The Couple: Stacy Gulland and John Silva
Wedding Date: March 18, 2012
Photography by Jacqueline Photography
Tell us a little about you and your beloved: We were introduced by a friend who told us that she thought we would probably just become good friends. We both instantly had a strong connection. John actually went home after our first date and told his parents that he had met his future wife.
We both have a deep love for Disneyland and immediately bonded over that love. We got engaged after only 6 months of dating and John arranged the most perfect proposal in Disneyland. I was on a trip there with one of my good girlfriends and John had arranged to surprise me on that trip. He arranged for his parents, my parents and sister, and a couple of good friends to be there.
On the last day we were there we were wandering over to Fantasyland and there they all were, in front of the castle. So since John proposed in front of the castle in Disneyland and we both love it so much, it only seemed fitting to have a Disneyland themed wedding.
What was the most amazing part of your day? This is a tough one because I thought everything about our big day was amazing. We decided to meet before the ceremony and that was one of the best decisions we made. It was so special to have that intimate moment together and getting all of the emotions out before the ceremony. I felt like I didn’t have to hold anything in cause it was just the two of us. It also allowed a lot of time to get amazing photographs of us. This time definitely tops the list.
Another one of my favorite parts of the day were the speeches, which were also very emotional and heartwarming.
A third favorite moment was when we had our exit; we used sparklers and I highly recommend them. It was so much fun for us and the guests, and in true Disneyland style, you should end the perfect day with fireworks.
What else would you like to share about your big day? I loved bringing music into our big day. We used music from Disneyland throughout our ceremony and during our grand entrance. The music fit so perfectly with the situation and with our theme that these moments became some of my favorites.
My mom was amazing through the whole wedding planning process. I could not have done it without her because I was in my last year of Dental School so that consumed a lot of my time. My mom designed the stationary products. We assembled the save-the-dates, invitations, menus, programs, place cards, table signs and finger print tree.
By hand making all of these items it allowed us to tie in many personal touches and our Disneyland theme really well.
Ceremony and Reception Site, and Caterer: Wine & Roses Hotel.Restaurant.Spa
Photographer: Jacqueline Photography
Flowers: The Big Bang Event Design
Hair and Make-up: DIY
Invitations: DIY
DJ/Entertainment/Band: Elite Entertainment
First Dance Song: “Making Memories of Us” by Keith Urban
Any advice you’d give to our readers who are planning their weddings right now? I would say to incorporate both of you into the details of your wedding. It was the little personal things that made our wedding so special and what we remember the most.
Another thing I recommend is to relax and enjoy the whole wedding planning process. I allowed myself to get very stressed and overwhelmed as we got closer to the wedding and then after the wedding I was kind of sad it was all over. Everything ended up perfect and it would have whether I had stressed out or not so I wish I had just relaxed a little more and enjoyed every step of the process.
Anything that you would have done differently if you were given the chance? There are two things I would have done differently if given the chance, unlimited budget and no timing issues.
I would get married later in spring/early summer. We had to move across the country right after I graduated and we had to work with my school schedule so we were limited to the one weekend in March. Moving it would have put more of my favorite flowers in season and would have reduced bad weather possibilities.
The other thing I would change with unlimited budget is getting married on Saturday rather than Sunday. I chose to get married on a Sunday to reduce our costs a little so I could have more of the things I wanted. It did make it so people had to leave a little earlier in the evening since the next day was a work day.
Blog post by Real Weddings Magazine’s Social Media Maven, Aimee Carroll.
Photos courtesy of and copyright Jacqueline Photography.
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