How did you and your partner meet?
My partner and I went to preschool and high school together, but we officially met at our friends sweet 16. We were sitting at the same table and started talking. Our friend groups started hanging out together and then a couple of months later he asked me if I would go out with him by writing it out with M&M’s.
How did he propose?
My husband got the ring in January 2020, and was waiting for a road trip we were taking in April 2020 to propose. Covid changed his plans. In August 2020, we went with my family and our friends to go camping at Lake Wallenpaupack. Our first night there we took out the boat, and at sunset I asked if he wanted to take a photo with me at the end of the boat. While we were up there taking pictures, my brother told me to turn and look at the sun. When I turned back around I saw my partner kneeling on one knee, and asked him if he was just going to sit there. It did not click yet that he was proposing, and then he started talking about our past 8 years together. That is when I understood what was happening, and I was so surprised and excited!
What was your experience in planning your wedding?
My partner and I were not sure what we wanted to do for a wedding in the beginning. We thought about the things that were most important to us when getting married. We decided that it was important to have our closest family and friends with us. So we started by looking for a venue and photographer and everything else seemed to fall into place. My partner and I were the ones planning everything for the wedding, and we really enjoyed it because it made the wedding that much more special since we got to see it forming. After the venue and photographer, we booked the florist, hair, makeup, photo booth, officiant, transportation, and at the last minute we decided to add a videographer. It was a lot of emails and communication with everyone, but we made sure not to stress out about things and plan the best we could so on the wedding day we would be able to enjoy ourselves. We also decided to DIY part of our centerpieces, so we bought floating candles and made our own table numbers, and our florist added beautiful greenery. The hardest part about wedding planning was the guest list since we wanted to keep it small. We also loved our decision to take dance classes. There was so much wedding planning going on so once a week when we got to go to dance classes, we made a whole date night around it. We really enjoyed dance classes and hope to continue!
Tell us about your venue
We got married at Pen Ryn Rivers Edge. Rivers Edge is right on the Delaware River with a tented structure. The ceremony was outside with the river behind us. Rivers Edge has a beautiful outdoor space with a beautiful green landscape and a garden. The cocktail hour and reception were inside the tented structure and we decided to close in the structure because it ended up being a very hot day so we were able to turn on the air conditioning while still seeing the river from inside since all the walls are clear. We decorated the venue with greenery and floating candles, which gave the place a more rustic vibe. We loved it. The structure also has rope lighting and up lighting, which was beautiful when it got dark out. It was a great venue and they took care of everything the day of the wedding. I had a bridal assistant with me all day, and they coordinated everything after we arrived. We were so lucky we were able to have the ceremony outside, because 10 minutes after the ceremony there was a quick storm that came suddenly. After the storm there was a rainbow. It was the most magical night.
What was the best memory or moment from your wedding day:
Our entire wedding day was incredible. However, when we think about one moment of our wedding, the first one that comes to mind is our first dance. We did a surprised choreographed first dance. No one knew we were doing it. We started taking classes with Walker Ballroom in October for our May 22 wedding. It was super fun and a workout. The dance we put together was special and awesome. But it was not the dance, fog or sparklers that made the moment. Our guests made the moment better than we ever imagined. After the first 30 seconds of the dance, everyone was singing a long, clapping, and cheering! We never did anything like this before in our lives and it was so worth it.
What advice can you give to couples planning a wedding:
The best advice I can give couples planning a wedding is to remember what is important to them, and why they want to have a wedding in the first place. What is the most important thing for you on your big day, and plan the day around that. I wanted to have the best time surrounded by friends and family. The wedding party and guests will feed off the bride and groom’s energy. It is important to give off positive energy so you’re given positive energy back. Lastly, something will most likely not go as planned. It is key to not get overwhelmed when this happens. Do not focus on the things that do not go as planned, and enjoy the entire day because it goes by super fast.
What was your experience like working with your vendors?
All our vendors were truly amazing. They all knew exactly what they were doing. We were very vague in our descriptions of what we wanted because we chose our vendors because we liked their work and trusted them. We had a meeting with our florist, Flowers by Jennie Lynne, a year and a half before the wedding, and we showed her a few photos and answered a few questions we had. She was able to create exactly what we envisioned! We gave the DJ, City Beat Entertainment, the first dance and parent dance songs, but he did a magnificent job in keeping the party going the entire night. Our photographer, Nicole Cordisco Photography, really helped us with all her tips for the wedding planning process as well as the day of tips. I really appreciated that she was in contact with us throughout the entire time since we booked all our vendors very far in advance. So it was nice that she was keeping track of things, and that is how I knew when to reach out to other vendors and what to tell them. Overall our experience with our vendors was incredible, there were definitely times when we wished some were more responsive, but we trusted them for a reason and it made the day perfect.
Photography: Nicole Cordisco Photography
Venue: Pen Ryn Rivers Edge