One of the many joys of being a wedding photographer – becoming incredibly close friends with your couples! Marianna and Andrew and I instantly connected; I was so in love with their story from the first messages we exchanged. These two are just those sweet, kindhearted kind of people that you can’t help but love. I truly can’t say enough about them. I mean, when we met for their engagement photos, they didn’t hesitate to hop into the ocean at the end of the shoot, and then we shared dessert together at Coney Waffle… these are seriously my people!
Marianna and Andrew have such an incredible story that stems out of selflessness and so much love that is so inspiring. Marianna told me, “Andrew & I met in 2011 at a mutual friends party and we have been together ever since! It’s been a crazy rollercoaster. In 2013, Andrew donated his kidney to my Dad, shortly after my mom passed away from stage 4 lung cancer. I truly know that Andrew came into my life for a reason! He makes me the happiest girl in the world!” Seriously, how special are these two??? My heart feels so full seeing that kind of love, and everyone felt it in the room when Marianna’s father gave his toast and gave the most heartfelt thank you to Andrew for his donation.
To pop the question, Andrew took Marianna to the same Italian restaurant that they had gone on their first date, and he asked her to marry him with her favorite dessert! When she looked behind her after all of the excitement, her father was there with her best friend capturing such a special moment! Their favorite date nights are spent looking up crazy new dessert places and trying them out together, riding their bikes, and going on hikes with their Cocker Spaniel, Buddy!
Their whole wedding day at The Grove was one for the books! I always love getting to work with my good friend and insanely talented hair and makeup artist, Michelle of Michelle Elise Artistry – she is the BEST! One of my favorite details of the day was Marianna’s perfume; as she was putting it on, she told us that it was her mother’s Prada Milano bottle, which is such a special way to honor her mother’s legacy. Perfume is always one of my favorite details, especially with such a sweet sentiment behind it. Some other meaningful details were that she wore her great grandma’s wedding ring, had a beautiful charm on her bouquet with a photo of her mother, the beautiful memorial table at the reception, and the patch with her mom’s handwriting stitched inside her dress. Every little piece of this day was stunning and so clearly full of thoughtful attention.
We found perfect cherry blossoms for portraits at The Grove and it was GORGEOUS, but the reception florals were a million times more amazing – there was a stunning flowing design at the sweetheart table with a white royal love seat – major heart eyes!!! The detail of the pretty gold monogram on their paper goods also appeared on the cake, which was three-tiers of unbelievable goodness. Since these two are big dessert people, they had the most incredible dessert Venetian hour with everything from a chocolate fountain, to bananas foster to a donut wall! It was a perfectly “them” ending to the night. And, if you want to know a very important fun fact about me, Shout is my absolute favorite song, so to top off this incredible day, we got to dance with Marianna & Andrew to Shout before giving them the biggest goodbye hugs. 🙂
Marianna and Andrew, thank YOU for being the kindest, most-loving souls out there. I am so grateful for our connection as friends, and that I was able to photograph every perfect moment of your day. I’m wishing you both endless happiness and all of the dessert dates you could ever dream of! I love you both!!! Xoxo
Vendors
Second Photographer | Tori Petrillo
Photo Assistant | Tori Kelner
Ceremony Venue | St. Lucys Church
Reception Venue | The Grove
Dress Designer | Stephen Yearick
Dress Boutique | Seng Couture
Shoes | Bella Belle Shoes
Hair & Makeup Artist | Michelle Elise Artistry
Wedding Rings | R. GEVINS LTD
Decor | Premier Events
DJ | Posh Entertainment
Florist | Premier Events
Videographer | Premier Digital Photography & Wedding Films
Cake | Palermo’s Bakery
Bridemaids Dresses Designer | Bill Levkoff
Groom & Groomsmen Attire | Phil’s Tuxedos
Invitations | RSVP by Rosanna
Hair Piece | Bridal Styles Boutique
Transportation | Santos VIP Limousine
