alternate ceremony locations ?

[twojo21]

i was wondering if there are any other on/overlooking water locations besides the poly sunset pointe, bdw seabreeze or yc gazebo & those at epcot? me & h2b keep debating the first 3 for our ceremony location but seem to find a detail about each that makes us 2nd guess that location. is there are any other locations besides these on/overlooking the water preferrably with a garden feel? like at one of the wdw golf courses or at one of the wdw resorts we havent been told about? thanks for your help ladies!

bridezilla.

 

[dopey1]

You can get married anywhere you want. If you know a specific location then tell you SM. We are getting married at AKL. Disney told me we could get married anywhere but some location may not be set up for wedding and might have some limitation to things you can do or people that can fit in the space. The cost is the same as any place other then the wedding pavillion $1200.

 

[InstImpres]

Depending on the size of your wedding, you can use an area at WL. Not a garden feel but a breathtaking area. View of the pool and gyser area with bay lake in the background. The landscape is incredible, I would consider it more of a woodsy/water view.

Good luck
Sandy

PS - What didn't you like about the locations you mentioned, that might help me think of somewhere better for you.

 

[Merandab4]

I would look into the locations that the other posters suggested, (Wilderness Lodge is very lovely, What a great veiw it has).

If none of the Disney locations suit you, you may want to look at the locations at the Swan and Dolphin Resorts. You would then have to book your wedding through Just Marry and Not Disney Fairytale Weddings.

Another location you may have overlooked is Picture Point. This is the Trellis behind the Wedding Pavilion that overlooks the water and has a veiw of Cinderella's Castle. They do perform intimate ceremonies there, but you would have to pay the price associate with the Wedding Pavilion because essentially no other weddings can go on at the pavilion during this time. ( if you'd like to see a picture of picture Point, let me know and I will post one)

If you have an idea of somewhere else you would want to have your location, you can always bring it up tou your EM and see what he or she says. The only problem with getting married at one of the locations that is not a normal venue is the privacey issue. Disney may not be able to gaurentee that your event will be private. But if you don't mind other people being able to spy on you as you exchange vows, then I guess it doesn't matter.

I know Disney use to do ceremonies at the Marina at the Grand Floridian. They don't do them there for some reason anymore, but maybe you could at least ask.

Good luck, and As Sandy mentioned, maybe you could tell us what you didn't like about each location as maybe we could offer some additional suggestions or clarify anything.

 

[wildernessbride52105]

WL has a beautiful view, thats why we choose it!

 

[twojo21]

well me & h2b are both picky. so i dont mean to offend anyone, in anyway. i am simply bridezilla. we loved the yc gazebo, bwi seabreeze & poly sunset pointe but.... the yc gazebo is surrounded on 3 sides by the hotel & would then be in the majority of pictures, & h2b on site inspection was concerned with bathrooms at ariel reception & noise/intrusion of other guests at marthas vineyard next store (which is where we planned to have yc reception at.) the bwi seabreeze gazebo is gorgeous but where to seat guests? we didnt feel there was enought room in the gazebo for 45 & dont want to be crammed, h2b was also concerned w/ nearby sidewalk & noise from bwi espn zone during ceremony. we were also told we couldn't shut off sidewalk during ceremony. at the poly sunset pointe we loved the lookout but didnt want palm trees/hawaiian theme but more of a garden feel. we also didnt like the condition of the indoor main house bathrooms for the guests if needed. so these were are concerns. any advise on the above opinions/experiences or other locale ideas would be appreciated. thanks to everyone for posts, i'll mention wl to h2b for locale & take a look at some pics.

thanks again
from picky bridezilla

 

[Merandab4]

I see your concerns with these locations and will try to state what I know of each one.

1. The YCG is a beautiful place. I would not worry about the building being in most of your shots. You could tell that concern to your photographer, but I certainly don't think have parts of the building in your pictures will take away from the beauty of the location.

2. I don't know a whole lot about Sunset Point, so I will leave that one alone, but I don't think that is traditionally a location for custom weddings. But hey, At Disney anything is Possible.

3. Sea Breeze Point.... I can't say enough about see Breeze Point as I think it is such a beautiful location! This was where we were going to have our ceremony before we switched to the Wedding Pavilion. Ther is MORE than enough room for 45 guests in the pavilion/Gazebo at SBP.. They will set the chairs up on both sides of the arch way so you have a small isle in between. you would actually walk down one of the wings, unless you would like to walk down the shorter isle in between your guests. (Which has been done). What I like about the SBP is you can keep it as simple or as eleborate as you want with decor and both look beautiful! I would not worry one bit about privacy. Disney will have people standing watch so no one will intrude on your ceremony. You are far enough away on the path that you shouldn't be bothered by the passerby's walking to Epcot. And I certainly don't think you will be bothered by the noise at ESPN. When you are all dressed up in your wedding cloths, you might find that you actually like the attention of people watching you and wishing you congrats. Having people "spy" on us was not such a big deal to me when we were going to have our ceremony there. I figured the more people who want to witness the better. Besides, getting a glimpse of an actual wedding take place at WDW may be the highlight of someones vacation! If you do like SBP but are still stuck on the privacy issue, here where you can add more decore. You can have tull curtains of some sort around the gazebo, (although IMO it takes away from the natural beauty of SBP). One thing I will caution you on is if you have a unity candle at SBP it will not stay lit. Also, there may be some noise from passing boats and such. Although I have heard couples say that they liked it when boats would go by and honk there horn for them to wish them luck!

4. Although the Sunset terrace at the Wildreness lodge is lovely and private, it will not accomodate a group size of 45.

Are you set against having a Wedding Pavilion Wedding?
Have you looked into any of the locations at Epcot?
I know that you did a site visit, but if you need any pics of any location let me know and I will try to dig one up for you.

Hope all that help!

 

[140905]

Hi

I'm from the UK and not able to have a site inspection. I'm having Ariels as my reception location and i was just wondering what it was that your h2b didn't like about the bathrooms there?

As for Martha's Vineyard I'm sure I was told at the start of my planning that it's not open to the public until 4pm - don't know if that's true I'd have to double check this.

 

[flower91882]

I agree with Meranda.

We're planning on a SBP wedding with 60 people. I'm sure there will be plenty of room. I think we may seat them in a half moon shape, so some will sit in the open area, I'll walk down that short part and then some will sit in the two pathway sections.

I also think you should look into the Epcot ceremony locations to see if you like anything there. There are a lot of garden locations in the world showcase. The only thing is that your ceremony would have to be in the morning. But, it's something to think about!

 

[RubySlipperGirl]

twojo21,

There is a beautiful gazebo next to the river at Port Orleans Resort French Quarter. This is a very quiet, beautiful, secluded location with much less boat traffic than SBP. The area may or may not be able to accommodate 45 guests - I can't remember. Ask your SM.

Another possibility is the brand-new Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa (site of the former Disney Insitute). The resort features an expansive beach that overlooks Downtown Disney on the other side of the lake. What a beautiful view! I'm sure there are several locations along the beach that might be perfect for you.

Another option is to get married right on the beach at the Beach Club Resort (with the BoardWalk across the lake in the background). I've seen a few weddings and many reception/convention events (including F&B) occur right there on the beach. They actually rope it off from regular guests so there's no worry of intrusion or noise.

Since all of these locations are not typical ceremony locations, you'll have to talk to your SM about getting special permission to use them. But, I greatly commend you on your "out of the box" thinking! Good luck!

 

[Merandab4]

The Gazebo at the Saratoga Springs resort is a good idea. It is pretty private. They don't do weddings there, but they may make an exception for you. I can tell you that they will not let you have your ceremony at the Gazebo at POR. The Gazebo is located in a high traffic area in the resort and your ceremony would block the path from people getting to their rooms.

 

[flower91882]

My SM told me that they don't do any wedding related stuff at Saratoga Springs. At least for now. You can always ask.