Help: Wishes Wedding Questions

[figmentfan6]

Hi everyone!

I recently found out that a wedding at Disney might actually be cheaper than the wedding my mother has been wanting for me. Meaning it's time to convince her that Disney is the way to go! The wedding won't be until 2014, so I have a bit of time, but I want to draw up some numbers and ask some questions so that I'm well prepared when I speak to her about this!

I already know I want a morning wedding at the Yacht Club Gazebo, a brunch reception at Ariel's, and either an Illuminations dessert party that evening or have the dessert party be more of a welcome party/rehearsal dessert. So, here are my questions!

How much is the site fee for the YCG?
How much are chair upgrades for the ceremony?
How much did you spend on ceremony decor and what all did you have?
How much is floral generally w/ Disney? How much from an outside vendor?
How much is photography w/ Disney? How much w/ an outside vendor?
Do you pay a site rental fee for the reception?
How much did you spend on reception decor and what all did you have?
Is there room to dance in Ariels?
How much did you pay per person for brunch? Do you have any sample menus your planner gave you that you would be willing to send my way?
How much was your cake and what all did it have?
What was your total cost for the dessert party, transportation, decor, guide, and viewing fee included?
What is the viewing fee these days?
Is there a site rental cost for a dessert party?

My DF and I are more than willing to keep our guest list at a strict 50 people, with a no plus one rule (married couples will of course be invited together and children as well, but we don't want anyone we don't personally know at the wedding).

The budget I have been given is 20K. Do you ladies think I can do all of that and keep under that budget? If I make the dessert party a welcome party then my future in-laws would be paying for it. Please only share what you paid if you feel comfortable doing so, or PM me is you don't want to share it with the world!

Thanks!!

 

[tric8783]

There is a Share Your Budget thread where people post their actual BEO's (banquet event order), so you'll be able to find the info you're asking for faster there scrolling through BEO's rather than looking through PJ's one by one. Ariel's definitely has space for dancing, no problem. I can't remember Morgan's DIS name off the top of my head but Morgan & Chris Shipwreck Beach Wedding if you can locate it, they had their reception at Ariel's and it was really pretty. I believe she posted her floral budget etc. If your wedding is outside, such as in the gazebo, you can't use an outside vendor for floral/decor, you have to get it through Disney for I assume environmental issues. Depending how much you want and what kind of flowers you want, it can go either way.

I'd suggest buying the passporter's book as it will also give you these answers pretty quickly and "straight up" GL!

 

[NoOrdinaryPrincess]

Oh, I hope you have a YCG wedding! There aren't many of them and I LOVE them.

 

[wiserabbit]

Congratulations -

First off - as a MOB (daughter had wishes wedding January 2008) - I can tell you that 20,000 is possible IF:
That budget does NOT include wedding dress.
That budget dose NOT include travel costs/hotel, etc.

We had the same budget set for our daughter - and actually wound up spending closer to 27,000 by the end of it....(BTW - EACH CENT WAS WORTH IT)

To help with costs - we had DIY bridesmaids bouquets, most of the reception decor was purchased by us and shipped down (floral set it out for a flat fee) - she even had a plated dinner for the reception at a ballroom in the GF and desser party at Epcot....

SOOOOO - go for it - be prepared to be flexible with your options and decide what elements are really important - and which will be quickly forgotten (chair upgrades come to mind)....also know that the guest list may have to be drastically reduced in order to stay in budget....let your parents know that the wedding planning and details will be compltely taken care of DFTW and they can just enjoy the special day with their daughter......

We found it so perfect that we decided to do a VR for ourselves through DFTW last August - HAPPY PLANNING!!!!

 

[Tifa]

How much is the site fee for the YCG?
-$2000
-10:00am, 12:00pm, 2:30pm, 5:00pm, 7:30pm

How much are chair upgrades for the ceremony?
-Chiavari chair rental $12.75 – $14.25 per chair
-Bamboo folding chair rental $11.25 per chair
-Black folding chair rental $6.00 per chair
-White folding chair rental $5.50 per chair
-Chair cover rentals $8.50 - $15.00 each
(These can be viewed at DisneyEventGroup.com)

How much did you spend on ceremony decor and what all did you have?
(I have not received this BEO yet)

How much is floral generally w/ Disney? How much from an outside vendor?
(I have not received my BEO yet but you can see some of their floral at Disneyeventgroup.com or the Disney Weddings official website)

How much is photography w/ Disney? How much w/ an outside vendor?
-Disney photography $2,000 - $7,000
-Outside vendor photographer $400 - $2,500
(If you choose to have a reception/desert party at a theme park venue you will have to use a Disney Photographer)

Do you pay a site rental fee for the reception?
-Ballrooms/Restaurants $0
-Ariel's $1,000 rental fee
-Atlantic Dance Hall $500 rental fee (specific beverage and food minimums)
-American Adventure Rotunda $2,075 rental fee (+$800 if using 2nd floor as well)
-American Adventure Parlour $250 rental fee
-Great Hall of China $2,000 rental fee
-Living Seas Salon $500 rental fee
-Epcot outdoor sites $250, $285, $335, $460, $585 ($12.95 per person for viewing Illuminations at site)
-Great Movie Ride $3,000 ($8,845 min entertainment package required to use venue)

How much did you spend on reception decor and what all did you have?
(I have not received my BEO yet but if you visit Disneyeventgroup.com you can view some of their decor')

Is there room to dance in Ariels?
-This venue is available with buffet style service only for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The food and beverage minimum for use of this location is $1,000 (exclusive of wedding cake) This location holds up to 80 guests with dancing. Restrooms used at this location are shared with day guests and are located outside the venue area.

How much did you pay per person for brunch? Do you have any sample menus your planner gave you that you would be willing to send my way?
-Disney All Menus
http://www.disneycateredmenus.com/menus/WED/WED_All_Menus_v082510.pdf
-Disney Bar Packages
http://www.disneycateredmenus.com/menus/WED/WED_Bar_Package_v100609.pdf

How much was your cake and what all did it have?
-$8.00 - $18.00 per person
(Ours is priced at $1,050 and is 3 tiers with white fondant and black pirate ship silhouette)

What was your total cost for the dessert party, transportation, decor, guide, and viewing fee included?
(I am not doing a desert party but here is some transportation information)
-Transportation
-Limo (3 hour min) $94.16 per hour
-Bus (5 hour min) $97.65 (required for any theme park venues)
-Vintage cars (3 hours) $600+
-Horse and Landau Coach (2 hours) $1,800+
-Cinderella's Glass Coach (2 hours) $2,850+

What is the viewing fee these days?
-There is no charge if you want to do a site visit to determine your venue
-Viewing Illuminations from an Epcot reception/desert party location is $12.95 per person

Is there a site rental cost for a dessert party?
-It depends on the venue you choose

 

[sambycat]

this is the book. personally, i would get BOTH a hardcopy AND the e-book as the ebook will be update-able as prices change and it has great worksheets etc..

go forth and plan!

 

[figmentfan6]

Thank you everyone for your answers and sweet words of encouragement! I've put together a general budget with what I learnt here and from research. It was pricey, but I tried to over compensate. The site my mother wants to use is Hershey, so really I can't go wrong either way, but it would actually be cheaper to do the wedding at Disney, so I'm hoping my budget comparison convinces her.

Hershey quoted me that a dinner reception (food, drink, and cake) averaged between $160-180 a person Maybe I'm naive but that seems nuts! And based on what my mother wants to do, I suspect we would hit that average easily.

 

[figmentfan6]

...Nothing to see here!

 

[SWBride]

We just got our BEO and it came to $20,000 for 40 people at the wedding pavilion ($3000 rental fee), reception at Backstage Prop Shop ($50 pp for lunch buffet), and dessert party in Epcot ($30pp). We are having our wedding on a Monday to keep the costs down. I agree with an above post though that the budget I have with Disney does not include my dress, outside vendor for videography of my ceremony, invites and all those other non-Disney things you need for a wedding. I've done everything humanly possible to keep costs down though and I believe that it is still less expensive than anything I could have had back home. Plus, I know my guests will have more fun. I've been to a Disney wedding and there's just no comparison!! Make sure you get the Passporters book in print and online. I have read it 4times already and manage to find new, helpful information every time. Also, download the free Disney Wedding podcasts from iTunes. They tell you about all the different weddings there and are very helpful as well.