Why did you choose RiverCrest?
We chose Rivercrest for the most special day of our lives for a lot of different reasons! First off, I don’t choose anything lightly, so personal recommendations by people I know and trust were a big part of my decision making for all of our vendors for our big day. Rivercrest came highly recommended to me by a few loved ones who had events there. My now husband and I were set on having it locally as both of our families are based in the area. For those reasons, it was a front-runner from the beginning! But it wasn’t until we visited and met with their team that we knew it was the right venue.
We were well-aware we were going to have a large wedding, so we needed a venue that could comfortably house our large family. Rivercrest has three+ beautiful areas to utilize during a wedding. The cocktail hour room that was just beautiful, their large grand ballroom, and their outside terrace connected to the ballroom. It was all beautiful and right away I knew it was going to be perfect! We also knew we wanted to have it in February. This would continue our current anniversary and we wanted to be different with a Winter Wonderland themed wedding. Rivercrest also had an amazing promotion for January and February weddings. Our Wedding Coordinator Michele was wonderful from start to finish. It was all too good to be true, but it was all true and choosing Rivercrest was the best decision we made when planning our wedding.
What is your favorite wedding moment(s)?
There were so many amazing moments! Can you say all of them?! Lol. From the moment I arrived at Rivercrest in the morning to the last moments before we left that night, it was truly the most perfect day. We don’t know how we lucked out with such an amazing day, but it was perfect.
Pet Friendly
Rivercrest was kind enough to let me bring my now Husband and I’s puppy baby Macie to get ready with us ladies in the bridal suite all morning. While I was getting my hair and makeup done, she sat in my lap the whole time while I enjoyed a mimosa with all my closest friends and family surrounding me which was truly magical.
First Look
Patrick and I’s first look was amazing and it finally all felt real. We were just so happy and emotional. It was an amazing surreal moment that I’ll always remember as we started out our wedding day together.
First Dance
Our first dance was the same way. I had imagined us dancing to it since the day I picked it out about a year before our wedding. It was everything I had imagined! Everything else melted away and it was just the two of us in the middle of our winter wonderland.
Special Moments
I had some amazingly special moments with all of our loved ones throughout the day. My first look with my dad and our dance together was so special. My mother’s incredible speech as well as my sister’s and Pat’s brother’s speeches were all so wonderful.
Dance, Dance, Dance!
We had the time of our lives dancing the night away as well. I could have truly stayed all night dancing with my now husband and all of our loved ones.
Rivercrest made all of these moments possible, and so seamless. Everything was handled down to the tiniest detail so that all we had to worry about that day was enjoying ourselves. They certainly made sure we did!
Where did you go on your honeymoon?
Sadly, we had to reschedule our honeymoon due to COVID-19. It was supposed to take place in Rome, Italy and Positano, Italy in May of 2020. However, we just feel so blessed that it did not effect our wedding at all, as there are so many couples that didn’t have that luxury and our hearts go out to them. We are rescheduling our Italian honeymoon for ideally next May (still in the process), and will be scheduling a different trip for our honeymoon hopefully this summer when COVID-19 blows over. We still haven’t decided where we will go, but it will be magical where ever we decide to go. And we will have an honorary second honeymoon when we do finally make it to Italy.
I keep telling Pat, we certainly didn’t get to have the honeymoon we planned, but we have been able to spend more time together than ever over the past month quarantined and working from home together. In the end, that’s what it’s all about. Being together.
Any advice to give future RiverCrest couples?
There are so many things I would like to share, but my first is to stick to your vision for your day and not back down. Family and friends will question you and have their opinions. At the end of the day it only matters what you and your partner want for YOUR day.
Call a different play!
Second, don’t be afraid to call day of audibles! If you need to make changes to your schedule or plan when the day comes… IT’S OKAY! JUST ROLL WITH IT AND ENJOY IT! When the day comes, it’s sad to say that it does FLY BY! There’s no way to know how you will feel the day of until the day is there.
Enjoy the moment(s)!
Pat and I had planned to attend our cocktail hour since we took all of our bridal party and family pictures prior to and right after the ceremony. However, when we arrived back at Rivercrest from St. Teresa of Calcutta, I spent time with my Dad looking through the venue all done up in our winter wonderland theme before cocktail hour started. I was able to truly soak up all of my hard work over the past year and a half of planning our big day.
We also spent some time in the bridal suite when cocktail hour kicked off with just the bridal party and close family. It was nice to enjoy champagne with everyone and and enjoy their company.
Then we got some golden hour shots with just Pat and I that are some of my favorite pictures of the day! By the time that was all done, it was 5:30 and there was only a half hour left of cocktail hour. We wanted to actually enjoy the food, so we decided to have our own little private one, just the two of us, in the bridal suite! It was just what we needed to decompress and enjoy the INCREDIBLE food we chose for cocktail hour. It was perfect to just enjoy a moment with each other before the reception kicked off.
Monica and Pat’s Wedding Favorites
Florist: Claybrooke Event Flowers https://www.facebook.com/ClaybrookeEventFlowers/
DJ: Powered by Eclipse – DJ Joe Nyahay https://www.poweredbyeclipse.com/ https://www.facebook.com/eclipsedjs
Photographer: Erica Kait Creative https://www.facebook.com/ericakaitcreative/ http://ericakaitcreative.com/ Instagram @ericakait
Videographer: Frascino Films – Ray Frascino https://frascinofilms.com/ https://www.facebook.com/ray.frascino.7/
Signature Drink: The Macie – Named after our puppy baby, Macie the Cockapoo. It was champagne mixed with cranberry juice and garnished with cranberries. SO GOOD!
Photobooth: Powered by Eclipse – https://www.poweredbyeclipse.com/ https://www.facebook.com/eclipsedjs
Marquee Lighting: Philly Marquee – https://phillymarquee.com/ https://www.facebook.com/phillymarquee/
Dress Information Designer: Martin Thornburg https://www.facebook.com/MartinThornburgMonCheri/ https://www.martinthornburg.com/
Purchased from Alessia’s Bridal https://www.facebook.com/alessiasbridal/ https://www.alessiasbridal.com/
Bridal party transportation: Lazer Limo http://www.lazerlimo.com/
Favorite cake flavor: HANDS DOWN, RED VELVET! www.themastersbaker.com/ Instagram: @themastersbaker
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