ALTERNATIVE RENEWAL CEREMONY

TheRustyScupper

Everyone Is Responsible For Everyone.
Joined
Aug 8, 2000
I am really, and truly, retired and living 20-25 minutes from WDW.
Yep.
but, I have a "Silver" pass, and go to WDW for free, including free parking.

Regardless, for a friend's wedding or vowel renewal, I do "come out of retirement".

Had a cute one last week (06/02/2020).
. . . original vow renewals were planned for Fort Wilderness
. . . cancelled due to COVID-19
. . . participants decided upon an alternate
. . . they held the wedding at a friend's back yard near Orlando
. . . I drove to the location and re-married the couple
. . . such a happy occasion nd event
The ceremony for their "VOW RENEWAL" went well.
. . . more or less
. . . friends, children, and grandchildren attended
. . . CUTE

At the end of the ceremony, I told husband he may kiss his bride.
. . . the children and grandchildren simultaneously yelled out to halt the event.
. . . three grandkids ran to the couple from their seats
. . . they LOUDLY proclaimed "social-distance needs to apply"
. . . they handed both the wife and husband a wooden yardstick
. . . the oldest kiddy told couple to kiss now (and at hotel) and keep 6' apart
The guests thought this so funny !

Husband Announced PROUIDLY that 3' in the wedding bed not a problem.
One of the friends asked if husband's name was actually Sea Biscuit!
When the laughter died down, couple threw kisses to the backyard buffet.

I don't know, but this might be THE last wedding for me!
Going to be hard to top this act by Groom and GROOMSMEN..
What a way to "possibly" end a wedding for this humble priest.

NOTE:
. . . although non-Disney-approved clergy and ceremonies are not permitted
. . . for me, the HIGH price of "approved" clergy is stupid
. . . the cheapest wedding or renewal ceremony is approx. $5,000
. . . DUMB-DUMB-DUMB
When staying at a FW Campsite or Cabin, WDW has little control of events
. . . nor, can they enforce the minimum price, (approx. $5,000 to $15,000!
. . . thus, a wedding or renal CANNOT be stopped or interrupted
. . . activities on your campsite of cabin can't be hasted
. . . OR, if ceremony id on a pontoon boat, they can't interfere
. . . as long as the pontoon boat keeps moving, there is NO problem
. . . if the boat stops, the guards can question or halt "the cruise"
 
I love the info on options, as well as the description of the recent wedding! Renewals, and weddings in general, should be fun and it sounds like this one was! Looking at 25th anniversary renewal in a couple years on a small budget, now have some ideas!
 
We originally hoped to do a Disney vow renewal for our 25th next year but when they raised prices that plan was ditched. Our new plan is we have a theme park view room at the Contemporary and we will set up our own video camera and say a few words to each other on the balcony with MK behind us. We can then also take some pics with fireworks that evening (assuming they have returned by then!). This will cost a fraction of a Disney ceremony and will be just as magical!
 


We originally hoped to do a Disney vow renewal for our 25th next year but when they raised prices that plan was ditched. Our new plan is we have a theme park view room at the Contemporary and we will set up our own video camera and say a few words to each other on the balcony with MK behind us. We can then also take some pics with fireworks that evening (assuming they have returned by then!). This will cost a fraction of a Disney ceremony and will be just as magical!
We did ours unofficially on the beach walking back from Citricos to the Poly, where we had a cruise reserved for our group. Quick, quiet, fun, and very us :)
 
As a further note:
I have NOT heard how bride/groom celebrated wedding night or honeymoon using the yard stick spacing.
 


We did ours unofficially on the beach walking back from Citricos to the Poly, where we had a cruise reserved for our group. Quick, quiet, fun, and very us :)

1) I have presided at several "Pontoon Rental" ceremonies.
2) As long as we did not stop the boat, all went well.
3) If the boat stops, the Lake Patrol stops by and asks problems.
. . . they also have the ability to HALT the ceremony.
. . . if they stop it, they have options
. . . they can even jump aboard an escort boat to dock
4) Since this cheats WDW of a huge fee, it is frowned upon.
5) I do not care, I do it any way!
6) Why should folks pay megabucks for the ceremony?

NOTE:
I used to charge $50/ceremony plus mileage.
An added fee for a rehearsal.
Really CHEAP compared to $5,000-8,000 for WDW.
I usually recommended
. . . a Fort Wilderness Campsite for an outdoors yard
. . . a rental pontoon boat for a lake ceremony
 
Would you ever consider coming out of retirement for a stranger who was sent to this thread from Reddit because their wedding was postponed due to COVID, hypothetically, of course?
 
Would you ever consider coming out of retirement for a stranger who was sent to this thread from Reddit because their wedding was postponed due to COVID, hypothetically, of course?

1) Had not thought about it.
2) But, maybe.
3) Wedding or Vow Renewal?
4) Timing?
5) Where will you stay?
6) How many people involved, besides husband & wife?
 
1) Had not thought about it.
2) But, maybe.
3) Wedding or Vow Renewal?
4) Timing?
5) Where will you stay?
6) How many people involved, besides husband & wife?

Thanks for the response! It would be a short, pretty informal wedding ceremony with our own vows. October 10th (any time), we have not yet booked anything, but we may splurge for one night at a deluxe in the Magic Kingdom area. Otherwise our preferred hotel is AoA and we would book a dinner reservation at a deluxe for that night. We would invite 5 guests, but 2-3 may not make the trip (we haven't formally asked them yet).
 
I’d planned a fiftieth birthday but mixed the idea once I learned about the soon to be $6000!!!! minimum fee. I did birthday parties back in 2015 and 2016 at Epcot for $300 and $400 respectively. Those days are gone. Back to the drawing board. Maybe a fireworks cruise and catered meal from Publix in the dvc villa.
 

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