Love At Disneyland: A tale as old as time!

Finding love in the workplace has quite a history at Disney, begining with Walt Disney himself.

Focused on production in 1923, Walt had little time for romance, but he would occasionally drive some of the Ink and Paint girls home after work. That's when he developed an interest in Lillian Bounds.

One night after arriving at Lillian's house, Walt said, "I'm going to buy a new suit. When I get it, would it be all right if I called on you? Their romance flourished, and on July 13, 1925, the happy couple married.

The unofficial tradition of finding love at "The Happiest Place on Earth" continues today. here are just a few Cast Members who met their "one and only" at the Disneyland Resort.

Dyana and Ian:

Dyana Brock, Custodial, had an unusual routine when she joined the College Program in 2010.

"Every day I would pass by Snow White's wishing well and I would put a penny in, wishing for my prince to come," Dyana said.

In March 2010, while sweeping in New Orleans Square, she noticed a friend talking to someone who peaked her curiosity. Dyana swept her way over and introduced herself to Ian Hoover, Entertainment.

Ian's first impression of Dyana?

"Either she was made specifically for me or she had been stalking me for years figuring out how to be the perfect girl for me," he said.

Dyana returned home to Monterey Bay when her program ended, but the couple kept their romance alive. When she visited over winter break, they visited Disneyland Park and had their caricature sketched in New Orleans Square. When the artist turned the drawing around, it revealed Ian on one knee holding a ring and a thought bubble above his head that read "Will you marry me?" After her initial shock, Dyana wrote in her answer, "Yes!"

The pair plans to marry in early 2013.


Carla and Jim:

Cast Members Carla Sherwood and Jim Mertz met for the first time at a New Year's Eve party after their shifts at Tomorrowland Terrace in 1971. But it wasn't until September of the following year that they were set up on a date by their bosses to attend the lead and foreman banquet.

"I had to be fixed up," Jim joked. "It took her a long time to see value in me."

This year Carla, now manager, Global Documentation, and Jim, Workforce Management director, are celebrating 35 years of marriage.

Together the couple have 80 years of Disney service - and a daughter who works at the Disneyland Resort, too.

Matthew and Marina:
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Hired just a few months apart, Matthew Miranda and Marina Saldivar met in January 2010 while working at Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill in Disney california Adventure Park.

"Marina first caught my eye one day when we were both working," Matthew said. "When I saw her, I thought she was the prettiest girl in the world."

Initially, Marina had reservations about dating someone she worked with. But, she acknowledged, "love just happens in the oddest places."

Two years later, the, the couple is still madly in love."

"I think it's funny how this is 'The Happiest Place on Earth' and we found each other.

Love at the Disneyland Line:

Editor's note: Cupid's arrow also has struck Line staff writer Michelle Barefield, who wrote this story. Michelle met her fiance, Roy Choi, Global Documentation, during her first Disneyland Resort visit in july 2005. The couple will tie the knot in April.

...and they lived happily ever after.


I have a "Love Story" to tell, that's the reason I moved to Northern California!! Someday I will share...Dr Lee