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Lauren and Chris at Seasons Catering

Posted on February 28, 2020 by Ariana Baio


Chris and I met eight years ago when we both worked at Macy’s. We have lived in the same town together for 16 years prior but we never crossed paths until we worked together (that’s what you call “the magic of Macy’s”). He had requested me on Facebook but never talked to me at work. Chris never got the courage to talk to me until my Facebook got hacked. I disappeared off of social media for a little but until I resurfaced with my new Facebook. I then received a message from Chris asking me why I “deleted” him. We went on our first date two weeks later!

Chris and I got engaged in Aruba of Summer 2017 for my birthday. We had a ground floor walkout to the beach at our resort. Right outside our door there was a gazebo. I happened to be fixated on this gazebo and wanted to take a picture in it. So on my birthday as we were getting ready for dinner, Chris said to me “let me take your picture in the gazebo.” So I walked out to the gazebo, waiting for him, he came out and took my picture. But he said “you know what would make this picture even better?” He got down on one knee and it was the best birthday yet!

My day was run so smoothly and perfectly. I’m a person who doesn’t like a lot of color, I love neutrals, you can tell by what I wear and my home decor. So it was only right that my wedding colors were the same. Everything coordinated and looked classic. All my bridesmaids were styled in different shades of neutrals. My mom was my “touch of gold” in her champagne/gold gown. The groom and groomsmen all matched in black with ivory shirts and black bow ties. All the flowers were neutral with greenery. My florist also added a touch of gold in the arrangements/bouquets, with spray painted gold leaves.

I chose my venue because of the the positive reviews I’ve heard/read about. We saw 12 venues and when we left there we knew it was the one. It’s the same thing they say about when you find the perfect wedding dress, or the perfect house. The employees there made us feel important and special, it wasn’t just another sales pitch. We loved the grounds and the lights outside with the big lit up tree and waterfall. The decor at Seasons matched my gold and neutral color scheme. We also chose the venue because of the food. We are big foodies and the one thing that is important to the both of us is food! Looking back at the day I am so happy we chose this venue because of the incredible service and food. Those are the two things we still getting complimented on about our wedding.

There was just so much food I felt overwhelmed. Our cocktail hour could feed an army. We had everything from bacon mac and cheese (which was included in our Peter Luger station) to a chef rolling sushi in front of our guests. There was cheeseburger sliders, pizza, truffle ravioli, peking duck, Mongolian beef, a vodka luge station, the list is endless. Our wedding cake was exactly us as well. Chocolate cake with cookies & cream filling and vanilla funfetti cake with funfetti filling. Each guest got to indulge both since both flavors were baked into each tier. We are both kids at heart so the cake definitely represented youth and fun instead of a serious, boring wedding cake!

My gown was a ivory vintage, boho fit & flare dress from Essense of Australia. My mom was the only one who saw my dress before my wedding day and once I put it on my bridesmaids, and husband, understood why the dress was so perfect for me. I am still in awe over the details. The linear bead work looked so flattering on me, the buttons down the back, illusion back and lace were just utterly amazing. The fabrics were so light and airy, I didn’t feel like the dress was wearing me. The lace work continued on my beautiful train. I felt so carefree in this wedding dress that I just want to wear it again. I’m a private person and I get nervous most of the times when all the eyes were on me but this dress gave me so much confidence, I’ve never felt more beautiful.

My favorite moment was my first look with Chris. I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel or what to expect. But as his eyes were closed and I walked toward him, it was such a rush of emotions. I was so nervous but excited for him to see me, and as he turned around we both cried and just hugged each other. I will never forget this moment because it was just a special moment that we will always share.

This may sound silly, but I envied all the glass sweetheart tables that I would see couples sit behind. Seasons didn’t provide this type of table so I rented one last minute. It bothered me so much that I wouldn’t have a pretty sweetheart table that you see in magazines. When I look back at my pictures now I’m so happy that I changed it out.

The only thing that went wrong is that our DJ ended up getting sick so he had to leave right after the introductions. He brought another DJ with him that we’ve never met before. There were some hiccups with our music because we never met or reviewed anything with him. You never think these things can happen to you but they certainly do.

“Best Part” by Daniel Caesar and H.E.R. It’s a song about the appreciation of one another and how important it is to have each other in our lives.

I know everyone hears this, but my advice to other brides is live in the moment and enjoy every second of the wedding itself and all the planning. It is over in a blink of an eye, so soak up as much as you can because you’ll want to live in that day forever. A lot of the planning process can be stressful, but don’t let that bother you. People will have so much to say and want to give too much of their input but it’s you and your future husbands day and no one can tell you otherwise.

We went on a “mini moon” back to Aruba, since it’s such a special place to us. Since it’s a little chilly in Italy in March we decided to save that trip until May.

the details

Hometowns

Wayne

Reception Location

Seasons Catering

Photographer

Yan Schwartzman

Officiant

Richard McDonald (Groom's father)

Bride’s Gown

Essense of Australia

+ more