Kara and Drew first met at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World through one of her best friends and roommate. “I was working as a Disney cast member, so visiting the parks was a frequent and fun activity,” she says. “I knew very quickly that Drew was ‘the one’ that I was meant to share my life with. He is the most genuine, kind and thoughtful person I have ever known.” The couple lived together in Florida until 2015 when they moved on to new adventures in California.
According to Drew, proposing to Kara was never a matter of if but when. “It was pretty safe to assume that Disney would be a part of my proposal,” he says. “I decided to create a scavenger hunt throughout both Disney parks.” At the final stop, in front of Mickey’s Fun Wheel, Drew tapped her on the shoulder and took their love and commitment to the next level.
The newly engaged couple loved the idea of having a small, intimate wedding surrounded by their closest friends and family. “Park Winters was the perfect venue to throw a romantic fairytale wedding with subtle Disney touches,” says Kara. “We loved the look of classic white florals with greenery and touches of dusty blue.” They also wanted their families to play a huge role in the day. Kara’s sister was her matron of honor and Drew’s dad was his best man. Kara’s dad also officiated the wedding.
Kara worked closely with Danielle Roe Events to collaborate on her vision and learn from an expert. “I loved being a bride and loved planning every detail,” she says. “I never could find exactly the inspiration for my dream fairytale wedding online, so I worked endlessly to come up with creative ways to add Disney in an elegant and unique way.”
At the indoor reception at Park Winters, they arranged the tables and chairs in a circular arrangement surrounding the dance floor. “Since our wedding was smaller, we wanted people to be close to the fun on the dance floor even if they opted to stay at their seat,” shares the bride. “We love to dance, but we love heartfelt toasts even more, so we truly enjoyed the thoughtful and loving words and well wishes from our closest family and friends.”
Drew knew how much Kara loves hearing him sing and play piano. He secretly worked with their DJ and planner to coordinate a moment in the reception where he played and sang one of her favorite songs, “Extraordinary Magic” by Ben Rector. “I was so surprised and blown away by the beautiful and loving gesture,” Kara says. “He even created a slideshow of photos of us as kids and throughout our relationship! It was such an emotional moment and I am thankful every day for that memory.”
—Darren Elms
