Steph & Alex
How we meet.....
Alex and I met in late May of 2003. It's actually a rather interesting story. I was on my was to Amanda's graduation from Stonehill in Massachusetts and decided to meet up with some friends from a car club in Connecticut. I was pretty excited to be meeting some new people (Alex included!) and seeing some old friends. Being the new kid in a crowd that hangs out often, I felt a little left out, and I think Alex did too because he was rather new to the group as well. We ended up sitting across from each other at a diner and started talking. He even stole the Bruce Springsteen label from the jukebox at our table, just for me!! (shhh, don't tell his mom he stole!)
I didn't think anything more than a nice conversation would have come out of that. Boy, was I wrong. When I came back from Hamm's graduation, Alex got in touch with me. We made plans to hang out in NYC, but it ended up raining. He came to Freehold--met the parents--and we went on our first "official" date at Escondito's (because Erin was working and I was nervous!)
From then on, the rest was history. Oh wait--that's cliché. We dated for a few weeks before deciding to become "boyfriend and girlfriend". (Do people even do that anymore?) We spent the summer visiting each other every free chance we got and Alex made the move to New Jersey in September of 2003 to (finish school at John Jay in the City) be with me!
This story seems to be getting longer by the minute, but I digress. It's a good one to hear.
In the summer of 2005, I got very sick. Alex was there for me more than I could have ever asked for. I think this is when I really "knew" we were built to last. I am so grateful for his love, care and strength he showed for me even when he was hurting and worried about my health. We were basically inseparable from this moment on.
After almost five years together, Alex decided that he wanted to serve our country and joined the Coast Guard (I'm so proud!). He enlisted and shipped out to boot camp on April 1, 2008 (what a fool!). He graduated at the end of May and came home with a new outlook on life. He knew what was important to him (and our future) and we embarked on this Coast Guard adventure together.
During a "port call" visit in Boston on August 28, 2008, Alex surprised me with the sweetest proposal. It was "so us". It was romantic in Alex's way and that meant a lot to me. I know I was pestering him for quite some time and knew he had something up his sleeve, but it was still a total shock when he actually asked me to marry him and put the ring on my finger. It was definitely one of the happiest days of my life thus far.
Now--for real--the rest is history and we look forward to sharing our special day with all of you!
My theme is black and white damask with hints of lime green and a little bit of purple (probably just the uplighting). As many other brides-to-be, I started collected pictures long before I knew about Knottie rules. Please page me on the NNJ board if I can credit your photo!!
Steph & Alex
My Theme and Inspiration
Wedding Attire
Things I'll be doing/using....
Vendor Info
Free STLWed Bio Builder
My Theme and Inspiration
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This my fabric swatch for the table runners my FMIL is making for me!
Green for accent color
Inspiration
Inspiration
Inspiration
Inspiration
Wedding Attire
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MY DRESS!!!
By designer Steve Yearick. It's style 13170 and was purchased from Bijou Bridal. I am in LOVE with this dress because it's so different from everything I had been trying on.
Bridal Party
I haven't made any final decisions on dresses for my bridal party, but we're getting close. We have some ideas of dresses. We're looking for something strapless, sweatheart neckline, dropped waist, rouching and a slight mermaid cut. The dresses will be black.
Watters & Watters 8282
Wtoo 288
An idea of the guys
Another look for the guys
Things I'll be doing/using....
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Below you'll find pictures of things I'll be incorporating into my reception. Again, please page me so I can credit your photos!!
Card box I'm making.
Cake topper I'll make.
Calligraphy by Michele (I can't wait!!)
Peonies bouquet (mine will be very similar, just with a black wrap)
Bridesmaid flowers (picture of Lovina Arcara)
The Christian Louboutin shoes I am lusting after!!
My lighting color--whitish, purple
The start of my invitation suite, inside of a black pocketfold. (Design by: Jessica's Design Shop)
My favors
What my centerpieces will resemble. (Will be all green flowers)
My OOT boxes will look similar to this (My FI is in the Coast Guard, we're all about anchors!)
Vendor Information
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| Officiant - Rev. Jill Dillner |
| Rev. Jill has been great to work with so far. We're having our first official meeting on January 25. She has been flexible with my fiance's military schedule and pricing!! |
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| Reception Location - Addison Park |
| We're having both our ceremony and reception at Addison Park. Anthony and Ed have been very easy to work with, gave me a great price and worked with my minimum (a lot!)and have been very gracious in working with us on our military clause (in case something happens and Alex is unable to make our wedding--fingers crossed for nothing happening!) |
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| Photographer - John Arcara Photography |
| John was the first photographer we met with and knew right away we wanted to book his services. We're SO excited to be working with him and can't wait to take our engagement photos sometime this spring! |
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| Musicians - Patricia Turse--Harpist |
| Patricia will perform during our ceremony and cocktail hour. Her pricing is very reasonable and her music selection is vast. (I found her listing on HarpGigs.com and searched for NJ) |
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| Invitations - Jessica's Design Shop |
| Jessica is a NJ Knottie who I am working with on the design of my invitation suite. She is going to print and assemble the whole thing for me as well. Her pricing is very reasonable and she's SUPER easy to work with!! |
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| My Dress - Bijou Bridal |
| I've loved working with Bijou so far. I just ordered my dress on January 9, 2009 and have to wait 8 months for it's arrival. I'm SO looking forward to that day. |
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| Other Vendor - JB Lighting |
| I'm using Jim from JB Lighting. I'll be doing whitish-purple uplighting (hard to explain the color) and pinspotting for my centerpieces. I may also consider doing uplighting for my centerpeices. I'll have to see if it fits into the budget. |
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ď Stephanie Shunda, Jan 15, 2009 7:44 AM
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