Wedding Month Help

[Bunni]

Hi guys,
I really need some advise. I got engaged at the end of Dec and we plan to have the wedding in 2010 at WDW however we can't decide on a date.... There are few big factors that need to be taken into consideration. The whole family want to travel from the UK for 2 weeks

1)My Fiance works for a VAT company and can't take holiday any time April, May or June

2) My mum is a School teacher and is restricted to certain holiday dates.
she gets the following...
1 week in Feb
2 Weeks in April
1 Week in June
5 Weeks(last week of July and whole of August)
1 week in Oct
2 Weeks in Decemeber
She is allowed to take 1 week off extra

3)Hurricanes and TS ruining the wedding...
I have been 3 times in August 2001, 2007 and 2008
Only in 2008 did we have suffer TS Faye

4) Finances: Feb 2010 seemed ideal however I don't think we'll have the money by that point for a house and a wedding...

5)Crowd levels is also another consideration but not too major.

I think that is all the details. I would really appriciate any help and advise you can offer me about this situation.

Thanks in advance.

Kez

 

[UKHelen]

Firstly, congratulations on your engagement and have fun with the wedding planning!

I would suggest two weeks in October - the week your mum has off for half term plus the week after. IMO crowds will be quieter, the weather is lovely and you will have a fabulous wedding!

I would also recommend the Disney Wedding Gift List - we got married in the UK but part of our honeymoon was in WDW and lots of guests made donations to the gift list so we had lots of meals and other nice stuff paid for!

 

[Bunni]

Thanks for your reply UKHelen.
Disney Wedding Gift List would be a great idea as we really didn't know what to tell people about gifts as we already have a lot of things for our house.

How bad is Oct in terms of hurricanes and Tropical Storms? mum has 25th - 29th off so for this option the wedding would be 23rd ish - returning around the 6th.

Thanks for you help.

 

[Jessie&Buzz]

Congrats!

I second Oct. My anniversary is Oct 19. We went to WDW on our honeymoon. The weather was perfect. We will be celebrating our 13th anniversary there this Oct.

Enjoy planning your wedding. I'd like to hear updates.

 

[wdwCC]

Congratulations! We were there this past October and the weather was perfect! Temps were upper 70's to 80, and it only rained 5 minutes one night. Crowds were very manageable.

 

[Philo]

Congratulations!!!

I would suggest going for 2 weeks in october. It will be quieter whilst still warm. There is a chance you could get Free Dining during this time too (I think???) which would help with the wedding. Getting on the honeymoon registry is also a great way to save money / celebrate. We did this for our honeymoon last April and we were very happy with it!

If your worried about getting a house consider how important it is for you. I know how expensive a Disney wedding is when your from the UK. We looked at it but just couldn't afford to fly out the people we wanted to be there. I don't want to be a spoil sport but getting a house is probably more important than having a huge wedding.

 

[ClemsonTigger]

Hi guys,
I really need some advise. I got engaged at the end of Dec and we plan to have the wedding in 2010 at WDW however we can't decide on a date.... There are few big factors that need to be taken into consideration. The whole family want to travel from the UK for 2 weeks

1)My Fiance works for a VAT company and can't take holiday any time April, May or June

2) My mum is a School teacher and is restricted to certain holiday dates.
she gets the following...
1 week in Feb - cool (but not for those of us from the northeast or UK) but lowest crowds of your dates. Somewhat limited park hours
2 Weeks in April - tends to be around Easter, spring break in the states, so it one of the most crowded times.
1 Week in June Depends if early or late. Late June is the start of full vacation season in the States.5 Weeks(last week of July and whole of August) HOT, HUMID and Rain!...oh and pretty big crowds...other than that, OK
1 week in Oct - used to be very good, but the secret of October has gotten out, so while not overly crowded, it can be full. Best in early Oct. Temps can still be quite warm, but starts to cool down in the evenings. You get to enjoy food and wine festival in Epcot, and MNSSHP in MK if you desire. Usually after the high hurricane season.

2 Weeks in Decemeber If early to mid Dec. a very nice visit. Crowds generally low and you get to experience the many holiday offerings throughout WDW, some truly unbelievable extra touches. Christmas week is very heavy and there are little issues like parade filming in MK (probably weekend of Dec. 5) and Pop Warner football and cheerleading (usually the week after that) but I don't consider these much of a problem.
She is allowed to take 1 week off extra

3)Hurricanes and TS ruining the wedding...
I have been 3 times in August 2001, 2007 and 2008
Only in 2008 did we have suffer TS Faye

4) Finances: Feb 2010 seemed ideal however I don't think we'll have the money by that point for a house and a wedding...

5)Crowd levels is also another consideration but not too major.

I think that is all the details. I would really appriciate any help and advise you can offer me about this situation.

Thanks in advance.

Kez

First, let me add my congratulations.
See my comments in your text above.

Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions.

 

[kstella]

"Official" hurricane season ends Nov 1. My choice would be December with all the Christmas decorations being up. The weather should still be nice and crowd levels tend to be low between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Excuse my stupid question, but what is VAT?

Congratulations. I'm sure whenever you pick will be wonderful!

 

[Bunni]

Thanks for all the wonderful comments guys your input was really helpful, I think we are going to go for last 2 weeks in October 2010.

Now I have re evaluated my date I'll start making a planning thread here to keep you all updated on the plans.

I have my engagement party tonight, just a small get together with friends as we had a formal dinner between the families earlier this month. I orderded some big foil helium balloons for the party last week, it must have been fate the had one large Mickey head and one large Minnie head left! I had to have some kind of Disney prescene at the party. I'll make sure I post up pics of the party.

Thanks again for all your help!!!

VAT - Value Added Tax - The english version of the tax that the goverment adds to goods.

kez x

 

[ClemsonTigger]

I'll look for the planning thread, glad we could help with the first step.
I don't know if you indicated how familiar you are with Disney, or how regular your visits are, but that would help with suggestions that may be made.

Also, in case you are not so familiar, when you make your reservations, indicate that it is for your honeymoon. If they don't give you one at check in, be sure to go to guest relations at the first park you go to and get Just Married buttons. ....and, when you make dinner reservations, particularly if you will be visiting some of the nicer dining offerings, make mention that it is for your honeymoon there as well.

No promises as to what, but extra magic has been known to happen.

Also, in case you are not familiar with it, there is a whole planning site at Disney:

http://www.disneyweddings.go.com/site/wed/cus/start/

 

[The Mom]

Hi guys,
I really need some advise. I got engaged at the end of Dec and we plan to have the wedding in 2010 at WDW however we can't decide on a date.... There are few big factors that need to be taken into consideration. The whole family want to travel from the UK for 2 weeks

1)My Fiance works for a VAT company and can't take holiday any time April, May or June
2) My mum is a School teacher and is restricted to certain holiday dates.
she gets the following...
1 week in Feb
2 Weeks in April
1 Week in June
5 Weeks(last week of July and whole of August)
1 week in Oct
2 Weeks in Decemeber
She is allowed to take 1 week off extra

3)Hurricanes and TS ruining the wedding...
I have been 3 times in August 2001, 2007 and 2008
Only in 2008 did we have suffer TS Faye

4) Finances: Feb 2010 seemed ideal however I don't think we'll have the money by that point for a house and a wedding...

5)Crowd levels is also another consideration but not too major.

I think that is all the details. I would really appriciate any help and advise you can offer me about this situation.

Thanks in advance.

Kez

I think you've answered your own question. It will have to be October or December. I wouldn't worry about a hurricane or tropical storm in late October; it's still within the season, but most of them have hit earlier. There may be rain, but that is also true in December, or any other month.

I purposely omitted July and August, as I can't imagine anyone wanting to get married then. We did go to a local wedding last July, and it had to be moved indoors at the last minute. So instead of the lovely processional under the canopy of a big oak, overlooking the water, vows were exchanged in a cramped room with all of the guests herded together. It was hot and sticky, with lots of wilting females, and men looking definitely uncomfortable in their formal clothes.

So I wouldn't suggest it.

It may be that availability of a venue, etc may be the determining factor in the end. Also, don't be disappointed if a lot of people can't make it; it's the drawback of having a destination wedding.

So, just plan for the major players (you, your fiance, and your immediate family) and consider anything else to be icing on your wedding cake. :lol:

 

[elisatonks]

I would suggest either Oct or Feb.

October is right at the end of the hurricane season and the worst has usually passed by this time, and the temp tends to stay steady, however it can rain for hours. It is also worth nothing there is no american school holidays at this time.

I'd also suggest considering February, as UK half term is at the end of the month when the whether starts to steady out a bit. The temp is usually pleasant and there is less chance of rain, though february can have short dips in temp, and can ocassionally get as low as the 30s in the evenings and 50s during the day, however I have always found january and early February the worst for this. also it usully only rains for short periods of time during the winter. If you had the wedding at this time tho, i would advise having a wrap made to go with your wedding dress. (I got married 2 weeks ago at Disney and it was a godsend in the evening as it got cold overnight.) The only drawback could be that presidents week holiday and uk half term collide which would mean one of the weeks you are there it is a little busier in park, but not mega crowded like late dec, easter and the summer.

It also depends on the type of wedding you want, if you want an outdoor wedding then you may be safer with the wedding being between april and November, if you are wanting the wedding pavilion then anytime of year works as your venue won't change if it is raining, and if the temp dips then your indoors most of the time anyway.

With regards to natural disaters they can happen anytime, unfortunetly you are never safe from mother nature here in Florida, because tornadoes can appear at any time of year here and at any time they can bring bad weather with them. They just don't last as long as the hurricanes!

Hope this helps, just to let you know, planning a disney wedding is so stress free compared with what you have to do when preparing a wedding back in the uk. The wedding planners are absolute angels! If you need any more advice or help, just PM me!

 

[ClemsonTigger]

I would suggest either Oct or Feb.

October is right at the end of the hurricane season and the worst has usually passed by this time, and the temp tends to stay steady, however it can rain for hours. It is also worth nothing there is no american school holidays at this time.

I'd also suggest considering February, as UK half term is at the end of the month when the whether starts to steady out a bit. The temp is usually pleasant and there is less chance of rain, though february can have short dips in temp, and can ocassionally get as low as the 30s in the evenings and 50s during the day, however I have always found january and early February the worst for this. also it usully only rains for short periods of time during the winter. If you had the wedding at this time tho, i would advise having a wrap made to go with your wedding dress. (I got married 2 weeks ago at Disney and it was a godsend in the evening as it got cold overnight.) The only drawback could be that presidents week holiday and uk half term collide which would mean one of the weeks you are there it is a little busier in park, but not mega crowded like late dec, easter and the summer.

It also depends on the type of wedding you want, if you want an outdoor wedding then you may be safer with the wedding being between april and November, if you are wanting the wedding pavilion then anytime of year works as your venue won't change if it is raining, and if the temp dips then your indoors most of the time anyway.

With regards to natural disaters they can happen anytime, unfortunetly you are never safe from mother nature here in Florida, because tornadoes can appear at any time of year here and at any time they can bring bad weather with them. They just don't last as long as the hurricanes!

Hope this helps, just to let you know, planning a disney wedding is so stress free compared with what you have to do when preparing a wedding back in the uk. The wedding planners are absolute angels! If you need any more advice or help, just PM me!

That's not quite right....
October tends to be a bit drier than the preceeding months, and while it is Florida and there can always be a good gullywasher, October tends to be fairly dry with lessening humidity.

As for holidays, there is Columbus day on Oct. 12 that is usually a three day holiday for schools. This weekend tends to be noticably more crowded than the other weekends in October. a number of Universities also have a one or two day "fall break" at this time. With that said, it's nothing like Christmas time or Easter!

 

[diddy_mouse]

Congrats on your engagement!

Our anniversary is October 8th and we honeymooned at WDW I do agree that the "October secret" is out but it is still a great time of year to visit. The crowds are manageable (nothing like the summer!) and you run a good chance of having nice weather. We are going this year to celebrate our 4th anniversary

 

[Shadowdawn]

If you're still looking for opinions, I ditto October. Weather is fairly nice, crowds seem to be light, and there's lots of things to do (MNSSHP, Food & Wine)

 

[erstwo]

I would suggest either Oct or Feb.

October is right at the end of the hurricane season and the worst has usually passed by this time, and the temp tends to stay steady, however it can rain for hours. It is also worth nothing there is no american school holidays at this time.

I second the "not true" comment. Many, many, many schools here have gone to an "extended calendar" (starting school in early August) and have added a Fall Break (like Spring Break) to their school calendars.

On any given week in October you have millions of American school children out for Fall Break. Not all of them are at Disney however......

 

[TinkerChelli]

Hi

I would go in October, weather is really nice and the crowds are low. The not so scary halloween party is great too! Prices are pretty good too. Try that. Hope that helps. Tinkerchelli :wave:

 

[LuLaSue]

Congratulations to you!!! I have to jump on the October Band Wagon!!!
It is such a wonderful time of year to go. The weather is so beautiful and as previous posters said MNSSHP is something to be seen. I wish you the best of luck in all your plans and may you have a lifetime of love and happiness!!