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Offbeat partner: Amy, 4th grade teacher
Offbeat partner: Roy, Information Technology professional
Date and location of wedding: The Prallsville Mills, Stockton, NJ — September 2, 2017
Budget: $25,000
Our offbeat wedding at a glance:
I love '50s-inspired everything so my dress was tea-length and my makeup was more of a pin-up look with a birdcage veil and victory roll. We also really looked for an off-the-beaten-path location in New Jersey, which is not so easy! We settled on the Prallsville Mills in Stockton, NJ which is an old grist mill. Our ceremony was in the saw mill.
We are also huge craft beer fans, so our tables were covered with hop leaves and our centerpieces were our own personal growlers. I tried to do a lot of DIY with decorating the pallets and using old windows for signs and the seating arrangement.
Tell us about the ceremony:
Our bridal party walked down to Sigur Ros' “Track 3/untitled” and I walked down to Angus and Julia Stone's “Big Jet Plane” (Acoustic version). Our recessional was Vance Joy's “Mess is Mine.” My uncle was our officiant and we had a beautiful archway with Tiger lilies and hop vines mixed in.
Tell us about your reception:
The cocktail hour was in the first floor where the water wheel was turning over an open floor so the guests could hear the water rushing underneath. The reception was on the main floor where we had one long table of 35 people, several rectangle tables, and two round tables. We had just under 90 guests.
The music that played during dinner features Post Modern Jukebox so every modern song was in a '40s/'50s/'60s style. Our first dance was to “You're Getting to Be a Habit With Me” by Mel Torme. We didn't do any of the traditional wedding activities. We did our father/daughter and mother/son dance at the same time to Frank Sinatra “Our Love Is Here To Stay.”
The food was a buffet with pasta, salmon, and pork. We had several signature cocktails,one featuring bourbon and one featuring gin. We also had two local craft beers: Kane Brewery's Overhead and Jughandle Brewery's Hefeweizen. There were lights strung from the ceiling and our tables were covered in hop vines. Our centerpieces were our own personal growlers filled with wheat and baby's breath. We also had a mirror photo booth!
What was your most important lesson learned?
I learned how important it is to include people who you truly care about on your big day and to focus on just enjoying your time. Don't sweat the small stuff. There will always be drama, but managing it as best as possible and letting some of the drama go is very important. In the end, we had a great day and we didn't let the drama ruin anything. We were flexible and tried our best to accommodate everyone but not lose sight of the significance of our happy day.
Vendors
Photographer: Bonnie Wireback • Dress: Amare Couture Bridal Rhea (altered to be tea length) • Venue: The Prallsville Mills
Gallery
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The bouquets & the floral arch are AMAZING!!!!
Thank you so much! Lakeside florals we’re able to get the hop vines from a local farm and we couldn’t be more pleased with how they turned out!!