Tag Archives: Chapman Photography

Featured Venue Fridays: The Boardwalk – Marvin Gardens

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This week’s Venue review is written by Disneymooner Dereka. To read more about her wedding and read her recaps, please go to our private forums.

If you’re looking for a reception venue that finds itself among the hustle-and-bustle of a 1940’s Atlantic City seashore, look no further than those at Disney’s Boardwalk Resort. Rooms are available for both large and small parties.

The beautiful St. James room seating up to 100 people has an additional benefit-you can have your cocktail party outside on the patio.

My own wedding was located in the Marvin Gardens room, which is slightly smaller than the St. James’ room, but these rooms can get split into three separate sections and Marvin Garden’s room was perfect for our intimate group of 10 people.

The ballrooms at the Boardwalk are a soft pink, which may or may not enhance your decor. It worked perfectly with the pink-and-silver theme that I used.

All the ballrooms at this location are very close to  The Boardwalk itself and a reason that many brides choose this location. There are many fun & unique photo options available!

The Boardwalk Resort is also right next to the beautiful Sea Breeze point, which could cut down on your transportation costs as your guests can walk directly from the ceremony to the reception. Imagine the look on your guests faces when they see Cinderella’s carriage coming around Crescent Lake!

Did you choose The Boardwalk for your wedding reception? What rooms did you use? We’d love to hear from you.

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A Disney Bride’s Favorite Moment: Katie

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Some of our Disneymooner Forum members have been sharing their favorite moments from their Disney Wedding

by Katie

Disneymooner Favorite Moment

I think that *my* favorite wedding memory was the walking into the American Adventure Rotunda and seeing how beautiful it looked and realizing that all my planning came together just as I always imagined!

Thank you for sharing your favorite moment Katie.  To read more Disneymooner’s favorite moments please visit our forums.

Featured Venue Fridays: China Pavilion

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This week’s Featured Venue post was written by Disneymooner Carrie.  To read more about her wedding please join our private forums.

A Bride in the China (shop) 

To be honest, we wanted the American Adventure Rotunda.  We got engaged back by the waterfalls at the Canada pavilion and in the time it took to walk over to America, we had decided.  No ifs, ands, or buts.  Jacob’s degree is in history and he has always loved that pavilion.  I loved the wide open space, the columns, the marble floors.  We were set.  And then fate stepped in to see us through…

Turns out, the American Adventure Rotunda was booked for our date, so we had some choices to make.  We had no idea China was even an option, so when we found out, we were definitely intrigued.  The China pavilion has always been impressive.  The space is elaborately themed and it just has a great awe factor.  We talked it over and decided it would be perfect.

Since the space is so colorful on its own, we were able to save a significant amount on our floral budget.  We decided to forego elaborate floral centerpieces in favor of more subdued, low , wide vases with river rocks and a single flower in each.  We went with standard white tablecloths and added black napkins (our colors were black and white with the occasional pop of red).

Our cocktail hour was in the “temple” part of the pavilion – the big domed rotunda.  The ceiling in there is incredible; I could stand there all day gazing up at it.  Two bars were set up in that space for the cocktail hour and once the reception started, one was moved into the main “ballroom.”  The cocktail hour and reception spaces were separated by a line of trees.  Our reception was held in the pre-show part of the pavilion.  The benches were moved to line the walls, which gave our guests a place to rest in between songs.  The dj was set up on the stage where there is normally a musician entertaining guests before the movie.  The dance floor area was set up right in front of the dj and the tables were set up like a regular ballroom.

We had a wonderful plated dinner but I know you can also have buffet dinners in China.  I believe the space will hold 120 people; we had 92 guests.  They can do amazing things with gongs and smoke and gobos, but that just wasn’t in our budget.  Honestly, I can’t say enough good things about China.  We loved it.  It was different, it was breathtaking, it was (and still is) a conversation starter.  It gave us such great opportunities for theming.  We had little chinese take out boxes filled with M&Ms as our favors.  Our cake had the Chinese symbol for happiness.  Our thank you notes had little fortune cookies with “thank you” fortunes.  It was such a fun theme to work with.  If I had it to do over again, we’d absolutely choose China without hesitation.  Basically, I would recommend China to anyone.

Please join us on our forums for more venues reviews and recaps.

Featured Venue Fridays: California Grill

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This week’s Featured Venue post was written by Disneymooner Heather, who used the main dining area for her wedding. Images are from Paul Triller Photography. To read more about her wedding and others please join our private forums.

The California Grill, located at Disney’s Contemporary Resort is a great choice for a bride and groom who want a view of the lakes and Magic Kingdom area.

You can fit up to 150 guests in the main dining room. Tables for 4, 6, 8, and 10 can be set up to accommodate your guests. The main dining room can be used for brunch and lunch receptions only. The Napa and Sonoma rooms can also be used for dinner receptions.

With wall-to-wall windows overlooking the Seven Seas Lagoon, Grand Floridian, Polynesian, and Magic Kingdom, guests will be stunned by the views. California Grill is perfect for a bride who likes minimal décor.

The food was absolutely amazing. We had a brunch buffet that the guests were still raving about months (and even a couple of years!) later. The chefs at the California Grill generally do not allow a tasting, but if you’ve ever eaten dinner there, you can get a very good idea of what type of meal you’re in for.

Brides and Grooms wanting to use this venue should consult their planner regarding which room and time frame will work best for their event.

Events in the main dining rooms area must end before 3 p.m.  Those couples who wish to plan their event to coincide with Wishes fireworks at the Magic Kingdom, could utilize the smaller private rooms : Napa and Sonoma. Stay tuned for a venue review of the Napa Room Next!

Here’s what Disneymooners are saying about California Grill on our forums:

To us the view said everything we wanted it to and more. Everyone kept asking us ‘Why Disney?’ before the wedding, and once they got to California Grill, they all said ‘Now we get it’. It was magical and perfect!’

– Heather (used main dining room)

Be sure to join our private forums to find out more detail on this venue including more pictures and wedding recaps.