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Gretchen and Phil at Ramsey Golf and Country Club
Posted on May 20, 2020 by Ariana Baio
How did you meet?
We technically met on Tinder, but it turned out we were both working for the same town and had a handful of friends in common. The second or third day we were texting it turned out he was actually fixing the roof of my workplace while we were chatting! You really could not have planned it better.
We got engaged on June 2, 2018. We were dog-sitting for Phil’s parents, and he made us a nice dinner. Afterwards, he asked if I wanted to dance and popped the question. I knew it was coming that summer, but it totally took me by surprise that night!
We didn’t have a set theme other than that we wanted the day to reflect us and our random interests – and I think we did a good job. We used Metallica as our first dance song, incorporated a sugar skull cake topper, used old books as our centerpieces. We tried to use fall decor where possible to tie into the foliage at our venue – lots of pumpkins, leaves, etc. Our colors were navy, wine and gold. In lieu of real flowers, our bouquets were created by Cascade Queen Designs using Sola wood flowers. They looked amazing, and I love that I still have mine on display in my house!
We knew we wanted a fall wedding, and we absolutely fell in love with the scenery at the country club. It was important to us to try and do the ceremony outside and they gave us that option. We were so impressed with all the staff we met with. They made us feel at home, and they were willing to accommodate everything we needed and answer all of our questions. We also loved that the outside of The Abbey looks like a castle! RG&CC was the first venue we toured, and it was absolutely the best experience of them all.
We had a full cocktail hour with passed hors d’oeuvres, a sushi bar, a Mexican station, and a carving station. Each guest received penne vodka as an appetizer, followed by a choice of salads. The entree choices were filet mignon, chicken francaise, and salmon. For dessert, everyone got an apple tartlet in addition to a piece of wedding cake. The venue was fantastic about providing alternate meals to any guests with dietary restrictions. Our cake had vanilla and chocolate layers with chocolate and vanilla filling and white buttercream frosting. We also gave out cider donuts as favors.
I knew I wanted something more on the form-fitting side and lace. After I had tried on a few dresses, we all agreed that a V-shaped back was most flattering on me. My dress was pulled by my stylist, and it checked off all the boxes! It followed the V silhouette in the front and back and had two layers: an ivory slip and a lace overlay. It had a boho, vintage vibe to it. I was also amazed at how lightweight and comfortable it was, compared to most of the others I had tried on. BHLDN was the third and final store I had an appointment with, and they did not disappoint. Most of the dresses I tried on there captured my style really well, but this one was just so me.
That’s such a tough question because the entire day was beyond perfect. I would say my absolute favorite was when we were pronounced husband and wife and walked back down the aisle together. It was such a special and meaningful experience, and our recessional song (“Heroes” by David Bowie) made it so tailored to us.
Michael and Maggie from our venue were beyond helpful the day of and made sure everything ran smoothly. I don’t know what we would have done without them!
Most of what went wrong was minor: my husband and one of the groomsmen both had buttons fall off their tux jackets, but fortunately, I had packed a sewing kit in my bag. The zipper on my clutch broke. Our officiant forgot to mention my grandma’s name when he announced our deceased loved ones. It wound up being too cold to do the ceremony outside. Those were all easily solvable. The one bummer was that my husband’s grandfather had a medical emergency the day before and couldn’t attend the wedding; we were all sad about that.
“Nothing Else Matters” by Metallica
Don’t sweat the small details, and remember to enjoy your day. I’m a very detail-oriented person, and I know I overthought a lot of components that most guests probably didn’t even notice. None of that stress mattered at all once the day actually arrived. Be sure to take time and enjoy it! Our venue let us sit in a private room with our wedding party for the first half of cocktail hour so we could eat and breathe for a moment before making the rounds with everyone. That made such a huge difference for us!
Costa Rica.
the details
Hometowns
Mahwah, NJ
Reception Location
Photographer
Officiant
Groom's Cousin, Tom Corsillo
Bride’s Gown
BHLDN
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