A Disney Wedding for My Daughter

[creativeamanda]

After re-listening to the last podcast, I decided to "play plan" a wedding for one of my daughters. . .$42,000! :scared1: How 'bout I pay for her college and make sure she has a good enough job to pay for her own wedding?

[DexLabDeeDee]

Sounds like a plan to me! :thumbsup2 Though with college prices, you might be better off paying for the wedding!

[UrsulasShadow]

That's exactly the amount that it would have cost my DD to go to UVM for ONE (1) year.

It's a great investment to put it into a wedding, if she's marrying someone who will put her through college!

[calypso*a*go-go]

I found some of the prices startling as well. My daughter keeps saying how much she would love to get married @ WDW. She's only 15 so at least we've got some time to convince her how much further that would go on a down-payment for a house!

[creativeamanda]

That's exactly the amount that it would have cost my DD to go to UVM for ONE (1) year.

It's a great investment to put it into a wedding, if she's marrying someone who will put her through college!

HMMM. . .Pay for the wedding while she marries a rich doctor. . .hmmm. She keeps saying she wants to go into education. I keep trying to tell her it won't pay for the lifestyle she wants.

[slapwhitey]

If you're willing to go small it's really not that bad. We got married at the Wedding Pavilion at the GF last year. It was called an "intimate" wedding. Not sure what they call it now. It included up to 20 guests I believe, the Pavilion, flowers, cake, champagne, music and small reception. It also included limo and photos. (We decided on third party photographer and transferred Disney's package to a Magic Kingdom photo shoot). The cost of all this, the photographer and officiant I think still came to around $5000 or just shy of that. We probably could have had a larger wedding at home but it still would have been at least double that I would think. Instead we had our family and each other in the most magical place on earth. There is nothing better than getting married with Cinderella's castle in the background. I agree that to go custom the costs can get utterly ridiculous, but if it's just the location you want it is actually somewhat reasonable. I thought so anyway. Besides, it gives you an excuse to head back for anniversaries.;)

[DVCsince02]

We only have one princess and we will go all out for her wedding. Of course that's not for another 40 years.... ;)

[jcb]

We did the same thing! I had DD17 listen to the podcast. (She inherited her Dad's Disney gene.) We had a lot of fun imagining it and pricing it out. Her "problem" is she has a large family on both sides so an "intimate" wedding would be regarded, by them, as if she eloped.

I think she'd be estatic for a disneymoon.

[scarlett873]

If you guys are using the online wedding wish list thing, it's not completely accurate. It's good to give you a rough estimate, but there are LOTS of ways to cut corners and save a little $$$ :)

[dpuck1998]

If I had it to do over again (perhaps my wife will think I might get that chance) I am all for small weddings. Why pay good money for people you hardly know and family you never see to eat and attend your wedding. Get 20-30 good friends/family and have a nice wedding and spend the extra on a honeymoon or a house for your future. Spending 42K is nutz...even if you have it to spend....which most people spending big money on weddings don't have. We are going to an "over the top" wedding and neither of them have good jobs, a house and they are taking out a loan to pay for it!! INSANE! :confused:

[tmli]

You beat me to it, honey! I was just coming on to post the same thing!!

Our wedding was like a fairytale and it didn't break the bank!



If you're willing to go small it's really not that bad. We got married at the Wedding Pavilion at the GF last year. It was called an "intimate" wedding. Not sure what they call it now. It included up to 20 guests I believe, the Pavilion, flowers, cake, champagne, music and small reception. It also included limo and photos. (We decided on third party photographer and transferred Disney's package to a Magic Kingdom photo shoot). The cost of all this, the photographer and officiant I think still came to around $5000 or just shy of that. We probably could have had a larger wedding at home but it still would have been at least double that I would think. Instead we had our family and each other in the most magical place on earth. There is nothing better than getting married with Cinderella's castle in the background. I agree that to go custom the costs can get utterly ridiculous, but if it's just the location you want it is actually somewhat reasonable. I thought so anyway. Besides, it gives you an excuse to head back for anniversaries.;)

[Demosthenes]

For what it is worth, my sister did a beautiful wedding and reception at Disney for about $10k in 2004. She only had about 30 people there, but she used the wedding pavilion, had a rehearsal dinner at Ohanas, a reception at a private room in the California Grill followed by a fantastic dinner at the CG for the wedding party. She also got photos inside the Magic Kingdom the morning after (at 5:00 AM...yuck) and during Wishes the night before. The price included limo transport for the guests and wedding party from the Wedding Pavilion to the Contemporary. She also got two "free" annual pass vouchers and some nice wedding gifts for the guests and wedding party (champagne glasses for the guests, bridesmaids got cinderella slippers with a pearl pendant necklace in them, groomsmen got Mickey cuff-links). All of her flowers were included. My dad officiated, so that saved her some money. She did have a trio play music at the wedding, but a DJ for the reception. I'm not saying it is cheap, but if my daughter wanted to do it, and I could give her a budget of $15k in today's dollars, I'd have no problem with her going to Disney for the wedding. I think the premium paid for my sister to get married at her dream location was worth it, and it would be worth it or my little girl too.

[kimbac3]

DD16 has been telling me she wants a Disney wedding too. I told her to have a nice smallish wedding here and I'll pay for her Disney honeymoon. She's starting to come around. She loves all things ornate and expensive - it's the Italian in her:rotfl:

Now I would LOVE:love: to do a vow renewal in Disney. Maybe for our 25th ...that will be in 8 years....probably right around the time DD16 will want to get married:sad2: OR - GASP - DD10--she'd be 18!!:scared1: :scared1:

Then there is DS13 - he'll be 21.............

Ok, I'm going to stop thinking about this:headache:

[wildeoscar]

After re-listening to the last podcast, I decided to "play plan" a wedding for one of my daughters. . .$42,000! :scared1: How 'bout I pay for her college and make sure she has a good enough job to pay for her own wedding?

for $42,000... I'll marry you any where you want, then perform my one man show that is a tribute to all things High School Musical titled, "Zack Effron shops for crushed chintz fabric to make drapes for his 4th floor walk up in Chelsea" twice.

[ead79]

I had a Disney wedding back in 2003, and it was much less than that. While "if you can dream it, they can do it" definitely is true, it also costs you. There are lots of ways to have a beautiful wedding that is much more in line with the average cost of a wedding nationwide (which used to be around $20,000).

We had our ceremony at the Wedding Pavilion, then had our pre-reception over on the Italy Isola for an Illuminations party, then had our reception in the American Adventure Rotunda. It really was a dream come true, and we figure that it cost around the same to have the Disney wedding with 78 people there as it would have to have a wedding at home with a ballroom reception for around 175 (we would've had to invite a bunch more people if it had been a local wedding). Plus, at home you don't get fireworks or a beautiful colonial rotunda for a reception!

So don't give up on the dreaming--it's possible to do it much less expensively!

[UrsulasShadow]

for $42,000... I'll marry you any where you want, then perform my one man show that is a tribute to all things High School Musical titled, "Zack Effron shops for crushed chintz fabric to make drapes for his 4th floor walk up in Chelsea" twice.
You're really talking up that show, Oskey. I hope your nearest and dearest (i.e., ME) get backstage passes for this event. (really, just the backstage ones...not interested in the actual onstage event)

[wildeoscar]

it was that or summer stock in Central park, and the homeless are a tough audience to impress.

[mla1977]

A WDW wedding is cheaper than you think. One bride had hers for about $70 over the minimum. Just don't plan on inviting everyone and their cousin to it!

[calypso*a*go-go]

(really, just the backstage ones...not interested in the actual onstage event)

:lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao:

[Disneybridein2k3]

Another Disney bride sharing the same story - I was actually never planning a Disney wedding at all. I was writing my invite list for our hometown wedding while waiting for a dentist appt and was using a Disney bride pen I got from Disney (the pen is white and has a veil and bow). Anywhoo, the list was up to 250 people and I was stressing. My dentist saw my pen and said instead of having 250 people (most of them you have to invite because, well, just because) just have the wedding in Disney - it will cut your list dramatically. Sure enough, a Disney wedding is LOTS more expensive but because we are in Maryland and not exactly close to FL, we only had 48 total guests. So even though a Disney wedding was more expensive than a hometown wedding, when you have 48 guests instead of 250 guests, the price was a whole lot cheaper by having it in FL and it was a day we wouldn't have changed for the world. In fact, our 5 year anniversary was yesterday!

[LilGMom]

$42k is only a little over 8 times more than what DH & I spent on our wonderful wedding. I've thought about doing a VR through WDW but have a hard time swalllowing the cost, even for a little intimate ceremony.

[amyhughes]

We eloped. So I am not a good judge on expenditures for Weddings. I am just thanking God right now for two boys! I have to pay for Booze and a Rehearsal Dinner. If they marry a Disney nut then we had better start shopping for a second mortgage for that dinner!

Thought I did float the idea of a renewal ceremony to DH last year. He shrugged and said, "Wasn't once ok?"
:sad: BUT I WANT THE CASTLE IN THE BACKGROUND AND THE FOUR WHITE HORSES AND THE COACHMEN AND MICKEY TO GIVE ME AWAY!!!! WAHH!!!!

Actually, it was my idea to elope as we were house hunting. And it was get married in a big way (we both have large families) or make a down payment on our home. We opted for home.

Still want that renewal ceremony though.;)

[irisbud]

It can be done for far cheaper, as many have said. Many of the brides on the wedding boards know lots of great ways to stick to a low budget. We are doing the Escape ceremony, which limits us to 18 guests, but we WANT a small wedding. I am to OCD to handle anything larger.

With Disney, I get a planner, my floral, my cake, champagne, the limo, pictures, the venue (we are using Sea Breeze Point), two Annual Passes, etc for the base price of an Escape Wedding ($4500 in 2009, including tax). We are also planning on doing an Illuminations Dessert Party, and figuring on another $1000 for that. We will do a casual at home reception some time after our marriage

At home, we would have to have a huge wedding. We are not religous, so a local church would have little meaning for us. The venues I am interested in are pricy. If we did the wedding at home, we would do a formal wedding attire reception. It would cost us FAR more and we would miss out on the opprotunity to be married in our favorite place.

Besides, one day I will get to ride on the Friendhip Boat with my children and say "That is where Mommy and Daddy got married" when we pass by Sea Breeze Point :goodvibes

It just gives us more reasons to return again and again! :cloud9:

[Disneybridein2k3]

Besides, one day I will get to ride on the Friendhip Boat with my children and say "That is where Mommy and Daddy got married" when we pass by Sea Breeze Point :goodvibes

It just gives us more reasons to return again and again! :cloud9:
We DO this!!!!!
As for Seabreeze Point and Illuminations, do it! You won't regret it - it was the best day of our lives!

[luna99]

we had the "intimate wedding" at WDW last September.. I want to say it was about $3,500 (my parents paid for it) for everything... which included the wedding location, the cake, the limo, the music, the wedding planner, the champagne... I think that's it. The only other thing we paid for was my dress ($400) ... DH's suit.... the rings.. etc.

It was small with 18 guests but perfect. Even DH says to this day that it was a perfect wedding and he's happy we went with Disney (even though at first I don't think he was all that excited about it).

We got married at Sea Breeze Point at the boardwalk.. it was short and sweet and beautiful... but that's how DH and I are.. simple people who would rather have a small intimate wedding with people we love.

good luck!

[pjacobi]

As I calculate it, prices range from about $200 per head to up to $333.00 per head.

I suppose guests should arrive with something better than salad bowls from Target! It looks like each couple should bring a gift in the $500.00 range. Ouch!


-Paul

[Allison]

For $25,000 you can get married in Magic Kingdom with 50 guests. That's just the ceremony. It doesn't include the room night minimums or the minimums for the reception.

Thanks to all the Disney brides for chiming in who did the more intimate ceremonies. It sounds beautiful. I have to admit to being a bit jealous of you all.:)

[Disneybridein2k3]

I came across this video - a short video montage - of our Disney wedding. For those considering a Disney wedding, we really felt it was worth every penny and would do it again in a heartbeat.

Venues: Seabreeze Point (at the Boardwalk), Living Seas (in Epcot), Upper UK for Illuminations Dessert Party

Price didn't include pastor, photographer, videographer - we paid $13k to Disney 5 years ago. Price did include: hair for me and all of my bridesmaids, my make-up, ceremony, a string trio, flowers, motorcoach for guests, limo, cake, meal at reception, Major Domo character and Minnie & Mickey, a caricature artist, and an Illuminations Dessert Party with beer/wine pkg + strawberry daiquiris (all of this according to my excel spreadsheet :) )

http://s11.photobucket.com/albums/a165/Stacyleigh75/?action=view&current=OurWeddingVideo.flv

The video is about 4 1/2 min long....

[drakethib]

You know, a couple years ago when I had my daughter, I posted a question on how would be the best way to save for her wedding.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=11428737

While most responses were good, a couple of folks thought I was crazy.

FWIW, I started the account and saving monthly for it as when that day comes, I will be ready (and hopefully not so broke after wards)

[calypso*a*go-go]

I came across this video - a short video montage - of our Disney wedding. For those considering a Disney wedding, we really felt it was worth every penny and would do it again in a heartbeat.


Stacy -- Thank you for sharing your the video. It was just beautiful and I'm sitting here crying like a baby!!! :hug:

[Disneybridein2k3]

Stacy -- Thank you for sharing your the video. It was just beautiful and I'm sitting here crying like a baby!!! :hug:
Thank you! It was such a wonderful day - it's been such a long time since I've watched it myself. The little girl ("actually, it's a wand") is my daughter who was 9 then - she's now a freshman in high school this year :eek: . For the ceremony we called her our Fairy God daughter instead of flower girl and she thought she was really something special. ;) My favorite part is Illuminations though. When I was a new bride many people asked if the video was worth the extra $$$ and for us, it really was. DH (Ken) was diagnosed with Hodgkins disease 8 months after we were married. Between his visits to get chemo and radiation, we watched the video to remind us of what a great day we had and it really brought our spirits up. He's doing well now and is cancer-free 4 years this year :thumbsup2

[calypso*a*go-go]

Thank you! It was such a wonderful day - it's been such a long time since I've watched it myself. The little girl ("actually, it's a wand") is my daughter who was 9 then - she's now a freshman in high school this year :eek: . For the ceremony we called her our Fairy God daughter instead of flower girl and she thought she was really something special. ;) My favorite part is Illuminations though. When I was a new bride many people asked if the video was worth the extra $$$ and for us, it really was. DH (Ken) was diagnosed with Hodgkins disease 8 months after we were married. Between his visits to get chemo and radiation, we watched the video to remind us of what a great day we had and it really brought our spirits up. He's doing well now and is cancer-free 4 years this year :thumbsup2

That's fabulous. Now stop it before you make me cry again! :teeth:

[VrBchJ]

I came across this video - a short video montage - of our Disney wedding. For those considering a Disney wedding, we really felt it was worth every penny and would do it again in a heartbeat.

Venues: Seabreeze Point (at the Boardwalk), Living Seas (in Epcot), Upper UK for Illuminations Dessert Party

Price didn't include pastor, photographer, videographer - we paid $13k to Disney 5 years ago. Price did include: hair for me and all of my bridesmaids, my make-up, ceremony, a string trio, flowers, motorcoach for guests, limo, cake, meal at reception, Major Domo character and Minnie & Mickey, a caricature artist, and an Illuminations Dessert Party with beer/wine pkg + strawberry daiquiris (all of this according to my excel spreadsheet :) )

http://s11.photobucket.com/albums/a165/Stacyleigh75/?action=view&current=OurWeddingVideo.flv

The video is about 4 1/2 min long....


Thanks for posting your video. It was beautiful

[Disneybridein2k3]

You know, a couple years ago when I had my daughter, I posted a question on how would be the best way to save for her wedding.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=11428737

While most responses were good, a couple of folks thought I was crazy.

FWIW, I started the account and saving monthly for it as when that day comes, I will be ready (and hopefully not so broke after wards)
I just read through the thread - man, people are really judgemental! I think it's wonderful that 1. you are willing to pay for a Disney wedding for your DD (if that is what she wants) and 2. that you are planning ahead. What I think most people were missing on your thread was the fact that you and your wife are raising a Disney daughter. I have a feeling we might end up with two of those Disney weddings one day and can only hope they want to Intimate! Like you, my folks couldn't afford to help DH with our wedding either but I think that made us appreciate some of the details that much more since we knew exactly how much they were costing us. No, Disney isn't cheap, but as you can tell from my calculations, it was $13k for 50 people in Disney versus what would've been more than 250 people at home. And at home, we wouldn't have had Mickey/Minnie, Illuminations, Seabreeze Point and other countless details that made that day magic - what we would've had was a lot of people we were obligated to invite (neighbors and co-workers of our parents). In the end, we were very pleased with the decision we made. It isn't right for everyone but it was right for us. I tried to click on your website but it isn't working - did you move it somewhere else? I'd love to hear your story :goodvibes

Thanks for posting your video. It was beautiful
Thank you! :hug:

[SamIAm21]

I am also for small weddings, but I have nothing against big ones either, as long as it can be afforded comfortably.

However, I think overall with all things in life, we are going to start to see the pendulum swing back toward smaller is better. Smaller cars, smaller homes, not trading up to the mini-mansion and just being happy with the three bedroom bungalow. I think there will be more saving and less spending. It's like people are waking up after the big party with a huge hangover and realized they need to slow down a little.

I hope someday, my daughter wants a Disney wedding. However, her education will come first and that's something she can benefit from everyday of her life, not just for one day.