Ariel & Anthony
The Vision : Aiming for an elegant theme from the start , Ariel believes the combination of finding her dress and securing the venue is what made everything come together . “ We loved that we could bring in all of our own vendors ,” Ariel says of their venue , the Providence G . “ A lot of the other venues we toured required you to use all of their vendors . Being able to bring in our own gave us the freedom to do what we wanted and stay within our budget .”
The Aisle : “ As Ariel was walking down the aisle , I thought to myself , ‘ I get to marry my best friend and the love of my life .’” — Anthony “ I was so emotional , I couldn ’ t believe the day was finally here . It was all so surreal to have everyone there to share in our love and join us on our special day .” — Ariel
The Vows : When it came to the writing process , the couple each took time separately to collect their thoughts and put them to paper . “ We would highly recommend writing your own vows ,” says Ariel . “ It is very emotional , but we both agree that it was a special moment and the best part of our day . One piece of advice we have is to practice saying them out loud and possibly make a few drafts .”
The Traditions : Being part Chinese , it was important to Ariel that they incorporate a few cultural elements into the wedding . “ The significance of a lion dance at a wedding is to bless the couple in order for them to have a long and happy marriage ,” she says . “ And then the dress I wore during the cake cutting was my aunt ’ s — she wore it at her own wedding ! The red dress symbolizes good luck , happiness and prosperity in Chinese culture .”
The Hiccups : “ On the day of our wedding , we realized that I forgot to get petals for the flower girls to throw while they walked down the aisle ,” Ariel recalls . Luckily , the coordinators at the Providence G were on top of it , searching high and low that day until they found suitable replacements . “ They saved the day , I can ’ t thank them enough !” Ariel says .
The Meet Cute : Anthony and Ariel first crossed paths while matriculating at Bridgewater State University . “ Anthony had class with two of my friends , Luke and Dave , and they introduced us while we were out one night at a local bar called Bogarts ,” says Ariel . It was there Anthony won over his future wife with his impressive dance moves .
The Engagement : After four years of bliss , Anthony surprised Ariel at her family ’ s Christmas Eve party with a ring and a very important question ( to which she said yes !).
The Highlights : “ Our favorite moment was having all of our closest friends and family under one roof celebrating our love and dancing the night away .” — Ariel and Anthony
The Advice : “ Plan early ! If you are thinking of booking something but are unsure , do it ,” Ariel advises . “ We are so thankful we got the big things booked right away and didn ’ t have to stress about it down the road . That way you can focus on the smaller things as it gets closer .”
120 | ENGAGED IN SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND 2022