When Ron DeSantis Revealed How Getting Married to Casey DeSantis at Disney World Was ‘Ironic'

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis revealed that he and his wife, Casey DeSantis, married at Walt Disney World Resort in 2009. Given the governor's previous high-profile disputes with the entertainment giant, this revelation had many people perplexed. DeSantis, widely regarded as a potential presidential candidate in 2024, has been in conflict with Disney over his support for Florida's contentious "Don't Say Gay" law. The story of his Disney wedding is a tale of irony as stated by Ron himself.

DeSantis' Disney wedding was revealed during an interview with Florida's first lady, Casey, on SiriusXM Patriot radio. This discovery had largely gone unreported among Florida's political circles before it was first published by Insider in November 2022. Casey noted that the decision to marry at Disney World was a reference to her parents' fondness for the theme park during her childhood in Ohio.

Notably, Ron and his wife chose Disney World for their wedding because of the simplicity and attraction of Disney's all-inclusive wedding services. "And one of the other great things was the fact that they did a lot of the planning for you... So it was I could just show up sort of thing. And it was really a lot of fun," Casey explained.

While the wedding ceremony was not extensively detailed in the interview, Insider previously revealed that the DeSantis' wedding took place at the Grand Floridian's bridal pavilion, which offered picturesque views of Cinderella's Castle and the Seven Seas Lagoon. The celebration was held at Epcot's Italy Isola to honor the couple's Italian roots. 

In the interview, the Governor admitted, "I didn't even know they did weddings but they actually had a wedding chapel and everything, and it turned out being nice." "I mean, are we going to have like Mickey Mouse showing up?" he said. Casey instantly responded, "No, it costs too much!"  "I was like, we can do it where you want but... She said, 'No, no. No characters or anything.' It actually was really nice," Ron said. "We never would have thought that how many years later we would be tussling with Disney in a political office. But life can be unpredictable."

"In looking forward to what we ended up doing as governor and some of the face-offs that we had with some major institutions in Florida, it's kind of ironic," DeSantis stated during the interview. The irony of this scenario is that Ron would subsequently find himself entangled in a political war with Disney.

His signature on the bill in April 2022, which terminated Disney World's self-governing status and established a new state-controlled district, represented a landmark moment in his relationship with the firm. This decision was made in response to Disney's outspoken opposition to Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill, per Washington Post.

The "Don't Say Gay" bill, which bans discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in elementary schools, which Ron passionately backed, has been received with intense opposition from LGBTQ+ rights organizations and activists. Opponents of the bill have highlighted worries about the law's impact on LGBTQ+ students and teachers.