So close to being perfect
Everything started out perfect. I booked online and called to request an early check-in/late check-out. The staff I spoke with was beyond helpful and courteous, even offering a larger window of stay than I originally anticipated (check-in at noon, check-out at 4PM). When I spoke with the attendant during this initial conversation I informed them that my fiancé and I would be staying at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel for our wedding night, and would like to capture our first look and a few photos in the lobby near the stairwell before heading to the location of our ceremony. The attendant I was speaking with informed me this would be no issue at all. Fast-forward to our wedding night. We checked-in just before noon on 02/29, and everything was wonderful. The staff was kind, our room was ready a little before noon, and they informed us that we had been upgraded. We dropped our bags and proceeded about our day. My fiancé put his tux on and went to the lobby at 3:30PM to wait for me to put on my wedding dress, and meet him in the lobby where our photographer would capture our first look.
My fiancé met our photographer in the lobby, and was quickly met by a person dressed in a suit. My fiancé asked this person to help with his boutonniere, and very kindly they did prior to informing my fiancé and our photographer that the reason they came over was because the receptionist had called security to inform them we were taking unsolicited photos. In the moment immediately following this exchange I exited the elevator in my wedding gown to meet my soon-to-be husband and photographer, only to find them looking frustrated and rather confused. After hearing from them what was happening I spoke to the receptionist who had called security, and informed them of the conversation I had with the attendant when I requested early and late check-out over the phone. While the receptionist and I were speaking, my photographer contacted the marketing manager (Andrew, I believe), and informed them of the situation. Andrew quickly replied with approval to shoot the photos we had planned, and we went about our night.
A couple things: first, the receptionist at your hotel stole a once-in-a-lifetime moment from my husband and I. That was the single opportunity for our photographer to capture our reactions to seeing each-other dressed for the first time on our wedding day, and we will never have that moment back. I understand there are rules for a reason, but I received 'permission' when I spoke with the attendant over the phone, and I can't help but question the human aspect here. We were not causing a scene, being destructive, noisy, nor were we in anyone's way. Even IF I did not have permission I still cannot comprehend the fact that your staff didn't have the courtesy to speak directly to my partner or our photographer and simply ask if we had permission before calling security and taking that moment from us forever. I'm absolutely beside myself, and would say at a loss of words, but clearly that's not the case.
Second, as anyone who has been married before may know, wedding days are always on a tight timeline. This entire interaction took about 10-15 minutes of our time before it was fully resolved. That is 10-15 minutes of time that we should have been capturing photos with our photographer. To put that into perspective we hired them for $2,000 for 2 hours, which equates to $250 of their time and our money that could not be made up due to the timeline of the day. It would be impossible to put a price tag on the memories we lost because of the person at the front desk, but $250 is added salt in the wound at this point.
My now husband and I were on the search to find a destination to elope for weeks, and we honestly chose Seattle because of the elegance and beauty of the Fairmont Olympic Hotel. We can't help but feel like staying at the Fairmont is our only regret, and plan on sharing our experience accordingly.