Wedding

Rehearsal & Rehearsal Dinner - All The Details!

Our wedding rehearsal took place on the evening before our wedding day. It was so surreal to actually be at our wedding rehearsal. It went surprisingly fast actually. We were first arranged at the altar in the places where we would ultimately be once everyone walked down the aisle. I have to admit, if I was nervous at any point during our wedding weekend it was definitely then because it really hit me at that moment seeing us standing there that this is about to happen. 

We went through the outline of the ceremony and where everyone would be and made sure everyone felt comfortable before heading to our rehearsal dinner. It was a very special experience filled with laughter and a few happy tears and definitely gave me more excitement for the day ahead.

Me and Dave outside the church before the rehearsal.

Like many aspects of our wedding, we wanted our rehearsal dinner to be an intimate and elegant experience for our family and friends. We decided to host our rehearsal dinner at the same place where we held our reception, the Forsgate Country Club.

Forsgate offers a wide array of areas to host any kind of event and during the whole engagement process we held our bridal shower, rehearsal dinner and wedding reception at Forsgate (needless to say we love it there!).

Our rehearsal dinner included to exact same group as our engagement party, we had twelve people who included our immediate families and closest friends. Since it was a smaller group, we held it in the board room, it looked like a library and had one long table with very comfortable chairs.

The menu included a tomato and mozzarella salad, a dual plate of salmon and roast chicken and chocolate mousse for dessert.

 It was great to relax on the eve of our wedding, reminisce on some of our favorite family stories and also to celebrate our families and friends who have made the experience so wonderful for us.

Here are a few of our favorite pictures:

Area where the rehearsal dinner was held.

Dave's family

My family

Bridesmaids

Bridesmaids and our mothers

Groomsmen

Groomsmen and fathers

Whole Bridal Party

1 Week Post Wedding...

And just like that...we're married! I cannot believe it has already been a week since Dave and I became husband and wife. We are incredibly happy and still walking on a cloud!

It has been a long time since I blogged about our wedding adventures (almost a year!) and I think a big reason for that is because the whole experience was pretty mellow throughout and also I wanted to keep many details a surprise for family and friends.

But of course now that is has all happened, I'm thrilled to share all the happenings around wedding planning and how we were able to pull off a perfect wedding! When I say perfect, I'm really not exaggerating, everything could not have gone better, there is not a thing in the world I would change or would want to be different. For this post, I will keep it focused mostly on the wedding day in general and hopefully will talk about finer details in posts to come.

We were incredibly blessed with the most beautiful weather - not just on our wedding day - but the days leading up to and following Saturday. I'm talking crystal clear blue skies, warm weather in the upper 60's, simply spectacular!

Prior to the wedding weekend, I had written a timeline for our parents and bridal party to lay out the day and give as much information as possible so that everybody felt comfortable with what to expect. With that said, we hit our times on point, never ran late and never felt rushed. Our bridal party included 3 bridesmaids and 3 groomsmen, who were our family members and close friends. Having an intimate group surrounding us kept everything so calm and enjoyable.

We had our hair and make up done at a local salon and went back to my parents' house (my childhood home) to get dressed. Since we decided to get married in my hometown, I really wanted to get ready in the place where I grew up, and it was very special. Since we were running on time, even running early at points, I joked that I was actually bored just waiting to get dressed. But when the photographer and cinematographer were ready for the "getting dressed" shots, I was so excited and eager to become the bride I had always dreamed of becoming.

Dave and I decided to wait to see each other until we were at the church, but I always loved those "first look" pictures so my dad and I were able to do that. Having my dad see me in my wedding gown was so moving, it is a moment that I will treasure forever.

When we made it to the church, we were actually early, I was so excited to actually be early to my wedding! But by that point I was so eager to see Dave that I was about to run into the church LOL!

Once our parents and bridal party entered the church, the doors closed and Dad and I waited to enter. It is a little nerve-wracking just as you're about to walk down the aisle and my dad joked that he had nothing witty to say at that moment, but just to have fun. At that moment the doors opened and I saw my angel and best friend waiting for me at the altar. As I walked toward him and felt the love of all of our family and friends surrounding us, I can say I was filled with more happiness than I ever imagined was possible.

The ceremony was a beautiful experience, I will always remember looking into Dave's eyes and exchanging vows, I had waited my whole life for this and I wanted to enjoy every second of it.

We had a string quartet playing at our wedding, a dear friend arranged a lovely selection of music that included traditional pieces such as Canon in D and the wedding march but also contemporary pieces including A Thousand Years and our recessional All You Need is Love. Everything felt like a dream, it was so beautiful.

Once the ceremony concluded it was on to pictures at our wedding venue, the Forsgate Country Club. We had the most incredible weather for pictures, as I'm typing this, we're eagerly waiting to see our pictures and video from the day! I had a cathedral veil, which was acting stubborn at times, but I definitely wanted a long train with some drama in the back (more to come on bridal style).

Probably one of our favorite memories from the day was during our photo session. The venue arranged for us to have golf carts to drive around in and me and Dave ended up driving around the grounds having the time of our lives, it was simply magical and so special to have a few minutes just enjoying the day together.

We had a few minutes to enjoy cocktail hour with everyone but soon enough we were whisked away to line up for introductions. We chose the song Shut Up and Dance for our parents and bridal party and us to enter to. My friend had suggested it awhile back and it is such a fun song that gets everybody in a great mood and as we entered, it was simply epic.

Our first dance was I Want to Know What Love Is by Foreigner. Since I was a teenager, I have dreamed of that being my first dance song and on our first date, that song came on. Perhaps it was a sign of what was to come :) It was so special and better than I ever dreamed.

A piece of advice that someone told me before the wedding was to stay together as much as possible during the reception. Prior to that I was surprised to think we wouldn't be together the whole time but sure enough it is very easy to get pulled in different directions. So we tried to hold hands as much as possible so we could always physically stay together but also made a point to talk to family and friends together so we didn't separate. And our families were so wonderful and made sure we sat down and ate which was greatly appreciated.

Overall the whole day went without a single hitch. For those who know me, weddings and all things bridal have been a passion of mine for so long. The process of planning a wedding was fantastic but with so much anticipation and expectations leading up to one day, I have to admit I was nervous it wouldn't live up to all that I was hoping. But it truly did, it was more amazing than I could have ever imagined and now I get to look back on the most wonderful wedding with my husband, my best friend, my everything. I am so thankful for him and our families, friends and vendors who made our wedding day the happiest day of my life.

I definitely want to go more in depth on specific elements of our wedding day but for now I felt it was important to put into words how the day as a whole went. Even a week later, bits and pieces start to feel fuzzy in my memory and I don't want to forget a single thing.

Ashley Bartoletti Photography

Finding My Dream Wedding Dress...

Probably one of the most fun parts of wedding planning is shopping for the wedding gown. With the advent of so many reality shows dedicated to brides-to-be finding their perfect wedding gowns, there is a lot of expectation that comes with these appointments.

I am no stranger to the experience of wedding gown shopping. For 10 months I worked as a bridal consultant at the largest bridal salon in New Jersey, Castle Couture. It was truly a magical experience and the scenes created from Say Yes to the Dress are just as real and exciting in person.

But this time I was on the other side of the appointment. Finally I was the bride and it was my time to shop for the wedding dress of my dreams. I went back to my old place of business and brought with me my mom and my sister. It was an experience that we've been dreaming of and talking about for years. Two is the perfect number of opinions as well, it's not too overwhelming but it offers some great perspective.

I often joke about the stamina I had to wait so long into my engagement to finally go wedding gown shopping. I got engaged on December 8th and made it all the way to March 22nd before slipping into a wedding dress. It was fantastic though, because in that time I was able to find a venue, book other vendors and have a solid foundation for what the wedding would be like. It also gave me time to do research and have firm ideas in what I was interested in trying on.

I came in with 3 buzzwords for my consultant: traditional, classic and elegant. I had in mind two styles but was truly open to trying anything on. Of course I had my Pinterest pictures out and ready and that gave my consultant a great visual of my overall taste. She also let me walk around the salon and pull some dresses too, which I really appreciated.

When we started getting the first dress clipped, I could tell immediately that this would be the dress to beat. It was spectacular to say the least. I practically ran out of the room to show my family and it couldn't have been longer than 30 seconds before my mom and I were crying. I could not believe how perfect the first dress was. I was so relieved that I found something I actually loved so much. We tried it with a veil and it just solidified the whole look for me.

But it was the very first dress and it's always a good idea to try on a few others before committing. Plus it's also so much fun and you should never rush the appointment, after all, how many more chances in life will you get to do something like this?

We tried on a few other dresses, all of which were beautiful and there was at least one that I also really loved. My mom and sister gave great feedback and were so positive and encouraging during the whole process. It was so fun seeing other silhouettes. Since I wasn't locked into trying on only one style, it was really important to get a taste of everything, all the way from a ballgown to a mermaid. But that first dress just spoke to me. I could actually see myself walking down the aisle and getting married in that dress.

Finally we put it back on and matched it with a great veil and side comb. It was so exciting to put the whole look together. If you have the time to do it, I definitely recommend selecting everything all at once.

My sister asked me if this was the dress and I laughed nervously. I loved this dress but I think it's a little scary when it's time to make the decision. It's a gown that I've dreamed of my whole life but to actually say the words is harder than you might think. But in my heart I knew it was right so after a moment I said "Yes, this is totally my dress!"

I am so thrilled to have had such a positive experience and to have shared it with my mom and sister makes me feel incredibly blessed. My advice for anyone about to start this experience is to stay open-minded and positive. Wear a strapless, nude colored bra and nude colored underwear. Wear heels similar in height to what you would wear on the day of your wedding. Think of general buzzwords that capture your style. Try on different styles and silhouettes, get a taste for everything. But most of all have fun, laugh and enjoy every moment, because these are the moments that you look back on and cherish forever.

All About Our Engagement Party!

When Dave and I initially discussed having an engagement party we were torn about how big of an event to make it. We definitely wanted to do something to celebrate becoming engaged but were unsure of how many people to invite, where to host it, and so on. We realized that it could quickly get out of control with a long guest list and potentially be a mini-wedding which is not want we wanted.

We decided to do things sweet and simple and invite only our immediate family. What we also wanted to take the opportunity to officially ask our family members to be in our bridal party. In the end we had a dozen people join us for an engagement dinner and it was absolutely perfect!

We went to Water and Wine Ristorante which is close to us so we asked everyone to meet at our apartment and head over together as a big group. We chose this restaurant because it was a nice place but not too fancy and the food was fantastic! We had a table at the end of the dining room so it felt very private and special for us.

Water and Wine

In the end we are so happy we kept it intimate and everyone seemed to have a great time! We are so blessed to have amazing families and look forward to having more occasions to all be together again soon.

My bridesmaids!

My sister and Maid of Honor

Our families :)

Our bridal party

Our Engagement Story...

Dave and I met in April 2011 at a Relay For Life event. It didn’t take long for me to realize that this is the right guy for me. Dave is everything I had ever hoped to have in a partner and more. He is the most generous person that I have ever met, there is not single thing he wouldn’t do for me just to see my smile. He has the most infectious laugh and an awesome sense of humor. I could go on for hours talking about all the things I love about him.

In March 2013, Dave and I were planning our first vacation together and we decided Disney World would be the perfect place. We had the most amazing time! It has been almost 2 years since that trip and we still laugh at inside jokes we made and flip through pictures and reminisce at how much fun we had that week.

Me and Dave in Disney March 2013

When we were ready to book our next vacation, Disney World was a no brainer! We chose the first full week in December after Thanksgiving so we could experience Disney during Christmastime and bypass most of the holiday crowds. What I didn’t know was that Dave was planning to propose on this trip and had been making arrangements ever since we booked the trip back in September.

On our first day in Magic Kingdom, I felt like a little kid on Christmas morning, I could barely contain my excitement! Unfortunately, Mother Nature had her owns plans in mind. For the entire morning, there was a heavy mist, not a typical Florida down pour that clears up in an hour. It was just enough to make us really uncomfortable and throughout the day I needed to buy a hoodie and a new pair of shoes!

You can actually see the ponchos and puddles behind us!

Dave had a plan to propose in the Rose Garden overlooking the castle. It is a beautiful sight and somewhat private which is why Dave liked it so much. He wanted to ask a photopass photographer to take a picture of us and then propose. Unfortunately, that day was also a filming for Disney’s Christmas Day parade. Ariana Grande was performing at the Castle and they stuck a giant camera right in the Rose Garden! Poor Dave! He had hoped to propose first thing in the morning but now was at a loss as to what to do next. The whole morning turned into an awkward episode of trying to stay out of the misty rain, which refused to stop, and Dave desperately trying to figure out where to propose.

By 2pm we were both frustrated with the day, I was ready to go back to the hotel and get warm and dry and Dave was still struggling to find the right place to propose. As we were heading out of Magic Kingdom Dave said how about we take one more picture on the train platform. It’s an area that overlooks Main Street and straight down is the castle. It’s a sight to behold if you’re a Disney fan. So we went up to the platform and there was one woman already standing there. Dave asked the woman if she would take a picture of us and quietly tipped her off that he was about to propose. I can only imagine how nervous she must have been!

Our last picture as boyfriend/girlfriend

Dave and I took a picture and as I was about to get my camera, Dave turned to me and said, “I have something I want to ask you.” I realized immediately what was about to happen was filled with more joy and excitements than I’ve ever felt in my life. Dave dropped to one knee and asked me if I would marry him. Even while writing this I still tear up. I was so happy I could barely get “yes” out (I think it was more of a squeak) so I kept nodding my head vigorously.

"I have something I want to ask you"

I have dreamed of this moment for my whole life and when I met Dave I knew that moment would be with him. Though it might not have gone quite according to plan, it was more perfect than I could ever have imagined. We made a memory in Disney that I will treasure forever. Dreams really do come true.