Photo Courtesy : Root Photography
Amanda is another amazing friend that I met during my Disney wedding planning process. Her wedding was nothing short of fabulous. The ceremony was touching and intimate, the reception location was unique and all of her guests were treated to an unforgettable Disney experience. Amanda loved planning her Disney wedding. Her love for planning led her to becoming a travel expert for Mousketrips.com where she specializes in booking Disney vacation packages for wedding parties and guests of Disney weddings. Here are Amanda’s confessions of a Disney bride.
1.) When did you decide you wanted a wedding at WDW?
As cliche as it sounds, I’ve always dreamed of having a Disney wedding. My first trip to Disney wasn’t until I was 18 and when I saw the Wedding Pavilion for the first time it took my breath away. Having a Disney wedding was always a very distant dream because I didn’t know if I would find anyone who feel the same way about Disney that I did.
2.) What locations did you decide on for your wedding day and how did you pick them?
The Wedding Pavilion was always my perfect location, but once we started planning the choices were overwhelming. When we called Disney for the first time, we booked France in EPCOT with a reception at the Boardwalk. We must have changed our minds a dozen times. We finally stepped back and tried to remember what we really wanted out of our wedding and why we chose Disney. After a few site visits, we ended up at Disney’s Wedding Pavilion. It was the first time my husband-to-be had seen it and he was blown away. He loved it as much as I did. It gave us that romantic, fairy tale feel that we had been looking for. That’s why we chose Disney. For the reception we wanted something a bit non-traditional and fun. Animal Kingdom is my husband’s favorite park. Our first choice was the area in front of Expedition Everest but due to EMH and the required minimums, it wouldn’t work for us. Our second choice was the Tamu Tamu Courtyard. It was the epitome of Animal Kingdom to us. Due to unseasonably cold weather we were moved at the last minute inside to Conservation Station. At first I was incredibly disappointed but it ended up working out great. Our guests loved every bit of it!!
3.) How was your interaction with Disney’s Fairy Tale Wedding Department?
For the most part it was great. It was often hard to get a hold of sales person and sometimes we had trouble communicating what we wanted or liked. At one point I didn’t realize we had been overcharged for our meals until our consultant emailed me…she read a post from a Disney forum where I had asked a question about children’s meals. My only real disapointment came from the day of the wedding. The weather had been freezing the night before and practically ruined our dessert party. We had made the decision to move the reception inside but the only location Disney was offering was the Dino Lounge which looked like a conference room from the 80′s. I didn’t feel, for the amount of money we were paying, that it was an acceptable subsitution. We were at Disney during an off peak time and I thought there must be an alternative. After much back and forth we were offered Conservation Station or the Living Seas. Ultimately we were pleased with Disney’s Fairy Tale Wedding Department.
4.) How did your family react to the wedding being in WDW?
We knew up front my family wouldn’t travel to Disney for the wedding. I think some were disappointed but as this was my second marriage, I don’t think it impacted most of them. My husband’s family was ecstatic about our plans and had a great time! I’m sure it wasn’t everyone’s ideal choice but we didn’t have any major back lash. To us, we could have spent the same amount of money on a larger, traditional wedding back at home, or have our dream wedding with a few close, special guests.
5.) What was your most magical memory from your wedding day?
I think I’d have to pick two. The first would be when I first heard “When You Wish Upon a Star” being played and the doors to the Wedding Pavilion opened. It was a honest to goodness dream come true! The second happened during our reception. I was spending some time with a few kids who attended. We were looking at the video monitors that peeked in on the animals in the night barns. I turned around and saw Mickey and Minnie enter the room. Now I knew they would be there of course, but it was completely a magical moment when they entered. I think I was most excited out of everyone!
Contributed by: Katie Zwicker (NDW#70) Katie is the DDL Weddings and Honeymoon Blogger. She is also the creator of My Fairy Tale.
