Grandpa’s Pickup Truck, Homemade Limoncello and More Personal Touches Made This NJ Wedding Unique

Their Story

Emily and Brian tied the knot at the Ashford Estate in Allentown on June 25, 2022. They originally met in high school, and have been together ever since Brian gave Emily his varsity jacket during a beach bonfire the summer before their senior year.

The couple, who both work in healthcare, love traveling, spending time with their dog Lucy, and going to the beach.

The Proposal

Brian proposed on the couple’s seventh anniversary, sending Emily on a scavenger hunt to special places that eventually led to him.

Details of the Day

Their beautiful, floral-filled wedding took place at the Ashford Estate with the goal of making it their own.

“It is so easy to want to have the wedding you see on Pinterest, but I feel our wedding was most special because we included so much of our family, friends and love story into our day,” says Emily.

That included a special surprise for Emily’s father: having her late grandfather’s restored tow truck at the wedding. It sat outside the Ashford Estate and made for beautiful decor and a unique portrait spot. “My grandparents purchased an auto body shop in 1937, and they soon required a tow truck to support the business,” Emily says. “Big Bruiser, a tow truck my pop purchased for $25, became the workhorse of the company, it supported my grandparents and their family back in the day and it lived on to tell the story, now three generations after. My father restored the tow truck just before my pop passed away in 2017. It was a magical moment to see the smiles the old truck brought to many faces.”

Another special moment? Having their pooch Lucy as well Emily’s 16-year-old childhood dog Prince, at the wedding, with some help from the team at Smile ‘N’ Wag team.

The couple also had a special getaway car. Throughout high school, Brian drove a red Mazda Miata. Brian and Emily would drive for hours in the Miata, playing music, holding hands, and going on dates in this little car. Brian would even drive it to visit Emily at college when they were long distance. The car helped the couple make so many memories and it was so special to have it at the venue.

The ceremony and reception spaces were adorned with countless florals and candles by florist Petal Pushers Magnolia. There was a live painter at the reception, who was able to hide a horse shoe and dog paw in our painting, as a nod to the couple’s pets.

Favors were personalized homemade limoncello bottles. “We always make our limoncello from scratch, so we gathered as much lemons as we could, grabbed a couple of friends, and blasted Italian classics while bottling,” she says.

Advice for Other Couples

“Live in the moment, have your friends come up with a silly word to say throughout the day to remind you to pause and take a moment to soak it in. Mine was potato!” says Emily.

Honeymoon

The couple traveled to St. Lucia. “And to top it all off, we came home with two foster puppies to help adopt out to homes,” says Emily. The pair contacted a shelter, Help Paws, St. Lucia, that they’d been following on social media prior to the trip. They were in need of flight parents to take two puppies home and foster them for the weekend, until they were off to their forever homes.

“We took home Lila and Puffer, the cutest honeymoon souvenirs, and we added another memory we will never forget! We are already planning on visiting St. Lucia again to adopt our own from the shelter,” says Emily.