VALLEY REGENCY WEDDING OF APRIL & MATT

Aug 14

Bride groom wedding party at bar of Valley Regency.

Swiping right led to a coffee date for a couple of TCNJ college sophomores who ended up bonding on a bridge…this is where the Love Story of April & Matt began. Add a little feline fancying, Halloween hijinx, and a whole lotta love, and you’ve got the TL/DR version. Please do stick around after the photos, because there is SO MUCH MORE to learn and love about these amazing humans!

Humble brag alert…when I asked April what was one thing she couldn’t do without on her wedding day, she replied:

Honestly, photography was so important to us and we couldn't live without having Daniel capturing every moment! We hugged in the bridal suite, gave each other a fist-bump, and said “Let’s rock this day.” Daniel was our #1 hype-man, took photos everywhere and anywhere, and guests couldn't believe how enthusiastic and involved he was. We are beyond thrilled with our photos and look at all 1,300+ of them every day on our digital frame!”

If your own NJ Wedding Love Story is waiting to be told, I’d love to hear from you!

How did you meet?

Funny story - we matched on Tinder while attending TCNJ! I was Matt’s first and only swipe (pretty efficient) and his opening line was, “I see we are both sophomores and we both like coffee; do you want to meet up for coffee?” One week after our coffee date at the school library, I asked Matt to go to New Hope with me on a school trip. An old man by a bridge said we made a really cute couple and took our picture. Matt said, "We should post it on Facebook!" to which I replied, "Well then people will think we are dating..." He laughed and said nervously, "We could try that.." We have been inseparable ever since!

How did you get engaged?

After 5 years of dating and getting our own apartment and kitten together in Wayne, I was really looking forward to getting engaged. As time went on, I constantly asked Matt when he would buy a ring, what his plan was, etc. Right before the big day, Matt convinced me that he did not have time to go shopping and that it just wasn't going to happen that summer. Well, on August 17th, 2019, I was disappointed since it was a gorgeous day at the beach house, the whole family was there together, and there was no proposal in sight. During the picture-perfect sunset on the bay, I said sarcastically, "Today would've been a perfect day to propose!"...Within seconds, Matt got down on one knee, I cried and nodded yes, and everyone celebrated the big moment that night at the beach house!

Description of your gown? Why was this “the one”?

Fun fact: I went to “I do I do” on a whim on a Monday afternoon and only brought my friend Andrew (one of our groomsmen) with me to take pictures to show my mom if we liked anything. I do I do was about the 5th store I went to, so I went in with a pretty clear description of what I was looking for an A-line dress with straps, sparkle & design throughout the gown, and a detailed back all under a budget of 2k - the consultant brought out the first dress and said, “Something like this?” The Essence of Australia gown checked all my boxes and then some so that was it, done deal! I felt so beautiful in my dress and got a million compliments!

Why did you choose The Valley Regency?

Our favorite hobby is eating and we have a large Italian family, so food was our number one priority! Valley Regency exceeded our high expectations in every aspect - cocktail hour was an endless display of foodie dreams (the prosciutto tower was a huge hit) and the chef customizes each entree to whatever you can think of! We also always felt like family and appreciated that Valley does one wedding at a time. The bridal suite is also gigantic so that was a big plus!

Details of your day (theme, colors, favors)?

We did not have a set theme, (does food count as a theme?) but our vibe was elegant, with endless food, and love all around! Our colors were purple and silver with touches of pink. We love a good pun, so our favors were homemade chocolate-dipped mint cookies that said, "April & Matt are mint to be!" We also had a photobooth that gave precious memories and guests got frames to take home and display!

What was your menu, what was your cake flavor?

Our cocktail hour is too huge to list with every appetizer and dish under the sun, so we will just list out the main courses! We served a choice of chateaubriand, almond-crusted red snapper, or chicken stuffed with prosciutto, spinach, and mozzarella. Our cake flavor options were red velvet with cream cheese frosting or vanilla with fresh strawberries. Yum!

Already seen enough? Let’s chat!

What was your favorite moment?

Nailing our first dance and surprising our guests with actually looking great on the dance floor! Matt and I can't dance to save our lives, so we were incredibly nervous for our first dance. We took dance lessons at Fred Astaire, and after many days practicing in our driveway, it felt amazing to be confident and enjoy that moment!
Our first dance song was From the Ground Up by Dan & Shay. We heard this song before even getting engaged and knew it was the one! It even worked out well that it rained for our ceremony: “The clouds are gonna roll/The earth's gonna shake/But I'll be your shelter through the wind and the rain/And we'll build this love from the ground up”

Did anything go wrong?

Our flower girl got a stomach bug the morning of the wedding while she was getting her hair done…but we had Matt's Grandma Marie step in and be our last-minute flower girl! It was just as it was meant to be and resulted in one of our favorite photos of the day with Grandma and Grandpa walking down the aisle with the flower basket.

Advice for other brides?

Amongst the classic advice of don't sweat the small stuff and things will go wrong, a unique piece of advice is to make a Google doc for your family and bridal party so everyone is on the same page! We added phone #s, important addresses (hotel, venue, parent’s houses), day-of schedule, bridal party pairings and their order down the aisle, etc. Everyone knew exactly when and where they had to be and who they were standing with, which made it all flow smoothly!

Is 2024 your year? I'd love to join you!