After getting engaged, Kathryn and Frank had visions of frost and greens paired with deep wine reds, charcoal grays, rich silver, and lots of sparkle for their December winter wonderland wedding. And when it came time to book a location for their reception, the couple found that The Versailles Ballroom checked all the boxes. They particularly loved how the facility was close to their church, had an on-site hotel, and a cocktail hour room and ballroom large enough to comfortably hold all of their guests. Additionally, they heard rave reviews from numerous people and were impressed by the menus. “We went in knowing that wedding planning could be a daunting task, but we felt right from the start that the staff was really there to help us make everything right,” Frank shared. Peruse their photos captured through the lens by CWM Vendor, Limelight Entertainment below and then be sure to pick up the latest Fall/Winter 2019 edition of Contemporary Weddings Magazine to see more.
From Limelight Entertainment…Katie and Frank’s Wedding at The Versailles Ballroom at the Ramada of Toms River in New Jersey was magical! This venue is so beautiful and was really fun to photograph at! They had all their Christmas decorations up, including a beautifully lit up Christmas tree!!! Everyone at the venue was so great to work with. It felt like yesterday when we photographed their engagement session back in July 2017 and chatted about their big day plans. They love to host get togethers with one another and of course their wedding day would be the ultimate get together. At the time we chatted about how excited they are, what their color scheme would be… and they told us that they just can’t wait to eat, drink, and be merry with the people they love the most. Well, Katie and Frank your ultimate get together has finally arrived! It was a beautiful day on the 1st of December. Although it was very chilly… Katie and Frank’s love kept us all warm. Getting ready, Katie and her seven lovely bridesmaids all shared warmth, laughs, and smiles among one another. Katie and her girls got ready at The Ramada of Toms River. Everyone at bride prep was so friendly and ready to help Katie get all dolled up for her wedding day. The color scheme that Katie and Frank chose for their wedding day was beautiful burgundy and cream colors. Makeup By Gina did a fantastic job at glamming her up and using the perfect shade of lipstick that complemented Katie so well. All the girls looked amazing! They wore floor length burgundy dresses that were a unique style for each individual bridesmaid. Katie gifted her bridesmaids with plaid burgundy, gray, and cream blanket scarfs!! What a wonderful gift, especially for the weather outside. What a look!! The girls looked so pretty in their dresses with the scarves draped over their shoulders! When I say Katie’s bouquet was beautiful… I mean it was BEAUTIFUL!! Flowers by Melinda did a phenomenal job with the florals for Katie and Frank’s wedding. They were absolutely gorgeous. The green leaves created a nice contrast between the burgundy and cream colored flowers. They were so fun to photograph along with her other lovely details!! Katie’s 7 inch heels are something to talk about… her velvet burgundy beautiful heels! (say that 3 times fast!) This created such a dynamic look and worked to complement the burgundy bridesmaids dresses and other fun details. Katie’s veil was placed over a beautiful diamond hair piece and her hair was pinned in a gorgeous updo with a few side pieces, which was perfect for this slightly windy day. Jessika Hutler of Sweet Hair Peace really framed Katie’s face and styled her hair so lovely for the special day. After a few candid and getting ready photographs it was time to get Katie into her MoriLee wedding dress. This dress was absolutely stunning and hugged Katie’s tiny waist so perfectly. She found this oh so perfect wedding dress at Seng Couture. She looked so gorgeous!!! She paired her gorgeous gown with a snow fur shaw that she placed over her shoulders. What a beauty, Katie looked stunning. She was all ready for her wedding day. Katie’s father walked in the room, blindfolded by one of the blanket scarves, it was his first time seeing his daughter in her wedding dress. One, two, three… Katie’s father took off the blindfold and turned around. Simply gorgeous. Katie and her father shared hugs, smiles, and happy tears as they shared this sweet moment with one another. It was so touching and beautiful – Katie’s mom and her bridesmaids watched alongside and cried with the two. This was an incredible moment for Katie and her dad. Frank and his nine groomsmen got ready at the same location as the girls, The Ramada of Toms River. Excited and nervous, Frank was ready to marry the love of his life. With the support of his groomsmen they got him all ready to go and looking sharp in his grey toned “Black Lapel” tuxedo. The guys were joking around and just having a good time, we chatted about the day with them and how ready everyone was to start the celebration! The first look was important to the couple, they wanted that special moment with the two of them. So, we headed to Allaire State Park for the first look! Allaire State Park is a favorite spot of ours to photograph at and one of the best portrait locations. Ashley Meyer of Meyer Photo Video set up her video camera to capture this moment in live view as we photographed. With Franks back turned, Katie walked up to him and tapped him on the shoulder. As Frank turned around, an aura of love and happiness just filled the atmosphere. Katie and Frank had the biggest smiles on their faces as they saw one another for the first time in their wedding day outfits. Frank looking handsome and Katie looking beautiful, the two embraced one another and could not let go. They shared smiles, laughs, and kisses. As the windy air breezed by, the two had their special moment and shared some loving words with one another. Following the first look, we photographed Katie and Frank as the sun hit them just right in between the trees. After a few portraits of the lovely couple, we photographed the bridal party and took some family formals in this gorgeous location. It was time to head to St. Paul’s Lutheran Church where Pastor James Krombholz was waiting to wed the couple. It was a beautiful ceremony, Katie and Frank’s loved ones filled the church and the vibes were full of happiness and love for the two. Laughs, cheers, and kisses… it was time to celebrate the marriage between Katie and Frank! After a quick fun bubble exit, we headed to The Versailles Ballroom to party and celebrate the newly weds. Tasty foods, beautiful decorations, and good music created such a spectacular night. Chris Marino of Limelight Entertainment pumped up the guests and got everyone moving on the dance floor to some awesome beats! Katie, Frank, and their guests had an awesome experience and a great time!! Guests were singing, people were swaying to the music, and friends gathered in the Limelight Entertainment photo booth. What a night to remember! Katie and Frank cut their Chocolate Carousel wedding cake and shared this delicious treat with one another. The party did not stop, as everyone danced, drank, and laughed the night away.
Frank and I love to entertain, and in our eyes our wedding was the ultimate get together. So while we were mindful to avoid overwhelming ourselves with too many extra details or DIYs, we also knew there were a few special touches we wanted to include. We kept our ceremony simple, with evergreen garland and white lanterns lining the aisle and white poinsettias at the altar. For the reception, we pulled in some rustic elements like our seating chart which we created out of window-style photo frames. To really pull through the Winter Wonderland theme, we decorated the sweetheart table with a sparkly pinecone wreath, lanterns that we repurposed from the ceremony, and some more evergreens. We added extra sparkle and warmth with fairy lights under the skirt of our sweetheart table. We also wanted to make sure we had elements that really spoke to us as a couple! We arranged some of our engagement photos on one of the tables and our table numbers were all photos of Frank and I at a certain age. For example, table three featured photos of us both at age three. Something we always say to each other is “I love you more” so our personalized our cake cutter with the phrase (our forks said “I do!” and “Me too!”) And finally, our cake topper is the perfect representation of our current little family–the two of us, and our two cats. Our decorations were a mix of great shopping finds and DIY. Our DIY elements included greens and pinecones attached to our seating charts, as well as to the baskets for our ceremony programs, bubbles, and toiletries (in the restrooms). I designed our table numbers, programs, and seating chart cards with the help of a template. Additionally, I hand lettered all of the signs displayed throughout the space.
In order to stay budget-friendly, we decided to keep our flowers very simple. My bouquet was featured white and blush roses with stunning pops of burgundy peonies and ranunculus, as well as dusty miller, which I think added such a beautiful winter vibe to the whole thing. The bridesmaid’s bouquets were similar, but smaller. And instead of wrist corsages for the mothers of the bride and groom, I choose mini bouquets in all white. All the bouquets were wrapped in a gorgeous burgundy velvet ribbon. The colors really popped in our photos! The boutonnieres were super unique and featured ranunculus instead of the traditional rose. Beyond that, the only other flowers we brought in for decoration were the white poinsettias at the altar .Our reception centerpieces were silk flowers, which we loved because they did not go to waste and were housed in tall vases that allowed our guests to see each other easily.
We chose to personalize our wedding in a few ways! We brought in a photo booth from Limelight Entertainment, which people absolutely loved. We also had a cigar roller. Our guests could have a cigar rolled especially for them and then take it out onto The Versailles’ back patio, where we had set up heat lamps and fire pits. It was a total hit for anyone who wasn’t a huge dancer!We created our own “signature” cocktails to be ordered throughout the night–Frank’s Old Fashioned and Katie’s Kiss (a champagne cocktail with cranberry juice and orange liqueur). Finally, instead of a guest book, a family friend made us our very own Wishing Tree, which was a small evergreen tree decorated with crystals. Our guests wrote their wishes for us and hung them from the tree.
Do you want to share your engagement story, wedding or wedding inspiration with us and our readers? Click here to for more information on how you can submit for a chance to be featured!
Ceremony Location: St. Paul’s Lutheran Church / Celebrant: Pastor James Krombholz / Reception Venue: The Versailles Ballroom / Photographer and DJ: Limelight Entertainment / Cinema and Video: The Meyer Photo and Video Group / Floral Designer: flowers by melinda / Cake Designer: The Chocolate Carousel / Dress Designer: Morilee by Madeline Gardner / Veil and Headpiece: Seng Couture / Tuxedo and Mens Attire: Black Lapel / Bridesmaid Dresses: Bill Levkoff / Groomsmen Attire: Men’s Wearhouse / Invitations: Minted / Favors: Photo Booth / Hair Stylist: Sweet Hair Peace / Makeup Artist: Gina Ritacco / Jeweler: Adiamor / Cigar Roller: Tony Santana / Honeymoon Location: Sandals Grande Antigua
