Update I
Years later, here is the final update. Which due to images will be broken down into many updates.
Over the years, my DH and I have talked about our wedding and we concluded that we wouldn't have changed it. There were a few mishaps I will cover. But going on the cruise was the right choice for us. Now, we are planning to do it all over again with our DS next year. Which has us looking back.
Issues:
My shoes got left behind, along with my shoes, my belt was left behind. So the day of the wedding my MOH and I were working on creating something to replace it. The wedding planner on the ship was amazing. She brought us options to help us create something for the day of.
My shoes went form the amazing glow in the dark zombie shoes to an extra pair I had brought.
The shoes I ended up wearing:
I
The belt we made on the cruise:
No one wanted to rush the bride, although I gave strict instructions to inform me at what time I had to get ready. So I should have been getting ready instead of watching a movie in the bathtub. I was late to my own wedding.
If I could do it over I would have changed that, set an alarm or something, depended on myself.
So now the one mistake made by Disney. The cake. The flavors were right, but the design was wrong. Although, when all is said and done. I didn't care. We got married on the last day so the majority of the cake was offered to the crew. We did have a slice and it was amazing. Having the cake for dinner is tricky since the wedding day we were running around.
Here are a few tips:
- Let Disney handle it. They are amazing at what they do and all the little extra things you do will take up time on your vacation. My MOH and I spent more time getting surprises done for others that we missed out on some fun.
- Have the cake during the ceremony. It's nice to have it for dinner, but unless you are on top of everything there is the chance your guest will eat dessert before they know about the cake.
- Take pictures in the morning, otherwise, you might be running around taking pictures instead of enjoying your guest after the ceremony and before dinner.
- Depend on yourself, you know how long you will need to get ready, set a timer.
- If you can, get a larger room. I can't express how helpful it was to have all the space in the Roy Suite. People coming in and out, the planner, photographer, wedding party, etc. Also helpful to have the concierge service. They made the trip easier, form helping me find ASL interpreters, to sending so much ginger ale when I was sick.
- Take a longer cruise. It was amazing but in the end we wanted more time.
- If you can, take a cruise with the media, they don't use the pools as much so it doesn't get overwhelming.
Here is what the day of our wedding looked like:
- Early morning breakfast with the DH in the morning, then walking around the ship. We met Kevin Eld, Walt Disney Imagineering Creative Executive, in the concierge lounge.
- Relaxed in the room. DH and group watched movies and I got in the tub.
- Photographer and wedding planner arrived, and I got out of the tub. (Can you tell I'm a little sour about that. Mostly because it was super inconsiderate to be late when so many are working so hard to give you an amazing day.)
- Rushed to get ready.
- Wedding planner took me to the ceremony where even the Ship Captian was waiting.
- Had the ceremony, cut the cake, toasts and first dance.
- Took an extra hour of pictures on the ship with MOH, BM, and DH.
- Ran to dinner.
- First day showing of Frozen. (We were late and I sat on the stairs. Hey, I was wearing a ballroom gown, where else would I fit.) Had I shown up on time I would have had reserved seating held by Rodrigo, our concierge.
- Spent time with Frozen Imagineers, after the show.
- Ran to see the photographer about our pictures. The photographer was amazing. I hate taking pictures, but he had a sense of humor and he went above and beyond.
- Then we went back to the room and started getting ready to leave the ship for the next day.
Everything and everyone involved get 10 out of 10 points, except the cake, 7 out of 10, simply because it was not what we requested. The flowers were amazing, the wedding planner and captain were understanding. The guests had a spectacular time, and again most of us were adults. The kids loved being catered to. Even the Port Adventure left lasting memories. If like me, you are looking for an unforgettable experience vs one expensive night, this is the way to go. In fact, we inspired my DH cousin to get married on a cruise.
Like planning any wedding, we did have stressors. How many guests would be able to make it? What if we had too many for the venue? What if the ship wasn't ready? But when all was said and done and we got there, we were treated like royalty. I was right, my DH would never agree to the Royal Suite on any other conditions, but now he doesn't want to do any other cruise except a
Disney Cruise with the added bonus of concierge. Actually, I don't think he will agree to another ship.
If you are actually considering being a Disney Cruise Bride, DO IT! Disney Brides get it all, but Disney Cruise Brides get a plus in my book. Here are some pictures of Disney perks, some were wedding related, some were concierge related, some are no longer available.
I think this was due to having the Royal Suite.
The zombie cake topper is a DIY from our BM, the bottom right is the old cake topper from Disney.
Stay tuned to see our DYIs in action.