Where to renew vows in disney?

Just throwing out ideas....

If you wanted to do AKL, what about doing it on the balcony at the Savannah overlooks?? It's not technically in your room, but it's not REALLY out in public and you could be discreet about it. Of course, random people (like me) would stop and watch, so maybe not...

What about BWI or BC and have pictures of the entire boardwalk in the background?

The Gazebo on the Boardwalk or The Lighthouse pier in from of the Yacht Club.

I don't understand. How would renewing vows be against any rules? People get engaged all the time at various places in WDW for example. I think the last thing anyone would do, especially a CM would be to interrupt someone renewing wedding vows. If people see any type of formal or informal ceremony going on between a couple, they will most likely just give you some space. I know I would.

I say just pick a spot you like and go for it.

The roof of the Contemporary would be cool. The observation deck outside of CG is large enough for a small group and the view of MK is really good.

Yes, that is also a really nice spot!

My guess (and it is just a guess, b/c renewing my vows isn't something I really have to worry about at this point so I don't have any first hand knowledge) is that part of it is b/c Disney wants you to book a package through them. An engagement is a quick event whereas a vow renewal may end up being more of a ceremony, with people to witness it and a little longer while the officiant says some words and then you exchange your vows. If Disney just starts letting everyone get married or have a ceremony where ever/whenever they want, it could interrupt the flow of traffic, cause disruptions, etc. For instance, can you imagine if someone wanted to have a ceremony somewhere in the park and just DID it? People would stop to watch and take pics, a crowd would gather, crowd control and flow could turn into a nightmare, particularly if it was a busy time. There are plenty of stories of people who have done it, but most of them are done on the DL without official Disney "knowledge".

I would think though, that if it was just the couple and the officiant and maybe 1-2 other people, you could probably do it on the sly somewhere, like the beach at the Beach Club without attracting too much attention. But Robyn is right, if you do it outside your room and it's against Disney's official policy, you do run the risk of a CM trying to shut you down and then that would just ruin the moment.

The room we just had at Saratoga (Springs 3623) would be nice because the balcony is centered on one of the springs, but it's not HA. Also, it's very picturesque, but not very "Disney". Pending construction patterns, on the beach at the Polynesian? Out near the boat docks at GF?

If you want to try to find a secluded place in a park, EPCOT in Italy (heck, the Ziti sisters did an impromptu vow renewal for us last month!), UK, or Canada right after WS opening might be nice and I feel like it would be fairly easy to be discreet at those places if your ceremony wont' be super long or complex.

Those are just off the top of my head--not sure if they fit with the feel that you're going for or not. I'm sure you'll find a place that is perfect for the two of you!

There's another thread around here somewhere that mentions it's against Disney rules to do a wedding or vow renewal on Disney property without going through official Disney channels. Except inside your own room, apparently. I'm sure a moderator will be along eventually to keep us all in line with the rules.

Ah, I see. I've never seen a vow renewal before so I guess I had in my mind that it's quite different than an actual wedding ceremony (being much shorter in length, smaller in scale and perhaps just the couple and one or two witnesses). If it's the same as a full blown wedding ceremony, I can understand the issue.

Aw that's a bummer! I mean, I understand why they have to be fussy about such things because it could get out of hand really quickly, but it seems that if you are discreet and you're not interfering with the other guests that they could let it slide.

Ken--I was kind of on the same wavelength with you. I'm picturing 5 minutes or less of "ceremony", snap a few pics, and everyone has a nice day. Certainly your ability to pull something like this off is extremely dependent on the scale of what you're planning!

That perfectly describes what I had pictured as a vow renewal.

Here I am - the voice of Doom!

Walt Disney World is private property and hence has the "right" to say what happens on its grounds. Wedding/Vow Renewal events that have not gone through Disney Fairy Tale Weddings are not sanctioned with the exception of the packages that you can have done on 'Characters in Flight.' If you get caught you can be ejected from the property and hit with a No Trespassing, Disney actually issues lots of these every year for various reasons. I am in no way encouraging "covert" ceremonies because they are against the rules (but they have been known to happen).

That being said - I am more than happy to talk about DVC properties that I think have beautiful views and balconies. Most DVC balconies are actually pretty small and don't make for a very good "stage." Those that do don't have great views or aren't very private.

I think that I personally would have to chose the Grand Floridian Villas with a Lagoon View. The resort grounds are lovely, it offers a double/triple balcony with the larger rooms, the rooms are stunning with a formal flair and the lagoon view is fairly private. You can check out the floor plans here http://dvcnews.com/index.php/resorts/grand-floridian/maps-a-photos

Don't you own there too?

In my opinion though the best space available to gather a group of people for a party is indeed the MK view Grand Villa at Bay Lake Tower. Because of it's 2-story design and open living room there is room for everyone to look out the big picture window and see whatever may be happening in front of it.

OOH! I was actually thinking Characters in Flight! But when we were on it, they were very specific about where everyone needed to stand to keep the weight balanced, so I didn't think the balloon operators would be on board with having any kind of ceremony take place on the balloon. It's really cool that they do special packages just for vow renewals and the like!

Yep! Here's a link to the company that provides them they also do them on the deck at Fulton's and at the House of Blues.
http://sensationalceremonies.com/locations-weddings/central-florida/intimate-weddings/characters-in-flight/

I'm putting in my vote for either BWV or BCV. I think it would be spectacular to have a Boardwalk view for a vow renewal.

Are you talking pics afterwards that are nice? OKW's grounds are so lush and green, I think you could easily find multiple venues...and with the boats and water options, lots of views.

You could probably ask for a room with a balcony that overlooks something pretty as well - aren't the 1 bedroom balconies relatively big?

We had a lovely view of a tree-lined golf course fairway when we stayed at OKW. The balcony could easily have held the couple, the officiant, and a guest or three, and additional guests watching from inside the living room/kitchen area would have a good view of what was happening on the balcony, assuming we're just talking a few people.

Here are a couple of photos. I don't have one of the balcony or of the view of the balcony from the living room. But the balcony-side windows are as big as the ones in the first photo, and then there's the actual glass balcony doors as well. The balcony was to the left in the first photo. The second photo shows the view from the balcony.

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For view I would totally vote for Boardwalk - the pictures on the Boardwalk afterwards would be amazing - we had our engagement shoot with Regina there at sunset in November just gone and it was absolutely perfect!

Oo lovely room upgrade!! I adore the boardwalk area, it's my new favourite area of the whole World I'm hoping to find points to rent for BWV for the imaginary trip I have planned for the ToT 10 miler in 2015 lol!

Love AKL! Great move Robyn!~