I'm new and need encouragement!

[luna99]

hello lovely ladies and gentleman! It's so wonderful to find this message board specifically about disney weddings and honeymoons.. it's just what I need.

My DF and I are wanting a disney wedding (well, I want the disney wedding, he's going along with it! ) .. but we can't afford a huge $20,000 wedding.. so we've opted for the intimate wedding package.

I called disney yesterday, gave them all the info they asked for, and should be receiving a call from a disney wedding planner sometime in the week.

in the meantime though.. I've been reading things online that are making me worry. Like someone who said their "intimate" wedding ended up costing close to $15,000 and how their wedding coordinator really wasn't there for them as much as they'd like.

If you're having an intimate wedding, do the planners not communicate with you as much as they would if you had a custom wedding? I really need this to be as stress free as possible and if it's going to end up costing way more than expected and be stressful then it won't be worth it.

Yes, I am aware that in addition to the 3,000 something for the wedding I will have other expenses like the hotel stay, my dress, the officiant, etc..etc.... so I'm not going into this blindly.

I guess I just really need to hear from people who had an intimate disney wedding that your coordinator took care of everything and it ran smoothly and didn't cost TOO MUCH more than what you expected?!

anyway, thanks for reading this.. i'm so excited to be having a disney wedding and I hope everyone has a beautiful day!!!

 

[Funniebunny]

First of all let me say a big welcome to the Dis and congratulations.

I think the costs really depend how much you want to spend on 'extras'. We have booked our Intimate wedding with a tour opperator in the UK and we intend to stick to the basic intimate package. I have heard that people have upgraded their flowers or their cake and that's where the extra cost can add up. The actual wedding package can be as stated by Disney wedding then as you know you have your hotel and meals etc on top.

Please let us know when you start to plan and good luck

 

[purplegirl247]

We haven't had our wedding yet, but so far all of the added expenses are of our own doing: outside photographer, hair & makeup, Magic Kingdom photo shoot, mini reception afterward (well, really just lunch), etc. If you are careful about what extras you're doing (I am a nerd and am keeping a running total on an Excel spreadsheet), I think you'd be ok. I don't think that Disney is any more expensive, add-on-wise, than any other location...

 

[Tinkerbellz]

Welcome to the DIS luna99

You'll find a wealth of information here. I too am going the intimate route. Mine is an intimate vow renewal. We are celebrating 20 years of happily ever after (that's what we're calling this shindig!)

One piece of advice I can give you is to decide what things mean the most to you. For our first wedding my parents paid an arm and a leg for photography that was not good. I had people with plain old cameras who took better pictures than the photographer. Go Figure!

This time I have researched, and continue to do so, photographers. I am not using Disney photography (added expense but more for my money IMO). I'm now in the process of deciding to have a character or not. I Mickey and I really want him at my cake cutting, but $800 for a half hour.....still not sure. (that's the 2007 price...2 characters $1200 )

I'm very diligently trying to stick to a budget of under $8K. Including my stay and still have a very Disney Vow Renewal. I'm creating a lot of things myself, including STD's and Invitations. I'm doing some of my own favors. Dollar Tree is wonderful for bubbles, favor bags, boxes, trinkets, etc...

I have lived by one rule on these boards...there is no such thing as a stupid question! and it's the God's honest truth. I have never been made to feel small or dumb because I have asked a question. So if you need anything, just ask!

Welcome again...I'm glad you're here!

 

[luvsmickey]

First Congrats! And Welcome!

To answer some of your questions, I believe that it depends on who you get as far as wedding planners go. I've heard a few say they don't ever hear from them, and then there are a few that have a great planner. I absolutely love my planner! And an Intimate can be more than just the basic or it can be just that! It's up to you and what you want for extras that will determine how much yours will cost. Even doing a Illuminations Dessert Reception at Epcot afterwards, you can still be well below $10k! So, like I said it's up to you what extras you want. Don't be afraid to ask your wedding planner for some advice, sometimes they have great money saving ideas! (Or at least mine does!) And if you have any more concerns or questions, just let us know! That's what we're here for! So, don't worry, ask lots of questions and I'm sure you can plan an Intimate within your budget! Good luck!

 

[hmgolden]

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding, and welcome to the DIS!

As the others have mentioned as long as you watch the 'extras' you should be able to keep the cost down. As for the planners, some of them are more responsive than others, but all of them are professionals and do a great job.

Have fun planning!

 

[luna99]

oh my goodness you all are so sweet and helpful!

thank you so much. Honestly, just the thought of planning a wedding stresses me out, that's one of the biggest reasons I chose to do it the disney way.. I figured it's as stress free as a wedding can be....

and since I'm living in New York and my family is all in Texas, if I had a texas wedding my mother was going to have to plan everything for me (and she already is working two jobs!) so I was worried my wedding would turn out not exactly like I wanted... I know with disney everything will run smoothly and I can just relax and enjoy the day.

All of your replies are really making me feel better, thank you!

This board is awesome. and it's my first day here.

I think I may have to become a regular here.

 

[ellej]

WELCOME, luna99!! i just joined as well, and everyone has been SO nice and willing to help!

we are having an intimate in just over 2 months, and we are adding many extras that have jacked up the cost, but you truly can stay within the low cost of the intimate if that's what you want to do. and if you just stick with what the package offers, the planning and details get much easier, too.

my only bit of advice regarding your wedding planner is to make sure you follow up with her consistently. my wedding planner told me that intimate wedding planners have many more weddings to take care of than custom WPs since customs can take much more time and planning to execute. so intimate WPs can tend to be busier. so don't get discouraged if she doesn't call you back or e-mail you right away. just keep following up with your questions, etc. and it will come together.

so welcome, and best of luck deciding on everything! enjoy every minute of it!

 

[luna99]

thank you ellej and congrats on your engagement and future wedding as well.

I'm already feeling *so* much better about everything and am calling today to book my wedding location and date and getting the ball rolling! I'm so excited!

thanks again to you and everyone on this board.. it's really filled with sweet, helpful people!