Just engaged!

[Alyssa_Ashley]

Hey yall! So on Sunday (12/18/2016) my boyfriend proposed at Disney World by the castle and it was absolutely perfect! Now we are starting to plan the wedding and we have decided we definitely want a wedding at Disney World. Does anyone have any advice for us starting out planning or anything I need to know before calling them? We have decided on April 2018 but can't decide on an escape or wishes because we can't get an official guest count. Can you book say an escape and upgrade to wishes if need be or vice versa? Thank you!

 

[justme0729]

You can always upgrade but if you do wishes, you will be able to book your wedding locations 12 months before and if you do escape, 8 months before. We ended up going with "mini wishes" which is technically called the catered event. It is $3,000 for the ceremony locator (4,000 for the wedding Pavilion), $100/ person for breakfast, $125/ person for lunch, or $150/ person for dinner, and a $3,000 enhancement minimum (can be used for photography, floral, decor, entertainment, etc) on a Tuesday, Wed, or Thursday 10:00am, 12:00pm, or 7:30pm ceremony time with a 3 hour reception which makes the total about $8967 with taxes/ charges for 20 people (The minimum) if you do a 10:00am ceremony and breakfast. If you would be happy with spending $3000 more than escape to get a true reception even if you have less than 20, then it might be worth it. You just have to pay for at least 20 if they actually aren't there. Congrats!

 

[runner_princess]

Just wanted to say congratulations and also mention the option of mini wishes. It would lower the costs of a wishes event and give you more flexibility.

 

[hotbroccoli]

Going to chime in and say that I'm in the process of preparing for my "mini-Wishes" wedding (February 7, 2017), and I believe it was worth the extra cost. My wedding party is small, 18-20 people, but we ultimately decided we wanted the extra customization and flexibility that the "4 hour Wishes" event allowed. Cheers and congratulations on your engagement!

 

[MermaidBride]

Firstly, CONGRATULATIONS! Honestly I like the idea of how simple Escape is but I am leaning on Wishes. So I understand where you are coming from. Though I cannot officially start planning until July, the quote they gave me for 30 guests, brunch reception was about 15k, granted I included the extra photo in the parks package (it is a MUST for me). They said there is a minimum of 8k that I have to spend towards flowers/dj/photos/transportation.

 

[lurkyloo]

The Wishes Enhancement Minimum that must be spent on things like floral, decor, DJ and transportation varies by day of the week and can be as low as $3,000.

Here's a Disney Wedding Podcast episode devoted to first steps for the newly engaged: http://disneyweddingpodcast.com/2016/01/06/first-steps-for-the-newly-engaged-2016-edition/

This show explains Mini Wishes: http://disneyweddingpodcast.com/2016/06/22/mini-wishes-catered-event-experience/

 

[MermaidBride]

The Wishes Enhancement Minimum that must be spent on things like floral, decor, DJ and transportation varies by day of the week and can be as low as $3,000.

Here's a Disney Wedding Podcast episode devoted to first steps for the newly engaged: http://disneyweddingpodcast.com/2016/01/06/first-steps-for-the-newly-engaged-2016-edition/

This show explains Mini Wishes: http://disneyweddingpodcast.com/2016/06/22/mini-wishes-catered-event-experience/

Thank you, I really appreciate how helpful and informative you all are. I opened the pages and shall investigate further.

 

[MermaidBride]

The Wishes Enhancement Minimum that must be spent on things like floral, decor, DJ and transportation varies by day of the week and can be as low as $3,000.

Here's a Disney Wedding Podcast episode devoted to first steps for the newly engaged: http://disneyweddingpodcast.com/2016/01/06/first-steps-for-the-newly-engaged-2016-edition/

This show explains Mini Wishes: http://disneyweddingpodcast.com/2016/06/22/mini-wishes-catered-event-experience/

OH MY GOODNESS!! Noooooo they cut the annual passes from the weddings?

 

[MermaidBride]

Just wanted to say congratulations and also mention the option of mini wishes. It would lower the costs of a wishes event and give you more flexibility.

Why do they not mention the "mini wishes" options when speaking with a representative? On the site? Or in the booklet?

 

[adisneyaunt]

Congratulations !!!

 

[lurkyloo]

Why do they not mention the "mini wishes" options when speaking with a representative? On the site? Or in the booklet?

Because it's not a separate collection, it's just a discount you get for choosing a certain day and lopping an hour off your reception. And, frankly, those first people you speak with may not even know about it. They aren't actually planners or sales consultants. On the site, they bury the info on the Wedding Pricing page, under "2016 Minimum Expenditure" then "Catered Event Experience": https://www.disneyweddings.com/florida/pricing/wishes/