ROB AND LIZ’S TIMELESS NYC WEDDING.
Tell us the story of how you met.
So leave it to social media to play cupid… well sort of. I met a couple of friends in college cramming for finals at the library, and we connected on social. Shortly after came a goofy picture of Rob on Facebook, yet I was totally swooning!
At the time, Rob was managing a sneaker store at the mall with my new friends from the library. I happened to be shopping and our friend (his best man) quickly said, “OMG Rob’s working today, let’s go so you can finally meet him”. We ran over to Champs and sure enough there he was! He was so sweet right off the bat, but I knew he wasn’t going to ask for my number, so I asked him for his and the rest is history!
What is the story of your engagement?
That Summer my family from Mexico was coming to visit. I was going to see my grandmother for the first time since I was 4 years old ~ it was a big deal. That day I wanted to take them to one of my favorite pizza spots-Porta. Once we arrived apparently my grandma wanted to see the beach and I obviously agreed because I’m not going to say no to my grams! So we head over to the boardwalk and Rob and I are taking a lot of Snaps. Suddenly this random photographer comes up to us claiming to work for the “Asbury Park Press” and they were on the boardwalk taking photos of locals with great fashion. Anyone who knows me knows I would never say no to a photo – then I turn to my side and see my mom sobbing. I turn back around and there was Rob on one knee! I couldn’t believe this was happening, I was in complete shock! Nothing gets past me, but using pictures was a great distraction tactic. Everyone on the boardwalk applauded and afterward Rob and I shot an engagement session on the Asbury Park Boardwalk. Seriously one of the best days of my life!
Walk us through your wedding planning.
So the planning process was pretty easy! Being that I work in events, I wanted nothing to do with the stress and thankfully knew some pretty amazing people that were able to make the process much easier! I had such a beautiful space as it was and didn’t need much to make it special. I knew that I wanted to incorporate my Mexican heritage into the wedding, so my cousin ordered custom “papel picado” (Mexican banners), which had our initials and hearts in them. She also sent me about 50lb of Mexican candy for my candy station, which was a big hit!
The cake– Made at this incredible bakery in New Jersey, I used to work as a teenager – Elisa’s Pastry Shoppe located in Lakewood, NJ. Obviously, we had to have our cake from there because they are the absolute best! We ended up having a seven layer Nutella filled cake and an ombre aqua green fondant exterior.
Florals- This was probably the hardest part. Searching through Pinterest was like diving into a wormhole of floral arrangements. I quickly turned to my friends over at Floral Studios. Thomas was great to work with and he made the process super easy. I showed him the vibe that I was going for and the type of flowers I wanted to see in the arrangements. I’m also obsessed with peonies and he made sure I had these beauties in my bouquet!
How closely did you work with your coordinator up until your wedding? We worked with Tyler “ the wedding extraordinaire” from the beginning all the way up to the day before! He was so easy to work with and he was on top of everything including things I didn’t even think of.
Where did you get your dress from? Also who did your hair and makeup?
Fun fact- I actually rented both of my dresses from White Collections. This is a service they strictly do on a referral basis -so let them know I sent ya- hehe! They were super accommodating with my schedule. I sent them a few looks I was thinking of and they pulled about (7) different dresses during my appointment and I went with the first two I tried on! Each dress was altered the week leading up to my wedding and fit like a glove. All the accessories were included, such as the veil and jewelry and they offer other services as well, check it out. Another cool thing were the extra pieces I was able to add to my looks. For example, the lace dress for the ceremony had an extra tulle skirt and rhinestone belt to complement the lace and I added a bolero jacket with beautiful buttons going down the back to go with the strapless dress. After all the dancing, I was glad I was able to take it off and dance the night away!
My hair was done by Bianca over at Lock and Shade. Bianca and her team were super accommodating with my schedule and came over the house and finished both mine and my maid of honors hair, with plenty of time to catch the ferry to NYC!
Makeup was done by Flex Murdaa NYC. She was extremely professional and took my direction in keeping my makeup natural. I was amazed how my makeup managed to stay intact all night without any retouches all while encountering rain, tears and breaking it down on the dance floor!
Liz, what was going through your head when you were walking down the aisle?
I was honestly so nervous and overwhelmed that I would step on my dress and fall- all eyes on me. I think I blacked out a little. I’m glad we decided to see each other before we walked down the aisle because I’m a crier!! But I did have a moment when I was like “Wow, this is it -he’s going to be my husband” (something I knew would happen after our first date).
Rob, what went through your head when you first saw Liz?
Luckily, we did a “first look” before the actual ceremony, so I was able to get those teary eyes out of the way. Truth be told, I was pretty sick the day of the wedding and at this point, I was just thinking do not cough and ruin the ceremony.
What was your wedding song?
Skinny Love by Bon Iver. You can say he was a theme through the wedding. We wanted to do things out of the box and original. I also walked down the aisle to Holocene by Bon Iver!
What was the best piece of advice you got from family members about marriage?
Learn from other people, but don’t feel the need to compare your life or your marriage to anyone else’s. God’s plan for your life is unique.
Finally, what’s one word you would use to describe your wedding day?
Timeless
Florals:Floral Studio NY
Dress: White Collection Bridal Atelier
Hair: Bianca at Lock & Shade
Makeup: Flexmurdaa
Cake: Elisa’s Pastry Shoppe
Boat: Hornblower Hybrid
Stay tuned for our upcoming posts where we will be featuring real weddings on City Cruises vessels across all our ports!
A City Cruises wedding is truly a departure from the ordinary. We would love to chat with you about your unique wedding and browse our wedding packages at any of our ports: San Francisco, Berkeley, San Diego, New York, Marina del Rey, Long Beach, or Newport Beach. Or fill out the form below and one of our dedicated wedding coordinators will help you get started.