Disney Wedding Podcast

On today's episode, Lyra Vega Bridal owner Lilian Hung joins me for a look at everything you need to know about ordering a custom bridal gown online. Lilian's frustration with her own wedding gown search made her want to bring transparency and reasonable pricing to the bridal industry while filling a need for Disney princess-worthy ballgown-style dresses, which many online retailers don't offer due to high shipping prices. Eliminating the "plus-size tax" was another goal: None of her company's gowns cost extra for larger sizes—in fact, the website eliminates sizing altogether because each gown is custom made to the customer's measurements. And while most wedding gowns take up to eight months to arrive and then require further pricey alterations before they actually fit, Lyra Vega gowns arrive in just eight weeks and don't require alterations because they are made to measure.

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This week, Emily Roberto shares the story of her Italy Plaza ceremony at EPCOT, which she and Nick planned in just one month after their original wedding plans were cancelled twice due to COVID-19. They chose the Italy Pavilion because they wanted an in-park event and both come from large Italian families! Today you'll hear where they splurged and where they saved to make their dream Disney wedding a reality, including treating their guests to brunch at Raglan Road and drinking around World Showcase instead of a formal reception. You'll also hear Emily's top advice for anyone considering a Disney wedding.

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Today, Aleshia Valance shares the story of her ceremony at the Wedding Pavilion, cake and Champagne celebration at the Grand Floridian Convention Center, and reception at Paddlefish. She and Cameron originally planned to follow their ceremony with an evening reception at California Grill. But when Disney canceled all fireworks shows due to the pandemic, Aleshia and Cameron decided to switch to brunch at Paddlefish, which they'd fallen in love with when they dined there on the trip that would have been their honeymoon. Today, Aleshia shares where she saved (floral and décor) and where she splurged (Cinderella's Glass Coach) for her wedding and offers her top advice. She also discusses why she added an appearance by Mickey and Minnie at the last minute, even with the COVID restrictions still in place—and how glad she was that she did!

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This week, Jasmine Navarro shares the story of her UK Courtyard ceremony and Terrace des Fleurs celebration at EPCOT. She and Stephen were originally told their first choice, the UK Pavilion, would be unavailable due to construction, and they chose the Wedding Pavilion instead. But when COVID-19 altered the park's plans, they were able to have their wedding in UK Courtyard after all! Today, Jasmine shares all the ways they were able to save money on the wedding so they could afford a portrait session inside Magic Kingdom, including choosing a weekday; taking their guests to Art Smith's Homecomin' instead of having a full reception; and passing on characters, floral and décor (except for Jasmine's bouquet, which was made by her mom!). You'll also hear Jasmine's top tip for anyone planning a Walt Disney World wedding.

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Today, Erika Exnicios shares the story of her 2019 ceremony at the Wedding Pavilion, pre-reception at Italy Isola, and reception at American Adventure Rotunda. Erika and Evan fell in love on a trip to Walt Disney World and got engaged at Tower of Terror, so Disney was the perfect setting for their Beauty and the Beast-themed wedding! Today you'll hear how they customized their wedding with floral, decor and entertainment, including an appearance by the English Butler and a live painting completed over the course of the reception. Erika also shares the story behind her caped gown and Evan's custom suit, complete with Walt Disney's autograph in the lining!

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This week, Christy Carey shares the story of her Crescent Terrace ceremony at the Swan & Dolphin and Paddlefish reception. She and Mike wanted to be married at Disney but also needed cost-effective and flexible venues that would allow them to choose all their own vendors. Today you'll hear how Christy chose those vendors, where she saved and splurged, and what ended up being her favorite memory of the day.

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Today, Mystee Ipong shares the story of her ceremony at EPCOT's Italy Pavilion, meal at Sea Breeze Point, and dessert party at the Whitehall Room & Patio—plus a welcome party at Animal Kingdom's Tamu Tamu Courtyard and ride mix-in on Avatar Flight of Passage! When Mike and Mystee had to cancel their 400-person hometown wedding due to COVID-19, they decided to add a smaller wedding to their honeymoon at Walt Disney World. In this episode you'll hear how Mystee surprised Mike with an appearance by Steamboat Willie at their dessert party, her favorite menu items from each of her events, and why she had to hide in a closet before the ceremony!

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This week, Alex Gonzales shares the story of her ceremony at the Wedding Pavilion, reception at the Grand Floridian Ballroom Salons VI-IX, and after-party at Pixar Alley in Disney's Hollywood Studios! She discusses the best decisions they made for their COVID-era wedding, including the menu items they loved the most, how glad they were to have Mickey and Minnie (even with physical distancing), and how much fun their dessert party and Tower of Terror ride mix-in were, even without a showing of Fantasmic! Plus Alex shares her top tip for other couples: Making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in the middle of your wedding is a unique unity ceremony AND a great way to sneak a snack into a hectic day!

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Today, Taralyn Cyccone shares the story of her February 2020 Canada Terrace ceremony and Living Seas Salon reception in EPCOT. Making budgetary tradeoffs like having a mid-week brunch and doing DIY décor allowed Taralyn and Christopher to afford all their must-have items for the wedding, including a surprise appearance by Mickey and Minnie! Today, she shares tons of great money-saving tips, including how she was able to bring her own centerpieces to a theme park reception by putting numbers on them so they'd qualify as table numbers instead. She even has advice for saving money on your wedding gown!

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This week, Amber Farrow shares the story of her epic elopement on Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats after her Disney's Fairy Tale Wedding at Sea Breeze Point was pushed back a year due to the pandemic. Due to 50 mph winds and rain, she and James ended up doing their ceremony twice: once for the few family and friends who were able to make it to the site, and again for all their guests the following day! A few months later, they held a Disney-themed reception for those who won't be able to attend their rescheduled Walt Disney World ceremony. Today, Amber shares lots of great tips for bringing Disney to your at-home wedding, including the story behind her all-wood (really!) bouquet and the giant "fire extinguisher" balloon arch over their Wall-E wedding cake! She also offers her best advice for anyone whose wedding plans are still up in the air due to the pandemic.

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