Wedding Size, Events And Budget

[lurkyloo]

I wish! It was $250 one-way... and it was the best $250 we spent on the wedding!

 

[disneyberry]

OT question: What are Sunshine Rewards?! Do tell!


Wedding location
WP

Number of attendees
Approx 35 (going up some more as RSVPs come in)

Reception location
GF

Actual budget
Approx $25k paid to Disney (includes pricey Rehearsal Dinner)
Will be more once I add up Dress + Accessories, Tux Rentals, Photography, Videography, Officiant, Hair/Makeup, Steaming, Invitations + Stationary, Day-After Brunch (non Disney restaurant), Accommodations we're paying for for Wedding Party + Immediate Family, and I'm sure there's some other costs I'm forgetting about. Like I think I'm going to include the cost of traveling down to Disney for the planning session. I can't wait to see what our huge final number is LOL. Oh yeah! And then there's the cost of the At-Home Reception. That'll be insane. *sigh* (If anyone's read some of my other posts, you'll know that I wanted to elope or have a tiny Escape wedding at first lol.... oh my what this has ballooned to)

Thing that you couldn't live without/no one should miss
I don't know about "no one should miss", but I personally can't imagine not having a nice fabric aisle runner + mounds of rose petals scattered along the aisle. Also, Cinderalla's Coach for that perfect princess entrance. XD Oh, and the MK Photo shoot (we're doing 2 parks for our shoot). Pictures in wedding attire at Cinderella's castle = priceless!

Night reception or day event? Lunch

Alcohol? Open bar (B.O.C.) with highest priced cocktails (must appease those snooty New Yorker guests of ours) for both lunch reception and rehearsal dinner

DJ? Nope. iPod setup for reception. String quartet for ceremony + prereception

Dessert party? Nope

Brunch? Yes, not a Disney restaurant though

Welcome party? Yup, costing an arm + a leg!


I'll come back and edit this whenever I get more accurate numbers.

 

[lurkyloo]

This thread has a lot of good tips on saving money for your honeymoon, including info on Sunshine Rewards.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1881695

There's also a lot of good info on Sunshine Rewards on the Budget Board!

 

[gibsi53]

This is EXACTLY what I had in mind!
Thanks everyone for posting!!!

Keep 'em commin

 

[audisight]

I had my wedding on August 27, 2008

Wedding location: Wedding Pavilion

Number of attendees: 41

Reception location: Living Seas

Actual Budget: 18,703.43 to Disney, $300 Rev. Day, $2,400 Randy Chapman, $170 Hair and Makeup with Patricia LeJeune, $120 Mani/Pedi at the Grand

Thing that you couldn't live without: Fantastic food. We really went out of our way to make sure that our guest walked away knowing they had just had the best meal of thier life. The dessert party was worth every dollar.

Night reception or day event: Night

Alcohol: Full bar for the dessert party only. BOC

DJ: Yes through Disney- Indio (AWSOME)

Dessert party Yes, Lower UK

Brunch: No

Welcome Party: No

 

[thatdisneygirl]

Wedding location: Wedding Pavilion

Number of attendees: 60(?)...but we won't know for sure until January!

Reception location: Grand Floridian

Budget to date: $12,000 anticipated to Disney, $2000 photography, $300 for dress + accessories, $150 for hair + makeup, $100 for tux, + $500 for travel expenses...plus about $600 in little stuff and DIY projects...

Thing that you couldn't live without/no one should miss: Engagement pics on Disney property

Night reception or day event? Nope, we're just going to meet up with people the night of the wedding

Alcohol? pay by consumption (noon wedding + lots of mormons)

DJ? Yep, through Disney

Dessert party? Nope

Brunch? Nope

Welcome party? No, but we're having a bridal tea at GF the day before the wedding

 

[DWPromise]

Wedding location: Epcot - Italy

Number of attendees: 30

Reception location: Italy - Isola

Budget to date: approximately $37,000 to Disney

Thing that you couldn't live without/no one should miss: I'm thinking it is going to be Cinderella's Coach. We also went heavy with the gifts/favors for people. I love giving gifts so, I'm very excited for everyone to enjoy the welcome bags and favors at each of our parties.

Night reception or day event? Both

Alcohol? pay by consumption (with signature drinks at each of the different parties)

DJ? No

Dessert party? Yes, IllumiNations at Lower UK

Brunch? Yes

Welcome party? Yes, cocktails and apps at Rainforest in Downtown Disney then over to Fantasmic for a dessert party

 

[Ember]

Wedding location: Seabreeze Point

Number of attendees: 21

Reception location: Whitehall Room and Patio

Budget: $11,309 to Disney (Which includes $800 for the Magic Kingdom photos that didn't count towards my minimum). This does not include photography $3250, my dress (a gift from my mum), his suit, our rings, cosmetology, dress steaming, or Rev. Knox.

Thing that you couldn't live without/no one should miss: We splurged on a string quartet which made the whole day feel elegant! Also, the MK photos are pricey but I'm glad I had them.

Night reception or day event? Day, plus the dessert party

Alcohol? Just a mimosa toast during speeches

DJ? No

Dessert party? Yes, IllumiNations at Lower UK

Brunch? No

Welcome party? No

 

[PRPrincess1081]

Wedding location: Seabreeze Point

Number of attendees: 21

Reception location: Whitehall Room and Patio

Budget: $11,309 to Disney (Which includes $800 for the Magic Kingdom photos that didn't count towards my minimum). This does not include photography $3250, my dress (a gift from my mum), his suit, our rings, cosmetology, dress steaming, or Rev. Knox.

Thing that you couldn't live without/no one should miss: We splurged on a string quartet which made the whole day feel elegant! Also, the MK photos are pricey but I'm glad I had them.

Night reception or day event? theDay, plus the dessert party

Alcohol? Just a mimosa toast during speeches

DJ? No

Dessert party? Yes, IllumiNations at Lower UK

Brunch? No

Welcome party? No

why didn't the MK shoot count towards your minimum.

 

[figureskater]

OMG, am i actually seeing that it is possible to get married at Disney for 10,000 or less!!! Do dreams really come true!!??

 

[dawrobin]

Wedding location: Seabreeze Point Dec 5 2008

Number of attendees: 18

Reception location: Hosting a dinner in the private room of V&A

Budget: 20k for EVERYTHING wedding related. We started saving the day we got engaged and we will be able to pay cash for everything. I REFUSED to go into debt for a wedding. And only about 50% is going to Disney. There is a lot to consider outside of the money Disney gets.

-4.5k Escape wedding and minimal floral upgrades and addl champagne
-4.5k for V&A dinner (est tax tip and alcohol in that figure)
-1k- Misty Miotto photography for 6 hours on a Friday
-2.4k Grand Floridian hotel- HM
-2k- dress, suit, shoes, handbag, budget for alterations (Davids and Mens Wearhouse no couture here)
-4k- rings
-balance- marriage license, gas, spanx, officiant, invitations, STD etc, possible favors, treat baskets for the 2 kids to leep them entertained at the dinner, hair and makeup trial and day of with Beaute Speciale


Thing that you couldn't live without/no one should miss: ---MISTY!!!!
-V&A dinner. We had our engagement dinner there (he proposed just before we went, and we wanted to treat our families to the most amazing meal we ever had since they traveled to see us)
-Staying at the GF. We always stay at values since we have APs (live in Ft Myers) it makes it affordable for us to go and have nice dinners often. But we always wanted to stay at GF and since it is our wedding we figured it would be OK to splurge.
-Rings. DF got my engagement band from Tiffanys and we wanted beautiful high end rings since these will be n our fingers for 50 years, so we got the bands at Tiffanys. Some people may not care about this and want to spend more on the wedidng, but this was important to DF and I.

Things we cut out or skimped on:
-NO chair covers (waste of money for a 30 min ceremony IMO)
-minimal floral- upgraded bouquet(added delphininum), rose for my dad to put on the empty chair to honor my mother, petals for the staged exit since we booked Misty and knew we would get awesome shots. SBP is so pretty you don't need much.
-Planned to have MK shoot and characters- couldn't afford it. Decided booking Misty was more important than MK shoot.
-Cheap invitations thru weddingpaperdivas.com and they are so pretty. These get thrown away- no way in HELL was I spending money here. And they came out pretty so I highly recc them


Night reception or day event? 2:30pm ceremony plus the dinner at 5:30.

Alcohol? Yes. We are meeting with the sommelier the day before to pick some glasses of wine for the menu. DF has family that would order the most expensive items so we want to limit that indulgence while still providing wine and cocktails

DJ? Nope. Just the violinist

Dessert party? Nope but I am surprising Df with a Wishes cruise Dec 8th as my wedding present to him. Other than me of course
We wanted to do one, but we decided the dinner was more important and that would allow us to spend the evening with the families in the private fireplace room since the dinner was about 3 hours long

Brunch? Nope

Welcome party? Yes but ONLY because my dad said he wanted us to have one so the famillies could meet the day before and he would treat. yay Dad! This is booked at Citricos.

I look at some people's budgets and think "Why would anyone splurge on THAT" and I know people will do that to mine. It is all about YOU personal prefernce, and you need to figure out what is important.

I do think it is very important to have the wedding you can afford and not go into debt for one day. It is the marriage that matters- not the wedding.

Good luck planning!!! Hope this helped

 

[MegKate]

Wedding location Sea Breeze Point

Number of attendees About 50

Reception location Boardwalk Ballroom

Actual budget 20k

Thing that you couldn't live without/no one should miss Getting my hair/makeup done. Spend the extra and have a professional do it.

Night reception or day event? Day event

Alcohol? Absolutely NOT.

DJ? DJ

Dessert party? Hopefully - depends on budget!

Brunch? Nope

Welcome party? Nope - rehearsal dinner is enough. They should feel welcomed with the welcome bag! hehehe

 

[Ember]

why didn't the MK shoot count towards your minimum.

Because we did it two days later. Had we done it the morning of the wedding it would have counted, as only events held that day count towards your minimum. And I wasn't getting up at 2 or 3 am on my wedding day!

 

[PRPrincess1081]

Because we did it two days later. Had we done it the morning of the wedding it would have counted, as only events held that day count towards your minimum. And I wasn't getting up at 2 or 3 am on my wedding day!

Oh wow - I believe that has changed - well I hope it has

 

[DisneyBrideToni]

Wedding location: Seabreeze Point Dec 5 2008

Number of attendees: 18

Reception location: Hosting a dinner in the private room of V&A

Budget: 20k for EVERYTHING wedding related. We started saving the day we got engaged and we will be able to pay cash for everything. I REFUSED to go into debt for a wedding. And only about 50% is going to Disney. There is a lot to consider outside of the money Disney gets.

-4.5k Escape wedding and minimal floral upgrades and addl champagne
-4.5k for V&A dinner (est tax tip and alcohol in that figure)
-1k- Misty Miotto photography for 6 hours on a Friday
-2.4k Grand Floridian hotel- HM
-2k- dress, suit, shoes, handbag, budget for alterations (Davids and Mens Wearhouse no couture here)
-4k- rings
-balance- marriage license, gas, spanx, officiant, invitations, STD etc, possible favors, treat baskets for the 2 kids to leep them entertained at the dinner, hair and makeup trial and day of with Beaute Speciale


Thing that you couldn't live without/no one should miss: ---MISTY!!!!
-V&A dinner. We had our engagement dinner there (he proposed just before we went, and we wanted to treat our families to the most amazing meal we ever had since they traveled to see us)
-Staying at the GF. We always stay at values since we have APs (live in Ft Myers) it makes it affordable for us to go and have nice dinners often. But we always wanted to stay at GF and since it is our wedding we figured it would be OK to splurge.
-Rings. DF got my engagement band from Tiffanys and we wanted beautiful high end rings since these will be n our fingers for 50 years, so we got the bands at Tiffanys. Some people may not care about this and want to spend more on the wedidng, but this was important to DF and I.

Things we cut out or skimped on:
-NO chair covers (waste of money for a 30 min ceremony IMO)
-minimal floral- upgraded bouquet(added delphininum), rose for my dad to put on the empty chair to honor my mother, petals for the staged exit since we booked Misty and knew we would get awesome shots. SBP is so pretty you don't need much.
-Planned to have MK shoot and characters- couldn't afford it. Decided booking Misty was more important than MK shoot.
-Cheap invitations thru weddingpaperdivas.com and they are so pretty. These get thrown away- no way in HELL was I spending money here. And they came out pretty so I highly recc them


Night reception or day event? 2:30pm ceremony plus the dinner at 5:30.

Alcohol? Yes. We are meeting with the sommelier the day before to pick some glasses of wine for the menu. DF has family that would order the most expensive items so we want to limit that indulgence while still providing wine and cocktails

DJ? Nope. Just the violinist

Dessert party? Nope but I am surprising Df with a Wishes cruise Dec 8th as my wedding present to him. Other than me of course
We wanted to do one, but we decided the dinner was more important and that would allow us to spend the evening with the families in the private fireplace room since the dinner was about 3 hours long

Brunch? Nope

Welcome party? Yes but ONLY because my dad said he wanted us to have one so the famillies could meet the day before and he would treat. yay Dad! This is booked at Citricos.

I look at some people's budgets and think "Why would anyone splurge on THAT" and I know people will do that to mine. It is all about YOU personal prefernce, and you need to figure out what is important.

I do think it is very important to have the wedding you can afford and not go into debt for one day. It is the marriage that matters- not the wedding.

Good luck planning!!! Hope this helped

Dawn, I also got my invitations from wedding paper divas and I love them!! If you ladies are looking for beautiful inexpensive invitations I totally suggest them. Not only that but they are fast with shipping.

 

[DisneyBrideToni]

Oh wow - I believe that has changed - well I hope it has

I am doing my MK and HS shoots the day after my wedding and they counted toward my minimum

 

[rumrunnergirl]

We always stay at values since we have APs (live in Ft Myers) it makes it affordable for us to go and have nice dinners often.

Hey neighbor! I am in Cape Coral.

 

[dawrobin]

Toni- I had my invites in days once I approved them!!

Rumrunner- PM me! We should meet up sometime!!

 

[imnotaprincess]

We're about 3 weeks out - but here is where we stand

Wedding location Wedding Pavilion

Number of attendees 79 (10 are children)

Reception location Living Seas Salon

Actual budget Our estimated cost - $34,993 (including rehearsal dinner for 40 at the Summerhouse

Thing that you couldn't live without/no one should miss I'm hoping it's the dessert party - which really isn't a dessert party. We opted to do a nacho bar, mini-corn dogs and mickey rice krispies. After drinking the last thing I want is SWEETS.

Night reception or day event? 2:30 ceremony, 3:30 pre-reception, 4:30 reception, 8:30 dessert party

Alcohol? 4 1/2 hours premium open bar

DJ? yes

Dessert party? Yes, French Island

Brunch? Nope

Welcome party? No, we'll do a smaller gathering with friends/family as they come in. We're hosting enough events.

 

[rumrunnergirl]

Here's the "wee budget" wedding, LOL. We don't have a lot to spend because I don't work and we have 2 kids, so we are at a financial disadvantage compared to two working people.

Wedding location: Sea Breeze Point

Number of attendees: 16 guests plus us 4 in the wedding party

Reception location: Whispering Canyon Cafe

Actual budget: $7,500 - $4,500 to Disney and the rest covers everything else, plus the honeymoon

Thing that you couldn't live without/no one should miss: I am hoping to be able to splurge on Cinderella's Coach

Night reception or day event? 10 a.m. wedding followed by lunch

Alcohol? no

DJ? no

Dessert party? no

Brunch? lunch

Welcome party? yes, poolside at CBR