Disney Wedding Podcast

Today, Aiko Palmieri shares the story of her ceremony at the Wedding Pavilion, reception at American Adventure Rotunda, and welcome party at Living Seas Salon and Italy Isola. You'll hear how she and Sal made smart budget tradeoffs to afford guest-pleasing extras like characters, silhouette artists, and a Remy's Ratatouille Adventure ride mix-in. These include pairing American Adventure's standard navy chairs with blue uplighting and adding end-of-the-night confetti cannons instead of a fireworks cocktail hour. And Aiko shares the menu items and cake flavors that were the biggest hits with her guests! Click here to see all the photos!

This week, Lauren Losorelli shares the story of her ceremony at the Grand Floridian's Sago Cay Pointe, reception at California Grill, and dessert party at EPCOT's UK Lochside. You'll hear how Lauren maximized her budget, choosing venues that required little to no décor and using Cinderella's Glass Coach as entertainment  by surprising guests with her ceremony arrival. She also shares her favorite menu items and cake flavors, plus her top tips for anyone planning a wedding or vow renewal at Walt Disney World!  Click here to see all the photos!

Today, Disney bride Nadine Rawson shares the story of her ceremony at the Wedding Pavilion, first dance at the Whitehall Room, reception at Citricos, and dessert party at EPCOT’s Germany Promenade A & B. Citricos comes with a number of restrictions, including which characters may appear there and where, a prohibition on table linens and rearranging the tables, no dance floor, and limitations on where the cake may be placed. Today, Nadine talks about how she worked within (and around) these to execute her wedding-day vision, including having her cocktail hour and first dance in a different venue. She also shares her favorite menu items and how she saved big by eliminating transportation from her events. Click here to see ALL the photos!

This week I am joined by Cathryne Martell of Martell Event Services to discuss how a day-of coordinator can enhance your Disney wedding experience. Not only will they perform duties Disney will not—like setting up DIYs and bustling your gown—a day-of coordinator takes the stress out of the event by running interference, maintaining the schedule, and troubleshooting on the fly. And if you’re using outside vendors for floral, decor, transportation, or photography, a day-of coordinator ensures that your wedding vision is being executed correctly. In this episode, Cathryne shares her top tips for planning a Disney wedding that runs smoothly and free of hassle! 

Today, Elana Monaghan shares the story of her Tangled-themed ceremony at the Wedding Pavilion with a reception at the Grand Floridian’s St. Augustine Ballroom, plus a fireworks rehearsal dinner at Grand Floridian Marina. Elana and Sam met when she was on the Disney College Program and he was on the International Program, so it was important to them to incorporate both his UK heritage and their shared love of Disney into their day. In this episode, Elana shares how they added Tangled touches via floral, décor, and cake, as well as the ways they prioritized guest experience, like careful selection of an officiant and a DJ, plus adding an appearance by Pluto and Minnie Mouse! Click here to see all the photos!

This week, Ann Marie Thompkins shares the story of her After Hours ceremony and celebration at Animal Kingdom’s Pizzafari, with a reception at Living Seas Salon and ride mix-in on Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure. Although bad weather forced a change of venue, she, Peter and their guests were able to go back out to the original ceremony site, Tree of Life, to watch their special showing of Awakenings. Today, she talks about how she and Peter prioritized guest experience at their wedding, including the addition of caricature artists and five characters over the course of their celebration and full reception the following day. Click here to see all the photos!

Today, Elizabeth Peden shares the story of her ceremony at the Wedding Pavilion and reception at the Grand Floridian's Summerhouse. Elizabeth and Noah were able to have a Disney wedding for 54 guests on a budget by choosing venues that required no décor or transportation, using outside vendors for photography and personal floral, and having a 2-hour celebration instead of a full reception. In this episode, she offers her top tips for maximizing Disney magic on a minimal budget. Click here to see ALL the photos!

This week, Julia and Forrest Bennfors share the story of their ceremony at Crescent Cove, pre-reception at UK Lochside, and After Hours reception at UK Courtyard. They planned their day around treating guests to EPCOT’s fireworks and a ride mix-in before the reception, and today they share how they prioritized, which menu items were their favorites, and what they learned from the planning process. You’ll also hear why having a first look with Julia was so important to Forrest, and how it became his favorite memory of the whole day! Click here to see ALL the photos!

Whether you’ve been planning your Walt Disney World wedding in your head for years or you just discovered that Disney does weddings, today’s show has the steps and tips that will set you on the path to your dream Disney’s Fairy Tale Wedding or vow renewal. Disney bride Mary Robey and I cover how 2023 pricing works—including how to stick to the lowest Event Minimum Expenditure—how to book your event, and how the planning process works. Mary also shares details and advice from her own ceremony at the Wedding Pavilion, with a reception at California Grill and a fireworks dessert party at Terrace des Fleurs in EPCOT! Click here to see all of Mary's photos!

This week, Ashleigh Bergh-Duggan shares the story of her ceremony at the Yacht Club's Wedding Gazebo, cocktail hour at Italy Isola, and reception at American Adventure Rotunda. When Hurricane Ian swept through Central Florida just days before their wedding, many details of Ashleigh and Hal's wedding were changed at the last minute, including the ceremony time and reception venue. Today you'll hear how Disney handled the emergency and what Ashleigh did to ensure her event didn't end up stuck in a ballroom. She also shares tips about planning her entirely gluten-free meal and cake, plus the story of her casual welcome party at Sea Breeze Point.  Click here to see ALL the photos!

Today, celebrity wedding officiant Roxy Birchfield shares the story of her 10th anniversary vow renewal ceremony at the Wedding Pavilion, with a reception at the Grand Floridian Convention Center and a dessert party at Germany Promenade, complete with Soarin’ mix-in. Roxy and Joshua were married three weeks after they met, on their lunch hour, by a notary at Kinko’s! So for their 10th anniversary, they pulled out all the stops, incorporating a bagpiper, an appearance by Mickey Mouse, performances by drummers and carnival dancers, and even a 12-foot faux cake as the centerpiece of their reception! With her years of experience attending weddings and marrying couples, Roxy offers tons of great advice on this week’s episode for anyone considering a wedding or vow renewal at Walt Disney World! Click here to see ALL the photos!

This week, Erika Peterson shares the story of her vow renewal ceremony at Italy Isola, brunch at BoardWalk Inn’s Grand Staircase Lawn, dinner at Terrace des Fleurs with Soarin’ ride mix-in, and afterparty at Tower of Terror. She also treated guests to a Tamu Tamu Courtyard welcome party with ride mix-ins on Kilimanjaro Safaris and Flight of Passage. And she and Ross did portrait sessions at Animal Kingdom Lodge, Magic Kingdom, EPCOT and Hollywood Studios! Today you’ll hear how Erika and Ross’s anniversary Disney trip turned into this multi-day, multi-park vow renewal event, including her top tips for menu-planning and communicating your floral and décor vision to Disney. Click here to see ALL the photos!

Today, Jenna Jacobson shares the story of her 10th anniversary vow renewal ceremony at Sea Breeze Point, with a celebration at Animal Kingdom's Tamu Tamu Courtyard and welcome party at UK Lochside. Mike proposed to Jenna at Disney's Polynesian Village Resort, so they carried that theme through all their events, from an Ohana-inspired menu at the celebration to beachy portraits at Disney's Yacht & Beach Club after Luau Point became unavailable. Because guest experience was their top priority, Jenna and Mike kept each event a surprise, including their ride mix-ins on Kilimanjaro Safaris and Na'vi River Journey.  Click here to see all the photos!

This week, Olivia and Chris Barna share the story of their ceremony at Shipwreck Beach and reception at Yacht Club Marina, with a dessert party at Terrace des Fleurs. They chose these venues because they love the beach, but also because their beauty and proximity saved Olivia and Chris money on décor and transportation—neither of which were required! In this episode, they share their top tips for planning, including how they crafted their custom Ohana-inspired menu! Click here to see all the photos!

Today, Dannon Herbert shares the story of her ceremony at Tower of Terror and reception at The Hollywood Brown Derby at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Dannon’s dream was to host a wedding that felt like spending a night inside Rick’s Café Américain from the movie Casablanca in everything from the décor to the live band. In this episode, she shares all her best tips for pulling it off, including how she sourced vintage props and Moroccan screens to hide unsightly views at the ceremony and reception sites, worked with Disney to find a band like the one she loved at Tiana’s Place aboard the Disney Wonder, and created a detailed “show plan” to guide Disney and the guests who were setting up her numerous DIY elements. Click here to see ALL the photos!

This week, Veronica Montoro shares the story of her Beauty and the Beast-themed 25th-anniversary vow renewal at Universal Orlando's Portofino Bay Resort, Harmonious anniversary dinner at Terrace des Fleurs in EPCOT, and portrait sessions at EPCOT, the Grand Floridian and the Polynesian Village Resort. Veronica and Manuel chose Universal's Citrus Piazza for the ceremony and reception when the Disney-loving family decided to combine the vow renewal with their first-ever trip to Universal. They were able to add the EPCOT anniversary dinner via Disney Meetings & Events, complete with a ride mix-in on Frozen Ever After! Today, Veronica discusses the planning process, the food, and her best tips for anyone considering a wedding or vow renewal at Walt Disney World or Universal Orlando! Click here to see all the photos!

Today, Nicole Martin shares the story of her Disney wedding at Aulani, including a ceremony at 'AMA 'AMA Patio and a reception in the Kaiona Ballroom. Nicole and Teddy chose July 17 for their big day because it is Disneyland's birthday, and today you'll hear how they planned everything—including bringing numerous DIY projects to Hawaii in their suitcases! Nicole also shares her favorite cake flavors and best advice for anyone planning a wedding or vow renewal at Aulani. Click here to see ALL the photos!

This week, Allison Lancaster shares the story of her Walt Disney World Railroad Train Station vow renewal and Grand Floridian Ballroom Salon II reception. Allison and Josh held seven events in five days at all four parks, including a welcome party at Tamu Tamu Courtyard with Safari ride mix-in at Animal Kingdom, a dessert party at Star Wars Launch Bay in Hollywood Studios, and a fireworks party at UK Lochside in EPCOT with mix-in on Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure! They also had a Beauty and the Beast-themed rehearsal dinner at the Whitehall Room and a dessert party at the Grand Floridian’s Sago Cay the night before the vow renewal so guests could watch Magic Kingdom’s fireworks. Today, Allison shares all her best planning tips for organizing multiple events! Click here to see all the photos!

Today, Skye Williams shares the story of her Disney-themed at-home wedding, held at Herrington on the Bay in North Beach, MD. She and Corey looked into Disney World and Disney Cruise vow renewals but ultimately decided to stick close to home in order to save money and include more friends and family. In this episode you'll hear all her best tips for incorporating a subtle Disney theme into your wedding or vow renewal, including DIYs and trade-offs to help you stay within your budget! Click here to see all the photos!

This week, Allison Eggelton shares the story of her ceremony at Tower of Terror, reception at Sunset Boulevard, and dessert party at UK Lochside. She and Jeff are lifelong Disney fans, and Tower of Terror is their favorite ride, so they planned their Halloween-themed wedding around the venue. Today you'll hear where they saved and splurged, which menu items were the best, and how Allison found her "Gothic Rapunzel Elven Princess" wedding gown! Click here to see tons of photos!