Can I do this?

[problemchild718]

I am a DVC member. SSR has a wedding gazebo. What do you think would happen if I was staying at the resort (I would rent a grand villa for us to use and studios for our guests) and we married and took photos on the resort grounds (not in the park) and then had a catered reception at the Villa (has a huge living room, dining room full kitchen 3 bedrooms and baths) then did a dessert party/illuminations cruise? We would have around 20 people including children. Do you think anyone would say anything?
The rooms would be paid for, I could get an outside florist, caterer, photograher and still come in $$$$ less.

 

[Fantasia Sam]

Are you saying you'd go into the gazebo and get married without having paid for a custom or intimate wedding with Disney?

 

[MApigletfan]

I read somewhere (I think in another discussion board) that someone had their vows renewed at one of the DVC Villas but it was on the balcony of their villa. I am sure that there would be a rental fee for any wedding gazeboo at Disney. I will have to see if I can find the story I read about a Disney Vow Renewal being done without going thru Disney.

 

[problemchild718]

No, I don't mean the Wedding Gazebo at GF, There is another gazebo at Saratoga Springs-similar to the one on the boardwalk. It is not offered for weddings thru Disney at this point. I would try to get the Grand Villa closest to it and walk from the villa to the gazebo.

 

[athenna]

Are you sure about there being a wedding pavillion there? Is that ''official''? I have seen a building there that looks similar to a chapel, but it conducts members meetings there. I heard a rumor on the boards that there was going to be one, but nothing yet.
There is a gazebo there, for sure though, if that's what you mean.

 

[fun2bmomof3]

If you have your rooms and tickets and under 20 guest , you should look into an intimate add on. They seem fairly reasonable to me and then you wouldn't be breaking any Disney rules. Because from all I've read you Can Not use any wedding facilty (even if it's at your resort) without booking a Disney wedding. Also you don't know that the Gazebo isn't already booked through Disney Weddings for your day and time. And I'm sure you would be upset if you got started with the ceremony or pictures etc and Disney bust in and tells you that you can't be there.
As for the catered party in your villa; I'm pretty sure that would be allowed. I would let the front desk know just in case anyone would report it as suspicious activity. I've read other threads about birthday, anniversary parties etc in the villas.

I would call someone and talk with Disney about what your cost would actually be and the rules about using their gazebo. Disneyweddings.com has a place that you can click and put in your phone number and someone will call you right then.

 

[ead79]

Disney requires that all wedding that take place on property be handled by Fairy Tale Weddings. Even though the gazebo at SSR isn’t available for official FTWs at this point, you still wouldn’t be allowed to use it for an unofficial ceremony. While it’s possible that you could do it without getting caught, you might also be asked to stop and leave. Since no one wants a scene like that on their wedding day, you should look into the options FTW offers or have the ceremony offsite in another Orlando location. It’s just not a good risk to take since it’s breaking the rules. I would definitely look into the Intimate Add On option.

As far as an Illuminations party goes, you could book that through Epcot’s Event Services. They can give you all the info on menus, pricing, etc.

 

[J&L Love Disney]

We are having a custom VR and wanted a location not on the list and we were unable to have it. I guess if you have ENOUGH money you probably could, but we aren't in that league.

I agree, you definitely would have to go through DFTW to have any kind of ceremony on property. You may now have an Intimate wedding for 20 or less people, so that may work out budget wise for you. We too are DVC members and have toured SSR including the Grand Villa (it is unbelievable). SSR is gorgeous and a perfect place for weddings. Perhaps they will open it up in the future when the construction is complete or further along.

However, it doesn't hurt to ask DFTW what you can do there. If your event if far enough off, then maybe so. Good Luck!!!

 

[MApigletfan]

Here is a post I read on a different Disney board and this lady had her Vow Renewal at Disney - unofficially:
"Last month we celebrated our wondeful 20 year anniveresary with a vow renewal at the Boardwalk. We did not go thru Disney for a very good reason...money! Going thru Fairy Tale Weddings limits you to using a package which included a limo service and UPH's...neither of which we need, and they won't let you substitute. As this adds up to approximately $1,000 I just couldn't justify throwing out this amount of money, so we did it ourselves. Let me clarify this....as long as you have the *ceremony* in your room or suite, it is perfectly legal and acceptable, even though Disney doesn't advertise it. You cannot do this at any of their wedding sites or at the chapel in the GF. Here's what we did.....
Checked into the POFQ on June 21, with our DD, Melissa, where a gorgeous poster of Cinderella and Prince Carming was on the wall saying "Happy Anniversary Margaret and Clive"! Wow! I never expected that and it was a wonderful suprise. My son, Conner, and his wife Kellee arrived around 2 p.m. to join us in the festivities. That night we had a pizza/pool party, with them, plus Bianca, Christi, Neil, and their 6 month-old son, Austin, who also joined us to help celebrate, and it was a blast. The next day we checked into a garden suite, #1204, at the Boardwalk and concierge was absolutely fantastic! No sooner had we checked in did Cinderella and the Prince send us balloons with a card wishing us again, Congratulations with an autographed photo! We decorated the staircase with tulle and white lights just before the food arrived from room service came and then got dressed! We were originally planning on having the ceremony in the garden (this is acceptable as it is a part of the garden suite and not part of Disney's *common area*), but due to our DD's medical condition, and my friend Bianca having a broken rib, plus the fact that it was 95 outside we decided to do it in the living room instead. This was one of the reasons why we chose the garden suite...we wanted to be prepared in case of rain or whatever else might come our way. We also like the idea of the bedroom being upstairs and having a jacuzzi tub! The ceremony started with Melissa and I coming down the staircase and then us lighting the Unity candle. It was beautiful! We had Rev. Tim who is quite familiar with these arrangements and has done this many times before. After the ceremony Clive and I donned our *ears* and we had a champagne toast and cut the cake which we bought from the Boardwalk Bakery ($100 less than at the GF for the same thing). To our surprise another *gift* arrived from Disney....a bottle of Fairy Tale Cuve' champagne and a plate of chocolate covered strawberries done tuxedo style! WOW! There was even a card from Mickey and Minnie saying Congratultions!!!! We enjoyed meatballs, chicken wings, shrimp, veggies & dip, and a wonderful fruit platter. At 8 it was time to board the boat for our Illuminations cruise and boy! was I surprised! It was decorated with a huge banner saying Happy Anniversary! Kellee had never been to WDW before so they had spent the day at the MK, but to tell you that both her and Conner, who has been to WDW numerous times, were impressed is putting it mildly. This was a huge success and it allowed everyone to have a great view and be seated together. Walking around the Boardwalk in my gown and Clive in his suit with our ears was fantastic! Everyone called out Conratulations and we loved every bit of the attention we got. We ended up at the ESPN club for a late snack and headed back to the garden suite where we talked for a while longer and had another glass of champagne, before saying our goodnights. The next morning we enjoyed coffee before heading to the concierge lounge and back to the FQ. Kellee and Conner joined us for a bit before heading back to Pensacola and we headed back to the FQ where we spent the afternoon by the pool before going to Cape May for Clive's birthday dinner with Melissa. His birthday is the day after our wedding so I just figure I'm his *birthday present*!!! LOL
The next day we spent some time at Downtown Disney and the pool and left the next day after breakfast with Bianca.
If you'd like to see how and what we planned you can check out my site at ...
http://www.ladymarganne.com/vr_001.htm "

 

[problemchild718]

Thank you for the post, that is sort of what I was thinking-we will have to crunch the numbers and see what we really want and need vs how much it all is. As nice as a wedding can be, I REALLY want a house and furniture!!!LOL . I also have very little family-my parents a brother are gone now. What I really want is to have a wonderful time with our family and friends. It seems such a shame that there are soooo many beautiful places at the resorts to marry and are so under utilized.

 

[fun2bmomof3]

I think you could decorate the ssr villas for a wonderful wedding inside. We just bought at ssr sight unseen except for photos. The decor in the villas looks to be a classic elegant style. We will do a tour next month on our first dvc trip home. When we do our vow renewal next year I plan to get a grand villa at ssr for us and my parents to stay in. I think it will be a nice gathering spot for all the family.

Double check with Disney and see if in room non-ftdw is allowed and plan from there. I think I've read several threads on other board that mentioned doing this.
I agree with you that there is many unutilized spots in disney for weddings, but I guess they have to set limits or people would be going overboard with location request and possibley dissrupting other guest.

I'm sure whatever you decide it will be beautiful.

crissy

 

[problemchild718]

I called DFTW today and they took the information. She will find out the guidelines on Saratoga Springs and get back to me. We'll see. Thanks for the encouragement fun2b! When you see the villa you'll love it. It is so much nicer in person! A little tulle and some flowers and we'll be havin' a wedding!!!

 

[TinkerBell053]

I had actually asked my event planner some of these questions before. I was told that I could rent a Grand Villa and have the entire "reception" in it after my intimate ceremony. They would have no objections. Of course it wouldn't be an offcial Disney Fairytale Weddings reception but there would be no problem with it. They even had ideas to offer up. If Disney comes back and says that you can't have a wedding on their property without going through them, I would simply have the intimate ceremony add on as suggested earlier and then handle your own reception in your villla. Believe me, they won't object to the reception part. They would even help. As for not using the Limo's have you thought about just having them pick up your guests at their various resorts throughout the day. We are staying at the Boardwalk, getting married there, and dining nearby at the Yachtclub. We are putting the limo to use by having it run to pick up the guests.

Second option, I have heard of having a wedding in the room before but you should definitely run it by them. I know you said you don't have the funds to get the location that isn't on the list, but you may be able to pull it off. By going with a weekday custom event, you need to meet a minimum of $10,000. That can include everything that you use for that day. Hair, Makeup, Photography, Videography, Food, Beverages, Decor, etc. You would be surprised but my intimate is almost there!!! I was also told before that with a custom, you can pretty much get married anywhere. There are some restrictions, but we were offered many off of the list locations when we were originally going custom.

Hope this helps!!