Beyond the Perfect Proposal: Jacka's Wedding

Have you ever read a Perfect Proposal story and wondered… "What happened next?" We decided to check in with some of our GP brides for our latest series: Beyond the Perfect Proposal, where we ask our brides for some words of wisdom for all our other brides to be out there.

Our first Beyond bride is the new Mrs. Galante, aka Jacka here to offer some wedding insight from her special day and the planning that went into it:

Easiest part?

• Jacka anticipated her seating to be one of the most difficult parts of planning but it actually ended up being the easiest.

Hardest part?

• Jacka said finding a dress was probably the most difficult part of her planning- though she expected it to be the easiest.

Jacka's favorite details:

• Jacka's wedding had a Christmas theme which made the decorating a lot more fun for her. Though the theme did make it a lot more involved of a process to decorate, she really was able to make her reception unique and personal.
  • Santa and carollers were at the reception which people (especially the kids) LOVED. "It made the whole experience for people."

• • Perfect for the cold weather of her winter wedding, Jacka created a hot cocoa bar for guests which everyone enjoyed.

• • Etsy is a great place to find unique and personalized items and decorations. Many of her bar signs, decorative quotes and other small details came from Etsy and from local creator @perfecti0nalized.

• • In the spirit of the holiday and giving, Jacka and Joe decided to pay it forward with less traditional favors and make donations to Toys for Tots and the Steven Siller Foundation in honor of their guests.

Jacka's advice for brides to be:

• Before booking her date officially, Jacka contacted all the vendors she knew she wanted and made sure they would be available for her date. For Jacka, certain vendors were non negotiable for her wedding- "If Phil (photographer) wasn't available for the date I had in mind, I would have changed the date. I knew from day one I wanted him as my photographer."
• When budgeting, prioritize which elements are most important to you first, then compromise on less important aspects of the planning. For Jacka, her dress, photographer, and videographer were some of the things she was sure she knew what she wanted, so those things were put at the top priority of the budget.
• Pinterest is your friend! Jacka created boards full of ideas for decorating to help her have a better visual idea of what she wanted.
• Most of the real planning, aside from booking a venue and vendors, occurs in the six months before the wedding- sending out invitations is the real beginning of the leg work- creating place settings, seating arrangements, favors, table decorations, etc all comes once you have a guestlist.

• Her most important piece of advice though is to "ENJOY EVERY MINUTE OF THE DAY once it's finally here. Make sure bride and groom take at least 5 minutes to take everything in- the day goes so fast, so pull your groom to the side and look around see the faces that are there to celebrate your love and admire the room and the fun everyone is having! It's something you won't forget."

Here's a peek at the details that helped make Jacka's day so special:

Complete list of Jacka's vendors and how to find them:

The look:

• Headpiece/veil - Bridal Styles Boutique in Brooklyn: http://www.bridalstylesboutique.com/
• Makeup: https://www.instagram.com/Glamourbydrita/
• Hair: https://www.instagram.com/senadakxo/
• Dress - Pnina Tornai -Kleinfeld

The eats:

• Groom's cake- Mother Moouse Bakery: https://www.facebook.com/MotherMousseBakery/

The decor:

• Christmas trees & poinsettias Shannon florists, Brooklyn: https://www.facebook.com/shannonflorist/
• Flowers - Eltingville Florist: https://www.instagram.com/eltingvilleflorist/
• Programs, flower girl baskets, garter, and other details: Elle New York: https://www.facebook.com/ellenewyork/
• Invitations- by Jillianne: https://www.instagram.com/invitations_by_jillianne/
• Other decor- Perfectionalize: www.instagram.com/perfecti0nalize

The services:

• Photography - Philip Siciliano: https://www.facebook.com/PhilipSicilianoPhotography/
• DJ: Alex of ESquared: http://www.e2djweddings.com/
• Video - Joseph Edwards: https://www.facebook.com/JosephEdwardsWeddingFilmmakers/
• Romantique Limos: https://www.facebook.com/RomantiqueDoubleDiamondLimousines/

The locations:

• Church: Our Lady Star of the Sea
• Reception: Park Savoy Estate, NJ

The honeymoon:

• Travel Cove - 2 week trip to Disney, Grand Floridian, & St. Lucia
  • http://www.travelcove.com/Travelcove/Welcome.html

Congrats to the new Mr. & Mrs. Galante!