A Whimsical Fairytale Wedding at Legacy Castle in Pompton Plains, New Jersey

Myrna Girgis was only 15-years-old when she was getting ready for her first date with Mark Mena Smaan, who was 16 at the time. “Things ended mutually, simply because we were just kids,” she says. “Fast forward to nine years later. I bumped into him at a birthday party at Mr. Purple that my brother had dragged me to. There he was, just standing at the door and all I can think was, ‘Is that really him? What are the odds?’ He looked so different and so much older.

Before we knew it, we were in deep conversation about the time that’s passed and where we are in life now. The conversation was effortless, and it felt like the world around us was silent.”

Mark proposed ten months later in New York City. He picked Myrna up from her house and took her to the first of 13 stops – the theater where they had their first date as teenagers. There, she received her first red rose. After collecting roses everywhere from Staten Island to Manhattan, the couple ended up at Mr. Purple, where they had originally reunited. Myrna received her 12th rose, but no ring.

“We left and headed to the Time Hotel, where I walked into a private room with rose petals leading me to a table with a diamond ring and one white rose,” she describes. “What I didn’t know was that my family and his were hidden behind the windows watching it all. It was exactly what I wanted. As soon as I said yes, all our loved ones were there to celebrate and congratulate us.”

During the wedding planning process, Myrna had her heart set on a whimsical fairytale wedding that was personal and romantic. “All I cared about was flowers and the perfect venue,” she shares. “I wanted the room to pour with beautiful high centerpieces, big trees, and white and blush flowers. I have been staring at Eltingville Florist’s window since I was a little girl and always said one day when I get married, I want them to do my flowers. They created everything I had envisioned and more.”

When the couple’s September wedding date arrived, the bride made her way down the aisle in a custom wedding gown by Galia Lahav. “The day was perfect,” she recalls. “Everything from the doves that were released, to the perfect decorated venue. The photographers kept saying there was so much love and emotion on our day, and as I think back, they couldn’t have been more right.

I cried almost as much as I laughed. I cried when I exchanged gifts with my parents and brother; I cried when my brother sang a hymn for me during church; I cried when I had my very special dance with my dad; and I cried when I had my first dance with my now husband. I danced my tired feet off all night, and as I looked around, so was almost all 400 guests! I’d like to think my whimsical dream wedding was a great time and an unforgettable one at that.”