Jennifer and Eric at Bradford Estate

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Jennifer and Eric at Bradford Estate

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How did you meet?
Eric and I met through my sister-in-law, Jana, who grew up with Eric. Jana and I are very close and she just knew that we would be perfect for each other. So she tried and tried to get me to go to a party to meet him, and finally I did! Thank god for giving in and going out!

How did you get engaged?
Eric took me to my favorite resturaunt in Collingswood- Bistro di Marino. I thought it was just a casual night out where we would BYOB, sip on wine, and eat our favorite gnocchis. After dinner, we exitted through the back of the resturaunt where string lights hang under the moonlit sky and that’s where he got down on one knee! I was so excited and crying and immediately wanted to call and tell my parents! Eric just kept saying hold on for 10 minutes before you tell them! I didn’t know why, but I didn’t care, I just sat there and stared at my perfect ring. Little did I know my whole family and his whole family were back at the house waiting for us to arrive with a cake, gifts, celebration, and a lot of love. This night was beyond perfect.

Details of the day!
Our day was great. Us girls all got to the venue at 10am to start our pampering. Our venue has an extremely large, beautiful, and comfortable bridal suite. There’s massage chairs, couches, breakfast, and lunch served to you while your being pampered. Us girls had so much fun sipping on mimosas and getting our hair and makeup done.

The men came around 1pm to their groomsmen suite which is also amazing. Their suite had a pool table, couches, and video games. We did a first look with our families and groomsmen/ bridesmaids watching from the window. It ended up being a rainy day, but it only made it more perfect for pictures under an umbrella in the rain kissing my soon to be husband. The men wore black tuxedos and the girls wore a blush color.

The flowers had lots of soft colors with beautiful greenery throughout. Ribbon that matched our dresses hung from the bouquets. My bouquet was amazing. When Alisha delivered the bouquets and showed me mine, I just cried. It was beyond beautiful. Wrapped around the stems was my “something blue” – rosary beads gifted from my mother- in- law. Alisha also made our English bulldog a collar and leash to match. It was awesome. Not only did we get to have such a memorable day for us, but our dog, Clyde, was included in this memory. The pictures with Clyde are our favorites. Specifically the picture of my hand, Eric’s hand, and Clyde’s paw.

I wanted to have a flower wall and donut wall at my wedding. I searched high and low to find where I could get one or rent one. There was nothing close to NJ for me to rent. Therefore, I had to make it myself. This was fun for me, time consuming, and special, because I was proud of the finishing products. The flower wall took me a good 8 months to make with fake flowers and a layout. My husband and my father in law made the frame for the wall to stand. It was a joint effort and it turned out beautiful. The donut wall was also a hit! That was actually gifted to me by my manager at the time! All the blank donut wall needed was a little TLC and it turned out perfect.

Why did you choose your venue?
My venue was my number 1 choice because of what was included. When I saw the venue, I knew this was the one. The ballroom was gorgeous. The bridal suite was hands down the best one I saw throughout my venue search. The menu was amazingly ridiculous. And the staff there was so accommodating and beyond helpful.

What was on your menu
Cocktail hour had endless amounts of food- a raw bar, seafood, Mac and cheese stations with so many different mix ins, fresh made hand tossed pizzas with a variety of flavors, passed hors’ douvers, burger and crab cake sliders, fries, and mini milkshakes. Once the cocktail party ended everyone went to their seats where they were welcomed with a fresh chocolate covered waffle bowl filled with fresh fruit. Salad to follow. Dinner was your choice of filet, crab stuffed flounder, or a chicken wrapped in a croissant stuffed with cheese and peppers. It was all delicious!! Dessert was our cake, our donuts on the donut wall from Gallos bakery, bananas foster, an ice cream sundae station, and much more.

All about your gown!
My gown was a beautiful white lace gown. The top was an illusion top with beautiful lace embroidered details. (This was the #1 detail I was looking for in a dress) The bottom half of my dress was a mermaid fitted lace with scalloped detail at the end. White classic buttons ran down the center of the back of the dress from top to bottom.

What was your favorite moment?
The moment after we walked out of our cerimony and entered into the cocktail hour. We stood by the flower wall to greet everyone as they entered the cocktail hour. In this moment we just hugged, cried, and kissed saying to each other how happy we were and how this was the best thing that ever happened to us. We were so overwhelmed with love.

One detail you couldn’t live without?
The extreme amount of food!

First dance song?
Ed Sheeran- “Perfect”

Did anything go wrong?
Yes! We lost power during the cocktail hour. It went pitch black out of nowhere. The weather wasn’t even that bad! At that point it was only drizzling outside. Luckily we had flashing hand held club favors and everyone just used them as lights and kept on partying! Cocktail hour was prolonged, which meant our night was prolonged as well. But hey, it’s not that often you get more time/ hours added to your reception!

Any advice for future brides?

Sit back and enjoy multiple moments through out your day and night. Take a deep breath in. Observe and capture pictures of these moments in your head. There were many times throughout my day and night I just sat there and observed and smiled and enjoyed the moment of being surrounded by so many loved ones on such a love filled day.

Honeymoon Location?
We went on a cruise! We cruised to the Carribean. Eric has never been on a cruise and was extremely skeptical and nervous. I have loved cruises since I was young. When Eric boarded the ship and saw how much there was to see and do, he felt way more comfortable. It only took one nights sleep on the cruise to wake up to a new exotic destination for him to fall in love with this vacation. He enjoyed it so much we booked another one for our one year anniversary!

the details

Hometowns

Oaklyn

Ceremony Location

Bradford Estate

Reception Location

Bradford Estate

Photographer

Jessica Cooper Photography

Officiant

Jason Clark (my brother in law)

Bride’s Shoes

Cole Haan

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the details

Hometowns

Ceremony Location

Reception Location

Photographer

Officiant

Bride’s Shoes

Bridesmaid Dresses

Hair

Makeup

Groom’s Attire

Groomsmen Attire

Flowers

Cake

Invites

Music

Videographer

Favors

Honeymoon

Brides Jewelry