How did the two of you meet? Jay and I met in church last summer. I had just returned from a deployment and Jay wanted to meet “the Air Force chick,” so he walked up and introduced himself after the meeting.
After, we went out for a beer and ended up talking for hours. We were “friends at first sight” and love came a few months later.
Tell us about finding your wedding dress. My mom and I went to David’s Bridal just to scout out what they had. I must have tried on 10 to 15 dresses, all of which were clearly not right for me. I was about to give up, when the saleswoman held up another dress for me to try on. She said it was a discontinued style and the last one in the store. I tried it on and it fit perfectly.
The subtle lace overlay and beading were beautiful and I loved the sweetheart neckline. My brother stopped by David’s at the end of the shopping trip, and when I asked him what he thought of the dress, he said, “Emily, it’s ‘wow’.” So I bought it!
Describe the proposal. Only my younger sister Bev, the actor in the family, could have pulled off Jay’s elaborate plan. She called me up sobbing, saying that she really needed to talk. Bev totally had me fooled! We were sitting on a dock at the reservoir near my house talking, when Jay came up behind us with an armful of flowers.
That was the first time I had any clue what was going on! Bev sneaked away as Jay got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. Of course I said yes!
Emily and Jay’s wedding was in early October. She wanted a vintage look for their wedding and with some help from friends she was able to pull this off effortlessly.
Through all the stress of planning a big wedding, Jay kept saying, “At the end of the day, we’re married; that’s what counts.” Seeing the look on Jay’s face as I walked down the aisle towards him was the most memorable moment of the day.
Vowing to commit to someone for life could be a scary moment, but not when it’s to a man as loyal and loving as Jay. I’m excited to start our life together!
Jay and I decided not to have a formal, sit-down dinner because we love to mingle and talk with people. So we served a buffet dinner and set up the reception site with many different spaces for people to gather. Between the tents, the bonfire, the many rooms inside the house, and the wide wrap-around porch, it felt more like a giant party or a family reunion than a formal wedding reception.
My favorite part of the reception how relaxed and fun it was.
Since our wedding was in October, I wanted to use vintage, romantic fall colors. Nobody captured this idea better than my friend Sarah who made the centerpieces.
We had 250 people on our guest list! We thought about cutting down the guest list to stay within our budget, but decided that we would rather cut details than people; Jay and I wanted all of our friends and family to be there for the big day. In order to stay within our budget we had to think creatively.
The reception was at a friend’s beautiful Victorian house; the food was essentially Thai take-out from a local restaurant (yum!) served buffet style by our catering friends; and many, many talented friends pitched in to help with everything from making the floral arrangements to setting up tents. Although bringing all this together for the big day was a major organizational challenge, it made the day very special and unique.
Everywhere Jay and I looked there was evidence of how many great friends we have; we felt very loved.
Photographer: Deborah Zoe Photo
Dress: Monique Luo, from David’s Bridal
Flowers: Jardiniere
Floral arrangements: Julie (a family friend)
Food: Sara Thai Restaurant
Caterers: Great Bay Catering
Hair: Adriana at the Wingate Salon
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