Mary and Brian:
November 19, 2010
Location:
Church of Saint Mary, Newburgh, NY
We had been thinking all along of getting married in November, January or February, but the winter months can be risky for travel, so November it was. We loved the idea of having a wedding that’s not in the thick of the wedding season and it was nice to have it right when the holiday magic starts swirling in the air…
We wanted the ceremony to be really meaningful for us. Our ceremony was at Saint Mary’s Church in Newburgh, NY. I was born, raised, and reside in Newburgh and Saint Mary’s has always been my church.
It was important to us to have a Catholic ceremony and be blessed with the sacrament of marriage. We were very happy to be married at Saint Mary’s. It’s a lovely church and Reverend William Scafidi gave us a truly beautiful ceremony.
The ceremony began with traditional wedding hymns played on the harp and ended with us walking back down the aisle to Cheek to Cheek by Fred Astaire on the piano, which was also our last song of the reception.
Our pictures were taken right up the street at Downing Park. It made for some really beautiful shots.
The Grandview, Poughkeepsie, NY
We can’t say enough about the Grandview. The location, the scenery, the food, the staff, the trolley, The Poughkeepsie Grand accommodations, it was fabulous!
They really have it down. They not only take care of your every need and needs you don’t even think of, but they are so attentive to the guests—it made our world!
They are an absolute pleasure to work with and make your day a real piece of cake! Even my florist said they were wonderful to work with!
Dress: J Crew
I looked all over for dresses! It is unbelievable how difficult it is to find a non-strapless, simple dress! It was starting to become a chore!
I would walk into a shop and before I even looked at a dress, I would say "I don’t want it strapless and I don’t want it bedazzled!" I would usually get a laugh and then a "Well, we have one halter." Oy! Don’t get me wrong, strapless and detailed gowns are beautiful, but it just isn’t my thing.
Without spending a fortune on a designer gown and with a little push from my sister, I went back to my trusty friend, J Crew. I had worked there for a few years and saw these dresses firsthand, never thinking one would be my choice for my wedding day.
I ordered a few one day–three days later they arrived. The last one I tried on I said, “This is it, I finally feel like a bride.” It was simple, classic and beautiful and just what I wanted.
Bolero: Bonzie Designs
I loved my bolero!!! Call me preppy, but I’m a sucker for anything with a high collar and always wanted to have one incorporated in my dress. Finding a non-strapless dress was hard, but one with a collar–forget it!
I found this bolero on Etsy and wanted it so bad for months, but finances were getting low and I wasn’t sure if I could swing it. Luckily two of my very good friends knew I was drooling over it and bought it for me for a partial wedding gift! It was just beautiful and made my ensemble and day!
Flowers: A Garden Party, LLC
Our flowers were done by our very talented and gracious friends, Dawn and Mary: the fabulous sister duo of A Garden Party. They serve South Jersey, Philadelphia, and Delaware but we are lucky enough to know them and they happily agreed to do our wedding. I couldn’t imagine having anyone else do them!
Dawn and Mary are truly the best and even with the distance they were patient, accommodating, and caring. I loved everything they did. Their designs and insight are so refreshing. They love their work and making their clients happy and it shows in everything they do! If you live in their area call them, you won’t regret it!
Photographer: Uplift Photography
Our pictures were also a priority. We wanted a photographer who would really capture the day. We aren’t the posed picture type and didn’t want to waste fifty percent of the day posing for them. The day is too precious not to enjoy fully.
Jade was great about everything, she brought great insight and energy. A lot of times we forgot she was even there, which was what we wanted. She brought along her talented friend Geri for the ceremony and portrait pictures and her talented husband worked with her at the reception. They were all great and the pictures came out beautiful…as you can see.
Entertainment: The DJ Solution
One of our top priorities was music! We knew we wanted a DJ over a band. We both like a variety of different music and although bands can be great, to us, the original version of a song is always the best.
We didn’t want the standard wedding song selection with your over-the-top DJ and the typical reception; we wanted a party! We knew we only had 4 hours to dance, dance, dance and really enjoy our time with everyone. We wanted our guests to be a part of the reception, not just sit and watch it.
Stephanie and Jeff did exactly that! They actually listened to what we were saying and made our wedding exactly how we wanted it. We were quite picky with our music selection and they accommodated it beyond our expectations.
From the cocktail hour, where Jeff played acoustic guitar (I highly recommend it!), to the first dance, to the last song, it was so smooth! Stephanie was a great MC, and they really kept the night moving. They truly want to give you the wedding entertainment you want and they also have great insight and ideas while planning it.
Hair: Pieces of Me by Tara Dederick, 845-728-9871
As I like to say, Tara hooked me up! Tara’s a great stylist with fresh ideas.
I didn’t want my girls or myself to have typical wedding up-dos or to look like we were going to the prom. Tara was extremely accommodating and really worked with us for the look we were going for.
Makeup: Sue Melo, 845-392-8912
Sue was great! She’s been doing makeup for 16 years and really knows how to work with each person’s unique features.
She listened to how we wanted our makeup to look and made everyone look beautiful! I loved the natural, romantic glow she gave us!
Inspiration
I wanted our wedding to be romantic, classic and inviting. I wasn’t sure about colors for November, but knew I didn’t want Thanksgiving or fall colors. After seeing a gold wedding spread in the Martha Stewart Wedding magazine, I knew white, gold and eggplant would be the right choice.
We definitely wanted our wedding to be a fun celebration! Our first dance was to Mel Carter’s, Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, and it really set the tone for the reception. We danced all night to everything from classic oldies, to Motown, to 70’s and 80’s hits, to our favorite hip hop legends, The Notorious B.I.G and Jay-Z!
We made sure our guests were taken care of from directions, to specialized reception bathroom baskets, to hotel snack bags and trolley transportation. We stuffed them full from Hors d'œuvre’s to ice cream sundaes, and sent them home with bags of candy and black and white cookies.
We paid special tribute to our loved ones at the reception by displaying wedding pictures of our parents and grandparents and in lieu of favors we made a donation to Hospice of Orange and Sullivan Counties Inc. in our guests names and in memory of those we have lost.
Wedding finds
I have been an Etsy seller since 2006 and know first hand the love, dedication and hard work that go into the beautiful and original designs crafters create. I knew when it was wedding time I would be turning to these talented people.
My bolero, hairpiece, fabric flowers (for my bag and children’s corsages), all my bridesmaid gifts (earrings, leather clutches, necklaces, pashminas) and my gift to my new husband (a replica of Ellie and Carl’s Adventure Book from the movie UP) came from the crafters on Etsy. You can even buy a wedding dress there!
Mary’s advice for future brides
You can go crazy trying to make everything so perfect. After a consuming year of planning, decision making and stressing over every detail, I find myself going back and critiquing everything. Then I stop and think…at the time, every decision I made, I made for a reason and it was a beautiful, wonderful day!
I have to 2 pieces of advice for future brides…
STOP second guessing yourself, before the wedding, during the wedding, and especially after the wedding! You do everything for a reason and let that be the final answer. Only you, the bride, think about all the little things…no one else remembers them.
THINK OF YOUR GUESTS! It’s normal to become so consumed with “YOUR dream day.” It is your wedding, but remember you won’t be the only one there. If your guests are having a great time, so will you.
We went a little over the top thinking of our guests with our special details, but I wouldn’t change a thing!! I loved all of our personal touches for the guests and our wedding! It made our day, literally.
With a little thought, on any budget, it is easy to make your guests love your day as much as you do, without interfering with your vision. Remember the old saying, it’s the thought that counts? Well it’s true!
When I think back about the best weddings I have even been to, I don’t think of how expensive the bride’s dress was or how lavish the reception was, it’s the love in the room and the fun you had as a guest that makes the difference. Guests can make or break a wedding—so have them make it!
