It doesn't make sense!

[dznystar]

Well, I've had this terrible decision to make about our wedding. Finances are very tight, so I made the choice to have an Intimate wedding. This created a problem because just with my close family (parents, brothers and their families) we're maxed out. So then, I upset my brother and told him that it was only going to be adults, except for my son (he'll be in the wedding) at the ceremony and the cake/champagne reception. Then that night I wanted to have a larger reception at the Illuminations Dessert Party. I was so excited. I thought I'd found a way around the financial problem and still get almost everything I wanted. So I emailed Pam to ask questions. Now I'm devastated. Talk about bursting your bubble. :sad2: So apparently you can't book the Illuminations Dessert Cruise with more people than you have for the Intimate Wedding. Which doesn't make any sense to me. People do things like this all the time. They have a small family wedding and then a big party after. Pam said the only way to do this would be to go to a Custom Wedding. What about group sales? Could you book something like that through them? Has anyone else done this? Help please.

[happylalagirl]

I've heard several brides say if you go through Group Sales for something like that and they find out you are having an Intimate wedding that day, they will cancel your cruise. What if you had the party the next night? :confused3

[SRUAlmn]

What about an actual Illuminations Dessert PARTY instead of a CRUISE? Can you do that???

[gail228]

I am not sure that you are getting the correct information. Talk to your planner and express your concerns.
We had an intimate wedding with 18 guests and followed that night with an IllumiNations dessert party, planned through weddings, for 35 guests.

When I planned our event, I told my planner (Juliana) that I had heard about cancellations by DFTW for events planned "on the side" and she said it was false. She also convinced me that planning through weddings would be the same as planning through Epcot Events. Everything worked out perfect...

All of our guests had park admission- so I cancelled the expensive transportation and $12 viewing fee per person. I paid just for the location and dessert package.

[SRUAlmn]

I am not sure that you are getting the correct information. Talk to your planner and express your concerns.
We had an intimate wedding with 18 guests and followed that night with an IllumiNations dessert party, planned through weddings, for 35 guests.

When I planned our event, I told my planner (Juliana) that I had heard about cancellations by DFTW for events planned "on the side" and she said it was false. She also convinced me that planning through weddings would be the same as planning through Epcot Events. Everything worked out perfect...

All of our guests had park admission- so I cancelled the expensive transportation and $12 viewing fee per person. I paid just for the location and dessert package.


That's what I was trying to point out to the OP. I think you CAN do a dessert party on land. I think the OP was talking about an Illuminations cruise on the boats in Epcot.

[dznystar]

Ahh... sorry about the mistake. I never meant to type the Illuminations Dessert Cruise. (See, too many thoughts in my head.) We were trying to do the Illuminations Dessert Party at the French Island, but we were told that it had to be the same number as in the Intimate Wedding. Thats what didn't make sense to me. Shouldn't you be able to have a large Dessert Reception after all of the other Intimate things were finished.
I want it on the same night because I want to stay in my gown for as long as possible.

[SRUAlmn]

I believe if you're an intimate bride you cannot wear your gown to the dessert party.

[gail228]

I did not wear my gown to the Dessert Party in Epcot, by choice. I did, however, wear a simple white summery dress that night.

The option to wear wedding attire is available to intimate brides. The catch is that you have to have an escort for the party and the guests and bride/groom must use Disney transportation into the event. They will bring you in on a bus (for about $700 tacked on to the party price) in the backstage area. From there, you are escorted to your event location and also escorted out to the bus. You may not leave the event area and roam anywhere in the park.

[Skylarr29]

You can wear your dress if you are in intimate bride you just have to have Disney transportation (ie. limo, charter bus, town car) transport you to the back stage area because you can not walk through the park in your gown.

You have been misinformed because you can have a dessert party with more guests than your wedding.. be persistent or speak to someone else.

[dznystar]

Thanks Disers for your help. I knew the info just didn't seem right. The info I received was from Pam Pierce, and I thought that maybe she didn't understand my question in my email. BUt then I had DF call and speak with her, and she confirmed with him that I would only be allowed to have 20 guests at the Illuminations Dessert Party- the same number as my Intimate Wedding. She said that if I wanted to have any more at the Dessert Party, then I would have to change my wedding to a Custom.

[luvsmickey]

Thanks Disers for your help. I knew the info just didn't seem right. The info I received was from Pam Pierce, and I thought that maybe she didn't understand my question in my email. BUt then I had DF call and speak with her, and she confirmed with him that I would only be allowed to have 20 guests at the Illuminations Dessert Party- the same number as my Intimate Wedding. She said that if I wanted to have any more at the Dessert Party, then I would have to change my wedding to a Custom.
Pam is right. I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news. It used to be that you could have a larger Illuminiations party, but about a month ago it was changed. Unless your party was already booked before the change, you can no longer have a larger desert party. I know because I was one of the last to get my booking in before the cut-off. I had booked the day the decision went into effect!!!

You can wear your gown into the Illuminiations party, she was right though, you have to use Disney Transportation. And the Bus is aprox $436 for 5 hours. Or you can use the Limo if you haven't used up all of your time and shuttle everyone to it, but you would need extra time to be added to the end so that you can be escorted out. (I'm the same way, I want to wear my gown for as long as I can!!! Besides you only get to wear it once!)

[Tinkerbellz]

I have heard both sides of this story several times. I am having the same situations dznystar. I will be at my limit on guests but I have several children who would love to be at the dessert party. I haven't booked anything yet. I have to wait a few more weeks, then I can book.

I hope that things work out for you!

[princessdisneybelle]

I think alot of us are having this issue. I can't believe I just missed the cut off. Grr.

[Tinkerbellz]

Pam is right. I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news. It used to be that you could have a larger Illuminiations party, but about a month ago it was changed. Unless your party was already booked before the change, you can no longer have a larger desert party. I know because I was one of the last to get my booking in before the cut-off. I had booked the day the decision went into effect!!!

You can wear your gown into the Illuminiations party, she was right though, you have to use Disney Transportation. And the Bus is aprox $436 for 5 hours. Or you can use the Limo if you haven't used up all of your time and shuttle everyone to it, but you would need extra time to be added to the end so that you can be escorted out. (I'm the same way, I want to wear my gown for as long as I can!!! Besides you only get to wear it once!)

MAN! :badpc: You posted while I was typing! That stinks. So I have to exclude kids from everything. Now that's hardly fair! I guess I have to hope that less people come so the kids can come to the Dessert party! :badpc:

[luvsmickey]

MAN! :badpc: You posted while I was typing! That stinks. So I have to exclude kids from everything. Now that's hardly fair! I guess I have to hope that less people come so the kids can come to the Dessert party! :badpc:
I'm sooooo sorry! :guilty: I hate being the bearer of bad news! Hopefully, everthing will work out for you!

[Laurafoster]

That really does suck!! i hope you find something!

[starseed]

This is a bit of a separate thought, but I THINK that it is possible for Intimates to book one of the smaller rooms at the California Grill directly with the restaurant. Since it is between you and CaliGrill, you can have as many people as you want, have an unofficial "reception" and then go out to watch Wishes. You can also be in your wedding dress the whole time.

I'm sorry to hear about your frustrations. I, too, thought that it's possible to have a DP with more people than those attending the Intimate ceremony. It's too bad that DFTW keep making changing to their policies. It's impossible to keep up. :confused3

[Moonpie]

Wow! Disney is tough! ...and so specific about what you can do, or not do for dessert parties! I'm sorry you are going through all of this. :grouphug:

[JandJ]

I've been reading this thread and I'm sorry but that is just ridiculous! You'd think they would try to do everything to make your wedding day as special as can be. I am so sorry that this is not working out for you! It's like they're dangling a carrot and keeping you from having what you want until you come up with a ton more money for a Custom. If you like your EM and can talk to her, let her do a little work for you and come up with other options - options that do not include you having to pay for a Custom wedding. Best of Luck!!

[dznystar]

Well that really stinks. I wish that I had thought of this a lot sooner. We might try the California Grill. Maybe that will work, but I heard the rooms are smaller and probably only seat 40-50. Does anyone know? And we wanted to have dancing. Any other suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

[SRUAlmn]

Well that really stinks. I wish that I had thought of this a lot sooner. We might try the California Grill. Maybe that will work, but I heard the rooms are smaller and probably only seat 40-50. Does anyone know? And we wanted to have dancing. Any other suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.


We booked the Napa room (the larger of the two) for our reception and it's capacity is 50. I 'believe' the Sonoma room's capacity is 30.

[dznystar]

I have been on the phone with Disney all day! I called and spoke with Matt at DFTW first thing this morning. He informed me that if you are planning an Intimate, your WP will only plan the wedding. You can plan other "outside" events, but they don't do that at DFTW. So he referred me to Recreation. I then spoke with another gentleman and explained that I was trying to have an Intimate Wedding and book a larger Illuminations Dessert Party. He suggested calling Grand Gatherings. He also told me about the Illuminations International Dinner and Dessert Party at the Odyssey. It sounds really neat, but not quite what I'm looking for. I wasn't quite satisfied with my answers, so this afternoon I called and spoke with someone else at Grand Gatherings. (Disney is such a large company, that unless you speak with someone who has been there for a long time, or you ask a castmember about something they are familiar with, they probably won't give you the answer you want. Just, keep trying.) The last person I asked told me about the same International dinner. I asked her about the Illuminations Dessert Party at the French Island. She said she thought that was booked through the WP. So I began some research online. I went to Disney World website and found something under Magical Gatherings. They offer special things for large parties (anything over 8) for Resort guests. One of the things they mentioned was a Custom Event. I called the phone number, which was Group Sales. But unfortunately they had already closed for the day. So I will try tomorrow, hopefully with some good news. I'll keep you posted with the results.

[SRUAlmn]

I have been on the phone with Disney all day! I called and spoke with Matt at DFTW first thing this morning. He informed me that if you are planning an Intimate, your WP will only plan the wedding. You can plan other "outside" events, but they don't do that at DFTW. So he referred me to Recreation. I then spoke with another gentleman and explained that I was trying to have an Intimate Wedding and book a larger Illuminations Dessert Party. He suggested calling Grand Gatherings. He also told me about the Illuminations International Dinner and Dessert Party at the Odyssey. It sounds really neat, but not quite what I'm looking for. I wasn't quite satisfied with my answers, so this afternoon I called and spoke with someone else at Grand Gatherings. (Disney is such a large company, that unless you speak with someone who has been there for a long time, or you ask a castmember about something they are familiar with, they probably won't give you the answer you want. Just, keep trying.) The last person I asked told me about the same International dinner. I asked her about the Illuminations Dessert Party at the French Island. She said she thought that was booked through the WP. So I began some research online. I went to Disney World website and found something under Magical Gatherings. They offer special things for large parties (anything over 8) for Resort guests. One of the things they mentioned was a Custom Event. I called the phone number, which was Group Sales. But unfortunately they had already closed for the day. So I will try tomorrow, hopefully with some good news. I'll keep you posted with the results.


You Go!!! You sound just like me! When I really want something, I don't stop until I get the answer I want :) :)

[druidia]

I seem to recall that to book the Napa or Sonoma Room at the CG during dinner was quite a hefty premium excluding the meal, etc? Like $3K and $5K? Don't know if that still applies?

[SandraVB79]

I've heard several brides say if you go through Group Sales for something like that and they find out you are having an Intimate wedding that day, they will cancel your cruise. What if you had the party the next night?

Can't you have someone else make the reservation for the dessert thing? I mean, like have your DM or so make the reservation, and then all go there and have the party? That way, officially, it's not you who will have the event next to your wedding.
I guess in that case, you couldn't wear your gown though...

[starseed]

I seem to recall that to book the Napa or Sonoma Room at the CG during dinner was quite a hefty premium excluding the meal, etc? Like $3K and $5K? Don't know if that still applies?

I'm not sure if what I have is older information, but I read info that said that the food and beverage minimum for CG's smaller room is $2,000 at night. The maximum is 40 people and apparently it is possible to set up a dance floor but that will lower the guest capacity.

There will be ten of us for our Intimate dinner in the Chef's Domain at Citricos (16 people max.) and have a F&B minimum of $650 and it looks like we will hit that (and more!) very easily.

Early on in our planning, I felt very limited by certain policies that affect Intimate weddings. But with time, research, persistence AND patience, I now feel that we will be getting what we want and I'm happy that we have persisted. Keep asking your questions and sometimes it's absolutely necessary to push-back a little to get what you want. Good luck!

HTH. :joker:

[dznystar]

Well, here's the latest info. I called Group Sales this afternoon. The cast member took all of my information, knowing that I was planning an Intimate at the WP. She said that a Sales Manager would contact me back with rates and dates the early part of next week. When I talked to Matt at the WP yesterday, he said that they won't cancel another event, but DFTW won't plan anything outside your Intimate ceremony anymore.

[gail228]

Catering and Conventions IllumiNations407-939-4887 Shannon Turner Private Dining 407-824-2578
Group Dining 407-939-7707
Grand Gathering 407-939-7526

Try Shannon first. She originally planned our dessert party before we switched it over to a weddings planned event. Since you can't do that anymore, Shannon should be able to help you. Tell her your concerns about the wedding- she listened to everything we were worried about and assured us they would not cancel our event...

Good luck!

PS- I don't think you should go the Grand Gathering route. The party looks nice, but it is not private. Just my preference...

[gail228]

Catering and Conventions
IllumiNations 407-939-4887 Shannon Turner

Reposting- the last post format makes it look like Shannon can be reached through Private Dining. Sorry- she is in Catering and Conventions @ Epcot.

[dznystar]

Catering and Conventions
IllumiNations 407-939-4887 Shannon Turner

Reposting- the last post format makes it look like Shannon can be reached through Private Dining. Sorry- she is in Catering and Conventions @ Epcot.

Thank you! I'm guessing there won't be anyone in the office today, but I will be sure to call them on Monday!

[lurkyloo]

Hi Dznystar - what ever happened with this? I know you've prolly posted since, but I couldn't turn up anything in the search engine and I'm dying to know if you were able to book an Illuminations dessert party for more people than are attending your Intimate ceremony.

Thanks!!!

[dznystar]

Hi Dznystar - what ever happened with this? I know you've prolly posted since, but I couldn't turn up anything in the search engine and I'm dying to know if you were able to book an Illuminations dessert party for more people than are attending your Intimate ceremony.

Thanks!!!

Well... we eventually changed the wedding to a custom, having the ceremony at the WP and the reception at the upper and lower french island for illuminations. Everything went really well until monday when I found out that the night of our wedding is extra magic hours at EPCOT. My planner told me that we could move the reception to the Living Seas, but thats not what I wanted. This week has been a huge disaster and no one at Disney really understands. We chose the french island for a reason, and both of us really loved the idea of illuminations. Now we're planning the reception in the St.Augustine C&D and going out on the Marina to see Wishes. But there are differences in the costs and its just not the same. I've been so upset ALL week, and I have no idea what to do.

[allisonswonderland]

I am so sorry things are not working out---

[AnnieBelle]

My fiance and I had the same issue with the Intimate Wedding and that is why we switched over to the Shades of Green wedding. We wanted to have some of the on site locations for the reception, but the price tag on the custom and the guest limitations on the Intimate really held us back. I hope that things work out for you, I am so sorry for your disappointment!

[disprincessatheart]

Well... we eventually changed the wedding to a custom, having the ceremony at the WP and the reception at the upper and lower french island for illuminations. Everything went really well until monday when I found out that the night of our wedding is extra magic hours at EPCOT. My planner told me that we could move the reception to the Living Seas, but thats not what I wanted. This week has been a huge disaster and no one at Disney really understands. We chose the french island for a reason, and both of us really loved the idea of illuminations. Now we're planning the reception in the St.Augustine C&D and going out on the Marina to see Wishes. But there are differences in the costs and its just not the same. I've been so upset ALL week, and I have no idea what to do.

Have you been to EPCOT on an EMH night? We were there in the fall and found that people still cleared out of the WS pretty well, just a lot of people in the front of the park after hours. Other than hoping for a more private event, is there another reason you wouldn't want to keep your reception as it was?? We were planning to do the same setup for our wedding (WP and FI Upper and Lower) but had to postpone. We were lucky that EMH that day ended up being in the morning, but I think if it was me I'd still keep the location and deal with the people in the park vs changing locations. There aren't any attractions near FI that will keep a big crowd in that area of the park after Illuminations, so I doubt you guys will even really notice that the park is still open.

Good Luck with whatever you decide!!!

[M&M126]

Have you been to EPCOT on an EMH night? We were there in the fall and found that people still cleared out of the WS pretty well, just a lot of people in the front of the park after hours. Other than hoping for a more private event, is there another reason you wouldn't want to keep your reception as it was?? We were planning to do the same setup for our wedding (WP and FI Upper and Lower) but had to postpone. We were lucky that EMH that day ended up being in the morning, but I think if it was me I'd still keep the location and deal with the people in the park vs changing locations. There aren't any attractions near FI that will keep a big crowd in that area of the park after Illuminations, so I doubt you guys will even really notice that the park is still open.

Good Luck with whatever you decide!!!

I think the problem is that she wont be able to have a DJ and she wants that at her reception. You can only have a DJ in the park after the park closes. I was just dealing with this issue when trying to decide on a date for my reception.

Dznystar, I hope everything works out. I'm sorry for all your setbacks. It'll be ok come wedding day! :goodvibes

[dznystar]

Have you been to EPCOT on an EMH night? We were there in the fall and found that people still cleared out of the WS pretty well, just a lot of people in the front of the park after hours. Other than hoping for a more private event, is there another reason you wouldn't want to keep your reception as it was?? We were planning to do the same setup for our wedding (WP and FI Upper and Lower) but had to postpone. We were lucky that EMH that day ended up being in the morning, but I think if it was me I'd still keep the location and deal with the people in the park vs changing locations. There aren't any attractions near FI that will keep a big crowd in that area of the park after Illuminations, so I doubt you guys will even really notice that the park is still open.

Good Luck with whatever you decide!!!

Its not necessarily the crowd in the park, but the fact that a DJ can't play music until the park clears, even if they are in future world. Our only option was to have the illuminations pre reception, and move all of our guests to the living seas. Thats not the location that i wanted, and didn't want my guests to have to move that far.

[Skylarr29]

How many guests do you have? Have you asked about using the Bistro in France, American Adventure Rotunda or the Parlor upstairs if your guest list is smaller? Or maybe Illuminations as pre reception and then on to a ball room at the Boardwalk or yacht and beach club? I know this is frustrating so just trying to give ideas that maybe you haven't thought of? There is also Atlantic Dance Hall??? Hope this gets straightened out soon.

[disprincessatheart]

I see - we weren't having a DJ, so it didn't occur to me. I think the idea of using one of the other WS ideas sounds nice. I know it's not exactly what you were hoping for, but it could still be really nice. There are a bunch of private rooms in WS that might work - you probably know more about those than most of us do. I know having to change things around at the last minute stinks (I had to cancel all of my plans 6 weeks before my wedding while we figure out a new date) but remember that you may come up with something even better than your original plan! If you really love FI, maybe you can keep it for the pre reception and find another location for the DJ portion, or use it for your rehearsal the night before instead??

[lurkyloo]

Thanks for the update, Dznystar. Now I remember reading the other thread about the debacle you're going through, and I'm so sorry things are not working out the way you'd planned. I hope you keep us posted - Disney had better make this right! :mad: