The Bella Collina Experience - Free Wedding Giveaway!

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Dear Bella Collina Staff,

My name is Deanna Sola and my fiancé’s name is Lance Doss. Mine and my fiancé’s story is one full of growth and love and is one that I am incredibly proud to be able to share with you today. 

Lance and I began dating in May of 2014, at seventeen years old as juniors in high school. Our story is much like other high school sweethearts… we had mutual friends and always seemed to end up at the same social gatherings. As months went on and we began hanging out and talking more, our relationship began to evolve from a mere friendship to something more, to eventually where we are at today. Lance asked me to be his girlfriend at our junior prom and then to be his wife this past summer in front of both of our families. 

We have grown up so much together over the years. Lance and I have stood by each other’s side through all of life’s events such as high school graduation, college, first jobs and everything in-between! We have never once questioned our commitment and love for each other, and never once has our relationship wavered. It has only grown stronger through all of life’s changes and continues to evolve into a partnership that will stand the test of time. 

Lance and I are now about to go on life’s greatest adventure together. And I am not just talking about getting married in the upcoming months. Lance and I are currently in the process of adopting a child, the sweetest boy who has absolutely stolen our hearts and who has made us a family. He came into our lives unexpectedly but has surely changed it for the best. We first met him in 2018 when he came to my parents through the foster care program. From the moment I met him I knew he was special. But the moment he and Lance met, it was magical. 

He and Lance bonded right away. It was crazy to see two people who had never met each other connect so effortlessly. He would follow Lance around and want to do everything just like him. Lance was going to make a great father one day. Little did we know, that day would come sooner rather than later. At the beginning of 2020 we were told that his case was moving to adoption. After two years of knowing him through the foster process, Lance and I knew right away that he belonged with us and that we were meant to be a family.

Lance and I have always known we would get married, we had just never put a timeline to it… but now there is a timeline to make sure that we could provide the best life for our soon to be son. We had to act quickly to make our family complete. We needed to get licensed as foster parents ourselves, move out of our parents’ homes and into our home of our own and get married to legally adopt him together. 

Without hesitation, Lance and I began our ten-week classes to become foster parents and purchased our first home in March of 2020. Our first home, like our relationship, is built with hard work and love. We completely gutted and remodeled our house to make it a home for our family. Our favorite room to put together was of course, his, with his blue walls and Jeep bed. It was such a big milestone in life, and again, one that I could not imagine experiencing with anyone other than Lance. 

In August, Lance proposed to me surrounded by our families and our soon to be son. It was everything I had been hoping for for the past six and a half years, and made even sweeter by having our soon to be son join us in our moment of celebration. It was the perfect start to our life as a family. Shortly after our engagement, our foster care license was approved by the state and we officially became foster parents. Our soon to be son then began his transition period with us and now he lives with us full time as we continue with process of his adoption! 

The last, and final step of solidifying our status as a legal family is the wedding. This year has been a very expensive year for Lance and I. To be honest, I didn’t even expect a wedding to happen. All of our energy and financial resources has been put towards providing the best life for our soon to be son, and we thought we would just get married at town hall. But our story is one that has involved all of our family and friends, and as time went on, we realized that we wanted to celebrate our family with those who have supported us throughout this entire journey. The timing of the Bella Collina giveaway has been the blessing we did not expect, and one that we hope we are considered for. 

Ever since I can remember I have had my sight set on Bella Collina. I always knew I wanted to celebrate our love and marriage with our family and friends at this venue. My family has a boat and every time we are out on the lake, I would tell my dad to go drive by Bella Collina. As we would drive by, I would always envision my big day there. 

Being able to get married at Bella Collina with our soon to be son and our family and friends who have supported our journey, without the financial stress, would mean the world to us. Lance and I are so excited to marry each other and begin our lives as husband and wife. We are also excited to begin our lives as a family of three with our precious soon to be son. I can only hope that you all will consider us when you are choosing the recipients for this wedding. We appreciate your time reading our story and hope to hear from you soon. Thank you!

 Nancy & Dylan!

Hello! My name is Dylan and I think we deserve this incredible opportunity because she deserves the world! We met in high school, I was a Sophomore and Nancy was a freshman. We first talked on the school bus during the ride home from tutoring. I was sitting in the seat in front of her and I had asked her if I could roll down the window. She said she was cold and I continued to roll it down anyway. She looked at me with a smirk. That was the first time I saw that amazing smile that continues to light up my life to this day. After days of getting to know each other, through phone and in person, I decided to shoot my shot! My heart was pounding out of my chest and my hands were sweaty. SHE SAID SHE WOULD DATE ME !! That feeling I got when she said yes was the best feeling I had ever felt up to that point. I decided in early January of 2013 I wanted to take her hand and have her by my side for the rest of my life. I bought a ring and on February 14th 2013 I proposed! She said YES! I felt like a KING!

I had a rough childhood growing up.
My biological mother struggled with drug addiction. When I was 2, my older brother and I got adopted by my Grandparents, who both passed away when I was young from cancer in 2004 and 2007. My uncle and aunt took me in when I was 13 years old and helped raise me.

Since I didn’t have any experience I struggled to find a job. As a result, I became homeless and lived in my car. My biological mother and I did not have any contact with each other. After leaving school one day she was waiting at my car. She was reaching out because she had found out I was sleeping in my car and suggested I come stay with her for awhile. I did not have the heart to tell Nancy about me being homeless. I moved into her small camper and after settling in, I invited Nancy over. One evening late, Nancy woke up abruptly; realizing the time had got away from us and she needed to be home, she woke me up. That's when I noticed my biological mother, who we could see at the table, doing drugs. I immediately got Nancy and we left that night. I took her home and I pulled in to the parking spot at Walmart and settled in. Thinking that I was at my lowest point in life, the woman I love the most said she was going to stay with me in the car.

I couldn't convince her to stay at her parents house, where she would have a warm bed to sleep in at night, three meals a day, and a hot shower. Instead she would lay across the backseat and put her head in my lap while we went to sleep every night in the Walmart parking lot. We would scrounge up enough change to purchase one McChicken and split it in half. Many days this was all we had to eat and I felt like a failure; the whole time I was thinking this woman deserves so much more than what I can provide.

One afternoon, I was inside of Walmart while Nancy overheard a man on the phone saying racial slurs. I was highly upset over the racial slurs coming from a guy working for Walmart. I walked back inside of Walmart and asked to speak to the store manager. He greeted me and we talked about the concerning issue Nancy and I had experienced and he gave us a $50 gift card. He also mentioned they were hiring for receiving. I immediately took the job that was being offered, hoping this would help us with a brighter future.

Over time the situation seemed more at ease and I was able to purchase meals, then finally a trailer. Fast forward to today she is still with me and I have started and advanced in a career that I love in Automotive mechanics. We have been trying to have a wedding and it has been very difficult to find a place within our budget. We still struggle sometimes, but I know I can always count on her to be there for me. She is content with any type of wedding, however she deserves the best because she has treated me like I’m the best. I will not leave her side no matter what and I know it’s the same for her. This is why I think we deserve the wedding, more her instead of me that deserves it, because she is my angel and my princess. Thank you so much for your time!