Wedding department - AWOL?

[erhoffer]

Has anyone on this board had contact with the Celebrity wedding department? I have been trying and trying to follow-up on forms I faxed to them, and to ask a few questions. I sent an email - no response. I left a phone message - no response. I have been calling several times a day, thinking that I could actually connect with a person that way since the messages clearly don't work. No answer. Clearly, it is pretty important to us to have this figured out in advance of the cruise, which is now only 2 months away.

 

Have you experienced this same frustration? Is there anyone there? Any ideas how to get through?

 

thanks for any insight,

- Erin

[our turn]

We used the wedding department to plan our vow renewal last year. Communication before the cruise was very frustrating and much was left to work out with the coordinator once on board. She had her contact information waiting in our cabin and everything went perfect.

 

If I were planning a wedding rather than a vow renewal, I would not be comfortable with this situation. In the end everything from the flowers to the music was exactly what I wanted. However, the stress of planning and not having any details prior to boarding is not something I would do again.

 

I thought at the time that maybe the wedding department did not take a vow renewal as serious as planning an actual wedding. I hope for your sake that is the case. Best wishes and let me know if I can answer any questions.

 

Kim

[erhoffer]

We are doing a vow renewal, also. So maybe it's the same issue. Still, I'm surprised that I can NEVER get through by phone... just that one time. I guess I should count my blessings.

 

- Erin

[our turn]

Erin

 

How many years are you celebrating? We renewed ours at 22 years last February on the Millennium. I did talk with a representative a few times but was always told that most things would be arranged once onboard. I was so frustrated that several times I thought about canceling. I am really glad that I didn't because it truly was a very beautiful and moving ceremony.

 

Ours was performed by the captain in Michael's Club. I did not upgrade the flowers and was glad I didn't because they were beautiful -- white roses tied with silk ribbon, matching boutiniere, long stem roses on the piano and rose petals. There were also 2 lovely artificial arrangements flanking the fireplace. There was a selection of CD's to choose from for music. The vows were meaningful and very personal -- the coordinator spent a lot of time talking to us in order to make that happen. The cake was heart shaped with white roses.

 

The photographer was wonderful -- so wonderful that I spent a small fortune on pictures! He spent at least an hour and a half with us taking pictures all over the ship.

 

We received everything in the package exactly as promised plus other things that made it so special. We dined at the Captain's table and a complimentary 8 x 10 group picture was delivered to us the next morning. The Captain's gift to us was an invitation to the bridge as we pulled into San Juan the next morning. There was a bottle of wine sent to our table one night, chocolate covered stawberries and a long stemmed red rose on the bed one night and so many well wishes from the crew and officers alike.

 

I think I covered everything, but will be happly to answer any questions. Hope your experience will be wonderful and congrats.

 

Kim

[erhoffer]

That sounds incredible! We will be celebrating our 25th (which is later in the year) which is why we booked the trip in the first place. That, plus the fact that our son is graduating from high school and leaving home. (We will have the kids with us on the trip.)

 

I was actually starting to think about cancelling just this week. It is not a small amount of money for us to spend, and I was starting to get frustrated by the lack of communication. I was really just calling to see if we could book a table at the specialty restaurant in advance for that night.

 

Thanks so much for your calming advice. I guess I can wait a few weeks to get things set up on board. It sounds like it will be well worth it.

 

By the way - what did you wear to the ceremony? Do you have any photos posted online somewhere? They sound great.

 

thanks,

- Erin

[our turn]

Erin

 

It was rather a large amount of money but I have no regrets. Just remembered they give you some leeway about when and where the ceremony takes place. Of course, alot depends on the Captain's schedule and they do require it be done on a sea day. Ours was actually held at 10:00 am on Valentine's Day. I would have preferred later but I was able to arrange an early spa and hair appointment.

 

We love to dress up so DH wore his tux and I wore a floor length ivory silk sheath dress. Michael's Club is very elegant and it was decorated beautifully so I was glad we went all out. I think more casual dress would have looked out of place in the pictures. If you don't like to dress up, there are plenty of other venues to choose from.

 

If you want to give me your email address I will send some pictures. We are going away for the week end so it might be Monday before I can do it.

 

Kim

[nycglitter]

I can't believe how relieved and frustrated I am by reading your posts. I am relieved because I thought I was the only one being blown off by the wedding folks and frustrated because it seems to be a chronic problem.

 

My husband and I will be celebrating our 20th anniversary in June and sailing to celebrate in July. I too have called several times and left messages with "The Wedding Experience" but have never connected. I haven't even got as far as filling out paperwork. My TA has called on my behalf as well and is so mad about having zero calls returned she is calling Celebrity today to see if there is an alternate company to work with.

 

Kim- I would love to see pictures as well. I loved your description of the ceremony, and decor. It is so hard to imagine what this event will be like.

 

Erin - Congrats and good luck on planning your vow renewal!

 

Marit

[our turn]

Marit

 

Congrats to you as well. It is beginning to sound like these are not isolated incidents of poor customer service with the Wedding department. I am curious if those planning weddings rather than renewals are treated the same way. I am an obsessive planner and very detail oriented so this just drove me crazy.

 

All my worry was for nothing though. We met with the wedding coordinator within an hour of boarding. She was wonderful! She spent at least an hour with us explaining options, showing us available venues, introducing folks that would be involved and she really listened to what we wanted. She even convinced the hair salon to open a little early so that I wouldn't have to rush.

 

The photographer was wonderful as well. He didn't just show up and take the obligatory pictures. He took us all over the ship and we have some really cool pictures taken in the Conservatory. A few days later he made an appointment with us to sit down and look at all the pictures and delivered the ones we purchased to our cabin.

 

Our experience was that the coordinator took the time to get to know us a little bit and then was able to put together an event tailored just for us. They offered to do anything from a casual on the deck by the railing to something very elegant. So don't be afaid to ask for exactly what your dream day would be.

 

Send me your email and I will be happy to send pictures. Good luck and have a great cruise!

 

Kim

[nycglitter]

I am an obsessive planner too! Happy to hear I am not alone!:)

 

I actually got someone to pick up the phone after dialing several times and we took care of booking this over the phone with documents to follow.

 

What day of your cruise did you choose for the renewal? We are trying to have ours on one of the at sea formal nights, so we don't need to pack additional formal wear, but that may not happen.

 

We are also hoping to have dinner that evening in the Normandy, that too will remain to be seen.

 

I have such high expectations. I just want everything to be memorable and romantic.

 

My email address is marit411@gmail.com, thanks in advance for sharing any photo's!

 

Marit

[erhoffer]

I would love to see the photos, Kim.

 

My email is erhoffer@yahoo.com.

 

many thanks for making me feel so much better about everything!

 

- Erin

[our turn]

Marit

 

We chose the first formal night which was a sea day. I was worried if I waited til later in the cruise my dress might be too tight!:eek: We had planned to dine in the Olympic that night, but when we were invited to dine at the Captain's table we changed our reservation. That is a good idea to cut down on packing. Much to my DH's horror, I couldn't possibly wear the same dress twice! (or shoes, jewelry, bathing suits, etc.)

 

So glad you were finally able to get through to the Wedding Experience. I sincerely hope that things will go as smooth for you and Erin once you board. I see from your past cruises that you are new to Celebrity. I think you will love it. We recently tried HAL, had a great time, but I think our first love is X. Just waiting for the first reviews on the Solstice to book our next one.

 

Kim

[our turn]

Erin

 

You are very welcome. I just hope you are as pleased as we were. Actually, if you search the wedding & honeymoon board, you will find alot of similar complaints from first time brides. Just scanning through, it seems like most were very satisfied in the end.

 

I will try very hard to get those pictures to you early next week. Have fun planning and savor every moment of it.

 

Kim

[margeecruiser]

I am so glad to see this thread and read some other's experiences with The Wedding Experience. I, too, have called and called. When I finally got through, they said the phone number must have been wrong.... 3 times? I am probably going to go ahead with the vow renewal package after reading that the results once onboard have been good. I was so frustrated with the lack of specifics from the Wedding Department, as they say when they answer the phone. They seem to be hiding the fact that this is not actually Celebrity but a vendor. I wanted to get some special flowers, not the white ones they usually have. I was not able to get any information on how to do this. Anyway, I guess I will just "pay the money and hope for the best"!:rolleyes:

[nycglitter]

After reading about the good experience, I am confident it will be a good experience. Celebrity has such a good reputation that I am sure they wouldn't ultimately continue to use a vendor that irritated their clientele.

 

We are looking forward to our vow renewal and opted for the larger package after finding out that with the smaller package that we would most likely have the cruise director officiating. I am sure that would be fine, but my husband likes the idea of the Captain performing the ceremony.

 

Best of luck with your plans!

 

Marit

[nycglitter]

Thanks for all of your encouraging words! Mostly, thank you for saying that you like to pack like I do. I will make sure my husband reads this thread and sees that I am not the only one!!! LOL:)

 

Can't wait to see your photo's!

 

Marit

 

P.S. Since you are the resident renewal expert...any suggestions on where I can find an appropriate dress? I want something elegant and special, but can't seem to find the right thing. The dress I fell in love with is a Badgley Mischka, but my husband is not going for it!

[erhoffer]

I did an internet search and found a wide range. Some people on these boards have posted very youthful dresses. I ended up finding some things at Coldwater Creek outlet - couldn't decide between this one - http://www.coldwatercreek.com/Products/Product.aspx?productid=37259&ensembleid=42968&Skn=outlet or this one - http://www.coldwatercreek.com/Products/Product.aspx?productid=38920&ensembleid=44711&Skn=outlet.

 

This site had some advice - and links to dresses - http://www.idotaketwo.com/renewing_wedding_vows.html

 

http://www.idotaketwo.com/vow_renewal_etiquette.html

 

- Erin

[our turn]

Hey ladies! We are at our beach house (shack) for the week-end -- the next best thing to actually being on the ocean. Welcome Margeecruiser -- wow 50 years!

 

I am a little nervous about being the resident expert because our experience was just magical. I really hope that every one of you get the renewal of you dreams. Of course, if you are on the majestical ocean with the man you love, how can it go wrong?

 

Erin -- I love love love the second dress on the Coldwater Creek site, very elegant and classy. I just know you will be beautiful.

 

Marin -- your DH will still not understand the packing obsession! They just are not wired like us. On our last last X cruise, we joked about our steward. Apparently he had a shoe fetish because I brought 10 pair (okay 15) of shoes and every time we left the cabin my shoes were perfectly alligned and rearranged in the closet. Poor misguided DH, who packed tennis shoes, dress shoes and flip flops, they were left wherever he chose to leave them.

 

Looking forward to hearing about all your plans.

 

Kim

[nycglitter]

I did an internet search and found a wide range. Some people on these boards have posted very youthful dresses. I ended up finding some things at Coldwater Creek outlet - couldn't decide between this one - http://www.coldwatercreek.com/Products/Product.aspx?productid=37259&ensembleid=42968&Skn=outlet or this one - http://www.coldwatercreek.com/Products/Product.aspx?productid=38920&ensembleid=44711&Skn=outlet.

 

This site had some advice - and links to dresses - http://www.idotaketwo.com/renewing_wedding_vows.html

 

http://www.idotaketwo.com/vow_renewal_etiquette.html

 

- Erin

 

Erin, I too LOVE the second dress! Beautiful! Thanks for the link to I Do Take Two. Great information!

 

 

I am a little nervous about being the resident expert because our experience was just magical. I really hope that every one of you get the renewal of you dreams. Of course, if you are on the majestical ocean with the man you love, how can it go wrong?

 

Kim

 

Kim - The beach house sounds heavenly. The shoe story is too funny. Men are definitely hardwired differently than women! I am just going to pack what makes me happy. Why cut back now? I am going for it and plan to have a magical time too!

 

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE all of the great information and support on this thread!

 

Thank you to all of you for making the planning so fun!

Marit

[erhoffer]

After many many tries, I succeeded in getting through to the Wedding Department by phone today. The person there had never received the forms I emailed! She said she had emailed me last week asking me whether we wanted to go ahead with the event, but I never received the email. It sounds like I would have lost my booking if I hadn't kept trying to get through by phone!

 

I just want to mention this, in case the same email problems might be happening with others here. Strongly recommend - Keep trying to get through by phone to double-check things. It is a hassle, but it could save some heart-ache later.

 

- Erin

[nycglitter]

Erin,

 

The same thing happened to us. We filled out the forms and sent them back. We also sent a follow up email asking that they confirm receipt of the forms and payment. The email bounced back. We called today and sure enough, they never received anything. We confirmed everything over the phone and refaxed the forms. I don't think I am going to feel good about this until it happens!

[erhoffer]

Say... I was looking at the Cancellation policy and it looks like our Celebrity insurance might not cover this (since it is with a third party). I am concerned about that. We normally don't have problems and are (for the most part) pretty healthy, but I don't want to lose everything if someone breaks a leg or something. Are you getting insurance separately?

 

BTW - when is your sailing date?

 

thanks for any advice.

- Erin

[nycglitter]

I am not sure about insurance and "The Wedding Experience". They are a third party, but they are the vendor that Celebrity makes you use for all things wedding. I would think that it would be covered, but I really don't know.

 

We chose not to ensure this trip at all. We never take trip insurance and honestly did not even give it a thought with this trip. It wasn't until I realized exactly how much money is on the line did I realize how dumb we were. We are very healthy, and I am sure we will be find, but when you factor children and extended family into the mix, it certainly increases the odds that we could be burned. My husband says no matter what happens, he is going on the trip! Nothing is stopping him! (I like his determination!)

 

I am sure we will be fine, but it is certainly the biggest gamble I have ever taken!:rolleyes: Is it possible to buy insurance from an independent company after the final payment? We have paid for the entire trip, but I wouldn't mind looking into a policy.

 

Our sailing date is July 22. We will fly to Barcelona on the 21st. 12 weeks and counting!

 

I see you are heading to Alaska. What are the temperatures like there in the summer?

[drumleggagh]

Kim:

 

Congratulations on your 22nd!

 

My husband and I are celebrating our 25th on the Mercury Panama Canal cruise on 1/3/09. Can you tell me which renewal package you bought - the "Aisle to Isle Renewal" or the "True Love Knot Renewal"?

 

From the descriptions on the Celebrity website it looks like the True Love Knot because the other one does not indicate that the Captain performs the ceremony and I believe you said the picture with the captain was included.

 

We were also leaning to have the ceremony on the 1st at sea day as someone mentioned. Was your ceremony during the day or in the evening?

 

We planned on going through our Travel Agent to arrange the ceremony and I'm wondering if she will have better luck with responses.

 

Did your husband rent a tux from Celebrity for the ceremony? Could you also send a few samples of the pictures to me at emiles@ctel.net?

 

Congratulations again Kim and thanks for the advice!

 

Debbie

[our turn]

Debbie

 

Congrats, sorry it took me so long to respond but I just got back in town. Yes, we did purchase to True Love Knot renewal package. We thought it was more special by having the captain perform the ceremony plus as you can see there are other extras as well.

 

We did have ours on the first sea day (to be sure that my dress still fit)! It may vary, but the Captain had more time available late morning or early afternoon, so we went with 10:00 a.m.

 

DH did rent the tux and it was waiting in our cabin when we boarded. He was really disappointed in the fit and quality, so we bought one before I our last cruise.

 

I am working on the pictures -- should get them out soon.

 

Kim

[nycglitter]

We requested that our ceremony be on the first formal night, which I believe might be the first day at sea. The Wedding Experience said that they don't do the ceremony on formal days because the Captain is so busy. Then at the end of the conversation she said she would put in the request.

 

Do you think we will know before we board what day the ceremony will be?

 

I would like it earlier in the cruise for many reasons and would love the convenience of it falling on a formal day.