A Lovely Winter Wedding at an All-In-One Venue

Jocelyn and CJ got married at the Crystal Ballroom on February 10, 2024.

Their Story 

CJ and Jocelyn met through mutual friends. “After our first date, we both texted our friends saying that we had found ‘the one,'” says Jocelyn. “We always say to each other ‘when you know you know’ because that is really how we felt!”

CJ even surprised Jocelyn and got “I knew” engraved on the inside of her wedding band.

The couple had only been dating for a few months before Covid-19 hit. She was an ICU nurse. He was a firefighter. So they decided to quarantine together.

Being together during that time sealed the deal!

The Proposal

CJ and Jocelyn got engaged on April 1, 2023, on Sea Bright Beach.

They had a trip to Switzerland and Germany that they were leaving for the next day, so they were packing and hanging out with their puppy when CJ told Jocelyn he “really needed” a burger from Tommy’s.

When they got there, he suggested they go for a walk on the beach.

“I was cold so I went put on one of his ratty old sweatshirts. But he told me not to put it on and I was so confused because I was cold! (He didn’t think I’d want to be proposed to in an old sweatshirt!),” she says.

When they got to the beach, he got down on one knee. “It was the best moment! I was shocked!” says Jocelyn. “I called my parents, who were waiting at their house with champagne for us to come over.”

“When I texted my friends to tell them, they were skeptical at first because it was April Fools Day,” says Jocelyn, “but we will always remember it as the best day ever!”

Details of the Day

Their winter wedding was complete with a color palette of emerald green and gold, with jewel tones throughout.

The bridesmaids wore green velvet dresses, and the bouquets were pinks, purples and greens. The guys wore black tuxes with emerald green pocket squares.

[RELATED: The Ultimate Guide to Wedding Venues in New Jersey]

Choosing The Venue 

“We chose our venue because we wanted somewhere that was beautiful and had the hotel attached,” says the bride.

“We knew we wanted a winter wedding, and didn’t want our guests to have to go out in the cold to get on a shuttle or drive to another location. This way, people walked down from their room and were right at the wedding,” says Jocelyn, “Plus, the beautiful crystal chandeliers didn’t hurt!”

[RELATED: Interested in a hotel wedding venue? Here’s our list of 21 Hotel Wedding Venues.]

Favorite Moment

Their favorite moment was right before the reception, when CJ and Jocelyn got to go into the ballroom, just the two of them.

“It was amazing to have a moment with my new husband to take it all in, and it was really cool to see all of the details finally come together,” she says. “I am so thankful for that because the day really did fly by the way everyone told us it would!”

Detail They Couldn’t Live Without

“I loved my dress so much, but the sleeves really made the look,” says the bride. “I liked that they were unique and made me look like a boho princess! Plus, when I took them off for the reception, it was like two looks in one. I got a ton of compliments on them.”

Advice For Other Couples 

“Do as much as you can when you can,” says Jocelyn. “I tried to do a few things each month so that as we got closer to the wedding it wasn’t too overwhelming!”

Honeymoon

The newlyweds went to St. Lucia and stayed at Sandals. They laid by the pool and relaxed, drank plenty of piña coladas, went on romantic walks on the beach, and went to the mud baths at the top of a volcano and in a waterfall.

“It was seriously the most fun and romantic week of our lives! We had the best time, we didn’t want it to end.”

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