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Iliana and Billy at The Gramercy

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Iliana and Billy at The Gramercy

Posted on June 07, 2022 by New Jersey Bride

How did you meet?
Billy and I met 6 years ago in 2015 through a mutual friend that Billy worked with. We were best friends for almost 3 years when Billy finally worked up the courage to ask me on a date. Our first date was on Billy’s 34th Birthday and we went to McDonough’s Pub near the water in Keyport. I was instantly smitten with Billy’s sense of humor and we shared our first kiss on the pier nearby the restaurant. We always got along and realized that the romance we shared was truly meant to be. From that moment on, we were inseparable and we could not understand why we did not start dating sooner. After 3 months of dating, we moved into our first apartment together in Aberdeen and adopted 2 beagle puppies.

How did you get engaged?
We had just moved into our new home in July of 2019 when Bill planned a very romantic marriage proposal with the help of his sister, Jennie, and parents. All three had beautifully set up our backyard deck with candles, rose petals, chocolates, champagne and a huge “Marry Me” sign with a well-lit backdrop. As we were returning from our usual Friday night date, I was in complete shock. I went onto the deck and was totally surprised to see everything decorated and knew something was up. Bill then slowly approached me, knelt down on one knee, and confidently asked me to marry him. Through many happy tears, I emphatically said “yes” and we hugged and celebrated our engagement with the family!

Details of the day!
The wedding was held at the beautiful Gramercy in Hazlet, NJ on June 26, 2021 featuring my favorite color: PINK! All décor from the wedding cake, cake cutters, entry signs, and floral design to the wedding party attire was all shades of pink and pastels. Since we love live music, we incorporated a live strings trio group and an additional harp player to perform during our ceremony and cocktail hour. During the reception, there were 2 DJs along with a live saxophone & percussionists to entertain the guests. Since I love to dance, I arranged with the DJ, to have a C02 gun to spray her guests down when they were hot from dancing!! At the end of the night, the venue held a Viennese dessert hour and pink heart-shaped favors containing heart-shaped Godiva chocolates were distributed to guests. We did a sparkler exit and boarded our party bus with guests to head to our honeymoon suite at the Sheraton Hotel in Eatontown, NJ for the weekend. The wedding was everything we anticipated and more!

Why did you choose your venue?
We were both born and raised in Central New Jersey. And since we recently bought a home in Holmdel, NJ, we wanted to have our dream wedding in our home state surrounded by all of our friends and family. I went to look at several venues in Monmouth County, NJ, but 3rd time was a charm! On the 3rd attempt, Bill and I went to look at The Gramercy in Hazlet and fell in love! It was everything we wanted – modern, chic venue with beautiful lighting, sparkling chandeliers in every room, and a long and dramatic outdoor ceremony runway!

What was on your menu?
Our Menu included the following: (1) Starter Gramercy Signature Salad (Baby Arugula, Field Greens, Frisee Salad with Granny Smith Apples, Cranberries and white balsamic dressing. For Entrée Selections: Chateaubriand (Black Angus Sliced Tenderloin served with Bordelaise Sauce Free Range Chicken Encroute, or Boneless Breast of Chicken with Spinach, Asiago Cheese stuffed in a Pastry Puff with Noir Shitake Reduction, or Grilled Salmon. For dessert we Deluxe Viennese Presentation, Wedding Cake which was a 4-tiered square-shaped vanilla cake with 2 tiers having French Cream & Raspberry Marmalade filling and tiers had Dulce de Leche Mousse filling.

All about your gown!
For my wedding dress search, my closest family & friends went with me to Kleinfeld’s Bridal in NYC. I tried on one dress and was not impressed by it. The sales associate told me she had the perfect gown for me. When she returned, she was with another woman who said the gown would also be perfect for me. At that moment, I realized I was standing in front of PNINA TORNAI herself!! She helped me into a gown from her private trunk show collection and it did not disappoint! The gown was PERFECT and everything I was looking for on my wedding day. I instantly knew it was “THE ONE” and Pnina told me she was going to custom make the dress for me in Israel. I was so grateful for the experience and as they say on the show…I said YES to the perfect dress!

What was your favorite moment?
The entire wedding was a perfect dream come true; however, my favorite moment was my first dance with my husband. We truly had an intimate and special moment for the two of us during a long, hectic, and busy day. We talked during our slow dance and made unforgettable memories that we will have forever. We truly were “floating on clouds”

One detail you couldn’t live without?
Billy and I agreed the wedding had to be during the summer. We both love the nice weather and I wanted bright summer pink colors to support my “PRETTY IN PINK” theme.

Did anything go wrong?
Of course! There will always be something (small or large) that will go wrong during your special day. In our case, all of the groomsmen were beyond drunk before the ceremony. One groomsman spilled his red wine on the groom’s white vest during cocktail hour. The venue forgot many things…however, we did not let this impact or ruin our big day! We actually did not even care! We enjoyed every moment of it and let the little things go!

First dance song?
We danced to Maren Morris – The Bones (Acoustic Version)

Any advice for future brides?
DO NOT SWEAT THE LITTLE THINGS! There will always be something (small or large) that will go wrong during your special day. As the bride and groom, you have to ignore these small disruptions and remember why you are here to begin with: to marry the one whom you love! Nothing else should matter and your day will be perfect!

Honeymoon Location
We are excited to take our honeymoon trip to Costa Rica in November 2021. We have several excursions booked to play with monkeys, ziplining, whitewater rafting through the rainforest, and much more!

the details

Hometowns

Holmdel, NJ

Reception Location

The Gramercy

Photographer

Dean Michaels Photography

Officiant

Rev. Michael Whalen

Bride’s Gown

Kleinfelds Bridal NYC - Designer: Pnina Tornai

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Iliana and Billy at The Gramercy

the details

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