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Lauren and Mike at Hotel LBI

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Lauren and Mike at Hotel LBI

Posted on September 20, 2022 by New Jersey Bride

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How did you meet?
We met on OkCupid about four years ago and dated for a year and a half, but I began to realize that even though we were in our late 30s at the time, Mike still wasn’t ready to buy a house and get married, so we broke up and I bought my house without him. After a year of not talking, Mike randomly texted me that he wanted to talk. When we talked he said he was ready for those things now. So we got back together, got engaged, he moved in and we got married!

How did you get engaged?
We were leaving for a vacation in Scottsdale, Arizona, and my mom suggested he propose on the plane and ask the captain to announce it since I’m a former flight attendant, but no he couldn’t wait. So he proposed in our driveway! He told me to come outside to help him carry his suitcase inside (yes, I was wondering why I would have to carry his suitcase in). So I was kind of annoyed because I was in the middle of packing and trying on outfits to pack so I came outside with a dress and two different shoes on and he popped the trunk and had balloons and a “marry me” sign and he proposed right there in our driveway.

Details of the day!
Hotel LBI is very beachy and nautical so we went with that theme. The colors were blue and light gray and the girls wore dusty blue dresses. I had them order them from Azazie all in dusty blue with lace on the front, but no two could be the same style so they all chose the ones that they liked best. The guys wore light-gray suits, with no ties and white button-down shirts underneath. We got the guys gray boat shoes to wear with their suits as their groomsmen gifts. I got the girls light blue and white tie-dye outfits, flip-flops with their names on them, beach bags, beach hats and a few other things.

During our ceremony, we did unity sand in blue and white sands. For place cards, I ordered sea glass from Etsy with each guest’s name on them and placed them in boxes that we had spray-painted white and added sand. The place cards corresponded with a blue watercolor seating chart. We also had a dusty blue watercolor welcome sign that said “We’re so glad you’re here!”

The flowers in my bouquet, in my bridesmaids’ bouquets and for the centerpieces, all had flumes or beachy flowers in them to add to the beach vibe. Our champagne glasses, cake cutter and cake server all had pearls. Since pearls come from oysters, it aligned perfectly with the beach theme. My shoes also had pearls on them. My earrings and hair clip had opal in them for a beachy feel. Our card box was a lantern for a summer feel. We had an in-memory lantern with an LED candle with dried flowers. We didn’t have favors but everyone could take their sea glass with their names on them, and we also had two baskets of pashminas for all of the women guests since we got married outside on the rooftop of the hotel. We opted to do an after-party with pizzas instead of favors. For the overnight hotel guests, we used canvas totes that had a beach badge (Long Beach Island) with our wedding date filled with our favorite snacks.

Why did you choose your venue?
Hotel LBI is so gorgeous and such a beautiful beachy hotel. We all fell in love with it the second we saw it! It’s only three years old so it feels very up to date and extremely clean. There’s a second-floor balcony to hang out on, a rooftop with a bar and fire pits, a nice lobby bar, a delicious restaurant (where we had breakfast for the overnight guests the next morning), a pool under a retractable roof and a pool bar. All of the hotel rooms have kitchens with an island, stove and fridge. Everyone was raving about how absolutely exquisite the hotel venue was. I was so impressed with the hotel and all the staff.

What was on your menu?
For cocktail hour there were seven passed appetizers including grilled cheese with tomato soup shooters, lamb lollipops, lobster Rangoon, shrimp cocktail, tuna Crudo, bacon-wrapped scallops and bbq duck. Then we had 4 stations: pasta station with three different options; flatbread station with three different choices; farmers table with crudités, cheese & crackers, Mediterranean vegetables; taco station with Mahi Mahi, shredded chicken and pulled pork with a bunch of toppings. We also added lobster rolls and wagyu beef sliders that were served on a butcher’s block. For dinner, the salad was burrata and heirloom tomatoes, a raspberry intermezzo, and surf and turf. Our dessert hour had a do-it-yourself s’mores station for a campfire summer feel, ice cream sundae station, mini blood orange cheesecakes in mini mason jars, chocolate-covered strawberries, crème brûlée, a bananas foster station, warm dark-chocolate-chip cookies with sea salt, milkshake shooters with sprinkled rims, chocolate truffles on the cordial/dessert after-dinner drinks bar cart and a chocolate cake with raspberry buttercream.

All about your gown:
My gown was A-line with a beautiful lace top with a low cut and sheer over it. The back was low with beautiful beaded details and two beaded straps that crossed over each other. It was actually pretty lightweight and comfortable, too!

What was your favorite moment?
There were so many amazing moments that added to the perfection of the day but seeing my husband for the first time in my wedding dress at the ceremony and how we both teared up when we saw each other was my favorite moment. And sharing our special day with our family and friends.

One detail you couldn’t live without?
Probably the flowers. They were absolutely gorgeous and added to the already beautiful ambiance of the room.

Did anything go wrong?
During the vows part of our ceremony, my husband said “I take you, Lauren, to be my awfully wedded wife” by accident and our guests got a good laugh at that. Also, my dress only had one bustle so it came down during our first dance and I was tripping on it and kicking it all through the first dance with my husband, but our guests loved it and we just went with it and made it work.

First dance song?
Our first dance song was “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran, which was very fitting because the entire day and night was so magical and perfect. We also did the dirty dancing lift, although my husband caught me and lifted me over his shoulder instead of over his head, it was great for a last-minute decision to add it to the end of our song. We also chose this song because it was the first slow song we ever danced to at a friend’s wedding.

Any advice for future brides?
Plan your butt off—every detail—but then during the day of your wedding let go (I’m very type A so that’s not an easy task for me) and trust everyone to do their jobs and execute them perfectly; they will! Also, take it all in and enjoy every moment because it goes so quickly! I do wish that we had a thank-you sign made for one picture because that would have been a cute photo to add to the thank-you card front, so that’s a little tip for anyone else that would want it.

Honeymoon location:
We’re going on our honeymoon for five nights to a private island called Lovango Resort. It’s in the US Virgin Islands (off St. John & St. Thomas) and we’re staying in a luxury treehouse. They also have a beach club on the resort so we’re relaxing at the beach club for two days and doing two boat excursions. We’re doing two dinners at the resort, two dinners in St. John and one dinner in St. Thomas.

the details

Hometowns

Brick, NJ

Reception Location

Hotel LBI

Photographer

Red Bank Studio

Officiant

Brian the Rev

Bride’s Gown

Azaria Bride in Freehold Mall, NJ

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Lauren and Mike at Hotel LBI

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

Wedding Planner

Brides Jewelry

Brides Accessories