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Melissa and Ray at Nassau Inn

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Melissa and Ray at Nassau Inn

Posted on October 05, 2021 by Corey Salva

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How did you meet?
Ray and I met in the 4th grade when we were 9 years old. We were always in the same classes, but we didn’t become actual friends until middle school. We went to different high schools, but always hung out after school and on the weekends, and it was always easy to talk to each other. We actually lost touch for a couple of years when we went off to college–I realized that I had romantic feelings for him, but he was conflicted about his own, so we drifted apart. About two and a half years ago, we ran into each other again because of a mutual friend and basically picked our friendship up where we left off. He was living in Philly at the time, and I was back in Jersey, but we’d still find ways to spend time together. In April of 2017, we told each other how we felt, and we’ve been inseparable ever since.

How did you get engaged?
There was never a big, grand proposal. A month into dating, Ray basically told me that he knew we were going to spend the rest of our lives together – we just turned to one another and decided we’ve waited long enough.

Details of the day!
We were finally able to celebrate our union with friends and family after the pandemic put our original wedding celebration on hold. We were married in April 2020 in our living room and decided to celebrate our one-year anniversary in Princeton at The Nassau Inn & Mistral restaurant on a gorgeous Spring day. The day was incredibly intimate, romantic, and sentimental with hints of our favorite color (blue), a vow renewal ceremony, a custom-made paper heart wedding gift, and our pups!

Why did you choose your venue?
I used to work at McCarter Theater, so we spent a lot of time in Princeton at the beginning of our relationship. One of our first dates was at Mistral.

All about your gown!
I actually purchased the capelet right after we got engaged. I saw it online and knew I had to have it and wanted to build my look around that. I stumbled upon my dress while browsing through Poshmark–there are so many brand new dresses out there! I knew I wanted something simple and elegant, but I also didn’t want to spend thousands of dollars on a dress I’m going to wear once.

What was your favorite moment?
We’ve been married for a year, but it was really nice to be able to get dressed up and celebrate with our families. It made it feel more “real” in a way. We are very happy that we went with a smaller celebration because it was easier to be present in the moment. It was definitely a weekend we won’t forget.

One detail you couldn’t live without?
The most important thing for us was to make sure that everything on the day reflected us as a couple, from our favorite color (blue) to my favorite cake (red velvet from Sprinkles) and incorporating little details from our family like Ray wearing my dad’s watch.

Any advice for future brides?
Melissa: At the end of the day, the most important thing is you and your fiance. The pandemic threw our plans out the window, but that didn’t stop us from getting married.

Ray: Think carefully about which aspects of the wedding are actually important to you.

the details

Ceremony Location

Nassau Inn

Reception Location

Mistral

Photographer

Bri Johnson Photography

Officiant

Drew Dunsavage

Bride’s Gown

Jenny Yoo

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Melissa and Ray at Nassau Inn

the details

Ceremony Location

Reception Location

Photographer

Officiant

Bride’s Gown

Bride’s Shoes

Hair

Makeup

Groom’s Attire

Groomsmen Attire

Flowers

Cake

Brides Jewelry

Brides Accessories