Josh and Ginamarie's Vow Renewal at the Grand Floridian

Ginamarie

DIS Veteran
Joined
Dec 15, 2005
Well Covid seems to have messed up most of our wedding/vow renewal plans and mine is no different. We've always said we were going to do a vow renewal. Originally we'd talked about doing it on our ten year anniversary in Las Vegas, but that didn't work out. DH and I are big Disney fans. We actually had our honeymoon in Disney World and on the Disney Magic. DH worked for the company at that point and it was really affordable as a cast member. At that point, we didn't think we could do a Disney wedding because there were too many people who wouldn't be able to make it and would be upset. So we did a budget wedding in NY, and I let a lot of things slide since my main purpose was getting married to my best friend. My sister had a Disney Wedding a few years ago and it was beautiful, but having been through the planning process with her, I felt like I could finally do a Disney Vow Renewal within our budget (fewer people than our wedding, more budget for photography and food).

Our original plan was to sail on Disney Magic 11/1/20, get placeholders for a future cruise in 2022 and celebrate our 20th anniversary on DCL. It was a good plan, but our much awaited big family trip to WDW in summer 2020 was cancelled, and our cruise in 2020 was cancelled, and it took some time to re-evaluate what we were going to do. Finally, we decided that the big family trip would have to be summer 2021 (we already bought park tickets that need to be used) and while everyone would already be in FL, it made sense to bump the vow renewal up a year and celebrating at WDW.

By the time we decided on dates for travel, we were already within the 12 month window, so I started getting anxious about booking venues. With planners out of the office, things were further slowed down. The Plan B vow renewal was: Ceremony at Luau Pointe upper level in the morning, with brunch to follow at either Trader Sam's or California Grill. We wanted a Tues/Wed for the low event minimums. It was a good plan.

BUT, being within the 12 month window meant that people had already booked, and Luau Pointe was no longer an option on those days. So I took another look, and I found the Grand Floridian Marina Terrace. There aren't a lot of photos of this area, but I know it was included in the last wedding showcase as a venue and people seemed to love it. It also seemed to have a decent sized aisle, which is important to me because I want all three of my sons to take turns walking me down the aisle. With the ceremony at the Grand Floridian, I looked to see if I could get a reception venue at the Grand as well, and kind of fell in love with the idea of Narcoosies for brunch. They were both available on the Tuesday I wanted, so I locked them in. So the plan now is early morning photos at MK/Epcot, ceremony at the Grand Floridian Marina, brunch at Narcoosie's, and extra photos at the monorail resorts following the reception.

I am so excited!
 
Sounds like it will be an amazing day!! Sorry all your previous plans were kinda messed up, but sounds like it's working out nicely now!

Can't wait to see pics of that venue. My daughter is planning a Disney wedding but is opposed to anywhere outdoors because of the heat!
 
I totally understand about the heat. That's why we're doing the 9:30 am ceremony. I think we'd be melting out there at 11 am or 12 pm.
 


Sounds like such a fun day! I'm just starting the planning process myself...I saw the Marina Terrace in Carrie's book and it looks like a beautiful spot! Here's to a wonderful vow renewal. 🥂🎆
 

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