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Amy and Dom at Mallard Island Yacht Club

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Amy and Dom at Mallard Island Yacht Club

How did you meet?
Dom and I met going out in Hoboken during the summer of 2012, technically at a “Kluck U Chicken.” This was the first year our group of friends had turned 21. We knew each for 3 years before we started dating in July 2015 when he asked me out on in Edgewater in front of the NYC skyline.

How did you get engaged?
Turks & Caicos was one of the first real vacations out of the country we took together. We fell in love with the island and Seven Stars Resort. We had been dating for 5 years, and in December 2019 on our third trip to Turks, Dom set up the best proposal I could have ever imagined. We always took pictures by the sunset, and during that time, he had hired a photographer to hide in the dunes and capture the entire moment. As we took pictures, he got down on one knee. Dom also had set up a beautiful dinner on the beach for afterward, as well as, the next day we went out on a private boat along with our photographer, to see the beautiful smaller islands of Turks & Caicos. It was truly amazing!

Details of the day!
Dom and I love the beach and warm weather. So the theme I went for planning the wedding was coastal/nautical. A lot of anchors, starfish, sand dollars, sailboats, etc. were included in our details. Our flowers were a mix of hydrangeas and a must was white anemones. Our favors included a small shore-themed candle and soap, as well as saltwater taffy from Country Kettle Fudge in Long Beach Island, NJ (where we got married!). The saltwater taffy box mimicked the Barnegat Lighthouse (where we took our “Save the Date” pictures). I knew right away I wanted the colors to have lots of dusty blues and whites. Our invitations had this theme, the bridesmaid dresses, and the groomsmen’s ties also were dusty blue.

Why did you choose your venue?
We chose Mallard Island Yacht Club because it incorporated everything we dreamed of having in our wedding. I grew up going down to Long Beach Island and introduced Dom to it the first summer we started dating. We knew wanted to have a wedding by the water. My concern of course was the weather. With Mallard, you get married on the water regardless since the ceremony space is covered and you’re right on the bay. It also had the dreamiest bridal suite and a little beach without actually being on the beach. We also hit it off with Gianna Verdoni, the coordinator there and it was the first and only venue we looked at.

What was on your menu?
Our wedding menu included: Insulata Burrata, Presented over young Arugula with Focaccia Crostini topped with Heirloom Tomato Salad, Aged Balsamic Reduction and House Pesto Oil. The Main Entrée was your choice of: Filet Mignon Char-Broiled Center Cut Classic Béarnaise Sauce – Pan Seared East Coast Halibut Buerre Blanc & Capers – Pan Roasted Chicken Fresco Garnish of Artichoke Hearts, Capers, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes California Sauterne and Meyer Lemon Veloute – Grilled Vegetable Napoleon (VGF) Presented Over Roasted Spaghetti Squash Finished with Aged Balsamic Reduction and House Made Chive Oil. Our cake flavor was funfetti Cake with Raspberry Jam and Chocolate Fudge filling.

All about your gown!
The Eddy K “Elisa Sky 203” had a deep plunging back with a huge train. It fit me like a glove and had gorgeous beading throughout the dress. No matter what angle of the dress, it looked beautiful. Choosing my dress felt meant to be. It was very spontaneous and my first time going to look at wedding dresses. My mom and I were supposed to go down the shore that weekend for her birthday but weren’t able to. So we decided to see if my two maids of honor were around- they were! So we took a trip over to Vera’s Bridal in Englewood. I had an idea of what I wanted but nothing too specific. After trying on about 4 dresses, I tried on the Elisa SKY203 and fell in love with how it fit me immediately! The back of the dress and the train spoke for itself. After trying it on, every other dress didn’t seem to measure up and that is when we all knew. The crazy part is that weekend specifically it was the Eddy K Trunk Show at Vera’s and if we had come any other weekend, I would not have come across it!

What was your favorite moment?
My favorite moment of the wedding had to be when during the ceremony, our dog, Riley started “talking”. She was the flower “girl”. The entire time during the wedding, she was very quiet. Our officiant started asking us to say our “I dos” and that is when she started almost chirping, it was not barking. The moment was captured in our video, where our officiant says “and the puppy says yes too!” It had everyone laughing, not to mention, it took some anxiety away from being up at the front.

One detail you couldn’t live without?
A detail I couldn’t live without was our live painting. Our painter, Cynthia Midori, captured our first dance and dip. With the clouds and the bay in the background, it really gave us a moment we will have to remember forever in a unique way other than a picture. Very worth it!

Did anything go wrong?
Nothing too major went wrong. I will say, the first days leading up to the wedding the weather looked beautiful and sunny. Our wedding was on a Saturday and on Wednesday, the weather changed to thunderstorms all day and warnings for flash flooding. The entire weekend became cloudy and rainy. I did not really plan for rain, so I did start to panic a bit. We had this beautiful venue and I felt like it would really hinder getting all the outside pictures I had been planning. I also was afraid about guests getting there considering the LBI area tends to flood easily. I felt bad for people who were making a weekend out of it to go to the beach, etc. In the end, it did not rain. It was overcast and a bit windy, but I got mostly all the pictures I had wanted. No one got caught in any flooding, and briefly, during the ceremony, the sun came out a bit. Luckily, our photographer, Ann, really made it look like it was a beautiful day outside, you would never know! We even were able to use the fire pit for the after-party.

First dance song?
Our first dance song was “Hunger” by Ross Copperman, if you are a Vampire Diaries fan, you would know how important that song was in the series. My husband knows my obsession with the show and agree to do it and even incorporate some of the Damon and Elena dance moves from the show.

Any advice for future brides?
Enjoy it! Things will throw you off course, but in the end, once you’re in the day, all of the inconveniences will fade away. You are just happy to be there marrying the love of your life surrounded by your family and friends. It gives you the happiest feeling of having that type of love all around you and your future husband. Our DJ told us to step aside, take a moment and soak it all up. It really is great advice because the day will fly by and you will be wishing to relive it over again before you know it.

Honeymoon Location?
We went on a mini-moon for now to Outer Banks, North Carolina. We got lucky to have beautiful weather, took a hummer tour to see the wild horses that live on the beach, and relaxed. Eventually, we would like to go on a honeymoon to Greece and/or Italy. With COVID-19 around, we wanted to wait for everything to calm down before traveling internationally.