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Nicolette and Mike at The Venetian

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Nicolette and Mike at The Venetian

Posted on May 05, 2022 by New Jersey Bride

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How did you meet?
The story of how Mike and I met is unconventional, to say the least, but in hindsight it truly was fate. Mike and I both attended Quinnipiac University at the same time. He graduated undergrad 2 years before I did, however, we did not know each other while there. Apparently, he did sometimes see me around campus. It was November 2010 and I was studying abroad in Barcelona, Spain for the fall semester. Coincidentally, Mike and his brother were vacationing there too. I decided to purchase last-minute tickets to an FC Barcelona soccer match with my school friends. We all bought matching jerseys and hit the bar for a couple of drinks before heading over to Camp Nou stadium. Ironically Mike, his brother, and their 2 friends also bought tickets to this same game. And turns out, we were all sitting in the same section. Mike and the guys were very excited and decided to buy some beers at the game. What they didn’t know was that they only served non-alcoholic beer at the stadium. However, they continued to drink thinking they were getting a buzz. My friends and I were taking lots of pictures in our cute jerseys and Mike took notice. He thought he recognized me from somewhere but couldn’t place it right away. It wasn’t until the end of the game when we were all outside the stadium that it clicked in Mike’s head that I was possibly a Bobcat (Quinnipiac’s mascot).

With his false “liquid courage” from the non-alcoholic beers, he approached my group asking if any of us went to Quinnipiac University. Of course, I said yes. We spoke for a couple of minutes and he asked for any recommendations in Barcelona while they were there. I suggested a few fun bars and that was the end of our conversation. Mike told me that shortly after meeting me, he told his brother that he had a feeling we would date when we got back to America. And he bet that it would be something special. A couple of days later Mike messaged me on Facebook to say thank you for the recommendations. We continued to talk online and eventually, he very shyly asked me for my BBM pin! Turns out that when Mike returned from his Barcelona vacation, he was starting a new job right near where we went to school. And after my semester abroad, I was returning to school. As all of these pieces fell into place, it became apparent that this was meant to be. Once we were both in Connecticut, Mike took me out on our first date to Eli’s on Whitney, and here we are 8 years later more in love than ever! He was right about us being something special when he met me.

How did you get engaged?
Mike and I knew we wanted to take an epic vacation the summer of 2019 and I had been itching to get back to Europe for a while. After doing a bit of research, it seemed nearly unanimous that Greece was the place to be. So we planned the perfect vacation to Athens, Mykonos, and Santorini. Little did I know that this vacation would include far more than breathtaking ancient ruins, stunning beaches, and exquisite Mediterranean food. We spent one day in Athens touring all of the historical sites before jetting off to Mykonos. During our time in Mykonos, we visited the fascinating windmills, ate fresh seafood on the water, and hit up one of their famous day beach parties. It wasn’t until the 3rd day that we decided to rent an ATV to visit different beaches around the island. Since I knew we’d basically be going to the beach all day, I didn’t shower and simply threw on a very standard beach outfit. Mike was very casually dressed too, wearing his rubber ducky bathing suit and a baseball hat. I also didn’t seem to think much of it that Mike barely ate breakfast that morning (nerves!). Also, I didn’t take notice that Mike was being very particular about his backpack, not wanting to put it in the back of the ATV. Instead, I had to wear it. Once we figured out all the ATV specifics from the rental place, we hit the road without any sense of where we were going. Initially, we decided to just drive.

After about 15 minutes, we started to see signs for a lighthouse. This seemed like a cool first attraction so we followed the signs. When we arrived, there stood Faros Armenistis, a lighthouse with an incredible view of the water & neighboring islands. We parked and walked around a bit, taking lots of photos of the view. However, we weren’t taking any photos of ourselves (besides selfies) since there was basically no one around. Mike kept insisting we ask someone to take a picture of us because the view was so nice. Sounded great but there really wasn’t anyone around. We kept walking around and I was starting to get antsy, figuring we just wouldn’t be able to have someone take a photo of us. I decided that I’d set up a self-timer and we’d get our shot that way. Unfortunately, that picture didn’t come out very well. But fortunately, another couple was now nearby. Mike approached them and asked if they could take a photo of us. I also didn’t seem to fully notice that Mike asked them to keep taking photos and indicated he had “something” in his pocket. The couple took a few photos of us and then Mike turned to face me suddenly. I was pretty confused about what he was doing. But it all started to make sense as he told me that from the day he met me he knew this would be special and that he couldn’t wait any longer. Mike got down on one knee, told me he loved me and asked me to marry him as he presented me with the most gorgeous engagement ring I’ve ever seen. I immediately said yes! Mike and I hugged, cried, and thanked this generous couple for capturing our special moment so perfectly (even with Mike in his rubber ducky shorts!).

Since this was the first stop on our Mykonos beach tour, we spent the rest of the day touring and soaking in our engagement all throughout Mykonos together. We didn’t share the news with our parents, family, and friends until later that evening. It was really special to spend the entire day being the only two people in our world to know about our engagement. The rest of our Greek vacation in Santorini turned into our “engagement-moon.” Santorini is so relaxing, romantic, and picturesque so it was the perfect location for us to enjoy being freshly engaged.

Details of the day!
Mike and I were originally planning to have our wedding at The Venetian on NYE 2020. Like many other couples, the pandemic had other plans for us and we made the difficult decision to postpone. Mike really had his heart set on a NYE wedding so we moved the big celebration to NYE 2021 but we still got married on NYE 2020. We “eloped” in Aruba on 12/31/2020! Despite our family knowing, we got married just the 2 of us in a small intimate ceremony on the beach at sunset. It was absolutely perfect and so special to exchange our handwritten vows after 10 years of being together. And we were still really looking forward to celebrating with all our family & friends on 12/31/2021.

Fast forward one year and we got to our big day! Despite having been married for a year, the magic was definitely still there. The day started off with me & the girls getting glammed up with good music & champagne while in our matching pajamas. When the photographers & videographers arrived, we took some shots before heading out for pics on the water! Mike and I lived in our first apartment together in Jersey City. So we always knew we wanted to take our wedding photos on the water there with the view of the NYC skyline. Mike was anxiously waiting at the old train station in Liberty State Park for me to arrive for our first look. This was a very sweet moment captured in the old train station, which felt symbolic for this journey we’re now on together: marriage. After the first look, we finished up bridal party and bride/groom portraits with the skyline. The weather that day was a bit foggy so the shots were very eerie & romantic. And once the city lights started to turn up, the magic of the night started to come out. By the time we arrived at the venue, I started to see my vision come to light. Our color scheme was black and silver but the decor of The Venetian has gold tones. It all blended beautifully and gave you that black tie NYE vibe.

I was also so happy with my signage sprinkled throughout such as our welcome sign and seating chart (by the amazing @shanmade_crafts). We also adored our signature cocktail signs, which paid tribute to our fur baby Simba (a dirty vodka martini called The Dirty Simba accompanied by orange cat toothpick garnishes). The florals were understated due to the ornate look of the room but they complemented so well. We reused our centerpieces for our ceremony aisle & backdrop (pro hack!) Michelle, our florist, even spray painted some of the greenery silver which was an amazing surprise pop of color. Our band and DJ were next-level amazing. Elegant Music Group brought the energy with their band CityScape & the Park Avenue Horns and DJ Jony (we had a band/DJ combo that intertwine with each other – highly recommend). We LOVED them and our guests were on the dance floor all night. They also provided our black & white glamour Kardashian-inspired photo booth, which was another huge hit! Speaking of the photo booth, we decided to do 4×6 prints without logos for our guests. And then provided each guest with a black & silver 4×6 picture frame with a note saying “Thank you for making our special day picture perfect! Enjoy our photo booth and use this frame to hold the memories!” We also gave guests bags of Hersey kisses that included a note that said “Midnight Kisses”. Another huge hit with our guests!

Other small details of the night included our cake which was simple but elegant including black ribbon & flowers. The parent dances & speeches were all so special (my dad & I danced to an acoustic version of Sweet Child of Mine by Guns N’ Roses). Also, what’s a NYE party without NYE gear! We provided guests with hats, tiaras, and noisemakers. And finally, I had to do an outfit change! Right before the ball drop, I switched into an amazingly comfortable & cute white sequin mini dress from Asos paired with my white floral platform Keds. All in all, it was the most perfect day and night! We feel so grateful to our family, friends, and vendors!

Why did you choose your venue?
I am originally from Long Island and Mike is from central New Jersey. Given our families and friends resided in both areas, we knew a North Jersey venue was best for us. And once we visited The Venetian, we immediately knew it’d be magical for a NYE wedding. The ornate details and sky-high ceilings made it feel grand, which was the look & feel we wanted for our big New Years wedding!

What was on your menu?
The Venetian cocktail hour is not for the faint of heart – come hungry! From the vodka/caviar bar to the Pete Luger tomahawk station to the decadent pasta spread to the sushi bar to the beautiful ice sculptures, our guests were endlessly raving about the food. They honestly couldn’t believe there was dinner & dessert after all of that! For our dinner menu, we chose the artisanal burrata & heirloom tomato tower to start, followed by the options of short rib with a creamy gravy sauce, potato crusted Chilean sea bass in beurre blanc sauce, or free-range French cut herb chicken with a white wine garlic sauce for dinner, and wedding cake & the dessert trio (cannoli, chocolate-covered strawberry, & raspberry Oreo cheesecake) to finish. Our cake from Calandra’s had alternating tiers between raspberry jam with vanilla cake and chocolate fudge with vanilla cake. We also ordered late-night Domino’s pizzas for our guests and The Venetian offered donuts & coffee to go!

All about your gown!
When I went dress shopping, I wasn’t truly sure what I wanted but I knew I was leaning towards a lace dress. I went to 4 different dress shops and Seng Couture was the 3rd stop. I was fortunate enough to work directly with Seng, the owner, and she knocked it out of the park. The first dress I tried on at Seng Couture was a recommendation from Seng herself and very clearly was “the one.” Everyone started to cry when I put it on and it was clear it had that grand “wow factor” I wanted. And Seng had me try it on with a gorgeous cathedral veil that brought all of the drama. Considering I would be walking down a flight of stairs during my ceremony entrance, I knew I wanted my dress to make a statement while also making me feel confident & sexy. This dress brought all of that and more!

What was your favorite moment?
My favorite moment was hands down the ball drop at midnight. It was an absolutely unreal moment to be standing in front of all our family & friends, counting down to midnight, and then sharing a midnight kiss with the love of my life. The best feeling! And it was followed by A LOT of dancing – everyone was on the dance floor having the best time!

One detail you couldn’t live without?
I tried to honor the Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue tradition. My Something Old was a two-parter: a piece of my mother’s original wedding dress wrapped around my bouquet and using my mother’s original wedding band as my new wedding band. My Something New was my fur shawl gifted to me by my bridesmaids. My Something Borrowed was my diamond ribbon dress clips that I wore on my fur shawl & they were borrowed from my dear friend Armando’s vintage jewelry company called Kenneth James Collection. And finally,

my Something Blue was my blue Manolo Blahnik heels from the Sex & the City movie.

Did anything go wrong?
The Domino’s late-night food order was a mess. The local Domino’s restaurant wasn’t answering their phone throughout the day and my father had to drive there to place the order (which they forgot about). After that, we had little confidence the order would even show up. Luckily it did and our guests enjoyed it! In fact, we definitely ordered too much. Also, my father was very excited before the ceremony and almost spilled a glass of red wine all over my dress while I was touching up. Again, luckily that did not happen and I didn’t even realize at the moment. But when I found out later on, I kind of freaked out.

First dance song?
Oooh Baby I Love Your Way by Big Mountain

Any advice for future brides?
Do whatever makes you happy within reason & budget but don’t get too caught up in the details! Everyone says it but your guests mainly won’t notice the small details so don’t stress them. As long as you have good food, alcohol, and music, everyone will have an amazing time! Also, remind your bridal party & parents not to hold their phone while walking down the aisle. My mom had hers in her hand and I didn’t realize until I got my pics back.

Honeymoon Location?
Still planning it but either Bora Bora or Africa!

the details

Reception Location

The Venetian

Photographer

Justin Pedrick Photography

Officiant

Dan Gilmartin & Stephanie Cicatelli (friends of bride & groom)

Bride’s Gown

Elysee Bridal via Seng Couture

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Nicolette and Mike at The Venetian

the details

Reception Location

Photographer

Officiant

Bride’s Gown

Bride’s Shoes

Hair

Makeup

Groom’s Attire

Groomsmen Attire

Flowers

Cake

Invites

Music

Videographer

Transportation

Brides Jewelry

Brides Accessories