Grand Floridian tea for bride's family

[kermit116]

I will be the maid of honor at a Disney Wedding in the spring. The wedding attendance will be relatively small (I think less than 40 people total at the wedding). Since this is a destination wedding, and the bride lives in a different state than me (and a different state than many of her guests), I was hoping to do a special small event at WDW prior to the wedding. I was thinking of doing an afternoon tea at the Grand Floridian for the bride and the ladies who will be in the wedding party (a total of about five or six people maximum). I wanted to know if anyone has done something like this as a pre-wedding event. We'll be doing it the day before the wedding.

I also wanted to see if anyone had an suggestions for what I could do to make the tea extra-special for the bride. Obviously being at Disney is very special already, so mainly I'm just looking for cute ideas anyone might have about things I could do to personalize the experience such as arriving early to decorate the table, having the GF deliver a special plate or dessert to the bride during the tea, etc.

Although I'm pretty experienced with Disney, this is my first time being involved with a Disney wedding. If anyone can provide some tips (or some insight about whether the GF tea would be a nice event), I'd appreciate it!

Thanks!

 

[lurkyloo]

It's a great idea and one that many brides on this board have done! One thing to know is that the Gardenview Tea Room has kinda funny rules about gatherings: They won't let you open gifts or make speeches in the restaurant. However, they host a lot of celebrations so they know how to make your event feel special.

If you wanted to order an extra-special dessert for the bride, call Private Dining at the Grand Floridian: 407-824-1951. You could do a 6-inch cake (which would be more than enough to feed all 6 of you), a white chocolate Cinderella slipper dessert, or a mini wedding cake—or other edible treats, like a white chocolate Mickey or chocolate covered strawberries.

Happy planning!

 

[julierocks]

So you really can't give gifts to your bridesmaids if you did a tea party at the GF?

 

[princesswendy720]

I think you can exchange gifts in the lobby of the hotel, just not in the restaurant itself.

Also, you mentioned you want to do it the day before the wedding. You might want to check with the Bride (if you haven't yet) to see if there are any plans for a rehearsal and rehearsal dinner that day so you're not overbooked (or too full from the tea to eat anything at dinner).

I think it's very sweet that you're planning something so nice for the bridal party. If you look around the planning journals, you'll see a lot of brides create cute invitations and encourage everyone who's coming to wear a big, fancy hat!

 

[tinkerbell 766]

So you really can't give gifts to your bridesmaids if you did a tea party at the GF?

I have a ladies tea booked for the day before myVR and have favour bags planned for my guests. I will give them out in the lobby before tea!!