Confessions of a DFTW Bride To Be

[Fashionista007]

Hi again! okay- I just have a couple of things to say.. First, I totally agree with Sweetpee about well just about everything , but in particular that its great how you care about everyone else who's traveling for your wedding and I'm sure they all know that the decision is out of your hands right now and they will understand that it can't really be planned at this time. My second thought is that maybe you can all book 2 or 3 different dates (your 1st 2nd choices) so there won't be any question of being able to modify at a later date or not. It costs $200 to book a pkg. and I know that not everybody happens to have an extra $400 kicking around, but it's fully refundable and can be transferred to the pkg. you'll ultimately be going with. (did that make any sense?) We actually did that this year because we booked the bounceback for Sept. but my husband was tired of how hot it is in Sept. and really wanted to go in Nov. for cooler weather and a little Christmas magic, but we really wanted the free dining or something comparable. So we booked both dates, did ADR's and everything, fully knowing that we'd be cancelling one of them, so when free dining was extented we cancelled the Sept. trip and transferred the $200 to the Nov. trip.
I'm sure you already know all this but I just thought I'd mention it just in case, because I'm sure you're a little overwhelmed with everything right now.
Oh, and thirdly, the glass slippers - perfect.

Wow I have never thought about booking multiple packages - what a good idea!! I'll definitely offer that up as an option to my guests. This answer is EXACTLY why I posted this thread. I know there are people on this site that know way more about Disney than I do...and I know a lot! :sohappy:

We're In The Lottery!
I just got off the phone with Michelle, our wedding consultant and we're officially in the lottery! Something that I didn't know was that you put in 4 alternate dates but you can put your name in the lottery for all available time slots that day. So, we put our names in for all available time slots on each of our 4 dates. She assured me that there was a good chance I would get one of my top 2. Now the waiting begins. She said she would be contacting me on January 6th, 2011 to let me know what date I was picked for! :animwink: That's going to be a magical day!

 

[the1nonlysinger]

Thanks for sharing your wedding plans with us! I absolutely loved planning my wedding- and I am extremely jealous that you are going to have yours at WDW! I actually started looking at the DFTW website and falling in love with everything and it made me want to get married again(to the same hubby of course!) I had to actually make myself leave the page so I wouldn't start getting an (expensive) ideas! :dazzle:

 

[Fashionista007]

Thanks for sharing your wedding plans with us! I absolutely loved planning my wedding- and I am extremely jealous that you are going to have yours at WDW! I actually started looking at the DFTW website and falling in love with everything and it made me want to get married again(to the same hubby of course!) I had to actually make myself leave the page so I wouldn't start getting an (expensive) ideas! :dazzle:

Thank you for reading! Remember you are a princess and you should have everything your heart desires (in monetary reason of course)! They do vow renewals for $1991

We changed our dates....again

So Labor Day was pretty booked and I was not comfortable with the limited availability. I have also decided not to try to get the free dining plan for all of my guests because we will all have the opportunity to purchase rooms at rack rates with the following discounts: 10% for Value, 15% for Moderate, and 30% for Deluxe. Since most of my guests will be staying at Deluxe resorts, this is a MUCH bigger savings than the free dining plan. Unfortunately, it is not as big of a discount for my Value resort guests. But, I was driving myself nuts trying to get all of this to work out with the free dining special so I've calmed down quite a bit. Our new dates are:

Sun 9/25/2011
Tues 9/27/2011
Wed 9/28/2011
Mon 9/26/2011

We will Honeymoon until around Oct 4th so that:
A. We are there on 10.1.2011 - WDW's 40th Anniversary!
B. We are there for the Food & Wine Festival
C. 10.3 is DF's (DH by then!!) Birthday

Discounts

So now I'm hearing that they are giving 20% off of Deluxe Escape Packages. We am currently in the lottery for a Premium Escape Package at the Wedding Pavilion. The Deluxe locations are: Sea Breeze Point, Yacht Club Gazebo, Sunset Point, & Sunrise Terrace and the special is only for 8AM & 10AM ceremonies. What to do!! The Premium package is already $1k more than the Deluxe and 20% off of $4750 is $950. So, we would be reducing our costs by almost $2k! I'm going to have to think on this one. It's like Sophie's Choice On the one hand, I have dreampt about the Wedding Pavilion since it opened. On the other hand, the other locations are all beautiful and I was originally going for Sea Breeze Point anyway. What to do???

 

[Soaringirl]

Don't freak.. I'm sure you'll figure everything out. You're in love and getting married at Disney and it will all work out perfectly no matter where the ceremony is takes place. I'm happy that you changed the dates and I hope this causes you a little less stress. Oh, and your husband to be and I share the same birthday! Enjoy the rest of the planning.

 

[DecWDW]

Just a question...what would Disney do if you had booked Sea Breeze Point and it turned out to be a rainy day? They wouldn't just leave you out there or cancel would they?

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Thank you for reading! Remember you are a princess and you should have everything your heart desires (in monetary reason of course)! They do vow renewals for $1991

We changed our dates....again

So Labor Day was pretty booked and I was not comfortable with the limited availability. I have also decided not to try to get the free dining plan for all of my guests because we will all have the opportunity to purchase rooms at rack rates with the following discounts: 10% for Value, 15% for Moderate, and 30% for Deluxe. Since most of my guests will be staying at Deluxe resorts, this is a MUCH bigger savings than the free dining plan. Unfortunately, it is not as big of a discount for my Value resort guests. But, I was driving myself nuts trying to get all of this to work out with the free dining special so I've calmed down quite a bit. Our new dates are:

Sun 9/25/2011
Tues 9/27/2011
Wed 9/28/2011
Mon 9/26/2011

We will Honeymoon until around Oct 4th so that:
A. We are there on 10.1.2011 - WDW's 40th Anniversary!
B. We are there for the Food & Wine Festival
C. 10.3 is DF's (DH by then!!) Birthday

Discounts

So now I'm hearing that they are giving 20% off of Deluxe Escape Packages. We am currently in the lottery for a Premium Escape Package at the Wedding Pavilion. The Deluxe locations are: Sea Breeze Point, Yacht Club Gazebo, Sunset Point, & Sunrise Terrace and the special is only for 8AM & 10AM ceremonies. What to do!! The Premium package is already $1k more than the Deluxe and 20% off of $4750 is $950. So, we would be reducing our costs by almost $2k! I'm going to have to think on this one. It's like Sophie's Choice On the one hand, I have dreampt about the Wedding Pavilion since it opened. On the other hand, the other locations are all beautiful and I was originally going for Sea Breeze Point anyway. What to do???

I have a lot of replying to do ((sorry for getting behind)) but while I have a second I wanted to comment on your wondering if you'd rather do something other than the wedding pavilion to save the bucks. Personally, I'd stick with what my heart wants. You only do it once, right? ((Or in my case, perhaps twice but I didn't do anything near as nice the first time!)) The deciding factor for me would be outside vs. inside location. September is HOT. Even in the morning it can be pretty steamy. I'd be paranoid my hair would do a belly flop if I did an outside ceremony. Then again, if you did Seabreeze Point you could use the saved money to do a little brunch reception in The Attic at the Boardwalk Resort. I've seen lots of pics of The Attic. I think that place is so charming and sweet! Leave it to me to help you spend your savings. I'm bad like that. :wave:

Cool that you can relax on the dates. Glad to hear you found a more livable situation. It's no fun if you have to stress, right? I still think you're oober-sweet to be so thoughtful of your guests.

BTW, the end of September still being a slower time of year, I wouldn't be surprised if your "value" guests ended up having other discount options such as free dining and/or a deeper room discount for the general public. Disney will NEVER fill those value rooms at the current rack rates. Right?

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Thank you for your kind words about me NOT being a Bridezilla. I'm a real people pleaser which is nice but sometimes it drives me nuts! I just want all of my guests to have a magical time This is exactly why I'm planning a super small wedding. I know a lot of people will be hurt not to be invited but #1. It's expensive and #2. It would drive me bat crap crazy! I have 2 sisters and they both had over 100 people and spent more than $20K. That's just not my style.

I hear ya! I'd be pretty nervous and uncomfortable if I had that many people sitting in chairs just lookin' at me. I'd be so nervous my belly would go spastic and I'd prob'ly pass gas or something and totally embarrass myself until I wished I was just dead. It'd be horrible. I'm certain I'd end up on AFV. Hey! Maybe I could WIN $10k!!!! Oh wait! That wouldn't be enough money to pay for the wedding & trip....

Last week I was talking to my old boss at work and he jokingly asked me if I was going to wear glass slippers at my wedding. Well, I took that idea and rolled with it!

http://www.bellissimabridalshoes.co...se&utm_campaign=googlebase&utm_content=016496

I like that the description says they're comfortable. With the portrait sessions at MK and EPCOT, I will need comfortable shoes!

Love the slippers! You're such a princess already! How sweet....

Um, hey! Did you happen to have any of the Disney 'Little Golden Books' when you were little? Just curious....




OH! BTW! Gotta thank you for that info on the Memories package. I squashed the subject the couple times Tracey brought it up in the day or so after I initially mentioned that package & it's limitations to him. Then when it sorta came up again a few days later he was all: "Well I'm sorry if I think you're worth a lot more than the cheap seats." I said: "The ring on the finger can make up for the cheap seats....and if you have the choice of cheap seats or stay home you gotta learn to be happy with what you have rather than irrate over what you don't have." That's when I got the okay. Still need to call and check on things. It'd be fun to do it on 9/18/11 for our 18th anniversary. We'll have to see if I can talk myself into spending that extra $$ on such a splurge. So thanks for the info! :wave:

 

[Fashionista007]

Don't freak.. I'm sure you'll figure everything out. You're in love and getting married at Disney and it will all work out perfectly no matter where the ceremony is takes place. I'm happy that you changed the dates and I hope this causes you a little less stress. Oh, and your husband to be and I share the same birthday! Enjoy the rest of the planning.

That's so funny you have the same birthday! I tend to drift towards Libras My Mom is a Libra.

Just a question...what would Disney do if you had booked Sea Breeze Point and it turned out to be a rainy day? They wouldn't just leave you out there or cancel would they?

For all outdoor locations, they have an alternate location for inclement weather. As you can probably tell, I'm not all about "wait and see" so I wouldn't feel comfortable planning an outdoor wedding with the hopes it doesn't rain. Especially during September.

I have a lot of replying to do ((sorry for getting behind)) but while I have a second I wanted to comment on your wondering if you'd rather do something other than the wedding pavilion to save the bucks. Personally, I'd stick with what my heart wants. You only do it once, right? ((Or in my case, perhaps twice but I didn't do anything near as nice the first time!)) The deciding factor for me would be outside vs. inside location. September is HOT. Even in the morning it can be pretty steamy. I'd be paranoid my hair would do a belly flop if I did an outside ceremony. Then again, if you did Seabreeze Point you could use the saved money to do a little brunch reception in The Attic at the Boardwalk Resort. I've seen lots of pics of The Attic. I think that place is so charming and sweet! Leave it to me to help you spend your savings. I'm bad like that. :wave:

Cool that you can relax on the dates. Glad to hear you found a more livable situation. It's no fun if you have to stress, right? I still think you're oober-sweet to be so thoughtful of your guests.

BTW, the end of September still being a slower time of year, I wouldn't be surprised if your "value" guests ended up having other discount options such as free dining and/or a deeper room discount for the general public. Disney will NEVER fill those value rooms at the current rack rates. Right?

I talked to my Mom and DF last night about saving $2k and they both said the same as you...just go with my heart. It's my wedding and I've been dreaming about this since I was a little girl. It has to be the Wedding Pavilion! :sohappy: I have always dreampt of walking through the lobby of the GF in my wedding dress and taking photos on the grand staircase. Geez I'm getting teary just thinking about it! I'm pretty sure I'll be crying in ALL my wedding pictures.

I am SO happy that I can relax on the dates. My advice to anyone planning an Escape wedding is to be flexible. You have to understand that the Couture and Wishes weddings have priority booking so just be flexible.

I hear ya! I'd be pretty nervous and uncomfortable if I had that many people sitting in chairs just lookin' at me. I'd be so nervous my belly would go spastic and I'd prob'ly pass gas or something and totally embarrass myself until I wished I was just dead. It'd be horrible. I'm certain I'd end up on AFV. Hey! Maybe I could WIN $10k!!!! Oh wait! That wouldn't be enough money to pay for the wedding & trip....



Love the slippers! You're such a princess already! How sweet....

Um, hey! Did you happen to have any of the Disney 'Little Golden Books' when you were little? Just curious....




OH! BTW! Gotta thank you for that info on the Memories package. I squashed the subject the couple times Tracey brought it up in the day or so after I initially mentioned that package & it's limitations to him. Then when it sorta came up again a few days later he was all: "Well I'm sorry if I think you're worth a lot more than the cheap seats." I said: "The ring on the finger can make up for the cheap seats....and if you have the choice of cheap seats or stay home you gotta learn to be happy with what you have rather than irrate over what you don't have." That's when I got the okay. Still need to call and check on things. It'd be fun to do it on 9/18/11 for our 18th anniversary. We'll have to see if I can talk myself into spending that extra $$ on such a splurge. So thanks for the info! :wave:

Even with 18 guests I'm still afraid that I'll trip and fall while walking down the aisle! My sister got married in 2009 at Ripken Stadium so we all had to walk down the bleacher steps, on to the field, and out to home plate. It had rained earlier and when I got to the field, one of my shoes got stuck and came off! It was terribly embarassing, esp in front of all those people.

I still have my Little Golden Books! I don't have the Cinderella one but when I saw your comment I had to go over to my bookshelf, take this picture and upload it to Photobucket:

I think DFTW should give me a discount for all the PR I'm doing about the Vow Renewals I told my Mom about it and I'm really trying to get my Dad in on it. Seriously, they got married in a courthouse. She needs her wedding.

Thanks again to everyone for all the advice! It really makes me feel good to know strangers on the interwebs care so much about my wedding

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Oh Gosh! I hadn't even thought about the terror of walking in heels! LOL! I think I might own 1 pair that I wore to a funeral. Walking in heels carrying all the weight of a gown is scary stuff. I'd have to do a lot of practicing so I didn't look like a man trying to pull off heals. LOL!

Looooove your Little Golden Book! It's so sweet!!!!! I kinda have this idea in my brain....saw the coolest thing that a person on Etsy does with those..... :animwink:

 

[Fashionista007]

Looooove your Little Golden Book! It's so sweet!!!!! I kinda have this idea in my brain....saw the coolest thing that a person on Etsy does with those..... :animwink:

I wasn't sure what Etsy was so I googled it. Wow, what a great site for handmade wedding stuff!! They sell an "Our Adventure Book" from Up which Jason and I loved! We're going to buy this and have it personalized to use as our guest book. Then we can fill it with pictures of our adventures in life over the years What a fantastic idea. *Spoiler Alert* The scene in Up where Carl is looking through the adventure book after Ellie has died and he finds that she filled it out... It's the only Pixar movie that has made me cry. Although, I got REALLY teary when Andy gave his toys away in Toy Story 3 because he was all grown up and going to college. Anyway, I digress...

http://www.etsy.com/listing/5964824...e=1&order=&includes[0]=tags&includes[1]=title

I also found the cutest Mickey and Minnie flower girl baskets:

http://www.fairytaleweddingstore.com/rcProd1.asp?id=710&c1=54

Annual Passes

The Escape package comes with 2 APs for the Bride and Groom that I assumed we would get when we checked in for our wedding. My wedding consultant told me that we actually get the APs when we sign the contracts and they are ours to use whenever we want! So now we are seriously thinking of going down in June for a quick 3 or 4 night trip for Star Wars Weekends and the re-opening of Star Tours. I would like to take Jason over to the Wedding Pavilion because he's never seen it up close!

Question! When you renew your AP do you get another voucher or is the renewal date the beginning of your year? I'm pretty sure we'll be AP holders from here on out :sohappy:

 

[TomHendricks]

We wanted to get married at the Wedding Pavilion but it was already taken even before we went down to plan our wedding. We were really bummed about that, however after viewing the Wedding Pavilion we were actually glad. We got married at the Gazebo at the Yacht Club and could not have been more happy, in fact we talk all time now that we were glad that the Wedding Pavilion was taken. Here are a few pictures from our wedding, good luck in planning yours.

 

[DisneyPrincess5]

Ooo I just discovered this thread!

Congratulations again on your Disney engagement and upcoming Disney wedding!
Can't wait to read more!

 

[Fashionista007]

We wanted to get married at the Wedding Pavilion but it was already taken even before we went down to plan our wedding. We were really bummed about that, however after viewing the Wedding Pavilion we were actually glad. We got married at the Gazebo at the Yacht Club and could not have been more happy, in fact we talk all time now that we were glad that the Wedding Pavilion was taken. Here are a few pictures from our wedding, good luck in planning yours.

Oh my goodness thank you for sharing your pictures, they're absolutely stunning! I see you did the MK Photo Session, did you do it on the same day as your wedding? What time did you get to MK and how did you get in? So many questions! Also, where was the picture of the desserts taken? They look delish!

Ooo I just discovered this thread!

Congratulations again on your Disney engagement and upcoming Disney wedding!
Can't wait to read more!

Thanks Princess! We're both so excited for our big day Well I think I'm a bit more excited...I've been dreaming about this for such a long time! I've gotta tell you I think the best kind of Groom is one that stays out of things and that's exactly what Jason has been doing. He understands that this is basically my day and he has been letting me plan everything. He's also been sweet enough to let me go on and on and on...an on I think he's more excited for the Honeymoon so we can wear our Just Married buttons and Bride and Groom ears. We had so much fun wearing our Just Engaged buttons!

 

[TomHendricks]

Oh my goodness thank you for sharing your pictures, they're absolutely stunning! I see you did the MK Photo Session, did you do it on the same day as your wedding? What time did you get to MK and how did you get in? So many questions! Also, where was the picture of the desserts taken?

If you need any questions answered, please feel free to ask. We had a great time planning our wedding and willing to share what we did.

The photo shoot at MK was actually the day after our wedding. We didn't want to see each other before, you know the whole see the bride thing. Our photo session was at 5am and we had the whole park pretty much to ourselves for an hour. Our photographer picked us up in a van and drove us into the park. We actually parked just a few feet away from where the picture was taken. It is absolutely worth every penny, we have a huge print on canvas of this in our living room. The guy who did the framing, upon looking at it asked "Is that our summer home?" talking about the castle.

The dessert is from our reception, which we had at the Yacht Club. We choose to have the dessert along with the wedding cake. This was a bit frivolous but we loved it.

 

[DiPSU224]

We wanted to get married at the Wedding Pavilion but it was already taken even before we went down to plan our wedding. We were really bummed about that, however after viewing the Wedding Pavilion we were actually glad. We got married at the Gazebo at the Yacht Club and could not have been more happy, in fact we talk all time now that we were glad that the Wedding Pavilion was taken. Here are a few pictures from our wedding, good luck in planning yours.

Stunning! What I wouldn't give to have had my wedding portraits in the MK. Thanks for sharing.

Fashionista, thank you so much for sharing your DFTW journey with us! I had always dreamed of getting married in WDW but wanting a big wedding won out for me in the end. I'm holding out hope for a vow renewal one day. I have a small obsession with the wedding pavilion since the first time I laid eyes on it...so much so that I made my friends visit it with me when we visited back in 1999. A custodial CM saw us walking around and let us inside to take pictures. I was in heaven. Now, I visit it on every trip in hopes of catching a glimpse of a Disney bride.

I'll be stalking this thread following your adventure! :wave:

 

[Fashionista007]

If you need any questions answered, please feel free to ask. We had a great time planning our wedding and willing to share what we did.

The photo shoot at MK was actually the day after our wedding. We didn't want to see each other before, you know the whole see the bride thing. Our photo session was at 5am and we had the whole park pretty much to ourselves for an hour. Our photographer picked us up in a van and drove us into the park. We actually parked just a few feet away from where the picture was taken. It is absolutely worth every penny, we have a huge print on canvas of this in our living room. The guy who did the framing, upon looking at it asked "Is that our summer home?" talking about the castle.

The dessert is from our reception, which we had at the Yacht Club. We choose to have the dessert along with the wedding cake. This was a bit frivolous but we loved it.

Thank you so much! What a great idea to get that picture printed on canvas. I might have to steal that idea! We just upgraded from a small apartment to a house not too long ago and we have a lot of bare walls that I would like to fill.

Stunning! What I wouldn't give to have had my wedding portraits in the MK. Thanks for sharing.

Fashionista, thank you so much for sharing your DFTW journey with us! I had always dreamed of getting married in WDW but wanting a big wedding won out for me in the end. I'm holding out hope for a vow renewal one day. I have a small obsession with the wedding pavilion since the first time I laid eyes on it...so much so that I made my friends visit it with me when we visited back in 1999. A custodial CM saw us walking around and let us inside to take pictures. I was in heaven. Now, I visit it on every trip in hopes of catching a glimpse of a Disney bride.

I'll be stalking this thread following your adventure! :wave:

I've been obsessed with the Wedding Pavilion ever since it opened when I was 11. I never thought I would actually be able to get married there, I thought it would be way too expensive. I think that the Escape weddings are so perfect for people like me who want something kind of fancy but on a small scale and budget. This is a dream come true for me and I just know I'll be crying in all of my pictures I get teary every time I even think about it! I just know that because it's Disney, it's going to be absolutely magical.

 

[Tiggerish]

Question! When you renew your AP do you get another voucher or is the renewal date the beginning of your year? I'm pretty sure we'll be AP holders from here on out :sohappy:

Just to answer your question, when you renew your AP, unless you do so at the parks, you get a voucher. However, your renewal pass would start on the day after your AP expires, no matter when you exchange the voucher.

I am dizzy reading about all the decisions you have to make, and wish you the best with your Disney wedding!

(when I went to WDW on my honeymoon, there were only two parks, MK & Epcot!)

 

[TomHendricks]

Stunning! What I wouldn't give to have had my wedding portraits in the MK. Thanks for sharing.:

You know you can book private photography session in the Magic Kingdom. The group after us was a soccer team, so it doesn't just have to be weddings. Just have to remember the times are EARLY in the morning. Getting up at 4am to have the pictures taken after our wedding was tough, but yes well worth it.

 

[TinkerChelli]

Congratulations to you guys. That is so great!!!!!!!!!!!

You're going to have a perfect day....I'm so excited for you guys really. :sohappy::sohappy::sohappy:

One day i'd like to renew our vows at Disney since we really didn't want or have a wedding either.
:wave:

 

[Fashionista007]

Sorry, I've been busy with work and I haven't had a chance to scour my forums as usual! I'm back now

Just to answer your question, when you renew your AP, unless you do so at the parks, you get a voucher. However, your renewal pass would start on the day after your AP expires, no matter when you exchange the voucher.

Thank you! I figured that's how it worked but I wanted to make sure. I can't wait to get my AP!

You know you can book private photography session in the Magic Kingdom. The group after us was a soccer team, so it doesn't just have to be weddings. Just have to remember the times are EARLY in the morning. Getting up at 4am to have the pictures taken after our wedding was tough, but yes well worth it.

I've been reading some threads on other forums about the new MK/EPCOT deal they have this year. Apparently they begin a bit later right before the park opens. I'll post more info when I book my session! :sohappy:

Congratulations to you guys. That is so great!!!!!!!!!!!

You're going to have a perfect day....I'm so excited for you guys really. :sohappy::sohappy::sohappy:

One day i'd like to renew our vows at Disney since we really didn't want or have a wedding either.
:wave:

Thank you so much! It's all I can think about these days. I'm constantly staring at my ring and dreaming of my wedding Even if it isn't perfect, it will be perfect because it's a Disney Wedding. I found another forum with a separate section for DFTW TRs and some of the brides are SO picky. Complaining about the quality of the videography, photos, etc. Some less than magical things have happened to me on various WDW trips but in my memory they are still magical!

Weekend Getaway
I found out last week that my company is sending me to a Microsoft conference in Atlanta in May. So my obvious response was...can I fly to Orlando after its over? My boss said yes and I can expense the flight back and they'll still pay for the Atlanta to Baltimore portion DF is going to meet me in Orlando and we're going to have ourselves a little weekend getaway. I don't think I'm going to book our room until we have our APs so we can peruse the discounts available at that time. I'm also hoping that will be a Star Wars Weekend - it's the last weekend in May. Heh, how much of a nerd am I? A Microsoft conference and then a Star Wars Weekend? Where's my pocket protector?

I contacted my wedding sales rep and she said that approximately 1 week before our trip we can contact our wedding coordinator to set up an appointment to tour the Wedding Pavilion. I can't wait, I've never been inside! 182 Days!! :sohappy: