Cost Efficient DP?

[figment fan21]

Ok ladies i need your help.... wedding planning has kind of taken a backseat until we can actually book our escape wedding in February. But we are coming up on the 1 year until the wedding mark and i am trying to get as much info as i can on things DF and I want for our wedding day!

Something DF and I had discussed was a DP. We're afraid it is going to be too far out of our budget. The two of us keep going back and forth on "its a one time thing, lets go big or go home!" and "Do we REALLY want to spend that much money?!?!" Totally confused!

So my question to you ladies is... what is the most cost efficient way to have a DP? We are having a DP and we're looking at about 16 people total. Any advice you ladies can give is much appreciated!

 

[lurkyloo]

The cheapest way to have a DP is to do Sago Cay Pointe at the Grand Floridian, where the food and beverage minimum is only $500 (as long as you stick to desserts and don't try to add a meal) and there is no venue fee, no transportation required, and no viewing fees. The only drawback is that it can cost $500-$800 more to have the music to Wishes piped in, but lots of people go without it and have a great time.

There are some new, cheaper DP sites at Epcot that have low venue-rental fees (as little as $250) and only the $22/person food and beverage minimum, but the cheapest ones are standing-room-only, you will need to pay a $12.95 viewing fee for each guest who doesn't have/want to use park admission, and you may be required to provide transportation, depending on the location.

You could also do a 1-hour Wishes Cruise on the Grand 1, which is $480/hour, but then the desserts would be extra. However, you could just get an 8-inch cake from the Grand Floridian Bakery to bring on it - if you don't do fondant, you might be able to get it for around $50 or less.

 

[figment fan21]

Thanks for the info carrie!

I was kind of confused because i wasn't sure about SC... some people said the minimum was 1000$, some said 500$ so i'm glad you clarified that for me!

I'm guessing that the other good thing about doing a SC DP or a Grand 1 wishes cruise is that i could also have an outside photographer for the event since its not in the park!

 

[lurkyloo]

Exactly!