Future bride with too many questions!

[ForeverPrincess89]

Hi! I'm really new to this forum but have ALWAYS wanted to have a DL wedding. Long story short my boyfriend plans to propose to me next year but unfortunately we've decided to wait until we finish college to tie the knot (a ruff estimate of 2 1/2 more yrs). I'm always the one to plan everything early so I wont end up becoming bridezilla, so i had a couple of questions...
We're most likely to be on a tight budget but I want an
extravagant, beautiful fairy tale wedding.....
What factors do I need to consider?
What do I need for this wedding?(favors,flowers, etc...)
Are there any packages for tight budgets?
What exactly are the price ranges?
My aunts are licensed beauticians, my grandma caters and will probaby be making my dress....could I get a package excluding all of this?
And lastly how much do we have to pay for guests?(I have a huge family and so does he...AND a huge bridal party)...

O and if they decide to accommodate offsite hotel rooms would it still be a fee for them attending?
......whew.....please forgive me ladies I'm totally oblivious to all of this. I'm just really anxious lol

To all who respond to this, my sincerest apologes.

Princess

 

[DansBride2009]

The good news is, you have time. Lots of it, it seems. I'd start looking and planning now exactly what you want. You can't really start Disney wedding planning until about what is it, 8 months out? Then they put you in a lottery for the date, time, location of your choice.

What you can do now is look at dresses, hairstyles, colors, etc.; this will help you get a budget in mind. This is what we did and it seemed to help.

As for the rest of it, you really can't start planning until you have a date. Once you do have a date, it is sooo easy to plan. I'd look at pictures here on the Dis so you can get an idea of what you want; I'd even take a trip down to Disney and possibly visit Franks to see what they have for you.

That's the stinky thing though; there are so many people wanting to get married down there you won't have your date until 8 months out. AFTER that, the planning begins.

Money wise, during the weekdays it's around $10,000, and weekends it's $15-20,000 ... but that's this year's prices and subjected to change. BUT that includes everything but the rehearsal dinner.

Good luck and congrats !

 

[DansBride2009]

Oh, and you can do an Escape wedding for around 5,000, but you can't have as many people. Those weddings seem really nice though. The other weddings I mentioned are Wishes weddings, and you can have David Tattura(sp?) weddings, which range anywhere between 20,000 and 100,000.

 

[Chilly]

I suggest you download this book:

http://www.passporter.com/weddings.asp

 

[Sarah <3 Disney]

Not a whole lot to add but I don't think your grandma will be able to cater the event if it is held on Disney grounds. There are health codes in place, so food needs to be prepared by them. You can't even bring in unwrapped candy for a candy bar unless it is supplied through Disney.

And the beauticians are not in the packages Disney provides (they have recommendations though), you always have to book that yourself.

Hope that helps!

 

[soulmates]

Hi! I'm really new to this forum but have ALWAYS wanted to have a DL wedding. Long story short my boyfriend plans to propose to me next year but unfortunately we've decided to wait until we finish college to tie the knot (a ruff estimate of 2 1/2 more yrs). I'm always the one to plan everything early so I wont end up becoming bridezilla, so i had a couple of questions...
We're most likely to be on a tight budget but I want an
extravagant, beautiful fairy tale wedding.....
What factors do I need to consider?
What do I need for this wedding?(favors,flowers, etc...)
Are there any packages for tight budgets?
What exactly are the price ranges?
My aunts are licensed beauticians, my grandma caters and will probaby be making my dress....could I get a package excluding all of this?
And lastly how much do we have to pay for guests?(I have a huge family and so does he...AND a huge bridal party)...

O and if they decide to accommodate offsite hotel rooms would it still be a fee for them attending?
......whew.....please forgive me ladies I'm totally oblivious to all of this. I'm just really anxious lol

To all who respond to this, my sincerest apologes.

Princess

I think, your best bet, is to have a wedding at home, so your family can ALL be there. Disney REQUIRES your guests to stay ONSITE for 2 nights. THEY do the catering, and whatnot. It's VERy pricey and your guests will have to fly down, stay onsite etc. I think, for what you want, I'd do it at home and then do a DISNEYMOON after. We're doing that. I have 50 people I want to share our day with us, and there is no way they could all fly to DW, stay onsite etc. That's about $400 (CHEAP) per guest. I just couldn't justify that. There are MANY ways to encorporate a disney theme to your wedding. Disney has a FREE planning CD, and it's pretty good, but you really need to go to their website and read the fine print. Look for words like REQUIRE, MUST, ONLY. We are having an INCREDIBLY romantic, intimate ceremony and the ENTIRE cost, catering, flowers, the rental of a historical home, pictures are free (sister is a photographer) but EVERYTHING else, UNDER $4,000. It can be done. Don't give up your dream, you can have a lovely disney wedding at home.

 

[Playing With Matches]

I think, your best bet, is to have a wedding at home, so your family can ALL be there. Disney REQUIRES your guests to stay ONSITE for 2 nights. THEY do the catering, and whatnot. It's VERy pricey and your guests will have to fly down, stay onsite etc. I think, for what you want, I'd do it at home and then do a DISNEYMOON after. We're doing that. I have 50 people I want to share our day with us, and there is no way they could all fly to DW, stay onsite etc. That's about $400 (CHEAP) per guest. I just couldn't justify that. There are MANY ways to encorporate a disney theme to your wedding. Disney has a FREE planning CD, and it's pretty good, but you really need to go to their website and read the fine print. Look for words like REQUIRE, MUST, ONLY. We are having an INCREDIBLY romantic, intimate ceremony and the ENTIRE cost, catering, flowers, the rental of a historical home, pictures are free (sister is a photographer) but EVERYTHING else, UNDER $4,000. It can be done. Don't give up your dream, you can have a lovely disney wedding at home.

Does Disney really REQUIRE guests to stay onsite for 2 nights?? I thought there was just a room minimum, and guests could choose where they would like to stay, whether on- or offsite. And what if a guest can only be there for one night?

OP, are you looking for a DisneyLAND wedding? Those options are very different from WDW weddings. I don't think they even have an Escape option.

 

[lurkyloo]

For an Escape event, only the bridal couple is required to stay on site, for four nights.

For a Wishes/Couture event, there is a 25-night room minimum, but it can be lowered to as few as 10 room nights under certain circumstances, and it doesn't have to be the guests who fill them. The minimum could be fulfilled by the bridal couple's honeymoon stay, for example. There is no prohibition on guests staying off-site.

 

[ForeverPrincess89]

Thanks so much to all....i still havent really figured out what im going to do yet but i have enough time to give it more thought.
What exactly is an escape wedding?


Princess

 

[Chilly]

Thanks so much to all....i still havent really figured out what im going to do yet but i have enough time to give it more thought.
What exactly is an escape wedding?


Princess

That is Disney's "Budget" wedding but the max number of people who can attend inc Bride and Groom is 25.

 

[Lyndylou]

We were told 20 which includes bride and groom !

 

[lurkyloo]

The base number included in the package is 20 people total, including bride and groom.

You can add up to five more guests by paying an additional $500.

 

[soulmates]

For an Escape event, only the bridal couple is required to stay on site, for four nights.

For a Wishes/Couture event, there is a 25-night room minimum, but it can be lowered to as few as 10 room nights under certain circumstances, and it doesn't have to be the guests who fill them. The minimum could be fulfilled by the bridal couple's honeymoon stay, for example. There is no prohibition on guests staying off-site.

Thanks for clearing that up for us, me especially. When I read that, I TOTALLY misunderstood that.

 

[Cinderella9-09-09]

I just had my wedding on 9-9-9 and origianlly we planned a weekday wedding so we could stay around 10, 000. Well we wound up spending around 30,000 for 46 people that includes EVERYTHING attire, officiant fees, hotels, favors, paper goods, photo, video, food, floral (we only had a total of 9 people including us in the Whole wedding party) AND we did all of the favors, paper goods (place cards, table names, menus, programs) ourselves. When Disney says a minimum you will only wind up spending that minumum if you do a MINIUMUM wedding example: brunch, no alcohol, the simpliest cake,simple floral, no extras (Cindys Carriage, video, linens) and do paper goods yourself for about 50 people. At first we were going to do that but then we were like whats the point of getting married at Disney if we do that. So I would suggest going ALL Out at Disney and have a small wedding or have a HUGE wedding at home and Disney theme it. We had a lot of help financially BUT so far I don't regret spending that much. Good luck

 

[missym242]

I took the "unspoken" route when it came to planning my wedding. I didnt want any one person to feel like they had the right to affirm or deny my wedding choices. Only I can do that... There are too many specialties and focuses that I dont want to comment on each one. I've done the research. I can assuredly make my claim now.