A Memorable Wedding Day

By Roxie Farina

If you ever stop to ask a grown woman what they dreamed about as a young girl, most of them will say their wedding day. After growing up and maturing into a beautiful young woman, my oldest sister Michele made that fantasy a reality. Her wedding day was not only very special to her and her husband, Jeremiah, but it was also a memorable experience for myself and my family as well.

After hearing about the engagement, my sister Christie and I were extremely excited for the soon-to-be newlyweds. We began to realize that Jeremiah would be the first brother out of his family to get married, making “the wedding also special for him because he was the oldest sibling out of his four brothers,” said Michele.

Another interesting fact that my sister pointed out during this interview is “for the first time in our lives that all our family and friends were in the same place at the same time.” Two out-going and crazy families together for one night can only mean one thing- a good time!

When deciding on a venue, Michele and Jeremiah only had one thing in mind: “we wanted the wedding to be held on the sixteenth of the month.” Being that sixteen has always brought my family luck, and Jeremiah’s favorite number was seven, they booked their wedding date for July 16th, 2011.

They originally wanted to have a destination wedding, “but after all was said and done it ended up being even more special to have it here, close to home, because all my family and friends were able to attend, especially grandparents,” said Michele.

They settled on The Landmark in East Rutherford, NJ. Rutherford has played a special significance in my sister’s life, as well as my family’s throughout the years. My grandparents grew up and hung out in Rutherford, and my sister “worked in Rutherford for almost 8 years.” Although there are many places located in Jersey to have her wedding, she ended up choosing The Landmark because over the years she has had many different holiday work parties and special award dinners there. The food is great and the location isn’t too far from home.

Many of the people who helped make this day as memorable as possible were also very close to Michele. The hair and makeup was done by our family friend, Mary. “She has been cutting my hair since I was old enough to remember,” said Michele. Having someone who is close to you be a part of your wedding makes the day even more special.

Another close, but very important person, who married Michele and Jeremiah was Mrs.Shankey. She was Michele’s kindergarten teacher and has played an important role throughout her life. “She has always been a special person to me.”

When it came time to choose a wedding song, Michele and Jeremiah knew just which one to pick: “Our first song was a Dave Matthews song, who is also both our favorite artist.” One year before, on July 16th 2010, they both attended a Dave Matthews Concert and heard “You and Me” for the first time. They immediately knew “this would be the perfect song to choose for our wedding day.”

Aside from Dave Matthews, they both share a special love for the New York Yankees. Instead of wearing your traditional wedding attire, while being introduced for the first time as husband and wife, Jeremiah walked out in a white, pin striped Mariano Rivera Yankee jersey over his tux. This brought many laughs and smiles to everyone’s faces which started the night off just right.

All in all, I feel personalizing your wedding with your favorite interest and having close family members and friends be a part of your special day makes it memorable. Without the help from our family and friends, this wedding wouldn’t have been as special as it was and I’m proud to say that “I’ve never seen Michele more happy and complete!”