Cass and Matt at Ryland Inn

Posted on January 26, 2023 by New Jersey Bride

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How did you meet?
Matt & I met through a mutual friend. I grew up going to Candy Mountain Day Camp as a kid and stayed friends with one of the other campers, Nick. As years went on and we got older, Nick & I’s friendship remained close. One night we both decided to go out with both of our friend groups and I ultimately met Matt. Little did I know that we were going to get married years later let alone that I had previously met Matt in my high school days. In high school, I went to prom with Nick and met Matt my future husband at his high school prom.

How did you get engaged?
Every fall, Matthew & I do some sort of fun fall activity. This year since he was working, I went with his sister to a fall festival at the NJ botanical gardens. As his sister & I walked through the lush gardens, I found Matthew waiting for me in the opening. He surprised me & proposed with the most stunning ring!

Details of the day!
Where do I even begin? Every single detail that went into this wedding was such a labor of love. The theme for the wedding was a whimsical fairytale. This idea inspired my flowers & my florists absolutely crushed it. We didn’t want your average white & neat rose bouquets on every table. I explained to them that I wanted the flowers to make me feel like I was frolicking through the forest & to use bright florals. They made such stunning arrangements for each table. It looked like a garden was growing on every table at the venue. The florals climbed up the fireplace making the sweetheart table look like it was an oasis. My wedding guests, as well as strangers, after seeing my wedding photos could not even believe how beautiful of a job they did.

We incorporated these details on the invitations as well. We had a calligrapher hand paint every wedding invite to match the exact florals that would be at the wedding. She then was also able to paint the florals on our welcome mirror and the massive mirrored seating chart. We included other small details such as a bathroom basket that included the necessities from Tom Ford to toothbrushes. All of the ladies chose their own flip-flops to get down with on the dance floor. Meanwhile, the DJ threw out on the dance floor custom ‘Matt & Cass’ shirts for the guests to have after the big day. We included a table of the dead as well as marriages through the years to be on display. My dad rented a cotton candy machine as a tradition from all my family parties growing up. Wedding guests that stayed at the hotel were greeted with Matt & Cass water bottles to have some hydration before the celebration.

Why did you choose your venue?
We chose our venue because Matt’s sister got married at the Ryland Inn in 2017. At the time of her wedding, they were building the Coach House just next door. When she got married, the number one thing all of us remembered is the amazing food & exceptional service. It was a no-brainer to pick this Landmark venue as the vibes of the rustic barn match Matt & I’s love for outdoors & nature. We even had the same event planner, Lara.

What was on your menu?
All locally grown, sustainably sourced food. The menu ranged from lobster tails to macaroni & cheese. The food was endless but more importantly, tasted incredibly fresh. Our cake flavor of choice was dulce de leche.

All about your gown!
After trying on what felt like hundreds of gowns, this one inspired the theme for the rest of the wedding. As soon as I put it on, it fit who I was as a person. It had a little bit of sexy with glistening sparkle. It was see-through in some areas and had 3D florals hand sown onto it. From putting on this dress, the idea of having a whimsical fairytale wedding theme was born. It then shaped my flower ideas for my wedding day.

What was your favorite moment?
Celebrating our love with the people we love the most. We wanted our wedding to be a huge celebration of love. We didn’t want to have a sappy wedding but an upbeat one that reflects our love for entertaining. Celebrating & dancing with our closest friends from all over the world really made us recognize how truly lucky & loved we are.

One detail you couldn’t live without?
Taking wedding photos with my 16-year-old dog. He was such a trooper the whole day!

Did anything go wrong?
My ring bearer got sick the night before the wedding making him unable to fulfill his duty. Luckily, my other nephew was able to fill in for him & it made for the cutest photos.

First dance song?
Is This Love Montmartre Remix by Bob Marley

Any advice for future brides?
Be present in the moment, it truly does go by so fast!

Honeymoon Location?
We had the most magical honeymoon in Dominica. It’s an island in the Caribbean near St. Lucia. They currently are building an international airport so it’s a very up & coming destination. We wanted a luxurious experience but felt like staying on those huts over the water was overdone. We stayed at a boutique resort that was rated the number one resort in Travel & Leisures for all of the Caribbean, Bermuda & the Bahamas for 2020 & 2022. We had our house with a pool and breathtaking views of the ocean. It’s a six-star resort that offers an all-day butler that cooked us our meals when we didn’t want to go to the resort restaurants, cleaned for us, and even planned our itineraries. We got to do the famous bird watching with Dr. Birdy & kayak off the hotel’s oceanfront to their secret beach. We explored the caves and even went on a private boat ride with Mitchell’s siblings to go lionfish catching.