Disney Cruise Brides!!! Part Deux!!

[JBeanBunny]

Jilllian .. Have found you on Pinterest, thank you!
Your run down of how your process went is invaluable and I have copied it to my wedding file, thank you. After hearing your reasons for booking an onboard wedding, I'm second thinking about mine as we'll be sailing in October which I know is hurricane season (although in around 8 visits to Fl in Sept/Oct, we've not had one yet!). I'd be gutted if I paid that extra money and it rained

Maybe we'll save our money and put it towards staying in the Walt Suite!

Yay! You found my pinterest! I've never had to search for myself, so I didn't know what to tell ya... but I'm glad you got it now! Is it useful? These days I just add crafts and recipes but occasionally I repost some cute wedding-y things. I was weird and pinned some of my own wedding photos. I figure that since I couldn't find much on pinterest that I'd make my photos available to the public

Going from CC to Onboard is totally up to you. It just worked out best for our wants and needs! Plus, I live in Florida and I'm used to expecting the unexpected when it comes to weather, so... I just don't trust mother nature to not dump a storm on my wedding day! Luckily it didn't storm, (but it was overcast and a little grey skied) but that would've been a bummer! You could definitely take that $ and upgrade to the Walt or Roy Disney suites!!!!! I've seen photos, they look WONDERFUL! Also with that extra $1000, you could get Mickey and Minnie AND have money to spare! OR you could use that towards bringing a photographer with you... but then again, there are always miscellaneous wedding expenses that you don't really anticipate... WAY more than I'd anticipated! It never hurts to have an 'emergency' fund!

 

[bats]

I haven't been on in a few days because we went on a mini-vaca to NJ. I've been so anxious to get back home and get on with the wedding planning. Not always easy to do from a phone. Anyhow, my fiance and I have been talking about having Minnie and Mickey appear at our wedding. I was wondering if anyone on here has ever done this? Also, what do they do or get involved in at the wedding and how much did it cost? I've ready in different places upwards of $900 at the WDW resort, but haven't found anything for the cruises. Any help would be greatly appreciated

I read that they don't actually attend the wedding, but rather the cake cutting and champagne afterwards? Definitely worth checking with Meredith!

Yay! You found my pinterest! I've never had to search for myself, so I didn't know what to tell ya... but I'm glad you got it now! Is it useful? These days I just add crafts and recipes but occasionally I repost some cute wedding-y things. I was weird and pinned some of my own wedding photos. I figure that since I couldn't find much on pinterest that I'd make my photos available to the public

Going from CC to Onboard is totally up to you. It just worked out best for our wants and needs! Plus, I live in Florida and I'm used to expecting the unexpected when it comes to weather, so... I just don't trust mother nature to not dump a storm on my wedding day! Luckily it didn't storm, (but it was overcast and a little grey skied) but that would've been a bummer! You could definitely take that $ and upgrade to the Walt or Roy Disney suites!!!!! I've seen photos, they look WONDERFUL! Also with that extra $1000, you could get Mickey and Minnie AND have money to spare! OR you could use that towards bringing a photographer with you... but then again, there are always miscellaneous wedding expenses that you don't really anticipate... WAY more than I'd anticipated! It never hurts to have an 'emergency' fund!

Loved your photos so it's them that I've re-pinned the most!!
One of my best friends does photography as a hobby, so we're just paying some of her cruise fare to take a few photos. She's really good, so we know that she will do us proud (and make me look thinner than I am!!)

Have now decided that onboard is probably better, but Mick vetoed the Walt Suite What's wrong with that man?!!!
Anyway, we're going to put the money toward renting cabanas for our guests to enjoy on CC.

Anyone know how many each stateroom can reserve? Our TA is a platinum so could ask her to do a couple, then presume that within the wedding package, we could rent at 120 too? (we're gold).
Would ideally like 4 cabanas, perhaps even 5 but I know that's asking alot!!

 

[dclwonderprincess]

Jillian I believe you are correct, Mickey & Minnie only attend the cake/champagne portion. I used that extra $ for a cabana and with some luck will run into a character on the ship & get to take a few pics.

 

[JBeanBunny]

I would have LOVED to have Mickey & Minnie (or heck, even just Mickey would've been nice) but I just didn't have that worked into my budget. The only downside to taking photos w/ Mickey & Minnie for my onboard was that they were in their Pirate attire... Not very wedding-y!

Unfortunately, I don't know anything about the cabanas! I've never had the urge to rent one. (Though I've lived in Florida for 9 years, I'm used to just finding a spot on the beach and enjoying sans cabanas.) I also don't know if or how you would reserve a room block for your guests... That would be a question for Disney or your Travel Agent to find out. I just picked a cruise in the slow season and made everyone book it almost a year in advance, so everybody that wanted to go was able to...

 

[JC32801]

Please pardon the shameless plug, and if it's out of line to post here, mods, please feel free to remove.

That said, my wife and I were married on Castaway Cay, and as a former Cast Member and resident of Orlando of 10+ years, perhaps my first-hand knowledge and expertise may be of assistance in your planning. Do you need a travel agent? Absolutely not, but why not take advantage of complimentary service and take one thing off your already loaded (and stressed!) plate?

John's Journeys on Twitter

John's Journeys on Facebook

Many thanks! And best wishes to all of you!

 

[bats]

Thanks John .. Not sure what you're offering if it's not a TA service?
I'd be interested in seeing photos of your wedding on CC and hearing your experiences, so feel free to tell us all about your special day.

Joa

 

[AllisonK315]

Thanks everyone! I would really enjoy them being there for the cake cutting and reception. But, after hearing about the pirate attire.. im not so sure! Definitely will add that to the list of questions for Meredith!

 

[dclwonderprincess]

I booked my airfare today!!! Just a few more months to go. I guess I need to fax my planning guide to Meredith before I change my mind about anything else.

 

[bats]

I booked my airfare today!!! Just a few more months to go. I guess I need to fax my planning guide to Meredith before I change my mind about anything else.

Hope you got a good deal

Do you think you may change your mind on things then? I'm fairly set on what I'd like .. but only because I've read about them on here (thanks brides!) ... I haven't even been able to book my cruise yet (2015), so everything could change again a million times!

 

[dclwonderprincess]

I did get a good deal, we've been watching & waiting to buy. I've changed my mind about the flowers a few times already but I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that I hadn't bought my dress at that point. Who knows what kind of changes will happen for 2015. Maybe they will have different cake designs.

 

[bats]

I like the Tropical Bouquet .. love those vibrant colours, although ........

I could change my mind!!

 

[JBeanBunny]

I like the Tropical Bouquet .. love those vibrant colours, although ........

I could change my mind!!

I changed my mind on my bouquet several times I wound up choosing the Hot Pink and Red Solid French Rose bouquet with 5 mickey crystals... It was gorgeous! I think they have very nice options for floral, it was a hard decision for me too

 

[bats]

I changed my mind on my bouquet several times I wound up choosing the Hot Pink and Red Solid French Rose bouquet with 5 mickey crystals... It was gorgeous! I think they have very nice options for floral, it was a hard decision for me too

Yes, yours did look very nice .. Maybe I'll change!! Ha
Good job I've got a long time yet isn't it?!

 

[AllisonK315]

I think they offer beautiful bouquets but I just found jeweled bouquets on etsy and am obsessed now! I may have to attempt making one of these. They are gorgeous! !!

 

[JBeanBunny]

I think they offer beautiful bouquets but I just found jeweled bouquets on etsy and am obsessed now! I may have to attempt making one of these. They are gorgeous! !!

Since we had the Legal Ceremony one day and the Actual Ceremony the next day, I bought a feather bouquet for my legal ceremony and I used the floral with the wedding package for my actual ceremony. You could always get the jeweled bouquet, use it for the legal ceremony on embarkation day, then go back and forth between jeweled bouquet and floral bouquet on the wedding day... Always an option I loved my feather bouquet, it was so fun!!! I got DH a matching feather boutonniere so we matched!

 

[AllisonK315]

That is such a good idea! My fiance is gonna kill me lol. Hes a simple kind of guy but im a glitzy kinda girl. So I will definitely have to have one for each day!!

 

[cinderellabride44]

Hi girls! I've been a lurker for a while but finally decided to join in on the fun! My wedding is this November and I hadn't realized how behind I was on planning till I came on here! We're getting married aboard the Magic, as it just worked out well for timing. The last time I was aboard a Disney Cruise ship was when I was 9 and that was the Wonder, so I feel a bit clueless to the DCL thing.

I have a couple of questions, as I am a very young teen bride and in college, I'm trying to get the most "bang for my buck" with my DCL wedding. Which options are worth the extra cost in your opinion? I definitely know I can't do an outside photographer, too pricey for us. Instead we are using the DCL photographer and my bridesmaid who is an amateur but still very good is taking our pictures too. What about the other extra expenses? Are they worth it?

How does everyone feel about welcome bags/favors? I noticed most brides did some and I just can't imagine packing so much extra stuff but I really want to thank my guests for coming so far. We live in CA, so it's a long journey. It is beginning to look like a lot more people are coming than we expected, I'm thinking 30+(we expected 15ish).

Also, for anyone who got married aboard the Magic, where did you have your ceremony? The Sessions lounge just doesn't seem appealing for a wedding but maybe it's nicer than it seems. Our party may be way too big for the deck, so I guess its our only choice.

Thanks everyone!

 

[ketwinn]

Hi girls! I've been a lurker for a while but finally decided to join in on the fun! My wedding is this November and I hadn't realized how behind I was on planning till I came on here! We're getting married aboard the Magic, as it just worked out well for timing. The last time I was aboard a Disney Cruise ship was when I was 9 and that was the Wonder, so I feel a bit clueless to the DCL thing.

I have a couple of questions, as I am a very young teen bride and in college, I'm trying to get the most "bang for my buck" with my DCL wedding. Which options are worth the extra cost in your opinion? I definitely know I can't do an outside photographer, too pricey for us. Instead we are using the DCL photographer and my bridesmaid who is an amateur but still very good is taking our pictures too. What about the other extra expenses? Are they worth it?

How does everyone feel about welcome bags/favors? I noticed most brides did some and I just can't imagine packing so much extra stuff but I really want to thank my guests for coming so far. We live in CA, so it's a long journey. It is beginning to look like a lot more people are coming than we expected, I'm thinking 30+(we expected 15ish).

Also, for anyone who got married aboard the Magic, where did you have your ceremony? The Sessions lounge just doesn't seem appealing for a wedding but maybe it's nicer than it seems. Our party may be way too big for the deck, so I guess its our only choice.

Thanks everyone!

I got married on the Magic in November 2011. We only had 20 guests, so we got married on the secret deck on an "at sea" day.
We had welcome bags full of items that I collected slowly so it didnt kill my pockets. We ended up mailing them to the port so our guests would have them in their rooms when they got there.
We used the DCL photographer and she was great. Our on board pictures were better than our Magic Kingdom pictures. From what I see its hit or miss.
We did a few extra things like had Mickey and Minnie come to wedding, and that was great, but I know others who didnt do anything extra and they still had an amazing time.
Congratulations!

 

[JBeanBunny]

Hi girls! I've been a lurker for a while but finally decided to join in on the fun! My wedding is this November and I hadn't realized how behind I was on planning till I came on here! We're getting married aboard the Magic, as it just worked out well for timing. The last time I was aboard a Disney Cruise ship was when I was 9 and that was the Wonder, so I feel a bit clueless to the DCL thing.

I have a couple of questions, as I am a very young teen bride and in college, I'm trying to get the most "bang for my buck" with my DCL wedding. Which options are worth the extra cost in your opinion? I definitely know I can't do an outside photographer, too pricey for us. Instead we are using the DCL photographer and my bridesmaid who is an amateur but still very good is taking our pictures too. What about the other extra expenses? Are they worth it?

How does everyone feel about welcome bags/favors? I noticed most brides did some and I just can't imagine packing so much extra stuff but I really want to thank my guests for coming so far. We live in CA, so it's a long journey. It is beginning to look like a lot more people are coming than we expected, I'm thinking 30+(we expected 15ish).

Also, for anyone who got married aboard the Magic, where did you have your ceremony? The Sessions lounge just doesn't seem appealing for a wedding but maybe it's nicer than it seems. Our party may be way too big for the deck, so I guess its our only choice.

Thanks everyone!

Welcome Aboard! Unfortunately, I'm most versed with the Dream and how they do weddings on that ship, but the general procedure for DCL weddings should be the same. I'll be sailing on the Wonder in a couple weeks if you want me to do some investigating for you. I know it's not the Magic, but they're similar since they're sister ships.

I know how you feel with having more people join you than expected. I was under the impression that I might get 15-20 guests and I would up with a party of 47! My party was too large for the standard on-board wedding locations, but everything turned out beautifully even with the added stress of more guests!

I agree that it's a nice gesture to give favor bags to your guests since they're making a large commitment to come on a cruise wedding I ironed on a custom made wedding logo (designed by DIS-igners, you just have to find the right forum and ask nicely!) onto canvas bags and twist-tied them to the "Fish Extenders" by their stateroom doors. I included an essentials kit (plastic baggie with Mickey band aids, single-use polysporin, sunscreen, antibacterial wet ones hand wipes, shout wipes, q-tips, safety pins), Pixie Dust vials, Handmade Mickey soaps, glow sticks, customized matchbooks, Door magnets for every guest, Ring Pop candies, Lip Balm... Every time I go over the contents of my bags, I feel like I forget things because there was SO much in there! I collected (and made!) my items over time so it wasn't such a shock on my wallet! Check out my PJ for more info on that- I was a very very DIY bride!!! (Also, if you want, I can make pixie dust vials or Mickey soaps for you, just PM me or message me from my Etsy) I also saved some money by having my friends deliver all of my guests favor bags instead of having them delivered by DCL... they had a lot of fun on their scavenger hunt hanging favor bags and sticking magnets to the doors!!!

If you're looking to stretch your money the farthest on the cruise wedding package, I would not worry myself of a lot of add-ons. The only extras I paid for were 5 Mickey crystals for my bouquet! I would have LOVED to have Mickey and Minnie there for us and our guests, but there wasn't room in our budget. To me, photography was one of my top priorities so we brought photographers onboard with us. I just didn't have any friends or family known with a knack for photography! I was also fortunate enough that one of my guests is a professional cosmetologist, so she did my hair and makeup onboard without needing to go to the salon! Also, instead of paying for floral for my family (boutonnieres, corsages, and bridesmaid bouquet) we made our own out of silk flowers and saved a lot of money. It was time consuming, but rewarding! Keep in mind that there's TONS of wedding DIY tutorials all over the internet, and make best friends with Pinterest if you haven't already You can really customize your own wedding by adding personalized touches! I would also check out freckledginger's PJ, she had a lot of great ideas for her wedding!

I'm curious about your sailing! Are you leaving out of LA? How many nights are you sailing and what's the itinerary? I've only embarked from Port Canaveral (and soon I'll try Miami!) so I'm incredibly curious about other types of sailings! Welcome again to the boards! I'm excited for you!!

 

[bats]

I think they offer beautiful bouquets but I just found jeweled bouquets on etsy and am obsessed now! I may have to attempt making one of these. They are gorgeous! !!

Nooooo, more choices!!

Hi girls! I've been a lurker for a while but finally decided to join in on the fun! My wedding is this November and I hadn't realized how behind I was on planning till I came on here! We're getting married aboard the Magic, as it just worked out well for timing. The last time I was aboard a Disney Cruise ship was when I was 9 and that was the Wonder, so I feel a bit clueless to the DCL thing.

I have a couple of questions, as I am a very young teen bride and in college, I'm trying to get the most "bang for my buck" with my DCL wedding. Which options are worth the extra cost in your opinion? I definitely know I can't do an outside photographer, too pricey for us. Instead we are using the DCL photographer and my bridesmaid who is an amateur but still very good is taking our pictures too. What about the other extra expenses? Are they worth it?

How does everyone feel about welcome bags/favors? I noticed most brides did some and I just can't imagine packing so much extra stuff but I really want to thank my guests for coming so far. We live in CA, so it's a long journey. It is beginning to look like a lot more people are coming than we expected, I'm thinking 30+(we expected 15ish).

Also, for anyone who got married aboard the Magic, where did you have your ceremony? The Sessions lounge just doesn't seem appealing for a wedding but maybe it's nicer than it seems. Our party may be way too big for the deck, so I guess its our only choice.

Thanks everyone!

Welcome aboard! The Magic is my favourite ship, she's sooo beautiful.
I know Jillian has offered to look at the Wonder for you ... but if you wanted any info on the Magic, I'll be onboard in August. Photos, or talking to the wedding co-ord onboard for you .. just shout ok, happy to help as this thread has helped me so much!

I'm not doing favours (favors for you guys, sorry!!), as the cost to either mail it to the ship, or to take it on the transatlantic flight with us would be immense. We have decided to book and pay for cabanas for everyone on CC day ... obviously not one per family, but enough for everyone to have a chair. (6 people inc in price, $50 extra per person up to 10 people).

One thing I did find out today was that as long as people within your wedding cruise party are paid in full at 120 days, they have the right to book cabanas and excursions at that point. Even if they're not platinum, they can book at 120 days, but they must have paid in full and be linked within your wedding reservation. Great news .. just hope it's still the case in 2015 for us!!