Entire Wedding Day in Epcot?

[CityGirlLost]

I really, really don't want a ballroom wedding even though I want dancing and such at the reception.

In going through the Passporters Guide, there are 2 spots in Epcot that I am really interested in... The Wonders Retreat in the old Wonders of Life pavillion and the Odyssey pavillion.

Has anyone ever used them for a wedding? Got pictures?

The Wonders Retreat looks perfect for what I envision, even with a small group. The colors and lighting are perfect but I don't want to get my heart set without a little more knowledge.

I think the plan would be a Rose Garden ceremony followed by a lunch reception at Wonders and then a bunch of time in the park (we'd change clothing, of course) followed by an Illuminations dessert party. Crazy?

 

[lurkyloo]

I really, really don't want a ballroom wedding even though I want dancing and such at the reception.

In going through the Passporters Guide, there are 2 spots in Epcot that I am really interested in... The Wonders Retreat in the old Wonders of Life pavillion and the Odyssey pavillion.

Has anyone ever used them for a wedding? Got pictures?

There are pictures of the Wonders Retreat set up for a wedding in this blog post. However, if you scroll down, you'll see that when the author recently returned to the space, the circus colors were gone and it's all now white/beige.

http://zannaland.com/wonders-of-life-wonders-lounge-bathroom/

Now I have to warn you, the Odyssey Pavilion is verrrry dowdy (DH sez it looks like a well maintained 1970s library ) and might require as much theming as a ballroom to make it look like anything. I'll go get some pix from the event we went to there last month and post them here.

I think the plan would be a Rose Garden ceremony followed by a lunch reception at Wonders and then a bunch of time in the park (we'd change clothing, of course) followed by an Illuminations dessert party. Crazy?

The Rose Garden... in the UK Pavilion? What if you did lunch at American Adventure Dining ROom or Living Seas? Those have enough theming going on that they don't need decor and don't feel like your typical ballroom reception. There's also Bistro de Paris, but it has a much higher food and beverage minimum than the other two.

 

[lurkyloo]

OK, here are some pix of the Odyssey. As you can see, it is really hard to take good pictures in there without blitzing everything with a flash, which might be another consideration for you.

These pix were taken at D23's Christmas event last year—obviously the seating arrangement is not wedding-like, but they show what the place looks like when the shades are open.

Hope this helps!

 

[CityGirlLost]

Carrie, you ROCK.

I still like Wonders, even without the Circus-y theming but holy cow, Odyssey looks like I'd need to spend a fortune on lighting and draping to make it less depressing.

I hadn't really considered LSS because it's so darned dark in there. We've got 25 kids on the guest list and while we don't want a separate room for them, I'd like a room with enough space or a TV/DVD combo if they're not interested in dancing like maniacs (which is my hope).

I'm going to have to look up the American Adventure dining room.