I'm new and have soo many questions

[Bry238]

Hello everyone,

I'm new to this board and have a ton of questions about a possible disney wedding that im hoping some of you may be able to help me with...

First of all, i've found the disney weddings website to be very confusing at times. it seems that the prices they give you are probably not very accurate when it comes down to it, which makes planning a budget very difficult. so i've come here to find out the things disney won't tell you!

my guest list would probably be about 80 to 100 people so im having a hard time finding a venue. it seems that many of the venues either have a maxium of less than that or are fit for much more than that (the ballrooms). does anyone have any good suggestions for a venue fit for about 100? i just feel like the ballroom would be very vaccant for a party that small, yet many of the resturants and other venues can't accommadate that many...am i wrong??? speaking of the ballrooms, does anyone know the maximum capacity or if they can section it off???

another question i have is, how helpful are the wedding consultants? im from new jersey and i feel like planning a wedding all the way in florida would be extemely stressful. how did you all handle things all the details without being there?

how are the diseny vendor services? i expect that anything disney does would be great, but how are their photographers, djs, etc? these are things that you would typically take care of by interviews and demos. do i just trust disney????

how accurate is the wishbook? i feel like the prices are approximate, but they'll really hit you with tax and extra costs later. again, im finding it very hard to plan for a budget without knowing exactly how accurate their estimates are.

ok now im just rambling...im sorry!

aaahhhh, ok ill stop know before nobody decided to even answer, haha. thanks to anyone who took the time to read this. any respond would be greatly appreciated.

 

[aprincess72]

Hello everyone,

I'm new to this board and have a ton of questions about a possible disney wedding that im hoping some of you may be able to help me with...

First of all, i've found the disney weddings website to be very confusing at times. it seems that the prices they give you are probably not very accurate when it comes down to it, which makes planning a budget very difficult. so i've come here to find out the things disney won't tell you!

my guest list would probably be about 80 to 100 people so im having a hard time finding a venue. it seems that many of the venues either have a maxium of less than that or are fit for much more than that (the ballrooms). does anyone have any good suggestions for a venue fit for about 100? i just feel like the ballroom would be very vaccant for a party that small, yet many of the resturants and other venues can't accommadate that many...am i wrong??? speaking of the ballrooms, does anyone know the maximum capacity or if they can section it off???

another question i have is, how helpful are the wedding consultants? im from new jersey and i feel like planning a wedding all the way in florida would be extemely stressful. how did you all handle things all the details without being there?

how are the diseny vendor services? i expect that anything disney does would be great, but how are their photographers, djs, etc? these are things that you would typically take care of by interviews and demos. do i just trust disney????

how accurate is the wishbook? i feel like the prices are approximate, but they'll really hit you with tax and extra costs later. again, im finding it very hard to plan for a budget without knowing exactly how accurate their estimates are.

ok now im just rambling...im sorry!

aaahhhh, ok ill stop know before nobody decided to even answer, haha. thanks to anyone who took the time to read this. any respond would be greatly appreciated.

I love my DFTW WP and EM... they are awesome! DF calls them my new best friends. I have found them to be super helpful. I have seen a few complaints here on the boards however. My advice is to be organized. When you do have a call with your WP or EM have a list of questions and write everything down. I like to follow up my calls with an email so I have a record of what we discussed. I know they are very busy folks so good effective communication with them is key.

The wishbook is pretty accurate but does not list all of your options. For example, it list a bridesmaids bouquet as $125. I didn't want to spend that so I talk to my EM about my options and we are doing a smaller one for less. The possibilitites are truly endless. I say set your budget and let Disney know what that is. They have worked very well with me. There are also discounts for booking some things together. I booked the MK and Epcot photo shoots for the same day and I believe it's $125 less.
As far as the other wishbook items go I would say food costs are accurate on the site. Always account for 6.5% tax and 20% service fee on top of it all.

Hope that helps you get started!

 

[lurkyloo]

I'll let the custom brides fill you in on all the details, but here's what I know from reading people's posts.

There are several neat reception venues for groups of 100 or more, favorites being American Adventure Rotunda in Epcot and Atlantic Dance Hall on the Boardwalk. These are very popular for their size and because they're so well themed inside that they don't need a lot of decoration.

It seems like most brides use Disney vendors for the majority of things, except photography. Food & cake have to be Disney for health reasons, and floral has to be Disney if you have an event inside a park. There are several local floral companies that do resort-area weddings. I haven't heard of anyone not going with a Disney DJ or band, and most of the reviews of Disney-provided music services are positive.

About half of brides seem to choose an outside photographer. There are several favorites on this board, and you'll learn all about them as you keep reading. Lately there have been some complaints about the quality and customer service of Disney Photography, but there are many brides here who have loved what Disney did for them.

As for prices, yes the Wishbook is not very accurate - other brides can give you an estimate of what they paid, but it varies so widely depending on what you want that you really won't know cost until you talk to your coordinator. As the previous poster said, set a budget and work with Disney to stick to it.

Welcome!!

 

[Skylarr29]

If you set a budget then Disney will be able to help you stick to it and they are very good at helping you get the most bang for your buck! The American Adventure Rotunda would be a stunning location for 100 people! The wish book can help you get some sort of ideas... like you know you have to meet your food and beverage minimums plus any rental fees for ceremony locations etc.