Why I decided to have a DFTW

[MrsRomance]

Ok, in an attempt to provide some balance to possible prospective brides out there, I thought it may be useful for those who have chosen to have a DFTW give the reasons why they felt this was the right choice for their big day!

For me it is simple, I love Disney, and being able to have the Cindy's house as the backdrop to my ceremony was beyond perfect!

Our Coordinator was beyond helpful in spite of the fact that we were having a smaller package and living in the UK so most of the planning was done via email.

Even though we had a change of coordinator at the last minute, the ceremony was beautiful and went without a hitch.

The fact that we were able to ride the tower of terror in our wedding attire!

Ceremony at a Disney resort with the reception in a Disney park -- where else can you have that?

In fact, we were so happy, were having a 10 year Wishes VR in 2016!!

 

[mb187143]

ooh i'll jump on this bandwagon too!!

we decided on a Disney wedding for a bunch of reasons! I can remember staying at the Polynesian right after the WP was built, and riding past it with my parents and my sister, and telling my dad I wanted to get married there. I'm sure my dad looked at my 9 year old face and thought i wasn't ever going to follow through with that, but he agreed with me at the time.

by the time I met my fiance and we were talking about marriage, we knew that we wanted a destination wedding. I have a very large extended family, and both of my parents have a large network of co-workers, friends, clients, associates, etc. that they would want to invite to our wedding; by contrast, my fiancee grew up with his mom, brother, and sister, is not close to any of his extended family, and his mom has a handful of friends that she wants to invite. I knew that my parents would never invite all of those people to a destination wedding, and the last thing i wanted was to have 2 tables for my fiance and his family and 10 for mine - so destination wedding it was.

My fiance took me to WDW for my 26th birthday, and it was our first real vacation together. While we were there, i got a call that my dad was back in the hospital, and that he'd need to stay for the weekend and have another catheterization done on Monday. He was adamant that we not return home, so we didn't - everything turned out fine, and 18 months later, he's had no more issues, but it was a scary moment for me, and my fiance was so great about keeping me focused on the vacation and not worrying myself sick - it was a turning point in our relationship.

After that, we knew that we wanted to do a Disney wedding - we both had great memories of going as kids, we had our own memories as adults, and we knew that our families would support the decision. We got Carrie's book abotu 6 months before we got engaged, i was on the boards reading planning journals and budgets, we talked about a prelimnary guest list, and it all fit. We lived together, and we went ring shopping together, so i knew the proposal was coming before our trip in Sept. 2011 - we scheduled a site visit for when we were down there, and talked to a consultant before we were officially engaged, but that followed about 2 weeks later, the day before our trip.

As soon as we talked to the consultant, we had timelines, a proposal of costs based on our venues we wanted and guest count, we had planning information, and then we had a really fantastic site visit. Within 2 days of them getting the contract we had a planner, we had menus with sample prices so we could at least begin to ballpark what we were planning to do, and through every question, we've gotten a thorough response and we've been very satisfied. We did a lot of research before we contacted Disney, so we knew what questions we wanted to ask. I have realistic expectations - not everything is going to be perfect, but that's reality. I've never felt like they've let us down, mislead us, weren't forthcoming with us, or brushed us off. Maybe we've been lucky with the people we've worked with so far. I know not everyone has had this experience, many times through no fault of their own, seems like maybe the luck of the draw.

The bottom line for us is that we're getting married, our families and friends are excited about it, and about coming to WDW for it, and we're excited to start this next chapter in our lives in a place that we've already got so many great memories.

 

[2012DisneyWorldBride]

Oh! I'll post too!!!

I am Disney crazy!!! I always say Disney is my happy place. I have been going to Disney since I can remember, and we have had season passes for a long time too. I was going with my family sometimes once a week (we live 2 hrs away). When I started dating Jeff, thank goodness he jumped on board... I think he thought I was a little crazy since I have a Disney wardrobe, disney purses lol, and I'm an avid pin trader. But he soon realized how important Disney is to me.

When we got engaged Jeff proposed at Disney... He knew I thought it was the most magical place ever! When we were deciding about the wedding, he knew my number one place would be Disney, but because of the cost (we are paying ourselves since it's both of ours second wedding) Jeff wanted to also look at some local places. We looked at our local Ritz, and Hilton, and botanical gardens, and local mansions that are rented out - and found the cost pretty close to Disney... Knowing we couldn't walk away from Disney for such a little difference and couldn't get the Disney extras anywhere else (like Cindy's Coach, and pics with the caslte off in the distance)... We went ahead and decided on Disney!!!!

Now, we have had some issues with the planning but it has all worked out and I'm sure it would be stressful anywhere. It is the most magical place and Im sure we will have amazing memories of our wedding day at Disney!

 

[One_Song]

Great thread, Amanda

--We chose a Disney wedding because we wanted our big day (and surrounding days) to be a true vacation for our guests.

--We instantly fell in love with how DFTW will take care of practically everything. You can use outside vendors if you like, but that's not what we wanted. We told our planner and florist what we wanted, and everything was just there on our wedding day. No hunting for vendors, no calling to confirm, no directions, no setting up, no cleaning up. We didn't have to lift a finger the week of our wedding.

--In my opinion, no one can match the variety of venues that Disney offers.

--I had several ideas for how to make our wedding reflect our personalities, and DFTW made all of them happen.

--In a span of three days, we took our relatives to a tropical, family-style dinner; had a Victorian, frilly bridesmaids luncheon; went with all of our young friends to a piano bar; had a country, musical dinner show as a rehearsal dinner; had a romantic, beautiful wedding ceremony fit for a princess; and celebrated with our guests in a big splashy party, complete with amazing food, lots of dancing, and themed decor. All of these things were in the span of 5 miles.

And although this didn't contribute to our decision, 6 months after our wedding, my friends and family still love to talk to me about what an amazing time they had and all the great memories we made.

 

[MrsRomance]

And although this didn't contribute to our decision, 6 months after our wedding, my friends and family still love to talk to me about what an amazing time they had and all the great memories we made.

This is just it......even though we 'only' had a Memories ceremony this is what makes me happy -- that it was magical for everyone that was involved. I have been to lots of weddings over the years and TBH they all morph into the same thing -- the actual venue may be different, but not that much where as a DFTW IS different by design.

Thanks for the contributions ladies!

 

[PinkSleepingBeauty]

Great thread! Here are my reasons for a Disney Wedding:

- It had been a lifelong dream of mine since I saw a couple getting their wedding photos taken with Mickey & Minnie in the GF Lobby when I was 10
- Having the castle as a back drop at all of our venues.
- Getting to dance with M & M at our reception.
- Finishing our day on a boat with Hallowishes in the background.
- Marrying my best friend in the world at my favourite place in the world

6 months on, family and friends still talk about the day and what a wonderful time they had. I had the most amazing day, literally a dream came true. We had great service right from first contact, even through the whole construction issue my planner was fab. We loved every second and I would recommend it to other brides in a heartbeat

 

[Sarah28]

great thread! As a prospective Disney Bride to be, it's very encouraging to read these comments, especially the bit about being able to arrange everything smoothly from the UK as that's the bit that's seems the most daunting to me! Let the planning commence!

 

[Icecoldpenguin]

Amanda,
This is a great thread and I know that some of you may feel attacked by the why I chose not to have a DFTW wedding thread.

I have always been a bride that had big wedding/small wedding dreams. I knew from the beginning I only wanted a wedding with 50 people if I was going to be getting married at disney. If I was at home I am sure I would be having a 150-200 people wedding. However, I still wanted a reception and I still wanted to be able to dance.

Disney was a natural choice for us as we met at disney world, got engaged at disney world the next step only seemed to be get married at disney world.

As I researched DFTW I found that in order for me to do what I wanted to do I just saw a skyrocketing price tag and I knew I needed to cut back. I was not 100% sold on any venue other than the backstage prop shop (which I really wanted) but putting all the pieces together that I got from DFTW and from Carrie's book I just got very concerned for our wallet.

So it was with that I decided to look into other options and that was when I found the Swan.

I am a Swan/Dolphin bride and I know to many out there us in the Swalphins group don't count as Disney brides but we still consider ourselves to be, so here is why I chose to have a Swan/Dolphin Disney wedding and not completely abandon having my wedding at Disney World.

*Going through the Swan I am still able to have my wedding on Disney Property, I could have characters if I had wanted them and I can still take pictures everywhere else that Disney brides can

* I can still have the most magical icon on earth in my pictures. I may not be able to take up close pictures but if I take pictures at the polynesian like I am planning on doing it will be there. The castle at the Magic Kingdom is the most magical place on earth for me and it always makes me feel at home so I had to find a way to take pictures with me in my wedding dress and the castle.

*If I wanted to take bridal portraits in Epcot/Hollywood Studios or Animal Kingdom that was still an option for me had I wanted to do it.

*I still get to have Disney World as the place I am getting married on my wedding invitations

*Going with the swan allowed me to do what I really wanted to do as far as a reception is concerned

* I am still getting to have a room block for my guests with discounted tickets so that they can have a magical vacation

* I am still getting to spend time with my family in the parks which is the most important aspect for me outside of marrying Greg.

* I am getting to have an amazing reception on Disney property at a venue not many have used which makes me excited to be a pioneer.

* I am getting to have a Dessert Party like the DFTW brides that includes piping in wishes and all that jazz

I am so thrilled to be a Disney bride you have no idea and switching to an at home wedding for me would have killed my magical day dreams. So I have to thank the wonderful Swalphins that came before me for giving me this option and I also have to thank my DFTW friends for always being so helpful any information I have been able to get no matter who it was from has been phenomenal.

I am so glad all of us get to have our big day at Disney and for those that are at home disney brides thank you for taking the disney magic and sharing it with all of your wedding guests.

Teresa

PS: I was not trying to offend anyone in the other thread. There are reasons we chose to go with another option and at least for me I would just want those options to be out there so that everyone can have a chance to have a Disney wedding.

everyone is different and everyone will choose what is best for them the most important thing is that we are a family here on these boards and we are here to support each other.

 

[MrsDuck]

I am having a S/D wedding and am absolutely thrilled with every step of the process.

We looked into DFTW but found S/D simply to be a better fit for us.

I am able to get married at the Happiest Place on Earth, it's surprisingly affordable, and it's a vacation for my guests.

Honestly, I could write a novel about this.

Long story short: for us, Disney is the only way to go!

 

[Icecoldpenguin]

I am having a S/D wedding and am absolutely thrilled with every step of the process.

We looked into DFTW but found S/D simply to be a better fit for us.

I am able to get married at the Happiest Place on Earth, it's surprisingly affordable, and it's a vacation for my guests.

Honestly, I could write a novel about this.

Long story short: for us, Disney is the only way to go!

Hey there sister Faith: Some Disney Trivia for you that I learned about recently and I am sure there are others on the boards that already know this.

Our Disney world is actually "The most magical place on earth"not "the happiest place on earth". The "happiest place on earth" is actually for Disney Land.

I actually learned about this on a podcast where I learned all about the "it's a small world ride"

Teresa

 

[DoomBuggy0922]

Oohh I'll play!

My husband and I never thought we would be able to afford a Disney Wedding. There are so many myths that surround the pricing structure of DFTWs that it's absolutely insane! Once we discovered the Escape package, we were hooked--- and then we ended up upgrading to a Wishes wedding, which is definitely the best decision I have ever made.

We had a Disney wedding because no other place means as much to us as Walt Disney World. I'm definitely the bigger Disney fan (my husband didn't even know that people actually went for a WHOLE WEEK before he met me), but we love going there together. I celebrated my 21st birthday there with him and, two years later, he proposed to me in front of Cinderella Castle.

I love that every time we go on vacation, we'll be able to point to Sea Breeze Point and say "That's where we got married!" I love that I'll be able to recreate the top layer of our wedding cake for our anniversaries. I love that, unlike a lot of other wedding venues that close or renovate, Disney isn't going anywhere.

And, I think Michelle said it best: we were able to give our guests a celebration they won't forget. Was my Disney wedding expensive? Sure. But I will treasure that day for the rest of my life.

 

[One_Song]

Amanda,
This is a great thread and I know that some of you may feel attacked by the why I chose not to have a DFTW wedding thread.

Since I was the one to speak out on the other thread, I just want to clarify. I think that thread started out harmless. Before I decided on a DFTW, I scoured the internet looking for negative reviews. If someone has a bad experience, they deserve to be heard. But as it progressed, it changed from attacking DFTW to almost attacking the brides. It was implied that DFTW brides choose DFTW because either 1) they are uninformed 2) they want a Disney wedding and don't care what they have to put up with or 3) they are all money wasters. A poster also implied that we blindly accept being treated poorly by DFTW.

And my point is, this is all untrue. I think anyone will find dozens upon dozens of past brides that feel we were treated wonderfully. And we're not just saying that out of some "misplaced loyalty" or a fear to speak out. We received the famous Disney customer service and we loved it. I had two bumps in my planning, both were handled to my satisfaction. I wouldn't have picked DFTW if they had treated me like crap.

I never felt limited in my wedding planning. I'm not sure specifically what people want to do that is being denied. Maybe this has to do with guest counts, and as we had a fairly large wedding, I guess I can't relate to that. But again, I think you will find many of us that felt everything we wanted was accommodated.

And as for pricing, that's a separate issue entirely. Disney posts the required minimums on their website. If the amount is "worth it", well, I don't think that can be debated. That is completely subjective. If a bride and groom aren't willing to spend that, I think that's fine. I was willing to spend it, and I think that's fine too. It doesn't make anyone right or wrong.

And I wasn't aware of any tension between DFTW and S/D brides. I don't know much about S/D but the ones I've read all seem beautiful. I feel like we all happily share info and stories. I thought the other thread was more DFTW vs. no-DFTW.

 

[helloirishkitty]

Great thread! I am mostly a lurker, but it makes me sad how negative the boards have been lately in regards to DFTW, especially since I had a great experience with DFTW.

Why I had a Disney Wedding...



*Disney takes care of everything - We had our ceremony at WP, Reception at LSS, and a desert party at UK Lower. My planner literally took care of everything (minus photography). I gave them direction, picked things out, but at the end of the day, I didn't have to worry about execution. Everything was handled flawlessly. We had a few hiccups (like Guiness not being available right away for DH, which was taken care of before we even got to LSS) but at the end of the day, everything was handled and to perfection.

*In the theme parks- We wanted a theme park reception. I wanted my guests to experience something that they will probably never experience again and I wanted to be *in* Disney. Yes, I couldn't bring my fantastic Studio 222 photographers in with us, but it was still worth it. To this day, my guests talk about how wonderful and cool it was to be in the park for a wedding.

*Donald Duck and Scuba Mickey- there isn't really much else to say... lol.

*Every wish was my command- Literally. There was nothing Disney said no to. We had a smaller (35 guest) wishes wedding, but everything I wanted they could do.

*It's Disney World- No offense to the S/D brides, but I don't view those as disney weddings, just like I don't view the swan-dolphin as disney hotels. It's a personal opinion, and I'm sure I will get flamed, but I am not a S/D fan. I love Walt Disney World, and it was a big thing to me to have a DFTW. I saved, scrimped, what have you. It was worth EVERY penny because it was what I wanted: to get married in Disney, and party it up in the theme parks. You can't do that without DFTW. My wedding still cost less than it would have at home, and all of my guests think it was one of the best weddings they've ever attended (except for one, and she's a meanie anyways)

 

[LittleStinkerbelle]

Disney is our happy place and I was in with the thought of renewing our vows there. I didn't think it was going to happen for budget reasons (being that it was just the two of us the Escape package was more than we wanted to spend). So when Memories was announced literally weeks before we were headed to WDW to celebrate our 10th anniversary I figured it was a sign.

I loved that pretty much everything was one stop shopping - the only thing we had to arrange on our own was an officiant and hair/make-up. The package included everything we needed and the planning was easy-peasy. Even though we were booked with a teeny, tiny package with hardly any add-ons (just some rose petals and a print package), I thought we got great service. Any emails to our planner were answered the same day or the next morning if I was emailing late in the day.

If I can talk DH into it , I'd love to save up for an Escape VR at some point and have some family come along if they'd be willing and able.

 

[MrRomance]

Great thread! I am mostly a lurker, but it makes me sad how negative the boards have been lately in regards to DFTW, especially since I had a great experience with DFTW.

I completely agree!

*It's Disney World- No offense to the S/D brides, but I don't view those as disney weddings, just like I don't view the swan-dolphin as disney hotels. It's a personal opinion, and I'm sure I will get flamed, but I am not a S/D fan. I love Walt Disney World, and it was a big thing to me to have a DFTW. I saved, scrimped, what have you. It was worth EVERY penny because it was what I wanted: to get married in Disney, and party it up in the theme parks. You can't do that without DFTW. My wedding still cost less than it would have at home, and all of my guests think it was one of the best weddings they've ever attended (except for one, and she's a meanie anyways)

No doubt there will be some flaming for expressing our opinion, but I think you raised very valid points. I don't think there is anything "wrong" with a S/D wedding, in fact, I've seen and heard some beautiful things, but for me, the Swan is a Western hotel, the Dolphin is a Sheraton hotel. They are no different to any of the other "partner hotels" in the general vicinity to Disney and contrary to popular belief there are restrictions - they're just different restrictions.

If the financial considerations are important for the couple, then they are definitely a great option for a beautiful wedding. They are and always will be cheaper than DTFW but they're selling a different product.

For me this isn't about having a downer on the S/D, their weddings, or anyone who chooses a wedding there for themselves. I'm sure that S/D weddings are fantastic and what is most important is that the couple are happy. However, I am someone who wouldn't trade what I really wanted for something similar. I understand that a lot of people do not think the same as I do, and that's great, the world would be a boring place if we were all the same.

I know this may offend some people, and that is certainly not my intent, but I liken it to buying a shirt with Mickey Mouse on it from Walmart or buying one from the Magic Kingdom - or collecting Disney pins or buying a box full of Hong Kong copies from eBay. If you want the true and full Disney experience, you will only get that from DTFW. Yes that comes with a price tag and all sorts of conditions you have to meet, but what price can you put on a dream? I would rather save for 5 years to get what I truly want in my heart.

 

[helloirishkitty]

I completely agree!




No doubt there will be some flaming for expressing our opinion, but I think you raised very valid points. I don't think there is anything "wrong" with a S/D wedding, in fact, I've seen and heard some beautiful things, but for me, the Swan is a Western hotel, the Dolphin is a Sheraton hotel. They are no different to any of the other "partner hotels" in the general vicinity to Disney and contrary to popular belief there are restrictions - they're just different restrictions.

If the financial considerations are important for the couple, then they are definitely a great option for a beautiful wedding. They are and always will be cheaper than DTFW but they're selling a different product.

For me this isn't about having a downer on the S/D, their weddings, or anyone who chooses a wedding there for themselves. I'm sure that S/D weddings are fantastic and what is most important is that the couple are happy. However, I am someone who wouldn't trade what I really wanted for something similar. I understand that a lot of people do not think the same as I do, and that's great, the world would be a boring place if we were all the same.

I know this may offend some people, and that is certainly not my intent, but I liken it to buying a shirt with Mickey Mouse on it from Walmart or buying one from the Magic Kingdom - or collecting Disney pins or buying a box full of Hong Kong copies from eBay. If you want the true and full Disney experience, you will only get that from DTFW. Yes that comes with a price tag and all sorts of conditions you have to meet, but what price can you put on a dream? I would rather save for 5 years to get what I truly want in my heart.

Thank you for saying what I tried to! I could not agree with you more.

 

[princess_ariel_85]

Ooh lemme join in!

There are many reasons we chose and stayed with DFTW.

~ We both love Disney.
~ Disney made me believe fairytales/true love is possible.
~ We were engaged in Disneyland Paris.
~ I love the Wedding Pavilion and I don't think there was anywhere else that could even come close to it in my opinion. It's so beautiful and it's all I ever wanted in a wedding venue.
~ My wedding planner Tanis was brilliant. Never left it long before she would reply to an email, she was very cheerful and did her best to make our day what it was.
~ Now and forever more I get to say 'I got married in Disney!'
~ In the future I can force our future kids along and say 'We got married here in Disney' or 'Hey look! There's the WP, we actually got married there!'

6 Months on and my Dad still talks about the wedding (and Epcot) and I sometimes think to myself 'wow, I got married in WDW'. It makes me smile and gives me wonderful feeling inside.

ETA: The only thing I found slightly frustrating was that I felt like we didn't really matter when it came to photography. Like because we were an Escape wedding that we didn't deserve better. Thats how I feel about our MK Shoot. But none the less I don't regret going with DFTW. x

 

[Evi]

I'll bite...

We decided to have a Disney Cruise Wedding because our very first vacation together was to Disney World. We loved it so much we've come back for our anniversary every year. It only made perfect sense to invite those we love to come celebrate our wedding at a place that has so much meaning for us. It will be our first Disney Cruise so its like we are inviting them into our next disney chapter with us. Plus come on now, its Disney.

 

[princesswendy720]

Location, location, location. DFTW has what we want and we can't get it anywhere else. Sea Breeze Point, Atlantic Dance Hall, and portraits in the MK. If they didn't have the no outside photography rule, we'd have a theme park wedding (we're having our rehearsal dinner and welcome party in the parks instead).

 

[BethieTink]

For us there was no choice for our VR. I would have gotten married the first time at Disney, but since Paul's parents didn't travel, we had it in Boston. Sadly, they are both no longer with us and not a factor this time around. We had a fabulous first wedding and most of guests still say (almost 10 years later) that it was the best wedding they have ever been to.

That being said, we knew if we were going to ask people to do it all again, that we needed to do it bigger and better. Nothing is bigger and better than Disney! We went from something small to something gigantic and that they won't get anywhere else.

We are very happy with our decision. Our guests seem excited about the trip and everything we have planned, so fingers crossed, everyone will have a once in a lifetime experiece.