How did you meet? 
Kamar and I met when we both joined the Lakewood Middle School Track Team in the spring of 2002. We were friends throughout high school and college. Kamar went to Iowa State for college and I went to TCNJ. After we graduated college, we started dating in 2013.

How did you get engaged? 
We got engaged on my birthday, September 24, 2016 when Kamar proposed cliffside while hiking in upstate New York at John Boyd Thacher State Park.

Details of the day! 
We had a beachy wedding theme, complete with sand box placecards, sand in a bottle favors, cocktail umbrella candle holders, and a seashell and starfish inspired card box. Our wedding colors were a royal purple and turquoise. My bouquet was silk callayilies in the purple and turquoise colors that matched the bridesmaid dresses and groomsmen tuxedos. While getting ready at Lambs and Wolves in Red Bank, the bridesmaids wore silk robes in the color of their dress- either purple or blue and I wore white. My shoes were an ivory block heel that Kamar wrote on the bottom of before the ceremony. We chose not to do a first look and only saw each other for the first time when I was walking down the aisle. Kamar’s mom and my mom walked him down the aisle. My brother Ryan and best friend Jeremy walked me down the aisle. The ring bearer, Leonard, wore Malibu blue, matching his mom, Khadija who was one of my bridesmaids. The flower girl, Nora, wore Regency Purple, matching her dad, Adam, who was Kamar’s best man. Kamar wore ivory to match the ivory in my dress.

Why did you choose your venue? 
We chose Doolan’s Shore Club because we loved the venue from the minute we saw it. Susan Doolan makes sure everything runs smoothly and provides so many details we could not find elsewhere- including beautiful purple hanging flowers outside. We were able to have the ceremony outside amidst the flowers, crystal clear pool and white gazebo. Inside for cocktail hour, there was a beautiful room with open windows and double staircase where we took so many of our pictures. Susan invited us and our family and friends in for multiple tastings to make sure we knew exactly what food we wanted to serve. We were able to have the ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception all in one place. Plus, they even have a hotel upstairs that we stayed in. They were wonderful to work with!

What was on your menu? 
During cocktail hour, guests were served our signature cocktails- Summer Sangria (hers) and Blackberry Bourbon Lemonade (his). Butlers passed hors d’oeuvres such as coconut chicken skewers, cream of tomato shooters with grilled cheese and tomato and mozzarella skewers. For dinner, guests were served a summer field of greens salad with feta cheese, watermelon and champagne vinaigrette. Guests chose from three entrees- Herb crusted seared salmon with citrus butter over fresh spinach, slow roasted prime rib of beef au jus, or lemon peppered chicken and shrimp. The custom cake was designed by Chocolate Carousel of Wall. The three tiered cake had alternating layers of yellow and almond cake with vanilla mousse and buttercream frosting. They piped flowers on matching our wedding colors.

All about your gown! 
I purchased my gown from Dress 2 Impress in Linwood NJ. I knew that I wanted a fitting lace dress. The strapless fit and flare dress had ivory chiffon underneath the white lace pattern, making the lace pop. The back was open with more white lace accents on the sides.

What was your favorite moment? 
My favorite moment of the wedding was when Kamar and I said our own personalized vows to each other, making it so much more special.

One detail you couldn’t live without? 
One detail I couldn’t live without was our cake topper. It was custom made on Etsy and has a silhouette of Kamar lifting a barbell that I am sitting on. Kamar and I have always been very into fitness and working out so it was perfect for us. It also featured our chihuahua, Pancho that we rescued last year!

Another special detail I couldn’t live without was the dramatic blue eyeliner I chose with the help of my makeup artist, Ariel of Lambs and Wolves. She said she rarely gets brides that want to do a dramatic color on that day but it worked out perfectly and highlighted my face!

Did anything go wrong? 
Nothing went wrong! The day was perfect!

First dance song? 
Kamar and I chose to dance to Teddy Pendergrass’ “My Latest, My Greatest Inspiration”.

Any advice for future brides? 
Plan ahead of time and keep everything organized to avoid stress! Less is more! Find a venue that accommodates and includes what you need in their packages.

Where did you honeymoon?
We are going on a Royal Caribbean Cruise for 8 days to Bermuda, St. Maarten, San Juan, Puerto Rico and Labadee, Haiti where we plan to kayak, snorkel and hike the rainforests!