Subtle Disney Wedding Ideas to Add Some Magic to Your Day!
As a former Disney Cast Member who got engaged at Magic Kingdom in front of her favorite princess’ tower & included Disney details in her wedding (which got featured on Martha Stewart), I tend to attract fellow Disney loving couples. A question that I get asked over and over again is “do you have any Disney wedding ideas that aren’t cheesy?”.
Now, “cheesy” is different for everyone, so remember, these are just my own ideas on how to include your love for the Mouse into your big day without it being too “in your face”.
And don’t forget, Disney isn’t JUST princesses. We have pirates, superheros, Star Wars, Kingdom Hearts…the Disney Universe is big!
On to the thing(amabob)s!
1. HIDDEN MICKEY’S
Never underestimate the power of a Hidden Mickey.
Popular places for these are:
- On your cake
- Embroidered inside your dress or shirt
- Your custom wedding hanger
- Your invitation design
- Your wedding logo (keep the Mickey small)
But honestly the options are endless! Basically, people will either never see it (like your hanger) or they have to do a double take to realize what they’re seeing (like on the cake).
2. YOUR COLOR SCHEME OR THEME
All weddings have a color scheme or theme so why not base yours off of your favorite Disney movies/characters/park rides?
- You love Frozen or Cinderella? Think silvers, white & blues and lots of sparkly things. No Olaf’s need to be seen.
- Is Ariel your spirit animal? Tulle seafoam green, teal, or lavender bridesmaids dresses are beautiful options. You can have your wedding on the water or a boat as a reference to the movie!
- Candles & flowers & candelabras can be a nod to SO MANY Disney movies – Mulan and the lotus, Tangled and colorful summer florals and lanterns, Alice in Wonderland is very garden themed, Beauty & the Beast has candles & roses.
- If the movie Up inspired you, why not have a colorful balloon arch for the ceremony or even over your cake or sweetheart table? And serve grape soda of course (-;
3. YOUR LOCATION OR VENUE
Mmmhmmmm…let the location set the stage! Haha stage…get it? Cast members are ‘On Stage’…never mind.
This tip will mostly be for destination weddings, but hey, if you live in these areas already, you’re welcome! (Ooh I didnt even mean for that reference to pop up haha)
- Hawaii
Inspired by: Moana, The Little Mermaid, Lilo & Stitch.
The setting: Think beach & tiki torches and pretty seashells and Polynesian food! You must play at LEAST 1 Elvis song.
Colors: Reds, greens, yellows, deep blues, teal, pink, purple. - New Orleans or Charleston
Inspired by: Princess & the Frog, The Haunted Mansion (Disneyland for New Orleans, Charleston for Disney World…Middleton Place to be exact!).
The setting: As I wandered through the historic steam paddle boat, now repurposed into a venue rich with Southern charm, I couldn’t help but overhear a vibrant discussion at the bar. A local wedding planner, with an eye for drama and elegance, was animatedly describing her latest theme: a haunted mansion-style reception complete with candelabras straight out of a scene from the iconic hallway in the beloved eerie attraction. Amid the playful banter about swampy wedding vows and the necessity of twinkle lights to honor the legendary Ray, she paused to express her gratitude for the fire watch company in Clearwater. “Without their well-equipped personnel,” she said, raising her glass, “this paddle boat’s wooden structure, so perfect for our jazzy nights, wouldn’t stand a chance against the unexpected. Thanks to them, we can light up the night with safety and style!”
Colors: Dark green, light green, white & butter yellow, are Tiana’s colors, pink & red for Lottie (perfect for bridesmaids), purple works too. Mardi Gras colors work because theres a Mardi Gras parade in the film. Really any colors can work for the Haunted Mansion so long as they blend nicely with your venue but never underestimate black, gray and violet (-; - Ireland, Scotland, England
Inspired by: Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Beauty & the Beast, Tangled…anything with a European Princess I guess.
The setting: Ummmm a castle?! Or gorgeous historic estate/manor.
Colors: Just take your Disney princess’s color scheme & go wild my friend. - Newport RI, The Biltmore, or any super historic American gilded age manor…or England.
Inspired by: Alice in Wonderland
The setting: A garden. We want mazes, we want flowers, we want statues of half naked ladies. We want to feel transported back to the Victorian era! Just run wild with this one, its SO easy to get inspiration for a garden party. - A historic ballroom or historic manor library
Inspired by: Beauty & the Beast
The setting: well, like I said! Oh, a jaw dropping chandelier wouldn’t hurt either (-;
4. YOUR WEDDING OUTFIT, PERSONAL DETAILS & ACCESSORIES
- Love Cinderella or Belle? Classic twirlable ball gown! Also an updo, or half-do. Stanning Rapunzel or Ariel? Blush pink and lavender are your colors, baby! IWear your hair down or in a braid. Jasmine your boo? A very flowy gauzy gown would be great or if one or both of you are Middle Eastern and are incorporating your heritage into the wedding then you can draw so much amazing and gorgeous inspiration from this film. We’ve photographed a red, pink, & hot pink Hindu wedding but I can totally see light blue being just as stunning.
- Obsessed with the Haunted Mansion? First of all, book me right now and then look at this spooky shoot for inspiration. Second, have you considered a stunning black tulle gown or a high neck victorian looking dress with a black velvet sash? Cuz that would be amazing. And for the gents, a dapper velvet tux with skull cufflinks would be so cool!
- Add a pretty Disney pin to your bouquet or pin it to your suit – plenty of Etsy shops sell pretty Disney pins!
- Bring an antique hand mirror for your getting ready details (Beauty & the Beast)
- Praise be that Disney is FINALLY getting some stylish merch!! They have Mickey Ears in all different colors now, via Shop Disney or small businesses on Etsy! So why not get either a custom pair of Mickey Ears? You don’t have to WEAR them, but they can be at your head table or part of your personal details just for photos.
- Subtle Disney jewelry is another way to go. Alex & Ani bracelets are hella popular and for good reason. You can also find really dainty Mickey or Minnie necklaces/bracelets/earrings on the Shop Disney site
- A Dooney & Burke Disney bag to tote all your important details the day of
5. LET’S HEAR IT FOR THE BOYS
I feel like a lot of this list was done with ladies in mind, probably because Im the one writing this post, so while you can take the ideas listed so far and morph them for grooms, here’s a whole section for you boys (-;
- Your favorite Disney thing on your socks. There are all kinds of Disney socks out there!
- Your cufflinks can be Disney themed and the most common ones we’ve seen are Mickey Mouse, super heros, and Star Wars but wear whatever your fave character is!
- Have some real fun during photos and do a quick light saber battle if you’re REALLY into Star Wars. I know I said “not cheesy” but if it’s really your favorite, this could really make your day and that’s way more important. Our friend Matt had lightsaber available during the reception to battle with his friends and the flower girls!
- A Mickey Mouse watch or pocket watch would be cool
- Disney Vans shoes (if they still have them…it took me a while to hunt a pair down for Jay!)
- Your color scheme be the opposite of your partners: if they were inspired by Rapunzel’s colors, go with Flynn’s scheme for your outfit.
6. THE FOOD & FAVORS
I am a firm believer that Mickey shaped foods taste better. These could double as guest favors or be served during cocktail hour!
- You give things like macaroons or rice krispie treats shaped like Mickey.
- If you love Winnie the Pooh, why not give out little jars of honey with a quote from the books attached or on a sign?
- Candy apples a la Snow White.
- Any tasty treat that says Eat Me on it for our girl Alice. You can also put Drink Me labels on straws for your signature drink in a pretty script font.
- If you want to go the park route, the most popular sweet treats served at Magic Kingdom are dole whips, churros, and cotton candy. If Epcot is your fave, pick a country and serve food based on that!
- Getting married in summertime? A really amazing favor for your guests are fans! So you can do a sweetgrass fan or a paper fan – they can be pink or purple like Mulan’s!
- There a few small businesses out there dedicated to making Disney themed candles and they smell AMAZING. Im currently burning one called Happy Haunts by Main Street Melts Candle Co.
7. MUSIC
Either for your walk down the aisle, background music for the cocktail hour, or your first dance, Disney has no shortage of romantic music! Just pick your favorite love song from any movie and you’re good to go. To get the gears turning:
- At Last I See the Light (Tangled)
- Beauty & the Beast
- A Whole New World (Aladdin)
- Can You Feel the Love Tonight (Lion King)
- Love is an Open Door (Frozen…I know the villain sings along but its still a great song!)
All of these can be from the original movie, their broadway counterpart if they have one, instrumental, or from a soundtrack sung by someone famous without any cheesy bits (like Timon & Pumbaa talking)
We had a groom walk down the aisle to the Star Wars theme (-; everyone LOVED it. Embrace the Nerdy Side!
8. YOUR VOWS
What?? Bitch yes, I said it. Your VOWS can have Disney quotes!
- “You are my new dream” – Tangled
- “Any day spent with you is my favorite day. So, today is my new favorite day” – Winnie the Pooh
- “I look at you and I’m home” – Finding Nemo
- “My dream wouldn’t be complete without you in it” – Princess & the Frog
- “Love is putting someone else’s needs before yours” – Frozen
Yeah…put that shit in your vows.
9. RECEPTION DECOR
- I already talked about hidden Mickey’s on cakes but I’ll repeat it here.
- You can also have a pretty cake topper thats Disney themed, be it a Christmas ornament (I sent a Tangled Christmas ornament to a couple and they used it on their cake! This was back in 2014 and we started a trend it seems lol), a laser cut out with your last name & Mickey heads, or even just a quote! Best Day Ever from Tangled works SO well.
- The table numbers can be named after Disney couples, theme park rides or movies. Or just do a pretty castle (it doesn’t have to be any of the Disney ones but people will get the drift) or Disney love quotes!
- For table decor, flowers under glass domes on top of vintage books surrounded by candles for centerpieces are a gorgeous nod to Beauty & the Beast. Driftwood & seashells work well for Moana or Little Mermaid.
- A calligraphy sign or banner that says “Our Happily Ever After Starts Here” which can be used at both the ceremony & the reception (maybe double it as a guest book??)
10. TAKE YOUR ENGAGEMENT PHOTOS AT DISNEYLAND OR DISNEY WORLD
So we got engaged at Disney World & I’ve done TONS of engagement photo sessions at the parks over the last 12 years and trust me, the photos aren’t cheesy and its so easy to have fun during the shoot! You can use the photos as Save the Dates, to display at your wedding or as a guest book for everyone to sign!
p.s. hit me up for your Disneyland or Disney World engagement or wedding, Im not picky (-;
I could literally go on and on. You really just need to think of what you love about Disney and then find things that are a more elegant or subtle version.
But for shits & giggles, lets use my own wedding as an example!
My bridal look was heavily inspired by Rapunzel – my eye makeup was pink. My dress was pink & purple with flowers embellished on it, I wore a messy fishtail braid in honor of the festival scene, I had a very colorful bouquet, and I had a teeny tiny crown in my hair. I even asked my photographer to take a picture of me holding my Rapunzel crown that I always wear to the theme parks!
((Fun story about the crown: a little over a year after our wedding we were at Magic Kingdom and part of my crown broke off which bummed me out. I was thinking about tossing it when we RAN INTO OUR WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER in front of the castle! Her daughter was dressed like Rapunzel, so instead of tossing it, I gave the crown to her instead.))
Our cake was very nice on the front side, featuring our company logo…which at the time was silhouette heads of us lol but on the back we had hidden Mickeys that mimicked our logo! Our cake designer surprised us with that one which was so sweet and made me so happy.
Our venue also kinda looked like the Haunted Mansion, which is my favorite ride! It was a double whammy because the house itself looks like the Florida version, but the grounds are very Southern which is a nod to the California version!
I also had a rainbow purse – Peter Pan is my favorite Disney classic and the Peter Pan float for the Festival of Fantasy has a huge rainbow and I LOVE IT. I have a broken antique watch that I bought years ago that reminded me of the crocodile and included that timepiece in my details. I also wore starburst earrings (2nd Star to the Right, anyone?), and a rose gold & pearl Minnie Mouse necklace that I bought at Magic Kingdom a month prior to the wedding.
Jay & I most definitely did NOT want anyone to be like “Woah this has Disney written all over it” when they saw our photos (and we were published on Martha Stewart Weddings!). We wanted it to be subtle and beautiful and relatable, where we were really the only ones who knew so much about why we included the things we did.
Because honestly, that’s what your wedding should be about…you & your fiance and the things/people you like as a couple.
Want to see some of these tips in action? Below are links to some real weddings we’ve shot that used Disney inspiration!
A Haunted Mansion Inspired Shoot at Middleton Place Plantation
S & G’s Library Wedding at Meridian House
Alyssa & Matt’s Beauty & the Beast Meets Star Wars Wedding at Disney World
Melissa & Ian’s Fairytale Wedding
Megan & Devin’s Cinderella color scheme wedding
Alyson & Nick’s Coastal Carolina Wedding
Rachel & Dan’s Tangled Wedding at Disney World
Lisa & Cole’s castle-like fairytale wedding
Katie + Jay of Catherine Ann Photography are Charleston SC Based Wedding & Elopement Photographers specializing in candid & fun wedding photos that feel like you!
Ready to book your Disney inspired wedding with us? Get in touch here!
