EPCOT Italy Isola Wedding & Crescent Cove Ceremony | Sam & Anthony
Some wedding days have a single unforgettable moment. Sam and Anthony's Disney wedding had about fifteen of them, and that is not an exaggeration. From a first look that had everyone reaching for tissues to a reception at EPCOT Italy Isola that ended with fireworks over the lagoon, Mickey pretzels, and a dance floor that nobody wanted to leave, this was a day that felt completely and entirely like them from start to finish.
We are Josh and Taylor, a husband and wife photography team who specialize in Disney weddings, and Sam and Anthony's celebration across Disney's Yacht Club Resort and EPCOT Italy Isola is one of those days that reminds us exactly why Disney weddings are unlike anything else in the world. Two iconic venues, three sons, a Star Wars loving groom, and a couple who planned every detail with genuine intention. We were honored to be there for all of it.
Getting Ready at Disney's Beach Club Resort
The day began with Sam and Anthony getting ready separately at Disney's Beach Club Resort where they were staying during their Disney World celebration. The resort's coastal New England charm and beautiful natural light made for a getting ready environment that felt relaxed and joyful from the very first moments of coverage.
Sam prepared with a quiet excitement that you could feel in every room. Anthony got ready with their three sons by his side, and that detail alone tells you everything about what kind of day this was going to be. A family coming together, not just two people getting married.
A First Look That Stopped Everyone
Before the ceremony Sam and Anthony shared a first look and it was one of the most genuinely emotional moments we have ever photographed at a Disney wedding. Their three sons were part of it.
Watching three boys see their mom for the first time on the morning she was marrying their dad, the weight of that moment was felt by everyone present. These were not just two people choosing each other. This was a family being made official in the most Disney way possible. There were tears. There were hugs. There was laughter that only comes from a moment that is simultaneously overwhelming and completely joyful.
We were exactly where we needed to be and we would not have missed it for anything.
Portraits Around Disney's Yacht Club Resort
After the first look we moved through bride portraits, groom portraits, couple portraits, and family portraits around the grounds of Disney's Yacht Club Resort and the property delivered exactly what it always does — nautical elegance, beautiful waterfront views, and a backdrop that feels distinctly Disney without requiring a single castle in the frame.
Anthony's Star Wars themed accessories woven into his wedding day look were a personal touch that showed up perfectly in the portraits, subtle enough to feel refined, specific enough to feel completely him. The boys were naturals in front of the camera and the family portraits from this section of the day are some of our absolute favorites. Five people who clearly love each other, dressed beautifully, in one of the most gorgeous resort settings at Walt Disney World.
Ceremony at Crescent Cove
The ceremony took place at Crescent Cove at Disney's Yacht Club Resort, a beach ceremony setting along the shores of Crescent Lake that has an intimacy and natural beauty that feels completely removed from the rest of the world while still being unmistakably Disney.
Sam and Anthony exchanged their vows on the beach surrounded by the people who matter most to them with the shimmering Crescent Lake stretching out behind them as their backdrop. The setting was serene, the emotion was genuine, and the ceremony felt exactly as personal and meaningful as a wedding with no wedding party and three sons standing beside you should feel.
After the ceremony closed Sam and Anthony did something we loved — they had every single guest line up on the beach for a full group photo. Everyone who came to celebrate them, captured together in one frame on the Crescent Cove beach. It is the kind of photo that a couple will look at for the rest of their lives and be able to point to every single person who showed up for them on that day.
Then came the bubble send off — guests blowing bubbles as Sam and Anthony made their way through the line before everyone was transported to EPCOT for the reception. A joyful and perfectly Disney transition from one venue to the next.
Reception at EPCOT Italy Isola
And then the evening truly began!
EPCOT Italy Isola is a private island terrace in front of the Italy Pavilion at World Showcase where gondolas and striped mooring poles evoke the romance of Venice and the lagoon shimmers around you on three sides. It is one of the most visually stunning reception venues at Walt Disney World and Sam and Anthony's celebration there was everything the space promises and more.
A full buffet style dinner gave guests the chance to settle in and celebrate properly before the toasts began. The speeches from their closest family and friends filled the Italy Isola terrace with laughter and tears in equal measure, the kind of toasts that make you feel like you know the couple even if you are just the photographer standing nearby trying not to cry.
Cake cutting with the Italy Pavilion rising up behind them produced some of the most beautiful images of the entire day. The architecture, the candlelight, the lagoon, it is a backdrop that requires absolutely nothing extra to feel extraordinary and Sam and Anthony's cake cutting images reflect exactly that.
Just before fireworks an ice cream and toppings bar appeared, because of course it did. This is exactly the kind of couple who thinks of that. Guests wandered the terrace with their custom ice cream creations as the sky above World Showcase began to glow.
Fireworks Over the Lagoon
There are views of the EPCOT fireworks spectacular and then there is the view from Italy Isola.
Front row. Unobstructed. The entire World Showcase Lagoon stretched out in front of you with the fireworks reflected across the water and the Italy Pavilion glowing behind you. It is genuinely one of the most spectacular photography moments we experience at any Disney wedding and Sam and Anthony's fireworks images are the kind that stop people completely when they see them.
The dance floor opened after fireworks and the night closed the way all great Disney wedding receptions should — with dancing, joy, and Mickey pretzels passed around as the final treat of the evening.
Because of course it ended with Mickey pretzels.
Why We Love EPCOT Italy Isola
This venue is one of the most unique and visually compelling reception spaces at Walt Disney World and every time we photograph there we are reminded of exactly why. The private island setting, the Venetian inspired architecture, the World Showcase Lagoon on three sides, and that fireworks view, EPCOT Italy Isola does not need a single thing added to feel magical. The magic is already built into every stone and every reflection on the water.
What makes a reception here truly special from a photography standpoint is the variety the venue provides throughout a single evening. Intimate candlelit dinner images, toasts with the pavilion backdrop, cake cutting with the Italy architecture behind the couple, fireworks reflected across the lagoon, and dancing under the open EPCOT sky, every section of the evening produces completely different and equally stunning images.
We also love how well Italy Isola pairs with a Crescent Cove ceremony. The two locations tell a complete and beautifully contrasted story, serene and intimate on the beach, grand and celebratory at EPCOT. It is a combination that produces a wedding gallery with genuine range and depth.
If you are planning your own EPCOT Italy Isola reception and looking for a photography team who knows this venue, understands the flow of a Disney World wedding day, and will be exactly where they need to be when the fireworks start, we would love to be considered. Couples who book JTR Media for their Walt Disney World wedding walk away with images that capture not just how beautiful the venue is but how it actually felt to celebrate there.
Planning Your Own Wedding? Let’s Capture the Magic!
If you’re dreaming of a Disney wedding at Crescent Cove, a Disney’s Yacht Club Resort wedding, or a magical reception at Epcot’s Italy Isola, we’d love to be part of your special day. At JTR Media, we specialize in capturing the magic, emotion, and beauty of Disney fairytale weddings through photography and videography. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help document your love story in the most enchanting way possible!