Need a bit of Help/ Advice

[Horizonsman]

Well hello out there to all you lovely people, im new to the forum and have read a few posts and figured i would say hello because, well, i need a little advice.
First a little background:
My fiancee and i were looking at doing the Wishes collection of Disneys fairy tale weddings for our wedding next year. We had everything planned out on what we wanted (the wedding pavilion with reception at The Atlantic Dance Club) and had made the reservation so to say. About a week ago we recieved an email from our planner saying it was about that time to come in and sign the paperwork and let her know our guest list so that we can send out the invitations. So my fiancee sits down looks at our guest list and decides to call her mom to talk about the minimum hotel night room block and how many nights she was planning on staying( thinking she would be the one staying for the most nights). Her mom asks for the date again and after my fiancee tells her, she then states that we cannot get married on that date because my fiancees father will be on a business trip and she is going on vacation. My fiancee continued with her mom and also found out that when we do have our wedding that only her mom, dad, sister and two kids will be coming. She then calls me upset and i realize that from my side i will only have about the same and from our mutual friends we have maybe 4 people that would be there. It was then that we realized that we would be spending a minimum of 12,000 dollars on a maximum of 15-20 people.
We decide to contact the planner and let he know we need to discuss things and figure out what is going on. I suggested that we look into a DCL wedding cause my fiancee loves the beach and of course Disney, but we ran into an issue considering she has already bought her dress and its not a beach style. The other issue is she had already gotten the idea of getting married at WDW in her head so to now look at other locations kind of depresses her when she thinks shes not gonna get the grand wedding she wants. So now i look to you the people of DizBoards for wisdom and advice, What should we do?

I have read a few posts about the DCL weddings (some good , some bad) , and a few about the escape packages (also some good, some bad). And i just cant seem to figure out what to do.

Thanks everyone in advance.

Jason aka Horizonsman

 

[Chilly]

I say go for it! If you have the money then by having fewer guests you'll be spending less on feeding them and more on things you want for yourself.

I am having an Escape wedding at the WP with just 6 guests.

 

[polynesianbride]

I would go with the Escape package! You will still be able to have the WP but without all the minimums! Plus they are letting Escape brides customize more and more through "upgrades"- you can even have small private receptions now, talk to your planner and see what your options would be with an Escape wedding!

 

[Wish on a Star]

I am going to have to agree with the people above! Escape wedding could be a great option for you! You could have the ceremony at the Pavilion, and take beach pictures after the ceremony (since she loves the beach).

And of course you could save the money you would have spent, or you could use some of it on photoshoots at EPCOT and the Magic Kingdom or a Dessert Party!

We are having an Escape wedding next week, and it has been the easiest wedding I think anyone has ever heard of! I made all of the choices, and customized it to my liking and now I feel like I get to show up and be a guest at my own wedding!

Good luck!

 

[Sweetsus]

I agree with everyone - go for it! Its what you both want. Maybe look at doing a rough budget for both an Escape wedding and a Wishes wedding with EVERYTHING you want - even luxuries like Cinderella's carriage that may have been out of your budget before. You might surprise yourself and meet the Wishes minimum (especially with Disney prices!). Talk to your planner. I know my planner was very helpful with getting estimates for me. Some of the upgrades you want for an Escape package might work out better for you in a Wishes package.

A little word of warning too - double check that you will only have those numbers. I was expecting about 20-25 people MAXIMUM for our wedding and now we're edging closer to 50! We're only finding this out now as people have received their Save the Dates from Disney and are booking flights and accom. Your friends and family might surprise you.

Good luck with the planning. I hope it all goes well for you! Definitely go with a Disney wedding either way!

 

[girli565]

I also agree with everyone who mentioned that an Escape wedding would be perfect for you! YOu can still get the Wedding Pavilion and then a small intimate reception at a restuarant or even a ballroom. And much less than 12k

 

[lurkyloo]

I agree with Sweetsus. The thing that's sticking out to me is this:

My fiancee continued with her mom and also found out that when we do have our wedding that only her mom, dad, sister and two kids will be coming.

Have you actually talked to these people to find out what they think? Her mom seems to be making a sweeping statement from her own perspective. We got this too from a certain family member who declared - without actually speaking to anyone - that "no one" from that side of the family would be able to come. In reality, when they heard about our plans, they were all clamoring to come!

I wouldn't give up on your dream based on one conversation with someone who seems to be prejudiced against the idea without knowing very much about it...

 

[tommymomo]

i can tell you from when I started planning my wedding, i spoke to my planner about the possibility of having to change my wishes wedding to an escape. As long as it isnt too close to the date it shouldnt be a problem. Plan the wedding how ever you think you want it, send out the save the dates/invites, and if only a few people decide to come no big deal. just downsize the wedding. Either way do what ever makes the two of you happy.
good luck.