Swan & Dolphin vs DFTW - Questions

[Dignity]

Hi Everybody

I'm newly engaged and we are considering a Disney Wedding. I'm not sure what all info is going to be helpful. Our current guest list is 12 or 13 + bride & groom (us!). We'd like Oct 2014 if we end up having a WDW wedding. I know Swan & Dolphin is a little more budget friendly than an Escape DFTW - I think our budget would allow either, however we might have to make a few cutbacks if we go with the DFTW - since all of our guests will need to travel, we'd like to help them out as much as possible.

My questions are:
What are the hidden/outside fees in both cases? I know of the obvious ones: Dress, hair, make up, tux/suits, travel, officiant (DFTW), 4-night stay (DFTW).

If we opted for Swan & Dolphin - are we still able to have a bridal photo shoot at Epcot and/or MK?

If we opted for Swan & Dolphin - we can still do a dessert party (this one I don't see why not)?

With such a small wedding (in reality it will be 12 adults and a possibly 1 child (3yrs)) - can we just make reservations at a restaurant or should we be doing a 'private party' for lunch/dinner?

I have requested information on a DFTW - are there any brochures or anything on Swan & Dolphin weddings that I can request?

With park pictures (MK/Epcot/Hollywood Studios/AK) - did you just have photos before the ceremony or did you opt for 2 different days?

Since we're looking at an Escape wedding - and thinking about Oct 2014, we don't have anything penciled in with WDW at the moment - how hard will it be to get a Sat/Sun (I know I'd like the WP but a few of the other venues are not completely out of the question)?

Are there any factors you can think of that I should know when looking between the two options?


I know FI and I have a bit to discuss before we make our final decisions. We have a budget in mind but it's not set in stone. We're still waiting for FI's mom to try and talk us into a larger local wedding.

 

[elphie101]

The big major difference between DFTW and Swan/Dolphin is the MK Portrait session. Were you to go the S/D route, you could have a portrait session in Epcot, DHS, or AK, but the Magic Kingdom sessions are only for DFTW brides. For some brides, that is enough to make them go DFTW. A dessert party can be booked as a S/D bride, but I believe you would not be able to wear your dress in the park, as you would not be booking it through DFTW (again, a dealbreaker for some brides).

I'm not an Escape bride nor a S/D bride, so I'll let some of them chime in on their experiences, but I have read plenty of Escape brides who just book a large reservation as their reception, sometimes that ends up being in a private room, others go the private catered events route.

If you haven't already, please do yourself a favor and buy the Passporter Disney Weddings & Honeymoon book (http://www.passporter.com/weddings.asp). I call it my Disney Wedding Bible! There are sections on both Escape and Swan & Dolphin, and it answers a lot of questions you never thought to ask!

 

[Sweet Melissa]

There is an electronic brochure that you can request for Swan weddings. Contact Just Marry and they'll send you their packages.

As a Swan bride, you could do a dessert party through Disney's Catered Events, but they won't allow you to wear your gown to it unless you go through their weddings department. You can't do a portrait session at the Magic Kingdom, but you can at the other three parks.

As for additional costs beyond the wedding ceremony package, with the Swan, it all depends on which of their packages you choose. They can plan the whole thing soup to nuts, or only be as involved as you want them to be. I booked ALL of my own vendors: officiant, photography, florist, musicians, chuppah rental, dress steaming, linen rentals, cake and reception. I compared Disney's Escape package to what I paid for going direct to comparable vendors, and I only came out ahead by a few hundred dollars. So I say that if that Magic Kingdom shoot or the Wedding Pavilion are really important to you, go Escape. But if having more control in which vendors you work with and customized options for things like cake and floral matter more, then go with the Swan.

For your party size, a private dining room at a restaurant is ideal. Lots of restaurants both at the Swan/Dolphin and elsewhere on Disney property have rooms that would be perfect for your group. We had our reception at Bluezoo, and it was awesome. If you end up choosing the Wedding Pavilion, Citricos might be a great reception spot as their private room seats 14.

Best wishes and good luck with your planning!

 

[TiffinyKaye]

I'm with the others. I considered a S&D wedding myself, but we're going Disney. S&D is WAY cheaper for the simple ceremony we're doing (hence while it's so attractive)...but, as has been said, that MK shoot is a deal breaker for some people. For me, the MK shoot is honestly what it came down to. DF wanted Epcot photos (so, for him, it's not a big deal--because we could still do it through S&D)...but I want those castle pictures.

Even then...the castle pictures are a gamble. The longer you're here on these boards...the more bad things you hear about Disney Photography and reality of how those photos turn out... I'm nervous as hell!

Tiffiny

 

[Mike Mouse]

My df and myself are doing a swan wedding. At first, we looked at both but since our guest list will be over 50, thats when it was a HUGE difference in price. We can have unlimited guests, use all our own venders (I've heard some not so good things about some disney photographers), we can even still have characters if we want, etc. The difference between both for a small guest list is not that much but when u have to upgrade to the wishes package, thats when it starts to get pricey