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! 

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!