Monday, January 30, 2012

Disney Grand Californian Hotel Wedding, Disneyland Weddings


I just posted about the Grand Californian Hotel and here are some pretty photos examples of an elegant wedding reception set-up within the ballroom. 



I am in love with how beautiful the decor is for this reception. 

The candles, orchids and cake are stunning.

Photos from www.BleuCotton.com





Disney Grand Californian Hotel Wedding, Ballroom Reception

The Grand Californian Hotel is located in the Disneyland Resort. This is the only hotel on property that is semi-located within a park. A whole side of the hotel is attached to the Disney California Adventure Park. In fact many rooms of the hotel have a spectacular view of the park and some very lucky rooms have views facing the new World of Color show and the colorful Paradise Pier part of the park.

As much as I love the Disneyland Hotel because of its history and overall magical theme, the Grand Californian Hotel gives off a whole new level of elegance and whimsy, all on its own. The hotel is decorated in deep greens, browns and has a rustic, outdoorsy feel to the hotel. It is the perfect setting for a wedding that wants less "fantasy" and more elegance.


Entrance to the Grand Californian Hotel


The entrance to the hotel

The massive lobby of the hotel immediately gives off a different impression than the Disneyland Hotel. It is far more grand and has less Disney emphasis on its decor.

Such a beautiful lobby

Wedding aspect wise, this hotel is perfect for couples that are looking for a feel that is not overly Disney. I love how the Grand Californian ballrooms can be easily transformed into a beautiful reception space. 
Grand Californian Ballroom set-up. Definitely a different feel than the Disneyland Hotel Grand Ballroom.

With simple decor, the ballroom transforms into an elegant space.


Overall, the Grand Californian ballroom venue is a nice alternative for couples seeking a more refined Disney location. The ballrooms at the Grand Californian have neutral color palates that aren't too bold and can carry many different types of wedding decor theming.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Disney wedding invitations

This post is dedicated to wedding invitations. I have been looking through different designs and ideas. I know I really want to use something with a Disney theme, but not too much of a Disney theme. I want something subtle, something that is the right balance and not overly Disney. Although I am having a Disneyland wedding, I do not want my invitations to look like a kid's part invitation with all of Disney's characters on the front.

I like the elegance of this invitation. The castle isn't overly cartoony and I like the detailing on the card with texture and font.
Invites from www.thepartyblock.com


I am really loving this invitation. The border, the simple Minnie and Mickey ears and the "Happily Ever After" at the bottom all make this invitation a winner to me.



This Mickey and Minnie invite is cut, the Mickey border isn't too kid-ish. I would definitely change the colors to purple and magenta though.
Invites from www.impressions.com


There are lots of fun options to choose from. I am just so glad that there is a variety of invitations that involve Disney and aren't too cheesy! I love all of the choices that I have found, now the hard part, picking just one that I want to use!



Friday, January 20, 2012

Disneyland Weddings, Dream color palette

I am in love with bright color palettes! I have been thinking about colors for a few days now and I think I have narrowed down my choices to some vibrant color combinations.

Magenta and Purple. I love these two colors together, especially for a Disney wedding. There is something that screams "princess" but also has a touch of classiness to it all. Plus, I am sure there are plenty of pretty floral that we can use within these shades to complete a nice look to our big day.


Photo from Onewed.com



How pretty is this lantern decor? I like how easily the purples and pinks can be combined together. One of the many reasons why I think pink and purple will end up being my colors of choice.


photo from DesignsbyShay



How fun are these pink and purple Mickey Mouse cut outs? Perfect for some wedding crafts or tags.


Photo by Etsy


As you can see, there are plenty of fun ways to incorporate pink and purple into any wedding. I am hoping that I will be able to use these colors in my future Disneyland wedding in lots of creative ways, from flowers, to stationary to decorations. I can not wait to see how it al turns out!




Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Sleeping Beauty Pavilion, Disneyland Hotel


The Disneyland Hotel houses various different venues for both wedding ceremonies and receptions. One of the most popular locations at the hotel is the Sleeping Beauty Pavilion. It is easy to see why many brides choose this ballroom, it's beautiful! There are large open windows that go around the room, a fancy chandelier in the center of the room and the circular shape of the venue adds a sense of intimacy and coziness to any reception set-up. 


The Sleeping Beauty Pavilion back during renovations. Disney had frosted the windows to prevent guests from viewing the pool construction outside. The windows are now clear and look out onto the Disneyland Hotel pool. 

I also like how the decor shows the "swag" fabric around the room. I know this is an extra add on, but it does add some extra "style" to the room. I also really like the lanterns in the center of the room, creative.



Two set-ups of night receptions. I love the twinkle lights added into the drapery. It adds a nice light to the room making it very romantic.


As pretty as the Sleeping Beauty Pavilion is at the Disneyland Hotel, my heart is still set on the Grand Ballroom at the Disneyland Hotel. The Pavilion venue is great for a smaller wedding and when going for a "cozy" atmosphere. 

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Disney Wedding Cake ideas, Disneyland Weddings

Disney wedding cake overload tonight. My last post was all about cake toppers and I wanted to carry that theme over into this next post which is all about fairy tale wedding cakes.

This cake is fun and whimsical. I like the topsy turvy look to it, very Disney. I am still debating on my color scheme, but these colors seem to go nicely on this cake.


 Simple Mickey Mouse cake. I like the Mickey dot pattern around the cake, but I would change the topper to something else, maybe a Mickey and Minnie topper?


Fancy Mickey Mouse wedding cake. I love the quote on the cake, along with the Mouse ear topper and fancy Mickey pattern flowing around the tiers.



"And they lived happily ever after" cake. This is a front runner for cake designs. It is elegant, clean and Disney all at once. I like the castle topper, too.


Disney Castle cake. Another version of the castle cake, this time there is no writing, but the details are just as nice.

All photos from www.disneyfairytales.com


So many cake options, I do not know how I will be able to choose just one design, they are all so "magical".



Mickey and Minnie Cake toppers, Disneyland Weddings

Mickey and Minnie Mouse are the icons of Disney and a staple of Disneyland weddings, so why not incorporate them onto a Disney wedding cake? I was searching for some cake toppers and came across these cute Mickey and Minnie figurines that can also be used as potential cake toppers.

A Jim Shore Mickey and Minnie. It might be big for a cake topper but maybe it can be used as part of the cake table decorations? 
Photo from www.amazon.com



I love how elegant this Mickey and Minnie topper looks. 

Mickey Mouse carrying Minnie? I really like this figurine. 

Photos from www.ebay.com


So as you can see, there are lots of fun and different options to choose from when it comes to Disney style cake toppers. We are still a long way away from even choosing our cake design, but it is nice to know that there are lots of options when it comes to adding in a hint of Mickey and Minnie to our cake.

Monday, January 16, 2012

Disneyland Weddings, Disneyland Hotel Grand Ballroom

The Disneyland Hotel seems to be the hub of a lot of Disney Fairytale weddings. One spot that seems to really have a dazzle factor is the Grand Ballroom at the hotel. It is a very large and elegant location and does not seem to need a lot of extras to make it look great.

Disneyland Hotel's Grand Ballrom sure does have an elegant feel to the space. 
Photo from www.disboards.com

Another view of a Disneyland Hotel Grand Ballroom set up.
Photo from www.disboards.com

How magical would it be to get this Sleeping Beauty castle backdrop in the ballroom? 
Photo from www.disboards.com


I stumbled on this beautiful Disneyland Hotel Grand Ballroom reception on a Disney Weddings website. I loved how fun and sophisticated their wedding looked.

Photos found from http://www.disneyweddingblog.com/2010/12/wedding-spotlight-nyra-jr.html
The colors of yellows give the room a great pop. 

A wedding cake with Mickey Mouse? How cool! I also love the lighting of the room in this picture.

How pretty is the ballroom's chandelier? It is stunning, a picture perfect backdrop for any reception


The Grand Ballroom is now on the short list of possible future Disney wedding locations. I think the Disneyland hotel has such a great variety of areas to choose from, all with their own look and feel to them. The hotel is definitely a great choice for any Disney bride.

Disneyland Weddings, Disney Inspired Princess dresses

Disney teamed up with bridal gown maker, Alfred Angelo to come up with a collection of wedding gowns inspired by the Disney princesses like Ariel, Tiana, Aurora, Cinderella, Snow White and of course, Belle! Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite animated movies so it is fitting that I am in love with her dress.

So much intricate detail on the bodice. 

The dress truly screams, Belle. So pretty.

This may be the perfect wedding gown...

All photos by AlfredAngelo.com

It is still so early in my wedding planning stages that I am sure I will gush over a million more dresses, but this one has definitely captured my heart!

Disneyland Wedding, Cinderella Coach

Disneyland wedding's Cinderellla's coach is beyond words beautiful. The coach is the perfect princess touch to any wedding and to arrive in such a fairytale way to a wedding would be a dream come true.

Disneyland Wedding's fairytale coach.

What a way to arrive to your wedding ceremony. Photo from the Festival of Brides.

I need to double check the pricing on this feature as I am hearing that it is well about $2,000 to use the coach! Crazy how pricey Disney wedding features can be, but the memory of arriving to your wedding like a true princess must be priceless. 

I don't know if my fiance will be happy with spending such a huge amount on something like a wedding coach, but you never know, wedding dreams may come true....

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Disneyland Wedding Locations, Rose Court Garden

There are so many Disneyland wedding locations to choose from that seem to fit every size and budget for any couple. Here is a pick of mine for a potential ceremony venue.

Rose Court Garden at the Disneyland hotel. This seems to be the a popular ceremony spot for Disney brides and grooms and I can see why. I used to walk by this little garden area when my family and I would visit the Disneyland resort and think that it was so pretty. There is a time of the year where the roses all bloom together and it creates a beautiful backdrop for the garden. I also really like the white gazebo at the end of the aisle. It looks like you do not even need a lot of decorations or flowers to dress up the garden area, it is pretty as is.
Rose Court Garden at the Disneyland hotel.

A ceremony set up with fewer decorations. Still very pretty.
Night time picture of the Rose Court Garden. Very dramatic.


You can see the roses in bloom int his photo. The night ceremony set up is so pretty.

As you can see from the pictures, this is a very beautiful ceremony location. I think I really like the night set up, it really adds something special to the area. My fiance is not too keen on night weddings, but I have a feeling that I may be able to sway him into liking this location. This is definitely a favorite of mine.

About this Disneyland bride

I have spent a good part of today brainstorming about Disneyland weddings and ideas. I found lots of fun photos and information that I am sure I will be posting about on here later on.

For starters I thought I would share a little about myself and why I started this blog. I am usually a very private person and have never been into social networking or getting involved on online forums, but the blog world has always been an exception. I like the idea of having my own little space online to write and share ideas, especially wedding ideas. I feel like this blog is like my little wedding palette to explore new ideas and share great finds. This is kind of like my own thinking bubble, but with Disneyland weddings.

So who exactly is behind Disneyland Wedding Dreams? My name is Cyn and I am 24 years old and engaged to a wonderful man. My fiance asked for me to keep most of our personal details private, like photos and such, as he hates being found on the "web. Anyway, back to our story, I met my fiance back in college when he sat in front of me in class. I had dropped a pen that rolled down to his chair, he turned around to hand it back to me, let's just say the rest is history. Not very exciting, but it definitely led to something great.

We have been together for 5 years and he popped the question this past Christmas season. I have always wanted a Disneyland proposal in front of the castle but it did not happen that way. We planned to go to the parks the day after Christmas but I caught something and ended up being terribly sick. I was so sad we couldn't go to the parks, so my fiance tried to cheer me up and hosted a Disney movie day filled with my favorite animated films. During the last movie, my favorite, Beauty and the Beast, my fiance brought over a tray of soup, crackers and a cup of OJ and when we placed down the tray there was a ringbox next to the soup! He went through how he was going to do pop the question if we went to the parks, in front of the castle like I always dreamed. He had to go with plan B since I got sick, but I couldn't be happier at how it all happened.
Sleeping Beauty castle proposal? More like a stay at home sick day proposal.

It has been a full on wedding planning mode for the both of us since the proposal. I have always dreamed of getting married at Disneyland, which little girl hasn't? Disney has always been a huge part of my life and my fiance knows how happy it makes me so it was easy to figure out that we wanted a Disneyland wedding. Now I am here today with the Disneyland Wedding Dreams blog to do just that, dream up my fairy tale wedding.


Disneyland Castle Wedding

I am just in the very early stages of wedding planning and of course like every bride, I'm searching the web for inspiration.I have always loved Disneyland, I grew up literally going to the parks every weekend with my family. Naturally when picking a wedding location Disneyland is the first place that came to mind.

My ultimate dream would be to get married in Disneyland, not a hotel wedding but centered right in the middle of the park at the Sleeping Beauty castle. How cool would that be? Unfortunately through my searches it looks like this option is way way way too expensive for us at a minimum of $100,000 plus for the basic package. I can think of a million different things I could do with $100,000 besides having a castle wedding, as cool as that would be, it is just not practical. Kudos to those that can afford such a feat. I guess I'll be left dreaming of one, maybe if I win the CA lotto.

It is fun to look at castle wedding photos and dream of what could be. Here are some that I came across on google:





A dream for so many, only to be accomplished by so few. I guess that is why it is called an ultimate dream wedding.

Over the top Disneyland wedding.

I take no credit for these photos, they were all found on a google search for Disneyland castle wedding.



Thursday, January 12, 2012

Disney Fairy Tale dreaming...

First post of the year. Dedicating this blog to all things Disney wedding related in prep for my own fairy tale affair in the future.