Disney Wedding Podcast

This week, Kelly Mahoney and Sean Cusack share the story of their Wedding Pavilion ceremony, American Adventure Rotunda reception, and Italy Isola dessert party. What started as an in-joke between Sean and his mom the first time he saw Cinderella’s Glass Coach and demanded to meet the ponies eventually became an entire Disney wedding, with Kelly enthusiastically onboard. Today you’ll hear where they saved and splurged, how they became the first couple to add floral to the balcony at American Adventure Rotunda, why they skipped a wedding cake in favor of two cake-ball machines, and how they bucked tradition so that Sean could spend as much time with the ponies as possible! Click here to see ALL the photos!

Today, Jenna Williamson shares the story of her evening ceremony at Animal Kingdom’s Tree of Life, brunch reception at the Grand Floridian’s Citricos the following day, and Halloween-themed dessert party at EPCOT’s Germany Promenade that night. She shares lots of great tips for personalizing your Disney wedding ceremony and reception, including adding Mickey, Minnie and a silhouette artist; having the culinary team re-create a recipe of her grandma’s; and working with the wedding cakes team to customize an Espresso cake with Guava Jam and Cream Cheese filling, plus Cinnamon-Spiced Buttercream frosting—a combination they initially rejected but approved after sampling it. Jenna also shares the story of her pre-opening portrait sessions at all four parks: Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom! Click here to listen and see ALL the photos!

This week, Olivia Martin shares the story of her Wedding Pavilion ceremony and Grand Floridian Ballroom reception. You’ll hear how she saved by bringing her own bouquets, centerpieces and other décor, plus how she worked with a chef to completely customize a menu of her and Zach’s favorite Disney restaurant food that accommodated a number of food allergies and special diets. And you’ll hear about the full-circle moment when Olivia—who’s known she’d have a Disney wedding ever since she was 8 years old and saw a bride in Cinderella’s Glass Coach—was riding in the coach and heard a little girl exclaim, “Oh my gosh, look! It’s Cinderella!” Click here to see ALL the photos!

Today, Nicole Sullivan shares the story of her Sea Breeze Point ceremony, reception at The Attic, and dessert party at EPCOT’s UK Lochside. BoardWalk Inn is a Disney Vacation Club home resort for Nicole’s family, and every time she passed Sea Breeze Point as a girl she’d think, “I’m going to get married there someday!” Today you’ll hear how she made that dream a reality, including where she saved and splurged, how she customized her event menus, and how her parents managed to surprise her and Brian with an appearance by Mickey and Minnie! You’ll also hear how adding a Spaceship Earth ride mix-in to their dessert party also allowed them to get amazing photos with that EPCOT icon at the end of the night! Click here to see ALL the photos!

This week, Mariessa Gellman shares the story of her EPCOT wedding, with a ceremony at the Japan Pavilion and a reception at GM Lounge, plus a dessert party at Harambe Train Station in Animal Kingdom, complete with a ride mix-in on Flight of Passage! She shares how she and David were able to splurge on Cinderella’s Glass Coach, a park portrait session, and an appearance by Donald and Goofy by making smart tradeoffs, including using outside vendors and purchasing many items on Etsy. You’ll also hear about their welcome party at Splitsville in Disney Springs! Click here to listen and see ALL the photos!

Today, Casey and Lucas Borton share the story of their Wedding Pavilion ceremony, Citricos reception, and Germany Promenade dessert party (with desserts moved to American Adventure Rotunda due to weather). They switched from a Charleston, SC wedding to Walt Disney World when they found out the price would be the same or less, and today they share how they planned, saved and splurged. You'll also hear whether it was worth it to get up at 2:45am on the wedding day to take portraits inside Magic Kingdom! Click here to see ALL the photos!

This week, Elaine Park shares the story of her ceremony at the Wedding Pavilion, dinner at Italy Isola in EPCOT, and reception at Sunset Boulevard in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. You’ll hear how she chose these locations and what she DIYed in order to afford them. Elaine also discusses how she maximized the value of her private chartered transportation, which picked up and dropped off guests at Evermore Resort off-property and at two Disney resorts. And you’ll hear which items on her Disney character-themed dinner action stations were the biggest hits! Click here to see ALL the photos!

Today's episode covers everything you ever wanted to know about the pre-park-opening portrait sessions available at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. These sessions offer a unique opportunity to take photos in bridal attire before the parks open to day guests, and they're offered at Disneyland, California Adventure, Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disney's Animal Kingdom, as well as the two water parks. Today you'll learn... ...and much more! My guest today is Haley Hart, who was lucky enough to do bridal portrait sessions in Magic Kingdom, EPCOT and Disneyland. Today she shares how the Disneyland and Walt Disney World portrait sessions differ, which one was her favorite, where she was able to take photos, and her tips for anyone interested in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Click here to see all of Hayley's photos!

This week, Molly Haining shares the story of her Wedding Pavilion ceremony, Terrace des Fleurs pre-reception, and American Adventure Rotunda reception. She and Steve were originally set on having a Magic Kingdom wedding, but photography was of paramount importance, so once they learned they couldn’t bring an outside photographer, they switched to the Wedding Pavilion. Today you’ll hear where they saved and splurged on their big day, how they made up the food and beverage minimum so they could use American Adventure Rotunda with just 50 guests, and how Molly went full circle from being an 8-year-old waving at a bride in Cinderella’s Glass Coach to being the bride in the coach at whom little girls were waving! Click here to see ALL the photos!

Today, Hayley Hart shares the story of her Pandora: The World of Avatar ceremony, California Grill reception, and UK Lochside welcome party. She and Josh are big foodies, and it was important to them to share with their guests the best Disney has to offer, so today Hayley shares extensive details of their reception and welcome party menus. She also offers tips on where to save if you want to splurge on a venue like Pandora for your Disney wedding—including taking photos outside Chef Mickey’s instead of hiring characters!! Click here to see ALL the photos!

This week, Caroline Carlman shares the story of her Wedding Pavilion ceremony and reception at the Grand Floridian Convention Center‘s St. Augustine C & D. You’ll hear how she communicated her very specific floral and décor vision to Disney’s floral vendor, where she splurged to enhance guest experience, and where she saved. Caroline also discusses her fireworks welcome party at EPCOT’s Terrace des Fleurs and the lunch she held at Trader Sam’s, complete with specialty cocktails and bar effects! Click here to listen and see ALL the photos!

Today, Sarah Kan shares the story of her 10th anniversary dinner at Festival of the Lion King and dessert party at Magic Kingdom. Sarah and Avery's first date was at Magic Kingdom, so they'd been planning an anniversary party there for years. Today you'll hear how they planned the Animal Kingdom dinner, complete with a live band, a slideshow retrospective of their relationship, and the surprise announcement that they'd eloped just weeks earlier. And Sarah discusses the afterparty in Magic Kingdom—another surprise for guests—that included dancing, a visit from Mickey and Minnie, and a 10-second private fireworks show! Click here to see all the photos!

This week, Maddie and Lou Rossi share the story of their Disney wedding in EPCOT, with a ceremony at GM Lounge, a cocktail hour at Terrace des Fleurs, and a reception at American Adventure Rotunda. Having a ceremony with a view of her favorite ride, Spaceship Earth, was important to Maddie, and today you'll hear how choosing all in-park venues allowed her and Lou to slash their décor budget. They also talk about how they originally wanted a reception inside Disney's Hollywood Studios but balked at the late start time, so they did a pre-park-opening portrait session there instead. You'll also hear their favorite menu items and best tips for other Disney couples! Click here to see ALL the photos!

Today, Ellie Martin shares the story of her ceremony and reception at the Grand Floridian’s Whitehall Room and Patio, with a welcome party at Germany Promenade A & B in EPCOT. You’ll hear how she kept her budget under control by limiting the guest list, upgrading chairs instead of adding tons of floral décor, and eschewing pricey extras like characters, in-park portrait sessions, and a ride mix-in. Ellie also shares how she worked with Disney to create completely gluten-free menus of Disney park favorites at both the reception and the dessert party, including a gluten-free cake! Click here to see ALL the photos!

This week, Vanessa Smith shares the story of her ceremony at the Yacht Club’s Crescent Cove and reception at EPCOT’s Rue de Paris, complete with fireworks and a ride mix-in on Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure! You’ll hear how she and Dennis chose these locations to give guests a taste of their favorite aspects of Disney, Vanessa’s tips on outdoor receptions in EPCOT, plus how she stuck to her décor budget through a combination of DIY and giving Disney’s floral vendor a per-piece budget for each item type. Click here to see ALL the photos!

Today, Courtney McGuigan shares the story of vow renewal at the Wedding Pavilion, with a reception at the Grand Floridian Convention Center's St. Augustine A & B. Having eloped 10 years ago, she had a strong vision for her French-inspired, Beauty and the Beast-themed vow renewal, and today Courtney talks about how she achieved this through a combination of outside vendors and DIYs. She also shares details of her dessert party, which had to be moved inside due to rain but still allowed her and Ryan to take photos at Sago Cay Lawn while guests watched the fireworks from the Marina! Click here to see ALL the photos!

This week, Amber and Usman Khokhar-White share the story of their Magic Kingdom After Hours ceremony on Main Street, U.S.A. and cake-cutting celebration at East Plaza Garden, with a full reception at Terrace des Fleurs in EPCOT the following day. They discuss the unique requirements of an After Hours event, how they customized multiple menus to feature their favorite foods from around the parks, and what they would have done differently. You’ll also hear about Amber and Usman’s welcome party at Whitehall Room & Patio and farewell party at Norway Loft in EPCOT! Click here to see ALL the photos!

Today, Abby Trawick shares the story of her Wedding Pavilion ceremony and Atlantic Dance Hall reception, with a welcome party at EPCOT’s UK Lochside. Because they live in Florida, Abby and Ethan made sure both wedding-day venues were indoors, but they still ran into a few issues when it rained the entire day. You’ll hear how their photographers and Disney were able to make magic moments despite the rain. Plus Abby talks about how she worked with Disney to execute her floral and décor vision for the reception while also making all the bridesmaids’ bouquets herself to save money! Click here to see ALL the photos!

This week, Shayne and David Newell share the story of their 25th anniversary vow renewal ceremony at Sea Breeze Point, with a reception at Rue de Paris and portrait sessions inside Magic Kingdom and EPCOT! You’ll hear how they picked a different date for the event and why they chose to hire their own day-of coordinator even for such a small gathering. Plus they share what it was like to have Disney Uninvited Guests in lieu of traditional entertainment, and how food items like donuts flambée and Disney’s cake ball machine served as entertainment too! Click here to see ALL the photos!

Today, Adrienne Buzzetta shares the story of her ceremony at the Wedding Pavilion, reception at the Grand Floridian Ballroom’s Salon VI, and dessert party at Terrace des Fleurs in EPCOT. It was important to her and Michael to show guests why they love Disney so much by prioritizing unique experiences like a Fantasmic! welcome party, an appearance by Mickey and Minnie, and event menus full of their favorite park treats. Adrienne also shares how she saved money by using outside vendors and making smart décor trade-offs. Click here to listen and see ALL the photos!