Happily ever after has nothing on this Disney-obsessed couple.
Sarah and Gilbert Hernandez from California had the fairytale wedding of their dreams when they tied the knot at Disneyland on September 8 after seven years of dating.
They met in 2005 at UC Berkeley when Sarah was a freshman and Gilbert was a senior. They became friends over the course of the year, and got to know each other even better when Gilbert took a job on campus.
They ended up living across the street from each other, and after four years of friendship realized there was something more.
Sarah and Gilbert had their dream wedding at Disneyland in California on September 8 after dating for seven years
The wedding was full of surprises for their guests, starting with Sarah arriving in Cinderella’s Carriage
The couple decided to get married at Disneyland to ‘share the magic and wonder we feel when we’re at the parks with our closest friends and family’
Their guests blew bubbles with Disney Mickey head bubble wands after the couple said their vows
Disneyland has been nicknamed ‘the happiest place on Earth’ and it certainly seems so for Gilbert and Sarah
Gilbert proposed to Sarah at the university in the very spot where he had first given her flowers seven years before. He put the ring in a custom ‘Adventure Book’ in a reference to their first date, when they watched the Disney movie Up.
In the film, a young girl had an ‘adventure book’ where she planned to document her travels. After she died, her husband believed he had disappointed her. Towards the end of the film, the man rediscovers his sweetheart’s scrapbook and is surprised to see it filled with photos of their marriage and a note thanking him for the adventure, and telling him to go have a new one.
The couple share a love for Disneyland and have been annual pass holders for six years. Together they have run almost 200 miles in Disney races and visit the park several times a year. Their first vacation together was to Disneyland.
Sarah knew she wanted to get married at Disneyland, and Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings made her dream come true.
Sarah originally wanted to have the reception at the Animation Building, but it was unfortunately out of their budget
The bottom of Sarah’s shoe says ‘Gilbert’, a reference to Toy Story where Woody’s shoe says ‘Andy’
The wedding guests sent bubbles flying over Sarah and Gilbert after they said their wedding vows
‘Sarah’s always been my princess, and I wanted us to have a wedding that truly makes her feel like one,’ Gilbert said. ‘We were inspired to have a fairytale wedding at Disneyland because we wanted to share the magic and wonder we feel when we’re at the parks with our closest friends and family.’
They got married at the Rose Court Garden as an ode to Sarah’s grandmother Rose. Sarah originally wanted to have the reception at the Animation Building, but it was out of their budget.
‘The reception was a bit harder to figure out for us. I am not a ballroom bride, so I couldn’t imagine having our guests at any of the rooms. My heart was still set on the Animation Building, but after telling Disney that I wanted to ‘bring the outdoors inside’ they made it happen,’ Sarah said.
Her dress was custom made. After trying on more than a hundred dresses, Sarah couldn’t find ‘the one’. She found something closest to it, and had it custom made by the designer Leigh Price from YSA Makino.
‘I wanted the traditional feel with the off shoulder sleeves and ballgown, and I wanted the modern, sexy, and sleek feel with the low-cut, illusion front sweetheart bodice,’ Sarah said.
The couple got married at the Rose Court Garden as an ode to Sarah’s late grandmother Rose
Sarah and her bridesmaids playfully pose for pictures before the wedding. The bride stuns in her sparkly gown
Sarah and Gilbert prepare to cut their cake. The decoration reads: ‘You are my greatest adventure’, which is a quote from the 2004 movie The Incredibles
Disney transformed the indoor space Trillium into an outdoor garden complete with bistro lights, hedges, high topiaries, gold accents everywhere and lanterns and candles.
‘All of our guests were excited to attend our wedding at Disneyland, but they had no idea what we had up our sleeves!’ Sarah said. ‘The entire day was so under wraps that even our bridal party didn’t know what was going to happen next! Everyone was constantly on their toes, not knowing what to expect next.’
The first surprise was Sarah arriving in the Cinderella Carriage.
A footman gets down on one knee and presents Sarah with a glass slipper like in Cinderella
The couple also rented out Toy Story Mania after the park closed so their guests could keep the party going
The couple pose after saying their vows and tossing flower petals
Gilbert describes his new wife Sarah as his ‘real-life princess’ after their Disney-themed wedding
Gilbert and Sarah got married at the Rose Court Garden and held their reception in the indoor space Trillium
‘Seeing her came with the realization that I would be spending the rest of my life with a real-life princess,’ Gilbert said. ‘I was overwhelmed with emotion and couldn’t handle myself. Nothing else in the world mattered in that moment.’
They had a performer sing Disney tunes and each guest got glowing wristbands the DJ controlled with music. Guests were escorted to their seats via personalized Fastpasses, and the couple rented out Toy Story Mania after the park closed so their guests could keep the party going.
The couple exited the wedding by riding off on the Main Street Fire Engine while guests waved them away with glowing wands.
‘It wasn’t a wedding for Cinderella in a Castle, or on a boat like Ariel, but it was perfectly perfect for us. Our perfect Disney fairytale wedding day,’ Sarah said.
Mickey and Minnie Mouse made a surprise appearance during the reception, continuing the Disney trend
The couple rode off on the Main Street Fire Engine while guests waved them away with glowing wands
Sarah and Gilbert share a kiss on the on the Main Street Fire Engine at Disneyland
Sarah said by the end of the night her guests couldn’t handle any more surprises
Every detail of their wedding was Disney-themed, right down to Gilbert’s Mickey Mouse socks
The wedding included an Up-inspired mailbox as an ode to the couple’s first date, when they watched the Disney-Pixar movie
The night ended with a surprise late-night snack of corn dogs and churros – two of the couple’s favorites
The couple had a live singer sing Disney tunes and each guest got glowing wristbands that the DJ controlled with music