Rehearsal Dinner

[Terrin4571]

We are thinking of inviting all of our guest (about 25 ppl) to dinner on the evening before our wedding. We are already having a dessert party on our wedding night at Epcot. Can anyone suggest locations or venues for our dinner? Would it be better to rent a location, and if so, does anyone know if that would be cost effective?

As always.. thanks in advance for the advice.

 

[DisneyBride2014]

I don't have any insight on renting a venue but if you are also open to just making reservations at a restaurant, we went with 'Ohana. We had 20 people at ours so it was around the same size. Everyone had a variety of choices but it was a set price. We also offered to pay for everyone's first two drinks of their choice (we just told everyone when we sat down and let our server know ahead of ordering). They were able to combine a bunch of tables into one long row so we all were able to sit together. We both also bought tables in wonderland ahead of the meal so we were able to use the 20% discount for the bill total. I don't remember the exact total but I'm pretty sure we were able to keep it under $1,000.

 

[elphie101]

Generally speaking (especially with ~25 people) it tends to be more cost effective to make a large reservation versus having a private catered event, but ultimately it's all up to your budget and the kind of dinner you're looking to have. Is this going to take place immediately after the wedding rehearsal? Think about where that will be taking place, because everyone will have to schlep to your dinner location after.

If it's the Wedding Pavilion/Grand Floridan ballrooms, Ohana's is a pretty popular large-party choice, or perhaps taking the boat over to Wilderness Lodge/For Wilderness for Whispering Canyon Cafe/Hoop Dee Doo respectively if you're looking for a more lively atmosphere. I think The Wave over at Contemporary also has at least a semi-private room, and I've heard nothing but phenomenal things about the menu.

If it's Sea Breeze Point/Yacht Club Gazebo/Yacht Club ballrooms, Big River Grille, Captain's Grille & Trattoria Al Forno are close and I think Trattoria also has a semi-private area. Some people also find venturing over to the Swan & Dolphin proves to be the best for them.

@Seia recently had a private catered event at Ariel's at Beach Club for a smaller number of guests, so her report/opinions can definitely cover that area (I also highly recommend Ariel's but we had a much larger number of people!)

 

[Seia]

We ended up having 28 (of the 36 wedding guests) at our Welcome Lunch at Ariel's. We used two Roman style tables rather than rounds. The space was definitely open, but it didn't feel too large. There was a lot of room for the buffet and a separate dessert table. You can see some photos in my TR (as well as my BEO for the cost). It may have been cheaper to have a large reservation at a restaurant, but since we did lunch, the minimum for Ariel's was lower. Plus, I liked the idea of having a buffet and a private space. We considered 'Ohana, but we had some picky eaters and the logistics would have made it much more difficult. Since our rehearsal was at Sea Breeze Point, something in the Boardwalk area was much easier.

The Attic is such a beautiful space. For your group size, I might consider a catered meal there as an option. We had our reception there, so we needed something different for our rehearsal meal, but I absolutely LOVE that venue.