Real Weddings
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Giovanna and Frank at The Venetian

Posted on January 23, 2019 by Corey Salva

giovanna-frank-venetian

How did you meet? 
Fate! Frank and I were meant to cross paths one way or another. I had always dreamed of living in Hoboken and as soon as I landed my first job out of college, I headed straight to the small city I always dreamed about. A few months after moving, a chance run in with a family friend I hadn’t seen in a few years at the Short Hills Mall changed my life forever. As we were catching up and I shared my exciting new move to Hoboken (along with my very single status) my family friend insisted I had to connect with her close friend’s son, who also lived there.

giovanna-frank-venetian

Although this sparked my interest, I walked away thinking the chances of us actually connecting were not likely. A few days later, I got a Facebook message from Frank and was blown away. My family friend indeed followed through and told my future mother-in-law what a great match her son and I would be. It turns out, she was spot on. Frank and I connected instantly and after our first date a few weeks after Facebook chatting, we started spending every Friday watching Netflix together and soon enough, every day!

giovanna-frank-venetian

How did you get engaged? 
After four years of dating, Frank proposed to me of course on a Friday night, our ritual stay-at-home date night. I anticipated our usual Netflix and ordering Seamless for dinner, especially since it was raining outside. We both take the bus home from Port Authority and unfortunately when it rains the delays can be significant. After a longer than usual commute, I couldn’t wait to veg out together but was surprised to see Frank had made it home before me.

giovanna-frank-venetian

I opened the door to our apartment fully decked out with balloons, rose petals, a custom cake, and a white runner from our door leading to our kitchen table, where my dream ring from Lauren B was sitting. We had an ongoing joke that I wished he would write me a love letter, and that night, my wish came true. After a tear jerking letter, Frank got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. My parents, along with Frank’s, were downstairs in our lobby waiting to come up and surprise me, which was so thoughtful and sweet! I come from a very traditional Italian family so it meant the world to me that Frank knew I would want them there for this incredible moment.

giovanna-frank-venetian

Details of the day! 
I wanted our day to be the whimsical fairy tale I always dreamed of but as a typical Jersey girl having a winter wedding, I also wanted bling and flowers everywhere but done in a classic, winter wonderland way. I had a very traditional catholic ceremony at St. Ann’s Church in Hoboken, New Jersey and wanted to incorporate my love of flowers during the ceremony as well. I had roses with orchids flowing down the pews and 2 large candelabras at the alter to add a bit of glam to the traditional Italian church.

giovanna-frank-venetian

The flowers, aside from my dress, were the most important aspect to me on my wedding day. I had three different centerpieces on each table and stressed to my amazing florist, Robert of Pedestals, how important our sweetheart table was to me. I also wanted the flowers to look lush so preferred not to have any greenery in the bouquets and centerpieces. My bouquet was extremely special as well and consisted of white roses and rhinestone embellished stephanotis – I had my bouquet wrapped in my mother’s wedding gown with a custom rhinestone rosary wrapped around it along with 2 rhinestone bouquet charms of my grandparents who have passed away and could not share my special day with me.

giovanna-frank-venetian

My bridesmaids wore a gorgeous Eleni Elias gown in a frosted mauve/light purple color that had a bit of sheen to it from the mikado fabric and added a pop of color to the all white flowers and linens at the venue. Someone once told me that the invitation really sets the tone so I felt the custom invitations I had created by Little Black Dress Paperie were an amazing peek at what was to come on our day. The invitations also incorporated my love of flowers and a bit of my wedding gown which had gorgeous Chantilly lace appliques all throughout the cathedral length train. Frank and his groomsmen were also traditional in classic yet fitted tuxedos by BLACK by Vera Wang while Frank opted for Hugo Boss. My shoes incorporated my love of Cinderella and were for sure my own version of a glass slipper with see through mesh and Swarovski rhinestones throughout the entire shoe, I knew they would be absolutely perfect for my day and make me feel like a princess!

giovanna-frank-venetian

Why did you choose your venue? 
The food at The Venetian is the absolute best and being first generation Italian and my husband also coming from an Italian family, we had to make sure our guests had amazing food to feast on and of course, The Venetian absolutely exceeded our expectations. The cocktail hour at The Venetian is insane but I wanted to make it a bit more over the top so I opted to have the fresh mozzarella station where they make fresh stuffed mozzarella to order. We also added in a raw bar which was a huge hit with our guests. I also always wanted a grand entrance as husband and wife and fell in love with the staircase in the Grand Ballroom at The Venetian, what better way to start the night off!

giovanna-frank-venetian

What was on your menu? 
We started off with Poached Pear and Baby Spinach Salad with Candied Walnuts and Goat Cheese followed by a Lemon Intermezzo and a choice of entree of Potato Encrusted Chilean Sea Bass or French Cut Herb Chicken stuffed with Asiago Cheese and Spinach. Our night ended with the Viennese extravaganza and also with fresh zeppoles and coffee for our guests on their way out the door.

giovanna-frank-venetian

All about your gown! 
I had gone to a few bridal stores and felt like everything I tried on was absolutely beautiful, but something didn’t feel right. I scheduled an appointment with Vera Wang on a whim and went in certain I was not a Vera Wang bride – I was very wrong! When I came across my dress on the rack, I gasped. It was everything I had been describin

g to consultants and more. It was a traditional Vera Wang silk strapless ballgown that had crystal beading and Chantilly lace all throughout the bodice and had a very long cathedral length train which was a must have for me, along with large flower appliques made of crystal beaded Chantilly lace throughout the bottom of the dress and train, and even had a peplum.

giovanna-frank-venetian

When I put the dress on, I knew instantly it was made for me – the sample even fit like a glove! Because I love details I added buttons to the back of my gown for a special detail and I completed my look with a cathedral length Vera Wang veil with tiny Swarovski crystals scattered throughout the and wore a traditional blusher as I walked down the aisle. My headpiece from Bridal Styles Boutique made me feel like an absolute queen and because my dress was beaded with small crystals, I felt like it added just the right amount of bling to my look.

giovanna-frank-venetian

What was your favorite moment? 
My favorite moment was our first dance. We had Magic Moments for our production company and added dancing on clouds and snow for our first dance – our guests were wowed and it was absolutely incredible to be dancing with my new husband as the snow fell down on us, surrounded by our close family and friends. It was pure magic and something I will remember for the rest of my life!

giovanna-frank-venetian

One detail you couldn’t live without?
I could not live without an over the top sweetheart table/stage – Robert knocked it out of the park and gave us a gorgeous hedge full of roses with candles everywhere, 2 gorgeous candelabras, and a beautiful white fabric backdrop to tie it all together. I also couldn’t live without our live painter, Daniel Angeli, and loved having a cigar roller, La Casa Grande Cigars, during our Viennese hour!

giovanna-frank-venetian

Did anything go wrong? 
As cliche as it sounds, nothing went wrong on our day and it was absolutely flawless! Our vendors were all so wonderful to work with and really delivered their absolute best on our special day.

giovanna-frank-venetian

First dance song? 
Unchained Melody

giovanna-frank-venetian

Any advice for future brides? 
As stressful as planning gets, it’s all completely worth it! Take some time on your day to let it all sink in – this day only happens once and is so incredibly special and so full of love. It truly is the best day of your life that goes by in a flash!

giovanna-frank-venetian

Where did you honeymoon?
We did a minimoon in our favorite place, Napa Valley CA! We plan to attend a friend’s wedding in Italy and take a honeymoon in Lake Como and Piedmont after we celebrate our friend’s special day!

the details

Hometowns

Bayonne, NJ

Ceremony Location

St. Ann's Church

Reception Location

The Venetian

Photographer

Montclair Studio

Officiant

Father Remo DiSalvatore

Bride’s Gown

Vera Wang

+ more