renew vows?

[mouseslave]

hey everyone,

Our 10 year aniversary is in April of 06, and I was thinking about somehow surprising my wife with renewing our vows with the mouse.
As you can probably tell by my tag lines I was a castmember for years in the disney stores and now still employed there, but I just lost all that was precious to me about my job.(perks/discounts/guest service in the store)So we have been there numerous times and actually write itineries for quite a few friends/family. The planning part is not a big deal! The part that scares me the most is could I pull it off without her knowing.(and the price now that I dont have my cm discount)Has anyone renewed there vows and how much did you spend? I know well that all depends on where did you stay, how long did you stay , how many people went with you? etc....
I am looking for suggestions and comments of all nature and rough ideas of costs!

Yes i did do a little searching for some ideas onm how much, but mostly did not find renew packages. I dont feel the need for a full blown ceremony with 75-100 guests. I don't even know how many people I would want to come.

Thank-you to all who want to share.

I help keep the magic alive in my store on a daily basis by assisting aprox. 375 guests per weekday and up to 1250 on weekends. And know I beg for your help? My wife deserves the best I can give her(with what we can afford!)

So please anything will help( suggestion,idea,past experience)

again thanx

 

[evedein]

Mouseslave, you have a PM.

 

[disneydreamer98]

What a great husband!!!! Would you like my DH's email address before our 10th anniversary???

 

[ead79]

Can you tell me about how many people you want to attend? The reason I ask is this:

Disney treats its vow renewals exactly the same way it treats its weddings. Any info you can find about a Disney wedding would apply the same way to a vow renewal. There are two basic types of vow renewals: Intimate and Custom.

Intimate vow renewals are limited to 8 people total (but can be increased to a maximum of 12 people for an additional charge). They are a package type of arrangement, meaning that while you will have a little flexibility (like choosing what flowers you like and what cake flavors you prefer), your choices are limited in exchange for a much lower cost. Intimate vow renewals include a ceremony followed by a cake and champagne reception. There is no reception with an Intimate. You are free to arrange dinner plans for your group after your renewal, but this would be at a regular restaurant, not a reception location. Intimate vow renewals include hotel accommodations and tickets, but you can purchase what is known as an “Intimate add-on” if you do not need accommodations and/or tickets. Since there are so many ways to get discounted rooms, this can be a less expensive option (since Intimate packages are booked at rack rates). I’m not 100% sure about the pricing, but I believe that Intimate add-ons at outdoor locations are $2300+ and Intimate add-ons at the Wedding Pavilion are $3100+.

Custom vow renewals have no limit on the number of guests. Just as the name implies, they are completely customizable events from menu choice to flower choice, etc. The only limit would be your own budget. Custom vow renewals include a ceremony followed by a pre-reception, then a reception with a meal. There are minimum expenditures for Custom events—there is a $10,000 overall minimum (plus tax and gratuity) for weekday events, a $15,000 overall minimum for events on Friday or Sunday, and a $20,000 overall minimum for events on Saturdays. Anything you purchase from Disney and use on your wedding day counts toward this minimum (food, beverage, floral, entertainment, transportation, cosmetology, photography, videography, etc.). Additionally, there are minimum expenditures on food/beverage. These vary by time of day and by venue choice, but range between $75-$125 per head minimum (plus tax/gratuity). This food minimum does count towards your overall minimum. Custom brides/grooms get one night of free accommodations at the Disney resort of your choice, but the rest of the accommodations expense is up to you. Tickets are not included, but can be purchased at special wedding discounted rates. Additionally, you must meet a minimum number of room bookings. This number varies with your guest list size, but it’s generally not difficult to meet.

Hope this helps!

 

[CinderellaIam]

Congratulations on your anniversary. What you want to do for your wife is very sweet. I am in the process of helping my brother in law do exactly what you want to do. He's surprising my sister with a WDW vow renewal during what she thinks is just a vacation with the extended family!

My first step was to research the www.disneyweddings.com and www.yourfairytale.com websites. They were loaded with information. After that I put in a call to Disney Fairy Tale Weddings and started the ball rolling. They have been wonderful to work with and are experienced in these surprise vow renewals.

The previous poster had the pricing right for these events. If these are too expensive for you, I learned on the www.yourfairytale.com site that you can also do a vow renewal at the Swan/Dolphin resorts for about half the price. You can do this by contacting those resorts directly.

Good Luck!

 

[mouseslave]

eve: thanks a million

dd 98: I am by far not as good as i sound!! im ok but not what i should be
give me address ill see what i can do.lol

ead: wow great advice, thanks so much fairytales seeme to be a great place to start.

cindy: swan/dolph are my two favorite places to stay location is awesome and don shulas is my favorite rest.

you guys are all awesome
but ill still take any other suggestions
like how to get my wife measured w/out her knowing? I want her to use her original dress. She spent so long trying to find it. It was beautifull, and she loved it so much,and she looked so awsome in it. Seems a waste to have only worn it once.

I am thinking I am gonna tell her we are going down me for work and that she is going to be with my girls alone most of the time. And then tell her we have a cocktail party and that tds is paying for a dress that she has to be measured up here for?

I am not sure yet?

 

[Grumpy126]

Sounds like fun! When you renew your vows are Mickey and Minnie present during the ceremony?

 

[952LisaR]

Not the ceremony but you can have them at the reception for an extra fee (approx $700 for just Mickey and a little less than $1100 for Both Mickey and Minnie).

 

[tinkerbela]

i already told my husband that if we renew our vows, i want to do it in WDW. i hope he does the same thing that you are doing. it is going to be hard to plan a surprise vow renewal ceremony without your DW knowing about it. you're gonna have to think of someone who will take your disney mail or make arrangements to get the disney mail for the vow renewal to not draw suspiciouns with your wife. as far as the guests, just invite immediate family and maybe a close friends. but that's up to you. you can have as little as just you, your wife and kids there. you have come to the right place for all the help you can get.

 

[Grumpy126]

Thanks, sounds like big bucks for the whole package.

 

[BCVOwner2002]

We were just at WDW June 4-11 and I told DH that I want to renew our vows for our 25th wedding anniversay in 5 years. We are going on a Disney cruise this year for our 20th. Thanks for posting some information. I wasn't sure how far in advance people need to make reservations for vow renewals. I think I will contact Disney on Monday for further information. Since we are DVC owners we wouldn't need accommodations. Annmarie

 

[mouseslave]

Not the ceremony but you can have them at the reception for an extra fee (approx $700 for just Mickey and a little less than $1100 for Both Mickey and Minnie).

I will be definately getting some characters! I know for sure m&m are available but I think I want cindy to be her maitron of honor. There is a way I am sure of it.

 

[mouseslave]

OK ground work has been laid. Here is my plan so far
I have a conference during the week of our anniversary. (wink) I will tel her there is an awards banquet that we have to go to while we are there. I will reccomed that her parents come(they will be in on it).Also gonna have the in laws take the kids home 3 or 4 days before we go home!

This is tough!!!

 

[hmgolden]

Just FYI - Disney is VERY strict on their 'no characters at the wedding' policy. I believe only the Major Domo and the English Butler are allowed, and even then, they are only there to deliver the rings if you choose.

I think what you are doing for your wife is so sweet! There is another husband who is on the board occasionally, Peter1706 who is planning a surprise VR for his wife. You many want to PM him and pick his brains for some ideas. Good luck keeping it a surprise!

 

[mouseslave]

thank-you hm
ill give him a note later, and as far a characters goe I think I have something in the works, not sure if it is going to work,so i do not want to say anything yet. The only thing I am going to say is we know a few people