Neryluz and Jesus at Birchwood Manor

How did you meet?
I used to work with Jesus’ best friend Peter; we are both teachers. Peter kept telling me about his friend Jesus, he had been talking Jesus up since March! We didn’t meet until that October in 2016. Peter invited me over to his house for his son’s birthday party and Jesus is Peter’s son’s godfather. When we were finally introduced, Jesus was dressed as Superman for his godson’s Superhero-themed party. We talked a little bit but it wasn’t until the Halloween party two weeks later that Jesus and I exchanged phone numbers. We started talking and he asked me to be his girlfriend on December 15th.

How did you get engaged?
On our two year anniversary, I was opening my anniversary gifts before we left to see The Phantom of the Opera in NYC. The last gift I opened was a mini paving stone that said ‘Neryluz “Wonder Woman” Will you Marry Me? Jesus “Superman” ‘ This mini paving stone is a replica of the large paving stone that is in the walkway at the Superman Museum in Metropolis, IL. My engagement ring is a custom (designed by Jesus) Wonder Woman ring.

Details of the day!
One of the first things Jesus and I bonded over is our fandom for Superman. As our relationship progressed, he was my Superman and I became his Wonder Woman. It became obvious that the theme for our wedding should be Superman and Wonder Woman. In the cathedral, our theme was subtle. His boutonniere was wrapped in Superman ribbon and my bouquet was wrapped in Wonder Woman ribbon. My “something borrowed” was a Superman pin that my mother in law had given to my father in law when they were younger. The flower girl basket and ring bearer pillow were Superman/Wonder Woman colors and each had the Superman emblem on them. We had a sign that said “It’s been a long and adventurous journey. Here come your WonderBride and Supergroom.” The color for the bridesmaids dresses were blue and both my Matron of Honors wore red. The groomsmen wore Charcoal suits, navy blue vests, red ties, and red pocket squares. Jesus had a custom blue tuxedo. Jesus also ordered DC character pins, cuff links, and watched for his groomsmen and himself.

For the reception, we were able to go more in detail with our theme. While waiting in the lobby, guests saw a photo mosaic that was created by Jesus using 175 of pictures of us over the course of our relationship that made up a picture of Superman and Wonder Woman kissing. I made a poster to let guests know that we took our engagement pictures in the New York News Building that was used as the Daily Planet in the 1978 film, “Superman: The Movie.” Instead of a sign-in book, we had sign-in postcards, there were four different photos of Superman and Wonder Woman to choose from. The cards were set up in a spinner rack to represent comic books. During the cocktail hour, guests listened to a playlist, created by Jesus, that consisted of instrumental music from DC and Marvel Superhero movies and shows. Our signature drinks were created by Jesus’ uncle. Jesus is Cuban and I am Puerto Rican, so we also had a Supermojito and a Wonder Colada. Jesus made the signs for our drinks. We had an ice sculpture made with our logo (Wonder Woman logo overlaid with Superman logo; our sign for the wedding).
Our centerpieces were custom made by a vendor on Etsy that could use a laser cutter to cut wooden lanterns. Two sides of the lanterns were two different pictures of Superman and Wonder Woman and the other two sides were our logo. The top of the square lantern was our initials inside a heart in each corner, a detail I came up with that the groom absolutely loved. The DJ displayed our monogram all night on the dance floor, our logo with our names and wedding date. The photographer had props that were superhero related and even added comic book-style action words on the back drop. We had a face painter, too. She also made sure to have a large variety of Superhero related selections. By the end of the night, I had changed into what was deemed my Wonder Woman dress.

Why did you choose your venue?
In 2018, we went to a friend’s wedding at Birchwood Manor. We fell in love with it and we loved the food. Although we did look at other places because we didn’t want to “steal” their place. In the end we couldn’t find a better place that we loved as much as Birchwood.

What was on your menu
As far as the cocktail hour goes, we went with the deluxe cocktail hour menu. For appetizers we had prosciutto wrapped melon, our intermezzo was lemon sorbet (from Nasto’s in Newark), the options for the entree were either the stuffed chicken breast, grilled salmon with orange ginger glaze, or filet mignon. Our cake flavors were a layer of chocolate and a layer of white cake with cannoli filling.

All about your gown!
I had two wedding dresses which I swore I would never do. My first dress, the Navarra by Pronovias from Kleinfeld, was my dream dress. I wanted a ball gown with a train and I loved the lace, I fell in love with this dress before Jesus even proposed. My second dress, I found in Vesa Brides in Nutley. My matron of honor saw a dress with a cape in the window and pointed it out to me. The bridal consultant said “Oh my God! I can’t believe I forgot about that dress, and you just told me the theme of your wedding! You’re going to love this dress!” She went to the back to find the original dress that went with the cape and she was right, I absolutely did love this dress. My second dress we called my Wonder Woman dress because it was flowy, looked Grecian and had a cape! It was perfect for our themed wedding. So in the end, I did something surprising, I chose two dresses because not only did I love them and how they looked on me, but each one fit me, who I am as a person and I wanted that to show on our wedding day.

What was your favorite moment?
Our favorite moment was our first dance. I suggested that we take dance lessons for a few months before the wedding, but we didn’t find the time. The night before the wedding, we practiced our dance two times and I told Jesus that I wanted to be spun three times. He wanted to dip me at the end and that’s how we practiced. Our first dance was special and definitely a little made up on the fly, but it was perfect. He spun me three times and at the end, he dipped me which came out amazing in the photos.

One detail you couldn’t live without?
Even though I never wanted two dresses I couldn’t live without my second dress. I absolutely adored my first dress, but my second dress just tied everything together perfectly. I can’t imagine our day without that dress.

Did anything go wrong?
There were just typical things such as last minute guest cancellations or no-shows. A bridesmaid and our little envoy (our sign carrier) canceled on us. No one could bustle either of my dresses. Neither of my matron of honors could help but my sister in law finally figured it out. Our bridal party was scattered about and it was difficult to find any time to get a group photo during the reception.

First dance song?
“Running Home To You” by Grant Gustin

Any advice for future brides?
Have something to snack on before the ceremony for your bridal party / photographers, it’s a long day if your ceremony is in the morning and your reception is in the early evening. Make sure to have plenty of time to take pictures before your cocktail hour/reception with the bridal party so that you don’t forget to take those important pictures, especially when guys start taking off their jackets/ties/vests and ladies throw their shoes under the table. Always ask if the ballroom has a minimum guest requirement, you don’t want to overestimate your headcount and overpay for people that aren’t going. Make sure you have an amazing DJ, like we did, that changes up the music to keep the dance floor lively. It’s more important to play to the crowd than be restrained by a strict playlist provided by a bride and groom. Make sure people know how to bustle your dress. We highly recommend having two photographers, and be sure to have one of them go with you when you greet each table to take photos with your guests.

Honeymoon Location
After being so busy planning a wedding in only eight months, we wanted to relax first so we decided on Turks and Caicos and stayed at Seven Stars Resort for five days and six nights. Jesus couldn’t resist using this time to take me to Disney World for the first time, so we also went to Disney World for another five days and six nights.