Disney Cruise Line wedding photos

[tradster2007]

Hello all!

I posted long ago while I was planning my wedding on Castaway Cay and the one thing that was so valuable to me were the pictures I was able to see of other's experiences.

My wedding was the most amazing weekend of my entire life. Everything was perfect. Absolutely perfect. My experience with Fairy Tale Weddings shore-side was not that great, but my wedding coordinator on the ship (Rodrigo) was the most amazing cast member I have ever met! (and I'm a cast member myself!)

The wedding was under $4,000 and an experience I still can't stop talking about. I carry my pictures everywhere. I look at them every day. I wish I could do it all again!

If you would like - feel free to take a look. You will see 2 weddings because you also have to get married on the ship while it is in port in the United States. Also an amazing experience!

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=ibuzoao.12j0zxts&x=0&y=-s0bmmo&localeid=en_US

I would recommend a cruise wedding to anyone and everyone and I would be happy to answer questions if you have any!

 

[BaBeeCee14]

Beautiful pictures! It must have been so cool to get married at Castaway Cay. How did you get all the characters to take pictures with you? Was there a separate charge for them?

 

[tradster2007]

Beautiful pictures! It must have been so cool to get married at Castaway Cay. How did you get all the characters to take pictures with you? Was there a separate charge for them?

There was no charge for the characters. On the way back to the ship from the ceremony the photographer will stop by any characters who happen to be out. I was so excited to see Jack Sparrow in front of the Flying Dutchman! Oh and your pictures? You get them the night of your wedding. All of them. It's amazing! Instant gratification!

I think I might have to write a report on the entire experience because I want everyone to have a wedding as magical as mine was. One of the best things was that I didn't have to do anything! It's all done for you! I made some things for my guests, but other than that it's all taken care of. I never once was stressed or worried.

 

[BaBeeCee14]

Wow thats really cool, free character pictures! Too bad that doesn't happen in Disney World I would love to read your TR! Please start one!

 

[Keira1387]

Your pictures look amazing! The water looks beautiful!!

 

[Lynn5700]

Ahhh that is so cool!!! Thank you for sharing

 

[lov2b@disney]

Great pictures! Would love to read a TR!!

 

[meryll83]

I am sooooooooooo excited for our cruise now - the islands look stunning and you get some really great photos, I love the ones of you up by the funnels, the one of you kissing framed in a big porthole and all of the ones with the beautiful sea views in the background!

 

[Chilly]

Wonderful photos! Would love to read a TR.

 

[cseca]

Love your pictures!
If my family didn't want to come to our disney wedding we would have done the disney cruise wedding

Waiting for TR!!!

 

[29apr00]

Great Pictures! what a beautiful day!

 

[keenercam]

Beautiful pictures! You looked gorgeous and DH looked so happy! How exciting to have all those wonderful pix on the island, with the characters, around the beautiful venues on the ship! WOW! The best of all worlds! Can't wait to read your TR!

 

[Mermaid_Ariel]

Oh, those pictures are fabulous!!!!! It looked like such a fun and beautiful day!! Thanks so much for sharing!

 

[xoxheather420oxo]

I am getting married on the Wonder on August 25th, we are doing shipboard instead of castaway cay because my fiance hates the sand. If you could you send me a report of how your wedding actually was. I'm getting nervous because we have paid for the wedding full but haven't recieved anything in writing from Disney saying that the wedding will happen on such and such day at such and such time....my biggest fear is that we will go to port and be told that there was a mistake and our wedding isn't going to happen. I was told they will send me a briefing packet 3 weeks before is this true? Could you please give me details I want to know what i'm in for...i'm so excited and i don't expect it to be perfect just want it to be something I will remember forever.

 

[Swmhc]

I am curious about the Castaway Cay ceremony. I thought it was on the beach, like on the sand, and yours did not appear to be. Can you enlighten us with more details ? I am actually secretly plotting for a VR there in a couple years. I didn't realize how much less expensive this option would have been for us, or we would have done that for our wedding...oh well....there is always a VR........

 

[tradster2007]

I am getting married on the Wonder on August 25th, we are doing shipboard instead of castaway cay because my fiance hates the sand. If you could you send me a report of how your wedding actually was. I'm getting nervous because we have paid for the wedding full but haven't recieved anything in writing from Disney saying that the wedding will happen on such and such day at such and such time....my biggest fear is that we will go to port and be told that there was a mistake and our wedding isn't going to happen. I was told they will send me a briefing packet 3 weeks before is this true? Could you please give me details I want to know what i'm in for...i'm so excited and i don't expect it to be perfect just want it to be something I will remember forever.

Yay for you getting married on the cruise!! Best decision I ever made! Although I got married on the island there was no sand issue. You can choose whether you want to get married directly on the beach or on the dock by the Heads Up Bar where my ceremony was. You are taken directly to the ceremony site in a golf cart/pargo so you never have to walk on the sand if you don't want to. They roll out a red carpet from where the pargo drops you off all the way up the dock. In regards to your paperwork and such, you will receive most of your documents 1-2 months out. Have you already filled out and submitted your wedding planning kit and sent it in? It does feel strange to not do anything, but I think that's what I loved so much about it! The only thing I had to worry about was my dress! If you're working with Cathy (she normally handles all DCL weddings) I have her email address so you can contact her if you have any questions. Maybe that way you can confirm everything and have some peace of mind. I will start a report on this thread later tonight and hopefully I will be able to answer some of your questions and share some information. Congratulations on your engagement!!!

 

[tradster2007]

One of the reasons I love these boards so much is the sense of community, but it's also because I get a chance to relive my great experiences by sharing them with great people. I will try to remember as much as I can about as much as possible and I only hope to do the experience justice. So to begin at the beginning...

On February 1, 1998, I started my first job ever at The Disney Store in Charlottesville, VA, where I was attending college. My family had just taken a trip to Disney World about a month before and as I was walking through the mall one day I decided on a whim to walk in and put in an application. Little did I know how much my life would change based on that one seemingly insignificant decision! Not only did I fall in love with the company, but the cast members really became my extended family. We all shared that common bond (a love of Disney) and we took care of each other in every way possible.

I remember one Sunday I was working before the store opened and I was putting together a cardboard window display. One of the other cast members working that day was this goofy guy named Bill. He was up on top of the wall fixtures cleaning the animation and dancing like King Louie from the Jungle Book. Months later, we were at the same party (all Disney Store cast members of course) and we had some great conversation. The next day, I was folding T-shirts and I noticed a really nice looking guest walking in the store. He was wearing jeans and a black blazer so of course I rushed to greet him. It was Bill and he had come in to ask if I wanted to go to Applebees for dinner that night....

Fast forward 8 years. I have been promoted up through the ranks to Store Manager. I have closed 3 Disney Stores on the East Coast (Charlottesville, VA, Charleston, SC, Palm Beach, FL.) I have finally gotten my dream job at Walt Disney World as a manager at the World of Disney and Bill has moved down to Orlando to be with me. It's my birthday and I'm cranky because I was up late the night before and I couldn't understand why Bill was making me get up early (I'm not a morning person) and making me go to a character breakfast at Beach Club. We have breakfast and he wants to go walk on the Boardwalk. I'm complaining because I do NOT want to go. All I want to do is go home and take a nap. It's MY birthday, I should get to do what I want to do, right?

We're walking towards the marina at the Yacht Club and I tell him "No I don't want to ride the boats. I'm TIRED. It's my birthday." He has remained remarkably calm and patient with me the entire morning but I haven't thought anything of it because I've been too busy complaining. He then says, "Do you remember the scavenger hunt you did for my birthday a few years ago? The one where you made me drive all over town? Well it's payback time! I hid your first clue in the gazebo over there." Now at this point I'm feeling kind of silly because he put together a scavenger hunt and here I am complaining. So he tells me that he has a card with a map and I have to be standing in the gazebo for the map to make sense.

Now mind you, here I go into the gazebo, suspecting NOTHING, even though for the past 5 years all I had talked about was getting married in the Yacht Club gazebo. For the past 5 years I have also told Bill that I would never want to get engaged on my birthday or any holiday. I told him I always wanted it to be a day to celebrate on its own. So all I am thinking about are the places he could have hidden stuff around the Boardwalk. Then he hands me my card...

On the envelope it say Kimi - Envelope #1 of 8. So I open it and begin to read. The cover says Forever... I open the card and it says ...begins with a promise. Wishing you the best on your engagement. Happy Birthday Sweetheart! I Love You! Bill So at this point I'm very confused and I look up and he is getting down on one knee. Now all of this happened in the span of about 3 seconds but when I play it out it my mind it's much more dramatic and time seems to slow. He asks. I say OMG about 15 times and cry and hug him. Then later I remember to say yes! And the phone calls begin...

Later he tells me that there were 2 main reasons he chose to do it the way he did. #1 He did it on my birthday because he knew it would be the only time I wouldn't be expecting it. (I'm one of those people who's impossible to surprise.) #2 He did it in the gazebo because he knew how badly I wanted to get married there and he also knew how much money we DIDN'T have and chances were we wouldn't be able to afford it. He said he wanted at least part of it to be there just in case the ceremony wasn't. He's so sweet. A definite keeper.

Then for the next 2 months, I spend at least one hour a day explaining to people that no, I haven't set a date yet. No, we're not sure where yet. And so on, and so on. For about 3 months we talk. I call Fairy Tale Weddings and talk prices. I know that it's way out of my league. I talk to friends at work. Then, I talk to someone who got married on the cruise. She pulls me into her office and shows me her pictures. And I'm S-O-L-D!

Having never typed one of these reports, I didn't realize how much my hands would hurt after typing! I'm going to break here until tomorrow. (Or maybe later tonight!) Next up - The Planning!

 

[Goldeelox9]

OMG! Your pictures are sooo great! Did you buy the CD? I am getting married on Castaway Cay in November! I can not wait to read every single detail you post! Thanks for sharing!

 

[spacerangerqueen]

Your pictures are fantastic! I can't wait to read more about it!
I'm also a Cast Member and I also went to college in Charlottesville and I also want to have a cruise wedding!
There are so many wonderful places at WDW to have ceremonies and receptions but the price for the cruise wedding can't be beat, and it's definitly a plus at how stress free you said your planning was.
Eagerly waiting more....

 

[BaBeeCee14]

Kimi -

That was a beautiful engagement story ! Can't wait to hear more!!