Who had an intimate/ecape wedding?

[dislovr]

Ok I want to hear about your intimate disney weddings. I've been trying to convince myself that I didn't want a disney wedding since my DBF and I have been talking about getting married in about 2 years, but the truth is I REALLY DO WANT ONE. We've been trying to figure out where to go and get married and I have yet to really admit it although I think he knows. I don't think hes keen on the idea but i'd like to believe he would do anything to make me happy lol.
So...how was your intimate wedding? Was it everything you expected? Did you pay extra for the "extras?" What extras did you have? How many guests did you have? Did you have a reception? What did you do for your reception? If you only had the photographer that came with the intimate package how did those pictures come out? If you don't mind me asking...approximately how much did it end up costing you? If you don't want anything publically displayed feel free to PM me. Just trying to gather some information. I did check online but they don't give you enough of an idea unless you talk with a wedding planner and im not ready to do that yet. So any help would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

[hiwaygal]

Hi dislovr!

I had an intimate wedding in 2005. It was just my DH and me and we basically had the "off the shelf" intimate package. It has changed a bit since then, but for us it was just perfect!

I did use Disney Photography and was very happy with the photos! I don't like pictures of myself, but our photographer (Ty) made it very easy to be comfortable and relaxed. If there was a particular picture I wanted, he took it...and he caught some really special moments that ended up being some of DH's and my favorite pictures! You are welcome to look at some of the pictures we got HERE. That's not all the pictures he took, but just a few of our favorites. The pictures are also small because they are directly from the CD that used to be included in the intimate package...they are not for reproduction, but just big enough to see. That is probably the one drawback to Disney photography, it can be more expensive if you want reprints and copyrights right away.

There are MANY other photographers that you can use and quite a few brides do use outside photographers for their weddings. Randy Chapman has quite a reputation here, as does Misty Miotto, Photography by Taz, Rhett Pyle and a few others. You can do a google search on any of them (or "Orlando Wedding Photographers") and see their websites, samples, and contact info.

The only "extra" I paid for was pre-purchasing my proofs. This ensured that I got a copy of all the pictures taken and could have those as I decided to wait 3 years to buy the rights/CD of my pictures (it's cheaper that way).

We did not have a reception, but we did have dinner that night at the California Grill. Unfortunately, our palates are not quite that refined! We just didn't like the food there, but watching Wishes from our table was really romantic!

I guess all told our wedding cost about $7000. That included air fare, our wedding clothes, lodging (BWI concierge), park tickets, and even the kennel for our dogs! It was worth every penny and much more!

I hope that helps some (sorry it's so long)...and I'm sure others will post about their experiences!

Don't hesitate to ask any questions...we're all here to help!

 

[JaxTeach]

We haven't had our wedding yet, but we will have an Escape wedding in December. I was working on our budget today and thought I'd give you some numbers. We are having an extras-filled Escape. Right now our budget is at $18k. That includes Disney (ceremony, dinner @ California Grill, dessert party, welcome dinner, MK Bridal Portraits), outside floral, photography, videography, wedding attire, rings, hair & makeup, favors, stationery, our hotel room @ Disney, and our honeymoon in Paris (and all the other wedding expenses I've left out! ).

We are paying about $8600 directly to Disney out of our $18k budget. You can certainly have a very nice Escape for under $5k, though. If you want the extras, it will definitely cost you.

 

[dislovr]

We haven't had our wedding yet, but we will have an Escape wedding in December. I was working on our budget today and thought I'd give you some numbers. We are having an extras-filled Escape. Right now our budget is at $18k. That includes Disney (ceremony, dinner @ California Grill, dessert party, welcome dinner, MK Bridal Portraits), outside floral, photography, videography, wedding attire, rings, hair & makeup, favors, stationery, our hotel room @ Disney, and our honeymoon in Paris (and all the other wedding expenses I've left out! ).

We are paying about $8600 directly to Disney out of our $18k budget. You can certainly have a very nice Escape for under $5k, though. If you want the extras, it will definitely cost you.

Thanks for the input. If you dont mind me asking what you paid directly to Disney what did that include. I know the basic intimate package is like $4000 what "extras" did you opt for? I like details

 

[dislovr]

Hi dislovr!

I had an intimate wedding in 2005. It was just my DH and me and we basically had the "off the shelf" intimate package. It has changed a bit since then, but for us it was just perfect!

I did use Disney Photography and was very happy with the photos! I don't like pictures of myself, but our photographer (Ty) made it very easy to be comfortable and relaxed. If there was a particular picture I wanted, he took it...and he caught some really special moments that ended up being some of DH's and my favorite pictures! You are welcome to look at some of the pictures we got HERE. That's not all the pictures he took, but just a few of our favorites. The pictures are also small because they are directly from the CD that used to be included in the intimate package...they are not for reproduction, but just big enough to see. That is probably the one drawback to Disney photography, it can be more expensive if you want reprints and copyrights right away.

There are MANY other photographers that you can use and quite a few brides do use outside photographers for their weddings. Randy Chapman has quite a reputation here, as does Misty Miotto, Photography by Taz, Rhett Pyle and a few others. You can do a google search on any of them (or "Orlando Wedding Photographers") and see their websites, samples, and contact info.

The only "extra" I paid for was pre-purchasing my proofs. This ensured that I got a copy of all the pictures taken and could have those as I decided to wait 3 years to buy the rights/CD of my pictures (it's cheaper that way).

We did not have a reception, but we did have dinner that night at the California Grill. Unfortunately, our palates are not quite that refined! We just didn't like the food there, but watching Wishes from our table was really romantic!

I guess all told our wedding cost about $7000. That included air fare, our wedding clothes, lodging (BWI concierge), park tickets, and even the kennel for our dogs! It was worth every penny and much more!

I hope that helps some (sorry it's so long)...and I'm sure others will post about their experiences!

Don't hesitate to ask any questions...we're all here to help!

Thanks so much for all your information. That is pretty much what I want. The basics. I don't want a big affair. It will probably be just the 2 of us, his parents, my parents and my grandmother. Did you wear your wedding attire to dinner that night? The one thing that I would probably want to add just because it seems silly to me to have a wedding down there and not have it is the MK photo shoot. So hopefully when we auctually start planning all day I stick to what I am saying now and not over do it with to many extras. Anyway thats again. And your pictures are lovely BTW

 

[hiwaygal]

Thanks so much for all your information. That is pretty much what I want. The basics. I don't want a big affair. It will probably be just the 2 of us, his parents, my parents and my grandmother. Did you wear your wedding attire to dinner that night? The one thing that I would probably want to add just because it seems silly to me to have a wedding down there and not have it is the MK photo shoot. So hopefully when we auctually start planning all day I stick to what I am saying now and not over do it with to many extras. Anyway thats again. And your pictures are lovely BTW

I did wear my dress to dinner, but it wasn't a full gown (as you saw from the pics). I'm pretty sure that if you stick to resort area restaurants you can wear your gown...it's when you want to eat in the parks that it gets confusing.

If I could do it all over again (and a VR is not out of the question someday ) I would DEFINITELY go for the MK photo shoot if you can afford it!!! My DH is not a morning person though, so I might have to keep him up all night or something!

 

[beckyb29]

We had an intimate wedding on November 28, 2006...It was PERFECT. I couldn't have asked for anything more....

We got married in the Wedding Pavillion(which did cost a little extra.) I really liked the other locations, but I worried SO much about the weather. When we saw the WP in person, we loved it!! I got over the worry that I had about the WP being too big...it was so beautiful I didn't even realize how many people it could hold. The flowers were exactly what I wanted-I had sent in a picture and they duplicated them perfectly. The music was perfect, and my wedding coordinator couldn't have been more helpful. Our reception was at Commander's Terrace at the Grand Floridian. I had originally dreamed of the bigger reception...the dj, dancefloor, etc. However, Commander's Terrace was perfect for our group. The violin player was there, our cake was delicous, we got to dance, take tons of pictures...we had such a good time.

Our group was fairly small. It was me, my husband, my mom, dad, stepmom, brother, grandmother and grandfather, and his mom and dad. It was the perfect size.

After our reception, we all went to dinner at the Yachtsman Steakhouse at the Yacht Club. It was phenomenal! They made personalized menus for us which we got to keep with our names and the date on them, including a picture of wedding Mickey and Minnie! The food was delicous, the service was great, and the atmosphere was just right. We all wore our wedding attire (including me in my dress), and did not feel out of place at all.

For photography, we used Randy Chapman. He was great, as I'm sure you've read. It was worth the small price to me to know who my photographer was going to be.
We also had Stan from STVS video there. This was one thing that we debated about due to the pricetag of the event adding up. In the end, I am so glad that we went with him. Our video is great...and unlike the pictures, I am able to go back and remember the smaller details of the day. We were so wrapped up in the excitement of the day that it flew by-the video helped re-capture the magic (corny, I know, but so true!)

I'm sure I left something out! Feel free to ask more questions, I (and all the other Dis brides) love talking about our DFTW!!!

 

[JaxTeach]

Thanks for the input. If you dont mind me asking what you paid directly to Disney what did that include. I know the basic intimate package is like $4000 what "extras" did you opt for? I like details

No problem, I like details too. Hopefully this can help any future Escape/Intimate brides... I had a hard time finding any information. Here the breakdown of what we are paying to Disney:
Ceremony $2,950.00 (SBP)
Dessert Party Floral $- (haven't received our floral budget yet)
Reception & Dessert Party $4,110.51 (private room @ CG, UK Upper Terrace DP with Old World Classics menu; we will serve sodas only, no alchol, at both events)
Welcome Dinner $556.37 (20 people 'Ohana with 20% DDE card)
Cake $150.00 (we are upgrading our cake slightly)
Cake Delivery $79.88 (we will have our cake at the CG, not SBP)
Wedding Accomodations $850.56 (4 nights BWI w/ CM discount)
$8,697.32 Total including tax

 

[mmmsarah3]

This is a good thread! I would like to hear more about others escape weddings!

 

[dislovr]

No problem, I like details too. Hopefully this can help any future Escape/Intimate brides... I had a hard time finding any information. Here the breakdown of what we are paying to Disney:
Ceremony $2,950.00 (SBP)
Dessert Party Floral $- (haven't received our floral budget yet)
Reception & Dessert Party $4,110.51 (private room @ CG, UK Upper Terrace DP with Old World Classics menu; we will serve sodas only, no alchol, at both events)
Welcome Dinner $556.37 (20 people 'Ohana with 20% DDE card)
Cake $150.00 (we are upgrading our cake slightly)
Cake Delivery $79.88 (we will have our cake at the CG, not SBP)
Wedding Accomodations $850.56 (4 nights BWI w/ CM discount)
$8,697.32 Total including tax

Wow you really did give all the details. Thanks so much! Ok, I need to chill out for a year or so because absoutely no planning is going to go on anytime soon! But I would still LOVE to hear about other intimate/escape weddings that you folks have had! Thanks to everyone so far that has contributed!

 

[Boo0105]

I had an Intimate Wedding on August 28, 2006. It was held at the Wedding Pavillion followed by cake at the Grand Floridian - Commander's Terrace and lunch at the Portobello Yacht Club in DTD. In the evening we had a DP in UK Lower. We had a total of 18 guests. It was perfect, I would highly recommend having an intimate if you have a small budget.

Wedding at WP $3,350
Extra Champagne/Cider $61
Mickey & Minnie $1,070
2 Coursages & 3 Bouteneires $113.42
IllumiNations DP (Child in You Menu) w/ motorcoach $1,495
MK Photo Shoot $800.00
Honeymoon Photo Shoot (extra for Epcot) $50.00
Total pd to Disney $6,940

Randy Chapman Photography $692
STVS Video $813
Officiant Rev Day $150.00
Lunch PYC $475.00
Lisa Pena - cosmo $145
Silk Floral - Altar arrangement & 2 bouquets $170
Flower girl access. Invitations, favors, bubbles, t-shirt etc $335
Airfare NJ-MCO/Hotel (Coronado Springs) 4 days $790

Total approx cost $10,510
Plus Honeymoon in Punta Cana, Dress & accessories, tux, wedding bands

My total cost was $14,800

 

[D&R love Disney]

Our intimate wedding was March 23, 2004 at SBP. I think we spent somewhere around $8000 and that included 6 nights in a garden suite at the Boardwalk. The extras we had were Wishes cruise the night before the wedding, Randy Chapman for photography, custom bouquets, the chocolate castle topper, dinner at Yachtsman Steakhouse which was fantastic and I wore my dress and the MK photo shoot. Luckily back in 2004 if you went with outside photography you could get credit towards the MK shoot and it was a good credit too!

 

[purplegirl247]

So...how was your intimate wedding? Was it everything you expected? Did you pay extra for the "extras?" What extras did you have? How many guests did you have? Did you have a reception? What did you do for your reception? If you only had the photographer that came with the intimate package how did those pictures come out? If you don't mind me asking...approximately how much did it end up costing you?

We had an intimate ceremony at noon on Monday, 4.23.07 at the Yacht Club Gazebo. It ended up costing us a little over $5k for EVERYTHING regarding the wedding (wedding dress, suit, favors, programs, luncheon "reception", everything) and a little over $8k total if we included the honeymoon (two nights at the YC, four nights at Riverside, food, souvenirs, etc.). We sort of cheated on the honeymoon part because DH was a cast member, and we ended up saving about $2k with his discount (got into the parks for free, got some reduced costs on food, and paid half price for hotel).

Extras that we should have had to pay for but didn't included having our honeymoon shoot swap-out at Epcot without the $50 and our cake looked a little different from a standard intimate cake (but that was their doing; I'd just asked for some purple to be added). Extras that we did pay for included Randy Chapman as photographer for three hours ($675 roughly), MK photo shoot ($800), and extra champagne and sodas for toast ($60 or so).

After our ceremony was over, we continued taking pics with Randy. Half of our guests (there were 18 of us total, including the officiant--who was a friend of our with a notary license--and his girlfriend) took the limo to DTD's Portabello Yacht Club. By the time the limo came back, we were done with pics, so it took the second half of us. Everyone had a great time and because of the odd timing of our lunch (around 3, I think, by the time we got our food), the restaurant was basically empty.

As for Disney photography, I can't say for certain what their ceremony pics are like, but we were pretty pleased with our MK photo shoot. And we ADORED our honeymoon shoot with Bryan Mazur. He was the best. We were hot, sweaty, miserable, and crowded that day at Epcot but he made us look like super stars.

Good luck deciding what you're going to do, how you're going to do it, how you're going to afford it. I'd advise you to read some planning journals and/or trip reports (mine are in my signature) to get a better idea of what some of the gals did. Weddings at Disney can range from fairly inexpensive to ridiculously expensive, depending on how many extras, how much your wedding dress is, what sort of honeymoon you're going to have, etc.

GL!