Posted on December 30, 2024 by Julie Gordon
Nobody likes a wedding crasher—unless it’s a celebrity you just happen to adore.
That’s what happened to Jersey couple Claudia Falcone and Jason DeBalso, who got married on May 3, 2024, at Homesick Asbury Park. Toward the end of the night, when they decided to step outside to take a group picture, the wedding party noticed a very familiar face in front of them. It was celebrity chef Guy Fieri.
“It was the craziest moment ever,” says Claudia. “We are all big fans of Food Network and Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives—it was the best surprise at the end of an amazing night.”
Guy just happened to be in town promoting his tequila brand, Santo. At one point during the surprise run-in, Claudia even took a shot from the bottle of tequila that Guy was holding.
“We expected it to be a quick picture, but then it turned into a whole meet and greet and tequila tasting,” Claudia says.
Photographer Alli Rockafellow, of Alli Elizabeth Photo, sprang into action as soon as she realized that her clients were talking with none other than Guy Fieri.
“I immediately knew that I had to get a photo of Guy Fieri looking toward the camera, but I didn’t want it to be a super forced moment, so I just let it happen naturally,” she says. “I figured that it would be very exciting for the couple to be able to look back and relive every moment step by step.”
Alli makes it a point to embrace spontaneous moments at a wedding—whether a famous face shows up or not. She says, “I love authenticity and intimate moments, so I’m always on the lookout to capture them.”
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