The Important Things...

[CastlePrincess]

I am less than 3 months away from my Disneyland wedding... meaning I am mostly a crazy, excited ball of anxiety 24/7! I am at the point where we are looking very closely at our budget and the things we have planned for the wedding and are trying to decide what's really worth it and what isn't. I am terribly indecisive so what I feel is the most important component one day (like the coach) is something I wake up the next morning feeling I can do without. Which is exactly why I need some major DISbride feedback! Some of the things that I have been bouncing back and forth on are the Cinderella Coach, Mickey and Minnie Appearance, Decor elements (I currently have quite elaborate centerpieces, although only for 5 tables and also plan to have ceiling draping in the Sleeping Beauty Pavillion), and the food.

What are going to be the things I look back on and remember the most?
What sorts of things will the guests remember the most (what are the WOW factor ideas)?
What could I maybe cut and not miss so much?
What will I regret not having?

Please help me figure out what the important things are (besides my amazing fiance of course!).

Thanks so much!

 

[KMS'sGlassSlipper]

I personally think that Cinderella's Coach and Mickey and Minnie were things that I could not have done without at my wedding. I decided to forego elaborate centerpieces and a lot of floral because I did not think that they were as important. I kept thinking to myself that I could not remember one centerpiece from any of the weddings I had been to (until recently when I started planning my own wedding and paying more attention to centerpieces).

I just searched pictures of the Sleeping Beauty Pavilion and saw the draping on the ceiling which is gorgeous. However, I also a picture of it without - and it still looks pretty. I think that might be something that your guests may not even notice.

With all that being said, I will reiterate that this is my personal opinion. It is your wedding, so your priorities may be different than mine. Maybe look through some of the PJs and see what other brides said about what they wished they had/what they could do without, and see exactly whether or not it fits your style. I hope this helps!!!

 

[Fay]

Hey,

I can imagine myself with only 3 months away and feeling exactally the same!

HOW EXCINTING!

Personally, I have only been to one wedding and that was when I was 12, so being a adult amature at the wedding thing! I think the wow factors for me would definatly be the flowers! I LOVE the romance that flowers bring to any venue! Regardless of what the actual room is like I think flowers are what guests remember and especially centre pieces!

Also, being a disney wedding! I think you would regret not having the carriage! It is beautiful and think about how your photos will look.

This may put these things into perspective for you...

When trying on 'beachy' wedding dresses (We are from the UK, and getting married in a hot country I wanted floaty dresses) Any way, when trying on these floaty dresses - I hated all of them.

At a different shop, I told them about my florida venue and about the kind of dresses I 'thought' I wanted. She said you dont want to look back at your photos and think ah, nice dress. Basically Im trying to say hot country or not get married in the dress that you want. Because how much of your venue is going to be in the photos. Now... DISNEY - you want your photos to say DISNEY! you need the DISNEY THINGS! got for the Coach!

I hope I made sence!

XXX

 

[PartofDisney'sWorld]

Hey there! I'm 3 months out too, hooray!

I am basically the same as KMS'sGlassSlipper. For me, the important things are the coach, the food, and the characters, and music/dancing. I gave myself a pretty limited floral/decor budget so that I could have the other elements. I agree, I think that most people don't remember decor, unless it is something pretty elaborate. I've been to about 5 weddings over the past couple of years and I don't remember any decor or centerpieces except maybe what the color scheme was. I also personally remember the food. People will definitely remember the food, whether it was good or bad. I remember ALL the food from all the weddings I've been to (they were all gross except 1!). Our planner even said that that is what most people remember the most. I really think that everyone will remember the coach and characters because they have such a wow factor and you can't get them anywhere else. This is just my personal opinion, just hope it helps.

 

[geek+nerd]

For me as a guest at a wedding, the most important thing is food. I have only been to one wedding where the food was absolutely phenomenal (and it happened to have been my sister's wedding ). However, I clearly remember weddings where the food just plain sucked. I say do NOT skimp on food.

 

[lurkyloo]

What are going to be the things I look back on and remember the most?
What sorts of things will the guests remember the most (what are the WOW factor ideas)?
What could I maybe cut and not miss so much?
What will I regret not having?

As a guest, I have always thought favors and the cocktail hour to be a complete waste of time and money. I also cannot remember the centerpieces at any wedding I've ever been to (except the one that spilled all over my lap in the car on the way home!). On the other hand, as a bride I occasionally look at the only photo of my reception that shows our bare tables and wish I'd had $1,200 extra for centerpieces... but then I snap back to reality!

Our guests still talk about the food and the experiences—the fireworks, the boat ride, the gorgeous setting, the fabulous Disney service. I don't think they remember that we had no table decor or bags of jordan almonds for them to take home.

If it helps, character appearances seem to be a huge crowd pleaser and definitely one of the most memorable experiences for guests. Brides who really wanted the carriage say they are so glad they got it, while those who could have gone either way and ultimately decided not to have it usually say they didn't miss it.

And while having good food is definitely important, there is often too much of that good food—huge appetizer spreads during the cocktail hour that spoil guests' appetites for dinner, extra desserts before the cake is even cut, too many choices of the same type of dish (main course, side dish) on the buffet, etc.

Hope this helps!

 

[CastlePrincess]

Thank you so much to everyone for the feedback! The more and more I thinnk about it I think I will keep the coach and characters. These are the trule Disney things that will make for awesome pictures. Photography is the MOST important thing for me so when it comes to cutting things, I think about it's photographic value! LOL.

I have been thinking about cutting back on-
1. centerpieces (not entirely nixing them, but going for smaller, less elaborate ones)
2. ceremony floral (right now I have flowers hanging from the gazebo and aisle runner. since the ceremony is really only 20-30 minutes, I think I can cut back to just some rose petals down the aisle and no one will feel like something is missing)

Of course, I will need to think of more things....

I had also added a cookie bar (to meet F & B minimums) for the end of the night so that guest could take cookies home with them in a bag as a type of favor but I am thinking I will nix this (I already have a favor on the table) and use the money to put back into good quality dinner food. Thoughts?

 

[Safflower]

Another Maui girl having a DL wedding?! This is too exciting! I'm originally from Maui, but have been living on the mainland for the last few years

I just had my wedding back in January, and I wouldn't have traded the coach for anything! When the wedding budget needed some trimming, the first thing I thought about cutting was the coach, since it seemed like a lot of money to not go anywhere at all We were able to keep the coach, and it was one of my favorite things about the wedding! You can even hear the gasp from the guests as I come up in the coach on our wedding video.

I also really enjoyed having Minnie and Mickey at the reception. Some of my cousins hadn't gotten to see them in the parks, and so giving the kids a private meeting really made things special for them. Of course, the adults were more excited but everyone really enjoyed them.

Those were my two favorite "extras"- we also splurged on food, which was totally worth it! We had barely any floral, and made our own centerpieces to balance out the costs somewhat.

Good luck with your planning!

 

[CastlePrincess]

Another Maui girl having a DL wedding?! This is too exciting! I'm originally from Maui, but have been living on the mainland for the last few years

OMG! Yay for Maui girls! Although sometimes I feel absolutely helpless trying to plan my wedding from an ocean away, hence many moments of frustration and confusion. LOL

 

[Safflower]

OMG! Yay for Maui girls! Although sometimes I feel absolutely helpless trying to plan my wedding from an ocean away, hence many moments of frustration and confusion. LOL

I know how you feel! I felt so frustrated just trying to plan from the other side of California! But I'm sure everything will turn out just fine for you! You're getting married!

 

[CityGirlLost]

I am just really starting the planning process and weighing things is getting emotionally difficult. I'd love to have gorgeous floral and decor but it's much more important to me to have a memorable meal and dancing.