If you love holiday weddings, then you’re going to find Emma and Joe’s winter nuptials oh-so-magical. The two tied in everything they love about Christmas, from a traditional color palette of red and green paired with a black-and-white gingham pattern to rustic details, and modern florals, which were put together by the bride’s mom. Not to mention there’s festive Christmas lights, romantic lighting, and the ladies even got ready in matching pajamas the morning of the wedding. It’s a joyous celebration at the Versailles Ballroom that would even make the grinch smile and you can see it all captured by Limelight Entertainment below. Be sure to pick up the most recent Fall/Winter 2018 edition of Contemporary Weddings Magazine, to see more from this featured New Jersey real wedding.
From Limelight Entertainment…Emma + Joe’s Christmas wedding was a DREAM! Every little thing about this wedding was amazing. The day started out like most weddings with Emma and Joe getting ready with their team of close friends and family. From the moment I walked in the door Emma was all smiles. She was so calm and relaxed as she enjoyed her morning/afternoon of getting ready with her girls. Emma was so chill she was even helping her girls do their makeup and added sparkle to a few bridesmaids for a finishing touch. After their wedding ceremony we stopped in downtown Belmar for some portraits of the entire bridal party. We had so much fun with all of the Christmas lights they had strung up in the 9th ave plaza. We stayed to take some romantic portraits of Emma and Joe before hopping on The E Street Shuttle and heading over to the Versailles for the party! Emma + Joe had a rustic winter holiday theme. They went with a color palette of white and evergreen with small pops of cranberry. Their bridesmaids and groomsmen wore all black. Emma wore a gorgeous blush pink wedding gown with a strapless fitted bodice and a full tulle skirt and Joe wore a white dinner jacket tuxedo with a black bow tie. Their florals included white berries and snow tipped pine cones. Their reception decor included accents of black and white flannel with pieces of cypress and pine. Their favor boxes were printed with a berry filled wreath wrapped around their monogram printed in cranberry and finished with a black and white flannel ribbon. They went with a gorgeous 4 tier all white wedding cake with alternating embellishments on each tier and a rustic holiday cake topper. Emma and Joe enhanced their wedding reception with intelligent lighting, a photo booth, and a black light show. It was the perfect combination of enhancements to set the stage for their wedding celebration. The intelligent lighting lit up the dance floor and brought everyone out to dance while the photo booth had guests acting silly and taking fun photos. They ended the night with a black light party and everyone was dancing with their hands in the air and their gloves lit up neon purple.
Let’s talk fashion. Tell us about your wedding gown experience. Describe your wedding gown in detail.
My ceremony gown was the first one I tried on at the store. My mom picked it out, I tried it on first, and that was it, I loved it! I didn’t really want to try on anything else, but we were there, and really how many times do you try on wedding dresses? My dress experience, with both, was super easy. The first one my mom picked out for me to try on, and the second I found online. I took a leap of faith about three weeks prior to my wedding and it worked out perfectly! My gowns were both blush and had the most beautiful details. The first was a blush ballgown with a white overlay, it had white lace details on the bodice, some sequencing crystals. The second was a tea length gown that had dainty and soft petals on the bottom of it.
Why did you choose the Versailles Ballroom for your reception location?
As I previously mentioned, I didn’t even tour Versailles Ballroom before making the decision that it would be our venue. Upon arrival there it just felt right. The catering staff was nothing short of amazing! I could not have been more pleased with them, as well as Angel, the Maître D. The ballroom had undergone a few changes prior to the wedding, and it just added to the sheer beauty of it. They answered any and all of our questions and allowed us to come and check it out as frequently as we wanted, especially when I harassed them about getting chivari chairs!
Describe your tablescapes for your reception:
We tried to keep it simple for our reception. We used cream tablecloths with an understated design on it, red napkins, and had the venue print out menu cards. We also had gold chargers on the table and were one of the first couples to use Versailles Ballroom’s new chivari chairs (I harassed them for months on whether or not they would have them in for the wedding, and they truly made a difference in the feel of the room.)
Ceremony Location: First Presbyterian Church of Belmar / Celebrant: Pastor Bill Morris / Reception Location: The Versailles Ballroom / Entertainment, Photographer, and Photo Booth: Limelight Entertainment / Floral Designer: Dawn Erbig / Cake Designer: Chocolate Carousel / Limousine Service: E Street Shuttle / Wedding Gown: David’s Bridal / Shoes: Badgley Mischka / Groom’s Attire: The Black Tux / Invitations: Greylein (Etsy) / Hair Stylist: Pin It Up Bridal / Jeweler: Blue Nile / Honeymoon Location: Hard Rock Hotel Punta Cana
