Suggestions

[disbridemimi]

I am happily planning away, but cant seem to nail down an actual plan of attack. Its starting to make me crazy, but I am enjoying all of the daydreaming that goes along with the planning...I know whatever we choose we will have a good time and enjoy ourselves.


We are really trying to keep our TOTAL budget, including flights, hotel & attire to around 15K total. Any more than this will be putting ourselves into a little more debt that we would like to start off our blissfully happy life together. 20K is our "Scary number" that we want to stay away from. 10K would be ideal, and allow us to have a really nice honeymoon instead of a budget one.


We are sort of all over the place. Our guestlist is stuck between Escape and WIshes. To make Escape work, we have to cut out dates for our family members, and kids cant come to the ceremony. AWe might get lucky if enough people cant come, but thats some stress up to the weddng date

Here is where I am at:



Option 1:

Wishes Wedding (25 guests will prob come)
12000- minimum (mk shoot, dp, food, site, cake, etc)
3120 in just taxes/fees/ gratuities
we are already at 15120
we would have to skip outside photog & video, so wed use DPS for photos and just skip videos to make the minimum works. We would have a lovely wedding with all of the people we want included, and then wed do a budget honeymoon which is fine with us

but the 15120 is before you add in attire flights etc, so we would be at scary number when all done



option 2:

Escape for *20* guests only (no dates or kids can come to ceremony due to 18 limit)

4500 sbp
250 officiant
1000 mk shoot
2000 photog & video
1500 luncheon (20 guests)
1600 dessert party (20 guests)

= 10,850 total, but its going to get very hairy with the 18 limit we dont want to hurt feelings with family



Option 3 - can spend our special day with all we want included, no hard feelings, and no stress if someone brings along an extra guest but not a "Disney" wedding per se, and no annual passes

offsite ceremony for up to 30 (solves guest list issue)
1865 ceremony, cake & champagne includes officiant at nearby hotel gazebo
2100 luncheon at Narcoosees (for 30 guests)
2000 photo & video
1700 (dessert party 30 guests NO wedding attire)
+ some type of transportation from ceremony to Narcoosees.

approx 8K total
solves guest list stress, still beautiful, still somewhat Disney
no Mk shoot but could add extra hour of photography tot ake pics around resorts



Option 4

we tell our fam we are eloping (which would offend our parents only we think) and have a BBQ at home when we get back, we may bring JUST parents and 1 couple (best friends)

4500 SBP
1000 MK
2000 hoto video
250 dinner/luncheon
250 officiant
no need for DP
could add Mickey & Minnie or upgrade photos if we want and stay under 10K

 

[tiggerrifficheidi]

You could do Option 4 and invite just your parents. Then you could still have a casual and beautiful ceremony, plus some folks to party with! When we did our Escape in June, it was going to be just the two of us, but we invited BFF and her DH and DD, and I'm really glad we did. It was nice to have someone to celebrate with.

 

[honey2741]

You could do option 2. When we were pursuing doing an Escape I was telling my family due to minimums set by Disney I am only able to have 18 people at the ceremony site. Hence any dates or significant others would be unable to attend the ACTUAL ceremony. Going with STVS for video, their dates/significant others can still view the ceremony from another location with the live internet stream feed. ($75-inexpensive - use a laptop). When the ceremony is over the dates/significant others can come to the luncheon/dinner and Dessert Party. That way everyone is still able to be apart of your special day. Everyone was fine with it.

Unconventional yes, but it takes care of no one feeling slighted. I hope that helps.

 

[adisneygal]

I think option 4 sounds lovely. I can honestly tell you that I wish we had eloped and just done an escape with our parents and the people we are closest with. Ideally it would just be Df & I and our kids but whose wedding is it anyways....

Just do what is most important to you and it will all fall into place.

 

[LittleStinkerbelle]

I would vote for option 4. And you'd still be able to invite a couple more people if you wanted to since you'd be under the limit. Good luck with the planning!!

 

[PrincessShea]

I like option 3. There seems to be this impression that everything is lost when your wedding isn't on actual Disney property. To me, the funnest parts of the wedding, the eating and dessert party, are in Disney...who cares where the ceremony is?

Maybe its just my family but at every single Chicago wedding I've been to there are MANY more people at the reception then there are at the church. I don't think kids and significant others will be offended if they aren't invited to the ceremony and therefore I see option 2 as another good plan.

 

[Bride-to-be]

It all depends on who you want there. If you don't mind having the kids not at the ceremony then I would just have someone take them into the parks or do something fun for the morning and have them meet up for a reception and dessert party. If its really important for you to have them there then maybe start looking at stuff off-site.

If you really don't care at all - then elope with your parents and best friends.

I think if you go with a wishes wedding you are going to be so stressed about the budget that you won't be happy. So I would go with options 2,3 or 4.

Characters are always fun!

 

[Petals & Pixie Dust]

We are going for option 2. (or maybe similar to your option 4)
We are inviting immediate family only. My parents, DFs mom bro, sis and BIL and his grandma and grandpa-if they can make it. We have been very up front about our plans from the beginning. No one has questioned this. As a matter of fact, they applaud it b/c we are doing what we want to do and getting the wedding we want. In the end, that is what is important.

What we WANT (the total wish list before a "reception" of some sort) is pretty dang good. The only add ons that we will have are the Rolls (always wanted that...ever since I was a little girl) and Mickey & Minnie (mom's request-but I'm glad she wants them b/c I wanted them too.) We came in at $7500 before taxes and floral.
I'm not expecting floral to get crazy...Coursages for both moms and g-ma and bouts for dad and g-pa. Flower petals for the aisle and to toss. So, all in all maybe 200-250???

We opted against having a home reception...Why put out the extra $$$ when we could put that toward a house. For us this works.

Do what your heart tells you to do...

 

[Tink&PirateMama]

I think everyone here has given you great advice so far... and I think it's important you stick with 2,3,4 (my favs are 3 and 4)- and skip the stress financially of 1. Really, you will not be able to budget now for all the 'extras' that come up, so better to be under at the start. And I think it's nice to have a nice honeymoon too!! And honestly, all of these are beautiful weddings- I don't think you can go wrong with any of it, except for your own feelings- so I'd ask myself this:

1. Is your heart set on the actual vows being at disney? Are you comfortable with saying the actual vows elsewhere and having the rest of the party at disney?

2. Is your heart set on having other family members there and celebrating together, and having a 'wedding', vs. an 'elopement'? Are you comfortable having it be just you and DF and maybe a few others?

Good luck!! Let us know what you decide!!