I Got Married in Disney World, and I Have 4 Gripes

Getting married in Disney World is a dream come true for many.

You don’t have to be rich to get married through Disney’s Fairytale Weddings. Weddings in Disney World, Disneyland, Aulani, and Disney cruise ships are available to anyone! However, as magical as these fairytale weddings are, problems can come up. I’m going to take you through four issues that came up while planning and on my wedding day in EPCOT.

Getting married in Disney World is a fairly straightforward and simple process. Disney is amazing and the team at Disney’s Fairytale Weddings takes care of almost everything for you.

However, like most weddings, you may still run into some hiccups. While these problems may or may not be in your control, they can put a small damper on your day. But if you just remember that you’re in your favorite place on Earth, these problems become tiny inconveniences.

Rain on Your Wedding Day

Rain can be a problem on your wedding day regardless of where you get married. But if you’re wedding day celebration includes an outdoor ceremony, reception, and/or fireworks display, rain can be an even bigger problem.

We were supposed to have a dessert party at the U.K. pavilion in EPCOT and watch the fireworks. Unfortunately, due to rain and storms, the show got canceled, and we were not able to watch it with our guests in our wedding outfits. Our dessert party was also moved indoors instead of the beautiful location we had picked out.

If you get married in Disney World, you likely have high expectations of the perfect venue with all the Disney magic. But if it rains, that can be gone. Imagine planning your wedding to be in front of the Tree of Life in Animal Kingdom, but it rains and you end up getting married in Pizzafari! (That actually happened to another couple on the same day as our wedding!)

A wedding in Disney is still a wedding in Disney though. The magic will be there regardless of if it rains and every plan you had changes. Disney takes care of you and ensures you have the best day of your life regardless of the weather. Plus, rain on your wedding day is good luck, right? (If not, at least we got some EPIC wedding pictures.)

Odd Wedding Times

If you plan on getting married at a Disney World hotel, you can have normal wedding times. There are no issues if other Disney guests are walking around near your wedding, so a 2 PM, 4 PM, or 5 PM wedding is perfectly fine. But that’s not the case if you plan on getting married in a park.

If you’re getting married in one of the four parks, Disney will not let you get married while the park is open. That means a super late or super early wedding is in store for you. Our wedding in EPCOT was at 7 AM! I was up getting my hair curled and make-up applied with a coffee in my hand at 2 in the morning! (I needed A LOT of makeup to cover my sleepy eye bags.)

I recently learned from a wedding consultant from Disney’s Fairytale Wedding (while they were showing Disney’s Vero Beach Resort to another couple) that sometimes you can get married in the Italy pavilion after EPCOT closes. Otherwise, EPCOT weddings are generally before it opens. The other parks are usually at night after they close. Regardless, you may be getting married at 7 AM, 11 PM, or other odd times for weddings.

Even though I was awake before any rooster was crowing for my wedding, I will never forget one of my fondest Disney World memories of all time from that morning (aside from marrying my husband, of course). The moment my bridesmaids, flower girl, and I set foot into EPCOT at 6 AM for pictures, it dawned on me that we were the ONLY people in the park other than the Cast Members helping with my wedding (no other weddings were that same day in EPCOT). It was truly magical. I thought Tinker Bell was going to fly out of the bushes and pinch me because it felt like a dream.

No Dance

You can absolutely have a dance on your wedding day during your reception in Disney World! We ultimately chose not to… and then it rained. Like I said previously, we had planned to have a dessert party with a fireworks viewing instead of a full reception. This would have been perfect, and there would have been no need for a DJ or dance.

But when it rained and our party got moved indoors and the fireworks got canceled, our dessert seemingly became a company’s cocktail hour real quick. I felt so bad for our guests because we all just sat around at tables with some elevator music in the background. There was no partying at this party.

It would have been a lot to ask, but I wish we could have been given a last-minute option for a DJ to come to our dessert party. Looking back on it now, I would have TOTALLY shelled out the extra money to liven up that social hour.

But in the end, the rain did stop and all of us got to ride Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure (TWICE!) after the park closed. (Pro tip: if you’re getting married in Disney, get a ride mix-in!)

Some Items Had HUGE Price Tags

I realized that you can certainly do a Disney wedding on a budget. If you’re willing to shell out $50,000 or more, you absolutely can. But if you want to stick to $20,000 or less, that’s possible, too. However, if you’re looking to stick to a small budget, you’ll have to be ready to give up certain things. For me, it was couches at our ceremony.

These weren’t just any couches. They were beautiful, jewel-toned, antique-styled chairs, and I loved them. But they were around $200… each!

You can have it all at a Disney wedding, but be ready to spend very high prices on certain things. Characters can add over $4,000 each, same with taking a ride in Cinderella’s Coach.

Want to get pictures around the parks before they open? You totally can! It’s just going to cost you over $1,000 for an hour. It is your wedding day, and you can (and should) splurge on your wildest dreams. You’re getting married in Disney World, get the things you dream of! But if you’re hoping to stick to a strict budget, it just might mean having a couple of things that you can live without (like my chairs and a ride in Cinderella’s Coach). It’s good to set realistic expectations.

I have realized that these “problems” are tiny in the grand scheme of things. The most important thing is that I got to marry my best friend surrounded by our loved ones, and so can you. HOWEVER, I might have already started planning our Disney World vow renewal so we can see the darn fireworks at our dessert party in our wedding outfits and get all the pictures!

If you want more Disney tips and tricks, keep following AllEars!

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Are you planning a Disney wedding? Let us know in the comments!

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