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Jessica and Bruce at Scotland Run Golf Club
Posted on December 21, 2020 by Ariana Baio
How did you meet?
Bruce and I met through mutual friends our freshman year of high school. His best friend was dating one of my good friends, so we ended up hanging out a lot. We became good friends, and I remember one day, he just started flirting with me. Eventually, he asked me to be his girlfriend, and I figured I would give it a shot. From that day forward, we were inseparable. We ended up going to the same college and moving-in together after college. We’ve been through so much together, and neither of us would have thought that our high school crushes would blossom into the most perfect relationship.
Bruce and I flew to Sarasota, Florida in March 2018 to visit my parents and sister. Once we got there, we planned to go out to dinner. My mom said my sister wanted to show us this particular beach (Lido Key) while the sun was setting. We were standing there for a while and I remember Bruce following behind me with his hand in his pocket and thinking to myself, ‘why is he being so weird?’ Then, he got down on one knee, told me that I am his best friend and the best thing that’s ever happened to him. It was the easiest question I’ve ever been asked. So with my family surrounding us, I told him “yes!”
The theme for our wedding was a soft, garden-like feel. The entire venue was covered in the most beautiful flowers, our florist was amazing. Our wedding colors were slate blue, eucalyptus green and ivy. The flowers were mainly white with pops of soft pink and eucalyptus leaves. The bridesmaids wore slate blue dresses. The groomsmen wore navy blue suits, with slate blue ties and brown shoes. I DIY’d all of the decor, besides the flowers. I wanted a soft, gentle, but still beautiful, feel to all of the details. We used an old, glass panel door for our seating chart. For our favors, we chose to do an end of the night takeaway station, with breakfast sandwiches, which our venue called the Hangover Prevention Station. Our guests loved it!
We found Scotland Run on The Knot, it was the third venue we looked at. We pulled up for our tour and instantly fell in love. We loved the exterior, it looks like a castle, the ceremony space had the most beautiful landscape, the interior was even more beautiful and their cocktail hour space is breathtaking. We knew instantly this was the place for us. The pricing was perfect for us and the wedding coordinators were so accommodating. I would recommend Scotland Run to any bride.
For cocktail hour, we had: buffalo chicken fleutas, chicken quesadillas, portobello mushroom fillo, scallops wrapped in bacon and a macaroni and cheese station! Our appetizer was penne pasta with roasted tomatoes, prosciutto with asparagus and Caesar salad. For entrees, guests had the option of: chicken Wellington, ginger lime marinated mahi-mahi, slow roasted prime rib, or a vegetarian lasagna. We had a Viennese dessert table. Our wedding cake was vanilla cake with vanilla frosting. Our favors were part of our Hangover Prevention Station, where guests could choose breakfast burritos/sandwiches or mini quiche. The food was absolutely amazing!
I actually picked the first dress that I tried on! My maid-of-honor and I went to Nicole’s Boutique just to browse, when we saw it. I knew I had to try it on, so we made an appointment. As soon as I put it on, I knew that was a done deal. I tried on others just to see how they looked, but they didn’t compare to the first. My dress was the Nola by Maggie Sottero. It’s an ivory dress with incredible, yet simple, lace throughout as well as beaded spaghetti straps. The back is low and sheer with lace throughout as well. It had a long, beautifully intricate train. The girls at Nicole’s Boutique called it a “unicorn dress” because it’s one of those rare dresses that is comfortable and simple, yet so stunning and intricate at the same time. I would describe it as the perfect mix of modern and boho. I still look at it in awe.
I have so many favorite moments from our wedding, it’s so hard to pick one. I would say a stand-out moment would be during cocktail hour, when Bruce and I were alone taking pictures with our photographer and it finally all felt real. We’ve been together for 11 years, and I had dreamed of that moment for so long. I remember just being so filled with happiness, it’s something that I’ll always remember.
I could not live without all of the floral arrangements from our florist. I’m still getting compliments on how absolutely stunning our flowers were. Jennifer is so talented and she brought our wedding to life with her work. I only sent her a few pins from my Pinterest because I have no idea what I’m talking about when it comes to flowers, and she nailed it! She went above and beyond.
It’s funny to think now about what went wrong. Bruce and I were originally supposed to get married May 8, 2020, then Covid hit and I started seeing so many brides on the NJ Bride Facebook group saying that they were postponing their April weddings. I was overcome with fear and anxiety, so we decided to postpone. Then May came, and I was a total wreck for the entire month. I remember asking myself if it was normal to grieve a wedding day. May passed, then June and July. I prayed every day that we would be able to have our wedding. Our venue did the best job they could communicating all of the setbacks and restrictions.
We ended up having to have both the ceremony and reception outside. I panicked about having everything outdoors in the middle of August; would my guests melt from the heat? Would people come or even dance? I totally understood those who were too nervous with Covid. The day of, I was a nervous wreck. It was 100% chance of thunderstorms all day. I couldn’t look out the window without feeling sick to my stomach. But then I thought, I’ve waited for this day for so long, rain is not going to stop us from having the most beautiful day. Five minutes before the ceremony was set to start, it stopped raining and the sun came out. It’s like everything was meant to be outside. It was cool out and we had the absolute, most beautiful wedding. Every table was distanced to standards and people danced at their tables, by the DJ booth, anywhere they could distance themselves. It was all just amazing.
“Green Eyes” by Coldplay.
My advice for other brides would be to take each day and situation as it comes. Don’t stress small things, at the end of the day, you are marrying the person that you love more than anything and that’s all that matters. Other people’s opinions do not matter. Enjoy every second of our wedding day because like everyone says, it is going to fly by. Take a moment throughout the night to sit with your partner, and just admire all of your guests and the atmosphere of the night; that is a moment you’re not going to forget.
We’re hoping to go to Maui this coming summer!
the details
Hometowns
Lacey Township
Reception Location
Scotland Run Golf Club
Photographer
Officiant
Rev. Kris Bruno
Bride’s Gown
Maggie Sottero-Nicole's Boutique (Brick, NJ)
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