Real Wedding: Bridget & Christopher
Gown: Lily-Saratoga
When two people with large, tight-knit families join together, you can almost guarantee there will be a
celebration to remember. The wedding of Bridget Nappi and Christopher Rodecker was no exception.
Bridget and Chris met after her father’s retirement party, introduced by mutual friends. They shared a sense of humor, a joie de vivre, and an appreciation of friendship and family, and from early on, they knew that this was a relationship to last a lifetime. Only two weeks after their first meeting, the couple was committed, spending every weekend thereafter together. After a year, Bridget moved upstate from Manhattan to be with Chris.
In June 2007, while on vacation in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, Chris proposed. Overcoming her initial disbelief, Bridget hopped into Chris’s arms, crying “Yes!” A family on the pier above caught the moment on camera, exchanged e-mail addresses with the happy couple, and a few weeks later sent a snapshot that they will cherish forever.
As lovers of the outdoors, and the Adirondacks in particular, Bridget and Chris had a general sense of where they wanted to hold their wedding. The specific spot, though, eluded them until they came upon the charming lakeside Point O’Pines, which they booked without hesitation.
The couple had 200 overnight guests between Thursday and Sunday, and a total of 300 people at the wedding. Bridget hung chalkboards over the cabin doorknobs with guests’ names, which allowed people to see who was staying nearby. And each cabin contained a welcome bag with personalized goodies that included flashlights, drinks, snacks, and customized beer cozies that read, “To have and to hold and to keep your beer cold”—the
perfect bonfire accessory.
The weekend décor was tied together with a pink and navy palette and an Adirondack-chair theme. Point O’Pines has the trademark chairs in abundance around the property, and in lieu of a guestbook, the couple asked everyone to sign a large white Adirondack chair with pink and navy markers, creating a unique memento.
At the wedding, fan-shaped programs kept guests both refreshed and informed, place cards were hung from clothespins between two large pine trees strung with pink with navy gingham ribbon, and homemade CDs adorned with ribbon and custom stickers were given out as favors.
Music played an important part in the wedding weekend: In honor of Bridget’s late mother, the song “I Hope You Dance,” a special tune for both of them, played during the ceremony. Napkins printed with lyrics from the song were distributed during cocktail hour, in navy and pink of course. As an additional reminder of her mother, Bridget wore a lace shawl from her mother’s wedding during the ceremony, which just happened to match her own gown impeccably.
In their chair for the ceremony, each guest found a pinecone. The officiant asked each person to bless theirs and drop it in a container for the newlyweds, to fill their home with blessings. To honor the bride and groom’s Irish heritage, the ring bearer carried a horseshoe instead of a pillow—it now hangs in their home for good luck.
On the tables and scattered throughout the reception area, Bridget’s grandmother’s old Mason jars held flowers and candles, and their shine meant a great deal to Bridget. Forgoing the traditional cake, the couple instead had nearly 30 family members and friends bring their favorite homemade desserts.
At the end of the night, with nearly 300 people singing and dancing in a circle on the dance floor, some of the groomsmen lifted the newlyweds up over the crowd. Followed by a beach bonfire and a group sing-along, it made for a magical finale to a memorable celebration.
To prospective brides who want to create their own magic, Bridget and Christopher advise focusing on your reason for getting married and taking time during the reception to take it all in—together. Make the celebration your own and remember that while little details matter, everything works out in the end!