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Alison and Anthony at Congress Hall

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Alison and Anthony at Congress Hall

How did you meet?
We don’t remember the first time we met, but we do know that mutual friends kept insisting that we knew each other. Since being “reintroduced” in our friend’s driveway, we have been inseparable. Our friend who unintentionally played matchmaker later showed us pictures of us sitting next to each other at a party almost ten years prior. That friend was in our wedding party.

How did you get engaged?
The hunt for the ring took years, as I was set on an antique and wanted a very detailed setting with emerald side stones. When looking at old stones, you can’t accurately evaluate how a diamond will look based on the paper telling you the four C’s. A hundred years ago, the stones were cut by hand and were made to sparkle in the candlelight. There can be little imperfections that are not noticeable to the bare eye, but the stone just sparkles brilliantly. On the other end, you can have something that reads great on paper but looks lifeless and without fire in person. I looked all over NYC, Cape May, and finally found THE ONE in Philly.

Details of the day!
We got engaged just as the Covid-19 crisis took hold. Within a couple of weeks, the world was locked down. I own a small business that was forced to close for 3 months, and just after reopening, my mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. I had always envisioned a big, fancy but fun wedding, but my priorities very quickly shifted with the state of public health. I knew I wanted to get married on my original date whether it meant 10 guests or 100, having my mom there and healthy enough to participate was my number one priority. We were lucky that her aggressive treatment plan (chemo and surgery) would be complete a few months before our date, and she would have some time to regain strength. All through that process, she talked about getting better for the wedding. No way was I postponing on her! We got very, very lucky as we got closer to our date, the vaccine launched, the cases went down, and restrictions eased tremendously. That said, my wedding turned out to be smaller than I thought (100 guests), as we would have a steep decline rate because people were still uncertain about the state of the virus. I was able to have all of the elements I wanted (and then some) because the smaller guest list gave me more flexibility in my fun budget.

Why did you choose your venue?
We love Cape May, and it was the first place we traveled as a couple. Congress Hall in particular is the grand dame, right on the beach, full of history, mystery, and romance. It was the only venue I looked at. It is such a relaxing, happy place, and one that always brings a sense of calm. When it seemed that a micro wedding was imminent, I was comfortable with the idea because it is impossible to have a bad day there. Sharing a beautiful place that is so special to us was always appealing.

What was on your menu?
Our first course was Mixed green salad, shaved carrots and radishes, spring peas, simple vinaigrette. The entree options were Chicken Breast Whipped potatoes, Seared brussels sprouts and bacon, chicken jus Center Cut Certified Angus Filet Whipped Potatoes, Asparagus, Wild Mushroom Demiglace Vegetarian Ratatouille with polenta. For dessert, we had Wedding Cake Boardwalk Sweets Assortment Housemade caramel corn, fried Oreos, Chocolate Fudge, and funnel cake We wanted to choose a menu that held appeal for the majority of the guests, so we picked some known crowd-pleasers, with a fun twist for our dessert spread. Our cake was awesome and had different flavors in different layers. Almond cake with almond-infused chocolate filling, then lemon cake with blueberry filling. Our signature drinks were very well received. Cherry bourbon sour and lavender-infused bees knees.

All about your gown!
I am in the intimate apparel business and absolutely love lace. White lace is my favorite thing to wear, kind of my signature. I fell in love with the pattern on this dress, it was fresh and interesting but very classic. I knew that I would be able to modify the back of the gown to wear a regular strapless bra, support is very important to me with a full bust. I see many, many brides struggling to find undergarments that will fit, flatter, and be comfortable for the big day, so I kept that in mind when making my selection. I got the dress from Isabelle’s Bridal, the owner Karen is a friend of mine. She carried some lines that were not in every shop, making her boutique special and very interesting. She didn’t have this exact gown in her shop, so I ordered it based on how it looked on their website. Years of ordering garments for clients has taught me what shapes and necklines work well for various body types, and I was very pleased with how the dress looked when it arrived. Karen gave me a gorgeous headpiece and a cathedral veil. We ordered extra fabric and lace to modify my dress and veil to my vision, and Sylvia’s Tailoring knocked it out of the park.

What was your favorite moment?
Anthony can be a bit of a smarty pants, and he doesn’t always fall in line with my type-A planning. I had a spreadsheet from my absolutely amazing photographer of times, people, and places for the day of because we were getting ready in separate locations. I sent it to him, a groomsman, and a groomsman’s wife who I appointed “house mom” to help keep the men on schedule. I explicitly told Anthony that we are going to follow whatever Jenna (our photographer) says because she is the pro and does these things all the time. Whatever Jenna says goes! Well, this came back to bite me during our first look. As I walked up behind Anthony and asked him to turn around, he stood like a statue with his back to me… I then realized that Jenna hadn’t told him it was time to turn around, but as soon as she did, he turned around and we got some fantastic images.

One detail you couldn’t live without?
At the end of the day, it really was about spending time with family and friends. Dealing with Covid, then Mom’s diagnosis, the stress of the business, it made having 100 people in the room to celebrate our love that much more special. If you are looking for materialistic things, I would say that my absolute favorite detail from that day was our family portrait from our live painter (Kathryn McCabe Art). Instead of just doing a quick painting that we could take home that night, she started during the wedding, then brought it home to get all of the details just right. It is stunning and a testament to her talent. Incredible detail. I allotted a large portion of my budget to stationery. Banter and Charm created gorgeous, classic invitations and day of stationery. Anthony’s family had a multi-generational printing business in the city prior to his grandfather’s passing, so I want to give a nod to that.

I also LOVED my linens and was so glad that I chose to have a band instead of DJ. It was amazing to hear live music again! I wanted to include our dogs, but not have to manage them day of, other than Anthony putting dog tuxes on them at the house for a couple of quick pictures. Having them included in our cake topper and in our guest book was perfect. The lounge area was important to me so that my nondancers would have a place to gather and play board games. The peg game placed on each table was a nod to my grandmother who passed away. The glowing props were also very well received.

Did anything go wrong?
I don’t think there is ever a day that goes just as planned, but there wasn’t much that impacted my guests’ experience. We are just emerging from the crazy of Covid, many places are dealing with staff and supply shortages, as well as price increases. I preach patience and kindness. There were things that I noticed, but I wasn’t going to let that take away from what the day was really about.

First dance song?
Love Song – The Cure Our band did a great rendition that was somewhere between the original and the more reggae version that 311 did.

Any advice for future brides?
Hire the best quality professionals that you can find within your budget, who match your vision and ideals. Then let them do their work! I plan, plan, plan but feeling confident that my team truly understood what I wanted took a ton of pressure off of me. Consider a day-of coordinator if you want to know you have a point person dedicated to making sure all details are executed to your vision.

Honeymoon Location?
We had originally planned on a long weekend in Banff, but the Canadian border is still closed. We are working with a travel agent to see if we can find a warm-weather destination to enjoy over the winter. Hawaii, Antiqua, St Lucia are all on the table.

wedding details

Hometowns

Skillman, NJ

Officiant

Pam Kaithern

Bride’s Gown

Richard Designs

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Alison and Anthony at Congress Hall

wedding details

Hometowns

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Officiant

Bride’s Gown

Bride’s Shoes

Bridesmaid Dresses

Hair

Makeup

Groom’s Attire

Groomsmen Attire

Flowers

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Music

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