Location Decision

After looking at a few locations at Disneyland and Disney World, all that was left for us to do was to make the big decision! It took us a couple weeks to go over our options and finally make our choice.  We knew we wanted one of the locations at the Disneyland Resort but we were stuck on whether we preferred Parkview Terrace or the Rose Court Garden.

There were things we both liked and disliked about each place.  For example, we loved the view from Parkview Terrace but didn't like how all the hotel balconies are facing it.  We loved how private the Rose Court Garden felt but were nervous about the ongoing construction around it for the Disneyland Hotel renovations.  We went back to both of the locations a few times.  We tried standing in the spots where we'd be for the ceremony and tried sitting in the area our guests would sit.  We showed pictures of the locations to our families.  

In the end, we finally decided on....

The Rose Court Garden!

There was just so much we loved about it.  The rose bushes and the gazebo are so pretty on their own that we would not really have to do much to dress it up.  We love spending time at the Disneyland Hotel area and we've walked near the location while weddings have been taking place and it really is a wonderful spot.  

For the reception location we were torn between the Wisteria Room and the Sleeping Beauty Pavilion.  But once we picked the Rose Court Garden for the ceremony location, we decided we would use the Pavilion for our reception since it was closer to it.  

We are really excited for the wedding!  After deciding on our locations we contacted Cynthia, the Disneyland Wedding specialist we had met with, and let her know our decision and the date.  After checking on the schedule she got back to us and let us know it was available and that we would be receiving our contract in the mail!  The first big decision for our wedding was complete! 

Wedding Pavilion- Disney World

After our meeting with a Disneyland wedding specialist we knew we wanted a Disney wedding but were unsure if we wanted it to be at Disneyland or Disney World.  Lucky for us we had a Disney World trip coming up so we decided to wait until after the trip before committing to a Disneyland wedding.
When we went on our trip we made a stop at the Wedding Pavilion.

Wedding Pavilion across the lake

Wedding Pavilion

There was a brides vestibule

The Pavilion was stunning and we really liked it but at the end of the trip we both decided that a wedding at  the Disneyland Resort was for us.  It works out to be more affordable since we don't have to add the cost of traveling and hotels to the wedding.  Plus Disneyland is sort of like home to us. However we are still considering Disney World as our honeymoon destination!

Cinderella's Carriage

Our first meeting with a Disney Weddings consultant (Cynthia) was on one of the days they had an Open House.  This was nice because it meant that they had their big ballrooms at the Disneyland Hotel available to show us some of the things they offer for weddings. The ballrooms are also used for receptions but they aren't an option for us because we are trying to keep our guests down to 50 and you need more guests for a space that big.  They had one of the ballrooms set up to show off what they can do with lighting.  The ballroom was very nice with the special lighting but I was more interested in the replica of Sleeping Beauty's Castle that they had there.  It is an example of one of the many neat things you can add on to your wedding.
Before we entered the next room, Cynthia took a peek through the doors and told us to wait.  After a moment she let us into the ballroom.  It had an elaborately decorated table in the middle and a stage not far from it.  We went to the table and took a look at what they can do with place settings. After looking for a minute suddenly the lights dimmed and music started as the curtains on the stage came up and revealed the Cinderella Carriage!

Major Domo was there holding Cinderella's glass slipper!  Cynthia told us that it is all available for weddings and she let us go and sit in the carriage.

I loved the carriage so much!  It really is beautiful and makes you feel like a princess!  Unfortunately the cost to have the carriage is very expensive and since we're on a budget it's not something we can have at our wedding but it was still neat to get to sit in it.  It was after this that Jared and I had no doubt that we wanted a Disney Wedding.  Seeing the carriage and that room showed us the kind of magic Disney can add to your wedding and we loved it.

Reception Locations

When we met with the Disney Weddings consultant she also took us to some spots for receptions.  Most of the rooms we saw were in the Grand Californian.  I can't remember the names of the rooms that the first two pictures are from (most likely Sorrel B or one of the Sequoia rooms).  But as you can see they all have a similar style and and fit in with the 1900s Arts and Crafts movement that the hotel is based on.

The last room we saw at the Grand Californian is called the Wisteria Room.   It stood out above the rest to us because of its high ceiling!  It also had windows and a door that led outside.  We really liked it.

I love the ceiling!

The last spot we looked at was the Sleeping Beauty Pavilion. I didn't get to take pictures of the inside because there was actually a reception going on when we went in. (I thought it was really neat that we were able to go in during a reception. If I see a consultant with a couple visit our reception for a moment I won't mind because I'll remember how we were once that couple looking in.)
The Sleeping Beauty Pavilion is located at the Disneyland Hotel and I really liked it too!  It made me think of my favorite Disney movie Beauty and the Beast with its gorgeous chandelier and tall windows. Here is a picture I took of it almost a year ago from a room at the Disneyland Hotel. 

 

The outside of the location looks different now because of the current construction at the hotel but the windows are tinted and the room is still just as stunning!

The Sleeping Beauty Pavilion ended our tour of location options for our wedding.  After seeing these places for ceremonies and receptions, we really had to give it a lot of thought!  We liked so many of them that we knew it was going to be hard to pick from them.  We had one last stop before the end of our meeting that day.  It was a fun surprise that I'll be writing about next!

Parkview Terrace

The last ceremony location we looked at was Parkview Terrace at the Grand Californian.  The terrace is on the fifth floor and is a space for guests to relax during their stay at the hotel. For weddings, the wooden chairs and tables are removed and new chairs are put out facing the trellis for the ceremony. 

The spot is really beautiful and has a great view of California Adventure and the surrounding area including the Crystal Cathedral.

 

 

On the other side of the terrace are these incredible windows.

There were two things that worried me about this spot.  One was how the terrace faced several of the hotel balconies.  All the locations we saw were somewhat out in the open but at this spot a hotel guest could just sit on their balcony and watch your whole ceremony.  My other concern was that the terrace is right above the swimming pool.  Jared and I returned to this spot several times later that week to try to get an idea of what the noise from the pool is like.  Some days seemed louder than others but it didn't seem too bad.
Something I noticed when I visited California Adventure later was that you can actually see the terrace from the park!  Here's a picture I took of the terrace from the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail.
 

We had a couple of concerns about the terrace but overall we really liked it.  It is very unique!  After Parkview Terrace we went to look at some reception locations. I'll be sharing pictures of them tomorrow!

Grand Californian- Wedding Garden and Brisa Courtyard

The other ceremony locations we were shown were at the Grand Californian.
On our way to the Grand Californian we stopped by this spot outside the hotel.  I used to see weddings taking place here in the past.  There are still signs that refer to it as the Wedding Garden.  The pool area was expanded however so that there's not as much space as there use to be and the area for the guests to sit is much smaller.  It's not really an option that's offered as much anymore but we stopped by there because I had asked about it.

The next spot we looked at was the Brisa Courtyard inside the Grand Californian.  This space is available for ceremonies, pre-receptions, and receptions.

I love how the Monorail goes over the courtyard!

The last ceremony space we looked at was the Parkview Terrace.  I really liked it too and I'll be writing about it in my next post!

Rose Court Garden

The first ceremony location we looked at was the Rose Court Garden at the Disneyland Hotel.

The location has a gazebo that is surrounded by rose bushes and it is very beautiful all on its own!
When we first saw this location there were Mickey, Minnie, and Pluto topiaries but unfortunately since then the topiaries have been removed.

The Rose Court Garden is right by the towers of the Disneyland Hotel which is currently undergoing some construction.  This is a little worrisome to me but I still really like the spot!  It's going to look great when it's all done!

Here is where the Rose Court Garden is on the map of what the Disneyland Hotel will look like when the construction is completed.

 

Venues

When we first started considering the Disneyland Resort for our wedding we called to make an appointment to look at our options.  We met a wedding specialist at the Disney Fairy Tale Wedding offices which is in what I've heard Disneyland Cast Members call the "Big Orange Building."  It is next to the Disneyland Hotel by the parking lot.  After meeting to discuss what we want for our wedding, she showed us our options for the venue.  We were thinking of having 40-50 guests so she showed us some of the spots for a ceremony and reception that size.  Here are some of the places we looked at.

Rose Court Garden

Grand Californian

Parkview Terrace, Grand Californian

This week I'll be posting more information and pictures of each of the locations we were able to look at!  At the end of the week, I'll reveal which one we picked!

Why a Disneyland Wedding?

To start off this blog, I thought I would do a short list of why we chose to do a Disneyland wedding!
1.  Wedding Coordinator- One of the things we liked about Disney weddings was that it looks like you will get a lot of help from the Disney staff for the wedding.  You get a Disney coordinator and he/she makes sure that everything goes accordingly.  All you have to worry about is the outside vendors that you use for the wedding.  We don't really have family around so having this kind of help for the wedding is a definite plus!
2.  Variety- It may seem like you would be limited if you choose to do a Disneyland wedding but Disney Weddings actually offers a variety of choices. You have options that vary from traditional and classic weddings to more whimsical and modern.
3.  Cost- We are on a budget and Disney Weddings has some affordable choices.  Although we didn't pick the better priced Escape Wedding at Disney World, Disneyland has weddings that start at $10,000. This may sound like a lot but when we looked at some of the other locations we were interested in, we found that many of them also started at this amount and some started at even more.  If we're going to be spending that much on a wedding we would definitely prefer Disney!
4.  Location-  We live in Orange County so Disneyland is a great location for us!  We live near by and we don't have to worry about traveling a long way to get there.  We had considered Disney World for our wedding but Disneyland being closer is what helped us choose it in the end.
5.  One Vendor- By picking to do a Disneyland wedding we get to use Disney as the vendor for most of our wedding (such as food, music, flowers).  We don't have to use them for everything but it's nice that we can have most of our stuff done by one vendor instead of several.  Having to depend on several different vendors for the wedding didn't sound like something we wanted so this was something we found very appealing in a Disneyland wedding.
6.  We love Disney!  We both love Disneyland and getting married at the Disneyland Resort just seemed like the right thing for us.