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Alexa and Cody at The Barn at Perona Farms

Posted on January 17, 2020 by Ariana Baio


Cody and I met our senior year of college. We both attended La Salle University, in Philadelphia. We hit it off immediately. However, neither of us knew what to expect with graduation rapidly approaching. With a strike of luck and a nudge from mutual friends, Cody and I agreed that this felt right. From the time we met, it was clear there was something very special between the two of us, but no one could’ve guessed what would come next. After making it through senior year, graduation and maintaining a great relationship living about 45 minutes from each other, we were confident we could make it through anything. Cody and I moved to Jersey City to pursue our dreams together in the big apple.

Cody and I went to San Francisco for our annual vacation. Cody set up a tour of a few well-known wineries in Napa Valley. Cody had a sommelier pick us up and escort us to the wineries, giving us incredible information about the history of wine and Napa. Our first stop was a “splash and dash.” We quickly tested out some champagne with some beautiful views, while we waited for our first official tour. Next, we toured and tasted wine within an intimate cave. Our next stop, Patland Estates, was indescribable. There we planned to have a small, catered lunch sitting at an altitude of 1500 feet overlooking magnificent views of Napa Valley. Our lunches were set up for us inside a cute little box. Unbeknownst to me, there was a note within the box that would ask, “Alexa, will you marry me?” Ironically, after all the wine we tasted that morning, I completely missed the note and went straight for the turkey sandwich. At that point, Cody had to go off script to get me on the same page. It was absolutely perfect and I couldn’t be happier with our day.

We planned a Memorial Day Weekend wedding. However, wedding planning did not come super naturally to either of us. We are both easy-going and we really just wanted our family and friends to have an incredible time. After visiting multiple venues, we decided Perona Farms was the one. Cody and I both immediately agreed that we loved the laid-back vibe of the barn and that really set us off into a rustic theme. The long barn tables, gave us a vision of low and long floral arrangements filled with blushes, whites and greenery. I met with Cindy of The Floral Gallery and she absolutely nailed our vision. I loved the idea of my girls in blush for the big day and we found beautiful gowns at BHLDN. On the other hand, Cody wanted to play up on the Memorial Day Weekend theme and decided on a blue suit with red ties for all of the guys. Once logistics were set with Perona Farms, our photographer choice was a no brainer. I had done a great deal of research on photographers, because at the end of the day that is all you have to take with your memories, and Anthony Ziccardi Studios was the obvious choice. All of our vendors exceeded all of our expectations.

We chose the Barn at Perona farms because we loved the laid-back vibe. We both come from larger families and we wanted our guests to leave feeling full and having had a lot of fun. We loved the family-style menu and the overall aesthetic of the barn. As we spoke more and more about our wedding day, we wanted it to feel like an absolutely incredible barbecue and it did just that.

For starters, we had a selection of marinated mushrooms, a medley of greek olives, roasted red peppers with shaved parmagiano cheese, and fresh mozzarella with pesto. Our main course was sliced Châteaubraind of beef, bordelaise and oven roasted crab cakes. For dessert we had our wedding cake which was vanilla sponge cake with cannoli cream filling and buttercream icing. In addition, we had assorted cookies, coffee

The Tasiala dress by Pronovias is a strapless, Mikado silk dress with a mermaid line that comes with a detachable train, which makes it look like a ballgown from the back. The style and shape exude elegance. Strapless bodice decorated with wide bias band. The gown is ivory, and there is an adorable bow on the back where the train connects to the dress. This dress was absolutely “the one” because I was able to add detachable sleeves and really have two looks in one. I wore the sleeves and skirt for the ceremony and then dances the night away in the mermaid gown.

Everyone told us to take a step back and take it all in. I remember sitting at our sweetheart table and looking around together at all of the love surrounding us. Our wedding was truly a labor of love and it all came together beautifully. We looked at each other and then at the crowd and said “we did all of this” and smiled. It was simple but the most unforgettable moment of the night.

Instead of a traditionally card box, we ordered a custom wine barrel for our cards. It was adorable and all of our guests got a kick out of it.

The bus to take the girls from the hotel to the venue for our schedules first look was running over an hour late. We had to roll with the punches and hop in a few Ubers to make it on time.

“In Case You Didn’t Know” by Brett Young

Everything is not going to be perfect. Things go wrong and that is okay. At the end of the day people will remember the love radiating in the room.

We went to Italy from June 30th-July 11th. I am a school teacher, so I wanted to wait until the end of the academic year to enjoy the honeymoon.

the details

Hometowns

Freehold, NJ

Reception Location

The Barn at Perona Farms

Photographer

Anthony Ziccardi Studios

Officiant

Michael Fuoco (Friend)

Bride’s Gown

Pronovias

+ more