Inexpensive dinner reception ideas for a Non-DFTW at WDW??

[minniebride]

Hello!

We are planning to get married at WDW, but we are NOT having a DFTW. We are planning a simple late morning outdoors ceremony with less than 30 guests.

We were thinking about having an Epcot Illuminations Dessert Party the night before the ceremony, morning ceremony the next day in the Boardwalk area, let everyone have fun at the parks, then invite everyone for dinner at a restaurant that night....I'm thinking a buffet like Boma might be cheapest yet still really nice.

Are we allowed to book a restaurant like Boma for 30 guests as our "reception dinner" without being an Escape or Wishes bride? I'm fine not wearing my wedding dress to the nighttime dinner.

Who do we contact to book the dinner & the Illuminations Dessert Party since we are not getting married through WDW?

Thanks & I look forward to hearing from you!!

 

[girli565]

I guess you would contact the group reservations number.

Can I ask... how would you have a ceremony at the Boardwalk without it being a DFTW?

 

[Ember]

I'm guessing this is a troll.

 

[girli565]

I'm guessing this is a troll.

Yeah.

 

[minniebride]

Umm....I'm planning a Swan/Dolphin wedding-located in the Boardwalk area. You guys have a Swan/Dolphin FAQ on these boards, so I'm surprised you are not aware of this option.

Anyways, thanks for letting me know about the group reservations number and NO THANKS for your attitude

 

[girli565]

We're all very aware of Swan/Dolphin weddings but I think it's just the way you phrased it that led us to believe that this was not legit. I apologize.

I believe that if you're working with a coordinator at the hotel they can help you book the dinner/DP you want?

 

[kmaclou]

I know people book the restaurants all the time for family reunion dinners, etc. So I don't believe you'll have any trouble booking dinner. I think you can call 1-407-WDW-DINE and make those reservations.

WDW also offers a Grand Gatherings Illuminations dessert party. They may still have it. Here's the info I found on it:

"If you're part of a group of 8 or more who are planning a visit to Walt Disney World that includes staying at Disney Resorts (including the Swan/Dolphin if you book these resorts directly with Disney), you qualify as a "Grand Gathering."

As a Grand Gathering, there are exclusive options that your party can participate in. (To schedule one of these events, at least 8 people in your group must take part in it.)

In addition to the Grand Gathering events, groups can order Magical Gathering T-Shirts (90 to 10 days in advance of arrival), and schedule spa treatments, childcare, tours, etc. "

I'd check with the Swan/Dolphin and maybe they can help you get it set up.

Have fun!

 

[DiSnEyFrEaK22]

hi minnie bride, i am getting married at the S&D in September, we are having our reception at Il Mulino. There are several restaurants on site to choose from.

 

[Ember]

We're all very aware of Swan/Dolphin weddings but I think it's just the way you phrased it that led us to believe that this was not legit. I apologize.

Ditto. A Swan/Dolphin wedding is a legitimate way to not go through DFTW. But all you said was that you were having a Disney wedding without using Disney. That made it sound as though you were trying to buck the system. I apologize for misunderstanding your meaning.

 

[minniebride]

Thank you for your apologies girls.....do people really have weddings without permission on Disney property? Yikes! Could you imagine the embarrassment of getting in trouble on your wedding day???

We just started working with Just Marry. We are not planning to wed until late 2011 or 2012. We were originally thinking of doing a brunch at Fresh Mediteranean Market, but we peeked in there during our last trip & DF thought it was sort of dumpy. I was bummed because I think he got a bad impression because he didn't see it while it was open & in action. Plus, I think the brunch site is actually in a private courtyard right outside of Fresh so I'm going to try and persuade him to give it a second chance during our next trip.

I would love to do something like Il Molino or another sit down restaurant at the S/D, but unfortunately we can't afford it. We are paying for the wedding ourselves and we are not rich.

We were thinking Boma because we love it & think our guests might love it too.....if we can somehow get a table for 30!!

 

[Ember]

Thank you for your apologies girls.....do people really have weddings without permission on Disney property? Yikes! Could you imagine the embarrassment of getting in trouble?

Yes, people try it. There have been a number of threads asking how to get away with it. Much like any rule breaking thread started on the DIS, it sometimes gets advised against in rather strong terms.

 

[DiSnEyFrEaK22]

I agree, weddings are not cheap. We are paying for the entire wedding ourselves too. I think we budgeted very well to make this wedding everything we want it to be. Since you have a year or more to save, I think you have a lot of possibilities. Good luck!

 

[girli565]

We're paying for our wedding ourselves too. It's tough but we set up a budget that allowed us to put away a certain amount of money a month between the both of us. We've been saving for close to 10 months now. Our tax returns really helped out!

 

[figmentfan814]

I would also try contacting Disney Catering & Event Services about your DP. When we were considering have a private DP at Epcot for our 1st anniversary I had several conversations with an event manager through this department. They can also help you set up dinners at locations throughout property too.
http://disneymeetings.disney.go.com/dwm/catering/overview?name=CateringOverviewPage

 

[minniebride]

Thank you girls!!

Hmm...I really like this Grand Gathering idea!

We basically want to do 2 events: an Illuminations Dessert Party as a thank you/welcome to your guests the night before the ceremony & a dinner the night of the ceremony.

We haven't talked to the person at Just Marry about the Illuminations party or dinner at a WDW resort ideas yet because we weren't sure if they would help us with that since that would be through WDW and not the S/D.

Do you know of any websites where I could get prices/options/menus for Grand Gatherings? I couldn't find much on the WDW main site.

 

[minniebride]

Ok I found a website with some reviews.....

The Safari dinner looks pretty fun! I wonder if this would be an appropriate thing to have for a "reception dinner"?

The Illuminations one is not getting such great reviews.....would I be able to book a private Illuminations Dessert Party like the DFTW brides have even though I'm not a DFTW bride? If so, any ideas on price range for the most inexpensive options?

Props to you girls paying for your own wedding!! It's tough for us, which is why we have had to push our date up a million times!! My parents are a bit angry with us for deciding to do a Disney wedding-they wanted us to have a big to-do where they live & invite a bunch of their friends who we don't even know & that just was not for us. They originally offered to pay but now refused because we are going with our "stupid idea that no one will want to go to" Our friends & my DF's close family are very excited about it & I'm just hoping that my parents are over it by then and at least show up!!

Anyways, enough of my rant!! We lucked out with a pretty decent price quote for the S/D ceremony & we are just trying to save up for a decent experience for our guests who are all flying in to celebrate with us!

 

[lurkyloo]

Yes, you can book a private IllumiNations dinner by calling the number posted by Figment Fan on the previous page. You have to be staying at a Disney resort, though, and you can't wear your wedding dress in the park. Otherwise, it's all the same. The lowest food and beverage minimums are $440 flat or $22/person, depending on the site you pick. Then there are venue-rental fees of $200-$550, also depending on the site, and a $12.95/person viewing fee for anyone who doesn't have (or doesn't want to use) park admission.

 

[Boardwalk_bride]

You could book a private dinner @ Sago Cay or the Marina @ the GF, and time it to go off with Wishes. There are no venue fees, fireworks fees, etc. You can use a rehearsal menu, I think they start around $45 per person.

 

[minniebride]

Yes, you can book a private IllumiNations dinner by calling the number posted by Figment Fan on the previous page. You have to be staying at a Disney resort, though, and you can't wear your wedding dress in the park. Otherwise, it's all the same. The lowest food and beverage minimums are $440 flat or $22/person, depending on the site you pick. Then there are venue-rental fees of $200-$550, also depending on the site, and a $12.95/person viewing fee for anyone who doesn't have (or doesn't want to use) park admission.

Thanks! Which is the cheapest site? & how many people does the $440 flat rate cover? No worries about the wedding dress-we want to host this the night before the ceremony.

You could book a private dinner @ Sago Cay or the Marina @ the GF, and time it to go off with Wishes. There are no venue fees, fireworks fees, etc. You can use a rehearsal menu, I think they start around $45 per person.

Ooh this might be a good idea for our dinner. Is Sago Cay or the Marina less expensive than a private room at one of the restaurants? We don't necessarily need fireworks viewing 2 nights in a row. Where can I view the rehearsal menu? & would they allow us to use this menu even though we are not having a rehearsal? I'm really just trying to find a low key buffet-style but private if we could & not have to pay for any decorations.

 

[osxgirl]

One place a lot of people don't think of is where we had our wedding lunch reception - Whispering Canyon Cafe at the Wilderness Lodge. I know barbeque isn't necessarily what a lot of brides think of for their wedding day, but...

We looked at a lot of places. One of the problems we had was that other than renting out a room, many of the places just weren't open for lunch, so we were more restricted. But even so, what we found was that WCC had one of the lower prices per person we could find, while still having great quality food. In fact, we ended up getting the dinner menu instead of the lunch menu, as there were a few items on it that we wanted.

They worked with us, and they made it all VERY nice. We were in an area separated off from the rest of the dining, so it was basically like having a private dining room. We had plenty of food. And amazingly enough - neither my husband or I got any of the barbeque on ourselves! We even had planned bringing aprons to make sure we'd be ok, but that got messed up, so we had to just be careful.

If you want dancing or anything, it won't work. But everyone really loved it. We had a great time. The food was great, and they really did a good job with everything there, making it a good experience for our wedding.