Completely Confused.. can any fellow brides help me?

[mermaidbride1108]

Hello Everyone,

I guess I'm what you guys are calling a 'lurker' for quite some time now trying to figure things out so I maybe you extremely nice fellow brides planning a disney wedding could help me out and clarify some things?

Well I got engaged inside Cinderella's Royal Table on 11/08/06. I had the 'special' seating for fireworks with him and my parents and it was brought out on a glass slipper and everything - I could tell more if anyone wants to hear and have plenty of pictures too. Well my fiance and I both have terrible issues with our families so we thought lets go away for our wedding (which practically everyone advised us to) and invite the people we truly want there and then have a reception in Philly for everyone else. Well of course Disney is the place we chose and we were really interested in the intimate wedding with 18 guests - our closet family and friends. And I was confused on some things but thought that I would figure it out when I called and started to plan but now I'm totally confused! Disney Fairy Tale weddings now has 3 options - Escape, Wishes, and Courture (which i'm assuming is the new Fancy planner special weddings) I'm assuming Escape is basically the intimate but can we still have 18 guests? Reading on it says that we can at an additional charge - could anyone tell me what that additional charge is?

We figure we would do the intimate and add on the horse-drawn carriage (not Cinderella's, I'm an Ariel fan myself!) and the MK Photo Session. I wanted to go outside Disney for a videographer and just pay the escort fee because the cost for DVD's is so much!

I'm really ok with just the ceremony, cakecutting and champagne toast. Small but perfect. Then we were planning to just make reservations at a resort restaurant (I wanna wear my dress as long as possible!) and ask for a private room.

Also, does anyone know if you still recieve the discounts on rooms and tickets and such for you and your guests?

Ok, now here's my second set of questions, If we can't have more than 10 people, what is included in the custom minimum expenditure? Does rooms, guest rooms, hair, makeup, a dinner that is not a typical reception, and maybe a Disney Cruise for our Honeymoon count, I know it's a stretch but does it? But we had a 20 person guest list for Disney and I know you have to book 25 rooms, what do they do if your guest list is less than 25?

Ok, here's so more details, I was planning to do a theme something like Ocean Fairytale, I've been laughed off other boards for that, but I'm a Disney dork and I love being one! Hopefully you guys here will understand... I'm not a big Cinderella fan which is the biggest choice for fairytale for most brides, but I thought Little Mermaid would be a little different.

Anyway, I was hoping to have my reception at home at the aquarium - not a dinner recpetion, but a cocktail party with heavy hor'derves, deserts, and open bar and have more of a fun, dancing feel to it. Too many places in Philly are $100 a person for a dinner menu, that's too much if we are having our ceremony at Disney.

So fellow brides, could you help me out?

Here's my questions again, in case you forgot because of my superlong post

1. I'm assuming a Disney Escape Wedding is basically the Disney intimate Wedding but can we still have 18 guests? Reading on it says that we can at an additional charge - could anyone tell me what that additional charge is?

2. does anyone know if you still recieve the discounts on rooms and tickets and such for you and your guests?

3. If we can't have more than 10 people, what is included in the custom minimum expenditure? Does rooms, guest rooms, hair, makeup, a dinner that is not a typical reception, and maybe a Disney Cruise for our Honeymoon count, I know it's a stretch but does it? But we had a 20 person guest list for Disney and I know you have to book 25 rooms, what do they do if your guest list is less than 25?

Thanks so much!

 

[karentan]

i'll try and help:


from what ive seen, the escape package is pretty much the same as the old intimate package. the only extra costs for extra guests (up to 18 guests) is for extra drinks, the cake is enough for about 30 people anyway. sunset point has a 10 guest maximum, the other locations are 20

a lot of people go for outside vendors for photo and videography, randy chapman is most peoples choice for photo, and svts is a popular choice for videography. they have websites if you want to google them

citricos have a private room, and i think california grill does have a private area. you can book these yourself with normal ADRs, be sure to mention to them its your wedding day!

i believe its only the custom brides that get room discounts, intimates need to have a 4 night stay at a disney owned hotel booked in order to book your wedding.

the intimates can have up to 18 guests, if you do decide to have a custom, anything that happens on the actual day of the wedding can go towards the minimum. this includes transport, food, drink, dessert parties, disney photography/videography (hair and make up dont count cos these are outside vendors now). if you have the MK shoot the day of the wedding, i think this counts. rooms and tickets and cruises dont count. its only things that are directly part of the wedding. the room block numbers are room nights, so if you and DF stay a week, that counts as 7 of your 25.

you can have your custom wedding reception at the living seas, (intimates cant book receptions, only meals). many people have had theirs there. you can also book ariels at the yacht and beach club. you can do a search for trip reports of the following: happylalagirl (living seas custom reception), and mary626 (ariels)

hope this helps
karen

 

[Sparkles9306]

Well Karen pretty much answered it all for you, I just wanted to say welcome!!

 

[Maggimus]

I want to add that as an Intimate there are no minimums to meet-- that is only for custom brides. If you do continue with the intimate wedding there will be no need to count the things you mentioned toward the minimum. GL

 

[alexdrovna]

Hello fellow Philly Disney Bride!!

I can't help you with your intimate questions, as I'm having a custom - but I wish you the VERY BEST!!

Oh, and your "home" reception at Adventure Aquarium is a great idea!