written by Dolly Marshall
Who says that a backyard wedding has to be mundane? Amanda and John knew they wanted a small wedding, however they definitely wanted a meaningful ceremony reflective of their mutual quirkiness and personalities. Purely a family affair, see how this diy wedding hit it out of the park!
From the photographer, Nicole Cordisco: “Amanda and John got married at her mother’s home in a small intimate with close family and friends. It was very special since they had recently moved out of state. Yes the airplane is his! Her mother is a flower lover and put together their flower arrangements for them. Her stepfather decorated the entire backyard in Christmas lights and it was beautiful.”
How They Met
“A mutual friend put us in contact with each other and we arranged our first – albeit blind – date. On that first date, we covered a lot of ground, going for a motorcycle ride, ice cream, and eventually bowling.”
The Proposal
“John announced that he wanted to do a 12 days of Christmas series, leading up to Christmas day. He insisted that all presents be small and fun. I obliged by getting small, inexpensive presents, while he surprised me everyday with a lovely gift and an accompanying card. As each day brought a new card, each card added to the list of reasons he loved me. Day 3: I love your eyes. Day 4: I love the way you take care of me, even when I’m cranky. On the 12th day, we met at the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art where John proposed. The final card read: 12: I love that you said “yes!”
Wedding Planning
“We both wanted a small wedding and both had significant life changes occur right before our wedding. We’re very grateful to Amanda’s mom who planned pretty much all of it. So 10/10 would recommend having someone else plan”
Home Is Where The Heart Is
“We wanted to spend our energy and money on an experience that would be meaningful and reflective of our families and friends. Amanda’s mom’s house has long been a gathering place for ceramics classes hosted by Amanda’s great grandmother, holiday parties, Sunday night dinners and wine nights. There seemed no better place than one that had such a history of hospitality, warmth, and love.”
Best Moment
John says, “honestly I loved the photo shoots before the wedding day. It just felt so fun to spend time together before our ceremony, playing and laughing. Obviously taking pictures with the plane was pretty fun too!”
Amanda shares,”I loved having our friends and family gather around the fire pit as the night wound down. There ceremony was beautiful and being surrounded by the friends and family we love so much.”
Wedding Planning Advice
“John says, “focus less on what you think you should have and more on what is meaningful to you. Put attention to the details and create the experience that make you happy.”
Amanda shared, “find someone in your life with impeccable taste, on whom you can bounce ideas or work through problems. To this day my mom is the person I go to for life advice, fashion advice, lets be honest, financial advice. She guided us through this process and helped us unify our ideas into a cohesive theme. I don’t think it would have felt as complete without her guidance.”
Vendors
“Fantastic! Nicole Cordisco, our photographer, was wonderful! We met with her before the wedding so we could get a sense of what we were looking for in our pictures. On the day of the wedding, Nicole made our photo shoots feel fun, relaxed and unique to us!”
Vendor | Photographer: Nicole Cordisco Photography