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Kayla and Dave at Bear Brook Valley

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Kayla and Dave at Bear Brook Valley

Posted on November 29, 2021 by Allison Dupree

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How did you meet?
We met in high school. Dave was a sophomore and I was a freshman at Watchung Hills Regional High school. We had mutual friends and first laid eyes on each other at the pep rally. Over time, we became friends and eventually, Dave asked me to be his girlfriend!

How did you get engaged?
We were in Scottsdale, Arizona for a business adventure. We were taking over a franchise in our local town and had a training to attend in Arizona. On our last night, Dave took me to a nice Italian restaurant downtown. He wanted to make it special and romantic, given that we were embarking on an adventure of a lifetime. He found that there was a replica of Robert Indiana’s LOVE sculpture in the Scottsdale Civic Center. After dinner, we went on a nice walk through the park and he got down on one knee in front of the LOVE sign.

Details of the day!
Our day wanted to be a theme of Earthy Elegance. Our venue has amazing decor that has a rustic elegance and we wanted to accent that with greenery, light flowers, and neutral tones. Since we had to postpone from December to June, I had plenty of time to put together color swatches that would match our attire! I knew I wanted the girls to be in navy, so I wanted all the accents to be a light and airy feel for June. The signs, seating chart, table numbers, and backdrop were all DIY. I made them with my family to add a personal touch. Our centerpieces were little vases of neutral flowers with greenery spread throughout and a lantern with fairy lights in the middle. I wanted a very “fairy tale” feel, mixed with some rustic elegance. Bear Brook Valley’s grounds are perfect to combine those two!

Why did you choose your venue?
We both knew that we wanted to have some rustic elegance in our venue. We toured many different venues and Bear Brook Valley was actually our last tour. We were going in knowing from pictures that the place was absolutely gorgeous. Once we pulled up and arrived inside, we knew that it was our venue. As we toured and saw all the options for food, how well the place was decorated, and how sophisticated the staff was, we knew that it was the best choice for us. The menu outdid most other menus we saw and it was similar in pricing. You definitely get what you pay for when you book there! With the addition of having a wedding coordinator oversee the operations of the day, put together the schedule of events, and really just help with the overall planning process, we knew that we wouldn’t find this in any other venue.

What was on your menu?
Our wedding venue consisted of so many different options! Dave’s family is of Cuban Descent, so we definitely wanted to honor that in our menu as best as possible. For cocktail hour we chose 3 live stations- Tacos and Tequila, Summer BBQ, and Slider Shack. Our hot chafing stations were Penne Vodka, Chicken and Waffles, and Sesame Chicken. For passed hors d’oeuvres we had mini Chicken Tacos, Vegan White Bean Meatballs, Pulled Pork on a Tostone, Bacon Wrapped Scallops, Buffalo Chicken Spring Rolls, Coconut Shrimp, Mac and Cheese bites, and Crispy Goat Cheese with Fig. For our butcher blocks we did a Cuban Pernil and a Pepper and Coffee Crusted Tri-Tip. For our dinner, we had the Harvest Salad, NY Strip, Chicken Bonadies, Salmon, Pork Chop, and Portobello Wellington. There are SO many options to choose from and their menu is constantly evolving!

All about your gown!
I went to many different stores to try on dresses. My last stop was at White House Bride. I knew I wanted a “handkerchief” style skirt but also wanted a different type of lace. I’m not one for an all-white gown. We kept trying on different ones, and the owner, Stacy, came over and we talked. She said she had something for me in mind. She came out with the Lulu gown and immediately my face lit up. The lace is absolutely gorgeous. My mom and I called it a garden party. Being a plus-size bride, I had some things I wanted to be hidden. This dress accentuated every part I wanted to be accentuated and hid all the other parts. It was the one even before I tried it on!

What was your favorite moment?
It is really hard to choose our favorite moment! We would say our absolute favorite was walking into the reception. We were so excited to finally have all of our loved ones there celebrating with us. It was a long time coming-the emotion of happiness and relief that we were there was pure joy.

One detail you couldn’t live without?
All of our vendors! We wanted to have an amazing photographer, and Matt Stallone and his wife Nicole were so vital to preserving our memories. They added such an artistic touch to each photo, and our wedding album really tells the story of the day. We wanted to have a video memory of the day that told the story of how the day was. Cam Vitale and her husband, Chris are so artistic and their ability to encompass the feeling of the day as well as the love we have was why we chose them. Our DJ- Nick Spinelli from SCE was amazing to work with and he really made the party thrive. Every time we talked with him on the phone, it was like we were talking to a good friend. Celia Milton, our officiant really put an amazing personal touch to our ceremony. She encompassed our personalities, added some light-hearted humor, and engaged the entire audience the entire time. Our florist- Lauren from The Bloomery really helped our vision come alive and made it feel like a fairy tale!

Did anything go wrong?
To be honest, no! We can’t think of one single thing that happened on the day of that was wrong! Bear Brook Valley, our vendors, and everyone really knocked it out of the park. Leading up to the wedding, COVID put a wrench into planning and we did have to postpone.

First dance song?
Our first dance song was “You Make It Easy” by Jason Aldean

Any advice for future brides?
Enjoy every single part of the planning process. Yes, things are tough with planning. Making sure vendors are available, making sure you get the invites out on time, getting the dresses and tuxes altered and picked out, and making sure that your entire family and bridal party is on the same schedule is tough! But, everything will be OKAY! Everyone there is to celebrate the both of YOU. As long as you take deep breaths, look at the bright side, everything will be fine. Enjoy the planning, enjoy the fittings, enjoy being with family. At the end of the day, it’s about you marrying your best friend and starting the rest of your life. If anything goes wrong, oh well!

Honeymoon Location?
We went to Aruba! We stayed at the Marriott Resort and Stellaris Casino.

the details

Hometowns

Branchburg, NJ

Reception Location

Bear Brook Valley

Photographer

Matt Stallone Photography

Officiant

Celia Milton

Bride’s Gown

Blush by Hayley Paige

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Kayla and Dave at Bear Brook Valley

the details

Hometowns

Reception Location

Photographer

Officiant

Bride’s Gown

Bride’s Shoes

Bridesmaid Dresses

Hair

Makeup

Groom’s Attire

Groomsmen Attire

Flowers

Cake

Invites

Music

Videographer

Transportation

Favors

Honeymoon

Brides Jewelry

Brides Accessories