StageFrenzy
Well-Known Member
I'm getting married in 3 months and when we first started planning we thought maybe Disney, but for what we were getting we decided it wasn't enough. We are spending about 15k for the wedding and honeymoon.
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Ambush Marriages at WDW?
- Thread starter Timekeeper
- Start date
JafarMaleficent
Active Member
i seen a couple in their wedding attire walking around MK one time. not sure if it was an ambush wedding though. i did think it was odd to go to a park in your wedding dress though.
ErickainPA
New Member
I get the impression from all the reading that from year to year in addition to the regular price increases you'd expect they also change a lot of rules and inclusions. Its weird. Several years ago I had looked into the vow renewal/Intimate thing then didn't look at it again until recently. A lot had changed! Like when you got married your max # of guests was like 8 or 10, wasn't it? Now it's like 20 and I think you can add up to 5 more for an additional $100 each! I wonder if they still let you film your own. I guess if a guest has a camera you can't nix it but I know some of that stuff they're pretty sticky on the rules. I read where a lot of brides are bringing in their own decor and tasking their consultants with a quick set up. There's a lot more they offer with the photography, too! Like a trash-the-dress shoot (<--that was a new one on me!) where you get in a pool in your wedding attire you have to pay for lifeguards. I think I read if you did one at Typhoon Lagoon it had to be strictly a Disney photographer + paying the lifeguards. Some of that stuff is amazing...and crazy expensive, of course. I'm just amazed at all the changes over the 4 or 5 years since I last looked!
I didn't look at the costs lately of course since I don't plan to marry again. It can get costly when you have to add on additional things. When we married we were allowed to have us and 2 guests eat for free at the restaurant, since my parents were staying with my Aunt and Uncle and they were coming to the wedding, it was only right that they come to dinner to, was $150 for them to eat with us.
It's cool they are allowing Trash the Dress sessions (my husband has done a few himself as a photographer around our area) but the cost can get crazy, be better off just going off site and having another photographer take you around. We also had us of the limo for 4 hours back then, we used it to come and pick us up the morning of our wedding and take us to get our wedding license (we were from PA so didn't have the wait period that FL residents do) and he then took us back to our hotel so I could finish getting my dress pressed and also slip off to see a friend I had been talking to online get married that same day at the same hotel.
I have seen the same thing at the MK, during regular park hours (evening). When "costumes" are prohibited from being worn into the parks by adults, I too am surprised that a wedding gown (which can look very similar to a "princess costume") would be permitted. :shrug:
sweetpee_1993
Well-Known Member
Officially the only way you are allowed to wear wedding attire in a park is if you're a Disney Fairytale Weddings bride and have an escort. I've heard of people popping up dressed in attire. I think they must change in the restrooms or something. I dunno how they do it. Little girls see those beautiful gowns and think "Princess"!
ErickainPA
New Member
they usually book the photography sessions before the park opens, so people must be changing in the restrooms unless they have gotten special permission.
I remember walking around my resort in my dress and we had the bride and groom ears on. A few little girls said to their mommy, look it's a princes. Was sooo sweet.
I remember walking around my resort in my dress and we had the bride and groom ears on. A few little girls said to their mommy, look it's a princes. Was sooo sweet.
sweetpee_1993
Well-Known Member
Yeah, I can't think of a reason someone would be in the MK during park hours in wedding attire. Epcot, yeah, if you were having a dessert party. Even going just from the International Gateway anyone in a gown is supposed to get an escort. 
French Quarter
Well-Known Member
But what did your $6000 include? Did it include your rings, marriage license, dress, tuxes, airfare, honeymoon, photographs (not just use of the photographer) etc.? I'm not commenting on whether a Disney wedding is or is not a good deal. I think if that's what you want and you have the cash, go for it! But it's important to be realistic about the bottom line. Same as with vacation pricing. All these little things add up.
We paid $8000 for our wedding (not at WDW) and week-long honeymoon at Disney. We had about 75 guests, fed them a three course meal, and got a honeymoon suite for the night of our wedding along with all of the usual cake, photos, etc. It was at a pretty classy downtown venue in the city that we were living in. I really can't imagine a Disney wedding being any less than that but I could be mistaken.
nolatron
Well-Known Member
That is true. I guess was more referencing the actual wedding itself.
The only other additional costs we had were (if I can recall them correctly):
Airfare - maybe $300 (Southwest from MSY)
Marriage License - ~$200 by mail
Dress - $100
Tux - ~$50 rental for the week
Hair/Make up for the bride - Provided by bride's sister.
Boardwalk Villa suite - ~$800 for 4 nights.
Photograph Book - Included in package
Dinner Reception at Luau after Wedding - Paid for by bride's sister (but refunded by Disney cause it got rained out! Hah!)
So our bottom line was closer to $7500.
We had a total of 7 guests at our wedding, including us, and we didn't need to cover their travel or hotel expenses.
It certainly could have been a lot of higher but we wanted a simple, short, quiet wedding at WDW. Heck, originally we weren't even planning on inviting anyone but our parents probably would've killed us... or at least hers would.
French Quarter
Well-Known Member
Nolatron, it sounds like a great day! (Minus the Luau fail ) I think it would be amazing to get married at WDW.
) I think it would be amazing to get married at WDW.love disney
Active Member
nolatron, hope you enjoyed your wedding! I am getting married next year and was curious, where on earth did you find tux rentals for $50 for a week? I haven't found any close to that price and would love to know!
Not to get completely off the topic but you are incorrect with both of these paragraphs.
WDW is private property, in fact there are signs cleverly placed around property advising of this. As such, they do not need to post any type of notice or give any type of notice prior to evicting someone from the property. Additionally, they do not need to provide the oppurtunity to conform. Guests on property at WDW are business invitees (in fact some of the signs I referred to mention this) and as such can only remain on property so long as allowed by WDW.
As to the second paragraph, I agree with your overall premise, BUT there does not need to be any EXPRESS policy prohibiting an action in order for WDW to not allow it.
With all that being said, if it did not cause a disturbance I cannot imagine WDW wanting the negative publicity associated with booting a couple for doing this.
TomHendricks
Well-Known Member
This is from our Disney wedding. We had our pictures taken at the Magic Kingdom at 5am, the day after our wedding. The pictures in the park are totally worth every penny. It was really weird being in the park, pretty much all alone. Our photographer told us, that people dressed in wedding attire are turned away from and not allowed to enter. So I too believe that they must have changed at the park.
nolatron
Well-Known Member
At the time of wedding, we were living in Katy, TX just outside of Houston. I rented a Tux from Al's Former Wear (a chain), and just packed it my luggage for the plane ride to WDW. Didn't even need ironing.
Maybe $50 is a stretch. $75? But it was under $100 if I recall. It was surprisingly cheap for a week long rental.
French Quarter
Well-Known Member
Tom, what beautiful photos! What a cool experience it must have been to be at MK that early in the morning. You both look so good for 5 am!
I once saw a woman wearing her wedding dress while eating dinner at CRT. When they were doing the "show" and asking people about special celebrations the CM asked if the couple if they had just been married that day and the woman answered no, that they were married a month ago, but that she had brought her wedding dress with her just for that special meal.
At the time I thought it was odd. I would say this happened in 2006-2007ish so if they do have an anti-wedding dress code she probably snuck the dress in and then changed, making the whole thing even odder to me.
I have no idea if she wore her dress around in the park after dinner (if she did I didn't see her), but I know they didn't kick them out of the resturant or anything either...
At the time I thought it was odd. I would say this happened in 2006-2007ish so if they do have an anti-wedding dress code she probably snuck the dress in and then changed, making the whole thing even odder to me.
I have no idea if she wore her dress around in the park after dinner (if she did I didn't see her), but I know they didn't kick them out of the resturant or anything either...
Frau Farbissina
Member
That's it. My 3-year old is on my lap and cracking up at your avatar.