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Alissa and Nick at SkyView Golf Club

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Alissa and Nick at SkyView Golf Club

Posted on June 03, 2021 by Allison Dupree

How did you meet?
We met in high school when I was a freshman and Nick was a sophomore. I acted in the school plays for our high school theater department and Nick was always on stage crew. In March 2011, we both attended the cast party for “Spelling Bee,” the musical. We connected over my inability to high-five (Nick showed me the “look at the elbow” trick). We spent the night talking and listening to music. We continued to see each other around school and high-fived in the hallways. In May 2011, we both helped with the middle school musical (I was a junior director and he did stage crew). Over the summer we continued to talk. But it wasn’t until September 7, 2011 (my first day of sophomore year), that Nick officially asked me to be his girlfriend!

The rest of high school consisted of us being in musicals together, going on dates to the movies and enjoying the carefree time we had with each other and our friends. After graduating from high school in 2013, Nick left for trade school. He came home on the weekends to see me while I finished my senior year. In August 2014, I left for college. I was only 30 minutes from his trade school. Nick graduated from trade school six months after I started college and returned to our hometown. Throughout the next three years, while I finished college, we continued to stay together, and after I graduated in 2018, I was able to come home to him.

How did you get engaged?
We were visiting my grandma and extended family in North Carolina. It was the first time in years that my whole family was able to make the trip together. It was July 2019, and we were all out on Lake James, swimming off of our favorite island when someone mentioned how we had forgotten something at the dock. Nick (being such a gentleman) offered to go back to the marina and pick it up. Me (being oblivious to what they were all in on) agreed to go with him. Nick and I started heading back on the boat. We were about halfway there when Nick stopped the boat and said, “Liss, I think I forgot my wallet on the island.” Me (being a nudge) says, “Oh, let me check the backpack.” Just as I’m about to grab the backpack he steals it from me, takes out the ring, gets down on one knee, and there, in my favorite spot in the world, asks me to marry him! I said yes, I cried, and he put the ring on my finger!

Details of the day!
Our theme was rustic vibes. Our colors were plum, lavender and navy with hints of green leaves. The bridesmaids all wore Azazie’s plum and my maid of honor was in Azazie’s dusk. The groomsmen all wore identical navy suits from Jos. A. Bank with chestnut accents, such as their shoes, wooden monogrammed cufflinks and suspenders. Their bow ties and pocket squares were the same dusk as my maid of honor’s dress. Our flowers were shades of purple and cream. We chose navy table linens to accent the whitewash boxes that our centerpieces were in. I also had mini white pumpkins spread on tables and throughout the venue. All the signs and picture frames were some shade of brown or white rustic wood. Our first favor was the 4×6 picture from our photo booth, provided by Photo Pros NJ. Our second favor was a late-night to-go station provided by our venue! We chose the New Jersey Breakfast option, which consisted of Taylor Ham, egg and cheese sandwiches, donuts, tater tots, hot chocolate and coffee. It was all available in to-go baggies! It was a huge hit!

Why did you choose your venue?
SkyView Golf Club was actually the first venue we looked at. We did proceed to look at five more venues, but in the end, we agreed SkyView was the clear winner. As soon as we walked into Skyview I was blown away by the ballroom, the cocktail-hour room and of course the views. It’s set on a golf course in the Hamburg mountains in North Jersey. They have a rustic cabin and a barn on the property. The outdoor ceremony space overlooks the golf course and mountains. We had the option of either a white birch arbor or a gazebo for the wedding. We ultimately chose the arbor. When we went up to the bridal suite, it was absolutely adorable and I knew it would be perfect for getting dressed and taking pictures in. Their price per head is so fairly priced and is all-inclusive of an open bar, cocktail-hour options, dinner and wedding cake. The menu selection was a huge selling point for us!

What was on your menu?
Our cocktail hour consisted of 18 butler-passed hors d’oeuvres. Because of Covid, guests had to sit at their tables for the cocktail hour, so what would have been the antipasto display (cheese, meat, crackers, fruit, and salmon) was on platters at each table. For our hot chafing dishes, we had chicken Hawaiian, eggplant rollatini and fried calamari. The carving station was a French-boned honey turkey. Our two hot stations were the Polish station and the Italian pasta station. For our appetizer, we had a tri-color salad that consisted of endive, radicchio and arugula with a champagne vinaigrette, crumbled feta and fresh orange segments. Our main course was Chateaubriand with bordelaise sauce and chicken piccata with roasted potatoes and seasonal vegetables. Each guest got the steak and the chicken. For vegetarians/vegans, they did a risotto dish. Our wedding cake was a vanilla and chocolate cake filled with chocolate ganache and topped with buttercream frosting.

All about your gown!
When I first walked into Bijou Bridals, I was blown away by all the beautiful, elegant gowns. The dress I ended up choosing was a sheath gown with a deep V in the front and back. The front V was covered by lace and the back had lace accents going down the side. The dress had a vine lace pattern that extended down onto the skirt. When I put this gown on for the first time I honestly wasn’t positive at first that it was “the one” because it was so different from what I thought I would pick. The woman helping us had me try it on with a veil and a belt, and that’s what sold me. The veil and belt had a matching rhinestone and pearl oval beaded pattern. I was even able to find shoes that matched it! And the seamstresses at Bijou made it fit me better than I could have ever imagined. They did a French bustle, so I didn’t lose the lace pattern in the back. Even though it’s not the style I originally saw myself in, in the end, it was better than I could have ever imagined!

What was your favorite moment?
My favorite moment had to be our first look. There’s a picture of my husband leaning around the wooden beam to see me for the first time and he just looks ecstatic. After months of planning, he finally got to see me! It was so exciting. Since we did a first look, we also were able to take our pictures and the bridal party pictures before the wedding. This honestly made the day run so much smoother since we only had an hour between the ceremony and reception! Amy Sabani (Photo Pros NJ day-of coordinator) was a huge help in making sure all our pictures were perfect! Her attention to detail is everything. After first-look pictures, my bridesmaids and I returned to the bridal suite and I literally took off my dress, ate a sandwich and an ice tea, and got redressed all before the ceremony started. And even with our first look, I still managed to ugly cry my fair share of happy tears as my dad and I walked down the aisle to Christina Perri’s “A Thousand Years.” My dad did a much better job of keeping his composure!

One detail you couldn’t live without?
I don’t know how I would have made it through the day without Hildegard Power, our maître d’. She was the first person I spoke with when we visited SkyView. Throughout the whole process, she was so great to work with. Before the wedding, she was always open to answering my many questions. Even as the day arrived, she worked with me to change the room layout as we had guests dropping due to Covid. She also agreed to add more chairs at the ceremony for those that didn’t feel comfortable attending the reception, but still wanted to see us. Hildegard was very on top of us the whole day making sure that we always had a drink in our hand and food on our table—if it wasn’t for her I don’t think I would’ve eaten any actual food on my wedding day. Imagine this, my mom is bustling my dress in a separate room before Nick and I enter cocktail hour. Hildegard walks in followed by my husband and says, “I wasn’t sure what you like so I got you pinot, is that okay or would you prefer something else? And I got Nick a coke because I know he doesn’t drink.” How sweet! Then she guided us into cocktail hour and our table was fully set up with mini plates of all the appetizers and hors d’oeuvres. Throughout the night Hildegard and her staff made sure to check in on us and see if we needed any more drinks or refills. At the end of the night, she and her team very quickly and efficiently cleaned up all our décor so that we could bring it home with us. That way we didn’t have to come back to the venue in the morning. I don’t know how the day would’ve gone off without her!

Did anything go wrong?
Well, there was Covid, which certainly didn’t help. It changed our cocktail hour to a seated cocktail hour where you sat at your reception table instead of walking around. We had some guests who were unable to come, which was unfortunate but of course, we understood given the current situation. And masks seemed to be the most loved accessory! But Covid aside, our day really was perfect.

First dance song?
Our first dance was “Better Today,” by Coffee Anderson. One day Nick and I were driving in the car and all of a sudden, a slow country song came on the radio. After about 10 seconds Nick says, “You watch, this is going to be our first dance.” And sure enough, he was right. I was crying by the end of it!

Any advice for future brides?
There are two big pieces of advice I can give. The first is do not worry about what others will think of your wedding day. I spent so much time wondering if people would like the food I was getting or like the flowers that I had or even like my dress. I even stressed about whether or not people thought my father-daughter dance would be too long if we did the whole song. Then I realized that if you’re coming to my wedding and you’re going to say something negative about it, you probably should not be there!

My other big piece of advice is to be kind and understanding to your vendors. This is a really hard time for everyone, vendors included. I did my best to be compassionate as every new Covid issue arose, and it paid off. Our awesome deejay upgraded our uplighting to color-changing lights. (So cool by the way!) Our photographer threw in his day-of coordinator to help us. And our venue made sure we were treated like royalty, bringing us drinks and making sure we took time to sit and eat. Be nice to your vendors and they will be nice to you!

Honeymoon location:
Our original honeymoon plan was to do something down in Aruba since neither of us had ever been. Then of course Covid hit back in March and we realized traveling out of the country probably wasn’t the best idea. I had been following this company Sylvania Tree Farm out in the Poconos for a few years. I decided to call the owner and sure enough, she had a cabin free for a few days after our wedding. So, we did a little “minimoon” up in a cabin at Sylvania Tree Farm. Everything about it was gorgeous. Hiking trails right next to the Delaware River, a hot tub, a hammock, a fire pit outside and an adorable little cabin with a loft. While we still plan to officially honeymoon in Aruba once everything is safe again, the cabin was a perfect little getaway for us.

the details

Hometowns

Cedar Grove, NJ

Officiant

Rev. Sarah Welch-Pomerantz of Community Church of Cedar Grove

Bride’s Gown

Bijou Bridals

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Alissa and Nick at SkyView Golf Club

the details

Hometowns

Ceremony Location

Reception Location

Photographer

Officiant

Bride’s Gown

Bride’s Shoes

Bridesmaid Dresses

Hair

Makeup

Groom’s Attire

Groomsmen Attire

Flowers

Cake

Invites

Music

Videographer

Transportation

Favors

Linens

Honeymoon

Brides Jewelry

Brides Accessories