Joanna and Anthony’s Greek Orthodox wedding ceremony perfectly matches the elegance of their venue, the Crystal Tea Room. Photography by Nicole Cordisco Photography – See More –>
How did you and your partner meet?
“We met at work, I remember he was wearing this baby blue Izod sweater that we still to this day make fun of. I was new to the company so people kept introducing us, he was the only person I had been introduced to multiple times so it must have been a sign!”
How did they propose?
Joanna – “Anthony proposed to me on Christmas day, while I was cleaning up wrapping paper in my pajamas. I turned around to find him down on one knee asking me to marry him. I must have told him he was lying and that this wasn’t funny about a hundred times before he finally said is it a yes or no!”
Anthony – “My initial plan was to propose on Christmas Eve at my mom’s party during karaoke in front of both our families. There was some of my family drama that had occurred when we first arrived to the party so I nervously thought, ‘welllll… NOT DOING THIS TONIGHT’. I knew I wanted it to be during Christmas, so on Christmas morning I just couldn’t wait and wanted to propose.”
What was your experience in planning your wedding?
Joanna – “My overall experience planning our wedding was pretty positive. I found that the most stressful part of planning the wedding was not the actual planning, but managing everyone else’s opinions and ideas while not compromising the vision we had.”
Anthony- “Wedding planning for me was simply, simple. I was asked for my opinion once and then got slaughtered for it, which then, made it even simpler for me.”
Tells us about your venue, and why you chose it?
“We chose the Crystal Tea Room as our venue. We both have big families so we needed to have a place with a lot of space. At first I thought that it might be too traditional for me, but it was the perfect fit. The food was incredible, with more than enough to go around! People are still talking about all of the food we had. From start to finish everyone we worked with was amazing and beyond helpful, Emily and Miguel were lifesavers! They made the experience very personable, which they made sure we knew we could be comfortable with any adjustments to the space and options as needed. There weren’t any restrictions which allowed for us to get exactly what we were looking for.”
What was your inspiration for the wedding?
Joanna – “I always wanted to get married in winter, something about that always felt very romantic to me. I wanted the wedding to feel very intimate and romantic, even though there were going to be over 200 people in attendance. I love candles and warm colors so it was important for me to be able to include those in my vision for our wedding.”
What was the best memory/moment from your wedding day?
Joanna – “For me, the best moment of our wedding was at the end of the night when Anthony and I got one final dance together. We had asked for the last song of the night to be reserved for us, and we danced to Lady Gaga’s ‘Remember us this way.’ I just remember how much love I felt in that moment, not just between Anthony and I but from everyone in the room with us. For Anthony, his favorite moment was when the doors opened in the church and I started to walk down the aisle. ‘I was filled with so much love and confidence'”
What advice can you give to couple’s planning a wedding?
Joanna – “Take a deep breath, it is all going to be ok! It is hard not to be emotional during this process, but it is important to take a step back and remember that this is your day. Be confident in all of your choices, and do not compromise your vision for anyone unless you as a couple decide it’s the right thing.”
Anthony – “Be decisive, and take action immediately only with what is front of you.”
What was your experience like working with your vendors?
Joanna – “I had no issues or complaints with any of our vendors. Everyone fit our needs perfectly. It is so important to pay close attention in those early conversations to make sure that you and each vendor are a good fit. The one challenge we ran into which I was not expecting was actually with the church. Our priest was very particular and we had a hard time getting him to approve any kind of music. I ended up walking down the aisle in silence because no one at the church let the canter know to sing.”
Photographer: Nicole Cordisco Photography
Venue: Crystal Tea Room