How did you get engaged?
Have you ever heard of the Christmas Pickle Ornament? In short, it’s a tradition my family does every year around Christmas time. My mother hides the pickle ornament in the Christmas tree and whoever finds it, gets an extra gift! My brother and sister in law came to New Jersey two days before Christmas to celebrate with our side of the family. Before they arrived, I greeted my now husband, Anthony, with a huge hug and kiss and then we ran out really quick to pick up a gift for his father (remember this hug for later). By the time we got back, my brother and sister in law had arrived. We sat down for dinner, wine and great conversation. I had the idea of playing LCR (left right center for those of you who don’t know) and had to run out to my car to grab the game. Little did I know that my entire family and Anthony had something bigger planned.We played one round of LCR and my mom announced it was time for the pickle! So I strut my competitive self right over to the tree and was ready to hunt this pickle down. After pushing and shoving and army crawling under the tree, I FOUND THE PICKLE!Attached to it was a bag with a box inside. I didn’t think too much into it since my mom had bought me jewelry in the past. I was having a hard time untying the bag and my mom needed to cut it open. Finally, I get to open the box and in that very moment I could not believe my eyes. I dropped the Christmas Pickle and it shattered all over the floor. I turned around to see Anthony down on one knee and he asked those four words every girl dreams of hearing, “Will you marry me?”To be honest, all I remember is happy crying and jumping into Anthony’s arms. I’m not even sure if I actually screamed out “YES!”Back the the hug mentioned earlier on, Anthony had the rig box in his sweatshirt pocket when I hugged him! How did I not notice?!Anyhow, the Christmas Pickle tradition went out with a bang, literally! December 23, 2016 was quite possibly the second best day of our lives. The best day was and will forever be January 6, 2018 as we finally became husband and wife!

Details of the day!
We were going for a warm, winter wedding look. Our colors were burgundy, blush, rose gold and grey. My bridesmaids wore wine colored dresses from David’s Bridal. I chose three styles from the Vera Wang White collection and let my girls pick whichever style they felt most comfortable in. My matron of honor wore a one shoulder dress that way she would stand out. My flower girls also bought their dresses from David’s Bridal. My now HUSBAND, Anthony, and his groomsmen wore charcoal tuxedos from Biltmore Tuxedos in Ridgewood. Anthony decided to wear a black bow tie, while his men wore a burgundy bow tie to match the bridesmaids dresses. The junior groomsmen wore black tuxedos with suspenders.

Our flowers consisted of orchids (which are my absolute favorite flower), roses, hydrangeas, carnations, holiday berries, eucalyptus leaves and some winter greenery. John, at Bill O’Shea’s Flowers did a wonderful job of creating a classic, wintery look. In lieu of traditional favors, we made a donation to the Alzheimer’s Association in honor of our late family members.

Why did you choose your venue?
Funny story! Maybe five or six years ago my aunt went to a wedding at Indian Trail Club. She showed me pictures of the venue during Thanksgiving dinner and I was in awe! I just knew that one day I would have my wedding there. What’s funny is that Anthony and I were not even dating yet! We visited two venues, Indian Trail Club and a local country club. It was obvious that Indian Trail Club was the one!

What was on your menu?
Our food spread was incredible! Cocktail hour consisted of a chef’s farm table full of gourmet cheeses, antipasto, roasted vegetables and an assortment of crackers and dips. There were ten passed appetizers consisting of chicken and waffles with maple bourbon glaze, scallops wrapped in applewood bacon and lobster risotto cakes just to name a few. We had four stations available for our guests: Texas Smokehouse, Macaroni and Cheese Bar, Far East (Asian inspired), and Little Italy. Dinner started out with a harvest salad with maple cider vinaigrette. The entree was a duet of filet mignon, bordelaise and pan seared chilean seabass with asparagus and roasted fingerling potatoes on the side. Children were able to pick meals such as chicken fingers and fries or pasta with butter.

For dessert, guests were served a slice of cake made by Palermos bakery. We had three different flavors of cake since they were all so good and we couldn’t make a decision. We had red velvet cake with cream cheese filling, vanilla cake with vanilla custard and strawberry filling, and devil’s food chocolate cake with oreo filling. We went with a four tier, rustic swoop design with a buttercream frosting. Our florist added flowers to the cake for a beautiful and simple look. Additionally, each table was served a platter of assorted specialty donuts from Glaze Donuts in Paramus and an assortment of cookies from Mill’s Bakery in Wood-Ridge. The dessert was a hit for sure!

All about your gown!
My gown, Quelinda, was designed by Angel Rivera. It was a satin trumpet gown with a lace bodice and side panels. The Guipure lace train was absolutely stunning. The satin and lace were ivory and the side panels were a soft blush color. Angel also added a rose gold crystal belt to complete the look.Angel Rivera Bridal Atelier was the first place my mom and I went to to start my wedding dress journey. We were able to sit down with Angel himself! He asked what my vision was and guided me to the rack of dresses he thought I would like. I started pulling dresses to try on and came across a beautiful gown; however, I saw a detail on it I didn’t think my mother would like, so I put it back. I tried on the dresses I pulled and they were ALL so stunning, but nothing was really speaking to me. Finally, Angel said, “Hold on one second.” He then brought in the dress I really liked, but thought my mom wouldn’t like. I tried it on, and just by the fit I knew this would be the one! I went out to reveal the dress to my mom and the tears just started rolling down our faces. When you know, you just know! To complete the look, I wore a cathedral length veil with lace appliques that complimented the lace on my dress.

What was your favorite moment?
My favorite moment was definitely walking down the aisle to meet Anthony at the alter. I had complete tunnel vision and all I saw was my handsome husband to be. He had endured a long stretch of time dealing with medical issues and we were just elated that we were able to stand at the alter and vow our love for each other.

One detail you couldn’t live without?
I have two favorite details. One that was visible and accessible to all guests and one that wasn’t.Our signature drinks!
Groom’s Manhattan: Bourbon, sweet vermouth, bitters, orange and peels to garnish.
Bride’s Pomegranate Yule Mule: Vodka, ginger beer, pomegranate juice, lime juice and pomegranates to garnish.My something old and something blue. I had a piece of my maternal grandmother’s lace dress and my husband’s blue police uniform shaped in a heart sewn inside of my dress.

Did anything go wrong?
My father and I ended up opening the doors for ourselves for our big entrance during the ceremony. I hardly remember. To be honest with you, I didn’t mind at all. I was a woman on a mission and just wanted to meet Anthony at the alter!

First dance song?
All the Way by Frank Sinatra and Celine Dion

Any advice for future brides?
Don’t stress over small details. Your guests are there to celebrate the marriage of you and your husband. At the end of the night, no one will be walking away from your party commenting on the linen colors or the personalized napkins you ordered. They will rave about the good company, food, drinks, and music!

Honeymoon!
We will be traveling to Italy! We are starting out in Rome and will explore historical landmarks. Then we will make our way over to Positano where we will wine and dine on the beautiful Italian coast. Our next stop will be Florence where we have a day long wine tour and cooking class scheduled! We will end our honeymoon in Venice, where we will take a classic gondola ride and indulge in pizza anywhere we can find it! We cannot wait to experience our Italian roots!