Disney Wedding Myths - Debunked!

Well I know it's been awhile...leave it to me to start a wedding blog and then get slammed with work and illnesses. But I'm back and ready for another installment! I know I promised to take you on a tour of our sites and how we decided upon them, but first, I want to clear up a few things about a Disney wedding.

I spend a lot of my free time on wedding websites and boards. All in all, I read 3 Disney Wedding boards and 2 non-Disney Wedding boards. Occasionally, someone interested in a Disney wedding asks a question on a non-Disney Wedding board and the responses are...varied. I've found that a lot of people seem to think they know a lot about having a Disney wedding, but mostly their opinions are slightly off base. Here are some of the top Disney Wedding Myths - debunked!

But first, a little background. Disney World has four wedding "categories." Couture, Wishes, Escape, and Memories. Couture weddings are the most expensive as they require you to buy a very pricey decor package. Wishes weddings are kind of a custom built package - you choose your venues and all the other elements of your day. They are completely custom. Escape and Memories weddings are set packages - with only a handful of venue options, several included elements (floral, transportation, music, photography, etc), and strict guest limits (18 for Escape, 4 for Memories). You can add a reception or catered event to an Escape/Memories package - but it may trigger a higher minimum expenditure.

Now...on to the myths...

"You have to spend at least $20,000/$30,000 dollars to have a Disney wedding."
 Disney's pricing structure is a little different than other wedding venues - so there is understandably some confusion. For a Wishes wedding, each day of the week (and time of day) has a certain minimum expenditure. A minimum expenditure simply means that everything that you buy for your day (from Disney) must add up to at least that amount, exclusive of tax and service fees. For Wishes weddings, minimum expenditures range from $10,000 (a weekday, morning wedding) to $20,000 (a Saturday evening wedding). Escape weddings are inclusive and range from $4,750 to $6,200. A reception is not included in the pricing. If you decide to add on a custom catered event, your minimum is bumped to $7,500 (which basically means you have to spend the price different on venue rental fees, food, beverage and decor). Memories weddings are $1,991.

"You can only book your event 8 months in advance."
Disney changed its booking requirements in 2010. Wishes events can be tentatively confirmed 16 months in advance (no other brides can take your date or location). You can sign a contract and send in a deposit at 12 months. Escape weddings can be tentatively confirmed at 12 months and a contract can be signed at 8 months. Memories weddings can be booked at 6 months. I cringed when I read a response telling someone interested in a Wishes wedding that they couldn't book until 8 months - they would have been 8 months late! Now I will admit that I wish this process could start earlier. Many wedding venues outside of Disney take bookings 2 years in advance and it is very nerve-wracking to have to "wait and see" what happens.

"There is no flexibility...you will get a cookie cutter wedding."
Disney has a floral department, several bakeries, and a myriad of venue options. They can do anything you want - although they do have pictures of past work for those of us who need some inspiration. By no means do you have to stick with the samples - they love to do custom work! 

Regarding a Magic Kingdom bridal session: "They must be rich!"
 While a theme park bridal session isn't necessarily cheap - it certainly is quite affordable for most brides. In 2011, a Magic Kingdom bridal portrait session (only available to Disney brides), is $1,100.

"They only let you use a few of the ballrooms for your reception."
Disney's reception venues don't include just convention center ballrooms. They have dozens of in-park and "specialty" venues. You can also have your reception in some of Disney's finest restaurants, including the California Grill, Jiko, Narcoossees, and the Brown Derby.