They made plans to go to their favorite restaurant in Hoboken, Amanda’s. Before they left, Molly wasn’t in a mood to dress up but Jack finally convinced her to put on a dress since he was wearing a suit. She did insist on her leather jacket and combat boots though.The plan wasn’t going that smooth, at the restaurant Jack wanted to get an expensive bottle of champagne, and again Molly was not very interested. But finally Jack got a lucky break. Molly suggested to go for a walk by the pier, where he actually was planning to pop the question and even had a friend waiting to take some pictures of the proposal.The proposal was really lovely and exciting, Molly said. I felt so jittery as it was happening and I immediately burst into tears. The moment was cut short when two random people walked onto the pier and we felt weird and left. Then we went to a different pier to sit and take it all in.
Details of the day! The bride said: My vibe was “woodland fairy.” The bridesmaids wore dusty rose (pink) and my maids of honor wore dusk (purple). Our groomsmen wore ties to match, with grey suits. I told the florist that I wanted the flowers to have a wildflower look, so that they almost looked like I had picked them myself. She totally delivered and it was even better than I could have ever imagined. The colors perfectly coordinated with the bridesmaids’ dresses and everything looked magical. We had long planned on going on a hike the next day, so our wedding favor was trail mix in paper bags that said, “Happy Trails.”
Why did you choose your venue? The Full Moon Resort is about a mile away from a place where we go camping every year. It was the first (and only) venue we looked at and it was just so beautiful when we visited, even though it was a slushy, dreary February day. It also helped that they had delicious sounding vegetarian options that were not “plate of vegetables” or “eggplant parmagiana.” I’ve had a lot of not super exciting wedding dinners, but I was determined that mine would not fall in that category.
What was on your menu? Boursin Crusted Chicken Breast
Dry Aged New York Strip Steak
Spinach RavioliThe cake was an almond cake with a passion fruit filling.
All about your gown! It was the first gown I tried on. I walked into the bridal shop knowing that I wanted a dress with layers that was not strapless. I think having an idea of what I wanted really helped. The attendant helping me pick out “the dress” and a few others. We both knew off the bat that it was the one, and she asked me if I wanted to try it first or do one of the others. I wanted that dress with the layers on. Everyone knew it was the one when they saw it. Tears were shed (surprisingly not by me). I didn’t want to miss out on a more amazing dress, so I tried on the others. It’s a very emotional experience, so I tried to remain logical. If I decided I didn’t like a dress as much for whatever reason, I put it out of my mind completely. Finally, I was down to two and decided to put the original dress on again. There was no going back.
What was your favorite moment? The first look. They were tears of joy, I swear!Molly: I was a little worried that I would feel the pressure to have a big emotional response. I should have realized that lately, I’ll cry at almost anything. When I saw Jack facing away from me, I knew I wouldn’t have to dig deep for an emotional response. I could already feel the tears welling up. As soon as he turned around we both instantly started sobbing. I could barely formulate words. I’m actually relieved we did the first look because I would have been a mess walking down the aisle.Jack: I was feeling very jittery as I waited for Molly to tap my shoulder. I also felt a little bit of pressure to have an emotional reaction. I pictured what I thought she would look like in the dress (which I hadn’t seen), and I was worried that I wouldn’t be as amazed as I thought I should be. Clearly, I needn’t have been worried. The moment I turned around and saw her, she was so much more beautiful than I had ever imagined, and I knew that I was just going to be a sobbing mess for the rest of the first look. I had come up with a few words to say, but I could barely get them out around the tears.
One detail you couldn’t live without? Bride said: We loved having the photobooth and getting to see everyone’s wacky pictures afterwards. We got copies of everything!
Did anything go wrong? Bride said: Nothing huge. We didn’t foresee the trail mix leaving oil stains on the paper favor bags. It was at least 20 degrees cooler than we were expecting, and I did not have anything to wear over my dress. (My sister-in-law graciously let me borrow her boyfriend’s flannel shirt.) The first dance music was different than the version we practiced with. If anything else went wrong, we honestly didn’t notice. We were too busy having fun!
First dance song? Wonderful Tonight, by Eric Clapton. We both love dancing and found a place nearby that teaches ballroom dancing. We spent months learning to rumba, salsa, foxtrot, hustle, and cha cha and when it got closer to our wedding, our teacher helped us choreograph the dance. It was so much fun, and was honestly a great bonding experience in the lead up to the wedding. The version that played at the wedding wound up being slightly different that the one we had practiced to, but Jack improvised when he needed to and I managed to follow (something I sometimes I have trouble with) and it worked out perfectly anyway.
Any advice for future brides? 1) It does not have to be the most stressful time of your life. If you ask nicely, your friends and family are usually willing to help. Also realize that your wedding guests will only see the end result. If you’re torn between flowers, pick them and move on. I’m sure they’ll be beautiful. You have to be willing to make decisions when you’re less than 100% sure.2) Just because something is usually done in a certain way doesn’t mean you have to go along with it. I didn’t want to choose between my sisters for being my maid of honor, so I just went with both and everyone was happy.
Honeymoon Location! We’re going to Galapagos Islands