Help! Planning non-DFTW Vow Renewal this May!

[jessey35]

I am trying to plan a vow renewal ceremony for this May. Just something small & simple. I've been reading lots of threads on this board but haven't stumbled upon quite what I'm looking for. I've checked out the DFTW Memories package- but we don't have a $2000 budget for this.

It is going to be a surprise for my DH's parents who weren't able to be at our first wedding, which was out of the country, because my DH's little sister has Special Needs that prevented them from traveling at that point in time. They were so upset about having to miss that day, that we want to do a surprise vow renewal so they can see their only son married. This will be the 1st time they've travelled actually since their honeymoon!
Dh & I always talked about wanting to renew our vows every 5-10 years, so this is something we wanted for ourselves, too- but also very special for his parents. There will only be 4 adults (including me & DH) & our DD.

So now, I guess I am looking for any suggestions/ideas that don't include the Disney weddings packages.
- Anyone know of any vendors near Disney that specialize in this?
- Anyone know the protocol for getting permission to hold a ceremony at a Disney resort or other location with the World?
- Referrals of a reputable Officiant?
- Good locations for this type of small VR within the world?
- Any other advice that might help us make this dream come true?

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[pixie921]

Well, the Swan Resort offers a very basic package at $1595, so it's really not that much cheaper than a Memories ceremony. Plus, you'd need to add an officiant, which is $150. It does include your site, seating for your guests, a coordinator, and a suite to dress in, and there are lots of lovely places for photography, should you choose to add that.

You can go here for more info:

http://www.swandolphin.com/weddings/index.html

I think there's also a way to have a small ceremony in the tethered hot air balloon in Downtown Disney, but I'm not sure what the price is or what that entails ... maybe someone else can give more details.

EDIT: I found the Characters in Flight info. Here you go! http://www.disneyweddingblog.com/2010/08/characters-in-flight-weddings-at.html

Good luck with your plans!

 

[LittleStinkerbelle]

If either of you are military or if one of your guests would qualify as a military sponsor, you could check out the options at Shades of Green.

I have also seen a couple of brides on this board who had Fulton's in DTD as their venue and I believe it was very reasonably priced.

Good luck with your plans!

 

[tinkerbell 766]

I want to join my friends above in saying congtatulations and welcome!!!
I fear that you will never get permission to hold a VR at a resort as everything done at Disney has to go through DFTW.
As the girls said, it may be worth checking out the S/D or Fultons, although these may end up costing more than you intend to spend.
I must admit that it was news to me about the 'Characters in Flight' balloon doing VRs. That sounds like fun!!! Keep in touch and let us know how all your plans are progressing

 

[jessey35]

Thanks for all suggestions ladies!
S/D is still too much $$ for us, and we're not military so Shades is out. But I really like the Fultons idea. I already emailed them, and they got right back to me and said they'd love to do it (for a fee of course lol). Still waiting for another email back from them to see if they are available on the date we're hoping for. My only concern with Fulton's is that it seems like such a nice restaurant, and we will have my DD2 with us. She's hit or miss with sit down dinners and I'm not sure how kid friendly they are?? I did see a nice kids menu though, so maybe they are kid friendly- it is Disney after all.

 

[LittleStinkerbelle]

I think Fulton's is kid-friendly. We took DD there when she was 9 months old (with a group of 6 adults). She fell asleep on the bus ride there and they were kind enough to let us bring her stroller to the table so she could sleep in her carrier. The waiter kept peaking in on her and joking with us that it was going to be party time for her once we got back to the room. He didn't seem put out at all to work around a little one. Good luck!