Denise and Jason’s Micro-Wedding

How did you meet?
Jason and I met on a dating app Plenty of Fish in the summer of 2014 – we had an instant connection, talked for hours and felt like we had known each other for years. After about two weeks getting to know each other, we decided to go on a date. When Jason picked me up, he handed me a single white rose and said it represented new beginnings. At that moment I knew he was special. Little did I knew that our new beginning would turn into a happily ever after.

How did you get engaged?
Jason is very detail oriented, he carefully thought out the proposal to keep it a surprise. He hired a chef who specializes in pop-up dinners all around New York City (Jose DeJesus from “Hells Kitchen” and “Beat Bobby Flay”) and we’ve always wanted to attend one of the dinners. One day his sister mentioned a pop-up dinner was coming up and we should have a night out with all the siblings and their significant others. A few days later, Jason’s mom asked if the parents could come too and of course we said yes! Little did I know, that Jason purposely asked each person to do their part and spread it out so that I would not suspect him planning a dinner and associate it with a proposal. They got me good, it was a total surprise.

Details of the day!
Due to Covid-19 and our concern for the wellbeing of our guests we decided to legally get married this year at St. Cecillias Church in Rockaway NJ followed by an intimate (and socially distanced) backyard gathering. We found out six weeks prior to our date that we would have to postpone the celebration and quickly gathered the details to put together a simple backyard wedding. Our parents and bridal parties were so accommodating and worked hard to make this day possible for us. The bridesmaid and groomsmen wore black. We stuck to the original colors- ivory, blush and gold for the bouquets, boutonnieres and overall décor. My sister-in-law has a baking business and made the desserts for the sweets table and our favors, bride and groom cookies. They were so beautiful and delicious too! My mother made the bouquets and my mother-in-law covered the décor. Despite this year feeling like a roller coaster, it truly felt like we were walking on clouds on our special day August 15th. Seeing everyone gather to make our wedding unforgettable literally brought us to tears.

Why did you choose your venue?
We chose to have a backyard celebration because we didn’t want our love to wait another year! As for our original venue, we toured Nanina’s because of all the great things that others had to say about the venue; people who have been there for past weddings raved about the food which was very important to us. When we toured Nanina’s we were in awe of the pristine grounds and were delighted by the food sampling. It was only the 3rd venue we had seen, but I knew this was the place we would want to celebrate our marriage. From our first tour, to signing, and through Covid, Julian has been there with us every step of the way treating us like family. Sadly we were unable to celebrate with this year due to Covid but we look forward to next year at Nanina’s with our family and friends!

What was on your menu
Our cake was a vanilla cake with dulce de leche filling and butter cream frosting.

All about your gown!
We found out six weeks before our date we would postpone and I knew I wanted to save my original dress for our first look next year. Being such a short time frame I ordered about 15 dresses and tried on all styles. The selection was scarce as many other brides were doing the same thing I was. When I tried on the sheath/beaded dress from Adrianna Pappel I instantly fell in love with the way it hugged my body, the simple yet elegant details and at that moment I knew it was the one!

What was your favorite moment?
My favorite moment was walking down the aisle and seeing the look on my husband’s face. He lit up like a lightbulb. We held back our tears and couldn’t stop smiling throughout the entire ceremony. Despite the challenges we faced this year we were both so excited to finally get married.

One detail you couldn’t live without?
My family and bridal party. Without them, this day would not be possible. It was sad having to postpone the wedding milestones like bridal shower and bachelorette, having to do the fittings alone, and ultimately postponing our wedding. Our parents and bridal party have been there every step of the way supporting us, hosting virtual showers and doing the most they can do make this experience memorable despite the circumstances. I would not have wanted it any other way. Without them, our wedding day would not have been possible.

Did anything go wrong?
Surprisingly no. We actually made it to the church on time, which is a miracle because I’m always late, the celebration was perfect. One thing that I did forget was to capture some professional pictures wearing the masks I ordered that said, “Spread Love Not Germs.”

First dance song?
“Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran.

Any advice for future brides?
When life hands you lemons make lemonade. Looking at the silver-lining in all the challenges we faced this year allowed us to remain positive and focus on a solution rather than the problem. Despite everything, I look back and say — I’m glad we did things the way we did.

Honeymoon Location
We had a mini-honeymoon in Newport Rhode Island and it was precious! We enjoyed some great cuisine, toured the mansions, and had a private charter take us out on the water.