Real Wedding: Erich and Steph

Tired of all this ice and snow?  Regretting that you ever agreed to a January wedding? Well, brush up on your Espanol and head down to Puerto Rico, Mexico, and the like and have yourself a merry little destination wedding.  Not only do we love the idea of a barefoot on the beach weddings, we are all for adventure and that is why we love destination weddings. Luckily enough, today's post is all about a real couple, Erich and Steph, and their destination wedding that we're sure will warm your heart.

Erich, our good friend from Rutgers, met Stephanie about 3 years ago at the gym.  Erich was wearing his usual Life Guard t-shirt, which prompted Stephanie to ask him if he was actually a life guard or if he, like her dad, just wore the shirt. They got to talking, eventually started hanging out, and had their first official date at the Linvilla Orchards where they went apple picking.  Then, one fateful day in August 2009, Steph came home from a long and stressful day of work (first grade teacher! yikes!) to find Erich eagerly awaiting her arrival.  He told her he had a surprise for her, played Brad Paisley's song "Then", asked her to dance and then he proposed.  Steph was shocked as Erich got down on one knee and once she realized what was really happening she immediately started crying, leaving Erich on his knees until he said, "Baby, you need to answer me. My knee is really starting to hurt."  She said yes, of course, and thus began their wedding planning adventure. Here are some of the photos of their wedding in Cancun, Mexico.

Steph knew that she wanted someplace tropical and beautiful for her wedding, so, after checking out some prices, they settled on Cancun, Mexico. We all know that planning a wedding is stressful and as far as planning goes, she said that, although she was never really worried, the most difficult part of planning was getting around the language barrier and communicating with the wedding planner.  Luckily, Steph and Erich didn't focus on a theme or have bridesmaids or colors necessarily and just wanted it to be bright and colorful which made things easier. What also made things simpler was that they didn't have to plan for a lot of people and only invited immediate family to their ceremony.  In conclusion, we asked Steph for her final words of advise on destination wedding planning and she wrote, "Don't be too crazy about the location. We chose the location based on pricing. The resort took care of the rest. Anywhere you go, the resorts do this all the time! Ask questions to the resort, any questions you want, they should answer them with no problem but do not worry about it. It will be beautiful.  Oh! And don't plan it during hurricane season...it is too stressful."

Details:

Venue for wedding: Grand Solaris, Cancun, Mexico

Venue for reception: Lazaretto Ballroom, Essington, PA

DJ: EBE Entertainment, Philadelphia, PA

Flowers: Petals in the Park, Ridley Park, PA

Favors and other decorations: Oriental Trading

Rings: Robbins Diamonds, Newark, DE

Wedding Dress: Frank Bernard Bridal, Wilmington, DE

Thanks, Erich and Steph, for sharing your pictures and destination wedding insight with us. Best wishes for a happy marriage!

XOXO

Jen & Saira

Real Wedding: Mike and Sheryl - Part 2 of 2

Welcome back for the conclusion of Mike and Sheryl's wedding.  We've taken you through their engagement, into the getting ready and pre-ceremony shots, and now, here is where the magic happens and you see it all come together.  Sheryl and Mike managed let their personalities shine through each element of their wedding, which exuded both vintage charm and modern style. From the live musicians at the ceremony, to the mashed potato bar, to the vintage photo booth, and right on through to the sparkler send off it was apparent to all that this is a couple who not only has great style but that loves to have fun together.  

Sheryl and Mike chose to host their ceremony and reception in Newark, NJ - where they had first met.  Now, we know what you're thinking because we thought it too. Could Newark, NJ - once ranked as one of the most dangerous cities in the nation - be the perfect place for a fairytale wedding?  We were skeptical at first, but my oh my were we shocked and awed by the beauty of The Mezzanine, on the second  floor of The National Newark Building. Art Deco, bank vaults, funky teller window turned bar - the history and 1930's feel was captivating...although certainly not more so than the charm of the lovely bride and groom and the romantic and modern details that they brought to the space. 

The Dress: Pnina Tornai

The Shoes: Emilio Pucci

The Suit: Andrew Fezza

Bridesmaids' Dresses: Alvina Velenta

Groomsmen's Suits: Alfani

Flowers: Laurelwood Designs

Veil: Kleinfield

Photography: Wayne Yuan Photography

Make-up: Expert Makeup Artistry - Lauren Del Preore Iavarone

Hair: Headhunters - Annie Mees

Photo Location(s): Hilton Newark Penn Station, Branch Brook Park, 

The Mezzanine, and Broad Street Newark

Catering: Frungillo

Stationary: Paper & Inklings

Music: Ceremony & Cocktail Hour - Michael Arenella & His Dreamland Orchestra

Reception - DJ Gaza (Gary Hoffmann)

Videographer: Well Spun Wedding Films

Thanks again to Mike and Sheryl for sharing these gorgeous photos.  You both mean a lot to us and we wish you a wonderfully happy and healthy marriage.

XOXO,

Jen & Saira

Real Wedding: Mike and Sheryl - Part 1 of 2

We hope you enjoyed our post last Friday on Mike and Sheryl's gorgeous E-session at Coney Island.  Today we are thrilled to share this lovely couple's special day with you.  These images were captured by the very talented duo, Wayne and Angela, from Wayne Yuan Photography.

  

There were so many stunning shots that we couldn't pick just a few, so we've decided to split Mike and Sheryl's wedding into two parts - getting ready/pre-ceremony portraits and  then next week tune in for the ceremony/reception. Getting ready is a sometimes fun and sometimes stressful time for a bride and Sheryl was happy to share some of her feelings with us.  When asked how she felt the morning of her wedding Sheryl told us she was actually pretty calm and relaxed and then she followed with, "I think the most memorable part was when the flowers arrived at the room. I was already all done up and dressed, and the photographers were taking some portrait shots. They were so beautiful and they really pulled everything together. It was the last thing I needed to feel like a bride and then we were off to see Mike!"  



Sheryl and Mike decided to take their pictures pre-ceremony (obvi the best way to do it since this ensures the hair and makeup is still all in place).  They had a romantic rendezvous at the bottom of the Hilton Newark Penn escalator and, blessed with a gorgeous day and bright shining sun, they were whisked away to Branch Brook Park for some pre-ceremony portraits with the Bridal Party.

Thanks again to Sheryl and Mike for sharing these with us!  Be sure to check back next week for the finale which will include details on designers & vendors and, of course, beautiful shots including the ceremony, reception, general decor, and more!

XOXO,

Jen & Saira

Real Engagement: Mike and Sheryl

Perhaps you remember back in May, when we had written about how we were desperately searching for dresses to wear to our good friend, Mike's, wedding. Well, Mike and his new bride, Sheryl, are so important to us that we've decided to feature them in a multi-post "Real Couple" series!



Sheryl and Mike met back in April of 2004 at NJIT, in Newark, New Jersey, and have been together ever since. Introduced by a mutual friend (who would later become the charming best man), they began chatting online, dining at the campus cafeteria, and watching the latest episode of The O.C. (oh how we miss it...). Their relationship continued to grow, they began dating officially, and eventually Mike and Sheryl graduated college and moved in together.  

Then one day Mike, being ever so sneaky, created a romantic candle lit path in a park in Sheryl's hometown and lured Sheryl there saying they were having ice cream. Sheryl never did get that ice cream... but, she did get a ring!  This particular ring meant a lot to Sheryl, and she wrote to us with the story behind the ring that was so sentimental and sweet that we had to share it with you as well.  Sheryl writes, "Mike proposed using my grandmothers diamond set on a setting I had pointed out a few months before. She had been sick for awhile and had given it to my mom for me or my sister to use. The day after he proposed we went to visit her to tell her the good news, and she passed away the next day."  



So, with Grandma's blessing, they began their wedding planning and decided they wanted to work with Wayne Yuan, of Wayne Yuan Photography, for their engagement and wedding photography.  We asked Sheryl why they picked Coney Island and she said they loved the colors and industrial feel. She went on to add, "there is something about that place that makes it eerie and amusing all at the same time, and there is so much to offer in such a small area that allows for a lot of great photo opportunities." Coney Island was an exciting, entertaining, and bustling spot during the early 19th century and to this day its allure is still apparent.  Maybe it's the smell of cotton candy and funnel cakes, maybe it's the history and romance wondering how many couples had courted there before them, or maybe it's just genuine love for one another, but whatever it is, these photos really capture Mike and Sheryl's joy in being together. We think Wayne did a brilliant job capturing the moment, and we love the bright colors, sweet poses, dramatic lighting, and composition. Take a look for yourself!  

Thanks, Mike and Sheryl for sharing your engagement with us!  And thanks to Wayne Yuan for the beautiful eye candy!  

Check back next Friday for Mike and Sheryl's Wedding!

XOXO,

Jen & Saira