Real Wedding | Vallyn + Michael

Here’s a gorgeous celebration that marries traditional wedding elements with unique personal style. Vallyn’s ceremony, held in a stunningly beautiful Catholic church, felt classic and old-school. Then, she and Michael partied with friends and family at a hotel reception that was chic and modern.  Vallyn looked picture perfect throughout the night, in her elegant and sophisticated “dream gown.” Congratulations to this charming couple!

Vallyn + Michael |  April 16, 2011  | Asbury Park, New Jersey

The ceremony

Mike and I are Catholic and used our wedding as an opportunity to share our faith and unique spiritual traditions with our guests.  My uncle co-officiated the ceremony, which gave it a personal feel as he has been a witness to the growth of our relationship.   The beautiful setting of my parents church gave the ceremony the traditional feel we were seeking, which contrasted nicely with our very modern reception.

The reception

The theme for our wedding was “Jersey Charm meets DC Style”, our reception location truly represented that for us. In terms of our decor, I am really not a huge fan of flowers so we focused on reflective light with towering lit branches and varying sizes of vases with floating candles.  The overall look gave us the romantic and modern feel we wanted to achieve.  I was a bit of the anti-bride when it came to the traditional elements of a wedding reception, so we skipped the bouquet toss, garter toss, and pretty much everything else that took time away from the PARTY!!! We left the reception feeling that we had an amazing celebration with our family and friends!

The way Vallyn felt in her wedding dress

Romantic, Modern, Dramatic

Why she decided to sell her wedding dress

This Lazaro gown was my dream dress, I loved how I looked and felt in the dress.  The selling of my dream dress means a dream dress for another bride.   You have to pay it forward!

Vallyn’s dress: Lazaro / Photography: Emily at 1314 Studio