It has been almost a month since our Disney cruise line wedding, and I figured I would share our story for those of you who might be interested in going this route. We chose to get married on the Disney wish because my father had loved marvel, and at the time we thought this was going to be our last chance at a family vacation because my father had an early onset Parkinson’s and wasn’t doing too well. My father ended up passing away this July before he was able to see us get married, but I know he was there with us that day.
We had decided on the castaway beach wedding during a four day Disney wish cruise from November 7 to the 11th. We really wanted a beach wedding and we had never been to castaway before so we were excited to see all that it had to offer. Outside of the more expensive venue, we didn’t have many add-ons for our wedding. A Disney cruise line wedding comes with a wedding coordinator, a pianist, a cake and champagne celebration in a separate venue where you will have your first dance, your choice of venue for the actual wedding ceremony, a boutonniere and bouquet, and a cake cutter that is used during your cake and champagne celebration. You also receive a dinner for two at Palo, an adult only dining experience.
We had chosen to have Disney cruise line photography and added an additional hour. We also chose to upgrade the cake to the nautical cake. We chose lavender and ivory florals for the boutonniere and bouquet that was included in our cruise line wedding . We had the pianist, Matthew, play music for the ceremony and our reception afterwards. He was phenomenal.
We also brought several items with us to include in the ceremony: A small fairy tale book ring holder, a castle guest book, and a bouquet attachment so that I could still have my father walk me down the aisle. We also wrote our own wedding ceremony.
Anyone who knows me knows that I am very much a planner, especially when it comes to Disney vacations. Boy, was I in for a surprise! I would be lying if I said that anything we had planned for our vacation had actually happened. When we arrived at the port, several hours later than expected due to a medical emergency, things were chaotic as staff rushed to get the ship back on schedule. We ended up having to go through check-in twice due to a technical error that said we hadn't gone through security when we showed them our PAT. During that time, we also found out that we were no longer going to castaway due to the hurricane that was heading towards the Bahamas. When we spoke with our wedding planner a few hours later, she let us know that we were going to Mexico instead. We would still be getting married on that day, but the time frame was getting pushed back several hours. Due to this, we weren’t going to be able to experience anything at the port that day.
There were a few other hiccups that ended up happening during our trip, but we laugh about them now. We actually ended up getting stuck in an elevator for a half hour before our wedding night with our nephew (If you're uncomfortable with elevators, we recommend you take the stairs). The Disney wish was built during a pandemic, and because of that the elevators buttons can be pressed without truly touching them. There were a few times on the trip where someone would lean against the wall and end up pressing all the floors. When we got stuck in the elevator, the alarm button was not working properly and the elevator doors would not open. We had to use the app to contact our families and asked them to contact guest services. After a bit of waiting, the alarm button finally decided to work properly and we got ahold of security. That elevator remained out of commission for the rest of the cruise.
Finally, it was our wedding day! Our morning castaway wedding became an afternoon grand hall wedding and it was magical all the same. Dan and his nephew spent the morning at Hooks barbary getting haircuts and having a drink. Meanwhile, I got my hair done at the untangled salon in the morning with Dan's mom. We each had some champagne before each doing our own makeup.
I was glad the ship was docked when I walked down two flights of steps on the grand staircase. "At last I see the light" was playing softly in the background. In the moment, time seemed to stand still, but looking back at the videos, I appeared to be speed walking down the aisle (definitely recommend having someone walk the bride down the aisle for this reason.)
Our officiant, Luca, read the ceremony we had helped to write beautifully. As we shared our first kiss and were announced for this first time as the Gallants, "Happily Ever After" was playing in the background. We took group photos before our guests were taken to the bayou for the reception.
The bayou was a quick walk down the hall and is a beautiful reception option on the ship. Themed after princess and the frog, the bayou transports you to New Orleans. Florals and twinkle lights softly gleam and a small dance floor sits in the middle of the front of the room. Malisa announced us as we walked towards the dance floor, where we shared a first dance. My husband and I are not the best dancers, and one was enough for us. Dan and Aubree shared a father daughter dance before cutting the cake.
We chose Disney cruise line photography and included an additional hour after our ceremony/reception. Once our reception was over, our photographer took us a grand tour of the ship, taking pictures as we journeyed along. We were originally nervous about booking photography with DCL due to rumors we had heard in a few Disney bride groups, but we were delighted with how our pictures came out. Looking back, dcl photography was an excellent and cost effective choice. Many brides choose to bring their own photographers, but end up paying for the photography package and the photographers stateroom. Our photographer knew the ship well, and because of this he was able to use that knowledge to our advantage. My husband and I are camera shy, and our photography went above and beyond to ease our anxiety. We had a lot of fun on the shoot and the time flew by.
Our wedding night was also pirate night, so we were able to experience our adult dining at Palo while our families enjoyed their dinner in Arendelle for the pirate menu. Our meal was fantastic and I believe it was one of my husband’s favorite experiences on the ship (he is a chef, so fine dining for him is essentially the greatest thing on earth).
After dinner, we headed out to the grand hall where we got to take pictures with many different Disney characters, as well as other backdrop photography options. I will definitely say one of the perks of a Disney cruise line wedding is being able to take pictures with all the characters in your wedding dress without having to pay a couple thousand for it. Once that was over, we checked the time and headed on out to the deck to watch the pirate show and fireworks.
On our way to the show, a little girl screamed in excitement down the hallway and ran to me. Her mother apologized, and then asked if they could take a picture with me because her daughter thought I was Elsa. The mom let the girl know that I wasn't Elsa and then the girl asked for my name and my autograph. She told me that I was a princess without any hesitation. those were the little moments on our trip that truly made the Disney difference. I loved that I was able to bring joy to a little girl and make her trip more magical.
The pirate night fireworks show was almost cancelled due to a storm that passed over us. As it poured down on us, I attempted to avoid the rainfall by running up a flight of steps while holding a glass of champagne (big mistake, but no wedding dress or person was harmed on our wedding night). As we walked through to the grand hall in disappointment, a lovely group of photographers offered to take our picture. Within minutes, we heard the captain had decreased speed to make up for the wind. The rain had stopped and the fireworks show was back on. We made our way outside, where we found decent spots, and enjoyed the show! It wasn't long before the fireworks were over. Everyone had headed in for the night, and we had made it through the day!
Our stateroom attendant was amazing and had decorated our entire stateroom to celebrate the wedding! They had also dropped off the rest of the wedding cake, the cake cutter set, and some champagne.
Plenty of people asked if we would do anything differently, and in all honesty, the answer would be no. The wish is a beautiful ship. The photography that we received from our wedding is gorgeous, and I know that we made the right choice going with Disney cruise line photography because our photographer really knew the ship. He knew every nook and cranny and was able to take us in places that no off board photographer would know. Our pianist, Matthew, played beautifully. I loved that all these people we got to meet on the cruise were people that we got to see while doing other activities on the ship. I feel that we truly got to know so many people and it was amazing to include all our new friends in our big day. We actually met a couple people while on the bus to the port who we still remain in close contact with today. The only thing I wish we could’ve changed is that it was only a four day cruise, and the time flies by. I used to love planning vacations for Disney World, but after having been on a Disney Cruise, I can honestly say that most of our Disney vacations are going to be on a ship now. We already have another cruise planned for April on the fantasy.
Comments