USA - live in it? From there? Please read this! :o) - Page 2 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
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Boston. I got married on Rowes Wharf, right behind The Boston Harbor Hotel, on the water. There is a beautiful glass building there on the wharf that the hotel rents out for special events. The two main commuter/charter boat companies dock right there, and we had our reception on one of the boats.
My sister-in-law got married at The Old North Church. That's a beautiful place, too.
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When my sister-in-law got married the second time, she got married at Cohasset Light. Cohasset is a coastal town south of Boston. That was beautiful, too.
Weddings are such a huge business over here that just about anyplace capable of hosting a wedding party is in the business, and anyplace that hasn't thought to do it on an organized basis is apt to say yes if you ask if it's "possible." It will be a very daunting task for you, unless you set some firm criteria for selection of venues. One criterion I'd include are ease of airline travel from the UK for invited guests. There are some wonderful places that might require three separate flight legs coming in from the UK, followed by a car hire and a 150-mile drive on the wrong side of the road. Exotic, yes, but maybe not a plan that would endear the happy couple to some of the relations.
The beauty of most "destination wedding" destinations is that there's an entire industry of wedding planners and other specialists who make the job easy for the out-of-town couple. On the other hand, some of the more commonplace locations (to Americans) are not accustomed to serving the destination wedding business, and your readers may have far more arrangements to make on their own. If it were my book, I'd hesitate to recommend any location that lacked a decent selection of wedding planners experienced in serving out-of-town clients. While some of your readers may want to make all the arrangements on their own, other readers may be frustrated to read of a place that seems very romantic, but requires professional-level planning skills on the part of the bride and/or her parents.
Yes, each state has its own matrimony laws, including residency requirements. However, the state usually does not issue marriage licenses - those are issued at the county and/or municipal level. Sometime, the ceremony must take place in the municipality or county in which the license was obtained, in other cases, the license may be valid for ceremonies anywhere in the state. The license will not be valid if the ceremony is performed in a different state. You should aim to identify the most convenient/appropriate location(s) for obtaining the license for each and every venue you describe. Some places require blood tests, others don't. Many require a three-day waiting period between license application and the wedding. The rules as to who can officiate and validate the marriage certificate will also vary from state to state. Mayors, court clerks, judges, justices of the peace, clergymen, notaries public... all, many, or some of these may be allowed, depending on location.
As a purely business consideration, if you haven't already researched the many books published in the U.S. on Destination Weddings, you ought to look into it. As we know here at PassPorter, the needs of an overseas visitor will be different than those of a "local," but you'll still be competing with books published for the US market, so it's best to know what the competition offers.
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Co-Author, PassPorter's Walt Disney World, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line, and PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
Weddings are such a huge business over here that just about anyplace capable of hosting a wedding party is in the business, and anyplace that hasn't thought to do it on an organized basis is apt to say yes if you ask if it's "possible." It will be a very daunting task for you, unless you set some firm criteria for selection of venues. One criterion I'd include are ease of airline travel from the UK for invited guests. There are some wonderful places that might require three separate flight legs coming in from the UK, followed by a car hire and a 150-mile drive on the wrong side of the road. Exotic, yes, but maybe not a plan that would endear the happy couple to some of the relations.
The beauty of most "destination wedding" destinations is that there's an entire industry of wedding planners and other specialists who make the job easy for the out-of-town couple. On the other hand, some of the more commonplace locations (to Americans) are not accustomed to serving the destination wedding business, and your readers may have far more arrangements to make on their own. If it were my book, I'd hesitate to recommend any location that lacked a decent selection of wedding planners experienced in serving out-of-town clients. While some of your readers may want to make all the arrangements on their own, other readers may be frustrated to read of a place that seems very romantic, but requires professional-level planning skills on the part of the bride and/or her parents.
Yes, each state has its own matrimony laws, including residency requirements. However, the state usually does not issue marriage licenses - those are issued at the county and/or municipal level. Sometime, the ceremony must take place in the municipality or county in which the license was obtained, in other cases, the license may be valid for ceremonies anywhere in the state. The license will not be valid if the ceremony is performed in a different state. You should aim to identify the most convenient/appropriate location(s) for obtaining the license for each and every venue you describe. Some places require blood tests, others don't. Many require a three-day waiting period between license application and the wedding. The rules as to who can officiate and validate the marriage certificate will also vary from state to state. Mayors, court clerks, judges, justices of the peace, clergymen, notaries public... all, many, or some of these may be allowed, depending on location.
As a purely business consideration, if you haven't already researched the many books published in the U.S. on Destination Weddings, you ought to look into it. As we know here at PassPorter, the needs of an overseas visitor will be different than those of a "local," but you'll still be competing with books published for the US market, so it's best to know what the competition offers.
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Co-Author, PassPorter's Walt Disney World, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line, and PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions
Very wise words Dave. I must admit I was starting to think that you were looking at creating an encyclopedia! I like the idea of some parameters and particularly around ease of visiting from the UK. I don't know if there are figures as well to show how many Brits visit various destinations in the US? There will certainly be some states that barely receive any, whereas others will have literally millions each year.
Thanks peeps - consider all that advice taken on board.
I was never intending to include every single town on the US map - awesome fun as it would be for me research-wise, and nice as it would be to showcase the places that are hidden gems (to anyone who doesn't live in them) - as you say, it would end up being encyclopedia-length! I'm more at the 'gather as much info as possible then filter things in/out' stage right now. If I didn't have a day job I would definitely love to just spend every day travelling the world from my chair via the laptop though!
I'm very aware of the fact that not everyone likes to plan stuff as much as I do (and even I had the help of a wedding planner who was worth her weight in gold) so looking up planners in the various places is another step I'll be taking once I'm a bit further on. I know that my planner has won awards in 'The Knot' magazine, so that would be a good source of info in that respect, but we can't get it here. Is the online version much the same, does anyone know? Would I be missing out on anything by not having a paper copy?
Thanks so much once again for your help - this is why I love PP more than any other Disney board!
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Tinkerboo (or in the real world, Toyah) Reading Challenge 2015: 0/84
Follow my journey from sweaty panting mess to running goddess (I hope!) Out walking with The Boy...
I know a wedding planner here in Anchorage, Alaska. She is a co-worker of mine and a wonderful lady. As you start to compile your lists, let me know and I'll get you her contact info. I've already checked with her and she was totally good with it.
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Jennifer / Eeyore is my favorite!! OMG - He's sooooo grown up!!!! And an EAGLE SCOUT!! I can still remember my cute little Tiger Cub! 2016 Reading Goal - 75 books
I know a wedding planner here in Anchorage, Alaska. She is a co-worker of mine and a wonderful lady. As you start to compile your lists, let me know and I'll get you her contact info. I've already checked with her and she was totally good with it.
What a you are..!
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Tinkerboo (or in the real world, Toyah) Reading Challenge 2015: 0/84
Follow my journey from sweaty panting mess to running goddess (I hope!) Out walking with The Boy...
This is off topic, but wanted to say thanks for posting this. It made me go to Missouri's tourism site and inspired an overnight trip DH & I will be taking to Marceline, MO which is where Walt Disney lived as a boy. So thanks!
This is off topic, but wanted to say thanks for posting this. It made me go to Missouri's tourism site and inspired an overnight trip DH & I will be taking to Marceline, MO which is where Walt Disney lived as a boy. So thanks!
so cool!!
Me too, I'm heading up to Biltmore Estate for the Festival of Flowers next month! I'm an annual passholder. (wish I was only an hour away from WDW and a passholder like I used to be!!)
I live in Savannah, which is quite a wedding destination in the US, but I don't know how familiar people are with it outside the US. It is a beautiful, historic Southern town. We have 21 gorgeous (and each different) squares. They are lovely gardens that each have a statue, monument, fountain, or something similar. They are particularly amazing in the spring (right NOW as a matter of fact) because of the flowering bushes and trees that cover them. They are public spaces, but you are allowed to reserve them for weddings/parties. There are also a number of wonderful bed & breakfast inns that have their own smaller private gardens that can be used for a more intimate wedding. And for those who need a LOT of room, there is a large Marriot right on the river, as well as a very pretty and large Westin hotel right across the river.
I personally got married in St. Pete Beach, FL, at the Don CeSar Hotel (also known as the pink palace). It has a beautiful garden/courtyard that lays right up against the beach.
Good luck with your book!
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MNSSHP 2015: DH (Bane), Me (Batgirl), Genie, and our friends
Me too, I'm heading up to Biltmore Estate for the Festival of Flowers next month! I'm an annual passholder. (wish I was only an hour away from WDW and a passholder like I used to be!!)
Ha ha - you're both very welcome!
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Tinkerboo (or in the real world, Toyah) Reading Challenge 2015: 0/84
Follow my journey from sweaty panting mess to running goddess (I hope!) Out walking with The Boy...
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I must admit I was starting to think that you were looking at creating an encyclopedia! I like the idea of some parameters and particularly around ease of visiting from the UK. I don't know if there are figures as well to show how many Brits visit various destinations in the US? There will certainly be some states that barely receive any, whereas others will have literally millions each year.
you are..! 
Disney Magic - Oct 2015
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