A Romantic and Sophisticated Wedding at Grand Marquis in Old Bridge, New Jersey

Dana and Tommy Trastelis met through a mutual friend during the summer of 2014 in Belmar, NJ. They were staying in separate beach houses and a friend that Dana worked with at a restaurant during college invited her to come to a party at his house. Tommy happened to be one of his roommates in the house and was there that night. When they met, they were both instantly attracted to one another and started a flirtatious relationship from then on.

The proposal took place on May 20th, 2018 around 2 a.m. Dana was working part-time as a wedding coordinator and had an event in Brooklyn on May 19th. She had been gone since 7 a.m., and when she arrived back home around 2 a.m. the next morning, Tommy had created a pathway leading from their front door to their office. The path included personal memories and items that were meaningful to the couple throughout the 3 ½ years of dating, and when she entered the office, he set off sparklers and played their first dance song (“I’ll Be” by Edwin McCain), and got down on his knee. There was a bottle of Veuve Clicquot waiting in an ice bucket. For Dana, the proposal was personal and perfect.

The bride-to-be envisioned a romantic and sophisticated wedding. She wanted to achieve an over-the-top, unforgettable look that felt luxurious. During the wedding planning process, Dana chose an array of ivory and nude flowers to keep the vibe light and airy and kept all of the décor white with gold accents. The ivory chair wraps, the cascading flowers from the centerpieces, and the cherry blossom trees added the perfect amount of elegance to the room. Four different types of centerpieces were also featured throughout the room: two large estate tables for family members, four large halo arrangements, and the rest of the tables had either a gold stand wrapped in flowers, or an arrangement that was an arch of flowers standing between a tall candle arrangement on each side.

When choosing their wedding venue, Dana’s brother and sister-in-law had attended a wedding at the Grand Marquis and highly recommended they visit. They raved about the food, and it was nearby the couple’s church which was also convenient. The Grand Marquis offers a beautiful outdoor garden with a water fountain, and they built a brand-new patio that guests would use for cocktail hour – a stunning space that included all-marble tiling, two fire pits, and a waterfall.

What made the wedding the most unique were the centerpieces and décor, which included a personalized floor wrap created by SHOUT! Graphic and Print Solutions. The floor wrap completely transformed the room and brightened up the reception to achieve the romantic look and feel that the bride wanted. All of the couple’s guests said it was the most beautiful wedding they had ever been to and claimed they had never seen anything like it before.

The menu included an over-the-top cocktail hour with hors d’oeuvres, endless amounts of stations, and an ice sculpture with the couple’s initials. Dinner was a delectable surf and turf for each guest, which consisted of roasted filet mignon with a slow roasted cold-water lobster tail. Towards the end the night, there was the dessert extravaganza with waffles and ice cream, popcorn, a chocolate fountain, crepes, cheesecake, donuts, s’mores, and more. The wedding cake, provided by Palermo’s, was a white and gold floral masterpiece with Swarovski crystals, and had two layers of red velvet cake and two layers of carrot cake.

For their honeymoon, Dana and Tommy went on an 11-night trip to Greece. They visited Crete (where the groom’s family is from), Santorini, and Mykonos. The most memorable part was the exquisite sunset in Santorini, which made them feel as if they were living inside a painting.