Hello there Lara, I'm happy to wish you a warm wedding welcome to planDisney!
Now when it comes to tying the knot at Walt Disney World Resort, we've got many DisBrides & DisGrooms on the planDisney Panel who have not only planned their big day through
Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings & Honeymoons, but some of us even got to celebrate within the theme parks with our guests! Part of
my Disney Wedding day this past January took place within EPCOT, but there are so many
theme park venue options to choose from depending on which moment you'd like to take place there, and I'm happy to lend some personal Princely pointers from one Disney wedding couple to another:
- When you book a theme park venue space for a Ceremony or Reception event, your guests will not need to pay for admission to attend. Depending on the location, your theme park access may have to be through backstage areas and require you to pay for additional transportation and security - especially since theme park events tend to take place before and after Park Hours. This allows you and your wedding guests the surreal opportunity to experience the feeling of having an empty theme park to yourselves!
- Some exceptions to this are events like a Dessert Party or Welcome/Rehearsal Dinner that include a nighttime spectacular like a viewing of Fantasmic! or Luminous The Symphony of Us where in my experience, we all met at one of the entrances to be escorted directly in amidst the day guests. (It's important to note that your guests won't have the ability to freely roam around the parks and must remain within the designated space that you have booked for your event!) We chose to add an Attraction Mix-in which allows couples to pay for each of their wedding guests on a per-person basis to experience a ride, and as we were escorted through EPCOT to Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, it allowed everyone to see more of the theme park along the way.
Something to also keep in mind is that there can be times throughout the year when holidays, festivals and after-hours parties can affect whether you'll be able to book select theme park venues, and there may also be additional restrictions on what you can and cannot have in the theme parks compared to a venue at one of the Disney Resort Hotels.
I highly recommend reaching out to Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings team early, and in the meantime finding inspiration through the Ever After Blog, Disney Wedding Podcast and Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings social media channels to see how other couples have wowed their guests with theme park events. Come back again to ask me directly for any other Disney Wedding tips or tricks, or fellow Panelist and Disney Bride Kay!
Here's to all the Happily Ever Afters at the Most Magical Place on Earth!
Prince