Meredith & Chad, April 28 2018 Wishes, WP/GM Lounge/UK Lochside- WEDDING VIDEO

Glad I Did (or Didn’t) Do
  • Didn’t provide favors at the wedding. I really wanted to do favors at first, but when I got prices of the cute chocolate Mickey heads and chocolate slippers, I quickly cut that idea. I think they were close to $8 each, and then you have to add the floral fee on top of that. There was so much food and things going on at the reception in general that I don’t think anyone realized there wasn't a wedding favor. Plus, we did Fastpass escort cards, so that kind of served as a favor itself.
  • Had an Epcot Illuminations Dessert Party. It was always a must have for me, but I know a lot of brides are on the fence about it. I can’t imagine my wedding day without that extra “hoorah” at the end of the day. It was great getting back together with everyone in a casual setting, and I loved that many of my guests got to see Illuminations for the first time. Plus, the nacho station and apple pie moonshine cronut station were both huge hits.
  • Added a ride mix-in on Test Track. At first I was worried that this would extend the night too long, but it really only took maybe 20 extra minutes. We provided motor coach transportation for our dessert party, so we also used it to take us to Test Track from UK Lochside right after the fireworks, which saved a lot of time and walking. Then we went in a side entrance to Test Track and the ride was already completely cleared out so we were able to get right on. I hadn’t done Test Track at night in forever and it was the perfect way to end the day. Plus, it was one of the cheapest elements of my wedding (around $500) and totally made my guests feel like VIPs :rotfl:
  • The Hoop Dee Doo Revue for our “rehearsal dinner.” We didn’t have a rehearsal, but we still wanted to do something with our parents and my grandparents the night before the wedding. My first choice was a Fantasmic party with a ToT ride mix-in, but I waited until the last minute and both patios were already gone. I didn’t want to do a ballroom event and the other venues were out of my budget, so I felt like I was “stuck” with the Hoop Dee Doo. I hadn’t been to the HDDR since I was maybe 8 years old, and I had no idea what to expect. Let me tell you… I haven’t laughed that hard in a VERY long time. I still smile thinking about all of us sitting at that table laughing until we cried. They aren’t kidding when they say the HDDR is for ALL AGES.. we had a 7 year old and a 75 year old and everyone had an amazing time. Plus we only spent $900 for 14 people which included all the food, unlimited alcohol, entertainment, tax and tip! :thumbsup2
  • Spent a good chunk of my budget on floral and decor. I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I’m glad I didn’t skimp on my floral and decor. Mostly because the GM Lounge is completely bare.. like white walls and brown floors and that’s it. I brought in farmhouse tables, chairs, a loveseat for our sweetheart table, lighted topiaries, tulle table skirts, and floral garland and I still felt like I could’ve done more with floral and decor. I feel like the GM lounge is one of those places where you can’t do the bare minimum for floral, which can be a good and a bad thing. :scared:
  • Had the 9:30 AM ceremony time. When I first started planning my wedding, the morning ceremony wasn’t something I had even thought about considering. My first choice was the 2:30 pm ceremony time, but I lost the lottery and ended up with the morning ceremony at the Wedding Pavilion. At first I was disappointed, but realized it might be good to have a relatively long break between the reception and dessert party. This ended up working out amazingly for us because we switched hotels during the break - from the Grand to the Yacht Club. Then we were able to walk to the International Gateway for our dessert party. We met the Roots in the YC lobby around 7 pm and we got some of my favorite shots from our day during this time. I think this also satisfied the part of me that worried I would regret not having a Boardwalk area ceremony or reception - after all, the Beach Club has been my family’s “home” resort for as long as I can remember. Plus, we fell under the brunch reception minimums even though our food was served at 12 pm, which saved us a good bit of money on food and beverage. Our cocktail hour and brunch buffet were only $72/person, which is relatively cheap for Disney food. We had a fruit and cheese display at our cocktail hour and chicken parmesan marsala, braised beef, manchego cheese grits, vegetables, potato au gratin, a mac and cheese bar, brioche french toast, and a Mickey waffle action station for the reception. :p
  • Splurged on our speciality cocktails for the reception. I knew from the beginning that I wanted to incorporate our dogs in a unique way, so we picked our favorite Epcot cocktails and renamed them after our Australian Shepherds. Well, I didn’t realize that the La Vie en Rose slush would be so expensive ($13.50), but I really wanted to keep it and I am so glad I did. Our guests LOVED the speciality cocktails, by the end of the reception everyone had either a Chip or Milo at their seat! We even took some of our guests to Epcot the next day and showed them where to get the La Vie en Rose slush.
  • Had two wedding dresses. I was being so stubborn about changing out of my ceremony dress at first because I LOVE it, but I finally listened to my mom when she told me there was no way I would be able to move around in it at the reception. I’m so glad I listened to her because there is no way I would’ve been able to dance in that long sleeved, 12 layer dress! I found my second dress pre-owned so I could still get the look I wanted without breaking the bank, and I was super lucky that it pretty much looked like it was made for me. I didn’t have to have any alterations done to it. It also allowed me to have two completely different looks, and I think my first dress matched the Grand perfectly while my second dress looked like it was made for Yacht Club pictures.

Wish I Did (or Didn’t) Do
  • Had a site visit. When I first started planning my wedding I didn’t think I needed a site visit because I had been to Disney so many times and there were a bunch of pictures online of all the venues. Plus, my sales consultant never mentioned it being an option, even with all the trouble I went through trying to find a reception venue. I was really happy with my venues in the end, but if I had been able to tour the GM Lounge beforehand, I probably would’ve went with California Grill just because I didn’t realize how bare the GM Lounge would be. Cali Grill offers the same wow factor with the view, but you don’t need nearly as much floral and decor there as you do in the GM Lounge. Honestly my wedding probably would been at least $10k cheaper at Cali Grill and probably would've looked like it cost more :rotfl::scared:
  • Thought about my ceremony and reception locations more. This is sort of a “hindsight is 20/20” thing, but when I signed my contract I had the 9:30 am ceremony at the Wedding Pavilion and a Contemporary ballroom reception. I wasn’t thrilled with the reception location, but went with the Contemporary because it was close to the Wedding Pavilion. Well, when the GM Lounge became available I jumped at that opportunity, but didn’t realize how much of a ding the required backstage transportation would put in my budget. Even though I loved how everything turned out at the Wedding Pavilion, I kind of wish I would’ve reconsidered having a World Showcase ceremony, which would’ve made the reception transportation easier.
  • I wish I didn’t do welcome bags!!! They were sooo much time, money, and effort and no one even cared! I should’ve listened to all of the past brides who regretted doing the welcome bags. :mad:
  • Set up to have my bouquet preserved before the wedding. I was on the fence about this before the wedding, but once I saw my bouquet I knew I wanted it preserved. By the time I got in contact with the company that picks them up from the Disney resorts, it was already wilting and turning black. I called and left a message the night after the wedding, and got a call back the next day, but I missed the call because we were doing the Wild Africa Trek. I called and left another message, and then realized it was too late when we got back to the room and saw the bouquet. :sad2:
  • Took Advil the morning after the wedding for our park shoot. My feet were hurting so bad by the time we got done with MK that I was almost in tears. I spent most of the Epcot shoot wishing that it was over. :sad1: Me and high heeled shoes do not get along.
  • I wish I would've practiced walking in my veil and dress and shoes. My veil had a ton of beading and it was SO heavy that I felt like it was going to pull my head off especially walking across concrete. The veil was a last minute purchase- I was supposed to wear a plain tulle one, but it felt too plain :laughing:
I just realized I never wrote the post about our wedding day :rotfl:so that's up next, with pictures included along the way!!
 
Thinking of you all. I hope all is well with your dad. Will keep him in my prayers.

Thank you so much. We all just got back home this afternoon after a very long week. He was flown in to MUSC from our hospital late last Friday night around 9 pm after our hospital let him slowly die for two days. His heart was only pumping at 10% and his liver numbers were sky high and his kidneys were failing. He was completely delusional and had no idea where he was or what was going on. I went to see him off before they took him to the airport and he told me he was going on vacation and would be back in a week :sad1:

He spent 4 days in the cardiac ICU there before being moved to a normal room. The doctor came in on Monday and told him he was about as close to death as he could've been, and I think it really got to him because he had no idea he was so sick and neither did we. They took almost 3 gallons of fluid off of him that had built up in his lungs, liver, and around his heart. He also developed DVT blood clots in his legs from the heart not pumping his blood, so they had to insert a small filter in his vein that will catch any clots that break off and move to his lungs. Basically, he has been through the ringer and it is an absolute miracle that he is at home tonight. It has been the scariest, most stressful time in my life and I think we are all a little shell-shocked still. He got home today and sat on the couch and started crying because he said he couldn't remember anything leading up to the MUSC hospitalization.

Sorry for the long response, but in short he is doing much better. Nowhere near back to 100%, but he is walking (slowly) and so far no shortness of breath or breathing issues. Now we wait to see if the beta blockers are going to work so his heart can get stronger.
 
Wow I'm speechless! It looked like the perfect wedding! You look beautiful! I'm so jealous...I want your wedding! I read through the whole thread about a week ago so it was great to see the video now! I would love to have a wedding just like that but I don't think it's really in my budget. :(

I had a lot of extras that you could definitely save money on! Floral and decor was about 25% of my total expenditure, so just by cutting some of the expensive centerpieces and tables you can really get the price down. And if you go with a reception venue that doesn't need much floral and decor (like California Grill or any of the other restaurant venues) you can spend virtually nothing on floral and decor!

And thank you for your kind words!!!! :lovestruc
 
Loved your summary/wrap-up notes/suggestions/thoughts :)

Taking notes!!!! I do love California Grill for the reception. Not sure what my daughter wants/prefer!! She needs to decide by next month.

I am so happy to hear your dad is doing better. I hope he keeps improving each day.
 


It's early in the morning but I was thinking of something all night :sad2: I had looked at the timeline Disney Weddings sends out yesterday. Up to six months before - guests/family should start making resort reservations and again at 6 weeks - guests should have completed their reservations.

If invitations go out 2 - 2 1/2 months prior for a "traditional" at home wedding - how early do you send out the destination/Disney wedding invites? Does one list hotel info on save the dates about a year prior?
 
Since the GM Lounge is a park location you have to use Disney for floral and decor. Although I was allowed to provide my own table names, escort cards, and signs (like our signature cocktail sign). They won't allow you to use an outside floral or rental company for tables, chairs, utensils, etc.


Thank you!
 


It's early in the morning but I was thinking of something all night :sad2: I had looked at the timeline Disney Weddings sends out yesterday. Up to six months before - guests/family should start making resort reservations and again at 6 weeks - guests should have completed their reservations.

If invitations go out 2 - 2 1/2 months prior for a "traditional" at home wedding - how early do you send out the destination/Disney wedding invites? Does one list hotel info on save the dates about a year prior?

Sorry, I just saw this! So we sent out our Save the Dates in June of 2017. We had finished setting up our room block, so we put the online booking link for that in our save the dates. We also set up a wedding website that listed the different resorts and their amenities, since most of my guests were Disney newbies.

We sent invitations in January with an RSVP date of February 23rd. I believe we had to reduce our room block by February 28th, so I wanted a good idea of how many rooms to keep for people who hadn't booked yet but planned on coming.
 
Sorry, I just saw this! So we sent out our Save the Dates in June of 2017. We had finished setting up our room block, so we put the online booking link for that in our save the dates. We also set up a wedding website that listed the different resorts and their amenities, since most of my guests were Disney newbies.

We sent invitations in January with an RSVP date of February 23rd. I believe we had to reduce our room block by February 28th, so I wanted a good idea of how many rooms to keep for people who hadn't booked yet but planned on coming.

Thank you. I think we will try to wait also until we have the room block done - hopefully like you, about 10 months before wedding date.
 
Wedding Chicks Feature

I know I basically fell off the DISboards recently... life has been absolute CHAOS lately. Plus, I decided to compromise with hubby and do a cruise in October instead of a Disney trip, so it makes me sad to come on here and see all the talk about MNSSHP :sad:

But we were featured by Wedding Chicks!! They are basically a wedding blog site (sort of like the Knot). I had no idea the title was going to be "This What a Disney Wedding Costs," because clearly a Disney Wedding can be from like $8k to crazy amounts! But I'm super excited nonetheless :rolleyes:

Here it is!
 
Your pictures are so beautiful, it looks like a photoshoot!!!

Congratulations!
 
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Beautiful - I just read through it quickly.

You did not list price of photographer, marriage license/officiant, Disney Transportation, hair makeup - did I miss anything else ? LOL
Also food and beverage - assuming this is brunch reception was only $4,000?

Great summary!!!!! Very helpful :)
 
I'm pretty much obsessed with your wedding so I'm glad you included that breakdown so I can start saving now! I listened to your Disney Weddings podcast episode today too!
 
Beautiful - I just read through it quickly.

You did not list price of photographer, marriage license/officiant, Disney Transportation, hair makeup - did I miss anything else ? LOL
Also food and beverage - assuming this is brunch reception was only $4,000?

Great summary!!!!! Very helpful :)

Sorry for the delay! I'm so bad about checking this lol. I didn't include photography price at the request of our photographers, but it was pretty much in line with the price of an 8 hour package through Disney (minus a wedding album).

Hair and Makeup was $200 for the wedding day and $200 for the park shoot (I was the only one that had H&M done).

The charter bus through Disney was around $1,000 from 8:30 am - 3:30 pm, then another $500 for pick up and drop off for the dessert party. There are cheaper ways to do this, but we had to have backstage transportation for our Epcot reception so I figured it would be easier just to use a big bus for everyone.

The officiant was $200 and the marriage license was around $80!

My minimum for brunch was $125 per person. I had 33 people (well I paid for 39, but used the price for 33 since that's how many showed up)

I tried to keep the breakdown similar to "normal" weddings since Disney weddings can be super complicated/confusing for people not used to how they work.
 
I'm pretty much obsessed with your wedding so I'm glad you included that breakdown so I can start saving now! I listened to your Disney Weddings podcast episode today too!

Thank you!!! Glad it was helpful! There were definitely some things I could've done differently or cut entirely to save some money.. somehow a year still didn't feel like enough time to get it all planned lol. I feel like I've learned even more after my wedding!
 
Sorry for the delay! I'm so bad about checking this lol. I didn't include photography price at the request of our photographers, but it was pretty much in line with the price of an 8 hour package through Disney (minus a wedding album).

Hair and Makeup was $200 for the wedding day and $200 for the park shoot (I was the only one that had H&M done).

The charter bus through Disney was around $1,000 from 8:30 am - 3:30 pm, then another $500 for pick up and drop off for the dessert party. There are cheaper ways to do this, but we had to have backstage transportation for our Epcot reception so I figured it would be easier just to use a big bus for everyone.

The officiant was $200 and the marriage license was around $80!

My minimum for brunch was $125 per person. I had 33 people (well I paid for 39, but used the price for 33 since that's how many showed up)

I tried to keep the breakdown similar to "normal" weddings since Disney weddings can be super complicated/confusing for people not used to how they work.

No apologies :) - Thank you. There are so many details/vendors/things..........that add up -

My dd is in touch with a consultant now. Do we/when do we give an exact number of people. We are still assuming 45-60. (It will probably be more like 50 - but who knows until everyone replies). I am assuming once we give them the number after the replies, we then pay for that number regardless if less show up. Of course we pay more, if we have more :).

She said Yes to the Dress - similar to yours :). DCL honeymoon booked.......We are booked for May - but cannot officially book the Planning Session until her wedding date is given to her (guessing 12 month mark?Nov?).

You have been so helpful.........I will keep coming back to this thread!!! Hope you are doing well!!!
 
I just read your entire PJ. I was already obsessed with your wedding after seeing pictures online, but now I'm also pretty sure you and I are the same person :rotfl: Also, your wedding video has definitely made me start rethinking my views on videography. It was so well done and beautiful!
 
Hi Meredith, hope all is well.

We have started the process for my daughter - I have to read and re-read your pages :). I was going to ask you if and when you sent out Save the Dates......we will be doing this soon. And, did you list the room block info on those? But I do see that the room block info is on your invitation.......when did you send out invites? I would think guests would want to know ASAP........

Again.......this whole process is so overwhelming................even though my daughter is handling it - we still communicate/go over things together.

TIA!
 

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