by Kristin Park

I recently made a trip to Walt Disney World in Florida to meet with my Disney wedding coordinator, Pam, for a site visit and early planning session. Unfortunately Rich, my fiancé, was unable to make the trip but it was rather easy convincing my mom to tag along!

Now I have been to Disney several times but I had never seen any of the wedding ceremony and reception sites in person. Being a Wedding Planner I knew the importance of actually seeing the venues…so this trip was a must for me {not to mention, can anyone pass up a trip to Disney?}!

Prior to our trip I spent a lot of time on the Disney Fairytale Wedding website gathering information. I also made sure to compile a list of questions that came to mind in order to make this trip as productive as possible, plus I knew that this list would not only be helpful to me but to Pam as well.

My site visit and early planning session was scheduled for our second day in Disney and I could not have been more excited! We woke up early and enjoyed some breakfast at our hotel before heading over to Franck’s Bridal Studio. 
 

Franck’s Bridal Studio is a re-creation of Franck’s Studio from the hit movie “Father of the Bride,” and houses the planning studio where brides and grooms-to-be meet with the wedding professionals they are working with through Disney Fairytale Weddings.

When we arrived we were taken into a meeting room where Pam was waiting for us. We sat with Pam for awhile and reviewed everything that we had discussed through e-mails over the past several months.

After about an hour it was time for our site tour. Our first stop would be the wedding pavilion, which was my choice for our ceremony location.

 Disney’s Wedding Pavilion is on its own island and provides a perfect indoor ceremony site {which was a must have for August in Florida!} not to mention the breathtaking views of Cinderella Castle!

After seeing the site, in person, I knew that our ceremony had to take place there, thankfully Pam told me that it was available on August 8, 2011 at 5:00pm {I was ecstatic!!!}.

 We then began our tour of reception sites, first up was the Nutcracker Ballroom at the Contemporary Resort. Pam showed us around the space but I didn’t get that “warm fuzzy feeling” so I knew this was not it. I let Pam know and she said that she really wanted me to see another site that she felt was a perfect fit. We then headed to Disney’s BoardWalk Resort which is home to the Promenade Ballroom. We pulled up to the BoardWalk and I began to smile from ear to ear, before even stepping foot inside!

 Pam showed us the pre-reception location, which had an adorable patio attached, and the reception location. Once inside the ballroom I was in love, it was stunning! Not only was it beautiful but Disney’s BoardWalk was inspired by Atlantic City, New Jersey…how perfect since Rich and I have taken several trips there?! Pam was excited that I liked the space but she wanted to show me one more site, the Grand Floridian, just in case the BoardWalk was not available. The ballrooms at the Grand Floridian were beautiful as well; however I still kept my fingers crossed for the BoardWalk!

 After our site tour we headed back to Franck’s to finish up our early planning session.  Pam checked on the BoardWalk’s availability while my mom and I flipped through some photo albums. Pam returned with GREAT news, the BoardWalk was available!!! I then had some final questions for Pam and we concluded our early planning session. Pam congratulated me {again} on my engagement and gave me LOTS of paperwork and a really cute “Just Engaged” button that I wore for the remainder of our trip!

 Having this site visit and early planning session was so important and I am very thankful that I had it. If I had not met with Pam, in person, I would have booked the Nutcracker Ballroom at the Contemporary sight unseen. Thankfully I was fortunate enough to meet with Pam and she was introduced me to the PERFECT wedding reception location for our upcoming Disney Fairytale Wedding!

 While planning your wedding remember that it is important to be honest with the wedding professionals that you work with and to tour your ceremony and reception sites if possible.

Happy Planning!

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