MK photo session...worth it???

[Amandanoelleb]

This girl needs some help! My husband and I recently got married at wdw. Getting photos taken in front of Cinderellas castle was not a necessity up until recently. All I want to do is put my dress back on and frolicking through disney again! Plus, how many brides actually get to experience taking pictures in front of Cinderellas castle, let alone have the chance to wear her dress a second time! So my question is...is the experience and photos worth the price? OR am I just trying to fine an excuse to feel like a "bride" again??

 

[TinkLoverSam]

I am so happy we did an MK shoot and am very happy with our pictures but there are brides who have been unhappy with their pictures as well (@lurkyloo and @Ember to name a few)

(PSA: I don't think they allow you to go up there anymore, my wedding was almost 7 years ago now)

 

[lurkyloo]

It is a fun experience. What you get for the money is not "worth" the $1,000 we paid or the $2,125 they charge now, but if you can afford it, you will love it. They have upgraded their cameras since our shoot and have more photographers who get rave reviews, but you can't be guaranteed to get any of the ones you requested. So it's always a bit of a chance to take. I do see way more people who love their photos now than hate them. And there is no shame in wanting to feel like a bride again—it's definitely a wonderful experience!

 

[Amandanoelleb]

It is a fun experience. What you get for the money is not "worth" the $1,000 we paid or the $2,125 they charge now, but if you can afford it, you will love it. They have upgraded their cameras since our shoot and have more photographers who get rave reviews, but you can't be guaranteed to get any of the ones you requested. So it's always a bit of a chance to take. I do see way more people who love their photos now than hate them. And there is no shame in wanting to feel like a bride again—it's definitely a wonderful experience!

Thank you so much for your feedback! When did you get your photos taken? Our wedding was about two weeks ago at this point. I know most brides wait until a few days later or so?

 

[lurkyloo]

We did ours two days after the wedding so we could sleep in on the day after the wedding! This was nine years ago, though, so the quality has definitely improved since then.

 

[codylamb18]

Could we get a photo pass cast member to take some pictures? We are getting married out of state but doing our honeymoon in WDW/DCL.

 

[lurkyloo]

You could, but you wouldn't be able to wear your wedding attire. And if you think Disney Fine Art Photography's quality is hit-or-miss, PhotoPass is even more of a crapshoot!

 

[MumziMom]

Not a bride here, but 6 years ago we spent the money on family photos at the Polynesian Resort, and those are some of our favorite photos. There are some gorgeous places to take photos there, with a small waterfall, amazing flowers, up on the hill with a stand of palm trees (we have a couple of us all in sunglasses which are hysterical) and a couple of lovely ones with the Magic Kingdom Castle in the background. I believe that it would now be called the Enhanced Portrait Session, for $399. Could you do this as an anniversary present to each other? You wouldn't need your wedding dress, but could look beautiful in a new dress to commemorate your anniversary, that fits in well with a Polynesian theme. I'd recommend that you stay Club Level there, if you can swing it. Great anniversary, hanging out on a hammock together, watching the fireworks.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

We did it and have no regrets. Had it done two days after the wedding so my dress needed press, my hair redone, etc. Didn't enjoy getting up so early to be there at 5 a.m. though. But all in all, happy we did it.

 

[Lauren1027]

Coming from a bride who did her Magic Kingdom Portrait Session almost 3 months after the wedding, I say that the experience is 50/50 when it comes to being worth the money. Yes, the experience in amazing and we do love a lot of our pictures, but for us, it was just WEIRD getting back into our wedding attire 2 months later (and a few pounds heavier). Because we got married in December and had to have our pictures done in February due to black-out dates, we did gain some holiday weight and while we did still fit into our wedding attire, you can see the considerable weight gain, especially in our faces, when comparing those photos to our wedding photos. Another issue I had is that the person who did my makeup for our portrait session was a lot more heavy-handed with the makeup than the person who did my makeup on the wedding day, so my look was different and I didn't love it as much. Of course, these are all personal things for me and could be different for you.

Apart from vanity stuff, the other thing that puts me on the fence about an MK portrait session after your wedding is that it didn't feel as magical because it was so far out from our wedding. Being already married for a few months and having all the wedding festivities out of the way made us feel like we were just playing dress up and didn't feel like part of anything wedding-related.

With that said, the experience was AWESOME...especially getting to be in the Magic Kingdom before it opens. It was magical. The photographer we worked with was great, and we do have some pretty amazing pictures (not all of them, but enough to make it worthwhile). It was a very expensive shoot, but since we paid it off when we paid for all of our wedding, it felt worth the money to us because it was already long gone. Lol. If we had to pay out of pocket so it, I don't know that I would still think the same thing, to be honest.

 

[jamez2014]

as a wedding photographer I would love to able to do these shoots....a shame Disney charges so much for them, we are actually at a Disney wedding later this year as guests, and i know the couple are on the fence about it due to cost & restrictions, but to me it seems like an amazing opportunity to do something that really captures the essence of the wedding, i also heard they are fairly strict on locations for these, it would be nice if the couple had the choice to go wherever they wanted with a photographer for say 1hr and let their imaginations run wild.

its a shame some people have had a hit and miss with the quality, do you not choose a photographer, meet up with them and go through ideas etc, or is it a case of you get the photographer thats on shift that day?

 

[LadyD]

as a wedding photographer I would love to able to do these shoots....a shame Disney charges so much for them, we are actually at a Disney wedding later this year as guests, and i know the couple are on the fence about it due to cost & restrictions, but to me it seems like an amazing opportunity to do something that really captures the essence of the wedding, i also heard they are fairly strict on locations for these, it would be nice if the couple had the choice to go wherever they wanted with a photographer for say 1hr and let their imaginations run wild.

its a shame some people have had a hit and miss with the quality, do you not choose a photographer, meet up with them and go through ideas etc, or is it a case of you get the photographer thats on shift that day?

You can put in a request for one of the photographers you would like, but you really don't get any say beyond that in who is assigned to you or any direct communication with them before the shoot. DFAP does send out a discovery form where you can let them know about any shots you would like or props you may be bringing, but it really isn't anything significant. You basically have to hope you gel with the photographer day of and they take good shots.

 

[MsOnceUponATime]

Absolutely and totally worth it - 100%. We did ours on our 1st anniversary and I bought a different dress for the shoot. It was an experience that will leave me with lasting memories stamped in time. I would do it all over again!

 

[rspencer38]

When do you find out the photographer? The day of the shoot?

 

[MsOnceUponATime]

I believe that I found out about 3-4 weeks ahead of time. For us, it was well worth the money to have those memories...

 

[disneyfan888]

Not a bride here, but 6 years ago we spent the money on family photos at the Polynesian Resort, and those are some of our favorite photos. There are some gorgeous places to take photos there, with a small waterfall, amazing flowers, up on the hill with a stand of palm trees (we have a couple of us all in sunglasses which are hysterical) and a couple of lovely ones with the Magic Kingdom Castle in the background. I believe that it would now be called the Enhanced Portrait Session, for $399. Could you do this as an anniversary present to each other? You wouldn't need your wedding dress, but could look beautiful in a new dress to commemorate your anniversary, that fits in well with a Polynesian theme. I'd recommend that you stay Club Level there, if you can swing it. Great anniversary, hanging out on a hammock together, watching the fireworks.

We got married at the Poly and I second the amazing photo opportunities this resort has. It is and has always been our favorite Disney resort, even more so after we got married there. We have some amazing shots in front of the small waterfall that used to be in the lobby. Such a shame they tore it down