Why hello there Rachel, I'm delighted to wish you a warm wedding welcome to planDisney!
My husband and I just had our very own Disney Wedding last year, and when we chose January for our dates - the weather was definitely something that we tried our best to plan around (and not stress too much about leading up to our big day). I cannot recommend enough capping off your celebrations with a Dessert Party at EPCOT surrounded by the sights and sounds of
Luminous The Symphony of Us - and
Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings even featured our fireworks moments in a way that I hope will inspire other couples! I spent quite a bit of time researching ways to weather-proof our
wedding venues as much as possible, and here's some wedding wisdom from a Disney Groom about what you can expect in the event of inclement weather:
- Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings teams will work with the EPCOT operations and Catering teams to determine whether your event will be moved indoors, and inform you about this so that you can advise your guests. While they'll be monitoring the weather closely, the biggest things that can be affected by rain are the food and beverages that you've chosen to serve your guests as well as whether the presentation of fireworks may be altered due to the conditions that evenings; I have however personally witnessed Luminous The Symphony of Us continue despite rain pouring down on folks who've bravely continued on to enjoy their evening!
- Part of the fees for securing these venue spaces in EPCOT currently include Event Guides who are tasked with escorting your group in and between locations, and also may distribute rain gear such as plastic ponchos when they notice it's starting to come down. If you take a look at your BEO (or Banquet Event Order, which has all of your wedding events and details listed) you may notice that there may be an Inclement Weather Extension added where your guests may be escorted indoors to eat first for typically 30 minutes, before being invited out for fireworks afterward.
- There are a variety of different alternate indoor locations which may be used, but these may not be guaranteed and are subject to change leading up to your event. Ideally, they'll be locations that are closer to your original Dessert Party venue and can include the Living Seas Salon with views of the marine life through its massive windows, Norway Loft secretly perched above Frozen Ever After, the Great Hall of China or even the World ShowPlace Pavilion between Canada and the United Kingdom. (Since these are Back Up locations and subject to availability, you may not necessarily know for sure where your event will be moved to until you're contacted by your Disney Fairy Tale Weddings coordinators on the day.)
Come back again soon for any other wedding tips or advice, and be sure to
check out the Ever After Blog and Disney Wedding Podcast for the stories and experiences from fellow couples who may have experienced a bit of rain themselves!
Here's to your Happily Ever After in any kind of weather!
Prince