Andrea and Ken were married at The Ryland Inn in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey. Fall is Andrea's favorite season and she knew she wanted to incorporate fall vibes into her wedding theme and color scheme. Andrea looked stunning in our 'Kylie' gown, and felt even better! 

The unexpected

"In February of this year (8 months before the wedding), my husband and I were vacationing in Charleston, SC to celebrate my birthday and his graduation. What was supposed to be a weekend of celebration turned into unexpected tragedy when Ken was struck by a car at high speed while he was walking in a hit and run accident. He was rushed to the hospital and immediately placed under sedation with a breathing tube because he lost consciousness and could not breathe on his own. He suffered a brain bleed as well as multiple fractures to his right leg, ankle, and facial bones. The status of his prognosis was unknown in the beginning, especially due to the bleeding in his brain. His physicians were hopeful but much was still unknown at the time. He underwent extensive orthopedic surgery to mend the fractures to his tibia, fibula, and ankle, as well as facial reconstructive surgery for his broken orbital, mandible, maxilla, and nasal bones. He needed to have a long metal rod placed in his leg that spans the length of his knee to his ankle in order to stabilize the bones along with screws in his ankle, as well as have his jaw wired shut in order to realign his jaw and mouth which was essentially “knocked off its hinges” from the force of the impact. He spent 3 weeks in the hospital and was finally released after he stabilized from the surgeries. We then spent another 6 weeks at his parents’ house in North Carolina while he recovered and returned to the Charleston hospital periodically for follow up appointments with his surgeons to monitor his post-operation status and progress of his recovery. We eventually made it back home to Connecticut in April just after Easter where Ken then began treatment with a physical therapist to learn to walk again unassisted (he was using crutches and a cane because he still did not have full mobility of his injured leg and his physicians advised not to put full weight on it until 8-12 weeks post surgery). He made a full recovery and the wedding was perfect and beautiful and everything went according to plan! His doctors, nurses, and physical therapist were extremely impressed by the rate of his healing and credit his progress to his unwavering positive attitude and determination to improve everyday. So we ended this year on a high note despite the way it started out! " 

A moment to relive

"I’d relive the moment of seeing Ken for the first time (and he seeing me for the first time) when I walked down the aisle to meet him at the alter. It’s such an emotional moment in general, but for us, given everything we’ve been through earlier this year with Ken’s accident and not knowing whether the wedding was even going to happen and whether he would survive the accident, it felt like such a 'We did it, we made it' moment."

Finding THE dress

"I didn’t exactly know what I wanted as far as style or fabric or silhouette, when I’m shopping for formal-ware I always reach for very embellished dresses with lots of beading or sequins or appliqué (I am a jersey girl born and raised) so I thought I would want something like that for my wedding dress because everyone knows that is part of my personality. I did go into the appointment knowing that I wanted something form-fitting to show off my figure because I worked really hard over the last 2 years to change my diet and lifestyle to be more health conscious and lost 60 pounds and was really proud of myself! My bridal consultant pulled a little bit of everything for me to try on, the phrase I kept telling her was that I wanted to feel like a bride, which sounds silly because, duh, but a lot of the dresses I saw that were gorgeous just felt like longer and white versions of dresses I already owned or could see myself wearing elsewhere and didn’t feel like wedding dresses for me personally. I became really drawn to the clean/modern look of a more simplistic looking gown because it made me feel like I was wearing the dress and not like the dress was wearing me, in other words I was the subject of focus and the dress enhanced my beauty instead of distracting from it with beading or lace or sequins. The dress I picked had a unique neckline and I loved the way it hit and hugged my body in all the right places, the fabric felt beautifully bridal, I loved the button detailing down the back and when the train was fluffed it made me look like I was floating on a cloud. It was chic, classic, and timeless and definitely made me feel like a bride!"

Quotes to remember

"May your love be fierce, extraordinary, magnetic, electric, and blazing. For life is full of mediocrities, and love should not be one of them."

"As time goes on, you will meet many different and beautiful versions of each other, and over and over, you will rediscover your love. Marriage is not the end of the search for love. It is the end of the search for the person to love. The search for ways to love that person—in all their forms—has just begun. May today mark the first of many wonderful days ahead that the two of you find new ways to love every version of each other that you have the pleasure of meeting. "

"With you, I remember that happiness is not a destination, but a journey that we embrace together."

"I promise to encourage you to be the best version of yourself, and to remember that neither one of us is perfect, but to strive to remind us both of the ways we are perfect for each other. And I promise to spend the rest of our days perpetuating a life and a love we are proud to call ours."