Memories Collection help!

[MissBenilda]

Hello everyone!
I tried to search and search for a similar thread/topic and didnt find one, so i hope no one gets upset if there already is one.

Okay, me and my now husband got engaged last September at Disney. Being military we went ahead and did the whole court thing a few months ago, so now we're saving up for a wedding we can share with family and friends.
With that being said (and me being the Disney dork that i am), I started looking at Disney weddings. I originally was going to go with the Escape package at Sunset Pointe at Poly, BUT we all know now that freakin DVC has taken over lol. That crushed my dreams and my plans and i almost was gonna say "Forget having a Disney wedding altogether!".

Then i saw the Luau Beach at Poly for Memories package. I fell in love with that spot (i always wanted a beach wedding, and with the castle in the back?! Heck yes!).

Now, after all this jibber jabber and rambling, my questions for those of you who are/have/have been to a Memories wedding:

+ Did you use Disney's photographers or your own? And did they count towards your guest count? (and i'd love to see your pics lol)

+ Did you have your own reception afterwards (i know it's not part of the package)? Or what did you do afterwards? I really wanna plan something fun for the guests that cant attend the ceremony.

+ Was there any noise, interruptions, etc, considering the wedding was at a public place at a resort? Like kids running by or anything like that?

Well, i thought I had more questions but i guess not. I'd love to hear about anyone's experiences though using memories at luau beach. Thank u so much in advance and I'll continue stalking the boards lol.

 

[lurkyloo]

Here are links to a trio of podcast interviews with couples who had Memories Collection events and answer your questions (also, non-Disney photographers do not count toward the Memories guest limit, but you don't get any kind of credit or swap on the Disney photographer):

http://disneyweddingpodcast.com/2013/02/06/memories-wedding-spotlight-paula-ashley/


http://disneyweddingpodcast.com/2012/11/28/memories-wedding-spotlight-jackie-chris/


http://disneyweddingpodcast.com/2012/05/16/memories-collection-spotlight-amanda-jay/

This episode is an overview of the Memories Collection with details that you might find helpful: http://disneyweddingpodcast.com/2012/05/09/memories-collection-overview/

 

[jac1976]

DH and I are renewing our vows on Luau Beach in just about a month. The Memories package was a no brainer for us because it is just going to be me, DH, and our 2 kids.

+ Did you use Disney's photographers or your own? And did they count towards your guest count? (and i'd love to see your pics lol)

I am using the DIsney photographer. This is the cheap side of me not wanting to have to pay twice for photography.

+ Did you have your own reception afterwards (i know it's not part of the package)? Or what did you do afterwards? I really wanna plan something fun for the guests that cant attend the ceremony.

I am not planning a reception as it is just the 4 of us, but we are having high tea at the Grand Floridian and I have ordered a fancy fondant cake to be delivered at the end of tea. That night we are having dinner at Be Our Guest. If cost is an issue, you may want to try looking into having your reception at Shades of Green. You could still have the memories package/ceremony at the Poly but then head on over to SOG afterwards for the party.

+ Was there any noise, interruptions, etc, considering the wedding was at a public place at a resort? Like kids running by or anything like that?

I can tell you in September!

If you have any more questions, feel free to ask!