Well hello there Ilona, I'd like to wish you a warm wedding welcome to planDisney!
I spent years planning the perfect Disney Wedding myself, and for a long time my husband and I also considered the idea of getting married in one of the theme parks which have some unique additional restrictions for ceremonies and receptions compared to the other venues across Walt Disney World Resort. As a recent Disney Wedding couple, we're always happy to share our experiences and knowledge with other Disney Brides and Grooms - at the current time, Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings includes
a selection of wedding venues across the various countries in EPCOT with two popular locations found within the Italy Pavilion:
- Italy Plaza is a location available for early morning ceremonies and includes the elevated terrace in the middle of the Pavilion beneath the towering replica of St. Mark's Campanile - though couples have also been able to choose the Doge's Palace-inspired colonnade as their ceremony backdrop.
- Italy Isola is the venue right alongside the waters of the lagoon accessible via one of several bridges with picturesque views of Spaceship Earth in the distance, and can be used for either early morning ceremonies (currently for up to 48 guests in addition to the couple) or evening receptions.
- For both of these locations, Disney Chartered Transportation such as a motorcoach is required for ceremonies that are scheduled to take place before EPCOT opens. You and your guests must be escorted in from a backstage drop-off location behind the The American Adventure, which also currently requires security screening before anyone is permitted to enter. When it comes to ceremonies, you are typically allotted up to an hour taking place before opening hours (though ceremonies typically don't take nearly that long) though on select days, guests with Early Theme Park Entry may already be walking past once your ceremony has wrapped up.
- There are only certain venues within EPCOT where receptions can take place during park hours, which currently includes locations such as Living Seas Salon. Depending on the ideal timing of your day, you'll have to consider when you'd prefer your reception to take place - especially if you're hoping to incorporate Luminous The Symphony of Us into your evening. In our case, having fireworks as a final way to cap off our wedding day was so important so we included an additional Dessert Party (followed by a private Attraction Mix-in) so that our guests could have a front-row view from World Showcase.
There's so much more that we can share to help you plan your wedding, but in the meantime be inspired by fellow Disney couples on the
Ever After Blog and Disney Wedding Podcast as well getting advice from fellow DisBrides and Grooms through planning communities you can find online! Come back to planDisney to
ask me for any more tips about having a wedding event in the theme parks as you embark on a journey to tie the knot in such a magical place.
Here's to your upcoming Happily Ever After!
Prince