Real Wedding: Ashley & Gil
Accommodations & Rehearsal Dinner: The Del Monte Lodge Renaissance Hotel and Spa, Desserts: Paternico’s Sweets and Treats, Gown: Amsale, Hair: Salon Eleganza, Linens: Weddinglinens.com, Reception Site: Genesee Valley Club
Ashely and Gil met in high school. Though too shy to speak at first, the two never lost sight of each other through the years--from junior prom to penned letters during Gil's position in the United States Marine Corps to 13 hour drives just to be together, the couple were official and in love. I wasn't until the end of August 2007, when Ashley and Gil were preparing for Gil’s last tour in Iraq, that the couple began to hear wedding bells in the distance.
Ashley notes that "Gil planned a day full of things the couple loved to do—an intimate lunch, miniature golf, and spa treatments. It wasn’t until that evening that I discovered our hotel room had been decorated with flowers and candles. As I was looking at everything, I started to get a clue of what was going on,” says Ashley. “I turned around, and Gil was on his knee asking me to marry him.”
Ashley and Gil chose a color palette with splashes of yellow for their sunny wedding in New York. Ashley involved familial personal touches: carrying her grandfather's handkerchief, incorporating her late uncle's rosary into her bouquet as well as DIY touches: she designed and printed the wedding stationary, including invitations, RSVPs, place cards, and menus , giving the day an intimate feel and personal touch. Having known each other for years, through distance and different circumstances, Ashely and Gil wanted to make the first moment they saw each other special--to make their photo shoot romantic and meaningful.
The couple decided to break tradition by meeting for the first time before their ceremony. “It was actually pretty romantic,” says Ashley. “We met out on my parents farm where it was incredibly peaceful, and we had a chance to calm our nerves.”
