Alessandra & Matthew’s Love Story
Where are you from?
I am from Springfield, NJ and Matthew is from Garden City, NY.
How did you first meet?
We met at Penn State! Matt was the Intramural Sports Captain for the Italian Club on campus. I happened to go to a meeting and the rest is history! We started dating February of my freshman year. When he graduated in May 2012, we did long distance until I graduated in May 2015.
Where did the proposal happen?
In Central Park, NYC! Matt had made plans at our favorite brunch spot, and we took some photos with the tree in Rockefeller Center. He then asked if we could stay in the city longer and head to Central Park and go on the Carousel. (FYI the Carousel is closed in the middle of December in case you were wondering!) Once that plan fell through, we climbed up a large rock and he took my hand. He asked me to marry him and I was so overjoyed! He then surprised me by having my whole family and his whole family at our local bar to celebrate. At the end of the evening, it started to flurry. It was positively perfect.
Why did you choose Westmount?
Funny thing is that I actually did not have the Westmount on my radar for venues! My mom had mentioned seeing it when she was a bride to be 26 years ago. She said that it was her dream venue when she was getting married but it unfortunately didn’t work out. I felt like it definitely deserved a look! I will never forget our visit to the Westmount. It was a very snowy day in January and even in the snow, the venue was jaw dropping!
Tommaso was so accommodating and as soon as we were done with the tour, he had a giant plate of food prepared right in front of us! (And the way to me and my husband’s heart is certainly through our stomachs!) Since my family is in the food business, my dad wanted to make sure that the food was on point.
The Westmount totally blew us away! Even on our wedding day, we had guests approach us saying this was the best meal they had in their lives. Coming from an Italian family, that is certainly high praise!
Do you have one or more memorable moments you would like to share?
Our most memorable moment was at the end of our reception. As the band was playing their last song, our friends and family hoisted Matt and I in the air and bobbed us up and down in the crowd.
It was so amazing to be surrounded by so many people that love and care for us.
Experience with Studio Uno Photography?
Nick and his team are incredible. The day of the wedding he made me feel so calm and relaxed. He made us laugh and did crazy stuff just to get the shot!
Our photos speak for themselves though. We were so happy we went with Studio Uno; they know the Westmount better than anyone and they certainly got unique shots for us!
Do you have any tips for other Engaged Couples?
My biggest piece of advice for future wedding planners is to plan early. I had booked a lot of our vendors over a year in advance because I knew they would execute our vision. I remember seeing my cousin’s wedding photos from Studio Uno years before we were engaged and I told Matt that they would have to shoot our wedding which they did!
Another piece of advice is to enjoy your wedding day. I am a morning person, so the morning of my wedding I woke up extra early to have breakfast with my family. As my make up and hair stylists arrived I was just spending quality time with my mom and dad. I also had to learn to not sweat the small stuff. We had little things here and there go wrong but if you focus on that, you won’t appreciate the big picture which is you are throwing a big party with your closest family and friends celebrating you and your future spouse! What more could you ask for?
Anything else you would like to add?
Oh! And one last thing I’d like to add! I had a custom monogram created for the day of our wedding. It appeared on our invitations, place cards and our menus! I had it created by Anna Soiree in Oakhurst, NJ! I also had a mirror welcome sign which a lot of people have not done before. I also had wedding photos from my parents and grandparents as well as my groom’s parents and grandparents. Little details like that really make your wedding stand out and feel unique.
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Wedding Venue: The Westmount Country Club
Floral Decor: Pedestals
Entertainment: Mirage Music
Wedding Cake: Calandras Bakery
Photography: Studio Uno
Makeup: Melissa D’Aiola
Ceremony: Church of the Assumption Roselle Park, NJ
