Planning a Disney Wedding...in a PaNdEmIc!

Planning my Disney Fairy Tale Wedding...in a PaNdEmIc!  

During our last Disney trip (Disney's Aulani Resort and Spa!) we had our fairytale moment and got engaged! Finally, my fairytale is coming full circle! Between working the Disney College Program, being a Cast Member at my local Disney Store, and managing somewhat annual trips to Disney World, Disney has been a major part of my life. Luckily, my fiancé understands that and is (mostly) supportive of my love for all things Disney. So when we had the opportunity to plan a DISNEY WEDDING, you bet I jumped on it. 

There is a lot that goes into the Disney wedding planning process and it can become overwhelming very quickly. The best place to stay the planning process is none other than the Disney Fairy Tale Wedding website. You can find information about all of the locations, the packages, and a TON of FAQs. I spent a LOT of time on this website drooling over all of the options and planning a DREAM wedding (Dream as in, never gonna happen because my bank account says so 😝). 

The most important part to planning your Disney Fairy Tale Wedding is to choose WHERE your wedding is going to take place. West Coast at the Disneyland resort? East Coast at the Walt Disney World Resort? In the middle of the Pacific at Aulani? Or even on a boat in somewhere else exotic? There are major cost differences in the various locations so that is definitely something to consider when planning the location of your wedding. At the Walt Disney World Resort, there are different venues with event minimums. It can get pricey VERY quickly AND you have to commit to having your guests book a certain number of rooms. If your room block isn't met then the cost falls upon your shoulders. I honestly didn't spend a lot of time considering Disneyland, I was more interested in WDW, Aulani, and possibly looking at a cruise ceremony. Aulani has two different packages to choose from, depending on what you want, the prices will increase. There are also food minimums you would need to meet if you were interested in adding a food package. 

Now this was a lot of information to consider. BUT we had already had a cruise planned for December so we decided to roll the dice and see if we could add a wedding ceremony to our already planned cruise. (We are rolling the dice anyway and just assuming the cruises will begin sailing again before December 2021) Unbelievably, there were no weddings planned already so we pretty much had our pick at cruise venues. So we hopped on it! We are scheduled to get married aboard the Disney Dream this December! 

We spoke with our land coordinator and she asked us how many people we should account for. Due to the timing (and kind of short notice) I said absolutely no more than 18 people. We were then able to tentatively schedule our ceremony to happen in the Outlook! The Outlook is absolutely stunning with gorgeous windows and view. I was thrilled! 

But, as always, here's the curveball. I come from a LARGE extended family. But we are getting married at a time that really isn't convenient due to a few reasons: 

1. We are still in a pandemic and cruises haven't even begun sailing yet
2. We planning our cruise for the time RIGHT before Christmas
3. We really aren't giving people a lot of time to plan for this event. 

So when I told our land coordinator that we would have no more than 18 people I absolutely believed it. I didn't want to leave anyone out so I did send a digital "save the date" to my numerous family members and my fiancé sent his out. Almost immediately, our guest list grew from maaaaaaaybe 18 people to 44 confirmed and counting.  Whoops. The Outlook Lounge can hold up to 30 people so that is no longer really an option. 

Our choices now are between doing our ceremony in the Atrium with a secondary location for the champagne reception, doing our ceremony at Castaway Cay with a secondary location for the reception, or moving our ceremony and reception to one of the "clubs" aboard the ship. (LOL) 

Honestly though, the ceremony is less about the location and more about spending a dreamy day with the person I love surrounded by our family and friends. And either way, we still get a delicious looking cake. 

Stay tuned for any wedding related updates! And feel free to check out our merch store for fun knick knacks like stickers, ears, hats, and shirts! 

Be well!