Secret agent Tink said:
Secret agent Tink , in regards to a few of your questions, I will share my experiences with you. I hope they help. Here goes...
What are the costs of the manicures and pedicures at the GF?
I have been a guest of the Grand Floridian Resort many times over the years. Sadly, I have never experienced their Spa. But here is a link that should answer your question: Grand Floridian Spa (Niki Bryan) - click here.
Is the Magic Kingdom wedding really worth it?
That is an extremely personal decision that only you and your future spouse can make. I will share my experiences with you.
When I was planning my vow renewal in 2004, I actually considered moving it over to the Magic Kingdom when I realized the kind of money that I was spending. I placed a call to the Fairy Tale Weddings folks and discussed the possibility of moving it from the Great Movie Ride to the Magic Kingdom. During that phone call, I learned that Magic Kingdom weddings/vow renewals were going to be discontinued in 2005. That meant that if I chose to take that route, I would be the last one to host a wedding/vow renewal inside the Magic Kingdom Theme Park for quite some time. Boy, that put a bit of pressure on me, and I experienced a few sleepless nights as I tried to decide what to do -- stick with the Great Movie Ride or move it over to Fantasyland.
Since I try to live my life without regrets, I weighed the pro's and con's of each location. I knew my guests would have a ball with the entertainment that was planned for them at the Great Movie Ride: Hollywood Producer, Gangsters, Cowfolks, Glinda the Good Witch, Pianist, Country & Western Band, Mickey Mouse, Handprint Ceremony, Outdoor Dance Party, Custom Kiss Goodnight Fireworks Display. What sort of entertainment would a Magic Kingdom party have, and would it be half as much fun as a Great Movie Ride party? Most importantly, which affair was better suited to the sort of memories that I had hoped to create?
As I mulled things over, I came to the realization that the Great Movie Ride was perfectly suited to my husband & my personalities. That event would give my family and our friends an evening that was filled with laughter, and so I chose to keep my vow renewal exactly as planned.
After having experienced the Great Movie Ride event, I can honestly say that I have no regrets with my decision to host my dinner party there. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. But that is me. Each wedding/vow renewal couple must make that personal decision for themselves. They need to follow their hearts.
Should I do the honeymoon package?
I never had a honeymoon (but would have loved to have had one). Look closely at the Honeymoon Package that is offered and decide if it is what you want. If it is, then consider booking it. If it isnt, then book everything separately and tailor your plans to your needs.
What dinner package?
Menu choices are personal choices that only you and your future spouse can make. Believe me, Disney has plenty of menu selections to share with you. Please consider including at least one of your favorite items in whatever menu you select. It will make your menu a little more personal and a little more memorable.
I had a custom vow renewal and my dinner package was personally created for me. I should probably stop right here and share a link with you. I wrote in great detail about the planning of my vow renewal. My trip report is posted on the Dis Trip Reports Board: click here to read it. Now, if you go to this page click here and look for the post entitled, Why Do Four-Letter Words Cause Me The Biggest Headaches? you will see a few menus that I considered for my dinner party. You will also see the menu that was custom-tailored for my event. Further on in my trip report (I dont know what page its on), you will read about the Menu Tasting portion of my Planning Session, and in that post are links to photos of the food that was prepared for me. I had a ball at my Planning Session and the food was scrumptious.
Do the mad hatter tables look good?
The ones that I have seen in the photos look lovely colorful and festive. You need to decide on a color scheme for your wedding and then see if you can incorporate it into your linen package. For my own vow renewal, Disney tailored my linen package for each of the venues that were used: Gangster Area, Western Area, Land of Oz Area, Sorcerers Hat Icon Area. They did a perfect job in each of the venues. Dont be afraid to rely on their expertise. I know that I did and they did not steer me wrong.
What's up with the Great Movie Ride reception?
Im not sure what sort of information youre seeking. I have two threads on the Dis Trip Reports Board regarding my Great Movie Ride party, perhaps theyll help answer your questions:
My Fairy Tale Weddings Vow Renewal Trip Planning Session (click here)
My Magical Fairy Tale Weddings Vow Renewal Vacation (click here)
I need to note that neither of those trip reports is finished (I hope to do so one of these days).
What do they mean by "style" of the officiants?
Choosing an officiant can either be an easy or a difficult task for you. It sometimes is a very personal decision, but not always so, since it depends upon how strong your religious beliefs are.
For me, my Number One Priority was that a woman would perform my ceremony (I wrote about this in my Planning Session Trip Report). A man performed my ceremony the first time around and I thought it would be nice to have a woman perform it the second time around.
I was fortunate that the only woman on Disneys list was available for the date of my vow renewal. My husband and I exchanged e-mail messages with her and spoke with her on the telephone. We liked her instantly and were happy that she was willing to perform our ceremony. I should note that the ceremony that she put together was perfect it wasnt too long and it wasnt too short. It was just right. She also peppered it here and there with our personal story. My husband actually got teary-eyed during the ceremony, and I did too. We have no regrets with the officiant that we chose.
Had I not been able to secure a female officiant, I would have chosen a Rabbi. No, we are not Jewish; my husband and I are both Catholic. However, due to the stance of the Diocese in Orlando, Priests were not allowed to perform ceremonies on Disney property.
Since I had read many wonderful things about the ceremonies that had been performed by the Rabbis on Disneys list, I thought selecting one would be perfect for us. If we had gone down that path, I had plans for us to begin learning the Jewish faith so that the ceremony would hold more significance for us. I thought it would be a wonderful way to not only learn more about another faith but to also bring a greater understanding of the world around us into our lives. A part of me is sad that we didnt get to take that path.
Do they give you the wedding cake?
For a custom wedding/vow renewal, a cake is optional. It used to be a standard item for an intimate wedding/vow renewal but I dont know what the rules are for 2006.
As for my own vow renewal, I chose to have mini-cakes served at my dinner party. I wrote about this in my Planning Session Trip Report, and if you read it, youll find links to a few of the mini-cakes that I considered. If you want to see what was actually served at my dinner party, click here.
I hope my answers helped a little bit. Planning a wedding/vow renewal is one of the most personal things that you will ever do. I can honestly say that with a Fairy Tale Weddings wedding/vow renewal, the sky is the limit as to what you can plan. I know that I experienced the vow renewal of a lifetime. It was magical in every way and I had a lot of fun planning it. I hope you have just as much fun planning your own wedding.
