You see, his very first Disney World vacation was in 1985. To prepare, he bought a copy of the Birnbaum Disney guide before his trip. He loved it. It was useful, gave great descriptions, and even worked as a souvenir since the pictures were so awesome. He’s been a Birnbaum fan ever since, and it’s the only Disney guide book that we’ve ever used.

The thing of it is, even though we know Disney World inside and out now, we still buy a Birnbaum Walt Disney World for whatever year we’re going, and often, even if we’re not planning a trip for that current year! This year it’s the Birnbaum’s Walt Disney World 2010, and last year it was Birnbaum’s Walt Disney World 2009, and next year it’ll be Birnbaum’s Walt Disney World 2011. And yes, we did visit our favorite place on earth last year, and yes, we’re going again this year. Next year, who knows? But we’ll certainly have the guidebook.

The Birnbaum Disney 2010 is very similar to the Birnbaum Disney 2009, but there are of course differences. Walt Disney World has introduced new rides, upgraded old ones, changed a few eateries, and in general, has continued to tweak its offerings in order to be more appealing to the public. Birnbaum travel guides have to keep up with these changes.

There is a lot involved in making this book every year, and while it’s not useful for frequent travelers to the Disney parks, it’s an ideal guidebook for first time visitors, or those who haven’t been to the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM), or Disney’s Animal Kingdom in several years. Much like Disney’s Mom’s Panel, the Birnbaum authors travel to the parks and Disney hotels just like any other guest, wait in line like any other guest, and eat like any other guest. And just like the Mom’s panel, they are official guides, and therefore have access to information that most of us can’t get without getting really lucky or working really hard.

The Birnbaum Disney books will tell you the basics about every ride, show, and attraction in the theme parks, the water parks, the mini-golf courses, the hotels, the restaurants, the golf courses, the campground, horse riding, para-sailing, spas, and every other amenity and activity located within Walt Disney World’s 40-some square miles.

There are also maps in the Birnbaum guide to Disney World, and in the very back are coupons for Disney’s Vero Beach and Hilton Head Island, as well as several of the tours offered in the parks, swimming with the dolphins, House of Blues, the Lego shop, and the mini-golf courses.

You can click here to read reviews on the Birnaum Disney World 2010.

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Think of the poor souls who got married in the 80’s. How often do you see those photos sitting out where just anyone can see them? Not many! Who would want to be reminded that they once thought aquanet and puffy polyester sleeves was chic?

In this age of being green, do you really want to add to ecological cost of producing yet another humongous dress that can only be worn once? If it’s man made material, it’ll be contributing to the world’s pollution problems, if it’s natural fibers, how can you be sure they were harvested responsibly? And worse, the less expensive wedding gowns (and many of the pricier versions as well) were originally sewn in sweatshops! The finishing work may have been done locally by a professional, but the majority of the work is usually handled in the same types of shops that the rest of our clothes are made in.

One thing is certain, true style never goes out of style. Antique and vintage wedding gowns are ecologically sound (true recycling, people!), are less likely to have been sewn in sweat shops, and you’ll never be embarrassed to have your trendy friends see your wedding photos 20 years from now. If you really want to make a statement, you can help your friends find vintage bridesmaid dresses to suit the theme. All the dresses may not match, but the popular thing now is to let the bridesmaids choose their own dresses, and simply stick to a similar style or color. If you live in a large enough area, this shouldn’t be too difficult.

Besides, choosing a vintage wedding dress and vintage bridesmaid dresses will likely save you a lot of money, which is most valuable of all if you’re getting married at Disney!

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So what kind of a wedding can you have at Walt Disney World?

Disney World Wedding Locations:

Technically, you can get married almost anywhere on Disney property for a price. However, the Disney wedding planners provide a selection of their standard locations that are set aside for weddings and vow renewals, as well as some of the more popular alternatives.

1. Disney’s Wedding Pavilion

This is one of the most popular locations for a Disney World wedding as it’s enclosed (perfect no matter the weather), and has a stunning view of Cinderella’s Castle. It’s located just down the white sand beach by the Grand Floridian, and is beautiful. The site fee is approximately $3000 and applies to the Disney Wedding minimum charge.

2. Sea Breeze Point at Disney’s Boardwalk Resort

This is a lovely white gazebo located at Disney’s Boardwalk Resort. There is no view of Cinderella’s Castle here, but the much lower site fee ($2000) makes that one concession worthwhile for many couples.

3. The Wedding Gazebo at Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club Resorts

The charming white gazebo (complete with heart patterns) is set in a rose garden. As with the Sea Breeze Point location, the site fee is approximately $2000, which counts towards the minimum charge for a Disney wedding.

4. Park Locations

The listed locations on the Disney Weddings website are: In front of Cinderella’s Castle at the Swan Boat Landing, in Epcot at Italy, France, Germany, Japan, China, and the UK. The Epcot locations have a site fee of $2,000 and up, and require ALL arrangements to be made through Disney vendors.

Reception halls are available in the Grand Floridian, Boardwalk, and Yacht & Beach Club resorts.

Now, if you’re willing to cut into your kids’ college funds, you can get married nearly anywhere on property. The rose garden in front of Cinderella’s Castle is always popular, and weddings have been performed actually inside the Haunted Mansion and Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. Wouldn’t a wedding in the Walt Disney World Railroad station be romantic? Or even on one of the trains as it’s chugging through Frontierland? Maybe even a quiet ceremony under the shade of the Tree of Life in Disney’s Animal Kingdom! The possibilities are limited only by your budget and your imagination. And possibly your guest list.

How much does it cost to get married at Cinderella’s Castle?

Tighten your girdles for this one girls- no less than $28,000. Now, this is the minimum total for ALL of your wedding arrangements for the day of the wedding- reception and transportation included. This is still quite a high price, but I’ve heard of much worse for non-Disney weddings. If you’re planning for a fancy wedding anyway, the Disney World option could prove to be rather economical!

How much does it cost to get married at not Cinderella’s Castle?

Bare minimum charge for a wedding on Walt Disney World property is $10,000 in 2009 and will be going up to $12,000 in 2010. This is with their bare bones (still elegant and charming) plans during the value season. On average, you’ll spend between $15,000 and $25,000 for your wedding day on Disney property.

How do I plan my Disney World Wedding?

The first step is to contact the official Disney Wedding Planners and request an information packet. You’ll be dealing with Disney directly for all of your arrangements- even if you don’t get your officiant, photographer, or flowers through Disney, your wedding planner will need to know about your plans.

Did you know that Disney can even handle your dress requirements? It’s true, even if you want something a bit out of the ordinary, say, a red wedding dress? If they can’t help provide you with the perfect dress, they can certainly help in your finding arrangements for it.

The people at Disney are all professionals, and they plan these magical memories daily for people like you, who want to make their favorite place a part of their future. Disney World weddings are certainly the way to go for people who want their perfect day to be… well, perfect.

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