Happily Ever After

Maria Leona Bowers & Nathaniel Jacob Giles
Washington, Pennsylvania | 6.15.2024

PHOTOGRAPHED BY McMillen Photography

It doesn’t get any more magical than becoming engaged in front of Cinderella’s Castle in Disney’s Magic Kingdom. For Maria and Nathaniel—the bride is from Clarksburg and the groom is from Ansted—Maria’s dream proposal was just the beginning of what became a Tangled wedding theme.

At the ceremony, flower petals and candles lined the sides of the sparkly white aisle runner. The groom, dressed in a three-piece heather gray suit and matte black shoes, walked the aisle to a piano arrangement of “How to Train Your Dragon,” which faded into “I See the Light” when the bride and her father started down the aisle.

The bride wore a white Sherri Hill fitted gown with a long train with lace and glitter all over and a waist-length veil with beaded edges. Her bouquet cascaded in purple and white calla lilies, purple rosettes, white detail flowers, and greenery.

The bride’s brother officiated the short and sweet ceremony. At the reception, the newlyweds shared their first dance to the Jonas Brothers song “Hesitate.” The bride’s grandfather handmade the cake stand and the card box, which was painted by the bride.

Guests enjoyed salad followed by a creamy tomato basil bisque with grilled sirloin or herb-encrusted chicken breast. Guests danced to DJ Greg Rogers and enjoyed a three-tiered chocolate cake with white and purple watercolor ombre, gold scrollwork, and a hand-painted light-up Disney castle as topper.

The bride and groom observed an Italian wedding tradition by hand-wrapping candy-coated almonds in chiffon rounds tied with ribbon as favors. Everyone sang “Take Me Home, Country Roads” to close the magical evening and, after a two-week honeymoon at Walt Disney World, where they took a picture at the same spot where they were engaged, the couple returned home to Fairmont, where both work as federal contractors.