Silver Anniversary: Wedding Pavilion at WDW Turns 25 Today
Today, the Disney’s Wedding Pavilion celebrates a quarter of a century of couples. While the House of Mouse’s origins as a House of Marriage stretch back to autumn 1991, it was on June 15, 1995 that the iconic permanent facility at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa began operation.
The company describes the Pavilion like this:
Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings crown jewel venue is steps away from flagship Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. Built on an exclusive island surrounded by Seven Seas Lagoon, the elegant pavilion offers the quintessential fairy tale setting for the perfect union. Swaying palm trees and lush landscapes envelop the solarium, which offers a picturesque backdrop of Cinderella Castle.
Located south of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, the 300-seat, non-denominational wedding pavilion can accommodate an intimate gathering of two to the grandest ball.
Today, we take a look back at the first Pavilion’s first wedding, and a few interesting facts about Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings & Honeymoons.
The first wedding
Have you been binge watching Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings on Disney+? Way back in 1995, the pilot episode of Lifetime series Weddings of a Lifetime featured the very first wedding at the Disney’s Wedding Pavilion.
David Cobb and Susanne Mackey from Cookeville, Tennessee were the lucky first couple in June 1995. Cobb had proposed at the Magic Kingdom, just ahead of the SpectroMagic parade.
Disney outdid itself on the first wedding.
For starters, the event’s soloist was Peabo Bryson. While the name might elicit blank stares, guaranteed you’ve heard his voice. He was the singer duetting with Celine Dion in “Beauty and the Beast”, and with Regina Belle in “A Whole New World,” both of which earned him Grammy Awards.
Susanne’s dress was designed by Randy Fenoli, of Say Yes to the Dress fame. While he has short hair now, the Tampa Bay Tribune described him “tossing his shining long locks from side to side,” as he waited for the bride.
Newspapers.com has the Tribune’s full article on the wedding: part 1, part 2.
Astoundingly, the Orlando Sentinel reported that an estimated 61 million people watched the hour-long special. To put that in perspective, that year’s Super Bowl reached 83.4 million viewers, and the Oscars were seen by 48.28 million Americans.
Not surprisingly, the show returned at least twice. In 1996, Jim and Carole Devine renewed their vows after 25 years of marriage, at the same ceremony where their daughter Kimberly wed Chris Parente. Their episode in 1998 covered the 10,000th wedding at Walt Disney World.
(Photo courtesy of Disney)
Fun facts
Disney started their wedding department in 1991, with 200 bookings. By 1995, it had already grown to 1000 ceremonies a year! As evidence of quality over quantity, the company has kept it to just 1200 marriages a year.
Disney has expanded to a surprising array of venues for weddings and receptions, in Florida, California, Hawai’i, and with Disney Cruise Line. There’s fifty venues at Walt Disney World alone, including the secret “Norway Loft” in Epcot, the simple but gorgeous Sea Breeze Point at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, and iconic spots like the American Adventure Rotunda at Epcot and the Tree of Life in Animal Kingdom.
Before the pavilion opened, many news outlets called it the Fairy Tale Wedding Pavilion”.
The recently renovated bridal studio (below) at the Wedding Pavilion is named Franck’s, a tribute the movie Father of the Bride.
According to Disney, “From intimate occasions to grand affairs, Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings gives couples the opportunity to leave all the planning in expert hands to personally customize one of the most memorable experiences of a lifetime.” (Photo courtesy Disney.)