Guests looking to plan a Disney wedding might come across several unique park policies as they try to coordinate their plans within the parks. While many of Disney’s wedding guidelines for photography are pretty standard, there is one surprisingly weird rule for one of the most expensive wedding add-ons at the theme parks.
This strange rule caught our attention especially as it connects to recent changes to theme park lands and attractions at both Disneyland and Disney World. Here’s what couples should know before purchasing the most expensive photography add-on at Disney. Mickey Visit brings you the latest Disney news and planning resources, including all the details on having a Haunted Mansion-themed wedding and the surprising catch with Disney Fairy Tale Wedding dresses.
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Disney’s Most Expensive Photography Experience
Disney’s most expensive theme park photography experience is the Disney Fine Art Photography Park Portrait Sessions. Guests can only qualify for these theme park portrait sessions if they have had a wedding with Disney Fairy Tale Weddings, but expect to pay a premium price. If you want that iconic wedding in front of Cinderella Castle, you can expect to pay nearly $5,000 for the experience!
Couples that use Disney Fine Art Photography for their weddings get a reduced rate. Here is the current pricing for the Park Portrait Sessions, and the prices are steep:
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Magic Kingdom Park Portrait Session
- $3,675- For couples utilizing Disney Fine Art Photography & Video for their wedding ceremony
- $4,600- For all other Disney Fairy Tale Wedding couples
Magic Kingdom Park Plus Another Park or Disney Resort
- $4,725- For couples utilizing Disney Fine Art Photography & Video for their wedding ceremony
- $5,750- For all other Disney Fairy Tale Wedding couples
All Four Parks Portrait Session
- $6,615- For couples utilizing Disney Fine Art Photography & Video for their wedding ceremony
- $8,050- For all other Disney Fairy Tale Wedding couples
EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park
- $2,835- For couples utilizing Disney Fine Art Photography & Video for their wedding ceremony
- $3,450-For all other Disney Fairy Tale Wedding couples
The experience includes a one-hour photography experience with a photographer and an assistant. This also includes complimentary pickup in the lobby of your Walt Disney World Resort, a Jasmine album in black or pearl white, and a website, with copyright release, to download and view your images.
The only way guests are allowed to wear wedding attire in the theme parks is by purchasing one of these packages. Guests are not allowed to wear wedding attire in the theme parks or resorts otherwise, meaning the only way you can get photos in your wedding dress and suits is with this experience.
Yet, despite the high cost of this photoshoot and the main reason guests book it, guests cannot wear wedding attire in one area of Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
No Wedding Dresses Allowed in Star Wars Land
On the official webpage for the park portrait sessions for Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney shares this surprising rule: “If you are traveling to a galaxy far, far away, attire for this area must be submitted and approved by our team prior to the day of the session. Wedding attire is not permitted in any of our Star Wars themed areas.”
This means that couples have to change out of their wedding attire before having their photos taken in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. One of the preview photos on the website, shared below, shows a couple wearing cosplay outfits in this area of the park instead.
While the justification for this rule isn’t shared online, the reasoning likely tied to Disney’s long-standing (and slightly exhausting) commitment to preserve the integrity of the timeline for the land. This was one of our most frequent criticisms that Disney finally responded to by expanding the timeline to include the original trilogy characters this year and making new ride changes.
This is a strange rule to enforce, especially considering the high cost of a wedding portrait photo shoot in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, which costs $2835 for couples using the studio for their ceremony and costs $3450 for all other couples. At that high price, shouldn’t guests be allowed to wear wedding attire within the land? Guests are only permitted one hour for these portrait sessions, so couples wanting photos in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge would have to stop quickly and change into different outfits before entering the land, which cuts into their allocated hour. At that point, you’d essentially be paying thousands of dollars for a photoshoot unrelated to wedding gear, which is something you can just do during regular park hours.
Perhaps this rule should have been removed with the recent upheaval of changes in the land, especially since these changes were aimed at a flexible Star Wars guest experience. It could be that since the rule has been in place since the land opened, the rule hasn’t caught the attention of decision-makers for a while.
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The worry here from Disney seems to be that photos being circulated online of couples in wedding dresses and suits break the immersion of the land. It’s unclear how much a wedding photo in front of the Millennium Falcon breaks immersion for fans, but it’s likely the justification behind the rule.
But is it really that serious? What do you think?
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