Escape Boardwalk vs. Yacht Club

[YogaDis]

Hey all! I'm seeking a little direction from former or current Disney brides & grooms or even someone more familiar with Disney weddings than I am
My fiancé and I have decided to take the leap a little sooner than anticipated. We're in talks with a Disney wedding planner for an October 2016 week day ceremony under the Escape package. We have approx. 15 guests. It'll just be immediate family which should be intimate and a fun fall trip for everyone!

Based on our flexibility throughout the month of October we're not too attached to a particular week day. We just prefer the 10 am time slot.

My questions will follow once I explain what we're aiming for a little better!

Right now we're between the wedding gazebo at the Yacht Club and Sea Breeze Point at the Boardwalk. I feel pretty attached to an outdoor ceremony (weather permitting). Are there any other options than the limited selections on the website? I've tried to ask for something at the Polynesian (top dream to be on the beach there) but no dice. I completely understand it's not an option for the package I've selected. I'm just wondering if anything else outside of the few they've listed are options! Was anyone over the moon about either the wedding gazebo or Sea Breeze? I feel a little torn between the two.

Our hope is to be in Magic Kingdom to celebrate the rest of the day and take in the fireworks long after the ceremony.

More than likely many of us will be staying at Port Orleans French Quarter...although we're always willing to take new suggestions in the moderate price range!

My dream of all dreams would be to have a buffet brunch with everyone after the ceremony at the Polynesian. Is that even doable with a 10 am ceremony? Trying to seek out brunch / lunch offerings (especially buffet style) has proved to be a bit more difficult than I anticipated. Any suggestions or plated alternatives you could recommend?

I think I also really love the idea of having photos taken in my gown around the Polynesian and Grand Floridian resort areas. How likely is that to take place with the stipulations on transportation provided with the package that day?

I think the only other thing I haven't asked my planner yet is, has anyone made additional modifications to the standard cakes they offer? How about a vegan option? Is that something the bakery providing could do or even Erin McKenna's shop could do? Again, these are all things I will be going over with our planner, but if you have recommendations or personal experience, I'd be so thankful to hear it!

Would anyone have any suggestions to simplify what's going on in my scattered non-Disney pro mind?

 

[rachel09985]

I had a wishes wedding but I was over the moon about seabreeze point! Being on the water on the boardwalk was just amazing! Plus it is just beautiful and has a pretty relaxed, beachy vibe. I don't think you can do a brunch buffet at the polynesian because ohana stops serving breakfast at noon. depending on when they take the last reservation you might be able to? BTW I called the polynesian dining line directly, might be best for you to do that.

 

[lurkyloo]

Welcome!

Right now we're between the wedding gazebo at the Yacht Club and Sea Breeze Point at the Boardwalk. I feel pretty attached to an outdoor ceremony (weather permitting). Are there any other options than the limited selections on the website?

For the Escape Collection, no. They only offer the Wedding Gazebo, Sea Breeze Point, the Wedding Pavilion and Canada Terrace inside Epcot. Sunrise Terrace at Wilderness Lodge is normally an option (for groups of 10 or fewer) but it's unavailable right now due to DVC construction at that resort.

I've tried to ask for something at the Polynesian (top dream to be on the beach there) but no dice. I completely understand it's not an option for the package I've selected. I'm just wondering if anything else outside of the few they've listed are options!

There are no catered event locations at the Polynesian, and none of the restaurants are ever closed long enough to host an event. But Trader Sam's doesn't open til 4pm. It would be interesting to see if Disney's Catered Events could do something there in the morning. I'm guessing no, because there's no convention center at the Poly.

Was anyone over the moon about either the wedding gazebo or Sea Breeze? I feel a little torn between the two.

I see a lot more raves for Sea Breeze Point than the Wedding Gazebo. For one thing, there are three sides of hotel rooms overlooking the gazebo, which a lot of people don't like. True, there's a public path by Sea Breeze Point, but Disney keeps the lookyloos away. And SBP has the water aspect, which you don't really get at WG.

My dream of all dreams would be to have a buffet brunch with everyone after the ceremony at the Polynesian. Is that even doable with a 10 am ceremony? Trying to seek out brunch / lunch offerings (especially buffet style) has proved to be a bit more difficult than I anticipated. Any suggestions or plated alternatives you could recommend?

This is one of the reasons we decided not to have an Escape wedding—not a lot of resort restaurants are open for the lunch you need to have if you do a morning Escape event. People do like Garden Grill at the Swan, and I've seen lots of wedding parties use it. Another idea is to do a private catered event, which your DFTW planner can arrange. It lasts 2 hours and is mostly just a meal, but that way you can have it at the time you need and choose exactly what's on the menu (buffet or plated, depending on location). If you have the PassPorter, all the standard Escape catered event locations, with pricing, are in Chapter 2.

I think I also really love the idea of having photos taken in my gown around the Polynesian and Grand Floridian resort areas. How likely is that to take place with the stipulations on transportation provided with the package that day?

Four hours of limo is plenty of time to take you there after the ceremony and maybe even get you back. If photos end up taking longer, you can just take an Uber back.

I think the only other thing I haven't asked my planner yet is, has anyone made additional modifications to the standard cakes they offer? How about a vegan option? Is that something the bakery providing could do or even Erin McKenna's shop could do?

Last year they were cracking down on any cake decor modifications besides color, but see what your planner says. It changes all the time. They will probably refer you to Erin McKenna's for a vegan cake, but if you really press them, they might be able to get the resort where your ceremony is held to make a vegan cake for you.

 

[TinkLoverSam]

I got married at the wedding gazebo and LOVED it! I thought the hotel surrounding it was gorgeous and a nice backdrop for our red and white wedding This is inside the gazebo, I don't have very many of my pictures on my phone weirdly

I found one on my dh's Facebook... Here I am in front of the gazebo

Now five years later my sister @Disney_Alli got married at Sea Breeze Point and she was in love with her location too... Sadly the ceremony was rained out and we ended up inside but she did take gorgeous pictures at Sea Breeze Point after the ceremony.

 

[elphie101]

I know of an Escape bride back in 2014 (sadly not on these forums I don't think) who was able to get a vegan cake from Erin McKenna's, as her and her husband are both vegan. I believe that's the default for Disney to accommodate vegan diets. They were even able to have the cakes themselves made at Erin McKenna's and then frosted at the Boardwalk due to an allergy issue with EM's frosting, where Disney's frosting was vegan & safe. However unless you have an allergy issue I would expect that a vegan cake would come from Erin McKenna's, barring any changes Disney has made to their vegan cake procedures in the past few years.

 

[kl3w]

Yay Escape October 2016 brides! I'm 10-28-16 and we decided to do it pretty quickly too - it's been a breeze so far though! Personally, I think SBP is absolutely gorgeous (though I'm doing the Canada Terrace in Epcot because I just love Epcot). It all depends on personal tastes though. You should also check out the options at Swan and Dolphin for ceremonies if you want a few more location options. The Crescent Terrace is beautiful, pretty private, and has the water in the background. My mom went and visited it and said it was like a private garden: http://wdwswananddolphin.justmarry.com/calendar/weddingPackagesEdit/optId/465/

Instead of a brunch, we're going to lunch at Morimoto at Disney Springs, so there's restaurant options there for groups as well. Again, check out the Passporters book for all the info.

 

[amyy]

I can't answer your questions, but I was a SBP bride and we stayed at POFQ which is also a lovely area for photos. We booked some extra transportation which was somewhat reasonable. Happy Planning!!