Chelsea, you had a three-day wedding cruise AND a welcome event, do you really need a celebration afterwards?
Kinda?
The idea for the Celebration at the Boardwalk came months before the idea for the Welcome Party. The whole idea was to give people who couldn’t come on the cruise a way to come celebrate with us, whether this was because of the tight guest list, or if they couldn’t afford to make the cruise. This was mostly intended as a way of including extended family.
I stole the concept from my friends Matt and Sammi, the same Matt and Sammi where I photographed their wedding in exchange for my wedding dress. After their wedding, they went to Trader Sam’s to watch the fireworks, get drinks, and just hang out.
TONS of Skippers showed up, past and present, and lots of other friends. I didn’t want to completely just repeat what they did however, which is how we landed on meeting at the Boardwalk for the Celebration.
The plan was simple. Meet at the Boardwalk grass and then find a bar to hang out with friends. I was hoping Atlantic Dance Hall would be open that night, since it doesn’t have a cover, and it’s never crowded. Probably because it has a terrible musical selection, but it is the closest thing to a club on Disney property.
This was also one of the reasons I was set on staying at Yacht Club or Beach Club. I wanted to be able to walk to the Celebration from where we were staying, and not have to fool with transportation or parking. Trying to park at a Walt Disney World Resort these days is always a 50/50 shot on whether you’ll be successful without a reservation.
When I designed our invitations, I went ahead and designed the Celebration invites too, so I wouldn’t have to pay separate shipping for them. I wound up ordering way more than I needed, but it worked out fine.
The best part? This event wasn’t going to add anything to the budget, and it didn’t have to cost anyone anything they didn’t want to spend. Yes, they were on their own for food and drinks, but they also didn’t have to eat or drink at Disney prices, if they didn’t want to. Win-win!
Out of pocket expenses so far:
Cruise Fare: $4,944.06
Invitations and Postage: $89
Disney Fine Art Photography: $2875.50
Fairytale Hair and Makeup Deposit: $100
Hair and Makeup Trial: $180 ($150 base plus tip)
Hoop-Dee-Doo: $444 (Category 1 seating for us, plus both sets of parents, tax and tip included)
Total: $8,532.56
