Alison and Jonathan at Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club

Posted on July 19, 2021 by Allison Dupree

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How did you meet?
Jonathan and I first met on OK Cupid. We exchanged a few messages and then I ghosted him. A few months later we matched again, but this time on Tinder. After talking for a while, we finally met up at a local bar for a drink.

How did you get engaged?
It was Jonathan’s birthday, so we planned a weekend trip to Newport, Rhode Island. We stayed at this beautiful hotel on Cliffwalk, the Chanler. We took a walk on Cliffwalk and I kept thinking that this was going to be it—this was where Jonathan was going to propose. We finished our walk still as boyfriend and girlfriend and I was disappointed. We had a dinner reservation later that night and Jonathan kept encouraging me to take a shower and get ready for dinner. Being my stubborn self, I told him no, that I first wanted to relax on our deck with a glass of wine and look at the water. Jonathan said OK, started to act a little funny, and told me he forgot a bag in the car—weird since he already brought his bag in, but OK. He got the bag and put it under a chair on the deck. Weird I thought again, so I asked him what he was doing, so he brought it inside and put it in a corner of the room… still weird. He began pacing around the room and asked me again if I wanted to get ready for dinner. I told him no again and then our bottle of wine arrived from room service.

We went outside to have a glass and relax and Jonathan asked if we could take a picture together and propped his phone up on the deck railing. As we posed for the picture, he pulled away, got down on one knee and began to tell me how much he loved me, and then proposed. It was seriously the craziest and special moment—and he got it all on video since he set his phone to record. Turns out, Jonathan had this elaborate plan to scatter rose petals, light candles and chill a bottle of champagne. All these things were inside the bag that he went to get, and all the things he planned to set out while I was showering. I totally messed up his plan, but he COMPLETELY caught me by surprise.

Details of the day!
We could not have asked for a better day. The sky was blue, the temperature was perfect and there was a light breeze throughout the day. The theme of our wedding was romantic and fun. The flowers were BEAUTIFUL: garden roses, roses, dahlias, ranunculus and strawberry with greenery that showcased a palette of mauve, blush, ivory and white. The flowers were pulled through to an escort wall where our guests found their name on a tag hanging from a small vase that they could also take home at the end of the night. Since the space offered both inside and outdoor areas, we made sure there were things outside for our guests to enjoy as well. We had some outdoor games, comfortable seating vignettes and also a VW photobus where our guests could take fun pictures throughout the night—it was definitely a hit!

Why did you choose your venue?
When we first visited Fiddler’s Elbow, we knew we had to have our wedding there. It is spacious and breathtaking. There is plenty of space inside for guests to hang out in, but there is also a large covered patio space overlooking the golf course that is perfect. We never felt cramped, but we also never felt swallowed up by the space.

What was on your menu?
The food was so delicious! We still hear about how much people loved it! We started with breaded sea scallops with a creamy mushroom polenta and truffle oil followed by a baby arugula salad with crispy pancetta, shaved Tartufo cheese with olive oil, and fresh lemon. Guests had a choice between Chateaubriand sliced tenderloin of beef with sauce Béarnaise or pan-seared Chilean sea bass with sun-dried tomato, roasted garlic crust and saffron butter sauce. Our cake was equally delicious. It was chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream frosting.

All about your gown!
I loved my dress so much and wish I could wear it again; I felt like such a princess. It was the fifth dress that I tried on and I knew from the moment I put it on that it was the one! It was beautiful with a floral appliqué bodice, sheer cap sleeves, an open back and an ethereal tulle skirt.

What was your favorite moment?
Haha, the whole thing? Honestly, we can’t pick one specific moment because the entire day was so perfect.

One detail you couldn’t live without?
The band was absolutely awesome and really made the experience all the more special! Also, our photographer Lauren was great. A year and a half later we still hear “your photographer was the BEST,” plus her pictures captured everything so wonderfully.

Did anything go wrong?
If it did, we didn’t know about it! We had two amazing planners: Meg and Mandy. They are both fantastic and we could not have had such an amazing day without either of them. Not only did they make sure we were taken care of, but they also ensured our family and wedding party were all set, too; everyone RAVED about both of them!

First dance song?
We danced to Billy Joel’s “Just the Way you Are.” Billy Joel has been my favorite artist since I was five so it was only fitting we danced to a song by him!

Any advice for future brides?
Find and book vendors that you trust and then let them do their job! We had an amazing team of people who understood our vision, got our personalities and were the absolute best!

Honeymoon location:
What a trip!!! We toured through Greece and Italy. We started in Crete at a fantastic hotel—the Blue Palace. After a few nights, we headed to Athens where we sampled local cuisine and did all the touristy stuff. From Greece we went to Positano—what a beautiful place! In Positano, we had one of the best meals of our lives. Bar Bruno: What a meal, seriously!!! After Positano, we made a pit stop in Pompeii and then stopped in Rome. Like Athens, we did all the touristy stuff here, too…carpe diem, right? We rented a car in Rome and drove to Tuscany. We only stayed here a couple of nights and we wish we stayed longer. We rented an Air BNB that was situated in the middle of a vineyard in Montalcino—talk about romantic! The Vineyard is called Terrasole and had some amazing wines. It is also operated by a great family who gave us a tour of the main vineyard before we headed to our house. Also in Tuscany, we took a really fun cooking class. Out of all the things we did on the trip, this was probably the highlight. Giacamo and Cristina run a cooking school: Tuscan Cooking Classes by Le Caggiole. I HIGHLY recommend it!!! Giacamo and Cristina were the best, the class was so fun, we learned a lot, and the food we made was delicious!!! To end our trip we drove to Florence where we stayed a couple of nights. Again, we also did some touristy stuff but also tried to savor the last moments before we needed to head back to reality. We had the time of our lives and think back frequently to all the fun stuff we got to experience together.