Disney to allow gay couples to buy wedding packages
Same-sex weddings are coming out at Disneyland.
Walt Disney Co. said Friday that gay couples can buy the company’s high-end “Fairy Tale Wedding” package that allows couples to exchange vows at Disney’s theme parks and aboard its cruise ships, starting about $4,000 per wedding.
Same-sex couples have been allowed to use facilities on Disney grounds, such as banquet halls and conference rooms, for commitment ceremonies. But now, same-sex couples have access to the very public elements of the Fairy Tale Wedding plan, which includes a ceremony at one of the parks’ marriage pavilions, attendance of Disney costumed characters at the reception and sometimes even a ride in a horse-drawn, glass-enclosed carriage through Disney property.
“This is the very logical extension of a business we are already in,” said Leslie Goodman, senior vice president for communications for Disney Parks and Resorts, which operates Walt Disney World, Disneyland and the company’s cruise ships. The company sells about 2,000 such packages each year, the company said. Depending on the couples’ desires, the Fairy Tale Weddings can cost tens of thousands of dollars.
“We believe this change is consistent with Disney’s longstanding policy of welcoming all guests in an inclusive environment,” Walker said.