Disney wedding theme

You have found your Prince Charming and the glass slipper fits perfectly! Now you want a wedding that is sprinkled with pixie dust and magical from beginning to end. A Disney themed wedding is definitely for you!

   And what choices you have in planning your Disney wedding! Do you want something fun and funky, a treat for all ages? Incorporate the most beloved Disney characters into your wedding. Mickey and Minnie; Winnie the Pooh; Goofy and Donald; all of them translate into bright, bold colors and whimsy for your wedding. Or go totally romantic and pay homage to the many wonderful Disney couples – Aladdin and Jasmine; Ariel and Eric; Lady and the Tramp; and of course Cinderella and Prince Charming! Become inspired by the Disney theme parks and build your perfect wedding around Tomorrowland; Fantasyland; and Frontier land.

Once you have chosen a direction to follow, start considering your color options. For a romantic, Cinderella theme, blue is the obvious choice, sprinkled with sparkling silver and crystal accents. Incorporate all of the princesses and use a color like lilac or pink with touches of silver or gold and crystals. If you like the idea of character filled festivities, pull colors from Mickey himself and go with bright red, black, and yellow as your color scheme. You could even take your cue from the Disney Cruise Line restaurant “Animator’s Palate” and have your ceremony be completely in black and white and your reception bursting with colors.

Theme each of your tables to one of Disney’s romantic couples, and put clues to the couple on that table. A centerpiece for guests sitting at the Beauty and the Beast table would be a rose under glass, a stack of books, or a basket of French baguettes. A Snow White centerpiece might be a simple basket of apples, but the table itself adorned with the beautiful royal blue and bright yellow of Snow White’s simple dress. A honey pot overflowing with flowers in every hue would be a perfect centerpiece to a Winnie the Pooh table if you choose to go with a character theme; or even a gorgeous piece of African carving would set the stage for a Lion King themed table.

The bride’s gown could also follow different paths with a Disney themed wedding. If you were the little girl who dreamed of being swept off her feet by Prince Charming, then by all means look for the Cinderella ball gown, maybe even tinted pale blue, dripping with crystals. Don’t forget the beautiful tiara, and you will even find glass (okay, usually polyurethane) slippers at some costume shops and online vendors. But you could certainly enjoy a slinky, sexy Jessica Rabbit type wedding gown and still keep with your theme. As for your bridesmaids, if you decide you want to be the real Cinderella on your wedding day, how about allowing them to choose a different princess and dress like her? Or choose a color that will complement your theme and have them wear that – like gold for Belle, green for Ariel, or even brown for Lady.

Arrive to your reception in a horse drawn Cinderella style carriage, or for something completely different and amusing, find a Herbie the Love Bug to make your escape at the end of the night. Roll out the red carpet for your guests to arrive if you go with a Disney movie theme, and have your invitations be tickets to some of your fondest Disney memories.

Treat your guests to food stations reflecting your theme. The Mulan station would feature steamed dumplings, egg rolls, and fried rice. An Ariel station could be the raw bar, or you could serve shrimp cocktail, crab claws, and smoked salmon from here. On the fun side of things, the Mickey and Minnie station could be a delicious cheese display, and the Pluto station would have a kid and grown up friendly collection of foods like corn dogs; hush puppies; and miniature hot dogs in blankets. Lady and the Tramp lends perfectly to a pasta bar, as good as Tony’s own restaurant. Or go with an EPCOT theme and serve food from around the world at the various stations.

The centerpiece of your wedding could be a cake designed to look just like the magnificent Cinderella Castle, or maybe go with a funky tiered style in red, black, white and yellow. Instead of tiers, go with round cakes in the shape of the famous Mickey icon, and you can decorate each one with another Disney icon, like a castle in one ear, the EPCOT geosphere in another.

Your Disney options for your wedding are virtually endless, but whatever you choose, it will be a fairytale come true day for you and your guests. With the right amount of pixie dust, you can start your life together with the Magical World of Disney.

Disney Stories  2   an Over View

After making at least a dozen trips to visit "The Mouse" something I just can’t understand is – why anyone in the world would believe Orlando and, in particular, Walt Disney World (WDW), is a kids destination?

Sure this is the number one vacation destination in the U.S. but WDW is a LOT more than just the Magic Kingdom (though, even this "kids" attraction can keep the most discriminating adult busy for at least one full day!)

Not only is there Walt Disney World and its three MAJOR attractions – the Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park – but then there is Sea World – there is Universal Studios – there is Kennedy Space Center at Spaceport USA – there is Bush Gardens – and there are some absolutely great restaurants (many of them on Disney property) and great nightlife.

Hopefully by the time you finish reading this article you will want to learn a lot more about WDW because this really is an extraordinary honeymoon getaway!

Believe it or not – plan to take a FULL seven days to visit, see and enjoy Walt Disney World – longer if you want to visit some of the other attractions in the area.

So what’s the big deal? Well, just about everything! There just aren’t a lot of places you can go and be catered to by so many nice, friendly people. There just aren’t a lot of places you can go and feel confident that even the smallest detail is being looked after in your interest. To take this "experience" one step further (and this is something the ladies will understand a lot better than the guys) on the typical busy day at WDW there can be 150,000 people strolling through The Magic Kingdom, Epcot Center and the Disney-MGM Studios – and every restroom is spotlessly clean – all the time!

To give you some insight into WDW a quick overview of the property should help.

THE MAGIC KINGDOM occupies less than 100 acres of the total 27,000 acres that form WDW, however, here lies the very heart of Disney and much of what the Walt Disney spirit is all about. There are seven distinct areas (or lands) in the Magic Kingdom. Main Street U.S.A. is the gateway to the park and begins at Liberty Square and ends at the Central Plaza just below and in front of Cinderella’s Castle. The Central Plaza acts as the central hub between lands.

Beyond Main Street, U.S.A. you will find Adventureland, Frontierland, Liberty Square, Fantasyland, Tomorrowland and the latest addition to the kingdom, Mickey’s Starland. Believe it or not, each of these land’s will hold something for both of you. Attractions and/or rides that I believe are a "must" for everyone include the following:

MAIN STREET, U.S.A. offers one of the railroad stations for the best overview of the entire kingdom. The train (no additional cost) travels around and through the entire kingdom and only takes 15 minutes for the total circular trip.

ADVENTURELAND has two out-standing slow and dry water rides – Jungle Cruise and Pirates of the Caribbean (both "musts")

In FRONTIERLAND the Country Bear Jamboree is a MUST SEE while you may or may not want to opt for Splash Mountain (as the name indicates) and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (runaway train).

LIBERTY SQUARE’S MUST is The Haunted Mansion while I always enjoy the relaxation (and break) of taking the riverboat ride (for the best views sit in the center either at the very front or the very back.)

FANTASYLAND offers a lot of fun (Cinderella’s Golden Carrousel if you’ve never had the opportunity to ride a real Carrousel) and three distinctive different attractions that are MUSTS. A very simple, low key boat ride first introduced by Disney in cooperation with Pepsi Cola at It’s A Small World. The second is 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea; a high key boat ride in a make-believe submarine. The third is a spectacular 70mm 3-D film called Magic Journeys.

While you are still in Fantasyland look for the Skyway tram – this takes you to Tomorrowland while giving you a great overhead view of this section of the kingdom.

In TOMORROWLAND are three big MUSTS (though if you’re not a roller coaster buff – forget about my first MUST – Space Mountain. Space Mountain is an individual car coaster – high speed – inside in the dark! This ride has been slowed down three times since I first went on it – it’s still VERY quick and lots of fun!!! For the more sedate among us another MUST is another throw back to the 64-65 World’s Fair – but is as timely now as it was then. GE, in conjunction with Disney, designed the Carousel of Progress which is a 22-minute (sit down) journey through the age of electricity, starring an audio-animatronics family (dog included.)

The third TOMORROWLAND MUST is Circlevision 360 American Journeys, a 20-minute film that offers you a 360 degree view of some of America’s greatest views.

The seventh and newest kingdom is MICKEY’S STARLAND a stage show starring Mickey and Friends – no MUST here but if the mode strikes you it’s a "fun" thing to see and do.

Then, if you haven’t had enough of the Magic Kingdom, there are barbershop quartets, marching bands, parades, ragtime piano, fireworks (when the park stays open to at least 10 PM) and more and more and more.

Then, if you still haven’t had enough of the Magic Kingdom and the live entertainment, there are shops and shops and shops.

Well, that was the "kids" main part of WDW buy my favorite place is at EPCOT CENTER. A short monorail ride from the Magic Kingdom lies the two worlds of EPCOT CENTER, FUTURE WORLD AND WORLD SHOWCASE. The grand geodesic dome known as Spaceship Earth greets you as you enter and, at last count, offering you 10 pavilions to visit – do them all – each has a ride and/or other attraction that is new, innovative and interesting, these pavilions are:

Spaceship Earth, CommuniCore West, The Living Seas, The Land, Journey into Imagination, World of Motion, Horizons, Wonders of Life, Universe of Energy, Communicore East

At the far end of Future World is a short bridge that takes you across to World Showcase Plaza and the lagoon which acts as the center piece to 11 international country’s pavilions. Each international pavilion offers the visitor insights into their world through rides, exhibits, shops and restaurants – all of these pavilions are excellent and you are likely to be in for some really wonderful culinary treats.

You can walk around the lagoon, visiting each pavilion in order, or you can take one of the two motor launches across the lagoon. We will take you clockwise (starting to your left) around the lagoon for a quick overview.

The Mexico Pavilion is first and one of the best and loveliest. Take the indoor boat cruise (6 minutes) and then, if you want great Mexican Food, stop in the San Angel Inn (also inside) which is the cousin of the famous restaurant, of the same name, in Mexico City!

Next pavilion along the lagoon is Norway with what is probably the best pavilion ride and show along the lagoon.

The China Pavilion follows and offers probably the best film (circlevision 360) in Epcot with some unexpected insight into China and its people. Then there is Nine Dragons the restaurant and if you think you like Chinese food, once you’ve eaten here, you’ll know you LOVE Chinese food!!!

The beer hall at the rear of the German Pavilion is always lively and coupled with the myriad of excellent small shops within the pavilion not only offer the visitor good shopping bargains but also excellent food and drink in a balcony rimmed courtyard Biergarten.