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"Ed and I both worked at the same financial services company, and he became someone I turned to for advice. A few years later, on a business trip to San Francisco, I found out he was going through a divorce. We spent a lot of time talking and the next day our meetings finished early, so we went on a tour of the vineyards in Napa Valley. We didn’t realize it then, but it turned out to be our first date. Shortly after, I met Ed’s son Ryan, and his daughter Kaitlyn. Spending time with them was very special. After dating for a year, we bought a condo together in Jersey City so Ed’s children could stay with us on weekends. I love them with all my heart, and couldn’t imagine life without them.
"In April of 2009, I came home from work and was surprised to see Ed home early. In the living room, I saw items from our memory box on the coffee table. Ed then opened a bottle of wine from Duckhorn Vineyards, the first winery we visited together in Napa Valley. After going through the memory box and reliving so many fantastic memories, Ed pulled out my engagement ring, got down on one knee, and proposed. It was amazing!
"We needed a venue that could accommodate our 230 guests. As soon as we entered Birchwood Manor and met Robert Lisciandro, the banquet sales manager, we knew we found the perfect place. Robert gave us great advice through the entire planning process and made sure every aspect of our event was perfect. We never worried about a single detail because we knew Robert would be there to take care of everything.
"We decided to have a vineyard-themed wedding to honor our first date. Each table was named after a different wine and included tasting notes and where we enjoyed that particular bottle. We used deep purple and light green, because we love red wine and my favorite flower is the cymbidium orchid.  "We were married at Birchwood Manor under an arch of branches and flowers. After the ceremony, our guests were escorted to the cocktail hour in the West Lounge where they were offered champagne with fresh berries. The cocktail hour had so many delicious hors d’oeuvres, including savory homemade puff pastries, clams casino, bacon-wrapped scallops, coconut chicken with sweet and sour sauce, and cocktail franks en croûte.  "The reception, held in the Jefferson Ballroom, was amazing. Dinner was a deluxe cocktail reception with several stations and dishes, including pork medallions with calvados sauce, medallions of beef au poivre, honey-mustard pecan chicken, veal marsala, filet of sole Véronique, and eggplant rollatini. We also had a wok stir-fry station, a pasta station, a chef’s carving station, and a seafood spectacular on ice. Our favorite was the caviar and frozen vodka display with an ice sculpture shaped like a wine rack!
"Our cake, made by Birchwood Manor, had a cannoli filling, real champagne grape decorations, and fondant leaves. We also had an assortment of layer cakes, an ice cream cart, and bananas foster flambé. Rather than having a guest book, we decided to bring in an old-fashioned photo booth. It was a huge hit! All the guests, even my 92-year-old grandmother, got into the booth and took pictures. It was a great keepsake.
"Everything about our wedding day was perfect. The staff at Birchwood Manor helped us create our picture perfect wedding. We couldn’t have done it without the help of Robert and our fantastic vendors who helped bring it all to life!" Birchwood Manor
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