October 11, 2024 - the Best Day Ever
It’s been almost 150 days now since our most perfect, magical, Literal Best Ever day. We got married on October 11th, 2024, at Raphael, a gorgeous, family-owned and operated vineyard and winery on Long Island’s North Fork. We summoned our friends and family from near and far to the charming heart of Suffolk County’s wine country. Just like everyone promised it would, the time — 17 months and 21 days, to be exact — between getting engaged in Yosemite National Park nestled in the sugary snowfall among the giant Sequoias at Mariposa Grove and our wedding day truly zipped by in the blink of an eye.
The months and months of planning still feel like a fever dream that was at turns super sweet and super stressful… and ultimately worth every second and every detail sweated over. Every decision we made along the way culminated in our dream celebration.
Our Love Story
We first met in the heart of Happy Valley as undergraduate students at Penn State University, introduced by mutual friends connected by my sorority and his fraternity (Omega Phi Alpha and Alpha Gamma Rho, respectively), which were closely linked as philanthropy partners at the time (there has since been a messy split; r.i.p to OPhiAGR).
We began dating in December of 2015, shortly before Dillon graduated from Penn State and was subsequently admitted to law school at UNC Chapel Hill. Soon after that, Juneau and me (Erin 🙋🏼♀️) moved to North Carolina while Dillon worked towards becoming Dillon, Esq. In the meantime, I completed the last couple of credits needed to attain Bachelor degree at Penn State by interning at a local non-profit in Chapel Hill, NC for a semester.
After leaving North Carolina (with new friends and lots of amazing memories!), we moved back up north to Dillon’s home state of New York and now live on the Upper East Side in Manhattan with our beloved eight-year-old puppy Juneau, who has been with us since the very beginning.
When Dillon isn’t lawyer-ing and Erin isn’t fundraising for a local NYC nonprofit, we love traveling, dining the best restaurants in the city, going to the movies and Yankees games together, binge-watching TV dramas and nature documentaries at home, listening to podcasts, theorizing about the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and planning our next adventures.
In April of 2023, our long-anticipated trip to Yosemite National Park was nearly thwarted by a historic winter of unprecedented, record-breaking snowfall. As our trip drew near, it became clear that we would have to combat difficult conditions and trail and road closures within the park, but, in the end, it made it all the more magical, with waterfalls roaring at full force, parking lots empty, and crowds sparse.
On the day that we were supposed to hike the Mist Trail to view Vernal and Nevada Falls, we woke up to snow falling softly outside our window at the historic Ahwahnee lodge, and decided to shift our plans away from any waterfall hikes, given that the trail would be perilously icy. Instead, we headed to another part of the park for one of our most highly anticipated hikes, a walk among ancient giants at the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias.
The road to the Mariposa Grove trailhead was closed to the shuttle that usually traverses the extra two fully uphill miles to the secluded grove, but neither that nor the falling snow were about to detour us, so we parked at the visitor center at the bottom of the hill, laced up our hiking boots, and headed out. The first glimpse of the particularly striking red-orange bark of the sequoias alone was worth the journey.
Sparkly flurries fluttered down and snow blanketed the ground in the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias, which was quiet and peaceful due to a reduced number of visitors in the park. We walked in awe among these ancient trees overtop of, at times, 3-4 feet of densely packed snow crunching under our hiking boots. It felt mystical and incredibly dreamy, like being in an enchanted forest, and when we reached the 2,995 year-old and 209 foot tall Grizzly Giant tree, we were both completely starstruck.
While we were stopping to admire its grandeur and take pictures, Dillon, knowing I love a good wildlife sighting, alerted me to the presence of a super cool woodpecker up in a nearby tree. I asked gleefully where it was as I spun around and scanned the treeline for this alleged woodpecker, but Dillon didn’t answer me. I asked again, squinting and searching and wishing I had packed my binoculars, but, again, he didn’t answer.
Finally, concerned that he may have wandered away or fallen into a crevasse and gotten swept away by meltwater, I turned back around and, much to my surprise and delight, he was crouched in the snow on one knee holding the most beautiful ring I have ever seen in my whole entire life, asking me the most wonderful, perfect, beautiful question in one of the most incredible, magical places we’d ever set foot. It was an absolutely perfect moment with my favorite person in the world, who makes every day of my life just as magical and fairytale-like as that day among the enduring, interconnected sequoias at Mariposa Grove.
The Details
Theme: Romantic, classic, whimsical, dreamy, vineyard
Color Palette: Blush & Champagne, complemented by creamy neutrals, lots of greenery, and varying shades of pink/rose gold.
Region: Northeast USA – Long Island, New York – The North Fork
The Venue: Raphael – Peconic, New York
The Vision: We envisioned a fairytale affair that would simultaneously feel classic and elegant with unique touches of whimsy and dreamy romanticism; lots of greenery, good food, good company, and a good soundtrack to render it complete and perfect.
The Guest List: We had about 115 guests at our wedding, seated at 12 long oval tables.
SOME SPECIAL/PERSONALIZED DETAILS THAT WE AREN'T EVEN GOING TO GATEKEEP!
- DIY’d escort cards designed by Erin with hand drawn digital artwork from TeresaArtStore on Etsy
- Custom wine cork placecard holders from CorkeyCreations on Etsy
- Specialty cocktail signage template from GeorgiaBlueDesignCo
- Initialed wax seals from DianaWaxSealShop on Etsy
- Semi-custom invitation suite from Minted
- Plaster swans and stationery from LineAveCalligraphy on Etsy
- Vow books from AshleyWoodCraft on Etsy
- Acrylic welcome signage from PinkPosiesandPearls on Etsy
- Disposable camera photography was a fun addition!
BRIDAL PARTY DETAILS
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- Groomsmen rented tux from The Black Tux
- Custom mini boat totes in black and canvas for bridesmaid gifts
- Bridesmaid PJ’s from SelineLounge
- Socks from BlissfulSocks on Etsy
The lovely bridesmaids selected their own dresses matching the color palette, and one of Dillon’s very best friends of nearly two decades officiated our wedding! Dresses came from Anne Louise Boutique, Baltic Born, Azazie, Birdy Grey, Edikted, Lulus, and Nordstrom.
Some other shops that made it on my curated list of bridesmaid dress picks were REVOLVE, Show Me Your Mumu, Revelry, Park & Fifth Co., Billy J, ASTR the Label, Anthropologie, and Boutique 1861, among others. In 2024 I could confidently say that I had probably seen every pink formal dress on the planet that could pass as a bridesmaid dress.
P.S. – I have since become a certified Nuuly addict, and this rental service would be an excellent option for brides/bridesmaids who are short on time and budget and want to have a couple different options available. It’s my go to for wedding guest dresses now. In theory, you (or each, or a few of, your bridesmaids) could rent up to 6 (or more at $20 per extra item) options for around the same price as one dress.
(However … this probably only works if you are flexible and are going for a mismatched bridesmaids look, because there’s no guarantee that the specific dresses and sizes you picked out will be available ahead of your event.)
BRIDAL: LWD's (& LITTLE WHITE EVERYTHING ELSE)
Wedding Gown: Milla Nova via Bridal Reflections in Massapequa, NY
2nd Dress: Bardot (via REVOLVE)
Olivia Slip & Sophia Lace Trim Robe: homebodii
Heels: Badgley Mischka
Hair Extensions: Bellami Hair
Bridal Sneakers: Betsey Johnson
Various other things from throughout the weekend came from Anthropologie, Kat the Label, For Love & Lemons (rehearsal dinner dress, via Nuuly), Flora Nikrooz, and, my personal favorite: Jellycat.
The Menu
Because we are mildly insufferable foodies, this was of critical importance to us when planning and executing our dream wedding. Constructing the perfect menu was no small feat. Many hours were spent making these monumental decisions. In hindsight, this is a tiny bit ironic considering we missed out on a lot of the food (just like everyone said we would, and just like we promised everyone we would not)
Cocktail Hour Menu
Passed Hors D’oeuvres during Cocktail Hour: Citrus Marinated Shrimp on Sugarcane skewer; Beef negimaki; Sesame seared tuna on wonton; Mini lobster rolls; Lamb Chops; Wild Mushroom Arancini; Oyster Shooters; bite-size Meatballs; Mini Crab Cakes; Duck & Veggie Spring Rolls
Cockctail Hour Carving Stations: Roasted Long Island Duck with tart cherry gastrique; Grilled Skirt Steak with red wine reduction
Pasta Stations: Fresh pasta with roasted eggplant, tomato, garlic, arugula, and feta cheese; Fresh pasta with grilled chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, portabella mushrooms, and basil cream sauce
Entrée Selections
- Grilled Filet Mignon with Raphael Merlot sauce, baby vegetables, and boursin potato puree
- Sautéed French Breast of Chicken with roasted red bliss chanterelles, haricot vert, jus lie
- Crisp-Skinned Salmon with frisée, red bliss chanterelles, sweet shallots, haricot vert, warm mustard seed vinaigrette
- Custom Vegetarian Option was available by request
WEDDING CAKE & ASSORTED DESSERTS
For dessert, we had an assortment of cannolis, fresh fruit, an ice cream station, coffee & biscotti, Oreo cake pops, vanilla cupcakes, vanilla cupcakes, baklava, homemade snickers bars, tiramisu, and brownies. Our beautiful wedding cake was layers consisting of funfetti cake with cannoli cream filling and white cake with cookies & cream filling, all covered in decadent buttercream frosting.
MUSIC & DANCING
Up there with the food and ze ambiance, the music at our wedding was something that was incredibly meaningful to us, and we dedicated a decent amount of time to specifically selecting what would become the forever soundtrack of our big day.
Our ceremony music was played by a pianist contracted through our DJ/entertainment vendor, Absolute Entertainment. Ceremony music consisted of a piano arrangement of “Anyone” by Justin Bieber for the bridal party entrances, a piano snippet of the intro to “Still D.R.E.” for the groom’s walk-out, and, finally, for the bride’s entrance, a very special song to us; “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved” by the Script.
During cocktail hour, the pianist stayed on to enchant with a medley of classics and pop covers while people sipped and dined and mingled.
During dinner, a playlist that I had made was piped into the dining room. Some highlights included “Everywhere” by Fleetwood Mac, “We Belong” by Pat Benetar, “Like a Prayer” by Madonna, “willow” by Taylor Swift, “All Night Long (All Night)” by Lionel Richie, and “I Love You Always Forever” by Donna Lewis. *Only one important note here regarding the above … if you’re giving your venue a Spotify link… make sure they can connect and stream through someone’s phone with Spotify premium…. in one of the few minor catastrophes that took place this day, our playlist ended up playing with ads scattered in. A bit mortifying, but at this point there was nothing I could do, and everyone I asked was surprised because they actually hadn’t noticed (unless they were just being nice, which is possible, lol).
After dinner, it was time for another round of grand entrances. The groomsmen entered as a group to “Return of the Mack”, and bridesmaids shimmied in to “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter (an ode to the espresso martinis on our specialty cocktail menu).
We made up our own little first dance to “Still Falling For You” by Ellie Goulding, inspired by some moves borrowed from various YouTube tutorials. Dillon and his mom danced to “You’ll Be In My Heart” by Phil Collins, from the Tarzan soundtrack. Our cake cutting was set to “Love Story (Taylor’s Version)” by Taylor Swift.
I couldn’t tell you everything that ended up getting played by the DJ thereafer, but our closing songs were a tribute to our beloved Alma Mater, Penn State, with the classic stadium song “Kernkraft 400” by Zombie Nation, and to the New York Yankees (and the great city we live in) with “New York, New York” sung by Frank Sinatra, which is objectively the perfect exit song (unless, I guess, you’re not from or don’t currently live in New York. In that case it might not make that much sense. But if I have to hear “Closing Time” one more time I am going to lost my shit).
Erin's Advice for Brides
LOOKING BACK & LESSONS LEARNED
Hindsight is, as they say, 20/20, so I say everything that I am about to say with the very important asterisk that none of my eventual complaints, which surfaced days and weeks and months later only upon review and reflection, tarnish my enjoyment of the day and my memory of it. The day was absolutely PERFECT and is enshrined as such in my memory. I feel very blessed for that, and grateful, especially as someone who struggles with anxiety on a daily basis, that I was able to be purely present in the moment and enjoy it so much. Our wedding was everything a wedding is supposed to be, all about love and friendship and family, and we are very, very lucky in those aspects of life in general.
But here comes the big, unfortunate “HOWEVER” … Given the huge investment that the wedding was there are a couple of little things I wish I had planned better, not compromised or yielded on, and/or given even more psychotically specific instructions on. It can be disappointing when you plan for months and have this perfect vision in your head of how all of your little decor items and detail photo props should be arranged, or how the DJ’s set list should flow, and then it just doesn’t go exactly to plan, because I planned so well, gosh dang it!!!
My Unsolicited Wedding Planning Advice to Brides
As crazy as it may sound, one of my biggest regrets from our wedding day is the fact that I was not a bridezilla. This advice is for all my nice girls out there and as such may not be applicable to people who don’t struggle with dictating directions, but, as an incurable pathological people pleaser, it’s the advice I would have given myself if I could go back in time. I realize only now how much bending over backwards and the extent of all of the mental gymnastics I was doing throughout the entire wedding planning process just to avoid coming off as too inflexible, too demanding, too pushy, too bossy, too entitled, too unrealistic in my expectations, etc.
Communicate with your vendors. They aren’t mind readers. One important thing I learned is that, as much as you may feel that your vision will be understood and honored, nothing goes without saying. Although we had a wonderful, dream team of vendors, there were a few blunders made that I realized only when it was too late.
I can’t really fault my vendors because I wasn’t mentally “there” to micromanage in true Bridezilla fashion on the day-of (I was having too much fun, and rightly so). All the issues I have mostly came down to a lack of super-specific instructions from me about how certain pieces I’d spent many painstaking hours researching, planning, and purchasing, should be used. Thankfully, it’s all small, silly things that ultimately don’t matter and that probably went unnoticed by all of our guests and will forever go unnoticed by anyone perusing our photos, and I still have those things as keepsakes to remember the day and my intended use for them (whether they made it out on display or not). But when I got our photos back, I must admit that I was really kicking myself for some tiny little catastrophes that were 100% avoidable.
For instance, I really, really wanted a pretty photo of all of our specialty cocktails together. I had about a million and three of these saved to my inspiration board. We put a lot of thought into what our “His”, “Hers”, and “Juneau’s” cocktails would be, and they all had a special meaning connected to them. The picture-perfect, Insta-worthy duo or trio of cocktails paired with a background of special wedding day florals and custom signage was a photo I’d seen so often on Pinterest that I thought it kind of went without saying, but herein lies a prime example of the lesson I learned here: NOTHING GOES WITHOUT SAYING. It should’ve been on my shot list if I wanted it so bad (duh), and, although I had mentioned photos of the bar and cocktails generally, I never got so specific as all that. FML.
That being said, REMEMBER: your photographer asks you for a shot list for a reason! If there are certain shots with certain special people that you absolutely must have, or a certain way that you want your details arranged and photographed, you need to be specific. In my head, I think I imagined having a lot more time to play creative director here and give instructions on all the little bits and bobs I’d put so much love and thought and care into. On the actual day, though, I was pulled in a million different directions and didn’t get a chance to explain how exactly I wanted things, and the result was that a random sample wax seal sticker that I meant to throw away ended up sneaking into our sacred details photos (*gasp*) instead of our specially-designed and initialed wax seals, which were placed out randomly with our photo guest book for guests to use as … more kinds of tape to affix photos into the book in addition to the actual tape that was there, I guess?
And yet, I can’t emphasize this enough – ENJOY your very special (and probably very expensive) day and LET GO of the things you can’t control. There likely will be things that go wrong (hopefully just little things), and, in the moment, you cannot allow those things to impact your mood or your day. Contrary to what I may have just said, when the time came for our real, actual special day, I am very grateful that I was able to just not sweat the small stuff and let all these little things go. I didn’t let anything ruin my day, and nothing could ever ruin the glorious, sparkly, shimmery memory of it and how happy we were just to be around our beloved friends and family. Because that’s really what matters, isn’t it?
VENDORS
- Venue & Catering | Raphael Vineyard
- Photography | Janelle Brooke Photography
- Florals | Carolyn Morin
- Day-Of-Coordinator |
- Music & Lighting | Absolute Entertainment
- Bridal Salon | Bridal Reflections - Massapequa
- Hotel & Rehearsal Dinner Location | The Preston House & Hotel
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