The Story Of A Wedding Gone To Disney World

Many people spend vacations, holidays, and other special events visiting the Walt Disney World resort in Florida.  And most of those people don’t consider having their wedding at Disney.  Scott Trauger was no exception.  He wrote a story that appeared in USA Today that chronicled his story from not considering Disney at all to actually holding his wedding and reception on Disney property (Source).

Like many people, Scott assumed that holding a wedding at Disney World was the exclusive territory of the rich and famous.  It is true that Disney can plan and execute the most amazing, magical, jaw-dropping wedding and receptions.  No dream is too big.  But all those mega-events have matching mega-prices.  Scott was surprised to find out that, when plans are appropriately corralled, a wedding at Disney can be affordable – relatively speaking.  After all, according to the web site called Cost Of Wedding, the average US wedding costs more than $25,000 excluding the engagement ring and honeymoon.

Franck’s Bridal Studio

The process of planning a Disney wedding starts at Franck’s Bridal Studio, named after the studio from the movie “Father of the Bride.”  There you meet with a specialist, receive initial information, and decide if you want to move forward with Disney for your wedding.

If you decide to have your wedding at Disney World, you put down a deposit to reserve your date.  Just like any venue will have higher prices on weekends, Disney is no different.  The day when you get married will impact the cost.  And since Disney can perform up to five different weddings on a single day, you will be assigned a wedding time via a lottery system.

Meeting With Your Wedding Planner

Once you are about a year from your wedding date you get to meet your actual Wedding Planner for the first time.  Now you get into the real details – where will the ceremony take place, do you want a Disney character to show up, and are you interested in fireworks.  The smaller your wedding, the fewer options you have.  But once you reach the mark of 100 guests, you open up options for holding the ceremony or reception inside a Disney park.

This is the time when options seem limitless – and priceless too.  Add-ons from locations to table clothes to open bars are available, and accordingly impact the price tag.  Do you want to be married inside Cinderella Castle? You can do it, if you’ve got the money.

Saving Money

One of the benefits about having a Disney wedding is that Disney can take care of everything.  You work with your individual Wedding Planner and she makes it all happen.  And since she does this every day of the week – and since Disney as a company is world-renowned for planning and service excellent – you can be assured that things will go well.

However, you can save some money by bringing in third party contractors for some key services.  Your photographer or videographer and your flower arranger are two big ticket items where you can save some significant funds by bringing in a non-Disney provider.

Decisions, Decisions

You will meet with your Wedding Planner several times.  If you have limited time, or if you have to travel to Florida to make your arrangements, all your planning can be arranged in just a few visits.  However, many people plan a few more meetings to have time to consider their decisions and mull over ideas.

Happily Ever After

Scott’s wedding went off perfectly, just as planned and just as expected.  He and his bride also got to spend their honeymoon night at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort, since this night is provided for “free” by Disney.