January 3, 2012

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Photo by Jeff Tisman Photography.

Much like the couple themselves, Mary Ann Giaimo and Ryan Samuels’ wedding was a perfect blending of styles and traditions. Growing up in Union, Mary Ann and Ryan were classmates, but belonged to different crowds. “I always thought Ryan was cute, but he was punk rock like you wouldn’t believe,” laughs Mary Ann. “Not the kind of guy for a cheerleader like me.” After graduation and a few near misses, the couple started dating in 2007, and got engaged two years later.

Coastal Chic

When it came to a wedding venue, the Bonnet Island Estate in Manahawkin, with its pairing of elegant and rustic elements, was the ideal spot. On a sunny Saturday on May 21, 2011, Mary Ann and Ryan exchanged vows in an interfaith ceremony—she is Catholic and he is Jewish—before 175 guests at the estate’s quaint waterfront chapel. “We had a priest and a rabbi who split everything down the middle,” says Mary Ann. “It was nice for us and our families to see each religion represented equally.”

Post-ceremony, guests mingled over cocktails and seafood at a dockside steamer bar, “shrimptini” station and raw bar and enjoyed an antipasto display, pasta station and butler-passed bites. At the reception, guests dined on filet mignon and sea bass and danced to a 12-piece band beneath the soaring ballroom ceiling designed to emulate the hull of a ship. And though Mary Ann herself isn’t a big fan of surprises, she had a few special touches in store for others. Without Ryan knowing, she arranged for a dog walker to bring their English bulldog, Bosco, to the wedding to pose for photos with them.

Later, she dedicated the Four Tops’ classic “Reach Out I’ll Be There” to her mom, which had the whole crowd dancing. “My mom was so surprised and it made her feel really good,” says Mary Ann. “It was a great moment that touched a lot of people.” By eleven o’clock, the reception was winding down and an after-party was gearing up in another room. “We had pizza, and a deejay played club classics from the ’90s and ’00s,” Mary Ann says. “It brought back great memories of dancing with my girlfriends during summers at the Shore.” After a wedding day spent making new memories, Mary Ann and Ryan honeymooned in Hawaii before returning to their home in Clark.

Resources:

Photographer: Jeff Tisman Photography, 732-940-5602; jefftismanphotography.com

CEREMONY & RECEPTION: Bonnet Island Estate, Manahawkin, 609-494-9100; bonnetislandestate.com

BRIDE’S GOWN: Hollywood Bridal, Kenilworth, 908-272-1104; hollywoodbridal.net

OFFICIANTS: Interfaith Clergy Network, Cherry Hill, 856-779-0017; interfaithclergynetwork.com

BRIDESMAID DRESSES & JEWELRY: Anntaylor.com

HAIR & MAKEUP: ModelBride, 973-635-1756; modelbride.com

GROOM’S & GROOMSMEN ATTIRE: David’s Formal Wear, Springfield, 973-379-7595; davidsformalwear.com

BAND: The Groove Shop, Silver Pro Entertainment, New Milford, 201-261-7664; silverproentertainment.com

CEREMONY & COCKTAIL-HOUR MUSIC:

Metro Strings, Silver Pro Entertainment, New Milford, 201-261-7664; silverproentertainment.com

CATERER: Merri-Makers Caterers, 732-225-0009; merrimakerscatering.com