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Meghann and Nick at Congress Hall

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Meghann and Nick at Congress Hall

meghann-nick-congress-hall

How did you meet?
We met freshman year of college at Florida Atlantic University. We had a ton of mutual friends and stayed friends all 4 years of college. It was not until after we both had graduated, Nick moved back to Long Island, and was down visiting on a little vacation that we started dating. Little did I know, he had signed a short-term lease to “see where this could go”. I Just thought he extended his vacation until he officially asked me to be his girlfriend. How did he ask me? He told me he had planned a little adventure for us, so we drove…and drove. We pulled up to a little airplane hangar with an old sign that read “Sky Dive”. He then asked me to be his girlfriend as we walked up to go skydiving!

How did you get engaged?
2 years after we moved to Boston, Nick gave me a surprise of a lifetime. He had my family, his family, and a few of our friends fly up for the weekend. All I knew, was that a few of our friends from college were coming to visit us. As we were walking to brunch, we stopped at the Charlestown Bunkerhill Monument for our friends to see. He asked if we could take a picture in front of it, which I was against since we lived right down the street from it, little did I know he was going to get down on one knee to change my life forever. All of a sudden, both of our families pop out from hiding with bottles of champagne, and honestly, that made the surprise so much better! I could not have asked for a better day.

Details of the day!
This was our 3rd wedding date, unfortunately, due to Covid. We wanted a winter wedding with hopes of getting a dusting of snow. My dad passed away in May, and in the few weeks leading up to the wedding, I had been praying to him, asking for some snow on our big day. If anyone is familiar with Cape May, NJ, you’ll know that saying snow is a rarity would be an understatement, so when we heard the weather report saying a blizzard was coming our way, it was almost too hard to believe, but knew it was my dad working some magic for us. Saturday morning, wedding morning, we woke up to 15 inches of snow on the ground. He was showing us that he quite literally was all around us on that day and it was truly so amazing.

With this snow, it worked out well that Nick and the bridesmaids were in velvet, Nick in a black velvet tuxedo, and the girls in velvet dusty blue/gray with fur shawls, perfection. We were lucky enough to be getting married in such a close-knit town, that the Mayor of Cape May rallied some locals to help shovel & plow out in front of the church and the roads so we could move forward with getting married. We could not have done it without them! The snow really made it a picture-perfect day. Our reception was held at Congress Hall, and the ballroom was filled with beautiful white flowers and decorations by Cape Winds Florist achieving our winter/ice theme. After an amazing night of dancing to the 12-piece band, Pop Philly, the party did not stop. We moved to the after-party which took place in the Brown Room at Congress Hall. As for party favors, in lieu of them, we are donating to Donate Life in my dad’s memory.

Why did you choose your venue?
If you’ve been to Cape May, you know how much of a staple Congress Hall is to the town. Growing up in Cape May, I always hoped I would be lucky enough to get married there one day. It made it even more special that my grandparents and older sister got married here as well. When Nick and I started dating, it soon became one of our favorite places to go, especially for drinks in the Brown Room or watching the fireworks on the front lawn.

What was on your menu?
I think our food was delicious! One of our favorite parts! First we had Kale Salad Crispy Prosciutto, Kale, Apples, Shaved Brussels, Charred Figs, Maple-Cider Vinaigrette. For the Main, our options were Center Cut Angus Filet Truffle Parmesan Fingerlings, Sauteed Asparagus, Wild Mushroom Demiglace, or an Herb Roasted Half Rack of Lamb Crispy Polenta Cake, Garlic Sauteed Kale, Garlic-Shallot-Herb Butter , or Pan Seared Halibut Butternut Squash Puree, Sauteed Asparagus, Apple-Fennel Salad, Melted Leeks, Toasted Pepitas, or Vegetable Ratatouille Crispy Polenta Cake, Roasted Trumpet Mushrooms. For Dessert, we had Butterscotch Pot De Crème, Chocolate Mousse, and Strawberry Cheesecake. Our Wedding Cake was a 3 Tier Cake, Blueberry cake with lemon frosting & red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting

All about your gown!
Why was it “the one”? I had in mind really only one type of dress I wanted to wear, a full ball gown. My thought was; you only get one chance to wear a dress like that so might as well take it! The only problem was it was very hard to find. We tried a few boutique bridal salons in Boston, and some big-name stores in NY, but nothing compared to the experience we had at Free Love Bridal in Cape May. They originally did not have any dresses like I was looking for, so the owners went to a bridal expo to try and get me some options. They really delivered!

The dress was a 100% silk ball gown, with buttons down the entire back, and it was so beautiful. The only problem was my mom, sisters, Aunt Kitty, and I had a vision for a really long train, and possibly a little lace jacket that I could wear for the ceremony. That was absolutely no problem for Free Love. They contacted the designer and got everything we dreamt of and more. I have to also mention my incredible seamstress, Maria, owner of Alterations with Maria. She made the gown fit me like a glove, hand-made a custom bow with a sash to wear for the ceremony, as well as a hand-made bowtie for Nick to wear made from my dress! She is absolutely incredible.

What was your favorite moment?
This is a hard one, because there were so many. Nick and I did not do a first look, so seeing each other for the first time down the aisle at the church was so emotional, but I think my favorite part was, during dinner our photographer, Jessica, came up to us and asked if we could go take one more set of photos. We were a tad resistant because we wanted to hurry up and get to the dancing, but we said yes. Jessica took us out into the lobby, changed me out of my heels and into snow boots, and we went back into the snow. What Nick and I didn’t know, was that she found a beautiful spot on the Washington Street Mall, a few short steps from Congress Hall, where the white lights from Christmas were shining bright and the snow was so deep. Nick and I were the only two out there (other than Jessica and our videographer Jeff). She told us to dance and just be with each other. It was so beautiful and magical; we didn’t feel the cold at all. It was a perfect moment to step away from the craziness of the wedding and have a beautiful and romantic moment for just us in the snow.

Did anything go wrong?
Well, NJ was in a “state of emergency” so some of our family could not make the drive from NY, and our music for the ceremony could not make it, but in the end, everything was beautiful.

First dance song?
I Am Yours by Andy Grammer

Any advice for future brides?
Just relax and enjoy your day and the days leading up. I’m sure this is not the first time this advice has been given, but it all goes by so fast so enjoy all of it. Also, take a minute throughout the night to step away with just the two of you. It’s a special little break that will help you stay in the moment.