Disney Wedding Podcast

Today, Jessica Ho shares the story of her Wedding Pavilion ceremony and American Adventure Rotunda reception, along with a first look at Coronado Springs’ Gran Destino Plaza, a traditional Chinese tea ceremony at Gran Destino Tower’s Alcazar Suite, a pre-ceremony cocktail hour in the resort’s Lantana Hall, and EPCOT Forever fireworks at Italy Isola! Because American Adventure requires a later start for receptions, Jessica and Wenbo moved the cocktail hour before the ceremony to be sure guests wouldn’t go hungry. Jessica discusses the logistics of the later timeline, along with how they amped up their reception for Wenbo, who loves to dance, by adding extra lights, a custom gobo, and WWE-inspired CO2 jets blasting the dance floor! And she shares details of their rehearsal dinner at Animal Kingdom’s Tamu Tamu Courtyard, with surprise ride mix-ins on Avatar: Flight of Passage and Na’vi River Journey. Click here to see all the photos!

This week, Victoria Chernecky shares the story of her Luau Pointe ceremony and Grand Floridian Marina dessert party. Victoria and Jason are local, and it was important to them to have an intimate ceremony with family followed by a larger dessert party that all their friends could attend. They chose Happily Ever After because it’s their favorite Disney fireworks show, and they were able to incorporate other favorites into their celebration, including a churro-favored wedding cake and churros flambé at the dessert party! Today Victoria offers her top tips for saving and splurging to create your dream Disney wedding. Click here to see all the photos!

Today, Rachael Arevalo shares the story of her ceremony at the Wedding Pavilion, reception at California Grill’s Napa and Sonoma rooms, and EPCOT Forever welcome party at UK Lochside. The size of Rachael and Henry’s guest list prevented them from having dancing in the Napa Room, so they booked the Sonoma Room for the cocktail hour and dancing and had dinner in Napa. Rachael talks about the flow of the event between the rooms, and how they incorporated Magic Kingdom’s Happily Ever After fireworks into the reception. You’ll also hear how using outside vendors for personal floral and transportation saved enough money for Rachael to add pipe-and-drape to the Napa Room. And she discusses the logistics of changing from a ceremony gown into a reception gown.  Click here to see all the photos!

This week, Brittney Bannon shares the story of her Beauty and the Beast-themed at-home Disney wedding, held at Bill Miller’s Castle in Branford, CT. Brittney discusses how she chose to keep her at-home wedding plans after the loss of two close family members made her consider eloping at Disney instead. She was able to add numerous Disney touches to the event, and she and her mom did everything without the services of a wedding coordinator or a florist. Today, Brittney covers lots of DIY ideas, tips and planning strategies for anyone interested in having a Disney-themed wedding at home. Click here to see all the photos!

Today, Michelle Demko shares the story of her Disney wedding ceremony at the Wedding Pavilion, cake and Champagne reception at Grand Terrace, meal at The Attic and dessert party at UK Lochside. By keeping their guest list small, Michelle & Brian were able to add fun extras like that fireworks dessert party, Cinderella's glass coach, and an appearance by Mickey & Minnie. Michelle shares how she and Brian chose their date and venues, what their favorite menu items were, and how they surprised their guests with a ride mix-in on Soarin’ after the dessert party. You’ll also hear how Michelle was able to get the sometimes-elusive Grand Terrace for the cake & Champagne ceremony, as well as how she felt about hiring Cinderella’s Glass Coach even though it was only available to pick them up after the ceremony. Click here for all the photos!

This week, Brittany Eden shares the story of her ceremony at Aulani: A Disney Resort & Spa’s ‘AMA’AMA Patio and reception in the Ka’ala Ballroom. She and Kyle brought their friends and family—and their photographer—all the way to Oahu from Manitoba in Canada for their Disney wedding. You’ll hear how they chose their venues, which Disney-approved vendors they worked with for floral and decor, and what it was like to see their first Hawaiian sunset as they took bridal portraits on their wedding day. Brittany also offers her top advice for anyone interested in planning a wedding or vow renewal at Aulani. Click here to see all the photos!

Today, Callie Boyle shares the story of her ceremony at the Wedding Pavilion, reception in the Grand Floridian Convention Center’s St. Augustine Ballroom and EPCOT dessert party at Terrace des Fleurs. Callie shares how she and Jacob decided to switch to a Disney wedding after friends and family expressed disappointment over their choice of a local venue instead of Walt Disney World! She discusses why they chose an outside vendor for photography, what their favorite menu items were, and her tips for working with Disney floral to get the bouquet you envision. Callie also discusses how she found her two wedding gowns and the logistics of changing halfway through the event. Click here for all the photos and video!

This week, Jenny Wilson shares the story of her wedding ceremony in EPCOT’s Italy Pavilion and reception at GM Conference Center, with dessert party at Terrace des Fleurs. She talks about how she chose to orient her ceremony in a unique area of the Italy Pavilion; offers her favorite menu items, desserts and cake flavors; and shares her idea for an easy, inexpensive welcome party. Jenny also offers tips for working with Disney Floral to ensure you get what you envisioned and explains why you might want to consider shortening your reception. Click here to see all the photos!

Today, Becca White shares the story of her ceremony at the Wedding Pavilion and reception at Living Seas Salon, with a Fantasmic! dessert party that was moved to PizzeRizzo at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Becca had a lifelong dream to be married in the Wedding Pavilion, and you’ll hear how she and Hunter made that dream come true—including the unique theme park food they added to their reception and how they chose the landau coach over Cinderella’s Glass Coach. You’ll also hear about their pre-ceremony bridal portrait session inside Magic Kingdom, along with later portrait sessions in Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios! Click here to see all the photos!

This week, Noelle Miller shares the story of her wedding aboard the Disney Dream, with a ceremony in the Atrium and a celebration in D Lounge. You’ll hear how planning her sister’s wedding helped Noelle decide to get married on a cruise, how she was able to customize the basic package, and her top tips for anyone planning a Disney Cruise Line wedding—including bringing your own cosmetologist and photographer! Click here to see all the photos!

Today, Amanda Kuhns shares the story of her ceremony at the Wedding Pavilion and reception at EPCOT’s Terrace des Fleurs. She discusses the unique opportunities and requirements of an outdoor, in-park wedding, including how they were able to time their cocktail hour to the Epcot Forever fireworks and have a DJ and characters by waiting until the park was cleared of day guests. Amanda also shares her favorite menu items and her top tips for anyone interested in having this uniquely Disney type of wedding. And you'll hear how she and Chris were among the first couples to do pre-park-opening bridal portraits inside Galaxy's Edge! Click here to see ALL the photos!

For those whose wedding plans have been postponed or who just need a while to save up for their wedding, this week’s episode is all about projects you can be DIYing while you wait. Event planner and Disney bride Lisa Hatch joins me to discuss what you’re allowed to DIY and where at Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings in Walt Disney World. Lisa made or brought almost every element of the floral and decor for her Vintage BoardWalk-themed ceremony at Sea Breeze Point, pre-reception at the Whitehall Room & Patio, and reception at the Grand Floridian’s St. Augustine Ballroom on her own—including a carousel horse, a bicycle and multiple canopies to create seaside “shops”! On today’s episode, we cover which Disney venues allow you to DIY or use outside vendors and what specifically you can make or bring in yourself, including Disney’s guidelines for bringing items for them to set out.  Lisa also offers her best DIY advice gleaned from years of professional experience planning events. If you’re looking to save money but

Today, Caitlyn Putzer shares the story of her wedding ceremony at Animal Kingdom's Tree of Life and reception at Tiffins. You'll hear how she and Jacob originally planned to have the first wedding in front of Spaceship Earth but had to choose a new park icon due to construction, how they decorated the ceremony and reception venues, and some of the rules and restrictions of using these unique venues. You'll also hear Caitlyn's tips on adding one of the Tree of Life Awakenings special effects shows, which characters can appear at Tiffins, and her top tips for anyone interested in an Animal Kingdom wedding. Click here to see all the photos!

This week, Brian Klose-Koehler shares the story of his wedding ceremony at Paddlefish in Disney Springs and reception at Italy Isola in Epcot. You’ll hear how he and Allen decided to combine a non-Disney ceremony with a Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings reception, what it was like working with two different planners, and their tips for saving money on both events. You’ll also hear advice on having an outdoor reception inside a theme park, how they surprised their guests with a Frozen Ever After ride mix-in, and what happened when their original reception venue became unavailable a month before their big day! Click here to see all the photos!

Today, Charlotte Harvey-Butler shares the story of her ceremony at the Wedding Pavilion and reception at the Grand Floridian’s Whitehall Room & Patio. She talks about how she planned the event from the UK with no in-person planning session, and what she did to bring UK wedding traditions to the US. Charlotte also shares her favorite menu items, floral and decor tips, and the story of her choreographed first dance—including five different dance styles set to seven different Disney songs! Click here to see all the photos!

This week, Amy Shaw shares how she and Mike had the last Disney’s Fairy Tale Wedding at Walt Disney World before the resorts closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. You’ll hear how they originally cancelled a hold on a local venue to plan an elopement at Luau Pointe for just the two of them, what happened when they found out the Disney parks were closing as they arrived in Orlando, and how they managed to have a magical wedding day despite it all—complete with an extra photo shoot at Animal Kingdom Lodge, a character brunch at Topolino's Terrace, and a wedding photo bomb by Pluto! Click here to see all the photos!

On today’s show, Celia Kucera shares how she and her fiancé had to postpone their March 28 wedding at Walt Disney’s World’s Shades of Green resort due to the COVID-19 pandemic—and how they then decided to elope instead! You’ll hear how they got engaged, what their original wedding plans were, and how they were able to pull together an impromptu wedding in just three days. Celia also shares her plans for their eventual wedding celebration, which was rescheduled for December, and her best advice for anyone whose wedding has been or may be affected by the pandemic. See all the photos here!

This week, Disney bride Michelle Santillan  joins me for an in-depth look at Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings' March 13–14, 2020 Wedding Showcase at Walt Disney World. We cover all the  Showcase Exhibits, the "Happily Ever After" fireworks Welcome Dessert Party, the Self-Guided Venue Tour, the Planning a Disney’s Fairy Tale Wedding 101 session and the Menu Planning Experience. We also look at what was new and different this year, what was most valuable, what we wish we'd seen and whether a future bridal showcase would be worth the trip for couples planning weddings and vow renewals in Florida. Click here to see a bazillion photos of all the food, cake, floral, decor, venues and activities at the showcase!

This week, Kaitlyn Divelbiss shares the story of her ceremony at Bonsai Promenade in the Japan Pavilion and reception at GM Lounge. She discusses how she and Christian chose these two venues, what the planning process was like, and her tips on decorating GM Lounge. She also offers great advice on the transportation required for in-park events and a unique tip to guarantee you have a memorable wedding day. Click here to see all the photos + a video!

Today, Shikha Saxena and Anupam Kumar share the story of their ceremony at the Wedding Pavilion and reception at the Grand Floridian Ballroom. You’ll hear how they were able to combine traditional elements of an Indian wedding with Disney touches—including Anupam’s ride to the Wedding Pavilion on Rapunzel’s horse for the Baraat procession! They also discuss using outside vendors for food and decor at their “Whole New World”-themed reception. And they share how they hosted a Sangeet welcome party at Italy Isola and American Adventure Rotunda, complete with traditional dances performed by family, friends and the bride and groom. Click here to see all the photos!