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.