Inspired by this month’s royal wedding and very much in the moment of their own prince and princess dreams, a lucky Houston couple spoke their “I Do’s” Thursday in front of a national television audience and their dream backdrop: Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World Resort.
Late last summer, Alexis Preston and Jay Patel’s wedding plans were washed away by Hurricane Harvey which left their Houston home flooded, ruined their car and put their dreams on hold.
In honor of the upcoming royal nuptials of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings and ABC’s Good Morning America teamed up on a national search for a couple worthy of a wedding with all the royal accoutrements. Alexis and Jay, exuberant Disney fans who got engaged at Cinderella’s Royal Table and dreamed of getting married in the Magic Kingdom, were selected from more than 3,000 couples for a regal wedding fit for royalty.
Regal it was. Resplendent in an elaborately beaded Kleinfeld wedding gown, the bride arrived princess-style in Cinderella’s Glass Coach, pulled by six white ponies. Royal trumpeters, joined by Major Domo (from Cinderella), flower girls and page boys, heralded her arrival. Some women accessorized with fascinators – fancy headwear commonly worn by the English on festive occasions.
After a dream-come-true wedding night stay in the opulent Cinderella Castle Suite in the Magic Kingdom, the newlyweds will be whisked off to an unforgettable honeymoon in England and France, courtesy of Adventures by Disney.
“It’s been a hard year,” Alexis told GMA. “So it’s such a blessing to get married at my favorite place in the world.”
