A Whimsical and Elegant Wedding at The Breakers Palm Beach in Florida

Rochelle Fletcher and Andrew Deiso’s love story began on the internet, although it was during the early days of online dating. There was no “swipe left, swipe right,” and everything was still done on the computer.

“We met how I would call the ‘internet old-fashioned way,’ with a pair of screennames, seeking something we weren’t finding on our own,” Rochelle describes. “Our first date was at an Italian restaurant, Il Gabbiano in Miami, and Andrew was the most charming man I had ever met. 

I have to say I was getting tired of going on first dates; and right before Andrew arrived to pick me up, I remember looking up to the heavens pleading, ‘Please let this be the last first date I ever have to go on.’ I truly believe my husband was sent to me that day and I am forever grateful that I found my person – even if it was initially through an old MacBook Pro computer screen.”

After a few months of dating, the couple quickly moved in together and relocated to NYC, followed by Houston, and finally back to Andrew’s hometown of Boca Raton. By year three of their relationship, Rochelle was waiting to see if a proposal was on the horizon. On the last day of June, Andrew popped the question at the scene of their first date, Il Gabbiano, and invited Rochelle’s family from Washington D.C. so both families could witness the engagement.

The wedding planning process began immediately, and Rochelle had a wonderful time sorting out the details with her mother-in-law, Phyllis. They both had the same wedding vision, wanting an elegant celebration filled with personal details. This included three ballerinas coming down the aisle before the bride, performing a choreographed routine, as Rochelle was a professionally trained ballerina with the Miami City Ballet. 

The décor was also to be whimsical, alluding to the bride’s favorite childhood fairy tales, and the Circle Ballroom at The Breakers provided an environment like that of Beauty and the Beast. As an ode to the groom, who played baseball through college, standard table numbers were replaced by the names of retired New York Yankees players with the Yankee’s logo on display.

“The day of the wedding, there was no stress,” says Rochelle. “I would say my only jitters happened right when I was just about to come down the aisle, but I knew what I was there for. I knew I was there for him. The same way that I knew upon meeting him on our first date that my silent prayer had been answered. I am forever grateful that somehow this life and this man chose me. I now have my own little fairytale to tell our kids one day.”