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Don’t Go Bibbidi Bobbidi Bankrupt for Your Disney Wedding

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Don't Go Bibbidi Bobbidi Bankrupt for Your Disney Wedding

Disney Bride Jamie is planning a Disneyland wedding at the Rose Court Garden and Sleeping Beauty Pavilion for February 2018.

Having a Disney wedding is a dream come true. But it can also get very expensive. And the last thing you want is to go bankrupt for your Disney wedding!

I never dreamed I would be getting married at Disney. Deciding to do a wedding at the Rose Court Garden and reception at the Sleeping Beauty Pavilion became our real life fairy tale wedding because it really was our spot.

When my fiancé and I agreed to have our wedding at Disneyland we knew we had to get creative to save money. We wanted our dream wedding without going broke! Here are some of our ideas we are doing to save some extra cash on our big day.

Tips for Saving Money on Your Disney Wedding

We are having our wedding in the middle of the week.
Most people we know work weekends. Cast members, pastors, retail, as well as food and beverage employees work weekends so having our wedding on a weekday is a double win for us. Weddings on Monday – Thursday have the least expensive minimum expenditure totals at Disneyland. Holding our wedding on a weekday has saved us a lot on everything, from Disney venues to DJ and photo vendors.

Reducing our guest count.
This is a tough one. I really would like everyone to be there but paying for each meal is not meeting our strict budget. I called our guests and explained our budget needs. I asked that if you weren’t married or we didn’t know their significant other well, to please not bring a +1. We also decided to have an adults only wedding. Our guests are close friends and family so they understood why we were making these requests.

Simplify the food and drink.
We did a simple menu and stayed clear of the fancy sorbet intermezzos and expensive desserts. A lot of couples don’t realize the menus can be customized, and if you explain to your planner that you have a tight budget, they will help find a menu to suit your cost limits. We also went with basic drink and bar options. Another big food saver is on rehearsal dinners, welcome parties, bridesmaid luncheons, etc, that aren’t essential. If you feel you must have these, request that guests who wish to attend pay for themselves.

Re-use your ceremony floral/decor for the reception space.
Buy rose petals for petal cones, flower girl, aisle, or scattering on reception tables from a local vendor rather than your floral provider. In my case I am not even hiring a florist. I am making my bouquets for my bridesmaids and flower girl, and boutonnieres for the groom and groomsmen. I also purchased decorations that can be used both for the ceremony at the Rose Court Garden as well as for the reception at Sleeping Beauty Pavilion.

Don’t be afraid to DIY
I am also doing a lot of DIY for our wedding decor, If you want to DIY your own decor, don’t forget to factor in the expense of having someone set it up and clean it up for you. I have asked close friends and family to help set up and clean up since Disney doesn’t help with your DIY items, and you don’t want to be charged with a clean-up fee.

Limit the wedding party.
Another way to save some money on dress, floral, and gift costs is by limiting the number of bridesmaids and groomsmen you have. With our wedding we have two bridesmaids, two groomsmen, and one flower girl. The larger your wedding party, the more gifts and flowers you need to buy for each person.

Get a little help from your friends.
We have also saved money by asking friends to do what they do professionally at our wedding. This may not be for everyone but we actually have a ton of really talented friends. I knew I was going to ask them to come for the wedding anyway, so it was a no-brainer when I called and asked them to do what they do best as our wedding present. I have friends who own their own business helping me with hair, makeup, photography, videography, music, and even wedding planning, set up, and take down. We even have friends that are pastors coming to officiate our ceremony. Keep in mind if you are having a Disney wedding there could be additional costs for bringing in outside vendors, but in our case, we are saving a ton of money by going into contract with friends, and they are honored to help us on our big day.

Disney weddings are beautiful but it’s not worth going into debt to have your dream wedding. Hopefully these ideas will help your Disney wedding dreams become a reality!

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