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Brittany and Luke at Renault Winery

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Brittany and Luke at Renault Winery

Posted on February 23, 2023 by New Jersey Bride

How did you meet?
Not the most interesting story but Bumble! I knew someone who showed up in one of his pictures and thought he was trying to mess with me- he was not. We had our first date with the plan to walk around southernmost Manhattan by the Seaport and barhop. We ended up just walking and talking for about 7 hours! I think we both knew we had something special from that night. Five years later, here we are!

How did you get engaged?
Luke enlisted the help of my best friend, my mom, and his parents to design a custom ring based on all the examples I had shown him previously. He used his Grandmother’s diamond which was so special. They all conspired to set up a proposal at the exact spot we had sat on our first date along the water. It was so special and magical! Our families were there to greet us on the way out of the park with champagne and excitement. They arranged such a special night for us- a limo, a hotel room with an amazing balcony, and a wonderful dinner to cap the night off. It was absolutely perfect in every way.

Details of the day!
From the second we started wedding planning, we knew we wanted the vibe to be fun. Our anniversary is in the fall, and while our date wasn’t available- October 1st was a great choice. I picked burgundy, terracotta, and pink as our color scheme to match the fall date. As we continued the planning process over two years my vision with the colors stayed the same, but I started to bring in more elements of retro-modern style. I set the tone by working with Sarah Lewis at Slate +Brush Design to create an invitation that was both fun and still felt like you were being invited to a WEDDING rather than some type of themed party. That is definitely something I worried about- but of course, Sarah was amazing and they were beautiful! Sarah also designed my Welcome Sign which happens to be one of my favorite pieces of decor from the night.

Our florist Betina was another important factor in bringing my vision to life. I made and revised multiple slides for her to use as examples. I wanted texture and color, still keeping white and lighter colors to match the ballroom that is designed with lighter more airy tones. Her work speaks for itself, she completely nailed everything I asked for in every way. The balance of light and colorful florals truly popped and didn’t overpower the spaces: railings, standing floral pillars, bouquets, boutonnieres, centerpieces, cake decor, and sporadic florals throughout the space where she thought it would add. Betina and her team were fantastic to work with and were a huge component of making this all work together. That is something I highly recommend looking into when choosing the right one- choose someone who gets your vibe.

Our ballroom had already been adorned with white drapery stemming outward from a chandelier surrounded by a greenery ring. While it is beautiful on its own, I felt it needed to tie into the fun/colorful theme. I enlisted SlayDisplays to add the large bobo balloons, with colored baby’s breath from Betina. SlayDisplays also supplied us with colorful arches used as a backdrop for the sweetheart table, our photo booth backdrop, and pedestals for a card box and sign. I designed and printed the menus and programs that doubled as a seating chart to avoid 200+ guests trying to fight to view a large display to find their names and seating location. We also used AftertheTone as our audio guestbook which not only fit our theme, but is something very exciting to look forward to listening to post-wedding. Reliving the sounds of our friends and family during such a happy day will be precious for years to come. In place of favors, we hired Tony Luke’s Cheesesteaks to deliver boxes of various cheesesteaks and fries for guests to take on their way out or to the afterparty.

Why did you choose your venue?
Before we were even engaged I knew we likely were going to be married within a few years. I also knew Jersey is closer to my family and Long Island is closer to Luke’s family so it would be a challenge to find somewhere in the middle. I also knew I wanted more than just another catering hall- a vineyard and weekend experience was the goal. I came across Renault with some outdated pictures pre-renovation and something about it was very charming. Fast forward to our visit in 2020- the venue quite literally took our breath away and was so much nicer post-renovation. Renault Winery was the first and last venue we looked at- we got into the car after our visit and looked at each other like “we’re just going to pick this right?”. We went back the following week with our parents to sign the contract! No regrets! Renault was the perfect venue for the setting, the hotel across the street and proximity to Atlantic City for overflow guests, and a distance that would be a bit of a journey for all family and friends.

What was on your menu?
Our menu for cocktail hour included pasta, Mediterranean, sushi, and seafood stations as well as passed hors d’oeuvres that included lollipop lamb, cheesesteak egg rolls, and potstickers- just to name a few. For our salad, we had a zesty beet and goat cheese salad. Entrée options included: filet mignon with demi glaze or orange ginger glazed salmon with mashed potatoes and asparagus. The vegetarian option was a stacked ratatouille. All were DELICIOUS! For dessert, we served donut holes with various dips- chocolate, raspberry, caramel, at each table which guests raved about. Our wedding cake from The Bake Works was phenomenal. We had two different flavors because we couldn’t decide which we liked more: lemon cake with blueberry cream filling and funfetti cake with raspberry cream filling. If you’re ever in that part of New Jersey I highly recommend stopping in for any of their baked goods!

All about your gown!
I actually had a unique situation with my gown. I had gone in March of 2021 to pick out the initial dress which was Fiona designed by Maggie Sottero – this was a fitted, lace-detail, with detachable sleeves and a blush underlay. My mom was diagnosed with Leukemia a few months later and the stress caused me to lose a significant amount of weight. I was told the dress would need to be cut in half if I were to stick with it. They advised me to come back to get remeasured and perhaps try on other gowns now that my body was different. I had picked a few gowns to have ready prior and ironically I just threw this one in to try on an extra dress. I put this dress on and it completely felt like me. For a girl who has struggled with body image her entire life, I felt gorgeous. The simple pearl mikado fit and flare from Essence of Australia was beyond flattering on me. The second I walked out to show my family, they knew I was going to choose this one. That was the last time my mom would see me in my dress, so it was an extra special memory for me.

What was your favorite moment?
My favorite moment of the night would have to be our intro/first dance. Luke and I did not have many slow songs that we felt really showcased us as a couple. I finally found one that I loved but Luke was on the fence about it. We asked my mom for her opinion and she was extremely emotional while listening and said it was perfect for us. My mom was not able to be there on our wedding day, so in hopes she will be able to attend a small redo, we saved that song and instead used our entrance song to double as our first dance. One of the very first topics we discussed was our love of Guardians of the Galaxy and the amazing soundtrack. The day we got engaged we agreed “Come and Get Your Love” by Redbone was perfect for us to walk into. The week prior we made the decision to turn it into our actual first dance. The night before the wedding we spent hours choreographing a few moves that would add some spice to the dance instead of just swaying or looking uncomfortable dancing on our own. Luke entered through the main doors where the rest of the wedding party had entered, and in the next verse, I would enter down the ballroom staircase. That set the tone for the entire night. We had so many people come up to us saying it was amazing and so fun.

One detail you couldn’t live without?
Disco Balls! Sounds a little silly but I really wanted our “modern-retro” theme to incorporate disco balls as a really fun element. The dance floor setting was one of the most important details I focused on. We met with Jason Cohen from SCE Events a few months prior to the wedding and he told us he didn’t have access to any disco balls. Fast forward to our last meeting and Jason surprised us with disco balls that we would be able to rent. I was SO excited to see it all come together. The disco balls truly did their job- tied well into the retro-styled decor and kept the vibe of the room very fun.

Did anything go wrong?
Honestly, the whole weekend went very smoothly other than having to move our outdoor lawn ceremony indoors and my mom not being able to attend. Thankfully we knew the venue was beautiful so an indoor wedding wouldn’t be a problem. Quite frankly, the decor I worked so hard on just got an extra chance to shine and looked beautiful as a backdrop to our ceremony. After a battle with Leukemia starting in March 2021, and a bone marrow transplant in March of 2022, my mom suffered a major brain hemorrhage that she thankfully survived but undoubtedly changed our lives forever. Losing motion and being in constant pain in the right arm and leg, there was no way to get her there from rehab miles and miles away. I honored her the best ways I could: used her signature Michael Kors perfume(pictured in detail shot), wore her charm bracelet for our rehearsal dinner, and saved our real first dance, a new set of wedding bands, and a second outfit that she absolutely loved for a time where we can have a small redo that she can attend. I knew she would want me to enjoy my day no matter what- and that is exactly what I did. I let myself grieve after putting on my dress that I always thought she would be there to help with and then continued on to have a magical day.

Any advice for future brides?
Whether it’s included in the venue, or you need to outsource- hire a day-of coordinator if it is in your budget. Hiring TuttiBelle Events NYC was one of the best decisions I made in regard to the wedding. Make sure you are specific with your vision- make a canva board, google doc, or anything to visually express your thoughts to send to vendors. If you have financial means and your venue offers- add a half hour to the cocktail hour. Especially couples who do not do a first look! Don’t be a hero and think you can DIY everything- if you can, you’re a superhero. Weddings are not a competition or a showcase of wealth- in my opinion, weddings are a representation of who you are as a couple. There was not one detail of my day that wasn’t tailored to us. The color scheme, the retro-vibe (we love the 70s), iron man cufflinks (we love Marvel), drink stirrers of our dog, programs with a seating chart so people wouldn’t have to jump over one another to see seating, audio guestbook with a fake phonebook for instructions, the florals, time of year, the card box, music choice, the seventh-inning stretch (my husband is a huge baseball fan)- everything was carefully selected with the idea that we are being represented by this one day. Do not let ANYTHING ruin your day. This is the best day of your life, you hopefully only get one so enjoy every single second of it. If the flowers aren’t perfect or you sign is in the wrong location, I promise your day can still be magical.

Honeymoon Location?
After one hell of a year, we decided to take a longer honeymoon- 2.5 weeks in Europe with the help of our wonderful agent Nancy(NJG Travel). We started in Barcelona, then to Paris, a quick stay in Amsterdam, and completed our trip in London. It was truly an amazing and unforgettable trip.

wedding details

Hometowns

New York

Reception Location

Renault Winery

Photographer

United Elite Photography - Marcia Weinstein

Officiant

Justin Gaynor - Cousin of the Groom

Bride’s Gown

Essence of Austrailia/True Society D3223

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Brittany and Luke at Renault Winery

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