Informal vow renewal on the DL?

[Shughart]

My family along with my MIL, FIL, SIL, BIL and their son will all be going to Disney in September. It will be my 10 year anniversary while we are there and we thought it would be fun to dress up and renew our vows. This trip has already stretched our budget thin. I was thinking a pretty dress with my hair done and having my father in law read it for us to re-do our vows. As I mentioned, we're a small party and won't meet any minimums for anything official. Is this frowned upon? I'm thinking we would only take 10-20 minutes to do it. It's just meant to be something special for us, as I wanted to get married there, but we couldn't. I'd be very upset if we were approached and told we had to leave or something.

I told my sister I didn't care if we had to do it at the Dole Whip cart. It would be special to me no matter what. Thoughts? TIA.

 

[lurkyloo]

Is this frowned upon?

By most of the people on this board, who are paying thousands of dollars to have a Disney wedding, yes. By Disney, officially, yes, but whether any of the cast members nearby will know they are supposed to stop you, well....

I'd be very upset if we were approached and told we had to leave or something.

Then I wouldn't do it. Sometimes people are able to quickly (like 3 minutes, not 10-20 minutes) and furtively do this without getting caught, but who wants to be looking over their shoulder during something you should be focusing all your attention on? Better to do it in your hotel room where you can actually enjoy the experience.

 

[Shughart]

Well to be fair, I don't really care what the people on here think. But thanks for the input

 

[justme0729]

Better to do it in your hotel room where you can actually enjoy the experience.

Lurkyloo, I always thought they didn't but I want to confirm...does Disney allow you to have a small (10-15 ppl) wedding or vow renewal in your room? If they see you outside of your room in your wedding dress, do you say you got married off property or something? I am planning on doing a memories event but if they don't really have a problem with the in-room, then I would maybe consider it.

 

[lurkyloo]

Disney can't stop you from doing anything in a room you paid for unless it's illegal (or irritating other guests, though even then they've been pretty ineffectual, in my experience). They cannot stop you from doing a wedding ceremony in your room. However, they have put the fear of God in all their most popular officiants that they will be dropped from the recommended vendor list if they perform hotel room weddings. So you just have to find someone who's willing to do it (or bring your own).

There's no prohibition on wearing wedding attire at the resorts. The only place they would ever stop you is at the entrance to a park, and some seem to be stricter than others. Epcot cracks down, but MK staffers have been known to let brides through.

 

[sambycat]

Well to be fair, I don't really care what the people on here think. But thanks for the input

Thanks for coming and asking a question then. Good luck!

 

[TheRustyScupper]

. . . whether any of the cast members nearby will know they are supposed to stop you, well.... Better to do it in your hotel room where you can actually enjoy the experience.

1) Sure, Disney frowns upon it, because there is little or no money in it for them.
2) They have the right to halt an openly public ceremony, but I have never seen it done; nor, have any of mine been interrupted.
3) I frequently do weddings and VR's in resort rooms and/or on campsites at FW.
4) Disney cannot halt/prevent any such ceremonies in your room or rented space.
.
NOTE:
. . . As a CM, I was "counseled" that I shouldn't be doing these without WDW sanction.
. . . But, they found they can't terminate me.
. . . An ordained minister is a minister 24/7, and the company cannot dictate religious practices I do or not do in private.
. . . And, you have an expectation of privacy in your hotel room, and they can't enter to interrupt.
. . . (That pesky Constitution gets in their way.)

 

[dp911]

So if you stay lets say in a 2 bedroom villa that sleeps 8 or even a grand villa that sleeps 12 and you decide to have a ceremony and have 20+ people in the room, Disney doesn't have the right to interrupt? I am not judging OP, just honestly curious if they could.

I did at one time think to just have a ceremony in a grand villa, as it was just a vow renewal, but my dream in an escape vow renewal and I rather wait and be able to dress in my dress where I want to have the reception and in park photos.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

So if you stay lets say in a 2 bedroom villa that sleeps 8 or even a grand villa that sleeps 12 and you decide to have a ceremony and have 20+ people in the room, Disney doesn't have the right to interrupt? I am not judging OP, just honestly curious if they could.

1) Your room is your space.
2) As long as it is legal, WDW can't/won't do anything.
3) I know of several instances of this occurring.

 

[mich1073]

Listen to Rusty Scupper, I think he is even helped other to FW to do the same thing

 

[emnems34]

If you'd be upset about being approached and stopped, I wouldn't do it, plain and simple. It's relatively likely to happen. Even if you do manage to pull it off, I'll tell you now it likely won't be very romantic. First off you can't set aside a space for your party, so you might be in the middle of your vows and have a giant sweaty tourist group walk right through your ceremony! Second off, you might have guests getting angry if you take up a pathway or something, and you don't want to have people yelling at you in the middle of it either.

And finally, it would be pretty embarrassing to be stopped by a CM or something. Like lurkyloo said, most vendors have been scared off into doing weddings on the DL, but if your FIL were to officiate in your hotel room, I guess no one would be the wiser. As far as wearing attire in the parks- just don't even try it. All it would take is one strict cast member and your whole plan is finished. Besides, the rules are for your safety- depending on your dress style (even a plain one that is just long) it could be dangerous on the rides or trip you or others in the pathways. I wouldn't want to see you get hurt!

I completely understand the appeal of trying to do it on the DL, but I really advise against it. Have you considered to the hot air balloon wedding at Disney Springs? not sure about cost or if they still do it but I bet it would be pretty reasonable and they might be less stringent there.

 

[wilkeliza]

At any of the hotels or hotel room I say go for it. The rules are much more relaxed therr.

At the parks unless you are extremly down low and fast someone will notice and possibly day something. They can ask you to stop due to the way their rules are written. This would be considered an unauthorized event and thus grounds for removal. Also if you hire a photographer to take photos then that violates the commercial photography rules as well.

 

[KnittingMom]

Well to be fair, I don't really care what the people on here think. But thanks for the input

How odd that you should have brought a question to the forum if you don't care what people think?

 

[KnittingMom]

My family along with my MIL, FIL, SIL, BIL and their son will all be going to Disney in September. It will be my 10 year anniversary while we are there and we thought it would be fun to dress up and renew our vows. This trip has already stretched our budget thin. I was thinking a pretty dress with my hair done and having my father in law read it for us to re-do our vows. As I mentioned, we're a small party and won't meet any minimums for anything official. Is this frowned upon? I'm thinking we would only take 10-20 minutes to do it. It's just meant to be something special for us, as I wanted to get married there, but we couldn't. I'd be very upset if we were approached and told we had to leave or something.

I told my sister I didn't care if we had to do it at the Dole Whip cart. It would be special to me no matter what. Thoughts? TIA.

Are you planning to have a special meal to celebrate your vow renewal? If so, approach the restaurant and ask them about a private room -- you are already planning to pay for food for 15 people, after all?

 

[tinkerbell 766]

My thoughts entirely xxx