can get your first dance with your dad on video in kind of the same way. Have a guest hold the camera and get you guys. You don't need a professional videographer to get everything on tape. You just have to make sure that your guests know how to point a camera. There's a service I got an email about the other day called WedFlik (wedflik.com) that might do the trick for you. Basically, you pay them a fee for 5 little mini-cameras...and then your guests can video tape everything from their respective angles. I think the purpose of them would be more for receptions--kind of in the like when people put disposable cameras on the table. I think it'd work great for your event though, too. Bottom dollar cost is $349 for just the footage. It goes up from there (but not over $1000) for professional editing of said footage. It's TOTALLY do-able. We have not done our cake tasting yet. We'll do all that at our planning session, which we have scheduled for September 8th of this year. I'm not sure my favorite's going to be...but I can say that we're pretty much going to llimit ourselves anyway to probably a combo of chocolate/white or chocolate/red velvet. The DF is not a white cake fan...and I like chocolate, but I'm not as big a fan of it as white. We do, however, both like red velvet. So, the cake may end up being all red velvet. Not sure. We are having a brunch reception, yes. Disney forces you with a Wishes wedding (as you probably know) to do a brunch reception following the ceremony if it's a morning one. That's cool though--breakfast is my favorite meal of day. I will TOTALLY be cool with eating all the Mickey waffles I possibly can. We're going to have it at the Living Seas Salon from 10 AM-2 PM. Dessert party (which I'm looking forward to more than the reception) from 8:30 PM-10 PM at Lochside. I think a lot of people get to play the rest of the day...but we probably won't. Given that we're doing the dessert party that night, and I'll be in my dress...my thought is that I'll actually go to sleep for a few hours after the reception. I'm not 100% certain (but thinking of it)--but I might actually get a different white dress for the dessert party. I want to wear my wedding dress...but the idea of getting into it again just...blech. Date is December 8, 2014. We'll have a reception back at home in Utah in January 10, 2015 (since most of my family aren't able to go to Florida). Tiffiny

Tiffany!!

WedFlik?!? What a great idea! Thank you so much!! I think my fiancé is definitely down for something like this! I also wanted to thank you for reminding me to tell the officiant to step back a few steps with the go-pro!

When you get married all of disney will be decorated for Christmas!!! How lovely, you lucky girl. !!!!!MICKEY WAFFLES!!!! That's enough to sell me on brunch alone.

I would vote for a cute party dress, it's Florida so it will be warmer! The idea of getting in and out of a wedding dress a few times in one day isn't very fun.. :/ Especially when it's warm outside.

For our cake I was really hoping that they could do a chocolate almond cake but.. Who knows. You can't really get to fancy with the cake spices either when your an escape bride! Do you have a big elaborate wedding cake planned?


Angie

 

[TiffinyKaye]

Heya Angie!

Well, good luck with the WedFlik stuff if you end up doing it. And I'm sure your V&A dinner is going to be beautiful too.

As for the cake...I would LOVE something elaborate. When I am considering how much money everything else costing though...I probably won't go too elaborate. Both DF and I actually quite like the "classic Mickey" (is that what it's called?) cake in the Escape collection (the white one with gold Mickey heads). When we were considering Escape to begin with, that's the cake we were going to select. So, what we'll probably end up doing is actually getting that exact cake...except I'm going to see if they'll change the fondant color for us (of course, for a price...I'm sure!). Our colors are red, black, and gold (Mickey colors!)...so I'd like to get that exact cake with red fondant (like red velvet rope red), gold Mickey heads (I think it'd look really cool against the red)...and then I'd like pearls too like the ones that appear on that cake...but I'm not sure if I'd really want black pearls. I'd probably get gold ones and try to incorporate black in some other way.

Tiffiny

 

[Alexsandra]

@ Alexsandra,

Thank you so much for sharing your pictures, and for the congratulations. We are pretty exited about this once in a lifetime dining at disney! Your food looks absolutely perfect in every picture! I love the glass slipper! We are 100% set on having our dinner here!! We are wanting to try for the chefs table for 10.. But might have some overflow and need to move our party into Victorias room! Either way it's going to be amazing! What was your favorite thing on the menu? Thank you again for sharing your experience, that was really nice of you!!

No problem, I am super visual so I thought you would like to see pictures of the place and the food before booking. The food was all delicious but I have to say that at V&A they have an amazing pastry chef who makes different kinds of breads and is an amazing chocolatier. Surprisingly my favourite part was the bread course with flavoured butters (for my husband) and imported oils (for me). They brought us 3 different types of breads with matching butters/oils (sorry no pics).They were so unbelievably good and of course the deserts were spectacular to say the least! If you look at my dessert pictures, the white ball with the fig on the side is a white chocolate gelato and that was the best thing I ever tasted. The other dessert with the ice cream and the spiky black thing is a Tanzanian chocolate timbale with orange scented chocolate gelato. My husband said this dessert was almost better than sex and that is saying a lot!
If you like chocolate make sure you order this one!
The appetizers were also delicious! The meat courses were good but I thought there was too many of them. By the end I was just about ready to burst. If I had to do it again I would select more seafood and fish to make my meal a little lighter, but my husband said he would not change a thing so it is personal preference.
My husband chose to do the wine pairing with the meal and the wines selected were perfect. I had a glass of white wine with my meal and made the sommelier choose for me and I was pleasantly surprised. Plus they gave me a free glass of champagne for our anniversary and I cannot drink more than that if I want to walk out of there without embarrassing myself!

 

[Disney_Alli]

Can I ask you how many were in your group? Did everyone have wine, or do they also have a full bar? It sounds like you guys had a very memorable evening!! I was worried about the noise level, but if you're at the chefs table I suppose there isn't much to worry about! Thank you so much for sharing :

We had 10 at the Chef's Table and another couple in the dining room - they were invited later and we'd already maxed out the Chef's Table. Many at diner had the wine pairings - they will let you split them between two people so you're not drinking yourself silly. I chose to have a glass of white and a glass of red plus the dessert wine or champagne at the end others at the Chef's Table had our amazing server Jack set up a beer pairing for them for each course as they aren't big on wine. That went over really well! I'm sure they have a full bar but with all the wine and beer at our table that's all we drank... HTH

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards