Reception locations with view of "something Disney"

[iceshotkid]

Hi All - my fiancé and I are new here, but we're definitely not new to Disney. I proposed to her in October in front of the castle and now we're looking to get married in Disney.
I'm having trouble finding the perfect fit in terms of a location. Ideally I would want something that fits ~75 people, is at night, allows entertainment (music), and has a view of "something Disney". As I'm sure you all know, Disney doesn't allow entertainment in ANY outdoor location on property. I want my guests to feel like they're in Disney rather than in some random catering hall somewhere.
I really love the idea of the Napa and Sonoma rooms in Contemporary, but they're too small for my party and from what I understand booking both of them wouldn't really work out because they're not really close to one another.

From looking around the msg boards I think my best option would be to either do the cocktail hour or a desert party in a prime outdoor location, and then move everyone to the reception in a ballroom type setting.
Suggestions???

THANKS!
Frank and Jenn

 

[lurkyloo]

Well, if your group gets down to 60, you could use American Adventure Parlor for the reception and have your pre-reception or a dessert party out in one of the pavilions during IllumiNations with a view of Spaceship Earth. That's pretty Disney!

More expensive ($2K venue fee, $4.5K food and beverage minimums) but bigger (there's a 60-guest minimum) is Great Hall of China, which would easily accommodate your party and also put you in the middle of Epcot.

If you have money to burn ($250 venue rental + $8K food and beverage minimum) Bistro de Paris would be perfect: It's close to a fireworks viewing area and everything.

Outside of Epcot... If the BoardWalk says "Disney" to you, how about Atlantic Dance Hall? You can see the high fireworks from IllumiNations there. Or... let's see, most of the venues at Animal Kingdom are outdoors, but if it's after the park has closed (and it usually closes pretty early) you should be able to get away with dancing somewhere like Maharajah Jungle Trek...

Also, the Napa Room and the Sonoma Room aren't *that* far apart—they're just across the hall from each other. If you were trying to keep half your party in each, that wouldn't work, though, I guess. Unless you're cool with the idea of one room being for dancing and the other being for quiet conversation.

 

[lurkyloo]

Also, what are you looking for in terms of entertainment? Because a lot of the outdoor locations DO allow musicians that fit the theme, they just don't allow DJs and dancing. For example, you can have strolling musicians on Italy Isola. They don't really play loud enough that day guests can hear, and they fit the theme anyway so it doesn't matter.

Or were you thinking more of character appearances?

 

[iceshotkid]

I think we'd want a traditional type DJ / live band for the reception. I don't remember if I read that Epcot will allow you to have your own music in their indoor locations (I think it's ok). I thought the America location was a min of 100 actually?
I don't love the boat hall. It's cool because it has that outside area on the water though.

I actually really really liked what I saw online from Rix lounge over at Coronado springs. The drawback there is that it's not managed by Disney weddings.

I don't think the site rental fee would be an issue for us if we found the perfect spot.

In terms of picking out a location and booking with Disney: We're looking at next Aug for a wedding date. Do you know if Disney is really strict about the 12 mo reservation / hold timeline, or will they hold a location 16 mo out? I'd like to come for a site visit in July, but if they start unofficially holding space for people at 16 mo i need to get down there sooner.

THANKS!!!

 

[tinkerbell 766]

Hi and welcome to the boards!!
Carrie (LurkyLoo) is our wonderful weddings 'guru' and author of the 'Passporter's Guide to Disney Weddings', so I am sure any advice she gives will be excellent and totally up-to-date.
I am sure DFTW is pretty strict on their times for the holding of venues, but I believe that they can 'pencil you in' earlier than 12 months. If you use a location which is used by conferences, it's not unheard of to have to make room for one, even after you have been 'penciled in' though!!
I love the look of 'Rix Lounge' too!! Trouble is, it doesn't scream 'Disney' at you does it?
Good luck and happy planning!!

 

[DixieBelle]

What about Living Seas Salon with a dessert party? What is more Disney than a scuba diving mickey mouse?

 

[iceshotkid]

The living seas looks interesting. I think I read that you can only use their tables of 6, but I suppose we could make that work.

I'm starting to really like the idea of a Grand Floridian reception with a dessert party at Saco Cay for the fireworks.

Any advice on how to find other people's pictures of their receptions / dessert party in an organized way? I've seen people's journals, but I don't know if they're organized in some way where I can search for what I'm looking for.

As for Rix lounge - I agree- it definitely doesn't scream Disney. To be honest, I think it's just that their web page is well put together with good pictures and music more than the location being perfect!

 

[lurkyloo]

I think we'd want a traditional type DJ / live band for the reception. I don't remember if I read that Epcot will allow you to have your own music in their indoor locations (I think it's ok).

It's OK.

I thought the America location was a min of 100 actually?

That's American Adventure Rotunda. American Adventure Parlor (upstairs) has a smaller capacity.

In terms of picking out a location and booking with Disney: We're looking at next Aug for a wedding date. Do you know if Disney is really strict about the 12 mo reservation / hold timeline, or will they hold a location 16 mo out?

They used to book you at 16 months if your locations were all in-park, but you had to wait til 12 months if you wanted the Wedding Pavilion or a convention center venue. Now they tell people 12 months is the earliest they can book. Maybe if all your locations were in-park they'd be able to book at 16 months like they used to.

 

[Ash8716]

We used Living Seas for our welcome dinner and it was a great location. You do have to use their tables but we also had 2 round tables of 10 brought in. We had 83 people. Everybody loved the location. It was really nice and not at all what I expected. There is also Atlantic Dance Hall which you could then head to EPCOT for a DP afterwards. You can see the EPCOT ball from the balconies. It is an awesome place if you are looking for a great party. There is a DJ booth already their and a great area for dancing.

 

[tracey1302]

How about one of the Isolas around the Epcot world showcase? They look pretty big, and would give you a beautiful view of the fireworks and Spaceship Earth