Disney Wedding Podcast

Today, Dana Manthey shares the story of her Magic Kingdom After Hours ceremony, with a reception the following day at California Grill's Napa and Sonoma rooms. As a lifelong Disney fan, Dana's top priority was having characters, and she ended up with 14—including The Cheshire Cat, The White Rabbit, and three hyenas from The Lion King, who Dana pushed for because she'd never seen them do a meet 'n' greet anywhere at the parks. In this episode, you'll hear how she negotiated for unusual characters, modified the menus at California Grill, and tailored her ceremony and reception to make them unique. She also shares her favorite menu items and a detailed timeline of how the two-day event ran. Click here to see all the photos!

This week, Brie and Tyler Kelly share a behind-the-scenes look at their Alice In Wonderland-themed wedding from Season 2, Episode 7 of the Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings TV show on Disney+! You’ll hear how they prepared for their day in just two months, which elements they were allowed to customize, their favorite menu items and cake flavors, and what the best and worst surprises were that day. You’ll also hear their favorite memories of the experience, including a hilariously memorable moment that didn’t make it into the episode! Click here to see ALL the photos!

This week, Kaitlyn Bokowski shares the story of her Animal Kingdom ceremony at the Caravan Stage and reception at Tamu Tamu Courtyard, complete with ride mix-ins on Expedition Everest and Flight of Passage. She and Ryan fell in love with these locations on the Fairytale Weddings Guide Wedding Venues page, and today she discusses how she communicated the floral and décor vision for her “Vintage Bohemian Safari”-themed wedding to Disney Floral via a 74-page PowerPoint presentation. Plus, Kaitlyn shares the most (and least!) popular menu items at her reception and the EPCOT welcome party she and Ryan hosted at Germany Promenade A-C.  Click here to see ALL the photos! 

Today, Malorie and Tim Elrod share the story of their 15th anniversary vow renewal ceremony at the Grand Floridian's St. Augustine Ballroom and reception and dessert party at the Whitehall Room and Patio. They discuss how they decided to have a Disney vow renewal and what their top priorities were, including the ways they incorporated their "Four Parks, One Night" theme via food and decor. Malorie and Tim also talk about how important it is to tailor a wedding or vow renewal to the couple's own tastes and personalities—from customizing the menu to choosing the entertainment—rather than just taking Disney's off-the-shelf options.  Click here to see all the photos!

This week, Britni Sizemore shares the story of her Magic Kingdom After Hours ceremony and celebration in The Hub, Fantasmic! cocktail hour, Grand Floridian reception at St. Augustine A–C, and welcome party at EPCOT's UK Lochside. Britni and Tim were originally told that Magic Kingdom had no availability for After Hours weddings in 2023. But Britni checked back with Disney every two weeks until she learned that a cancellation would allow them to have their wedding in front of the castle if they moved it three months earlier. Today she talks about the logistics of planning events in three parks over three days in just three months, including how she handled last-minute venue changes and the threat of being moved out of Magic Kingdom due to weather, plus the ways she and Tim were able to show guests everything they love about Disney—from private fireworks on the castle and a custom-written first dance song to a cake pop dispenser and appearances by Cinderella, Prince Charming, Donald and Daisy! Click here to lis

Today, Candace Montgomery shares the story of her Sea Breeze Point ceremony and Mexico Vista celebration. She talks about how she and Jeremiah chose these locations, their favorite food items from the celebration, and how she saved money on bouquets by creating crystal-encrusted Mickey Mouse lunchboxes for her bridesmaids to carry down the aisle! Candace also discusses the logistics of doing pre-park-opening portrait sessions at all four parks, from strategies for multiple hair and makeup looks to spending an hour scrubbing the wet-walkway stains out of her gowns between each day’s shoot! Click here to see ALL the photos!

This week, Prince and Nick Stychnicki-Saquian of Merrily Married share the story of their ceremony at the Wedding Pavilion, reception at The Attic, and dessert party at EPCOT's UK Lochside—including their best tips and advice gleaned from attending numerous Walt Disney World weddings as professional videographers. You'll hear how they customized their entertainment, from having music played under their vows to timing Mickey and Minnie's arrival to take advantage of the photo angles allowed when liquor has not yet been served. They also share how they devised an elaborate treasure hunt for guests using props and décor already present at the Attic. And you'll hear their unique method for determining whether pricey extras like Cinderella's Glass Coach and in-park portrait sessions are worth the cost based on criteria like who will get to enjoy them, how long they will enjoy them, and how much Nick and Prince would regret not having them. Click here to see ALL the photos!

Today, Summer Jane Just shares the story of her Rose Court Garden ceremony and Sleeping Beauty Pavilion reception at the Disneyland Hotel. You'll hear how she and Jayson saved big on floral and décor via strategic venue choices and DIY projects, why they decided to use Disneyland Fire Department Engine No. 1 instead of Cinderella's Crystal Coach for their themed transportation, and how they got a surprise magical moment with Minnie, Pluto, and Goofy thanks to their reception's proximity to Goofy's Kitchen. Plus, Summer Jane talks about how they added a pre-park-opening bridal portrait session inside Magic Kingdom during their Walt Disney World honeymoon! Click here to see ALL the photos!

This week, Noelle Crooks shares the story of her Coronado Springs resort wedding. The reception was held at Lantana Hall, but rain bumped the ceremony from Gran Destino Plaza. So Noelle asked Adam to take photos of the carpet in all the rain backup venues Disney offered and used them to choose the Durango Room! Cake was another important element, and today Noelle shares how she communicated her very specific vision to the Wedding Cakes team via detailed PowerPoint—and was so thrilled with the result that, she says, the way Adam looked at her during their first look is the way she was looking at the cake when she first spotted it! Click here to see all the photos!

Today, Veronica Lopez-Karam shares the story of her Wedding Pavilion ceremony, Whitehall Room pre-reception, Napa & Sonoma Room reception, and Mexico Vista afterparty. Having to postpone twice gave Veronica time to realize she'd rather show guests a uniquely Disney venue like California Grill than a ballroom, and today she talks about the logistics of using both private rooms there to accommodate her larger guest count. Part of the solution was to move to EPCOT's Mexico Vista for fireworks and a Soarin' ride mix-in, then return to Mexico for dancing, a late-night buffet, and an appearance by Mickey and Minnie! Click here to see all the photos!

This week, Christine Gallant shares the story of her Disney Wish wedding. When a hurricane rerouted their cruise, she and Dan had their 10 am Castaway Cay ceremony switched to a 2 pm Grand Hall event, but they got to keep their celebration at The Bayou. Today she talks about how Disney handled the changes, why she and Dan decided to use the ship's photography instead of bringing along their own photographer, and which elements of the cruise wedding package they chose. She also shares details of their post-wedding portrait session inside EPCOT! Click here to see the photos!

Today, Aiko Palmieri shares the story of her ceremony at the Wedding Pavilion, reception at American Adventure Rotunda, and welcome party at Living Seas Salon and Italy Isola. You'll hear how she and Sal made smart budget tradeoffs to afford guest-pleasing extras like characters, silhouette artists, and a Remy's Ratatouille Adventure ride mix-in. These include pairing American Adventure's standard navy chairs with blue uplighting and adding end-of-the-night confetti cannons instead of a fireworks cocktail hour. And Aiko shares the menu items and cake flavors that were the biggest hits with her guests! Click here to see all the photos!

This week, Lauren Losorelli shares the story of her ceremony at the Grand Floridian's Sago Cay Pointe, reception at California Grill, and dessert party at EPCOT's UK Lochside. You'll hear how Lauren maximized her budget, choosing venues that required little to no décor and using Cinderella's Glass Coach as entertainment  by surprising guests with her ceremony arrival. She also shares her favorite menu items and cake flavors, plus her top tips for anyone planning a wedding or vow renewal at Walt Disney World!  Click here to see all the photos!

Today, Disney bride Nadine Rawson shares the story of her ceremony at the Wedding Pavilion, first dance at the Whitehall Room, reception at Citricos, and dessert party at EPCOT’s Germany Promenade A & B. Citricos comes with a number of restrictions, including which characters may appear there and where, a prohibition on table linens and rearranging the tables, no dance floor, and limitations on where the cake may be placed. Today, Nadine talks about how she worked within (and around) these to execute her wedding-day vision, including having her cocktail hour and first dance in a different venue. She also shares her favorite menu items and how she saved big by eliminating transportation from her events. Click here to see ALL the photos!

This week I am joined by Cathryne Martell of Martell Event Services to discuss how a day-of coordinator can enhance your Disney wedding experience. Not only will they perform duties Disney will not—like setting up DIYs and bustling your gown—a day-of coordinator takes the stress out of the event by running interference, maintaining the schedule, and troubleshooting on the fly. And if you’re using outside vendors for floral, decor, transportation, or photography, a day-of coordinator ensures that your wedding vision is being executed correctly. In this episode, Cathryne shares her top tips for planning a Disney wedding that runs smoothly and free of hassle! 

Today, Elana Monaghan shares the story of her Tangled-themed ceremony at the Wedding Pavilion with a reception at the Grand Floridian’s St. Augustine Ballroom, plus a fireworks rehearsal dinner at Grand Floridian Marina. Elana and Sam met when she was on the Disney College Program and he was on the International Program, so it was important to them to incorporate both his UK heritage and their shared love of Disney into their day. In this episode, Elana shares how they added Tangled touches via floral, décor, and cake, as well as the ways they prioritized guest experience, like careful selection of an officiant and a DJ, plus adding an appearance by Pluto and Minnie Mouse! Click here to see all the photos!

This week, Ann Marie Thompkins shares the story of her After Hours ceremony and celebration at Animal Kingdom’s Pizzafari, with a reception at Living Seas Salon and ride mix-in on Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure. Although bad weather forced a change of venue, she, Peter and their guests were able to go back out to the original ceremony site, Tree of Life, to watch their special showing of Awakenings. Today, she talks about how she and Peter prioritized guest experience at their wedding, including the addition of caricature artists and five characters over the course of their celebration and full reception the following day. Click here to see all the photos!

Today, Elizabeth Peden shares the story of her ceremony at the Wedding Pavilion and reception at the Grand Floridian's Summerhouse. Elizabeth and Noah were able to have a Disney wedding for 54 guests on a budget by choosing venues that required no décor or transportation, using outside vendors for photography and personal floral, and having a 2-hour celebration instead of a full reception. In this episode, she offers her top tips for maximizing Disney magic on a minimal budget. Click here to see ALL the photos!

This week, Julia and Forrest Bennfors share the story of their ceremony at Crescent Cove, pre-reception at UK Lochside, and After Hours reception at UK Courtyard. They planned their day around treating guests to EPCOT’s fireworks and a ride mix-in before the reception, and today they share how they prioritized, which menu items were their favorites, and what they learned from the planning process. You’ll also hear why having a first look with Julia was so important to Forrest, and how it became his favorite memory of the whole day! Click here to see ALL the photos!

Whether you’ve been planning your Walt Disney World wedding in your head for years or you just discovered that Disney does weddings, today’s show has the steps and tips that will set you on the path to your dream Disney’s Fairy Tale Wedding or vow renewal. Disney bride Mary Robey and I cover how 2023 pricing works—including how to stick to the lowest Event Minimum Expenditure—how to book your event, and how the planning process works. Mary also shares details and advice from her own ceremony at the Wedding Pavilion, with a reception at California Grill and a fireworks dessert party at Terrace des Fleurs in EPCOT! Click here to see all of Mary's photos!