Renewing Vows at Disney

[Nebraska_Disney]

My wife and I are considering a Disney trip with our 2 kids (15 and 12 when we go) and renewing our wedding vows for our 20th anniversary. We spent part of our honeymoon at Disney and really have become a "Disney Family" over the years. I would like to keep it simple and would really love doing this on the beach outside of Poly. How would we go about doing this? I'd like to have someone officiate it and a photographer to capture the moments and then dinner at Ohana. I doubt any other family would be there.

Would I have to go through Disney to do this our could I work with people in Orlando to take care of the service/flowers/photos on my own and just have them meet us at Poly?

I am sure there are many answers to these questions, but I wanted to hear from people who have done something similar or know how the "process" would work and costs.

One last detail, this would be in August 2016, so I have time to plan this

 

[lurkyloo]

Congratulations on your upcoming 20th anniversary! All weddings/vow renewals at the Disney resorts are supposed to be arranged through Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings. It sounds like their Memories Collection package would be perfect for your group size. Luau Beach between the Polynesian and the Wedding Pavilion is one of the three venues offered with Memories. The package comes with flowers and photography, and Disney gives you a list of local officiants you can hire at an additional charge.

You get the services of a wedding coordinator that day who meets you in the lobby and escorts you to the ceremony site. You get one hour of photography, the flowers, and either 3 hours of limo time or an in-room celebration gift basket. I've interviewed several couples who've done Memories events, and you can hear their stories HERE.

 

[Nebraska_Disney]

Yes, I know about the packages that Disney offers and wants you to use. Honestly that is way more than what we want/need and I wont get into how overpriced it is. What prevents me from hiring a photographer, getting flowers delivered, hiring an officiant and gathering with my wife and kids on the "beach" at Poly and doing this for a fraction of the cost on our own? I don't need a planner, I know what I need and the services I am seeking are readily available in the Orlando area.

My question is, has anyone done this or even looked into doing this on their own?

Thanks in advance.

 

[tinkerbell 766]

The problem is that you risk having a cast member come over during your ceremony, interrupting and asking you to leave.
Disney are very protective of their wedding business, and with an officiant, photographer and flowers, it will be very obvious what you are doing.
The hotel will be aware that yours is not an event arranged through DFTW, and may get a little tetchy about it.
I am not sure that all that nervousness about what could happen would be a good thing on your special day!!!

 

[Nebraska_Disney]

My wife would not be in a wedding gown, it would be very casual. I almost see it as being no different than hiring a photographer to come and photograph us at Poly before dinner at Ohana. We have done this before and had no problems. Is Disney going to kick you off their property for that? I'd guess not, especially if you are staying right there

 

[Lorelei528]

Here's the thing....you're asking this on a discussion board where everyone here has either gone through DFTW or is going through them now or planning to do so...abiding by Disney's rules and policies and also paying the cost that is involved.
You're probably not going to get many friendly or favorable responses asking if it's ok to not do so.

There are brides and grooms who pay a price to get married on the beach at The Poly and Disney does not look kindly upon guests going around their policies.

Personally I would never want to take the chance of being asked to leave, especially on a day that is supposed to be memorable and special.

Believe it or not, they also have a policy in place that allows outside photography on resort property, that is why you haven't had any issues. If that policy were to change, then that would also not be allowed.

 

[Nebraska_Disney]

That is why, in my first post, I asked if anyone had ever done this on their own. I am not planning a wedding and if it is too much of a hassle, there are other options. Comparing someone who wants to renew their vows to someone who is planning a full out wedding is complete opposite ends of the spectrum. I already paid for a wedding and don't want to do it again. I want a special moment with my wife and kids, that is it. There has to be other options that are not going to cost me $2500 for an hour of time. That has been the gist of my entire thread.

Since I have not looked, can you reference what Disney's policy is on weddings and how they spell out their "rules" ? Thanks in advance if you can post this.

 

[Lorelei528]

That is why, in my first post, I asked if anyone had ever done this on their own. I am not planning a wedding and if it is too much of a hassle, there are other options. Comparing someone who wants to renew their vows to someone who is planning a full out wedding is complete opposite ends of the spectrum. I already paid for a wedding and don't want to do it again. I want a special moment with my wife and kids, that is it. There has to be other options that are not going to cost me $2500 for an hour of time. That has been the gist of my entire thread.

Since I have not looked, can you reference what Disney's policy is on weddings and how they spell out their "rules" ? Thanks in advance if you can post this.

Disney considers Vow renewals as weddings. You say you're not planning a wedding, but you want someone to post the Disney policy on weddings, so that's confusing.
Also, the people posting here are VRs as well. Who again, just have the Memories Collection and do something small. That is what I'm planning for our 10 year vow renewal. We don't even have kids, and it will be just us two.

You can look into the Swan/Dolphin or perhaps something at DTD. If you're military, you can look into SoG, all of those locations are cheaper options that DFTW.

I'm sure others will post, maybe someone has a link to the policy. I know it has been posted in the past.

 

[tinkerbell 766]

My 'Disney' event was a VR at the Swan. I did not use DFTW because of the cost. My way round it was to use the Swan.
I was not being aggressive by posting my reply to you. Simply warning you of the pitfalls of a DIY event.
I wish you a lovely day, however you celebrate

 

[andeesings]

Or you could head to a public beach, perhaps early in the morning, or see if there are any other hotels in the area that do things. Like that.

I know Universal does things like that as well. Maybe they're a bit cheaper. But I wouldn't recommend just showing up with a photographer and an officiant. For Disney, it's business, they own the property and they control what goes on there. I might like some beautiful venues here where I live, but If they're not a public place I have to pay to get married there, I couldn't just show up with an entourage and expect to use it. Or I could, but I'd be risking getting booted off the grounds.

 

[HulaMinnie]

I've thought about this exact thing for my husband and I someday! I've planned a private event (not a wedding or vow-renewal) through Disney and it was very small and bare-bones, yet it cost us a lot of money. So, I love the sound of just doing it your own. It does sound like there is some risk involved, but since it might appear more like a photo session, you may not have an issue. Maybe you could get a friend to officiate and that would be even more inconspicuous. What about the long stretch of beach between the Polynesian and the Wedding Pavilion? There usually isn't anyone there. And who knows what new spots might be available after the Polynesian's renovations are all done!