“We didn’t want a stuffy wedding,” Katy says. “We just wanted people to relax and celebrate with us.” So they dressed the flower girls in pink tutus and chose music that kept guests of all ages dancing for hours. The fun-loving groom did his utmost to entertain friends and family. “My husband’s a natural goofball,” Katy says with a giggle.

They first met in high school when Anthony was a senior and Katy was a freshman—with a secret crush. After reconnecting four years later at a Fourth of July party, they started dating for real. When Anthony proposed at Asbury Park, Katy found her diamond ring hidden in the sand. Since Anthony is a surfer—and Katy a “happy bystander”—the wedding had to be at the Shore.

Their non-denominational ceremony took place on September 24, 2010, at the historic Elberon Memorial Church in Long Branch. “My favorite part of the day was seeing Anthony at the end of the aisle,” Katy recalls. “McLoone’s Pier House offered a neutral canvas right on the beach. It was perfect,” she says.

Katy, who saved a mental checklist of bridal ideas from working hundreds of weddings at the Channel Club in Monmouth Beach, enjoyed planning her own event. “I was extra proud of the end result because I did it myself,” she says. She wore a Vera Wang gown and veil and incorporated some unique touches: an engraved wooden ring box, fashionable pink organza Christian Louboutin sandals and an antique Rolls-Royce.

Katy economized by scheduling a Friday night reception and finding black off-the-rack dresses for only $150 for her attendants. Anthony chose groomsmen ensembles with a relaxed vibe: gray suits ($100 on sale), suspenders, skate sneakers, plus argyle socks. “I wanted to look like me on my wedding day,” he explains. Fireworks, compliments of Long Branch, magically erupted after their first dance—a fitting, free surprise for a couple whose romance began on the Fourth.

Following their honeymoon in Barbados, Katy and Anthony now call Tinton Falls home. She is a pediatric physical therapist and he is a brick mason. Katy advises future brides to “keep it light and just have a good time. Don’t take the event too seriously.”