Disney wedding cost cutting ideas

Misti

DIS Veteran
Joined
Aug 18, 1999
Hi everyone!

Will some of you share your wedding cost cutting ideas? I know that many brides/grooms would love to plan a Disney destination wedding but need to be budget-minded at the same time. Here are some of mine:

1) I had my wedding before 12PM and that seemed to make a big difference in the per person cost for food/beverage. Plus, I didn't really need a full bar so early in the am so that helped, too.

2) I saved some extra $ by not having our names/wedding date printed on the napkins. Of course, I offset the savings by ordering that white chocolate castle cake-topper!LOL

Anyone else?
:earsboy:
 
Here are some ways to save on a Custom Disney wedding:

1) Have your wedding on a weekday (Mon-Thurs), rather than a weekend (Fri-Sun). The minimums are only $7500 during the week, as opposed to $10,000 on the weekend.

2) Have your reception begin before 2pm. Minimum food/beverage per person requirements are only $75 per person for events beginning prior to 2pm, and $100 per person for events beginning after 2pm

3) Luncheon Receptions: We all know how to save money at Disney by eating late lunches rather than Dinners, as the lunch menus are cheaper and yet have the same food as the dinner menus (at many of the Disney restuarants). Well, the same is true for luncheon receptions as well!

4) Avoid the holidays like the plague. LOL! :) While holidays are nice to get married around, they can increase several costs, such as food, hotels, airfare, flowers, entertainment, etc.

- Here's a great tip for saving on New Years:
If you want to get married around New Years, get married on Jan. 1 rather than Dec.31
- if you do, you will get Value Season pricing for your resorts, even if you arrive prior to
January 1! :)

5) Get married in the Value Season at Disney (will save you money on hotel & airfare)

6) Look at outside vendors for Photo, Video, Floral, and Decorating services. I am using an outside Photographer (Randy Chapman), Videographer (Patrick Lyons), and Wedding Decorating Service (Creative Elegance). I am saving at least $2800 on Photos, $1100 on Video, and $4500 on Decorations using non-Disney vendors!! That's a savings of $8400!!! WOW!
(For those who want to know, I have a custom photo package with Randy for about $2100, am spending about $900 with Patrick, and $1700 with Creative Elegance).

7) Have your ceremony flowers moved to your reception to decorate tables there, rather than paying for separate floral decorations for the reception. I am doing this with my unity candle arrangement, which is being moved to decorate our sweetheart table at the reception.
 
Heck, by getting married on Jan 1 rather than Dec 31 you are saving 1 whole year's worth of the 'marriage penalty' tax. Consider that and you can throw one heck of wedding with no concern for the budget.
 
I wish that my boyfriend and I could afford to get married at WDW someday...but it's a lot of money. Maybe if we win the lottery we could get away with it:) That would be my dream wedding......hmmmmmmmmm............
 


You're welcome!

Piglet203,
If the aforementioned prices ($7500 min. weekday weddings, $10,000 min.weekend weddings) are too high, you can always look into having an Intimate Wedding. Intimate Weddings are for small weddings - a maximum of 8 guests. Prices start at around $3334 for an Intimate Wedding, which includes
- 4 nights at a deluxe resort
- Ultimate park hopper passes
- On-site wedding coordinator
- Officiant to perform wedding ceremony
- Choice of fresh flower bouquet for the bride and boutonniere for the groom
- Your choice of violinist, flautist, or guitarist for ceremony and cake-cutting
- Elegant two-tier wedding cake served by host/hostess with keepsake cake topper and one bottle of Fairy Tale Cuvee for the toast
- Special wedding gift
- Disney Wedding Certificate signed by Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse
- Four-consecutive-hour limousine charter for transportation to and from wedding ceremony and reception from your Walt Disney World Resort hotel
- Dinner for two at a selected Walt Disney World Resort restaurant
- Romance basket filled with special treats

Each guest (up to 8) is $75 per adult, and $55 per child.

Supposedly, Disney will also be introducing a new wedding plan, in between an intimate and a custom, for guest lists of 10-30 people, with a $5000 minimum. When I last asked my sales manager at Disney about it, she said that it would not be introduced until 2002 at the earliest, but otherwise couldn't give me a specific date or huge details on it. So look for that in the future, too!
 
Regarding the new package that Lorana mentioned...I spoke with my sales manager today. They should have pricing on this by early September. However, I was really bummed to find out that that package will only allow for weddings held at the Disney Institute. Apparently they have some sort of English flower garden setting. Which is all fine and dandy, but I really want the Pavilion. :mad: I will pass along any new info that I get.
 


Well, it will be at least three years until I am able to get engaged, let alone married. My boyfriend and I want our college degrees first (He'll get his before I get mine). So maybe by that time, this new package will be worked out. :) I would love to get married in an English garden setting and being at Disney would be even better! I wanted to be married at the English garden in Chicago's Botanic Gardens, but they don't allow religious ceremonies :(. This could be a very good thing for me :). BTW this is a great addition to DIS :bounce: !
 
HI WDWPluto,
Fancy running in to you over here. See you on that other site.

Marianne (UW)
 

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