Help needed with reception/celebration ideas.

[DisneyAddicT6]

Hello experts!

My fiancée and I are deep in the midst of trying to pick our venues for the big day but are having a tough time figuring out what we can and can't do. Communication with our coordinator is slow, as to be expected with the understaffing issues & answers to our questions seem to be hit and miss with some emails only being partially answered and some not answered all. Thank God for Carrie's book, or we'd be completely lost.

So right now, we're thinking we for sure want the Italy Isola for a morning ceremony & dessert party at hopefully the Germany Promenade. We have a small party of only about 10 people, so we're thinking instead of paying for a full reception doing a celebration instead. Just a meal for us and our families, no need for a dance or full 4hours. Thinking maybe brunch at Sago Cay. What I'm not sure about is can you have two celebrations (brunch & dessert party)? I know that only one will count towards the event minimum. With a celebration can you actually have a table and somewhat of a meal beyond just ore d'oeuvres? Our coordinator made it sound like its only just a cocktail walk around type event. I was thinking a breakfast/brunch celebration with something like Gaston's cinnamon buns and some other things could be real nice, if possible.

We seem to only get direct questions answered with copy and paste sales material from our coordinator and when we ask for suggestions or ideas they tend to be ignored. So I'm hoping we can get some inspiration & guidance from the experts here on the boards!

Thank you all in advance!

 

[SandyinMonterey]

I got married at WDW 21 years ago. I can tell you what we did but I'm sure rules have changed and things are definitely different now. We had a wedding of a total of 20 people, including me and husband, at the wedding pavilion. Had a reception with a buffet and we choose all the food (got note from chef "too much food" but we wanted what we wanted). After reception, everyone got on private bus that took us to Epcot. Walked in thru a wooden gate and right at the end of the parade. We (me, husband, family, all wedding guests) just started walking right behind the parade. The people on the sidelines were saying congratulations. Walked to the Italian pavilion and had a dessert party and fireworks. Had some amazing pictures.

 

[williamNortiz]

Hello experts!

My fiancée and I are deep in the midst of trying to pick our venues for the big day but are having a tough time figuring out what we can and can't do. Communication with our coordinator is slow, as to be expected with the understaffing issues & answers to our questions seem to be hit and miss with some emails only being partially answered and some not answered all. Thank God for Carrie's book, or we'd be completely lost.

So right now, we're thinking we for sure want the Italy Isola for a morning ceremony & dessert party at hopefully the Germany Promenade. We have a small party of only about 10 people, so we're thinking instead of paying for a full reception doing a celebration instead. Just a meal for us and our families, no need for a dance or full 4hours. Thinking maybe brunch at Sago Cay. What I'm not sure about is can you have two celebrations (brunch & dessert party)? I know that only one will count towards the event minimum. With a celebration can you actually have a table and somewhat of a meal beyond just ore d'oeuvres? Our coordinator made it sound like its only just a cocktail walk around type event. I was thinking a breakfast/brunch celebration with something like Gaston's cinnamon buns and some other things could be real nice, if possible.

We seem to only get direct questions answered with copy and paste sales material from our coordinator and when we ask for suggestions or ideas they tend to be ignored. So I'm hoping we can get some inspiration & guidance from the experts here on the boards!

Thank you all in advance!

Your wedding coordinator should have already discussed your options with you. So if you're waiting for an answer, then continue waiting. We all know that there are hundreds of wedding venues, but the one you picked is very popular. So if you have a question, they'd get it answered. But maybe they don't have the answer. The point is they don't have some websites you can browse, so they can't give you the answer. Unless your wedding planner is not doing his job properly. Don't forget that the Disney wedding package is more expensive than others. If you don't want to pay for the package food, you can always use the quick service restaurants. If you don't want to pay for the package venue, you can use the online system in order to find the available date.

 

[lurkyloo]

Hello experts!

My fiancée and I are deep in the midst of trying to pick our venues for the big day but are having a tough time figuring out what we can and can't do. Communication with our coordinator is slow, as to be expected with the understaffing issues & answers to our questions seem to be hit and miss with some emails only being partially answered and some not answered all. Thank God for Carrie's book, or we'd be completely lost.

So right now, we're thinking we for sure want the Italy Isola for a morning ceremony & dessert party at hopefully the Germany Promenade. We have a small party of only about 10 people, so we're thinking instead of paying for a full reception doing a celebration instead. Just a meal for us and our families, no need for a dance or full 4hours. Thinking maybe brunch at Sago Cay. What I'm not sure about is can you have two celebrations (brunch & dessert party)? I know that only one will count towards the event minimum. With a celebration can you actually have a table and somewhat of a meal beyond just ore d'oeuvres? Our coordinator made it sound like its only just a cocktail walk around type event. I was thinking a breakfast/brunch celebration with something like Gaston's cinnamon buns and some other things could be real nice, if possible.

We seem to only get direct questions answered with copy and paste sales material from our coordinator and when we ask for suggestions or ideas they tend to be ignored. So I'm hoping we can get some inspiration & guidance from the experts here on the boards!

Thank you all in advance!

Welcome!

Yes, you can have as many celebrations as you're willing to pay for. With a group that small, you should all be able to sit down at Sago Cay. You can have any kind of food that doesn't require a knife and fork to eat, and I have definitely seen Gaston's cinnamon rolls served at celebrations.

Since you're already paying for transportation into the park for the ceremony, you might consider doing your celebration in EPCOT—less shuttling around that way. The Attic at BoardWalk Inn is also a fabulous spot for a small group—very private, with amazing views! https://fairytaleweddingsguide.com/wdw-venues/the-attic/