How did you and your partner meet?
We originally met on our first day of college in 2012. We lived on the same floor in our freshman year dorm at Penn State. We were friendly, but didn’t know each other well, and after freshman year we didn’t see each other again until the year after we graduated. Alexa is from the Philadelphia area, and Drew is from the Pittsburgh area, but after college Drew moved to D.C. Alexa was visiting a friend in D.C. in February 2017 (5 years after we had first met) and literally bumped into Drew at a bar. Alexa didn’t recognize Drew at first but after he recalled “7th floor Sproul Hall Penn State”, she remembered him. After that night we have been inseparable ever since!
How Did Drew Propose?
We were visiting Drew’s family in the Pittsburgh area (supposedly to celebrate a few family birthdays), and on a Friday afternoon Drew asked Alexa to go to a pumpkin patch and a farmers market. It was the end of October and the perfect day to do a fall activity. When we got back to his house, Drew’s brother had our dog Mia outside and as we got closer Alexa noticed a bandana around her neck reading “Mom will you marry my dad?”. Drew proposed in his front lawn and moments later, both of our families surprised us from inside the house and we had an amazing family celebration all weekend!
What was your experience in planning your wedding?
We had a great experience planning our wedding! We live in Philly, so it was very convenient to be able to meet with vendors, tour venues, and get prepared for our day in Center City. Once we booked our vendors (about a year/year and a half out), it was a very smooth process!
Tell us about your venue, and why you chose it?
Our venue was The Lucy by Cescaphe in Center City. Alexa actually found this venue through social media when it first opened a few years ago. As soon as Alexa saw the stunning photos from their opening she knew it was where she wanted to get married. We toured the venue shortly after we got engaged, and Drew fell in love with it as well. As soon as we first stepped into The Lucy we both knew our wedding was 100% happening there.
What was your inspiration for the wedding?
We wanted our wedding to be about our love and commitment to each other, and being able to celebrate with our family and friends. That inspiration led us to find our amazing Celebrant who married us in an interfaith ceremony that fit us perfectly. It also inspired us to find our incredible photographer who captured our day perfectly, our venue which was not only beautiful but also has unbelievable food/catering, our amazing DJ who kept the party going all night, and the rest of our vendors who made our day so seamless and spectacular.
What was the best memory/moment from your wedding day?
It is tough to pick our best memory from our wedding day, but if we have to choose one it would be our first look. We did our first look right after we finished getting ready and before we went to take photos with our wedding party. We did it on the grand staircase in The Lucy and it is something neither of us will ever forget. It was such a special moment to see each other for the first time that day, knowing that it was going to be the best day of our lives.
What advice can you give to couples planning a wedding?
The best advice we can give to couples planning a wedding would be to try not to stress on the day of the wedding. Our day was pretty stress free and we had the most amazing day that we will remember forever.
What was your experience like working with your vendors?
Our experience working with our vendors was very positive. We had great communication with all of our vendors, and they all are so experienced and really know what they are doing which makes it an easy process!
Photographer: ALN Images
Makeup and hair: Alisha Nycole & co.
Florist: Beautiful Blooms
Dress: Daydream Bridal Boutique – designer Rachel Rose
Suit: Men’s Wearhouse
Venue: Cescaphe The Lucy