WDW wedding or Vegas?

[Tiinkerbelle]

I can't decide if I should have a WDW wedding (this will be at the wedding pavilion with 60-80 people and with all the choices I have made it's around the price of a used porsche boxer), or a Vegas princess wedding in the fairytale chapel for $2,200 (includes 3 free nights in a standard room, free breakfast, dinner, hour limo tour, cake, flowers, the chapel, music, pictures, video, 2 show tickets to any mega resort in vegas, and souvenir champagne glasses). .

 

[hiwaygal]

I'm sorry...I really don't mean to be rude...but I think you are secretly hoping we tell you to GO FOR IT and the Disney wedding...this is a Disney Wedding board after all.

Personally, I would never trade my Fairy Tale Wedding for anything...those memories are priceless and rare. Even though Disney does thousands of weddings a year...you will be in a very select group if you choose Disney.

But the bottom line is...you have to decide what YOU want. If you want the Fairy Tale wedding at the Pavilion and can deal with the costs ($10k minimum for Sun thru Thurs) then I definitely say GO FOR IT.

If you want the glitz of Vegas...then that is what you should do!

Good luck with your decision!

 

[KT27]

Disney all the way...

 

[Rustyflwr3]

I would say Disney as well. I mean, it's up to you after all! But as mentioned before, this is the Disney Wedding forum, so of course most would say Disney !

 

[janine]

Without a shadow of a doubt........the winner is:
ºoº ºoº ºoº DISNEY ºoº ºoº ºoº

It was so magical. I will never experience another day like it!!

 

[Cinderella2006]

Would i be right to believe that the man in your life is pushing you towards a Vegas wedding? Correct me if i am wrong! Believe it or not; our choice was a Disney wedding or an Elvis wedding in Las Vegas; when i say OUR my df and my dad were hoping for a Las Vegas wedding! Thank goodness we chose Disney; although my df and dad still think they are turning up as Elvis! I am sure whatever you choose will be a day to remember but a Disney wedding is dreamy, perfect whatever you wish to call it! When you say about the price; i can understand it is pricey but you could cut down on the fancy bits and the guest list. Disney is beautiful without all the decor. As for the car; well a porchse is nice but it wont last forever but your memories of your wedding will.
Good luck in whatever you choose

 

[Tiinkerbelle]

I chose the option of vegas since it's almost $15,000 cheaper then Disney, and it would be on top of the Eiffel tower. If we did chose Disney it will take us 5-6 years to pay it off and we would be in debt, we could ask my mom to chip in a little so the question really is what is best for your money. With the $8,500 for the Paris wedding in Vegas you get free breakfast in bed, a free suite for 4 nights, flowers, the cake, pictures, dinner the whole thing except food for everyone which should not be much more.

The WDW wedding (since EVERYONE wants to go to Disney it would be around 60-90 people) would be the price of a porsche boxer! as I've said ($31,325 for 70 people), I do love Disney but it there any way to make this price..not so hurtful? Most of my family and all of Andy's family can't afford the over $100 dinner per person so I can't ask people to pay for their own dinner. Most of them won't be able to afford the rooms so I have to make as much as I can of the free nights I'm able to give out which some people won't be able to stay more then 1 night. Does Disney offer free dinner for the bride and groom one night? And a couple free nights stay in a Suite?

 

[Tinkerbelle14]

I personally would go with Disney, but it sounds like Vegas is more your style and budget. Don't pick Disney just b/c a lot of family and friends want to go. That much debt is not a great way to start a marriage unless you are 100% for a Disney wedding.

 

[Luvndisney]

I hope I do not souns rude either but this is a personal decision adn I don't think we can help you. It based on A. what you and your fiance dream of your wedding being like and B. your finances. For us it was Disney or not way. We always knew we wanted the Disney wedding not matter what. Finances did play a role in teh wedding process but right from the start we were willing to pay the price. So the question is Are you going to be able to love with the bills afterwards or before? if teh answer is yes then I say Disney Wedding. If you would regret being in debt then Vegas it is. For us we would rather pay off some bills than get married somewhere we didn't like or would regret. Hope you can make your decision.

 

[hmgolden]

Having witnessed several Vegas brides on their way to or from their ceremonies (I'm actually in vegas right now) I would choose my Disney wedding again in a heart beat. From what I have seen of the vegas weddings, the chapels here are wedding factories. I actually saw one bride standing in the food court of one of the hotels (to be fair, not the Paris) waiting for her turn in the chapel. At Disney, I was treated like a princess the day of the wedding. While I know of several other weddings that took place the same day as ours, Disney made sure that I felt like the only bride that day. The brides I have seen in Vegas are not getting that level of service.

The Disney pricetag is steep, but it comes with that Disney service. In the end you and your DH need to decide if the price tag is worth it. You could always have an intimate wedding in Disney and tell people you are limited to the number of people you can invite by Disney. Lots of intimate brides have used that reasoning.

Good luck and Congratulations with whatever you decide. I'm sure no matter where you exchange your vows you'll have a wonderful wedding.

 

[Mi3stooges]

OMG what a tough decision!!! I personally love both places and agree with most everyone, you have to go with your budget. Who would'nt want to have the top of the line on everythng(no matter where it was). There are so many beautiful places in Vegas for pictures as well as Disney!

What matter's most is who is with you, which is where the memories come from. Go to Disney for your Honeymoon and you'll be treated special. Have the best of both worlds!!!

Good luck and enjoy YOUR day where ever it may be!!

 

[Tiinkerbelle]

I have decided on WDW, there are lots of kids in the family and from what I have heard theres crazy drunks on the streets in vegas and that doesn't sound to safe. We will not be having a reception, just a quick bite to eat in the 24 hour Deli at the Grand Floridian due to the money issues. Our total cost is $100 over the minimum which was great. ($10,100). We are planning for next New Years, a nice little spring into the New Years don't you think?

 

[janine]

You made the right decision I am sure.
I agreed with Hmgolden. The Vegas weddings are probably very nice, but I do I hear of it being a bit of a conveyor belt.
Disney are not like that, and I too felt like I was the princess that day.
I cannot decribe how it feels, you will soon know.
I just love Disney so much for making my day so beautiful.
Good luck & make the most of your planning, it is over in a flash.

ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº

 

[ead79]

I have decided on WDW, there are lots of kids in the family and from what I have heard theres crazy drunks on the streets in vegas and that doesn't sound to safe. We will not be having a reception, just a quick bite to eat in the 24 hour Deli at the Grand Floridian due to the money issues. Our total cost is $100 over the minimum which was great. ($10,100). We are planning for next New Years, a nice little spring into the New Years don't you think?

I just wanted to give you the heads up that I think that you might be required to have a reception for your custom wedding at Disney. Also, costs and minimums are typically higher around holidays, so you might want to talk with a Disney wedding coordinator before settling on New Year's for sure.

I saw you mention free room nights earlier--those rooms are not free, they are rooms you must guarantee will be paid for (typically each guest pays for their own room).

It sounds like you're really torn on the financial issue, and I have a feeling that you really might prefer the Vegas wedding. I would speak with someone from Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings to get answers to some questions before making your final decision so you can clarify things like whether or not a reception is a requirement. I'm pretty sure it is required for custom weddings.

Have you considered an Intimate Wedding at Disney--they are much less costly, though you have to strictly limit the number of guests. Perhaps you could make it just close family and do that instead.

 

[Tiinkerbelle]

Hmm I was told the minimum stay days you get were to hand out as free days for guests.

There will be my mother(1), father(2), Andy's mother(3), Andy's dad(4), Andy's sister(5), Andy's niece, nephews, and brother in law(6,7,8,9) That's almost the limit of people on a intimate, and I think Andy wanted to invite his Aunt, Uncle and cousins.

I will call up a Disney Representative today and find out about the Reception issue. But if we must all we will be able to purchase are the dinners, there will be no music, disney characters, and no themed tables.

 

[hiwaygal]

Tiinkerbelle,

Have you visited the Disney weddings website? (www.disneyweddings.com)

I'm not sure if you have all the latest information.

An intimate wedding now includes 20 guests total (including the bride and groom). It also includes the music, flowers, limo, site fee, Disney photography, the cake and champagne reception, and probably a bit more that I'm forgetting for about $2500 (give or take). But you will have to book at least 4 nights in a Disney owned and operated resort (Swan/Dolphin and SOG do not count).

For the custom wedding (more than 20 guests)...there is a minimum room night requirement. In other words, you have to "guarantee" that your guests will pay to stay on Disney property for so many room nights.

I would also suspect that if you are looking at New Years Eve for your ceremony...the minimum cost is going to be something higher than $10,000. My guess is it's going to be closer to $20,000 (Disney's custom rate for Saturday weddings).

Definitely check out the website, it's pretty comprehensive...and talk to someone at Disney.

All in all, the cost of a Disney wedding is reasonable by most standards. For example, a typical wedding in my area would easily run me $15,000 or more...but my Intimate Disney Wedding was easily half that (and included our Disney honeymoon).

Good Luck and Have Fun!!!

 

[ead79]

Sadly, the rooms in the room block are not free. It would be a great perk, but then again Disney likes the revenue from the booked hotel rooms. Essentially a room block is a group of rooms that you commit to be paid for as part of your contract. Typically the guests pay for their own rooms, but the contract means that if the minimum number of rooms is not paid for by your guests, then you must pay for the remaining room nights they haven’t filled.

Let us know what you find out about the reception.

It sounds like you might be able to pull off an Intimate if your fiancé is OK with limiting the guest list. Be sure to explore that option too if a Custom doesn’t work out. They are packages and do include a lot of things in the cost.

 

[Tiinkerbelle]

I have tried to add more then 10 people in the intimate wedding wish book and it says I have exceeded the amount of people for the intimate wedding selection. But I'll call and ask about it . I'll also tell my fiance all this new information when he gets back from work. Thanks everyone.

 

[hiwaygal]

Don't count on that wishbook thing too much...for one thing, I think it was originally intended for custom brides, but many intimates used it for general ideas...plus it might not be totally updated.

Second...what location are you considering for your ceremony?? Although the Intimate wedding allows up to 20 guests, Sunset Point only accommodates 10 guests. You might want to look at the other locations (like Yacht Club Gazebo, Sea Breeze Point, the Pavilion, etc.).

 

[pintradingwedding]

disney is magical and a blast -- but it also has heart!