The Magic of Disney
(As seen on Style Me Pretty!)
The sweetest “how they met” story of all time, a romantic modern barn setting, and thoughtful personalization in every beautiful detail, sprinkled with Disney magic…all photos taken by Susan Elizabeth Weddings!
From the Bride… Our story began in the little town of Hamilton, New York in 2010. We met the very first day of college, during freshman move-in at Colgate University. Not only did we live on the same floor, but also funnily enough, we lived next door to each other! Other than our daily “hello” in the hallway of our dorm, we knew very little about one another. Fast-forward three years later to the start of our study abroad trip to Cardiff, Wales. Our group got off to a rocky start after getting stranded on our to way Cardiff for 24 hours in Amsterdam, but Brandon saved the day by coordinating hotels for that night and new flights for the next day.
Over the next few months traveling around Europe, the two of us became fast friends, bonding over our similar sense of humor, a love of online shopping in class, a disdain for physics, and, of course, travel. During a trip to Ibiza towards the end of our time abroad, it became clear that Brandon was interested in being more than friends. Jenny, however, wasn’t so sure yet! With some encouragement from close friends, Jenny realized that Brandon was a special guy, and she should give him a chance. After graduating from Colgate in 2014, Jenny moved back home to Chicago and luckily, Brandon was accepted in a Master’s program nearby. A new job opportunity eventually brought Jenny to Washington, D. C., but that didn’t stop us from being together and traveling the world (including Disney World!). In 2016, we made the big move to NYC to start our lives together. After almost five years of dating, Brandon surprised Jenny with a proposal, but he also surprised her with a vacation!
Although Jenny knew that they were going on a trip, she had no idea where they were going until they left for the airport. Knowing that Jenny had always wanted to go to Napa Valley, Brandon planned a beautiful week in California for the two of them. On the day of the proposal, Brandon treated Jenny to a massage so he could have some time to arrange a few final details. They had an amazing day of wine tasting, and Brandon popped the question at the last vineyard of the day, Fantesca Estate & Winery! Although we live in Manhattan, we knew that we wanted to get out of the city for our special day and find a venue that with an upscale rustic feel. We booked Bear Brook Valley in Fredon, NJ which had the perfect modern barn setting we were looking for, and was surrounded by nature, which is hard to come by in Manhattan! For our colors, Jenny loves pink so it was a no-brainer that the main color palette was full of soft pinks, mauves and rose gold. We didn’t want our decor to be monochromatic, so we added in pops of navy blue, as well as lots of greenery and lights, creating a very romantic and whimsical feel. We chose wine stoppers as favors as a nod to where we got engaged, and, as avid lovers of Disney World, we included a few nods to Disney throughout the day – including a custom cake topper and ceremony music from our favorite Disney movies. We also knew we wanted our reception to be a non-stop party with lots of dancing, which meant we had to look no further than the Cafe Wha? House Band – and they totally rocked it!
