I didn't see any available saver anything when I booked online, admittedly less then two months in advance.

@aacharya: When you say "We could've booked him saver awards in business initially." do you mean if I'd reserved far enough ahead of time?? or do you have some pull?

I looked into the availability online exactly one year from my dates and there were indeed a few available business saver awards. Unfortunately I am in no position to be able to plan trips so far out...

@sammyindc & @bse118

Below are the fare class details. Yes, I booked with miles. I'm such a noob I did not know that put me in a different class vis-a-vis upgrade eligibility. Sorry!

What is fare class X?

Flight: UA903
Aircraft: Boeing 747-400
Fare Class: United Economy (HN)
Meal: Lunch

Flight: TK1588
Operated by Turkish Airlines.
Aircraft: Airbus A330-200
Fare Class: Economy (X)
Meal: None

Flight: LH1299
Operated by Lufthansa.
Aircraft: Airbus A321
Fare Class: Economy (X)
Meal: None

Flight: UA927
Aircraft: Boeing 747-400
Fare Class: United Economy (X)
Meal: Dinner

P.S. this is why I love flyertalk. The knowledge pool is DEEP!!! Thank you guys for your help and insight, as always.

Actually, I think I did get a saver segment somewhere in there. I had help booking over the phone and the agent found an option that didn't showup online that required fewer miles. Initially the trip was going to cost 220,000 but it ended up working out to 85k each (I booked two tickets - honeymoon) for a total of 170k.