Reception ideas/advise

[babystar]

Im hoping someone could pass on thier wisdom with regards to receptions!!
I am planning my Disney wedding for Sep 2008. I am having a intimate wedding and I would like to get one of the early ceremony times.(here comes the list of questions)

Obviously I can only have 18 guests attend my ceremony but I will have more guests comming to Orlando to attend the family celebration (they will be comming from the UK) I would really like to have a reception at mid day for all of my family which would be approx 30 (including the guests that attended the ceremony) Could anyone recommend somewhere that we could have a plated lunch pref in a private room that is not too pricey (it doesn't have to be a Disney venue)

Also does anyone know of anything that I could do that evening,I love the idea of the illumination cruises but I want to include all 30 guests and I know that they have number restrictions!

Sorry for the long thread but I seem to have come to a dead end!!!

 

[JaxTeach]

You will get different answers depending on who you ask, who your planner is, etc.

We are having 18 guests at our ceremony. We are having more than that at our wedding dinner and dessert party. We are semi-locals and most of our friends can't make it to our wedding at 2:30pm given the proximity to Christmas. Everyone is going to come to dinner and the DP later in the evening.

We are having our dinner at the Sonoma Room at the California Grill. It's not cheap, but I think it is going to be wonderful. The minimum is $2000 for dinner. With 30 people, you will easily hit that number with food & beverage. We're just doing dinner and the soda package (no alcohol) and we've hit $2000 with less than 30. We're having our DP at the UK Upper which will easily seat 30 people.

There are lots of places in Downtown Disney that will come in for less than $2000. We had to have a private room. Our wedding day is also my 30th birthday so we splurged a bit. I wanted to see Wishes! and Illuminations: RoE on my wedding night!

 

[Janet2k]

Obviously I can only have 18 guests attend my ceremony but I will have more guests comming to Orlando to attend the family celebration (they will be comming from the UK) I would really like to have a reception at mid day for all of my family which would be approx 30 (including the guests that attended the ceremony) Could anyone recommend somewhere that we could have a plated lunch pref in a private room that is not too pricey (it doesn't have to be a Disney venue)

Babystar, I see that JaxTeach has given you pretty much the exact same suggestions that I was going to give you (great minds think alike!).

There are a couple of private dining rooms that might be able to handle your party besides the CA Grill. One that comes to mind is the Animal Kingdom Lodge's Jiko Wine Room. I believe it seats 40 people. There is a minimum food & beverage requirement, and since I'm not sure what it is currently, I don't dare post it. But a call to the restaurant should easily answer that question for you.

The Grand Floridian's Victoria & Albert's restaurant has a private room that sometimes is bookable. I think the head-count limit is around 20 or 25 people, though, so it might be too small for your party. There is a minimum food & beverage requirement for this room. Again, contact the restaurant directly to see what your dining options are. It's a wonderful restaurant and provides for a very memorable meal.

Narcoossees at the Grand Floridian does not have a private room; however, many wedding couples have enjoyed group meals there. Give the restaurant a call to find out what their rules are. It's another wonderful restaurant with good food.

Since I'm on the subject of the Grand Floridian, in the past some wedding couples have hosted private teas in the Gardenview Tea Room. If this interests you, contact the Gardenview Tea Room directly to see if they're still offering a private dining option.

The Portobello Yacht Club at Downtown Disney can usually accommodate large parties. I don't know if they have a private room, though. Contact the restaurant directly to get further information.

Fulton's Crab House at Downtown Disney does have private rooms. From what I understand, they can accommodate various party sizes. Of course, like the rest of the restaurants with private rooms, there will be food & beverage minimums that must be met. Contact the restaurant directly for further information.

Also does anyone know of anything that I could do that evening,I love the idea of the illumination cruises but I want to include all 30 guests and I know that they have number restrictions!

Your best bet would be to book an Epcot or Disney Studios dessert party. Those are very cost-effective events and always seem to be such a hit with everyone. Definitely look into it.

Another option is to reserve a couple of boats for a Wishes or Illuminations cruise. This is somewhat difficult to do, though, but it has been done by some wedding couples in the past.

If your guest list were smaller, I would recommend the Grand Floridian's Grand 1 yacht for a Wishes cruise. It's really a lovely way to view the fireworks. I'm not sure what the head-count limit is, but last year our cruise was capped at 10 people (because we had food & beverages served aboard). I think Disney received a new boat this year and it might accommodate more guests. Contact Disney to see about this.

I hope this helped. No matter how you choose to celebrate, I hope you have a lovely FTW wedding!

 

[Janet2k]

Just thought I'd mention that the California Grill has two private dining rooms. I believe the Napa Room seats up to 50 people while the Sonoma Room seats up to 40 people. Both rooms have minimum food & beverage fees.

There is also a section of the main restaurant that supposedly can be used for private functions. I believe that food & beverage minimums apply. Contact the restaurant directly for further information.