I’ve been engaged for over a year now and, because of booking and contract timelines, have yet to have a clue as to what we’re doing, but we’ve just started renegotiating with Walt Disney World Weddings and made some important decisions.

We chose to pass on being the first Tower of Terror Courtyard wedding. While we had our hearts set on it, the park schedule and space limitations would have stopped a few of our favorite guests from being able to make it. Instead, we’re moving one park over for an Animal Kingdom ‘Casablanca’ themed reception at Tamu Tamu Courtyard, and we’ll keep our small ceremony at Disney’s Wedding Pavilion, just outside of the Magic Kingdom.

• A few things to note about a theme park reception if you’re preparing your own Disney World wedding:
• Your venues are not solidly booked until six months before your proposed date.
• You cannot access your venue until two hours after the park has closed, making Animal Kingdom, the park that closest earliest, a clear choice winner.
• Parks may decide to add a day of ‘Extra Magic Hours’ and keep the park open for longer, on a whim. If this happens, your reception is pushed back even further.
• Should a larger gathering want to book your space (or your whole park) you can be booted out, even as close as a month ’till your date.

Not exactly ideal. But because we’re having a very small party of just close friends and family, we felt that any emergencies could be easily handled. For others, it may not be that simple. We’ve even picked a Plan B location in Hollywood Studios Park.

So, we’ve moved on from the idea of a Disney Wedding, or destination wedding in general, being the simple easy choice, but we have decided that it’s for us. Nothing is perfect, but this is the party, with its laid-back vibe and surrounded by fun, that best reflects us.

Photo by Disney Travel Babble.