Rhea and Manny at Ferraro’s

Posted on September 01, 2021 by Allison Dupree

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How did you meet?
We met at Open Road Auto Group—we had both just started working there. I was dating someone at the time and Manny knew he was quitting before his seat was even warm. And then we met and Manny decided to stick it out for a bit. We became acquaintances because we worked in the same office and we became friendly with mutual co-workers. One day I happened to be venting to one of my co-workers about my boyfriend at the time (who just had to go; it was time) and she turned to Manny and asked, “Manny, what do you think about this?” He stopped what he was doing, looked right into my eyes and boldly said, “F*** that guy, come to my birthday party!” Long story short, I said OK and my co-worker and I showed up for Manny’s 30th birthday (which was a purple party so I purposely went out to buy a purple dress) and we all had a blast! We danced all night long together and I quickly realized we were no longer just acquaintances.

How did you get engaged?
He surprised me! I was out to dinner with my family for what I thought was my “birthday dinner.” The restaurant was overlooking a beautiful lake, which we walked to after dinner for the sunset scenery. Little did I know he was waiting there for me. He took my hand and we started to walk along a narrow path leading to the waterfall and gazebo with the beautiful orange sky ahead of us. Along the way, our closest friends and family were standing staggered along the path, and as we walked they each handed me one big white rose. The entire walk Manny was telling me what I meant to him and how I’ve changed his life in unimaginable ways. By the time we reached the gazebo, I had the most beautiful, abundant bouquet of white roses in my hand. We stepped into the gazebo decorated with white sheer linens, greenery and fairy lights draping down. On the floor were red rose petals and big lit-up letters saying: MARRY ME. And then he dropped to one knee.

Details of the day!
Rustic, rustic, rustic! White vintage lanterns with mystical greenery cascading inside and alongside them with warm pillar candles giving off subtle light to lead the way down the church aisle. The bridesmaids all had white vintage lanterns they carried down the aisle that had mauve and ivory florals cascading out with more mystical greens throughout. Our favorite color is purple so we chose a purplish/grey/mauve as our color mixed in with ivory and greens. One of our favors were personalized hand sanitizers that read, “Spread love not germs, Rhea Clare & Emmanuel 2.28.21” and another was a soft pretzel that read, “Thank you for helping us tie the knot, Rhea Clare & Emmanuel” (the sign was a small pretzel).

Why did you choose your venue?
We originally had a big wedding booked at a warehouse-type venue and the more I thought of our wedding there, the less comfortable I grew with all the uncertainties of Covid-19. We decided that the grand wedding we had dreamed of just wasn’t in our cards anymore and we wanted to do something more intimate. We have always loved Ferraro’s and are never disappointed with the food or the service, so it was an easy choice.

What was on your menu?
Our menu was perfect. We had the most amazing salad with a balsamic vinaigrette followed by a penne vodka with prosciutto. Our entrées were salmon oreganato, chicken saltimbocca and eggplant parm. We had an assortment of treats including white-chocolate-ganache macarons marbled with mauve and gold, chocolate mousse and cookie-crumble Mason jars and cannolis.

Our wedding cake was out of this world! It was a red-velvet semi-naked cake with a cannoli filling that had greens and roses gently placed alongside the three tiers. We also surprised our guests with an untraditional cake cutting done at the start of our reception. Manny and I cut the first piece together as husband and wife and SURPRISE! Blue M&Ms and sprinkles came pouring out to signify we are having a little baby boy!

All about your gown!
My gown was stunning! It was a Maggie Sottero Cinderella-style with a cathedral train. It had a plunging V neckline and was slightly off the shoulder. It had the most beautiful tulle/mesh fabric with these blush-colored sequins just under the top layer. Just enough to sparkle through! The top midriff section was all lace and beading and the whole bottom section was tulle with lace florals. I knew I always wanted a dress with sleeves so we added the most perfect sleeves to go with the dress. My veil was actually my mom’s cathedral-length wedding veil that she wore in 1981. With her blessing, I altered it to make it a bit more modern and it was perfect!

What was your favorite moment?
My favorite moment was definitely standing at the altar with Manny! I was so excited to stand there hand in hand with him I couldn’t stop smiling. We just gazed into each other’s eyes the entire time. It felt so comfortable like there was nowhere else in the world I could picture myself than right there with him at that exact moment.

One detail you couldn’t live without?
I obsessed over my bridesmaid bouquets from the moment I conjured up the idea in my head. I had an hour-long phone conversation with our florist to make sure she understood my vision. Well, let’s just say she knocked it out of the park!

Did anything go wrong?
It wouldn’t be a wedding if something doesn’t go wrong, right? I really can’t complain though. Other than a few hiccups along the way, everything was perfect! The day was perfect and I wouldn’t have changed a thing. If it were just a few small things here and there that didn’t go according to plan, I’d say it was pretty successful. I’m also a little bit of a control freak (not a bridezilla though), so I was very hands-on with making sure everyone involved was on the same page. Everything else was in God’s hands and you just have to roll with the punches.

First dance song?
So we actually did not plan a traditional first dance song as we did not have the traditional reception. But my cute and sentimental husband requested Lauren Hill’s “Can’t Keep My Eyes Off Of You,” and he and I danced together, just us, as everyone watched.

Any advice for future brides?
Know what you want! It’ll be much easier that way. No one can decide what’s best for you the way you can. Remember to have fun planning with your almost hubby. And just roll with the punches. Nothing is perfect, but you can get pretty close if you just relax.

Honeymoon location:
When Covid is more manageable with traveling and the baby is here we definitely plan to honeymoon. Just the two of us. We’ve always dreamed of touring Greece and Italy and all of their beauty. I am of European descent but have never been, so I feel very drawn to those countries. My new husband is also very eager to see all they have to offer as well.