Planning a wedding at Disneyland? There’s no shortage of magical elements to make your big day special!
Learn all about the possible options when planning a Disneyland wedding!
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For many couples, a Disneyland wedding is the perfect way to symbolize the magic and fantasy of being in love.
Disney’s works have brought untold joy to tens of millions worldwide, with the romance portrayed in timeless Disney classics being the model of love and marriage for over a century.
And while Disneyland is famous for offering a wide variety of honeymoon packages, why not hold the ceremony there, so you don’t have to travel after your reception?
While there are plenty of perks to choosing your wedding ceremony, reception, and honeymoon at Disneyland, planning it all at such a popular spot can be difficult.
Whether you’re planning a smaller vow renewal ceremony or are pulling out all the stops for your big day, his guide is aimed at helping you and your partner navigate all the red tape you might encounter when planning your fairy tale wedding at Disneyland.
Let’s get started!
Price of a Disneyland Wedding
Budgetary constraints are the first thing you should consider when figuring out your Disneyland wedding.
Disneyland offers many different wedding venues that vary in terms of fanciness and different terms of use.
You can expect a range of prices starting at $15,000, with weddings requiring an event minimum.
While this isn’t a small number, it may not be totally out of the question for the wedding of your dreams.
Disney charges a Ceremony Venue Fee plus the Disney Wedding service charge for food and beverage, decor, entertainment, and floral needs.
It’s important to note that Disney doesn’t only charge a food and beverage minimum, but instead a variety of services can count toward your event minimum.
The most expensive wedding venue is Sleeping Beauty’s Castle, with the initial price tag coming in at tens of thousands of dollars.
However, this is a very competitive venue, with many couples vying for a wedding here, which helps to explain the high price.
What Kind of Theme Are You Looking for?
The Walt Disney Company can handle everything you can think of for your dream wedding. They have teams to take care of the floral arrangements, the catering, the DJs, the entertainment – you name it.
If you’re interested in a Disneyland wedding, you’re probably after a fairy tale or a classic Walt Disney story theme.
Choosing the right venue is the first step to making your theme come true, as the different venues have different looks.
The Adventure Lawn Gazebo is situated on green grass surrounded by an assortment of foliage and treelines. This might be the ideal forest-set location if you want to feel like Belle in Beauty and the Beast.
If you want something a little more like Aladdin, then the vaguely-named Wedding Garden might be your magical venue. Its iconic stonework and strong pillar presence help place the venue in a wide and spacious courtyard ideal for royalty.
These are just a couple of examples – your Walt Disney Wedding Sales Manager will be able to assist you further with the specifics.
We’ve listed the full range of Disneyland Resort venues below.
Disneyland Wedding Locations:
- Rose Court Garden at Disneyland Hotel
- Brisa Courtyard at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa
- Disney Grand Californian Hotel Ballrooms at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa
- Adventure Lawn Gazebo at Disneyland Hotel
- Disneyland Hotel Ballrooms at Disneyland Hotel
- Parkview Terrace at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa
- Wedding Garden at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa
- Disney Animation Building at Disney California Adventure Park
- Sleeping Beauty Castle Forecourt at Disneyland Park
- Sleeping Beauty Pavilion at Disneyland Hotel
- Small World Mall at Disneyland Park
Deposits and Payment
Once you’ve decided what venue you want and how much you are willing to spend, you’ll be contacted by a Disney Wedding Sales Manager.
Your manager will work with you to determine logistics, such as time, place, and when your ideal venue will be available.
The manager will also give you a detailed breakdown of your payment schedule and when setup for your wedding will begin.
It’s recommended that you plan your wedding quite a while in advance – the wait list is usually between 18 and 24 months. You won’t be able to make an appointment to visit your wedding venue until it is at least 18 months away.
Once you make your deposit through your sales manager, you will be assigned a Disney Wedding Planner.
The planner’s job is to handle all the wedding logistics, helping you figure out all the minute details.
You’ll be glad to know that the Disney Wedding Planning Team is included in the price of your wedding, at no additional fee.
Something else to remember is that your entire minimum expenditure is due 90 days before your wedding day.
It’s also worth noting that your deposit is nonrefundable once received by Disneyland.
Event Planning
Once you have your wedding coordinator, you should have plenty of time to figure out all the specifics you could have for your ceremony.
Your planner will help determine what kind of seating and special accommodations you need for your special day. They’ll list any dietary restrictions your wedding guests might have and relay them to the caterers.
Your wedding coordinator will help you plan the menu, choose a color scheme, plan the entertainment, and work out the ceremony venue and reception details.
Your planner will also start setting up hotel accommodations immediately, as booking these far in advance is paramount. Hotels in and around Disneyland fill up months to years in advance. This is especially true for prime wedding season.
The order of how things are planned will, of course, depend on what is most important to you. You might want to knock out meal planning first or decor or entertainment – it all depends on you, your planner, the season, and your venue.
Some venues have a minimum food and beverage cost you’ll have to pay. Depending on the venue, you may also have a minimum number of guests.
Disney chefs are well-known for their delicious fare, and when it comes to food, there is an enormous menu to choose from.
You can pick from various desserts, plated options, buffet ranges, and beverage service choices.
Additionally, there are set prices on brunches, lunches, and dinners for your guests. These prices are as follows:
- Brunches: $165 per person
- Lunches: $185 per person
- Dinners: $210 per person
Entertainment Options
One of the most comprehensive parts of planning your Disneyland wedding will be arranging the entertainment.
Disney venues have an expansive offering of musicians. This includes a string trio, a classical harpist, and an arrangement of trumpeters.
You can also deck out your Disneyland wedding with an assortment of one or multiple Disney characters. Whether you want Jafar, Gaston or Ariel, or Mickey Mouse himself, you can work with your event planner to get them to you.
Unfortunately, not all Disney characters are always available, so you want to book them as far in advance as possible.
Another popular entertainment option is to arrive in the Crystal Coach of Cinderella, which will elegantly deposit you at the venue of your choice on your magical day for the amusement of your family and guests.
Pulled by two ponies and manned by two elegantly-uniformed coachmen, the Crystal Coach adds an air of class to any wedding venue.
The Vis-A-Vis carriages are another entertainment option that Disneyland venues offer. You and your spouse-to-be can ride up to the venue in a vintage, all-white carriage driven by two stately gentlemen.
Final Thoughts: Planning the Disney Fairytale Wedding of Your Dreams
Whether you choose an extravagant wedding at Sleeping Beauty Castle or you choose to have your wedding ceremony and reception at a Disneyland resort, there’s no doubt that your wedding will be magical.
Choosing to get married at Disneyland is a decision that no couple regrets – after all, how many people get to say that they had a Disney fairy tale wedding?
And don’t forget to make use of Disney’s Honeymoon Wishes registry, too!
And of course, check out Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings Showcase for more planning inspiration.
More Disneyland Planning Resources:
- Disneyland Trip Planner
- Best Food at Disneyland
- Must-Try Foods at Disney California Adventures
- Disneyland Height Requirements
Be sure to pin this article to your wedding planning board on Pinterest!