Sleeping Beauty Pavilion Renovations

Over the last few months the Disneyland Hotel has been undergoing a lot of construction.  It didn't affect the Rose Court Garden but the Sleeping Beauty Pavilion was completely transformed as well as the area surrounding it!  

Here is a photo of the Sleeping Beauty Pavilion and the hotel from 2010.

Here are a few photos of the Pavilion during construction.  I must admit it did make me a little nervous when it was completely covered.

Recently the Pavilion was unveiled with it's new look that matches the renovated area surrounding it.  

The changes don't bother me and I'm kind of excited by how the whole hotel is looking overall.  They also recently started doing work on the Neverland Pool which is near the Pavilion.

I am a little sad with The Neverland Pool undergoing major construction because I loved that pool.  But, with the changes that they've already made to the rest of the hotel I have hopes that it will look just as great and be just as fun when it is finished! Take a look at these other newly renovated spots around the Pavilion!

Trader Sam's across from Pavilion opened a couple months ago!

 

  

Tangaroa Terrace near the Pavilion is also now open!

The new Monorail slides next to the Pavilion

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! 

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!