Swan & Dolphin Weddings FAQ

[tinkerbell 766]

Welcome sweetie!!!! You will find we are a very friendly bunch, so if you have any queries or questions, feel free to fire away!!!!

 

[celerystalker]

I just requested to join the Swalphin face book group! Yay!

 

[ShanaMouse]

Welcome ladies!!!

 

[LittleMermaid1417]

What packages did you girls get? Has anyone been to disney in July? How is the weather? Who is the best photographer with good prices?

 

[Icecoldpenguin]

Hey guys so I just posted on my PJ my vendor reviews and my budget breakdown I am going to share the budget here since it is shorter. The link to my PJ is in my signature and you can look at the table of posts on the first post to find what you want to look at. The last page of PJ has the vendor reviews and the budget.

Ok ladies so I wanted to give you our budget breakdown on what it was like to have a swan and dolphin wedding.

If there is something you want to know as far as a breakdown of the costs just send me a message or leave a comment.

Swan & Dolphin Site Fee:$1595.00
Wedding Consultant Fee:$1,095.00, we used our planner for the reception as well so this was the fee broken down away from the fee for the ceremony site itself it included all services for the ceremony and the reception.
Officiant:$200.00
Fulton's Crab House (Reception):$2,064.14, we had 22 adults with meals that were $72 each
DJ:$700.00 we used her for 3.5 hours
Floral:$1504.53 this was for all floral and decor for the ceremony and reception
Photography:$1757.25 this included our wedding day all day coverage and the dessert party coverage that night
Videography:$2081.15 this included all day wedding day coverage plus dessert party coverage and the blu ray upgrade package
Dessert Party:$1938.20 this was for the wishes music that was piped in plus a menu including taxes that was $45.10 per person and we paid for 32 people to meet our minimum even though we did not have 32 people. This ended up being ok and was a good amount of food for everyone.
Linens:$777.30

Total Wedding Budget:$13,712.57

I hope this helps everyone that is trying to price out a wedding at the swan and dolphin. If you would like a breakdown of costs, taxes and gratuity charges I will be more than willing to give it to you just message me.

With this part this ends the wedding day! Now it is time to move on to our honeymoon trip report!

I hope you enjoy it

Teresa

 

[tinkerbell 766]

What packages did you girls get? Has anyone been to disney in July? How is the weather? Who is the best photographer with good prices?

Hi again sweetie
You probably already know, but July is very hot with heavy downpours of rain - though these are usually of short duration, and the parks are usually busy as the schools are off.
You will get quite a few different answers on the photographer question. Most photographers that Disbrides use are excellent, so taking advice from the girls on the boards is a really good idea!
Many girls here (myself included), used Randy Chapman. An amazing photographer, competitive rates and an all round wonderful and sweet guy. Check him out!!

http://www.chapmanphotography.com/

 

[MrsDuck]

Welcome new ladies!!

What packages did you girls get? Has anyone been to disney in July? How is the weather? Who is the best photographer with good prices?

I'll give you the honest answer: July is terrible. It is as hot as Hades, it rains on and off randomly, and it is crowded crowded crowded.

We are FL residents and see the Mouse about every other month. We refuse to go in July because it is always pretty miserable.

My favorite photographer in the Orlando area is Regina Hyman! She's got great prices and does amazing work!

 

[Icecoldpenguin]

I am going to be the odd one out as we got married this past July 1st. We did get lucky there were no rain showers and as we were there for 2 weeks after the wedding we did run into lots and lots of rain. It was not that hot for us but we are from texas and the heat is all relative. I really enjoyed our July wedding but granted it was right at the beginning of the month.

I love Randy Chapman that should not come as a shock to anyone. Regina does do beautiful work and so do some of the other photographers. It is all about finding which one has the best style for you.

Teresa

 

[DanaMarie]

Hi everyone! I'm new here but I've been reading a ton!!

I want to get Married through Just Married at the Swan and Dolphin in 2014!.... However, I do have a few questions if anyone can help!!

...What is the best time of year to have a wedding here? (weather, and prices)?

....Has anyone done a ceremony in the morning and done a brunch or lunch anywhere? If so where?

....Is it possible to do a Christian ceremony instead of just having an officiant?

Also.... have any brides done a ceremony and dinner or lunch reception only then had a celebration at home? I'd LOVE to know how to set up the invitations for something like that!!

I'm at a complete loss....

Thank you so much in advance!

 

[ShanaMouse]

Hi everyone! I'm new here but I've been reading a ton!!

I want to get Married through Just Married at the Swan and Dolphin in 2014!.... However, I do have a few questions if anyone can help!!

...What is the best time of year to have a wedding here? (weather, and prices)?

....Has anyone done a ceremony in the morning and done a brunch or lunch anywhere? If so where?

....Is it possible to do a Christian ceremony instead of just having an officiant?

Also.... have any brides done a ceremony and dinner or lunch reception only then had a celebration at home? I'd LOVE to know how to set up the invitations for something like that!!

I'm at a complete loss....

Thank you so much in advance!

Hi Dana,
I can answer some of your questions.
As far as time of year is concerned, the best time to get married at the Swan would be during the summer as this is when they have the least amount of conventions, meaning that the date you are looking to get married will, more than likely, be available.
On the other hand, the summer is also the hottest time of year so it kind of just depends on personal preference. If you want to get married when its 100 degrees out then summer would be perfect. If you are looking for a cooler affair then I would suggest end of October/November/December and for a mix of weather I would opt for March or April.
Prices are the same all throughout the year, so it's really up to you and what fits best.
I am actually getting married on July 5th at 11am before the afternoon heat decides to melt us into the pavement lol. I haven't quite figured out what we are doing for lunch just yet.

Hope this helps!
Shana

 

[ShanaMouse]

What packages did you girls get? Has anyone been to disney in July? How is the weather? Who is the best photographer with good prices?

July is HOT, however if you get married in the morning, it won't be as bad lol. The crowds are at their busiest, as everyone is out of school, so just be sure to take that into account if you want to go to the parks with people who really can't stand waiting lol.
DF and I went with Regina Hyman for our photographer. I read great reviews about her and we recently had out e-shoot and she was amazing. I was also in contact with Randy Chapman, but Regina just fit our style better. They both have very good prices/packages so I would suggest maybe sending both of them an inquiry and just go from there. They both have completely different shooting styles, in my opinion.
Jennifer Werneth and Sandra Johnson photography also do great pictures at a great price.

 

[LittleMermaid1417]

Thank you girls so much! I was thinking about July but I'm totally going for Jan. 6ish now! I am def going to check out those photographers. I also am leaning toward doing a dessert party at Epcot the night of my wedding. I want to have a morning wedding and a brunch at The Attic. Is it really cold in Jan.?

 

[tinkerbell 766]

Just wanted to say 'hi' to DanaMarie!!!!
Welcome to the sisterhood sweetie!!!!

 

[Icecoldpenguin]

this is for our ladies that are planning. I highly suggest you look at the planning journals for swan weddings. mine is linked in my signature but our PJ's are a great place to go for ideas.

Teresa

 

[sarahb01]

What packages did you girls get? Has anyone been to disney in July? How is the weather? Who is the best photographer with good prices?

I just got the basic package and added the musician. We are having a harpist. I have been to Disney in July and it is HOT! I am going with Jason Angelini. He (and his wife) have been great to work with so far, and we are so excited for him to be a part of our big day.

 

[sarahb01]

this is for our ladies that are planning. I highly suggest you look at the planning journals for swan weddings. mine is linked in my signature but our PJ's are a great place to go for ideas.

Teresa

I know I have been REALLY bad about replying on everyone's PJs, but I swear I read them, and LOVE them! Teresa, yours has been helping me a ton!

 

[MrsDuck]

Hi everyone! I'm new here but I've been reading a ton!!

I want to get Married through Just Married at the Swan and Dolphin in 2014!.... However, I do have a few questions if anyone can help!!

...What is the best time of year to have a wedding here? (weather, and prices)?

....Has anyone done a ceremony in the morning and done a brunch or lunch anywhere? If so where?

....Is it possible to do a Christian ceremony instead of just having an officiant?

Also.... have any brides done a ceremony and dinner or lunch reception only then had a celebration at home? I'd LOVE to know how to set up the invitations for something like that!!

I'm at a complete loss....

Thank you so much in advance!

Hi Dana!

The prices for an S/D wedding are set regardless of time of year. Honestly, I'd pick a cooler, dry month for a FL wedding. We are getting married in December; it's so beautiful at Disney in December but it is super pricey in terms of resorts, etc. January, February, and March are also really really good options. September is a great month but you will deal with the heat and rain, most likely. I do not recommend summer months because of the terrible heat, rains, and crowds!

I'm having an evening wedding but it is totally possible to do a morning wedding with a brunch or lunch reception. You've got all of the S/D restaurants to look into as well as almost anywhere on Disney property (keep in mind, you cannot wear your wedding dress into the parks).

What exactly do you mean by a Christian ceremony? We have hired Rev. Jack Day and he is performing a Christian ceremony for us. It is almost exactly the same as the type of ceremony we'd be getting at our non-denominational church.

As far as an at-home reception, a few girls have done it, I believe. I think the proper etiquette is simply send out an invite saying that you were married whatever date at Disney World and want to celebrate with those at home (obviously word it a bit nicer-- my brain is already shut off for the evening!).

Thank you girls so much! I was thinking about July but I'm totally going for Jan. 6ish now! I am def going to check out those photographers. I also am leaning toward doing a dessert party at Epcot the night of my wedding. I want to have a morning wedding and a brunch at The Attic. Is it really cold in Jan.?

I don't know if this is correct but I don't believe you can have a reception at the Attic without being a DFTW bride... don't hold me to it but for some reason I feel like I've read that. Could be wrong!

January is one of the colder months in FL. BUT, the temperature in FL does crazy things. We've had some very cold January's and some relatively warm ones. You can expect the high to probably be in the 70s, with the low in the 50s.

 

[DanaMarie]

Thank you so much everyone!

Teresa- I know this is silly, but I had no idea what a PJ was until you told me! I plan to read yours now! How else do I access the other ones?

MrsDuck- THANK YOU for all this information! I guess by a Christian ceremony is exactly what you were talking about!

(Sorry I'm very new to all this as you can see haha)

 

[ShanaMouse]

Thank you so much everyone!

Teresa- I know this is silly, but I had no idea what a PJ was until you told me! I plan to read yours now! How else do I access the other ones?

MrsDuck- THANK YOU for all this information! I guess by a Christian ceremony is exactly what you were talking about!

(Sorry I'm very new to all this as you can see haha)

in regards to planning journals, i would just scroll through this swan and dolphin thread as most of us have links to our journals in the signature. Hope this helps and happy planning

 

[tinkerbell 766]

If you are interested in my PJ, the link to it is in my signature below - just click on it.