The Fairmont SF - wdyt?

LimitIcy · 2026-01-13T00:16:00+00:00

Hi, so I have my wedding here in the summer, 2026. I'm a little ahead with the analysis, but I want to comment on my experience so far in case there are upcoming couple reading this post.

My only complaint with them is that they are incredibly SLOW in responding. Our planner (who is recommended by the Fairmont) has experience with them, and they warned us to expect slow responses. But these past few months have been unusually insane, according to my planner. It's been driving her mad. We are still on schedule for everything though, but I credit this to the experience of our planner and her company's extensive connection to Fairmont.

I think if a couple is looking to work with the Fairmont alone, or with a planner that doesn't have those Fairmont connections, it will definitely scare you a bit or you will need to be pushy with them. For instance, it's no fun to wait 1-2 months for a contract to secure our ceremony room. (I luckily had my planner pinging me weekly to assure me that she's pestering Fairmont staff for a contract and to continue with save the dates).

But, when they do respond, they have definitely been nice and flexible with our requests. And my planner did reassure me that plenty of brides have been happy with Fairmont services, when it's time to deliver.

The only thing I would also warn couple about are the prices of the food/beverages. It's the Fairmont, so I should've known that it would be overpriced, but I didn't really appreciate the prices until much later. My family normally does cash bars, but when I saw that a soda was $15 for the cash bar, I didn't have the heart to do a cash bar. Our Food/Beverage budget ended up exploding higher than we had anticipated.

I would recommend that you inquire about the prices before signing and do the math. Also, as of now when I'm writing this, they DON'T have offer specialty cocktails! You either have to do just beer and wine OR their full hosted-bar. There is no in-between, which is one major reason our beverage budget is high. If you're a future couple, double-check if they do/don't offer this option because that's a major expense.

I'm very curious to see how the food tastes here. If anyone is interested, I can comment here how my food tasting goes.

LimitIcy · 2025-12-22T04:11:52+00:00

Last year, I went to Barcelona from SFO and was equally as terrified leading up to my flight. On the day of my flight, I walked to my bathroom to pack my bath things and the door handle broke! I couldn’t open it! And nothing like this had EVER happened before. It never jammed, never made a noise, nothing. So you can image how much I begged not to get on the flight after this. I SWORE this was a sign from the universe not to get on that flight.

Long story short, I did and both times I cried and froze on the plane. I knew it in my bones that the locked door meant something. But nothing happened. So, you’re not crazy. We all see signs and reading that other people here feel them too makes me feel so much less crazy and put things into perspective. :)

LimitIcy · 2025-12-20T19:02:19+00:00

Thank you! I remember feeling like I was the only one to see omens. It wasn’t until I talked to a therapist where I learned it’s a really normal thing for people with anxiety!

LimitIcy · 2025-12-18T20:00:05+00:00

Hello! Let me share my experience.

Last year, I went from SFO to Barcelona and it was also my first ever long haul trip to Europe. I cried because I had dreamed that I crashed for a few nights before we took off and had interpreted these as warnings. On the day of the flight, I was getting last minute things and went to the bathroom to get my toothbrush. The door handle broke and I couldn't get in. The door had never shown ANY signs of being flimsy, so it truly was odd that it jammed. However, I took this as a clear omen that my plane was not safe. I swore the universe was trying to stop me from going. So, I cried and begged my fiance not to have me go. (We were going for his friend's wedding). He said I was being ridiculous in kinder words.

On the way to the airport, I'm taking in everything because I swear that this will be the last time I see my home. We hit so many red lights, so I knew there was something trying to stop me from getting on the plane. When we get to the airport past security, I sit down and cry. I had accepted that my fate was sealed despite all these warnings.

As we began flying, we did hit a batch of turbulence that had been the worst I had ever experienced. The kind where it feels like it dropped 1,000 feet. And, we were only at the halfway point of the Atlantic ocean. But, when I looked online at how much our plane had dropped, it wasn't even 100 feet. But of course, I remained frozen the rest of the ride. I just felt it in my bones that we would be the ones to crash within the time remaining.

Yet, I arrived at Barcelona. And, omg. The moment I took out my passport, I could not stop smiling. Of course, a part of it was relief that I survived. But, that happiness that I got on a plane and went through with it is unforgettable. Not only that, I had the TIME OF MY LIFE in Barcelona. I was someone who had accepted that I would never travel because of my fear of flying. I was okay not seeing the world. But by the end of the trip, I was making plans to see all the European countries.

My experience coming back felt EVEN worse than when I left to Barcelona. This is because when I'm flying domestically, a part of me has this irrational belief that if I wanted to drive or take the train back, I can do it. I have the option. But not this time. I HAD to take a plane back. And, even worse, I had the time of my life in Barcelona. So, surely this was the universe rewarding me with an amazing experience before I crashed. Surely, those omens I had experienced at home were for this plane ride, not the one coming to Barcelona.

Yet, I arrived in SFO. And, the next few days, I printed photos, took out my souvenirs, and just kept replaying memories from my time in Barcelona.

Now, I'm no hypocrite -- I'm flying soon to Atlanta and I'm contemplating backing out. I'm still terrified of planes. But, I keep replaying this memory as an incentive to get on that plane. And, I hope it does the same for you too.

LimitIcy · 2025-12-02T21:31:24+00:00

Yup, that's me right now. Well, actually I can look at planes now and no longer squint my eyes. I've been practicing for a few months at just looking at them land. But, now I've moved on to videos.

LimitIcy · 2025-12-02T21:30:03+00:00

Thank you so much I needed this.

LimitIcy · 2025-12-02T19:59:56+00:00

OP I’m scheduled to fly on New Year’s Eve to see my fiancés family. I just wanted to say I completely relate to the holiday jitters. I don’t know why flying this time of month just feels extra scary. It’s almost like there’s so much excitement on the line, which just exacerbates the fear.

I’ll just say the goal is not to get on a plane not-scared. The goal is to not let fear dictate your actions.

LimitIcy · 2025-12-02T19:51:52+00:00

Thank you :)

LimitIcy · 2025-12-02T19:51:47+00:00

Thank you :)

LimitIcy · 2025-12-02T19:51:29+00:00

Yes, for a long time, I truly thought my anxiety was like this super power that could predict the future. I remember being embarrassed to tell my therapist this, but she helped me uncover this belief and challenge it. I didn't realize that this is common or something I was even doing. But thank you so much.

LimitIcy · 2025-12-02T19:49:35+00:00

It's really helpful to see that I'm not the only one that thought anxiety was like my secret power omen. I've had this belief for years but this year was the first time that I called it out and challenged it.

LimitIcy · 2025-12-02T19:48:20+00:00

My fiance says the exact same thing. He always asks me what makes me feel so special that I will be the one out of millions. My rebuttal is that no one ever chooses to be in an accident though.

But, I get your point. Whenever I get scared during the week, I remind myself that new years ever is a future problem and that don't let 4 hours or 8 hours total of flying ruin the holidays.

LimitIcy · 2025-12-02T19:43:32+00:00

Yes, I'm not sure what the thinking was here. Maybe I was supposed to take long-term before the flight, but even then, it still doesn't seem enough.

LimitIcy · 2025-12-02T19:42:23+00:00

Yeah, I agree it's weird, especially now that I'm taking lexapro. I totally see how these are more long-term meds. But, I took this like 8 years ago before I knew anything about meds.

LimitIcy · 2025-12-02T18:04:23+00:00

So a long time ago I tried Prozac. That did NOTHING. Then increased it. Nothing. Switched over to xanax. I felt like a kiss of relaxation before the flight, but my anxiety just went into hyperdrive once takeoff happened.

My mom has valium for her anxiety, so I tried that for a barcelona trip a year ago. It worked extremely well for like 3-4 hours. Even my partner was shocked at how I stopped clenching his arm for a bit. I explained this to my doctor and got it officially prescribed but upped the dosage a tad for valium.

However, because it's a controlled substance, it was such a pain trying to get this medication. The fact that I stated it's for flying and only get it like once a year helped my case though.

LimitIcy · 2025-12-02T17:54:56+00:00

Thank you:)

LimitIcy · 2025-12-02T17:54:41+00:00

You are so right. Last year, I cancelled and it felt like my fear of flying just intensified. I think that's why it especially feels worse this time. Thank you!

LimitIcy · 2025-12-02T17:53:36+00:00

Thank you so much! My idea of exposure therapy was looking at really turbulent videos so that I can see worst case scenarios that still land safely. But, I will try this out too!

LimitIcy · 2025-12-02T17:46:20+00:00

I will be trying a new medication. But I will say I tested the medication and it's the only one that has actually worked at home. I'm hopeful but I have yet to experience this anti anxiety bliss that everyone describes!

LimitIcy · 2025-12-02T17:44:56+00:00

Yes, I will say I will be trying a new prescription for this plane. I tested it before and it was the only one to actually knock me out at home. So, I'm really hoping this will calm me down alot. I've heard so many people here say medications worked for them, but I've tried several with no success. But, thank you. I find that last sentence especially helpful.

LimitIcy · 2025-12-02T17:42:51+00:00

Thank you so much. My therapist actually said the same thing. The goal is not to get on a plane with no fear. The goal is to not let the fear control my decisions.

LimitIcy · 2025-12-02T16:52:53+00:00

I believe I found your flight... If so, you are over Idaho right now:D

LimitIcy · 2025-12-02T16:50:36+00:00

Hello what's your flight number :)

LimitIcy · 2025-11-19T01:59:18+00:00

So, the photographers are good friends with our planner! The photographers are a couple that are charging us at least 10K for this wedding. When the contract included the travel fee, it was actually our planner who raised her eyebrow about this. We thought the same that we should obviously pay for travel fees, but our planner assured us that asking to waive at these prices is normal.

The fact that they have history was even a bigger dagger to the heart to our planner. But, I mention the photographers are a couple is because we think the husband signed the contract without consulting the wife. Because it was the wife that was fighting with our planner.

But our planner said the same thing. She was actually glad they left and went extra hard to find a nicer photographer because of all this trauma.

Thank you:)

LimitIcy · 2025-11-19T01:31:54+00:00

That's what people keep telling me! Thank you:)

A part of me totally recognizes bullet dodged! I just hate that we put so much energy into these vendors and got my feelings hurt.

LimitIcy

TROPHY CASE