Getting nervouse???????????

[mickeymom923]

I'm getting married in the Cadillace Lounge on the Disney Wonder on 5/22/09 Would the champagne toast and cake cutting be in the lounge? Finally fillling out the planning guide and planning to send it back tomorrow. Can't decide whether to get the solid colored roses or the tropical flowers. I am wearing a white wedding gown and my fiance is wearing a black tux. Also, are there only 4 songs that they do? (The prelude/seating; processional; recessional; and reception/first dance). I have people flying in from Philly for my wedding and now I'm hoping that they won't feel like "All this money, and it's a 20 minute ceremony with just a toast and cake". (I watched the Disney Weddings that my DD recorded for me and I felt that my wedding will be like nothing compared to the Disney Weddings in DW). I'm really excited about my wedding and maybe I'm just getting nervous. I hope it nice and not sure what to expect. I have 30 people coming. DD and DS want to get dressed up for their mom's wedding. I'm telling everyone else to just get dressed casual as you would for going to a nice dinner since dinner will be after the ceremony. Any advice? Any negative or positive comments.

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

You are just getting nervous!! Relax!

We had our ceremony on the Wonder in July..I went with the tropical bouquet but changed the roses to jade and white to match the green scheme I had

If you have a song in mind, and the sheet music..the pianist can play it for you. I gave them the sheet music to "the luckiest" by Ben Folds and he played it for the processional and brides procession.
He played various songs through our photographs..I think the timeline was :
Guests to area at 5:10pm
Groom to area at 5:15pm
Bridal pickup at 5:20pm (but they were about 5 minutes late picking me up)
Ceremony begins at 5:30pm

I think after the ceremony and photos, we got to Palo at 6:15pm but we did the cake cutting in Palo..so that would add to the time ..I think the whole thing would last about 1 hour

 

[PixyDusted]

I understand your nerves over people flying "all that way" just for a 20 minute ceremony. I can't even begin to explain the GUILT that my mom and sister imposed on me over this. "Your guests are flying all that way for just cake and champagne? You have to do something more. Any way you can do a reception?" This was such a source of stress that added to our wedding planning and certainly one of the reason df and I fought - and postponed. Eeek. Just telling you I understand, completely, where you're coming from. (My family/friends were/are flying in from NY.)

I was PISSEDDDDDD!!!!

I just reminded my mom and sister that the ENTIRE cruise is a party! And that we were going to remind everyone that each night there are activities, every day is more fun, and that it wasn't JUST our wedding cruise but a VACATION for our guests! (Essentially yes, they're paying for themselves but a "vacation aspect" reminder, nonetheless, helped.) I also had to remind my mom and sister (my dad has always seen my point of view so he didn't need convincing) that we chose a DCL wedding not only because it was unique but because it was what we could AFFORD and adding a cocktail party for one hour for around $1,000 extra just to satisfy what the guests "expected" due to attending many elaborate NY parties, was not in the budget. Also, if anyone was joining us because they EXPECTED something....well, then they shouldn't come. We never gave anyone false pretenses.

Hope that helps!

 

[Bride-to-be]

Pixiedusted is totally right - although they are coming all the way down for your 20 min ceremony they get to spend time with you one the whole cruise so they have the whole thing to look forward to and the ceremony will just be the highlight.

I think I am probably a bad person to give advice because I have the exact same fear and no solution yet - I am determined to find one.

I fear that there will be this big build up to our wedding day and within 20 mins (if it even last that long..) the whole thing will be over - all of this build up and months of agonizing for such a short time. Originally we wanted to do the cruise because the magic would last so much longer then one night like a normal wedding. But now I am scared not that our guests will be disappointed but that I will be.

I feel like the cruise wedding is so great for VRs and 2nd/3rd marriages because most people then have already had a big wedding experience. I just want there to be something to look forward to thats weddingyish after the ceremony ends.

My best advice if you still have the jitters is to contact the groups department and set up like a cocktail party somewhere for that evening before dinner. If you don't have kids in your group you will have a much easier time because they can do fun stuff in the lounges. On my computer at home I have a catering menu and costs for open bars and stuff. If you want to see it let me know I can send it to you. I believe its possible to do a small dessert party as well and serve the cake and some other stuff before you guys go to dinner. Call and ask.

One other thought that I have seen in person but don't know much about. I have been on a few cruises where they had part of the top deck cordoned off and tables set up with black table cloths for small cocktail parties. Thats what I really really wanted to do as a first choice - but everyone is in agreement that it will prolly be cold/windy when we are there. So they tossed that idea out pretty early in the planning stages for us.

Good luck.

 

[PixyDusted]

My best advice if you still have the jitters is to contact the groups department and set up like a cocktail party somewhere for that evening before dinner. If you don't have kids in your group you will have a much easier time because they can do fun stuff in the lounges. On my computer at home I have a catering menu and costs for open bars and stuff. If you want to see it let me know I can send it to you. I believe its possible to do a small dessert party as well and serve the cake and some other stuff before you guys go to dinner. Call and ask.

I know, from asking and getting a price list, that it's pricy to do even a 1 hour cocktail party, which is why DF and I opted against this. I think that you're best bet is to just let everyone know that the entire cruise is a vacation and celebration. And that if they are "expecting" anything other than a gorgeous cruise with family and friends and to be witnesses to your marriage, then perhaps they are sailing for the wrong reason.

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

Weddings that are not a full mass usually are only 20 minutes.

My niece got married last June and we drove 10 hours on a Friday morning, wedding was Saturday night and we left early Sunday morning. I never think to say "all that driving for a 15 minute ceremony and cake/punch reception"
When you love someone enough to travel for a wedding, why in the world would you knock them for a short ceremony?? They are going on vacation with you and witnessing your commitment and love..you really shouldn't think "is my ceremony enough entertainment

 

[spacerangerqueen]

Weddings that are not a full mass usually are only 20 minutes.

My niece got married last June and we drove 10 hours on a Friday morning, wedding was Saturday night and we left early Sunday morning. I never think to say "all that driving for a 15 minute ceremony and cake/punch reception"
When you love someone enough to travel for a wedding, why in the world would you knock them for a short ceremony?? They are going on vacation with you and witnessing your commitment and love..you really shouldn't think "is my ceremony enough entertainment

I have a similar story. Last May DF and my MOH and I drove from Florida to Alabama on a Saturday just to attend a reception (not even the ceremony, we weren't invited and never would have made it in time anyway). The reception only served BBQ with sweat tea or lemonade to drink, no alcohol. We stayed overnight near the reception and then drove back to Florida the next day. All this just for a friend that MOH and I worked with on our CP. Honestly I enjoyed the whole experience, we did stop briefly at DFs parents house and I got to go through the drive through at my favorite chicken place, but the wedding was just a small part of the weekend of fun for us. Sure we spent money on a hotel, gas, and a wedding gift. But we never thought twice about it.

On the flip side, my cousins wedding last August lasted so long that my family left before the cake cutting because it was going on like 8 hours since the ceremony started. Oh how I wanted cake too! I can also recall wondering when the heck the reception was ever going to end at my college roomie's wedding 2 years ago.

Really I think I have been more aware of the too long weddings than the short ones.

I'll be getting married on Deck 7 and I'm hoping to get the Palo room for afterwords. As long as we get to have a first dance I think we will be satisfied, we aren't big on dancing. The past two weddings I went to it was a struggle to get people to dance and participate the entire length of the reception.

Sorry for the long post! Hope some of that helped