How did you meet?
In the summer of 2013, my friends told me that they had met someone special, whom they called my “future husband.” I thought this was dumb and embarrassing, but agreed to meet him. His name was Dan, and they got along pretty well. We went to the same college, concerts, restaurants and more but had never met. After this, we did not exchange information to talk, but a month after that we met again. When we spent time together, something simply made sense, so we decided to give it a try. After dating for a month, we made things official on 10/19/2013
How did you get engaged?
The night Dan proposed, it was a complete surprise to me. On our second anniversary, Dan and I went to dinner to get pizza and wings. We never did anything fancy on an anniversary, and barely exchanged cards. After dinner, we went to the beach and got dessert and walked around for a little enjoying each others company. When we got back home, I rushed to fill out the card I had picked up for Dan last minute after work. As he read it aloud, it said “it keeps getting better and better with you.” After reading that, Dan said “it’s going to keep getting better” and got down on one knee! I was shocked and as Dan asked her to marry him, I of course said yes! 10/19/2013 we decided to take a chance on a new relationship and 10/19/2015 we decided to officially spend the rest of our lives together
Details of the day!
After we got engaged, I knew that I wanted a fall wedding. I love all things jewel toned, and colorful and I thought the beautiful fall colors and greenery would look amazing with dusty rose and burgundy, so that is what we chose! We decided to add a lot of personal details to our wedding, which we think made it super special. I borrowed earrings from my Matron of Honor, and had a sapphire ring that my Godmother gave to me as a baby tied to my bouquet. Dan got ready in his parent’s home with his dog Vito, and our ceremony was officiated by a close friend of Dan. We took our first look and wedding party photos at Monmouth University, because even though we did not know each other while we were at school, Monmouth is a big reason why we met in the first place. Our ceremony was amazing, and cocktail hour was able to be outside in the sunset of the golf course due to the beautiful October weather. The most important aspect of our reception for Dan was that it was fun, so we had an amazing DJ and photo booth; everyone was dancing all night!
Why did you choose your venue?
Dan worked part time as a wedding DJ before we met, so he knew a lot of wedding venues that he wanted to tour. He wanted me to see Eagle Ridge first, because he knew this would be the one. The ballroom is gorgeous, with a big fireplace and floor to ceiling windows overlooking the golf course. The food is delicious, and cocktail hour included a pasta bar and a grilled cheese bar! Dan knew that Eagle Ridge would be the perfect place for our wedding because it is in a good location for our friends and family spread through NJ and Philadelphia, and because he had seen so many beautiful and fun weddings there in the past.
What was on your menu?
Our wedding menu was classic and fun. We wanted cocktail hour to be amazing, so Dan and I choose options that we knew everyone would love. We had a mini grilled cheese bar with 4 options and tomato soup shooters. Pasta bar and meatballs, sausage and peppers, and calamari – we both have big Italian families. The passed apps were amazing too, coconut chicken, pork belly sliders, and many more. We chose dinner options of filet, lemon chicken, and Teriyaki salmon, which were all delicious. We picked a red velvet cake with buttercream icing decorated with burgundy blowers and greenery. The cake topper said “better together” and we loved it! Our favor doubled as a “late night snack” and we had a full coffee and donut bar for our guests to enjoy.
All about your gown!
Many people go into their bridal gown appointment with something in their mind, and choose something completely different! I tried on every type of dress possible, and the owner of the store couldn’t have been more helpful. I always thought I would be in a glitzy or embellished dress, but the one I loved the most was form fitting silk crepe and very different than I imagined. I loved that I felt sexy and unique in this dress, this was not something I had seen everyone on social media in. The bright ivory color really made my dark hair and features pop, and I loved the lace panels throughout the dress. I decided to add straps, a belt, and more buttons down the back and those details elevated the beauty of this dress to a whole new level!
What was your favorite moment?
My favorite moment of my wedding was the feeling of happiness that I felt from morning through the after party. I was not nervous when I woke up – I was so excited that after a two year engagement this day was finally here. The pure joy from all of our friends and family is a feeling I will never forget.
One detail you couldn’t live without?
My mom had a flower from her wedding dress taken off and I had that sewn into my wedding dress. After I got dressed and went to show my bridesmaids, my cousin and Maid of Honor also gave me a flower from her mother’s wedding dress. My aunt had passed a couple of years earlier, and this was such an amazing gift to have a piece of her with me at my wedding.
Did anything go wrong?
Our cake was wrong! Dan was in charge of the cake and picked red velvet with a cannoli filling, which sounded divine. When we did the cake tasting, we did not notice that anything was different. But when the lights turned on and we finally sat down to eat our cake, Dan noticed that there were strawberries and bananas in the filling! And Dan hates fruit and dessert! Even though the cake was wrong, everyone kept coming up to us and telling us that it was delicious which makes this a funny story we will never forget.
First dance song?
Our first dance song was “Thinking Out Loud” and the best part about it is that whenever it comes on at anther wedding or on the radio it is like we relive our first dance all over again!
Any advice for future brides?
Don’t be afraid to ask for help, but don’t get overwhelmed by opinions. There are things that were easier because my mom helped me (stuffing envelopes, stamps, etc) but other decisions that I was nervous about that I did not need to open up to all of my friends. Trust your gut on your wedding, work with your fiancĂ©. But if there is something that a friend or family member can physically help with, ask them!
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Honeymoon location?
An amazing Mediterranean cruise through Italy, France, and Spain. It was a trip of a lifetime!