FAQ for Disneyland Brides

[DisneyFanatic28]

Mindy, the number for DL weddings is 714-520-7005. Follow Disney weddings on facebook, they're very helpful and have lots of information! Hope this helps!

 

[Mindyjoy]

Mindy, the number for DL weddings is 714-520-7005. Follow Disney weddings on facebook, they're very helpful and have lots of information! Hope this helps!

Thank you! I ended up just calling the hotel and they transfered me, and I got my emailed brochure right away. Excited about the Escape option.

 

[redboxcar]

@DisneyFanatic28 (or anyone else, for that matter!)

I'm interested in seeing the PDF about hosting a wedding in the Animation Building.

I'm also wondering if anyone can refer me over at disneybrides.com (registered under "redboxcar") - i'm trying to plan my DFTW at Disneyland and need more resources! =)

Thank you so much!
Linda

 

[savvywifey]

love the pictures, looks beautiful

 

[TweedleDe&TweedleDum]

Im planning on getting married at DL but I'm not sure if i can afford it yet.
i can afford 12K as the min but i can't really go over - i need to pre plan before i make my down payment.

I was hoping someone could direct me to a website or something with possible venues at DL, how much per hour each site is.
Which ones are available for ceremonies and which for receptions?
what is the min per person for food?
Are bus rentals required at Dland like they are at DWorld?

also we are wanting to do tons of DIY stuff. How will that work with disney land?
and lastly what is the discount for rooms and park passes for my guest? ill have 50 people.

any kind of help you can offer would be wonderfull! thanks!

 

[Mindyjoy]

Im planning on getting married at DL but I'm not sure if i can afford it yet.
i can afford 12K as the min but i can't really go over - i need to pre plan before i make my down payment.

I was hoping someone could direct me to a website or something with possible venues at DL, how much per hour each site is.
Which ones are available for ceremonies and which for receptions?
what is the min per person for food?
Are bus rentals required at Dland like they are at DWorld?

also we are wanting to do tons of DIY stuff. How will that work with disney land?
and lastly what is the discount for rooms and park passes for my guest? ill have 50 people.

any kind of help you can offer would be wonderfull! thanks!

I can answer some of your questions since I just had my first site meeting.

First of all, if you call DFTW office in Anaheim you can request a brochure that will give you some basic information about costs and requirements. They send it via email and I got mine immediately after requesting it.

The minimum is $10k for a weekday wedding or $12k for a Fri-Sun wedding. Keep in mind this is before tax and tip, so your REAL minimum is a couple thousand higher. Also remember this doesn't include other expenses such as dress, rings, hotel stay, MUAH, photo, videography, etc. These expenses can really add up.

The site fee is $2200, this includes your site for the ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception. 30 minutes for ceremony, an hour for cocktail, and 4 hours for reception. This fee also includes the services of their wedding planner and day-of coordinator. IMO this is a super great deal.

Food/drink expenditures is $100/per person for lunch and *I think* $135/pp for dinner. Dinner is anything after 2pm. This includes the main meal, booze, champagne toast, and cake. I'm not sure if the cocktail hour food applies to this minimum.

No bus rental requirement that I know of, since pretty much everything is walking distance.

I can't comment on DIY stuff but I believe you can give anything to your planner and they will arrange it for you (again, not sure).

The discount is not great. About 20% off for resort rooms and a few dollars off park tickets. The longer your pass the greater the discount.

It is definitely possible to stay right at your 12k minimum if you don't mind having a "simple" wedding.




PS - Just noticed this was your first post, welcome to the boards!

 

[RangerPooh]

As for the room discounts, we found that they weren't all that great. Almost all of our guests stayed off site at the hotels on Harbor Blvd as they are within walking distance (very close) and were much more affordable. As for discount tickets, our guests went about purchasing them in a few different ways 1) through AAA, 2) through Disneyland's website as they were cheaper that way than at the gate, 3)through their employer (the company that my cousin works for was able to get a number of family members their tickets at military prices ; very cheap).

As for the DIY, we went this route for the ceremony floral, reception centerpieces, seating chart, seating cards, and favors. FTW said that they would put the items out for us, for a price. This was not worth it IMO as we were on a budget. Instead my aunts and two cousins did this in a matter of minutes.

The minimum expenditures of $10 & $12k includes items purchased directly through Disney. This means your floral, food, beverage, favors, music, transportation (coach, carriage, etc), entertainment (DJ, characters, Major Domo, etc), and any other services that you contract through Disney for.

What's NOT included? Outside photography (DL does not have their own so you have to go outside), your officiant, dress, make-up, hair, any outside floral, DYI stuff, videography, dress, rings, outside DJ/musicians, your accommodations, etc.

Can you have a DL wedding on a budget? Yes, if you are careful about how you allocate your budget. Do this by having a morning or early afternoon ceremony/reception, minimal floral, decide if the coach is really for you (it wasn't us), skip food during the cocktail hour as the meal at the reception will be pleantiful! Regarding the non-Disney expenses, shop aorund for a photographer within your price range, decide what items that are DIY you really need so that you don't over spend, shop around for a DJ, see if there is anyone that you know who can officiate for you (my uncle married us), etc. The minimums when we got married eons ago were much more reasonable, but we had 60 guests in attendance and came in just over the minimums. If you account for the amount that you need to spend today, we probably would ahve been right around the minimums. Our wedding was ubber budget, simple, and had minor Disney touches.

I hope this helps, feel free to ask any additional questions that you might have.

 

[TweedleDe&TweedleDum]

Thanks Mindyjoy and RangerPooh!
This was very helpful. We've decided to go with a Dland wedding!
Don't have anymore questions now but i'll be sure to post them here if i do.
Thanks again!!

 

[Mindyjoy]

Thanks Mindyjoy and RangerPooh!
This was very helpful. We've decided to go with a Dland wedding!
Don't have anymore questions now but i'll be sure to post them here if i do.
Thanks again!!

Call and get yourself hooked up with a planner. I haven't put down a deposit yet but I've already exchanged several emails with my planner and had one visit. Good luck!

 

[princess lil]

Does anybody know if you are required to book 10 nights at a DLR hotel still?
When I looked into a Disney wedding a couple years ago, you had to fill 10 rooms, but I recently requested information again and it didn't look like it was required. I'm hoping booking at the DLR is optional with the discount being offered to whoever does book with them.

 

[katel]

Does anybody know if you are required to book 10 nights at a DLR hotel still?
When I looked into a Disney wedding a couple years ago, you had to fill 10 rooms, but I recently requested information again and it didn't look like it was required. I'm hoping booking at the DLR is optional with the discount being offered to whoever does book with them.

We were not required to fill a room block for our July 2011 wedding and they did offer a small discount for our guests.

However, we did not feel that the room discount offered by DFTW was very good, so we decided to set up a group rate through a travel agent where we are guaranteeing that we will fill 10 rooms for at least one night. We are almost positive that we have enough family and and other friends coming that we will be able to fill the 10 rooms so we thought it was worth the risk, but it was our decision to go around DFTW to do this and we were certainly not required to.

Hope that helps!

ETA: I *think* that room blocks may still be required out at Disney World, but as I'm not getting married there I'm not sure!

 

[princess lil]

Okay, thank you! That's all really helpful

 

[MouseFiend]

Hello past/future/hopeful Disneyland brides! I was hoping there are some of you out there who can give me some names for hair and make-up. I've checked out Fairytale Hair and Makeup and Hair Comes the Bride, but I was hoping someone might have some more options for a bride on a budget

 

[DreamtheImpossible]

Do you have to purchase Park tickets for your guests?

 

[MouseFiend]

Do you have to purchase Park tickets for your guests?

We have the Escape package, and we did not have to purchase park tickets. Your guests are free to do so through a special discount site that is set up for you.

I'm not sure what the requirements are if you are having your ceremony inside one of the parks.

 

[DreamtheImpossible]

Thank you very much! We're looking into a Disneyland wedding and would really like everyone to be able to enjoy a day or two in the parks! Just didn't know if it was within our budget to buy them. ;D

 

[Mindyjoy]

Thank you very much! We're looking into a Disneyland wedding and would really like everyone to be able to enjoy a day or two in the parks! Just didn't know if it was within our budget to buy them. ;D

We are having a Wishes wedding and as far as I am aware, it does not include park tickets. But they do offer discounted park tickets and hotel rooms for your guests.

 

[RangerPooh]

Tickets for park guests are not included in any of the wedding packages. If the wedding is after park hours then they will most likely be escorted in at a designed time and place.

We purchased park hoppers as thank you gifts for our bridal party. For those who attended planning sessions with us, we purchased them Deluxe Annual Passes. As for the rest of our guests, we enclosed the current price list through DL website, AAA, and for family members, the rate that one of my cousins could get them through his work.

 

[stgervais]

Does anyone know if there are discounts available for DVC members? and how would the 10 room nights work if you are a DVC and plan on stay in the Villas at the Grand Californian? and have a ceremony and reception at the Dland hotel?

 

[kipperoo]

I'm curious if anyone has any information on the options available for the 3 course plated meal included with the Disneyland Escape package? I'm sending in my contract and deposit tomorrow and am impatient waiting for all my info to get here lol.