Planning WDW wedding from UK... help!

AmyShamblesx

New Member
Original Poster
Hi everyone!

I am planning, although not yet booking, a wedding in WDW.

I've been on the Disney Weddings website and chosen all the details we'd like, which is a Memories wedding at the Polynesian, keeping it nice and simple as we just want to have the ceremony then go to Magic Kingdom to continue the celebration with my parents. It's working out as $2506 (around £1600). Which is perfect. Now I know that I also need to add a minimum 2 night stay at a resort hotel and I need to get a married license. But I'm unsure about what else I would need to pay.

Basically I want to know:
1. How much is a Florida marriage license?
2. Do we have to pay more to get someone to preform the ceremony?
3. Are there any other fees I need to pay?

I would love to hear other peoples experience of these weddings. We were looking to go January 2016, and am unable to plan this type of wedding until 6 months before. We're going to Florida in January anyway, but I would love to make it extra special and get married in the place I love more than anywhere in the world.

Thanks for any help!
 

CAPTAIN HOOK

Well-Known Member
Welcome aboard to a fellow Brit.

Can't answer your question but I'll bump it back up the New Posts for someone who does know to answer
 

Sweet Melissa

Well-Known Member
The license costs about $95 USD. A Florida marriage license can be issued in any county in Florida, not just the county where the wedding will take place. This is lucky for you, because Brevard County offers a mail-away service that really streamlines the process for overseas couples. You can apply for the license up to 60 days before the wedding and not have to step foot in a courthouse once you arrive in Florida. They don't charge any extra for the mail-away service, just a flat $93.50 USD. The process for applying for a marriage license by mail is detailed here.

I don't think that the Memories package includes an officiant. I know that Disney Fairy Tale Weddings has a list of preferred vendors that you can hire for the ceremony. You don't have to hire one of their people, though. My brother got ordained online through the Universal Life Church to perform our ceremony. It was completely free, and it allowed us to craft a ceremony that was very intimate and customized to us. I think it makes the ceremony far more personal when it's performed by a loved one rather than someone you hire who doesn't really know you and may infuse the ceremony with thoughts, readings, or religion that may differ from your own.
 

BJones82

Well-Known Member
Welcome!! I can't speak to your questions too much... it all depends I guess there are rings, your dress, his suite. As @Sweet Melissa mentioned, the officiant though you could do your own. I would recommend Memory Maker, it's a once in a life time thing so why not get every single picture you can to remember it lol.. They also offer an online application for the marriage license though I don't know if that is available to people from outside the US. Other than that just the basics for a Disney trip... Does the Memories package include photography? If not and you want that is another thing. Maybe Hair and makeup if you want that done, I think a couple's massage would be a great thing to do as well but that could be part of your honeymoon too...

Good Luck and let us know what you end up doing!! :)
 

LAKid53

Official Member of the Girly Girl Fan Club
Premium Member
Does the marriage counseling course apply solely to Florida residents? If not, then there is a 3 day waiting period to obtain the license. That is something you need to check with the Orange County Clerk's office. And since you a non-resident, I would obtain my license from the county in which you will be married. I am sure Orange County is capable of mailing your the license.

I would say your estimation of $2506 is pretty low for a Disney wedding. But what you need to do ASAP is contact Disney Weddings to (1) speak with a consultant so you can book your date [and avoid the weekend of the marathon] and (2) get a letter of agreement prepared. The consultant will give you a better idea of the total cost, what options you have for someone to perform the ceremony (that individual needs to be able to legally perform a marriage ceremony in Florida, i.e., clergy, notary, judge). And the cost of an official to perform the ceremony is going to be at that individual's discretion.

The Memories is a pretty bare bones wedding. What about a cake, since it is not included in the cost. Cakes can run well over $100.

And as others have mentioned, your need to include in your total budget rings, your gown, his tux (or suit), flowers for your groom and your parents, hotel room, etc.

I'm planning a Wishes wedding for my daughter next February. It will be lovely, but part of me wishes she'd gone for the simpler ceremony (cost wasn't the issue here).

Good luck! And best wishes to you both.
 

BJones82

Well-Known Member
Does the marriage counseling course apply solely to Florida residents? If not, then there is a 3 day waiting period to obtain the license. That is something you need to check with the Orange County Clerk's office. And since you a non-resident, I would obtain my license from the county in which you will be married. I am sure Orange County is capable of mailing your the license.

I would say your estimation of $2506 is pretty low for a Disney wedding. But what you need to do ASAP is contact Disney Weddings to (1) speak with a consultant so you can book your date [and avoid the weekend of the marathon] and (2) get a letter of agreement prepared. The consultant will give you a better idea of the total cost, what options you have for someone to perform the ceremony (that individual needs to be able to legally perform a marriage ceremony in Florida, i.e., clergy, notary, judge). And the cost of an official to perform the ceremony is going to be at that individual's discretion.

The Memories is a pretty bare bones wedding. What about a cake, since it is not included in the cost. Cakes can run well over $100.

And as others have mentioned, your need to include in your total budget rings, your gown, his tux (or suit), flowers for your groom and your parents, hotel room, etc.

I'm planning a Wishes wedding for my daughter next February. It will be lovely, but part of me wishes she'd gone for the simpler ceremony (cost wasn't the issue here).

Good luck! And best wishes to you both.
The 3 day waiting period only applies to Florida residents
 

Sweet Melissa

Well-Known Member
Does the marriage counseling course apply solely to Florida residents? If not, then there is a 3 day waiting period to obtain the license. That is something you need to check with the Orange County Clerk's office. And since you a non-resident, I would obtain my license from the county in which you will be married. I am sure Orange County is capable of mailing your the license.
Orange County doesn't do a mail-away license, but it doesn't matter. Any county in Florida can issue the license, regardless of where in Florida the couple is married.
 

LAKid53

Official Member of the Girly Girl Fan Club
Premium Member
Orange County doesn't do a mail-away license, but it doesn't matter. Any county in Florida can issue the license, regardless of where in Florida the couple is married.

Yes, I know that - I performed several weddings for friends and family when I was a notary. However, someone at the Orange County Clerk's office might be more capable of providing her info on an officiant as opposed to someone in Brevard County.
 

patch553

Well-Known Member
we did the escape package at the wedding pavilion(absolutely beautiful) just over 5 years ago,when we booked we were assigned a wedding co-ordinator who we had many phone conversations with(we got an international phone card from tescos, saves huge phone bills!)
a couple days after landing in orlando we drove to the county court house and got our licence,i believe it was $95 at the time,other than us having to do that everything else was sorted by the co-ordinator
 

amanda_paul2016

New Member
Hi I'm also planning our wedding in Disney from the UK for next year!
I have just been looking at the marriage license and I was under the impression Orange County court could mail your license or is it strictly to the us??
I'm planing an escape wedding I can't wait to book it all in!!
I advise to be careful on your dress going on the plane iv had people tell me that they allow you to carry on but after speaking to my airline (thomascook) I was told (even though there's hanging space on board) you may not be able to use it!! So iv had to up our seats so I can have 10kg hand luggage just for my dress and it still has to fit in the hand luggage size case!! (How I don't know!) lol

I know a lot of U.S. residents are mailing their dresses over maybe this could be cheaper if you can risk it?
Or if I wasn't over 6ft and need extra length id wait and buy a sample dress in Florida! You could do the same with his suit as clothes are a lot cheaper in Florida than the UK! Also jewellery is too
Hope your having fun planning! X
 

Ariel1986

Well-Known Member
we did the escape package at the wedding pavilion(absolutely beautiful) just over 5 years ago,when we booked we were assigned a wedding co-ordinator who we had many phone conversations with(we got an international phone card from tescos, saves huge phone bills!)
a couple days after landing in orlando we drove to the county court house and got our licence,i believe it was $95 at the time,other than us having to do that everything else was sorted by the co-ordinator

How was the experience getting the licence- fairly straight forward? Time consuming? Having to do this in the near future and just wanting to make sure I have everything needed and how much time to set aside- was the court house busy? Thanks! :)
 

patch553

Well-Known Member
How was the experience getting the licence- fairly straight forward? Time consuming? Having to do this in the near future and just wanting to make sure I have everything needed and how much time to set aside- was the court house busy? Thanks! :)
it was super straight forward,probably took about about an hour or so out of our day.the court house itself wasn't all that spectacular but once through the security check was very self expanitory,hope this helps let me know if you need any other info x
 

patch553

Well-Known Member
Hi I'm also planning our wedding in Disney from the UK for next year!
I have just been looking at the marriage license and I was under the impression Orange County court could mail your license or is it strictly to the us??
I'm planing an escape wedding I can't wait to book it all in!!
I advise to be careful on your dress going on the plane iv had people tell me that they allow you to carry on but after speaking to my airline (thomascook) I was told (even though there's hanging space on board) you may not be able to use it!! So iv had to up our seats so I can have 10kg hand luggage just for my dress and it still has to fit in the hand luggage size case!! (How I don't know!) lol

I know a lot of U.S. residents are mailing their dresses over maybe this could be cheaper if you can risk it?
Or if I wasn't over 6ft and need extra length id wait and buy a sample dress in Florida! You could do the same with his suit as clothes are a lot cheaper in Florida than the UK! Also jewellery is too
Hope your having fun planning! X
the court house sent our licence back to the uk with no issues,the escape package is a great choice,we flew with virgin and explained to them what we were doing and they allowed us to place the wedding dress and jewellery into a separate case(upto 15kg) at no extra charge, congratulations x
 

Ariel1986

Well-Known Member
it was super straight forward,probably took about about an hour or so out of our day.the court house itself wasn't all that spectacular but once through the security check was very self expanitory,hope this helps let me know if you need any other info x

Thanks that's good to know! :)
 

amanda_paul2016

New Member
the court house sent our licence back to the uk with no issues,the escape package is a great choice,we flew with virgin and explained to them what we were doing and they allowed us to place the wedding dress and jewellery into a separate case(upto 15kg) at no extra charge, congratulations x


Thanks for that info! Now relieved it can be sent to the UK ☺️
Iv asked Thomas Cook various ways which we could take it aboard No extra cost but they were in no way helpful and repeatedly told me they can't guarantee anything as they won't be at the check in desk, and who ever was there would be within their rights to refuse to allow us to take it on board if over weight and be forced to check it in so I had to upgrade
Never mind eh lol
 

Laura Parkes

New Member
Good Morning !

First time on a forum and first time in ever looking at planning a wedding :happy:
I dont really know where to start - we want to plan for October 2018 in WDW Florida on the Escape package.

Can any of you guys help and let me know where I begin? - There will be a few guests - with it being new nothing concrete yet - Im unusure how to book/talk to someone with regards to planning the wedding in Florida - not sure where to book to stay/fly with.
Do my guests book seperately?

Bit confused and daunted but also massively excited - hope you can help x
 

LAKid53

Official Member of the Girly Girl Fan Club
Premium Member
Good Morning !

First time on a forum and first time in ever looking at planning a wedding :happy:
I dont really know where to start - we want to plan for October 2018 in WDW Florida on the Escape package.

Can any of you guys help and let me know where I begin? - There will be a few guests - with it being new nothing concrete yet - Im unusure how to book/talk to someone with regards to planning the wedding in Florida - not sure where to book to stay/fly with.
Do my guests book seperately?

Bit confused and daunted but also massively excited - hope you can help x

Congratulations on your upcoming nuptials!

My daughter got married at Disney this past February. Planning a wedding at WDW is easy, because Disney provides a wedding planner and all the support to go with it. They're not inexpensive, but they take care of everything and thus the bride (and groom) have few worries about all the itty bitty details. And by everything I mean flowers, cake, music at ceremony, catering at reception, colors of linen, etc. You will have several phone calls with your assigned planner and if you can arrange it, a 4 hour planning session that goes through everything. You didn't mention where you live, but if you can arrange that planning session to be in person, rather than over the phone, that's preferable. Disney is very organized... your planners have a notebook that they use to cover everything. They will show slides of the different styles of bouquets and other flowers they provide, they pull out handfuls of fabric samples for linens, you can do your cake testing at the planning ceremony, etc. Once the session is complete, everything major is planned and all you have to do is worry about guests showing up. And paying the bill.

First thing you need to do is firm up a date in October 2018 and decide exactly where on WDW property you want to get married. Why? Because that affects date, time and cost. And Disney weddings won't officially book the date more than 1 year out. The wedding pavilion is the most popular venue for a wedding. If you marry in a park, your ceremony must be before the park opens. My daughter was married in Italy in World Showcase, so the ceremony was at 9:00 am. Since you've decided on the level of wedding, you know about the different cost groups - venue, enhancements, catering, etc.

Your guests will book themselves. Disney Weddings can arrange a block of rooms for them at a discounted price. And the guests are provided a special phone number to call to get the discounted rate. Plus, they can also get discounted tickets. For those guests who would want to come in a few days earlier or stay a couple of days after, they will get the discounted rate. And if you manage to book 25 room nights (not 25 guests, but the total number of nights reserved by all the guests), then the bride and groom get a wedding night room in the Grand Floridian. Since it sounds like you are getting married on property, I would recommend guests stay on property as it makes it much easier for them to get to the venue, especially if your ceremony is in a park. We've seen the photos from the ceremony. If it weren't for the Lady and Tramp sculpted bushes in some of the photos, you'd think my daughter really did get married in Italy.

First thing you need to do is contact Disney Weddings, either by phone or by email. While they really won't start the process officially until next October, you can at least get some important info, especially about costs. I cannot say enough about Disney Weddings and I specifically mean the planners, they are amazing! Since this is a destination wedding, it's nice to have someone you can call or email about anything. And they keep you on track.

Again, congratulations. October is a nice time of year to get married...the weather is more friendly. And the parks will be decorated for Halloween!
 

Laura Parkes

New Member
Hi Im from the UK - Its a long way away yet but I do want to start looking into it - I literally have no idea where to start.

I have spoken to most family - few more to liaise with this weekend :)
Then i'm thinking bridesmaid proposals - I am waiting on Disney wedding brochure - I will then call them as i dont seem to be able to get hold of an email address I can contact them on...?

So for my guests and ourselves we will need to book into a Disney resort for discounted rooms around the wedding time?

How do i get hold of a marriage licence ? - do i need to do this before we can be married in Florida?

How do i get make up artist/hair stylist for the day ?

I am so so excited but very daunted as its planning out wedding overseas - but it sounds as though the planners take all the stress out of things?

do you know of any hidden costs etc and when your daughter planned online - was the cost a lot different ? Do you mind me asking how much the wedding cost and what package/included she had?

Is this all what i need to discuss with the planner - again do you have an email for them ? xx
 

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