How to Have a Disney Wedding on a Budget

Deciding to get married was SO EXCITING! Of course, I knew we had to have Disney involved somehow! I immediately started researching Disney Fairytale Weddings. I wanted a small wedding, 30-40 people. However, after looking at the package prices going with Disney was still way out of my budget. (NOTE: As of early 2020 Disney Fairytale Weddings does not do “packages” anymore. Check out their web-site for more about current pricing!)

We started looking at our options and thinking about a wedding that would make us feel like we were getting our Disney fix, without sacrificing anything in the process. Ultimately, we ended up with a gorgeous wedding and an entire Walt Disney World vacation! It was truly a special time and made us feel like we got our Disney wedding, but for a much smaller price-tag! Here’s how we did it:

Find a Venue near a Disney Park

We looked into California venues near Disneyland, as well as Orlando venues near Walt Disney World. We found the options in Orlando to be more plentiful than the Anaheim area, and the prices to be much lower. I do LOVE Disneyland (check out my 8 Reasons Why!), but in this instance going with Walt Disney World made a lot more sense.

There are many options in Orlando. We looked into several venues, including The Cypress Grove Estate House (so lovely!), Shades of Green (a military-owned resort) and The Swan and Dolphin hotel (which is on Disney property). In the end we decided on a nearby private venue, Paradise Cove. 

Paradise Cove is a beautiful, beachy chic venue located on a private lake. They were completely willing to work with our wedding vision. You can go as big as you want or do an intimate ceremony. They put a package together that was all-inclusive and right at our budget. Perfect!

Plan Resort Time

We decided to stay on property at the military-owned resort Shades of Green. Note that Shades is not Disney owned. We LOVE this property; staying there was a no brainer for us.

Shades of Green is for military members only (and I highly recommend staying there if you can!), but staying anywhere on Disney property will help enhance the immersive Disney wedding experience.

Even if you don’t stay on property, plan some time at your favorite resorts! We had our rehearsal dinner at The Wave of American Flavors in the Contemporary Resort! The meal was FLAWLESS, the staff was on point, and our guests got to experience some Disney magic by eating on property. 

After dinner, we went to the Polynesian Resort (another favorite resort of mine) for drinks on the patio at Trader Sam’s. We watched the Magic Kingdom fireworks across the lake while sipping tiki drinks. I couldn’t have been happier. =) Adding in resort time is FREE (no park ticket required) and can enhance your trip immensely. 

Plan Park Time

This was CRUCIAL for me! I wanted to get as much Disney park time as possible (surprise surprise). Since we had saved all that money on the non-Disney wedding package, we could afford it! We did a five-day park hopper and were in the parks every day except for the actual wedding day. We told our family and friends our park schedule, and let them decide if they wanted to meet up with us. 

We got our “Happily Ever After” pins (just ask a Cast Member for them, they are free!), Bride and Groom Mickey ears, and wore matching shirts for most of the days. The shirts were fun and cute to wear in all of our amazing “Memory Maker” photos. Getting Memory Maker is a MUST if you are on a Disney wedding trip, the photographers love taking photos of newlyweds! 

Having all the Cast Members and other guests shouting “Congratulations” made our trip feel extra special. We loved every moment of it! We also splurged on a Happily Ever After Fireworks dessert party at the Magic Kingdom the day after our wedding. It felt appropriate!

Make Disney Items for the Wedding

This one can be tricky if you aren’t super crafty. Luckily I have an amazingly talented friend! I shared my vision with her and she helped to make it a reality. Check out Pinterest for inspiration, I found so many great ideas there!

We got a few items from Etsy (this is a good option if you don’t have crafting skills or crafty friends), and Amazon. I used the blank book below and customized it to fit our Disney theme! ( Disclosure: The below link is an affiliate link and if you go through them to make a purchase, I will earn a commission.)

We also made a Disney themed card box, Disney couple table numbers, and “Happily Ever After” Bride and Groom chair signs.

We used our Bride and Groom Mickey ears at the reception as décor; plus they made for some pretty cute photos. =) 

Add Disney Music to Your Wedding

We decided to have all-acoustic versions of Disney songs for our ceremony. It sounded so beautiful and classy while adding that special Disney touch. Walking down the aisle to Tangled’s “Now I See the Light”, and back up to Aladdin’s “A Whole New World” was perfect!

Disney Honeymoon? 

My husband and I haven’t had our honeymoon yet, I kind of cheated the system with the whole “this trip doesn’t count as our Honeymoon, it’s just part of the wedding”. 😉 Having a Disney honeymoon would add to the whole Disney wedding experience; Disney Cruise Line, Aulani Hawaii Resort or an international Disney park would be perfect! I’ll keep working on those ideas with my husband….

If you end up wanting to try out the official Disney Fairytale Wedding experience in the future, there’s always a vow re-newel! Whatever you choose, an official Disney Wedding or my budget-friendly Disney wedding, it will be perfect! It is your special day, and adding Disney makes everything just that much more magical!

For more information about all things Disney Wedding, check out The Disney Wedding Podcast! Her blog is full of great information and gorgeous photos! 

Click the banner below to start a Amazon wedding registry! It was all we used for our gift registry and it was perfect!