For anyone who wants to get married at WDW but is on a budget (as my sweetie and I were when we got married) it can be a bewildering experience.
So I just thought I'd post how we did our wedding, and maybe it might give you all some ideas
We got married in May of 1999. My sweetie was still in college and I was a single mom of a three year old, and so we had to watch every dime. We were going to elope but it was his first wedding and his parents would've been devestated, so we got to a very happy compromise that everyone ended up loving
We couldn't afford to get married on property, so we got married at a wedding chapel in Kissimmee (a victorian house). They took our pictures, videotape, performed the wedding itself, and recommended a local florist who gave me just what I wanted at very fair prices.
Then we arranged a luncheon at the Grand Floridian Cafe for us and our 16 guests, we arranged it through group dining. We were able to get, for 26.50 a person at the time (this is surely more expensive now but still) a menu personalized with our names and wedding date and picture, with three choices of entree (steak, chicken breast, or vegetarian pasta) that was served with either soup or salad, coffee, tea or soda, and side dishes. There was also a choice of two different desserts (we decided against having a cake, because they would charge extra for us to bring on in, but we didn't miss it!).
Lunch started at 11 and ended at about 2 (they never made us feel rushed at all! It was lovely) and after everyone was done, they changed clothes and headed to the Magic Kingdom.
We split up into little groups but kept running into eachother all day in the park LOL then we met up at 8 pm for dinner at CRT. Most of the guests were so full from lunch that they only had dessert or appetizers, but it was wonderfully romantic (Fairy Godmother was in the lobby and when she learned it was my wedding day, she gave me all the pixie dust she had in her pockets and some advice too
I felt like a five year old! After dinner, we all watched Fantasy in the Sky together, and said our goodnights to our guests. Since the park was open till 12 (holiday weekend) we still had two hours to play in the parks before our wedding day was over!
Our guests have said it was the most unique and one of the most memorable weddings they'd ever been to. I know it was the perfect wedding for us, and we didn't have to use Disney's wedding planners at all (saving lots of money!)
I know the Grand cafe is undergoing renovations right now but it is a lovely place to eat and the food is phenomenal, just wanted to let others know our experience in case their heart is set on a WDW wedding day, but they haven't won powerball yet LOL
Happy Planning and congrats to all the engaged people out there!
Ro
writer, eccentric, and "chic geek" married nearly five years now!
Oh! And my dd who was only three and a half at the time had the time of her life that day too. Simply magic. She still calls the GF "the married hotel" cause it's where her step dad and I got married LOL
So I just thought I'd post how we did our wedding, and maybe it might give you all some ideas
We got married in May of 1999. My sweetie was still in college and I was a single mom of a three year old, and so we had to watch every dime. We were going to elope but it was his first wedding and his parents would've been devestated, so we got to a very happy compromise that everyone ended up loving
We couldn't afford to get married on property, so we got married at a wedding chapel in Kissimmee (a victorian house). They took our pictures, videotape, performed the wedding itself, and recommended a local florist who gave me just what I wanted at very fair prices.
Then we arranged a luncheon at the Grand Floridian Cafe for us and our 16 guests, we arranged it through group dining. We were able to get, for 26.50 a person at the time (this is surely more expensive now but still) a menu personalized with our names and wedding date and picture, with three choices of entree (steak, chicken breast, or vegetarian pasta) that was served with either soup or salad, coffee, tea or soda, and side dishes. There was also a choice of two different desserts (we decided against having a cake, because they would charge extra for us to bring on in, but we didn't miss it!).
Lunch started at 11 and ended at about 2 (they never made us feel rushed at all! It was lovely) and after everyone was done, they changed clothes and headed to the Magic Kingdom.
We split up into little groups but kept running into eachother all day in the park LOL then we met up at 8 pm for dinner at CRT. Most of the guests were so full from lunch that they only had dessert or appetizers, but it was wonderfully romantic (Fairy Godmother was in the lobby and when she learned it was my wedding day, she gave me all the pixie dust she had in her pockets and some advice too
I felt like a five year old! After dinner, we all watched Fantasy in the Sky together, and said our goodnights to our guests. Since the park was open till 12 (holiday weekend) we still had two hours to play in the parks before our wedding day was over!Our guests have said it was the most unique and one of the most memorable weddings they'd ever been to. I know it was the perfect wedding for us, and we didn't have to use Disney's wedding planners at all (saving lots of money!)
I know the Grand cafe is undergoing renovations right now but it is a lovely place to eat and the food is phenomenal, just wanted to let others know our experience in case their heart is set on a WDW wedding day, but they haven't won powerball yet LOL
Happy Planning and congrats to all the engaged people out there!
Ro
writer, eccentric, and "chic geek" married nearly five years now!
Oh! And my dd who was only three and a half at the time had the time of her life that day too. Simply magic. She still calls the GF "the married hotel" cause it's where her step dad and I got married LOL
