How much is an average Disney Wedding?
May 25th, 2001, 08:01 AM
#1
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How much is an average Disney Wedding?
Hi, my friend insists on a disney wedding in October. I think it is foolish. What do you think? Can you tell me an average price and the pros and cons. I really dont want him to waste all of his hard earned money.
May 25th, 2001, 08:28 AM
#2
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I am looking into this idea as well. Look at two recent strings with details. "Wedding Pavillion at WDW" and "Disney Wedding" Both got a lot of responses, some helpful some RUDE.
Anyway, not sure what you mean by "average" wedding. It depends on how many people you are having. If you have th "Intimate Wedding" which I think is less than 6? people it is a quite reasonable amount and definitely memorable. However, if you have more than 8? (I believe, the number may be a little higher) there is a $10,000.00 minimum. Some people who have full sit down dinners, open bars, the best private ballroom, band etc can probably spend $10k on 8 people (outrageous in my opinion) However, I am looking for 25-30 people and wanting to have a daytime wedding. Reception will be catered appetizers, cake and cocktails, with a six piece string band. We will not rent a ballrom but have the set up outdoors the wedding will be at sea breeze point, we are budgeting $12,000 right now. We may come in over but htat is doubtful. We actually hope to have enough left over to pay for photographs, hotel for us, meals for us and park admission as well. We'll just have to see. I too am looking for more info about the treatment and service people received from disney as well as the quality of food.
Anyway, not sure what you mean by "average" wedding. It depends on how many people you are having. If you have th "Intimate Wedding" which I think is less than 6? people it is a quite reasonable amount and definitely memorable. However, if you have more than 8? (I believe, the number may be a little higher) there is a $10,000.00 minimum. Some people who have full sit down dinners, open bars, the best private ballroom, band etc can probably spend $10k on 8 people (outrageous in my opinion) However, I am looking for 25-30 people and wanting to have a daytime wedding. Reception will be catered appetizers, cake and cocktails, with a six piece string band. We will not rent a ballrom but have the set up outdoors the wedding will be at sea breeze point, we are budgeting $12,000 right now. We may come in over but htat is doubtful. We actually hope to have enough left over to pay for photographs, hotel for us, meals for us and park admission as well. We'll just have to see. I too am looking for more info about the treatment and service people received from disney as well as the quality of food.
May 25th, 2001, 08:55 AM
#3
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I'm trying not to be rude -- and bear in mind that I have been to a Disney wedding in Anaheim -- but I honestly have trouble figuring out the appeal.
First of all, there's the incredible expense -- I don't think you can do it for much less than $15,000 and easily much more, but weddings now are like family Super Bowls so that's not all that extraordinary, I guess.
But there is also the matter of expecting guests to pay to trek to Orlando or Anaheim and then to pay the appalling Disney prices for lodging, etc. Even if it is the "bride's day" (and what about the groom?), the point of getting married in public is to enter into a social contract with each other _and_ the community that you expect to support your marriage. That's usually the people in your hometown and/or your family. The reason the bride's family pays for the party is that the guests are just that, guests -- so why impose such enormous financial obligations on everyone just to attend what is rapidly becoming a theatrical production starring the bride instead of a life-passage family event? Can your friend afford to fly everyone in from out of town and put them up at a hotel?
But even if one can get past all the big to-do that weddings have become and people have money to burn that they don't need to start life together, I still have to ask why on _earth_ anyone would want the family archives to have pictures of you and your husband with a cartoon character!? A wedding cake with Mickey logos instead of roses? A setting with children's fictional beings instead of either some beautiful natural spot or some charming church?
The people who got married at D'land are very dear friends of mine, so I went along and had a good time because they are and because I wanted them to be happy -- but I have to tell you I would much rather have spent the money on a better gift for them -- it felt very odd to spend $500 for airfare and $500 more for food and lodging and then only have $100 for a gift. For me, it was more than a week's salary to do the whole thing -- as I said, they are dear friends.
But mainly the whole exercise was so completely unreal, as if they weren't real loving people getting ready to share their entire adult lives together but, instead, two-dimensional, plastic characters cast in their own "ever after" fairy tale.
So Mike, what do you think is a waste of anyone's hard-earned money? Would you tell your friend that you think a wedding at a resort somewhere is more a gift than a burden to the guests -- but if so, aren't there other resort areas that cost less, are more individualized re:the couple's own style and tastes?
I guess the only pros I can think of would be the weather and/or if no one had to travel too far and most of the guests would be people who love Disney theme parks or have Disney-age kids who, unfortunately, would most likely have to take time out of school, which is in session in October.
Clearly, the whole idea amazes me.... but mazel tov and alleluia and live long and prosper to the happy couple.
First of all, there's the incredible expense -- I don't think you can do it for much less than $15,000 and easily much more, but weddings now are like family Super Bowls so that's not all that extraordinary, I guess.
But there is also the matter of expecting guests to pay to trek to Orlando or Anaheim and then to pay the appalling Disney prices for lodging, etc. Even if it is the "bride's day" (and what about the groom?), the point of getting married in public is to enter into a social contract with each other _and_ the community that you expect to support your marriage. That's usually the people in your hometown and/or your family. The reason the bride's family pays for the party is that the guests are just that, guests -- so why impose such enormous financial obligations on everyone just to attend what is rapidly becoming a theatrical production starring the bride instead of a life-passage family event? Can your friend afford to fly everyone in from out of town and put them up at a hotel?
But even if one can get past all the big to-do that weddings have become and people have money to burn that they don't need to start life together, I still have to ask why on _earth_ anyone would want the family archives to have pictures of you and your husband with a cartoon character!? A wedding cake with Mickey logos instead of roses? A setting with children's fictional beings instead of either some beautiful natural spot or some charming church?
The people who got married at D'land are very dear friends of mine, so I went along and had a good time because they are and because I wanted them to be happy -- but I have to tell you I would much rather have spent the money on a better gift for them -- it felt very odd to spend $500 for airfare and $500 more for food and lodging and then only have $100 for a gift. For me, it was more than a week's salary to do the whole thing -- as I said, they are dear friends.
But mainly the whole exercise was so completely unreal, as if they weren't real loving people getting ready to share their entire adult lives together but, instead, two-dimensional, plastic characters cast in their own "ever after" fairy tale.
So Mike, what do you think is a waste of anyone's hard-earned money? Would you tell your friend that you think a wedding at a resort somewhere is more a gift than a burden to the guests -- but if so, aren't there other resort areas that cost less, are more individualized re:the couple's own style and tastes?
I guess the only pros I can think of would be the weather and/or if no one had to travel too far and most of the guests would be people who love Disney theme parks or have Disney-age kids who, unfortunately, would most likely have to take time out of school, which is in session in October.
Clearly, the whole idea amazes me.... but mazel tov and alleluia and live long and prosper to the happy couple.
May 25th, 2001, 10:36 AM
#5
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I'm going to have to agree with the previous poster, though not so rudely. First it is quite novel conept to see a man so wanting to get involved in someone else's wedding planning, but more importantly, Mike you are just a friend and unless your friend asks your opinion, you probably shouldn't get involved. It is the couple's decision. I remember what planning a wedding is like and it is hard enough to do without so-called friends trying to but in and tell you you are wasting money. That is not your place. As for "Jayce" I disagree that marriage is a social contract you enter into with the community you expect to support it? I'm not even sure what that means. If that is the case, why do people elope? Weddings are a celebration and are as individual as the tastes of the ouple are. They should not be cookie cutter and are definitely not a contract with the community. I personally wouldn't have a "Disney Wedding" as that is not my up of tea, but I know someone who had one and it was very tasteful. There were no cartoon characters and Mickey was neither at the wedding nor in the pictures, nor on the cake. The only difference I could tell was that the bride pulled up in Cinderella's oach and got out. Also, pictures were taken with the astle in view. It was supposed to be like a fairy tale, not a cartoon.
May 25th, 2001, 10:48 AM
#6
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Newleywed writes: "I disagree that marriage is a social contract you enter into with the community you expect to support it? I'm not even sure what that means."
Does anyone wonder why there is so much divorce? I've been married a while now, and at my wedding, I remember my vows very clearly. One of the emotions I experiences was "Ohmygod. I just promised to stay in this marriage forever in front of God and everyone I know." Marital breakup is often a tragedy -- for the participants and for society as a whole. So yes, I think marriage is a commitment to your spouse, your God, and your community.
Does anyone wonder why there is so much divorce? I've been married a while now, and at my wedding, I remember my vows very clearly. One of the emotions I experiences was "Ohmygod. I just promised to stay in this marriage forever in front of God and everyone I know." Marital breakup is often a tragedy -- for the participants and for society as a whole. So yes, I think marriage is a commitment to your spouse, your God, and your community.
May 25th, 2001, 11:00 AM
#7
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I'm Mike's friend who's having the wedding at Disney World. That other guy telling him to butt out was'nt me. Mike was just joking about me wasting money, so he's not the jerk he makes himself out to be. But, if anyone has any opinions about disney weddings I'd love to hear them. Also, I don't cary about a social contract with my community blah blah blah......That's really not helping me.
May 25th, 2001, 11:03 AM
#8
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Let me get this straight Not a Newlywed, even though I have been married 8 years, because I eloped and got married by a justice of the peace at Niagra Falls and then honeymmoned there, I will be getting divorced becaue I didn't commit myself to and in front of the community which would support my marriage. Hmmmm interesting concept, better let my husband and kids know.
May 25th, 2001, 11:12 AM
#9
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No, OldMarried, that's not what I meant. People get married in all sorts of ways, and wedding style isn't a predictor of how a marriage will last, of course. I'm saying that it is, IMHO, an overly narrow view of marriage to say that it is just a promise between two people. Marital dissolution (esp if kids are involved, as they often are) is a problem for society and the community, not just the participants. For instance, one of the top three reasons individuals declare bankruptcy is divorce (the other two are medical problems and job loss).
Congratulations on your strong marriage.
Congratulations on your strong marriage.
May 25th, 2001, 12:53 PM
#10
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How many people will be coming? Will you serve dinner, snaks, or just cake? full reception or wedding with short cocktail hour afterwards? Give us more details and and I can probably give you an average cost. A wedding in the hometown can be overly expensive if filet mignon is served and you have 500 people. whether its disney or not doesn't matter, the style and size matters more to cost. But on average if you have two weddings of similar size one in your hometwon and one at disney, I think you know which will cost more.
May 25th, 2001, 01:17 PM
#12
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A good friend who is also a wedding planner in Memphis recently gave me these figures as I will be planning my wedding in the near future. The average wedding consists of a ceremony at the church and a reception including buffet dinner, cake, and bar. Here are her norm figures for this "average" wedding. For buffet food cost is usually $70/person. This includes tea, coffe, and punch. Wedding cake is extra $5/person. Bar is usually cash with guests paying. Plan $35/bottle for champagene and a bottle for every 6 guests. For reception decorations, tables are usually in rounds of 6 and plan $40/table for flowers add in $80 for head table and extra for buffet and cake tables as well. A DJ will run around $350 and a band around $700.
rental of reception sight depends on where yu have it but plan around $500. for the ceremony, music will be about $300, and plan at least $300 for flowers at the alter. Obviously if you want to decorate the pews or whole church add more. The cost of the average wedding as you an see is determined by how many people you have. Of course if you have an above average wedding, plan more money per person and a below average, plan less per person. These are prices in Memphis Tennesse. I would be willing to bet Disney World is more.
rental of reception sight depends on where yu have it but plan around $500. for the ceremony, music will be about $300, and plan at least $300 for flowers at the alter. Obviously if you want to decorate the pews or whole church add more. The cost of the average wedding as you an see is determined by how many people you have. Of course if you have an above average wedding, plan more money per person and a below average, plan less per person. These are prices in Memphis Tennesse. I would be willing to bet Disney World is more.
May 25th, 2001, 07:39 PM
#16
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I seem to have stepped on a hot wire with my "community" comments, but I really meant to focus attention not on philosophies of marriage (which are many and worth a whole other debate on some other forum) but on the presumptions or assumptions or impositions involved in planning a big wedding with lots of guests (your "community") for some location that will cost them a chunk of change to get to and stay at. (Sorry about the grammar -- just trying to explain).
As for "weddingmoons" or elopements -- hey, go for it, esp. if it doesn't involve a cartoon conglomerate. But I still don't "get" asking guests to go with you -- it's like telling them where and when they're going to have their vacation this year and how much they are going to spend on it.
As for "weddingmoons" or elopements -- hey, go for it, esp. if it doesn't involve a cartoon conglomerate. But I still don't "get" asking guests to go with you -- it's like telling them where and when they're going to have their vacation this year and how much they are going to spend on it.
May 25th, 2001, 08:33 PM
#19
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Sorry, also wanted to say that if you want a Disney wedding then that is what you should have regardless of what anyone tells you...I am sure there are good and bad stories to go with any wedding no matter what place you choose.
I will keep my fingers crossed that yours is truly a wonderful wedding wherever you decide to get married..
I will keep my fingers crossed that yours is truly a wonderful wedding wherever you decide to get married..
May 26th, 2001, 02:34 AM
#20
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Hello,
like NOT I,too was astounded that at that wedding in Memphis guests will have to pay for their drinks. I`m from Europe. When we invite guests they`re INVITED!
In most cases they don`t even have to pay for airfare and hotels. Of course, the location of the wedding might not be such a popular place like WDW, but at least everybody is able to join the party and you don`t have to leave out friends who can`t afford it.
To my mind-that`s all what it`s about-sharing that important day with your loved ones...
Irene
like NOT I,too was astounded that at that wedding in Memphis guests will have to pay for their drinks. I`m from Europe. When we invite guests they`re INVITED!
In most cases they don`t even have to pay for airfare and hotels. Of course, the location of the wedding might not be such a popular place like WDW, but at least everybody is able to join the party and you don`t have to leave out friends who can`t afford it.
To my mind-that`s all what it`s about-sharing that important day with your loved ones...
Irene
