Disney Wedding Podcast

This week, Laura Iaconiani shares the story of her vow renewal aboard the Disney Wish, with a ceremony in the Atrium and a reception at The Bayou. You’ll hear how they chose the Wish, which upgrades they made to the standard package, and why they decided to use their own photographers and makeup artist on the cruise. Laura also shares how they customized the ceremony  with a comedic vocal performance by her sisters!  Click here to listen and see all the photos!

Today, Kaitlyn Chelkis shares the story of her ceremony at the Wedding Pavilion, reception at American Adventure Rotunda, and dessert party at Italy Isola. Guest experience was one of her and Michael’s top priorities, and in this episode Kaitlyn shares how they treated guests to fireworks, a Pittsburgh cookie table, and a rehearsal dinner at Animal Kingdom’s Harambe Station, complete with a Kilimanjaro Safaris ride mix-in. You’ll also hear about one of Kaitlyn’s favorite memories of the day: riding in Cinderella’s Glass Coach! Click here to see ALL the photos!

This week, Kari Schultz shares the story of her Christmas-themed ceremony at Italy Plaza and reception at California Grill—plus a welcome party with Safari ride mix-in at Tamu Tamu Courtyard and a dessert party at Germany Promenade, complete with an Ugly Sweater contest and Soarin’ ride mix-in! Kari shares how she incorporated her “elegant Christmas with a touch of Disney” theme by choosing the most lavishly decorated EPCOT pavilion and incorporating greenery, berries, and candles in the décor. You’ll also hear how Disney surprised her and Matthew with brand-new Christmas outfits for Mickey and Minnie that had just arrived from Hong Kong Disneyland! Click here to see all the photos!

Today, Carly Manuel shares the story of her Grand Floridian Marina ceremony, Citricos celebration, and Germany Promenade dessert party in EPCOT. You’ll hear how she and Aldy were able to prioritize guest experience and photography by making money-saving choices like using resort venues that required no transportation and DIYing personal floral. Carly also discusses their decision to do a pre-park-opening portrait session in Magic Kingdom the same day as the wedding, which meant getting up at 2:30 am and having their first look before heading to the park! Click here to see all the photos!

This week, Kimberly Newberry and Rich Lowe share the story of their ceremony at Sea Breeze Point, cocktail hour at Germany Promenade, and reception at UK Courtyard. You’ll hear how they incorporated their Mary Poppins theme into the ceremony and  reception, including the restrictions surrounding Mary’s appearance and how they got the most bang for their décor buck. They also share details of their welcome party at Harambe Train Station with Flight of Passage ride mix-in and their farewell party at The Attic with a surprise visit from Mickey! Plus, you’ll get their best tips for requesting specific rain backup locations and how not to fall asleep during your pre-park-opening portrait session! Click here to see all the photos!

Today, Juliana Pónce shares the story of her ceremony at BoardWalk Inn's Croquet Lawn and reception at Atlantic Dance Hall. You'll hear how she and Nick saved money by choosing venues that need little decoration, renting silk bouquets, and forgoing transportation. This allowed them to incorporate one of their top priorities—Disney fireworks—in the form of a guest-pleasing EPCOT welcome party at UK Lochside, complete with a custom menu featuring dishes that honored the couple's Hispanic heritage. Click here to see all the photos!

This week, Allison Borden shares the story of her vow renewal ceremony at the Disneyland Hotel’s Rose Court Garden and reception at the Sleeping Beauty Pavilion. Guest experience was one of her top priorities, and today she talks about how she and Frank added a surprise appearance by Mickey and Minnie, plus a viewing of World of Color at Disney California Adventure, to make theirs an unforgettable event. Allison also shares how she cut her floral and décor budget, what it was like to do a pre-park-opening portrait session inside Disneyland the next day, and why sleep should be a top pre-wedding priority! Click here to see ALL the photos!

Today, Jenn Riley shares the story of her Haunted Mansion-themed Disney wedding, with a ceremony at the Grand Floridian Marina and a reception at the Grand Floridian Convention Center's St. Augustine D Ballroom. Because Haunted Mansion is her favorite ride, one of Jenn's top priorities was incorporating it into as many aspects of her wedding as possible, from her bouquet and accessories to the music and reception décor. In this episode, she shares how she accomplished that, including surprising guests with a visit from Mickey and Minnie in their Halloween attire! Plus, you'll hear all about the Fantasmic! welcome party she and Bill planned for their guests. Click here to see all the photos!

This week, Lyndsey Dangerfield shares the story of her ceremony at Sea Breeze Point and reception at the Grand Floridian's Citricos. Lyndsey and Vincent's priority was creating an elegant event that wasn't stuffy, and in this episode she shares how they achieved this, including working within the restrictions at Citricos by choosing a specific layout, adding greenery to compensate for the no-linens policy, and even coordinating the colors of the entire wedding (down to the bridesmaids' gowns) with the restaurant's décor. You'll also hear how they made time for a private moment and great photo op aboard the Skyliner by having a first look, and why surprising their guests with Mickey and Minnie was worth every penny! Click here to see all the photos! 

Today, Chelsea Marquis shares the story of her Oak Manor Lawn ceremony, GM Lounge reception, and Germany Promenade dessert party. Guest experience was one of Chelsea's top priorities, and today she talks about how adding experiences like the fireworks dessert party, a Remy's Ratatouille Adventure ride mix-in, and an appearance by Mickey and Goofy made her wedding a unique experience for the friends and family who traveled all the way to Orlando for it. Chelsea also shares how she dealt with the lack of ideas presented by Disney by doing her own research in the Fairytale Weddings Guide and Disney wedding-focused Facebook groups! Click here to see all the photos!

This week, Mercedez Dunn-Gallier and Jereme' Gallier share the story of their Tree of Life ceremony, Harambe Marketplace cocktail hour, Asbury Hall A & B reception at the Yacht Club, and EPCOT Eau de France dessert party. Guest experience and food were among their top priorities, and today they share how they added a surprise Kilimanjaro Safaris ride mix-in and worked with a chef at their group menu tasting to ensure these aspects wowed. You'll also hear how they used outside vendors to incorporate elements of the African diaspora into their ceremony and reception. Click here to see ALL the photos!

Today, Jen Hanzel shares the story of her Wedding Pavilion ceremony, Italy Isola West Plaza pre-reception, and American Adventure Rotunda reception. You'll hear how she and Chris decided to follow their pandemic-era microwedding with a large event at Walt Disney World, how they chose their date and locations, and what their top priorities were. And, since Jen is a professional project manager, she shares great tips on how she planned—and stayed within her budget! Click here to see ALL the photos!

This week, Jennifer Brown shares the story of her BoardWalk Inn Conference Center ceremony at the Marvin Gardens Room  and reception at the East Promenade Ballroom. One of Jennifer’s top priorities was bringing to life her vision for a lavish Enchanted Forest wedding theme, and today she shares how she was able to do this for less than half the cost of Disney’s quote by using outside vendors for everything from floral and décor to transportation and even entertainment. This included draping the entire ballroom; bringing in prop gates, a light-up dance floor, and large trees; and hiring a trio of outside actors to pose as uninvited guests and a faux wedding planner à la Franck from Father of the Bride. Click here to see ALL the photos!

Today, Mari Acuña shares the story of her ceremony at the Wedding Pavilion, reception at the Grand Floridian’s Whitehall Room, dessert party at UK Lochside, and welcome party at Harambe Marketplace.  You’ll  hear how she and Luis used outside vendors to create a lavish Beauty  & the Beast-themed reception, complete with individual rose desserts for every guest! And Mari shares details of her wedding-night dessert party in EPCOT and casual Animal Kingdom welcome party, complete with a showing of It’s Tough To Be a Bug. Click here to see ALL the photos!

This week, Disney bride Alley Moore and her mom, Missy Smith, share the story of Alley’s Tree of Life ceremony, Festival of the Lion King reception, and Terrace des Fleurs welcome party with Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure ride mix-in. They were initially leery of using Festival of the Lion King but needed an indoor venue so they could have amplified entertainment after midnight, and today they share all the pros and cons of using the space, plus tips on making it feel more like a wedding venue. You’ll also hear how guests reacted to the late-night ceremony and reception times and what Alley and Missy would change about their events. Click here to see all the photos!

Today, Brendan O’Brien and Xu Wang share the story of their Wedding Pavilion ceremony and Italy Isola reception. You’ll hear how they customized their ceremony with a mother-son dance at the beginning and a private first dance at Picture Point at the end, eliminating the need for a musician or DJ at their reception. They also discuss how they requested a Zoom call with the chef at their venue in order customize their menus, and how they managed to get extra time for their Magic Kingdom and EPCOT portrait sessions just be being ready early! Click here to see ALL the photos!

This week, Mollie Swendrowski shares the story of her ceremony at Italy  Plaza in EPCOT, celebration at Ariel's at the Yacht & Beach Club, and dessert party at Terrace des Fleurs in EPCOT. Creating a memorable, unique experience for her guests was one of Mollie's top priorities, and today she talks about how she and Adam were able to do that on a strict budget. This includes cutting all floral decor at the ceremony and reception, making her own personal floral from the pages of Harry Potter books, and holding their first dances at the ceremony venue to eliminate the need for a musician or DJ at the celebration. Mollie also shares the details of their economical welcome party at Animal Kingdom's Nomad Lounge.  Click here to see ALL the photos!

Today, Jayde Cuffé shares the story of her Magic Kingdom blessing, Wedding Pavilion ceremony, and Whitehall Room reception! As a professional wedding  planner in  the UK, Jayde had a specific vision for her day, and in this episode you’ll hear how she achieved it with the help of multiple outside vendors. This included draping all the walls and covering the floor in the Whitehall Room; hiring a gospel choir to perform at the ceremony, announce the couple at the reception, and sing during their first dance; and holding a blessing ceremony inside Magic Kingdom so she could get first look, family, and carriage photos while still having a private wedding ceremony later at the Wedding Pavilion. And Jayde shares all her best pro wedding-planning tips for anyone planning a Disney wedding! Click here to see Jayde and Joel's photos!

This week, Olivia Chavez shares the story of her ceremony at Gran Destino Plaza and reception at Lantana Hall. She and Adrian chose these two venues at Disney’s Coronado Springs because they loved how the resort’s décor tied in with their wedding theme, which was based around Adrian’s Mexican-American heritage. Today you’ll hear Olivia’s tips for customizing an easy-to-plan wedding, from choosing the guest list and the best gluten-free cake flavors to focusing on your top priorities and not sweating the rest. Click here to see ALL the photos!

Today, Vanessa Thomé and Alex Lima share the story of their ceremony at the Wedding Pavilion and reception at the Grand Floridian Convention Center’s St. Augustine Ballroom. It  was very important to them to incorporate many Brazilian wedding traditions into their event at Disney, and in this episode they talk about how they used multiple outside vendors to accomplish this—from a Brazilian DJ who brought lighting, a dance floor, and video screens to the candymakers who created the mountain of traditional wedding sweets guests could take home as favors. Vanessa also shares how she executed her detailed floral and décor vision—plus, you’ll hear how they managed to sneak in wedding-day fireworks photos without adding a dessert party! Click here to see ALL the photos!