“Our crown jewel, however, is Disney’s Wedding Pavilion,” says McFann. “It’s built on its own island all surrounded by water with a picturesque backdrop of Cinderella Castle. Of course, there’s no denying that brides want the Cinderella Castle in Magic Kingdom ceremony,” although clients should know that that’s done early morning before the park opens against a “beautiful sunrise.”
Whichever venue the bride and groom choose, they will get the picture-perfect Disney wedding because, as McFann points out, Disney knows how to deliver. “We have a dedicated wedding’s team; we have wedding consultants; we have a floral team, catering, banquet team. Truly, one wedding might have about 100 people working on it because there are lots of details that go into it, but the couple only has one wedding planner that is their liaison and who takes care of everything for them.”
And then there are the myriad wedding packages. The Escape Wedding Collection, for example, is ideal for less than 20 guests. “A lot of second weddings take place in that package,” says McFann, “and those start at around $5,000.” It includes an array of goodies such as flowers for the bride and groom, solo musician during the ceremony and cake cutting, and 4-hour limousine service. Then there’s the Wishes Collection, “which is kind of the core of what we have. That’s a truly custom wedding—truly everything you get in your hometown and then some.” Disney’s top-tier collection is the Couture Collection, which was launched a couple of years ago in partnership with celebrity wedding planner David Tutera. “We aligned our brand with Tutera to kind of bring us a little bit more style and cache. And he offers four different inspirational looks. Those start at around $75,000.” The average wedding at Disney, however, is $20,000 for 50 people.
So who’s your perfect Disney-bound couple? “We certainly do get a lot of people who have a Disney affinity and who are looking for the Disney element, but we do have traditional brides and grooms looking for an amazing event,” says McFann. “They choose us for a destination wedding because of all of the different services we provide. We provide one-stop shopping and complimentary wedding services, so the couple traveling from Texas and New York can count on us to take care of everything—from the location, the food and beverage, the photography, the videography, the entertainment. All of the different things that are overwhelming no matter where you plan your wedding and which are very easily accessible here and we guide couples through those choices.” The company also offers an extensive list of officiants to perform the ceremony.
In terms of accommodations for guests, one of the best aspects of planning a destination wedding at Disney is that there’s a wide variety of options—with value, moderately priced and premium. “Most couples take advantage of all three categories because they want to make sure they don’t offend and want to make sure they can actually offer an option to each person traveling in their group,” says McFann. The average number of nights is about three, she says, because there’s a rehearsal dinner, parties, “and it’s a vacation for their guests.”
If couples book a total of 20 rooms or more they receive a complimentary wedding room night during their stay. Call for group rates.
