friends and family help!

[tinkerbell105354]

AAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!! I'm sorry guys, but I just really need to vent. My fiance didn't want to have a wedding, but I convinced him to have one, which I am very excited about. Therefore, though, I am only going to be spending a total of $200-$300 on the whole thing. His mom is making my dress and my maid of honor's dress, our best man is paying for the tux rentals and he got us a free limo, my great uncle is catering the thing, and I'm making the cake, plus the ceremony and reception is at my church, so that is no fee. Now since the wedding is going to be next to nothing cost wise, I decided and my fiance agreed that we could kind of go as all-out as possible for the honeymoon, which is what we will BOTH enjoy. So, we will be staying at the AKL for 6 nights...August 6-12, 2006...and our package is just under $3,000. This includes the room for the week, our park tickets for 6 days with park hoppers, 6 snacks, 6 counter service, and 6 table service meals a piece, and 4 tickets a piece to the extra stuff like the water parks, Disney Quest, Pleasure Island, and whatnot. Now all I have heard for everyone, from my family and our friends is how stupid it is to pay that much money for two of us to go to Disney World. I've heard how we should use that and go to Europe instead or maybe we should downgrade our room or blah, blah, blah. I just don't understand. We are so excited about it...the only time that either of us has been there was with our high school bands for a few days. Are we stupid to spend this much money for our trip. I used some of my school refund money to pay for the first part of it. We now owe $2000 and are planning to use most of our tax returns and then try to come up with the rest through saving and wedding gifts and the bridal shower. What should I do to convince people that we aren't stupid, or if we are, what should I do? Shouldn't this be something that we get to enjoy?

 

[FutureAshleyDukes]

What should I do to convince people that we aren't stupid, or if we are, what should I do? Shouldn't this be something that we get to enjoy?

First of all, you don't have to explain or convince anyone that what you're doing isn't stupid. If you are going on your dream honeymoon, then that's GREAT for you. You don't owe anyone an explanation. I know it's hard sometimes, but I would just shrug them off and go have a great time.

 

[allisonswonderland]

As far as Europe goes....you have the whole world at EPCOT....just enjoy it - I would do it! My FMIL thought it was dumb to marry at disney

 

[MrsTink04]

I have learned that people project their feelings and opinions on you...and if you go along with them, it is a kind of validation for them. This is YOUR honeymoon and you don't have to explain anything!!! We go every year for a week and stay at the Grand Floridian. We usually spend about $5,000 to $6,000 per trip and I don't feel like I have to justify that to anyone. I have plenty of co-workers that question why we go to Disney instead of Europse, Hawaii or the Bahamas, and I just tell them that I am not interested in those places...they just don't seem like fun to me. This is YOUR life...do what YOU want. Plus, people that don't go to WDW don't realize how ROMANTIC it really is!!!

 

[sajetto]

That is a deal for a delux resort!!! BTW this is YOUR wedding and YOUR honeymoon. Don't feel guilty for a second. Most likely those that are critizing are just jelous because they never got the wedding or honeymoon they wanted. Don't let it bother you just continue with your plans and don't give them the satisfaction of explaining yourself. Just ingore their comments.

 

[Glass Slipper]

Go and have a great time!!! The AKL will be worth every penny, and that is a good deal that you have. Enjoy, have the time of your life, then show everyone the pics when you get back, then they will understand.

 

[Codie]

I think 1) that is a GREAT price for AKL and everything else you mentioned and 2) Some people just don't appreciate Disney like others!!! Ignore them and enjoy each other

 

[cryssi]

It sounds like a great deal...have a fantastic time! I personally would rather go to WDW than Europe on a honeymoon (unless it was DL paris LOL), not because I don't want to go to Europe, but...have you seen that movie "Just Married"...?? LOL

Like everyone else has said, it's YOUR honeymoon and you should do what YOU want and what makes you happy!

Don't worry about a thing!

 

[princesslisa]

People who don't allow the pixie dust in their life never understand. I'll never forget the first time I dragged my DF to Disney, it was like pulling out his teeth. I said just 3 nights and if you hate I will never bring you again. Well, needless to say that completely changed

I have been to Europe many times and love it, but what I love about Disney is that you can live in a little bubble of a fairytale for a whole week, where nothing but love and happieness enters your realm . . .how can you beat that!!??!!!

Non-Disney goers never understand . . go have a blast and don't think twice!!

 

[ead79]

I can totally relate. My MIL was surprisingly OK with us getting married at Disney World, but she just couldn’t understand why we wanted to stay there for our honeymoon. She wanted us to go to Paris instead.

I just remembered that our honeymoon was about us, not her or anyone else. While Paris might be her idea of a dream honeymoon, Disney World was ours. Don’t let other people get you down. If you know you’ve chosen the right place for you and your fiancé, then just stick to your guns. You’ll have a wonderful time at AKL!

 

[mrsscooter]

Like a few people have said, its YOUR wedding and YOUR honeymoon, and you both are adults and know what and where you would have the most fun doing. And besides, since you are paying for the honeymoon yourselves, there is no room for dictation from the family. I know that whenever we (hubby and I) would make any big purchases or decisions we always get the fifth degree as to "why" so, I finally became so tired of feeling like I have to explain myself to them we finally started changing our answer to "Because We Can" and then would change the subject. This answer seemed to have curbed the family from asking questions.
You could be "smart" with the family and bring back a disney pass port that is stamped with all of the countrys at the world showcase and say "see, we did go to Europe". Good luck and have fun.

 

[D&R love Disney]

I agree with everyone, this is your honeymoon and you should do exactly what you want. Disney is a fantastic spot to honeymoon and you should not have to justify your desire to go to WDW. And I think you've got a great deal.

 

[Eric-n-Ariel]

Generally, the reason they think they can have a say is because they're helping with the wedding. They feel entitled to say something if they're helping you save money on the wedding and then they see you "wasting" money on your honeymoon. Since your family is doing so much for you and helping you save so much money on the ceremony and reception, you can't just blow them off saying "thanks, but this is all about me." I'm surprised they're encouraging you to go to Europe considering that you're not sure how you're going to pay for the honeymoon. That tells me that they're not really concerned about you... they're just being bitter.

So, as people said above... non-pixie dust people are simply not going to get it. For those that understand, no explanation is necessary and for those that don't, no explanation is enough. Your only response can be that this is the honeymoon that will make you happy.

As for all of their help, you might think about trying to find a way to really show your appreciation for all their money-saving assistance with some thoughtful thank-you gifts. They don't have to be expensive, just heartfelt.

I hope this post comes off the right way (thought I doubt it will). I totally agree that your honeymoon is yours and they shouldn't have any say in where you go or what you do. We all know that Disney is a fantastic place to celebrate your romance and that it shouldn't be considered a waste! But I also think that they're doing a lot to help you and you can't just tell them to **** off.

As for how to convince them, you need a budget to show that you can save enough money in time. If you don't have one, you need to come up with one. And if you need help, feel free to PM me!

Finally...

CONGRATULATIONS!
You're going to marry the man you love and go to WDW for your honeymoon!! ​

 

[BridetobeDisney]

I heard the same thing from some of our friends, but not so much family. We just went to Disney last summer and people said we didnt need to go again. They said we needed to go somewhere tropical and relax instead of running around amusement parks. Well, you know what I told them? My fiance and I stayed at the Radisson hotel not a deluxe resort at Disney. We only went to two parks and didnt feel like we saw half of the sights. Plus most important of all we were not on our honeymoon!! It's just different! As lovey dovey as we were on the first trip, there is just something different about going to disney as man and wife. Who wants to go sit on a beach all day, when you could have so much more at a Disney Deluxe resort and the parks. Last summer I wanted to be one of the girls with Bride Minnie hats!! LOL I'm just like you. I said yeah I guess youre right at first, then my fiace Brad talked some sense into me. He said why would I listen to everyone else when the honeymoon is just for us. We're staying at AKL on May 14-20 with park hopper and dining. $3000 dollars is worth how much fun you are going to have.

So you need to tell everyone to hush up! It is your wedding and your honeymoon. Everyone has different ideas about where the most money should be spent. You do what you want to do! Remember you are a princess! What better place to go than the Disney Kingdom!! LOL

 

[tinkerbell105354]

Thank you all so much! I'm glad that I'm not the only one that sees it as a good deal. It's nice to have this place to go to with a big support system! To "Eric-N-Ariel": you definitely don't come off negative...lol. We actually just figured it up and all we will have to save or hope for from others is about $500, which we could save very easily by that time, which is exciting. I've got some great ideas for thank you gifts for my family and everybody. They know how much all of their help really means to me. Now if I could just show them that we aren't a couple of idiots for spending so much on the honeymoon. But like you all said...they aren't really big Disney-goers and I guess that makes the difference. I figure...hey, I don't get a chance to take a nice trip to Disney every day, so I'm going to take advantage of the opportunity and my fiance completely agrees....thanks again you all. I'm loving the encouragement...keep it coming!

 

[Gabrielle0625]

Hey girl:
Forget Europe! Who wants to go somewhere where you will get frustrated and lost because you don't speak the languages. As long as you and your fiance love Disney then you are making the best choice.
YOU WILL NEVER MAKE EVERYONE ELSE HAPPY!
As long as the two of you are happy, then you have no problems!
Thanks
Gabrielle

 

[jlovesee]

Above all do what YOU want to do! That sounds like a blast, and believe me having been to Europe (France/Spain) its not all its cracked up to be.

My husband and I were married at Disney four years ago, and I will not tell you the personal hell (pardon the language but that's what it was) that I went through before the wedding, as I am catholic. BUT I did what I wanted to do, had a blast, and we are married 4 years after the fact. Im still glad I did exactly what I wanted and didn't cave into what others told me I wanted.

Jennifer

 

[RangerPooh]

In no way are you being selfish. It's your honeymoon and you should have your say as to where you go. We heard a bunch of negative comments from my moms family and Dhs stepmom regarding our decision to marry and hm at Disney. We just told them that they had their say on what they did, and can even have their say in their children's decisions (stepmom realized that we were talking about ehr 3 kids not DH and his sister) but not on ours. My parents were fine with it and realized that this was who we are.

If they are concerned about you spending too much you could always apease them by 'considering' other resort options or destinations, when you don't have any desire to switch.