Non-traditional Weddings at Disney

[BirdyGirl85]

So, has anyone had a very different kind of wedding at Disney? On an official page about Disney weddings, it says:

"For couples looking for a more non-traditional destination wedding, Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings offers themed weddings -- from an enchanting Cinderella-like Wedding in the Magic Kingdom® Park or a Hollywood extravaganza in Disney's Hollywood Studios™ to international-themed nuptials at Epcot® and a safari-themed reception at Disney's Animal Kingdom® Park."

(I was going to post a link to the page I got that quote from, but I can't post a link in my thread until I make 10 posts.) Anyways, what I highlighted in bold is what I would love to do. You see, my fiance and I actually met on a Lion King message board in 2003, met up in person in 2005, and it's been true love. We have been together for over 4 years. The Lion King is our favorite Disney movie, and it means so much to us because we met each other through our love of this movie. I also love Disney theme parks and my dream is to get married at one. But most of all I would want a Lion King themed wedding. So can Disney do this for a wedding? I am trying to find Disney weddings people have had that are really non-traditional like this, but it's hard for me to find anything. I can't find any examples on the official Disney Wedding website. Is this because these kind of weddings are rare? Is this too extreme for Disney to do? Of course I don't know if we could ever afford something like this, but I can dream... I don't think Escape Weddings would ever make a special themed wedding like this, right? And actually I wouldn't mind doing a wedding like this at Disneyland, as I live closer to Disneyland then Disneyworld, but Disneyworld is awesome as well, plus it has Animal Kingdom, which would great for my guests to go to as we want a Lion King themed wedding. I don't think Disney has any kind of Lion King wedding cake toppers, but I would like to make one out of this nice figure we have of adult Simba and Nala. (Again I was going to post a link to the picture, but I can't...) And maybe I would walk down the aisle to Can You Feel the Love Tonight... Anyways, I would love to hear stories about any weddings at Disney that are non-traditional like this, because I really want to do a Lion King themed wedding and I'm not sure it's possible.

 

[Cleofish]

Hey there. I hink the most important thing with Disney is to ask. I've not heard of anyone getting married in Animal Kingdom, but that's not to say it won't happen. If you want a Lion King themed wedding I'd put money on Disney being able to arrange that for you. We're going for a non-tradition wedding with an Alice-in-Wonderland twist, but we're using the WP to enhance the Victoriana of the theme. I would definately ring Disney weddings and see what they say. Above all though, good luck, and let us know how you get on!!!! (Don't forget to post lots of piccies!!)

 

[MainStMandy]

From the information I got, there are no ceremonies at AK, but you can have a reception.

Unless I misread the information my WC sent me, the reception is only 1 1/2 long! And to top it off, you are kinda dependent on the park hours. So let's say the park is SCHEDULED to close at 5 and you have you reception at 7...then the park hours get changed...so does your reception. It seemed beatiful but not for us.

If you pm me your email, I can send you what my WC sent to me about it.

 

[rcortese711]

You can have a reception at AK. We're going for the unique wedding as well and was contemplating having it at AK, as it's our favorite park. They checked the availability and said it's definitely do-able to have it after park hours. So if it closes at 5pm, add an hour for the clean up crew, then you'll have the reception. I guess they have had a couple wedding at the Flame Tree BBQ on the outside terrace before as well as at the Tusker House courtyard area.

We even asked about keeping Expedition Everest open for an hour for our guests. Disney gave us the OK to do it. So basically, if it's in your budget, Disney will do it. We ended up opting not to go with AK but I'm sure you're wedding will look fabulous there!

 

[CharacterFan]

Someone last year had their wedding/reception at Animal Kingdom. Roots did the photography and did a post in their blog about it. They held it all after park close.
Here it is:
http://rootphotography.blogspot.com/2009/02/ashley-jeremy-wedding.html

Note: Disney now has a rule that if it's held in a park, you have to use Disney for your photography.

 

[Sarah <3 Disney]

What beautiful photos! That would be so neat with a Lion King theme (it is also my favorite Disney movie ). Hope everything works out!

 

[lurkyloo]

There have been both ceremonies and receptions inside Animal Kingdom.

Availability all depends on what park management will let Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings do, and it seems to change all the time. As previous posters have said, you just need deep pockets and persistence when speaking with DFTW. They're not crazy about doing events at locations they can't control (like the parks), but if they know you're serious and have the cash, you can make it happen.

 

[BirdyGirl85]

Thank you everyone for the info you gave so far!

I would get a hold of Disney to ask these questions, but since there is no way I can afford to pay for this kind of wedding now, I'm kind of afraid to call and that they wont take me seriously.

MainStMandy, I tried to PM you my email address, but I can't send PMs yet. (Sorry to say but this feature this place has is annoying. I have never been to a message board where you have to make a certain amount of posts before you can do normal message board functions)

Wow rcortese711, that is awesome! Would you mind if I asked how much your wedding is going to be? And how much extra it is costing you to keep a ride open for your guests? Just because I don't think we would be doing that, but it's neat to know.

I should of used the search button for looking for information I was looking for. A member called Lisacope, said she had her reception at the Festival of the Lion King! Wow! I have to get a hold of of her/him once I can send PMs. I hope she/he finds my topic and post in it. I would love to see pictures...

 

[Sarah <3 Disney]

It looks like Lisa started a TR about her vow renewal, but has been MIA for a couple of months. Here is the start with some pictures of the Festival of the Lion King:

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1530992&page=14

Maybe you should message her and ask her to finish.

 

[polynesianbride]

I would defianately atleast look into what your options are. I think you could pull it off even without going all out and having everything in the park and renting Everest and everything... it would be really cool though.

I know I have seen a thread with the ceremony at Animal Kingdom- I think this used to be one of the standard site options but that at certain times the site smelled like, well... the animals so they stopped.

Even if you don't do the ceremony in the park I think you could easily do a Lion King theme with a reception at Jiko- which I believe has a private room for parties. People have had welcome dinners there... so I would guess it's somewhat affordable.

You can also do an Animal Kingdom photoshoot instead of an MK photoshoot. This is done before the park opens and has to be with Diseny photographers. I think the price is the same.

Good luck! I think it would be an awesome theme and if you get creative I think you can keep to a budget! I'll search around and see if I can find any of this for you!

 

[rpmdfw]

Our wedding was about as non-traditional as they come!


And our ceremony location was the Adventurers Club!

 

[smhogar]

I am actually having my ceremony at Shades of Green and then doing a Disney Catered Event at Animal Kingdom, the Sunset Safari and Dinner. Animal Kingdom closes at 7 and we will be on the last safari of the evening. Then we are going to the Tamu Tamu courtyard for an africian theme buffet. Since I am not going through DFTW, I cannot wear a bridal gown or veil and carry a bouquet in the parks. But that is ok with me.

 

[Knelson85]

Our wedding was about as non-traditional as they come!


And our ceremony location was the Adventurers Club!

That's an amazing idea!!!! It is closed now though, right?

 

[rpmdfw]

That's an amazing idea!!!! It is closed now though, right?

Sadly, it is indeed closed to the public. But they are still renting it out for banqets, etc.

 

[IrishLily]

DF and I also wanted to do something outside the norm. We tried the Animal Kingdom but the restrictions just made it too hard. We didn't want to have to wait until the week of the wedding to all of a sudden find out that the festivities wouldn't be able to start until 2 hours later than we'd hoped. That's just a lot of switching around, especially for your guests who may already be confused as it is in Disney. Here is what our planner said:

"As you know, we don't usually hold ceremonies at Animal Kingdom and if we do we would usually hold them in Tamu Tamu Courtyard. But your group size is too large for Tamu Tamu so the Animal Kingdom team had to scout out some locations for you. The main thing with Animal Kingdom is that we are not allowed to effect the day guests who are enjoying the park and also that we are not allowed to interfere with the animals. So here is what I got for possibilities:

-6:00pm ceremony in Pocahontas Theater

- 6:30pm ceremony in Festival of the Lion King

- 6:30pm ceremony at Conservation Station

- 7:00pm ceremony at Harambe Street (in front of the doors to Tamu Tamu)

There is a stipulation that if you have your ceremony at Animal Kingdom you must also have your pre-reception there so that you have some type of food and beverage event. You would need to spend $10-$20 per person on your food and beverage, depending on what your final guest count turns out to be. You would also be charged the $1500 ceremony fee and would need to provide some type of entertainment and sound system, similar to Sea Breeze Point.

There is one major thing I need to point out and that is that the park hours are subject to change at any time. So it is something you really need to take into consideration before deciding on Animal Kingdom for the ceremony. The park hours can change at any time, including the week of your wedding."

Just an FYI we are having a 75 person wedding, so then your venue choices may be different from mine.

Hope this helps!

 

[rcortese711]

We haven't been to our planning session yet (that will be in December) but have been pricing everything with our wedding planners here in Chicago to try to get a grasp on digits. We have a budget of $35k for the whole wedding, but with our guest list being so big, most of it is going to be dedicated for food and beverage.

Well, we first had wanted to keep Everest open for an hour if we had a reception there. For an hour, they quoted us $7000. We then were toying with having the reception at Hollywood Studios in the Star Wars terrace (we're HUGE fans) and keeping Star Tours open for an hour. That ride was quoted at $5000 for an hour. In the end, we decided on the Odyssey Pavilion in EPCOT and to keep no ride open. We can use the extra money for more food.

Don't feel afraid to call Disney! Disney is very flexible. It all depends on what's important to you. For me, decorations were everything but couldn't ignore the food (we're Italian...). And if you do find Disney to be a bit out of the budget, you can still have a themed wedding at your local zoo with Lion King tones. But seriously, give Disney a call!! They will definitely work with you.