Reception Location HELP?

[elleinad16]

Hello ladies,

I've been reading a lot of information on these boards and have found it extremely helpful , however I've still been having nervous feelings about committing to a reception location and need some input.

My fiance and I are having a Wishes wedding in November 2011 for around 50-60 people. We've already been penciled in for the Wedding Pavilion at 2:30 and want a reception to follow immediately after. (We have a lot of children and elders who are going to want to pass out early So we can't wait for parks to close.)

We want to stay far away from ballroom locations as possible (Makes it feel like anywhere, not Disney). Also, we know there is a convention that same weekend and that all the locations in the Grand Floridian Convention Center are booked, (ballrooms, White Hall Room, etc.)

So here are some locations we were suggested to look into:

Atlantic Dance Hall-
My PROs: I like the idea of the upper and lower levels. How we can step outside on the balcony area for a pre-reception and then go downstairs for the dinner. I also like that we can dance, play music, party, etc.
My CONs: Seems a little dark for pictures, the decor is very strong, the space seems HUGE for just 50-60 people.

Living Seas Salon-
My PROs: I like the color scheme/more modern decor, location in EPCOT to possibly see Illuminations that night!!!
My CONs: Still seems dark in photographs, there don't seem to be a lot of fish in the tanks


Are there any other fun indoor sites that you brides recommend? DF really loved (and I mean LOVED ) Tamu Tamu, but due to time constraints it doesn't work well. Anything just as funky and unique like that?

 

[Kimmers127]

I'm having mine at Ariel's at the Beach Club hotel. I have about 50 guests, and I've seen pictures of a recent wedding that took place there with about that many guests and the space worked perfectly for that size. (It so frustrates me that I'm blanking on this bride's name because I would send you to look at her pictures!) I love Ariel's because it has some theming but it's pretty subtle, and it seems like a really well-lit space. (I'm also planning to leave the curtains open if possible to keep a view of the pool.) It's also easy to section off areas for different purposes. AND you can have a separate but very close by pre-reception at the Martha's Vineyard lounge. It's also in the BoardWalk area which is fun and has great atmosphere. I'm not sure I'd call Ariel's funky but it's definitely different.

I also really like the Animal Kingdom Lodge, so I had briefly toyed with a Jiko reception. (Not sure how many people that accomodates.) But the colors/atmosphere are much darker and I really wanted light and bright.

I do think the Living Seas is lovely but again, darker than I had in mind. And I had similar thoughts to yours on ADH.

 

[lurkyloo]

A lot of the ones I was going to suggest would work better if you had a midday or morning ceremony, like Narcoossee's and Citricos. There's also California Grill—but maybe a restaurant is too close to a ballroom for your taste.

You might also consider Hollywood Studios—the Backstage Prop Shop there can be used during park hours, as can Hollywood Hideaway (although it only holds up to 50 and is kinda... '80s-lookin'...)

And there's Dinosaur Lounge at Animal Kingdom, but it's kinda '90s-lookin'!

 

[*Pixiedust1438*]

I had a tough time choosing a reception location as well, and I also considered using LSS. We ended up choosing ADH. We are planning on having around 50-60 people as well, and it is a little big for that, but we are basically setting the whole reception up on the dance floor, so it makes it more intimate, and still leaves plenty of room for dancing. I love the fact that it has the balcony's over cresent lake, and if you are there during illuminations, you can even see the fireworks! I also really liked LSS, but ruled it out because I did not like the dance floors I have seen set up at other people's receptions, and the fact that the seating is kind of split up. However, we want a lot of dancing, and if this is not something that is super important to you, I think LSS is a awesome choice for a reception, it is so unique! A few others I really like are the Napa and Somona Rooms, and the Whitehall room and Patio (which is technically a ballroom, but it does not really look like one). We decided against these because with 50-60 people, the dance floor would have to be very small, and again we want a lot of dancing. Good Luck deciding!

 

[DisneyBride1207]

Lurkyloo - Do you have any more info about the: Hollywood Studios—the Backstage Prop Shop as a reception location...? I've never heard of that before! I bought the Passporter, but I don't remember seeing it! hheheh

 

[lurkyloo]

Try p. 77 of the most recent version!

Check out the Backstage Prop Shop, which has the advantage of being available during park operating hours. The venue rental fee is $300, and food and beverage minimums are $520 for lunch and $1,500 for dinner. The venue seats up to 100 people, but capacity decreases with the use of entertainment and a dance floor.

 

[DisneyBride1207]

I cant figure out how to update my book ...I swear I'm not stupid! hehehe

 

[Sarah <3 Disney]

Living Seas Salon-
My PROs: I like the color scheme/more modern decor, location in EPCOT to possibly see Illuminations that night!!!
My CONs: Still seems dark in photographs, there don't seem to be a lot of fish in the tanks

As a current Water Science Intern, I guarantee you there are LOTS of fish in the main tank! Those windows are not separate tanks, it is one massive, ~5.7 million gallon tank. They have lots of room to swim around! And don't forget the turtles, sharks, and stingrays!

And to re-download your guide, just log back into your account and click "View Order History." When you click the e-book, you will find a link to download it again. You will receive the most recent edition this way.

 

[erin.w]

Check out Citrico's as the location would be perfect after your WP ceremony! We are having our reception there in April 2011. Save the time and money on transporting your guests, as I don't think it's a far walk!

 

[ckpoodge]

Hi there.

We were having the same problem trying to decide where to have our reception after our favorite was ruled out (American Adventure - 100 people minimum). We have 75 people on the guest list, and we'll be lucky if we get 50 - 60 people.

We did not want the look of a ballroom - we could get that at home. So we took a site visit to both the Living Seas Salon and Atlantic Dance Hall. We went to LSS first, and while we were impressed, it would not have worked for us. The dance floor/DJ area was just way too small for any type of dancing/tossing around. It is also dark. Michelle Gilhooly said that the lights could be brought up a bit, but it still had all the dark wood. We also had the problem of divided seating - even with us sitting in the middle of the room, we would have people on the fringes of the areas to the left and right of us.

We then went to ADH, and totally fell in love with it! We toured in the early afternoon - right around the time of our reception. The windows are huge, and let in lots of natural light. We didn't even think we would like the area, but we LOVE it. For our reception, the upper area is going to be for our cocktail hour. The lower area is going to be for our reception/dancing, etc. I was concerned about it being too spread out, but Michelle said that 50 people wouldn't make it look too deserted.

We're only planning on having 2 tables on the dance floor (for the immediate families), as well as our sweetheart table and cake table. This way it leaves plenty of room for dancing. We're going to use the outside tables on the first floor for our guests.

I vote for ADH. Plus, you get the added benefit of a nightclub atmosphere, and you get the lighting package as part of your DJ. If your colors are in the blue range (ours is), you aren't going to have to do too much decorating either! Saves on the floral budget.

 

[puente0629]

Disney has added this great new site, which gives lots of info on different venue locations... http://disneyweddings.disney.go.com/weddings/florida/vsi

 

[princesswendy720]

According to the new Disney site you need a minimum of 150 people for ADH...it's a big blow to my wedding planning as well

I called them and someone confirmed it. I'm crossing my fingers for both of us that this is a big mistake and they'll let smaller groups use it still.

 

[elleinad16]

Thanks everyone! All of your suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Right now we're leaning towards the Atlantic Dance Club, but however with that new minimum everyone's worried about maybe I'll be having to search for venue #2.

 

[Lilo+Stitch]

We had ours at The Living Seas Salon on Aug 12th and we could not have been happier with it. We don't have our professional photos yet, but the photos people took are beautiful - not too dark at all.

There were a lot of fish. Also, there were divers that were interacting with us and our guests. Don't know what they were doing in there, but we were very glad they were floating around.

 

[DisneyBride1207]

Lilo&Stitch, do you have any photos at all you can post? or a link? I'd love to see more pics as we are having our reception in LSS sight unseen (other than a few photos and rave reviews of it!) Glad to hear you had such a great experience with it!

 

[kagsinbotley]

Hi Lilo+Stitch... Do you have any photos of your reception... im in love with LSS as a reception venue and really interested to see what people have done with the decor etc... thanks