julie + vinny // The Admiral Room Wedding

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Who loves a story where the good guy gets the girl? Well, look no further, because that’s exactly what this story is about. Julie first truly noticed Vinny when they were both on a date with other people. She couldn’t help but compare his chivalrous nature to that of her own date’s (or rather, lack there of). That day Vinny swept Julie off her feet without even meaning to. They quickly became good friends, and then one fateful day, friends turned into more. It just goes to show you, you never know who might be noticing your actions from afar, and we gotta say, we sure do love that.

Just like the majority of world’s population, Julie and Vinny had high hopes for beautiful clear skies on their big day, but unfortunately Mother Nature had other ideas. Luckily, J+V took it all in stride and we made the best of a very wet situation by sneaking in some adorable umbrella shots before the skies really opened up on us. Once the rain became too much we opted to move the rest of their photos indoors to their stunning reception venue, The Admiral Room, but those shots in the rain are absolutely some of our favorites of the day. (If you’re worried about the potential for inclement weather on your own big day, pop on over here to read about some great tips to get prepared for anything that good old Mother Nature might throw your way!)

Julie and Vinny are a true testament to the ability to turn a less than ideal situation into pure happiness, simply with their kindness and radiating smiles. We hope that scrolling through their story adds some extra brightness to your day :)

Julie: “We *think* we first met at a Canisius basketball game (I went to Nardin; Vinny was at Canisius), but, our first official memory is that my family hosted our sophomore date dance pre-party. Vinny was another girl’s date. My date was a dud and ate oatmeal as his late night snack after the dance. I noticed Vinny was a huge gentleman – carrying his date’s shoes, opening doors, etc. After that, we hung out sporadically as friends but started going on dates/eating at Teds (almost weekly), and ‘officially’ started dating in senior year.“

Julie: “One rule I always told Vinny is that I wanted the proposal to be a surprise, and I wanted our families there. Well, on May 19th we had planned a dinner with friends. We were running late, and Vinny got a call from his dad saying that he had set lights up in the wrong room of the Hotel @ the Lafayette (sidebar – they own CJ Sound, so I have 9 years of experience setting up and tearing down events. Vinny has 26 years experience.) We walked into the hotel and rushed through the lights. It was a tense situation – I was hangry, the hotel manager was yelling at Vinny, and we had 5 mins to move the lights. Vinny asked me to grab the last light, and I found a ring box on top. He proposed, and I was SHOCKED. Even more to my surprise, all of our friends and family walked in after. The last surprise – the room we had just torn down was actually the room for our surprise engagement party. Luckily, someone else was there to put all the lights back up :).“

Julie: “My dress was from Bliss Bridal in Hamburg, NY. It was the 2nd bridal shop I went to, but it took me 3 appointments there to find *the one*. I’ve always been known to be particular when it comes to choosing my outfits, so I was looking for something that felt different and beautiful. The store was so chic, the owner and staff were amazing, and they ended up picking the dress for me. The designer, Pronovias Atelier, has the softest lace I’ve ever felt. Typical story – I didn’t love it on the hanger but was obsessed when I put it on. The back was my favorite part – the train had raw lace edges that I couldn’t cover up with a cathedral veil.“

Julie: “We are always making each other laugh. Even after a tough conversation or long day, usually we end up giggling. It’s so hard to put into words, but we really just love each other. After 9 years with a few periods of long distance, we are so happy and feel so lucky to have each other.“

Julie: “We love to cook nice meals or go out to eat. We are obsessed with trying new places in Buffalo. When the weather is nice, we love going for walks and hikes. We also love our couch and throw blankets (aka, we need to be very cozy). We’ll get some good take out (Pho, Tappo, or Kaydara (RIP)). Usually we’ll enjoy some wine and watch a movie. If we are feeling adventurous, we love to entertain others in our apartment with some pretty fun parties. A perfect night out would be us enjoying a restaurant in Buffalo either alone or with other friends. Usually we’ll stop at Just Vino wine bar for dessert or some nice wine and a cheese tray. If there’s a music/dance event going on, we meet up with friends and stay out late enjoying ourselves.“

Julie: “Vinny and I DIY’ed our escort card ‘hoops.’ We love a good project, and this was something Vinny wanted to be involved in. He ordered the hoops online, and they came (disappointingly) dented and scuffed. Come to find out – they were fishing hoops and not meant to look nice! I think we were able to dress them up pretty nicely though.“

Julie: “One of my favorite parts of our reception was eating a brownie (after careful weeks of dieting – the dress!!!). My aunt actually moved a brownie to my seat before the reception started to make sure I had one ASAP!“

Vinny: “Moments before getting introduced – Julie and I were able to look over the crowd at the reception and appreciate the entire day.“

Julie: “Vinny and I have always said the ‘Wegmans’ Ultimate’ cakes were the best cakes we’ve ever had, (and we’ve tried a lot all over the world!). He prefers chocolate, and I like vanilla. So instead of getting a fancy cake for the wedding, we used Wegmans and had our own small cakes for each of us!“

Julie: “We danced to an acoustic version of Earth, Wine and Fire’s ‘September’. This was the song Vinny played after he proposed and our entire family walked in to surprise me with an engagement party!“

Julie: “Our values are very family-centered. We love each other’s families and know the importance of a strong family presence. We can’t wait to add to our great families with our own small unit.“

Julie: “My dad and I danced to Dan Auerbach’s ‘Stand By My Girl’ – Dan is the lead singer of the Black Keys, one of my dad’s and my favorite bands. It’s a little more fast-paced than typical songs, so we added in some freestyle dancing.”

Julie: “Vinny and his mom danced to ‘Volare’ by Dean Martin. They used to sing old Italian songs as a family while Vinny was growing up, so it brought back wonderful family memories.“

Vinny and Julie: “Working with Jenn and Ben was wonderful!! The were able to wrangle our large (sometimes rowdy) crew and the end product is unbelievable!! SO happy we had them capture our future family heirlooms.“

Don’t forget to grab our 6 Tips to Prepare for Mother Nature on Your Wedding Day!

Wedding Vendors Include:

Ceremony: St. Louis Church
Reception: The Admiral Room
Invitations: Calling Cards Unlimited
Make-Up Artist: Cheri Marie Salon & Bridal Lounge
Hairstylist: Shannon and Stacey of Mink Salon
Dress Shop: Bliss Bridal
Bridal Gown Designer: Pronovias Atelier
Groom’s Look: Tuxedo Junction
Florist: Buffalo Floral Arts
Cake: Wegmans
Dessert Table: Fairy Cakes
Live Painter: Peter Fowler
Favors: Park Edge Sweet Shoppe
Lighting: CJ Sound
DJ: CJ Sound
Videography: Fruit Tree Studios