Jennifer & Bryce
By Elizabeth Louise Hatt
Photography By Deja Vu Studios
Jennifer felt a spark the minute she laid eyes on Bryce at the office where they both worked. It was a stroke of fate, as she had taken the job temporarily until returning to school. However, it wasn’t until she accidentally spilled a drink on him at a company event that they finally had the opportunity to speak. “That turned out to be the real ice breaker,” Jennifer said.
Years later, after Jennifer finished her first year of Physician Assistant School, Bryce suggested spending the day at Fire Island to celebrate, a place packed with memories including their first date and the first time they said “I Love You.” Knowing how dedicated Bryce is to his job, Jennifer was excited for the fact that he was taking a day off from work. She noticed throughout the day that Bryce kept getting up and down and talking nervously, but it wasn’t until Jennifer was packing up the beach blanket and turned around to find him on one knee in front of the sunset did she realize why. “It becomes a blur to me after that because it was impossible to see or speak while I was crying—happy tears of course,” she said. “Bryce says at some point he asked me to marry him and I said yes.” The sweetest part of the day for Jennifer was seeing her parents getting off the ferry as they left the beach. Knowing how close Jennifer is to her family, Bryce had arranged for them to join in the celebration.
The big day began at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church of Babylon, where Jennifer glided down the aisle in a blush pink, custom-made mermaid gown with a sweetheart top and a cathedral-length, blush pink tulle veil to match. The bride added sparkle to the simple dress with five-inch rhinestone embellished heels, and for her something borrowed, she wore her grandma’s double strand of pearls. Bryce was waiting for her in a Jean Yves Super 100’s tuxedo with a tailor-made front ivory tuxedo shirt and a pink plaid Burberry tie to complement Jennifer’s dress. It was the walk down the aisle that stands out as Jennifer’s favorite memory of the day: “I saw how proud my dad was to give my hand in marriage to Bryce. He was so happy for the both of us.” she said.
The party started as soon as the 23-passenger pearl Cadillac Escalade pulled away from the church to take the newlyweds and their wedding party to the Bourne Mansion in Oakdale. The guests enjoyed a cocktail hour spread throughout the mansion that featured the couple’s signature drink, the Blushing Bride Martini rimmed with gold sugar. “The reception at the Bourne is unlike other venues,” said Jennifer. “The beautiful charm of the mansion’s elegant high ceilings, chandeliers, fireplaces and grand staircase were the perfect backdrop to have a wedding remembered by all.”
Pink was the wedding’s theme. The ballroom was set with pink backdrop lighting, and the tables were decorated with bottles of champagne to be handed out as favors along with pink cotton candy and lollipops for underage guests. The centerpieces were beautiful huge hydrangeas sitting atop sterling silver fluted vases surrounded by tea light candles. “The hydrangeas were awesome,” said Jennifer. “They were supposed to be garnish for the cake but they were enormous.” A similar arrangement, created in an antique urn that stood near 5-feet tall, welcomed guests in the entranceway. Pink and ivory Anna Roses, pink David Austin roses, ivy, curly willow and other assorted hanging greens added life to the décor, and the mantles were adorned with flowers, crystal candlesticks and old family wedding photos. Bryce’s favorite memory was being introduced as husband and wife as they made their grand entrance into the ballroom. “And dancing for four hours straight,” he said. Code Bleu of Skyline Orchestras kept the dance floor crowded all night long, in addition to providing live piano music during the cocktail hour.
A four-tier chocolate cake with cookies and cream filling in two layers and raspberry in the others followed an elaborate dinner menu. It was designed to look fluffy and rouched like the bride’s gown with soft pink buttercream icing and embellished with silver beading and a Swarovski crystal “W” that the bride’s parents gave them as an engagement gift. To top it off, a midnight sundae bar soothed guests’ late-night sweet tooth.
Bryce’s advice for soon-to-be grooms is, “Try and be as helpful as possible. The bride spends a lot of time planning and she needs to know you appreciate it!” And advice for brides-to-be: “You do it once, do it BIG— and enjoy every single moment of it,” said Jennifer.
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