All weddings have themes of some kind, a core design or color palette that decisions are bounced off of to see what sticks and what doesn’t quite go. So when two people who love all things Disney, even getting engaged at Disney World and taking a Disney honeymoon cruise in a few weeks, start to plan their wedding, the design board is immediately structured upon the perfect fairytale wedding, less Mickey Mouse and more “happily ever after”.

What I love about how their wedding turned out was that it was completely the dreamy fairytale they wanted while also staying true to exactly who they are as individuals and a couple, pulling many personal touches into the design. Ted is an artist and when Shannon told me the best gift she’s ever been given was a large pencil portrait of Walt Disney and her favorite Disney character, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, that Ted drew for her for Christmas a few years ago–“It was so thoughtful and perfect, I cried when I saw it. The drawing has been hung up since and we get to look at it every day.”–I asked if she’d be willing to bring a copy of it to the wedding for me to use somehow in the detail photos.

Ted also pulled off the biggest (literally) reception welcome by making a 7-foot-tall hand painted storybook, the perfect custom “once upon a time” nod to welcome their guests to the party. Their cake was so magical it can really can’t be described, a true centerpiece that looked like it came straight from the forest and was decorated by magical little singing elves and woodland creatures with a great sense of style and frosting abilities. And all of that–and the dance floor–was under a sparkling chandelier.

Their wedding rings atop the pencil portrait Ted drew for Shannon.

In high school, she got a part-time job at Fareway, a grocery store. He was working there full-time, on the path to becoming a store manager. They became quick friends and ended up working a lot of shifts together. One Saturday morning in November, she walked back to clock in to start her shift and she saw Ted dropping off an invoice near the time clock. She told him good morning, clocked in, then asked him what he was doing that night. He said he didn’t have anything planned so she asked if he wanted to go out to eat pizza with her family. He had a big grin on his face as he replied, “Yes!” Later that day, he drove over to her apartment and they went to her parent’s home. From there, they drove to meet her aunt, uncle, and cousins for dinner. “He was meeting the whole family on our first date,” she recalls. “He fit right in and those two little boys [cousins] wanted to draw with Ted the whole night.”

It was the first date, that family pizza dinner, that solidified everything for Shannon. “I remember Ted leaving my apartment that night and I couldn’t wait to see him again. The way he was with my family and how well he interacted with everyone melted my heart. We had been friends for a while before our first date and so we new a lot about each other and enjoyed every minute we were together. The Monday after that first date, one of my friends texted me and asked how it went. I told her, ‘I think I found my soul mate.’ I still can’t believe how accurate that statement is.”

Shannon had these custom-painted shoes created for the wedding day. She wore hers all day, but didn’t tell Ted that she had a pair for him until later in the evening when we went outside for sunset photos. She had been so sneaky beforehand, even having him try on a pair of Vans in a store to make sure she knew which size to get. She randomly had him name his top 10 characters of all time and they were included in the design!

The day had started with rain and then cleared off, making it extra special that we could take photos in this wooded wonderland at the orchard. These two particular photos of them seeing each other for the first time are everything. Look at their faces!

Shannon’s custom Emily Hart gown was everything princess and fairytale wrapped into one!

Shannon’s grandma was the flower girl while coincidentally also passing as a lookalike of Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother.

They released butterflies at the end of the ceremony and then recessed under a shower of lavender.

Did I not tell you it was a magical cake?!?!

I don’t usually get to go all the way out into the apple orchard rows across the river on a wedding day, but because we had a golf cart (!!!), we could use this new-to-me location for their sunset photos which proved to be absolutely magical.

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Photography: Emily Crall Photography

Wedding Coordinator: Soirée

Videography: EyeWork Studios

Venue & Catering: Rapid Creek Cidery

Florals: Unique Events

Cake Artist: Tip Top Cakes

DJ: ProSound IC

Makeup & Hair: Skin Deep Salon & Spa

Bridal & Maids’ Gowns: Emily Hart Bridal

Custom Shoes: Simply Stephanie Art

Rings: Herteen & Stocker Jewelers

Suits: Men’s Wearhouse

Invitations & Paper Goods: Allegra

Lounge: Borrow My Vintage

Signs & Place Cards: Painting for Cheese