wishes wedding-what happens in initial consultation.

[conchgirl]

I was wondering what we should expect from our first consultation. As we have decided we def want our wedding at Disney, I would love it if they could get straight in there with the prices of everything! Or does that come later. Do you get any prices at all (floral etc) or is that only when you meet with the florist etc? Also, did anyone manage to get chair covers and sashes at a reasonable price. We have found some from outside vendors at $4 for chair cover and sash. How much does Disney charge?
Sorry long post

 

[ElleBren]

You won't have prices for anything when you sign your contract. Once you have your planning session you will decide what you want and then a month later you get your budget.

I think the chair covers run about 8.50 but I'm not sure Disney will put on ones you bring or if they do there is a fee.

 

[pixie08]

As mentioned you will not get to much pricing info. See what happens is you are first introduced to your "sales manager" who can help with the overall details of your wedding. 1. ceremony time and dates, reception venue, desssert party, room blocks etc. This all begins at the 12 month mark. Now our sales manager did give us menus for the reception venues we were interested in and that helped give us an idea of food and bar budget.

In terms of the "details" flowers, entertainemt, transportation a good place to start is www.disneyweddings.som and set up a wishbook which will allow you to select certain generic things like bouquets, centerpieces, musicians, limos etc. This will give you a ball park of the figure you are loooking at. (does not include taxes and gratuities which really add up so keep that in mind).

 

[lurkyloo]

Just wanted to add - as Mary said, the options on the Wishbook are indeed generic. There are MANY more options than you will find there, and the prices are frequently out of date. So don't, like, set your budget around what you see in the Wishbook - it's just a fun way to start brainstorming!

 

[conchgirl]

Yes, we have done the wishbook thing, but it's good to know there are more options than they are showing. So am I right in thinking the initial consulation is not your food tasting etc? I would just like someone to chat with first (mainly regarding cost etc) (and not the phone operators as they weren't great when I first called). Someone mentioned that you won't find out the prices of things until you sign your contract.. is that right? Surely you would have to know before signing to anything? Can you change things later? How often did you guys meet with the pros at the park? We're lucky as we live close so can make as many trips as necessary. I guess I just still don't understand what exactly the first consultation is for... I don't really want to sign a contract our first visit there. Sorry to harp on about cost...we have such a large wedding party so I want to keep things to the minimum.

 

[Lavender_Blue]

Well, I'm not having my wedding until 2010 but I had a meeting anyway, as I heard that some people are even begining their planning and booking 18 months in advance (that's what we were told at our first consultation). Anyway, as I understood it, you work around your budget. We told our person our budget and what we want most of the money to go towards (like entertainment rather than decor). She took us to the Epcot pavillion, as we want a Chinese wedding at the China pavillion and she showed us Coronodo Springs, too, for a rehersal dinner option (I'm latina, my fiancee is Chinese, so we're trying to make it half-and-half). That was all on the first meeting/consultation.

If you have a budget in mind and you stress that you need to stay in that budget, they should help you out. They typically give you a 'proposal' based on what you discuss (or what is in your wishbook) which is the estimated cost of everything in your wedding (and they email it to you and also include nice pictures of the locations) and you can decide from there what to do. It's also best to ask about 'surprise costs' - things that can unexpectedly add up and that you need to be cautious about.

I hope that helps.

EDIT: Oh! Forgot to add - About chair covers and sashes: I asked about that in our meeting and I they don't really allow you to use outside vendors. HOWEVER, if you say that they're from your grandmother (she made them) or something, they'll make allowances or try and help you out. My grandmother is making runners for the tables, for instance, since she's always contributed to every wedding in the family. And we're using the table linens from the China pavillion (because it's free). The runners will add a classy and simple look to the wedding and (best of all) it won't cost us anything.

 

[lurkyloo]

We were never given a proposal, so if it is important to you, be sure to ask!

Also, you can still use outside vendors for chair rentals and linens at locations that aren't inside the parks.

 

[DisneyBrideToni]

When are you planning on getting married? Do you know what locations?

Before you sign a contract you will get a package from Disney but it will only have some menus tailored to the location you choose and that will give you a price per head. This price isn't necessarily set in stone as you can change the menu to suit your taste.

My suggestion to you would be to go into the planning journals and see if there is someone having a similar wedding that you would like such as the same location or elements that you would like and see if they posted a BEO (Banquet Event Order) that will give you the prices to give you and idea of what you may be spending. If they didn't post their BEO I am sure that if you send them a message they would be more than happy to send you it.

Also, there is a seperate BEO that the florists give you. They may also have that available to send to you, or maybe already posted it. That will give you a better idea of floral costs such as moving fees, service fees or just how much a bouquet may cost.

This is what many girls on here have done (including myself) and its been really helpful!!