Early wedding and Lunch or Later wedding and Dinner

[DznyGal]

So I am going to be calling Disney to try to reserve my wedding date tonight, and had a few quick questions for all of you wonderful brides.
I am going to be an Escape Bride, and want to just book a restaurant for a meal after the ceromony and then an EPCOT Dessert party that evening.

Here comes my question... should I try to get married at 10 or 12 and have a lunch with my group then turn them loose to go to the parks if they wish for a few hours (maybe suggesting they go to EPCOT) Then have them meet back up for the DP?

OR should I try to book the ceromony for 2:30 or 5, go to dinner and then right to EPCOT for the DP?

As for venue I am hoping to reserve SBP, so the meal will probably be close to there or at Downtown Disney.

I haven't decided if I want to wear my dress to the DP yet, so that might affect my and DF's timeline a bit but that shouldn't really affect the group other than the two girls and guys we are having in the wedding party.

Thanks for all your help!
Cari

 

[Tenacious K]

I'll tell you what I am planning to do, and the reasons for it, and maybe it will help you as well!

I am planning to have a dessert party the night before the wedding. The next day have a 10 am wedding at SBP, and a lunch somewhere nearby afterwords. Then, I'm assuming by 2 or 3, everyone will be let go to do whatever they want.

The first reason I want to do this is because I know that everyone will be in town the night before the wedding (such it is such an early wedding), but many of them may have to take their flights home right after the wedding saturday.
Another reason is that I want to avoid the long awkward 6 hours between ceremony and dessert party. Lastly, I will probably be spending that day and the previous 3 days with friends and family the whole time, so after the ceremony, I will want to have the rest of the day/trip to share with just DF!

 

[Desnik]

Keep in mind that with a large group(more than 15), most restaurants will want you to book the earliest dinner, 4:30 - 5pm or the latest dinner, 9pm.

With that in mind, and the fact you want to do a DP the same day, I would try for a 2:30 ceremony, 5pm dinner, then the DP. For me, I am not a morning person and 10am is just too early for a ceremony! Mine is at 5pm! It would be great if you ate at a restaurant in the area of SBP so you won't need a motor coach to transport you & your guests to the DP. You all can just enter through the international gateway. You could wear your dress too! They will have a cast member meet you there and escort you to your location.

I feel that if I was a guest I would not want to get all dressed up, go to the ceremony then have hours in between, then have to go to a DP. I wouldn't want to get all sweaty if I went to a park in between then show up at the DP like a mess!LOL

 

[Chilly]

Keep in mind that with a large group(more than 15), most restaurants will want you to book the earliest dinner, 4:30 - 5pm or the latest dinner, 9pm.

With that in mind, and the fact you want to do a DP the same day, I would try for a 2:30 ceremony, 5pm dinner, then the DP. For me, I am not a morning person and 10am is just too early for a ceremony! Mine is at 5pm! It would be great if you ate at a restaurant in the area of SBP so you won't need a motor coach to transport you & your guests to the DP. You all can just enter through the international gateway. You could wear your dress too! They will have a cast member meet you there and escort you to your location.

I feel that if I was a guest I would not want to get all dressed up, go to the ceremony then have hours in between, then have to go to a DP. I wouldn't want to get all sweaty if I went to a park in between then show up at the DP like a mess!LOL

This is pretty much what I'm doing

 

[gemmybear83]

Were hopefully doing a 10am ceremony at the Yacht Club Gazebo with a casual lunch at the Captains Grille at 12pm (as others have said they prefer you to have an early sitting).

Were going to give everyone a rest for a while and then we will have a dessert party in Epcot later that night.

I didnt want to have all three grouped together as I thought it was too much food and I'm not planning on wearing my wedding dress to the dessert party probably just a simple dress instead.

Were trying to keep it casual as thats what we want and were going to have a recpeption at home (where I will wear my dress again) and have speechs etc.