Real Weddings: Nicole & Jonathon
It took several months and time in four different states for Nicole Pellegrino to realize that she had way more than a crush on Jonathan Dulfon.
Nicole’s friend Denise was dating Jon’s friend Jay. The four of them met on a blind date a friend had set up for Denise and Jay. Nicole and Jon came along for moral support, and though they chatted pleasantly while Denise and Jay hit it off, there was no love connection. Still, as Denise and Jay’s relationship grew more serious, Nicole and Jon found themselves spending more and more time together in New York, where Jay and Jon lived on Long Island, and in Massachusetts, Denise and Nicole’s home. Jon even joined Jay and Denise on a pilgrimage to Florida to see Nicole, who was visiting family there. In Florida, Nicole found herself looking forward to continuing her conversation with Jon every day and laughing more than she had ever laughed. When he spontaneously invited her to California after the Florida trip, Nicole agreed and soon found herself having a blast on the beach with Jon. The night before they were to head back to the East Coast, Nicole and Jon took one last trip to the beach together. Sitting on the rocks at Encinitas Beach, Jon admitted that he had started to develop strong feelings for Nicole, and she confessed she felt the same way.
Managing a long-distance relationship was challenging, but Nicole and Jon traded weekends traveling and spent long hours on the phone. In October, Nicole took the plunge and moved to Long Island with her roommate Denise, who was still dating Jon’s best friend Jay. Jon’s family welcomed Nicole with open arms, and Nicole felt like she’d inherited another family along with her terrific boyfriend. Jon’s mother, in particular, made Nicole feel right at home even though she was battling a very serious illness at the time.
Jon wanted to surprise Nicole with his proposal, but finding a way to surprise the woman he spent most of his waking moments with was tricky. Fortunately, the weather intervened, surprising everyone with 12 inches of snow on Long Island in early March. With work cancelled, Nicole — a true New Englander — thought nothing would be more fun than snowshoeing on the snow-covered beach. As soon as Jon saw the waves crashing on the white shoreline, he knew that this was the spot. Nicole, however, overwhelmed by the freezing wind, decided to head back to the car and started sprinting back toward where they were parked, failing to realize that Jonathan was kneeling in the snow. When she tripped over her snowshoes and looked back at Jon for help, she saw he was holding up a little black box. “I was so shocked I don’t even remember anything else he said after ‘Will you marry me?’” Nicole says. “I had never been so surprised in my life.”
Since Nicole and Jon both love Long Island and the beach there, it was the obvious place for them to celebrate their marriage. Inspired by a beautiful turquoise necklace by Roberta Freyman, Nicole chose a palette of rich turquoise and brown for a non-traditional take on beach style. They carried the beach theme through their entire wedding, using lighthouse-shaped lanterns and shells for centerpieces, fishing nets for table coverings and painted beach rocks for table numbers. Nicole and Jon spent time coming up with beach-inspired music by artists like Bob Marley and Jack Johnson. Nicole wore a pearl watch that had belonged to Jon’s mother, who had lost her battle with cancer just a few months before the wedding. Though everyone felt her loss deeply, they knew how happy Jon’s mom had been about the upcoming wedding. Even the weather cooperated, sunny and not too hot, as Nicole and Jon celebrated their happy beginning.
Nicole & Jon's Advice
1) Don’t stress over things that you can’t control. Worrying about what might go wrong won’t keep it from happening and will definitely detract from your enjoyment of your wedding.
2) Remember: your wedding day is about the beginning of your married life together. It’s pretty amazing, so enjoy it.
{Other Professionals}
Cake: Audrey's Bakery
Catering: The Snapper Inn
Coordination: Lori Wenz
Invitations & Menus & Placecards: Exclusively Weddings
Photography: Rendezvous
Reception Site: The Snapper Inn