Cover photo by Cara Mannino and Chris Largen.
In the first part of this series, I finally got to tell you guys that we are having a Disney Fairy Tale Wedding; something I thought we would never be able to make work. I didn’t tell you guys which Disney Fairy Tale Wedding we’re doing… yet.
If you didn’t read part one, I suddenly found myself on a mission to find the most cost-effective Disney Fairy Tale Wedding for us so we would qualify for the Disney Wedding Portraits in the Magic Kingdom.
You can find all the information I’m about to go over on Disney Fairy Tale Wedding’s official website, but I’m going to break it down and go into more detail, before I tell you guys which one we chose. For the record, I don’t pretend to be a Disney Fairy Tale Wedding Expert, so I’m just simplifying the information Disney provides, so I can explain how we reached our decision. There are entire websites and people who have made careers out of talking about Disney Fairy Tale Weddings.
Disney has four main locations where they do Disney Fairy Tale Weddings: Walt Disney World, Disneyland Resort, the Disney Cruise Line, and Aulani. My friend Alexis went to the 2019 Disney Fairy Tale Wedding Showcase and she found out they also do them at Disney’s Vero Beach Resort as well, but it’s not on the website. I feel like I talked to their wedding planner at the 2018 Showcase, but I couldn’t find any notes on it.
When I originally wrote this article, Walt Disney World had three different types of wedding collections, at three different price points. Collections is just a fancy way of saying “package” in my opinion. The website used to be more specific about what is included with each collection, but now they’ve changed it so every wedding is now essentially a Wishes wedding. So a lot of the information below is no longer relevant. However, it was relevant when I was planning our wedding so I left it in here so you can read it.
The following are never included in the cost of any of the Walt Disney World wedding collections: the officiant, hair and make-up, attire, the marriage license, wedding insurance, invitations, save the dates, or the wedding website.
Walt Disney World: The Memories Collection
THIS COLLECTION IS NO LONGER OFFERED
Starting at $3,500, this package has the most limited options because it is the least expensive package at Walt Disney World. You have a choice of four venues for this ceremony only collection: Conch Key Marina at the Grand Floridian, Sago Cay at the Grand Floridian, Luau Beach at the Polynesian Resort, or Luau Pointe at the Polynesian Resort. There is no reception included, and no ability to add one. A bouquet and a boutonniere are included, and you have to choose from a preset selection. You can’t decide you want daisies and roses, for example, unless it’s one of the combinations they already have. You are limited to a maximum of four guests. The website says “four guests in addition to the couple” in some places and “up to six guests including the couple” in others, but I find that wording strange. The bride and groom aren’t guests. Just say four guests.
Also included in this collection: a violinist for the ceremony, a photographer for one hour, a limo charter for three consecutive hours, and an onsite wedding coordinator. It says you get one photo print and “a digital download”, and I would assume you can purchase more. Best I can figure, if you use that limo charter to get to your ceremony, whatever amount of time your ceremony and photos take would eat into your total limo time. You have the option to upgrade your floral and your photography, including the park photography sessions, but those are the only upgrades you can make. The ceremony and included photography are estimated to take about one hour.
The fine print: The Memories Collection ceremony can be booked up to ten months in advance and requires a $1,000 deposit. The full payment is due thirty days from the ceremony date. The bride and groom must stay in a Disney owned and operated resort for two consecutive nights, and must check in at least one day before the ceremony. All planning is done over email, for a Memories wedding, you will never do a meeting in person ahead of time. Memories weddings can be scheduled Monday through Friday at 9:00am, 11:00am, 1:00pm, or 3:00pm. Taxes, fees, and gratuities are not included.
Walt Disney World: The Escape Collection
THIS COLLECTION IS NO LONGER OFFERED
Starting at $7,000, this is where you start to get some flexibility in a Disney Fairy Tale Wedding. The two included venues are Sea Breeze Pointe at the Boardwalk and the Wedding Gazebo at the Yacht Club. For $7,500, you can choose the Canada Pavillion in Epcot or the Luau Pointe at the Polynesian. At $8,000, you can choose the Disney Wedding Pavilion at the Grand Floridian. You can invite up to eighteen guests.
Like the Memories collection, you can choose a preset bouquet and boutonniere, but change up the colors. A violinist is included as well, unless you’re using the Wedding Pavillion, which would have an organist. You can choose from several preset cake options, but there’s no meal included, only the cake and champagne. Also included is a consecutive four-hour limo charter for the couple on the wedding day, so your limo driver is going to be waiting during your ceremony, photography, and cake. You get the services of a Disney photographer for up to two hours, with a 6” x 9” Jasmine photo album, (I’m still trying to figure out if Jasmine is a brand or if they mean the princess), and digital downloads of low-resolution pictures meant for social media. Wedding Pavillion events are two hours, while the others are usually one hour, but both include two hours of photography. All of this will of course be managed by your on-site wedding coordinator.
You can upgrade more options with this package. You can add a sit-down meal, additional flowers, or more photography, like the park wedding portraits. You also have the option of reserving a room block if you can guarantee ten reserved nights. (If you book three rooms for one night, that counts as three nights.) Once you hit ten, the bride and groom receive one free night.
The Fine Print: The Escape Collection ceremony can be booked up to ten months in advance and require a $1,000 deposit. The full payment is due thirty days from the ceremony date. The bride and groom must stay in a Disney owned and operated resort for four consecutive nights, and must check in at least one day before the ceremony. All planning is done over the phone or over email, For an Escape wedding, you will never do a meeting in person ahead of time. Escape weddings can be scheduled at the following times:
Disney Wedding Pavillion Monday through Thursday at 9:30 AM, 12:00 PM, 2:30 PM, or 5:00 PM, and Fridays at 9:30 AM and 12:00 PM.
Canada Pavilion at Epcot Monday through Friday at 9:00 AM.
Sea Breeze Pointe, Wedding Gazebo, Luau Pointe Monday through Friday at 9:30 AM, 12:00 PM, 2:30 PM, or 5:00 PM.
The 5:00 PM event times are not available during Daylight Savings Time.
Taxes, fees, and gratuities not included.
Walt Disney World: The Wishes Collection
THIS IS NOW THE ONLY OPTION FOR DISNEY FAIRY TALE WEDDINGS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD.
The Wishes collection is unique in that it doesn’t really have a starting price. The website says “minimum expenditure is $12,000”, but it is totally dependent on what options you choose. With a minimum of eighteen guests and no maximum, Wishes weddings are the stuff dreams are made of.
People like to attribute the quote, “If you can dream it, you can do it.” to Walt. He never said this, but it is a nice thought and someone in the Walt Disney Company came up with it. In the cases of Wishes weddings, “If you can pay for it, Disney can do it.”
So, to explain how to figure out the cost of a wishes wedding, there are three major details to consider first: venue, day of the week, and time of day. A wedding on a Tuesday morning is going to cost less money than a wedding on a Saturday night. (To be fair, this is probably true of most weddings, not just ones at Disney.) Different venues hold different amounts of people, so it’s okay if you don’t have your guest list done yet while you’re thinking about this, but you might want a rough number. Disney has 31 ceremony venues on their website, but only 14 of them can hold over 150 people.
Resort Ceremony Venues: Conch Key Marina at the Grand Floridian, Croquet Lawn at the Boardwalk, Ballrooms at the Boardwalk, Contemporary, Grand Floridian, and Yacht and Beach Club, Wedding Gazebo at the Yacht Club, Oak Manor Lawn at Port Orleans, Sago Cay at Grand Floridian, Luau Pointe and Luau Beach at the Polynesian Resort, Shipwreck Beach at the Yacht and Beach Club, Sea Breeze Pointe at the Yacht and Beach Club.
Ceremony Fee: $4,000.
Theme Park Ceremony Venues: Canada Terrace at Epcot, the American Adventure Rotunda at Epcot, China Courtyard at Epcot, Eau de France at Epcot, Germany Courtyard at Epcot, GM Lounge at Epcot, Great Hall of China at Epcot, Italy Isola at Epcot, Italy Plaza at Epcot, Japan Courtyard at Epcot, Living Seas Salon at Epcot, Morocco at Epcot, Norway Loft at Epcot, Terrace de Fleurs at Epcot, United Kingdom Courtyard at Epcot, United Kingdom Lochside at Epcot, Tower of Terror Courtyard at Hollywood Studios, Tree of Life at Animal Kingdom, Tamu Tamu Courtyard at Animal Kingdom, Harambe Street at Animal Kingdom.
Ceremony Fee: $4,500
Disney’s Wedding Pavillion Ceremony Fee: $10,000 and up
The Magic Kingdom Train Station starts at $15,000 and up, the Magic Kingdom East Plaza garden starts at $25,000 and up, and the Magic Kingdom After Hours starts at $30,000 and up, $20,000 and up if it’s only a reception and no ceremony.
Those are just the base prices for the ceremonies! I’m not going to list all the reception locations, but you can see them here if you’re curious.
For a brunch reception, you’re looking at a minimum of $140 per person for a four-hour reception. If you want lunch, it’s a minimum of $165 per person for a five–hour reception, and for dinner it’s a minimum of $190 per person for the five hours. So, this is where the time of day influences your cost.
Day of the week determines how much more money you have to spend on top of the food and venue. For resort locations on Sunday, Monday, Thursday, or Friday, you have to spend at least an additional $8,000 on enhancements. For theme park locations, it’s $10,000. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, you can save some money, with a $5,000 minimum for resorts and $7,000 for the theme parks. On Saturdays you’re looking at $10,000 for resorts and $12,000 for theme parks.
The simple math for a rough estimate of the cost of Wishes wedding:
(Total Number of guests) x (Food and Beverage Minimum based on Brunch, Lunch, or Dinner)
+ Ceremony Fee
+ Minimum Enhancement
= Total Cost
So, if you get married in a resort location on a Tuesday with a brunch reception and a small guest list, you might be able to only spend $12,000, but I doubt it. Also keep in mind this doesn’t include attire, lodging, invitations, hair and make-up, and a hundred other things.
What does it mean when it says minimum enhancement? You have to spend X amount of dollars on upgrading and adding things. This can be upgrading your floral, adding photography or videography, adding entertainment, special transportation, and more. There are too many for me to go through all of them really, but a couple of examples:
- You can add a DJ or a string quartet.
- You can add fireworks or confetti canons.
- You can add an English Butler.
- You can have Mickey and Minnie appear.
- You can ride in Cinderella’s royal carriage.
- You can have a photographer! Because it’s not included like the others.
The sky really is the limit when it comes to Wishes Weddings.
You can choose your menu from all sorts of food from across Walt Disney World, and this is where all those custom one of a kind cakes you see on Pinterest and Instagram come from.
You also have the option of reserving a room block if you can guarantee ten reserved nights. (If you book three rooms for one night, that counts as three nights.) Once you hit ten, the bride and groom receive one free night.
The fine print: You can begin speaking to a Disney Wedding Planner 16 months in advance, and you can book your date 12 months in advance. Wishes weddings require a $4,000 deposit when you sign the contract. The second payment, which is the largest and is determined by your estimated guest count and enhancement requirement, is required at 90 days prior to your wedding events. The full payment is due thirty days from the ceremony date. Wishes events are designed to be four to six hours. You can do your planning over the phone, but you have the option of doing an in-person planning session and menu tasting four to eight months before the event. Wishes weddings can be held seven days a week, excluding Thanksgiving and Christmas day. Times are determined by your venue choices. Taxes, fees, and gratuities are not included.
So those are the Walt Disney World Fairy Tale Wedding options. Wow, typing that took a lot longer than I thought it would! Disneyland has only the Escape and Wishes options. They don’t have a Memories package. Their Escape starts at $6,500 for up to eighteen guests, and Wishes starts at $15,000 for a minimum of eighteen guests. Aulani in Hawaii has Escape starting at $4,700 for up to eighteen guests, and Wishes starting at $11,600 for over eighteen people.
I’m not going to lie, I glanced at Aulani and Disneyland, but I stopped after seeing the collection prices. I literally can leave my house and be at the Magic Kingdom in under an hour if the monorail is running at normal speed. As much as I love Disneyland, adding the costs of flights and extra hotels just didn’t make sense. While I desperately want to go to Aulani to see Duffy, flying everyone out there made even less sense.
Disney Cruise Line has two collections. You can get married onboard the ship for $3,500, or you can get married on Castaway Cay, which is Disney’s private island, for $4,500 if you are on a Bahamas Cruise. This price includes up to sixteen guests, with the option of adding more for an additional fee per person. A bouquet and a boutonniere are included, and you have to choose from a preset selection. You also get a pianist, the officiant, the choice of preset cakes, champagne, an onboard coordinator, and dinner for two at Palo, which is one of the up-charge restaurants on the ship.
Disney Cruise Line has four ships, and the ships have slightly different venue options onboard.
The Disney Dream: The Meridan Patio and the Outlook Lounge are included in the base price. The Atrium is available for an additional $1,000.
The Disney Fantasy: The Meridan Patio and the Outlook Lounge are included in the base price. The Atrium is available for an additional $1,000.
The Disney Wonder: The Deck 10 Aft Overlook is included in the base price. The Atrium is available for an additional $1,000.
The Disney Magic: The Deck 10 Aft Overlook is included in the base price. The Atrium is available for an additional $1,000.
On Castaway Cay there is an included location on the beach, and then the Wedding Pointe is available for an additional fee. I don’t know if the fee is the same as the atrium fee or not.
You can pay to add a reception on the ship, whether after the wedding or as a welcome event the night you board. Photography is not included, but can be added for an additional fee, or you can bring your own photographer.
The Fine Print: The cost of the cruise is not included in the cost of the wedding. The Bride and Couple must have their cruise booked before they can book the wedding. All guests must be sailing on the cruise, and pay for the cruise. You cannot legally get married at sea, so you have to either have your legal ceremony the day you board the ship, or get married before you go on the cruise. If you get married on the ship, the ceremony is done by one of the ships’ officers. If you get married on Castaway Cay, it is performed by a Bahamian Government official.
I was fully set on doing a Memories Wedding. Even though the Escape would give us more options, the price point was just too high and I didn’t love any of the venue options. I had known from the beginning that Wishes would never be a real option. Memories would require the least amount of money and it would allow us to take our park wedding portraits. While Vero Beach was more flexible and still low cost, I wasn’t crazy about it. It didn’t feel very Disney to me. It felt like any nice hotel in Orlando. I didn’t want to spend this kind of money and not be happy with what I got.
We had our very short guest list picked out. Jay got to pick two, and I got to pick two. My only real concern was if there would be chairs or if everyone would be standing. I was adamant that Duffy and friends be in attendance, and I needed somewhere to put them. (I was also slightly concerned that they wouldn’t believe the extra chairs I was asking for would be for stuffed animals.)
I had it figured out. I wouldn’t get the cake, but I could have Duffy and friends there, and we could take our park wedding portraits. It was expensive, but not so expensive that we couldn’t pull it off. It was a sound, logical, and semi-affordable plan.
I just wasn’t excited about it.
I kept going back to the Disney Fairy Tale Weddings website and staring at it, searching for something I missed. I checked all the options again and again, seeing if they added any new venue choices. I looked at the Vero Beach packet. I looked at the Disney Cruise Line page. At some point, my wheels started turning.
At the time, the Disney Cruise Line onboard wedding was only $3,000, making it the least expensive wedding option. (The price has risen since then to $3,500 to be the same cost as the Memories Collection at Walt Disney World.) While that price tag didn’t include the cruise, the Memories wedding didn’t include the two-night hotel stay or any of the food. Even without a real reception, we were going to have to eat at some point, and that cost would add up.
The more I thought about it, the more sense the Disney Cruise Line option was starting to make. My mom and I talked through the whole thing on a ten-hour car ride from Tennessee to Florida. She only had one real problem with the idea.
“But you don’t know anything about Disney Cruise Line.”
“Give me three weeks, I’ll know everything I need to know.”
She was right. I’ve never been on a cruise unless you count the Jungle Cruise. (Or Victory Casino Cruises but that’s not nearly as funny.) I gave myself a crash course and there is still some stuff I don’t know, but I’ve got the basics down, and turns out a couple of my friends are cruise experts. The Disboards have also been super helpful at answering all my questions.
Sadly, while there are tons of websites dedicated to Disney Fairy Tale Weddings, information on Disney Cruise Line Weddings was harder to find. It doesn’t help that I like to read and I hate listening to podcasts. I really hope this series will be helpful to future Disney Cruise Line brides!
Weird fun fact: I was reading a very thorough thread on the Disboards about a Disney Cruise Line wedding and recognized one of my friends in one of the pictures. I can’t decide if “it’s a small world” or the “Twilight Zone” theme is more appropriate here.
Now that they have changed the way Walt Disney World Disney Fairy Tale Weddings are priced, the Disney Cruise Line is really and truly the most affordable Disney Fairy Tale Wedding.
Up next in part three of this series, I’ll be talking about which cruise we picked and the booking process. Make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss it!
