Disney Wedding Podcast

This week, Disney bride Alley Moore and her mom, Missy Smith, share the story of Alley’s Tree of Life ceremony, Festival of the Lion King reception, and Terrace des Fleurs welcome party with Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure ride mix-in. They were initially leery of using Festival of the Lion King but needed an indoor venue so they could have amplified entertainment after midnight, and today they share all the pros and cons of using the space, plus tips on making it feel more like a wedding venue. You’ll also hear how guests reacted to the late-night ceremony and reception times and what Alley and Missy would change about their events. Click here to see all the photos!

Today, Brendan O’Brien and Xu Wang share the story of their Wedding Pavilion ceremony and Italy Isola reception. You’ll hear how they customized their ceremony with a mother-son dance at the beginning and a private first dance at Picture Point at the end, eliminating the need for a musician or DJ at their reception. They also discuss how they requested a Zoom call with the chef at their venue in order customize their menus, and how they managed to get extra time for their Magic Kingdom and EPCOT portrait sessions just be being ready early! Click here to see ALL the photos!

This week, Mollie Swendrowski shares the story of her ceremony at Italy Plaza in EPCOT, celebration at Ariel's at the Yacht & Beach Club, and dessert party at Terrace des Fleurs in EPCOT. Creating a memorable, unique experience for her guests was one of Mollie's top priorities, and today she talks about how she and Adam were able to do that on a strict budget. This includes cutting all floral decor at the ceremony and reception, making her own personal floral from the pages of Harry Potter books, and holding their first dances at the ceremony venue to eliminate the need for a musician or DJ at the celebration. Mollie also shares the details of their economical welcome party at Animal Kingdom's Nomad Lounge. Click here to see ALL the photos!

Today, Jayde Cuffé shares the story of her Magic Kingdom blessing, Wedding Pavilion ceremony, and Whitehall Room reception! As a professional wedding planner in the UK, Jayde had a specific vision for her day, and in this episode you’ll hear how she achieved it with the help of multiple outside vendors. This included draping all the walls and covering the floor in the Whitehall Room; hiring a gospel choir to perform at the ceremony, announce the couple at the reception, and sing during their first dance; and holding a blessing ceremony inside Magic Kingdom so she could get first look, family, and carriage photos while still having a private wedding ceremony later at the Wedding Pavilion. And Jayde shares all her best pro wedding-planning tips for anyone planning a Disney wedding! Click here to see Jayde and Joel's photos!

This week, Olivia Chavez shares the story of her ceremony at Gran Destino Plaza and reception at Lantana Hall. She and Adrian chose these two venues at Disney’s Coronado Springs because they loved how the resort’s décor tied in with their wedding theme, which was based around Adrian’s Mexican-American heritage. Today you’ll hear Olivia’s tips for customizing an easy-to-plan wedding, from choosing the guest list and the best gluten-free cake flavors to focusing on your top priorities and not sweating the rest. Click here to see ALL the photos!

Today, Vanessa Thomé and Alex Lima share the story of their ceremony at the Wedding Pavilion and reception at the Grand Floridian Convention Center’s St. Augustine Ballroom. It was very important to them to incorporate many Brazilian wedding traditions into their event at Disney, and in this episode they talk about how they used multiple outside vendors to accomplish this—from a Brazilian DJ who brought lighting, a dance floor, and video screens to the candymakers who created the mountain of traditional wedding sweets guests could take home as favors. Vanessa also shares how she executed her detailed floral and décor vision—plus, you’ll hear how they managed to sneak in wedding-day fireworks photos without adding a dessert party! Click here to see ALL the photos!

This week, Samara Hickman shares the story of her ceremony at the Wedding Pavilion, cocktail hour at Italy Isola, and reception at American Adventure Rotunda. You’ll hear how she and John chose these locations after listening to an episode of the Disney Wedding Podcast, how important the food was and which items were most popular, and how to get the best planning experience possible by using resources like the Fairytale Weddings Guide and various Disney wedding Facebook groups. Click here to see ALL the photos!

This week, Shelby White shares the story of her ceremony at Sea Breeze Point, reception at GM Lounge, and welcome party at The Attic. You’ll hear how Shelby chose her ceremony venue after Luau Pointe became unavailable due to construction, how she pulled off a Haunted Mansion Attic theme at her welcome party, and her best tips for working with Disney to ensure your wedding-day vision comes to life! Plus, Shelby shares details of her park portrait session at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Diagon Alley! Click here to listen and see ALL the photos!

Today, Madelyn and Elias share the story of their Cinderella-themed ceremony at Disney's Wedding Pavilion with a reception at the Crystal Ballroom on the Lake in Altamonte Springs, FL. Because they felt Disney's ballrooms required too much décor to bring their wedding theme to life, they attended an open house at the Crystal Ballroom and immediately fell in love with it. Today Elias and Madelyn discuss the logistics of pairing a Disney ceremony with an off-site reception, their favorite wedding cake flavors and menu items, and all the ways they incorporated Cinderella into their day—including the Glass Coach, an appearance by the Major Domo, and fanfare from Disney's Herald Trumpeter! Click here to see ALL the photos!

This week, Maddi Hepworth shares the story of her Wedding Pavilion ceremony, Summerhouse Patio reception, and Terrace des Fleurs welcome party. You’ll hear how she ensured her floral and décor perfectly matched her years-in-the-making wedding vision by paying for mockups from Disney Floral and her bouquet vendor, where she saved and splurged on the wedding, and how she went from being adamantly opposed to having a first look to being incredibly grateful for the way it allowed her to get all the photos she wanted on her wedding day. Click here to see ALL the photos!

Today, Dwayne D'Alesandro shares the story of his ceremony at the Wedding Pavilion, reception at the Grand Floridian's St. Augustine Ballroom, and dessert party at EPCOT's Germany Promenade. He and Alec were searching for a wedding venue when they started watching the Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings TV show, and when they learned that pricing was comparable to that of the venues they'd been considering, they immediately began planning a Disney wedding! In this episode, Dwayne shares how he and Alec focused on guest experience at their wedding by adding interactive elements like a live painter, a magic-mirror selfie station, a wish-tree guest book and confetti cannons. He also offers tips for taking informal portraits inside Magic Kingdom while it's open and shares the best menu items at his reception and dessert party. Click here to see all the photos!

This week, Susan Acres-McCollum shares the story of her Wedding Pavilion ceremony, Italy Isola West Plaza dinner and Italy Plaza cake-cutting and dance party. She and Jim were able to save 60% on their Disney Floral costs by switching from flowers to greenery and having Disney reuse the same arrangements in different vases for all six of their events: ladies’ lunch, rehearsal dinner, ceremony, reception, and finally the farewell breakfast. Today Susan shares tons of great money-saving advice; how she and Jim surprised guests by arriving at the reception on the arms of Mickey, Minnie, and Donald; and why she’s so glad she added Cinderella’s Glass Coach at the last minute. Click here to listen and see ALL the photos!

Did you know that the menus your Disney wedding planner sends aren’t your only food options? Or that you can have savory foods at a dessert party? Or that Disney’s per-person food and beverage minimum is NOT the same as your menu price? Today’s menu planning episode will help you save money and get exactly the food you want at all your Walt Disney World wedding events. Disney bride Abby Rodrigues joins me to share our top tips and advice on choosing food for pre-receptions, receptions, dessert parties and other catered events. We also discuss the free menu-tasting event Disney holds for couples planning full receptions and whether it’s worth an extra trip! Resources All About Disney Wedding Cakes Episode How to Save a Bundle on the Bar EpisodeWalt Disney World Catered Event Menus pageFairytale Weddings Guide

This week, Lindsay and Jess Kern share the story of their wedding ceremony at EPCOT's Place de Remy, reception at The Attic, and dessert party at Rue de Paris and Eau de France. After watching the Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings TV show they switched their plans from a courthouse wedding to one at Pandora: The World of Avatar—and then switched again when they found Place de Remy in the Fairytale Weddings Guide! Today they share how they chose their locations, which food items and cupcake flavors were the best, and where they saved and splurged on their Disney wedding! Click here to see all the photos!

Today, Emily Echevarria shares the story of her ceremony at the Wedding Pavilion and reception at California Grill’s Napa Room and Sonoma Room. She and Miguel worked closely with the culinary team to customize California Grill’s standard menus to accommodate their tastes, as well as guests with vegetarian and restricted diets. On this episode, Emily discusses this customization in depth, shares how she saved money and time, and gives details of the fireworks welcome party they hosted at Epcot’s UK Lochside, complete with a ride mix-in on Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure! Click here to see all the photos!

This week, Vanessa and Tim Charles share the story of their two Disney weddings: a Wedding Pavilion ceremony, reception at The Vue at the Swan Reserve, and dessert party at EPCOT's Germany Promenade, followed by a Disney Cruise wedding at Nightingale's aboard the Disney Wish! After canceling plans for a November Disney wedding due to unavailability of event venues in EPCOT, Vanessa and Tim planned a spring ceremony and reception at the Walt Disney World Swan, with an additional ceremony on their honeymoon cruise so that her stepdad could have the experience of walking her down the aisle. But Vanessa couldn't stop thinking about the Wedding Pavilion, so when she called Disney just three months before their date and learned it was still available, Vanessa and Tim moved their ceremony to the Wedding Pavilion and added a dessert party after their reception! Today you'll hear what it was like to plan events at three different venues, how they focused on guest experience and ensured they got great cruise wedding photos, and their best advice for anyone planning a Disney wedding! Click here to see ALL the photos!

Today, Jayn Lemming shares the story of planning her Aulani ceremony and celebration at Kula Wai and dinner at Makahiki as part of a two-week Hawaiian vacation for six guests. Jayn shares detailed advice on every aspect of planning an event at Aulani, from the hidden costs you won’t find on Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings website to her numerous tips for saving money, especially on floral and decor. She also shares how she and Drew packed a ton of photo shoots into their Walt Disney World honeymoon, including pre-park opening portraits inside EPCOT and Animal Kingdom, a fireworks cruise, a portrait session at Universal Studios, and photos at the Four Seasons’ character meal. Click here to see ALL the photos!

This week, Tracy Brobyn and Michael Kiernan share the story of their 30th anniversary vow renewal ceremony at the Wedding Pavilion, reception at Ariel’s, and welcome party at EPCOT’s UK Lochside. You’ll hear how they decided to have a vow renewal, what their top priorities and favorite memories were, and all the best food and cake flavors they chose for their events. And for anyone who wants a vow renewal but worries that it might seem silly or self-serving, Tracy and Michael discuss how vow renewals actually function as a celebration of and commitment to family, creating lasting memories for future generations to view in photos and video. Click here to see ALL the photos!

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!