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Ashley and Nick at Renault Winery

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Ashley and Nick at Renault Winery

Posted on May 16, 2022 by New Jersey Bride

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How did you meet?
Nick and I met in 6th grade at Russel O. Brackman middle school in Barnegat, NJ. We grew up together in the same neighborhood with the same close-knit group of friends. After high school, I went to Stockton University where Nick was the first friend to visit. We grew closer and closer to one another and found ourselves texting each other all day, every day. Our connection was so obvious to others, that we started to get questioned why we weren’t dating yet. One thing lead to another, and on July 9th, 2011 Nick and I went from best friends to boyfriend and girlfriend. Two best friends decided to give love a chance, and here we are today!

How did you get engaged?
Nick proposed in Aruba on November 22nd, 2019; the day before my 28th birthday! We fell in love with the island during our first visit in 2016. Having been together for more than 8 years at this point, he was still able to catch me off guard with a walk on Eagle Beach and popped the question right as the sun was setting! The best part was Nick didn’t necessarily have an exact plan on how he was going to propose once we got there. The timing worked out in his favor that day, and by the time we got to our resort and settled, our walk on the beach just so happened to be as the sun was setting. It was such an incredible moment I’ll never forget. Now, our Aruba trips aren’t complete without a visit to “our spot”.

Details of the day!
Our wedding was on a warm summer day on July 9th, 2021 at Renault Winery. I would say our vibe was rustic and romantic. We had an outdoor ceremony in the courtyard, mingling with alpacas during cocktail hour, threw an unforgettable party in the Vineyard ballroom, and kept the night going with an after-party! My bridesmaids wore a mix of Jenny Yoo’s Morning Mist, Meadow, and Vintage Floral Ivory Sage. The groomsman each wore navy tuxedos. My bridal bouquet was a hand-tied style with lighter-toned flowers that were white with pops of blush tones. Smilax cascaded from the upper beams in the Vineyard Ballroom and large installations were created for two major focal points of the day- the ceremony arbor and the sweetheart table. Some florals of choice were garden roses, delphinium, astilbe, ranunculus, spray roses, dusty miller, sweet pea, and lisianthus. One of my absolute favorite details was our Sweetheart Table; featuring a wooden hexagon arch, two large floral installations, and a neon sign with our names floating in the center. The table was accompanied by more floral arrangements, greenery, rustic lanterns and ivory candles. Our incredible DJ Sooby had everyone on the dance floor the entire night. Additionally, our guests enjoyed a mirror photo booth, had shot glasses to take home, and most likely a selfie on their iPhone with one of the alpacas!

Why did you choose your venue?
We wanted to stay fairly local and Renault was special because my parents were married there almost 20 years prior. After our first visit, Nick looked at me and said, “Okay, we found our venue. No need to look anywhere else”. We just felt it was right from the start. Even with Renault undergoing construction at the time, we knew the end result would be the venue of our dreams.

What was on your menu?
We had multiple stations for cocktail hour. Some passed hors d’oeurves included lollipop lamb chops, mini crab cakes, and bacon-wrapped scallops. The filet mignon was a huge hit on our menu but we also had a salmon option and stuffed chicken with prosciutto. We had two cake flavors: red velvet with canoli filling and almond cake with vanilla and chocolate pastry cream with textured buttercream icing.

All about your gown!
I knew my dress was the one as soon as I put it on! I was originally set on another style, but this Casablanca gown immediately stole my heart. My dress was a fit and flare featuring an ivory scalloped lace patterned atop a layer of Point d’espirit and a light blush satin lining underlay. The dainty illusion V-back had a row of buttons atop a semi-cathedral length lace train. My dress was paired with a full-cathedral length veil with edges of scalloped lace and beading.

What was your favorite moment?
Seeing the joy on everyone’s faces during the reception…I remember looking around at the packed dance floor watching our family and friends jump up and down, dancing to the DJ and I just remember feeling pure bliss. All of our loved ones were together in the same place, and we were all having the time of our lives. At one point, my sister looked at me and said “this is the most fun I’ve ever had in my life”. I also really loved our first look. It was the only time we really had together that day, just us. I contemplated doing a first look because I never thought I wanted Nick to see me before I walked down the aisle, but I’m SO GLAD we decided to do it. Not only did it make sense logistically, but I’ll never forget the smile on his face seeing me for the first time.

One detail you couldn’t live without?
ALPACAS!!! Don’t ask me why, but I have just LOVED these furry friends for years. Nick has always been such a good sport with my alpaca obsession; allowing me to not only have our engagement shoot at an alpaca farm, but to have them at our wedding as well! They were such a huge hit! Our wedding would not have been complete without them.

Did anything go wrong?
Yes; one of the alpacas ripped my veil! In the midst of taking our photos with the alpacas, one of them was not really feeling the camera, and tried to take off while tangled in my veil!!! After almost taking me down, I turned to Mekina and asked if my veil ripped, but she said no (and I believed her, lol). We went on with the rest of our photos and at one point Mekina convinced me to take some photos without my veil. Without having ANY clue, my incredible wedding coordinator from Renault; Kailey, sprinted inside and sewed my veil back together with fishing line. It was plopped back on my head for our ceremony and no one noticed. I literally had NO CLUE this all even happened until the next morning at our brunch when my Mom broke the news and told me the whole story. Mekina had my entire bridal party and everyone keep it a secret from me. I’ll never be able to thank her enough for that.

First dance song?
Yours, Russel Dickerson

Any advice for future brides?
Go with vendors that are reputable and you can trust! I trusted our photographer, Mekina so much that I believed her when my veil totally did rip! Almost all of our vendors we had a connection to in some way; whether they were friends, or recommended by a friend. Having full faith and trust in our vendors put our minds at ease, and they did not disappoint! I can honestly say that every single vendor exceeded our expectations and more!

Honeymoon Location?
St. Lucia! We split our stay between Ladera Resort and Sandals La Toc. Our honeymoon suite at Ladera was an open-air King bedroom without a fourth wall, overlooking the Pitons and the Caribbean Sea. The views were absolutely breathtaking. It was an experience we will never forget and we hope to make it back to Ladera Resort in St. Lucia someday.

the details

Hometowns

Barnegat, NJ

Reception Location

Renault Winery

Photographer

Mekina Saylor

Officiant

John Conklin

Bride’s Gown

Casablanca

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Ashley and Nick at Renault Winery

the details

Hometowns

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

Rentals

Honeymoon

Brides Jewelry