Could use some help/advice...

[luv4mylittleones]

We keep going back and forth over this and could use some outside advice. Originally, we wanted to go to 1900 Park Fare for dinner after our ceremony. We thought it would be a fun and relaxed atmosphere for our guests (5 of which are children)...not to mention the fact that it would be so awesome to have pics with Cinderella and Prince Charming in my wedding dress!! Well...we ended up with the 12pm wedding slot and realized that we'd have quite a gap before dinner and decided that tea at Gardenview could take up the extra time. Well......now DF has decided that he'd rather skip it all and go to Portobello for lunch instead. I can see his side and I partially agree but I dunno...Here's our thinking:

Portobello:

Pros:
It's open for lunch
nice atmosphere/good food (Italian family!)
pitchers of sangria!
inexpensive
transportation back to hotels

Cons:
Walking to restaurant in dress
"ordinary" atmosphere in comparison (could have Italian fare anytime and feels less "disney")
nothing else to do in wedding attire at DTD (unless someone has suggestions)


1900/Gardenview

Pros:
Located at GF (getting married at WP)
fun, original (and very disney) experience...especially for the kids
Pics with Cinderella!!
also relatively inexpensive (though a tad more than Portobello)

Cons:
DF's afraid Gardenview will be a little stuffy and not much fun for some
1900 is a buffet (though DF said he'd make my plate )
there is no transportation back to hotels after dinner (more money)

The other option is that we skip the tea altogether and find something else to do at GF before dinner at 1900. I just don't want to have my guests wandering around for hours waiting for dinner...I'd really like to have something planned. We had discussed monorail hopping but I'm afraid that would be just too much for the kids (and their parents)...

So what do you think?

 

[myprincessgirlisa]

We had a big gap between the ceremony & dinner, so what we did is we rented a boat & trollied around the lake. It was relaxing & soothing. Then we also walked around the boardwalk area(around the lagoon & dolphin & swan) & took some fun pictures.
Thats an option

Id have a hard time deciding on the choices you have too.....you want to please everyone, but yet make yourslef happy as well

good luck

 

[luv4mylittleones]

We had a big gap between the ceremony & dinner, so what we did is we rented a boat & trollied around the lake. It was relaxing & soothing. Then we also walked around the boardwalk area(around the lagoon & dolphin & swan) & took some fun pictures.
Thats an option

Id have a hard time deciding on the choices you have too.....you want to please everyone, but yet make yourslef happy as well

good luck

Thanks...we're renting boats the night before so we wouldn't want to do that again but it would have been a great alternative otherwise. I bet you guys had so much fun!

So I wonder...as far as transportation back to the hotel goes (assuming most of my guests ride in the limo)...who it be tacky to ask them to take the ferry from GF to MK and then the bus? I figure the ferry would be fun...but the bus...well...i don't know...

 

[stitchlet]

Just my 2 cents here . . . but the Gardenview Tea is only as "stuffy" as you want it to be! It can be totally grown-up or quite *lite* if you go with it and see it as an somewhat over-the-top tea party! DF and I have been there many times (read more than 12 times) in 4 trips. The servers really seem to take their cue from you - whether you want fun or sophisication. I've seen them be fantasic with children as well as older guests. And the champagne/sparkling wine is excellent! DF and I usually get the tea service that includes 1 glass each, and always wind-up adding a glass or two as we enjoy the desert part of our afternoon tea. If our wedding was earlier in the day (we have a 5pm) we would have tried to work a Garden View Tea into our program! I think the atmosphere is wonderful! Good luck with your decision!

 

[PrincessBride07]

Ok, I am totally crazy for suggesting this but how about minature golf? If you have the limo for 4 hours you can all go over there together and come back. I know it would look really weird in your wedding attire, but that to me is half the fun. (I did it in formal wear after prom and would do it in my wedding dress too. But, I am just weird like that .)

Also, could you just meet up with your guests later? They may want time to go and change into something different and meet you for dinner. That still gives you the dilema of what to do, but at least you aren't worried about pacifing your guests.

 

[luv4mylittleones]

Just my 2 cents here . . . but the Gardenview Tea is only as "stuffy" as you want it to be! It can be totally grown-up or quite *lite* if you go with it and see it as an somewhat over-the-top tea party! DF and I have been there many times (read more than 12 times) in 4 trips. The servers really seem to take their cue from you - whether you want fun or sophisication. I've seen them be fantasic with children as well as older guests. And the champagne/sparkling wine is excellent! DF and I usually get the tea service that includes 1 glass each, and always wind-up adding a glass or two as we enjoy the desert part of our afternoon tea. If our wedding was earlier in the day (we have a 5pm) we would have tried to work a Garden View Tea into our program! I think the atmosphere is wonderful! Good luck with your decision!

Just when I thought I would scrap the tea...now I want it again!! Thanks...it did make me feel better about dragging the boys there!

Ok, I am totally crazy for suggesting this but how about minature golf? If you have the limo for 4 hours you can all go over there together and come back. I know it would look really weird in your wedding attire, but that to me is half the fun. (I did it in formal wear after prom and would do it in my wedding dress too. But, I am just weird like that .)

Also, could you just meet up with your guests later? They may want time to go and change into something different and meet you for dinner. That still gives you the dilema of what to do, but at least you aren't worried about pacifing your guests.

HAHA..mini golf! That would be a blast but I'd worry to much about dragging my semi-catherdral train around but that's definitely an idea for the first night we're all there. As for everyone going back to change...I thought about that too and it does sound practical but most of my reasoning for going to 1900 is to be in our attire for photos with Cinderella (and frankly...well...for the attention! )

 

[JandJ]

I think 1900 would be fantastic and I wouldn't give that up - just my 2 cents!

We didn't do anything after the ceremony, we left everyone on their own and had a private dinner in our room and then met up with them for brunch the next day. I don't suggest doing that for you, but people might want some unscheduled time. They can go back to their rooms, freshen up, walk around the resort or go to Boardwalk or DTD, etc. So, if you give them free time between the cake cutting and dinner that wouldn't be such a bad thing. Our guests really liked not having anything planned. Some went to MK, others to DTD, and a couple just hung out at the resort. Just an idea

 

[Cinderella22]

In my opinion, I woudn't pass up the photo opt with Cinderella and Price Charming in my dress!! I think that your idea sounds more special, and taking them to tea gives them more to do--it's different.
Good luck! -oh and rememeber everything is how you make it, so regardless of what you choose, your day will still be special and amazing.

 

[allisonswonderland]

Your wedding is at 12 - does 1900 Park Fare do lunch? I bet they only have characters at night - crud.... I would say that people may not mind having a sometime alone and wondering - if you maybe would have some time alone too - maybe have someone take your kids and you and hubby have some just married time to enjoy WDW and being newly married

 

[hulagirl87]

we had the same issue. our wedding was at 10:00 and we got the first dinner time slot of 4:30. We were going to go eat in our wedding clothes but were so hot that we ended up changing and I just went with my hair still up and my veil. In between we went back to our room and ate wedding cake! We took some of our own pictures with our digital camera around the grand floridian (where we were staying) too. finally we just went and sat in the lobby until the restaurant opened. We had a blast eating with the characters!

 

[Tiggerific04]

I didn't read all the replies, but we're doing almost exactly the same thing as you've planned.

Our wedding is at the WP at noon, and then we're having tea at the Gardenview at 2:00pm, and then dinner at Chef Mickey's at 5pm. I really wanted pictures with the characters in my dress, so that didn't give us too many choices and the only wedding time slot that was available was noon. I needed something to fill the time and figured tea could be our "cocktail hour" ... hope that helps!

 

[luv4mylittleones]

Thanks so much for all your replies...You have no idea how much it helped. We have decided that we will definitely do 1900 for dinner after the ceremony. I don't care what anyone else wants or thinks...it's my wedding! I'm really excited...and hulagirl...it was your pic that really sold me. You look so beautiful...now I can't wait to go! We are still on the fence about Gardenview though, only because we don't want to just keep stuffing our faces all day. (Wait...Who am I kidding?? Of course I do!!) We are hoping to make up our minds eventually! Tiggerific...let me know how much you love it! I can't wait to read your wedding TR!

 

[dmslush]

We are also doing 1900 Park Fair after the wedding. We are lucky, our wedding is at 2:30, so there won't be much down time. There are also only three of us, so waiting around isn't such a big deal.

As for transportation back, we will probably grab a taxi.