Wedding Welcome In 1 Bedroom Villa

[igrsod]

Can anyone tell me if they think that there would be enough room in a 1 bedroom villa for a small drop in welcome reception before my daughters wedding?
I've never stayed in anything other than a studio, so not sure if it would provide enough space for people to stand around and mingle... eat finger foods and drink a glass of wine.
Which 1 bedroom villas, at which resorts, do you think have the best layout for such an event?

Thank you all in advance. Just trying to decide my plan of action.

 

[larissawbb]

Hands down Old Key West! Plenty of open space and people can spill over onto the deck. There are also two tables you can use for a buffet if needed.

 

[Best Aunt]

How many people?

 

[BillPA]

Best options are Poly or CCV cabin.

 

[cheryl.UK]

Another vote for OKW, I'm pretty sure they are the biggest 1 bed's on site.

 

[sleepydog25]

Can anyone tell me if they think that there would be enough room in a 1 bedroom villa for a small drop in welcome reception before my daughters wedding?
I've never stayed in anything other than a studio, so not sure if it would provide enough space for people to stand around and mingle... eat finger foods and drink a glass of wine.
Which 1 bedroom villas, at which resorts, do you think have the best layout for such an event?

Thank you all in advance. Just trying to decide my plan of action.

OKW would have the largest 1BR space as mentioned above. VGF and BLT come in second in terms of raw square footage; however, their room arrangements may not make the space seem as large, especially at BLT. That being said, if you're not having scores of people in the room at the same time (which might disturb your neighbors), then you can make just about any 1BR space work. It's worth noting that OKW will also have one of the lowest point costs for a 1BR, as well.

 

[igrsod]

How many people?

30 tops

 

[igrsod]

I appreciate all the feedback. Going by pure square footage, that is readily available on the internet, I knew I could count on my DIS DVC peeps to let me know about layout etc.
We will have 30 people max at the wedding, and if we make it a drop in drop out kind of event, it won't get too crowded or noisy. We just wanted to have a place where we could welcome everyone, give them a gift bag and last minute instructions on how the big day will go. That way anyone can ask questions. Not many of those coming are big Disney people, in fact it might only be the Brides immediate family (us), that are Disney freaks who go every year. So I feel like people will need some guidance. We certainly don't want to be a nuisance noise wise as well. So if anyone has any experience with paper thin walls vs. concrete bunkers that would be great too.

 

[Brian Noble]

If you were expecting to have all 30 at once, I don't think I'd try it. But, if it is a more come-and-go thing, with some folks staying longer but others just popping in, a 1BR at OKW could be okay. Two things to remember: One, half the buildings do not have a door between the living room and the bathroom; you will want to avoid those. Two, only a handful of OKW buildings have elevators, so if anyone has mobility issues, you'll want a ground floor.

 

[Best Aunt]

30 people? That's a lot of people. How do you know how many might be in the room at once? I would think that if you have more than about 10 people in there at once, neighbors might complain. And if you have 30 people coming and going during a short period of time, the neighbors might complain. (I'm not saying they should complain, or that I would complain, so please don't jump all over me for mentioning it.)

 

[igrsod]

30 people? That's a lot of people. How do you know how many might be in the room at once? I would think that if you have more than about 10 people in there at once, neighbors might complain. And if you have 30 people coming and going during a short period of time, the neighbors might complain. (I'm not saying they should complain, or that I would complain, so please don't jump all over me for mentioning it.)

I would never jump all over you. But it's good to know people's opinions on this. It's a very real possibility and I would hate to be a bother to others or ruin the event with noise complaints. I would expect that people won't stay long and not everyone would come and stay all at the same time. We would do it over the hours of 4 pm - 9 pm.

 

[Donna M]

OKW is your best bet. Request a ground floor. Since it's not overnight you shouldn't have a problem with the bathroom door, people just go through the master to get there. Your time frame sounds good. Maybe, since a 1 bedroom would be connected to a studio and you can hear very easily through the connecting door, you might let your neighbors know you will have everyone out at 9:00. I would appreciate that heads up if you have a large group of happy people celebrating next door.

 

[larissawbb]

The points aren’t too much to consider getting a two bedroom. You wouldn’t even have to worry so much about noise and neighbors. Your guests can park in front of your villa and the views are pretty.

 

[Granny]

For 30 people I'd look at a public area such as the Carrolwood room at BRV. I don't know if Disney lets you reserve such an area, but even if they don't it rarely has a lot of usage. I would think that other spaces at DVC villas might be similar.

I would definitely not want to try 30 people in any 1BR villa, even if it is one with two bathrooms!

 

[igrsod]

For 30 people I'd look at a public area such as the Carrolwood room at BRV. I don't know if Disney lets you reserve such an area, but even if they don't it rarely has a lot of usage. I would think that other spaces at DVC villas might be similar.

I would definitely not want to try 30 people in any 1BR villa, even if it is one with two bathrooms!

Great thought. I wonder what public spaces would be good for this sort of thing? Any thoughts out there?

 

[Noodlez]

One way to keep your neighbours happy is to drop them a little note explaining what's happening and inviting them to pop over for a drink! This will make them feel a part of it (even if they don't come) and they'll be a lot more tolerant of the noise. You can always add that it won't be going on for long, because one problem with noisy neighbours is wondering if it will be happening all night!

 

[sleepydog25]

Great thought. I wonder what public spaces would be good for this sort of thing? Any thoughts out there?

Carrolwood Room would be great to use. Plenty of space and rarely busy. I'd speak with mgmt, of course, but I think it'd be doable. Another location, also at the Lodge, is on the fourth floor overlook. There's both an indoor and outdoor area with plenty of space to set up some food/drink. We were married there, and the space was perfect (we did use Weddings by Disney, though).

 

[igrsod]

One way to keep your neighbours happy is to drop them a little note explaining what's happening and inviting them to pop over for a drink! This will make them feel a part of it (even if they don't come) and they'll be a lot more tolerant of the noise. You can always add that it won't be going on for long, because one problem with noisy neighbours is wondering if it will be happening all night!

I love this thought. Perfect

 

[clayfolks]

We had 23 people in a 2 bedroom at BLT, after a member cruise. They pretty much all came to stay, not drop in and leave. AND the blender was going nonstop making boat drinks. It was SO noisy inside that my husband and I kept going into the hallway to check on the noise. We were afraid we were going to be evicted. Turns out BLT, at least, has pretty good sound proofing. My concern with a one bedroom is the connecting studio. That is where the noise problem will be the greatest. The other challenge with a one bedroom at OKW is that there is only one bathroom. Both BLT and AKV one beds have two bathrooms. The two beds there each have three.

 

[sndral]

I appreciate all the feedback. Going by pure square footage, that is readily available on the internet, I knew I could count on my DIS DVC peeps to let me know about layout etc.
We will have 30 people max at the wedding, and if we make it a drop in drop out kind of event, it won't get too crowded or noisy. We just wanted to have a place where we could welcome everyone, give them a gift bag and last minute instructions on how the big day will go. That way anyone can ask questions. Not many of those coming are big Disney people, in fact it might only be the Brides immediate family (us), that are Disney freaks who go every year. So I feel like people will need some guidance. We certainly don't want to be a nuisance noise wise as well. So if anyone has any experience with paper thin walls vs. concrete bunkers that would be great too.

Are your guests even going to know how to get to wherever the welcome reception is? Is there a resort on property where everyone is staying? If so, I’d start w/ that and then focus on finding a place where it would be easy for WDW greenhorns to navigate to from where they are staying.
30 seems quite large for a 1 br., and while your goal is to not have everyone there at once, there’s no guarantee that it won’t happen. Of course, if you’re in the early planning stages it’s hard to know how firm that 30 person number is.